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219,829 | a88c18623e00ff680fa7a51f68977b6a1e349306 | (CNN) -- A Louisiana justice of the peace who drew criticism for refusing to marry an interracial couple has resigned, the secretary of state's office said Tuesday. Keith Bardwell resigned in person at the Louisiana secretary of state's office, said spokesman Jacques Berry. The state Supreme Court will appoint an interim justice of the peace to fill Bardwell's position, Berry said, and a special election will be held next year to fill the position permanently. Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, refused to perform a marriage ceremony for Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, Louisiana, and sign their marriage license. The two were married by another justice of the peace. The couple filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Bardwell and his wife, Beth Bardwell, on October 20, claiming the two violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Bardwell, speaking to CNN affiliate WBRZ, said he was advised "that I needed to step down because they was going to take me to court, and I was going to lose." "I would probably do the same thing again," he said. "I found out I can't be a justice of the peace and have a conscience." Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-Louisiana, who had called for Bardwell's dismissal, said Tuesday night that "Bardwell has finally consented to the will of the vast majority of Louisiana citizens and nearly every governmental official in Louisiana. Bardwell's refusal to issue marriage licenses to interracial couples was out of step with our Louisiana values and reflected terribly on our state. We are better off without him in public service." Initial reports were that Bardwell refused to issue a marriage license to the couple, but in the lawsuit Humphrey and McKay say they obtained the license from the parish court clerk's office and contacted Bardwell to see if he would perform the ceremony and sign the license to legally validate the marriage. Humphrey wound up speaking by telephone with Beth Bardwell, the lawsuit said, and Beth Bardwell asked Humphrey if they were a "mixed couple." When told they were an interracial couple, Beth Bardwell said, according to the lawsuit, "We don't do interracial weddings," and told her the two would have to go outside the parish to marry. Bardwell did not return repeated phone calls from CNN in October, but told CNN affiliate WAFB that he had no regrets about the decision. "It's kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven't done wrong," he said. In addition, he told the Hammond Daily Star in an October story that he did not marry the couple because he was concerned for the children that might be born of the relationship and that, in his experience, most interracial marriages don't last. "I'm not a racist," he said. "I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children." Humphrey said in October that she wanted Bardwell to resign. "He doesn't believe he's being racist, but it is racist," she said. According to the lawsuit, Bardwell estimated he refused to marry at least four other interracial couples in the past 2½ years. "Defendant Beth Bardwell ... aided, abetted and conspired with defendant Keith Bardwell to deprive plaintiffs of their constitutionally protected civil rights," according to the suit. No response to the suit has been filed, and it was unclear whether the Bardwells had retained an attorney. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, claiming that Humphrey and McKay suffered emotional distress as a result of the incident. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he believed Bardwell should lose his license, and the National Urban League called for an investigation into the incident by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, saying in a statement that Bardwell's actions were "a huge step backward in social justice." According to the Census Bureau, Tangipahoa Parish is about 70 percent white and 30 percent black. The U.S. Supreme Court tossed out any racially-based limitations on marriage in the landmark 1967 ruling in the case Loving v. Virginia. In the unanimous decision, the court said that under the Constitution, "the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State." CNN's Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report. | Keith Bardwell resigns in person at Louisiana secretary of state's office, official says .
Bardwell refused to marry couple after he found they were of different races .
They filed federal lawsuit; Louisiana governor called for Bardwell to resign . |
205,005 | 95635ca390b012fbd49ca40ea2aa2d5c201638e0 | (CNN) -- South America will support the joint Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2018 World Cup at next week's vote, a top official at its football confederation revealed on Thursday. CONMEBOL will have three of 22 votes when world ruling body FIFA's executive committee meets on Friday to elect which countries will stage the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. "The 10 countries are agreed to give the vote to Spain," its general secretary Eduardo Deluca told reporters after a meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay. England's bid representative David Dein had visited Brazil and Paraguay earlier in the week meeting CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz as he sought South American support. The Paraguayan is one of the confederation's three executive members along with Argentina's Julio Grondona and Ricardo Terra Teixeira of Brazil. Deluca's announcement follows claims by the head of the Spain-Portugal camp, Miguel Angel Lopez, that it had already secured eight votes. Lopez told the Bloomberg news agency on Monday that Spain's Angel Maria Villar Lona would also vote for the joint bid along with five other executive committee members. The head of the Asian Football Confederation, who is from 2022 candidate Qatar, also said he would be supporting Spain-Portugal. "Asia supports the Iberian bid. There's an excellent relationship between Asian football and Spanish football, we have done a lot of projects together, but that doesn't mean there has been a pact between us," Mohamed Bin Hammam told Spanish newspaper Marca. "It is something that happens between a lot of bids and it's not at all illegal. Qatar is going to support Spain and Portugal and they will support us, but we're not breaking any rules." FIFA ruled that there had been no illegal collusion between rival bid camps earlier this month when it suspended two executive committee members for offering to sell their votes to undercover newspaper reporters. Nigeria's Amos Adamu and Oceania president Reynald Temarii will both be excluded from the December 2 vote, reducing the number from 24. The Oceania federation is meeting this weekend to see if it can find a way to get its vote reinstated, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday. Meanwhile, a Bloomberg report has cast doubt on the Iberian bid's ability to finance the renovation of stadiums given Spain and Portugal's economic problems. "If building these stadiums means taking on more debt, I fear that they won't happen," the chief economist at Spanish savings bank foundation Funcas said. Angel Laborda said both countries would be tightening their budgets, meaning local councils would struggle to find funds for stadium work. Spain-Portugal is bidding along with England, Russia and Belgium-Netherlands for 2018, while Qatar, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States are vying for the rights to host in 2022. | Spain-Portugal bid can expect to win three votes from South America next week .
CONMEBOL official says confederation will back the Iberian bid for 2018 World Cup .
Spain-Portugal camp claimed earlier this week that it had secured eight of the 22 votes .
Qatar, which is bidding for 2022 rights, has also pledged support to Iberian bid . |
26,093 | 49f3d5e91547a44f9b93873a309543ba0382294f | It’s a pioneering crime-fighting technique that could have come straight from a detective drama – and will soon be hitting the streets of Britain. When officers arrive at a crime scene, they will be able to quickly and easily find out whether the perpetrator has left behind saliva, sweat or other bodily fluids with the help of a fluorescent spray. Until now, finding and analysing these samples – which can help uncover the guilty party’s identity – has been a complicated and time-consuming process. Investigation help: The new technology could help police apprehend criminals more quickly by lighting up bodily fluids . But once the new ‘forensic biosensor’ spray has been applied, it will immediately light up in one of four different bright colours – telling officers whether the sample is blood, sweat, saliva or semen. The item can then be sent for immediate forensic analysis to extract DNA and, if the offender is already known to the police, help them make an immediate arrest. The spray, which uses the latest bio and nano technologies, has been developed by scientists at King’s College London. It has been in progress for almost a decade and the Home Office hopes that it will provide police officers with vital leads in the first critical hours of an investigation. It will be tested by London’s Met Police in a £113,000 pilot scheme, which ministers hope to extend nationwide. Slow process: Previously analysing samples had been a lengthy process, but this technology will speed it up . | New technology will glow different colours depending on which fluid found .
Process used to take days but this will speed up identification .
Pioneering technology was developed at King's College, London . |
15,820 | 2ceaeac09cec4da24014b141a820b92cfed84961 | Britain has been just days from a major terror attack, with five plots foiled in the last four months, Met Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe revealed today. Terrorists have been 'very close to hurting somebody badly, or killing them' since the summer and there is 'no doubt' that there are extremists in the UK as dangerous as the gunman behind the Sydney café siege, the Commissioner warned. And he claimed officers are struggling to cope with the mountain of digital files seized in police raids, with recent cases seeing terror suspects hours from being released before crucial evidence was found for them to be charged. Scroll down for video . Sir Bernard Hogan Howe warned officers are struggling to cope with the mountain of digital files seized in police raids . David Cameron last night warned Britain could be hit 'at any moment' by a Sydney-style terror attack. Two hostages died and Islamic extremist Man Haron Monis was killed after a 16-hour siege in the busy financial district of the Australian capital. The Prime Minister said it was only through the efforts of the security services that plots to murder UK police officers 'in cold blood' had been foiled in recent months. But Sir Bernard insisted that the police need extra resources to deal with the growing terror threat in Britain. In a wide-ranging interview, the country's most senior police chief: . Sir Bernard told LBC Radio: 'In terms of plots over these last four months really it's probably five. We have arrested 35 people.' The dramatic warning comes amid growing fears of a so-called lone wolf attack in the UK. In Sydney, the Iranian asylum seeker Monis struck terror into the heart of the city after taking 17 staff and customers hostages inside the Lindt cafe in Martin Place. The 50-year-old gunman is believed to have fired the first shots, which sparked teams of heavily armed police to swoop on the café at 2am on Tuesday. Asked if there were people in Britain as dangerous as Monis, Sir Bernard told LBC radio: 'There will be, there's no doubt. You look at what happened to Lee Rigby. 'There are people out there who are dangerous, and that's why we keep arresting them because we need to stop them hurting people. 'And the operations we have talked about earlier, they have been very close to hurting somebody badly, or killing them. So they are a threat. Very, very close.' Pressed on how close the plots had been to being carried out before being intercepted by police, he replied: 'I'm acknowledging days.' The 34-year-old manager of the Lindt cafe, Tori Johnson (left), and mother of three Katrina Dawson, 38 (right), have been named as the two hostages killed during the Sydney siege on Tuesday morning . Children as young as 15 are travelling to fight in Syria with ISIS extremists before trying to return to Britain, Sir Bernard Hogan Howe warned. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said that a 'handful' of people leave the UK every week intent on joining the conflict. Sir Bernard said: 'There has been a rise in the number of young people over this past 12 months. 'People have been travelling who are 16 or 18. We even had 15-year-olds, and it's changed because we have seen more young girls or women going out...15 it was a girl. 'Some have been intercepted so have been turned back from Turkey, these are the ones we know about. 'You could go to Spain and then go to Turkey and then Syria. It's not hard. The numbers are significant, and of course there are still people coming back.' He said that of 550 who have travelled to Syria, around half have returned already. There are fears that fighters who have been radicalised in Syria will carry out terror attacks in the UK. Terror suspects can be held for up to 14 days before they must be charged or released. Sir Bernard revealed: 'The last couple of case we have got right to the wire, to 13 days, I fact 13 and a half days, another one 12 days, and then we've found the thing we needed to prove the charge. 'Had we not got that we'd have had to release on bail. So for those reasons we need some help.' The government last month announced that an extra £130million would be made available over the next two years for the security services to 'monitor and disrupt those self-starting terrorists'. But Sir Bernard said Scotland Yard needed more money to cope with the rising threat level and the increasingly complex use of technology by criminals and terrorists. Police and security officials have previously warned it is 'almost inevitable' that Britain will be hit by an attack by fanatics who have been 'militarised' by Islamic State. Sir Bernard warned that have a 'radicalised individual' with weapon taking many people hostage is 'a terrifying prospect' which is 'very difficult to guard against'. He stressed that the best defence that the police has is good intelligence. 'It means members of the public tell us when they are worried about someone. Other criminals tell us when they are worried about people. 'We get some of our best information from criminals, for various motives, frankly sometimes financial, but sometimes they don't like them, sometimes they're frightened of them. 'We get the best information from people in that area.' Last night the Prime Minister warned it was much harder for the authorities to prevent attacks by fanatics who are 'self-radicalised on the internet' than to tackle known extremists who had travelled to the Middle East. Prime Minister David Cameron said Australia was a country 'very close to our hearts', and warned the attack in Sydney could be repeated in the UK . Mr Cameron, appearing before senior MPs at the Commons Liaison Committee, said: 'The threat we face definitely includes those sort of self-starting, sometimes quite random attacks that could happen at any moment in Britain. 'We've seen over the last few months there have been a series of plots that have been detected and prevented that would have seen police officers or other authorities murdered in cold blood. 'It's thanks to the brilliance of our security services that these things have been prevented.' But he added: 'We can't count on them to prevent it every time because it is one thing understanding the terror networks coming out of Pakistan or Afghanistan or Iraq and Syria, trying to monitor what they're doing, who's going and who's returning. That's one thing. 'But people who are self-radicalised on the internet, who then suddenly do appalling things, that is much more difficult to prevent.' Scotland Yard has requested an extra £50million to track and prosecute terror suspects. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe revealed he has asked the government for 'more help', including staff to trawl millions of digital files seized in counter-terror raids. He likened trying to find conclusive evidence of extremism to looking for a needle in a haystack, adding: 'The last job we had 10 haystacks and weren't sure which one the needle was in.' Police need more resources to trawl computers, laptops and mobiles seized in raids to secure a prosecution, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said . Sir Bernard said: 'Have we got enough resources? Well we have asked the government for more help. 'We are losing money, but in this area we have got to invest so we have asked for around £50milion for across the country. We are waiting for an answer on that. We need it.' He said counter-terror operations 'use lots of people' and cost a lot of money.They are resource intensive when trying to track suspects around the clock. But once someone has been arrested, officers facing a daunting task in analysing their computer files for evidence. Sir Bernard added: 'When we arrest them what we have found is we are seizing huge amounts of digital evidence, computers, laptops, all the things we all have. 'One of the operations, the last one I think, one person had about 19 devices. Now you think that's ridiculous. But you think how many devices you have at home. 'We get all that, then we've got to download it, and then having downloaded it we have got to find the stuff. 'Sometimes you are looking for a needle in a haystack. The last job we had 10 haystacks and weren't sure which one the needle was in. It's really hard. So we are getting backlogs in the digital retrieval.' The government insists that it does not break down the counter-terrorism budget into individual lump sums it is only ever published as a single total figure. Officials also refused to discuss the details of funding requests made by 'operational partners'. Mr Cameron last month announced that an extra £130million would be made available over the next two years for the security services to 'monitor and disrupt those self-starting terrorists'. The PM's official spokesman said: 'We have already protected funding for counter terrorism policing due to the ongoing threat posed to the UK by terrorism and more recently the Prime Minister announced an additional £130million to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities. 'This will include new funding to enhance our ability to monitor and disrupt terrorists and some of this funding will go to counter-terrorism policing.' A Home Office spokesman added: 'Public protection is the first responsibility of any government and we are committed to ensuring the police and other agencies have the resources they need to respond to changing threats. 'While all public services must constrain their spending, we have protected funding for counter terrorism policing due to the ongoing threat posed to the UK by terrorism. 'The Prime Minister has also announced an additional £130million which will be made available over the next two years to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities. This will include new funding to enhance our ability to monitor and disrupt terrorists and additional resources for programmes to prevent radicalisation.' | Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe reveals scale of terror threat faced by Britain .
In last four months, five plots have been thwarted and 35 people arrested .
There is 'no doubt' UK extremists are as dangerous as Sydney gunman .
Demanded an extra £50million to fund counter-terror operations .
Children aged 15, including growing numbers of girls, travelling to Syria .
Revealed five plots have been thwarted in the past four months, including some which were just days away from killing and maiming on the streets of Britain .
Demanded an extra £50million to fund counter-terror operations, including tracking suspects and analysing digital evidence .
Warned that children as young as 15, including growing numbers of girls, are travelling to fight in Syria, using Spain as a stop-off to Turkey to avoid detection .
Appealed to members of the public, and even other criminals, to report any unusual behaviour which could be linked to terrorism . |
278,686 | f50921317dde1b61b121270dd2ea7fa5ba1b27e5 | By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 08:56 EST, 5 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:27 EST, 5 December 2013 . Nigella Lawson admitted that she started seeing Charles Saatchi 'not very long' after the death of her first husband, as she gave evidence to a jury for a second day. Miss Lawson, 53, married Mr Saatchi in 2003 just two years after John Diamond died from cancer at the age of 47. The self-styled Domestic Goddess told Isleworth Crown Court that she snorted cocaine with Mr Diamond six times in the last two years of his life while he was terminally ill. Scroll down for video . First husband: Nigella Lawson with her John Diamond who died from cancer in 2001 after a four-year battle with the disease . After they took the Class A drug together, she told the jury she didn't take it again until 2010 when Mr Saatchi had subjected her to 'intimate terrorism'. Miss Lawson is giving evidence against her former PAs Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo who are accused of spending £685,000 on themselves using the millionaire art dealer's company credit cards. She told the jury today that she 'became involved' with Mr Saatchi after Mr Diamond passed away. 'It would be fair to say that not very long after my first husband died I began to become involved with Mr Saatchi,' she said. Re-married: Nigella Lawson married Charles Saatchi in 2003, two years after Mr Diamond died, the jury has been told . Miss Lawson married journalist John Diamond in 1992 in a ceremony in Venice and they later had two children together. But he was diagnosed with throat cancer and died in 2001 after a four-year battle against the disease. To relieve his pain, he turned to cocaine and Miss Lawson said she also snorted the drug. She told the jury yesterday: 'I did speak to a doctor of . palliative care because I was troubled about whether I should let John . continue, and he said just let him. And so I didn't judge or begrudge.' But . she said claims that credit cards and envelopes containing white powder . were left around the home she shared with Mr Diamond in Shepherds Bush, west London, were 'completely . false'. She added: 'He didn't take it for very long because there are some miseries you cannot escape. 'You asked me if there were rolled up notes with white powder at the desk and I said no. 'The idea that he would let his study become squalid is unbelievable. 'I . did take it in a rolled up note, but there were not rolled up notes . everywhere. It is something that everyone knows, that cocaine is taken . like that. It is a very easy story to fabricate. 'It is not true.' Jurors have been told that Elisabetta Grillo started working for Miss Lawson in 1999 as Mr Diamond battled the illness. She was initially brought in as an au pair to look after her children after Mr Diamond had been diagnosed with cancer. Testimony: Nigella Lawson arrives at court this morning to continue giving evidence against her two former PAs. Yesterday she revealed she took cocaine . Her sister Francesca was recruited in 2001 and, although their role changed over the years, they stayed with the TV chef for the duration of her marriage to Mr Saatchi. Miss Lawson told the jury yesterday that Lisa had been a 'rock' when Mr Diamond was terminally ill with cancer. 'Sometimes I had to rush to hospital, she would stand in,' she told the court. 'She was my rock. I will never forget what she did for my family.' Francesca . Grillo, 35, and her sister Elisabetta, . 41, are accused of committing fraud by abusing their positions by using a . company credit card for personal gain. Prosecutors . claim the Italian sisters lived the 'high life', spending the money on . designer clothes and handbags from Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and . Vivienne Westwood. The pair . are accused of using credit cards loaned to them by the TV cook and her . ex-husband to spend more than £685,000 on themselves between 2008 and . 2012. The Grillo sisters, of Bayswater, west London, deny the charge against them. The case continues. Accused: Nigella Lawson's former PAs Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo who are standing trial for fraud arrive at court this morning . | Nigella Lawson's first husband John Diamond died in 2001 from cancer .
She later started seeing Charles Saatchi and they married in 2003 .
Miss Lawson admitted snorting cocaine six times with Mr Diamond while he was terminally ill as he tried to relieve his pain .
She then took the drug again in 2010 while married to Mr Saatchi . |
263,047 | e0b4e0a0c6783b540a07ed1ff2c55f861cf93b0f | By . Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 22:06 EST, 12 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:24 EST, 13 June 2012 . What do Scottsdale, Arizona, Syracuse in upstate New York and the San Juan Islands off Washington have in common? They are all home to some of the most architecturally inspiring addresses in the United States. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has handed out the 2012 Housing Awards to projects at the pinnacle of design, creativity and sustainability. The jury recognized projects in four categories - custom-built homes for one family, large structures which sleep many individuals in their own apartments and specialized buildings such as community centers. The ten homes selected were: The Nakahouse, a space-age home in the Hollywood Hills; Relic Rock, a luxury home in Scottsdale, Arizona; The Pierre, a strange stone inspired home in the San Juan Islands off Washington state; The Camelview Village, a futuristic condo complex in Scottsdale, Arizona; Hampden Lane House in Bethesda, Maryland; The Live Work Home in Syracuse, New York; the luxury Carmel residence in Carmel-by-Sea, California; a new Jesuit Community centre in Fairfield, Connecticut; new low-budget homes in San Francisco and new college halls of residence in Houston, Texas. Otherwordly homestead: Optima Camelview Village is a 700-unit condominium development comprised of eleven buildings linked by bridges in Scottsdale, Arizona . Spiritual setting: The Arizona complex draws inspiration from the surrounding mountains and Native American desert communities . Sit back and relax in your surroundings: A lounge area in the Optima Camelview Village in Scottsdale . The American Institute of Architects was established 150 years ago and has more then 79,000 members. The One and Two Family Custom Residences award focus on remodelling of homes for individual clients. The Carmel Residence in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California was completed by Dirk Denison Architects. The owners wanted to marry a space that worked with the beauty of the natural surroundings and the nearby Pacific Ocean. All rooms flow from a central courtyard with nooks for the kitchen and office spaces. Areas are separated by screens of solid mahogany and steel which move to allow air and light to circulate throughout the home. The Hampden Lane House in Bethesda, Maryland by architect Robert M. Gurney is a simple cube where all spaces are utilized. It stands out from others in the neighbor for its style - but nevertheless is an environmentally conscious project. Nakahouse in Los Angeles, by XTEN Architecture, is an abstract remodel of a 1960s hillside house with fluid indoor - outdoor spaces. Its cantilevered terraces and stark monochrome interior - white steel, plaster and concrete along with deep black plaster walls - give it a futuristic look despite its glamorous location under the Hollywood sign. Inspired by its surroundings: Located in Carmel Bay, California, the Carmel Residence was conceived around one central room . California dream: The home by the coast has niche spaces that hide the kitchen and bedrooms around a central area paneled in solid mahogany and glass sliding doors . The art of zen: The open plan nature of the Carmel property allows air and natural light to flow through the entire home . The Pierre on the San Juan Islands, Washington was created by Olson Kundig Architects. The owner's desire to use stone throughout the home led to its name (pierre is stone in French). It was conceived as a bunker and is almost camouflaged by the nature which surrounds it. Rock extrudes into the home, sitting at odds with more luxurious furnishings and fabrics used. Interior and exterior hearths are carved out of existing stone and the master bathroom sink and the powder room are fully carved out of the rock. Relic Rock, another property in Scottsdale, Arizona was designed by DCHGlobal Inc. It is almost entirely sustainable - with the structure made of 99 per cent recycled steel. 'Floating' floor plans mean that the rocks around and under the property have been untouched. Cook + Fox Architects designed the Live Work Home in Syracuse, New York. The home was created as a small, modern loft - an ecologically sound space in response to America's future housing needs that appeal directly to the environment in which they are built. As Syracuse often has long, dark winters, the home is filled with skylight tubes and perforated screens that allow light to bounce. Tranquil: Optima Camelview Village in Scottdale, Arizona uses greenery and water features to combat the desert heat . Room with a view: Nakahouse in Los Angeles is an abstract remodel of a 1960s hillside house . Spaceage: Nakahouse is an abstract remodel of a 1960's hillside house . Go with the flow: The LA home is made from white steel, plaster and concrete with contrasting black plaster walls . 'Multifamily housing' recognizes apartment and condominium design - for both public and private clients that include open and recreational space. David Baker + Partners designed the Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson Apartments in San Francisco - 120 permanent, supportive studio apartments for low-income formerly homeless residents, many with mental and physical disabilities. The site of the project is a demolished freeway that has been transformed with plenty of green space and local shops. The eclectic style also gives the homes a sense of common identity and place in the neighborhood. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding . mountains and Native American desert communities, Optima Camelview . Village in Scottsdale, Arizona (by David Hovey & Associates Architect, Inc.) is made up of 700 separate condominiums . linked by planted-draped bridges designed to fend off the harsh climate. It is easy to . walk around with plenty of courtyards and jutting landscaped terraces . creating serene shelter. The special housing award by AIA is for the design of housing that fits a specific purpose - homes for the disabled, rehabilitation centers or domestic violence shelters. Rice University in Houston, Texas . enlisted Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company with Hopkins Architects . to build McMurtry & Duncan Colleges. The two buildings are home to 650 students and faculty, weaving squares and tree-lined paths with innovative design that blends with the more traditional buildings on campus. Also outstanding in this category was the Jesuit Community Center in Fairfield, Connecticut by Gray Organschi Architecture. Encompassing administrative offices, a chapel, community dining room, great room, and library, the Jesuit community wanted a building that would reflect their goal of acting as 'good stewards of the Earth'. Star quality: The home, which sits right below the Hollywood sign, has several cantilevered terraces . Visionary: The Jesuit community center in Fairfield, Connecticut uses innovative technologies to reduce both short and long term impact on the environment . Building blocks: The Jesuit priests wanted their building to exemplify their goal as acting as good stewards of the earth . Good things in small packages: The LEED Platinum Live Work Home is an efficient, highly adaptable space designed as an urban infill prototype for shrinking cities in Syracuse, New York . The garage of the Syracuse home . Tres belle: Conceived as a bunker nestled into the rock, the Pierre - meaning French for stone - celebrates the materiality of the site . The Pierre, French for stone, celebrates the owner's affection for a stone outcropping on her property . The Pierre's interior and exterior hearths are carved out of existing stone and left raw . Arizona: Relic Rock is the prototype for a sustainable building system that is based on a three dimensional structural grid comprised of 99% recycled steel . The floor planes leave native boulder formations and natural topography untouched . The interior of the Red Rock home in Arizona . San Francisco: Richardson Apartments provides 120 permanent, supportive studio apartments for very-low-income formerly homeless residents, many with mental and physical disabilities . Green living: The San Francisco homes have on-site social services, generous outdoor and common spaces, neighborhood-serving retail . Bethesda: Hampden Lane House is . designed as a cube and is approximately 2200 square feet . Sleek: The flat roof provides an additional 1100 square feet of outdoor living space with views of treetops and the downtown Bethesda skyline . The house is intended to be more site sensitive, environmentally conscious, and to provide comfortable, efficient living spaces . No place like home; The exterior of the Bethesda home . Design for life: wo new residential colleges at Houston's Rice University have also been nominated . | American Institute of Architects handed out its annual awards to projects showcasing the best innovative design . |
261,156 | de3b0dc80cc8bf4cf8b86a8b52f741300e8cdb3b | (CNN) -- An Indiana judge Monday froze the assets of Marcus Schrenker, a suburban Indianapolis financial manager who authorities say tried to fake his own death by crashing his private plane into a Florida swamp. Marcus Schrenker exited his small plane before it crashed, and investigators are looking for him, police say. Investigators looking into his business dealings for possible securities violations requested the temporary restraining order in Hamilton County Superior Court, said Jim Gavin, spokesman for the Indiana Secretary of State. He said the order, which also applies to Schrenker's wife, Michelle, and to his three companies, is aimed at protecting investors, and is related to a receivership filing. He didn't elaborate. Heritage Wealth Management, Heritage Insurance Services and Icon Wealth Management are "the subjects of an active investigation by the Indiana Securities Division," Gavin said. Public documents list Schrenker as president of Heritage Wealth Management in Fishers, Indiana. A search warrant related to the inquiry was served December 31, Gavin said. According to The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Indiana, Michelle Schrenker filed for divorce in Hamilton Superior Court on December 30. A hearing was set for February 5. Schrenker, 38, took off alone Sunday night in a corporate plane, a Piper PA-46, from Anderson, Indiana, en route to Destin, Florida. Authorities said the Fisher, Indiana, businessman parachuted to the ground before letting the plane crash in the Florida panhandle. The craft came down near the Blackwater River, only 50 to 75 yards from homes, said Sgt. Scott Haines of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. Watch more about the mysterious flight » . "It is a neighborhood -- some very nice waterfront property," he said. Military aircraft from Whiting Field, which were dispatched to intercept the plane after Schrenker reported an emergency, witnessed the crash about 9:15 p.m. CT. The crews fired flares and noticed the plane's door was open and the cockpit was dark, Haines said in a news release. They got no response. Haines said the plane appeared to have been put on autopilot at around 2,000 feet, over the Birmingham, Alabama, area, before the pilot parachuted to the ground. Schrenker had contacted air traffic controllers, saying that the windshield imploded. "The pilot stated that he was bleeding profusely," the news release said. "Radio contact with the plane was not able to be established after that point. When deputies located the plane at the crash site, no blood was present and the door to the plane was open." The Childersburg, Alabama, Police Department reported that Schrenker approached one of its officers shortly before 2:30 a.m., "and said that he had been in a canoeing accident with some friends," a news release said. Childersburg is about 35 miles southeast of Birmingham. Childersburg officers, unaware of the plane crash, took Schrenker to a hotel in nearby Harpersville. After hearing about the crash, they went back to the hotel, where they found that Schrenker had checked into the hotel under a fictitious name. "When authorities entered Schrenker's room, he was not there," the release said. Authorities said Schrenker checked in under a fake name, put on a black cap and fled into a wooded area. Hotel manager Yogi Patel, who identified Schrenker on surveillance video, told CNN that Schrenker was the only guest overnight. He signed in as Jason Galouzs of Bolingbrook, Illinois, Patel said. A hotel employee said Schrenker went up to his room, but didn't enter before leaving the building. iReport.com: Are you near the crash site? Tell us about it . Steve Darlington, manager of Anderson Municipal Airport, told CNN the plane was in fine condition at takeoff, and said Schrenker is "an accomplished pilot" who owns "a couple of airplanes" and flies regularly. No agency has come forward to lead the probe. "The FBI is looking into the matter, along with other agencies," said Paul Draymond, of the Birmingham FBI office. Kathleen Bergen, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said several factors indicated the pilot likely left the plane before the crash: a "detailed review of radar data," the fact that the plane was switched to autopilot before it crashed, the sighting by military jet crews and the fact that the cockpit was found mostly intact with no one inside. After the pilot alerted air traffic controllers about the alleged problems with his plane, authorities tried to persuade him to land in Pell City, Alabama, east of Birmingham, Haines said. Schrenker also flew an acrobatic plane, and made a video featured on a YouTube site. A message preceding the video warns, "No pilot should attempt this stunt. You will get yourself killed. Pilot specially trained to fly unlimited acrobatics and shows." CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this report. | Authorities say pilot tried to fake his own death by crashing his private plane .
Officials searching for Marcus Schrenker, who they say parachuted out of plane .
Investigators looking into possible securities violations request the restraining order .
Manager in Alabama says Schrenker was his only guest at hotel overnight . |
171,784 | 6a541ffe076ec75bbaf6f016fbad661b77b00763 | Former footballer and pundit Clarke Carlisle is in hospital after he was hit by a lorry. The 35-year-old former Leeds, Burnley and QPR defender was airlifted to hospital after being struck by the vehicle on the A64 near Bishopthorpe, North Yorkshire. Carlisle, who went on to become chairman of the Professional Footballer's Association and found fame away from the pitch for his appearance on TV show Countdown, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where police said he was being treated for 'serious injuries'. Scroll down for video . Ex-Premier League footballer Clarke Carlisle is in hospital with 'serious injuries' after he was hit by a lorry . The cause of the accident, which took place at 7.30am this morning remains unclear, however a police spokeswoman said they were 'pursuing all avenues'. The road was closed to allow the air ambulance to reach the scene, and North Yorkshire police said the incident had involved a lorry and a pedestrian. Carlisle is considered one of the most intelligent footballers of his generation with 10 Grade A GCSEs. He also studied maths and politics at A-level while sidelined from football due to injury, and has a degree in Sportswriting and Broadcasting from Staffordshire University. He made more than 500 appearances for nine clubs in a career that spanned 16 years and became the first player to appear on Channel 4's long-running gameshow Countdown. Carlisle, who went on to become chairman of the Professional Footballer's Association, has been working as a commentator for ITV since retiring in May 2013 . Carlisle celebrates while playing for Queens Park Rangers against Colchester in September 2002. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where police said he was being treated for 'serious injuries' On his first appearance on the programme he beat the reigning champion with a score of 89 to 55, telling then host Jeff Stelling: 'I can't say it's better than winning a big football game - but it's up there.' He has also appeared twice on BBC current affairs discussion show Question Time, becoming the first footballer to do so. In 2002 he was awarded the title ‘Britain’s Brainiest Footballer’ by BBC Sport. His last match was Northampton’s 3–0 defeat by Bradford in the 2013 League Two play-off Final at Wembley in 2013. Since retiring from the game, he has been a regular pundit on ITV, working at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil and commentating on the Europa League. He is also a leading ambassador for anti-discrimination group Kick It Out. He also released his autobiography ‘You don’t know me, but... A footballer’s life’, in which he wrote powerfully about a suicide attempt after suffering a career threatening injury in his playing days. Carlisle, who has a wife Gemma and three children, also presented a BBC documentary called ‘Football’s Suicide Secrets’ and has been open about his own battles with depression. On Monday night, North Yorkshire Police would only confirm that a 35-year-old man was struck by a lorry on the A64 south of York. 'The collision involved a male pedestrian and a lorry,' said a spokesman. 'The injured man has been airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary with serious injuries. The defender celebrates winning promotion to the Premier League with Burnley in 2009. North Yorkshire Police would only confirm that a 35-year-old man was struck by a lorry on the A64 south of York . Carlisle has appeared several times on Channel 4 gameshow Countdown . The 35-year-old has also been a guest on BBC current affairs programme Question Time . 'The road was closed to allow the air ambulance to land and to allow collision investigators to examine the scene.' Part of the road was closed for a number of hours while investigations took place. The world of football has pledged its support and best wishes to Carlisle, and social media was full messages from well-wishers hoping he makes a quick recovery. The Football Association tweeted: 'The thoughts & prayers of all at The FA are with Clarke Carlisle & his family at this sad time.' One of his former clubs, Burnley, said: 'The thoughts of all at Burnley Football Club are with Clarke Carlisle and his family.' And the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign posted: 'The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Kick It Out are with Clarke Carlisle and his family. Stay strong our dear friend - keep on fighting.' Former player and media pundit Kevin Kilbane posted: 'Shocked to hear the news on Clarke Carlisle. I pray for him and his family. Hope he pulls through.' Burnley fan and former Downing Street communications chief Alastair Campbell Tweeted: 'Really hoping @clarkecarlisle going be ok. Thoughts with Gemma/two lovely kids. A great @BurnleyOfficial man and mental health campaigner.' The former central defender won Britain's Brainiest Footballer competition on ITV in 2002 . Professional debut aged 18 for Blackpool against Wrexham on September 2, 1997 . Joined Queens Park Rangers for £250,000 on 25 May, 2000 . Called up to England Under 21 side during the 2000-01 season . Won Second Division player of the month award in November 2003 . Played integral role in QPR's 2003-04 promotion campaign to the Championship . Joined Leeds United on a two-year deal in June 2004 after his contract expired at west London side . Left the Yorkshire side after just one season, moving back to London to join Watford for £100,000 . Played a big role as the Hornets gained promotion to the Premier League in May 2006 via the play-offs - beating his old side Leeds 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium . Featured in his first Premier League game for Watford on April 9, 2007 in a 4-2 win against Portsmouth . Named man of the match in FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United on April 14, 2007 - but that wasn't enough to stop his side comfortably losing 4-1 . Following Watford's relegation at the end of that season he joined Burnley for £200,000 . Won promotion to the Premier League again this time with the Clarets in May 2009 . On November 17, 2010 Carlisle was named as the chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association replacing Chris Powell . Joined Preston North End on loan for the duration of 2011-12 season . Spent the remainder of the season at Northampton after his spell at Preston was cut short . Joined League Two outfit York City on August 30, 2012 . Re-joined Northampton on loan until January 2013, before penning permanent deal . On May 23, 2013 Carlisle announced his retirement from professional football . ALSO... Ambassador for Premier League and Kick It Out - which campaigns for inclusion and equality in football . Co-commentator for ITV Sport on Europa League and FA Cup games . Overall won three caps for England Under 21 side . Sean Gallagher . | Carlisle, 35, airlifted to Leeds General infirmary with life threatening injuries .
He was hit by a lorry on the A64, near Bishopthorpe on Monday morning .
The former QPR defender went on to become chairman of the PFA .
He also found fame away from the pitch for appearances on Countdown .
Since retiring from the game, he has been a regular pundit on ITV .
He is also a leading ambassador for anti-discrimination group Kick It Out . |
152,679 | 514d4aa1d2b2c7b3d49b6bcf5425f48f6411ae04 | A man who was declared clinically dead for 40 minutes was brought back to life thanks to a machine which performed life-saving chest compressions. Colin Fiedler, 39, from Dandenong, in Victoria, Australia, was pronounced dead at The Alfred Hospital last June after he suffered a heart attack. But thanks to a revolutionary cardiac support machine, called the AutoPulse, staff were able to revive him. Life-saver: The Zoll Auto-Pulse keeps blood and oxygen flowing to vital organs . He told the Herald Sun: 'I am so grateful, more than I could ever say'. The Zoll AutoPulse, which is battery operated, is a portable heart and lung pump which keeps blood and oxygen flowing to vital organs. A patient's head, shoulders and upper back lie against a board while a band, which carries out chest compressions, is strapped around the person's entire rib cage. When the patient is strapped in and the start button is pressed, the band pulls tight around the chest and constricts the entire rib cage, rhythmically pumping the heart at a rate of 80 compressions per minute. Manuel chest compressions, even when done well, only provide between 10 and 20 per cent of normal blood flow to the heart and 30 to 40 per cent to the brain. But this new pump moves more blood more consistently, according to experts. A patient's head, shoulders and upper back lie against a board while a band, which carries out chest compressions, is strapped around the person's entire rib cage . The Herald Sun reports that Fiedler is one of seven cardiac arrest patients in Australia who have been treated with the band. Three have been revived from being declared clinically dead for 40 to 60 minutes, it said. AutoPulse machines have been on the market since 2003 and are being used more and more around the world. Zoll, the company which makes the device, said: 'Victims receive more consistent, high-quality compressions than those delivered by simple automated CPR devices, which means improved blood flow.' The U.S. National Centre for Biotechnology Information said a recent study on the effectiveness of the machine showed that it had a 'promising' future. Twenty nine patients who took part in the study received more blood pressure than they would have with manual compressions. In 2010, Arun Bhasin, 53, was found lying unconscious in Croydon after suffering a cardiac arrest. Doctors hooked him up to a Zoll AutoPulse pump which maintained Mr Bhasin's heartbeat for more than three hours while he was stablised by medics. At the time, Nigel Raghunath, lead consultant in A&E, who treated Mr Bhasin said he had never seen such a remarkable case in his 15 years in Accident and Emergency care. He said: 'Even a fully-trained professional finds it hard to deliver consistent, high quality chest compressions when attempting to resuscitate someone whose heart has stopped beating. 'A&E teams have a range of equipment available but the new device means we can carry on helping someone’s heart to beat for much longer improving blood flow to vital organs and increasing their chances of recovery.' | Colin Fiedler was brought back to life by a device called the AutoPulse .
The revolutionary machine is now being tested in Australia .
Three patients have been revived using the technique since the trial began . |
235,634 | bd0a05b6de676bdf177746a1b2af5e008e067431 | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 06:58 EST, 12 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:44 EST, 13 December 2013 . A six-year-old Chinese boy whose eyes were gouged out has been discharged from hospital after undergoing surgery. Guo Bin, affectionately known as Bin-Bin, has been successfully fitted with implants at the C-MER Dennis Lam Eye Hospital, where he was given free treatment. Dr Lam volunteered his services after the boy was found covered in blood in Fenxi, Shangxi provice in August. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Brave: Guo Bin, affectionately known as Bin-Bin, has been successfully fitted with implants after his eyes were gouged out in August . A special send-off ceremony took place today where the child danced to music and even offered to leave his toys behind for other sick children to play with. When asked how he felt, he said: 'Very happy' before thanking everyone who had helped him. Police in the boy's hometown in northern China's Shanxi province say they suspect his aunt carried out the attack, although the boy's parents have expressed doubts. The woman has since committed suicide but the boy's DNA and blood were found on her clothes. Recovering: Six-year-old Guo Bin writing with the help of his mother and father . Going home: A special send-off ceremony took place today where the child danced to music before he left . Initial reports had said the corneas were missing when the boy's eyes were found, leading to speculation that his attacker was an organ trafficker, but police later ruled out organ sales as a motive saying the corneas had been found attached to the eyeballs. Police had offered a 100,000 yuan ($16,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of the sole suspect. Reports said the little boy had been drugged before his eyeballs were gouged out. At the time Guo Bin's devastated father said: ‘We didn’t notice his eyes were gone when we discovered him – he had blood all over his face. We thought he had fallen down and smashed his face.’ Hope: Guo Bin has undergone surgery that could one day lead to the partial restoration of his eyesight . The boy was rushed to hospital where doctors were shocked to find his eyes had been removed. His father said: ‘His eyelids were turned inside out, and his eyeballs were not there.’But in three months Bin-Bin has made a remarkable recovery. The boy's mother said he can now put on his clothes, brush his teeth and climb stairs by himself, according to reports in Hong Kong media. She said: 'His adaptive ability is very strong and he's very smart'. Expert: Dr Dennis Lam volunteered to conduct the operations on the six-year-old free of charge . Implants: Guo Bin is accompanied by his mother Wang Wenli before undertaking the surgery . Horrific: The Chinese boy lies in hospital after he had his eyes gouged out . The brutal attack on the boy who has a cleft palate horrified the Chinese public and added to outrage over violence against children. He was given eye-socket implants in September to fill his empty sockets and been fitted with prosthetic eyes which gives the appearance of normal eyes. The authorities have said they will help Bin-Bin find a school and he will receive regular check-ups. In six-months the child will return to the hospital to change his eye pieces and will be given a special navigation device to help him get around day to day which will be fitted to his forehead and tongue. The device will capture images and translate them into electronic signals for his brain. *** . | Guo Bin has been fitted with implants at the C-MER Dennis Lam Eye Hospital .
The boy was found covered in blood in Fenxi, Shangxi province in August .
Special send-off took place today where Guo said he felt 'very happy'
Police suspect the child's aunt who committed suicide carried out the attack . |
12,257 | 22c2e21fa32f7f4e20661404101c0bd39da1f328 | In the end an entire season of blood, sweat and tears was decided by one man sitting in a lorry in a Twickenham car park. This unimaginably tense game - taken to extra-time by two magnificently committed and professional teams - came down to the wire. As Northampton desperately hurled themselves at Saracens’ battered, bruised and exhausted defenders it looked as if the north London side were going hold on for two more seconds to claim the Aviva Premiership title they so desperately craved. But out of the gloom at the bottom of the ruck, a pair of hands - belonging to Alex Waller - reached out, inches from the line, and Northampton’s forwards celebrated. Matchwinner: Alex Waller scored a dramatic try in extra time as Northampton Saints beat Saracens . England's finest: Northampton beat Saracens 24-20 on Saturday to be crowned Aviva Premiership champions . Champagne moment: Northampton players celebrate their Aviva Premiership final win . Diving over: Ben Foden scored Northampton Saints' opening try in their Aviva Premiership final vs Saracens . All smiles: George Pisi (right) scored Northampton's second try after collecting Stephen Myler's grubber kick . Try-time: Pisi celebrates putting Northampton 12-9 ahead against Saracens at Twickenham . Last gasp: Marcelo Bosch (left) scored a late try for Saracens to force extra time in the Aviva Premiership final . Saracens: Goode, Ashton, Bosch, Barritt, Strettle, Farrell, de Kock, Barrington, Brits, Stevens, Borthwick, Botha, Brown, Burger, B. Vunipola. Replacements: George, Gill, Johnston, Hargreaves, Wray, Wigglesworth, Hodgson, Wyles. Try: Marcelo Bosch . Penalties: Owen Farrell (3), Charlie Hodgson (2). Northampton: Foden, K. Pisi, G. Pisi, Burrell, North, Myler, Fotuali'i, Corbisiero, Haywood, Ma'afu, Manoa, Lawes, Clark, Wood, Dickinson. Replacements: Hartley, A. Waller, Mercey, C. Day, Dowson, L. Dickson, Wilson, Stephenson. Tries: Foden, Ken Pisi, Alex Waller. Conversions: Stephen Myler (3). Penalty: Myler. Attendance: 81,193 . Referee: JP Doyle (RFU) Not for the first time in the game, . referee JP Doyle was unsure whether to award the try and asked . television match official Graham Hughes - sat in a broadcaster’s trailer . behind the North Stand - for guidance. He had the Aviva Premiership . title in his hands and he immediately knew the magnitude of the call as a . wry smile crossed his face. ‘I’m not sure if that was a try,’ Doyle said. Nobody . in the ground was. Eventually, after countless replays on the big . screen, Hughes decided in Northampton’s favour. They had won their first . Premiership title. Saracens players dropped to their knees, knowing . their richly promising season had seen them finish empty-handed yet . again. The irony was, if . fly-half Stephen Myler - or anyone else for that matter - had kicked a . simple drop-goal attempt in the build-up to Waller’s contested try, with . Saints having scored two tries to Saracens one, a final scoreline of . 20-20 at the end of extra-time would have handed the Midlanders the . trophy anyway. But they bet the house and won the lot. ‘I . was sure I’d scored it but I just wasn’t sure if the cameras had seen . it,’ said Waller, sporting a black eye from an earlier collision which . had left him needing extensive treatment on the floor. So close: Charlie Hodgson could have won the final for Saracens in normal time but his conversion hit the post . On the mark: Fly-half Owen Farrell kicked Saracens into an early 6-0 lead at Twickenham . ‘Thankfully, . it did. It was one of the most ferocious games I’ve ever played in and . the extra- time took its toll fitness-wise. It was an incredibly tough . game.’ Technically, . probably, awarding Waller’s try was the right decision. But it was also . almost unimaginably cruel for a Saracens side who finished the regular . season nine points clear at the top of the table and are, on balance, . the best side and deepest squad in England. To . compound the Londoner’s agony, they believed Owen Farrell had scored a . legitimate try after 63 minutes only for Doyle to again defer to Hughes . while the Saracens fly-half had treatment on the floor for a lower leg . injury he sustained kicking the ball into the crowd in celebration. With . Alex Goode lining up the conversion, Hughes — who moments earlier had . declined to refer a blatant forward pass from Luther Burrell to George . North in the lead-up to George Pisi’s 58th-minute try — prompted Doyle . by asking him ‘is there anything you’d like to check?’ and upon review . he decided that Saracens full-back Alex Goode’s flicked pass to Chris . Wyles was marginally forward and the ‘try’ was chalked off. It prompted a furious response from chief executive Edward Griffiths after the game. ‘Most . teams in the Premiership would say the protocol has become a shambles, . it’s almost “make it up as you go along”,’ said Griffiths. ‘Some . referees use the TMO as a kind of video operator, “show me that again . please”, others take instruction, others take guidance. ‘This sounds like sour grapes but it isn’t, because this would be the case had that final try not been given. ‘The TMO process is a shambles.’ False dawn: Farrell (centre) thought he had scored Saracens' first try of the game but it was disallowed . Hoof: Farrell injured himself after booting the ball in celebration before referee JP Doyle ruled out the try . Ouch: Farrell (right) was attended to by a physio (left) before he was replaced by Charlie Hodgson . Distraught: Farrell was replaced after injuring himself celebrating his disallowed try in the second-half . After . last week’s crushing defeat to Toulon in the Heineken Cup final at the . Millennium Stadium, it was astonishing to see the Saracens players . flinging themselves into every contact as if it were the first game of . the season. The courage on display from both sides was remarkable, even by modern rugby’s standards. In . keeping with the warrior spirit which has served them so well all . season, and led superbly by Steve Borthwick in his 265th and final . Premiership appearance, Saracens refused to accept they were out of the . match at 14-9 down with seven minutes to play and continued to press . until Marcelo Bosch squeezed over in the corner to level proceedings. Fly-half . Charlie Hodgson — another player fortunate to still be on the pitch . after being knocked into next week, seconds after replacing Farrell, by a . thunderous hit from Courtney Lawes — hit the right-hand upright from . the tightest of angles and match entered its extra time drama. Up for grabs: Saracens and Northampton were competing for the Aviva Premiership trophy on Saturday . Breaking through: Luther Burrell (second left) holds off Owen Farrell (left) and Marcelo Bosch (second right) Passionate following: Northampton supporters were out in full force for their team at Twickenham . There are so many ‘what ifs?’ for Saracens. What . if Billy Vunipola, so desperate to win he was almost combusting, had . not been penalised for crossing seven minutes into added time, leading . to Jackson Wray’s effort being disallowed? What if TMO Hughes had spotted Burrell’s earlier forward pass in the lead up to Pisi’s second-half try? What if Hodgson had kicked that conversion? But . in the end this group of arch pragmatists, coached expertly by . Ulsterman Mark McCall, will know there are no prizes for second place. ‘It . was a strange game and a strange finish,’ said Myler. ‘We probably . didn’t deserve to win because in a game like that it’s a shame either . side has to lose.’ The . debate on whether an entire season should be decided by one man watching . a television screen in a truck will rage on. But this was high drama, . no doubt. | Northampton Saints beat Saracens 24-20 to win the Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham .
Alex Waller scored a dramatic last gasp try in the dying moments of the match to win it for Saints .
It was the first-time ever that the final went into extra time .
Northampton fly-half Stephen Myler was named man-of-the-match .
Owen Farrell kicked Saracens into an early 6-0 lead .
Ben Foden and George Pisi scored Northampton's tries either side of half-time .
Marcelo Bosch scored a late try for Saracens in normal time .
Charlie Hodgson could have won it for Saracens but his conversion hit the post in normal time .
Dylan Hartley came on a 57th minute sub for Northampton in his first game in nine weeks since injuring his shoulder .
Owen Farrell had a second-half try disallowed for a forward pass, before injuring himself celebrating his score . |
192,480 | 852ebfd408d5c0cabb102b4022aa4c6836842c93 | The guide is the first published by Cosmopolitan since it became a women's magazine in the 1960s . Known as the high-street sex bible, women’s magazine Cosmopolitan has once again pushed boundaries when it comes to bedroom advice. The magazine has published its very first sex guide for lesbian couples in its 50 year history. In keeping with other erotic material published by the magazine, the piece entitled ’28 mind-blowing lesbian sex positions’ has graphic descriptions for each one. Containing step-by-step information on exotic sounding positions such as the ‘kinky jockey’, the ‘tawdry tire-swing’, the ‘erotic maypole’ and the ‘sexy spider’, the guide also has accompanying explicit drawings for each. Requiring a variety of props, including sex toys, handcuffs, chairs the guide includes role playing (think, good cop bad cop type scenarios) as well as mild S&M. While not for the prudish or faint-of-heart, the guide marks an increasing inclusion of homosexual relationships in mainstream media. Cosmopolitan.com has over 1.6 million readers worldwide, making it the largest young women’s magazine worldwide. Originally started as a family magazine in America in 1886, it only took its current form as a women’s magazine in the 1960s, becoming increasingly more sexual in content. The piece features information on exotic sounding positions such as the 'kinky jockey', the 'tawdry tire-swing', the 'erotic maypole' and the 'sexy spider' Now a champion of sexual liberation for women, with the idea that women should enjoy sex without any guilt placed on them by societal prejudices, the magazine runs articles on numerous ways women can maximise their pleasure in bed as well as please their man. Former editor of The Erotic Review and Daily Mail sex columnist Rowan Pelling says: 'There's no greater mirror of contemporary sexual mores than Cosmopolitan. When erotic fashions evolve, Cosmo reflects those changes, so there's no doubt the mag's publication of a lesbian sex guide is significant. 'It demonstrates far greater acceptance of same sex relationships and of experimentation by women who feel their sexuality is fluid. And it must come as a huge relief to all the Cosmo writers who have exhausted every single thing you can possibly say about blow-jobs and the reverse cowboy.' Good cop, naughty cop: This position is essentially the same as 'doggy style', but involving either the use of a strap-on sex toy, or manual stimulation while the lower partner has their hands handcuffed behind their back. The passionate pole dancer: One partner sits on a chair, with the other partner supported in their lap, facing away from them. Raising a knee helps keep things stable as well as providing stimulation for their clitoris. The Kinky Jockey: One partner kneels on all four and the other sits on them, using their tailbone as clitoral stimulation while yanking their hair like reins. Defying gravity: One partner sits normal in a chair while the other kneels on her, facing out, and drops down to the floor, using their hands to balance. This provides an ideal position for oral sex. | Guide features 28 positions for female lovers .
Features moves such as the 'kinky jockey' and 'sexy spider'
Is first lesbian sex guide published by Cosmopolitan since it became a women's magazine in the 1960s . |
276,816 | f29f3378920ce54b7d06d332a2c5651687b937c4 | A row between the Labour party and the White House has escalated after Harriet Harman accused Barack Obama of 'not really knowing what is going on'. Labour is furious at the US President's endorsement of David Cameron and the Tory economic election strategy less than four months before the election. Launching her second attack on Mr Obama, Labour's deputy leader insisted he had been wrong to suggest that Britain 'must be doing something right' after strong economic growth. Scroll down for video . Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman insisted the US President had been wrong to suggest that Britain 'must be doing something right' after strong economic growth . Mr Cameron flew to Washington last week for a two-day visit, his last as Prime Minister before the election. The President hailed the British Prime Minister as a 'great friend' and said the US and UK economies were 'standing out' on the world stage. The remarks caused dismay in Labour ranks, who have traditionally had closer ties with the Democrats. Mr Obama was asked whether Britain should 'stick to the plan' and if Mr Cameron is 'right' over his plans for the economy. The President replied: 'I would note that Great Britain and the United States are two economies that are standing out at a time when a lot of other countries are having problems. So we must be doing something right.' On Sunday Ms Harman said Mr Obama had been 'wrong' not to reflect on the impact of crash on personal incomes. Last night she went further, and took a highly unusual swipe at the US President, traditionally seen as Britain's closest ally. US President Barack Obama handed David Cameron an extraordinary pre-election endorsement, hailing the British Prime Minister as a 'great friend' Ms Harman told LBC Radio: 'If he was saying David Cameron has run the economy in a good way, the impact it will have is most people will feel that Obama does not really know what is going on in this country, and doesn't know that although the figures might show there has been an economic recovery, most people don't feel better off. 'For Obama to say David Cameron is right and everything is fine, I think people will just disagree with President Obama, and think of their own experience. People know their pay have stagnated, and costs have gone up. 'Whatever Cameron or Obama say, the Tories have not run the economy well, and people have lost out, unless you are the very top and have had an absolute bonanza.' Privately senior Labour figures are dismayed at the backing from the US, especially after Ed Miliband hired a senior Obama aide to advise his election campaign. Many in the Labour party had hoped the appointment of Obama election guru David Axelrod would help to secure support from the White House. 'I'm not quite sure why we're paying Axelrod £300,000,' one Labour frontbencher told the Sunday Times. 'We should ask for our money back.' Labour leader Ed Miliband had hoped that a visit to the White House last year, and a meeting with President Obama, would help to prevent a ringing endorsement for Mr Cameron ahead of the election . The Obama endorsement of Mr Cameron came after it emerged the US President refers to the Prime Minister privately as his 'bro'. At a press conference on Friday, the President 'Let me put this speculation to rest: put simply, David is a great friend. He is one of my closest and most trusted partners in the world. 'On many of the challenges we face... we see the world the same way. 'Great Britain is our indispensable partner - and David personally an outstanding partner.' Mr Miliband had hoped that a visit to the White House last year, and a meeting with President Obama, would help to prevent a ringing endorsement for Mr Cameron ahead of the election. | Labour's deputy leader insists people in Britain not feeling the recovery .
US President used White House visit to hail the PM as a 'great friend'
Obama said US and UK economies are 'standing out' on the world stage .
Blow for Labour which has traditionally held close links with Democrats .
Irritation that Labour paid £300,000 to hire Obama guru David Axerod . |
235,409 | bcc01387e4505cf039151d3bfce22c83c0c66c31 | Boko Haram militants have abducted 40 boys and young men in a remote community in Nigeria, it has emerged. Scores of gunmen stormed Malari village in the northeast Borno state on New Year's Eve before rounding up males aged between ten and 23. They were whisked away into one of the Islamists' major strongholds in the nearby Sambisa forest, according to terrified residents. Scroll down for video . Boko Haram gunmen have abducted 40 boys and young men in a remote community in Nigeria, it has emerged (file picture of Boko Haram militants) News of the mass kidnapping, which unfolded at about 8pm, emerged only days later after villagers fled the isolated settlement for the state capital Maiduguri (pictured) on Friday . News of the mass kidnapping, which unfolded at about 8pm, emerged only days later after villagers fled the isolated settlement for the state capital Maiduguri on Friday. 'They came in pick-up trucks armed with guns and gathered all the men in the village outside the home of the village chief where they preached to us before singling out 40 of our boys and taking them away,' Bulama Muhammad told AFP . Malari village lies 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) from the Sambisa forest and close to the town of Gwoza, which the militants captured last June declaring it part of their caliphate. 'My two sons and three nephews were among those taken away by the Boko Haram gunmen and we believe they are going to use them as conscripts,' Muhammad said. 'When we heard of the kidnap of 40 boys in Malari by Boko Haram we decided to leave because we could be the next target,' said Alaramma Babagoni, who fled from the nearby village of Mulgwi. Scores of gunmen stormed Malari village in the northeast Borno state on New Year's Eve before rounding up males aged between ten and 23 (file picture of Boko Haram militants) Soldiers patrol in the north of Borno state close to a Islamist extremist group Boko Haram former camp near Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria . 'Boko Haram has been abducting young men from villages in the area because we are close to their stronghold in Sambisa forest,' he said. Witness Mohammed Zarami said the gunmen arrived at the village heavily armed but did not fire shots or kill anyone. 'People ran out of their houses in fear but they warned no one should disobey them,' Zarami told Reuters in Maiduguri, where he had fled to on foot. 'They took away over 40 (male) youths mostly between the ages of 15 to 23. As I am talking to you now, there is no youth in our village,' he said. There was no immediate comment on the incident from the military in Maiduguri. Residents of Malari and nearby villages fled, fearing further attacks and abductions. Boko Haram has recently been seizing young men during raids on area villages to use as foot soldiers in its uprising aimed at establishing an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, residents said. Suspected Boko Haram gunmen launched a deadly raid on Tuesday on Kautikari village near Chibok, torched several buildings and killed as many as 15 people, according to witnesses. There was no toll available from an official source on the raid. Boko Haram is still holding in captivity more than 200 schoolgirls it abducted from their school in Chibok in Borno state last April. Kidnapped: Boko Haram abducted more than 200 schoolgirls, pictured, from a Nigerian school in April . Growing threat: Pictured is the terrorist network's leader Abubakar Shekau in a video from May. Their operations are spilling across borders into Cameroon, Chad and Niger . The abduction drew worldwide condemnation, after which President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to secure the area, including by deploying more troops. But the promised troop numbers have failed to materialise, often leaving residents to rely entirely on vigilantes for protection. The Islamists are believed to control large swathes of territory in Borno as well as several towns and villages in two other northeastern states, Adamawa and Yobe. Boko Haram's five-year uprising in Nigeria has claimed more than 13,000 lives and has seen dozens of people, including women and children, kidnapped by the Islamists. | Scores of Islamists stormed Malari village in Nigeria on New Year's Eve .
They rounded up 40 boys and young men before taking them to their base .
Terrified residents described how the gunmen arrived in pick-up trucks .
Comes after extremists killed 15 in raid on village in north of the country . |
39,249 | 6ee3d5c058608a090b6a449709539ad6415f35fb | Eyebrows were raised when Andy Murray announced Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach on Sunday, ahead of his Wimbledon defence later this month. And it hasn't taken the duo long to get down to business, as the British No. 1 practiced at Queen's Club on Wednesday. Mauresmo won the women's singles title at SW19 in 2006 and as a grass court specialist is seen as the ideal coach to help Murray retain the Wimbledon crown he memorably won last year after defeating Novak Djokovic. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Murray and Mauresmo interviews about link up . Which racket's best? Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo share a discussion during a training session . Under watchful eyes: Murray warms up under close observation from Mauresmo . Catch this: Mauresmo chucks a ball at Murray ahead of a practice session at Queen's Club . Up in the air: Murray prepares to execute a serve as Mauresmo and a crowd watch on . Murray won his first match of the grasscourt season against Paul Henri-Mathieu at Queen's Club on Wednesday, and the 27-year-old practiced on the morning of the match under the bright London sunshine and watchful eye of the Frenchwoman. Mauresmo already appeared to be sharing her insight and experience with the Scot, having observed himt practice his serving and general play from a few meters back before handing out a tip or two during a drinks break. Although Mauresmo's appointment came as a surprise, Sportsmail's Mike Dickson exclusively revealed last month that the two-time Grand Slam winner was set to become Murray's new coach. Strong team: Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears (right) arrives to watch him take on Paul-Henri Mathieu . Interested spectators: Sears (left), Mauresmo (right) and the rest of Murray's coaching team prepare to watch the Scot in action . Aiming high: Murray will hope to regain his Wimbledon crown under the coaching of Mauresmo . Stand back and learn: Mauresmo (left) observes Murray practice as he prepares for his second round Queen's Club match . Warming up: Murray faces Paul-Henri Mathieu at Queen's Club on Wednesday . Experienced: Mauresmo is a former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion . Murray's long-term girlfriend Kim Sears was also present to meet Mauresmo and watch her man return to action after a crushing defeat in the semi-finals of the French Open to Rafael Nadal. She took her usual place in the stands along with Mauresmo and the rest of Murray's team as the 27-year-old began his bid to retain his Queen's title. Mauresmo replaces Ivan Lendl as Murray's coach after the Czech split from the British No. 1 in March following a successful two-year partnership. Mauresmo enjoyed a glittering 15-year playing which ended in 2009 - with here best year coming in 2006 where she won Wimbledon and the Australian Open - her only slam victories. AT SW19, Mauresmo's victory came off the back of serve and volley tennis and it's this expertise that has drawn Murray to appoint the Frenchwoman as his coach. Aside from slam victories, she became the first French player to become World No. 1 in 2004 - despite having not won a major - and went on to gain a silver medal at the Athens Olympics. It wasn't just Mauresmo's on court actions that received attention throughout the years. Get stuck in: Mauresmo shares some advice with Murray as the Scot takes a drinks break during practice . Push it to the limit: Murray builds his fitness ahead of his opening Queen's Club match . The Frenchwoman came out as a lesbian at just 19 years old in 1999, a move which she admitted later was tough and led to jibes from fellow professionals Lindsey Davenport and Martina Hingis. However, Mauresmo also claims that coming to terms with her sexuality was a vital part of her success on the court, a success that would transfer to coaching. Mauresmo made her first entrance into coaching in 2010, guiding Michael Llodra, before then teaming up with then World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka two years later. Her most notable coaching success came last year, in helping guide Marion Bartoli to the 2013 Wimbledon crown. It was Bartoli's first grand slam victory and it came without dropping a set. Tribute: Amelie Mauresmo is a former Wimbledon champion, and along with Murray wore a 'Rally for Bally' wristband . Respect: Murray wears a wristband dedicated to former British No. 1 Elena Baltacha who tragically passed away last month . | Mauresmo announced on Sunday as Murray's new coach .
Murray practiced with former World No. 1 before Queen's Club opener .
Brit hoping to retain Wimbledon crown later this month .
Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears watches him in action at the Aegon Championships . |
100,467 | 0d6e20e7d51c0021adf68ffe2392ffe9ef7875f1 | By . Richard Shears . PUBLISHED: . 04:55 EST, 7 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:29 EST, 7 June 2012 . A teenage girl invited on to a live . TV show to talk about eloping with her boyfriend shocked the host and . viewers with the astonishing claim that her father was a triple murderer. The 16-year-old Indian girl - whose . father was in the studio at the time - told how he had allegedly . poisoned three people in a dispute over jewellery. Her admission came as she told how she was scared of returning home to her family after she eloped and married. The claims on the show in Chennai, . India, resulted in police going to her father's village home - and . finding three bodies buried in the backyard. Shocking: The teenage girl (pictured right) claimed on live TV in India that her father was a triple murderer . Accused: The host of the live programme was left stunned as the 16-year-old girl told how her father (pictured left during the show) allegedly poisoned three people in a dispute over jewellery . But the father was not detained when . the accusation was made, and has now gone on the run after telling his . wife she would never see him alive again. Now the hunt is on for the father, . identified only as A. Murugan, who is wanted for questioning over the . murder of a neighbour, his young daughter and son-in-law. The teenage girl has not been . identified after she broke down in tears on the TV show, but police have . praised her for her courage in naming her father as a murderer. She had been asked to appear on the show to talk about how she had eloped with her 21-year-old boyfriend a month ago. Her parents, father Murugan and . mother Rajeswari, who live in Nallanpillal Petral village, in southern . India, were also invited to be on the show. As the girl and her parents . constantly argued with the TV cameras focused on them, the show's host . tried to quieten everyone down. He suggested they should all make amends and go home together. But it was then that the girl, who . had secretly married her boyfriend after eloping, told host Nirmala . Periyasamy that she would not go home with her father because she was . terrified that he would murder her and her new husband - just as he had . allegedly slain three others. Startling: A teenage Indian girl invited on to the Solvathellam Unmai TV chat show made the claim that her father was a triple murderer . 'The girl was constantly telling us that she was afraid of her father, as he may murder her and her husband' said the host. 'When I repeatedly questioned her, the girl broke down and told us that her father had murdered three persons in their house in 2008.' The reality show Solvathellam Unmai on the Zee Tamil channel ended with the parents and girl still arguing before Murugan and his wife left to return to their village on their own. But police said that the father was furious with his wife for backing up their daughter's claims on TV. 'He abused his wife on the bus going back to their village,' said an officer. The husband got off the bus before it reached the village, telling his wife she would never see him alive again. When police went to the village and started digging up the backyard they found the remains of a man, his 20-year-old daughter and her 22-year-old husband. Police said the three had left gold jewellery with Murugan for safekeeping but when they asked for it to be returned, he refused. 'He decided to eliminate them and keep the gold,' said Deputy Police Superintendent Gopal Sekar. 'So he gave them food laced with poison and then buried them in his backyard.' A manhunt is continuing for Murugan. 'We would never have known about these murders if the girl had not spoken about them on the TV show,' said Supt Sekar. | TV show host stunned as 16-year-old girl accuses her father of poisoning three people in jewellery dispute .
Police find three bodies in backyard of her father's home after claims on Indian reality programme .
Manhunt launched for father after he disappeared, telling his wife she would never see him alive again . |
232,906 | b98aa6eb945f0d8506c9319daadc9b979b395530 | By . Emma Glanfield . Jason Scotland-Williams, 34, completed the marathon in just over three hours - knocking more than four hours off his time last year of seven hours 24 minutes . A London Marathon runner - who completed the second half of the race quicker than Olympic champion Mo Farah - is under investigation following claims he jumped over a barrier to slash 10 miles from the route. Jason Scotland-Williams, 34, completed this year’s marathon in three hours eight minutes - knocking more than four hours off his time last year of seven hours 24 minutes. The aspiring model, from Hammersmith, London, ran the first half of the marathon in two hours and seven minutes – an average time for an amateur athlete. However, he ran the second half of the race in just one hour and one minute – quicker than Olympic hero Mo Farah who completed the same stretch in one hour and five minutes. It means Scotland-Williams finished the race in an impressive three hours and eight minutes – putting him in the top six per cent of competitors. However, online forums are awash with claims the runner cheated his way to the super-fast time, with some speculating he jumped over a waist-high barrier at the halfway point at Tower Bridge. It is alleged he jumped the barrier separating the 13-mile marker from the 22-mile point and hid in the crowds while runners looped round Canary Wharf and doubled back. It is claimed he then jumped back into the race, joining a leading group of runners, and sprinted his way to the finish. The official London Marathon website logs his progress around the first half of the course, giving updates for every 5kms he completed. However, it only gives estimated times at the 25km, 30km and 35km markers – which has prompted critics to believe he either cheated his way to the finish by dodging those checkpoints or that his chip failed to activate at those points. Jason Scotland-Williams, 34, above, from Hammersmith, London, faces claims he cheated after completing the second half of the marathon in one hour and one minute - quicker than Olympic champion Mo Farah . London Marathon organisers are investigating Jason Scotland-Williams' time after he ran the second half of the race in just over an hour. Internet forums are awash with claims he jumped over a barrier in the Tower Bridge area . Jason Scotland-Williams' result suggests he ran the second half of the race in just one hour and one minute – quicker than Olympic champion Mo Farah, above, who completed the same stretch in one hour five minutes . However, his chip was working as he passed the 40km point and the finish line – which reveals he completed the last 13 miles in just one hour and one minute. Forum users have questioned the runner’s speedy time, suggesting it would have been a ‘miracle’ if he managed to complete the second half of the race in such a short space of time. One user, Chris Pearson, posted on a forum on Runners World: ‘First half seems fair enough. Second half is nothing short of a miracle. ‘It is possible that he ran easy for the first half, then went all out in the second half. ‘However, it would need a chip malfunction at 25, 30, and 35k for this to have happened. ‘It would also mean that he is capable of running a half at just over 60 minute pace, which again is possible if he was a World class elite runner, but certainly not after doing a 13.1 mile warm up.’ Scotland-Williams had posted numerous photos on his Facebook profile of him wearing his marathon medals and showing off his supposed athletic ability. However, the page was closed down this morning . Results on the London Marathon's official website show Jason Scotland-Williams completed the race in three hours eight minutes. However, they also show estimated times were given at the 25K, 30K and 35K markers . Another user, Millsy1977 - a fellow marathon runner - said: ‘If it was legit he would have sped past me on Birdcage walk. I know I was tired but I think I'd have noticed someone 4.30 miling.’ Another marathon runner, Darryl Morris, said: ‘I saw Jason just after Tower Bridge and he was absolutely smashing it’, before adding: ‘Just noted the barrier skip … that would make complete sense as to why I saw him there, looking so fresh!’ And Ryan T said: ‘If he did cheat then I think a ban is in order, I worked very hard for my time this year, did a sub 3:30 for my first marathon and went through a lot of pain in the last three miles, if people are skipping out miles then shame on them!’ Virgin Money London Marathon confirmed Scotland-Williams’ results were being investigated. A spokesman told The Sun: ‘We have anti-cheating measures during the event, and then post-event when we analyse split times from points around the course. ‘Runners found to have cheated are removed from results and banned from future events.’ Jason Scotland-Williams, 34, completed this year's marathon in just over three hours - knocking more than four hours off his time last year of seven hours 24 minutes . Scotland-Williams, who wore a V for Vendetta mask during last weekend’s race, has taken part in the London Marathon for the last six years. He had posted numerous photos on his Facebook profile of him wearing his marathon medals and showing off his supposed athletic ability. However, his profile was removed from the social-networking site this morning. This year he was running to raise money for deaf-blind charity Sense. A spokesman for the charity said: ‘An allegation that a runner cheated at the London Marathon has been brought to our attention. ‘We are urgently investigating and would be very disappointed if this was true.’ The Sun reported it tried to contact Scotland-Williams but was told to ‘f*** off’. MailOnline has contacted Virgin Money London Marathon for a comment but organisers have not yet responded. | Jason Scotland-Williams completed race in three hours eight minutes .
His time was four hours quicker than last year when it took seven hours .
The 34-year-old ran second half of the marathon quicker than Mo Farah .
Internet awash with claims he jumped halfway barrier at Tower Bridge .
London Marathon organisers confirmed his result is under investigation . |
109,793 | 198403d6c6f4a0457bf78953997c082741a146b9 | There was a thrilling combination of comedy and carnage today as weird and wonderful motorless soapboxes hurtled downhill in the 'world's wackiest road race'. Several of the 70 imaginative homemade designs were smashed to smithereens as they attempted jumps at the spectacular 'Red Bull Soapbox Race' in north London. Competitors reaching speeds of up to 40mph on the steep slope included a loaf of bread, coffin, rugby scrum, pink stiletto, Elvis's blue suede shoe and bagpipes. Scroll down for video . Approximately 70 soapboxes were entered in the race, all in crazy and imaginative designs . Two competitors attempt the terrifying route in a soapbox shaped like a burrito . The Red Bull Soapbox Race returned to London after nine years and encourages competitors to build and race their own homemade soapboxes . Two men play brass instruments while dressed as hotdogs riding a bottle of brown sauce . Each entrant had 20 seconds to impress . the judges with crowd-pleasing antics before taking to the specially . built track at Alexandra Palace in front of 20,000 noisy spectators. First up in glorious sunshine were a team of Arriva bus company workers from Leicester in a mini replica 1960s London Routemaster red double-decker bus. They took a cautious approach and safely negotiated all four jumps - named 'Mind the Gap', 'The Apples and Pears', 'The Wedge' and 'The Kicker'. But the second and third teams both . came a complete cropper on 'The Kicker' - their designs imploded on . impact with the track after flying over the jump. As . their 'Dambusters' design disintegrated, the two plane's pilots from . the third team out were sent flying into the ground and one needed . medical attention. A cathedral shaped soapbox makes its way round the course. They can reach up to 40mph . Two competitors chase after a soapbox as it begins the route dressed in period costume . The Hippy Split Camper Van Team fly through the air as they navigate the obstacles . Three real-life Lego men launch a car that looks like it was made from the toy blocks . A traditional black cab launching over a ramp on the route . Later, a VW camper van lost a wheel on one jump but careered crazily on down the track to cheers from the crowd before fatally flipping onto its side attempting The Kicker. Dubbed the 'world's wackiest road . race', the event has been staged over 40 times worldwide since 2000 and . was returning to London after a nine year absence. The eventual winners were Newcastle's 'Phya-Bird' team - Mark Wells, 35, Greg Seed, 28, Thomas Kasher, 23 and Roy Norton, 24. Fittingly, the four motorcycle engineers' kart was designed to pay tribute to Britain's great land speed pioneers. Mr Wells said: 'When we heard about the race we immediately decided that we had to enter. The Dumbster Team, one of 70 gravity powered vehicles taking part in The Red Bull Soapbox Race . The British Secret Service Dangermouse Division Team go carefully at the start . The Does My Scum Look Big in This Team, one of 70 gravity powered vehicles taking part in The Red Bull Soapbox Race . One soapbox featured the queen on a water ski. It was the first race for seven years . 'We . specialise in styling, design and modelling for the motorcycle . industry, which is where we have taken our design influence from. 'We've ended up taking this project a bit too seriously - and allowed it to take over most of our lives.' Their prize is a tour of Red Bull's . racing factory and a chance to show off their driving skills on a high . performance track day. Other weird and wonderful designs included a burrito, black cab, Apache helicopter, Beatles yellow submarine and lego car. Ex-undertaker Russell Wynn, 53, had been hoping to leave all his rivals for dead - in a coffin-themed car. The W3 double decker London bus to Alexandra Palace has made its way onto the course . A frog shaped soapbox falls apart under the strain of the course . Several of the 70 imaginative homemade designs were smashed to smithereens as they attempted jumps at the spectacular 'Red Bull Soapbox Race' in north London . Each entrant had 20 seconds to impress the judges with crowd-pleasing antics before taking to the specially built track at Alexandra Palace in front of 20,000 noisy spectators . The self-proclaimed 'Coffin Dodger', . of Homerton, east London, said: "I initially thought of a casket design . but I quite like the shape of coffins." A team of women known as the 'Blonde Bimbos', from St Albans, Herts, raced in a giant, pink stiletto.But rival footwear came in the shape of Elvis Presley's blue suede shoe. Butcher Rhys Hughes, 18, of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, got behind the wheel of the car dressed as Elvis. Toby Curslake, 22, of Wembley, north-west London, soared over the jumps in a mini black cab. Lucy Bannerman, 22, of Putney, south-west London, sported a WPC uniform in her replica police panda car. It . took three weeks to make; has a steel framework with BMX bike wheels . attached to an axle; and boasts flashing blue lights and a customised . number plate. A group of ginger bearded Scots get ready to start the race . The Red Bull Soapbox Race returned to London after nine years and encourages competitors to build and race their own homemade soapboxes down a hill . The crowd of 20,000 cheered on all 70 of the soapbox teams . Carl White, 27, of Shoreditch, east London, took to the course in his Beatles-inspired yellow submarine. A team representing Poncho8, a chain of City-based Mexican food outlets, raced in 'The Flying Burrito'. It . was designed to look like a giant, half-eaten burrito with chicken, . guacamole, rice and black beans spilling out of its silver foil wrapper. Baker Richard Sayles, 25, of Hovingham, Yorkshire, had made a giant loaf of bread that his car carried on the course. And four helicopter engineers, from Yeovil, Somerset, created an Apache themed car. Will . Miller, 23, said: 'We've tried to make it look as much like an Apache . as possible. Why would you want to build a boring helicopter? Team cadbury, complete with gorilla in the back seat, fly through the air while navigating the course . A team stand with their soapbox racer ahead of the start of the races . 'The fact that we get to wear a real pilot's uniform and 'fly' a helicopter is pretty awesome.' Meanwhile, four Welshmen from Swansea dressed as Transformers robots to compete as 'The Autobots'. And Peter Kerr, 42, of Fife, Scotland, sped down the course in a kart made to look like a set of tartan bagpipes. He said: 'I hope we have created the fastest bagpipes in the world.' Judging entrants for creativity and showmanship were champion mountain bike racer Gee Atherton and professional street trials rider Danny MacAskill. | Seventy home-made designs raced down the unique track .
The event took place at Alexandra palace, north London .
Designs included a loaf of bread, coffin, rugby scrum, and a pink stiletto .
Competitors reached speeds of up to 40mph on the terrifying route . |
104,756 | 1327c4235779bdac4a318cb210380947f9e55ce6 | By . Associated Press . and Alex Greig . A disabled 78-year-old church deacon living quietly in East Texas has been arrested for a murder committed 33 years ago and 1,300 miles away. After his arrest, the wife of the man known as Roy Eubanks told local media she knew his secret - that he had killed a man in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, many years ago. What Gennell Eubanks, 62, didn't know was that her husband's name is, in fact, Joseph Lewis Miller, and the Harrisburg killing is not the only dark secret from his past. On the lam: U.S. marshals say Joseph Miller, an ex-convict wanted in connection with a 1981 Pennsylvania homicide, is under arrest after he was found to be living under an alias and serving as a church deacon in Mineola, Texas . In 1959, Miller, now 78, shot married couple John and Donna Lumpkins and pleaded guilty to murder after John Lumpkins died of his injuries. He was sentenced to life in prison on January 22, 1960. Miller applied to have his life sentence commuted, and his request was granted in 1971 by then governor Raymond P Shafer after Miller had served 11 years. Fewer than 10 years later, authorities say Joseph Lewis Miller fled Pennsylvania after shooting a man in a parking lot outside a hotel in 1981. He was charged with murder and three other felonies, but the case remained unsolved for three decades until investigators translated a previous tip that Miller had been living in Mexico under an alias - the name of a deceased cousin. First arrest: Miller, also known as Roy Eubanks, was convicted of the 1959 murder of John Lumpkins and served 11 years in prison . The U.S. Marshals Service in Harrisburg traced that name to rural Mineola, Texas, a town of 4,500 people. Miller confessed to the shooting shortly after his arrest, authorities said. People in Mineola knew Miller as Roy Eubanks, a former employee of the local paper plant who was collecting disability checks and walked with a cane. He married at least twice in Texas, most recently in 2010. His wife told The Associated Press on Monday that he had said he killed someone in 'the accident that happened' many years ago. 'He said it was an accident. He was trying to protect his brother, because a man was trying to kill him,' she told Penn Live. According to U.S. Marshals, Miller was charged in the 1981 death of Thomas Waller, 34, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Patriot-News reported that Waller was found inside his car with a gunshot wound to his head. A . spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons said the agency could . not immediately produce the records related to Miller's 1971 . commutation Monday. It . remains unclear how Miller got from Pennsylvania to Texas, or why he . chose the town of Mineola, about 85 miles east of Dallas. The . man Gennell Eubanks knows as Roy Eubanks has arthritis, a Pacemaker and . walks with a cane, she said. She has never spoken to his relatives, . some of whom she believes live in Pennsylvania, and said he hadn't seen . them since he fled. 'They didn't want him to come back,' she said. 'They told him to leave.' Mineola residents said Miller had lived there likely since the 1980s. City administrator David Stevenson said Miller served on a handful of town boards and commissions and came to him for advice on obtaining a reverse mortgage. Murder site: The shooting of Thomas Waller occurred in a parking lot adjacent to the Times Hotel at the corner of 14th and Regina Streets in Harrisburg in 1981 . 'He always wanted to be active in the community... always wanting to help,' Stevenson said. 'I don't know anything bad or negative about him.' Eubanks was also a deacon at a local Baptist church, the U.S. Marshals said. 'This was a real good man,' Gennell told Penn Live, adding that the Eubanks she knew was always eager to help neighbors and friends before his health began to fail in recent years, and the he didn’t drink, smoke or curse. Linda Smith, manager at the wood treatment plant where Miller worked, said she remembered him going on disability after an accident at the plant in the 1980s. Smith described him as 'a nice, friendly gentleman.' Miller did not have a state criminal record under either his name or his believed alias, and Wood County Sheriff Jim Brown said he did not know of any prior arrests. He was being held in the Wood County Jail pending court proceedings that would lead to his return to Pennsylvania. Miller's relatives could not be immediately located, nor could Waller's family. | Joseph Lewis Miller, 78, was arrested for a murder he allegedly committed 33 years ago in Pennsylvania .
He has been on the lam for 33 years and living in Texas as Roy Eubanks .
He married Gennell Eubanks, 62, four years ago .
He told his wife about the 1981 killing, saying it was in self-defense .
Miller neglected to tell his wife that at the time of the shooting he was on parole .
The church deacon served 11 years for the 1959 murder of Thomas Waller .
His sentence was commuted in 1971 .
The U.S. Marshall's Service traced Miller to Texas after receiving a tip-off that he was living under the name of his deceased cousin . |
75,698 | d6b1670edeed8794b2fefbbfa4e52a1bf08f7e09 | Two men have appeared in court today charged with the murder of 'lovely' builder Tanis Bhandari, as a post-mortem revealed he died of a stab wound to the back. Mr Bhandari, 27, a former member of the Royal Navy, was killed in the early hours of New Year's Day as he made his way home from the King's Arms pub in Plymouth. Ryan Williams, 21, and Donald Pemberton, 20, appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court this morning charged with his murder. Ryan Williams, 21, (left) and Donald Pemberton, 20 (right), appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court this morning, after being charged with the New Year's Day murder of Tanis Bhandari in Plymouth . The pair, from St Budeaux, Plymouth, Devon, also faced two separate weapon possession charges relating to an axe and knives. No pleas were entered by the pair. They stood in the dock and spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth. They were remanded in custody by Plymouth magistrates and will next appear on Wednesday before a judge at Exeter Crown Court. Plymouth coroner Ian Arrow opened and adjourned the inquest into the death of Mr Bhandari today. He noted that the 27-year-old's body had been formally identified by his step-father, Steven Sharpe, who had raised Mr Bhandari since he was just seven-years-old. Home Office pathologist, Dr Amanda Jeffery, concluded that the cause of death was a 'stab wound to the back of the chest'. A 21-year-old man remains in hospital with serious injuries following the alleged attack outside the Kings Arms pub in the village of Tamerton Foliot, Plymouth. The incident took place at around 1.30am on New Year's Day. Pemberton (left) and Williams (right) were pictured leaving Plymouth Magistrates' Court this morning . Tanis Bhandari, 27, was murdered outside the Kings Arms pub in Plymouth at about 2am on New Year's Day . Mr Bhandari was rushed to nearby Derriford Hospital in Plymouth by ambulance but died shortly afterwards. Following the incident three other men were taken to hospital for treatment and are now recovering at home. Police said the two defendants may face further charges as the murder inquiry continues. Hundreds of mourners have left floral tributes outside the pub where Mr Bhandari was killed. A court artist sketch shows Donald Pemberton (second left) and Ryan Williams (right) in the dock at court . Donald Pemberton made a gesture to camera as he was walked in handcuffs into Plymouth Magistrates Court . Williams, 21, was seen going into the prison van, accompanied by guards, after the short hearing today . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Tanis Bhandari was killed after being attacked with an axe outside a pub .
The 27-year-old died in the early hours of New Year's Day in Plymouth .
Post-mortem revealed he died of a stab wound to the 'back of the chest'
Ryan Williams, 21 and Donald Pemberton, 20, charged with his murder .
Pair did not enter pleas when they appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court .
They also face weapon possession charges related to an axe and knives . |
158,753 | 59429254390df9978bc59dc708c11e0a76c7be51 | (CNN) -- Slowed, but not daunted, by Antarctic winds topping 100 mph, low visibility and snow, rescuers Saturday pounced on improving weather conditions to move closer to where a plane carrying three Canadians sent out emergency beacon signals. The condition of the three crew members on the Twin Otter operated by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air Ltd. was not known nearly three days after the flight went missing and rescue attempts began. The plane was flying from the South Pole to an Italian base at Terra Nova Bay, Maritime New Zealand said. "It is difficult to think of a more difficult environment," said Steve Rendle, spokesman for Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand. The beacon stopped working Thursday evening, possibly because the battery had run out, about a day after the plane was reported missing. By then, rescuers had pinpointed the location, but harsh weather has made visual sightings impossible, Rendle said. Winds, for example, reached nearly 105 mph Wednesday. One search aircraft reached a camp about 30 miles from where the beacon sounded. Two helicopters were moving toward the forward base on a glacier Saturday afternoon. A C-130 Hercules aircraft circled the beacon activation site, attempting to make visual contact. "We've got a reasonably positive forecast for that site," Rendle said from Wellington. The missing crew's survival kit includes survival suits, mountain tents and enough food and water for five days. The aircraft is believed to be at a height of 13,000 feet near the top of Mount Elizabeth, part of the rugged Queen Alexandra Range. It is a long distance from any bases in Antarctica. "We would expect them to be with the plane," Rendle said of the crew. "Common sense would dictate you stay with the beacon." Kenn Borek Air Ltd. did not immediately return a message left by CNN on Friday night. In a statement Wednesday, the airline described the flight as overdue. It did not release names of the crew members. According to its website, the airline has one of the largest Twin Otter fleets in the world. "We are best known for our remote polar services utilizing ski-equipped Twin Otter," it said. "KBAL provides a wide range of additional services including medevac, survey, paradrop, float operations, third-party maintenance and overhaul." The Queen Alexandra Range, about 100 miles long, was named by Ernest Shackleton during the British Antarctic expedition in 1907-1909. Peter West, spokesman for the National Science Foundation, which oversees the U.S. Antarctic Program, said 24 hours of daylight this time of year should help rescue efforts. CNN's Dave Alsup and Erica Harrington contributed to this report. | Rescue aircraft move closer to airplane beacon .
Three Canadians were flying from the South Pole to Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica .
The plane did not arrive, and the emergency locator activated, New Zealand officials said .
Calling terrain inhospitable an understatement . |
187,310 | 7e9367cff5e04e27b6ddbe6d0c6cca080148ffcf | (CNN) -- Throughout history, the greatest artists have relied on their muses to inspire, enchant and satisfy them. Pablo Picasso immortalized mistress Dora Maar in his 1937 painting Weeping Woman, Andy Warhol catapulted model Edie Sedgwick to "It Girl" status in his 1960s avant-garde films, while Leonardo da Vinci made the woman behind his "Mona Lisa" perhaps the most famous muse of all time. But the elusive figure of the muse doesn't always have to be that of a beautiful woman. The dark beauty with flowing locks and sinewy limbs depicted in artist Michael Kirkbride's latest painting isn't a luscious lady -- it's a horse. Not just any horse, but arguably the greatest race horse of all time. Since demolishing the field in his first major win at the Royal Lodge Stakes in 2010, an air of mystique has followed world champion thoroughbred Frankel. The superstar colt, who even has its own twitter handle, has not just won all 14 of his races -- he has won them by staggering margins, destroying world-class fields,becoming by a distance the top-rated race horse on the planet. In his last race, the thoroughbred won the Champion Stakes at Ascot, with a sell-out crowd of 32,000 catching a final glimpse of the now-celebrity horse as as he powered to a dramatic victory. Writer Blaine Ward's personal "Frankel moment" came earlier in the horse's stellar career, an experience which later paved the way for artist Kirkbride to paint his unusual surrealist work. "I had been watching last year's 2000 Guineas race on TV when Frankel just pounded the other horses into the ground," said Ward. "He easily won by a good six lengths -- none of the others even came close. "In my mind's eye I saw Frankel smashing through the screen into my living room; this powerful, beautiful, almost mythical beast." A 51-year-old former solicitor from Sunderland in north-east England, Blaine was so moved by Frankel's win he wrote a poem about the centaur-like creature bursting into his suburban home in a blaze of glory. It read in part: . "Then a smell of burnt air mixed with horse-flesh . when the telly exploded in his face . as the Frankel centaur burst in . green and pink silk, fluid powerful grace." It was a special sporting moment and had a profound effect on Ward, who described Frankel's win as akin to watching boxer Muhammad Ali or footballer Lionel Messi in action. "It was one of those rare times when you get a sense you've just witnessed somebody or something at the very pinnacle of sporting prowess," he said. "Mere words are never good enough to do it justice." And so Ward enlisted Kirkbride, a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (RADA) to paint the champion horse powering into a suburban living room, knocking Ward and his wife from their chairs and spilling their afternoon gin and tonics to the floor. "The result is a surreal cocktail of his words and my interpretation in art form," Kirkbride said. "The modern domestic scene is shattered by the magisterial beast that is Frankel." Kirkbride painted the work, called "Armchair Ride," in egg tempura; a mixture of colored pigment and egg yolk which dates back to the 1st Century. The method, which gives a luminous quality, was later superseded by oil painting around the 15th Century. "It has a kind of stained glass quality to it, like shining a light from behind," said Kirkbride. "The pinks and blues of Frankel's silks are quite strong and I thought they really lent themselves to the medium." Kirkbride is perhaps best known for his paintings of English football scenes, such as "Chech Mates," which captures the unusual tradition of Chelsea fans throwing celery, or "Bar Kick," which portrays sporting revelry in a pub. After Saturday though, and Kirkbride will be painting fabulous Frankel smashing not just a TV screen, but the record books all over again. | From Picasso's Dora Maar to Andy Warhol's Edie Sedgwick, muses inspire great artists .
But muses aren't always beautiful women -- sometimes they're a horse .
Champion thoroughbred Frankel inspires poem and painting ahead of last race .
Arguably world's greatest race horse secured 14th win at Ascot's Champions Stakes . |
58,647 | a65abec91840daa3a03b8ada25e081a90895637a | (CNN) -- A Spanish court on Tuesday approved the extradition of former Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Vielmann to his homeland to face 10 murder charges stemming from incidents at two prisons there. Vielmann, who holds dual Guatemalan and Spanish citizenship, has the option to appeal the ruling. The final decision on extradition lies with the Spanish government. What the court found Tuesday was that the Guatemalan request for extradition to face murder charges was approved under an extradition treaty between the two countries. In addition to the murder charges, the Guatemalan government cited charges of illicit association and extrajudicial killings as reasons for extradition, but the Spanish court found that those charges were not covered by the treaty. Vielmann faces charges in both Spain and Guatemala stemming from the same incident, a 2006 uprising at the El Pavon prison in Guatemala where seven inmates were killed. The Interior Ministry and police said at the time that the prisoners were killed during a violent confrontation with prison authorities. However, a report by the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman's Office concluded the prisoners had been executed. Vielmann is wanted in Guatemala in connection with the seven killings. He also has been accused of ordering the killings of three inmates who escaped from El Infiernito prison in 2005. He was arrested in Spain in October 2010, and has been on provisional release since November. CNN's Al Goodman contributed to this report. | Carlos Vielmann faces murder charges in Guatemala .
A court on Tuesday approved the extradition .
Vielmann has the option to appeal, and the government has the final say . |
159,053 | 5998a65f499bc05b14e5bf3aa2a5cf2774a04bf6 | The opening was so small that CNN's Wolf Blitzer -- no physical giant -- had to bend down to climb inside one of 30 or so Palestinian tunnels from Gaza to southern Israel. "I guess the tunnel was built for relatively short people, because if you stand up you're going to hit your head," Blitzer said of the almost two-mile concrete corridor about 45 feet underground where he reported from Monday. His visit, accompanied by the Israeli military, revealed conditions in the network of tunnels below Gaza that are a key issue in the current violent spasm between Hamas militants in Gaza and Israel. Originally built to avoid Israeli and Egyptian checkpoints into Gaza, the tunnels have been vital supply lines for Palestinians in Gaza. Now the snaking underground routes increasingly get used for attacks in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a ground assault on Gaza this month intended to destroy the tunnel network, and Blitzer went into one of them so see what it was like. Cooler than the surface . So far down, the tunnel was surprisingly cool inside compared to the hot conditions on the surface, Blitzer noted. Stooped over, he walked along the concrete-encased pathway with wiring visible in some parts. The concrete came from Israel, as did the electric power Palestinians send down for lights in some parts, said Lt. Col. Oshik Azouli, deputy commander of Israel's Southern Gaza Brigade. It took two years or more, progressing a meter or two a day, to extend the tunnel into Israel, according to Azouli. "It's pretty secure, this concrete," Blitzer said. "They spent a lot of effort building this tunnel." The tunnel ended near a kibbutz in Israel, Azouli said, adding its purpose was to attack people on the collective agriculture community. Used for attacks . Later Monday, the Palestinian representative to the United States told Blitzer the tunnels originated to get around the blockade of Gaza, but take on another role in conflict. "Factions in Gaza are utilizing them to target the Israeli military, especially at times of conflict," Maen Rashid Areikat said, adding: "They want to be creative about how to respond to any attacks. and probably also take initiative." A series of Hamas attacks via tunnels on Israeli soil escalated Israel's response in the current violence. The method of attack, in which militants spring out unexpectedly from underground, has raised fears among Israelis living near Gaza. "They are a strategic danger," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said of the tunnels later Monday, telling Blitzer it was "unacceptable" to have Hamas attackers "just pop out of the ground on our side of the frontier to murder and kidnap." However, Palestinian parliament member Mustafa Barghouti called the tunnels a defensive tactic against repeated Israeli invasions in recent years. "These tunnels are nothing but a primitive way of trying to defend themselves," he told Blitzer. 'Lower Gaza' Israeli military officials refer to the tunnels as "Lower Gaza." They aren't new. Hamas used one in 2006 to capture Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and take him into Gaza. He was held captive for five years until a deal was struck for his release in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. During its incursion into Gaza, Israel's military has so far found scores of different access shafts leading to about 30 tunnels. It says it destroyed about half, but expects to find more. Blitzer said Israel wants to remove the tunnels from the equation before agreeing to a cease-fire with Hamas. | Tunnels unacceptable to Israel; a defense tactic to Palestinians .
Built to beat the Gaza blockade, the tunnels now get used to launch attacks .
CNN's Wolf Blitzer describes the underground paths of Hamas .
Israel wants to destroy the tunnel network . |
116,790 | 22c5d570c6bc19792253045274f3c49d526da387 | (CNN) -- On November 7, Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey, became the latest addition to the national park family. After a long fight by Paterson residents and officials to have the 77-foot waterfall recognized, their dreams were fulfilled -- partially -- by Monday's agreement. There remain years of work to mold Great Falls around National Park Service standards, but the will, and the funds, can now be brought fully to bear on the project. BudgetTravel.com: See the parks . When Ulysses S. Grant declared Yellowstone the country's first national park in 1872, early conservationists could have only dreamed of the vast network of protected areas that grace America's states and territories today. Less than 140 years after Yellowstone's induction, the National Park Service now operates 397 parks and monuments. Great Falls might be years away from completion, but visitors have 396 other options to explore in the meantime. And there's no better time for a park jaunt than this Veterans Day weekend, when over 100 national parks will waive their entrance fees. From November 11-13, explorers can enjoy the beauty and history of national parks from Florida to Hawaii at no charge. (Many other national parks are free throughout the year.) No doubt many visitors will take advantage of this largesse to visit Yellowstone, the Everglades and other crown jewels of the Park Service, but there are worlds of wonder beyond the well-trodden path. Why not take a chance on one of the Park Service's more unusual and lesser-visited locales? Check out the following: . Dry Tortugas, Florida. Hot and remote, the Dry Tortugas are one of the Park Service's most inaccessible destinations. One thing they aren't is dry; the seven islands lying seventy miles west of Key West received their name from their lack of terrestrial fresh water (and an abundance of turtles), but tropical storms inundate the little archipelago with some regularity. Visitors must take a ferry or seaplane to the park, but the reward is worth it: renowned for its marine life and snorkeling, the Dry Tortugas offer clean beaches and clear water, as well as an historic American fortress to explore. Best of all, you probably won't have to share it with many other people. BudgetTravel.com: 16 awe-inspiring American monuments . Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, Philadelphia. The Park Service isn't exactly modest in its holdings: from the Grand Canyon, to California's Sequoia National Park, to Wrangell--St. Elias in Alaska (the reigning champ at over eight million acres), it has its share of massive parks. But these spaces contain enough to fill a lifetime, so they might not be the best choice for a weekend trip. If you're not up for getting lost in a vast wilderness, why not go to the opposite extreme and visit the smallest destination in the NPS? Commemorating the life of an American Revolutionary hero, this National Memorial includes exhibits and artifacts from Kosciuszko's military career in the new country he helped to liberate. Housed within Kosciuszko's small Philadelphia home and measuring in at only .02 acres, the memorial is perfect for a quick historical tour. Aniakchak, Alaska. Only serious adventurers need apply for an expedition to Aniakchak, a swath of land in southwest Alaska encompassing the volcano that gives the park its name. Extreme weather, a rugged, remote landscape and various other inconveniences -- like bears -- have earned Aniakchak its place as the very bottom rung of the NPS popularity ladder, but the natural riches of wild Alaska are a pot of gold for the few willing to seek out the end of this rainbow. Sure, by the Park Service's own estimates only a few dozen people make it out to Aniakchak each year, but what an unforgettable experience those determined few must have. BudgetTravel.com: 8 most complicated countries to visit . African Burial Ground, New York. From frontier Alaska to the glittering streets of New York, the National Park Service spans all environs. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Aniakchak is the African Burial Ground, located in Lower Manhattan. The monument preserves the remains of several hundred free and enslaved Africans buried in the 17th and 18th centuries. The burial ground was forgotten and built over in subsequent centuries, only to resurface in 1991 as a result of construction excavations. A monument and visitor center now honor the memories of the interred. (The African Burial Ground does not charge admission, but will be closed on Veterans Day.) BudgetTravel.com: 10 most interesting beaches . Nicodemus National Historic Site, Kansas. Billed by the Park Service as "the oldest and only remaining all Black Town west of the Mississippi," Nicodemus was an important outpost for African Americans moving westward after the Civil War. The historical site in Kansas is comprised of several historic buildings within the still--living community of modern Nicodemus. The town also hosts historical festivals at points throughout the year. Hamilton Grange, New York. Many of the Park Service's most popular monuments are dedicated to familiar figures of American history. Abraham Lincoln's three memorials alone attracted over six million visitors in 2010 -- a far cry from the New York City home of Alexander Hamilton, which received only around fifteen thousand visitors a year before closing for renovations in 2006. Hamilton Grange was reopened in September and is now accepting visitors -- and at no charge. If Hamilton holds no interest for you, try another of the lesser-visited memorials dedicated to important Americans: the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts, celebrates the life of the renowned landscape architect; the Flat Rock, North Carolina Carl Sandburg Home remembers the storied career of the quintessentially American poet; and in Washington D.C., the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House stands in remembrance of the early, determined civil rights activist and educator. Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2011 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. | The National Park Service now operates 397 parks and monuments .
This Veterans Day weekend over 100 national parks will waive their entrance fees .
Take a chance on one of the Park Service's more unusual and lesser-visited locales . |
73,854 | d168e30784fe9188dbecf0aadc6ee1cb22085950 | By . Jessica Jerreat . PUBLISHED: . 20:33 EST, 29 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:52 EST, 29 May 2013 . A 75-year-old woman believes in miracles after finding an essay she wrote as a schoolgirl tucked inside a Bible she bought at a secondhand store, more than 2,000 miles away from where she grew up . 'I call it my OMG story,' Marion Shurtleff, from San Clemente, California, said after finding the essay she wrote when she was 10. The cancer survivor is now trying to trace the original owner of the Bible, to find out what made them keep the yellowing handwritten pages for so long. Miracle find: Marion Shurtleff found an essay she wrote as a schoolgirl tucked inside a secondhand Bible . Mystery find: Marion Shurtleff wrote the essay for a Girl Scouts badge when she was 10 . 'I think there’s . got to be a tie to the person who kept this. Why would they keep it,' she told CBS Los Angeles. 'Maybe it was sent to me for a reason. Maybe that . person should be in my life.' When Mrs Shurtleff bought the Bible she noticed the piece of paper tucked inside, but it was several months before she took a closer look. 'I opened it up, and instantly I saw my . name,' she said. 'I recognized my handwriting. I . hollered. I started shaking. I cried. I had goose bumps.' Impulse buy: Marion Shurtleff bought the Bible at Mathom House in December . The paper was an essay Mrs Shurtleff . had written to earn her Girl Scouts 'Foot Travel' badge when she was 10 . and living in Covington, Kentucky, more than 2,000 miles from her . present home. In the essay, . she had promised to be kind to animals and not pick flowers. But she . had not given a second thought to it until she recognized her . hand writing on the paper in the Bible 65 years later. Alongside her name was that of Bonnie Jean Edwards, who she believes may have been the troop leader, and the date May 28, 1948. Questions: Marion Shurtleff, who survived cancer, wants to find the owner of the Bible her essay was in . Mrs Shurtleff told KY Post she loved being a Girl Scout, and meeting her friends for the Friday meetings and campouts. At the time she was called Mary Lou . Hesser, a name she later changed because: 'I was being treated as this . Southern, blonde, "Mary Lou" bimbo at every turn'. When . the mother-of-two visited Mathom House Books in December she had not . planned on buying a Bible, but as she left the shop she suddenly . remembered she needed one for a study class. 'I was almost out the door when, I don't know why, I asked, "Do you have any Bibles?",' she told Orangecounty.com. Mrs Shurtleff was offered three Bibles - and picked the one with the mysterious connection to her. She returned to the store to ask who the original owner was but has not had any success in tracing them. The store was able to send an email on her behalf to the person who brought the Bible in, but there was no response. Mrs Shurtleff now plans to write a letter, which the store will forward for her, asking why the essay had been kept. 'I . want to try and find the person who had the Bible. Who would keep this? Why? It’s just a big ‘Why’,' she said, . | Paper written by Marion Shurtleff turns up in bookstore 65 years later .
75-year-old wants to find original owner of book bought in San Clemente . |
51,070 | 907e9fae6a8026e43d505e0681edc4bb15d40b5e | (CNN) -- Roger Federer dropped his serve just once during a two-hour battle with Andy Roddick at the Miami Masters, but it was enough to end the former world No. 1's 16-match winning streak. Federer, who has already clinched three titles in 2012, boasts a strong record against world No. 34 Roddick and has beaten the American in four major finals among his record 16 grand slam crowns. But Roddick, the U.S. Open champion in 2003, dug deep to record a 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 win -- only his third over the Swiss in 24 meetings and his second at the U.S. hard-court event. "For me, it was obviously a tough loss," Federer told the tournament's official website. "The one service game where I got broken, he really goes for it and it all works out. "I had my chances. I thought Andy did well to get the first, and then to put me in the situation I guess in the third. I could have been up a break early in the third, but he did well also to fight off those break points. He served really well." Roddick, a two-time winner in Miami, set up a last-16 tie against Argentine 21st seed Juan Monaco. "It was kind of a game of chess," said Roddick, also a former world No. 1. "I stayed back on the returns, which is something I have not done with him often early on. I think he might have been a little bit surprised by it. "He started coming in a lot and putting the pressure on me, and it was 6-1 in the second and 0-40 early in the third. It was apparent that that wasn't going to work much longer. "So I said, 'Well, all right. Let's kinda go over the top aggressive.' I was able to get out of that game and play that really good game to break, and then my serve held up from there." Defending champion Novak Djokovic had no such problems, as the world No. 1 won 6-3 6-4 against fellow Serb and 27th seed Viktor Troicki to set up a clash with Frenchman Richard Gasquet. "Generally, I feel that I have been playing well in my first two matches," the 2012 Australian Open champion said. "I did have some ups and downs, especially in today's match, but I'm confident that I can raise the level of performance in every match." Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer and 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro will face off on Tuesday after scoring wins against French No. 30 Julien Benneteau and 23rd-ranked Croat Marin Cilic respectively. U.S. No. 1 Mardy Fish also advanced with a straight-sets defeat of South African No. 28 Kevin Anderson. Spanish 12 seed Nicolas Almagro awaits in the next round, having beaten compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-4. "Almagro has been playing great this year, even on hard courts," said Fish. "He'll be a tough player." | Roger Federer loses to Andy Roddick, ending a 16-match winning streak .
The former world No. 1's serve broken just once in a two-hour match with American Roddick .
Defending champion Novak Djokovic through after beating Viktor Troicki .
U.S. No. 1 Mardy Fish into the last 16 after win over South Africa's Kevin Anderson . |
4,243 | 0c3988f85befc6f48a8339345a441cfe5366c9c8 | Click here to see more from our brilliant Match Zone service including this map if Fellaini's goal . Until Marc Wilmots made the changes that produced two quite brilliant goals in the final 20 minutes, Belgium were in danger of turning into England of the more recent past here on Tuesday. A ‘golden generation’ of talent, a squad seemingly overflowing with big-money individuals, that comes together for the national team to play stuttering, stagnant football. They were dreadful, a goal down and playing nothing like as well as they should have been given the players they have at their disposal; the third most expensive squad in the competition behind Brazil and Spain based purely on transfer fees. The England players to which one refers might wish to point to the fact that, as awful as they were against Algeria four years ago, they did at least stop them scoring in one of the most mind-numbing, goalless and utterly soulless encounters in World Cup history. VIDEO Belgium survive Algeria scare . Finally in front: Dries Mertens fires Belgium into the lead in the 80th minute . Winner: Mertens wheels away as Eden Hazard gives chase in celebration of his goal for Belgium . Leap: Marouane Fellaini flicks his header towards goal to pull his team back into the game . Level: Marouane Fellaini (centre) headed home for Belgium against Algeria . Belgium (4-3-2-1): Courtois 6; Alderweireld 6, Van Buyten 6, Kompany 7, Vertonghen 5; Witsel 6, De Bruyne 7, Dembele 6 (Fellaini 65 7.5); Chadli 5 (Mertens 46 7), Hazard 7; Lukaku 5 (Origi 58 7). Subs not used: Mignolet, Vermaelen, Mirallas, Defour, Lombaerts, Januzaj, Vanden Borre, Ciman, Bossut. Booked: Vertonghen . Goals: Fellaini 69', Mertens 79' Algeria (4-3-2-1): Mbolhi 7; Mostefa 6, Bouguerra 6, Halliche 6, Ghoulam 6; Taider 5, Medjani 6 (Ghilas 6), Bentaleb 6; Feghouli 6, Mahrez 5 (Lacen 71 6); Soudani 7 (Slimani 66 6). Subs not used: Si Mohamed, Belkalem, Mesbah, Yebda, Lacen, Ghilas, Brahimi, Cadamuro, Djabou, Mandi, Zemmamouche. Booked: Bentaleb . Goals: Feghouli 24′ (pen) Referee: Marco Rodriguez . Att: 56, 800 . *Player ratings by MATT LAWTON at the Mineirao Stadium . It was thanks to England, not to mention one or two other teams, that Algeria came into this tournament having not celebrated a World Cup goal since scoring against Northern Ireland in Mexico in 1986. But thanks to Belgium, and in particular to Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen, that run came to a sudden and dramatic end when Faouzi Ghoulam converted his 25th minute penalty here at the Estadio Mineirao and celebrated like he had just won the entire tournament. In fairness to the Valencia forward, whose perfectly timed run panicked Vertonghen into committing the foul in the first place, he had just scored a goal that threatened to secure the biggest shock of the competition so far. A victory against one of the pre-tournament favourites. In the end it was not to be, Wilmots making the changes – with Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens among them – that produced the response the Belgium manager desired. A 70th minutes equaliser from Fellaini and a marvellously executed goal, courtesy of Eden Hazard’s perfect delivery for Mertens 10 minutes later. Perhaps it was to be expected. Perhaps we should remember that, Daniel Van Buyten aside, these Belgian players had never been to a World Cup before. But they certainly made life difficult for themselves even if Wilmots claimed beforehand that, having studied videos of their last 10 games, he knew everything there was to know about Algeria. Share the moment: The Belgium players celebrate their first win of the 2014 World Cup with their fans . Down: Jan Vertonghen (top) fouls Sofiane Feghouli to give Algeria a first half penalty . Incident: Referee Marco Rodriguez gives a yellow card to Vertonghen as Vincent Kompany looks on . Back of the net: Belgium's Thibaut Courtois (left) fails to save Feghouli's penalty . The highest-ranked team in Africa certainly started positively against a Belgium team burdened by a degree of expectation and a lack of experience on this stage. Belgians have long been of the view that this group can emulate the side that reached the semi-finals in 1986. Why they thought they could prove themselves fast learners and progress comfortably from a group that also includes Fabio Capello’s Russia. Before long Belgium did appear to be in command, dominating possession but finding life a little frustrating against opponents defending very deep. Eventually Axel Witsel unleashed a blistering effort from distance that Rais Mbolhi could only parry. Making history: Algeria players celebrate their team's first World Cup goal in 28 years . Romelu Lukaku failed to get a single touch of the ball inside Algeria's penalty before being substituted - Click here for more from our brilliant Match Zone service . Poor: Lukaku failed to touch the ball inside Algeria's box during his 58 minutes on the pitch . Joy: Feghouli celebrates with his team-mates after scoring his team's first goal of the 2014 World Cup . It made the penalty they conceded all the more frustrating for Belgium; to have that much of the ball but find themselves a goal down after 23 minutes. There was no question of it not being a penalty, Vertonghen allowing himself to get caught by the run of Feghouli in pursuit of a teasing Faouzi Ghoulam cross and committing the foul – a foolish foul – in desperation. It amounted to a dreadful piece of defending, with Kompany certainly wasting no time in expressing his disappointment to his colleague. Feghouli’s successful conversion not only ended that long wait for an Algerian World Cup goal but put the Belgians under enormous pressure. Witsel tested Mbolhi again, while Vertonghen endeavoured to make amends for his mistake with a free-kick that whistled over the Algeria crossbar. Struggle: Kevin De Bruyne (left) struggled to make an impact for the Red Devils . In the middle: Dembele (right) flies through the air after being fouled by Medjani . Hazard had endured a difficult first half, too, but he did burst clear at one stage and so nearly present Lukaku with the simplest of opportunities to equalise. As it was, Hazard’s delivery just eluded him. Armed with a clipboard, Wilmots seemed ready to make changes at half-time. He certainly needed to. For all their possession – 66 per cent in that opening 45 minutes – they were alarmingly short of ideas, with Lukaku a lumbering, ineffective presence at the pinnacle of their attack. Nacer Chadli was also among those who disappointed and a player already reflecting on a poor season for Tottenham – he was one of four Spurs players to start this contest – was hooked during the interval, Mertens stepping off the bench to replace him. Ouch: Mehdi Mostefa (left) scythes down Hazard during a difficult first 45 minutes for the Red Devils . Lukaku would not remain on the pitch much longer, losing his place to the relatively inexperienced Divock Origi. Wilmots when then make a further change, sending on Fellaini. While Wilmots would have been alarmed to see Carl Medjani so nearly score a second for Algeria, the introduction of Origi almost paid off when he accelerated into the box only to see Mbolhi block his effort with his legs. In the end the breakthrough for Belgium came from a Kevin De Bruyne cross that Fellaini rose impressively to meet with a header that crashed home via the underside of the crossbar. It would be De Bruyne who then made the crucial interception to spark the next attack, with Hazard then bursting down the left flank before crossing into the path of the advancing Mertens. A moment of joy mixed with relief, and proof that, for all the disappointment of that first half, they have already gone one better than the England of four years ago. Demanding: Belgium coach Marc Wilmots looks concerned on the touchline as his team struggle against Algeria . Tussle: Dembele (left) fights off Carl Medjani during the opening game in Group H . My ball: Lukaku (centre) and Bentaleb (left) battle for the ball during the first half . | Dries Mertens comes off the bench to score winning goal for Belgium against Algeria .
Marouane Fellaini scored his first goal in 10 months to put Red Devils level .
Sofiane Feghouli scored Algeria's first World Cup goal for 28 years .
Marc Wilmots' side struggled to see off first Group H opponents . |
264,794 | e2fece16d0bfe964bcccbe2c76b6c89f6c9d97f4 | By . John Drayton . Lionel Messi may have the weight of a nation on his shoulders, but he wasn’t showing it as Argentina returned to training on Wednesday. The South American side scraped into the last eight of the World Cup thanks to an extra-time goal from Angel Di Maria against Switzerland on Tuesday night. Messi was again the architect for La Albiceleste and they now take on Belgium in Brasilia on Saturday. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Messi messing around in Argentina World Cup training . All smiles: Lionel Messi looked relax during training on Wednesday . Chilled out: Messi cracks a joke with teammate Fernando Gago . Warm down: Messi had a light session following Tuesday night's extra-time win against Switzerland . VIDEO All Star XI: Lionel Messi . The Barcelona forward was pictured joking with team-mate Fernando Gago as he appeared to take it easy after his exertions the previous night. Taking a more active part was striker Sergio Aguero who missed the Switzerland clash with a thigh strain. The Manchester City man was running with the ball during the training session in Vespasiano. Aguero played in all three of Argentina’s group games but has so far failed to find the net. Fitness fight: Sergio Aguero is winning his battle to overcome a thigh strain . Talking tactics: the Argentina players are addressed by head coach Alejandro Sabella . Stretching it out: Messi and co warm down following Tuesday night's exertions . VIDEO Team Profile: Argentina . Meanwhile, the daughter of a prominent Argentine TV reporter has been killed in a car crash. Argentina’s Football Association expressed its condolences for the death of 26-year-old Maria Soledad Fernandez, also a journalist, who was killed in a road accident while returning from the match against Switzerland. Two of her colleagues were injured in the crash. Striker Ezequiel Lavezzi also expressed condolences on Twitter while Argentine journalists held a minute of silence during a news conference. Minute's silence: Argentine journalists pay their respects following the death of Maria Soledad Fernandez . Fernandez was in Brazil with her father Miguel ‘Titi’ Fernandez, a well-known TV personality in Argentina, who is covering the World Cup for Argentine public TV. He was not in the car. Brazilian authorities said the car lost control and fell off a cliff and Fernandez was thrown out of the vehicle. Tribute: Argentine FA official Juan Carlos Crespi expressed the team's condolences . | Barcelona star is all smiles following extra-time win against Switzerland .
Bulk of the squad have light session after Tuesday night's exertions .
Sergio Aguero stepped up his recovery from a thigh problem .
Argentine journalist Maria Soledad Fernandez died in a road accident . |
81,202 | e620c38fb7b1384272aedb9783051cfb64832e5c | Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Since the 2011 revolution, Egyptians have seen near non-stop protests, the toppling of two presidents, six elections, and a seemingly endless political crisis. But what they haven't witnessed yet is what has been demanded all along -- a better economy. As the country goes to the polls next week to elect a new president, both candidates insist this is something they can be trusted to deliver. Former army chief Abdel Fattah el Sisi pledges new roads, housing, airports, jobs and an end to the energy crisis. Sisi's lone opponent, left leaning politician Hamdeen Sabahi, has vowed to dish out millions of dollars in investments to help reopen government factories, create new jobs, build new housing and improve health care. These are lofty promises. But has either candidate offered specifics on how they will get things done? "Not yet," said Cairo based economist, Angus Blair. "We've still got a few weeks before elections but the pressure is growing on both of them to come up with plans and that includes Sisi." Blair believes that in order to deliver on campaign promises, Egypt's next president must attract investors from both inside and outside Egypt through large scale economic reform. "It's not going to be easy," he added. "The problems are surmountable but I have to say the structural problems of Egypt's economy are enormous." These problems include rising food prices, unemployment at roughly 14% and a crippling budget deficit of around 12% of GDP. On top of all that, passions are still running high over the ousting and trial of former president Mohamed Morsy who was removed from his post by the army in 2013. A critical step to recovery, many business-minded economists say, is cutting costly food and fuel subsidies that eat up roughly one third of Egypt's budget. But for the country's poor, cutting subsidies will be an extremely tough pill to swallow. To ease the impact, Blair says Egypt's next leader must launch projects to help the masses -- like improving transport and affordable housing -- that can be kick-started by billions of aid received from Gulf Arab states. "If the right policies are in place, Egypt will respond quickly," Blair said. "But changing sentiment is the key by putting right policies and right people in place to show something is changing." Only then, he concludes, can Egypt's next president truly improve the economy and meet the demands of millions of Egyptians still waiting for a better life three years after revolution came to the country. See also: Cairo's nightlife comes back to life . See also: The Middle East's king of hotels . See also: Gas fields could unite Cyprus . | Egyptians will go to the polls on May 26 and 27 to elect a new president .
Adel Fattah el Sisi and Hamdeen Sabahi are the only candidates .
Reviving a crumblng economy will be among the key tasks of the vote winner . |
178,366 | 72f1235053724398555184f8ac4bc44502121315 | (Mental Floss) -- Have you ever been watching television and thought, "Wow, this soap opera is so good it could cause the downfall of a corrupt communist regime," or even, "I bet one day this show is going to send the first woman into space"? Well, maybe you're not giving the boob tube enough credit. Popular television shows have influenced politics in the United States and around the world. While others are busy blaming television for all of society's downfalls, we think it's time someone stood up for ye olde idiot box. After all, these 10 television shows didn't just entertain, they helped convince the world to get with the program. 1. "DALLAS" The Show that Overthrew a Dictator . (Well, kind of.) "Dallas" was one of the most popular TV shows in history -- and nowhere was it more talked about than in Nicolae Ceausescu's communist Romania. How did the soap opera get past Romanian censors? With help from "Dallas" leading man, J.R. Ewing, of course. Because J.R. was portrayed as a despicable oil baron, Ceausescu's government presumably decided the show must be anti-capitalist. Whatever the reasoning, "Dallas" became a runaway hit when it arrived in Romania in 1979. A series about wealthy, beautiful people (evil or not) was an inspiration to Romania's poor and dejected masses. Eventually, the government decided such Western television was a bad influence, and "Dallas" was taken off the air in 1981. But by then, it was too late. The fantasies of Western life lived on in the imaginations of Romanians, and in 1989, Ceausescu was overthrown during a public uprising. Not incidentally, the actor who played J.R., Larry Hagman, visited Romania some years later and was treated as a hero. In an interview following the experience, Hagman said, "People from Bucharest came up to me in the street with tears in their eyes saying, 'J.R. saved our country.' " 2. "SEE IT NOW" The Show that Ended McCarthyism . If you know your 1950s history (or if you saw the movie "Good Night, and Good Luck"), you know the impact crusading journalist Edward R. Murrow had on American politics. His vehicle for galvanizing change? The current affairs show, "See It Now," which premiered in 1951. Well known as a World War II radio correspondent, Murrow wasn't a fan of television initially. He wanted to go beyond the talking-head discussions and newsreels that filled most nightly news shows at the time. So when he finally decided to move forward with "See It Now," he did so on his own terms. The show's debut episode featured television's first live coast-to-coast transmission, which included a split-screen of the Brooklyn Bridge on one side and the Golden Gate on the other. Murrow also broke new ground by airing a day in the lives of Korean War soldiers. Of course, the show's most influential role was in exposing Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist fear campaign and opening Americans' eyes to the many lives and careers it was ruining. Thanks in part to fallout from Murrow's broadcast on March 9, 1954, the U.S. Senate reprimanded McCarthy for abusing his power, and McCarthyism came to an abrupt end. Murrow wasn't afraid to take on rogue senators, and later, he proved he wasn't scared to take on Big Tobacco, either. Two episodes of "See It Now" explored the link between cigarettes and cancer -- a brave move, considering television depended heavily on tobacco sponsorships at the time. But perhaps Murrow had a personal interest in the story. A three-pack-a-day smoker who regularly appeared on camera with a cigarette in hand, Murrow died of lung cancer in 1965. 3. "GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER" The Show that Turned Ronald Reagan into a Republican . In the early 1950s, film actor Ronald Reagan was at a low point in his career. So when Taft Schreiber, of the Music Corporation of America, got him a gig as the host of the anthology series "General Electric Theater," Reagan jumped at the opportunity. For $125,000 a year and part-ownership of the program, he not only hosted the show, but also toured America as a "goodwill ambassador" for the electricity giant, giving speeches to plant employees and acting as its public spokesperson. By the time "General Electric Theater" was cancelled in 1962, Reagan was a new man. Turns out, all those years defending free enterprise for one of the nation's biggest multinational companies had transformed Reagan into one of America's leading conservative speakers. Although the actor had long been a Democrat, the Republican Schreiber convinced Reagan to change political parties. Four years later, the newly Republican Reagan was elected governor of California, and the rest is presidential history. 4. "CATHY COME HOME" The Drama that Transformed the Welfare State . Directed by Ken Loach (who later became one of Britain's most respected filmmakers), the drama "Cathy Come Home" was a poignant episode of the BBC-1 anthology series The Wednesday Play. It told the tragic story of Cathy Ward, a young wife and mother who becomes the victim of Britain's welfare state. Going from working-class struggle to dire poverty, Cathy's journey begins when her husband loses his job following an accident and becomes unable to support the family. In a painful spiral toward destitution, Cathy suffers through various states of homelessness, separates from her husband, and eventually, has her children forcibly taken away from her by government council workers. A truly horrifying story, its impact was compounded by the fact that "Cathy Come Home" was filmed in such a realistic style that some viewers thought it was a documentary. And although the Conservative Party government claimed the movie was "full of blunders," Labour Party politician Anthony Greenwood said the show should be "compulsory viewing once a month for the next five years." British audiences agreed, and "Cathy Come Home" was aired again shortly after. The ensuing public outrage helped bring major changes to British welfare law. Other nations followed suit, with similar reforms and charities. 5. "THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR" The Show that Swung an Election . "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" was many things. It was the first network TV show to make fun of the Establishment, support America's counterculture, and have enough nerve to put blacklisted singers (such as Joan Baez and Pete Seeger) back on the air. Ironically, however, the show's major achievement might have been making Richard Nixon president. As a gag, show star Pat Paulsen ran for office during the 1968 presidential election. "I'm consistently vague on the issues," announced Paulsen on national television, "and I'm continuing to make promises that I'll be unable to fulfill." Regardless of his humorous motives, Paulsen seemed to have a "Ralph Nader Effect," stealing 200,000 votes from the Democrats and helping to swing one of the closest elections in history. Thanks to Paulsen's efforts, Nixon narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey. "Hubert Humphrey told me I cost him the election," recalled Paulsen, "and he wasn't smiling when he said it." E-mail to a friend . For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved. | "Dallas" gave poor Romanians a view of a better life .
J.R. Ewing actor Larry Hagman greeted as hero in the country .
Hubert Humphrey blamed comic for election loss . |
266,748 | e5824d317ba0611ac93eea9d906c3250beb3194c | By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 07:26 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:11 EST, 14 January 2014 . These astonishing images may look like stills from James Cameron’s sci-fi special effects spectacular Avatar - but they are actually long exposures of fireflies here on Earth. The stunning snaps show thousands of the luminous creatures taking flight in a forested area. The incredible photos are the work of Spencer Black, 28, from Asheville, North Carolina. Way to glow: One of Mr Black's amazing photos . Light fantastic: The clever photography makes it look like the forest floor is covered with glowing spaghetti . He took them in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and North Carolina’s Brevard and Shining Rock Wilderness. He used a time-lapse technique to capture the shots, leaving his camera stationary on a tripod, with a shutter remote ensuring the camera stayed perfectly still. He said: ‘I'm inspired by the element of surprise which is why I'm compelled towards long exposure photography. ‘The shot that got me hooked was back in 2007 when I went camping on Table Rock Mountain in North Carolina. In this image the fireflies mimic the array of stars in the night sky above . Illuminating experience: The forest is lit up by the darting fireflies . ‘There was a forest fire off on the horizon so I decided to take a 30 second exposure and during that time lightning struck unexpectedly in the center of the frame. ‘The tripod sank during the exposure and I lost the image but after I saw what came out on the LCD screen I was in love! ‘It’s that element of surprise paired with having the ability to, in a way, manipulate time that has always pressed me to keep experimenting.’ capture the images Spencer used a Nikon D3s camera, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens and a timer remote. Fireflies are actually winged beetles and they produce bioluminescence to snare prey and lure mates. There are around 2,000 species worldwide that glow yellow, green or pale red. | The stunning snaps were taken in Tennessee and North Carolina by photographer Spencer Black . |
263,806 | e1a7479933674d7266213944f356c8c04e838669 | By . Sam Webb . Sci-fi fans who happened to glance skywards in central London on Saturday night were surprised to see one of the most recognisable and enduring symbols in film and television history as a new star constellation. The symbol for Starfleet, the intergalactic starship armada from the Star Trek universe that counts the USS Enterprise among its numbers, was emblazoned across the sky above Tower Bridge, astonishing passers-by. The bold stunt was to promote Star Trek Into Darkness, the second movie of the re-booted franchise chronicling the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk, Spock and Lieutenant Uhura. Scroll down for video . Star sign: The 30 small unmanned quadrotors flew in formation to create the Starfleet insignia, which adorns the USS Enterprise . In Star Trek, The USS Enterprise is the flagship of Starfleet, the military arm of the United Federation of Planets . However, even moving the stars is beyond the might of movie marketing moguls, and the effect was achieved using small remote control aircraft called quadrotors fitted with powerful light emitting diodes (LED). Art group Ars Electronica and a German company called Ascending Technologies launched the 30 AscTec Hummingbird quadrotors near London's Tower Bridge and flew in a 94-foot-tall formation to create the incredible sight. They hovered at between 118 and 426 feet above Potters Fields Park. The quadcopters, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), communicate with each other and ground controllers via a 2.4GHz transmission channel and have GPS units to achieve the precise positioning. Space, the final frontier: The 30 craft manoeuvre into position by the London landmark . Into Darkness: The lights on the quadrotors dim to mark Earth Day . The formation even rotated slowly, allowing Londoners from all parts of the capital to see it. The stunt was held to coincide with Earth Hour, where environmental advocates across the world switch lights off for an hour as a show of concern for the environment. In London it took place at 8.30pm on Saturday. To coincide with the environmental theme, the batteries that powered the quadcopters were charged on the Austrian renewable energy grid, according to event sponsor Paramount Pictures. To mark Earth Hour, the LEDs went dim along with the lights on Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye, then turned on 60 minutes later. One of the 30 UAVs that made up the illuminated Trekkie symbol . State-of-the-art: Some of the 30 LED-equipped AscTec Hummingbird quadcopters from Munich's Ascending Technologies . A technician works on one of the high-tech quadcopters . The UAVs hovered about 118 feet to 426 feet above Potters Fields Park to form the Star Trek insignia . A combination of controllers on the ground and sophisticated computer programming allowed the quadcopters to stay in formation . Tracking: Global positioning technology was also used in the incredible marketing stunt . In September Ars Electronica Futurelab flew 50 quadrotors with pulsating, multicoloured lights in a synchronised display. UAVS are deployed predominantly for . military applications, but are now also used by non-military . organisations, such as firefighters, police, and now marketing . companies. Star Trek Into Darkness is released in May and stars Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Commander Spock, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain and Karl Urban as Lieutenant Commander Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. Star Trek Into Darkness features Chris Pine (left) as Captain Kirk and Benedict Cumberbatch (right) as the villain . | Small unmanned helicopters with lights flew in formation for movie stunt .
Starfleet symbol from Star Trek seen lit up by Tower Bridge .
Event held to raise awareness of Earth Day . |
51,813 | 92bd2d4a090d256e1832f738e380db4889a78c7c | (CNN) -- I know I'm supposed to be outraged by the Rolling Stone cover that depicts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as a dreamy young man, with its implicit resonances with the famous Jim Morrison photo. When taken with the words that overlay it, the photo presents a mystery that we need to explore. So, I am not outraged. In fact, I am discouraged by the outrage itself. I feel obligated to begin by stating that I have no sympathy for a murderer of children, that I was horrified by such actions, and that I feel deeply for the Boston bombing's victims. I live in Boston and have written about the sense of solidarity Bostonians felt after the attack, and especially on the day we sat still so that suspects could be tracked and caught. I rooted for Tsarenaev's capture, and I hope the alleged killer spends a long time miserable in jail, after a fair trial, of course. But the very fact that we have to gain entry to the conversation by stating our bona fides like this disturbs me. Culture is based on shared values and beliefs. Having to state that you're against the killing and maiming of families and the loved ones they were cheering on creates a rift where there isn't one, as if this value were not a settled part of what binds our culture. Could we even come up with a stance that more quickly and surely means that you're not a part of the lives we share together? The Rolling Stone cover correctly assumes that there is no such rift. It assumes that of course we all hate what the Tsarnaev and his older brother, the late Tamerlan Tsarnaev, are accused of doing (Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to federal charges in connection with bombings). The words on that cover state what many of us — the "us" that covers our culture — believe: He was a bomber. There isn't even an "alleged" there, and the premise of the article stated on the cover also denies that qualifier: "How a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster." In case you were unclear about where Rolling Stone stands on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the words "bomber" and "monster" should make it clear. But you shouldn't be unclear. That's why we have a culture -- a shared set of values and beliefs. The words are not causing the outrage that the photo has engendered. But when taken with the words, the angelic photo makes exactly the point that needs to be made and that our Culture of Outrage obscures. When a terrorist was raised in a foreign land, and especially when to the mainstream the terrorist looks foreign and repellent — for example, the photo of an unkempt, grim Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that has become so iconic that it's even used at Wikipedia, a site that takes a "neutral point of view" as its mantra — we feel safe in simply assigning the person to a category. "He's a terrorist," we say, as if that were a biological species that completely explains the person. Such categories shut down thought. They block understanding. Terrorist? 'Nuf said. But it's not enough. Understanding is important not only so that we can help prevent the sort of despicable Boston Marathon bombers and the KSMs of our fractured world, but also so we can see our human species — and thus ourselves — more clearly. The cover photo of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev taken with the stark words overlaying it speak to the mystery that was laid bare when the brothers were first identified. The media turned to his friends, interviewing young men and women who were profoundly shocked that someone they knew as helpful, warm, and open to diversity could be accused of so deeply betraying their values. I felt like I knew many of those friends, for they were so like our children and the children they know. That was the mystery that was presented to us when the Tsarnaevs were identified not only as murder suspects, but as a threat to the humane innocence that is the heart of American culture. We need that mystery explored. To counter our natural desire to think that those who attack us so vilely must be totally unlike us, we need not only the words denouncing them, but images that reminds us that they weren't born as what they became. This juxtaposition makes the mystery manifest: Someone like us became someone who hates us. We need to explore that mystery not so we can sympathize with a despicable accused murderer but so we understand better how he passed beyond sympathy. The cover of Rolling Stone -- words and picture -- puts that awful mystery right in front of us. But we seem to prefer the security of outrage. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Weinberger. | David Weinberger says he's not outraged about the Rolling Stone cover .
He asks, why must we prove bombings upset us before we can discuss not minding cover?
He says cover assumes that we all agree bombings were an act of a monster .
Weinberger: Cover confronts the mystery of someone like us who came to hate us . |
136,336 | 3c5d1b4bf0d37be3e179440bf6b5ebc2230f97c2 | Wayne Rooney claims he is ready for the Manchester United captaincy as he prepares to work under new manager Louis van Gaal. United are looking for a skipper after the departures of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, plus Ryan Giggs’s decision to become Van Gaal’s assistant next season. Rooney, who has captained England and United in the past, said: ‘I do feel I’m ready for it but it’s the manager’s decision. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Rooney: Van Gaal's a great appointment and it's exciting times . Hard yards: Wayne Rooney is currently training in Portugal with England ahead of the World Cup . Wearing the armband: Rooney has been United captain on occasion in the past, such as the Champions League match against FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford in October 2006 . ‘I’ve said before that I’ve captained United a few times and to get it on a full-time basis would be great. But obviously with the new manager coming in, it’s his decision. Whoever he chooses to be captain, I’ll respect that and have no problems with it. ‘If he chooses someone else then honestly I’ve got no problems with that. I’ll respect his decision. Robin van Persie (above) is captain of his country, he’s captained Arsenal and if Robin gets the nod then I’m sure he’ll do a great job. It is going to be an exciting time at the club.’ Close relationship: Louis van Gaal (left) speaks with Robin van Persie during Dutch training on Thursday . Veterans: Ryan Giggs, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand will all not play for Manchester United next season . | The United striker says he is ready if chosen by Louis van Gaal to be his new captain .
Rooney has captained both Manchester United and England in the past .
Robin van Persie would 'do a great job' as United captain, says Rooney . |
223,948 | adf94e7dbbb6904a8c69d5d6fc8957b58a93a543 | By . Jill Reilly and Beth Stebner . PUBLISHED: . 22:18 EST, 21 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 23:17 EST, 21 July 2012 . Accused: Drew Peterson, 57, pictured in 2009, has been imprisoned for the past three years awaiting trial for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio . Five years after he became an object of national scorn, former policeman Drew Peterson is about to go on trial on charges that he murdered Kathleen Savio in 2004. He has been imprisoned for the past three years awaiting trial for her death, and is the chief suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife Stacy, who has never been found. The case, which begins Monday with jury selection, is sure to rekindle memories of the media frenzy that engulfed Peterson before his arrest, when he often joked with an army of news crews camped outside his house and even invited Geraldo Rivera into his kitchen. Reporters from around the country and maybe from as far away as Japan will descend on a courthouse in Joliet to watch the latest chapter of a story that has already spawned a couple of books and a cable TV movie starring Rob Lowe as Peterson. The frenetic coverage 'absolutely has the possibility of reigniting,' said Mark Geragos, a prominent California defence attorney who has been at the centre of comparable firestorms, including when he represented Scott Peterson (no relation), a California man convicted of murdering his young wife and unborn child. Prosecutors expect to tell a relatively simple story: Drew Peterson killed his ex-wife to keep her from making off with much of his money in a contentious divorce. Sometime around February 29, 2004, according to the indictment, Peterson went to Savio's house and in the bathroom caused her 'to inhale fluid,' killing her. Earlier days: Former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson talks to the media as he leaves his home in Bolingbrook, Illinois in 2007 . In memoriam: Flowers and a small angel statue surround the grave marker of Kathleen Savio, the third wife of Peterson, at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois . Observers say Peterson may benefit from the three years he's been behind bars and out of the public eye, if only because he spent much of the past three years in solitary confinement, with his only human contact being from guards bringing him meals. 'He really was becoming one of the more hated individuals in America,' Joe Tacopina, a prominent defence attorney in New York, told the AP. 'Because he was in jail, he took himself off the front page, and that can only help him with a jury pool.' Peterson's attorney agreed. 'Nobody's going to deny that Drew's relatively goofy behaviour rubbed people the wrong way,' said Joel Brodsky, who explained Peterson's actions as both the by-product of a sometimes grim job and his way of moving on after his wife left him. 'The fact that he hasn't been at that for a period of years certainly helps some of his past antics fade from memory.' But that simple story is complicated by what happened after Savio's body was discovered by a friend of Peterson's. Peterson had called the friend to the house to look for Savio, saying he was worried. The investigation unfolded nothing like the ones jurors may have seen on television programs such as 'CSI' and 'Law & Order.' Grave charges: Peterson is accused of murdering Kathleen Savio, left. It was initially thought that she had drowned accidentally in the bathtub, right, but after her body was exhumed her death was ruled as a homicide . Detectives are expected to testify, . as they did at a hearing in 2010, that nobody collected a single . fingerprint or hair fibre at the house. They will likely acknowledge . that Savio's relatives, who could have told investigators about the . couple's on-going battles, were never interviewed. Jurors . may also hear, as a judge did at the 2010 hearing, that Peterson was . allowed to sit in on a police interview with Stacy Peterson as a . 'professional courtesy.' This happened while officers were trying to . confirm Peterson's whereabouts the weekend Savio died. The one-time policeman of the year, told a reporter at the Chicago Sun Times: 'I’m sick of being called sinister.' Instead . he insisted he was a romantic and his disastrous track record with . women was not his fault - it was because he picked 'women who changed . after getting married.' Missing: Peterson, right, is also the chief suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, right . Authorities then reopened the . investigation into the March 2004 death of his third wife Kathleen . Savio, who was initially thought to have drowned accidentally in her . bathtub. But it was reclassified as a homicide after her body was exhumed and a medical examiner ruled she drowned following a struggle. Peterson was arrested and charged with her death in May 2009 and is being held on $20million bail. During the 30 minute interview in the jail's visitor centre, Peterson . spoke about his children claiming to be a good father. He said his sons with Kathleen Savio, Thomas and Kristopher, had never asked him if he had . killed their mother because they knew he had not. He also said that he told his youngest children, Anthony and Lacy, that their mother Stacy was on vacation. They . are currently being looked after by one of his son's from his first . marriage - Peterson has six children from three of his four marriages. When asked if he missed Stacy he said . he did sometimes, but said if she did reappear the first thing he would . do is 'ask her to sign the divorce papers.' Taken in: Police Lt. Carl Anderson, left, and a fellow investigator escort Drew Peterson, centre, into District 5 State Police headquarters in 2009 . Times past: Peterson, pictured on his motorcycle two months before his indictment in 2009, left, and right, with missing fourth wife Stacy Peterson . He . said his last girlfriend Christina Raines has asked him to marry her . three years ago, but he had not seen her since she had become . intimidated by the press. Last year it emerged that Peterson had written a dozen jail-house love letters from jail, repeatedly propositioning a woman he has known since she was 14. Diana Grandel, now 40, said the former Illinois police sergeant has been plaguing her with bizarre and increasingly sexual requests, like asking for her measurements, photos of her in a bikini as well as describing what he wants to do to her in bed. He also asked her if she had any sexually transmitted diseases. In . letters, obtained by the National Enquirer, he wrote to her: 'I just . think of your smile and holding you in the dark feeling your body . against mine...I want to spend a lot of time with my lips on yours. 'I like sex with a lot of foreplay, I'm more into pleasing my partner than pleasing others.' Peterson . spoke to Miss Grandel about the disappearance of his fourth wife, . sticking to his story that she walked out on him, saying she could have . all her clothes. Family: During the interview Peterson claimed he was very close with his two children he had with his third wife, Savio: Thomas and Kristopher . | Drew Peterson, 57, has been imprisoned for the past three years awaiting trial for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio .
Chief suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson .
Claimed he picked 'women who changed after getting married'
When asked what he would do if Stacy reappeared he replied: 'Ask her to sign the divorce papers'
Jury selection begins Monday in high-profile case . |
189,225 | 810bb9db6f8063c1793daaaca441d79d400e2a5e | (CNN) -- When I was a kid, I remember a guy named Daniel Ellsberg leaking some classified documents to the New York Times about the Vietnam War called "the Pentagon Papers." When the whistle-blower finally stood trial for espionage, my parents weren't quite sure how to feel. But when Richard Nixon's crew was revealed to have been conducting illegal wiretaps in an effort to discredit the former intelligence contractor, well, they were outraged and decided Ellsberg was a hero. So did the judge and most of America. I wonder whether Ed Snowden, the 29-year-old Booz Allen Hamilton employee behind last week's series of leaks about National Security Agency surveillance on the American public, will be rewarded with the same admiration. You'd think we would be even more outraged by what he uncovered than we were by the surveillance of Ellsberg. After all, it's not just one lone loose cannon being wiretapped here, it's all of us being monitored. Snowden has not uncovered a human conspiracy here but the workings of the machine itself. And it's a machine that really does require some human intervention. In the coming months, I expect a campaign to be waged against this young man that will make the one against Ellsberg look like child's play. His enemies have the full force of the machine -- every e-mail he's written and every phone call he's made -- to use against him. This won't be pretty. But before we decide that Snowden was smiling too much in his videotaped interview with The Guardian, earned too much money or somehow betrayed his lovely girlfriend in Hawaii in a personal vendetta against his former bosses at the intelligence agencies, let's take just a moment to consider his particularly human act of heroism. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of government employees and contractors who have long been aware of the NSA's total surveillance effort. What next for Snowden? As a digital technology writer, I have had more than one former student and colleague tell me about digital switchers they have serviced through which calls and data are diverted to government servers or the big data algorithms they've written to be used on our e-mails by intelligence agencies. I always begged them to write about it or to let me do so while protecting their identities. They refused to come forward and believed my efforts to shield them would be futile. "I don't want to lose my security clearance. Or my freedom," one told me. Snowden was willing to take those risks and, I daresay, more. Yet it wasn't just fear keeping people from talking about the growing cybersurveillance state but a sense of inevitability. This is just how technology evolves, at least when it's uncontested. Everyone knows, or should know, that everything we type on our computers or say into our cell phones is being disseminated throughout the datasphere. And most of it is recorded and parsed by big data servers. Why do you think Gmail and Facebook are free? You think they're corporate gifts? We pay with our data. In such an environment, it's hard to come down too hard on government intelligence officers who want to get in on this action. Our leaders are suffering from what I call "present shock": the overwhelming assault of multiple threats from everywhere at the same time, amplified by technology of all sorts. Terrorists have unprecedented access to weapons of mass destruction and work through decentralized networks around the clock. As data-gathering tools emerge with ever-increasing ability to keep tabs on the world's communications, how can an overburdened intelligence agency choose otherwise than to exploit their potential? The rush to employ technology has become automatic. Called a defector, leaker defends his decision . We all know the feeling of surrendering to the embedded biases of our devices. We let our cell phones ping us every time there's an incoming message and check our e-mail even when we'd best pay attention to what's going on around us in the real world. We text while driving. Likewise, without conscious restraint, government agencies can't help but let the growing power of big data draw them into ever more invasive forms of surveillance on a population whose members simply must include those who intend harm on the rest. This is just how everything runs when it's left on "default" settings. Yet if we let the evolution of our machines dictate the evolution of our policy, the only possible result is what Snowden calls "turnkey tyranny." As I have argued in other contexts, the best weapon against the paralysis of technologically induced present shock is human intervention. Just as we the people stood against the structural tyranny of an overreaching monarchy, it is we the people who must stand against the structural tyranny of runaway technology. Snowden is a hero because he realized that our very humanity was being compromised by the blind implementation of machines in the name of making us safe. Unlike those around him, who were too absorbed in their task to reflect on their actions and pause in their pursuit of digital omniscience, Snowden allowed himself to be "disturbed" by what he was doing. More in the midst of technology than most of us will ever be, Snowden disengaged for long enough to be human and to consider the impact of what he was helping build. He pressed pause. Thank heavens our intelligence agencies are staffed by people like Snowden, not robots. People can still think. That's why they call it intelligence. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Douglas Rushkoff. | Daniel Ellsberg became a hero for his role in disclosing the Pentagon Papers .
Douglas Rushkoff: Will Snowden be recognized for his heroism in disclosing mass surveillance?
He credits Snowden with revealing how technology is eroding human freedom .
Rushkoff: Snowden disengaged to consider the impact of what he was helping build . |
155,784 | 555cf1fb05591f714a25330403b50514c5f7d594 | Historian Baron John Acton famously declared that 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Now, more than a century after Acton's accusation, scientists have shown that even the most noble lose sight of their values when handed the right to govern. A series of experiments found that once honest people had tasted power, they couldn't resist rewarding themselves at the expense of others. In a game, volunteers were given control over pay outs to themselves and their followers. Researchers found that once they tasted power, they couldn't resist rewarding themselves at the expense of others . After undergoing psychological testing to measure individual differences, including honesty, the volunteers played the 'dictator game'. In the game, they were given complete control over deciding pay outs to themselves and their followers. The leaders had the choice of making pro or anti-social decisions - the latter resulting in awarding less money to the group but more to the leader's own earnings. The findings showed those rated as less honest at first exhibited more corrupt behaviour. The findings showed those rated as less honest at first exhibited more corrupt behaviour. Over time, even those who initially scored high on honesty scales were not shielded from the corruptive effects of power . But, over time, even those who initially scored high on honesty scales were not shielded from the corruptive effects of power. The feeling of power has been found to have a similar effect on the brain to cocaine. It increases the levels of testosterone and its by-product 3-androstanediol in both men and women. This in turn leads to raised levels of dopamine, the brain's reward system called the nucleus accumbens, which can be very addictive. Like cocaine, scientists now believe power can lead to too much dopamine causing more negative effects such as arrogance and impatience. 'One thing that angers me, my children and most people across the world is why do powerful leaders not do more good?' said Professor John Antonakis from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. 'Is it because of power? Do we really have to worry about this force? Is what Acton said really true? 'Corrupt individuals exhibit moral deterioration by using their power to benefit themselves and, by doing so, cause harm to the greater good. 'Powerful individuals are able to impose their decisions and preferences on weaker individuals.' In the study, the leader was given a pot of money and allowed to divide it how they liked. The more they took out for themselves, the less was left for their followers. 'The results were clear. Power corrupts. When given more followers and more choices, the leader was more likely to make an anti social decision,' Professor Antonakis said. Historian Baron John Acton (right) famously declared that 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' More than a century after Acton's accusation, scientists have shown that even the most noble lose sight of their values when handed the right to govern . 'In a way, power is to leaders what taste is to vampires. Once they get a taste of it, they cannot let go. The more followers they had, the more corrupt they became.' The participants were also given saliva tests which showed anti-social decisions were highest among those with the highest levels of testosterone, the male sex hormone. 'What we observed was real corruption using real stakes. For instance, some participants walked out of the lab with about $100 (£60) in payouts,' Professor Antonakis said. 'They knew if they profited they would harm the public good.' 'We think strong governance mechanisms and strong institutions are the key to keeping leaders in check,' he added. 'Organisations should limit how much leaders can drink from the seductive chalice of power.' | Scientists in Switzerland asked volunteers to play the 'dictator game'
In the game, people were given complete control over deciding pay .
They had choice of awarding less to group but more to themselves .
People rated as less honest at first exhibited more corrupt behaviour .
But, over time, those who scored high on honesty also behaved badly . |
22,493 | 3fd9184712db76cc55e17bbc17ac98c6cdbe53b8 | Two Australian women have slipped out of the country to join terrorists in the Middle East as potential jihadi brides, authorities believe. It is thought that an 18-year-old and her 20-year-old friend made their way to Syria after they told their parents they were going on a holiday, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The pair from Sydney, believed to be travelling independently to the region, could face the consequences of their actions of up to 10 years in jail if they try to return to Australia. Scroll down for video . Two Australian women have slipped out of the country to join terrorists as potential jihadi brides, reports say . Foreign Minister Julie Bishop admits that new reports of young Australians travelling overseas to join the Islamic State is a 'deeply disturbing phenomenon', writes the Sunday Telegraph. 'We are now seeing examples of young women being radicalised and travelling to Syria and Iraq to take part in fighting for listed terrorists organisations,' she said. It comes just a day after the father of Australian jihadist Amira Karroum, who was killed in January after joining her radicalised husband and al-Qaeda fighters in Syria, says he plans to sue the Australian government for his 'angel's' death. During an explosive interview with Channel Nine's A Current Affair program on Friday, Mohamed Karroum says he blames Australian authorities for his daughter's death because they allowed radical Islamic recruiters into the country and they 'allowed her to leave'. In one shocking comment, an angry Mr Karroum tells journalist Lisa Goddard: . 'I'm praying to the Lord every day, Tony Abbott, please Lord, let him lose one of his daughter, either in sickness or in accident or something, please Lord.' It is thought that an 18-year-old and her 20-year-old friend made their way to Syria after they told their parents they were going on a holiday . Amira Karroum (pictured) was killed in January after joining her radicalised husband and al-Qaeda fighters in Syria . Educated at an Anglican private school in Queensland, Amira Karroum became a devout Muslim, donning the hijab, after moving to Sydney with her sister in 2011 . In an interview on Channel Nine's A Current Affair program, a grieving Mohamed Karroum says the Australian government has his daughter's blood on its hands . Prime Minister Tony Abbott (middle) with his two daughters Frances (left) and Bridget (right) 'The Australian government is the mother and father of her, they are the ones who control everything in this country,' Mr Karroum told A Current Affair. 'I want to take the federal government to court; they are responsible for the death of my daughter.' Amira, 22, described by her father as a 'beautiful girl' who loved barbecues and dancing with her friends, was in war-torn Syria with her new husband Tyler Perry, also known as Yusef Ali. The pair met and married in 2013, before Ali travelled to fight with al-Qaeda in Syria. After the Australian government stopped Amira from trying to leave the country on two occasions, she told family she was going to meet Ali for a vacation in Copenhagen. Her body was found shot and dismembered beside her husband's in a house in Aleppo, just three weeks after she left Australia. Mohammed Karroum recalled the last message his daughter sent him shortly before her death. 'Please Dad, pray to Allah and ask him to forgive you for the days, for the years you have not prayed for him, death is around the corner Dad. I love you,' he recalled. He says he 'just can't believe' his daughter became an al-Qaeda fighter. Mohamed Karroum says Yusef Ali, a known extremist, 'poisoned' his daughter's mind . One of the posts from Amira's Facebook page, where she said she worked as a 'Slave of Allah'. Mohamed Karroum believes Ali was a trained al-Qaeda killer who was known to Australian authorities. 'I believe she was sacrificed because they were trying to take somebody to court, and they knew she would lead them to him,' he said. 'The Australian Federal Police and ASIO are not doing their job, this is the fact.' He is now looking for a lawyer to help him take the federal government to court. 'I want an apology, that's number one, for killing my daughter.' | Two Sydney women slipped out of the country to join ISIS, reports say .
Authorities believe pair are offering themselves as potential jihadi brides .
The pair could face up to 10 years in jail if they try to return to Australia .
It comes just a day after the father of Amira Karroum, killed in Syria after joining IS, says he will sue the government for his daughter's death .
Ms Karroum was shot alongside her husband, a known al-Qaeda fighter .
'I want an apology, that's number one, for killing my daughter,' he says . |
244,301 | c82c25ce4fd1a9eaee0930f17bafb79027832e30 | By . Nick Enoch . PUBLISHED: . 14:45 EST, 13 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:03 EST, 13 September 2012 . A talented labrador called Jack has triumphed in a national pets competition after impressing judges with his ability to fetch objects by swimming to them. The ten-year-old canine’s achievement is even more remarkable because he lost his sight three years ago. His owner Margaret Simpson had always . thought her four-legged Michael Phelps had the potential to become a . winner with his special aquatic talents. Scroll down for video . Jack the blind labrador has triumphed in a national pets competition after impressing judges with his ability to swim to objects and bring them back to the bank . Jack, the champion from Potters Green, Coventry, with his . owner Margaret Simpson . Now he’s been named Pet Champion in the water sports category of the UK Spot On awards. Mrs Simpson, who lives in Potters Green, Coventry said: 'I was really surprised when he won and it is great for him to finally be recognised for his achievements. 'When we got him, he was losing his sight and we taught him how to stop, look left and right, and when we were out walking, wherever there was water, he could sense it. 'Then he started going into ponds and canals using only his smell, putting his head underwater and bringing back big rocks. The chocolate brown pooch has been named Pet Champion in the water sports category of the UK Spot On awards . Jack was awarded £200 by judges and Mrs Simpson said she will spend his winnings on his vet bills and treat him to a new collar and dummy . 'Then we started throwing in a dummy, which was better for his teeth, and he just dived in. 'That’s when we realised how talented he was.' Hundreds of pets were entered into the four categories - ball skills, agility, water sports and mind games. Jack was picked out by the judges in his category for his ability to spot objects in the water without his sight. Jack developed progressive retinal atrophy, a common genetic disease, when he was aged six and slowly lost his sight over a year . The chocolate brown Labrador developed progressive retinal atrophy, a common genetic disease, when he was aged six and slowly lost his sight over a year. He can often be seen with proud owner Mrs Simpson and her husband Keith swimming through Ryton Pools, Rutland Water and at pools near the Miner’s Welfare Park in Bedworth, Coventry. 'The voting for the competition went on for six months so I almost forgot about it for a while,' added Mrs Simpson, who also owns a rescue lurcher called Cherry. 'We have had to think about his blindness and train him but he has always just got on with it just like any normal lad. 'Jack really is the happiest dog we’ve ever had and a sociable dog, and despite all that has happened to him, he doesn’t let any of it hold him back.' Mrs Simpson regularly enters her two dogs into competitions and dog shows to raise awareness and money for dog charities but this is the first time any of them have won a big prize. Jack was awarded £200 by judges and Mrs Simpson said she will spend his winnings on his vet bills and treat him to a new collar and dummy. | Ten-year-old dog lost his sight three years ago .
Crowned Pet Champion in water sports category of the UK Spot On awards . |
28,924 | 5216b6a28cd4daa03ca9e893f34c5e58222a4049 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:35 EST, 3 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:15 EST, 3 August 2013 . Arrest: The British lawyer is said to have hired the agency for a disgraced Nigerian governor, James Ibori (pictured) A top lawyer has been arrested after allegedly hiring a British private investigations firm who bribed policemen on behalf of a disgraced Nigerian politician. Ian Timlin was arrested by officers at his home in Kent in April on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt a police officer, perverting the course of justice and money-laundering offences. The former litigation partner at Speechly Bircham, a law firm specialising in tax affairs and corporate transactions, is said to have hired the agency for a disgraced Nigerian governor, James Ibori. The politician, who was jailed for . embezzlement last year after stealing around £50million, hired Speechly . Bircham while the Metropolitan Police were investigating his affairs. Documents . seen by The Independent newspaper suggest that Mr Timlin hired RISC . Management, an investigations firm run by former police officers, who . allegedly paid serving detectives a fee of £20,000 for information that . was given to Ibori’s defence lawyers. According . to the documents, a payment of £5,000 was also allegedly made to a . source for information relating to ‘forthcoming interviewing strategy to . be deployed by police’. A spokesperson for Speechly Bircham . said: ‘Given an arrest was made some months ago and there has since been . no charge, it would be inappropriate for us to comment. 'Suffice to say that we have assisted the police with their enquiries.’ Investigation: Lawyer Ian Timlin was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt a police officer . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Ian Timlin, former litigation partner at Speechly Bircham, arrested in April .
Detained on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt a police officer .
Also suspected of perverting course of justice and money-laundering . |
242,483 | c5db5214032cabb072c208f35913e42fb058b96c | Free to go: Law firm worker Sarah Willis was cleared of killing her boyfriend at Preston Crown Court today . A teenage Muslim covert accused of knifing her Asian boyfriend to death after rows over her 'tight and short clothing' has been cleared of his killing. Law firm worker Sarah Willis, 19, insisted BT engineer Bilal Saddique accidentally stabbed himself during the final row of their turbulent relationship. Mr Saddique, a strict Muslim, had kept their relationship a secret and had referred to his girlfriend as a 'bitch' and a 'slag', Preston Crown Court. On the night of his death during a vicious argument between the pair Ms Willis said Mr Saddique pulled her by her hair and taunted her by saying he had been having sex with someone else. When she started collecting her possessions, including knives, to leave their shared home he goaded her and dared her to stab him, saying 'come on hit me, come on f****** stab me, if you hate me'. As the vicious row ensued Willis said the engineer grabbed her hand, which was holding a knife, and stabbed himself in the thigh - with the knife almost entirely severing an artery. He died at Royal Blackburn Hospital an hour later from his injuries. Willis, who converted to Islam when she was at school, regularly talked about her boyfriend according to colleagues. She sometimes told them he had bought her expensive handbags and makeup but at other times would complain about him being too controlling. Asma Day, a colleague, described Ms Willis as having a split personality - sometimes being loud and disruptive and other times withdrawn. She said: 'He wanted her to cover up because other men looked at her. She wore Western clothing but always covered her arms and legs. She said she had never been introduced to Bilal's mother and she was conservative and wouldn't accept her. She said they loved each other and were going to get married. He didn't like her wearing tight clothing and short clothes.' After a week-long trial at Preston Crown Court the jury were ordered to find her not guilty of murder by the judge Mr Justice Timothy Holroyde and after a day's deliberations she was found not guilty of manslaughter today. During the court case Ms Willis told of a series of rows between her and Mr Saddique including one in which he bit and dragged her around by the hair and another when he became enraged at her opening a Facebook account. On one occasion when Mr Saddique was away in Pakistan Ms Willis was seen wearing 'bright lips' and more revealing and glamorous clothes and had appeared happy and 'less disruptive.' Ms Willis claimed Mr Saddique was controlling and the court heard he had kept their relationship private . He would refer to Ms Willis as 'slag' and 'bi**h' and from time to time would block contact with her on his phone. He also became suspicious of her platonic friendship with a male work colleague after they were photographed together at the office Christmas party in 2013 and he found text messages and read her Facebook account. The court was told last August's tragedy was the climax of the couple's stormy three year on-off relationship which began after Ms Willis converted to Islam when she was a schoolgirl. Mr Saddique who came from a strict Muslim family had been very private about his relationship with her and although he planned to marry her, one friend was unaware of him dating a white girl. Scene: Mr Saddique, 29, died during when he was stabbed in the leg at the home he shared with Sarah Willis in Blackburn, Lancashire . Describing the moment Mr Saddique stabbed himself, Ms Willis told officers, 'I started to cry and he pulled me towards him. I said "f***ing hell what have you done". I don't think he meant to do it. 'He said "Sarah I feel like I'm going to faint". I was screaming Bilal Bilal what have you done. I was shouting "somebody please help". I think he just did it to scare me I don't think he meant to go that far.' When she was asked by officers what had been her intention she said: 'Nothing just to put the knife in the box and get all my stuff and go, I hate fighting. 'I'm not going to be able to live without him. We have our ups and downs but I love him. I didn't murder Bilal. We were supposed to go on holiday on Friday.' Claim: During bust ups she claimed Mr Saddique told her she needed to 'dress better' and accused her of dressing 'like a slag' Earlier Mr Saddique's former girlfriend Rebecca Hamilton-Drullard said his relationship with Ms Willis was 'very much on off' - although he did want to marry her. In a statement she said: 'He would call her a slag because she was getting lifts from Asian guys. Bilal told me he talked about the possibility of marriage but had not introduced her to his family. 'He was upset because she told her mother and friends that they were engaged. He said she was possessive, manipulative and controlling and deluded for making things up. 'While in Pakistan she said she couldn't eat and lost a stone and couldn't eat without him. She was accusing him of getting married whilst in Pakistan and didn't trust him. He bought her a black Punto so she wouldn't need to get lifts home.' Not guilty: Sarah Willis was cleared of killing her boyfriend at Preston Crown Court, above, today . | Sarah Willis converted to Islam but rowed with boyfriend over tight clothes .
Boyfriend Bilal Saddique was strict Muslim and kept relationship private .
Willis claims the pair had argued about her wearing tight and short clothes .
On one occasion he picked her up from work and saw her with other man .
Mr Saddique accused Willis of cheating and pair argued at Blackburn home .
During row Ms Willis picked up knife and Bilal received fatal knife wound .
Knife almost severed artery and he died hour later at Blackburn hospital .
Ms Willis found not guilty of manslaughter today at Preston Crown Court . |
210,588 | 9cbd3a754e7860ea030158f0d4d8390100ee208a | Shocking: Christian woman Asia Bibi, pictured, has told of how she was given a death sentence . A Christian woman has spoken of how she was given a death sentence in Pakistan because she drank water from a well with a cup used by Muslim women. Mother-of-five Asia Bibi, 46, has spent the last four years languishing in a prison cell after being condemned to hang following a conviction for blasphemy. She denied the charge of defiling the name of the prophet Mohammed during an argument with Muslim co-workers but was convicted following a . trial. With 97 per cent of Pakistan Muslim, hostility towards Christians is rife and the government refuses to release her because of . angry protests by extremists. Two government . officials who have spoken out on her behalf have been murdered - . including Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti. Now, as reported by the New York Post, Mrs Bibi - a farm worker from rural Punjab - has released a memoir called 'Blasphemy'. She describes how she has no idea how long she has left to live. Talking about how she ended up in her position, she says: 'I drank water from a well belonging to Muslim . women, using “their” cup, in the burning heat of the midday sun. 'I, Asia Bibi, have been sentenced to death because I was thirsty. I’m a . prisoner because I used the same cup as those Muslim women, because . water served by a Christian woman was regarded as unclean by my stupid . fellow fruit-pickers.' In the book, Mrs Bibi describes how she ended up in this desperate situation on June 14, 2009 after going fruit-picking in the blazing sun. Dripping with sweat as midday approached, she decided to head towards a well for a drink of water. After pulling up a bucketful of water she used an old metal cup resting on . the side of the well. But just seconds later she heard groans and noises from behind her. One of the fruit pickers - who was also . one of her neighbours - suddenly shouted that she cannot drink the water . because it is forbidden by God. Support: Ashiq Maseeh, husband of Asia Bibi, along with his daughters Sidra, second right, and Esham, left, speak to Pakistani Minister of Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, right. He was later murdered . Worried: The daughters of Mrs Bibi pose with an image of their mother . The woman shouted out, telling all of the fruit pickers that the water in the well had been dirtied because Mrs Bibi drank from their cup. After being told by the angry fruit-pickers to convert to Islam to redeem herself, Mrs Bibi decided to stand up to the crowd and defend Christianity. But after she is pushed and shoved by the group, Mrs Bibi ran home. But, five days later, while fruit . picking in another field, things became much worse. She was suddenly attacked by an angry crowd who . accused her of insulting the Prophet Mohammed. Anger: Protesters hold up placards while demanding the release of Mrs Bibi at a rally in Lahore in 2010 . She was eventually taken battered and bruised to the village imam and told she can redeem herself only by conversion to Islam or otherwise die. She refused to convert but begged with the crowd that she did not insult their religion. They accused her of lying and repeatedly beat her until two policemen took her to a police station. That day she was thrown into a prison cell and has remained locked up ever since. Following her arrest in 2009, Mrs Bibi was held in the high-security District Jail Seikhupura, 22 miles north-west of Lahore. She has since been moved to a more remote prison. She previously told how she feared being poisoned. 'I am given raw material to cook for myself, since the administration fears I might be poisoned, as other Christians accused of blasphemy were poisoned or killed in the jail.' Her book was dictated to her husband from jail who then . relayed it to a French journalist. Half of the proceeds from the book will help support Mrs Bibi and her family in their quest for justice. | Asia Bibi, 46, has spent the last four years languishing in a prison cell .
She was condemned to hang following a conviction for blasphemy .
'I’m a .
prisoner because I used the same cup as Muslim women' she said . |
283,369 | fb10bb4cad406e4b59ede699c254f04167ca1a1b | By . Jonathan O'Callaghan for MailOnline . People who use Facebook and Twitter are less likely than others to share their opinions on hot-button issues, even when they are offline. That's according to a survey that challenges the view of social media as a vehicle for debate. The study suggests that sites like Facebook and Twitter might actually encourage self-censorship. Online loudmouths may be annoying, but a new survey suggests they are in the minority. In a report released Tuesday, the Pew Research Center found that most people who regularly use social media sites were actually less likely to share their opinions, even offline (stock image shown) The study was carried out by Pew Research Centre in Washington DC in conjunction with Rutgers University in New Jersey. Facebook is on a quest to 'weed out' links to ‘click-baiting’ stories that are designed to make people click on them. The social network says that by monitoring how long people spend reading news articles, as well as how they interact with them, it can prioritise the best content that pops up in people's News Feeds. In a blog post, research scientist Khalid El-Arini, and Joyce Tang, a product specialist at Facebook, said the firm has made improvements ‘to help people find the posts and links from publishers that are most interesting and relevant, and to continue to weed out stories that people frequently tell us are spammy and that they don’t want to see. Facebook said a survey revealed that 80 per cent of its users prefer headlines what make the content of an article crystal clear, so they can work out if a link is worth clicking on. Researchers said they detected what they call the 'spiral of silence' phenomenon: Unless people know their audience agrees, they are likely to shy away from discussing anything controversial. In other words, most people are more comfortable with ice-bucket challenges than political banter. 'People do not tend to be using social media for this type of important political discussion,' said Keith Hampton, a communications professor at Rutgers University who helped conduct the study. 'And if anything, it may actually be removing conversation from the public sphere.' The survey was conducted shortly after Edward Snowden acknowledged leaking classified intelligence that exposed widespread government surveillance of Americans' phone and email records. Hampton said the Snowden case provided researchers with a concrete example of a major national issue that divided Americans and dominated news coverage. Of the 1,801 adults surveyed, 86 per cent said they would be willing to discuss their views about government surveillance if it came up at various in-person scenarios, such as at a public meeting, at work or at a restaurant with friends. But just 42 per cent of Facebook or Twitter users said they would be willing to post online about it. In addition, the typical Facebook user - defined as someone who logs onto the site a few times per day - was actually half as likely to discuss the Snowden case at a public meeting as a non-Facebook user. Meanwhile, someone who goes on Twitter a few times per day was one-quarter as likely to share opinions in the workplace compared with those who never use Twitter. Only when a person felt that their Facebook network agreed with their opinion were they twice as likely to join a site discussion on the issue, the survey found. Researchers in Washington DC and New Jersey say Facebook (stock image shown) and Twitter are stifling people's opinions. In the study they found typical users were afraid to voice their opinions offline. They call this the 'spiral of silence' phenomenon where people shy away from discussing controversial topics . Another finding was that social media didn't make it easier for people to share opinions they wouldn't otherwise share. Of the 14 per cent of Americans unwilling to discuss the Snowden case with others in person, fewer than one-half of 1 per cent were willing to discuss it on social media. Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center Internet Project, said one explanation is it's possible that social media actually makes people sensitive to different opinions. 'Because they use social media, they may know more about the depth of disagreement over the issue in their wide circle of contacts,' he said. 'This might make them hesitant to speak up either online or offline for fear of starting an argument, offending or even losing a friend.' Hampton added that there is a concern that a person's fear of offending someone on social media stifles debate. 'A society where people aren't able to share their opinions openly and gain from understanding alternative perspectives is a polarised society,' he said. | Researchers at the Pew Research Centre in Washington DC and New Jersey say Facebook and Twitter are stifling people's opinions .
In a study they found typical users were afraid to voice their opinions offline .
They call this the 'spiral of silence' phenomenon where people shy away from discussing controversial topics unless they know their audience agrees .
In one finding people who regularly use Twitter were one quarter as likely to discuss opinions in the workplace to those who never use Twitter .
One alternate theory is that social media makes people more empathetic to the opinions of others . |
100,537 | 0d8376d336d1f532486f6dc1a52751b7a10c521f | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 05:28 EST, 20 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:53 EST, 20 February 2014 . New bank TSB is to be based in England and not its native Scotland ahead of its £1.5billion flotation on the stock market, it emerged today. The decision by Lloyds Banking Group to domicile TSB in England comes just seven months ahead of the referendum on Scottish independence, which could leave its existing Edinburgh headquarters in a foreign country. Financial firms have voiced concerns about the impact of independence on their ability to trade with the London markets if Scotland breaks away. Lloyds is to domicile the new TSB bank in England ahead of the referendum on Scottish independence . The TSB brand was resurrected by Lloyds Banking Group last year to hold the 631 branches it was ordered to sell by European regulators as a condition for receiving a £20billion government bailout during the 2008 financial crisis. Lloyds is expected to sell between 30 and 50 per cent of its stake in TSB this summer, with analysts expecting the business to be worth up to £1.5billion pounds. TSB will be put in TSB Banking Group Plc has been registered at Companies House in London and is incorporated in England and Wales, the Telegraph reported. By contrast TSB Bank Plc and Lloyds Banking Group Plc are both incorporated in Scotland. The revelation comes as unionists were warned . against ‘complacency’ after the pro-independence campaign narrowed the . gap in the bitter referendum battle. A . Survation poll for the Scottish Daily Mail has found that support for . the break-up of Britain is now at 37.7 per cent among those who say they . will vote in September’s contest. That . is a very slight rise from 37 per cent in the most recent comparable . polls, carried out by Panelbase and ICM in January and February. Rock legend David Bowie has . electrified the debate over Scottish independence, issuing a plea for . people north of the border to 'stay with us'. The . high profile message to voters ahead of September's referendum was . delivered by supermodel Kate Moss as she collected a Brit Award on his . behalf at last night's star-studded ceremony. Politicians . battling to preserve the United Kingdom seized on the singer's . comments, but critics were quick to point out that Bowie lives in New . York. Reading a statement on behalf of the singer, Moss said: 'Good evening ladies and gentleman, David has asked me to say this. 'In Japanese myth the rabbits from my old costume that Kate's wearing live on the moon. 'Kate comes from Venus and I from Mars, so that's nice. I'm completely delighted to have a Brit for being the best male, but I am, aren't I Kate? I think it's a great way to end the day. 'Thank you very, very much and Scotland - stay with us’. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told LBC . 97.3: 'I hope we do stay together in the United Kingdom, as does David . Bowie - one of my great childhood heroes.' A spokesman for TSB Bank said: ‘Lloyds Banking Group intends to sell TSB Bank via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2014. ‘As part of the process for preparing for the IPO, Lloyds Banking Group has established a new holding company for TSB called TSB Banking Group plc. ‘The new company replaces an existing company which currently holds TSB Bank in the LBG corporate structure and like this existing company will be registered in London at TSB’s main office. ‘Establishing new companies as part of a listing or IPO process is standard practice. The Board of the new company will mirror that of TSB Bank. The completion of the restructure is subject to regulatory approval.’ Lloyds insisted that TSB will remain a Scottish bank because that is where it is licensed. Voters will go to the polls in the historic referendum on Scottish independence on September 18, 2014. Homeowners have been warned they face crippling mortgage . increases of almost £5,200-a-year if an independent Scottish Government . walks away from its share of the national debt. Chief . Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander yesterday said there would be . a ‘premium’ to borrow from the markets, which would eventually trickle . down to families and businesses. After . Westminster politicians last week ruled out a deal to share the British . pound with an independent Scotland, panicked Scottish ministers . retaliated by threatening to refuse to take their share of the UK’s . national debt - estimated at around £130billion. Critics . said the move would horrify the international money markets, destroying . Scotland’s reputation and leaving the country with a dismal credit . rating - which would ultimately push up costs for businesses and . mortgage holders. Scotland . would join the ranks of Ecuador, Grenada, Paraguay, Argentina and . Indonesia as one of the countries that has defaulted on debt since 2000. Today, Argentina is still paying its price in the debt markets for its . last default. In contrast, the UK Government has not failed to honour its payments since the reign of King Charles II in 1672. Yesterday, . Mr Alexander said independent analysis from Jefferies investment bank . suggests there would be a considerable ‘premium’ for an independent . Scotland in the money markets if a share of the national debt was . refused. “They have . suggested that under those circumstances there would be a premium of . more like five percentage points in that default scenario,' he told . MSPs. 'Assuming a 75 per . cent pass through from bond rates to mortgage rates would be an extra . cost of about £5,200 on an average mortgage cost in Scotland. None . of these things are certain, but you see the range of financial risks . that come with borrowing under an independence framework.' One of the big battlegrounds between supporters and opponents has been whether an independent Scotland would be better off. The financial sector trade body - Scottish Financial Enterprise – this month claimed a Yes vote would mean products and services needing to be tailored to a new regime for tax, consumer protection and regulations. It would be a major blow for the financial services which employs 100,000 people in Scotland, generating £11.2billion each year. | Lloyds to domicile new challenger bank in England and not Scotland .
Move comes amid wider fears about the impact of independence .
Lloyds insists bank will remain Scottish despite the changes .
David Bowie issues plea at Brit Awards: 'Scotland... stay with us' |
250,347 | cffe59cd27bff2d46700413f14159cb481189979 | Friends and allies of Baroness Thatcher expressed 'surprise and disappointment' last night as it emerged President Obama is not planning to send any serving member of his administration to her funeral. Whitehall sources have revealed that the US delegation at tomorrow's service in St Paul's Cathedral will be led by two Reagan era secretaries of state: James Baker and George Shultz. Though President Obama himself had not been expected to attend, there had been speculation that he would be represented either by Vice President Joe Biden or wife Michelle. However, the Obama administration had said it would not be attending Thatcher's funeral before the Boston bombings . Scroll down for video . Speaking at a press conference in the White House following the explosions at Boston Marathon - he said he would not be going to Thatcher's funeral before yesterday's explosions . The Queen's decision to attend Lady . Thatcher's funeral has effectively elevated it to a state occasion . unprecedented for a political figure in Britain since the death of Sir . Winston Churchill in 1965. Other world leaders, including . Canada's Stephen Harper, Mario Monti of Italy and Polish Prime Minister . Donald Tusk, are attending the service in person. A key Reagan-era ally of Baroness Thatcher, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, will attend . President Obama paid tribute to Lady Thatcher's towering achievements when her death was announced last week. But a US embassy spokesman confirmed . that no serving member of his administration would be present to pay . their last respects, citing a busy week in US domestic politics. Former US vice president Dick Cheney and ex-secretary of . state Henry Kissinger will attend the funeral, Downing . Street said today. Former defence secretary Dr Liam Fox, . Lady Thatcher's closest ally in modern-day politics, said: 'I think it . would be both surprising and disappointing if after President Obama's . fulsome tribute to Lady Thatcher, the American administration did not . send a senior serving member to represent them.' Sir Gerald Howarth, chairman of the . Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group of MPs and peers, said: 'The . bonds forged between the UK and the US through Ronald Reagan and . Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in ending the Cold War and liberating . millions of people. 'That the present administration feels . unable to be represented as the world marks the extraordinary . contribution Margaret Thatcher made will be a source of disappointment . to those who served with her in that great endeavour.' The US embassy insisted no snub was intended, but confirmed that Mr Baker and Mr Schulz would represent the US. 'This is a hugely significant week in terms of US domestic politics,' a spokesman added. He said that both the First Lady and . the Vice President were 'the President's point people on gun control', . adding: 'This is a week when there is a lot of movement on Capitol Hill . on gun control issues.' Last night police in London were under pressure to crack down on plans to insult the memory of Lady Thatcher at the funeral. Hundreds of protesters have pledged to turn their backs as her coffin travels through Central London. Campaigners said Scotland Yard had . effectively encouraged the move by decreeing it is not against the law . and will not provoke arrests. The insult is calculated to cause maximum embarrassment to her grieving family without provoking action by police. It will be seen by millions worldwide as the occasion is beamed live around the world on TV. Family: Mark Thatcher will be joined by his wife Sarah and his children Michael and Amanda at the funeral on Wednesday . Saying goodbye: Mark Thatcher and his wife Sarah at Chester Square with his children Michael and Amanda as final preparations were made for the funeral . In 2003: Former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher is comforted by her grandson Michael Thatcher and granddaughter Amanda outside the memorial service of her late husband, Sir Denis Thatcher . Final stages: The Iron Lady's twin children Mark and Carol were preparing for their mother’s ceremonial funeral at her London home yesterday, just hours after the trial run . Police chiefs said they are 'not there . to uphold respect' and said demonstrators who are merely 'insulting' are unlikely to face arrest. But they faced a backlash from many who . questioned why anyone would want to be so disrespectful to the dead . stateswoman. Hundreds have signed up to online sites vowing to wear red and turn their back on the military funeral cortege. They want to occupy high- profile points of Lady Thatcher's three-mile funeral procession so their views will not be missed. John Cooper QC, the architect behind . the back-turning protest, said the public nature of the funeral means it . is impossible to ban insulting gestures. He said: 'Simply saying it is beastly, . horrible or distasteful – a point of view that I can understand – does . not take away the fact there will be a proportion of society that . rightly wants to legally demonstrate.' Retired chief constable Dr Tim Brain . said police are forced to tread the line between the right to protest . and upholding the law. He said on BBC Radio 4 that police . will be 'very firm' if protest becomes disruption, for example if . objects are thrown at the funeral procession. Former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit . described protesters as 'mindless bigots' but said police cannot . intervene if they obey the law. Liam Fox (left) expressed surprise that no key serving members of the Obama administration would pay their respects. Former Secretary of State James Baker (right) will also attend the funeral with Shultz . By PAUL HARRIS . She was always so particular about detail, passionate about getting things right. So in the semi-darkness of pre-dawn . London yesterday, through virtually deserted streets, they counted the . exact number of steps it will take to carry Baroness Thatcher to her . funeral service, and timed her journey to the second. In a full and detailed rehearsal, each . man, woman and horse involved in the last stage of the procession . enacted the role they will play tomorrow. It created the bizarre but often . stirring spectacle of military marching bands playing to no one, . bearskin guardsmen with no crowds to flank – even a minister saying a . prayer over an empty coffin. This was the last chance any of them . had to practise for the real thing – the largest funeral in Britain . since that of the Queen Mother in 2002. Ceremony: The funeral will be the biggest Britain has seen in many years, costing around £10million . The coffin is taken up the steps of the cathedral at dawn as the services want no mistakes on Wednesday . Journey: The coffin is show here on the gun carriage as it heads towards St Paul's . Sombre: This is the path the flag draped coffin of Margaret Thatcher will follow later this week . Salute: Lady Thatcher's coffin will be carried on a gun carriage though the City of London to St Paul's cathedral where a funeral service will be held on April 17 . Beneath grey skies, and then into the . sunrise, a ten-strong bearer party carried and escorted a flag-draped, . weighted coffin from St Clement Danes, the RAF church on The Strand. Tomorrow this is where the coffin . bearing Lady Thatcher will be transferred to a horse-drawn gun carriage . after its journey by hearse from Westminster. From here, along Fleet . Street and across Ludgate Circus, it will be taken to St Paul's . Cathedral for the funeral service. In a salute to Lady Thatcher's . celebrated legacy, the pall-bearers were selected from soldiers, sailors . and airmen closely associated with the Falklands war. A single bell tolled as they set off . for St Paul's. They then moved along the route to the strains of Chopin, . Beethoven and Mendelssohn funeral marches. On the day, thousands are . expected to line the streets. Pressure: More than 700 members of the services will take part in the funeral procession . Pomp: The honour guard from the three military services, from regiments linked to the Falklands War, carry the coffin . Funeral: The coffin will be taken from St Clement Danes Church, pictured this morning, to St Paul's, by gun carriage . Waiting: Lady Thatcher's coffin is shown here on the aisle of St Clement Danes Church . Yesterday only a scattering of . early-morning spectators got a preview of the event, involving nearly . 800 servicemen and women. The rehearsal finished before most commuters had even begun their journey. In the interests of military . precision, a final calculation confirmed that the procession would have . to walk at 70 steps a minute over a journey of some 1,200 yards, as well . as allowing time for choreographed pauses. It was clearly a useful . fine-tuning exercise – the coffin is reported to have arrived three . minutes and 15 seconds over schedule. Major Andrew Chatburn, who has the job . of organising it all, said the rehearsal was vital to allow those . taking part 'to get a feel for how it's going to go so they can perform . their duties with confidence on the day'. And, of course, to do Lady . Thatcher proud. Poised: As the coffin heads towards St Paul's, men and women wait outside the cathedral for the procession to reach them . Rehearsal: A section of the members of the Armed Forces line the steps of St Paul's Cathedral in the dark . Military: As darkness surrounds St Paul's, the armed forces practice their march up the steps and along by the pillars as they prepare for the funeral on Wednesday . Procession: All the men and women taking a role in Wednesday's funeral were out in force . | President Obama made decision not to send a member of his administration before yesterday's bombings in Boston .
Instead, Reagan's former Secretary of State George Shultz, a key ally of Baroness Thatcher, will attend .
Leaders from all over the world will be in attendance at the large-scale commemoration on Wednesday . |
10,550 | 1dfd376a51fd55d5718d32bf41f0dab92c1f736a | Japanese technology giant Toshiba has unveiled a huge factory farm where it is growing various types of lettuce leaves without sunlight or soil for sale in its new healthcare business. Located in disused 21,000-square foot electronics factory in Yokosuka, Toshiba claims to have created a perfect 'germ free' environment where it will grow three million bags of lettuce a year. Completely cut off from conditions outside the temperature and humidity controlled isolation tank, lettuce inspectors wear full body suits while making notes on the quality and growth of the leaves on their tablet computers in order to prevent the air around the plants becoming contaminated. Each plant is blasted with artificial lighting to trick it into believing it is exposed to sunlight, while vitamins and nutrients are injected directly into its roots, meaning the lettuce does not need soil. Scroll down for video . Clean: A lettuce inspector wears a full body suit while making notes on the quality and growth of the lettuce leaves on her tablet computer. The sterile environment is to prevent the plants becoming contaminated . Inspection: Located in disused 21,000-square foot electronics factory in Yokosuka, Toshiba claims to have created a perfect 'germ free' environment where it will grow three million bags of lettuce a year . Sealed: The lettuces are grown in a huge temperature, light and humidity controlled isolation tank . The goal of Toshiba's new high-tech farm is to produce the world's highest quality lettuce. The final product will be free of any form of bacteria, fungi or insect life before being placed into sealed bags, which should ensure the product has a longer shelf life than other lettuces. The gardening technique aims to have a bacteria ration of no more than 1/1000th - considerably lower than that found in normal gardening soil. Toshiba aims to harvest three million bags of leaf lettuce, baby leaf greens, spinach, mizuna and herbs every year - with each bag likely to cost consumers £1. The ultimate in organic vegetables, the lettuces require no pesticides but are expected to have a similar shelf to plants that have been heavily treated with chemicals. Delicate: The lettuce factory is no marketing gimmick by Toshiba. Instead it represents the company's latest attempt to diversify its technology-led business. Innovation: The goal of Toshiba's new high-tech farm is to produce the world's highest quality lettuce . Monitor: The final product will be free of any form of bacteria, fungus or insect life before being placed into sealed bags, which should ensure the product has a longer shelf life than other lettuces . Future: There are already plans for the technology giant to build similar factories around the world . The lettuce factory is no marketing gimmick by Toshiba, however. Instead it represents the company's latest attempt to diversify its technology-led business. There are already plans for the technology giant to build similar factories around the world over the coming years - and it will also be selling the high tech equipment that allows factories to produce similar products of exceptionally high quality. Toshiba was founded in 1938 as Tokyo Shibaura Electric through the merger of Shibaura Seisaku-sho, founded in 1875, and Tokyo Denki, founded in 1890. The company name was officially changed to Toshiba Corporation in 1978. | Japanese technology giant growing organic lettuce in disused factory .
Aims to create world's highest quality lettuce with extra long shelf life .
Product grown to be completely free of bacteria, fungi and insect life .
Plants are blasted with artificial lighting to replicate sunlight exposure .
Also have nutrients injected directly into roots, eradicating need for soil . |
272,979 | ed93ff4be63e26e89210f6432620cc4f88ff742c | A young woman woke from a life-threatening seizure to discover she'd given birth to a 1lb baby. Gemma Jamieson, 23, collapsed and suffered a huge fit when she was just 24 weeks pregnant. While she lay unconscious, doctors battled to deliver her baby and save both their fragile lives. Remarkably, Mrs Jamieson survived her ordeal, but woke up three days later with no memory of giving birth to the little boy she had carried for six months. Miss Jamieson, from Hull, East Yorkshire, said: 'I remember waking up and my husband, Dale, showing me a picture of a baby on his phone, and explaining it was our son. 'I couldn't believe it - I had no memory of giving birth - it was all so surreal. 'I felt robbed of the experience of pregnancy as I hadn't even felt our baby kick. Gemma Jamieson, 23, woke up from a near-fatal seizure and discovered she'd given birth to her baby son, Tyler. The pair are pictured, with Tyler now s 17 months old . Mrs Jamieson (right) had no idea she'd had a Caesarean section to give birth to Tyler. She and husband Dale, 24 (left), had been at a car festival when she suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital . Tyler was born prematurely and weighing just 1lb. He was rushed to another hospital for treatment as his lungs had not developed properly. He is pictured here at three weeks old, when doctors said he had a one in ten chance of survival. He underwent a heart operation and 17 blood transfusions a week later . 'Dale told me how much our baby weighed, how old he was, that he was very poorly and being treated in a different hospital. 'I couldn't believe what had happened, to know that I'd missed out on his birth, and that all our relatives had seen him before me was almost too much to bear. 'Giving birth is one of the biggest moments of a women's life - and I missed it. 'I just wanted to see him straight away and make sure he was OK.' Slowly, Mrs Jamieson recovered from the near fatal pre-eclampsia that had caused her seizures. Pre-eclamsia affects five per cent of pregnant women, causing high blood pressure and swelling in the feet, ankles and hands. Only one to two per cent develop severe complications like the convulsions Mrs Jamieson suffered. After an agonising seven day wait while she recovered, she finally met her son, Tyler, now 17 months. She said: 'Dale led me into a room full of newborn babies and I had to ask which was ours. 'But as soon as I saw Tyler I burst into tears - I felt bonded with him immediately. 'All my energy was focused on him and helping him get better.' The ordeal ordeal began when Mr and Mrs Jamieson attended a car festival in July last year. Pre-eclamsia affects some pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy (from around 20 weeks) It causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine - signs that should be picked up during routine antenatal check-ups. Occasionally, symptoms can include swelling in the feet, ankles and hands, vision problems headaches and pain just below the ribs. Although the exact cause of pre-eclampsia is not known, it is thought to occur when there is a problem with the placenta. If left untreated it can cause the convulsions that Mrs Jamieson experienced. Although most cases of pre-eclampsia cause no problems and improve soon after the baby is delivered, there is a risk of serious complications that can affect both the mother and baby. There is a risk the mother will develop fits called eclampsia. These fits can be life threatening for the mother and the baby, but they are rare. Source: NHS . 'Gemma was sitting in the car and she shouted at me because her shoulder was twitching,' Mr Jamieson recalls. 'It just suddenly escalated and she was having a big fit. 'I just couldn't believe what was happening. 'She must have bit down on her tongue because it swelled up and she was having trouble breathing. 'I managed to give her mouth to mouth - the paramedics said that if I hadn't been there she might not have even made it to the hospital.' After being rushed to hospital, Mrs Jamieson began to have her second violent seizure which doctors later discovered was as a result of pre-eclampsia. It was then that doctors explained that the only chance of saving her life, was to deliver her baby early. Mrs Jamieson said: 'I vaguely remember arguing with the doctors because I didn't want them to deliver Tyler so early. 'But the doctors told me I was in severe danger - minutes away from death - and I needed to get to theatre. 'I was then in and out of consciousness for the next three days. 'I don't remember giving birth to Tyler or seeing him at all. 'I have no memory of what happened.' Tyler was delivered by Caesarean section while both his and Mrs Jamieson's life hung in the balance. Mr Jamieson said: 'When Tyler was born, Gemma was totally out of it. 'They told me his chances of survival were really slim, it was just awful. 'Tyler was then transferred to a different hospital and I just spent the days going in between the two. 'It was awful to see Gemma so ill, knowing that she had a baby that she'd never ever met.' Tyler not only underwent a heart operation, but 17 blood transfusions and five rounds of laser eye surgery to save his sight. Doctors said he had a 98 per cent chance of being blind, but parents are thrilled he now has driving standard eyesight. He is pictured here recovering at home with his mother . Tyler's parents call him their 'little miracle' as he survived against the odds and is now healthy. Mr Jamieson called his wife and his son 'incredible' Over the next few days doctors finally managed to stabilize her, but despite her quick recovery, little Tyler faced a long battle ahead, with just a one in ten chance of survival. Mrs Jamieson said: 'Tyler is really the fighter in all of this. 'He was born at just 24 weeks and was so premature that his lungs hasn't developed properly, so he was battling chronic lung disease. 'He had to have 17 blood transfusions, and was really struggling to survive. 'When I first saw him his skin was almost see through and he tubes coming out of him everywhere. 'He was on a ventilator and had a hat on him - all I could do was stroke him as he had to stay in his incubator.' Little Tyler then went on a year long journey in order to recover. Mrs Jamieson said: 'To begin with Tyler was very ill. 'He had to go to Great Ormond Street for a heart operation when he was just 4 weeks old. 'Then we were told he had a 98 per cent chance of been blind and he underwent five lots of laser eye surgery. 'Dale and I were warned on more than one occasion that he may not make it. 'But over time he just seemed to get better and better. 'Slowly but surely he began to breathe on his own. 'When he was six months old, we finally got to take him home and it was the best day ever. 'His eye sight is now as good as driving standard which is a miracle. 'He's gone from strength to strength and about three weeks before his first birthday in July, he finally came off his oxygen for good.' Mrs Jamieson and Dale are now enjoying time at home with their healthy son. Dale said: 'It's amazing to think that after everything they've both through they're both here to tell the tale. 'I could have lost them both so I feel lucky to have my family here. 'They're incredible.' | Gemma Jamieson was six months pregnant when she suffered a fit .
Her husband, Dale, gave her mouth to mouth and took her to hospital .
Was treated for pre-eclampsia, a condition causing high blood pressure .
Occasionally this condition is so severe it can cause convulsions .
Mrs Jamieson woke up three days later having given birth to her baby .
She had no memory of the Caesarean section and birth of baby Tyler .
Born weighing just 1lb, he was given one in ten chance of survival .
He was taken to another hospital for treatment for a chronic lung infection .
Had 17 blood transfusions and needed a heart operation at one month old .
Doctors said there was a 98 per cent chance of him being blind .
Underwent five lots of laser eye surgery and now has good eyesight .
Baby Tyler is now enjoying time at home with his parents . |
55,057 | 9bf8aa426a9b317e338e09ee5bb7e9e56e14b111 | West Ham are finally starting to dream of Europe after manager Sam Allardyce claimed that his side is stronger than his Bolton team which finished seventh. In the 2006-07 season Allardyce's Bolton found themselves third by the turn of the year, but defeat to Liverpool on New Years Day was followed by another three games without a win and the team ended up finishing seventh. But the West Ham boss considers the West Ham side he has at his disposal is in a better position than that Bolton team. Stewart Downing (centre) earned West Ham a point against Sunderland last weekend . Sam Allardyce has led West Ham to a top-four spot going into the busy Christmas schedule . Allardyce believes West Ham are better than his Bolton side that finished seventh in 2006-07 . 'We were flying at Bolton at that time and were very close to getting where none of us expected,' Allardyce said. 'The prospects we have now is that this is a bigger squad than that one and has more strength in depth than this one. It has not quite got the experience but we have a lot of strength in depth and in the deeper end of the squad we have a lot of good players to step in when needed. 'That was not the case at Bolton. We had a strong 14 or 15 but nothing more than that. That is why it never lasted at Bolton, sadly.' The 60-year-old is not allowing himself to get too carried away with the club sitting in fourth going into the busy festive period. They host Leicester on Saturday then have tough matches against Arsenal and Chelsea. Nicolas Anelka was Bolton's leading scorer the season Allardyce led them to seventh with 11 league goals . Downing (centre) celebrates with his team-mates after his goal brought his side on level terms . Allardyce is refusing to get carried away by his side's impressive start tot he season . Asked if maintaining a place in the top four was possible, Allardyce replied: 'We don’t think that is the case at the moment – we’ll cross that bridge when Christmas is over as it can all change so quickly. 'Being a manager who predicts what might or might not be is very dangerous because you get times where you don’t get beaten for six games like Alan Pardew and now he is back in losing form because of injuries, particularly with his goalkeeper. 'Likewise, Southampton have lost five on the trot. There are swings and roundabouts in this game that is all so unpredictable. There is no good spouting off what you might or might not do because it might leap back and kick you right in the goolies.' | Bolton finished seventh in 2006-07 under the stewardship of Sam Allardyce .
West Ham have exceeded expectation this season and are currently fourth .
Allardyce is refusing to get carried away with the club's start though .
The Hammers take on struggling Leicester at Upton Park on Saturday . |
116,069 | 21cfc13d5a963f036594d3352495227b132afe36 | First they hired a high fashion male model who is more used to working with Tom Ford than Teflon-covered trousers. Then they unveiled their latest collection at a glamorous catwalk show, and now they have revealed a glossy shoot that wouldn't look out of place in an issue of Vogue. It seems that once-upon-a-time supermarket bargain brand F&F is all grown up. Makeover: F&F has unveiled a slick autumn/winter collection, available in Tesco (jacket £40, top £12) This season the label's clothes even come with a theme with the designers hope to symbolise 'bravery' and a 'carefree attitude'. 'We see the F&F woman come full circle from ladylike chic to rebel with a cause; a smart, independent, modern woman with a desire to challenge the ordinary and tear up the rule book. 'It’s an empowering feeling,' said a spokesman. In a nod to the 90s luxury grunge trend seen on last season's catwalks, the new range is a juxtaposition of texture and fabric featuring black leather-look biker jackets and graphic print dresses, as well as pops of colour in the form of cobalt blue and pillar box red. On-trend: In a nod to the catwalks - which saw tartan and masculine styles a staple - F&F are offering the trends at a lower price (jacket £35, blouse £14, trousers £20) Wrap up in style: The coat is a staple item in their new collection and comes in an array of colours (L- £45), as well as more minimalistic styles (R-£40) On-trend sheer blouses and tailored blazers are teamed with high-waisted trousers to help women embrace the 'power dressing' trend on a budget. Highlights include a highly wearable . cobalt shift dress, a rock n' roll A-line skirt with a daring sheer side . panel and some covetable cerulean knits.1 . And Chanel-inspired tartan prints feature alongside more delicate bird prints on jackets, dresses and jumpers. Getting graphic: Prints are also at the forefront for autumn/winter including this urban graffiti print jumper (£20) For men, there's more than a hint of . the Highland thanks to soft cotton shirts, again in tartan, and cosy knits thick . enough to see off the coldest North Sea gales. While urban . types will appreciate the well-cut grey blazer, charcoal washed jeans . and tailored banker-friendly chinos at bank balance-friendly prices. Wearable: Highlights include a highly wearable cobalt shift jumper and skirt (L-£14, £12) and flattering print dresses . Cable Bobble Jumper In Red £25, F&F Crop Jacket In Burgundy £25, F&F Velvet Shorts In Black £12 . Letter Jumper In Black And White £18, F&F Borg Collar Chubby Boucle Biker £40, F&F Ponte And PU Skirt In Black £16 . Check Kilt In Red And Black £14, F&F Tartan Jacket With PU Sleeves £35 , F&F Ruffle Blouse In Snow White £16 . Mesh Insert Dress In Black £25 . Wide Leg Trousers In Black £20, F&F Knot Jersey Top In Orange £12, F&F Crop Jacket £25 . Printed Tunic Satin In Blue £16 . | Tesco's fashion label launches a stylish autumn/winter collection .
Features tartan print and graphic jumpers .
Priced between £12 and £40 . |
23,817 | 439ad0e39d85aa87da2bf0832bdf6e27a1d1e439 | David de Gea is aware of rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid but insists he feels 'very loved' by Manchester United. The goalkeeper, who suffered a dislocated finger when training with Spain last week and is unlikely to be available for the Premier League clash at Arsenal, is seen at Real Madrid as a natural heir to club captain Iker Casillas. He told La Sexta on Monday morning: ‘It is difficult to say whether a bid will be made by Real, because of all the rumours that appear in the press. Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea suffered a dislocated finger when training for Spain last week . De Gea in action during Manchester United's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace before the international break . Daley Blind: Suspected knee injury . David de Gea: Finger injury . Michael Carrick: Groin/pelvis injury . Marcos Rojo: Dislocated shoulder . Rafael: Muscular injury . Ashley Young: Groin/pelvis injury . Phil Jones: Calf/shin injury . Radamel Falcao: Calf/shin injury . Jonny Evans: Ankle/foot injury . Jesse Lingard: Knee injury . ‘In Manchester I feel wanted. If you took seriously what is written about you, you'd almost think you're going to a thousand clubs. ‘So the best you can do is pay attention to where you are. ‘I feel very loved by Man United.’ De Gea is United's only ever-present this season, but his injury means he is set to miss the tea-time showdown at the Emirates on Saturday. Anders Lindegaard, who has not played for United since April, is expected to step up and deputise. It was originally suggested that De Gea was going to be out for four weeks, however Sportsmail understands he could be back before then. The Spain goalkeeper (centre) was at Old Trafford for United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea in October . Victor Valdes (centre) is training with Manchester United ahead of a potential move to the club . Victor Valdes tweeted last week that he is 'almost ready' to return but medical staff believe he still has work to do before United consider registering him to play. The former Barcelona keeper is a free agent so can sign any time although they would have to apply for permission to include the player in their Premier League squad should they want to play him before January. United only named 24 senior players in their squad so have room to bring in Valdes. | De Gea is seen at Real Madrid as a natural heir to club captain Iker Casillas .
The keeper however, says he feels 'very loved' at Manchester United .
He is currently sidelined with a dislocated finger sustained on Spain duty . |
255,971 | d7536c733af0691b14779891a646cb7c1586f1e1 | (CNN) -- The head of Japan's major opposition party and favorite to become the nation's next prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited a controversial shrine Wednesday in a move likely to ratchet up already heightened tensions with China. The visit comes as the nations are locked in a dispute over a remote island chain in the East China Sea. The story behind the islands dispute . In recent weeks, the Chinese navy has been flexing its muscles in the region, sending warships to the waters near the islands. Seven were seen in the area Wednesday, according to Japan's Defense Ministry. Past visits by Japanese prime ministers and other political leaders to Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 of Japan's Class-A war criminals are enshrined with thousands of Japanese soldiers, have ignited a firestorm of controversy with China as well as North Korea and South Korea. The shrine is regarded by the nations as a symbol of Japan's imperial military past. All three countries suffered under Japan's military aggression in World War II. Responding to a question about the visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Wednesday that Japan should abide by its promises and handle controversial issues responsibly, the state-run Xinhua news service reported. Read more: China's top banker snubs Tokyo IMF meeting . In September, the Japanese government bought the disputed islands -- known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China and Taiwan -- from the Japanese family that owned them for 2.05 billion yen (U.S. $26.2 million). China says its claim to the islands goes back hundreds of years and feels Japan is trying to undermine its sovereignty. Japan says it saw no trace of Chinese control of the islands in an 1885 survey, so it formally recognized them as Japanese sovereign territory in 1895. Japan then sold the islands in 1932 to descendants of the original settlers. The Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 only served to cloud the issue further. The islands were administered by the U.S. occupation force after the war. But in 1972, Washington returned them to Japan as part of its withdrawal from Okinawa. Abe, a former prime minister, is the head of the opposition Liberal Democrats, who are expected to win a majority of seats in the next elections. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has promised to hold elections "soon." Read more: U.S. sailors arrested in Okinawa rape case . | The Yasukuni Shrine houses Japanese soldiers and war criminals .
China, as well as North and South Korea, say the shrine is a sign of Japan's imperial past .
China says Japan is trying to undermine its sovereignty .
China and Japan claim sovereignty over uninhabited East China Sea islands . |
139,897 | 40e0c8bfe96ce5780d7a115cbb02207dab791de5 | Disturbing photographs have emerged of an abandoned sheep that was left immobilized by nearly 50lbs of matted, urine-soaked wool. The ewe was found in Greenleaf, Idaho, earlier this month in a field where she had been left for more than five days without food or water. Workers at the Canyon County Animal Shelter told KBOI-TV that it took three people almost an hour to 'to cut her free from her wool shackles.' Scroll down for video . Distressed state: Disturbing photographs have emerged of an abandoned sheep that was left immobilized by nearly 50lbs of matted, urine-soaked wool . Sad story: The ewe was found in Greenleaf, Idaho, earlier this month in a field where she had been left for more than five days without food or water . It was unclear how long the sheep's coat had been left unsheared. She was also suffering from hunger and dehydration. Now she's improving daily and will be looking for a new home when she's given the all-clear by vets. The sheep was found west of Boise, and her owner has not been identified. They will likely be charged with animal neglect. Sheriff's Lt. William Adams says that sheep need regular shearing so they can move freely. Workers at the Canyon County Animal Shelter told KBOI-TV that it took three people almost an hour to 'to cut her free from her wool shackles' On the mend: Now the sheep, nicknamed Dolly, is improving daily and will be looking for a new home when she's given the all-clear by vets . He says it was obvious the ewe, since nicknamed Dolly, hadn't been properly cared for. 'Being a domestic sheep like that it needs to be regularly sheered so it can get the extra weight off it so it can move freely,' he added. 'In this instance the sheep was not cared for and caused it to lose mobility.' | The ewe was found in Greenleaf, Idaho, earlier this month .
She had been left for more than five days without food or water .
It took three vets almost an hour to 'to cut her free from her wool shackles'
Her owner has not been identified .
Now she is on the mend and will be looking for a new home . |
253,404 | d403c40c4520d6cfa60bd8d23707a9864652faff | By . Sophie Tedmanson . PUBLISHED: . 23:19 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 02:13 EST, 17 January 2014 . Southern Australia is in the grip of a widespread heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40C in many areas causing hundreds of bushfires, thousands of lightning storms, and leaving players and ball boys collapsing on court at the Australian Open. One woman was hospitalised after bushfires broke out in two states, and players at the Australian Open in Melbourne have complained of “inhumane” conditions after one hallucinated that he saw Snoopy mid-match, a ball boy fainted, one player vomited, and drink bottles melted on court where the mercury tipped 42.8C yesterday. Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic hallucinated then fainted during his first-round match to Frenchman Benoit Paire. He was unconscious for almost a minute but returned to the court before losing the match. Scroll down for video . Cooling down: Police officers take their horses for an early morning swim at Semaphore beach, in Adelaide, where temperatures have reached as high as 45C . Bath-tiime over: The horses are ridden back to their stables for another hot and very humid day . ‘I was dizzy from the middle of the first set and then I saw Snoopy and I thought, 'Wow Snoopy, that's weird,’ Dancevic said. ‘I couldn't keep my balance anymore and I leaned over the fence and when I woke up people were all around me.’ Britain's Andy Murray said Australian Open organisers were risking a tragedy by allowing the competition to continue in such extreme temperatures. ‘As much as it's easy to say the conditions are safe, it only takes one bad thing to happen,’ Murray said. ‘And it looks terrible for the whole sport when people are collapsing, ball kids are collapsing, people in the stands are collapsing. That's not great. ‘Whether it's safe or not, I don't know. There's been some issues in other sports with players having heart attacks.’ Former women's world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki said the bottom of her water bottle started melting when she placed it on the court. ‘It feels like I was sweating in a sauna or something,’ Wozniacki said. Collapse: Canadian Frank Dancevic lies on a court in Melbourne after fainting during the Australian Open . Recovery: The player quickly came round and was given ice to hold to his head (left) as officials attended to him to check if he could continue play . Baking hot: Even these parasol hats couldn't protect spectators from the extreme heat as they sat watching a match between Germany's Sabine Lisicki and Monica Niculescu of Romania . Tournament organisers said while conditions were hot and uncomfortable, there was no need to invoke the extreme weather policy. 'The relatively low level of humidity ensured that conditions never deteriorated to a point where we needed to invoke the extreme heat policy,' Australian Open tournament referee Wayne McKewen said yesterday. Temperatures have soared in Victoria, South Australia and southern New South Wales over recent days and relief is unlikely to come until the end of the week. Sydney and Perth have been spared the worst of the conditions this week, but Melbourne and Adelaide are suffering from prolonged highs of up to 45C. Fire bans are in place in Victoria and South Australia where the country town of Keith sweltered under a high of 47C yesterday. This week is set to be the hottest on record for Adelaide, which today faces a maximum of 45C, and tomorrow is set to reach 46C, with weather forecasters predicting the city’s temperature records could be broken. The Adelaide record of 46.1C was set on January 12, 1939. Adding to the nightmare, the heat also brought thunderstorms that sparked bushfires across South Australia, which was hit by some 26,000 lightning strikes yesterday. A 49-year-old woman was hospitalised with burns and smoke inhalation after she was injured when a fire destroyed her home at Rockleigh, near Monarto Zoo, south-east of Adelaide, and burned through an estimated 4500ha of scrub. A total fire ban remains in place in Victoria, where crews are bracing for horror conditions on Friday that are the worst the state has been faced with since the deadly Black Saturday blazes in 2009. A possum emerges from hiding in Stoneville, Perth, after the fire reduced much of its habitat to ashes: Unfortunately the animal had to be put down as it had been so badly burned . Path of destruction: Nearby is one of the properties that was damaged before firefighters could put out the blaze . At least 250 separate blazes continued to burn overnight, including one which destroyed a country café on the picturesque Mornington Peninsula. It was an uncomfortable night’s sleep for many in Melbourne as the mercury hovered in the mid-30s, making it the second-hottest night on record. Many flocked to the beach to try and get some relief from the heat. It is forecast to rise to 42 again in Melbourne today. Acting Victorian Premier Peter Ryan warned conditions were some of the worst Victoria has faced in recent years and urged people to take care in the coming days. ‘These next four days promise to be amongst the most significant we have faced in Victoria since Black Saturday (in 2009),’ he said. Fire Services commissioner Craig Lapsley said Victoria is not as dry as it was in 2009, but warned that Friday ‘is the peak danger day in Victoria this week’. While Western Australia has been spared the high temperatures this week, a bushfire destroyed 52 homes when it raged through Perth Hills on Sunday. The blaze started in Parkerville before spreading to Stoneville and burning through almost 400 hectares. This week’s soaring temperatures came as the national weather bureau launched a new heatwave forecast service and released the first official definition of a heatwave: three or more days of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures in any area. Heatwaves have taken more Australian lives than any other natural hazard in the past 200 years, according to the weather bureau. Assistant Director for Weather Services, Alasdair Hainsworth, warned the prolonged high temperatures posed serious health risks. ‘Severe and extreme heatwaves pose significant risks to human health and safety, in particular for the elderly, who are more vulnerable to the effects of heat stress,’ he said. Battle: Firefighters try to contain a blaze in the Perth Hills and Parkerville region in this picture which was taken on Saturday . Inferno: The fire claimed dozens of homes in the Perth region over the weekend . | Extreme heat causes on-court chaos at Australian Open where one player hallucinated .
Bushfires rage in three states, damaging dozens of homes in Perth .
One woman is taken to hospital in Adelaide with burns and smoke inhalation .
Record-breaking temperatures top 47C in South Australia .
26,000 lightning strikes hit Adelaide as heat brings intense storms .
Fire service commissioner warns Friday is 'peak danger day' in Victoria . |
190,196 | 8242ec9910cc29b952b7f535a57c9af08cf7049c | (CNN) -- Big parts are coming off a former U.S. Navy minesweeper that became stuck on a Philippine reef in January. Salvage crews have removed the funnel, or smokestack, and mast from the former USS Guardian, the Philippine coast guard reports. The agency posted a series of photos on its website showing large parts of the minesweeper being lifted by a crane and transferred to a barge. Once the top decks of the ship is cleared and heavy machinery is removed from the inside, the 224-foot-long, fiberglass-and-wood hull of the Guardian is expected to be cut into three parts before it is lifted from the reef. Salvage efforts are expected to continue through most of March, the U.S. Navy said, but adverse weather could increase the time needed. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy said that the Guardian was decommissioned and stricken from the naval registry on February 15. Another minesweeper, the USS Warrior, is being moved to the Pacific to replace the Guardian, the Navy said. That vessel, currently in Bahrain, will be ferried by a heavy transport ship to the U.S. naval base in Sasebo, Japan, where the Guardian's crew will take over its operation, according to a Navy statement. The Guardian grounded on Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on January 17. An investigation of the grounding is ongoing. Navy officials said in January that the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which prepares the digital navigation charts used by the Navy, has reported the location of the reef was misplaced on a chart by nine miles. The Guardian is estimated to have damaged about 4,000 square meters (about 43,000 square feet) of the reef. The Navy has pledged to clean up the debris created when waves stripped off pieces of fiberglass covering the wooden hull of the ship and to try to restore the reef as much as possible. Philippine officials said last month that the country would seek compensation for reef damage. Harry K. Thomas Jr., the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, has assured the Filipinos that the United States "will provide appropriate compensation for damage to the reef caused by the ship." The reef is home to a vast array of sea, air and land creatures as well as sizable lagoons and two coral islands. About 500 species of fish and 350 species of coral can be found there, as can whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and breeding seabirds, according to UNESCO. | Funnel, mast of minesweeper removed .
U.S. Navy sending ship from Bahrain to replace USS Guardian .
Ship ran aground on Philippine reef in January . |
174,454 | 6dcc65fbe47c3328e3fdede7cca9a41e5b30af47 | It was the fire escape where Richard Gere declared his love, the diner where John Travolta shimmied back to stardom, and the New York city streets where Robert De Niro slowly went insane while driving his taxi. These are the beloved settings for some of the cinema's most famous scenes. But what about when the cameras stop rolling - do these landmarks still resemble how they look on the screen? Scroll down for video . The historic Golden Nugget casino, featured in the James Bond film 'Diamonds Are Forever' in 1971, underwent a $100 million renovation . And The Mint, a casino also seen in the film, was sold in 1988 and is now part of Binion's Horseshoe Casino . The images, captured by ScenePast, include side-by-side comparisons from 'Pretty Woman,' 'Pulp Fiction,' 'Taxi Driver,' 'Diamonds Are Forever,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Back To The Future,' 'Fame,' 'It's A Wonderful Life,' 'Broadway Danny Rose,' 'Bullitt,' 'Naked City' and 'Serpico.' Some of the locations have remained almost identical despite the years that have passed. The fire escape that Richard Gere's character climbed in 'Pretty Woman' to declare his love for Vivian, Julia Robert's prostitute with a heart of gold, remains intact at the Las Palmas Hotel in Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction transformed a Glendale, California, 44-lane bowling alley into Jack Rabbit Slim's. The location, famous for John Travolta and Uma Thurman's twist dance, has since been shuttered . The fire escape that Richard Gere's character climbed in Pretty Woman to declare his love for Julia Robert's prostitute with a heart of gold remains intact at the Las Palmas Hotel on 1738 Las Palmas Ave in Hollywood . The only difference is a new sign and a palm tree gracing the entrance. Although the stores next to New York's Carnegie Delicatessen featured in Woody Allen's 'Broadway Danny Rose' may have come and gone, the deli on 7th Ave is still standing strong. The police station in 1948 noir 'Naked City' is West 20th Street has also been preserved in the Big Apple, where it remains a NYPD precinct. The New York streets (pictured is 7th Ave and 43rd) have modernized to include a Walgreens and advertisements . Schwab's Pharmacy, featured in 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard, was a real drug store where many movie actors and industry executives hung out. It was demolished in 1983 and a shopping complex featuring a Starbucks stands in its place . And fans hoping to see the McFly residence from Back To The Future will be happy to know little has changed at the Arleta, California home - except for a new basketball hoop. The Martini family's home from It's A Wonderful Life also remains unchanged in Los Angeles, 67 years after the Christmas classic was filmed. The movie's only other filming location that remains intact is the gymnasium where the Charleston dance competition took place. The gym, which has a swimming pool beneath the floor, is at the Beverly Hills High School. Although the stores next to New York's Carnegie Delicatessen featured in Woody Allen's 'Broadway Danny Rose' may have come and gone, the deli on 7th Ave is still standing strong . And fans hoping to see the McFly residence from Back To The Future will be happy to know little has changed at the Arleta, California home . But the film's neighborhood doesn't look exactly the same. A sign reading 'Welcome to Bailey Park' has been removed, and now large trees hide the houses that could once be seen dotting the street. Many other famous locations have also changed, whether they've been forgotten or modernized with the times. The Jack Rabbit Slim's Diner from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction has perhaps changed the most drastically. The Glendale, California location used to be a 44-lane bowling alley that had a cocktail bar, billiard room and even a place for children to play as their parents partied away, according to the Glendale News-Press. The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, on 145 West 46th Street in New York, was used to film the exteriors for the high school in 1980's 'Fame' The Martini family's home from 'It's A Wonderful Life' also remains unchanged, 67 years after the Christmas classic was filmed . But the location where John Travolta and Uma Thurman famously did the twist has now been shuttered. Schwab's Pharmacy, featured in 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard, was a real drug store where many movie actors and industry executives hung out. In an episode of 'I Love Lucy,' Lucille Ball tells Desi Arnez she was going to Schwab's to be discovered. The pharmacy was demolished in 1983 and a shopping complex featuring a Starbucks stands in its place. But the movie's neighborhood doesn't look exactly the same. A sign reading 'Welcome to Bailey Park' has been removed, and now large trees hide the houses that could once be seen dotting the street . Some houses lining the San Francisco streets used in the 1968 Steve McQueen crime film 'Bullitt' haven't even changed their paint job . Transformations in these movie locations also show how the famous cities that hosted them have likewise changed. The historic Golden Nugget casino, featured in the James Bond film 'Diamonds Are Forever,' underwent a $100 million renovation in 2006. And The Mint, a casino also seen in the film, was sold in 1988 and is now part of Binion's Horseshoe Casino. But the same can't be said for the once fire engine-red building seen in Al Pacino's 'Serpico' in 1973 . The police station in 1948 noir 'Naked City' is West 20th Street has also been preserved in the Big Apple, where it remains a NYPD precinct . | Some settings have remained almost identical despite the years that have passed .
McFly home from 'Back To The Future' and the Martini residence from 'It's A Wonderful Life' are still intact .
The fire escape where Richard Gere declared his love for Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman' is also still intact .
But the infamous diner from 'Pulp Fiction,' once a 44-lane bowling alley, is now shuttered .
And one-time actor hangout Schwab's Pharmacy has been torn down for shopping complex with a Starbucks . |
142,528 | 44559e557d499db29753c53e318b406d5589eb69 | The families who lost relatives on the Malaysian airlines flight MH17 in July are fuming after what they believe to be an insufficient offer of compensation made by the airline. The Sun Herald reported that families have been angered by the airline's offer of initial $US50,000 ($57,1116) compensation accepted by 15 families. The passenger jet was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 passengers, including 38 Australian citizens and residents. Families of those lost in the MH17 disaster are fuming after Malaysian airlines made an offer of $57,000 compensation . Tom and Angela Mahady (pictured), parents of Edel Mahady, pray during a memorial service for victims of the MH17 disaster at St Mary's Cathedral . The aviation lawyer who helped negotiate $10 million in compensation from Libya for families of the Lockerbie disaster said the offer was an 'insult'. Jerry Skinner, a US attorney who is also co-associate of Sydney form LHD, is an expert in the law around aviation disasters and has been working with a number of grieving families to get suitable compensation following the disaster. 'Families from my experience usually file a suit not because of the loss alone but because of the loss of respect they feel from the carrier after the accident occurs, and that's what's going to happen here,' he told the Sun Herald. Mr Skinner believes there isn't a case on the MH17 flight that's worth anything less than $US180,000, which is more than $AU200,000. The aviation lawyer has also praised Prime Minister Tony Abbott for speaking out on justice for all those killed in the flight and his stance against Russian president Vladimir Putin. Mr Abbott said he would confront the president over the MH17 tragedy, promising to 'shirt front' him when they next met at the G20 summit in Brisbane next month. Angela and George Dyczynski (pictured) flew from Perth to search for their daughter, Fatima, who was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 . Australian foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop (pictured) meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) in Milan on friday talking about the issue of access to the MH17 crash site . 'And if you don't play hardball, Putin won't respect you enough to deal with you,' Mr Skinner told the Sun Herald. But the Australian foreign affairs minister was able to talk with the Russian president first. In a one on one chat with the president on Friday, Julie Bishop pushed the issue that access needed to be regained to the MH17 crash site . Mr Putin agreed to use his influence on the rebels in eastern Ukraine, to help experts return to the crash site. | MH17 Families fuming over $57,000 offer of compensation by Malaysian airlines .
US aviation lawyer, Jerry Skinner says the offer is an 'insult'
Mr Skinner wants to see upwards of $200,000 of compensation .
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been praised for his tough stance against Russian PM Vladimir Putin on the MH17 tragedy . |
115,839 | 2183fa77a3c7c8182310732f17303e6c6ac6bd6e | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Rafael Nadal's shock French Open exit at the hands of a player ranked outside the top 20 is already attracting suggestions that it may be the biggest upset in tennis history. Rafael Nadal faces media after his shock loss to Sweden's Robin Soderling at the French Open on Sunday . Nadal, the world number one had never lost a game at Roland Garros, winning the previous four titles in a row. However, Sweden's Robin Soderling proved too good for the "King of Clay," beating him 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6. The official French Open Web site called it "one of the greatest upsets in Grand Slam history," while other news outlets have rushed to praise the Swede for the "game of his life." The result leaves the men's draw at the French Open tournament wide open -- with Roger Federer and Andy Murray now the highest-ranked players remaining. Undoubtedly a massive upset, Nadal's loss also raises the question of what have been the biggest men's Grand Slam upsets in tennis history. Is this is the biggest? Below, in no particular order, are ten of the most shocking.What do you think the biggest upset in recent tennis history is? Tell us in the Sound Off box below. 1. Robin Soderling beats Rafael Nadal, French Open 2009 Spain's clay master was unbeaten at Roland Garros and looking for his fifth title in a row when he was shocked by the 23rd seed Swedish player. Soderling was too good for Nadal, and deserved the win. 2. Michael Chang beats Lendl and Edberg, French Open 1989 American Michael Chang etched his name in history by winning the 1989 French Open aged just 17 years and three months. He beat legends Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg (in an epic five set final) to win the event and he is still the youngest winner of a Grand Slam. 3. George Bastl beats Pete Sampras, Wimbledon 2002 Swiss player Bastl was ranked 145 in the world when he took on the seven-time champion of Wimbledon, Pete Sampras. Bastl, who only got into the tournament as a lucky loser after failing to qualify, beat the American in five sets. 4. Mark Edmondson wins the 1976 Australian Open The Australian only ever won one Grand Slam event, and he beat defending champion John Newcombe in the final to do it. The most remarkable point however, was that he was ranked 212th in the world when he did it. He remains the lowest-ranked player to win a Grand Slam title. 5. Goran Ivanisevic wins 2001 Wimbledon Left-handed Ivanisevic had lost the Wimbledon final three times before he finally won it in 2001. The eventual victory was a near-miracle, as he had only entered the tournament as a wild card. Ranked outside the top 100 at the time, he became the lowest-ranked player and only wild card to win Wimbledon. 6. Mats Wilander wins the 1982 French Open The young Swede shocked the tennis world when at 17 years of age he beat the second, third, fourth and fifth seeds at Roland Garros to win the tournament. He was unseeded for the event. 7. Richard Krajicek beats Pete Sampras, Wimbledon 1996 Krajicek surprised everyone when he became the first Dutchman to win Wimbledon in 1996, but the biggest upset had come when he defeated Pete Sampras in the quarter-final. His win was Sampras' only loss at the grass tournament between 1993 and 2001. 8. Gustavo Kuerten wins the 1997 French Open It's no surprise that "Guga" was a Roland Garros favorite. When he won the 1997 tournament he was ranked 66th in the world and he beat three former champions along the way. He remains the third-lowest ranked Grand Slam champion. 9. Lleyton Hewitt beats Andre Agassi while ranked #550 The Australian went on to win his first ATP tour title after beating Agassi in the semi-final of the Adelaide International. The win over former world number one Agassi was remarkable given that he was ranked at 550th and only 16 years old. 10. Vladimir Voltchkov makes 2000 Wimbledon semi-final The Belarussian was ranked 237 when he managed to make it through to the semi-finals of Wimbledon -- becoming the lowest-ranked player to ever make the last four at the London tournament. | "King of Clay" Rafael Nadal records his first loss at the French Open .
Nadal's win widely reported as one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam tennis .
Debate: Tell us what match is your biggest tennis upset of all time . |
31,295 | 58f342d39237865dc76aa968afa6a8e532a4d97e | By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:28 EST, 18 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:41 EST, 18 December 2013 . A bankruptcy judge has ruled that Casey Anthony won't have to pay most of her debts, discharging what she owes except for those related to student loans or criminal fines, if she has them. Judge K. Rodney May signed the order on Tuesday for Anthony, who filed for bankruptcy in Florida earlier this year, claiming about $1,000 in assets and $792,000 in liabilities. Court papers list Anthony as unemployed, with no recent income. Most of her liabilities are legal bills. Anthony was acquitted of murder in 2011 in the death her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, and has been in hiding since then. Casey Anthony with her daughter Caylee: She was acquitted of murder in 2011 following the death of the 2-year-old . In November, the federal bankruptcy judge approved a settlement between Anthony and a Texas search group that helped look for Caylee whose remains were found in December 2008, about six months after she had gone missing in Orlando. Casey Anthony waited a month to report the toddler missing and was arrested in October 2008. The nationally televised trial lasted for six weeks and ended in her acquittal on the murder charge, but she was convicted on charges of lying to law enforcement. Texas Equusearch Mounted Search and Recovery will be allowed to have an unsecured claim of $75,000 in Anthony's bankruptcy case under the terms of the settlement. Hiding: Casey Anthony, pictured in March this year, has been seen little since she was acquitted of her daughter's murder two years ago . It's unclear if Equusearch will see any of the money. According to a court document signed by May, the discharge does not dismiss the case. 'It does not determine how much money, if any, the trustee will pay to creditors,' the document said. 'Most, but not all, types of debts are discharged if the debt existed on the date the bankruptcy case was filed.' Some debts are not discharged during a bankruptcy case, including most taxes, domestic support obligations, student loans and debts for personal injuries or death caused by the debtor's operation of a motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft while intoxicated. A bankruptcy judge has ruled that Casey Anthony won't have to pay most of her debts, discharging what she owes except for those related to student loans or criminal fines, if she has them . | Anthony has been in hiding since she was acquitted of murder in 2011 following the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee .
She filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, claiming about $1,000 in assets and $792,000 in liabilities - mostly legal bills .
Judge ruled on Tuesday that she won't have to pay her debts, bar student loans or criminal fines . |
76,115 | d7e864d2d447ebb38659e368786eb7cc3e84b417 | By . Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 13:10 EST, 25 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:53 EST, 26 February 2013 . An Ohio father-of-two has become the second skier in just over a month to die on a treacherous slope at a Maryland ski resort. Curt Winklevoss, 38, from Upper Arlington, was killed on Friday after he lost control while traveling fast down an expert run named Squirrel Cage, at Maryland's Wisp Resort near McHenry. The man's wife, Allison, was skiing ahead of him when he veered off the steep run, which was icy at the time, and crashed, at about 1:30 p.m. View from the top: Winklevoss died skiing down Squirrel Cage, pictured here from the top . The ski patrol rushed to his aid but it was too late. He was taken to nearby Garrett County Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. On January 19, Rockville man James Jung-Jin Park, 40, crashed into trees and died while skiing the treacherous slope with friends. Winklevoss' mother, Karen Winklevoss, told The Columbus Dispatch her son was a 'wonderful skier' and that his tragic death was 'just a freak accident.' 'He caught an edge and he went into a tree,' she said. Crash: Winklevoss was skiing behind his wife at the resort, pictured, when he veered off the icy run and crashed . Dangerous: Father-of-two, Curt Winklevoss, 38, was killed on Friday after he lost control while traveling fast down an expert run named Squirrel Cage, at Maryland's Wisp Resort, pictured . The man had been on a family trip to . his parents' Deep Creek Lake home, and the parents were caring for Curt . Winklevoss' five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter when the . accident happened. The project superintendent loved spending time outdoors in western Maryland, his mother said. 'It's just so totally unfair,' Karen Winkelvoss told the Dispatch. 'It’s just too soon. We're going to miss him terribly.' Wisp is Maryland's only ski resort. It announced in December that it had emerged from bankruptcy protection under a new management firm. Dead: He was pronounced dead at Garrett County Memorial Hospital, pictured . The previous owners filed for . bankruptcy protection after defaulting on loans to build a golf course . community near the ski hill. Wisp's vice president of facilities and public affairs Jerry Geisler insisted the two deaths in rapid succession were simply 'a rare coincidence.' 'There's nothing wrong with the ski slope,' he told The Dispatch, adding that the man's father used to be a ski instructor at the resort. 'Everyone there is just heartbroken. It's just a real tragedy.' | Curt Winklevoss, 38, was killed on .
Friday after he lost control while traveling fast down an expert run .
named Squirrel Cage, at Maryland's Wisp Resort near McHenry .
On January 19, Rockville man James .
Jung-Jin Park, 40, crashed into trees and died while skiing the .
treacherous slope with friends .
Wisp spokesman insists 'there's nothing wrong with the ski slope' |
237,867 | bfe246440014079150060b68742788774584734e | By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 05:02 EST, 19 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:25 EST, 19 June 2012 . Tourism bosses fear London will be left deserted in the weeks immediately following the Olympic Games. The influx of athletes and spectators during the Games, which run from July 28 to August 12, is expected to push the capital's infrastructure to near breaking point. But 'normal' visitors are staying away from London this summer because of concerns over congestion. This has resulted in hotels slashing . their prices to as little as £10 a night the weekend after the Olympic . party comes to a close. Ghost town: Tourism bosses fear London will be left deserted in the weeks immediately following the Olympic Games . One hotel adjacent to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, is offering a £39 rate for a family of four on Friday August 17, reports the Independent. The hotel, a new-build Premier Inn, is charging £199 per night during the Olympics. But while it is to be expected for hotel prices in and around the Olympic site to slump considerably following the Games, the same pattern is occurring in central London as well. The Travelodge in Covent Garden is charging £170 for a twin room on Friday August 10 - one week later and this price has shrunk to just £42.75. Elsewhere, the Savoy offers its Signature River 1-Bed Suite King for £5,750 on August 10; a week later it costs 'just' £2,195, a saving of more than £3,500. Bargain: Adjacent to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, this Premier Inn is offering a £39 rate for a family of four on Friday August 17 . Nick Varney, chief executive of attractions operator Merlin, said: 'The travel trade who normally bring tourist groups have basically switched away from London. 'Hotel rooms have gone up in price, and they've thought, "We don't even want to deal with being in London through that summer period." So immediately, there's a trade hit.' Kit Malthouse, London's deputy mayor, said that a slump in tourism is to be expected in the aftermath of hosting the Olympics.He said: 'After the Games, there will be an exaggerated effect of people staying away because they're uncertain about what state the city is in.' However, the effect is expected to be short-lived as the Paralympic Games start on August 29 and run until September 9. | 'Normal' visitors are staying away from London this summer because of concerns over congestion .
Hotels have slashed prices to as little as £10 a night weekend after Games ends . |
145,926 | 48addb6d9741e2442bc30f9ce44db9887cc1f6ba | By . Amanda Williams . A ram-raider who smashed a car into an electronics shop before trying to break a glass display case with a karate kick escaped empty handed despite causing £10,000 worth of damage. The hapless would be raider and an accomplice struck the Bilston branch of CEX, in the West Midlands, at 4am on Friday by reversing a car through the shutters. On CCTV footage taken by shop cameras, he can be seen forcing his way through the buckled shutters and into the store. A bungling ram-raider was caught on CCTV smashing a car into an electronics shop before unsuccessfully attempting to break a glass display case . On the footage, taken from the store's CCTV cameras, a man can be seen forcing his way through the buckled shutters and into the shop . The man then runs around the empty shop with an empty sack while looking for items to take . As he runs around the store, he aims a kick at the glass display cases to try and get at the valuable gadgets. But, just seconds later, he flees, running out with nothing other than his empty bag. The car used in the attempted ramraid was found the next morning, abandoned just yards from the store. Owner Carl Brown, who runs the franchise with business partner Peter Hughes, said he had been forced to shut down for two days to repair the damage. He aims a kick at the glass display cases to try and get at the valuable gadgets. But, just seconds later, he flees, running out with nothing other than his empty bag . The 25-year-old from Worcester said: 'It’s devastating for us. The store only opened three months ago. 'We are a new business and as well of the cost of repairs we will lose trade while the shop is closed. 'Hopefully we can get everything sorted out as quickly as possible and get up and running. 'It was a shock seeing it happen on the CCTV footage. We’re just glad they didn’t get away with any of the stock.' Gina Lycett, spokesperson for West Midlands Police, said: 'Two men are believed to have entered the store but escaped empty handed. 'They attempted to drive away but abandoned the vehicle a short distance from the story. 'The vehicle has been recovered by police and will be forensically examined.' | Footage was taken from the store's CCTV cameras in West Midlands .
Man seen forcing his way through buckled shutters and into shop .
He then aims a kick at glass display cases to try and get valuable gadgets .
But he then leaves emptied handed running out with nothing than his bag . |
285,333 | fdbb01220ea40a6fc547287bf8ddc956154020f3 | A South Carolina man who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the murder of his mother and stepfather — who were found wrapped in plastic in his basement — has been apprehended a day after he escaped from a mental hospital, officials said Friday. Jason Mark Carter, 39, was picked up at a hotel in Fairview, Tennessee, after police tracked his cell phone pings - the technology that marks the location of your last signal. His aunt, Karin Thorne, said she was relieved. 'If he's not on his meds, he could injure someone,' she told NBC. Jason Mark Carter, who was committed to a mental institution following the 2006 murder of his mother and stepfather, escaped from the Craft Farrow State Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, on Thursday morning. He was tracked down by police on Friday evening at a hotel in Tennessee . It's unclear how he escaped from the Craft Farrow State Hospital in Columbia, S.C., on Thursday morning but police believe he stole a 1991 Chevy van and later somehow purchased a Chevy Lumina. Carter was charged with murdering his stepfather and mother in Seneca in March 2006. The decomposing bodies Kevin and Deborah Ann Perkins were found by police wrapped in plastic in the basement of the family's home. They had been shot in the head with a .22 caliber handgun. Officers at the time said Carter ate and slept with in the same room as the bodies for three days. However, due to mental health issues, he was deemed not fit to stand trial. Instead he was involuntarily committed to an institution rather than being convicted. On Thursday morning, police in Oconee . County confirmed Carter escaped from a mental health facility in . Northeast Richland County. The South Carolina Department of Mental Health also confirmed the disappearance. He was reported to have been working in a supply business in the hospital's grounds when he made the escape. Police said an investigation has been launched to determine how the man got away. The car Carter stole was a white Chevrolet van from 1991, which was reported missing from the facility not long after his disappearance. In court, Carter's lawyer said he had no recollection of the crimes, according to WISTV. During the trial, mental health experts said that, with the correct medication, Carter's mental health issues could be controlled. Carter's grandfather, B.S. Pope, tried to convince the court that Carter was crazy like a fox and should stand trial for murder. | Jason Mark Carter, 29, committed to facility in Northeast Richland County .
He was found in a house with bodies of mother and stepfather in 2006 .
In court said he had no recollection of the crimes and was committed to the institution rather than convicted .
Police in Oconee County confirmed he had stolen a car and disappeared on Thursday morning .
His cell phone was tracked to a hotel in Tennessee on Friday, where he was captured . |
129,816 | 33cb7313c971a182f2cffe1ccddd17579b634b60 | By . Will Stewart . Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and an Mi-24 helicopter gunship shot down as Kiev's government leaders claimed they were now engaged in 'war' with pro-Russian forces. At least 30 troops were also wounded in fierce clashes around Sloviansk, epicentre of the unrest in Ukraine's east, amid accusations insurgents were shooting from apartment blocks and using civilians as human shields. A number of civilians were injured as there appeared to be no let-up in Ukraine's alarming bloodshed even as the first funerals were held for victims burned to death in Odessa's fire massacre. Scroll down for video . Ukrainian soldiers stay near of a checkpoint seized by them not far of Slaviansk, Ukraine . At least 30 troops were also wounded in fierce clashes around Sloviansk, epicentre of the unrest in Ukraine's east . The latest flashpoints came as Russia warned that peace on the European continent is now threatened by the deepening crisis, a situation it blames entirely on the new political rulers in Kiev and their Western supporters. But there is increasing evidence of a political bandwagon running in Moscow pressing Vladimir Putin to send tanks into Ukraine to protect pro-Russian citizens from what is seen as attack by a fascist-led government in Kiev. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said the unrest was now 'fraught with such destructive consequences for Europe's peace, stability and democratic development that it is absolutely necessary to prevent it'. Supervising the assault on pro-Moscow insurgents in Sloviansk, Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov hit back: 'They are waging a war on us, on our own territory. My mission is to eliminate the terrorists.' And interim president Oleksandr Turchynov warned of new Russian provocations which could erupt on Friday in the wake of commemorations of the defeat of the Nazis in 1945. 'War is in effect being waged against us, and we must be ready to repel this aggression,' he said. The head of Ukraine's national guard, Stepan Poltorak, said 800 well-armed insurgents were surrounded in Sloviansk. Family members mourn 21-year old nurse Yulia Izotova during her funeral in Kramatorsk, Ukraine . At least three people were killed and several were injured in clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern city of Sloviansk . 'We have bottled them up in the centre', he said. Russia claimed an 'humanitarian disaster is brewing' here and in other towns encircled by Ukrainian troops with medicine and food shortages. In Moscow, two party leaders in the Russian parliament demanded military action in Ukraine, the West's worst nightmare. Sergey Mironov, leader of mainstream the Just Russia party demanded: 'Fascist scoundrels must be crushed in their own nests. We need to get troops there to defend our brothers.' Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning swearing in films, television broadcasts, theatres and the media. And books which contain swear words will have to carry warnings on the cover. Breaking the law – in force from July 1 – will incur a fine of £800 for organisations and £40 for individuals. It is seen as a throwback to Communist rule, when artists and writers were told to avoid 'decadent Western fashions'. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, founded of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party, called for military action ahead of Firday's commemoration known as Victory Day. 'Then the country will breathe freely - and can celebrate another victory,' he said. The strongman Chechen leader joined the chorus declaring he was 'sure' Putin 'will take measures to protect civilians in the Sloviansk and other cities of Ukraine'. With tens of thousands of Russian soldiers close to the Ukrainian frontier, he warned: 'We cannot sit back and watch when civilians are killed.' Putin's spokesman claimed the West lacked sanity in its approach to the crisis. 'We do not see that Europe and the US are sane in their assessments,' said Dmitry Peskov. The Kremlin also said a new Russian report shows 'grave violations of fundamental principles and norms in the sphere of human rights in Ukraine have acquired a mass scale'. The protestations from Moscow increased Western concerns that Russia is seeking pretexts for deploying troops, possible to ensure referendums take place on Sunday in Donetsk and Lugansk aimed at the regions seceding. The report alleged pro-Kiev protesters wore NATO 'military gear' and that some protesters were wounded by 'NATO ammunition'. Moscow has hugely boosted its military air power in Crimea, and deployed strategic jets and fighter bombers, say experts. Meanwhile, in the Russian-annexed region, a senior Tatar Muslim leader Mustafa Dzhemilev has been silenced. Crimea's pro-Moscow leader alleged: 'There are no doubts that this man has been tasked by Western special services with destabilising the situation.' | At least 30 troops were also wounded in fierce clashes around Sloviansk .
It came amid accusations insurgents were using civilians as human shields .
There appears to be no let-up in Ukraine's alarming bloodshed . |
86,886 | f695b3ce90e3ea9fe1d53531cf0bdd365afd5cec | By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 20:52 EST, 21 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:43 EST, 22 May 2012 . Facebook has suffered a serious blow to its glittering reputation when its share price slumped by more than 10 per cent in just two days of trading since the firm's landmark IPO last Friday. And the pain could continue for the social network, as many analysts predict its value will continue to fall in the wake of the much-hyped but shambolic initial public offering of 421m shares. It means Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who made $19bn on Friday has since lost $2.055bn in the three days since. One market expert even said there was 'no reason' to invest in the company, claiming that jumping on the Facebook bandwagon would be like 'catching a falling knife' - and that there would be 'no bottom' for the shares. Excitement: But Facebook's shares have fallen since the IPO on Friday . Facebook's flotation on the Nasdaq was one of the largest IPOs in U.S. history, raising nearly $20billion for the web giant. But the hotly anticipated share offering soon fell flat, as the firm's share price ended the day just cents higher than its opening price of $38. The price fell even further on Monday, closing at $34.03 as several of the investors, both professional and amateur, who had piled in on Friday quickly had second thoughts. Dave Rovelli, a senior trader at Canaccord Genuity, told CNBC he would be reluctant to invest in Facebook until it had a viable long-term plan for turning its unprecedented amount of user data into profit. 'There's no bottom,' he said, noting that most major financial institutions were short-selling the shares. 'So there's no reason to jump in here. You're catching a falling knife.' Disappointing: The shares closed at $34.03 on Monday, down from $38 . History: Facebook's debut was beset by problems - Nasdaq has even announced it will change IPO procedures . He added that the sharp fall in Facebook's share price 'leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth', and could damage the reputation of stock markets as a whole. 'We're trying to get the retail investor back on board, and everyone who bought it is getting creamed,' Mr Rovelli said. Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research Group who was the first expert to advise selling Facebook shares on Friday, said he thought the company's true value was around $30 a share. 'There must have been some sober second thoughts about this,' he said in the wake of Monday's mass sell-off. Mr Wieser added that there were 'real concerns about growth and advertisers' frequent lack of certainty how best to use Facebook'. Hype: But the Facebook IPO is becoming a cautionary tale for other firms . Honeymoon: But Mr Zuckerberg and his new bride Priscilla Chan have lost billions thanks to stock traders . Some investors have managed to profit from the IPO, as the firm's share price briefly leapt up to around $45 on Friday before falling back down again. Steve Bishop, of the RS Technology Fund, told the Wall Street Journal he sold his shares in the 'overhyped' IPO early on, as he felt the market had become 'frothy'. The disappointing results of the IPO could deter other rising tech stars, such as Twitter, from going public and risking a similar blow to their reputations. 'It bears out why so many Silicon Valley CEOs want to stay private as long as possible - to avoid the maelstrom they’ve seen hitting Facebook over the last few days,' analyst Jed Williams told the Financial Times. Blame: Some say Nasdaq, pictured, is responsible for the Facebook fiasco . Opinion is split over who is to blame for the slump in the share price, with some suggesting Facebook issued too many shares in the first place, and others blaming the financial firms tasked with handling the deal. Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Securities, told the Journal: 'The underwriters completely screwed this up,' adding that the share issue 'should have been half as big as it was'. But many experts believe that Nasdaq itself is responsible, as it failed to anticipate the trading demand, leading to serious technical difficulties and a long backlash in processing deals. Thomas Joyce, chief executive of Knight Capital, described Friday's fiasco as 'the worst performance by an exchange on an IPO ever'. One expert even blamed critical media coverage for Facebook's problems - a spokesman for TD Ameritrade said that negative news stories caused 'emotional trading' which depressed the share price. | Founder Mark Zuckerberg loses $2.055bn in three days .
421m shares issued on Friday fall to $34.03 each at closing on Monday . |
138,785 | 3f7c5959ebcff05341705c907b5ff9351174d54b | (CNN) -- A member of the group dubbed the "Jena 6" is facing misdemeanor assault charges after a fight at his Texas high school Wednesday, police said Thursday. Bryant Purvis was arrested after a fight Wednesday at his Texas high school, police said. Bryant Purvis, 19, was arrested after the incident at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. Carrollton police Sgt. John Singleton told CNN the altercation does not appear to be racially motivated. School officials contacted police about the fight Wednesday morning. An 18-year-old student told authorities two males approached him and asked if he had flattened the tires of "their homeboy's" car, according to an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant. The student said he didn't, but the two told him they didn't believe him and walked away. Purvis, he said, approached him from behind immediately afterward, then grabbed him with one hand and began to choke him. "Purvis continued to choke [the student] and told him, 'Don't you ever mess with my car again,'" the affidavit said. "Purvis then pushed his head into the seating area of the bench," causing the student to strike his left eye, then walked away. The affidavit said that in a written statement, Purvis wrote, "I walked over to him and grabbed him by his neck, then told him not to mess with my car anymore, then I left." Police reported the student had marks on his neck and bruising on his eye. A municipal judge set Purvis' bond at $1,000, and he was transferred to the Denton County Detention Facility, Singleton said. Purvis is one of six former students in Jena, Louisiana, accused of being involved in the beating of a white student. He initially was charged with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy, but charges against him were reduced in November to second-degree aggravated battery. He is awaiting trial in that case. Civil rights leaders Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton led more than 15,000 marchers to Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- in September to protest how authorities handled the cases against Purvis and the five others accused in the December 2006 beating of fellow student Justin Barker. After his arraignment in November, Purvis told reporters he had moved to another town to complete high school. E-mail to a friend . | Bryant Purvis, 19, is facing misdemeanor assault charges, police say .
Fight involving Jena 6 teen does not appear to be racially motivated, official says .
Purvis allegedly choked a teen who he thought flattened friend's car tires .
Teen, whose bond is $1,000, is still awaiting trial in the Jena 6 case . |
57,144 | a1f5e171b6bf6c05bca1b053a9854ab2069ed339 | By . Simeon Gholam for MailOnline . Follow @@SimGholam . Arsene Wenger has admitted that the club are still some way off bringing in any new recruits, despite the transfer window being set to slam shut in under two weeks. Arsenal have been linked with a move for Olympiacos defender Kostas Manolas following the departure of centre-back Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona, but Wenger has told the official club website that any potential deal is still some way off. 'Honestly, we are not close to signing anybody,' said Wenger, when questioned upon the subject of defensive recruitment after their goalless draw with Besiktas in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Tuesday night. 'I have nothing special to add on that at the moment.' VIDEO Scroll down for Arsene Wenger: I am worried by how short we are at the back . Way away: Arsene Wenger has admitted the club is still some way off any more transfer deals this summer . Targeted: Arsenal have been linked with a move for Olympiacos defender Kostas Manolas (left) Following the summer departures of Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna, who left for Manchester City on a free transfer, the Gunners have added right-back Mathieu Debuchy and youngster Calum Chambers to their defensive department. And despite both impressing during their brief spells at the club so far, Gunners fans will be hoping that more strength will be added in an area of the pitch where they looked desperately stretched at times last season. 'We are a bit short at the back, yes you're right. But we should have [Per] Mertesacker and [Mesut] Ozil and [Lukas] Podolski available again at the weekend. Let's hope they are in good shape when we go home.' New recruit: Calum Chambers has impressed so far this season for Arsenal following his arrival . Acquistion: Mathieu Debuchy (left) has proved himself to be a capable replacement for Bacary Sagna . VIDEO Arsenal heading in the right direction - Winterburn . | Arsenal are still some way off any new signings, admits Wenger .
Olympiacos defender Manolas had been linked with a move to the club .
Wenger hoping to strengthen Arsenal's defensive options if possible .
Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy have arrived this summer to replace the departed Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen . |
162,557 | 5e2c1f824372c0eb84171a8bd37a60322c1353f8 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 07:19 EST, 16 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:55 EST, 16 November 2012 . A horrified mum today described how her 16-month old daughter was savaged by a foot-long rat as she lay sleeping in her cot. Lindsey Molyneux, 30, heard her daughter Lolly wake up screaming and went to check on her. But she was stunned to see the little girl covered in blood with deep bite marks on her hand. Horrified: Lindsey Molyneux, pictured left, said her 'mother bear instinct' kicked in when she saw a foot-long rat had bitten her 16-month-old daughter Lolly's wrist (pictured right) Bitten: Little Lolly was asleep in her cot when the rat attacked her and bit her wrist, pictured . Bloodied: Lolly's tiny T-shirt was covered in blood after the foot-long rat attacked her in her cot . Her husband Michael, 41 then spotted the rodent scurrying around their one bedroom flat in Camden, north London. Mrs Molyneux, 30, says the rat also chewed through Lolly’s pyjama pants. She said: 'They went down to bed at about 8.15pm and it was about 9pm because I’m a Celebrity was just about to come on. 'So we were waiting for that and she just started crying through the monitor. I went in because I didn’t want her to wake her twin Lily up. 'I went in there and she was shaking and I thought maybe she was just having one of her nightmares. 'She threw up on my shoulder so I walked her out of the bedroom, holding her over my left shoulder, sat her down on the floor on the kitchen and as I started to strip her I saw all the blood because I hadn’t seen it in the bedroom because it was dark. 'I just started screaming, I tried not to swear but every swear word was coming out of my mouth. Vermin: Lindsey Molyneux said at first she did not know why her baby daughter was bleeding until her husband Michael spotted the huge rat, pictured, run through their Camden flat . Hospital: Lolly was rushed to A&E after the rat left bite marks across her wrist, pictured . 'I said "she’s bleeding, she’s bleeding". I couldn’t see where she was bleeding from then I suddenly saw her hand, you could just see that it was gushing out. 'The only way I could describe it is we were just befuddled, we just could not figure out what had happened. We’ve got no pets and there’s nothing around her bed that could do that.' With the bleeding stopped, she called her mum and then the NHS direct in an effort to determine the cause. It was then, she said, the rat scurried past her. 'I was literally on the phone to the nurse. I saw it at the door and it was about a foot long. I just started screaming down the phone at this poor woman, "there’s a rat". The nurse said "okay you need to take her to A&E". 'Mother bear instinct kicked in with us and we were like "now we know what it is, we have to get it out of the house". 'My husband filmed it on his phone. Foot-long: Lindsey Molyneux said the GP did not believe that the marks were caused by the rat until the family showed the video her husband Michael had taken on his phone . Chased out: The rat, pictured, was chased out by Michael Molyneux and the family have since contacted pest controllers who have laid traps . 'As I got off the phone, my husband ended up getting the broom. I went around the patio door, opened up the front door and as soon as I opened it up, it’s legged it. 'You could clearly see it was a rat, the size of it was massive.' Full time mum Mrs Molyneux said her GP didn’t believe the story until she showed him the footage. 'He was looking at me like I was crazy before I showed him the video.' The couple have since disinfected and cleaned the entire house while pest control experts from Camden council have laid traps and checked nearby sewers. Lolly received treatment and is recovering well. Mrs Molyneux said the front door had been left open for half an hour earlier in the night to ventilate the house while her husband, an engineer, cooked dinner but pest controllers were still unsure how the rat got in. 'It’s not even the thought that it bit her, that’s bad enough, it’s just the thought that it was crawling on her. It’s got in once and I’m still afraid it can get in again.' | Baby Lolly was left covered in blood as the huge rat attacked her wrist .
Mother Lindsey Molyneux thought injury cause was a mystery until the animal was spotted running through their London flat .
Lindsey's husband Michael chased the giant rat out with a broom .
Council pest control experts have laid traps and checked nearby sewers . |
23,208 | 41d97ab0bfac6a867374b04aacf37d07e5463a6d | Five British troops, including personnel from Prince Harry’s former Army unit, have been killed in the UK’s worst helicopter crash in Afghanistan. The tragedy happened when the Lynx helicopter, believed to be on a reconnaissance mission, came down in a mountainous Taliban stronghold close to the Pakistan border. Soon after the crash at 11am local time, Taliban insurgents claimed they had shot the helicopter down with a rocket. Dangerous work: A Lynx MK 9 helicopter flying over the desert in the Helmand province, Afghanistan (file picture) The Lynx helicopter and crew were believed to have been based at Kandahar airfield. The crash occurred near the Pakistan border at 11am local time . But military sources told The Mail on Sunday that the British-made helicopter, which has an excellent safety record, suffered a catastrophic technical failure and that no enemy action was involved. Those killed are thought to be two passengers and three crew members from the Army Air Corps, the unit Prince Harry belonged to when he flew Apache helicopter gunships in Afghanistan last year. Last night Royal sources said the Prince was deeply concerned to hear of the incident. Lynx helicopters are flown exclusively by the Army Air Corps but with some Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel on attachment. The Ministry of Defence said last night that it had completed a provisional identification of those who died. There was speculation last night that some of those on board may have been special forces. It is the first time British helicopter crew have been killed in more than a decade of flying in Afghanistan, and comes just months before all combat troops on the Nato-led mission pull out of the country. The crash brings the total number of UK personnel lost in Afghanistan to 453. It was the most deadly air incident involving UK forces since 14 personnel were killed when an RAF Nimrod crashed in 2006. Prince Harry served in 2012 with the Army Air Corps, above, and some of his comrades are thought to be among those killed in the helicopter crash . Last night the families of those who lost their lives were being informed by MoD welfare officers. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan the crash site was sealed off by troops as an investigation got under way into the circumstances behind the tragedy. The MoD said: ‘We can confirm that a UK helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment until families have been notified.’ A spokesman for the Nato operation, known as the International Security Assistance Force, added: ‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends affected by this tragic event.’ The helicopter crashed near a village in the Takhta Pul district, near Kandahar city in south-east of Afghanistan, and only a few minutes’ flying time from the helicopter’s base. There were no reports of enemy activity in the area of deserts and mountains, which is outside Britain’s main theatre of war in Helmand. But Kandahar remains volatile and one Taliban spokesman claimed in a text message to local journalists that the ‘mujahedeen’ had brought the helicopter down with a rocket launcher. Insurgents also wrote online that the ‘wreckage caught fire as it smashed on to the ground, killing all invaders onboard’. But local officials insisted the crash had been a tragic accident. Zia Durrani, the provincial police spokesman, said: ‘A helicopter belonging to Nato troops has crashed. It was doing military exercises and crashed as a result of technical fault.’ A spokesman for Kandahar’s governor also said the ‘helicopter crashed due to technical problems’. An inquiry will be carried out by the Military Aviation Authority to establish the cause of the crash. The Lynx helicopter and her crew were believed to have been based at Kandahar airfield. The base is home to 657 Squadron Army Air Corps, which flies the Lynx in an escort role protecting transport helicopters such as the Chinook and Sea King which are more vulnerable to attack from Taliban gunmen. Those killed are thought to be two passengers and three crew members from the Army Air Corps, the unit Prince Harry, above, belonged to when he flew Apache helicopter gunships in Afghanistan last year . There are 2,000 serving personnel with Army Air Corps, including specialists from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers who repair helicopter, and officers, such as Prince Harry, who are attached from their own regiment – in his case the Household Cavalry. 657 Squadron, belongs to 7 Special Forces Group, a unit supporting the SAS and SBS. Lynx helicopters, made by Westland in Yeovil, are the world’s fastest and can reach speeds of 185mph. A decade ago four Royal Navy servicemen died when a Lynx ditched into the sea off Cornwall. And in May 2006 five UK personnel were killed when a Lynx helicopter crashed in Basra, southern Iraq, after it was struck by a surface-to-air missiles fired by insurgents. Following the crash, a board of inquiry made key safety recommendations that were never made public for security reasons. But until yesterday no British troops had been killed in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. In three earlier Chinook crashes and an Apache emergency landing, all those aboard survived. In December six US soldiers were . killed when their Black Hawk crashed in Zabul, while 30 US troops and . eight Afghans died when their Chinook was shot down in 2011. About 5,200 British troops remain in Afghanistan, out of a total Nato force of 51,000. All combat troops are due to withdraw by December. Above: Camp Bastion . Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It is obviously a tragic incident and it reminds us that operating in places like Afghanistan our soldiers face enormous risks, even if they’re not fighting the Taliban. Sometimes they have to fly helicopters in conditions that no civilian would, such as evacuating casualties or delivering supplies. ‘I would certainly pay tribute to the bravery of anybody who is prepared to put their life on the line like that.’ He said in hostile territory helicopter pilots often had to fly at great speed or close to the ground, often hampered by dust storms. About 5,200 British troops remain in Afghanistan, out of a total Nato force of 51,000. All combat troops are due to withdraw by December. | Five British troops killed in UK's worst helicopter crash in Afghanistan .
Tragedy happened at 11am local time close to the Pakistan border .
Taliban insurgents claim they shot down Lynx helicopter with a rocket .
But Ministry of Defence blames crash on 'catastrophic mechanical failure' |
152,758 | 516c54c64d66a8b2a1dce026a7d27806bbaf82e6 | It’s business as usual in the world of Massimo Cellino. As we embark on another month, Leeds United will have themselves a new manager. Neil Redfearn has all but agreed to become the next in an ever-expanding line of head coaches at Elland Road. Odds are he won’t last. Not because the 49-year-old doesn’t have the skillset to reinvigorate Leeds, far from it. The length of his tenure will be decided by an Italian hell-bent on transforming the fortunes of this massive club at breakneck speed and with regard to who he tramples in the process. Neil Redfearn is expected to take permanent charge of Leeds United in the coming days . Redfearn will want assurances that he can resume his job in the academy if the role does not work out . Leeds owner Massimo Cellino appointed Darko Milanic last month, but sacked him after just 32 days . Fans in Yorkshire aren’t surprised, and they’re quite right not to be. Cellino is an individual who rules with little reason. When the switch flicks, there is no stopping him. Unfortunately for Leeds they are the latest club to have flickered and sputtered under his ownership. To summarise what’s happened since he took over – and not touching on the canteen staff at Thorp Arch getting the boot – Dave Hockaday was afforded 70 days in charge before Darko Milanic lasted just six games. The only period of solidity this season has come under Redfearn on the back of Hockaday’s sacking when the caretaker took 10 points from a possible 12. He wanted the top job but was overlooked. Milanic may or may not have worked out – we will now never know. There were suggestions from fans that he set out not to lose games rather than attempting to win them and it could’ve been that he was a doomed appointment from the get-go. Cellino’s failing here was not to perform due diligence. ‘I made a mistake with this guy. He’s negative, he has a losing mentality,’ he told the Yorkshire Evening Post after sacking the Slovenian. Slovenian Milanic was appointed on a two-year deal but did not even last two months at Elland . Cellino has the Yorkshire club's best interests at heart but makes knee-jerk decisions all too often . It beggars belief that an owner of a football club – charged with making decisive action after getting it so wrong with Hockaday – was not already aware of the sort of football Milanic would be bringing with him. Cellino has his club’s best interests at heart - that hasn’t been questioned by supporters - in a similar vein to the much-maligned Venky’s at Blackburn Rovers. That much is clear; so too is the illogical decision-making. The 58-year-old’s chief difficultly is an inability to think before reaching the sort of verdicts which could plunge Leeds into really serious trouble. What if Redfearn - a man Cellino clearly didn't fancy to begin with - doesn't carry on where he left off? There could be another p45 on its way. Leeds' loss to Wolves at the weekend was the final straw for Cellino, who sacked Milanic afterwards . Cellino reacts while watching the game alongside Redfearn, who he will appoint permanently . Former Cagliari boss Nedo Sonetti is alleged to have been sacked by Cellino for eating a four-kilo sea bass . Sonetti is said to have been spotted by Cellino eating the fish in a clubhouse at Cagliari's training base . After all, this is the same man who is alleged to have sacked a boss at Cagliari for eating sea bass. In a quote dug up by Rory Smith in the Times on Tuesday, Nedo Sonetti said years after his dismissal in 2002: ‘He always says he has just cause [for sacking a manager]. In my case he said that he had seen me in a clubhouse at the training ground eating a four-kilo sea bass. That was his cause. There is simply no talking to a man who relieves someone of their livelihood on the back of eating an obscene amount of fish. Leeds must hope that his impulses are lucky guesses from now on. | Neil Redfearn is poised to become Leeds' manager on a permanent basis .
The 49-year old has been caretaker manager at Leeds four times previously .
Massimo Cellino sacked Darko Milanic just 32 days after appointing him . |
205,488 | 96041e4a350b7bcf3ecd0e1cacbd7c87de15a5a4 | CIA Director John Brennan apologized to Senate intelligence committee leaders on Thursday after his inspector general found that CIA employees improperly searched Senate computers this year. The mea culpa comes as a sharp about-face for Brennan, who denied in March that anyone in his agency was unconstitutionally spying on legislators or their staff. 'Nothing could be further from the truth,' he said then, after California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein accused the CIA of hacking into computers to track whether Senate aides had improperly accessed classified documents. 'We wouldn’t do that,' he had said. 'That’s just beyond the scope of reason in terms of what we’d do.' When the facts come out on this, I think a lot of people who are claiming that there has been this tremendous sort of spying and monitoring and hacking will be proved wrong,' he added. Sorry: CIA Director John Brennan has apologized to leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee after agency employees snooped on the committee's computers . But Feinsten released a statement Thursday saying that the CIA's inspector general 'confirmed what I said on the Senate floor in March – CIA personnel inappropriately searched Senate Intelligence Committee computers in violation of an agreement we had reached, and I believe in violation of the constitutional separation of powers.' 'Director Brennan apologized for these actions and submitted the IG report to an accountability board. These are positive first steps. This IG report corrects the record and it is my understanding that a declassified report will be made available to the public shortly.; . Agency spokesman Dean Boyd said in a statement on Thursday that Brennan has convened an . accountability board that will investigate the conduct of the CIA . officers and discipline them, if need be. He has asked former Sen. Evan Bayh, an Indiana Democrat, to advise him about the results of the inspector general inquiry. Boyd said that advice might include recommendations for 'potential disciplinary measures and/or steps to address systemic issues.' The . Justice Department has so far declined to pursue criminal charges . against the employees, who searched the computers for information . gathered in the course of a Senate investigation into the CIA's . interrogation techniques. The CIA inspector general concluded 'that some CIA employees acted in a manner inconsistent with the common understanding reached between' the committee and the CIA in 2009 regarding access to a shared classified computer network, Boyd said. Brennan informed Senate intelligence committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the senior Republican on the committee, 'and apologized to them for such actions by CIA officers as described in the (inspector general's) report,' Boyd said. The development was the subject of wildly different characterizations by sources on either side of the dispute, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to go beyond official statements. Feinstein charged in March that her staffers' computer security was breached by CIA hackers, but Brennan flatly denied it at the time . Senate aides familiar with the matter say the CIA used classified 'hacking tools' and created a fake user account in an effort to retrieve documents the CIA believed the Senate staffers had improperly accessed. A U.S. official familiar with the inspector general report told the Associated Press that no hacking tools were used, and said that there was no malicious intent behind the CIA actions, but simply an effort to account for documents believed to have been improperly accessed. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said Wednesday in a statement that Brennan should issue 'a public apology ... to staff and the committee, a full accounting of how this occurred and a commitment there will be no further attempts to undermine Congressional oversight of CIA activities.' | John Brennan said he's investigating the CIA employees who hacked into Senate Intelligence Committee PCs .
CIA created a fake user account to retrieve documents they believed Senate staffers had improperly accessed .
Department of Justice has no plans to prosecute anyone . |
113,993 | 1f14268ecb4fa91226367746157950ddff53c661 | By . Jessica Jerreat . A 24-year-old man was shot dead in New York on Monday evening after a row over a parking space got out of hand. Darrell Lynch died on his way to hospital after being shot in the leg by a driver who had been trying to park in the same space as him in Jamaica, Queens. The victim's 55-year-old mother fired back at the gunman as he fled from the residential street, but he managed to get away in his car unscathed. Deadly row: Darrell Lynch died after being shot in the leg after a fight over a parking spot in this Queens street . After being shot, Mr Lynch, who had a young daughter, tried to drive away in his SUV but he crashed into two parked cars instead. At least five bullets were fired during the altercation, which happened about ten blocks from where Mr Lynch lived. His mother, who has not been named, was questioned by police but has not yet been charged for firing back at the attacker. Her son had been arrested in the past and was not licensed to carry the .45 caliber gun that was with him, the New York Post reported. The victim's mother told investigators that her son was shot at after having an argument with another driver about the space he had just parked in. The shooting was caught by a nearby surveillance camera, and five shell casings were found at the scene, DNA Info reported. The gunman has not yet been caught. | Darrell Lynch, 24, died from his injuries after being shot in the leg .
His 55-year-old mother is questioned by police after firing back .
Gunmen sped away in a car and has not yet been caught . |
138,707 | 3f608e70cc7355d0143987ce26fd1e7dd8693228 | Ryan Taylor described it as a 'dream come true' as he basked in the glory of both Newcastle's 2-0 win over Manchester City and his return from a two-year injury nightmare. The Magpies caught City cold at the Etihad, with strikes from Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko booking a Capital One Cup quarter-final at Tottenham. But the feel-good story of the evening was the long-awaited return to action of right back Taylor, who has been sidelined with successive cruciate ligament problems since 2012. Ryan Taylor played his first Newcastle game in two years on Wednesday as Newcastle beat Manchester City . The visiting players celebrate at the Etihad Stadium after knocking the holders out of the Capital One Cup . Taylor went into the crowd to embrace the fans after the game . Tottenham vs Newcastle . Derby vs Chelsea . Bournemouth vs Liverpool . Sheffield United vs Southampton . 'That was a fairytale, a dream, everything, it all came true tonight,' he told Sky Sports 1. 'Two years of hard graft for myself just to get back playing football is a big thing for me, but what a performance that was from the lads.' Aarons gave Newcastle the lead with a fine finish from an acute angle, firing in between the legs of City goalkeeper Willy Caballero, before Sissoko stroked home 15 minutes from time to secure Newcastle's second win in four days. Keeper Rob Elliott, in for the rested Tim Krul on Wednesday night, spoke about the renewed confidence of his side and also paid tribute to Taylor. The full back kept Newcastle's clean sheet with a superb block on the line from Edin Dzeko . Newcastle knocked Manchester City out of the Capital One Cup, with Moussa Sissoko scoring the second . Rolando Aarons slots the ball past Willy Caballero to put Newcastle into a shock lead at Manchester City . 'I think it was always there (confidence) it was just about getting results and now you're seeing a difference in the team, but tonight's all about Ryan,' he said. 'He's epitomised everything about us today, two years of solid hard work, with set backs, and it just shows what we are like and I think everyone is buzzing for him and the fans - it's a great night for us all.' VIDEO Pardew proud of youngsters . | Newcastle beat Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday .
Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko score to knock the holders out .
Newcastle will play Tottenham in the next round of the Capital One Cup .
Ryan Taylor hadn't played game in two years and said it was a 'dream' |
27,101 | 4cdc28bcdf8557215d4c3dc02e2e08052797bcb2 | By . Emily Kent Smith . and Nathan Klein . Almost a hundred years after Australians and New Zealanders led the charge in their bloodiest battle on foreign soil, tens of thousands have gathered at various places around the two countries to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice at Gallipoli in 1915. Despite the failure to achieve military objectives on that fateful day 99 years ago, April 25 has since become a date when Australian and New Zealanders remember those who died in battle. The huge Turkish losses are also remembered by thousands of soldiers who traveled to Gallipoli, with all countries involved paying their respects despite their fierce enmity almost a century ago. Scroll down for video . A soldier salutes Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and the Governor General of Australia Peter Cosgrove as they inspect the march during an ANZAC Day commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial today . Lest we forget: A member of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop takes part in the ANZAC dawn service at Currumbin Surf Life Saving Club on in the Gold Coast, Australia . We will remember them: Returned servicemen and their relatives march to Cranmer Square at this morning's dawn service in Christchurch, New Zealand . Their name liveth for evermore: Wreaths are pictured on a plinth at a dawn memorial service on ANZAC Day at the Australian National War Memorial in Canberra, where thousands attended for the 99th ceremony this morning . For the fallen: Members of the Albert Battery shoot a volley of fire during the ANZAC dawn service at Currumbin Surf Life Saving Club on April 25, 2014 in the Gold Coast, Australia . A former soldier wearing poppies looks at a memorial in Cranmer Square in Christchurch, New Zealand as the sun comes up this morning . A man places a poppy flower into the World War I Wall of Remembrance on ANZAC Day at the Australian National War Memorial in Canberra this morning . Former soldiers place poppies at a Memorial in Cranmer Square in Christchurch, New Zealand to mark the 99th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli . Dawn service: Servicemen stand in silence near the Cenotaph during the Sydney Dawn Service . Family history: An ANZAC veteran talks to a young man as the crowd gathers at the Cenotaph during the Sydney Dawn Service this morning . Services were held at dawn in both Australia and New Zealand - at the time of the original 1915 landing. Ex-servicemen and women then carry out marches later in the day in Australia and New Zealand. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also made an unannounced surprise appearance at an Anzac Day service outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, marking the end of their three-week tour Down Under. Special services were also held all over Sydney and Melbourne, as well as on the Gold Coast - where members of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop took part at Currumbin Surf Life Saving Club. Many also took the opportunity to lay remembrance wreaths at their respective services, while others pinned poppy flowers alongside the names of those lost in battle. Over in Christchurch, New Zealand, returned servicemen and their relatives marched in Cranmer Square - a tradition that has occurred annually since World War I. Veterans adorned with medals also paid their respects and remembered their comrades with notes, flowers and special, sentimental objects as well. Soldiers from Australia and New Zealand stand during the International Service in memory of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. They are pictured here at the Mehmetcik monument in Gallipoli, Turkey . Members of the Turkish Ottoman Band. The musical marching band is believed to be the oldest in the world. The troops came together to commemorate the Battle of Gallipoli . Australian and New Zealand soldiers stand behind Turkish soldiers during the ceremony celebrating the 99th anniversary of Anzac Day at Canakkale on April 24, 2014 . Soldiers from Australia and New Zealand march during the International Service in recognition of the Gallipoli campaign at Mehmetcik monument in Gallipoli . A Turkish soldier salutes during the commemoration of the Battle of Gallipoli in front of the Turkish Mehmetcik Monument in Gallipoli . The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend an Anzac Day dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The service will mark the final day of the Royal Tour . A Turkish soldier stands holding a national flag to remember those who died in battle. On 19 May 1915, some 40,000 Turkish soldiers had been assembled to drive invaders out . A Turkish air force patroller flies overhead as a crowd gathers to watch the ceremony which marks the 99th anniversary of Anzac Day . Over the course of the eight-month campaign 11,500 troops were killed and some 86,000 Turkish troops are reported to have died . In 1915, under British orders, troops from Australia and New Zealand embarked on an allied expedition to capture the Gallipoli peninsula. By colonising the peninsula it was hoped that Anzacs would open up to the waters up to the allied naval forces. From there, troops aimed to conquer Constantinople, now Istanbul. But from the time the first boats landed before dawn on April 25, it was clear the campaign would be a catastrophic failure. Over the course of the eight-month mission, 11,500 troops died for precious little gain. Some 86,000 Turkish troops are reported to have been killed during the conflict. Marching on: A veteran is pushed in a wheelchair during the ANZAC Day parade, in Sydney this morning . Ada Marchant from Canberra places a poppy flower for her two uncles, Herbert and George Heinecke, who both died in France during World War I, where their names are located on the Wall of Remembrance . Spectators hold signs as veterans march past during the ANZAC Day parade in Sydney, where rain has failed to dampen the spirits of veterans marching down George St . A war veteran uses a disposable rain coat to fend off the rain during the ANZAC Day parade in Sydney today . An Australian military officer salutes as expatriates from Australia and New Zealand offer wreaths at the Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier during ceremony at the Heroes Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, Makati City, east of Manila, Philippines . A Turkish air force patroller flies by as a Turkish soldier stands guard during the ceremony at Cannakale on April 24, 2014 . Turkish soldiers stand in line during the ceremony which marks the ill-fated Allied campaign to take the Dardanelles Strait from the Ottoman Empire on April 25 2014 . Brydie McDonald, 8, (L) and Flynn McDonald, 7, of New Zealand, visit Anzac cemetery prior to a dawn service in Anzac Cove in commemoration of the 'Gallipoli Campaign' ('Battle of Canakkale') on the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey . Wreaths and personalised messages are laid on the Cenotaph during the Sydney Dawn Service on April 25, 2014 in Sydney, Australia, to remember those who died in battle 99 years ago . Royal respect: Kate and William attend Anzac Day unexpectedly at a dawn service outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra . Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, lay a wreath on ANZAC Day at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia . Prince William and his wife Kate watch a fly pass during an ANZAC Day commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra . Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, place poppy flowers on the World War One Wall of Remembrance during their visit to the Australian National War Memorial . A service themed projection is displayed at Martin Place during the Sydney Dawn Service in Sydney, Australia . Thousands attend a dawn memorial service on ANZAC Day at the Australian National War Memorial in Canberra April 25, 2014 . Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs (C), salutes during Anzac Day services at the Cenotaph in Hong Kong this morning . The silhouette of an Australian armed forces officer is captured as he salutes during the ANZAC Day dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia . A veteran tips his hat during the ANZAC Day parade, in Sydney, Friday, April 25, 2014, commemorating the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the First World War . Attendees hold lights and an Australian national flag during a dawn memorial service for soldiers who died during World War Two on ANZAC Day at Hellfire Pass in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok . Then and now: Anzac troops were brought ashore in boats to the Dardanelles. Some Anzac soldiers failed to even reach the shore or became trapped between the sea and the hills. Today, right, troops remembered those who had died during the eight-month conflict . This painting by Cyrus Cuneo shows troops landing on the beach at Gallipoli on April 25 1915 . Turkish troops pictured leaving their trenches to charge into battle with French and British troops in the early stages of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 . Troops are pictured in 1915 at Gallipoli during World War One. 20,761 British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers were killed during the failed invasion . Anzac troops are pictured being shipped to the Dardanelles. During the eight-month bloody fight thousands of the soldiers were killed . Anzacs resting before battle in front of their dugout in Turkey. The 25th of April was officially declared Anzac Day in 1916 . Anzac troops charge a Turkish trench but find it deserted upon arrival. While the campaign was a disaster, it is seen as a defining period in the national character of both countries . An Anzac soldier carriesd a wounded comrade through the battlefield in 1915 . Heavy guns are brought onto shore in October 1915. The huge Howitzer gun was used to blast Turkish enemies out of their trenches with limited success . Anzac troops and their stores on a beach at Gallipoli. At the camp, troops cared for their wounded and kept their provisions in crates offloaded from boats and piled onto the beach . Sandbags were piled up at the camp in Gallipoli and ammunition was lined up to fight off Turkish troops. Makeshift huts were also built to provide some shelter from the elements . A stretcher carries the of one of the wounded Anzac troops arriving in Cairo, Egypt, from Gallipoli . Anzac Day was made official in 1916. Pictured here Lord Kitchener, left, known for appearing on the 'Your Country Needs You' posters. The members of the British army gathered to commemorate Anzac Day during a memorial parade in London on April 25 1916 . | Anzac Day marks the doomed invasion of Gallipoli by Australian and New Zealand troops on April 25, 1915 .
Soldiers sent to Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula under British orders - 11,500 Anzac troops died during the conflict .
Aim was to open up Turkish waters to allies and seize Turkish capital, now Istanbul .
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge mark the end of their royal tour with a memorial service in Canberra . |
247,818 | ccab8a7eaa23d281b0ad5caf465fa4604a58e42a | A traumatised policeman says he'll never forget the look of pure hatred in the eyes of a man who doused the officer in petrol, then tried to strike a lighter. Senior Constable Matthew Hill said he constantly relives his ordeal, saying he was sent to a job where 'a person had covered themselves in flammable liquid and was threatening to set themselves on fire'. 'As this information was relayed to me, every single hair on my body stood on end and I froze up,' he said in his victim impact statement read out in the SA District Court on Wednesday. Kieran David Cregan, 63, has pleaded guilty to an aggravated count of endangering life on April 4 last year at Camden Park in Adelaide, when he was extremely drunk on his birthday. Senior Constable Matthew Hill (right) leaves the District Court in Adelaide on Wednesday after Kieran David Cregan's hearing . Cregan (pictured leaving the District Court in Adelaide) has pleaded guilty to an aggravated count of endangering the life of Snr Const Hill on April 4 last year at Camden Park in Adelaide . Snr Const Hill said he expected that his life sometimes would be placed at risk to protect the public and uphold the law. 'But to think my life was risked over such a trivial matter still leaves me flabbergasted,' he said. 'The look of pure hatred and rage in your eyes as you came at me with the bucket and then again as you thrust the cigarette lighter into my chest and attempted to strike it - I will never forget that look.' He had nightmares and constantly replayed the events, step by step, and even felt guilty in having had to hit Cregan to disarm him. Snr Const Hill (right) has had nightmares about the attack and flashbacks when he has filled his car up with petrol and mowed the lawn . He also relived the events every time he smelt petrol which happened daily when he filled up the patrol car with fuel, when he mowed the lawn and even when he drove past a service station. His life had changed forever knowing that had the lighter sparked, he would be dead or terribly burned. 'Despite my lack of physical scarring, you have permanently changed my life nonetheless.' Cregan's lawyer Robert Kane said his client, whose main problem was alcohol, had a horrific childhood but had the support of his siblings and daughter. While the prosecution called for Cregan to be jailed, Mr Kane asked the judge to consider suspending any sentence. Judge Geraldine Davison will sentence him on October 23. Cregan's lawyer Robert Kane said his client (pictured), whose main problem was alcohol, had a horrific childhood but had the support of his siblings and daughter . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Kieran David Cregan threatened to set Senior Constable Matthew Hill on fire at Camden Park in Adelaide on April 4 .
The 63 year-old pleaded guilty to an aggravated count of endangering life at the district court in Adelaide on Wednesday .
He doused the officer in petrol and held a cigarette lighter to his chest .
Senior Constable Hill has had nightmares and flashbacks when he filled up his car with petrol and mowed his lawn .
Cregan be sentenced him on October 23 . |
230,055 | b5e9d2e5201386ddb9ef21026d0f2d039773e10d | (CNN) -- Mahesh Bhupathi is best known in tennis for his many successes as a doubles specialist, but now he's playing a new role -- that of a double agent. The 37-year-old Indian veteran is still a professional on the ATP Tour, winning his latest doubles title in Dubai earlier this month, but also acts as manager to two of India's brightest tennis hopes through his company Globosport. And with a host of Bollywood film stars also featuring in the firm's portfolio, Bhupathi has a ready-made route to success once his career on court comes to an end. Bhupathi, who cites entrepreneurs such as Virgin boss Richard Branson and telecoms mogul Sunil Mittal as businessmen he looks up to, has recently made his screen debut in one of his company's latest projects. His wife, Lara Dutta, is an award-winning actress and was named Miss Universe in 2000. When he does hang up his racket, the first player from India to win a grand slam title -- Bhupathi now has 11 all in doubles formats -- aims to mix the glitz and glamor of Bollywood with a plan to boost the prospects of burgeoning tennis talent in the country. "All of us growing up are aware what support it takes to build a tennis player," he told CNN's Open Court show. "I don't think there's any dearth of talent in India -- we've always had the best juniors in the world. "The big transition is how do you get from the juniors to the seniors, and that comes through financial support. "In the West the kids have coaches, trainers and a pretty robust support staff, so it takes a lot of money. "We have one kid we are supporting fulltime now. He's 14 years old and very talented, so hopefully we can make it to where we help more and more kids and eventually there will be a pipeline of players coming out of the country." Outside of cricket, whose stars are worshiped in India, Bhupathi is one of the country's best known sporting figures. He has a clean sweep of grand slam titles in the mixed doubles, claiming his first crown at the French Open in 1997 with Japanese partner Rika Hiraki, and can also boast four men's doubles titles to boot. At January's Australian Open he partnered compatriot Rohan Bopanna -- with whom he recently won the Dubai Open title -- but they were knocked out in round three. Yet it is his partnership with another Indian player, Leander Paes, that has reaped dividends. They have won three men's doubles titles together -- at the French Open in 1999 and 2001 as well as Wimbledon in 1999. Even with a career that is still in full swing, Bhupathi also acts as agent to Sania Mirza -- the first Indian woman to break into the world's top 30 players -- and Somdev Devvarman, who reached a high of 62 in the men's rankings last year. "For me it's two fulltime jobs so I've got to put in more work, but I really enjoy doing what I do," he explained. "Sania was one of our first clients, I think we signed her when she was 15. "The tennis part of it is easy for me because I'm on the road, I'm networked into the tennis world, so doing her racket and apparel, this is very easy as I'm there on site. "I'm aware tennis isn't going to last forever, and this going to be a smooth and natural transition now because Golobosport is eight years old." But though Bollywood is beckoning, Bhupathi insists his eyes are still firmly fixed on court for now. | Mahesh Bhupathi has won 11 grand slam doubles titles in his tennis career .
The 37-year-old also has his own sports management company Globosport .
Bhupathi still plays doubles on the tour but is also agent to other tennis pros .
Globosport manages a host of Indian sport stars as well as Bollywood actors . |
198,140 | 8c7879611b7c9852acee764610b817129cfdd72e | (CNN) -- Coming home from Asia, Barack Obama is obviously going through another rough patch in his presidency. But this time, it could be more dangerous: He is perilously close to becoming a lame duck 33 months before he leaves office. That is bad for him, bad for the country and bad for the world. The second term of a presidency often follows an arc. As Lyndon Johnson told his aides after his landslide victory in 1964, you've got about a year to get things done at home. And second-term presidents have often seized on those early months for domestic accomplishments. After that, Washington becomes mired in midterm politicking, and in your third year, people start looking over your shoulder at who is coming next. With power seeping away at home, second-termers increasingly turn their attention overseas, where they can still get big things done as commander in chief of the most powerful nation in history. That's why presidents spend so much time on the road in their final years. Obama's second term is a total aberration. Resisted by obstructionists among Republicans and plagued by his own mistakes, the first 12 months after re-election were a bust. Why he and his team didn't take more care in the rollout of the Affordable Care Act website will remain one of the great mysteries for historians. But it has now become equally puzzling why he has not become more sure-footed in foreign affairs. He is one of the brightest men ever to occupy the office, and yet his learning curve has been among the flattest. Talking to players on the world stage -- most of whom still want him to succeed -- one finds them genuinely rattled, worried about a lack of national will and operational competence. On the tail end of his Asia trip, Obama told the press that in foreign policy, he thinks a president hits mostly singles and doubles and an occasional home run. It was odd enough that given his huge power and influence, he thinks small ball. But he also raised the question: Why so long between home runs? When was the last one? Three years ago with Osama bin Laden? Not to overdo his analogy, but the years since have brought a notable string of strikeouts. The administration would vigorously disagree, but just how much success can it genuinely claim in Syria, Egypt, Libya or even Iraq? Or the Russian reset? Or Ukraine? The administration's increasing focus on Asia is a welcome move, but it too has gone less well than expected. Experts have long said that much of the success of the famous "pivot" will depend upon completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the most important trade agreement in decades. To its credit, the administration has aggressively pursued the deal but to little avail. The President's trip to Tokyo revealed that the partnership is in serious trouble, mired down by domestic politics in both the U.S. and Japan. Obama did provide much-needed assurances to Japan about American credibility as a military ally. Still, the facts remain that even as the U.S. cuts defense spending, China is boosting its defense budget by 12% and flexing its muscles off its shores. With nationalism on the rise across Asia and sparks starting to fly, who can be certain that America will be there to put out a fire? The net result is of a president who sadly seems diminished both at home and abroad. He appears to have only minimal objectives with the current Congress -- passage of a higher minimum wage and pieces of an immigration bill -- and may not get either. Most Americans still want him to succeed, but when television executives put him on the air, audiences often melt away. Even before the midterms, voters are looking over his shoulder at who comes next. "Waiting for Hillary" is a bigger story than "What Happened to Obama?" And there are few prospects for home runs overseas. This is bad news and not just for the President's personal fortunes. America needs a strong, effective president year in, year out, to help propel us forward. Our success as a people has depended on our capacity to solve the problems of today so we can move on to tomorrow. The endless evasions and diversions are tying us in knots and draining our spirits. The world needs strong, effective American leadership as well; for all our mistakes like Iraq, the U.S. is the one nation that still has the power to keep world order. But in the twinkle of an eye, we have gone from being indispensable to indisposed. There is no obvious game plan for Obama to bounce back. It would help if he and his team promised less and delivered more. It would help if more Republicans put the country first. The White House must also avoid the clear danger of so eagerly wanting a big breakthrough -- say, in negotiations with Iran -- that it weakens our security. No deal is always better than a bad deal. But mostly, the Obama team probably has to be patient. Fresh opportunities for leadership will come; they always do at the White House. And for all his troubles, the President retains enormous powers and public good will. It is in not in our national interest to have a lame duck for 33 months. | David Gergen: Obama is experiencing another low point in his presidency .
He says there's a risk Obama could be seen as a lame duck for next 33 months .
Gergen: A second-term president still can be a strong leader, particularly overseas .
He says Obama shouldn't diminish the potential impact of his decisions . |
111,633 | 1bf5e97401f710c06fa2dd41924b239c57574ff0 | (CNN) -- It is a cricket match with no bouncers, rain never stops play and the outcome is preordained. It is the complete antithesis to the recent Ashes series. While England and Australia's batsmen were trying to spend hours at the crease every time they batted, the annual Bramble Bank fixture is a race against time -- the only thing liable to stop play is the tide. It is quintessentially English, a land to have spawned more than its fair share of sporting eccentricities. On the surface of it, this match is supremely pointless -- and actually, that remains the same even if you dig below the surface. For about an hour every English summer typically on an August evening, two teams in full cricketing whites from rival yachting clubs bedecked in life jackets leave the mainland and are ferried out on speedboats to a sandbank in the middle of the Solent, an area between the port city of Southampton and the Isle of Wight. It is a protrusion in the water that emerges above the surface only briefly on any given day and one that most sailors avoid like the plague. Just ask the captain of the Cunard Liner QE2, which ran aground on her approach to Southampton on her last voyage in 2008 and was stuck for 90 minutes before being pulled clear by four tug boats. Mark "Tommo" Tomson is a different kind of captain, and he has already admitted defeat well before he will once again lead the Royal Southern Yacht Club against the Island Sailing Club in the Bramble clash. "It's our turn to lose this year," he explains, "even if we score more runs and take more wickets." The result is preplanned because the "defeated" team has to host a big dinner for the two sides after the event, which takes some organizing. The match in question is entirely dependent on the tide. In some years, such as 2013, the sandbank never appears so the game goes on with water lapping against the players' ankles -- or, in some cases, knees. A quaint afternoon of village cricket this is not; there are no picnic hampers and no cream teas, just gallons and gallons of water. For most of the year, Bramble Bank stays underwater but during the equinoxal tide -- usually at the end of August or the beginning of September -- it usually emerges above the surface for a day or two. The time of day varies and, although the match usually takes place at 6 p.m., it has been known to happen as early as 6 a.m. too. "It's an interesting experience," says Tomson with a chuckle. "It's great fun and we've had some good and bad moments. We've had some amazing beautiful evenings with huge amounts of sand and mud exposed, hundreds of square meters. And then we've been up to our ankles like last year. "It can be miserable on occasions with the weather, but we usually manage to drum up enough enthusiasm." Among the more celebrated regulars in the match, which takes place using the usual cricket bat and ball, is Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed in 1968 and the oldest person to do so aged 67 in 2006. "I think I've been playing in the match about five years now," he says. "It's totally bizarre, isn't it? But really that's the fun of it. It isn't really taken too seriously -- well, not by me. I'm just happy if I manage to connect with the ball. Really, I'm not a brilliant cricketer." The funny thing is that the cricketers in question do take it seriously, with pride at stake if nothing else. Clips of previous matches are readily available on the internet, and the batsmen unleash all manner of heavy hitting while the fielders plunge themselves into a much wetter outfield than on any waterlogged grass pitch. Also, as much as is possible, they stick to the gentlemanly conduct of cricket, batsmen walking -- actually wading -- if there is any doubt as to whether they are out or not. Cricket is usually synonymous with fine weather conditions wherever it is played on the planet. Not for the Bramble Bank match. Regularly the wind lashes across the field of play, waves too, and the backdrop isn't typical either. Just a few meters away, windsurfers and sailors pass by in their vessels, with international container ships also visible in the distance, their captains surely bemused by the bizarre spectacle taking place in the middle of the sea. "We usually have a lot of boats and canoes that come up and watch but these are locals," Tomson says. "Sometimes I wonder what the ocean liners coming past must think. One year we had three liners come past in quick succession. I'd love to have known what, say, the Americans on board must have thought watching these mad men!" The first match is thought to have been played in the 1950s at the behest of pioneering British boatmaker Uffa Fox. Fox designed lifeboats to be dropped from aircraft to rescued aircrew or navy personnel in World War Two, and played an integral role in changing the design of boats for dingy racing. On top of that, though, he had a penchant for adventure and humor, once leading a group of Sea Scouts across the Channel from England to France and up the River Seine without their parents' consent. Fox died in 1972, not long before the cricket match become cemented as an annual event in the 1980s. Today, it starts with one of the two sailing clubs challenging the other to a match, a challenge that is always gratefully received. But with the result already been decided -- regardless of the runs scored and wickets taken by each team -- due to the logistics of the following feast, it further begs the question of, "What's the point?" But Knox-Johnston explains: "You can't not have a preordained winner -- I'm not sure the caterers could cope. Really, part of the fun is the dinner afterwards." However, not all of the 300 or so spectators who attended last year took part in the evening's celebrations, they merely moored their boats on the bank for the hour or so of play that took place. There is some consolation, however, and an opportunity for those watching to quench their thirst at one of the shortest-lived pubs in England, the Bramble Inn -- which opens for business on the sandbank for the brief duration of play. With the tide quickly reconverging on the sandbank, the match is limited to six or seven overs per innings. "It's very sportsmanlike, so everyone gets a turn, but it can all end very rapidly," Tomson says. "It's quite surreal when you suddenly find yourself in the middle of the sea with water up to your chest and rising, and you're a few meters away from the boat to take you home." So what exactly is the purpose of it all? "Well, the aim is to not kill any spectators!" adds Tomson, before pointing out that there have been no deaths so far. And as a qualified doctor, he has been on hand to attend to the occasional injury to player and spectator alike over the years. As for the caliber of the cricket, former Island Sailing Club captain John Hounslow, a solicitor by trade, insists it is mixed. "I was captain by default and haven't played proper cricket for 20 years," says the sometime wicketkeeper. "It's semi-social and semi-sporting." It may not be No. 1 on most people's sporting calendar, but more than half a century since its inception this novel contest -- which regularly makes a splash -- looks here to stay. | A cricket match with a difference is held on a sandbank off England's south coast .
Barely an hour of play is possible at each match, with the tide swallowing the pitch .
The outcome of each match, somewhat bizarrely, is decided before play begins .
Legendary solo sailor Robin Knox-Johnston is among the better-known players . |
62,139 | b08588518c72ee27cacbae340113b159d6c379c1 | Like many small inns in Japan, the riverside Kamigoten Ryokan has been run by the same family for multiple generations. But few can lay claim to a stretch like this. The Ryujin family has been operating this historic Wakayama inn in the Ryujin village in mountainous Kii Peninsula since 1658, when it was constructed for an ancient samurai ruler as a holiday retreat. Twenty-nine generations later, the Ryujin family remains in charge. There's a key reason this beautiful property is still going strong after more than 350 years: beautifying baths. High quality H2O . In hot spring-mad Japan, this ryokan has earned a reputation for its indoor and outdoor bathing pools, the water for which, pumped in from nearby onsens, is high in sodium bicarbonate. Devotees refer to this type of onsen water as "bijin-no-yu" -- or beauty bath -- and say it also helps with cuts, burns and chronic skin disease. Cue the skepticism. But as I can attest, there's no denying the waters leave a silky, soft film on the skin post dip, so perhaps there's something to those claims. Do they reverse the ravages laid upon us by the cruel hands of time? Inconclusive. However, when most anti-aging promises come out of a jar or a needle, Kamigoten (or "Royal Palace") has the closest thing you'll find to a fountain of youth. Guests have two options -- a gorgeous private outdoor landscaped open-air rock bath overlooking the Hikigawa River or the enclosed shared wooden baths -- one for men, one for women. A remarkable history . Kamigoten is a two-story property that was registered as a "tangible Japanese cultural asset" in 1999. Chieko Ryujin, the current owner, says this means they're allowed to modernize the property to ensure it remains pleasing for visitors (i.e. improve the sound proofing on the walls) but the overall structure of the building must not be touched. With its dark brown wood floors and staircases, Shoji rice paper screens and Japanese antiques throughout, it's exactly the type of ryokan travelers looking for that quintessential Edo-era experience will love. Meals -- another excellent feature of the ryokan -- are included in the room rates. Guests are served traditional multi-course kaiseki dinners and breakfast in their rooms. Every dish is made from locally grown produce sourced from the neighboring mountains, some cooked in the onsen mineral waters. Fish is caught from the nearby river. All the rooms, which start from ¥16,200 ($159) per person, are traditional Japanese-style suites with futons that the staff lay out in the evening. The elevated Onarino-ma (room built for the ruler) is where the feudal lord, Yorinobu Tokugawa, used to stay and is the top suite in the building. A town of samurai descendants . There's an interesting back-story to the Ryujin hot spring village. Ryujin was founded by Kobo Daishi (774-835), the man credited with introducing the Shingon school of Buddhism to Japan. Legend has it he had a dream about a water god, who told him the location of the Ryujin hot spring. When Kobo visited the site that appeared in his dream, he enshrined a statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the medicine Buddha. Later, a monk named Myozan came to the village and claimed his skin disease was miraculously cured after bathing in the onsen waters. To show his thanks, he rebuilt the hut where the Buddha was enshrined and named it Onsen-ji Temple. A few hundred years on, during the first battle of the Genpei War outside Kyoto in 1180, famed Japanese poet-cum-warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa was defeated and his troops fled into the Kii mountains. They settled in the Ryujin area and renamed themselves in honor of the village. The owners of Kamigoten are descendants of these fighters. As Japan moved into the Edo period (1600-1868), Ryujin became a popular retreat for top samurai warriors, who were drawn to its thermal waters. It was during this time that Kamigoten Ryokan was built. Getting there . Many travelers visit Ryujin village as an overnight stop on their journey between Wakayama's sacred Koyasan and Kumano areas, which are linked by the beautiful Ryujin-Koya Skyline highway. There's a daily bus that runs all year round from Kii-Tanabe station to Ryujin. The travel time is 90 minutes, tickets ¥1,700 ($16.70). Seasonal buses run from Koyasan, with visitors needing to transfer at Gomadanzan to the Ryujin Bus. Central Koyasan (Senjuin-bashi bus stop) to Gomadanzan is ¥1,690, the Gomadanzan to Ryujin Onsen is ¥1,140. There's more info on bus timetable number 7. Travelers can also book a taxi from Koyasan to Ryujin for ¥16,500 (taxi holds 1-4 people) or ¥19,800 (jumbo taxi for 5-9 people). Travel time is one hour. | Kamigoten Ryokan has been run by the same family since 1658 .
The inn is famous for its onsen baths, which some claim have beautifying effects .
Ryujin village became a popular retreat for top samurai warriors during Japan's Edo period (1600-1868) |
162,907 | 5ea91d2e578b3fa756ef4323806bd5038c3f2b70 | By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 12:02 PM on 8th February 2012 . Under investigation: The FBI as well as the Met Police are probing possible criminal violations by Rupert Murdoch's staff . Rupert Murdoch's media empire has . given British authorities emails and financial records that allegedly . chart the payment of £100,000 to police contacts, mostly in small sums. A News Corp source said the records . showed many or most of the payments' intended recipients were listed in . company records under false names. London's Metropolitan Police have been . probing suspected abusive practices which journalists at the News of the . World and other Murdoch London papers allegedly routinely employed in . recent years. His company is . also facing a stepped-up U.S. investigation and FBI inquiry into . possible violations by employees of a U.S. law banning corrupt payments . to foreign officials. But . investigators have found little to substantiate allegations of phone . hacking inside the U.S. by the media mogul’s journalists, law . enforcement and corporate sources said. The . FBI is probing possible criminal violations by Mr Murdoch’s staff of . the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a law intended to curb payment . of bribes by U.S. companies to foreign officials. If any action was pursued by U.S. authorities against Murdoch employees, it would most likely relate to . the FCPA, a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters. If the company is found to have . violated the FCPA, Murdoch's News Corp, which has its base in New York, . could be fined up to $2million and barred from U.S. government . contracts. Individuals who took part in bribery could face fines of up to $100,000 and five years in jail. Home: If the company is found to have violated the FCPA, Murdoch's News Corp, which has its base in New York, pictured, could be fined up to $2million and barred from U.S. government contracts . Executives could be liable if they authorised bribes or knew about the . practice but failed to stop it. In practice, U.S. authorities have . usually settled FCPA cases in return for large cash payments from . companies, who can sometimes avoid legal admissions of guilt. Much of the documentation was handed over . by the company, who have set up a clean-up unit in London and hired . lawyers in Britain and the U.S., some of whom are FCPA specialists, . company sources said. The U.S. Justice Department and . Securities and Exchange Commission also have jurisdiction to pursue . civil cases against alleged violators of the law. Bloomberg reported last year that . Justice Department prosecutors sent News Corp a request for details on . alleged payments which journalists made to British police officers in . return for news tips. Sources close to News Corp have . discussed the Management Standards Committee of News International . (MSC), the unit set up to deal with phone hacking and related . investigations. Hacking claim: Law enforcement and corporate sources said no evidence had turned up that journalists from Mr Murdoch's now defunct News of the World sought to hack into voicemail messages of victims of 9/11 . It has for some time been concerned . about the consequences of U.S. investigations of possible FCPA . violations, the sources said. Both News International and News Corp . declined to comment. Last July, the company retained Mark . Mendelsohn, who served as deputy chief of the Fraud Section in the . Criminal Division of the U.S. Justice Department. U.S. authorities reportedly found nothing to support claims that potentially . illegal reporting tactics allegedly widespread in Britain were also . employed by Mr Murdoch’s journalists in the U.S. Law . enforcement and corporate sources said no evidence had turned up to . corroborate a Daily Mirror accusation over journalists from Mr Murdoch's . now-defunct News of the World. The . Mirror claimed the NOTW reporters sought to hack into voicemail . messages of victims of the Al Qaeda 9/11 attacks on the U.S. The Mirror . is a competitor of Mr Murdoch's London tabloid, The Sun. Mr Mendelsohn, now in private . practice, was internationally respected as an architect of the DOJ's . Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement programme. News Corp sources confirmed that the . Management Standards Committee was also working with Williams & . Connolly, a prominent Washington law firm specialising in white-collar . crime cases. The New York Times reported last year . that one of the lawyers working on the News Corp case was Brendan . Sullivan, a Williams & Connolly partner. He is known for his public defence of . White House aide Oliver North during Congressional investigations into . an arms-for-hostages scandal during the time of U.S. President Ronald . Reagan. News Corp announced last month that . another Williams & Connolly partner, Gerson Zweifach, would become . its top new in-house lawyer. He is also expected to join the MSC. Company sources said that, via the . MSC, News International was routinely sharing with its outside lawyers . evidence which had been uncovered of suspected questionable practices. Arrested but not charged: To date, no criminal . charges have been filed against any of the individuals arrested over the . past year, who include former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks, . left, and Andy Coulson, right . British detectives are conducting . three parallel investigations. One inquiry, known as Operation Weeting, . is investigating alleged phone hacking. A second inquiry, Operation Tuleta, is . probing computer hacking claims. The third, Operation Elveden, is . investigating allegations that journalists paid police officers bribes . in return for tipoffs. The head of the three investigations said this week she was increasing the number of police looking at police payments. London police have arrested 30 people, . including journalists and police officers, in connection with its three . journalism-related investigations. Long story: Current probes trace their roots . back to the 2006 arrests, and guilty pleas, of NOTW royal reporter Clive . Goodman, left, and private detective Glenn Mulcaire, right on phone . hacking charges . Last month, four current and former . journalists on The Sun, as well as a serving police officer, were . arrested in connection with Operation Elveden. Sue Akers, the officer in charge of . all the investigations, said on Monday that 14 people so far had been . arrested in connection with Operation Elveden. But she indicated that more investigators were likely to be added to the inquiry, which she said still had some time to run. To date, no criminal charges have been . filed against any of the individuals arrested over the past year, who . include Rebekah Brooks, a former CEO of Murdoch's London papers. Andy Coulson, a former Murdoch editor . who became top media adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron, was also . arrested but not charged to date. However, current probes trace their . roots back to the 2006 arrests, and guilty pleas, of NOTW royal reporter . Clive Goodman and private detective Glenn Mulcaire on phone hacking . charges. | Met Police probing suspected widespread practice at News of the World and other Murdoch newspapers .
Sources says records listed payment recipients under false names .
U.S. offices facing FBI probe into 'corrupt payments to foreign officials'
But U.S. investigators have found little to substantiate allegations .
Staff involved in bribery could face $100,000 fines and five years in prison . |
30,354 | 56481ba39eae0159491798309710bda2fd31bdf6 | By . Mark Prigg . PUBLISHED: . 07:43 EST, 11 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:44 EST, 11 December 2012 . A spoof video of a British company's fictional bid to beam a cheese logo onto the moon has sparked panic at Nasa overs fears it could threaten the International Space Station. Advertising executive James Vellacott and his colleagues dreamed up the stunt by fictitious brand 'Mooncheeze' as part of an annual joke video they send to clients for a festive treat. To research the script they emailed a junior aeronautics officer in the US to work out what would be required to beam an image onto the moon. Scroll down for video . The spoof Mooncheeze advert on the moon concocted by production company Cherryduck as part of a viral video to be sent to customers. However, it raised alarms at Nasa who thought it was real. Film production company Cherryduck film their spoof advert on the moon - but failed to tell Nasa the plan was a joke . The firm claimed to have build a giant projector capable of projecting the Mooncheeze logo 220 miles onto the surface of the moon. However, in reality the projector seen in the video was a dummy made from just £15 of materials. The firm told Nasa: 'We are currently building an extremely . high-powered projection unit to project an image into space as part of . an advertising campaign.' But the gag quickly escalated up to senior NASA officers and James received a string of terse emails warning his plans were illegal. The space scientists warned James' multi media firm Cherryduck that it would have to contact aviation regulators in their own country. Producers at the advertising firm went ahead with the film - but yesterday admitted they had not contacted Nasa to explain the enquiry had all been part of a joke. Mr Vellacott, 42, said: 'A couple of emails were exchanged and we were terrified we were going to get a call from federal agents. 'Obviously we didn't think it would cause quite the panic it did. 'We were all laughing in the office because obviously it was just a bit of fun. 'But I suppose NASA has a very serious job to do and they must get loons suggesting ideas all the time. 'I suppose we just didn't expect Nasa to react like it did, I hope they join in on the laugh when they watch the clip.' The firm produced detailed plans for the project which it asked Nasa's advice on - but space bosses thought the plan was real . Cherryduck staff pretend they can see the image (left) and the machine the firm says projected their cheese logo onto the lunar surface (right) which was actually a £15 prop . Cheeryduck creative director Jez Furlong, 37, came up with the idea of a spoof company which specialises in children's cheese called Mooncheeze six months ago. As part of their usual script research the company called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on behalf of 'Mooncheeze'. They were told to ask NASA and dutifully contacted the space agency - neglecting to tell them about the joke because they believed it would stop them getting the information they wanted. Mr Vellacott politely emailed Robert Gutro at NASA on November 27 querying the logistics of projecting onto the moon. He wrote: 'We are currently building an extremely high-powered projection unit to project an image into space as part of an advertising campaign. 'This obviously is an unusual project and I am seeking advice and guidelines from the many departments governing the airspace above us. 'This may be of no interest to you but we need to make sure that all the necessary authorities are notified accordingly. 'Could you direct me to any department that we will need to get permissions from.' An hour later he was 'cc'd' into an email from Mr Gutro to NASA officers Joshua Buck, Trent Perrotto and Rachel Kraft, outlining his concerns about the projection. The email read: 'UK Production Company that is building an extremely high-powered projection unit to project an image into space as part of an advertising campaign and they want to know if there are any guidelines or limitations they should be aware of. Stills from the spoof video showing a company's fictional bid to beam their cheese logo on to the moon . Film producer James Vellacott, 42, was stunned by a glut of emails from NASA boffins urging him not to project the made-up 'Mooncheeze' brand into space . 'I immediately thought of the space station, which is why I've forwarded this to you for response.' But a response from the Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC just five hours later showed they were taking the joke very seriously. Joshua Buck wrote: 'There are definitely international laws restricting lasers pointing into commercial air space. 'Also, if your light projection can in fact make it to 220 miles out, we would like to stay informed as it could potentially affect the astronauts on the International Space Station.' The same day communications officer Mr Buck wrote: 'If there's a potential for the light to reach the space station and could potentially affect the crew's vision or ability to see, we'd need to be aware.' And in an email later the same night he added: 'It also occurs to me that since the FAA has rules, you should probably talk to whatever ministry covers commercial air (and your version of Homeland Security as well) and see what sort of laws are in place in the UK and Europe.' Cherryduck still went ahead with its video - and were even able to finish it with their quotes from NASA. Mooncheeze the joke product concocted by production company Cherryduck . In the video Jez, James and the rest of the production team talk about how they brainstormed for the making of the advert in an 'The Office' style mockumentary. Amusingly the 'projection' equipment used in the spoof film was just a box made from black foam board and an old office lamp which cost prop designers just £15 to make. Some of the comedy lines include 'The moon - it's big, it's ballsy," and 'the world is no longer their oyster - the moon is too'. In another scene one employee of the company, based in Tower Bridge, London, jokes with a deadpan serious face: 'All we needed was for the moon to turn up.' The video shows the team planning and executing their plan to project a logo onto the lunar surface . The video shows staff planning exactly where the logo should appear . Mr Vellacott said the idea behind the 'Mooncheeze' advert was to make their clients laugh at the end of the year. He said: 'We didn't tell NASA it was a spoof because we needed to research it properly like we would do all our campaigns and we thought if we told them it was a fake they wouldn't help us out. 'We obviously found it hilarious knowing the product and idea was just a spoof and that the projector was just something we had bashed together using an office lamp for the purpose of the film.' | Joke corporate video claimed to be projecting a logo for a cheese firm onto the moon .
Led to string of terse emails from Nasa warning the stunt could put the International Space station in danger . |
171,001 | 6952b19225006c7769e71543d34bcd20efa6f778 | She shot to fame as one quarter of girl group Eternal way back in the 1990s and despite turning 40 this year, Louise Redknapp is looking better than ever. Her career, too, is booming. She recently used her fashion expertise to edit a range for TU at Sainsbury's, she and husband Jamie are the faces of Pandora's Christmas campaign and now she's got a beauty campaign under her belt. The mother-of-two's latest venture sees her showcasing her eternally youthful looks as the face of Dr Organic Snail Gel range. Scroll down for video . Still going strong: Louise Redknapp may have been working in the industry for over 20 years but as her new campaign proves, she's looking better than ever . The campaign couldn't be more fitting for the organic beauty fan, who also runs her own all-natural cosmetics range. 'I have a huge interest in organic and natural skincare,' she told MailOnline. 'I looked into the snail gel range and I liked everything about it, it was perfect for me.' The WAG and singer explains: 'Unfortunately, anti-ageing is very important for me at this age. That's why I love this range, it's hydrating and so fresh. I wish I'd thought of it!'. As well as using the range she's promoting, Louise maintains that the only other products she uses are her own from Wild About Beauty - the organic range she established with her make-up artist, Kim Jacob. 'My skincare routine is really simple,' she says. 'I cleanse my face and put moisturiser on, that's it. Less really is more.' Fresh-faced: The campaign couldn't be more fitting for the organic beauty fan, who also runs her own all-natural cosmetics range, Wild About Beauty . The star has such a passion for fashion (she runs her own blog with her pals called A Style Album), that she takes heed of catwalk trends and incorporates them into her make-up palettes. 'Our make-up is fashion-led. I look at trends, analyse textures, create mood boards and plan for the year ahead,' she explains. Her range has even got the royal seal of approval - she sends some of her bestsellers to friend and fellow natural beauty, Princess Beatrice, she revealed. Like Bea, Louise favours a natural look - and says husband Jamie has 'no option' but to deal with it. She does, however, love getting glammed up for work, and her new Pandora campaign is case in point. 'We had such a good day shooting it, it was so much fun,' she said of the campaign. 'Jamie is my best mate as well as my husband so we had such a laugh - we really do entertain each other.' Strong couple: Louise and football pundit Jamie married in 1998 and have two young boys together . The couple, who married back in 1998, are one of showbiz's strongest couples and say they'd love to work together again, as long as it was something they believe in. Twenty years into her career, Louise says she 'feels good getting up and going to work' because she has a 'genuine interest' in what she's doing. As for rumours of her getting back into the studio, she said: 'I haven't been in yet but we have been talking about it. I think it's all about finding the right thing, every decision is so key.' In the meantime, her fashion blog is keeping her busy. 'It came out of the blue but it's going so well and takes up so much of my time,' she said. 'My family scream at me at night because I am sat there on the internet looking at skirts and spending more money,' she laughed. Live together, work together: Jamie and Louise are the stars of the #PandoraWishes campaign and say they had 'such a laugh' working together on the shoot . Louise is the face of the new Dr Organic Snail Gel range available exclusively from Holland & Barrett stores nationwide and www.hollandandbarrett.com . | Louise is face of Dr Organic Snail Gel range .
Is a huge fan of organic skincare and has her own line, Wild About Beauty .
Has sent Princess Beatrice pieces from her collection .
She and husband Jamie had 'such a laugh' working together for Pandora .
She's considering getting back into the studio . |
104,598 | 12f829c0b764e64eba32a748a974ade41a31209c | Raheem Sterling is confident that he will sign a new long-term contract with Liverpool before the end of the season. The talented forward, who scored in the 2-0 victory against Southampton on Sunday, earns around £35,000 a week on a deal which expires in the summer of 2017. Brendan Rodgers is keen to tie down the former QPR youngster at Anfield, having admitted last month that Sterling had been offered a 'wonderful deal' believed to be in the region of £100,000 a week. Raheem Sterling, pictured celebrating against Southampton, hopes his new contract will be 'sorted soon' Sterling slots home Liverpool's second goal in their 2-0 win against Southampton at St Mary's . Sterling poses with a friend at Lebanese restaurant Beirut Nights in north London on Sunday evening . The England star, who is being monitored by Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, is yet to commit his future to the Reds despite months of talks between the club and his representatives. However, after netting his side's second goal at St Mary's, Sterling confirmed that he hopes to put pen to paper in the near future. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Sterling said: 'We're working on it and hopefully it will be sorted soon.' Liverpool's win moved them to within two points of fourth place, increasing their hopes of a return to the Champions League next season. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is keen for Sterling to sign a new long-term contract to remain at Anfield . Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring for Liverpool against Southampton with a fine long-range strike . Brazilian midfielder Coutinho (left) celebrates with his team-mates as Liverpool kept up their good form . Sterling added: 'It's always good to get on the scoresheet and it was especially pleasing that it was the goal that killed the game off. 'We knew we were top four material from the start of the season. Obviously, it didn't go as planned at the start but now we're showing what we can do. 'Credit to the boys, we just keep to need keep performing and keep fighting and then we'll definitely get to where we want to be.' | Raheem Sterling has been in contract talks with Liverpool for months .
The 20-year-old scored as Liverpool beat Southampton 2-0 on Sunday .
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among the teams monitoring Sterling .
His wages are expected to rise from around £35,000-a-week to £100,000 .
READ: Sterling should stay for three more years, says John Barnes .
CLICK HERE for all the latest Liverpool news . |
17,207 | 30c23781faa9ff462374a9f85ccb8708b1dc7571 | (CNN) -- While UK politicians seek to distance themselves from Europe's troubled continent, rail operators are doing their best to bridge the gap. The Channel Tunnel -- a favored travel route for those flitting between London and Paris -- is expanding its reach into mainland Europe by opening its doors to Deutsche Bahn. The German operator's access to the Channel Tunnel upsets the monopoly held on the route by high speed train operator Eurostar since 2004, and will boost traffic by 4 million passengers. Read more: Pampering cows the Wagyu way . Jacques Gounon, chief executive of Eurotunnel -- the company that operates the Channel Tunnel -- told CNN the company was recovering from the crisis, when traffic fell by 20%. "Now it's up year after year at 3 to 4% gross rate," Gounon said. "Deutsche Bahn will come from Germany and Netherlands... it's quite clear that this will be an incredible increase in our revenue." Read more: London property recovering -- but is best house in the street in Moscow? Deutsche Bahn will shuttle passengers to major destinations in Europe such as Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam. The Eurostar offers links between London, Calais and Paris. Gounon said the company negotiated with Britain and France to expand its footprint and "explain that there is available capacity within the tunnel." Read more: Building learning blocks at LEGO school . He said: "We have the knowledge and the skills in order to manage the different slots between our own shuttles, Eurostar slots and the future Deutsche Bahn trains, and that this will be good for customers between the continent and Great Britain." Eurotunnel has 400 trains a day through the Channel Tunnel on average, with 52 of these being high-speed rail. Read more: The Netherlands: A nation under water . Deutsche Bahn will begin its undersea rail operations as soon as the Intercity Express trains -- manufactured by German technology company Siemens -- are ready for service. The move will break Eurostar's near-two decade dominance over the Channel Tunnel, but the high-speed operator is making expansion plans of its own. Speaking to CNN last month, Eurostar CEO Nicolas Petrovic said the company is planning to launch a "state of the art" fleet that can carry passengers to the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Read more: How's your confidence in the euro . Petrovic said Eurostar would "grab the opportunity of open access in Europe" while trying to wrestle market share from airlines. Eurostar tickets for an adult traveling from London to Paris cost £69 ($104) for standard class to £250 ($378) for business class. Petrovic told CNN that the company is looking "very carefully" at pricing, adding that the biggest cost to Eurostar's business is the levy on using the Channel Tunnel. Meanwhile, Eurotunnel is expanding more than just its train business. Last year, the Paris-based company launched a ferry service called MyFerryLink, for large vehicles and passengers who prefer to travel by boat. The business has already gained 11% of the market share, according to Eurotunnel. Gounon said: "People who want to have a different way to cross the Channel, perhaps to pay less... We believe that the ferry business is a compliment of our main core business." | Eurotunnel shuttles 400 trains a day through the Channel Tunnel on average .
Gounon said the company negotiated with Britain and France to expand its footprint .
Last year, the Paris-based company launched a ferry service called MyFerryLink for large vehicles and passengers . |
44,444 | 7d54eace540bf02947d9bdff4858acbf5a34acaa | (Oprah.com) -- Prop stylist Elizabeth Press traces her gift-wrapping prowess to her mother, whose creative, budget-conscious ideas -- like wrapping boxes with painted newspaper comics, pasting gift certificates inside hollowed-out books, and making decorative stamps out of eraser carvings -- proved that a little thoughtfulness goes a long way. "She really understood presentation," Press says. "Her creativity could turn even inexpensive gifts into something fabulous." Now Press has her own cost-saving tricks. To achieve a chic, monochromatic effect, she says, "let leftovers be your guide." If you have lime-colored ribbon from Easter, use green paper. And forget traditional holiday color combinations: Pair pink with red, yellow with gold. 1. Keep it monochromatic . Combining any two shades of the same color "is a straightforward scheme that looks really modern," says Press. FYI: Matte, solid-color papers tend to cost less. Oprah.com: How to personalize your gift wrap . 2. Add nontraditional accents . Unexpected finishing touches are likely sitting idle in your drawers and closets. Instead of tying a bow, use cord to attach an ornament or dreidel; pin a brooch or faux flower onto ribbon; top children's gifts with chocolate coins or a glued-on toy. Press particularly loves to decorate with alphabet stamps, spelling out the recipient's name or initials, because "they instantly make a present feel personalized." How to make your own stamps . What you'll need: . 1. A rubber eraser (at least two inches wide) or a large potato sliced in half widthwise. 2. A marker to draw a simple shape on the eraser or sliced potato. 3. An X-Acto knife to carve away the eraser (or a kitchen knife for the potato), leaving the raised shape. 4. Water-based paint -- or a leftover can of acrylic wall paint, diluted in a bowl. Brush the paint onto your carving, test it on scrap paper, and stamp up your ribbon, paper, etc., in random patterns. "The idea is for it to look fun and homemade, not perfect," stresses Press. Oprah.com: How to tie a bow . 3. Think outside the white cardboard box . Pick up colorful, inexpensive containers from stores like Pier 1, or use Chinese-takeout cartons from a party store (perfect for cookies and candy,) tea towels or scarves (ideal for wine bottles and other odd-shaped offerings,) and ID-badge sleeves (fun holders for gift cards.) "You don't need wrapping paper if you have pretty fabric or containers," Press says. 4. Focus on the bows . For about $50 at stores like Staples, you can buy hundreds of feet (years' worth!) of kraft paper. Use it for all your presents, then dress them up with colorful ribbons. Classic hangtags give an old-fashioned "special delivery!" effect. 5. Personalize your paper . Use a printer to make unique backdrops: a color photo of you with the gift recipient, a Googled image of an Impressionist painting, a vintage map. "It takes relatively little effort," says Press, "but it's the icing on the cake." Oprah.com: Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Elizabeth Press advises spelling out the recipient's name or initials with alphabet stamps .
Instead of tying a bow, attach an ornament or pin a brooch or faux flower onto ribbon .
Make backdrops to personalize your paper, like printing a photo of you with the recipient . |
37,050 | 69087c2ae76c4dfaa9f1e7958a0f15924440633d | Mississippi has finally abolished slavery 148 years after the 13th Amendment was first passed by the Senate - thanks to movie-goers at the University of Mississippi. Dr Ranjan Batra, an associate professor of neurobiology and anatomical sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, saw the Oscar-nominated Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln in November. The movie left him wondering what happened next when each state voted on ratifying the amendment. He discovered that Mississippi was the only state that had not officially voted in favour of the change. A note on the US Constitution website said: 'Mississippi ratified the amendment in 1995, but because the state never officially notified the US Archivist, the ratification is not official.' Scroll down for video . A medical professor saw Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th US president, and decided to look into what happened state-by-state after the 13th Amendment had been ratified by Congress . The 13th Amendment, seen here in a the Tennessee State Museum with the signature of Abraham Lincoln, had been ratified by Mississippi in 1995 but nobody filed the correct paperwork . Dr Batra, who became a US citizen in 2008 after immigrating from India, told colleague Ken Sullivan about his discovery, and Mr Sullivan remembered the 1995 vote from when he was a high school senior. Mr Sullivan found out what paperwork was required from the National Archives' Office of the Federal Register. The same weekend, Mr Sullivan saw the movie for himself with his wife Kris. He told the Clarion-Ledger: 'People stood up and applauded at the end of it. That’s the first time I ever saw an audience do that. 'I felt very connected to the history.' Mr Sullivan tracked down a copy of the 1995 resolution, which had passed the Mississippi Senate and House. It had been introduced by state senator Hillman Frazier, who was upset when he learned his state had never ratified the 13th Amendment. Some lawmakers had abstained from the vote, but nobody voted against it. It is not known why the copy of the amendment was not sent in 1995. The film Lincoln prompted Dr Ranjan Batra to discuss Mississippi's ratification of the 13th Amendment with colleague Ken Sullivan, who got in touch with Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann . Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann filed the paperwork on January 30 this year after being approached by Mr Sullivan. On February 7, the director of the Federal Register Charles A Barth wrote back. His letter said: 'With this action, the State of Mississippi has ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.' Hosemann told the Clarion-Ledger: 'It was long overdue.' Frazier said: 'We finally got it right.' Last week, Mr and Mrs Sullivan and their daughters met Secretary Hosemann and posed for photographs with the documents for the state's official ratification. The 13th Amendment, introduced under President Abraham Lincoln, states: 'Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.' Before Mississippi corrected its oversight, the last state to ratify the amendment was Kentucky in 1976. The 13th Amendment required 27 of the then-36 states to give their approval after it had been passed by Congress. The 27th state to vote in its favour was Georgia in December 1865. At the time, Mississippi rejected the 13th Amendment, alongside states such as Kentucky and Delaware. | Dr Ranjan Batra investigated what happened after the film's conclusion .
State had not filed paperwork - despite voting 'yes' in 1995 . |
102,827 | 108a1b62defcc16dfb9a112fd6c1a5c35a9db5e5 | A new report has found that young Australians are travelling farther, taking more trips abroad and receiving their passports at an earlier age than ever before. Expedia's State of the Nation study has found that young Aussies, in the 18-24-year-old age bracket, are more likely than any other age group to have taken an international or domestic holiday in the last two years. The report questioned 2,567 Australians aged 18 and older and found that a massive 83% of them plan to take an international holiday in the next 12 months. A new report has found that young Australians are travelling farther, taking more trips abroad and receiving their passports at an earlier age than ever before . The study also found that Australian kids, 17-years and under, are applying for their first passport at two-and-a-half years of age. This is a stark contrast to the average adult, who received their first passport at 17-years-old. Expedia 's State of the Nation study has found that young Aussies, in the 18-24-year-old age bracket, are more likely than any other age group to have taken an international or domestic holiday in the last two years . Currently more than half of the nation's youngsters aged 17 and under own a passport. 'More than any generation before them, young Australians are seizing every opportunity to see the world, explore new destinations, enrich themselves with cultural experiences and meet locals in different lands, said Georg Ruebensal, Managing Director Expedia Australia and New Zealand. 'They're travelling more and spending more than ever,' he said. Interestingly, metropolitan travellers have taken nearly one more international holiday in the past two years, than those living in the countryside. The study also found that Australian kids, 17-years and under, are applying for their first passport at two-and-a-half years of age . They are 20% more likely to take an international holiday in the next year, and 30% more likely to travel overseas at least once a year, than their country counterparts. 'Our data shows international air ticket prices have been declining by approximately 20% over the last three years, driven by low cost carriers and increased competition. 'Combine this with the rise in mobile device use, there is now more flexibility and choice than ever when planning and booking travel, and younger travellers are really taking advantage of this.' Mr Ruebensal said. The study also found that Australian kids, 17-years and under, are applying for their first passport at two-and-a-half years of age . The study also reveals that Aussie parents rate beach holidays as the number one choice for a family holiday. The Gold Coast has been rated as the number one domestic holiday destination in Australia for families with kids. The study also found that Australian kids, 17-years and under, are applying for their first passport at two-and-a-half years of age. Parents travelling with kids are more likely to include an overnight stopover when travelling abroad. When it comes to stopover destinations, Hawaii has been ranked as the place parents would most like to stay. | Young Australians are taking more trips abroad than ever before .
18 to 24-year-old's are more likely to have taken an international holiday in the last two years than any other age bracket .
83% of young Aussies plan to take international holiday in next 12 months .
These days the majority of 17-year-olds have a passport by the age of two .
City dwellers more likely to travel abroad than those living in the country . |
24,271 | 44e0504a7024700d8c74b894404d3f3b86188920 | The New York Police Department, the largest police force in the United States, announced Tuesday that it has received funding to equip close to 20,000 officers with naloxone, a heroin antidote that can instantly reverse the effects of an overdose. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman declared that his office would provide the funding of more than $1.1 million to equip and train the NYPD officers as part of the Community Overdose Prevention Program. "By providing NYPD police officers with naloxone, we are making this stunningly effective overdose antidote available in every corner of the five boroughs. This program will literally save lives," Schneiderman said at a press conference. Each naloxone kit consists of a zip bag or pouch containing two pre-filled syringes of naloxone, two atomizers for nasal administration, sterile gloves and a booklet on the use of the drug, according to a statement from Schneiderman's office. The emergency treatment works like the well-known EpiPen -- an epinephrine auto-injector for serious allergic reactions -- as it is injected into the muscle and does not require training, making it more user-friendly. Once injected, the naloxone stops heroin and other opioids from slowing a person's breathing down to the point that it stops. The FDA approved the prescription treatment after just 15 weeks under priority status. Currently, most law enforcement agencies are using the nasal spray version of the antidote, which is slightly different than the auto-injector. How heroin kills you . "A recent pilot project in Staten Island has already proven effective with several overdose victims," said NYPD Commissioner William Bratton, who did not have an exact time frame of when the officers would officially be equipped. The training for each officer takes roughly 45 minutes, Bratton said. Joining Schneiderman and Bratton at the announcement was Carol Christiansen, co-founder of Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Christiansen's son, a former NYPD detective, died of a heroin overdose in 2012. Erik, 28, injured his back at the gym and became addicted to oxycodone for the pain, which led to an eventual addiction to heroin. "It's an epidemic I think everybody should be aware of," Christiansen said, who believes the real problem is the poor monitoring of prescription medication. Schneiderman also led the effort to pass legislation to create I-STOP, a monitoring program that prevents individuals from going from doctor to doctor to accumulate multiple prescriptions. "If the I-STOP law was in effect over two years ago possibly my son, Erik, would be alive today," Christiansen said. The police department of Quincy, Massachusetts, was the first in the nation to require its officers to carry naloxone and has successfully reversed 211 overdoses with a success rate of over 95%. In New York's Suffolk County, 563 lives were saved last year alone, the statement said. "Equipping the NYPD with naloxone is a tremendously important step in the fight against New York's growing opioid addiction epidemic," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer of Phoenix House in Manhattan. Attorney General Eric Holder vows to fight rising heroin deaths . The heroin epidemic, and the antidote for overdose . Long Island sees exploding heroin use . | The NYPD will equip nearly 20,000 officers with naloxone, a heroin antidote .
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will provide at least $1,170,000 .
"This program will literally save lives," said Schneiderman .
Naloxone prevents heroin from slowing a person's breathing . |
240,731 | c3a5b1b277a11b15963d661f5ee81d3a7cf23cf3 | (CNN) -- In the wise words of Joshua Ferris, "Then We Came to the End." We're rapidly approaching the close of 2012 and the technical end of autumn. And of course, according to (pseudo-scholars of) the Mayan calendar, we're a mere week away from The End of the World. All that finality got us thinking about how folks really manage to lose their netiquette heads when they scramble, legs flailing and akimbo, toward the denouement of events and life chapters. So here is the ultimate (get it?) guide to a polite big finish. If you're leaving your job ... Generally, it's wise to wait until your last day or so to let the LOLcat out of the bag (which is to say, to tweet or blog or otherwise post about your new gig). Why? Because until the ink has dried on your contract, you don't want to run your mouth and risk sharing an update your new company wanted to announce itself. Plus, your current employer might not want to be hit with a torrent of resumes. Remember to give your professional contacts your new e-mail address before your account is shut down. Then social-media up a storm on your first day or after your first week gushing about how much you love your new gig. Just don't do it during business hours. Obviously. If you're leaving a city ... The most heartfelt farewells will happen in person, but you do need to let your more casual acquaintances know about the relocation. A mass e-mail is wise, as are a few Paul Revere-esque "Moving day is coming! Moving day is coming!" updates on your social networking site of choice. But brace yourself: You'll likely continue to receive mass digital invites to events and debauchery in your former city from well-meaning but clueless contacts. Calmly write back to the inviter, explain that you won't be attending because you're flipping 2,000 miles away, and ask to be taken off the attendant chain of e-mails/texts/Facebook messages. If your company goes kaput ... The unemployment rate may have ticked down, but bankruptcies and shut-downs are still rampant (co-columnist Andi's magazine, "Martha Stewart's Whole Living," was shuttered on Friday, in fact). Stay classy to aid your job search and keep the bridges behind you unburned. Wait until the employer has made official statements to the press (don't blow the lid off the thing sooner), and then use whatever outlets you have to spread the word that you're back on the market. (Hi there!) (Hey, we couldn't very well call ourselves Netiquette experts if we weren't big on the Art of Self-Promotion, right?) If you're leaving your wife ... Digital missives should not, we repeat, should not be involved in the actual dumping. It's an obvious warning that more than a third of adults bewilderingly ignore. Suck it up and place a phone call or discuss it in person. Then let your close friends or parents or whomever know about the break-up (we recommend using e-mail or the phone) before you go switching up your relationship status on Facebook (or worse, creating an online dating profile). You don't want your loved ones to call you in alarm after a stalk-y friend alerts them to your new Single status, do you? If you're hanging up your hat as Netiquette columnists ... You take a bow and move on. These last 2.5+ years (and 130+ columns) have been real, and we're legit grateful to the readers and fans who responded with balanced criticism, intelligent questions and positive feedback. We've enjoyed mouthing off and calling out netiquette breaches as we saw 'em, and hope you've picked up a pointer or two. But we're moving on with our writing lives -- Brenna with a YA novel, Andi with a screenplay -- and we thought it wise to tap out before the world comes to a smoldering end. And to all the haters: Good luck with your lives as well as basic motor tasks. You desperately need it. -- Andi & Brenna . | Netiquette columnists sign off with digital farewell tips .
Don't start posting about new jobs until old one's done .
Mass e-mails are good when you're moving out of town .
When wrapping a netiquette column, take a bow and move on . |
240,555 | c366774b8bcfa9687aa3695abf50be1d9f901845 | Blackburn Rovers manager Gary Bowyer has emerged as a surprise contender for the QPR job. Caretaker boss Chris Ramsey remains favourite to land the post after No 1 target Michael Laudrup made clear his intention to remain in Qatar with Lekhwiya. But Sportsmail understands QPR owner Tony Fernandes has been impressed by what Bowyer has done on limited budget in the wake of Steve Kean's disastrous tenure at Ewood Park. Gary Bowyer (above) led Blackburn to eighth in the Championship in his first season in charge . QPR striker Bobby Zamora (right) celebrates his goal during the 2-0 win over Sunderland on Tuesday night . P 95 W 37 D 31 L 27 W% 38.95 . Blackburn finished eighth in the Championship last season and currently sit ninth in the table. The Blackburn job is Bowyer's first full-time managerial post having twice been caretaker at Ewood Park before his appointment in May 2013. Fernandes is due in London next week in an attempt to finalise the appointment of Harry Redknapp's successor as the Rs bid to avoid relegation. Ramsey's did his chances of landing the full-time job no harm with victory over Sunderland on Tuesday night. The three points were QPR's first away from home this season. Caretaker manager Chris Ramsey (above) remains favourite to land the full-time job at Loftus Road . | Harry Redkapp resigned his post as QPR manager last week .
Chris Ramsey is in caretaker charge and favourite for the job .
Gary Bowyer in contention having impressed owner Tony Fernandes .
Michael Laudrup was favourite to take over at QPR earlier this week .
Laudrup however has since told associates he wishes to remain in Qatar .
CLICK HERE for all the latest Queens Park Rangers news . |
247,022 | cbaa767cfa1d9508cfa216ca77d4786b6a8e1b05 | (CareerBuilder.com) -- Just as the riskiest financial investment strategy is to have all of your money in one place, the riskiest career management strategy is to have all of your income from one organization unless you are in a critical role and have skills that are difficult to find in the labor market. To enjoy job security and professional fulfillment in this new employment reality, you should have a "portfolio career" that includes multiple and simultaneous income streams or "career acts." Career acts can include an eBay business, part-time job, profitable hobby, nonexecutive board seat, franchise, authored book, affiliate links on your blog, weekend jazz trio, etc. Here are 10 tips for managing career acts in a portfolio career: . Diversify . Start maximizing your talents to generate broad-based income streams. Some career acts can be slow and steady sources of income, while others can be higher-risk with higher potential reward. Professions such as nursing or teaching science are low-risk sources of guaranteed income, whereas starting a small business has a higher risk, with potential for a much higher reward. Invest intelligently . To build income-generating career acts, you will need to invest in yourself, your business, your network and the like. You may need, for example, to return to school for a degree or training program, to invest in equipment or supplies, or to attend a conference or some other networking event. Manage the financial risk incurred by being realistic about your talents and abilities and making sure you have the tenacity and effectiveness to take full advantage of your investments. Actively manage your portfolio . Your career acts will need different investments and have different trajectories for growth. Today's careers are actively self-managed. Invest prudently . Start protecting your time and your discretionary spending, as you may need both to start a new career act. Maintain high ethical standards . Do not add career acts that a reasonable supervisor wouldn't consider or that would use company time or resources for your private gain. At the same time, remember that you did not take a vow of poverty when you became employed. Sell high . Many people actively manage how they enter an organization but passively manage their exit, often waiting for a layoff, reorganization or something else to force their departure. If you work for an unsupportive supervisor, have no opportunities for growth or dislike what you are doing, start planning your exit while you still have an income stream. Know your tolerance for risk . Entrepreneurship is not right for everyone. Find a mix of career acts that do not add anxiety to your life and that align with your talents. Trust your hunches . Do not let anyone tell you that you lack focus or should get serious about one career. Careers today are moving further away from the traditional 40-hour-per-week employer to more self-directed opportunities for generating income. Understand the data . Speak with multiple people who occupy any career act you would like to have. There are often different ways to achieve the same career goal. Some ways may take less time and less money but produce the same result. Seek advice . Often people have a hard time understanding ways they can use their talents and abilities. Speak to trusted friends or advisers who know you well and want to see you succeed about what they see you doing. You will be surprised at how well others can spotlight your talents and give you ideas. A well-managed portfolio career can provide greater income, personal fulfillment and professional security. What income-generating opportunity can you create for yourself that would use your talents and skills, in a way you would like to work? Make a plan and start growing your amazing portfolio career. Paula Caligiuri, Ph.D. is the author of "Get a Life, Not a Job: Do What You Love and Let Your Talents Work for You" (FT Press). She is a work psychologist and Professor at Rutgers University. © CareerBuilder.com 2011. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority. | Expert: Don't bet your financial future on one income from one company .
Career acts: An eBay business, profitable hobby, nonexecutive board seat, franchise .
Invest in yourself by returning to school, your network by attending a conference .
Plan your exit if you work for an unsupportive supervisor or hate your job . |
49,500 | 8be2a25d677d8ee1dc049be969d1a26d2fccb398 | I had to laugh this week when people started writing Steven Gerrard off. Liverpool have a few bad results and all of a sudden it’s his fault? Don’t be ridiculous. Gerrard has bailed his team out so many times and if there is a better player who can do that job for Liverpool then I’ve yet to see him. Yes, he will need to be rested at times but there’s a big difference between being rested and being dropped. Liverpool have lost Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge has been injured, so there are reasons why they are struggling. But it’s so easy to jump on the bandwagon and say people are finished. It’s just lazy. Scroll down for video . Steven Gerrard (left) curls in his free-kick against Everton and answers his critics . Gerrard celebrates his derby goal against Everton in front of his adoring Liverpool fans . Ask any professional: would you rather play Liverpool with or without Steven Gerrard? There will only be one answer. Wayne Rooney's wild challenge on Stewart Downing was cynical and unnecessary. But the truth is he could even have hurt himself. Paul Gascoigne did something similar while playing for Spurs against Nottingham Forest in the 1991 FA Cup final. He went lunging in on Gary Charles and ended up rupturing his own cruciate ligament in his knee. I have done plenty of stupid things on a football field but it was rash, particularly after such a good first half. Now Rooney misses three matches including a big clash against Chelsea. With competition so fierce, he will hate being out of the team. That edge has always been a big part of Wayne’s game. It’s part of what makes him a winner and you don’t want to take that away but he needs to show greater responsibility, especially as captain. Rooney has been quoted as saying United can still win the title. I’m not convinced they can but what else is the captain of Manchester United going to say? It would be more surprising if he had already given up after six games. Wayne Rooney was reckless when he kicked out at Stewart Downing and was sent off on Saturday . Paul Gascoigne injured himself fouling Gary Charles in the 1991 FA Cup final . Edin Dzeko scored two superb goals against Hull, including a fantastic strike from distance that our graphic shows. With Alvaro Negredo gone, City need all their strikers firing and Dzeko is invaluable. The Bosnian is now something of an away-day specialist. He doesn’t score too many against the top teams, but he’s so good in those scrappy games when you need to break down the opposition, as the chart below shows. After the start Southampton have made, there are plenty of players in that side worthy of praise. But one who is starting to stand out is Sadio Mane. He looks absolutely electric. He cost the best part of £12million, so you would expect some big performances from him but there is always a question over foreign signings — can they handle life in the Premier League? From what I’ve seen so far, he looks perfect for it. Mane loves cutting in from that left flank, is quick as lightning and is never short of end product. I like what I’m seeing and if he carries on, he has the potential to rip this league apart. At 23 years old, people might wonder why it’s taken so long for Ryan Mason to get his chance. The truth is Spurs have always had high hopes, but injuries have prevented him from playing regularly. League debuts don’t come much tougher than starting away against your fiercest rivals but he acquitted himself well. He’s quick and can turn defence into attack in an instant — something that’s at a premium these days with counter-attacking so important. Younes Kaboul also deserves credit. I was speaking to Sol Campbell in the Sky studio and we agreed he’s got all the attributes to be a top defender, but concentration can let him down. Saturday was the best I’ve seen him play in a long time. Edin Dzeko celebrates scoring his second goal for Manchester City against Hull on Saturday . Saido Mane, being fouled by Sandro against QPR, has made an electric start to life at Southampton . Neil Warnock congratulates Jason Puncheon after Crystal Palace's win against Leicester . Neil Warnock might not have been the most popular appointment at Crystal Palace. I doubt if anyone is complaining now. They have had some excellent results and I like what he’s done with Jason Puncheon. After Puncheon’s angry tweets aimed at Warnock last season, it would have been easy to not involve him. But Puncheon is a match-winner and Warnock nipped any issues they had in the bud. You don’t stay in the game as long as Neil Warnock has without being able to handle difficult situations. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but he has made a good start and has Palace playing the same attacking football that served them so well last season. | Steven Gerrard isn't to blame for Liverpool's poor start this season .
Wayne Rooney could have hurt himself by kicking Stewart Downing .
Edin Dzeko was superb during Manchester City's win at Hull .
Sadio Mane is worthy of high praise at Southampton .
Tottenham's Younes Kaboul also deserves credit . |
67,482 | bf74899b892175a68325fa98013050c70374ab92 | By . Martin Samuel . Is there anything more pointless than a World Cup opening ceremony? Joining the league against the march of the unstoppable Sepp Blatter perhaps? Trying to find where the money’s gone again? Putting the toothpaste back in the tube? The Olympic flame lighting gala is part of the wonder of the event. Fortunes are spent, the biggest names are hired. Histories unfold and the Arctic Monkeys rock out. By contrast, there will be 18th birthday parties in Essex this weekend that have more wit and imagination than this. Trio: Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte perform during the opening ceremony of the 2014 World Cup in Arena de Sao Paulo . Start: J-LO acknowledges the crowd after singing the official World Cup song 'We Are One (Ola Ola)' alongside Pitbull . High notes: Singer Leitte performs during the opening ceremony of the 2014 World Cup where the Brazuca ball was before it split into segments . There were plenty of perfectly viable ways to start this World Cup — the ceremonial beheading of various disgraced FIFA executive committee members, for instance — but Brazil 2014 went for the usual. A cast of hundreds twirling colourfully but to no real purpose, representing the same old cliches that bear about as much resemblance to the true soul of Brazil as Morris dancers would cut to the heart of old England. Still, it was good to see the spirit of Frank Sidebottom rekindled in the dancers with what appeared to be footballs for heads. They resisted the opportunity to do Frank’s own World Cup song, Three Shirts On The Line — a pulsating tale of the time his ball went over next door’s fence — but you can’t have everything. All opening ceremonies have a central theme, though, and this was no exception. Nature, people and football — ‘Brazil’s greatest treasures,’ according to FIFA, who would know a bit about plundering them — were the subject of this one, which included 660 dancers, floaters and others just standing for large parts of the process wondering how hot it could get inside a giant football head before a person passed out. As ever, the action was ripe with hidden meaning. In the mood: J-LO, Leitte and Pitbull perform on the central stage in Sao Paulo ahead of the World Cup opener between Brazil and Croatia . The World Cup stage: The Brazuca ball split into segments to allow Pitbull, J-LO and Leitte to perform during the opening ceremony . Looking on: A Brazil fan waits for the start of the Group A match against Croatia, which the host nation won 3-1 . A mix of all kinds: A Mexico fan looks on while wearing his eccentric peacock-feathered headdress during the opening ceremony in Sao Paulo . Many had the tall folk on stilts down as representing the trees of the Amazonian rainforest, but those of a more creative bent will have instantly spotted the subtle representation of England’s back four against Germany in Bloemfontein. The same stilted sideways movement, uncannily similar pace. Maybe the trees turned quicker and had a better positional sense, but there is always a degree of artistic licence where these festivals are concerned. Soon after, dancers in national costumes old and new celebrated together, some performing somersaults and cartwheels, representing the joy that is felt among the various members of FIFA ExCo when the bloke from Qatar turns up with a sackload of readies. More formally attired attendants represented the lawyers telling journalists they can’t make jokes like that, because nothing of this nature has been proven. And that they’re racists, probably. It really was a most heart-warming scene. Meanwhile, extras dressed as flowers, sprouts, sprites and other stuff you pick out of a salad stood around doing, well, nothing really. Everyone was waiting for J-Lo. Peace: A Brazil fan waves the peace sign during the opening ceremony and another two supporters give a thumbs up as J-LO performs in Sao Paulo . Joy and mirth: Fans watch on as the World Cup gets underway with an opening ceremony at the Arena de Sao Paulo on Thursday before kick-off . All smiles: Brazil fans were certainly up for the opening ceremony as they watched on ahead of the Brazil v Croatia clash in Group A . There is always a big ticket item at opening ceremonies and Jenny from the block was Brazil’s. All week, stories have circled: would she turn up, if she did would she perform or mime, is there genuinely nobody in a country populated by close to 200million that can carry a tune without having to import mundane duds from the Bronx? And then she appeared, ruined Ary Barroso’s wonderful Aquarela do Brasil — the only vaguely Brazilian music on offer — and was shortly joined by Pitbull to do the same to other FIFA endorsed dirges too miserable to mention. God, it was rotten stuff, although all involved seemed very pleased with themselves. At the end they disappeared into a hole in what appeared to be an overripe mango, which was strangely appropriate. A little awkward! Pitbull helps J-LO out of the elevated paltform that seemed to get stuck on its way up . Proud: A female Brazil fan shows off her colours at the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 World Cup ahead of the Brazil and Croatia clash in Sao Paulo . Fans cheer before the start of the first Group A match between Brazil and Croatia, as the opening ceremony seemed to get them in the mood . Performers dance during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Opening Ceremony at Arena de Sao Paulo on June 12 . So what was the stadium like? Was it ready? Was if functioning? Mostly. The helicopters circling overhead told a different World Cup story, one of resentment and unrest, but nothing fell down, so by the standards of modern tournament organisation, this equates to a triumph. The Arena Corinthians is another of those FIFA-endorsed projects that goes down so well in countries whose citizens still dwell in slums. Sao Paulo, the club and the city, had a perfectly passable 67,000-capacity stadium in town that needed modernisation. Instead, FIFA insisted on a new ground and this was built to the east of the city for Sao Paulo’s great rivals Corinthians, huge and white, with fabulous views of the local poverty. Home: A fan kisses a fake World Cup trophy ahead of the match between tournament-favourites Brazil and Croatia . Packed: The general view of the arena during the opening ceremony as fans piled in to see Brazil v Croatia . A festival of colour: The opening ceremony did not disappoint in terms of colour as its huge selection of dancers had their costumes at the ready . Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo . There was bunting hanging from the houses nearby but it had seen better days. Brazil is a hot country and material quickly fades, but even so this looked as if it had been put up some time ago in an attempt to affect enthusiasm for the project, rather than in a frenzy of anticipation as the World Cup drew near. Maybe this will change as the competition progresses and Brazil with it, but right now the idea of football returning to its spiritual home feels like a headline more than a truth. Those inside the stadium were noisy, enthusiastic and clearly good to go, but the rest of the country is still asking what the World Cup can do for them. They’ll hang out the bunting when they have something to bunt about. | World Cup opening ceremony marks the start of the 2014 tournament in Brazil .
Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte performed at the in Sao Paulo .
Tournament opened against back drop of Qatar World Cup bribe controversy and civil unrest in host nation .
Awkward moment when Pitbull had to help J-LO out of a rising platform that got stuck .
Even the bunting hung up around the stadium had faded . |
79,990 | e2b96e3735ebd5009301fa1e0730de7778d25695 | Campbell Dalziel, the brother of helicopter pilot Cameron, spoke of his family's anger over the treatment of the victim' s bodies by rebels in Ukraine . The brother of a British victim of the flight MH17 disaster has spoken of his family's pain as they endure 'a waiting game' ahead of the formal identification of his body. Cameron Dalziel, a father-of-two who had dual British and South African nationality, was one of 10 British nationals on the Malaysian Air jet that was shot down over Ukraine. In an interview published today his brother Campbell said Cameron's wife Reine is 'absolutely distraught' since the crash on July 17. He told the Sunday Times: 'We need closure. I know Cameron is gone. It's getting the death certificate. At the moment it's a waiting game.' Meanwhile, it was reported today that unreleased data from the plane's black box retrieved show findings consistent with the plane's fuselage being hit multiple times by shrapnel from a missile explosion. 'It did what it was designed to do,' a European air safety official told CBS News, 'bring down airplanes.' The official described the finding as 'massive explosive decompression.' Mr Dalziel, who had emailed his brother on the day of the crash to make plans for a visit to South Africa, described the agony of relatives of the 298 victims who had to wait days for news as their loved ones lay in a field near the wreckage. He contrasted the treatment of the bodies as they were brought back to the Netherlands, from where the plane had taken off. 'They had been lying in a strange field in a conflict zone, abandoned for four days while investigators were prevented from going to retrieve their dead,' he said. 'So the professionalism and dignity of how they were honoured as fallen soldiers was such a stark contrast to the days after the crash.' Mr Dalziel said his mother had been moved to tears on seeing the poignant images of the coffins and a guard of honour for the victims. Mr Dalziel, who had just moved to Malaysia with his family, was killed while on his way home after taking a training course. He had moved his family to Malaysia for 'an adventure' but also so he could work normal hours and spend time with his sons Sheldon, 14, and Cruz, 4. Helicopter pilot Cameron Dalziel and his wife Reine recently moved to Malaysia with their two children . Cameron Dalziel, 43, was travelling on a British passport when he was a victim of the Malaysia Airlines flight . Mr Dalziel's wife Reine was forced to cancel his credit cards to stop them being used after they were scavenged from the site of the plane crash, pictured, by pro-Russian rebels who looted the site . Last week it emerged his wife had been forced to cancel her husband's credit cards to stop their fraudulent use. Mrs Dalziel was 'stunned' by the shameful abuse of her dead husband’s belongings. Her brother Shane Hattingh said: 'People are abusing it in the Ukraine. They have no respect for each other, look what they’re doing. It made me angry beyond words.' Yesterday two cargo planes flew 38 more coffins to a forensic centre in the Netherlands for identification and investigation. There are still remains at the site, international observers have said. | Cameron Dalziel was one of 10 British nationals on Flight MH17 .
He was a father-of-two who had dual British and South African nationality .
Today his brother said Cameron's wife Reine is 'absolutely distraught'
Meanwhile, reports emerge of what was recorded by plane's black box .
It is believed plane's fuselage was hit multiple times by shrapnel .
The findings are consistent with a missile explosion, it is claimed . |
40,731 | 72ea12fec945976076e400bc7f0a47b878e4f9b2 | Liverpool supporters look away now - because now even the horse racing world is doing it's best to bring up a memory you would rather forget. The unfortunately named (or fortunately, depending on where your allegiances lie) 'Gerrard's Slip' ran in the 3pm at Southwell on Tuesday and unlike his name would came out on top. Owner Bryan Smart, who also has the likes of Kool Kompany and Captain Dunne on his books, named the horse after Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's title-defining stumble against Chelsea last season. The results slip showing Gerrard's Slip as a winner in the 3pm at Southwell Racecourse . The horse was named after the moment Steven Gerrard (number 8) gifted the ball to Chelsea's Demba Ba . Making the headlines back in November when he made his racing debut - and consequently finished eleventh - the 3-year-old returned to the track to defy the odds. But this tale is not all doom and gloom for the Red half of Merseyside, as the 3-year-old romped to victory by five lengths as a 10-1 shot. As Liverpool prepare to take on arch-rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, Captain Gerrard - coincidentally the name of the stallion who fathered Gerrard's Slip - is expected to be given a starting berth in Brendan Rodgers' side. | Horse 'Gerrard's Slip' won in Tuesday's 3pm race at Southwell Racecourse .
The 3-year-old was a 10/1 shot and romped to victory by five lengths .
Owner Bryan Smart named the horse after Steven Gerrard's infamous slip .
The Liverpool captain's mishap against Chelsea led to the Reds handing the league title to Manchester City . |
188,841 | 8096716aa783cb060b2fb6c494c93c9106fe3854 | (CNN) -- Mexican authorities have arrested a reputed senior member of a major Tijuana-based drug cartel after a shootout, U.S. authorities confirmed Sunday. Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, on Saturday. Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested at a Tijuana, Mexico, residence Saturday, said Special Agent Eileen Zeidler of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office in San Diego, California. She said federal authorities received a tip on the whereabouts of Arellano-Felix and provided the information to Mexican authorities. No other details were immediately available. Arellano-Felix was one of the last wanted members of the powerful and brutal trafficking organization bearing his family name, authorities say. His brother, reputed Mexican drug lord Javier Arellano-Felix, was captured by U.S. authorities in August 2006 off the shore of southern Baja California. The brothers were on the top of the DEA's Most Wanted List, carrying rewards of $5 million dollars for their capture. Officials say seven brothers and four sisters of the Arellano-Felix family inherited the Tijuana cartel from Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo in 1989 after his arrest for drug trafficking. Eduardo was the last remaining brother who had an active role in the cartel. Today, the notorious cartel is split into two factions -- one headed by Eduardo Garcia Simental and another headed by Eduardo Arellano-Felix's nephew, Fernando Sanchez Arellano. The two sides have engaged in brutal fighting, accounting for nearly all the violence in Tijuana, according to the DEA. More than 400 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Tijuana this year. While Eduardo Arellano-Felix was not the boss of the cartel, DEA officials said his nephew sought his advice on decisions. Zeidler said the arrest of Arellano-Felix was a significant step in potentially dismantling the cartel. "You pull the foundation out of the house and the house is going to come down," she said. "[Arellano-Felix] was the foundation." | Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested at a Tijuana residence Saturday .
He was on the DEA's Most Wanted List .
Arrest could help dismantling the family's drug cartel, DEA agent says . |
138,202 | 3eb9947920176dbf43c4970b9aa5fa0ecf622d0c | Former England cricketer Graeme Swann talks to Sportsmail about everything from his sporting heroes and career highlight to who would play him in a movie about his life. Who is your sporting hero? Peter Beardsley. I’m a Newcastle fan and he was always my favourite player — and he loves cricket. The first time I met him was at Durham. He was throwing his ball to his little lad but I went and shamelessly got his autograph. What would you be if you weren’t a sportsman? Probably a fighter pilot, astronaut or a rock star. You’ve got to aim high. Graeme Swann (left) and Alastair Cook celebrate winning the Ashes series in 2009 in the dressing room . Swann's sporting hero is former Newcastle and England player Peter Beardsley . Career highlight? The first time I won the Ashes, at the Oval in 2009. The next two were brilliant and everyone says the victory in Australia was better but for me the first time was amazing. Walking around the ground with Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem playing out, a 150ft St George’s Cross... I get goosebumps thinking about it. ...and the worst moment? We lost 3-0 to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, that was pretty low. Obviously the Ashes last year was not great. If your house was burning down, what one possession would you save? As long as the family is safe I’d get my cats — Max and Paddy. They’re brother and sister (Maxine is the sister…). Swann celebrates taking the wicket of Michael Hussey in the fifth Test of the 2009 Ashes series . What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? Don’t listen to what anyone else thinks about you. I can’t remember who told me that. I probably wasn’t listening. Three most-listened to songs on your ipod? Some Might Say by Oasis, Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and Let it Go from the Frozen soundtrack. It gets played in my car constantly for the kids. Last film you saw? Ghostbusters. They did a 30th anniversary re-release. I bought a ticket for my wife but she looked at me like I was an idiot, so I took my mates. Swann celebrates with Cook during the third Ashes Test in the 2013 series . Last book you read? I really like books about World War Two but I’m a big Tom Clancy fan so probably one of his. Without Remorse is his best. Which three people would you invite for dinner? George Lucas so I could ask him what he was doing with those three Star Wars prequels. Julius Caesar to see if he realised he would be seen as one of the greatest people to walk the planet. And Carmen Electra. I’ve fancied her since I was 15. Favourite pre-match meal? I was very superstitious so if we had a good day in a Test I’d have the same meal I had the night before. In India, Jimmy Anderson, Alastair Cook and I had the same order — two ham and pineapple pizzas, a buttered chicken, three portions of fries, two sticky toffee puddings and a chocolate cake. We were fat as houses but we won the Test. Star Wars director George Lucas is on the list of three people Swann would invite for dinner . In a film of your life, who would you like to play you? Hugh Grant. He’s a good-looking guy. I reckon he’d be handy at cricket too. Tell us a secret... I’m not sure if it’s much of a secret but I’m the singer in a band — Dr Comfort and the Lurid Revelations. We’re not bad! Graeme Swann is a supporter of Right To Play, the international sport for development and peace charity: www.righttoplay.org.uk . | Graeme Swann talks about his sporting hero, career highlight and more .
Swann helped England to three Ashes series victories .
Swann also sings in a band called Dr Comfort and the Lurid Revelations . |
188,611 | 8045c7fb25603cd2b22dedae1e4734e8178e5814 | (CNN) -- Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar, has become more than a little accustomed to being adored by millions. "I don't want to be anonymous... I'm very honest about that. I love being recognized, I love people liking me, I love the fact that people scream when I go out. I think I'll miss all that when it's taken away," he told CNN. But earlier this year comments by Khan, the owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders, caused a storm of controversy and attention he didn't want. Khan questioned the lack of Pakistani players in this year's competition, and Indian Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena interpreted the comments as inflammatory. Threats were made to boycott his latest film and some activists made some threats against him and his family's safety. "It just went onto a political agenda platform, onto an activist platform. I'm not on the same playing field. I'm an actor, I'm not a politician," he said. "This was my point of view... it wasn't as if I was saying something new. I didn't know it would cause so much trouble, and especially when a film was releasing, you don't want that kind of trouble. It just went completely through the roof." Khan is keen to keep his roles as an actor, cricket team boss and icon for millions as far from the political realm as possible. His face is one of the most salable in India with his image used in a raft of adverts and supporting products. Yet his recent film "My Name is Khan" did touch upon religious sensitivities, striking a chord among cinema goers in Muslim countries across the world. In the film Khan, himself a Muslim, plays an autistic Muslim immigrant in American soon after the terrorists attack on September 11, 2001. "I really thought the film was about humanity. It's not about Islam, it could have been about any religion to be honest," he said. "But I simply thought we made a film about humanity. I knew it would do well but I didn't know it would this well because it is a very niche sort of a subject." | Bollywood superstar is also owner of Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team .
Comments over lack of Pakistani players in this year's competition causes controversy .
Latest film, "My Name is Khan" touches upon religious and social sensitivities . |
26,367 | 4ac293329d2e8505ce2b3791da4f4274fd7c5072 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama announced Monday his choice for surgeon general -- Dr. Regina Benjamin, a 52-year-old family practice doctor who has spent most of her career tending to the needs of poor patients in a Gulf Coast clinic in Alabama. Dr. Regina Benjamin holds advanced degrees in medicine and business administration. "When people couldn't pay, she didn't charge them," Obama said. "When the clinic wasn't making money, she didn't take a salary for herself." He called Benjamin "a relentless promoter" of programs to fight preventable illness. Benjamin cited the toll of preventable illness as the reason her family was not with her at the announcement: Her father died with diabetes and high blood pressure; her older brother and only sibling died at age 44 of an HIV-related illness; her mother died of lung cancer after taking up smoking as a girl; her mother's twin brother could not attend because he is at home "struggling for each breath" after a lifetime of smoking. "I cannot change my family's past, but I can be a voice to improve our nation's health for the future," she said. Watch for more on Benjamin » . Benjamin received a bachelor's degree in 1979 from Xavier University of Louisiana, attended Morehouse School of Medicine from 1980 to 1982, and received a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1984. She completed her residency in family practice at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in 1987. Her medical training was paid for by a federal program, the National Health Service Corps, under which medical students promise to work in areas with few doctors in exchange for free tuition, one year of service for every year of paid tuition. Benjamin founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990 in the fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and has served as its CEO since. Like many of her patients, the clinic has suffered its own life-threatening challenges. It was heavily damaged by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It also burned to the ground several years ago. But Benjamin rebuilt it after each setback and has continued to offer medical care to the village's 2,500 residents. Her commitment to them has meant making house calls during the rebuilding, mortgaging her house and maxing out her credit cards, Obama said. "Regina Benjamin has refused to give up; her patients have refused to give up," he said. Many of her family practice patients are immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos who make up a third of Bayou La Batre's population, and many of them are uninsured. Benjamin's expertise goes beyond medicine; she earned a master's in business administration in 1991 from Tulane University. But her focus has not been on making money for herself, she said. "My priority has always been the needs of my patients," she said. "I decided to treat patients regardless of their ability to pay." Benjamin said she has worked for years to scrape together the resources needed to keep the clinic doors open and found "it has not been an easy road. ... It should not be this hard for doctors and other health care providers to care for their patients." She praised Obama "for putting health care reform at the top of your domestic agenda," and said she hopes, if confirmed by the Senate, "to be America's doctor, America's family physician." "As we work toward a solution to this health care crisis, I promise to communicate directly to the American people, to help guide them through whatever changes come with health care reform. I want to make sure that no one falls through the cracks," she said. A call to the clinic, where Benjamin was working last week, found it in full swing. "We are just packed in with patients right now, and I'm the only one at the front office," said a breathless woman who then hung up. Benjamin has served as the associate dean for rural health at the University of South Alabama's College of Medicine and as president of the State of Alabama Medical Association, from 2002-2003. She was the first African-American woman board member of the American Medical Association, and she just served a term as chairwoman of the group's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. The position of surgeon general, whose effectiveness is largely in its use as a bully pulpit, requires Senate confirmation. | Dr. Regina Benjamin is a rural family physician .
She founded and rebuilt medical clinic in a fishing village in Alabama .
Many of her patients are uninsured, according to the MacArthur Foundation .
Benjamin received a "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation . |
201,890 | 915dabb9e669e02d7e05d9b641f554746210add1 | A 16-year-old boy died trying to save his 13-year-old brother after he fell from slippery rocks into a creek on Tuesday. The 13-year old boy whose identity has not been released fell into the water at Lasells Stewart Picnic Area in Wildwood Falls on the Row River in Oregon. The 16-year-old boy whose identity is also not being released lowered himself to the rocks to try to hold onto his brother who was nearly washed away by the rapid moving water. A 16-year-old boy died trying to rescue his younger 13-year-old brother from a creek at Wildwood Falls (pictured) on Tuesday . Due to the speedy current of the water, the 16-year-old was unable to grasp his younger brother and so he lowered himself into the creek in attempt to help him survive. Unfortunately both brothers fell down a narrow chute of water and only the 13-year-old emerged alive. The older brother never returned to the surface of the water, reported KVAL. Lane County Search and Rescue Divers searched the area and later recovered the older brother's body after they removed a large log from the water chute. The Mail Online attempted to contact the police department to learn the boys' identities but no one was available for comment. The condition of the 13-year-old's health is unknown though he is still alive. The younger boy, age 13, slipped on rocks and fell in the water near the top of Wildwood Falls on the Row River at Lasells Stewart Picnic Area and his older brother died trying to save him . | A 13-year-old boy fell from slippery rocks to into a creek at Wildwood Falls and his 16-year-old brother died saving him .
The 16-year-old boy lowered himself to the rocks to try to hold onto .
his brother who was nearly washed away by the rapid moving water .
Both brothers fell down a narrow chute of water and only the 13-year-old emerged alive . |
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