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fb3a1291017d865e115c7a5c5213e69cdbb49855 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 9:05 PM on 10th November 2011 . A New York woman cleared of murder charges in the shooting death of her retired police officer husband was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for gun possession, a decision her lawyer described as disheartening. In a case seen as a test of the battered-woman defense, Barbara Sheehan, 50, was acquitted of second-degree murder last month after her lawyers successfully argued that she fired a gun at her husband only after he threatened to kill her. She and her children testified during her trial about the violent household ruled by Raymond Sheehan, 49, a former New York City police sergeant. Barbara Sheehan was found not guilty of murder after she shot her ex police officer husband 11 times after, she and her children claimed, years of abuse. But she was sentenced to five years on a weapons charge . Both the prosecution and defense said the beatings and bruises came to an end on February 18, 2008, when Sheehan shot her husband 11 times in their Queens home. She was sentenced in state Supreme Court in Queens to five years in prison and two years of probation on the unlawful gun possession charge, based on her use of her husband's weapons. She had faced a possible sentence of 3-1/2 to 15 years. Her attorney Michael Dowd called her sentence 'disheartening' and said an appeal was planned. 'I think it is a horrific message, the sentence in this case of five years, a horrific message for battered women,' Dowd said outside the courthouse after sentencing. Raymond Sheehan reportedly threatened to kill his wife, so she shot him. She has sentenced to five years in prison and two years of probation on the unlawful gun possession charge . 'If you're a battered woman, move someplace else if you expect to get help because you're not going to get it here,' he said. Legal experts called the case a test of the battered-woman defense, in which a history of abuse is cited to explain a woman's mental state at the time she is accused of committing a crime. Key to the battered-woman defense is the issue of self defense. New York state law justifies the use of lethal force in response to an immediate threat to life. Under the battered-woman defense, lethal force can sometimes be justified even if the threat may not appear immediate. Court documents said the shooting happened after Sheehan refused to go on vacation with her husband. She testified she was scared because he had threatened to kill her if she didn't go. Prosecutors said Sheehan shot her husband 11 times using two guns the former police officer had at home. Her husband was in the bathroom shaving before Sheehan shot him. According to court documents, Sheehan told police the night of the incident: 'I shot him! I shot him! I think he's dead. He's in the bathroom.' The defense said he had grabbed a gun he kept in the bathroom and pointed it at her head, and she shot him in self defense. | Barbara Sheehan shot husband Raymond 11 times . |
fb3b773b325dee8c264dcb8b52de5f549657c735 | David Cameron has boldly declared that Britain’s mission will be ‘accomplished’ in Afghanistan by the time troops pull out next year – and that it should never again become a haven for terrorists. Appearing to dismiss fears that Taliban militants will return to wreak havoc, the Prime Minister, making what is set to be his last Christmas visit to British bases in the country, gave a startling upbeat assessment of the troubled country’s prospects 13 years into the conflict. Asked by reporters if the troops come home with ‘mission accomplished’, Mr Cameron said: ‘Yes, I think they do. I think they can come home with their heads held high.’ Scroll down for video . Support: Mr Cameron said when troops leave Afghanistan at the end of next year they will return to Britain with their 'heads held high' Mission: Prime Minister David Cameron, met British soldiers at Camp Bastion, outside Lashkar Gah during his traditional Christmas visit to troops . The Prime Minister insisted that the . main aim of the mission, which has claimed 446 British lives, was to . give the country ‘a basic level of security’ against terrorism, and he . said he was confident this had been achieved. His . remarks risked comparisons with the notorious ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech given by former US president George W Bush about Iraq in May . 2003 after Saddam Hussein’s regime had been overthrown, only for an . insurgency to take hold which claimed thousands of lives. Standing . on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, Mr Bush declared that . ;in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have . prevailed.’ While the . president did not utter the infamous phrase ‘mission accomplished’, he . made the speech against the backdrop of a huge banner bearing the . slogan. Echo: Mr Cameron's remarks drew comparisons with US President George W. Bush's speech aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003, declaring that it was 'mission accomplished' in Iraq . The incident came to . represent the failure of the United States and Britain to adequately . prepare for the initial invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein's . regime. Mr Cameron, by contrast, did concede that allied forces will ‘not leave behind a perfect country or a perfect democracy’. ‘Afghanistan . is an extremely poor country with a very, very troubled history, but . the purpose of our mission is to build Afghan security forces that were . capable of maintaining a basic level of security so this country never . again became a haven for terrorist training camps, and I think the . Afghan security forces are capable,’ he said. 'That . has been the most important part of the mission. Now it's also good . that there are six million children in school, including two million . girls. It's good that Afghanistan now has far better health services . than it ever did ten years ago, it's good that here we are in Helmand . with elected district governors and basic levels of governance and . services that didn't exist before. 'All . these are important but to me, but - and the National Security council . said this very clearly - to me the absolute driving part of the mission . is a basic level of security so that it doesn’t become a haven for . terror. That is the mission. That was the mission and I think we will . have accomplished our mission so our troops can be very proud of what . they have done.' All combat . troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 – with . numbers serving in the country already reduced from the peak of 9,500 to . round 5,200 by Christmas. Mr . Cameron said the timetable for withdrawal would not change depending on . the security situation, saying ‘we are sticking to that track.’ In June . this year the Afghan National Army and security forces took over . responsibility for security across the country with British forces in a . supporting and training role. Festive: Mr Cameron joined soldiers for breakfast at Camp Bastion, where the mess was decked out for Christmas . Fry-up: The PM helped himself to bacon and eggs alongside serving soldiers . Michael . Owen let the Prime Minister pull rank when it came to choosing which . bunk bed to sleep in as they flew out to Afghanistan together, the . footballer has revealed. The . pair shared a small cabin on a C-17 military transport plane during the . eight- hour journey from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to Camp Bastion. Owen told reporters: 'I obviously let the PM choose first. He chose top. I was quite surprised myself. 'I . couldn't hear anything. I was wondering if he was going to snore but I . couldn't hear anything with the noise up there and obviously you can . hear the pilots all the time. 'So, let's say it wasn't the best of sleeps, but who's to complain? We were in the best place.'Mr Cameron later praised his flight companion: 'Well, he's charming. He's a very nice guy.' He . added that since he took office in 2010, ‘what we've done in that time . is train up a hugely capable Afghan National Army and police force now . numbering almost 350,000 and I think more than capable of providing the . basic level of security that this country needs.’ Military . personnel are concerned that violence may erupt in the weeks running up . to the Afghan elections on April 5 when current president Hamid Karzai . will hand over to a successor for the first time since 2001. Most of the . troops coming home next year will only be pulled out in the summer . after the elections are over. British . military figures admitted that while the Afghan security forces were . performing well and the insurgency had been far weaker this year than in . previous years, militants may still target candidate and election . officials. One military . source said: ‘The campaign here is on track and the Afghans are in a . good place in the short, medium and long term. 'The insurgency will have a . go, they will still be having goes next year at electoral officials but . against the very credible and capable Afghan National Security Force. At the moment the insurgency are just trying to regenerate and . reorganise for the next phase.’ Mr . Cameron also had lunch with troops on the frontline and sent a ‘Bluey’ – . a letter from the Armed Forces postal service -- telling the forces: . ‘You should be proud of what you have achieved here in Afghanistan. ‘It . has been a long road and we have suffered losses but your work is . building an Afghan army and police force that can keep this country safe . and keep our country safe too.’ Flight: Mr Cameron made his visit after travelling on a C-17 military transport plane from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to Camp Bastion . Strategy: Mr Cameron was briefed by British army officers at the forward operating base Sterga II at Helmand province in southern Afghanistan . Meeting: Mr Cameron was joined by former England footballer Michael Owen during the trip., where they discussed a match at Wembley between England and Afghanistan . Asked . whether Mr Cameron was seeking to echo former President Bush’s . announcement of the end of major combat operations in Iraq in front of a . banner reading ‘mission accomplished’, the Prime Minister's official . spokesman pointed out that the words were initially introduced by a . journalist to whose question he was responding. ‘I think it's understandable. He was asked a question, he answered in the way he did,’ said the spokesman. The . spokesman added: ‘The Prime Minister was explaining what the armed . forces have achieved. Is the situation in Afghanistan a perfect one? As . the Prime Minister himself has said, No. ‘But . has the situation improved significantly in terms of the threat that . the terrorists posed? - because that's the reason we intervened. Yes, it . has and that is as a result of the achievements of our armed forces.’ David Cameron, left, poses for pictures with former England footballer Michael Owen, 2nd right, and unidentified Afghan Football Association officials and players . The Prime Minister backed a plan for the England football team to play the Afghan national side in a landmark 'peace match' at Wembley Stadium to mark the end of the conflict. He was in Camp Bastion with England legend Michael Owen, who had a kickaround with troops to launch a major new partnership between the FA and the Afghan Premier League. David Cameron said a symbolic football match when troops return home next year was an 'excellent idea'. He said: 'I’m sure that there will be many very dignified national events that should take place...but the idea of one part of it being a football match I think is a very nice idea.' The match is reminiscent of the truce match played between England and Germany during the First World War. They played in No Man's Land at Christmas 1914 and the match between British and Afghan troops is likely to take place around the centenary. Mr Owen said it would be a 'fantastic occasion'. The footballer who retired last season after 14 years in the game, said: 'In the association the Afghan FA have with ours, I think there's the opportunity for them to come over and train at our national centre St Georges Park and there could be a fully fledged game at Wembley one day - that would be fantastic to mark the occasion. 'They are big into their football and big into the Premier League so I think they would be welcomed. It would a fantastic occasion. I don't know what the politics would be, but it would be great to mark the end of the conflict with a game certainly at Wembley.' He is one of the Football Association's 150 ambassadors. Robert Sullivan, head of corporate affairs at the FA said the match was a 'long term ambition'. Mr Cameron, who watched troops play a team from the Afghan National Army, said: 'I think football has an immense ability to bring people together, bring countries together and as we leave Afghanistan we are not leaving it alone in the world. 'We are going to go on funding its Armed Services, we are going to go on supporting its development. We are going to be helping it have a football league.' | Prime Minister echoes George W Bush during visit to Camp Bastion .
Insists British troops will come home next year with 'heads held high'
Joined Michael Owen to back England vs Afghanistan football match . |
fb3bb00b360f6e658100048d38b2e5a6b7c06810 | It's been a tough autumn for England but I am delighted and much encouraged that they saved their best for last and emerged as convincing winners in what, let’s face it, was a must-win game. If Stuart Lancaster’s men continue to play to their strengths and improve, they are going to be a massively difficult team to beat at Twickenham in the World Cup. With that pack at full tilt, nobody is going to relish playing them and they need to show that again when they next pull on the white shirt, against Wales in Cardiff in their next fixture on February 6. What an interesting Friday night that will be. VIDEO Scroll down for Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: England 26-17 Australia . England players celebrate Ben Morgan's second try at Twickenham against Australia on Saturday . Morgan gives out a scream of joy after barrelling over the line to score England's first try . The England scrum was dominant on Saturday and epitomised the formidable Red Rose pack . Captain Chris Robshaw (centre) celebrates victory with props David Wilson (left) and Kieran Brookes . Brad Barritt: I’ve always seen Brad Barritt as an inside centre but I thought he was magnificent at 13 on Saturday and his bloodied face summed up England’s effort. On days when they are playing a more limited game-plan, he can be very effective indeed at outside centre. Make no mistake, the pressure was on England on Saturday and pretty much across the board everybody stepped up to the plate. It wasn’t always pretty but wins against world-class rugby sides aren’t always things of beauty. It was, however, a very well thought out and crafted performance and England made sure they played to their strengths for as long as possible. The single biggest improvement from the New Zealand, South Africa and Samoa matches was in England’s kicking game, which was unrecognisable from earlier this month. England were intelligent. George Ford enjoyed another fine game and kicked well while Ben Youngs really came to the party, launching a number of high balls and box kicks landing just outside the 22 or deliberately keeping the ball in play to maintain pressure on Australia. England head coach Stuart Lancaster (second right), pictured with (from left) coaches Mike Catt, Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell, has a formidable pack now and he can build from their with his side . George Ford kicks a penalty against Australia at Twickenham during the November international on Saturday . There was even at least one good old fashioned ‘up and under’. Execute them well and they always cause problems. This much improved kicking was backed up by a well organised kick-chase game with Jonny May and Anthony Watson using their pace to hound the Wallabies and challenge for the high ball. If you do those basics exceptionally well you are always going to give yourself a chance. England must not rest on their laurels here. Their kicking game earlier this month was very poor and they need to reproduce Saturday’s quality on a regular basis. They need to fully appreciate that a complete kicking game is an important attacking weapon, not a negative tactic. It was a pretty impressive defensive effort as well because Australia, who badly needed a win themselves, definitely turned up to play and there is no more dangerous back division in world rugby when they go hunting for tries. The official stats show that England made 158 tackles to Australia’s 48 and though I don’t remember them being under the pump to quite that extent, a stack of tackling had to be done at key times. Brad Barritt, pictured tackling Australia's Quade Cooper, put in one of his best performances for England . The centre is led off the field by physio Phil Park (left) as being bloodied and bruised during the match . We saw the true value of Brad Barritt in organising the defensive line behind the scrum and with the way he put his body on the line. The Saracen centre had one of his finest Test displays and though midfield is clearly an area where England have yet to find a settled combination he stated his case strongly. Elsewhere, it’s difficult to look beyond the England pack. They have been formidable over the past four weekends and it is worth emphasising they were unable to consider six Lions forwards from 2013 - Alex Corbisiero, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Mako Vunipola, Geoff Parling and Tom Croft. I also consider Joe Launchbury to be right up there in terms of quality. I am a great believer in not making injury excuses - go with your best available team and get judged from that. But what a strong position to be in come the Six Nations if four or five of those are fit again. This pack will only get stronger and should give England a rock solid foundations going forward. England's scrum was dominant and was the cornerstone of their victory over Australia . Northampton and England blindside Tom Wood feeds Ben Youngs after a clean take at lineout time . WINNERS . 1) JOE MARLER (PROP) Has come of age this November and stormed through four tough Tests with flying colours. Strong scrummager, good around the park. Still young but Quins captaincy has matured him. Joe Marler (centre) impressed for England this autumn and has really improved and matured . 2) GEORGE FORD (FLY HALF) Along with Danny Cipriani, the best attacking option England have at fly-half. Has made a very accomplished start. Needs to build on that - beginning against Wales in Cardiff. Ford (left) has established himself as one of the most exciting No 10s in England right now . 3) BEN MORGAN (NO 8) Missed out initially to Billy Vunipola but has taken his chances well. Morgan is a big and dangerous ball carrier who knows where the try-line is and now fit enough to make that count for 80 minutes. Morgan was extremely impressive and is a very dangerous ball carrier for England . LOSERS . 1) OWEN FARRELL (FLY HALF) I’m a big Farrell fan, I love his abrasiveness and big-match goal-kicking - but he is a 12 now for England. Didn’t look match-fit going into the autumn and maybe shouldn’t have been picked. Owen Farrell (right) has been out of form and low on fitness and is now a No 12 option for England . 2) DANNY CARE (SCRUM HALF) Still one of the best two scrum-halves in England but took a backward step this month. Must get back into the groove with Quins and ‘go again’. At his best, an important player for England. Danny Care is still one of the best two scrum halves in England but he needs to find his form again . 3) BILLY VUNIPOLA (NO 8) A considerable talent but not fit and fast enough yet to make an impact at elite level. England’s backrow lacks a little pace and they can not afford another slow unit. Must work on his conditioning. Billy Vunipola has lost his place in the England side and needs to improve his fitness to get it back . | England beat Australia 26-17 at Twickenham on Saturday .
They ended a tough autumn with an encouraging and convincing win .
Stuart Lancaster has a formidable pack at his disposal .
George Ford and Ben Youngs also put in encouraging displays .
England can welcome back six Lions into the forwards as well .
By the World Cup, England won't be a side you want to face at Twickenham . |
fb3bc40c0fd477286b8aadf2cdd93caa41315e7a | (CNN) -- Adrian Lamo, the former computer hacker who tipped off federal authorities to WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning, says two men in the Boston area have told Lamo in phone conversations that they assisted Manning. Lamo said both men attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but he refused to identify them because, he said, at least one of them has threatened him. One of these men allegedly told Lamo they gave encryption software to Manning and taught the Army private how to use it, Lamo said. Manning, an Army intelligence analyst, is being held in solitary confinement at a Virginia detention facility. He is charged with leaking an airstrike video that the whistleblower website WikiLeaks published in April, and Pentagon officials say he is the prime suspect in last week's disclosure of thousands of field reports from the war in Afghanistan to the site. Lamo claimed both men are working for WikiLeaks. Also, both men are Facebook friends with Lamo and Manning, and at least one continues to post Facebook messages on Lamo's wall, the former hacker said. Asked for comment about Lamo's allegation that men working for WikiLeaks assisted Manning, WikiLeaks responded in an e-mail: "As a matter of policy, we do not discuss any matters to do with allegations relating to the identity of sources." The New York Times reported Saturday that Army investigators looking into the document leak have expanded their inquiry to include friends and associates who may have helped Manning. Specifically, the Times spoke to two civilians interviewed in recent weeks by the Army's criminal division, who said that investigators apparently believed that the friends, who include students from MIT and Boston University, might have connections to WikiLeaks. The civilians, who the Times did not name, told the newspaper they had no connection to WikiLeaks. The Boston Globe interviewed a recent MIT graduate who it said acknowledged Saturday that he met Manning in January and exchanged as many as 10 e-mails with him about security issues. But the individual "adamantly" denied any role in the document leak, the Globe reported. The Globe also reported that this MIT graduate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he was interviewed several months ago by Army investigators to find out whether he or "others in the local computer hacker community" helped Manning. A spokeswoman for MIT, Patti Richards, told CNN: "We are monitoring the situation closely, but are not commenting at this time." CNN has previously reported that the FBI is assisting the Defense Department in the WikiLeaks investigation of Manning. One FBI official told CNN the bureau is involved in the investigation of potential civilian co-conspirators who may have played a role in the leaking of the classified material. Attempts to reach an attorney for Manning have so far been unsuccessful. CNN's Ashley Fantz, Ashley Vaughan and Shirley Hung contributed to this report. | Hacker says he's talked to two men who say they helped WikiLeaks suspect Manning .
Lamo says at least one of the men threatened him .
MIT says it won't comment at this time .
The suspect in WikiLeaks disclosures is being held in Virginia . |
fb3bc92b5b444df08c5b4093193b010d9930a9a9 | (CNN) -- Scientists are studying what caused tsunami-like waves that observers spotted near the New Jersey coast earlier this month. "The source is complex and still under review," the National Weather Service's West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says on its website. In New Jersey's Barnegat Inlet, a fisherman said he saw a massive, 6-foot-tall wave surging toward the coast on June 13. Tsunami-like waves were observed at more than 30 tide gauges in areas along the East Coast, the center said. Meteorological factors and the slumping of the continental shelf east of New Jersey may have played a role, the center said. | Fisherman describes a 6-foot wave near the New Jersey coast .
Tidal gauges also detect tsunami-like waves .
Scientists are studying what caused the waves, the National Weather Service says . |
fb3c4db68da8f97392a5bd25640e95f048535585 | (CNN) -- Celebrity chef Paula Deen hopes the Supreme Court's ruling allowing same-sex marriage to be legal in California will help in her defense against a racial discrimination lawsuit. The woman alleging that she was subjected to a hostile work environment while working as an assistant manager at Deen's restaurants is white and therefore doesn't have the "standing," or legal right, to claim racial discrimination, according to a motion filed Monday by Deen's lawyer. The high court rejected an appeal of California's Proposition 8 law last week on the grounds that the private parties behind the appeal did not have standing to defend the ballot measure barring gay and lesbian couples from state-sanctioned wedlock. Even if the federal judge in Savannah, Georgia, accepts the argument and tosses the lawsuit, much damage has already been done to Deen's career and businesses by the public fallout from a deposition in which she acknowledged using the "N-word." Chat: Comfort food, uncomfortable topics . Asked by the lawyer taking the deposition if she had ever used the word, she said, "Yes, of course." She said she had probably used the racial slur when talking to her husband about "when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head" -- an incident that took place 30 years ago. Asked if she had used it since then, she said, "I'm sure I have, but it's been a very long time." She noted that circumstances have changed "since the '60s in the South." Many of Deen's lucrative business relationships have crumbled in the wake of media coverage of the lawsuit. She has lost at least nine endorsements along with her Food Network cooking show, and publication of her eagerly anticipated cookbook has been canceled. Deen attorney William Franklin's motion, filed Monday with the U.S. District Court in Savannah, cited the June 26 Supreme Court decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the California case. "Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts made this observation: Article III of the Constitution confines the judicial power of federal courts to deciding actual 'Cases' or 'Controversies,'" the motion said. "One essential aspect of this requirement is that any person invoking the power of a federal court must demonstrate standing to do so. This requires the litigant to prove that he has suffered a concrete and particularized injury that is fairly traceable to the challenged conduct, and is likely to be redressed by a favorable judicial decision." George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told CNN Tuesday the contention that the Prop 8 ruling is relevant to the Deen case won't hold water. The concept of standing is hardly new, and the Supreme Court bringing it into the spotlight in Hollingsworth v. Perry doesn't not advance Deen's motion to dismiss the case, Turley said. Deen's accuser: 'This has never been about the N-word' Lisa Jackson, the plaintiff in the suit against Deen is white, has no standing because she couldn't have suffered "a personal and tangible harm" from hearing the "N-word" on the job, the Franklin's , motion says. In the Prop 8 case, state officials refused to pursue an appeal when a federal judge struck down the same-sex marriage ban. Private citizens picked it up, ultimately to be told by the high court last week that they had no standing to do so. Jackson is a former manager at Deen's restaurants in Savannah, Georgia. She is suing Deen and her brother, Bubba Hier, alleging they committed numerous acts of violence, discrimination and racism that resulted in the end of her five-year employment at Deen's Lady & Sons and Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House eateries in Savannah. She gave a statement to CNN's Don Lemon through her lawyer, Matthew Billips, on Monday. "This lawsuit has never been about the N-word," she said. "It is to address Ms. Deen's patterns of disrespect and degradation of people that she deems to be inferior. I may be a white woman, but I could no longer tolerate her abuse of power as a business owner, nor her condonation of Mr. Hier's despicable behavior on a day-to-day basis. I am what I am, and I am a human being that cares about all races, and that is why I feel it is important to be the voice for those who are too afraid to use theirs." Deen's lawyer has called the allegations false, and Deen has said she does not tolerate prejudice. Deen made an emotional appearance on NBC's "Today Show" last week in which she called the accusations "horrible, horrible lies." "I believe that every creature on this Earth, every one of God's creatures, was created equal," she said. "... I believe that everyone ought to be treated equal." Deen was raised to never be unkind to anyone, she said. Opinion: We use Deen to give ourselves a pass . CNN's Stephanie Genkin, Josh Levs, Caleb Silver and Melissa Gray contributed to this report. | NEW: Law professor says the Prop 8 ruling is not relevant to the Deen case .
A white woman can't sue for racial discrimination, Deen's lawyer argues .
Deen's motion cites last week's Supreme Court ruling on California's Prop 8 .
The high court ruled private citizens had "no standing" to appeal same-sex ruling . |
fb3e3c8633bf357f0a4f9f9244473b8931a16e4f | (CNN) -- Rock group R.E.M. debuted a song from its upcoming album Wednesday on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" program. R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe says the band was honored to be involved with the "Planet in Peril" project. The song "Until the Day Is Done" also will appear later this month in "Planet in Peril," a four-hour CNN documentary that looks at environmental crises around the world. "With 'Planet in Peril,' Anderson Cooper and his team have done an amazing job capturing global eco-devastation," said R.E.M singer Michael Stipe in a news release. "The images in the film are beautiful, while at the same time heartbreaking and frightening. We are honored to have our song included in this monumental project." This isn't the first time R.E.M. has worked with Cooper. The band premiered its video "Bad Day" on the show in 2002. "Planet in Peril" executive producer Charlie Moore said the group's longstanding commitment to environmental causes made them a natural choice for the project. Watch a trailer for "Planet in Peril" and hear "Until the Day Is Done" » . Moore said they contacted R.E.M. earlier this year to see if the group would be willing to write a song to go with the documentary, and the band happened to be in the studio working on their upcoming album. "We were able to hear some of the stuff they were doing and this particular song fits perfectly for the project," Moore said. He said the group, their management and their record label were eager to be involved. "It's sort of serendipitous that we were able to work something out with them," Moore said. "All the stars were lined up for this to happen, they were in the studio, they were working on a song that fit with the feeling that the pictures portray and they really match up very well. And we like their music, we like their work and are just thrilled that they wanted to be a part of it." "Planet in Peril" features CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "Animal Planet" host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin. The two-part documentary was filmed in 13 countries and focuses on the issues of climate change, deforestation, species loss and overpopulation. CNN will air "Planet in Peril" on October 23 and 24 at 9 p.m. ET. It also will be broadcast on CNN International. In a message on the R.E.M.'s Web site, the group said it had finished recording songs for the new album, which is scheduled to be released next year. The band also is releasing a live CD/DVD on Tuesday with 22-tracks recorded at a 2005 concert in Dublin, Ireland. E-mail to a friend . | R.E.M. song "Until the Day Is Done" debuts on CNN .
Song also to be used in documentary "Planet in Peril"
Song will be on R.E.M.'s upcoming album .
Band releasing live CD/DVD next week . |
fb3e503e977d24c26d447093a28616862edd7a9a | He is supposed to have his hands full running the country. But David Cameron looked the picture of a relaxed dad this morning as he stepped out of Downing Street with daughter Florence in one arm and a dolly’s pram in the other. Embarrassingly it came on the day the government warned too many families struggle to fit their own childcare around their working lives. Hands full: David Cameron emerged from Number 10 this morning carrying daughter Florence and her toys . The Prime Minister was seen emerging from Number 10 early this morning, with two-year-old Florence cradled in his left arm. His other hand was struggling with a pink doll’s pram and a purple scooter. For many dads the idea of taking their children to school or nursery before work is all but impossible. A new report published today said childcare is a ‘major concern for many families’ and parents face ‘huge difficulties’ in find the right care at the right price. But Mr Cameron appeared not to have a care in the world as he made his way along Downing Street with his youngest daughter. Family time: Mr Cameron has spoken of his desire to take his children to school or nursery once a week . On the move: Tourists and people heading to work will have been surprised to see the Prime Minister out and about . He found himself with some extra time in his diary this morning after the meeting of Cabinet was moved to Thursday. He was later seen helping Florence as she struggled with her scooter on the streets of Whitehall on the way to her nursery. After dropping her off, the Prime Minister returned to Downing Street where he tried to coax Larry the Cat through the famous door of Number 10. Later he travelled to Lincoln for a question and answer session with workers at Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery. Helping hand: The Prime Minister tried to help Florence to stop her blocking the way for cyclists and pedestrians . Rush hour: As two-year-old Florence scooted along, the Prime Minister was left holding the baby . The Prime Minister has insisted on . taking his children to school or nursery as often as possible, to keep . his feet on the ground. Asked . about being seen on the school run last year he responded by saying: . 'Maybe once a week, sometimes once a fortnight, tragically sometimes . once a month I manage to take my children to school, but it's got to be . possible to be a decent husband, a good father and a good prime minister . at the same time.' Prowl: Larry the Downing Street cat was also out and about this morning . Animal magic: It took some persuasion, but eventually the Prime Minister managed to coax Larry through the door of Number 10 . Mr Cameron added that there is ‘something wrong’ if it is not possible to be Prime Minister and also spend time with family. ‘Actually I would go further than that, the big thing you have to do as prime minister is make a lot of judgement calls and decisions. 'The British public are incredibly fair minded, they know you will get, hopefully, a lot of them right. They know you'll get some of them wrong. 'What they want to know is that your average doesn't fall too low.' Day job: Later Mr Cameron travelled to Lincoln to take questions from workers . Grilling: Staff at Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery in Lincoln go the chance to put their questions to the Prime Minister . Tour: Mr Cameron met Chris Moulds, 26, (centre) and Wayne Hewitt, 18, (right) as he took a look around the factory . He went on: 'If you are completely fried and . exhausted and have no time for your family and never go for a jog or . play a game of tennis or whatever, if you never do those things, you . will get into a situation where you will make very bad decisions because . you're exhausted and stressed and all the rest of it. 'So do I try and live some sort of normal life at the same time, yes, and I don't apologise for that.' | PM has his hands full carrying Florence, a dolly's pushchair and a scooter .
Two-year-old seen scooting along streets of Whitehall with commuters .
Mr Cameron tries to take his children to school once a week . |
fb3e77d0d7b9a586c06ec7c5045e8d42c1743d4c | Up to 1 million revelers are expected to pack Times Square in New York City for this year's New Year's Eve celebration, but not without some added security to help ring in 2015. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday an increase in police personnel throughout the city this New Year's Eve, most visibly at Penn Station, the Port Authority bus terminal, as well as LaGuardia and JFK airports. "New Year's Eve is a time of celebration for New Yorkers, and an increased security presence will help ensure that tonight remains a safe and festive time for all," Cuomo said. Thousands of officers, including some additional personnel, will also be patrolling Times Square for the New Year's Eve ball drop, NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill told reporters. The announcement comes on the heels of the December 20 ambush of two NYPD officers who were gunned down in their patrol car. In the following days, a law enforcement official told CNN the city would increase security around the New Year's Eve celebration due to increased threats against police officers. O'Neill said the city was on high alert in the wake of the killings. "In light of what happened two weeks ago on Saturday, of course there's a concern for every member of the New York City Police Department," O'Neill said. "This is something that's in real recent memory. This is something that every cop in New York City is concerned about." As is usual every year, thousands of police officers -- both in uniform and civilian clothing -- will be present in Times Square during the huge event, O'Neill said. But amid calls for protests on social media, the department planned on adding more officers as a precaution. "People have an absolute right to protest ... as long as they do it peacefully and laws aren't broken," he said. "That's the way we're going to police the event." | Official: Thousands of police will patrol Times Square on New Year's Eve .
The event comes after two NYPD officers were killed December 20 .
Security for the huge party has been beefed up amid threats . |
fb3ed65e8c480de780604c63a537d11f517b058e | (CNN) -- In the 1970s and '80s, when corporate America was plagued with inefficiency, a new class of financially motivated takeover investors emerged to prey on the fattest in the corporate herd and scare the rest into line. Today, as pockets of corporate America are plagued with immorality, we need a new class of socially motivated takeover investor to prey on the sociopaths in the corporate herd, turn them around and perhaps scare (or shame) others into line. The upcoming sale by Cerberus Capital of the Freedom Group, the largest gun manufacturer in the United States, is a perfect opportunity to usher in this new era of muscular, socially responsible capitalism: . First, Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, David Geffen and the like should establish a nonprofit SPAC (Special-Purpose-Acquisition-Company) called BidForFreedom.org (BFF) with a mission to reduce needless deaths through gun violence in the United States and encourage the passage of sensible gun control regulations. They should appoint George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon to the fundraising committee and recruit a loud-mouthed, poison-penned, but good-hearted activist hedge fund titan as chief investment officer (Bill Ackman? Dan Loeb?). Opinion: Forgotten victims of gun violence . To be credible, BFF will probably need to start with at least $250 million in cash and commitments (no problem given the billionaire status of the sponsors) with additional firepower raised as needed from well-heeled individuals, foundations and through a broad-based Internet solicitation to an outraged-by-Newtown public. Second, BFF should lobby all public pension funds that are part owners of the Freedom Group (by virtue of their investment in Cerberus) to roll their investment into BFF to reduce the need for outside funding, naming and shaming any unwilling public investors. Newtown shooter's guns . Third, BFF should pay "whatever it takes" to acquire control of the Freedom Group in the upcoming auction by Cerberus (which has a fiduciary obligation to sell to the highest bidder) and then immediately implement a "moral turnaround" plan under which the Freedom Group: . (i) Appoints a high-profile CEO with impeccable credentials as a hunter and/or marksman who is nevertheless in favor of gun-control. Opinion: Guns endanger more than they protect . (ii) Elects a new board of directors including representatives from the families of victims killed in Newtown (and/or other massacres perpetrated with Freedom Group weapons), military veterans and trauma surgeons with real experience of human-on-human gunfire, and law enforcement and mental health professionals. (iii) Operates the business as if sensible gun laws were in place (this may turn out to be a wise investment in future-proofing the company): discontinuing sales of the most egregious assault weapons and modifying others as necessary so they cannot take huge-volume clips; offering to buy back all Freedom Group assault weapons in circulation; micro-stamping weapons for easy tracking; and providing price discounts for buyers willing to go through a background check and register in a database available to law enforcement. (iv) Voluntarily waives its rights to support the NRA and other lobbying groups. (v) Creates a fund to compensate those who, despite its best efforts, are killed or wounded by its weapons. (vi) Agrees that if the effort to provide moral leadership in the weapons industry doesn't succeed within a year, BFF should consider corporate euthanasia, even though it entails a risk of allowing more retrograde manufacturers to fill the void in the market left by the then-deceased company. Opinion: The case for gun rights is stronger than you think . In the face of horrors like Newtown, BFF would recognize that it's time to take a stand by acknowledging the impossibility of reaching closure after such a monstrous act while an unreconstructed Freedom Group continues to sell a huge volume of guns and ammunition rounds each year even if it is operating under new owners. Like any Trojan Horse strategy, this is a long shot, but it must be tried. History suggests that only after the first company "turns" will an industry gradually return to the realm of the human (think of big tobacco). And without the tacit agreement, if not the outright support, of at least one important insider, policymakers seem utterly unable to pass tough regulations in the face of the predictable but withering assault by industry lackeys shrieking that any such regulation would be "impossible, impractical or too expensive." In the face of a recalcitrant industry, we have to acknowledge that it is only the market for corporate control -- the real possibility that an outsider will take over one of the companies -- that puts limits on the behavior of board members and executives who, while perhaps decent enough in their family lives, display a limitless tolerance for the "banality of evil" at the office. Opinion: Not man enough? Buy a gun . We must accept that the conventional, kid-gloves approach to socially responsible investing -- divesting shares in "bad" companies that nevertheless continue to exist -- is too weak an instrument to force change and its well-meaning practitioners too soft to enter the fray when emotionally and politically charged battles need to be fought. And regardless of the viability of socially motivated takeovers in general, the Freedom Group looks like a great target. Cerberus is a motivated seller, the political macros look favorable, and it's a bite-sized company compared with many of the larger sociopaths in the corporate herd. I'm even cautiously optimistic that the current impasse over gun regulation is a bad-equilibrium that few consumers actually want, and that a reconstructed Freedom Group, fighting for sensible change as a fifth column from within the industry, might well find that many people -- even a significant portion of the NRA's members -- would buy from a truly responsible (and high quality) gunmaker if given the chance. All in all, it's a pretty exciting deal, so if Mike and George are up for it, count me in. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John MacIntosh. | The owner of America's largest gunmaker is putting firm up for sale .
John MacIntosh says billionaires should lead effort to acquire the gun manufacturer .
He says they should change corporate practices to discourage violence .
MacIntosh: One leading company could push gun industry in a more ethical direction . |
fb3edc4220d0ef9aec116ef4d8b477f4d49c0349 | Occupy Wall Street protesters have begun to squabble over money with some demanding a reported $500,000 the movement has in its bank be shared more equally. And with the cold weather beginning to take a firm grip on New York City, doubts have been raised as to whether the anti-corporation demonstration can make it through the winter. It has also emerged that Zuccotti Park, the focus of the protest since it begun on September 17, is providing an alluring home for vagrants, at the same time as those within the movement cautioned against spreading the demonstration too thinly. The beat goes on: Paxton Gearity, age four from Ossining, New York joins demonstrators with Occupy Wall Street continue their protest at Zuccotti Park in New York today . Protesters of all ages: Malka, age 5, joined demonstrations today . If you need some, take some: Protesters are falling out over the allotment of nearly $500,000 worth of donations . Ironic? News of a fallout over money seems to run in contrast with the anti-corporation ethos of the Occupy Wall Street movement . Bedding down: The increasingly cold winter weather is also a cause for concern for protesters, who are not allowed to erect tents . Yet given Occupy Wall Street's (OWS) anti-establishment ethos, the main worry for the hundreds camped out in New York's financial district will be the battle over money. Donations are pouring in, but gripes over how that money is spent is threatening to split the protesters apart. A Finance Committee has been set up to deal with cashflow, and assign it to working collectives with the movement so essential items can be bought. But those denied funds are getting angry. For example, a set of drums was vandalised one night last week, however the Finance Committee has refused a request for $8,000 to replace them. 'F**k Finance. I hope Mayor Bloomberg gets an injunction and demands to see the movement’s books,' Bryan Smith, a 45-year-old protester who joined OWS from Los Angeles three weeks ago told the New York Post. 'We need to know how much money we really have and where it’s going.' Mr Smith, who works in TV production, is a member of the Comfort Working Group, which is charged with finding out what basic necessities campers need, such as thermal underwear, and then raising money by asking for donations on the street, the New York Post reported. Working groups: A number of groups have been set up with defined purposes, but some are getting annoyed at requests for money being turned down . Tents please: A petition is underway to push for tents to be allowed at Zuccotti Park, but Mayor Bloomberg is resistant to relaxing the laws. Tarpaulin sheets must make do instead . Advice: On-site nurses are telling people to stay wrapped up and dry, words which this little pooch has heeded . 'The other day, I took in $2,000. I kept $650 for my group, and gave the rest to Finance, he told the paper. 'Then I went to them with a request - so many people need things, and they should not be going without basic comfort items - and I was told to fill out paperwork. Paperwork! Are they the government now? 'We need winter gear, shoes, socks. I could spend $10,000 alone for backpacks people need. We raise all this money. Where is it?' One rainy night last week, someone stabbed holes in many of the protesters' drums with a knife, Elijah Moses told the New York Post. The 19-year-old, a founder of the Pulse Working Group, asked for $8,000 to replace the drums, and build a small shed to lock them up. 'They said no - they turned us down. I’m really frustrated,' he told the paper. Haven for the homeless: There are reports of vagrants moving to Zuccotti park in New York because of community feel and free food . Pete Dutro, 36, a Brooklyn tattoo artist studying a master's in finance and sits on the Finance Committee, said big purchases can't get the green light straight away. 'We don’t have the power for that. They have to go to the General Assembly. If it's approved, we pay out that amount and make sure everything is accounted for,' he told the New york Post. The funding fight emerged as a number of protesters voiced concerns over the coming freezing temperatures - as tents are forbidden. At night, the several hundred people who sleep on site in the financial district currently huddle together using plastic tarps, sleeping bags and emergency blankets. But the worst is yet to come. 'So far, we have been extremely blessed,' Cynthia Villarreal, who has slept at Zuccotti for 18 days, told AFP. Zuccotti Park has so far experienced only a handful of rainy days, while at night, temperatures are still above freezing. However New York winters often see temperatures drop below 14F (-10C) and some are beginning to worry. 'The cold affects us already,' Maria Fehlig, a volunteer nurse at the protesters' makeshift infirmary, told AFP. Soaked: Rainy nights have so far been few, but Russell Brand got caught in a shower last Wednesday, and weather is expected to worsen . She described how there had been several cases of hypothermia and respiratory problems. An online petition is asking New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to allow protesters to erect tents on the plaza, though it has not yet been sent. Its chances of success seem slim, though, with Mr Bloomberg saying earlier this week: 'The Constitution doesn't protect tents, it protects speech and assembly.' But Ms Fehlig, who has been teaching protesters basic methods for battling the cold, insisted that they formed 'a determined group that plans to stay until it changes.' She is informing demonstrators to stay dry, wear hats, layers of clothing and good pairs of socks and gloves, AFP reported. Meanwhile the New York Daily News has reported a growing number of homeless people are flocking to the site, as it provides a safe, community environment, along with free food. 'I think this is a better situation to be involved with,' 49-year-old Matthew Maloney, who was released from prison last month and spent time in a Staten Island shelter, told the New York Daily News. 'I am around a good cause and around positive people, rather than in that other environment,' Maloney, who has drifted in and out of the state prison system for more than three decades for a variety of crimes, including robbery and possession of stolen property, told the paper. Bronx couple Yvette Vigo and Orlando Nieves told the Daily News they were forced into a shelter a year ago when they could no longer afford rent. 'I feel safer out here than I did in a shelter,' Ms Vigo, 45, said. 'It's a big area with a lot of kind people.' Organisers yesterday put up a large flat-screen TV in Zuccotti Park for a movie night in an effort to attract new recruits following a lacklustre showing at a police-brutality event in Union Square which attracted only 50 participants. | Finance Committee set up to deal with donations of nearly a million dollars .
But some demonstrators are angry at how the money is being allocated .
Temperatures expected to plummet with forecasts of falling protesters .
Campers in Zuccotti Park create petition to push for tents to be allowed . |
fb3fbcb8523cd4920f4d560c1e556690fa1beac0 | To many, it would seem the epitome of paradise - an idyllic isle thousands of miles from civilisation where the worst noise pollution comes from the azure sea gently lapping the shore. But no-one can be persuaded to live there, for love nor money. The colony on the remote Pitcairn Islands, which were largely populated in the late 1700s when mutineers on the HMS Bounty washed ashore, is under threat of dying out. Faced with a rapidly ageing population and with no children having been born there for more than four years, the inhabitants are desperately trying to attract new residents. But the task is proving far harder than they hoped, in large part due to its dark past of child sex abuse that continues to haunt the community to this day. Scroll down for video . Shirking paradise: Inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, the last British overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean, are struggling to attract new residents because of a lack of jobs and its dark past of child sex abuse scandals . Andrew Christian (above) is one of just 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn. Pitcairn officials have been trying to raise the population up to 80 for three years with an impassioned plea for new people to join their tiny community . Remote location: The island is believed to have been inhabited by Polynesians for hundreds of years, but the first European encounter came when Captain Philip Carteret's HMS Swallow stumbled across it in 1767 . Cut off from civilisation: The islands are more than 3,000 miles from New Zealand and 1,000 miles from Tahiti . In 2004, six men were jailed for child sex offences in a scandal that made headlines around the world. Get past that and there is still the problem of a severe shortage of job opportunities. Pitcairn officials have been trying to raise the population up to 80 for three years with an impassioned plea for new people to join their tiny community. But only one person has applied to make the move to the island, located some 3,000km from New Zealand and 1,000km from Tahiti. The island is believed to have been inhabited by Polynesians for hundreds of years, but the first European encounter came when Capt Philip Carteret's HMS Swallow stumbled across it in 1767. The bulk of the island's ancestors arrived 22 years later when the HMS Bounty arrived, led by Fletcher Christian. The eight mutineers from the vessel settled on the island with six Polynesian men and twelve women from Tahiti that they brought with them. But paradise did not last and, within four years, only four mutineers and ten women and their children remained, with the rest murdered because of ill treatment or jealousy. The island features beautiful scenery and wildlife but that doesn't seem to be enough to attract new residents . Fewer than 50 islanders - including Pawl Warren (above) - live in Adamstown, the smallest capital in the world . Bleak future: Pitcairn residents wave off a boat of tourists. Only one person has applied to relocate there . It is not the only black mark in the history of the island after a child abuse scandal rocked the community in 2004. Eleven years ago, six men, including the Pitcairn mayor Steve Christian, were jailed for a string of sex offences, meaning that almost half of the island's male population were locked up. Now the islanders face a race against time to restore its image and the population. Fewer than 50 islanders live on the isolated rock in Adamstown, the smallest capital in the world, and the average age is now more than 50 years old. Pitcairn-born Jacqui Christian, 44, said: 'We've been appealing for more people to boost the population and we've had many inquiries, but only one person has applied to move to Pitcairn. 'The reality is that we don't really have any jobs to offer. 'Islanders used to sell stamps to raise funds but, of course, stamp collecting is not as popular as it once was. 'And the ships that go between Pitcairn and New Zealand were scrapped. 'The island has been surviving on government aid since 2004 and now we are trying to become self-sufficient again.' Jacqui, like many Pitcairn children, left the island at the tender age of 12 to go to a boarding school in New Zealand and did not return to the island for 20 years. But she insists that the lure of the island's beautiful vistas could not keep her away forever. Ageing population: Len Brown holds a nail from the HMS Bounty in his workshop on the island . History: A cannon from the HMS Bounty is proudly displayed in front of Len Brown's house on the island . Remote: The Pitcairn Islands are the last British territory in the Pacific Ocean . The island's representative in Europe, Jacqui said: 'The journey to the island feels like the middle of nowhere. 'But once you are there, you are as connected as anywhere else - the island has electricity and internet now. It is like a completely different world being there. 'It's a special place and it's beautiful seeing the stars without light pollution and there are the bluest waters you've ever seen.' The island now hopes to move past their history to attract more visitors. One visitor Tony Probst, 56, from San Francisco, in the United States, has made the long trip to the island on four occasions since 2010, spending up to a month in Adamstown. The electronics shop owner, who left his native Scotland aged six to sail around the world with his family, owns the biggest collection from the HMS Bounty in private hands. He said: 'I was given a book about the Bounty by my dad as a kid and I made a promise to my adult self that I would go. 'And it didn't disappoint. In fact, it far exceeded my expectations. 'If the world came to an end the islanders would still survive, it's a totally different lifestyle. 'The first thing you realise when you get to the island is that you can just feel the history of the place when you set foot on dry land.' The Mutiny on the Bounty took place in 1789 when Captain William Bligh was ousted by his second-in-command, Fletcher Christian. Bligh was cast adrift in a dinghy and later landed on the island of Timor, in the then Dutch East Indies, from where he travelled back to Britain. The mutineers first sailed to Tahiti, dropping off 16 of their number. Fletcher Christian, eight mutineers and 18 Tahitians - six men and 12 women - then set sail to avoid apprehension, landing on Pitcairn in 1790. Populated by adventurers: The painting The Loyal Men of the Bounty showing HMS Bounty leaving her infamous Captain Bligh adrift in small boat with a cadre of loyal men somewhere near Pitcarn Island . The Tahiti-based mutineers were recaptured in 1791. Three were later executed after a trial. In 1793, the mutineers and the male Tahitians fought a war, that killed all the male Tahitians and four of the mutineers, including Christian. By the time a U.S. ship visited in 1808, only one mutineer, John Adams, was still alive, with nine women and some children. The population has dropped from 250 in the 1930s to 50. Forefather: The bulk of the island's ancestors arrived in the late 1700s when the HMS Bounty - the British naval vessel on which a mutiny occurred in 1790 - washed up on the isle, led by Fletcher Christian (above) | Only 50 people live on Pitcairn, the last British territory in the Pacific Ocean .
Faced with ageing population - and last child was born there four years ago .
Inhabitants have made impassioned plea for people to join their community .
Isle harbours dark past after six men were jailed for child sex abuse in 2004 .
Largely populated by mutineers on HMS Bounty who arrived in late 1700s . |
fb4018b2f61fb8ed077094755987a19c23e1a243 | The 30-year-old woman who went missing in a rainforest for 17 days told police that she could hear rescue teams calling out for her and helicopters circling the area. Cairns police have said they believe Shannon Leah Fraser, who insists she could not get to the rescue teams despite being able to hear them, ABC reports. Ms Fraser - a cancer patient and mother of three- was last seen at the Golden Hole swimming spot, south of Cairns, Queensland on September 21. Scroll down for video . Shannon Leah Fraser was reported missing on September 21 but was found by a farmer on Wednesday morning . She was found on Wednesday morning when a farmer noticed her stumbling out of the bush badly burnt, scratched up and noticeably thinner. Her mother says her daughter has miraculously survived a 17-day ordeal lost in rugged bushland where she lived on creek water, small fish and insects. 'She's badly burnt, she's lost a lot of weight,' Ms Sharrock told The Courier Mail. 'She's got a lot of infected cuts from fighting the scrub. She told us she just sat in a creek for three days to soothe her cuts and burns. 'It's incredible, it's amazing, we all thought she was dead. Thank God, she's alive.' She said her daughter was now recovering in hospital. The 30-year-old was last seen at the Golden Hole swimming spot, south of Cairns . Police have not confirmed any of the circumstances around Ms Fraser's reappearance, other than to say she was found safe and well on Wednesday morning. Ms Fraser had gone to the swimming hole with two men including her partner. Her partner later told police he'd left her sitting alone under a gazebo near the river but when he returned five or 10 minutes later, she was gone. Her disappearance sparked an intensive search, police suspicions she might have met with foul play, and a public appeal for information by her mother. | Shannon Leah Fraser was reported missing on September 21 .
The 30-year-old was last seen at the Golden Hole swimming spot, south of Cairns .
She said she could hear the helicopters and rescue people calling for her but she was unable to get to them .
Her mother Deidre Sharrock says a farmer found Ms Fraser on Wednesday morning .
Ms Fraser, believed to be a cancer patient, is now recovering in hospital . |
fb403d01916a9a98bd9113ed43dfb829e2b6ee45 | (CNN) -- Mexico's war against the drug cartels is frustrated by a risk-averse army and interagency rivalries, according to U.S. diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks. But amid some downbeat assessments of the challenges faced by President Felipe Calderon, some of the cables celebrate outstanding successes against the cartel "capos." One such success came almost exactly a year ago, when a Mexican naval unit killed one of Mexico's leading cartel figures, Arturo Beltran Leyva -- with plenty of assistance from the United States. "The arrest operation targeting ABL began about a week prior to his death when the Embassy relayed detailed information on his location to SEMAR [Mexican Navy]," according to a cable sent soon after the operation. The naval unit "raided an identified location, where they killed several ABL bodyguards and arrested over 23 associates, while ABL and Hector [his brother] escaped." But time was running out for Beltran Leyva (also known as El Fantasma and El Elegante), thanks to U.S. surveillance. The cable continues: "the Embassy interagency linked ABL to an apartment building located in Cuernavaca (about an hour south of Mexico City), where ABL was in hiding.... ABL's forces fired on the SEMAR operatives and engaged in a sustained firefight that wounded three SEMAR marines and possibly killed one." Besides Beltran Leyva, at least three other cartel operatives were killed during the Dec. 16, 2009, raid, with a fourth committing suicide. The success of the operation was especially pleasing to the United States because its military had spent years training Mexican naval units. Some might question why the navy was involved in a land operation. This and other cables provide the answer: The army had declined to act quickly on information about Beltran Leyva's whereabouts and is described as "risk averse." After the Beltran Leyva operation, there was glowing praise from U.S. diplomats for Mexican navy units. "SEMAR is well-trained, well-equipped, and has shown itself capable of responding quickly to actionable intelligence," a cable read. "Success puts the Army in the difficult position of explaining why it has been reluctant to act on good intelligence and conduct operations against high-level targets." There is no euphoria about Beltran Leyva's demise, but the embassy hopes it will mark a new beginning. "His death will not solve Mexico's drug problem, but it will hopefully generate the momentum necessary to make sustained progress against other drug trafficking organizations." Since Beltran Leyva's death, Mexican security forces have scored some significant successes in arresting or killing leading cartel members, and often SEMAR units have been in the vanguard. Last month the Navy Ministry confirmed its forces shot and killed Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, alias "Tony Tormenta," one of the top members of the Gulf cartel. And, in January this year, there seemed to be optimism that some of the institutional challenges were at last being tackled. "A truly joint effort to implement a new U.S.-Mexico strategy is yielding stronger organizational structures and interagency cooperation on both sides and a deeper understanding of the threat posed by the drug trafficking organizations," reads one cable. The same cable noted that the Mexican Army [SEDENA] had for the first time asked the United States for special forces training. "We need to capitalize on these cracks in the door. Any retreat on engagement on our side will only reinforce SEDENA's instincts to revert to a closed and unaccountable institution." | Diplomatic cables spell out successes against Mexican cartels .
Americans praise actions of Mexican naval units .
Cables detail operation against Arturo Beltran Leyva . |
fb408abb15e9d1c1f0988d676b277c09f7b91c65 | By . Jaya Narain . PUBLISHED: . 17:53 EST, 1 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:08 EST, 4 March 2013 . A house in Kensington, Liverpool may not have the airs and graces of a Georgian mansion in the desirable SW1 district in London. But when 20 terraced homes were put up for sale at just £1 the council was sure they would generate a little bit on interest. Instead they have been inundated by a deluge of applicants with more than 100 people fighting for every house. Homes in Arnside Road, Kensington, Liverpool which are up for sale at £1 each and have prompted a boom in buyers . Despite the fact many have no roofs and others are so derelict they are close to falling down, the clamour to secure a property has been deafening. Cllr Ann O’Byrne, cabinet member for housing, said: ‘We’ve been absolutely swamped with calls, so we have decided to extend the deadline to make sure that everyone who is interested has the opportunity to apply. ‘We must never underestimate the importance of having a home. For most of us, nothing is more important. 'That’s why we’re working so hard on schemes like this to bring our empty properties back into use. We’ve been really pleased with the response to these plans.’ The scheme is the brainchild of council bosses desperate to kickstart regeneration in one the most impoverished areas of the city. The pioneering £1 sale of the houses was drawn up after a series of failed plans to regenerate several destitute areas of the city . As part of the initial pilot scheme, 20 houses are being offered for sale to buyers who can demonstrate they have the skills to renovate the properties. Damp and decaying, some have lost their roofs and will need major structural work to turn them back into homes once again. Most of the properties are two bedroom Victorian terraces with a bathroom and back yard which were built at the turn of the last century. Many of the two bedroom Victorian terraces have been empty for more than a decade and are boarded up with unsightly metal grilles over the doors and chipboard on the windows. Applicants will have to put forward a plan for the renovation of their house and then sign a legally-binding contract to ensure the work is carried out. If the new owner then fails to keep their part of the contract they will then forfeit the property and their £1 and the house will be put up for sale again. Most of the properties are two bedroom Victorian terraces with a bathroom and back yard . Owners would be required to live in the property for five years and they would be not be allowed to sub-let the properties in that time. But, even with the conditions attached, the demand is such that it is understood city bosses may look at extending the number made available. The pioneering £1 sale of the houses, which is not open to private landlords, was drawn up after a series failed plans to regenerate several destitute areas of the city. The latest move came after a contract offer made to developer Leader1 Liverpool to deliver housing regeneration in the three areas was withdrawn last year. Initially only 20 houses in Granby, Kensington and Picton have been handpicked for the pilot scheme but more could become available. A range of initiatives in the three areas aims to bring 179 homes back into use over the next three years with house associations refurbishing some of these properties to a high standard and then offering them for sale at 25 per cent less than market value. House proud Pat Harrison, 64, has lived in her well-kept home on Arnside Road for 12 years, renting from a private landlord. She is one of just a handful of residents left living on the road and said she was excited about the prospect of having new neighbours. The retired nursery manager said: ‘As long as the new people coming in are decent I think it’s quite exciting. We all get along here as there’s only a few of us left, so I wouldn’t want people coming in and ruining that. ‘It’s a good move and I would really look forward to getting the boards off the houses and regenerating the street.’ | More than 100 people fighting for every Victorian house .
Council desperate to prompt regeneration in one of Liverpool's most impoverished areas . |
fb414092217f5287ce1bb04306db967fbfd6a734 | By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 14:40 EST, 16 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 14:43 EST, 16 March 2014 . Most newlyweds whisk themselves away to a beach, or retreat to a luxurious hotel room. But Kat and Steve Turner took a slightly different approach. After tying the knot, they embarked on a two-year honeymoon, riding 20,000 miles around the globe on a tandem. Newlyweds Kat and Steve Turner flew to Bigbury Bay, New Zealand, for their wedding reception in August 2011. Today they cycled into Plymouth, 674 days after setting off on their trusty tandem bike, Hooch . Glowing: Newly-married and basking in Australia's baking summer sun, they pull in to Daly Waters . The couple, from London, set off from New Zealand in April 2012 and have spent 674 days pedalling the same bike home across three continents. Amazingly Mrs Turner, 32, had never even ridden a bike before they took on the challenge with trusty tandem Hooch. Yesterday, the intrepid couple finally set foot on British soil after travelling through rainforests, deserts, floods and even earthquakes. Their journey took them through New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Italy and France. Home sweet home: Kat in a communal living area in Bishkek Garden called Nomad's Home in Kyrgyzstan . They crossed three continents during their two-year honeymoon. Here they have arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam . Starting out: Steve beams as they reach Malaysia's Perlis State Park just weeks into their trip . They were met by applauding family and friends as they arrived in a ferry at Plymouth docks in Devon. Waiting for them on the dockside, Mr Turner's dad, Ian, said: 'When they left I only gave them one piece of advice and that was to make sure they came home together - even if the trip only lasted two weeks. 'As it happens they have stuck at the challenge for two years, cycling through deserts and rainforests, cities and empty roads, surviving harsh weather, stray dogs, floods and even earthquakes. Steve takes a break as they reach Java, Indonesia (left). They spent the entire time in a tiny two-man tent . Kat, 32, from London, had never ridden a bike before they set off, leaving well-paid jobs behind them . They cycled through deserts, rainforests, cities and floods. Left, they are in Urumqi, China. Right, in Istanbul . 'Their journey has been full of . adventure and along the way they have encountered hospitality and . kindness from so many different people. 'They have a terrific story to tell. We are all in awe of both Kat and Steve and massively excited to see them.' The pair left behind well-paid jobs as a teacher and Parliamentary caseworker before leaving their pets and home in Forest Hill, south east London. Their mammoth 30,500km route, raising money for development charity Practical Action, saw them climbing a total elevation of 249,365m - the equivalent of Everest 28 times - and complete a gruelling 1,585 of actual pedalling. The couple, here with Hasan who guided them through Tashkent, climbed the equivalent of 28 Everests . Their second-last stop was a country-wide tour of Italy. Here, Kat enjoys the view over Pozzuoli . Steve enjoyed a pizza in Georgia, months before they reached Italy, where they visited Solfatara Volcano . Mr Turner, 34, suffered a terrible . episode of heat exhaustion in Cambodia and Kat fractured her knee-cap . after they hit a railway track in the Australian Outback. They . were in the eastern Chinese town of Dingxi when an earthquake hit, . killing 95 people in July last year, and were regularly challenged by . officials in the strict country. Speaking during the trip, Steve said Kyrgyzstan was the highlight. The teacher said: 'It was a great experience because we didn't know what to expect as we'd never heard of it before and couldn't even spell it. Today, they were welcomed home by family and friends as they carted into Plymouth, bronzed and exhausted . 'The mountains were stunning, the nomadic people on horseback were friendly, it was interesting to see yurts being packed up for the winter and we spent peaceful nights camping under the stars. 'The sight of us two on our huge tandem and trailer makes people laugh. People are excited to talk to us about our trip. 'We've been completely taken aback by the many acts of kindness we have received, from being handed a chocolate bar or cold drink out of the window of a passing vehicle, to being warmly welcomed into the homes of strangers and fed wonderful meals.' | Kat and Steve Turner set off from New Zealand in April 2012 after wedding .
Crossed three continents in 674 days - though Kat had never ridden a bike .
Climbed total elevation of 250,000m, the equivalent of Mt Everest 28 times .
Arrived in Plymouth on tandem named Hooch today to family and friends . |
fb418f391dd7d2b21c8fc25f9c8fc9a9bcd48d8a | By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 11:43 EST, 5 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:43 EST, 5 April 2013 . A suburban community has been left in shock after their Neighbourhood Watch organiser was shot dead as unarmed police carried out a drugs raid on his home. Father-of-three Colin Berry, 49, died from gunshot wounds at his detached home in Buckingham Crescent, Bradford, after unarmed officers executed a warrant at lunchtime yesterday. Neighbours have been left stunned as they knew the born-again Christian as a friendly family man who often patrolled the neighbourhood with his dog to deter criminals. Neighbourhood Watch: A police officer guards the door of Colin Berry's home, where the father-of-three Neighbourhood Watch leader was shot dead following a struggle with police in a raid yesterday afternoon . Only the night before one, who preferred to remain anonymous, had spoken to Mr Berry as he walked the streets of Clayton and said he seemed in 'good spirits'. But the following afternoon officers from West Yorkshire Police arrived at Mr Berry's £250,000 red-brick home, where he lived with his wife Janette, 40, and their three girls, to carry out a search for illegal drugs. The Local Neighbourhood Policing Team officers were all unarmed. It is believed they were confronted by Mr Berry at the top of the stairs, who had his hands behind his back. Officers pursued him to the first floor, and, when he was asked to show his hands, he refused and officers tried to restrain him. It is thought he was holding the weapon and it went off as he was being restrained. Mr Berry suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. No officers were hurt. It is not known whether his wife and daughters - who were enjoying the Easter holidays from St Anthony's Catholic Primary School - were at home at the time. They are thought to be staying with relatives as forensics experts and investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission continue their inquiries. Clayton residents have been left confused by the tragic turn of events that led to the unexpected death of their Neighbourhood Watch leader. Susan Myers, who lives nearby and knew Mr Berry, said: 'Colin was supposed to be the Neighbourhood Watch organiser for this area and he would walk round at night with his Staffy. 'He was a pleasant fellow, but had a bit of a past. About two years ago he became a born again Christian and was trying to be a better person and do the right thing. 'He was talking about God and not been a bad'un any more.' Cordoned off: Mr Berry was known in the area as a friendly family man, and neighbours have been left shocked by the tragic turn of events that led to his untimely death yesterday . Mr Berry, a well-built man who appeared to be a regular gym goer, was said to be in the security business. His wife, locals said, is self-employed in the fitness industry. Another neighbour said Mr Berry was a security officer who she believed had his own company. She described him as a 'friendly, family man' who took his daughters to school and would always say hello. Neighbours said that they had never before seen police at his home, which has CCTV cameras trained on its front door to monitor visitors. Floral tributes have been placed at the police cordon that now surrounds the house. One reads: 'Rest in Peace Colin, love Janet, Jeff, Andy, Martin and Barry xxx' Clayton . and Fairweather Green Labour councillor Carol Thirkill said: 'It is . tragic for his family and friends. I don't know the circumstances but it . is definitely a tragic incident that has occurred. You feel for his . family. 'It is not something you expect to happen in any residential area.' A . statement from West Yorkshire Police read: 'Shortly after 1pm on . Thursday, local neighbourhood policing team officers attended an address . on Buckingham Crescent in the Clayton area of Bradford to conduct a . drugs warrant. 'The officers were all unarmed. 'On entering the property, a struggle ensued with one of the occupants during which a firearm was discharged. 'The occupant, a 49-year-old man, received fatal injuries and died at the scene. 'As . a result of these circumstances, and in accordance with established . procedures, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been . informed and is attending the scene.' | Colin Berry, 49, regularly patrolled his neighbourhood to deter criminals .
He was a born-again Christian and father to three young daughters .
Unarmed police carried out a drugs raid on his home yesterday lunchtime .
It is believed Mr Berry was holding a gun which went off in a struggle .
One neighbour says she believed Mr Berry 'had a bit of a past'
Floral tributes have been left outside his £250,000 red-brick home .
Police have called in the IPCC to investigate the incident . |
fb41a1d88701850f6db9552364b6017c35310daf | By . Riath Al-Samarrai for the Daily Mail . Follow @@riathalsam . Ronald Koeman wants to take this competition ‘very seriously’, but for 45 minutes it looked as if no-one had told his players. Then, after eight minutes of the second half, up popped Jack Cork. It was a decent time to score his first goal in more than 100 Southampton games; a decent time to remind Koeman of what he can offer, considering he has less than a year on his contract and Swansea are deliberating over a move. Until then, Southampton had been dire against. Thereafter, they cantered, Graziano Pelle rounding off the win in stoppage time. Heading home: Jack Cork gets up the highest to score the first goal in a poor Capital One Cup clash . Dire: Matthew Briggs carries the ball past James Ward-Prowse in a game that neither side looked eager to win . Millwall (4-3-3): Forde 6.5; Hoyte 6, Webster 6, Williams 6, Briggs 6; Chaplow 5.5 (O’Brien 63, 6), Abdou 6 (Thompson 76), Powell; Gueye 5 (Onyedinma 63, 6), Marquis 6, Easter 6. Subs not used: Gerrar, Goodman, Siafa, Gregory. Booked: Briggs . Manager: Ian Holloway 5.5 . Southampton: Forster 6; Clyne 6.5, Fonte 5.5, Yoshida 6, Targett 6.5; S Davies 7, Wanyama 6 (Cork 46, 7), Ward-Prowse 6.5; Pellè 7.5, Long 5.5 (Ramirez 90), Isgrove 6.5 (Tadic 29, 7). Subs not used: K Davis, Gardos, Taïder, Stephens. Manager: Ronald Koeman 6 . Referee: Dean Whitestone 6.5 . Att: 6,014 . MOM:Dusan Tadic . Koeman said: ‘There were two different halves. After the first 45, I was unhappy with the team. We didn’t control. They played fantastically, but we were very sloppy, not aggressive, not pressing. But much better in the second half. ‘The result is OK but I won’t forget the first 45. They (Millwall) gave everything and we didn’t in the first 45. That is not good.’ Credit to Millwall, they battled. Credit to Millwall, they were deceptive, considering all signs suggested this was a tie they could do without. Ian Holloway made nine changes to the side that lost to Rotherham in the Championship on Saturday, and in the stands, there were 4,000 less than at the weekend. Koeman, by contrasted, only drafted Matt Targett, Lloyd Isgrove and Shane Long into the team that drew with West Brom. Koeman added: ‘We know we can’t win the Premier League so we will see what we can win. For others, maybe they can’t always go with the best team because there are so many games, but we don’t have European football.’ Isgrove, used on the left on Southampton’s attack, is one of the latest bright talents to come through the club’s academy and looks likely to get more senior chances this season. At 21, he has already been included in the Wales squad and made his league debut for Southampton against Liverpool on the opening day. Celebration: Cork wheels away in delight after netting his first goal for Southampton at the Den . Here, he offered a single glimpse of what the fuss is about by rapidly pursuing Justin Hoyte and closing a 10-yard gap before scrapping for possession. But that was the extent of it. Midway through the first half he went down injured and after 29 minutes he came off. If that was worrying for Southampton, then so was the composition of the first half. They controlled large periods without creating chances, while Millwall twice came close. First, Jack Powell delivered a corner from the right which Byron Webster glanced across goal. Then, from David Forde’s punt, Magaye Gueye raced clear after 35 minutes. He sliced his shot horribly. Graziano Pelle attempted a lob from 40 yards for Southampton in response, but it was easily saved. It summed up the visitors’ half. Ecstacy: Graziano Pelle was clearly delighted with his late goal, which was thoroughly deserved . Holloway said: 'I feel absolutely gutted. I really enjoyed the first half. When I saw their team sheet I thought what have I done? I wanted to give people a chance, but I knew it was a risk. I am delighted with the way they did it but I am devastated.' The second started no better, Jermaine Easter going close after receiving a pass from Webster on the left. He cut inside and shot marginally wide from the edge of the area. Dusan Tadic, on for Isgrove, came close moments later as Southampton finally tested Forde, his shot from 20 yards drawing a good save. Tadic was again involved as Southampton broke through in the 53rd minute. His pass created a chance for Pelle, whose shot was tipped over. And then Tadic took the resultant corner, from which Cork headed the opener. The 10-minute blitz was completed by Pelle hitting the post. Thereafter, Pelle went close again with a drive from the edge of the box and then had a low strike well saved by Forde, while Millwall had a shout for a penalty rejected. Pelle deserved a goal and he got one, striking in stoppage time. Koeman looked pleased. | Cork scores first goal for the club to put Southampton ahead .
Pelle doubles the advantage in final moments .
Saints dominant in second half after a poor first-half display . |
fb420da461baace528ab4f642ca320c0d0de1f28 | The male in question has been described as a cheery chap wearing a blue jacket and red hat with a ‘smiley and hairy expression’. But this is no ordinary missing persons case - because police are investigating the overnight theft of a 3ft garden gnome from a pensioner’s ornamental front path. Stanley Hall, 81, had placed the giant gnome named ‘Happy Harry’ beside the doorstep alongside scores of other ornaments to cheer up his neighbours in Accrington, Lancashire. Gone: The 3ft gnome called 'Happy Harry' (bottom right) was stolen from this home in Accrington, Lancashire. This photograph was taken before the theft . However the widower was shocked to wake . up one morning to find the £25 statuette had gone missing - and called . in police. It is thought the gnome may have been taken for a prank or to . sell on. Retired engineer Mr Hall said: ‘I can’t believe that someone would do this - and I can only presume that whoever has done this have planned it in advance. ‘I can’t imagine that they would want to walk through a town centre carrying a giant gnome. I just don’t know why they would steal him. If it was youngsters perhaps it was for a joke or prank. ‘If someone older, perhaps there is a black market for these things but why risk selling Harry off for a tenner and perhaps face the courts if they get found out?’ Plea: Stanley Hall, 81, is pictured outside his home in Accrington with a sign made by a local woman saying: 'Hello, I'm Happy Harry, welcome to my garden' ‘One of my neighbours was so upset at the theft she actually rang the police before me. They were so upset. We are quite a tight-knit group here. 'Perhaps there is a black market for these things but why risk selling Harry off for a tenner and perhaps face the courts if they get found out?' Stanley Hall . ‘The thing is we never have any trouble around here because everyone is elderly. I just want these people to bring Harry home. ‘I don’t need to speak to them - they can just bring it back during the evening when it is dark and that will be the end of it.’ Mr Hall bought the gnome last March from a local supermarket to add to his 100-strong collection of ornamental dragons, pandas, dogs, trolls and Buddha figures. Police investigation: The widower was shocked to find the £25 statuette had gone missing during the night . He added: ‘I collect ornaments for the simple reason that there are a lot of elderly people around here. There are at least four people in their 90s and three in their 80s. 'One of my neighbours was so upset at the theft she actually rang the police before me. They were so upset. We are quite a tight-knit group here' Stanley Hall . ‘It makes them smile every time they walk past and look at my front door and see all my gnomes - especially “Happy Harry” smiling back at them. ‘One of the ladies here even made a sign saying “Hello, I’m Happy Harry, welcome to my garden.” That is the whole point of it. They come past and they always have a smile for him. ‘Happy Harry waves and sometimes you see them wave back as the go by. Since my wife died three years ago, I didn’t have to answer to anyone querying what I buy. Plea: Lancashire Constabulary urged anyone with information about who is responsible to contact the force . ‘My eldest daughter often comes in and says: “What have you bought now?” I say: “Did you see my two new gnomes looking out the window at you?” She just laughs and that is what it is all about. 'We are aware of the incident and we are investigating. I urge anyone with information about who is responsible to contact us' Lancashire Constabulary spokesman . ‘Harry just makes me smile and is one of 100 ornaments. I noticed he was missing on Saturday morning. I opened the door and thought something was wrong here and realised he wasn’t there. ‘I just felt sorry for people who have to steal things like that. I want Happy Harry back, not for me but for the people. When they come past, they got used to seeing him. ‘It’s like having a missing person in the area. I will get another gnome but it won’t be the same and it looks like I will have to chain him up.’ A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the incident and we are investigating. I urge anyone with information about who is responsible to contact us.’ | Stanley Hall, 81, had placed giant gnome alongside his other ornaments .
Widower says they cheer up his neighbours in Accrington, Lancashire .
But he woke up one morning to find it had gone missing and called police .
It is thought gnome may have been taken for a prank or stolen to sell on . |
fb425da3aa0966f34ab2b534a986490c5bb040d6 | The principal of a Queensland primary school who banned handstands and cartwheels in the playground has been subjected to 'cowardly cyberattacks' by parents, the state education minister said. Peregrian Springs State School parents were advised in a school newsletter in August that handstands, cartwheels and other 'cheerleading-style' stunts were not allowed unless children were under supervision of a trained physical education teacher. Some parents and others in the school community were outraged by the ban, which critics said placed unnecessary restrictions on their children's play time. Peregian Springs State School's decision top stop students from doing cartwheels and handstands without supervision has prompted 'cowardly cyberattacks' on principal Gwen Sands . Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langrbroek told Parliament on Tuesday he stood by principal Gwen Sands' decision to impose the ban, which was made after two students were injured at school while doing 'gymnastic cheerleading' in the concrete playground. 'Gwen Sands was held up to ridicule by the media, pilloried internationally as a perpetrator of crimes against children and derided as the worst of the nanny state officials,' Mr Langrbroek told Parliament on Tuesday. 'But the most hurtful were the cowardly cyberattacks launched via Facebook and Twitter, many from parents of the students in her care,' he said. 'There were single lines and stinging rebukes sent without thought for the consequence or the power that words can have, even against adults.' These parents were the same people who expect schools to protect their children from bullies and who 'march straight into the principal's office demanding these measures for their children,' Mr Langrbroek said. The handstand ban follow injuries to two students while doing 'gymnastic cheerleading' in the school's mostly concrete playground, Queensland Education Minister John Langrbroek said . 'Do we now need to start a campaign to protect our teachers and principals from the very people who should know better, the parents of the children entrusted to their care?' Mr Langrbroek said. 'I spoke to principal Sands and I told her I had her back 100 per cent because I support our principals to make the right decisions for their communities.' The Queensland Department of Education has said it was up to the school to make individual decisions about activities in the playground. Not all parents were unhappy with the decision. Others took to Facebook to say they supported Dr. Sands and the school's commitment to the students' safety. | Principal Gwen Sands was derided as 'the worst of the nanny state officials'
The worst of the social media attacks were from parents of students .
Education Minister tells principal he has her back '100 per cent'
The ban that prompted outrage followed two playground injuries from 'gymnastic cheerleading' |
fb42c035e6724380baee4fc09e1c7be0de707d1c | By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 20:46 EST, 1 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:30 EST, 2 June 2013 . A white Muslim convert threatened to kill Prince Harry just a day after the shocking murder of a soldier in Woolwich. Ashraf Islam, 30, formerly known as Mark Townley, confessed to police that he wanted to kill the third in line to the throne, who has served in high profile tours of Afghanistan. Islam walked into a police station in Hounslow on May 23 and told detectives that he wanted to murder the prince hours after soldier Lee Rigby, 25, was killed. Confession: Ashraf Islam, formerly known as Mark Townley, left, admitted threatening to kill Prince Harry, right, a day after the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich last month . He was charged under Section 16 of the Offences against the Person Act, which carries a possible jail term of up to 10 years, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter terrorism Command unit. According to the Daily Star detectives found a laptop belonging to Islam which showed internet searches for 'guns', 'vans' and 'kidnapping'. He is also said to have visited terrorist websites. Islam, who is believed to have become a Muslim during a recent spell in prison, is currently behind bars after pleading guilty to the offence at Uxbridge Magistrates Court last Saturday. Murdered: Drummer Lee Rigby was killed in Woolwich on May 22 . He will be sentenced at a later date. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said last night that no date has been fixed for Islam's sentencing. A review of Prince Harry's security was launched in the wake of Drummer Rigby's murder, according to the Sunday Mirror. It is feared that Harry, 28, might be a prime target for the Taliban after touring Afghanistan twice with the Household Cavalry in 2008 and the Army Air Corps last year. The Taliban said while the Prince was at Camp bastion last year that they were doing everything in their power 'to get rid of him'. His comments in an interview that revealed that he had killed Taliban insurgents while on active duty are likely to have made him even more of a target. He is also a high profile supporter of military causes including the Help for Heroes charity - he opened a Help for Heroes funded facility for injured service personnel with Prince William days before Drummer Rigby's murder. Drummer Rigby was reportedly wearing one of the charity's T shirts when he was killed. A royal source told the Sunday Mirror: 'Prince Harry's security is constantly reviewed and has been massively stepped up in the last 10 days. 'This case and the horrific case of Lee Rigby show that there is constant danger. 'Harry's security team cannot be complacent.' The prince is said to have been given extra SAS protection. Supporter: Prince Harry is pictured opening the Help for Heroes Recovery Centre at Tedworth House, Wiltshire with his brother Prince William two days before Lee Rigby's murder . Target: Harry is thought to be a high profile Taliban target because of his service in Afghanistan and an interview he gave where he said he had killed Taliban insurgents in active duty . According to the Star, Northern Ireland Islam was given a suspended jail term and banned from England and Wales for two years under his former name Mark Townley for conning ex-soldiers. He is said to have become 'ingratiated' with a Muslim group in 2010 and faced fraud and theft charges after he returned to Northern ireland after a spell in the Middle East. He is said to have changed his name around the same time as he served a prison sentence in 2011. Islam reportedly worked in the adult film industry and told a newspaper that he was a 'part time' Muslim. He is believed to be in custody at Wormwood Scrubs prison in London. | Ashraf Islam, 30, handed himself into Hounslow police station on May 23 .
Just hours earlier Drummer Lee Rigby had been killed in Woolwich .
Islam could face up to ten years in jail after pleading guilty to the offence . |
fb42f10f670738f9877ceb44710470d05d8b2a61 | 'Bondage master' Bob Bashara has been found guilty of first-degree murder in a plot to kill his wife so he could devote himself to a life of domination with other women in an upper-class Detroit suburb. The salacious trial of the 57-year-old revealed his secret life in Grosse Pointe Park: a former Rotary Club president who used cocaine and hosted men and women at a sex dungeon underneath a bar called the Hard Luck Lounge. The father-of-two arranged the killing of his wife Jane Bashara who was strangled by a handyman in the couple's garage in 2012. Her body was then discovered in her Mercedes-Benz in a Detroit alley. Scroll down for video . Bob Bashara, 57, (pictured during a hearing in 2012) has been convicted of first-degree murder. Jane Bashara was strangled by a handyman, who Bashara coerced into committing the crime, in the couple's garage . Strangled: Jane Bashara, right, was found dead in her Mercedes SUV in January 2012 a day after her husband Bob, left, reported her missing. He repeatedly professed his innocence in the aftermath of her death . 'What man would make his own elderly mother hide a gun for him?' prosecutor Rob Moran said in closing arguments as he recalled evidence. 'What kind of man has two women come to the marital bed and have sex with them while his wife is out of town? Is that what a man does who's in love with his wife? No. It's the ultimate act of betrayal.' The handyman, Joe Gentz, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2012 and said Bob Bashara coerced him into committing the crime. But as the trial was set to begin in October, Gentz said he wouldn't testify. Bashara didn't testify but repeatedly professed his innocence in the weeks after his wife's death, even attending a candlelight vigil in her honor. Jane Bashara was a marketing executive with a long record of service to her church and community. Nearly three years later, there still are lawn signs that say, 'Justice For Jane.' Defense attorneys urged the jury to keep their focus on the killer, Gentz, not Bob Bashara. They said Bashara could have continued his affairs and alternative lifestyle without getting rid of his wife. 'She is the breadwinner,' Michael McCarthy said in his final remarks. 'Why would he want her dead? ... There is reasonable doubt in this trial.' Bashara's former business associate testified the married father of two had operated a sex dungeon under a bar he owned called the Hard Luck Lounge (pictured) Joe Gentz (right) is already serving 17 years in prison for the murder of Jane Bashara but has refused to testify against her husband, Bob . Bashara is already in prison for trying to have Gentz killed in jail in 2012. During the murder trial prosecutors called several witnesses to the stand including a bartender, a local Grosse Pointe business owner and a medical examiner who testified his wife, Jane Bashara, had very few defensive injuries - indicating she did not have the ability to fight back. Prosecutors told jurors on that the trial had revealed how Bashara lived a secret life in suburban Detroit. 'He created one world; he was living in another,' prosecutor Lisa Lindsey said during closing remarks. 'And when those two worlds collided, Jane Bashara ended up dead.' The prosecution said the life he created revolved around 'Master Bob' and his desire to maintain control and create a new life with his mistress. The prosecution used Bob's own words to tell pat of the story. First, pointing out how Bob worked to get police to investigate other theories, such as his wife Jane's alleged drug use and that she may have been killed by a drug dealer. Bob's own emails took center stage and revealed his intense desire to be with his mistress and not his wife. During the salacious trial Bob's own emails took center stage and revealed his intense desire to be with his mistress and not his wife (left) 'He would say anything and do anything to be with Rachel Gillett. Several people have indicated such,' said Lindsey. Bob's connection to Joe Gentz -- the calls, the text message and the desire to take him out -- was pointed out once again to jurors. During the long trial, jurors heard testimony from police, the Bashara children, friends and even girlfriends who talked about Bashara's sex dungeon below a bar, the Hard Luck Lounge. He was known as 'Master Bob.' Bashara's mistress, Rachel Gillett, told the jury that they had talked about bringing another woman into their relationship. The defense admitted that Bashara had major financial problems but he knew his wife had a job and savings. His defence argued that it would not have made sense for him to kill his wife when he had a steady stream of income.me. There is no dispute that handyman Joe Gentz killed Jane Bashara, but Lindsey said he was threatened and coerced to do it by Bob Bashara. Jane was murdered in their large home in the affluent Grosse Pointe Park suburb in Detroit . Jurors didn't hear from Gentz. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a minimum sentence of 17 years in prison, but then said he wouldn't testify against Bashara. In the second week of the trial, the court has heard how the 56-year-old was allegedly chomping at the bit to begin his new life with mistresses, Rachel Gillett and Janet Leehmann. During emotional and lengthy testimony on Thursday, Gillett revealed that Bashara blindfolded her and another unidentified woman in 2009 during the start of their affair and took them to his family home while his wife and children were out of town. The three then had sex in his marital bed, despite Bashara's alleged erectile dysfunction. But Gillett told the court she was so upset with herself that she slept on the floor afterwards, even though she had been told that his wife was dead and he was a widower. The assistant medical examiner in Wayne County, Dr. Francisco Diaz, told the court in during Bashara's first trial in 2012 that Jane Bashara died from a combination of injuries, which included repeated blunt force trauma and strangulation resulting in her windpipe being crushed. Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey told the court in opening statements last week that Jane Bashara's body was 'dumped in an alley like a piece of common trash.' During the first week his friend and fellow BDSM community member, Patrick Webb outlined how he met Bashara at a sex party he hosted. He told the jury that Jane Bashara, 56, clearly did not approve of his lifestyle and that Bashara told him he felt 'trapped' by the marriage to the mother of his two children. 'He wanted to do more with the lifestyle but he felt trapped with…Jane — with his wife. He didn't use her name,' said Webb to the courtroom. Mistress Rachel Gillett described details of the couple's kinky sex life during testimony. He reacted emotionally to testimony by some of the witnesses during the case . 'As people talked about divorce one night, it was let out that 'it would be cheaper to kill the b**ch,'said Webb according to CBS Detroit. Also on the stand during the trial has been Bashara's former mistress, Rachel Gillett, who he referred to as his slave as part of their BDSM relationship. She told the court that she met Bashara on a BDSM website and after initially telling her he was a widower, admitted that he was still married, but seeking divorce during their three year affair. During his prior trial in 2012, his other mistress, Janet Leehmann, told the court how 'Master Bob' would send her dirty letters, a leather collar and a T-shirt he had worn for three days straight so she could smell his scent. Leehmann, who Bashara met on a BDSM website told the courtroom she regular engaged in 'breath play' with the accused wife murderer and agreed to having a polyamorous relationship to stop him cheating. Leehmann testified that Bashara planned a trip from Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan to Oregon to visit her in January 2012, shortly before his wife, Jane Bashara, was killed. Prior to him arriving he sent her numerous notes and messages including one saying: 'Hello SJ (her alt.com name). Soon you will feel my strength and passion.' He also described how Gillett loved breath play - an erotic choking game. 'I can choke her just enough to make her woozy,' Leehmann recalled Bashara telling her of Gillett. 'I can do the same to you.' And when he arrived at her home he did. 'He was standing behind me, he wrapped his hands around my neck and I passed out cold,' she testified. When asked by Lindsay if she consented to the asphyxiation, she said, 'no, not really.' Leehmann said he responded: 'Well little girl you should have told me you were getting bad, I could have stopped.' Final arguements: Bob Bashara, left, speaks to his attorney Michael McCarthy during a break during closing arguments in this trial . When asked if they engaged in sexual contact, she said no, adding that she was surprised. 'It doesn't work, his private parts,' she told the courtroom. 'I was surprised. He said he thinks it has to do with his weight.' In their opening statements last week, Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey told the court that evidence will show that Bashara and Gillett were planning to buy a house where they could live with a 'second slave' - Leehman. The case has rocked the affluent community of Grosse Pointe, with its white picket fences and manicured lawns. Before his wife's death, Bashara was a successful local businessman, head of the local Rotary Club, a deacon at the local church and a backer of the Lochmoor Country Club in Grosse Pointe Woods. Indeed, one month before his wife's murder, Bashara allegedly called his friend, James Wilson and asked him to cover for him. 'Bob called and said … 'I need you to cover for me this weekend. If anybody asks you (tell them) I'm with you,' said Robert Bashara's longtime friend, James Wilson on Monday. According to CBS Detroit, the court heard how Bashara and Wilson would regularly smoke pot and take cocaine before they played golf at the club. Furthermore, Wilson told the court that Bashara confided in him that he liked 'to spank girls' but that his wife did not like it. | Trial of the 57-year-old revealed his secret life in Grosse Point Park, Detroit .
Former rotary club president hosted men and women in a sex dungeon .
Jane Bashara was strangled by a handyman in the couple's garage in 2012 .
Her body was then found in a Mercedes-Benz in an alleyway in the city .
Joe Gentz said Bashara coerced him into committing the crime .
Bashara repeatedly professed his innocence following his wife's death .
He even attended a candlelit vigil with his community in the aftermath .
The father-of-two was already serving an eight year sentence for arranging a prison hit on Gentz . |
fb430e746951923f38252bf17f2ef0bff89de1be | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 10:23 EST, 3 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:34 EST, 3 October 2013 . A mother has told of her ‘nightmare’ after learning both her teenage identical twins had the same cancer. Sally Hyde was devastated when her son, Harry Parnell, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma just over a year ago. Then last month, Harry’s twin, George, was also diagnosed with the disease. Harry (left) and George (right) Parnell both have Hodgkin's lymphoma. Harry was diagnosed a year ago and had had months of treatment, George was diagnosed last month. They are pictured with their mother, Sally Hyde . Harry found a lump in his neck after being kicked while doing Taekwondo last August. He went to hospital where he was eventually diagnosed with the cancer. He has had gruelling chemotherapy treatment and his mother had to give up her job to look after him. Mrs Hyde, a cleaner, said: ‘I went into complete shock when I found out his diagnosis. ‘He spent weeks in one room on machines at night for breathing and eventually after many scans he started chemotherapy. ‘Harry spent the next six months having treatment between Bristol and Exeter and that included radiotherapy all over Christmas. Harry (left during chemotherapy) has now been told that his tumour is 'dormant' but he still has to have scans every three months. George (right) has just started treatment . ‘He was extremely brave and even gave the lump in his neck a name, Keith. ‘What was so hard was not knowing the outcome. We had to joke about it or else we’d end up crying.’ She added: ‘While he was in hospital the doctors called him “the dude” as he was so chilled and relaxed about the treatment. ‘When he came out of hospital I wanted to put him in a bubble, but knew I couldn’t.’ When Harry (left) was in hospital the doctors called him 'the dude' because he was so relaxed about his treatment . The family were pleased to be told the tumour is now ‘dormant’ but Harry still has to undergo scans every three months. ‘I’m feeling fine now, but tired,’ said Harry. However, just after Harry finished treatment, George also found a lump. Mrs Hyde (pictured with Harry) said: 'He was extremely brave and even gave the lump in his neck a name, Keith. What was so hard was not knowing the outcome. We had to joke about it or else we'd end up crying' Mrs Hyde said: ‘He came home and pulled his shirt down and I knew straight away it was the same.’ ‘He was taken to hospital by his dad, Matthew. He’s had to have scans and a biopsy,’ said Mrs Hyde. ‘It’s still a massive shock, but I feel more prepared this time as I know what to expect. ‘I’ve cried but I have to carry on with life. I’m proud of my sons with how they cope.’ Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the B lymphocytes - a type of white blood cell found in the lymphatic system. Clear fluid called lymph flows through the lymphatic vessels and contains infection-fighting white blood cells known as lymphocytes. In lymphoma, these lymphocytes start to multiply abnormally and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes. The most common symptom is a painless swelling in a gland, most commonly in the neck, armpit or groin. The cancer is most common in 15 to 35-year-olds and the over 50s. More men than women are affected. Nearly 1,500 people in the UK are diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma every year. It is one of the most easily treatable forms of cancer - almost all young people with Hodgkin's lymphoma will be cured. For older people, the cure rate is about 80 per cent. Source: NHS Choices . | Harry Parnell, 14, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma a year ago .
He underwent months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment .
His tumour is now 'dormant' but he has to have scans every three months .
His brother, George, was diagnosed last month after finding a lump . |
fb4344dfcd3d8da01fb4ce380fab87c7fe6d301b | A father has been hailed as 'SpiderDad' after he donned a superhero costume to surprise his terminally ill son on his birthday. Mike Wilson leapt from a roof at his family home in Basingstoke, Hampshire as part of the birthday stunt for five-year-old Jayden, who has a grade four brain tumour. The heart-warming video of him surprising his son - a huge Spiderman fan - has since been viewed around the world. Scroll down for video . Mike Wilson leapt from a roof above the family's front door in Basingstoke, Hampshire to surprise his son, Jayden, on his fifth birthday . Jayden has been diagnosed with a brain tumour and doctors gave him just a year to live . Jayden was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain stem tumour 15 months ago after his parents took him to hospital following a fall. Mr Wilson told MailOnline: 'We couldn't believe it at first. You never expect something this bad to happen to any of your close family members. 'He was given an average of 12 months to live, and today he's still fighting it like a champ.' Doctors have said Jayden's speech, movement and coordination will continue to deteriorate as he receives treatment. He is currently finding it . difficult to walk and has weakness in his left arm. As Jayden's fifth birthday approached, Mr Wilson was determined to do something to make his son's day especially memorable. Mr Wilson ordered a special suit to be made in the US before carrying out the stunt for Jayden's birthday . He is an expert in free-running and parkour so was able to pull off the jump without injuring himself . A video of the stunt shows Jayden rushing to hug his favourite superhero after he lands outside their home . Mr Wilson then took the birthday boy inside and played with him while still in character as Spiderman . With his son's bedroom covered in Spiderman posters, Mr Wilson decided there was only one character he would want to wish him happy birthday. Mr Wilson, who is an expert in parkour and free-running, said: 'I've always been a big Spiderman fan myself and, out of no influence, Jayden also absolutely loves him. 'I wanted to surprise him so much with one of his favourite heroes, so I found two costume designers local to me in Basingstoke, who were up for the challenge. 'We had the costume printed in America and then got to work putting it together. It was finished about three weeks before Jayden's birthday so perfect timing to work out how to surprise him.' Jayden got a big hug from his favourite superhero after disguised Mr Wilson became a guest at the party . Family and friends were delighted to see the joy his father's entrance brought to the youngster's face . The family took photos of the occasion so Jayden can remember the day Spiderman came to his house . Mr Wilson added: 'Being a Spiderman fan, I hate it when people pretend to be Spiderman but can't do the right poses, I'm not perfect but I like to try doing my best.' Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive brain tumours. Unlike other cancers, which are more likely to strike as patients get older, GBM is just as prevalent in young patients and kills more people under 40 than any other cancer. Common symptoms include seizure, nausea, vomiting and headaches, although the most prevalent is a progressive neurological deterioration because of its location near the temporal and frontal lobes. The average sufferer will only survive for 14 months after diagnosis and 2,500 die from their tumours annually. Glioblastoma is extremely difficult to treat for a number of reasons because the tumour cells are very resistant to conventional therapies. Mr Wilson, who is a professional freerunner and has featured in films including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Pirates of the Caribbean, spent half an hour playing with his son in character, leaving the youngster star-struck. A video of the surprise stunt shows birthday boy Jayden venturing onto his front doorstep after it appears nobody is there. But he is shocked to see Mr Wilson, concealed by his Spiderman outfit, fly down from the roof and wish him happy birthday. Jayden was given the CT scan in August last year after a fall and, following the discovery of a mass on his brain, he was transferred to a hospital specialising in brain surgery. After an MRI scan and biopsy, doctors told his parents that he has cancer. After what they described as 'the worst weeks of our lives', the couple launched a fundraising to make the rest of Jayden’s life full of special days. The 'SpiderDad' video has been viewed more than 20,000 times on YouTube since it was posted this weekend. Mr Wilson has also been inundated with messages of support on the family's Facebook and gofundme pages. The tumour only came to light when Jayden (pictured with his parents, Lou and Mike, and his sister, Ella) was taken to hospital after banging his head last year . The youngster is a huge Spiderman fan and has posters of the superhero all over the walls of his bedroom . | Five-year-old battling brain tumour after shock diagnosis last year .
His father was determined to make his birthday a special one .
He had a Spiderman outfit made to fit before practising moves .
Parkour expert then leapt from a roof above the family's front door .
Video shows the youngster's surprise as superhero appears at home .
Film has since been viewed around the world, garnering huge support . |
fb438b2cad9b7583f4eda4fbe6fe9e9cd1f59f10 | By . Corey Charlton for MailOnline . Dogs donning hats, crowns, tutus and frocks battled to be named the capital's best dressed dog at a fashion show in London at the weekend. The annual Old Spitalfields Market Paw Pageant was held yesterday where dogs wearing their finest fashion competed to help raise money for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Accompanying them were humans modelling collections from NW3, Oliver Bonas, Albam, Jigsaw Menswear, Hackett, Traffic People, Jones and Jones and Shoe Embassy. Categories included Radient Rescue for the adopted pups, Dog's Got Talent for the skilled and Dressed Up to the Canines for the fashion-conscious. The winners of the preliminary categories then competed for the Best in Show award, which went to Gus the Tibetan Terrier, who was smartly dressed in a shirt, tie and suit jacket. All the dogs competing were dressed by Lilly Shahravesh of LoveMyDog, a leading designer of 'canine couture' based in Britain. A fashion show contestant opts for a cool look with sunglasses and a patterned top with rolled up sleeves . Gus the Tibetan Terrier won the Best in Show award for his shirt, tie and dog-styled suit jacket . Pictured left is Murphy, a Dachshund, while right, a group dressed as . Goldilocks and the Three Bears won the Dressed up to the Canines . category . This dog's owner went for a royal look, with their pet donning a pink tutu and crown for the catwalk . Sherlock Bones and his owner won the lookalike category, modelled on the famous detective character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . A Jack Russell named Rabbit, wearing a hat and coat, pictured taking part in the show which raised money for Battersea Dogs and Cats home . The dogs were dressed by Lilly Shahravesh of LoveMyDog, a leading designer of 'canine couture' based in Britain . A pup named Larry Pringles shows his cute side with a fluffy full body afro on the catwalk. The show was held at Old Spitalfields Market . George the Pug, left, entered the lookalike category dressed as King George III, while Bellamy the Great Dane was dressed in tartan red . A Pug Shih Tzu cross called Paris wearing her bright pink ballet tutu and hat at the Old Spitalfields Market Paw Pageant yesterday . | Dozens of perfectly groomed dogs participated in annual designer dressed show at Old Spitalfields Market .
Dogs wearing sunglasses, shirts, ties and lookalike costumes competed to be crowned Best at Show .
Money raised from the event was given to Battersea Dog and Cats Home, while human designer labels also showcased . |
fb438c1c78f552964bb25f81bb1da83cff15e72a | By . John Stevens, Political Reporter . Labour will struggle to win a majority in the general election because UKIP’s success has ended the traditional two-party system, one of its senior MPs warned yesterday. Former Cabinet minister Peter Hain also admitted that many voters ‘don’t see’ Ed Miliband as a prime minister. His comments came as shadow ministers warned traditional working-class Labour voters were abandoning the party for UKIP, which resonated with them more. Peter Hain, the former Cabinet minister, has announced that he is standing down at the next General Election but also although Ed Miliband will be PM, UKIP will prevent a Labour majority . Mr Hain, who is standing down at next year’s election, said that it was likely that Mr Miliband would be in No 10 after the election, but did not know if the party could win a majority. The Neath MP said voters would realise Mr Miliband was the right person to lead the country once he was in Downing Street – ‘even if they don’t see that at the moment’. He added: ‘Whether we’ll have a majority, which I will fight for along with every other Labour Party member, I don’t know because it’s very, very hard to win a majority now in British politics because we’re not in a two-party system, which we had for generations. We’re in a multi-party system. ‘Ed . Miliband is well placed to lead the government in the future and I think . people, when they see him as prime minister, will actually realise that . they’ve elected the right person, even if maybe they don’t see that at . the moment.’ after . Labour’s recent run of poor election results, work and pensions . spokesman Rachel Reeves warned that senior Labour figures that . blue-collar supporters felt UKIP understood their fears better. She said campaigning had shown her that support for the party was falling in safe seats. Yesterday's men: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown with Mr Hain in the days when they were in office . Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper (left) believes that Labour should not seek to mimic UKIP to steal their votes while Rachel Reeves (right), work and pensions spokesman, says that the working class think Labour no longer represents theme . ‘Traditional voters, who perhaps at times we took for granted but had nowhere else to go, are now being offered an alternative by UKIP,' she added. ‘Our voters – if I can still call them that – see UKIP offering a vision and a hope that things can be better. They hear something that resonates with them and with their fears for the future and that’s something very real that we have to contend with. ‘The Labour Party came into existence to give a voice for ordinary working people. ‘I saw middle-class, public-sector, well-educated young graduates voting Labour – but the people who the Labour Party was set up to help abandoning us. ‘Our very raison d’etre will be threatened if the working people who the Labour Party have got to be a voice for start to drift away because they don’t see us as the answer.’ But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the party should not seek to mimic UKIP to steal their votes. She told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: ‘We can’t imitate UKIP, we have got to take them on.’ | Mr Hain says we are now in a multi-party system .
Shadow ministers warn Labour voters are flocking to UKIP .
Mr Hain says Mr Miliband will be recognised as a good PM when he gets the job . |
fb43ce8e46e9bb1195a9b9fb0ef1deafa0db2b53 | A boy of four was left in agony after pharmacists mistakenly gave him powerful ear drops to deal with an eye infection. Archie Battersbee had been prescribed eye drops by a doctor to ease a bout of conjunctivitis.But the youngster was left screaming in pain after blundering pharmacists at a Boots store handed his mother the ear medication instead. The astonishing mix-up left him with a burn around his right eye. Archie Battersbee, 4, (left) has been left with a burn around his eye after his mother Hollie Dance (right) was given ear drops to treat his eye infection. Boots Pharmacy has apologised for dispensing the wrong medicine . Archie screamed in pain after Miss Dance put the medication in his eye . His . mother, Hollie Dance, said: ‘I put [the drops] in and Archie was . absolutely screaming, so I read the box closely and it said they were . ear drops. ‘Fortunately, . I only used it once on Archie, but they’re ten times as strong as the . eye drops so even then you could see it had burned the skin around the . corner of his eye. ‘I went back to kick off at Boots and made a formal complaint. ‘They . have now apologised and given us the right drops.’ Archie, who started . school earlier this month, is now terrified of allowing anyone to put . medication in his eyes following his ordeal. Miss Dance, from Southend-on-Sea in Essex, added: ‘Unsurprisingly, Archie was scared of anything else going in his eye. Archie was left with a severe burn in the corner of his right eye (left and right) after using the medication once . ‘I . eventually managed to get them in and he said it didn’t hurt at all, . which is what it should’ve been like all along.’ It is not the first . time such a mix-up has occurred at a Boots store. Logan Morley, six, was mistakenly given ear drops to treat conjunctivitis at a branch in Nottingham in 2012. She suffered burning and swelling around her eyes after her parents used the medication on her. Logan . had been given the correct prescription at an NHS walk-in centre, only . for the pharmacists to hand out the wrong medication. Her . mother Claire Morley said the box was marked ear drops but the . prescription sticker, which was signed by two people, had stated eye . drops. The Boots Pharmacy on Southchurch Road in Southend, where the wrong medication was given to Miss Dance . Logan was taken to hospital, where she was given a cream to treat her burning, bloodshot eyes. Speaking at the time, Mrs Morley said: ‘It is ridiculous. I can’t believe they made such a mistake. ‘You never think to check it. You would like to think they had given you the right medicine.’ As . well as apologising to Archie and his mother for the error, Boots says . changes have been made to prevent the mistake from being repeated. A spokesman said: ‘We would like to once again offer our sincere apologies to the family. ‘At Boots UK, we treat any incident involving patient safety with the utmost importance. ‘After . this incident, a thorough investigation was conducted and appropriate . remedial action was undertaken to ensure that any necessary measures . were implemented.’ Six-year-old Logan Morley was left with swollen, bloodshot eyes after she was given the wrong medication . Boots Pharmacy has previously made the same mistake when it issued Logan Morley's parents with ear drops to treat an eye infection in 2012. The six-year-old was given the correct prescription by an NHS Walk-In centre in Nottingham but was given ear drops by pharmacists at Boots the Chemist on Riverside Retail Park in the city. Her mother Claire Morley said the box was marked ear drops but the prescription sticker, which was signed by two people, had stated eye drops. The drops caused a burning pain and Logan was left with swollen, bloodshot eyes and was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre, where she was given a cream to treat them. Speaking at the time, Mrs Morley, said: ‘It is ridiculous. I can’t believe they made such a mistake. ‘You never think to check it. You would like to think they had given you the right medicine.’ Tony Avery, Professor of Primary Care at the University of Nottingham’s Medical School, who conducts research into patient safety, said: ‘Overall, the rate of prescription errors in community pharmacies is quite low. ‘It’s less than one in 50, but often we are talking about very, very minor errors. ‘I’m not expert enough to say whether putting it in the eye at this high a dose would be likely to cause problems. ‘But clearly the dose of 0.5 per cent (of chloramphenicol) is designed for the eye, and the membrane of the eye is much more superficial than the ear, and you have got to be aware of how sensitive the eye is. ‘I would be surprised if giving it at five per cent would cause a sight-threatening adverse reaction.’ | Archie Battersbee developed conjunctivitis after starting primary school .
Doctor prescribed eye drops but Boots pharmacy dispensed ear drops .
Ear drops contain 10 times amount of antibacterial chemical in eye drops .
Four-year-old left with burn around right eye after mother gave medicine .
Returned to pharmacy to complain and was given the correct medication .
Boots has offered its 'sincere apologies' and an investigation conducted . |
fb440ef0699d43a469a467fd7725b74f9b547ef0 | By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 07:25 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:49 EST, 14 January 2014 . Crime lord: Babar Qasam, 35, pictured, led a crime gang which put £1.5million of illegal drugs on the street . Prosecutors have managed to recover just £160 from the leader of a drugs gang who pumped over £1.5million of cocaine and heroin onto the streets of Britain. Babar Qasam, 35, is serving an 11-year sentence for conspiracy to supply heroin after he was convicted in May. But attempts to claw back his ill-gotten gains have so far produced little. Police say the large-scale operation allowed Qasam and his gangsters to live 'quite affluent' lives. But even though officers seized around £100,000 during their investigations, the hearing could only prove that Qasam personally made £63,163 from his crimes. Officers had used Qasam and his fellow criminals as the faces of a poster campaign to tell residents that 'crime doesn't pay' after they were sentenced to a combined total of 167 years behind bars. But since Qasam's own assets have dwindled so much, a Proceeds of Crime hearing in Preston, Lancashire, was only able to reclaim £160 - all the money he had access to. He and his accomplices were caught by a nationwide investigation which seized £200,000 in bank notes, 45kgs of . cocaine and quantities of heroin and cannabis. The gang operated in Lancashire, Berkshire, Cumbria and West Yorkshire, distributing drugs which were smuggled into the UK. Police . found £51,240 in cash in one of the gang’s Range Rovers. One kilogram of . cocaine, worth £100,000, was recovered from another home while £18,650 . in cash was taken from a van driven by two of the gang which was stopped . on the M6. Cash: A haul of £18,650, pictured, was recovered by police from a van on the M6 involved in Qasam's operation . File under 'C': This haul of cash, seized from a Landrover, totals £51,240 . Bundle: This £29,920 was also gathered up by officers . And £29,920 . in cash was seized from a vehicle being driven on the M60 near . Manchester. Prosecutors said the arrests represented the 'dismantling of a prominent source of drugs' in the North of England. Despite the unimpressive total recovered from Qasam, police today pledged that they would target any further wealth he amasses in future. A spokesman said: 'Where possible . Lancashire Police will track down illegal assets and we deprive . criminals of cash and possessions. 'In . most cases the main motivation of criminals is financial gain and . therefore this is an area in which we can hit the criminal hardest. Drugs: Police seized this 1-kilogram stash of cocaine from the gang, worth around £100,000 . Pulled over: Investigators move in on a Land Rover carrying cash from a drug deal, which police pulled over . Jailed: Lancashire police posted this billboard after Qasam and his gang were sentenced. Police at the time said it proved that crime 'doesn't pay' 'I . would also reassure people that if in the future, after paying the . amount, individuals appear to have further wealth that police believe . has been the result of crime, they can be brought before the courts . again to assess any other available assets that can be offset against . the overall benefits they have accrued from their crimes.' Five accomplices Tamoor Ahmed, 37, from Slough, Neil Scarborough, 33, Tanveer Fazal, 32, Asrer Khan, 29, all from Preston, and Christopher Farley, 31, from Liverpool have already been made to pay back more than £185,000 between them. Suhail Vohra, 33, of Blackburn faces a Proceeds of Crime hearing in March. | Babar Qasam flooded the UK with huge amounts of cocaine and heroin .
Police recovered £100,000 in cash during an investigations into his crimes .
But a Proceeds of Crime hearing today was only able to demand £160 .
Police have said that if his wealth increases he may have to pay more . |
fb44ae74833f0c3ebc465abe4b2d53a1724c1b7f | (CNN)After freezing rain and snow glazed roads across the Northeast, leaving as many as six dead, more misery awaits Monday. Winter storm warnings are in effect through the morning for upstate Vermont and portions of New Hampshire, Maine and western Massachusetts. In Vermont, there could be between 3 and 7 inches of snow and 10 inches in the state's highest elevations. Ice storms hit parts of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the weekend, prompting the mayor of Danbury, Connecticut, to begin the hashtag #Icezilla. "Still slippery, but calls are slowing down in our 911 center. #Danbury #Icezilla," Mayor Mark Boughton tweeted. The Hartford Courant reported that the ice contributed to more than 216 car accidents on Sunday, including a fatal crash in New Haven. The New York Fire Department fielded some 3,700 emergency calls, CNN affiliate WABC reported Monday, and the department took the unusual step of calling in help from neighboring agencies. As Monday wears on -- there's some good news for the Northeast -- the ice will start melting as temperatures creep upward. A messy mix of ice and rain left bridges, overpasses and interstates very slick Sunday. Two people died in accidents related to black ice in the Philadelphia area, state police said. In one of the accidents, one person was killed after getting out of a car and being hit by an oncoming vehicle, authorities said. The person got out of the car after crashing into at least 20 vehicles piled up on Interstate 76. An additional two people were killed in a multicar crash in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, CNN affiliate KYW reported. The three cars rammed into a tractor-trailer and got stuck underneath, it said. At least one person has died in Harford County, Maryland, state police spokesman Greg Shipley said. There were dozens of crashes Sunday throughout central and northern Maryland. Most occurred in Howard, Baltimore, Harford and Cecil counties. | Storm warning for upstate Vermont, parts of New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts .
Ice storms hit portions of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania . |
fb44d1113c8ee43088626359235e634d6b6b6541 | (CNN) -- Singer Gavin DeGraw canceled his next two shows while he recovers from an attack in New York that left him with a concussion, broken nose, black eyes and cuts and bruises, his representative said Tuesday. DeGraw checked out of New York's Bellevue Hospital Tuesday, his rep said. He was taken late Sunday night by ambulance after he was "attacked by a group of assailants," said the representative, Fran Curtis. DeGraw sent his fans a message via Twitter Tuesday: . "Hi my friends. Honestly, I don't remember much. I only know I can recover from here. Thank u all for your genuine concern. I love u guys." DeGraw's show in Wantagh, New York, scheduled for Friday, and in Mansfield, Massachusetts, scheduled for Saturday, have been canceled because of his injuries, the rep said. No arrests have been made, but New York police are investigating. "Gavin and his family appreciate everyone's concern at this time," Curtis said. CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report. | NEW: DeGraw checks out of Bellevue Hospital Tuesday, rep says .
NEW: Singer tweets that he doesn't remember much of attack .
His next two shows are canceled because of his injuries .
"Group of assailants" attacked DeGraw on Sunday in New York, rep says . |
fb44fc0bb29993339409da8e9671c99c107b1439 | A northern New Mexico sheriff's deputy shot and killed a fellow deputy at a hotel Tuesday after transporting a prisoner to Arizona, authorities said. The shooting took place just after midnight at the Hotel Encanto in the southern New Mexico city of Las Cruces, police said. Officials said the two Santa Fe County deputies—Tai Chan, 27, and Jeremy Martin, 29—had dropped off the prisoner and were heading back to Santa Fe, nearly 300 miles from the hotel, Albuquerque Journal reported. Deputy Tai Chan (left) allegedly killed fellow deputy Jeremy Martin, a father of three, after a night of drinking . Police tape is seen in the lobby of the Hotel Encanto, where Deputy Tai Chan, 27, allegedly shot fellow deputy Jeremy Martin, 29 . The Las Cruces PD investigate the shooting at Hotel Encanto . The two had been drinking at the Dublin's Street Pub and started arguing, police said. They headed back to their room and, at some point, the argument got even more heated. That's when Chan allegedly fired several rounds from a semi-automatic gun as Martin ran away toward the elevator, cops said. Martin was bleeding heavily outside the elevator in the lobby with several shots in his back and arms. He was rushed to Mountain View Regional Medical Center, where he died. Martin, who was married and had three children, had been been a deputy for two years. Detectives found Chan in a stairwell near the roof of Hotel Encanto. Chan, who had four years in the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, was being questioned Tuesday morning. Chan is being interrogated by police after he allegedly shot a colleague in the back . Investigators gather evidence from a deputy's vehicle in the parking lot of Hotel Encanto . Martin's wife, Sarah Martin, told the Journal he 'was a great dad, a great husband, a family guy, well grounded. 'I am still kind of processing,' said Sarah Martin, with whom the deputy had three children ages 4, 9, and 11. 'I think everyone is quite shocked … he (Jeremy) was a self-sacrificing kind of a person and put everyone else first,' she told the newspaper. 'He was very well-balanced as far as family and career. 'He had a big heart and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.' Detectives search Chan's car on Tuesday in the hours following the shooting of Deputy Martin . Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia said his department was grieving and that he was at a loss for words, describing the shooting as a 'major shock.' 'I have grief counselors or crisis counselors here now meeting with a lot of my personnel, but it's a grieving law enforcement agency,' Garcia said. 'In this line of work, you worry about something like this happening daily, but not from one deputy to another,' he told the Los Angeles Times. 'I haven't dealt with anything in my 34-year career like this.' Sheriff Robert Garcia (center) says the shooting has been incredibly tough on his department . Garcia told the Times that the deputies didn't usually work together, but he was unaware of any animosity between them. 'There was nothing to ever indicate that something like this would ever take place,' Garcia told the newspaper. 'Now I have an agency that needs to support each other through the grieving process.' Police found the alleged shooter in a stairwell near the roof of Encanto Hotel (pictured) | The shooter has been identified as Tai Chan, who had served in the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office for four years .
The victim is Deputy Jeremy Martin, a father of three, who had been at the department for two years .
The had had dropped off a prisoner and were heading back to Santa Fe, nearly 300 miles from the Hotel Encanto .
Chan allegedly shot Martin in the back as the victim ran to a hotel elevator . |
fb4513966beb527ca443ac9feef77c6fd904f295 | (CNN) -- After cutting nearly half of its police force in January. the city of Camden, New Jersey, announced Thursday that it is rehiring 50 of the 168 police officers laid off. In an agreement between Camden officials and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the city will have access to $2.5 million from what is known as a "payment in lieu of taxes," or PILOT, state fund. Camden's Mayor Dana Redd will rehire 50 police officers and 15 firefighters. "Public safety is our primary obligation as elected officials," Redd said in a press release. The funding will allow Camden to supplement existing patrols through the spring and summer, but a long-term solution is still needed, Redd said. When asked if crime had increased during the two months since the cuts, the mayor's spokesman, Robert Corrales, said only, "Crime, in general, ebbs and flows and to pinpoint it on layoffs is just inconclusive." Redd pledged to keep working with the governor and local officials to find and implement a long-term plan. "In difficult fiscal times like these, we must work harder (and) be more creative and realistic to find the best, most cost-effective ways to meet our public safety obligations," Redd said. In January, 168 police officers and 67 firefighters were laid off due to a $26.5 million budget gap. Camden, a city with the second-highest crime rate in the nation, was left scrambling to figure out solutions to keep residents safe. Camden is second only to St. Louis in annual crime-rate rankings of cities, with the rankings based on compilations of FBI crime statistics. Calls to Camden's Fraternal Order of Police on Thursday were not immediately returned. | Facing a $26.5 million budget gap, Camden laid off police and firefighters .
The January layoffs took 168 officers and 67 firefighters off the payroll .
Now, the city is rehiring 50 of those officers with money from a state fund .
The mayor says a long-term budget solution is still needed . |
fb4533a9255a557c7c83ea8e2be09b1ca83feab4 | For months he was held captive by the North Korean regime, not even sure what he would be charged with. Then in one fell swoop, American citizen Matthew Todd Miller was convicted of committing "acts hostile" to North Korea and sentenced to six years of hard labor, North Korean state-run media reported Sunday. While Miller's fate is now clear, the circumstances surrounding his alleged crime remain murky. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the 24-year-old arrived in North Korea as a tourist on April 10 and ripped up his tourist visa, shouted his desire to seek asylum and said "he came to the DPRK after choosing it as a shelter." DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Its government is a communist dictatorship renowned for human rights abuses. Washington demands release . Early Monday, the U.S. State Department demanded that North Korea release Miller and fellow American prisoner Kenneth Bae. "The charges for which he (Miller) and the other detained U.S. citizens were arrested and imprisoned would not give rise to arrest or imprisonment in the United States or in many other countries around the world," said spokesman Darby Holladay. He also asked for amnesty for the men and for American Jeffrey Fowle. Fowle, 56, was arrested in June while traveling as a tourist. Holladay said that U.S. citizens are discouraged from visiting the country. Miller talks to CNN . Earlier this month, Miller told CNN's Will Ripley that he "prepared to violate the law of DPRK before coming here. And I deliberately committed my crime." But Miller didn't elaborate on what his "crime" was. He said he wouldn't learn of his charges until he went to trial. It's unclear whether his statements were made freely or under coercion. The North Korean government surprised CNN by presenting Miller and two other detained Americans -- Kenneth Bae and Jeffrey Edward Fowle -- for interviews. Each five-minute interview was monitored by the government. "My situation is very urgent," Miller told CNN. "... Very soon, I'm going to trial and I will directly be sent to prison. I think this interview is my final chance to push the American government into helping me." How North Korea may be using U.S. detainees as 'bargaining chips' A quiet California kid . Miller's family lives in Bakersfield, California. Close friends and neighbors told CNN they were instructed by the family not to speak to reporters. Miller is a 2008 graduate of Bakersfield High School, according to CNN affiliate KBAK. A few classmates told CNN that Miller seemed like an average kid. Two said they barely remembered him because he was so quiet. In a July interview, a neighbor told The Associated Press that Miller went to South Korea about four years ago to visit his brother and that he found a job teaching English. He traveled to North Korea this year after arranging a private tour through the U.S.-based company Uri Tours, which takes tourists into North Korea. Uri Tours has said it doesn't have "any understanding of why" Miller ripped up his visa. The company offers tours despite U.S. State Department warnings that U.S. citizens have been subject to arbitrary arrest and detention in North Korea. Miller's case presents many questions, said Robert Kelly, an American who teaches International studies at Pusan National University in South Korea. "If he wanted asylum, why's he trying to get out?" Kelly asked. "Now, he changes his mind? This is why the (U.S.) State Department encourages citizens not to go to North Korea." | Washington calls for the immediate release of Miller and Kenneth Bae .
A court says Matthew Todd Miller committed "acts hostile" to North Korea .
He previously told CNN, "I deliberately committed my crime"
That interview was monitored by the North Korean government . |
fb4583abc6b680cbe89f693be56067d4c40ceafe | (CNN) -- Tough economic times are taking a toll across the spectrum of business and individual activity -- and the country's institutions of higher learning are no exception. Andy Warhol is one of the artists in Brandeis University's acclaimed Rose Art Museum. Brandeis University, in Waltham, Massachusetts, will be taking an extraordinary step to preserve its educational mission -- the school's board of trustees voted Monday to close its acclaimed Rose Art Museum. The university will sell every one of the approximately 6,000 items in the museum, opened in 1961. "These are extraordinary times, we cannot control or fix the nation's economic problems," university president Jehuda Reinharz said. "We can only do what we have been entrusted to do -- act responsibly with the best interests of our students and their futures foremost in mind." University spokesman Dennis Nealon said that the move to sell off the museum's exhibits was "a very hard and painful decision" but a necessary one for the school's survival. He said the decision, which calls for the museum to close in the summer, will not affect the university's "commitment to the arts and the teaching of the arts." The facility will become a fine arts teaching center with an exhibition gallery and studio space, he said. The museum's collection includes iconic paintings by such luminaries of American art as Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Alex Katz and Roy Lichtenstein. Nealon said most of the museum's acquisitions are paintings and sculptures. The school has not undertaken a recent appraisal of the works, Nealon said, adding that the process may take as much as two years to complete. Brandeis, founded in 1948, is the only non-sectarian, Jewish-sponsored university in the country. | Brandeis trustees vote to close Rose Art Museum, sell collection .
University spokesman says "painful decision" necessary for school's survival .
Collection includes iconic paintings by Warhol, Johns and Lichtenstein .
Brandeis is the only nonsectarian, Jewish-sponsored university in nation . |
fb464200106fe9bd64c5e67d76ff2e02aa8f22e7 | (CNN) -- The European Union imposed a ban Friday on the import of Syrian oil, the latest diplomatic move against Bashar al-Assad's embattled regime. "The prohibition concerns purchase, import and transport of oil and other petroleum products from Syria. No financial or insurance services may be provided for such transactions," the European Council said in a statement issued in Brussels, Belgium. The action was expected. The EU has been a top market for Syrian oil, and the group said it intended to make the move which will have a detrimental impact on the Syrian government's oil revenues. The organization also added four more Syrians and three entities to a list of those targeted by an asset freeze and a travel ban. But there is an exemption to the asset freeze for humanitarian purposes. World powers have been bearing down on the al-Assad regime because of the government's ferocious crackdown against peaceful protesters for nearly six months. Security forces opened fire on demonstrators on Friday and activist groups reported deaths. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria counted 18 deaths. Demonstrations occurred in Daraa, Damascus and Homs provinces. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said three law-enforcement members and four gunmen were killed in clashes. SANA said "armed terrorist groups" killed the security forces in the Damascus and Homs countryside. The gunmen also died in those areas, it said. The government says the armed groups are responsible for the bloodshed, while demonstrators blame the deaths on military and security forces. CNN is not able to independently verify the accounts because of Syrian limitations on reporting. | The state-run news agency reports security, gunmen deaths .
Deaths are mounting in Friday demos .
The EU is a top market for Syrian oil .
The unrest has persisted for about six months . |
fb4647c3155b2a18a9eb1f0a6ccda208cbfb58f5 | By . Russell Myers . PUBLISHED: . 19:20 EST, 5 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:01 EST, 7 January 2013 . The director of Italian fashion house Missoni was feared dead last night when a small aircraft he was travelling in vanished off the coast of Venezuela. Vittorio Missoni, heir to the family-owned label, and his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, were among six people on board the twin-engine plane when it disappeared on Friday morning. Missoni's clothes have a host of celebrity fans, including the Duchess of Cambridge and Kate Moss. The 58-year-old, who co-owns the brand with his siblings Luca and Angela, is understood to have been returning from a Christmas and New Year holiday with his wife and two friends, Italian businessman Guido Foresti and his wife Elda Scalvenzi. Missing: Vittorio Missoni and his wife Maurizia Castiglioni are feared dead after the aircraft they were flying in disappeared . Beautiful: Los Roques, a pristine archipelago of 42 islands 95 miles off Venezuela's coast. Missoni was there on a fishing holiday . Two Venezuelan pilots were also on board, German Mechan, 72, and Juan Fernandez, 45. Last night, Venezuelan air and sea rescue services, including an ocean-searching naval vessel, continued to look for the plane, which went missing after taking off from the resort of Los Roques. The archipelago, 95 miles off Venezuela’s coast, is a popular holiday destination. The alarm was raised after the plane failed to land at Simon Bolivar international airport, about 12 miles from the capital Caracas. No trace of it has been found. Royal blue: The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured with the Queen and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is often seen in her blue Missoni coat . Luxury: Actress Sofia Vergara in a Missoni dress . Celebrity fans: Kate Moss wears Missoni in a picture taken in 2003 . Maddalena Aspes, a spokesman for Missoni, said: ‘The family has been informed by the Venezuelan consulate that Vittorio Missoni and his wife are missing. 'We don’t know any more.’ She added that relatives were travelling back to Italy from a holiday in France. It is also understood that Mr Missoni’s younger brother Luca, the company’s creative director, is travelling to Venezuela to help in the search. Messages of support flooded on to social media site Twitter yesterday, while Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani posted a message on the magazine’s website saying: ‘Bring Vittorio Missoni home.’ Mr Missoni worked as marketing director of the company, which was founded by his parents ex-Olympian runner Ottavio, 92, and Rosita in 1958, while his sister Angela designed both womenswear and menswear. Kate Middleton is frequently pictured in her frayed collarless blue tweed Missoni M coat, which she bought at at an Oxfordshire designer outlet for £765. Another plane with eight Italians on board disappeared in the same area exactly five years ago. Only the body of the co-pilot was found. Venezuelan air and sea rescue services continued to look for the plane (pictured) which went missing after taking off from the resort of Los Roques . Vanished: The plane's last known position was over the sea between Los Roques and the north coast of Venezuela . | Director of Italian fashion house Missoni was returning from a holiday .
Venezuelan air and sea rescue services continue to look for the plane . |
fb4668b7ab10a7a4efeacd73c1c9084eaad4e2fe | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 17:38 EST, 3 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:42 EST, 3 February 2014 . A northern Indiana teenager who pleaded guilty for a second time to conspiring to help kill a friend's stepfather got the same sentence on Monday that he received more than three years ago, but because of a change in Indiana law he could be released to a residential facility without ever serving a day in adult prison. Judge James Heuer gave 15-year-old Paul Gingerich a 30-year sentence, with the final five years suspended, which is the same sentence Gingerich received in November 2010 in the death of Phillip Danner at his home near Lake Wawasee, about halfway between Fort Wayne and South Bend. But the Indiana Court of Appeals threw out the first guilty plea and sentence, ruling that Kosciusko County Superior Judge Duane Huffer had rushed when he waived the case to adult court. Paul Henry Gingerich sits inside a room at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional in 2012. Gingerich, now 15, was sentenced on Monday to 25 years under state supervision in the April 2010 death of Phillip Danner at his home near Syracuse . Defense attorney Monica Foster said Gingerich agreed to plead guilty in December because a new law that went into effect July 1 allows him the chance to avoid serving time in an adult prison. Gingerich currently is being held at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility. Foster and prosecutor Daniel Hampton disagreed on how long Gingerich will have to remain in a juvenile facility. Foster said he could be placed in a residential facility as early as this summer after receiving his high school degree, while Hampton said the earliest that could happen is after he turns 18. Both agreed that Gingerich, who has already served more than three years in custody, will remain under state supervision in some manner, in a maximum-security facility if he gets in trouble, or in a group home, community corrections, on probation or parole if he's well-behaved. Both said there will be another hearing after he turns 18. Gingerich apologized to Danner's family during a brief, tearful statement before being sentenced. 'f I could, I would change what was done,' he said. 'It is my actions that are responsible for your suffering. I'll have to live with that the rest of my life. I'm very sorry for what I've done. ... I know sorry isn't enough.' Before Gingerich spoke, Danner's sister, Kim Wilson, said the only apology her family had ever heard had come from Foster. She said they had never heard from Gingerich or his parents, but said she saw a videotaped interview with Gingerich's mother in which she repeatedly asked how this could have happened to her son. 'Paul, this did not happen to you,' Wilson said. 'You are not the victim.' Wilson said her family endures constant media reports that focus on Gingerich's young age at the time of the murder, but not on Danner, an active father and grandfather with many friends. 'I want you to know Phil was a good person. He did not deserve to die,' she said. Gingerich looked at her at times during the statement, and at other times stared at the table he was sitting at. She said she would forgive Gingerich, but said it would be easier if he apologized. Tough life: Gingerich now 15, has been described as a role model at Pendleton Juvenile Correction Facility where he is currently incarcerated . Foster told Wilson that Gingerich had written the family an apology letter after his first guilty plea, but the Correction Department would not allow him to send it. Danner's 15-year-old son pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in September 2010 in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges of murder and aiding murder. He was sentenced to 30 years. Foster described Gingerich as teenager with above average intelligence who a psychologist said is less likely than the average juvenile defender to again break the law. 'He is attempting to rehabilitate himself,' she said. 'I think he's well on his way to rehabilitation.' | Judge James Heuer gave 15-year-old Paul Gingerich a 30-year sentence, with the final five years suspended .
Gingerich apologized to Phillip Danner's family during a brief, tearful statement before being sentenced .
Gingerich agreed to plead guilty in December because a new law that went .
into effect July 1 allows him the chance to avoid time in .
adult prison . |
fb474f086cb7e8a777a241c715ea4e8de93fe9f1 | (CNN) -- John Isner says his 11-hour match at Wimbledon against Nicolas Mahut was "absolutely crazy" and at one point he thought it might never end. The world number 23 from the United States has gone down in the record books as the winner of the longest match in tennis history. His epic battle with Frenchman Mahut on Court 18 at the All England Club stretched over three days and 183 games before he claimed the first round clash, 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68. Isner told CNN that the first day of action on Tuesday June 22 was a "pretty standard four-set match suspended by darkness which happens at Wimbledon." But nothing could have prepared the man from North Carolina for the incredible events that were to unfurl in the fifth set the following day. The pair battled for over seven hours and by the time it was called off all the record books had already been re-written. "That one set just didn't want to end, we played 118 games with no decider and we had to come back next day to finish it off," Isner explained to CNN. "I think once we got to 30 (games) all I really didn't think it was going to end. "Both of us were serving fantastic and it got to the point when we didn't want to make a mistake on our service game. "We were still able to hit an inordinate amount of aces and every time someone got in a jam we were able to claw our way out of it. The marathon eventually ended on the Thursday afternoon as Isner finally made a breakthrough on Mahut's service at match point, but not before another 20 games had been completed. An exhausted Isner lost his second round match the next day in straight sets, but his incredible feat of endurance against Mahut will always be remembered. The 25-year-old said he had prepared for Wimbledon by training near his home in Tampa, Florida, hitting ball after ball in the blazing heat and humidity. So fit was Isner that his coach Craig Boynton had made a prophetic prediction ahead of the third grand slam of the year. "My coach jokingly said I would be able to play for 10 hours because of the extreme conditions I was practicing in and sure enough he was right." But the reality was both had played to the point of exhaustion and the giant Isner was suffering from agonizing blood blisters on both feet. "It was pretty brutal, it was ugly," he said. After taking a well-earned break, Isner will resume play on the ATP Tour later this month as he builds up to the third grand slam of the season at the U.S. Open. | John Isner tells CNN his match against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon was 'absolutely crazy'
American started to think that his 11-hour marathon would never finish .
Isner eventually closed it out after 183 games which smashed all previous records .
He lost his second round match in straight sets and is now resting back in U.S. |
fb4890705a42454efae06b8573c835e7d02d3fce | Corrie McGuire was targeted because of her accent as anti-capitalist protestors brought chaos to the streets of central London last night . A London woman has told how she was attacked by an anti-capitalist protestor 'because of her accent'. Comedy agent Corrie McGuire was forced to walk through central London when violent demonstrations by activists closed down Parliament Square and Whitehall. Many of the protestors wore the mask of Guy Fawkes, made popular by the film V for Vendetta and taken up by radical groups. But as Ms McGuire tried to cross Westminster Bridge, she was targeted by a masked man who picked her out because of the way she spoke. Ms McGuire, 31, wrote on Twitter: 'For the first time in 10 yrs of living in London I was assaulted, apparently in the name of "anti capitalism". 'Just some pushing and shoving. Heavy police presence so one stepped in v quickly. Just a bit scary when they're in masks. 'I'm sure they're not representative but it was appalling to see. Apparently my accent isn’t in line with current campaign. 'Police incredible but faced with hundreds of masked people being v violent. Not the London I know.' She later told the Evening Standard: 'The person turned to me saying "it’s alright for you, not all of us have mummies and daddies to look after us," and then he lunged at me. 'I can only assume it was because of my accent that he targeted me. What was terrifying is they were all wearing masks.' There were scenes of chaos in the capital last night as demonstrators attacked police lines during so-called Bonfire Night protests. Officers were forced to draw their batons as missiles, plastic cones and road signs were launched along the Mall, while fireworks were left off in Trafalgar Square. The masked demonstrators - some as young as 14 - also kicked and dragged over security railings while chanting 'one solution, revolution', as others daubed graffiti on riot vans. Scroll down for videos . Ms McGuire told of the assault on Twitter after she was confronted by a masked man on Westminster Bridge . Barricades erected in anticipation of the protest were lifted by demonstrators as police attempted to control scenes in Parliament Square . The crowd tried its best to carry out the wishes of the organisers, which asked for a massive blockade of London City . Demonstrators kicked and dragged over security railings while chanting 'one solution, revolution' A police officer ducks to avoid the pushing and shoving which surged through the crowd during the protest . During the march, protesters also let off fireworks and threw firecrackers at police who were guarding the Victoria Memorial, hurling abuse at them. The crowd surged through central London, pushing over bins, shouting at bemused shoppers and commuters and hitting cars and people with yellow flexible tubes. At one point, they surrounded a man driving a new Mercedes car and sprayed the back of it with an aerosol, pushing their tubes at him as he opened windows to remonstrate with them. The protest, known as the Million Mask March, was one of hundreds organised at the same time in cities around the world. Demonstrators wearing sinister Guy Fawkes masks - made famous in the film V for Vendetta - descended on Trafalgar Square, waving banners and placards, before marching towards Parliament Square at 6.30pm. Officers were forced to draw their batons as missiles, plastic cones and road signs were launched . Russell Brand took part in a protest outside Parliament which was orchestrated by activists who said they intend to cause chaos throughout London . The protest, organised in hundreds of cities around the world, saw the activists wear masks depicting the sinister face of Guy Fawkes - a mask made famous in the film V for Vendetta . As they milled around the square, they chanted anti-establishment slogans before climbing on to the base of Nelson's Column and letting off fireworks. They then moved onto Buckingham Palace before hundreds of protesters made their way through central London, going to Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and Oxford Circus. They then marched to the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House on nearby Portland Place and going along Oxford Street to Hyde Park and Park Lane. As of around midnight, ten people had been arrested, including three on suspicion of assaulting police officers, one of a firework offence, three for public order crimes and one of attempted GBH. The group said in its manifesto that it fights against mass surveillance, austerity and infringement of human rights. British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood was also spotted at the march in central London , at which comedian Russell Brand donned a Guy Fawkes mask . Police arrested a man on suspicion of headbutting a woman police officer outside Buckingham Palace during the protest . Officers were forced to draw their batons as missiles, plastic cones and road signs were launched along the Mall . The heightened security measures come as the Metropolitan Police attempted to contact Anonymous, but no one came forward with any details . Protesters argued with riot police as they formed human barriers against the huge crowd of demonstrators . Riot police were put on high alert after warnings from the protest group that it would cause chaos in London . Russell Brand also joined the London arm of the worldwide Million Mask March last year. During that march, energy bills were burned, fireworks were shot at Buckingham Palace and there were 15 arrests, following scuffles with police. He later wrote an article saying that riots are sparked 'when dialogue fails, when they feel unrepresented and bored by the illusion'. Today, it seemed the group were hoping for a similar result. On its website before the march, one of the group members wrote: 'What I'd like to see is a MASSIVE Anonymous blockade of London City. 'Complete physical GRIDLOCK. Only thing that gets through are Fire & Rescue and ambulances. NOTHING ELSE MOVES.' Fireworks and smoke were seen rising out of Trafalgar Square as the protest got underway last night . The group - which uses the Guy Fawkes masks as its trademark - said it fights against mass surveillance, austerity and infringement of human rights . The protest was held on the night of Britain's Guy Fawkes Night, and many of the marchers wore the white masks of the man who plotted to blow up parliament in 1605 . Protesters chanted anti-establishment slogans as they milled around, while others climbed on to the base of Nelson's Column let off fireworks . The group also warned it would have 'bigger banners, louder voices, more people and a louder system'. The London march is part of a day of global demonstrations, which include rallies across Europe, the Americas and Asia. The protest has led to officers from the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and the City of London Police Force being on stand-by. The heightened security measures came as the Metropolitan Police attempted to contact Anonymous, but no one came forward with any details. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said they had attempted to contact organisers of the event 'without success'. Graffiti was daubed on a police van, while a masked protester stood nearby waving a placard . Most people protested peacefully, but some ten arrests were made, Metropolitan Police said . The group warned it would have 'bigger banners, louder voices, more people and a louder system' than last year's protest . Writing on its website before the march, the group said: 'What I'd like to see is a MASSIVE Anonymous blockade of London City'. Protesters waved banners and placards during the march . The protesters came up with a number of creative ways to express their messages of discontent . The group said in its manifesto that it fights again mass surveillance, austerity and infringement of human rights . Anti-capitalist protesters held up signs saying 'Expect Us' 'We Are Anonymous' and 'We Are Everyone' Rather than communicate directly with local authorities, Anonymous sent a message to the government . The protesters made their way through central London, going to Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and Oxford Circus . And it added that they have imposed Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 across Westminster between 5pm today and 2am tomorrow, which provides powers to remove masks when police fear a crime will be committed. Scotland Yard said: 'The Met Police deals with around 4,500 protests and events every year. These can range from a single protester to hundreds of thousands of people walking through the capital's streets. 'Officers work with organisers to ensure that people are able to carry out their right to peaceful protest whilst ensuring Londoners can go about their daily business.' Last year’s London march saw more than 2,500 protesters take to the streets, in a rally which saw fireworks thrown at Buckingham Palace and a total of 15 arrests. Rather than communicate directly with local authorities, Anonymous sent a message to the government, and to global world leaders: 'To oppressive governments, we say this: we do not expect our campaign to be completed in a short time frame. However, you will not prevail against the angry masses of the body politic.' | Comedy agent assaulted 'because she spoke the wrong way'
Victim describes 'scary' attack, which ended when police stepped in .
Assault took place during anti-capitalist demo attended by Russell Brand .
Officers drew batons as missiles, road signs and fireworks were launched .
Crowd kicked over railings while chanting 'one solution, revolution'
Anti-capitalist group Anonymous wanted to create blockade in the capital . |
fb48a44b28dc06daa9e5e13a5e63b849aefd9aab | By . Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 23:50 EST, 11 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:47 EST, 12 August 2013 . A $1 million NASA research mission is nearing completion as six crew members prepare to come back down to Earth - from the slope of a Hawaiian volcano. HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) aims to address problems that may be encountered in future space missions by simulating exploration in areas of the world similar to space environments. The aim of this first mission, funded by NASA’s Human Research Program, the University of Hawaii and Cornell University, was to learn about living and cooking in Mars. Scroll down for video . Mission to Mars: HI-SEAS crew member Yajaira ventures out of the habitat and onto the barren, Mars-like volcano . Dome home: The geodesic dome the six HI-SEAS crew members have called home for the past four months . Food lab: The crew's main mission was to test food preparation strategies for future Mars missions . The HI-SEAS mission’s crew have spent the past four months 8000 . feet above sea level in a geodesic-dome habitat on the northern slope of . the Mauna Loa volcano. The volcano is a barren landscape, an abandoned quarry with little vegetation that's as similar to Mars' landscape as planet Earth can get. The crew members have been living under Mars-like conditions. According to HI-SEAS 'communication latencies and blackouts, in close quarters, under strict water-use rules, etc' are part of the deal. The food study was designed to test food preparation strategies for long-term space exploration. Spam on Mars: Canned and prepackaged foodstuffs are a must for space travel . Food lab: Crew member Yajaira gets creative in the kitchen . The crew: HI-SEAS' first team has spent four months on the side of a volcano in Hawaii . 'Some success meals were Russian borscht, Moroccan tagine, enchilasagna, seafood chowder, and fabada asturiana. Wraps work really well: we combine tortillas, different vegetables, Velveeta cheese, and sausage or canned fish into ever-changing combinations,' HI-SEAS Commander Angelo Vermeulen told Astrobiology Magazine. The freeze-dried vegetables were a big hit, he said, and were used in almost every meal. But, he added, 'The freeze-dried meat is only really enjoyable when used in meals. In itself it’s too bland and hardly has any aroma.' There were also some meals that the crew won't be advocating for a real mission to Mars. 'Our least favorite pre-prepared meal must be "Kung Fu Chicken,"' said Vermeulen. 'The texture of the meal could be best described as "slimy."' Mood lighting: The crew eats dinner in the dark after a blackout . Kitchen creatives: This dish is called 'Spam Musubi' and is bound to excite the palate of any astronaut bound for Mars . Window on the world: Crew member Yajaira looks out over 'Mars' Vermeulen's Mars must-haves include spices, herbs, hot sauce Nutella, peanut butter and margarine. The HI-SEAS crew has also been experimenting with remote controlled robotic arms to grow food crops in a hydroponic 'robotic farm'. Some crew members have been practicing terrain exploration, leaving their habitat and venturing outside, fully kitted out in their spacesuits, onto the barren lava field to conduct experiments with thermal imaging, geological identification, and microbiological detection. NASA is also comparing various fabrics and 'anti-microbial treatments' for clothing worn in space, to test exactly how long clothing can be worn before it's found 'objectionable' to the wearer. The crew is due to exit the Hawaiian habitat on Monday, 13 August. | A six-person research mission to the Mars-like terrain of a Hawaiian volcano ends today .
The crew's aim was to learn about living and cooking on Mars .
They lived in a geodesic dome and only ventured outside fully kitted out in spacesuits . |
fb48c7e9ba9243146e313b7aac5427a731bd9474 | The curse: The World Boxing Council has decided to shorten women's bouts... because of periods . The World Boxing Council, one of the four major organisations which sanctions championship boxing bouts, has decided to shorten women's bouts... because of periods. In a statement published on its website, the Mexico City-based non-profit said its first World Female Convention decided to shorten championship bouts from 12 rounds to just 10. At the same time the WBC decided individual rounds should last no longer than two minutes, as opposed to the three-minute rounds of men's competition. Menstruation was given as one of four key reasons why women's boxing matches should not last as long as men's, a list based on 'several facts ... reported during the convention which are of total concern.' The change from three-minute rounds to two-minute rounds brings the professional women's game in line with amateur boxing, including Olympic boxing, where both men and women fight shorter rounds. The WBC said that any promoter staging 12-round fights for women ran the risk of fighters suffering 'severe injuries' and that it would refuse to sanction any women's fight lasting more than 10 rounds. 'Several facts were reported during the convention which are of total concern regarding any changes of the 10 x 2 female boxing matches,' the WBC's statement said. 'Women are physically inclined to have concussions, much more than men. 'A female fighter used to fight 10 x 2 which is 20 minutes, would need tremendous effort to adjust to 12 x 3 which is 36 minutes. 'Menstrual cycle has tremendous impact on the body of a woman, including 12 hormones which act in the body system, creating radical changes in several areas. 'Women's endurance has been proven to be less than men. Marathon running time is much different between male and female.' Cancan Ren of China takes a hard right from Nicola Adams of Great Britain during the women's boxing Flyweight final of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the ExCel Arena in London, England . The organisation has come under fire online for failing to come up with any facts to back up its claims. D'Arcy Maine, a blogger for ESPNW, wrote: 'Actual evidence is overrated, right? For the record, the women’s marathon record (2:15:25) is less than 13 minutes slower than the men’s record (2:03:23), so I’m not sure that’s much of a reason to take such a drastic measure. 'But what do I know? I’m just a woman, who probably lacks the thinking skills to understand this due to all those pesky hormones.' London-based boxing trainer Winston Newton trains both men and women at his Gym London South. He called suggestions that women weren't capable of fighting as hard as men 'rubbish'. 'In my opinion, women train just as hard as men,' he said. 'They only getting punished by another female, they're not getting pummelled by a man. 'It's all relative if you are getting hit by another female that's jus t the same as you. Hopefully, at the end of the day, it just boils down to skill.' | WBC decides women should fight for only 10 two-minute rounds .
Professional fights usually last for 12, three-minute rounds .
'Menstrual cycle has tremendous impact on the body of a woman' it says . |
fb494027781154f9dec04c0546aa6b52e66b8905 | (CNN) -- If austerity had been a clinical trial, it would have been stopped. As public health experts, we have watched aghast as a slow motion disaster arose from austerity policies in Europe, while politicians continue to ignore the evidence of their disastrous effects. Austerity was designed to shrink debts. Now, three years after Europe's budget-cutting began, the evidence is in: severe, indiscriminate austerity is not part of the solution, but part of the problem -- and its human costs are devastating. In the U.S., Greece, Italy, Spain, the UK and elsewhere in Europe there were more than 10,000 additional suicides from 2007-2010, a figure that is over and above historical trends, with the largest rises concentrated in the worst performing economies. But suicides and depression are not unavoidable consequences of economic downturns: countries that slashed health and social protection budgets have seen starkly worse health outcomes than nations which opted for stimulus over austerity. Greece, for example, is in the middle of a public health disaster. To meet budget-deficit reduction targets set by the European Central Bank, European Commission, and International Monetary Fund (the so-called troika), Greece's public health budget has been cut by more than 40%. As Greece's health minister observed, "these aren't cuts with a scalpel, they're cuts with a butcher's knife." The spending was reduced to 6% of GDP, a figure lower than the UK, at 8%, and Germany, at 9%. As a result, HIV infections have jumped by more than 200% since 2010, concentrated in injection drug users, as needle-exchange program budgets were cut in half. There was a malaria epidemic in Greece -- the largest in 40 years -- after mosquito-spraying budgets were slashed. More than 200 essential medicines have been de-stocked from some pharmacies as the state's drug budget was reduced and pharmaceuticals companies exited the country in arrears. Since 2008 there has been a rise of more than 40% of people who report being unable to access healthcare that they believe to be medically necessary, the majority concentrated in pensioners. As patients cannot afford private care and forego preventive care, public sector hospitals have experienced a 24% rise in hospital admissions. Doctors and clinics are therefore overstrained. Infant mortality rates have risen 40% between 2008 and 2010. Over 35,000 public health workers, nurses, and doctors have lost jobs. Unemployment rates have hit 27% and youth unemployment has jumped to near 75% in some areas. With little hope for the future, desperate people are turning to cheap, synthetic drugs. Use of anti-depressants has skyrocketed, adding costs to the healthcare system. Suicide rates, previously among the lowest in Europe, have soared. Were these all inevitable consequences of recession, rather than consequences of austerity? Of course the Greek financial and political elites have made mistakes. And of course Greece's fiscal and monetary options were severely restricted as part of the bailout deals. But the suffering of the Greeks was not inevitable. The timing of many of these health effects coincided not with the onset of recession in 2008 and 2009, but with the implementation of deep budget cuts starting in 2010. Several prevailing myths are commonly offered as alternative explanations for Greece's devastating health outcomes, including these three: . The first myth: "Greece's healthcare system is excessive and inefficient." But there are just five hospital beds in Greece per 1,000 people, versus more than eight beds per 1,000 people in Germany. The second myth: "Greeks are lazy." But in 2011 the average Greek citizen worked 2,038 hours per year -- 600 hours more than the average German, according to the OECD. The third myth: "Europe's bailout money is being squandered." But bailout money is not flowing in to support Greece's healthcare system -- it is instead circulating back to large international banks in Germany, France and the UK. What we learned from analyzing past crises is that people do not inevitably get sick or die because the economy has faltered. Fiscal policy can be a matter of life and death. During the Great Depression in the U.S. in the 1930s, mortality rates actually fell by about 10%. Even though suicide rates increased among the unemployed between 1929 and 1933, this increase was outweighed by short-term drops in road traffic deaths, as people drove less to save on fuel costs. Then, at a time when total debt was over 200% of GDP, President Franklin Roosevelt implemented the New Deal, which created the U.S. social safety net. New Deal programs to re-house people who lost their homes, help people return to work, and build a public health infrastructure were highly effective -- and each additional $100 per capita in New Deal spending reduced suicides by 4 per 100,000 and infant deaths by about 18 per 100,000. Tuberculosis rates also fell, but disease rates were substantially reduced in those states that aggressively implemented the New Deal rather than those avoiding its implementation -- a "natural experiment." 1934, the year after the New Deal started becoming effective, marked the beginning of the U.S. economic recovery. Another "natural experiment" occurred in the aftermath of the East Asian financial crisis from 1997 to 1998. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia all had large market crashes: their currencies plummeted, GDP collapsed, and unemployment soared. But their politicians responded differently to the crisis, creating a rare laboratory in which we can identify the health effects of economic policy. Indonesia and Thailand turned to the IMF for help, implementing deep cuts to its HIV prevention, whereas Malaysia charted a different path, investing in preventive measures during the crisis. Indonesia and Thailand suffered large pneumonia and tuberculosis outbreaks, but Malaysia avoided these effects. Turning to the current recession in Europe, Iceland is another case study revealing that there is an alternative to austerity. Five years ago its three largest banks failed, and their total debt rocketed to over 800% of GDP. It was the largest banking crisis in history relative to the size of an economy and it forced Iceland to turn to the IMF for help. The troika's bailout plan called for reductions in spending equivalent to 50% of the budget in order to finance bank bailouts. The health minister resigned in protest at plans to cut the healthcare budget by 30%, as detailed in our book. Then the president of Iceland took a radical step: asking the people what they wanted to do. In March 2010, 93% of the Icelandic people voted against financing a bailout for foreign savers of Icesave Bank through draconian budget cuts. Instead, Iceland stabilized healthcare spending. Thanks to this boost to the nation's universal healthcare system, no one lost access to healthcare even as the cost of imported medicines rose as an effect of the devaluation of the Icelandic Krona. There was no significant rise in suicides or depression. Nor were there any significant infectious disease outbreaks. Indeed, last year GDP growth was 2.7%, and unemployment rates have fallen below 5%. Having seen the results, the IMF turned tail, praising Iceland's successful approach. Each of these crises -- America's Great Depression, the Asian financial crisis, and Iceland's bank meltdown -- had different origins, but they led to potentially similar health threats. But their contrasting outcomes support our conclusion that an economic crisis does not inevitably increase in death and disability. The real danger is austerity. But if austerity is not working, and indeed is part of the problem (as the IMF has recently admitted), why are European leaders continuing its pursuit? British economist John Maynard Keynes indirectly outlined the dangers of austerity in 1919. Germany's unpayable debt from World War I, he argued, exacted by European nations in the Treaty of Versailles, would cause economic collapse and, ultimately, social instability in Germany. Tragically, his premonition was borne out: Germany's deep austerity under "hunger chancellor" Heinrich Bruning as it struggled to repay debts to France, Belgium, and the U.S. fueled the rise of the Nazi party and, as some historians argue, ultimately World War II in Europe. In the aftermath of that war, West Germany benefited from the U.S.-sponsored Marshall Plan, whereby America injected $1.45 billion in funds to invest in German industry and rebuild vital infrastructure. The Marshall Plan's stimulus package helped spur recovery, paving the way for decades of prosperity and peace in Western Europe. Collectively we seem to be losing sight of the lessons from our past. In Greece, austerity packages in Europe are sparking the rising popularity of neo-Nazi parties, such as Golden Dawn. But there is an alternative. In 2009, the German parliament approved a 50 billion euros stimulus package to spur growth. Across Europe we have found that economies that introduced greater stimulus investment have charted faster economic recoveries. Thanks to smart investments in "active labor market programs"—programs that help people access job retraining and return to work quickly-- Germany, Sweden and Iceland have mitigated rises in depression and suicides from unemployment. Our research has found that each euro invested in public health can yield up to a three euros return if invested wisely in data-supported government programs. New York City officials learned this lesson in the early 1990s -- after restricting its TB prevention budget, the city suffered a drug-resistant TB outbreak that ultimately cost $1.2 billion to control, about 10 times greater than the estimated price of prevention. Greece's HIV, TB, and malaria epidemics will now cost more to control than they would have been to prevent, our research indicates. What we have learned is that severe, indiscriminate cuts to vital social protection programs are not only economically self-defeating, but fatal. | Health experts David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu say that if austerity had been a clinical trial, it would have been stopped .
They have analyzed how austerity affects health and have found it drives up suicide, depression and illness rates .
They say the suffering of Greeks is not inevitable, with history showing stimulus can work better than austerity .
The authors argue the world has forgotten lessons from the past, and this is proving fatal . |
fb494dfc172ac7fe060093214b92376589bc4a3b | By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 04:27 EST, 14 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:04 EST, 14 June 2013 . Callous: Donovan Clough was jailed for 4 years for fleecing pensioners out of thousands for work that was not needed on there homes . A cowboy builder has been jailed for four years for urinating in lofts and putting dead birds into roofs to con vulnerable pensioners into paying 'obscene' amounts for unneeded home repairs. Donovan Ross Morley-Clough, 22, used a string of 'disgraceful ploys' to fleece a dementia sufferer and other elderly people out of thousands of pounds. He claimed he was a Christian who worked with the Age UK charity while targeting men and women in their 70s and 80s by cold-calling at their homes and convincing them they needed house repairs, York Crown Court was told. Many of his victims were disabled, included dementia sufferer Joyce Lister, a frail 87-year-old who has since died, it was said. Morley-Clough also preyed on another dementia sufferer and a pensioner with Parkinson's disease who were among his victims. Prosecutor Georgina Coade told the court Morley-Clough would talk his way into victims’ homes, often telling them he had seen a bird fly into the roof. He would offer to retrieve it and get into their lofts before inventing a catalogue of false problems including urinating in lofts to present the homeowner with wet insulation, dipping roofing material in water tanks and presenting it as evidence of leaks or damp, and removing slates so water could drip through ceilings. He also brought dead birds into houses and claimed they had been nesting in the roofs and even built a nest out of a hay bale and placed it on a roof top himself. Victims were quoted 'obscene' prices and he reduced perfectly good roofs to ones needing thousands of pounds of repairs. In one case he drove an 84-year-old woman to her bank so she could withdraw £2,000. He is known to have taken over £15,000 from his victims, but paperwork seized by trading standards officers shows that over he tried to get £44,000 but some of his targets got suspicious. Miss Coade said Clough claimed to be qualified and a Christian affiliated to Age UK. But the college drop-out had only completed seven and a half months of a bricklaying course and the only bona fide business he had run was washing car windows. 'The reality is he is a conman who based his entire business on deceiving vulnerable people,' she said. 'He would grossly over charge for any work he did do and any work done was of terrible standard. 'Frequently, he would leave their homes in a worse state than they had been in before so remedial works would be needed.' Disgrace: Morley-Clough urinated in lofts and hid dead birds in roofs to convince vulnerable pensioners to part with thousands of pounds for unnecessary repairs, York Crown Court, pictured, heard . Morley-Clough, 22, of Riccall, North Yorkshire, admitted 14 counts of engaging in a commercial practice in an unprofessional manner, two of participating in a fraudulent business and two of fraud by false representation - all relating to bogus roofing work committed over 14 months in the York, Wetherby and Selby areas between December 2011 and February this year. Andrew Semple, mitigating, said his client suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and had a history of suicidal behaviour. He had even written a letter to the court claiming he regards himself as a 'victim'. Passing sentence, The Recorder of York Judge Stephen Ashurst, said: 'There were a number of frankly disgraceful ploys used by you to persuade these people to part with their money. 'You were very persistent - going back time and time again to put customers under pressure. Some were driven to their banks to withdraw money because for obvious reasons you preferred cash. 'The elderly brood on these incidents. They feel a fool and can’t understand why they were taken in. 'In this case it is easy to see why. You had the gift of the gab, saying you were a Christian doing them a good turn. 'You are a complete hypocrite. 'Decent members of the community treat the elderly and vulnerable with respect and understanding, but by your conduct you have shown in this case you saw such people as easy targets for fraud.' Clough was also given an ASBO banning him from trading or advertising as a roofer for ten years. Two of Donovan Clough’s victims have died since proceedings began. Sergeant Amanda Reader, of North Yorkshire Police, said after the case concluded yesterday: 'Clough is a convincing and cunning conman, who chose to target elderly and vulnerable victims. 'They were tricked into paying extortionate amounts of money for work that was actually substandard to that which should have been expected.' | Donovan Morley-Clough targeted pensioners, including dementia sufferers .
College drop-out drove woman, 84, to her bank to withdraw £2,000 .
Morley-Clough, 22, claimed he was a Christian and working for Age UK . |
fb495f34e87a17a6edcc9b4680ce6ec4ed5b12dc | An X-ray has revealed for the first time the full extent of the injury to Bono’s arm in a bicycle accident – and how it has been pieced back together by metal implants. The 54-year-old U2 singer suffered multiple injuries including a fractured eye socket and shoulder blade as well as a severe fracture to his left elbow after the high-speed crash in New York’s Central Park last November. Bono posted the X-ray of his shattered elbow on his blog, saying: ‘The recovery has been more difficult than I thought. As I write this it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again.’ Scroll down for video . Bono posted a photograph of an X-ray, pictured, of his blog showing the extent of his injuries . But last night one of America’s leading elbow specialists, Dr Robert Klapper, said: ‘Playing the guitar is absolutely the best physical therapy for this type of injury.’ However the doctor – whose patients have included Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman – added: ‘This is certainly one of the most devastating and complex elbow injuries I’ve ever seen.’ Dr Klapper believes the X-ray was taken during surgery as it shows a tie from an operating room sheet in the top right-hand corner. And he compared the operation to ‘piecing together a jigsaw’, saying it would have taken five hours to knit the mangled elbow together using three titanium plates and 18 screws. But he added: ‘I expect Bono to play the guitar and continue to be the great musician we all know and love.’ The U2 singer, centre, said that he may never be able to play the guitar again following his injury . | The U2 singer broke his elbow in a bicycle accident in New York City .
He severely fractured the bone when he crashed in Central Park last year .
Bono blogged that 'recovery has been more difficult than I thought' |
fb49907cf1a437c8987d497dc2da8d2a1e85b2e1 | By . Leesa Smith . First Peppa Pig’s timeslot was messed with - now an equally popular kids TV show, In the Night Garden, has been shafted from the prime after-dinner slot which has disgusted parents. Families are incredulous that the timely 6.30pm slot has been rescheduled to 11.30am with parents using the show as the perfect wind–down time for their children at the end of the day before going to bed. Hundreds of furious parents have taken to the ABC for Kids for Parents Facebook page to vent their anger with many suggesting a name change for the TV show which is now airing in the morning. In the Night Garden kids TV show has moved from the prime 6.30pm slot to 11.30am much to the disgust of parents throughout the country . Irate parents are calling on the ABC to change the time of the show back to air when kids are winding down at the end of the day . ‘Not happy about In the Night Garden changing! It's our dinner time show before bed. They say goodnight and go to bed in it not good lunchtime!’ Jennifer O'Hara posted. ‘In The Middle Of The Day Garden??? ‘Candice Nix posted. ‘My kids are allowed tv 4:30-5:30 while I make clean/make tea and 6:30-7 while having there bottle/milk and we do dishes. So Play School, Peppa Pig and In The Night Garden. What a filthy act by the ABC!’ The ABC has already cut the Peppa Pig double episodes in the afternoons with now a single episode in the afternoon and one in the morning. Play School times have also been changed and The Wiggles moved to a much earlier slot. In an attempt to appease the irate parents, the ABC repeatedly replied to the remarks on the page suggesting that parents could access more episodes through ABC iview which added fuel to the fire. ‘Yes for you to spend money on downloading or buy the DVD....so much for free’ Alie Gebing retorted. ABC TV controller of children’s TV Deidre Brennan said the altered schedule, which was partly due to providing for children up to six years old after 6pm, had already seen a 25 per cent rise in ratings in the 6.30pm-7pm slot in the first two nights this week. ‘ABC TV cares about kids and we value the trust that Australian families place in us to educate and entertain their children with quality local and international programming,’ she said. ‘ Changes to the program times can have an impact on both parents and kids, but we are excited to offer new channel schedules that better reflect the lives of our audience.’ ABC says it has already seen a 25 per cent rise in ratings in the 6.30pm-7pm slot in the first two nights this week since the reshuffle of children's programs . There was similar outrage among parents when the double episodes of Peppa Pig in the afternoons was cut with now a single episode in the afternoon and one in the morning. But not all parents are outraged about the reshuffle with some suggesting a good old fashioned bedtime story was the best way to go at the end of the day. ‘Perhaps people could try reading books before bedtime rather than watching tv,’ Nicole Eyles suggested. ‘Probably more settling and a much better habit to get into. I am not saying people shouldn't watch tv, my girls watch plenty, just saying that tv shouldn't be such a big part of your life that everything falls to pieces when a tv show changes timeslot.’ Nicole England agreed saying that after dinner should be 'quiet time’. ‘Sleep psychologists recommend no tv at least an hour prior to bedtime. In our house it's on for an hour while I'm preparing dinner and doesn't get turned back on.’ she said. But the majority of parents could not agree less – expressing the show was an important part of their children’s night time routine. One parent asked:‘What morons do you have working there? If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it! Night-time routine for toddlers completely ruined!’ ‘im devastated...I need in the night garden at night...my world will end bc miss needs it to go to sleep!! I think this is a totally stupid decision!' Bree Elles declared. | Popular kids TV show, In the Night Garden, has been moved from the 6.30pm slot to 11.30am .
Parents are furious because their children watched the show in the prime after-dinner slot to wind-down at the end of the day .
Families are calling on the ABC to change back the show's airing time .
ABC says rescheduling the programs has already increased ratings by 25 per cent in the first two days . |
fb4a0e4faad045b6ece09d43b3668ecd178165c3 | Supporters of the three biggest clubs in Spain were not surprised to see the images of Sergio Aguero destroying Bayern Munich on Wednesday morning. Barcelona and Real Madrid fans still wish their clubs had moved for him in 2011 and Atletico Madrid supporters will never forget the way his goals got them back into the Champions League and made them believe they could mix it with the top two. Fate has kept Aguero out of the clutches of Real Madrid and Barcelona just as injuries have kept him off the Ballon d’Or podium but no-one in Spain or in his native Argentina believes the Manchester City striker is, on his day, any less of a player than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. This season he has scored 17 of City's 38 goals - that's a greater percentage of his team's goals than both Ronaldo and Messi. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sergio Aguero scoring for Argentina against Germany . Sergio Aguero showed on Tuesday night why he is considered as one of the world's best players . Aguero celebrates after scoring his third goal in a superb individual display against Bayern Munich . The hat-trick on Tuesday night showed again why Aguero is compared with Messi and Ronaldo . The Argentinian striker has been recognised as a top striker since his prolific spell at Atletico Madrid . That inability to play game after game, season after season has been the only thing that has kept him a notch below La Liga’s greatest. How different things might have been in the World Cup final if Aguero had been fit to partner his old friend Messi against Germany. Aguero and Messi’s friendship goes back to 2005 when they played at the World Youth Cup in Holland together. They were room-mates, friends and strike partners as Argentina won Olympic Gold in 2008. The pair also became fathers around the same time and Messi’s son Thiago plays with Aguero’s boy Benjamin whenever the two get together. Messi wanted Aguero to join him at Barcelona three years ago but Barcelona had just won the European Cup with David Villa and Pedro scoring in the final – the timing was wrong. Aguero takes on two Barcelona defenders, including captain Carles Puyol, during his time at Atletico . Lionel Messi celebrates with Aguero during the 2008 Olympics when they became friends and strike partners . Aguero has a fantastic scoring record for club and country but has always been hampered by injuries . Barcelona paper Sport ran a story that summer stating Real Madrid would have signed Aguero had he switched agents and joined Jose Mourinho’s representative Jorge Mendes. Mourinho was never entirely convinced by Gonzalo Higuain, had reservations at the time about Karim Benzema and wanted the then 23-year-old Aguero. Bernabeu president Florentino Perez was ready to break a pact with city rivals Atletico to not sign their players, such was his desire to land Aguero who believed Real were set to move for him. The player boldly announced he was leaving Atletico but the move never transpired and Aguero ended up at Manchester City. Perez still wants the player so many in Spain liken to Romario – bull-like strength; so difficult to knock off the ball; the most complete of finishers. Despite his final-hour dalliance with Real Madrid, Atletico supporters will never lose their respect for Aguero. In the 2007-08 season he was La Liga’s outstanding player, taking Atletico to the Champions League for the first time in 11 years. They won the Europa League with him in 2010 a year before he left. The Manchester City striker scored against Germany in a friendly this year... but missed the World Cup final . A fresh-faced Aguero signed for Atletico in 2006, and has long been a target for their city rivals Real Madrid . ‘Always fight to the end,’ was Aguero’s post-match message in a tweet after he had single-handedly kept Manchester City in the Champions League. He is best understood in his homeland as a battleship of a player who never gives in and has the character to match his talent. This is a player who never had the luxury Messi enjoyed of turning up in Barcelona aged 12 and being allowed to gradually adapt as he moved up through the youth ranks. Aguero was thrown in at the deep end at boyhood club Independiente, making his debut as a 15-year-old. They still love him there – the goal he scored from the halfway line in a 4-0 win over local rivals Racing Club de Avellaneda in 2005 remains many fans’ all-time favourite. They would welcome him back, as would the supporters of Atletico Madrid. The Real Madrid faithful have not given up hope that Perez can land him next summer and there are Barcelona fans who feel, as good as Neymar is, that Aguero would have been a cheaper option back in 2011. Aguero scores the winning goal against QPR in 2012 to win Manchester City their first Premier League title . A superb finisher with bull-like strength, Aguero is often compared with Brazilian legend Romario . VIDEO Pellegrini proud of City fightback . Aguero scores his second against Bayern on Tuesday night during a display of fabulous finishing . As Martin Samuel wrote in his match report after City's win over Bayern on Tuesday night: 'Aguero is every bit as important to them as Luis Suarez was to Liverpool last year or Gareth Bale to Tottenham Hotspur the year before.' If he were to move on like those two, he could command a fee more than the world-record £86m Bale cost Madrid and well over the £75m Barcelona paid for Suarez. Because both those deals have been done it may be that once again neither club makes a move for ‘el Kun’. And if destiny goes on keeping him out of the grasp of Spain’s big two, the biggest winner will continue to be Manchester City. Click to Like MailOnline Sport's Facebook page. | Sergio Aguero showed his class with hat-trick against Bayern Munich .
Aguero has scored 17 of Manchester City's 38 goals this season .
Lionel Messi wanted Barcelona to sign his international team-mate in 2011 .
Barca refused, and Aguero joined City instead . |
fb4a1f0b3460d1f0f99576623e73d4cadd944e96 | By . Lizzie Edmonds . Fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have each been sentenced to 18-month jail terms for tax evasion charges - despite the prosecution arguing for the pair to be acquitted. Italy's appeals court upheld a verdict issued last June against the pair on charges of using Luxembourg holding company Gado to avoid paying taxes on royalties of about 1billion euros (£820million). In court yesterday, the pair were each given suspended sentences of 18 months in jail - reduced from 20 months because of statute of limitations applied to certain facts in the case. Italian fashion designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce were given an 18month jail sentence yesterday for tax evasion on royalties of up to 1billion euros. The pair are set to appeal the decision . The designers - who have always denied any wrongdoing - said they would appeal the decision. Lawyer Massimo Dinoia said: 'I am speechless. We are all shocked. The judgement is inexplicable and we will appeal. 'The prosecutor himself asked for them to be cleared.' The Milan prosecutor had asked the court back in March to clear the pair, who - in a protest last year at being 'pilloried' - closed their Milan stores. The previous decision, by a lower court, handed the duo suspended jail sentences of 20 months each. A fine of up to 10 million euros was also imposed over avoidance of the payments in Italy, where corporate taxes are among the highest in Europe. The case stems from an investigation that began in 2008 when Italian tax authorities stepped up their fight against tax evasion as a global financial crisis began to bite. President of the second section of the appeal court Laura Cairati, center, reads the fashion designers's sentence in court yesterday . The pair, pictured with Kylie Minogue, were first charged with tax evasion last June - but the Italian appeals court upheld the decision yesterday. Their sentence was reduced from 20 to 18 months . Fashion companies have fallen under the scrutiny of Italy's tax authorities partly due to the fact the sector has performed well during the country's longest recession since World War Two. 'Luxury is one of the few sectors to have done well in recent years,' said a partner specialising in tax at Grant Thornton in Milan who declined to be named. 'It is easier to go and ask for money where there is money as opposed to going to a troubled sector.' The cases rarely come to court, however. Giorgio Armani paid 270 million euros to tax authorities in early April to settle a dispute over payments from the group's subsidiaries abroad. Prada Holding, which controls Prada, paid a reported 400-420 million euros to settle taxes in Italy after completing a process of voluntary disclosure in December. | Italian fashion designers first charged with tax avoidance last June .
Appeal court upheld verdict - but reduced sentence from 20 to 18 months .
Prosecution had asked court to clear the pair back in March .
Designers, who have always denied wrongdoing, set to appeal the verdict . |
fb4b0dddcbc94e0a24ff923a9482616c66b4473b | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 04:37 EST, 3 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:48 EST, 3 March 2014 . Boris Johnson today ruled out a return to the Commons before the 2015 general election, in a rebuff to senior Tories who want him to make an early comeback. The London Mayor insisted he had too much to do running the capital and would not abandon it to become an MP. He was also forced to play down claims of a rift with Chancellor George Osborne, insisting they have a ‘very, very good working relationship’. Scroll down for video . London Mayor Boris Johnson insisted he would not enter the Commons before 2015 . A major Conservative row erupted after it was reported on Saturday that David Cameron and Mr Osborne were trying to persuade him to stand in 2015 so that he is fully bound in to the general election result. Yesterday allies of the Mayor's insisted it was 'bull****' that the Chancellor had already personally delivered him a message saying that he should attempt to return to the Commons next year. But challenged on the issue today, Mr Johnson insisted he would not take a Commons seat next year because he was too excited by major infrastructure projects, including tunnelling under the Hammersmith fly-over. Taking questions on LBC 97.3, he was . asked: ‘You are not going into the Commons prior to 2015 because of the . excitement of the Hammersmith fly under?’ Mr Johnson replied: ‘Correct.’ LBC host Nick Ferrari asked again: ‘You are not going in, so despite George Osborne’s entreaties, the answer is no?’ Mr . Johnson insisted: ‘The answer is I am sticking to my job I was elected . to do in 2012, and in 2008, and I have a very great privilege to be . here.’ Chancellor George Osborne reportedly approached Mr Johnson about becoming an MP earlier, but Mr Johnson has rejected the plea . Senior Tories had opposed the idea of Mr Johnson making an early return to the Commons, because it would put him in prime position to challenge for leader if the Tories fail to win an overall majority under Mr Cameron. However, allies of the Prime Minister hatched a plan to urge Mr Johnson to stand in 2015 – if not before - so that he was bound into the result. If the Tories lost, he would not be able to claim he was not responsible. Yesterday, an ally of the Mayor told the Mail on Sunday that he believed Mr Osborne, who is also tipped as a future Tory leader, was responsible for trying to 'destabilise Boris'. 'This is nothing to do with party loyalty and everything to do with Osborne and Cameron trying to destabilise Boris. He saw it coming a mile off. 'They want to make sure that if the Tories lose, Boris gets as much flak as they do and can't stand as leader as a break with the failed Cameron-Osborne regime,' the source was quoted as saying. Mr Johnson gulped down his drink from a mug as he came under pressure over his leadership ambitions . Today Mr Johnson played down talk of a rift with Mr Osborne. ‘I said many things to my friend George,’ he said. He claimed he was ‘most surprised’ by the weekend’s headlines. ‘What I talk about with George is how to move the London economy. ‘George . and I have a good working relationship and indeed an old friendship and . what we both want to do is get David Cameron re-elected. That is the . project about which we are united.’ He insisted he wanted to remain as London Mayor to oversee projects like the replacement of the Hammersmith fly-over . Mr Johnson had been seen as a frontrunner to be the next Tory leader, but the dramatic improvement in the economy has seen Mr Osborne’s stock rise. The public jostling for position has been condemned by some Conservatives. Rebel MP Mark Pritchard wrote on Twitter: 'Inside and outside of Parliament people are fed up of Old Etonians thinking they can pass on Number Ten like some sort of plaything or baton.’ Tory party chairman Grant Shapps insisted Mr Johnson should play a major role in the general election campaign, whatever his intentions on a return to Parliament. 'Boris is a guy who is able to communicate incredibly well and it would be crazy for him not to be part of the 2015 message,' he told BBC1’s Andrew Marr programme. 'We all think Boris is a fantastic London Mayor and he's got a lot to offer. He's doing a brilliant job in London; his term runs till 2016, so he's got a little way to go, but no doubt he'll have many things to offer. What Boris does is up to Boris.' | London Mayor insists he will concentrate on running the capital .
Plays down reports of a rift with Chancellor George Osborne .
Close ally of PM says Mr Cameron he is 'telling Boris to stand' earlier .
It had been assumed No.10 would be against a Commons comeback .
Speculation that Mr Johnson could be offered a formal campaign role . |
fb4b21094bca7eeccc797c15354bee4e4046a206 | Where do you see yourself in five years time? It's a common interview question designed to learn about a person's ambitions, and thanks to new technology you could soon be able to give a precise answer to this question. Researchers from Microsoft and Google can predict where a person will be years from now using a new computer software called Far Out.The programme tracks a person using a GPS device and learns their routine. It then uses this information to accurately guess their future locations and will adapts its predictions even if someone changes their job, relationship or moves house. A screenshot from the Far Out mapping software. Researchers from Microsoft and Google can predict where a person will be years from now using this system. The program tracks a person using GPS and learns their routine. It then uses this information to accurately plot their future locations . Using GPS systems carried by volunteers and fitted to the transport they used on a daily basis, the researchers were able to plot around 150 million location points. Furthermore, over 32,000 days worth of precise GPS data was collected. This information was fed into the Far Out software which uses an algorithm to predict where a person will be in the future, based on where they've been in the past. It does this by accurately 'learning' a person's routine. Far Out then offers predictions but can also automatically discover when someone veers from this routine. The program will plot these changes, learn from them, and adapt accordingly. Researchers believe the results could be used to predict rises in populations, the spread of disease, . traffic and broadband demand to quote a number of the researchers . examples. Adam Sadilek and . John Krumm wanted to learn more about what they call 'human mobility' so set about developing a formula that could predict where a person would be years in the future in their paper 'Far Out: Predicting Long-Term Human . Mobility.' They gave 703 . volunteers in Seattle a GPS device and told them to carry it around with them at all times, including going to work, shopping, out with friends and even travelling. The researchers also fitted GPS units to the buses, cars and other transport used by the volunteers on a daily basis. Sadilek and Krumm managed to collect around 150 million location points and 32,000 days worth of GPS data during this experiment. This data was fed into their Far Out computer program to predict the 'long-term human mobilty' of each subject. Far Out was able to offer predictions, and could also automatically discover when someone veered from their usual routine, adapting accordingly. 'For . example, [Far Out] might notice that Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually about . the same and fairly consistent from week to week,' the researchers told Fast Company. 'Then when we ask about a future Tuesday or Thursday, the algorithm . automatically produces a typical Tuesday/Thursday as a prediction.' 'If there is a sharp transition, such . as a move to another city, the system notices there is a discrepancy . between its predictions and actual data and adapts to the new patterns. 'Most people have only a few ‘revolutionary’ changes in the course of their lives, so Far Out isn't caught off guard . too often.' According to Salidek and Krumm's paper, humans are mostly predictable even over extended periods of time. The researchers gave volunteers in Seattle a GPS device and told them to carry it around with them at all times. The researchers also fitted GPS units to the transport used daily by the volunteers. Sadilek and Krumm managed to collect around 150 million location points and 32,000 days worth of GPS data . The GPS data was fed into the Far Out system so the program could learn a person's routine. Far Out then predicted where that person would be, including their longitudinal and latitudinal positions, on a certain date in the future. The software even takes into account if there is a national holiday on that date . The paper said: 'Much work has been done on predicting where is one going to be in the immediate future, typically within the next hour. By contrast, we address the open problem of predicting human mobility far into the future, a scale of months and years.' Far Out uses 'a nonparametric method that extracts significant and robust patterns in location data, learns their associations with contextual features (such as day of week), and subsequently leverages this information to predict the most likely location at any given time in the future.' The researchers believe the software could have social uses, similar to Foursquare, or could be used by advertisers and marketers. They also believe the results 'open a number of interesting avenues for future research and applications.' This could include predicting rises in populations, the spread of disease, traffic problems and broadband demand. | Program called Far Out tracks people using GPS to learn their routine .
It then makes predictions about where that person will be in future years .
Far Out can react to changes in jobs, relationships and moving house .
The results are 'highly accurate' and can plot locations to the date . |
fb4b7315ba3349afae0e3516f6b206852cf0700b | (CNN) -- An extensive internal review of the debacle at Penn State that left a child sex abuser in place on campus for years forever casts a shadow over a heroic figure at the school: Joe Paterno. The report, the result of months of investigation, finds Paterno and a few other top officials not only showed a "callous and shocking disregard for child victims," but also helped "empower" assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to attract victims, according to former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who spearheaded the review. Review at Penn State: 'Total disgard' for the victims . Allegations have swirled around Paterno, the legendary head football coach who led Penn State to national prominence, since the scandal broke last year. Still, the official independent review deals a heavy blow to those who love college football and idolize Paterno. Penn State trustee Kenneth Frazier, head of the committee addressing the Sandusky scandal, said it was clear that Paterno and other key university leaders exhibited "inexcusable failures" when it came to protecting children. But, Frazier said, figuring the coach's legacy will be a bit more complicated. Paterno defended Penn State in letter before his death . "There is a lot about his life that's worth emulating," he said. "You have to measure every human by the good they've done, the bad they've done. I don't think any of us wants to be measured by the worst things we've ever been done in our life." Following the report's release Thursday, many people took to social media to condemn the aura of support that has long surrounded Paterno -- and the students who rioted in November after he was fired. " 'JoePa' participated in a cover-up to protect a child rapist and allowed it to continue," Facebook user Ted Gannon wrote Thursday on Penn State's Facebook page. He added that "there's a statue of him on campus. What on earth are people being taught at that university?" But some people in State College -- a small town that revolves largely around the big university -- insisted Paterno, who died in January, has not been judged fairly. "I think from the very beginning, Paterno was made a scapegoat," said local resident Kathy Gburuk. The football program itself, she added, "really had nothing to do with this." Reactions to review flood social media . Student John Zang said he believes "there is some merit" to the idea that Paterno has been scapegoated. But Zang praised the report, including what he described as its calls for changing the culture at Penn State. "It's hard for a lot of people" at Penn State to hear Paterno's name "not used in the best of light," he added. Lee Rubin, who played for Penn State between 1991 and 1993, told CNN shortly after the report came out that what he heard of it had not changed his opinion of the legendary coach, though he had not yet read it. "I think in fairness it needs to be read. It needs to be digested to be responded to," Rubin said. "I think the accusations are very direct, they are very clear, and it would be unwise to try to defend any wrongdoing. I just think there needs to be an opportunity to respond to those accusations." Weeks before his death, Paterno himself wrote an op-ed that was never published. In it, he generally defended his actions and the university. At a glance: Key players in Penn State report . "Regardless of anyone's opinion of my actions or the actions of the handful of administration officials in this matter, the fact is nothing alleged is an indictment of football," he wrote. Freeh, in his report, notes that Paterno once told a reporter, "I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was. So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn't work out that way." But "it is more reasonable to conclude" that he and former President Graham Spanier, former Vice President Gary Schultz and former Athletic Director Tim Curley, in order to avoid bad publicity, "repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the Board of Trustees, Penn State community, and the public at large," Freeh wrote in a statement accompanying the 267-page review. Evidence shows that Paterno was made aware of a 1998 criminal investigation of Sandusky relating to suspected sexual misconduct with a young boy in a Penn State football locker room shower, the report says. But Paterno "failed to take any action, even though Sandusky had been a key member of his coaching staff for almost 30 years, and had an office just steps away from Mr. Paterno's. January: Paterno remembered at public memorial . "At the very least, Mr. Paterno could have alerted the entire football staff, in order to prevent Sandusky from bringing another child into the Lasch Building," where the incident took place. Paterno and the others also failed to alert the Board of Trustees, Freeh's statement says. "None of them even spoke to Sandusky about his conduct. In short, nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity." Once, in February, 2001, the four men decided they would report the incident to the Department of Public Welfare; but Paterno then had a conversation with Curley, and the men agreed not to do so, Freeh wrote. After then-Penn State graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported to Paterno that he had seen what appeared to be a sexual attack involving Sandusky and a boy in a shower room in February 2001, Paterno responded to McQueary, "You did what you had to do. It is my job now to figure out what we want to do," according to Freeh's report. "To his credit, Mr. Paterno stated on November 9, 2011, 'With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.' " Freeh wrote. Freeh also said the team that carried out the investigation believes Paterno would have spoken to them before he died, were it not for his declining health. The Paterno family released a statement saying it was reviewing the report. "From the moment this crisis broke, Joe Paterno supported a comprehensive, fair investigation. He always believed, as we do, that the full truth should be uncovered." Despite scandal, Penn State raises more than $200 million . The probe found that Paterno "reported what he was told about the 2001 incident to Penn State authorities" -- meaning Curley, Schultz, and Spanier -- "and he believed it would be fully investigated," the family wrote. "One great risk in this situation is a replaying of events from the last 15 years or so in a way that makes it look obvious what everyone must have known and should have done. The idea that any sane, responsible adult would knowingly cover up for a child predator is impossible to accept. The far more realistic conclusion is that many people didn't fully understand what was happening and underestimated or misinterpreted events. Sandusky was a great deceiver. He fooled everyone -- law enforcement, his family, coaches, players, neighbors, University officials, and everyone at Second Mile," the charity program for children that Sandusky ran. Sandusky was convicted in June of sexually abusing young boys over a 15-year period. He maintains his innocence. "Joe Paterno wasn't perfect," the family statement said. "He made mistakes and he regretted them." But if he "had understood what Sandusky was, a fear of bad publicity would not have factored into his actions." The family statement acknowledged, "It can be argued that Joe Paterno should have gone further," but it deflected blame from him, saying Paterno assumed others were "doing their jobs." LZ Granderson: Mourning Joe Paterno, a flawed hero . The College Football Hall of Fame, which inducted Paterno in 2007, says in his biography, "No coach has been as synonymous with one school as has Penn State's Joe Paterno." He was a five-time National Coach of the Year. "More important than all of the wins and titles he has accumulated may be his legacy with the influence he has had on his players, Penn State Students and alumni. Paterno has generously contributed millions to the school and its academic programs. The National Football Foundation has honored him with the Distinguished American Award in 1992 and the Gold Medal Award in 2006." The organization did not immediately respond to request for comment Thursday from CNN. John Tecce, a Penn State student who has sat in the first row for every Penn State football game throughout his entire college career, cautioned against letting the scandal, and specifically the damage to Paterno's reputation, cast a pall over the entire university. "I received my diploma in May, and it says 'The Pennsylvania State University,' not 'Joe Paterno University,' " he said. "The university is not defined by one name or the actions of a few." Karen Peetz, chairwoman of the board of trustees, said the question of whether the university should honor Paterno "is a very sensitive topic." "We believe that with the report's findings, this is something that will need to continue to be discussed within the entire university community," she said. Penn State community still admires Paterno, wants to move forward . | Freeh review finds Joe Paterno and others showed "shocking disregard" for victims .
Some students say the legendary head football coach has been scapegoated .
Paterno's family says he must not have understood what Sandusky was doing .
This is not "Joe Paterno University," a new graduate and avid football fan says . |
fb4b8f6d1a3dcb5f39a2f1db10cb4d274bae04a7 | Washington (CNN) -- Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former secretary of state, has come out in favor of eventually repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay and lesbian service members. "In the almost seventeen years since the 'don't ask, don't tell' legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed," Powell said in a statement released by his office Wednesday. Powell added that he believes the ultimate decision about the policy should be made by President Obama, the nation's commander in chief; the military's top brass; and Congress. "I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I will be closely following future hearings, the views of the Service Chiefs and the implementation work being done by the Department of Defense," Powell said. Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Gates and Mullen said the military is preparing for a repeal of the policy. Mullen told senators it is his "personal belief" that "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly [in the military] would be the right thing to do." "The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it," Gates told senators Tuesday. "We have received our orders from the commander in chief, and we are moving out accordingly." The ultimate decision about repealing the policy rests with Capitol Hill. Last week, during his first State of the Union address, Obama called on Congress to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." The Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights group working to achieve equality for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, hailed Powell's stance. "General Powell has made clear that his position is about effectiveness in the military," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solomonese said. "His powerful voice for ending 'don't ask, don't tell' is a tipping point in favor of the brave men and women who are serving our nation in silence. The support of respected present and former military leaders brings us closer to repeal, signaling that we're moving forward and will get there soon." Solomonese asked opponents of the repeal what they know that Powell, Gates and Mullen don't know. "The truth is that there are no more excuses, the death knell for 'don't ask, don't tell' has been rung and now is the moment to send this law into the history books where it belongs." | Powell was George W. Bush's secretary of state, Bill Clinton's Joint Chiefs chairman .
Powell says he supports Obama administration's approach to possibly ending the policy .
The Human Rights Campaign praised Powell's stance on ending "don't ask, don't tell" |
fb4bcbc3cf943e7ed799c26e1d08edb1ccac19bc | By . Victoria Woollaston . and Fiona Macrae . If you’re terrible with numbers but never forget a face, your life could be about to get quite a bit easier. Because scientists are planning to replace fiddly passwords and PINs with an access code based on pictures. The Facelock system capitalises on the human brain’s excellent ability to recognise faces, which its creators say makes it almost impossible to forget. The Facelock system asks users to identify familiar faces, including friends and celebrities, across a range of photos, known as a Challenge Grid (pictured). By showing faces only the user recognises, the research team claim it's harder for hackers to gain access to web accounts . Facelock asks people to identify familiar faces across a range of different photos. Previous research has found people recognise a face even if images are poor. The system uses a set of faces known to a user, to create a personalised ‘lock’. Users . can pick portraits of people familiar to them, which can include idols . such as sports personalities, musicians or even poker players. Researchers then create a set of faces known to that user only, to make it difficult for hackers to break into accounts. If we know someone well we will quickly recognise them in a photo even if it is blurred or hazy. But when we are shown two pictures of a stranger, we often assume the images show two different people. Scientists from Glasgow and York universities asked volunteers to name Z-list celebrities who they knew well, but most people would not. The team then made up panels of nine pictures, each showing one celebrity face and eight strangers. Volunteers were shown four of the panels and asked to spot the faces they knew. They got all four right almost 100 per cent of the time. Even a year later, they still did extremely well, journal PeerJ reports. The researchers said this is because, unlike with passwords, they did not have to memorise anything. Do you remember: Faces may soon replace passwords but will you remember who's who? This scatterplot shows the relationship between personal attackers' acquaintance ratings, and the number of correctly guessed targets in their first attacks. The area of each datapoint is sized to correspond to the number of cases contributing to it . Previous research found matching identical images (a) is trivial, matching different images of unfamiliar faces is hard (b), but matching different images of familiar faces is easy (c) Tests also showed it was very hard for . strangers to crack the code. Spouses sometimes spotted all four faces, . but the risk could be cut by using more obscure celebrities or more . pictures. Lead author . Dr Rob Jenkins said: ‘Pretending to know a face you don’t know is like . pretending to know a language you don’t know – it just doesn’t work. ‘The only system that can reliably recognise faces is a human who is familiar with the faces concerned.’ It is hoped software firms will use the research to create photo access codes for computers and mobile phones. The . ‘lock’ consists of a series of face grids, and each grid is constructed . so that one face is familiar to the user, whilst all other faces are . unfamiliar. Authentication is a matter of simply touching the familiar face in each grid. But for fraudsters, looking at the same grid will be left confused as none of the faces stand out. Researchers said the system is better than current methods as users don’t have to consign complex passwords or PINs to memory, or put names to faces. Past psychological research has shown that familiarity with a face is virtually impossible to lose, and in the current study users authenticated easily even after a one-year gap. In contrast, disused passwords can be forgotten within days. Plus, Facelock is said to be hard to crack. Researchers asked volunteer attackers to watch a successful authentication sequence based on four target faces, so they could pick out the same four faces from similar test grids. However, the attacks were thwarted simply by using different photos of the same faces in the test grids. For the user, who is familiar with the target faces, it is easy to recognise the faces across a range of images. For the attacker, who is unfamiliar with the target faces, generalising across images is difficult. | Facelock asks people to identify familiar faces across .
different photos .
Previous .
research found people recognise a face .
even if images are poor .
System uses a set of faces known to a user to create a personalised ‘lock’
Users pick .
portraits of people familiar to them and can include idols such as .
sports personalities, musicians or even poker players .
Researchers then create a set of faces, or Challenge Grid, known to that .
user only . |
fb4c2513eea9c0d6a171bd56618060e3834515be | By . Jonathan McEvoy . Two very different men in two very similar cars will contest the 50th grand prix to be staged at Silverstone – the race that could go a long way to defining the lives and careers of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton is largely a public figure, a result of his craving for fame and the modern media’s insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip. This week he told his 2.17million Twitter followers that he spent a romantic break in Venice with his Pussycat Dolls girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger to celebrate six years (mostly) together and had a lunch on a yacht in Monaco with A-listers Samuel L Jackson and Magic Johnson. Rivals: Nico Rosberg smiles as he sits next to Lewis Hamilton following his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix . Venice: Hamilton posted a series of pictures from his latest holiday on Twitter this week . He also posted pictures of himself riding his push bike bare-chested. His Twitter account is accompanied by the self-description: ‘H.A.M. until the day I die.’ In a certain nomenclature those initials stand for Hard as a Mother******. Rosberg, more measured and more cerebral, is essentially a private man. Save for a tweet thanking fans for sending him birthday wishes – he turned 29 on Friday – there is no word about his personal life from the moment he finished the Austrian Grand Prix victorious a week ago. That victory put the German 29 points ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton in what is a private battle for the 2014 World Championship. Rosberg’s advantage is not quite as big as it seems – under the old scoring system, where a win was worth 10 points rather than 25, it would be a lead of about 12, or one victory and a little bit more – but clearly Hamilton needs to stop his rival’s momentum by winning for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix on May 11. Victorious: Rosberg lifts the trophy after triumphing at the Red Bull Ring in Speilberg, Austria . Playful: Hamilton sprays Rosberg after finishing second behind the German at the Austrian Grand Prix . John Watson, one of only 12 home winners of the British Grand Prix, said: ‘He needs to win this race big time. It is make or break – as important a grand prix for Lewis as any in his career has ever been. He needs to respond to Nico Rosberg’s excellent performances by dominating him in every way, in qualifying and in the race. ‘He needs to reassert himself. It is not an issue of speed. In Austria it was a matter of not quite doing things accurately enough. He was not quite as exact in how he got into the pit box as he could have been, whereas Nico is maxing out on his potential, in his in-lap, his out-lap, pit stop. He is nailing everything. ‘Lewis has always relied on his natural skills. Nico is metronomic.’ Silverstone: Hamilton (pictured) is under pressure to beat Rosberg on home soil . Sir Jackie Stewart, a twice winner of the British Grand Prix and, like Watson, a survivor from the dangerous days of their sport, also sees Hamilton’s over-reliance on God-given skill as the significant difference between the two men. ‘Lewis is a natural,’ said Stewart. ‘But he needs to get away from using only his natural talent, which is in danger of being detrimental to him. All the great drivers have had more than that.’ Stewart himself developed his mind-management long before he got into Formula One. He reached international standard in clay pigeon shooting as a boy, learning that if he missed a target it was gone for ever. You could not recover your position on the next corner. The calmness and calculation of Stewart is more evident in Rosberg, a driver Stewart observed at close quarters during the German’s years at Williams. ‘Nico was not fully developed then,’ he said. ‘He was not quite training as hard as he is now. He has full race distance ability now. He has a very good brain and is totally focused on his motor-racing. There are no distractions. He has been engaged for while and is close to getting married. He is very settled, and that can help performance.’ Helping: Niki Lauda says Hamilton is well-prepared for the British Grand Prix and is motivated to do well . The man trying to help Hamilton is another driving luminary of the Seventies, Niki Lauda, the Mercedes non-executive chairman. Lauda told me yesterday that his British driver is ‘very well balanced, not sad, but motivated’. But Watson is less convinced. ‘Pictures of him having lunch with Samuel L Jackson is great for Hamilton’s management – Simon Fuller and XIX – because it gets their client profile, but at the end of the day it is all about winning the world championship. ‘It would be a brave person to say that his private life is impacting on his professional life, but I don’t know who in the team has the ability to put their arms around Lewis in the way Ross Brawn could and did. ‘Niki’s job is to see Mercedes win. Paddy Lowe (the executive technical director) is a superb engineer but he is not a team principal and Toto Wolff, well, he’s more of a businessman.’ Meeting: Hamilton (right), has lunch with Samuel L Jackson and Magic Johnson in the south of France . Mercedes seem likely to win at Silverstone despite the upturn in Williams’s fortunes at the Red Bull Ring last week because the aerodynamic demands of the Northamptonshire track are better suited to them. That raises the prospect of Hamilton recreating one of the most epic performances ever seen on a British track – his win in the wet in 2008. ‘The British fans are the absolute best in the world and it’s really humbling to see thousands of people out there cheering you on, no matter what the weather or the result,’ he said. Good memories: Hamilton celebrates on the podium at Silverstone after his stunning win in 2008 . ‘When I won in 2008 it was just the best feeling. The gap was about 60 second at the end and I had lapped everyone up to third place, which was just unreal. 'I could never have hoped or dreamed for a race like that, especially at my home grand prix. That has to be one of the best moments of my career. ‘I loved raising that gold trophy in front of the home crowd and I’m determined to get my hands on it again this year.’ | Mercedes pair will compete at the 50th grand prix to be held at Silverstone .
Rosberg's win in Austria last week put him 29 points ahead of Hamilton .
Former winner Watson says it is 'make or break time' for the Brit .
Sir Jackie Stewart thinks Hamilton might rely too much on his natural skill . |
fb4c2d452146a2b1f031b94a11bee409d3921a8f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:01 EST, 15 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:55 EST, 15 January 2014 . The fear of sexual attack for women in India has become so prevalent it has inspired the country's top female boxer to launch an app to protect potential victims. And the techniques are known to work... as the fighter behind them once used her skills to save herself from a sex attacker. Years before becoming a champion boxer, Mary Kom, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics representing her native India, had to fend off an attack from a rikshaw driver. Recalling her escape, she said: 'I remember I went to church wearing a traditional wraparound dress. I was 18 years old and looked very ladylike. Scroll down for video . Training to fight: mary Kom (right) shows punching techniques to a pupil at the Female Fighting Club . Mental strength: As well as preparing women physically, Mary Kom aims to give them the confidence to improve all aspects of their lives . Bare-knuckle brawler: The Olympic boxing bronze medalist once fought off a rikshaw driver who attacked her as a teenager, leaving him with a broken nose . 'The rikshaw driver wanted to do bad things. We were travelling through a quiet area when he tried to do what he wanted.' But, re-enacting the powerful punches she used to protect herself as she spoke, Kom added: 'Boom, boom, boom... he was on the ground - finished.' Standing just 5ft 2in, Kom is a far from intimidating figure. But her fighting skills are borne of a natural confidence that she now wants to pass on to the women of India as the country struggles to deal with an increasing number of sexual attacks on women. In partnership with mobile phone network Vodafone, she has developed an app that will launch later this year, offering basic self-defence tips for women as well as advice and support. The app will include videos demonstrating how to fight off an attacker, with techniques that are simple for anyone to use: From punches and kicks, to scratching with nails and striking with high heeled shoes. A basic version for regular mobile phones rather than smartphones will also become available, giving advice and instruction in text form. But the aim is not just to prepare women physically. What Kom hopes to achieve is ensure that women develop a confidence in themselves, even if it that only means feeling safer when they walk along the street. Ready for the ring: Mary Kom prepares for another bout of training . Mary Kom won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics and aims to pass on some of her skills . Women and girls of all ages will be able to benefit from the training and advice given through the app . 'The app teaches basic things for people who have not done [boxing] before. If it is too hard for them, it will not interest them. 'Hopefully, if they are interested, they will continue to learn.' The techniques taught are basic. But they could mean the difference between life or death. Indians have become hardened to news of rape in their country, but that all changed in 2012 with a gang-rape on a bus that shocked the world and left its victim to die from horribly inflicted injuries. The attack forced the country's government to show it was prepared to tackle the problem, with faster prosecutions and tougher sentences. But only as recently as October, a woman was twice gang-raped before being burned alive - allegedly by gangsters with connections to police and politicians. Part of the problem is India's women continuing to be seen in some quarters as second class citizens. It is a social prejudice Kom has dealt with all her life as the eldest of five siblings growing up in rural Kangathei. Women take to the streets to protest in Calcutta after a gang-rape last October, after which the victim was burned alive for reporting the crime to police . 'When I was a little girl I was always playing fighting games. I was very interested in sports but nobody in my village knew what to do with me. 'People try to discourage what women do. I began my sports career to help my father financially but people say "you are a girl, you can't do this" or "you are a woman you must do this". I want to give girls the confidence that if a man can do it, they can do it. 'I was the eldest and helping my father but people in the village were telling me not to do things but I would not let it get to me.' The app is just part of Kom's attempts to help women through boxing, having also set up a female fighting club in her home region of Manipur. The club is funded by Vodafone and its new 'Firsts' programme, which supports and encourages first time experiences. For more information on the Firsts campaign, and to see others who have taken part, go to www.firsts.com. | The app, launched later this year, will provide self-defence tips and advice .
It is the idea of Indian female boxing champion Mary Kom .
The Olympic bronze medalist had to fight off a rikshaw driver who tried to sexually assault her when she was a teenager . |
fb4c6926adf7197be305befbbcd8d102e9be618d | It's the new push-up bra that claims to be able to give any woman cleavage, no matter how modest her breasts. And to substantiate their vow, the Thai lingerie brand Wacoal have launched their Mood Boost-Up Bra alongside a steamy online advert in which a beautiful model blessed with a humble A-cup dances seductively around her bedroom while demonstrating the bra's appeal. But all is not quite as it might initially appear... SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Hello, boys: The actress in the Wacoal bra advert wears an open shirt and dances provocatively around her room . Cleavage for all! The bra claims to be able to enhance even the most modestly-sized chests . As the woman dances in slow motion to the sultry music she begins to take off her clothes... then her make up.... then her shirt... and then her wig, finally revealing to the audience that 'she' is actually a man. The video, available on YouTube, has had almost 3m hits on YouTube, with many viewers shocked by the denouement, which reiterates that the bra really can give anyone cleavage. Even men. Could you tell? Cleavage-enhancer: The Wacoal bra seems to provide even this woman's A-cup with an ample bust . Seductive: The advert shows a beautiful woman slowly taking off her clothes... or does it? The big reveal: Eventually the woman takes off her eyelashes and removes her make-up . Almost there: The 'woman' gradually begins to start looking like the man he really is... Hello... boy! The model takes off the bra to reveal he is actually a man . Could you tell? The advert has fooled many of the 3m viewers on YouTube . Hiya: The bra makes its point that it can give anyone cleavage - even a man . | Wacoal's Mood Boost-Up Bra launched by Thai lingerie brand .
Video advert shows woman with small chest wearing bra .
Has had almost 3m hits on YouTube... and a surprising ending... |
fb4c98e0ac6097a74b33902582d241b9db772153 | Barack Obama's former nanny has been revealed as a gay transgender man who made the future president laugh by trying on his mother's lipstick. 'Evie' cared for the boy she called Barry when his mother Ann Dunham moved to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in the late 1960s. Openly gay, she would leave the house dressed in full drag - but was very careful that Barack never saw her. 'He was so young and I never let him see me wearing women's . clothes,' Evie said. 'But he did see me trying on his mother's lipstick, sometimes. That used to really crack him up.' Cared for: Barack Obama (left) was looked after by transgender man Evie (right) when he lived in Indonesia . Former life: Barack Obama's former nanny Evie, who was born a man but believes she is a woman, on the left of this picture . The nanny, who turned to prostitution after the family left and now lives in a slum, met the future commander-in-chief's mother at a cocktail party in 1969. Dunham, who had moved to the country two years earlier with her second husband Lolo . Soetoro, sampled Evie's beef steak and fried rice and was so impressed that she offered her a job. It . did not take long before she was also eight-year-old Barack's carer, playing with him and bringing him to and from school. Neighbours . recalled they often saw Evie, who believes she is really a woman, leave the house in the evening fully made . up and dressed in drag. But when the family left in the early 1970s, things started going downhill. Evie . moved in with a boyfriend. That relationship ended three years later, . and she became a sex worker. She said: 'I tried to get a job as a maid, but no one would hire me. I needed money to buy food, get a place to stay.' Poverty: Evie has suffered taunts and beatings throughout her entire life. She now lives in a tiny hut in a Jakarta slum . Young leader: Barack Obama (circled) as a child at his school in Jakarta, Indonesia . It . was a cat-and-mouse game with security guards and - because the country . was still under the dictatorship of General Suharto - soldiers. They . often rounded up 'banshees' or 'warias', as they are known locally, . loaded them into trucks, and brought them to a field where they were . kicked, hit and otherwise abused. Indonesia's attitude toward transgenders is complex. Nobody knows how many of them live in the sprawling nation of 240million, but activists estimate seven million. Because Indonesia is home to more Muslims than any other country in the world, the pervasiveness of men who live as women and vice versa often catches newcomers by surprise. They hold the occasional pageant, work as singers or at salons and include well-known celebrity talk show host Dorce Gamalama. But societal disdain still runs deep - when transgenders act in TV comedies, they are invariably the brunt of the joke. They have taken a much lower profile in recent years, following a series of attacks by Muslim hard-liners. And the country's highest Islamic body has decreed that they are required to live as they were born because each gender has obligations to fulfil, such as reproduction. 'They must learn to accept their nature,' says Ichwan Syam, a prominent Muslim cleric at the influential Indonesian Ulema Council. 'If they are not willing to cure themselves medically and religiously' they have 'to accept their fate to be ridiculed and harassed'. Many transgenders turn to prostitution because jobs are hard to find and because they want to live according to what they believe is their true gender. In doing so, they put themselves at risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The raid that changed everything came in . 1985. Evie and her friends scattered into dark alleys to escape the . swinging batons. One particularly beautiful girl, Susi, jumped into a . canal strewn with garbage. When things quieted, those who ran went . back to look for her. 'We searched all night,' said Evie, who is still . haunted by the memory of her friend's face. 'Finally ... we found her. It was horrible. Her body swollen, face bashed in.' Evie decided, then and there, to live . the rest of her life as a man. She ditched her tight, flowery dresses, . brocade vest and bras. Now . 66, she said: 'I knew in my heart I was a woman, but I didn't want to . die like that. So I decided to just accept it. I've been living like . this, a man, ever since.' Several longtime residents of Obama's . old Menteng neighbourhood confirmed Turdi had worked there as Barack's . nanny for two years, also caring for his baby sister Maya. Evie, who like many Indonesians goes . by a single name, now lives in a closet-sized hovel in a tightly packed . slum in an eastern corner of Jakarta, collecting and scrubbing dirty . laundry to pay for food. She wears baggy blue jeans and a white T-shirt advertising a tranquil beach resort far away in a place she has never been. She speaks softly, politely, and a deep worry line is etched between her eyes. As a child, Evie was often beaten by a father who could not stand having such a 'sissy' for a son. She said: 'He wanted me to act like a boy, even though I didn't feel it in my soul.' Teased and bullied, she dropped out of school after the third grade and decided to learn how to cook. She made her way into the kitchens of several high-ranking officials by the time she was a teenager. And then she met Obama's mother. Evie now seeks solace in religion, . going regularly to the mosque and praying five times a day. She said she . is just waiting to die. She . added that she did not know the boy she helped raise won the 2008 U.S. presidential election until she saw a picture of the family in local . newspapers and on TV. She blurted out that she knew him. As a child: Barack Obama seen riding a tricycle in his youth (left) and with his mother Ann Dunham, who moved him to Jakarta after her divorce (right) Her . friends at first laughed and thought she was crazy, but those who live . in the family's old neighbourhood confirmed it is true. 'Many . neighbours would remember Turdi. She was popular here at that time,' said Rudy Yara, who still lives across the street from Obama's former . house. 'She was a nice person and was always patient and caring in keeping young Barry.' Evie . hopes her former charge will use his power to fight for people like . her. Obama named Amanda Simpson, the first openly transgender appointee, . as a senior technical adviser in the Commerce Department in 2010. For . Evie, who's now just trying to earn enough to survive each day on . Jakarta's streets, the election victory itself was enough to give her a . reason - for the first time in a long time - to feel proud. 'Now when people call me scum,' she says, 'I can just say: 'But I was the nanny for the President of the United States!' | Evie, 66, cared for future Commander in Chief she called Barry in late 60s .
Offered job after she impressed Obama's mother with steak and rice .
When family left Indonesia, she became a sex worker and now lives in a slum . |
fb4d54678aa46eb518c04cb129d788ab0f2c2c2c | Xabi Alonso is on the verge of joining Bayern Munich from Real Madrid for around £5million. The Spanish midfielder who announced his international retirement on Wednesday had been linked with a return to the Premier League in the past with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea a possible destination. He was even understood to be on Manchester United’s radar although his text message to Angel Di Maria this week wishing him ‘good luck even thought it’s United’ seemed to confirm that was not going to be possible. VIDEO Scroll down for Xabi Alonso - what it means to wear the Real Madrid shirt . On the move? Xabi Alonso (above) is on the verge of joining Bayern Munich for £5million . General: Alonso has been linked with move to Chelsea and Manchester United this summer . VIDEO Alonso quits Spain . Now it seems he has opted for the Bundesliga instead with Pep Guardiola – so often one of his 'Clasico' enemies in Spain – as his new coach. Real Madrid had expected to sell Sami Khedira this summer but his excessive wage demands put off Arsenal and now it seems Alonso who will be 33 in November will leave instead. After a long-term injury to Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez the German champions have been on the lookout for a replacement and although chairman Karl-Heinze Rummenigge favoured the younger Khedira Guardiola has insisted on Alonso. Alonso's move could be sealed on Thursday with the former Liverpool midfielder who has won the European Cup twice earning around £150,000-a-week in a two-year deal. Loyal servant: Alonso, 32, has announced his retirement from international football . | Xabi Alonso is set for a £5million move to Bayern Munich .
Spanish midfielder looks likely to sign two-year deal with Bundesliga champions .
Alonso retired from international football on Wednesday . |
fb4d885c3a55df9e3d34bb902e45c643370f265a | (CNN) -- The Indiana high school student who was in danger of missing her graduation ceremony because of a visa mix-up in Mexico returned home early Friday morning. The smiling teen was met at the Indianapolis International Airport by family members, balloons and signs. "Now I can continue to pursue my dreams," Elizabeth Olivas, 17, told reporters. Her attorney, Sarah Moshe, had said the U.S. State Department approved a waiver, allowing Olivas to return home and deliver the salutatorian speech at Frankfort High School on Saturday. An undocumented immigrant who was brought to the United States by her parents when she was 4, Olivas traveled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, last month to beat a deadline to apply for a visa. According to immigration laws, children of immigrant parents have until 180 days from their 18th birthday to leave the United States for their country of origin and apply for a visa. The consulate in Mexico granted Olivas an appointment for May 4. Moshe calculated on two different legal calendars that the 180th day would fall on April 17, so Olivas departed for Mexico that day. But at her May 4 appointment, Olivas was told she had left the United States on the 181st day. The calendars Moshe used did not account for the leap year. The mix-up could have meant Olivas would be banned from the United States for three years, living with her grandparents in Juarez until she could apply again. "The waiver was approved, and we just finished issuing and printing her visa," read a statement from the U.S. State Department, according to Moshe. "We gave her the visa packet and I assume she will be leaving the Consulate momentarily (visa in hand!). Congrats and best of luck to Elizabeth and her family! She is very lucky to have such a great team working on her behalf." Olivas' father is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He filed an immigrant visa petition for his daughter to gain legal status. The petition process began years ago, but the process was slow, Olivas said. She said she had been "essentially begging for an appointment." "The problem was we couldn't secure an appointment at the consulate," Moshe said. In the six weeks since Olivas' arrival in Mexico, she participated in classes remotely with her laptop and kept her grades up during the final weeks of school. Her only hope to return to Indiana quickly was a 400-page parental hardship waiver that she presented to U.S. consulate officials Thursday. Her appeal argued her diabetic father would suffer from being apart from his daughter. Now back in the United States she plans to apply for permanent resident status. Steve Edwards, principal at Frankfort High School, called Olivas a "phenomenal kid." "She is a mentor to those younger than her," Edwards said. "There is just not a bad thing to say about Elizabeth. She's an awesome girl." Olivas' medal and diploma will be waiting for her on Saturday, he said. "Regardless of this whole process, she's graduating on Saturday," Edwards said. "We expect her to be at the graduation ceremony on Saturday. We expect her to be in front of the crowd and give her speech. We expect to see her at graduation." | Olivas was granted a waiver Thursday .
She had faced a three-year ban from the United States .
Olivas was an undocumented immigrant to the United States . |
fb4d93a9316c5f854bb60036251a78b17331acde | By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 17:15 EST, 14 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:36 EST, 15 August 2012 . Cowboy cosmetic surgery clinics are to be banned from treating patients unless their staff have proper qualifications. The Department of Health will today announce a review of the industry to protect women from botched breast enlargements and Botox injections administered by staff who have had just a few hours of training. The NHS Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, aims to tighten the rules on advertising and toughen up regulations. Concerns: The review was ordered into the cosmetic surgery industry after the recent issue with silicone gel breast implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) (pictured) Health Secretary Andrew Lansley commissioned the review following fears over the safety of PIP breast implants. Senior sources say the Government is set to ban aggressive advertising of ‘two for one’ deals on cosmetic surgery – for instance a breast enlargement with a free tummy tuck – and clinics that encourage women to go under the knife purely for vanity reasons. The review is expected to recommend the creation of a compulsory register of implants so women’s health can be more readily monitored. Cosmetic surgeons will be forced to give patients more information about their treatments, for example warning women that breast implants are likely to need replacing every ten years. Women who have booked surgery are likely to be offered a cooling off period to allow them to rethink whether they need the treatments. And those carrying out the procedures will have to provide far better aftercare. The crackdown aims to drive cowboy . surgeons out of the industry and make it more difficult for . inexperienced beauty parlour workers to give Botox jabs, dermal fillers . or conduct laser hair removal. Botox . can currently be injected by anyone who has done a half-day-long course . in which they watch a demonstration and take a friend along to practise . on – although the drug does need to be prescribed by a doctor. Inexperienced: Botox can be injected by anyone who has undertaken a half-day-long course (posed by models) ‘There is a case for tightening up so that practitioners have to acquire more rigorous qualifications,’ a source said. Some 45 per cent of women and one in four men say they have considered cosmetic surgery. But a poll conducted for the Government has found that many consider the cost of surgery more important than the qualifications of the people doing it. Some 67 per cent of those questioned consider cost as a factor when deciding whether or not to have cosmetic surgery. Only 54 per cent take the qualifications of their practitioner into consideration. Sir Bruce will today announce the . creation of an expert panel to consider how regulations can be tightened . and patient care improved. The panel includes TV doctor Rosemary . Leonard, Catherine Kydd, a campaigner on PIP implants, plastic surgeon . Simon Withey and Trish Halpin, editor of Marie Claire magazine. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley ordered the review following fears over unsafe breast implants . Sir Bruce said: ‘The recent problems with PIP breast implants have shone a light on the cosmetic surgery industry. Many questions have been raised, particularly around the regulation of clinics, whether all practitioners are adequately qualified, how well people are advised when money is changing hands, aggressive marketing techniques and what protection is available when things go wrong. ‘I am concerned that too many people do not realise how serious cosmetic surgery is and do not consider the life-long implications – and potential complications – it can have. 'We want to hear views from everyone, particularly people who have experience of the cosmetic surgery industry or of other cosmetic interventions – good and bad – so we can learn what works best.’ Concern grew late last year over PIP implants, which were made by French company Poly Implant Prothese. They were linked to the death of a . French woman from a rare form of cancer, sparking worries among 47,000 . British women who were thought to have had them. ‘We would like the review to take this opportunity to draw a clear line between cosmetic treatments that are seen as a commodity and cosmetic surgery that is a serious medical treatment which must be provided by fully-trained and qualified surgeons.’ Professor Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, added: ‘In an increasingly quick-fix and image-conscious society, it is quite easy to forget that cosmetic surgery has life-long implications. Patients must be assured that the practitioners have the right qualifications and experience.’ Layla Hinchen was devastated after discovering her breast implants had started to leak and would have to be removed. The . 27-year-old, who had PIP implants fitted privately in 2005, first . realised something was wrong when she began to feel pains in her left . breast two years later. Although . she was told nothing was wrong, a scan showed the implant had ruptured. A second scan showed silicone had leaked into her lymph nodes. When . her private clinic refused to remove the implants, the NHS paid for . the bulk of the operation, with Miss Hinchen contr-ibuting £750 towards . new implants. The . beautician and hairdresser from Essex said: ‘I researched for a year . before I had mine done because I wanted the best people. Yet I still . ended up with these problems. ‘It shows unless the industry is regulated you’re still going to get these cowboys offering cheap, dangerous implants.’ Kim Watson had a facelift which went wrong in January 2007. The . mother of six from Largs, North Ayrshire, said: ‘When I booked in for a . facelift with a well-known surgery company five years ago, I simply . wanted to refresh my looks. ‘But . the surgeon doing my facelift botched the operation, damaging the nerve . endings in my face and leaving half of it permanently paralysed. ‘Now people stop me in the street and ask if I’ve had a stroke or if I’ve got Bell’s Palsy.’ Mrs . Watson, 55, is now in favour of tougher regulations for the industry. ‘I think all surgeons should be thoroughly vetted and have a long period . of practice time where they are supervised by top cosmetic surgeons . before they are let loose on the public,’ she said. ‘I . firmly believe cosmetic surgeons shouldn’t have free rein to play God . because people like me have to deal with the consequences. Five years . on, I’m still suffering from the effects of my botched facelift. Because . of the nerve damage, my forehead often throbs in pain and tingles when . it’s cold.’ Beryl Atkins decided to have breast implants and liposuction to make herself ‘feel better’ when her mother died 11 years ago. After seeing an advert for a leading clinic, the 38-year-old booked an appointment that week.Mrs . Atkins, a former nurse who lives with her husband Carl, 40, and their . son George, 11, in Coventry, claims she felt pushed into booking . procedures during the first consultation. Just . two weeks later, she was having implants, a breast uplift and . liposculpture around her thighs, hips and stomach. Within days, the . scars under her breasts had gone lumpy and some of her skin had turned . a grey colour. She was so depressed she was prescribed anti-depressants by her GP. Mrs . Atkins said: ‘I had days where I cried, feeling guilty. If the . Government changes the law, I’d back it 100 per cent. No firm should . take payment on the day and there should be a 14-day cooling off . period.’ | A review of the cosmetic surgery industry has been commissioned following fears over the safety of PIP breast implants .
Government may ban of aggressive advertising of 'two for one' surgery deals that encourage women to go under the knife for cosmetic reasons .
Call for more rigorous and legally-required training as Botox can currently be injected by .
anyone who has done a half-day-long course . |
fb4e29ea7e7bda80d038b676beebcb12cfdad6e0 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:15 EST, 10 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:34 EST, 10 April 2012 . Olympic hero: Mark Lenzi, who won the gold medal for diving in 1992, has died suddenly at the age of 43 . The last American diver to win gold at the Olympics has died suddenly at the age of 43. Mark Lenzi won gold when he switched from wrestling to diving in the mid-1980s. Over the next decade, he became the 1992 Olympic three-meter springboard champion, earned a bronze medal four years later in Atlanta and became the first diver to score 100 points on a single dive. Lenzi passed away in Greenville, North Carolina on Monday. Lenzi is survived by his wife Dorothy, his mother, two brothers, one sister and grandmother Mary Cochran. His alma mater, Indiana University, posted the announcement on its website but did not provide a cause of death. His . mother Ellie told the family's hometown newspaper, The Free . Lance-Star in Fredricksburg, Virginia that her son had been . hospitalized the past two weeks because of fainting spells that were . caused by low blood pressure. Former . Olympic teammate and current Texas diving coach Matt Scoggin told USA . Diving: 'Mark came from a wrestling background and the goal of any . wrestler is to pin you. 'When . Mark got into a contest, he was going to pin you. I remember before his . first World Cup, he was going to win 1-meter, I thought there was no . way – it was my third World Cup and I was still trying to get on the . podium. 'He won. He was a very confident competitor.' Married life: Mark Lenzi with his wife Dorothy taken late last year . Lenzi wrestled in high school when he . was captivated by diver Greg Louganis' remarkable Olympics performance . in 1984 and immediately changed discipline. In . 1989, he swept the Big Ten college titles in the one-meter, three-meter . and platform competitions, then went on to win the first of his . back-to-back one-meter national championships in 1989. Lenzi was selected the National Collegiate Athletic Association's diver of the year in 1989 and 1990. Words of condolences poured in for Olympian Mark Lenzi: . Mark and I spoke just a few weeks ago, my heart goes out to you. There . are no words to express how heartfelt a loss this is. Greg Louganis, Olympic gold medalist diver . As an Olympic gold medalist, Mark was one of our country's greatest divers, and he will be missed tremendously. USA Diving Chairman Bob Rydze . So sad. He was my '92 teammate.Thinking of his wife&family. Summer Sanders, former Olympic swimmer . I remember when I missed making '96 Olympic Trials, Mark Lenzi sat down with me & told me to let it light a fire inside. He believed in me. Laura Wilkinson, Olympic champion diver . He was just beginning to emerge on the international stage. His victory on the three-meter board at the Barcelona Olympics gave the Americans their third straight title in that event. Four years later, following a brief retirement, Lenzi earned an Olympic bronze medal. No American male diver has won an Olympic diving medal since Lenzi in 1996. His teammate Mr Scoggin added: 'Mark . grabbed onto a dream. 'He wasn't going to believe anything was . impossible. It was amazing how rapidly he became an Olympic champion.' Lenzi's . impressive resume includes 18 international springboard championships. He was the first diver to score more than 700 points in an 11-dive . competition on the three-meter board and was the first American to . successfully complete a forward, 4 1/2 somersault in competition. 'As . an Olympic gold and bronze medalist, Mark was one of our country's . greatest divers, and he will be missed tremendously,' USA Diving . chairman Bob Rydze said. After . his diving career ended, Lenzi went into coaching. He helped four . divers win national age-group titles with Indiana's junior diving team . and coached men's and women's divers at East Carolina from 2009-11. His funeral and viewing will be held today at Wilkerson Funeral Home in Greensville from 6 to 8pm. His hero Greg Louganis wrote on the USA Diving website: . 'Mark and I spoke just a few weeks ago, my heart goes out to you. There . are no words to express how heartfelt a loss this is. Healing hugs, . Greg.' Extraordinary talent: Lenzi switched from wrestling to diving in high school and went on to win Olympic gold and bronze . Unexplained: Lenzi's mother said he had been hospitalised in the last two weeks following fainting spells caused by low blood pressure . Happier times: Mark Lenzi with wife Dorothy on his wedding day . | Athlete hospitalised after fainting spells caused by low blood pressure .
Survived by his wife Dorothy, mother and siblings . |
fb4ebda0cf52d7503a183d974033e27608cf24a3 | By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 15:41 EST, 20 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 15:41 EST, 20 February 2014 . Polina Artamonova was discovered in her room at Bellerbys College in Greenwhich, according to reports . A Russian businessman’s teenage daughter was found dead at a private international school in London in an apparent suicide. Polina Artamonova, 17, was discovered in her room at Bellerbys College in Greenwhich, according to reports. The teenager, from Ufa, Russia, originally, is said to have consumed alcohol in the hours leading up to her death. Police were called to the scene on the morning of January 21 and the death is not being treated as suspicious. According to the Evening Standard, paramedics tried to save her after rushing to her third floor flat - but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The paper reported that friends said she was heartbroken about a secret relationship with a man and was having ‘difficulties’. Her . parents visited the school last month. And Igor Artamonov today said he . wanted to uncover the truth behind his daughter’s death and that he had . ‘hired people to gather information’. A Russian friend told the paper: ‘Polina was the sort of person who kept a lot of feelings and emotions inside. ‘She loved a man - there were difficulties with this. Police were called to Bellerbys College on January 21 and the death is not being treated as suspicious . ‘I think her family simply didn’t know. Not because the family didn’t try to know, I think it was that Polina tried to hide it not to upset them.’ The Metropolitan Police said they were called at 8.12am on January 21 following reports of a female suffering from a cardiac arrest in Stowage. The teenager, from Ufa originally, is said to have consumed alcohol in the hours leading up to her death . | Polina Artamonova, 17, was discovered in her room at Bellerbys College .
She is said to have consumed alcohol in the hours leading to her death .
For confidential help or advice call the Samaritans on 08457 909090 . |
fb4ee5db60304335fef296e26de2e46faba2b92a | (CNN) -- A report from Amnesty International says the wave of popular unrest sweeping North Africa and the Middle East makes this a critical time for the human rights movement -- one that could result in historic gains by freedom-loving, tech-savvy people or distressing setbacks if oppressive regimes clamp down on activists and stay in power. The report, which coincides with the advocacy group's 50th anniversary, documents what it claims are cases of torture, unwarranted imprisonment, restrictions on freedom of expression and other alleged abuses around the world. France, for example, is among those countries called out for its restrictions on predominantly Muslim women wearing veils. Amnesty also challenges China over its alleged repression of free expression, notes the dire conditions for pregnant women in Afghanistan and points to difficulties wrought by violence in parts of Africa. Yet the so-called "Arab Spring" is front-and-center in the report, with its authors singling out the popular movements against generally long-entrenched administrations as a time of great promise and danger. Throngs of mostly young people helped to peacefully oust heads of state in Egypt and Tunisia, while governments in countries such as Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya have thus far resisted similar attempts -- killing civilians in the process, according to Amnesty. "Not since the end of the Cold War have so many oppressive governments faced such a challenge to their stranglehold of power," Salil Shetty, Amnesty's leader, said in a press release. "The demand for political and economic rights spreading across the Middle East and North Africa is dramatic proof that all rights are equally important and a universal demand." But William Aceves, a California Western School of Law professor, said one factor distinguishing what happened in Egypt and Tunisia -- where mass popular movements helped unseat Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who had led their countries for 30 and 23 years respectively -- from the institution of new governments in places like Afghanistan is that there is less outside control of what happens next. That could mean such nation's new governments -- perhaps after democratic elections -- could choose to restrict women's, immigrants or others' rights. If so, these popular revolutions could put those groups promoting human rights in a tough spot. "The question is what happens if you have a democratization process that doesn't lead to greater civil liberties," said Aceves, who has worked with Amnesty International and other human rights groups through the course of his career. "(Popular revolutions) don't always lead to good things." Worse yet is what might happen if those pushing for change in places like Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Iran fail after being beat back by ruling governments, human rights advocates say. Some leaders such as Libya's Moammar Gadhafi may become more defiant in the face of outside and internal opposition, while others may be emboldened if they survive popular dissent, experts say. The part of Amnesty's report about the Middle East and North Africa highlighted what it called "governments' preoccupation with their political security, but neglect of their people's human security and failure to uphold the human rights on which it depends." Already, these popular pushes for new governments have come at a stiff human cost. "Those calls for democracy have led to violence," said Aceves, noting the real danger to human lives when people push for major reforms. "There have been deaths in the thousands." Another challenge for groups like Amnesty is determining how to promote a pro-rights agenda in places with authoritarian leaders and little in the way of democratic institutions or history. In its report, Amnesty touts technology, specifically social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook, with being a powerful, non-violent tool that didn't exist years ago. This allows people to circumvent censorship and communicate directly with one another, on an even platform. "Information is a source of power, and for those challenging the abuse of power by states and other institutions, it is an exciting time," Shetty writes in the Amnesty report. But Aceves said that, at some point, rights' groups may have to wrestle with the merit of backing military efforts to overthrow totalitarian regimes. That might mean supporting airstrikes in Libya, for instance, that could lead to civilian casualties. The Amnesty report makes a point to stress that its accounts of human rights abuses -- and the need for a movement to prevent them -- are not confined to the Middle East and North Africa. In 2010 alone, the group said it has documented specific cases of "torture and other ill-treatment" in 98 countries." Its investigators, moreover, have recorded or investigated human rights abuses in 157 countries and territories. Amnesty alleges, for instance, that "virtually any form of dissent was suppressed in Turkmenistan," while law enforcement were said to have attacked "human rights defenders" in Ukraine. The group alleges discrimination against immigrants in parts of mainland Europe, criticizing efforts to deport people in need. Crackdowns on journalists working to unearth corruption was a problem in many nations, according to Amnesty. Nearly 400 journalists were threatened or attacked last year in Latin America alone, the report contends. "There has not been any accountability," said Javier Zuniga, a special adviser on human rights at Amnesty, on what has happened in parts of Central South America. "That's why the situation is so bad so now, because that culture of impunity has been very, very unchanged." Despite all the documented problems and challenges, Shetty -- Amnesty's secretary-general -- voices optimism that popular movements will ultimately prevail, with human rights becoming an even more universally recognized and realized value. "The call for justice, freedom and dignity has evolved into a global demand that grows stronger every day," he said. "The genie is out of the bottle, and the forces of repression cannot put it back." CNN's Greg Botelho and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report. | Amnesty International alleges human rights abuses in 157 countries and territories .
The wave of popular unrest in the Middle East and North Africa is seen as critical .
Amnesty says technology has spurred democratization in authoritarian nations .
An expert warns that democratic movements may not all promote equal rights . |
fb4f48c1bc932a674795df32d6e7d3f8a7625e6c | By . Elliott Bretland . Follow @@EllBretland . Brighton have accepted manager Oscar Garcia's offer of resignation following the club's play-off defeat to Derby. The Seagulls' promotion hopes were dashed following their crushing loss against Steve McClaren's side. Speaking to the club's official website, Garcia said: 'The club has been aware of my thoughts for several weeks and during this time I have had discussions with both the chairman, Tony Bloom, and chief executive, Paul Barber. Tough loss: Brighton have accepted manager Oscar Garcia's offer to resign after the play-off defeat to Derby . 'I have enjoyed my time with the club but, although I do not have any immediate plans, I have decided to move on.'I’m . very proud of this season with Brighton. The Championship is a very . difficult and competitive league but our record this season has been . very good. I wish Brighton every success for the future. It . is understood Brighton officials had asked the Spaniard to sleep on his . decision before agreeing to go their separate ways on Monday. The . south coast club will now begin the process of looking for a new manager for a second successive . summer following Gus Poyet's departure after another heartbreaking . play-off campaign last season. Pile on: Derby players celebrate as they beat Brighton in the Championship play-off semi-final . | Brighton accept Oscar Garcia's resignation .
Spaniard had told the club he wanted to leave after defeat to Derby County .
The Seagulls' hopes of promotion were dashed after a 6-2 aggregate defeat to Steve McClaren's side . |
fb4f9ede3e0ebfb8e56b9c46c16cd670ecddbf92 | By . Kieran Corcoran . They may be the most feared group of investigators in the world, but FBI agents still need a hand understanding internet slang like LOL and BRB, it has been revealed. Agents who find themselves baffled by abbreviations on message boards or social media have an extensive guide to turn to, which has been released to the public under Freedom of Information laws. The document - which is 83 pages long - includes 2,800 translations, from everyday terms such as LOL ('laughing out loud') and BRB ('be right back'). Slang: The lengthy guide can teach agents abbreviations such as L8R and BRB . Any crack investigators left scratching their heads at 2DAY or L8R also have them helpfully parsed to 'today' and 'later', according to the document published by Muckrock. But as well as the commonplace and the obvious, it also features lengthier and more exotic examples like PMYMHMMFSWGAD ('Pardon me, you must have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn') or EOTWAWKI ('end of the world as we know it'). Some seem particular appropriate to agents working in counter-intelligences, who may not be surprised to find their targets writing phrases like SIW ('someone is watching') and IKWYL ('I know where you live'). One particularly relevant - and worrying - entry is IITYWIMIWHTKY ('If I tell you what it means I will have to kill you'). A few British-themed acronyms also made the cut, with an entry explaining GSTQ ('God save the Queen') and another making sense of NFN ('normal for Norfolk'). The FBI defines the latter phrase as: 'A derogatory term used by medical doctors in Norfolk and Norwich hospital in UK for intellectually challenged patients. Now may also mean something more endearing – like quaint.' Although it is an official Government document, produced by researchers from within the FBI, the authors remembered to keep a light tone. The foreword to the piece reads: 'The list has about 2,800 entries you should find useful in your work - or for keeping up with your children and/or grandchildren.' BFFLTDDUP – Best friends for life till death do us part . BMGWL – Busting my gut with laughter . ICBINB – I can’t believe it’s not butter . IGP – I gotta pee . IITYWIMIWHTKY – If I tell you what it means I will have to kill you . IOKIYAR – It’s OK if you’re a Republican . KTBSPA – Keep the backstreet pride alive . NIFOC – Naked in front of computer . PMYMHMMFSWGAD - Pardon me, you must have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn . WTFT - What the French toast? | Operatives baffled by forums and social media can refer to lengthy guide .
It's 2,800 entries include commonplace terms like LOL and 2DAY .
Also has bizarre and complicated acronyms like PMYMHMMFSWGAD .
Agency says it could be useful for work or 'keeping up with your children' |
fb4fdf2e8f87f43ac01f6a190386edb30d08bc92 | By . Candace Sutton . Mick Jagger landed in Los Angeles today to start making funeral preparations for tragic girlfriend L'Wren Scott as the rest of the Rolling Stones returned to Britain. The 70-year-old rocker cut short the band's tour of Australia after the fashion designer's body was found in her Manhattan apartment on Monday. Jagger's spokesman said that he is in Los Angeles being comforted by his children - daughters Karis, . Elizabeth, Georgia May and Jade as well as his son James. Hours after he touched down in the . California city, the other members of the group, Keith Richards, . Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, arrived at Manston airport, in Kent, . aboard their logo-embossed private jet. Back home: Keith Richards walks down the stairs of the band's private jet after landing in Kent today following the death of frontman Mick Jagger's girlfriend, L'Wren Scott . First off: Richards walked onto the tarmac ahead of his bandmate Charlie Watts (right) before being whisked off in waiting cars . The Rolling Stones cut short their tour of Australia following the tragedy . Sad homecoming: The band's logo-embossed private jet landed at Manston Airport in Kent . It remains unclear as to who has the 49-year-old's body, and the plans for where she will be buried have not been released either. Earlier this week, Scott's sister Jan Shane, who hadn't spoken to the designer in nearly six years, told MailOnline that she hoped she would be buried in the family's plot in Ogden, Utah, next to her adoptive parents. The Rolling Stones left Australia, with the group's private plane departing Perth Airport at 2.55pm, with Mick Jagger and his fellow bandmates on board. Jagger, wearing dark sunglasses and black cap, was dropped at the plane's boarding steps as he prepared for his journey home. Pilots lodged a flight plan at Perth airport listing Abu Dhabi as the first destination. Jagger then flew back to the U.S. On Wednesday night, the same night the Rolling Stones were due to perform in front of more than 15,000 fans for the first show of their sold-out tour, drummer Charlie Watts played to just 130 people at the city's tiny Ellington Jazz Club . Mick Jagger has since arrived in Los Angeles after last being seen when he and his bandmates left Australia . Leaving: Mick Jagger walks onto the private jet to leave Australia on Thursday ahead of his trip to Los Angeles . Cancelled plans: Mick is followed onto the plane by Keith Richards as the Rolling Stones postpone their tour in Australia and New Zealand . Ronnie Wood, pictured in white jacket, has left Australia along with the rest of the band . The Rolling Stones left Perth's Hyatt Regency . at 2pm on Thursday, filing into five separate cars in a military-style motorcade. Police closed roads while detectives and uniformed police - some wearing . bullet-proof vests - escorted the band to Perth airport. Each of the . five cars had heavily tinted glass, along with rear-window curtains. The band left Australia only a few hours after a New York medical examiner ruled that the death of Ms Scott was a suicide. Police confirmed she did not leave a note. Today, Frontier Touring has confirmed it is working on new dates for the . Rolling Stones' Australian tour. Concert promoters said the band's shows . may be held after the football season in either October or November, News.com.au reported. On Wednesday night, the same night . the Rolling Stones were due to perform in front of more than 15,000 . screaming fans for the first show of their sold-out tour, drummer . Charlie Watts played to just 130 people at the city's tiny Ellington Jazz . Club. The club was . closed to the public when Watts performed, but jazz fans already inside . were treated to the surprise 45-minute performance from the Rolling . Stones drummer. Club . director Graham Wood told MailOnline that the 72-year-old drummer was . ‘private and quiet’ during his two hours at the club. But he said Watts . came alive when he walked onto the stage, even treating fans to a . jazz-style version of Rolling Stones' mega-hit Honky Tonk Woman. Full house: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts performs to just 130 people at Perth's Ellington Jazz Club . Watts dined at the nearby Two Fat Indians before making his way to the club at about 11pm . Watts dined at the nearby Two Fat Indians before making his way to the club at about 11pm . ‘There was talk of Charlie coming on . Monday. But obviously with the way things unfolded, it didn’t happen,’ Mr Wood told MailOnline. ‘He . got here around 11pm and stayed a good couple of hours. He was fairly . private. He had his entourage and security there. He was pretty keen to . just quietly enjoy the music. ‘We had a full house of about 130, and they didn’t really know what was happening. ‘He played a kind-of slow, swing version of Honky Tonk Woman. The place just erupted. People couldn’t believe it.’ Watts had been expected to play at the club earlier in the week as part of saxophonist Tim Ries' Rolling Stones Project when the news of L'Wren Scott’s death altered his plans. Kaitlyn Elsegood, who was at the club, told MailOnline that Watts arrived and took up a spot in a quiet corner, going largely unnoticed by most people. But she said the Stones drummer’s demeanor changed as soon as he hit the stage. ‘He was sitting in the bar the whole time, but he was sitting quietly in the corner having a drink. ‘Not many people noticed he was there. But he was very relaxed on stage. He played for about 45 minutes. ‘He didn’t really say anything. He was just happy to play.’ The Rolling Stones released a statement overnight expressing their support for Jagger, saying 'the death of L'Wren Scott is terrible news and they are pulling together' around the band frontman. The impromptu gig followed Watts telling MailOnline that Mick Jagger had been left dazed and unwell following the apparent suicide on Monday. 'He's holding up. He's okay,' Watts said earlier that night, adding: 'He's not really well. He's not really here. It was such a shock.' Mick Jagger and L'wren Scott walk along the river Thames in London . Tragedy: Mick Jagger and L'Wren Scott were a couple for 13 years before she committed suicide on Monday morning . Glossy front: Despite a long line of famous fans, L'Wren Scott's fashion line was a financial failure and she owed creditors nearly $6million, despite Mick's financial support . | Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts arrive at Manston airport in Kent following long journey that began in Perth .
Mick Jagger is being comforted by his five children .
Frontier Touring has confirmed it is working on new Rolling Stones' Australian concert dates after postponing seven shows after Scott's death . |
fb507126dc04164abb17501eaa6bf40c4a0b8686 | As the country heads into the Memorial Day weekend, there are still almost 1.5 million U.S soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed in war zones or combat missions worldwide. So far, more than 6,700 U.S. servicemen and women have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and at least 50,000 more have been wounded. Here is a look at the numbers behind the sacrifices of American military veterans of current and past wars: . More than 8,100 -- Number of coalition troops who have died during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; almost all of them -- about 6,700 -- are U.S. troops. 623 -- Number of troops from Britain who have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Britain has the second highest number of fatalities behind the United States. 175 -- Number of coalition servicewomen who have died in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. 156 - Number of U.S. servicewomen who have died in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. More than 50,000 -- Number of U.S. troops who have been wounded in action during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to the Pentagon. At least 3,275 -- Number of coalition troops who have died in improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. It is the leading cause of fatalities. 50 -- Countries that contributed troops to Operation Enduring Freedom through NATO/International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and related regions. At least 36 -- Number of countries that have lost troops in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 3,000 -- Number of coalition force deaths since the start of the war in Afghanistan. Approx. 620,000 -- Combined troops killed during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. 63 -- Percent of Union troop deaths caused by disease during the Civil War. 90 -- State and local chapters of Rolling Thunder, a national group participating since 1988 in Memorial Day weekend bike rides to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. 6 -- Number of wreaths engraved on the sides of the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington National Cemetery. Each wreath recognizes a major campaign of World War I. 58,000+ -- Names inscribed on the walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, of U.S. troops who died serving in the Vietnam War. 8 -- Women's names on the memorial. 24 -- Notes in "Taps," the bugle call traditionally played at the end of a military funeral. 3 -- Number of rifle volleys fired over the grave during interment. 3,461 -- Recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor in action. 80 -- Living Medal of Honor recipients. 38 -- The number of statues there appear to be, including the reflections on the wall, at the Korean War Memorial, symbolizing the length of the war, 38 months, and the 38th parallel that divides North and South Korea; 34,000 U.S. troops were killed. | More than 6,700 U.S. troops have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .
At least 35 other countries have lost troops in the wars .
Six wreaths are engraved on the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington National Cemetery . |
fb50acdf78e2080cbcbfebd03789588340d5e2a0 | Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama made light of the serious -- a Secret Service scandal and lavish spending at a government conference -- and the inconsequential -- the graying of his hair -- at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night. And he even made time for business tycoon Donald Trump, whom Obama kidded at last year's dinner about pushing the president to release his long-form birth certificate. "We gather during a historic anniversary. This weekend last year, we finally delivered justice to one of the world's most notorious individuals," Obama said to a packed ballroom at the Washington Hilton. A photo of Trump was shown, rather than that of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Obama then went back even further in time. "Four years ago, I was in a brutal primary battle with Hillary Clinton," Obama said. "Four years later, she won't stop drunk texting me from Cartagena," a reference to the city where Secret Service agents allegedly consorted with prostitutes. He then pointed out photos of his hair four years ago, and in 2012, showing it had grayed considerably. "Four years from now I will look like this," he said to laughs as a photo of actor Morgan Freeman was shown to the audience of more than 2,500. Journalists and news organizations were well-represented at the affair and they brought famous faces in tow. Among those who dazzled on the red carpet Saturday were Claire Danes, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd, Sigourney Weaver, Eva Longoria, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Rachel Zoe, Goldie Hawn and Josh Hutcherson. The annual gala, also known as the "Nerd Prom," raises money for journalism scholarships. The president, speaking before comedian Jimmy Kimmel, made light of a General Services Adminstration conference in Las Vegas that cost more than $800,000. "Look at this party. We have men in tuxes, women in gowns, fine wine, first-class entertainment. I was relieved to hear it was not a GSA conference," Obama quipped. He even chided Kimmel, star of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" "Jimmy got his start on the 'Man Show.' In Washington, that is what we call a congressional hearing on contraception." Kimmel, who took the stage following the president's monologue, hit back. "Remember when the country rallied around you in the hopes of a better tomorrow?" Kimmel asked. "That was hilarious." Kimmel said there was a term for "guys like the president," and it wasn't two terms. Nobody in the room was safe from Kimmel's barbs, which he fired at politicians, journalists, celebrities and corporate executives in attendance. Kimmel praised Michelle Obama's work to combat obesity with her health initiative. The comedian then pointed out rotund New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to the first lady. "Look, it's Chris Christie. Get him," Kimmel said. Kimmel then took aim at Newt Gingrich's weight. But Kimmel's fat jokes fell, well, flat with the former House speaker. The dinner was Obama's fourth as president. It has been a ritual in Washington since 1920, when it was first held to boost communication between the press and the president, according to the association's website. It was open only to men until 1962, when President John F. Kennedy said he would not attend unless women were invited. Speaking of women, first ladies have been known to get in their own digs. In 2005, Laura Bush said friends went out one night to see male strippers after Bush, "Mr. Excitement," was typically fast asleep at 9 p.m. First lady Hillary Clinton was featured in a video clip shown at the 2000 dinner. Seated in a limousine, she told the camera, "I wish I could be here more, but I really think Bill has everything under control." The president ran out to the White House driveway, yelling after the departing car, shouting, "Wait! Wait! You forgot your lunch!" While the dinner is notorious for its bawdy humor, the president took a moment to remember the sacrifices of journalists Anthony Shadid and Marie Colvin, who both died while covering the conflict in Syria. | Jimmy Kimmel gives as good as he gets .
The president makes light of the Secret Service, GSA scandals .
He also makes references to Donald Trump and his own hair . |
fb511dfb2e968971c3330eb01d623f748d8336ce | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 3:13 PM on 13th October 2011 . Saying it's time to stop letting convicted killers 'get off that easy,' a Florida state lawmaker wants to use firing squads or the electric chair for those on death row. Rep. Brad Drake, 36, filed a bill this week that would end the use of lethal injection in Florida executions. Instead, those with a death sentence would choose between electrocution or a firing squad. 'I say let's end the debate. We still have Old Sparky. And if that doesn't suit the criminal, then we will provide them a .45-caliber lead cocktail instead,' Drake said. Florida state Rep. Brad Drake (R) has introduced legislation to bring back the firing squad for executions, an idea he came up with sitting at a Waffle House last month . 'There shouldn't be anything controversial about a .45-caliber bullet,' he told the Florida Current. 'If it were up to me, we would just throw them off the Sunshine Skyway bridge and be done with it.' Drake, a Republican, said the idea came to him after having a conversation with a constituent at a Waffle House over the legal battles associated with the September 28 execution of Manuel Valle. Valle's lawyers tried to stop the execution by arguing that a new lethal drug cocktail would cause him pain and therefore constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Courts, however, rejected that argument and let the execution go forward. But Drake said the person at the restaurant questioned why death row inmates should even be allowed to die by lethal injection. Drake said he agreed and decided to sponsor the bill that would mandate a switch. The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature will consider the bill during the 2012 session that starts in January. 'There shouldn't be anything controversial about a .45-caliber bullet,' Drake said of his plan, even though Florida has never used a firing squad before . He said government is spending too much . time listening to advocacy groups and instead should put in place a . death sentence that forces convicted murderers to contemplate their . fates. The execution of Manuel Valle, 61, killed by the new lethal injection cocktail, started Drake thinking about 'cruel and unusual punishment' Lethal injection just allows a person to die in their sleep while a firing squad or electrocution would force death row inmates to think about their punishment 'every morning,' Drake said. 'I think if you ask a hundred people, not even talking to criminals, how would you like to die, if you were drowned, if you were shot, and if you say you were put to sleep, 90 percent of some of the people would say I want to be put to sleep,' Drake said. 'Let's put our pants back on the right way.' Florida first began using the electric chair in 1924. Before then, most executions were carried out by hanging. Florida has never used firing squads. But the state switched to lethal injection in 2000. Then-Gov. Jeb Bush and the Republican-controlled Legislature pushed through the change after several botched electrocutions raised concerns that the state's death penalty would be declared unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court had agreed at the time to hear a challenge to the use of the electric chair. Drake also advocates using Old Sparky, the Florida electric chair seen here. Florida stopped electrocuting inmates in 2000 and has never used a firing squad . Since the state made the switch, a total of 26 people have died by lethal injection, including Valle and serial killers Danny Rolling and Aileen Wuornos. The last state to use a firing squad was Utah, which executed inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010, the first death by firing squad in the United States in 14 years. The state has stopped using firing squads. Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said Drake's legislation would just cause embarrassment for Florida if it were adopted. 'Just when you thought that public policy in Florida couldn't get worse, along comes a state rep who develops proposed legislation from what he overhears at the Waffle House,' Simon said. 'Given all that former members of the Florida Supreme Court and the American Bar Association have said about Florida's broken death penalty system, including the nation's highest number of exonerations, this would be embarrassing – if our legislature were capable of embarrassment.' But Drake said that those who caused suffering and grief for families should get their day of reckoning. 'I just don't think they should be able to get off that easy,' he said. | Brad Drake penned legislation advocating 'lead cocktail' |
fb51b991e27e619570525ee882bf24209442dae4 | (CNN) -- It was a case of 'whatever you do, I can do better' as Barcelona's Lionel Messi hit four to eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick for Real Madrid and leave his great rival in the shade once again. Ronaldo had inspired Real to a 4-0 win over Getafe early Sunday, before Messi stole the show to lead Barcelona to a 5-1 thrashing of Osasuna and become the first player to score in 11 consecutive La Liga matches. Messi, who recently beat Ronaldo to the prestigious Ballon d'Or award to win the prize for a record fourth time in succession, has now scored 33 goals in the league and 44 overall this season. Messi crowned world's best . It was also the fifth time Messi had scored four times in a league game and his 16th hat-trick in the top-flight, allowing him to move 12 clear of Ronaldo in the goalscoring charts. The win for Barcelona means it is now 11 points clear at the summit after nearest rival Atletico Madrid was beaten 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao in Sunday's late game. It was a perfect day for Barca, which welcomed back striker David Villa to the starting line-up for the first time in two months. Four goals from Messi and one from Pedro sealed the win, which was made easier by the 27th minute dismissal of Alejandro Arribas for two yellow cards. Messi sets up 'El Clasico' clash . Meanwhile, Real which hosts Barca in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal Wednesday, moved to within four points of second place Atletico. After a frustrating first-half, Real scored four times without reply thanks to Ronaldo's treble and a Sergio Ramos strike. Jose Mourinho's side remain 15 points behind league leaders Barcelona with 17 league games remaining. Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano beat Real Betis 3-0 to move into fifth, a place and a point behind the Seville-based side and a Champions League position. Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United: Which is the biggest club? Piti got the South Madrid side off to a great start from the penalty spot on four minutes before Andrija Delibasic and Jose Carlos added second-half goals to make it five wins in six for Rayo. Napoli wins match-fixing appeal . In Italy, Napoli moved to within three points of league leaders Juventus after recording an impressive 2-1 win at Parma. Edinson Cavani scored his 18th goal of the season in the 85th minute to end Parma's unbeaten home run. Marek Hamsik's opener was cancelled out by an own-goal from Paolo Cannavaro, but Cavani popped up with five minutes remaining to seal the win. Inter sits in fourth place following a 2-2 draw at home to Torino in the day's late game. Christian Chivu and Esteban Cambiasso were on target for the home side, but two goals from Riccardo Meggiorini earned Torino a point. Sneijder quits Inter for Galatasaray . Elsewhere, Milan claimed its 11th league win of the season with 1-0 victory at Atalanta courtesy of Stephan El Shaarawy's first-half strike. Milan is now up to fifth in the league, 11 points behind league leaders Juventus but coach Massimiliano Allegri appeared unmoved by his team's victory. He told reporters: "This changes nothing. Today the boys played well but didn't seal the match and we were under threat till the very end. "We're on the right road but we need to keep winning. Let's see how we're doing at the end of February and, above all, at the end of March." Meanwhile, Mauro Icardi scored four as Sampdoria crushed Pescara 6-0 with Eder and Pedro Obiang also on target. Cagliari grabbed a late goal through Thiago Ribeiro to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Palermo, who had taken the lead through Josip Ilicic. Milan's Boateng takes stand over racism . Bottom club Siena suffered another defeat after going down 1-0 to Udinese following Luis Muriel's 36th minute strike. In the day's early kick off, Bolgona and Roma put on a six-goal thriller as each team took a point from an enthralling 3-3 draw. Guardiola agrees three-year deal with Bayern . In Germany, Bayern Munich went 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 win in the south German derby at 10-man VfB Stuttgart. Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic and Germany's Thomas Mueller were both on target as Bayern eased to victory. Elsewhere, Hamburg overcame Werder Bremen 3-2 in the north German derby, while fourth placed Eintracht Frankfurt claimed a 2-1 home win over Hoffenheim. There was disappointment for Schalke after it was held to a 0-0 draw by relegation threatened Augsburg. In France, Paris Saint-Germain stayed top of the table with a 1-0 win over Lille courtesy of an own-goal from Aurelien Chedjou. Bordeaux gained a 1-0 win at Nice thanks to Henri Saivet's 58th minute strike, while Saint Etienne eased to a 3-0 win over Bastia. | Leo Messi scores four as Barcelona crushes Osasuna in La Liga .
Cristiano Ronaldo hits a hat-trick for Real in win over Getafe .
Napoli moves to within three points of leaders Juventus in Serie A .
Bayern Munich stretches its lead to 11 points at top of Bundesliga . |
fb52dc6f40bdc4a41033a65fddd0757719ed058b | (CNN) -- It's home to a sound system from Jamaica and an elephant slide from Chernobyl. It's where you'll find an outdoor Thai boxing ring, exercise gear from Santa Monica beach, lampposts from the UAE and swing benches from Baghdad. This is Superkilen, an urban park and cycling gateway that sprawls through Norrebro, a bohemian neighborhood of Copenhagen that's become one of the most ethnically diverse parts of Denmark. A far cry from the Copenhagen of the Little Mermaid and traditional waterfront buildings of Nyhavn canal, this willfully eclectic venue might be considered the world's most surreal public space. Stretching along a half-mile-long cycle route, Superkilen is a colorful exercise in community building born from a collaboration between residents and some of Europe's most experimental architects. I start my exploration of Superkilen's three distinctive zones with a slice of Americana. At the top of the zone known as The Green Park stands a 14-meter-tall pole with a giant "Donut" and a neon sign. It hails from a restaurant in Pennsylvania and looks like something conjured in a dream by a salivating Homer Simpson. American highway setting . When viewed from a distance, the doughnut sign and shiny logos from the car dealerships across the road create the perfect tableau for an American highway setting. Heading south into the park, I'm greeted by a large cast iron bull, a tribute to the famous Spanish Osborne sherry trademark. Next up is a basketball court that sits in a bowl-shaped concrete structure. The court is modeled on Mogadishu's Lujino Stadium, a venue once used by the militant Al-Shabaab group to launch assaults on Somalia's presidential palace, and which now serves as the training facility for the country's national basketball teams. Then there are all the smaller objects, which I initially walk straight past but which Superkilen's smartphone app guides me to via an interactive map. There are trash cans from the British seaside resort of Blackpool, drains from Switzerland, a manhole cover from Israel and seven different types of bike racks from across Europe. It's a multicultural onslaught. Some of the objects in Superkilen are originals while others are replicas designed so that they comply with Danish regulations for playground materials and public spaces. The items were chosen after canvassing local ideas online and at community meetings. Residents weren't required to pick objects from their place of birth -- some were inspired by treasured vacation spots -- but the idiosyncratic output reflects the diversity of a neighborhood made up of people from 60 nationalities. World expo . Superkilen is a collaboration between the artist group Superflex, Berlin-based landscape architects Topotek1 and Danish architects BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. Ingels has masterminded some of the most ambitious and left field ideas in Copenhagen, including a public swimming pool in the harbor and a plan to turn an incinerator into a ski slope. "With Superkilen, we had to find a way of utilizing the diversity in the local population," says Nanna Gyldholm Moller of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. "Rather than just have the same Copenhagen bench you will see in any other park, why not involve the local residents to source the best items from across the globe and almost create a world expo?" A good example stands at the end of the Green Park -- it's a grassy mound with a small patch of naked, reddish soil. The soil comes from different towns of the Palestinian territories and was brought here by two young Copenhagen women who traveled to the Middle East. I stand near the soil and use the smartphone app to watch a film about how the women used their hands, rocks and small plastic bags to gather the material. "When we travel as Palestinians," says one of the the women, Alaa, in the video, "we gather soil so you can take a piece of Palestine back home to Denmark." On this breezy morning, a group of schoolkids have gathered on top of the mound on an assignment to plot park objects on a world map as they explore the area. When their teacher gives them the go-ahead, they scamper down a slope covered in zebra-striped asphalt. The stripes lead to the asphalt-covered Black Square, the second part of Superkilen. Local residents were initially irked when they found out grassy areas of the park would be paved over, but the Black Square is the most visually exciting aspect of the project. Judging by the crowds who gather here and take photos, it's also one of the most engaging. Other items here include a Moroccan fountain, chess tables from Bulgaria and a giant plastic octopus from Japan that doubles as a slide. "The fountain on the Black Square works incredibly because it's star-shaped," says Moller. "When parents are watching their kids play in the water or sliding down the octopus, the parents are seated across from each other, so they end up talking together rather than just sitting in a circle looking away." Bulls and Thai boxing . The final part of Superkilen is the Red Square, complete with neon signs for a Moscow hotel and a beauty shop in China. It's the most bustling part of Superkilen and takes the park right down to Norrebro's busiest street. Teenage boys play-fight in the Thai boxing ring while daycare children sway on the Baghdad-inspired swing benches. Walls of the adjacent building have been painted red to match the color of the surface, but some the purple-tinted patches on the ground have faded. The area is due to be refurbised next year to enhance the color scheme and to make the surface more slip-resistant for pedestrians and cyclists. Not all of Superkilen is resistant to wear, tear and the effects of time. Some objects, such as the lone steel bull, feel incongruous and random. However, when seen as a whole, this strange bubble of world exposition and local community is a cohesive experience. There have been honors for Superkilen, including a nomination for the prestigious 2013 Mies Van Der Rohe architecture prize. Its real triumph, however, lies in its ability to engage people in its surreal world, whether they're chess players deep in contemplation on the Black Square, moody teenage students having gym lesson at the Santa Monica "muscle beach" or toddlers sliding down an octopus from Japan or an elephant from Chernobyl. Lars Hinnerskov Eriksen is a freelance journalist and author based in Copenhagen who writes about all aspects of Nordic culture. He previously spent six years in London working for the Guardian. | Copenhagen urban space is surreal, eclectic mix of objects from all over the world .
Thai boxing ring, Mogadishu stadium among recreated venues in Superkilen park .
Three park zones were created by experimental architects working with diverse local community . |
fb5311af8838319834a0359cfbfd92666227c4c8 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Violence and heavy metal seem to have been inextricably entwined since the dawn of the metal genre. Accusations that the Columbine killers were influenced by Marilyn Manson's music were found to be false. Judas Priest, Marilyn Manson and Black Sabbath are just some of the household metal names to have come under public fire for supposedly inciting teenagers to commit murder and suicide. It's a fire the international media has been happy to flame, quick to draw links between various acts of savagery and heavy metal even if, as in the case of the Columbine shootings and Marilyn Manson, evidence points to the contrary. For anthropologist, documentary filmmaker and self-confessed "Metalhead" Sam Dunn, heavy metal is often used as a scapegoat to distract from the thoroughly more complicated societal problems surrounding such incidents. "I think people look at heavy metal and label it for all sorts of things because we need easy answers to complex questions," Dunn says. "I think that it's easy to target a heavy metal band for inciting violence or making kids turn to a cult than it is to actually look at real problems in the real world." It's easy to see where the journalists, parents and religious groups get their ideas from. A quick scan of the lyrics of any heavy metal band worth its salt will often reveal some gasp-inducing subject matter. For instance in his film "A Headbanger's Journey," Dunn quotes some of his favourite lyrics by a metal band called Autopsy: "Burning from the inside out, bloody foam spews from your mouth, smell the putrid stench of flesh, as it burns you to your death." Not the sort of poetry to be quoting to grandmother over lunch, but can such ludicrous gore really incite people to violence, not to mention murder? As one young Norwegian metal fan told the UK's Guardian newspaper: "It's all fantasy, none of this is real, you can't take this seriously, it's just like a movie." But compared to some of the images filling our cinema screens -- The Devil's Rejects, Wolf Creek, The Passion of the Christ to name a few -- even Autopsy's lyrics seem a little tame. "I have listened to enough metal for me to essentially be a serial killer," says James McMahon from UK music magazine NME. "But there's something in me that says no, that's not what I believe life is about. Serial killers existed before Slayer, you know." "I'm a big fan of horror movies but Hostel, Saw, those torture porn films, I found myself repulsed -- metal is pantomime comparatively." As Alice Cooper quips: "There's more blood in 'Macbeth' than in my shows and that's required school reading." For metal musicians, death, blood and mayhem, in its various guises, are all simply part of the act, part of "the show." "I think it comes from being a child of the '70s," says Iron Maiden's lead singer Bruce Dickinson. "I was brought up on Hammer horror movies and things like "The Devil Rides Out," classics like that." "So while we do the devil type things, it's done... I wouldn't always say in a tongue-in-cheek way, but there is an element of it. It's done with a view to storytelling and drama, with a bit of dressing-up going on." Iron Maiden has also endured its fair share of controversy. The title of its 1982 album, "The Number of the Beast," and repeated use of "666" in the titular track's chorus had America's religious right up in arms. They accused the band of being devil worshippers, Satanists and of "trying to pervert our kids." "When I play that song I think, well, ok, this isn't glorifying the devil, because that's certainly not what I would do," says Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, a born-again Christian. "It's making an awareness that yes he's out there, and you've got to be aware. There is a man with 666 tattooed on his noggin somewhere." Ironically, the fundamentalist reaction to "The Number of the Beast" packed out Iron Maiden tour gigs in every American town they visited. Kids squeezed into arenas desperate to see what was scaring their parents so badly. Despite this marketing draw, Dickinson is keen to distance Iron Maiden from the violence for violence's sake approach practiced by some of his contemporaries, such as musicians from the extreme Black Metal and Death Metal sub-genres. "We're not interested in being extreme," he says. "We're interested in being interesting and in animating people's imaginations with the stories that we tell and the songs." It's an approach that chimes with what one female Iron Maiden fan, Ruth, tells us, "I really don't see any violence in the fans and I have been to loads of their gigs," she says. "I am in a tiny minority of women, in a room full of men wearing black -- which should seem scary, but it totally isn't. The men hold doors open for me and apologize if they bash into me. They are basically really meek and polite." So while upside-down crucifixes, homicidal zombies and lashings of blood might continue to fuel our preconceptions about heavy metal music, it's worth remembering, appearances and reality can be very different beasts indeed. | Heavy metal used as a scapegoat according to anthropologist .
Storytelling and drama important, not violence, says Iron Maiden singer .
Heavy metal is pantomime compared to torture-porn films says NME journalist .
Iron Maiden accused of being Satanists in 1980s . |
fb53486db181ef5ac48d4009f7b1081648abe3c7 | By . Kieran Gill for MailOnline . Follow @@kie1410 . It's all about Paul Pogba on the front page of French newspaper L'Equipe, who opt to use a range of pictures to depict the midfielder's performance against Spain on Thursday. The France star played the full 90 minutes against his Spanish counterparts as Chelsea striker Loic Remy scored the game's only goal 17 minutes from time. 'Pogbamania' is the word L'Equipe coin to describe the 21-year-old, once of Manchester United. L'Equipe: It's all about Paul Pogba on the front page, having played the full 90 minutes against Spain . In Spain, though, it's all about Real Madrid. Marca label the 'diamond-studded Madrid' as the 'leader in income' after they raked in 603.9million euros. The Spanish newspaper describe the La Liga giants as a model club that know how to manage their finances, and Real president Florentino Perez says 'Madrid is a case they study at Harvard'. Perez has, however, had to play down rumours of a feud with Cristiano Ronaldo after the former Manchester United star criticised the club's transfer policy. 'There are no problems with Cristiano, he has not questioned the club,' says Perez. Marca: The Spanish newspaper label the 'diamond-studded (Real) Madrid' as the 'leader in income' Fellow Spanish newspaper AS reiterate Perez's comments, saying the Real president insists 'Cristiano did not question the politics of the club' and that there are 'zero discrepancies'. Perez has cleared the air about Angel di Maria's £60m departure to Manchester United and Xabi Alonso's £5m move to Bayern Munich. Not only that, Perez says 'we looked at signing Falcao' but, quite clearly, Real opted out. AS: A fellow Spanish newspaper reiterate Perez's comments about there being 'zero discrepancies' Mundo Deportivo report Munir El Haddadi is 'into the national team' and that Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has called up 'the pearl of Barcelona to replace the injured (Diego) Costa'. The striker says: 'When they told me, I was left open-mouthed.' Not to be outdone, Lionel Messi remains in the headlines. The Spanish newspaper say the Barcelona star is 'like a motorbike', scoring three goals in a practice match in a training session. Mundo Deportivo: The Spanish newspaper report Munir El Haddadi is the new star of the national team . Likewise to Mundo Deportivo, their Spanish newspaper rivals Sport discuss Munir. The 19-year-old is taking charge of the media in Spain as he looks to replace Costa, who is sidelined by a hamstring injury. Sport: 19-year-old Munir has taken charge of some front pages in Spain and looks to be a real hit with fans . Italian newspapers share the same sentiment in that Simeone Zaza is a 'hitman who cannot be lost'. Tuttosport say he is 'worthy of Juve' while La Gazzetta dello Sport say him and Ciro Immobile are the 'attack of the future'. The duo are reportedly 'made for each other' and gave a glimpse of that during the 2-0 win over Holland. Italian newspapers Tuttosport and La Gazetta dello Sport say Simeone Zaza is a 'hitman who cannot be lost' | Juventus star Paul Pogba is hailed by French newspaper L'Equipe for excellent performance in France's 1-0 win over Spain .
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez explains himself after Cristiano Ronaldo's public criticism of the La Liga club's transfer policy .
Munir El Haddadi, 'the pearl of Barcelona', replaces Diego Costa for Spain . |
fb53cf6517d9494a2c9538ef3bb2de2013349851 | Andrew Breitbart, the conservative firebrand and new media pioneer who died suddenly at just 43, had told friends he was poised to take his jihad against the Left deeper into the mainstream media with a regular show on CNN. Last weekend, Breitbart told friends he was in early talks with CNN about a Crossfire-style show in which he would argue from the Right alongside former US House representative Anthony Weiner taking him on from the Left. Such a show could have been a blockbuster. In what was perhaps his finest hour, Breitbart was the man who ended the political career of Weiner by revealing that the married congressman he had sent lewd photographs sent to young women via Twitter. Andrew Breitbart, left, told friends he was in talks with CNN to co-host a show with Anthony Weiner . Articulate, outspoken and - before his fall from grace - a darling of the Left, Weiner was one of the few liberals who might have given Breitbart a run for his money. It would also have been a dramatic move for CNN, which previously brought in disgraced Eliot Spitzer, who resigned as New York governor after his trysts with a high-end prostitute were revealed, for a show that was subsequently dropped. Separately, Breitbart had been asked last Friday by Hollywood screenwriter ans producer Aaron Sorkin about how he might be portrayed in Sorkin's new HBO series The Newsroom, about the inner workings of a cable news network. Aaron Sorkin had also recently spoken to Breitbart about portraying him in Sorkin's new show The Newsroom . Sorkin told me via email: 'I e-mailed . Andrew last Friday because the episode of The Newsroom I'm currently . writing takes place during the week the Anthony Weiner photos were in . the news. 'Andrew and I had struck up a friendly e-mail relationship and so I reached out to ask him if he could give me a timeline of the events from his point of view. I got a quick response -'I'm in' - and we were supposed to meet for coffee at the end of the day today [Thursday].' Sorkin said that the coffee would have been 'about Andrew shedding any new light on the Anthony Weiner incident' and 'we'll likely see shards of Andrew during his various appearances that week' in news footage from that time. Confidants of Breitbart say he had . some reservations about a CNN show but would probably have signed up for . it. He was intrigued by the notion of a show with Weiner, believing it . could be a vehicle for real discussion of ideas. Edie Emery, spokeswoman for CNN, said that CNN had no comment. I . first met Breitbart in 2007, when he was still working in relative . obscurity for the Drudge Report. Engaging and irrepressible, he had a . passion for taking on liberals and delighted in doing so from his native . Los Angeles, which he viewed as the belly of the beast. Working . from the basement of his home in Brentwood, he would post stories on . the Drudge Report that would be read by millions and help shape the . media narrative. In each pretty much each corner of virtually every room . was some kind of Apple device so that he would always be connected to . the world outside. He was . proud that the house was right next to the LA National Cemetery, where . many American troops were buried and military funerals were often held. He told me that his real estate agent had told him the proximity to the . cemetery meant the house was worth less but to him it increased its . value. This reporter last saw I last saw Breitbart this past Saturday in Troy, Michigan when he was appearing at the Americans For Prosperity conference after he had uncharacteristically slept in until 10am . Although he saw the mainstream media as the enemy, he understood it and knew many of its main players. This enabled him to use the media, sometimes from with, as well as oppose it. I remember him telling me that the internet had been invented for him because is provided an outlet for his Attention Deficit Disorder, with which he had been diagnosed. Shortly afterwards, Breitbart burst onto the national scene, leaving Drudge to set up his Big Government websites. Almost overnight, he became a conservative megastar. The next time I saw him in LA was last September, when we met for drinks at Barney's Beanery in Westwood with mutual friends. By this time, one of the weapons he used to fight the Left was Twitter. As he approached, wearing a t-shirt from a Tea Party group he had spoken to, he was walking and tweeting. Although he could come across as an angry figure, particularly when on the defensive on television, the reality was that Breitbart loved life and had an immense capacity for humour and mischief. Adopted by a secular Jewish couple, he had grown up holding conventional political views (his natural father was an Irish musician; he knew who his birth parents were but had no interest in meeting them). Despite his fearlessness, he was also a sensitive soul and a very affectionate husband to Susie and father of four. He gloried in his battles, re-tweeting the vilest things said about him to shame and expose their authors. But he told me that he had wondered about the effect of his public persona when his son had been upset relating how a school friend had said to him: 'My father says that your father is evil'. Breitbart had joked that after the Occupy protests he'd shaved his face and cut his hair shorter . But Breitbart was happy to have made a hundred new friends for every friend he had lost because of his new celebrity as a Right-winger. That night, he recounted how he had received an agonised - and completely unsolicited - email from a college friend who had explained at great length why he could no longer be his friend. Breitbart laughed at the presumptuousness of the whole thing and how he had replied with two words: 'Oh well.' He also said that night that he had recently gone to the hospital emergency room with a tightness in his chest. When a nurse had 'freaked out' at how high his blood pressure was, he had responded: 'Don't tell me that - you'll make it even higher.' Breitbart had looked overweight and stressed that night. I and the others with us told him he needed to ease up on his insane travel schedule and he talked about trying to exercise more, taking downtime with his family and getting a personal assistant to take charge of his diary. But he always seemed to be on Twitter, on TV, on the phone or on a plane - and sometimes seemingly two or three of these at once. A few months ago, he set up a part-time base on Capitol Hill, spending time in Washington working out of a wonderfully kitsch historic house decorated by a rich Egyptian and right next to the US Supreme Court. I last saw Breitbart on Saturday in Troy, Michigan. He was appearing at the Tea Party-linked Americans For Prosperity conference, where Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney also spoke. That morning, he had uncharacteristically slept in until 10am and there had been a panic about where he was. Tragic death: Breitbart leaves behind a wife and four children . Loving father: Breitbart had suffered heart problems a year earlier . During his speech, however, he was on vintage form, describing Barack Obama as 'the metronome' and his allies as 'the alligators'. He declared proudly: 'I'm out there fighting with the metronome. I'm out there fighting with the alligators.' At another point, he said: 'I'm fighting these people as hard as I can. They're totalitarians.' He urged conservatives to 'stop acting like Leftists' in denouncing those who backed Republican candidates who might not pass this or that purity test and said it was essential to get behind whoever was the nominee. As usual, he was extremely funny, joking about how he had shaved his stubble and cut his hair after Occupy people said that 'I look like a bum'. In describing an anti-Republican media narrative designed to divert attention from unemployment and gas prices by highlighting social issues, he said: 'I have four children. I took care of the thing down there. Contraception's not in the top two billion things in my world.' He branded MSNBC 'race card television' and that if a conservative said 'gymnasium' on television, the response would be: ''Gym' originates in antebellum South Carolina. You're all racist!' The next day, he took a car to Detroit airport with filmmaker Ann McElhinney, another speaker and a close friend. As he got in, he told her: 'I feel awful. I feel really bad.' She put it down to a hangover. In the car, they discussed Aaron Sorkin - on Friday night, he had shown her the email from Sorkin - and the prospect of a CNN with Weiner. Breitbart felt that such a CNN show would rehabilitate Weiner but he wanted to ensure it would be serious and would involve going out and talking to real people as well as back-and-forth in the studio. They talked about Fox News, which Breitbart felt was stuck in the past with too many blonde presenters and outdated formats. One of the journalists he admired most, he said, was Dana Loesch, who worked for him as Big Government and is now also CNN contributor. He described her as a 'warrior princess', effective because she was cool and modern. Breitbart thought that the Left feared people like Loesch most because she was an attractive, engaging, hip person who did not fit the stereotype of dour, fusty conservative. Essentially, the same thing could have been said about him. One of Breibart's central arguments was that conservatives had allowed themselves to be excluded from popular culture - film, television, music, even art. He was a central figure in the largely undercover world of Hollywood conservatism. At the end of his speech in Troy, he said that conservatives would have to endure the race card and the 'fairness' card being played against them in the coming election. 'This is warfare. They're at war with you and the very idea that you're still here shows that the Tea Party mindset is alive and kicking.' Who would have thought that the fiercest and most formidable conservative warrior of all was about to leave the battlefield. To comment on this article click here . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Show would have been comeback for ex-congressman forced to quit after campaign from conservative firebrand Breitbart . |
fb53d80e796f6e13c4dee8dba9d2a6ff62a0a0dc | By . Emma Glanfield . David Waygood was the sole director of a British-based company allegedly used by footballer Messi . A British banker who killed himself by stepping out in front of a train ran a company which allegedly helped footballer Lionel Messi dodge tax, it has emerged. David Waygood, who died last year aged 62, was the sole director of a firm which Spanish prosecutors claim hid tax owed by Messi. Earlier this week, a judge in Barcelona ruled that Messi, 27, and his father Jorge should be charged with tax evasion after prosecutors claimed the pair hid more than £3million in shell firms in the UK, Switzerland, Uruguay and Belize. One of the British firms was looked after at the time by Mr Waygood, a banker who had previously worked for HSBC and NatWest. The Spanish prosecution alleged that the company held shares anonymously in a British-based nominee company. Rosie Sharp, from campaigner Global Witness, told The Mirror that nominees ‘own or control the company on behalf of someone else through hidden arrangements’. Mr Waygood committed suicide in April last year by standing in front of a train at a railway crossing in Otford, Kent. He had left a note for his children James and Lizzie which blamed stress. At an inquest into his death in October, a coroner returned a verdict of suicide. Messi and his father were accused last year of defrauding the Spanish state of £3.3million by filing false returns for the years 2006 to 2009. They have denied any wrongdoing. The Spanish court will now push ahead with the process of prosecuting the Argentina and Barcelona forward for the alleged tax evasion despite a recommendation from the public prosecutor that the charges be dismissed. The prosecutor argued in June that it was Messi’s father Jorge who was responsible for the family’s finances and not the four-time World Player of the Year. Lionel Messi (above) and his father were accused last year of defrauding the Spanish state of £3.3million by filing false returns for the years 2006 to 2009. They both deny any wrongdoing . Messi (pictured arriving at court in Barcelona, Spain) is accused of avoiding paying tax on his image rights . Messi's father Jorge is also accused of tax fraud after allegedly being responsible for his family's finances . However, the court decided that Lionel could have known about and approved the creation of the shell companies which were allegedly used to evade the taxes due on income from image rights. As one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, Messi earns just over £31million a season in salary and bonuses, according to Forbes magazine, as well as about £18million from sponsors. The magazine has him as the fourth top-earning athlete behind boxer Floyd Mayweather, Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball player LeBron James. | David Waygood was sole director of firm allegedly used by footballer Messi .
Mr Waygood died in April last year aged 62 after stepping in front of a train .
Spanish prosecutors allege that Messi and his father hid £3.3m in shell firms .
Both Messi and his father Jorge deny any wrongdoing and case continues . |
fb53e4455c5d51d22335cea02a25f00b3d786075 | (CNN) -- Flooding in southern Spain has left at least 10 dead, Spanish state media outlet RTVE reported Saturday. Emergency personnel on Saturday found the body of a man in a swamp in Spain's Murcia region. The victim, believed to be the grandfather of a nine-year-old girl who was killed by the flooding on Friday, was the 10th confirmed fatality, RTVE reported. Five deaths have been reported in Murcia, and five in Andalucia region because of flash floods caused by the rain. Two other people remained missing in Murcia, RTVE said. Heavy rainfall continued to hit the area on Saturday. The girl who died was inside a vehicle that was hit by a sudden rush of water, RTVE reported. Her body was found inside the vehicle. CNN Weather Center . | Flash floods have killed 10 people in southern Spain .
One victim was a nine-year-old girl, another is believed to be her grandfather .
Heavy rain continued to fall across the Andalucia region on Saturday . |
fb541fb469907c0c06ca6b193f56ac2e3259756e | The second-largest school district in California is raising eyebrows after its police force recently acquired a military-grade armored vehicle. The San Diego Unified School District now has a 14-ton M-RAP — short for mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle — that American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan usually ride into combat to protect them against explosives. The $700,000 tank was donated to the school district under a military program that distributes surplus military equipment to local police agencies. The federal initiative has come under heavy criticism after police in Ferguson, Missouri, used military weapons usually reserved for trained US Marines against regular citizens protesting the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, 18. This digitally altered image shows what school police officials in San Diego want their new armored truck to look like . This image shows another potential look for the military-grade truck obtained by California's second-largest school district . The armored vehicle has been stripped of any weaponry and will possibly be painted white to resemble an ambulance. It only cost the school district $5,000 for shipping from Texas, KSWB reported. But even within the school district, officials are questioning the need for such equipment. 'The symbol of having an armored vehicle in the district is not the message we want to send to schools,' school board trustee Scott Barnett told the San Diego Union-Tribune. 'But we have it now,' added Barnett, whose school board wasn't consulted when the police force applied for the tank. 'Can we leverage that vehicle to fund something we really need — new patrol cars?' The school district's police chief, Rueben Littejohn, says the truck is intended to be used as a rescue vehicle that could evacuated up to 40 children in the event of an emergency. 'It’s not the militarization of schools,' Littlejohn told the Union-Tribune. 'The vehicle has been stripped . of all offensive equipment and it’s been repurposed for humanitarian . purposes.' American soldiers in Afghanistan relax prior to a mission using a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle, one of which has now been redirected to a school district in California . Soldiers in Afghanistan use mine-resistant vehicles like the one now housed amid yellow schoolbuses in San Diego . 'After Sandy Hook there was a lot of conversation about what folks should do — what do you do for that kind of situation?' the police chief told the newspaper. 'My team took that very seriously and came up with some creative solutions, this being one of them.' School safety expert Robert Macy disagrees. 'A school that has someone in charge of the school safety plan and . someone in charge of what you do when someone is on campus and they . practice the protocols — you are going to get more mileage out of that . than many armed vehicles,' Macy, who heads the International Trauma Center, told VICE News. 'It's not as easy as putting big heavy weaponry on campus.' 'A tank is cartoonish,' he added. 'It gives the school a false sense of security.' | The San Diego Unified School District has acquired a 14-ton armored truck that its police says it can use to protect children in case of an emergency .
But even within the district, officials are questioning the need for such heavy equipment .
The mine-resistant vehicle is a hand-me-down from the US military as part of a federal surplus program . |
fb54b8d94ea40672373e34baef07875cdeff22da | A furious David Moyes stormed onto the pitch to confront the referee after the full-time whistle after a last-gasp penalty from Levante denied him a first away win in charge of Real Sociedad. The former Manchester United boss was far from happy at Santiago Jaime Latre's decision to award a spot-kick to the hosts' deep into stoppage time, after Carlos Martinez was penalised for handball. As a result Sociedad are now without a win in three league games and sit just three points above the relegation zone in La Liga. David Moyes was far from happy at the referee after seeing a late penalty cost Real Sociedad all three points . Moyes (left) looks on with frustration on the bench as Andreas Ivanschitz (right) celebrates his late equaliser . Sergio Canales fired the visitors into the lead three minutes after the interval as they looked on course for back-to-back league wins. The hosts - after having the better of the first half - should have gone into the break with the lead but squandered various opportunities, most notably from David Barral inside just eight minutes. They were left to rue their missed opportunities as Canales struck with a clinical finish shortly after the break, before Andreas Ivanschitz struck at the death from the penalty spot. Both sides remain firmly poised in the lower regions of the table, with 15 points from their opening 16 games played. Sociedad midfielder Sergio Canales points towards the sky after giving the visitors the lead on 48 minutes . Alberto de La Bella looks to control the ball with Jose Luis Morales in close proximity of him . Levante's Ivan Lopez looks to clear the ball away from danger with Socidead midfielder Pablo Hervias lurking . | Real Sociedad denied win at Levante after last-gasp equaliser .
Andreas Ivanschitz converted from the penalty spot for the hosts .
Sociedad boss David Moyes was furious at the award of a spot-kick from referee Santiago Jaime Latre . |
fb54e40b765925f2c26fb84573d33ae56e16459d | (Oprah.com) -- It began with a sign reading "Be excellent to each other," which I printed from my computer in Gothic type and taped to my workspace. I was about to launch into a series of temporary jobs to supplement my freelance writing income. My plan was to temp for a few months, save enough money so I could stay home and write for a while, back and forth, my intention being eventually to write full-time. As is often the case with best-laid plans, however, I soon discovered an unexpected goal within my temporary career: the pursuit of excellence as a way of life. The phrase on the sign was borrowed from the silly eighties movie "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." I hoped it would remind me to be helpful, apply myself fully to every task, and be kind to even the most unpleasant individuals. I also secretly wished people would see the slogan and take the words to heart. My fellow temps were skeptical. "People treat temps like dirt," they scoffed. "You'll be lucky if you can maintain excellence through your first assignment." They had a point: I was likely to meet challenges. Nevertheless, I rolled up my sleeves and went to work. Oprah.com: How to make yourself more marketable . The sign made its debut at a corporation that designed robots (affectionately called "the girls") for the food-packaging industry. Dubbing myself Robo Temp, I typed, filed, and amused my coworkers by invariably responding "I'll tell your fans" when they announced their departures for lunch. No one seemed to notice the sign until several days into the job, when I set up a videotape for a troubleshooting meeting. The tape showed "the girls" malfunctioning -- throwing chocolate chip cookies at each other instead of neatly filing them into their respective boxes. "Hey," I heard a software engineer exclaim as I left the room. "They aren't being excellent to each other!" "Yeah!" someone else shouted. "Be excellent to each other!" Later someone left a box of the girls' cookies in the break room, accompanied by a note: "For the team. Thanks for your excellent help." Not everyone embraced excellence with such enthusiasm. Some people ignored the sign (and the intention). Others were short-tempered, despite my best efforts. But, for the most part, my colleagues responded positively to kindness. They grew radiant when I told them their jade earrings made their eyes look beautiful or when I complimented them on a haircut. They took pride in their work when I admired the brilliant organization of a paper they'd written. They opened up more to others when I inquired about their weekend and actually listened to their responses. When I smiled, they smiled back. Oprah.com: 5 mistakes women bosses make . On one occasion, being excellent even helped redirect the career of an unhappy administrative assistant. After overhearing her on the phone with her daughter, I asked if she had majored in child psychology, since she seemed especially gifted at dealing with children. Several weeks later, she came to thank me for my observation and to say goodbye: She was leaving to open her own day-care center. As a longtime Zen student, I had been taught to appreciate small, mundane moments -- moments opportune for practicing excellence in the workplace. For example, seemingly endless sit-at-the-receptionist-desk moments prompted me to be aware of when someone needed a sympathetic ear. Humdrum Xeroxing moments were great for noticing harried coworkers who might appreciate assistance in meeting a deadline. Oh-so-yawnish envelope-stuffing projects were ideal times for spotting bottles to be carried to the recycling bin and spiders that needed to be taken outside in paper cups. Oprah.com: Could flextime work for you? During mundane moments, I came to understand that excellence wasn't about being perfect or about being nice so people would like me. On the contrary, sometimes it meant defending someone against vicious gossip or saying no to a colleague who asked me to lie about his overtime hours. I also realized that there were some people I couldn't be excellent to, like the account manager who regularly screamed at his staff. There were other people no amount of excellence could save, like the typist who would rather be treated as a victim than receive any kind of help. Eventually, I would carry my sign to more than 100 jobs in Boston and Boulder, Colorado, at universities, high-tech companies, museums, manufacturers, publishers, environmental research organizations, and even a wildlife rehab center. My tasks included FedExing socks and underwear to a corporate spy whose business trip was unexpectedly extended and feeding warm milk from eyedroppers to newborn squirrels. After a few years of temping, I branched out. First I wrote two books on what Buddhists call right livelihood -- earning a living without doing harm -- hoping that others might benefit from what I had learned. Oprah.com: 10 steps to a more organized workspace . Next I offered employment workshops through university extension programs and community centers, where I intended to present practical information but somehow ended up teaching excellence as well. Meanwhile, in my personal life, I attended to my relationships with renewed commitment. I listened more fully and was more readily available to friends and family than I'd ever been before. I was given the opportunity to test this commitment when my best friend and my father died within the same year and I was called upon to devote full-time hospice care to them both. I was there until their very last breaths -- my most profound experience with excellence yet. I finally met my writing goal and am no longer temping, though we are all temps in one form or another, since nothing really lasts forever. Still, my practice of excellence endures. Now, instead of a sign, I carry excellence within me as a mantra, as a presence. Excellence has the most impact when I first focus on my own peace and happiness, and then send it out into the world. Oprah.com: How to handle an office grudge . By Deborahann Smith from O, The Oprah Magazine © 2011 . 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. | "Being excellent" to each other helps maintain a positive atmosphere in the workplace .
Author: "As a longtime Zen student, I had been taught to appreciate small moments"
Apply this attitude in your personal relationships as well for a positive difference . |
fb5536d6479169cf6910528df82165919ac1244f | Lionel Messi will finish his stunning career back in his homeland with Newell's Old Boys according to former Argentina team-mate Gabriel Heinze. The Barcelona star began his career in the South American club's youth side, making five appearances, before heading to the Nou Camp aged 12. Messi has surpassed 400 career goals with Argentina and Barcelona during a trophy-laden career but Heinze believes his heart is set on a return home in the future. VIDEO Scroll down to watch 8 year old Messi scoring sensational lob for Newell's Old Boys . Lionel Messi celebrates adding to his impressive goal tally against Rayo Vallecano on the weekend . Age: 27 . Nationality: Argentinian . Career goals: 403 . Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys (Youth ranks 1995-2000), Barcelona (2000-present) Major honours: 6 La Liga titles (2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13) 3 Champions Leagues (2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11), 2 Spanish Cups. Personal honours: 4 FIFA Ballon d’Or awards (2009-12) Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and PSG defender Heinze told Marca: 'Messi will retire at Newell's, there's no need to convince him of anything. 'I don't see him wearing any other shirt in Argentina than that of Newell's and he will retire at Newell's.' Heinze also ended his career at Newell's Old Boys and added: 'I had played very few games in Argentina and never thought of going back there to finish my career. 'But the last two years I spent with Newell's Old Boys were the best of my life.' Former Argentina team-mate Gabriel Heinze (right) believes Messi will go to his homeland to finish his career . Heinze, in Argentina training with Messi, also ended his career back in South America with Newell's Old Boys . Messi celebrates winning the Champions League in 2008 - one of three European triumphs with Barcelona . VIDEO All Star XI: Lionel Messi highlights . | Four-time World Player of the Year has been at Barcelona since he was 12 .
Lionel Messi was in Newell's Old Boys' youth side before Nou Camp move .
Former Argentina team-mate Gabriel Heinze believes Messi will return to his homeland to continue playing before he retires .
Messi is just three goals from breaking the La Liga goalscoring record . |
fb55e077d5da536e39d7c60d9b39a75a2c9a91f1 | Meditation: Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says he is inspired by Buddhism and spends 40 minutes a day meditating to clear his mind for prayer . The former Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted he is inspired by Buddhism and spends 40 minutes a day meditating. Lord Williams completes the intense early morning ritual to help him clear his mind for prayer. The former Archbishop disclosed in an interview with the New Statesman how he contemplated becoming a monk in his youth, as well as joining the Orthodox church. The article delves into the power of religious ritual and he explains he draws daily inspiration from meditation and reciting the ‘Jesus Prayer’. He repeatedly recites the words ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner’ whilst controlling his breathing. He said: ‘Over the years increasing exposure to and engagement with the Buddhist world in particular has made me aware of practices not unlike the ‘Jesus Prayer’ and introduced me to disciplines that further enforce the stillness and physical focus that the prayer entails. ‘Walking meditation, pacing very slowly and coordinating each step with an out-breath, is something I have found increasingly important as a preparation for a longer time of silence. ‘So: the regular ritual to begin the day when I’m in the house is a matter of an early rise and a brief walking meditation or sometimes a few slow prostrations, before squatting for 30 or 40 minutes (a low stool to support the thighs and reduce the weight on the lower legs) with the ‘Jesus Prayer’: repeating (usually silently) the words as I breathe out, leaving a moment between repetitions to notice the beating of the heart, which will slow down steadily over the period.’ Lord Williams explained that the routine helps him focus and detach himself from ‘distracted, wandering images and thoughts’ and he pictures the human body as a ‘cave’ through which breath passes. He added: ‘If you want to speak theologically about it, it’s a time when you are aware of your body as simply a place where life happens and where, therefore, God ‘happens’: a life lived in you.’ White robes: Lord Williams also donned white robes and became a druid in 2002 during a celebration of Welsh culture . Criticism: The Archbishop was criticised as the Gorsedd of Bards ceremony was seen by some as too close to paganism for comfort . He went on to explain that those who perform such meditation rituals regularly could reach ‘advanced states’ and become aware of an ‘unbroken inner light’. Lord Williams also donned white robes and became a druid in 2002 during a celebration of Welsh culture. The Gorsedd of Bards comprises Welsh-speaking poets, writers, musicians, artists and others who have made a distinguished contribution to Welsh language and culture. But the Archbishop was criticised as the ceremony was seen by some as too close to paganism for comfort. | Lord Williams says he is inspired by Buddhism and meditates every morning .
Former Archbishop also contemplated becoming a monk as a young man .
He repeatedly recites the 'Jesus Prayer' while controlling his breathing .
Lord Williams also donned white robes and became a druid in 2002 . |
fb55f848aa6184c8602c6e83274bb38ba37871f4 | Taxpayers will have to fork out a staggering half a million pounds to fix four panes of glass in the building housing MP’s offices. Private discussions have been held about how to cope with the latest - and most expensive - setback at Portcullis House, the modernist glass ‘atrium’ adjoining Parliament which opened in 2001. It has emerged that MPs have approved £488,000 for temporary repairs to the damage, almost half of which will be spent on a ‘feasibility study’. Taxpayers will have to fork out a staggering half a million pounds to fix four panes of glass in Portcullis House, the modernist glass ‘atrium’ adjoining Parliament which opened in 2001 . A permanent solution in the coming years could take the bill way past £1million. The glass structure houses the offices of some 200 MPs and their staff, modern committee rooms and a vast seating area with a canteen, restaurant and meeting area. Its’ construction ran to £235million after massive over-spending, and the building has been plagued by scandals from persistent cracks in the glass to the £400,000 cost of renting 12 decorative fig trees. But the most expensive repair to date has been approved this year, after one of the damaged panels of glass crashed to the floor nine months ago, fortunately not injuring anyone. It is understood from House of Commons sources that around £38,000 was spent on making the pane safe. Another £210,000 is being spent on a temporary replacement for it and three other cracked panes. Finally, £240,000 has been approved for a ‘feasibility study’ by construction experts to work out how much a permanent solution to the roof problems will cost. The glass structure houses the offices of some 200 MPs and their staff, modern committee rooms and a vast seating area with a canteen, restaurant and meeting area . During rainy weather last week, large red buckets had to be placed on the floor outside the staff canteen where the panels fell in March. Tory MP Chris Heaton-Harris, who sits on the Public Accounts Committee said: ‘It is astonishing to find that this problem is going to cost so much to fix. ‘A very unwelcome Christmas present for both the Parliamentary authorities and the taxpayer’. Jonathan Isaby, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Portcullis House increasingly looks like a black hole for hard-pressed taxpayers’ cash. ‘At a time when we’re trying to find savings everywhere else across government, spending a quarter of a million on a ‘feasibility study’ seems like a waste of money, especially on top of the cash already frittered away on forestry and fig trees in the building. ‘The Parliamentary Estate employs an army of maintenance officials and engineers and it shouldn’t require extra administration or bureaucracy to work out a permanent solution. ‘Politicians talk a lot about fixing the roof when it comes to the economy, but when it comes to taxpayers’ cash it needs to be done as cheaply as possible.’ Its’ construction ran to £235million after massive over-spending, and the building has been plagued by scandals from persistent cracks in the glass to the £400,000 cost of renting 12 decorative fig trees . Portcullis House was designed by award-winning architects Michael Hopkins and Partners and was opened by The Queen 13 years ago. Officials were criticised after some £13million was lost to one of the contractors which sued Parliament over a deal to supply wall and window units. Then cracks appeared almost immediately and a section had to be replaced in 2005 for £100,000. More damage was discovered in 2008 and again in 2012, apparently due to hot summer weather, and anti-shatter film had to be applied to parts of the glass to stop shards falling on staff. A report from the Parliamentary Director of Estates just after the pane crashed in March and released under Freedom of Information rules, recommended repair work straightaway. It said: ‘A design team is being assembled to fully investigate the unique structure and design of the Atrium roof and propose any necessary long term remedial measures. ‘This is likely to be a major undertaking.’ MPs on the Commons Administration committee have - after meetings with Parliament officials - been asked to approve the costly work and feasibility study. A House of Commons spokesman said: ‘In order to identify and mitigate the risk of future damage to the Portcullis House roof, a professional specialist team is currently undertaking a detailed examination of all glazed units…and will determine the nature and potential costs of any remedial measures that may be required. ‘As we are always committed to achieving value for money for the taxpayer, the investigation will also identify the most cost-effective means to maintain the roof in future. Any implementation of remedial work will follow the normal ‘business case’ process.’ | Almost half of the £488k sum has been spent on a 'feasibility study'
A permanent solution in the coming years could take the bill past £1million .
Tory MP Chris Heaton-Harris said the repairs costs were ‘astonishing' |
fb560913ae0bcb07371cdf6c18838d3c63eeae7c | It sounds like the plot for a new Indiana Jones film. Archaeologists say they have discovered the 'Gates of Hell', the mythical portal to the underworld in Greek and Roman legend. The site, in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, now Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey, is said to closely match historical descriptions of what was known as Ploutonion in Greek and Plutonium in Latin. Gates of Hell: A digital reconstruction of the site in Southern Turkey that has just been discovered by a team of architects from Italy . In its heyday, a small temple with traditional Greco-Roman pillars was said to have stood next to wall with steps leading down to a cave doorway filled with foul and noxious gasses. Describing the site, the Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BC -- about 24 A.D.) said: 'This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. 'Any animal that passes inside meets instant death. I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell.' The site, in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, now Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey, is said to closely match historical descriptions . Just like in the historic texts, birds that flew to close to the opening were killed by the carbon dioxide fumes . Spectators: The steps next to the temple from where people were believed to watch the sacred rites . But now a team led by Italian Archaeologist Francesco D'Andria, professor of classic archaeology at the University of Salento, has discovered what they believe to be the ruins of the site. Announcing the discovery at a conference on Italian archaeology in Istanbul, Mr D'Andria said he and his team had managed to pinpoint the location by reconstructing the route of a thermal springs. Archaeologists now believe that a large statue found at the site, . previously believed to depict Apollo, is actually of Hades, Greek god of the underworld . Among the ruins the archaeologists found a cave with Ionic semi columns upon which were inscriptions with dedications to the gods of the underworld -- Pluto and Kore. Mr D'Andria told Discovery News: 'We could see the cave's lethal properties during the excavation. 'Several birds died as they tried to get close to the warm opening, instantly killed by the carbon dioxide fumes.' The archaeologist, who famously claimed to have found the tomb of Saint Philip, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, in Hierapolis, in 2011. The ancient city was founded around 190BC by Eumenes II, King of Pergamum. It was taken over by the Romans in 133 B.C.. Under Roman rule the city flourished. There were temples, a theater and people flocked to bathe in the hot springs which were believed to have healing properties. Today Pamukkale is well known for the stunning white travertine terraces which are the result of the hot springs. Mr D'Andria has conducted extensive archaeological research at Hierapolis and two years ago he claimed to discover there the tomb of Saint Philip, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. D'Andria also found the remains of a . pool and the steps placed above the cave which match the descriptions of . the site in ancient sources. Among the ruins the archaeologists discovered Ionic semi-columns with inscription to gods of the underworld Pluto and Kore . The network of thermal springs that led archaeologists to the site is also responsible for the creation of the stunning White Travertine Terraces of Pamukkale . Speaking to Discovery TV channel he gave a fascinating description of what life might have been like around the cave in ancient times. He . said: 'People could watch the sacred rites from these steps, but they . could not get to the area near the opening. Only the priests could stand . in front of the portal. According . to the archaeologist, pilgrims arriving at the site were given small . birds to test the deadly effects of the cave, while priests sacrificed . bulls to Pluto hallucinating madly from the toxic fumes. The site remained fully functional until the 4th century A.D. and became an important pilgrimage destination for the last pagan intellectuals. Historians believe the site was sacked by Christians in the 6th century A.D., with several earthquakes adding to the damage. Back door? Another site said to be the gate of hell is the Darvasa gas crater in Derweze, Turkmenistan . Artist's impression: A fresco depicting the gates of hell from the medieval church St. Nicolas in Raduil village, Bulgaria . | Site in ancient city of Hierapolis, now Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey .
Matches historical descriptions of what was thought be entrance to hell .
Birds flying past are killed by noxious gasses emanating from the doorway .
Inscriptions on temple columns are dedications to gods of the underworld . |
fb5647ba6f68774b3a61c0298c44c51e64085916 | (CNN) -- China evacuated more than 600,000 residents along coastal areas and sent ships back to port as it braced for Tropical Storm Muifa, which pounded some areas with gusty winds and rains over the weekend, state media reported Sunday. Muifa, once a typhoon, weakened Saturday and was eventually downgraded to a tropical storm. It spared the financial hub of Shanghai as it brushed past it. Rain and strong winds hit the city, however. Landfall was expected Monday evening local time in Liaoning province. But even as the storm weakened, authorities cancelled flights and ordered thousands of fishing boats to remain anchored in the eastern coastal province of Shandong, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Police rescued dozens of tourists stranded on an island off the port of Qingdao as water levels rose, submerging a bridge to the mainland, according to Xinhua. The heaviest rain was over water Sunday. The storm was scheduled make landfall in Liaoning province Monday evening. Eastern coastal areas can expect high winds over the next few days, Xinhua said. Meanwhile, scorching heat is expected to linger in southern regions over the next few days, Xinhua reported. Areas affected include Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces. CNN's Ivan Cabrera contributed to this report. | NEW: State media: Authorities cancel flights and order boats to stay at port .
China evacuates more than 600,000 residents along coastal areas .
Muifa spares the financial hub of Shanghai .
Once a typhoon, Muifa has been downgraded to a tropical storm . |
fb57c8b554604f909302df76b99b94129a44d1dc | This is the shocking moment a callous teenage carer was caught on camera stealing from a vulnerable pensioner's purse. Sheryvone Brooks was filmed reaching into a kitchen drawer at 85-year-old Evelyn Nicholson's house in Stourbridge, Dudley. The 19-year-old's actions were caught on a camera installed by Mrs Nicholson's family who had noticed money going missing from the elderly woman's home. Sheryvone Brooks was filmed taking £30 out of Mrs Nicholson's purse after the elderly woman's family installed a camera when they noticed money going missing from her home . Mrs Nicholson was said to be 'devastated' by the theft and would have given the teenager money if she had asked her for it, her son said . Brooks, who worked for Gateway Health and Social Care Dudley, was found guilty of theft at Wolverhampton Crown Court. In the video, the teenager is seen sitting in a chair in Mrs Nicholson's kitchen talking to another carer. She is filmed opening the drawer then looking around the room to see if anyone is watching her. The teenager then stood up, covering the brown leather purse with her body while she took out £30. The teenager then stuffed the money into the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt before returning the purse to the drawer . She stuffed the cash in her pocket before returning the purse to the drawer. Mrs Nicholson's family said she had been left 'devastated' by the theft, and that she would have given money to the teenager had she asked for it. The teenager (seen leaving court) was fired from her job . Speaking after the case, the 85-year-old's son, Robert Smith told the Express and Star: 'She was devastated and it has affected her health. 'It's absolutely disgusting. It had happened a couple of times before at the end of last year, so I set up the camera on New Year's Day,' said Robert Smith, Mrs Nicholson's son. 'I knew that we would catch the person but the video is still shocking. 'You are supposed to put your trust in carers but then one does something like this, and it destroys that trust. 'I hope she gets a severe sentence for what she has done. In total I think she took something close to £200 over three occasions. 'The video was taken first thing in the morning while the other carer was getting my mum out of bed.' The court heard how Brooks said she needed the money to pay for Christmas presents when she committed the theft on January 6. She has since repaid the money, describing the incident as 'stupid and opportunistic'. Timothy Talbot-Webb, defending, said: 'She knew it was wrong.' While the sum of money stolen was 'minor', magistrates referred the case to crown court because of the breach of trust involved. Brooks, who has been fired from Gateway Heath and Social Care, will be sentenced next month. | Sheryvone Brooks was filmed stealing from Evelyn Nicholson's home .
The 19-year-old carer took the pensioner's purse from kitchen drawer .
She was seen taking out £30 and stuffing it in her sweatshirt pockets .
The 85-year-old's family had installed camera after money went missing .
Brooks will be sentenced for theft at Wolverhampton Crown Court in March . |
fb57ea77b4f91dd7e27981b17a1dbf01ba9c0b7e | By . Sean O'hare . PUBLISHED: . 07:34 EST, 6 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:59 EST, 6 December 2012 . Poisoned: Kieran Cockburn, 36, was found dead by his worried boss after he failed to show for work . A chef was killed by deadly fumes from a disposable barbecue lit in 'mysterious' circumstances inside his flat. Kieran Cockburn, 36, from Beast Banks, Kendal, was found dead by his worried boss after he failed to show for work at the Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, Cumbria, an inquest heard. Police found the burnt-out grill on a coffee table in his apartment shortly after midday on May 31. Although South and East Cumbria coroner Ian Smith said the barbecue was given as the cause of death by a pathologist - mystery surrounds exactly why it was there. He recorded a open verdict at Kendal County Court on November 29th. He said there was no explanation for the barbecue’s presence and explained there was insufficient evidence to conclude Mr Cockburn placed the grill indoors deliberately to kill himself, or that he had been cooking on it inside oblivious to its danger. It follows several deaths caused by the devices nationwide this year, including one at Ullswater in March. Inspector Rob Lampard - the first officer on scene at Collin Croft, off Beast Banks, Kendal - said Mr Cockburn’s death followed national publicity about a child who had died after falling asleep near a disposable barbecue while camping in Shropshire. Inspector Lampard told Mr Smith that there ‘didn’t seem to be any reason’ for the barbecue to be in the flat because it appeared no food had been cooked on it and he found the remains of a Chinese meal nearby. The inquest heard from Mr Cockburn’s GP, Dr Michael Brennan, who said his patient had suffered from the ‘unpleasant’ bowel condition Crohn’s disease since he was 30, had undergone ‘big surgery’ because of it and was taking quite a lot of medication. He said that in the months before his death, Mr Cockburn said he was ‘feeling down’ and waking up during the night so he was prescribed sleeping tablets and anti-depressant drug mirtazapine. But Dr Brennan told the hearing Mr Cockburn gave no indication he wanted to take his own life. Grace Williamson, Mr Cockburn’s manager at the Castle Green Hotel, where he had worked since September 2005, said he was sent home poorly on the evening of Saturday, May 26 and was off work sick the day after. Failed attempts were made to contact him during the week but when he could still not be reached by Thursday, she visited his flat where she found him dead. Mr Smith suggested Mr Cockburn might have brought it inside to keep warm - something he described as a ‘bad idea’ - or to cook, although there was no remnants of food. And he ruled out any third party involvement. 'I am well short of the necessary certainty that Kieran did this perhaps with the intention of killing himself,' said Mr Smith. 'He was feeling low but there’s no indication he was suicidal. 'It could be that he was doing something really not advisable with the barbecue because they are, as we have learned, potentially lethal in an enclosed space.' | Coroner Ian Smith recorded open verdict and said he did not know why barbecue was in the flat .
Kieran Cockburn 'was feeling low but there’s no indication he was suicidal', said coroner . |
fb57fac82283234f3d53513f010eaf7b37f28594 | Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) -- Thousands of people are expected to march Tuesday in South Africa to protest a portrait of President Jacob Zuma that shows his genitals. Zuma's supporters in the ruling African National Congress say the portrait is insulting and call it an attack on both the president and his party. About 15,000 people are expected to participate in the march to Johannesburg's Goodman Gallery, where the work was on display, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The painting by artist Brett Murray, called "The Spear," is reminiscent of Soviet-era propaganda posters. Red on one half and black on the other, the painting shows Zuma in a proud stance with his genitals prominently exposed. Attorney weeps as he argues for censoring painting . The painting was defaced last week after a storm of protests and condemnation, the SABC reported. "We believe all these actions by the gallery are not only a violation of the right to dignity of ... President Jacob Zuma but are a clear and calculated attack on the ANC," the party said on its website. "We therefore again call on all South Africans, members and (supporters) of the ANC and our alliance partners to come and register their outrage at this insult and attack on our president and the ANC," it said. The Sunday newspaper City Press removed the image of the portrait from its website after the ANC threatened a boycott, but it complained Monday the ANC still wants the paper to apologize for running it in the first place. Democratic Alliance, the ANC's official opposition, said The Spear "was brilliant as a work of political satire, which is also why it became an instant icon." Calls for the painting's censorship, the party said, indicate a dangerous move away from the right to free speech. If he felt insulted, Zuma should have sued the artist rather than calling for the painting's removal, the Democratic Alliance said. | The portrait shows President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed .
The ruling party says the painting is insulting .
Reports say 15,000 people are expected to march in protest . |
fb586ba86f6b0e82ed06fd4d0d89218e6f0dd5f5 | Jeremy Clarkson has breached Ofcom's broadcasting rules over a 'racial' term made on Top Gear Burma special, the TV watchdog ruled today. The regulator decided the comment, made by the controversial star and aired in March, was offensive. The ruling comes just three months after Clarkson was caught up in another racism row which prompted him to apologise and he was given a final warning about his behaviour by the BBC. Scroll down for video . Jeremy Clarkson pictured with Richard Hammond (left) during the Burma special of Top Gear when he made the comment: 'That is a proud moment - but there is a slope on it' as an Asian man crosses . It comes just months after Clarkson was caught up in another racism row and was given final warning by BBC . In that incident unaired footage from the programme came to light in which he appeared to use the n-word. Today's ruling by Ofcom involved a scene in which the presenters were involved in the construction of a makeshift bridge over the River Kwai. Viewers saw an Asian man walking on the bamboo crossing, while Clarkson declared: 'That is a proud moment - but there is a slope on it.' Two viewers were concerned that the word 'slope' was an offensive racist term. An Ofcom spokesman said: 'After a . thorough investigation, Ofcom has found the BBC breached broadcasting . rules by including an offensive racial term in Top Gear, which was not . justified by context. 'Jeremy Clarkson used the word "slope" to refer both to an Asian man crossing a bridge, and the incline of the bridge. Clarkson (centre) pictured with Top Gear co-stars Richard Hammond (left) and James May (right) during filming for the Burma special aired in March . Broadcast regulator Ofcom received two complaints about the 'slope' comment made by Clarkson (left) 'This was scripted in advance. 'The BBC failed to take the opportunity, either during filming or post-production, to check whether the word had the potential to offend viewers.' The programme's executive producer, Andy Wilman, had previously apologised for the use of the term, saying it had been intended as a 'light-hearted word-play joke' and that the team had been unaware the term was considered offensive. The BBC has said today: 'We dealt with this matter some time ago, the programme apologised at the time and explained the context, and we are now focusing on delivering another series of one of Britain's best-loved shows.' The motoring programme has faced a number of controversies over the years and prompted complaints from Indian and Mexican politicians over remarks made about their countries while filming on location. In its response to Ofcom, the BBC said that, although programme-makers 'knew that the word could be used to refer to people of Asian origin, they believed that such use was mere slang'. In its judgment, Ofcom said 'there was clearly an opportunity both during filming and post-production to research the word and reach a more considered view on whether it was "mere slang" and had the potential to cause offence to viewers'. The regulator decided there was 'insufficient context to justify the broadcast of this material' and that the BBC did not apply generally accepted standards to protect viewers from offensive material. | Regulator decided the comment, which was aired in March was racist .
Two viewers complained they found the use of the term 'slope' offensive .
Ofcom say it was scripted and the BBC 'failed' to check if it could offend .
It comes just months after Clarkson was caught in another racism row . |
fb588a2ac142e6d0613586fdf0f516bf6caf76b6 | The family of a teacher killed in the Sandy Hook school massacre has applied to trademark her name in an attempt to stop others from misusing it on social media. Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who authorities have said hid students and tried to shield others from Adam Lanza, the gunman who killed 20 children and six women on December 14, 2012. Eleven students in her classroom survived. Jillian Soto says people have set up fake social media accounts using her sister's name, many of which promote conspiracy theories about the massacre, and some of which are used to harass her and other family members. Trademark: Jillian Soto, center, with sister Carlee Soto, left and brother Carlos Soto, the siblings of Victoria Soto has applied to trademark to Victoria Soto's name in an attempt to stop others from misusing it . Victim: Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who authorities said hid students and tried to shield others from the gunman who killed 20 children and six women . Conspiracy theorists: Carlee Soto (left) wants people to stop using her deceased sister Victoria Soto's (right) name for their own conspiracy theories . 'Vicki did a heroic thing, there are 11 kids that are alive today because of the actions of my sister,' she said. 'And we don't need anything negative to be tied to her name any longer.' She said the misuse of her sister's name also makes it harder for people to find links to the Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, which raises money for scholarships for aspiring educators. Ryan Graney, who helps the Soto family run its social media sites, said every time an abusive or unauthorized Twitter account appears, she has to fill out a form and send it to the company. Twitter then does an investigation and determines whether the account violates the company's policies and should be removed. She said the family applied for the trademark protection on Monday in the hopes of expediting that process. 'Now we can say, "Look they can't use this name, it has to come down right now,"' she said. The gunman: Adam Lanza shot 20 children and six women in the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012 . Victims: Pictured are the children who died at the hands of gunman Adam Lanza during the Sandy Hook massacre in December of 2012 . Nu Wexler, a Twitter spokesman, declined to comment in an email, but pointed to the company's impersonation policy, which says accounts can be permanently suspended if they are deemed to be 'portraying another person in a confusing or deceptive manner.' The Connecticut Attorney General's office said it has not received any formal complaints from Sandy Hook families about abuse on Twitter. 'We did follow up on complaints that families had made regarding Facebook pages, and did find Facebook to be responsive to our concerns,' said spokeswoman Jaclyn Falkowski. 'We would encourage families to contact our office about problems they're experiencing on Twitter so that we might be able to offer our assistance.' Horrifying moment: Following the massacre, a photograph of Victoria's sister Carlee was snapped as she screamed into her cellphone, the agony etched on her face, her hand placed over her broken heart . After the massacre: Donna Soto, right, hugs her daughter Carlee while mourning their loss with Victoria's other siblings, Jillian, far left, and Matthew Soto, second from left, at a candlelight vigil . Victoria Soto had worked at Sandy Hook Elementary for five years. Her final moments were spent ushering her students into a closet when Lanza entered her classroom and she tried her best to shield the children from the gunman. Following the massacre, a photograph of Victoria's sister Carlee was snapped as she screamed into her cellphone, the agony etched on her face, her hand placed over her broken heart. This is the moment she found out her sister Victoria was dead. This iconic image is one that has come to represent the horror of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, in which 20 children and six adults were killed. Now years later, Carlee is trying to protect her sister's name and image and ensure it doesn't get into the hands of conspiracy theorists who are using her sister's name for their own ill-informed gain. | Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who died while protecting 11 students .
Victoria Soto attempted to shield children from gunman Adam Lanza who killed 20 children and six women on December 14, 2012 .
Sister Jillian Soto says people have set up fake social media accounts using Victoria's name, many of which promote conspiracy theories .
Some even use accounts under Victoria's name to harass her family members . |
fb59477f75d0541b8d96948945ea6a6f22b4438f | By . Becky Barrow . PUBLISHED: . 19:16 EST, 27 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:38 EST, 28 February 2013 . For millions of workers, lunchtime is the highlight of their day, which is otherwise marred by monotony, irritation or stress. But a study, published yesterday, reveals the crippling cost of buying lunch every day, rather than making your own packed lunch. It warns many workers are spending ‘more cash than they realise on items such as takeaway coffees and gourmet sandwiches.’ Bringing in your own packed lunch could save you thousands, as research shows people spend around £90,000 in a lifetime . On average, it estimates the average worker spends nearly £90,000 during their working life buying lunch, as well as cups of tea or coffee and occasional afternoon snacks. For those workers with an expensive coffee habit, the cost can be huge. At Costa, a medium-sized cappuccino costs £2.45. This is the equivalent of a worker, who earns the average full-time salary of £26,000, spending more than three years’ of their earnings on their lunch. Workers could pay off a £100,000 mortgage about six years early if they put the money towards making over-payments on their loan, rather than buying lunch and other snacks. On average, the poll, from the office search firm, Officebroker.com, found the typical worker spends £7.81 a day on their lunch, drinks and other work-time snacks. But those who bring in their own packed lunch and snacks as well as making their own tea and coffee spend an average of just £1.50 a day. One London-based worker told researchers: ‘I usually get through about a tenner a day on things like coffees and sandwiches from Pret a Manger. Eating out at lunchtime might be a treat, but it can rack up bills pretty quickly for those who like to splash their cash . ‘I’m also fond of fresh fruit and bottles of sparkling water. I might also pick up a biscuit a couple of times each week. ‘It does all add up but I’m happy to pay for the convenience. I’m just not the sort of person who would be making my own lunch the night before at home.’ The impact over a working life lasting 47 years is eye-watering, particularly when some workers said they spend as much as £30 a day. The lowest daily spend was £3. It estimates the total bill will reach £88,971 - and will be even higher for those who buy drinks not just for themselves, but their colleagues, during the working day. To make matters worse, researchers did not adjust the figure for the rising cost of living, which will inevitably make a worker’s favourite sandwich, pasty or soup even more expensive. Marks & Spencer said its best-selling sandwich is the prawn mayonnaise on oatmeal bread which costs £1.90. It has been its most popular sandwich since the sandwich was launched in 1982, although it is occasionally beaten by the £2.75 BLT sandwich. At Pret a Manger, which has opened 254 branches since its launch in 1986, the most popular option is the tuna baguette which costs £2.99. The other two in the top three are the £3.65 chicken Caesar and bacon on artisan bread and the £3.25 ‘posh’ cheddar and pickle on artisan bread. Pret said the average customer spends £4.55 on their lunch in one of its branches, which comprises of two different items, such as a sandwich and a bag of crisps. The study comes at a time when workers are suffering an unprecedented squeeze on their finances, according to the Office for National Statistics. Millions of workers are paid less than they were a decade ago, if their pay is adjusted for the impact of inflation. Since 2009, the ONS’s analysis shows the pay rise given to the average worker has been consistently below the rate of inflation. For example, the average pay rise given to both public and private sector workers is currently a paltry 1.3 per cent, but the cost of living is rising at 2.7 per cent. | Workers could pay off a £100,000 mortgage about six years early if they spent lunch money on their loan .
Average Pret customer spends £4.55 on their lunch . |
fb59a009e8e748a0a3f14f7596974349df90e3c5 | By . Jenny Hope . PUBLISHED: . 03:12 EST, 6 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:46 EST, 6 August 2013 . NHS staff and organisations that ‘wilfully’ or ‘recklessly’ harm patients should face new criminal penalties, a major review said yesterday. It also demanded legal sanctions against leaders in the NHS with a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude or who deliberately withhold information. The review headed by Professor Don Berwick, a world expert in patient safety, said there have been repeated safety defects in the NHS with too many patients and carers suffering as a result. Facing both ways: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ruled out minimum staffing levels in the health service but admitted cutbacks can hit safety . It called for a culture of transparency that puts patient safety above targets, especially financial goals. Continually improving patient safety . should ‘permeate every action and level in the NHS’, said the review . commissioned by the Government in the wake of the public inquiry into . the Mid Staffordshire scandal where hundreds of patients were routinely . neglected and died. Managers chasing financial targets were partly . blamed. The Berwick report set out measures . including a review of staffing ratios to ensure that sufficient numbers . are on duty at all times, and simplifying an over-complex regulatory . system run by many different agencies. The National Institute for Health and . Care Excellence (Nice) should come up with a formula to help NHS leaders . check that hospital wards are properly staffed, with research . suggesting one registered nurse per eight patients, but locally . implemented. However, Prof Berwick said changing . the culture of the NHS would ‘trump’ any new rules and strategies, and . he stressed that accidental errors by staff would not be subject to . criminal prosecution under the new system. But organisations that mislead . regulators or hide evidence would face criminal sanctions along with . staff who wilfully mistreat or neglect patients causing serious harm or . death. He said: ‘Where there is wilful or reckless neglect of patients . there needs to be consequences.’ But it would affect ‘a very small . number of cases’. Guru: Prof Don Berwick was a key White House aide and championed President Obama's Medicare scheme . Prof Berwick stopped short of saying a . duty of candour should be enshrined in law requiring NHS staff to . report beliefs about serious incidents, saying it was already included . in professional codes of conduct. He also said it would be a . ‘bureaucratic nightmare’ for staff to be obliged to follow an automatic . duty of candour where patients are told about every error or near miss. Prof Berwick, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said most staff were trying to do their best. But his report said supervisory . regimes and regulation in the NHS should avoid ‘diffusion of . responsibility’, adding: ‘When so many are in charge, no one is.’ There . should be a review of such organisations including the much-criticised . Care Quality Commission by 2017. Harm: David Cameron asked US President Barack Obama's former health adviser Don Berwick to review how to change the culture of the NHS . Campaigners warned the review was . another in a long line of ‘navel gazing’ reports into NHS shortcomings . with few practical answers. But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said . it was a ‘call to action’ for the NHS although he did not accept that a . national staffing minimum was necessary. He said there was a danger that . hospitals would settle for achieving the minimum even though there would . be times when they would need to go beyond it. Katherine Murphy, chief . executive of the Patients Association, said the report was ‘heavy on . platitudes but light on practical solutions’. Roger Goss, of the group Patient . Concern, added: ‘Unless the Government implements mandatory minimum . nursing staff levels per ward and a duty for all staff to tell patients . when their care goes wrong, staff will carry on as usual.’ Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham . said: ‘All the experts are now telling the Government to get a grip on . staffing levels. Over 800 nursing jobs were lost last month alone – now . totalling almost 5,000 since the election.’ Niall Dickson, chief executive of the . General Medical Council, said: ‘This important report puts safety first . and, if implemented, will improve care and save lives.’ | Health Secretary rules out telling hospitals to hire more doctors and nurses .
President Obama's ex-health guru Don Berwick asked to look at care .
Calls for national guidance into staffing ratios on different wards . |
fb5a257887bdd497e004c3fb10fa14bc3b0377b7 | By . James Black . PUBLISHED: . 17:01 EST, 27 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:01 EST, 27 January 2013 . A fixated woman has been warned that she will be jailed if she continues to bombard a married vicar with cards, letters and gifts. Maureen Peace, 50, was given a 12 month community order and an indefinite restraining order last August, banning her from contacting the Rev Keith Rengert after she stalked him for two years. But Norwich Crown Court heard how she broke the restraining order within days by writing to Mr Rengert, 45, who is rector of Spixworth, Norfolk. Maureen Peace, 50, (left) was given an order of restraint after she became obsessed with the Reverend Keith Rengert (right), sending him messages and turning up at his house in Norfolk over a two-year period . She was due to be sentenced for the offence in October, but sentencing was adjourned for three months to see if she kept away from him. The court heard on Friday that her behaviour had been 'positive' since her earlier breach and she had made no further contact with the vicar. Judge Mark Lucraft gave her a new 12-month community and supervision order with a mental health requirement, with the restraining order left in place. But he warned her that she would go to jail if she breached the order again. The offence has a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Ms Peace, who is from North Walsham, Norfolk, admitted a charge of harassment without violence between July 1 2010 and June 2 last year at an earlier hearing before Norwich magistrates. The court heard how Ms Peace became 'fixated' with the vicar and sent him messages saying that she loved him after he conducted her mother's funeral. But her persistent approaches were not appreciated by Mr Rengert when he was in his earlier post as curate at 14th century St Nicholas church in North Walsham. He asked her to stop contacting him and later complained to police who issued her with a warning, but her harassment continued. The court heard how she even turned up at the vicar's home that he shared with wife Helen and two children in North Walsham. She also declared her love for him in four Valentine's day cards on February 14 last year, describing him as 'the love of my life' and saying, 'I will be your sweetheart if you will be mine'. Ms Peace who is jobless and lives on income support and Disability Living Allowance was also banned from going to any church service in which Mr Rengert is taking part or officiating. The court was told how Nr Rengert first became concerned about Ms Peace's 'over familiarity' when she started writing to him and calling him by his first name. He told her to contact another priest instead of him after she asked him to 'cleanse' her home, but she ignored the request and carried on writing to him and leaving messages on his phone. Ms Peace sent a birthday card to the curate's wife in October 2010, and sent another card to his family in January 2011. Two months later in March last year she turned up at his house with flowers. Peace continued to phone the curate and write him letters which were 'full of sexual innuendo', prompting him to write back to her asking her to stop after taking advice from a community psychiatric nurse. A few days later she sent him a letter of apology, but she continued to send cards and letters including letters mentioning his wife and son. One card mentioned wanting to give him 'a mental cuddle'. She also sent the curate's son a birthday gift of a DVD and a book. Peace was given a notice by police in November 2011, requiring to stop harassing Mr Rengert, but three months later she sent him the four Valentine's Day cards, signing them, 'Love from M'. She continued to send other letters 'in the same vein', even referring to the Mr Rengert's wife as his sister. Mr Rengert opened a letter received last May in the presence of police officers. He said it had left him feeling 'pretty disgusted and really stressed out' The Ven Jan McFarlane, the Archdeacon of Norwich, said after an earlier hearing: 'Anyone who has ever suffered from such a high degree of unwanted and unwelcome attention will know just how distressing and exhausting it is. 'Keith and his family have endured such persistent attention for nearly two years and are hopeful that it will all soon come to an end. Keith is an excellent priest who simply wants quietly to get on with his ministry.' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Maureen Peace, 50, was given community and restraining orders .
Norwich Crown Court issues new order with a mental health supervision . |
fb5a3c8dffd8ae13f97702d8e0675f81e1582d06 | A man who secured his first-ever date on Valentine's Day with a 'will date anyone sign' stood up the woman who accepted his offer after missing his train. Paul Barry, 21, had managed to impress Jodi Thompson, 23, after he took to the streets of Southport, Merseyside, armed with his cardboard sign. The pair had agreed to watch Fifty Shades Of Grey at the cinema, only for unemployed Mr Barry to miss his train from Southport to Liverpool - meaning he was 25 minutes late to meet her. Scroll down for video . Paul Barry (left), who secured his first-ever date on Valentine's Day with a 'will date anyone sign' stood up Jodie Thompson (right), who had accepted his offer, after missing his train . Instead, he spent Valentine's night in the pub with his pals while Miss Thompson watched the film with a friend. 'I just saw the train doors close then I realised that I was on the wrong platform,' said Mr Barry, who is originally from Dublin. 'It was a disaster.' 'She was really nice about it but I'm angry at myself really. It was all my fault and I'm pretty gutted. 'And it didn't help that I had to retell the story in the pub seven or eight times afterwards.' The pair had agreed to watch Fifty Shades Of Grey at the cinema, only for unemployed Mr Barry to miss his train from Southport to Liverpool - meaning he was 25 minutes late to meet her . Carrying his home-made sign and a bouquet of out-of-date tulips, unlucky-in-love Mr Barry hit Southport two weeks ago in a bid to meet a woman after he failed to get to grips with dating app Tinder. However, Mr Barry who has never had a proper girlfriend before, failed to attract any ladies and it took a radio appeal to find his potential Miss Right, Miss Thompson. 'She thought I was going to stand her up so she had a friend on stand-by,' he said. 'I was quite gutted at the time but I'll keep trying and I'm sure I'll bounce back from this soon. Despite Mr Barry's late arrival, the pair did meet up and Miss Thompson greeted him with a friendly hug . Mr Barry said he was 'gutted' to miss his date with Miss Thompson, and spent the night with his friends in the pub, meeting up with her after the film . The would-be Romeo had come armed with a present in an attempt to woo Miss Thompson . Miss Thompson said she had forgiven Mr Barry for his lateness, but said a second date was not on the cards . 'I think I'll just about be able to sit through the film when it's ready.' Miss Thompson said she had forgiven Mr Barry for his lateness, but said a second date was not on the cards. 'Obviously I understand these things happen, I have no hard feelings towards Paul,' she said. 'I actually got to meet him and he's a lovely person, so sweet and funny. 'I'm obviously disappointed the date didn't go ahead as I would of liked to see his reaction to the film.' Armed with his sign and a bouquet of out-of-date tulips, unlucky-in-love Mr Barry hit Southport two weeks ago in a bid to meet a woman after he failed to get to grips with dating app Tinder . Although Liverpool-based Miss Thompson, an assistant manager for a foreign currency firm, said she has declined the offer of a second date, she described her would-be suitor as a 'gentleman'. Jodi said: 'Unfortunately, at the moment I couldn't commit to another date but I was glad to be part of his experience. 'I would advise any girls out there who may be interested to get in touch as Paul was such a gentleman, he even brought me chocolates.' Mr Barry's filmmaker friend Ryan Murphy, 21, from Southport, turned the desperate stunt into a film, titled Comedy = Tragedy + Paul Barry, for his media studies course at Southport College. The trailer went viral after being shared online and the footage from the disastrous date will form the feature-length documentary, which will be released later in the year. | Paul Barry, 21, had used sign to try and get a date for Valentine's Day .
He impressed Jodi Thompson, 23, but was late for their cinema date .
He ended up in the pub, and she watched Fifty Shades film with a friend .
Pair eventually met up, but they have no plans to go out again . |
fb5a56e8f6c31c3c84b5c58793be8f2931653454 | By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 19:59 EST, 7 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:07 EST, 7 September 2012 . Tens of thousands of fish that washed up on Lake Erie's shore last week horrifying local residents and tourists died of natural causes, early test results have revealed. With their rotting bodies seen thickly lining 25 miles of the water's edge as well as bobbing at the shared Canadian and U.S. lake's surface, residents had vowed to stay far from the water then feared to be polluted. 'Samples back from the lab do not show any evidence of a manure spills or anything unusual in terms of contamination,' Ontario Ministry of the Environment spokesperson Kate Jordan told the Star on Friday. Mystery revealed: Tens of thousands of dead fish were found lining 25 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie this week with their death revealed to be natural according to early test results . 'The information that we have suggests the fish may have been killed as the result of natural causes,' she said, explaining it as heavy sediment depleting the water's oxygen. 'It was rank, so profoundly rank, that it was difficult to stay down there and the next morning we woke up to the smell,' Neville Knowles told the Chatham Daily News of her experience prior to the fish's death on Monday. It's what led her and many others to believe the water was contaminated. 'There was a really strong odour, not a fishy smell, almost a manure smell, and we waded to our chest and I said to the kids we're got to get out of here, there is something wrong with the water,' Frank Van den Boorn told the Daily News of his visit to the lake over the weekend. According to Ms Jordan, however, the smell described by Ms Knowles and Mr Van den Boorn matches that of a natural phenomenon called 'lake inversion.' Other cases: Dead tilapia fish are seen rotting on the northwest shore of California's Salton Sea in March after construction on a new residential community started . She explained it as when a change in wind kicks up sediment reducing the levels of oxygen in the water, potentially killing the fish as witnesses saw, in the thousands. According to Ms Jordan the wind did change last week and lake inversion has happened at Lake Eerie in the past. Officials are still awaiting more . intensive lab analysis results on the dead fish found at Lake Erie, . which included carp, sheepshead, perch, catfish and suckers. Adding to the mystery, however, was the mutual sight of dead seagulls who had been seen feasting on the fish before their death. Fishy occurrence: Millions of dead fish in the harbor area of Redondo Beach, south of Los Angeles, California are seen in March of 2011 . Dead birds: A veterinarian examines dead red-winged blackbirds in Little Rock, Arkansas after thousands fell dead out of the sky last year . It is not yet clear whether the birds died as a result of eating the dead fish, or whether there was some other cause. At this time, Canadian officials have not issued any health warnings, but as new information is discovered this could change. Earlier this month, thousands of dead fish washed ashore along the Texas . coast from the Colorado River to Galveston Island, Kens5 reported. Biologists suspected low oxygen levels caused the deaths. Last year thousands of dead birds were seen falling from the sky in Arkansas, and hundreds were discovered along a road in California. Dead birds were also reported in Italy and Sweden, and huge quantity of dead fish were found in New Zealand and Brazil. | Ontario's Ministry of the Environment: Deaths believed to be the result of 'lake inversion' that naturally depletes oxygen levels in the water . |
fb5a801c0e038376141ba15da96cf3617f118b76 | By . Belinda Robinson . A mother accused of making false claims that she and her son had cancer was arrested by police on her way to appear on the Dr Phil TV show. Melissa D. Barton, 25, from Troy, South Illinois, was arrested by police at Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield as she headed towards Chicago to film Dr Phil. Troy Police Chief Brad Parsons said she was stopped by officers and charged with theft by deception - similar to charges brought against her on August 5. Arrested: Melissa D. Barton, 25, from South Illinois, was arrested by police in Springfield . Mugshot: Troy Police Chief Brad Parsons said she was charged with theft by deception, similar to charges brought against her on August 5 . TV appearance: Ms Barton was due to tell her story on the popular daytime talk show Dr Phil . According to police, Ms Barton . carried out her scam on social media, in person, and at a local church where she asked for . cash donations for her cash-strapped family. She used a website called 'Youcaring.com and wepay.com to garner sympathy for her and her son by putting up photographs of herself looking unwell in bed. The additional charges of theft by deception came about because a second victim was located since she had been first charged 10 days ago. Fake: Ms Barton was arrested for faking her and her son's cancer diagnoses in order to get donations . Deception: The mother is alleged to have used her kids, pictured, in the scam to ask for donations and cash from religious organizations and through donation websites like youcaring.com and wepay.com . Donation websites: Ms Barton used donation website youcaring.com, pictured, to get people to part with their money to help her battle her alleged illness . It’s alleged that she accepted donations from people she'd told that she and her son had leukemia. However, she was arrested on a warrant in Springfield and was transferred from Springfield to Madison County and jailed on a $100,000 bail on Friday. Jailed: Ms Barton was arrested on a warrant in Springfield and was transferred from Springfield to Madison County and jailed on a $100,000 bail on Friday . But she was not considered a flight risk at any point, according to Chief Parsons. He told The Belleville News Democrat: ‘We heard that she was on her way to Chicago to be on the 'Dr. Phil' show.’ Police said that she used the names Melissa Dawn Pruett Barton and Missy Barton Pruett during the scam. Ms Barton was initially charged over the deception on August 5. She was jailed on a $50,000 bail after the first charge but was able to pay for a bond to get her out of jail. Troy Police have confirmed that they will continue to investigate her case. Chief Parsons said: ‘Right now I can tell you that the case isn't closed. We're following every lead and looking for more victims. But no additional charges are imminent.’ Anyone with information is asked to contact Troy Police at 618-667-6731. | Melissa D. Barton, 25 used social media to ask for cash donations .
She also asked for donations personally and used her local church .
She was caught out when a second victim came forward to report her .
Troy Police said she that she was charged with theft by deception .
Police will continue to investigate her case and it remains open . |
fb5a933e8a93be98b3e12aac51ea73cffeaff899 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 05:38 EST, 8 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:01 EST, 8 August 2013 . From a hunk of roast beef to a piece of sushi and a Nando's chicken, these foodie snaps are enough to make your savoury saliva glands start to drool. But before you get too excited about a slippery piece of salmon or a crispy roast potato, look a bit closer: these savoury foods are actually made of cake. These quirky sweet treats are the handiwork of creative baker Louise Caola, a 23-year old Londoner who has just quit her job in advertising to pursue her fun kitchen hobby as a full time career, naming her business Poppy&Lulu. Incr-edible! Louise Caola, 23, started baking in her free time, creating amazing designs like this uncanny roast beef and potato meal, and has now turned her hobby into a full-time business . Where it all started: Louise made this sausage and mash as a joke for a friend... but on closer inspection it is sponge cake . Louise has been baking since she was a young girl, and fondly remembers sitting on her kitchen surface helping her mother make cakes. After studying fashion marketing at university she landed a job in an advertising firm, and would bake cakes in her free time. She created her first sausage and mash cake as a joke for a friend's birthday, but couldn't believe the positive response she got. Immediately she began creating more and more fake-savoury cakes in her free time, then posting the pictures on her Twitter and Instagram pages. As a result, orders began flooding in from people all over the internet. Uncanny: Louise says this Nando's creation was the hardest she has ever made, and involved her individually rolling out each tiny piece of corn . Not your average meat-feast pizza: Louise quit her full-time job in advertising to pursue dreams of baking cakes that look exactly like savoury food . Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'I was working really long hours and then would come home and bake. 'I started taking it seriously a few years ago and then I got so much positive feedback that I thought "there must be something in this". 'After much umm-ing and ahh-ing I decided to quit my job to pursue this full-time.' Louise is currently in the process of launching a website and fully establishing her brand, which she has named Poppy&Lulu after close childhood friends, but she has already been flooded with requests for fun cakes. Her cakes can take up to four hours to create - and often involve a lot of trial and error. She is planning on baking an eggs Benedict-themed cake this weekend, as well as a cake styled like steak and . chips, and a bunch of bananas. Intricate detail: She describes herself as very determined and is always keen to perfect her cakes to the finest details - like each piece of beef in this burrito . Realistic: Her creations, like this scarily realistic fish, chips and peas meal, take her around four hours to complete and often involve a lot of trial and error . 'I don't know how I am going to get the cake to look like a tomato in my steak and chips dish. but I love a challenge!', she added. She cites her favourite - and most popular - cake as the roast beef one, and says the Nando's one was the hardest to create. 'I rolled out each tiny piece of corn for the sweetcorn in the Nando's dish, which was hard, but I am always determined to complete a cake, even if it takes a few failed attempts.' Master chef: Louise is the creative brains behind the cakes, and hopes to expand her business and deliver nationwide . Sweet sushi: Whilst this sushi roll looks like it would taste fishy, you'd be in for a sweet treat tucking into it . Creative eye: Louise studied elements of graphic design at Nottingham Trent Universitym and credits this for her attention to detail . It tastes sweeter than it looks! Louise has been flooded by requests for cakes on her Twitter and Instagram page, despite only starting a few weeks ago . Louise, who studied fashion marketing at Nottingham Trent University and credits her creative skills to the graphic design she learnt, says she loves creating and making things, and has grand plans for the future. 'I have only been doing this full-time for a few weeks, but you just have to run with these things. 'At the moment I just offer hand-delivery to places in London, but the dream is to expand it nationwide and have a team of bakers helping me create wonderful cakes.' Italian with a twist: Louise loves taking on challenges, and while this spaghetti bolognese creation was one of the more simple, she is hoping to attempt making cake that looks like fruit next . It's not what it looks like! This incredible Cornish pasty looks like a tasty deep-fat treat - but when cut in half it is filled with delicious chocolate sponge . | Louise Caola, 23, from London, is now pursuing baking full time .
First cake was made as a joke for a friend... but impressed everyone a lot .
Wants to create steak and chips, bananas and eggs Benedict next .
Is in the process of launching a website and brand Poppy&Lulu . |
fb5ba1d12b3667984ad7047ecbf5f32d103caee2 | By . Amanda Williams . A rare dinosaur fossil is believed to have been smuggled into Britain, it has today been revealed. The American authorities have launched a hunt for a fully intact Tarbosaurus fossil in the UK after a Florida fossil dealer pleaded guilty to running an international dinosaur smuggling operation, with Britain at its centre. Eric Prokopi faces up to 17 years in prison after he admitted illegally importing 'multiple containers of dinosaurs' from the Mongolia via the UK. Prokopi of Gainesville, 38, . stole the skeletal remains of dinosaurs - including a . nearly complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, a relative of the . Tyrannosaurus rex - from Mongolia and China. The American authorities have launched a hunt for a fully intact Tarbosaurus fossil in the UK after a Florida fossil dealer pleaded guilty to running an international dinosaur smuggling operation (stock image) Prokopi of Gainesville, 38, stole the skeletal remains of dinosaurs,including a nearly complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, a relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex, from Mongolia and China . It also included a Tarbosaurus - a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex and was found in Mongolia's Gobi Desert. It is one of six sets of dinosaur fossils that Prokopi has agreed to forfeit so they can be returned to Mongolia. A source told The Independent: 'This particular fossil is not currently in the custody of British law enforcement. Its exact whereabouts is being established but we would like to see it in safe custody soon. At present, someone's dinosaur is indeed missing.' The hunt for the fossil follows an investigation into a global trade in dinosaur bones which ranged from a New York auction to a prominent British fossil dealer on Dorset's world-renowned Jurassic Coast. The Independent said a fossil shop owner in Charmouth, sent a consignment of fossils to Mr Prokopi in 2010 along with paperwork passed to detectives investigating the illegal sale of another Tarbosaurus. The near-intact skeleton was put up for sale by Mr Prokopi last May at a Manhattan auction and fetched $1.1m (£680,000). But the deal was halted after Mongolian President, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, said that the fossil was rightfully owned by his country. Under Mongolian law, all fossils remain state property - their sale abroad is forbidden without a permit which was not obtained by Prokopi. Jurassic crime: Prokopi caught the attention of federal . officials when he sold the skeleton of this Tyrannosaurus bataar, which was native to what is now Mongolia, to a . Manhattan buyer for $1.1 million . Forged: . Prokopi smuggled the fossils from Mongolia but . claimed on U.S. customs forms that they were 'broken bones' belonging to lizards and other reptiles that were imported from the . UK, according to federal officials . Convicted: Mr Prokopi outside Manhattan Federal Court in New York. He faces up to 17 years in jail when he is sentenced in April . Stolen: A number of smuggled dinosaur fossils were taken from Prokopi's home in Gainesville . Seized: Mongolia does not permit the removal of dinosaur bones from its territory . Arrest: US Attorney Preet Bharara referred to Prokopi as a 'one-man black market in prehistoric fossils' A criminal investigation was launched . by the Department for Homeland Security and last week Prokopi admitted . three charges, including the falsification of customs forms and . complicity in fraud. In a statement to a New York court . last week, Mr Prokopi said he had asked for the labels on the relics he . bought to be deliberately 'vague and misleading so that they didn't . bring attention to the shipment'. In the formal legal complaint brought . against Mr Prokopi, investigators said they had been given paperwork by . Heritage Auctions relating to the sale of the 7.3m-long Tarbosaurus . skeleton which included a 'commercial invoice' from the Dorset fossil . shop owner, who is not accused of any wrong doing, and a customs . declaration which stated the dinosaur fossil had been imported from . Britain. Scotland Yard confirmed that its art . and antiques unit had been contacted by the US Department of Justice but . said it was not currently investigating the case. dinosaur fossils . originating from Mongolia. A lawyer representing Mr Prokopi said his client was co-operating with American investigators as part of his plea deal. He faces up to 17 years imprisonment when he is sentenced in April. Transforming the specimens 'into an . impressive skeleton took thousands of hours and every penny my wife and I . had, but it was fascinating,' Prokopi said earlier this year. 'We . were thrilled and couldn't wait to share him with the world, and hoped . it would inspire others to see the magic of paleontology and develop a . love of science and appreciation of nature,' Prokopi said. At the time of his arrest, Prokopi owned a business in Florida . called 'Everything Earth,' which formerly went by the name of 'Florida . Fossils.' He has a wife and two children. Discovered: Homeland Security agents seized stolen bones from a warehouse near Prokopi's home in Gainesville, Florida . Historic find: The Tyrannosaurus bataar, also known as the Tarbosaurus, was native to Mongolia and lived nearly 70 million years ago . Valuable: Dinosaur bones - such as those smuggled into the US by Prokopi (pictured) - have become big business as demand from collectors grows around the world . The international trade in dinosaur fossils is now a multimillion dollar industry, with collectors prepared to pay huge prices for the most sought-after specimens. Museums and other conservationists want science to come first, but for many of those involved in sourcing fossils today the lure of the mighty dollar appears to be winning out. Many countries have strict regulations on the sale of fossils - and those caught doing so illegally face stiff penalties. A recent case in the US saw renowned dinosaur hunter Nathan Murphy sentenced to three years on probation for stealing 13 dinosaur bones from central Montana's Hell Creek badlands in 2006. He pleaded guilty to theft of government property. Mr Murphy had risen to fame after discovering one of the world's best-preserved brachylophosaurus dinosaur fossils in 2000. The theft of fossils is not a new thing however. In the 19th Century the great 'Bone Wars' were marked by a rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope (of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia) and Othniel Charles Marsh (of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale). Each of the two paleontologists used underhanded methods to try to out do the other, including bribery, theft, and even the destruction of bones. The pair searched for fossils in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, with both using their wealth to finance large scale expeditions between 1877 and189. | Eric Prokopi smuggled dinosaur bones into US pretending they were from lizards 'and other reptiles'
Father-of-two - who ran business selling fossils - faces up to 17 years in prison .
Commercial paleontologist was described as 'a one-man black market in prehistoric fossils' |
fb5bc5351f7af2797024866f76a0d244583be449 | (CNN) -- The fall of dictatorships does not guarantee the creation of free societies. There is often a period in which we witness the legacy of tyranny. The Arab uprisings have overthrown tyrants in Egypt and Libya, but the populations and lawmakers have yet to grasp that democracy is not only about free elections but creating free societies. When sexual harassment of women increases on the streets of Egypt, when centuries-old shrines of Muslim saints are destroyed with explosives in Libya, when screenings of films such as "Persepolis" trigger riots in Tunisia and Christian minorities across the Middle East feel under siege, then we must stop pretending that all is well with the Arab Spring. But all is not lost either. Arab societies are on a journey. They can easily take the wrong turn. The attacks on the American embassies in Libya, Egypt and Yemen are examples of the ongoing presence of intolerant, tyrannical actors in Arab societies. These are people who were born and raised in dictatorships. They are accustomed to thinking that a government controls its citizens -- that a film or documentary cannot be produced without government approval. For decades, this has been the reality of their lives, and they strongly believe that the Western world and its citizens have a similarly controlling relationship between individuals and government. In light of this assumption, they hold the U.S. government responsible for the tacky and distasteful film produced by a right-wing Muslimphobe. News: Who is responsible for film at the heart of protests? Little wonder, then, that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy has called for the prosecution by the U.S government of the filmmakers, and Egypt's top cleric, Mufti Ali Goma, has called on the United Nations to forbid denigration of faiths. Morsy studied in the United States and Ali Goma regularly visits the West on the interfaith circuit, yet both men don't yet grasp that religious freedom and the freedom of expression are inextricably linked in America. It is hard for younger Arabs not born into freedom to understand how individual liberty works in real life. The freedom to proselytize also guarantees the right to apostatize. Heresy and blasphemy are essential parts of free and democratic societies. Arab activists cannot seek to emulate the West's political and social achievements by looking at the United States and Europe today, but must observe and learn from the religious battles of 17th-century Europe, the smashing of the tyranny of the Roman Catholic Church, the ending of burning witches and the forbidding of hanging heretics. It is this history of unbolting the doors of dissent that led to the conditions in which John Locke and John Stuart Mill could write and think freely and then influence Thomas Jefferson and the other U.S. Founding Fathers. There are no shortcuts to freedom, except to learn from the mistakes of the West in the past. The Arab uprisings are not over yet. They are still unfolding and shaping the future. This culture of shouting and killing those with whom Muslims disagree must end. When the Prophet Mohammed's companions shouted "Allahu Akbar," (meaning "God is Greatest," a popular slogan for those yelling outside embassies today) the prophet reprimanded them saying "Our Lord is not deaf." Bergen: Extremists and leaders incite violent protests . When a Bedouin Arab entered the most sacred mosque of the prophet in Medina and violated its sanctity by urinating in this place of divinity, the prophet cleansed the mosque himself and forbade anybody from even reprimanding the Bedouin, let alone attacking the man. This is the way of the Prophet Mohammed. Where is this spirit of mildness, forgiveness and compassion amid Islamist activists today? The millions of protestors last year in Arab capitals that chanted "hurriyah, karamah, adala ijtima'iyya" or "freedom, dignity and social justice" cannot allow for the emotions of bigots to derail their revolution. Freedom is not only about majority rule, but ensuring that women, religious minorities and intellectual dissenters are able to flourish without fear. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ed Husain. | Ed Husain: Arab uprisings have ousted tyrants, but citizens still don't fully grasp democracy .
He says intolerance can endure among people reared under dictatorships .
He says they could learn from Europe's 17th century religious battles .
Husain: Mohammed taught mildness, forgiveness. Where is that amid Islamists today? |
fb5c06c00cf3c244604918f5a5b2820df420f434 | It's not often that a king comes face-to-face with an emperor but that is exactly what happened when the Netherland's King Willem-Alexander was welcomed to Japan by the country's Emperor Akhito. The Dutch royals are beginning a six-day tour of the country, and were greeted by an honour guard as they arrived in the Japanese capital. After a visit to a design museum and a gorgeous oriental garden, the two finished their first day with a lavish state banquet thrown in their honour. Scroll down for video . Dazzling: Maxima wore a royal sash over her golden bejeweled gown and a large bow shaped brooch . Delighted: The Queen seemed thrilled to be attending the dinner in Japan's capital city . Elegant: Queen Maxima sipped on her drink as she enjoyed the state banquet . Engaging: The Dutch royal seemed engrossed in conversation with Emperor Akihito . Sumptuous: The Dutch royals are greeted by their Japanese counterparts ahead of a state dinner . Glittering: Maxima opted for an opulent gold gown which she wore with her royal sash and tiara . Big welcome: The Dutch royals were greeted by Emperor Akhito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace . But despite the best efforts of the two monarchs, it was Queen Maxima who commanded most of the attention - courtesy of a chic silk dress and hat in patriotic orange, and later, a glittering gold gown. Also on hand to welcome the Dutch monarch and his wife was Empress Michiko, 80, who, when she married Emperor Akhito on the 10th April 1959, became the first commoner ever to marry into the Japanese royal family. After exchanging handshakes on the red carpet, Akhito, 80, joined his Dutch counterparts for a flag raising ceremony and official public welcome. Glowing: The Dutch royal appeared to be in good spirits during the evening . Bejeweled: Queen Maxima commanded most of the attention at the dinner - courtesy of a glittering gold gown . Later, the Dutch couple were taken to visit a design museum, with Queen Maxima, ever the fashion fan, proving particularly interested in the style offerings on show. An exhausting day then ended with a sumptuous state banquet, which saw the couple arrive in full royal regalia for their dinner with the Imperial couple at the Palace. Warm: The two couples exchanged kisses as they were introduced to one another . Ceremony: The two couples then took part in an official welcome ceremony which saw both flags raised . Making an entrance: Queen Maxima, 43, was glamorous in a patriotic orange silk dress and hat . Formal: King Willem-Alexander looked sombre as he walked with Emperor Akhito during the ceremony . Big event: The Dutch royal couple are beginning a six-day tour of the Far Eastern nation . Solemn: Although sombre during the ceremony, Maxima and Michiko appeared to enjoy each other's company . Japan boasts the oldest continual hereditary monarchy in the world, beginning with Emperor Jimmu who reigned from 660 BC. Since then, 125 emperors have come and gone, with the most recent, Hirohito, famous for being head of state during the Second World War. Unlike other members of the Japanese administration, he was not charged with war crimes and instead oversaw Japan's rebirth as a constitutional monarchy - a process continued by his son, Akhito. Unlike their Japanese counterparts, who have sat on the Chrysanthemum Throne since 1990 following the death of Emperor Hirohito, the Dutch royals are among the newest - and youngest - monarchs in the world. Willem-Alexander, 47, was one of the beneficiaries of a spate of abdications in 2013 which saw his mother Queen Beatrix step down along with King Albert II of Belgium and Pope Benedict XVI. Only Felipe and Letizia of Spain have been on the throne for a shorter period of time, with the two crowned in June following the abdication of King Juan-Carlos. But while Letizia and Felipe's reign has so far gone smoothly, Maxima and her husband have had a rougher ride in recent months thanks in part to the MH17 tragedy, which left the Netherlands reeling. Nevertheless, since the crash, the popularity of the Argentina-born Dutch Queen has soared thanks to her tireless work on behalf of the MH17 families. She has also attended some of the repatriation ceremonies and was seen sobbing from her perch beside Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the first flight arrived back on Dutch soil. Salute: During the ceremony, the royal flags of both countries were raised by the guard of honour . Stylish: Maxima pulled out all the stops for her meeting with Empress Michiko and opted for patriotic orange . High-powered: During the meeting, Willem-Alexander spoke to his Japanese counterpart, Emperor Akhito . Tour: After the meeting with the Japanese royals, the Dutch couple were taken to a design museum . More recently, the Dutch royals have found themselves cheered to the rafters during public appearances, most notably when they appeared on the balcony of the Noordeinde Palace in the Hague on Prinsjesdag [Prince's Day], along with the former Queen Beatrix, 76 . Maxima, 43, has also become a familiar sight at charity events around the Netherlands, with her most recent outing being at a symposium organised by women's rights activists in Amsterdam, which celebrated the 40th birthday of a Dutch law banning domestic violence. With her husband, she also enjoyed a successful trip to New York last month, where she was seen chatting with fellow queen Letizia during a meeting of the UN General Assembly. The pair were reiunited for the second time in a month two weeks ago, when the Spanish royals paid their Dutch counterparts a friendly visit in The Hague. Entertaining: The couple appeared to enjoy their time at the museum, Maxima in particular . What's this? The pair look baffled as they inspect a series of jars containing a mysterious-looking substance . Curious: Maxima looked slightly horrified as the jars contents were explained to her by museum guides . Beautiful: After the visit to the museum, the couple enjoyed a quiet walk around its pretty garden . Quiet: Maxima, who was clutching a bouquet, and Willem-Alexander made their exit across a bridge . | The Dutch royal couple are at the start of a six-day tour of Japan .
Maxima, 43, chose patriotic orange for the welcome ceremony in Tokyo .
They were greeted by Emperor Akhito, 80, and Empress Michiko, 80 .
Japanese royal couple have been on the Chrysanthemum Throne since 1990 .
Akhito is the son of Emperor Hirohito, who died on the 7th January 1989 . |
fb5c3e8abd68e2a5c2e89579fc03c76ab934fcfd | Nicolas Sarkozy has placed the scrapping of France’s gay marriage laws at the centre of his bid to be re-elected as the country’s President. In hugely controversial comments made on Saturday, the 59-year-old politician confirmed he would ‘repeal’ Socialist legislation allowing same-sex unions. This is despite Mr Sarkozy’s third wife, the former model and pop singer Carla Bruni, being a huge supporter of homosexuals marrying and adopting children. Nicolas Sarkozy speaking at the the 'Sens Commun' meeting in Paris on Saturday said that he would scrap France's gay marriage laws as part of his bid to be re-elected as the country's President . Mr Sarkozy was pressed on the issue during a debate in Paris between the three candidates hoping to lead the conservative UMP party into the 2017 presidential election. He said the May 2013 law which legalised gay adoption ‘should be written from the ground up’. The predominantly right-wing audience chanted ‘Repeal! Repeal!’, and Mr Sarkozy said: ‘If you prefer that I say repeal the law, it comes down to the same thing.’ Mr Sarkozy did nothing for homosexuals who wanted to marry during his single term as President between 2007 and 2012. The vast majority of French people are at least nominally Catholic, and there has been huge opposition to President Francois Hollande’s liberal social policies. However, an Ifop poll published on Saturday showed 68 per cent of the French were in favour of same-sex unions. The 59-year-old former president confirmed he would ‘repeal’ Socialist legislation allowing same-sex unions . It also showed that 53 per cent of the country supported adoption by homosexual couples. Pressed about such contentious issues last year, Ms Bruni said: ‘I’m rather in favor because I have a lot of friends - men and women - who are in this situation and I see nothing unstable or perverse in families with gay parents.” Ms Bruni added: ‘My husband is opposed for reasons linked to his political vocation, because he sees people as groups of thousands rather than people we know personally.’ Despite facing a long list of corruption enquiries, Mr Sarkozy is convinced he can become head of state again in three years. He has increasingly placed himself to the right of the political agenda, mainly in response to the increasing success of the far-right National Front. He made the claims despite his third wife, Carla Bruni (pictured together), being a strong supporter of gay marriage and homosexual couples adopting children . | Nicolas Sarkozy, 59, said he would 'repeal' laws allowing same-sex unions .
He made comments during debate in Paris in hope to lead UMP party .
It's despite his third wife being a huge support of homosexuals marrying .
The vast majority of French people are at least nominally Catholic .
But newly published poll showed 68% were in favour of same-sex unions . |
fb5c7ff2c68759370582675288ad08c843fd4016 | Amid mounting allegations against him, Bill Cosby has broken his silence. Well, sort of. Cosby, accused of rape and other misdeeds by an increasing number of women, was reached at home on Friday by a freelance reporter for the New York Post. While Cosby offered Stacy Brown more than the head-shake that caused several moments of awkward radio silence during an interview with NPR, he did not address the allegations. Instead, he offered his expectations for how the media -- specifically, "the black media" -- should cover the story. "Let me say this," the 77-year-old said. "I only expect the black media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that, you have to go in with a neutral mind." Model Beverly Johnson says Bill Cosby drugged her . Cosby's reputation has suffered in the wake of the allegations. On Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Spelman College, to which Cosby and wife Camille donated $20 million in 1987, has suspended the Cosby Chair for the Humanities while the controversy continues. "The William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship was established to bring positive attention and accomplished visiting scholars to Spelman College in order to enhance our intellectual, cultural and creative life," a school spokeswoman told the newspaper. "The current context prevents us from continuing to meet these objectives fully. Consequently, we will suspend the program until such time that the original goals can again be met." Cosby himself cut ties with his beloved Temple University, where he served on the board, two weeks ago. Cosby attended Temple in the early '60s. Despite Cosby's challenges, Brown wrote that the comedian "sounded upbeat on the phone," especially when it came to a question about how his wife, Camille, is holding up. "Love and the strength of womanhood," Cosby said. "Let me say it again, love and the strength of womanhood. And, you could reverse it, the strength of womanhood and love." The actor then resumed his public relations posture of late and ended the conversation, saying, "They don't want me talking to the media." Brown also writes for the Washington Informer, a newspaper targeted to the African-American community, and he spoke with CNN about their conversation. Brown said he came away with the clear sense that Cosby actually doesn't want to stay silent at all but is nevertheless deferring to the guidance of his representatives for the time being. "I definitely came away with the belief that he wants to talk about everything," Brown said. "He seemed as if he really does have a lot to say and, oddly enough, he didn't in any way appear worried about anything. To me, he sounded like a happy individual without a care in the world." As for how he sort of landed a sort of scoop, Brown said he had been keeping in touch with Cosby's camp for the past three and a half weeks -- and at one point even thought he was close to securing an interview -- but when his people changed their minds, Brown did an end-around. "I had Mr. Cosby's personal number and decided to give it a shot." | Spelman College suspends Cosby-endowed professorship .
"Cosby sounded like a happy individual without a care in the world," reporter says .
Stacy Brown, freelancing for the New York Post, called Cosby at home Friday .
Cosby didn't address the sexual assault allegations coming out against him . |
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