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0b88560fbce4f5c4580263f86e2028379a53369d | BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The notorious Iraq prison once called Abu Ghraib has reopened under Iraqi government control. And the Ministry of Justice has launched a public-relations campaign to show it has changed since the days when prisoners were tortured there -- first under Saddam Hussein, and later by American troops. The Iraqi Ministry of Justice gave journalists an inside look at the prison formerly known as Abu Ghraib. It is now called Baghdad Central Prison, and has water fountains, a freshly planted garden and a gym -- complete with weights and sports teams' jerseys on the walls. Under Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Iraqis were thrown behind bars here. There were horrific stories of torture, abuse, execution without trial. In 2004, the prison was once again thrown into the international spotlight, this time because of abuse by U.S. troops. Watch how the prison has been revamped » . Detainees were photographed in degrading positions, as Americans posed next to them smiling. The images -- naked prisoners stacked on top of each other, or being threatened by dogs, or hooded and wired up as if for electrocution -- caused outrage around the world when they were leaked to the news media in May 2004. Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, commander of the Abu Ghraib prison at the time, was demoted in rank to colonel because of the scandal. Seven low-ranking guards and two military intelligence soldiers -- described by then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as "bad apples" -- were disciplined after the scandal surfaced. Rumsfeld later said the day the scandal broke was the worst in his tenure as defense secretary. "Clearly the worst day was Abu Ghraib, and seeing what went on there and feeling so deeply sorry that that happened," Rumsfeld said shortly before leaving office at the end of 2006. "I remember being stunned by the news of the abuse." The United States always denied it was a matter of policy to torture detainees. But it shut down Abu Ghraib in September 2006 and turned the facility over to the Iraqis. They have revamped and reopened it. Rooms have been transformed and renovated. CNN was told, but not shown, that a few hundred prisoners are here already, in a revamped part of the facility that can hold up to 3,000 prisoners. The capacity is critical to help deal with overcrowding at Iraq's other facilities and the potential security threat. The Iraqi government is going to great lengths to try to change the image this facility has. It organized a tour for journalists, very carefully orchestrated by the Ministry of Justice. Murtada Sharif, the only Ministry of Justice official to speak to CNN on camera about the prison, admitted Abu Ghraib is synonymous in people's minds with the inhumane acts that took place there both before and after the fall of Saddam in 2003. "We want to change its image, to make it a place of justice," he said. A wing that used to hold a thousand prisoners In Saddam Hussein's time now is ready for 160. Cells that used to hold between 30 and 50 people now have a capacity of eight. Prisoners and their families actually get to see each other -- the prisoners behind a cage-like structure, the families on the other side of the fence, in a courtyard with a playground for the children. Again, it is part of the whole effort to create a different atmosphere. But human rights organizations in Iraq say abuse and torture remain routine in Iraq's detention facilities. Changing Abu Ghraib's infamous reputation may take more than fresh paint and fake flowers. | Abu Ghraib is now Baghdad Central Prison, with a garden and a gym .
In 2004, photos of prisoners being humiliated by American guards were published .
Ministry of Justice trying to show that the prison, now under Iraqi control, has changed . |
0b88747b05c1c1e813ffecb87b2c6f81ce97a050 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:26 EST, 5 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:48 EST, 5 September 2012 . Fall from grace: A federal probe found former Harvard psychology professor Marc Hauser to be responsible for six cases of research misconduct . Federal investigators have found that a Harvard University psychology professor who resigned after being accused of scientific transgression fabricated data and manipulated results in experiments. The findings detailing Marc Hauser's transgressions were contained in a report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity (ORI) released Wednesday online. Hauser, 52, left Harvard last summer, ten months after a faculty investigation found him ‘solely responsible’ for eight instances of scientific misconduct at the prestigious Ivy League school, the Boston Globe reported. The federal document found six cases in which Hauser engaged in research misconduct in work supported by four National Institutes of Health grants. One paper was retracted and two were corrected. Other problems were found in unpublished work. Hauser released a statement Wednesday, saying that although he has fundamental differences with the findings, he acknowledges that he made mistakes. ‘I let important details get away from my control, and as head of the lab, I take responsibility for all errors made within the lab, whether or not I was directly involved,’ he stated. ‘I am saddened that this investigation has caused some to question all of my work, rather than the few papers and unpublished studies in question. ‘I remain proud of the many important papers generated by myself, my collaborators and my students over the years. I am also deeply gratified to see my students carve out significant areas of research at major universities around the world,’ Hauser said. Internal probe: A three-year investigation at Harvard found in 2010 that Hauser had committed eight instances of scientific misconduct . In one instance, investigators determined that Hauser fabricated half the data in a bar graph in a research paper on cotton-top tamarind monkeys’ ability to learn syllables that was published in 2002 in the journal Cognition. According to the findings of the probe, the 52-year-old professor ‘falsified the coding’ of some monkeys’ responses to sound stimuli in two unpublished papers to ensure that a particular finding does not appear random, and ‘falsely reported the results and methodology’ for one of seven experiments in a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B in 2007. A paper examining monkeys’ abilities to learn grammatical patterns included false descriptions of how the monkeys’ behavior was coded, ‘leading to a false proportion or number of animals showing a favorable response,’ the report stated. The document, which will be published in the Federal Register Thursday, comes on the heels of a three-year internal investigation at Harvard that found in 2010 that the popular professor had committed eight instances of scientific misconduct. According to the report, Hauser ‘neither admits nor denies committing research misconduct but accepts ORI has found evidence of research misconduct.’ As part of a voluntary settlement, the former professor has accepted several professional restrictions for the next three years. New job: Hauser currently works with at-risk youth at the Alternative Education Program at Cape Cod Collaborative . Hauser has agreed to have any research supported by the U.S. Public Health Service supervised, to exclude himself from serving as an adviser to the PHS, and to have his employer guarantee the accuracy of his data and methodology before applying for federal funding. According to his LinkedIn profile, Hauser currently works with at-risk youth at the Alternative Education Program at Cape Cod Collaborative. Houser, a published author of popular books favored by the media, gained wide recognition for his research into the evolutionary roots of human abilities, including language, and whether morality was inborn or learned. Less than a week ago, Hauser's former Ivy League employer made national headlines after it has been revealed that 125 students at the prestigious institution are being investigated for allegedly cheating on a take-home exam. | Marc Hauser, 52, researched evolutionary roots of human abilities .
Probe by Office of Research Integrity found Hauser responsible for six cases of scientific misconduct .
Allegedly fabricated data in a paper on monkeys' ability to learn syllables .
Currently works with at-risk youth at Cape Cod Collaborative . |
0b88c83e81ff6dc22effa097fc486dfda7a294f9 | By . Ryan Gorman . A long-time Minnesota clergyman has admitted to sexually abusing nearly a dozen boys since the 1960s but says he never viewed his actions as a crime. Former priest Thomas Adamson testified recently in court during a lawsuit against the archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis that he first admitted to abusing children in 1964, but that no action was taken and he remained in the parish. He also told prosecutors that he saw his actions as a sin and never realized how serious his transgressions were until multiple lawsuits starting being filed against the church. The comments were made during testimony for one of those suits. 'I looked at it more as a sin than… a crime,' said the disgraced ex-priest. Admitted pedophile: Former priest Thomas Adamson, who is at the center of a lawsuit against the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, has admitted to sexually abusing several boys . Adamson’s testimony in the latest lawsuit to reach courts, from a boy alleging abuse in the 1970s, is damning. The former high school basketball coach is accused of abusing 37 boys, but previously admitted to only 10 instances. The pedophile was removed from the priesthood in 2009 – 45 years after his first admission of guilt. He conceded when asked in his most recent court appearance about how many boys he abused that he wasn’t sure. ‘I don’t know. I’d have to study that out.’ He said according to an affidavit cited by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He has also conceded to not even remembering the names of some of his victims. Adamson began his time in the Catholic Church at the Winona Diocese in 1961. He was soon met with allegations of abuse from some of the boys he was coaching on a high school basketball team. ‘I had abused a boy there, and he reported it to another priest,’ Adamson recalled. He admitted to the abuse but was allowed to remain in his position without any warnings to parents or school officials, according to the paper . Where some of the abuse happened: The Winona church where Adamson says some of the boys were abused . Adamson also admitted abusing at least two other boys only 14-years-old during the same school year, ‘probably in the gym or school’ a couple of times. ‘I was coaching again and they [his victims] were on the team,’ he said. The only action taken was to transfer him to the bigger Archidiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis. He admits to abusing two brothers in a number of places including a car, hotel, YMCA and even a sauna. The church sent him to a therapist instead of reporting him to the police. ‘Where it was leading me or if it helped, I don’t know that,’ he admitted. When asked if anyone had ever told him what he was doing was a crime, he replied: ‘I don’t remember that, no.’ Several other allegations came in the decades that followed, and Adamson says the last boy he was abused was in the early 1980s – but court records proved he abused at least one boy until 1987. The admitted abuser stayed in his position as a priest until 2009, when he left after being asked to do so voluntarily. Adamson's pension, health and dental insurance remain in place. He faces no jail time because the state of Minnesota's statute of limitations on child sex crimes gives victims only seven years from the time of the crime to press criminal charges, . Victims also only had until the age of 24 to file a civil suit until a new child sex liability law was passed last year by the state legislature. | Former priest Thomas Adamson has admitted to abusing several young boys since 1961 .
He says he confessed to the abuse but no action was taken .
Allegations involving dozens of boys came in the following decades .
Adamson remained in the Catholic Church until 2009 .
He faces no jail time because the crimes are well past the state's Statute of Limitations for child sex allegations . |
0b88ddfea29416e53f1e43097b68a4fc5374620b | Education Secretary: Nicky Morgan said the Coalition would press ahead with its reforms to restore faith in A-levels among employers and universities . Education Secretary Nicky Morgan last night attacked Labour’s ‘flip flops’ over A-levels and pledged to push ahead with reforms to restore confidence in the exam. With this year’s exam results released tomorrow, she condemned her Labour counterpart for threatening to dismantle Coalition A-level reforms just two years after backing an overhaul. In a policy announcement yesterday, Labour education spokesman Tristram Hunt vowed to delay all A-level reforms until 2017 and allow teenagers once again to take controversial AS exams half-way through their courses. But the pledge came as details emerged of an interview with Mr Hunt two years ago, in which he decried AS-levels as a ‘waste of time’ and said he’d get rid of them because they created a ‘relentless examination system’. Mrs Morgan insisted the Coalition would press ahead with its reforms to restore faith in A-levels among employers and universities. ‘Parents, young people and teachers deserve better than Labour’s education flip-flops,’ she told the Mail. ‘Two years ago Tristram Hunt said he’d “get rid of AS-Levels” because they were a “waste of time”. Now he wants to keep them. ‘Labour’s plans to wind the clock back mean more exams and less learning. We agree with what Tristram said two years ago – that this is a waste of time. ‘Our reforms will ensure the qualifications young people work so hard for, once again, have the confidence of employers and universities.’ Under the current system, pupils sit AS-levels in the first year of the sixth-form and A2 exams in the second, with marks from both combining to produce the final A-level grade. Mrs Morgan’s predecessor, Michael Gove ordered AS-levels to be turned into standalone qualifications, with results no longer counting towards final A-level marks. Tests: Under the current system, pupils sit AS-levels in the first year of the sixth-form and A2 exams in the second, with marks from both combining to produce the final A-level grade (file picture) Most pupils will instead be examined at the end of their two-year A-level courses. Mr Gove also largely axed coursework and . ordered A-level courses to be rewritten with input from universities as . part of wider exam reforms due to be phased in from September 2015. Plans: Labour education spokesman Tristram Hunt vowed to delay all A-level reforms until 2017 . But Labour disclosed yesterday it would delay all A-level reforms for two years to allow changes to GCSEs to bed in. It will also scrap the centrepiece of the reforms – the downgrading of AS-levels. Mr Hunt, who will outline the plans in a speech next week, insisted the AS-level changes would ‘close the window of opportunity for many young people wanting to go to university’. The move would ‘turn the clock back on social mobility’ because disadvantaged pupils were in danger of losing out in university admissions without AS results behind them. ‘Having spoken to sixth formers across England, I know how valuable they find AS-levels in helping to shape their options and spur them on,’ he said. The pronouncement will fuel uncertainty in schools which are meant to start preparing to teach revamped A-levels from September this year, ahead of their introduction just four months after the May 2015 election. Dominic Cummings, who was a special adviser to Mr Gove, tweeted yesterday that Labour would in any case be unable to stop the reforms. | Tristram Hunt of Labour has vowed to delay all A-level reforms until 2017 .
But in 2012 called AS-levels a 'waste of time' and said he'd get rid of them .
Secretary Nicky Morgan insists Coalition will press ahead with its reforms .
She wants to restore faith in A-levels among employers and universities . |
0b8914ca106c2f2694b9037ceaa773b553aec3c0 | Facing charges: Aideen Jones resigned after being charged with three cruelty offences against young boys . A charity fundraiser was given an OBE for her work with vulnerable people in the 2014 New Year’s Honours list – while she was under arrest on suspicion of child abuse. Aideen Jones has since been charged with three cruelty offences against two young boys in a case linked to the long-running North Wales abuse scandal. The 62-year-old, a former chief executive of Southdown Housing Association, was given the OBE a year ago ‘for services to people with intellectual disabilities’ despite being arrested the previous August by officers working on the investigation, Operation Pallial. Her husband Denis, 65, who once worked as a development officer at East Sussex Social Services with a ‘lead responsibility for fostering staff training’, has also been charged with four offences relating to two boys aged under 16 between 1975 and 1980. The couple will appear at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court on March 25. The revelation will inevitably raise questions because the Honours Committee, chaired by the head of the Civil Service, Sir Bob Kerslake, appears to have agreed to the award while Jones was under investigation, and announced the OBE in January 2014, four months after her arrest. Mr and Mrs Jones, who have been married for 41 years, were both carers at Bryn Alyn, one of 18 children’s homes in the former counties of Clywd Gynedd caught up in the historic child abuse scandal. The home’s owner John Allen, 73, was given a life sentence last December after he was found guilty of historical sex offences against 18 boys and one girl, and must serve a minimum of 11 years. Detectives are looking into 249 allegations of abuse at the homes between 1963 and 1992 and have arrested 35 people since the investigation began in 2012. Fifteen people have been charged, including Allen. Fourteen are due to stand trial this year, two released without charge and the remainder are on bail, while investigations continue. Mrs Jones, who is a fellow of the Institute of Directors, and her husband Denis have been living in Seaford, East Sussex, since 1983, and have become well known in the community, opening their courtyard garden to visitors to raise money for charity. Both have worked with vulnerable adults for the past four decades and ran their own company Praxis Training and Development Ltd until it was voluntarily dissolved in 2012. Jones, a former director of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce and the Housing and Support Alliance, resigned from her housing association job in November 2013 for ‘health and personal’ reasons. Her husband founded the company Junction (Young People Connecting) and was a director of Stay Up Late, a charity which promotes ‘full and active social lives for people with learning disabilities’. He resigned in October 2013. A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said it could not comment on individual cases, but added: ‘As part of the nomination process, we try to minimise the risk that prospective candidates have behaved in ways likely to bring the system into disrepute. ‘We protect the integrity of the honours system by carrying out probity checks with a number of Government departments before names are submitted.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Fundraiser was given OBE while under arrest on suspicion of child abuse .
Aideen Jones, 62, has since been charged with three cruelty offences .
She was given the OBE a year ago for services to the intellectually disabled .
This was despite her arrest the previous August in Operation Pallial . |
0b892c043b5899b2f3b69b903d057bc47980189d | By . Alexandra Klausner . Prison officials are searching for a 49-year-old escaped inmate who fled the Oak Glen Camp in San Bernadino County. James Murray, an inmate firefighter, was last observed on Friday night in his dorm room in Yuicaipa, reports NBC. Murray is white, has short brown hair, and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. James Murray, 49, escaped from Oak Glen Camp in San Bernadino County yesterday and authorities are still attempting to capture him . Murray was imprisoned for second-degree burglary and has been in prison since Oct 25, 2012, said the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The Mail Online spoke with Sgt. F. Martinez who said that they have not yet captured Murray but have been adamantly searching for him. They had a dog team scout for Murray's scent which they followed to a nearby highway leading them to believe that Murray may have entered a vehicle and drove off. They also had a helicopter circle the area to look for additional clues. Martinez said that as of 12:45 today they suspended the foot search for Murray and will work with undercover agents who monitor phone calls or any possible contact with friends or family members. Inmate firefighters like Murray fight wild land fire along with non incarcerated firefighters as part of Oak Glen's fire crews and program aimed at lowering prison recidivism rates. Each crew consists of 16 inmates and one inmate fire captain. Once inmates are legally released back into society many go on to continue the profession they have been trained in while they were prisoners. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the Oak Glen Conservation Camp Commander at (909) 797-0196. James Murray escaped from Oak Glen Conservation Camp where he worked as an inmate firefighter . | James Murray, an inmate firefighter, was last observed on Friday night in his dorm room in Yuicaipa .
Murray is white, has short brown hair, and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall .
A dog team sniffed Murray's .
scent which they followed to a nearby highway leading them to believe .
that Murray may have entered a vehicle and drove off . |
0b8b693ea471ac4119b247032c4e0562073a9053 | By . Lizzie Parry . PUBLISHED: . 07:20 EST, 3 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:23 EST, 3 January 2014 . Jason Thomas led police on a 102mph chase along the M5, finally fleeing the car abandoning his three children inside . Dramatic video footage has captured the moment a father smashed into a car at the end of a 102mph police chase, fleeing the vehicle leaving his three children in the back seat. Jason Thomas is seen weaving in and out of traffic on the M5 near Worcester, reaching deadly speeds before flying down the hard shoulder. The 33-year-old had just picked his children up from school on September 30 last year, when he was pursued by traffic officers. The video, captured by the police, shows Thomas racing through a red light and smashing his silver Vauxhall Vectra into an oncoming car. He is then seen jumping out of the car in an attempt to flee the scene on foot, abandoning his three screaming children, who were left in the back seat. Officers wrestled the father to the ground as he ran across a dual carriageway. Thomas was jailed for 22 months after admitting dangerous driving at Worcester Crown Court. Judge Michael Cullum said Thomas had put the lives of 'hundreds' of people at risk. He told him: 'The high speed while undertaking on the hard shoulder is shocking. 'All the while, you were putting at risk of serious injury or worse, hundreds of people. 'In some ways, the most shocking thing about the whole episode was when, having crashed, the rear door of your vehicle opened and out stretched the arm of your young child. 'What sort of person drives like that with their own three children and their partner in that vehicle?' Scroll down for video . Traffic police flashed Thomas, to signal to him that they wanted the 33-year-old to pull over . Instead of pulling over, the father led police on a chase reaching speeds of 102mph . Weaving in and out of cars, Thomas repeatedly flew down the hard shoulder in his silver Vauxhall Vectra . In his bid to get away, the 33-year-old careered through a set of red lights, colliding a car crossing the junction in the opposite direction . Sentencing Thomas, the judge said he had put the lives of 'hundreds' of people at risk . 'You didn’t wait to see how the people in the other vehicle were - you didn’t care about that. 'You even ran away from your own family.' Police flashed their lights at Thomas and indicated for him to stop. The two-minute recording shows the Vectra tearing up the M5 near Worcester, dodging cars and attempting to run the chasing police car off the road. Thomas leaves the motorway at junction four, where he hurtles along country lanes near Hagley, north Worcestershire. After smashing into the back of another car, injuring an 80-year-old woman inside, Thomas jumped out of the car, fleeing on foot across a dual carriageway . As he fled, officers spotted the arm of a child from inside the car, discovering Thomas had abandoned his three children on the back seat . Officers detained Thomas 20 yards from his car. The 33-year-old admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for 22 months. It emerged it was his sixth conviction for dangerous driving and the 12th time he had been caught driving while he was disqualified . But just a few seconds later the children’s ordeal was over as Thomas slammed into the side of a Toyota, carrying a man with his 80-year-old mother - who was hurt in the crash. Thomas, from Dudley, tried to flee on foot, but officers detained him 20 yards from his wrecked car. The court heard it was Thomas’s sixth conviction for dangerous driving, and that Thomas was already driving whilst disqualified and without insurance. He also had 11 previous convictions for driving while disqualified. Thomas was jailed for 18 months for dangerous driving and four months consecutively for driving while disqualified. He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. | Dramatic video footage captured Jason Thomas as he led traffic police on a chase along the M5 near Worcester .
33-year-old weaved through traffic, flying down the hard shoulder and jumping a red light narrowly missing hitting another car .
Chase ground to a halt when Thomas smashed into the back of another car and fled the scene, abandoning his three children on the back seat .
Father admitted dangerous driving - his sixth conviction for the offence .
Judge said he put the lives of 'hundreds' of people at risk . |
0b8c94eecd467924be652a26a5b539d09c028176 | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 08:50 EST, 2 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:34 EST, 3 January 2014 . A 2,000-year old textile containing a mysterious blue dye described in the Bible has been uncovered in Israel. The cloth, which displays one of the few remnants of the ancient colour ever found, was dyed using a snail known as the Murex trunculus. The gland of this sea-snail secretes a yellow fluid that, when exposed to sunlight, turns purple-blue and can be used to dye cloth. A 2,000-year old textile that contains a mysterious blue dye described in the Bible, has been uncovered in Israel. Researchers and rabbis have long searched for the enigmatic colour, called tekhelet in Hebrew . Naama Sukenik, of Israel's Antiquities Authority, made the discovery after a recent examination of a small woollen textile found in the 1950s. Researchers and rabbis have long searched for the enigmatic colour, called tekhelet in Hebrew. The Bible commands Jews to wear a blue fringe on their garments. In the Books of Chronices, for instance, the veil of Solomon's Temple is made of blue. However, the biblical dye was lost in antiquity. Since then, thousands of fabrics dating to the Roman period have been discovered in the Judean Desert, but up until now only two have been found with dyes extracted from the murex snail. As well as the blue cloth, Dr Sukenik found two purple fabrics that might have been used as clothing in the Roman period . The discovery was made in the Wadi Murabba'at caves located south of Qumran . Researchers and rabbis have long searched for the enigmatic colour, called tekhelet (pronounced t-CHELL-et). Teklelet, meaning 'turquoise' or 'blue' in Hebrew, was used in the clothing of the High Priest. However, the dye was lost in antiquity. One of the mysteries that scholars have puzzled over for centuries is the exact shade of blue represented by tekhelet. Traditional interpretations have characterised tekhelet as a pure blue, symbolic of the heavens. The discovery of an ancient fabric displays one of the few remnants of the ancient colour ever found. The cloth was dyed using a snail known as the Murex trunculus. Its gland secretes a yellow fluid that, when exposed to sunlight, turns purple-blue. As well as the blue cloth, Dr Sukenik found two purple fabrics that might have been used as clothing in the Roman period. The discovery was made in the Wadi Murabba‘at caves located south of Qumran, in the West Bank, and involved the analysis of the dye in 180 textiles. Researchers believe the fabrics may have . been part of the property belonging to Jewish refugees from the time of . the Bar-Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire of 132-135 AD. Tests on the structure of the cloths revealed that the two purple textiles may have been imported, while the blue cloth was created in the same fashion as the local fabrics. Of all of the dyes that were in use, purple was considered the most prestigious colour of the Hellenistic-Roman period. There were times when the masses were forbidden from dressing in purple clothing, which was reserved for only the emperor and his family. These measures only served to increase the popularity of that colour, the price of which soared to equal that of gold. The cloth, which is one of the few remnants of the ancient colour ever found, was dyed using a snail known as the Murex trunculus, pictured.The gland of the sea-snail Murex trunculus secretes a yellow fluid that, when exposed to sunlight, turns purple-blue . | Rabbis have long searched for the enigmatic blue colour, called tekhelet .
It was used in clothing of the High Priest, but the dye was lost in antiquity .
The fabrics may have .
been part of the property belonging to Jewish refugees from the time of .
the Bar-Kokhba revolt of 132-135 AD . |
0b8cb37a8d54e1761b3d99b8a6e6f921f07e00ae | A British holidaymaker claims he 'could have been killed' after a mechanical error while he was riding one of the world's tallest waterslides. Jamie Norman, 27, was left with his severe injuries to his face, legs and arms, alleging that the 60mph VertiGo slide in Aqualandia, Benidorm, Spain, malfunctioned. Thrill-seekers stand in a capsule 110ft in the air - then a trapdoor opens and they plummet down a steep slide into the water. Scroll down for video . Injuries: Jamie Norman, 27, pictured after the incident, had cuts to his face, legs and arms . But the trapdoor failed to open all the way on Jamie's third go, causing agonising injuries to his legs, arms and face as he dropped. Father-of-two Jamie, an electrician, said: 'I could have been killed. If I'd been knocked unconscious I could have lost control and fallen and drowned in the pool. I took an almighty crack on my face.' He claims the pool below 'full of blood'. The father-of-two told the Sunday Mirror: 'As I fell, I felt it scrape all down my legs and arms and then smack into my face.' VertiGo: The waterslide in Aqualandia park, which drops riders 110ft, which Jamie claims he was injured riding . He said despite being 'quite distressed', he was told by the park's staff, 'We'll sew you up', and was treated by an on-site doctor - 'they didn't bother calling an ambulance'. Jamie claims the waterslide was reopened 10 minutes later even though he told them it wasn't safe to ride. And he says he was offered free tickets to the zoo by way of an apology as he was 'ushered to the exit'. A spokesman for Aqualandia said 'exhaustive daily checks' are made on the park's equipment . Jamie added: 'It seemed like they were more interested in getting us out of the place so we didn’t cause too much of a fuss, I was in such a daze I went along with it.' Recovering back home in Radcliffe, Jamie added: 'I'm still in a lot of pain. I should be at home resting with my feet up but I have a family and a mortgage to pay so I'm having to go back to work.' 'Now I want to warn people these places aren’t safe.' He is now suing the owners of the water park, Aqualandia. A spokesman for Aqualandia said: 'We make exhaustive checks on all our equipment daily. We would never open – or reopen – a ride that wasn’t safe.' | Jamie Norman was left with bruises on his face, legs and arms .
60mph Aqualandia ride was open '10 minutes after incident'
Father-of-two claims pool below was 'filled with blood' |
0b8cc99defb390c7b0fb90b12defd447adfcd3ac | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:32 EST, 6 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:49 EST, 6 January 2014 . The Supreme Court has put same-sex marriages on hold in Utah while a federal appeals court further considers the issue. The court issued a brief order on Monday morning blocking any new same-sex unions in the heavily Mormon state. It comes after an emergency appeal following the ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby last month that Utah's ban on same-sex marriage violated gay and lesbian couples' constitutional rights. More than 900 gay and lesbian couples have married since the decision. Joy: Chris Serrano, left, and Clifton Webb kiss after being married in Salt Lake City in December. The Supreme Court has put same-sex marriages on hold in Utah while a federal appeals court further considers the issue . But in papers filed last week, the state asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor to overturn it. Sotomayor handles emergency requests from Utah and other Rocky Mountain states. 'Numerous same-sex marriages are now occurring every day in Utah,' lawyers said in the filing. 'Each one is an affront not only to the interests of the state and its citizens in being able to define marriage through ordinary democratic channels, but also to this court's unique role as final arbiter.' The high court order will remain in effect until the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides whether to uphold Shelby's ruling. Together: Pictured last month, Cheryl Haws, right, and her partner Shelly Eyre have their photograph taken after receiving their marriage license at the Utah County Clerk's office in Provo, Utah . Judge Shelby's decision on December 20 . came as a shock to many in the state, which approved the ban on . same-sex marriage in 2004. His . decision, which came on a Friday, sent people rushing to a county . clerk's office in Salt Lake City - about 3 miles from the headquarters . of the Mormon church - for marriage licenses. The following Monday, 353 more gay and lesbian couples grabbed a license, some camping out overnight to get in line early the next morning. Nearly two-thirds of Utah's 2.8 million residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons dominate the state's legal and political circles. The Mormon church was one of the leading forces behind California's short-lived ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. Decision: The Supreme Court has put the marriages on hold while a federal appeals court considers them . The church says it stands by its support . for 'traditional marriage' and hopes a higher court validates its belief . that marriage is between a man and woman. In the papers filed last week, Utah argues that children are best raised by a mother and father in a good relationship. 'On average children navigate developmental stages more easily, perform better academically, have fewer emotional disorders and become better functioning adults when reared in that environment,' it says. It insists that states have the authority to define marriage as between a man and woman. 'That . states have a powerful interest in controlling the definition of . marriage within their borders is indisputable,' Utah said in the filing. | SCOTUS has issued a temporary stop on same-sex marriages in the heavily Mormon state while federal appeals court further considers issue .
It comes after the state issued an emergency appeal following a judge's ruling in December that same-sex marriages should be allowed in Utah .
More than 900 gay and lesbian couple have married in the decision . |
0b8d1ace6761871dddd01655594af85b35603a3b | By . Sarah Michael . Residents were evacuated from a unit block in Sydney's eastern suburbs after an overloaded power board which was resting on top of a pile of clothes caught fire. Fire and rescue workers were called to the four-unit block in Randwick at 6.43pm on Tuesday night where they extinguished the blaze. Firefighter Nicolas McGuiggan, who attended the scene, said the fire broke out in a male tenant's bedroom in Unit Four where there was a laptop, mobile phone and other personal electrical items. Fire and rescue workers were called to the four-unit block in Randwick, Sydney on Tuesday night after a blaze broke out . The incident was cause by an overloaded power board resting on a pile of clothes which caught fire . Six people were evacuated safely from the block and one was treated for smoke inhalation by an ambulance . 'The tenant had a laptop and a few other electrical devices plugged in and charging,' Mr McGuiggan said. 'There was a large amount of personal belongings in the room, clothes, so we believe he'd run a lead and piggybacked another lead and power board off that and it was resting on an external clothes wardrobe. 'We believe heat from that into the clothes has gotten the fire started.' A NSW Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said the incident served as a warning not to overload power boards, especially in winter. This comes after a 28-year-old woman died and a 13-year-old boy was injured by electric shocks from faulty USB chargers - sparking warnings from NSW Fair Trading about the dangerous items and the businesses that stock them. A NSW Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said the incident served as a warning to people not to overload power boards, especially in winter . The residents were not able to stay in the block overnight over fears the roof may collapse . Mr McGuiggan said the man whose unit burned down was home at the time. 'The resident heard some noise, didn't think it was anything and it wasn't until he went back to his lounge room and saw some smoke coming out of his ceiling and he went back to his bedroom and saw it on fire,' he said. 'He quickly closed the door to the room and notified all the other residents and they all evacuated.' Six people were evacuated safely from the block and one was treated for smoke inhalation by an ambulance. Unit Four's second bedroom was totally destroyed by fire, the living room suffered smoke damage and the rest of the unit suffered water damage. The incident comes after a 28-year-old woman died and a 13-year-old boy was injured by electric shocks from faulty USB chargers . Fire and rescue workers were called to the scene at 6.43pm on Tuesday night . In the residence below, Unit Two, the ceiling collapsed into the kitchen and the kitchen and a bedroom suffered water damage. There was smoke damage in Unit Three and Unit One was not damaged. The residents were not able to stay in the block overnight over fears the roof may collapse. 'The fire had got into the common roof void area so we were worried about roof tiles and the roof collapsing into Unit Four,' Mr McGuiggan said. | Fire and rescue workers called to a four-unit block in Randwick, Sydney .
A fire broke out in a bedroom where a laptop, mobile phone and other personal electrical items were left charging near clothing .
Residents were evacuated and one was treated for smoke inhalation .
NSW Fire and Rescue said the incident served as a warning not to overload power boards, especially in winter . |
0b8db2b692f7a4b6510a689048da389020f686ea | By . Sam Adams . PUBLISHED: . 08:24 EST, 29 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:32 EST, 30 November 2012 . Accused: Michael Canaii is alleged to have threatened pupils at his daughter's school in New York City with a metal chain . A father allegedly threatened . to batter staff and pupils at his daughter's school with a metal chain . after demanding to know 'who had been f****** her.' Michael Canaii is accused of telling pupils he was going to 'f*** [them] all up' after turning up at the High School of Graphic Communication Arts in Manhattan, New York city . The 35-year-old, who is reported to have been wearing all black at the time, is said to have been worried that his daughter had become involved with gangs. Mr Canaii complained that his daughter had been smoking cannabis and not listening . to him, and that he wanted the school to do something about it, according to the New York Post. He is alleged to have insisted on speaking with his daughter when he first showed up at the school at about 9 am yesterday. 'A man was outside with a chain. He was saying, ‘where is my daughter?’ a source told the Post. 'He was swinging the chain saying, ‘I’m going to f*** you all up.' Once inside the school's ground he is alleged to have threatened to fight anyone who confronted him. Mr Canaii allegedly also asked the school's dean to fight him as he swung the metal chain. The school's security staff cleared the lobby and blocked students from entering until the police arrived. Scene: Mr Canaii is reported to have yelled 'who's f****** my daughter?' after turning up at the High School of Graphic Communication in Manhattan (pictured) Mr Cannai was taken to hospital following his arrest and was arraigned last night in Manhattan Criminal Court. His lawyer said he had gone to the school because he feared his daughter had become involved in gang activity. He is accused of criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and possession of cannabis. | Michael Canaii, 35, allegedly challenged staff and pupils to fight him after turning up at his daughter's school in New York City .
He was apparently worried that his daughter had become involved with gangs .
Security staff 'closed off the school's lobby area to keep pupils safe until police arrived' |
0b8e57c1f1e87c4962c2f5a62408514a118cc5c9 | By . Snejana Farberov . and Lydia Warren . Doctors have been working tirelessly over the past two weeks to keep Sharon Budd alive after a football-sized rock tossed from an overpassed shattered her skull. Screws, bolts and plates now hold together the face of the 52-year-old seventh-grade teacher from Uniontown, Ohio, who was left with a large, gaping wound across her forehead and broken bones when she was struck on July 10 in Pennsylvania. That is when police say four teenagers — three now charged as adults, one as a juvenile — decided to throw rocks from an Interstate 80 overpass as Budd, her husband and a daughter happened to be passing through, on their way to see a show in New York. Praying for recovery: Sharon Budd, 52, pictured with her husband, three sons and a daughter, has a long road ahead of her after her skull has been shuttered in a random rock attack . 'Blood on their hands': Brett Lahr, 18 (left), and his 17-year-old brother Dylan (right), are facing aggravated assault and conspiracy charges along with two other teens in the rock-throwing case . That first night, surgeons at Geisinger Medical Center did what they could to clean out pieces of her skull that were jutting into her brain. They also removed parts of her intact skull to allow for the swelling they knew would soon follow. ‘We had to make sure that she was going to survive, that was our immediate goal for the first 72 hours,’" Dr. Atom Sarkar, her neurosurgeon, said Monday. The damage destroyed barriers the skull forms that make separate compartments needed to avoid infection of the brain from the nose and mouth. Doctors also had to use a piece of her skull to fabricate a bridge between her eyes. Kaylee Budd, 19, one of the Budds' four children, was driving just before midnight July 10 when the rock crashed through the front windshield of their Nissan Rogue. The college sophomore stopped and turned on the light to see her 52-year-old mother, a breast cancer survivor, had suffered horrifying injuries. From some 20 feet above, the rock apparently struck Sharon Budd directly on the forehead. It hit like an explosion, said Randy Budd, who described the injuries as so gruesome that he wasn't sure what he was seeing — blood and possibly brain matter amid shattered glass. Waiting for help, Kaylee and Randy held Sharon's hands, prayed, did what they could to reassure her and tried to prevent her from rubbing her head wound. Injured: Sharon Budd, left, was struck by a rock thrown from an overpass as her family drove on I-80. Moments before, she spoke with her son Lucas, right, who is about to be deployed to Afghanistan . Shattered: Screws, bolts and plates now hold together the face of the 52-year-old married mother of four, seen left with her husband, Randy Budd . Altered: Doctors have been forced to remove the right frontal lobe of Sharon Budd's brain, which helps determine personality . Randy Budd said his wife had just . finished speaking with their eldest son, Lucas, before the vehicle was . struck by the rock. The . 28-year-old was scheduled to leave for Afghanistan with the Ohio . National Guard for a one-year deployment but his departure has . been delayed as his mother fights for her life. After hanging up the phone, she asked him to send her a photo from his station in Fort Bliss, Texas, which he did. 'He wrote back, "I really miss you mom",' Randy Budd said. At . the hospital, a physician braced Randy Budd for the worst, saying she . was perilously close to death and advising him to call loved ones. ‘Two . gentlemen came up and said: 2We're going to do an emergency surgery. Give her a chance to live.” I just signed. Some eye doctors came in and . basically said the same thing. I signed,’ Randy Budd said. It took her about a week to recuperate enough for ear, nose and throat surgeons to perform more comprehensive work on her face. It . was during that follow-up surgery last Thursday that doctors realized . damage to the right frontal lobe of her brain and some parts of the left . were likely to continue giving her problems and needed to be removed . during a 13-hour operation. The . frontal lobe helps determine your personality, a particularly bitter . fate for Sharon, a woman with a wide network of friends and a devotion . to her career as a language arts teacher. Loved: Mrs Budd, a teacher, is pictured with her husband Randy and 19-year-old daughter Kaylee, who were in the car but who did not suffer any injuries, and her three sons . ‘That . part of the brain actually affects your social interactivity, how she . is as a person, if she's warm and compassionate, or bubbly and . ebullient, or just quiet and reserved,’ Sarkar said. ‘That doesn't mean . that she can't be the person she was.’ Her . arms and legs appear to be moving appropriately, but doctors don't know . how her dexterity and fine motor control will be affected. It is likely . she has permanently lost the use of her right eye. A . tube in her brain was removed Monday, and although she is somewhat . sedated, she has been able to follow her doctors' commands, mostly . shaking her head or wiggling her fingers and toes, Randy Budd said . Tuesday. Doctors hope to perform additional skull reconstruction, and at some point remove the hardware. The . scar from the rock runs from her right ear across her forehead; the one . from the procedure to remove portions of her skull goes across the top . of her head, from ear to ear. Now they wait to see how she progresses. ‘We can say she's not going to die,’ Sarkar said, ‘but there's a very far gulf between not dying and being the person you were.’ Fears: Randy said when he saw her injuries, 'it was the most gruesome thing that you could ever imagine' Beautiful duo: Sharon and Randy Budd pictured on the day of their wedding decades before the July 10, 2014, tragedy . Three Pennsylvania teenagers have now been charged as adults in the near-fatal highway rock-throwing incident. Milton resident Tyler Gregory Porter, 17, appeared in court Monday on charges including aggravated assault and conspiracy. Court records indicate he told police another boy threw the rock that hit Budd's car. Two other teens, including 18-year-old Brett Lahr and 17-year-old Dylan Lahr, were previously arrested on those counts. A fourth juvenile identified only by his initials KLN was also apprehended. The group face felony charges of aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and counts of propulsion of missiles into an occupied vehicle or onto roadway, possessing of instruments of crime and recklessly endangering another person, the Daily Item reported. KLM told state police that they had been driving in his Mitsubishi Eclipse when they stopped on the overpass to Interstate 80, according to the criminal complaint, the Daily Item reported. Dylan Lahr and Porter got out and threw rocks at and struck passing vehicles, KLM told troopers. He said he saw a vehicle slow down but that they fled to the Lahrs' house. They then got into the Lahr family's gold Honda Accord and drove past the scene to see what was happening and when they saw a police car, they returned to the home. Scene: A group of teenagers threw rocks from this overpass in Milton, Pennsylvania last week and one landed on the Budds' car. Four teens were arrested and now face charges in the incident . KLM and Brett Lahr headed back to the scene again and saw several more police cruisers before returning to the Lahrs' house. Police checked the license plate of the Honda, which was registered to the Lahr family, and went to their home in New Columbia. When questioned by police, Tyler Porter said he threw one rock onto I-80 but did not strike a vehicle whereas Dylan Lahr threw at least two rocks and one of them struck a car. Brett Lahr, the older brother, remained in Union County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail, while Dylan Lahr was released on supervised bail. Sharon Budd's family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with her medical costs, which so far has collected more than $18,000 in donations. Another online fundraiser has been launched on YouCaring.com, where as of Tuesday afternoon supporters have surpassed the $25,000 goal. | Sharon Budd, 52, was driving from Ohio to New York with her husband and daughter when their car was struck with an 8lb rock in Pennsylvania .
The boulder shattered her forehead and she was rushed to hospital .
Mrs Budd, a cancer survivor, lost an eye and required 13-hour surgery to remove right frontal lobe of her brain that determines personality .
Brett and Dylan Lahr, ages 18 and 17, Tyler Porter, age 17, and another teen charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy .
Sharon's eldest son, 28-year-old Lucas Budd, was scheduled to leave for Afghanistan with the Ohio National Guard for a one-year deployment . |
0b8f5d2952c58fb39d11081ac24e65c1bde6c75b | By . Martin Robinson . Facing jail: Emily Fox, 26, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust . A lesbian PE teacher faces jail today after admitting having sex with a 15-year-old student she taught at a £24,000-a-year private school for girls. Emily Fox, 26, who can be named for the first time, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust. She met the girl when she taught her at the Royal Masonic School for girls in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. The games teacher taught there for a year. Today, Fox of Bath, Somerset, admitted the charges at St Albans Crown Court. Defence barrister Dee Connelly asked for the case to be adjourned for a pre-sentence report. She said the sentencing guidelines starting point for the offences was four years in jail with a range of three to seven years. Judge Michael Baker QC adjourned sentence until 5 September and granted Fox bail. He said she must now register as a sex offender. He said bail should continue with the condition that Fox does not attend the Royal Masonic School and has no contact with anyone aged under 16. The girl cannot be identified, but Judge Baker lifted a contempt order that had prevented publication of the defendant’s name and the name of the school. The judge said: 'It is clearly in the public interest to identify the school as well as the defendant. It is, to my knowledge, by no means a small school. 'I don’t see how the identification of the school leads to the identification of the child.' The Royal . Masonic School for Girls takes both day and boarding pupils aged seven . to 18, with a pre-school which takes pupils from the age of two. It was founded in 1788 to educate the daughters of Freemasons who were unable to support their families. Its famous buildings have been widely used in films and television including two Indiana Jones films, in Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade. The site was used as one of the locations for a film called Me and Orson Welles starring Zak Efron. It also featured in an episode of Inspector Morse. Famous former pupils include Wendy Richard, who played Pauline Fowler in EastEnders, and actress Amelia Warner. Abuse of trust: Fox was a games teacher at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Herfordshire when she had sex with a student . | Emily Fox pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child .
She taught at the Royal Masonic School for girls in Rickmansworth .
Warned she faces between three to seven years in prison if jailed . |
0b90b726ef039989139d36d1882cb0651c33bd8f | What are the chances of this happening? You set up a time-lapse camera in the hope of getting some minute-by-minute shots of the ever-changing beauty of autumnal Windermere. Instead, you capture the clearest snap ever taken of a giant, Loch Ness Monster-style beastie, so close you can almost see it smiling. Scroll down for video . This picture, apparently captured by an amateur photographer, appears to show a creature not unlike the Loch Ness Monster . The photo is said to have been taken by a man who left his camera at the side of the lake to automatically capture images throughout the day, but questions were raised over the suspicious timing of the snap . So the question must be asked: could this be a glimpse of a legendary monster that has been teasing, attracting and eluding sightseers for decades? Or is someone trying to lift Britain’s gloom by suggesting Nessie has fled South in advance of the Scottish independence vote. Add to that the fact the photograph was taken and tweeted by the firm that makes the clever automatic camera responsible for the shot, and it becomes a matter on which even a partial Scottish jury surely would not be able to agree. Yet there are some intriguing elements to this, the alleged first picture of Bownessie, the Sassenach version of the famed Loch Ness Monster. It was taken on an Autographer camera on a tripod at the Cumbrian lake shore at Brockhole. Ellie Williams, who provides photographs for the company, claims she wanted to get a sequence of nature and wildlife shots taken throughout the day. When the camera content was examined on Wednesday, it appeared she might have got more wildlife than she bargained for. The dinosaur-like creature was apparently captured swimming or paddling into the distance before disappearing. ‘At first I thought it might have been a swan or a goose, as I was looking at the image quite small on my smartphone,’ said Ellie, 24. ‘I’m open to suggestions as to what the creature could be – I’m just glad I put the camera in the right place at the right time.’ Yesterday the company said it had examined the images and insisted they had not been altered. A famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster was taken in 1934, but was later said to be a fake . The legend of the creature attracts millions of tourists to Loch Ness, Scotland's second largest body of water . Lake Windermere - the largest natural lake in England - is situated about 40 miles from the Scottish border . With tongue firmly in cheek, marketing executive James Ebdon said: ‘At first, we thought it was a swan or goose, or on closer look, a larger animal like a horse with a saddle pack or something. ‘Whatever it is we will leave it to the experts.’ A spokesman for the firm insisted: ‘It certainly looks real. It’s ridiculous, but we can’t offer any logical explanation.’ He said the camera took shots every few minutes, so all the images were scrutinised to see if they revealed anyone putting something in the water or taking it out afterwards. But there was nothing – not even a sighting of Alex Salmond trying to lead Nessie home. | Referendum campaign has seen banks tell of plans to leave Scotland .
Now a picture taken at Windermere appears to show Nessie in the water .
However, with vote next week, timing of picture is somewhat suspicious . |
0b913aa8631d3d857d690dfc55eac6499115b70a | (Kaiser Health News)The Obama administration Monday announced a goal of accelerating changes to Medicare so that within four years, half the program's traditional spending will go to doctors, hospitals and other providers that coordinate their patient care, stressing quality and frugality. The announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell is intended to spur efforts to supplant Medicare's traditional fee-for-service medicine, in which doctors, hospitals and other medical providers are paid for each case or service without regard to how the patient fares. Medicare is the federal insurance program that provides health care to the elderly. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the administration has been designing new programs and underwriting experiments to come up with alternate payment models. Last year, 20% of traditional Medicare spending, about $72 billion, went to models such as accountable care organizations, or ACOs, where doctors and others band together to care for patients with the promise of getting a piece of any savings they bring to Medicare, administration officials said. There are now 424 ACOs, and 105 hospitals and other health care groups that accept bundled payments, where Medicare gives them a fixed sum for each patient, which is supposed to cover not only the initial treatment for a specific ailment but also all the follow-up care. We need to rethink dying . Other Medicare-funded pilot projects give doctors extra money to coordinate patient care among specialists and seek to get Medicare to work more in harmony with Medicaid, the state-federal health insurer for low-income people. Burwell's targets are for 30%, or about $113 billion, of Medicare's traditional spending to go to these kind of endeavors by the end of President Barack Obama's term in 2016, and 50%, about $215 billion, to be spent by the end of 2018. The administration also wants Medicare spending with any quality component, such as bonuses and penalties on top of traditional fee-for-service payments, to increase, so that by the end of 2018, 90% of Medicare spending has some sort of link to quality. These figures do not include the money that now goes to private insurers in the Medicare Advantage program, which enrolls about a third of all Medicare beneficiaries. Monday's announcement did not include any new policies or funding to encourage providers, but Burwell said setting a concrete goal alone would prompt changes not only in Medicare but also in private insurance, where some of these alternative models are also being tried. Leavitt Partners, a consulting firm, counts 317 commercial ACOs and 40 in the Medicaid program. Baby Boomer Generation Fast Facts . "For the first time we're actually going to set clear goals and establish a clear timeline for moving from volume to value in the Medicare system," Burwell said at an announcement at the department's headquarters, where she was joined by leading physicians and leaders from the insurance and hospital industries. "So today what we want to do is measure our progress and we want to hold ourselves in the federal government accountable." Some providers have eagerly embraced the new payment models, with success. Roughly a quarter of ACOs saved Medicare enough money to win bonuses last year. Others are wary, particularly since they could lose money if they fall short on either saving Medicare money or achieving the dozens of quality benchmarks the government has established. "ACOs are quite expensive to set up," said Andrea Ducas, a program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a New Jersey charity that is funding research into ACO performance. "There's a significant upfront investment and if you're not sure you're going to make it back, there's a pause." In the largest ACO experiment, the Medicare Shared Savings Program, 53 ACOs saved enough money in 2013 to get bonuses from the government, but 41 spent more than the government estimated they should have. Transgender woman feels 'complete' thanks to Obamacare . Those ACOs did not have to repay any money, but in future years Medicare intends to require reimbursements from those who fall short. Providers have been pushing Medicare to increase the cut they get from these programs and lessen the financial risks in ACOs and the other programs. "Government needs to do more to make sure there's more shared savings going back to the providers," said Blair Childs, an executive with Premier, a company that assists hospitals and providers in establishing ACOs and other models. It is still too early to know whether these alternate payment models improve health of patients and whether the savings that have been achieved so far, often by focusing on the most expensive patients, will plateau. Studies on the success of these programs have shown mixed results. "We still have very little evidence about which payment methods are going to be successful in getting the results we want, which are better quality care and more affordable care," said Suzanne Delbanco, executive director of Catalyst For Payment Reform, a California-based nonprofit that has been tracking the spread of alternative payment models in the private sector. "We're just wanting to avoid a situation where a few years from now, where we've completely gotten rid of fee-for-service," Delbanco said. "We don't want to wake up and say, 'Oh my gosh, we did it and we're no better off.'" | Obama administration plan to redirect spending to health care provides that stress quality, frugality .
The plan would change Medicare's traditional fee-for-service strategy . |
0b9175ced91a038282be6ccbfc28384f370da410 | (CNN) -- Sunday night's 55th annual Grammy Awards were as much about the performances as it was the actual statues handed out. The evening saw some powerful collaborations among artists, and all eyes were on one controversial performer. Here are the top 5 moments of the night: . 1) Killer performances . Take your pick. From a spirited performance of "The Weight" by an all-star group including Sir Elton John, T Bone Burnett, the Zac Brown Band, Mavis Staples, Mumford & Sons and Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes, to the many duets like R&B crooner Miguel with Wiz Khalifa and Miranda Lambert with fellow country artist Dierks Bentley, it was all thrilling. Fun. reminded us as to why we loved them when they performed "Carry On." But they won a big award of the night, song of the year, for their hit "We Are Young." And the stars in the audience were grooving along during a tribute to Bob Marley led by Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Sting, Ziggy and Damian Marley. Even Taylor Swift won us over when she took to the stage dressed as a ringmaster and surrounded by circus/carnival types to kick off the ceremony with her hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Grammy coverage on Marquee . But one of the most eagerly awaited performances was: . 2) The return of Justin Timberlake to the stage . The Grammys went sepia-toned for Timberlake's performance of his new single "Suit and Tie," which offered plenty of homage to the Rat Pack era with Timberlake in a tux with a bow tie and a big band with similarly suited backup singers billed as "JT and the Tennessee Kids." Jay-Z left his seat in the audience to run up on stage for his rap portion of the song. And Timberlake was cooler than cool as he segued into his new single "Pusher Love Girl." The performance marked the return of Timberlake to music since he took a four-year break to focus on acting. Welcome home JT. 3) LL Cool J pulls triple duty . Sure, he's a big acting star now, but don't forget that LL, aka James Todd Smith, got his start in the hip hop game. So it felt right when the Grammy host donned a knit cap, a black T-shirt and some subtle bling to perform alongside Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello and DJ Z-Trip. They closed out the show with "Welcome to the Terrordome" and shouted out the late Beastie Boy, Adam "MCA" Yauch, with a "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" chant. He also kept the audience informed of what folks were saying on social media, reading tweets and responding to some. The Grammys got its monies worth with him. 4) Adele didn't wear black . You can't not love her as she sings like an angel, is hilarious and just seems so normal. But just like you can always count on a practically flawless performance when she grabs the mic, we thought she was also a sure bet to show up in a black frock. It's kind of been like her thing. But no. When Adele took to the stage to claim the first award of the night, best pop solo performance for "Set Fire to the Rain," she was wearing a flowery, red and black Valentino dress. New life as a mom and clearly new fashion choices: It was almost as surprising as Prince showing up to present Gotye and Kimbra the record of the year award for "Somebody That I Used To Know. 5) The somewhat anticlimactic appearance of Chris Brown with Rihanna . Despite a few cutaways of the pair sitting together in the audience and Brown standing and clapping following her performance, seeing the two together was not as big a deal as the run up felt like it should be. Friday marked the fourth anniversary of Brown's assault on Rihanna, which occurred before that year's Grammy ceremony. The pair had been a huge focus of this year's Grammys as fans waited to see if they would arrive at the ceremony together and how much "togetherness" they would exhibit. But in the end it felt like really no big deal. More surprising was six-time nominee Frank Ocean not winning any of the big awards he was up for. Ocean scored best urban contemporary album and shared best rap collaboration with Kanye West and Jay-Z for "No Church in the Wild," but lost best new artist to Fun. and album of the year to Mumford & Sons. 55th Grammy Awards: The winners list . It was also more fun checking to see which artists ignored the reported Grammys memo asking them to cover up (we are looking at you and your rather exposed bosom Katy Perry). Jennifer Lopez even joked about it while presenting. "As you can see I read the memo," Lopez said, wearing a black dress cut extremely high and fully exposing one leg. CNN's David Daniel contributed to this story . | The 55th Grammy Awards were held Sunday night on CBS .
NEW: LL Cool J closes out show with a performance .
NEW: Mumford & Sons beat Frank Ocean for album of the year . |
0b920d4cf93a3e39bc885630426b62f0e3e4bc41 | LeMoine's arrest is said to be 'imminent', says law enforcement sources . By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 04:13 EST, 9 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:57 EST, 9 December 2013 . Speculation has been rife about how exactly Paris Hilton's little brother Barron received his injuries after allegedly being on the receiving end of a vicious attack in Miami on Friday. And now, TMZ and Page Six have reported that New York writer Ray LeMoine was involved in the altercation. Barron had originally accused Lindsay Lohan of 'masterminding' the alleged attack that reportedly left the 24-year-old requiring medical treatment for multiple face wounds. She has denied involvement. Involved? Ray LeMoine, pictured here at an event in New York last year, has been identified as allegedly getting into a fight with Barron Hilton at a mansion in Miami, Florida last week . After the storm: Ray is seen here with Lindsay Lohan on Friday moments after the alleged altercation occurred . Meanwhile, it has since been claimed by TMZ that Barron is now planning to sue both Lindsay and Ray for their alleged involvement in the attack. Sources close to the family told the . website that Paris had arranged a meeting with a lawyer on Saturday, at . which she set things in motion for Barron to sue both Lindsay and Ray. Law enforcement sources have also told TMZ that they are planning on arresting Ray over the attack, and that it will be happening 'soon'. Barron posted a shocking photograph of his cut and swollen face on Saturday. On Sunday, TMZ reported that police were seeking to speak to Ray about the incident. After being identified by the . website, the 31-year-old spoke out via his representative, claiming it . was Barron who turned a verbal disagreement into something physical. The alleged aftermath: Barron posted an image of the injuries he claims he received in the attack on Instagram . TMZ reported: 'A rep for Ray . LeMoine...claims his fists only started flying after Barron refused to . leave the house and says Paris Hilton's little brother got physical . first.' According to the website, the alleged . fight occurred at a mansion Ray - who is a published author, journalist . andrestaurateur - was renting on Friday. The trouble began when 'a blitzed' Barron was asked to leave Lemoine's rented South Beach pad and refused, TMZ said. 'Barron was being totally cool, being respectful, funny, walking out,' a source told Page Six. Not your average party boy: Ray is a New York-based writer and published author having co-wrote, Babylon By Bus, a true story about his time in Iraq . 'Do you know who I am, who my sisters are?' Barron allegedly sneered to the former New York Times blogger. Hilton then suddenly 'flipped' allegedly hitting Lemoine and Lemoine purportedly struck back, the source said. According to Page Six, Lindsay was at the house at the time, and she's been 'dodging cops who want to talk to her.' 'I saw nothing,' the Liz & Dick actress told Splash News holding up her palms. Party's over: Lindsay was seen leaving the venue just before being confront by Barron over the attack . 'I'm scared of the Hiltons and Paris' Cash Money crew [she . has a record deal with the company], so I am seeking refuge in Cuba,' Ray's rep told the Confidenti@l section of the New York Daily News. 'Castro hates the Hiltons and took . their Havana hotel in 1959 as a base after conquering Cuba, so they are . stoked I'm coming down to hate capitalism. Viva la Lohan!' Ray has been published in numerous well-known publications including New York Magazine, The Guardian, and The Awl. The downtown Manhattan-based writer . is even a published author having co-wrote Babylon By Bus, about he and a . friend's decision to stop selling 'Yankees Suck' T-shirts outside . Fenway park, which allegedly netted them each a 'lawyer's salary' for . five months of work a year - and headed to Iraq in 2003. Managing to get jobs working for the . US Government as part of the reconstruction effort, the the then . 20-somethings - who are described as ' two Valium-popping, . hard-drinking...do-gooders' - engaged in a dangerous boys' own . adventure. Ray has reported on New York's . nightlife and Lindsay was featured in at least one of his stories. However, it's unclear how they got acquainted. Lindsay and Barron were reportedly . 'at loggerheads' at the party as Lindsay had accused him of talking . about her to her boyfriend while at a Miami Art Basel event. The troubled starlet remains in Miami . for the annual art festival and posted a selfie in the Shore Club where . she is staying. But Barron has since returned to his Bel Air home. On Saturday the privileged heir posted on Instagram that he was with his mother Kathy saying it felt 'good to be home.' Thicker than water: Paris Hilton has vowed to make those involved in the alleged attack on her brother Barron, seen here together in Utah earlier this year, 'pay' The alleged feud between Lindsay and . Barron appears to have re-ignited the tensions between the former gal . pals, which has been simmering for years. Late on Saturday, the former sex tape . star angrily stepped up in support of her brother declaring the . perpetrator will be made to 'pay.' She broke her silence about the alleged attack by posting a comment on Barron's Instagram page. Pictured on TMZ, . the 32-year-old socialite wrote alongside an image of her younger . sibling's battered face saying: 'They both will pay for what they did. No one f***s with my family and gets away with it!!' Then, late Saturday night Lindsay . followed suit, appearing to make reference to the alleged incident for . the first time by posting an image of her at the Shore Club, saying she . was having a great time with 'honest, fun friends...and no more bad . folk.' Now you see it then you don't: Lindsay made a vague reference to the alleged incident on Instagram on Saturday night but quickly deleted it just minutes after posting . The Mean Girls star deleted the post 30 minutes later. Paris and her sister Nicky also made . comments on their Twitter earlier on Saturday, which appeared to make . reference to what allegedly happened between their brother and Paris's . former party pal. Nicky appeared to point the finger at . Lindsay's friends, rather than the 27-year-old, while Paris turned to . cosmic retribution writing: 'Karma's a b***h...' Paris and Lindsay have a long history . of being frenemies with the heiress being caught on film in 2006 making . fun the Parent Trap star along with friend Brandon Davis - who . infamously called Lindsay a 'firecrotch.' MailOnline contacted representatives . for both Lindsay and Barron about the alleged incident but they have so . far been unavailable for comment. Relaxing: The Mean Girls star posted a picture of herself at the Shore Club late on Saturday thanking the venue for having her . | LeMoine's arrest is said to be 'imminent', says law enforcement sources .
Barron initially accused Lohan of 'masterminding the alleged attack'
Paris' brother is now said to be planning to sue both Lohan and LeMoine .
LeMoine is now said to be 'on the run from authorities... and is attempting to seek refuge in Cuba' |
0b927960cb97296586de3be749c8abafc7cdce3f | By . Chris Richards . PUBLISHED: . 03:53 EST, 2 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:40 EST, 2 June 2012 . Hundreds of thousands of families are set to be offered tax breaks on so-called 'granny flats' under plans to ease the housing crisis. The Government is expected to abolish council tax on these annexes, typically used by householders to home older members of their family. Ministers are also considering overhauling planning regulations and fees to make it easier for people to convert garages and other outbuildings into 'granny flats'. At present, residents are required to pay council tax on both their main home and any annex they own. Tax break: The Government is looking to abolish council tax on annexes dubbed granny flats . Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the existing taxation regime was 'fundamentally unfair'. 'We are keen to remove tax and other regulatory obstacles to families having a live-in annexe for immediate relations,' he told the Daily Telegraph. More... Record high of 4m homes where no one goes to work blamed on recession and benefits . House prices 'stable' but market still suffering from lack of supply, says Nationwide . 'We should support home owners who want to improve their properties and standard of living. 'These reforms should also play a role in increasing the housing supply.” At present, granny flats are treated as separate dwellings and, as such, can be charged full rates of council tax by local authorities, which often exceed £1,000 a year. Government officials believe the change could benefit as many as 300,000 households in England. Reforms: Communities Secretary Eric Pickles says cutting council tax on annexes could help increase housing supply. However, shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn says the move is 'cynical spinning' The reforms, which would likely require legislation, are expected to form part of a raft of policies to address the nationwide shortage of affordable homes over the next two years. Ministers have already supported plans to encourage pensioners to downsize and allow local authorities to rent out their homes. It is believed that as many as 25 million bedrooms in England may currently be empty. Annexes do not presently need to have a front door to be counted as a separate dwelling, although they are required to have distinct living and sleeping quarters, plus a bathroom and a kitchen. The Government is also planning to review existing legislation to make it easier for home owners to adapt properties. Granny flats are self-contained annexes, built as extensions an existing residential property . They derive their name from the fact that many of these annexes are occupied by pensioners who downsize in their retirement to be closer to their children or other relatives . At present, a granny flat is not required to have a front door to be treated as a separate dwelling, although they would need to have their own bathroom and kitchen . Currently, these annexes are liable to council tax, typically around £1,000 a year . This means that, at present, householders who own a granny flat are required to pay council tax on both their main property and the annex . At the moment, garage conversions need planning permission and Whitehall officials believe too many councils refuse to approve such schemes. The housing review will also consider axing the need for residents to pay for planning agreements on how the annexes would be used, which can cost more than £1,000. “Such a policy would make it easier for families to expand their homes and offer accommodation to extended families, without the hassle and cost of moving home,” a Whitehall source said. Ros Altmann, the director-general of the over-50s group Saga, told the Daily Telegraph that the reforms could be a 'benefit' for families that would otherwise find it difficult to afford the cost of care for relations. She did, however, warn that the elderly should not be forced to move out of their own homes. Labour said it was unclear who would benefit from any further relaxation of the tax rules as annexes occupied by dependants aged over 65 are already exempt. Such a move would also reduce the income of local councils at a time when town halls are already being forced to implement severe spending cuts. Shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn said: "This is a decidedly peculiar claim by Eric Pickles as occupied 'granny flats' have been exempt from council tax since 1997. 'It is therefore extremely unclear exactly which pensioners the Government expects to benefit from these changes, and the granny tax fiasco doesn't give us confidence that they will get this right. 'This cynical spinning shows that once again the Tory-led Government are over-claiming and under-delivering for our nation's pensioners. 'This seems to be nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention from their housing crisis. 'What we need is to get building and get the economy moving again. 'That's why Labour is proposing to build 25,000 new affordable homes and a temporary cut to the rate of VAT.' Under the 1997 regulations, council tax is not paid on annexes occupied by relatives who are over 65, mentally impaired, or substantially and permanently disabled. A spokesman for Mr Pickles said the proposal was to extend the exemption to allow annexes inhabited by any family member, not just pensioners, to be free from council tax. No decision had been taken on whether town halls would be compensated by central government for the lost revenue, he said. Housing minister Grant Shapps added: 'We should support homeowners who want to improve their properties and standard of living. 'At every opportunity Labour want to find a way of raiding the pockets of the public.' | Ministers believe the move could help to increase housing supply .
Labour says occupied 'granny flats' are already council tax exempt . |
0b929c999b10ce510d4aa2b1488d83fb93b803c2 | Concerns: Antonia Attuh, is believed to have been among the 153 people killed on board a plane that crashed in Nigeria last Sunday . One of the victims of the Nigerian plane disaster had fled the country and settled in Britain as a refugee after the 1972 war in Biafra, it has emerged. Computer expert Antonia Attuh, 46, died when a Dana Air Flight 9J-992 crashed on Sunday night on its approach to Lagos airport after a flight from the capital Abuja. Her devastated sister Jill, has called for an international inquiry into what caused both engines to fail on the 22 year-old Macdonald Douglas MD-83 aircraft. Her sister Jill told yesterday how brilliant mathematician Antonia spoke not a word of English when she arrived in Britain as a four-year-old. After settling in Liverpool with her parents, from an early age Antonia excelled in her studies and won a scholarship to Notre Dame RC Girls’ Grammar School. She achieved excellent A-level results and went on to win twin degrees in economics and finance before obtaining a doctorate in computer science. Antonia then embarked on a career in local government and was the first black woman to become a senior management executive with Westminster City Council. Two years ago, Antonia took a job with a the Central Bank of Nigerian and decided that her three children should accompany her in order to expose them to her homeland’s life and culture. Antonia’s husband technology expert Robert Attuh, remained at the family home in Radlett, Hertforshire, while she often travelled back and forth to the UK with Chamaka, 12, Chikes, eight, Amarachi, aged six. Speaking on Radio 5 Live's Up All Night programme yesterday, Ms Chime said another sister had flown to Nigeria to help other family members find Antonia's body, which they believe is in a hospital mortuary. All 153 passengers died when the Dana . Air flight crashed in a neighbourhood about five miles north of Murtala . Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, south-west Nigeria, on Sunday. Scroll down for video . Marriage: Antonia Attuh pictured on her wedding day, with her mother, Fidelia Chime (far left), husband Dr Robert Attuh (M) and father, Edwin Chime . Harrowing: A woman waits to identify the body of a relative who was on board the jet which crashed near Lagos on Sunday . U.S. family: Stuffed animals, flowers, candles and cards left by neighbors and friends of the Anyene family from West Hartford, Conn., who were killed in the crash . The . plane was coming from the Nigerian capital Abuja when it crashed into a . printing works and residential buildings in the busy Iju-Ishaga suburb. An unknown number of people on the ground were also killed. The . Foreign Office was unable to confirm whether Ms Attuh was aboard, but a . spokeswoman said: 'It is believed that there was a dual British-Nigerian . national on board the flight. 'The Foreign Office has been in contact with a member of her family and offered consular assistance.' Ms Chime said her sister had travelled to Nigeria frequently in recent years, and was going to Lagos to attend a course. She . said: 'My sister was a wonderful person, quite an exceptional person. She was a statistician - maths was the thing she loved doing and loved . most.' Ms Chime said she was at her parents' house on Sunday when they first heard about the crash. She said: 'My sister was travelling to Lagos and that was as far as I knew. I wasn't certain of what airline she had gone on. 'We were immediately concerned because . we had spoken to my sister in the morning and she was telling us she . was going to Lagos that afternoon. 'When I heard about the crash I had to try and find out what airline she had taken.' Clear-up: Lagos residents stand behind a barricade to watch the removal of plane debris, three days after it crashed in the city's Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood . A . cousin who was due to collect Ms Attuh from the airport told Ms Chime . her sister was aboard the doomed Dana Air flight, which was also . confirmed by Ms Attuh's husband, who had seen her off. Ms Chime also said the airline also told her that her sister's name was on the final passenger list. Her family, including another sister, are now trying to find Ms Attuh's body. Ms . Chime said: 'I also have my cousin who yesterday had gone through . 30-odd bodies trying to locate her, and today he has gone through a . further 40. 'But as of yet, we still have no confirmation of a corpse.It is very difficult and distressing.' Wreckage: Remains of the DANA Air plane which crashed while approaching Lagos airport in Nigeria, killing all 153 passengers . Disaster: A further 10 people were killed when the plane crashed into print works and residential buildings in the busy Iju-Ishaga suburb . Ms Chime called for an inquiry into the cause of the crash. She said: 'Only then can the lessons of . this tragedy be learned. My sister would not have rested until she had . gotten to the bottom of what happened and why it happened.' The Nigerian government yesterday suspended the licence of Dana Air airline as a matter of safety and grounded all of its flights while it investigates the accident. The Dana Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83's crew radioed the tower at the airport in Lagos shortly before the crash to say they had engine trouble, but the exact cause remains unclear. | Computer expert Antonia Attuh settled in Liverpool after 1972 war in Biafra .
Was first black woman to become senior management executive with Westminster City Council .
Her sister has flown out to locate her body, believed to be in a mortuary .
Dana Air flight crashed near Lagos on Sunday killing all 153 people on board . |
0b937ab9b148e2e5e19095c7734f85e1dfa2a762 | On the ninth floor of Kunming's No. 1 People's Hospital, overflowing patient beds crammed the narrow corridor Sunday afternoon as anxious family members sat by their loved ones. Like many others around him, Dong Wenxian sported a bandage around his head and appeared motionless in bed. "He's sleeping -- though his condition isn't stable yet," his daughter Dong Huixian told CNN. "There's still metal in his skull -- but he's already the lucky one." The elder Dong is one of more than 140 people injured in a deadly attack Saturday night when ten knife-wielding assailants stormed the Kunming Railway Station in southwestern China, seemingly hacking at anyone in sight and killing at least 29 people. The U.S. State Department has condemned the attack, calling it a "horrific, senseless act of violence" in a statement. Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to "severely punish the terrorists in accordance with the law." Authorities said police shot four perpetrators dead on the scene and captured a wounded female suspect. They have also linked the rampage to separatists from the country's far western Xinjiang region, where tensions between Han Chinese and the largely Muslim Uyghurs have sometimes turned violent. READ MORE: Understanding China's restive far west . Dong, a 50-year-old street vendor from the countryside, was trying to buy a train ticket home to visit his sick mother when he was hacked. "His whole face was covered in blood," his wife described the sight greeting the family at the hospital, which has received most of the people injured in the attack. "We're now waiting for him to go through surgery," said Huixian, the 17-year-old daughter. "But those with even more severe injuries need to be operated on first." "Those Xinjiang people are just horrible and I hate their guts," she added. A spate of violent incidents has rocked restive Xinjiang in recent months. Only two weeks ago, police announced the death of 11 terrorists in a foiled attack in Aksu Prefecture. Last October, a jeep carrying a Uyghur family plowed into crowds in front of Tiananmen Gate in central Beijing, killing two tourists and injuring 40. Authorities have responded by intensifying their crackdown on suspected Islamic separatists, including the arrest last month of prominent Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti. The killings in Kunming -- a city of more than six million residents, known for its mild weather and leisurely pace -- shocked the nation and occurred at a particularly sensitive time as Chinese lawmakers are set to start their annual session Wednesday to hear the first government work report under President Xi's leadership. Far away from Beijing but a short drive from Dong's hospital is a small, nameless street in front of the massive Kunming Railway Station. Lined with supermarkets, restaurants and a post office, it was again bustling with passengers hauling luggage Sunday afternoon, the blood stains in the area already washed away. Uniformed police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops patrolling the station's sprawling ground regularly passed the street on foot and in cars. Food sellers on the sidewalk exchanged details they had seen or heard about the carnage. READ MORE: China's train station killings described as a terrorist attack . Chang Changwei's mobile phone shop was open but his mind kept wandering back to the night before when screaming crowds from the station suddenly ran toward his street. "So many people were trying to find a place to hide," the 27-year-old shop owner recalled to CNN. "The restaurant next to me and I let everyone in." "I asked my wife and mother to bring my son inside," he continued. "Then I grabbed some metal pipes for myself and a few others, and said, we have to stick together to take them down." The attackers never came this way, but his mother's recollection of the scene was more harrowing. "I saw four people die nearby," said 58-year-old Hu Xuerong. "One person was lying face down in the blood with a knife still stuck in his back." GALLERY: Kunming terror attack, in photographs . The most heartbreaking moment for Hu came later, however. Her 3-year-old grandson, after witnessing the horror, told her he was too scared to sleep. Across Chinese cyberspace, stories of the perpetrators not sparing children or the elderly during their killing spree have spread quickly and stirred the strongest emotions. In social media, some users' attempts to reflect on the root causes -- including waves of Han migration into Xinjiang and the treatment of Uyghurs in their native land -- to the latest terror were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming sound of fury. Chang, the shop owner, admitted he'd never given much thought to Xinjiang separatists. After the attack Saturday night, however, he's not sure what can be done to stop them for one simple reason. "When they started hacking at people, they were already prepared to die," he said. "They are not afraid to die." | Families of victims are struggling to make sense of the terror attack in Kunming .
At least 29 were killed in the frenzied attack at the city's railway station .
The attack, attributed to Uyghur separatists, sparked fury on Chinese social media . |
0b93dd39a201a3f5d0ab868ecdb7628ced83cc3e | By . Louise Cheer For Daily Mail Australia . Couples from the US and Australia, who were flying out with surrogate babies, have been barred from travel by immigration officials in Thailand as its local government continues its crackdown on surrogacy laws. It is believed the couples, including Australian homosexuals, were leaving from Bangkok international airport when they were stopped on Thursday afternoon, according to the ABC. One of the couples was with a surrogate mother. Scroll down for video . The alleged abandonment of baby Gammy - a child carried by surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua (pictured with the seven-month-old - sparked a surrogacy crackdown in Thailand . This discovery came after two American couples were also stopped for the same thing in the past 24 hours. Another Australian couple were also sent home from Bangkok on Sunday when they tried to leave the country with a baby born via a surrogate mother, Fairfax Media reported. Unless a court order directs otherwise, immigration officials have the authority to stop surrogate babies leaving the country. Meanwhile, Thailand's new government looks to push through legislation looking at halting commercial surrogacy. Two Australian couples were stopped at Bangkok international airport on Thursday while trying to travel out of the country with surrogate babies . Wendy and David Farnell, from Western Australia, were accused of abandoning Gammy and taking only his twin sister, Pipah, when they found out he had Down syndrome . Members of the Thai parliament are from the militia and its army general is trying to prevent Thailand from becoming a surrogacy hotbed for overseas couples by criminalising it. The country's sudden crackdown on the industry was sparked by an Australian couple who caused international outcry when they were accused of leaving behind a Thai-born baby named Gammy when they found out he had Down syndrome, instead taking his twin sister home with them. Gammy's surrogate mother, Pattaramon Chanbua, was the one who levelled the accusations at Western Australian couple David and Wendy Farnell. In another twist in the story, it emerged David Farnell had been convicted of 22 child sex offences - including a victim aged just seven - in his 20s. The couple appeared on 60 Minutes on Sunday to hit back at the claims made by Ms Pattaramon, 21 . Farnell was sentenced to three years jail in 1997 for sexually molesting two girls in 'secretive meetings' in his shed or house, in 1982 and 1983, when the girls were aged seven and 10. The couple hid their home for a week while media was camped outside and Western Australian government officials from the Department of Child Protection sought them out for a meeting after the news of Farnell's past surfaced. David and Wendy Farnell appeared on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday to hit back at reports circulating they had abandoned Gammy. 'It's been very stressing. We miss our little boy. I come home from work some days and Wendy has dressed our little girl (Gammy's twin sister Pipah) all in blue because she wants to remember the little boy,' Farnell told the news program. 'We said we want both babies to be born and we will think about this.' | Four couples, from the U.S. and Australia, have been stopped in Bangkok .
Two American couples have stopped by Thai officials in the past 24 hours .
It comes after Western Australia's David and Wendy Farnell created international outcry .
They were accused of abandoning a Thai-born child when they found out he had Down syndrome .
Instead they took his healthy twin sister, Pipah, leaving Gammy behind . |
0b94113887ed48b0ec4a84b0b36c1dc05acdeb96 | This is the Ugandan aircraft that Africa hopes will thrust it right into the space race. Constructed amidst the rubble of his mother's backyard, ambitious Chris NSamba believes the African Skyhawk will lead to his continent launching its first astronaut into orbit. The African Space Research Programme founder has been helped by 600 volunteers in partially achieving the first stage of his dream - the creation of the plane that will penetrate the edge of space by flying at 80,000ft. Scroll down for video... Ambitious: This is the Ugandan aircraft, the Africa Skyhawk, that Chris NSamba hopes will thrust the country right into the space race . The African Space Research Programme founder has been helped by 600 volunteers . And once the African Skyhawk has had a successful test flight sometime next year, the 28-year-old plans to turn his hand to building the continent's first space shuttle. He firmly believes it will launch in the next 'four to six years'. But given the condition of his project at the moment, he might be advised to buy a gigantic rubber band to help it on its way. The former astronomy student said: 'It isn't about money, it isn't about competition or pride. 'The mission is about advancement in space technology as a continent and what we can contribute towards that growth. 'We are trying to have Africa participate in the contribution of knowledge into mankind's destiny.' The cynical may question how NSamba can launch his own space programme without any money, and be entirely reliant on donations. Is he mad? Chris NSamba's mother, Sarah Lugwama, watches as the African Skyhawk is constructed in her backyard . The former astronomy student said: 'We are trying to have Africa participate in the contribution of knowledge into mankind's destiny.' Chris Nsamba leans against the wing of the Skyhawk. He is confident the Skyhawk's test flight will take place next year, and he will have a fully fledged space shuttle in operation in 'four to six years'. They may also ask how it can be achieved, seeing as Uganda has no history of space exploration and he is teaching the aspiring astronauts himself. But he said he was confident the Skyhawk's test flight would take place next year, and he would have a fully fledged space shuttle in operation in 'four to six years'. He added: 'This is not a one-man mission. We work jointly to achieve goals. 'I have trained my crew (in) advanced astronomy. They are very good at astronomy in regards to calculations and identifications of various space objects.' And when asked how he plans to simulate zero gravity for training, he said it would be 'easy'. He added: 'I've got a jet engine on order so I'm planning to build a tunnel, put the engine at one end and when I throw a guy in he'll float in a similar way to how he would in space.' NSamba, who admits that 'one time or another every successful scientists has been called a madman' has been toiling away in his mother's backyard, in the Kampala suburb of Ntinda, for three years. But despite the challenges he faces, he said was confident his space shuttle, dubbed The Dynacraft, would be ready sooner rather than later. And he cited funding from foreigners, and the promise of cash from the Ugandan government, as markers to their ongoing success. He said: 'It will first operate in Earth's lower orbit then advance with time. We might not have money in our system but we do get our homework done.' | African Skyhawk will soar to 80,000ft sometime in 2012 .
Plans for space shuttle launch in next four years . |
0b94456dd3952b9fd033f1ab76ed56b26175fbe0 | (CNN) -- Scores of child soldiers, some of them as young as eight years old, have been rescued from an armed group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.N. mission in the African nation said. The 82 children, 13 of them girls, were recovered since Sunday from the Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga armed group in the southeastern Katanga province, MONUSCO said Friday in a statement. The children, aged up to 17 years, had reportedly been recruited by the armed group within the past six months, it said. Forty of them have been reunited with their parents. The others are being cared for until they can be returned home, the statement said. "We are extremely concerned by continued reports of active recruitment by Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga and other armed groups in eastern DRC," said MONUSCO chief Martin Kobler. "Children face unacceptable risks when they are recruited for military purposes. The recruitment of children, particularly those under 15 years of age, could constitute a war crime and those responsible must be held to account." Child protection agencies in the province orchestrated the rescues, MONUSCO said. Since the start of the year, 163 children, including 22 girls, have been rescued from Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga by MONUSCO and child protection workers, the statement said. The country's mineral-rich eastern part is at the epicenter of a political and ethnic conflict involving its neighbors to the east, Uganda and Rwanda, and has long been embroiled in violence. The region's humanitarian crisis involves 2.6 million internally displaced people, the United Nations says, with 6.4 million people in need of food and emergency aid. Nearly 20,000 troops are deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the MONUSCO peacekeeping force. | 82 child soldiers have been rescued from an armed group, U.N mission says .
13 girls were among the children rescued from the Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga .
The children range from 8 to 17 years in age; 40 have been reunited with their families .
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has a long history of violence . |
0b962c5a204d270d92333633d74885b050deb236 | (CNN) -- President Obama is "deeply concerned" about the growing number of deadly attacks on U.S. forces by Afghan security forces, and plans to contact the Afghan president to discuss taking tougher actions, he said Monday. "I'll be reaching out to President (Hamid) Karzai," Obama told reporters at the White House, adding, "We've got to make sure that we're on top of this." Obama spoke Monday with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The top U.S. military official is in Afghanistan for meetings with coalition and Afghan leaders, including Gen. John Allen, commander of NATO forces, and Afghan Army Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, Dempsey's counterpart in the country. There has been some success, including better counterintelligence, Obama said. "But obviously we're going to have to do more." "And hopefully over the next several weeks we'll start seeing better progress on this front," he added. An incident Sunday brought the death toll in attacks by Afghan military and police personnel this year to 40, according to U.S. military officials. Twenty-three of those killed were Americans, according to the U.S. Defense Department. The NATO death toll in what the military is now calling "insider attacks" is already higher than it was last year, according to statistics compiled by the New America Foundation, a public policy think tank. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Friday that 39 people had been killed in these attacks in 2012. That was before Sunday's attack killed one ISAF service member. The exact number of attacks remains unclear. While the U.S. military said there have been 40 insider attacks this year, ISAF tweeted last week that there had been 27 such attacks this year. There have been two more since that tweet. An ISAF spokesman told CNN on Friday there had been 31 such attacks before Sunday's attack. NATO and the United States say the vast majority of the attacks are not the work of the Taliban or insurgent groups. "Some 10% we know are related to the insurgency," Brig. Gen. Gunter Katz, a spokesman for the ISAF, said last week. An April report by the U.S. Defense Department said, "Investigations have determined that a large majority of green-on-blue attacks are not attributable to insurgent infiltration of the ANSF, but are due to isolated personal grievances against coalition personnel. There is no indication that these recent attacks are part of a deliberate effort by insurgents, nor were they coordinated with each other." The term "green-on-blue" refers to a color coding system used by the military, in which blue refers to the friendly force, in this case ISAF; and green refers to an allied friendly forces, in this case Afghan National Security Forces. When investigators traveled to the attackers' home villages to investigate what was known about them, the information they collected led them to believe most of the attackers were generally not aligned with an insurgent group, but had their own grievances, military officials say. But the motivations of about half the attackers are difficult to determine definitively because the perpetrator is dead or has fled, CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen and Jennifer Rowland of the New America Foundation write in a column on CNN.com. Some of the incidents appear to have taken place after arguments between Afghan and international troops, the column notes. Last year, U.S. military behavioral scientist Jeffrey Bordin interviewed more than 600 Afghan soldiers and police and found they held overwhelmingly negative perceptions of Western soldiers, stemming from incidents including alleged indiscriminate shootings that killed civilians and the public searching of Afghan soldiers outside NATO bases, as well as U.S. soldiers urinating in public or cursing at their Afghan counterparts, Bergen and Rowland write. "Another likely cause of the increase in the number of green-on-blue incidents is straightforward: In the past two years the size of the Afghan army and police force has almost doubled from around 200,000 to around 350,000," the column says. Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke Sunday with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. "They expressed shared concern over this issue and agreed that American and Afghan officials should work even more closely together to minimize the potential for insider attacks in the future," Pentagon spokesman George Little said. Dempsey, in a statement Monday, said Karzai's public statement condemning insider attacks was "tremendously important, and I hope it permeates to the lowest levels of the Afghan government and military." Afghan police are most likely to launch such attacks, Dempsey said. "The vulnerability of local police to (terrorist) influence is great. ... They don't move around the country the way the Army does, so they live at the point of corruption. I'm sure that's the case here too." Officials are examining the vetting process for Afghan soldiers and police "and investigating where it failed," a Defense Department statement said. All troops at NATO headquarters and all bases across the country have been ordered to carry loaded weapons around the clock, CNN learned Friday. CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report. | NEW: President Obama says he will talk to President Karzai about the issue .
NEW: Obama spoke with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is in Afghanistan .
Only about 10% of the attacks are related to the insurgency, military officials say .
"Vulnerability of local police to (terrorist) influence is great," the U.S. top military official says . |
0b96416e55e4073e333e7ab99aa687592df42564 | It was a chat with a stranger at a party that saved Manoly Viravong’s life. The mother of two, who had been waiting for a kidney transplant for five years, struck up a conversation with Veronica Buttigieg, a friend of a friend she had never spoken to before. The talk turned to health and Mrs Viravong’s disappointment that her brother had decided against donating one of his kidneys to her. Friends for life: Manoly Viravong (left) and her Veronica Buttigieg who donated her kidney to the other . But Mrs Buttigieg, 53, did more than . just politely sympathise. Over the clink of glasses and chatter of the . other guests, she made an amazing offer. ‘Why not have one of my kidneys?,’ she asked. Two months later, the operation took place and Mrs Viravong, 45, is well on the way to recovery. Mrs Buttigieg, who lives with her husband Mario, 54, a painter and decorator, said she would happily donate again if she could. ‘I barely knew Manoly but after talking to her and hearing of how . desperate she was, I felt it was the right thing to do,’ she said. Mrs Viravong, who has suffered from kidney problems for 18 years, is still astonished at her good fortune. ‘I did not know Veronica very well at all. We have a mutual friend and I . had seen her at social gatherings a handful of times but we had never . really talked,’ she recalled. From strangers to sisters: Manoly Viravong (left) was thrilled to receive a kidney from Veronica Buttigie . ‘Shortly after arriving at the party, which was a friend’s 40th wedding . anniversary, she offered me her kidney. Just in a really casual way. ‘I thought that she was joking, so I just said thank you. But then I realised that she was serious. ‘I asked her if she was really sure, and she said she was positive. Two . days later she had gone to the hospital to be tested to see if we were . compatible. ‘When I found out we were a match I was stunned. I just couldn’t believe it.’ In the UK between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011... There were 3,740 organ transplants, thanks to 2,055 donors . 1,008 lives were saved in the UK through a heart, lung, liver or combined transplant . 2,732 patients' lives were dramatically improved by a kidney or pancreas transplant . A further 3,564 people had their sight restored through a cornea transplant . 1,045 living donor kidney transplants were carried out accounting for more than a third of all kidney transplants . More than 60 kidney transplants were as a result of altruistic donors or paired and pooled donations . Almost 675,000 signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register, bringing the total to 17,751,795 . For more information visit the NHS Blood and Transplant website . The women both live in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and the operations took . place in July, on the first day of the school summer holidays, so Mrs . Buttigieg, who teaches sick children at Basildon Hospital, could be back . at work in time for classes to resume. Her husband and sons Richard, 20, and Robert, 22, supported her . decision, although they became increasingly anxious as the operation . neared. ‘Mario is used to me,’ Mrs Buttigieg said. ‘When I offered Manoly my kidney, she turned to him and asked if it was . all right. He simply said “if that is what she would like to do”.’ As the operation loomed, the family became more concerned, aware that . any type of surgery involving a general anaesthetic always carries a . risk. ‘We all knew there was a chance I could die,’ Mrs Buttigieg said matter-of-factly. ‘But I wasn’t worried at all. I am a Christian and I felt that God said . it was right. I had a real peace about it because I knew it was what God . wanted me to do. I felt completely calm.’ Since the operation in July, the women have become the closest of friends. Mrs Viravong, who is originally from Laos, is well enough to consider . reopening the Thai restaurant she used to run with husband Sene, but . closed due to her ill health. Veronica with Hannah Perry an organ donor nurse. Veronica donated her kidney in an operation in July . She has two teenage children, Viumee, 18, and Sam, 16, and is relishing . every moment with her family. ‘It has been wonderful. I have got my . life back,’ she said. ‘For two years I had endured eight hours of dialysis a night and my . kidneys were deteriorating. My life expectancy was very short – it would . have killed me ultimately. ‘I had been feeling very low because my brother had changed his mind . about giving me his kidney, yet here was a virtual stranger offering to . do an amazing, wonderful, selfless thing for me. ‘I can’t really thank her enough. We are very close now, like sisters. I’m really grateful to her and I count my blessings every day.’ As they waited at the Royal London Hospital before surgery, Mrs Viravong kept asking her new friend if she was definitely sure. ‘She said she was positive but she just wanted them to get on with it. ‘After that it was a few days before we could talk to each other again. ‘When I saw her, I just cried and cried. We held each other and I told her how grateful I was.’ By the time of the transplant, Mrs Viravong’s kidneys were functioning at just 10 per cent of their capacity. They remain inside her body, along with the transplanted organ. Mrs Buttigieg is back at work, going to the gym and coping perfectly well with one kidney. Although her safety net is gone if ever she develops kidney problems of . her own, she is adamant that she has done the right thing. She said: ‘I have no regrets and I would do it again tomorrow.’ | Patient's brother had travelled from Laos to UK to donate kidney but pulled out at last minute .
I knew God was telling me to do this, says Christian donor .
Mother-of-two donated kidney on her 31st wedding anniversary . |
0b971e3976b03a25b335938dd5a89039cf932266 | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 10:57 EST, 10 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:06 EST, 10 April 2013 . Destiny Nickson, 11, spent nine days in hospital after her newly pierced ear became infected . An 11-year-old schoolgirl was forced to spend more than a week in hospital after her newly-pierced ear became infected. Destiny Nickson, from Preston, needed eight stitches and IV antibiotics after the ear swelled dramatically. She is now facing a six week recovery period and the possibility of being scarred for life. Destiny had the top of her ear pierced on March 1 and, while it was fine for the first two weeks, it soon became infected. The schoolgirl returned to the beauty parlour in Preston Indoor Market, where the initial piercing was carried out and explained the problem. The staff removed the earring, cleaned her ear, and put a new earring in. They also insisted they could not be blamed for an infection that took hold three weeks after the piercing. Destiny’s mother, Veronica Nickson, 37, said: ‘It was okay for two weeks. It's not the first piercing that has caused the real damage. ‘I know there is a risk with ear piercing. It's what they did the second time when she went back that is my main concern.’ By the time she got home from the salon, Destiny’s ear had ‘doubled in size’, her mother claims. Seeing the swelling, she took her daughter to the doctor who gave her antibiotics. This failed to resolve the problem which just got progressively worse. Eventually, . Destiny was admitted to Royal Preston Hospital on March 26 where she . had the wound lanced and stitched up before she was discharged three . days later. Destiny (pictured with mother, Veronica) is now facing a six week recovery period and the possibility of being scarred for life . However, she then had to be readmitted on April 2 and was kept in for six days while she was given antibiotics through a drip. Ms Nickson said: ‘She had it lanced twice and she had surgery on it twice. After that she was on an IV drip of antibiotics. ‘They put two drains in it because the blood was collecting in her ear and the infection had rotted her cartilage. ‘She has actually lost some of that cartilage. She is a pretty girl and it could have a big impact on her life. The surgeon has said it could take up to six weeks to heal.’ Ms Nickson has raised concerns about the treatment her daughter received from the tattoo and piercing studio. However, Danny Kynaston, master body piercer at Beauty Spot, the piercing and tattoo parlour that Destiny visited, said his team carry out hundreds of ear piercings every week without any complaints and had followed stringent guidelines. The salon that pierced Destiny's ear claims it cannot be responsible for an infection that appeared three weeks after the piercing . Mr Kynaston added that if his shop had caused the infection it would have been apparent within 24 hours, not three weeks later. He said: ‘We pierce a lot of people's ears, more people in Lancashire than anyone probably, and this is a first for us. ‘I don't re-use anything, everything isn't cleaned, it's thrown away. ‘The drill goes away and is sterilised at a warehouse. There is no chance of infection. ‘If it was after about 24 hours I might think to myself something has gone wrong here, but three weeks later it's clearly not to do with us.’ He added that in very rare cases people can be allergic to the titanium used in all their piercings. He said: ‘We take it out and put a plastic one in if that's the case. ‘She would have got instructions on how to clean it. We give them free sea salt and instructions on how to use it.’ | Destiny Nickson's ear became infected two weeks after it was pierced .
Returned to the salon to have it cleaned but it swelled dramatically .
GP gave her antibiotics but they did not work and the infection got worse .
Was admitted to hospital twice and had the wound lanced and stitched up .
She also needed IV antibiotics and could now be scarred for life . |
0b99730710242662aed1fe82ab716b433545ea89 | With its 12th-century church, clutch of newsagents and parade of high-street shops, the town of Stevenage, Herts, is a rather unlikely setting for a treasure hunt. But almost everyone here is taking part in a desperate quest for loot, leaving no stone — or sofa cushion — unturned. For today is D-Day: the 180th day since someone in the area bought a winning EuroMillions ticket. The owner of the £2 ticket stands to win almost £64 million — but has until just 11pm tonight to claim their jackpot. Wealthy: The winner of the £64million jackpot would find themselves suddenly richer than Stevenage's most famous sons Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, left, and F1 star Lewis Hamilton . If the ticket isn’t found in time, every penny of the £63,837,543.460 (not to mention the £645,000 interest that the prize money has already accrued) will go to the National Lottery Good Causes fund to be distributed to charities around the country. Should the winning ticket remain elusive, it will represent the largest unclaimed prize in British lottery history. No wonder everyone who has ever bought a Lottery ticket in Stevenage and nearby Hitchin is frantically checking their coat pockets, rifling through their car’s glove compartment and ransacking the kitchen drawers. Posters with ‘Are You Missing £63.8 Million?’ in a big black and yellow font are plastered to shop windows. ‘It’s non-stop,’ says Shilla Sachania, who runs the Chocolate Box news-agent on Stevenage High Street with her husband Umesh. There, more than 1,000 Lottery tickets are sold each week. ‘Everybody’s been checking their ticket to see if they won,’ says Shilla. ‘We’ve had people come in and try to claim with other tickets — all sorts of combinations. ‘There have been tickets dating back months but none with the right combination of numbers. ‘One customer employed a cleaner especially to sweep through her house and see if it was under a sofa anywhere — but it wasn’t. Imagine losing such a valuable ticket!’ Winner: Past Stevenage lottery winners include Sharon Creighton pictured celebrating with her son James at Knebworth House in 2005 . The prize money would allow the winner to buy 339 houses at the average Stevenage price of £190,000 or — should the urge take them — more than two million bottles of champagne. It would also make them a good deal richer than the commuter town’s most glamorous son, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton (who is worth a reported £55 million), and almost three times wealthier than local Harry Potter star Rupert Grint (worth a relatively paltry £24 million). Ever since the winning numbers were announced on June 8, Camelot has been urging locals to find and check any tickets they may have forgotten about or lost. Vans bearing the slogan ‘It Could Be You’ have been driven around town. Leafleteers have been stationed on the High Street. They even erected a giant sofa a few weeks ago to encourage residents to look under their cushions. Theories as to what could have happened to the ticket abound. A popular one is that the owner lost it after a few too many at the local Marquis of Lorne pub. ‘I’ve had punters come in and ask if I’ve seen anything lying around,’ says barman Tony Geary. ‘One guy bought a ticket then went out that night, before going on holiday. When he came back he was moving house and couldn’t find his ticket, so he thought it could be here. But it wasn’t.’ Another theory is that the winner has moved abroad — or even died. Far more likely is that the ticket has simply been misplaced or thrown away by mistake. Camelot deals with countless claims from people who’ve lost their ticket. Most come to nothing. In 2001 Martyn Tott, a purchasing manager from Watford, missed out on a jackpot of £3,011,065 after losing his ticket. Using computer records, he was able to prove the winning ticket was his but Camelot refused to pay out — since the rules state that the winner must have their ticket to claim their fortune. The decision sparked a national furore, with even the then Prime Minister Tony Blair championing Mr Tott’s cause — but all in vain. Despite three lengthy court cases against Camelot he ended up without a penny. Loser: Martyn Tott, from Watford, missed out on a £3million jackpot when he didn't claim a lottery win in time . In 2004, £7 million went unclaimed in Belfast, and in September 2007 a £6.9 million win wasn’t claimed in Devon. So far, the largest unclaimed sum is £9.4 million, on a ticket that was bought in Doncaster in July 2005. Camelot’s Simon Horne says: ‘We all want winners to get their money but there must be a deadline. Otherwise every prize would just go on indefinitely. But this way billions of pounds have gone to good causes over the years — from funding the Olympics through bodies like Sport England to local playgroups and Scout clubs.’ Still, the psychological fallout of a near miss can be devastating. After Mr Tott was denied his millions he plunged into depression, separated from his partner and moved to America, where he joined an evangelical cult. He has since returned and, claiming to have found happiness, written a book about his ordeal. Residents in Stevenage can readily imagine the pain of losing a winning ticket. Marion Johnson, 56, a human resources manager, says: ‘Can you imagine? It would be awful. It’s money that could completely change your life. If that were me, I’d feel sick.’ Not to mention more than a little bit silly. After all, how could anyone misplace a piece of paper that could change their lives so dramatically? ‘They don’t deserve to win if you ask me,’ puffs 75-year-old retired telecoms engineer Don Collins. His wife Sheila agrees. ‘Who plays the Lottery and doesn’t check their ticket?’ she says. Deadline: An unlucky lottery winner stands to lose £64million unless they claim their prize by 11pm . Others are more sympathetic. At the Boys To Men Barbers on the High Street, Craig Chalkright has been searching through his shop after losing a ticket he bought on the same day as the elusive winner. ‘I’ve looked everywhere,’ he says. ‘In the end I called Camelot and told them when and where I bought it. They wrote back to me with a photocopy of my ticket, proving that I had not won anything.’ Of course, the treasure hunt would not be needed if Camelot revealed the precise place where the winning ticket was sold. Purchasing records mean that they can easily identify the shop — but the company’s licence forbids it from making that information public in order to maximise the winner’s chances of anonymity. Retired shop worker Desmond Wales says this is wrong and that Camelot should check CCTV footage in the shop where the ticket was sold. ‘It would save the rest of us a lot of bother,’ he adds. Still not knowing if they sold the ticket, newsagents Shilla and Umesh Sachania have erected a huge mock-up of what the winning ticket would look like. They say: ‘It would be brilliant if someone claimed the money at the last minute. Hopefully they’d share it out. It would be very exciting.’ Very exciting indeed — though with only hours left to track down the ticket, the chances are fast dwindling. But, you never know. Three years ago, a Lottery winner scooped £2.5 million just before the 180-day deadline expired. So, Stevenage, keep rummaging — it could still be you. | An 11pm deadline has been set for the winner of the Euromillions jackpot from June 8 to claim their prize .
The winning ticket was bought in a shop in Stevenage, Hertfordshire . |
0b9c7f0fe93376f9ff3f280fc74e063ce9d07e3c | (CNN) -- An Arkansas woman, who lost her baby last month after coming down with the H1N1 flu virus, has now lost her life. Leslie Creekmore, 29, had been hospitalized for the last month. She was put on a ventilator January 13, before being rushed to a St. Louis hospital a day later. Creekmore spontaneously miscarried on January 16. She was 20 weeks pregnant. "She's gone now, and the universe itself is lesser for the loss," her husband Chris Creekmore said in a post to the Facebook group "Love for Leslie." "I loved her with every iota of my being and beyond, and I have no intention of that changing just because she isn't here with me corporeally." On the advice of their doctor, the couple said they postponed getting a flu shot until after Creekmore's first trimester. The couple did not know that his guidance was counter to federal health recommendations. Creekmore had planned to get a flu shot at a clinic on January 13 -- the same day she was put on a ventilator. CDC recommendation . Any pregnant woman should get a flu shot to protect against serious complications as soon as the yearly vaccine becomes available in her area, advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website flu.gov. Women can receive the flu shot at any point during their pregnancies, regardless of trimester, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports the CDC recommendation that all women get vaccinated if they will be pregnant during the influenza season: "Vaccination early in the season and regardless of gestational age is optimal," ACOG says. No harm has been demonstrated to pregnant women or their babies as a result of the vaccine, the CDC said. The flu vaccine protects against many strains during the season from October to March. Pregnant women who receive the vaccine may still get the flu, but it would likely be a milder illness than otherwise, and severe consequences would be improbable, Gray-Swain said. A national effort to prevent the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu has contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of pregnant women who receive flu vaccines, according to the CDC. Less than 15% of pregnant women received a flu shot before 2009; in the next two seasons, more than half of pregnant women got the vaccine protection. The risks of not getting a flu shot . The flu may increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight, the CDC said. "Pregnancy puts extra stress on your heart and lungs. Pregnancy can also affect your immune system. These factors increase the risk of becoming severely ill due to the flu," according to the CDC website. Life-threatening developments like Creekmore's in flu patients are generally rare but not unheard of, Gray-Swain said. "Pregnant women are five times more likely to end up in the ICU or have severe complications related to the flu than non-pregnant women who get infected with the flu," she said. The flu vaccine that is safe for pregnant woman is in injectable form, and it does not contain the live virus, Gray-Swain said. The nasal spray versions should not be given to pregnant women. If you are pregnant, inform the health care staff administering the vaccine before you receive it. Washing your hands after using the bathroom, touching public surfaces and other activities is also important, she said. Pregnant women can also take a drug called Tamiflu. It is most commonly taken to reduce the length of symptoms, but it is also given to people with high-risk flu exposure as a prevention. | CDC recommends all pregnant women get flu shots .
Doesn't matter what trimester of pregnancy, flu shot is safe .
Woman's husband said she was scheduled to get a flu shot . |
0b9d494b87e805e635a1161408b02ec5be16ae4a | With body beautiful celebrities . adorning the covers of all our favourite magazines, it is no surprise . that we have become a society obsessed with image. And as celebrities become seemingly more slender with every passing day, more of us than ever are turning to liposuction for a helping hand - and that includes celebrities such as Lizzie Cundy and Binky Felstead, who have publicly endorsed new, less invasive forms of fat removal. Now, according to the latest statistics, liposuction has now become the most popular treatment in the world. In demand: According to the latest statistics, liposuction has become the most popular treatment in the world . Figures released this month from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS) reveal that liposuction was the most heavily requested treatment in the world. And it seems that people are so keen to seek out the best possible treatment that they are prepared to travel to find the newest and most effective methods - with London tipped as the best place to come for fat removal. One London clinic has reported a 35 per cent rise in enquiries for their minimally invasive liposuction technique, driven in part by an increase in overseas visitors travelling to the capital for their treatments. In 2012 The Private Clinic on Harley Street experienced a 34.9 per cent increase in enquiries for VASER liposuction and VASER Hi Def – both forms of minimally invasive liposuction – compared to 2011. Famous fans: Made in Chelsea's Binky Felstead had a lipoglaze treatment to target her hips, where she struggled to shift the excess fat . The Private Clinic’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Mike Comins, believes the trend will continue into 2013, saying: 'In the last few months alone I have treated a number of patients who have flown in from countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Italy and the Middle East. 'These patients are willing to travel thousands of miles to London, in the knowledge that they will receive the very latest techniques and technologies, delivered by some of the best practitioners in the industry. 'VASER HI DEF, which involves removing fat from around the underlying musculature and thus producing a more sculpted result, is particularly popular with patients from overseas. Freezing the fat: Former WAG Lizzie Cundy is a big fan of the Lipoglaze treatment which can be done on her lunchbreak . 'The number of experienced practitioners offering VASER Hi Def internationally is, relatively speaking, very low and therefore patients seeking the treatment often have no choice but to travel. 'Of course the fact that treatments . such as this can be delivered by specialist practitioners in London, . makes it even more accessible for these international patients. 'The . internet also means that patients can research clinics and doctors from . all over the world, and are therefore not restricted to the expertise . readily available in their own geographical area.' According . to Dr Comins the type of individual expressing an interest in this form . of specialist liposuction technique has also changed: 'Now I see a far . greater number of men coming in for VASER lipo than ever before. Honed to perfection: 54-year-old Donovan underwent a new type of lipo called VASER so that he could keep up with his 33-year-old girlfriend proving how men are fans too . 'And while some five or so years ago the majority of men I treated were in their thirties, now I’m seeing an increasing number of men in their 50s and 60s who, despite leading active, healthy lifestyles, are unable to maintain the bodies that they had when they were younger. 'For these men, VASER helps to ensure that they can continue to look good later into life and they are willing to travel long distances to be treated.' | Figures from the International Society of Aesthetic .
Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS) reveal liposuction was most heavily .
requested treatment in the world .
Patients flying in from Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Italy and the Middle East .
Rise in men seeking the treatment too, especially those over 50 . |
0b9dd2917a1bcd4a26368c92e845b53cf86f8b65 | Senior NBC executives have met to discuss what to do next about the growing Brian Williams crisis after further examples of his apparent habit of embellishing and exaggerating old stories to make himself look better emerged over the weekend . Williams, who not only hosts NBC Nightly News but is also managing editor of the country’s highest rated newscast, announced on Saturday that he was taking a temporary leave of absence after questions arose over his admission to making false on-air statements that he was in a helicopter hit by a rocket-propelled grenade while in Iraq in 2003. But if Williams hoped that move might take the heat of him, he was sorely mistaken after new reports emerged casting doubts on old claims that he had experienced a similar close call in Israel in 2006 and been robbed at gunpoint in the sleepy New Jersey suburb of Red Bank in the 1970s. NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke held a meeting with NBC News executives at his house on Sunday to discuss what to do next about the growing scandal engulfing news anchor Brian Williams . Former Today show host Katie Couric tweeted on Monday that she had no interest in replacing Williams - despite rumors linking her with his job . With much at stake for parent company NBCUniversal, CEO Steve Burke is reported to have held a meeting with NBC News executives at his house on Sunday to discuss what to do, reports Politico. The network has so far refused to comment on when or whether Williams will return and who will decide his future, although NBC News announced on Friday that an internal investigation had been launched. By Sunday night - and with the scandal not looking like going away anytime soon - the embattled news anchor announced that he was backing out of an appearance on David Letterman's Late Show scheduled for Thursday. Williams had spread the story of his helicopter being under attack during a previous Late Show interview with Letterman in 2013. Former Today show host Katie Couric has been rumored as a possible replacement for Williams, but on Monday she denied any interest in taking over as Nightly News anchor. 'Been out of pocket – any rumors about me and NBC completely untrue. Wishing my friends at my former home the best during this tough time,' she tweeted. In a 2007 interview with Fairfield University Student Television, Williams claims that he was close enough to stare down the barrel of an RPG that had been fired at his helicopter in Iraq in 2003 . Since Williams' initial apology on Wednesday, questions have been raised about several previous claims including that he saw a body or bodies in the Hurricane Katrina floodwaters that hit New Orleans in 2005. His remarks in a 2006 interview drew suspicion because there was relatively little flooding in New Orleans' French Quarter, the area where Williams was staying. On Sunday fresh footage emerged of him lying yet again about the 2003 Iraq war story that has got him into so much hot water days earlier. In a 2007 interview with Fairfield University Student Television Williams repeated his claim that a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at his helicopter before claiming that he had been close enough to stare down the barrel of the weapon. 'I looked down the tube of an RPG that had been fired at us and had hit the chopper in front of ours. And I'm so fortunate to be sitting here,' Williams told his young interviewer prior to a speaking engagement at the campus. During the same interview Williams also recalls a close call in Israel in 2006 when he also claims he was lucky to escape rocket fire, reports Mediaite. 'I've been very lucky to have survived a few things that I've been involved in,' said Williams in 2007. Staying off air: Brian Williams has cancelled an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. He an appearance in 2013 he gave a false account of how a helicopter he was in was hit by an RPG in Iraq . 'The war with Hezbollah in Israel a few years back where there were Katyusha rockets passing just underneath the helicopter I was riding in.' Yet Williams' original report on the July 2006 incident tells a rather less dramatic version of events. It does not reference anything close to rockets passing 'just beneath' his chopper and nor does he make any claims about being lucky to be alive. 'The trails of smoke and dust visible out the window are where Katyusha rockets have landed - in this case in the uninhabited Israeli countryside, and in some cases they have set fire to the surrounding brush. The missiles are unguided and random. And plentiful,' writes Williams. 'Then, I noticed something out the window. From a distance of six miles, I witnessed a rocket launch. A rising trail of smoke, then a second rocket launch, an orange flash and more smoke — as a rocket heads off toward Israel.' But, in the 2007 interview, he told the student: 'I've been very, very lucky the way my life has turned out.' Another old story often repeated by Williams about his bravery growing up in a quiet New Jersey suburb is being questioned by local residents in the light of his admission that he lied about taking enemy fire in Iraq. An old story often repeated by Brian Williams about his bravery growing up in the quiet New Jersey suburb of Red Bank, pictured, is being questioned after he admitted lying about his bravery in Iraq . Williams, pictured as a high school senior in the 1970s, when he claimed he was mugged at gunpoint . Local residents in the sleepy New Jersey suburb of Red Bank are questioning the credibility of a story Williams told Esquire magazine in 2005 about being mugged at gunpoint during the 1970s. Williams recalls being left 'looking up at a thug's snub-nosed .38 while selling Christmas trees out of the back of a truck.' According to his story he was trying to help a local church when the thief grabbed his money. 'That wasn't a bad job, until a guy came up and stuck a .38-caliber pistol in my face and made me hand over all the money. Merry Christmas, right? Of course, I suddenly appreciated the other jobs I thought I hated,' Williams recalled when he told New Jersey Monthly in 2008. But several longtime Red Bank residents aren't convinced by Williams' claims. 'I would highly doubt he's telling the truth,' Danny Murphy told the New York Post. 'I find it hard to believe anyone was held up in this area in the '70s. It was very safe,' said Murphy who owned a restaurant just a few blocks from where Williams claims he was accosted. The Post spoke to several residents who recall the area being so safe at the time that kids could walk around alone at night on their own. 'It was never dangerous here,' said Yolanda DeMaria, 93. 'It was a very peaceful town, a lovely town. It was a small town with a dress shop and a five-and-dime. No one locked their cars.' Another local resident also found Williams' claims difficult to take seriously. 'Don't listen to Brian Williams,' said Les Carbone, 85. 'He's going to tell you a lot of things. I doubt he was robbed at gunpoint. I was born in Red Bank, there were no crimes like that. Tell Brian Williams to stop lying.' In a memo on Saturday to NBC News staff, that was released by the network, the anchorman had said that it had become 'painfully apparent' that he has become a distracting news story. Williams announced that was taking himself off the broadcast for several days with weekend anchor Lester Holt set to fill in. 'Made a mistake recalling': Williams, shown left in Iraq and right in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, has found his claims met with scrutiny . A source told the DailyMail.com Williams will not be involved in any of the day-to-day editing of the program during his absence. It has been repeatedly reported that NBC executives were warned a year ago about Williams constantly inflating his biography. The New York Times reports that it had got to the point where it was a joke in the news division but 'there was no one around to pull his chain when he got too over-the-top'. NBC News refused to comment Saturday on when or whether Williams would return and who would decide his future. Williams, however, said he would be back. 'In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions,' Williams said in his memo. 'Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us,' he wrote. There was no indication by Williams, who has anchored NBC Nightly News since 2004, that an absence was forthcoming during his newscast on Friday. He signed off as he usually does, saying he hoped people would be back to see him on Monday. Holt did mention Williams' leave in Saturday's newscast. 'A word tonight about our colleague Brian Williams, who you may know has been under scrutiny this past week over his recollection of certain stories he's covered,' Holt said before reading Williams' memo to viewers. Nightly News has reigned as the top-rated evening newscast over its competition on CBS and ABC. Williams' importance to NBC News goes beyond his anchor status, said Al Tompkins, a faculty member for broadcast and online at The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank. 'He sets the tone of the network. It may not be as critical as when (Walter) Cronkite was CBS' anchor, in every way, but he is more than a face,' he said. Williams' absence itself is a delicate challenge, according to Tompkins. 'He can't be gone long. The timing will be critical - too short and it won't seem like he has taken himself out of the game long enough, and too long and he looks like damaged goods,' he said. | Nightly News anchor Brian Williams is engulfed in a growing scandal after he admitted to lying about a 2003 Iraq war story .
NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke held a meeting with NBC News executives on Sunday to discuss what to do next .
The network has so far refused to comment on when or whether Williams will return and who will decide his future .
The embattled anchor has backed out of an appearance on David Letterman's Late Show scheduled for Thursday .
Over the weekend a series of examples emerged which appear to show a pattern of Williams embellishing and exaggerating old stories .
Former Today show host Katie Couric tweeted on Monday that she had no interest in replacing Williams - despite rumors linking her with his job . |
0b9ee32bf6dc6c0cc26dde429734792ceb11ef96 | By . Gavin Mccafferty . Promoter Eddie Hearn is considering putting Ricky Burns into a high-profile domestic fight away from Scotland after attempts to get him back in the world-title mix backfired spectacularly. Burns was floored within 30 seconds of his comeback from losing his WBO lightweight belt before suffering a points loss to Montenegrin Dejan Zlaticanin in an official WBC eliminator. The 31-year-old looked shaken after getting up from the early left-hook counter and Zlaticanin dominated the early stages, putting Burns under pressure with some intense flurries. Floored plan: Ricky Burns is knocked down by Dejan Zlaticanin in Glasgow . On the hook! Ricky Burns is given a count after being knocked down in the first 30 seconds . The Coatbridge fighter steadied himself and looked better in the latter stages but diminutive southpaw Zlaticanin, fighting outside the Balkans for the first time, continued to cause him problems with his left hook and consistently threw the more dangerous punches before winning a split decision. However, his victory looked clear-cut to most inside Glasgow's Braehead Arena and left Burns facing an ongoing struggle to rediscover the form that made him a two-weight world champion. The counter left that the unbeaten Zlaticanin found such joy with had been utilised to good effect by Raymundo Beltran when he broke Burns' jaw in the Scot's last successful, but highly contentious, defence of his title, and in a skilful display by Terence Crawford that ended his long reign as world champion. Hearn said: 'Probably take the first four rounds away, I thought he won the fight quite comfortably, but it's the same mistakes, throwing hooks with your chin in the air and getting caught by a hooker. It was a nightmare start. 'I think we need to take him away from Scotland for his next fight, because every time he fights there is so much pressure and expectation. He is going to have a holiday and see how he feels but I can't see him quitting in a million years because he loves to fight. It's not as if he's an old man, he is physically fit and loves to fight. 'He trains harder than anyone else down the gym, his sparring is better than anyone else, but he is not delivering it in the ring. I don't know what it is. It's not desire, he still has the desire.' Same mistakes! Ricky Burns left his chin exposed to his opponent's hook . Change of venue: The British boxer could now look for a domestic fight outside of Scotland . Hearn will now look to set up an all-British fight to see if Burns can recapture his form, with the likes of Tommy Coyle, Anthony Crolla, Derry Matthews and possibly Kevin Mitchell all potential opponents. 'I don't believe Zlaticanin will go on to win a world title,' he said. 'If you can't beat him, you are not going to go on and win a world title. 'His next fight will have to be a tough domestic fight. You have to win that and then have another fight like Zlaticanin to get in the world title mix. 'This was about winning back the confidence of the people and Ricky Burns but we have taken another step back. 'But Ricky was sitting in the dressing room saying he feels he has let people down and needs to get back into the gym and improve. He was crying his eyes out.' Disappointment: Ricky Burns felt like he let people down after this latest loss . There was plenty to cheer for the home crowd earlier in the bill with Willie Limond winning a Lonsdale at the third time of asking by beating Curtis Woodhouse in a convincing points victory. The 35-year-old Commonwealth champion, whose previous attempts ended in defeat by Alex Arthur and Crolla, twice put the spirited Woodhouse on the deck with upper-cuts and boxed skilfully throughout despite the defending champion's brave comeback bid. Hearn could now fix the Glaswegian up for a shot at Italian Michele di Rocco's European belt.Edinburgh's Stephen Simmons won his grudge match with Wadi Camacho with a 10th-round stoppage following a close affair for the WBC Silver International cruiserweight belt. | Ricky Burns was beaten by Dejan Zlaticanin in Glasgow .
British boxer could now look for a fight outside of Scotland .
Scot was knocked to the canvass after only 30 seconds .
Burns again left himself exposed to the counter left hook - exploited by Raymundo Beltran and Terrence Crawford in his last fights . |
0b9f9af81a6565ee5408f03564a70e8cf4da5a18 | Arsenal have released a sneak peak of Aaron Ramsey modelling their new training kit ahead of the release of their new strips. The launch for their new kits for the upcoming 2014-15 season is set to take place this Thursday. The Gunners' kits are set to be produced . by Puma for the first time, after their 20-year partnership with Nike . came to an end this summer. New look: Aaron Ramsey poses in Arsenal's new training kit ahead of the release on Thursday . Ready for action: Arsenal's Spanish pair Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta appear in the trailer . Leap forward: The tag signifying Arsenal's new partnership with Puma . Winner: Ramsey clutches the trophy following FA Cup victory in May . In the buildup to the release, Arsenal released some teaser footage last week of their new shirts, with a trailer featuring the likes of Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud. Arsenal will be hoping that a change of manufacturer won't bring them a change in luck after their FA Cup victory in May brought a nine-year barren trophy run to an end. The club have lost right-back Bacary Sagna to rivals Manchester City this summer, but are still hopeful of adding a few new faces before the start of the season. | Aaron Ramsey in Twitter snap of new Arsenal training kit .
2014/15 strips set to be launched on Thursday 10 July . |
0b9fe18e86bec24f58b35d1a70c99d78ff821b1e | By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 19:50 EST, 18 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:50 EST, 18 June 2013 . Lord Steel, who introduced the 1967 Bill which legalised the practice, said it was 'thoroughly undesirable' that 36 per cent of terminations are now to those who have already had at least abortion . The father of the Abortion Act has spoken out to warn of the growing ‘problem’ of women having repeat terminations as an alternative to contraception. Lord Steel, who introduced the 1967 Bill which legalised the practice, said it was ‘thoroughly undesirable’ that 36 per cent of terminations are now to those who have already had at least one abortion. In a dramatic intervention, he said it was ‘never the purpose’ of his historic reform that tens of thousands of women would use abortion as a ‘form of contraception’. The indication that the former Liberal leader, who brought forward his Bill when he was a young backbencher, now believes his legislation has gone too far seems set to reignite the debate over abortion. Latest figures show that in 2011, there were 189,931 abortions, of which no fewer than 68,105 were on women who had already had a foetus terminated - a proportion of 36 per cent. This compares to 64,303 repeat terminations the year before - a proportion of 34 per cent. Repeat abortions cost the cash-strapped NHS almost £1million every single week. Lord Steel made his comments in the Lords last week during a question-and-answer session on abortion with health minister Earl Howe. He asked the minister: ‘Will he confirm that there has been a welcome drop in the total number of abortions recently, but that there is still a problem of what are called repeat abortions, where women present who are clearly using abortion as a form of contraception, which is thoroughly undesirable?’ Earl Howe replied: ‘The abortion rate across England and Wales has been static since 2009. The good news is that the abortion rate for women under 18 has gone down. There was a 9.6 per cent decrease in the rate between 2010 and 2011. ‘On repeat abortions, the news is not so good. The proportion of repeat abortions for women who had abortions in 2011 was 36 per cent. The figure was higher than it had been the previous year, which is a matter for concern.’ Latest figures show that in 2011, there were 189,931 abortions, of which no fewer than 68,105 were on women who had already had a foetus terminated - a proportion of 36 per cent . The 2011 figures on repeat abortions show that many women are going back time and time again for terminations - a sign, according to Lord Steel, that they are being used as a form of contraception. Some 17,241 women were on at least their third abortion; 434 were on at least their sixth and - astoundingly - 76 were on at least their eighth. Speaking later to the Daily Mail, Lord Steel said: ‘It is odd that so many women present for repeat abortions, some more than twice, which does suggest they are treating abortion as contraception.‘This was never the purpose of the 1967 reform.’ Josephine Quintavalle, of the Pro-Life Alliance, said: ‘David Steel needs to face the reality of the provision of abortion in this country, that it is not just being provided for women in dramatic need but is available on demand. ‘It was verging on the ingenuous of him to imagine when he brought forward his legislation in 1967 that abortion wouldn’t end up being available on demand. The 2011 figures on repeat abortions show that many women are going back time and time again for terminations - a sign, according to Lord Steel, that they are being used as a form of contraception . ‘The trouble is that many people think there is nothing wrong with repeat abortions. They say: abortion is either right or wrong, so if you can have one you should be able to have as many as you can ask for.’ Ann Furedi, chief executive of abortion provider BPAS, said: ‘It is unfair to women and wrong for politicians to assume that women can live a modern life and not have the option of accessing abortion services. ‘Too many politicians - particularly as they get older- forget that abortion is a part of life. ‘ . She said repeat terminations happen because ‘Women in their teens and their 20s are often very fertile and find it difficult to manage their fertility by contraception alone’. ‘Women are not using abortion simply as another method of birth control,’ she said. ‘What is happening is that contraception fails, or sometimes we fail to use it properly. ‘When abortion is legal and easily available, it is not surprising if women use it - and that is not a bad thing.’ | 36% of abortions are to those who have already had one procedure .
Lord Steel said it was 'thoroughly undesirable' and 'never purpose' of act .
Latest figures show that in 2011, there .
were 189,931 abortions .
68,105 were on women who .
had already had a foetus terminated . |
0ba09602e5b5b478b965283b94652a463de22779 | (CNN) -- It was a quiet Sunday morning in Johannesburg and I was photographing people who were registering to vote. It was my third day in South Africa and I was wondering if I'd made a mistake, hopping on a plane and flying for over 20 hours to document a struggle that I had made my struggle since I was 10 years old, growing up in Detroit. Then the serenity of the scene was pierced by a thunderous noise and a succession of pops that I thought were gunshots. I ran for cover behind an open van door. I looked up and realized that a bomb had exploded. I paused in fear, then touched the small cross that my grandmother had placed on me before I left the States, clutched my camera tightly and ran towards the bomb -- as if I'd been doing that all my life. On that Sunday morning, the struggles for freedom in South Africa became all too real to me. As an only child raised by a single mother in the inner city of Detroit, I was fascinated with South Africa, her racial divide and her struggles. I was in middle school when I first really understood what apartheid in South Africa meant. Black children, just like me, being beaten and segregated by the ruling government. The cruelty. The injustice. It just wasn't fair. So, I couldn't imagine that years later I'd be standing next to and ultimately spend significant time with the hero of that struggle, Nelson Mandela. As a photojournalist, I've had the privilege of covering Mandela nearly a half dozen times over the past two-and-a-half decades. I was there when he was elected in 1994. And when he was inaugurated a few days later. I watched as he raised his hand and took the oath, rising from prisoner to president. I was with him for his retirement in 1999 and his 90th birthday celebration at his tribal home in Qunu in 2008. Related: 91 world leaders head to South Africa to honor titan . There will never be another like Nelson Mandela. I'm so grateful to have met and briefly gotten to know him through my lens. I first covered Mandela in 1990 right after his release from prison, when he visited Detroit where he was honored and received his UAW union card at the Ford factory. He was honored for his work with and support for organized labor. On his visit I was at once touched by how amazingly pleasant he was after having been imprisoned for 27 years. There wasn't even a hint of the bitterness or anger. His calmness puzzled me. I understood clearly that he had struggled through great oppression, but how could he have emerged so at peace? How could anyone endure such pain and forgive his enemies? It was 1997, three years after I witnessed Mandela become President of South Africa. I had decided to attend Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration, but wasn't sure what angle I was going to take. While journalists and everyone else were obviously there for Clinton, I found out "Madiba" -- a term of endearment for Mandela -- was going to be there. I said to myself, "That's who I'm interested in." As I wrestled through the logistics and security, I was told by someone at the door, "Not only will you not get a photograph of him, you won't be able to get in a room with him." In a moment of self-doubt, I believed that. Then I remembered his own struggle, what he went through. In that moment I determined I would not -- I COULD NOT -- be deterred. Well, I not only got in a room with Mandela -- thanks to the encouragement of a man named Floyd who worked in Rep. John Conyers' office -- I photographed him and was able to talk with him. After I was initially turned away, it was Floyd who told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. I have always been believed that you have to act like you belong, so with that in my mind and the extra encouragement, I managed to talk my way into the room. I explained to President Mandela that I had been selected to be in the motorcade when he was in Detroit a few years earlier, and that I was honored then, as now, to photograph him. I don't remember what he said, His lips moved but I probably couldn't hear him over the loud beating of my heart. I do remember he smiled. That smile. Although my heart was fluttering, I was able to stand right in front of Nelson Mandela as he smiled and patiently waited for me to take the picture. I didn't just photograph him; he graciously let me take pictures with him. The last time I photographed Mandela was at his home in Qunu, for his 90th birthday celebration. During the party, there was a special moment for me when I just waved at him and he smiled at me. I couldn't believe it. The way he smiled, I was in awe. He was so gracious, so down to earth, so real, that there was no logical reason for me to feel awestruck. Nelson Mandela comes into the world only once. He was someone who not only wanted peace, but lived his life full of love, so much so he was able to forgive his enemies and strive for unity. When you were in his presence, he gifted you with his genuine smile and strong spirit; he generated a sense of calm serenity. It was as if he knew something the rest of us did not, and clearly, he did. In my eye -- and in my lens -- his is the standard for leadership based in love. I look at things differently because of him. The experience of being exposed to Nelson Mandela has made this little girl from Detroit grow into an unapologetic, world-travelled woman, inspired to remain fearless in the face of adversity. Madiba changed my life, my world and how I see it. Forever. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Monica Morgan. | Monica Morgan first photographed Nelson Mandela during his visit to the U.S. in 1990 .
She was first introduced to the injustices of South Africa as a child in Detroit .
Morgan: 'There will never be another like Nelson Mandela' |
0ba1836a6018ac7227144bca8b17b4258bfb2c59 | By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 08:12 EST, 21 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:02 EST, 21 March 2013 . He's famous for his bold and rather outrageous designs but this could just well be Henry Holland's most outlandish creation yet. Created for the opening ceremony of Leeds' newest shopping centre, Trinity Leeds, Holland's record-breakingly lengthy dress is a whopping 15 metres long - the equivalent of three double decker buses - and 480 square metres wide. Th world's longest designer dress was modelled for the occasion by aerial acrobat and former Cirque Du Soleil principle artist, Colette Morrow. Scroll down for video . Impressive: The ultra long polka dot gown rises slowly from its box during a test run at Leeds Trinity Centre . Creator: The dress was designed by Henry Holland (left) and modelled by Cirque du Soleil's Colette Morrow . Thousands of shoppers watched on in awe as the larger than life dress emerged from a giant gift box in the shopping mall's central atrium. Rising to the top of the beautiful domed roof and filling the space beneath it with layers of silk, Manchester-born Holland's yellow and pink polka dot creation was embellished with thousands of glittering Swarovski crystals. Holland said: 'Curating the launch ceremony for Trinity Leeds gave me the opportunity to celebrate fashion in a totally unique way. 'I was challenged to deliver a spectacular show that would excite Leeds shoppers and propel Trinity Leeds into the fashion spotlight. Spectacular: The amazingly long dress wowed the crowds who attended the launch of Trinity Leeds . 'It has been an immensely rewarding project to work on and it has been great to hear the reaction from the public and see it all come to life on opening day.' David Laycock, Trinity Leeds Centre Director, said: 'We wanted to create a memorable opening spectacle for the launch of Trinity Leeds, something which celebrated fashion and shopping in a unique way to showcase what Trinity Leeds and the city itself has to offer. 'After years of hard work, we're thrilled to be open to the public and canít wait to offer visitors to Trinity Leeds something new and exciting every time they visit.' Packed: Crowds thronged Trinity Leeds to see the dress unveiled by designer Henry Holland . | The dress is 15 metres long - the equivalent of three double decker buses .
Model for the night was Cirque du Soleil principle artist, Colette Morrow .
The dress was created for the opening ceremony of new mall, Trinity Leeds . |
0ba1b315763294c4107e0455f9652b8017f6ec7b | By . Reuters Reporter and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:54 EST, 22 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:39 EST, 22 March 2012 . Asians are the fastest growing race group in the United States, reflecting a surge in immigration from the entire region over a decade, according to the Census Bureau. Data from the 2010 Census shows that the number of people who identified themselves as Asian alone, and not mixed race, grew by 43.3 per cent from a decade earlier. That was more than four times faster than the rate of growth for the overall U.S. population, which grew 9.7 per cent in the same period to 308,745,538. Breaking it down: The circles on each state in the map above provide a visual to show how many Asians are in each state relative to one another. The colors show the country of origin of the majority of the Asians in the given state. Hmong, the pink shading, is an ethnic group that exists in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Some 14.7 million people- the equivalent of 4.8 per cent of the country’s total population- identified themselves as Asian alone. Another 2.6 million, or 0.9 per cent, said they were Asian in combination with another race group, most commonly white. In spite of the documented growth, Asians still don't make the top three biggest ethnic groups in America: whites are first with 72.4 per cent, then Latinos with 16.3 per cent and African Americans are third with 5.6 per cent. ‘Net international migration is the biggest component of the change in the Asian population,’ said Elizabeth Hoeffel, a Census Bureau spokesman. Breakdown by self-identification: The pie charts shows how people defined themselves when asked to explain their origin by the 2010 Census (right) and how that changed since 2000 (left) For statistical purposes, the United . States defines an Asian as someone ‘having origins in any of the . original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian . subcontinent.’ Those who identified themselves as either Asian alone or Asian mixed with another race grew by at least 30 per cent in all states except Hawaii, where they already made up a majority of the population. Across the board, every state had an increase in growth of their Asian population. States with the fastest rate of Asian growth were Nevada (116 per cent), Arizona (95 per cent) and North Carolina (85 per cent). New York had the biggest Asian population with 1.1 million, followed by Los Angeles (484,000) and San Jose, California (327,000). A map provided by the Census Bureau shows that while Asians from different home countries have spread throughout the country, it also shows that they tend to move to states near one another. The fact that Asian Indians tending toward the south and Filipinos gravitating towards the West coast is not surprising as it is comforting to be in an area with a large community of your peers. The only home country whose descendants spread in a seemingly random manner was that of the Chinese; New York has by far the largest population of the ethnic group, but then their only other appearances are in Oregon, North Dakota, Utah and Colorado. A larger minority: Asians now rank as the fourth highest ethnic group in the U.S. The types of jobs available in . certain regions are thought to be one of the most significant . explanations for the continued growth of Asian populations in areas like . San Francisco and Silicon Valley. 'There . is a constant need for highly skilled workers here, and you have . excellent universities with high-tech concentrations in India and China . that feed that,' said David Lee, the San Francisco Census steering . committee chair. 'There . are also needs in the pharmaceutical, biotech and health industries . that fuel Asian immigration, much in the same way the agricultural . industry fuels Latino immigration,' he told The San Francisco Chronicle. The quality of education is also a factor, as Asians are one of the best-educated ethnic groups. 'There definitely is a connection Asian people have to education and raising your children well - just as all Americans strive for,' Mr Lee said. Chinese was the largest of all Asian groups (four million, including 700,000 who identified as mixed race), followed by Filipinos (3.4 million) and Asian Indians (3.2 million). TOTAL number of Asians in America: 17,320,856American population overall: 311,591,917Asian Indian: 3,183,063 Largely concentrated in the Southeast section of the country, Asian Indians have become much more visible in American politics in recent years. The governors from both South Carolina and Louisiana are of Indian descent. Aside from the south, there are also large Indian populations in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.Chinese: 4,010,114The largest population of Asians of Chinese descent is unsurprisingly in New York, as New York City alone is home to 445,145 Chinese. The city's Chinatown district is said to be the oldest enclave of chinese outside of mainland China and it dates back to the 1840s. Filipino: 3,416,840The Census map shows that the Filipino population is largely concentrated in the West coast. Tellingly, Los Angeles County has more Filipinos than any other place int the country. Daly City, however, in the San Francisco Bay area, holds the title for the largest number of Filipinos in one city, Hmong: 260,073Hmong is an ethnic group tat comes from the mountainous regions throughout Vietnam, China, Laos, and Thailand. Their origin dates back 2,000 years and started in China but began to migrate south in the 18th century because of political instability. America has the largest population of Hmong people outside of Asia, and even beats out Thailand for the title. Vietnamese: 1,737,433Concentrated in the center of the country and the gulf coast, the states with the most significant Vietnamese populations are Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Immigration from the south Asian country spiked dramatically in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War, though the immigrants faced harsh, poor conditions on their arrival. | Number of people who identified as Asian and not a combination of ethnicities went up by 43.3 per cent from 2000 to 2010 .
Asians now make up the fourth largest minority in the U.S.
Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina had the fastest growth rates . |
0ba26233b57869c94dfd8ed90ae8770c312eebc2 | By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 03:27 EST, 6 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:46 EST, 6 June 2013 . An NYPD officer shot dead his wife and then took his own life in the Queen's area of New York last night . An off-duty policeman shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in Queens, New York, last night. Police said the 33-year-old officer chased his wife outside their home in the St Albans area and shot her dead in front of a neighbor's house. He is said to have used a shotgun to shoot her four times at around before shooting himself dead. The officer's 46-year-old wife, who also worked for the NYPD as a school safety agent, was said to be wearing her work uniform at the time of the shooting. She was rushed to Queens General Hospital but died shortly afterwards. Her husband was found inside the couple's home by police shortly afterwards, reportedly with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The area was cordoned off last night as police and forensics investigators worked to piece together what had happened. A neighbor told CBS New York: 'I just heard, like, about four big booms, and I went to the back and I didn’t see anything, and about 10 minutes later, I saw about four police trucks come in, and she said she heard smoke – this is my friend just coming back to the store. She said she smelled smoke, and she heard big, four booms.' Police recovered a gun but said that it was not the police officer's standard issue weapon and that they are not sure where the firearm came from. According to the New York Post, he had his police issue weapon confiscated following a previous domestic incident. The couple's eight-year-old son, who has not been named, was found unhurt at a relative's house. The alleged murder-suicide happened in the St Albans area of Queens in New York (file picture) | Policeman 'chased his wife and shot her outside a neighbour's house'
His 46-year-old wife was wearing her NYPD school safety agent uniform .
Her husband, 33, was later found dead at the couple's Queens home . |
0ba4f735a2b69bfb1a75f3d0c51143ff4b9d0f77 | The scene was somber, sullen and mostly silent outside the Turkish coal mine. But every so often, the grief came out loud and clear. "Enough for the life for me!" yelled one woman -- her arms flailing, tears running down her cheeks -- according to video from Turkish broadcaster DHA. "Let this mine take my life, too!" As she was pulled away, she added, "Enough is enough." Sadly, the torment for her and many others isn't over. Yes, rescuers did save at least 88 miners in the frantic moments after a power transformer blew up Tuesday during shift change at the mine in the western Turkish city of Soma, sparking a choking fire deep inside. But another 274 are known dead, according to Turkey's Natural Disaster and Emergency Coordination Directorate. Those who underwent autopsies died of carbon monoxide poisoning, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said. There is every expectation that number will grow. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday as many as 120 more were trapped inside the mine, though that was before rescue crews grimly hurried a series of stretchers -- at least some clearly carrying corpses -- past the waiting crowd. As helicopters buzzed overheard and flags flew at half-staff, police and rescue workers were everywhere on the scene Wednesday night. But for most, there was precious little they could do. The smoke rose from openings in the ground showed the continuing dangers both to those trapped and anyone who dared try to get them. Rescue volunteer Mustafa Gursoy told the CNN team at the mine that conditions inside the mine were abominable -- hot, smoky and filled with carbon monoxide. Authorities worked to pump in good air into the mine, so they could get in. However, as Davitt McAteer, a former top U.S. mine safety official points out, sending in oxygen likely would "increase the likelihood that the fire would grow and continue to put those miners at risk." These stiff challenges notwithstanding, rescuers haven't given up hope that some miners reached emergency chambers stocked with gas masks and air. "If they could reach those emergency rooms and reach their gas masks and close the doors and protect those emergency areas from the poison gas, then they could survive," Gursoy said. "It's possible. We are ready for anything." But Yildiz, speaking earlier, said "hopes are diminishing" of rescuing anyone yet inside the mine. Veysel Sengul has already given up. The miner knew that four of his friends -- at least -- are dead. "It's too late," said Sengul. "There's no more hope." Political fallout . The trauma from what already looks like the worst mine disaster in Turkish history has left Soma and the rest of Turkey in shock and, in some cases, in anger. The latest death toll already tops a mining accident in the 1990s that took 260 lives. Even as officials in the United States and elsewhere offered their condolences to his people, Erdogan found himself on the defensive. Opposition politician Ozgur Ozel from the Manisa region had filed a proposal in late April to investigate Turkish mines after repeated deadly accidents. In some incidents three people died, in others, five, said opposition spokesman Aykut Erdogdu. And Ozel wanted to get to the bottom of the deaths. Several dozen members of opposition parties signed on to his proposal, but the conservative government overturned it. Some of its members publicly lampooned it, he said. Erdogan questioned Ozel's version, and said the mine had passed safety inspections as recently as March. The mine, owned by SOMA Komur Isletmeleri A.S., underwent regular inspections in the past three years, two of them this March, Turkey's government said. Inspectors reported no violation of health and safety laws. The company has taken down its regular website and replaced it with a single Web page in all black containing a message of condolence. Not everyone in Soma, at least, has sided with Erdogan, who canceled a trip to Albania to tour the rescue effort and speak to relatives of dead and injured miners. He was met by a chorus of jeers as well as chants of "Resign Prime Minister!" while walking through the city Wednesday, according to DHA video. Video from that network, social media messages and pictures posted to Twitter showed hundreds participating in anti-government protests in Istanbul and Ankara, with police answering in some cases with water cannons and tear gas. While not focused on mine safety, such demonstrations railing against Erdogan and his government have been commonplace in Turkey in recent months, as has the police responding with water cannons and tear gas. In the nation's capital of Ankara, some called for silent demonstration to "stand for humanity." Others left black coffins in front of the Energy Ministry and the Labor and Social Security ministry buildings. That grim symbol speaks to the sadness permeating Turkey, whatever one's political bent. For Sengul, the miner waiting by the tunnel entrance for more of his friends to emerge, the mourning may go on much longer than the three days ordered by Erdogan. After what's happened, he said, he'll never work in a mine again. 2 West Virginia coal miners killed . | Protesters lay symbolic coffins at government buildings, rail against Erdogan .
274 are confirmed dead after an explosion, fire inside a mine in western Turkey .
88 workers made it out of the mine; dozens may be trapped .
Miner says there's "no hope" that anyone else is still alive . |
0ba5e2555d7ab0caf8666b08a85a21b8df383a42 | By . Leon Watson and Liz Hull . PUBLISHED: . 04:30 EST, 18 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:12 EST, 19 April 2013 . One of the leading campaigners in the fight for justice for the Hillsborough victims has died aged 62. Anne Williams, whose 15-year-old son Kevin was one of the 96 Liverpool fans who perished in the 1989 tragedy, had been suffering from cancer. It was her 24-year fight to get her son’s inquest verdict of accidental death overturned that is credited with leading to fresh hearings for those who died. Campaign: Anne Williams helped fight for justice over the Hillsborough disaster, which killed her son Kevin . Long-running battle: Anne Williams in 1999 when she published her book about the Hillsborough disaster . Tireless campaigner: Mrs Williams with Lord Justice Stuart Smith on the steps of the Maritime Museum in Liverpool . She established from witnesses at the Sheffield stadium that – despite the coroner’s assertion that all fans were dead by 3.15pm – Kevin was still alive and could have been saved. She appealed to three different attorney generals for a new inquest, only to be rebuffed. Her case was also rejected by the European Court of Human Rights. But a breakthrough came in September following the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report. The tireless campaigner defied doctors' expectations to . attend what was her last public appearance at the Hillsborough memorial . service at Anfield on Monday. She was diagnosed with terminal . cancer in October, but despite her ill-health she carried on her . campaign and attended a hearing at London's Royal Courts of Justice in . December when the original inquest verdicts were quashed. Fight for justice: Hillsborough victim Kevin Williams pictured at home reading a comic . Forever grateful: Fans and fellow campaigners have long held Anne Williams in the highest regard . Liverpool FC paid tribute to her, saying: '[Her appearance on Monday] was an act so typical of a mum who simply refused to accept defeat. Speaking after the historic hearing, . which she attended in a wheelchair, she thanked Attorney General Dominic . Grieve for being 'a man of his word' in pushing for the new inquests. She said: 'I am glad we never gave up. It has been hard, but we wouldn't have been here today. 'I'd like a corporate manslaughter . verdict in the inquest, it's the least for what they have done. God . willing, I will be here, it has been a long wait to see justice. I am so . glad I could be here today to hear it for myself.' Referring to the cover-up that . shifted blame away from the authorities and on to the victims, she said: . 'I can't forgive them the extremes they went to. Why didn't they just . give us the truth?' In a statement on the Liverpool website, the club paid tribute to her. They wrote: '[Her appearance on Monday] was an act so typical of a mum who simply refused to accept defeat. Tributes: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers laid a single red rose at the Hillsborough Eternal Flame shrine outside Anfield on Monday . Red and blue: Brendan Rodgers sat next to Everton manager David Moyes . Old and new: The current Liverpool playing staff joined club legends to mark the 24th anniversary . 'Anne may not have survived to see . ultimate justice for her son but her actions have played a significant . part in ensuring that 96 families have moved closer to Hillsborough . closure.' The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, said: ‘Anne was a woman of remarkable courage and determination. She had a strength and an energy that flowed from her love for Kevin. She will go down in history as one of the key people who brought to light the truth of the tragedy.’ Maria Eagle, MP for Liverpool Garston and Halewood, tweeted: 'So very sorry to hear about Anne Williams. She was an incredible inspirational woman. £RIP.' Tom Watson MP tweeted: 'Goodbye Anne. You were loved.' They'll never walk alone: A banner in honour of the Hillsborough victims at Anfield . Never forgotten: Three-year-old Liverpool fan Millie Morris leaves her tribute to the Hillsborough victims outside Anfield . As recently as Monday, Sheila Coleman, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, paid tribute to Mrs Williams in the Liverpool Echo. She said: 'We applaud Anne's tenacity . to draw on whatever reserves she has left to be here today - she is . quite simply an inspiration.' Other friends and well-wishers took . to Twitter to pay tribute to the campaigner who seemed to embody the . spirit of the families who fought for justice for almost 25 years. Paul Mac wrote: 'Deepest sympathy to . Anne's family a truly truly lovely woman and your with Kevin now Anne. We will never forget you x.' A day to remember: Fans have been visiting the Eternal Flame shrine at Anfield to leave floral tributes or have a moments' contemplation . With love: A message from the Hillsborough Family Support Group . Never forgotten: Some of the names of those who perished in Britain's worst stadium disaster . Pp Corke said: 'A truly insperation . Anne Williams. Every decent person on this planet has love and respect . for long hard fight you fought Anne. Your with your Kevin now. Rest . Anne. You av earned it. Lovely lady.' Steve Monahan added: 'R.I.P Anne . Williams. What a true fighter and a wonderful woman. What she has had to . endure for the last 24 years is a disgrace and it should never have . been this long. 'But in the face of adversity she . remained dignified and never gave up hope. If I'm half the parent she . was when I have children I'll be doing well.YNWAx'. Mrs Williams was an early chairman of . the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and later independently established . Hope For Hillsborough (For Justice) in an effort to secure a fresh . inquest into her son's death. She leaves behind two children, son Michael, 41, and daughter Sara ,33, and three grandchildren. Tragedy: 96 fans perished during the FA Cup match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough . It was her fight to get her son's . inquest verdict of accidental death overturned that is credited with . leading to fresh hearings for all 96 supporters who died . | Mrs Williams fought to get her son's inquest verdict overturned .
Her battle credited with leading to new hearings for 96 fans who died . |
0ba64928a058672b8a39bd4a3b7b66ef3bac81d7 | Los Angeles police are investigating a sexual assault claim against Bill Cosby, a police spokeswoman said Friday. The woman is a "possible victim" of sexual assault by Bill Cosby, Officer Jane Kim said, adding it is an open case but declining further comment. Cosby is coming under increasing scrutiny as more and more women accuse him of sexual misconduct. At least 21 women have made claims against him in recent weeks. The 77-year-old comedian and actor has vehemently denied most of the accusations that he drugged and sexually assaulted young women. He has never been charged with a crime. One of the latest accusations comes from former Playboy bunny P.J. Masten, who says there are 12 more ex-bunnies with similar stories who don't want to come forward. Masten told CNN's Alisyn Camerota that Cosby drugged and raped her at a Chicago hotel. She said she told her supervisor soon afterward and was told no one would believe her because Cosby and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner were good friends. Hefner responded to the allegations in a statement Friday, saying "Bill Cosby has been a good friend for many years and the mere thought of these allegations is truly saddening. I would never tolerate this kind of behavior, regardless of who was involved." The new accusations could further sully the reputation of Cosby -- the man behind children's programming such as "Fat Albert" and "Little Bill," and whose eponymous No. 1 sitcom, "The Cosby Show," cast him as a wisecracking, doting family man. | Police: The woman is a "possible victim" of sexual assault by Cosby .
At least 21 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct .
An ex-Playboy bunny tells CNN Cosby drugged and raped her .
Cosby has vehemently denied most of the accusations . |
0ba6bb386a698a2baf642a56373271c811bb1a47 | (CNN) -- If you were to take one line of dialogue in a film of 2013 to represent the year's mood, it would be from Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in "12 Years a Slave." The abducted freeman shackled into bondage is plainspoken and eloquent: "I don't want to survive, I want to live!" "American Hustle" may be the title of David O. Russell's satire of con artists (Christian Bale and Amy Adams) aiding federal agents to carry out the Abscam sting, but it's also a dominant theme in American films of 2013. If you think hustle in its various meanings -- the swindler and the determined -- then just about every character-driven film did the hustle. Occupying the amoral lowlands, there is Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street" and the title figure in "The Great Gatsby," living large - the mansions! the boats! the planes! -- by defrauding the little people. There is Alec Baldwin as the Bernard Madoff-like ex of husband-hunter Cate Blanchett in "Blue Jasmine," both of them delusionary in the belief that they are entitled to other people's money. And there is Bale in "American Hustle," who rationalizes, "People believe what they want to believe," indicting the suckers for their faith in his cons. Up on the moral high ground, there is Ejiofor in "12 Years a Slave," caught in a double bind. If, as an intellectual and a freeman, he defends himself against racism, he will be hung; if he does not, he suffers the humiliations of slavery. Chadwick Boseman as ballplayer Jackie Robinson in "42," likewise is doubly-bound: advised to repress his righteous anger at racists or he will be brutalized and won't be able to play in the big leagues. In "The Butler," Forest Whitaker, who wears one face as a White House domestic and another as a family man, ultimately reconciles his two faces. Then there is a clutch of films that collectively say forget about living, survival is enough. Filmmakers purveyed the human hustle in stories of those facing near death challenges and variously hanging onto life by a thread, a fraying rope, a stranded lifeboat, safety tether or not. Think of Robert Redford fighting for his life in "All is Lost," Sandra Bullock clinging to tether in "Gravity," Jaden Smith depending on intelligence from his wrist radio in "After Earth" and Tom Hanks facing death in a lifeboat in "Captain Phillips." Also tested in a life-and-death narrative was Jennifer Lawrence in the Survivor-tinged "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Out of breath? Take a good, deep one. We haven't even begun to discuss the year's end-of-the-world movies. The apocalypse was nigh -- not only in action movies like "Pacific Rim" and "Oblivion" but in comedies like "This is the End" and "The World's End." On screen the U.S. and British capitals were under terrorist attack in what seemed like an infinite loop of destruction: "Olympus Has Fallen," "White House Down," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "Star Trek: Into Darkness," "Thor: The Dark World." Los Angeles and New York also endured attacks and were defended respectively by the mettle of Robert Downey in "Iron Man 3" and Henry Cavill in "Man of Steel." What does it all mean? We don't need a professional to detect the pervasive anxiety in these Darwinian narratives of survival. Might this reflect Hollywood's guilt about its role as con artist fleecing the easily duped? Or do these films in part show Hollywood's unease about its own future in a world where moviegoers are just as likely to download or stream a movie than buy a ticket for one? Perhaps this, as much as the real-life economy, explains why another theme of 2013 films is economic anxiety. It is symbolized in "Elysium" by an underclass living on a polluted and overpopulated Earth and the 1 percent living in the pristine atmosphere above, with controlled climate and top-flight health care. Job insecurity reverberated through a broad swath of the year's movies. Consider the Harlem inspirational "Black Nativity" and the '60s-era "Inside Llewyn Davis," where the protagonists have trouble making the rent. Consider the Brooklyn hipsters in "Frances Ha" to the Oakland underclass in "Fruitvale Station" where protagonists sought work. Even straight-out comedies like "We're the Millers," in which a drug dealer hires underemployed individuals to pose as his family in order to make it easier to smuggle marijuana over the border, is peripherally about fewer legitimate jobs than those looking for them. It wasn't all about angst, though, even if the laughter at the multiplex was rueful. "Before Midnight" and "The Best Man Holiday," two superb sequels, are comic looks at relationships and fidelity. One is sparked by the performances of Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, the other by an ensemble including Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long. The most moving relationship film of 2013 is "Her," Spike Jonze's wistful story of a lovesick writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his operating system (voice of Scarlett Johansson), and finds the chasm between human and artificial intelligence is as wide as that between Mars and Venus. Another slice of dialogue representative of movie romances comes from Julie Delpy, exasperated with life partner Ethan Hawke in "Before Midnight:" "Sometimes, I think I'm breathing oxygen and you're breathing helium." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carrie Rickey. | Carrie Rickey: Themes that 2013 movies tackled include survival, economic anxiety .
Rickey: Many character-driven films featured hustlers who tried to take advantage of others .
She says a number of films explored the idea: forget about living, survival is enough .
Rickey: Of course, we have the usual end-of-the-world and large-scale attack movies . |
0ba6ee01329bf2d52fc97775b8f8e475204ce057 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:58 EST, 24 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:00 EST, 24 November 2013 . A young Saudi woman has begged a Yemeni court to allow her to stay in the country and marry the man she loves. In a case which has been compared to the plight of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, Huda al-Niran, 22, defied her family and crossed the border illegally to be with Arafat Mohammed Tahar, 25. She has appeared in court and pleaded to be allowed to stay, as her supporters demonstrated outside the Sanaa courthouse, sporting headbands proclaiming 'We are all Huda.' A sticker showing Saudi woman Huda Abdullah Ali Al-Niran and Yemeni man Arafat Mohammed, outside a court in Sanaía, Yemen . In a case reminiscent of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, Huda al-Niran, 22, (pictured) defied her family and crossed the border illegally to be with her beloved . The plight of the two lovers' has gripped audiences in deeply conservative Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Huda has defied both the wishes of her family, who said she could not marry Tahar, and also dared to flee the country and follow him to Yemen. In court, she refused to accept a lawyer provided by the Saudi embassy, fearing pressure to return home. But Huda did accept to be represented by a lawyer appointed by a Yemeni non-government organisation called Hood, who said he hoped for a favourable outcome. 'This is a humanitarian case, and must not raise tensions between the two countries,' lawyer Abdel Rakib al-Qadi told AFP. Yemeni soldiers escort Huda al-Niran, who is accused of illegally entering the country, and her lawyer Abdulraqeeb Al-Qadi (right) Stickers with images of Huda Al-Niran and her Yemeni partner Arafat are seen on the weapons of security soldiers standing guard outside the court in Sanaa . Niran, 22, fled from Saudi Arabia to Yemen with her Yemeni partner Arafat after her family refused to let them marry, her lawyer told Human Rights Watch . He indicated that Sanaa had come under pressure from the Saudi authorities to ensure Huda's return. She is currently under arrest and on trial for illegal entry. If found guilty, she faces expulsion. No decision was announced on Sunday, and the court set the next hearing for December 1 as it awaited a UN High Commissioner for Refugees ruling on a request for asylum. A UNHCR representative confirmed to AFP that Huda had initiated proceedings to be granted refugee status in Yemen. If she succeeds, it will be difficult for the authorities in Yemen to expel her. Huda's case has also come to the attention of the New York-based Human Rights Watch. On November 19, HRW urged Yemen not to repatriate her and to take into consideration the fact that returning to her family could put her life at risk. 'She fears physical harm from her family members, whom she said have beaten her in the past, if she is returned to Saudi Arabia,' HRW said in a statement. | Huda al-Niran, 22, defied her family and crossed the border illegally to be with her beloved, Arafat Mohammed Tahar, 25 .
She has appeared in court and pleaded to be allowed to stay in Yemen .
It comes as her supporters demonstrated outside the Sanaa courthouse .
Huda is under arrest and on trial for illegal entry and faces expulsion . |
0ba7c45f2c2c66a32c394eb530b60e7ef90e35e9 | Medics, marines and sailors waved farewell as a Royal Navy ship left for Sierra Leone today, loaded with aid, food, water and equipment to help treat people infected with the deadly Ebola virus in a bid to stop it spreading. Prime Minister David Cameron has called for other countries to do more to tackle the epidemic, which has so far killed more than 4,500 people and has been deemed the 'most severe acute health emergency in modern times' by the World Health Organisation. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Argus, a navy ship, left Falmouth Docks in south west England for the 10-day journey to Sierra Leone - one of the west African countries worst hit by the disease. The ship is carrying equipment to build medical units and life saving medical materials as well as thousands of bottles of water. It is due to stop at Gibraltar en route to collect more supplies to ensure as many people as possible can be treated. Scroll down for video . The ship is carrying equipment to build medical units and life saving medical materials as well as thousands of bottles of water . A total of 380 personnel including medics and marines are on board the ship bound for Sierra Leone to treat patients infected with Ebola . Merlin helicopters will travel with the ship during its 10-day journey to Sierra Leone to support medical teams and aid workers on board . Around 380 personnel - including 80 medics and 80 marines - set sail on the ship today as dozens lined the decks of the ship to wave goodbye to onlookers as it left the dock after waiting for high tide. The ship could be stationed off the west coast of Africa for up to three months and is being termed a 'floating hospital'. It has a casualty unit and 100 beds but no patients will be brought aboard to prevent further transmission of the disease. Instead it will be used as a forward base for medics, engineers, soldiers and aid experts to build specialist medical units. Captain David Eagles said all crew will be subject to strict checks to prevent the spread of Ebola. Any personnel infected with Ebola will be treated on shore and flown to a British treatment clinic in Kerry Town. Earlier today David Cameron said Ebola was 'the biggest health problem facing our world in a generation' as he called for countries to do more to tackle the crisis. The ship is travelling with three Merlin utility helicopters, air crew and engineers to provide transport and support to medical teams and aid workers. The personnel on board include medics who will use their expertise to try and combat the deadly outbreak of Ebola in west Africa . People lined Falmouth docks to bid farewell to the ship and its 380 personnel as it left for Sierra Leone today . Troops with landing craft will escort personnel ashore and protect teams deployed on the ground. Captain David Eagles, 52, of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, said his crew will be subjected to 'tough' regulations while aboard the giant ship to keep it sterile. They will be banned from going ashore throughout the deployment and the Royal Marines who do will face a stringent decontamination process to re-board. The Ebola epidemic has gripped west Africa where the majority of deaths have occurred. In Sierra Leone (above) burial teams abandoned the bodies of victims of the disease when they went on strike earlier this month, as people gather round a suspected victim . Volunteers working in west Africa have been wearing special protective clothing to treat patients in a bid to stop Ebola spreading . Medics will take their temperatures twice a day and anyone who shows signs of Ebola will be flown to a British treatment clinic in Kerry Town. Captain Eagles said: 'The initial anxiety of the ship's company and families has now been replaced by pride in what is a very good mission as a part of the wider UK mission to save lives in Sierra Leone and contribute to the safety of the UK. The ship is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), part of the Royal Navy . It is classed as naval/naval auxiliary vessel . The ship is 175.1 m (574ft 6ins) long . It has a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h) RFA Argus has a casualty unit and 100 beds . A total of 380 personnel, including 80 medics and 80 marines are on board . 3 Merlin helicopters, air crew and engineers will travel with the ship . Gross tonnage: 26421t . 'The four building blocks to keep our people safe are the education, the training, the supervision and the leadership. 'I am confident that we have those pillars in place.' The WHO said the number of Ebola cases in West Africa could exceed 9,000 this week. Heathrow airport also started screening passengers arriving from the worst hit countries for signs of the disease and more British airports are due to do the same. Speaking at an Asia-Europe summit in Milan, David Cameron said: 'This is the biggest health problem facing our world in a generation. 'I think it's time for other countries to look at their responsibilities and their resources and act in a similar way to what Britain is doing in Sierra Leone, America's doing in Liberia and France is doing in Guinea. 'Other countries now need to step forward with resources and action because taking action at source in west Africa, that is the best way to protect all of us here in Europe.' Britain is taking the international lead role in tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone due to its historic links. Sierra Leone gained independence from Britain in 1961. Three Merlin utility helicopters, air crew and engineers are travelling with RFA Argus as it travels to Sierra Leone to treat Ebola patients . First of three Merlin Mk2 helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron is pictured touching down on the RFA Argus as it sails to Sierra Leone . Captain Eagles said personnel on the ship will be subject to stringent testing before they can re-board to prevent spread of Ebola . Prime Minister David Cameron spoke at the Asia-Europe summit when he said countries need to do much more to tackle Ebola and help stop the spread of the deadly disease, which has killed more than 4,000 people mostly in west Africa . But Britain's International Development Secretary Justine Greening said other nations needed to pull their weight in the region. 'It is simply not going to be a tenable approach to simply leave the UK to work with Sierra Leone, the US with Liberia and France with Guinea and for no other countries to get involved,' she told BBC radio. 'The international community now needs to wake up to this crisis and start putting resources in.' A British army medical team arrived in Sierra Leone on Thursday to work at a British-supported treatment centre. Also this week Heathrow airport started screening arrivals from the worst-affected region for the deadly disease. This was due to be launched at London Gatwick by the end of this week and will be extended to Manchester and Birmingham airports. The ship has been loaded with materials to build medical units as well as life saving supplies and will stop off at Gibraltar to collect more . Earlier this week Lt Susan Jeffreys checked medical equipment in the ship's on board hospital ahead of its departure for Sierra Leone . The ship has been loaded with life saving medical supplies and equipment to build on shore medical units to treat Ebola patients . People watched from Falmouth Docks as the ship left for Sierra Leone today (left), after being loaded with supplies this week (right) As the RFA Argus set off for Sierra Leone David Cameron said countries must do more to tackle the Ebola pandemic in west Africa . WHO assistant director-general Dr Bruce Aylward previously said that if the world's response to the Ebola crisis isn't stepped up within 60 days, 'a lot more people will die' and health workers will be stretched even further. Ebola spreads through close contact with a sufferer's bodily fluids, such as blood, sweat, vomit, faeces, urine, saliva or semen. It can be incubated for 21 days and symptoms include a fever, flu-like body aches and abdominal pain, and then vomiting and diarrhoea. William Pooley, 29, is the only British person known so far to be diagnosed with Ebola. Mr Pooley, a nurse, caught the deadly disease while working in a hospital in Sierra Leone. He was flown back to the UK by the RAF and treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London inside a specially designed polythene 'patient isolator' tent, tended by dozens of staff in the tailor made unit. He recovered from the disease and has since said he plans to return to the country to help other patients. William Pooley (pictured left) is the only known Briton to be diagnosed with Ebola and was successfully treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The virus (right) is passed on through close contact with bodily fluids such as blood, sweat, vomit and saliva . | Medics and marines are among 380 people on board Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus, which left Falmouth for Sierra Leone .
The Royal Navy ship left Falmouth today, laden with life-saving supplies and equipment to treat Ebola patients .
RFA Argus could be stationed off African coast for 3 months as David Cameron says disease must be fought there .
'Floating hospital' equipped with casualty unit and 100 beds but patients will be treated on shore to stop transmission .
David Cameron said countries must do more to tackle Ebola, the world's 'biggest health problem' in a generation .
Ship will arrive in Sierra Leone in 10 days and will stock up en route in Gibraltar with more equipment and supplies .
Captain says Marines will face 'stringent decontamination process' every time they get on ship to prevent infection . |
0ba80f1370849bf1c0e139745b5b1942333fe4f1 | By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 16:21 EST, 16 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:19 EST, 17 September 2013 . In the world of cars it is – usually – the last word in understated elegance and class. But this Rolls-Royce Phantom, with its brash red and chrome paint job, seems rather to have missed the point. The garish car, which sports an Arabic number plate, was spotted last night in Kensington, west London – a traditional night-time haunt of the rich and famous. Not one for traditionalists: This bright red Rolls-Royce Phantom was spotted in upmarket Kensington, but the cars normally appear in reserved shades of black, silver, cream or deep blue . Garish: The car, which sports an Arabic number plate, was spotted in Kensington, west London - a traditional night-time haunt of the rich and famous . The car, which was parked up for the evening, featured blacked-out windows which made it impossible to make out any of the traditionally luxurious interior. Each car is built to the buyer’s specification, so its owner would have been able to request the garish paint job from the beginning. The Phantom is a classic choice of car for the very wealthy, and they are all assembled by hand at the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood, West Sussex. A-list celebrities David Beckham, Simon Cowell, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone and Eddie Murphy have all been spotted riding in the car. It is also a favourite of the royal family and heads of state worldwide – an earlier version of the Phantom was presented to the Queen as a gift on her Silver Jubilee. However, the cars almost always appear in reserved shades of black, silver, cream or deep blue. The Phantom, a traditional symbol of wealth and sophistication, is usually seen in subtler colours (right) In marketing literature for the cars, Rolls-Royce invites potential buyers to: ‘discover the genuine authority and rare sense of scale and occasion’ the car offers. They cost around £250,000. But this over-the-top specimen is hardly an isolated site in London, increasingly the destination of choice for the monied Middle-Eastern elite looking for somewhere cooler than home. This summer an especially flashy menagerie of vehicles were seen on the streets of the capital – many parked illegally. High roller: The Kensington Phantom is not the only top of the range car spotted in London in a slightly unusual colour. This pale pink Roller has been spotted in Knightsbridge . This purple Lamborghini, pictured this summer outside the Dorchester Hotel in London, was another Arabic supercar set loose on the capital . But it was later seized by police because the driver did not have a licence or insurance documents . Ramadan racer: This Ferrari is bound to grab attention with its velvet-covered roof . The Metropolitan Police seized a £350,000 ‘glow-in-the-dark’ Lamborghini Aventador after its driver – believed to be a Qatari royal – was caught driving uninsured and without a licence. It was later displayed outside Scotland Yard, covered with police tape reading 'uninsured vehicle seized by police'. At the time a police spokesman said: 'We have had a few Porsches, BMW X5s, and a Ferrari – that one got crushed and in fact the vast majority of them are.' Police are known to have seized dozens of super cars across the capital over the last year on an array of charges including driving with invalid insurance and driving without proper registration plates. Last month, a £300,000 Lamborghini Aventador was pictured being towed away after the driver fell foul of the law - he was found to be driving without correct insurance. And a member of Qatar's Al-Thani dynasty has had two supercars towed away by police. The influx of foreign registered super cars to the UK was highlighted in a Channel 4 documentary earlier this year. Overstated: This £2 million Bugatti Veron car was flown over to London by rich Arabs last year who spend June in London shopping ahead of Ramadan last year . Life of luxury: This Lamborghini SV car spotted outside Harrods in Knightsbridge last year is one of a number of super cars imported by rich foreigners . Super rich: A row of expensive cars spotted outside The Dorchester hotel on Park Lane . Import: This Ferrari is spotted parked up in a wealthy part of London . Viewers saw residents of the upmarket . Knightsbridge area of London - home to Harrods - complain that their . lives were being made a misery by super rich Arab playboy racers . speeding around residential streets. One resident described those with some of the more garish vehicles as 'a manifestation of too muchness'. The . capital's most affluent areas are often awash with super cars during . the summer months, with the wealthy Arab elite escaping the searing heat . of their own countries and embarking on a six week tour of Europe's top . cities, including London. Many of them bring their cars with them during the tour, known as The Season. Flash! A bright pink Abu Dhabi-registered Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead . Unusual: An Iraqi-registered Mercedes G55 with an interesting paint-job makes its way through London . Conspicuous? A Saudi-registered Ferrari 599 sticks out like a sore thumb next to London's uniform black cabs and red double-decker buses . Last . summer, five rare vehicles thought to be worth around £5million were . spotted parked outside the Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair. It is believed that the cars all belonged to one Saudi businessman. The . fleet of incredible cars included two £1.5million Bugatti Veyrons, a . £1million Koenigsegg Agera, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a mat black . Lamborghini Aventador. Costly: A £1 million Qatari registered Pagani Huayra and an orange Lamborghini . Speedster: A £1 million Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport . Take your pick: Two Qatar-registered Hamann-tuned BMWs with a Lamborghini Aventador sandwiched in the middle . A . Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe in pink and an all yellow Ferrari S99 . registered in Saudi have also been spotted cruising the capital's . streets. Perhaps one of the . most garish cars spotted in London this year was a Ferrari 599, parked . outside a designer store in Sloane Square. The . car is impressive enough - reaching top speeds of 205mph and 0 to 60mph . in 3.7 seconds - but this one was wrapped in black velvet. Parking ticket? The owner of this Kuwait-registered Ferrari 458 better hope that he doesn't get clocked by a traffic warden on those double yellow lines . A Bugatti Veyron pulls out into traffic in central London . Shame: A Dubai-registered Ferrari F430 is clamped . Clamped: A Saudi-registered Ferrari F430 has outstayed its welcome on one London street . | Garish red and silver Rolls-Royce Phantom spotted in west London .
The Phantom is loved by heads of state, royalty and A-list stars .
But it usually comes in more reserved colours such as black or cream .
Arabic-registered car resembles other playboy motors seen this summer . |
0ba83c1a77f8cb2baeb165beb446de2034f1bffa | (CNN) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari denied his nation was involved in last week's deadly attacks on Mumbai, India, and told CNN on Tuesday he's seen no evidence that a suspect in custody is a Pakistani national as Indian officials claim. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says he believes the Mumbai attackers were "stateless actors." "I think these are stateless actors who have been operating all throughout the region," Zardari said on CNN's "Larry King Live" in an interview set to air Tuesday night. "The gunmen plus the planners, whoever they are, [are] stateless actors who have been holding hostage the whole world." At least 179 people were killed when a band of gunmen attacked 10 targets in Mumbai on Wednesday night, triggering three days of battles with police and Indian troops in the heart of the city -- the hub of India's financial and entertainment industries. Most of the deaths occurred at the city's top two hotels: the Oberoi and the Taj Mahal. Watch Zardari blame "stateless actors" » . Indian officials have publicly blamed Pakistani militants for the attacks, and called on Pakistan to hand over a group of wanted militant leaders suspected of plotting them. On Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi proposed a joint investigation into the attacks and said, "This is not the time to point fingers." Zardari confirmed he is willing to have Pakistani security officials participate with India in a joint investigation. "The state of Pakistan is in no way responsible," Zardari told King. "... Even the White House and the American CIA have said that today. The state of Pakistan is, of course, not involved. We're part of the victims, Larry. I'm a victim. The state of Pakistan is a victim. We are the victims of this war, and I am sorry for the Indians, and I feel sorry for them." Indian officials have said that the only suspected attacker in custody has told police he is a Pakistani national. Indian intelligence sources have told CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN, that police believe all the attackers were Pakistanis. Indian police say nine of the 10 attackers were killed by Indian forces. Asked about the suspect in custody, Zardari said: "We have not been given any tangible proof to say that he is definitely a Pakistani. I very much doubt it, Larry, that he is a Pakistani." He said Pakistan is looking into the allegation, but added, "Like I said, these are stateless individuals. ... We've had incidents the past two days in Karachi where we've lost more than 40 to 45 people, hundreds injured. These are stateless actors who are moving throughout this region." India summoned Pakistan's high commissioner, the top-ranking Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi, to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's office Monday to inform him that last week's massacre in Mumbai "was carried out by elements from Pakistan." It renewed a demand that Pakistan hand over a group of militant leaders whose extradition it has sought since a 2001 attack on India's Parliament that brought the South Asian nuclear rivals to the brink of war. "The government expects that strong action would be taken against those elements, whosoever they may be, responsible for this outrage," a statement from India's Foreign Ministry said. "It was conveyed to the Pakistan high commissioner that Pakistan's actions needed to match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India." The list reportedly includes Hafiz Mohammed, the head of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a now-banned Islamic militant group that denied last week that it was involved in the Mumbai attack. The group is blamed for the 2001 attack on India's Parliament. "I am definitely going to look into all the possibility of any proof that is given to us," Zardari said. "At the moment, these are just names of individuals. No proof, no investigation, nothing has been brought forward." If proof of the individuals' involvement is provided, he said, "We would try them in our courts, we would try them in our land, and we would sentence them." Indian authorities said the suspect in custody was trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. Zardari told CNN that Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is a "banned organization" in Pakistan and around the world. "If indeed they are involved, we would not know," he said. "Again, they are people who operate outside the system. They operate like -- al Qaeda, for instance, is not state-oriented. They operate something on that mechanism, and ... I've already offered India full cooperation on this incident, and we intend to do that." "I'm firmly committed to fighting terrorism per se," he said. "That's why we are fighting them every day, Larry." Asked about the possibility of Indian military strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan, Zardari said: "I would not agree with that because this is a time to come together and do a joint investigation and look at the problem in the larger context. We have a larger threat on our hands ... it's a threat throughout the region. So that would be counterproductive." Pakistan and India, both nuclear powers, have a tense relationship and have fought three wars since the subcontinent was divided in 1947. On whether the Mumbai attacks could trigger a fourth war, Zardari said: "Larry, democracies don't go to war. All those wars you're talking about did not take place in any democracy. They all happened in the times of dictators. ... "The whole nation of Pakistan is united to ... becoming friends with India," he said. | Pakistani President Zardari: "Stateless actors" behind attacks in Mumbai, India .
Indian intelligence sources tell CNN-IBN they believe attackers were Pakistani .
Zardari says he doubts suspect in custody is Pakistani .
He says he's willing to have Pakistan participate in a joint investigation with India . |
0ba941beabf92d9950ba21238bab5d6c4a2f0214 | Tax row: The French government is demanding £160million from internet retailer Amazon in unpaid tax . The internet giant Amazon has received a £159million demand from France for unpaid taxes. The figure includes fines and interest in relation to 'the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions'. European nations including Britain are clamping down on US firms that channel their vast profits through low-tax countries. Labour MP Margaret Hodge, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said Amazon, Starbucks and Google should all be punished for not paying their 'fair share' of tax. She has called for consumers to boycott the firms in protest against what she describes as 'immoral' tax avoidance here. But Amazon said it might go to court to fight the French tax claim, which relates to four years from 2006. A report by the company says: 'We disagree with the proposed assessment and intend to vigorously contest it.' Amazon's public policy chief for Europe, Andrew Cecil, appeared before the public accounts committee on Monday, and the French demand was referred to during the hearing. The company keeps its tax bill down in European countries by channelling money through Luxembourg, which offers generous concessions to businesses. Google, which channels its profits through Ireland, is also being audited by the French tax authorities. Andrew Cecil, Director Public Policy at Amazon, received a grilling at a commons committee hearing over the company's tax strategy . Amazon has also run into problems with the tax authorities in other countries, with American and Japanese officials both forcing the company to ‘reach an agreement’ on the allocation of the company’s earnings between 2006 and 2012. The company has also revealed that it is under investigation by the US Internal Revenue Service over its tax returns for the two years from 2005. The company is also facing demands for taxes dating back to 2003 from countries including China, Germany, and Luxembourg, as well as Britain. Google is currently being audited by the French, although the company has denied a report that it the Paris tax authorities want 1 billion in back taxes. Yesterday, Andrew Cecil the online retailer's . public policy director, told the commons committee that the business's . turnover in 2011 was £7.3billion yet it paid . taxes of just £6.4million. Amazon employs nearly 70,000 people world-wide. Last year, it turned over more than $48bn revenue. The company was founded in 1994. But since then has grown into the biggest online retailed in the world. It is estimated to be worth $102.51bn . Some 65million customers log on to its U.S. website each month. It paid no UK tax in 2010 on revenues of . £3.3billion. MPs were furious that he refused to reveal how much the company made from its British arm. 'It's quite insulting to our . intelligence that you claim you don't know what sales you make in the . UK,' said Liberal Democrat MP Ian Swales, a member of the influential . Commons committee. Mr Cecil claimed that Luxembourg, . which employs around 500 people, was the real 'engine' of the business, . rather than the UK, where it employs 15,000. Its profits are booked in Luxembourg, . with the UK figuring only as a 'service arm'. MPs said his answers were . 'evasive' and 'annoying' and Margaret Hodge said the committee would . call 'a serious person' for further questioning. She said Mr Cecil's ignorance was 'outrageous' and that he had 'been put up' to it by the company. The parliamentary committee, which is . also examining the tax affairs of Google and Starbucks, said it would . be summoning a more senior Amazon executive to answer their questions. It is not just in Europe that Amazon has run into problems with the tax authorities. In its statement to the SEC, it revealed that US and Japanese tax authorities had reached an agreement on the allocation of the company's earnings between those two countries for 2006-12. The cost to Amazon of this settlement was 'not significant', it said. The company however also revealed that it remains under investigation by the US Internal Revenue Service over its tax returns for 2005 and 2006. It also admitted that there was a chance of the company being hit by demands for taxes dating back to 2003 in 'various states and other foreign jurisdictions' including China, Germany, Luxembourg, and Britain. | Figure includes fines and interest in relation to 'the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions'
Move comes a day after company executives are grilled by UK commons committee .
Retailer bases operations in Luxembourg which offers them tax breaks .
The company paid no UK tax in 2010 despite revenues of .
£3.3billion .
It is currently under investigation by the US Internal Revenue Service over its tax returns for 2005 and 2006 . |
0ba9a7f061f1085a90acdb64adf61108bce7b334 | By . Emine Sinmaz, Ben Spencer and Martin Beckford . PUBLISHED: . 21:13 EST, 8 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:38 EST, 9 March 2013 . Arrested: Abu Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions hours after his home was raided by counter-terror police . Abu Qatada was back in jail last night over fears the terror suspect was trying to communicate with associates, in breach of bail conditions. Qatada had his bail revoked by a senior judge in an emergency hearing, following a raid on his home. The judge said there was ‘strong evidence’ the Islamist cleric had breached strict bail terms by allowing mobile phones to be switched on at his North-West London house or letting electronic storage devices such as memory sticks be brought inside. Security sources said the investigation had implications for national security but declined to say if Qatada had been trying to contact known jihadists. Mr Justice Irwin ruled that Qatada be taken to high-security Belmarsh prison last night, ahead of a further hearing in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) next week. The decision will be seen as a boost to Home Secretary Theresa May – who broke the news during her speech to Tory party activists yesterday – ahead of another attempt in her long-running bid to send Qatada back to Jordan. Granted asylum in 1994, Qatada, 52, has since been described as Osama Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe and is feared to have inspired a generation of terrorists. A secret MI5 dossier revealed last year by The Mail on Sunday claimed he had ordered ‘jihad’ against British and US citizens in the wake of 9/11. However, UK security services have never found enough evidence to charge him. Qatada has been found guilty of terrorism offences in his absence in Jordan. But SIAC ruled Jordan had not proved Qatada’s retrial would be free of evidence obtained by torture. Mrs May will challenge this decision in front of three Appeal Court judges on Monday. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism unit said: 'There was material before SIAC suggesting he had breached his bail conditions. Police inspected the hate preacher's London home as the radical cleric was arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions . Officers had completed their searches of all four properties today and no hazardous materials had been found . Searches were carried out in connection with ongoing inquiries by the Counter Terrorism Command . As part of the 25 conditions, Qatada has a 22-hour home curfew. Banned from attending a mosque or leaving a small area near his house. He is not allowed a mobile phone, internet connection or more than one bank account and only vetted visitors can visit his home. Banned from publishing any statement, leading prayers other than for those in his own family Cannot arrange to meet people outside his home without Home Office permission. 'There will be a further hearing in . the matter on March 21, giving both sides the opportunity to submit more . evidence in the matter.' In . his ruling, Mr Justice Irwin said there was 'strong prima facie . evidence' that Qatada had breached a bail condition which prohibits him . from having mobile telephones switched on in his house while he is . present. It also bans . communications equipment such as digital media devices, re-writable CDs . and pen drives being brought into his house. Further consideration of bail will be brought before SIAC on Thursday March 21, he added. A . Home Office spokesman said: 'We are pleased the Special Immigration . Appeals Commission has decided to revoke bail for this individual on an . interim basis following serious breaches of his bail conditions. 'We will vigorously argue our case at the next hearing on March 21.' Officers . completed searches at four properties today in connection with ongoing . inquiries by the Counter Terrorism Command but found no hazardous . materials, Scotland Yard said. No arrests have been made in connection with the police investigation. Qatada, who has been convicted of terror charges in Jordan, is due to appear at the Court of Appeal on Monday for Home Secretary Theresa May's bid to overturn a judge's decision to allow him to stay in the UK. The arrest came after Qatada’s house had been raided by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command on Thursday. Officers carried bags of evidence from the 52-year-old’s £450,000 North London home after a 12-hour search. The Al Qaeda fanatic, once described as Osama Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe, was released from jail in February 2012 on condition of abiding by some of the strictest bail restrictions possible under English law. Qatada's . arrest comes a few days before a Government appeal against the decision . to allow the radical preacher to stay in the UK (file picture) Drain: Qatada has so far received more than £500,000 in legal aid in his decade-long legal battle against the Government, which wants to deport him to his native Jordan where he is wanted on charges of terrorism . He has so far received more than . £500,000 in legal aid in his decade-long legal battle against the . Government, which wants to deport him to his native Jordan where he is . wanted on charges of terrorism. Qatada . was held in a high security prison for eight years but was released to . live in a £1,400-a-month property - paid for with state handouts - while . he fights his deportation on human rights grounds. A Home Office spokesperson said last . night: ‘The UK Border Agency arrested a 52-year-old man from north . London for alleged breaches of his bail conditions imposed by the . Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).’ A spokesman said: ‘The searches were . carried out under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and are in . connection with ongoing inquiries by the Counter Terrorism Command.’ Qatada’s . arrest comes a few days before a Government appeal against the decision . to allow the radical preacher to stay in the UK. The . 25 bail conditions imposed on Qatada include a 22-hour home curfew and a . ban from attending a mosque or leaving a small area near his house. He is not allowed a mobile phone, internet connection or more than one bank account and only vetted visitors can visit his home. He . is also banned from publishing any statement, leading prayers other . than for those in his own family and cannot arrange to meet people . outside his home without Home Office permission. The bail conditions state that if he meets an acquaintance by chance, he must make his excuses and leave. We're sorry but reader comments are currently unavailable. | The 52-year-old was led away in handcuffs from his North London home .
House raided by specialist counter terrorism officers on Thursday .
Released from jail in February last year under strict bail conditions .
Received over £500,000 in legal aid in ten-year battle with Government . |
0ba9cc66cfcda31b4078db2b35da7ee64c7cbd17 | By . Nik Simon . Follow @@Nik_Simon88 . Luis Suarez will play for Barcelona on Thursday afternoon in a training match specifically arranged to boost the striker's fitness. The Uruguayan has been serving a four-month ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup and is not eligible to make his debut until the first El Clasico of the season on October 26. But having paid £75million to sign the 27-year-old from Liverpool, new manager Luis Enrique is keen for his marquee signing to hit the ground running and has arranged a fixture against Barcelona B. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Luis Suarez on his return to football, 'that bite' and Liverpool . All smiles: Luis Suarez (centre) is unveiled at the Nou Camp this week . Thumbs up: But the Uruguay striker cannot play competetively for his new club until October . According to reports in Spain, Suarez will play alongside his team-mates who have not been called up for international duty. Suarez made a brief appearance against Leon in last month's Joan Gamper Trophy, but the international break will provide Enrique with another opportunity to monitor the fitness of his controversial striker. Earlier this week, Barcelona reaffirmed their stance that they paid £65m - not £75m - for the frontman. The club's Sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, gave a statement on how much they’d spent this summer in a bid to show ‘transparency’. The La Liga giants revealed their overall net spend this summer in an act of transparency they hope will alleviate any ongoing financial problems with UEFA. Zubizarreta said on Tuesday: ‘We are speaking to you in order to communicate transparency. We know we are the only club in the world that is like this, but we want to observe the clarity that makes us so unique.’ Icon: Suarez established himself as a Kop idol in his two-and-a-half seasons at Liverpool . Getting shirty: Suarez will wear the No 9 jersey at Barca, where he will team up with Lionel Messi . | Luis Suarez joined Barcelona from Liverpool in July .
Striker is serving a four-month ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini .
Uruguayan will feature in training match against Barcelona B . |
0baadc5354831488193f6b25d8f35bd2045fc911 | By . Margot Peppers . A little girl got the surprise of her life when her blanket and stuffed animal lambie were returned to her in the mail after she thought she'd lost them forever. Seven-year-old Reagan Porter, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was vacationing with her parents in Montgomery, Texas, when she accidentally left her precious cargo behind. Fortunately, a caring employee at La Torretta Lake Resort, where the Porters had been staying, made it her mission to return the items to their rightful owner. Scroll down for video . Reunited: Seven-year-old Reagan Porter, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, got the surprise of her life when her blanket and stuffed animal lambie were returned to her after she believed she'd lost them forever . Lost and found: Reagan was vacationing with her parents in Montgomery, Texas, when she accidentally left her precious cargo behind. Thankfully, hotel employee Christina Cooper went the extra mile to find them . Christina Cooper, 25, the resort's loss-prevention lead supervisor, told ABC News that Mr Porter called her the day he and his family checked out in the hopes that she could return the toys to his daughter. After an initial search, she failed to find them and assumed they'd gotten mixed up in laundry. But about a month later, Mrs Cooper - who has a three-year-old son of her own - checked the housekeeping bin once more and discovered what she had been looking for. Eager to put a smile on little Reagan's face, she found the Porters' information and called them immediately. The girl's father answered. Success story: The resort's loss-prevention lead supervisor Christina Cooper, who has a three-year-old son of her own, found the items about a month later and called Mr Porter immediately . Personal touch: Not only did she send the things back to Reagan, but she attached a note to her from the lambie that read: 'I missed you and I love you and I'm so glad to see you' 'You could just hear it in his voice . before I even said anything,' the hotel employee explained. 'I could tell he was . hoping it would be about her lost stuffed animal.' Not only did she want to return the beloved things to Reagan, but Mrs Cooper also decided to go the extra mile to make the little girl especially happy. 'I had asked the dad if I could address . the box to his daughter, because you know how kids get when they receive . things in the mail,' she explained. ABC US News | ABC Business News . Vacation spot: Mrs Cooper works at La Torretta Lake Resort, where the Porters had been staying . 'And I also asked if I could attach a . note to the lamb doll that would seem like he was talking to her.' On the note, the thoughtful mother-of-one wrote: 'I missed you and I love you and I'm so glad to see you.' Her efforts undoubtedly paid off; in a heartwarming moment that was captured on video, Reagan is seen opening a package to find her lambie and blanket inside, and her jubilant squealing says it all. | Christina Cooper, the loss-prevention lead supervisor at La Torretta Lake Resort, returned the lambie with a note from the stuffed animal that read: 'I missed you and I love you and I'm so glad to see you' |
0bab17fec510292da898be7eadd6d5228c53eceb | Good neighbours don't just make good friends - they may also reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack, according to a new study. Current evidence suggests that the characteristics of an area in which a person lives can have a negative impact on their cardiovascular health - such as the density of fast food outlets; levels of violence, noise, and pollution; drug use; and building disrepair. However, few studies have looked at the potential health-enhancing effects of positive local neighbourhood characteristics. A study into more than 5,000 American adults with no known heart problems found that those with a good support network in their community had a 22 per cent reduced risk of having a heart attack (file picture) The new research tracked the cardiovascular health of more than 5,000 American adults with no known heart problems over a period of four years, starting in 2006. Their average age was 70, and almost two-thirds were women and married. In 2006 they were asked to score on a validated seven point scale how much they felt part of their local neighbourhood; if they felt they had neighbours who would help them if they got into difficulty; whether they trusted most people in the area; and if they felt they were friendly. Potentially influential factors - such as age, race, gender, income, marital status, educational attainment, outlook and attitude, social integration, mental health, lifestyle, weight, and underlying health issues, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, were all taken into account. During the four year monitoring period, 148 of the 5,276 participants had a heart attack. The researchers said that a strong social support network of friends and family, including neighbours, has been linked to better health (file picture) Analysis of the figures showed that each standard deviation increase in perceived neighbourhood social cohesion was associated with a 22 per cent reduced risk of a heart attack. The researchers said the association held true even after adjusting for relevant socio-demographic, behavioural, biological, and psycho-social factors, as well as individual-level social support. They say their findings echo those of other studies which have found a link between well integrated local neighbourhoods and lower stroke and heart disease risk. The researchers admitted that some potentially important risk factors - such as family history of heart disease or stroke and genetic influences - were not known. However, they said a strong social support network of friends and family has been linked to better health, so friendly neighbourhoods might be an extension of that. Eric Kim, of the Department of Psychology at Michigan University, said: 'Perceived neighbourhood social cohesion could be a type of social support that is available in the neighbourhood social environment outside the realm of family and friends.' The researchers also suggested that tight-knit local communities may help to reinforce and 'incentivise' certain types of cohesive behaviours and so exclude anti-social behaviours. | Study of over 5,000 American adults found link between health and habitat .
Strong social support network of friends and family linked to better health . |
0bab67448229b76528a0129c7008414b23e194af | A police force making cuts of £50million is using unqualified detectives to investigate serious crimes because of a 'critical' shortage of staff. A whistleblower said officers had been moved into the Criminal Investigation Department in Brighton, West Sussex - which deals with murders and rapes - without taking compulsory detective exams. Sussex Police has now admitted officers had to be moved into Brighton CID 'temporarily' to keep up the numbers, prompting a warning from the county's Police Commissioner. Shortage: Police in Brighton (pictured) admitted they were facing what they called 'challenging times' The whistleblower reported his concerns to local newspaper the Brighton Argus. There was a 'critical shortage of police officers across the entire Brighton and Hove division,' the anonymous detective said. He added: 'Officers are having to be drafted in from other departments with almost no notice and with many of these officers not even having passed the detectives exam - a national requirement - and with little or no additional training to prepare them for dealing with the serious crimes investigated by CID. 'It is not uncommon to see my . colleagues on the verge of tears because they are under so much pressure . and stress and have more work than they can cope with. Under stress: A whistleblower said many colleagues were close to tears (file photo) 'This is nothing short of scandalous and not only puts the public at increased risk but the officers themselves.' A spokesman for Sussex Police admitted there were officers working in CID without the relevant qualifications but insisted they were all 'experienced investigators.' The spokesman also admitted the department was not operating at a 100 per cent staffing level. Superintendent Steve Whitton, of Sussex Police, said: 'Policing, by its very nature, requires a flexible approach. 'Often this means moving officers, all of whom are trained and competent to investigate crime, into different departments. 'This is why we have recently temporarily moved a number of people into our CID to ensure that we can continue to respond effectively to crimes such as rape and sexual assault. 'We are going through challenging times at the moment and having to make some difficult decisions regarding our resources but, as with all our decision making, the needs of the public always come first.' Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said she would investigate and public safety remains her highest priority. She added: 'Should I find any evidence that officer and staff resilience is affecting police performance I will hold the Chief Constable to account for this on behalf of Sussex residents.' Sussex Police came under fire by . inspectors last year after axing frontline officers in a bid to meet . government-imposed cuts of £50million between 2011 and 2015. Cuts of £50million: Sussex Police's headquarters. The force was criticised by inspectors last year . HM Inspectorate of Constabulary revealed the force was one of just three in the country reducing its number of frontline staff. 'The force is not managing to protect its frontline crime fighting capability as effectively as it should,' the report said. The report acknowledged the challenge was tough because Sussex had lower costs than other forces, but it added: 'There are early indications that the service to the public might be starting to diminish. 'Over the last two years Sussex has reduced crime at a substantially lower rate than most other forces.' | Whistleblower: Some in Brighton CID have not passed detective exams .
He claimed workload is so high it has left many officers close to tears .
Sussex Police blamed 'challenging times' but insisted they were competent .
Force facing cuts of £50million has been criticised for axing frontline PCs . |
0bad09cd218e0218902f897a706cd47bbe647b26 | By . Daniel Mills . A disgruntled News Corp employee has tried to embarrass boss Rupert Murdoch on the eve of the company's 50th birthday celebrations for The Australian by parking a clapped-out old car plastered with bizarre notes out the front of his Sydney headquarters. In a brazen protest, the employee parked a car out the front of the company's headquarters in Surry Hills, Sydney, with letters stuck on its windows on behalf of the 'journalists, photographers and artists' of the company, criticising pay and conditions. It also questions recent financial decisions made at the company's headquarters, including a new $60 million publishing system that many employees either don't know how or refuse to use more than a year after its implementation. The notes attack the company's managers by claiming they are imposing 'a pay cut in real terms' that will hurt staff and force them to give up 'various allowances and conditions'. The letter was written and addressed to Rupert Murdoch on the eve of one of News Corp's biggest celebrations of the year - The Australian's 50th birthday . The letter as 'written' by the car on the rear of the vehicle which admits the journalist is being affected by the proposed pay cut . The unidentified journalist penned a bizarre open letter (left) to his boss Mr Murdoch (right) The protest car seen parked out the front of the Holt Street company by media website Mumbrella at about 7.30am on Monday was parked there in the hope that Mr Murdoch would see it as he came to the office this morning. Mr Murdoch, who is in Sydney for celebrations to mark The Australian's 50th anniversary tomorrow night, gave an interview in which he hit out at climate change and described Prime Minister Tony Abbott as someone the public could look up to and admire. Mr Abbott once worked as a journalist at The Australian. But while the 50th birthday bash is expected to attract a host of dignitaries - including Mr Abbott - the party was clearly the last thing on the mind of the disgruntled staffer who parked the protest car in front of the News Corp building. The car which was parked outside the News Corp headquarters, and seen by Mumbrella at 7.30am on Monday . Another letter posted on the rear of the vehicle claims the journalist cannot afford to upgrade their ageing vehicle. 'Yes I know! I should be retired,' the letter reads. 'But my owner is a journalist at News Corp. They want to cut his pay in real terms and slash his conditions. So he can’t afford to replace me, and I have to work until I drop. Liberty.” A poster from the journalists union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, was also stuck on the car. A News Corp spokesperson declined to comment on the author of the letter or the claims it makes about salary cuts. The MEAA has been contacted for comment regarding details of the letter and posters but has not returned calls. 'An open letter to Rupert Murdoch on the eve of The 50th Anniversary of The Australian' 'As a passionate and committed journalist yourself, you know that the success of The Australian and other News Corp titles lies in the quality of the journalism. So, we humbly ask you, as the people who do that journalism, to suggest to your managers here that they spare a thought for us, the very hardworking journalists, photographers, and artists at News Corp. Your managers are insisting on imposing on us a pay cut in real terms, and that we give up various allowances and conditions. Please ask your managers to ask themselves: Do we really deserve that? Many thanks, . The Journalists, Artists and Photographers of News Corp.' | Letters were found Monday on a car parked outside News Corp Sydney office .
Disgruntled employee claims managers are 'insisting on imposing a pay cut in real terms'
Mr Murdoch is visiting Sydney for The Australian's 50th birthday celebrations .
News Corp declined to comment on the details of the letter . |
0bae83154a34e0730d2d3c23bf83b12ec5aeb5e8 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is thrilled to see Theo Walcott back in action for the Gunners. Walcott replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 80th minute of Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Burnley at the Emirates. It was Walcott's first appearance for Arsene Wenger's side since he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury against Tottenham in January. Theo Walcott (right) comes on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 80th-minute at the Emirates . 'I'm absolutely over the moon to see him back,' Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal.com. 'He's been a massive part of my career since I've been at Arsenal and a big inspiration for me as my mentor, so to see him injured for as long as he was upsetting and disappointing. 'What was better than that, though, was that I saw how professional he was throughout and how positive he stayed, so there's nobody that deserves success more than he does. Walcott takes on Burnley defender Stephen Ward during his 10-minute cameo for the Gunners . Walcott received a huge reception when he came on and the England forward also go some words of encouragement from Oxlade-Chamberlain upon his arrival. The former Southampton winger looked sharp on his comeback drawing one save from Burnley goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, and crossing for Lukas Podolski, to shoot a volley against the post. 'I'm really happy to see him back,' Oxlade-Chamberlain added.'He deserves every success in the rest of the season. I'm sure he's going to help us. Walcott celebrates with Alexis Sanchez after the Gunners forward scored his side's third goal of the game . 'We're coming towards a busy Christmas and New Year schedule where anything can happen. We've got a lot of games coming up and we've built up a nice bit of momentum with a few good results, so we need to keep building on that.' | Theo Walcott made first appearance for Arsenal since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury against Tottenham in January .
Walcott replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 80th minute of 3-0 victory over Burnley .
England winger looked sharp on his return drawing one save from Burnley goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, and creating a chance for Lukas Podolski . |
0baf4104a209ec2bde7d69090a585fa1f5384ea1 | PUBLISHED: . 12:49 EST, 20 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:58 EST, 20 July 2013 . Today's start-up names make Yahoo! sound sedate and quaintly old-fashioned. And with around 252 million domain names registered across the internet, they're set to get more outlandish. Wacky spellings, portmanteau words and inexplicable suffixes like 'ify' or 'sy' (think Spotify and Huntsy) abound in the quest to find an unclaimed URL. In this era, when every business must have an online presence, the quest to obtain a short, memorable dot-com web address is chief. What's next: Yext is short, catchy and not a real word - therefore a perfect start-up name, while the founder of Shodogg, a screen sharing platform, felt that Showdog lacked personality . Name game: Flickr was so named because its founders couldn't afford to buy Flicker.com from its owner . But that's no mean feat when there are so many million domain names currently registered across the . Internet. The solution? Inventing words to register your domain name and avoid paying millions for a properly-spelled, concise URL. As an example, the rights to the URL investing.com sold for about $2.5 million last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Start-ups, by their nature, are usually big on ideas but low on funds. One now-established business that faced a financial challenge when finding a name is Tumblr. The original: Yahoo is now buying blogging platform and fellow oddly-named business Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash, announced CEO Marissa Mayer in May . Growing: Since its launch in New York City, Thrillist has grown into 20 other markets around the U.S. When Caterina Fake and Stewart . Butterfield had the idea for a photo-sharing site in 2004, they decided . to call it Flicker, but the domain name was taken and the owner refused . to sell it to them. They settled for Flickr and the rest is history. The . Wall Street Journal reports that Twitter was originally Twttr in 2006 - . the domain name for Twitter.com was taken and the company's co-founder . Biz Stone didn't think they could afford to buy it. 'We . assumed it would be too expensive,' he told the Wall St Journal. Soon . enough, though, Twttr took off, and the company was able to 'buy the . vowels'. One . mathematically-minded Australian entrepreneur was trying to come up with . a name for his data-science consulting business and finding the options . slim. So Anthony Goldbloom, . 30, wrote an algorithm to generate all the pronounceable combinations . of letters, three syllables or fewer, whose dot-com addresses weren't . already claimed. 'I was too frugal to want to pay for an [existing] domain name,' he told the Wall Street Journal. He got 700 options out of his algorithm and was tossing up between . Sumble and Kaggle when a poll of friends and family overwhelmingly voted . for Kaggle. Goldbloom could . now afford a much more conventional name - Kaggle has been backed by a . number of Silicon Valley investors, and PayPal co-founder Max Levchin is . its chairman - but with that kind of success, why would he want to? Portmanteau: Mibblio, a sing-along story book company, is a mixture of 'music' and the Latin word for book 'biblio' Game changr: Tumblr's misspelling has become part of its cache . The naming of start-ups and products is such big business that companies exist solely for the purpose of finding the perfect name. Steve Manning, founder and presumably name-designator of Igor, a name-consulting business, says today's start-ups are going the wrong way about choosing their business names. 'The primary driver for start-up naming right now is the misguided mission to find the shortest possible, pronounceable [unclaimed] dot-com address,' Manning told the Wall Street Journal. He says short URLs aren't the be-all and end-all and that start-ups are underestimating their potential customers if they assume people won't respond to a longer business name and website. Nancy Friedman, a name and tagline developer, agrees. 'A short name isn’t always the best name,' she writes at her blog Fritinancy. 'Your URL doesn’t have to be your name: The web address of Open, a design agency in Manhattan, is notclosed.com. And alternatives to .com abound - .us, .ca, and the many country-code domains that can be employed in creative ways.' Bought vowels: The San Francisco offices of Twitter are well-appointed now, but when it first launched as Twttr, the social media company couldn't afford to buy its vowels . Friedman also points out that 'quirky' names aren't a recent phenomenon. You only have to walk down the processed snack-food aisle at the supermarket to see that start-ups don't have a monopoly on crazy names (think Cheez-Its, Poptarts, Lunchables, or Krispy Kreme). Nevertheless, in the challenge to come up with a short name that conveys meaning, and is easy to pronounce and logical to spell, start-ups are certainly the leading the kooky-name pack. Mashable's tips for founders naming their start-ups advises the use of prefixes and suffixes, as in bitly, Spotify and Rootsy, creating compound words or portmanteaus, like Facebook, Foursquare and Thrillist. Or, simply misspell a word, as Tumblr, Digg and Reddit all have. If that all fails? Make something up - think Yipit and Yobongo. Mashable recommends using lots of vowels to add rhythm to the name. Or, just ask Kaggle if you can borrow his algorithm. | Start-ups are becoming known for their quirky names .
Businesses such as Flickr are so-named because the correctly-spelled domain name was taken .
There are 252 million domain names registered - so start-ups are becoming ever more creative . |
0bb07338dccfd29857c4b44f00b0c2e287057ebd | Homeowners who fitted solar panels will soon be left out of pocket according to a leaked document which reveals the government is planning to slash the amount of money it pays for generating renewable energy. In an embarrassing slip-up, the Energy Savings Trust charity accidentally published confidential details of proposals to cut renewable energy payments by more than 50 per cent. It would mean the amount the average household receives for generating solar energy would fall from £1,190 to £640. Cuts: Homeowners with solar roof panels will see the amount of money they are paid by the government slashed by 50 per cent according to a leaked document . Government energy ministers are expected to announce the cuts in Parliament on Monday. Earlier . week Climate Change minister Greg Barker said he believed that tariffs . paid by government needed to reflect the falling cost of solar . technology. Climate change minister Greg barker said tariffs need to reflect the falling cost of solar technology . According to the leaked document the new . tariffs could be brought in as early as December 8 and would see . payments fall from the current 43.3p per kilowatt hour to just 21p for surplus electricity fed back into the national grid. The . Energy Savings Trust quickly withdrew the document but not before the . news had spread causing widespread concern amongst homeowners and . companies which install solar panels. A . spokesman for the charity said: 'We’ve been working on a draft consumer . guidance document in relation to the Fast Track Review of Feed in . Tariffs for Solar PV to pre-empt the Government consultation which is . expected next week. 'Preparing . advice on a potential announcement was the responsible thing to do as . the leading consumer advice body in this area. Unfortunately, due to a . technical error this document was made available for search.' Industry . experts believe that if the new tariffs are introduced it could put . dozens of firms out of business and cost as many as 25,000 jobs. They also point out it will effectively discourage people from adopting solar and other renewable energy technologies. Homeowners . with cash to spare can pay for solar equipment themselves and receive . up to £1,000 a year from the government subsidy and electricity savings. Those . unable to cover the cost of the equipment upfront can sign up with . solar technology firms and effectively rent out their rooftops so the . companies pay for the panels and the benefits are split. Solar . businesses are now calling on energy ministers to reconsider Monday's . scheduled announcement, in which they are expected to confirm the leak. Slip up: The document was leaked after a 'technical error' on the Energy Savings Trust website . Shaun Taylor, managing director of Buckinghamshire-based SolarTech, posted on the ClickGreen website: 'If this leak proves accurate then the Government will be condemning tens of thousands of residents in social housing to continued fuel poverty as there is no way that 'free PV' schemes will now be financially viable. 'The impact on employment will also be enormous as the industry had forecast 20,000 to 30,000 jobs would be created in this sector. 'If the Government's plan was to add to unemployment, close businesses, leave thousands in fuel poverty and miss our European Carbon Reduction Targets then job done! Let’s hope that this leak doesn’t turn out to be accurate and drown the industry.' This morning ClickGreen launched a 'Save-Our-Solar' campaign in response to the leak and received over 500 messages of support in the first two hours. | Energy Savings Trust 'accidentally' publish report .
Cuts could cost 25,000 jobs . |
0bb20cad2731123854bb108c3b73620ba5bbafcc | Details surrounding JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's ex-wife have emerged from the first time after she has spent the past half-century hiding from the public eye. Marina Porter, now a 72-year-old grandmother collecting Social Security, has lived in Rockwall,Texas since the mid-1970s with her second husband Kenneth Porter and three children. As the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination looms, sources claim that Marina refuses to believe that her former husband shot dead the president in his Dallas motorcade on that fateful November day. Marina Oswald Porter, widow of Lee Harvey Oswald who assassinated JFK, told a press conference in 1977: 'I believe that Lee acted alone in this murder and shot the President , ironically a man whom he respected and admired'. She now no longer believes he killed the president . Marina Oswald weeps as she views the body of her husband and JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before burial on November 25, 1963. She is holding her 22-month-old daughter June . Lee Harvey Oswald, his wife Marina, and his daughter June Lee, when they lived in Minsk in the USSR, shortly before they moved to the U.S. Marina, a Russian immigrant to the U.S., was living apart from Oswald when he shot dead President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The night before the assassination she remembers him bringing his rifle to her home and putting it in the garage. The next day, she noticed it was gone. Due to her relationship with Oswald, Marina found herself the focus of intense scrutiny, so has spent many years hidden away in the small town, where a sign at the end of her driveway warns to 'Keep Out'. Two years after the JFK assassination, Marina married Kenneth Porter and they moved to Texas around ten years later. The family settled in Rockwall just 20 miles from Dallas. Assassin's ring: A wedding band worn by Lee Harvey Oswald until just hours before he killed President John F. Kennedy was sold at auction this month for $108,000 . She has two daughters by Oswald - June and Rachel - who confirmed to the National Enquirer that Marina does believe their father was innocent of the shooting and just a patsy for the Mafia and CIA. The Porters also have a son called Mark. The 72-year-old Mrs Porter has changed her mind about Oswald's guilt, according to the report, after reading books and watching documentaries on the assassination which has been mired in conspiracy theories for decades. A close friend, documentary filmmaker Keya Morgan, told the Enquirer: 'She certainly doesn't believe the official story - she always told me Lee Harvey Oswald loved President Kennedy. Banded together: Oswald is pictured wearing his wedding band as he and wife Marina leave Belarus in the early sixties for America. It sold for $108,000 at auction earlier this month . 'Marina says she remembers the day the Kennedys' premature baby Patrick died (August 7, 1963) and she found Lee sobbing.' Despite her change of heart over Oswald, Mrs Porter's neighbors in Rockwall told the National Enquirer that she is a much-loved member of the local community. Fred McCurley, who lives nearby, told the Enquirer: 'She and Ken are good people, the best neighbors you could ever have.' In . July, Mrs Porter announced that she putting his wedding ring up for . auction as she breaks the final ties to what she describes as the 'worst . day of my life'. She had . given the band up to be auctioned in New Hampshire after it was returned . to her following 50 years lost in an attorney's folder of legal papers . from the trial. The ring sold to an anonymous Texas bidder on October 24 for $108,000. It is accompanied by a fascinating letter written by Mrs Porter which gives the background to the historical object. Previous life: Lee Harvey Oswald, his wife Marina and their daughter June Lee in 1962 . Fateful day: A snapshot taken of the moment JFK was shot in the head in 1963 while driving through Dallas, Texas . President and Jacqueline Kennedy arrive at Dallas Love Field a few hours before he was killed by a sniper, Lee Harvey Oswald . A small section reads: 'At this time of my life, I don’t . wish to have Lee’s ring in my possession because symbolicly [sic] I want . to let go of my past that is connecting with Nov. 22, 1963.' Mrs Porter will keep the proceeds from the sale. In the letter she writes that the ring, which has a . tiny engraving of a hammer and sickle, was bought by Oswald in Minsk in . 1961 shortly before the couple returned to the U.S. The ring was left on the couple's bedside table when Oswald set out to kill the President. Oswald was himself later shot and killed by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby while in police custody. She had refused to speak publicly as the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination approaches. The wedding band was discovered in 2004 stuck in a manila folder at a Forth Worth law firm. It was among the papers of Forrest Markward, a lawyer who represented Mrs Porter following the Kennedy assassination. After several years of legal tussles, the ring was returned by post to Mrs Porter in an envelope marked 'Treasury Department Secret Service'. Doomed: President Kennedy delivers a speech at a rally in Fort Worth, Texas several hours before his assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963 . Marina Oswald, pictured with her two daughters in the Rachel and June Lee shortly after her husband shot and killed JFK . Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in downtown Dallas. Oswald then fatally shot Officer J.D. Tippit and was arrested at the Texas Theatre in the city. The . 50th anniversary has been gaining attention in recent months as everyone . from museum curators to musicians have embarked on projects to remember . the event. The city of Dallas will hold a commemoration November 22 in . Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy's motorcade was passing as shots rang out. Killing: Oswald is seen here being led through Dallas Police Station after being arrested on suspicion of assassinating President John F Kennedy. He was later shot and killed himself by Jack Ruby . Evidence: Marina Oswald Porter with her husband Ken Porter in 1968 at court in Texas in connection with the trial of her ex-husband Lee Harvey Oswald . | Marina Oswald Porter, a 72-year-old grandmother has lived with her second husband Ken in Rockwall, Texas since the mid-Seventies .
She has two daughters by Oswald and a son with her second husband .
The assassin's ring sold to an anonymous Texas bidder on October 24 for $108,000 - Mrs Porter will keep the proceeds . |
0bb2317aec9ea2dc0b6b2ed1abfae6e3d9eba758 | A man was shot dead outside a pre-Grammy party on Saturday night, reports claim. The was attack outside Supperclub on Hollywood Boulevard, while Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa partied indoors ahead of Sunday's awards ceremony. According to TMZ, an argument broke out between two men before one was shot in the torso and in the head at 11.40pm. Shooting: A man was shot dead outside Supperclub on Hollywood Boulevard at 11.40pm on Saturday . He was taken to hopsital where he later died. 'Officers in the area heard gunshots and found one male adult suffering from multiple gunshot wounds,' LAPD officer Nuria Vanegas told The Wrap. Both men are believed to be affiliated with gangs. A suspect is in custody. Supperclub, in the heart of Hollywood, has played host to numerous celebrity parties, including the birthdays of Christina Milian and Kourtney Kardashian. On Saturday night, Schoolboy Q and DJ Mark Da Spot hosted the event which featured trapeze artists. Inside the event: This picture, shared on Instagram by DJ Mark Da Spot, shows the elaborate party inside . Hot spot: Here, The Game and Khloe Kardashian pose at a party in the Supperclub for his 35th birthday . Party time: Christina Milian (left) hosted her birthday at the club in October and Chris Brown (right) attended the party . | Two men argued outside Supperclub on Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday .
One was shot in the head and torso at 11.40pm, died later in hospital .
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa were among guests inside the event . |
0bb2e3e1b68f5e201e23ca225bf5dd5fe64babaa | By . Richard Arrowsmith . England's first day of training in Miami gave an insight into how meticulous Roy Hodgson's preparations to cope with the heat and humidity in Brazil have stretched. Several portable Lucozade cool boxes lined the side of the training pitch, with each bearing the names of individual players and containing tailor-made recovery drinks to cater for their different requirements. The Football Association's Dave Reddin, exercise scientist Chris Neville, Manchester United fitness coach Tony Strudwick and Arsenal nutritionist James Collins have worked with experts from Loughborough University to customise recovery drinks with different electrolytes depending on the amount of fluid that that players lose through sweat. Tailor made: England staff carry out cool boxes containing personalised recovery drinks for the team . Miami heat! England are training in the USA as part of their preparations to cope with high temperatures in Brazil . Form a queue: Gary Neville (3R) helps England staff line up the cool boxes while the players train . Th conditions in Miami were hot enough to warrant the use of industrial cooling fans to help the players adapt to what is to come in Brazil. Temperatures are expected to be in their 30s with humidity at between 80 - 100 per cent when England face Italy in their opening game in Manaus on June 12, and how England cope with those challenging conditions will be crucial to their performance. Preparations began with warm weather training in Portugal where players were asked to wear several layers of clothing. 'We did sweat testing,' said Hodgson. 'We have a T-shirt, a lightweight training tracksuit and on top of that the wet top. Three layers. Take a break: Jack Wilshere takes in some fluids alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines . Lotta bottle: Frank Lampard takes a sip from his personalised recovery drink at the Sun Life Stadium, Miami . Thitsy work: Players will need to keep rehydrated with temperatures in Manaus expected to top 30C . 'Apparently, it is individual. People sweat differently and need different drinks or whatever. The players went through today’s session with sweat pads on and they are being analysed and in terms of the extra heat we tried to generate. 'Because there are going to be uncomfortable moments and you’ve got to learn to get comfortable with that. England captain, Steven Gerrard, told the Metro that the conditions are likely to dictate how the team will play. ‘Coming from playing every week in England to a hotter, more humid climate where you’re sweating more is obviously going to affect the way you play,’ he said. Best laid plans: Roy Hodgson has left no detail to chance in his preparations for the World Cup . No 1 fan: Roy Hodgson and Adam Lallana stand in front of an industrial cooling fan beside the pitch . H2O: While players were given individual drinks, it appears the coaches had to contend with water . ‘Sprinting for long periods becomes more difficult and you need to take more breaks to breathe and get a sip of a drink to rehydrate. You need to place more control on the tempo of the game and ensure you don’t burn yourself out in the first half. ‘Each game and opponent requires a different plan, so yes, we will tailor our approach in Manaus to fit the requirements.’ Defender Leighton Baines said: 'The stuff with the sweat tests I have not experienced before. It is about ticking all the boxes and put us in the best place we can be, so we are prepared for everything.' Wrap up warm: England's preparations began with waring three layers while training in Portugal . Pass and move: Steven Gerrard insists that the weather will determine how England approach different games . Hot stuff! Increased temperature, heart rate and dehydration are three factors that will affect England . According to John Brewer, a professor of sport science at the University of Bedfordshire, three factors will play a part in Manaus - dehydration, increased temperature and rise in heart rate. ‘Players could sweat three litres an hour very easily in the heat of humidity of Manaus. Within half an hour or 45 minutes, they could easily become dehydrated. They have to start the game properly hydrated, they have to hydrate during the game. ‘What happens when you sweat is you don’t just lose fluid, you lose electrolytes – and it’s those electrolytes, the sodium or the salt particularly within the body which help the muscles and the nerves function effectively – if you lose too many of them your performance can suffer.’ | England began training in Miami prior the the 2014 World Cup .
Preparations included customised Lucozade recovery drinks for players .
Temperatures in Manaus will be above 30C with humidity over 80 per cent .
Steven Gerrard says weather will determine how England will play .
Roy Hodgson has made intense preparations to cope with heat and humidity . |
0bb39a2862d17899e07cb16277171b3c7b5ac55a | ISIS, the brutal insurgent/terrorist group formerly known as al Qaeda in Iraq, has seized much of western and northern Iraq and even threatens towns not far from Baghdad. From where did ISIS spring? One of George W. Bush's most toxic legacies is the introduction of al Qaeda into Iraq, which is the ISIS mother ship. If this wasn't so tragic it would be supremely ironic, because before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, top Bush officials were insisting that there was an al Qaeda-Iraq axis of evil. Their claims that Saddam Hussein's men were training members of al Qaeda how to make weapons of mass destruction seemed to be one of the most compelling rationales for the impending war. After the fall of Hussein's regime, no documents were unearthed in Iraq proving the Hussein-al Qaeda axis despite the fact that, like other totalitarian regimes, Hussein's government kept massive and meticulous records. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency had by 2006 translated 34 million pages of documents from Hussein's Iraq and found there was nothing to substantiate a "partnership" between Hussein and al Qaeda. Two years later the Pentagon's own internal think tank, the Institute for Defense Analyses, concluded after examining 600,000 Hussein-era documents and several thousand hours of his regime's audio- and videotapes that there was no "smoking gun (i.e. direct connection between Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda.)" The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence concluded in 2008, as every other investigation had before, that there was no "cooperative relationship" between Hussein and al Qaeda. The committee also found that "most of the contacts cited between Iraq and al Qaeda before the war by the intelligence community and policy makers have been determined not to have occurred." Instead of interrupting a budding relationship between Hussein and al Qaeda, the Iraq War precipitated the arrival of al Qaeda into Iraq. Although the Bush administration tended to gloss over the fact, al Qaeda only formally established itself in Iraq a year and a half after the U.S. invasion. On October 17, 2004, its brutal leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi issued an online statement pledging allegiance to Osama bin Laden. Zarqawi's pledge was fulsome: "By God, O sheikh of the Mujahideen, if you bid us plunge into the ocean, we would follow you. If you ordered it so, we would obey." Zarqawi's special demonic genius was to launch Iraq down the road to civil war. In early 2004, the U.S. military intercepted a letter from Zarqawi to bin Laden in which he proposed provoking a civil war between Sunnis and Shia. Zarqawi's strategy was to hit the Shia so they would in turn strike the Sunnis, so precipitating a vicious circle of violence in which al Qaeda would be cast as the protector of the Sunnis against the wrath of the Shia. It was a strategy that worked all too well, provoking first sectarian conflict in Iraq and later civil war. Al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI, regularly attacked Shia religious processions, shrines and clerics. The tipping point in the slide toward full-blown civil war was al Qaeda's February 2006 attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra, which is arguably the most important Shia shrine in the world. Three years into the Iraq War, AQI seemed all but unstoppable. A classified Marine intelligence assessment dated August 17, 2006, found that AQI had become the de facto government of the western Iraqi province of Anbar, which is strategically important because it borders Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia and makes up about a third of the landmass of Iraq. In addition, AQI controlled a good chunk of the exurban belts around Baghdad, the "Triangle of Death" to the south of the capital and many of the towns north of it, up the Tigris River to the Syrian border. Thus AQI controlled territory larger than New England and maintained an iron grip on much of the Sunni population. In other words, the Bush administration had presided over the rise of precisely what it had said was one of the key goals of the Iraq War to destroy: a safe haven for al Qaeda in the heart of the Arab world. By 2007, al Qaeda's untrammeled violence and imposition of Taliban ideology on the Sunni population provoked a countrywide Sunni backlash against AQI that took the form of Sunni "Awakening" militias. Many of those militias were put on Uncle Sam's payroll in a program known as the "Sons of Iraq". The combination of the Sunni militias' on-the-ground intelligence about their onetime AQI allies and American firepower proved devastating to al Qaeda's Iraqi franchise. And so, between 2006 and 2008, AQI shrank from an insurgent organization that controlled territory larger than the size of New England to a rump terrorist group. But AQI did not disappear. It simply bided its time. The Syrian civil war provided a staging point over the past three years for its resurrection and transformation into the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria," or ISIS. And now ISIS has marched back into western and northern Iraq. Only this time there is no U.S. military to stop it. | When Bush administration attacked Iraq, it argued there was a Hussein-al Qaeda connection .
Peter Bergen: Exhaustive research found absolutely no evidence of a connection .
Ironically, the U.S. invasion provoked the creation of an al Qaeda arm in Iraq, Bergen says .
Bergen: U.S. military fought back against al Qaeda in Iraq, but now U.S. has departed . |
0bb3b08a627e7a0c6ebb85643da1539c13ef31b7 | (CNN)North Korea lashed out at the United States on Sunday, calling a new set of recently levied economic sanctions repugnant and hostile. "The policy persistently pursued by the U.S. to stifle (North Korea), groundlessly stirring up bad blood towards it would only harden its will and resolution," a statement attributed to North Korea's Foreign Ministry said. On Friday, the United States hit North Korea with the new sanctions after the FBI said North Korea was behind last month's computer hack at Sony. The White House said a new executive order targets leaders in North Korea's government, preventing them from accessing property and entering the United States. The isolated nuclear regime, which has denied involvement in the Sony hack, was already subject to a strict set of U.S. economic restrictions. The FBI has maintained North Korea was behind the broad computer breach at Sony, though some technology experts say others could be involved -- such as former employees of the studio. On Friday, officials said the new set of sanctions was further indication of their confidence in North Korea's culpability, and said that private tech firms aren't privy to the intelligence proving Pyongyang's guilt. Obama signed the executive order putting the new sanctions in place on the second-to-last day of his winter vacation in Hawaii. Before his vacation began in mid-December Obama said North Korea was responsible for the attack and the United States was preparing a response. The White House said Friday's announcement reflected the beginning of that response. RELATED: Obama says North Korea's hack not war, but 'cybervandalism' "The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others," Obama wrote in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner. The country poses a "continuing threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States," Obama wrote. Among the agencies targeted by the new sanctions Friday was the Reconnaissance General Bureau, an intelligence agency the United States said was responsible for "major cyberoperations" in North Korea. The new sanctions also target officials at North Korea's Mining Development Trading Corporation, which the United States says is responsible for the country's arms dealing and weapons export business. Seven officials who represent North Korea's arms dealing trade in Africa, Iran, Russia and Syria were designated by the U.S. Treasury as subject to the new economic sanctions. U.S. administration officials said the individuals targeted by Friday's sanctions are not thought to be responsible for the Sony hack. But in exposing their names and positions as North Korean arms dealers, the United States hopes to stymie their business prospects. U.S. officials said they didn't know whether the 10 North Korean officials listed by the Treasury Department held any assets in U.S. institutions. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the sanctions were meant to "isolate key North Korean entities and disrupt the activities of close to a dozen critical North Korean operatives." "We will continue to use this broad and powerful tool to expose the activities of North Korean government officials and entities," Lew said. RELATED: North Korea lambasts U.S. over 'The Interview,' says Obama is the 'culprit' Speaking to CNN late last month, Obama said the United States would respond to the Sony hacking "proportionately," without specifying what actions his government might take to punish Kim Jong Un's government. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Friday, "Today's actions are the first aspect of our response." That seemed to indicate the widespread Internet outages reported in North Korea last month were not a retaliatory response to the Sony hack, though administration officials would not confirm the blackout came at the hands of the United States. "There are many possible explanations for (North Korea's) Internet outage, including the possibility that they had ended up doing it to themselves," one U.S. official said. CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report. Note: An earlier version of this story included a tweet from what was actually a parody account. CNN regrets the error. | The U.S. announces new sanctions against North Korea .
The sanctions come after a cyberattack against Sony, attributed to North Korea .
Seven officials who represent North Korea's arms dealing trade are targeted in the sanctions . |
0bb4c40199183f74ccec3094060babb1dc89b33e | By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 03:49 EST, 13 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:14 EST, 13 September 2013 . A middle-aged couple have been jailed for conning car buyers out of £120,000 with a string of fake websites. Paul Humphries, 51, and Linda Holden, 55, advertised fake cars on websites including Auto Trader and made potential buyers pay upfront for cars which never arrived. They were jailed this week at Worcester Crown Court for the fraud, which they used to fund their life of luxury. Paul Humphries (left) pleaded guilty to fraud and Linda Holden (right) to money laundering . Humphries pleaded guilty to fraud, and was jailed for four years, while Holden pleaded guilty to money laundering and received a sentence of eight months. The couple, from Lytham St Annes, . Lancashire, using a string of false names, and would agree prices with buyers over the internet. They even arranged deliveries of the cars - which would never arrive. Holden would then make excuses to their angry victims, before eventually ending contact altogether. The money from the fake cars funded them ‘living the high life’ in luxury rented homes and hotels. They spent months on the run, leaving a trail of unpaid bills and furious customers. The coucple used the website for Castle TT Ltd to con used car buyers . The fraud began with a company the pair founded called Castle Prestige Ltd, which offered vehicles in the Worcester area and made them £46,891. They listed their non-existent cars . in the specialist section of the Auto Trader website, where it is common . practice for buyers to pay up front for cars. Even . after police arrested the couple in July last year, they brazenly set . up another fraudulent website, Castle TT, while on bail, claiming they . ’will not be beaten on price, quality and service’. The site said: 'For fantastic offers and great choice Castle TT is your number one secondhand car dealer. 'Here at Castle TT we pride ourselves on sourcing and offering a fantastic range of cars to suit every need and pocket.' Then . in October and November of last year they returned to Auto Trader, and . pulled off six more bogus sales for between £4,500 and £10,500. They . went on the run before being arrested again in Manchester this May. They claimed to be legitimate traders with years of experience . After the sentencing, Detective . Constable Gary Scales of Lancashire Constabulary said: ‘Victims of this . crime lived all over the UK and have been left out of pocket by these . people. ‘This couple took . advantage of the trust that most motor dealers place on each other and . have left many feeling like they committed a schoolboy error. ‘They were living the high life staying in luxury houses and hotels all paid for by the money they stole.’ Humphries and Holden agreed price online and arranged deliveries, but the cars did not exist . But police believe the fraud could have been even larger than expected, as many victims may not yet have come forward. In . an appeal released while the pair were on the run, a spokesman said: . ‘The fraud has been carried out systematically and there are probably . victims out there that we are not aware of. It is a large amount of . money and that’s just what we know about. This might be the tip of the . iceberg. ‘Cars . were advertised via the trader’s section of Auto Trader, and apparently . it is quite common for traders to ask for payment up front. Because it . is through the traders’ section there is a degree of trust. ‘It . could be that there are more victims and people might not have come . forward through embarrassment, because there’s some degree of error on . the victim’s part for paying up front for goods they have not received.’ Auto Trader said it advises all customers not to part with cash until they have seen the vehicle, and to carry out thorough checks on the vehicle before agreeing to a deal. | Paul Humphries, 51, and Linda Holden, 55, posed online as car traders .
They tricked victims in to paying upfront for cars which did not exist .
Then used the money to pursue a life of luxury .
Both were jailed at Worcester Crown Court this week . |
0bb4e3247990bc51d25305bbd05922cc9c6673d2 | The Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa and her brother James have met the royal baby but it was unclear today whether their partners were also at Kensington Palace. Today it was revealed that Prince Harry may also have been there as the future king met his parents' siblings. Royal sources say that Pippa and James . Middleton enjoyed cuddles with the prince as soon as he arrived home from hospital. But it also emerged that Pippa's banker boyfriend Nico Jackson may also have been at the secret meeting, . raising questions about whether James' girlfriend, TV presenter and . model Donna Air, may have also been afforded the same privilege. Happy event: James Middleton is said to have met his sister's child last night but it is unclear if his girlfriend Donna Air was there too . Couple: Pippa Middleton was also at Kensington Palace, and it was reported her boyfriend Nico (pictured together at Wimbledon) was there too . It was another first for the Middletons yesterday, . because the Duchess's parents Carole and Michael were also the first . family members to meet their grandchild. Miss Air has been dating James Middleton since the beginning of the year, and will no doubt be looking forward to meeting her beau's new nephew, and future king. MailOnline approached her agent today, but they refused to comment on whether Donna has yet. In the hours before the child was discharged from hospital, the 33-year-old TV presenter and her nine-year-old daughter were the Dogs Trust Awards ceremony at London's Home House. Gathering: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived back at Kensington Palace this evening with their son. Pippa Middleton and her boyfriend Nico Jackson were waiting to meet the new arrival . Celebration: Crowds of people waved and cheered as the young family headed into their home . Prince . Harry, who is said to be thrilled to have become an uncle, has met his nephew, having raced back to . London from Wattisham airbase in Suffolk where he is on duty with the RAF. Prince William and Kate were last night pictured . arriving into the grounds of Kensington Palace after earlier leaving . the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in London. Kate and William had waved in front of screaming . crowds and masses of journalists from around the world as they left the . hospital, 26 hours after the heir to the throne was delivered, weighing . 8lbs 6oz. The proud parents are expected to spend two weeks at Kensington Palace while William is on paternity . leave. Speaking outside the hospital . earlier, an obviously moved Duchess of Cambridge said: 'It's been very . emotional. Any parent will know what this feeling is like.' Family time: Pippa Middleton has travelled to Kensington Palace where she will this evening meet her new nephew. The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William show their baby outside the hospital earlier . Proud: The Royal couple looked thrilled as they showed off the baby to the media outside the hospital . Home: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge headed to Kensington Palace in west London after leaving the hospital this evening . The Duke of Cambridge had followed the steps his parents Charles and Diana took with him 31 years ago, when he was born there on June 21, 1982. 'He's a big boy, quite heavy. We're still working on a name,' he told reporters. 'Well he has a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure’ Confirming that the prince was overdue, William said: ‘I will remind him of his tardiness when he is older.’ Beaming: Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge . Historic: Pippa Middleton is pictured carrying out her duties at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge . With a huge smile he then added: ‘He’s got her looks thankfully’ to which the Duchess responded ‘No, no, no I’m not sure about that.’ The Duchess wore a lilac purple dress, with her long hair falling in waves around her face. The new father wore a blue open neck shirt rolled up to his sleeves with black trousers. The couple then returned in to the . hospital as William held his son, swaddled in a blanket, before bringing . him out again in his car seat . William . then breathed a huge sigh of relief when he successfully installed his . baby on the back seat with his wife, before driving them home to . Kensington Palace surrounded by a cheering crowd. Proud: Prince William drove his wife and son away from the The Lindo Wing and headed to Kensington Palace . Happy: The new parents are now expected to spend two weeks at Kensington Palace . Carole and Michael Middleton were the first to arrive at the private . Lindo Wing at around 3pm today, with Prince Charles and his wife . Camilla following them at 5.30pm after being rushed to London by . helicopter after two-days carrying out official duties in Yorkshire. Before . mounting the St Mary's Hospital steps, the smiling Prince of Wales . asked journalists who have been stood outside for almost three weeks: . 'Have you been there long?' | Future king left the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in London last night .
Waiting for him were Kate's siblings Pippa and James Middleton .
It is unclear if their partners Nico Jackson and Donna Air were also there . |
0bb53afcc487e0f639865671ef9ac9c0e50706d8 | Former World Cup winners Romario and Bebeto were among the Brazilian footballers elected to parliament in elections this weekend. Romario, who was a deputy in the lower house, was elected Senator for Rio de Janeiro with 63 per cent of the vote. The 48-year-old has consistently spoken out against corruption in Brazilian football and is part of the Brazilian Socialist Party . Romario, the former Barcelona and PSV forward, has been elected as Senator for Rio de Janeiro . Bebeto, his strike partner when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994, was re-elected as a state deputy. Andres Sanchez, the former president of Sao Paulo club Corinthians, was elected to the lower house for the Workers' Party. Romario had a playing career that spanned almost 25 years and played for clubs such as PSV, Barcelona, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo. Bebeto, who played for the same two Rio de Janeiro based clubs, went into politics in 2010 as a representative of the Democratic Labour Party. Bebeto (right) has been re-elected as a state deputy, Bebeto represents the Democratic Labour Party . Romario (No 11) and Bebeto (No 7) played together for Brazil when they won the World Cup in 1994 . | Romario elected Senator for Rio de Janeiro .
Bebeto re-elected as state deputy .
Brazilian duo were striker partners at 1994 World Cup .
Former president of Corinthians, Andres Sanchez, elected to lower house . |
0bb71d989b199a24d540180bdba439351bfa4dc0 | Washington (CNN)Mitt Romney told an audience of Republican donors in New York on Friday that he is seriously considering a third presidential bid. "Mitt told the group of 30 or so guys that were there that he is considering a run for the White House and that they could go tell their friends," a source in the room told CNN. The Wall Street Journal first reported the comments. Though his loyalists and supportive donors have floated his name as a potential candidate for the better part of a year, Romney himself has been more reticent about mounting another White House bid after his 2008 and 2012 losses. But Romney's outlook has changed in recent weeks, according to people who have spoken with him recently, and he seems to be more serious than ever before. Romney has kept in close touch with his donors, many of whom have become close friends over two presidential cycles, according to one source close to Romney who was not at the meeting in New York but is familiar with his thinking. Romney hosts an annual retreat each year in Park City for policy discussions—and used the two most recent gatherings in 2013 and 2014 to introduce them to potential 2016 presidential candidates including Rand Paul and Chris Christie. (Jeb Bush was invited to speak last summer, but could not attend because of previous commitments, including his father's birthday). Many of Romney's New York donors, who are in frequent touch with him, had suggested a lunch or get-together when Romney was in New York, which resulted in the meeting with donors on Friday as he was on his way back from Charlie Baker's swearing in as the new governor of Massachusetts, this person said. Former aides to Romney have said that his thinking about the race has evolved over several months, particularly after he had time to reflect on being back on the campaign trail for the midterm races. As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has moved toward a bid, many donors had pressed him for a signal about his level of interest. "He had not closed his mind on this, and today was the day that he decided to share that with the group of people he was with," the source familiar with Romney's thinking said. "His conviction that the country is on the wrong track is very strong. He's very concerned with America's role in the world. Nothing has changed on that." As far as re-entering the field for the Republican nomination, the source said, "He knows he would have to earn it, he knows no one is handed the nomination, but he's giving it some thought....His head hasn't changed, I think he was just formalizing it a little bit," at the Friday meeting, the source said, to let donors know he was considering a bid more seriously. Romney's comments come in the wake of Jeb Bush's stepped-up political activity. Bush, Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — all favorites of the Republican establishment and New York donor community — would presumably draw from the same pool of financial backers. "I think he is serious," said the person at the New York meeting. "One of the first things he said he said was, 'People ask me, do you want to be president? Well, yes, I did run twice." Romney said that his wife, Ann, is "very encouraging" about 2016, the source said, but his sons are split about the idea, the source who was in the room said. The source familiar with Romney's thinking also said Ann is "supportive of it" if that's what Romney wants. "I don't think he would have come to this without talking to his family." At the heart of this, this source adds, is that "the state of the country hasn't settled for him. he won't be happy sitting on the sidelines." The former Massachusetts governor told the crowd that a potential campaign would "have to have a positive message." He also said, somewhat obviously, that he "would run a different campaign from what he's run in the past." Romney entertained questions about the rest of the potential 2016 field but had only positive things to say about his would-be rivals, the source said. The news comes after a week chock-full of high-profile potential Republican presidential candidates taking the first steps toward announcing their candidacy for the 2016 election. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush launched a Leadership PAC this week, just days after resigning his position on various corporate and nonprofite boards. And former GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee quit his show on Fox News last week to give 2016 some serious consideration. And CNN reported Wednesday that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is assembling a team for a potential 2016 presidential bid. The revelation of Romney's overtures to top GOP donors is yet another addition to the long-term game of footsy Romney has played with the media and other Republicans who would like to know whether Romney is in or out -- though it's certainly the most definitive and serious indication that Romney might actually launch a third presidential bid. Romney was rumored to be through with his presidential ambitions after a grueling 2012 run, but this summer he made several head nods that he was considering. Romney told the Washington Post this summer that "we'll have to see what happens" and said in another interview that the chances were very slim -- but conceded there was nonetheless always a chance. "We never say never," Ann Romney said on CNN's "New Day" this summer. Gloria Borger contributed to this report. | Mitt Romney told donors Friday that he's considering a third presidential bid in 2016 .
His comments come in the wake of Jeb Bush's stepped-up political activity . |
0bb727c1fe12b18ad0b0270aef11812e5807685a | The Twelve Days Of Christmas don't have much appeal to the modern woman - most ladies these days would prefer a cashmere sweater or a designer handbag to a partridge in a pear tree. But it's just as well, as the price of keeping your true love happy is $27,673.22 (£17,766) if you bought everything on the list once. That is up by one per cent on 2013's total, which was $27,393.17 (£17,606.56) US company PNC Wealth Mgmt has worked out the cost of the gifts in the song every year since 1984, when it totalled $12,673 (£8,160), it is now $27,673 (£17,766) The increase is the smallest since 2002, when the cost fell 7.6 per cent. PNC Wealth Management has worked out the cost of the twelve days of gifts every year since 1984, when the items totalled $12,673.56 (£8,160.17). They also broke down the prices for each individual item. Two turtle doves, cost $125 (£80.29), the same as last year, while five gold rings cost $750 (£481.76) Nine ladies dancing (per performance) cost $7,553 (£4,851.67), while seven swans a-swimming are worth $7,000 (£4,496.45) While many of the gifts were the same cost as last year, like the two turtle doves, the seven swans-a-swimming and the nine ladies dancing, several had also gone up in value. 10 lords-a-leaping had gone up from $5,243 (£3,365.97) last year, to $5,348 (£3,433.38) now, although Femail thinks it would be tough to find any real lords to leap for that price. The price of a partridge (who sits in the pear tree) has gone up by a third this year - it is now $20 (£12.85) instead of $15 (£9.64) — Partridge, $20 (£12.85); last year: $15 (£9.64) — Pear tree, $188 (£120.76); last year: $184 (£118.19) — Two turtle doves, $125 (£80.29); last year: same . — Three French hens, $181 (£116.27); last year: $165 (£106) — Four calling birds (canaries), $600 (£385.41); last year: same . — Five gold rings, $750 (£481.76); last year: same . — Six geese-a-laying, $360 (£231.25); last year: $210 (£134.89) — Seven swans a-swimming, $7,000 (£4,496.45); last year: same . — Eight maids a-milking, $58 (£37.26); last year: same . — Nine ladies dancing (per performance), $7,553 (£4,851.67); last year: same . — 10 lords a-leaping (per performance), $5,348 (£3,433.38); last year: $5,243 (£3,365.97) — 11 pipers piping (per performance), $2,635 (£1,691.65); last year: same . — 12 drummers drumming (per performance), $2,855 (£2855); last year: same . | US company PNC Wealth Mgmt worked out cost of the gifts in the song .
It totalled $12,673 (£8,160) in 1984 and has risen to $27,673 (£17,766) now .
Six geese-a-laying are worth $360 (£231.25), compared to $210 last year . |
0bb74d8936ea4764c0601c4cfc857dacaa0f3014 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:01 EST, 19 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:11 EST, 19 December 2012 . A NBA star has decided to give up his celebratory six-shooter gesture in the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre. Joakim Noah, 27, who plays for the Chicago Red Bulls, has not used his trademark move since the attack last Friday where 20 children aged six and seven died along with six teaching staff. The player, who earned $11million this year, had celebrated success on the court by miming guns with his index fingers. Scroll down for video . Respect: Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah reacts during an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 12, prior to the Sandy Hook school shootings . During the Bulls last game against Boston Celtics, which the Chicago team won 100-89, Noah did not once make the gesture - or at two other games in the past week. The player had been performing the celebration since the 2010-11 season. He told the New York Post: 'It was kind of like a funny, comical thing. But I guess we’re in a situation right now where it’s not funny.' He said that the high level of gun violence in Chicago added to his decision. On December 14, the star player tweeted: 'This is so f***** up... There needs to be some kind of gun control.. For real.' Joakim Noah has established a charity called Noah's Arc Foundation which helps underprivileged children through sports and arts programs. Tribute: The Bulls player has used the celebration for several seasons until last week when he said it was no longer a 'funny, comical thing' New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz has visited the home of the six-year-old Connecticut shooting victim who was buried in a replica of his jersey. Jack Pinto was among 20 children shot to death Friday in Newtown. Several elementary school-age children played touch football in the front yard of his family's home on Tuesday. Tribute: Victor Cruz's boots for Jack Pinto . Six-year-old Jack was a huge Giants fan and Cruz his favorite player. Many wore Giants jerseys or Newtown football or wrestling shirts as they laughed, smiled and hugged. The children and their families left after several hours. Young fans carried autographed Giants footballs and jerseys. About 45 minutes later, Cruz left the home in an SUV and an escort of five police cruisers, sirens blaring. He later tweeted that he has 'much love to the entire Pinto family. Great people with huge hearts'. Several people leaving the home confirmed Cruz was there. When the New York Giants took on the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday, Cruz's boots were inscribed with the words 'Jack Pinto, My Hero', 'R.I.P. Jack Pinto' and 'This one is for you'. Cruz later said: 'There's no words that can describe the type of feeling that you get when a kid idolizes you so much that unfortunately they want to put him in the casket with your jersey on. 'I can't even explain it.' | Joakim Noah, 27, has not used the move since the deadly attack where 20 children and six teaching staff lost their lives in Newtown .
New York Giants player Victor Cruz visits family of six-year-old Jack Pinto, the little fan who was buried wearing his replica jersey . |
0bba411a34b2c86cead2a6ceadd652e31b908ca0 | PUBLISHED: . 08:17 EST, 16 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:20 EST, 16 March 2013 . This is the moment BBC comedian Simon Brodkin somehow managed to get on the Goodison Park pitch and warm up with the Manchester City squad. Players, including goalkeeper Joe Hart and Kolo Toure and assistant manager David Platt looked on in bemusement as Brodkin, whose is best known for his comic creation Lee Nelson, jogged along the touchline and did stretches. In this instance, Brodkin was in the guise of footballer Jason Bent, a character from his BBC Three series Lee Nelson's Well Funny People, wearing an identical maroon tracksuit to the City players. His presence alerted players, stewards and security staff and he was escorted off the pitch and later arrested. Who's this? Man City goalkeeper points the finger as Jason Bent, a character creation of comedian Simon Brodkin, warms up with the squad before their match with Everton . Perplexed: City assistant David Platt looks on puzzled as the BBC comedian jogs along the touchline . Get off! The japester, who was filming a prank for new BBC Three series, is hauled off the Goodison Park pitch by security officials . A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: 'We can confirm that a 35-year-old from London was arrested before the Everton v Manchester City game this afternoon. 'A man was arrested on suspicion of pitch encroachment after he went on to the pitch. 'He has been taken to a police station where he will be interviewed.' Play was held up in the corresponding fixture between the two sides last season when a man ran onto the field and handcuffed himself to a goalpost. The man had been protesting about Ryanair's recruitment policy after his daughter was denied a job by the airline. Everton won today's game 2-0. Bemusement: City players look on as 'Jason Bent' chases after a ball . Stripping off: Brodkin was wearing the identical kit sported by City in the match with 'Bent 9' on the back . Confronted: Samir Nasri looks on as Brodkin is chased down by security guards . He . emerged from the crowd with just under five minutes remaining until . half-time and shackled himself to the frame of City keeper Joe Hart's . goal. After a hold-up which resulted in five minutes of first-half stoppage time, he was released and led away by police. No laughing matter: The TV funnyman was arrested by police (left) - and, right, as character Lee Nelson . Protest: A man handcuffed himself to the goalpost in the corresponding fixture last season . | Simon Brodkin hopped onto Goodison Park dressed as alter ego Jason Bent .
Began stretching alongside City stars Joe Hart and Kolo Toure .
Stewards finally alerted by coach David Platt and he was arrested . |
0bbabf0982f33e6581203e4dc67c8d8fac3ed3bd | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A woman has described the horrifying side effects she experienced after having black market butt injections. In ‘Buttloads of Pain’, a documentary produced by Vice, Oscarina Busse, 35, from Miami, Florida, admits that the illegal fillers made her skin crust, ‘peel like an onion,’ and droop. She was forced to undergo life-saving surgery that saw more than three pounds of rotted, rock-hard flesh removed from her derriere. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Forever changed: Oscarina Busse (pictured) received two butt-enhancing treatments that resulted in a near-death medical condition . Lethal behind: A majority of dancers at Miami's King of Diamonds strip club (including the one shown above) have received the same illegal injections that caused Oscarina Busse (not pictured above) serious medical issues . The hair salon owner had paid approximately $6,000 for her two augmenting treatments that cost nearly $70,000 to repair - with additional procedures still on the way. Ms Busse, a mother of one, chose the illegal injection rather than its legalized fat transfer or implant counterparts for its comparably cheaper cost ($3,000 versus up to $13,000 for the legal version) and short recovery time. The practice is becoming commonplace, even an epidemic, in Ms Busse’s native Miami - a location whose body-obsessed culture makes most women unhappy with their bodies, she says. ‘It wasn’t because I didn’t have it. I just wanted it to be better’ As a Dominican woman, Ms Busse says that she already had a curvy figure before the shots. ‘It wasn’t because I didn’t have it. I just wanted it to be better.’ she said of the reason behind receiving her butt enhancements. Ms Busse received her first round of shots in 2002 followed by another round in 2009, the latter of which turned out to be a nearly-fatal experience. Like many women, Ms Busse did not receive either treatment from a licensed medical professional. Instead, she received the injections at a ‘spa’ that she found through word-of-mouth. Under review: Dr Mendieta shows Vice a series of botched illegal butt-enhancing treatments which display symptoms similar to those experienced by Ms Busse . ‘I got the shots and six months later my butt turned purple, the product had eaten off my muscle, and my skin peeled like an onion,’ she said of her body’s reaction. According to Vice, those who receive illegal butt injections rarely know what substance is really being implanted into their bodies. The most typical materials used are mineral oil and non-medical-grade silicone, but there have been reports of Fix-A-Flat tire remedies or concrete being injected too. Some of the most notorious butt ‘doctors’ have even used Krazy Glue to help seal the syringe entry spot, to stop the caustic materials from leaking out, the film says. Ms Busse is not sure what caused her reaction, but it seems like hers occurred much sooner than the norm. Many women begin to experience something similar within five to ten years after their own procedures, as her plastic surgeon explained. Ms Busse kept her condition a secret for months before finally sharing her pain with a client, showing her the predicament in the privacy of a salon back room. Life-altering: Once symptoms such as these appear, it is nearly impossible for women to ever get back their natural butt . In an accompanying article, Vice writes, ‘her a** was rotting off.’ The client’s reaction prompted Ms Busse to seek out help. After consulting many doctors who would not treat her out of fear that she may eventually die anyway, Ms Busse found Dr Constantino Mendieta – a Miami-based plastic surgeon who specializes in butt surgeries. Dr Mendieta told Vice that while many women 'will turn to any measure' to achieve a more perfect butt, 'many of these patrients may die over time because of the injections that they are getting.'' Her savior: Plastic surgeon, Dr Medieta (pictured) helped piece Ms Busse back together and says that her case is one of the worst he has seen in his career . He says that the injections 'destroy' body tissue, and that receiving them is a 'lifetime event that you'll never be able to change back [completely].' By Ms Busse’s own accounts, Dr Mendieta saved her life. Her condition was one of the worst he had seen in his career, and required such extensive surgery that it was broken down into two rounds of procedures. 'I had to cut a great deal of flesh out with the silicone because it had impregnated her tissue,' he said of her first surgery. 'We pulled out a pound and a half of pure, rock-hard substance from each cheek,' he elaborated, of the $70,000 procedure. The silicone material allegedly used . in Ms Busse’s butt injections was first invented during the Second World . War as a transformer fluid. Prostitutes in Yokohama, Japan began to steal the solution from the docks of U.S. marine bases to inject it into their breasts. A trend began, landing inside the bodies of sex workers and First Ladies (like Nancy Reagan) alike. But in 1965, when it was discovered how silicone has a propensity to travel within the body, attach itself to organs, trigger strong autoimmune reactions, and potentially cause lethal septic shock, the solution was outlawed from medical use. It then became a strictly-underground pursuit, often favored by transsexuals, Vice says. Ms Busse is by no means the only woman to undergo illegal butt injections. In . its report, Vice visits a Miami strip club where it’s estimated that . 75 to 80per cent of the dancers have received such treatments. Worth the risk: Miami-based stripper, 'Seven', says that her injections are worth the risk because of the amount of money she now making because of them . While . these women’s backsides are culturally perceived as attractive thanks . to their treatments, it is likely that in five to ten years’ time they . could suffer a predicament similar to Ms Busse’s. But that risk is worthwhile, according to a dancer who goes by ‘Seven'. She said: 'I got my butt done on a Tuesday. I came back to work on a Friday and made triple the amount it cost in one night. My money went from regular stripper to superior stripper.' If Ms Busse’s surgeries are any indication, Seven should probably start saving, as Doctor Mendieta - one of Miami's few surgeons willing to repair the injections' destruction - does not come on the cheap. | Oscarina Busse had paid approximately $6,000 for her two augmenting treatments that cost nearly $70,000 to repair .
Life-saving surgery removed more than three pounds of rotted, rock-hard flesh removed from her derriere . |
0bbb5dfa21088189011070c01dc19f84ed8e6aee | By . David Wilkes . PUBLISHED: . 16:54 EST, 1 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:12 EST, 1 September 2013 . Road to recovery: Hans Rausing appeared healthy and composed this week as he prepares to leave court-ordered rehab . For two months, Hans Rausing hid his crack addict wife’s body in their £70million mansion as he struggled to face up to her death. So as the Tetra Pak heir prepares to return home from rehab for his own drug abuse, it is perhaps only natural he is keen to make a few changes to the place. As one of Britain’s richest men, of course, he has the resources to do it in style – and has plumped for a luxurious two-storey basement beneath the sprawling Grade II-listed property. The approved plans reveal that the underground development will include a swimming pool, gym, cigar room, wine store, plant room with rain water harvesting tank, cinema and lift. It will create 1,594 sq ft of extra floor space beneath the home, which is formed of two five-storey 19th-century townhouses and three linked mews buildings. The property, in London’s Belgravia, already features a ballroom, courtyard, staff quarters and garages for up to seven cars. Rausing, 49, heir to the £4.3billion Tetra Pak fortune, is the latest member of the super-rich to join the trend for ‘iceberg’ homes, where owners dig down below ground to create more space than traditional extensions. Based on other recent projects nearby in the wealthy borough of Kensington and Chelsea, it is estimated Rausing’s basement – which is equivalent in size to nearly three average terraced houses – will cost £2million to build. And it is not only his house which is undergoing a transformation. Photographed this week leaving the Bluebird Café in Chelsea with a blonde woman said to be a ‘family friend’ at his side, Rausing looked as though his treatment was doing him a power of good. His healthy appearance was in stark . contrast to his gaunt look in early May 2012, days before the death of . his 48-year-old American wife Eva. He was still sporting the beard he has grown since entering rehab, but the walking stick, Fidel Castro-style cap and unflattering hooped polo shirt he was seen wearing three months ago were all gone. Instead he was dressed smartly in a sports jacket and open-necked shirt, his wedding ring clearly visible on his finger. Mrs Rausing’s remains were found in the couple’s second floor bedroom at the house last summer after her husband was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs. Improved: The 49-year-old heir was pictured looking gaunt and disorientated in May last year (left). One year on, (pictured right) he is planning to rejuvenate his Belgravia home where his wife Eva died . Addiction: The society couple had allowed their 50-room Chelsea mansion to fall into disrepair and lived in a small part of the property before Mrs Rausing's death in May last year . He had hidden her body for two months while maintaining a desperate pretence to servants that she was alive. Rausing was convicted of preventing her lawful burial and handed a ten-month suspended jail term. The judge at Isleworth Crown Court said Rausing was a tragic warning of the ‘utterly destructive’ effects of drug abuse. He moved out of the house last year to undergo a rehabilitation programme at a private clinic. Denial: Mr Rausing hid his wife's body as he struggled to come to terms with her death. The 48-year-old was a regular at sociaety parties (left) but spent her last years as a recluse (pictured right in May last year) | Tetra Pak heir is returning to mansion in London's Belgravia after stint in rehab .
Plans for a two-storey basement include a swimming pool, gym and cinema .
Hans Rausing was convicted of preventing his wife Eva's lawful burial .
The 49-year-old his his wife's body for two months and told their servants she was still alive . |
0bbbd38eb3288a67f7e34ca9b0b65ddcfe5d5953 | By . Lizzie Edmonds . Stephen Campbell, picutred in Thailand where he sadly passed away after a jet ski accident . The family of a British man who died in a jet ski accident in Thailand are having to raise £30,000 to bring his body home. Stephen Campbell, 38, from Blackpool, Lancashire, died in the tragic accident off Larn Island, in the east coast resort of Pattaya, on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Mr Cambell's insurance will not cover the costs of bringing him home - and now his family are desperately trying to raise the money. A Facebook page set up by the barber's family read: 'Unfortunately the insurance does not cover him and the process of repatriation is proving to be expensive and in excess of 30k. 'We desperately want to lay him to rest and bring him home to Blackpool.... 'So...we are asking for a little bit of help to bring him home' Mr Campbell, who owned a barber shop, was on a three week holiday when the accident happened. He was due to return home in a week. The man's neighbours spoke of their shock at his death today. Tracey Strangwick, 48, who owns a neighbouring business, said: 'It's a real tragedy. I was absolutely devastated when I heard the news. 'Stephen is a lovely person and he will be really missed by everyone round here.He's so friendly and would pop his head in when he walked by and would stop for a natter. 'He was a familiar face to everyone and it's awful to hear he'll no longer be around. 'He adored Thailand and used to go all the time. I think he used to travel around the country. A tribute to Mr Campbell. His family are now having to raise £30,000 in order to bring the barber's body home . Urban Barbers which was owned by Stephen Campbell . 'He really wasn't a thrill-seeker or anything like that. Stephen was a wonderful, warm-hearted man and it's a real shock to everyone that he's died so suddenly in such tragic circumstances.' Neighbour Russell Ward said Mr Campbell, who was a keen supporter of Liverpool FC, bought the business Urban Barber four years ago. He said: 'He was a lovely bloke who was always living life to the full. It's a real shame to hear what's happened. 'I think he lived alone but he was popular round here. If we had the football on he would always sit down and watch it with us. 'He was just so easy to get on with and I really feel for his family.' To donate, click on the 'Bring Him Home' link below . | Stephen Campbell, 38, died in jet ski accident in Thailand on Wednesday .
Barber from Blackpool was on three-week holiday in Pattaya resort .
Unfortunately, his insurance will not cover cost of bringing his body home .
His family are hoping to raise £30,000 so he can be laid to rest in the UK . |
0bbc61de4f1e79ca743f266154e11338303bc0e3 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:38 EST, 21 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:38 EST, 21 June 2013 . Feeling a bit washed out? You’re not alone – and it could be thanks to low vitamin D levels after our run of gloomy weather, according to research. Scientists found the ‘sunshine vitamin’ charges up our mitochondria – the batteries of the cells. An estimated 60 per cent of the population suffer from vitamin D deficiency. But a spell of sunshine lets us produce the vitamin, which helps our muscles work more efficiently. Benefits: A spell in the sun can top up your batteries and leave you feeling more energetic . Scientists say about 90 per cent of our vitamin D intake comes from sunlight. And a team of researchers saw exhausted patients report a dramatic rise in energy levels when they started taking vitamin D supplements. Dr Akash Sinha, who led the study, said: ‘We have proved for the first time a link between vitamin D and mitochondria function. ‘Of the patients I see, around 60 per cent are vitamin D deficient. Lacklustre: Working indoors all day with little chance of seeing sunshine can create muscle fatigue . Rich source: Vitamin D can also be found in egg yolks, fish and supplements . 'Most people living north of Manchester will struggle to process enough vitamin D from sunlight alone. ‘However a simple vitamin D tablet could help to boost your energy levels - from within the cells.’ While it has a well-established association with helping in bone formation and a deficiency can lead to rickets, its role in other health issues is just emerging. As well as poor bone health, muscle . fatigue is a common symptom of a lack of vitamin D, which could be due . to reduced efficiency of the mitochondria. It is thought around 60% of people in . the UK are vitamin D deficient, with children under five, people with . dark skin and the elderly being particularly vulnerable. | Vitamin D boosts energy levels and makes muscles work more efficiently .
Around 60% of people in .
the UK are thought to be vitamin D deficient . |
0bbd0299b67aa76f5d977aa1b5fa6a439aa88413 | By . Alexandra Klausner . A family of four from Argyle, Texas died in New Mexico on Friday night when a pickup truck hit their van on a highway in New Mexico. Only one of them was wearing a seat belt. Brian Lee, 24, was driving his Ford pickup truck when he started falling asleep and crossed the center line of the road and smashed into the family's van, reports Dallas News. Only the father Michael Miller, 47, was wearing a seat belt and he and his wife LeAnn Miller, 48, and their children Zoey, 12, and Miles, 7, were killed upon impact, said police. Dead: Miles, his mother LeAnn, his father Michael and his sister Zoey all died in a crash on Friday night . The scene: The crash occurred Friday around 9 p.m. on US 550, about 20 miles south of Bloomfield and only Michael was wearing his seatbelt . Brian Lee survived and was hospitalized with minor injuries. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash. The family who died in the crash are survived by their son Cory Dixon, 24, who didn’t go on a road trip out west with his family. Before they died, the family had already visited Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Colorado and Utah.Cory Dixon spoke to his mother just minutes before the horrific crash at 8:30 P.M. 'I think God just had a plan, and he allowed me to talk to her one last time, and that’s all I can ask for in a situation like this — just the fact I got to talk to her,' Dixon said Saturday evening outside the family home. Police received a call about the crash just minutes after Cory hung up on the phone with his mother LeAnn. The family will be missed and were very involved in their community. Last phone call: LeAnn is survived by her son Cory Dixon, 24, who spoke to his mother just minutes before she died . Zoey and Miles Miller were meant to start school on August 25, Zoey in the sixth grade and Miles in the second. Their mother LeAnn was involved in her children's academic and social life and helped the Argyle school district with fundraising. ‘She fulfilled her purpose on earth and what she was supposed to do,’ said Dixon. ‘She was a great mom and a great role model for me, my brother and sister.’ Dixon spoke of his mother and father's passion for caring for others up until her untimely death. ‘It’s what their passion was — to take care of other things and other people,’ Dixon said.Michael Miller was also lead an active role in his children's lives and helped with the cub scouts while his wife LeAnn helped out with the girl scouts. Both Michael and LeAnn worked for Michael's company MM Search Group which helps architecture and real estate firms hire talented employees. A vigil will be held Sunday, August 10 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. at Argyle United Methodist Church . Happy family: The family, pictured here on Christmas, were involved in each others lives before they died . | Only Michael Miller, 47, was .
wearing a seat belt and his wife LeAnn Miller, 48, and their children .
Zoey, 12, and Miles, 7, were killed .
Brian Lee, 24, was driving his Ford .
pickup truck when he started falling asleep and crossed the center line .
of the road and crashed into a van .
Lee was taken to the hospital with minor injuries .
The family is survived by their son Cory Dixon, 24, who spoke to his mother on the phone just minutes before she died .
The family were on a Road trip and had already visited Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Colorado and Utah . |
0bbd06f301854ffd3ac042092440caefc1d0d8fa | (CNN) -- Beverly Hills, California, police want Lindsay Lohan to turn herself in on an arrest warrant issued Friday. Lindsay Lohan was placed on three years' probation after being convicted of drunken driving in 2007. A police official told CNN on Saturday that officers will be on the lookout for the actress-singer until she does so. It wasn't clear why Lohan was being sought, but the warrant, issued by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in Beverly Hills, apparently stems from her 2007 convictions for drunken driving, Beverly Hills police Sgt. Mike Foxen said. She is serving three years' probation for those convictions. "We're hoping that she will turn herself in," Foxen said. Calls to Lohan's publicist and manager have not been returned. Once arrested, Lohan, 22, could go free after posting a $50,000 bond, Foxen said. Lohan was arrested twice in 2007 on driving under the influence charges, with a cocaine possession charge in the second incident. The first arrest in May came after Lohan lost control of her Mercedes-Benz convertible and struck a Beverly Hills curb. Just two weeks after checking out of a Malibu drug and alcohol rehab facility, she was arrested again in July 2007 after a woman called Santa Monica police saying Lohan was trying to run her down in a car. A judge sentenced Lohan to three years' probation after she entered guilty and no-contest pleas to the charges. She served less than two hours in jail. Lohan's acting career, which started at age 10 on a soap opera, took off on the big screen a year later when she played identical twins in Disney's "The Parent Trap." Since then, she has starred in at least a dozen movies, including "Mean Girls" and "Georgia Rule" with Jane Fonda in 2007. Her pop music recording career, boosted by her movie roles, has floundered. She last released an album in 2005. CNN's Irving Last contributed to this report. | Los Angeles judge issues arrest warrant for troubled actress .
Cause uncertain but related to DUI convictions, police sergeant says .
Lohan known for Disney movies and hard partying . |
0bbd093458542070afda07858e9fae45ae1e5cb7 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:13 EST, 3 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:46 EST, 4 June 2013 . A South African game reserve has taken the radical step of poisoning rhino horns so that people risk getting ill if they consume them. The Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng said it had injected a mix of parasiticides and indelible pink dye to keep rhino poachers at bay. Not a single rhino has been poached in the Dinokeng nature reserve since its gates opened in September 2011. These incredible images show the drastic lengths veterinarians are willing to go to protect rhinos from poachers, by dyeing their horns pink . Veterinarians from Wildlife Assignments International and the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Pretoria, South Africa, are injecting the animals' horns with pink dye and parasitic poison in order to deter their predators . The dye can be detected by airport scanners as well as when the horn is ground into a powder . But elsewhere more than 200 rhinos . have been poached so far this year in South Africa, driven by demand in . the far east, where horn ground into powder is seen as a delicacy or . traditional medicine. 'The dye is a pink dye, the same as . used for banknotes, and it’s to make the rhino horn identifiable,' said . Adri van der Veer, Dinokeng Landowners chairman. The technique was developed by Dr Charles van Niekerk, a veterinarian and a Dinokeng landowner. 'As an additional safety measure, a . microchip will also be planted in the horn of the animal in order to . keep track of its movements. Sabi Sand said it had injected a mix of parasiticides and indelible pink dye into more than 100 rhinos' horns over the past 18 months . A pupil from St Camillus Catholic Primary School, Amogalang Morudu touches a rhino at Dinokeng Game Reserve in Pretoria, South Africa . The 'toxification' process involves tranquilising a rhino, drilling a hole in its horn then injecting the dye and parasiticides . 'The people that are doing the . operation for us today have done it to more than 200 rhinos the past few . years, and none of those rhinos have been poached,' Van der Veer said. The programme however, does not come . cheap, but authorities are so confident they will attract more sponsors . for the project, that they are already looking to expand the reserve . with 40 thousand hectares in the next year. While Dinokeng nature reserve . management refuses to say how many rhino there are in the park, this is . the first place in Gauteng province where the big 5 can roam freely. The government said in April that 203 rhinos have been killed by poachers so far this year, including 145 in Kruger park . Target: Despite all the interventions by police, the body count has continued to climb . Protected: A rhino bull on June 2 at Dinokeng Game Reserve in Pretoria, South Africa . The 'toxification' process involves tranquilising a rhino, drilling a hole in its horn then injecting the dye and parasiticides. The substance is normally used to control ticks on animals such as horses, cattle and sheep and it is toxic to humans. Anyone who consumes it risks suffering nausea, stomach ache and diarrhoea. The dye can be detected by airport scanners as well as when the horn is ground into a powder. South Africa National Parks has . backed the initiative but spokesman Ike Phaahla admitted that it would . be 'virtually impossible' to apply the process to all the rhinos in . national parks because of lack of resources. The government said in April that 203 . rhinos have been killed by poachers so far this year, including 145 in . Kruger park. Sixty suspected poachers have been arrested. Drastic action: A rhino is injected with poison to save the species from poachers . | Dinokeng Game Reserve takes drastic action to combat poachers .
At least 200 rhinos .
have been poached so far this year in South Africa . |
0bbd3201cd1f7e96283f9eca1caa04e2c959cc26 | Applicants for a job interview with LG Electronics in Chile had the scare of their lives when the company played a cruel prank on them that has been turned into an amusing TV advertisement. To promote just how life-like images appear on the company’s 82-inch ‘Ultra HD’ TV, LG created a fake office in which one of its screen was positioned to look like a window. Four unlucky applicants – two men and two women – were then filmed in the fake office being interviewed for a job with the company. Scroll down for video . Applicants for a job interview with LG Electronics in Chile had the scare of their lives when the company played a cruel prank on them that has been turned into an amusing TV advertisement . Terror in the sky? The poor unsuspecting job applicant has the fright of her life as something appears to light up the city skyline . To begin with, the interview process seems perfectly normal as the interviewer shakes their hand and starts to look at their resume. But then the cityscape outside starts to change, the blue sky turns black, a meteor emerges from the clouds and suddenly the city explodes. The combination of high-def images and sound is – apparently - so realistic that each of the four interviewees freaks out, panicking and screaming as they see what they think is their city being destroyed. Next the lights go out and the poor unsuspecting victims are left in the dark for a couple of minutes to add to the drama. The commercial starts with the fake office being created and a 82-inch 'Ultra HD' TV being fitted to look like a window . Everything appears normal as the candidates sit down to be interviewed . Suddenly the city is destroyed by a meteor and the interviewees start to freak out at what they've seen . The end of the world as we know it? The interviewee doesn't know how to react to what they've just seen . When the lights go back on, the door suddenly opens and in walks the LG team behind the prank to congratulation the poor unsuspecting targets. The interviewee reactions after the prank are just as animated as some scream and shout, while others are quick to see the funny side of things and are probably just grateful that they haven’t just experienced the apocalypse. It is a cruel but entertaining prank which does a highly effective job of promoting LG's ultra high-def televisions. However, some comments online by those who have seen the ad claim the whole process was faked. They claim actors are playing the parts of applicants and interviewers to promote the company's latest television. Either way, it's not yet known which is true. This type of marketing is called a prankvertisement and since the clip appeared on YouTube on Monday it has been viewed more than 700,000 times. Survival instincts: Next they are plunged into darkness unsure if the world as they know it has changed forever . Everything okay! When the lights go back on, the door suddenly opens and in walks the LG team behind the prank to congratulation the poor unsuspecting targets . Some interviewees are quick to see the funny side of things and are probably just grateful that they haven't just experienced the apocalypse . | Hilarious new TV ad fools four persepective job applicants into thinking they've witnessed the end of the world .
The advert, which is airing in Chile, is to promote LG's 82-inch 'Ultra HD' TV .
Some people claim online that job interviews were mocked up for the advert . |
0bbe953faefc8ff0ce197e2b8a42fdaea3ec674e | (CNN) -- The flip-flop over the non-mention, and now inclusion, in the Democratic platform of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel reflects just how silly and sensitive matters can become in an election year. The Obama folks were clearly tone deaf on this one, giving the Republicans a gratuitous advantage to question (yet again) the president's commitment to Israel. After the discord over its omission, the president himself ordered that Jerusalem be included in the platform. But he has already reaped the worst of both worlds: Having too cleverly tried to steer clear of traditional election year pressures on Jerusalem, the party is now seen to be capitulating to them. First, let's get something straight. The Jerusalem issue defies logic and rationality when it comes to our presidential elections. Presidential candidates say all kinds of things in order to win elections, including repeated commitments to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And then, once in office, they turn around and seek ways to avoid doing it. Despite all of the campaign rhetoric, no administration has changed the bottom line U.S. position on the embassy, or for that matter the status of Jerusalem, since 1967. Its fate is to be determined in negotiations. And here's a news flash for you. Should Mitt Romney become president and serious negotiations start between the Israelis and Palestinians, his position would conform to that of his predecessors, and might even go further to allow for Palestinian sovereignty in east Jerusalem. Democrats update platform with reference to Jerusalem . Second, what's so curious about the flap is that the Jerusalem issue is less relevant today than ever. There are no prospects for reviving serious Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Taking positions on Jerusalem is a thought experiment now. And most smart politicians understand this. Neither the Israeli prime minister nor the president of the Palestinian Authority are prepared to pay the price for a deal, let alone reach common ground, on Jerusalem, the peace process' most explosive issue. To add to that, the region is in turmoil. Iran's nuclear program is likely to be the big issue in 2013, not resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Jerusalem is likely to remain dormant for some time. Perhaps that's partly why this year's GOP platform doesn't spell out much in detail on Jerusalem. It says only that "We envision two democratic states -- Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine." That differs from the platform in 2008, when the GOP actively called for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. That year the Democrats refrained from mentioning moving the embassy, but did assert that Jerusalem "is and will remain the capital of Israel." In fact, looking at past Democratic platforms, the last time the "moving the embassy" language appeared was in 1984. Still, it hardly mattered. Under the past three Republican presidents -- Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 -- nothing was done about it. And it hardly matters on the substantive side, either. What will determine the future of Jerusalem depends almost entirely on the Israelis and the Palestinians and perhaps, if there's ever a peace process, the Arab states that have equities there too. Not to mention the views of the Muslim and Christian world, assuming they'd ever agree on anything regarding their respective holy sites. But rest assured, whatever is contained in any American political party's platform won't be very significant. Indeed, if I were an Israeli or Palestinian, I wouldn't count on any American statement on this or any other issue made during a political campaign. Clearly, the Jerusalem issue continues to resonate politically in the United States, particularly during campaign season. Does the omission of any reference to Jerusalem really say anything at all about Barack Obama and his party's commitment to Israel or a sea change on the Jerusalem issue? It is, indeed, intriguing that the 2008 Democratic Party platform stated that Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel and the 2004 and 2000 platforms contained very similar language, but this year the Democrats had, at first, dared to drop the reference. Mitt Romney was quick to blast the Democrats for the omission, claiming that the entire party "has embraced President Obama's shameful refusal to acknowledge that Jerusalem is Israel's capital." The initial omission, combined with White House press spokesman Jay Carney's fumbling the question about Israel's capital several months ago, might have strengthened many people's belief that Obama is changing American policy. But since American policy, pursued under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has always been that the city's final status will be determined in negotiations, you have to wonder what precisely those critics mean. The president has taken positions on borders and security, but not on Jerusalem, although it's hard to believe that his view will not be close to those of Bill Clinton, who thinks that east Jerusalem should be the capital of a Palestinian state with special arrangements for certain neighborhoods and Jewish holy sites. More likely, the platform's drafters wanted to steer clear of Jerusalem entirely and hoped nobody would notice. But of course they did. What planet were the drafters who omitted Jerusalem living on? It's silly season, the campaign is on, the Republicans see a wedge on Israel, and it's Jerusalem. Need I say more? The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Aaron David Miller. | Aaron Miller: For some reason, the Democratic platform omitted Jerusalem, then included it .
The omission gave Romney an opening for questioning Obama's commitment ot Israel, he says .
But Jerusalem is hardly relevant now, he says, with peace talks dead and Iran the main issue .
Miller: Platforms don't matter, and politicians know Jerusalem's fate is not in their hands . |
0bbe98f7089998baa0c6acef397df4f5ea981c18 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 21:59 EST, 17 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:37 EST, 18 August 2012 . Students with guns at the University of Colorado will be segregated in the dormitories on the school's Boulder and Colorado Springs campuses, the school announced this week. Guns will be banned from the residential areas on main campuses and gun-possessing residents will be corralled into off-campus zones. The announcement comes less than a month after James Holmes, a former CU graduate student, allegedly shot dead 12 people at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado. Gun owners out: The University of Colorado campus in Boulder (pictured) will move students with concealed-weapons carry permits to off-campus housing . At the University of Colorado campus in Colorado Springs, students cannot bring guns to athletic or cultural events . The school actually began crafting . the new housing policy this Spring, after the Colorado Supreme . Court ruled, on March 5, to allow individuals with state-issued concealed . carry permits to carry handguns on college campuses. All undergraduate students will be asked in their housing contracts if they hold a Colorado concealed carry permit, CCP. They will be free to posses their firearms in designated areas but will be asked to forgo . bringing a handgun to campus. While some see the policy as an implementation of the court's decision, others are calling it a response to the tragedy involving the school's former student. On July 20, . Holmes, 24, allegedly entered the Century 16 movie in Aurora and started a terrifying . shooting rampage that left 12 dead and 58 wounded. Police . say he fired a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, a Smith . & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle and a Glock 22 handgun. Holmes had obtained his weapons and ammunition legally but he did not have a . concealed weapons permit. Former student: James Holmes allegedly entered a movie theater in Aurora and shot dead 12 people . In June 2011, Holmes had . enrolled as a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the University of . Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora but he dropped out in June . 2012. The . CU housing policy will impact residential students at the university’s . campuses in Boulder and Colorado Springs and did not mention the . school’s other campuses. ‘The main dorms on the main campus will not allow any concealed-carry weapons,’ university spokesman Bronson Hilliard told the Denver Post. The Boulder campus will provide off-campus housing units, in a downtown area, that can accommodate up to 50 residents, though officials doubt they will ‘have anywhere near that number.’ Less than one per cent of the student-body of each campus is believed to have a concealed-carry permit. To obtain a concealed carry permit in Colorado, a person must be at least 21 years of age, complete an FBI background check, and have either previous military or police experience or proof of completion of a firearms training course. ‘I attended CU years ago and disagree with this decision,’ one alum, J.J. Smith, wrote on the school’s Facebook page that announced the new policy. Less than one per cent of the student-body is believed to have a concealed-carry permit . ‘Students now need to be able to carry . guns to protect themselves from armed intruders. Think Columbine and . Virginia Tech, as well as the Aurora movie theater and Milwaukee Mosque. Is there really any question?’ Another alum, Tom Graziano, sounded off, ‘Great...guns IN dorms...are they serious?!?! No writing on the wall here folks.’ Officials said students with a gun permit may live in the dorms but cannot bring their weapons to main campus, which should remain a gun-free zone. ‘They may store their gun with police,’ Deb Coffin, vice chancellor for student affairs for the university’s Boulder campus, said. Guns will also not be allowed at school athletic and cultural events. The Colorado Springs campus does not have as many available housing units and so those students wishing to keep their guns with them ‘must have permission from their roommate,’ Tom Hutton, a spokesman for the campus, said. The new policy is expected to meet resistance from gun advocates. Kurt Mueller, the director of strategy of Students for Concealed Carry, said his group would look closer at the new policy. ‘It's not surprising that the campuses are trying to circumvent the Colorado Supreme Court ruling,’ he said. | Policy impacts CU campuses in Boulder and Colorado Springs .
Less than 1 per cent of University of Colorado students have a concealed-weapons carry permit .
Guns will also not be allowed at school athletic and cultural events . |
0bbee955ec6c803eadb4afa05c0198cc8722fe02 | A woman has died in hospital after being pulled from New York's icy East River in a critical condition on Friday night. Police believe the woman - who is yet to be identified - jumped from a floating ferry pier in Brooklyn. The incident occurred at Kent Avenue near N. 5th Street in Williamsburg at about 7.30pm . According to The New York Daily News, a ferry was approaching the pier at the time the woman jumped. Scroll down for video . Scene: The NYPD, FDNY, and Coast Guard rushed to a pier in Williamsburg on Friday night after a woman leaped into freezing East River as a ferry approached about 7.30pm. Here they work to rescuscitate the woman after pulling her from the icy water . Rescue: The NYPD harbor patrol struggled to get the woman as quickly as the could have, with the amount of ice floating in the East River impeding their rescue effort. The NYPD tweeted this photo from the scene . FDNY Battalion Chief Paul Tague told WABC New York the ferry captain saw the woman jump. She was carried by the tide about three blocks south of the dock, the paper reported. Officials at the scene said the water temperature was so cold that it would kill a person after about four minutes. The woman was believed to have been in the water for about 20 minutes. The NYPD, FDNY, and Coast Guard all responded to the area near Brooklyn Bridge. Divers in protective gear entered the water. The rescue effort took longer than usual because of the amount of floating ice in the East River from the Arctic blast, police said. The woman was pulled out in an extremely critical condition. Medics at the scene administered CPR as they rushed her to Woodhull Hospital. She was pronounced dead in hospital. A diver that went into the water was also taken to hospital, but is fine. Frozen: Officials said the temperature of New York's East River is so freezing, it would kill you in less than four minutes. The woman was believed to have been in the water for 20 minutes before being pulled out . The woman's name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin. Earlier Friday a man's body was also pulled from the East River. The body was found near Murray Hills and police said it was badly decomposed. The man was wearing black pants and had no identification on him, according to The New York Post. Police are trying to establish whether there was foul play involved or if the death was accidental. February has officially been the coldest month in New York for 81 years. The average temperature in the Big Apple over the last four weeks has been 24F - 11 degrees below normal. New York joins other metropolitan areas such as Chicago and Pittsburgh, which have also experienced their most frigid February in decades. Duties continue: The tug Arabian Sea pushes a barge through the icy waters of the Hudson River on Friday, near Rhinecliff, in Upstate New York. With the prolonged cold winter weather, the Coast Guard has been busy clearing shipping lanes . | Reports of woman leaping into East River in Williamsburg at 7.30pm Friday .
She jumped from a floating pier as a ferry approached, police said .
NYPD harbor patrol struggled to get her out because of floating ice .
Was in the water 20 minutes and removed in extremely critical condition .
Police said a person would likely die in less than four minutes in such conditions . |
0bc19e9d5cae886ec13c4080b640d1f6f7bb6361 | Irbil, Iraq (CNN)New U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday that success is more important than timing in any attempt to retake Iraq's second most populous city, Mosul, from ISIS militants. Carter spoke on his way to Afghanistan, where he is meeting Afghan leaders and U.S. troops in his first week in the post, having taken over from Chuck Hagel. Any operation to take Mosul will be "Iraqi-led and U.S.-supported," he said. "It's important that it be launched at a time when it can succeed and so I think the important thing is that it get done when it can be done successfully. Even if I knew exactly when that was going to be, I wouldn't tell you," he said. "Of course, I'm open. I'm always open to advice from our military commanders about what the best way to achieve success is. "And that is a question that will come down the road but I think what's important is that the campaign to retake Mosul succeed and we're committed to that success and not to a particular timetable." Months after most Iraqi troops dropped their weapons and ran for their lives in Mosul, up to 25,000 are expected to head back there in April or May to try to retake the city, according to a U.S. official. And Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the BBC this week that while there's still work to do, he is sure the Iraqis are going to retake the crucial northern city. "We are now planning an offensive on Mosul in the coming few months," the Prime Minister said. "We have to prepare for it carefully because the only choice we have in Mosul (is to win). We have to win in Mosul to keep (ISIS) out." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in London, said the international community was increasingly determined to act together against ISIS and that progress would continue to be made. "We have the tools, we have the political will, we have the determination and we are making gains in Iraq. Territory is increasingly beginning to come back into the hands of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi military is now beginning to stand up with greater capacity," he said. Despite Kerry's vote of confidence, some doubt whether victory in Mosul is possible. Mosul has been a symbol of Iraqi military incompetence, given how troops and police ran from their posts as ISIS militants arrived in June. Since then, there has been the start of airstrikes by the United States and international allies against ISIS. The Iraqi military has also had fresh training, some of it conducted by U.S. and allied forces, to make it more effective. It has had some success in curbing the ISIS onslaught, but not in taking back a lot of territory -- much less that as valued as Mosul. New footage released by ISIS on Friday gave another insight into the challenge facing the Iraqi army and its allies. The video, apparently of an attack early this month on an Iraqi military outpost near Samarra, 100 miles north of Baghdad, showed dozens of seized American-made M16 assault rifles and piles of AK-47s, as well as armored personnel carriers and a Humvee. All these are now in the hands of ISIS militants who appear to have overrun the outpost, some 60 miles northwest of Baghdad. The video also showed several dead Iraqi soldiers, with one of the bodies burning. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had no confirmation of when and where the vehicles were seized or where the video was actually shot. Although this latest incident was only small, ISIS forces have steadily acquired large quantities of U.S. weaponry as a result of seizing Iraqi army equipment provided by the United States, particularly in Mosul. Up until now, one of the biggest and most successful forces has been the Kurdish Peshmerga that serve Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish government, often at odds with Baghdad. On Saturday, Kurdish fighters repelled a massive offensive by ISIS in the town of Gwer and gained full control of the area, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Foreign Relations Office told CNN. At least 34 ISIS militants were killed during the fighting. These Kurdish fighters will have a role, including around Mosul. In his BBC interview, al-Abadi said that liaisons between Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga "must be powerful and must be watertight" to defeat ISIS. According to the CENTCOM official, who spoke to reporters Thursday, Mosul police and tribal forces would likely join Iraqi troops in the assault on the city. Peshmerga would play a supporting role, not going into Mosul but instead blocking off supply and escape routes north and west of the city. The hope is for an operation in April or May to avoid running into Ramadan (mid-June through mid-July) and Iraq's summer heat, the CENTCOM official said. A final decision has not yet been made, though. Count Sirwan Barzani, a senior Peshmerga commander, is among the skeptics that such a spring assault would work. "I don't think it's realistic, and I don't have any idea about a plan," Barzani told CNN's Ben Wedeman. "And if it involves the Iraqi army only, it's not going to work. The Iraqi army is not ready for the fight." Retired Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks told CNN he believed it had been a mistake to reveal the potential timing of the Mosul operation and that it could put U.S. forces at risk. "This is a terribly unfortunate lack of professionalism, in almost a relaxed approach towards a challenge that we have been trying to get our arms around for almost a year," he said. If the Iraqi forces -- from five army brigades -- do the street-to-street fighting, theoretically they should significantly outnumber their ISIS counterparts. Right now, ISIS has an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 fighters in Mosul, the U.S. official said, but more could join the fight if they take the threat of attack seriously. However, an additional challenge for the Shia-dominated Iraqi military and Peshmerga is that they will be trying to take a majority Arab Sunni population city. Even if the offensive succeeds, sectarian divisions could exacerbate an already complicated situation and make it hard for the Iraqi military to hold on to the city. The approximate time of the attack had previously been reported: A CENTCOM official told CNN earlier this year that Iraqi forces could make their first move in April. CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from Irbil and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali, Barbara Starr and Greg Botelho contributed to this report. | U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Iraqi military is making gains against ISIS .
Defense Secretary Ash Carter says what matters in Mosul is success, not a timetable .
Video released by ISIS shows U.S.-made weaponry seized from Iraqi military outpost . |
0bc34b9705be7e22693f58de10b5e467e181d0c7 | By . Lizzie Parry . PUBLISHED: . 09:14 EST, 7 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:49 EST, 7 March 2014 . In her heyday she was the world's most graceful and stylish ocean liner, boasting four U.S. presidents and glamorous Hollywood stars on her passenger roll. She sailed the Atlantic in record time, offering her passengers a trip in the lap of luxury. But by the late 1960s, the SS United States - dubbed America's Flagship - was resigned to retirement, and consigned to a pier on the Delaware River in Philidelphia. Heyday: Dubbed America's flagship the SS United States, was the most luxurious and opulent ocean liner of its time. It still holds the record for fastest trans-Atlantic crossing despite having been retired from the high seas 17 years ago . Campaign: A not-for-profit group, backed by best-selling author David Macaulay, have launched a campaign to restore the passenger liner to its former glory. The ship has been docked on the Delaware River in Philadelphia and left to rust since she retired in 1969 . Four former U.S. presidents feature on the passenger log of America's Flagship, the SS United States - Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill all sailed aboard the ocean liner. Famous passengers includes Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Walt Disney, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charles Heston, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, sailed on the ship. Another famous passenger, of sorts, was the Mona Lisa, Leonardo's masterpiece, which in 1963, travelled to the U.S. for special exhibitions in Washington and New York. With the rise in the popularity of flying, prices fell and gone was the decadent era of glitz and glamour on the high seas. But today a new campaign has been launched by U.S. best-selling author and illustrator David Macaulay, to save the once-majestic ocean liner left to rust for the last 17 years. 'It's a unique object, a symbol of time in American history that we've sort of long since passed,' Macaulay said. 'It's important to keep it intact visually.' The author, who crossed the Altantic on board the impressive liner with his family to start a new life in American in 1957, said he is keen to 'draw attention to it' in anyway he can. He is working on a new book, which will trace the evolution of passenger ships through to the building of the SS United States, as well as describe his experience as a boy sailing on the ship to his new home on a new continent. The steam-powered ship, which measures almost 1,000ft, with its giant twin chimneys painted red, white and blue, was launched in 1952. It still holds the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic voyage by a passenger ship and is the largest ocean liner to be built in the U.S. She is 10ft longer than the Titanic and nearly 10,000 tons heavier, it carried one million passengers, before the ship was retired in 1969. Hollywood glamour: Actress and Hollywood darling Marilyn Monroe was among a prestigious list of famous passengers that sailed the seas aboard the SS United States . Presidential: The ship boasts former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy on the passenger log . Impressive: Former presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman also sailed aboard the impressive liner . In 2010 the not-for-profit organisation SS United States Conservancy bought the retired liner for $5.8million, donated by Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. 'Gerry' Lenfest. The money also covered maintenance and preservation costs. The group hopes to raise enough money to restore the ship's exterior and convert the interior, which covers around 500,000 square feet. The vision is to create space inside for restaurants, shops, as well as a museum and education centre. Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship's designer William Francis Gibbs, and director of the conservancy group, said they are hoping to find a permanent berth for the renovated vessel on the country's east coast. She said New York is currently the leading candidate and added that the refurbishment of the ship's exterior alone, is expected to cost a staggering $40million to $60million. Macaulay added: 'It's battered. It's beaten, but it's all paint so it's superficial.' The SS United States is 990 feet long. If the ship stood on her end, she would rise nearly as high as New York's Chrysler Building.It was more than 100 feet longer than the Titanic. Designer William Francis Gibbs wanted the ship to be fireproof, so insisted no wood was used in her construction. The only exception was the ship's grand pianos, which were made from a fire-resistant mahogany. Fastest passenger liner: The SS United States still retains the title fastest passenger liner after crossing the Atlantic in record time on its maiden voyage in 1952 . More aluminium was used building the SS United States than any other ship previously. The idea was to reduce the ship's weight and make her the fastest ocean liner. The ship was designed to be just wide enough (101 feet) to pass through the locks of the Panama Canal. The design was so innovative at the time that details of the construction were kept top-secret. It was the first passenger liner to be built almost entirley in a dry dock, out of the view of the public. Five days before her maiden voyage in July 1952, the SS United States was opened to the public at her berth in New york. A crowd of 70,000 turned out to see the new ship. Restoration: The SS United States Conservancy Group, led by Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of William Francis Gibbs - the ship's designer - said restoring the exterior alone is expected to cost up to $60million . The ship reached speeds of 44 miles per hour, during testing. She could reverse almost as fast as the Titanic could go forwards. On her maiden voyage she was the first American ship in 100 years to capture the coveted Blue Riband - which is awarded to the fastest trans-Atlantic ocean liners. She still holds the record, 60 years later. The SS United States was built to be converted in war time. It could carry 15,000 troops, 10,000 miles without the need to refuel. For her maiden voyage the ship's catering team stocked 7,935 quarts of ice cream and 500lbs of caviar. The ship's galley could make 9,000 meals every day. The ship was retired from service in 1969. She has spent her retirement docked on the Delaware River in Philidelphia. She has been there for 17 years. | Branded America's Flagship the liner completed her maiden voyage in 1952 .
Presidents Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy and Clinton sailed on board .
Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Marlon Brando, Walt Disney, Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel and Cary Grant also feature on the passenger log .
Leonardo's Mona Lisa travelled from Paris to the U.S aboard the ocean liner .
The ship, made of lightweight aluminium, still holds the record for fastest trans-Atlantic crossing for a passenger liner, 60 years later .
The ship was retired in 1969 and has been docked in Philadelphia since . |
0bc39fe41fe294ce1eccb3b2583b01bf4ba75f37 | By . Mark Prigg . Experts tracking a great white shark through the Gulf of Mexico say the giant killer is heading for Texas. Katherine, a 14 foot Great White, sends a signal every time she surfaces. The 2,300-pound shark is part of a pioneering programme to show shark movements live online. Click here to open an interactive version of the map . Katharine is currently off the coast of Florida, heading towards texas . Katharine, who was tagged off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was named by Cat Products fans in honor of Katharine Lee Bates. The Cape Cod native and songwriter - best known for her poem and song 'America The Beautiful', which has been called 'an expression of patriotism at its finest.' Katharine is a 14 foot, 2,300lb Great White . Data from the group Ocearch shows another 'ping' was recorded Tuesday morning from the shark dubbed Katherine. The 14-foot shark was tagged last August off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. However, reports on Sunday put Katherine about 140 miles west of Sarasota, Florida. Katherine is one of two great whites that research teams, led by Ocearch, have been following. Another, Betsy, was tracked on June 5 about 120 miles west of Sanibel Island, Fl. Researchers say in another week the westbound animal could be past the Mississippi River and eventually reach Texas. The tag sends a signal when the 2,300-pound shark comes to the surface. Robert Hueter of the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota says tags can last up to five years. 'Every track is giving us new information and going contrary to all the assumptions that we were going on,' he told the Houston Chronicle. Katharine's Route- The shark was first spotted near Miami, passing close to Key west before heading to her current location . 'Having them in the Gulf is something we thought happened in the winter time.' It means she has now traveled almost 5,000 miles since being tagged just 10 months ago. Throughout her journey she has stayed close into the coast. Beach goers can track her path via the Ocearch website and match it up with their vacations to see if she swam by them. Katherine is the larger of the two, weighing in at 2,300 pounds at the time of her tagging. Katharine up close: researchers snapped this picture of the whale when they tagger her near Maine . At that time she was 14-feet, 2-inches long but scientists following her say it's almost certain she has grown since then. The largest ever recorded great white was 21 feet long. The second shark, Betsy, is also likely to be bigger now. Tagged one day before Katherine, she weighed 1,400 pounds and measured 12-feet, 7-inches. Katharine the great white shark even has her own Twitter profile . Earlier this year, a great white shark heading for British waters – named Lydia – became the first tagged great white shark to cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Scientists charting her progress have revealed that the 15ft shark might be swimming towards Europe to give birth to pups. She was just 800 miles (1,255km) off the coast of Cornwall and Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean and has now turned away from the UK. | 14 foot Great White, sends a signal every time she surfaces .
Currently swimming through the Gulf of Mexico .
Comes months after Lydia became the first tagged great white shark to cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as she headed for Britain . |
0bc467a675e5f5980d98d6c94ed2e4fc2a1b0e97 | An iconic pre-war racing car designed by the father of Bentley Motors has sold for £1.5 million at an auction. It was a world record price for the famed British marque at auction. The Lagonda LG45R Rapide - known simply by its registration plate 'EPE 97' - has been described as 'the most famous Lagonda of all'. This beautiful burnt-red two-seater vehicle that could reach 100mph was built in 1936 after Lagonda had appointed W.O. Bentley - the man who started Bentley Motor Cars in 1919 - as their chief designer. Scroll down for video . The Lagonda LG45R Rapide sold for £1.5m when it went under the hammer at the Goodwood Revival weekend . The car could reach speeds of 100mph and competed in races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours . The interior of the car that was built in 1936 and is still in superb working order, making it eligible for many of the most prestigious historic events . Along the car's slender frame, the number three is emblazoned on the driver's side, and wheel trims and the wheel spokes are of a matching shade of red. The right-hand-drive vehicle has been excellently maintained and is in superb working order, making it eligible for many of the most prestigious historic events such as the Le Mans Classic. In its racing life, the EPE 97 was a Fox & Nicholl team car, competing in the 1937 Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the RAC Tourist Trophy Race and British Racing Drivers' Club 500 Miles. Post-war, the powerful racing car took part in the inaugural Goodwood Nine Hours and has been entered into the Mille Miglia. W.O. Bentley was brought in to help design the car, helping to save Lagonda from financial ruin . Built in 1936, the two-seater is painted in Fox & Nicholl's racing red and has a leather interior . The racing car has been described by car aficionados as the most famous Lagonda of all . The EPE 97 was developed after Lagonda was purchased by businessman Alan Good to help stop their financial decline. Good appointed W.O. Bentley, who was pivotal in transforming the flailing company as the first Lagonda designer to use a V-12 engine. The vehicle's mythology means it is one of few that have come to be known simply by its UK registration number. In its racing life, the EPE 97 was a Fox & Nicholl team car, competing in the 1937 Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the RAC Tourist Trophy Race and British Racing Drivers' Club 500 Miles . James Knight, Bonhams Group motoring director, said: 'The Lagonda 'EPE 97' captured everyone's attention with its illustrious racing history' The EPE 97 was sold by auctioneers Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival sale, in West Sussex on Saturday . The vehicle has been maintained over the years and is said to be in excellent working order . The EPE 97 was sold for £1,569,500 when it went under the hammer at Bonhams' Goodwood Revival sale. It was among 106 cars and 172 lots of automobilia that were sold at the auction, raising a total of £15.4m. Another world record was broken with the historically significant 1930 OM 665 SS MM Superba with an impeccable competition career including a class win in the 1930 Mille Miglia 1,000-mile road race around Italy. After an intense bidding war, the OM sold far above estimate at £1,255,900 to an in the room bidder. James Knight, Bonhams Group motoring director, said: 'The Lagonda 'EPE 97' captured everyone's attention with its illustrious racing history, but with several star cars, bidders had a huge diversity of motoring to ignite their interest. 'The auction received attention from all around the globe, with bids coming in from the United States, the Far East, and all over Europe - a great sale to end the summer season.' | LG45R Rapide has been dubbed 'the most famous Lagonda of all'
It sold for £1.5m in an auction at the Goodwood Revival this weekend .
It was a world record price for the famed British marque at auction .
Two-seater could reach 100mph and competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours .
W.O. Bentley created car while working as chief designer for Lagonda . |
0bc50faafd8528399b03bc1c3c8d5e0d034d817b | By . Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:45 EST, 18 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:15 EST, 19 February 2013 . Russian authorities are claiming that a 3-year-old boy was killed by his adopted American mother who allegedly abused him and gave him psychiatric drugs, it was revealed today. Russia's Investigative Committee said today that it had opened an . investigation into the Jan. 21 death of 3-year-old Maxim Kuzmin in what could be the latest in an ongoing battle between Russia and America over adoptions. The . committee says it has information the boy was abused and subjected to 'inhuman treatment.' Tragedy: Max Shatto, 3, died last month after being adopted by a family in Texas. Russian authorities are claiming he was abused . 'Inhuman treatment': Russian authorities are also saying Maxim was given psychiatric medication and are demanding to play a part in the investigation . Maxim was born the town of Pskov, near Russia's western border with Estonia. The boy lived with a family in Gardendale, Texas with his family before his death . 'Three-year-old Maxim was beaten, . according to the investigators, by his adoptive mother, who fed him . psychoactive drugs over a long period of time, saying that he had some . psychiatric illness,' said Pavel Astakhov, the Russian Children's Rights . Commissioner alleges, according to The Telegraph. He said the toddler had numerous bruises on his body and damage to organs. 'Our consuls must be allowed to see the materials of the case and take part in the formulation of the prosecution,' he added. Parents: The boy's adopted parents, Alan and Laura Shatto, denied knowing about the allegations being made by Russian authorities. No arrests have been made . Texas Child Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins confirmed . the agency had received a report on Jan. 21 of the death of a 3-year-old . named Max Shatto, and that the Ector County Sheriff's Office in West . Texas was investigating. Crimmins said CPS had received allegations of physical abuse and . neglect, but had not determined whether those allegations were true. Sgt. Gary Duesler, spokesman for the Ector County Sheriff's Office, said . no arrests have been made and authorities are waiting for autopsy . results. An obituary for Max Shatto published Jan. 26 by the Midland . Reporter-Telegram says he was born on Jan. 9, 2010, in the town of . Pskov, near Russia's western border with Estonia. The boy lived with a . family in Gardendale, about 350 miles west of Dallas, before his death . on Jan. 21, according to the obituary. When reached by telephone, Mr Shatto told the Telegraph: 'We’re not aware of what any Russian envoy has said. We’re not making any comment.' Accusations: Pavel Astakho has alleged that Maxim was beaten to death by his American mother. American authorities have not confirmed the allegations are still investigating . On the funeral home's website, Max's parents wrote: 'Max, you were not with us long enough to leave fingerprints on the walls but you left fingerprints upon our hearts. 'When we get to Heaven, we know we will hear your sweet voice singing with the angels. We love you and will always miss you.' The death comes weeks after Russia announced it was banning all American . adoptions in retaliation for a new U.S. law targeting alleged Russian . human-rights violators. The ban also reflects lingering resentment over . the 60,000 Russian children adopted by Americans in the past two . decades, of which at least 19 have died. Russian Foreign Ministry official Konstantin Dolgov said in a statement that the boy's death was 'yet another case of inhuman treatment of a Russian child adopted by American parents.' Duesler said he could not immediately confirm or deny Russian allegations of abuse. Dolgov also accused the U.S. Department of State of not helping Russian consular officials investigate the death. Look of love: Alan Shatto embraces his son, Maxim, in this photo. Max's parents wrote in his obituary, 'When we get to Heaven, we know we will hear your sweet voice singing with the angels. We love you and will always miss you' Timing: Max's death comes weeks after Russian authorities announced it was banning all adoptions by Americans . A State Department official said the government is aware of the case and 'takes very seriously the welfare of children, particularly children who have been adopted from other countries.' 'We will continue to assist the Russian Embassy and consulate officials in making contact with the appropriate authorities in Texas,' said the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak on the record about the matter. Crimmins said the Russian consulate had contacted Child Protective Services. | Maxim Shatto, 3, died on January 21 after being adopted by family in Texas .
Russian authorities are alleging he was abused and given psychiatric drugs .
Latest in ongoing battle between two counties over adoptions and death comes weeks after Russians banned all adoptions to Americans .
American authorities investigating claims but no arrests have been made . |
0bc574ec7f60aa58121e31c73bc071dd14ed9047 | By . Sami Mokbel . Sportsmail understands Manchester City's director of football Txiki Begiristain was in Porto on Thursday to watch French centre half Eliaquim Mangala in action. Read the full story on the £20m-rated centre back HERE . Manchester City want to buy British this summer as they struggle to keep hold of their homegrown stars. The club are identifying summer targets to satisfy Premier League rules on homegrown players, with Southampton full back Luke Shaw, Everton midfielder Ross Barkley and Nottingham Forest defender Jamaal Lascelles in their sights. City nominated nine homegrown players in their squad at the start of the season but face losing several of them this summer. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Roberto Martinez on Ross Barkley's ability . Midfielder: Ross Barkley . Full-back: Luke Shaw . Defender: Jamaal Lascelles . Wonderkid: Ross Barkley (L) has been earning rave reviews for Everton, including this goal against Newcastle . Luke who's talking: Southampton defender Shaw has also been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea . Best defence: Nottingham Forest's Jamaal Lascelles could be needed to replace departing homegrown players . And, although the 2012 Premier League . champions are closing in on £20m-rated Porto centre back Eliaquim . Mangala, don't expect too many more exports in the summer. Central defender Joleon Lescott will leave when his contract expires. Likewise, Micah Richards is not prepared to sign a new, five-year deal. Richards has struggled for games under Manuel Pellegrini, yet the club are keen to keep him and Sportsmail understands the right back has been offered an increase on his £80,000-a-week deal to stay. Feeling unwanted: City defender Joleon Lescott (R) is expected to leave at the end of the season . Not about the money: Micah Richards has been offered an increase to stay but wants more playing time . What shall we do? Youngsters Jack Rodwell and Deryck Boyota are also considering their futures . Premier League clubs must include no more than 17 non-homegrown players over the age of 21 in their squads of 25. Homegrown players are defined as players trained by their club, or another in the same country, for at least three years between 15 and 21. There is no obligation to put a certain number of them in a match-day squad.Why were the rules brought in?There was concern that the richest clubs would stockpile the best players to the detriment of developing their own youngsters. The 25-year-old’s contract does not expire until the end of next season, but City may look to sell him in a cut-price deal this summer to avoid losing him for nothing in 2015. Liverpool, Arsenal and AC Milan are monitoring the situation. Dedryck Boyata, who qualifies as homegrown even though he is Belgian, has also been offered a new deal despite playing only one league game this season. However, the defender is understood to be hugely reluctant to re-sign given his lack of playing time and is also likely to leave. City chiefs will open talks with James Milner — whose contract expires next season — before the World Cup, but the England forward wants assurances over his playing time before agreeing to an extension. Play me! James Milner wants assurances before he commits to a new contract at the Etihad . Stunted growth: Rodwell has struggled to displace stars like Vincent Kompany since moving from Everton . Pecking order: Alex Nimely may be tempted to move with the likes of Sergio Aguero ahead of him . The future of striker Alex Nimely, 22, is also unclear given that his contract expires this summer, while Jack Rodwell is known to be considering his future at the Etihad Stadium. Midfielder Gareth Barry, on loan at Everton, will definitely be leaving while Serbia defender Matija Nastasic will be counted as an overseas player next season, having turned 21 last month. Behind the scenes, the potential lack of homegrown talent is a concern and buying British is likely to be a necessity for City. Sporting director Txiki Begiristain is well aware of the problem and City’s network of scouts are working hard to identify targets. One of ours: Matija Nastasic will be considered a homegrown player next season having turned 21 last month . Sticking with Toffees? Gareth Barry is certain to leave after spending the season on loan with Everton . Warning signs! Scott Sinclair (L) was offloaded after barely featuring during his short spell at City . However, persuading the likes of Shaw, 18, Barkley, 20, and Lascelles, 20, that they can fulfil their footballing potential at City might prove a further stumbling block. You only need look at how some City buys have fared to understand why they might be cautious. Scott Sinclair and Rodwell arrived from Swansea and Everton respectively in 2012 but have struggled to make an impact. Sinclair has been shipped out on loan to West Bromwich Albion while Rodwell has found first-team football hard to come by, partly due to injury, and has made only seven Premier League starts. Head to head: Jose Mourinho (L) and Manuel Pellegrini could be competing for the same players next season . Old guard: John Terry (top), Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole (R) are some of Chelsea's hew homegrown stars . Chelsea are also keeping abreast of the homegrown market. Manager Jose Mourinho could name only a 22-man squad in September after reaching his full quota of 17 overseas players. At the time, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Ryan Bertrand were the only homegrown players at his disposal — meaning he had to forego three squad places. Chelsea, like City, will be in the market for all the best English talent this summer, including Shaw and Barkley. And that means only one thing: sky-high prices. | Manchester City are targetting young English players for next season .
They have their sights on Luke Shaw, Ross Barkley and Jamaal Lascelles .
City need British players to meet the Premier League's homegrown rule .
Several existing stars, including Joleon Lescott and Gareth Barry, will leave .
England international James Milner wants assurances to sign a new deal .
English youngsters like Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair have flopped .
Prices will be high with Mourinho and Pellegrini chasing the same players . |
0bc65eeb8d3bc0897eb16a625b1cf62d52670587 | By . Lydia Warren . and Ap . A Detroit father whose son had been missing for 11 days learned on live television that the boy had been found alive in his basement. Charles Bothuell IV was on HLN to speak with Nancy Grace about the June 14 disappearance of his son Charlie, 12, when the host suddenly said she had new information. 'We're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement,' Grace said. Bothuell was stunned - becoming visibly upset and clutching his chest as he struggled to speak. It has since emerged that the father could face child abuse charges in the case. Police sources told WJBK that he allegedly beat his son with a PVC pipe and gave him a grueling exercise regime. Scroll down for video . Stunned: Charlie Bothuell IV was shocked into silence on Wednesday when HLN's Nancy Grace told him his 12-year-old son had been found alive in his basement, 11 days after he vanished . Found: Charlie Bothuell V was found hiding in his father's basement after he'd been missing for 11 days . On the show, Grace repeated what she had said - this time importantly adding that he had been found 'alive'. As the shocked father struggled to comprehend the news, Grace demanded to know whether or not he had checked his basement. 'I checked my basement,' Bothuell said. 'The FBI checked my basement. The police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I've been down there several times. We've all been checking.' He said that authorities had even brought in dogs to check the basement of their Detroit townhouse but the boy had not been found. Charlie Bothuell was discovered on Wednesday . afternoon as authorities searched the home but it is not yet clear . whether he had been there the whole week. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said . when police found the boy, he appeared to be hiding behind a makeshift barrier of boxes and did . not announce himself. Overwhelmed: Bothuell clutched his chest and breathed heavily after learning that his son had been found . Emotional: When Nancy Grace demanded to know if he'd checked the basement, he said repeatedly that he and his wife, as well as the FBI and the Detroit police had been down there . Craig said that he believes it is unlikely that the boy could have constructed the barrier himself. He was also behind a large plastic drum and bedding was found . nearby. 'There's no way he could have erected this make-shift area of concealment, I'll call it,' Craig told WJBK. 'He certainly was excited to see us. I had a chance to actually talk and embrace Charlie. 'He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine.' In . the basement, a tunnel leads from apartment to apartment and to the . outside, meaning he could have come and gone when he needed to, WJBK . reported. Charles Bothuell IV . Sources told the news channel that the boy had claimed his stepmother, Monique, was helping him hide out and giving him food - but the family attorney has denied the claim. His stepmother reportedly told police the boy didn't complete his daily exercise routine and when she told his father, Charlie ran away. Sources also said that he often beat his son, who was homeschooled, with a PVC pipe and that blood was found in the boy's room - which is why police did not rule out homicide. Police are investigating a serious case of child abuse we're told the father considered discipline. WJBK reported that the father is expected to face child abuse charges in the next couple of days. The boy was taken to hospital, where he was met by his biological mother. The extent of his injuries, if any, are unknown. Relieved: The boy's father was so emotional when his son was discovered that he hugged a reporter . Charlie was last seen on June 14 when he took a break from working out and went to the bathroom - but never came back. The boy lives in the home with his father and stepmother. Just . hours before he was found, Craig had told reporters that investigators . were 'not ruling out the possibility of homicide' in the case. After . he emerged from the HLN interview, his father, Charlie Bothuell IV, . said he was as surprised as anyone that his son was in the basement. 'I'm . shocked. I looked. The Detroit police looked. The FBI looked,' he said. 'To imply that I knew my son was in the basement is absurd.' The elder Bothuell was swarmed by reporters outside the house when he arrived home Wednesday evening. 'I thought my son was dead,' he said as he broke down in tears and hugged a reporter. Craig . told reporters earlier Wednesday that the boy's father had taken a . polygraph test about his son's disappearance, but the boy's stepmother . declined to do so. Mr Bothuell's test came back inconclusive, WDIV reported. He also told authorities that Charlie had ran away from home two years ago, but police found him after three hours. See below for video . | Charlie Bothuell IV was last seen at his dad's home on June 14 .
Just hours after saying they feared he'd been murdered, police found the boy hiding in his father's basement in Detroit .
His father, Charles Bothuell IV, learned that his son had been found while he was taking part in a live interview with HLN's Nancy Grace .
He was visibly shaken and insisted he had checked the basement .
The boy was found behind a makeshift barrier and had access in and out of the basement through a tunnel, police sources have said .
They added that the boy's stepmother had helped to hide him after her husband 'beat the boy with PVC pipe'
Sources have said that the father could face child abuse charges . |
0bc6d09f934f3428a873fc9140c36ee955d18716 | Lurking deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico is a species of squid that wouldn’t look out of place in a sci-fi thriller. The Mangapinna squid, sometimes referred to as the bigfin or long-arm squid, is around 26ft in length with thin elastic tentacles thought to be between 15 to 20 times larger than the squid’s body. Adult bigfins have never been captured or sampled but rare video footage recorded by the Shell Oil company reveals their alien-like behaviour. Scroll down for video . The giant squid, pictured, was caught on camera in the Gulf of Mexico. It has elastic tentacles thought to be 15 to 20 times longer than the squid's body and the total length is around 26ft. Its ten appendages are often held at right angles to the body, or mantle, which gives them the appearance of having elbows . Mangapinna squids were first discovered . in 1907 but it wasn’t until 1988 that the first footage was filmed off the . coast of Brazil. A squid spotted in 2000 was thought to . have been around 23ft long and more recent sightings have estimated . lengths of 26ft. The arms and the tentacles of the . Mangapinna squid are the same length and look identical. These ten appendages are also often held at right angles to the body, or mantle, . which gives them the appearance of having elbows. Very little is known about the feeding behaviour of these squid. Scientists believe that bigfin squid feed by dragging their arms and tentacles along the seafloor, and grabbing organisms off the floor. They may however simply use a trapping technique, waiting passively for prey to bump into their arms . The footage was captured using a remotely operated underwater vehicle known as an ROV. Shell Oil, along with other companies, uses the vehicles to study the water around its oil rigs and this particular recording was filmed in the Gulf of Mexico in the Perdido Area of Alaminos Canyon. The rare sighting of the squid was discovered at a depth of more than 7,800 ft back in November 2007. Shell oil has a rig located 200 miles off the coast of Houston, Texas. Mangapinna squids were first discovered in 1907 but it wasn’t until 1988 that the first footage of the bizarre creatures were caught on camera by a submersible off the coast of Brazil. Ten years later a Japanese submersible called Shinkai 6500 filmed another long-armed squid in the Indian Ocean south of Mauritius. The majority of other sightings have been in various canyons in the Gulf of Mexico. A . squid spotted in 2000 was thought to have been around 23ft long. However, more recent sightings have estimated lengths in excess of 26ft. Aside from their overall lengths, the . arms and the tentacles of the Mangapinna squid are the same length and . look identical. Squids traditionally have two shorter arms and eight . longer tentacles. These ten . appendages of the Mangapinna are also often held at right angles to the . body, or mantle, which gives them the appearance of having elbows. Shell oil uses remote-controlled vehicles to study the water around its oil rigs and this particular recording, pictured, was filmed in the Gulf of Mexico in the Perdido Area of Alaminos Canyon. The rare sighting of the squid was discovered at a depth of more than 7,800ft in November 2007 . The . arms and tentacles are said to stretch up to 20 times longer than the . mantle while the fins are larger than other species and in some . sightings were around 90 per cent as big. It . is thought the squids use their long arms to grab or trap food along . the floor of the ocean, although this has never been seen in action. The footage was captured using a remotely operated underwater vehicle known as an ROV. Shell Oil, along with other companies, uses the vehicles to study the water around its oil rigs and this particular recording was filmed in the Gulf of Mexico in the Perdido Area of Alaminos Canyon, pictured . Aside from their overall lengths, the arms and the tentacles of the Mangapinna squid, pictured, are the same length and look identical - squids traditionally have two shorter arms and eight longer tentacles . Adult specimens of the Mangapinna squid, pictured, have never been captured or scientifically sampled but it is thought their long appendages are used to trap food on the ocean floor . | Footage of the 26ft long squid was filmed in the Gulf of Mexico .
Mangapinnas are known as bigfin squids because of their long tentacles .
These tentacles can stretch up to 20 times longer than the squid’s body .
It is thought the long appendages are used to trap food on the seafloor . |
0bc7762efcd0326bb85284a56345683f7bf04e36 | Hull winger Robbie Brady has revealed his part in the crucial winning goal against QPR provided a sweet end to a worrying week. Brady missed several days of training ahead of last weekend's crunch relegation clash after his one-year-old daughter Halle was taken to hospital in Dublin with a virus. Tigers boss Steve Bruce was happy to give the Irishman the time he needed to support his family, but was also delighted when Brady declared himself ready to return to the club on Friday and face Rangers 24 hours later. Robbie Brady was in hospital with his ill daughter ahead of facing QPR but returned to set up a late winner . The Hull winger was in Dublin but with daughter Halle's health improving he returned to play for the Tigers . It was hardly ideal preparation - physically or emotionally - for Brady, but it was his fine cross that set up Dame N'Doye for a last-gasp winner at the KC Stadium. 'We had a little bump in the road, my daughter wasn't well and was in hospital for a few days,' he said. 'I felt I needed to be with her for a few days and I was. 'The manager phoned me to make sure everything was okay and she was picking up, so I flew back in and trained Friday to prepare for the game. Manager Steve Bruce called Brady on Friday ahead of the game and he flew back with 24 hours to spare . Brady's cross created the decisive moment against 10-man QPR, setting up the winning goal in stoppage time . 'My heart was set on playing, especially having just got back in the team recently, and thankfully everything was okay.' Brady's issues were not widely known when he took the field last weekend, but he believes it is important that footballers are not seen as immune from problems such as his. 'We're just normal people. It's still as real for us when something like that happens,' he said. 'That's what comes first for us, just like for anyone else. Dame N'Doye (28) rises to head home Brady's cross to give Hull a vital three points in the relegation fight . N'Doye sprints away to celebrate at an ecstatic KC Stadium after 10-man QPR were finally defeated . 'It's not nice seeing them so small and not being able to do much about it when they're not well, but you've got to be there and be strong for them. 'She's almost back to full health. It's been a hard week but it ended well.' Brady is set to retain his starting spot for the fourth match in a row against Stoke on Saturday, having ousted Scotland international Andy Robertson from the first XI in recent weeks. Brady (left) joins the goalscorer in the celebrations shortly before the full-time whistle was blown . | Robbie Brady's cross allowed Dame N'Doye to score winner against QPR .
But the Hull winger had been at a Dublin hospital with his unwell daughter .
Brady declared himself available to play 24 hours before the game . |
0bc7ac9bf4e3095230454db81c9523e865f151b0 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:13 EST, 29 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:08 EST, 29 October 2013 . A woman who was told she was 'too big' to be a model when she weighed just 8st has relaunched her fashion career. Nina Blakemore, who is 5ft 10in tall and is now a size 18, has carved out a successful career as a plus-size model since recovering from an eating disorder and gaining weight. At her lowest ebb, she ate only one apple a day - which comes to just 80 calories - in an attempt to starve herself down to a size zero. Scroll down for video . Nina Blakemore, who used to eat just an apple a day to starve herself in the hope of becoming a size zero model, is now a healthy size 18 and has a successful plus-size modelling career . For years Nina, 35, from Wolverhampton, West Mids, starved herself in the hope of launching a career in the fashion industry. But despite making herself ill, Nina claims she was told she was 'too big' for the modelling agency she wanted to join. 'I wanted to become a model so desperately that I thought starving myself was the only option. 'I lived off an apple a day and would exercise vigorously.' Nina said: 'My hair was falling out and I looked awful as my health started deteriorating. My mood swings were horrendous - I was so unhappy. At 5ft 10in Nina (pictured in her early 20s) would eat just an apple a day to starve herself down to a size zero but was devastated when she claims she was told she was still too big to be a model . 'My mum could see how skinny I’d become and she witnessed first-hand the effects an eating disorder were having on my body. 'We went to the doctor and from there I was referred to a therapist.' Finally, after a year-long battle, Nina began eating properly again, allowed herself to gain weight and started to regain her confidence. Since then she hasn’t looked back. Nina reverted to her natural curvy shape and has been working with Ford Models' 12-plus division. She now refuses to weigh herself as part of her healing process and has experienced a fantastic career working all over the world - including jobs in New York and India. She's modelled for household names such as Evans, M&S, House of Fraser and Harrods, as well as Italian fashion brands, doing both catwalk and catalogue work. Nina reverted to her natural curvy shape and has been working with Ford Models' 12-plus division and starring in plus-size campaigns . Nina has worked for the likes of Evans, M&S, House of Fraser and Harrods doing both catwalk and catalogue work . Nina says: 'I'm embracing who I am and I have no time for any negativity surrounding plus-size models' Since being told she still wasn't small enough to model, Nina decided to gain weight naturally and has gone from strength-to-strength modelling all over the world for top plus-size brands . Nina said: 'I’m just trying to show people that you don’t need to be size zero to be a model. 'I’m now a size 18 and use my time to help others who suffer from anorexia to face their battles with food. 'I eat healthy food and exercise in moderation - I no longer restrict myself and eat foods I enjoy.' Nina explains how she is not promoting obesity - she wants to show people that you can be happy and womanly, whatever size you are. She said: 'Women shouldn’t feel forced to be thin - we should just be happy with our natural shape.' Nina went back up to her natural shape and decided to go into plus-size modelling instead. She has experienced a fantastic career working all over the world - including work in New York and India . She says: 'There need to be more curvy girls modelling on our high street who represent natural women.' Nina has taken on critics in the past but vows that those who haven’t been in her shoes don’t have the right to judge her size or weight. She said: 'I’m embracing who I am and I have no time for any negativity surrounding plus-size models.' Nina is also currently signed with Hughes Models who promote curvy women. Director Cheryl Hughes said: 'Our Models are healthy, fit, beautifully proportioned and have that magic something in front of the camera - what more could society need for realistic role models? 'For me they prove that every woman can be healthy and attractive irrespective of size. However, health and fitness are paramount. An unfit size zero is as unacceptable as an unfit 14, 16, 18 etc. 'We would encourage all women to love their bodies.' Nina has taken on critics in the past but vows that those who haven't been in her shoes don't have the right to judge her size or weight . | Nina Blakemore, 35, from Wolverhampton, used to starve herself .
At 5ft 10in and 8st, she was told she was still too big to model .
Decided to gain weight naturally after realising she was making herself ill .
Now size 18 and has landed high-profile jobs as plus-size model .
Has worked for Evans, M&S, House of Fraser and Harrods . |
0bcae39b9fe2baa1bc5e2e0042ec7eab72f92af1 | Amie Miller died aged 15 of encephalitis, a disease which causes swelling of the brain . The parents of a schoolgirl who died after a catalogue of errors at a failing hospital told how they were forced to endure ‘five years of torture’ as they battled to find out the truth behind the tragedy. Amie Miller, 15, died of a brain injury just days after she was admitted to hospital with agonising headaches. Doctors failed to carry out basic neurological checks which might have saved her life. But nobody from the hospital would even meet the family – even though the mother worked at the hospital – to discuss their concerns for more than a year. They then had to fight for four more years to get an inquest. Yesterday, that inquest jury found medics at Basildon Hospital in Essex missed a string of opportunities to save Amie’s life in 2008. In a damning narrative verdict, they said staff had failed to take even the most basic steps – such as checking whether she could open her eyes, or examining the size of her pupils – which might have alerted them to her injury. Doctors also administered the wrong treatments – which may have made her condition worse. After the inquest, Amie’s stepfather Mbarek Aitmarri said the past five years had been torture. He said the hospital – which is under special measures and is one of 14 singled out for having high death rates – had ‘evaded’ responsibility for her death and had failed to respond to 81 allegations of negligence they had lodged. Mr Aitmarri, a pharmacy technician, said: ‘From the moment Amie died we faced constant evasion and were passed from one person to another. This has tortured us for the last five years.’ Amie's step-father Mbarek says his other children have struggled to cope and won't go to the doctor . Amie's step-dad Mbarek has said that he would never take another of his children to the hospital and would advise other parents to consider all their options first . He added: 'They knew what had gone wrong from day one and they didn't implement changes because it was not in their interests. 'You have incompetent staff and management that, I believe, are more focused on collecting a pay cheque than caring for people and that is a recipe for disaster. 'I'm not saying that everyone in the hospital is a rouge but it is the system that fails. The culture, the intimidation, and the lack of value for life.' Despite being singled out for its . abnormally high death rates, Basildon Hospital’s procedures ‘had not . changed’, Mr Aitmarri said. ‘For us there’s no doubt that systematic failings caused Amie’s death,’ he added. ‘Our daughter has been treated as collateral damage. I ask . myself every day whether, if I had taken her to another hospital, she . would still be alive.’ Speaking about the continued problems at the hospital, Mr Aitmarri said: 'There is no way I would take any of my other children there. 'They don't want to go to the doctor anymore. We now dread taking them to any hospital let alone Basildon. 'It is not for me to tell other people what to do with their children if they are sick but going to a hospital with such high profile problems, I would think twice and consider other options.' Amie was admitted to Basildon Hospital in Essex after suffering headaches, vomiting and fitting . His wife Sonia, Amie’s mother, added: ‘It took until 2009 for the . hospital to arrange a meeting and the doctors were very vague. We were . just passed backwards and forwards.’ Amie, a promising pupil who had dreamed of becoming a paediatrician, had . had severe headaches for seven days and had started vomiting and having . fits. She was taken to Basildon’s A&E department on November 16, . 2008. Dr Michel Sun Wai told the inquest he did not carry out basic tests on . November 17, because a colleague told him Amie’s condition had improved. 'A number of changes have since been . introduced in the treatment of children and adults with neurological . illness, including the introduction of more regular observations.' She died on November 19 of encephalitis, which causes swelling of the brain and is normally triggered by infection. The doctor said: ‘With hindsight the neurological observations should . have been done. But the handover to me was that the patient was waking . up and was getting better.’ The inquest at Chelmsford Coroners’ Court found a string of other . errors. Staff misinterpreted the results of a CT scan and failed to . carry out a MRI scan, despite one being recommended. In addition, a lumbar puncture, in which fluid is taken from the spine, may have exacerbated her condition. Amie was also given Propofol, a sedative only meant for adults, which . could have masked warning signs of brain damage. It is the drug linked . to the death of pop star Michael Jackson. Amie’s mother works as a pharmaceutical technician at Basildon Hospital, . and her husband admitted ‘it has been hard for her to work there’. Amie was kept on an adult ward at the hospital because of a shortage of beds at London's paediatric intensive care units . She paid tribute to her daughter, a pupil at Grays Convent High School . in Thurrock, saying: ‘She would be 20 if she were still alive. She . wanted to be a paediatrician and we are sure she would be at university . now. We miss her every day.’ The family said they would pursue regulatory, disciplinary and criminal action against the hospital. Mr Aitmarri said the tragedy had been hard on his other children as some of them had become introverted while others cried constantly. Despite this hardship he said the family would now work with solicitors to pursue regulatory, disciplinary and criminal action against the hospital. 'To stop here is just not fair to Amie and not just to any of her family' he said. 'Our legal claim is going to hopefully highlight the failures and those responsible for taking our daughter from us.' Tim Spring of Moore Blatch, who was the family's legal representative, said: 'Whilst we welcome today's conclusions by the jury and the specific criticisms made - we remain concerned. 'The length of time taken to establish and document a plan to prevent a re-occurrence of this type of incident was unacceptable in our view.' Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust . apologised for the blunders. A spokesman added: ‘A number of changes . have since been introduced in the treatment of neurological illness.’ The jury returned a narrative verdict. | Amie Miller was admitted to Basildon Hospital in Essex after she'd been vomiting and fitting .
She was admitted to an adult ward because there were no beds in the children's ward .
One doctor said he 'didn't worry too much' about the checks because Amie was 'getting better'
Amie died in November 2008, but it has taken experts five years to find out how she died .
Step-father blames systematic failings in both staff and management . |
0bcaebda77da034d1778792785a7bbbb006a6780 | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 02:23 EST, 26 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:30 EST, 26 November 2013 . The prosecutor seeking to reinstate the conviction of Amanda Knox for the murder of her roommate urged an appeals court on Monday not to repeat mistakes he says were made by the court that freed her. Prosecutor Alessandro Crini said Italy's highest court had 'razed to the ground' the Perugia appellate court's 2011 decision to throw out the guilty verdicts. Crini will finish his closing statements tomorrow and is expected to request a life in prison sentence for Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. The high court ordered a fresh appeals trial, this time in Florence, saying the earlier appeals decision was full of contradictions. Guilty? Amanda Knox (right) and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaelo Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of murdering Knox's roommate Meredith Kercher (left). They were freed in 2011 when a court overturned the original decision but another trial was started earlier this year . In court: Raffaele Sollecito, right, arrives at a hearing in Sollecito and Knox's trial at an appeals court in Florence, Italy, on Monday . Knox and Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing Meredith Kercher, Knox's 21-year-old British roommate, who was found with her throat slit in her bedroom in 2007. They were sentenced to 26 years and 25 years in jail, respectively. After being freed in 2011, Knox returned to the United States and has not returned to Italy for the current trial. Knox and Sollecito denied any involvement in the killing, saying they weren't in the apartment at the time and had no motive. A third defendant, Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede, was convicted in a separate trial of sexually assaulting and stabbing Kercher. His 16-year sentence, reduced in appeal from 30 years, was upheld by Italy's highest court in 2010. Prosecutors have argued that the murder was carried out by more than one person. House: The house in Perugia, Italy, where Meredith Kercher was killed . Crini argued that the earlier appellate court had 'pulverized the elements,' separating pieces of evidence that needed to be seen together to get a full picture of the crime. Crini said Knox and Sollecito made efforts to deflect suspicion. He alleged they staged a break-in at the apartment to make it appear the killer was an outsider; he alleged Knox cleaned up the apartment in an effort to remove any evidence linking her or Sollecito to the crime, and that she falsely accused another man of the crime. The defense has argued that the robbery was not staged and that it would be impossible to selectively remove incriminating evidence. After more than six hours of arguments, the hearing was continued until Wednesday when the hearing turns to possibly significant new DNA evidence, the main new element of the second appeals trial. The prosecutor will also make his sentencing demands. Fighting: Sollecito continued to defend himself in court while Knox remains absent in Seattle, Washington . Raffaele Sollecito's lawyer Luca Maori arrives at the appeals court (left) and Kercher family lawyer Francesco Maresca (right) was also at an earlier hearing . It wasn't me: Not guilty: Sollecito told the court there was not 'the slightest foundation' of guilt when he appeared at Florence's Justice Palace, Italy . The Florence court ordered experts to test the tiny trace of DNA not examined in the previous trials, one of the appellate trial flaws emphasized by the Cassation Court in vacating the acquittals. An expert testified that the trace on the purported murder weapon was consistent with Knox's DNA and not Kercher's. Knox's DNA had previously been identified on the knife, and her lawyers see the new evidence as confirmation that Knox had used the knife — found in a kitchen drawer at Sollecito's apartment — for cooking. The first trial had identified another trace of DNA on the tip of the knife as belonging to Kercher, but that evidence, which was key in securing the convictions, was discredited by expert testimony to the Perugia appeals court. Raffaele Sollecito's lawyer Giulia Bongiorno speaks to the media at the end of a hearing in an appeals court in Florence, Italy . Knox's lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, said there was nothing new so far in the prosecutor's summations. 'No new arguments were made, but it was a good presentation,' Ghirga said. Sollecito was in the Florence appellate court for a second time Monday, listening intently as Crini claimed that his alibi that he was working at his computer at the time of the murder was false. 'After all of this time,' Sollecito told reporters outside court, 'I just continue to confront a situation of repeated accusations that have no foundation in reality or likelihood.' A verdict had been expected on January 10, but may be delayed as the closing arguments have run longer than anticipated by the court. | Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of murdering 21-year-old British exchange student Meredith Kercher .
The two were released after four years in prison when the original conviction was overturned in an appeal .
Earlier this year a new appeal started which threatens to send the former couple back to prison .
Prosecutor Alessandro Crini started his closing arguments Monday .
A ruling is expected in January . |
0bcb51713bb60cf0fcf523704c38aaff49131b72 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:13 EST, 21 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:24 EST, 21 November 2013 . A Delaware prison guard has been charged with having sexual relations with three inmates according to state police. The incident came to the attention of state detectives Tuesday after they were contacted by the Sussex Department of Correction, who reported that a 19-year-old female inmate at the Sussex Correctional Institution Boot Camp Program had had sex with Christopher S. Peck. Peck was a correctional officer assigned to the Georgetown facility. Christopher S Peck: The Delaware state corrections officer is accused of having sexual relations with inmates . Detectives determined that two other women prisoners, a 27-year-old and 28-year-old, enrolled in the program, were also victims of Peck’s. Peck allegedly had sex with inmates at least 11 different occasions dating back to July. Allegations: Police say Peck had sexual relations with three different female inmates at Sussex Correctional Institution Boot Camp Program in Georgetown, Delaware . He was charged on Wednesday with 11 counts of having sexual relations in a detention facility. Peck was taken into custody at his Felton home and committed to the Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna on $22,000 secured bond. It's not clear at this stage if Peck still has a job at the Delaware Department of Correction. | Christopher S. Peck allegedly had sex with three prisoners, 11 times .
Officer is now being held at a different correctional facility . |
0bcb82e9f665bd00179d00e18898f7292855ec18 | By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 00:24 EST, 6 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:04 EST, 6 January 2014 . Skills: Minister Matthew Hancock has advised over 50s seeking a career change to undertake apprenticeship schemes . Middle-aged men and women seeking a career change should undertake apprenticeship schemes so they can re-train as lawyers, bankers and accountants, according to a Government minister. Skills minister Matthew Hancock has advised those over 50 to take part in the professional schemes usually carried out by graduates fresh out of university. With the retirement age rising, it is estimated that although many over 50s will remain in good health, they are likely to miss out on job opportunities because of their age. Currently more than 425,000 men and women over 50 are unemployed, with the number set to rise. However, . Tory MP Mr Hancock has stated that older workers, with their . highly-prized skill sets, can play a vital part in economic recovery by . re-training. He said that demand for adult . apprenticeships was increasing as they help workers, including those . over 50, first to gain employment, and then keep skilled jobs. 'Apprenticeships . increasingly help people of all ages get the skills they need to get . the new jobs becoming available, he told the Telegraph. 'Our . priority is to build on the best of the Apprenticeships programme . expanding Apprenticeships where they deliver the greatest benefits for . employers, apprentices and the wider economy.' Government data has revealed that in the last 12 months more than 34,000 over 50s started an apprenticeship, and that one in three of those were rewarded with a job in law, business or administration. Around 5,690 workers gained employment in commercial enterprise or retail, while 11,790 people over 50 started new careers in health, care and public services. Study: Mr Hancock encouraged older people to take part in the professional scheme allowing them to become lawyers, bankers and accountants . Government ministers are seeking to increase the number of apprenticeships offered by companies that can match studying for a degree, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Last month the London Professional Apprenticeship Programme, costing £2.3million, was launched to help people find jobs in professional service roles such as accountancy, management consultancy and tax advice. A funding scheme which meant apprentices aged over 24 had to take out loans to fund their training was also axed by ministers, with the costs now met by employers and the government. 'It can be a route into management for people who may not have done a degree who have a wealth of experience and skill. It gives them a qualification that's valued by employers,' said Aiden Relf, a spokesman for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. | Skills minister Matthew Hancock says middle-aged men and women should undertake apprenticeship schemes .
Encourages over 50s to re-train as lawyers, bankers or accountants .
Currently more than 425,000 men and women over 50 are unemployed . |
0bcc972e62cced2697460958d1300fb5b6775033 | The brave astronauts who risked their lives to venture into the unknown have been hailed as the heroes of the space race. But the incredible infrastructure that sent these men and women into orbit has largely been forgotten, leaving haunting reminders of one of humanity's greatest achievements. For the best part of half a century, one photographer has been on an adventure across the US to capture abandoned Nasa sites before they are lost to their environment. Scroll down for video . An inside look: Pictured is a Saturn V F1 engine at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 'I was asked, in 1997, to photograph the newly opened Saturn V Center, including access to a high-lift for vantage points like this view of the center Saturn V F1 engine,' said Mr Miller . Roland Miller, 56, from Grayslake, Illinois, has dedicated 25 years to the personal project and has now compiled his life's work in a book, 'Abandoned In Place'. 'I think that many children of my era wanted to be astronauts,' said Mr Miller, a photography instructor at the College of Lake County in Grayslake. 'Unfortunately, because of my need for glasses in the third grade I knew becoming an astronaut was not an option. Well, glasses and about 40 IQ points. 'My parents would wake me and my sisters up early to watch the launches from Cape Canaveral. The nuts and bolts: Pictured is a cable tunnel at the Gemini Titan Complex 19 in Florida, pictured in 1993. Often overlooked in early space history, the Gemini program provided the basic research for many critical steps in proving that men could survive long duration flights in space and testing the orbital rendezvous procedures which would eventually be used in the Apollo program . Space history: Mr Miller has visited 16 space launch sites, research facilities, and museums, in Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Utah, New Mexico, and California. Pictured is a wind tunnel test chamber at the Langley Research Center in Virginia . 'As an adult it has been an amazing experience to explore and photograph these historic launch complexes.' Mr Miller has visited 16 space launch sites, research facilities, and museums, in Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Utah, New Mexico, and California. 'Cape Canaveral has the most facilities remaining, though many of them have been demolished or repurposed since I began the project,' he said . 'Launch Complex 34 is my favourite. LC34 is the site of a number of unmanned test launches of the Saturn I and IB rocket. 'The first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7, lifted off from Complex 34. It is also the site of the Apollo One capsule fire that killed Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. Snapped: A fuel tank for a lunar module pictured at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in 2002. 'As an adult it has been an amazing experience to explore and photograph these historic launch complexes,' said Miller . Space race: On the left are bolts pictured at Atlas Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The right image shows a plug board at Complex 26, also located in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station . Flooded: This is an image of a large square girder in a flooded compartment beneath Launch Pad 19, the Gemini-Titan facility at Cape Canaveral. 'I was intrigued by the colour and the light,' said Mr Miller. 'What I couldn't have predicted were the swirling reflections of light in the water coming from openings in the roof. They look like little galaxies' The blockhouses, launch towers, tunnels, test stands, and control rooms are rapidly giving way to the elements and demolition. 'By my estimates, fully half of the facilities I have photographed no longer exist,' said Mr Miller. 'The costs involved in restoring, maintaining, and securing these sites are enormous.' Most of these historic facilities are located on secure military or Nasa facilities, which drastically limits access by the public. Mr Miller wants to capture these amazing facilities before they are lost forever. 'There is a spiritual quality to Launch Complex 34. The launch pedestal with its large round opening to the sky gives it the look of some ancient astronomical archaeological ruin-something like Stonehenge.' In 1984, Mr Miller moved to Florida's Space Coast to teach photography and was contacted by an environmental engineer at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The engineer needed help disposing of old photographic chemicals, which required a visit to Launch Complex 19, the Gemini Program launch facility. 'I knew immediately I wanted to photograph the decaying launch structure, and I soon realised there were other deactivated launch facilities on Cape Canaveral that I would also want to photograph,' he said. It was down to this chance encounter that led Mr Miller to spend a large part of his life travelling across country to document the forgotten history of the space program. 'You have to understand that all of these launch complexes and test sites are on secure military bases or Nasa and contractor operated facilities with numerous security considerations and hazardous operations,' he said. Decommissioned: 'I made this photograph of Atlas Launch Complex 36B while it was being decomissioned,' said Mr Miller. 'The mobile service towers of Pads A and B were imploded in 2007. Launch Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station sent Surveyor, Mariner, and Pioneer missions on their way to explore the ,oon and the planets of our solar system' Haunting: Pictured on the left is Navaho Complex 9 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station pictured in 1990. On the right is a Nasa logo at Mercury Mission Control in Florida . Revived: A launch ring restored at the Apollo Saturn Complete 34. 'In 1998, the launch ring at Complex 34 was sandblasted and painted to protect it from weathering,' said Mr Miller. ;I had been trying for years to capture the spiritual quality of this site. I made this photograph near sunset with the blue sky reflecting on the launch pedestal and the last pink rays of sunlight illuminating the ring and clouds behind' 'You can't just say to Nasa, 'I would like to run around on your secure facility and make a bunch of pictures.' 'It wasn't hard to get out and photograph for a short period of time, but I knew I need extended time and numerous visits to accomplish the project I had in mind. Mr Miller said it took about two years of attempting different avenues to get the access he required. 'Once I was able to make a couple of excursions and then show the work to Nasa and the Air Force, they were supportive of my visits,' he said. Mr Miller, who successfully raised over his $25,000 (£16,000) target through Kickstarter to part-fund his work, said he plans to continue photographing abandoned space centres when they become available. Looking for shelter: A dome at the Rubber Room . Launch Pad 39B in the Kennedy Space Center is pictured. The floor is set on springs to isloate the occupants from whatever explosions which may be occuring above them as they seek shelter . Launch site: The Gemini Titan Complex 19, . Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 'This was the first abandoned launch pad I visited,' said Mr Miller. 'It was 1988, and I was amazed that the light bulbs on the erector were mostly intact more than 22 years after the last Gemini mission. Unlike all the other service towers at the pads on Cape Canaveral, the erector at Pad 19 was hinged at the base. It was lowered before every launch' Abandoned: Mr Miller managed to capture these liquid fuel tanks used for the Apollo program which landed the first twelve humans on the Moon from 1969 to 1972. 'Their were two of these fuel pressure spheres near the entrance to Launch Complex 37,' he said. 'One has been repurposed and is now used to support Delta IV rocket launches. The other sphere was removed' Inspiration: Pictured is a blockhouse - a isolated fort - at the Apollo Saturn Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. 'These abandoned space launch and test facilities bring to mind other archeological sites. This blockhouse reminded me of a pyramid or ziggurat,' said Mr Miller . | Stunning images were taken by photographer Roland Miller, 56, from Grayslake, Illinois, over 25 years .
He visited 16 space launch sites and research facilities in areas including Virginia, Florida and California .
Launch Complex 34 is his favourite, as it is site of unmanned test launches for the historic Saturn rocket .
'There is a spiritual quality to Launch Complex 34,' said Mr Miller, adding that it reminds him of Stonehenge . |
0bccdf53156d3fa2d766caaff72e88d70461e87e | By . Martin Robinson for MailOnline . Five members of a family have been arrested after relatives turned on each other in a 20-person brawl described as like 'something out of a Western'. The 'punch-up' broke out in Luton town centre happened in broad daylight and led to the police being called in. The 20 people - including a 13-year-old - were seen hitting and kicking each other with several left lying injured on the pavement. Family feud: Five relatives have been arrested after a mass brawl in the street in Luton . Scary: Horrified shoppers said the fight was like 'something from a western' and called in the police . Several female family members screamed at each other and then tried to break up the street brawl. A terrified shopper who saw the fight unfold said: 'All hell broke loose. It was like something out of a Western. 'Everyone was punching and kicking each other, women kicking and screaming at one another. I've never seen anything like it.' The family members involved in the feud have not been named and police would only say that five people had been arrested on suspicion of assault during a 'domestic incident'. Investigation: Bedfordshire Police say that four men and a teenager have been bailed over 'domestic incident' Paramedics treated a number of people at the scene for minor injuries. Bedfordshire Police said four men and a teenager had been arrested. They are aged between 13 and 52, and are on police bail until October. | Fighting broke out between relatives in Luton and police were called in .
A shocked shopper said: 'Everyone was punching and kicking each other, women kicking and screaming at one another. Never seen anything like it'
Bedfordshire police say 4 men and a teenager held over 'domestic incident' |
0bce34a008fb755d200c6d8e306ee1a022b669ce | Washington (CNN) -- Some conservatives unhappy with House Speaker John Boehner's leadership are looking for a replacement, and recent moves by Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling are fueling speculation he wants Boehner's job in the next Congress. Hensarling, who was part of Boehner's leadership team two years ago but left to chair the House Financial Services Committee, gave an expansive speech last week hosted by Heritage Action for America, a group that frequently and publicly clashes with Boehner. Asked afterward if he was interested in running for speaker, Hensarling initially said he was "flattered," and said, "It's not something I've aspired to. It's not something I'm thinking about." But then he left the door open, saying, "No, I haven't been Shermanesque, again I'm not sure there's any opportunity I want to foreclose." While Heritage Action's Chief Executive Officer Michael Needham told CNN that his group doesn't get involved in leadership races, the conservative group gave Hensarling a high-profile platform to outline his own conservative philosophy for governing. Needham said there is a "real need to take on sacred cows in Washington at time when the party too often looks after K Street," a reference to the downtown D.C. address for corporate lobbyists. He said, "Jeb Hensarling is a great spokesman and fighter for conservative values." Boehner has said he's staying put . Boehner, in his 12th term in Congress and in his second as speaker, continues to insist he's not going anywhere and expects to remain in charge next year. But he raised questions earlier this month when he wouldn't commit to serving out another full term as speaker. At the beginning of the current Congress in January 2013, a dozen House GOP members voted for someone other than Boehner, or voted "present," an expression of no confidence. Many in that small group are convinced Boehner won't run for his post after this year's midterms or that he won't have the votes to keep that title. If Boehner decides to step down from the position, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is popular among conservatives, and most expect him to move up and take the speaker's gavel. In that scenario conservatives could wage an effort to fill in top House GOP posts. Boehner on the establishment and the tea party . Multiple House Republicans -- some who voted for Boehner in 2013 and some who didn't -- praised Hensarling as a solid conservative, but also told CNN there's a short list of others who are viable candidates. Many House Republicans interviewed by CNN declined to talk openly about potential leadership challenges, but admitted there are informal discussions about options. The names repeatedly raised include Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, who like Hensarling is a former chairman of the fiscally conservative Republican Study Committee; Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who currently heads that group; and Georgia Rep. Tom Price, another former study group leader who also served in Boehner's leadership team in the last Congress. "The one consensus point is that we'd like to see more conservatives in future leadership posts," Louisiana Republican John Fleming told CNN. But he cautioned for now there's no single alternative emerging to Boehner -- or anyone who might want to challenge the speaker's current top lieutenants -- Cantor and GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy. He said he expected more serious discussions to ramp up by the end of the summer. Hensarling's recent speech at Heritage may be a way to ensure his name gets in the mix. The Texas Republican used the speech to position himself firmly on the right. He called out his own party for breaking with its free market roots, arguing that the party should be shifting away from policies designed to help big business and the well-connected and instead champion policies to help the "Main Street competitive economy." The thrust of Hensarling's speech lines up with the message many on the right flank of the House GOP conference have been pushing. Idaho Republican Raul Labrador has publicly criticized House GOP leaders for pushing a legislative agenda that positions the GOP as the "party of big business" and doesn't resonate with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Challenging the party . Hensarling argued those on Main Street are "not looking for a subsidy, earmark, tax preference or legislated advantage." On a series of issues -- tax reform, farm policy, reform of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae -- Hensarling challenged his party to hold votes on legislation that would restructure current federal systems. The bulk of Hensarling's ire was directed at the Export Import Bank, the 80-year-old credit agency that gives out loans to companies to promote U.S. exports. The bank's lending authority is due to expire at the end of the year. Hensarling defended 2013 GOP shutdown strategy . Hensarling held it up as the poster child of corporate welfare, citing that the vast majority of its taxpayer backed loans go to companies like aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing. He said getting rid of the bank "is a defining issue for our party and our movement." If Hensarling or anyone else is serious about mounting a challenge, the Republicans that CNN interviewed all agree that if they are serious they need to move soon. "It seems to me that the odds of there being some type of change within the leadership team seem to be more likely than less, and so as long as there are members talking about it it's better to do so early than late," Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King told CNN. North Carolina Republican Rep. Walter Jones, who opposed Boehner in the last election, told CNN that he hears from Republicans in his district that it's time for a leadership change in Washington. "There is a great deal of frustration," Jones said. He wasn't sure if Hensarling or someone else was the right fit, but said a successful campaign required several months or preparation. A few months ago unhappiness about Boehner's handling of government spending fights and concern he would negotiate with Democrats on a major immigration bill roiled the conference. But because members aren't coalescing around a single alternative, the vacuum gives Boehner some job security for now. Fleming said tension is down between conservatives and Boehner because the speaker agreed to form a select committee on the deadly Benghazi terror attack and hold a House vote that held former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt for the controversy around her agency's targeting of conservative groups. He said "there are less things that divide us -- but the one question would be immigration." | Boehner has been speaker since 2011 and has said he's not going anywhere .
Hensarling says he's flattered by the attention, but is not thinking about being speaker .
But he's leaving the door open as some conservatives have been unhappy with Boehner's leadership . |
0bcfda6623c7cbc7d7ccb30ab7f6d39006bffbc4 | A heavily pregnant woman and two accomplices murdered a pensioner with a hammer to get to a safe where they thought he had stashed £30,000. But when Daniel Davies, his stepbrother Troy Schuldt and Davies’ former girlfriend Samantha Smith opened the safe, there was only one dollar inside. Victim Daniel Spires, 69, was lured to a Hertfordshire wood by the two men and throttled with a rope before his head was smashed in with a hammer. Cold-blooded killers: Samantha Smith, left, plotted the brutal murder with her ex-boyfriend Daniel Davies and his stepbrother Troy Schuldt . The trio responsible for the brutal murder were jailed today at St Albans Crown Court for a minimum total of 77 years. Mr Spires, who was nicknamed the 'scrap metal man', had few friends and his killers thought he would not be missed, the court heard. But they confessed to others and were arrested, . more than three months later, after Mr Spires’ remains were found in undergrowth in a wood at Welham Green, where he had been left . by Schuldt and Davies. Smith, 21, of St Albans, was convicted of . murder despite not being at the scene of the killing, and . of obstructing the coroner by not revealing where the body was. The mother of two . was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 21 years. Davies, 24, of St Albans, and . Schuldt, 20, of no fixed address, denied murder . between 12 and 15 June last year, but were convicted and sentenced to . life with a minimum term of 28 years. Smith pleaded guilty to two charges of assisting an offender in relation to Schuldt and was convicted unanimously by the jury of two charges of assisting an offender in relation to Davies. 'Scrap metal man': The defendants did not think Daniel Spires, 69, would be missed, because he had few friends . Schuldt pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and obstructing the coroner. Davies was found guilty of obstructing the coroner. Stuart Trimmer QC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said that the partially decomposed body of Mr Spires, who had looked like an 'aged rocker', was found on 24 September last year. The defendants, who at the time were on benefits and all lived in St Albans, had been regular visitors to his address in London Colney near St Albans in the period before his murder. He was last seen with his large and distinctive Mercedes Sprinter van on June 13 last year. Mr Trimmer said: 'He bought and sold items and had a metal safe. It is this safe that appears to be a central feature in the murder. These defendants believed it contained £30,000 in cash. That safe was removed after the murder and has not yet been recovered by the police. 'The murder of Daniel Spires was not a spur of the moment event, but a planned crime specifically to take the money they believed to be in the safe and any other items of value which they could sell.' Emma Blee, who knew the stepbrothers, heard them say they had taken the safe from the wardrobe at Mr Spires’ home in London Colney to discover it contained just a dollar. The safe was never recovered. Schudlt later confessed that Mr Spires was tricked into going with him and Davies to the woods when they said they had some catalytic converters to sell him . 'He was attacked there in the van, but not killed. After being throttled with a rope he was dragged out of the van. The rope was tightened using a hammer handle as a tourniquet.' He was beaten and kicked by Davies and Schuldt hit his head with the hammer until he died. 'They did this some way into the undergrowth and then used some nearby foliage to conceal the body,' said the prosecutor. After finding there was only $1 in the safe, the callous killers sold off Mr Spires’ property for sale. His jewellery was taken from his body along with his keys, wallet and phone. The van was placed for sale on the Gumtree website and was eventually swapped for a red VW Polo by Davies, who then put that for sale on Gumtree. Other items belonging to the dead man that were put up for sale included a pressure washer, a suitcase, generator, a PC, a flat-screen TV, a mini safe and external hard drives. Schuldt told his stepsister Hayley Davies: 'Me and Daniel killed our mate Danny. He was mugging us off so we took him to the woods and did him over.' Schuldt confessed he had hit him with a hammer and they had both kicked and punched him. He was later seen wearing a chain belonging to the dead man. They were arrested after Keely Charlton, Schuldt’s ex-girlfriend, told a friend what she had learned. She passed the information to a college tutor, who called the police. The prosecutor said Mr Spires was a safe target. If he were to go missing his disappearance would neither be quickly noticed nor reported. 'It was also known that he was going to take a lengthy trip abroad. Daniel Spires was a man who was estranged from his family. He had few friends and counted Daniel Davies as one of them,' he said. Mr Trimmer said Smith’s flat was the base from where the plan was executed. He added: 'Samantha Smith was part of the group trusted with the knowledge of the plan and the execution of it. It started from her flat, it returned to her flat. 'Her flat was the place where all were free to change out of bloody clothes and to dispose of them. Although not at the scene of the murder she was part of its planning and assisted in its execution.' Judge Andrew Bright QC told them: 'You were all three involved in the planning and killing of Daniel Spires in order to break into his property and steal the safe which I am sure you believed contained £30,000. 'I am in no doubt the plan involved throttling him with a rope and, if necessary, finishing him off with a hammer. 'I am quite certain that you, Samantha Smith, knew the co-defendants were off to commit a murder and that you were happy to allow them to use your flat as a base and a safe house.' The judge praised the investigation carried out by the Beds and Herts Major Crime Unit saying: 'This was a complicated and challenging investigation which was put together in an efficient way to be easily understood by the jury.' The judge mentioned in particular DC Katie Jackson, DS Mark Devine and Senior Investigating Officer DI Jerome Kent. | Killers were reduced to selling his belongings for cash .
Victim Daniel Spires, 69, was nicknamed 'the scrap metal man'
Murderers thought he would not be missed because he had few friends .
Trio planned callous act at pregnant Samantha Smith's flat, where they decided to discard bloody clothes afterwards .
Trio were jailed for 77 years . |
0bd0f2939453af82e876a7b60c8541379c554987 | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 17:39 EST, 19 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:46 EST, 20 February 2013 . The mother of a 15-month-old boy who died on a court-ordered visit to his father filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on Tuesday against the psychologist who sanctioned the visitation. Hera McLeod of Gaithersburg, Md., filed the $20 million suit in Fairfax County against Ashburn Psychological Services and psychologist Margaret Wong, alleging professional negligence resulting in the wrongful death of her son, Prince McLeod Rams. McLeod said at a news conference announcing the suit that Wong's report was instrumental in a judge's decision to grant unsupervised visitation of Prince to his father, Joaquin Rams. Prince McLeod Rams died during unsupervised time with his father last October, now his mom is suing the psychologist who sanctioned the visitation . Father: Joaquin Rams (left) was charged with murder by prosecutors in Prince William County after drowning Prince McLeod Rams (right with mother Hera McLeod) Prince died in October, on the fourth unsupervised visit, and last month, Joaquin Rams was charged with murder by prosecutors in Prince William County. Authorities say he drowned the boy and had taken out life insurance policies on his son totaling more than $500,000. Authorities say that Prince's drowning has prompted a closer look at two other deaths of people close to Rams: the still-unsolved shooting of his ex-girlfriend Shawn K. Mason in 2003 and the 2008 death of Joaquin Rams' mother, which was classified a suicide. McLeod objected to turning her son over for unsupervised visitation on concerns that he would be in danger. She says the psychologist ignored clear warning signs that the father was dangerous, including testimony at the custody hearings that Manassas police considered Rams a suspect in Mason's death. McLeod, a former contestant on the CBS reality show 'The Amazing Race,' has been vocal in efforts to hold accountable those who she believes failed to protect her son when they had the opportunity, including the judge who granted the visitation. She writes a blog, Cappuccino Queen, that documents her case and her son's short life. Prince died last year and his father had taken out an insurance policy on him totaling more than $500,000 . Hera McLeod has said the psychologist's report was instrumental in a judge's decision to grant unsupervised visitation of son Prince to his father Joaquin Rams . Rams, before he was arrested, responded with a blog of his own, King Latte, in which he leveled his own accusations against McLeod. McLeod's lawsuit also alleges that Wong ignored a previous psychological examination of Rams that included allegations that he was physically abusive, had pulled a gun on a former girlfriend and had engaged in sexually aberrant behavior. 'I believe this doctor's negligence led to my son's murder,' McLeod said, saying it was hard more her to imagine a person more seriously 'disordered' than her former fiance. McLeod acknowledged Rams had a gift for deceiving people, including herself, at least for the first few months of their relationship. But she said that does not excuse Wong from missing obvious signs that Prince would be in danger if Rams were given unsupervised visits. Hera McLeod was a contestant on CBS show The Amazing Race in 2004 . 'The difference is, I'm not a psychologist,' McLeod said. The psychology practice declined comment Tuesday. The judge in Montgomery County, Md., who heard the custody dispute ordered Rams to get a mental evaluation, but allowed Rams to pick the psychologist. Rams was also the one who paid for the evaluation. McLeod's attorney, Patrick Regan, said Wong had a duty to prepare a report that would serve the best interests of the child, rather than merely benefiting the person who paid for the evaluation. Regan said there is a direct link between the faulty psychological report and the judge's decision to grant unsupervised visitation, which resulted in Prince's death. 'If it had been a supervised visitation, it never would have happened,' Regan said. Rams is now in custody pending a formal indictment for Prince's killing. | Prince McLeod Rams died during an unsupervised visit to his father Joaquin Rams .
The boy's mom has filed the $20 million suit against Ashburn Psychological Services and psychologist Margaret Wong .
She claims Wong's report was instrumental in a judge's decision to grant unsupervised visitation of Prince to his father, Joaquin Rams . |
0bd1417dd5c70fbdaf1e77bef75e29beaafcb5c3 | (CNN)In space there's no atmosphere, it's never cloudy, and in geosynchronous orbits it's never night: a perfect place for a solar power station to harvest uninterrupted power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The concept has been around since the 1940s when science fiction writer Isaac Asimov posited the idea of a robot-manned space station that delivered energy to Earth via microwaves. Today, the idea is less science fiction than a steadily advancing reality. Clean energy from above . The United States, China, India and Japan all have projects at various stages of development that would see robots assemble solar arrays that could provide the Earth with massive amounts of clean and renewable energy delivered wirelessly. Some variants of the idea could even see as much as 1GW of energy beamed to receivers on Earth -- enough to power a large city. According to Dr Paul Jaffe, spacecraft engineer at the US Naval Research Laboratory, the concept is scientifically sound. "NASA and the US Department of Energy did a study in the late 70s that cost $20 million at the time and looked at it in pretty great depth," Dr Jaffe told CNN. "The conclusion at that time was that there was nothing wrong with the physics but the real question is the economics." The cost lies in the number of space launches required to build the power-transmitting satellite. With costs as high as $40,000 per kilogram for some space launches, the final price-tag for the first space-based solar power station could be as high as $20 billion. Private contractors . While the recent entry of private space companies stands significantly to cut costs, basic physics dictates that getting payloads into space is still an expensive undertaking. "The subject is revisited every 10 years when the technology changes and some of the factors affecting the economics change." He said the wars in the Middle East gave new impetus to the space-based solar power as scientific researchers with the military wrestled with the problems of delivering energy to troops in hostile areas. Multiple, and potentially hidden, receivers could tap space-based solar power and relieve the military of the expensive and often dangerous task of supplying troops with generator diesel by either road or air, he said. "If you could deliver electricity from space, that would be kind of attractive," he said. Safety concerns . Two proven ways of getting the power to Earth exist in the form of either laser beams or microwaves. The laser beam option would involve sending small laser-transmitting satellites into space at the relatively low cost of between $500 million and $1 billion. The self-assembling satellite would lower costs and the small diameter of the laser beam would make it easier to collect on the ground. But at just 1MW to 10MW per satellite, many satellites would be needed to provide enough energy. As well as this, laser transmitting satellites would have difficulty beaming power through clouds and rain. The microwave option would have the advantage of uninterrupted transmission through rain, hail or any other atmospheric conditions and could provide gigawatts of power. Microwave technology, Dr Jaffe explained, has been established for decades: as early as 1964, scientists were able to power a helicopter using microwaves. Dr Jaffe said with a large receiving area the energy from the microwaves was so dissipated that it would present no danger to life. The chief disadvantage, however, is the fact that as many as 100 launches into space would be required to construct the space stations with costs running into tens of billions. "Unfortunately, too, from a public relations standpoint, both microwaves and lasers have negative connotations for most people because they associate microwaves with the oven in their kitchen and lasers with science fiction space battles," Dr Jaffe said. The power sandwich . His research is currently concentrated on the so-called "sandwich module" -- the part of the solar array that actually converts the sunlight into power. One side of the 'sandwich' receives solar energy with a photovoltaic panel, electronics in the middle convert the current into a radio frequency and the other side has an antenna to beam it away. "People might not associate radio waves with carrying energy," says Jaffe, "because they think of them for communications, like radio, TV, or cell phones. They don't think about them as carrying usable amounts of power." Despite the technology already being available for space-based solar power, Dr Jaffe believes the first space power station is still decades away even though the Japanese have already made it one of the pillars of their space program. "Without the similar research base that we have in the United States for, say, fusion energy it's unlikely to make meaningful progress," he said. "If the Japanese make progress in the next five years people might start to notice and say 'Why aren't we doing that here.' Ultimately, he said, space-based solar energy is like most novel ideas. "It's hard to tell if it's nuts until you've actually tried." Read more from Tomorrow Transformed: . Wind farms of the future go underwater . Is the Darknet a glimpse into the web of the future? China's impact on the future of e-commerce . | With no atmosphere, cloudy weather or even night, space is a perfect place to build our solar power stations .
The concept has been around since the 1940s when science fiction posited the idea of a robot-manned power station .
Some variants could provide as much as 1GW of energy beamed to receivers on Earth -- enough to power a large city .
Some scientists say only the cost of putting payloads in space is preventing the idea becoming a reality . |
0bd146e5972fadfbe86302ada539acceac481bf7 | Moments don't get any more special than this one. A seven-week old baby hears for the first time and rewards his delighted parents with his very first smile. The heart warming video shows Victorian couple Michelle and Toby Lever overwhelmed with emotion at the 'truly amazing' moment a specialist fits their gorgeous baby Lachlan with a hearing aid. Now the video has gone viral worldwide, with more than 159,000 likes and 130,000 shares on Facebook. ‘I am so happy that we can share our magic moment with the world,’ Ms Lever told Daily Mail Australia. ‘I hope it can give some other families the realisation everything is going to be okay.’ Scroll down for video . A still from the video, which shows Lachlan sharing his first smile at seven weeks old, as his hearing aid allows him to hear his father's voice . Lachlan gives a very sweet surprised expression when the hearing aid finally allows him to hear . Lachlan shares a smile with his mother, Michelle, who is moved to tears with happiness for her little boy. 'My baby's world opened up!' 'When they turned the headphones on and Lachlan smiled and his face lit up, it was the most magical thing I’d ever seen in my life,' said Ms Lever. 'I had never been more happy in my life.' Although the touching moment only came to light in the last week, the video was filmed in July 2012. ‘(The attention) has all come completely out of the blue. It started last Thursday, but it’s happening so quickly. I went to bed on Saturday with six thousand likes and when I woke up on Sunday there were 40 thousand!’ said Ms Lever. A newborn screening test allowed the Lever family to discover Lachlan's hearing disability from a young age. The Levers are grateful it was picked up so early, as they have been able to support their little boy and give him all the care he needs for his hearing impairment from birth . ‘It's such a happy, special moment. My baby’s world just opened up, it was so emotional. Now that it’s gone viral I'm reliving that moment all over again,’ said Ms Lever. Ms Lever wants other mothers to find hope in not only the video, but from the uplifting update about the wonderful, full life her son is leading - chatting to his sisters and singing and dancing to music. The tiny cherub in the clip is now a very cheeky toddler, who is adored by his parents and two big sisters, Chloe, 9, and Jessica, 6. 'He is the biggest chatterbox out there. He's only two so there’s a lot is gibberish that you can't understand, but when he’s telling you something, he makes sure you understand,' said Ms Lever. 'I will make sure he can reach his full potential, I'm willing to travel to the moon and back for him. 'It doesn’t matter that his specialist school is at Blackburn, which is an hour and 20 mins away. I will do anything it takes to help him.' Once Lachlan started smiling, it appears he never stopped! A photograph of the now two-year-old, who is a very cheeky 'chatterbox' according to his mother, and meeting all his milestones 'on-par' with other children his age . The family are absolutely thrilled with the happy life their son is able to lead. His mother says she is moved to tears when she witnesses the joy he experiences when he hears music. ‘He absolutely loves songs, it’s the most beautiful thing to watch,’ Ms Lever told Daily Mail Australia. 'In the car when we put on music, he’ll try to sing and wave his arms around like he’s dancing. ‘He absolutely loves to dance with my girls, it's wonderful’ said the doting Mum. ‘Lachlan continues to amaze us with his speech development.' Michelle Lever adores her son and is so proud of the little boy that 'inspires' her entire family . ‘We have learnt that Lachlan is no different to any other child. 'He just wears hearing aids which now seem invisible to us, to his family and friends.’ Ms Lever says although she was distraught when Lachlan was first diagnosed, she now loves the hearing aids that are such a crucial part of his life. ‘When he was first diagnosed and I didn't really have my head around the idea yet, I hoped no one would notice his hearing aids. I didn’t want him to feel different. ‘But I love when people talk to me about them now. I show him off, I think they really suit him! They’re just another part of him.' Lachlan loves to sing - especially 'happy birthday'. Here he is pictured on his second birthday with his parents and his older sisters, Chloe and Jessica . Mr and Mrs Lever did not know what to expect when it was first discovered that their baby boy had hearing loss during the newborn screening tests. Lachlan was diagnosed with moderately severe sensorineural hearing impairment in both ears at four weeks old and fitted with his first hearing aid three weeks later. ‘When we first heard of Lachlan's diagnosis, I was completely shattered and cried for 12 hours straight. I was so worried about what the future would hold for our son,’ said Michelle. ‘I thought Lachlan would not be able to talk, make friends and I was worried he would get teased. I now know that whilst those thoughts were completely normal, they are not true.‘ . Michelle didn't need to worry with Lachlan saying his first words at around six months old. Not only is Lachlan doing well with his learning – he is on par with the other children his age and meeting every milestone. 'Lachlan's most recent assessment by (his school) Tarayle's speech therapist showed that his speech and language were age appropriate. We are extremely proud of our gorgeous little boy.' Lachlan getting reading for his ECG: An electrocardiogram, which is a medical test that detects cardiac heart abnormalities. He undergoes many health checks, but is healthy and surprising his family with his wonderful communication and social skills. The Levers found there was a lot of support and information available to help them choose how to approach life with a child with a hearing impairment. 'Soon after Lachlan was diagnosed, we did lots of research and educated ourselves as to what was the best path for Lachlan and our family. 'We decided we wanted Lachlan to grow up in the 'hearing world' and thus decided not to learn sign language but join the Early Intervention Service Tarayle, the Oral Language Centre for deaf children. 'We have received an incredible amount of emotional support and expert advice from Tarayle. But there so many options, this is just what works for our family.' Photos show Lachlan is always sharing his cheeky smile with the world - not just on camera. Despite his hearing impairment, Lachlan is an outgoing little boy who is always 'happy and smiling.' The Levers say early diagnosis has made all the difference for their son. 'We believe that due to Lachlan receiving his hearing aids at such a young age, (we can) feel confident that Lachlan will attend a mainstream school with his sisters and reach his full potential,' said Ms Lever. 'He definitely wouldn't be able to develop normal speech without hearing aids.' Lachlan's behaviour changed almost immediately once he started wearing his hearing aids. 'He became a lot more interactive, there were more smiles and eye contact. He was vocalising and being expressive,' explained Ms Lever. 'The Newborn Hearing Test is so vital, if it wasn't for the test we might not have picked up on his hearing difficulties for another two or three years. 'I can't believe they could diagnose him at four weeks of age - he was barely doing anything but sleeping and drinking!' said Ms Lever. Michelle Lever and baby Lachlan, taken when Lachlan was a newborn . Ms Lever says she is thrilled to be able to help her son to meet his full potential, but to her he was always perfect. 'I didn't need him to be able to hear me to bond with him. Lachlan and I have always had that close bond. 'We were able to love and adore him with cuddles before he could hear us. 'We are so proud of him. His hearing disability is a part of his life, but I hope he won't feel different. We accept that and hope everyone else will too,' said Ms Lever. Lachlan's mother Michelle watches over her gorgeous newborn in the hospital . Lachlan as a baby, with his doting sisters Chloe and Jessica . Lachlan's mother says she knows how lonely and confusing it can be when your child is diagnosed with a hearing impairment, and admits that she felt 'shattered' at the time. She hopes parents in similar situations can find hope in the photos of her son and his cheeky grin. 'I want them to realise that there is alot of support and help available to them and it is extremely important that they link into an Early Intervention Service, such as Tarayle. 'Above all, be positive, proactive and spend as much time as possible with your baby and never forget that your child is the same child they were before you found out they were hearing impaired. 'There’s no such thing as a silly questions. Ask them all. 'And remember, everything is going to be okay!' Lachlan celebrating his 2nd birthday in May, as his family delight in the fact that he can hear them sing 'Happy Birthday' | An Australian video has gone viral showing the heart warming moment a baby hears for first time .
Baby Lachlan also shares his first smile with his parents when he hears their voices .
'His hearing aids are invisible to us' says Lachlan's proud Mum .
Mother says people should know there's hope after a diagnosis .
The newborn diagnosis test 'changed Lachlan's life' |
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