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0bd415a2ad3729a4a31c3a53e62e04617458464c | New York (CNN) -- After he graduated from college, Frankie Edgar began working for his stepfather's plumbing business. He woke up early each morning to dutifully trudge to job sites around New Jersey on the hottest and coldest of days. In the afternoon, Edgar coached wrestling. At night, he treated himself to training in his true passion: mixed martial arts. Soon Edgar told his family he wanted to quit plumbing and become a professional fighter. "I'm not one to just drop everything and chase something that I know is not 100% sure," Edgar said, "so I kept training and kept working to support myself, and eventually I got a call from the UFC," said Edgar, referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It's the biggest mixed martial arts, or MMA, league in the United States. Edgar, whose UFC nickname is "The Answer," suffered his first loss in 2008 after eight straight victories in his professional career. That loss came at the hands of undefeated opponent Gray "The Bully" Maynard. Edgar and Maynard's second fight in January ended in a draw. With 13 wins, one loss and one draw, Edgar is the league's lightweight champion, a title he earned in 2010. Now, just before his third match with Maynard on Saturday night in Houston, the 29-year-old Edgar said he was confident that he could beat Maynard for the first time. "My main goal in between each fight is to become a different fighter, and I think I did that," Edgar said. "As long as I show up and utilize all the improvements that I made, I'm going to come out the winner." The sport first roped in Edgar while he watched it on television as a teen growing up in Toms River, New Jersey. "I was pretty much content with wrestling, but I wanted to try a different avenue and still compete," he said. "I thought MMA was the perfect place for me." His mother and stepfather, he recalls, were not initially as excited by the idea of him making a living as a fighter. But once he joined the UFC in 2005, they gave their support. "They haven't missed a fight since," he said. Originally called no-holds-barred fighting, variations of MMA date back to at least the late 1800s. It has transformed from a mostly underground sport that Sen. John McCain, R- Arizona, once called "human cockfighting" into a multibillion dollar, global industry. "It's the fastest-growing sport in the world," says Mike Straka, a long-time MMA journalist and broadcaster who now works in the fight industry. "It's the only sport that was really birthed during this generation," said Straka, who works at Authentic Brands Group, a developing and licensing firm, and host of a program on the company's Tapout News. California and New Jersey were the first of the major market states to regulate MMA, in 2000. Most other states have followed but the sport remains illegal in New York, Connecticut and West Virginia. A focused and steady demographic has helped MMA "quickly become more accepted by the mainstream sports business, evolving from its relatively rogue status at its inception," said Rick Horrow, a visiting expert on sports law at Harvard Law School, who co-authored Beyond the Scoreboard. While the fan base is mostly youthful and is especially popular among 18-to 34-year-old men, a lot of women get into it, says Ariel Helwani, a reporter for AOL's MMAFighting.com. Reportedly worth $2 billion, the UFC says it broadcasts in more than 20 languages to nearly 600 million homes in 132 countries. Up to 300,000 people purchased the last Edgar-Maynard fight on Pay-Per-View, according to the Wrestling Observer. Saturday night's fight in HD sells for $54.99. While MMA fighters might not bring in the reported millions per bout that heavyweight boxers such as Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz saw last month, how much they earn depends on who they are and what stage of their career they are in, Straka says. Fight purses range from as little as $10,000 to $500,000 for more experienced and popular fighters, he says. For stars such as Edgar, there is also big money from sponsorships and endorsements. "Frankie Edgar would never need to get another job if he retired tomorrow," Straka said. Also helping bring the sport into the mainstream is the long-running reality show "The Ultimate Fighter,'' currently running its last season on Spike TV before switching to FX next year. The show is part of a wide-ranging multichannel UFC deal with the Fox Broadcasting Company valued at $700 million. "It may not be the most well-known sport out there, but it's going to be," Edgar said. "Everybody loves a good fight, man." Most MMA fighters are either former NCAA wrestlers or traditional martial artists, but the sport is much different from wrestling and boxing. "You can use practically every part of your body as a weapon," Straka said. MMA combatants wear 4-ounce gloves and a protective cup. They can fight standing up or on the ground and are allowed to kick and tackle their opponents. Fighters must be barefoot. Although mixed martial arts looks and sounds more violent than boxing, Straka calls it safer. "It is the most regulated of all professional sports," he said, noting that fighters have to undergo physical examinations, drug testing and brain scans before every fight. Edgar says he finds his training schedule less tough than plumbing. He generally has two or three daily practices, each around two hours. That covers everything from strength training and conditioning to boxing and jiu-jitsu. "I'm kind of on autopilot during a fight. A lot of guys have mental exercises and visualizations -- but for me, this is what I do,'' said Edgar, who weighs 155 pounds and is 5-foot-6 and has what The New York Times calls a fighter's badge of honor: cauliflower ear. The paper describes it as "a deformity initiated by repetitive trauma,'' adding that "cauliflower ear can crumple an outer ear to a misshapen shell.'' Some fighters are known for their showmanship inside and outside the cage, including humor and trash talk. But those who watch Edgar defend his title against Maynard on Saturday will find that what they see is what they get, Straka says. "Frankie does all his talking inside the cage with his hands and feet -- and his heart." For Edgar, the outlook is plain, simple and focused. "I should be able to get up in the morning, put on a shirt and fight somebody,'' he said. "It's like getting up and drinking a cup of coffee." | Frankie Edgar quit plumbing to be a professional fighter .
After eight straight UFC victories, his first loss was to the undefeated Gray Maynard .
Edgar's third fight against Maynard will takes place Saturday in Houston .
Mixed martial arts has seen a surge of interest in recent years . |
0bd4f68524ee878fb3379fc44a0a8104d078abee | By . David Kent . Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to have little or no say in who will be the next manager of Manchester United. The 72-year-old former United boss, who won 38 trophies in 26 seasons at Old Trafford, was effectively handed full authority to choose his successor after announcing his own retiremment last season. His choice, David Moyes, was fired today after an early mornning meeting with United chief executive at United's Carrington training HQ. Not this time, Sir ALex: Ferguson, who will not appoint Davuid Moyes' successor, checks his watch as he takes in a the match against Bayern Munich in this season's Champions League . No hiding place: Ryan Giggs (left) has been appointed interim manager at United following the sacking of David Moyes (right) The United hierarchy’s explanation for allowing Ferguson to effectively select his successor was that it made sense to trust the judgement of someone with so much success and who was still on the payroll as a £2million-a-year ambassador. United's board clearly remain keen to maintain links with the Ferguson era, however, as they have appointed Ryan Giggs as interim manager, with Nicky Butt his assistant. Sportsmail understands that Phil Neville remains part of the back-room set up despite Moyes' departure. The club are also intent on luring Paul Scholes back in to the Old Trafford fold after the departure of Moyes, as revealed by Sportsmail earlier today. Scholes has hardly been seen at the club since doing some work with Under 19s manager Nicky Butt earlier this season after becoming disillusioned with what he felt were half-hearted attempts by Moyes to find him a role. Now that Moyes has been sacked as United . manager, the club will do everything they can to fit their former . midfield player in to their coaching set-up as they look to retain a . connection with the club’s glorious past behind the scenes. With United set to appoint a foreign manager to replace Moyes the club are concerned that ties with the past could be cut. Ryan Giggs is now the club interim manager and will be retained whatever happens this summer but Phil Neville could follow Moyes out of the club after serving as a coach under the Scot while brother Gary and David Beckham are pursuing other careers. United had no plans in place to reintroduce Scholes to the coaching staff while Moyes was in charge and a source close to the club revealed to Sportsmail last month that the situation was unlikely to change. Scholes teamed up with Butt to help his former team-mate coach the United youngsters for the UEFA youth league in the autumn but this arrangement was on a purely voluntary, non-contracted basis. It was orchestrated by Butt, rather than Moyes, and it remained a temporary role. Last summer, Scholes turned down the chance to play a leading role on Moyes' staff, citing a wish to spend some time with his family before making his return to football. No 2: Nicky Butt has been promoted from coach of United's Under 19s to assistant boss in Ryan Giggs new interim regime . Returning hero? Paul Scholes at the Cheltenham Festival last month (left) and with Nicky Butt at the Class Of 92 film premiere (right) is wanted back by the Manchester United board . That'll have to come down: The 'Chosen One' banner at Old Trafford . | This time former manager unlikely to be consulted over appointment .
United, keen to keep links with Ferguson era, appoint Giggs as caretaker .
Club court Scholes over potential return to fold .
Phil Neville to remain part of back-room set up at Old Trafford . |
0bd57ddb075ae0e64d33065712fddb445480b5ec | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Consumers should be skeptical of health and weight-loss claims of the increasingly popular Brazilian fruit, acai, and the free trial offers that ask for their credit card information, a nonprofit health group said Monday. Companies selling acai fruits are under investigation after numerous consumer complaints. The Center for Science in the Public Interest said companies offering free trials of diet pills made with the acai berries have bilked thousands of consumers using fake celebrity endorsements and blogs to lure customers. Consumers are asked to provide a credit card to pay shipping and handling charges, but begin almost immediately receiving $80 to $90 monthly charges. Thousands of consumers have had trouble stopping those charges once they canceled the free trial offer. Acai (pronounced a-sigh-EE) comes in a number of forms including juice, pulp, powder and capsule. The berry has been touted as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and an antibacterial. The fruit is said to contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential to human health. Claims of weight loss are unfounded, said the CSPI. "There's no evidence whatsoever to suggest that acai pills will help shed pounds, flatten tummies, cleanse colon, enhance sexual desire, or perform any of the other commonly advertised functions," according to the organization's press release. Acai's popularity has surged on bogus marketing claims, said Jonny Bowden, a certified nutrition specialist and author of several health books. "Virtually every berry -- blueberry, strawberry, goji, acai -- are anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants," Bowden said. "This particular one is exotic. It's found in Brazil. It's been marketed to have more of a magic ingredient. It's been over-hyped and marketed to death. There are claims to curing cancer, curing baldness that is all over the place." Like most berries, acai has good nutritional qualities, but "there is not a drop of research" that supports marketing claims that it prevents weight gain and facial wrinkles, Bowden said. Acai juices sell for as much as $40 per bottle. "The expensive acai berry is triumph of marketing over science, that's the bottom line," Bowden said. "It's not useless, but it's not anything that people are claiming it is." Companies including FWM Laboratories of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Hollywood, Florida, Advanced Wellness Research of Miami Beach, Florida, and other acai companies are accused of using fake diet blogs to steer consumers to sites plugging the free trials. After a doctor listed acai as a healthy food on the Oprah Winfrey show last year, and a guest on Rachael Ray's cooking show mentioned the fruit, ads popped up directing consumers to sites selling acai weight loss products as if endorsed by the celebrities. Winfrey and Ray have publicly disassociated themselves from those sites. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating numerous complaints and said a lawsuit against FWM Laboratories is very likely. According to the Better Business Bureau, FWM Laboratories received an F rating, the BBB's worst. Other acai companies with the BBB''s F rating include Advanced Wellness Research, AcaiBurn, FX Supplements and SFL Nutrition. "There are no magical berries from the Brazilian rain forest that cure obesity, only painfully real credit card charges and empty weight loss promises," Blumenthal said. "Aggressive acai berry pitches on the Internet entice countless consumers into free trials promising weight loss, energy and detoxification. These claims are based on folklore, traditional remedies and outright fabrications unproved by real scientific evidence." Keri Gans, dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, recommends that customers turn to fruits and vegetables at their local produce markets. "If you're going on the Internet to find them and paying shipping fees, you should go to a market and buy local vegetables and fruits," she said. "It'd be a lot less expensive." Acai berries could be part of a well-balanced diet of different fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Gans said consumers should be skeptical whenever any one food seems too good to be true and should not rely on one "miracle food" to boost health. "If [people] hope to find answers in one food for longevity, I would say they're mistaken," she said. | Companies offering free trials of acai pills accused of bilking consumers .
Health claims about acai berries are unsubstantiated by research .
Connecticut attorney general called acai claims "fabrications" |
0bd62645d1e1f9e42cb7b1e8c16da910b4abfce7 | By . Helen Collis . PUBLISHED: . 11:36 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:42 EST, 9 October 2013 . Wants an outright ban: Siv Jensen, leader of Norway's Progress Party, says a national ban on begging is 'the best way' to reduce the number of Roma on the streets . Norway's new leadership is urging councils across the country to ban begging on the streets as it tries to force Roma immigrants out of the country and tackle rising crime. The Conservative-Progress Party coalition government said in a joint statement on Monday, they will 'allow municipalities to impose a ban on begging in their local police regulations, in order to combat human trafficking and other organised crime'. The statement comes shortly after the formation of the new government and is in line with, but still falls short of, the Progress Party's manifesto to ban it altogether . Leader of the party, Siv Jenson, told The Local before the election that a national ban on begging was 'the best way' to reduce the number of Roma on the streets. She told the English language news service: 'The Conservative Party and the Progress Party have a proposal to ban begging in the streets, because that would be quite efficient we think.' She said that the problem was far greater than people simply begging in the streets and extended to increasing rates of petty crime. 'We see this throughout the country and its growing, and its growing rapidly,' she said. Increasing problems surrounding Roma immigrants have been reported across Europe. In Paris this week, gangs were filmed working together to rob unsuspecting people at cash points. Police in the French capital also believe an organised crime gang from Roma are responsible for an axe-wielding heist of a jewellery store at the weekend, in which £1million worth of Swiss watches were stolen. Five Eastern Europeans have been arrested. Roma gypsies are known to frequently set up camp in some of the most exclusive London addresses and police are routinely removing them from Park Lane and leafy squares around Mayfair and Oxford Street. Increasing numbers of Roma immigrants have been blamed for petty street crime in city's across Europe. Jensen claims they are also central to increasing rates of serious crimes such as people trafficking and organsied crimes . In London, police repeatedly have to move Roma rough sleepers from the streets. Recently they have been found in Mayfair, Marble Arch and Oxford Street . They are known to beg, which has been theoretically illegal in the UK since 1824, but are also blamed for increases in petty crime such as theft of cash and mobile phones. Even Romania's prime minister, Victor Ponta, has admitted that Roma crime is a problem in Britain and said it was 'fair' that David Cameron plans to tighten laws that allow migrants to claim benefits. Norway's two-party coalition last week . got the go-ahead to form a minority government after reaching an . agreement with its two smaller opposition partners. The . Conservatives were the biggest opposition winner in the September 9 . election. The Progress Party is entering government for the first time . since being formed as an anti-tax movement in 1973. Since . 2005, a three-way coalition between the Labour Party, Socialist Left . Party, and Centre Party has been in power, and remained in power for two . terms. The new Progress-Conservative coalition represents a complete change in leadership in the government. | Conservative-Progress Party government told authorities to ban begging .
Said it would help 'combat human trafficking and other organised crime'
Siv Jenson, leader of the Progress Party said she believes a ban is the best way to tackle the rising street crime rates and force Roma out of the towns . |
0bd7f943f3d232765c8a6cd3560faee3753daddc | By . Jenny Hope . You're never too old to play Nintendo Wii-Fit – because it helps keep older people on their feet, claim researchers. Those prone to falling have most to gain from the popular computer game console, which simulates sports such as tennis, bowling and boxing. A study shows it benefits those too frail to take part in conventional physiotherapy because they are not strong or fit enough. They tried to make me go to rehab: Playing a Nintendo Wii Fit takes 30 per cent less energy than physio, while improving balance and coordination . Playing Wii-Fit games uses 30 per cent less energy than physio treatment, but improves the balance and co-ordination needed to avoid falls. Researchers Dr Murray Griffin and Dr Matt Taylor, from the School of Biological Sciences at Essex University, studied 20 pensioners who had suffered heart problems. Keeping active: Nintento Wii . In the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the volunteers used a Wii-Fit balance board to play co-ordination and ski jump games. Talking about the finding that the volunteers used less energy, Dr Griffin said: ‘This offers a real hope to some of the most vulnerable and elderly people in society whose frailty seriously impacts on their quality of life.’ Recurrent fallers cost the NHS nearly £1.7billion a year in hospital admissions and long-term care costs. Not only can it cause broken bones and other physical damage, fallers are often left feeling anxious and less likely to move about. This can have a negative effect on their quality of life and lead to depression. It is thought the effect of Wii exercise on the brain may be similar to real exercise, which can boost levels of the feelgood chemical dopamine. | Using a Nintendo Wii Fit can help elderly people avoid falling over .
The games console simulates sports such as tennis, bowling and boxing .
Uses 30 per cent less energy than physio treatment, but improves balance . |
0bd9b7d1634538bb6e5157e0b3bdbfed7941fa36 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . In an unlikely match, a baby chimp and a lynx cub have become the best of friends. Varli, a 20-month-old chimpanzee and his nine-week-old pal Sutra, struck up the friendship at Myrtle Beach Safari, in South Carolina, U.S. The pair spend their days chasing each other around the wildlife park, having a cuddle and even sleep side-by-side. Scroll down for video . Best friends: Varli, a 20-month-old chimpanzee and his nine-week-old pal Sutra . Director of the park, Dr Bhangavan Antel, told The Sun: 'It's a natural friendship. 'Varli gives Sutra the ability to have so much more adventure. He lives with him around the clock.' A lynx is a medium-sized wildcat with a short tail and tufts of black hair on the tips of its ears. The smallest of the species are the bobcat and Canada lynx while the largest is the Eurasian lynx. Protective: They spend their days chasing each other, having a cuddle and even sleep side-by-side . Playful: Varli loves to ape around with Sutra his wildcat pal . Where the wild things are: The director of the park has said the friendship is natural . Bond: The lynx and the chimp have become the best of pals looking out for each other day to day . Sutra is a wild cat but Varli the chimp does not seem worried by any threat of danger . Larking around: The pair spend most of their time playing at Myrtle Beach Safari, in South Carolina . Despite Sutra being a wildcat, she doesn't mind being cuddled by Varli the chimpanzee . Varli and Sutra love to hang out with each other in their wildlife park in South Carolina . I'm behind you: Sutra plays a game of hide and seek with his best mate Varli . Loyal: Varli places his arm around nine-week-old Sutra the lynx cub . Cuddles: The pair cosy up together at Myrtle Beach Safari, in South Carolina . It is not the first time friendly Varli has made an unlikely pal. Earlier this year he was pictured having a great time with a five-month grizzly bear called Bam Bam in the same wildlife park. | Varli is a 20-month-old chimpanzee who lives at Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina .
He has struck up a friendship with a nine-week-old lynx called Sutra .
The pair spend their days playing, having a cuddle and even sleep side-by-side . |
0bdb0a6f261ebe5f8dc3104e3192e869445d9f05 | New amateur video shows the Kouachi brothers engaging in a dramatic shoot-off with French police on the streets of Paris - just moments after they massacred six Charlie Hebdo journalists. Said and Cherif Kouachi can be seen getting out of the stolen vehicle and using its doors for cover, as they fire expertly at the police car. The police officers swiftly reverse back down the narrow Parisien street to escape the relentless attack. Triumphant: The Kouachi brothers (pictured) were caught on video chanting: 'We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad.' Killers: The masked attackers then calmly reloaded their weapons before a dramatic shoot-off with police . Getaway: The Kouachi's are then confronted by French police as they try to make their getaway . Shoot-off: The Kouachi brothers were confronted by French police (pictured) as they made their getaway . Terrorists: Cherif Kouachi (left) and his brother Said (right) eluded police for two days after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, robbing a petrol station, stealing a car and then taking a hostage before being killed in a stand-off . Filmed from an upstairs window, the footage begins with the Kouachi's chanting 'we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad' after their brutal attack on the satirical magazine's office. The two masked men, who had just killed six Charlie Hebdo journalists, then place their automatic weapons on the roof of the car and calmly reload them before the terrifying confrontation. The video shows their getaway halted by an oncoming police car - its sirens blazing - which forces one of the brothers to lean out of the window and begin shooting. His accomplice then stops the car and joins the assault on the retreating vehicle. Once the police car has reversed back to the end of the street, they restart their failed getaway and continue shooting out of the window until they have safely turned the corner. According to the Telegraph, the man filming the dramatic gun battle is heard saying: 'These are false bullets.' 'No, they're not false bullets. They're ricocheting. Look at the cops. Look, look, they're reversing. They've smashed the cars.' A massive manhunt involving tens of thousands of officers was launched but the Kouachis eluded police for the rest of the day - before eventually hiding out a print works in Dammartin-en-Goele, a small town just north of Paris. After taking a hostage, the two men were finally killed by French special forces in a raid on January 9. | Said and Cherif Kouachi took on French police in shocking Paris gun fight .
They were making their escape after massacring Charlie Hebdo journalists .
Opened fire on police car which confronted them in a narrow city street .
Used doors for cover and shot at policemen, who retreated from the killers .
Video shows them chanting: 'we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad' |
0bdc0ca2c32a8f32b0ada06c81505e018fbb9a35 | By . Lydia Warren . Police have unearthed a cache of weapons and pipe bombs at the home of a New York City emergency technician while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Victor Cadicamo, a 29-year-old EMT for the city's fire department, has been charged with . criminal possession of a weapon, harassment and menacing after a row with his wife on Thursday. His wife, Christina Liskowitz - herself a Fire Department EMT - called police to their Brooklyn home at 9.10am, saying that her husband had threatened her with a gun. Their two-year-old child was allegedly in the house when their fight started. Busted: Victor Cadicamo, 29, allegedly had two pipe bombs, five firearms and a rifle hidden at his Brooklyn home . Officers arrived and searched for the gun he had allegedly threatened her with and came across five firearms and a rifle hidden in the living room and . bedroom, the New York Daily News reported. Cadicamo was taken to the police station for questioning and admitted to having two pipe bombs at the home. After a search, a bomb squad located the explosives on Thursday afternoon. The . bomb squad removed the explosives from the Brighton Beach house . and dismantled them at Rodmans Neck firing range as a precaution. It . wasn’t clear if the pipe bombs were live. The other weapons were also . confiscated. Stash: Cadicamo shared this image on his Facebook page, writing beneath the picture: 'Lol if you saw what I've got in my apartment you'd be shocked' Fight: The home was searched after his wife, Christina Liskowitz, called 911 and claimed he was threatening her with a gun. Their two-year-old child was in the home at the time of the dispute . As well as criminal charges, Cadicamo, who has worked as an EMT for six years, could lose his job, but union officials said it was too early to comment on his future at the service. Neighbors told the Daily News that they often heard the couple fighting and that Cadicamo had boasted about having guns in his apartment. 'I can’t believe he has a bomb,' Neighbor Yasir Ullah said. 'He is a nice guy. I cannot believe this.' An image taken several years ago and posted on Facebook shows Cadicamo posing with a selection of guns in what he identifies as his bedroom. Uncertain future: He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and harassment and his future at the Fire Department is unknown. He has worked as an EMT for six years . 'Lol if you saw what I've got in my apartment you'd be shocked,' he wrote beneath the picture. Cadicamo has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and harassment, but he has not yet been charged for possessing the explosives. The FDNY have not yet responded to a request for comment. | Victor Cadicamo, a 29-year-old fire department EMT, 'threatened his wife with a gun at their home and she called 911'
Officers 'found 5 firearms, a rifle and 2 pipe bombs hidden in their home' |
0bdc51bbedb7457c05d69e1e2826f91dde033e81 | By . Peter Simpson and Vanessa Allen . PUBLISHED: . 18:23 EST, 18 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:23 EST, 18 April 2012 . Mystery: Murdered British businessman Neil Heywood . Police investigating the suspected murder of British businessman Neil Heywood have made dozens of arrests, it was claimed yesterday. Up to 39 people have been detained in a series of raids over several months on officials linked to politician Bo Xilai, whose wife is a suspect in the death. Those arrested were reported to include billionaire Xu Ming, one of China’s richest men. The news emerged within hours of the ruling Communist Party promising a ‘thorough’ inquiry into the ‘serious political event’. Chinese . authorities were believed to have been stung by criticism in Britain . over delays in the investigation into Mr Heywood’s death in November . last year, which has prompted China’s worst political scandal for 20 . years. Reports in China . suggest Mr Heywood, a close associate of Mr Bo and his wife Gu Kailai, . was poisoned with cyanide after he threatened to reveal Mrs Gu had . siphoned millions of pounds in cash out of the country. Investigation: Chinese politician Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai . Those arrested were said to have links to Mr Bo and his previous roles as a Communist Party leader in Dalian and Chongqing, suggesting most of the raids were linked to a corruption probe into the politician. Police investigating the death of Old Harrovian Mr Heywood, 41, have begun analysing hours of CCTV footage taken from the hotel where his body was discovered. Under arrest: Billionaire Xu Ming is one of the 39 arrested, sources claimed . They hope the security film will show the married father-of-two’s final movements at the state-owned Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel in Nan’an, a district of Chongqing. Billionaire Mr Xu, 41, who heads the . Dalian Shide Group industrial conglomerate, was said to have been taken . to Beijing by China’s public security bureau on the same day Mr Bo was . sacked as party chief in Chongqing last month. Those . detained were also said to include Xia Zeliang, the local Communist . Party secretary in Nan’an. Mr Xia was fast-tracked for promotion within . the Communist Party by Mr Bo, 62. Internet reports claimed he had allegedly prepared the poison and gave it to a Bo family employee. Connections: Illustrated flowchart detailing the key people connected to suspended former high-flying Chinese politician Bo Xilai . Other arrests were made in Beidaihe, a favourite retreat for Communist Party leaders, according to academic Wang Kang who spoke to the Daily Telegraph. His claims could not be independently verified. Mrs Gu, 54, and an aide in the family home have been formally named as suspects in Mr Heywood’s ‘intentional homicide’. Mr Bo remains under house arrest and faces a Communist Party investigation for ‘serious disciplinary violations’. Sources have claimed he will be investigated for corruption and attempting to cover up his wife’s alleged involvement in the death. | Tycoon Xu Ming among those arrested, sources claim .
Chinese police 'stung' by British criticism . |
0bdd3b035e46b04cb7ab586ab4495826ea5ce03e | United States-based airlines reported 17 animal fatalities and 26 injuries in 2014. Of all the carriers, United Airlines reported the most deaths and injuries, while SkyWest boasted a record zero animal fatalities. The data was released by the Department of Transportation, as part of a larger compilation of operating information, in its Consumer Air Travel Report. In 2014, 17 animal fatalities and 26 pet injuries were reported by several U.S. airlines . Most of the injuries reported involved dogs and cats that had been hurt as they attempted to escape from their cages. Alaska - 3 deaths . American - 3 deaths . Delta - 4 deaths . Hawaiian - 2 deaths . SkyWest - 0 deaths . United - 5 deaths . Source: Department of Transportation . Many of the deaths were a result of the animals actually escaping from their transport cages and being hit by other vehicles at the airport. Another major cause of death was underlying health conditions, such as dogs with short or snub noses, which were then aggravated by the stress of travelling. Several airlines are currently reviewing their policies for those types of animals, such as pugs and English bulldogs. These brachycephalic breeds, more frequently than others, experience breathing problems when faced with stressful conditions. Thus, they have a particularly high risk of suffocating in-flight. Whenever possible, it is advised to purchase your pet a spot in the passenger cabin instead of cargo hold . Despite friendly staff and smooth air, animals travelling in the cargo hold of a commercial jet do face their fair share of environmental stresses, such as varying temperatures, loud noises and air pressure drops. However, since two million animals travel on commercial flights each year, the number of those injured, lost or killed is still extremely low. And the total number of animal deaths seems to be declining. In 2011, 35 pets died while travelling on U.S. airlines and in 2012, 29 pets died. Between 2010 and 2013, it was Delta reported the greatest number of animal incidents and was held responsible for 41 of the 97 reported deaths. However, Delta maintains that the reason for their higher numbers is simply because they carry more pets than any other competing airline. Delta is also very open about the lengthy precautions that taken to ensure animal safety on board, which includes not allowing pets to travel between May 15 and September 15 when temperatures my get too hot. They also reserve the right not to carry pets in the cargo hold during periods of extreme cold weather. Good news, since nearly all animal incidents reported to the Department of Transportation involve pets in the cargo hold. | Department of Transportation has released its most recent data sets .
United Airlines had greatest number of animal deaths and injuries in 2014 .
Numbers on the decline in recent years, down from 35 pet deaths in 2011 . |
0bdd4c3c1e48011a1532811d63d278fa4fba5b34 | Three beaches along coastal Vandenberg Air Force Base in California have been closed through the weekend following a nonfatal shark attack, authorities said Friday. The attack occurred about 4 pm Thursday, military officials said in a brief statement posted on Vandenberg's website. The attack happened Thursday about a quarter-mile north of Wall Beach, which will be closed along with Surf and Minuteman beaches until 4 pm Sunday. A bite from a great white shark killed a surfer at Surf Beach in October 2012, and a bodyboarder at the same beach died in October 2010 when an apparent great white nearly severed one of his legs. Scene: Three beaches that line the Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara - Wall, Surf and Minuteman - will remain closed until 4pm Sunday following a shark attack near Wall Beach in 2012 . Closed: Surf Beach had only recently reopened after being closed for seven months . Tragedy: In 2012, Califonia bodyboarder Francisco Javier Solorio Jr, 39, was killed by a great white at Surf Beach. In 2010, Lucas Ransom, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, died when a shark nearly severed his leg as he bodyboarded at the same beach . Vandenberg's statement only described the latest attack as non-fatal. A base public information officer did not immediately respond to a message seeking additional details. Vandenberg is a missile and space-launch site in Santa Barbara County about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Surf Beach, which had been closed for several months during the Western Snowy Plover's nesting season, only reopened earlier this week. All three beaches provide nesting habitat for the endangered bird. | Victim suffered minor injuries during the attack on Thursday, about a quarter-mile north of Wall Beach .
Wall, Surf and Minuteman Beaches will remain closed until 4pm Sunday .
Bodyboarder died at Surf Beach in October 2012 following a great white attack . |
0bde0edef0502d2d394bd812d72f9c4ca85826f9 | (CNN) -- As I sipped Champagne and breathed in the clear icy air of Mammoth Mountain, my boyfriend Matt got down on one knee, offered a glistening diamond ring and asked, "Sascha Rothchild, will you marry me?" I was shocked, floored, stunned. I dropped my Champagne and almost passed out. This was my first marriage proposal, but not my first marriage. When Matt suggested our mountain vacation, I had just finished a book tour to promote my memoir, "How To Get Divorced By 30." That divorce was from my first, lovable, lackadaisical stoner husband whom I married at age 27. We'd been dating for 3 years when my arbitrary timetable had hit its must-get-married date. He never actually proposed, we just decided one night we would "do this." I bought my own engagement ring, choosing something untraditional so if we ever got divorced I could wear it on my right hand. I was planning my divorce while I was planning my wedding. And I did everything in my power to pretend it wasn't really a wedding at all. Three months after the non-proposal, we had a stand-up comedian perform the ceremony in a friend's yard and never uttered the words love, forever, or til death do us part. Eventually I realized I was unhappy and way too young to be stuck in nuptial mediocrity, so I was divorced by 30. Now as I stood with Matt, it dawned on me that this romantic mountain touring spot was private not because we had lucked out, but because he had rented out the whole area. He had spent months having the ring custom made with the help of my sister and he had told my father about his intentions the previous winter. While Matt was planning this proposal fit for a big glossy studio romcom, I was traveling around the country discussing and defending my book about my starter marriage. When asked by interviewers and fans if I would ever get married again, I always answered "I might get married again, but I won't get divorced again." Although I had been with Matt for over 2 years and was madly in love, I wasn't focused on marriage. I was focused on enjoying the relationship. Yet another giant difference between what I did wrong the first time, and what I was doing right this time. Second weddings are often small, discreet and sensible. And for a moment after Matt proposed I wanted to run to a courthouse or elope to Vegas, too embarrassed to have another wedding, especially since I had just written a book about divorce. But Matt, who has never been married before, feels strongly about having a real wedding, so I decided to succumb to the juggernaut that is the wedding industry and have a second wedding, which will feel like most people's first. I'm getting wrapped up in trumpet versus mermaid versus princess-cut wedding dresses, in color schemes and bouquet shapes and invitation fonts. I'm enjoying the small moments of making decisions with Matt about venues and open bars and save the date cards. As we plan together we are solidifying our bond, compromising on likes and dislikes, but not to the point that both of us are unhappy. I'm energized by the process as well as reveling in the idea of spending the rest of my life with someone, saying words like love and forever, and wearing an actual engagement ring that's important -- not because it's so damn sparkly and pretty -- but because it was picked out with care and symbolizes something timeless and meaningful. Like many brides-to-be now my days consist of trying on Monique Lhuillier gowns, thumbing through cheesy bridal magazines and wondering about flower budgets. But in between all this wedding planning, I'm signing copies of my book and dispensing advice to distraught readers about the merits of young divorce. It certainly beats staying in an unhappy marriage. I'm giving interviews about why divorce can be a great rite of passage, and why starter marriages, if dissected, can be necessary to fixing one's own flaws and to finding the right person the second time around. I'm on the phone with the wedding planner one minute and then running out the door to a "single ladies" author's panel the next. The timing of it all is bizarre to say the least, but somehow totally fitting. Had I not gotten divorced by 30, forced myself to question my failed marriage and then written a book about it, I doubt I would have ever been able to sustain a healthy relationship. I believe in divorce, and I believe in marriage. Perhaps my follow-up book will be "How To Get Remarried By 35...And Stay That Way." | While promoting her memoir on divorce, Sascha Rothchild gets marriage proposal .
No proposal, no wedding dress, but a comedian conducted first wedding .
Second wedding is being planned seriously, vows to include "love" and "forever" |
0bde18b3b50cf2ba878d274a00eee589f67f539e | (CNN) -- Fourteen members of Osama bin Laden's family were deported to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan Friday, less than a week ahead of the first anniversary of his death at the hands of U.S. commandos. Among those aboard the private plane that left at 2 a.m. local time were bin Laden's three widows and two daughters, said Aamir Khalil, a family attorney. Earlier this month, the five women were sentenced to 45 days of house arrest for living in Pakistan illegally. Their detention ended last week. Khalil said the time served began March 3, when the five were formally taken into custody. "The family was kept safe and sound in a guest (safe) house," according to a Pakistan Interior Ministry statement. "They have been deported to the country of their choice, Saudi Arabia, today." Two of the widows are Saudi, while one is Yemeni. The daughters are ages 17 and 21, Khalil said. The widows have been identified by U.S. and Pakistani officials as Amal Ahmed Abdul Fateh, Khairiah Sabar and Siham Sabar. Judge blocks release of bin Laden death photos . Because all five defendants confessed to impersonation, illegal entry into Pakistan and staying illegally in Pakistan, there was no need for a trial, Khalil said recently. He represents four of the five relatives. Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs at his Abbottabad compound May 2, 2011. The al Qaeda leader spent years on the run in Pakistan after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, moving from one safe house to another and fathering four children with Fateh, at least one of whom was born in a government hospital, she told Pakistani investigators. No credible threat of attack on anniversary of bin Laden's death . A deposition taken from Fateh gives the clearest picture yet of bin Laden's life while international forces hunted him. He and his family moved from city to city with the help of Pakistanis who arranged "everything" for them, Fateh said, according to the deposition. Widow tells how bin Laden lived on the run . She told police she never applied for a visa during her stay in Pakistan. Authorities in Saudi Arabia have repeatedly declined to comment on the matter. CNN's Shaan Khan and journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report. | The bin Laden family members travel on a private plane .
A Pakistani judge ordered them deported for living there illegally .
Three widows, two daughters among those leaving .
Bin Laden was killed on May 2 by U.S. commandos . |
0bdf0fb81377df5598fba2049497fe214fad755a | Christian Atsu can be Everton’s secret weapon in the second half of the season, says Roberto Martinez. The Ghana winger, on loan at Goodison Park from Chelsea, has only played in two Premier League matches for the struggling Toffees so far. But boss Martinez believes Atsu has needed time to bed in to the English game, and expects big things from him as the campaign goes on. Christian Atsu can be Everton's secret weapo in the second half of the season, says Roberto Martinez . Roberto Martinez likes the winger's qualities and says he will get used to the Premier League . ‘We need to give him a little bit of time to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League just like any player but especially a winger,’ Martinez told the Liverpool Echo. ‘In other leagues referees allow less contact and they are a bit more protected. ‘But I think the way he has adapted to the way we want to play so far has been impressive. He’s an intelligent footballer. ‘It’s just making sure I can give him the right introduction to his role. With the minutes he’s had so far in the Europa League and other games he’s done well. ‘I expect him to be himself in the second half of the season and he can be a very important player for us.’ Atsu (pictured a a press conference in Brasilia) was in Ghana's World Cup squad in Brazil . | Christian Atsu has only made two Premier League appearances for Everton .
Ghana winger is on loan from Chelsea after a year at Vitesse Arnhem .
Roberto Martinez says he will give Atsu time to adapt to Premier League .
Believes football in England is more physical than anywhere else . |
0bdf56b87ef388be69ce47a7aaa5049a17490cb4 | (CNN) -- Like many people, I've been riveted by the George Zimmerman trial. I call it "the George Zimmerman trial" because that's what it is, but the more I watch, the more I wonder: Should it be renamed "the Trayvon Martin trial?" I'm not just talking about some of the media's tabloid-like focus on Martin's background, his personal history, his school records and -- outside the courtroom -- the toxicology report. I'm talking about an aspect of the case that never comes up in the media coverage, one that I would argue is key. This murder trial, in and out of the courtroom, has been boiled down to one question: Was Zimmerman in fear for his life and thus justified in defending himself by shooting and killing Martin? It has been framed this way -- in terms of Zimmerman's mortal fear -- since the shooting in 2012. Zimmerman's assumptions led to death, prosecutor argues . Some people have forgotten that Zimmerman was not even arrested initially. It took more than a month for the special prosecutor to bring the second-degree murder charge. And if not for mass protests across the country, he might not be the defendant in a murder trial at all. The question that has not surfaced in the courtroom -- the elephant in the room -- is this: Did Martin fear for his life after being followed and confronted by a stranger while going to the store to buy candy and a soft drink? Was he, Martin, justified in standing his ground and defending himself when this stranger, an apparent stalker, approached him in a threatening manner? Zimmerman didn't identify himself and never said he was part of the neighborhood watch group. Think about it: We're told over and over that if Zimmerman was afraid of Martin, according to Florida law, he had the right to put a bullet in the chamber of his concealed handgun, get out of his car after being told not to by the 911 dispatcher and follow and confront Martin and shoot him to death. At the same time, we are told that Martin, who had far greater reason to fear Zimmerman, practically and for reasons of American history, did not have the right to confront his stalker, stand his ground and defend himself, including by using his fists. We are told that this was entirely unjustified and by doing so, Martin justified his own execution. Running updates from the Zimmerman trial . The phrases "stand your ground" and "self-defense" have been repeated endlessly by anchors, pundits, analysts and experts, but rarely applied to Martin. How could this be? Why is this other question ignored? Surely it will come up as we approach the trial, I thought. But it hasn't. What's going on here? How can the Florida law apply only to Zimmerman and not to Martin? I remembered the sharp, sometimes bitter commentary provoked by Spike Lee's 1989 film "Do the Right Thing," particularly in reaction to its climactic scenes, when the police murder a black teenager and Lee's character throws a trash can through the window of the white-owned pizza place. Years after the movie came out, Lee told an interviewer, "White people still ask me why Mookie threw the can through the window. ...Twenty years later, they're still asking me that." "No black person ever, in 20 years, no person of color has ever asked me why," he said. This speak volumes about race and power relations in this country. Opinion: Zimmerman trial - it's about race . Here's what I think: Assuming Martin did engage Zimmerman physically, perhaps if the teen had hit back a little bit harder, perhaps if he had been able to prevent Zimmerman from grabbing his concealed and loaded gun and perhaps if witnesses had come to Martin's aid, then maybe he would be alive today. That's speculation. One thing I feel sure of is that if Martin, in fear for his life, had used Zimmerman's own gun to shoot and possibly kill his attacker, when the police arrived on the scene, they would not have failed to charge him with murder. Why hasn't the prosecution team used Florida law to argue strongly for Martin's right of self-defense, his right to stand his ground against a stalker? Why not turn the tables on Zimmerman's exclusive claim to that argument? It will be interesting to see whether this question even gets posed for the jury at all. It certainly will be front and center as this case is tried by the jury of history. And future generations will likely puzzle over how the term "racial profiling" could have been banned by the judge before the trial even began. This country's racial history, the list of names, like Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Oscar Grant and other victims of "deadly force" by the police—these represent an even bigger Elephant in the Room. They may have been ruled irrelevant in the courtroom, but they are certainly relevant to those who seek justice in this society. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Miller Francis. | Miller Francis: George Zimmerman trial should be renamed the Trayvon Martin trial .
He says question not raised: Wasn't Martin the one standing his ground, facing a stalker?
We're told that by defending himself, Martin justified his own execution, he says .
Francis: Prosecution should use stand-your-ground on Martin's behalf; it's about race, justice . |
0bdf79daa1cbf51db720d19f0a5ce4b67e857fb4 | (CNN) -- Tony Dorsett recalls a 1984 game against the Philadelphia Eagles when he was streaking up the field and an opposing player slammed into him. One helmet plowed into another. Dorsett's head snapped back, his helmet was knocked askew. "He blew me up," Dorsett told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I don't remember the second half of that game, but I do remember that hit." Dorsett compared the hit to a freight train hitting a Volkswagen. These days Dorsett is worried about the cumulative effects of hits like the one Ray Ellis laid on him that day. In the past two years, Dorsett's memory has given him increasing trouble. On Monday, doctors at UCLA told Dorsett, 59, he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the Hall of Famer said. CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease found in some athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma. The only way to definitely diagnose CTE is after death, by analyzing brain tissue and finding microscopic clumps of an abnormal protein called tau, which has been found in the brains of dozens of former NFL players. Opinion: Why I'm saying goodbye to football . However, a pilot study at UCLA may have found tau in the brains of living retired players. Some scientists say finding the disease in the brains of living players is the "holy grail" of CTE research, providing a means to diagnose and treat it, and the UCLA study may be an important first step. Using a scan called a positron emission tomography, or PET, typically used to measure nascent Alzheimer's disease, researchers inject the players with a radioactive marker that travels through the body, crosses the blood-brain barrier and latches on to tau. Then, the players' brains are scanned. "We found (the tau) in their brains. It lit up," Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and lead author of the study, said in February. Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurosurgeon who works with the Pittsburgh Steelers, cautioned Thursday that the CTE diagnoses of Dorsett (and two other living former players) need further study. "This is very, very preliminary," he told Sportsradio 93-7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "There are many, many causes of dementia or progressive memory loss, particularly when you get over 60 or 70 years of age. ... It's something to obviously be concerned about, and the question is what can be done about it?" Dorsett said the diagnosis explains a lot about his forgetting where he is driving and his mood swings. "Memory loss, more so than anything it's been my big deal," he said. "Sometimes you can have sensitivity to light and things like that. But my thing was not remembering. I've been taking my daughters to practice for years and all of a sudden I forget how to get there." His daughters are afraid, he said. They wonder which father they will get. Will he be the happy dad or the one in a bad mood. For others known to have had CTE, symptoms include depression, aggression and disorientation. In 2002, Mike Webster, a Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the first former NFL player to be diagnosed with CTE. After his retirement, Webster suffered from amnesia, dementia, depression and bone and muscle pain. What you need to know about concussions in the NFL . Unlike Webster, who spent his career smashing into opposition linemen many times a game and in practice, Dorsett was a superfast running back who made his enemies miss by darting past them or with a quick spin to avoid contact. He won the Heisman Trophy as college football's best player in 1976 and became an instant NFL star on the league's most popular team, the Dallas Cowboys. He played 11 seasons and gained 12,739 yards, eighth best of all time. His 99-yard run in 1982 is an NFL record. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. Now he looks in a mirror and wonders. "And I say who are you? What are you becoming?" he said. "It's very frustrating to be a person that's been so outgoing, then all of a sudden, I'm like a couch potato." Other athletes have demonstrated erratic behavior, such as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk, 36, who died in a 2004 high-speed chase. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died at age 26 after falling from the bed of a moving pickup during a fight with his fiancée. Opinion: NFL takes good first step to protect players . Some who showed signs of the disease have taken their own lives, including former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Andre Waters, who shot himself in 2006; Terry Long, a former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman who killed himself by drinking antifreeze; and Junior Seau, the former linebacker who killed himself last year at the age of 43. Dorsett said that won't happen to him. "I'm going to beat this. Trust me," he said. Dorsett pins much of the blame for his health issues on team owners. He said a $765 million settlement of a concussion lawsuit with the NFL was not enough. "I can't put a price on my health. The owners knew (about the dangers of concussions) for years and they looked the other way, and they kept putting us players in harm's way." The deal calls for the NFL to pay for medical exams, concussion-related compensation, medical research for retired NFL players and their families, and litigation expenses, according to a court document filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The agreement still needs to be approved by the judge assigned to the case, which involved more than 4,500 plaintiffs. NFL concussion settlement raises questions . | Tony Dorsett was a finesse running back who for 11 years often made opponents miss .
At 59 he has been told he has a brain disease usually diagnosed in dead players .
One neurosurgeon said there are different causes for memory loss, so more study is needed .
Dorsett says he is becoming a less outgoing person who has trouble remembering directions . |
0be058146884d87b9dfe97c098bec0a7afe807fc | Archaeologists have taken a step closer to discovering the mysteries that lie inside an ancient tomb unearthed in Greece. Following months of excavation, a team of researchers has made their way into the third chamber of the tomb, in the Amphipolis region of Serres, through a wall that was only recently uncovered. But, upon entering the chamber, the archaeologists may have damaged the structural integrity of the surrounding structure - and are concerned it may collapse before they discover what lies beyond. Scroll down for interactive floor plan . Following months of excavation, a team of researchers has made their way into the third chamber of what's been dubbed Alexander the Great's tomb, in the Amphipolis region of Serres. Access was possible through a wall that was only recently uncovered (pictured) Caryatids are sculptures of females that take the place of a column to support a building. They are a distinctive feature in Ancient Greek architecture and famously hold up the Erechtheion on the Acropolis in Athens. Their elaborate hairstyles provide support to their necks that would otherwise be too thin and weak to support a heavy load. The Caryatids in the Greek tomb are made of marble and support an inner entrance into the burial plot. They . feature the same sculpting technique used for the heads and wings of . two sphinxes found guarding the main entrance of the tomb last month. Experts believe the ancient mound, situated around 65 miles (100km) from Thessaloniki, was built . for a prominent Macedonian in around 300 to 325BC. It may be the final resting place for a . relative or senior official of the famous king. Access to the third chamber was made possible after experts unearthed two sculpted female figures, known as Caryatids, last week. By removing a large volume of soil, behind the wall bearing the two sculpted female figures, they were able to uncover the next chamber. Until now, experts had only partially investigated the antechamber of the tomb and uncovered a marble wall concealing one or more inner chambers. During initial observations, archaeologists found that the dome structure (pictured) has been weakened, as a result of losing a large amount of earth, and the researchers found the arched dome of the third chamber is on the verge of collapse, due to 'deep and extensive cracks' Clockwise from top right shows two headless, marble sphinxes found above the entrance to the barrel-vaulted tomb, details of the facade and the lower courses of the blocking wall, the antechamber's mosaic floor, a 4.2-metre long stone slab, and the upper uncovered sections of two female figures. The second and third chambers, not pictured, have not yet been explored . During initial observations, the archaeologists found that the level of sandy soil in the third chamber is lower than in the previous two chambers. The dome structure has been weakened, as a result of losing a large amount of earth, and the researchers found the arched dome of the third chamber is on the verge of collapse, due to 'deep and extensive cracks' on either side. Before the discovery of the Caryatids, it . was feared the ‘incredibly important’ tomb dating to the time of . Alexander the Great had been plundered in antiquity. Last week, archaeologists unearthed two sculpted female figures, known as Caryatids, (pictured) as they dug deeper at the site in the northeast of Greece. The half-bodied statues made of marble have thick hair covering their shoulders and are wearing a sleeved tunic . Archaeologists . excavating an ancient mound in northern Greece (pictured) uncovered the entrance to an important tomb some months ago. It is . believed to have been built at the end of the reign of warrior-king . Alexander the Great and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras described the . discovery as 'extremely important’ Archaeologist said that a hole in the decorated wall, and signs of forced entry, indicated it had been looted. But . the discovery of the female sculptures gave fresh hope that some treasure may have survived, after all. The face of one of the Caryatids is missing (pictured), but both have one hand outstretched to push away tomb raiders . The Caryatids are made of marble and support an inner entrance into the tomb. They feature the same sculpting technique used for the heads and wings of two sphinxes found guarding the main entrance of the tomb last month. ‘The structure of the second entrance with the Caryatids is an important finding, which supports the view that it is a prominent monument of great importance,’ the Culture Ministry said. The face of one of the Caryatids is . missing, while both figures have one hand outstretched in a symbolic . move to push away anyone who would try to violate the tomb. Archaeologists have said that the Amphipolis site appears to be the largest ancient tomb ever discovered in Greece at 1,935ft (590m) wide. Last month, pictures emerged of a pair of sphinxes guarding the grave's main entrance beneath a large arch and experts said that most of the earth around the mythical creatures had been removed to reveal part of a marble lintel with frescoes. Chief archaeologist Katerina Peristeri said that the monument being uncovered is a unique tomb, not just for Greece but for the entire Balkanic peninsula, and described it as being of ‘global interest’. Archaeologists were hopeful that an ancient mound in northern Greece could hold the remains of a senior official from the time of Alexander the Great. They discovered that its entrance is guarded by a pair of sphinxes (pictured) but last month warned that signs of forced entry indicate it was plundered in antiquity . Alexander (statue pictured) was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BC, and died of a fever in Babylon in June 323 BC . Alexander III of Macedon was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BC. He died of a fever in Babylon in June 323 BC. Alexander led an army across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt claiming the land as he went. His greatest victory was at the Battle of Gaugamela, now northern Iraq, in 331 BC, and during his trek across these Persian territories, he was said to never have suffered a defeat. This led him to be known as Alexander the Great. Following this battle in Gaugamela, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles (17,700km), founded over 70 cities and created an empire that stretched across three continents. This covered from Greece in the west, to Egypt in the south, Danube in the north, and Indian Punjab to the East. Alexander was buried in Egypt. His fellow royals were traditionally interred in a cemetery near Vergina, far to the west. The lavishly-furnished tomb of Alexander's father, Philip II, was discovered during the 1970s. Prime . Minister Antonis Samaras added the discovery ‘is clearly extremely important’. Alexander, . who started from the northern Greek region of Macedonia to build an . empire stretching as far as India, died in 323 B.C. and was buried in . Egypt. His . fellow royals were traditionally interred in a cemetery near Vergina, . to the west, where the lavishly-furnished tomb of Alexander's father, . Philip II, was discovered during the 1970s. Greece's culture ministry said that earth around the sphinx statues has been removed to reveal part of a marble lintel with frescoes (pictured) but hopes of finding further treasures now seem to be slim . The tomb is situated in Amphipolis region of Serres in Greece (marked). Archaeologists believe the grave may have belonged to a senior ancient official. While it looks largely undisturbed, there are fears that looting took place hundreds of years ago . In Greek tradition, the mythical sphinx has the haunches of a lion, sometimes with the wings of a great bird, and the face of a human - usually a woman. It was described by writers as being treacherous and merciless. In many myths, including Oedipus, those who could not answer a riddle posed by the monster, would be killed and eaten. The sphinx described by the Ancient Egyptians was usually male and more benevolent. In both cultures, they often guarded entrances to temples and important tombs. The oldest sphinx found guarding a site was discovered in Turkey and dates to 9,500 BC. But . archaeologists believe the Amphipolis grave, which is surrounded by a . surprisingly long and well-built wall with courses of marble . decorations, may have belonged to a senior ancient official. Dr . Peristeri argued the mound was originally topped by a large stone . lion that was unearthed a century ago, and is now situated around 3 . miles (5km) from the excavation site. Geophysical teams have identified there are three main rooms within the huge circular structure. In . the past, the lion has been associated with Laomedon of Mytilene, one . of Alexander's military commanders who became governor of Syria after . the king's death. ‘The excavation will answer the crucial question of who was buried inside,’ Mr Samaras said. Archaeologists who fear that few treasures and clues to its owner may remain in the tomb, said that part of a stone wall that blocked off the subterranean entrance was found to be missing, while the sphinxes, which were originally six feet (two metres) high, lack heads and wings. Excavator Katerina Peristeri has argued the mound was originally topped by a large stone lion that was unearthed a century ago, and is now situated around 3 miles (5km) from the excavation site (pictured). The lion has been associated with Laomedon of Mytilene, who was one of Alexander's military commanders . | The tomb is situated in the Amphipolis region of Serres in Greece .
Its huge burial site is said to date back between 325 and 300 BC .
This means it could have been built during the reign of Alexander the Great .
Archaeologists have now entered the third chamber of the tomb .
However, it is structurally weak and could collapse if they enter further .
It is unknown if anything lies beyond the third chamber .
Two sculpted female figures, known as Caryatids, were found last week .
It is thought they were intended to guard one of the tomb's entrances .
Experts hope it holds the remains of a senior ancient official . |
0be08ade11d26a460a2c763043a8bf99a462d79b | (CNN) -- A confidential report on safety conditions aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, conducted about one month before the rig's explosion, points to widespread fear of reprisal for reporting employee mistakes that could undermine safety aboard the rig. "There was a stated fear of reprisal related specifically to the reporting of dropped objects," states an executive summary of the report obtained by CNN. "Only 46.3 percent of participants felt that, if their actions led to a potentially risky situation (e.g., forgetting to do something, damaging equipment, dropping an object from height), they could report it without any fear of reprisal," the report states. Transocean, the rig operator, commissioned the survey of about 40 employees, about half its staff aboard the Deepwater Horizon. The report concluded, "Deepwater Horizon was relatively strong in many of the core aspects of safety management." But it also uncovered fear among workers of suffering reprisal for reporting conditions that could lead to a "risky" situation onboard the rig. The study also found some Transocean employees entered fake data to try to circumvent a safety system, according to a person familiar with the full report. The study was based on surveys conducted March 12-16 by Lloyd's Register Group, a consultant that analyzes the safety of business processes and products. The Deepwater Horizon rig exploded the night of April 20 while drilling BP's Macondo oil well. Two days later it sank. The Lloyd's report was completed afterwards; it is dated May 11. Lloyd's said it was retained by Transocean to "proactively understand their safety culture and assess the equipment on the Deepwater Horizon." Transocean has commissioned safety surveys of its staff aboard 20 other drilling rigs. A spokesperson for Transocean insisted the study of employees aboard Deepwater Horizon reflected the company's commitment to safety. "This rig did go seven years without a lost-time incident or any major environmental accidents," said spokesman Lou Colasuonno. "This rig was exhibit-A for a well-run rig." In assessing the safety culture onboard the rig, the consultants gave ratings of between 2.9 to 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5 for policies such as leadership, communication, training and monitoring. A separate report by a different Transocean consultant on the Deepwater Horizon's equipment cited at least 26 components and systems out of 129 categories on the rig that were in "bad" or "poor" condition, according to a report in Thursday's New York Times. Transocean's spokesman told CNN all equipment on the Deepwater Horizon was in line with government guidelines. "Every device met regulatory standards," Colasuonno said. | Report: Deepwater Horizon workers feared reprisal for reporting safety-related actions .
The study was conducted by an outside consultant in March .
The oil rig exploded the night of April 20 . |
0be13407a3492977e8340988e70bc0494277497a | Madeleine Albright and Conan O'Brien went head-to-head in a Twitter battle on Thursday - and the former U.S. secretary of state definitely had the last laugh. The war began after the comedian wrote: 'I picked out my Halloween costume. I'm going as 'Slutty Madeleine Albright.'' Albright, 77, was quick to respond with her own dig, writing: 'I'm considering going as hunky Conan O'Brien - but that might be too far fetched.' Don't mess with her! Conan O'Brien learned the hard way never to mess with former secretary of state Madeleine Albright after she quickly put him in his place with a serious of clever Twitter jabs . War: O'Brien made a dig, top, at Albright on Thursday - and she quickly responded with her own jab, below . The response made O'Brien chuckle and he added: 'YES - My first twitter war with a former Secretary of State! You're next, George P. Shultz!' Albright, who has more than 70,000 followers on Twitter to O'Brien's 12.5 million, then schooled the talk show host on the ways of the world. 'Never get into a word war with a diplomat,' she told him. 'We talk even more than comedians.' And with that, Albright was declared the winner. 'Damn,' the 'Conan' host responded. 'Whenever I go toe to toe with @Madeleine Albright, she always wins.' Battle: O'Brien eventually declared Albright the winner of the battle and they agreed it was 'all in good fun' 'Ha, you're certainly not the first to that mistake,' she responded. 'But all in good fun!' He should've known better than to mess with Albright. She became the first woman to serve as secretary of state when she took over the role in 1977 under the Clinton administration, has a PhD from Columbia University, works as a professor at Georgetown University and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other achievements. | The former secretary of state quipped back: 'I'm considering going as hunky Conan O'Brien - but that might be too far fetched'
The late show host later declared the 77-year-old the winner . |
0be1947cb29c244dbd0d52ba8ce52fdd3d625568 | Roberto Di Matteo has been unveiled as the manager of Schalke after appearing at a Veltins Arena press conference. The Bundesliga strugglers named the former Chelsea boss as their new manager on Tuesday having sacked Jens Keller following a torrid start to the season. The Italian, who won the Champions League as boss with the Blues in 2012, has been without a club since being sacked by the Premier League club in November of the same year. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch . Roberto Di Matteo (left) shakes hands with sport manager Horst Heldt after taking over at Schalke . Di Matteo stands before a poster with a slogan that translates as '1000 friends, countless mates' Having won the Champions League with Chelsea, Di Matteo will hope to lift more cups with Schalke . Roberto Di Matteo claps his hands at the Veltins Arena as he prepares to take charge of Schalke . Speaking on his appointment, Di Matteo confirmed that former Crystal Palace player and Italy team-mate Attilio Lombardo will be among his assistants as he targets a Champions League finish for his new side. Lombardo is joined by goalkeeper coach Massimo Battara, with the duo formerly part of Roberto Mancini's back room staff at Manchester City. 'Attilio Lombardo is new assistant coach alongside Sven Pretty,' Di Matteo said. 'He brings a wealth of international experience as a player and as a coach. 'For the goalkeeper training Massimo Battara will be responsible. He also has a lot of experience in different leagues, as Lombardo was active in Italy and England. 'Both speak no German, but it will learn very quickly. Until then, the communication in English will work, because I do not see any problems. Attilio Lombardo (right) and Massimo Battara left Man City following the sacking of Roberto Mancini last year . 'We want to qualify again for the Champions League. This objective of the association is released before the season, and that's my claim.' Di Matteo also admitted he was looking forward to the challenge of turning around the German club, while pointing to former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit as one of his managerial influences. 'At Chelsea I worked with Ruud Gullit. From him I learned the Dutch mentality. I think you take from each coach, under which you have played something with. 'I have watched intensely the performances of Schalke. We have a good team, a team with a lot of potential going forward. But defensively it is a problem, which is certainly also due to some players that were injured or still are. We need time and patience to improve. In football there are no miracles. Italian Roberto Di Matteo has his first job since leaving Chelsea in November 2012 . Di Matteo was being paid £130,000-a-week in compensation until June 2014 by Chelsea . 'Which system I choose is always dependent on the players that are available. I want to let my team act flexibly. Recently I have set up both in the 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3. The defence, and by that I mean not just the back four must be stable. 'It is important that the balance between defensive and offensive is right. Individually, each player must make a contribution so that the team is successful. The team as a whole one. My goal is to get from each player the maximum. 'I am a trainer who communicates a lot with his players. Since I was for many years a professional, I know how players tick, what motivates them, how to deal with them. Each individual has a different mentality. I love working with young players. Especially, of course, when they come from the club's youth system. If a player is talented, I am the first giving him a chance to prove themselves. Di Matteo refused to comment on the Champions League group stage meeting with former club Chelsea later in the year, saying he preferred to take each match game-by-game. Di Matteo's Chelsea lost 3-0 at Juventus in November 2012, and the following day he was sacked . Di Matteo, who was replaced at Stamford Bridge by Rafa Benitez, was still being paid £130,000-a-week by the Blues until June 2014, but has signed a three-year deal with the Royal Blues in Germany. The 44-year-old's new side face Chelsea in the Champions League group stage in Gelsenkirchen on November 25. The Bundesliga club announced Keller's dismissal on Twitter on Tuesday after a disappointing start to the season that has seen Schalke pick up only eight points in seven league games. The team lost 2-1 to Hoffenheim on Saturday and has also been knocked out of the German Cup by third-division Dynamo Dresden. Keller was appointed Schalke's coach in December 2012 but faced constant speculation over his position. Schalke face Chelsea in the Champions League group stage on November 25 in Gelsenkirchen . The Bundesliga club announced Keller's dismissal on Twitter on Tuesday after a torrid start . Di Matteo won the Champions League with Chelsea as boss, beating Bayern Munich in 2012 . VIDEO Di Matteo replaces Keller as Schalke boss . | Roberto di Matteo names Attilio Lombardo as assistant at Schalke .
Di Matteo learned Dutch mentality from ex-Blues boss Ruud Gullit .
Italian has his first job since leaving Chelsea in November 2012 .
Di Matteo was being paid £130,000-a-week until June 2014 by the Blues .
The 44-year-old takes over from Jens Keller, who was sacked by Schalke . |
0be24040fa4bfa031f39bb499d73269ee8380e37 | By . Laura Clark . Toughening up: The threshold for a 'good' pass - currently a C - will be brought closer to a B, in line with standards in the world's top education systems. The number of top GCSE grades awarded will be halved in a shake-up to end an era of soaring pass rates. A new top ‘grade nine’ will go to entrants who show ‘really exceptional’ performance – half the number who achieve an A* in the present system. A greater range of lower grades will make it easier for employers and colleges to distinguish between middle and top-performing school-leavers. The threshold for a ‘good’ GCSE pass – currently a grade C – will be brought closer to a B, in line with standards in the world’s highest-achieving education systems. Improvements in grading techniques will also help examiners end grade inflation. The plans – published today by qualifications regulator Ofqual – are part of sweeping reforms to public exams instigated by Education Secretary Michael Gove. They will affect maths and English GCSEs awarded in 2017 and several other key subjects the following year. Ofqual confirmed that alphabetic grades A* to G will be replaced by numbers, with nine being the highest. Chief executive Glenys Stacey said the reforms would restore public confidence in GCSEs, after years of concern over numbers of A grades, dumbed down content and repeated resits. A Department for Education source said: ‘Rising results, year after year, masked the fact that standards were stagnating. In future the top grade will be awarded only for top performance. ‘We hope these reforms will raise standards and restore trust in the exam system for families, for employers and for the pupils themselves.’ Under the proposals, entrants will find it tougher to achieve the top grades and more will end up with the existing ‘U’ for fail. The current top two grades – A and A* – will be replaced with three in the new system – seven, eight and nine, with nine going to only about one in 30 pupils – half those who gain A*s under the current system. Of those who passed nearly 7 per cent of exams at A* in England last year, only 3 to 4 per cent would have merited the new grade. ‘This would make the standard of performance required for the award of a grade nine really exceptional,’ the department source said. Mastermind: The plans are part of sweeping exams reforms instigated by Education Secretary Michael Gove and will affect maths and English GCSEs awarded in 2017 and several other key subjects the following year . The numerical GCSE grading scale will be familiar to many as the system once used to grade O-levels. But under the Gove system a nine will be the highest grade, whereas a nine at O-level was the lowest. Before 1975, pass grades at O-level were numbered one to six, with grades seven to nine considered a fail. Schools were told the number, but grades were officially recorded as pass or fail only. Five official grades – the letters A to E – were introduced in 1975, with A to C classed as a pass and D and E fail grades. In 1965 the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) was brought in alongside O-level GCE chiefly for lower-achieving pupils at secondary moderns. O-levels and CSEs were replaced by GCSEs in the late 1980s. The current C grade will be equivalent to grade four but will no longer be seen as the benchmark for GCSE achievement. Instead, grade five – which will be pitched up to two-thirds of a grade higher than C – will be the new de facto ‘pass’. Ofqual said grade five would be pegged to standards in high-performing countries and regions such as Singapore, Shanghai, Canada, Finland and the Netherlands. Changes to GCSEs already confirmed include an end to modular tests in most subjects, with traditional end-of-course exams becoming the ‘default method of assessment’ – to stop pupils entering early or multiple times in the hope of eventually gaining a good grade. ‘Controlled assessments’ – coursework done in class – will be minimised amid concerns that teachers were able to massage results. In a further proposal, a sample of pupils each year – possibly several thousand – would sit an English and maths test just before their GCSEs to help examiners ensure grade-setting is robust and accurate and to limit grade inflation. | Greater range of grades will distinguish between middle and top performers .
Threshold for a 'good' pass will be brought closer to a B grade .
The plans are part of sweeping exam reforms masterminded by Michael Gove . |
0be25ec82669ce7569e0cd4446fbaa8ccd092023 | People who were injured in the nerve gas attack that killed 1,429 people in Syria have been flown to the UK for secret treatment and tests, according to a rebel leader. Ahmad Asi al-Jarba, the president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said a 'small number' of victims were in the UK and the deadly gas Sarin was found in their bodies. 'The president was told (on Thursday) during a meeting that the results from the examinations confirmed sarin gas on these individuals,' said Hadi Albahra, the secretary of the political committee within the coalition. Horror: A video that reportedly shows victims of the sarin gas attack in a neighbourhood in Damascus. A few victims are being treated and tested in the UK, reports a Syrian opposition official . The two or three victims are from the Ghouta area and would remain in Britain until they have recovered, reports The Sunday Times. He added: 'They are in a stable condition but they found traces of sarin gas inside their systems.' The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it could not confirm the Syrian statement. The news comes as a survey revealed that British voters oppose military action over Syria - even if it is proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on its own people. Syria claims rebels carried out the August 21 attack. The Sunday Telegraph poll shows a large proportion of voters do not want a second Commons vote on military intervention, even if the UN confirms the attacks. A Syrian man mourning over a dead body after the alleged poisonous gas attack fired by regime forces . A total of 46 per cent say MPs should not vote again if proof is found, while 36 per cent say they should. Meanwhile 47 per cent says Britain should take no military action, but continue to provide aid. Nearly 20 per cent say Britian should take military action along with the U.S. The White House is making a big push to rally members of Congress and the American public behind President Barack Obama's plan for a U.S. military strike against Syria. Recent opinion surveys show intense American skepticism about military intervention in Syria, even among those who believe Syria's government used chemical weapons on its people. Anger: Protesters against U.S. military action in Syria march to Capitol Hill from the White House in Washington on Saturday, . At least 150 people picketed outside the White House on Saturday to oppose any military action against Syria. Demonstrations also took place in New York City, Boston and Indianapolis and in Louisiana and Michigan. Syria's use of chemical weapons is 'an evil we must stand up to one way or another', William Hague said today, but insisted the Government was not 'gung-ho' about military action. The Foreign Secretary will hold talks in London tomorrow with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as Washington seeks to bolster international support for an armed response. He insisted the US remained 'very committed' to the so-called special relationship despite MPs defeating David Cameron to vote against a strike against Bashar Assad's regime. An F/A-18F Super Hornet prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Red Sea. Just 19 per cent of voters think the UK should take military action alongside the U.S. U.S. lawmakers are now deciding whether a military response is warranted. President Obama has assured Americans action in Syria will not lead to a full invasion like in Iraq and Afghanistan . Mr Hague said he was determined to ensure Britain does not 'matter less' in the world in future. Speaking on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, he said he recognised there was 'a lot of public unease about intervention overseas'. 'Be reassured that we have learned lessons of Iraq. We are not seeking to be drawn into wars in the Middle East. We now make decisions in a completely different way,' he said. 'We are not a Government that is gung-ho about military action.' But he said Britain must also not 'turn in on ourselves'. Mr Hague added: 'Britain has great and positive influence in the world, and we must make sure that we retain that. I am very determined, as the Prime Minister is, that we will not matter less.' Foreign Secretary William Hague on the Andrew Marr Show. He said the British Government is not 'gung-ho' about military action . The Government was 'not planning to go back again' to the Commons for another vote, he said. 'If circumstances change dramatically, then of course everybody would be looking at things in a different light,' he accepted. But he said there was 'no guarantee' that Labour would not repeat its 'rather opportunistic and partisan' decision to oppose the Government motion. 'On major issues of international peace and security, oppositions should be able to rise above that. So there would be no guarantee on a future occasion that they would not behave in that way again.' Mr Hague said it was right for the UK to supply the Syrian National Coalition with non-lethal equipment. 'Terrible things do happen on both sides but that does not mean that everyone in Syria is evil. As in any country, there are millions of people who just want peace and democracy and freedom.' | A rebel leader says people hit by gas attack are in the UK .
They are stable, but sarin was found in their system, it was reported .
Most voters say Britain should not intervene, even with proof of gas attack . |
0be2edeff58e0751b8ae84edf96dd53835346fb0 | Washington (CNN) -- At first glance, it's a hoax: a storefront for a Museum of Unnatural History, complete with a bizarre animal skeleton visible through the front window and unicorn tears for sale. It's perfect for luring in curious children. But when volunteers get kids past the upside-down coyote hanging from the ceiling and the owl with an elephant trunk, they shape young minds with after-school tutoring, writing workshops and books written by kids. "I think the kids are tricked in and then, as they are talking to the person at the front desk, they are learning about what's going on in the tutoring center," said Gerald Richards, the chief executive of 826 National, the nonprofit network of tutoring centers that look nothing like classrooms. The Washington "museum," which set up shop in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in October, was the latest branch to open. Each of the eight centers has an imaginative storefront that helps raise money and encourage creativity among students. In Seattle, kids are lured into the writing lab by the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co., which sells intergalactic peace treaties and travel cups. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair sells robot emotion upgrades, fruit powered clocks and robodentures. The original chapter opened eight years ago at 826 Valencia St. in San Francisco's Mission District. (As it spread, the original address inspired the name 826 National.) It was co-founded by Dave Eggers, author of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," and founder of the publishing house, McSweeney's. Early on, organizers at 826 Valencia St. learned the space they'd rented was zoned for retail, so they needed to come up with something to sell. The space looked a bit like an old pirate ship. "Someone thought, 'Why don't we sell pirate gear and see what happens?'" Richards said. Since then, it has been fronted by The Pirate Supply Store, where shoppers can purchase hooks, peg legs and plank-by-the-foot. Now, Richards said, profits from stores account for 20 percent of the teaching that goes on in the writing center. And the imagination enticements work. 826 National is on track to serve 24,000 students this year through its tutoring centers and school outreach programs. Sisters Teah and Janea Green have been visiting 826DC most afternoons since it opened. "This place is awesome," said Janea, 10, as she worked on her multiplication homework with volunteer Matt Lemanski. "I really, really need help with my homework and my parents are busy sometimes." "Sometimes we do poetry, sometimes we do math," said Teah, 9. When she doesn't have homework, she works on the story she is writing about a mermaid named Katopia. Writing is the primary focus at 826 centers, which also work with middle school and high school students. It also publishes books written by students. Their latest, "I Live Real Close to Where You Used to Live," is a collection of student letters to First Lady Michelle Obama. It will be in bookstores on December 15. The letters run the gamut from asking if Obama cooks with an Easy-Bake Oven at the White House, to a suggestion that she use robots to keep drugs off the streets. The book is a companion to one that came out last year that contains letters to President Barack Obama, "Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country." Profits from the book sales are used to support the tutoring centers. Kathleen Yancey, an English professor at Florida State University, said the 826 National centers complement the learning that goes on in classrooms. Schools are about college and job readiness, and tests that prove it, Yancey said. Those demands don't leave much time for playful reading or imaginative writing, even if it could help some students learn. "If you want people to engage in activity, you find a way for them to have fun with it. 826 is a genius at that," said Yancey, a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. "If [students] don't take any pleasure in it, they won't actually practice it. When they have fun, they won't quit on you." Fun is what draws students in, too. "It's OK to be strange," said Richards, the 826 leader. "It's OK to be magical, it's OK to be whimsical." | 826 National is a network of writing centers tucked behind imaginative storefronts .
A new 826 chapter, 826DC, opened recently in Washington .
A new book written by 826 National kids features letters to Michelle Obama . |
0be5074cb8d0e0a7489a296b9b9c064a21929252 | By . Helen Nicholson . Sir Richard Branson has waded into the row over term-time holidays in a blog post entitled ‘Let children travel the world’. In the post, the Virgin Atlantic boss says he ‘wholeheartedly’ supports parent Janice Skelcher who is campaigning for a judicial review of recent legislation that tightened the rules on term-time trips. Mrs Skelcher, 39, and her husband were prosecuted for taking their two children out of school to travel to Australia for three weeks in October last year. 'Grab it with both hands': Sir Richard Branson said travel was important for children and argued that parents should not be punished for taking a holiday during term-time if that was the only time they could afford it . Sir Richard wrote: ‘It is really important that kids spend as much time travelling and learning as possible, from a young age. ‘Travel is not always an option for everyone; for those who are fortunate enough to be able to travel, they should grab it with both hands. ‘If there is no other time when parents can afford - financially or time-wise - to take a holiday, they should not be punished for doing so during term.’ Referring to the fact that Mrs Skelcher had been ordered to pay £400 legal costs for removing her children from school without permission, he wrote: ‘Her circumstances - at the time she was caring for her mother who was terminally ill – were not taken into account. 'She argued that taking her children on holiday with her husband was necessary to give everyone a break and protect the mental health of her kids. ‘While it is obviously important that all children should have access to regular education, there is no reason why they cannot catch up when they return, and do extra work out of class.’ Mr Branson, who left school aged 16, said that increasing the flexibility for young people’s learning could only be a good thing and said he echoed Mrs Skelcher’s call for the government to give parents more support and greater flexibility. He wrote: ‘Letting children travel provides the opportunity for families to spend quality time with each other, something I have always found invaluable with my own family. Some of my happiest memories are of childhood holidays – some during term-time, some not.’ Family holiday: Janice Skelcher and her husband Ian took their two children to visit relatives in Australia . In her petition, Mrs Skelcher is . demanding a judicial review of the new regulations, and asks MPs ‘to . recommend that greater support and flexibility [are] allowed for parents . to enable them to more effectively care for their children’. She . claimed that her family’s three-week trip had to be during term time as . she is a full-time carer for her dying mother-in-law and that was the . only time alternative care could be arranged. She . was prosecuted by Coventry City Council for taking her children out of . school and ordered to pay a £240 fine, which she refused on principle. The court imposed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered Mrs Skelcher to pay £400 costs. When . Mrs Skelcher was invited on a daytime TV show to discuss the case, the . council obtained an injunction preventing identification of the children . - in effect silencing her. Now . Mrs Skelcher has defied the gag and can be named under parliamentary . privilege after Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming provided details of the . case in a petition laid before the House of Commons. Mrs Skelcher, a former emergency call handler, said: ‘I am very angry because now I have a criminal record. ‘My . family circumstances mean that I had no choice but to take the children . away when I did – and there are many parents in the same position who . cannot take their children away in a period specified by school. ‘Any mother in my situation would do the same. I have not had one negative comment from the mums at the school gates. ‘The . law states that there have to be exceptional circumstances. Well, if it . is not caring for a terminally ill person with two primary school . children, then what is?’ Australia trip: Mrs Skelcher says the three-week trip had to be during term time as she is a full-time carer for her dying mother-in-law and that was the only time alternative care could be arranged . Coventry . council said it followed Department for Education guidance. It claimed: . ‘On this occasion the parents decided not to accept the penalty notice, . but the court’s verdict demonstrates that the council’s course of . action was correct.’ In . September, new legislation came into force ending a policy that allowed . schools to grant up to 10 days leave for family holidays and introducing bigger fines for parents who take their children out of school. Under the new rules, parents face fines of up to £120 for taking children out of school during term time without good reason. Failing . to pay risks a fine of up to £1,500 - or even jail - and pupils can only miss lessons in 'exceptional . circumstances', such as a family funeral. The Government recently published a Bill that would allow schools to set their own term dates. The . intention is to stagger holidays and drive down high summer prices that . prompt some parents to take their children out of school. | Janice and Ian Skelcher took their two children to visit family in Australia .
Full-time carer claims family's three-week trip had to be during term time .
Prosecuted after refusing to pay a £240 fine from Coventry City Council .
Sir Richard said it was important for children to travel from a young age .
Argued parents shouldn't be punished if it was 'only time they could travel' |
0be55f216a6bfc66ed186f9050eb721a097d63c7 | By . Sara Smyth . PUBLISHED: . 07:35 EST, 2 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:36 EST, 2 May 2013 . A 39-year-old carer who pulled a policewoman to the ground and smashed her head against a pavement, has been banned from every bar in Britain. Rachael Hartman launched an unprovoked attack against WPC Debbie Chamberlain outside a club in Weston-super-Mare. Hartman pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and was given a suspended jail sentence at Bristol Crown Court. Video footage shows the moment when Rachael Hartman (circled) launched herself at PC Debbie Chamberlain who was called to Shooters bar in Weston-super-Mare, where Hartman had been causing trouble . Hartman (circled) climbs on top of WPC Chamberlain after pulling her to the ground. She is seen to grab her head and smash it against the pavement . She was ordered to pay WPC Chamberlain £500 compensation and was banned from entering any pub or club in Britain for a year. Officers were called to Shooters club last December when Hartman, who was already barred from the pub, poured a drink over the barman and slapped his manager. She is said to have drunk two bottles of wine and had been in the bar since 6pm. The mother-of-two pulled WPC Chamberlain to the ground by her hair when she tried to make an arrest. She attacked WPC Chamberlain until her colleague used CS spray on Hartman. The victim was left with a sprained ankle, lumps on her head and scratches on her face. Hartman had pulled out clumps of her hair during the assault. The prosecution said when police attended the scene and tried to arrest her friend she had "lost it". Judge Mark Horton today said her behaviour was 'appalling'. He said: 'Police officers in our society . are to be protected by the courts because they defend the rule of law . in this country and protect the public. Chamberlain's colleague pulls Hartman's friend away from the fray. He used CS spray (similar to tear gas) to stop the attack . Hartman is said to have drunk two bottled of wine in quick succession. She is no banned from entering any pub, club or bar for a year . 'Those who do deliberately assault officers can expect to receive an immediate custodial sentence. 'Your behaviour that night was as appalling as it was irrational. It was a sustained assault on a police officer.' In a victim impact statement read to the court, WPC Chamberlain said: 'This attack is by far the worst I've been subjected to. 'The accident has left me more wary when dealing with confrontational situations. 'I count myself lucky I walked away with just the injuries I received especially as the back of my head was hit on the pavement. 'The incident happened around Christmas . and I was unable to run around with my children and have quality family . time. I was instead nursing a very sore head and limping around.' Hartman, a support worker at the Brandon Trust which supports people with learning difficulties. Bristol Crown Court heard how Hartman acted as a shift leader at an intense residential unit where she was a key carer for people with behavioural difficulties. Defence lawyer, Virginia Cornwall, told the court: 'She is before the court as a woman filled with shame and embarrassment. 'Her remorse is total and she accepts her behaviour was entirely inappropriate. 'It would appear that she is somebody who does not cope well with life's difficulties. She suffers with depression and has been on medication since her teens.' The Brandon Trust launched an internal investigation and Hartman was placed on gardening leave but the case was closed and she had been allowed to return. The charity now say they have suspended her once more pending a further investigation into her suitability for the job. | Rachael Hartman, 39, ordered to stay away from bars after beating up female police officer .
Mother-of-two from Somerset pulled victim to the ground by her hair and smashed head against pavement .
WPC Debbie Chamberlain said attack left her feeling wary and vulnerable . |
0be6736f0785ffffe30557ebd2c35419a88c2b19 | After more than 40 years in the air, the DC10 passenger airliner bowed out in style this week, being given the water arch salute as it landed into the UK for the last time. Flying from Dhaka, Bangladesh, via Kuwait, the plane landed its last commercial flight at Birmingham Airport at 5.55pm last Thursday, February 20. Sadly, after plane enthusiasts were treated to scenic flights this week from Birmingham, the craft has now flown back to Bangladesh for it to be dismantled and its parts sold. This is the moment the DC10 aircraft landed a passenger flight for the last time. It flew from Dhaka, Bangladesh, via Kuwait, to Birmingham, landing on February 20 . This is the view of the cockpit on the last passenger flight of the DC10 aircraft, which was flown by Biman Bangladesh Airlines . After landing in England, thousands of people got the opportunity to go on scenic flights north towards Scotland before looping back to Birmingham . The last commercial flight, which was operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines and landed at 5.55pm on Thursday, February 20, took 14 hours - including the stopover in Kuwait. It had 35 passengers, who had travelled to Dhaka especially for the flight. The Birmingham Airport fire service provided the water arch salute to mark the occasion as the aircraft landed. And it left Birmingham Airport to return to Bangladesh - with no passengers - on Monday. On the days between, more than a thousand passengers were treated to one-hour scenic flights on the craft, travelling towards Scotland before looping back towards England's second city. Biman Bangladesh Airlines was the last airline to use the craft. It said it would now be retired and replaced with newer models. The model, which first took to the air in 1971, will still be used in the military - for the U.S. Air Force for refuelling purposes, for instance - and freight services. Biman Bangladesh Airlines was the last airline to fly the DC10, which it has now retired so it can begin using more modern aircraft . This was the scene on the very last scenic flight of the aircraft, which took off from Birmingham Airport at 3pm on Monday, February 24 . One of the 35 passengers on-board the final flight into the UK was Gordon Stretch, who had travelled to Bangladesh from Solihull a few days before to be a part of the journey. 'The reason I did this is because I'm an aircraft enthusiast,' he said. 'When the opportunity came and I heard that the last DC10 flight was coming to Birmingham, I thought "wow". 'I decided to go out to Bangladesh and fly back on the plane.' One of the 35 passengers on-board the final flight was Gordon Stretch, who had travelled to Bangladesh from Solihull a few days before to be a part of the journey . 'When the opportunity came and I heard that the last DC10 flight was coming to Birmingham, I thought "wow". I decided to go out to Bangladesh and fly back on the plane' He said Bangladesh is not a country he'd choose to visit ordinarily, but he was happy to spend two and a half days there - after flying from Heathrow - in order to be on the flight. If a 14-hour journey doesn't sound difficult enough, Biman Bangladesh Airlines is a non-alcohol airline. Mr Stretch said: 'It was completely dry. We were only on the Diet Cokes, as they say.' But he flatly refused to say he regretted the decision to go on the flight. 'It was definitely worth it,' he said. The flight even gave passengers - all aircraft enthusiasts - the opportunity to venture into the plane's cockpit and speak to the pilots. Mr Stretch spent 14 hours on the flight, had to travel to Bangladesh to board the flight and was not allowed to drink alcohol on the plane, but said: 'It was definitely worth it' The final DC10 was initially supposed to be flown from Birmingham to New York to go to a museum in Seattle, before the airline was told there was no room for it . Then, until a week before it landed in Birmingham, the plane to scheduled to be housed at the Bruntingthorpe Aviation Museum in Leicestershire . The aircraft's final flight - which did not carry any passengers - took off from Birmingham and flew back to Dhaka for its parts to be sold. It . was originally intended that the plane be flown to New York from . Birmingham, to be positioned in a museum. But, when the Seattle museum said it could not accommodate for it, plans were changed so it would be exhibited at the Bruntingthorpe Aviation Museum, Leicestershire, instead. Then, with days to go before its landing at Birmingham, the airline announced it had found a buyer for the craft's three jet engines, and it would be taken back to Bangladesh to be taken apart. The last flight took off from Birmingham at 3pm on February 24. Prided on its comfort, reliability and efficiency, the DC10 was designed and built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. With six models designed – the first running from 1971 – the crafts accommodate for between 250 and 380 passengers. The first time a DC10 is believed to have visited Birmingham - the destination of its final commercial passenger flight - was on November 30 1972, when Laker Airways operated a demonstration flight. This photograph shows a Laker Airways DC10 aircraft, which was first operated in 1971, taking off from Gatwick Airport in 1979 . This photograph shows the inside of a DC10 in 1980, showing passengers on a flight from London Gatwick to New York . The aircraft was first used by American Airlines, with its first commercial flight operated on August 5 1971 for a round-trip between Los Angeles and Chicago. United Airlines began using the airliner in the same month. It had 222 seats to American Airlines’ 206. This photograph shows Sir Freddie Laker, standing in the engine of the DC10. The first time a DC10 is believed to have visited Birmingham was on November 30 1972, when Laker Airways operated a demonstration flight . At the time, the first class area of the cabin had six seats across, while in standard class there were eight seats across. The 446th and final DC10 was delivered to Nigeria Airways in 1989. A number of airlines used the DC10 model in its history, including British Caledonian, Northwest Airlines, Japan Airlines and Iberia. Biman Bangladesh Airlines was the last, but the planes will continue to be used for military purposes – by the U.S. Air Force for in-flight refuelling purposes, for instance – and for freight services. | The DC10 was given the water arch salute as it landed a passenger flight for the last time in Birmingham .
After more than 40 years in the air, no airlines will use the DC10 aircraft model in the future .
The last passenger flight, operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, flew from Dhaka via Kuwait to the UK . |
0be6780ce474319678b65a7e025d83f2f95ba7f6 | All antidepressant drugs are not created equal, according to the authors of one of the few studies that have ever systematically analyzed and compared "new generation" medicines for treating depression. What qualities are important in an anti-depressant? Efficacy? Tolerance? Side effects? Cost? In the analysis of 12 drugs, two came out on top as the most effective and best tolerated as first-line treatments: sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro). Venlafaxine (Effexor) and mirtazapine (Remeron) rounded out the top four for effectiveness, but venlafaxine was also among the four drugs patients were most likely to quit taking because of side effects. Reboxetine (Edronax) was less effective than the rest. While psychiatrists treating depressed patients every day have had a sense of which medications are best, the current study "nails it," says Sagar V. Parikh, M.D., of the University of Toronto. Parikh, who wrote a comment accompanying the study that is published in the current issue of The Lancet, says the findings have "enormous implications" because, for the first time, they offer doctors an evidence-based, unbiased way to recommend treatment. And, he adds, they give patients a "gold standard of reliable information," especially since the study's authors plan to make their findings available free on the Web. Not so fast, says Gerald Gartlehner, M.D., M.P.H., who coauthored a review of the benefits and risks of the same 12 drugs published last November in the Annals of Internal Medicine. He and his colleagues concluded, based on their review done while Gartlehner was at the RTI-UNC Evidence-Based Practice Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina., that there was no clinically meaningful evidence that any one of the drugs was better than the rest. Instead, they argued, decisions on which drug to use should be based on factors such as cost and side effects. In the current study, Andrea Cipriani, M.D., of the University of Verona in Italy, and colleagues used a new technique called multiple-treatments meta-analysis to make head-to-head comparisons among the 12 drugs, incorporating 117 randomized controlled trials including 25,928 patients in all. There has been little scientific evidence of the relative effectiveness of these drugs, because most studies compare one against a handful of others or a placebo, and are often funded by the maker of a particular drug, which can bias the findings in its favor, the researchers note. Health.com: How to brighten your winter mood . They used two measurements to gauge a drug's effectiveness and tolerability: the percentage of patients who showed at least a 50 percent improvement in their symptoms as measured by one of two scales, or who scored "much improved or very much improved" after eight weeks of treatment (or from six to twelve weeks if eight-week data weren't available) and the percentage of patients who dropped out of the study before eight weeks for any reason. The 12 drugs included bupropion, citalopram, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, milnacipran, mirtazapine, paroxetine, reboxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine. The authors did not use any funding from drug manufacturers to conduct their study. "This is an unbiased approach to combining the maximum possible data and comparing a large number of drugs rather than one versus a select handful, so there's much more confidence in these findings," says Parikh. Basically, Parikh explains, Cipriani and colleagues were able to make comparisons among drugs that hadn't been studied head-to-head by using their effectiveness as compared with Prozac -- the best studied of these drugs -- as a kind of common currency. "There are limitations to the indirect approach used -- nonetheless, we think its the best available at present. The analysis will need to be updated regularly to include all new upcoming evidence," Cipriani and coauthor John Geddes, M.D., director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Mental Health at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, said via e-mail. The findings don't mean that everyone should be put on Zoloft or Lexapro, and they shouldn't be seen as suggesting that people who are on other drugs should go off them, Cipriani and Geddes say. Health.com: 3 signs you should stop, adjust, or switch antidepressants . While it's good to have choices available since not everyone will benefit from a particular drug, there also seem to be a lot of "me too" products out there that offer no additional benefit but cost more, the authors add. They suggest that future studies should compare new antidepressants with sertraline, rather than to a placebo or a cherry-picked selection of other drugs. "Requiring new treatments to show either greater efficacy or acceptability than an existing standard therapy would serve as a disincentive to the development of me-too agents that offer little to patients other than increased costs," they write. But according to Gartlehner, who is now with the Danube University in Krems, Austria, the approach Cipriani et. al. used has "serious downsides" that they did not acknowledge. Also, he argues, their use of odds ratios rather than relative risks led to overestimations of the differences among the various drugs. Health.com: Head-to-toe solutions for stress . "Most of these differences are statistically significant, but they're probably not clinically relevant," Gartlehner said. "It's quite a stretch to say that...clinically important differences exist between commonly prescribed antidepressants." He and his colleagues did see differences among the drugs in side-effect profiles that could in fact be relevant to patients, Gartlehner said, and he argues that the finding that venlaxafine caused more nausea and vomiting while sertraline was associated with diarrhea, as well as the fact that some drugs must be taken several times a day while others can be taken less often, are important considerations, along with cost. But for Parikh, the differences in effectiveness and tolerability that Cipriani identified can make a real difference to patients. "The magnitude of these differences is not huge in terms of effectiveness. It's genuine, but it's modest," Parikh said. "You can say to a patient, 'Do you want the strongest possible drug or do you want the one that's least likely to give you side effects, or do you want some balance?'" Health.com: Boost your mood naturally . He added, "It allows a dialogue to say, 'What suits you?' And if you're able to engage a patient in that dialogue, there's a much better chance of a patient sticking to that treatment because they've been able to tailor that treatment to their individual preference." Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | According to analysis of "new generation" antidepressants, some are more effective .
Since few head-to-head studies exists, researchers used Prozac as benchmark .
Cost, side effects should be considered as well, argues another reseacher . |
0be745471a347044fa94c89cbeaabfd257efc77e | (CNN) -- A cop killer and child molester who has been on the U.S. Marshals Service's 15 most-wanted fugitive list for nearly four years was captured early Wednesday, authorities said. Paul Clouston, 73, was taken into custody at a men's group home in Merced, California, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Connolly. Agents with the fugitive task force "observed a man resembling Clouston seated in a chair and reading a newspaper," said the Marshals Service in a statement. "He provided a false name three times before he said, 'I'm Paul Clouston and I'm tired of running,' " Connolly told CNN. "We always say we go after the worst of the worst, and it doesn't get much worse than this type of predator, " Connolly added. "We're happy he's off the streets." Connolly said a viewer tip to the TV program "America's Most Wanted" led agents to the killer. Clouston murdered a police detective in Buena Park, California, in 1972. He was convicted a year later. After serving 10 years in prison for the slaying, Clouston was released in 1982. In 1991, he was indicted on 17 counts of sexually abusing children in the Williamsburg, Virginia, area, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Clouston pleaded guilty to the charges and was sent back to prison. He was paroled in 2005 but was placed on the fugitive list after he failed to register as a convicted sexual offender in Virginia. "The capture of Paul Clouston is a testament to the effectiveness of our 15 most wanted list and the partnerships we maintain with other law enforcement agencies," said John F. Clark, director of the U.S. Marshals Service in a statement. "It also speaks volumes to the value of someone doing the right thing and reporting a suspicious individual." | Fugitive Paul Clouston, 73, taken into custody at men's group home in California .
Clouston convicted, served time for killing police detective .
Clouston became fugitive when he failed to register as convicted sex offender .
Viewer tip to TV's "America's Most Wanted" led agents to Clouston, official says . |
0bea27fbeb463c58ba6da6e39356cb928a65f689 | Louis van Gaal will walk straight into a Europa League headache if Manchester United finish sixth in the Premier League on Sunday. United will not cancel a lucrative pre-season tour of the United States if they do qualify for Europe - leaving their new manager the task of picking two different United teams to play in different continents at the same time. VIDEO Scroll down for Incoming United boss Van Gaal shows Dutch squad who is boss . Next step: Louis van Gaal's appointment as United boss is expected to be confirmed in the next few days . July 29 (v Inter Milan): De Gea; Rafael, Jones, Smalling, Evra; Young, Carrick, Fellaini, Mata; Rooney, van Persie . July 31 (Europa League): Lindegaard; Varela, Keane, Evans, Buttner; Zaha, Fletcher, Cleverley, Kagawa; Welbeck, Hernandez . *not including any new signings . United are currently seventh in the table but will move up a place if they win at Southampton and Spurs lose at home to Aston Villa. The sixth-placed team will be required to enter the Europa League at the third qualifying round stage and the first leg will have to be played on July 31 – less than 48 hours after United are due to meet Inter Milan in the American capital Washington DC. It leaves van Gaal, whose appointment is expected to be confirmed in the next few days, the conundrum of picking one team for a prestigious US tour, and another good enough to ensure they can progress in the Europa League. To add to the complication, United's players who get to the latter stages of the World Cup which ends on July 13 will still be on holiday. United will play at least four games in America this summer in the International Champions Cup between July 23 and August 4. The second leg of the Europa League tie would be on August 7. No player is likely to be asked to play in both competitions but it does raise the possibility of van Gaal jetting from Washington straight to wherever United's European game is. Positive: Interim boss Ryan Giggs is determined his side should try and win at Southampton . Despite the logistical problems, interim manager Giggs is determined his side should try and give it their all to win at Southampton on Sunday even though Wayne Rooney is still unavailable after only recently returning to training from a groin injury. 'It is a consideration with my team selection as I want to be in Europe. I think United should be in Europe. Obviously everyone wants to be in the Champions League but with the squad we have got it would be good if we were in Europe,' said Giggs. 'I don't think Liverpool (who have not been in Europe this season) have the size of squad that we've got. I know from the last few weeks the selection problems you do have and that the manager will have next season if there is only one game a week. 'It could be beneficial if we were in the competition. It could bring on players or give people games where they need it. 'I played in Europe at 17 and 18 and it helped me as it was a different experience. It definitely brings you along quicker.' Dilemma: Man United are expected to take stars like Robin van Persie on America tour . The tour is also vitally important to United with managing-director Richard Arnold announcing it to great hype in February. United will warm up against MLS side LA Galaxy in Los Angeles on July 23 and then play in the International Champions Cup against Roma on July 26 in Denver, Inter and Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, Michigan on August 2. The top-placed team will meet the winners of the other group featuring Liverpool, Manchester City, Olympiacos and AC Milan. The American hosts will expect United's big guns to go on tour leaving van Gaal to pick a shadow side for Europe. United have already held internal talks about how to be competitive for both games. | Sixth-placed team will be required to play Europa League tie on July 31 .
United are scheduled to play Inter Milan in a friendly in America on July 29 .
United's players who get to the latter stages of the World Cup will still be on holiday . |
0bea3c279e24ffe6cdbecb453808f4ea45db0500 | The wife of a convicted sex offender has pleaded guilty to running an unregistered daycare centre as the front for a child porn production operation at a North Carolina home. Elizabeth Holland Mills, 35, faces up to 30 years in jail after pleading guilty to one count of manufacturing child porn following her arrest alongside four others in January. In August, her husband Bailey Joe Mills, 34, pleaded guilty to the same charge after police discovered Facebook messages sent between him and a 12-year-old girl regarding payments for sex. Elizabeth Holland Mills, 35, and Bailey Joe Mills, 34, both pleaded guilty to running an unregistered daycare centre as the front for a child porn production operation at a North Carolina home . According to the New York Daily News, authorities said his arrest led to the recovery of videos and photos showing victims between the ages of one and 14 being sexually assaulted by adults at the property. They also revealed that Mr Mills had billed himself as a baby-sitter, tutor and mentor at the rented private residence in Harnett County. Speaking to the News Observer earlier this year, the couples' landlord Siegrun Collins said the Mills' had been renting the three-bedroom house for about 18 months at the time of their arrests. She described Bailey Joe Mills as 'down-to-earth and chatty', and said he was unemployed, while Elizabeth Holland Mills had called herself an exotic dancer and paid the $750 monthly rent herself. The three other arrests at the property included Rashawn Rodriguez Drake Jackson, 20, Jordan Everett Busse, 29, and Tommy Keith Wall, 50. Bailey Joe Mills will be sentenced in January 2015, and his wife in February. Tommy Keith Wall (left), 50, Jordan Everett Busse (centre), 29, and Rashawn Rodriguez Drake Jackson (right), 20, were also arrested at the North Carolina property that was being used as a front for a child porn ring . | Elizabeth Holland Mills, 35, faces up to 30 years in jail following guilty plea .
In August, her husband Bailey Joe Mills, 34, pleaded guilty to same charge .
Police found Facebook messages from Bailey Joe Mills to a 12-year-old girl .
Police recovered material involving victims between the ages of one and 14 .
Three other men were arrested at the rented property in North Carolina . |
0bebed92c7f717316f3453e7b0084742e9e33396 | By . Associated Press . On the eve of a critical Senate vote, the Obama administration signaled it will publicly reveal a secret memo describing its legal justification for using drones to kill U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism overseas. Two administration officials told The Associated Press that the Justice Department has decided not to appeal a court order requiring disclosure of a redacted version of the memo under the Freedom of Information Act. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. The decision to release the documents comes a day before the Senate is to vote on advancing President Barack Obama's nomination of the memo's author, Harvard professor and former Justice Department official David Barron, to sit on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Deadly: Remote-controlled drones like this one have been in service since at least 1995; the Predator drone, America's most often used model, carries two Hellfire anti-tank missiles . Serious: Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul was set to block the federal judicial confirmation of a former DOJ official who provided the White House with legal justification for killing terrorism-connected US citizens without due process . Controversial: Former Justice Department official David Barron, whose nomination to the federal bench has been on hold since last November, wrote the Obama White House's legal justification for extrajudicial drone strikes on US citizens . Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had vowed to attempt to block Barron's confirmation with a filibuster if the documents were not made public. Paul issued a statement Tuesday saying he still opposes Barron's nomination. Wednesday's expected vote would allow the Senate to move ahead with a final vote on Barron on Thursday. "I think we'll be OK," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier Tuesday. Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda leader born in the United States, was killed after being targeted by a drone strike in Yemen in September 2011. Some legal scholars and human rights activists complained that it was illegal for the U.S. to kill American citizens away from the battlefield without a trial. Some senators, including those in Obama's own party, have called for the public release of the memo before the final confirmation vote. The White House agreed under the pressure to show senators unredacted copies of all written legal advice written by Barron regarding the potential use of lethal force against U.S. citizens in counterterrorism operations. Until now, the administration has fought in court to keep the writings from public view. But administration officials said that Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. has decided not appeal an April 21 ruling requiring disclosure by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York and that Attorney General Eric Holder concurred with his opinion. Gone but not forgotten: Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric linked to al-Qaeda in Yemen, was targeted and killed in a 2011 drone strike authorized by the Obama administration . Rand Paul talked on the US Senate floor for more than a half-day on March 6, 2013, opposing the nomination of John Brennan to lead the CIA because the White House wouldn't promise to take drone strikes against US citizens off the table . The release could take some time, since the redactions are subject to court approval. And the administration also is insisting that a classified ruling on the case also be redacted to protect information classified for national security, but not the legal reasoning, one of the officials said. The drone strike that killed al-Awlaki also killed another U.S. citizen, Samir Khan, an al-Qaeda propagandist. Al-Awlaki's 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman, was killed the following month in another drone attack. The American Civil Liberties Union and two reporters for The New York Times, Charlie Savage and Scott Shane, filed a FOIA suit. In January 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that she had no authority to order the documents disclosed, although she chided the Obama administration for refusing to release them. But a three-judge appeals court panel noted that after McMahon ruled, senior government officials spoke about the subject. The panel rejected the government's claim that the court could not consider official disclosures made after McMahon's ruling, including a 16-page Justice Department white paper on the subject and public comments by Obama in May in which he acknowledged his role in the al-Awlaki killing, saying he had 'authorized the strike that took him out.' | Sen. Rand Paul threatened to filibuster a judicial nominee, former DOJ official David Barron, unless the memo was released in its entirety .
Barron wrote the legal advice that gave the Obama administration the clearance to kill US citizens with drones if they are involved with terrorism .
Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda leader born in the US, was killed by a 2011 US drone strike in Yemen, and three others have reportedly met the same fate .
The American Civil Liberties Union sued for the document after the Justice Department refused to comply with a Freedom Of Information Act request .
A federal appeals court ordered the DOJ to release a redacted copy of the drone-strike memo on April 21, and the Obama administration won't fight it .
The actual document could take months to appear since every redaction has to be approved by the court . |
0bebf38305e1c46c6095ab03fffd5b925a135328 | (CNN) -- With more than 12,000 miles of coastline in the United States -- not to mention lakeshore -- there's no way CNN.com could name every great beach destination in last week's "22 can't-miss U.S. beaches." We asked readers to submit their favorite getaways in the comments section. The response was fantastic, and we've compiled a second photo gallery of 20 favorites based on reader suggestions. While we couldn't picture every beach recommendation, our friends living in the Midwest will be happy to note that this gallery includes some freshwater beaches. Which places do you love? They include Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Ohio's Headlands Beach State Park, North Carolina's Corolla Beach, Alabama's Orange Beach, South Padre Island in Texas, California's Black Sand Beach, Oregon's Cannon and Tolovana beaches and Hawaii's Papakolea Beach. The original: 22 can't-miss U.S. beaches . And we collected more locations than we could list in this latest slideshow. In Florida, readers also recommend Clearwater, Daytona, Ormond, St. Petersburg, Grayton and Playalinda. Californians could go on for hours: La Jolla Shores, Pismo, Salt Creek, Huntington, Gold Bluffs, Brookings Harbor, Crescent City and Klamath. Michigan residents, who enjoy more miles of freshwater coastline than any other state, also love South Haven, Holland State Park, Oscoda, Oval and Warren Dunes State Park. Wisconsin folks recommend New Port State Park. Other nominees include Watkins Glen, New York; Ocean City, Maryland; Hatteras in North Carolina; and Port Orford, Oregon. 7 amazing island rentals . We won't use a blank slide to shame those commenters who declined to reveal their favorites or those who expressed joy that their hideaways didn't make the original list. Who can blame you for guarding the location of your favorite getaways? Everybody needs a secluded place where they can hide out, decompress and rejuvenate from time to time. | A recent list of can't-miss beaches inspired plenty of reader suggestions .
This follow-up list was compiled based on reader submissions of their favorite beach getaways .
Midwesterners, Californians and Floridians had multiple beaches to share .
There are more than 100,000 miles of coastline and shoreline in the United States . |
0bec222e30302b8f0e34e8f90ed56197f26eb3a2 | Washington (CNN) -- Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was robbed last week by an intruder armed with a machete while Breyer was vacationing on the Caribbean island of Nevis, court officials said Monday. Breyer, his wife and two other guests were in the justice's vacation home at the time, but officials said no one was hurt in the incident. The male assailant took $1,000 in cash and fled the scene, according to court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg. The robbery was reported to local authorities shortly after it happened last Thursday night, and local media said no arrests had been made as of Monday. A law enforcement official said the evidence so far indicates the incident was "a crime of opportunity," and that police have seen nothing so far to indicate Breyer was targeted for robbery. The U.S. Marshals Service provides protection for members of the high court when they are traveling, and agency spokesman Jeff Carter said Monday that the marshals service "is aware of the incident involving Justice Breyer on the Caribbean island of Nevis and is assisting the Supreme Court Police and local law enforcement authorities with the investigation as needed." He did not elaborate. FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said, "We are assisting the local police with their investigation." Meanwhile, police on the island were "actively searching for a known person of interest," Commissioner C.G. Walwyn of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force said Monday. "Our American-trained crime scene investigators and the members of our Criminal Investigators (unit) are working closely with the FBI on this case," he added. Breyer had no comment on the matter, and the court would not say if he had returned to the United States. The high court is in recess this week, but the justices have scheduled a closed-door meeting Friday to go over pending court business, and they resume public sessions next week. Nevis is part of the West Indies chain known as the Leeward Islands, located about 350 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. The court does not talk publicly about specific security arrangements for the justices, either when they are at home or on their frequent travels. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg traveled to Egypt and Tunisia last month as part of an outreach program sponsored by the State Department, which provided her security in the volatile region. Attacks on members of the federal judiciary are not new. Then-Justice David Souter was assaulted by a group of young males in 2004 while jogging alone in the evening near his Washington home. Souter suffered some minor bruises and was briefly treated then released from a local hospital. Justice Byron White was attacked in July 1982 while giving a speech in Utah. That incident led to regular protection by U.S. marshals for members of the court when they travel. The 73-year-old Breyer was nominated to the high court in 1994, and is known as one of the most active and engaging members of the court. His wife is Dr. Joanna Breyer, a renowned pediatric psychologist. CNN's Nigel Walwyn and Carol Cratty contributed to this report. | NEW: Police official calls incident "crime of opportunity"
Justice Breyer was at his vacation home on the Caribbean island of Nevis .
The machete-wielding intruder made off with $1,000 in cash .
No one was hurt in the incident . |
0becf217c5e2629354a55314d636df74be03b87c | (CNN) -- Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack at Kenyan mall in September 2013. Here is a Q and A that looks at this group: . What is Al-Shabaab and what are its aims? Al-Shabaab is a Somali group that was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008. It is seeking to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, which published a backgrounder on the group in July. The group is believed to be responsible for attacks in Somalia that have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers. It has struck abroad, too. It was responsible for the July 2010 suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, that killed more than 70 people, including a U.S. citizen, as they gathered to watch a World Cup final soccer match. How big is it? The total size of the group is not clear. A U.S. official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information said in 2011 that Al-Shabaab was estimated to control up to 1,000 fighters in the country. A U.N. report identifies one insurgent leader who is "believed to command an estimated force of between 200 and 500 fighters," most of them Kenyans. And it has links to other groups. In February 2012, the group's leader, Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed, and al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video announcing the alliance of the two organizations. Though Al-Shabaab's size may be in doubt, its potential for sowing terror is not. "I would say that the greatest risks right now in East Africa are Al-Shabaab and the violent extremists that they represent," said Gen. Carter Ham in 2011, when he was commander of the U.S. Africa Command. CNN security analyst: Kenya, Westerners high on Al-Shabaab's list . Al-Shabaab's origins . Decades of weak government amid grinding poverty have long made Somalia a target for radical Islamist groups. Al-Shabaab's predecessor was al-Ittihad al-Islami (AIAI), which worked to create an Islamist emirate in Somalia. It was, in part, funded by former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. AIAI, which the U.S. State Department designated as a terrorist organization, strengthened after the fall in 1991 of Siad Barre's military regime and amid the years of lawlessness that ensued. In 2003, a rift erupted between IAIA's old guard -- who were seeking to establish a new political front -- and its younger members (Al-Shabaab, which means "the youth"), who were seeking to establish fundamental Islamic rule. That led the latter to ally with a group of sharia courts -- the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) -- that was seeking to impose order over a landscape marked by feuding warlords in the capital city. Working together, the ICU and Al-Shabaab succeeded in 2006 in gaining control of Mogadishu. That sparked fears in neighboring Ethiopia that violence would spill over there, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Those fears -- combined with a request from Somalia's transitional government -- led Ethiopian forces to enter Somalia in December 2006 and to remove the ICU from power. That move proved to be a turning point, one that radicalized Al-Shabaab, which attacked Ethiopian forces and gained control of parts of central and southern Somalia, according to a 2011 case study by Rob Wise, who was then with the Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. What is Al-Shabaab's relationship with Kenya? In 2011, the Kenyan government ordered a cross-border incursion intended to create a security buffer zone in southern Somalia after attacks on tourist destinations in northern Kenya that it blamed on Al-Shabaab. More recently, Ethiopian troops crossed the border and expelled Al-Shabaab from Baidoa, a strategic town midway between the Ethiopian border and Mogadishu. The group then targeted African Union soldiers and government buildings in the capital in suicide attacks. A suicide bombing in March 2012 killed five people at the Presidential Palace. Analysts say tension appears to have been growing within Al-Shabaab between Somalis and foreign fighters, several hundred of whom are thought to have entered Somalia in recent years to join the group. There may also have been disagreement within the group about the announcement in February 2012 of an alliance between Al-Shabaab and al Qaeda and about the group's ban on foreign aid organizations working in Somalia to save millions threatened by famine. Al-Shabaab breaks new ground with complex Nairobi attack . How and from where does it recruit? The organization has a sophisticated public relations arm that includes a Twitter account and video production abilities. "Remember Mumbai?" one tweet asked Saturday, as gunfire was erupting from Westgate mall in Nairobi. The comment was an apparent reference to the 2008 attack in which 10 Pakistani men associated with the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba stormed several buildings in Mumbai, India, killing 164 people over a three-day period. "Some youngsters resist death even when told not to be taken alive. It's going to be a long ordeal," Saturday's tweet said. Soon after, it announced it was responsible for Saturday's attack in Nairobi, Kenya. "Alshabab confirms its behind the #Westgate spectacle," it said. A 2009 Al-Shabaab video is as slickly produced as a reality TV show, complete with a hip-hop jihad voice and a startling message. "Mortar by mortar, shell by shell, only going to stop when I send them to hell," an unidentified voice raps on the video in American English. The video shows a man reported to have been Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, a U.S. citizen from Alabama. "Away from your family, away from our friends, away from ice, candy bars, all those things is because we're waiting to meet the enemy," he says. But enemies -- and alliances -- can shift. Al-Amriki, whose real name is Omar Hammami, said last year in a video posted online that he had had a fallout with Al-Shabaab "regarding matters of the sharia and matters of strategy" and feared for his life. He was reported last week to have been killed in Somalia by Al-Shabaab. CNN is not able to confirm the report. Finding replacements may not be hard. Sheikh Ahmed Matan, a member of Britain's Somali community, said he knows of hundreds of young Somali men living in the West who returned to Somalia for terrorist training. How is it funded? The once ragtag Somalia-based al Qaeda affiliate has grown into an economic powerhouse, raising tens of millions of dollars in cash from schemes that have involved extortion, illegal taxation and other "fees," according to the 2011 United Nations report. The United States believed then that the group was coordinating with al Qaeda groups in Yemen and might have been plotting attacks in the region and abroad. In 2011, it was generating "between $70 million and $100 million per year, from duties and fees levied at airports and seaports, taxes on goods and services, taxes in kind on domestic produce, 'jihad contributions,' checkpoints and various forms of extortion justified in terms of religious obligation," according to the report from the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea. How have Somalis been affected? Years of lawlessness and poverty have exacted a toll that Al-Shabaab has not helped. In 2011, the United Nations declared a famine in the southern Somalia regions of Bakool and Lower Shabelle, and Al-Shabaab reversed an earlier pledge to allow aid agencies to provide food in famine-stricken areas. That year, the U.N. Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation announced that Somalia had the highest mortality rate for children 4 and younger in the world. In May, a report jointly commissioned by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network reported that 258,000 Somalis had died in the famine between October 2010 and April 2012 and that half of the victims were younger than five. What is the United States doing? The United States has supported U.N.-backed African forces fighting Al-Shabaab and strengthened its counterterrorism efforts against the group. It has also donated millions in aid. The U.S. State Department said this week that Somali security forces, aided by the African Union Mission in Somalia, have driven Al-Shabaab out of major cities and towns, creating "a window of opportunity to fundamentally change Somalia's trajectory. What is the status of Somalia's government today? In September 2012, Somali parliament members selected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president in a vote that marked a milestone for the nation, which had not had a stable central government since Barre's overthrow 21 years before. That did not mean Al-Shabaab was calling it quits. In January, French forces attempted to rescue a French intelligence commando held hostage in Somalia by the group. The raid left the soldier dead, another soldier missing and 17 Islamist fighters dead. But there has been political progress there. In January, for the first time in more than two decades, the United States granted official recognition to the Somali government. Want to know more about Somalia? Get the fast facts . CNN's Tim Lister, Barbara Starr, Paula Newton, David McKenzie and Elise Labott contributed to this report . | Tweet: "Alshabab confirms its behind the #Westgate spectacle"
It was once allied with sharia courts, which tried to impose order on the lawless country .
Ethiopia's invasion in 2006 proved to be a turning point in radicalizing "the youth" |
0becfe5bb8621fec93104e117c79a8356f71c49e | Jose Mourinho has joked that the only thing stopping Eden Hazard from signing a new deal at Chelsea is the lack of a 'nice pen'. Hazard's representatives and Blues officials have been locked in discussions for months over new five-year contract worth £200,000-per-week, but Mourinho isn't concerned about the wait. He told GetWestLondon: 'I am buying a nice pen. Jose Mourinho has joked that he must buy a 'nice pen' before Eden Hazard sings a new Chelsea deal . Hazard has been one of Chelsea's star men this season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions . Hazard looks set to sign a new five-year contract worth £200,000-per-week at Stamford Bridge . 'I need a bit of time to go to Sloane Street and buy a proper pen. I just need time to buy the pen and after that I think there is not a long time to go!' The Belgian winger has been in sensational form for Chelsea so far this season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, and has shown no signs of wanting out of the Stamford Bridge club. Asked if he should be concerned, Mourinho added: 'Why? What's the problem? He has a contract with Chelsea for two or three more years, why should we be in a hurry? Are you worried? I'm not worried.' Mourinho's side face a Premier League clash against Everton on Wednesday night as the Blues look to take another step towards a first domestic title since the 2009-10 season. Cesc Fabregas is expected to start after recovering from a hamstring strain, but Chelsea must do without star striker Diego Costa as he sits out the final game of a three-game ban. Chelsea new boy Juan Cuadrado (centre) keeps the ball away from Hazard during training on Tuesday . Cesc Fabregas is set to return to the starting line-up against Everton after recovering from a hamstring injury . | Jose Mourinho jokes that he will buy a nice pen before Eden Hazard signs .
Hazard is expected to agree a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge .
Delays in securing Hazard's signature have led to questions over the deal .
But Chelsea boss Mourinho insists he is 'not worried' by the delay . |
0bee66847029b5c8491d07de2e6850e66041dfd1 | (CNN) -- Cuba is more than a thousand miles from my home in New York, but it's a place close to my heart. Steve Kastenbaum talks with Salomon Leyderman outside the Adath Israel synagogue in Havana, Cuba. I went to Cuba to report on a country that appears to be on the cusp of a new era. My focus was the future of U.S.-Cuban relations and the reforms under Cuban leader Raúl Castro. But a vague notion of exploring my family history in Cuba resulted in the most memorable story of the entire journey. More than 15,000 Jews were living in Cuba in the 1940s and '50s. Today, there are about 1,500. My grandmother, the daughter of Russian immigrants, was born in Havana, and my grandfather came to Cuba when he was just 3 years old. His family left Germany in the 1920s. To me, they were as much Cuban as they were Jewish. Watch how everyday life has changed for Cubans » . My grandparents left Cuba in the late '40s so that their children would be born in the United States. The last members of my family to leave Cuba did so post-revolution, in the 1960s. I was eager to see what had become of the places they left behind. Slideshow: Learn more about the Jewish population in Cuba » . When Castro lifted restrictions on religion in the mid-'90s, the once-dilapidated building that houses congregation El Patronato came back to life. Today, it's a thriving center for the local Jewish community. When I arrived, the children's summer program was in full swing. A few dozen boys and girls were laughing and playing as they waited for lunch to be served. I wasn't prepared for the wave of emotions that overcame me. Had things been different, I could have been just like them. Slideshow: Experience more of Kastenbaum's explorations of Cuba » . My next stop took me to Habana Viejo. Jewish life in Cuba has its roots in Old Havana, where my great-grandparents settled. I walked the streets where they lived and stopped in at the only remaining kosher butcher in town. I passed the building that once housed the local synagogue where my grandparents were wed. Watch efforts to restore parts of Havana » . The current home of Adath Israel is a few blocks away. At the front door, Salomon Leyderman introduced himself to me as the oldest Jew in Cuba. He's 86. I took out some old family photos, and Salomon immediately recognized my great-grandfather, Salomon Sher. He shouted out in Spanish, "they were tailors!" I couldn't believe my ears. This 86-year-old man told me how my great-grandfather was highly regarded in the community, how he belonged to many social organizations and how after the revolution, he made it possible for many Cuban Jews to leave the island and join him in Miami, Florida. As he looked at a family portrait, Salomon began to cry. He recognized Luis Sher, my grandmother's brother. He said Luis gave him as a gift a suit to wear at his bar mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony marking a boy's transition into manhood. It took place more than 70 years ago, but he recalled the details as if it happened yesterday. Tears were flowing down my cheeks, too. The following day, I called my father in New York and handed the cell phone to the oldest Jew in Cuba. This time there were no tears, just laughter. After the call, Salomon looked at my sneakers and said they're good shoes. He told me he's a European size 42, and I should bring him a pair when I return. He then asked me to send him a card on Hanukkah and smiled. Steve Kastenbaum is a New York correspondent for CNN Radio. | A CNN Radio correspondent explores his Jewish heritage in Cuba .
His grandparents left Cuba in the late 1940s .
An 86-year-old Jewish man remembered correspondent's family . |
0beeaccd2c69a5a962f09790fea92080e000fd1b | (CNN) -- Last week, Barack Obama went on record as the first American president to support same-sex marriage, but he doesn't appear ready to take his commitment beyond the endorsement stage. In an interview that aired Tuesday on ABC's "The View," Obama wouldn't commit to fighting for the the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act -- a federal law that defines marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman. "My Justice Department has said to the courts, we don't think the Defense of Marriage Act is constitutional," the president said. "This is something that historically had been determined at the state level and part of my believing ultimately that civil unions weren't sufficient." But pressed further about whether he would fight to repeal DOMA, Obama would only say, "Congress is clearly on notice that I think it's a bad idea." More than 30 states have voted in favor of constitutional amendments that defend the traditional definition of marriage as a heterosexual union. The president does see the issue looming large in the 2012 election. "This is going to be a big contrast in the campaign, because you've got Gov. (Mitt) Romney saying we should actually have a constitutional amendment installing the notion that you can't have same-sex marriages," Obama said in the interview, recorded Monday. Last week, Romney reaffirmed his position on gay marriage, saying marriage "should be a relationship between a man and a woman." "Let me make it very clear, that my preference is to have a national standard that defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman," Romney said. "That would then allow states to determine what rights would be provided for people of the same gender that wanted to have a relationship." While the full political implications of the president's same-sex marriage statement remain to be seen, Gallup released a poll Friday showing 51% of Americans approve of Obama's support for allowing gay couples to marry, while 45% disapprove. The survey was conducted entirely after he announced his endorsement in an ABC News interview on Wednesday. And a new Gallup poll out Monday gave further details into American attitudes on the topic. While 50% approve of same-sex marriage, a further breakdown of the numbers shows a significant gender gap: 56% of women say couples of the same gender should be legally allowed to marry, while 42% of men feel the same way. This is Obama's fourth appearance on "The View" and his second since taking up residence in the White House. | Poll: 51% of Americans approve of President Obama's support for same-sex marriage .
This issue is going to be a big contrast in the 2012 campaign, Obama says .
Mitt Romney says marriage should be between a man and a woman .
This is Obama's fourth appearance on "The View" |
0beee49fe854d6c8921dab7ebfc7fe1edda416b7 | West Ham will sport a newly-designed crest when they move to the Olympic Stadium from the start of the 2016-17 season. The Hammers conducted a number of online polls amongst supporters to garner opinions on a modern, simplistic design to coincide with the move away from Upton Park in two years' time - with a slight majority voting in favour of the change. The new crest sees the castle removed from the current design, with 'London' added in an attempt to attract a wider market as the club made a number of small alterations following feedback from fans. VIDEO Scroll down to watch West Ham unveil their new kit for the 2014/15 season . Proposal: The new badge, with the word London prominent on it, has been put to fans for approval . 'West Ham . United are pleased to report that an independent supporter poll, . conducted by SMG YouGov, shows that fans have voted in favour of . adopting the Club's updated crest design,' the club announced on their . website. 'Of . the two supporter polls, SMG YouGov reported that 77 per cent of fans . were supportive of evolving the Club's crest. The Club therefore had a . clear mandate for change. When presented with the new crest's design, 72 . per cent of West Ham fans who support change, also voted to adopt the . new crest design. 'SMG . YouGov's report confirmed that the second stage of the process . attracted new respondents and new opinions, while the results showed . that an overall 56 per cent majority of fans voted 'yes', in clear . support of adopting the new crest. Legends: The likes of Moore (above) and Brooking (below) have worn the famous crossed hammers . 'The . primary, full-colour flat and mono executions...will be the most widely . used and will grace the playing shirt from 2016. We are also pleased to . report that the popular blue shield with claret hammers will be adopted . as a secondary colour-way.' The . new crest is another step away from tradition for the east London club . who will leave the Boleyn Ground, their home for the last 110 years, to . take up anchor residency of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. Co-chairmen . David Sullivan and David Gold issued a statement thanking supporters . for their input, which read: 'As a board, we always put the fans' feelings at the heart of our decision making. This is an emotive issue . and we have said from the outset that if supporters did not vote for . this crest then there would be no change. New home: The change of badge will coincide with West Ham's 2016 move to the Olympic Stadium . Evolution: The current badge, as seen on new signing Diego Poyet, is the 15th version of the crest . 'From . all the emails and tweets we have seen, there are clearly thousands of . different opinions out there. But ultimately, the fans have spoken. We . are pleased to have found a route that has been endorsed by the majority . of fans so we now plan to follow that guidance.' Meanwhile . vice-chairman Karren Brady, who played a major part in securing the . Olympic Stadium move, believes the tie-in with a new crest is crucial to . develop the club. New look: The two shades of claret are a graphical representation of the HMS Warrior's bow, the inspiration behind the new crest shape . Changing times: The proposed badge will be the 16th evolution of the West Ham crest . 'Our . priority now is to continue to work with supporters to ensure that when . we make our momentous move in 2016, the Olympic Stadium looks and feels . like home. 'This . has always been and remains a guiding principle for the board in the . lead up to the move. Millions of pounds are being invested to make sure . the stadium exceeds fans' expectations come the first game of the . 2016-17 season. 'The . approval of the new crest is a significant step forward in this process . and I would like to reiterate my thanks to the thousands of supporters . who played their part in helping to devise what will be the 16th crest . in our 119-year history.' | West Ham invited supporters to cast deciding vote on the design .
‘London’ is incorporated in the badge to help the ambitious club make strides in global football market .
Boleyn Castle make way for two gold Hammers in the proposed badge . |
0bf0687078ce8c6e615dcac639ec396db626b502 | Remarkable new images from the Rosetta spacecraft have revealed the surface of its comet like never before. In the pictures an incredible amount of detail can be spotted - including boulders on the surface and dust moving across plains. The images come as Esa prepares to attempt to land a probe on the comet in two weeks. Esa, headquartered in Paris, has released new images of Rosetta's comet (mosaic shown). They reveal fascinating details on the surface including boulders. Sand dunes can also be seen on the comet's surface . The latest images of comet 67P/C-G were taken from a distance of 9.8km from the comet’s centre and revealed in a blog post by Esa. Four new images have been released, which have been combined into one mosaic image. In those images the scale is about 26 inches (66 cm) per pixel. The mosaic covers about 3,940 to 4,430ft (1,200 to 1,350 metres) on the comet’s surface. Towards the upper left of the image is an area of bright material that was cast in shadow in previous images, possibly at the base of a cliff. A recent landslide of sorts may have uncovered this material. Esa adds though that the brightness of the images is a little bit misleading, as the comet is actually blacker than coal. In order to make features visible the images are grey-scaled and also set to a high contrast to make them appear brighter. It's thought some sort of landslide may have revealed bright material seen at the bottom of this image under what appears to be a cliff. This image and the next three were used to make he mosaic . Esa is preparing to attempt to land a probe called Philae on the comet in two weeks . The images also take another look at a pyramid-like rock on the comet. This was named Cheops by Esa after the pyramid on Earth. It is seen here as the largest boulder just left and down of the centre . Esa adds though that the brightness of the images is a little bit misleading, as the comet is actually blacker than coal. In order to make features visible the images are grey-scaled and also set to a high contrast to make them appear brighter . 'Also not seen previously in this much detail are the two boulders just below the centre of the mosaic, one of which takes on a heart-shaped appearance from this angle,' Space Science Editor Emily Baldwin write for Esa on the blog. 'Zooming in reveals hints of a layered structure and both objects seems to be appearing from beneath the dusty layer, just like some of the smaller ‘boulders’ around them.' Within the images can also be seen a mysterious pyramid-shaped rock that was previously spotted by Esa. It can be seen just above the middle in the mosaic. At around 82ft-tall (25 metres), the structure is one of the larger boulders seen on the comet and could help scientists better understand its history. Boulder Cheops, taken by Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera on 19 September , from a distance of 17.7 miles (28.5km) In this image released on 18 October, meanwhile, sand dunes can be seen drifting down the centre . The 'pyramid' stood out among a group of boulders on the lower side of 67P/C-G's larger lobe – an area that has reminded scientists of the famous pyramids at Giza near Cairo in Egypt. Esa named the structure Cheops, after the largest of those pyramids, the Great Pyramid, which was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Cheops around 2550 BC. Rosetta has spent 10 years chasing down comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and is now in orbit around the 'ice mountain', edging in closer to its surface each day. For a sense of scale, the comet is about three times the size of Ben Nevis and Rosetta is the size of a car with 105ft (32 metre) wings. The 'pyramid' stood out among a group of boulders on the lower side of 67P/C-G's larger lobe – an area that has reminded scientists of the famous pyramids at Giza near Cairo in Egypt . A patchwork of images of comet 67P from a distance of 10.5 miles (16.9km) from the centre of the comet . Rosetta took an incredible selfie of its 131ft (40 metre) solar wings gleaming against the darkness of space last week. In the background is the duck-shaped comet, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, with its distinct 'head' and 'body' clearly visible . As Rosetta continues to survey and monitor the comet's surface in the next months, the scientists will be looking for clues to better explain the formation of the comet. Last month a 2.4 mile-wide (4km) region on the 'head' of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was revealed as the spot for the daring landing of Rosetta's Philae probe. The high-risk manoeuvre on November 12, if successful, will be the first time in history that a probe has been landed on a comet. Scientists at mission control in Germany hope the spider-like probe will send back data that could answer questions on the origin of Earth's water and perhaps even life. But they've warned that the landing should be seen as an 'exciting extra' on the Rosetta mission as the mission carries a 'high risk'. The recent decision that the mission is 'go' for Site J confirms the timeline of events leading up to the landing of Philae on Rosetta. Rosetta will release Philae at 08:35 GMT/09:35 CET on 12 November at a distance of approximately 14 miles (22.5km) from the centre of the comet. The landing will be about seven hours later at around 15:30 GMT/16:30 CET. During the seven-hour descent, Philae will take images and conduct science experiments, sampling the dust, gas and plasma environment close to the comet. It will take a 'farewell' image of the Rosetta orbiter shortly after separation, along with a number of images as it approaches the comet surface. It is expected that the first images from this sequence will be received on Earth several hours after separation. Once safely on the surface, Philae will take a panorama of its surroundings. Again, this is expected back on Earth several hours later. The first sequence of surface science experiments will begin about an hour after touchdown and will last for 64 hours, constrained by the lander's primary battery lifetime. Longer-term study of the comet by Philae will depend on for how long and how well the batteries are able to recharge, which in turn is related to the amount of dust that settles on its solar panels. In any case, it is expected that by March 2015, as the comet moves closer in its orbit towards the Sun, temperatures inside the lander will have reached levels too high to continue operations, and Philae's science mission will come to an end. The Rosetta orbiter's mission will continue for much longer. It will accompany the comet as it grows in activity until their closest approach to the Sun in August 2015 and then as they head back towards the outer Solar System. The reconstructed-colour image indicates how dark the comet really appears. On average, the comet's surface reflects about four per cent of impinging visible light, making it as dark as coal . Last month a 2.4 mile-wide (4km) region on the 'head' of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was revealed as the spot for the daring landing of Rosetta's Philae probe (illustration shown).The high-risk manoeuvre on November 12, if successful, will be the first time in history that a probe has been landed on a comet . | Esa, headquartered in Paris, has released new images of Rosetta's comet .
They reveal fascinating details on the surface including boulders .
Sand dunes can also be seen on the comet's surface .
And it's thought some sort of landslide may have revealed bright material .
Esa is preparing to attempt to land on the comet in two weeks .
The images also take another look at a pyramid-like rock on the comet .
This was named Cheops by Esa after the pyramid on Earth . |
0bf17e4cfae2abe60b1c4a8873fdea595a953e27 | Rene Martinez (pictured) was caught on video . This is the shocking moment a patient recorded himself allegedly being sexually assaulted by a male nurse as he lay in a hospital bed in Florida. The 38-year-old man, who does not wish to be identified, was taken to Palm Springs Hospital in Hiaeleah, Miami-Dade County, on September 15 after suffering from severe back pain. But as he lay heavily sedated on a bed, he was allegedly molested twice by ER technician Rene Martinez. The second time, he had his cell phone video running, propped up on his shoulder. Footage, obtained by Local10, appears to show 51-year-old Martinez entering the room, before sliding his hand into his patient's boxers and fondling his genitalia. He then leaves the room. 'I was like, "What's going on?" and he was like, "I was just checking to make sure you're OK." That's when I say, "OK this guy is up to something", said the patient, referring to the first alleged assault. 'He [then] came back, put his hand in my boxers, pulled out my private parts and started playing with it, and I was rolling on him doing it the second time.' The victim, who did not call for help at the time because he was 'too scared' and 'drowsy' from painkillers, added: 'It has caused me a lot of damage. I haven’t been the same since it happened.' Scroll down for video . Shocking: This is the moment ER technician Rene Martinez, 51, allegedly sexually assaulted a 38-year-old patient as he lay in a bed at Palm Springs Hospital in Hiaeleah, Miami-Dade County, Florida, in September . Sneaky: Footage, appears to show Martinez entering the room, before sliding his hand into the man's boxers . Horrific: The nurse then seemingly fondles the victim's genitalia - pictured, blurred out - and leaves the room . The next day, the patient, cited in legal documents as 'John Doe', complained to the hospital. But he waited two weeks to go to the police, having been traumatized by sex abuse as a child. Following his complaint, Martinez was arrested and charged with two counts each of simple battery and an unnatural lascivious act. He denies all charges. On Monday, the patient's attorney, Jeffrey Herman, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the South Florida-based hospital, alleging that his client was not protected from sexual assault. In the lawsuit, Mr Herman claims the patient was told by Martinez that he could 'make good money' by showing his private parts at a hotel the nurse's friend owned. Alleged assault: During the second 'attack', the patient had his phone video running, propped on his shoulder . On video: 'I was like, "What's going on?" and he was like, "I was just checking to make sure you're OK." That's when I say, "OK this guy is up to something", said the patient, referring to the first alleged molestation . Leaving: 'He [then] came back, put his hand in my boxers, pulled out my private parts and started playing with it, and I was rolling on him doing it the second time,' the man added. Above, Martinez leaves the room . 'I could make a hundred dollars or more showing my private part,' the patient wrote in the report. 'He kept coming into the room trying to convince me.' Mr Herman added: 'My client was unable to defend himself, but he was able to get his phone out, so when it happened again, my client was able to get a video recording.' According to the report, Martinez's phone's browser history showed visits to explicit male websites. Interview: The victim (pictured speaking to TV crews, but not revealing his identity, said he was 'too scared' and 'drowsy' from painkillers to call for help at the time of the alleged assault in Florida on September 15 . Lawsuit: On Monday, the patient's attorney, Jeffrey Herman, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit (pictured) against the hospital, alleging that his client - referred to as 'John Doe' - was not protected from sexual assault . Speaking to CBS4, Martinez's lawyer, Sabino Jauregui, said he will fight the charges and accused the alleged victim of being a 'convicted felon with a long history'. Pam Springs's CEO, Vilma Gliberman, said the hospital would not comment on the allegations. It is unknown whether Martinez is still employed there, according to CBS4 News. The nurse is due to appear in court in January. If convicted, he could face up to one year in prison. Hospital: Pam Springs's CEO, Vilma Gliberman, said the hospital would not comment on the allegations . | Unnamed patient, 38, was taken to Palm Springs Hospital with back pain .
But as he lay heavily sedated on a bed, he was 'sexually assaulted twice'
Rene Martinez allegedly fondled man's genitalia as he pretended to sleep .
Nurse's second alleged assault was captured on the patient's cell phone .
Martinez has denied battery and committing an unnatural lascivious act .
Patient has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against hospital in Florida . |
0bf3a6d5109f1447fbdddc8160e84c7799718b68 | By . Simon Tomlinson . A boy has been orphaned days before his seventh birthday after his parents died in a murder-suicide at his home. Police were called to the house of Kristin Batdorf, 43, and Jose Rodriguez-Yera, 47, in Lansing, Michigan, after neighbours heard the six-year-old crying in the street. Officers believe Rodriguez killed his chiropractor wife before taking his own life. Tragedy: Kristin Batdorf, 43, and Jose Rodriguez-Yera, 47, have died in a murder-suicide at their home . Police haven't said how the couple died, but neighbours say they heard gunshots at around 1am on Thursday. The boy was been placed into the custody of Child Protective Services, but was not physically harmed. One neighbour and friend told WILX 10 that he thought Batdorf had been trying to leave her husband. Osmany Junco said: 'He called me one day, he told me they were having problems. Scene: Police were called to couple's house (above) in Lansing, Michigan, after neighbours heard their six-year-old son crying in the street . 'She no wanted to continue with him. I don't know why.' Other neighbours were surprised the couple might have been having difficulties. 'They were very, very friendly helpful people... always offering to help,' said Jesse Owens. Another said they 'weren't very vocal or obviously confrontational'. The Eaton County Prosecutor has taken over the case. | Kristin Batdorf, 43, and Jose Rodriguez-Yera, 47, found dead at home .
Police believe he killed her before taking his life, but haven't said how .
Neighbours found their son weeping in street after hearing gunshots .
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details. |
0bf3bb1c51d8f85e27bbc271f55c7d3a1a0efc7e | Rome (CNN) -- A crooked Somali cop may have been the one who made the kidnapping of two foreign aid workers in October possible, the safety adviser for their employer told CNN. U.S. military forces rescued Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Poul Thisted, 60, on Wednesday after they spent three months in captivity. Now in Sicily, the aid workers are to be reunited with their spouses. Buchanan and Thisted were traveling in Somalia as workers for the Danish Refugee Council at the time of their kidnapping. Fredrik Palsson, the group's global safety adviser, revealed new details about how the pair were captured. Nongovernmental organizations such as Danish Refugee Council are required to have security while traveling in certain parts of Somalia. The Somali government provides protection, not private security companies, Palsson said. Known as special protection units, these guards operate only in specific areas, and so aid workers must change vehicles and switch guards when they cross from one region to the next, he said. "What happened was that one of the guards, he was sold out, and he had as a mission: to capture expatriates," Palsson said. The kidnappers paid off one officer, who replaced the regular guards with others who were in on the corruption, he said. "And as they came close to the changeover position, then they were stopped, and then they were moved into other vehicles and they were driven away," he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. military said that the two rescued aid workers need time out of the media spotlight to recover. The workers' health and welfare are the top priority, the military statement said, appealing to journalists to respect the privacy of the freed hostages and their families. "It is extremely important that they have the chance to decompress from this event without the pressure of instant overwhelming public notoriety," it said. In a joint statement issued through the Danish Refugee Council, Buchanan's and Thisted's families expressed relief the two were rescued unharmed. "We are grateful for all the efforts that have been put into getting them safely back to us and for the fact that a very difficult chapter in our lives is over," it said. "We need to look ahead now, and it is going to take time for us all to adjust and to return to normal life. We would like to thank all media for having respected our needs for privacy, and we request for everyone to continue to show us this respect and to give us time and privacy, which is all we need now." The reintegration process allows the Defense Department to gather critical information while taking care of the freed captives, the military said. "The process ensures returnees have the best chance to return to their previous lives following this significant event," it said. The two hostages were freed in a dramatic overnight rescue operation. U.S. special operations forces parachuted into Somalia from airplanes early Wednesday, advanced on foot to a compound where the two kidnapped workers were being held and then freed them, U.S. officials said. The nine gunmen holding the hostages were killed, officials said. The kidnappers seized Buchanan and Thisted on October 25 in the central Somali town of Galkayo after they visited humanitarian projects there, the Danish Refugee Council said. Neither was harmed, the aid group said. Buchanan's father, John, was to go to Sicily to see her, CNN learned. She will be returned to the United States when she wants, probably in a U.S. military aircraft. Somalia's transitional government welcomed the U.S. military operation. The rescue "is a great joy to the Somali government and to all Somalis as well as to all right thinking people everywhere," the government said in a statement. "Hitting them hard is the only language kidnappers of innocent people, pirates and terrorists understand, and every opportunity should be taken to wipe out this scourge from our country." The new U.N. envoy to Somalia -- the first permanent U.N. representative there in 17 years -- also expressed understanding about the military operation. "If negotiations fail, all means must be applied, including rescue operations," Augustine Mahiga said Thursday, even as he urged that lives be protected "on both sides." Thisted's sister and brother-in-law wept for joy when they heard he had been rescued, the brother-in-law, Svend Rask, told Denmark's TV2. "She was overjoyed when she told us what happened," Rask said, speaking of the daughter who gave them the news. The Navy SEAL unit that killed Osama bin Laden last year in Pakistan participated in the rescue mission, a U.S. official said, without specifying whether any of the same individuals were on both assaults. The SEALs are part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team Six. The area where the hostages were seized is known as a hub for pirates, rather than an area of Islamic militant activity. Somalia Report, a website that tracks piracy statistics, said more than $150 million was paid out in ransoms in 2011. Successful pirate attacks on merchant vessels began to drop off in 2011 in face of improved shipping security -- including on board armed security detachments -- and stronger action from the foreign navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, said the number of attacks had risen but the success rate had plummeted to 12% in the first nine months of 2011. The aid workers were part of the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit, which aims to make civilians safe from land mines and unexploded ordnance. Buchanan has been employed as a regional education adviser with the mine clearance unit since May; Thisted, a community safety manager with the de-mining unit, has been working in Somaliland and Somalia since June 2009. CNN's Brian Todd, Dugald McConnell and Livia Borghese contributed to this report. | NEW: Danish Refugee Council official says bribed guard made kidnapping possible .
Aid workers Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted are at a U.S. base in Sicily .
The reintegration process will help the two readjust to normal life, the U.S. military says .
They were freed in a daring rescue by U.S. special operations troops in Somalia . |
0bf47a4bf63db3c415e6c3855949807897cf7e59 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 03:33 EST, 9 August 2011 . Country sensation Taylor Swift caught major waves at the Teen Choice awards last night, scooping up six surfboard trophies including one for Ultimate Teen Choice. Swift, who soared to popularity in 2006 at age 16 with her self-titled debut album, won a total of six awards: . choice female music artist, country female artist, female red carpet . fashion icon, country single for 'Mean' and break-up song for 'Back to . December.' The 21-year-old crooner was also . honoured for her contributions to entertainment with the Ultimate Choice . Award, the show's version of a lifetime achievement award. Scroll down for a full list of winners and video... Top of the board: Taylor Swift emerged as the top winner at the Teen Choice Awards tonight, scooping six gongs - seen here collecting the Ultimate Choice Award . Leggy lovely: The country singer wore a short white dress for the event, posing here with one of her surfboard trophies . Accepting her Ultimate Teen Choice . surfboard onstage, Swift thanked her fans and joked: 'It's been a long . time since I was a teenager, like two years.' She noted how teenagers often are . teased by adults because they are 'intense' or 'romantic,' but she . encouraged kids in the audience and watching at home on the Fox TV . network, saying: 'I think all those things are amazing things, and to . all the teens watching, I hope you never lose those things.' The . Teen Choice Awards are an annual stop on Hollywood's award circuit and . give actors, musicians and other artists who are popular with kids the . chance to thank their fans. On the crest of a wave: Taylor collects a gong from actress Emma Stone . Selena . Gomez, who performed her hit single I Love You Like a Love Song with . her band The Scene, won five awards, including choice TV actress in a drama for her role in . Wizards of Waverly Place. She was also named choice 'hottie,' and The Scene scored the award for top band and for single of the year . with their song Who Says. The . 19-year-old Gomez also saw her boyfriend, Justin Bieber, scoop up four . surfboards. Despite arriving separately, the couple sat together at the ceremony and kissed, putting to bed rumours they had split. Vamping it up: Selena Gomez, another big winner of the night, took to the stage to perform in a short dress with a black and red train . Proud moment: Gomez and her band The Scene scored the award for top band and for single of the year with their song Who Says . Adding to his collection: Justin Bieber, 17, was named top male artist and earned an acting award for his recent work on television, seen with friend Sean Kingston onstage . Bieber picked up four surfboard-shaped trophies as . choice male music artist, male hottie, twit and TV villain for his 'CSI' guest starring role. But perhaps the most poignant honour . was not a Teen Choice surfboard, but a special 'Inspire' trophy that . went to Demi Lovato, an 18-year-old singer and actress who late last . year pulled out of a concert tour to enter rehab for abuse issues. Since . then, Lovato has talked openly about her problems with eating disorders . and cutting herself that she linked to being bullied at school when she . was younger. Look what I've got: Cameron Diaz accepted the award for Choice Movie actress, seen right host Kaley Cuoco . Something to get their teeth stuck into: Vampire Diaries stars, from left, Michael Trevino, Kat Graham, Nina Dobrev, and Ian Somerhalder accept the Choice Sci-fi/Fantasy TV Show award . Thank you: Gossip Girl Blake Lively won the trophy for TV actress while a smiling Demi Lovato won the Inspiration award after a difficult year . And she started a foundation called Love Is Louder Than the Pressure to be Perfect to help kids combat peer pressure. 'You guys are what got me through this . last year,' she said to screaming fans at the Teen Choice Awards. 'Love . is louder, I love you guys so much.' 'The Big Bang Theory' leading lady . Kaley Cuoco hosted the 13th annual extravaganza at Universal Studios . Hollywood's Gibson Amphitheatre. Congratulations: Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner presented the award to Lively, who looked stunning in a tight orange dress . Team Edward! Robert Pattinson collects the Choice Vampire gong, while his co-star Lautner is seen right making an earlier appearance onstage . Between dispensing awards like candy, . Cuoco battled 'Chuck' star Zachary Levi in table tennis, danced . alongside 'America's Best Dance Crew' winners Poreotix and jokingly . quizzed teenagers about current affairs. There were moments of seriousness . amid the silliness. Sean Kingston made his first live televised . appearance since recovering from injuries he suffered after crashing a . watercraft into a Miami Beach bridge in May. Other winners who picked up . surfboard-shaped trophies included Cameron Diaz as choice movie comedy . actress for 'Bad Teacher,' Ellen DeGeneres as choice comedian and Ashton . Kutcher as choice romantic comedy movie actor for 'No Strings . Attached.' Goofing . around: Ashton Kutcher, who won the Movie Actor award for his romcom No . String Attached, started singing Katy Perry's Teenage Dream during his . acceptance speech . Off, . off, off! But Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie was no amused by the . performance. Kutcher beat Fergie's man Josh Duhamel, who was also . nominated in the category for Life As We Know It . Before leading the crowd in a singalong of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream,' Kutcher provided some topical advice. 'Don't ever charge anything on a credit card if you don't already have the money in the bank to pay for it,' he said. The ceremony ended with a tribute to the 'Harry Potter' film franchise. The final two instalments apparently . bewitched online voters, winning such categories as choice . sci-fi/fantasy movie, liplock, villain for Tom Felton and summer movie . star for both Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, who accepted his . surfboard via satellite from New York. Spectator sport: David Beckham seen in the audience with his sons Cruz and Romeo . Cheers! Harry Potter stars Tom Felton, left, and Rupert Grint picked up a special award for the movie franchise at the event, held in the Gibson Amphitheatre . And a hello from me: Daniel Radcliffe appeared via a satellite link as his co-stars took to the stage . Choice Movie Action: Fast Five. Choice Movie Actor Action: Johnny Depp, The Tourist. Choice Movie Actress Action: Angelina Jolie, The Tourist. Choice Movie Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Choice Movie Actor Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Choice Movie Actor Romantic Comedy: Ashton Kutcher, No Strings Attached. Choice Movie Actress Romantic Comedy: Emma Stone, Easy A. Choice Movie Actress Comedy: Cameron Diaz, Bad Teacher. Choice Movie Actor Drama: Robert Pattinson, Water for Elephants. Choice Movie Villain: Tom Felton, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Choice Movie Liplock: Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Choice Movie Hissy Fit: Ed Helms, The Hangover Part II. Choice Movie Male Scene Stealer: Kellan Lutz, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Choice Movie Female Scene Stealer: Ashley Greene, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Choice Summer Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 . Choice Summer Movie Star Male: Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Choice Summer Movie Star Female: Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Choice TV Show Drama: Gossip Girl. Choice TV Actress Drama: Blake Lively, Gossip Girl. Choice TV Show Fantasy/Sci-Fi: The Vampire Diaries . Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries. Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries. Choice TV Male Scene Stealer: Michael Trevino, The Vampire Diaries. Choice TV Female Scene Stealer: Katerina Graham, The Vampire Diaries. Choice TV Villain: Justin Bieber, CSI. Choice TV Reality Show: Jersey Shore. Choice TV Male Reality/Variety Star: Paul Pauly D Del Vecchio, Jersey Shore. Choice TV Show Comedy: Glee. Choice TV Actor Comedy: Cory Monteith, Glee. Choice TV Actress Comedy: Selena Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place. Choice TV Breakout Star: Darren Criss, Glee. Choice Music Male Artist: Justin Bieber. Choice Music Female Artist: Taylor Swift. Choice Music Group: Selena Gomez and The Scene . Choice Music Single: Who Says, Selena Gomez and The Scene. Choice Music Female Country Artist: Taylor Swift. Choice Music Country Single: Mean, Taylor Swift. Choice Music Love Song: Love You Like a Love Song, Selena Gomez. Choice Music Breakup Song: Back to December, Taylor Swift. Choice Summer Music Star Male: Bruno Mars. Choice Summer Music Star Female: Katy Perry. Choice Summer Song: Skyscraper, Demi Lovato. Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon Female: Taylor Swift. Choice Male Hottie: Justin Bieber. Choice Female Hottie: Selena Gomez. Choice Comedian: Ellen DeGeneres. Choice Twit: Justin Bieber. Choice Vampire: Robert Pattinson. Choice Web Star: Rebecca Black. Ultimate Choice Award: Taylor Swift. | Selena Gomez came a close second with five wins .
Singer puts split rumours with Bieber to bed as they smooch .
Ashton Kutcher sings Katy Perry's Teenage Dream onstage . |
0bf5685e81947f298fe346594c454b8f31a6edc8 | By . Helen Lawson . PUBLISHED: . 06:53 EST, 20 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:58 EST, 20 June 2013 . The geiger counter wristwatch worn by Sean Connery in the James Bond film Thunderball is to go under the hammer after it was bought for £25 at a car boot sale. The whereabouts of the Breitling Top Time watch had been a mystery for years until it turned up at the sale. The . prop - one of the many gadgets used by 007 during his 50 years . on-screen - helped Bond locate stolen atomic weapons during underwater scenes in the 1965 film. Scroll down for video . James Bond's Breitling Top Time watch, seen in Thunderball, was bought for £25 at a car boot sale following years of mystery as to its whereabouts . Now the watch is to be sold by . Christie's in London with an estimated price of up to £60,000. The . Top Time model by the Swiss firm was the first watch that audiences saw being adapted by Q's team of boffins in the series. It was one of a . number of items given to Bond by Q - played by Desmond Llewelyn - when . he headed over to Nassau in the Bahamas to give him extra equipment. One of the hands of . the watch shows the strength of radioactivity, to help him track down two Nato atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE. The . basic watch was originally made by Breitling in 1962, then adapted by . the James Bond art department. It was the only one produced for the . movie. It is thought that the watch was passed on by someone who worked at Pinewood Studios, where most of the film was made. The watch helped Sean Connery's Bond to track down two Nato bombs stolen by SPECTRE in 1965's Thunderball . Christie's, which will sell the watch in a Pop Culture sale on June 26, had little further detail . about the bargain hunter who found the watch, or where it was found. A spokesman said: 'This is a great opportunity for collectors to acquire a unique piece of James Bond memorabilia.' Bond's watches became an essential part of his armoury - as well as money-spinning merchandise for the franchise. Thunderball was the only time a Breitling made an appearance in the films, while Hamilton and TAG Haeur made one-off appearances in Live and Let Die and The Living Daylights respectively. But the classic Bond watch was decided in Ian Fleming's novels - the Rolex. In 1962's Dr No, producer Cubby Broccoli had to lend Sean Connery his own Rolex as the company would not loan one for the production. Pierce Brosnan's Bond, left, adopted the Omega Seamaster in the 1990s while the classic Rolex Submariner helped Roger Moore dodge death and unzip dresses in Live and Let Die . The Rolex Submariner became synonymous with Bond, appearing on his wrist in Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun, returning for one final outing in 1989's Licence to Kill. Bond's watches were far more than accessories, with the timepieces adapted into gadgets by Q-Branch. In Live and Let Die, Roger Moore used his Rolex to unzip the dress of agent Miss Caruso with the line: 'Sheer magnetism, darling', while it also doubled as a buzz-saw to help his escape death-by-sharks. The Breitling in Thunderball helped him track down atomic bombs, while the production team opted for Seiko digital watches in the 1970s and 80s. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond received ticker tape messages out of his watch, while in Moonraker his Seiko had built-in explosives and a detonator. Other Seikos included GPS tracking devices and a TV screen for 007 to take video calls. Bond's timepiece became a sleek Omega Seamaster in the 1990s, thought to be more modern than the Rolex. It first appeared in GoldenEye on Pierce Brosnan's wrist and is still worn by Daniel Craig, who became an ambassador for the brand. | Sean Connery's Bond used the watch to find stolen Nato atomic bombs .
The Top Time model was modified by Desmond Llewelyn's Q to give to 007 .
Now the watch, which was missing for years, is to be sold at Christie's . |
0bf5dac7507cdf39330c58a09417908bd958916d | For some, going on holiday means a chance to escape from the norms of everyday life and embrace a new culture. But for others, there are some 'home comforts' that are just too hard to leave behind. A plea for a Scottish chef to cook haggis in Brussels, help to rescue an event's British-style floral displays and advice on tuning a TV in Italy to receive channels in English were among the bizarre requests made by travellers. One tourist staying in Brussels asked the British Consulate if they could help him arrange a Scottish chef to cook his party some haggis . The embassy in Mexico City was asked to assist in finding out whether a man had left his mobile phone on a plane while foreign office staff in France were asked to provide advice on treating a cat's infected paw. Foreign Office Minister David Lidington said while consular staff provided assistance to thousands of travellers, they were not able to 'act as veterinary surgeons'. Last year the FCO's contact centres received more than 365,000 calls from British nationals and while the vast majority were genuine requests from people who needed help, thousands related to issues that staff were unable to assist with. The request for a Belgium-based Scottish chef came from an event coordinator in Brussels who was arranging a Burns Night celebration. It's always nice to find some TV channels in your native language when on holiday, but calling the Foreign Office to help tune these in is perhaps a step too far . A person in France thought the best department to help treat their cat's infected paws was the Foreign Office . A call in the USA asking for assistance with a floral display came after the professional gardener hired to create hanging baskets for a trade fair got 'stage fright'. A caller asking for help with setting up ‘British-style’ hanging baskets at a trade show because the professional gardener hired for the purpose had stage fright . A British woman asking the consulate in Albania how to find out if her son’s fiancée was already married . A caller asking for advice on how to treat a cat’s infected paw . A man called requesting that staff at the British Embassy in Mexico City go to the airport to check whether he had left his mobile phone on a plane. A woman in Italy calling to enquire how she could synchronise her TV antenna to receive English channels. An event coordinator in Brussels asking for the name of a Scottish chef based in the country who could make Haggis for a Burns Night event. Can you chase up British Airways to find out where my son’s missing suitcase is? I need to book the cheapest possible flights to New Zealand, can you send me some options? My scooter has been stolen in Panama, what can you do to find it? I want to become a Lord, how do I get a title? Can you recommend somewhere for me to get a roast dinner in the Philippines? One British woman asked the consulate in Albania how to find out if her son's fiancee was already married. Mr Lidington said: 'It is important for FCO consular staff to be able to focus on our most vulnerable customers, such as victims of crime, those who have lost a loved one abroad or people who have been detained or hospitalised overseas. 'Consular staff support thousands of British nationals who encounter difficulties overseas every year and we handle over 365,000 enquires annually. 'We will always try to help where we can but there are limits to what we can do, so it's important for people to be aware of how we can help. 'We can issue an emergency travel document if your passport is lost or stolen, offer support if you become a victim of crime or visit you in hospital or prison, but we aren't able to pay medical bills, give legal advice or get you out of jail, or indeed act as veterinary surgeons.' Meg Williams, the head of the FCO's global contact centres, said: 'The role of the FCO Contact Centres is to help enable consular staff to focus on what is important and to concentrate on those in need, but we continue to receive misdirected enquiries from British nationals. 'We receive hundreds of thousands of calls every year and while the vast majority of these are from British nationals in genuine need of our assistance and services, in 2014 38 per cent were not related to consular support at all. 'For example, one caller asked us to help find his son's missing suitcase - as it had apparently been lost by a British airline, the caller thought the British consulate would be able to locate it.' The FCO’s priority is to protect the welfare of British nationals abroad, and consular staff will always do their best to assist people when they find themselves in difficulty. On tourist in the Philippines rang the British Foreign Office to find out where they could get a roast dinner . However, it is important for travellers to understand what services we provide before getting in touch. There are also some simple pre-travel steps that you can take to reduce the risk of getting into difficulty and needing our help, such as taking out comprehensive travel insurance, researching the destination and any health risks and ensuring access to emergency funds. The FCO can... The FCO cannot... | Last year the Foreign Office received more than 365,000 calls from Britons .
Thousands related to issues that staff were unable to assist with .
Foreign Office publishes reminder of what they can and can't help with . |
0bf7f89a09fce1ef104cd0c1d480376894e8aa3e | By . Gerri Peev . PUBLISHED: . 18:13 EST, 27 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:41 EST, 29 September 2013 . The UK will host a crucial Nato summit next year for the first time since 1990, when Margaret Thatcher was in power. David Cameron will invite leaders of the 28 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries to London just as 87,000 troops are due to draw down from Afghanistan. The Prime Minister said the defence alliance remained ‘a relevant force fit for the 21st Century’. The summit will also be used to pay tribute to the ‘contribution and sacrifice’ of the allied troops as ‘Nato draws down its forces and looks to help Afghanistan in different ways’. Critical summit: David Cameron, pictured here with Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, will host next year's Nato summit . Mr Cameron added: ‘The summit will also be about the future of our alliance. ‘Britain has always been at the forefront of shaping the alliance, from its start in 1949 to Nato’s current operations. ‘The 2014 summit will be critical in ensuring Nato remains a relevant, modern, adaptable force fit for the 21st Century.’ Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the summit would be ‘an opportunity to mark the conclusion of our ISAF mission at the end of next year, while opening a new chapter in Nato’s engagement with Afghanistan’. The alliance was set up in 1949, with the emergence of the Cold War. Ally: British Prime Minister David Cameron pictured with Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen outside 10 Downing Street . It continued as the West’s main riposte against the threat of the Soviet Union and its satellite Communist states. But Nato’s relevance has been questioned with the decline of the Cold War. There have also been rows between members over a reluctance to militarily intervene in Syria. Foreign policy experts view the 2014 summit as the most important Nato meeting since the end of the Cold War. Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society thinktank, said: ‘By bringing the summit to the UK, the Prime Minister has clearly demonstrated that his commitment to Britain’s role in the world is unshaken, despite recent political difficulties over Syria. 'Hosting the summit is a clear signal that the Prime Minister and his Government fully intend to ensure Britain carries the burden of defending our values in a multipolar world, where those who do not share them are in the ascendancy. ‘This is a vital summit, the stakes for which are very high. It will allow Britain to host what may well turn out to be the most crucial NATO summit since the Cold War.’ The summit will also take place the same year as the Scottish independence referendum. Scottish nationalists want an independent Scotland to continue to be a Nato member. But the Scottish Government’s anti-nuclear stance puts it odds with Nato’s key defence strategy, which centres around keeping a nuclear deterrent. | Cameron to invite 28 leaders next year for 'crucial summit'
Will mark 87,000 troops backing out of Afghanistan .
First time it has being held in UK since Margaret Thatcher was in power . |
0bf85772019a74bb211a227b53f691b754891407 | (CNN) -- A Georgia man was killed and his daughter critically injured Sunday when an airplane struck them as they walked along a Florida beach. Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Wendy Rose said Venice Municipal Airport officials reported a plane in distress Sunday afternoon. The pilot of a 1972 Piper Cherokee radioed that he would be unable to make it back to the airport and that he was instead going to attempt a landing on Caspersen Beach, just to the south. The plane landed and hit Ommy Irizarry, 36, and his daughter, Oceana, 9, about 2:45 p.m., according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. Irizarry died on the scene. His daughter was airlifted to All Children's Hospital and is believed to be in critical condition, according to the sheriff's office. "The dad looked very bad," witness Zack Arceneaux told CNN affiliate Bay News 9. "They were performing CPR on him. He had blood on his face. It looked like he wasn't breathing at all." "It's the last thing you'd expect," Arceneaux said to CNN affiliate WTSP. "I didn't hear anything. Actually I thought the motor must've went out. I didn't hear anything. Figured, maybe it ran out of fuel and just hit them and they weren't ready." The pilot, Karl Kokomoor and his passenger, David Theen, were uninjured. Both are from Englewood, Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. Pilot jumps from his own damaged plane . CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report . | NEW: Witness: "I didn't hear anything. ... I thought the motor must've went out"
Small plane ditches onto Florida beach, killing a man and injuring his daughter .
The pilot radioed that he was unable to make it back to the airport .
Daughter, 9, airlifted to hospital . |
0bf909809ef51a33240e1daebb0cd4fc7c7c601e | By . Peter Hayter . The scale of the divisiveness on the Ashes tour which ultimately cost Kevin Pietersen his international career extended beyond a push for the removal of team director Andy Flower. While Pietersen’s barely disguised contempt for Flower’s management and methods boiled over during a players-only meeting after the fourth Test in Melbourne that left most of the squad flabbergasted, sources claim he had also had captain Alastair Cook and vice-captain Matt Prior in his sights for much of the tour. Pietersen has never hidden his dislike and distrust of Flower’s approach, so there was shock but little surprise when he tore into the coach at that meeting, forcing Cook and Prior to intervene more than once. In happier times: Kevin Pietersen wanted Andy Flower replaced as England's team director and also had Alastair Cook, left, and Matt Prior in his sights . Relationship broken: Pietersen never hide his dislike for Flower's methods during his time as England team director . But it is now emerging that as well as wanting Flower replaced as coach, Pietersen had grave misgivings about Cook’s captaincy and tactical approach and he further thought Prior was not worth his place — and he made those views known to various colleagues on the tour. Furthermore, it is known he had little time for batting coach Graham Gooch. There is debate over his motivation for pursuing an agenda of wholesale change from within the dressing room. His supporters suggest it was based on genuine and objective concern for the future prospects of the team. Others say he never got over losing the captaincy in the fiasco which resulted in his sacking and that of coach Peter Moores in the winter of 2008-09, and that he saw the Ashes loss as an opportunity to grab it back. Fall out: Pietersen lost the captaincy in the fiasco which resulted in his sacking and that of coach Peter Moores in the winter of 2008-09 . Whatever lies behind his thinking, the disappointment felt by Cook and Prior is all the more acute because Pietersen is aware that, were it not for them, his international career might have ended in 2012 after the Textgate storm that enveloped English cricket in crisis. Then, when Pietersen was dropped for the final Test against South Africa after it emerged he had sent derogatory text messages to ‘close friends’ inside the opposition dressing room about Flower and Andrew Strauss, then skipper, certain powerful voices were dead set on ending Pietersen’s seven-year Test career. Had Strauss carried on, it may have spelled the end for him. History: Pietersen sent derogatory text messages to 'close friends' in the South Africa side about Flower and former England captain Andrew Strauss . But, after Pietersen said it was ‘tough being me in the England dressing room’ in an extraordinary press conference following his brilliant hundred at Headingley, Prior extended the hand of friendship. The wicketkeeper was the only player to call his troubled team-mate in an effort to move forward. Later, even though Pietersen was not at first selected for the tour to India, new captain Cook sought to canvass the opinions of his senior players and then made decisive moves to bring him back into the fold. Flower was uncertain, but felt he had to support his new skipper. Pietersen repaid them with a wonderful century in the second Test in Mumbai and the uneasy peace held through last summer’s 3-0 Ashes victory, until it all ended in tears this winter. As the fallout from the 5-0 defeat spreads, Flower has relinquished day-to-day control of the England team — he will continue to exert an influence in his new role with the England Cricket Board — and Prior ended the series on the sidelines. In addition, observers with no axe to grind have proposed Cook should quit the captaincy to concentrate on his batting. Tough tour: Cook, left, and Flower presided over a humiliating whitewash in the Ashes against Australia . On Saturday, Andrew Flintoff not only called Flower’s style domineering, but also accused Cook of letting things ‘stand still’ as regards team planning and insisted that simply blaming Pietersen was ‘just not right’. ‘It’s when you’re not doing well that you need team spirit, and I haven’t seen too many people coming out and accepting responsibility for this one,’ said Flintoff, the captain when England were whitewashed by Australia in 2006-07. ‘The group don’t seem to be a group any more. They’ve got one player who can take the blame and the rest of them want to go about their business and let him take the fall. ‘It’s not that we couldn’t bowl them out, not that we couldn’t score runs, not that we got outplayed — it’s Kevin Pietersen’s fault. I’d have more respect for some of the senior players if they held their hands up, rather than letting it all get heaped on one bloke.’ Backing: Andrew Flintoff, right, has defended Pietersen and says he can't take all the blame for England's woe in Australia . Yet senior figures consider Pietersen’s actions undermined team spirit from the start. They point out that his silence over an all-out attack on Cook by his close friend and ally Shane Warne before the series, when the Aussie called for the captain to be replaced by Pietersen, and KP’s disinclination to offer public support thereafter left more questions than answers. And his refusal to counter the assault on Cook by his No 1 cheerleader, Piers Morgan, who tweeted ‘Sack Cook’ at every available opportunity, did little to help team unity. When Pietersen hijacked the team meeting in Melbourne — called with Flower’s support and aimed at urging players to take more responsibility for their performances — he tried to press for a regime change. That was seen as final confirmation that he had no qualms about undermining team unity already rocked by the trauma of Jonathan Trott’s early departure and the continuing struggles on the field. When, before making the decision to sack Pietersen last week, new managing director Paul Downton took soundings from all concerned, he was left in no doubt of the general belief that Pietersen’s actions and behaviour concerning Flower, Cook and Prior were not merely divisive, but bordered on a deliberate attempt to undermine the leadership of the group. Early blow: England batsman Jonathan Trott came back home early because of a stress-related illness . Indeed, any lingering support from within has been blown away following Morgan’s efforts to drag Prior into the row over that meeting in Melbourne, and what some see as wilful twisting of Prior’s words in order to misrepresent his position over Flower and demonstrate his support for Pietersen. Morgan accused Prior of being a hypocrite to his five million Twitter followers, claiming the wicketkeeper had ‘stabbed [Pietersen] in the back’ by failing to support the batsman when Downton was taking soundings over his future, even though he had backed him in the meeting. Pietersen had initially complained he did not want to attend because it would cut into ‘family time’, then used the opportunity to launch a broadside on Flower. Morgan stated Prior had joined in, attacked Flower’s dictatorial style and said: ‘F*** Flower. This is our team.’ Support: Piers Morgan is Pietersen's No 1 cheerleader and has been championing his cause on Twitter . Prior, enraged by Morgan’s attempt to enlist his support for Pietersen’s anti-Flower stance, responded by pointing out that his words were intended to underline that the team had to face their own failure without blaming the management or Flower. Pietersen misjudged the mood of the meeting when Prior and Cook attempted to steer the discussion back to the issue of personal responsibility. What did not help Pietersen’s cause was his ‘that’s the way I play’ batting in the first three Ashes Tests. The deal has always been that if you take his runs, you take the rest. But the manner of his dismissals in five of the first six innings in Australia led Geoff Boycott to savage him and former England batsman David Gower to remark ‘his absolute insistence to try to dominate at all costs, to show his ego at all costs, cost England dear’. Criticism: Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott was not impressed with Pietersen's batting Down Under . Those who have followed Pietersen’s extraordinary journey from a young South African off-spinner who found his prospects for advancement limited in his home country, to one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, have witnessed just how disruptive he can be ... without trying. What happens when he is trying can be devastating, as Moores, Strauss and many others have discovered to their cost. One man who saw it coming was Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, who fell out with him when they were at Trent Bridge. Familiar story: Pietersen fell out with Nottinghamshire's director of cricket Mick Newell while he was at the club . At the time Pietersen was reintegrated after of Textgate, Newell said: ‘He’s England best player but I think it’s a short-term fix ... somewhere down the line it will go wrong again. If England beat Australia [in the summer of 2013], they’ll be OK and they’ll get through the Ashes in the winter. But in a year, I’m afraid, you can see it all kicking off again.’ The only thing wrong about that forecast was the timescale. The Mail on Sunday led the way with news that Kevin Pietersen’s England career was over after the humiliating 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia. Cricket writer Peter Hayter revealed three weeks ago that the top brass had run out of patience with England’s record run scorer. And Patrick Collins summed up the mood in the team over Pietersen, who was unhappy with Alastair Cook and Matt Prior . | Kevin Pietersen did not just want to get rid of team director Andy Flower .
Batsman had issues with England captain Alastair Cook and Matt Prior .
Misgivings over Cook's captaincy and didn't think Prior was worth his place .
Supporters say he was pursuing agenda for the future of the team .
Critics believe he was trying to get revenge for his sacking as captain . |
0bf976470a6090d52273a4b142c03c111488c0fe | Riot police kept anti-immigrant protestors away from their rivals today as tensions remained high on the streets of Calais. A group called ‘Sauvons Calais’ (Save Calais) displayed their opposition to some 2,000 foreigners living around the port as they try to get to Britain. Meanwhile, it was revealed that the Government will offer to improve security by sending Calais officials the 9ft-high steel fences used to protect world leaders at last week’s Nato summit in Wales. Scroll down for video . Trying to get out: Migrants break into a lorry on Friday as it fills up with fuel at one of a number of automatic diesel stations on a road close to the port of Calais, known to truckers as Gasoline Alley . More than 12 miles of fencing was set up around venues for the summit in Newport and Cardiff, and the Home Office says this is much stronger than the current barriers in place at the French port. Immigration Minister James Brokenshire told The Sunday Telegraph that Britain would help by sending the fences, but warned it is up to the French to secure the port against illegal migrants. The Sauvons Calais meeting today took place in front of the town hall, where some 300 police officers formed a ring of steel. At one point, left-wing activists tried to attack the demonstration, leading to an uneasy stand-off between the two groups. ‘Left-wing scum are trying to stop us speaking up for the people of Calais,’ said Kevin Reche, a former member of the French National Front who was kicked out of the party for making a Nazi salute. ‘There are all kinds of people demonstrating for a safe Calais – from the far right, to those without any political views. We are all calling for justice.’ Helping hand: The Government will offer to improve security in Calais by sending the 9ft-high steel fences used to protect world leaders at last week's Nato summit (pictured) There were some 250 people at the anti-immigration rally, including skinheads with White Power flags. One wore a T-shirt saying ‘Charlemagne 1944’, in reference to a Second World War Nazi division made up entirely of French volunteers. ‘Heil-Hitler’ salutes also appeared . to be made by around ten demonstrators during the stand-off with their . opponents, but organisers claimed they were just being used to mock the . ‘left wing fascists’. 'Police are already warning of violence, but if there is any, it will come from the immigrants who are destroying a once great French town' Gilles Baudin, Sauvons Calais . There were also more moderate voices among those objecting to the presence of the migrants in Calais. ‘We just want a better future for own children,’ said Noelle Richard, 46, who was with her schoolgirl daughter. ‘Having lots of young men sleeping . rough in the town makes for a very unpleasant atmosphere. There is . always a great deal of trouble at all times of the day and night.’ The protests came as former home . secretary Michael Howard, now Lord Howard, said France needed to ‘get . its act together’ to deal with the growing crisis. Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart has . threatened to close the docks following an attempt by scores of mainly . Eritreans and Sudanese to storm a ferry last Wednesday. Mrs . Bouchart said she wanted ‘far more help from the British government’ to . deal with people attempting to cross the Channel illegally. French . nationalists, including many supporters of Marine Le Pen’s increasingly . successful National Front party, want more direct action. ‘That’s why we’re in Calais,’ said Gilles Baudin, one of those preparing to march. ‘Police are already warning of . violence, but if there is any, it will come from the immigrants who are . destroying a once great French town. ‘These people should be cleared out - we don’t care where they go, but we don’t want them in our country.’ Denis Gaudin, sub-prefect for the Calais area, said the route of the march had already been switched ‘for security reasons’. Mr . Gaudin said there was a ‘fraught climate’ in the town – one that was . likely to explode into violence if the demonstrators got near the . migrants. In turn, immigrant Lola Welday, a 40-year-old from Eritrea, said: ‘I have children here, and all we want is to be protected. Demonstration: Around 200 migrants marched through Calais on Friday chanting 'We want to go to the UK' ‘We are peaceful people, and all we . want is a new life in England – we want to live and prosper there in . peace. We get trouble from the French police, but what we really need is . increased protection.’ Lola and her daughter, Kidan, six, . were among 200 migrants who themselves marched through Calais on Friday . chanting ‘UK, UK - We want to go to the UK’, and ‘We demand our human . rights’. 'We are peaceful people, and all we want is a new life in England - we want to live and prosper there in peace' Lola Welday, immigrant from Eritrea . Sauvons Calais is demanding that the migrants are expelled from the Calais area, and that anyone sheltering or feeing them is arrested. There have already been attacks on squatters in Calais, and some temporary camps have been illegally burned down. Sauvons Calais will deploy a ‘security detail’ today aimed at countering the threat of a ‘far left rabble,’ according to one organiser, although he insisted ‘we will not cause any trouble’. Mrs Bouchart said: ‘My proposal to block the port still remains. We are sick of being ignored. Those of us living in Calais have been in this situation for 12 years. Wanting to make it to Britain: A new migrant camp in sand dunes close to the port of Calais, France, that the Sudanese inhabitants call 'White Africa', because conditions are as bad there as the war zones they have left . ‘Until now we have had no help, no . word of compassion and no support. It is time for the UK government to . face up to its responsibilities, otherwise this crisis will just go on . and on.’ 'It is time for the UK government to face up to its responsibilities, otherwise this crisis will just go on and on' Natacha Bouchart, Calais mayor . Britain’s ‘soft’ immigration policy means it is viewed as ‘El Dorado’, said Mrs Bouchard. She . has also demanded that the UK Border Force’s frontline passport check, . which has been inside the port of Calais for more than a decade, should . be moved back to Dover. The number of migrants in Calais has increased sharply in the past few months, and hundreds more are also camping out in other Channel ports including Dunkirk and Cherbourg. All play a nightly game of cat-and-mouse with the police as they attempt to break into lorries so as to get to the UK, where they will claim asylum or disappear into the black economy. Getting into a lorry: The number of migrants in Calais has increased sharply in the past few months, and hundreds more are also camping out in other Channel ports including Dunkirk and Cherbourg . A British woman told last week of her shock at finding a stowaway hidden in her Fiat Panda after she had travelled from France to the UK. 'We demand our human rights' What migrants chanted on Friday . The migrants are mainly from Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea, and have travelled from north Africa to mainland Europe, usually through Italy. Violent clashes between rival migrant groups and people smugglers have also broken out in the town. According to the Calais Prefecture, 7,414 undocumented migrants were arrested in Calais in the first six months of this year, compared with the 3,129 detained in the same period of 2013. Some 400 would-be stowaways were caught by French police last weekend alone. Those caught are then released, so they are free to try again and again until they succeed. | 'Sauvons Calais' group is against 2,000 foreigners living at French port .
Government will offer to send 9ft steel fences from Nato summit in Wales .
Lord Howard says France must 'get its act together' to deal with crisis .
Calais mayor threatens to close docks and wants more help from British . |
0bf9fedf2b5551a113fc082bab592344c41c4471 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:44 EST, 9 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:44 EST, 9 August 2012 . A brother and sister have been revealed as heroes of the Sikh temple massacre after they spotted the gunman and ran to warn those inside. Abhay Singh, 11, and his nine-year-old sister Amanat had gone to sit outside the gurdwara on Sunday morning because it was too hot in the temple kitchen. The children witnessed shooter Michael Page open fire on two people at their place of worship in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Scroll down for video . Bravery: Abhay Singh, 11, and his nine-year-old sister Amanat watched the gunman emerge from a car and open fire before running to warn those inside the Sikh temple . Abhay said they saw a white man emerge from a purple sedan and believed he was coming to ask for directions - before he pulled out pistols and began shooting. Abhay, whose name means 'fearless', told CNN: . 'We ran as fast as we could inside to warn everybody in the kitchen and . everybody else there is a man outside with a gun. We were a little bit . scared.' The children ran into the temple kitchen where many of the congregation had gathered to prepare a meal and raised the alarm that a man was on the rampage with a gun. Many fled to pantries to hide. Abhay and Amanat's parents were not at the temple when the gunman struck, having gone to the store to buy supplies for the meal. They faced a terrifying wait to learn if their children had survived the attack. Anxious wait: Kanwal Singh was separated from her two children while the shooting took place at the Oak Creek temple in suburban Milwaukee . Reunited: The Singh family were attending a prayer service on Sunday morning when they were caught up in the midst of the shooting spree . Their mother Kanwal said she had prayed that she would see her children again and that she was very proud of them. Police confirmed yesterday that neo-Nazi Michael Page, who killed six worshippers . at the Sikh temple, died after turning the gun on . himself. It was originally believed that Wade Michael Page had been killed by a police officer who was wounded after responding to the shooting. FBI Special agent Teresa Carlson told reporters in Milwaukee that the 41-year-old gunman shot himself in the head after the second police officer responding to the scene shot him in the stomach. The disturbing moment was caught on camera. A motive has not yet been given for the senseless massacre. Emergency response: Police surrounded the Sikh temple after a neo-Nazi gunman shot six dead . Violence and hate: Wade Michael Page turned the gun on himself after being shot in the stomach by a responding police officer . Peaceful prayers: Supporters light candles as they hold a vigil for the victims of the Wisconsin shooting . | Abhay Singh, 11, and sister Amanat, 9, were cooling off outside when they saw the gunman open fire in Oak Creek, Wisconsin .
Siblings ran into temple and warned congregation to hide .
'We were a little bit scared,' Abhay said . |
0bfa55f5b55d9aaefe860a6f55cc909236a127b4 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 06:00 EST, 13 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:30 EST, 13 August 2013 . A six-tonne elephant was rescued after it almost drowned in a popular tourist lake. The giant animal was cooling off in the water in the shadows of Jaipur's iconic Amer Fort in India when it started to struggle in a deep patch. The elephant, named Anarkali, was only coaxed out of the lake when her owner jumped on her back. In danger: Anarkali became trapped in deep water after wandering into a lake to bathe . Rescue: Her owner Arshad Ali rode a motorboat towards his animal before jumping onto her back . Anarkali, who gives rides to tourists, was bathing at the lake shore before wandering further into the water. Tourists could only look on as she began to struggle in a pocket of deep water. Pictures of the rescue show the elephant's owner, Arshad Ali, and her rider travelling to the stricken animal by boat. However, she was too afraid to move and remained trapped out of her depth. She only moved back to shore when Mr Ali leaped from the motor boat onto the elephant's back. On the move: He was then able to coax the elephant towards the shore with the help of sailors . Cooling off: Anarkali (pictured after the rescue) had got into deep water while she tried to bathe . With the help of fellow boaters, he was . able to gently coax the confused elephant back to shore, where a crowd . of onlookers had gathered. Owner Arshad Ali said: 'The elephants . love cooling off in the water, but after an elephant entered the lake . with a tourist on its back last year the administration banned elephants . from doing so. 'They love . bathing in clean water, but are no longer allowed to. So when the mahout . took Anarkali to bath in the shoreline the elephant wandered off into . the lake like he used. 'Thankfully Anarkali emerged unscathed after the efforts to save her. She is fit and healthy now.' Success: Dozens of tourists look as Mr Ali eventually coaxed the animal back to shore . | Anarkali the elephant struggled in deep water as she bathed .
Owner Arshad Ali had to jump on her back to coax her back to shore . |
0bfaa1747263660580e4a568c094f90e636b7c9d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:52 EST, 18 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:30 EST, 19 June 2013 . A New York City police dog is nursing four broken teeth and a cut tongue after he was kicked in the face by a woman brawling in a subway station. The incident happened when NYPD officer Vincent Tieniber and his German Shepherd Bear were trying to break up a fight at the number 4 train in the 59th Street and Lexington Avenue station. Police said a 19-year-old woman was being choked by another woman the same age at around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday. Officer Rafael Diaz was the first on the scene but had to call for back up when Ravenia Matos-Davis, 22, and a 31-year-old woman pushed him after he tried to stop the choking. Brave buddies: Police Officer Vincent Tieniber poses with his partner, Bear, in New York in this undated photo . That's when Tieniber and Bear arrived. As Tieniber went to handcuff Matos-Davis, the Queens woman lunged at six-year-old Bear, who is part of the Transit Bureau K-9 unit. She struck the animal twice, resulting in multiple cracked teeth and lacerations on his tongue. However, probably due to his police training, Bear was quick to react. 'Bear kept the woman's foot in his mouth, and held on until I could handcuff her,' officer Tieniber said in a release. Tieniber himself suffered a sprained wrist while trying to arrest Matos-Davis. The dog was taken to Animal Medical Center on East 62nd Street where he was treated and released later in the day. Subway: The dog was kicked in the face during a brawl on Tuesday in the 59th Street and Lexington Avenue station, pictured . Injuries: The six-year-old German Shepherd suffered four broken teeth and a cut to his tongue at the number 4 train station, pictured . Bear will have two teeth capped and another two filed and is expected to return to full duty soon. Bear has been on the job for five years, in which time he and Tieniber, who has been on the force for 11 years, have been praised for many a brave arrest. Matos-Davis was charged with injuring a police animal, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration. Police said attacking or killing a police animal is currently only a Class A misdemeanor, however legislation is pending to make it a Class E felony. Alexandria James, 19, of the Bronx was charged with strangulation and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fight while Tabricia Moore, 31, also of the Bronx, was charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, police said. The woman James allegedly attacked suffered bruises, scratches and neck pain, but wouldn't go to the hospital, according to police. | Six-year-old German Shepherd Bear was kicked in the face by Ravenia Matos-Davis, 22, who was fighting in the subway .
Incident took place at around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday at the number 4 train in the 59th Street and Lexington Avenue station .
Dog still managed to cling to woman's foot until she was handcuffed .
His master, officer Vincent Tieniber, suffered a sprained wrist in the ruckus .
Matos-Davis was charged with injuring a police animal . |
0bfaf35f1f0fae61c6cb4fd58fad824281c09f33 | Shoppers have been warned about the dangers of buying budget car seats online after it was revealed one model was available to buy through Amazon despite failing every single UK safety test. The Paibi Baby Bear car seat was supplied directly from China but could be bought by UK customers via Amazon, and can be shipped over to this country via several other sites. That is despite the seat being outlawed for failing all the safety tests required for a seat to be sold in this country, putting children at risk of being killed. The Paibi Baby Bear car seat was available to buy on Amazon's UK site despite being outlawed in this country for failing every single crash test . Rather than being made from a hard casing like most UK approved car seats, the Paibi seat was made of nothing more than fabric. It also has four straps attaching it to the car seat, which violates UK regulations stating that every seat must have only one catch to release it so it can be removed from a car quickly after a crash. In order to be sold in the UK car seats must pass two crash tests, one front-on at 30mph, and another from the rear at 20mph. Crash dummies are strapped into the seats and sensors are used to measure damage, which must be below certain levels. Passing such tests will allow a seat to go on sale in this country, but road safety groups will usually carry out additional tests before giving each seat a rating. A Trading Standards at West Sussex council said: 'Foreign companies with no EU presence are increasingly advertising in the UK and shipping direct to customers. Rather than a hard casing the Paibi was made only from fabric and is held down by four straps despite regulations stating seats must have a single release strap so they can be removed from cars quickly . 'Such companies are incredibly difficult to regulate as they are not subject to UK law. 'We are aware of similar car seats that have been tested and this has shown that they provide totally inadequate protection and I have no doubt that in a car accident there is a strong possibility that any child in one would be killed.' James McLoughlin, spokesperson for road safety charity Brake, said: 'Child seats are subject to strict safety standards for a reason, and can save a child's life in the event of a crash. 'A child in a sub-standard seat would be at much greater risk of death or injury than if they were in a seat that meets UK safety requirements. 'We strongly advise parents to buy the safest seat available. Even if it costs a bit more, it's worth every penny to make sure your child is as safe as possible.' | Seat made from fabric and had four separate straps attaching it to car seat .
Industry standards require hard casing and a single release catch .
Was available through Amazon's UK site and shipped from Chinese firm . |
0bfaf64a5b8132a9f18d46e473390691a0bdfab4 | By . Katy Winter . The Duchess of Cambridge is celebrating her 32nd birthday today in private the palace has announced. As a mother of a five-month-old baby it is unlikely the Duchess will be revelling into the small hours, but at least this year she will be able to indulge in a glass or two off champagne on her big day, having been pregnant on her last birthday. Though it is not known what the Duchess will be doing to mark her first birthday as a parent, it is likely the family-orientated royal will spend the day with husband William, who has just started a bespoke course at Cambridge University, at their Kensington Palace apartment. Scroll down for video . A truly momentous year: This year will doubtless be etched forever into Kate and William's memory as both became parents for the first time on July 22 . The Duchess of Cambridge carries Prince George after his christening at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury on October 23 . The hands-on mother will also likely involve Prince George in any celebrations she chooses to have, though it is not yet known if Kate’s own parents, who she is very close to, will see their daughter today. The past 12 months have been a life changing period for Kate who gave birth to Prince George in the summer. Her baby son was christened in front of the Queen, Prince of Wales and other members of the immediate family in October and she has also begun to take on solo royal engagements this year. But after such an eventful year, a simple romantic birthday meal at home could be on the cards for Kate who was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, on January 9 1982. Kate and husband William recently moved into their Kensington Palace apartment and an intimate dinner could be held at the picturesque royal residence. A Kensington Palace spokesman said that Kate would be spending her birthday 'privately'. The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of SportsAid, playing volleyball during her visit to the Copper Box at the former Olympic Park, in east London, where her perfectly toned post-pregnancy stomach wowed the world . This is in keeping with the couple, who were careful to keep their relationship as private as possible when they were dating at St Andrews University in Scotland, before marrying in April 2011. William began an agricultural management course at Cambridge University on Monday and may spend much of Kate's birthday studying at the famous university, or catching up on the long list of reading expected of Cambridge students. The Duke is commuting a number of days a week to attend the course run by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership. William was admitted to the prestigious institution for a 'bespoke' course in agricultural management, which will prepare him for when he inherits the Duchy of Cornwall, one of the biggest private estates in the country, from his father. The much-anticipated first official family portrait after the birth of Prince George, which, true to Kate's family orientated nature was snapped by her father . Despite a jam packed year, Kate has stepped up to her royal duties, attending numerous charity events, such as meeting the Royal British Legion Poppy sellers in Kensington in November . Kate has had a fun filled year, attended premieres such as David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive, where she wore 3D glasses (left), as well as Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (right) But while William has been preparing for his role as full time royal, his wife too has had a busy year . As the Queen reduces the number of public engagements she attends, the younger royals, and Kate and Wills in particular, are increasingly stepping forward to fill the gaps. The 87-year-old monarch conducted 341 official events this year, compared to 425 in 2012 - a drop of about 20 per cent. Despite being pregnant for much of the year, Kate has managed to attend numerous events and premieres, finding time to support her chosen charities and support her husband. Kate also stunned the public with springing back to shape astonishingly quickly after the birth of Prince George in July. Prince William arrives for his first day to study Agricultural Management at University of Cambridge He will learn about the issues facing the UK's rural communities and the farming industry during the 10 week course . The Duchess' enviably flat stomach was revealed to the world when she played volleyball in Olympic Park for charity SportsAid in October. It is understood the Duchess got back her trim figure through long walks with her dog, Lupo, and the odd burst on a rowing machine. She also took part in ante-natal yoga classes, which are believed to help new mothers regain their figure afterwards by ‘training’ their muscles to snap back into shape. | Duchess turns 32 today and will celebrate 'privately' palace announces .
William and Kate are likely to spend day at Kensington Palace apartment .
It is not known if family-orientated Kate will be joined by her parents .
Year has seen Duchess become a parent as well as embrace her royal role . |
0bfb99b565ee1f69e2bfc84ac834591624ca0d48 | A record low attendance at the new Wembley could greet England against Norway on Wednesday night, but the game has plenty to offer. It is the first time the Three Lions have played since the World Cup in Brazil, with Roy Hodgson keen to spark a revival. And that's not all. Here are three reasons why you should be watching the game. Thinking time: Roy Hodgson and England are preparing for the test Norway will present at Wembley Stadium . WAYNE ROONEY . It will be the first game in his official role as captain and Rooney will win his 96th England cap. The best player of his generation will lead the new era. He is on course to win his 100th cap against Slovenia at the age of 29. Fresh start: Wayne Rooney is the new captain of England and will hope to impress on his 96th appearance . RAHEEM STERLING . Raised in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, Sterling has emerged as one of the brightest and most exciting talents in European football in the last 12 months, on an accelerated development curve. He is the gem Hodgson’s new team must be designed to showcase. England's gem: Raheem Sterling had a fine World Cup and is Hodgson's main hope . A NEW BEGINNING . Jack Colback is injured but there may be first caps for Danny Rose, Fabian Delph and Calum Chambers and one of these opportunities might just be the start of something new and exciting. New beginning: Jack Colback (centre) is injured but Fabian Delph (left) and Danny Rose (right) could feature . | England play Norway at Wembley on Wednesday night .
Rooney captains side on 96th cap, could make 100 by age of 29 .
Raheem Sterling is Roy Hodgson's gem in new line-up . |
0bfcca9ea8d4178a4b37d3c29eae72a508272f6b | President Barack Obama in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press released Saturday laid responsibility for the government shutdown squarely at the feet of House Speaker John Boehner. "We can vote to open the government today," Obama told the Associated Press in the wide-ranging interview. "We know that there are enough members in the House of Representatives -- Democrats and Republicans -- who are prepared to vote to reopen the government today. The only thing that is keeping that from happening is Speaker Boehner has made a decision that he is going to hold out to see if he can get additional concessions from us." Much of the government has been shut down -- more than 800,000 workers furloughed, national parks closed, programs for programs from child care to space exploration shuttered -- for five days. And it's likely to remain closed for several days if not weeks more, House Republicans concede. Despite public pressure to reach a resolution -- and statements from politicians that they want to -- Washington's political machinery has been gridlocked. And there's little indication there will be any breakthrough until at least mid-October, when the next economic crisis comes up over whether Congress will give the federal government the OK to increase how much it can borrow or default on its debt. Obama, in the AP interview, said he did not expect the latter to occur. "There were at least some quotes yesterday that Speaker Boehner is willing to make sure that we don't default," he said in the interview, which was taped Friday. "And just as is true with the government shutdown, there are enough votes in the House of Representatives to make sure that the government reopens today. "And I'm pretty willing to bet that there are enough votes in the House of Representatives right now to make sure that the United States doesn't end up being a deadbeat. The only thing that's preventing that from happening is Speaker Boehner calling the vote." Boehner, speaking to reporters Friday, tried to ratchet up pressure on Obama to end the crisis by acceding to his demand that he negotiate changes to Obamacare as part of any deal. Fuming about a Wall Street Journal report that cited an unidentified Obama administration official as saying "We are winning," Boehner said, "This isn't some damn game!" Much of the opposition to the administration's efforts has been led by sympathizers of the tea party, who are seeking a reduction in the national debt and the federal budget deficit, as well as a reduction in U.S. government spending and taxes. Asked whether the tea party members are good or bad for the country, Obama told the AP he was more concerned about their tactics than about their positions. "It's this idea that if they don't get 100% of their way, they'll shut down the government or they'll threaten economic chaos," he said. "That has to stop." Obamacare glitches . The government shutdown occurred when Obama refused to give in to Republican demands that he delay or change the Affordable Care Act, the signature achievement of his first term that began enrolling patients on October 1. Obama said he did not know how many people had signed up for the plan, also known as Obamacare. He acknowledged that computer glitches have snarled the process for some, but urged them not to give up. "My message to them would be, each day the wait times are reduced," he said. But the program is not going to be affected by the budget negotiations, he said. "The obsession with the Affordable Care Act, with Obamacare, has to stop," he added. "That is not something that should be a price for keeping the government open." Obama contrasted his own low-profile behavior during his single term in the Senate with that of some current first-term senators, who include Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky -- all of whom have been outspoken in their opposition to Obamacare. "I didn't go around courting the media, and I certainly didn't go around trying to shut down the government," he said. "And so I recognize that in today's media age, being controversial, taking controversial positions, rallying the most extreme parts of your base -- whether it's left or right -- is a lot of times the fastest way to get attention or raise money, but it's not good for government. It's not good for the people we're supposed to be serving." Thoughts on Iran . The AP interview also touched on the question of Iran's nuclear program and the overtures made last month by President Hassan Rouhani at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York. "Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran's security and defense doctrine, and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions," Rouhani told the world body. Obama said the United States should test such overtures. "I think Rouhani has staked his position on the idea that he can improve relations with the rest of the world," Obama said. "And so far, he's been saying a lot of the right things. And the question now is, can he follow through?" Obama said the U.S. view is that Iran is at least a year away from being able to produce a nuclear weapon, double the six months cited this week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has expressed deep distrust of Tehran's intentions -- calling Houssani "a wolf in sheep's clothing." "What I've said to Prime Minister Netanyahu is that the entire point of us setting up sanctions and putting pressure on the Iranian economy was to bring them to the table in a serious way to see if we can resolve this issue diplomatically," Obama said. "And we've got to test that. We're not going to take a bad deal. We are going to make sure that we verify any agreement that we might strike." One more thing ... Though much of the interview focused on the sport of politics, it ended on the politics of sport. Asked about the Washington Redskins, a name some people consider to be insulting to Native Americans, the nation's first black president said he would be open to changing the name if he owned the team. "I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things," he said. But Obama added that there was little chance he would wind up owning a football team. If he were to own any professional sports team after leaving the presidency, Obama said, it would more likely be a basketball team. | "We can vote to open the government today," Obama tells the AP .
The nation is in its fifth day of a federal shutdown .
But Obama does not expect the nation will default .
The president also talks Obamacare, Iran and Redskins . |
0bfdd5c9228cb80b4a4e5ffd24b9c71171680e1c | By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 04:06 EST, 17 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:17 EST, 17 January 2014 . These photos show the squalid rooms covered in dog feces and rotten food that three young children were forced to endure at their trailer home in Farmington. Their parents Rodney McKinney, 70, and Melody McKinney, 34, have now been charged with three counts of felony child abuse for keeping their home so filthy that simply living there put their children in danger, police said. The children, aged eight, 11 and 13, have now been removed from the home, although the couple claim police exaggerated their report about the state of the house. Claims: The bedroom where Melody and Rodney McKinney's eight-year-old son was allegedly locked for a month is pictured at the couple's home on South Monterey Avenue in Farmington . A police officer went to the family's home after a school teacher noticed dog feces on the clothing of one of the children, according to an affidavit . The conditions came to light after the couple's eight-year-old son turned up at school with dog feces on his clothes. A teacher police and Detective Lisa McGaha, a school resource officer visited the family's trailer on South Monterey Avenue on Dec. 13, reported the Daily Times. She reported finding dog feces, rotted food and trash throughout the home and said the smell was so overpowering she had to go outside for fresh air. Their parents Rodney McKinney, 70, and Melody McKinney, 34, have now been charged with three counts of felony child abuse for keeping their home so filthy that simply living there put their children in danger, police said . Melody McKinney stands in the office of her home. The couple say they have been getting help from their church to pay their bills and clear up their home . 'The overwhelming smell in the residence was starting to make my throat burn and I was getting sick to my stomach,' McGaha wrote. 'I walked out of the residence and started dry heaving. I was trying not to throw up.' The . home's water had been turned off, and the family was using buckets to . relieve themselves, according to the affidavit. It also said that a portable toilet . was in the living room. During a police interview with the children they reported the youngest child would occasionally be locked in a back room, sometimes for several days. The parents deny the charges. They say they have been getting help from their church to pay their bills and clear up their home. 'One of the police come in here, when they had their warrants and she said that this was the most filthiest dirtiest house she had ever been and sat right there, police shouldn’t be saying that stuff,' Rodney McKinney told KOB4. | Rodney McKinney, 70, and Melody McKinney, 34, own the trailer .
Charged with three counts of felony child abuse for filthy home .
The children, aged eight, 11 and 13, have now been removed . |
0bfe3806958dbb89e46ad9fe849ae86ed0e73060 | By . Beth Stebner . PUBLISHED: . 09:27 EST, 24 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:31 EST, 24 July 2012 . A waffle restaurant in Washington, D.C. has gone under, and is blaming Groupon for its financial woes. Back Alley Waffles, which opened in April, said it was forced to shutter its doors because of Groupon’s sluggish reimbursement plan, co-owner Craig Nelsen claims. His site now advertises $450 waffles to make up for the lack of money flowing in, saying that he’d ‘rather have my hand slammed in a car door than honour your Groupon coupons.’ Scroll down for full letter to Groupon holders . Out of luck: Washington, D.C. waffle shop Back Alley Waffles has gone out of business, and co-owner Craig Nelsen, pictured with his dog Buddy, blames Groupon . Grievances: Mr Nelsen is now offering waffles for $450 at his shop in the Shaw neighbhourhood of D.C. The restaurant, which was located in the Shaw neighbourhood of Washington, boasted a simple menu of fluffy waffles and fresh fruit smoothies, as well as coffees and chai. But because of Groupon’s reimbursement policy, Mr Nelsen lamented: ‘After taking a big chunk of the money as its share, Groupon holds onto the business’ share, using it while the business waits. And waits. And waits,’ according to Washington City Paper’s Young & Hungry blog, which first reported the story. Groupon spokeswoman Julie Mossler told MailOnline that their payments to Back Alley Waffles were up-to-date. Furthermore, she said, that only 18 per cent (or 132) Groupons had been redeemed, meaning that Groupon was paying the waffle shop 'aggressively' ahead of customers redeeming the deal. Ms Mossler added that in most cases, Groupon buyers bring in friends and spend beyond the value of the Groupon. Mr Nelsen said that he waited about a month for the first of three payments, saying that the money was issued as a check rather than being deposited electronically into a bank account. The check, he said, then arrived by snail mail. But, he said, all of his operating costs – buying ingredients, paying rent and his employees – were due up front, meaning that Mr Nelsen had to put money he didn’t get until months later to pay for running his business. Groupon spokeswoman Julie Mossler told MailOnline in a statement: 'Mr Nelsen initially approached Groupon and our merchant advisors structured a deal to best encourage overspend and help his business grow. ‘We also required Back Alley to cap the number of Groupons sold to ensure the feature was in the best interest of both consumers and the merchant. We scheduled his feature on his terms, on a date he selected, under a contract he reviewed and signed. According to our records, only 132 Groupons, or 18 per cent sold, have been redeemed since Back Alley ran two months ago, and Mr Nelson has received 2/3 of his share of the revenue to date. ‘We always hate to hear that a local business has decided to close, but the math does not point to Groupon as the cause.' Fare enough: Back Alley waffles sold Belgium waffles, as well as fruit smoothies and coffee (stock photo) Mr Nelsen did not immediately responded to MailOnline’s request for comment. Groupon demands payment as soon as coupons are sold to consumers. The company then keeps a share, and issues three separate instalments to the business, 25 to 30 days apart, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, not all business owners are happy with the payment model. Mark Grohman, who owns Meridian Restaurant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told the paper last November: ‘The payment timing is so erratic you can’t count on any of that money helping to pay your bills.’ He said that it was difficult to keep his business going strong because money is needed immediately in the food business for payments to vendors and staff. LivingSocial and Amazon Local promise the full share in 15 days, while Google Offers says they’ll pay 80 per cent in the first four days, and the remaining 20 per cent over the next 90 days. However, Groupon spokesperson Julie Mossler told MailOnline that many businesses prefer the 33/33/33 model. They added that many times, they are paid more, because some customers do not redeem the Groupon before it expires. The former waffle restaurant owner told the Washington Post: ‘Groupon was a backbreakers. We couldn’t pay staff or get food or anything. The world seemed very dark at that point.’ Mr Nelsen’s restaurant was never free . from problems. Several reviewers on Yelp said that while the waffles . were incredible, it was hard to know when the breakfast treat would be . there. One Yelp reviewer who went to the . restaurant in July wrote: ‘Each time, I was greeted with a sign on the . door that said “Re-Opening at 12:30” because they were out of waffles.’ The reviewer said there were always lines out the door, and even then, . they were sometimes turned away without explanation. However, Mr Nelsen puts some of the blame on himself. ‘I might have jumped without checking very well,’ he told the Post. The $450 waffle offering is intentionally sardonic, and so far, Mr Nelsen hasn’t had any takers. Other business owners found their Groupon deal less of a blessing, and more of a bane. Last November, the Daily Mail wrote of a cake shop owner in the U.K. who featured her specialty cupcakes at a 75 per cent discount. Need A Cake owner Rachel Brown said at the time that the deal was the worst decision she ever made, and took a $19,000 loss in staff overtime and supplies to make the gourmet cupcakes. She told the Daily Mail: ‘Even a much larger company would have difficulty coping, but my poor staff were having to slog away at oll hours – one of them even came in at 3am because she couldn’t sleep for worry.’ Investors were initially excited at Groupon’s IPO which, apart from Facebook, was the biggest in history. But the group deal site posted staggering losses to the tune of $42.7million. But now, Groupon stock is worth only $7.38 a share, more than 60 per cent lower than its IPO price. Its stock hit record lows the week of July 11th, with analysts citing the Euro crisis as a persistent problem. The cut was also driven by a reduction in estimates for the company’s 2013 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. The company’s estimated worth next year is now $718million, down from $930million, Reuters reported. Going public: Groupon CEO Andrew Mason seen speaking after Groupon's IPO last November . The system works as follows: subscribers log on to Groupons’ ‘deal-a-day’ website where they can buy a voucher that offers a number of daily discount deals on anything from restaurant meals to spa treatments. The U.S.-based company uses collective buying power to negotiate bargain-bucket prices with retailers, which become available only if a minimum number of people sign up. Even though Groupon takes up to half the price of the vouchers, the retailers and restaurateurs participate in hopes of curating new, loyal customers. According to a study earlier this month by Rice University, the daily deal industry is thriving, contrary to some reports. The study claims that these deals by discount sites like LivingSocial, Groupon, BuyWithMe, and Amazon Local bring in 80 per cent new patrons to the business. However, the study notes that the daily deals are sustainable to only 30 per cent of businesses. Here's our Groupon story: . Groupon promises to send you lots of new customers. The customers buy 50% off coupons (two waffles for the price of one, for example). They send the money to Groupon, which issues them a code. The customer brings the code into the shop. The shop gives the customer the two waffles, collects the code, and then 'redeems', or verifies, the code with Groupon. Does Groupon then electronically deposit the money that the customer paid them for the coupon into the business' bank account overnight like credit card companies do? No. After taking a big chunk of the money as its share, Groupon holds on to the business' share, using it while the business waits. And waits. And waits. And waits. After about a month, Groupon issues the first of three payments to the business. By check. Then it has to "process" the check, which can take up to ten days. Then it snail mails the check. A month later, the process is repeated for your next installment. Then, a month later, the process is repeated again for your final installment. Now, keep in mind, the bulk of the Groupon activity (i.e., the big surge in customers) occurs at the outset of the Groupon campaign. That means the business has to lay out all the money (in our case food and labor) up front to service this expensive campaign, but it takes roughly a month for Groupon to send the (deeply discounted) payment for the waffles those customers ate. And even then its only half or less of what is owed. The business has to wait for most of the remainder of its money until two months after laying out the cost of the food and labor. And for some of the money, it will be three months after honoring the customer's Groupon coupon in the shop before the business is paid for that customer. That's the part that I didn't expect and the part that put our new business out of business. Source: Back Alley Waffles . | Owner of Back Alley Waffles claims Groupon's slow payments led to closure of restaurant .
Offering tongue-in-cheek $450 waffles to compensate loss of income .
Groupon offers three payment installments for merchants .
Other businesses hurt by Groupon's model as stock prices continue to falter . |
0bfef263bb7c9986fc674c2fc1d493618d018f9d | A 21-year-old police cadet went on a deadly shooting rampage Friday night after an argument at his ex-girlfriend's house. Cadet Michael William Little gunned down a family friend of his former girlfriend Ashley Womack, 18, before Womack's brother pulled a rifle out and shot him dead. Ashley and her mother Rhonda, 47, were also injured in the shoot out. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES . Dispute: Police Cadet Michael Little, 21 (left), went on a shooting rampage Friday night after getting into an argument at his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend Ashley Womack's (left) house . Injured: Little shot at his ex Ashley (pictured), her mother Rhonda and family friend Travis Wegener before being shot dead by Ashley's 22-year-old brother Joshua. Ashley was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the leg . It's over: A group of men embrace at the scene of the shooting late Friday . The incident happened around 11:28pm Friday night at Womack's house in Knoxville, Tennessee. Police say Little and Ashley had been broken up for about two weeks when he showed up at her house that night. When he came over, Little proceeded to have an argument with Ashley and members of her family on the back patio of the house. Little was leaving the house, and walking down the driveway to his car, when he pulled out a .45 calibur handgun and shot Ashley's mother Rhonda and 'family friend' Travis Wegener, 28. Trying to patch things up? Little (right) and Womack (left) had been broken up for a couple of weeks when he came over to her house Friday night . Shots fired: Little allegedly got into an argument with Womack and members of her family. He was leaving the property when he turned around and shot at Ashley's mother Rhonda (left) and family friend Travis Wegener (right) He then proceeded to go back to the patio where he shot at Ashley. Ashley's brother Joshua Womack, 22, heard the blasts and got out the family's .22 caliber rifle which he used to shoot Little several times. Wegener died before paramedics arrived, while Little was pronounced dead after being transported to University of Tennessee Medical Center. Ashley was also taken to the hospital where she was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the leg. Hero: Ashley's 22-year-old brother Joshua (pictured) stopped the rampage by shooting Little dead . Heartbroken family: Rhonda Womack remains in serious condition at the hospital for a gunshot wound to the upper shoulder. Her husband Guy was not injured in the attack. From left to right: Guy, Ashley, Joshua and Rhonda Womack . Her mother Rhonda was last reported in serious condition for a wound to the upper shoulder. Neither Ashley's brother or her father Guy were injured in the rampage. It's unclear what relationship Travis had to Ashley, but he posted two pictures of them together to his Instagram account the day before and of his death. On one of the pictures, Ashley's mother commented: 'Love it!!! Close friendships are priceless'. Close: It's unclear what relationship Wegener and Womack had. He posted this picture of them together to Instagram, the day before his death . According to Knoxville Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk, Little was not wielding a department issued handgun at the time. Little was a part of the police cadet program, aimed at people 21 years old or younger who want to explore careers in law enforcement. Cadets are not issued handguns and are given tasks like answering citizen phone calls, issuing parking citations and assisting officers on various assignments. They are non-sworn civilian employees. | Michael William Little, a 21-year-old Knoxville, Tennessee police cadet, got into an argument at his ex-girlfriend's house Friday night .
Little shot ex-girlfriend Ashley Womack, 18, her 47-year-old mother Rhonda and family friend Travis Wegener, 28 .
Rampage was stopped when Ashley's 22-year-old brother Joshua grabbed rifle and shot Little dead .
Little and Wegener were killed in the shootout .
Ashley was treated and released from the hospital for a gunshot wound .
As of Sunday, Ashley's mother remains hospitalized in serious condition . |
0bff27f5bb1542a7937e59ecf34cf801e8c75d29 | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 09:09 EST, 26 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:00 EST, 26 July 2012 . The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level in nine years, figures showed today. Office numbers plummeted to 134,101 - more than 5,000 fewer than the previous year and fewer than at any point since 2003, the Home Office data showed. The number of police staff was also down, dropping 8.8 per cent to 67,474 and police community support officers (PCSOs) fell 9 per cent to 14,393. PCSOs are not police officers; they are . civilian members of police staff. They are designed purely to tackle . local anti-social behaviour and local issues. But the number of special constables rose 10.4per cent to 20,343, the figures showed. Special Constabules are the UK's . part-time police force. They are made up of volunteer members of the . public who when on duty wear a uniform and have full police powers. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The Tory-led Government has cut nearly 10,000 police officers from communities across the country. 'And we know that substantially more than half are from 999, neighbourhood and traffic response - the officers we rely on in an emergency. Yvette Cooper says the Conservative government is more interested in cutting police numbers than crime . 'These figures show the cuts to the police are deeper and faster even than experts predicted. 'David Cameron's promise to protect the front line has been ripped apart by these appalling figures. 'In just two years the Government has taken police numbers back by nearly a decade, weakened police powers, undermined morale and reduced crime prevention. 'Theresa May has no strategy to cut crime, only to cut police.' In the 12 months to 31 March 2012, the 43 police forces have recruited just 2,394 full-time equivalent officers. Only the Surrey police force has seen an increase in its number of officers over the 12 months to March, rising 4.7per cent from 1,885 to 1,974. This is because they are recruiting now as they underwent reductions in officer numbers between 2006 and 2009, several years before England and Wales as a whole. The biggest drop in terms of percentage came in Derbyshire, where police officer numbers fell 10per cent from 2,021 at the end of March last year to 1,819 12 months later. Warwickshire, where officer numbers fell 8.2per cent from 919 to 844, and Cleveland, where officer numbers fell 7.6per cent from 1,655 to 1,529, also saw significant reductions. The largest numerical decrease was felt by the West Midlands, whose lost 323 officers (4 per cent). Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert said: 'These reductions in officer numbers are in line with HMIC (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary) predictions as a result of necessary savings by forces who are playing their part in reducing the deficit. 'However, HMIC projections also showed that 94per cent of officers in the front line will remain, the proportion on the front line is increasing and service to the public is largely being maintained. Fading fast: Police graduates passing out at the Hendon police academy, London, as it was revealed the number of police officers has fallen to its lowest level in nine years . 'We inherited a situation where there . were some 25,000 officers not on the front line, so there was plenty of . scope for forces to make savings while improving performance, as forces . are showing as they continue to drive down crime.' The Metropolitan Police Service is the largest force, accounting for 24.0 per cent of all officers on 31 March 2012. The . eight Metropolitan forces - Greater Manchester, City of London, . Merseyside, Metropolitan Police, Northumbria, South Yorkshire, West . Midlands and West Yorkshire - accounted for 47.9 per cent of all . officers. The largest decreases in percentage terms were in Derbyshire, down 10 per cent (202 officers) and Warwickshire, whose numbers fell 8.2 per cent (75 officers). The largest numerical decrease was in the West Midlands, who dropped 4 per cent (323 officers). There were decreases in total officer strength in all nine English Regions and in Wales in the 12 months to March 2012. The largest decrease in percentage terms was in the East Midlands region, who fell 6.1 per cent (554 officers). | Derbyshire officers down by 10 per cent and Warwickshire down by 8.2 per cent .
In the year to 31 March 2012, the 43 police forces recruited 2,394 full-time officers . |
0bff45a59503372b98ca06680a8d5eaf329dcc52 | No amount of left-over wrapping can paper over the cracks at London Welsh. Sitting bottom of the Aviva Premiership, the Exiles are in desperate need of some comfort and joy. The statistics are damning. The Oxford club have suffered 10 defeats in 10 games and are in danger of becoming only the second team in league history to be relegated without a single victory. These are new experiences for Piri Weepu, their World Cup winning scrum-half. His first three months in the Northern Hemisphere delivered more losses than nine seasons as a New Zealand international, but the veteran is not afraid of mucking in. Former All Blacks scrum half Piri Weepu dives to try and tackle Saracens' Chris Ashton last Saturday . ‘I’ve been in backs-to-the-wall situations before,’ said Weepu. ‘Leading into the World Cup, the All Blacks lost two games in a row. We were expected to win it but we kept focused on what we needed to achieve. ‘The circumstances are different here but we’ve just got to try to overcome it. People need to sell papers and they might talk rubbish about you to do that, but that doesn’t mean we have to buy into it. Comments in the tabloids can ruin your mood if you let them, but we just need to train our backsides off and stay positive.’ Saracens scored 11 tries against Welsh in the 78-7 win, the worst defeat the Exiles have suffered this year . Played 10, Lost 10 . Points for 80, Against 490 . Average possession per game: 14.41minutes . Goal kicking accuracy: 55% . Missed tackles per game: 28 . Turnovers conceded per game: 15 . Lineout success: 75% . Scrum success: 78% . Improvements are needed across the board. Welsh have managed less than 15 minutes possession per game this season and have lost by an average of 41 points. They have fired in neither attack nor defence, but one of their most consistent downfalls has been at the set-piece. During their 78-7 defeat by Saracens on Saturday, they lost eight out of 13 lineouts on their own throw. Their scrum did not fare much better and, throughout the season, they have lost 20 per cent of ball on their own feed. This is compounded by an average concession of 15 turnovers per game, leaving the recently promoted side in desperate need of a morale boost. A victory over London Irish on Boxing Day would be the perfect festive tonic, with Irish sitting one place above Welsh in the league. Weepu, for one has not given up hope. Elliot Kear touches down a solitary consolation try for London Welsh, but Weepu insists they are improving . ‘If there’s no belief left, then we probably shouldn’t be in the competition,’ said the 31-year-old. ‘I still love the sport. I still love lacing up the boots and getting amongst it. Even if we’re getting pumped, I still love it. As long as you try your hardest, then that’s all we can really ask. We just need to get our roles right — we create opportunities in games but then we’re not picking the right options.’ Former Wales back row Rowland Phillips was brought in as a defence coach last month in a bid to turn around the club’s fortunes. A losing bonus point against Leicester showed signs of progress, but the Exiles still boast the worst tackle success rate in the league, missing an average of 28 per game. Phillips says there have been statistical improvements over the last seven weeks but is fully aware of the scale of the challenge. Despite the leakiest defence in the league, Rowland Phillips insists the defence is getting tougher . ‘There’s no fairy godmother who’s going to make everything perfect,’ said Phillips. ‘I joined this group about eight weeks ago and the timing meant I couldn’t just rip everything up and start again. It’s hard for me to convince people, but I have seen a certain improvement. There is hunger, but we’re not going to win on pure emotion. We need better structures to earn our right to win. The players know they have to improve and they want to improve.’ Phillips has been tasked with fixing the problems but the roots, he believes, stem from the short summer turnaround. The Exiles were rank outsiders for promotion but beat Bristol through the controversial play-off system. While Bristol had already recruited heavily for what seemed inevitable promotion, Welsh panicked in the transfer market place with sporadic recruitment, signing players on a shoestring budget. Weepu has bags of experience from his time with the All Blacks, and believes his side can turn things around . ‘Things happened pretty quickly,’ said Phillips. ‘The play-off season goes on late and the Premiership starts early, so our training and recruitment were affected by the preparation time. You’ve got a small window, with players coming off a tough Championship season. There’s about a one-week break and then you’re back in. That has a bearing on how your season unfolds. ‘Any gambling man would have bet on Bristol to walk into the Premiership, but it didn’t happen. Some say the system isn’t effective and there should be no promotion or relegation, but we’re trying to get away from a ring-fence mentality. Exeter are an example of a team who got promoted and grew. As soon as you close it off, then that kills off a lot of teams’ ambitions.’ The plight of London Welsh, it seems, will do little for the cause. | London Welsh have lost every game so far this season .
The Exiles have picked up just one losing bonus point .
But star scrum-half Piri Weepu insists things are improving .
Welsh face fellow strugglers London Irish on Boxing Day . |
0bffae5350c8da6444c86144945743756793057b | Everton manager Roberto Martinez has followed the lead of his Merseyside rival Brendan Rodgers and told England manager Roy Hodgson to handle his star youngster Ross Barkley with care. Despite saying 20-year-old Barkley was ‘born to play football’ after his triumphant comeback against Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Saturday, Martinez is already laying down a marker ahead of next month when England face Slovenia in a Euro 2016 qualifier and a hostile friendly in Scotland. Just as Rodgers has regularly warned against Raheem Sterling ‘burn-out’ and didn’t want him to play 180 minutes against San Marino and Estonia, Martinez is also advising caution with Barkley, who returned on Saturday for the first time since damaging knee ligaments in pre-season. Ross Barkley returned to the Everton starting line-up against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon . Everton manager Roberto Martinez (left) wants England boss Roy Hodgson (right) to take care over Barkley . The Spaniard knows that England coach Ray Lewington, who was at Goodison to watch, will have reported back to Hodgson with enthusiasm after Barkley played a part in Everton’s first two goals. ‘We need to be careful with Ross and Sterling,’ said Martinez. ‘Yes, England will want him in the next squad, but Ross still can’t play 90 minutes and we will have to see how long it takes for him to do that. ‘He’s been out for 14 weeks so we need to be careful. We have six games in three weeks (at Everton) so we need to give what the players needs. ‘With young players and England there needs to be a process to learn what is expected. Look at Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka, they took it to a different level when they got the knowledge. ‘It is understandable that the young players go through those experiences before they can win games for England.’ The problem for Martinez is he can’t avoid talking up the midfielder himself, hailing him as a rare talent who can combine technical and physical excellence. Barkley left the game to a standing ovation from the Everton fans at Goodison Park . Raheem Sterling (right) returned to the Liverpool starting line-up on Sunday in their 3-2 win at QPR . It was Barkley’s stinging shot which forced the corner from which Jagielka scored Everton’s opener against Aston Villa after 18 minutes. Barkley then fed Romelu Lukaku for the second goal after 48 minutes, though Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan will feel he should have done better. Seamus Coleman wrapped up the points after 76 minutes after Barkley had already left the field to a standing ovation from the Goodison Park crowd. ‘It’s hard to explain how Ross could come back with a performance like that. It should have been impossible for him to start against Villa, but he trains so hard, he’s just a natural,’ said Martinez. ‘He just loves playing football, and you see that and in a way he had to play.’ Manchester City, who are short of top-class homegrown players, would be prepared to pay big money to take him to The Etihad so perhaps it wasn’t particularly wise for Martinez to add: ‘The bigger the game, the more you get from him.’ But the comparison with another Merseyside street footballer, Wayne Rooney, was apt. ‘There are similarities 100 per cent. Sometimes we have to drag Ross away from training because at the end he’s in the two v two with the young kids, and he loves it. Phil Jagielka is congratulated by Barkley and Leighton Baines (left) after scoring the opener against Villa . Belgium international Romelu Lukaku was also among the scorers in Everton's 3-0 win against Aston Villa . ‘We take him away because he doesn’t see the energy it takes out of his body. He approaches the game in that manner and that’s his biggest strength.’ Everton started the weekend just outside the bottom three without a win in five games. But their performance on Saturday suggests they will start climbing rapidly from now onwards although their next challenge is a Europa League trip to Lille on Thursday. Martinez will also have been pleased to see £28million record signing Lukaku notch his third goal of the season after an awkward start to the season for the giant Belgian. Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is in the unusual position of hankering after Philippe Senderos after their capitulation at Goodison. Senderos, much-maligned during his career at Arsenal and Fulham, picked up a thigh injury on international duty with Switzerland and Villa flopped without him. ‘We missed Senderos because he has been excellent,’ admitted Lambert. ‘Hopefully he will be back for our next game against QPR. Skipper Ron Vlaar did return after a calf problem though the Villa boss thinks it will take a couple of weeks before he finds his top form again. | Ross Barkley returned from injury in Everton's win over Aston Villa .
20-year-old had been out since damaging knee ligaments in pre-season .
Roberto Martinez wants Roy Hodgson to take care with Barkley .
England face Slovenia in qualifier and Scotland in friendly in November . |
0c01189c1e87a7f5bc43cb4a8ed282698b79cec2 | It's not your usual selfie. "The sensation is happening again," Stacey Yepes tells the camera. "It's all tingling on left side." "I don't know why this is happening to me." The Toronto-area woman was having her third stroke in three days. And this time, she refused to suffer in private. Yepes recorded a selfie video of her symptoms after pulling over while driving. The next day, the video would help doctors at Toronto Western Hospital correctly diagnose her with transient ischemic attacks, or "mini-strokes," due to plaque buildup in her arteries. Now, according to Yepes, she is on cholesterol-lowering medication and blood thinners, and hasn't had any more strokes. The video may have saved her life. No two strokes are alike: My story . Two days before the recording, doctors at a local emergency room in Toronto dismissed her face numbness and slurred speech as stress-related. They told her stroke tests had come back negative and counseled the 49-year-old legal secretary on breathing techniques. Those were ineffective, and Yepes suffered two additional mini-strokes in consecutive days -- the first leaving the hospital parking lot on April 1. She knew something had to be done. "I think it was just to show somebody, because I knew it was not stress-related," she said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "And I thought if I could show somebody what was happening, they would have a better understanding." That was exactly what happened. Yepes filmed the third "mini-stroke" the next day en route to work. After arriving, she showed the video to co-workers, who immediately suggested she go to a different hospital. Still, Dr. Markku Kaste with the World Stroke Organization said he believes Yepes was lucky. His advice: "Don't waste time on a video, just call 911." He said, "It's the same thing for everyone. If you're having a stroke, think you're having a stroke or see someone having one -- just call 911." Kaste and his organization are working on an upcoming campaign targeting women and their likelihood for strokes. According to the National Stroke Organization, 55,000 women have strokes each year. As in Yepes' case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said signs of stroke generally include sudden numbness, confusion and difficulty walking. The American Stroke Association uses the acronym F.A.S.T -- meaning face dropping, arm weakness and speech difficulty are all signs that it's time to call 911. Usually, paramedics, emergency responders and doctors correctly identify the situation and will get individuals the help they need. "It's hard to say why there was an incorrect diagnosis (initially), but things like that can happen," Kaste said. "Still, the quicker you are to the hospital, the higher the likelihood of a good outcome." Related: Recovering from a stroke . What happens during a stroke . | Toronto-area woman documents stroke with a selfie video .
Video helped her receive treatment after she was initially misdiagnosed .
Doctor's advice: "Don't waste time on a video, just call 911" |
0c02c38b194bbd734bd4ae2c3bdad6b045611055 | (CNN) -- Burglars broke into Amy Winehouse's London home early Thursday and took away several valuable guitars, recording equipment and a flat-screen TV, according to her spokesman. Winehouse is currently vacationing in the Caribbean. It was an easy mark for intruders who may have known Winehouse has been away for weeks on a Caribbean vacation, spokesman Chris Goodman said. "It's one of life's little ironies," he said. "Usually, hundreds of paparazzi are outside her home." When the Grammy-winning singer is in town, "it's the safest street in London," he said. Winehouse, who is on the island of St. Lucia, is "writing music with another guitar that didn't get burgled," Goodman said. "She's doing very well and is enjoying her time away," he said, but she is thinking about returning to London soon. London police have already recovered some of the electronics taken from Winehouse's home, according to a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman. A neighbor called police to the home after two men kicked in the front door at 4 a.m. Thursday, the spokeswoman said. No arrests have been made, she said. The burglary wasn't the only bad news for Winehouse during her vacation. Husband Blake Fielder-Civil earlier this month asked his lawyer "to commence divorce proceedings on the grounds of Amy's adultery," said his lawyer, Henri Brandman. That came after Fielder-Civil saw photos of her cavorting with another man in the Caribbean while he sat in a British jail. | Flat-screen TV, guitars in haul as burglars target Winehouse's London home .
Winehouse is currently vacationing in Caribbean .
Troubled singer also hit by divorce proceedings from jailed husband . |
0c02e4ce8ec76f1c2b58cf23511e2a3ac67fe148 | Eavesdrop on Hampshire cricket all-rounder Will Smith and you might jump to the wrong conclusion if he uses the words ‘length’ and ‘poundage’. He is not necessarily talking about where he pitches the off-breaks that made him a valuable contributor in last summer’s T20, or the weight of his new bat. The 32-year-old is just as likely to be explaining his analysis of an afternoon’s runners. A new three-year deal has just been signed with his county but Smith is planning for a longer-term future which he hopes will be played out on a different form of turf. Hampshire cricket all-rounder Will Smith says he has been hooked on racing since he was five-years-old . Smith said he would like to go into racing punditry when he finishes playing cricket in six or seven years time . Racing fan Smith (left) talks to Sportsmail's Marcus Townend (right) at Kempton . 1 VAUTOUR: Quite simply, wins the Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival by 10 lengths! 2 FAUGHEEN: Wins the Champion Hurdle by five lengths! 3 BRIAR HILL: Fell in last season’s Albert Bartlett Hurdle but had previously beaten first and third Very Wood and Apache Jack at Naas, giving them weight. 4 CAPOTE: Soft ground staying chaser who should prove better than his hurdling form. 5 ELENIKA: Very well handicapped for steeplechasing and goes well fresh. 6 CHAMPAGNE AT TARA: Will prove better upped in trip and nicely handicapped. 7 OUR JOEY: Highly rated by Cumbrian trainer George Bewley. Soft ground will suit him well. 8 MANY CLOUDS: Can win a high-class handicap chase between 2m4f-3m. 9 GOLDEN CHIEFTAIN: Ran well on reappearance at Cheltenham. Runs in Badger Beer Chase at Wincanton this afternoon. 10 SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR: Looks suited to the Grand National. On Wednesday he was the studio expert for subscription channel Racing UK, interpreting the action from Nottingham and Warwick. During the winter months, Smith can also be found offering useful advice to punters via William Hill radio. Smith has scored more than 7,000 first-class runs, won four County Championship medals (three with Durham and one with Nottinghamshire) and was a member of the Hampshire team which won this year’s Division Two to gain promotion. But he has an equal passion for horseracing. He said: ‘My father used to take me and my older brother to Towcester every Boxing Day and Easter Monday. I loved everything about a racecourse, the atmosphere, the smells. I was five or six and it got me hooked. ‘Throughout my teenage years I always studied the form in the hope of making a pound or two. I have always had an analytical mind so I enjoyed that side of it. ‘Two winters ago, I was coming into the last year of my contract with Durham. It was up in the air whether I would get another deal because of their financial troubles. ‘I thought I might have to do something else so I thought “what do I have a passion for?”’ The cricketer, who captained Durham as they retained their title in the 2009 season, said: ‘I pestered the (RUK) producer with emails and didn’t let him have a moment’s peace because I was so keen. I love doing the punditry. It is ideally where I would like to be once the cricket finishes even if, hopefully, that is another six or seven years down the line.’ Smith revealed that in 2009 he was unsure whether he would get a new Durham contract so was f . Smith has scored more than 7,000 first-class runs and has won four County Championship medals . Smith captained current England skipper Alastair Cook when the two were at Bedford School together . Smith, who took three for 15 when a losing semi-finalist in the T20 finals in August, has a cricket pedigree as rich as some of the racehorses he analyses. His fielding skills earned him a stint as a substitute fielder for England while on the Notts staff and, prior to playing for British Universities, he captained current England skipper Alastair Cook while they were contemporaries at Bedford School. Smith said: ‘He was 4ft 2in and I don’t think his voice had broken but you could tell he had a bit of talent. I was No 3 and Alastair opened with James Stedman, who went on to play hockey for England. ‘They put on numerous double hundred partnerships so I spent a lot of my time with my pads on not doing a lot.’ Smith, married to Catherine with two daughters, Ava, three, and Daisy, six months, believes his interest in racing acts as a useful diversion from the demands of the county circuit. He said: ‘If you are just watching the cricket you become a little too intense about it, or I do anyway. Also at night time you just want to switch off. ‘I go out for a meal with team-mates and then can sit back and watch the racing I have missed and catch up on the form.’ Another result at Hampshire suggests Smith has not given his team-mates too many losing tips — he was voted Players’ Player of the Year for 2014. | Will Smith has scored more than 7,000 first-class runs .
But the Hampshire all-rounder is also passionate about racing .
Smith says he has been hooked since he was five-years-old .
Smith hopes to work in racing punditry when he retires from cricket . |
0c0310aef9c7e02e1d52f69e01c394249e4091f1 | It was the moment millions of Broadchurch fans had waited almost two years for. But the much-anticipated return of the ITV crime drama left many baffled – and not just by the plot. Some who tuned in for the start of the second series on Monday night complained they struggled to understand actor David Tennant’s Scottish accent to the extent that they were forced to turn on the TV subtitles. Scroll down for video . Viewers complained about David Tennant mumbling during the second series of Broadchurch on ITV last night and said they had to use subtitles on their televisions to understand the actor who plays DI Alec Hardy . And first-time viewers were left baffled by the complex storyline as producers did not begin with a summary of what had happened in the first series – which ended in April 2013 – even though the new series picks up where that left off. While the opening episode, which had an audience of 7.2million, drew widespread praise and was quickly being talked about on Twitter, many viewers said they had difficulty deciphering some of the dialogue. One wrote: ‘Still couldn’t understand a word they were saying in Broadchurch tonight – I need someone to translate the heavily accented mumbling.’ Another added: ‘Challenge: try to watch Broadchurch without subtitles. FAILED.’ Others singled out Tennant, who plays dour Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, saying: ‘David Tennant needs subtitles, with that accent don’t understand a word he says.’ Many viewers complained about having to use subtitles to understand Tennant's mumbling on the show . Tennant and Coleman, who plays DS Ellie Miller, were in court as DS Miller's husband denied murder . This is not the first time Tennant’s voice has caused problems. He also starred in Gracepoint, the US remake of Broadchurch, with his American accent failing to impress both critics and audiences. On Monday night, many Broadchurch viewers were left scratching their heads – and not in the way the programme makers intended. Fans said the show was confusing and complained that there had been no recap of the first series at the start. This left new viewers lost, while many who were avid watchers of the old series nearly two years ago were unable to remember the details needed to follow the plot. One tweeted: ‘May as well have not watched the last series of Broadchurch, not a clue who’s who or what’s happening.’ Viewers complained about the accents of many of the cast members as well as the loud background noise . Joe Miller pleaded not guilty to the murder of Danny Latimer, 11, despite his confession in the last show . Another added: ‘Anyone else watching Broadchurch and can’t remember who everyone is or what went on last series?’ One Broadchurch mystery was instantly seized on by the gloomy drama’s more light-hearted fans – why are there so many former Doctor Who stars in the cast? They pointed out that seven had previously appeared in the BBC sci-fi series. David Tennant played The Doctor for five years while Arthur Darvill – the Rev Paul Coates in Broadchurch – had a long-running role as one of the time-traveller’s companions. Olivia Colman has been a guest star, as has Jonathan Bailey, who plays journalist Olly Stevens in the ITV drama. Three others in the new series appeared in Doctor Who, including Eve Myles, who was also in the spin-off, Torchwood. Many fans used social media to highlight this crossover. One wrote: ‘Do Broadchurch only cast actors who’ve appeared in Doctor Who/Doctor Who spin-offs?’ Another added: ‘Broadchurch, where Dr Who actors go on leaving the Tardis, apparently.’ Others joked that Broadchurch had become a ‘retirement home’ for Doctor Who stars and wrote ‘I reckon Dr Who did it’. The first series, set in a fictional Dorset seaside town, involved the hunt for the killer of 11-year-old Danny Latimer. Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller, played by Olivia Colman, and DI Hardy – who moved to the area from another force after his previous investigation fell apart in court – investigated numerous suspects before the killer was exposed, in a shocking twist, to be DS Miller’s husband Joe. Monday’s episode began in court with Miller surprising everyone by entering a not guilty plea. Some viewers said the programme was unrealistic as retired barrister Jocelyn Knight, played by Charlotte Rampling, was given the job of prosecuting Miller. One lawyer said: ‘Completely unrealistic court scenes and how counsel are appointed in murder cases – can’t ITV afford researchers?’ ITV said it had received ‘fewer than five’ complaints about mumbled dialogue. It added that although no recap of the first series was broadcast on Monday, a four-minute clip recounting the plot had been circulated via social media and was available on the ITV website. Of alleged legal inaccuracies in the plot, an ITV spokesman said: ‘We consult extensively with advisers, but also have to balance what we consider to be the best creative decision for the drama – and the audience. ‘We’re thrilled that we’ve had such a positive response.’ | Return of Broadchurch, starring David Tennant, was widely anticipated .
But viewers criticised Tennant's 'mumbling' during the ITV drama .
Claimed they had to use subtitles and re-watch episode to understand it .
Others complained of loud music and poor West County accents of cast .
Viewers said show resembled old cast of Dr Who series as Tennant, Olivia Coleman, Eve Miles and Arthur Darvill all appeared in the previous show .
Most were positive but some attacked show for unbelievable plot lines . |
0c03c3abf0db6a3cf8175532fa1bc3b7f352af10 | By . James Rush . An inquisitive toddler had to be rescued by firefighters after getting her head stuck in a toilet training seat. Emily Pitt got her head wedged in her older brother's training seat after trying it on as a hat. Her mother, Sarah Pitt, at first laughed when her young daughter wandered into the living room with the seat around her neck - but then had to ring 999 when she was unable to get it off. Emily Pitt had to be freed by firefighters after she got her head wedged in her older brother's training seat . Ms Pitt, 35, said: 'I thought they would just give me advice on how to get it off - we spent 45 minutes trying to get it off and she was wedged in tight. 'We had to show her Peppa Pig on my iPhone to keep her quiet. The fire brigade showed up and carefully cut her free - I'm so grateful to them. 'Emily now keeps talking about how the firemen came and rescued her.' Emily wandered into the bathroom of their home in Tadworth, Surrey, on Saturday afternoon where she found her older brother Owen's training seat. She then toddled into the lounge with the seat around her neck, prompting her parents to contact the emergency services when they were unable to get it off. Mother-of-four Ms Pitt said: 'She wasn't in pain or anything - the seat wasn't tight around her neck or anything like that. Emily (right) wandered into the bathroom of their home in Tadworth, Surrey, on Saturday afternoon where she found her older brother Owen's training seat (left) 'Obviously, we wanted to get it off without hurting her. Firemen spent about five minutes cutting it off with a hacksaw blade. 'I would like to warn other parents that if their child gets in the same situation, ring 999 rather than attempting to cut it off yourself. 'Parents aren't trained to do things like this - but luckily firemen are.' She added: 'Emily's not the smallest two-year-old. She's quite big. It was a first for us and the fire station. 'It just goes to show I suppose that toilet training seats definitely shouldn't be used as a hat.' Emily's father Adam added: 'All my little girl keeps talking about is how the firemen helped her.' | Emily Pitt became wedged in training seat after she tried it on as a hat .
Her parents initially laughed when she toddled into their living room .
But they had to ring 999 when they were unable to get the seat off . |
0c048c8e387fb221b38fcdcd93072dba2d6dcfc5 | By . Associated Press Reporter and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 04:09 EST, 23 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:05 EST, 25 July 2013 . A New York man who became obsessed with convicted killer Jodi Arias has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill broadcaster Nancy Grace because of her negative coverage. David Lee Simpson, 48, also allegedly described in graphic detail how he would kill another Turner Broadcasting anchor, Jane Velez-Mitchell, after she also spoke passionately about Arias' guilt. He allegedly wrote on Twitter in June that he wanted to tie the women to a 'tree naked and leave them to suffer . all night,' then 'slit their throats'. 'Plot': David Lee Simpson allegedly became so infatuated with convicted killer Jodi Arias that he threatened to kill two Turner anchors who made negative remarks about her while covering her trial . Simpson also allegedly commented . that he wanted to 'gut [one of the women] like a deer'. Shortly after making the remarks, he quit his job at an auto repair shop and told colleagues in Bath, New York that he was leaving town and began driving south. But on July 17, he was arrested at a traffic stop and officers found guns, ammunition, handcuffs, zip ties, binoculars, a police radio and a news article about the shooting in Newtown, KPHO reported. 'This suspect was on his way south with enough weapons in his car to do serious harm to someone,' Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. 'Fortunately, we acted quickly enough, and in doing so, were able to stop him before anything could transpire.' Anger: He allegedly said that he wanted to tie HLN anchor Nancy Grace up and slit her throat . Outrage: The comments were also directed at anchor Jane Velez-Mitchell, pictured covering the trial . Arpaio had began investigating Simpson after he became aware of the remarks. He told a press conference: 'Evidently, Simpson was infatuated with Jodi Arias. He also told an employee where he worked previously that he wanted the hang the commentator by her feet and gut her like a deer. These were some of the Tweets that came over.' An indictment that charges Simpson, 48, with three counts of computer tampering and two counts of stalking had not yet been made publicly available late Monday afternoon. Simpson also is accused of threatening a Phoenix woman who defended the anchors online. The sheriff said investigators don't know whether Simpson was intending to carry out his threats, but he said items found in Simpson's vehicle were disturbing. Obsession: Simpson allegedly became obsessed with Jodi Arias, who could face the death penalty for murder . Victim: She was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander to death in June 2008 . Simpson was expected to be brought to Arizona on Wednesday, Arpaio said. Court records show he does not yet have a lawyer. On May 8, a Maricopa County jury convicted Arias of murder in the death of her boyfriend Travis Alexander. He had been stabbed 27 times, his throat slit open and was shot in the head at his Arizona home in June 2008. Throughout the 18-day trial, Arias, 33, maintained that the killing was in self-defense. The jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether to sentence the former waitress to life in prison or death. While her murder conviction stands, prosecutors must now decide whether to try again for a death sentence with a new jury or to settle for life in prison. Cache: Investigators found several guns, handcuffs, zip . ties and a news clipping about last December's mass shooting in . Newtown, Connecticut, in Simpson's car . Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said told the media Simpson was evidently 'infatuated' with Jodi Arias . In court filings, prosecutors have asked the judge to begin new penalty-phase proceedings on July 30. But defense attorneys asked that the proceedings be delayed until January because of scheduling conflicts and the possibility that Arias might want to call witnesses to speak on her behalf. A new hearing was set last week for August 26, giving Arias' lawyers additional time to file motions as want the jury's finding that made her eligible for the death penalty vacated. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | David Lee Simpson, 48, from Bath, New York, has been indicted on charges relating to computer tampering and stalking .
Maricopa County Sheriff said Simpson was 'infatuated' with convicted murderer Jodi Arias, whose trial was concluded in May .
Investigators found guns, a knife, handcuffs, ties and a newspaper cutting of December's mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in Simpson's car . |
0c04e91bdf32cffa2af4de5c474e623372ab7034 | By . Tara Brady . A primary school has banned children from drinking squash because it is too unhealthy. Youngsters at Carlton Central Infant School in Nottingham are only allowed to drink a choice of orange juice, milk or water. However, some parents claim their children are becoming dehydrated and going without a drink all day because they will only drink cordial squash. Corbyn Richardson who has been told not to drink cordial at school pictured with his mum Nikki Richardson . Parents have branded the school’s claims that cordial drinks are unhealthy as 'nonsense' because the orange juice allowed is loaded with sugar. They accused the school of double standards because they happily allow crisps and chocolate as well as serving up fattening sponge cakes, cookies and cream and custard desserts in the school canteen. Mother-of-four Nikki Richardson, 32, says her four-year-old son Corbyn has been going thirsty while at school and has called for an end to the 'barmy' restrictions. However, scrooge school bosses have refused to back down on the rules, insisting parents must get a note from a doctor if they want their children to drink the cordials. Corbyn Richardson's parents believe their son is becoming dehydrated and going without a drink all day . Mrs Richardson, who sends Corbyn to school with a no added-sugar 10 calorie Fruitshoot drink each day, said: 'I was sending my son to school with cordial in his lunchbox and he was coming home with it at the end of the day. 'He was not being allowed to drink it. 'He was coming home thirsty. I asked the head teacher why and they said they weren’t allowing it on health grounds. Mrs Richardson sends Corbyn to school with a no added-sugar 10 calorie Fruitshoot drink each day . 'But there is sugar in pure fruit juice, so I don’t accept that explanation. It’s also very acidic, which isn’t good for his teeth. 'There’s less calories in the cordial I am sending him to school with. There’s three calories in the ones I buy and up to 115 calories in orange juice the school provides. 'Where is the logic in that? 'I don’t want him to drink milk in this hot weather as it’s not stored in the fridge and he doesn’t like water. 'My son won’t drink any of them, so what is he supposed to do? He is going thirsty and that is dangerous for his health. 'Ironically I asked about the chocolate and crisps in his lunchbox and they said "oh, that’s absolutely fine". 'That’s even more unhealthy than a no-added sugar cordial drink and they serve up custard and cream and sponge cakes quite happily. 'It’s just double standards really.' Full-time mum Nikki, who lives in Carlton, Nottinghamshire, with husband Matthew, 33, a bus driver, is now starting a petition to get the ban dropped. She added: 'I’ve had so much support, all the other parents think it is ridiculous too. 'We just want common sense to prevail in the end, it’s just nonsense and completely barmy.' Tiffany Antcliffe, whose five-year-old daughter Amber is also going without a drink all day, said: 'She has been coming out of school saying she is very thirsty. 'She won’t drink water and I want her to have cordial. Corbyn Richardson's parents have started a petition calling for children to be allowed to drink squash . 'But they have said that if she goes into school with cordial she will have it taken off her. 'I keep sending her with cordial. I don’t believe it is that unhealthy.' Another parent, who did not want to be named, said: 'I know kids, including my own, are going without a drink because of this. 'The school should reconsider. 'They are children, they don’t understand that if they do not take in liquids they can become dehydrated and very ill. Fruit shoot No Added Sugar 200ml . Energy: 10calories . Protein: Trace . Sugar: 1.6g . Fat: Trace . Orange Juice 200ml . Energy: 100calories . Protein: 1.4g . Sugar: 23g . Fat: Trace . 'The school is preventing them from drinking something they will actually take in and is putting our children in real danger.' Earlier this year, research by experts at Glasgow University revealed that drinking fruit juice, including pure orange juice, can be harmful. They said a 250ml serving of orange juice contains 115 calories. Carlton Central Infants said it was following county council guidelines. Headteacher Anna Spencer added: 'If parents don’t wish their child to bring in water for medical reasons, we have asked them to supply a doctor’s letter. 'The reason we introduced this policy is that although the majority of parents were sending their child in with water, some children were bringing in sugar-laden fizzy or still drinks every day, which were having an adverse effect on their behaviour by the afternoons when some were becoming disruptive in class. 'Bringing in water also means that children can easily top up their bottles during the day, especially when the weather is warm, to keep them hydrated.' Youngsters at Carlton Central Infant School in Nottingham are only allowed to drink orange juice, milk or water . A Fruit Shoot No Added Sugar contains 10 calories while a 200ml glass of orange juice has 100 calories . The school which caters for 179 children aged between three and seven was rated as 'Good' in all areas after an OFSTED inspection in 2012. The report claimed that the school needed to 'improve the effectiveness of leadership and management and quality of teaching.' In January this year Valence Primary School in Dagenham, Essex banned fruit juices from school lunchboxes due to their unhealthy calorie content. | Parents at Carlton Central Infant School say children are dehydrated .
Youngsters are only allowed to drink orange juice, milk and water .
A petition has been started calling for children to be allowed squash .
Carlton Central Infants says it is following county council guidelines . |
0c0531e58be44274dbfea947776465554c60f08e | A village school which has six members of staff on its payroll despite having no pupils has been branded a 'fiasco'. All the children have now left the small, rural Ravenstonedale Endowed School in Cumbria following an 'inadequate' Ofsted inspection in April yet a cook, two teaching assistants, a cleaner and a secretary – all being paid a full-salary – join the headmistress Vicki Boggon every day. Andy Silvester of the Tax Payers' Alliance called the situation a 'complete fiasco' and said that taxpayers would be 'baffled'. Ravenstonedale Endowed School in Cumbria has no pupils but six members of staff . He added: 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that a school without pupils doesn't need any staff. 'The process of closing the school, and reassigning these staff to places where they can actually contribute to a child's education, must be sped up.' Adding to the odd situation, Cumbria County Council, who took over the running of Ravenstonedale, have suggested in a 'consultation on closure' document, that that the school may stay open for another seven months. Trouble started at the small school near Kirkby Steven, Cumbria, when it was put under 'special measures' after inspectors who arrived on April 30 at half a day's notice found 'there are too many incidents of racist and homophobic bullying, together with some serious instances of violence towards one another'. Cumbria County Council, who took over the running of Ravenstonedale, have suggested in a 'consultation on closure' document, that that the school may stay open for another seven months . The news shocked and confused the quiet community because there were only 13 pupils at the school and they were all white. But the chairman of governors at Ravenstonedale, has claimed the report was based on a single incident of children using the word 'gay' as a throwaway comment and not knowing what it meant. She said she believed that Ofsted had an agenda against small schools and suspected they'd been unfairly labelled racist because racism and homophobia were treated as one category by Ofsted. Since the damning report every one of the pupils enrolled has now been taken out of the school. By September there were just two pupils left, and within the past month that number has dwindled to zero. Parents of children at Ravenstonedale Endowed School have described the Ofsted report as 'ludicrous' A Cumbria County Council spokesman said: 'Despite a positive recent Ofsted monitoring visit, unfortunately the school now has no pupils attending. 'As a result the council will begin a consultation on the future of the school from October 27 which runs until 21 November. 'We're exploring options with staff about how we might be able to deploy them to other schools when close-down procedures have been completed. 'In doing this, we have to follow Human Resources law and their employment rights by consulting with staff and working with them to look at what their options might be.' Ravenstonedale is centred on a single main street, though there are many scattered dwellings on the periphery. There are two pubs in the village . Although the school has no pupils, there are still people in the area who would prefer it to stay open. Paul Bonsall, the 63-year-old owner of the Fat Lamb Hotel, Ravenstonedale is one of them although he chose to send his children, now in their thirties, to a different school. He said: 'It would be a real shame if the school ceased to exist completely as it was once at the very centre of village life. 'However I agree that they shouldn't be paying all six members of staff to keep it open. 'It probably only needs the headmistress to complete whatever tasks still need to be dealt with even without any pupils.' | School put under special measures after Ofsted observed 'racist and homophobic behaviour'
At the time of Ofsted visit Ravenstonedale Endowed School in Cumbria had 13 pupils .
All of the pupils have been subsequently removed, last leaving in September .
Council begun a consultation on the future of the school on October 27 and it will run until 21 November . |
0c05333f16e1a2048028e4875a15ca10e7b3a9a5 | A fifth of graduates are unemployed or in unsalaried or low-paid posts six months after leaving university, official figures reveal. One in ten are out of work and a similar proportion are on internships, doing voluntary work or travelling. Those that have found employment are often stuck in menial jobs such as window cleaning, packing or bottling and stacking shelves. Job shortage: A fifth of graduates are unemployed or in unsalaried or low-paid posts six months after leaving university, official figures reveal . The research by the Higher Education Statistics Agency paints a sobering picture for young university leavers who have spent at least three years studying and have built up large debts. It shows many are emerging into a hugely competitive job market where they may wait years before securing meaningful employment. The trebling of tuition fees last year to a maximum of £9,000 has created the prospect of thousands of students leaving university in two years with debts of £40,000 or more once living costs are added - and no prospect of starting to pay it off for the foreseeable future. Details were released at the same time as a Confederation of British Industry report warned too many sixth formers were being pushed into the ‘default’ university route instead of considering vocational courses and on-the-job training. Key industries such as manufacturing, construction, IT and engineering face a recruitment crisis as a result, it said. Of the 190,000 full-time first degree leavers in 2011-2012 who took part in the HESA survey, more than 17 per cent said they had continued studying. Two-thirds said they were working - but barely more than half were on permanent contracts.Six per cent said they had taken basic, unskilled work such as manning rubbish trucks or sorting mail. Two per cent were doing internships, 1.3 per cent were involved in voluntary work and 2.7 per cent classified themselves as other/unknown, a category which includes ‘developing a portfolio’. Another five per cent had opted to travel or do ‘something else’. Opportunities for university leavers . have shrunk by four per cent since last year, according to a survey by . the Association of Graduate Recruiters earlier this month. Crisis: Opportunities for university leavers have shrunk by four per cent since last year, according to a survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters earlier this month . Banking and finance has seen 45 per cent of jobs evaporate, while accountancy and professional services firms have 17 per cent fewer vacancies. At the same time the pay premium gained from higher education is being eroded, creating a double whammy for graduates. Twenty years ago they earned 52 per cent more on average than workers with lower or no qualifications. Now that is down to 27 per cent. National Union of Students president Toni Pearce said: ‘Many of those entering the work-place for the first time are finding it hard to find a job that matches their skills. ‘Those taking their first step on the career ladder are willing to work hard and pay their dues but employers must stop exploiting them through things like unpaid internships.’ The CBI report called for a university admissions-style system to be set up to help more young people apply for apprenticeships and vocational courses. This is needed to prevent a chronic shortage of suitable workers as it estimated the majority of posts created between now and 2020 will be in high-skilled jobs. ‘What is now seen as the “default route” of an undergraduate degree is not suitable for all - young people have different talents and learn in different ways,’ the report said. ‘We should aim to inspire but also be realistic, setting out the costs and likely return on options open to young people, including the vocational options that have long been undersold.’ Policy director Katja Hall added: ‘We need to tackle the perception that the A-levels and three-year degree model is the only route to a good career. ‘When faced with a £27,000 debt, young people are already becoming much savvier in shopping around for routes to give them a competitive edge in a tighter job market.’ | Research by the Higher Education Statistics Agency paints sobering picture .
Many graduates that have found employment are stuck in menial jobs .
Fierce competition means many could wait years before finding meaningful work . |
0c0576263b2d0dd972fa901d787c0032e5961823 | Ayoze Perez was Newcastle’s match-winner with his first goal for the club on what was his full Premier League debut. But who is rookie Spaniard? Sportsmail brings you more… . Where did he come from? Ayoze Perez celebrates scoring the winner for Newcastle against Tottenham on his first start for the club . Newcastle moved quickly to beat off interest from a host of Spanish clubs and signed the 21-year-old from Tenerife for £1.5m in June. Why was there so much interest? Well, 16 goals in Spain’s second tier alerted the Magpies and many others but the player preferred to test himself in the Premier League. He left White Hart Lane and headed straight back to his homeland for an awards ceremony, where he is up for the best breakthrough player prize for last season. He has also now broken into Spain’s Under-21 side. How has he done at Newcastle? After seven substitute appearances he had yet to break his duck before his headed winner at Spurs. He did, however, score a sublime solo effort for the Under-21s, weaving his way between four defenders before slotting home. Striker Perez, 21, signed in June from Spanish club Tenerife, scoring 16 goals in the Spanish second tier . And that won him a start? Not really, although it did put him to the front of the queue should Papiss Cisse have got injured. And that is exactly what happened, the Senegal striker failing a fitness test just two hours before the game. Alan Pardew must have been delighted with him? He was, and here’s what he said: ‘He’s a really great individual talent. He hasn’t quite got the strength and power that you associate with the Premier League but that will come to him. He has worked really, really hard. The players love him so they were really made up that he scored the winner.’ Does he speak any English then? Sportsmail tried to grab a few words with him outside of the ground, and this is what we got. ‘I am very happy. I hope I can play good for Newcastle and score many goals.’ The Toon Army will certainly be hoping he is good to his word. | Ayoze Perez rewarded Alan Pardew for starting him with a winning goal .
The 21-year-old striker signed from Tenerife for £1.5m in June .
He had made seven substitute appearances before starting against Spurs . |
0c05b250a7c76a92dfb2e5499e73021484580b61 | President Barack Obama dismissed criticism he doesn't spend enough time developing relationships with Washington deal-makers who can help push his agenda forward. In an exclusive interview with CNN chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin, Obama said he is determined to make time for his family. "Sometimes Michelle and I not doing the circuit and going out to dinners with folks is perceived as us being cool," Obama said. "It actually really has more to do with us being parents." The president has been criticized from all sides for failing to achieve more bipartisanship, especially given his 2008 campaign pledge to bridge partisan and ideological divides once in office. Some of the president's frustrated allies have complained that a seeming reluctance to build relationships with more members of Congress and Washington insiders has made it difficult for him to get business done. Romney gets more personal . In the interview, which will air as part of the documentary "Obama Revealed: The Man, The President," Obama suggested he is willing to build those relationships, but often turns down social engagements because he prioritizes time at home with his children. "Sometimes on the weekends, we may turn down the invitation to this or that or the other just because we're trying to carve out family time," Obama said. "And I think that's sometimes interpreted as me not wanting to be out there slapping backs and wheeling and dealing. That really has more to do with just the stage we are in our lives." Asked if things would change if he's elected to a second term, Obama said, "My hope is that getting past this election, people will have an opportunity to maybe step back and say, 'You know what? The differences that divide us aren't as important as the common bonds we have as Americans.' " "And some of that I'm sure will require additional effort on my part. Hopefully, we'll see more effort on the other side, as well," he added. David Maraniss, who penned biographies of former President Bill Clinton and Obama, said the current president "is not going to become this great transactional politician," like Clinton. "Bill Clinton was imbalanced. He would spend the hours between 6:00 and 9:00 (p.m.) talking to people in Congress," Maraniss said. "Whereas President Obama is basically with his family during those hours, which is sort of a balanced thing to do but not necessarily good for a president." One of the president's closest friends and aides, Valerie Jarrett, said Obama "wants to be the kind of dad he never had." The president has been slammed by Republicans for what they consider an unwillingness to compromise, particularly in legislative matters. Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, who worked closely with the president early in his term, said she is not sure Obama "truly understands the relationship and interaction that occurs between the president and the legislative branch." "Somehow, he thinks, well, the Congress is, you know, that's their job and this is my job," Snowe said. "But we have to really interact with one another, ultimately, to get the job done for the country." The president said he repeatedly reached out across the aisle in the hope of achieving bipartisan solutions, even at the expense of condemnation from members of his own party. It was the GOP, he said, that made reaching across party lines nearly impossible. "If anything, I think I received a lot of criticism from my own party for going out of my way to try to solicit Republican cooperation," Obama said. "The fact of the matter was that politically there was a decision that was made fairly early on, among some of their leadership, that said working with the president is not good politics." | Obama has been criticized for failing to build relationships with Washington insiders .
Clinton spent evenings talking to lawmakers; Obama spends that time with family, biographer says .
"It actually really has more to do with us being parents," he says of turning down dinner invites . |
0c06737a0ad74400b74c4e3219183c7302f48a09 | (CNN) -- Want to buy that bottle of Johnnie Walker Explorers Club at an airport duty-free shop abroad before your return to the United States? Maybe you've never splurged, since you don't want to place it into your checked baggage, as required for your connecting flight home. Now there's a way. The Transportation Safety Administration's 3-1-1 rule has been relaxed just a little bit starting Friday, for people coming to the United States from abroad. Travelers who buy alcohol or other liquids at those duty-free airport shops abroad can bring them into the United States on an international flight and carry them onto a connecting flight. This slight relaxing of the TSA's 3-1-1 rule affects only some people returning home to the United States from other countries. Before January 31, a traveler who purchased wine at the Paris airport duty-free shop before flying to New York and on to Omaha, Nebraska, faced a dilemma. Once he cleared U.S. Customs in New York, the TSA required him to pack any liquids into his checked luggage before clearing TSA security to fly to Nebraska. Now, the TSA will permit international travelers to carry liquids in excess of 100 mL in their carry-on baggage, "provided they were purchased in duty-free shops and placed in secure, tamper-evident bags (STEBs)," according to the TSA website. The liquids must be screened and cleared by TSA checkpoint security officers, utilizing the same bottled liquid scanner technology that is used to screen medically necessary liquids in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces, according to a TSA official. Just don't drink your duty-free booze on that flight to celebrate. That's still not allowed. The safest bet is still to check your liquids. That's because the agency still reserves the right to not clear your favorite drink or lotion. Liquids in metallic, opaque or ceramic bottles or other containers that cannot be scanned properly will not be allowed in carry-on luggage. | The TSA has eased up on the 3-1-1 rule, just a little .
The change affects only liquids purchased at duty-free airport shops abroad .
Travelers transferring to a domestic flight can carry on their liquids . |
0c067a27063446cbcc5b474d200db1148b9663ee | An elderly husband strangled his 79-year-old wife to death before taking his own life, police believe. The body of pensioner Edith Gravener, who suffered from dementia, was found inside her home in St Helens, Merseyside, by her daughter-in-law last Tuesday. After officers were called, a search for her missing husband Ronald resulted in the 78-year-old's body being found in Carr Mill Dam, less than a mile from the couple's property, just hours later. Post mortem examinations showed that Mrs Gravener, a retired seamstress, died as a result of asphyxiation and Mr Gravener, a retired coal miner, of drowning. Edith Gravener, 79, was found dead at her home in Mallory Grove in the St Helens area of Merseyside (pictured), and her husband Ronald, 78, was found dead just a few hours later at a dam less than a mile away . Police confirmed that they believe Mr Gravener strangled his wife before committing suicide. A criminal investigation is now underway, with a file set to be prepared for the coroner. Stunned neighbours living in the sleepy cul-de-sac told of their shock after the bodies of the elderly couple were discovered just hours apart. One said: 'They had lived here for 20-plus years and were a really lovely couple. 'She suffered from dementia but he was totally devoted to her and cared for her around the clock. 'We used to see him going up the road to get his paper every morning. 'It's terrible what's happened. We've lived here for 30 years and nothing like this has ever happened around here before.' Another told how the first he knew of the tragedy was when police knocked on his door and told him that Mrs Gravener had been found dead and that Mr Gravener and his car had disappeared. He added: 'Whichever way you look at it, it's a tragedy.' Inquests into both deaths were opened on Monday afternoon. In the opening statements, it was revealed that Mrs Gravener's daughter-in-law, Amanda, had arrived at the house shortly after 9am on December 2 to take Mrs Gravener to see her GP, but had found the couple's property unlocked. Inside, she discovered Mrs Gravener's body and a note, penned by Mr Gravener, in which he allegedly apologised for his actions. A subsequent police search resulted in officers finding Mr Gravener's body in Carr Mill Dam shortly before 1pm. Police said an investigation into both deaths was 'ongoing' but detectives confirmed that they were not seeking anyone else in relation to either death. | Edith Gravener, 79, was found dead at her home by her daughter-in-law .
Her husband Ronald, 78, also found dead at a dam just a few hours later .
Police said Edith was strangled while her husband died from drowning . |
0c070fed61942d0ef2e4febb179ec5df82f69241 | By . Rebecca Brett . Nearly 900,000 Britons have been issued with a fine for motoring offences while driving on holiday abroad. One in 12 holidaymakers have been collared for breaking road rules on foreign trips in their own car, according to a survey. The findings sparked a warning for British travellers to get up to speed with little-known local laws including a Spanish ban on driving in flip-flops and a French restriction on satnav speed camera alerts. Laws in European countries include carrying a spare pair of spectacles in Italy, having a clean car in Russia and not wearing flip-flops to drive in Spain . The research comes amid a row over an EU Directive that will make it easier for police in Europe to trace errant British motorists whilst foreign drivers in the UK often escape scot-free. The research found the popularity of self-drive holidays across the English Channel has soared in the past two years. Nearly a quarter of the UK's 47.4 million adults have gone abroad by car - a total of 11.5 million British holidaymakers. But 80 per cent have been stopped for motoring misdemeanours or picked up a parking ticket - equivalent to 878,000 penalised abroad. The figure does not include Britons fined on fly-drive holidays in hire cars. The survey of 2,054 adults indicated that 4.4 million will set off from home on road trips abroad this year alone - 2.6 million more than in 2012 when just 1.8 million drove to their destination. 24% of the UK's 47.4 million adults have gone abroad by car, it's essential that British travellers get up to speed with little-known local laws in Europe before travelling . It found that men are much more likely to contravene local laws than women - 9 per cent did so compared to 6 per cent of women - and those aged under 25 are the worst offenders. 'There are lots of different laws when you drive in continental Europe and they vary from country to country,' Victoria Walton, Insurance company NFU Mutual's motor insurance specialist, said. SPAIN Fines for driving in flip-flops and ban on using DIY hands-free phone kits at the wheel . FRANCE Fines of up to Euro £1,200 for using a satnav with the speed camera location warning enabled and compulsory to carry a DIY breathalyser . GERMANY Illegal to stop on an autobahn, even when running out of fuel . ITALY Compulsory to park in the direction of traffic on that side of the road and carry spare pair of spectacles if needed for driving . RUSSIA AND BELARUS On-the-spot fine for driving a dirty car . CYPRUS Honking a horn near a hospital prohibited . DENMARK Mandatory to check under car for children hiding before driving off . LUXEMBOURG All cars must have windscreen wipers...even if they don't have a windscreen . SCANDINAVIA First region to make daytime use of headlights compulsory . 'You may not know that it is the law to carry a breathalyser in France, illegal to use a hands-free kit in Spain and compulsory that drivers who wear glasses carry a spare pair in their vehicle in Italy and Spain. 'British tourists are also at risk of serious fines if they drive wearing flip-flops or do not indicate on the motorway in Spain.' The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said holidaymakers face fines for driving a dirty car in Russia or honking their horn near a hospital in Cyprus and warned that travellers could even be arrested if caught unawares. 'It's easy to throw caution to the wind when on holiday but it's important to be aware of the local laws and customs before you set off,' FCO Minister Mark Simmonds said. 'Laws and customs vary widely from country to country. We want people to enjoy their holidays so we encourage them to be prepared.' Motorists also risk fines for driving without the minimum third party insurance required throughout Europe and advised travellers to check policies to ensure they are covered on the Continent. 'Anyone planning a self-drive trip to Europe this summer must check both their insurance and breakdown cover extends to European travel,' said Walton. 'Some policies do not provide this cover as standard. You risk being seriously out of pocket and, more importantly, breaking the law without the adequate cover.' One in twelve holidaymakers have been stopped for breaking road rules on foreign trips in their own car . The 2011 EU Directive is due to come into force next year after a ruling by the European Court of Justice overturned a UK opt-out. The clampdown gives overseas authorities the go-ahead to electronically access driver records at the DVLA to pursue fines which are currently only enforceable if drivers are stopped by a police officer. Britain fought it on the economic grounds that the cost of upgrading DVLA computers to enable instant exchange of registered keeper details and the expense of processing penalties outweigh the income generated from fines. | One in 12 holidaymakers fined for breaking rules on foreign roads .
New EU Directive will make it easier for police in Europe to trace Errant British motorists .
Other rules include carrying a breathalyser in France and spare pair of spectacles in Italy . |
0c07b9f53448720eb9cf1e471e67fb86b297a18c | Boxing legend Muhammad Ali received another title for his legendary collection yesterday when he was honoured with a Liberty Medal for his role as a humanitarian fighter. The sporting icon took centre stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to receive the award for his longtime role outside the ring as a fighter for humanitarian causes, civil rights and religious freedom. The three-time world heavyweight champion received an honour that his wife, Lonnie Ali, called 'overwhelming'. Scroll down for video . Family affair: Ali receives the award from his daughter Laila in a ceremony which the legendary fighter's family described as 'overwhelming' She said: 'It is especially humbling for Muhammad, who has said on many occasions, "All I did was to stand up for what I believe".' 70-year-old Ali, who has battled Parkinson's disease for three decades, stood with assistance to receive the medal from his daughter Laila Ali. He looked down at his medal for several moments and then waved to the crowd. The award comes with a $100,000 cash prize. Ali was born Cassius Clay but changed his name after converting to Islam in the 1960s. He refused to serve in the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs and was stripped of his heavyweight crown in 1967. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling later cleared him of a draft evasion conviction, and he regained the boxing title in 1974 and again 1978. Legend: The boxing icon received the award from his daughter Laila for his lifetime role as a fighter for humanitarian causes . One of his most famous fights took place in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he battled George Foreman in the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in 1974. At the ceremony Thursday, retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo recalled the impression Ali's visit made on him as an 8-year-old growing up in that country. 'He changed my life,' said Mutombo, who also is a trustee of the Constitution Center. 'I can never forget how inspired I was to see a black athlete receive such respect and admiration. One of a kind: Ali's family, including his wife Lonnie (second left) and sister-in-law Marilyn Williams (right) said the icon received the award despite 'standing up for what he believes in' Another title for the collection: Ali, who has been battling Parkinson's disease for three decades, did not speak at the award ceremony . 'He changed how the people of Zaire saw themselves, and in turn how the world saw them.' Legend: Ali, pictured here in 1978, was a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion . Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has traveled extensively on international charitable missions and devoted his time to social causes. Ali received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2005. He also has established the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Center in Phoenix and a namesake educational and cultural institute in his hometown, Louisville, Ky. The National Constitution Center, which . opened in 2003, is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the . Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. It awards the Liberty Medal annually . to a person who displays courage and conviction while striving to secure . freedom for people around the world. Previous . Liberty Medal recipients include rock singer and human rights activist . Bono, former South African President Nelson Mandela and former President . Jimmy Carter. Six winners later received Nobel Peace Prizes. Also . presenting the honor to Ali on Thursday were U.S. Olympic athletes . Claressa Shields and Susan Francia. Last month, the 17-year-old Shields . became the first U.S. girl or woman to win a gold medal in boxing. Francia is a two-time rowing gold medalist from Abington, just north of . Philadelphia. | Sporting icon received medal from daughter Laila .
His family describe award as 'overwhelming'
Boxing legend, 70, given medal for role as civil rights and religious freedom fighter .
Ali has been battling Parkinson's disease for 30 years . |
0c090b9038e7657b6578718e10a2b62e5a9cf3ed | Argentina traveled to Hong Kong looking for a morale-boosting victory following their 2-0 loss to bitter rivals Brazil. It's fair to say they got what they came for. Lionel Messi - who missed a penalty against Brazil - came off the bench to score twice as Argentina claimed an easy 7-0 victory against Hong Kong. Gonzalo Higuain and Nicolas Gaitan also scored a brace each while Ever Banega opened the scoring. Hong Kong had secured an important 2-1 win against Singapore on Friday but offered little against a far superior Argentina side. Host commentator . Full-time and it's an easy victory for Argentina. Some supporters ran on to the pitch as the game neared the end with one lucky fan even getting his shirt signed by Messi! Messi scores again to make it 7-0. The 27-year-old cuts in from the right, runs through four bodies on the edge of the area and unleashes an unstoppable shot. Argentina have breezed to this victory. Hong Kong have barely ventured into the opposition half. Manchester United star Angel Di Maria comes on for Gaitan who can be pleased with his contribution. Barcelona's Javier Mascherano, formerly of Liverpool, comes on for Fernando Gago while Enzo Perez is replaced by Roberto Pereyra. And another! Gaitan gets his second of the match. It took him only six minutes. Messi is on the scoresheet. Gaitan finds the Barcelona frontman with a tidy through ball and Messi casually chips the ball over the goalkeeper. The man everyone wants to see, Lionel Messi, is on the pitch. The Manchester City right back comes on for Inter Milan's Roncaglia for the last half an hour. It's Higuain at the double! Gaitan squares the ball to the Real Madrid frontman who taps the ball into the net. Easy. Debutant goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman is replaced by Agustin Marchesin who received his first call-up in four years for this clash. Nothing the goalkeeper could do about that one... 3-0 to Argentina. Nicolas Gaitan cuts in from the right before hammering the ball into the back of the net. Game over? Very (very) probably. Napoli striker Higuain powers a header home to double Argentina's lead. Banega, Gaitan and Pastore have seen so much of the ball during the first half... so much so, that the stats show that Hong Kong have had just 22 per cent of possession. It looks to be so hot and humid in Hong Kong that the players soaked shirts appear to be sticking to them. Not ideal conditions for a game of football. Second week in October and the return of 'proper football weather' - cold, dark, wet nights - is on the horizon here in England. The midfielder is in the thick of the action once again. However, after trading passes with goalscorer Banega, the 25-year-old shoots wide of the target from 20 yards out. Argentina have the lead and it's Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega with the goal. The midfielder, a target for Everton a couple of seasons ago, takes full advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Yapp to put Argentina ahead. Yapp failed to hold onto Nicolas Gaitan's side-foot, the nearest Hong Kong defender made a hash of his clearance and the ball fell to Banega on the edge of the area to smash the ball into the net. PSG goalkeeper Javier Pastore was played in by Gonzalo Higuain on the left of the box in acres of space but the Hong Kong goalkeeper Yapp Hung Fai saves well. Argentina, without star men Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria, will be looking to make amends for Saturday's 2-0 defeat to fierce rivals Brazil. Former Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago, now with Boca Juniors in his homeland, captains the side in Messi's absence. Argentina: Guzman, Roncaglia, Otamendi, Vergini, Vangioni, Perez, Gago, Banega, Pastore, Higuain, Gaitan. Hong Kong: Yapp, C. Lee, Agbo, Naegelein, Huang, Xu, W. Lee, Cheung, Chan, Karikari, Ju. | Messi nets a sublime goal, taking on four men, to make it 7-0 .
Gaitan gets his second of the match to give Argentina a 6-0 lead .
Lionel Messi makes it 5-0 just six minutes after coming on off the bench .
Higuain nets a brace to increase lead early in the second half .
Benfica midfielder Nicolas Gaitan adds to the score to make it 3-0 .
Gonzalo Higuain heads home to double the lead .
Ever Banega opens the scoring for Argentina against Hong Kong .
Argentina XI: Guzman, Roncaglia, Otamendi, Vergini, Vangioni, Perez, Gago, Banega, Pastore, Higuain, Gaitan .
Hong Kong XI: Yapp, C. Lee, Agbo, Naegelein, Huang, Xu, W. Lee, Cheung, Chan, Karikari, Ju .
Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria left out of starting XI .
Hong Kong host Argentina in friendly on Tuesday (kick-off 1pm BST)
Argentina looking to bounce back from 2-0 loss to bitter rivals Brazil .
Hong Kong looking to claim biggest scalp in history against Argentina . |
0c090f74bfa83eb245748d79b2abc76f4bc97d6d | MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Suspected Islamic extremists arrested last week in Barcelona were planning al Qaeda-style attacks in Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Portugal, according to an informant who "infiltrated" the group, Spain's El Pais newspaper reports. "If we attack the metro [subway system in Barcelona], the emergency services can't get there," one of the suspected suicide bombers told the informant, El Pais reported on Saturday. "Our preference is public transport, especially the metro." El Pais reported that it had access to the informant's testimony to Spanish officials. CNN has confirmed that authorities have given high importance to an informant's testimony. The judge who ordered 10 suspects held for allegedly plotting a suicide attack in Barcelona, cited in his rulings the testimony of an informant. CNN has viewed the rulings. Spain's Interior Minister last Friday said an informant warned of a planned suicide attack against Barcelona's metro on the weekend of January 18 to 20. But he added that, for now, "there is only the testimony of an informant" regarding the timing. The informant told authorities the cell comprised six suicide bombers, including himself, El Pais reported on Saturday. Spain's attorney general, Candido Conde-Pumpido, said last week that the cell could have contained six suicide bombers, two explosives experts and two ideologues. Judge Ismael Moreno, in rulings last Wednesday, wrote that the informant had named three suspected suicide bombers and an explosives expert, all of whom had traveled from Pakistan to Barcelona since last summer. The judge ordered these four men held, out the total of 10 jailed suspects who are from South Asia. They include nine Pakistani nationals and a man from India, who is Muslim. A court-appointed translator told CNN that all 10 suspects testified during their arraignments that they were innocent. The cell planned three attacks in Spain, one in Germany and others in France, Britain and Portugal, according to the informant, El Pais reported. On Sunday, another El Pais story added that the "wave of attacks" was to have been carried out by the Barcelona group and other extremist Pakistani cells were to attack elsewhere in Europe. The informant told authorities about potential links between the Barcelona group and suspected extremists in other countries, the interior minister said Friday. The informant had traveled by train from France to Barcelona on January 16, a few days before police made arrests in Barcelona, El Pais reported Saturday. A day earlier, the newspaper reported that the informant worked for French intelligence. Al Qaeda was planning to take responsibility for the first attack in Barcelona through Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban commander whom the Pakistani government blames for last month's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, El Pais reported. "Only the leadership of the organization knows what requests the emir (Baitullah) will make after the first attack, but if they are not carried out, there will be a second attack in Spain, and a third," a cell leader told the informant, El Pais reported. "And then in Germany, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom. There are many people prepared there." In Barcelona, two pairs of suicide bombers were to attack in separate metro stations, the paper said, citing the informant's testimony. One of the cell leaders said the bombs were supposed to be hidden in backpacks or bags and that other cell members were to detonate them by remote control, the paper added. Two other pairs of suicide bombers were to strike elsewhere in Spain, while another suicide bomber was to attack in Germany, although the informant said he did not know where or when those attacks were to occur, El Pais reported. Three other terrorists were assigned to attack in France and two in Portugal, El Pais reported, although it did not mention locations or times for those attacks either. Civil Guards initially detained 14 people in Barcelona, but released two before arraignments last Wednesday. The judge then released two more, leaving 10 in jail for further investigation. It was not immediately known if the alleged informant may have been among those arrested and released. "This cell was preparing to attack," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Friday in an interview with Spanish radio network SER. "It's clear they were going to try, whether last weekend (January 18 to 20) or within 15 days." But he said police have not found explosives "in sufficient quantity" to have carried out the assault. "We have found a modest quantity of explosives," Rubalcaba said, adding that they may have been intended for use in training the suspects. The judge in his rulings wrote that the group "had achieved human operational capacity and were very close to achieving full technical capacity with explosives, with the aim of using those explosives for a jihadi terrorist attack." Rubalcaba said that, for any such suspected terrorist cell, "the time from getting explosives to carrying out the attack can be very short." The judge wrote that police had found nitrocellulose and mechanical and electrical elements that could have been used to make one or more bombs. More than 300 suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested in Spain since the Madrid train bombings killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 on March 11, 2004, Rubalcaba said. Last October, more than a dozen Islamic extremists were convicted in Madrid for their roles in the train bombings. The 2004 bombings came just three days before general elections, in which Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won an upset victory. The latest arrests in Barcelona come less than two months before the next general elections, to be held March 9, when Zapatero seeks re-election. Spain remains on "permanent alert" against Islamic terrorism. Al Qaeda communiques regularly make specific references to Spain. E-mail to a friend . | Informant: Terrorists planned to attack public transport systems in Europe .
El Pais said it had access to informant's testimony to Spanish officials .
10 suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting attacks .
Informant: Cell consisted of six suicide bombers . |
0c0a7aea4e4f8a97e9bc15d27865bdebaa562b03 | (CNN) -- Even the prospect of rain is little help to the crews fighting an Arizona wildfire that killed 19 of their comrades. But firefighters battling the Yarnell Hill blaze did get a boost from the U.S. military, which committed four specially equipped C-130 transports to the effort Tuesday. About 400 ground personnel and 100 incident management staff are working to control the fire, shadowed by the near-total loss of an elite team that was overrun by the spreading blaze Sunday. "You have to acknowledge it," Karen Takai, a spokeswoman for the firefighting effort, told reporters Tuesday morning. "You can't push it behind in your head, but acknowledge it, and then they get their head back in the game. They have to focus very hard on the ground, or we'll be in that same circumstance again." And though Tuesday's forecast calls for about a 25% chance of thunderstorms, those squalls could bring gusts of 50 to 80 mph, lightning and only "spotty" rain, National Weather Service forecaster Jim Wallmann told reporters. "Although 80 miles per hour is unlikely, the potential there is for stronger winds than what we saw on Sunday afternoon," Wallmann said. Meanwhile, temperatures in the 90s are expected to prevail throughout the week, he said. The fire had scorched about 8,400 acres Tuesday morning and was largely unchanged Tuesday afternoon, incident commander Clay Templin told a public meeting. How to help the families . The region has been suffering from an extreme drought, and the winds whipping through the mountains can blow embers into new patches of parched woodland and mesquite grass, Takai said. "That mesquite is extremely oily, and once that starts, an ember gets into those extremely dry fuels, that fire is going to rip," she said. "It's very difficult to control at that degree, especially with the winds that we're having out here." The fire has scorched about 13 square miles of the mountains outside Prescott, 80 miles northwest of Phoenix. It remained completely uncontained Tuesday morning, Takai said. Late Monday afternoon, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office advised residents in the communities of Peeples Valley and Yarnell to evacuate their dwellings. An estimated 200 homes and other structures have burned in Yarnell. Though firefighters got a break with higher humidity and brief showers Tuesday morning, "The winds are just drying out that fuel right after the rain is hitting the ground," Takai said. "It's a pattern that is very difficult to work with." Remembering those who were killed . The C-130 crews now joining the fight will have their work cut out for them in battling what is now considered the deadliest fire in state history. Equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, the planes, loaded with water or fire retardant, can drop 3,000 gallons in less than five seconds. The retardant covers an area one-quarter of a mile long and 60 feet wide, and the aircraft can land, reload and be airborne again in under 20 minutes. "They'll be capable of actually dropping a lot of liquid on that ground in areas where it will be most effective," Takai said. The planes are from Colorado, where crews had been working on fires for the last several days. But they are now considered more vital for Arizona. The military deployment is coming at the request of civilian firefighting authorities. A Defense Department official confirmed the details to CNN but declined to be identified because an announcement has not yet been made. CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report. | 80-mph wind gusts are "unlikely" but possible, forecaster says .
The Yarnell Hill blaze killed 19 firefighters Sunday .
Four C-130s are bound for Arizona firefighting efforts .
The planes can drop massive amounts of water or fire retardant . |
0c0bef61bab721e96d35867a44ee4469ba1976b2 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 06:31 EST, 27 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:31 EST, 27 April 2013 . Scientists claim they have discovered how birds find their way across thousands of miles of land guided by the earth's magnetic field. It seems beneath the feathers they are equipped with an internal navigation system similar to the gadgets used by comic superhero Iron Man. Sensory neurons called hair cells are found inside the ears and they are responsible for detecting sound and gravity. Migrating: A flock of cranes fly 200 kilometres east of Budapest. Scientists are baffled how birds always fly to the same location and even the same nest . To the surprise of Austrian and Australian scientists each cell has a single iron ball, which is up to 2,000 times small than the width of a human hair, in the same place as every cell. The researchers believe that the iron responds much like a compass - known as magnetoreceptors - to help birds know whether they are flying north or south, the position of . the sun and visual maps to help them find their way. Hair cells are also involved in hearing . and balance in most animals, so the researchers believe the iron may . help the birds 'sense' the magnetic field, reports the Daily Telegraph. PhD student Mattias Lauwers, from the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, said: 'It's very exciting. Research: The image shows cells from the inner ear of pigeons stained with a chemical that turns iron bright blue in colour. It highlights the balls of iron discovered by the Keays lab. Each one lies directly beneath the hairs and there is just one per cell . 'We find these iron balls in every bird, whether it's a pigeon or an ostrich, but not in humans.' But IMP group leader Dr . David Keays told the paper: 'We're a long way off . understanding how magnetic sensing works - we still don't know what . these mysterious iron balls are doing. Diagram: A hair cell which detects sound and gravity. Balls of iron are found directly beneath the hairs and may play a role in magnetic detection . 'Who knows? Perhaps they are the elusive magnetoreceptors. Only time will tell.' Dr Keays examined zebra finches, ducks, chickens, ostriches and budgerigars and . found iron spheres in hair cells in each of their inner ears. Each cell contained just iron . ball. But they could not find any iron granules in the hair cells of mammals like . mice, guinea pigs, humans and even fish. For decades experts have been puzzled . how birds migrate a mass movement along a 'flyway' between wintering and . breeding grounds, thousands of miles in formation, often returning to the same location and even the . same nest year after year. Arctic Terns fly 44,000 miles per year when they travel from their . breeding grounds to their feeding grounds in the Antarctic. Sooty Shearwaters fly up to 40,000 . miles each year from their home in the . Falkland Islands to the Arctic where they feed in the summer. British birds, including sparrows . and cuckoos migrate south for the winter, travelling hundreds of miles . over the Sahara desert. The latest study published in the online version of Current Biology, builds on previous work by the Keays lab at IMP and the University of Western Australia's Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis (CMCA). Last year the collaboration showed that iron-rich cells in the beak of pigeons - previously believed to be the magnetic sensors - were just blood cells. CMCA research associate Dr Jeremy Shaw, who has studied iron in a range of animals from molluscs to humans, said it was an astonishing finding. Superhero: Birds apparently have an internal navigation system similar to the gadgets used by Iron Man . Dr Shaw said: 'Despite decades of research, these conspicuous balls of iron had never been observed previously. 'Nature keeps surprising us with the various ways iron can be utilised by animals." The scientists are now planning to investigate if the iron spheres react when moving through a magnetic field. | Beneath their feathers, birds have an internal guidance system similar to the gadgets used by comic superhero Iron Man .
Sensory hair cells are responsible for detecting sound and gravity .
Scientists have been baffled for decades about how birds migrate every year to the same place and even the same nest . |
0c0db7e14064dd65368ed9eb5bbcf7398e3338ae | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 12:08 EST, 29 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:24 EST, 29 January 2013 . Lee Clark, 27, denies manslaughter after his baby boy died . A father fatally shook his baby boy while his mother was buying Christening clothes, a court heard today. Lee Clark, 27, is accused of injuring five-month-old Charlee and causing brain damage while the baby's mother Natalie Holmes was shopping, a jury was told. Newcastle Crown Court heard that Charlee was 'smiling' and 'happy' when Natalie left the family home for Darlington, County Durham, on February 25, 2011 at around 10.45am. But when she returned to the home Gainford, County Durham, at 3pm, the baby, who was due to baptized two days later, was making a 'funny groaning sound', his 'eyes were rolling backwards' and he had bruises on each knee. Charlee was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital where it was obvious he was 'extremely ill', the court was told. He was given oxygen and a brain scan during which Clark asked a nurse if Charlee's injuries could have been caused by 'shaking a baby', the jury heard. The scan showed that Charlee was suffering from bleeding round the brain, a swollen brain, bleeding at the back of his eyes and in his eyes, prosecutor Andrew Roberts told the court. Attempts were made to treat Charlee in the intensive care unit but he died days later on March 1. His Christening had been due to take place on Sunday, February 27. Mr Roberts said: 'Charlee, happy and normal, was left in the sole care of this defendant. 'The Crown allege that it was while he was alone with Charlee in the home that this offence occurred. 'Something must have happened while he was alone with Charlee because all the evidence shows he gripped and shook him vigorously. 'The first indication that Miss Holmes had that something was not quite right was when she received a text from the defendant saying the baby was unsettled.' Clark's mother had arrived at the family's home at around 12.10pm that day so the defendant could meet Miss Holmes in Darlington. Mr Roberts added: 'By that stage Charlee was a very different baby than the one Miss Holmes had left. 'Charlee was in his swing whinging and grizzling. 'When the defendant's mother tried to lift Charlee out of the swing, Charlee let out a scream.' Clark denies manslaughter. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Scan showed that baby Charlee suffered from bleeding round the brain and a swollen brain .
Tests also revealed boy was bleeding at the back of his eyes and in his eyes .
Father Lee Clark who was looking after child denies manslaughter . |
0c0e36a877f38c5287605b127ef47369c9d8721c | LONDON, England (CNN) -- The late Academy Award-winning composer Maurice Jarre enjoyed a glittering career composing the scores to many classic films. French composer Maurice Jarre wrote scores for films by Hollywood legends like John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean. Last month, the 84 year-old who died Sunday gave one of his final interviews to CNN's The Screening Room, in conversation with fellow composer Alexandre Desplat. Jarre, who died of cancer, worked with many legendary directors, like Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston. But it is the French composer's work with British director David Lean -- the scores to "Lawrence of Arabia," "Dr Zhivago," and "A Passage to India," for which he won three Oscars -- for which he is best remembered. Twice Oscar-nominated French composer Alexandre Desplat, who has written the scores for Stephen Frears' 2006 drama "The Queen," and last year's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," regarded Jarre as an inspiration and an influence. "Maurice was an immense artist; an incredible symphonist; a magician of the melody and a benevolent human being," Desplat told CNN in tribute to Jarre who he describes as the greatest composer of the last 50 years. Alexandre Desplat: I don't know if you know, but the path that you traced for us French composers is phenomenal and indispensable. And, of course, love for cinema and theater is something that unites us, because I also wrote a lot for the theater like yourself. Maurice Jarre: The love for cinema, that's correct. I also had the opportunity to work with real -- to use a common word -- 'giants.' Volker Schlöndorff , Visconti, John Huston ... AD: and Hitchcock! MJ: Hitchcock. This type of director has disappeared. They no longer exist. AD: One can sense with your work this passion for cinema, and for images -- your complete dedication to images. I think I also have this devotion, in fact, I don't think, I know, because it's devoured me since I was an adolescent. There are many composers of whom I know that are film composers by default, simply because it's a job; it's a good occupation. I don't sense in them that love for images, and that inspiration films has given us. MJ: People who say to me, 'When you write the music for a film do you know whether the film will be a great success?' I tell them, 'No, I was mainly concerned about finishing the music in time.' Sam Spiegel (producer of "Lawrence of Arabia) once said, 'You have a job like Superman!' That was true because I worked day and night. But, at that point, I had no idea I was working on probably one of the best films in the history of cinema. What is your favorite Maurice Jarre movie score? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . AD: This dedication to the cinema is all-encompassing. When one is a composer for films, it's day and night. One needs to be in great physical condition! MJ: Oh yes! [Jarre puts up fists, as though in a boxing match] Like an athlete... AD: I know that like me you must have worked 18 to 20 hours a day because there was no choice. Unless we are directing other people, having people work for us. In this case you'd probably have to do less. But as we're, I think, somewhat intelligent, and in love with details and in love with the timbre of the orchestration. MJ: That's why I was so disappointed that you lost the Oscar [Desplat was nominated for Best Score in 2006 for Stephen Frears' "The Queen."] The award is not that important, but it has sentimental value for you, because I respect your work. AD: I hope to one day achieve three Oscars like yourself Maurice. But you have to keep in mind that the rewards for the work are secondary. MJ: I was very disappointed with the people who won the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Composition last year. For me, it should represent the real best film scores outside of, let's say, political factors. Watch video: 'Zhivago' composer dies . AD: What's essential is to have extremely talented directors who listen to you. That's the best reward, because your talent as a composer can express itself. You can search, you can invent something. With films where the directors aren't so great, it's much more difficult to write good music. MJ: You know, before I wrote the first electronic score for Peter Weir, for "Year of Living Dangerously," nobody wanted to hear about a purely electronic score, but Peter Weir used it in an artistic manner. That's what was so great. AD: That is, for me, an example because after having done 70 or 80 film scores, I realize it is perhaps time for me to be careful not to repeat myself, and to find a new voice. I think that the path you took in the 1980s ... I find it extremely courageous to abandon the orchestra for electronic music. For me, it's an incredible example. What was for you, Maurice, the most beautiful experience, or the Oscar which you loved most? MJ: Of course, it's the first [for "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1963]. It's a sentimental one, because David Lean and I became good friends. With the good directors it was always an interesting experience -- and a difficult one -- because we always had slightly different visions at the outset. But, it always arranged itself. I never really had a 'bust-up' with a good director. A good director will always find an intellectual understanding. And that's what was great - I had an opportunity with all these people. I don't think I can say that I ever worked with a bad director. There were never any real problems; there were discussions ... a bit of diplomacy here and there. | Oscar-winning composer, Maurice Jarre wrote score for "Lawrence of Arabia"
Jarre talks to CNN's The Screening Room in one of his final interviews .
The director who died Sunday also worked with Hitchcock, and John Huston .
He is in conversation Oscar-nominated composer, Alexandre Desplat . |
0c0ea7007fca853b8f0f6bad5d7ac0bed46d89b3 | By . Snejana Farberov and Thomas Durante . PUBLISHED: . 08:18 EST, 1 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:18 EST, 1 October 2012 . The body of a Texas mother-of-two, who has been missing for more than a week, was found on Sunday evening after her estranged boyfriend confessed that he killed her and dumped her body. Michelle Warner, 31, was last seen on September 21 after she reportedly got into an intense argument with her ex-boyfriend Mark Castellano, 37. Castellano initially denied he was responsible for her death. Scroll down for video . Death investigation: Mark Castellano, left, the ex-boyfriend of Michelle Warner, right, has been charged with murder in the mother-of-two's death . Last seen: Warner left Castellanos' apartment at Regency Square Apartment Homes on Bellerive Drive after a fight during which Castellano allegedly threw a pet cat against the wall . But on Sunday, police reportedly spent hours interviewing Castellano, who told officers that he killed Miss Warner. KTRK reported that Castellano also told investigators the location of her body, which was later found in Odessa. Castellano has now been charged with murder, according to the station. Friends and family said Miss Warner, 31, was last seen at the Regency Square Apartment Complex, where she lived with Castellano and their three-year-old son, Cayden. People close to Miss Warner described her as very bubbly and talkative, and said that she would have never severed communication with friends or taken off without her son. New beginning: Warner was excited to start a job as a paralegal after spending the last 18 months unemployed . Family: Warner has a three-year-old son, Cayden, left, with Mark Castellano, and an 11-year-old daughter from a previous relationship . Miss Warner, who also has an . 11-year-old daughter who lives with her father, was about to start a new . job as a paralegal and was excited about working again after spending . the last 18 months unemployed, Click2Houston reported. Her family said Warner moved in with Castellano for financial reasons, but the two were not currently dating. Longtime friend Stephanie Helton, who has been friends with Warner since grade school, told ABC that the relationship between Warner and Castellano has 'never been a good situation.' Ms Helton said the two met when all three of them were working for a home health care provider. In 2008, Warner became pregnant with Cayden, but the relationship with the father of her child was not going well because Castellano had 'psychotic spells.' 'He had episodes, he tried suicide ...,' she told ABC. 'He's done other crazy things. Nothing extra-violent; he's push[ed] her up against the wall, that type of thing. He's threatened her.' Distance: Miss Warner was last seen in Houston on September 21, but her body was found nine days later in Odessa - about 500 miles away . Roommates: Friends said Warner moved in with the father of her son because she was unemployed for 18 months . Concerned loved ones: Warner's friends Stefanie Helton, right, and Scott Russell, left, said that it is not like the bubbly, talkative mother of two to disappear for several days without telling anyone . Ms Helton said that according to her . friend's family member, at around 7pm last Saturday, Castellano and . Warner got into a fight, during which the man threw their pet cat . against a wall. The mother of two got upset and hit him before storming out of the apartment on Bellerive Drive. According to the woman's brother, fresh bleach stains were found on the carpet inside the unit leading from the bedroom through the living room and out the front door. The night of her disappearance, Warner went to dinner with a friend, Scott Russell. He dropped her off at the apartment complex afterward and left. She had not been seen since. Disturbing clues: Warner's friends fear for her life after her brother said that bleach stains were found in her ex-boyfriend's home . Search efforts: Texas EquuSearch mounted a search effort for Warner while friends hung her pictures around the neighborhood . Watch video here . | Police find body of Michelle Warner, 31, who disappeared on September 21 .
Mark Castellano, her ex-boyfriend, tells police that he killed Miss Warner and dumped her body in Odessa, Texas .
He has now been charged with murder in her death . |
0c0ff2daac320f59ecda5be3e5610d02d35109c6 | Beekeeper Steven Anderson, who knew he was allergic to bees, died after receiving a single sting . A beekeeper who knew he was allergic to bees was killed by a single sting despite pleas from his father to give up his hobby. Steven Adderson, 39, had promised to 'be careful' when his worried father Graham begged him to forget about his hobby. But the popular engineer from Downham Market in Norfolk, who was six foot nine, received a deadly sting after he forgot to put on special protective boots when he went to check out a 'rogue swarm' at a neighbour's house. Now his father Graham has spoken out to warn of the extreme dangers of anaphylactic shock, which thousands of people are at risk of suffering when stung. Mr Adderson, who owns a fish and chip shop in the town, said he repeatedly urged his son to give up his two-year hobby and his beloved bees. The father-of-three said: 'When we found out that he was allergic to bees I said to him "I shouldn’t bother with those bees - it could kill you".' said the father-of-three. 'But he said "I will be all right, I will be careful".' Mr Adderson explained that on the morning of his son's death, the 39-year-old was on his way to work when he went to investigate the angry bees at a neighbour’s house. He explained: 'He put his suit on but I think he was in a rush to get to work and forgot to put the boots on and got stung on the ankle as a result. 'He could not find the queen bee.' Steven, who always carried an EpiPen adrenaline shot with him, managed to stagger back home and call 999. He told the operator he was feeling faint and light-headed but seconds later he collapsed. 'When the ambulance arrived they emptied every bit of adrenaline they had into Steven and rushed him to hospital but they couldn't do anything for him,' added Mr Adderson. The freak tragedy stunned the town and hundreds of family, friends and local people packed St Edmund Church in Downham for Steven’s funeral service on June 30. Steven, whose death left his fiancée Emma and brothers Philip and Daniel devastated, was also a big fan of Land Rovers. Mr Adderson will now be taking part in a charity motor show in Snetterton, Norfolk, next month with his beloved MG XPower SV and will be selling passenger rides. Scroll down for video . His father Graham, pictured, had urged his son to give up his hobby after learning he was allergic to bees. He is now speaking out about the dangers of anaphylactic shock . He warned: 'I would just urge people with all my heart to be very careful with bees - if one lands on you, don’t whack it off, just blow it away.' An Office of National Statistics spokesman said only one person was killed by a bee sting in the UK in 2012 and none last year. Gill Maclean, of the British Beekeepers Association, said Steven’s death was 'an extremely tragic and extremely rare' case. Ms Maclean said: 'If you know you are allergic then the sensible thing to do is to give beekeeping up or not start it. 'The most important thing we would say is to get the training and education. 'But bees don’t set out to sting people as they die straight away afterwards - they are far more interested in finding a flower.' | Beekeeper Steven Adderson, 39, knew that he was allergic to bees .
Was begged by his father Graham to give up his hobby but he refused .
Had gone to a neighbour's house who complained of a 'rogue swarm'
He forgot to wear his special protective boots and received a deadly sting .
Now his father is speaking out about the dangers of anaphylactic shock . |
0c10071c62b3de336edfab69731c1f04a80ded65 | By . Chris Pleasance . For the last six weeks, homeowners in one Oregon city have been under siege from vandals attacking their property and cars. But rather than using spray paint or bricks to do damage, these bandits have taken a different approach by throwing donuts, yogurt and even potato salad. The bizarre attacks include chocolate donuts spiked on the end of one woman's windscreen wipers, eggs and cakes thrown at a car bonnet, and pastries strewn across another woman's lawn along with a book from the 'Twilight' series. Mysterious bakery bandits have targeted cars and houses in Hillboro, Oregon, throwing donuts, pastries, potato salad, yogurt and Maple bars at cars and houses . Lt. Mike Rouches, a Hillsboro police spokesman, told Oregon Live: 'In my 25 years in police services, I have never investigated or seen a criminal mischief involving pastries.' Police first heard about the attacks on July 11 when a woman contacted them to say her flatmate and neighbours had been targeted at least 13 times. She told officers that the crimes had all happened in and around the 5600 block of Northeast Farmcrest Street, Hillsboro, and had been going on since June 1. She said Maple bars, cinnamon donuts, potato salad, pink yogurt and bread covered with a white 'slimy' liquid had all been thrown at her car. Police discovered that, on several occasions, WinCo Foods or Albertsons packaging had been discovered at the scene of the attacks. When they investigated three stores in the area they found that all of them stored their trash securely, meaning the items were bought or stolen from the shops, rather than the bins. Officers investigating the attacks, which have been going on for six weeks, say they have taken place in and around the 5600 block of Northeast Farmcrest Street (pictured) between 11pm and 5am . Another woman contacted officers to say that on July 2 she found doughnuts in her yard along with an empty Albertsons box, while a 'Twilight' book was also left in her driveway. On July 15 the same woman said that two chocolate donuts had been left spiked on the ends of the wiper blades of her son's car. According to residents of Hillboro, all of the attacks have happened between 11pm and 5am. So far the bakery bandit attacks have left officers stumped. Investigators believe the targets are selected at random and that youngsters are the likely culprits, but otherwise have no leads. However, Rouches added: 'We'll solve it. It's just a matter of catching up with the bakery bandits.' | Cars and homes in Hillboro, Oregon, targeted by so-called 'bakery bandits'
Donuts have been thrown at cars and pastries left strewn around yards .
Potato salad, yogurt and bread all used in attacks over six weeks .
Officers believe youngsters are behind crimes, but have no other leads . |
0c116c3888ecfedf29f48d5d69165c12e41137d6 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:44 EST, 19 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:17 EST, 19 July 2013 . Wrong: Diabetic Revina Garcia was pulled out of her car, handcuffed and put into a police car after she crashed into another vehicle . Police have admitted they need more training after a Santa Fe woman suffering a diabetic seizure was handcuffed and 'roughly' thrown into the back of a police car because officers thought she was drunk. Revina Garcia said she was lucky she didn't fall into a diabetic coma when she was pulled out of her car, pushed to the ground and handcuffed by police after she rear-ended a pick-up truck on Paseo Real near the N.M. 599 intersection in New Mexico on Friday. While Garcia, 56, was wearing an insulin pump on her waistband, police only called emergency services after the 'disoriented' woman managed to mumble that she was diabetic. According to a police report obtained by Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy Joseph McLaughlin asked Garcia to put her vehicle in park, turn off the ignition and unlock the door or window. But when she didn't comply after 'multiple requests' and tried to drive off twice, a second deputy broke one of the car's windows. McLaughlin then reached in and switched off the car's ignition, undid Garcia's seat belt and removed her from the 2013 Hyundai. The officers then threw Garcia to the ground and handcuffed her. 'I did not detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage, but Garcia did seem to be very disoriented,' the report said. 'When asked [why] she did not comply with my requests she replied ‘I’m sorry.’' Education: Revina Garcia said police should have known she was diabetic from the insulin pump she was wearing . According to Santa Fe New Mexican, police believed Garcia then 'mumbled something about being . diabetic' before the officers realized they should call paramedics who said she was 'suffering from a diabetic emergency'. Garcia told Koat Action 7 News she believed officers thought she was a drunk driver, but should have known she was diabetic from the insulin pump clipped to her waistband. She said law enforcers must receive more training to recognize when someone needs medical care. 'I'm surprised I didn't go into a coma in the back of that police car,' she said. 'Most people if their blood sugars are in the 20s are comatose. 'If there's education this wouldn't happen. This wouldn't have happened.' This is where Revina Garcia collided with another vehicle after suffering a diabetic attack . Santa Fe County sheriff Robert Garcia told Santa Fe New Mexican . his office is 'sensitive to the issue' and officers receive training in . how to recognize diabetic attacks, but 'in a situation like this, . things happen fast'. He said . his office is reviewing incident footage and conducting an internal . review in addition to meeting with Revina Garcia and her husband. 'We are looking into it. It’s not something we are just going to blow off and not deal with,' he said. 'We have to refresh our law enforcement personnel on this issue.' | Police handcuffed Revina Garcia and threw her to the ground as she had a diabetic attack .
Police reportedly believed she was drunk because she was not compliant .
Garcia, 56, said law enforcers need more training . |
0c11b80c2b4c31db9a7edfb9a151c08f7cd3ccbe | By . Emma Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 08:09 EST, 21 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:49 EST, 21 November 2013 . Commuters in Paris were left stunned after an unidentified man danced down the tracks of the Metro. The mysterious man walked along the tracks at the station 'au naturel' and shocked workers at the end of the evening rush hour. One passenger, who was on the Line 13 train at the Plaisance stop, took a picture of the man strolling along the tracks completely naked, The Local reports. Scroll down for video . Naked stroll: Twitter user @Fasnao captured the man's walk along the Metro line in Paris . At around 7.30pm, the man climbed down on the tracks and pranced around before he was taken away by security. 'Our agents intervened straight away,' a spokesman for rail provider RATP told Le Parisien. 'This only lasted a few minutes.' He is unidentified and no details about why he decided to go for the naked walk. Last week, a naked woman surprised commuters on a Chicago train when she decided to 'drive the train' while in her birthday suit. She jumped the turnstile and declared she was the ‘Goddess of the Train’ and planned to take the vehicle over. The unidentified woman appeared at the Granville station of Chicago’s Red Line, the Chicago Transit Authority's busiest line. She then slapped several commuters before heading to the front of the train. The woman was taken to St Francis Hospital in Evanston for evaluation. A police spokeswoman said the woman suffers from a mental illness, but would not specify which one. Naked commuter: Last week, a naked woman surprised commuters on a Chicago train when she decided to 'drive the train' while in her birthday suit . | Commuters at Plaisance left stunned during rush hour .
Man was taken away by security at 7.30pm .
Last week, a naked woman walked through a train in Chicago . |
0c11ece98a9d9d26cf01b35ed13ec067ccab5a50 | By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 00:11 EST, 23 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:46 EST, 23 December 2013 . Overgrown and long-forgotten, this pile of twisted metal is the wreckage of Pan Am flight 103 - hidden away in a scrapyard some 25 years after the tragic Lockerbie bombing. Shrouded from view behind high fences and surrounding trees, the aircraft's distinctive blue and white livery is clearly visible in these aerial photographs. The remains of the bombed jet were taken to the scrapyard in rural Lincolnshire shortly after the disaster on December 21, 1988, and have lain there ever since. Scroll down for video . Remains: This pile of twisted metal is the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 - hidden away in a Lincolnshire scrapyard some 25 years after the tragic Lockerbie bombing . Distinctive: Shrouded from view behind high fences and surrounding trees, the aircraft's distinctive blue and white livery is clearly visible in these aerial photographs . Wreckage: The 325 tonnes of mangled alumunium alloy can not be moved from the site until all investigations into the tragedy have been completed . The 325 tonnes of mangled alumunium alloy can not be moved from the site until all investigations into the tragedy, which killed 270 people, have been completed, according to the Mirror. In the aftermath of the crash, some of the wreckage was taken to an Army based in Cumbria, where it was examined by experts, while the mid-section - which felt the full force of the bomb - is being kept by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch in Hampshire. However, most of the remains of the aircraft are being stored at Windley's salvage scrapyard, near Tattershall. Scene: Rescue workers examine the nose of Pan Am flight 103 in the hours after the explosion on December 21, 1988 . The doomed plane was on its way from London to New York when it . exploded above Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, on the evening of . December 21 1988, less than an hour after take-off. Everyone on board the flight was killed, as were 11 people on the ground. Many of the victims were American college students flying home for Christmas, including 35 Syracuse University students participating in a study abroad program. The attack, caused by a bomb packed into a suitcase that was smuggled on board, remains the deadliest act of terror in Britain. Damage: Wrecked houses and a deep gash in the ground caused by the plane when it crashed in the village of Lockerbie . On Saturday, relatives of those killed and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond were among those who gathered for a special memorial service in the town to mark 25 years since the terrorist blast. Only one man, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, was convicted of the bombing in January 2001 and given a life sentence. However, he was freed in August 2009 under compassionate release ground after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, to the outrage of many of the victims' families. He died in May last year, although many unanswered questions over who was behind the blast remain. Sombre: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond lays a wreath at Dryfesdale Cemetery, near Lockerbie, at Saturday's memorial service . Grief: Jane Schultz (centre), whose son Thomas died in the explosion, was among those who attended the service . | Wreckage from doomed plane being stored near Tattershall, Lincolnshire .
Remains can not be moved until investigations into blast complete .
270 people were killed after aircraft exploded above Scotland . |
0c121f7ce392743fac7e1cb77589e0aee816d4c9 | Christopher Banegas (pictured) has been arrested . A New Mexico man is facing charges after he posted Facebook photos of stolen guns from an unsolved burglary. Christopher Banegas was arrested and charged this month in connection with the September 2013 heist at an Albuquerque home,KOB-TV reports. Police say they lacked any leads until the victim recently saw pictures of his stolen guns on his Facebook friend Banegas' page. The two had been friends and the victim told police he didn't check Banegas' Facebook page because he didn't suspect him. Banegas, who is thought to be a father in his late 30s, is now facing charges of aggravated burglary, larceny of a firearm, and tampering with evidence. It isn't known if he has an attorney. Banegas' Facebook page is still activated. | Christopher Banegas was Facebook friends with the victim of the stolen guns .
The victim saw his stolen property on Banegas' Facebook page .
Banegas is facing charges of aggravated burglary, larceny of a firearm and tampering with evidence . |
0c1319ba1c66a1f8df3b898036af352fe9293298 | Monday night's grand jury decision to not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson over the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, led to riots in the Missouri city. Although Michael Brown's family, President Barack Obama, and authorities called for peaceful protests, the Ferguson was soon out of control. The riots saw a return to the looting, fires and property damages which took place on a smaller scale in August, immediately after the shooting of Brown. Scroll down for video . Damage done: Two buildings still smoulder after the riots that ravaged Ferguson, Missouri overnight . Before: A satellite image taken by Google in September 2012 show the buildings intact . As the sun rose on Tuesday, the cityscape of Ferguson looked worlds away from satellite and Google Street View snaps taken just months earlier. Pictures from yesterday in comparison with images from before, tracked down byThe Wall Street Journal, show the damage done. Last night, tens of thousands of people in more than 170 cities across America - including Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, among others - were demonstrating against the long-awaited verdict. However, despite the St. Louis grand jury decision, federal investigations into the shooting of Michael Brown continue the US Attorney General said on Monday. The Justice Department will continue to pursue two investigations, one into potential civil rights violations by Officer Wilson when he shot dead unarmed Brown in August this year, and one into the practices of the Ferguson Police force. Beauty lost: A beauty supply store has been left in ruins after Monday night's riots . True beauty: A Google Street View snap from 2010 shows the shop in its original state . Burned out: A building in Ferguson only has its four walls left after being destroyed by fire . Better times: The building, which appears to be a shop, is pictured on Google earlier this year . The fire at the local Little Ceasars restaurant left the big orange sign in a melted lump on the ground . Neighborhood joint: There is no sign of its former glory, captured by Google in August 2012 . Distraught: The manager of the Little Caesar's said he understood the protesters were angry but added: 'Speaking your mind - that’s America. You are supposed to be able to protest peacefully and make your point. But this...' More destruction: The arson frenzy also hit South Florissant Street, about a mile away. This branch of Little Casear's was burned out . Et tu: The neighboring antique shop to the Little Caesar's was also destroyed in the orgy of violence which hit Ferguson . Long way back: A woman stops to take a picture using her phone of the damage done . Still intact: The local Clean World Laundromat was still standing on Monday morning . Residents on the streets told MailOnline that the wreckage to Ferguson was so bad that it looked like ‘Ferganistan’. Another said that it ‘looked like Iraq’. Almost every building along South Florissant Street, where the Ferguson police station is located, had been ransacked or vandalised. Tony Koenig and his brother Ray, 38 and 40, had taken the day off from working as school groundskeepers to help rebuild a Mexican restaurant run by a friend. Tony said: ‘I have lived in Ferguson for 38 years and I have never seen anything like this. They just want street justice and they don’t care about how they get it. ‘This young generation. I cannot understand why they do what they do. The parents are to blame. When me and my brother grew up both our parents worked and we were raised knowing how to show respect, and that doesn’t happen these days. ‘We’ve had a hard enough time paying our mortgages after the economy went down. We don’t need this’. Their friend Drew Canaday, who was also helping them, lives in the street next to South Florissant and said that it was ‘like a war’ the night before. Destruction: :A rioter uses a stick to break a window at the Hunan Chop Suey Chinese Restaurant along West Florissant Ave last night . Nothing left: This was all that was left of the Hunan Chop Suey Chinese restaurant this morning after the fire wrecked it . Picture: 'I don't condone this but I can understand it. I have been racially profiled myself,' said Jason Westbrook of Ferguson as he took video of the burning of the Title Max Loans business on West Florissant . As they were: The Hunan Chop Suey and TitleMax loans were both intact before last night's orgy of violence . Burning: Cars parked outside one row of shops on West Florissant were targeted in the destruction spree . Burned out: Cars parked outside one row of shops on West Florissant were targeted in the destruction spree . Inspection: The scale of destruction became clear today after a night which saw fires raised across the St Louis suburb of Ferguson . Attacked: McDonald's on West Florissant was smashed up although not set on fire. It had previously (right) avoided damage . Devastated: A gas station was among the targets of the violence. Today property manager Terri Willits witnessed the destruction . Crime scene: Much of West Florissant was under police guard today and described by officers as an active crime scene . He said: ‘These young people are so used to instant gratification, they want stuff now. They are too immature to understand that stuff takes time. ‘Especially something this big. It takes dialogue and not everyone will be happy but that’s compromise. ‘These people don’t want to wait. That what today’s society has come to, not just here in Ferguson - this is America, this is the world.’ Further up South Florissant a Little Caesar’s pizza restaurant had been burned to the ground, as had the antiques store next to it. The manager of the restaurant, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals, said that 12 people had now been put out of work and did not know if the owners would rebuild. The manager said that the store was destroyed by a tornado three years earlier and they did build it back but it cost ‘a lot of money’. He said: ‘Most of the people here have families and they are very worried about what will come next for them. ‘I’m proud to work here and started as the dishwasher and worked my way up. I had a motorcycle accident and had my foot amputated and they were good enough to give me a job, . The manger, a widower with two children in their 20s, said that he was in principle on the side of the protesters but that this was ‘too far’. He said: ‘I believe in their right to protest and what they’re doing is a just case. ‘Speaking your mind - that’s America. You are supposed to be able to protest peacefully and make your point. But this...’ | Pictures compares buildings in Ferguson before and after Monday .
The grand jury decision in Derren Wilson case led to riots in city .
Buildings were looted and set on fire as protests turned violent .
Jury ruled Wilson will not be charged over killing Michael Brown . |
0c145a6bf87af0340fe06024ad8ccea391c9134f | By . Helen Collis . PUBLISHED: . 06:17 EST, 30 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:00 EST, 30 October 2013 . Israel today freed 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of US-brokered peace efforts. But it said it was pressing on with plans to build more homes for Jewish settlers, in an apparent move to appease hardliners. The inmates, who were convicted of killing Israelis, basked in a hero's welcome from hundreds of relatives and well-wishers in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Brokered release: Just after midnight, Israel released 26 prisoners - the second of four groups to be set free as part of a US-backed amnesty to resume peace talks . The released prisoners, including Hazem Shobair, centre, were given a hero's welcome after up to 20 years imprisoned in Israeli jails . 'Our heroes are coming home, long live . the prisoners,' crowds chanted outside the office of Palestinian . President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Issa Abed Rabbo, convicted of murdering two Israeli hikers in 1984, was carried through the alleys of the Biblical town of Bethlehem on the shoulders of cheering Palestinians as fireworks went off and patriotic songs blared. 'My feeling is that of a commander returning from battle, carrying a banner of victory and freedom,' Abed Rabbo said, his outstretched fingers forming a triumphant V. The inmates were jailed before or just after the first Israeli-Palestinian interim peace deals were signed 20 years ago. The inmates were released in the West Bank town of Ramallah. They were the second of four groups of prisoners to be set free to enable Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume . Reunited: A released Palestinian prisoner kisses his father's head upon his arrival in the West Bank City of Ramallah last night . Peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinians fell apart in 2008. The Palestinians refused to continue talks while Israel pushed ahead with building settlements on its territory . US Secretary of State John Kerry helped the two sides reach an agreement to bring them back to the negotiating table . Their release just after midnight Tuesday was the second of four prisoner releases meant to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks in an effort to reach a final agreement between the two sides. The Palestinians had long refused to resume peace negotiations with Israel unless it ends construction in territories that Palestinians seek for their state. Israel refused, insisting that settlements and other core issues, including security, should be resolved through negotiations. The prisoner release was part of an agreement brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, which brought Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table after a five-year hiatus. The talks had been paralyzed since 2008. Earlier this year, Kerry managed to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop the settlement issue as a condition for restarting negotiations. In exchange, Israel agreed to the prisoner release. The amnesty involved releasing all of the Palestinian prisoners in return for dropping the issue of settlements . Released prisoner Omar Masoud, 40, left, who was arrested in May 1993 for killing an Israeli lawyer, greets his mother Tamam Masoud, 70, right, upon his arrival to his family house in Shati Refugee Camp . In total, Israel has agreed to release 104 Palestinian inmates as part of the amnesty . In all, 104 Palestinian convicts are to be released in four rounds over the coming months. The east Jerusalem construction move angered the Palestinians but it was not immediately clear if it would directly impact the talks, which are taking place behind closed doors and away from the public eye, which both sides had agreed to. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the move, saying that 'it is destructive to the peace efforts and will only lead to more tensions.' Last night's prisoner release opened fissures in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist government. A pro-settler coalition partner, the Jewish Home party, and members of his own Likud, called on the leader to cancel the amnesty. Freed: Hazem Shber arrives at a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Hanoun between the Gaza Strip and Israel . Israel's Interior Ministry said it would push ahead with plans to build 1,500 homes for settlers on land in the West Bank close to Jerusalem . Last night's prisoners were the second of four groups to be set free as part of the agreement brokered by the US to bring the two sides back to negotiations . Meanwhile, Israel's Interior Ministry announced it would proceed with a plan for 1,500 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo, a settlement in an area of the occupied West Bank that Israel considers part of Jerusalem. Those plans were first announced in 2010, clouding a visit to Israel at the time by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who condemned the project, which was subsequently shelved. Israel announced last December it would proceed with the construction but froze the move again ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama in March this year. The Palestinians, who want to establish a state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, territories captured by Israel in a 1967 war, condemned the move. Israel had put the construction of the settlements on hold for the visit of US president Barack Obama in March this year . Most countries deem Israeli settlements, built on occupied land, as illegal, and Palestinians say the enclave could deny them a viable state . Israel says the area for its settlements, Ramat Shlomo, as part of its Jerusalem municipality will remain in its hands in any future peace deal . 'This policy is destructive for the peace process,' said Nabil Abu Rdeineh, a spokesman for Abbas. Most countries deem Israeli settlements, built on occupied land, as illegal, and Palestinians say the enclave could deny them a viable state. Israel says Ramat Shlomo, as part of its Jerusalem municipality, will remain in its hands in any future peace deal. Outside Israel's Ofer prison in the West Bank, where the inmates boarded buses for home, dozens of Israelis protested against the release. One held a sign with the photographs of some of the Israelis they killed. 'The victims of terror are turning they (sic) graves,' one placard read. Yuval Steinitz, Israel's strategic affairs minister and a Likud member, made clear in a radio interview yesterday that by agreeing to the prisoner releases, the government effectively had quashed a Palestinian demand to halt settlement building. But at the celebrations in Ramallah, Abbas denied any connection between the prisoner release and settlement expansion. 'The settlements are void, void, void,' he told the crowd. | Second stage of amnesty part of US-backed peace talks in the Middle East .
Israel pushes on with settlement plan with 1,500 homes near Jerusalem .
Release opens fissures in Israel's Netanyahu government . |
0c14f1a16ad395dd9aff4437452cf555ae8858d2 | (CNN) -- Didier Deschamps has been named to succeed Eric Gerets as coach at current French league leaders Marseille at the end of the season, the club announced on Tuesday. World Cup winning captain Didier Deschamps is returning to Marseille as coach at the end of the season. Gerets said last week that he would not be renewing his contract and Marseille decided that France's 1998 World Cup winning captain, Deschamps, was the outstanding candidate to replace him. Former Marseille captain Deschamps, who has signed a two-year contract, has been commentating on French television since leaving Italian giants Juventus where he was coach until the summer of 2007. The 40-year-old previously had a spell in charge at Monaco having ended his playing career in 2001. "Didier Deschamps will be OM coach next season," confirmed a statement on the Marseille Web site. Officials added: "Last Friday's meeting between the club president (Pape Diouf) and its principal shareholder (Robert Louis-Dreyfus) was able to confirm definitively this choice. "After Eric Gerets, the club could only fix their choice on a coach of the highest standard to continue the great work already accomplished and the club's development on the playing front. "Based on our criteria, the choice of Didier Deschamps, whose career as a player and a coach works largely in his favor, naturally won over." Deschamps led Marseille to a Champions League triumph in 1993 and had two spells at the club as a player, between 1989-1990 and 1991-1994. He also played for Nantes, Bordeaux, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia in a top career and was also France captain when they won Euro 2000. | Didier Deschamps becomes new manager of Marseille at end of the season .
French 1998 World Cup winning captain succeeds Eric Gerets on 2-year deal .
Gerets said last week he would not be renewing contract with league leaders . |
0c158201779a11ff56aada59bef2192f0e01e991 | (CNN) -- Liverpool shrugged off conceding an early goal to beat Turkish side Trabzonspor 2-1 and qualify for the group stages of the Europa League with a 3-1 aggregate victory. Minus star players Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, Liverpool saw their 1-0 first leg advantage wiped out in just four minutes in Turkey when Colombian international Teofilo Gutierrez put Trabzonspor ahead. But Roy Hodgson's side drew level seven minutes from time as Trabzonspor's Giray Kacar turned a Glen Johnson cross into his own net. Dirk Kuyt, at fault for the first goal, then added as second in the 88th minute when goalkeeper Onur Kivrak could only push out Joe Cole's shot into the Dutchman's path. "A lot of people have said a lot of things about my future, but for me it is at Liverpool. I like it here at the club and I want to stay here and win things," Kuyt told Sky Sports. He has been linked with a reunion with former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan. It was a welcome boost for Liverpool after their 3-0 thrashing by Manchester City, who also reached the group stages with a 2-0 home win over Romanian side FC Timisoara at Eastlands, going through 3-0 on aggregate. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Dedryck Boyata scored the goals for City. But there was more disappointment for a third English Premier League side as Aston Villa, thrashed 6-0 at the weekend by Newcastle, lost 3-2 at home to Austrian side Rapid Vienna. Villa went out of the competition to the same opponents last year and had expected to reverse that result after drawing 1-1 away in the first leg. Juventus, who like Liverpool and Villa are former European champions, eased through with a 1-0 home win over Sturm Graz of Austria in Turin after leading 2-1 from the away leg. But it was a disastrous night for Scottish clubs with Celtic crashing 4-0 away to FC Utrecht with Ricky van Wolfswinkel scoring a hat-trick. Celtic had led 2-0 from the first leg. Dundee United lost out to Greek side AEK Athens and Motherwell exited to Odense of Denmark. | Liverpool concede early goal in Turkey but beat Trabzonspor to reach Europa League .
Big-spending Manchester City also qualify for group stages .
Aston Villa crash out again to Austrian side Rapid Vienna but Juventus through . |
0c16b45a98f0044cedf231e63414b2326e54e465 | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left Cardiff City by mutual consent, bringing an end to a hugely underwhelming eight-month spell at the club for the Norwegian. The final straw, on the back of last season's relegation, was Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat against Middlesbrough, which left Cardiff 17th in the Championship. Solskjaer was called to London on Wednesday morning for lengthy talks with chairman Mehmet Dalman who, on the instruction of absent owner Vincent Tan, opened discussions on terms for the 41-year-old's exit. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left Cardiff City after a disappointing spell that lasted just eight months . Cardiff owner Vincent Tan instructed chairman Mehmet Dalman to hold exit talks with the Norwegian . During the course of those conversations, it was put to Solskjaer that the club wanted to head in a new direction, with the former Manchester United striker admitting on Thursday: 'Our difference in philosophy on how to manage the club made me decide to step aside.' A prominent club source is adamant that Tan and other senior figures were not seeking to influence team selection. Solskjaer's exit comes on the same day Dundee said their manager Paul Hartley, Cardiff's leading target, was staying at the club. And Tony Pulis, who was attending an event at one of Tan's hotels in Malaysia, also indicated to a TV reporter that he would prefer a job in the Premier League. He added that he has not been approached by Cardiff. Solskjaer said: 'I want to thank Vincent for giving me the opportunity to manage Cardiff City FC. He has my full respect and I really wish him all the best in his pursuit of making this football club successful. 'However, our difference in philosophy on how to manage the club made me decide to step aside and allow the club to move forward in the direction Vincent wants. 'I leave the club with some very talented players and want to thank them for their efforts and hope to see them challenge for promotion this season. I also want to thank Mehmet Dalman for his continued and loyal support and feel I have gained a new friend.' Cardiff want to appoint Dundee manager Paul Hartley as the new boss, but the Scottish club are resisting . Solskjaer's team lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night as their poor run of form continued . The club confirmed that Danny Gabbidon, who returned to the club as a player-coach this month, will join academy coach Scott Young in preparing the side for this weekend's trip to Derby. Tan added: 'Ole was hired by Cardiff City on our understanding and belief that he would help us fight relegation from the Premier League. Unfortunately that did not happen. After the club was relegated many people advised me to let him go, but I decided to keep Ole on for the Championship season. Regrettably our recent results do not justify Ole's continued role as manager at Cardiff. 'Ole has therefore decided to step down and I have accepted this. During my short association with Ole, I have found him to be an honest and hard-working professional, but unfortunately the football results were not in his favour. 'As long as I am the owner of this club, Ole and his family will always be welcome in the Chairman's Suite as my guests. I wish Ole the very best in his future career in football. We now begin the process of finding his replacement and working towards giving all our stakeholders in Cardiff City the results they deserve.' Cardiff are also interested in Tony Pulis but the Welshman wants a job with a Premier League club . A senior source at the club told Sportsmail that relations between Solskjaer and the club's hierarchy remained 'amicable', but added that serious doubts were raised after Cardiff threw away a 2-0 lead in the 4-2 defeat against Norwich on Saturday. Dalman said: 'Having spoken with Ole on deciding the best course of action for all parties, I'm sorry to say that we have agreed that it is in the best interest of the club for us to go our separate ways. 'Ole has been a wonderful professional to work with since his arrival at the club. Due to a difference in philosophy of approach to the game, we have decided to part company amicably. He and his family will always be welcome at Cardiff City. I know I have gained a good friend whom I wish well and remain confident in his future success.' There are some at the club who are keen on giving the manager's job to former player Craig Bellamy . Contact is said to have been made with Hartley, with several prominent Cardiff sources claiming he was the leading candidate. But Dundee released a statement on Thursday – before the Cardiff release confirming Solskjaer's departure – that insisted Hartley has 'long-term plans' to stay at the club. It read: 'The club would like to confirm that manager Paul Hartley has long term plans to stay at Dundee Football Club. 'Paul is committed to the club and is looking forward and focused on the upcoming derby matches this week. Solskjaer (right) applauds the fans as the Welsh club are relegated from the Premier League at Newcastle . 'As a club, we are not surprised that speculation linking Paul to other clubs has come up due to the fantastic job he continues to do at Dens Park. 'The club and Paul see the solid foundation which has already been put in place as the beginning of a long term plan which will see Paul at the helm of the club for years to come.' Tony Pulis, meanwhile, is currently unlikely to step down to the Championship, but he has admirers at the club. Glenn Roeder was pictured in the directors' box on Tuesday, though he is not currently thought to be a managerial candidate, while there are also elements of the club who favour Craig Bellamy's return. The decision will be largely down to Tan. Despite the club's relegation as the Premier League's bottom-placed club – Cardiff were 17th when Malky Mackay was sacked - Tan was determined to stick with Solskjaer, though it was made clear that promotion in this campaign was the only acceptable target. Instead, Cardiff have plummeted after a promising start and are currently winless in their past four Championship games. In all, Cardiff have won only five of their 25 league matches under Solskjaer. Glenn Roeder was pictured in the Cardiff directors' box on Tuesday but is not thought to be a candidate . The poor results come in spite of vast investment in the squad, with Tan having spent roughly £16m on 17 new players since Solskjaer took over. Dalman was also permitted to sign off on one of the division's biggest wage bills. But Solskjaer has consistently given off the impression that he does not know his best line-up or formation, having kept an unchanged side only once in league fixtures – a factor that is believed to be behind the 'philosophy' differences. Further to that, Solskjaer's promise of attacking football, which was so alluring to Tan, has not materialised, with only eight goals scored in the league this season. Cardiff City Supporters' Trust chairman, Tim Hartley believes that the new manager needs to quickly inject some energy into the club. Enrique Kike Garcia celebrates after scoring against Cardiff for Middlesbrough in Solskjaer's final match . He said: 'Given the team’s performances on the field this season, it was inevitable that the manager’s position would come under scrutiny. 'What is needed now is a new manager who can energise the players and take the club up the Championship table. 'The next appointment of a manager will be crucial. The club must get the decision spot on because there is need for stability and renewed success at the football club. 'Chairman, Mehmet Dalman, cites a "difference in philosophy" of approach to football in his statement. The departure of Ole again flags up the need for the club to have some recognised footballing knowledge and experience in the boardroom to ensure we get and then keep a manager who knows his football and can push forward for promotion. We wish Ole all the best for the future.' | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left Cardiff after just eight months in charge .
Solskjaer had exit talks with chairman Mehmet Dalman on Wednesday .
Cardiff won only five of their 25 league matches under the 41-year-old .
Midweek defeat by Middlesbrough left the club 17th in the Championship .
Solskjaer leaves by mutual consent and thanked Cardiff owner Vincent Tan for the opportunity .
Cardiff want Dundee manager Paul Hartley to replace the Norwegian .
Tony Pulis, Glenn Roeder and Craig Bellamy also in the frame to take over .
Player-coach Danny Gabbidon and academy coach Scott Young will prepare the team for Saturday's trip to Derby . |
0c1770186287e82969b378bea0b363ed05a0ef1d | Most of us are experts at recognising people's identity, gender and age just by looking at their face. But much of what we see is based on the context we see it in – and our brains are masters are tricking us into perceiving things that aren’t there. You can test this by staring steadily at the top red square in the below image for just fraction of a minute. Scroll down for video . Stare at the top red square in the above image for just fraction of a minute. Shift your gaze to the bottom red square – what do you see? Out of the corner of your eye, you are likely to see Bill Clinton on the left and his successor, George Bush, on the right. Shift your gaze, without hesitating, to the bottom red square – what do you see? Most people see George W Bush in the left image on the left and Clinton on the right. But blink several times and take a step back. A closer look at the photos reveals that both photos are the same morphed image of the presidents. This illusion is an instance of a phenomena, called sensory adaptations, according to a report in Scientific American. It was created by Leicester University in an attempt to understand the process going on in the brain when people mix up faces. Pictured are face-selective regions in the brain. Face-selective regions (yellow) are defined as regions that respond more strongly to faces than houses, cars and novel objects . They believe that while neurons register an image of the outside world, they are also actively constructing the image based on its context. To test their theory, researchers at Leicester, along with the University of California, implanted wires in the brains of patients at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. This illusion is an instance of a phenomena, called sensory adaptations. There are of visual cells in the occipital lobes that process the vision of objects based on their contect. These cells can undergo sensory adaptation, as seen in the 'waterfall illusion'. If a person views a moving picture of a waterfall for several minutes and then looks at a still picture of the same waterfall, the picture of the waterfall will appear to be moving upward. This is because the visual cells have adapted to the downward motion. To prevent motion sickness, the other visual cells must counteract that motion. They recorded from a cell that fired selectively to a picture of Clinton. When they next asked the patient to look at a photograph of Bush, the cell was silent. This showed the cell preferred the sight of Clinton over that of Bush. Immediately afterward, a blended picture was shown, and the patient had to decide which president they could see. The patient was more likely to see Clinton when previously exposed to four seconds of Bush, and vice versa. ‘In 62 neurons from 10 patients, the response to the morphed picture was significantly stronger when the patient recognized the neuron's preferred face, compared with when the patient reported the face that the neuron did not care about,’ wrote Christof Koch, Chief Scientific Officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. ‘Indeed, statistically, the strength of the neuron's response to a pure Clinton could not be distinguished from the response to Clintush, as long as the subject reported seeing Clinton.’ The results, he says, prove that the brain has a powerful process from which it constructs images based on its surroundings – and sometimes what you are seeing could just be in your imagination. | Stare steadily at the top red square for just a fraction of a minute .
Now shift your gaze, without hesitating, to the bottom red square .
Most people see George Bush on the left and Bill Clinton on the right .
But in reality both faces are identical morphed images of the presidents . |
0c17f011660fa1257bf9d766d9b99292a801dff7 | Scotland hero Shaun Maloney thanked coach Stuart McCall for being the architect of the glorious goal that sank the Republic of Ireland at Celtic Park. The Wigan man savoured perhaps his finest moment in the dark blue of his country — and an unforgettable career highlight — when he curled home a brilliant shot from the fringe of the area with 15 minutes remaining. It was a sublime finishing touch to the nimblest of moves, with Maloney and Ikechi Anya working a short corner routine before skipper Scott Brown set up his former Celtic team-mate with a back-heel flick. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch . Shaun Maloney (left) celebrates after scoring the winner for Scotland against the Republic of Ireland . Scotland coach Stuart McCall (second left) celebrates on the touchline after Maloney's goal . Maloney revealed it was a routine plotted by former Motherwell manager McCall — Scotland’s third in command — during preparations at their Mar Hall training base. But the 31-year-old revealed it was very much a case of alright on the night after a series of botched attempts at the move in the build-up to the crunch Euro 2016 qualifier. ‘I was confident that we would score but maybe not in the way we did,’ admitted Maloney. ‘It was a slight variation on what we worked on in training. The way Ireland set up made us change it slightly. We worked on something similar this week and the coach has to take credit for this. ‘It was Stuart McCall, he worked on it. It came off slightly differently to what we had been planning. Stuart and Mark McGhee work pretty hard on these set-pieces and they don’t always come off. ‘It went in zero times in training! These things you practise hundreds of times and you just kind of hope that they (the opposition) switch off and it happens in a match like it did tonight. ‘You get an initial reaction when connecting with the ball, but the difference between that going in and hitting the post is millimetres. You know you have a fair chance of scoring, but it was just pure elation at the time when it went in. ‘I’ve been fortunate to score some special goals — but this is right up there and it meant the world to me and the team. It was a special moment to be part of. The Scotland fans go wild as Maloney's goal helps move them up to third in Euro 2016 qualifying Group D . ‘There wasn’t much in the game and it wasn’t overly pretty. We always felt there would be one moment either for us or Ireland that would settle the game.’ On a bruising night at Celtic Park, captain Scott Brown insisted Scotland had defied an Irish plan to knock them out of their stride — by fair means or foul. Martin O’Neill’s side thundered into challenges throughout the match, earning four bookings to the two picked up by Strachan’s side. Seamus Coleman could well have seen red for clattering through goal hero Maloney in the latter stages but Serbian referee Milorad Mazic allowed play to continue and didn’t return with a second yellow card for the Everton right-back. That kind of physical confrontation is meat-and-drink to toughened competitors such as Brown, but he expressed pride in the way the entire Scottish team stood tall. ‘I think Ireland’s gameplan was to try and stop us playing football,’ said Brown. ‘But it didn’t work. ‘We still managed to get the ball down in tight situations and play, knock nice little one-twos and create chances for ourselves. Maloney curls a low strike across goal and into the far bottom corner to clinch victory for the hosts . ‘Were Ireland lucky to finish with 11 men? I don’t know. There were a few rough tackles but I didn’t get a good eye on them. ‘Overall, it was a good night. It wasn’t the best performance in the world but we got the victory. ‘I think Ireland came up with a plan where they tried to play from back to front. They tried to impose their own gameplan but we kept trying to get the ball down and trying to play. ‘Did we deserve to win? Yeah. Definitely. I think we were the better team from start to finish. We tried to play football and I think that is what the fans keep coming along to see.’ The Scotland camp had protested pre-match that last night’s encounter was not a ‘must-win’ occasion, but Brown did not attempt to downplay the importance of the result. Poland’s rout of Georgia merely increased the need for victory, with Strachan’s side now sitting alongside Ireland and world champions Germany on seven points after four games. England visit Parkhead for a high-profile friendly on Tuesday evening before Gibraltar come to Glasgow on Euro 2016 business in March. The return match with O’Neill’s men is in Dublin in June. ‘It is shaping up to be a great group and there is still an awful lot to do,’ said Brown. The ball curls into the net as the Republic of Ireland defenders can only look on . ‘We just want to keep things going when the qualifiers start again. ‘This has been a great result in front of 60,000 people at Celtic Park. It is huge for us. ‘We have got a winning mentality and we want to continue it. We have another big game on Tuesday night against England. ‘Even though it is a friendly we want to keep the winning mentality that the manager has instilled in us. We follow his lead and we try to get the ball down to play football that entertains the fans who come along. ‘None of like to get beat and you could see that tonight in our performance. All 11 men defended at times and then we worked together to create chances. We were putting pressure on their defence and eventually it paid off. ‘We can do both sides to the game. We can defend and we can play football and counter-attack with pace.’ | Scotland beat the Republic of Ireland 1-0 in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday .
Shaun Maloney scored the winner in the 74th minute .
Maloney paid credit to Stuart McCall for plotting the routine . |
0c181fa48198b9f9baec9ca5799a26e0674df355 | For a man with so much going on in his head, Wilfried Bony has done a fair job of relocating his feet. It’s barely been three weeks since the Ivorian with 25 goals to his name last season was facing questions of his failure to score even one in this campaign. Sigurdsson has had a hand in eight goals (seven assists, one goal) in nine PL games for Swansea this season. Those have been sufficiently addressed, with four strikes in three games, including the two on Saturday that saw off Leicester and made his position in forthcoming contract talks a touch stronger. Those discussions are expected to commence imminently, with Bony (right) happy to extend his commitment beyond the summer of 2017, though he has made no secret of his ambitions to join a bigger club. Wilfried Bony has been in fine form for Swansea after scoring four goals in three games . Bony and Sigurdsson combined for both goals which saw Swansea beat Leicester 2-0 . The Ivorian scored 25 goals for Swansea last campaign and has answered his critics in the last three weeks . SWANSEA (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Rangel 7, Fernandez 6, Williams 7, Taylor 6; Ki 6, Shelvey 6.5; Routledge 6 (Dyer 83min), Sigurdsson 7.5 (Carroll 58, 6), Montero 7; Bony 8 (Gomis 83). Subs not used: Tremmel, Emnes, Bartley, Shephard. Scorer: Bony 34, 57. LEICESTER (4-4-2): Schmeichel 5; De Laet 5, Morgan 7, Moore 6.5, Konchesky 6.5; Mahrez 6, Hammond 6 (King 68, 6), Drinkwater 6 (Cambiasso 68, 6), Vardy 6 (James 67, 6); Nugent 5, Ulloa 5. Subs not used: Smith, Schlupp, Wasilewski, Wood. Referee: Mike Jones 7. Man of the match: Wilfried Bony. Approaches never came in the summer despite interest from Liverpool and Tottenham, but that will surely change if the 25-year-old matches last season’s goal tally, which is his target. ‘I knew the goals would come,’ said Bony, who celebrated his strikes against Leicester with a T-shirt tribute to two friends who died recently. ‘When I wasn’t scoring the team was doing well. Now, the team needs me to score and I did. I have a target in my head and I will take it step by step.’ Of his contract situation, Bony added: ‘Contract talks I leave to my agent. But I am happy.’ Garry Monk, meanwhile, does not expect to be charged by the FA after he said Stoke’s Victor Moses cheated. He said: ‘I’ve been in contact with the FA. I’ve made my views, I’m happy with them and I can’t see anything happening after that.’ Leicester boss Nigel Pearson has seen his side go four games without a win since the 5-3 victory over Manchester United. He said: ‘The problem is people want to talk about that (the United game) all the time. But as soon as that game is over it is not important.’ | Swansea's Wilfried Bony has scored four goals in three games .
Bony could extend his stay at Swansea beyond the summer of 2017 .
The Ivorian scored 25 goals last campaign for the Welsh club . |
0c19187db90fbfb790c1ad673d118fa7f8d81c37 | A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ... An Empire has spread across the galaxy, and the few remaining Jedi defend themselves against the Sith. At the same time, a dispute over trade and treaties is interrupted by ... General Luke Skywalker? A little confused? That's because these familiar elements from "Star Wars" lore are part of George Lucas' rough draft for the first movie ("Episode IV: A New Hope" for the uninitiated), illustrated for the first time by Dark Horse Comics as "The Star Wars." The first of eight issues of the comic book series is out now. When Luke is a much older man, Vader doesn't wear a helmet, Han Solo resembles a lizard and there is a character named Kane Starkiller, it might take some getting used to. But it's a fascinating part of movie history, no doubt. CNN spoke separately to J.W. Rinzler, who adapted Lucas' script for comics, and artist Mike Mayhew. CNN: What captured your interest when adapting this script? Rinzler: It's so similar and yet so different at the same time. All the puzzle pieces are there but arranged to form a different picture. You've got Sith and Jedi, you've got a desert planet. You've got a planet with twin suns, an imperial city and a cloud city. When I read the rough draft, it had all those things which made me want to make it into a comic book. It's such a great story, George is a great storyteller. CNN: Was it difficult to illustrate this story from a script written nearly 40 years ago? Mayhew: Not at all. I've been in comics 20 years, and when I read the rough draft, I thought, I can make a comic of this tomorrow. It was just a very well-written screenplay, and that's what a comic book script is. This is genuinely George's first complete screenplay story of this tale, and it's wildly different. You can see why some of it was changed because there's no way they could have done it. It was just too ambitious. When you look at movies now like "Avatar" and "The Avengers," it seems prophetic. Audiences expect all that action and set pieces, and one thing after another. I'm sure back then they looked at this and thought, "What's this guy thinking?" The other interesting thing is you see the origins of the characters we know and love. Darth Vader is kind of a general, he's one of the main heavies but he's not a lord of the Sith. Here, Vader is really three characters: General Vader, this Lord of the Sith named Valorum, and this mechanical man. You think you know these characters and then you discover their truer origins. CNN: What do you think fans will take away from this book? Rinzler: Based on early fan feedback from the first issue, they're really enjoying this alternate universe, and they're getting to read a story that's being told by George. Even through my adaptation, you feel his voice. You see many of the things you love in "Star Wars" but in a slightly different way. You have the Tusken raider moment surging in front of the binoculars, except it's not a Tusken raider, it's a different character. Fans are saying they're reading it two or three times to take it all in. Mayhew: This to me is the greatest "what if" story in comics. What if this made it to the screen? The mind reels at the possibilities. CNN: Is there one particular thing that is farthest away from the "Star Wars" we know and love? Rinzler: Everyone seems to latch onto the fact that Han is a big green alien. That's pretty far! He doesn't have his own ship. His character is probably the most different, although he can already talk to Wookies. It's fascinating to see all this stuff starting out, in a way. What's really fun is that R2-D2 talks in this one. There's a couple of points where I felt like "R2-D2 should say something here," and I added a line and that was really fun. Mayhew: The characters in this story are much different than the characters in "Star Wars." The relationships are a lot different and to me, more intense. Leia's story is a little more complicated, and she's more a part of the action. Annikin is more of a trained Jedi than Luke was. The older General Skywalker to me is so much cooler than Obi-Wan. This character is like Captain America, a bigger than life hero. CNN: Is there a possibility that this alternate version of "Star Wars" could live on beyond these eight issues, at least in the fans' minds? Rinzler: Fans have been asking already about this, because so many things are hinted at particularly in the first issue, about the past, or characters in the periphery, or just spoken of and not seen. They'd love to see those mysteries explained, but we have a little movie called "Episode VII" coming up and that will take precedence. 'Star Wars' cinematographer Gilbert Taylor dies at 99 . J.J. Abrams talks production plans for 'Star Wars' | New comic book "The Star Wars" adapts and illustrates George Lucas' rough draft script .
"It's so similar, yet so different at the same time," says writer J.W. Rinzler .
Characters such as Kane Starkiller and a lizard-like Han Solo populate this universe . |
0c1b456491849e0846db61596177db9043be1a88 | Two women managed to escape with just minor injuries after their car plummeted 60ft off a bridge. Driver Elizabeth Wolthoff, 25, and passenger Rebecca Winslow, 23, were in a SUV when it veered off the Route 80 bridge in Hackensack, New Jersey, and dropped into the lot below on Friday. First responders arrived at the scene and found the pair trapped inside. Miraculous: Two were in the car when it veered off the Route 80 bridge in Hackensack, New Jersey . Lucky escape: Driver Elizabeth Wolthoff, 25, (left) and passenger Rebecca Winslow, 23, (right) were stuck in the car for 20 minutes as firefighters remove arts of the car to get them out . It took firefighters around 20 minutes to cut the pair free before they were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, NJ.com reported. They had to remove the roof and one of the doors in order to get the pair out. Firefighter Michael Thomasey told CBS 2: 'Everybody that saw the distance that the car fell was just taken back by the fact that they had not been injured more severely and that they were able to talk to us. Sgt. Jeff Flynn, a State Police spokesman, said the single-car crash was reported at 7:12 a.m. on the highway's eastbound lanes. The cause of the wreck remained under investigation, Flynn said. Workers nearby said they saw a snow embankment with two tire tracks nearby, and feel the flare of the sun may have been to blame. Hackensack Fire Lt. Justin Derevyanik, who was one of the first on the scene, told CBS: 'God was watching over them today. It landed on a tree which probably padded the fall a little bit and then on a fence.' Other officers said if the car had landed on its roof it would have been a different story. Cause: Authorities are trying to determine whether the weather was partially to blame for the accident . | Elizabeth Wolthoff, 25 was driving her SUV in Hackensack, New Jersey .
She and passenger Rebecca Winslow, 23, then fell off the Route 80 bridge .
Took firefighters over 20 minutes to remove them from inside the vehicle .
The pair were transported to hospital with only minor injuries .
Authorities are trying to determine if the weather was to blame . |
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