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fc55240c5bfad1b6c34c3ab984b05643498f2570 | By . Sam Webb . The writer of the Inspector Morse detective novels admired actor John Thaw's performance as the curmudgeonly detective so much he has written a clause into his will banning other actors from playing the part after he dies. Colin Dexter, 83, created the popular character in 1975 and the novels were adapted into TV series Inspector Morse that ran from 1987 to 2000 with Thaw, who died in 2002, in the lead role. Mr Dexter said: 'We never want to repeat what John has done.' Author Colin Dexter (right) has written a clause into his will so no other actor can play his creation Inspector Morse after he dies because he doesn't want anyone to try and outdo actor John Thaw (left) in the role . 'A lot of people connected with Morse didn't want anyone coming along to say we will try and outdo dear old John. 'I said I'm not ever going to allow that, full stop,' he told The Independent. The clause was revealed in a Radio Times interview with actor Shaun Evans. Evans, 34, plays the younger version of the character in Endeavour, a prequel that gets its title from the detective's unusual first name. The ITV drama, penned as a prequel to the . long-running TV series, made its debut with a . feature-length special in 2012 and has spawned two series. The series was only made possible thanks to the determination of the executive producer, who took four years to convince Mr Dexter to allow it. The clause was revealed in a Radio Times interview with actor Shaun Evans, who plays the younger version of the character in Endeavour . Mr Evans said: 'I know that the creator, Colin Dexter, has it in his will that no one else can play the part, which is as it should be. 'It's not something that can go on and on. I really don't think it will.' Mr Evans has told how he looked to . comedian Michael Palin for inspiration when it came to playing the young . Morse - and also suggested that he could call time on the famous . character. Asked whether viewers can expect to see the drama move into the 1970s, Evans replied: 'Listen, never say never. It would be a great life for me, I suppose. But is it something you'd want, creatively? 'I'm not so sure.' He said that instead of turning to recordings of Thaw and attempting to impersonate the popular actor, he looked for inspiration elsewhere. Shaun Evans (left) who has stepped into John Thaw's shoes to play the younger version of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse . 'I listened a lot to Michael Palin, who was from the north, went to Oxford and who was alive at that time. That's how I imagine Morse's voice to be,' he said. Lewis is a spin-off from Inspector Morse. Like that series, it was set primarily in Oxford, Oxfordshire. Kevin Whately reprised his character Robert 'Robbie' Lewis, who had been Morse's sergeant and loyal friend in the original series. Lewis had now been promoted to detective inspector and is assisted by DS James Hathaway, portrayed by Laurence Fox. He also read Dexter's novels, where the character is more lecherous than he was in Inspector Morse. 'The more we can introduce of that, the better,' he told the magazine. 'I'm always fighting to make that a reality, without him becoming this full-on seedy, depraved character, of course. 'What you don't want is for it to be sanitised and pasteurised, which a lot of stuff is nowadays.' Evans said that Scandinavian crime dramas such as The Killing and The Bridge had also left their mark on Endeavour. 'Audiences want a certain darkness now and you have to pay attention to that. There's no denying that this character is a bit of a loner and slightly out of joint with his time and place. 'That's what I find endearing about him. And perhaps the audience does, too,' he said. Evans added: 'The world doesn't need another detective series, so we have to do something different with it. 'If you're going to do a show that has already had a long life, you have to grab it and do something new. So that's what we attempted and I feel we've largely succeeded.' Inspector Morse also inspired the spin-off ITV detective series Lewis, starring Kevin Whately, who played Chief Inspector Morse's sidekick in the original sleuth drama. Morse is as a senior CID officer with . the Thames Valley Police force in Oxford. He famously drives a . Jaguar, likes real ale and enjoys opera, poetry and art. He . first appeared in the 1975 book Last Bus To Woodstock and made his TV . debut in Inspector Morse, portrayed by John Thaw, in 1987. There are 13 books in total, and author Colin Dexter has also written short stories about the gruff-yet-likeable police officer. Actor John . Thaw played the part until 2000. At its peak, the the series attracted . more than 18 million viewers in the UK, and the show was sold to some 200 countries. The . character died from a heart attack in, The . Remorseful Day, published in 1999. He died on-screen in 2000. Thaw died . two years later. The . character was resurrected in 2012 by actor Shaun Evans, who plays Morse . at the beginning of his police career in prequel . Endeavour, set in the 1960s. | Colin Dexter will not allow another actor to play the famous detective .
The author doesn't want anyone to try and outdo John Thaw's performance .
Thaw played the detective from 1987 to 2000. He died in 2002 .
Clause was revealed by star of prequel Endeavour, Shaun Evans . |
fc55b0b491f539d1adfc07a042b64dfef206e9da | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 10:10 EST, 30 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:00 EST, 30 June 2013 . Fans were treated to a side of Andy Murray not often seen today as he spent some time with his two young cousins as he prepares for his crunch match with Mikhail Youzhny for a place in the quarter finals. The British number one was seen chatting to and hugging his two young cousins, 10-year-old twins Cora and Ailsa Erskine, at the The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, south London. And girl-of-the-moment Robson was also on-court today, preparing for her crunch battle with Estonia's Kaia Kanepi. Andy . Murray chats with his two young cousins as he leaves during a practice . session at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. Some . fans have spent the entire weekend camped out for tickets for tomorrow . Cousin Andy: The tennis star shares a tender moment with 10-year-old Ailsa. Right picture, the 10-year-old twins Cora (left) and Ailsa (right) on the practice courts . Murray's brother Jamie is also on court tomorrow with his mixed doubles partner, Su-Wei Hsieh of Taipei. They looked set to lose to Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Russia’s Vera Dushevina when the match was halted due to fading light on Saturday. There may be no on-court action at . Wimbledon today, but there is still excitment in the air as tennis fans . camp out for up to two days to get tickets for 'Mega Monday'. As anticipation builds for Andy Murray . and Laura Robson's clashes tomorrow resold tickets are selling for . £4,000-a-pair, while the men’s final tickets are soaring towards an . eye-watering £30,000-a-pair. Four . million are expected to watch on BBC TV as Murray, 26, tackles Russia’s . Mikhail Youzhny and Robson, 19, faces Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi - as . Britain savours having a man and woman in the fourth round for the first . time since Tim Henman and Sam Smith in 1998. Kiss goodbye: Many see this year's tournament as Murray's best chance to win so far, after Federer and Nadal went out early . Fan favourite: A relaxed-looking Andy Murray signs autographs for fans at the end of his practice session . Some fans have camped two nights since Saturday to get hold of 500 on-the-day £86 tickets for Centre Court - which includes Murray’s match - and 500 £69 seats for No 1 Court, where Robson will play. Wimbledon’s No 1 fan Sue Callaghan, 60, from Surrey, who has queued at every tournament for 40 years and camped for Monday, said: 'I think Murray will win it this year - and Robson’s doing really well too.' Family: Murray shares a tender moment with his two young cousins . The cheapest resold tickets for Centre Court were £4,371-a-pair with online ticket agency Viagogo. The lowest-price seats for No 1 Court were £3,910-a-pair with eBay’s StubHub ticket arm. Viagogo said the number of ticket searches on its site were a record-breaking four times higher than at the same stage of last year’s tournament. Men’s final tickets now cost up to £23,609 per pair, with the cheapest pair at £8,855, higher than the same stage of last year’s Wimbledon. Viagogo said ticket prices were expected to leap up again as Murray progresses. Maximum prices are expected to close in on £30,000 per pair of tickets . A Viagogo spokespeson said: 'This Wimbledon has seen record ticket demand and we expect further increases if Murray advances.' But, amid fears of fans being tempted into paying sky-high prices they cannot afford, Wimbledon chiefs say they are 'not concerned' about resold ticket prices. Wimbledon spokesman Jon Friend said: 'The price of resold tickets is beyond our control. Debenture tickets are allowed to be resold and the price is controlled by the market, not us.' All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis said: 'It’s symbolic of how popular tickets are. It’s not something that causes us huge concern because it’s a legitimate market.' Mounting pressure: Great Britain's Andy Murray and coach Ivan Lendl during a practice session today. Anticipation for the Scotsman's match against Mikhail Youzhny is at fever pitch . Murray leaves after finishing training today (left). Right, the British number one warming up . Dominant: Murray has not dropped a single set in his campaign so far . But queuing fans branded Wimbledon . chiefs a 'disgrace' after it emerged bosses sold up to 600 face-value . Centre Court tickets for tomorrow via a hush-hush internet sale at 9am . yesterday. Many fans . are unaware tickets are sold the day before each day’s play via . Ticketmaster as news of the sale is buried at the bottom of the . Wimbledon website’s ticket information page. Scottish . fan Cameron Kennedy, 16, a student who lives in Berkshire and has . family on the Isle of Arran, said: 'I had no idea tickets were sold via . Ticketmaster. It’s not fair. 'The extra tickets should be given to fans who queue, as they are the ones who make the effort.' Murray is joined in the fourth round by Laura Robson after she beat Marina Erakovic to book a meeting with Estonia's Kaia Kanepi . Laura Robson practices her ball skills at Wimbledon today. She is the first British woman to reach the fourth round since 1998 . Expectation has been mounting on the hard-battling 19-year-old . Some fans who queued have complained that some tickets were quietly sold online . Robson applies sun block (left) and stays hydrated (right) as the sun beat down on what could be the hottest day of the year . Daniel McNulty, 25, an aircraft engineer from Liverpool, said: 'It’s disgraceful. Selling via the internet is not fair for fans like us who camp to get tickets.' Scottish fan Scott Moorhead, 18, a student who lives in Cheshire and has family in Glasgow, who camped overnight for tickets, said: 'I’d be gutted if I was above 500th in the queue and missed out on Centre Court while people bought tickets online.' Wimbledon spokesman Jon Friend said: 'Several hundred Centre Court tickets are sold via Ticketmaster each day. 'There are plenty of tickets on offer for the queue.' | Murray seen spending time with his 10-year-old cousins .
Laura Robson hit the court to prepare for tomorrow's crunch match .
Tickets in hot demand for two British hopefuls tomorrow .
Fans have been queuing for two days for highly sought-after clashes .
Resold tickets for tomorrow have been selling for £4,000 a pair . |
fc561ba285df56e1a36616649025e506f89f2442 | Police in eastern Canada announced Friday they "are reopening the investigation involving Rehtaeh Parsons," the 17-year-old who tried to kill herself after she was allegedly gang-raped and bullied. Rehtaeh, a high school student from Halifax, Nova Scotia, was taken off life support Sunday, three days after she attempted to hang herself. The HRM Partners in Policing -- which includes Halifax Regional Police and a locally based division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- said in a statement Friday it was reviewing the case "in light of new and credible information that has recently been brought forward to police." The alleged sexual assault happened in November 2011 when Rehtaeh was 15, her family said. Police investigated, but no criminal charges were filed. Authorities confirmed that a photograph allegedly showing Rehtaeh having sex with one of the boys was circulated to friends' mobile phones and computers. As a result, her family said, she developed suicidal thoughts. Rehtaeh also struggled emotionally after the police investigation, her mother wrote on her Facebook tribute page. When evidence goes viral . "Rehtaeh is gone today because of the four boys that thought that raping a 15-year-old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun," her mother wrote. "All the bullying and messaging and harassment that never let up are also to blame. Lastly, the justice system failed her." Her family told CNN they met with Canadian justice officials Wednesday and urged them to reconsider filing charges. The officials, they said, assured them they would take a fresh look after a police investigation ended without criminal charges. The online activist group Anonymous said it might release the names of teens linked to the alleged rape in an effort to force authorities to pursue prosecution. Rape victim's family: We want justice, not vigilante justice . "Better act fast," Anonymous warned Canadian law enforcement in a statement. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scott McRae, said the new information that led authorities to reopen their investigation "did not come from an online source." "We can talk to a witness, we can verify the person, we can substantiate some of the information that has come forth," McRae said. "That is a good thing." The hope is that reopening the case "will spark an interest or encourage other people to come" forward, added the spokesman. Police will consider such information they hear or see directly, but not necessarily it comes through online. | Police hope more people will come forward independent of social media .
Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, died Sunday after trying to hang herself .
Her family said she struggled after allegedly being raped; no charges were filed .
Police say they're reopening the probe after getting "new and credible information" |
fc566a9475920cfff0fadd33e6a2a38c7b1396b2 | By . Matt Morlidge . Follow @@MattMorlidge . After their Premier League title challenge faded away at the back of last season, Arsenal have started the summer in exactly the right fashion. The signing of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in a £30million deal was confirmed on Thursday; the second highest transfer in the club's history, . The Chilean's arrival has provided fans with genuine belief that they can prolong their stay at the top of the table this season, while adding to the many attacking options at Arsene Wenger's disposal. But how will the team shape up? VIDEO: Scroll down to see the Arsenal players, including Sanchez, in the new Puma kit . A Gun deal: Here's how £30million signing Alexis Sanchez will look in the new Arsenal kit . Signal of intent: The Chilean has the potential to play in all the front areas; he can be whatever he wants to be . Reason to cheer? Arsene Wenger could revel in a first title win in 10 years . Challengers: How Arsenal could line up next season . 'Players win games, squads win titles,' is a quote often banded about when talking of Premier League glory, and a way in which the Gunners have fallen short in recent years. Too often key players have picked up injuries at crucial times of the season, too often there hasn't been enough adequate cover in the squad. Take last season, when Wenger had to call upon the inexperienced Yaya Sanogo in pivotal games due to Olivier Giroud's form and fitness worries. But after convincing Sanchez to join, Wenger has a wealth of attacking options available. The 25-year-old has proved himself in many positions during some impressive displays for Barcelona and Chile. He has the potential to partner Giroud (who will realistically start due to the physical nature in England) or supply him from the left and right. Couple that with Theo Walcott's imminent return from knee injury, and the French striker can no longer complain of being isolated up front. And if that doesn't sound exciting enough, it should also see Mesut Ozil drastically improve. The German playmaker was the star of the last transfer window - signing for £42.5m - but struggled to adapt to English football, not helped by the lack of pace to supply. Now the Gunners could simply blow teams away with pace and style. 'Playing the Arsenal way,' as Wenger would put it. The boss has been patient for so long, and has been rewarded with the money to go out and attract the world's best. Set to shine: £42.5m man Mesut Ozil will benefit from having runners in Sanchez and Theo Walcott . Happy again: Ozil has shown what he is capable of at the World Cup with Germany . Confident: Theo Walcott's encouraging run of form was cut short by injury last season, but he's recovering now . Injury free: Aaron Ramsey will be keen to shine once again this season . See you soon: Mathieu Debuchy will be a £10m replacement for Bacary Sagna at right-back . Arsenal's new-found solidity last season (taking away the demolitions at Anfield, Stamford Bridge and the Etihad Stadium) had the look of a title-winning system, though surprisingly the team were let down by goals. It's safe to say that should not happen this year... Mathieu Debuchy will be confirmed as Bacary Sagna's £10m replacement, giving Wenger a proven right-back capable of stepping up to the first team immediately. Mikel Arteta was often the scapegoat in poor away performances, and Arsenal are looking to strengthen that midfield area. Sami Khedira and the Bender brothers have been linked but Morgan Schneiderlin would be a more-than adequate signing to bolster Arsenal's spine. The Southampton man is eager to get away from a side who are selling the majority of their key players. One point which is often brought up to reference Arsenal's failures in years gone by is lack of strength, both mentally and physically. But this squad would have the experience and sheer size to challenge on all fronts. The Puma kit launch on Thursday stressed the message; Future, Forever, Victorious. Something just feels right. Strong: Morgan Schneiderlin could bolster Arsenal's spine . Believe: Arteta, Giroud and Cazorla are depicted in front of the London eye . Tear jerker: Arsene Wenger gave an inspiration speech for the Puma kit launch on Thursday . Away kit launch: But Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will find it tough to break into the starting eleven this season . Midfield options: Jack Wilshere will be looking to turn potential into consistency . With all these impressive changes going on in North London, it may be hard for young England stars Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to make a permanent impression on the first team. Both were affected by injuries last season, and will have been looking to kick on as they turn teenage stardom into consistency on the pitch. Saying that, they certainly have the potential to make an impact from the bench, as well as Lukas Podolski. Santi Cazorla will be another key member of the squad at the Emirates, though the 29-year-old misses out here due to the thought of Sanchez and Walcott racing through on goal from the flanks, The Spaniard is also linked with a move back to his homeland. Unveiled: But Santi Cazorla has been linked with a return to Spain this summer . In today, gone tomorrow? Thomas Vermaelen is expected to leave the club this summer . Abject: There were too many horror shows away from home last season . The early transfer window movement is already triggering thoughts of an intriguing title race. Liverpool (who were beaten to the signing of Sanchez), though selling Luis Suarez, have strengthened their squad in Emre Can and Adam Lallana. Manchester United are building a new legacy with Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera under Louis van Gaal. Chelsea made the biggest early impact this summer by announcing Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, but Arsenal may well have trumped them with a signal of intent. Make no mistake, the Gunners are in the hunt this year. And don't be surprised to see them end that 10-year wait for a title. Team spirit: Arsenal are looking to bring the good times back to north London . German duo: Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker in the new Arsenal kit . Injury troubles: Former Auxerre duo Abou Diaby and Yaya Sanogo will be hoping for better seasons . Competition: Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal will be fighting for the left-back berth . Experience: Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky are two of the eldest in the Arsenal group . | Sanchez signs from Barcelona for £30m on Thursday .
He gives Arsene Wenger many options in attack, with Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott .
Arsenal can finally win Premier League title again with world-class players .
Mesut Ozil will improve with more pace playing around him .
Mathieu Debuchy set to sign for £10m from Newcastle .
Morgan Schneiderlin could come in from Southampton to strengthen midfield .
Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain unlucky to miss out on predicted starting XI . |
fc5729776e4cb4ae26e3ede3bd785d5ad8b5fb27 | Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, told a small group of loyalists on Friday that he's considering another run for the White House. The move will throw the GOP's fast-coalescing race into chaos as it now must make room for both Romney and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, two moderates seen as competing for the same heavyweight donors. 'Everybody in here can go tell your friends that I'm considering a run,' Romney told donors during the get-together in New York City, according to a source who spoke to Politico. A longtime Romney camp insider contacted by DailyMail.com expressed surprise at the news and had no knowledge of the event. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . DIFFERENT FOE AWAITS: Presdient Barack Obama can't run for the White House again, so if Romney were to win the GOP nomination a second time he would face Hillary Clinton or another high-profile Democrat . THIRD TIME'S A CHARM? Romney ran for president in 2008 and 2012 but never succeeded; his wife Ann (left) has said she's done with politics but allowed that Mitt might run if former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush doesn't . The inside-the-beltway newspaper learned that financier Alex Nabab, who participated in a fundraising event for Bush, attended the Romney gathering of about 30 influential money-men and women. The Washington Post reported Friday that Romney met Wednesday in California with a select group of aides from his 2012 campaign, including counselors Ben Ginsberg and Katie Biber Chen, press secretary Andrea Saul and policy director Lanhee Chen. The Post interviewed Spencer Zwick, Romney’s former national finance co-chairman, who attended the New York meeting on Friday. 'I believe Mitt Romney is too much of a patriot to sit on the sidelines and concede the presidency to Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren when he knows that he can fix the country,' Zwick told the newspaper. 'He traveled the country in 2014, met with voters, met with citizens, and I think at the end of the day he believes he could actually make a difference.' Another person in attendance said that Romney answered a question about his intentions by saying, 'People ask if I really want to be president. ... I've run twice. Yeah, I want to be president.' Romney ran in 2008, losing the GOP nomination to Arizona Sen. John McCain, and in 2012, becoming the Republican nominee but failing to beat President Barack Obama. The Mormon politician's ties to big business caused him trouble three years ago in the harsh spotlight of an unsympathetic mass-media. Another Romney run has long been rumored but never substantiated, and he has outpaced the field in polls where his name is included among GOP hopefuls. 'At one point during the meeting,' The Wall Street Journal reported, 'one of the attendees asked Mr. Romney if he wanted to be president, a person present said. The 2012 nominee said, yes, of course.' The meeting was reportedly scheduled weeks ago in December, long before Bush announced the formation of a leadership PAC – the first step toward a likely candidacy. Romney has no timetable for a decision, according to the Journal, but said the domestic U.S. economy and the tumultuous foreign affairs environment in which the Obama White House has made some stumbles, are on his mind as he mulls his future. His first hurdle, however, may be persuading his wife Ann to withstand another bruising campaign cycle. She seemed to slam the door on the idea in October, telling the Los Angeles Times that she and Mitt were 'done' running for president 'completely.' 'Not only Mitt and I are done, but the kids are done,' she said, referring to the couple's five sons. 'Done. Done. Done,' Mrs. Romney added. But other statements from the politician himself have left prognosticators scratching their heads. NEVER WENT AWAY: Despite his 2012 presidential loss, Romney has stayed in party politics by campaigning for other candidates including New Hampshire U.S. Senate runner-up Scott Brown in this October photo . He said in August that while he had no plans to run again, 'circumstances can change.' Then his wife suggested he could make a political comeback – but only if Bush stayed out of the race. In October he swatted away a scrum of reporters in Kentucky, where he was campaigning for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's re-election, telling them, 'I'm not running, I'm not planning on running and I expect to be supporting one of the many people who I think are looking at this race.' He repeated the refrain days later in an interview with Bloomberg News. 'I'm not letting my head go there,' Romney said with cameras rolling. 'Where I'm focused on making sure we nominate the right person, who cares about the kinds of issues I care about.' By November he was re-engaged in policy issues, taking a direct swipe at President Obama for what he called an 'extra-constitutional' move to mainstream millions of illegal immigrants. Following through, he warned, would be 'poking an eye of the Republican leaders in Congress.' 'The president has got to learn that he lost this last election round,' Romney said on the NBC News program Meet the Press. 'The American people spoke loud and clear. Let those people who were elected come together with a piece of legislation on this and other topics, and then he has a chance to veto them if he doesn't like them.' 'But the idea of violating the principles of our constitution, which is a balance of power, checks and balances, that is something which is wrong.' In July amid an Obama public-opinion malaise accelerated by the release of five Taliban soldiers in exchange for a captive Army sergeant, a CNN/ORC poll found that Romney would win a do-over election against the president. Romney would have taken 53 percent of the popular vote to Obama's 44 percent, in that snapshot in time. MITT-KILLER: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (center) is already beating the bushes to lock in donors who might otherwise choose to help Romney regain his political power in the GOP . Weeks earlier a WMUR/Granite State Poll found that in the critical early primary state of New Hampshire, Romney crushed his Republican competition when his name was added to the field. His numbers there emerged nearly as dominant as Hillary Clinton's on the Democratic side, capturing 39 per cent of the vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul were each a distant second with a 7 per cent showing. A followup poll by the same company in November found the margin had narrowed, with ROmney at 30 per cent and Paul at 11. Nationally, CNN and ORC found in early December that Romney has a narrower lead among Republicans, winning the support of about 20 per cent. Bush placed third in that poll at 9 per cent, one point behind former pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. But that was before Bush publicly expressed an interest in running – and before Carson was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal surrounding his 2012 book 'America the Beautiful.' In July, Romney's fellow Utahan Jason Chaffetz, a hard-charging Republican congressman, declared on MSNBC that Romney is 'actually going to run, and I think he will be the next president of the United States.' 'He’s been proven right on a lot of stuff,' said Chaffetz. | Former Massachusetts governor ran for the White House in 2008 and 2012 .
He was the GOP's nominee three years ago but lost to President Obama .
'Everybody in here can go tell your friends that I'm considering a run,' he reportedly told a group of donors on Friday .
Meeting was scheduled in December, long before Jeb Bush announced he had formed a leadership PAC to raise money .
Move will bring chaos to the potential 2016 Republican field as Romney and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appeal to the same donor base .
FLASHBACK: Romney said in October that 'I'm not running, I'm not planning on running' – and his wife said days later that 'Mitt and I are done'
National and New Hampshire polls show Romney leading the GOP field if his name is included . |
fc5771a4c794e547273796c5d5b9cd0022510c16 | Los Angeles (CNN) -- While Charlie Sheen works to "conquer the medical issues" in rehab and his hit sitcom is on "production hiatus," a porn actress is talking about a two-day party she claims led to his collapse last week. Kacey Jordan appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday morning and she later tweeted "the rest of the story" will air on "Nightline" Monday evening. Sheen's lawyer Yale Galanter responded with a written statement Monday. "It is a shame that during this time, while Mr. Sheen has sought treatment on his own, opportunistic women are trying to take advantage of his celebrity status," Galanter said. The actress described what she said was a nonstop party at Sheen's Los Angeles home, including a large amount of cocaine use by Sheen. "It was all over the bathroom counter," Jordan said. "You could see him like chiseling it off, putting it in there repeatedly." Sheen proposed that she and several other porn actresses move into a mansion at his expense, Jordan said. "He wanted us all to live in this huge house he was going to rent out and he's like, 'You can have anything you want. Anything you want, you name it. It will be done within an hour," Jordan told ABC. But the sex and drug allegations weren't the only revelations from Jordan. She claims Sheen wanted her to baby-sit his children. "I think maybe the baby-sitting part was important to him, so that maybe when he was, you know, doing his drinking, you know, maybe that he didn't have to have his kids see him be like that and then have one of us girls watch them," Jordan said. Denise Richards, an ex-wife who shares two young daughters with Sheen, apparently saw the ABC interview. Richards posted this message on her Twitter account soon after: . "If you caught GMA today..FYI.. No 'adult film star' will be babysitting our kids!" Sheen voluntarily entered an undisclosed rehabilitation center for treatment Friday, Sheen representative Stan Rosenfield said. The announcement came a day after Sheen was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where Rosenfield said he was treated for severe pain related to a hernia. He checked out of the Los Angeles hospital Thursday night, he said. "Charlie has had a hernia condition for some time," Rosenfield said. "I was told by the person who made the 911 call that it was hernia-related." Sheen's hit CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men" has been placed on "production hiatus," CBS and Warner Bros. Television said Friday. "We are profoundly concerned for his health and well-being, and support his decision," their joint statement said. It was the second emergency trip to a hospital for Sheen in three months. He spent several hours in a New York hospital in October after police responded to an early morning call about "an emotionally disturbed person" at the Plaza Hotel, a law enforcement source said at the time. Sheen's representative blamed an "adverse allergic reaction" to a medication. Sheen, the son of actor Martin Sheen, spent at least a month last year at a Malibu, California, rehab center, but it was never disclosed what he was treated for there. He was arrested in December 2009 after his wife, Brooke Mueller, told Aspen, Colorado, police that he threatened her with a knife at their holiday home. A Colorado judge allowed the actor to count his time at Promises of Malibu toward a 30-day jail sentence after he entered a guilty plea in August in that case. The plea deal reduced the charges from felony domestic violence to a misdemeanor third-degree assault count. | Kacey Jordan details what she says was actor's two-day binge .
Sheen wanted to set up a house for porn stars to party, Jordan says .
The porn actress says Sheen wanted her to watch his children .
Sheen entered rehab last Friday . |
fc57789d0d433b42f67930527331e5d0b495d769 | By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:58 EST, 24 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:39 EST, 24 June 2013 . In a victory for affirmative action opponents, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Abigail Fisher in a case that alleged the University of Texas at Austin rejected her application in favor of minority applicants with similar grades and test scores. The court sent the case back to a lower court for another look. The court's 7-1 decision in Fisher v. University of Texas Monday was a blow to advocates of the 35-year-old law that boosts college admissions of African Americans and other minorities. Scroll down for video... Victory: Abigail Fisher, who took her case against affirmative action all the way to the Supreme Court,speaks at a news conference Monday after the high court ruled in her favor 7-1 to send the case back to the lower court . 'I was devastated,' she said to the press four years after her rejection from the selective, highly regarded university. 'I probably would have gotten a better job offer had I gone to U.T.,' she told the New York Times. Another factor fueling Fisher's lawsuit . was that the university has produced diversity by . automatically offering about three-quarters of its spots to graduates in . the top 10 percent of their Texas high schools, under a 1990s state law . signed by then-Gov. George W. Bush. Acting firmly: Fisher maintains she was passed over for minority students who performed as well or not as well as she did in high school by UT Austin admissions . Taking action? Attorney Bert Rein (left), speaks to the media while standing with plaintiff Abigail Fisher, after the U.S. Supreme Court Supreme heard arguments in her discrimination case in October 2012 . The landmark Fisher v. UT Austin case was only one among several groundbreaking cases that SCOTUS has decided this week. Some decisions have been announced, while others are still to come, including the long-awaited DOMA and Prop 8 same-sex marriage cases. TODAY'S DECISIONS . Vance v. Ball State University: The court ruled in favor of Ball State, making it harder for employees to sue employers for harassment because it ruled a person must be able to hire and fire someone to be considered a supervisor in such suits. US v. Kebodeaux: Ruled that sex offenders may still be listed on sex offender registries even if they completed their sentences before the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act came into law. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar: Decided for the university, ruling that an employee who claims harassment and complains of subsequent punishment must show the punishment would not have occurred if not for the complaint. Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett: Decided for the pharma company, not the woman whose skin fell off after using their drug, and ruled that federal law trumps state law in cases of the adequacy of drug warning labels. SOME RULINGS TO COME . Windsor v. US: This is the Defense of Marriage Act case. DOMA defines marriage as between one man and one woman at the federal level and opponents believe it's unconstitutional. Hollingsworth v. Perry: This is the case that will decide the constitutionality of California's 2008 voter-passed Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage . Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder: Current law lets the federal government monitor voting in areas with a history of discrimination. Opponents seek to strike down that aspect of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That includes schools where the top level of achievement could be significantly lower than at higher-performing schools. It also includes schools where the student demographics skew toward minorities. Fisher was a good student who played on the soccer team and graduated with a 3.59 grade point average. She graduated 82nd in a class of 674, which put her close to the top 10 percent but not quite close enough, reports Business Insider. The admissions program has been . changed so that now only the top 8 percent gain automatic admission. According to Fisher, minorities who . graduated below her and who participated less in extracurricular . activities at her high school were accepted to the flagship University of Texas system school. Justice Kennedy wrote for the 7 to 1 . majority. He said the New Orleans appeals court that sided with Texas . originally did not scrutinize the case sufficiently enough and in . accordance with the Supreme Court's 2003 upholding of affirmative . action. Justice Elena Kagan stayed out of the . case, presumably because she had some contact with it at an earlier . stage when she worked in the Justice Department. The compromise ruling throws out the . decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, . which upheld the Texas admission plan. More than 8 in 10 African-American . and Latino students who enrolled at the flagship campus in Austin in . 2011 were automatically admitted, according to university statistics. Even among the rest, both sides acknowledge that the use of race is . modest. In all, black and Hispanic students made up more than a quarter of the incoming freshmen class. White . students constituted less than half the entering class when students . with Asian backgrounds and other minorities were added in. Texas argued that race is one of many . factors considered and that whether race played the key role in any . applicant's case was impossible to tell. The . Obama administration, roughly half of the Fortune 100 companies and . large numbers of public and private colleges that feared a broad ruling . against affirmative action backed the Texas program. Among . the benefits of affirmative action, the administration said, is that it . creates a pipeline for a diverse officer corps that it called . 'essential to the military's operational readiness.' Unfair? Fisher speaks to the media after U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in her case in October. Today, the court ruled in her favor, throwing out an earlier decision against her, sending it back to a lower court . Read the case of Fisher v. University of Texas... | Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas at Austin after she was rejected from the school in 2008 .
Fisher alleged a preference for minority students over non-minorities lost her a spot at the school .
'I probably would have gotten a better job offer had I gone to U.T.': Fisher graduated instead from Louisiana State University .
No ruling Monday on DOMA or Prop 8 gay marriage cases . |
fc57b2481c3b3023105b6465457e6bd4f78e0932 | (CNN) -- More than a week after the grand jury's decision in Ferguson, protests continue nationwide. On campuses, in malls, on streets and in stadiums, Americans young and old are voicing their anger about the non-indictments in the deaths of Michael Brown and now Eric Garner in New York -- and about the rigged system that makes such results all too common. This proliferation of protests is good. But it's not good enough. First, let's reflect a bit on why it's good. Anytime Americans start seeing themselves as more than mere consumers or spectators -- rather, as citizens and participants -- something healthy is happening. That's especially true when people are willing to flex their citizen muscles during the start of peak shopping season. So seeing protesters from Seattle to New York engage in civil disobedience on Black Friday was heartening. Did all the walk-outs and "die-ins" inconvenience some shoppers and deal-seekers? Sure. The post-Ferguson moment demands, at a bare minimum, that we all raise our sights beyond one-day sale tags. But while the protests are promising and necessary, they are also insufficient. A deeper phase of work is needed. And here all of America can learn from what's already been happening in Missouri. The media has tended to focus on the most eye-catching conflict -- either daytime marches with famous activists, or nighttime rioting after the grand jury decision. But off-camera, people on the ground in and around this community have been doing something simple and difficult. They've been moving from protest to power. Faith groups and grassroots organizers like Communities Creating Opportunity and the Organization for Black Struggle have, since this summer, been engaging people in Ferguson to organize and advocate for reforms, to register, to vote, to understand the makeup and the methods of the city council and the state legislature. In short, to do politics. This may seem unsatisfying to some, even irrelevant. The members of the millennial generation who are driving so many of the protests today are idealistic and networked -- but also exceedingly cynical about traditional politics and government. And young African-Americans who are most often subjected to arbitrary abuses by the criminal justice system have the most reason to be mistrustful of the larger political machinery that begat that system. But what the grassroots organizers in Ferguson teach us is that there is no avoiding politics. Indeed, there is no way to achieve any scaled and durable reform without stepping into the arena of government, policy, politics, and elections. A change in city council representation can lead to a change in how truly representative one's police force is. A well-coordinated campaign to let elected officials know you are part of a collective with voice, clout, savvy, and votes can lead to a change in attitude among those elected -- and then to changes in policy. What this requires is an understanding of the institutions that govern how we govern ourselves. What it requires is literacy in civic power. This is why the organization I run, Citizen University, is working with partners around the country to teach people about the skills and systems of power. And it's why everyone, left or right -- and especially those living on the front lines of racial disparity and violent inequity -- must learn how to read and to write power. Wherever you live, ask yourself: Could I teach someone what the activists in Ferguson are teaching people now? Could I teach them how my city makes policy, how politicians respond to public pressure, how to navigate the rules of voting, how to make votes cancel out money? All around the world, from Tahrir Square a few years ago to Hong Kong today, we see young people caught up in what one journalist called "the euphoria of defiance." Alas, in most of those situations, we also see what happens when protesters are unable to convert civil disobedience into civil self-rule. That requires strategy. It requires organization. It requires patient instruction in citizenship. Fifty-nine years ago this week, Rosa Parks made a heroic choice not to sit at the back of the bus. But what her story teaches us is this: Heroes are what happens when a moment calls forth people well prepared by institutions. Parks did not arrive randomly at that occasion on that bus. She had been groomed by an ecosystem of civil rights groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, trained at places like the Highlander Folk School. She had understood her choice -- her immovable defiance -- to be part of a larger story and a methodical strategy for the attainment of power. This is what unsung but undaunted citizen organizers and educators are doing in Ferguson today. They've moved past "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gestures. They are getting hands-on about changing their community. And so should we all. That's how we can make this a season of powerful citizenship. | Eric Liu: Protests over Ferguson are promising, but also insufficient.
Everyone, left or right, must learn how to read and to write power: Liu .
Liu: Rosa Parks understood her choice to be part of a larger story . |
fc582310467c1f34aba3d58018cc9bdd2e78c5a6 | While many of his Real Madrid team-mates were away strutting their stuff during the World Cup, it appears Gareth Bale was busy working hard in the gym. The Wales midfielder took part in Real's training on Thursday looking rather bulky in comparison to last season. Bale had a debut season with Real to remember last term, ending the campaign with silverware as Carlo Ancelotti's side won the Champions League for a record tenth time. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sergio Ramos nutmeg new teammate James Rodriguez . Bulked up: Bale has clearly hit the gym hard this pre-season as he gets ready for the Super Cup Final in Cardiff . In the buff: Bale shows off his six-pack as he works up a sweat in training . Power: Bale puts in the yards in training with a resistance band to improve his already explosive acceleration . All in the motion: Bale shows off his golf swing during practice ahead of Real's Super Cup final . Star man: Real Madrid will be hoping their main Galactico Cristiano Ronaldo is on top form in Cardiff . Tough workout: The Real Madrid squad trained hard before the UEFA Super Cup Final against Sevilla next week . As a consequence of Real's success they face Sevilla in the Super Cup Final next week, with the squad training hard for the showpiece event in Cardiff. Real boss Ancelotti kept an eye on proceedings as they prepare for the match with the Andalusian outfit, where Los Blancos could win their first title of the 2014-15 campaign. Real defeated their opponents Sevilla twice in La Liga last season. Los Blancos won 2-1 away in March and also thrashed Sevilla 7-3 at the Bernabeu last October. New signings James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos were put through their paces ahead of the trip to Wales. Ancelotti will be pleased to have Karim Benzema committing his future to the club by signing a contract extension until 2019. Speculation regarding the France forward's future in the Spanish capital had been rife in recent weeks, but he will remain at the Bernabeu until 2019. New signing: Colombian James Rodriguez will be keen to make an impact at Real Madrid this season . Fresh faces: Madrid signed Rodriguez from Monaco and Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich this summer . New deal: France international striker Karim Benzema has penned a new deal to remain at the club until 2019 . VIDEO Falcao quiet over possible Madrid move . Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were among the Premier League sides linked to the 26-year-old this summer but the former Lyon man will remain in Spain. World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo remains the key figure at the Bernabeu however, Bale will be the centre of attention next Tuesday during the homecoming trip. He’s used to holding up the hopes of his nation when playing in Wales but Gareth Bale will return in a Real shirt to the city where he was born. Big deal: Rodriguez was signed by Carlo Ancelotti in a £63 million deal from Monaco this summer . In fact Bale’s uncle Chris Pike used to play for Cardiff City at their former ground Ninian Park and Bale used to go and watch from the age of just three. All is set for a hero’s welcome for Bale in the city where his Mother Debbie still lives and works with just a four mile trip from the stadium to his old primary school. The Welsh winger scored the crucial goal back in May to secure Real Madrid their precious ‘La Decima’, their tenth Champions League crown. With his place in Real Madrid history, Bale will continue to create more history in Cardiff, aiming to become the first Welshman to win the Super Cup since three Manchester United players succeeded. Ryan Giggs, Clayton Blackmore and Mark Hughes, participated in United’s 1991 win over Red Star Belgrade and Bale will hope to follow in their footsteps when he returns to his hometown. Staying put? Sami Khedira has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and Bayern Munich this summer . Competition: New signing Keylor Navas will hope to become Real Madrid's number one keeper this season . Trio: Ancelotti has three top keepers to chose from this campaign with the arrival of Navas (left) CLICK HERE to start picking your Fantasy Football team NOW! There’s £60,000 in prizes including £1,000 up for grabs EVERY WEEK… . | Gareth Bale looks in great shape ahead of Real's Super Cup clash .
Bale looked to have put on extra muscle during the off-season .
Los Blancos won the Champions League in May, beating Atletico Madrid 4-1 .
Face Sevilla in the Super Cup final next Tuesday at the Cardiff City Stadium .
Game will be a return home for Welsh hero Bale who went to school there .
Arsenal target Sami Khedira in training alongside Cristiano Ronaldo .
Signings James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos could make competitive debuts . |
fc582badb67b3bcf854dd6e5a8f91ff4a081ce60 | Protesters seeking the immediate arrest of the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown loudly disrupted another government meeting yesterday. The protests have renewed calls to remove the county prosecutor investigating the case involving the death of the black 18-year-old who was shot dead by Missouri police officer Darren Wilson. The demand for Wilson's arrest began with the final utterance of the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the St. Louis County Council meeting. When the pledge concluded with 'and justice for all, crowd members shouted 'For All', putting emphasis on the second word. Scroll down for video . St. Louis activist Anthony Shahid confronts councilman Steve Stenger during the St. Louis County Council . When the Pledge of Allegiance spoken at the start of the council meeting concluded with 'and justice for all, crowd members shouted 'For All', putting emphasis on the second word . A grand jury in Missouri has been given until January next year to decide whether Wilson acted criminally when he shot the teenager earlier this year. Brown was fatally shot August 9 after a confrontation that began when Darren Wilson asked him and a friend to walk on the sidewalk instead of the street. The grand jury was initially set to conclude its work on September 10, but a judge has extended its term until early next year, should the extra time be deemed necessary. A larger protest took place a week ago at the Ferguson City Council's first meeting since Michael Brown's death. This was followed by unsuccessful efforts to block an interstate highway during rush hour in a demonstration that led to 35 arrests. There was also a weekend demonstration in downtown Ferguson linked to calls for a boycott of local businesses. Protest leaders said they plan to broaden their efforts with demonstrations at upcoming games hosted by the St. Louis Cardinals and the NFL's St. Louis Rams, who host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Protesters voice concerns at the meeting. Hazel Erby, the council's lone black member, she drew cheers when she told the demonstrators, 'I have to say I agree with you' Michael Brown (left) was unarmed when he was shot by white Missouri police officer Darren Wilson (right) 'It's no more business as usual,' said activist Anthony Shahid, who addressed the seven council members with a noose symbolically tied around his neck. Protesters want county prosecutor Bob McCulloch to either step aside or for Gov. Jay Nixon to appoint a special prosecutor. They cite concerns about whether he could fairly oversee the case since his father was a police officer killed in the line of duty when McCulloch was a child, and he has many relatives who work in law enforcement. McCulloch, who has been the county's elected prosecutor for more than two decades, could have filed charges himself but chose to take the case to a grand jury to decide whether the use of lethal force was justified. A St. Louis County police officer 'wands' attorney Anthony Gray before allowing him into the council chambers . Police arrest a protester who refused to leave a protest aimed at shutting down Interstate 70 in Berkeley . Many of the nearly 40 speakers at the council meeting directed their scorn at Councilman Steve Stenger, who relied on McCulloch's endorsement to defeat County Executive Charlie Dooley in a Democratic primary days before Brown's death. Stenger faces a Republican state lawmaker in the November general election. 'Don't vote for Stenger,' the crowd chanted. Other speakers gave Stenger an ultimatum to 'denounce' McCulloch no later than noon on Wednesday. The shouts, jeers and chants drowned out his attempts to speak at the meeting's outset. Demonstrators sit in the street after police prevented them from gaining access to Interstate Highway 70 . Hazel Erby, the council's lone black member, was the only other elected official to speak. She drew cheers when she told the demonstrators, 'I have to say I agree with you.' After the meeting, protesters had four and a half minutes of silence in the hallway to signify the four and a half hours that Brown's body lay in the street. They then briefly marched through downtown Clayton. McCulloch has previously said he expects the panel to complete its inquiry into Brown's shooting by next month. The demonstrators had planned to shut down I70 but their efforts were thwarted by a large contingent of police . The casket containing the body of Michael Brown is surrounded people gathered to say goodbye as it leaves Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis . | Protests renewed calls to remove county prosecutor investigating the case .
Grand jury given until January 7 to decide whether to charge Darren Wilson .
Critics want county prosecutor Bob McCulloch to step aside .
Cite concerns whether he can fairly oversee the case since father was a police officer killed in line of duty . |
fc583c11a4f2dfeb9a60ff2daaa839778b8160fb | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 14:31 EST, 12 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:45 EST, 12 December 2012 . The ex-boyfriend of Amy Winehouse has told a court today he was optimistic of having a relationship with a woman he is accused of raping twice. Reg Traviss, 35, denies two counts of rape and told Southwark Crown Court: 'There is no truth in this allegation whatsoever.' The 27-year-old woman said earlier she woke twice in the early hours of New Year's Eve 2011 to find Traviss raping her. Reg Traviss, pictured with Any Winehouse in 2010, said he did not go out often following the singer's death in July 2011 . However the filmmaker said the pair had consensual sex at his flat after getting merrily drunk together at three bars in central London. Today he told the jury of six men and six women he had not been out for several months 'whatsoever' after Amy Winehouse died. He says he was seduced by the woman who invited him to bed. The film director, who was going out with the Back to Black star when she died in July 2011, said the following morning he and the alleged victim kissed as he walked her half way to the Tube and even made further plans to see each other. Asked by his QC Ian Winter if he thought he and the woman could have a relationship, he said: 'I sort of came away from that evening thinking this could be really good, this could be the start of something. 'I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend but she is somebody I have known for a long time and that there could be something in this.' When he did not hear back from her weeks later, after she had gone to meet a man in New York, he said: 'I thought it’s a pity and that she had got together with somebody else or just blown me out, it’s a pity. 'I thought we would meet up again and be friends after a certain time had elapsed and just go back to being friends.' Traviss, appearing in the witness box in his trademark black collared jacket and slick-backed hair, said he was shocked when the police got in touch in April with a sex allegation against him. He was not initially told who had made the complaint and said he thought it might have been a stalker inventing an allegation. Traviss, pictured arriving at court this week, left, and viewing flowers outside Amy Winehouse's home, right, said he was 'flabbergasted' by the rape accusations . Reg Traviss said he thought the evening with the alleged victim could have led to a relationship . Traviss said he was ‘completely and utterly flabbergasted’ by the allegations and believed he and his alleged victim had shared a ‘great night’. Traviss told the court he and the woman had protected, consensual sex twice at his flat. He said on the first occasion the woman had asked him to get in bed with her after he had offered to sleep on the sofa. He said she was someone he knew and trusted the woman and she instigated sex on both occasions. He added: ‘She was leading it just as much as I was going along with it. It was completely equal. ‘She was completely together mentally, compos mentis, she was completely together. She was wide awake.’ Traviss told the court they had stopped having sex after the woman said they should stop. They then chatted in the living room before she led him back to bed, he said. He told jurors that when they finished she had wanted to carry on but, after some time, he had told her ‘I’m tired. I need to go to sleep’. Prosecutor Katherine Lumsdon told jurors the woman had been ‘very drunk’ and had been ‘propping herself up’ in the last of three bars she had gone to with Traviss on December 30, 2011. But Traviss said today that she was not as drunk as she claimed to be and had held open a 11ft high glass door for him when the left the final bar at around 3.30am. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Reg Traviss denied accusations today at Southwark Crown Court and said alleged victim instigated sex .
The woman, 27, claims she woke twice on New Year's Eve last year to find Traviss raping her .
Filmmaker Traviss said he believed it could have been the beginning of a relationship . |
fc586cdab1517efeb64c54ba65e49d8c7d0f6457 | By . Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 14:30 EST, 10 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:02 EST, 10 October 2012 . A college freshman died after leaders of his fraternity locked him and 15 others in a room as part of a hazing ritual, allegedly telling them they couldn't leave until all the bottles of alcohol were gone. More details have emerged about the events surrounding the death of 18-year-old Philip Dhanens, from Fresno, since an investigation was launched after the California State University party turned tragic. The 18-year-old had only been at college two weeks when he took part in a drinking binge at a off-campus fraternity house on August 31. He was pronounced dead two days later. Scroll down for video . Last year's prom king: Dhanens was a 2012 graduate of Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield where he was a 6-foot, 5-inch, 325-pound defensive tackle for the school's football team . Tragic: Philip Dhanens, pictured with his girlfriend Zoe, has died after an apparent heavy night of drinking during a fraternity pledge event. He had been at university for just two weeks . The coroner said . Dhanens had swelling of the brain due to acute alcohol consumption and . his blood-alcohol level was 0.36 at the time of his death. A court document released on Tuesday . revealed that members of Theta Chi fraternity have not been cooperating . fully with the investigation, with detective Michael Gebhart . saying that fraternity members have declined to . answer questions and provide requested information. The search warrant, obtained by the Fresno Bee, said that police are worried that Theta Chi may destroy or . discard evidence. They were suspended after the incident and were told . they were not allowed to comment to . The search warrant reveals what happened the night Philip died. After the fraternity pledges were . locked in a room and given several bottles of alcohol to drink, including vodka, tequila and whiskey, Theta . Chi executive board members told . pledges they were not required to drink. But, the search warrant said: 'Additional bottles were introduced as . the pledges passed around and finished each bottle. In addition, the pledges were informed they were not allowed to leave . the Chapter Room to join the other fraternity members in the house . until they drank all the alcohol.' Scene: He was drinking at the off-campus Theta Chi fraternity house when someone put him in the 'Sober Up' room - but returned to find him unconscious. He suffered severe brain damage . After about 20 minutes of drinking, . bonding and encouragement, when 'Dhanens became excited and began drinking . heavy and aggressively', the warrant states. Soon after he told members he was not . feeling well and passed out, when he was carried to the 'drunk room' to . sober up, during which time, other students - called the Sober Brothers . - were supposed to be looking after him. Three hours later he was unconscious and not breathing and 911 was called. But there was nothing that could have saved him. After his death, the Fresno County Coroner's Office . reported Dhanens' blood-alcohol level was 0.36, four to five times the . legal limit to drive. Dhanens' mother told KFSN-TV she learned her son suffered severe brain damage hours after he attended a party at the fraternity house at the end of August. Loss: Dhanens was a freshman at Fresno State in California. The fraternity has now been suspended . Dhanens was a 2012 graduate of Garces . Memorial High School in Bakersfield where he was a 6-foot, 5-inch, . 325-pound defensive tackle for the school's football team. He and his girlfriend Zoe Tucker were prom king and queen in May, according to the school's online newspaper. 'Our . thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Philip at this . incredibly sad time,' university President John Welty said. 'We are heartbroken at the loss of this young man who had just joined our university community and had a life of promise ahead.' Dhanens' death comes nearly seven years after a former Fresno State student was . found dead in a room at Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also the victim of . alcohol poisoning. See below for video . | Philip Dhanens died after a hazing ritual at Theta Chi on August 31 turned tragic .
Coroner said .
the teen had swelling of the brain due to acute alcohol consumption .
Blood-alcohol level was 0.36 - five times the legal limit for driving .
Teens were given multiple bottles of vodka, tequila and whiskey . |
fc5958cc5f5bf8f6179ff74ac2aa8d8a7f38790d | QPR are in talks with striker Charlie Austin over a new £60,000-a-week contract but chairman Tony Fernandes insists the club’s new wage structure will not be broken. Austin has scored 14 goals this season and is expected to be called up to the England squad next month. He has 18 months left on his contract. ‘Charlie is at an age where it’s important for him to make the right decision,’ said Fernandes. ‘I think his heart is with QPR. Obviously he’s thinking about whether we get relegated but I’m sure something will be worked out.’ QPR striker Charlie Austin is in talks with the club iover a new £60,000-a-week contract . Austin climbs highest to head the ball home during QPR's 201 defeat to Hull at the KC stadium on Saturday . Fernandes does not expect Austin to re-sign until the end of the season because of the precarious state of the club’s Premier League status. Asked whether the club had a wage limit it cannot go above, Fernandes replied: ‘Spot on.’ The Malaysian also revealed that caretaker manager Chris Ramsey is the man he expects to appoint at the end of the season. ‘It’s Chris’s job really,’ he said. ‘As far as I’m concerned, he’s the manager and he’ll carry on as manager. He’s not on trial.’ However QPR chairman Tony Fernandes (left) insists the club’s new wage structure will not be broken . | QPR striker Charlie Austin has scored 14 goals for the Hoops this season .
The frontman has just 18 months left on his current QPR contract .
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes believes Austin's heart is with QPR . |
fc59d896c8f232aa07a745c19ac93264d21bdc16 | Hundreds of college-age revelers in Washington state — thwarted in efforts to continue a large party — threw projectiles at police who responded with pepper spray to disperse them, officials said. Multiple partiers were arrested during the fight late on Saturday and early on Sunday in Bellingham, according to police Sgt. Mike Scanlon. The Belligham Herald reported that police were breaking up a block party at an apartment complex near Jersey Street at 9:30pm. 'There was drinking, it became disorderly and pretty much an out and out riot,' Scanlon told The Associated Press. The riot lasted late into the night. Western Washington sophomore Sam Kaplan said a 'parade of people' made its way to the intersection, enlisting other nearby college partiers along the way. The instagram photographer (deliahatesyou) of this girl twerking on a police car wrote, 'They shot the homie in the head with a rubber bullet and tear gassed a collage party f#### da 5 O' The '5 O' battled up to 500 partiers who didn't want to stop raging . Scanlon said the unrest began as police dispersed a noisy party that had drawn a few hundred people. Many of the revelers then moved to nearby Laurel Park, where they were joined by even more people, Scanlon said, calling it a 'large, intoxicated, disorderly crowd.' The situation 'finally boiled over,' he said. 'They began hurling projectiles at police.' Up to 500 people had converged on the park as police worked to disperse them, at one point using pepper spray, Scanlon said. It took about 45 minutes to clear the area and restore order. Scanlon said that there were multiple arrests but he didn't have an exact figure. And he said he didn't know if there were any injuries. Bellingham, home to Western Washington University, is located about 75 miles north of Seattle. Hundreds of drunk rioters threw projectiles at police officers . The riot lasted from late Saturday night to early Sunday morning . | Multiple partiers were arrested for violent behavior .
'There was drinking, it became disorderly and pretty much an out and out riot,' said SGT. Mike Scanlon .
Up to 500 people converged on the park as cops worked to disperse them . |
fc59e6648e1c93e6581a876759ad06fbc7556141 | It's quite simple... if you want goals, watch Newcastle vs Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. The clash produced one of the best ever top flight games in 1996, and has provided us with the most goals of any Premier League game. A total of 129 goals in 40 games, that's 3.2 goals a game, helped by some high-scoring thrillers either side of the turn of the century. In second is Liverpool vs Tottenham, with 2.8 goals a game, Arsenal vs Tottenham, Everton vs Manchester United and Newcastle United vs Tottenham also up there. Moussa Sissoko celebrates scoring in the Capital One Cup against Manchester City on Wednesday . Mario Balotelli is yet to score in the Premier League with new club Liverpool so far . But the two sides aren't exactly firing on all cylinders. Liverpool have the joint-worst goals for record in the the top half of the table. Meanwhile, Newcastle have scored just 10 goals this term, but are enjoying a mini revival with seven points from a possible nine, but more importantly for the neutrals, have conceded 15 goals already this season. What will Saturday provide? Here's a look at five of the best clashes. Newcastle 0-6 Liverpool (2012-13) An end-of-season trouncing at St James' Park gave us a taste of what Liverpool and Daniel Sturridge would provide for us the next season. This was Luis Suarez's first suspended game after biting Branislav Ivanovic. Sturridge scored twice for the Reds, with Henderson also grabbing a brace. Striker Daniel Sturridge celebrates scoring a brace in the 6-0 win at St James' Park in April 2010 . Newcastle 3-1 Liverpool (2010-11) Alan Pardew's first game as Liverpool boss after Chris Hughton left St James' Park, and two goals in the final 10 minutes from Joey Barton and Andy Carroll sealed it against Roy Hodgson's side. He left a month later. Kenny Dalglish must have been impressed by Carroll, signing him for £35million shortly after. Andy Carroll, who moved to Liverpool shortly after, scores for Alan Pardew's new side . Newcastle 1-4 Liverpool (1998-99) A match made memorable for Michael Owen's hands. The England star, fresh from a sintilizing World Cup in France, scored a hat-trick for the Reds, his third a superb show of his electric pace by taking on two defenders. He rubbed his hands together with a cheeky grin, a celebration shown over and over since. England youngster Michael Owen was on fire in 1998, scoring a hat-trick at St James' in a 4-1 win . Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle (1996-97) The classic after the classic. Liverpool raced into a three-goal first-half lead through Steve McManaman, Patrik Berger and Robbie Fowler, but Newcastle found their way back. Striker Robbie Fowler wheels away after scoring the winner in the 1997 classic at Anfield . Three goals in 17 minutes, the third coming in the 88th minute, brought them level, but Fowler went up the other end for the winner. Heartbreak. Especially after... ... Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle (1995-96) Routinely voted the best Premier League game of all time. Newcastle were three points off Manchester United at the top with two games in hand and eight games remaining. And so it went: 1-0 Liverpool, 1-1, 2-1 Newcastle, 2-2, 3-2 Newcastle, 3-3 and then 4-3 Liverpool in the 92nd minute. Stan Collymore's thunderous strike made boss Kevin Keegan bow his head in gut-wrenching fashion. United eventually won the league, predictably. Stan Collymore wins the game for Liverpool and puts a huge dent in Newcastle's title hopes in 1996 . | Liverpool vs Newcastle has produced total of 129 goals in 40 games .
That's 3.2 goals a game, 0.4 more than Liverpool vs Tottenham .
The classic back-to-back 4-3 wins for Liverpool in 1996 and 1997 at Anfield will live long in the memory .
The pair meet at St James' Park at 12.45 on Saturday afternoon . |
fc5a5c9f31a5389554c264e02f96baa0037f379c | By . Rob Cooper . Last updated at 1:21 PM on 5th September 2011 . Graffiti artist Banksy has demanded a top-level investigation at Channel 4 after he claimed a documentary suggests he left a rival in a coma in a row about his work. He has been involved in a tit-for-tat battle with veteran King Robbo after painting over one of his designs. The rival suffered a mysterious head injury which has left him in a coma for the past five months. Original: The Robbo artwork on Regents' Canal which Banksy painted over. He said the piece was badly damaged . Banksy claims a controversial Channel 4 documentary about his long-running feud with King Robbo implies he was responsible and has made a formal complaint. Graffiti Wars, screened last month, revealed how the pair had been involved in a remarkable battle for supremacy. Banksy has admitted painting over one of King Robbo's last-surviving pieces of art on Regent's Canal in 2009 - but claims that the work was already damaged. He stencilled an image of a man wallpapering over the 1980s' piece, striking the first blow in the feud. Last year King Robbo hit back and painted his name over the image. Painted over: Banksy stenciilled a man wallpapering over the design on top of the graffiti artwork. He said he did not realise it was by Robbo . King Robbo was found with a serious wound to his head in April - but nobody knows how it happened. It is believed the 6ft 8in artist may have tumbled over in a freak accident. He has been in an artificially-induced coma since April. The artist's true identity is a closely guarded secret but he is believed to have an 18-month old daughter and lives in Holloway, north London. However, Banksy claims that the original artwork was in such a poor state of disrepair that the signature was no longer visible. The Channel 4 documentary showed Robbo disappearing off to paint over another piece of his rival's work - but said shortly after the clip was filmed he suffered a mystery head injury. The narrator said: 'But Robbo would never get his chance to retaliate against Banksy. 'Just days after this filming took place, he was found unconscious in the street with life-threatening head injuries and he's been in a coma ever since.' Channel 4 fiercely deny claims that the programme suggested Banksy put his rival in a coma - and they said he was not unfairly portrayed. It is believed that Robbo may have fallen down the stairs and banged his head - although the incident was never investigated by police. Banksy told The Observer in a statement: 'Graffiti Wars contained some inaccuracies that I've asked to be investigated and some facts that need to be corrected. Revenge: Robbo reclaims the spot by painting his signature over Banksy's stencil. He has since suffered a serious head injury . 'They alleged I painted over a piece by Robbo and led viewers to believe I had something to do with him being in a coma. 'I wish Robbo a full and speedy recovery.' In the show, King Robbo claimed he slapped Banksy when he first met him for showing a lack of respect. A spokesman for Channel 4 denied Banksy's claims. He said: 'Graffiti wars in no way suggests that Banksy was responsible for the injuries sustained by King Robbo. 'The documentary clearly states that Banksy did not realise he was painting over Robbo's work and includes a picture of the deteriorated work.' | Banksy admitted painting over King Robbo's artwork .
Rival suffered a head injury which has left him in a coma for the past five months . |
fc5b1c90a0b20dbbc91842670ec7adfe7f58907c | By . Chris Johnson . Last updated at 10:15 AM on 20th October 2011 . A tearful Lindsay Lohan was led away from court in handcuffs and taken into custody today after a judge blasted her for violating probation. The troubled actress, 25, had her probation revoked pending a November 2 hearing after Judge Stephanie Sautner slammed her for failing to complete time at the Downtown Women's Centre. The Mean Girls star is now understood to have been released after posting $100,000 and will not spend time behind bars - for now, at least. Welling up: Lindsay Lohan appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom today where a judge revoked her probation and ordered her into custody . Cuffed: Lohan was led away in handcuffs and taken into custody after the hearing. It is likely she will post bail and be released by the end of the day . Booked: This photo was taken after she was taken into custody . The outcome is pending the November hearing, which was scheduled by the judge today, where the court will hear further testimonies before deciding on the course of action. Lindsay was formally arrested in court today and taken into custody after Sautner revoked her probation. On her booking sheet, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department accidentally listed her sex as male, and detailed how she weighed 116lbs. Sautner said Linsday should serve 16 . hours at the morgue on clean-up duty between now and her next court . hearing in an attempt to mitigate the current situation. The actress had been sentenced to 360 hours community service earlier this . year as part of her punishment for stealing a gold necklace from a jewellery . store. During the hearing, Sautner asserted Lohan had managed to wilfully get herself kicked off the programme by cancelling . on the women's centre nine times. Faces of pain: Lindsay was her usually-animated self during today's hearing . Making an impression: Lohan arrived to court in an eggshell blue dress and gold peep-toe heels, teamed with a Chanel handbag, but was sporting rather heavy-handed make-up . Lohan welled up as her lawyer Shawn Holley Chapman fought her corner, pointing to the 'glowing report' by the Probation Service. But despite Lohan completing some . volunteer work this week at the Red Cross, the judge ruled it as void . because it was not part of the sentence she had specifically stipulated at an earlier . hearing. She says Lohan should have gone to the . morgue for clean-up duty to complete some of the hours of community . service instead - which was the second part of the probation Sautner had . originally stipulated. 'Nobody has the power to change my sentence,' said an incredulous Sautner. Frenzy: . The actress was greeted by an army of photographers as she arrived at . the Los Angeles Superior Court West District Airport Courthouse . Fighting her corner: She was represented by her lawyer Shawn Holley Chapman . Packing punch after punch, an unimpressed Sautner told Lindsay: 'Probation is a gift as I see it. There is something called looking a gift horse in the mouth.' Sautner was also perplexed as to why the Probation Service had given Lohan such a positive report. She said her work this week at the . Red Cross would not count towards the 60 days of community service Lohan . has been ordered to complete. Sautner also estimated that Lindsay . has only managed to fulfil three days out of the 60 so far, also . taking into account the time taken to complete a shoplifters course. She noted that Lindsay had been a . no-show at the women's centre nine times and had only managed to do . around a day-and-a-half there. In the spotligh: Teams of paparazzi and TV camera crews were on hand to capture the actress's arrival and departure . Back home: Lindsay returns to her Venice Beach home in California after a dramatic day . Sautner suggested it was Lohan's . inability to keep to schedule and disruption of the programme that . eventually left women's centre with no option but to cancel her role there. The star pulled up to the courthouse at 9.55am for the 10am hearing at the Airport Branch Courthouse. Dressed in an eggshell blue dress and white scarf, the actress was also sporting rather heavy handed make-up. She had her hair tied back in a ponytail and stepped out of her black Cadillac Escalade to a barrage of flashbulbs. The Mean Girls actress has also served 35 days under house arrest this year as part of her sentence for the necklace theft. Pulling no punches: Judge Stephanie Sautner revoked Lohan's probation pending a hearing . Arrest: Lohan's sex is incorrectly listed as 'male' on her booking sheet processed today following her court appearance . The actress' once promising movie career has been derailed by multiple trips to jail and rehab since 2007. The judge dismissed Lohan's lawyer Holley's argument that the actress had to go abroad to work, where she has been seen partying over recent weeks in Europe. 'She is supposed to be an actress from what I hear,' Sautner said. Holley admitted that 'unfortunately' Lohan's career opportunity are not in America right now and that she has been to Europe to earn money to support herself and her family. But Sautner was more concerned about the logistics of how Lohan had attended weekly appointments with her U.S.-based shrink, which was part of the terms of her probation. While the psychological report said she had attended every week, Sautner was doubtful, pointing to the time frames of Lindsay's flights between various European destinations. Judge Sautner was sceptical about the glowing report written about Lindsay by the Probation Service. In the . documents, the actress' probation officer says her psychotherapist . believes she is 'doing really well, she is making changes, and is trying . to become more disciplined in her actions' and that she is 'turning her . life around'. The report also says she has been going to therapy every . week, which the judge disputed because of Lohan's travels overseas. The . report details how Lohan said the women's shelter community service was not 'fulfilling' - which was also slammed by the judge . Troubled: Lohan and her bail bondsman will now have to deal with the paperwork to get her released from custody . Familiar scene: An outside view of the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles where Lohan attended today . Lindsay Lohan was given a leave of absence from her shoplifting course to have emergency dental work done. It came just two days after her red carpet appearance in Los Angeles where she displayed shockingly discoloured teeth. The actress's probation report detailed various dates of her excused absences from probation, including October 14 for a trip to the dentist. 'Ms. Lohan has not been absent to any regularly scheduled activities, . except the session scheduled for her on Friday, October 14, 2011 due to . her need to seek dental work,' the report stated. 'Client presented evidence of attending her dentist office. As a result her absence was excused.' Lohan now has her Hollywood smile back in place after having her teeth fixed. Before and after: Lohan's discoloured teeth, left, were transformed to pearly white just a week later . | Mean Girls star taken into custody after hearing .
Has been released after posting bail and will not spend time behind bars .
But still not in the clear yet - she face another hearing on November 2 .
Judge orders her to 16 hours of morgue clean-up duty in next two weeks .
Booking sheet incorrectly states Lohan's sex as 'male'
Probation relates to star's necklace theft earlier this year . |
fc5b64ceda4c8d6d7436c98e393bb10da80ed0c0 | (CNN) -- Start-ups often keep the "beta test phase" label on their products for a time after the official launch to stress that the product is not finished so much as ready for the next batch of improvements. Gmail, for example, launched in 2004 but only left official beta in 2009, after millions of people were already using it. Jeff Bezos, founder/CEO of Amazon, concludes every annual letter to shareholders by reminding readers, as he did in his first annual letter in 1997, that "it's still Day 1" of the internet and of Amazon.com. For entrepreneurs, "finished" is an F-word, because they know that great companies are always evolving. "Finished" ought to be an F-word for all of us. Because when it comes to our career, we are all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, be more, grow more, often in unexpected or unpredictable ways. Keeping your career in permanent beta forces you to acknowledge that you have bugs, that there's new development to do on yourself, that you will need to adapt and evolve. It is a lifelong commitment to continuous personal and professional growth. Entrepreneurs penetrate the fog of the unknown by testing their products, and their hypotheses, through trial and error. Any entrepreneur (and any expert on cognition/learning) will tell you that practical knowledge is best developed by doing, not just thinking or planning. In the early days of LinkedIn, the plan was to have members invite their trusted connections by email -- an invitation mechanism that would fuel membership growth. But it turned out that the best way to enable viral spread was actually to enable members to upload their address books and see who else was on the service already. For careers, too, you don't know what the best plan is until you try. Lunging at the first well-paid and/or high-status job you come upon may offer immediate gratification, but it won't get you any closer to building a meaningful career. See also: Why ambition could make you rich, but not happy . The business professor Clayton Christensen once told graduating students at Harvard Business School, "If you study the root causes of business disasters, over and over you'll find (a) predisposition toward endeavors that offer immediate gratification." At the same time, though, don't do the opposite and think ahead too far in the future. Again, you will change, the world will change, the competition will change. Entrepreneurs deal with these uncertainties, changes, and constraints head-on. They take stock of their assets, aspirations and the market realities to develop a competitive advantage. They craft flexible, iterative plans. They build a network of relationships throughout their industry that outlives their current venture. They aggressively seek and create breakout opportunities that involve focused risk, and actively manage that risk. They tap their network for the business intelligence to navigate tough challenges. And, they do these things from the moment they hatch that nascent idea to every day after that -- even as their companies go from being run out of a garage to occupying floors of office space. Companies act small to retain an innovative edge no matter how large they grow. That is why Steve Jobs famously called Apple the "biggest start-up on the planet." To succeed professionally in today's world, you need to adopt this same permanent beta mindset. You need to stay young and agile. You need to draw up plans, but be nimble enough to stray from those plans when appropriate. You must be persistent in fulfilling your vision, but also be ready to shift course based on the changing demands of the job market or economic landscape. You must be ever evolving. See also: Is workplace boredom 'the new stress?' And in the same way that entrepreneurs are always improving and investing in their products, you need to always be improving and investing in yourself. Make a plan to develop skills and experiences that are broadly useful to potential other jobs. Writing skills, general management experience, technical and computer skills, people smarts, and international experience or language skills are examples of skills with what we call high option value -- that is, they are transferable to a wide range of possible options. Once you've figured out which transferable skills to invest in, make a concrete action plan you can stick to, whether by signing up for a course or conference, or simply by pledging to spend one hour each week teaching yourself something. Begin on an experimental side project that you work on during some nights and weekends. Orient it around a skill or experience that is different but related to what you do now. Ideally, collaborate on this project with someone else in your network. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself relevant. Because winning careers, like winning start-ups, are in permanent beta: always a work in progress. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. | Keeping your career in "permanent beta" means continuous growth, say Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha .
Each day is an opportunity to learn more, do more, grow more, they say .
Just like entrepreneurs always improve their products, you need to always be improving yourself . |
fc5cb576957a01d228c4540d39ac34683bb38b41 | By . Liz Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 13:16 EST, 9 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:08 EST, 9 July 2012 . Diana, and Dodi Fayed, pictured in St Tropez in 1997 shortly before the fatal car-crash . It was ridiculed by critics at the Cannes Film Festival and struggled to raise any interest in the UK. Now, Keith Allen's controversial documentary about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed, will not be shown anywhere else in the world. Unlawful Killing had been set to premiere in the U.S. on August 31 on the 15th anniversary of her death and was also set to open in cinemas in Spain, India, Russia, Brazil and Italy. Allen had accused the Royal Family of masterminding the car crash that caused the death of Diana, Princess of Wales as a 'warning' to her to toe the line. In the documentary Prince Phillip is also branded a 'Fred West-style psychopath' who 'orchestrated the murder', while the Queen was dismissed as a 'gangster in a tiara'. Allen said the House of Windsor had 'got away with murder' because no one had been held to account over the accident. It premiered in Cannes last year but critics dismissed it as 'absurd', 'twaddle' and 'unlawfully dull'. Allen admitted he had struggled to get interest in the UK because of strict libel laws but insisted there was global demand for his project, . But it has now been shelved indefinitely after distributors failed to secure the necessary insurance to bring in to cinemas. A spokesman for the film said: . 'Unlawful Killing has been sold all around the world. But there was a . specific form of insurance needed by the U.S. distributors to cover them . for their French and UK offices. 'This proved impossible to secure. The film has been withdrawn in perpetuity.' Without the distributors would not be covered for the expense of any libel litigation brought through their French or British offices. The production was backed by Dodi's father Mohammed Al-Fayed, who invested £2.5 million in bringing it to screen. The controversial documentary Unlawful Killing, by Keith Allen, right, accuses the Royal Family of masterminding the car-crash which killed Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997 . In the film, the inquest in to her . death is presented as a cover-up in which different arms of the British . establishment - including the police, the Courts, and the Royal Family, . as well as the French coroner and government - had a hand. Unlawful . Killing opens with details of a letter penned by Diana to her Butler, . in which she claims that Prince Charles is planning to have her murdered . in a car accident. Dodi's father Mohammed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods, invested £2.5 million in the project . The production stated the 36-year-old could have been saved had she been taken to hospital quickly - and that the inquest failed to properly investigate why. The film shows the graphic black and white close-up of Diana taken moments after the Mercedes carrying the couple crashed in a Paris underpass, for a few seconds. The distressing image, in which her blonde hair and features clearly visible, has never been publicly seen in this UK. Allen said: 'The photo is not used in the film for the purpose of shock. It is included as evidence, because it shows clearly that, although Diana had been injured in the crash, she was alert and very much alive. I repeat: it is not a picture of a dying woman. 'As medical evidence presented at the inquest confirmed, if Diana had been taken promptly to hospital by Dr Jean-Marc Martino, she could well have survived. He added: 'Using the picture is not sensational - it illustrates the story.' The film features Al-Fayed accusing the Royal Family of being racist - and in particular Prince Phillip. Allen, who authors the documentary, suggests in it that the Establishment was unhappy with Diana's relationship with Dodi, because he was a Muslim, and it would have caused problems had the pair married. It also claims that her role in the anti-landmine campaign put her at risk from those in the arms industry, and those in power who had links to it. In 2008, after a six-month inquest which heard evidence from 250 witnesses and cost taxpayers an estimated £12million, a jury concluded that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were unlawfully killed as a direct result of grossly negligent driving by drunk chauffeur Henri Paul, who also died in the crash. The actions of photographers following the car were also cited. | Documentary brands Prince Phillip a 'Fred West-style psychopath' and the Queen 'a gangster in tiara'
Financed by Dodi's father Mohammed Al-Fayed who invested £2.5m in the project .
Critics at Cannes Film Festival branded it 'absurd' and 'unlawfully dull' |
fc5cf5bc3bb57736226034e4a3144205511e14f9 | The Pittsburgh Steelers needed less than three minutes to score 24 unanswered points in the second-quarter to help them beat the Houston Texans 30-23 on Monday. A mixture of trick plays and improbable bounces jolted Pittsburgh from a 13-0 deficit to a 24-13 lead in a span of 2:54, which erased an ugly start for the home side, who had been initially booed by their own fans. 'We fought through some adversity,' Pittsburgh quarter Ben Roethlisberger told reporters after he threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws a pass against the Houston Texas . Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (right) is brought down by the Texans' Danieal Manning (left) 'You dont expect to score that many points that fast. It was crazy.' Wide receiver Antonio Brown also threw for a surprise touchdown while Le'Veon Bell added 145 total yards and a receiving score. Arian Foster rushed for 102 yards and had a receiving touchdown for Houston but also had a costly fumble as the Texans were plagued by three turnovers. Pro Bowl defensive lineman J.J. Watt dominated early for the Texans with a sack and a fumble recovery, but his team never recovered from Pittsburgh's second-quarter outburst. 'We can't allow 24 points in (three minutes),' Watt said. If we can stop shooting ourselves in the foot I think well be alright.' Pittsburgh's spark began when Roethlisberger lofted a 35-yard pass to Martavis Bryant, who made the first catch of his NFL career to pull the Steelers to 13-10. On the Texans' next possession, Foster fumbled to give the home side the ball at the Houston three-yard line. Defensive end Brett Keisel (centre) runs beyond Adrian Foster (left) after intercepting a pass . Texans star Alfred Blue (right) is congratulated by team-mate C.J. Fiedorowicz after scoring a touchdown . Pittsburgh then capitalised with a play that saw Brown take a hand-off, reverse the field and throw a touchdown pass to Lance Moore. On Houston's next play from scrimmage, defensive end Brett Keisel tipped a pass from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and intercepted it after it ricocheted off Foster. It resulted in a two-yard scoring connection from Roethlisberger to Bell that gave the Steelers their 24-13 halftime cushion. Shaun Suisham kicked two of his three field goals in the second half to put the Steelers ahead 30-16 with about three minutes left. Houston responded with a drive and a one-yard touchdown pass to Foster, but they could not recover their final onside kick attempt. Â . | The Pittsburgh Steelers scored 24 unanswered points in less than three minutes to turn around a poor start .
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns .
Steelers were booed by their own fans early on . |
fc5d3fda5be7b467be4306b4dff49aac89e0b03a | By . Simon Jones . Dani Osvaldo is poised to fly to Milan on Sunday ahead of finalising his loan to Inter. The Southampton striker has agreed terms and is waiting for Inter to agree a loan fee plus £6m permanent fee to follow. Ronald Koeman has spoken to Inter midfielder Saphir Taider who will move in the opposite direction, as reported in Sportsmail. Misfit: Dani Osvaldo is close to ending his Southampton nightmare with a move to Inter Milan . Swap shop: Inter Milan's Algerian midfielder Saphir Taida is set to move in the opposite direction . Koeman said: 'We are looking for the best for Osvaldo and the best for the club. Taider brings quality and we need that. We need competition in the squad as well and that will be good.' Tottenham are expected to increase their offer for Morgan Schneiderlin, 24, over the weekend with the possibility players could also be offered in a deal. Southampton have had an initial £12m bid for Sporting Lisbon's Argentine defender Marcos Rojo rejected. Little Pea: Southampton are interested in United's Javier Hernandez but could face competition from Inter . The Saints are keen on signing Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, but could face competition from Inter. The south coast club can offer more cash up front but Hernandez would be keen to play European football if he left United. The Mexican has been continually linked with a move away from Old Trafford and is currently on United's pre-season tour of the USA. | Dani Osvaldo will complete loan move to Inter Milan with view to a permanent £6million transfer .
Serie A club's Sapher Taider will move in the opposite direction to Saints .
Ronaldo Koeman is also keen on Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez but faces competition .
Tottenham are expected to increase their offer for Morgan Schneiderlin . |
fc5e04c8f2cd398a4799a10a194c2e7023ce845b | Gareth Southgate has named his 22-man England Under 21 squad for the forthcoming friendly double-header with Portugal and France. As preparations start in earnest for next summer's European Championships in the Czech Republic - with the draw being made in Prague on Thursday evening - Southgate has named a strong squad with a couple of new faces. With Saido Berahino promoted to Roy Hodgson's senior squad, Southgate has called upon Bournemouth's Callum Wilson, who has scored nine goals in the Championship so far this season. Tottenham's Harry Kane will lead the line for England Under 21s in their friendlies with Portugal and France . Bournemouth's Callum Wilson, seen here scoring in the League Cup against West Brom, is also included . Gareth Southgate's men face Portugal and France in a friendly double-header in the next two weeks . There is also a first call-up for Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. Otherwise, the squad contains many of those who helped England beat Croatia in last month's play-off to qualify for the European finals. Among them are in-form Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Middlesbrough's loan signing from Chelsea Patrick Bamford and Derby's Will Hughes. Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli is included in the Under 21 squad for the first time . Patrick Bamford (right), at Middlesbrough on loan from Chelsea, is also selected in the 22-man squad . Saido Berahino, who scored in England Euro play-off with Croatia last month, has been called up to the seniors . Harry Kane celebrates his goal in the first leg of the European Championship play-off at Wolves . They will assemble at St George's Park on Monday before taking on Portugal at Burnley's Turf Moor ground on Thursday November 13 (7.45pm kick-off). They then head to Brest in Brittany for a friendly against France on Monday November 17th. Both games will be screened live on BT Sport. Before then, England will learn their group stage opponents in the draw for next June's finals in Prague. Goalkeepers: Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham), Jonathan Bond (Watford), Jack Butland (Derby County, loan from Stoke City). Defenders: Luke Garbutt (Everton), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Carl Jenkinson (West Ham United, loan from Arsenal), Michael Keane (Burnley, loan from Manchester United), Jamaal Lascelles (Nottingham Forest, loan from Newcastle United), Liam Moore (Leicester City), Jack Robinson (Huddersfield Town, loan from QPR). Midfielders: Tom Carroll (Swansea City, loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Chalobah (Burnley, loan from Chelsea), Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Hughes (Derby County), Thomas Ince (Nottingham Forest, loan from Hull City), Alex Pritchard (Brentford, loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Nathan Redmond (Norwich City). Forwards: Patrick Bamford (Middlesbrough, loan from Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Danny Ings (Burnley), Callum Wilson (AFC Bournemouth), Cauley Woodrow (Fulham) | Gareth Southgate has named 22-man squad for England Under 21 friendlies with Portugal and France .
Young Lions are beginning preparations for European Championships next summer, with group draw to be held on Thursday night .
Bournemouth's Callum Wilson and Fulham's Marcus Bettinelli called up for the first time . |
fc5e715c0e68e1dd88b6b8b1f1192591e73199fe | (CNN) -- By most accounts, the showdown was pretty brutal. Many declared Jon Stewart, right, the victor in his face-to-face with Jim Cramer on "The Daily Show." Many watching Thursday night's "Daily Show" on Comedy Central felt that comedian-turned-media-critic Jon Stewart held bombastic financial guru and CNBC "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer's feet to the fire. And Cramer flinched. Stewart, known for his zany, satirical take on the news, was serious as he took Cramer's network to task for what Stewart viewed as their "cheerleading" of corporations at the heart of the nation's current economic crisis. And despite the title of his financial show, Cramer came off as less mad and more apologetic. Watch Stewart vs. Cramer » . "If it was a prize fight, they would have stopped it," said Howard Kurtz, the "Washington Post" media critic and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources." "I was stunned that Jim Cramer kind of did a rope-a-dope strategy and didn't really defend himself against Jon Stewart's assault." Kurtz is very familiar with the style of both men. He has appeared on "The Daily Show" and is the author of "The Fortune Tellers: Inside Wall Street's Game of Money, Media and Manipulation," in which Cramer is featured. Kurtz said Stewart "made clear at the outset that he wasn't going for laughs" and displayed very much the same passion for holding the media accountable as he did when he appeared on, and denounced, CNN's "Crossfire." Watch the debate on "Reliable Sources" "When I went on [Stewart's] show last year, he was so wound up in ripping the media that he went on for another 10 minutes, knowing full well that we were out of time," Kurtz said. "Stewart, as funny as he can be, is a very trenchant media critic who cares passionately about this stuff, and we saw that Thursday night." iReporter David Seaman of New York said he was surprised at the vigor with which Stewart "attacked Cramer's credibility." Check out David's iReport . The public wants answers as to how the country got into such financial distress, and viewers really want someone to answer for the mess, Seaman said. "People want to see a lot of the financial gurus on a shish kabob, being skewered," Seaman said. "It's really important to hold people accountable, and as we saw last night, Jon Stewart is a bit of a wild card, so if you aren't living up to expectations, he may call you out." David Brancaccio, host and senior editor of "Now on PBS," commended Cramer for his bravery in going on the show, though he said he was surprised that the brilliant founder of TheStreet.com seemed ill-prepared for Stewart's very thoughtful questioning. Brancaccio, the former host of American Public Media's "Marketplace" radio program, echoed the comments of many in that he found the exchange visibly uncomfortable for the usually showman-like Cramer. "You have the comedian as journalist, and you have the financial journalist as clown, in that on his show, Cramer's goofing around and plays the clown," Brancaccio said. "What a role reversal." Brancaccio said Stewart's show has emerged as an important vehicle for media criticism. Thursday night's show marked an important moment in journalism, especially financial reporting, Brancaccio said. "It's really important that tough questions are asked, because when tough questions aren't asked, we end up with Enron," he said. "It's interesting that the tough questions came from Jon Stewart, brilliant comedian that he is." Brancaccio thinks the episode may serve as a cautionary tale for those in the media who don't do their due diligence. White House approves of smackdown . "I don't think any financial journalist wants to be in Cramer's position," Brancaccio said. "I think [journalists] may redouble their efforts to be dispassionate reporters asking the tough questions." Steve Krakauer is associate editor of TVNewser.com, one of the leading blogs about the television news industry, and said comments at his site have been mixed about the show. Although some thought it was one of the best interviews they had ever seen, others found Stewart arrogant and said his outrage might have been a bit staged. Krakauer said the question now is where Cramer -- who has said he plans to make some changes to his show -- goes from here. Krakauer said he doubts that there will be a complete overhaul of "Mad Money." "I can't see things drastically changing," Krakauer said. " 'Mad Money' is one of the most successful shows on CNBC. Despite what has been written about Jim Cramer, the things he's gotten incorrect and the calls he has made, he's still popular and one of the most entertaining for people who are interested in that type of financial news." If anything, Cramer's appearance on "The Daily Show" may have just stoked the flames. Comedy Central's Web site played it up with clips from the show that it called "an historic moment in basic cable." The topic is such a hot one that Kurtz will lead "Reliable Sources" with it Sunday, with journalist Tucker Carlson, radio show host Stephanie Miller and "Baltimore Sun" television critic David Zurawik as guests. "Beyond the entertainment value, and we are not above that, this is a really important moment for holding financial journalists accountable," Kurtz said. "It may have taken Jon Stewart to blow the whistle on some of the hype and shortsightedness at America's top business news channel, but those failings were repeated throughout the business press, which stumbled badly in reporting on what turned into a huge financial meltdown." | Critics and viewers see Stewart as victor after interview with "Mad Money" host .
Pair squared off in an uncomfortable debate on "The Daily Show"
iReporter: Surprised at how Stewart "attacked Cramer's credibility"
Howard Kurtz: "Important moment for holding financial journalists accountable" |
fc5eac98d5a50d0ee760855d570e1497e68639fd | Dapper in a navy suit, Prince Harry looked fresh-faced as he arrived in Oman this morning, following an overnight flight from London. The 30-year-old is on the first leg of a three-day tour that will see him take in souks, sword dances and a visit to an ancient fort, and was met by an honour guard, some of whom carried traditional daggers. Blinking in the desert sun, Harry was greeted at Muscat International Airport by Sayyid Haithem Bin Tariq Al Said, the Sultan of Oman's first cousin and the Omani Patron of the Omani-British Friendship Association. Scroll down for video . Royal welcome: Harry was met by HH Sayyid Haithem Bin Tariq Al Said at Muscat International Airport . The two men posed for a brief photo call in typical Middle Eastern style, sitting on two chairs in an elaborately decorated lounge underneath the sword and dagger symbol of the Omani Sultanate. Harry told his Royal host: 'I send best wishes from Her Majesty. She is very well.' He was then offered coffee and a traditional sweet treat with almonds known as halwa. The prince left accompanied by his Scotland Yard police protection officers and Omani bodyguards wearing the traditional khan-jer - dagger - in their belts. Harry is staying in the desert kingdom at the private invitation of the Sultan and had been due to attend a National Day celebration today in his honour. Unfortunately the Omani leader is currently receiving medical treatment in Germany for an undisclosed illness, meaning the parade will now no longer take place. Fresh-faced: Harry looked fresh-faced as he arrived in Oman, despite the red-eye flight from London . Chat: Prince Harry enjoyed a chat with Sayyid Haithem Bin Tariq Al Said who is Sultan Qaboos' cousin . According to Kensington Palace, The Diwan - the Royal Court - in Oman - was still keen for the royal visit to take place, however, and Harry will continue with his plans to visit attractions including the Nizwa Fort and the Grand Mosque. A spokesman said: 'The Prince is travelling to Oman at the personal invitation of His. Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. 'The visit reflects the close personal and respectful relationship that exists between The Royal Families of both countries. 'Despite The Sultan's unavailability to personally host Prince Harry on this occasion, both parties were keen that the visit still takes place given the direct and personal nature of the invitation.' The aide added: 'It will be an opportunity for a Prince Harry to see and experience the country for the first time following recent successful and enjoyable visits by other members of his family.' These include the Queen and Prince Philip in 2010 and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall just last year. Stepping in: Sayyid Haithem Bin Tariq Al Said stepped in after the Sultan flew to Germany for medical help . Formidable: Harry was met by an honour guard carrying traditional curved daggers . Tasty: Prince Harry was given coffee and a Middle Eastern sweet called halwa on arrival . The royal's new itinerary in the Sultanate will now include a visit to The British Embassy in Muscat, where Harry will have an opportunity to meet staff and hear about the work of the officials there. Tomorrow he will also visit the historic Nizwa Fort, where the prince will view local arts and crafts at a souq outside the gates before being greeted with a traditional sword dance inside the Fort's main courtyard. Harry will also enjoy a guided tour around the historic ramparts of the Fort itself, which offer stunning views of Nizwa and the surrounding mountains. Nizwa Fort was built in the 1650s by Imam Sultan Bin Saif Al Ya'rubi, although its underlying structure dates back to the 12th Century. It is Oman's most visited national monument and a reminder of the city's significant role through some of the more turbulent periods in Oman's history. On Thursday the prince will be taken to the stunning Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat where he will be shown around by a member of the Diwan Higher Centre for Culture and Science. Entertaining: Charles and Camilla visited Oman in 2013 and were greeted by sword dancers . Unwell: Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said has been forced to seek medical treatment in Germany . Royal visit: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Muscat in 2010 . The mosque was a gift to the nation by the Sultan to mark the 30th year of his reign and can accommodate a staggering 20,000 worshippers, including 750 women in a private musalla or prayer hall. On Thursday the prince will fly to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates where he will play in the Sentebale Polo Cup at Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club. Afterwards Harry will attend a fundraising dinner and give a speech. The match is in aid of the charity he set up in 2006 in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, following a gap year visit to Lesotho. The name Sentebale means 'forget me not' in the local dialect, Basotho. Lesotho is a tiny, poverty-stricken and landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa with one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world. Sentebale supports the many thousands of children affected by the AIDS epidemic both directly and though losing their families to the disease. Colourful: Oman is famous for its colourful horse parades, but Prince Harry will now miss out on one . Life expectancy for men and women in the kingdom is just 41 years, one in three children are orphans and there are believed to be more than 40,000 adolescents living with HIV. The Sentebale Cup, which is in its fifth year, is helping to support the Mamohato Programme, which address the emotional and psychological needs of children living with HIV as well as working to reduce the stigma linked to the disease and helping to markedly improve their quality of life. Harry, who plans to make a visit to some of the charity's projects in Lesotho next June, has said he hopes to expand its work to other countries in Africa. It is understood that Harry plans to stay on in Abu Dhabi privately after the official elements of the trip have concluded on Thursday to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, which is on this weekend. | Prince Harry arrived in Muscat this morning following an overnight flight .
Was greeted by cousin of Sultan Qaboos and dagger-wielding guards .
Will spend two days in Oman before travelling to the neighbouring UAE .
For more details on the Sentebale Cup see www.sentebale.org . |
fc5ebbef99e913d7b1c46d8775fd758c7800012b | By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:47 EST, 20 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 16:53 EST, 20 January 2014 . Six people were killed in two separate triple fatal car accidents in Ohio Sunday, including two young girls, age 8 and 11. Police say the 11-year-old was ejected from the back of an SUV carrying two adults and seven children, only three of whom were properly restrained. Addisyn Benzel, 11, was thrown from the cargo area of the vehicle after a driver of a car heading the other direction crossed over the center line on a roadway in Columbiana County, about 40 miles south of Youngstown, said Ohio Highway Patrol Staff Lieutenant Anne Ralston. The driver of the SUV, 39-year-old James Nign and his 27-year-old wife, Meghann Nign, were also killed in the accident around 11am Sunday. Tragic: This head-on crash in northeast Ohio claimed the lives of the driver, passenger and an 11-year-old girl riding in the back Sunday . Horror: Tragedy struck again when three others were killed when this car smashed into a tree . Six other children in the Chevy Equinox, including a 6-year-old sitting on Meghann Nign's lap, were taken to area hospitals, police said, but their conditions were unknown Sunday night. Highway Patrol said that none of the three who were killed were wearing seat belts. Three children, ages 9 months to 4 years old, were in child safety seats, but two other 11-year-old victims were not wearing seatbelts. Ralston said the driver of the Jeep Cherokee that struck the Nign's car, Rachel Lindesmith, 31, of Hanoverton, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, along with her 9-month-old son. Lindesmith was wearing her seatbelt and her son was in a child safety seat, police said. Ralston said an investigation is ongoing and Lindesmith has not been charged. In the second fatal car accident, three people were killed after a car ran off the road and crashed into a tree in central Ohio Sunday night. James and Meghann Nign (left) were killed when their SUV was hit head-on by an SUV driven by Rachel Lindesmith, 31 (right). An 11-year-old girl in the Nigns' SUV also died. Ms Lindesmith was injured by survived . Seven children were riding in this SUV when it was hit. Police say only three of them were properly restrained . The Ohio Highway Patrol said that three people in the car died at the scene on state route 229 in Delaware County, 40 miles north of Columbus. Video from WBNS-10TV in Columbus shows snow blown onto the roadway where the crash occurred. Driver James W. Wyatt III, 33, died along with his sister, Elizabeth Wyatt, 28, and her daughter, Isabella Zinsmaster, 8, according to Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Curry. Elizabeth Wyatt and her daughter were sitting in the back seat of the car and all three lived in Marion, Curry said. The front-seat passenger, Jessica Wray, 22, of Alexandria, Virginia, was James Wyatt's fiance, Curry said. She was listed in critical condition at the OSU Wexner Medical Center. | A head-on crash in northeast Ohio claimed the lives of the driver, his wife and an 11-year-old girl who was thrown from the SUV .
Addisyn Benzel was one of seven children in the SUV when it was hit - only three of them properly restrained .
Second crash outside Columbus killed the driver, his sister and her 8-year-old daughter .
Driver lost control of the vehicle in a snow bank and hit a tree . |
fc5eff55568a72648edb98efb3955415136de43a | By . David Kent . Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal close to £24million to sign Antoine Griezmann from Real Sociedad. The 23-year-old was linked with a big-money move to Tottenham but La Liga winners Atletico have won the race for the France forward. The Spanish champions announced on their official website: 'Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Antoine Griezmann. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Antoinne Griezmann find the top corner trying out new boots . In demand: Atletico Madrid have won the race for Real Sociedad winger Antoine Griezmann . Deal: The La Liga champions will pay a fee close to Griezmann's £24million buy-out clause . Wanted man: Griezmann (right) has been linked with a move to Tottenham and Chelsea as well as Atletico . 'The young French footballer will sign a contract with our teams once he passes his medical.' And Atletico boss Diego Simeone is excited at the prospect of the Frenchman joining the club. 'He’s a brilliant player,' said Simeone, speaking to reporters on Atletico's US pre season tour. 'He is very quick and can give us a lot of options in attack.' Tottenham and Chelsea had been linked with the Frenchman, who starred for his nation during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but the La Liga champions have won the race for his signature. And the Sociedad later issued a statement thanking the pacey wideman for his contribution during his nine years in San Sebastian. 'Real Sociedad would like to thank Antoine Griezmann for the professionalism and dedication shown during his years at the club, while wishing you the best for your personal and professional future.' Griezmann has been capped nine times for Les Bleus and has netted on three occasions. The winger will link up with Arda Turan and fellow new signing Mario Manduzkic in an impressive front three as Atleti look to defend their La Liga title from big-spending Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Pedigree: Griezmann shields the ball from Mats Hummels during France's match with Germany . Young talent: Griezmann was one of France's standout players during their World Cup campaign . Gone: Real Sociedad have already lost goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to Barcelona for £10m this summer . | Griezmann looks set to move to Atletico upon completing a medical .
Atletico have paid close to the £24million buy-out clause in his contract .
Spurs and Chelsea had been linked with a move for Real Sociedad winger .
Griezmann has nine caps for France and has netted on three occasions .
The 23-year-old has scored an impressive 52 goals in 201 Sociedad games . |
fc5f12949bbf923a66b48d889b1cc2fa1a3d821d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Levi Aron, the 'Butcher of Brooklyn', plead guilty today after admitting to the murder of eight-year-old Leiby Kletzky, who was abducted last July as he walked home from day camp alone for the first time. The boy had to walk just seven blocks to get to where his parents were eagerly waiting for him, when he got lost and stopped to ask Aron for directions. In a gruesome confession, Aron told the courts that he smothered, dismembered and stuffed Leiby into a suitcase after snatching him from a Brooklyn street on July 11, 2011, in shockingly detached detail. Plea: Levi Aron arrives in New York state Supreme Court to plead guilty to murder . Guilty: Levi Aron, center, confers with his attorneys Howard Greenberg, left, Jennifer McCann, and Pierre Bazile, in New York state Supreme Court, . Under the deal, Aron would entered a guilty plea to murder, receiving up to life in prison, plus another 15 years for kidnapping. Judge Neil Firetog asked Aron a series of questions during the court appearance. He admitted to kidnapping the boy, taking him to a wedding in Rockland County and then killing him. Just two days after Leiby went missing last year, Aron penned a confessional that detailed his horrific crime. 'He fought back a little bit until [sic] eventually he stopped breathing,' Aron wrote. 'I carried the body to the front room to start by placing him on the red mattress where I cut one leg at the hip.' Today he told the court again that he tied Leiby up with a towel when they returned from the wedding. 'What did you do with that towel?' asked the judge. 'Smothered him,' he whispered. Then, the judge asked him what he did next. 'I got rid of the body,' Aron said, according to the New York Post. 'How did you get rid of the body,' the judge asked. Brutal killing: Leiby Kletzky, 8, was walking home alone for the first time last July when he was snatched from the street . 'I put it in a suitcase.' 'In order to put the body in a suitcase, did you have to cut up the body?' 'Yes,' Aron replied. 'Did you get a knife?' 'Yes.' 'From where?' the judge asked. 'The kitchen.' 'What did u do with the suitcase?' 'I took it to a dumpster.' Nachman and Esther Kletzky did not attend the hearing, but did issue a statement. 'There is no way one can comprehend or understand the pain of losing a child,' Nachman Kletzky said. 'Esther and I faced this unspeakable tragedy last year when out little boy Leiby was ruthlessly taken from us.' 'Today my family has finally received some partial closure on one aspect of this nightmare. Closure does not mean we don't continue to feel the pain.' He continued: 'A day does not pass without our thinking of Leiby -- but today we close the door on this one aspect of our tragedy and seek to remember only the gifts that God has bestowed, including the nine years Leiby was with us.' Confession: Levi Aron penned this horrific confession after his arrest last year . Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who has been speaking on behalf of the Kletzky family, told the New York Daily News that the family did not want to go through with a trial. 'The family has to live with this for the rest of their lives. They want to bring this to a conclusion,' he said. 'The idea of having a trial was not something that they wanted to go through. They want to make sure that there is justice.' There was no comment from Aron's defense lawyers on the plea deal. Last . July, Leiby got lost on his walk home from day . camp and asked Aron, whom he met on the street, for help. Family: Nachman Kletzy and his family mourn his son Leiby in Brooklyn . Saying goodbye: The close-knit Hasidic . community said goodbye to the boy in a funeral in Borough Park . It was the first time the child had been allowed to walk home alone. He was supposed to walk just seven blocks to . meet his mother but missed a turn. Aron, . a hardware supply store clerk, took the boy home where they watched TV before the boy fell asleep, police said. Leiby . remained there the next day when Aron went to work - and a frantic . search was taking place in the community for the lost boy. 'Towards the end of the day when I saw the flyers, I panicked and was affraid [sic],' he wrote in his confession on July 13, 2011. Heavy matters: Levi Aron, the confessed killer of an 8-year-old Hasidic boy, has gained a significant amount of weight while in jail at Rikers . Booking: Levi Aron, right, is seen being led into the 67th Precinct by police July 14, 2011 . He made the boy a tuna sandwich before smothering him with a towel. 'He fought back a little bit until [sic] eventually he stopped breathing,' Aron wrote. Not knowing what to do with the body, Aron began cutting into the boy's skin. 'I carried the body to the front room to start by placing him on the red mattress where I cut one leg at the hip,' he wrote. 'I understand this maybe [sic] wrong and I'm sorry for hurt that I've caused.' Levi Aron . Referring then on to the boy's limbs as 'parts' he stuffed them in the refrigerator and took two showers. 'I panicked and looked for something to transport the parts. Then putting the parts in a suitcase. Then carrying suitcase to the car. Then left,' he wrote. He put the suitcase in a dumpster just two miles from his home. Officials found Leiby's severed feet still wrapped in plastic in his freezer. Afterwards he told officers that he was hearing voices telling him ‘to take his own life for . what he did.' Aron, . who has grown massively obese while on Riker's Island, was allegedly . suffering from psychotic episodes and placed on suicide watch. My name is Levi Aron. Jailed for life: Levi Aron, 36, accepted a plea deal for the kidnap, murder and dismemberment of Leiby Kletzky last July in Brooklyn, New York . On Monday evening around 5:30P I went to my dentist Dr Sorcher to make a payment for visit for exam routine. A boy approached me on where the Judaica book store was, he was still there when went out from the dentist's office. He asked me for a ride to the Judaica book store. While on the way, he changed his mind and wasn't sure where he wanted to go. So I asked if he wanted to go for the ride (wedding in Monsey). Since I didn't think I was going to stay for the whole thing since my back was hurting. He said OK. Due to traffic I got back around 11:30P and my back was hurting from earlier that day. So I brought him to my house, thinking I'd bring him to his house the next day. He watched TV, then fell asleep in the front room. I went to the middle room to sleep. That next morning he was still sleeping when I was ready to leave. So I woke him and told him I'll bring him to his house when I get back afterwards. Towards the end of the day when I saw the flyers, I panicked and was affraid [sic]. When I got home he was still there. So I made him a tuna sandwich. I was still in panic from the fliers and affraid [sic] to bring him home (his house). That is when approximately I went for a towel to smother him (in the side room.) He fought back a little bit until [sic] eventually he stopped breathing. Afterwards, I panicked because I didn't know what do with the body. After about 15-20 minutes, I carried the body to the front room to start by placing him on the red mattress where I cut one leg at the hip. Then carried the two parts to the back room placing the two parts between freezer and frigerator [sic], then placing plastics covering floor and table. Was having trouble the leg to fit in the bag, so I had to cut at bottom. Then separating the other leg in same places, I place the parts in freezer, then showered. Went to clean up a little then took a second shower. I panicked and looked for something to transport the parts. Then putting the parts in a suitcase. Then carrying suitcase to the car. Then left. Placing suitcase in backseat on floor behind passenger side. Then pulled out. Drove around approximately around 20 minutes. Before placing it in dumpster on 20st just before 4th Ave. Then went home. To clean and organize. I understand this maybe wrong and I'm sorry for hurt that I've caused.Levi Aron7/13/118:00AM . | Leiby, 8, who lived in Hasidic neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York was abducted and dismembered last July .
Levi Aron told police he 'made [Leiby] a tuna sandwich' before he 'went for a towel to smother him'
Family spokesman said: 'The idea of having a trial was not something that they wanted to go through'
Aron plead guilty today to horrific crime and sentenced to 40 years to life . |
fc5fa60854e3794bf5028b70f086391fabe1b923 | A father-to-be who accidentally ran over and killed his pregnant fiancée outside their baby shower just three weeks before the child was due has been jailed. Both the unborn baby girl and Jessica Fenner, 22, died following the crash in Morden, Surrey, earlier this year. Croydon Crown Court heard Daniel Dutfield, 24, who had passed his driving test just a year before, was nearly three times over the legal driving limit when he hit his pregnant partner on July 5 in his turbocharged 1.8l Ford Focus, which had been lowered and a 'racing style' clutch fitted. Dutfield, 24, was nearly three times over the limit when he hit his pregnant partner on July 5 this year . Mark Paltenghi, prosecuting, told the court: 'To celebrate the coming of their baby a baby shower and barbecue was held at the defendant's mother's home. 'The defendant said he had drunk about six or seven pints of strong lager. He says he wasn't a drinker and felt drunk after two pints. 'It's clear that at some point during the afternoon things took a turn for the worse as far as the defendant is concerned.' The court heard a drunken Dutfield had become agitated when members of his family had not shown up to the party. Mr Paltenghi said: 'He said it was 'p***ing him off' how certain people he'd invited hadn't turned up. 'He then walked out of the house, down the driveway and crossed the street to where his Ford was parked and got in. He was worse for wear from the amount he had drunk.' He then 'bombed off' down the road, accelerating up to 60mph around the loop of the quiet estate. Mr Paltenghi said: 'At this point Jessica and her friend discovered the defendant had left. They came out of the house and stood on the street. 'Her friend said she heard the sound of a car engine revving and she saw the defendant's vehicle.' By the time they were taken to hospital their baby girl was dead and Ms Fenner died the following day . An eye witness said he saw the defendant spin the wheel round like someone trying to get the back end to go out, but it was so quick he lost control. Mr Paltenghi said: 'It careered from one side of the street to the other, mounted the pavement and collided with a street sign. The momentum of the car caused Jessica to be knocked down.' He added: 'The insurance company has said that had it known of the vehicle's modifications, particularly, the suspension, they would not have insured him.' Paramedics were called to the scene at 8.08pm and rushed Ms Fenner to hospital, where her child was pronounced dead on arrival. She died the following day. Police called to the scene gave Dutfield a breath test, which revealed he was 93mg over the 35mg legal limit to drive. Dutfield, an apprentice engineer, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Croydon Crown Court in September and has now been jailed for four and a half years. Dutfield wept as the court heard the pair, who had been in a relationship for six years, were 'joined at the hip'. Judge Warwick McKinnon, the Recorder of Croydon, said: 'This is a totally tragic case. Everyone is agreed that this was a freak accident with totally, dreadfully, tragic consequences. 'However you drove drunkenly, aggressively, and at speed, in a residential area. Children could have quite easily been present. 'It's a tragic case, you killed the one you love.' The court heard Dutfield is suffering from depression and had been deemed a suicide risk in custody . Referring to statement from Ms Fenner's mother, Julie Fenner, which was not read out in court, the judge said she spoke 'movingly' about the 'pain, grief, and all-encompassing anguish of losing a daughter, in such tragic, senseless circumstances.' He added: 'This was a wholly avoidable and premature death but no sentence I can pass today, whatever its length can restore the human life that has been so senselessly lost.' Avirup Chaudhuri, defending, said: 'The word tragedy is perhaps over-used these days, but nobody can deny the term is appropriate to this case.' The court heard Dutfield is suffering from depression and had been deemed a suicide risk in custody, though he had helped prevent the suicides of two other inmates while on remand. The court also heard he had no previous convictions and no points on his driving licence . Croydon Crown Court heard the pair, who had been in a relationship for six years, were 'joined at the hip' Dutfield has been jailed for four and a half years after hitting his pregnant fiancée in his car while over the limit . In the months prior to her tragic death Miss Fenner, a shop assistant at hardware store Wilkinson's, told family and friends how excited she was to have moved in with her boyfriend and to start a family. On May 31, the mother-to-be wrote on her Facebook page: 'Had a lovely evening with Dan Dutfield - not long till us 2 become 3 can't wait to meet our beautiful baby girl xx.' She also shared scans of their baby girl and asked for name suggestions. Mr Chaudhuri, said: 'He was hard working, dedicated to his girlfriend and wider family and looking forward to becoming a father. 'Any punishment that this court can give will never compare to the torment he puts himself through on a daily basis.' Dutfield, who appeared in the dock in dark suit and pink shirt, wept as he was sentenced. He was ordered to pay a £120 surcharge and banned from driving for seven years. The public gallery was packed with members of both Dutfield and his dead fiancée's family. Speaking outside Scotland Yard Detective Constable Iain Lister said on behalf of the family: 'The sentence will not bring Jessica back, but we hope it brings some comfort and justice, and that the Fenner family can begin to move on from this tragedy.' | Daniel Dutfield, 24, has been jailed for four and half years following the crash .
He had previously pleaded guilty to running over his partner Jessica Fenner .
Jessica was 24 days from giving birth when she and her baby died in July .
Court heard they had been a couple for six years and were 'joined at the hip'
She was taken to hospital after the crash in Morden, Surrey, but later died . |
fc5fa87158aa97465de82437e2fdc251371d1e77 | London (CNN) -- A frozen food producer caught up in a scandal over horsemeat found in beef products in the United Kingdom, Sweden and France said Saturday it will sue the Romanian producer it blames for the problem. The French arm of Swedish frozen food firm Findus said it would file a legal complaint Monday against the unnamed Romanian business. Findus said it had been told that its products were being made with French beef, not Romanian horsemeat. "We were deceived," said a Findus France statement. "There are two victims in this affair: Findus and the consumer." Also, the British arm of Findus said Saturday said it was considering legal action against suppliers, adding that early results of its internal investigation "strongly suggests" the horsemeat contamination of a beef lasagna product "was not accidental." Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was held in London Saturday, as ministers, food inspectors and retailers grappled with a scandal that appears to be spreading across Europe. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was "completely unacceptable" that consumers were being sold food that contained horse in place of beef. Horsemeat found in hamburgers in Britain and Ireland . The evidence so far suggests "either criminal activity or gross negligence," he said. Paterson warned that "more bad news" could come. UK food businesses have been ordered to test all processed beef products for "authenticity" and report back to the authorities by Friday. "I am determined that we get to the bottom of this and that any wrongdoing discovered is punished," said a statement by Paterson after the meeting. Retailers in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden pulled millions of lasagna and other processed beef products off the shelves as the alarm was raised over the Findus lasagnas. The controversy comes less than a month after horsemeat was found in hamburgers sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Officials in Ireland have pointed to Polish meat ingredients as being the source of horsemeat found in burgers there. The UK Food Standards Agency said the evidence "points to either gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain. This is why we have already involved the police, both here and in Europe." An agency spokesman, Brad Smythe, told CNN that participants in Saturday's meeting had agreed that "meaningful results" must be achieved by Friday. "This concerns products that are most likely to have been contaminated, such as beef lasagne and other budget ranges," Smythe said. The meeting was about clarifying what tests are possible, what laboratory capacity is needed, and what can be done to protect consumer confidence, he said. Horse: Coming soon to a meat case near you? "This is completely unacceptable -- this isn't about food safety but about proper food labeling and confidence in retailers," Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday, quoted on his official Twitter feed. The revelations have thrown the meat industry into crisis and revolted many meat eaters in the United Kingdom, where horsemeat is generally considered taboo, although it is commonly eaten in neighboring France, as well as countries including China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Italy. Findus said Thursday it had withdrawn its lasagna -- labeled with the British spelling, "lasagne" -- from UK stores Monday as a precaution after its French supplier, Comigel, raised concerns about the type of meat used. Meanwhile, Findus France has temporarily withdrawn three ready-prepared dishes -- lasagna bolognese, shepherd's pie and moussaka -- because of the discovery of horsemeat in purported 100% beef products, the firm said. The company added, however, that the three products could still be eaten without health risk. Responding to questions as to how long it had known about the horsemeat issue, Findus said it had only been alerted by Comigel in a letter dated 2 February. That letter had made Findus "aware of a possible August 2012 date" for the contamination, the company said. British retailer Aldi said it had also withdrawn two of its products, a beef lasagna and spaghetti bolognese, after supplier Comigel "flagged concerns that the products do not conform to specification." While horsemeat is not itself a food safety hazard, its unauthorized presence -- in quantities up to 100% -- in foods purported to be made with beef has raised serious concerns. Comigel has not yet responded to CNN requests for comment. Chief among food inspectors' concerns is that the illicit horsemeat could contain the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or "bute," commonly used to treat horses. Neigh it ain't so: Burger King finds horsemeat at European supplier . Meat from animals treated with phenylbutazone is not allowed to enter the food chain as it may pose a risk to human health. Findus has been ordered to test the lasagna withdrawn from shelves in the United Kingdom for the drug's presence. Aldi said in a statement that tests on random samples of its affected products, labeled Today's Special Frozen Beef Lasagne and Today's Special Frozen Spaghetti Bolognese, "demonstrated that the withdrawn products contained between 30% and 100% horse meat. "This is completely unacceptable and like other affected companies, we feel angry and let down by our supplier. If the label says beef, our customers expect it to be beef." Samples of the affected Findus lasagna also contained between 60 and 100% horsemeat, according to UK and Irish food safety inspectors. In January, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland found that 10 out of 27 hamburger products it analyzed in a study contained horse DNA, while 23 of them -- or 85% -- tested positive for pig DNA. In nine out of the 10 burger samples, the horse DNA was found at very low levels, the inspectors said, but in one sample from Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, the horse meat accounted for about 29% of the burger. Tesco apologized to customers after the revelation and promised action to make sure it never happened again. The discovery of pig DNA in beef products is of particular concern to Jews and Muslims, whose dietary laws proscribe the consumption of pig products. Jewish dietary laws also ban the eating of horsemeat. The Justice Ministry confirmed last week that a number of meat pies and similar items supplied to prisons in England and Wales were labeled and served as halal -- prepared in compliance with Islamic dietary law -- but contained traces of pork DNA, the Food Standards Agency said. Horsemeat is not commonly eaten in the United States, but the country does export it to Canada and Mexico. Congress passed a bill in November 2011 that lifted a 5-year-old ban on the slaughter of horses for meat in the United States. CNN's Alexander Felton contributed to this report. | NEW: Findus UK says horsemeat in lasagna product may be intentional .
UK food firms must produce "meaningful results" in tests on all beef products by Friday .
Findus France says it will sue a Romanian producer for horsemeat contamination .
UK Food Standards Agency says it's contacted the police at home and in Europe . |
fc5fb11391a10856032d4b80d73206ed9d0ce2c6 | Gloomy prediction: Jacques Attali says the euro has a 'one in two' chance of collapsing in the coming month . Britain was last night planning for the collapse of the eurozone as Spain weighed up a bailout that could cost UK taxpayers £5billion. The Government is preparing for the biggest mass default in history and the break-up of the single currency bloc. Analysts warned that euro meltdown would wreak havoc in the banking system and plunge the global economy back into recession. Whitehall sources said contingency plans are being drawn up – and indicated that the longer the euro limps on, the more time Britain has to prepare. Fears are mounting that Greece will be forced to default on its debts as the crisis threatens to sink Spain and Italy. The storm hit Belgium last night as the country’s credit rating was cut from AA+ to AA by Standard & Poor’s amid tumbling confidence in the region. And a leading French economist, Jacques Attali, the former president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, said there was only a 50-50 chance of the euro surviving until Christmas. Sources in Madrid said the new Spanish government is considering applying for international aid to shore up its battered finances. It is thought a bailout of around £340billion would be required to keep the country afloat – with as much as £5billion coming from Britain through the International Monetary Fund. The long-term debt ratings for the eurozone, the U.S. and Japan . United Kingdom 2.22% . France 3.71% . Germany 2.21% . Greece 27.97% . Italy 7.21% . Borrowing costs in Italy raced to record highs as the new government in Rome was hammered on the financial markets. In a move that raises the pressure on . Italian prime minister Mario Monti, investors demanded a punitive 6.5 . per cent interest rate on a short-term loan. ‘The pricing is awful,’ said Padhraic Garvey, an analyst at ING bank. Benchmark borrowing costs in Italy soared above 7 per cent – the level which triggered bailouts in Greece, Portugal and Ireland. The alarming developments in Spain and Italy threaten to cripple the eurozone. Credit rating agencies have warned . that France’s coveted AAA debt score is under threat. Germany was rocked . this week by the worst bond auction since the launch of the single . currency more than a decade ago. Investors bought only 60 per cent of . debt on offer from Berlin in a sign that the crisis is spreading to the . core of the eurozone. The debt storm has triggered panic in Britain and America amid fears that it will tip the global economy into recession. The euro fell nearly 1 per cent . against the U.S. dollar to little more than $1.32 and was down half a . per cent against sterling, making a euro worth 85.6p. Brendan McGrath, a senior analyst at . Western Union, said: ‘Confidence in the region diminishes while the . outlook for a solution to the eurozone crisis seems as far away as it . has ever been.’ | Italy's yields almost double previous month .
FTSE claws its way up after 0.5% fall .
Ten-year yield above 7% 'unsustainable' threshold .
Hungary credit rating downgraded to 'junk status' |
fc60da4daba564117196900f08e62c47e73bf605 | (CNN) -- When Joanne Branham lost her husband, Frank, to a brain tumor, she was devastated. But it wasn't until she visited her old neighbors in McCullom Lake, Illinois, that she began to question the cause of his death. Back in the community where she and Frank had lived for almost 40 years, Branham learned two of her former neighbors also had brain tumors. "It was like a light bulb went off," Branham recalls. "How can that many have cancer living right next door to each other?" Since then, more brain cancer cases have turned up, 30 in all, among current and former residents of McCullom Lake, a community of about 1,000 residents in northern Illinois, not far from the Wisconsin state line. Branham and others in McCullom Lake are now pointing the finger at a chemical plant a mile up the road in Ringwood, Illinois. For decades, they say, the Rohm and Haas plant dumped, spilled and leaked thousands of pounds of vinyl chloride and other toxic chemicals, poisoning the water and air around McCullom Lake. "I don't think there's been a bigger brain cancer cluster outside the workplace -- ever," says Aaron Freiwald, attorney for 31 McCullom Lake Village plaintiffs now suing Rohm and Haas. In addition to the brain cancer cases, there is one plaintiff alleging her liver damage resulted from environmental pollution. The company denies making anyone sick. Branham's case is the first to go to trial, with jury selection set to begin Wednesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 'Frank didn't have a chance' Frank Branham died in June 2004, a month after learning that he had a deadly glioblastoma brain tumor. He was 63. "Frank didn't have a chance," Joanne Branham says. "What they did was very wrong. They played with people's lives. I lost a husband, who was my best friend. The kids lost their father. The grandkids lost their grandfather," she added, barely able to get her words out through her tears. Rohm and Haas says even though the cancer cases are close together, they are random. "There is no cluster in McCullom Lake Village," says Kevin Van Wart, attorney for Rohm and Haas. "If you draw circles around selected cases, you can always draw the conclusion of something unusual." Brain and central nervous system cancers strike 7.6 per 100,000 people in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. An estimated 22,020 men and women in the United States will get diagnosed with these cancers this year. A month after the lawsuit was filed in 2006, the McHenry County Health Department in Illinois concluded there was no cluster of cancer cases in McCullom Lake. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did its own analysis and agreed. Originally a dairy . The Rohm and Haas site produces polymers, adhesives, resins and sealants on a 120-acre site originally built as a dairy operation in 1916 and converted to chemical manufacturing in the early 1940s. The facility has disposed its waste off site since 1978, but vinyl chloride, trichloroethylene, or TCE, and vinylidene chloride have all been found in nearby groundwater, according to the CDC. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services calls vinyl chloride "a known carcinogen." Long-term exposure to vinyl chloride on the job increases workers' risk of cancers of the liver, brain, lung and blood, according to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Breathing or drinking high levels of TCE can damage the central nervous system, liver and lungs and also cause an abnormal heartbeat, according to the agency. Breathing high levels of vinylidene chloride can affect the central nervous system, liver and kidneys, the agency says. But Van Wart, the Rohm and Haas attorney, says the plume of contaminated groundwater is moving away from McCullom Lake and does not affect any homes or residential wells. "Nobody disputes that it exists. But that is not going anywhere near McCullom Lake Village," Van Wart says. "No agency has ever concluded any resident was exposed to dangerous chemicals." To put residents' fears at ease, Rohm and Haas has offered to pay up to $50,000 to test residents' wells. There are about 400 homes with private wells in the village. The company has also offered to pay $5,000 to monitor the air for vinyl chloride and $50,000 for an independent analysis of theories of possible vinyl chloride exposure. 'A beautiful place to live' When Joanne and Frank Branham moved to McCullom Lake in August 1960, they saw a picturesque community with other young families. "It was a beautiful place to live. We lived by a beach. We had such close neighbors. The whole subdivision was like a family," says Branham, who raised five children there. Frank Branham worked as general manager at a die cast plant in nearby Woodstock, Illinois. On Sundays, the husbands would go down to the beach to play baseball. The wives would pack picnic baskets and watch. Looking back, Joanne Branham says there were warning signs. In the summer, a terrible odor would sometimes force them to close their windows, she says. "We didn't put two and two together until we found there were so many other neighbors with cancers," Branham says. After her husband died, Joanne Branham's children bought her a plane ticket to return to Illinois, from Phoenix, Arizona, where she and her husband had retired. Visiting old friends, she learned former next-door neighbor Bryan Freund also has a brain tumor, an oligodendroglioma. So does Kurt Weisenberger, who lives on the other side of the Freunds, two doors down from the Branhams' former home. Freund, 49, a truck driver and jewelry store owner, says he never gave the Rohm and Haas plant a second thought until Joanne Branham came back to town. "It was really just a place I drove past," says Freund, who now suffers from headaches, seizures and memory loss. "I had dreams and aspirations," he adds. "Now when I look to the future it's really sort of a blank. I can't really expect to have one. That's a daily struggle." Weisenberger, 69, a retired general contractor, says he hopes the lawsuit will bring out the truth of what happened to the people of McCullom Lake. "It was a cover-up from the get-go as far as I'm concerned," says Weisenberger, who also suffers from seizures. Joanne Branham says she hopes the lawsuit, which asks for unspecified compensatory and punitive compensation, will make companies think twice. "What they did was wrong, and if this will save one person's life and they won't do this again, it will be worth it," she says. The trial is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks. | McCullom Lake, a small community in Illinois, has seen 30 brain cancer cases .
Some residents point finger at Rohm and Haas plant, which denies making anyone sick .
No agency has concluded any resident was exposed to dangerous chemicals .
Joanne Branham's case is the first to go to trial, with jury selection set to begin this week . |
fc6135bc1e21b51038684d36bd437ff9e8eda72a | (CNN) -- On Sunday morning, a strange word suddenly started trending for me on Twitter. The word was Ruzzle. I had no idea what it meant, so I did the smart thing and asked my dog. "Mikey, what's a Ruzzle?" Through nonverbal communication, he indicated that it might have something to do with his groin. Though, to be fair, he'd been indicating this for the better part of an hour. And with varying degrees of intensity. So, just to be sure, I Googled this strange new word and discovered that Ruzzle was actually a popular game app for your mobile device. And for some reason -- I still have no idea why -- at 10 a.m. on Sunday, lots of people were tweeting about it. Thus, I had to learn more. But not really. I don't generally care on Sundays. Or wear pants. Nevertheless, a little half-hearted research revealed that this uber-popular word game seemed to be the offspring of a wild and kinky one-night-stand between Boggle and Scrabble. Apparently, things got a little crazy at the bar, there was a shared cab ride and, lo and behold, we now have Ruzzle. The underlying message: Be careful with tequila, kids. After downloading the app and opening a game account (for which I was denied the user name "RealGilbertGottfried") I soon learned that Ruzzle consists of three two-minute rounds in which you and your opponent each get 16 letters placed in four rows of four that can be linked together to create words by gliding your finger over the screen at any connecting angle. Like Boggle. Each letter is also given a point value based on difficulty, and some even award extra points by doubling or tripling the letter or overall word score. Like Scrabble. In the end, the player with the most points after three rounds is the one who doesn't get shingles. Obviously, it's a game of high stakes. "Hi, boss. Yeah, it's Hank. I won't be in this week. What's that? Yes. Ruzzle. Again." OK, so the player with the most points actually just wins. However, if you're competitive like me, losing is just as bad as a blistering skin rash. Which is why playing my mom was a horrible idea. She always wins. At everything. But I'm a glutton for punishment and told her to sign up so she could give me something to write about and, perhaps, humiliate me in the process. Which she promptly did on her first attempt: 859-805. The ensuing e-mail conversation went like this: . Mom: "Good game." Me: "I've got your good game RIGHT HERE!" Mom: "Oh, my, that doesn't sound nice ..." I'm a particularly sore loser. And she's gone on to destroy me three more times. "I just want you to play as well as you can, dear." Constantly getting beat by your mom. Man, what a drag. Since then, I've at least found a way to defeat two random strangers whom I've played against, and this has temporarily restored my limited sense of self-worth. Fortunately, there are plenty more strangers to go around. And "plenty" is a bit of an understatement. The maker of the game, Stockholm-based MAG Interactive, boasts that it now has more than 9 million players in over 100 countries. It's also available in 10 languages. I'm currently utilizing the English version of the game because, after 34 years, I've somehow managed to grasp it at a solid third-grade level. Much like one Twittererer who oh-so-intelligently chimed in on Sunday morning with "...pop a book open. Then you'll stop loosing [sic] in Ruzzle." Sage advice. For him. So Ruzzle is officially something that matters, and, at press time, it was the No. 4 overall free app in America. It was also the No. 1 word game, apparently beating out Words with Friends, Scramble with Friends and Shared Needles with Friends. That last one might not actually be a game. Anyway, now I'm included among the millions who play Ruzzle. But probably not for long. I get bored easily, and my interest is already starting to wane. Plus, I just keep "loosing" to my mom. | "Apparently This Matters" is CNN Tech's weekly, offbeat look at items trending online .
This week, Jarrett investigates the growing appeal of Ruzzle .
The mobile game has more than 9 million players, including Jarrett's mom .
Don't challenge her; she's good. Better than Jarrett, anyway . |
fc615497442797abca13e9626946b6548c5bc21b | A New South Wales man has been sentenced to eight years in jail after he drove while drug affected and caused a car crash that killed a pregnant woman's baby and left her unable to conceive again. In court on Wednesday Judge Paul Conlon set a non-parole period of six years for Marco Paulo Silvestri, who crashed head-on into another vehicle as he tried to overtake a car on the Princes Highway at Dapto in Wollongong, NSW on September 30 last year. In sentencing Silvestri on three counts of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm, Judge Conlon said the effect on Jacqueline Sparks had been 'truly devastating'. Jacqueline Sparks lost her unborn baby and her ability to have children in a horrific car accident . Ms Sparks, 27, lost her daughter Mia and her ability to ever have a family naturally in the crash. Her two brothers who were travelling in the car with her were also injured. Ms Sparks was looking forward to becoming a mother for the first time but now she is a 27-year-old going through menopause and feeling ashamed that she can never give her husband the large family they both desperately wanted. 'What makes it worse is I have this guilt that I'm holding [my husband] back from having a family, because he'd make such a wonderful dad, but it's not my fault,' Ms Sparks told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Sparks was air-lifted to Liverpool Hospital following the incident where doctors discovered the extent of her injuries: head trauma, broken ribs, fractured ulna, lacerations to the bone, punctured lungs, lost vision and the 'loss of her 32 week foetus'. The car crash was so severe her womb catastrophically ruptured upon impact and had to be removed. In a hearing in the district court in Sutherland last month, a victim impact statement read out on behalf of Ms Sparks described the pain she felt when she realised she had lost her daughter Mia. She was injured when drug-affected driver Marco Paulo Silvestri crashed into the car she was travelling in Wollongong, NSW last year . Ms Sparks' brother Tim McNamara (left) was driving the car at the time of the accident . 'I do not remember understanding nor being told what had happened but I do remember a single tear falling from my face onto the perfect little nose of my lifeless daughter in my arms,' she wrote. 'I have lost my daughter, my womanhood and my chance to ever become a mother naturally.' Ms Sparks, from Farmborough Heights in southwest Wollongong, feels angry at Silvestri for taking those things away. 'As remorseful as he did seem yesterday, everyone's remorseful after the act,' she said. 'If you get caught doing something you feel sorry. 'How many times before that had he driven on drugs?' Ms Sparks also feels upset that he was charged with dangerous driving and not manslaughter. 'It's frustrating with driving charges, it's seen as an accident it's not seen as a crime, but the car's a weapon as well,' she said. Ms Sparks hopes to see a bill known as Zoe's Law passed through NSW Parliament, which would criminalise grievous bodily harm to a foetus of 20 weeks or more. The bill is named after Brodie Donegan's unborn daughter Zoe, who died at 32 weeks when she was hit by a drug-affected driver in 2009. Ms Sparks said her husband Chi Nguyen was devastated by the accident as the couple were looking forward to raising a large family together . But due to the accident Ms Sparks can no longer naturally give birth to children, and is already going through menopause at just 27 . In November 2013 the bill passed through the NSW Legislative Assembly 63 votes to 23, but it has yet to be introduced to the NSW Upper House. The controversial bill has faced strong opposition over concerns about the implications it would have for women seeking abortions. Ms Sparks just hopes to prevent other women from suffering in the way that she has. 'I know [Silvestri] won't be charged for manslaughter now but if it does happen again I think it's an important thing to realise it was a child,' she said. 'I just think a baby should be recognised as a baby and that person should be charged with something more.' Ms Sparks said the crash has devastated her husband Chi Nguyen. 'We both come from a big family - I come from four and he's from ten – and we both want a big family,' she said. 'If we do have to go into commercial surrogacy we're going to need literally $1 million to have four children.' And even if they choose to pursue surrogacy, they will face a number of obstacles including finding a surrogate and confirming that Ms Sparks can still produce eggs. The 27-year-old hopes to see a bill known as Zoe's Law passed through NSW Parliament, which would criminalise grievous bodily harm to a foetus of 20 weeks or more . The crash had a major impact on Ms Sparks' family, pictured here are her brother Tim (left) who was driving the car, sister Jo, brother Jonathan who was a passenger, and her mum (right) 'I'm 27 and I'm going through menopause, it's ridiculous,' she said. 'Plus all these issues around Thailand surrogacy, surrogacy in NSW is illegal and for us to even have that option we'd have to consider overseas.' Ms Sparks said the crash has also affected her social life, especially at an age where many friends are getting married and having children. 'People don't really know how to be around you, they wonder if they should give their baby to you to hold or is that insensitive,' she said. 'Some of my best friends have recently had babies and I avoid it, I feel like I'm putting an awkwardness on them.' Her brothers Jonathan Sparks, 25, and Tim McNamara, 29, have also been severely affected by the crash. Mr Sparks' spine was crushed and he will never again be able to bend over or lift more than 15kg, which has had a major impact on his career as a chef. Ms Sparks also revealed the impact the loss of her only daughter had on her own life, and the difficultly she faces while her friends are all having children of their own . Mr McNamara feels guilty as he was the one driving the car. 'I know he's really depressed, he hasn't found work,' Ms Sparks said. 'Being the driver you have guilt like you could have swerved differently or braked sooner, even though it's not his fault at all.' On September 30, exactly one year after the crash, Ms Sparks and Mr Nguyen bought Mia a birthday cake and reflected on what life would have been like if she was there with them. In court last month, defence lawyer Bill Whitby read out apology to Ms Sparks and her brothers on behalf of Silvestri. But Ms Sparks finds the apology difficult to accept. 'Your actions have completely changed my life. I feel like a different person - mentally and physically. My happiness, my career, my self-esteem, my social interaction, my sleep, my energy, my laughter and above all, our daughter, is now gone,' she wrote in her victim impact statement. 'You chose to take drugs and you chose to drive dangerously. This is our life now and you gave us no choice.' | Jacqueline Sparks lost her unborn daughter and her ability to fall pregnant .
She was injured when drug-affected driver Marco Paulo Silvestri crashed into the car she was travelling in Wollongong, NSW last year .
Ms Sparks is now a 27-year-old going through menopause .
'I lost my daughter, womanhood and my chance to ever become a mother'
Silvestri was sentenced to sentenced to eight years in jail with a non-parole period of six years . |
fc616163a31248da691d4f12ca9ca1cc41805177 | (CNN) -- Early next month, Casey Rocheteau will pack up the belongings of her Brooklyn flat, say goodbye to friends and set-off for her new home in Detroit, Michigan. The "Motor City" was once regarded as the engine room of the U.S. economy but it has fallen upon hard times in recent decades -- or so the popular narrative goes. Now, a new venture which combines housing and the literary arts is hoping to paint the modern story of the Detroit in a more positive light. Rocheteau is the first person to receive a home completely for free as part of the Detroit Write A House program. The non-profit project is buying up and renovating foreclosed homes using crowd-sourced funds in the city's Banglatown district. It then gives them to promising literary prospects in the fields of fiction, non-fiction, screen writing, poetry and journalism among others. All Rocheteau has to do on her end of the deal is to pay fees for insurance and taxes, take part in local literary readings and promise to live in the house for at least two years. The-29-year-old originally from Cape Cod was selected by judges from a host of other applicants for the house on the strength of her poetry that "breaks through" and addresses "some of the more frightening" aspects of racism. While delighted, she says she is still pinching herself to make sure she's not dreaming and has actually won a new home. "I saw this come up and I was a little bit skeptical as it seemed a bit too crazy that they were giving away free houses," Rocheteau told CNN. "(But) I love the house and I'm very excited to actually get there and start living there. Laying the foundations . Write A House is the brainchild of Toby Barlow, a writer and creative director at advertising agency Team Detroit, and Sarah Cox, a writer and journalist originally from New York, who have been collaborating on the idea since 2012. The pair hope not only to improve Detroit's neighborhoods by filling out boarded up properties but to change outside perceptions of life in the city as well. "As a freelance writer I've found it to be a great place as there is so much space to cover things. You're not living in a city like New York that has so many journalists in every area," Cox said. A problem that has arisen due to the comparative lack of storytellers in Detroit, Cox believes, is that negative stereotypes about life in the city have been allowed to flourish. Rocheteau concurs and points out that Detroit has become a metaphor for American industrial decline -- which she describes as wholly unfair. While Detroit has certainly suffered its fair share of hardship, including filing for bankruptcy in 2013, both Rocheteau and Cox say countering the simplistic narrative of a city in ruins is important in providing perspective. "In Detroit there are so many stories that need to be told. It doesn't matter whether you end up telling them through poetry or fiction ... there's a lot of inspiring people here," Cox said. Moving on up . Tackling the many misconceptions surrounding Detroit and focusing on growing as a writer is for the months and years ahead, however. For now, Rocheteau is preparing to move in to her new home on November 1 and is excited to explore her new community. She said she was intrigued by the eclectic cultural mix of the neighborhood's Bangladeshi and Polish immigrant communities when she visited in September as well as the visual art installations that dot the landscape. The house itself is compact, with one bedroom and one bathroom, and was in a state of disrepair when bought at auction for just $1,000 earlier this year. It has since been renovated by local companies employing young apprentices from across Detroit thanks to a $30,000 donation from Team Detroit and $33,000 raised on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo. Write A House's initial success and the positive coverage it has received has also helped attract more donations and sponsors to buy up other houses in the coming months. "We're planning to do three houses next year," Cox said. "We already own one and are talking about picking up two more." She added that since the original crowdfunding campaign "we have attracted grants ... and we've actually received $100,000 from the Knight Foundation (an organization that seeks to promote journalism and the arts)." "Crowdfunding was a great way to make it public and get attention by getting little donations. But the housing renovations are expensive and I believe we'll be getting a mix of different grants and funding in the future." | Detroit project purchases and renovates foreclosed homes before giving them away to aspiring literary talents .
First house purchased for $1,000 before being renovated and has been given to poet Casey Rocheteau .
The aim of the project is to fill in empty homes and boost Detroit's burgeoning literary scene . |
fc6192fa35bce38da9337f1b3d0e149fb51dce28 | (CNN) -- Tom Wagner woke up Friday night and the plane cabin was dark. And empty. Completely empty. He looked around from his window seat near the back of the jet and wondered, "What is going on?" He tried the jet door. It was locked. Not knowing what else to do, he phoned his girlfriend and said, "Debbie, you gotta call the airlines. I'm locked in the plane." She didn't quite believe him and started laughing. "I said I'm serious," Wagner explained Monday morning on CNN's "New Day," chuckling about the conversation. "She finally hung up and called the airlines." About 30 minutes later, the door opened. Wagner, from Louisiana, was on his way to California to see his sister. The plane had a layover in Houston, Wagner said, so he took his hat off and took a nap. Apparently a very deep sleeper, he didn't wake up when the plane landed. And somehow when airline employees were doing their usual sweep of the plane, they missed him. Dozens of passengers left the plane and so did the flight crew. Wagner said he walked around the plane in the dark trying to figure out the best thing to do. He said eventually workers opened the plane doors and, startled, asked him what he was doing in there. He tried to explain calmly that he'd been left behind. After his ordeal, he's been talking about what happened. "I talk to people, (and they say) like, man, I'd have freaked out!" Wagner stayed in a hotel room, on the airline, before flying to California the next day. He said United gave him a $250 voucher. The flight was operated by ExpressJet, a United partner. "ExpressJet is investigating to determine how this occurred. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this caused for the passenger," the carrier said Saturday in a written statement. ExpressJet told CNN affiliate KTRK there was a post-flight cabin inspection, but the company couldn't explain how Wagner was overlooked. Boy hops plane to Vegas, apparently alone and without ticket . | Tom Wagner, left on plane, calls girlfriend for help; she initially doesn't believe him .
He says he slept through landing and woke up in a dark cabin .
Wagner was traveling from Louisiana to California .
United offers $250 voucher while ExpressJet says it will investigate what happened . |
fc61ae2518f72bc1f4b63d44353494435d6e8e16 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 12:35 EST, 24 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:36 EST, 24 January 2014 . Looking for a new job packed with fun and adventure? You're in luck because a vacancy has just been announced - as a UK beach holiday tester. However the applicants will have to fulfill one very important criteria - and it's not about experience or qualifications. Butlins is launching its search for a ‘Butlins Breaks (High)Chairman’ to join its team. The catch? You have to be under five years old to apply. Is this the best job in the world? Butlins are seeking an under five to join its board and help road test activities . The successful candidate will be taken from ‘bored to board’, as the youngest ever member to join the Butlins management team, sitting alongside MD Dermot King. The primary role of the unpaid (High)Chairman will be to lead the team for one week on the new Just for Tots range of breaks. The (High)Chairman will be responsible for road-testing the inaugural break from the child’s point of view, from putting star acts such as Angelina Ballerina through her paces to trying out Annabel Karmel’s new range of kid-friendly dishes. The candidate will also be responsible for working up a number of recommendations for the breaks based on their experience, which will be implemented across all holidays moving forward to ensure these are curated by children, for children. Look who's boss! The successful candidate will be responsible for testing the bounciness of beds and slipperiness of slides, among other duties . Other feedback criteria include testing the bounciness of the beds, cuddliness of the characters, splashiness of the water and slipperiness of the slides. Speaking about the new opening, . Dermot King said: 'We are eager to find the next Lord Sugar to join our . team as (High)Chairman - though hopefully not as scary! 'We . are committed to making our new Just for Tots breaks the best they can . be with every element looked at from a tots point of view - and who . better to tell us if we got this right than a tot?' To apply for this job, the candidate (or their PA-rent) must submit a CV of no more than 100 words to [email protected], outlining their suitability for the role and any previous experience. The closing date for applications is Friday 7th February 2014. 'We’re looking forward to our new team member getting stuck in straightaway and we take our commitment to their feedback very seriously - if it’s not fun, it’s not in,' added the company. Over 5s need not apply: Applicants are required to have at least two years experience of having fun and a strong leadership ability, demonstrated through bossing mum and dad about . Job title: Butlins (High)ChairmanContract: 4 nights on a ‘Just for Tots’ break at a Butlins resort of toddler’s choiceSalary: A fun family holiday - one PA-rent essential, sibling assistants welcome Benefits: Endless fun and entertainmentContact: [email protected] Background information: www.butlins.com/highchairman . Key attributes and experience for this role:At least two years experience of having fun Strong leadership ability, demonstrated through practice of bossing mum and dad about Ability to laugh uncontrollably at the littlest thingsYears of experience of getting really messy and not losing focus on the task in handA good understanding of and years of research into leading industry . figures such as Mike The Knight, . Thomas & Friends and Angelina Ballerina . | UK mini break company launch search for toddler tester .
Will test bounciness of beds, slipperiness of slides and food .
Must have '2 years experience of having fun and ability to demonstrate leadership demonstrated by bossing mum and dad around' |
fc62170f0d60078e344ce220d57b153e9e36b962 | This is the picture that could cost a pregnant woman in Sudan her life after she was sentenced to death for converting to Christianity to marry her husband. Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, was charged with adultery for marrying a Christian man and has been ordered by the courts to abandon her newly adopted Christian faith and return to Islam. During yesterday's sentencing hearing Judge Abbas al Khalifa asked the pregnant mother-of-one whether she would return to Islam - but she refused. She said 'I am a Christian,' and the death sentence was handed down, judicial sources said. Scroll down for video . The wedding photo that has cost Sudanese woman Mariam Yahya Ibrahim her life after being sentenced to death for converting to Christianity. She is hoping to appeal the sentence . More than 50 people gathered outside the court where sentence was being passed on Mariam Yahya Ibrahim . After the verdict her husband, Daniel Wani told CNN: 'I'm so frustrated. I don't know what to do. I'm just praying.' A government spokesman said the ruling could be appealed in a higher court. Outside the court, around 50 people held up signs that read 'Freedom of Religion', while some Islamists celebrated the ruling, chanting 'God is Greatest.' The United States called on Sudan to respect the religious freedom guaranteed in its own constitution . People held up signs that read 'Freedom of Religion', while some Islamists celebrated the ruling, chanting 'God is Greatest' On February 7, Ms Ibrahim was arrested with her 20-month-old son, and put in a women’s prison. It is thought a relative had turned her in to the police for marrying a Christian. According to the Sudan’s Public Order Criminal Code, she is a Muslim by default because she was born in Sudan. Therefore, her marriage to a Christian is classed as a criminal act. On March 4, she was charged with adultery and apostasy. The adultery charge came with a punishment of 100 lashes and the apostasy charge came with a punishment of death. No remorse: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's career has been defined by war. He came to power in a coup in 1989 and has ruled what was until this year Africa's largest country with an iron fist ever since . Mr Wani is not allowed to care for their child, Martin, because he is a Christian. Martin, who is almost two years old, is in prison with his mother. Mr Wani is not allowed to visit or see his son. Young Sudanese university students have mounted a series of protests near Khartoum University in recent weeks asking for an end to human rights abuses, more freedoms and better social and economic conditions in the country. The authorities decided on Sunday to close the university indefinitely. Uncertain future: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has said he wants to adopt a '100 per cent' Islamic constitution now that the South has split off. The government says the new constitution will guarantee religious freedom, but many Christians are wary . Western embassies and Sudanese activists sharply condemned the accusations and called on the Sudanese Islamist-led government to respect freedom of faith. 'The details of this case expose the regime's blatant interference in the personal life of Sudanese citizens,' Sudan Change Now Movement, a youth group, said in a statement. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's government is facing a huge economic and political challenge after the 2011 secession of South Sudan, which was Sudan's main source of oil. A decision by Bashir last year to cut subsidies and impose austerity measures prompted violent protests in which dozens were killed and hundreds were injured. | Mariam Yahya Ibrahim has been sentenced to death for converting to Christianity to marry her Christian husband .
Having been born in Sudan, Ibrahim is considered a Muslim by birth .
This makes her marriage to husband Daniel Wani, a non-Muslim, illegal .
The punishment will be carried out after her second child is born . |
fc626cf31d372f2b6b37026943b43ca67f39cb55 | MH370 investigators have revealed the search for the Malaysia Airlines flight may have been in the wrong area up until now. In a flight path analysis released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Wednesday, it suggests that experts may have finally uncovered the Boeing 777's resting place. The latest report details that the plane could have ran out of fuel then spiralled into the southern part of the Indian Ocean in March. Since then, no traces of the plane nor its 239 passengers and crew on board have been found. Scroll down for video . Investigators reveal in a new report that missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 could have ran out of fuel and spiralled into the southern part of the Indian Ocean . A refined MH370 Underwater Search Planning Map released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau . A map showing where the refined underwater search will take place, released on Wednesday . A map, released on June 24, showing where investigators searched for MH370 . The flight, which was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has been missing since March 8 after veering dramatically off course. The Malaysia-contracted GO Phoenix vessel began hunting for traces of wreckage or jet fuel on Monday about 1,100 miles off the Western Australia coast, which is where experts believed the plane crashed. Later in the month, two ships sent by Dutch contractor Fugro will join the GO Phoenix as part of an operation that could last more than a year. But the latest Australian Transport Safety Bureau's detailed analysis has released information which may relate to where MH370 could have been descending at that time of disappearance. 'The simulator activities involved fuel exhaustion of the right engine followed by flameout of the left engine with no control inputs,' it said. 'This scenario resulted in the aircraft entering a descending spiralling low bank angle left turn and the aircraft entering the water in a relatively short distance after the last engine flame-out.' Fugro Discovery (pictured), which along with the Malaysian-contracted GO Phoenix, will soon start a new high-resolution search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 . An image of a Fugro autonomous underwater vehicle searching for flight MH370 . This is in proximity to the seventh arc, believed to be in the southern of the Indian Ocean, where the aircraft ran out of the fuel and crashed into the ocean. Yet this comes as investigators admitted 'changes to the prioritisation and location of search activity' and further stated they will be refocusing on the refined analysis of flight and satellite data. 'The latest analyses indicates that the underwater search should be prioritised further south within the wide search area for the next phase of the search,' the report states. However there are implications that there may also be changes to the new search area. 'Although of reasonably high confidence, and relatively large, this area does not contain all the possible derived paths,' the report states. 'The ongoing refinement may result in changes to search asset deployment.' Despite an extensive search for the missing plane, no traces of it has been found since March 8. All 12 members of staff on board the flight - including both pilots - were Malaysian nationals. Of the 227 passengers, there were six Australians on board. Australia has been leading the search for MH370 at the request of the Malaysian Government. | New report reveals that MH370 could have ran out of fuel and spiralled into southern part of Indian Ocean .
The report also admits experts may have been searching in the wrong area .
Investigators will be refocusing their search into the refined analysis of flight and satellite data .
Boeing 777 which was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has been missing since March 8 .
There were 239 passengers and crew on board MH370 . |
fc6275e6d25fea560852cd10c19ffbd694805115 | England prop David Wilson expects to face a 'hurting' Leicester team when Bath tackle the Tigers at Welford Road on Sunday. It is just over three months since Bath inflicted a 45-0 drubbing on Leicester - their record victory in the fixture - and another win this weekend would complete a first season's league double over the Tigers since 2004. But while Bath are on a five-game unbeaten Aviva Premiership run and they will remain second in the table behind leaders Northampton whatever happens on Sunday, a Leicester triumph could lift them into the title play-off zone. The Leicester Tigers players look dejected after their 45-0 defeat against Bath back in September . Peter Stringer of Bath is mobbed by his team mates after scoring in his side's record victory against Leicester . Bath's Ollie Devoto (centre) lifts his arms in celebration as the final whistle is blown at the Recreation Ground . 'When you face Leicester at home, they are always going to be a different proposition,' said Wilson, who lines up in a Bath side that also features rugby league recruit Sam Burgess making his first Premiership start, appearing at outside centre. 'They've got a lot of players back, and the whole team will be hurting. 'I am sure the 45-0 defeat will be on their minds. That was not the Leicester anyone knows, and to beat them by that big a margin was a surprise for everyone, as much as a brilliant win for us. 'But they're getting together their power game through the pack, and they have got momentum now.' For their part, Leicester recovered from successive European and domestic losses to Toulon and Northampton by staging a thrilling fightback to pip Sale Sharks 32-30 last time out after being 15 points adrift. Bath and England prop David Wilson said that he expects to face a 'hurting' Leicester Tigers side . 'We had lost two games leading into the Sale game, so it could have been easy for us to throw in the towel and accept defeat. To win in that manner was massive for us,' Tigers number eight Jordan Crane said. 'It is going to be a tough one for us on Sunday. 'There is a bit of a bad taste in our mouths, but it is just another Premiership game. We have not really spoken about the revenge aspect. 'We owe them one, if you like, but we can't be as naive as we were down there. We probably need the points more than them at the moment.' Leicester welcome back Blaine Scully, Anthony Allen and Graham Kitchener from injury, while Burgess forges Bath's midfield partnership with Kyle Eastmond, and four changes up front see starts for Wilson, his fellow prop Paul James, lock Dave Attwood and number eight Carl Fearns. Leicester recovered from successive European and domestic losses by beating Sale Sharks 32-30 . Wasps expect a crowd of around 15,000 for their second Premiership game at Coventry's Ricoh Arena on Sunday, where victory over fellow play-off hopefuls Sale would keep them firmly in the mix. 'We will be working hard to produce an 80-minute performance on Sunday, and we know we will need to be at our best against a strong Sale side,' said Wasps rugby director Dai Young, who includes former Sale players Rob Miller, Simon McIntyre and James Gaskell in his starting XV. 'Sale are a battle-hardened team with a fantastic driving lineout and some X-factor players who can win games for them, so we know the threat they will bring. 'While we weren't happy with aspects of our performance last Sunday (against Gloucester), it was good to get the monkey off our back by getting an away win in the Premiership.' Wasps director of rugby Dai Young knows his side will need to be at their best against Sale on Sunday . London Welsh, 15 points adrift at the Premiership basement following 11 successive league defeats, continue their domestic campaign at home against Harlequins on Sunday. But despite what appears to be a hopeless position, head coach Justin Burnell insists the mood remains a positive one. 'There is nobody in our environment burying their head in the sand, and that would be quite easy to do,' he said. 'It's about rolling our sleeves up, continuing to work hard and continuing to look for that first win. 'It seems to be a given for many now that we will be relegated, but we don't see it that way. 'We are 15 points adrift and there are 11 games left, but that's not something we discuss. What we discuss is that we need to keep focusing and working hard. 'People are still upbeat, and it's still a good place to be.' | David Wilson is looking forward to facing a 'hurting' Leicester side .
The last time the sides met Bath were victorious in a record 45-0 win .
Wilson's Bath are on a five-game unbeaten run in the Aviva Premiership . |
fc62879bd564505b33458c45a3b1fe6d286b8229 | Tokyo (CNN) -- A farmer's farewell, etched in white chalk, is echoing menacingly through Japan's agricultural sector. "Wish there was no nuclear power plant. My endurance has come to an end," the note says. The farmer, in his 50s, then killed himself on the land he struggled to maintain since Japan's tsunami and nuclear crisis began. The dairy farmer's suicide message was left on the wall of one of the man's barns, members of a local farming bureau said. The man also apologized to his family and friends in the note. Hiroyuki Ebihara, a member of a local chapter of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, said he knew the farmer personally and tried to check in with him after the March 11 disaster. On June 11, Ebihara says, members of his group found the farmer's body. "The situation here is depressing for everyone," says Ebihara. "We are all in the same situation. Our future with daily farming is unclear, especially since we don't know what the compensation will be. We want TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) or the government to come out with a clear plan for compensation." The man had fled Japan with his family to the Philippines after the earthquake and tsunami. He returned to the farm after 10 days to care for his cows. The farmer's family remained in the Philippines until this week when they returned for the man's funeral. He leaves behind a wife and two children, Ebihara says. The agricultural sector of Soma -- the farmer's region -- has been deeply impacted by the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Japan's government stopped milk shipments from the region in the wake of the nuclear meltdown at the plant. The government lifted the milk ban on April 21, but consumers have been reluctant to purchase dairy products produced near the plant. A 64-year-old vegetable farmer from Sukagawa City in Fukushima Prefecture also committed suicide in the wake of agricultural bans in the ongoing nuclear crisis. The vegetable farmer hanged himself on March 24, one day after the government issued a ban on Fukushima prefectural vegetables. | The region of Soma has been deeply impacted by the nuclear crisis .
People are reluctant to buy milk coming from that region because of radiation fears .
"We are all in the same situation. Our future with daily farming is unclear," an official says . |
fc63a2a44ff9d42dd7557d387868d9f0f2beb28e | (CNN) -- From krill to king crabs, the collapse of a 160-square-mile portion of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica could mean many changes for wildlife at the bottom of the world. Krill may not be the most exotic of creatures, but climate change could affect them like any other animal. Most inhabitants of our planet will never get a firsthand look at a polar bear at the North Pole or a penguin at the South. But polar scientists already see changes in plants and animals from rapidly warming temperatures. "Because of their extreme environments, they tend to be highly sensitive to temperature changes," said marine biologist James McClintock of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Therefore, what we see happening in the poles should be taken as warning of what may be coming elsewhere," said McClintock, who studies the physiology and ecology of aquatic and marine invertebrates in Antarctica. Watch how the ice shelf is a sign of trouble » . According to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, in the past 50 years, the western Antarctic peninsula has undergone the biggest temperature increase on Earth: up .9 degree Fahrenheit, or .5 degree Celsius, in each of the past five decades. How the ice is disappearing » . Although krill may never be as majestic as whales or as adorable as penguins, these small shrimp-like crustaceans in the waters of the Antarctic are crucial to the region's ecology. And they might be among the first in the animal kingdom to have to adapt to warming temperatures. Scientists already are observing declines in polar krill populations that could be tied to a decrease in annual winter sea ice. "As babies, krill live under the sea ice and graze on microalgae. With a decline in sea ice, there is less habitat for young krill," McClintock said. But there may be a non-global-warming explanation for the decrease. Once heavily hunted, humpback whales that feed on krill have made a comeback in Antarctic waters. So it is also possible that more whales are simply eating more of these tiny crustaceans. Another warming ocean event that scientists are studying closely is the migration of king crabs. Marine remotely operated vehicles have captured photos of these giant crabs on the Antarctic Slope, where underwater land starts to rise up to the southernmost continent. It's the first time in tens of millions of years that these predators have appeared that close to Antarctica. Crabs and other marine invertebrates die when the water is too cold, because they cannot flush magnesium out of their systems. But even slightly warmer seawater allows the animal to regulate that element. McClintock says that if these new predators keep moving, they could wipe out other Antarctic species. Snails, brittle stars, sea spiders and some marine worms have evolved without armor and other protections they would need to survive alongside the king crab. Scientists studying Adelie penguins on Antarctica's western peninsula see that species suffering major declines. Ironically, an increase in snowfall could be among the most dangerous "warming" effects for this animal. "In Antarctica, as the air temperature warms up, the humidity rises and the ability of snowfall to occur increases," McClintock said. That snowfall can affect the mortality of penguin eggs. Another possible impact of climate change in the Antarctic is acidification. Seawater has long been known to be good at absorbing carbon dioxide. But one effect of that absorption is that it turns the ocean water more acidic. Organisms that make shells or have skeletons that are exposed to seawater, such as clams, snails and sea butterflies, could see their shells dissolve in water that is too acidic. Plants and animals that have survived and thrived in the brutal conditions of Antarctica for millions of years have had to make plenty of adjustments. "Wildlife will be impacted, but they are pretty adept at dealing with a topsy-turvy world," said Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. "The ecosystem is pretty resilient," he said. Scambos first spotted the disintegration of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in February. He cautions that the poles will be the leading edge of what's happening in the rest of the world as global warming continues. "Even though they seem far away, changes in the polar regions could have an impact on both hemispheres with sea level rise and changes in climate patterns," he said. E-mail to a friend . | Biologist says polar animals are incredibly sensitive to temperature changes .
Expert: Changes "should be taken as warning of what may be coming elsewhere"
The temperature in the western Antarctic is up .9 degree Fahrenheit .
Krill may be among the first animals to have to adapt to warming temperatures . |
fc63a39535b556b3fb60a338ca26c9a98c161e4b | (CNN) -- Tony Scott made movies, in the best sense of the word. Some of them got poor reviews. Some of them were burdened with sketchy scripts. But almost all of them -- from his first big hit, "Top Gun" (1986) to his most recent major release, "Unstoppable" (2010) -- were entertaining, well-acted and smoothly polished examples of the motion picture art. Scott, who died in an apparent suicide Sunday, was known for action, but what made his films distinctive was a feel for the human side of things. "Take another look at 'Man on Fire' and check out the extraordinary chemistry Scott develops between (Denzel) Washington and the young girl (Dakota Fanning) he's protecting," wrote Deadline.com's Pete Hammond. "Sure it has all the requisite action and violence we've come to expect from a Scott film, but it also has a strong human dimension missing from a lot of films." "He was one of the very few Hollywood action directors who could actually tell a story," added CNN commenter OnTilt. " 'Crimson Tide' is the perfect example. Brilliant movie. So is 'True Romance.' A highly underrated film." Coroner, director Tony Scott's family dispute cancer report . Indeed, it was no accident that the same Scott who reveled in screaming planes, racing trains and hard-charging automobiles also produced the TV series "Numb3rs" and "The Good Wife" -- taut dramas with clever, layered roles -- as well as the character-driven films "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (2007), "In Her Shoes" (2005) and "The Gathering Storm" (2002). The latter, an HBO film that starred Albert Finney as Winston Churchill, won Scott an Emmy, which he shared with brother Ridley and others in their company, Scott Free Productions. Scott first got into film through his brother; the two worked together in Ridley's advertising shop, Ridley Scott Associates. Even after his motion picture success, Tony still did commercials: among his recent outings were ads for Diet Mountain Dew and Dodge Ram trucks. Tony Scott made his feature directing debut with 1983's "The Hunger," a vampire film that got more attention in its time for its eroticism -- particularly a lesbian sex scene between stars Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon -- than its chills. Scott's feature career was slightly derailed -- "(The studio) saw a cut of 'The Hunger,' and all of a sudden my parking spot at Warner Brothers was painted out!" he said years later -- but he hit the big time with his next film: In 1986, he directed "Top Gun," which established Tom Cruise as an A-list star. Not much was expected of the film in the beginning, he recalled. "Nobody really quite understood what it was going to be," Scott said, according to Alex Ben Block's "Blockbusting," a history of top-grossing movies. "They thought it was going to be 'The Hunger' on an aircraft carrier." Scott turned out to be as aggressive as his high-flying characters. For one scene, according to "Blockbusting," the director wanted an aircraft carrier turned to catch the light in a certain way for five minutes. The move cost $25,000. Scott wrote out a check on the spot. "Top Gun" was roasted by critics, but Scott's technical work was praised. "The remarkable achievement in 'Top Gun' is that it presents seven or eight aerial encounters that are so well choreographed that we can actually follow them most of the time, and the movie gives us a good secondhand sense of what it might be like to be in a dogfight," wrote Roger Ebert, though he cautioned audiences to "look out for the scenes where the people talk to one another." Audiences didn't care; the film's sleek look and MTV atmosphere made it a box office smash. With $177 million in 1986 dollars, it was the No. 1 box office hit of the year. "Top Gun" also earned four Oscar nominations -- with one win, "Take My Breath Away's" best song nod -- and even boosted the sale of Ray-Ban sunglasses. His ensuing films ran the gamut of Hollywood forms: sequels ("Beverly Hills Cop II"), remakes ("The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3"), star-driven actioners ("Crimson Tide," with Washington and Gene Hackman, and "Enemy of the State," with Will Smith and Hackman) and even Tarantino-esque pulp ("True Romance," Scott's best-reviewed film, which was based on Quentin Tarantino's first screenplay). Through it all, he brought a level of craftsmanship and professionalism to his work, earning praise from actors and colleagues. Many took to Twitter after his death, remembering him fondly. "Tony Scott as a friend and a mentor was irreplaceable," tweeted director and writer Joe Carnahan ("The Grey"). Scott made tense films for jittery times . It's no accident that Denzel Washington appeared in five Scott films -- the actor loved working with the director, as both were fond of immersing themselves in details and personalities. "One of the reasons I like working with Tony is because, like myself, he's a research fanatic," Washington said at a press conference for "Pelham 1-2-3." "(Like him), I like being with the real folks." Scott also enjoyed giving interviews, even those to promote his films -- the kind of wearying task that prompts actors and other directors to turn monosyllabic. Scott, on the other hand, used the opportunities to wax expansively on special effects, his more famous brother and even his place in the Hollywood hierarchy. Perhaps he wasn't as well-regarded as his Oscar-winning sibling, he once observed, but things could change with time. "I always get criticized for style over content, unlike Ridley's films like 'Alien' or 'Blade Runner' or 'Gladiator' that go right into the classic box right away. Mine sort of hover," he said. "Maybe with time, people will start saying they should be classics, but I think I'm always perceived as reaching too hard for difference, and difference doesn't categorize you as the 'classic' category." Maybe not, but when the lights went down, Tony Scott gave you your money's worth -- and then some. Tony Scott: Unstoppable Hollywood force . | Director Tony Scott died Sunday, an apparent suicide .
Scott was behind many box-office hits, including "Top Gun" and "Enemy of the State"
Though known as an action director, he never forgot about characters .
Scott was well-regarded by colleagues, was a thoughtful interview . |
fc63f083ae1f7a8b5c72df311bbd8c50db5f1fe1 | By . Jill Reilly . David Cameron and his fellow world leaders at a major international summit today took part in a war game to test how they would react to an outbreak of nuclear terrorism. At the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in The Hague the Prime Minister, US president Barack Obama and other leaders were faced with a nightmare scenario involving terrorists potentially getting hold of a weapon of mass destruction. The organisers of the summit said the leaders were faced with a 'fictitious but realistic scenario' about the possibility of nuclear material going missing. Scroll Down for Video . David Cameron and his fellow world leaders at a major international summit took part in a war game to test how they would react to an outbreak of nuclear terrorism . At the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in The Hague the Prime Minister, US president Barack Obama and other leaders were faced with a nightmare scenario involving terrorists potentially getting hold of a weapon of mass destruction . In a series of anonymous tests the . leaders were asked to respond to various events, using a touch screen to . record their answers. The . NSS organisers said: 'This is the first time that an interactive . approach of this nature has been taken at such an extensive summit.' The . event has been compared with the 1980s' movie WarGames, which starred . Matthew Broderick as a hacker who accesses a United States military . supercomputer, which asks him if he would like to play a game of 'global thermonuclear war' and nearly triggers one in real life. The event has been compared with the 1980s' movie WarGames, which starred Matthew Broderick as a hacker who accesses a United States military supercomputer, nearly triggering a nuclear war . German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks at the empty seat of the US president in The Hague . World leaders sit for a plenary session of the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, Netherlands. Leaders from around the world have come to discuss matters related to international nuclear security, though the summit has been overshadowed by recent events in Ukraine . The . simulation had a happy outcome, with the collective decisions made by . the world leaders meaning they were able to stop the terrorist network . before it could actually build a dirty bomb. NSS . spokesman Frank Wassenaar said they preferred to call it a . 'scenario-based policy discussion' rather than a war game and the . leaders were 'enthusiastic' participants. They were shown a video setting out the scenario, which was then followed by a discussion of ideas between the leaders. Following that there were two more video updates, designed to reflect the changing picture in a fast-moving incident. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, right, shakes hands with British Prime Minister David Cameron . David Cameron and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speak with one another during bilateral talks . Mr . Wassenaar said: 'We had an enthusiastic reaction. It was quite . innovative and not the convention in a summit like this. Usually the . leaders of delegations just make a statement.' The . leaders were given a series of multiple-choice responses to the . scenarios, with four potential options to select from. Their anonymous . responses were then shared with the group. Mr Wassenaar said: 'The leaders debated freely. Of course, there is no good solution or bad solution.' Obama waves as he arrives for the evening meal . David Cameron arrives for dinner at NSS summit . Prime Minster of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt arrives for the NSS summit dinner at the Palace Huis ten Bosch . Obama and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands sharing a light moment at Huis ten Bosch prior to a dinner hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima . The summit at The Hague is aimed at preventing the kind of situation envisaged in the war game. A . No 10 source said: 'The war games-style tabletop session was an . innovative way of bringing the summit to life and encouraging leaders to . share their own thoughts and experiences of handling such tense . situations. 'The PM liked the interactive style and the fact leaders were confronted with different events they had to respond to. 'And . it should be reassuring to people that they took the right decisions to . ensure a happy ending where the terrorists didn't succeed in making a . bomb.' Some . 35 of the countries present - including the UK - agreed to allow teams . of international experts to evaluate the effectiveness of their nuclear . security measures, and international guidelines on the protection of . nuclear materials will be translated into national legislation. G7 leaders clockwise from left, EC president Herman Van Rompuy, Canadian PM Stephen Harper, French President Francois Hollande, British PM David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Italian PM Matteo Renzi and EC president Jose Manuel Barroso . British Prime Minister David Cameron attends a meeting of G7 leaders . U.S. President Barack Obama hosted the meeting in The Hague, Netherlands . | Prime Minister, US president Barack Obama and other .
leaders took part .
Faced with a scenario involving terrorists getting hold of WMD .
Compared with the 1980s' movie WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick .
The summit is aimed at preventing the situation envisaged in the war game . |
fc643e12957f156e508ec61bd22e19ab33766e40 | The wife of the Sydney siege gunman has arrived in court as authorities push for her to be placed behind bars over alleged murder charges. Wearing a tan trench-coat and white beanie, Amirah Droudis, 35, refused to condemn her husband's crimes when given the opportunity by the media outside Downing Centre Local Court. 'Leave us alone!' her brother John Aspros said. Droudis was granted bail by a local court after she was charged with the murder of gunman Man Haron Monis's estranged wife Noleen Hayson Pal in 2013. Pal was found dead in a western Sydney stairwell, having been stabbed eighteen times and set alight. Scroll down for video . Amirah Droudis, 35, arrived at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Monday morning . After it was revealed Monis was on bail when he took 18 people hostage at the Lindt cafe in Martin Place last Monday, NSW Attorney General Brad Hazzard demanded a review into Droudis bail decision. The matter will be heard by the Chief Magistrate, Judge Graeme Henson. Hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, and the gunman died when police stormed the cafe more than 16 hours after the siege began. An autopsy of Monis's body has now been completed and a burial order will be made on Monday, which means the body will be released to next of kin to organise burial. Monis was on bail charged with being an accessory to Ms Pal's murder. The wife of the Sydney siege gunman is in court as authorities push for her to be placed behind bars over alleged murder charges . Wearing a tan trench-coat and white beanie, Droudis, refused to condemn her husband's crimes . A court was told earlier this year that Droudis and Monis vigorously denied the murder allegations and would plead not guilty. 'The charges laid against Amirah Droudis are extremely serious and her alleged actions involve a murder,' Mr Hazzard said in a statement last week. 'This week I asked the DPP to review any cases where bail had been granted where there may have been any similarity to the circumstances of Man Haron Monis. 'In this case the allegation is that he and she had involvement in the murder of Monis' ex-wife. Amirah Droudis, pictured here with friends, was known by her traditional Greek name Anastasia before she converted to Islam after meeting Man Haron Monis . In her youth Anastasia Droudis worked as a hairdresser in the Kings Cross nightclub district . 'On behalf of our community I want to know whether every aspect of her being on bail has been examined in all possible detail.' NSW Premier Mike Baird said he shared everyone’s rage that Monis was out on bail. 'The public need to know: We have already taken action and strengthened the bail laws. The new, tougher laws come into effect next month. I am advised that these laws would have succeeded where our old laws have failed us,' he said in a statement. 'The advice I have from NSW Police is that the hostage taker did not have a gun licence. Questions remain around how he was in possession of a weapon. We will get to the bottom of it. 'I am determined that we will learn from these events. I’ve announced, along with the Prime Minister, that we will be having a full review of the events leading up to the siege. 'I assure you: If we have to do anything more, we will.' Before Droudis married self-styled Sheikh Monis she was known by a different first name - Anastasia, a nod to her Greek heritage. Born to Greek Orthodox migrants who live in Belmore, south-west Sydney, Droudis worked as a hairdresser in Sydney's Kings Cross during her late teenage years. As a young adult, she would often visit bars, drink and party with friends, a source previously close to her told Daily Mail Australia. But after she met the Iranian fanatic in the mid-2000s, Droudis dropped her birth name in favour of Amirah, an Arabic name, and converted to Islam. 'She's been Anastasia for 30 years,' the source said. 'You can't just turn around and say, 'I'm whatever now''. The source said she became 'influenced' by Monis after the two struck up a relationship following the collapse of her former relationship with her previous partner of eight years. Amirah's brother, John Aspros, told Daily Mail Australia this week that Monis often spent time at the home of Amirah's parents, which was raided by NSW Police officers following the bloody end to the Lindt cafe siege on Tuesday. Droudis declined to comment outside her home this week and later reported to Campsie Police Station where she is required to appear each day as part of her bail conditions. Sydney lawyer Manny Conditsis, who represented Monis and Droudis in court, told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that Droudis was a pleasant client to work with. 'She's always extremely courteous, pleasant,' he said. 'But… it's also fair to observe that she would defer to Monis.' Attorney General Brad Hazzard has expressed concern to the Director of Public Prosecution over Droudis' bail after two people died when her husband took 18 people hostage in the Lindt cafe on Monday . Amirah Droudis remains free despite being charged with serious crimes, including murder . Man Haron Monis, pictured, was the gunman who took 18 hostages and terrified Sydney in a sixteen-hour siege . Droudis declined to comment outside her home last week. She was pictured attending Campsie Police Station last week, where is required to appear each day as part of her bail conditions. Four years before the alleged murder, a woman believed to be Droudis, posted a series of chilling videos on YouTube in which she described acts of terrorism as God's will. The videos bear the address of Monis' website. 'I regret to say I am a terrorist. I admit and formally confess that for many years I have been a terrorist, but I'll try not to be anymore,' says the woman, 'Amirah', in one of the videos, whose face is mostly covered by a niqab. In another video post, the women describes acts including the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and the Bali bombings as 'acts of God.' Bailed: Droudis was pictured at Campsie Police Station last Tuesday, hours after her family's home in Belmore was raided by authorities following her husband's siege. Reporting to police is part of the condition of her bail on charges of murdering Noleen Hayson Pal, Monis' ex-wife . 'Yes, we are happy about the punishment of September 11. Yes, we are happy about the punishment in Bali. Yes, we are happy about the punishment of the Holocaust and any other punishment that God sends to us.' The video provoked a media storm at the time they were first posted, but no charges were laid. At around the same time both Monis and Droudis were charged with sending offensive letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed by insurgents in Afghanistan. Relatives said the letters accused the troops of killing innocent children, among other things. Monis and Droudis were eventually convicted and sentenced to community service. In addition to the murder accessory charge, Monis was facing more than 40 sexual assault charges involving seven women that allegedly took place while he posed as a 'spiritual adviser'. Droudis was not involved in that case. Mother: Amirah Droudis is pictured here around a decade ago . Daily Mail Australia understands that Droudis, pictured, worked as a hairdresser in her teenage years . Transformed: In 2009, a female follower of Sheikh Haron, identified as 'Sister Amirah' made a series of videos including in which describes herself as a terrorist . This is the introductory message at the beginning of the video that was posted on the Sheikh Haron website . Raid: Police executed a search warrant at the Belmore property belonging to the Droudis family on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the Sydney siege came to a bloody end . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Authorities are pushing to revoke Amirah Droudis' bail .
She has been charged with the murder of Sydney siege gunman's ex-wife .
Noleen Hayson Pal was found dead in a stairwell in 2013 .
She had been stabbed 18 times and set alight . |
fc644149a3449abc930409120ad310aee6d98e8c | (CNN) -- An aspiring Colorado sports reporter and the others killed or wounded in a mass shooting at a movie theater in suburban Denver should be the focus of the public's attention, rather than the suspected killer, her brother said. "The more air time these victims have the less time that man has his two seconds on television," Jordan Ghawi told CNN's "AC360" on Friday night. Jordan Ghawi traveled to Aurora, where his sister, Jessica, was killed. He called the suspected gunman a "coward." The young woman in her mid-20s -- who barely missed a deadly Toronto shooting last month -- was among 12 patrons killed, according to police. Their father, Nick, who had asked her brother to head out to Colorado to "confirm what's happened," could not be reached for comment. Gunman turns movie into real-life 'horror film' Jessica Ghawi had been at an Aurora multiplex to catch a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," the latest installment of the Batman series, when a gunman burst in and began shooting. A journalist and blogger in her mid-20s who also went by the name Jessica Redfield, she had tweeted about the movie not long before the attack. "Movie doesn't start for 20 minutes," she wrote in her last message. Ghawi's mother, Sandy Phillips, said she will miss communicating with her daughter. "I'll never have her to hug again, or get a text message again or get a funny Facebook picture," Phillips told CNN affiliate KSAT in San Antonio, Texas, where her daughter grew up. "That's the hard part right now ... knowing those are things I'm never going to experience again." Phillips told KSAT her daughter was excited the two would soon spend some time together. "She had a huge heart," Phillips said. "Cared deeply for other people." Theater security stepped up nationwide . Ghawi's friend and fellow movie-goer Brent Lowek also was shot during the attack but later emerged from surgery at a medical facility, according to friends and relatives. "It looks like he's going to be OK," his stepfather, Dan Greene, told CNN. By Friday morning, a Denver radio station where Ghawi had once interned posted on Facebook that she had been killed. "Sending thoughts, prayers and love to my friend Jessica and her family," 104.3 The Fan posted. "She is one of the victims who died in the theater shooting." Baby among victims treated . Her brother wrote on his blog earlier Friday that relatives had informed him that his sister was among the victims of Friday's shooting, taking two rounds, including one to the head. "At approximately 0215 CST, I received an hysterical, and almost unintelligible, phone call from my mother stating that my sister, Jessica Ghawi, had been shot while attending the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Denver, CO," he wrote. Later Friday, Jordan Ghawi wrote, "essentially, she died quickly and painlessly. Now we will begin the process of bringing her home to celebrate her life." Shooting suspect was a doctoral student . Benjamin Hochman, a reporter for The Denver Post, described his friend Ghawi as an effervescent young woman, brimming with energy and a love of hockey that she sought to channel into the competitive world of sports reporting. "I woke up this morning and saw that people had been texting me to make sure I was OK," said Hochman, who then checked Facebook and saw postings about Ghawi. He'd written her a letter of recommendation just a few months earlier, and the two had become fast friends. "I thought the world of her," he said. Jordan Ghawi told CNN his sister was working hard to succeed in sports journalism. "She left everything she knew in San Antonio to come out here to pursue that dream," he said . Shooting unfolds in real time on social media . In June, Ghawi was visiting Toronto with her boyfriend, a minor league hockey player, when they narrowly escaped a deadly shooting in the city's main downtown mall. Peter Burns, a friend of Ghawi's, said that attack seemed to heighten her zest for life, pointing to reflections she later posted on her blog. "I can't get this odd feeling out of my chest," Ghawi wrote in a June 5 post. "This empty, almost sickening feeling won't go away. I noticed this feeling when I was in the Eaton Center in Toronto just seconds before someone opened fire in the food court. An odd feeling which led me to go outside and unknowingly out of harm's way. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around how a weird feeling saved me from being in the middle of a deadly shooting." She added that "gun crimes are fairly common where I grew up in Texas, but I never imagined I'd experience a violent crime first hand." "I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders' faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change," she wrote of the June shooting. "I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath." U.S. service members among casualties . Ghawi further reflected, saying the incident reminded her that "every moment we have to live our life is a blessing." "So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given." CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report. | NEW: Jessica Ghawi's brother said victims deserve the attention .
Mother says her daughter had a "huge heart"
Aspiring sports reporter was among those gunned down at a movie theater .
She was at a Toronto mall last month just before a deadly shooting there . |
fc644c8bd491a6dbd46cdf3cc48254844daa4a35 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 12:41 PM on 19th August 2011 . Executed: Jerry T. Jackson was put to death via lethal injection at Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia . A prisoner who raped and murdered an 88-year-old widow has been executed despite a campaign to have his death sentence commuted. Jerry Terrell Jackson, 30, was sentenced to death for the 2001 rape and murder of seamstress Ruth Phillips, 88, in her apartment in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia. He was pronounced dead at 9.14pm on Thursday at Greensville Correctional Center after his execution went ahead despite a campaign to save his life by lawyers and a reverend who spent years visiting him in jail. Jackson was close to a reprieve last . year when U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema allowed a two-day . evidentiary hearing in which Jackson's brother and sister testified . about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father and stepfather . while growing up. Brinkema ordered that Jackson should . receive a new sentencing hearing, saying the testimony 'painted a . graphic picture of an unwarranted, continuous, sadistic course of . conduct that terrorized and dehumanized Jackson throughout his . childhood.' However, earlier this year a federal appeals court overturned that ruling on a technicality. Recently, Jackson's lawyers had . argued that jurors should get a chance to hear the graphic details of . Jackson's horrific childhood abuse. But that argument was not enough to . sway Governor Bob McDonnell, who denied a request to commute Jackson's . sentence to life in prison last week. On the day of the execution the U.S. Supreme Court denied a further request to block the execution. In a recent telephone interview, . Jackson talked about the abuse, which began with a broken arm when he . was 19 months old and continued with sexual abuse and beatings with a . fist, belt and once a two-by-four for more than a decade. Execution chamber: The room at Greensville Correction Center where Jackson was put to death using a controversial cocktail of drugs, which may cause suffering . Jackson acknowledged killing . Mrs Phillips. Although he said it wasn't an excuse for what he did, Jackson . said he didn't think it would have happened if he could have escaped the . abuse as a child. 'I don't think I would have ended up this way,' he said. 'I don't think I would be on death row.' Jackson also expressed regret for his actions, saying: 'I'm sorry Mrs. Phillips lost her life due to something that I done.' Victim: Ruth Phillips, 88, was raped and murdered by Jackson in her apartment in Williamsburg in 2001 . 'I'm sorry to Mr. Philips (her son) that he hurt so much. I'm sorry that he lost his mother.' The Reverend Christine . Payden-Travers, who has written to and visited Jackson for several . years, called him a loyal and caring friend to many people. She was with Jackson until he was . taken into the death chamber. She then witnessed the execution, holding . her bible, shutting her eyes and appearing to mouth a prayer. She had called up until the final hours for Jackson's life to be spared. 'He is not a monster,' she said. 'There is good in him as well as the bad that he's done. 'I wanted him to know there was . somebody with him who loved him and who saw him as a beloved child of . God. And to know that in the midst of the state taking his life that . there were people there that cared about him.' The execution also went ahead despite controversy over the method used. Due to a shortage of a drug called sodium thiopental, many states have replaced it with pentobarbital, an epilepsy drug manufactured by Danish firm Lundbeck. Lundbeck is on record as opposing the 'distressing misuse' of its product and in a recent Georgia execution there was some evidence the inmate suffered when the drug was used. Worried: Jerry Jackson had followed the controversy over the use of pentobarbital and had concerns about its use in his execution . Lawyers in several states have contested the use of pentobarbital, but federal courts have ruled that there is not enough significant evidence to prevent its use in two dozen executions this year. Jackson had followed news reports about the use of pentobarbital, including the Georgia case, and was said to be concerned about its use. When asked if he had any final words, Jackson shook his head and said 'no'. While waiting for the cocktail of three drugs to be administered Jackson tapped his foot as he lay strapped to a stainless steel gurney. The execution team took around 15 minutes to insert two intravenous lines, one in each of his arms. Within four minutes of the lines being inserted, he was pronounced dead. Jackson was the 31st person to be executed in the U.S. this year. Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said the execution team had carried out the order of execution in a 'professional and constitutional manner.' The family of Ruth Phillips, Jackson's victim, did not witness the execution, though her son Richard - who found her dead in her apartment on August 26, 2001 - said the execution was long overdue. Mrs Phillips, a widow for 30 years, had moved to Virginia from New Hampshire in the late 1990s so that she could be near her son and be safe. She worked as a seamstress making slip covers and draperies up until her death. During Jackson's court case it was revealed that he had broken into her home while she was asleep. When awoke to find him rummaging through her purse and offered him anything he wanted if he would leave. Instead, he put a pillow over her face and raped her. Jackson fled the scene in Mrs Philips' car and used the $60 he stole from her apartment to buy marijuana. Rev. Paden-Travers and Jackson's lawyer declined to comment after the execution, the 32nd in the U.S. this year. | Jury didn't know Jerry Jackson had been violently abused since he was 18 months old .
Reverend opposed his execution until last moment .
Jackson executed with controversial drug cocktail . |
fc6452b5309eb4bb5d93ead7d00d4e12c69e5086 | By . Ian Parkes, Press Association . Mercedes are to wait until this year's Formula One championship fight has been resolved before continuing new contract talks with Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff announced last month, following the confirmation of a new deal for Nico Rosberg, that negotiations had started with Hamilton about an extension to his own contract. But Wolff does not feel, given the intensity of the battle for this year's title between Hamilton and team-mate Rosberg, that it is right to be taking the Briton's focus away from his bid win a second drivers' crown by talking to him about a new contract. Talks: Mercedes have put discussions with Lewis Hamilton over a new contract on hold for now . Cruising: Hamilton shows off images of himself driving his Zonda through Monaco tunnel . Heated rivalry: Mercedes will not talk with Hamilton while he continues to battle team-mate Nico Rosberg . Mercedes are eager to retain Hamilton, despite the feud that has now erupted between the 29-year-old and Rosberg. On Sunday, Hamilton accused Rosberg of deliberately driving into him on lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix. He was forced to retire late on due to the damage to his car caused by the collision and is now 29 points adrift of Rosberg in the drivers' standings. The drivers and senior team management - Wolff and executive technical director Paddy Lowe - are expected to meet at the team's Brackley base on Friday in a bid to resolve some of the issues between the pair. VIDEO Rosberg rubbishes Hamilton's deliberate hit claims . Clash: Hamilton and Rosberg make collide during the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa . Relaxed: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff (centre) says Hamilton is not talking to any other teams . In terms of the Hamilton discussions, time is on the side of both parties as his current deal does not expire until the end of next year. When asked about the situation, Wolff said: 'We've been talking to one another daily. 'But at this stage things are very intense and you have to stay concentrated on the season. 'One thing is for sure, we are not going to talk to anybody else before having a very clear situation about how we can continue to work with Lewis. 'This is what we have said to each other, that we have no interest in having any other conversation with any other driver. 'We are not having any, and Lewis is not having any discussion with any other team, so this is why we trust each other. 'We feel at the moment we need to be concentrated on the championship and not get involved in contractual discussions, intense discussions, because it is something which is one and a half years in front of us.' | Nico Rosberg is currently battling with Lewis Hamilton for the title .
The Mercedes team-mates continued their fierce rivalry at the Belgian Grand Prix when Hamilton accused the German of crashing into him .
Toto Wolff admits Mercedes have been in talks with Hamilton over a contract extension .
But those discussions will now be put on hold until the end of the season . |
fc64baee33a7a2663f1c29f6d20896381c6499c9 | By . Emily Payne . As far as proposals go, it's one to tell the grandchildren. A loved-up passenger on board an Emirates A380 flight from Dubai to Brisbane surprised his girlfriend by proposing at 35,000ft. The heartwarming moment was captured on camera - and even reveals a member of the cabin crew bursting into a rendition of Louis Amstrong's What A Wonderful World. The touching footage shows an anxious Stuart Mackinnon gearing up to ask Victoria Loudon to be his wife. The couple, from Cumbernauld, Scotland, were travelling from Dubai to Australia. Stuart sought the help of the carrier's Flight Purser and together with the cabin crew, they found a creative way to help him with his proposal. Enlisting the . Baradene College Concert Band, who were also travelling on the . flight, crew transformed the on board lounge into the perfect . setting for the special moment. In flight entertainment: A member of the cabin crew belted out a Louis Armstrong song . Down on one knee: Stuart Mackinnon proposed to his girlfriend Victoria Loudon as the crew looked on . One member of staff even stretched her vocal cords with a rendition of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World. After handing Victoria a bunch of flowers, Stuart got down on one knee to ask her to marry him. Much to his and his fellow passengers' delight, Stuart received a resounding ‘yes’. 'It was always going to be a truly special moment in my life but what happened took it to a level I could never have imagined,' he said. 'There could have been no better setting anywhere in the world. 'The nerves I had were put at ease with the fantastic crew members, the Captain and all the passengers.' She said yes! The happy couple celebrate their fragment on the Emirates A380 flight . | Video clip shows Stuart Mackinnon gearing up to ask the big question .
To set the mood, he enlisted the help of a band who were on board .
A cabin crew member sang Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World . |
fc64d81e86727f14df26550b42c9ab7f2e95525a | Srinagar, India (CNN) -- Fifteen passengers were killed and 18 others injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims crashed on a hilly highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Sunday. The bus was heading to the city of Jammu when it skidded off the road and rolled down a steep gorge, said Anil Magotra, the district police chief. "The bus hurtled 35 to 40 meters, killing 15 passengers on the spot," Magotra said. "All the 18 injured passengers have been evacuated to Jammu for specialized treatment." The 33 Hindu people onboard were returning from a pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath. The cave, situated in the Himalayas at a height of 3,880 meters (12,729 feet), is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in India. Vehicle accidents are common on the winding 300-kilometer (185-mile) Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which connects landlocked Kashmir to rest of India. State officials have expressed condolences at the death of pilgrims and announced cash relief to families of the dead and injured. | A bus with 33 people onboard skids off a highway and rolls down a steep gorge .
15 passengers are killed and 18 others are injured, a police official says .
They were returning from a pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath . |
fc651650f3b06e2d2d5c193940c396ae458ad24d | Shirley Temple died from a crippling lung disease brought on by a lifetime of smoking, MailOnline can reveal today. The woman dubbed America’s little darling, passed away earlier this month at the age of 85, and it was claimed that she died of natural causes. But MailOnline can exclusively reveal she was actually killed by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Secret . smoker: Even though Shirley Temple was a self-confessed chain smoker by . 17, later in life she was said to have kept her habit very private. Here she's pictured with cigarette in hand with her husband Lt Cmdr . Charles Black in 1953 . Official: Shirley Temple's death certificate puts the causes of death as pneumonia and COPD, which she suffered for years. Pneumonia is a common complication of COPD sufferers . Temple's death certificate held at San Mateo County reveals the primary cause of death as being pneumonia, then COPD. Pneumonia is often a complication of the lung condition. The condition is America’s third biggest killer and has symptoms similar to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Sufferers have horrendous coughing fits in the latter stages of the disease. It is well known that Temple chain-smoked all through her late teens but in her later life she tried to keep the habit a secret, fearing her homespun goody-goody image might be tarnished. She did let her guard slip at certain times during her career, with one such occasion during an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1979. The interviewer described how Temple waited until the television cameras left the room before lighting up. She apparently said she felt guilty and did not want to be photographed smoking – not for vanity’s sake, but to avoid setting, ‘a bad example’ for her millions of adoring fans. But in private she was still a heavy smoker and it seems the bad habit eventually caught up with her. COPD claimed the lives of 133,965 Americans in 2009 and in 2011, 12.7 million U.S. adults were estimated to have the condition. Other stars to have died having showing symptoms linked to COPD are Rat Pack legend Dean Martin, TV host and comedian Johnny Carson and American composer Leonard Bernstein. Our stunning revelation that the disease has claimed another victim will stun Shirley Temple fans around the world, who were left devastated by her death. The actress and singer passed away at her home in Woodside, California on February 10 surrounded by her family and caregivers. Cause . of death: The actress' death certificate said she died of COPD at the . age of 85. When she died earlier this year the cause of her death was . publicly given as 'natural causes' 'We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and most importantly as our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and adored wife for 55 years of the late and much missed Charles Alden Black,' her family said in a statement. She was born in the Californian beach town of Santa Monica on April 23, 1928, the third child of George Temple and his wife Gertrude. Temple was just three years old when she was spotted by talent scouts at her dance school and appeared on screen for the first time, in the one-reel short 'Poverty Row'. But it was the 1934 film Bright Eyes that made her famous. The actress's face and voice are imprinted on generations around the world as a result of her performance of the song On The Good Ship Lollipop. With her hair in ringlets, angelic face and wearing a checked pinafore dress, the unforgettable rendition made her one of the biggest box office draws of the era. At the year's end she had entered the list of the world's top ten moneymaking stars at number eight. She became the youngest actor ever to win an Academy Juvenile Award in 1935, at the age of six. Her handprints were placed in cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood along with the biggest stars of the day. She was the world's number one box-office star from 1935 to 1938 - leaving Clark Gable trailing in second place. Her earnings were placed into a trust - during that time all she ever saw was $13 a month in allowance. Her mother, Gertrude, worked to keep her daughter from being spoiled by fame and was a constant presence during filming. Fatal: COPD is the third most common cause of death in America today, with the major cause being smoking . She went on to star in films such as Curly Top and The Littlest Rebel, helping the U.S. cope with the Great Depression of the 1930s, becoming a nationwide sensation. Mothers dressed their little girls like her, and a line of dolls was launched that are now highly sought-after collectables. Her immense popularity prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to say that 'as long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right'. She was credited with helping save the film company 20th Century Fox, which owed $42million, from bankruptcy. Her career faltered in 1939 after Fox refused to loan her to MGM, she lost the lead in The Wizard of Oz to Judy Garland. However she struggled to maintain her cinematic career in adulthood, though she continued to work in television. Despite retiring from Hollywood in 1950, Shirley starred in 43 feature films. The actress married her first husband John Agar, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, in 1945 when she was just 17 years old. He is the father of her daughter Linda. The couple divorced four years later after the marriage disintegrated due to Agar's drinking and infidelity. On holiday in Honolulu in 1950 she met and fell in love with California businessman Charles Alden Black, nine years her senior, who confessed that he had never seen one of her films. They were married in December of that year and their son Charles Jr. was born in 1952 and daughter Lori in 1954. They lived for many years in the San Francisco suburb of Woodside. The couple were married for 55 years until Charles passed away in August 2005 at the age of 86 from complications from a bone marrow disease. She described him as the 'love of her life' and kept his voice on the couple's answering machine.In 2006, when receiving a lifetime achievement award a few months after Charles had died, the veteran star said that her greatest roles were as wife, mother and grandmother. 'There's nothing like real love. Nothing,' she added. Although she had mostly retired from showbiz, by the early 1960s Temple's interest in politics soon brought her back into the spotlight. Goody goody: Shirley was said to have kept her habit secret because she didn't want to spoil her image and also set a bad example . She made an unsuccessful bid as a Republican candidate for Congress in 1967. After Richard Nixon became president in 1969, he appointed her as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. In the 1970s, she was U.S. ambassador to Ghana and later ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the administration of the first President Bush. She was the first woman to serve as US chief of protocol in the Department of State. 'Politicians are actors too, don't you think?' she once said. 'Usually if you like people and you're outgoing, not a shy little thing, you can do pretty well in politics.' 'I have one piece of advice for those of you who want to receive the lifetime achievement award. Start early.' In 1999, the American Film Institute ranking of the top 50 screen legends placed Temple at No. 18 in a list of 25 actresses. In 2006, Temple received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award for having 'lived the most remarkable life, as the brilliant performer the world came to know when she was just a child to the dedicated public servant who has served her country both at home and abroad for 30 years'. She is survived by her children Susan, Charles Jr., and Lori, granddaughter Teresa and great-granddaughters Lily and Emma. | Shirley Temple's family said she died from 'natural causes' in February .
But MailOnline can reveal she really died from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - which is America's third biggest killer .
Her death certificate reveals she suffered from the condition for years .
Also lists cause of death as pneumonia, a common complication suffered by those with COPD .
The actress smoked since she was a teenager but kept it secret to not set a bad example or tarnish her 'goody-goody' image . |
fc6527b8afc7f170b168dc17838e630ab277069c | By . Lizzie Parry . A woman has donated a kidney to a complete stranger in order to save her sister's life as part of a organ donation exchange. Roseann Mcgee stepped in to help her sibling, offering to donate her organ to a stranger 'swapping' it to ensure her sister received a healthy organ. When the 45-year-old from Peebles in Scotland discovered her sister Lisa, 42, was suffering kidney failure, she immediately offered to be a living donor. But tests revealed she was not a perfect match for her sibling. Roseann Mcgee, right, saved the life of her younger sister Lisa Mcgee, left, donating one of her kidneys to a complete stranger as part of a kidney exchange, to ensure her sibling received a healthy new organ . Determined to help, Roseann agreed to take part in a kidney exchange, donating one of her organs to a complete stranger in return for a healthy kidney for her sister. When doctors found a healthy donor organ for Lisa Mcgee, the exchange programme dictated she could only recieve the organ if Roseann would donate hers to someone else. Roseann said: 'The whole experience was really rewarding, I would do anything for my sister - I just wish I could’ve saved her myself but unfortunately my kidney wasn’t a match. 'I was already willing to give up my kidney to save a life so it made perfect sense to still donate it even if it wasn’t to save my own sister - instead I’ve saved the life of someone else’s sister, mother or daughter. 'As soon as Lisa’s donor was being operated on I was given the thumbs up and doctors began operating on me - like a huge domino effect.' While Roseann shares the same blood group as her sister, the siblings' tissue is not compatible, meaning Lisa's body would reject the kidney. To take part in the kidney exchange the sisters submitted both their details to a central bank system, collating information on donors from across the UK. The search found two possible matches to allow Lisa to receive her kidney. After suffering severe headaches in 2009, tests revealed Lisa, pictured in hospital having dialysis, was suffering kidney failure. Doctors revealed her organs had shut down after being destroyed by the tonsillitis virus, which she had suffered 20 years previously . Lisa, 42, pictured in hospital after her operation, said: 'I finally have some energy and I owe it all to my generous donor and of course my courageous big sister' Paired or pooled donation is when a living kidney donor and recipient are incompatible with each other. While they do not match, it is possible for them to be matched with another donor and recipient in the same situation. The donor kidneys can then be 'exchanged' or 'swapped'. The recipient receives a kidney from a stranger and the donor gives their healthy organ to another stranger. When two pairs are involved in the donation chain it is known as a paired donation. When more than two pairs take part it is a pooled donation. Any donor and recipient pair who are considering a living kidney donation, is eligible for the scheme. To find out more or to register as an organ donor visit the Organ Donor Register here. Ms Mcgee said: 'Last summer I got a call from the hospital saying there was a possible match. 'The . altruistic donor said they would donate their kidney if I was still . willing to be a live donor - of course I was - anything to save my baby . sister. 'The donor . stipulated that the process was to be done through paired exchange in . order to create a domino effect so several people would be able to . benefit. 'After all my . kidney tests came back okay me and Lisa saw a consultant doctor to make . sure I was not being forced into this operation, not getting any . financial gain and to make sure I was in sound mind to go through this . process. 'We were both in the same hospital and when Lisa’s donor had started the procedure it was all go for me too. 'The pain was much higher than I anticipated but it was all worth it to save my beautiful sisters life.' Lisa first fell ill in January 2009, complaining of severe headaches. Her sister said: 'My family have always been really close and my sister is more like my best friend - we’ve always shared everything. As soon as she discovered her sister was severely ill and needed a transplant, Roseann, left, offered to donate her kidney to Lisa. But tests revealed the siblings were not the perfect match, meaning Lisa's body would reject Roseann's kidney . The sisters, pictured with their brother as children, signed up to the kidney exchange. The process required Roseann to donate her kidney to a stranger to enable Lisa to receive an organ from another stranger . 'Lisa started telling me about these . violent headaches she’d been having but typical Lisa brushed it off and . said they were from playing her new iPod too loud. 'I advised her to get it checked out being the worried big sister and eventually she went to see the doctor. 'He . checked her blood pressure mainly but again twice after by a machine as . he could tell something wasn’t right - her BP was off the scale - it . was so high that it wasn’t giving a reading.' The doctor phoned for an ambulance straight away and the family rushed to be by Lisa’s side. Medics later revealed Lisa could have died at any point due to her high blood pressure. Tests eventually revealed she was in renal failure, her kidneys shutting down. 'I finally have some energy and I owe it all to my generous donor and of course my big courageous sister' - Lisa Mcgee . 'I remember feeling completely overwhelmed and I was absolutely heart broken when I found out,' said Roseann. 'She was made to change everything about her life, she had to give up work and she was given up to 20 different drugs a day. 'It was gut-wrenching to see her in so much pain and looking more and more ill when there was nothing I could do about it. 'Just in time for Christmas Lisa’s was struggling to function on her own so it was time for a dialysis. 'Three months later she was put onto the transplant list and me, my brother and our parents were all tested hoping we would be suitable donors. 'My parents were both not suitable after both previously being treated for cancer. 'Our brother was her best chance but he had a successful career in the army and could be called for active service at any time. 'I prayed to be a match but due to her unusual high level of antibodies they would just fight mine - just usual sisterly stuff.' Lisa . and Roseann were then introduced to the idea of the kidney exchange, . raising Lisa's chances of receiving a healthy new organ. Lisa, pictured after having her head shaved for charity, has raised more than £4,000 for Kidney Research UK after undergoing her transplant operation . Matches were found and Roseann was able to donate one of her kidneys to a stranger, so another stranger could save her sister. Following their transplant operations, Lisa was in hospital for six weeks, battling to stop her body rejecting her new organ. Lisa said: 'I was finally allowed home at Christmas and I have such a new lease for life - I finally have some energy and I owe it all to my generous donor and of course my big courageous sister. 'I’m now fully on the mend and have recently done some fundraising of my own to give something back and I have now raised an incredible £4,000 after shaving my hair off for Kidney Research UK. 'Eventually doctors discovered the cause of my kidney failure - when she I was younger I had tonsillitis and the infection had stayed in my body which eventually destroyed my kidneys over a 20-year period. 'Both me and Roseann are now encouraging everyone to consider the kidney exchange program and becoming a live donor as it can save someone’s life. 'It’s not something you really think about until you find yourself in the position our family was faced with - it’s the most precious gift you can give.' | Lisa Mcgee, 42, was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2009 .
Her sister Roseann Mcgee immediately stepped in as a potential donor .
But tests revealed the siblings were not the perfect match required .
They signed up to the kidney donation exchange to increase Lisa's chances .
Roseann donated one of her healthy organs to a stranger enabling Lisa to receive a kidney from another stranger .
Lisa said: 'I finally have some energy and I owe it all to my generous donor and of course my courageous big sister'
She has raised £4,000 for Kidney Research UK since her transplant op . |
fc659565bf8084f517a15e6b53f753be533b08c9 | (CNN) -- Prabhjot Singh, a turbaned Sikh doctor and Columbia University professor, was surrounded recently by a gang of teenagers on bicycles who beat him, fracturing his jaw. He says they called him a "terrorist" and "Osama." His response: "If I could speak to my attackers," he said, "I would ask them if they had any questions, if they knew what they were doing. Maybe invite them to the gurdwara where we worship, get to know who we are." Most people would be surprised by Dr. Singh's willingness to forgive and constructively engage his attackers. I am not. Like most Sikhs, I was taught at a young age about Bhai Ghaniya, a famous Sikh who would distribute food and water to wounded enemy soldiers. The lesson instilled was that the work of mending fences begins as soon as one can no longer harm you. As a professional advocate working with Sikh hate crime victims for more than a decade since 9/11, I have consistently seen Sikhs move beyond the punitive bent of our criminal justice system and adopt a Sikh approach to addressing our attackers. The result is a decidedly Sikh-American brand of justice that produces more social benefit than the revolving-door criminal justice system in our country. Take our work with Gurpreet Singh and Thomas Brand. Thomas worked at Marsh McLenan at the World Trade Center. He never had a chance to say goodbye to his colleagues who died there on 9/11. Traveling on trains made him scared and angry. He acted on his anger a year later by pushing Gurpreet on the Long Island Railroad, urging him to leave the train and calling him a "terrorist." Thomas was stopped by an off-duty police officer, arrested, and eventually prosecuted. When it came time for sentencing, the prosecutor was ready to recommend jail time for Thomas. Gurpreet did not want that to happen. He saw a man in real pain who needed a lift up and not jail time. He asked that the prosecutor recommend Thomas engage in community service aimed at combating hate in a post 9/11 world. Thomas was very nervous when he came to our office. He said he knew nothing about us and always thought we were "stern" and "angry." He said he was surprised that one of my colleagues was wearing shorts instead of pants. We got to know each other and eventually Thomas was standing with Gurpreet and me as we went to gurdwaras, Sikh houses of worship, collecting reports of bias against Sikhs. All of us were better for the experience. Gurpreet and I had our own prejudices and fears of people who looked like "Joe America" and clearly Thomas had his own perceptions about us "turban folk" as well. Rather than allow him to spend time incarcerated in the overworked criminal justice system, we all found healing and became better people for it. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Amardeep Singh. | Sikh doctor forgives teenagers who beat him and called him a terrorist .
Amardeep Singh works with hate crime victims who display a different approach .
Rather than jail time, he says, people who commit hate crimes can do community service .
Singh: It's helpful for victims and perpetrators to overcome fears about each other . |
fc664c4c2036d93c57bd3d43c8b1b8eca7599d1f | By . Reuters Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:46 EST, 17 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:46 EST, 17 September 2013 . Minerva Schools of KGI doesn't yet have accreditation, a campus or even a full faculty roster, but it is offering something even Harvard can't - four years of free tuition for its first matriculating class. The San Francisco-based Minerva Project, an ambitious effort to remake the higher education model, announced its tuition plan on Tuesday in hopes of attracting some of the world's most talented and academically competitive students for the class that will enroll in the fall of 2014. Although many details of the new school . are still to be ironed out, students in subsequent years will pay . tuition of $10,000 a year along with about $19,000 annually for room and . board - still well below the cost of many other top U.S. universities . that can run upwards of $50,000 and $60,000 a year. Former president of Harvard University, Larry Summers is an adviser to the Minerva Project . Although many details of the new school are still to be ironed out, students in subsequent years will pay tuition of $10,000 a year along with about $19,000 annually for room and board - still well below the cost of many other top U.S. universities that can run upwards of $50,000 and $60,000 a year. 'Not only are we looking at students who are intellectually brilliant, we are looking for students who have a deep intellectual thought, deep integrative thought, worldliness, excitement about seeing the world, and maturity,' said Minerva founder Ben Nelson, who ran photo service Snapfish until he sold it to Hewlett Packard in 2005. 'We're asking a lot of them,' he said about the first class of students. 'We're asking them not only to be the first students at Minerva, but to help us shape it.' Minerva founder Ben Nelson at the Minerva Project San Francisco headquarters . That will include providing constant feedback, he said in an interview, adding the first class would have between 15 and 19 students. To recruit them, Minerva is working with guidance counselors and high school principals around the world, Nelson said, and several thousand inquiries have come in via its website from 99 countries. Courses at Minerva, named for the Roman goddess of wisdom, will be seminar-oriented, focusing on higher level skills such as logic, reasoning, rhetoric and empirical analysis, Nelson said. Students who need introductory classes such as Economics 101 will be encouraged to find free online lectures. 'Anything that can be delivered in a lecture, we don't think it's particularly moral of us to charge money for,' he said. In a further departure from the traditional educational model, the school's faculty, projected to be experts in their fields from around the world, will not be offered tenure. They will hold classes with the Minerva students online. Students will spend their first year in San Francisco and then rotate to other cities in subsequent years, although the locations have not yet been determined. Minerva is seeking academic accreditation in association with the Keck Graduate Institute, a member of the Claremont University Consortium, according to the school's website, and Nelson said he hoped to have that in hand before the first class is enrolled. To get off the ground, Minerva raised $25m from Benchmark, a top Silicon Valley venture-capital firm, last year. But eventually, Minerva hopes tuition plus fees for room and board will move the for-profit institution into the black. Larry Summers, a former Treasury Secretary and former president of Harvard University, is an adviser to Minerva; former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey is its executive chairman. Former president of Harvard University is an adviser to Minerva . Stephen Kosslyn, an academic who headed Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and previously served as dean of social sciences at Harvard University, is in charge of recruiting faculty. Minerva is one of several efforts to upend traditional education, largely by using the Internet. Many universities have started offering courses online, often for free. Other groups have adopted the venture-backed model, including Udacity, a service teaching courses in areas such as artificial intelligence and cryptography that was started by a trio of roboticists. Of course, the glean of the Internet does not guarantee success. Many long-standing online colleges mimic the structure, and sometimes approach the cost, of traditional universities. But some have high dropout and low graduation rates, and employers do not always value their degrees. | The San Francisco-based Minerva Project hopes to attract .
talented and academically competitive students for its 2014 class .
71st U.S. Treasury Secretary and former president of Harvard University is an adviser .
Stephen Kosslyn, who previously served as dean of social sciences at Harvard .
University, is in charge of recruiting faculty . |
fc667fcb546bad456f350e19aea3039d7b431cbc | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 05:35 EST, 19 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:21 EST, 19 December 2012 . The parents of the six-year-old British boy killed in the Sandy Hook massacre said they are 'filled with love' for the women who died trying to protect him. Nicole and Ian Hockley paid tribute to the teachers who 'selflessly' died when gunman Adam Lanza went on the rampage at the Connecticut elementary school. The couple, who moved from England two years ago with Dylan and his eight-year-old brother Jake, said: 'Though our hearts break for Dylan, they . are also filled with love for these and the other beautiful women who . all selflessly died trying to save our children.' 'We will always be a family of four': Nicole and Ian Hockley have paid tribute to their son Dylan (left) who was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre last week. Also pictured is Dylan's brother, Jake . Dylan died in the arms of teaching aide Anne Marie Murphy, right, and 'loved' his classroom teacher Vicki Soto who was shot dead saving her students from gunman Adam Lanza . Dylan's parents also paid tribute to Sandy Hook Elementary School principal Dawn Hochsprung, left, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, right, who helped the six-year-old with his special educational needs . Dylan was one of 20 students killed by Lanza. Six staff also died including headteacher Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach. Mr and Mrs Hockley said the pair were 'exceptional women' who helped them 'navigate' their son's special educational needs. Dylan's teacher Vicki Soto died while saving her pupils. She hid them in her classroom closet and confronted Adam Lanza, telling them the children were at the other end of the school. Six children panicked and tried to escape but the teacher put herself in the line of fire so she could save them, but they were all shot multiple times. Mr and Mrs Hockley said their son's teacher was 'warm and funny' and Dylan 'loved her dearly'. The couple also said they take 'great comfort' in knowing that their son did not die alone. He was found in the arms of teacher's aide Anne Marie Murphy, who was also shot dead. They said in the statement: 'Dylan loved Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed at her picture on our refrigerator every day.' Dylan 'flourished' at the school and loved his teachers Vicki Soto and Anne Marie Murphy . Mrs Hockley, who is American, and Mr Hockley, who is British, moved into . a house on the same street as the mother of the shooter, Adam Lanza. But despite the tragedy they said they did not regret moving to the 'beautiful community'. They said they have been given 'strength' by the level of support from Sandy Hook and across the world. The couple, who also thanked the emergency services, said: 'We feel the love and comfort that people are sending and this gives our family strength. 'We thank everyone for their support, which we will continue to need as we begin this long journey of healing. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have also been affected by this tragedy. 'We are forever bound together and hope we can support and find solace with each other.' 'Beaming smile': Dylan, pictured playing with Jake, was loved by everyone who met him . Remembering their son, Mr and Mrs Hockley added: 'Everyone who met Dylan fell in love with him. 'His beaming smile would light up any room and his laugh was the sweetest music. 'He loved to cuddle, play tag every morning at the bus stop with our . neighbors, bounce on the trampoline, play computer games, watch movies, . the color purple, seeing the moon and eating his favorite foods, . especially chocolate. 'There are no words that can express our feeling of loss. We will always . be a family of four, as though Dylan is no longer physically with us, . he is forever in our hearts and minds. We love you Mister D, our special . gorgeous angel.' They said Dylan was learning to read and was 'so proud' when he read them a new book every day. | Nicole and Ian Hockley called Dylan's teachers were 'exceptional women'
The six-year-old's teacher Vicki Soto confronted gunman Adam Lanza as she tried to protect pupils .
Dylan was found in the arms of his favourite teacher Anne Marie Murphy who was also killed .
Twenty pupils and six staff died in the Sandy Hook School Massacre . |
fc674307dfc935c4e056acb60ccb7d6700e0cd6f | (Mental Floss) -- 1. Applebee's . The world's largest casual dining chain celebrated 30 years of eatin' good in the neighborhood in 2010. The original Applebee's, which was named T.J. Applebee's Rx for Edibles & Elixirs, opened in Atlanta in 1980. The founders of the original restaurant, including Bill and T.J. Palmer, wanted to name the restaurant Appleby's, but that spelling had already been registered. Cinnamon's and Peppers, two other names considered, were taken as well. The Palmers settled on T.J. Applebee's, which was just different enough from their first choice. "Menu items ranging from munchies to steak and quail are served at round, high-topped tables on platforms," read one newspaper review from 1981. A second location was opened in Atlanta before T.J. Palmer's ownership group sold the restaurant concept in 1983. The name was changed to Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill in 1986 and became the first casual dining chain to hit 1,000 locations in 1998. 2. Bob Evans . Bob Evans began producing sausage on his farm in 1948 for a 12-stool diner he owned in southeastern Ohio. His patrons raved about the sausage, prompting Evans to enter the sausage-making business on a larger scale. Bob Evans Farms was launched in 1953, and when the number of visitors to his farm began to increase, Evans saw an opportunity. Evans opened a small restaurant called the Sausage Shop in front of his brick farmhouse in Rio Grande, Ohio, in 1962. The Sausage Shop is considered the first of Bob Evans' now-famous chain restaurants. Today, Evans' farmhouse, known as the Homestead, is on the National Register of Historic Places. 3. California Pizza Kitchen . In 1985, federal prosecutors Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax opened the first California Pizza Kitchen in Beverly Hills. Rosenfield and Flax, who were inspired by Wolfgang Puck's popular Spago restaurant in West Hollywood and hired Puck's original pizza chef at CPK, read Ray Kroc's autobiography prior to starting their business. Today, the chain has grown to more than 250 restaurants. Mental Floss: Why Mr. Rogers was the best neighbor ever . 4. Cheesecake Factory . In 1972, Oscar and Evelyn Overton moved from Detroit to a suburb of Los Angeles to launch a wholesale bakery specializing in cheesecakes. Six years later, the Overton's son, David, opened a salad and sandwich shop in Beverly Hills that featured 10 flavors of his mom's cheesecake. One of the main purposes of the shop was to get local restaurateurs to carry the Overton's cheesecake in their own establishments, but it turned into a booming business of its own. Overton opened a second restaurant in Marina Del Rey in 1983. The rest was history. 5. Cracker Barrel . In 1969, Dan Evins, who worked in his family's gasoline business, opened the first Cracker Barrel Old Country Store off Highway 109 in Lebanon, Tennessee. By 1977, 13 additional Cracker Barrel stores had opened. The goal of the original Cracker Barrel was to provide a place for motorists to fill their tanks and their stomachs, and the inspiration for the concept came from the general stores that Evins frequented as a child. According to the Cracker Barrel website, goods such as crackers were shipped to these stores in barrels, and when the barrels were empty, the base was often used for a checkerboard. The gift shop remains a staple of Cracker Barrels today. 6. Denny's . Harold Butler founded Denny's in Lakewood, Calif., in 1953 as Danny's Donuts. First-year earnings totaled $120,000. Butler opened 20 additional shops and expanded the menu to include sandwiches and other entrees over the next six years before renaming his restaurants Denny's. Butler began franchising Denny's in 1963 and introduced its signature Grand Slam breakfast in Atlanta in 1977. In 2000, Denny's opened a restaurant in Rhode Island, which was the only state without one. Mental Floss: How do you decaffeinate coffee? 7. IHOP . The first IHOP was opened by brothers Al and Jerry Lapin on July 7, 1958, in Toluca Lake, California. Part of the reason the Lapins chose Toluca Lake was to capitalize on the overflow crowd from Bob's Big Boy. Al Lapin had operated a series of coffee carts in Los Angeles when fast-food chains started to take off and saw the potential for a fast-food restaurant that specialized in breakfast. Today, IHOP boasts more than 1,500 restaurants in all 50 states. IHOP purchased Applebee's in 2007. 8. Red Lobster . Bill Darden opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida, in 1968. The restaurant, which offered seafood at reasonable prices, was popular from the start and Darden soon opened four additional locations throughout Florida. In 1970, General Mills purchased Darden's chain. The original restaurant was closed in 1997 after Darden determined that Lakeland would be better served by only one location. Red Lobster wasn't the first color/animal restaurant Darden started. Decades earlier, he opened The Green Frog. 9. TGI Friday's . Alan Stillman opened the first T.G.I. Friday's at First Avenue and 63rd St. in New York City in 1965 -- partially as a means of meeting airline stewardesses. "The other thing is that my timing was exquisite, because I opened T.G.I. Friday's the exact year the pill was invented," Stillman told the New City Reader last year. "I happened to hit the sexual revolution on the head, and the result was that, without really intending it, I became the founder of the first singles bar." The first Friday's featured Tiffany lamps, sawdust on the floor, and distinctive red and white striped awnings. First year revenues at the original Friday's were $1 million. A second location opened in Memphis in 1970, and within 10 years, eight other T.G.I. Friday's had opened. Stillman eventually sold Friday's and launched Smith and Wollensky Steakhouse in 1977. Mental Floss: Who was the first stewardess? 10. Waffle House . The original Waffle House opened on Labor Day 1955 on East College Avenue in Decatur, Georgia. In 2008, the 13-stool diner that launched more than 1,500 Waffle Houses reopened as a Waffle House museum, with vintage equipment and memorabilia displays of old uniforms and place settings. "That was the year McDonald's and all the hamburger chains started doing takeout," Waffle House co-founder Joe Rogers told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2008 of his idea to open a restaurant with his neighbor, Tom Forkner. "We wanted to do sit-down, and we knew you couldn't take out a waffle or it'd become flimsy." For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved. | The creators of California Pizza Kitchen were inspired by Wolfgang Puck's Spago .
Denny's introduced its signature Grand Slam breakfast in Atlanta in 1977 .
TGI Friday's began as a popular singles bar .
The original Waffle House opened on Labor Day 1955 . |
fc68c86e151332e4103a51e27624018142900bd3 | The sun may not have made it out in time for the annual Buckingham Palace garden party, but that didn't stop the Duchess of Cambridge debuting a beautiful summery look. Wearing a round-neck Emilia Wickstead coat in canary yellow silk, Kate brought a ray of sunshine to the proceedings today. She accessorised the coat, which neatly skimmed her by now very evident bump, with a cream Jane Corbett hat with rippled bow and large pearl drop earrings (and, it goes without saying, her trusty nude pumps). The party, when the Queen hosts a tea for 8,000 esteemed members of the public in the gardens of her London residence, is considered to be one of the highlights of the royal summer calendar. Scroll down for video . Sunny delight! Kate brightens up the Buckingham Palace Garden Party in a canary yellow coat . Royal bump watch: The duchess's tall, athletic physique has meant she has remained slender throughout - only now is her bump really beginning to show . In-laws: Kate spent much of the afternoon in the company of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall . Kate spent much of the afternoon in the company of Prince Charles and Camilla, both of whom seemed to be predicting rain - they each clutched their trusty Fulton umbrella - but thankfully hadn't had to put them into use. Camilla wore a beautiful brocade coat by Fiona Clare topped off with a flamboyantly feathered hat, while Prince Charles looked elegant in dove grey tails. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent were also in attendance. This was the second year that Kate had attended the Queen's garden party, which the monarch uses as a way of thanking people who have contributed to public life or their local community. Kate attended the party for the first time last year, something which at the time was said to be a real rite of passage for the fledgling royal. This was also the second year that Kate attended alone. Last year William was tied up with duties on Anglesey, where he serves as a helicopter rescue pilot, and this time round too prior engagements kept him away. Spectacular: Buckingham Palace provides a beautiful backdrop for the uplifting event . Making her way through the . 8,000-strong crowd on the lawn to the rear of the palace, Kate, 31, . chatted with well-wishers including Marie Curie nurse Susan Bradley who . said afterwards; 'She instantly recognised my uniform and the daffodil . in my lapel and told me that she had great admiration for the work the . charity does as our staff cared for her own grandfather in his home when . he was terminally ill.' Another guest called out to Kate 'you . look lovely in yellow' to which she smiled and thanked him, gently . smoothing her hand over her swelling belly. She also chatted with guest Juliet Rogers about the affect the weather was having on her pregnancy, . 'She said that the one benefit of the . weather was that it was keeping her temperature down. She said she was . thankfully rather cool.' Bright: The Duchess of Cambridge added a flash of summer colour to the event, which was, as seems to be customary of late, blighted by grey clouds and overcast skies . It was only the second garden party . the Duchess had attended but is clearly learning fast, as she chatted . easily with several dozen guests as she slowly made her way to the green . and white stripped royal tea tent where the other members of the family . were slowly gathering. Among the guests was British Olympic . swimmer Rebecca Adlington, looking summery in a floral dress by, . appropriately, The Pretty Dress Company and Topshop shoes. She said: 'Everyone told me to wear . my Olympic uniform but how often do we get the chance to dress up for . something like this? I have been here a lot over the last year - we have . been milking the Olympics a lot, I know - but it is always a real . honour.' Julie Roberts, one of the founding . members of the Military Wives Choir was among those who chatted to the . Queen, resplendent in a sugar pink Karl Ludwig coat and dress and Angela . Kelly hat. Mrs Roberts was accompanied by her husband, Captain Tommy Roberts of the . Royal Marines, and sons Captain Thomas Roberts, also a marine, and . student son Ciaran. She said: 'We have sang for the Queen a number of times and it was a delight to meet her in person.' Good time: The royals are joined by up to 8,000 guests at each royal garden party, and each consumes around 14 cucumber sandwiches . Blossoming: . With just under two months to go until her estimated due date, Kate . looked pretty in a cocoon-cut Emilia Wickstead coat that accentuated her growing bump . Eyes front! A royal guard can't resist flicking his gaze right to catch a glimpse of Kate as she chats to Charles and Camilla . Bond: Kate shares a joke with Camilla, with whom she is said to have a close relationship . Party time! Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge enjoying the atmosphere at the summer season's first royal garden party . Against the flow: Kate is confronted by dozens of guests keen to get closer to her at the Buckingham Palace event . Esteemed: Guests at the Queen's garden parties include members of the public who have contributed in some way to public life . Chic: Kate's Jane Corbett hat - one she wore in June last year with a cream Alexander McQueen dress-coat for the Order of the Garter ceremony - with the silk yellow coat . Cameras at the ready! The partygoers held phones aloft to catch some of Kate's magic on film . Ladies in waiting: Kate spent time chatting to a cornucopia of colourfully dressed band of guest . Popular: Kate was surrounded by curious crowds keen to catch her every word . Warm welcome: The Queen and fellow royals mingle with the crowd, which today included Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington . Hostess with the most: At 87, the Queen at 87 still knows how to throw a great party - one of three garden events she will host this summer . The Queen, wearing a Karl Ludwig coat and Angela Kelly hat, met a member of the Military Wives Choir along with her military husband and two sons. On her lapel the Queen wore the star-shaped Jardine Star brooch, an eight-point diamond piece that was left to her by Lady Jardine in 1981. The Queen has since worn the piece many times . Kate chose a bespoke version of the Marella coat by high society design darling Emilia Wickstead. Kate has worn a number of garments by the much-admired designer, including a dusky pink dress worn at a garden party this time last year. This yellow silk coat is said on the website where an off-the-peg version can be found to be 'elegant and classic with a hint of playfulness' and is inspired by 1950s 'society swan' Marella Agneli. Regal style: An off-the-peg version of Kate's Emilia Wickstead coat is on sale at Matchesfashion.com now for £1,285 (but given the impact of the Kate Effect it won't be around for long...) Buy it now: The coat on the Matches website - said to be inspired by 1950s 'society swan' Marella Agneli. The coat is described as 'elegant and classic with a hint of playfulness' WE'VE SEEN THAT HAT SOMEWHERE BEFORE! Kate's hat was a cream sinemay hat with rippled bow trim by milliner Jane Corbett. Corbett has long been a trusted milliner to the Middletons and made the tilt-brim hat that Carole Middleton wore to the Royal Wedding in 2011. Corbett, who has a studio in Hungerford, Berkshire, was trained under Rose Cory, milliner to the Queen Mother. Corbett also created headgear for Carole for Royal Ascot, the Derby, Trooping the Colour, for Pippa for various society weddings and for Kate, who wore a royal blue Jane Corbett at the Duke of Edinburgh's 90th birthday celebrations - and of course, Kate wore today's cream creation for the Order of the Garter. 2013: Kate today at the Buckingham Palace garden party. 2011: Kate at the Order of the Garter in Alexander McQueen coatdress . The Queen’s garden parties are quintessentially British and a chance to celebrate the achievements of people who have contributed to public life or their local community.They have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s when Queen Victoria instituted what were known as public 'breakfasts', although they took place in the afternoon.In the 1950s the number of garden parties held at Buckingham Palace was increased from two to three a year, taking the place of presentation parties attended by debutantes.They have since evolved into a way of rewarding public service and are attended by people from all walks of life, invited on the recommendation of a variety of national organisations including the Government, Civil Service, Armed Forces and the Diplomatic Corps as well as charities and local Lord Lieutenants.The parties normally take place in June and July but have been brought forward this year due to the Jubilee celebrations. Esteemed guests: Attendees of the party are thanked by the Queen for their contribution to society . The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, enter the palace gardens at 4pm to the sounds of the National Anthem played by as military band.Each member of the Royal family then circulates among the guests through 'lanes' which are peculiar to Royal garden parties. Random presentations are made so that everyone has an equal chance of speaking to Her Majesty and members of her family before they arrive at the Royal tea tent to meet VIP guests.Tea and other refreshments are served in enormous quantities. At a typical garden party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed with 400 waiting staff involved in the serving.Last year guests were treated to tea, iced coffee and organic apple juice along with cucumber and egg mayonnaise sandwiches, mini strawberry scones, coffee éclairs and tiny chocolate mousse cakes embossed with a gold crown.In recent years, the Queen has been forced to try and make savings elsewhere in her budget to meet the bill for greedy guests who devour an average of 14 tea-time treats each.At 6pm the Queen and the Royal party leave the garden and are escorted into the palace by the Yeoman of the Guard, Gentlemen at Arms and Gentlemen Ushers. | Kate attending Queen's annual tea party for second year running .
Attended without William again - duties on Anglesey kept him away .
Duchess wore bespoke version of £1,285 Marella coat by Emilia Wickstead .
Accessorised with Jane Corbett hat, pearl earrings and nude pumps . |
fc6956dcf788d0140cad8971336458c00cc7fc4e | By . Ryan Lipman . A 21-year-old Melbourne man has died after falling from the fifth storey balcony of an apartment block. 'The death occurred at an apartment in Olive York Way in Brunswick West at around 1.30am on Saturday,' a Victoria Police media spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. Police investigating the death say they are speaking to a number of people who were at the building at the time. A 21-year-old Melbourne died after falling from the fifth-storey balcony of an apartment block on Saturday morning . Police are taking statements from people inside the building who maye be able to provide more information . They do not suspect foul play and the death is not being treated as suspicious. 'He obviously fell but as to how and why, that's what we're a investigating,' the spokesman said. The spokesman added that police are preparing a report for the coroner in relation to the death. Police are not treating the fall as suspicious, but a spokesman still doesn't know how or why the man fell . | A 21-year-old man has fallen from an apartment balcony and died .
The incident happened in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick West .
Police are investigating and are not treating the death as suspicious . |
fc69605424e2f558fb3ec7de0d35194029a3d912 | Louis van Gaal appears to have ignored the desperate pleas of Manchester United fans to strengthen his central defence and midfield in favour of bringing Radamel Falcao to Old Trafford. The Colombian striker will undoubtedly improve United's attacking options this season, but where does he fit in the Dutchman's preferred formation? Falcao, who will put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal for a fee of £12million before the transfer window closes, isn't a versatile player. He must play centrally and Van Gaal knows that. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Neil Ashton: Radamel Falcao is obsessed with scoring goals . New boy: Striker Radamel Falcao is joining Manchester United on a season-long loan for £12million . Busy: United boss Louis van Gaal is attempting to build his own squad after arriving at the club this summer . Goal-getter: Falcao will be looking to continue his fine record in front of goal in the Premier League . Click here to read about Falcao's move to Old Trafford and here for his latest movements . But how about senior forwards Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie? And where does former club record signing Juan Mata now stand? The Red Devils look suspect at the back, but going forward they have enough firepower to trouble anyone. The challenge now facing United's manager is fitting that talented quartet on the same pitch in a system that he not only likes, but which brings the best out of each individual. With his 3-5-2 failing to deliver a victory in four games so far this season, Van Gaal may consider utilising a new formation to put his summer acquisitions to good use. The 63-year-old has experienced success - most notably at this summer's World Cup with Holland - using three central defenders, but he lacks the necessary quality in that area of the pitch at United to persist with it. With Luke Shaw and Rafael being more accustomed to traditional full back roles too, a 4-3-1-2 system looks a more likely option as Van Gaal settles in at Old Trafford. Phil Jones and summer signing Marcos Rojo should fill the central defensive berths. Going forward: Robin van Persie (left) and Juan Mata (right) are two of Louis van Gaal's attacking options . Going nowhere: Club captain Wayne Rooney appears to be a vital part of Van Gaal's plans at Old Trafford . How Manchester United could line up with Falcao . That would give United a midfield three of Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and big-money buy Angel di Maria - an attractive mix of pace, passing ability and defensive nous. That leaves four players - Falcao, Rooney, Van Persie and Mata - battling for three spaces at the top end of the pitch. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he appears to be the odd one out. As shown by his promotion to club captain, Rooney is seen as a central figure by Van Gaal. He has played as a striker in each of United's three league games so far, but remains the most adaptable of the former Bayern Munich boss' options. Dropping the England skipper back into the No 10 role would give him the regular football he craves, while allowing Falcao to play in his natural position - up-front alongside Van Persie. It would, however, leave £37m Mata as a peripheral figure. Van Persie - like Falcao - is at his most dangerous when played in the middle as the furthest man forward. The pair of them together have the potential to become the top-flight's most dangerous partnership, helping negate any shakiness in the new-look back four with the promise of goals, goals and goals. Whether Rooney will be content to drop further back remains to be seen, but he may have no option given the excessive loan fee executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has allowed to be spent on a man who was also a target for rivals Manchester City and La Liga giants Real Madrid. Prolific: Falcao celebrates a goal for Monaco against Nantes during a Ligue 1 clash last season . VIDEO Falcao completes dramatic Old Trafford move . Odd one out: Juan Mata (right) faces a battle to start for United after the arrival of Falcao . Mata left Chelsea in January in search of regular football but after struggling in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Burnley, it already looks like he'll have a fight on his hands to nail down a regular spot in Van Gaal's first XI. Rooney will play as captain, Van Persie is one of his manager's most trusted players and you don't sign one of the world's best strikers to let him sit on the bench. With Di Maria also providing attacking thrust from midfield, United fans will be excited at the prospect of their revamped attack helping turn around a disappointing start to the campaign. Unfortunately for Mata, the arrival of Falcao could well mean he is no longer a part of it. | Radamel Falcao will seal a season-long loan move to Manchester United .
The Monaco striker will provide another attacking option for Louis van Gaal .
His arrival will increase competition among Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata .
But the highly-rated former Atletico Madrid forward looks certain to start .
Van Gaal could revert to a 4-3-1-2 formation after failing to win with 3-5-2 . |
fc69bd537a5a91e370c37e2139ab515ece8d137c | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Rick Parfitt will miss his first Status Quo gig since he joined the band in 1967 after doctors told him to rest . Rick Parfitt is to miss his first Status Quo gig since joining the band in 1967 after being told to rest by doctors following surgery. The 65-year-old guitarist had been due to return to the line-up tonight following an operation to correct a problem with his 1997 quadruple heart bypass. But he has now been told to continue his recuperation so a last-minute stand-in has been drafted in for a single show. Freddie Edwards - son of bass player John 'Rhino' Edwards - will step in for the concert at Clumber Park in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Parfitt fell ill during the band’s European tour and was flown home from Croatia to be treated at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. He had a stent inserted after it was found a graft from his 1997 quadruple heart bypass had become furred. Parfitt said: 'Obviously I’m really disappointed to be missing this show but I’m pleased that Freddie will be able to step up and help the band out whilst I’m recuperating. 'I know all the Quo fans will make him welcome and I’ll be back onstage soon.' His fellow guitarist and long-time sidekick Francis Rossi said: 'It will certainly be strange performing without Rick, but Freddie performed with me when I did my solo tour so I know that he’s got what it takes - and, of course, he’s part of the Quo family.' Parfitt has weathered drink, drug and health problems over the years but the band has never gone ahead with a show without him since his arrival in the line-up. John Edwards said of his son’s opportunity: 'This is going to be an amazing experience for us - what a day for the family.' Parfitt has been cleared to return to the band by the time of their next show at Holkham Hall in Norfolk on August 23. Quo manager Simon Porter said: 'Our priority is, of course, to do everything we can to get Rick back onstage as soon as possible, but we hate letting down the fans and we’re delighted that this show will still go ahead. 'Rick is making a fantastic recovery, but his doctors have yesterday advised just a few more days’ recuperation before hitting the stage again for a full-voltage Quo show. 'This is a real piece of Quo history in the making. Rick will be back soon but, in the meantime, we look forward to welcoming Freddie into the fold for what we are sure will be a memorable one-off.' Freddie Edwards (right) - John 'Rhino' Edwards' son - will step in for Status Quo concert in at Clumber Park . Status Quo performing aboard the HMS Ark Royal in Portsmouth Docks. Left - right: Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt and John 'Rhino Edwards' (right), whose son Freddie will step in for performance while Parfitt recovers . | Rick Parfitt, 65, had been due to return to line-up tonight after operation .
He has now been told to continue his recuperation so stand-in drafted in .
Son of John 'Rhino' Edwards, Freddie Edwards, will replace him at concert .
Parfitt is 'disappointed' to be missing show at Clumber Park in Worksop . |
fc69fb1fe89c9ead2590d52571f5867419bb32d7 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A Georgia widow convicted of lying to investigators after her lover shot dead her husband four years ago, could be released from prison as early as June. Andrea Sneiderman is serving a five-year sentence after a court found her guilty of perjury and hindering the investigation into the November 2010 fatal shooting of her husband, Rusty, by her lover and former supervisor at GE Energy, Hemy Neuman. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the mother-of-two was eligible for release today, but the State Board of Pardons and Paroles determined she should serve an additional two months. 'The board’s decision follows the clemency guidelines recommendation of 22 months to serve prior to parole,' board spokesman Steve Hayes said in a news release. He said a final decision will be made in June and, if approved, an exact parole release date will be set. Andrea Sneiderman (pictured at court in August 2013) is serving a five-year prison term but could be released as early as June . Confined: The parole board determined that Andrea Sneiderman (pictured in 2013) should serve 22 months of her sentence, two months beyond her eligibility date . Sneiderman spent nearly a year under . house arrest after she was charged in August 2012 with conspiring to kill her husband. Those charges were dropped just before her trial commenced . in late July last year. During her lover's murder trial in 2012, she testified that she 'didn’t . know what happened to Rusty until I got to the emergency room. No one . told me what happened to Rusty', Fox Atlanta reported. She also denied to police that she was in a relationship with Neuman. Prosecutors . accused her of making false statements . to police investigating her husband's slaying and lying under oath . during Neuman's trial. Last year, she was found guilty of four counts of perjury, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, concealment of material facts, and three counts of giving false statements. Torn apart: Rusty Sneiderman (pictured with his children and wife, Andrea) was murdered in 2012 . Guilty: Hemy Neuman (pictured at his sentencing in 2012) was found guilty of shooting Rusty Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody preschool in 2010 . Meanwhile her lover, Hemy Neuman, was convicted of murder and sentenced to . life in prison in March 2012, but found to be mentally ill. The court found him guilty of shooting dead 36-year-old . Rusty Sneiderman outside a suburban . Atlanta preschool while he was dropping his son off. He told mental health examiners . he was visited by a demon whose voice sounded like Barry White and an . angel who looked like Olivia Newton-John. The angel ordered him to . fatally shoot Sneiderman, Neuman said in one interview. Lovers turned fighters: Andrea Sneiderman (left) was having an affair with her then-boss Hemy Neuman (right) when he shot and killed her husband Rusty . Bereaved: Don and Marilyn Sneiderman, parents of murder victim Rusty . Sneiderman, listen to opening arguments at the trial of Andrea . Sneidermanin 2013 . Unusual urgings: During his trial, Neuman said that an angel who looked like Olivia Newton John told him to do it, as did a demon who sounded like Barry White . | Andrea Sneiderman's husband, Rusty Sneiderman, was shot dead by her lover, Hemy Neuman, in November 2010 .
She was convicted on charges of perjury and hindering the investigation after lying about her relationship with Neuman .
She was eligible for release today but the parole board said she should serve an additional two months .
A final decision will be made in June .
Neuman killed Rusty in front of a daycare center .
Neuman said that 'an angel in a dream who looked like Olivia Newton John told him to do it, and so did a demon who sounded like Barry White' |
fc6a4fead1beaa292e96d077acb94192c98beb5e | (CNN) -- He's kerpowed the Joker and put the Penguin on ice, but Batman faces a new adversary -- the mayor of an oil-producing Turkish town. The late Heath Ledger plays the Joker in "The Dark Knight," the most successful film of the year. Huseyin Kalkan, leader of the city of Batman in southeastern Turkey, plans to sue Christopher Nolan, director of the latest Batman movie "The Dark Knight," for taking its name without consultation," according to media reports. "The royalty of the name 'Batman' belongs to us... There is only one Batman in the world, " Hurriyet Daily News.com reported Kalkan as telling the Dogan news agency. "The American producers used the name of our city without informing us." Kalkan, who represents the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, added that he decided to take action after someone suggested that the cash-strapped community needed more funds. "We found this criticism right and started to look for legal possibilities of a case like that," Hurriyet Daily News.com reported. Batman, which has a population of just under 250,000, is the provincial capital of the oil-rich Batman Province and lies close to the Batman River. In recent years it has been hit by a series of female suicides and features in the novel "Snow" by Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk. "The Dark Knight" movie is based on the Batman comic-book character created in 1939 by Bob Kane. Released by Warner Bros -- a sister company to Turner Broadcasting System, which owns CNN -- during the summer, "The Dark Knight" has now taken just under $1 billion worldwide, according to box-office Web site boxofficemojo.com, including $528.7 million from domestic ticket sales and $469 million from international receipts. The film is also scheduled for re-release in January as part of an awards season push, with focus especially on supporting actor Heath Ledger, who played Joker and who died earlier this year. Local newspaper Batman Cagdas has reported that several former residents of Batman living in Germany have had problems registering their business -- but Kalkan says he has no knowledge of the claims. Lawyer Vehbi Kahveci, head of the Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Commission of the Istanbul Bar, told Hurriyet Daily News.com that the "Batman" name was registered worldwide. He added that the town had missed the timeframe during which it could complain about any infringement of its name. Warner Bros said that it was only aware of the action through the media and had yet to be presented with any legal papers. | "The Dark Knight" has been the biggest grossing film worldwide of 2008 .
Mayor of Turkish town of Batman threatens to sue film's director for copyright .
Batman, population 250,000, also shares its name with a province and a river .
Warner Bros, studio behind movie, says it is not aware of any court action . |
fc6a6740e1235f83180654e153c19e3bc003cd68 | By . Garry Doolan . Manchester United's International Champions Cup clash with European champions Real Madrid on Saturday is expected to provide the largest crowd ever for a football match in America. The ‘Big House’ stadium in Michigan is expected to welcome 109,000 fans and is the largest ground in the States. Fitting, then, that such a crowd should be entertained by some of the world’s best players from two of the most iconic clubs on the planet. If America doesn’t ‘get’ football after this, it arguably never will. VIDEO Scroll down to watch International Champions Cup highlights . Heading for the final: Manchester United are poised to top Group A in the International Champions Cup . While many Americans will struggle to tell their Rooneys from their Ronaldos, the one thing they are sure to understand is money. Forbes, the esteemed American business magazine, have published a Top 10 of the world’s most valuable clubs, with United and Real occupy two of the top three spots. The European champions lead with an estimated total value of £2.04billion, but United are not far behind with £1.71bn. Sandwiched in the middle are Barcelona at £1.9bn. But for all their spending, Real cannot make the final of the tournament on Monday no matter the result against United. Louis van Gaal’s side lead Group A and could face either Manchester City or Liverpool in the final in Miami. United won on penalties against Inter Milan in Washington DC after beating Roma 3-2 in Denver. Roma and Inter both have three points after two games, while Madrid's defeat by Roma on Tuesday ended their hopes of qualifying for the final. Liverpool lead Group B, one point ahead of Manchester City. Greek side Olympiacos, who are also in contention to make the final, follow with three points, while AC Milan are yet to get off the mark. Stateside following: The Red Devils have enjoyed large support during their tour . All teams play three fixtures before the winners of each group meet in Miami. Group A results: United 3 Roma 2; Real Madrid 1 Inter 1 (Inter 3-2 pens); United 0 v Inter 0 (United 5-3 pens), Real Madrid 0 Roma 1 . Group B results: Olympiacos 3 AC Milan 0; AC Milan 1 Man City 5; Liverpool 1 Olympiacos 0; Liverpool 2 Man City 2 (Liverpool 3-1 pens) Fixtures: (2 Aug) United v Real Madrid, Inter v Roma, AC Milan v Liverpool, Olympiacos v Man City . sfd . VIDEO Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City (Liverpool win 3-1 on penalties) INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP SO FAR . MANCHESTER UNITED . 3-2 Roma (Rooney 2, Mata) (Sports Authority Field, Denver, July 26) 0-0 Inter Milan (Fedex Field, Washington DC, July 30) United won 5-3 on penalties (Young, Hernandez, Cleverley, Kagawa, Fletcher) Unbeaten: United have already defeated Italian sides Roma and Inter Milan . REAL MADRID . 1-1 Inter Milan (California Memorial Stadium, July 26) Inter won 3-2 penalties. (Lucas and Nacho scored from the spot for Real) 0-1 Roma (Dallas Cotton Bowl, July 29) Not so pretty in pink: Madrid have lost both of their games in the tournament . TRANSFERS THIS SUMMER . Manchester United have so far spent a total of £55m, although van Gaal is expect to add more players once the Red Devils return from the States. After two years of nearly signing central-midfielder Ander Herrera, the 24-year-old finally arrived this summer in a £29m deal from Athletic Bilbao. Teenaged defender Luke Shaw’s departure from Southampton was equally nothing of a surprise and his transfer fee of £27m could rise to £31.5m depending upon appearances. Big money: Luke Shaw joined United from Southampton for a fee which could rise to £31.5million . Toni Kroos had been linked with a move to United for much of last season, but the 24-year-old midfielder eventually clinched a £20m switch to the Bernabeu after winning the World Cup with Germany. However, Madrid’s marquee signing came in the shape of Colombia’s World Cup inspiration James Rodriguez. The striker’s £63m switch from Monaco is big business. The 23-year-old won the Golden Boot in Brazil and ensured Madrid kept pace with Barcelona and their purchase of Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. World Cup star: James Rodriguez signed for Madrid in a £63million deal after impressing for Colombia in Brazil . WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM . Manchester United have just signed a world-record £750m kit deal with German's sportswear giant adidas. The 10-year partnership puts United way out ahead of Europe’s other leading clubs, although it will be cut by 30 per cent if they fail to qualify for the Champions League for two consecutive seasons. United stay with Nike until 2015-16 campaign. United have also secured a shirt sponsorship deal with £53m a year with leading luxury American car company Chevrolet. United’s Old Trafford is usually a sell-out for home Premier League games with a capacity of 75,731. United have an overall average income of around £380m per year. First and last: Nike will supply United for the final time during the 2014-15 season before adidas take over, while Chevrolet have just started a sponsorship deal worth £53m-a-year . Real Madrid are also tied to adidas, with a shirt deal worth £31m a year until 2020. Their kit sponsorship arrangement with the Emirates airline brings in an additional £23m-a-year. Real’s iconic Bernabeu can seat 85,454 when full and the club's revenue at the last reckoning was said to be worth around £428m-a-year. Big money available: Madrid's commercial deals have allowed them to pay world record transfer deals for the likes of Gareth Bale (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo . MANAGERS . Manchester United - Louis van Gaal (Born Amsterdam, aged 62): Former manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ, Bayern Munich and Holland. Manchester United manager since June 2014. Success: Won three league titles, the UEFA Cup and Champions League with Ajax; two Spanish league titles and Copa del Rey with Barcelona; the league with AZ; the league with Bayern, the DFB-Pokal and reached Champions League final. New man in: Louis van Gaal took over as United boss this summer . Real Madrid - Carlo Ancelotti (Born Reggiolo, Aged 55): Former manager of Reggiana, Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG. He joined Real in June 2013. Success: Took Reggiana into Serie A; With Milan won the Champions League twice, league title and Coppa Italia. Also lifted Club World Cup; At Chelsea, won the Community Shield, Premier League title and FA Cup; With PSG won league title. Real, won Copa del Rey last season then Champions League. Veteran: Carlo Ancelotti (left) has enjoyed a successful managerial career . | Man Utd and Real Madrid meet in Group A of International Champions Cup .
Red Devils hoping to reach final while European champions are already out .
109,000 are expected to attend clash in Michigan .
Wayne Rooney, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo among the stars set to feature for clash between European giants in front of soccer fans . |
fc6ad4ec1eff258bf939d869a0a7e04a3d8842ee | Reduced rates: Terrorism Risk Insurance Act allows Federal Government to split the cost of insurance with the organizers of large events . There's a chance the Super Bowl won't be played this year because insurance used to cover the game is about to expire. It all depends on whether or not Congress renews the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, however without any insurance, the game will almost certainly have to be cancelled. Terrorism insurance used to be widely available to U.S. businesses including the organizers of sporting events. TRIA was signed into law in 2002 in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, establishing a risk-sharing partnership between the federal government and the insurance industry. Without federal support, most insurers had been unwilling to offer coverage. The act helps insure against terror attacks, and in recent weeks has been named a major concern for the organizers. The simplest way to understand the act is to know that it helps backstop private insurers who insure against damages from terrorism, making the rates lower for those who buy the insurance. Although TRIA was renewed in 2005 and in 2007, it is set to expire on December 31 unless Congress renews it. With just two weeks to go before the deadline, the clock is ticking. Without insurance, a high-risk event like the Super Bowl cannot go on. Scroll down for video . The play or not to play? The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act is due to expire at the end of 2014 meaning the game may have to called off because the game will not be insured against acts of terrorism . The NFL has joined other professional sports leagues and 80 business groups to form the Coalition to Insurance Against Terrorism (CIAT) to urge Congress to fund the reauthorization of TRIA. If TRIA is not renewed, insurers will have the right to cancel terrorism insurance policies after January 1. Insurers are sometimes likely to cancel policies out of fear of insolvency, should another massive terrorist attack occur without government assistance. Prior to 9/11, insurers included terrorism coverage in all commercial policies without charging for it. The risk from terrorism was low and below their threshold level of concern. However, after shelling out $44 billion in claims for 9/1, insurers began to exclude terrorism from commercial policies. The TRIA act has to be reauthorized during the next two weeks otherwise insurers will have the right to cancel terrorism insurance policies after January 1st, putting the February 1st game in jeopardy. | Before 9/11 coverage for terror attacks was included for free on insurance policies .
The 2001 attacks cost insurers $44 billion putting up the cost of premiums .
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act allows Federal Government to split the cost with the organizers of large events .
Act due expire on 31st December meaning game will be in doubt if not renewed . |
fc6b455ac7d50455398f933828f9e7d313308d66 | By . Nick Pisa . Last updated at 4:48 PM on 14th October 2011 . Relief: Silvio Berlusconi survives a no confidence vote by the Italian parliament and is congratulated by female MPs . Controversial Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi today scraped through a crucial confidence vote and lived to fight another day after a razor thin win in parliament. If the no confidence vote had gone through, the 75-year-old premier would have had to resign immediately. Mr Berlusconi, needed 309 votes to secure victory - with a defeat meaning he would have to step down - but he managed to pull the political cat out of the bag with 316 MPs in his favour compared to 301 against him. Ahead of the vote the media tycoon . had predicted a win and there were loud cheers from his majority ruling . centre right coalition, while the opposition jeered and whistled. However it was the 53rd vote of . confidence he has faced since coming to power in 2008 and political . commentators say he cannot last in office for much longer - especially . as he is currently involved in four trials. Professor . James Walston, a lecturer in Italian politics at the American . University of Rome, said: 'It is a zombie government, not clinically . dead but close to being brain dead, lurching from one crisis to another, . golem-like and out of control. 'Worse, actually, because Berlusconi is very much alive to his own appetites and aversions.' Professor Walston added: 'The chances . that this government will run its full term to 2013 are decreasing by . the minute. Spring elections are more and more likely and the overall . prospects are not good.' Immediately . after the vote Mr Berlusconi said he would 'transfer his main working . office inside parliament' to show that he meant to solve Italy's . problems and he added: 'We have managed to beat off the attempted . assassination by the opposition.' Opposition . MP Dario Francheschini of the Democratic Left, said: 'It's evident they . are losing pieces - every time there is a confidence vote their numbers . go down. We have to keep trying and we are not far off.' Vote: Berlusconi won by a narrow margin. He would have had to resign immediately if he had lost . Joker: The Italian PM is involved in four separate court cases . Mr Berlusconi . was under intense pressure after his coalition was defeated in . parliament earlier this week during a vote on the state of the country's . public accounts - as Italy teeters on the edge of an economic crisis. The . sleazy politician - who is currently involved in four trials including . one for having sex with an underage prostitute – had urged parliament to . give him its confidence and added:''This must be done because of the . risks the country is running.'' The . vote came ahead of a massive demonstration planned in Rome for Saturday . with 200,000 protesters expected to vent their anger on how Mr . Berlusconi and his government are failing to deal with the economic . crisis that is threatening to topple Italy. Organisers said the slogan for the rally . would be 'Change Italy to Change Europe' and similar protests were . planned in other cities across the country and extra police have been . drafted in for added security around banks and public buildings. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends a confidence vote in the lower House of Parliament in Rome . Under pressure: Italy's Parliament has begun debating before a confidence vote that will determine the political future of the Prime Minister . Debate: If he is defeated - in what will be the 53rd confidence vote, Mr Berlusconi has faced since coming to power three years ago - he will be forced to resign . Italy . - the third largest economy in the Eurozone - has a debt of more than . £1 trillion or 120% of its GDP and despite introducing a belt tightening . 53 billion Euro austerity package earlier this summer there are fears . the country is heading the same way as neighbour Greece. Financial . ratings agencies and commentators say the lack of strong leadership . from Berlusconi and the internal squabbling indicate that he is not . strong enough to carry through policies and reforms to save the . country's economy. Besides . the under age sex case which resumes next month he is also on trial for . corruption and abuse of office and one commentator said he was spending . more time 'talking to his lawyers then governing and should be talking . more to Jean Claude Trichet the head of the European Bank.' Friendships: Karima Keyek (left) and Noemi Letizia (right) are just two of the girls Berlusconi has been accused of having inappropriate relationships with . | Relief for the PM as he faced the biggest test of his political career as Italian Parliament decided on vote of confidence .
The politician is currently involved in four .
trials including one for having sex with an underage prostitute . |
fc6b8d1c9ec01d32aa9cb01247ee4cfe27e57d07 | Former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice has won the appeal of his indefinite suspension and can return to the field immediately in a decision that has sparked outrage across the world. In an email to AP on Friday afternoon, National Football League Players Association spokesman, George Atallah, said: 'I can only confirm the suspension has been vacated, effective immediately.' Under the vacation, approved by former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones, Rice is now eligible to sign with any NFL team - and can do so as soon as he receives an offer. It comes two months after the footballer was suspended from the league indefinitely after he was filmed punching his wife, Janay Palmer, with his left fist in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . United front: Former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice (pictured arriving at court with his wife, Janay Palmer, on November 5) has won his appeal of his indefinite suspension and can return to the field immediately . Shocking footage: It comes two months after the footballer was suspended from the National Football League indefinitely after he was filmed punching Palmer with his left fist in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino . Knocked out: After this elevator security video of the altercation surfaced in September, the Baltimore Ravens released the three-time Pro Bowler, and his $35 million contract, before the NFL suspended him indefinitely . 'It is unbelievable': Within minutes of Judge Jones's decision in the appeal being publicly released, people across America, Britain and elsewhere had taken to social media to express their disgust at the verdict . Within minutes of Judge Jones's decision being publicly released, people across America, Britain and elsewhere had taken to social media to express their disgust at the verdict. Hillary Nadler wrote: 'It is unbelievable that Ray Rice is able to play again. I hope no one signs him,' while Marty Coultas said: 'Who's gonna sign Ray Rice? No one. Not happening.' Detroit-based journalist Ron Fournier tweeted: 'Any poor excuse of a man who hits a woman is kicked out of any self-respecting club. The NFL is a millionaires'/billionaires' club of enablers.' And Andrew Sheehy, from Scarborough in England, added: 'If Ray Rice plays another down in the NFL again, linebackers will line up left, right and center to hit him as hard as they can.' Outrage: Detroit-based journalist Ron Fournier (pictured) tweeted: 'Any poor excuse of a man who hits a woman is kicked out of any self-respecting club. The NFL is a millionaires'/billionaires' club of enablers' Questioning the verdict: Twitter user Marty Coultas said: 'Who's gonna sign Ray Rice? No one. Not happening' Risky business: And Andrew Sheehy, from Scarborough in England, added: 'If Ray Rice plays another down in the NFL again, linebackers will line up left, right and center to hit him as hard as they can' Suspension: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (left) pauses as he speaks during a news conference in New York. Right, Rice smiles on the sideline during the second half of a game against the San Francisco 49ers . However, not everyone was opposed to Rice rejoining the game, with Twitter user AJ Gould saying: 'Glad Ray Rice got reinstated... Hope Roger Goodell gets fired!' Initially, Rice was suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for only two games following the one-punch knockout of his then-fiancée in an elevator at the New Jersey-based casino in February. However, after security video of the altercation surfaced on TMZ in September, the Ravens released the three-time Pro Bowler, and his $35 million contract, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely. Criticism over the two-day action led the NFL to toughen its penalties on domestic violence, with Mr Goodell admitting in a letter to team owners that he 'didn't get it right'. On the field: During the appeal, Rice's lawyers and the union argued the league had overstepped its authority in modifying the player's (pictured) two-game suspension, saying he was being 'sentenced' twice . Couple: In addition to testimonies from both Rice and Palmer (pictured together)- who supported her husband - Judge Jones heard from NFL security chief Jeffrey Miller and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome . During the appeal, Rice's lawyers and the union argued the league had overstepped its authority in modifying former running back's two-game suspension, saying he was being 'sentenced' twice. In addition to testimonies from both Rice and Palmer - who supported her husband - Judge Jones heard from NFL security chief Jeffrey Miller and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome. In her decision on Friday, Judge Jones wrote: 'Because Rice did not mislead the commissioner and because there were no new facts on which the commissioner could base his increased suspension, I find that the imposition of the indefinite suspension was arbitrary. Expressing shock: Twitter user Joey D said: 'I'd be shocked if any team even went near Ray Rice this season' Difference in opinion: However, not everyone was opposed to Rice rejoining the game, with Twitter user AJ Gould (pictured) saying: 'Glad Ray Rice got reinstated... Hope Roger Goodell gets fired!' 'I therefore vacate the second penalty imposed on Rice. The provisions of the first discipline - those regarding making continued use of counseling and other professional services, having no further involvement with law enforcement, and not committing any additional violations of league policies - still stand.' Earlier this month, Palmer - now Janay Rice - spoke to ESPN about the Atlantic City incident, saying it stemmed from an 'insignificant' argument between her and her husband. She told the broadcaster: 'As we were arguing, he was on his phone and not looking at me. I went to reach for his phone, and when he grabbed it back, he spit at me and I slapped him. 'We got into the elevator and what happened inside is still foggy to me. The only thing I know - and I can't even say I "remember" because I only know from what Ray has told me - is that I slapped him again and then he hit me. I remember nothing else from inside the elevator.' After coming round in the casino lobby, surrounded by police, Palmer was taken to the police station with her husband, who kept telling her 'It's going to be okay. We'll be okay'. Explaining her decision for standing by Rice, she said although she was 'angry', she 'knew it wasn't him' and he had never acted like that before. 'No matter how long we have known each other and no matter what the circumstance is, Ray understands that violent behavior like this, even one time, is never acceptable,' she said. Another disgraced footballer: In September, Minnesota Vikings' star running back Adrian Peterson (pictured) was arrested for disciplining his four-year-old son by striking him with a wooden switch . Rice is not the only NFL player to have sparked anger among fans due to alleged violence. In September, Minnesota Vikings' star running back Adrian Peterson was arrested for disciplining his four-year-old son by striking him with a wooden switch. Peterson pleaded no contest in a Texas courtroom to a misdemeanor assault charge following his arrest and was told to pay a $4,000 (£2,550) fine and undertake community service. The NFL did not immediately comment on Rice's verdict. | Ex-NFL star filmed punching his wife Janay Palmer with left fist in elevator .
He was suspended indefinitely by league after video surfaced in September .
But on Friday, Judge Barbara Jones 'vacated' the footballer's suspension .
Rice can sign with any NFL team - and can do so as soon as he gets offer .
Decision has sparked outrage online, with many deeming it 'unbelievable' |
fc6c9726409715a392cb948d8a13bbcc117b6fb4 | Downton Abbey's beloved Carson has swapped his butler's uniform for a Father Christmas costume in a bid to raise awareness of global warming. Actor Jim Carter donned a fluffy beard and red robes to appear in a special Greenpeace film titled An Urgent Message From Santa. The 65-year-old urges viewers that Christmas could be cancelled unless world leaders take more action to protect the melting Arctic. Scroll down for video . Downton Abbey star Jim Carter appears in the special Greenpeace advert as a dishevelled Father Christmas to raise awareness of the melting Arctic . The actor who is married to fellow actress Imelda Staunton said: 'My wife and I have been Greenpeace members and supporters for the past 25 years and I couldn't say no when they asked me.' 'This is a chance to do something positive for the Arctic, which is a . precious resource. I hope that people will be prompted by this graphic . little film, get behind it, sign the petition and get more involved.' Carter who has also appeared in films such as Alice in Wonderland and Shakespeare in Love added: 'This is a very different version of Santa from the traditional, jolly, red-faced chap - this is a Santa on his last legs. 'I've never been a Father Christmas before, with the wig and the beard, because my voice would give me away. The 65-year-old actor warned viewers that Christmas could be cancelled unless world leaders did more to protect Santa's home in the Arctic . 'I want to do my part to help raise the profile of the threats posed to the Arctic by oil drilling and climate change. 'So I was pleased to have this opportunity to support Greenpeace and their amazing Christmas campaign.' The film ends with Carter in character as Santa asking for help to save his home in the North Pole, otherwise children worldwide will be left with empty stockings. It is part of the environmental organisation's Save The Arctic campaign, which counts Sir Paul McCartney, Jude Law, Madonna and designer Vivienne Westwood among its supporters. The actor's scruffy robes and unkempt beard are in stark contrast to the pristine appearance of his Downton Abbey character (right) 'I hope this can stimulate people thinking about that and putting political pressure on our leaders. Nobody wants to see the Arctic melt,' Carter added. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: 'Everyone loves Santa and nobody wants him to lose his home. 'If enough people support our campaign to protect the Arctic, then the younger generation will be able to sleep well on Christmas Eve, safe in the knowledge that Santa's home will be saved.' | Jim Carter appears in special Greenpeace film about melting Arctic .
Actor warns Santa Clause could lose his home because of global warming .
The 65-year-old has been a member of organisation for 25 years .
Sir Paul McCartney and Vivienne Westwood also support Arctic campaign . |
fc6d5cdcb95e6463a094d3270e4e83ff311c4e7f | Pebble has revealed a colour version of its popular smartwatch in a bid to fend off Apple and Google. Called Pebble Time, the firm has turned to Kickstarter, where it funded its original watch, for the £$199 colour version. The campaign has already been a huge success - with Pebble hitting its target in just seventeen minutes. Scroll down for video . The Pebble Time will cost $199 and will ship in May - although is cheaper for Kickstarter backers . Pebble Time features a new colour e-paper display and microphone for responding to notifications, meaning it can also do voice dictation and even calls. 'At its heart, Pebble Time is an awesome watch,' the firm says.'The new color e-paper display is easy to read and always-on, perfect for displaying incoming notifications and your favorite watchface.' Pebble hopes the battery life of its watch will be a major selling point - both the Apple Watch and Google's Android Wear watches need to be recharged every night. 'Compared with display technology like LCD or OLED, power consumption is minimized, enabling Pebble Time to achieve an industry-leading battery life of up to 7 days.' However, the screen is far lower resolution, and can only display 64 colours. 'It's not going to break any records for number of pixels or whatever,' Eric Migicovsky of Pebble told Backchannel. 'But it does what it has to do to be on a smart watch. 'It's color, it's always on and it uses, for all intents and purposes, the exact same power as our black-and-white display.' The watch will also be able to be fitted with any standard watch strap . The watch is also far thinner, at just 9.5mm. 'Its ergonomic, curved design fits comfortably on either wrist and slides easily under dress shirts,' the firm says. The new design was first leaked yesterday on Pebble's own website. The watch has a new 'timeline interface to allow people to see information depending on what's in their diary or the time of day. According to 9to5mac, the new watch is set to have a thinner design and a colour e-paper-like display. It spotted an image showing off the watch on Pebble's own servers. 'Now, thanks to an image hosted on Pebble's own servers, we have a look at a device with a physical appearance matching the device we described. 'The device looks to have a larger bezel, as well as buttons that are smaller compared to its predecessor.' As we reported, the watch is going to be thinner than the current generation, but you can't really see that based on this image alone. The new watch is also far thinner, at just 9.5mm. And while the new device will have a color display and a slimmer hardware profile, it's said to have battery life that compares to the first generation Pebble. On the inside, the next Pebble is going to have a Cortex M4 processor and a 6-axis gyroscope. Unlike the Apple Watch, the new Pebble won't have a touch screen, and its resolution is definitely on the low side compared to Apple's upcoming device. Compatibility: The smartwatch is compatible with Android 2.3+ and iOS 5+ . Connectivity: The Pebble connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth . Messaging: Wearers can see texts, tweets, calls and app notifications – but they can't use the watch to type messages or make calls, like with the Apple Watch, for example. Battery: The battery lasts for between five and seven days on a single charge and can be recharged using a USB cable with a magnetic connector. Tough: The watch is water resistant with a scratch and shatter-proof e-paper screen. Screen: 144 x 168 pixels, measuring 3.2cm . Apps: The watch has a 'thriving' app store with staples like Twitter as well as fitness apps. Users can also create their own. The Pebble can store eight apps and watch faces at a time. Extras: A vibrating silent alarm and hundreds of watch faces. Colours: White, black, red, grey and orange. Size: The watch is designed to fit most 2.2cm watch straps. It measures 5.2cm x 3.6cm x 1.15cm deep. Weight: 38g . Price: £99 ($99 in the US) and £180 ($199) for the Steel model. The current watch allows wearers to read texts and tweets on their wrist, as well as see incoming calls, check the weather, access fitness apps and tell the time. It is compatible with Apple and Android devices and connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth so users don't have to rummage in their handbag or pockets for their phone to see app notifications and messages, because they appear on the watch's screen. Pebble's device is the second most funded product in Kickstarter history and the new Pebble Steel model is also now available in the UK for £180. The Apple Watch is set to go on sale in April, with prices from $349 . The Moto 360 runs Google's Android Wear software - but has so far failed to attract buyers . They are water resistant and have a battery that lasts for between five and seven days. In contrast, it's predicted that the Apple Watch, which is due to be released early next year, will need to be recharged daily. Firebox predicts that the already popular devices will be in demand from UK customers for Christmas, partly because they are more affordable than some rival offerings. Since its US release last year, Pebble has developed its open-source platform so that anyone can create an app for the device and companies are offering fitness tracker apps like Jawbone and Misfit, so people can check their running pace without carrying another gadget, for example. The upadter Pebble watch, called Pebble Steel, has an e-paper display – like a miniature Kindle – so it can be easily read in bright sunlight, while a flick of the wrist illuminates the screen so it can be used in a the dark. The £180 Pebble Steel Smartwatch is pictured. It has a choice of more luxurious straps, compared with the original watch . The watch has an e-paper display – like a miniature Kindle – so it can be easily read in bright sunlight, while a flick of the wrist illuminates the screen so it can be used in a the dark too. Staples such as Twitter, Yelp and Foursquare are available too. There are also 'extras' like a vibrating alarm and a choice of hundreds of watch face designs. | Watch allows wearers to read texts and tweets on their wrist, see calls, access fitness apps and tell the time .
Will have e-ink colour screen that allows it to go for a week between charges .
Firm hits its funding target on Kickstarter in just seventeen minutes . |
fc6d8d7dac8cb9c7760967525cf63946c4292eef | Torment: Sonali Mukherjee says she will spend the money from her Who Wants To Be A Millionaire win on surgery . An acid attack victim who won the jackpot on India's biggest quiz show is refusing to give up on justice - despite her attackers remaining free. Sonali Mukherjee was 17 years old when a spurned suitor and his friends broke into her home and doused her body in Tezaab, a chemical normally used to clean rusted tools, while she slept. She was left partially blind and deaf with 70 per cent burns on her body and has received no state funding for . her treatment. Last year, she wrote to the Indian government . threatening to kill herself if she did not receive state aid. Her three attackers served only four months of their nine-year sentences before they were freed on appeal. Now . 28, Miss Mukherjee, says only justice will give her closure and, . spurred on by her new-found fame and fortune, is determined to spearhead . a major change in women's rights in India. She said: 'I used to be a beautiful, confident woman. But my beauty became my curse. 'For . three years after the attack, I was in shock and unable to do anything. I even applied for euthanasia but when that was refused I decided to . fight back. 'People like these three men, who can spoil someone's life like this in a fraction of a second should be brought to justice. 'These . incidents [of acid attacks] will stop only when people involved are . given hard punishments according to the crime they have committed. 'I . have seen them once in the court but my father who follows my case is . taunted by them saying to us, "Nothing will come out of this court case. Make peace with us." 'But I will never give up until they are brought to justice. Scroll down for video . Fresh-faced: Sonali Mukherjee pictured in her cadet uniform before the attack . Ordeal: She says that she wants her family to return to normal life after her horrendous experience . 'Female society can only be empowered . once a woman herself raises her voice towards such ill doings in . society. That is what I want to do.' India is said to be the fourth most dangerous country for females to live, according to a Thomas Reuters Foundation study. Acid sales are not regulated, with the corrosive product widely available for purchase for less than Rs. 20 (24p). Following . the attack, Miss Mukherjee struggled to cope, her mother fell into . depression and the family left their hometown of Dhanbad for the capital . New Delhi. There she . underwent surgery 22 times, with the series of operations and . consultations she has already endured costing hundreds of thousands of . rupees. Her family sold . ancestral land and her mother's jewellery to pay for the treatment and . had run out of money for further procedures before her win. Miss Mukherjee pictured on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? last year with former Miss Universe Lara Dutta and host Amitabh Bachchan, known as Big B in India . She says that it will cost an . estimated 1.5million rupees for her to look 'even remotely human' and to . have her eyesight restored. Earlier . this year some Rs 30 lakh was raised by Mumbai-based company Beti as . part of Project Hope and celebrities such as Bollywood actress Juhi . Chawla and producer Ramesh Tauran also donated funds to the appeal. Miss Mukherjee won a million rupees - almost £30,000 - on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The show shot to worldwide fame when it was featured at the centre of Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. Her appearance, alongside Bollywood actress and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta, was on a special edition featuring contestants who overcame adversity. The show's host Amitabh Bachchan, known as Big B in India, said: 'Denied justice, she pleaded publicly to end her life. Denied that too because euthanasia is illegal in the country, she decided not to remain silent and suffer. 'Her story is one of immense courage. 'The nation salutes her as do all of us, but simultaneously hangs its head in shame for this dastardly act.' Her jackpot win of Rs 25 laks - equivalent to almost £30,000 - came as part of a one-off edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? called Doosra Mauka, or Second Chance, which featured contestants who have shown courage in the face of adversity. Now, Miss Mukherjee is appealing for 'stringent punishment' for her attackers. She said: 'Such incidents should stop and they will stop only when people involved in such cases are given hard punishments. 'They need to be punished according to the crime that they've done. 'People like these who can spoil anyone's life like this in a fraction of a second should be brought to justice. They too should get the same treatment. 'I am lucky that I survived and wish the same does not happen to any other girl. 'According to the doctors my condition was so dire I shouldn't have survived. 'But now it is time to change the 50-year-old law so that such cases do not ever occur in the future.' With her winnings Sonali hopes to return her family's life back to normal. She said: 'Firstly I will get my treatment done, but my family is in a very dire state. 'They have sold off everything for my treatment and neither do we have a job to earn anything. 'My . mother has been in a very bad mental state since my attack, my . grandfather suffered a heart attack and we do not have a house of our . own. 'So my main motive . with the money is to get my treatment done so that I can at least start a . normal life, and take my family and myself out of this trauma. They . have sacrificed and faced a lot for me.' | Sonali Mukherjee was 17 when a spurned suitor poured acid over her .
She was left partially blind and deaf with 70 per cent burns on her body .
Last year she won the jackpot on India's most popular game show . |
fc6e1720accaf1ebac7b0c0a5806eb55fc18c639 | Two Detroit men who became friends after being drafted for the war on the same day and who later served in the same infantry, were neighbors for almost two decades and didn't even know it. Dave Brown and Roger Watson trained together at FT. Hood in Texas after being drafted in 1966, and were combat engineer demolition specialists in the 9th Infantry. But the pair lost contact during the war. Roger Watson, left, and Dave Brown, who were drafted to the Vietnam war on the same day and trained together, were reunited recently when they learned they had been living next to each other for 18 years . After running into someone from Mr Watson's company, Mr Brown heard his friend had been injured. Mr Watson had been shot seven months into his tour on March 8, 1968 and had lost a kidney and several feet of his small intestine, as well as damaging his liver. Mr Brown later searched the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington for word of his training partner's fate, but never learned if he had survived the war. But just before Halloween this year - some 40 years after the pair had last seen each other - they crossed paths again, at a fence adjoining their Berkley properties. For 18 years the pair had lived nearly back to back without even knowing it. The reunion came about through Mr Brown's wife Peggy Brown, middle, who sparked up a friendship with Mr Watson through their shared interest in birds . The men had 'wondered' about each other for 40 years after losing touch, and exchanged war stories and went through old service pictures when they came together recently in Berkley . Mr Brown, 68, told USA Today of finding out about Mr Watson: 'I was absolutely delighted. 'I wondered about you for 40 years.' Mr Watson, 67, echoed his friends sentiment, saying he was 'almost shaken' as the pair exchanged war stories recently at Mr Watson's home. Mr Watson recalled being shot. Mr Brown spoke of the first body he encountered. Both men had since become husbands, fathers and grandfathers. The reunion came about through Mr Brown's wife Peggy Brown, who had got to know Mr Watson through their shared interest in birds. The pair trained together at FT. Hood in Texas after being drafted in 1966, and were combat engineer demolition specialists in the 9th Infantry; Mr Watson was injured seven months into his tour but Mr Brown never learned if his old friend had survived or not; a bomb explodes above in a small village near Ba Da, which was thought to be a Viet Cong stronghold during the war . Mrs Brown had noticed her new friend's Purple Heart licence plate and his 9th Infantry Vietnam Veterans cap in the window of his car - observations she later shared with her husband. Then, during an email exchange about a picture of a hawk, Mrs Brown mentioned her husband had also served in Vietnam and Mr Watson realized she was talking about his old friend. After looking at photos of the pair as soldier, the newspaper reports that Mrs Brown wrote: 'This has to be coincidence of the century. Dave cannot believe all this and we've been here for 18 years in Berkley. What are the odds?' Mr Watson said he had only caught glimpses of his neighbor over the years. And both men said their gardens often blocked out each other's backyards. Mr Watson said: 'It's sort of amazing we've been neighbors this long.' Brown concluded: 'It's just great to see him alive. 'It makes me happy.' | Dave Brown and Roger Watson were drafted on the same day in 1966 .
They trained together in Texas before joining the same 9th Infantry .
After losing touch Mr Brown heard that his buddy had been injured .
Mr Watson had been shot, but Mr Brown never learned if he had survived .
An interest in birds later brought Mr Brown wife's and Mr Watson together .
And they soon realized they had much more in common than they thought . |
fc6e3b112127bb677828acb45b4e2f604419223e | A helicopter that crashed in northeastern Pennsylvania was found Sunday along with the bodies of all five passengers, including one child. The helicopter plunged into a remote ravine near a wind farm in Noxen Township on Saturday night after the pilot told air traffic controllers he was losing altitude. Wyoming County coroner Thomas Kukuchka said the pilot contacted a nearby tower around 10:30 p.m. saying he would attempt to return to another airfield nearby. Tragedy: Five are dead, including one child, after a helicopter crashed into a remote Pennsylvania ravine . ‘That's when he went off radar,’ Kukuchka said. Although the names of those on board have not been released, Kukuchka said three men, a woman and a child were on board the Robinson 66 helicopter. ‘It appears to be a father and son, a father and daughter and the pilot,’ he said. Kukuchka did not release the ages of the victims. He said his office was trying to reach family members of the deceased in Leesburg, Virginia, Ellicot City, Maryland, and Kitnersville, Pennsylvania. Found: The helicopter went down Saturday. Here, local pilot Bobby Zampetti discusses aviation near the scene of the crash, which was located after a massive search Sunday . Search: Major William Schlosser of the Civil Air Patrol explained that search and rescue teams located the crash site using the helicopters emergency beacon and handheld radio devices . Route: The Robinson 66 helicopter took off Saturday from a small New York state airport en route to Lehighton, Pennsylvania. It went down sometime Saturday night in a ravine in Noxen Township, Pennsylvania . The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter took off from Greater Binghamton Airport in New York but officials there said it had actually originated at a smaller airfield nearby, Tri Cities Airport in Endicott. A phone message left at Tri Cities Airport was not immediately returned Sunday night. Search and rescue teams searched along the helicopter’s route through rugged Wyoming County using portable receivers to locate the helicopter using its emergency beacon, according to WNEP. ‘When an aircraft is in distress there is a beacon that gets set off, and we have receivers that can say it is to our left or to our right,’ Incident commander Major William Schlosser of the Civil Air Patrol told WNEP. Cause? The helicopter went down in a Noxen Township, Pennsylvania ravine on Saturday near this wind farm. Bad weather and poor visibility may have contributed to the crash . It was not clear if weather played a role in the crash, but Kukuchka said there were severe thunderstorms in the area Saturday night. The coroner and police said rough weather contributed to the difficulty of the search; the wreckage was located shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. The FAA said the helicopter was bound for Jake Arner Memorial Airport in Lehighton. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, the FAA said. Vehicle: The passengers were flying in a Robinson 66 like the one pictured when it went down outside Scranton, Pennsylvania, killing all five of them . | Three men, a woman, and a child were aboard the Robinson 66 helicopter when it went down in a Noxen, Pennsylvania ravine Saturday .
Search efforts lasted until Sunday afternoon, when homing beacons finally located the aircraft . |
fc6e7f9fd4465872ad05e28dcf98da0694e7a33c | By . Helen Lawson . PUBLISHED: . 03:04 EST, 4 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:22 EST, 4 April 2013 . Stolen: The Sheep Trophy from 1916 was among 33 accolades and shields stolen from the glass cabinets . Thieves took just three minutes to steal trophies worth thousands of pounds from the Goodwood estate in West Sussex. At least four raiders broke in through a ground floor window of the Kennels Clubhouse before smashing glass cabinets and stealing 33 trophies and shields worth £15,000, staff said. They then drove off in a dark Range Rover, according to CCTV footage. Two of the stolen trophies were part . of the Goodwood chattels and were historically valuable to the estate, . which is the seat of the Dukes of Richmond and home to the Earl and . Countess of March. The . stolen 1931 Mobil Oil Trophy, given for motor racing, stands 16.5 inches . high and features a shallow silver bowl supported by winged women, . while the 'irreplaceable' 1916 Chichester Show Sheep cup was also taken. Spokesman . Gary Wood told the Daily Telegraph: 'These trophies would be very hard . to sell on and we fear they could be melted down and sold for scrap.' The 12,000-acre estate, near Chichester, . is home to some of the biggest events in racing, including the Festival . of Speed and horse racing's Glorious Goodwood. Goodwood is offering a reward for the . return of the trophies, which were stolen at about 11pm on Monday March . 11. Sussex Police has appealed for anyone with information to come . forward. Missing: The Mobil Oil Trophy, pictured, was won by the 9th Duke bof Richmond (left) with his co-driver Chris Staniland (right) at Brooklands in 1931 . The historic racing venue is home to the annual Festival of Speed . | Raiders piled 'irreplaceable' haul into dark Range Rover .
Trophies were kept in clubhouse on 12,000-acre estate .
Goodwood is home to horse and motor racing . |
fc6f25b31b5f6eca90afa6b338252ebd2a6ea55e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 03:26 EST, 29 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:26 EST, 29 August 2013 . Italian stallion: Mars wasn't quite as shy about the size of his manhood judging by this restored Italian statue - but an increasing number of Italian men are opting to undergo penis enlargement surgery, according to a doctor . They are known for their Lothario ways, with the mere thought of being swept of their feet by an Italian stallion making many British women go weak at the knees. But it seems that Italian men are not quite as confident as you might think. A top Italian plastic surgeon has claimed that 'changing room syndrome' is causing a surge in the number of men opting to undergo penis enlargement surgery. Dr Alessandro Littara, director of the Centre for Sexual Medicine in Milan, has revealed that the number of surgical procedures to boost men's manhood is on the rise by as much as 25 per cent every year in the Mediterranean country. Despite the operation costing between £2,500 and £6,000, the centre, which specialises in penis enlargement, carried out 300 procedures in the past year. The high cost of the operation - formally known as penoplasty - means that it is mainly men aged between 30 and 50 who are opting to go under the knife, as they are most likely to be able to afford it. According to Dr Littara, patients usually request that their penis is made thicker, with some wanting it longer and others wanting both. Dr Littara told The Independent that most men don't want surgery to satisfy their partners - many are married - but instead puts the surge down to what he calls 'changing room syndrome'. He says that many men are merely trying to keep up with their peers. He said: 'With everyone seeing images of the body the whole time these days, men are more aware and worried about their bodies - all the parts are important and the genitals are no exception. 'We're living in the age of images, with sexual ones very often on the front page,' he told Adnkronos news agency. 'So sex gets more attention and people feel the need to be more competitive.' But the surgeon added that many men have no need to stress over the size of their manhood and he often has to turn people away. He said that some have unrealistic expectations while others show signs of psychological damage. Risky: The procedure does have its risks however - a 2011 study found an 'unacceptably high' rate of complications in penoplasty operations . The idea that Italian men might not be so confident in the trouser department will come as a surprise given that even former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has something of a reputation as a lothario, with his sexual exploits previously landing him in hot water. But the decision of many to opt for surgery is not only a drastic one in terms of finances, the procedure is certainly not without its risks - a study by the University of Turin in 2011 found that the operation had an 'unacceptably high' rate of complications. Compared to their counterparts from other European countries however, it seems that Italian men have little to worry about. According to a 2012 survey by Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, of international penis size Italian men are better endowed than chaps from Germany, the UK, France and Spain. The research claimed that the Italian average was 6.2 inches when erect compared to a British average of 5.5. The only European country to top Italy in the table was Iceland with an average of 6.5 inches. Men from the Republic of Congo had the biggest penises, with an average of 7.1 inches. | Dr Alessandro Littara blames 'changing room syndrome' for the increase .
He claims men are more worried about keeping up with peers than sex .
The surgeon says some men just have 'unrealistic expectations' |
fc6f5ac0d6a9ecc14995677c2ce6992ae1e164f0 | Washington (CNN) -- Legalization of the more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States would raise wages, increase consumption, create jobs and generate more tax revenue, two policy institutes say in a joint report Thursday. The report by the Center for American Progress and the American Immigration Council estimates that "comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants and creates flexible legal limits on future immigration" would yield at least $1.5 trillion in added U.S. gross domestic product over a 10-year period. "This is a compelling economic reason to move away from the current 'vicious cycle' where enforcement-only policies perpetuate unauthorized migration and exert downward pressure on already low wages, and toward a 'virtuous cycle' of worker empowerment in which legal status and labor rights exert upward pressure on wages," study author Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda writes. The study looks at three scenarios: deportation of undocumented workers, temporary worker programs and legalization of the current undocumented population. Deportation would lead to a loss of $2.6 trillion in gross domestic product over 10 years, the report says, while a worker program would lead to a gain of $792 billion. Full legalization would lead to the best economic results, the study says. Other groups, such as the Center for Immigration Studies and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, say that unfettered immigration harms the United States and that entry into the nation must remain limited. When running for president in 2008, Barack Obama said that comprehensive immigration reform would be a priority in his administration, but the issue has been sidelined by health care reform efforts in Congress, the weak economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are indications, however, that the Obama administration aims to revive immigration reform efforts in Congress this year. The study bases many of its conclusions on an examination of what happened after passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which granted legal status to 3 million unauthorized immigrants. A 2006 Pew Hispanic Center report found that 56 percent of illegal immigrants in the United States in 2005 were from Mexico, a total of about 6.2 million unauthorized immigrants. About 2.5 million unauthorized migrants, or 22 percent of the total, came from the rest of Latin America, primarily from Central America, the Pew Hispanic Center study found. Of the remaining illegal immigrants, about 13 percent were from Asia, and 3 percent were from Canada and Europe, the Pew study said. The report released Thursday says U.S. enforcement efforts -- mainly along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico -- are costly and ineffective. "The number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has increased dramatically since the early 1990s despite equally dramatic increases in the amount of money the federal government spends on immigration enforcement," study author Hinojosa-Ojeda writes. According to the report, the U.S. Border Patrol says its annual budget has increased by 714 percent since 1992, from $326.2 million in fiscal year 1992 to $2.7 billion in fiscal 2009. And the cost ratio of Border Patrol expenditures to apprehensions has increased by 1,041 percent, from $272 per apprehension in 1992 to $3,102 in 2008. Similarly, the Border Patrol says the number of agents along the border with Mexico has grown by 390 percent, from 3,555 in fiscal 1992 to 17,415 in 2009. "Yet the unauthorized immigrant population of the United States has roughly tripled in size over the past two decades, from an estimated 3.5 million in 1990 to 11.9 million in 2008," the report says, noting that illegal immigration appears to have declined slightly since 2007 as a result of the global recession. The report points out that a long-term study conducted by the University of California, San Diego, found that 92 to 98 percent of unauthorized immigrants keep trying to cross the border until they succeed. Increased enforcement has several unintended consequences, such as making the Southwestern border more lethal by channeling migrants through remote and rugged mountain and desert areas, the study found. The number of border-crossing deaths doubled in the decade after increased border enforcement started, a 2006 Government Accountability Office report said. An October 2009 report by the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties and Mexico's National Commission of Human Rights estimates that 5,607 migrants died while crossing the border between 1994 and 2008. Tightened borders also have created new opportunities for people smugglers, who charged an average $2,000 to $3,000 per person in 2006, the study said. Ninety percent of illegal immigrants now hire smugglers, according to the report. An examination of trends after the 1986 immigration reform law shows that legalization of unauthorized immigrants has benefits, the report says. Legalized workers earned more, moved on to better jobs and invested more in their education so they could get higher pay and better jobs. A previous study found that "the wages of unauthorized workers are generally unrelated to their actual skill level," Thursday's report said. "Unauthorized workers tend to be concentrated in the lowest-wage occupations; they try to minimize the risk of deportation even if this means working for lower wages; and they are especially vulnerable to outright exploitation by unscrupulous employers. Once unauthorized workers are legalized, however, these artificial barriers to upward socioeconomic mobility disappear." Study author Hinojosa-Ojeda is founding director of the North American Integration and Development Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. The self-described progressive Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational think tank headed by John Podesta, who was chief of staff for President Bill Clinton. The Immigration Policy Center, established in 2003, also is a nonpartisan institute. The report, titled "Raising the Floor for American Workers, The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform," can be found on the Web. | 2 policy institutes look at the more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants in U.S.
Report: Legalization of current population would boost wages, consumption, jobs, tax revenue .
Institutes estimate $1.5 trillion boost in U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years .
But other groups say unfettered immigration harms U.S., so entry into nation must be limited . |
fc6f81ee51d1a38435811970d2a5ce4866ff1f27 | By . Jennifer Smith . PUBLISHED: . 10:48 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:40 EST, 12 November 2013 . A coroner has warned of the dangers of so-called 'legal highs' after a teenager died from taking a drug he ordered online marked 'not for human consumption'. Adam Hunt, 18, died on August 18 this year after taking the psychoactive substance AMT at his home in Southampton, Hampshire, after purchasing it from a website. An inquest heard how the keen football fan had told a friend he planned to take the drug, which he believed had the same effects as ecstasy, but died four days later. Adam Hunt, 18, died in hospital four days after taking the drug AMT after ordering it online . He told . his friend that he had bought two grams of the substance, as well as . etizolam, though there was no trace of the second drug in his system. Adam's mother, Bernadette Fagan, returned home from work to hear her son calling for help from his bedroom. 'He was sweating and shaking. She . immediately phoned for help and ambulance staff arrived a short while . later and took Adam to hospital,' the inquest was told. The teenager died four days later at Southampton General Hospital after being put in a medically-induced coma. The inquest heard police discovered Adam had researched AMT and legal highs on the internet after his computer was seized. Packets containing the drugs were also found, with each bearing a 'not for human consumption' warning. Pathologist Dr Brian Green said a post mortem found he had died of multiple organ failure . caused by taking almost 1g of the drug, Alpha Methyltryptamine. He said: 'One of the problems of . buying medicines from unregulated manufacturers is the individual . awareness of the concentration of the substance in the drug provided may . bear no resemblance to the actual concentration, that puts an even . greater risk in the ingestion of substances that are unregulated.' Detective Sergeant Jeremy Boughay, of Hampshire police, said that Adam had been looking forward to watching an England football match with his father on the day. He said: 'Adam Hunt was an 18-year-old male who enjoyed a normal, happy life living with his mother. He was a happy person with lots of friends, he enjoyed normal activities including computer gaming and football.' Coroner . Keith Wiseman ruled his death had been accidentally caused by . experimenting with the drug, before warning: 'Anyone taking this kind of . drug in any kind of quantity is potentially walking into the unknown, . into disaster really.' Speaking . to the boy's family he added: 'It was sadly an experimentation gone . wrong. I would like to express my very sincere condolences to everyone.' The teenager died in hospital in Southampton four days after being put in a medically-induced coma by doctors . Mr Wiseman also advised parents to raise the issue with their children, especially if they were behaving unusually. Though the drugs AMT and etizolam are not prohibited under the misuse of drugs act, they are not safe to use, according to Mr Boughay. He explained the difficulty of legislating against such substances as a slight change in their composition could lead to them falling into a different class of drug that would isn't prohibited. Speaking after the inquest, he said: 'Our concern is that people have the perception that because they are marketed with the term legal high that they are safe. 'The point we are trying to make is that there is no process to ensure what is written on the packet is what is in there because they are unregulated. 'People consider them to be safe because they are not illegal but in fact they can be more of a danger than other substances on the market.' AMT, which has similar effects to amphetamines, was developed to tackle depression but was later ruled out as a suitable medication because of its hallucinogenic properties. Ms Fagan and Adam's father, Darren, released a statement through police paying tribute to their son at the time of his death. Adam, who 'loved football and was a Saints season ticket-holder' was described as a 'very normal young man'. 'He did well at school and just two years ago he left with 11 GCSE A-C passes and had gone on to study electrical engineering at college in an attempt to follow in his dad’s footsteps,' his parents said. 'He was very thoughtful and caring and loved his family and friends dearly. One of the things we will always remember though about him was his fantastic sense of humour. It is very hard to think we will not get to laugh or talk with him any more. 'His life had such potential and was all in front of him. Sadly it has been cut prematurely very short.' 'Legal highs' like mephedrone, pictured, are often marketed as plant food or bath salts . 'Legal highs' are substances which produce a similar effect to drugs like cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy, but are not controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act. These new substances are not yet controlled because there is not enough research to base a decision on. More and more 'legal highs' are being researched to see the dangers they pose, and if they should be made illegal. The drugs cannot be sold for human consumption and so they are often marketed as bath salts or plant food to get around the law. While not considered illegal, that does not mean 'legal highs' are safe. You cannot be sure what is in the substance, or what effect it might have on your body. 'Legal highs' including Ivory Wave, Mephedrone and 5-IT have been directly linked to emergency hosptial admissions, and in some cases deaths. 'Legal highs' fall into one of three categories: . Taking 'legal highs' carries a great risk and can be very unpredictable. The chemicals they contain in many cases have not been used in drugs for human consumption before and so have not been tested to show they are safe. The risk can be augmented if the substances are taken with alcohol, in extreme cases the mixture can result in death. It is likely that drugs marketed as 'legal highs' may contain substances that are actually illegal to possess. | Adam Hunt, 18, died after taking one gram of drug Alpha Methyltryptamine .
Teenager bought the substance online after researching 'legal highs'
Police expressed concern people think drugs are safe if considered legal . |
fc6f9895cbfdb298e9c326a7c5cf753205c18249 | A 47-year-old woman has been charged with sexually molesting a 12-year-old boy by sneaking into his bedroom to perform oral sex. The alleged victim told investigators that Keturah Zillah Gibson would wake him after 2am and carry out the sex acts. He said she would kiss him and perform oral sex at the house they shared in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Keturah Zillah Gibson, 47, has been charged with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious battery and molestation of a 12-year-old who lived in the same house in Pembroke Pines, Florida . Gibson was charged on Monday with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious battery and molestation of a 12-year-old boy and with tampering with a victim. According to police Gibson sent instant . messages to the boy telling him if their encounters were ever discovered . he was to say they 'never ever' had sex. Gibson, who doesn't have a police record, has denied the accusations and said she never performed sexual acts on the boy. During two police interviews Gibson told detectives the boy had kissed her, attempted to place her hand on his buttocks on one occasion, and that the attention made her feel good. The victim told a different story and alleged between June 2012 and December 2013 they had between five and ten sexual encounters. The boy said Gibson sent him a message . with instructions that he should not tell anyone, that she had spoken . with an attorney and that as long as there was no sexual activity she . could not be arrested. Gibson was ordered to surrender her passport and has been detained in Broward County Jail on $110,000 bond . Gibson was arrested on Sunday after the boy's mum said she wanted to bring charges. When Gibson appeared before Broward County Judge John Hurley on multiple lewd and lascivious charges she was ordered to stay away from her alleged victim. Gibson was also charged with witness tampering and molestation. She was also ordered to surrender her passport and remained in a Broward jail Tuesday on $110,000 bond, records show. Hurley appointed a Guardian ad Litem for the boy and asked a prosecutor to notify the Florida Department of Children and Families. Video: woman charged with molesting a 12-year-old . | Keturah Zillah Gibson, 47, has been charged with sexually molesting a 12-year-old boy who lived in the same house in Florida .
She is alleged to have woken him up after 2pm to carry out sex acts on him five to 10 times between June 2012 and December 2013 .
Gibson was arrested on Sunday after the boy's mum said she wanted to bring charges .
Gibson is also charged with tampering with a victim after sending instant messages to the boy telling him to deny that they ever had sex . |
fc7032d15cac03203a445cd0d580816c90402882 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 10:27 EST, 14 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:18 EST, 4 February 2013 . It dates back more than 1,400 years and is the cornerstone of Welsh culture, campaigners say. But parents of pupils at primary schools in rural Wales claim their children are being punished by teachers who insist they use only the Welsh language. At one school, they allege, children as young as four were told they could not go to the toilet unless they asked to do so in Welsh, while at another a young pupil was told to ‘move to England’ if she wanted to speak English in the playground. Concerned: A website, pictured, was set up by parents worried that children will not be 'equipped' for the wider world if they do not speak English . Named: Aberaeron Primary School is one of the Ceredigion schools that have been complained about by parents . Councillor Hag Harris, Ceredigion County Council cabinet member for education, said their Welsh strategy is not 'akin' to the website's accusations . One mother was also urged to stop reading her child stories in English at bedtime and a boy of six was too frightened to speak English at home in case he got into trouble, they say. The parents, who have asked to remain anonymous, have set up a campaign group in Ceredigion, a Welsh-speaking stronghold, and made a formal complaint to Keith Towler, Children’s Commissioner for Wales. Tory Welsh Assembly Member Suzy Davies said: ‘If true, these negative experiences can create a real sense of conflict for children and do nothing to promote the value of Welsh to families who may still be sceptical.’ Around a fifth of the three million people in Wales speak the native tongue.Councillor Hag Harris, of Ceredigion Council, said: ‘We’ll be happy to discuss any concerns.’ Angry: The BiLingo website, pictured, has collected a range of evidence about attitudes to English in schools. Some parents claim children are told if they are heard speaking English three times they must speak to the head teacher . A . dossier has been sent to the Children's Commissioner for Wales opposing . some schools' attitude to languages. Accusations include: . Mr Towler . has confirmed that he will no longer be investigating any of the . allegations that children at Aberaeron Primary School in Ceredigion had . been ‘punished’ or ‘admonished’ for speaking English. | Angry parents claim children are 'being punished' for speaking English and teachers are trying to force a single language on youngsters .
Group of parents have demanded investigation and complained to the Children's Commissioner of Wales .
They say children told not to speak Welsh, even in the playground, or read English books at home . |
fc7074ec1c05cfb583f6ea0bc2849ec0678356e0 | (CNN) -- Recently, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Religious Liberty argued that the Obama administration's requirement that most health insurance plans cover contraception goes against "the mandate of Jesus Christ." But Jesus said nothing about contraception coverage, of course, or most any other issues related to sexuality. So, what is the issue? The current mandate would require that Catholic institutions like universities and hospitals include coverage for contraception and sterilization, although it exempts Catholic parishes. Official Catholic teaching is against contraception and sterilization. But this issue goes beyond internal Catholic Church concerns and moves into the public arena. The U.S. Catholic bishops and other conservative Christian groups have argued that the Obama administration's requirement wars with religious liberty and the role of conscience. Last Sunday, at least 100 bishops had letters read at masses in their dioceses imploring Catholics to oppose this coverage. Newspapers have carried stories of Catholic bishops making apocalyptic predictions that Catholic universities and hospitals would have to close their doors if this coverage is allowed. But who is really making this argument besides the bishops and a minority of conservative Catholics and Christians, especially when studies show that 98% of sexually active Catholic women have used contraceptives? First, a brief history. Since the 1930s and the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Church, most Christian denominations have allowed for contraceptives, leaving the decision up to married couples. The Catholic Church rejected that position, standing relatively alone on the issue, and has allowed, since 1951, only the rhythm method for birth control (this is now called natural family planning). When the Catholic Church went through changes in the 1960s, during the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II (1962-1965), the pope formed a committee outside of the council to evaluate the stand against contraceptives. The result: 75 out of 90 on the committee recommended that the church allow for contraceptives for married couples. Even so, in 1968, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical (papal document) Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), in which he rejected the conclusion of the committee and maintained the church's opposition to contraception for married couples. Immediately, Catholic theologians issued a statement disagreeing with the encyclical, arguing against its methods and conclusions, and maintaining that Catholics may act responsibly by following their well-informed consciences on the issue. Since that time, studies have shown that most Catholic couples use some form of contraception. Most Catholic theologians (professors of theology at colleges and universities) reject the church's teaching on the issue, and have argued that a teaching that the majority of the faithful have rejected is not valid. Those are historical facts. Fast-forward to now, when the bishops and other Christian groups are appealing to the role of "conscience," a concept on which the bishops themselves and recent popes have put little emphasis, in contrast to the role of "obedience." If they are going to appeal to conscience, then they must also respect the consciences of responsible adults -- Catholic women and men, and non-Catholics who work at Catholic institutions. They must respect the role of parents to decide how many children they can have, and can afford to take care of. No one is forcing Catholics to take contraceptives. It is a question of access, and hence, of justice. They must also respect the role of Catholics to share their expertise in health care and in public policy, as Vatican II argued. Catholic theologians and other professors at academic universities have the responsibility to search for truth and to work for justice. The Catholic moral tradition has long argued that there is a difference between morality and public policy. There is another messy side to this. The Catholic Church argues that human life must be protected from the moment of conception. Therefore, contraception that works after conception to prevent implantation (around six to 10 days after conception), such as with the IUD, would be considered as a category of abortion. So, while the Obama legislation does not require abortion coverage, that "abortion language" has also been a part of the Catholic argument. This seems fair enough to those who would argue that a pre-implanted fertilized egg should be protected from the time of conception. But would the majority of Catholics oppose contraceptive coverage that works before conception? And shouldn't women be allowed to make that decision? Would most Catholics and Christians deny health care coverage for women because of this? So here is the question, as I see it, as a Catholic theologian and lifelong Catholic, educated almost entirely at Catholic institutions, and taught to work for human dignity, the common good and social justice: Should the U.S. bishops speak for all Catholics on a matter of national public policy, an issue that most Catholics disagree on within their own church? The bishops have refused to discuss this issue with their fellow Catholics for more than 40 years. And the bishops are all male. What about Catholic theologians, academics, social workers and health care professionals? What about Catholic women? What about the 98%? Public policy involves discussion, dialogue, debate, and sometimes even compromise. That does not mean compromising one's moral principles, but it may involve compromising how those principles are legislated as a matter of public policy in a pluralistic and democratic society. Join the conversation on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Keith Soko. | Keith Soko: Catholic bishops say Obama contraception coverage issue wars with conscience .
But theologians disagree, and vast majority of Catholic women use contraception, he says .
He says bishops must respect role of conscience in Catholics who choose contraception .
Soko: Should bishops speak for all Catholics on a public policy on which most disagree with them? |
fc70c68c06715ec6918b9e03aa4c8b3643a636e0 | If you're one of the nearly 20% of Americans who have taken a cruise, you probably already know that these giant pleasure boats have Formula One simulators, herb gardens, skating rinks, Coach stores and stages featuring sketch comedy from Chicago-born Second City. Not since the old playground taunt "my dad's better than your dad" have we seen such gee-whiz, oh-wow one-upmanship. Which makes it tantalizingly fun for cruise customers. Cruise virgins, on the other hand, will likely be surprised by the following finds: . Indoor skydiving . It's usually pretty tough to surf, climb a mountain and skydive before lunch. But on Quantum of the Seas, the about-to-launch latest in Royal Caribbean's fleet, guests can even squeeze in a post-triathlon massage before refueling at Jamie's Italian (yep, Jamie Oliver) or one of the other 17 restaurants on board. The indoor skydiving takes place in a 23-foot vertical wind tunnel, powered by four giant fans. The mountain climbing (OK, so it's a climbing wall) and the surf simulator are in SeaPlex, which also has a roller rink and a race track where 30 guests can bump the heck out of each other. Oh, and did we mention the three-story ice bar and the trapeze school? An Apple Store . Celebrity Cruises calls it an iLounge, but it has all the latest Apple products, including a MacBook workstation for checking email and printing boarding passes. Evil Apple geniuses can also teach guests how to create websites, write blogs and turn their photos into artistic presentations. Up to 18 custom classes are offered. Top Chefs . Celebrity Cruises is hosting four sailings this year with 13 chef'testants from the popular "Top Chef" show. Needless to say, there will be cooking demonstrations, Quickfire challenges and sampling of the creations we've been drooling over for the past 11 seasons. With cruises to Bermuda, Alaska, the Caribbean, France and Iberia, Celebrity is also dishing up some "Top Chef" favorites in their restaurants. As mesmerizing as it is to watch Kristen Kish whip up bacon and cinnamon waffles with boysenberry and strawberry jam, imagine playing poker with Hosea Rosenberg. A George Jetson-style observation capsule . A 135-foot crane arm will lift an all-glass capsule off the top deck of Royal Caribbean's new Quantum of the Seas. From sea level, it's 30 stories tall, roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty. Called the NorthStar Observation Tower, this space-age ride gives bird's eye views to up to 14 guests at a time. Quantum of the Seas is set to launch this November from New Jersey's Cape Liberty. Original Picassos . If you look closely at the crayoned signature on the lithograph outside the ladies' room on Deck 5 of the M.S. Riviera, you'll see the famous painter's name just below the naked lady and crying cherub. Oceania Cruises has more than 20 Picassos, spanning 41 years of Pablo Picasso's illustrious career, most of which hang in the Riviera and Marina's Grand Bars. Also in the collection that American Art Collector called "stupendous" are works by Joan Miro, celebrated Cuban artists Wifredo Lam and Rene Portocarrero and Damien Hirst, the British phenom who made his name exhibiting a dead 14-foot tiger shark in a tank of formaldehyde. A prankster Neptune . OK, so it's not the real Roman god. But every time a Hurtigruten ship crosses the Arctic Circle, a crew member who does a very good take on King Neptune hosts a circle-crossing ceremony on the top deck. Ultimately, this jokester dumps a ladle of ice water down each passenger's back. Bowling balls and pins . No stale nachos and tacky carpeting at the bowling alleys on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pearl, Gem and Epic. Although the balls don't always roll straight when seas are choppy, these six-lane bowling alleys come with all the bells and whistles. Even the retro shoes. Live TV talk shows . The "Wake Show" is a live TV talk show filmed on Deck 7 of the Regal Princess. The first television studio at sea, Princess Live! features live talks shows, demonstrations and a chance for guests to meet the ship's entertainers. Coffee, pastries and the morning newspaper are perks enjoyed daily by the 280-guest studio audience of "Wake Show." Programming starts at 8 a.m. and continues until midnight. Real grass and trees . An entire deck on both the world's largest ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, is an open-air park with grass, trees and some 12,000 plants. Royal Caribbean calls these football field-sized parks Central Park (its one of seven distinct neighborhoods on board) and uses a full-time landscaping team to keep it all pruned and looking spiffy. There's also a sculpture garden, a chess garden and a five-story wall of greens. Elvis Presley impersonators . Themed cruises are huge, offering a kind of summer camp for quilters or zombie fans or poker players. Just know that if a particular theme piques your interest, you better act fast. Carnival's last New Kids on the Block cruise sold out within hours. Elvis Cruises are also perennial favorites on ship lines and even river cruises throughout the world. Expect cocktails named "Blue Suede Shoes," fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches and hip-swiveling tribute artists. | Cruise lines are always adding to their array of activities .
Indoor skydiving is one of a soon-to-be-launched mega-ship's offerings .
"Top Chef" demonstrations and original Picasso artwork are also on view at sea . |
fc720fb1b862396b1199449eca688d5d87896c64 | Judge James Dabney is 'concerned' that New York lawyer Mark Heller isn't prepared to represent her . Lindsay - who was present at pre-trial - either has to get another lawyer or she has to come into court and waive her right to a competent California lawyer . He vehemently blocks Heller's attempt to put back trial from March 18 to April 1 . 'In the interest of justice, my client needs that time,' Heller maintained . By . Amelia Proud . PUBLISHED: . 20:08 EST, 1 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:08 EST, 1 March 2013 . Lindsay Lohan‘s New York lawyer, who was criticised in court this morning for being incompetent, called a press conference after the pre-trial to claim that the star should never have been questioned by police after the June car crash in question... because she had concussion. But according to Radar Online, her medical records show she didn’t suffer any injury to her head. 'The doctors who treated Lindsay on the day of her car accident last summer didn’t diagnose her with a concussion. She suffered no injury to her head whatsoever,' a law enforcement source told the website. What's he cooking up now? Lindsay Lohan's lawyer Mark Heller claimed that his client was forced to answer questions with concussion after a woeful performance at pre-trial on Friday . But Heller said: 'My client suffered a concussion, and never should have been questioned by the police. She was basically held against her will and forced to answer questions.' 'Give her leeway to show that she's worth of compassion,' Heller pleaded with Judge James Dabney on Friday morning as part of his disastrous bid to get Lohan's latest criminal case thrown out. The New York based lawyer even played the victim card, telling Judge James Dabney that 'there seems to be some doubt as to whether Lohan is entitled to some mercy because of her history with this department.' But the judge wasn't buying it, and he steadfastly refused to allow Heller to persuade him to move the trial date from March 18 to April 1. Claims: After the judge gave him short shrift, Heller called a press conference to make the concussion claim . Unsuitable? Judge Dabney told Lindsay Lohan's lawyer that he was not versed sufficiently in California law to represent her properly at trial as he threw his attempts to have lying to police claims thrown out during this morning's pre-trial hearing . Noting that it was also April Fools' Day, Dabney pointed out that April 1st is a court holiday and said he saw no merit in postponing the reckoning. He also questioned Heller's suitability to represent Lohan, 26, as it seemed to the judge as though the lawyer - who admitted he'd practised in New York for 44 years - wasn't completely versed in California law. Heller began by questioning 'particulars', in short - he wanted to know where certain statements attributed by Lohan were made after the the June crash relating to the lying allegations. Did Lohan - who is accused of lying to cover up the fact that she was driving recklessly - make her statement at the scene, or at hospital or to police at a later date? Slammed: Heller obviously feels strongly about helping Lindsay but his preparation and suitability was questioned by the judge in court on Friday . The judge told Heller that he saw no need to discuss these details until trial, and added emphatically that this was all in accordance with California law. He added that Heller had not prepared adequately given his lack of competence in California law, which meant prosecutor Terry White's trial date remained in place. He told Heller his concerns about police not reading Lindsay her Miranda rights were of no concern, either, as Lindsay's fourth amendment rights had not been violated. Dabney also emphasized to Heller that he needs to take local guidance before trial and that Lindsay will suffer if she doesn't have a legal team who fully understand California law. Her father Michael was, as always, quick to comment on the matter to TMZ, he said: 'This guy is a loser and will drag her down. 'I already started to pray to God that Lindsay fires him before it's too late,' he added before explaining he has another lawyer lined up. Back at court: Lindsay Lohan appears at a hearing with her attorney Mark Heller on January 30, 2013 . Lohan was on probation at the time of the accident and she . faces jail time if a judge determines she violated her sentence in a 2011 theft . case. It has been reported that prosecutors offered her a 'no jail' deal if she agreed to return to rehab, but she rejected it. According to TMZ, . the Mean Girls star does not believe she has a substance abuse problem . that warrants the condition and is risking instead to take the case to . trial. The website reports that Heller had a telephone conference with prosecutors on Wednesday to discuss the terms of the bargain. Prosecutors were apparently asking for 'a significant amount of time in a residential rehab facility'. Earlier reports suggested the plea bargain stipulates she must enroll in rehab for at least 60 days, attend AA meetings and undertake community service. Heller reportedly did not accept the offer, although the insider says 'negotiations are ongoing'. Lohan is said to be against the idea of going back to rehab entirely, looking at the condition as 'punishment for something I didn't do'. Facing the music: Heller's pleas for 'compassion' and 'mercy' fell on deaf ears and Lindsay will face trial on March 18 . Details of the apparent deal surfaced after the New York-based attorney sent an emotional letter pleading with prosecutors to help the 'deeply broken' actress. Heller reveals that Lindsay is undergoing extensive psychiatric therapy and is struggling to overcome a history of family issues, and urges Santa Monica and Los Angeles City Attorneys Terry White and Spencer Hart to join forces with him to become the team that 'fix' the actress. Sent on February 4 and obtained by TMZ, the letter was also sent to the judge presiding over the case. Heller, who came onto the case after Lohan fired her long-term attorney, Shawn Holley, earlier this year, wrote the prosecutors need to understand that his client's problems are even deeper than what is publicly known. On her way: Lindsay Lohan and her mother Dina head to the car crash case pre-trial hearing on January 30 . 'I have known Lindsay for many years and have witnessed the dynamics of her family and her experiences that are not known to general public, and which have deeply impacted her and resulted in certain events in her life that has bought her before the Court and derivatively to your attention and professional assessment,' he is quoted. 'Yet, as I noted at our meeting these prior events and their portrayal in the media, regrettably always results in distortion, creating a very negative public persona without consideration of what happened in Lindsay's life that bought her to that place and without considering the pain, torment and confusion which Lindsay has experienced and been affected with.' The lawyer promises, alongside Lindsay's psychotherapist, to reveal just how bad things have become for the Parent Trap actress as he says that without knowing, the prosecutors are 'handicapped because he could you propose to fix something without known just how broken it was'. 'The only way we as a "team" are going to formulate a solution is for Lindsay, her Psychotherapist and I provide a true window revealing the real problems we must solve,' the letter reportedly continues. Family drama: Lohan's lawyer has apparently pleaded with prosecutors to join him in helping to 'fix' the actress in light of her personal issues, stemming from her relationships with father Michael Lohan, left, and Dina Lohan, right . Heller appeals to the prosecutors to consider alternatives to Lohan's previous sentences - including a lengthy probation in 2011 for stealing a necklace, which is now in jeopardy in light of the new criminal charges. 'Which is why I appeal to your good conscious to join me in not rubber stamping this case but rather to be patient and understanding and open to productive alternatives as we, as a team, help fix Lindsay Lohan,' the letter continues. The case is not Lohan's only legal worry. The actress earlier this week was fined $1000 for failing to make herself available in a civil case deposition, RadarOnline reported. Lohan was repetitively requested to attend a deposition in the civil case bought by photographer Grigor Baylan, who filed the civil lawsuit claiming he was injured when a car that the actress was riding in hit him in 2010. The actress claimed to be out of state but was in California for her criminal cases pre-trial, according to the website. She could face a reported 245 days in jail if she is found guilty in the criminal case. A spokesman for Lohan has not yet responded to MailOnline's request for comment. | Judge James Dabney is 'concerned' that New York lawyer Mark Heller isn't prepared to represent her .
Lindsay - who was present at pre-trial - either has to get another lawyer or she has to come into court and waive her right to a competent California lawyer .
He vehemently blocks Heller's attempt to put back trial from March 18 to April 1 .
'In the interest of justice, my client needs that time,' Heller maintained . |
fc722a5534948130368d2c01351a4b6b3f68998a | Christina Regusters, 21, is on trial on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and rape . A 19-year-old daycare worker accused of abducting a five-year-old girl from school by posing as her burkha-clad mother, raping her and leaving her half naked in a playground has been charged. Christina Regusters, from Philadelphia, was indicted yesterday on charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and several other offenses in the January incident. Police say Regusters covered herself in a black Muslim burkha, similar to one the girl’s mother wears, when she pulled the child from her classroom and walked her to a nearby home where she was sexually assaulted. The 19-year-old worked at an after-school care program the girl attended. The five-year-old was discovered shivering . half-naked on a playground about a mile from the school the morning . after her abduction on January 14. The . girl told a passerby, 'I've been stolen' and repeatedly spoke of a . talking bird inside the home that would 'peck her eyes out' if she . didn't stay hiding under a bed, philly.com reports. That talking bird proved crucial in police’s investigation, said Attorney Tom Kline who's representing the girl and her mother. Regusters, . who told the child her name was Tiffany, was one of four residents . questioned on about the abduction at the home several blocks from Bryant Elementary . School in west Philadelphia. The other three were later released. The 5-year-old victim was signed out at this Philadelphia school by a woman claiming to be her mother. She was missing for the next 20 hours . After she was taken to the home, the child was blindfolded, told to . remove her clothes and to put on a black, adult-sized T-shirt. She was then . ordered to hide under a bed. DNA on the shirt matched that found in the house, authorities said. The brave girl was instrumental in helping police find out where she was held captive, retracing her steps and leading police to the home with the bird. 'This brave, innocent precious little . girl was instrumental in leading police literally to the door of the . crime,' said Kline at the time. 'She told them that there was a bird in the house. The bird became one of the many focal points of the investigation,' he added. Kline . said the girl suffered 'terrible, horrible injuries' and that the . family was 'grateful' for the arrest, but knows it isn't the end of the . line. The child was discovered the next day, about 4:40am, after a man walking by heard her screams from this playground . Investigators believe after the suspect and victim successfully walked a few blocks to the home a man was waiting. 'There is still more work to be done,' Kline said adding that there were clearly additional people involved. 'We are watching anxiously the next developments because this is not the end of the line.' Regusters' attorney, W. Fred Harrison Jr., told WCAU-TV Regusters had 'no involvement' in the crime. Authorities believe she was dumped about 18 hours later at the park before found by a passerby who hear her screaming. Fear: The child told police that she was taken to a nearby house with a talking bird whose owner said would peck her eyes out if she didn't stay hiding under a bed . The child was hiding under a jungle . gym play set around 4.40am and it was unclear how long she had been outside. She was . freezing, as it was about 37 degrees outside and damp from rain the . night before. Nelson Mandela Myers who found her that morning said he asked where her parents were. 'She said, "I don't know. Somebody . was chasing me. I ran",' Myers said. 'She said she came from South . Philly. I knew something was wrong, because I knew she couldn't have run . from South Philly.' 'As he . starts to walk to where the screams are, a little girls runs out,' Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told Philly.com. 'She said, "I ran away, I ran away from the people who took me".' The child was immediately taken to a nearby hospital to get checked out. News of the girl’s abduction sent waves through both the community and the school where the girl was successfully released to the woman without photo ID shown. About a week after the principal at the school was removed among four people held responsible for the horrific ordeal. The girl had been abducted from her school around 8:50am by a woman dressed in a burkha who called herself 'Tiffany' District officials . said the incident violated school procedure, which requires anyone . signing a child out of school to show ID and be on a list of as a . verified parent or guardian. Allowing . the girl to leave school with an unknown adult was a 'serious break in . procedure,' District spokesman Fernando Gallard said. The . woman didn't wait at the school's front office, as is policy, but went . to Robinson's classroom and told a teacher that the child had already . been 'checked out' of school. Robinson was not reported as missing until 3pm, when a caretaker from the child's after-school program came to pick her up. Her mother appeared on local media tearfully pleading for her safe return, and explaining how . she also wears the traditional chador and niqab - the type of clothing . that Robinson's abductor was wearing. The playground where the girl was found is adjacent to a baseball field and a residential neighborhood, where police focused their search for her abductors . | Police say Christina Regusters covered herself in a black Muslim veil when she signed the girl out of school .
The child was discovered 20 hours later half-naked in a park .
Regusters is charged with kidnapping, rape, conspiracy, aggravated assault and several related offenses . |
fc72ac339c72fd76d92b4e632575fc4a4656c824 | By . Sanjay Jha . Last updated at 5:43 PM on 27th July 2011 . Saved: British-born Catholic nun Jacqueline Jean McEwan was to be forced out of India after three decades of caring for lepers . She became known as a modern-day Mother Teresa after spending three decades caring for leprosy patients in India. Yet British nun Jacqueline Jean McEwan still found herself facing deportation back home when her application for a new resident permit was turned down. Despite protestations and a huge public outcry, the 63-year-old was about to board a plane yesterday that would have taken her away from a life treating the sick and needy in Bangalore. It was only then - amid warnings that the ‘heart’ would be ‘ripped out’ of the Catholic mission where she served - that the Indian government carried out a u-turn. She has now been given a last-minute temporary reprieve to stay on in the country while her visa problems are sorted out. The country’s home secretary P Chidambaram said this means ‘Sister Jean’ should be able to stay ‘without limit of time’ ‘I am overjoyed and very confident that I would live here forever,’ the Newcastle-raised Catholic nun said yesterday. ‘I love the people here and have a strong sense of attachment to this place. ‘It feels great to be with my well-wishers, my own kith and kin, mostly those inflicted with leprosy. Welcome back: Jacqueline Jean McEwan was about top board a plane before the last-minute u-turn by the Indian government . ‘I will strive for their welfare. There is no meaning in going back to UK when my people are here.’ Sister Jean has been working for leprosy patients in Bangalore city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka after arriving in 1982. Belonging to the Montfort Missionaries, a congregation of the Catholic church founded in France in the 18th century, she came from England as part of a batch of nurses and medics to the Sumanahalli Society in Bangalore. She chose never to go back, and her work in the last 29 years means she is now called Sumanahalli’s ‘Mother Teresa’. Sister Jean said she wasn’t given any reason by authorities for being kicked out and was simply told to leave the country by 25th July. Caring: At the mission 'Sister Jean' has helped treat thousands of people . Some critics fear that Indian authorities do not like attention being drawn to a debilitating disease that they officially claim to have eradicated. When she first arrived she hadn’t need any visa as at that time citizens of Commonwealth countries could travel to each other’s country without Visas. When she applied for renewal of her resident permit to live in India in December 2010, she was denied permission to stay. She said: ‘I still don’t know the reason. I’ve been living with the poor and needy all these years with the resident permit issued by Indian authorities.’ Before yesterday’s official u-turn, the Society’s director, Father George Kannanthanam, said: ‘We don’t have anybody to take care of our clinics who is as trained and committed as Sister Jean. ‘She’s wonderful – she knows every leprosy patient by name, even though Indian names are difficult. ‘They call her “Amma” (mother) – she’s like a mother to them. It’s as if Sumanahalli’s heart is being ripped out.’ Famous: Sister Jean is known as the British Mother Teresa for the work she has done in the country, and her proposed expulsion was national news . Sister Jean along with other Montfort sisters working at the centre provides treatment, education, housing and medical care. She said she not only remembers each and every patient’s name, but also their treatment and even their family members. She remembers most of the 5000 odd patients’ names that Sumanahalli has treated in the past 29 years. Even though the Indian government officially claims to have eliminated leprosy, there are still an estimated 130,000 Indians diagnosed with the disease every year – more than every other country put together. Leprosy Patients are often pushed outside city limits and many also face lifelong rejection and discrimination. Due to lack of awareness in Indian society, there remains a widespread fear that the disease is highly contagious. Sister Jean said that she only visits home occasionally now, to see her fellow nuns or her brother back in Newcastle. They will have to wait a little longer before they next see her, and the Sumanahalli wore a festive look yesterday at the news. ‘The patients came and greeted me and one of the patients gave me a ring and a little cross...They welcomed me with garlands and bunches of flowers” said Sister Jean. Her co-worker Mastan saab said: ‘We hope she remains here us for the rest of our lives. Without her, we are in the dark. Nobody would look after leprosy patients like her here if she’d left Bangalore.’ Setup in 1978, Sumanahalli Society is on a 63-acre plot near the Beggar’s Colony in Bangalore. The organization has residential accommodation for about 120 poor leprosy patients and the mobile clinic looks after about 1,000 leprosy patients in the village in the heart of the city with funds from donors, trusts and philanthropic organizations and individuals. | 63-year-old says her heart is in Bangalore .
‘I love the people here and have a strong sense of attachment to this place. There is no meaning in going back to UK,’ she said . |
fc72ca613f60361df55aa53863601e21e8d3da29 | (CNN) -- All three people on board a twin-engine plane died Wednesday when their aircraft crashed into a residential East Palo Alto, California, neighborhood, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration said. The victims were employees of Tesla Motors, a luxury electric car company. "Three Tesla employees were on board a plane that crashed in East Palo Alto early this morning. We are withholding their identities as we work with the relevant authorities to notify the families," said CEO Elon Musk in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Tesla is a small, tightly knit company, and this is a tragic day for us." The Cessna 310 took off from Palo Alto Airport at 7:53 a.m., FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. During takeoff, the plane struck 60-foot high power lines, forcing the plane down onto a driveway, said Josh Cawthra, a National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident investigator. Four homes were affected, and two had fire damage, Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said at a press conference. A day care in a house sustained heavy damage when the plane went down, East Palo Alto Police Capt. Carl Estelle said. No children were there at the time. The craft's fuselage landed in a house's yard, sparking a fire that destroyed several vehicles, Estelle said. One of the engines fell elsewhere in the neighborhood, apparently hitting the rear overhang of a yard, he said. "Miraculously, incredibly, no one was injured on the ground," Schapelhouman said. The crash site was about one mile northeast of the airport, he said. The travelers were headed to Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Hawthorne, California, more than 350 miles south, according to Gregor. Gregor noted foggy conditions, but said it was not known if the weather played a role in the accident. Gregor said the cause of the crash was unknown. Patricia Armistad said she lives maybe four or five houses from the impact site. "I heard a loud bang and when I went to my bedroom window I felt a big hit, like an earthquake," she said. She ran outside into the thick fog and immediately saw neighbors rushing to help, she said. Residents pulled people from the damaged houses and used their garden hoses to extinguish fires, she said. iReport: More photos from the scene . The crash triggered a massive power outage in the area. In addition to transmission lines, the aircraft also struck a transmission tower, Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman Joe Molica said. The tower and lines run electricity into neighboring Palo Alto, he said. Some 28,000 customers lost electricity, but power had been restored to all by 6:15 p.m., according to the City of Palo Alto Web site. CNN's Khadijah Rentas contributed to this report. | Plane crashes into East Palo Alto, California, neighborhood, fire chief says .
Three deaths on the plane; no one injured on ground, chief says .
Plane took off from Palo Alto Airport in foggy conditions before crash, official says .
Day care center in one house hit, but no children were there, he says . |
fc72f446f04aa38afaa92e050ebad3a3e38b917f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A seven-month-old baby has been killed in Texas after a driver allegedly ran a red light and crushed the stroller being pushed across the road by the boy's father. Witnesses say that seconds after the crash, which occurred at a busy intersection in Arlington, the father, Daniel Bingenheimer, picked up his tiny son, David, and screamed out in pain. A white sedan being driven by a woman is said to have ran the light and collided with a red pickup truck, which then careened into the stroller. 'It was the dad carrying his baby over to (the woman in the sedan) yelling, ''Look at what you’ve done'',’ said Dr. Jerrod Edwards, whose office is nearby and attended the scene, according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Scroll down for video . Tragic: David Bingenheimer was killed Thursday when his stroller was hit during a collision at South Cooper Street and California Lane in Arlington, Texas . Harrowing: The Chrysler pickup is thought to have crashed into the stroller, crushing it, after being hit from behind by another car . Witnesses say the father of the baby boy picked up his son and took him across the street following the crash . Police are still investigating which car had the green light, however it is alleged the white sedan ran a red . Investigation: This young woman is believed to be the driver of the white sedan . David Bingenheimer was only seven-months-old when he was killed on Thursday . The little boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Bingenheimer is believed to have just left a convenience store and was waiting to cross the 2800 block of South Cooper Street when the accident occurred around 9.30am. Police declined to identify the drivers of the two vehicles. Police spokeswoman Cheryel Carpenter said investigators are trying to determine which vehicle had the green light. One woman at a nearby bakery grabbed a white blanket and hurriedly covered the body, which was now on the ground. 'I knelt down to check on the baby . . . and took one look and there was no question,' Money said. People stop and visit the makeshift memorial for seven-month-old David Bingenheimer at California Ln and S. Cooper St in Arlington, Texas . The makeshift memorial for 7-month-old David Bingenheimer at California Ln and S. Cooper St in Arlington, TX, Friday, May 30, 2014 . The infant was killed in his stroller yesterday when a truck crashed into it while he and his father waited to cross Cooper Street . Money then turned her attention to the woman in the sedan who was “tearing up the inside of her car and frantically screaming.” Money said she convinced the woman to call her mom to come to the scene and calm her down. The pickup truck driver was 'rattling off to the dad and kept saying, ''She hit me. She hit me'',’ Money said. Money said she convinced him to stay by his truck until police arrived, she said. Mr Bingenheimer, who was trying to reach his wife on his cell phone, appeared to have hurt his leg, Money said. She said he was dragging it along, 'but was so upset, distraught and shocked'. Gone too soon: Little David Bingenheimer pictured here with his father Daniel . | Crashed occurred in Arlington, Texas, about 9.30am Thursday .
Daniel Bingenheimer was pushing his son Daniel across the street of a busy intersection .
A female driver in a white sedan is alleged to have ran a red light and collided with a pickup truck .
The truck then careened into the stroller . |
fc73026e95bbadfa76c920ae9098aab4f6234815 | No repeat of mistaken identity . Andre Marriner took charge of an Arsenal game for the first time since he wrongly sent off Kieran Gibbs instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain when they played Chelsea in March. During that match Oxlade-Chamberlain tipped Eden Hazard’s shot around the post with his hand, but the referee had a nightmare and showed the red card to Gibbs instead. He apologised for the mistake afterwards. Fortunately for Marriner, Gibbs started on the bench, so there was less chance of confusion. Andre Marriner books Southampton's Toby Alderweireld during Arsenal's win over Southampton . Marriner mistakenly sends off Kieran Gibbs in March after confusing him with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain . Henry's wardrobe error . Arsenal legend Thierry Henry worried fans by wearing a ‘Spurs’ bobble hat soon after manager Arsene Wenger had hinted he would one day return to the club in some capacity. A video emerged on Wednesday of the former striker – who spent eight years at the club – wearing the hat as he said goodbye to his team-mates in the dressing room after his final match for New York Red Bulls. Not to fear, Arsenal fans. Henry has not switched allegiance to their north London rivals, it was actually a hat for NBA team San Antonio Spurs. Thierry Henry was spotted wearing a Spurs hat, but Arsenal fans need not be too worried . The head-gear, which the Arsenal legend wore in the Red Bulls dressing room, is a San Antonio Spurs hat . Podolski frustration . Outcast Lukas Podolski had to watch the start of the match from the bench again and will hold showdown talks with manager Arsene Wenger later this month. The Germany international is unhappy with his role in Wenger’s first-team plans and is open to leaving the club when the January transfer window opens. Podolski’s representatives plan to sit down with the Arsenal boss in the coming days to discuss his future. Lukas Podolski had to settle for a place on the bench again against Southampton as his future remains unclear . | Referee Marriner made no repeat of last season's mistaken identity .
Gunners legend Henry was spotted wearing a San Antonio Spurs hat .
Frustrated Podolski once again had to settle for a place on the bench . |
fc73223059f4d716153224c56eae65f6f5c1d11d | By . Charles Walford . Last updated at 1:12 AM on 17th January 2012 . A scrap metal dealer who was branded 'beyond contempt' for trying to sell on a haul of memorial plaques looted from a graveyard has today been jailed for 12 weeks. Career criminal Sean McNab, 44, was arrested after staff at a scrapyard refused to buy the bronze plaques and alerted police. The thefts had been discovered when one of families went to the cemetery to lay flowers and found their plaque missing. Sean McNab said he was given the bag of plaques to sell on by two youths . Up to 20 bronze plaques had been unscrewed from the Garden of Remembrance at Blackley cemetery in Manchester last November in a night-time raid described by police 'beyond contempt'. They has been paid for by families and placed in the graveyard where the ashes of their loves ones had been interred. McNab tried to sell on the plaques – which were worth around £600 - from a bag just days after the thefts. When the yard refused he then tried to find another buyer. At first he claimed he had no idea what was in the bag but he said he later realised they were plaques and 'felt heartbroken'. He claimed that after he found this out he threw away the bag and rushed home to 'hold his bible to his chest begging for forgiveness'. Only nine plaques were recovered. At Manchester Magistrates' Court McNab, from Blackley, Greater Manchester, who has a 'significant criminal record for dishonesty' was due to stand trial for theft. But he denied the charge and pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of handling stolen goods after claiming two youths had given him the stolen plaques to sell on. JP Paul Welsh, told him: said: 'You are part of an offending chain that the community find abhorrent and it hurts people, hurts people in a wide circle. You provide a market place for this kind of activity. Only nine of the 20 stolen memorial plaques have been recovered . 'At that moment for one reason or another you didn't care. You do now because you're in court but at the time you didn't.' Earlier prosecutor Matthew Siddall, said: 'This case involves memorial plaques, the circumstances are that Blackley cemetery is the area where there are a large amount of plaques. 'One of the managers, James Birch, describes an email from one of the family members who owned one of those plaques and they had been to the cemetery and found it wasn't there. 'They had been the week before so it is understood it must have taken place that week. 'That particular manager does a check and notices ten to twenty different plaques missing, in this case we are dealing with nine of those. 'Police are alerted and take a number of enquiries particular with a scrap merchant.' Officers visited Howarth Metals on Slack Road, Blackley, as part of local inquiries on November 7. Staff said they recalled McNab trying to sell the plaques two days earlier. 'Members of staff said Sean McNab had been in the property and attempted to sell a number of memorial plaques and for obvious reasons they refused. 'Following that he came back a few days later selling copper wire. Staff managed to obtain his car registration and police saw the CCTV and they recognised him from previous dealings.' Scene: McNab took up to 20 bronze plaques from the Garden of Remembrance at Blackley cemetery in Manchester . After that McNab was arrested and his house was searched and the plaques were found in a bush not far from the scrap yard after an officer spotted the bag. Mr Siddall continued: 'It's my understanding that this defendant says he received them in a bag and never looked inside, not knowing what they were. That's not accepted by the Crown. 'His record speaks for itself, it's quite lengthy and goes over quite a number of years. When he was arrested he tested positive for opiates and cocaine. 'There's no victim impact statements but there is one off James Birch, the manager. He said, 'I feel the enormity of the stress far outweighs the value of any plaque'.' In mitigation defence solicitor Joseph O'Connor, said: 'The defendant accepts he's a person known to take scrap metal and two people came to him and said can you take this scrap metal. 'He should have been aware saying can you dispose of this scrap metal it is probably going to have come from an illegitimate source. He attempted to sell it on to a second scrap yard. 'But at the time he was provided with the large bag, he didn't engage his brain.' Mr O'Connor also added that the defendant was a carer for his father who had to undergo dialysis four times a week and relied on his son to take him to and from GP and hospital appointments. McNab was asked how he thought the families would have felt when they went to take flowers to the memorials only to find they had been stolen. McNab replied: 'I can imagine they were feeling heartbroken but you've got to understand I hadn't stolen anything.' | Sean McNab, 44, said he didn't steal them but was asked to sell them on .
He rushed home to 'hold his bible to his chest begging for forgiveness' when he found out what they were . |
fc73313cef5f00de2d0e765b9d20f29852cebc79 | Killed: Bruski, a one-year-old pit bull, was playing with another dog at a Cincinnati dog park on Tuesday when he was fatally shot by another dog owner who saw the dog bite his . An Ohio man accused of fatally shooting another dog in a dog park after its playing became too aggressive for his liking is facing jail time. 'I'm heartbroken. I've been crying all day,' Kaitlynn Hornsby sobbed after her one-year-old pit bull named Bruski was fatally shot while playing in the Cincinnati dog park on Tuesday, WLWT reports. Ms Hornsby said that with little warning 74-year-old Robert Marx pulled out a 9 millimeter handgun when her dog's playing led it to biting his. 'As soon as it happened the dude ran . up and threatened to shoot my dog and before we even had a chance to . break them apart he shot him,' she said. Several witnesses are said to have worked to help restrain the dogs when a shot rang out. Bruski was struck in his leg, according to Ms Hornsby, shattering it beyond repair. The dog was later put down by a vet. Emotional: Kaitlynn Hornsby says she had little time to respond to the dogs' fight before a gun was pulled and her pet shot while in her hands . Gunman: Robert Marx faces a maximum of nine months in jail on charges of knowingly shooting a gun within city limits and criminal damaging . 'There . were kids there and he pulled out a gun and shot. A kid could have been . hurt. I could have been hurt. I was holding my dog as he shot him,' she said. Marx appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of knowingly shooting a gun within city limits and criminal damaging. Police say he could not prove he was firing in self defense. Convictions on both counts would carry a maximum of nine months in jail. Marx, who has a permit to carry a . concealed weapon, was released on bond and placed on electronic . monitoring. He hasn't returned a message seeking comment. An inspection of Marx's dog showed it was not injured in the incident. A judge ordered Marx to stay away from the park and the couple who owned the pit bull. ‘We . took him to the dog park all the time, at least twice a week and he . never ever got into fights with dogs,’ said Ms Hornsby. ‘He was perfectly . good with dogs. He loved to play with them.’ | Robert Marx, 74, is accused of shooting the pit bull with little warning after seeing it bite his dog .
Marx's dog was not injured but the pit bull had to be euthanized .
Marx faces a maximum of nine months in jail for knowingly shooting a gun within city limits and criminal damaging . |
fc733e7ebea69c8f2ace69098a7ecf5d0a94645f | (CNN) -- Kevin Cordova's family tried cooking hot food to stay warm. They wore their winter coats inside and buried themselves under blankets. But on Sunday, six days after powerful winds from Superstorm Sandy knocked out their power, temperatures dipped so low they couldn't spend another night in their home in Floral Park, New York. "There's really no amount of blankets that can stop you from being cold in 30-degree weather," said Cordova, 28. "We feel a little homeless right now. We have our house, but we can't really use it." Officials say thousands of New Yorkers left without heat after Superstorm Sandy might need to leave their homes as temperatures plummet, but it's not clear where they'll go. How you can help people recover . Between 30,000 and 40,000 people in New York City could need housing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday. Officials are working on coming up with a solution, he said, but they haven't yet. "We don't have a lot of empty housing in this city," he said. "We are not going to let anybody go sleeping in the streets. We're not going to let anybody go without blankets, food and water, but it's a challenge and we're working on that." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described it as a "massive housing problem." The storm that broke records -- and hearts . "People are in homes that are uninhabitable," Cuomo told reporters. "It's going to become increasingly clear that they're uninhabitable when the temperature drops and the heat doesn't come on." In Long Island's Nassau County, where 266,000 customers were still without power Sunday, some people have died while trying to heat their homes with propane grills and other improvised methods, County Administrator Edward Mangano said Sunday. "We've very concerned about people sheltering in places without proper heat," he said. Utility officials warned some residents that it could take until Wednesday for power to be restored, Cordova said. The freelance editor said his family was grateful their house survived the storm, but they're unsure of what to do if their power stays out much longer. On Sunday night, his family planned to stay with friends. "We're all staying in different houses," he said, "but I don't know how long we can keep that up." More than 10,000 people across nine states spent Saturday night in shelters, American Red Cross spokeswoman Attie Poirier said. The Red Cross is sending 80,000 blankets to the region ahead of colder weather predicted this week. "As we move through energy and gasoline, housing is really the No. 1 concern," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who spoke in Hoboken, New Jersey. Live blog: Aftermath of Sandy . "And we don't even know yet which of the houses are reparable and which are irreparable losses. Those assessments are going on right now, as well as finding temporary housing for individuals who can't move back to their home right away." As of Sunday, roughly 182,000 people in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York had applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has approved more than $158 million in aid. In her apartment in Yonkers, New York, Julie Munn huddled under the covers, watching her breath in the air before she went to sleep. Her 6-month-old cat, Sheldon, got skittish, trying to crawl under things to keep warm. "It got so cold that I left Saturday morning," she said. "It was the same temperature inside the apartment as it was outside." Munn, 25, who stayed at her parents' house, got word that her power came back Sunday. But many others were still in limbo. "People aren't leaving their homes," said Staten Island resident Tara Saylor, 25. "They have no place to go." Official: Sandy-stricken areas will vote 'come hell or high water' For many, keeping warm isn't simply a matter of turning on the heat, after Superstorm Sandy knocked out gas lines and electricity. More than 1.5 million customers were without power across 15 states and the District of Columbia. Among those still in the dark Sunday was New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who urged patience. "I know it stinks. I still don't have power at my house. I'm not happy about it ... but it's the way it is," he said. Less than a million households in New Jersey were without power Sunday, he said, down from 2.7 million soon after the storm. Sandy wreaks havoc on NYC art . Colder weather is only one concern the region faces, with the presidential election on Tuesday. Election officials in New York City will temporarily relocate or combine some poll sites because of damage from Sandy, the Board of Elections said in a statement Sunday. In New Jersey, Christie ordered early voting sites to offer extended hours through the weekend to encourage voters to make it to the polls. For those who can't make it to their voting precincts, Christie ordered election officials to allow displaced New Jersey voters to cast their ballots electronically by submitting a mail-in ballot application via e-mail or fax. Once approved, the voter will be sent an electronic ballot that can, in turn, be e-mailed or faxed back to the county clerk. Long gas lines test patience . The 900-mile-wide superstorm left a huge swath of damage when it hit the Northeast last week, claiming at least 110 lives in the United States and two in Canada after earlier killing 67 around the Caribbean. Worst-hit New York state suffered 47 deaths, including 40 in New York City, authorities said. Half of those were in Staten Island. Almost a week since the storm hit, Staten Island resident Diana Cristiano is struggling to make sense of its surreal aftermath. She found valuables in the bushes, a generator in the pool and a fish -- still alive -- inside her flooded childhood home. A boat from a nearby canal ended up on a neighbor's lawn. "It looks like a war zone with people's stuff all out everywhere," said Cristiano, 24. Volunteers were on hand to aid in the recovery effort, including hundreds of would-be New York City Marathon runners, reported CNN affiliate NY1. The race, scheduled for Sunday, was canceled for the first time in its history so as not to draw resources and attention away from the response. Extra day of voting possible in New York . Other marathon runners decided to go ahead with the race, "without any official support from the city and without diverting any resources," said CNN iReporter Talis Lin, who sent photographs from the course. As communities grapple with the human toll, the price of the damage is stunning: Between $30 billion and $50 billion, according to disaster modeling firm Eqecat. That far exceeds the firm's pre-storm estimate of $20 billion. Officials said Sunday that relief was in sight for residents facing fuel shortages, with Defense Department plans to deliver generators and fuel to stations that need electricity and gasoline. "We think things will be getting better. We know what a disaster this is," New York Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday. "My wife waited two and half hours for gas yesterday and called me every half hour to see what I was doing about it, so this is an answer to her as well as to every New Yorker." Meanwhile, Bloomberg said he plans to take the subway on Monday, a sign that transit is coming back. Powerless in New Jersey . New York City students will also go back to school Monday, Bloomberg said. Some students will be bused to other locations if their schools have been damaged and cannot reopen. Adding to concerns, a storm is forecast for the region this week. "As we have this nor'easter coming ... we have to remain extremely vigilant about our neighbors," New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Sunday. While many residents are seeking disaster relief help from federal and state officials, she said, some of the state's seniors may be afraid to leave their homes, even if they don't have heat. And they may not know what resources are available. "What I'm most concerned about right now are the people we haven't met and we haven't seen," she said. 7 health risks in the wake of the superstorm . CNN's Dana Ford, Devon Sayers, Sarah Hoye, Josh Levs, Erinn Cawthon, Henry Hanks and Maria White contributed to this report. | Would-be New York City Marathon runners help in recovery efforts .
"Housing is really the No. 1 concern," Napolitano says .
Cold temperatures heighten health and other concerns in areas still without power .
Mayor: Up to 40,000 people could need housing in New York City . |
fc737ce54ae1fb00043c4eb883b23a293c3e1e4e | Dressed in tanned springbok skins peppered with elaborately embroidered 'owl eyes', the women of the Ju/'hoansi San tribe might not look tough but with their lives spent in the Kalahari Desert, one of the most inhospitable locations on Earth, that's precisely what they are. 'The San are thought to have lived in the area for more than 23,000 years,' explains photographer Eric Lafforgue who captured these incredible images during a visit to Namibia's Otjozondjupa region where many of the tribe still live. 'Most of them live by hunting in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy [around Otjozondjupa capital Tsumkwe or Tjumǃkui in the local language], which is supposed to be controlled although the San have special permission,' he continues. Colourful: The women of the San tribe make their colourful beads from ostrich egg shells and make extra money by selling them to tourists . Tougher than Bear Grylls! Most members of the San tribe, this woman among them, live on the fringes of the inhospitable Kalahari Desert . Useful: A woman carries a bi! bulb, which offer a useful source of drinkable, if extremely bitter, water - extremely handy during desert hunting expeditions . Colourful: San people adore their brightly coloured beads, some of which are made from polished ostrich shell, and sell them to tourists to make extra money . Nomads: The San remain semi-nomadic but once wandered through all of southern Africa before other people moving in from the north pushed them into the Kalahari . Family life: The majority of San people who have stuck to their traditional lifestyle live in villages of five or six families and share everything . 'They use traditional methods such as a bow and arrow tipped with the poisonous sap of the euphorbia plant. The arrow only needs to nick the animal's skin for the poison to enter the bloodstream and the hunters track it until the animal collapses from the poison.' So expert are the hunting skills of the San, men from the tribe were sought after by successive governments and co-opted into the army as trackers; most notoriously by South Africa's apartheid regime who used them to hunt down SWAPO rebels. 'They have a lot of superstitions about hunting,' adds Lafforgue. 'They say that if you walk face-first into a spider's web while hunting, you'll have bad luck, and if a man is a lazy hunter, he'll become a source of shame to the entire clan.' Although the men are no longer forced into the army, their hunting skills still prove valuable in the hostile Kalahari desert, as does the tribe's incredible knowledge of plants. Foraging is mostly done by the female half of the population, many of whom are expert gatherers and collect everything from ostrich eggs to plants, roots and insects. Elaborate: Much of the bead making work is done by older women who don't have the energy to forage and they make extra money from it by selling jewels to tourists . Tough: The Kalahari Desert covers 350,000sq miles of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa and experiences temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius during the day . Arid: The Kalahari is a semi-arid savannah and as a result, supports more plant and animal life than true deserts like the Namib in south-western Namibia . Camp: Women sit outside the grass and reed homes they inhabit when they're on their N!ore or family lands which many use as a retreat . Clever: San people know more than 300 different species of plants, many of which have medicinal purposes, whether treating rheumatism or combating hunger . Deadly: San hunters kill springboks, giraffes and other animals using poison tipped arrows and were once in high demand as army trackers . Tasty: A man cuts into an Oryx Cucumber, which the San call Tc’a. It's one of 100 species of edible plants included in Ju/'hoansi San's diet . Lucrative: A man shows off a sprig of hoodia; a plant traditionally used to stave off hunger pangs by the San and now marketed as a diet supplement in the West . Survival skills: A man holding a bi! bulb which contains drinkable, if very bitter water (left) and another man sat in front of a fire created without using matches . Eric travelled with guides from Exotic Travel and Safaris, which offers a 12-day tour that includes a visit to meet the San people plus accommodation, meals and transfers, with packages starting at £1,874 per person. For more information, see exotictravelsafaris.com . South African Airways offers return flights to Windhoek from London Heathrow via Johannesburg from £1,010. See flysaa.com for more. For further information on Namibia, please visit namibiatourism.com.na . For more of Eric's work both in Namibia and elsewhere, see ericlafforgue.com. One of the most helpful is a tuber called the bi! [milk] bulb, which soaks up rainfall and once dug up, emits streams of drinkable - if bitter- water when crushed. Even more valuable, both for survival and financially, is the hoodia plant which the San have long used as an appetite suppressant during long desert marches but is now being marketed as a weight loss supplement in the West. So effective is the substance, the Namibian government has had to pass a bill to prevent unscrupulous people from exploiting the San's knowledge of plants like hoodia, and another, devil's claw, which they use to treat rheumatism. In total, the Ju/'hoansi San use around 300 different plants, with 100 of those forming a regular part of the diet. 'The San menu is mostly antelope, small animals, fruit such as the Marula, nuts, berries, roots and Tsama melons,' adds Lafforgue. 'The children in particular love game meat. One little boy I met told me that his favourite food was giraffe!' While many of the San do continue to live traditional lifestyles, others have found jobs on farms and in tourism, and use their family's N!ore, or home patch of land, as a weekend retreat. Others choose to live in the style of their ancestors - even indulging in the traditional courtship ritual that can prove to be, quite literally, a pain in the bottom for the women of the tribe. 'If you want to reveal your love for a San woman, you take a little bow and shoot a tiny arrow into her bottom,' reveals Lafforgue. 'If the girl isn't interested, she’ll slap you. If she is, you have to ask her parents or grandparents for permission to marry her. Divorce doesn't exist in San culture.' And, as Lafforgue points out, neither does a passion for material things. 'You’ll never hear a San boasting about his exploits - people are part of an egalitarian society, so they never boast,' he explains. 'There's also a lack of emphasis on prestige or wealth in San culture - something unusual in Africa.' That's . how you do it! A San man squeezes the water from a bu! bulb during a . hunt out in the wilds of the forbidding Kalahari desert . Medicinal: . A hunter tucks into a piece of the Terminalia sericea plant which comes . in handy when you have a cold - the plant is either eaten or wrapped . around the head . Ouch! One of the men demonstrates how to use a tiny bow and arrow, which San men use to shoot women they've taken a shine to. If she slaps him, he's out of luck . Friendly: . Materialism doesn't exist in San culture and you'll never hear them . boasting or coveting lots of things as society is extremely egalitarian . Schoolgirl: . Many people have moved to towns such as Tsumkwe (Tjumǃkui in the local . language) so they can send their sons and daughters to school . Not . a fan of ice cream! When asked what his favourite food was by . photographer Eric Lafforgue, this young man replied that it was giraffe . Work: . Many San have swapped traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyles for work . as labourers on local farms, although many use their family lands as a . weekend retreat . Women's . work: While much of the hunting is done by men, women are in charge of . gathering edible roots, plants and insects as well as medicinal ones . Baffling: Counting beyond 10 is a mystery for most San, who don't have a translation for numbers beyond that and have to think hard about it if you ask . Thought to be more than 2,000 years old, the clicking sounds used by the San people might sound as if they've been chosen completely random to those unfamiliar with them but are actually four distinct sounds, each of which has a different meaning. Written, the main ones are /, =, !, and # plus another known as 'the Kiss' because it sounds similar. Bafflingly for those attempting to learn the language, the tribe as a whole speaks 20 different variants, each with clicks, but all different enough to be incomprehensible to speakers of a different dialect. The San's clicking language has also had an impact on the languages of other southern African tribes, among them the !Nama of Namibia and the !Xhosa of South Africa, both of which deploy clicks. Despite the complexity of their language, the San approach to numbers is simple in the extreme. 'San don't count beyond 10,' says Lafforgue. 'If you ask them how they say 26 or 52, they need to think about it.' Sadly, as Lafforgue explains, the language is in danger as San children who go to school, a step seen as hugely important by San parents, aren't taught in their mother tongue. 'Education is very important in San culture as unemployment is very high in the community,' explains Lafforgue. 'In primary school, San kids don't learn the San language as the teachers are Ovambo people.' Traditional: San live in small villages of around five or six shelters, each created using reeds, grasses and plants taken from the Kalahari . Convivial: A group of San sit around their fire at the end of a long day labouring on local farms or hunting in the Kalahari desert . Adorable: A youngster peeps out from within a Springbok skin wrap - the wraps are tied securely around the mother's neck and back . Care: Old people are taken care of by other members of their family and by members of the wider tribe who give them part of anything they gather or trap . Retreat: Although many San have moved into town to work, lots return to their family N!ore come weekends for a spot of rest and relaxation . | The San people live in Namibia and Botswana and are thought to have been around for more than 23,000 years .
Most live in the forbidding Kalahari Desert and have developed a formidable arsenal of survival skills .
Women are in charge of gathering plants, roots and insects for food and medicine, and also make jewellery .
Among the 300 plants known to the San is the hoodia plant which is now being sold as a diet pill in the West .
Men are in charge of hunting, which is done using bows and arrows tipped with poison from the euphorbia bush .
Prey includes anything from tiny Springbok antelopes to horse-sized Kudu and enormous giraffes .
San society is extremely egalitarian and you will never hear people boasting or trying to accumulate possessions .
The San have a tragic history that included being forced to join the South African army as trackers during apartheid . |
fc7470d94a250cb4f8ca20458e9da4fcb5cf3747 | Hardened swimmers up and down the country took to freezing cold waters this morning as the bizarre Christmas Day dip tradition continued to prevail. Thousands of swimmers in fancy dress lined an overcast seafront in Exmouth, Devon, with brave participants launching themselves into the sea for the annual swim. Among some of the unusual outfits on display were people dressed as Christmas puddings, Santa's elves and giant wrapped presents - with one man opting to go as Batman character Bane - played by Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises. Scroll down for video . Brace yourselves: A crowd of swimmers charged towards the sea as the annual Exmouth Christmas Day swim got underway this morning . Party: Thousands of Christmas Day swimmers took the plunge in Exmouth, Devon, today for a freezing dip in the sea . Chilly Christmas: The swimmers dashed across the beach before jumping into the sea in the tradition which began in the late 1960s . People take part in the annual White Christmas Dip at Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth to raise money for Macmillan Caring Locally . Another boldly-dressed man decided to don a Borat-style green mankini - complete with reindeer antlers. The swimmers dashed across the beach before jumping into the sea in the tradition which began in the late 1960s. The Exmouth Christmas day swim was born when local Ken Cunningham took a dip with pals Peter Horne, Stan Jordan, Nick Hockings, David Hart and Miss Ireland. Nearly 50 years later, the original six swimmers has grown to thousands from across the globe - with many taking part in the challenge to raise money for charity. Watch out Batman! One swimmer took to the chilly waters in Devon for the Exmouth Christmas Day swim dressed as Batman character Bane . The perfect gift: A girl dressed as a giant Christmas present braves the icy cold water in Devon this morning for the annual swim . A member of the Serpentine Swimming Club poses for the camera after taking part in the Peter Pan Cup race, held every Christmas Day . Hundreds of others also defied the chilly temperatures for a festive Christmas dip in Bournemouth, Dorset. The beach was packed with plucky people, many in fancy dress, for the White Christmas Dip, an annual event in the town to raise money for charity. Although the water was an icy 10 degrees the swimmers showed no fear as they took the plunge at around 10.30am this morning. Organisers are hoping to raise £35,000 for the Macmillan Caring Locally charity. Making a splash: A woman wearing a Santa Claus hat enjoys the cold waters on Brighton Beach during the annual Christmas Day swim . Getting in the Christmas spirit: Happy swimmers splash water at the camera during the annual Exmouth swim today . Festive angel swimmers celebrate christmas day as they take part in the 50th annual christmas swim at Porthcawl's Coney beach, South Wales . Huge turnout: Swimmers wearing fancy dress costumes take part in the annual White Christmas Dip on Boscombe Beach, Bournemouth . Although the water was an icy 10C the swimmers showed no fear as they took the plunge at around 10.30am this morning . After the White Christmas Dip, members of the Bournemouth Spartans, the town's long-running winter swimming club, took to the water . A line of swimmers bravely jump into the cold water in unison at Blackroot Pool at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield . Peter Jenkins, 47, from Bournemouth, said: 'The water was freezing but It certainly woke everyone up after their Christmas Eve indulgences' Fancy-dressed revellers brave chilly temperatures to splash around in the sea at Porthcawl's Coney beach, South Wales . Shortly after the White Christmas Dip took place members of the Bournemouth Spartans, the town's long-running winter swimming club, took to the water. Peter Jenkins, 47, from Bournemouth, said: 'The water was freezing at first but after the initial shock it wasn't so bad. It certainly woke everyone up after their Christmas Eve indulgences.' A group of brave swimmers also continued a 150-year tradition as they jumped into the sea at Brighton on a crisp Christmas morning. A group dressed as Christmas puddings were among some of the more outrageous outfits seen at today's annual Exmouth swim . The revellers met next to the city's iconic pier at sunrise, defying council orders to stay away from the potentially dangerous waters today. Brighton and Hove City Council had decided it would close the beach today over 'safety fears' after a man got into difficulty in the waters earlier this year and another swimmer had to be rescued while taking part in the event three years ago. Brighton Swimming Club agreed to follow the council's lead and cancel its annual festive swim after its dedicated group of 30 experienced swimmers taking part has swelled to 4,000 revellers turning up at the beach in fancy dress and after heavy drinking in recent years. A wave of fancy-dressed people crash into the water at Blackroot Pool at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, today . A man in unusual Christmas-attire stands in shallow water on a sunny morning at Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth . Three swimmers dressed in Santa Claus outfits charge into the sea at Brighton Beach this morning . Defying warning: Swimmers in Brighton met next to the city's iconic pier at sunrise, defying council orders to stay away from the water today . Early dip: This morning, roughly 20 swimmers appeared to disobey the council's orders and were pictured striding towards the freezing water . Three women return from the sea after taking a Christmas dip near the iconic Brighton Pier at sunrise this morning . A spokesman for the council said: 'This year the council will be taking extra measures to discourage swimmers from taking a Christmas Day dip by closing the beaches around the Palace Pier.' The council said it had decided to close the beach after fears over the safety of people getting into the water on Christmas Day. But this morning roughly 20 swimmers appeared to disobey the council's orders and were pictured as they took a dip in the freezing water. A man dressed as Santa Claus struggles to keep his balance as a wave washes in at Porthcawl's Coney beach, South Wales . Cold and proud: A group of swimmers pose for a group photo on an overcast morning at Brighton Beach today . Members of the Peter Pan club compete in the annual handicapped 100 yard swimming race in the Serpentine, Hyde Park, London . The annual 100-yard dash has been held every year since 1864 - and today's hardened swimmers enjoyed clear blue skies . Freezing: A man wraps a towel around himself after emerging from the water on a sunny Christmas Day at Sutton Coldfield . Two shivering men in Santa hats take part in the traditional Christmas Day swim in Sutton Park, near Birmingham today . Stripping off: More than 500 people took to the Welsh seaside town of Porthcawl today to celebrate 50 years of Christmas morning swims . Elsewhere in the country, other swimmers took to the water in Porthcawl, south Wales - with more than 500 people taking to the seaside town to celebrate 50 years of Christmas morning swims. Swimmers and spectators donned fancy dress to raise money for local charities. This year swimmers were asked to follow the theme of clowns and Vikings in memory of two of the event's mainstays for many years. And in London's Hyde Park, groups of brave swimmers gathered for the Peter Pan Cup race, held every Christmas Day by members of the Serpentine Swimming Club at the Serpentine. The annual 100-yard dash has been held every year since 1864 and the race was won by Alan Mitchell. Shivering: The swimming club turned out to the Serpentine in force today - with some donning festive Santa hats . | Swimmers braved cold water during Christmas dips at Brighton Beach and the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London .
Thousands in fancy dress also pictured charging towards freezing sea at Exmouth, Devon, for annual festive swim .
In Brighton, council cancelled swim fearing dangerous conditions, but 20 defied warning to turn up at sunrise . |
fc74a5e6b0f3a7060f23719934876d2798e62429 | (CNN) -- Condolences continued to pour in late Sunday night following the death of heavy metal rocker Ronnie James Dio, who lost his battle with stomach cancer earlier in the day. "Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. 16th May," his wife, Wendy Dio, said in a message on his official website. Dio, 67, followed Ozzy Osbourne as Black Sabbath's lead vocalist in 1979. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away," she wrote. "Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all." The rock community paid tribute to Dio in messages late Sunday. "In addition to his powerhouse vocal ability, Ronnie was a true gentleman who always emanated great warmth and friendship to us and everyone around him," KISS said. "We will miss him." Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian called Dio's death a big loss. "So many memories of Ronnie. Toured together many times. He always had a kind word and a smile, and he loved the Yankees," Ian said. Musician Slash summed up the loss in one sentence: "Ronnie died at 7:45 a.m., but his music will live for eternity." Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, who became friends with Dio while touring Europe, said the rocker will be missed. "I still have this image of him standing on stage in front of 100,000 belting out 'Man on the Silver Mountain' and remember the shivers it sent up my spine," Sixx said. He called Dio "one of the kindest souls I have ever met and his talent was beyond inspirational to so many of us." "Those of us that had the opportunity to know Ronnie can tell you what a wonderful and passionate man he was," Sixx said. Dio most recently was touring with Heaven and Hell, a version of Black Sabbath renamed for legal reasons. All shows were canceled last March because of his illness. His last public appearance was in April at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards when he accepted a vocalist of the year award for his work on last year's Heaven and Hell album. Dio appeared frail, but he spoke while accepting his award. Born Ronald James Padavona in 1942, Dio's professional music career began as a high school student in the late 1950s. His 1960s rock group The Electric Elves evolved into Elf by the early 1970s, when the group played heavy blues rock. Dio's rock became darker with his band Rainbow, which he left in 1979 to join Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath released three albums with Dio, including "Heaven and Hell" in 1980, "Mob Rules" in 1981 and "Live Evil" in 1982. Dio left that band in 1982, but he had a brief reunion with the group a decade later. He formed the group Dio in 1982 and later Heaven and Hell. | Rock community paid tribute to Dio in messages late Sunday .
Dio most recently was touring with the band Heaven and Hell .
His last public appearance was in April at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards . |
fc74c6b329c4769b4ef327efe90ee7f5dd2e8c55 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:22 EST, 24 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:07 EST, 24 April 2013 . A first date took a dramatic turn for the worse for a Florida women when her potential suitor ended the evening by pulling a gun on her and stealing her car. Nimeha Milien says she had never met Donald McGee, 19, before Friday evening when he started to send her text messages about meeting for a date. Within a few hours McGee had convinced her to drive to meet him at the intersection of Sheridan Street and 68th Avenue in Hollywood, Florida. Nimeha Milien, left, says she had never meet Donald McGee, 19, before their date on Friday evening which ended when he stole her car at gunpoint . McGee initially told Milien that he wanted to go back to her place. She refused and instead she drove them to Palm Beach County, where they took a romantic walk on the beach at Ocean Inlet Park. 'We sat there. We spoke. Nothing wrong happened,' Milien told WPBF News. 'It was like normal, all conversation.' Milien agreed to drop McGee at a Wendy's parking lot on Boynton Beach Boulevard, where she thought his brother was going to collect him. Instead McGee pulled out out a .380-caliber Kel Tec handgun and told her to get out of the car. Milien drove McGee to Palm Beach County, where they took a romantic walk on the beach at Ocean Inlet Park . According to Milien, McGee then drove away and she ran across the street to a gas station where she asked a customer for help. The customer told her to get in his car so they could follow McGee, while she called 911. Officers caught up with McGee on Interstate 95 and chased him for about eight miles. The chase ended on the Yamato Road on-ramp after McGee lost control of the vehicle and got it stuck in the dirt and grass. After a brief attempt to flee, McGee was arrested and charged with armed carjacking, robbery with a firearm, possession of marijuana, driving without a license, and fleeing police. He is currently locked up at Palm Beach County Jail . Milien, who turned 21 on Monday, said she will not be dating anytime soon. ‘I'm glad that I'm alive to be able to see my 21st birthday because I want to be able to make a difference in this world,' she said. 'If I had died on that night, I wouldn't have done anything.' | Nimeha Milien had her car stolen at gunpoint by Donald McGee, but first they had a romantic stroll along the beach . |
fc74fb572e5f7e17e3689323c94865c1e9fc0e7b | Robert Dole knew his share of Washington fights -- as the Republican vice presidential and presidential nominee and as both Senate majority and minority leader. But as he celebrates his 90th birthday on Monday, he told CNN he believes the tone in Washington is much more bitter -- and that is not helping the country. "There were a lot of differences in the days I was in the Senate," he told CNN in a rare interview. "But in every case we were able to work the out the differences." Dole served in the Senate alongside several Democratic leaders who were known for their strong wills: Robert Byrd, George Mitchell and Tom Daschle. "We disagreed, but we respected each other," he said. "We never had an unkind word about each other." Now as Dole looks at today's Congress he thinks the two parties are not doing enough to try to find a middle ground -- and that includes relying too much on the filibuster in the Senate. "It is very frustrating. Sometimes it is just justified, don't misunderstand me. But most of the time you ought to be able to work out a compromise that is going to be voted on," Dole told CNN. "Compromise has become a bad word, and I always thought in almost every case there is room for compromise." Senate leaders should change how they use the filibuster, he said. "There are things that should be stopped, but at least there ought to be a vote," he said. "It can't continue, this constant holding up bills." As for what else is causing some of the rancor today, he told CNN "the biggest problem today is the lack of trust." Asked who is to blame for that, he put responsibility on both parties -- "Sometimes it is the Rs (Republicans). Sometimes it is the Ds (Democrats)." Just last week Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, threatened a historic change regarding the rules of how presidential nominations are considered -- eliminate the ability to filibuster them if Republicans didn't allow votes on several of the president's picks. If those changes would have gone into effect, the atmosphere in Washington would have deteriorated even more. But even the threat of the rules change created a war of words between Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. This week the Senate is expected to consider a bipartisan compromise to help cap student loan rates -- a politically popular idea. But senators were able to reach agreement only after weeks of partisan haggling, several failed attempts and the intervention of President Barack Obama. Dole also sees major problems in how far his party has shifted to the right, saying a moderate from a conservative state will face problems because of "some who don't believe they are Republican enough." He repeated a statement he originally made in May in a television interview as a sign of how rigid the party has become, saying, "that is why I said that Ronald Reagan I doubt could be nominated today. And I was a conservative and supported Reagan." Dole, who was the GOP's 1996 presidential nominee, losing to incumbent Bill Clinton, urged his party to do a better job of trying to be more inclusive. In 2012: Dole, Baker for embracing bipartisan politics . "I believe we ought to be reaching out to the Hispanic community, the black community and of course the middle- and upper-class community across the board, and we haven't done that," he said, pointing to the last election as evidence. After having served eight years in the House of Representatives, he began his first term in the Senate in 1969 and served there until 1996, when he resigned to concentrate on his run for the presidency after capturing the Republican nomination. He was Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976 when Ford lost to Jimmy Carter. Since his time in Congress the Kansan native, the longest-serving Republican leader in the Senate, has seen a dramatic change in those serving and their goals. "A lot of the younger members -- they are very smart. They are very capable. They have their own ideas -- start a filibuster, rather than compromise." He cited how food stamps was added to the farm bill in the past as key to attracting support for the measure in both parties. The House earlier this month passed a scaled-down farm bill without food stamps after a version including them was defeated because it could not attract a large enough coalition. Dole, who is disabled from a World War II injury, also was disappointed last December after some of some of his own personal lobbying failed. The Senate blocked ratification of a United Nations treaty to promote the rights of disabled people. Dole, in a wheelchair, came to the Senate floor in a last ditch effort to help the treaty gain support. As for his successes, he cited the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act as one of the bills he was most proud of because of its lasting impact and one that had bipartisan support. He was also a major fundraiser in helping get the World War II Memorial built on the National Mall. Dole, who is special counsel in the Washington law firm of Alston & Bird's legislative and public policy group, spends his time with his wife, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, in Washington but is mostly out of public view. He is a co-founder of the Bipartisan Policy Center and works to support a political institute named in in his honor at the University of Kansas. Dole has suffered from several illnesses in recent years, and spent 11 months at Walter Reed Army Hospital in 2010 after a bout with pneumonia. President George W. Bush appointed Dole in 2007 to a panel investigating conditions at the hospital. "I never really thought I wanted to spend that much time there," he joked at a 2011 appearance honoring the 50th anniversary of his being first elected to Congress. Asked about the milestone of his 90th birthday, Dole said "It's going to be a special day. I don't know how many people reach 90," adding "I am kind of excited about it." Many friends and old staff members will gather Tuesday for a party celebrating his special day. | Dole says that in his time, lawmakers were able to work out their differences .
1996 GOP presidential candidate says neither party is looking for middle ground now .
Dole blames Republicans and Democrats equally for a lack of trust .
Old friends and staff members will gather Tuesday for a birthday celebration . |
fc751348d8410babe063bb0f89d31069dff8d94c | By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 08:07 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:05 EST, 21 October 2013 . Tortillas are now outselling popular American fast-foods including burger and hot dog buns. As the population of Hispanic people in the US grows, the consumption of Latin American food continues to increase. Research suggests people across the US now consider Hispanic foods 'American'. Scroll down for video . Tortillas are now outselling burger and hot dog buns as Americans embrace more Hispanic foods in their diets . Research suggests that people across the US now consider Latin American foods 'American' Salsa, meanwhile, has become the best-selling condiment in the US - making it even more popular than ketchup. Experts have suggested Hispanic food is being integrated into US culture in the same way Italian food was. 'When you think about pizza and spaghetti, it's the same thing,' said Jim Kabbani, CEO of the Tortilla Industry Association. 'People consider them American, not ethnic. It's the same with tortillas.' The first tortillas date back approximately 12,000 years, according to estimates. They were made of corn with dried kernel. Today, they are made from corn in a lime-based solution or with cornflour. According to Mayan legend, they were invented by a peasant keen to feed his hungry king. The change in diet across the US comes as the number Latin Americans - who already represent nearly 20 per cent of the population - continues to grow. Hispanic foods and beverages were an $8 billion market in the US last year, according to consumer research firm Packaged Facts. And by 2017, that number may reach $11 billion. Even in 2000, the Tortilla Industry Association estimated Americans consumed approximately 85 billion tortillas a year. According to InfoScan Reviews, a . retail tracking service, tortilla sales increased at a faster pace (3.7 . per cent) in supermarkets than potato chips (2.2 per cent) this year. Although . potato chips continue to be the top-selling salted snack in terms of . pounds sold, 'the growth of tortilla chips is a little bit more robust . than the growth of potato chips', Dempsey said. Graph showing the percentage of the US population that are of Hispanic (light green) descent, from 1980 (less than 10 per cent) to 2060 (projected to be more than 30 per cent). Olive represents 'multiracial', dark green shows the black population, blue shows Asian and Pacific Islander, dark blue American Indian and red shows white people . The darker states on the map show areas where there is a higher proportion of Hispanic people. The four shades of blue represent (from lightest to darkest) 15% or less, 16-30%, 31-50% and more than 50%. The darkest colour is shown in Texas, New Mexico and California . Along with the increased proportion of Hispanic people in the US, research by Associated Press suggests those born between the early 1980s and 2000 have embraced the foods. 'They are looking for products that are not necessarily big brands anymore,' said Michael Bellas, chairman of the Beverage Marketing Corporation. 'They like brands that have character. They are looking for authenticity and purity, but they are also looking for new experiences.' Traditional American fast-foods, the hotdog and burger, are being overtaken in popularity by Hispanic foods . And it's not just food diets that are changing. In 2006, nearly 107 million of litres of tequila were exported to the US, a 23 per cent increase on 2005, according to Judith Meza, representative of the Tequila Regulatory Council. Rice has also become more popular in the American diet, according to Darren Seifer, a food and beverage analyst for The NPD Group, a consumer marketing organisation. This is despite the fact that 'side dishes' have generally become less popular. In 2006, nearly 107 million of litres of tequila were exported to the US, a 23 per cent increase over 2005 . Research suggests one of the reasons Hispanic food has been embraced is that it is considered more healthy. 'When it comes to health, the Mexican cuisines cater better to that with salsas and vegetables,' said Alexandra Aguirre Rodriguez, an assistant professor of marketing at Florida International University. A healthier option many Americans are choosing is the tomato-based salsa, which beat ketchup sales two-one, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Terry Soto, president and CEO of About Marketing Solutions, said: 'If I would look at 10 shopping carts, about half would have taco shells, the Americanized components to make enchiladas or tacos, or frozen chimichangas. 'There is a larger segment of the population that wants the real thing. 'It's not so much the products becoming mainstream. It's about ethnic food becoming that much more of what we eat on a day-to-day basis.' | Research suggests many Hispanic dishes are now considered 'American'
Ketchup has been overtaken as most popular US condiment by salsa .
Change due in part to increasing proportion of Hispanic people in the US . |
fc75b0b1dc88ba7a52c7c7e16ed94226aa542dfe | By . Zoe Szathmary . A petition calling for Obama and the Department of Health and Human Services to commission a study re-examining female genital mutilation (FGM) figures has reached over 47,000 signatures. The petition is led by 24-year-old Jaha Dukureh, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Dukureh writes on the petition's Change.org page that she was a victim of FGM as an infant in Gambia. Scroll down for video . Activist: Jaha Dukureh, seen in these 2013 file photo, was born in Gambia and subjected to female genital mutilation as an infant . 'This is just the beginning of our work and we won't back down,' Dukureh says . 'It took away a part of my femininity, my ownership to my body,' she says. 'Some girls, including my half-sister who died from complications from being cut, even lose their lives.' 'When I was 15 and I got married and I was unable to have sex it was like I went over FGM all over again, because when they cut you open, even though this initially happened to me as a baby, but the re-opening process was just them cutting me again,' she said in a video interview with the Guardian. The World Health Organization says the practice doesn't have health benefits and carries multiple risks, including infertility, urinary tract infections and cysts. Dukureh says on the petition's page that she's spoken with American victims of FGM. 'These young women are your average American teenagers -- some of them you know, some of them you went or go to school with,' she says. 'And there are many more girls in the US that are at risk of being cut.' Call for change: Dukureh is asking the Obama administration and the CDC to commission a study that shows how many women and girls are victims of FGM and how many are at risk in the US . The practice was outlawed in the United States in 1996. Dukureh notes that while Obama signed the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act in 2013 - which makes it illegal to take girls out of the country for FGM - there aren't recent statistics on the number of victims and those at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in 1997 that an estimated 168,000 women and girls either had or were at risk for FGM. Sanctuary for Families says the number of women and girls at risk increased by 35 percent between 1990 and 200. Dukureh's campaign was backed by Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY), UN representative Nafissatou Diop and Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger at its launch last week. The paper previously endorsed a FGM awareness campaign in the UK. 'This is just the beginning of our work and we won't back down and we won't go away until girls are protected,' Dukureh says. | Petition is led by 24-year-old Jaha Dukureh, who says she was a victim of female genital mutilation (FGM) as an infant .
World Health Organization says FGM has no health benefits and has multiple risks, including infertility and cysts .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last estimated in 1997 that 168,000 women and girls in US were victims of FGM or at-risk . |
fc75d05de9870748abe89203ddbcb731478d1d61 | By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 08:54 EST, 11 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:57 EST, 11 February 2013 . Nevada Assemblyman: Steven Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas . A Las Vegas assembly is set to decide whether a local politician is fit to serve after his third arrest in a month. Troubled Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas on suspicion of physically attacking a family member, then grabbing for an officer's weapon. The arrest came only days after the North Las Vegas Democrat embarked on a three-week leave following a string of bizarre events that began with his January 19 arrest for allegedly threatening Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Brooks, 40, was 'agitated' and refused to obey officers' orders when they arrived to find him outside a home after responding to a report of a domestic dispute, according to police. Brooks is accused of fighting and grabbing for an officer's weapon as they tried to arrest him shortly aftermidnight. Police spokesman Bill Cassell said the domestic dispute occurred inside the home, but he did not know the identity of the homeowner. No other details about the dispute were immediately available. Las Vegas police have a policy of not identifying the relationships of domestic dispute victims to suspects, Cassell said. Brooks was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on misdemeanours charges of domestic battery and obstructing a public officer. His bail was set at $4,000, and he awaits an initial court appearance Monday morning. Leave: Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas during the opening day of the 77th Legislative Session in Carson City last Monday . Embattled: Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas, gets his shoes shined at Comma Coffee, across the street from the Legislative Building in Carson City last week . Brooks' attorney, Mitchell Posin, said he probably would talk to Brooks later Sunday. 'It would be premature for me to say anything until I hear what his side of the story is,' Posin said. The arrest came only days after the Assembly announced the unprecedented creation of a seven-member committee to investigate Brooks' behavior. Under the Nevada Constitution, lawmakers are given authority to judge the qualifications of their own members. Assembly Majority Leader William . Horne, D-Las Vegas, who will chair the bipartisan panel, said Sunday . that Brooks' arrests reflect ongoing concerns about his fitness to . serve. 'It's unfortunate . that these things are happening in Mr. Brooks' life, and I'm grateful no . one was injured,' he told The Associated Press. 'I'm . not a mental expert. But I would agree it has shown some signs that Mr. Brooks is dealing with problems that may distract from his ability to . do the service he was elected to do.' Horne . said he hopes the special committee can reach a decision 'fairly . quickly.' The panel's choices range from no action to expelling Brooks . from the Assembly. Kirkpatrick . said Brooks' arrests have been a distraction for the Legislature, but . have not stopped lawmakers from moving forward with business. 'As far as Mr. Brooks, we have to move on,' she said Sunday. 'I'm a little bit shocked (by the latest arrest).' Bizzare: The arrest came only days after the North Las Vegas Democrat embarked on a three-week leave following his January 19 arrest for allegedly threatening Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, pictured . Concerning: The arrest came only days after the Assembly announced the unprecedented creation of a seven-member committee to investigate Brooks' behavior (file photo) Brooks, elected to his second term in November, has been under scrutiny since his arrest last month on suspicion of threatening Kirkpatrick over his committee assignments. According to police, he had a gun in his car and dozens of rounds of ammunition. Days after posting bail, he was detained and hospitalized for a mental evaluation after a disturbance at his grandmother's house involving a sword. Brooks has denied any wrongdoing. Since the Legislature began last week, he has been escorted in the building by legislative police, who have not allowed anyone to ride in an elevator along with him. 'People have questioned some of the measures being taken in the Legislative Building, but I think those concerns should be put to rest,' Horne said. | Steven Brooks arrested on Sunday for allegedly attacking a family member .
On January 19 he was arrested with a loaded gun .
Police also called to a disturbance at his grandmother’s house . |
fc75d3f7bebe760eeb311293cbaadc425e95d975 | By . Alex Gore . PUBLISHED: . 07:20 EST, 14 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:58 EST, 14 December 2012 . A New York firefighter has been cleared of choking his transsexual model ex-girlfriend during a fight in their Manhattan hotel bedroom. Jurors yesterday threw out the felony strangulation charge, which carries a penalty of seven years jail, against Taylor Murphy and also cleared him of witness-tampering. Transsexual Claudia Charriez, a former escort and contestant on television show America's Next Top Model, had accused her former lover of attacking her in a Midtown hotel in August last year. Courting: Taylor Murphy and his new transsexual girlfriend Wanda Batista after the trial yesterday . But Murphy could still be jailed for . four years and lose his job after being found guilty of contempt for violating a protection order by calling, . texting and emailing Miss Charriez more than 1,000 times in the five . months following his arrest. He was also convicted by the Manhattan Supreme Court jury of a misdemeanor . assault and of criminal mischief for smashing Miss Charriez's mobile phone. The 29-year-old, who is dating . transsexual Wanda Batista, has since spoken of his fear after someone scrawled . 'f*****' on his fire department locker. Mixed verdict: Murphy was cleared of a strangulation charge but convicted of assault and contempt . Cleared: Jurors threw out the most serious charge against Murphy, which carries a penalty of seven years jail. Murphy, who admitted wanted to commit . suicide out of humiliation, believes he will be harassed if he stays in . the service, having been publicly outed as a bisexual who prefers the . company of flashy transsexuals. He told the Daily News: 'Once you do that, you're not part of the Fire Department. That's part of why I tried to kill myself.' Murphy's lawyers had dismissed Miss . Charriez, 31, as being jealous of her ex-boyfriend seeing other people, including . Miss Batista, and that the dispute in question was nothing more than a . lovers' quarrel. Choke claims: Claudia Charriez demonstrates to the courtroom how she was attacked . Face-off: Claudia Charriez (left) accused Taylor Murphy (right) of a violent attack in August 2011 . Humiliation: Murphy, pictured with Miss Batista, admitted he has considered suicide since being outed . The 6ft 4ins firefighter said: 'I wish the best for her. I wish she gets a sense of reality.' Murphy also opened up about another . former lover, Lorena Escalera, who was found dead in a New York building . following a fire. He said he had blamed Miss Charriez for spreading . rumours that he was involved in her death. The Ladder Co. 1 firefighter, once a FDNY calendar model and 'troubled heavy-drinker', lives with Miss . Batista, who has described her boyfriend as he 'big teddy bear' Transgender: Claudia Charriez who was kicked off American's Next Top Model in 2006 for being born a man . 'Hunky': Taylor Murphy is best known for his topless firefighters calendar . Miss Charriez - who was kicked off America's Next Top Model in 2006 for being born a man - had sobbed on . the witness stand that she still loves Murphy and admitted, under questioning, to several inconsistencies in her report to police. She also confessed to sending numerous . love-and-hate text messages to Murphy after the alleged beating - . including telling him after his arrest: 'Enjoy sucking your cell mate's . d***.' Miss Charriez had claimed Murphy attacked her in a jealous rage after seeing her talking to men at the strip club Flash Dancers. Ex: Claudia Charriez, a former escort, sobbed at the witness stand and admitted she still love Murphy . | Jurors throw out strangulation and witness-tampering charges .
Taylor Murphy was accused of attacking former escort Claudia Charriez .
But Murphy could still be jailed for assault, contempt and criminal mischief .
The firefighter admits he considered suicide because of the humiliation . |
fc761e72f0c935af7dd5e68558cd1422c0c8e764 | (CNN) -- In 1980, in the pre-Internet, pre-download days when R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia, there was no alternative. There was no Americana. There was no grunge. If you listened to pop music, there were essentially three divisions: Top 40 of the type you heard on the rapidly fading AM radio, the corporate rock of album-oriented FM and what was then called college radio -- a catch-all for the punk, new wave, electronic, low-fi and oddball music that almost never crossed over to the mainstream. R.E.M. helped to change all that. They weren't the only ones -- the New York art-punks of the late '70s, notably Talking Heads and Blondie, had hit the Top 40, and fellow Athens scenesters the B-52's had established a national following with their party-down rave-ups. But it was R.E.M. that, in the words of Allmusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "transformed the American underground." If, in the '60s, teenagers gathered in their parents' garages in the hopes of being the next Beatles, in the '80s young adults knocked around dormitories in hopes of being the next R.E.M.: melodic, guitar-based and determined not to sell out to the corporate-music crowd. R.E.M. was the great hope of fame-fantasizing, used-record-store clerks everywhere. "They did this grass-roots thing that nobody had ever done," said Angie Carlson, a former member of the band Let's Active, which toured with R.E.M. in the mid-'80s. "They sort of bypassed big marketing, and were at the clubs networking with the cool fellow record-store people." In R.E.M.'s wake came a breadth of artists who turned college radio into a home for guitar-based rock and power-pop: the Replacements, Jason and the Scorchers and the Del Fuegos, among many others. Years later, Nirvana emerged and the whole world broke open. Kurt Cobain, in fact, was a big R.E.M. fan. Now R.E.M. has come to an end. "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band," read a message posted on the group's website Wednesday. "We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." The band didn't easily fit labels. Its early sound, led by Peter Buck's ringing guitar arpeggios, might best be described as folk-rock, equal parts Byrds-ian harmony and punk snarl. Alongside was lead singer Michael Stipe's reedy vocals and, more distinctively, his resonant, nonsensical lyrics, full of phrases such as "Cages under cage" and "Hear the howl of the rope." (Pre-Internet, a popular music-geek parlor game involved deciphering R.E.M. lyrics.) And underneath Buck and Stipe was the rock-solid rhythm section of bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, filling spaces with melodic bass lines and powerhouse percussion. R.E.M. may have had its artsy flourishes, but the band also -- in "American Bandstand" parlance -- "had a good beat you could dance to." The band formed at a time when "underground" really meant something, said Carlson, now of Figure Eight Publicity. "You couldn't trade (music) on the Internet. You had to know somebody or you had to go the club," she said. "And that's the other reason a band like that was able to thrive -- people went to see live music. "And they had such a cool vibe in person. They were smart, they were funny, they were charismatic. All of that played into it." Moreover, the band worked hard, providing a model for others to follow. In the '80s, starting with the 1982 EP "Chronic Town," there was a new record almost every year, each one followed by a never-ending tour of theaters and clubs. "Nobody wanted to play the kinds of bars we played," Berry recalled in "Party Out of Bounds," Rodger Lyle Brown's chronicle of the Athens music scene. "Just by being an out-of-town band that played this new kind of music, we were stars." They had a personal connection with their fans; after all, Buck was a record-store clerk once, too, and had a deep appreciation of music history. Decades on, they have maintained their ties to Athens. Their management office is still in town. With each album the band's sound grew deeper and wider, developing the basics on "Murmur" -- Rolling Stone's 1983 album of the year -- and "Reckoning," exploring folk on "Fables of the Reconstruction," and getting back to their roots in 1986's "Lifes Rich Pageant." R.E.M. finally broke through to mainstream success with 1987's "Document," which contained the band's first Top 10 hit, "The One I Love," as well as the radio favorite "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." "Document" changed things, for the band and its audience. With its success came a major-label deal with Warner Bros. and a change in venue from theaters to arenas. "It's weird being a media figure, to be recognized everywhere by somebody," Stipe told Rolling Stone in 1992. The members of R.E.M. always seemed aware of their status and took pains to remain true to their muse. "That would be my worst fear, that we would turn into one of those dumb bands who go into their second decade and don't know how bad they are and don't know when to give it up," Stipe told Rolling Stone. Despite the concerns of many fans -- who, as a 2003 Slate article observed, have been claiming the band's decline since 1984 -- the early-'90s albums included some of R.E.M.'s best work. "Out of Time" (1991) featured one of the band's best songs, "Losing My Religion"; famed indie DJ Vin Scelsa was so taken with the song that he played it repeatedly during one radio show. Perhaps the best of the run -- and, to some, the band's best album, period -- was 1992's elegiac "Automatic for the People," which hit all the right notes: somber ("Drive"), humorous ("The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight"), angry ("Ignoreland") and hopeful ("Everybody Hurts"). The band even managed to work in the F-word in "Star Me Kitten," their knockoff of 10cc's "I'm Not in Love." But the rest of the '90s proved difficult. With the million-selling albums and gigantic tours, they risked becoming what fans had feared: a corporate behemoth. More dramatically, drummer Berry suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm while on tour in 1995. He left the group in 1997, becoming a gentleman farmer in Watkinsville, Georgia, south of Athens. The band continued, but it wasn't the same. The albums, such as "Up" (1998) and "Reveal" (2001), were a mixed bag. "Not as bad as it first sounds, but also not as good as they thought when they released it," critic Robert Christgau said of "Reveal." They toured, on and off. Buck hung out with pal Scott McCaughey's band, the Minus 5. The buzz moved on. Hopes were raised with the band's most recent release, "Collapse Into Now." "Song for song, the best thing we've ever done," Buck told Rolling Stone earlier this year. "We surprised ourselves with this record. We're all really thrilled with it," said Stipe in a June CNN interview. But the album was also the end of something -- the final record in their current Warner Bros. deal. It was time for the circle to close. "We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together," Stipe told CNN. Perhaps that's enough. "You can talk to any band. They owe a debt to them, somehow," Carlson said. After all, as the band sang in "Talk About the Passion," "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world." | R.E.M. helped lead the way for generation of American bands .
Group was formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia .
"They did this grass-roots thing that nobody had ever done," says fellow musician .
Group stayed true to muse, even after becoming million sellers . |
fc766eeabc3a46fb12d2e553feea2fc2e177ad44 | By . Daily Mail Reporters . PUBLISHED: . 11:27 EST, 23 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:28 EST, 23 October 2012 . Scheme: Igor Borodin has pleaded guilty to buying fake airbags from China and selling them on eBay . A car mechanic has pleaded guilty to trafficking thousands of counterfeit airbags in deals that made him more than $1.4 million dollars in a year. Igor Borodin, who co-owns an auto shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, allegedly bought an estimated 7,000 fake airbags from China and sold them on eBay between February 2011 and May 2012. One of the airbags sold by Borodin through eBay was independently tested and failed to inflate properly, court records showed, the Charlotte Observer reported. The plea comes just two weeks after the U.S. government warned that 'tens of thousands' of drivers who have had airbags replaced in the last three years could be affected by this sort of scheme. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the fake airbags might not deploy in an accident or could explode, sending metal shrapnel into the vehicle's passenger cabin. 'My office will not allow fake airbags to endanger the safety of the drivers in our communities,' U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said as she announced Borodin's guilty pleas. 'Airbags that do not meet the quality and safety standards of the automobile manufacturers pose a serious threat to human life because they fail to work when they are needed the most – during a car accident.' As well as trafficking charges, which carries a 10-year prison sentence and a $2 million fine, Borodin faces a delivering hazardous charge, punishable by five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Fears: Borodin allegedly sold more than 7,000 fake airbags that failed to inflate properly (file picture) The charge comes after he failed to display the 'hazardous material warnings' on the airbags when they were transported from China to the U.S., as it legally required, court documents states. Transporting airbags, which are classed as dangerous goods, without the warnings pose a safety risk to anyone transporting and handling them, federal prosecutors said, the Observer reported. Authorities first investigated Borodin in 2011 when a federal investigation into the sale of the fake airbags in Tennessee found he was involved, court documents said. They intercepted airbags before taking 20 more after he changed his address. They later searched his home and found 1,514 fake airbags with thousands of dollars in cash, authorities said. Scene: Borodin was identified as a co-owner of Krugger Auto, where police found fake airbags . They also found 99 of the airbags at his auto shop, Krugger Auto, where he was part owner. Borodin remains in the Mecklenburg County jail, where he has been since his arrest in August. It comes after the government warnings against the airbags, which NHTSA testing has shown don't inflate or fail to inflate properly. In at least . one case, a counterfeit bag fired shards of metal shrapnel on impact, . the agency said. No . deaths or injuries have been tied to the counterfeit bags, it added. NHTSA . compiled a list of dozens of vehicle makes and models for which . counterfeit air bags may be available, but the agency cautioned that the . full scope of the problem is not yet clear. Warning: At a press conference in Washington earlier this month, David Strickland from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned against the spread of counterfeit airbags . Frightening: At the press conference, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton warned the fake airbags can also explode, sending metal shrapnel into the passenger cabin . If a car is . on the list and has had its air bags replaced during the past three . years by a repair shop other than a new car dealership, NHTSA is asking . owners to bring the vehicle into a dealership to be inspected at their . own expense to determine whether the replaced air bags are counterfeit. Fees . for checking out air bags could run $100 or more, industry officials . said. Some types of cars have as many as eight air bags. The counterfeit bags typically have been . made to look like air bags made by automakers and usually include a . manufacturer's logo. They are marketed to auto shops as genuine. | Igor Borodin 'bought airbags from China and sold them on eBay'
Comes just two weeks after U.S. government .
warned 'tens of thousands' of drivers could be using airbags that .
fail to deploy or explode . |
fc76706f71917041ac7c36c3922671e5daa65f0b | Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Real Madrid's Raphael Varane would be the ideal recruit as Louis van Gaal looks to reinforce his defence ahead of his first season in charge. United are in urgent need of central defenders after Nemanja Vidic left for Inter Milan and Ferdinand was released by the club at the end of the season. Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles in his twelve year spell at Old Trafford, believes that Real Madrid's French centre-half Raphael Varane would be the ideal replacement, although he acknowledged that it would be difficult to prise him away from the Spanish capital. Strong at the back: Raphael Varane has played a key role for France in the World Cup . Real star: Ferdinand says signing Varane from Madrid will not be easy . When asked on Twitter which central defenders he would sign for United, Ferdinand replied: 'Varane…Real Madrid won't sell though.' Ferdinand also suggested that Van Gaal should look to the United academy to strengthen his defence, with the former England captain championing the qualities of Michael Keane. He wrote of Keane: '(He) will be a top player one day. Cultured. Eager to learn & be coached. Vital.' Ferdinand, who is closing in on a move to QPR ahead of next season, also urged United to pursue the club's former midfielder Paul Pogba, who quit for Juventus in 2012 and has now emerged as the world's leading young central midfielder. Moving on: Rio Ferdinand played for Manchester United for 12 years . Sign him up: Ferdinand says he'd love to see Paul Pogba return to the ring . VIDEO Rio Ferdinand leaves Manchester United . Ferdinand was asked whether United should go for Pogba's Juventus team-mate Arturo Vidal, and replied: 'Really like him, Pogba better value for money now though....' He later added on Pogba: 'In today's market, I'd fly over & headlock him to sign up!!' After sealing moves for Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw, United will now set their sights on one more midfielder, with Pogba, Vidal and Real Madrid's Sami Khedira all appealing to Louis van Gaal. On the signings of Shaw and Herrera, Ferdinand said: 'Congratulations to @anderherrera8 on joining a great club. It's where dreams are made into reality if you work hard. You will @ManUtd' 'If @ManUtd get 10 good years out of Luke Shaw then it's a no brainer. Top class young player.' | Ex-United star says Louis van Gaal should try and sign Real Madrid star .
Ferdinand says it would be tough to convince Varane to leave Spain .
United should try and re-sign Paul Pogba, according to Ferdinand . |
fc767f1c0b8eccf6176e9dc14fdf61380647a325 | (CNN) -- Authorities have seized 9,072 kilograms (20,000 pounds) of counterfeit medicine and arrested 80 people suspected of illegal trafficking in six East African nations, Interpol said Thursday. More than 300 premises were checked or raided in the two-month operation across Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zanzibar, according to a news release from the international police agency. The confiscated loot included anti-malaria drugs, vaccines and antibiotics. There was also a significant quantity of government medicines diverted to illegal resale markets. It was the third such seizure operation in as many years in East Africa, intended to curb the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit medical products. Representatives of the six nations are scheduled to meet in Zanzibar next week to discuss the seizure and the extent of the counterfeiting problem, Interpol said. The World Health Organization defines counterfeit drugs as "medicine, which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source." Counterfeiting can apply to both brand-name and generic products, and forged products may include those with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients, or with fake packaging, WHO says. The United Nations agency created a global task force in 2006 to deal with the problem, which has been growing as international markets expand and become globalized and internet commerce has taken off. The fake products can prove detrimental to public health efforts in disease-ridden countries and in worst-case scenarios can cause death, according to the WHO task force. | The two-month operation was conducted in six nations .
The counterfeit medicine problem has grown in recent years .
Fake drugs can lead to death, World Health Organization says . |
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