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0dc41e8fec9d967931d19c02349d32e2cbf21cc1 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- You don't find many churches making theatrical films. You especially don't find many churches making films starring Kirk Cameron about a firefighter in a crumbling marriage addicted to online porn. Kirk Cameron stars in "Fireproof," a film he was attracted to for its many themes, he said. But that's the case for Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. In fact, the film, "Fireproof," was the church's third movie. It was also an unexpected hit. In September it debuted at No. 4 at the box office, eventually bringing in $33.5 million and spawning two books: a novelization, also called "Fireproof," which is in The New York Times' best-seller list's Top 20; and a companion journal to the movie, "The Love Dare," which has sold more than 2 million copies. Last week "Fireproof" debuted on DVD and climbed to No. 3 on Billboard's DVD chart, beating out "The Hulk" and "Saw V," among others. "You don't often see movies made by churches do big numbers," said Billboard's Anthony Colombo. "Having [distributor] Sony behind it helps. Having Kirk Cameron helps, but for it to come out and do 136,000 pieces [DVDs] in its first week is pretty impressive." "It should not be working," said Alex Kendrick, one of the pastors behind the film. "All I can say is we prayed for months and asked for it to honor God." Kendrick said that Sherwood's pastors gathered for prayer two years ago and asked God to give them an idea for their next movie. They were just coming off making "Facing the Giants," a movie shot entirely in Albany on a $100,000 budget. It starred no professional actors -- just members of their church -- but made $10.2 million at the box office and sold 250,000 copies on DVD, launching the church into the national spotlight. The church leaders lit upon the idea of troubled relationships. "Families and marriages are crumbing and we want to do something about it," said Kendrick, recalling the idea's genesis. "God give us the idea. We had no clue what would happen with it." "Fireproof" began with a $500,000 budget and a fresh crop of church member/actors, but the film got a left-field boost when Cameron, best known as the 1980s heartthrob from the TV series "Growing Pains," read the script and asked to get involved. "All throughout the movie ... there are issues of communications, money, sex, addiction, porn, extramarital affairs, feeling respected at work but not at home, feeling respected by friends but not at home," Cameron told CNN. The themes resonated with the actor and devout Christian, a husband of 17 years, and father of six, he said. That and the "cool action scenes," he added. The makers of "Fireproof" tapped into the church market, arranging screenings for the National Baptist Pastors' convention before release and using word-of-mouth among church leaders. However, says Cameron, the film was pitched to general audiences, not necessarily Christians. "'Fireproof' was never marketed as a Christian movie. This is a movie about marriage," Cameron said. "The fact is, though, the gospel is presented, is done well, and it's a central part of the storyline." Although many critics panned "Fireproof" -- "as sincere, uncynical and subtlety-free as a Sunday school lecture," said Variety -- audiences embraced it. "There's a huge market out there that's underserved. That market is there and a lot of people don't want to go there but there is a huge untapped market," Cameron said. Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Hollywood.com, said he was shocked when the movie debuted in the top five its opening weekend. "With 'Fireproof,' they really cracked the code with the major success with the film and have this appeal across the board," he said. "They didn't follow traditional marketing methods but they didn't need them for this film. ... Maybe that's why it worked out so well." He added, "You're talking about a very successful property. ... The powers that be that put this together are really on to something." Churches are using "Love Dare" and its companion curriculum as a teaching tool, says publisher B&H Publishing's Andrea Dennis, who calls "Fireproof" "a marriage movement." For Valentine's Day more than 9,000 churches are scheduled to show the film, many displaying the admonition "Fireproof Your Marriage" on their signs. B&H believes "Love Dare" could hang around on the best-seller list -- where it's already been for 19 weeks -- along the lines of Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life." And the filmmakers have kept their success close to home. Alex Kendrick said the church used the profits from the movie to buy 82 acres of land and build a recreation center for the town, equipped with eight tennis courts, eight basketball courts and an equestrian area. A baseball diamond is on the way. He's confident "Fireproof" will remain a successful brand. "When something grows the only reason it happens is people say it worked and you should try it," Kendrick said. "When it works and there's a legitimate impact, people want to be a part of it." | "Fireproof" about a firefighter having marriage problems .
Film was produced by a church, aimed some marketing at churches .
"Fireproof" successful in theaters, now success on DVD, has become a brand . |
0dc446eaf95acf48dd635ee1a64114931a1c2c64 | The historic six-month agreement over Tehran's nuclear program may begin a new era of relations with Iran, but it will be a long road back for the country's most vital sector, oil. Iran produces about two and half million barrels a day -- far off its 4-million-barrel-per-day peak a decade ago. Output is hovering at a level last seen at the end of Iran's war with Iraq. With North Sea Brent crude averaging over $100 a barrel for a record three years running, the sanctions on energy alone are costing Tehran about $50 billion in lost annual revenue. Despite the deal breakthrough, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said most of the sanctions will stick as the world gauges the intentions of this relatively new administration in Tehran. "During the six month phase, the oil sanctions that will remain in place will continue to cause over $25 billion in lost revenues to Iran or over $4 billion a month," he said. The message is clear: the pressure remains, but if all goes well, in a half year's time Iran can expect more in return for transparency. The last few years have been filled with uncertainty. Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz with the on-and-off threats by the previous government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to block oil shipments in the Gulf have kept what strategists call a 10-15% risk premium on global energy prices. Iran sits on about 9% of the world's proven oil reserves, claiming a few years back that it has nearly 150 billion barrels and the world's largest gas field. But its top four customers --China, India, Japan and South Korea -- have all had to cut back their energy imports by a third or more in the past few years due to U.S. and European pressure. With every year that has passed, the screws have been tightened by Washington and the countries of the European Union. It was not only sanctions against oil, but also blocking Iran's ability to secure shipping insurance and to trade in U.S. dollars and euros. That economic isolation, many Middle East strategists I have spoken with suggest, is what brought Iran's new government to the negotiating table. In 2012, the Iranian rial plunged by up to 80%. Basic staples of life, poultry and bread skyrocketed in price and the economy went through a period of hyper-inflation. With rising import prices due to a plummeting currency, industrial Iran is no longer able to compete. There are reports that the state manufacturing sector had laid off up to 800,000 workers in 2012 and those who have kept their jobs saw their wages eroded by skyrocketing prices. Oil executives with experience in the country say this initial agreement would help lift a cloud of uncertainty over the oil market, but that President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet have to establish much better contract terms if this honeymoon period lifts sanctions. The blunt-speaking Chief Executive of French energy group Total, Christophe de Margerie, told me at an energy conference in Abu Dhabi this month that Iran needs to try and create a better climate for investment if this weekend's breakthrough is sustained. "I can tell you with the experience we have from Iran it doesn't always bring as we say in French partie de plaisir ... a win-win." Oil giant Saudi Arabia has expressed doubts about signing a deal with Tehran, which will introduce more challenges within OPEC. Iraq plans to double production by 2020 to six million barrels a day and with Iran wanting to rebuild exports, the Kingdom may have trim its own production to defend prices. It is still early days, but this country of nearly 80 million people has been described as potentially being the Germany of the Middle East with plenty of natural resources -- that is, if it can emerge from years of economic isolation. | Oil sanctions on Iran remain in place for the next six months despite historic deal .
Iran produces about two and half million barrels a day - far lower than a decade ago .
Sanctions on energy alone are costing Tehran about $50 billion in lost annual revenue .
Iran sits on about 9% of the world's proven oil reserves and claims the largest gas field . |
0dc489728646ae2bdf958b9fe49ebb220cfaae2b | (CNN) -- Best known for its luxury massage chairs, Osim opened its first commercial outlet in the Philippines in February 2003. Osim considers itself a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products. Just two months later it launched iSymphonic, the world's first massage chair synchronized to music, voted "Invention of the Year" by Time magazine. In January 2007 it launched uPilot, a designer massage chair featuring ROBO-Stic technology for extensive personal massage control. Other pioneer products include iDesire, iMedic, iSqueez, iSense and iTango. Today Osim considers itself a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products, offering more than 100 innovative products covering its four focuses of health, hygiene, nutrition and fitness, from massage chairs and air purifiers to health supplements and treadmills. Listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange, Osim operates an international point-of-sales network of over 1,100 outlets in more than 360 cities in over 28 countries in Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East, United Kingdom and North America. Osim has also invested in the communities in which it operates. It has set up an ongoing endowment fund with the NUS Business School (National University of Singapore) called the Osim Professorship in Branding and Innovation. In Hong Kong, it involved celebrity Andy Lau to lift Hong Kong residents' spirits during the critical SARS period. In 2004, it helped raise funds for victims of the Asian Tsunami. Osim also supported The Healthy Walk Event in Taiwan, as well as major cultural events in Malaysia in 2005 and 2006. Osim was Awarded the Most Transparent Company Award (Commerce) in SIAS Investors' Choice Awards 2004 and 2005. E-mail to a friend . | Osim launched iSymphonic, world's first massage chair synchronized to music .
In 2007 it launched uPilot massage chair, featuring ROBO-Stic technology .
Osim operates in Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East, UK and North America . |
0dc50e8a7fef08cc27c0a12d6f5dc2c2301a7e2b | Manchester United are now able to mix it with the best after the turbulence of the last year, claims Gary Neville. Robin van Persie's stoppage time equaliser handed Louis van Gaal's side a deserved point against Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday. That, says Neville, feels like a win and proves they are capable of returning to former glories. Robin van Persie scored a stoppage time equaliser for Manchester United against Chelsea at Old Trafford . The Dutch striker crashed home for Louis van Gaal's side against the Premier League leaders on Sunday . Gary Neville (left, with England manager Roy Hodgson) says it was United's performance of the season . 'It's a big goal for United,' Neville told Sky Sports's Super Sunday. 'They'd have been deflated – because they did play well in the game – to come out and lose. It will feel like a win. 'The performance level, forget the result, but the performance level was a higher level than Manchester United have produced all season against an excellent team; the best team in the league. 'They had to step up a level today and they did. I thought they were fantastic in the first half and they genuinely caused Chelsea problems.' | Robin van Persie scored a stoppage time equaliser against Chelsea .
Gary Neville says it was Manchester United's best performance this year .
Didier Drogba had given Jose Mourinho's Blues the lead at Old Trafford .
Manchester United currently sit 8th in the Premier League table . |
0dc563f67f1ad813ee2c3eaf6d3f876be2273955 | Former German under-17 international Burak Karan has been killed while fighting for al-Qaeda in northern Syria . A former rising star of German football who played for the under-17 national squad has been killed after he abandoned his career to fight for al-Qaeda in the Syrian civil war against the Assad regime. Burak Karan played alongside famous names such as Sami Khedira, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Dennis Aogo. But five years ago he quit the game he loved and his country to become a radicalised Jihadist. On October 11, aged just 26, he was . blown to smithereens by a bomb dropped by an Assad air force jet on the . village of Azaz, near the Turkish border. An image of him clutching a Kalashnikov assault rifle appeared in tribute to him at the weekend on social networking sites. The . Turkish-German player-turned-rebel 'fought like a lion', according to . his commanders, who said: 'It was a pleasure to fight alongside him.' Karan . made his debut in the under-17 team in 2003 and trained with giants of . the Bundesliga including Leverkusen, Herthas BSC Berlin, Hamburger SV . and Hanover. He was described as a 'talent with great perspective' and was a close personal pal of Boateng. Thomas Hengen, Karan’s last coach at Alemannia Aachen said: 'He could have lived safely doing the job of a soccer player.' Karan made five appearances for the German under-16 team and played twice for the under-17 team. But on July 1, 2008, he ended his career aged just 20. His brother Mustafa said: 'Burak said money and career were not important things to him. Instead he searched the internet constantly for videos of war zones. He was desperate, full of compassion for the victims.' This image of Karan clutching a Kalashnikov assault rifle appeared as tribute on social networking sites. His commanders said he 'fought like a lion'. Karan is pictured playing for the German under-16 side against England at Sunderland's Stadium Of Light in 2002. He made five international appearances at that level and two for the under-17 team . In his hunt for a cause to fight for he . came on the radar of national intelligence agents for his contacts with a . known Islamist called Emrah Erdogan. Erdogan is currently facing trial . in Germany for his al-Qaeda links. Burak was radicalised in an al-Qaeda training camp in the Waziristan region of Pakistan. 'He spoke only of Jihad after that,' said his sister Zuhal. Germany’s . attorney general launched a criminal probe against him for supporting a . foreign terrorist organisation but he was never charged. With the outbreak of the civil war in Syria 2011 Karan found his destiny. After collecting relief donations and sending food and drugs he . travelled with his 23-year-old wife and two children to the Syrian . border in Turkey. Karan's brother Mustafa said he watched hours of footage of war zones and was 'full of compassion for the victims.' Pictured: Children walk past damage caused by shelling by Assad's forces in Damascus . A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon Salaheddine neighbourhood. Karan is said to have fought for the rebels alongside al-Qaeda . His family believed he armed himself to protect aid convoys and his brother Mustafa has travelled there to find out 'the truth' about his brother - whether he was an al-Qaeda fanatic, or a man who died trying to make a difference as a humanitarian worker. The number of Germans travelling to Syria to fight in the civil war has increased sharply, Germany's domestic intelligence said this month. Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the Bundesamt fuer Verfassungsschutz since 2012 (BfV), said they knew of 220 German citizens fighting in Syria, but the actual number could be much higher, and had risen sharply this year. | Burak Karan killed in a bomb attack by Assad forces in Syria .
Footballer played with stars like Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sami Khedira .
Made appearances for under-16 and under-17 German national side .
Gave up career aged 20 and joined Islamists fighting in civil war . |
0dc5ccd9e3730ef0a79b61be94a9a566382b876d | An ex-orthopedic surgeon and an architect claim to have discovered the holy grail of fashion footwear: high heels that are genuinely comfortable. Dr Taryn Rose, a 47-year-old single mother-of-three based in California, already built a $40 million business with her first namesake shoe collection, and has now launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her next chapter: 'wing shoes.' The collection of heels are the brainchild of architect and designer Enrico Cuini, and have specially constructed carbon fiber 'wings' built into the insoles, which support and cushion all three arches of the foot; the medial, lateral and transverse - rather than just the usual one. Scroll down for video . The holy grail? Dr Taryn Rose, a former orthopedic surgeon, and architect Enrico Cuini have created a line of high heeled shoes (pictured, the peep-toe sandal) which boast carbon fiber 'wings' built into the insoles . 'The wings "flutter" as you walk to provide a pumping action, which helps blood flow back to your heart from your feet,' Dr Rose tells MailOnline. 'This provides comfort and decreases swelling in your feet.' She adds: 'These wings make your feet feel stable, supported and secure, and gives them a "platform" to rest on so you feel like you are wearing a much lower heel. 'The pressure is relieved from the balls of your feet and your ankle doesn't wobble.' Mr Cuini came up with the first prototype, after which he approached Dr Rose to come on board. Formerly a European Windsurfing champion, Mr Cuini introduced strong but flexible materials to the shoes that are traditionally used to shape and streamline surfboards. Pretty fly: The wings (pictured) support and cushion all three arches of the foot; the medial, lateral and transverse - rather than just the usual one . Secret weapon: The shoes are fitted with hidden platforms to rest on, so you feel like you are wearing a much lower heel. Pictured, the platform stiletto (left) and the classic stiletto (right) Fancy feet: Their design also means that the pressure is relieved from the balls of your feet and your ankle doesn't wobble. Pictured, the laser-cut bootie (left) and the wedge (right) 'Mr Cuini brings a lot of different perspectives and industries to the shoe industry, which hasn't really changed in 100 years,' Dr Rose points out. The collection includes flip-flips and sneakers as well as classic stilettos, platform stilettos, wedges, peep-toe sandals and booties; all in a range of colors. Prices start at $350 and run up to $1995, but donors to the Kickstarter campaign are rewarded with shoes from the line at up to a 50per cent discount. As the company builds its customer base, they aim to lower the prices where possible. The campaign, which is hoping to raise $100,000 by November 5, will fund the manufacturing molds needed for the new wing technology. Teamwork: Mr Cuini (left) came up with the first prototype, after which he approached Dr Rose (right) to come on board with her industry knowledge . Engineered to fit: The wings 'flutter' as you walk to provide a pumping action, which helps blood flow back to your heart from your feet, thus decreasing swelling . Dr Rose explains: 'We felt that with Kickstarter, it's a way for us to build the community from day one. 'This is a way for someone to be a part of our company from the very beginning whether it's a $5 pledge or a $10,000 pledge.' She and Mr Cuini have chosen to donate a sizable portion of the net profits from their shoes to philanthropic causes concerning water, education and health; something that might be unattractive to private investors, but she feels is crucial. So how did Dr Rose make the transition from orthopedic surgeon, to a shoe business she started in her garage, to a multi-millionaire footwear designer? 'As an orthopedic surgeon - and fashionista - I saw women who wanted to wear fashion shoes but suffered from how uncomfortable they can be...especially high heels. 'And of course, I dealt with several broken ankles from women falling off their heels, usually with the help of a few cocktails.' Construction: Dr Rose enlisted architect and engineer Enrico Cuini to help design the collection, and the Kickstarter campaign will fund the molds used to construct the shoes (pictured) Dr Rose, who earned her M.D. from the University of Southern California, was the first to use a memory foam-type material called Poron on shoes she crafted for diabetic patients to absorb shock. She then had the idea to marry the passion she had for her male dominated field - only around ten per cent of foot surgeons were women at the time - and her love of fashion. She became the first designer to use Poron in a line of fashion shoes, a collection she designed in her garage 17 years ago with Mr Cuini. 'When I saw the prototype that he had made on my kitchen table it took me two seconds to realize, "this is the real deal... the next big revolution in footwear".' Then and now: Dr Rose had the idea to marry the passion she had for orthopedic surgery with and her love of fashion, and gave up her medical career in 1997 to start her first shoe label, which she sold off in 2008 . Women loved the shoes and Dr Rose sold her first collection to Nordstrom. Over the next ten years, she stopped practicing as a surgeon and built a $40 million revenue business instead. 'Once I had the time to look at what I had accomplished, I realized I'd actually built a great company,' she recalls. 'It was hard to grasp.' One of the stunts Dr Rose pulled off to prove the merits of her comfortable high heels was to climb 282 steps in a pair of her three-inch pumps. She sold her Taryn Rose line in 2008 and spent the next eight years planning her next move. Mr Cuini came back on board two years ago, and inspired by a butterfly, the new wing technology was born. We're convinced! One of the stunts Dr Rose pulled off to prove the merits of her comfortable high heels was to climb 282 steps in a pair of her three-inch pumps (pictured) The surgeon-turned-designer, who is mom to Anneka, 14, Milo, 10, and Peter, 9, estimates she owns around 287 pairs of shoes currently. 'It's human nature to want to be desirable, and high heels do wonders for that,' she says. 'They make your legs appear more toned and elongated, your lower back more arched and your "booty" more prominent.' And for those of us who can't wait for her wing shoes to go to on sale, estimated to be June 2015, Dr Rose gave us her top tips for high heel shoe-shopping so as to to avoid ending up in pain. 'Shop at the end of the day when your feet are most swollen, and look for shoes with some form of padding for your forefoot, since there's a lot of pressure in that region,' she advises. 'Look for shoes with a built-in platform to decrease the actual pitch of the shoe, and try not to go with shoes narrower than 1 cm of your own foot.' | The collection is priced between $350 and $1995 .
Former orthopedic surgeon Dr Taryn Rose created the shoes in partnership with architect Enrico Cuini . |
0dc5fb832297b70cc76171df43ce866f942e15bb | The weather in Portugal certainly looked warm, so Daniel Sturridge thought he would 'chill by the pool. Liverpool star Sturridge tweeted a picture, saying he was 'chilling' as England continue their preparations for the World Cup. The 24-year-old is considered a key part of England's plans for the tournament and he is in pole position to be leading the line come the opening game. Chilling: The picture Sturridge tweeted of himself relaxing by the pool . Preparing: Sturridge (right) training with England team-mates at the training camp in Portgual . Form: Sturridge (right) tussles with Manchester United's Patrice Evra during Liverpool's 3-0 win this season . The former Chelsea man was an integral part of Liverpool's title challenge this season and he finished the season with 21 league goals. Sturridge's apparel shows him in Nike trainers and socks with the forward describing them as 'next level comfort.' Maybe he felt the need to chill after the England players were wrapped up during training this week to recreate the sweltering heat of Manaus. Sturridge has been hitting social media hard this week, posting selfies with his team-mates on the plane. England open their World Cup campaign against Italy on 14 June in Manaus. Talent: Sturridge (centre) is leading England's younger generation as they look to establish themselves . | England are preparing in Portugal ahead of the World Cup .
Roy Hodgson has been preparing the players for the intense heat of Brazil .
England's first game of the World Cup is against Italy on 14 June . |
0dc63b1f6a8b783ff453e09e2de9040792796543 | By . Meghan Keneally . PUBLISHED: . 09:46 EST, 24 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:09 EST, 24 July 2013 . Huma Abedin professes her love for her husband in an unfortunately-timed essay in Harper's Bazaar which came out just hours after another woman revealed the sex chats she had with the disgraced former Congressman. The article comes as a vow of support for his bid to become New York City's next mayor, and was released the morning after the notoriously private Abedin spoke out at his press conference Tuesday where he confirmed that he will not be dropping out of the race. 'People have said many things about my . husband—some nice, some not so nice. And that will surely continue. Launching this campaign was not an easy decision for our family to make. Putting yourself out there comes with a cost,' she wrote in Harper's Bazaar. In a column that will appear in the magazine's September edition, the longtime Hillary Clinton aide tells how she went from being a 'single workaholic' to a wife and mother in a matter of three years. Scroll down for video . 'I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him': Huma Abedin read a statement at the Tuesday press conference reaffirming her belief in her husband and their marriage . Facing the backlash: Weiner addressed reporters in front of his apartment building on Wednesday morning but he did not have his wife at his side this time . When her husband Anthony Weiner launched his campaign to run for mayor of New York City two years after resigning from Congress amid a Twitter sexting scandal, he said that there were other women who would come forward with allegations against him. Opening up: Huma Abedin wrote an essay in the upcoming issue of Harper's Bazaar about how she decided to forgive her husband and supports his run for mayor . In the essay, she said that in addition . to being the 'smart, caring, and dedicated person' he has always been, . 'he is now something else- a better man'. What Abedin likely didn't know was that one such woman would release screen grabs of her virtual conversations with Weiner and the naked pictures he sent of himself- just days before the Harper's Bazaar issue hit newsstands. 'New Yorkers will have to decide for themselves whether or not to give him a second chance. I had to make that same decision for myself, for my son, for our family. And I know in my heart that I made the right one,' she wrote in a preview of the piece that was posted on the magazine's website. Though Abedin has worked for Hillary Clinton for nearly two decades, starting when she was an intern in the White House and worked for the then-First Lady. In her role as Mrs Clinton's top aide, she has kept to the sidelines, leaving her boss to be the focus of attention. 'I . kept my personal life private, even as the people I was close to lived . in the public eye. But all that changed two years ago, and Anthony and I . have spent these past few years working through the very private . challenges we faced on a very public stage,' she wrote in Harper's . Bazaar. Her husband's bid . for Mayor changed all that. She first appeared in one of his campaign . ads and made her press conference debut on Tuesday when she read a . statement in defense of her husband. Public defense: Abedin broke her notoriously private shell by appearing alongside her husband a year after he resigned in a July 2012 People article. It was revealed he maintained online relationships even at that time . 'When we faced this publicly two years . ago it was the beginning of a time in our marriage that was very . difficult and it took us a very long time to get through it,' Ms Abedin . said at today's press conference. Together: In the Harper's Bazaar article, Abedin talks about how she went from being a 'single workaholic' to a wife and mother in three years, seen here at their 2010 wedding . 'Anthony's . made some horrible mistakes both before he resigned from congress and . after but I do very strongly believe that that is between us. 'I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him.' For . his part, Weiner said that his wife was aware that he was still making . contact with women he had never met even after he resigned, and he said . that his June 2011 departure from Congress was not the end to his . inappropriate behavior. 'She . knew all along this process as I was more and more honest with her, I . told her everything so this is something we knew going into this season . of (campaigning). 'I'm pleased and blessed that she has . given me a second chance. For the past several months I have asked New . Yorkers to give me a second chance. 'Its . in our rear view mirror but it's not far and we continue to work on our . marriage. Frankly we're in a lot better place today or else I would not . have run for mayor.' Many public figures have come out to support Abedin, praising her remarks at the press conference, including Donald Trump who called her 'impressive'. Congressman Charles Rangel, who has . been the Democratic representative for Harlem for over 40 years, echoed those sentiments on MSNBC Wednesday morning. 'Nobody . that I know understands at all what Anthony Weiner was thinking about. And right now, I think you would agree that we all are concerned about . his wife. She's a brave lady,' Congressman Rangel told MSNBC on . Wednesday. 'I have seen . a lot of things like this in politics where males have to lean on their . wives for support, but I don't ever recall seeing a wife looking and . feeling so sad and embarrassed, because Huma is a very private person, a . very delicate, sophisticated person. And all the years that I've known . her, putting her into this political situation, as bright and as . intelligent as she is, is very awkward.' In . spite of her claims that his sexual proclivities are a personal matter, . they have made a very purposeful- and planned- re-entry into public life . with a number of interviews. The first came in the June 30, 2012 issue of People Magazine, where they posed for a family portrait and Weiner opened up about how they had worked through their problems. On the sidelines: Huma Abedin has been working for Hillary Clinton (pictured here in 2012 when she was serving as Secretary of State) since 1996 and is considered one of her top aides . Now the 'normal family' that they claimed to be is seen as even more of a facade as it was revealed yesterday that he began exchanging explicit messages and photos with a woman online less than two weeks after the People issue hit newsstands. He would not go into the specifics of . when he began talking with the woman who has since been revealed as . Sydney Leathers, but she told gossip site The Dirty that their first . contact took place on July 12, 2012. To . many that came as a shock because it was assumed that his inappropriate . behavior came to a stop after he resigned from Congress in June 2011. Leathers . was revealed to be a blogger for the Indiana Progressive Liberals who . worked as a part of President Obama's field campaign during his 2012 bid . for re-election. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT . The latest woman: Syndey Leathers, 23, was identified as the one who Weiner was talking to online in 2012 . Virtual exchange: She released screengrabs of their conversations and pictures of his genitals that he sent . She sent screenshots of conversations she had with Weiner over social media site Formspring, where he used the screenname 'Carlos Danger' and described his sexual fantasies, such as: 'So I walk in to a hotel room and you are at the end of the bed. naked except for some amazing f*** me shoes. your legs are ******. your feet are flat on the ground you are leaning slightly forward. looking completely in charge.' Photos: The Dirty also released two pictures that the unidentified woman claimed Weiner sent her of his genitals . 'I like to whisper in your ear while I make love to you. That ok?' he wrote. 'Taking a shower. Wanna join me?' 'Staring at pics of u. Pathetic?' 'If I met you in a bar and tried to talk to you, would I have a chance?' 'You are a walking fantasy.' The publisher of The Dirty is Nik Ritchie, who wrote Tuesday that the then-unidentified woman has hired a lawyer 'in fear of Anthony Weiner but she is willing to expose his sexual nature to TheDirty.com for the betterment of America'. She released a statement through the site: 'Although I was 22 and technically an adult, I was obviously immature and I acted irresponsibly. I realize my correspondence with Mr Anthony Weiner was a huge mistake and I am embarrassed by it.' | Huma Abedin spoke out publicly supporting her husband on Tuesday in light of a new set of sex chats with a woman online .
The explicit exchanges started in July 2012, more than a year after Anthony Weiner resigned from Congress amid the Twitter photo scandal .
As part of his bid to become New York's next mayor, Abedin wrote an essay for Harper's Bazaar saying why she chose to forgive him . |
0dc795d6056e3e2239030f8f778f5fab4cf9352a | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Friday's bombing of a mosque in Rawalpindi and vowed to carry out more attacks, according to an e-mail message from the group. The assault targeted a mosque frequented by Pakistani military personnel, and killed 36 and wounded 75, the military said. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan took responsibility for the action on Friday but reiterated its claim in an e-mail to CNN on Saturday because media outlets quoted analysts and some officials who doubted the group's participation. Watch a report about the attack . "We reconfirmed it, that the TTP has done it, and will do more which are already planned," the group said. "We once again mention that we are not against the innocent people and the state of Pakistan but against those officers and ministers who are American by hearts and minds and Pakistani just by faces," the e-mail message said. Four militants armed with guns and grenades stormed the mosque in Rawalpindi, and most of the victims were children. The attack was the latest to shake the garrison city since this year's launch of strong military offensives against Taliban insurgents in the Swat Valley and South Waziristan. Rawalpindi is the headquarters of the Pakistani army. CNN's Reza Sayah and Journalist Nazar Ul Islam contributed to this report. | Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for attack on mosque during prayers .
36 people, including children, were killed in the attack when armed militants stormed mosque .
Mosque is frequented by retired and serving military officials .
November 2 attack in Rawalpindi saw suicide bomber target a bank . |
0dc842bfbbdc400e8586a671fa4d9227548a42f7 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Dog attacks against postal workers have jumped by 8 per cent in the past year to more than 3,300, Royal Mail has revealed. Around nine postmen and women are attacked by dogs every day, sometimes leading to a permanent disabling injury. Ahead of legislation making it possible to prosecute dog owners for attacks on private property, the postal group called the number of incidents ‘unacceptably high’. Biting risk: Around nine postmen and women are attacked by dogs every day, sometimes leading to a permanent disabling injury . Royal Mail chairman Donald Brydon said: ‘We know that most dogs are not inherently dangerous, however, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its territory is being threatened. ‘Our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers. Bad Fido: New legislation will make it possible for dog owners to be prosecuted . ‘We appeal to owners to keep their pets under control, especially if they know their pets have a territorial nature. 'It can also be simple things that help - for example just making sure the dog is kept inside when the postman calls.’ Dave Joyce, the Communication Workers Union’s health and safety officer, said: ‘It is so important for the safety of all postmen and women that dog owners ensure their animals are secure, particularly if opening the door to sign for a parcel. ‘Owners must be aware that it’s now a criminal offence if their dog attacks the postman or woman on private property. ‘The change in the law now means there will be tougher penalties and prison sentences for irresponsible dog owners. ‘We welcome this as for too long, postal workers who offer a first class service have been subjected to reckless dog ownership leaving them vulnerable at work and unprotected when a dog attack occurred.’ Royal Mail today launched a Dog Awareness Week, including a special postmark on letters, in a bid to raise awareness of the problem. | Royal Mail calls the number of dog attacks on postmen 'unacceptably high'
Nine postal workers are now attacked by dogs every day, Royal Mail say .
New legislation will make it possible for dog owners to be prosecuted . |
0dc973394a5f5487cd5c738ad961a15d180f9b3c | (CNN) -- Ian Livingstone may not be the father of Lara Croft, but maybe at 63 he can be labeled the grandfather of Lara, the Tomb Raider. On the eve of the reboot of the franchise, with a younger and more realistic Lara, the life president of Eidos told me about that snowy night in March of 1995 when he reluctantly decided to travel to Derby England via car from Birmingham. He is forever grateful that he did. Livingstone was being shown around the offices of Core Design as he was doing due diligence ahead of a possible takeover by Eidos. "In the very last room," Ian recalled, "I think you could say it was love at first sight. There was this amazing character, on screen. It was the very first character with 3-D model, in a 3-D that was a female character." For a generation, video games had been 2-D worlds with the action moving across the screen. "Here is one with the character moving into the screen. And there she was, Lara Croft. And we had to have her. It was quite radical. Up to then, games were played mainly by teenage boys and the games were made were also men, so they tended to make male heroes." Eidos bought Core Design and in 1996 Lara Croft, with her short trousers and large bust, hit computer screens. The game became huge. Since then, 30 million copies of Tomb Raider have been sold, before the launch of the new Tomb Raider Monday. But before you think Livingstone lucked into finding Lara Croft quietly being designed by Toby Gard at Core Design, this was 20 years in the making. Livingstone and his school friend Steve Jackson enjoyed playing board games, especially role-playing games. They started to write role-playing books and eventually discovered the American game Dungeons and Dragons. They got the exclusive European distribution rights to the board game on the back of ordering just six copies of D&D, according to Livingstone, and the set about trying to sell the games to stores. It wasn't easy. "We had to live in a van for three months as we tried to get people to understand this strange role-playing game," Livingstone told me. However, he added, "we never shied away from the challenge. We ended up opening our own shops because other people were reluctant to stock the games." That string of stores, known as Games Workshop, set them on their way. And board games to video games was a natural progression. Now, with a CBE in the pocket and the honor title of Life President for Eidos -- a brand name now owned by Square Enix -- Livingstone is more of a advocate for the British video games and film graphics business. The UK was once in the top three in terms of games and graphics business, but has slipped to six. Livingstone says he knows why. British schools. "The curriculum was simply teaching children how to use technology, not how to make technology," Livingstone told me. "So it was making digital users, not digital makers." Livingstone and Alex Hope, of Double Negative, were asked to make recommendations to the government to transform the school curriculum to teach people how to program, and not just use, video games. As Livingstone likes to point out, the UK games and graphics business is bigger than the film industry. And the industry supplies the film industry but also the military, among other customers. As for the new Tomb Raider, the reset is a chance to introduce Lara Croft to a new audience and make her a more realistic role model. "Back in the 90s, it was more of a sort of cartoon character," Livingstone said. "And now it's a realistic character. And realism goes to looks, behavior, and everything about the woman is real." That includes Lara being younger and with a smaller bust size. "In past Tomb Raiders, the combat had not been as real as it might have been. So, the decision was made to give it that gritty realism. And she was no longer that armor-plated Teflon-coated hero. Here was this character that you played as Lara, who could sustain damage." But not be raped, Livingstone told me, recalling a misstep by an employee who said last year that one scene could be seen as the prelude to a sexual assault. "There was no rape implication. There was a threat which she survived by throwing off her adversary." The player has the tools to overcome the man and kill him within seconds, Livingstone said. With the reboot now out, it can't be long before we read of a new Lara Croft film with a new, younger, actress to set the mark for a new franchise. Then, more games must be on the cards. Lara lives on. | Thirty million copies of Tomb Raider had been sold before the launch of the new Tomb Raider on March 4 .
Livingstone likes to point out the UK games and graphics business is bigger than the film industry .
For a generation, video games had been 2-D worlds with the action moving across the screen, writes Boulden . |
0dca4c07158e80027ed83ec9bf798027d0aa0941 | By . Tania Steere . A cleaner who prompted the resignation of a minister when it emerged she was working in the UK illegally was arrested yesterday as she attended her daughter’s wedding. Columbian Isabella Acevedo was detained by Border Force officials yesterday afternoon at Haringey town hall in north London just moments before the ceremony was about to start, according to witnesses. Isabella Acevedo worked for former immigration minister Mark Harper who resigned after learning she didn't have leave to remain in the UK . Miss Acevedo, 47, had worked as Tory immigration minister Mark Harper’s cleaner for seven years until February, when he discovered she did not have leave to remain in the UK. Mr Harper was responsible for the controversial van adverts telling immigrants to ‘go home’ and was also overseeing a bill that requires employers to check the status of their staff. He . resigned in February but was reappointed to the government in this . week’s reshuffle as a junior minister at the Department for Work and . Pensions. It . is not clear why Acevedo was still in the country, but a witness at the . wedding claims 15 immigration officers burst in whilst she was waiting . for her daughter to enter the hall. Trenton . Oldfield, a family friend who was present – and who successfully . resisted deportation to Australia after being arrested for jumping into . the Thames to disrupt the 2012 boat race – told the Guardian: ‘[The . officers] swept into the room when we were just about to start the . ceremony. ‘We don’t know where they came from. They must have been waiting in the building.’ Mr Oldfield said Acevedo was ‘very quickly’ taken away, along with her brother. Police told the bride and groom that the ceremony could not go ahead because of an alleged discrepancy in their paperwork. Miss Acevedo was arrested by Border Force officials as she attended her daughter's wedding at Haringey town hall in north London yesterday . However, . their papers were found to be in order and the ceremony was able to . proceed, though without the mother-of-the-bride present. Miss Acevedo had been paid £30 a week by Harper for four hours of cleaning and ironing at his Westminster flat. He claimed most of this back from his parliamentary expenses - more than £2,000 over the seven years she worked for him. In his resignation letter to David Cameron, Harper said he had checked Miss Acevedo’s status when he hired her in 2007. He . said it was only when he asked the Home Office to confirm her legal . status that he discovered she did not, as he had thought, have . indefinite leave to remain. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Isabella Acevedo arrested moments before wedding began in north London .
The bride and groom were initially told their ceremony couldn't proceed .
Mark Harper was reappointed this week as a junior minister . |
0dca5377931d132448c10f58e3624efb727f2919 | The Prime Minister is to give intelligence agencies the power to vet airline flight lists in an effort to stop jihadis entering Britain. The US-style laws would compel all airlines flying into the country to provide much more information about passengers. If the name of a traveller appears on a ‘watchlist’ the plane may not be permitted to land in the UK unless the person is stopped from boarding. Scroll down for video . Airlines could be forced to hand over more information about passengers in a bid to stop returning jihadists . The Government wants to improve the flow of airline passenger data to intelligence agencies. At present, some airlines do not release their passenger lists until 30 minutes before flights leave. There will also be a push to share more data on passengers, but this will run into difficulties in the European parliament on civil liberties grounds. The airline flight lists measure is among a number of emergency powers which will today be unveiled by David Cameron. It follows a warning by the king of Saudi Arabia that terror groups could attack in the West within a month. He said: ‘If neglected I’m sure they [terrorists] will reach Europe in a month and America in another month. The evils of terrorism must be fought with force, reason and speed.’ At the centrepiece of Mr Cameron’s plans will be a temporary ban on British citizens from coming home if they have travelled to fight alongside Islamist fanatics. David Cameron is to unveil new measures to stop extremists re-entering Britain after fighting abroad . This would stop short of stripping suspects of their British citizenship and making them stateless – a breach of international law – but at the same time prevent them from re-entering. Under existing laws, the Government has the power to block only foreign nationals, those with dual citizenship or naturalised citizens. Mr Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg were last night thrashing out the final details ahead of a statement in the Commons this afternoon. They acted after intelligence chiefs raised the UK’s terror threat level to ‘severe’ – the second highest level – after warnings that a jihadi atrocity was ‘highly likely’. A temporary ban is likely to require major changes to air transport legislation. A Downing Street source said: ‘We need to make sure this is legally robust. It is a difficult thing to achieve, putting a temporary ban on people without making them stateless, but it is vital we achieve it.’ Ministers are also considering strengthening Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures – so-called Tpims – which replaced control orders. The Government is also expected to make it easier to seize the passports of potential terrorists to prevent them travelling to trouble-zones. So far, 23 potential jihadis have been barred from leaving. Under the plans, border guards would be allowed to revoke a fanatic’s passport. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said new measures were needed to deal with ‘gaps in our current armoury’ against terrorism. At least 500 people from the UK are thought to have gone to fight in Syria, but the number could be as high as 2,000. Security chiefs believe some 250 have already returned home and may have been brainwashed into launching strikes here. Up to 20 Britons are believed by Turkish authorities to be waiting in safe houses for instructions to cross into Syria. Intelligence and anti-terror specialists are also examining entry records of all Britons to Turkey, cross-checking those who have left, how long they stayed and those who have overstayed the 90-day visa period. Some are said to be using the passports of fellow fighters of similar age and appearance to avoid detection . | Airlines would be forced to handover more information about passengers .
Flights containing travellers on 'watchlists' may be prevented from landing .
Comes as king of Saudi Arabia warns terror strikes could be imminent .
David Cameron set to unveil range of new security measures today .
He wants to ban extremists from returning to UK after fighting abroad . |
0dca8ed3000b78b4bf91a5373306b500f4bcf529 | Moscow (CNN) -- An anti-government protest in Moscow turned violent Sunday, with some demonstrators clashing with police after they veered off their agreed-upon route. More than 250 people were arrested, including leading opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, leftist radical group leader Sergei Udaltsov and popular blogger Alexei Navalny, Moscow police told CNN. They were among the thousands that descended on the Russian capital for the latest demonstration denouncing Vladimir Putin, the nation's current prime minister who was recently elected to a six-year term as president. He is set to be inaugurated Monday. As they marched, many chanted slogans such as "Russia without Putin" and "Putin is a thief." A large number of demonstrators did not follow the route to Bolotnaya Square that their leaders had agreed to with Moscow authorities, instead stopping in front of a line of police and refusing to move. Clashes broke out, with some protesters throwing various objects -- including sticks and at least one flare -- at police. Authorities responded by "clubbing demonstrators" who briefly broke through police lines, the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported. One of its correspondents saw "a male protester out cold after clashing with officers," while another reported eight officers arresting one demonstrator "for the apparent crime of wearing a Guy Fawkes' mask," the symbol of the vigilante hacking group Anonymous. Twenty officers were injured and three hospitalized in the clashes, according to RIA-Novosti, which added that those charged with assaulting police may face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Itar-Tass, another official news agency, said four officers suffered cuts and wounds after having stones and bottles thrown at them and reporters. Police denied that they used tear gas as had been reported, according to RIA-Novosti. After the arrests, authorities slowly moved forward and moved everyone out of the area. Many protesters expressed disappointment that the event was not peaceful, with some saying they were angry at those who they felt had provoked a confrontation with police. Others who faced off with authorities voiced frustration that previous peaceful rallies had done little to forward their political aims. In March, Putin won the country's presidential election with nearly 65% of the vote, claiming victory amid allegations by independent polling monitors of widespread electoral violations. International observers said there was legitimate uncertainty about the vote, with chess champion-turned opposition activist Garry Kasparov accusing Putin's supporters of "massive fraud." Putin, the former KGB officer who has worked to both stabilize Russia's economy and curtail dissent, held the presidency for eight years before term limits forced him to step down in 2008. His election followed a series of anti-Kremlin protests in the wake of disputed parliamentary elections that took place in December. | Thousands protest against President-elect Vladimir Putin and his political allies .
Some demonstrators veer off the agreed route and throw objects at authorities .
State-media reports police "clubbed" some protesters; police deny using tear gas .
More than 250 are arrested, including key opposition figures, police say . |
0dcb52466611fdec8cfa8c8f19879f2520f5d021 | Millions of children are enjoying a 'bonus birthday' each year - because their parents don't want them to feel left out on a sibling's big day. Researchers found almost half of children are having two or more 'birthdays' a year because parents buy them presents on their sibling's birthdays, as well as their own. On top of that, instead of saving all the presents for the birthday boy or girl, grandparents and even family friends are getting in on the act and buying gifts for each child on family birthdays. Gifts galore! New research reveals that 45 per cent of British children get presents on their siblings' birthdays . Not wanting the others to feel left out was the main reason for buying presents for everyone, as well believing it's not fair if their children to have to sit and watch while their sibling gets to open everything. But the gesture has backfired for some, with a fifth admitting their children now expect to receive a gift on every single birthday a brother or sister celebrates. A spokesman for surveys site OnePoll.com, which carried out the research, said: 'It is astonishing to think that parents of today are more willing to spend extra money on children who aren't even celebrating a birthday, than teach them that on one day of the year it isn't all about them. 'We know that the majority of mums and dads will simply think they are being kind and thoughtful, but the fact is that children need to learn how important it is to think of other's before themselves. 'And if that means allowing their brother or sister the limelight for one day of the year, then so be it. Party time: Parents also revealed that parties are planned to allow for the tastes of their other children . Sharing: Some children are even made to share their birthday gifts with their siblings so no-one feels left out . 'Modern children should be taught not to expect presents all the time, and should be able to sit nicely and enjoy the fact their sibling is so happy on their special day.' The study of 2,000 parents found that 45 per cent of buy their children birthday presents on their siblings' birthdays, as well as their actual birthday. And half of those admitted they can't bear the thought of one of their children feeling left out while their other child enjoys the birthday limelight. Another one in three think it's unfair to make the others sit and watch as one gets all the presents, while one in five said their children started to asked why they don't get presents as well. But 28 per cent admitted that they simply did it as a treat once and now feel they have to carry it on to save disappointment. The study also found that 27 per cent of children will also receive gifts from their grandparents on a siblings' birthday, while a further fifth are lucky enough to receive them from family friends as well. Pressure: Parents are worried other children will be upset if not allowed a share of the birthday limelight . Because of the bonus birthday presents seven in ten children now look forward to their sibling's birthday, while a fifth have been known to ask for presents in the lead up to the event. And eight in 10 parents say they will continue to treat their children on their sibling's birthday until they are old enough to understand that the day is not about them. But 45 per cent believe it is too hard for their little ones to understand they will receive less attention than usual. The researchers found that as well as getting 'bonus birthdays', a third of children are also being allowed to help their brother and sister with opening their presents. And when the birthday child has a party to celebrate, six in 10 parents will always make sure the event is appropriate for older and younger siblings to attend too. In the event of a party, 38 per cent of parents invite friends for their other children, while 45 per cent make their other children a special party bag so they feel included. The OnePoll.com spokesman added: 'At the end of the day, parents only want to treat their children equally, and as long as the children aren't spoiled for the rest of the year, what's the harm in a present or two on a sibling's birthday. 'It just shows how kind and loving our respondents are, as they just want to keep the whole family happy and contented.' | 45 per cent of British parents give their children 'bonus birthdays'
But a fifth say their offspring now routinely demand expensive gifts .
Even grandparents and family friends admit to buying extra presents . |
0dcb5d3aee9b3b5ba12c508a0aca24f8e38f8608 | Thousands of British families due to leave the UK for a traditional Alpine skiing break next weekend are facing the possibility of a green Christmas. Many resorts across the Alps and Pyrenees had already pushed back their opening weekends from December 6 until December 13 after unusually warm temperatures caused early snowfall in November to melt across resorts in France, Austria and Italy. But yesterday skiers at the French resort of Les Arcs - which makes up half of the giant Paradiski skiing domain - found green meadows or slopes dusted with just a light covering of snow where inches of snowfall would usually have fallen by now. Scroll down for video . Heading for the mountains: Skiers at the French resort of Les Arcs (pictured here in the summer) - which makes up half of the giant Paradiski skiing domain - found green meadows or slopes dusted with just a light covering of snow . At Les Arcs, which is made up of four resort villages, only one lift was in operation. Skiers were being bussed in from the resorts of Arc 1600, Arc 1800 and Arc 1950 to Arc 2000, where a single 0.6-mile (1km) piste was in operation. The resort’s daily ski report yesterday said the nearest fresh snow had fallen 77 miles (124km) away. One Briton, who owns a ski chalet in Arc 2000, said: ‘There is green and brown land visible all the way up the mountain which would normally be covered in snow. ‘Even Mont Blanc doesn’t look itself. There’s snow on the peak but it doesn’t look anywhere near as plentiful as usual.’ The skier, who did not want to be identified, added: ‘Some of the runs here are grey, with just a dusting of powder, rather than the glistening white scene which is normal at this time of the year.’ Locals blamed a freakishly warm November which melted an early winter snow dump at the lower resorts, and a shortage of atmospheric weather depressions which had brought few new snowfalls - even after the weather in the higher resorts dropped to the sub-zero temperatures which are normal for this time of year. In Arc 2000 - the four resorts are loosely named after the approximate altitude of each village - it is said by locals to be the worst conditions at the start of a ski season in 40 years. Put back: Earlier this month, travel experts urged holidaymakers not to panic over the delayed opening to resorts such as Courchevel (left) and Meribel (right, file pictures) Ski instructor Philippe Arnauld said: ‘At the moment it is just about okay because the start of the season is never that busy, but from next weekend the resorts will be full for Christmas and New Year. ‘If all the ski schools and the holiday making families have only two lifts between them it is going to be chaos and a catastrophe - and no significant snowfall, perhaps only a few snowflakes, is predicted between now and Christmas. I have no idea what will happen and how we will manage.’ Last Thursday, Chris Fawkes, a BBC weather forecaster, tweeted that an ‘unlucky jet stream pattern this weekend’ was preventing the Alps from ‘getting significant snow’. The Paradiski is the second largest linked skiable domain in the world, with 264 miles of pistes over 14,390 hectares. As well as Les Arcs, it includes the resorts of Peisey-Vallandry and la Plagne. Earlier this month, travel experts urged holidaymakers not to panic over the delayed opening to resorts such as Courchevel and Meribel. They said the delays would not affect British holidaymakers as the ski seasons for the majority of UK tour operators don’t start until late December. Until 25 years ago and the advent of efficient snow-making machines, most Alpine resorts did not open before mid-December, although the machines need the thermometer to fall to -4C to operate successfully. Val d’Isère, normally one of the most reliable resorts in Europe for snow cover, cancelled the men’s World Cup giant slalom and slalom races scheduled for this past weekend, despite investing in the largest snow-making machine in Europe. Temperatures in the resort on the first weekend of December had reached 5C. | Many Alps and Pyrenees resorts had already delayed opening weekends .
Unusually warm temperatures caused early snowfall in November to melt .
Skiers at Les Arcs have found some slopes to have thin layer of snow .
While the summit reportedly has 30cm of snow, the base of the resort has only a light dusting .
Google snow report says there has not been any in past 72 hours - and none due until Thursday . |
0dcbbd9870f02ba2824436068035dd1a7d381450 | By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 06:05 EST, 26 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:22 EST, 26 September 2013 . Jailed: Stuart Hall, who was sentenced to prison for indecent assault earlier this year, could be questioned again after new allegations emerged . Stuart Hall is set to be questioned over fresh allegations of sexual assault after a woman complained that he had raped her, it was claimed today. Lancashire Police confirmed that they had received 'further allegations' about the veteran broadcaster, who is currently in jail for indecent assault. The new claims are said to have been made by a woman who told police that Hall, 83, repeatedly raped her when she was a teenager. The former presenter of It's A Knockout was jailed for 15 months in June after he admitted 14 counts of indecent assault against girls as young as nine. Following widespread outrage over the 'unduly lenient' prison term, Hall's sentence was doubled at the Court of Appeal. A police spokesman said: 'We can confirm that we have received further allegations against Mr Hall and we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to determine the most appropriate course of action. It remains an ongoing investigation.' The latest allegations were made by a relative of friends of Hall, according to Sky News. Hall, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, admitted 14 counts of indecent assault against girls aged between nine and 17 over a period of almost 20 years after initially denying the allegations. When Hall's sentence was increased to 30 months, judges criticised his public denials of his victims' claims when he knew he was guilty. Claims: Hall is alleged to have attacked a family friend of his when she was a teenager, according to reports . Host: Hall with Tessa Sanderson and Toyah Willcox during his days as presenter of It's A Knockout . Lord Judge said the court regarded his original denials - describing the claims against him as 'cruel, pernicious and spurious' in a statement made from the steps of a court - as a 'seriously aggravating' feature in the case. He said that when Hall attacked his victims' claims, he knew the truth and, as an expert in the use of the media, was fully alert to the possible advantages of manipulating it. The case was referred to the Court of Appeal by Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who argued that Hall's sentence failed to adequately reflect the gravity of his offending and the public concern about such crimes. In July, it emerged that police had received further allegations against Hall, including a claim that he raped a 12-year-old girl. At least 17 women are said to be suing Hall, who has tried to pay off his victims in out-of-court settlements which have been derided as 'paltry'. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | TV presenter 'alleged to have raped teenage relative of his friends'
Hall is currently in prison after pleading guilty to indecent assault . |
0dcc830c3b8559046149a26429ecb2c3004697c9 | Tackling the effects of climate change could cost governments around the world more than $100 billion a year, a United Nations panel of experts said Monday. A report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says that a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius will wipe out up to 2% of the world's income by 2050. But it says the price tag could grow even higher if the world's governments fail to address the looming climate change. "If we get up to 4 degrees temperature rise, which most scientists now expect would happen if we carry on emitting greenhouse gasses as we do, then the cost could be much more severe," Chris Hope, a climate change researcher at Cambridge University said. The combined cost of crop losses, rising sea levels, higher temperatures and fresh water shortages could mount of to between $70 and $100 billion a year, the report said. But these estimates do not account for catastrophic scenarios, which researchers said tend to have the most devastating effect. Typhoon Haiyan, which swept through Philippines in November, killed 6,000 people and cost more than $10 billion. When severe floods hit parts of the UK earlier this year, the Federation of Small Businesses estimated the overall cost to businesses to be $1.3 billion. And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 2012 drought -- the worst in 25 years -- pushed up poultry prices by 5.5% and egg prices by 7%. The report says crop yields will fall by 2% per decade, as the rising temperature affects some of the world's major crops -- such as rice, maze or wheat. Carbon dioxide benchmark hits new heights, worries scientists . Hope said that if people continue to emit greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, the bill will grow for everyone. "It looks as though it's about $125 worth of extra impact for every one more ton of Carbon Dioxide we put in the atmosphere -- that comes up to around $0.20 per a liter of gasoline," he said. "Businesses must expect that, if we are serious about climate change, at some point they are going to be charged that kind of money if they carry on using gas coal, oil, gas, fossil fuels which emit those kind of gasses to the atmosphere," he added. The report, released in Yokohama, Japan, is the second part of the IPCC's benchmark assessment of climate change, a document released every six years. Nearly 1,000 scientists contributed to it. Read more: Wake up to the reality of climate changeRead more: Little time left to turn down the world's heatOpinion: Why are we still debating climate change? | Climate change could cost more than $100 billion a year, the UN panel of experts said .
Experts say the bill could be much higher if emissions continue at the current pace .
The report is the second part of the IPCC's benchmark assessment of climate change . |
0dcceef3c419cb9e76ac895e1fd5a1cb9169b2a5 | (CNN) -- "Let me tell you a little about me." "Farouk1986" introduced himself to a Muslim online community with these words in February 2005. "My name is Umar but you can call me Farouk," the poster continues, detailing biographical information that appears to match the life of Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian man accused of attempting to detonate an explosive on an international flight into Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day. The failed terror plot put airports on high alert and refocused American attention on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for the attempted attack. Internet postings for Farouk1986 -- apparently a combination of his name and birth year -- reveal a young man who fought feelings of loneliness and struggled with balancing his life as a Muslim with the temptations of the secular world around him. He wrote about his desire to attend university, possibly in the United States, and his thoughts on love and marriage. Officials have not confirmed that Internet postings by Farouk1986 were made by AbdulMutallab, but the many detailed biographical points made by the poster match what has been reported about AbdulMutallab's life. "I will describe myself as very ambitious and determined, especially in the deen," Farouk1986 wrote in February 2005, referring to the Islamic way of life. The poster writes about being in boarding school, with possibilities of attending Stanford University or the University of California-Berkeley. Eventually, AbdulMutallab studied mechanical engineering at University College London. Besides being ambitious, Farouk1986 also described himself as lonely. "First of all, I have no friend[s]," he wrote in another online post with informal, imperfect grammar. "Not because I do not socialise (sic), etc but because either people do not want to get too close to me as they go partying and stuff while I don't. or they are bad people who befriend me and influence me to do bad things. "i have no one to speak too, no one to consult, no one to support me and i feel depressed and lonely. i do not know what to do." Somewhere along the way, AbdulMutallab turned toward Islamic extremism. An FBI official said AbdulMutallab was included in the U.S. government's Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE, after his father warned the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria of his son's hard-line beliefs and possible ties to militant Islamists. But his name was not pulled from that database and included on lists barring him from U.S.-bound aircraft. Part of the explosive device that failed to take down last week's flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, was sewn into AbdulMutallab's underwear, authorities said. A preliminary FBI analysis found the device contained pentaerythritol tetranitrate, an explosive also known as PETN. Investigators were having trouble determining what the accelerant AbdulMutallab allegedly tried to use to light the explosives because "the syringe was pretty much destroyed," a law enforcement source told CNN. All 300 passengers and crew onboard the Christmas Day flight have been interviewed by authorities, the source said, adding that he expected no one else to be held or charged in connection with the incident. Farouk1986's online posts show that as early as 2005, he had a serious view of his religion. One of his struggles, the poster wrote, was that the "loneliness leads me to other problems." Farouk1986 said after fasting, "I felt a shield that prevented evil thoughts coming into my head. I felt closer to Allah." Being lonely awakened sexual desires that he struggled to control, he said, sometimes "leading to minor sinful activities like not lowering the gaze." His religion instructed him to fast to avoid such temptation, but it didn't seem to be working, Farouk1986 said. In another online post soon afterward, though, he took his comment back. CNN's Alden Mahler Levine and CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report. | Biographical details in posts by "Farouk1986" match reports of Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab's life .
Posts reveal young man who struggled to balance Islam with temptations of the secular world .
"i have no one to speak too, no one to consult, no one to support me...i do not know what to do"
AbdulMutallab is accused of attempting to detonate explosive on flight to U.S. on Christmas . |
0dcd897288d51b24736e342ed48ded0dcbcc7316 | Scroll down for video . One of the world’s largest airlines is reportedly looking at cramming more seats onto a new subfleet of Boeing 777 aircraft, meaning its economy class passengers would have even less space than before. A high-density configuration would see United Airlines install up to 364 seats on each retrofitted plane, almost 100 more than it currently has on many of its three-class 777s, Aviation Week reported. The Chicago-based carrier would add a seat to every row in economy – bringing the total to ten per row – and shrink the size of its business class while leaving its premium economy class untouched with nine seats per row. Many new Boeing 777s are being built with ten seats per row in economy class cabins . Passengers are pictured on board an Emirates Boeing 777 which seats 10 passengers per row . Aviation Week spoke to an anonymous source and quoted airline documents that reveal a proposal to have 28 seats in business class, 98 in premium economy and 238 in economy on some aircraft. It did not say how many planes would be retrofitted, but added that many new 777s built by Boeing have 10 seats per row in economy. Under that configuration the middle section has four or five seats in each row while each outside section has two or three seats. A United Airlines spokesman declined to comment on the report. He told MailOnline Travel: ‘We evaluate lots of options across our fleet and haven’t made any further announcements specific to the 777 fleet.’ Inside a Boeing 777 economy class cabin which seats nine across; many new planes seat ten across . According to United’s website it has four versions of the Boeing 777-200. Two versions fly between the US and Europe with eight seats in first class, 40 in business, 110 or 113 in economy plus, and 108 in economy for a total of 266 or 269. A third version seats 50 in business, 72 in premium economy, and 145 in economy (267 in total) The fourth version flies to Hawaii, carrying 32 in first class, 98 in premium economy and 214 in economy (344 total passengers). The seat pitch (the space between seats) on all of United’s Boeing 777s is 32in while the seat width is 18in or 18.3in. Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket, said if United changes its configuration to ten abreast in economy it will likely do so on routes where it doesn’t have a lot of traffic in its pricier business class. He said: ‘If there’s not a lot of high-revenue business it allows (an airline) to obviously drive additional revenue by getting more bums in the seats in economy at a price that people are more willing to pay.’ He said the seat pitch isn’t likely to change when an airline goes from nine seats in a row to ten, but the seat width will shrink. ‘If you can cope with a narrower seat, and many people can, it probably won’t make a huge amount of difference.’ Air France, American Airlines, Emirates, Etihad and Japan Airlines are among the carriers which currently have ten seats per row on all or some of their Boeing 777s. When an airline adds a seat to every row in economy it doesn’t necessarily translate into cheaper fares for consumers, said Mr Atkinson. | Aviation Week said the configuration would see up to 364 seats installed .
Economy class cabin would have ten seats per row instead of nine .
Airline spokesman said it has no 'announcements specific to the 777 fleet' |
0dcf7660a71f5f37538ed10d6451fcb153c2e070 | It's been the dream of millions of youngsters over the decades to sit in the cockpit of a NASA shuttle and take the controls while exploring the darkest depths of space. But judging by the vast array of gadgets and buttons in these pictures of some of the agency's flagship spacecraft, it's little wonder that so few gained the know-how to make that dream a reality. These pictures give a rare insight into what life at the controls of NASA's three surviving shuttles, Endeavour, Discovery and Atlantis, was like. The photos were taken by photographer Ben Cooper. Scroll down for video . Out of this world: Fascinating new photos give an insight into the vast array of buttons and gadgets which face astronauts in the cockpit of a space shuttle . Not built for comfort: Flight deck chairs for two astronauts look less than homely . Complex: With the vast array of buttons in the craft's flight deck, it's little wonder that most people don't have the know how or get the opportunity to go into space . Exterior: The Endeavour sits ready to launch at Cape Canaveral in 2011 . All three spacecraft were part of NASA's Space Shuttle Programme which launched in 1981. In all the programme's five shuttles - Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour -- flew 135 missions, helped construct the International Space Station and inspired generations. The Challenger was destroyed in an accident after take off in 1986 killing all seven crew members, while the Columbia broke up when re-entering the atmosphere on a mission in 2003 also killing seven astronauts. The Discovery was the first of the three remaining shuttles to be retired in March 2011, almost 27 years after it was initially launched in August 1984. High tech: A vast section of screens show the status of all the key components of the shuttle . Buttons galore: Mission operations and controls are on the left of the flight deck while payload controls are on the right . Impressive: The photos were taken by Ben Cooper who was given a rare glimpse inside some of NASA's flagship shuttles . It flew more missions than any other . shuttle, completing 39 flights safely in 27 years, spending the . equivalent of almost a full year in space. The Discovery flew the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit and now sits on display at the National Air and Space Museum in the US. Space Shuttle Endeavour was launched in May 1992 and taken out of service in May 2011. Explanation: A NASA diagram which shows some what some of the controls do . It was commissioned to replace the . destroyed Challenger craft and named Endeavour after Captain James . Cook's ship following a national schools competition. The final shuttle to be retired was Atlantis which launched in October 1985 and landed for the final time in July 2011. Atlantis orbited the Earth 4,848 times . and travelled a staggering 126million miles - the equivalent of the . distance between the Moon and Earth 525 times over. Uncomfortable: The interior of the shuttle shows that life in space is a less than comfortable ride . Dismantled: The mid-deck of the shuttle has lost many of its lockers and storage facilities . Consigned to history: The Endeavour was powered up for the last time ever just a few weeks after these pictured were taken . Countdown to retirement: Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in February 2011 . | Pictures taken inside the flight deck of Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis .
All three were part of NASA's 30 year Space Shuttle Programme .
The shuttles were retired from service back in 2011 . |
0dd0e86aabb8de642cfa6e3753e806b90ef72025 | Cris Carter, the Hall of Fame wide receiver and ESPN analyst opened up about his own upbringing in relation to the child-abuse charge brought against Adrian Peterson, as he applauded his former team's decision to drop the star on Sunday. Carter, who played 12 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, said he was proud they sidelined Peterson for the game against the New England Patriots, who crushed them, 30-7. 'My mom did the best job she could do raising seven kids by herself, but there are thousands of things that I have learned since then that my mom was wrong,' Carter said. 'It's the 21st century - my mom was wrong. She did the best she could but she was wrong about some of that stuff she taught me and I promised my kids I won't teach that mess to them.' Scroll down for video . Cris Carter emotionally discussed his upbringing on Sunday while talking about Adrian Peterson's child-abuse charge with his colleagues on 'NFL Countdown'. He said his mother did the best she could but she got some things wrong, and he didn't want to pass them onto his children . 'Take him off the field,' he said, slapping his hand against the desk during 'NFL Countdown'. “The only thing I’m proud about is the team that I played for, they did the right thing.' A grand jury in Texas indicted Peterson on Thursday on a charge of reckless or negligent injury to a child, his four-year-old son, whom he spanked with a leafless tree branch in May as a punishment. The 29-year-old surrendered to authorities on Saturday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was freed on $15,000 bail. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson gets a kiss from his son Adrian Jr at the end of practice at NFL football training camp in 2013. Last week a grand jury indicted him on a child-abuse charge for spanking a different son with a leafless tree branch . Carolina Panther Greg Hardy, who has been convicted on two counts of domestic violence and has filed an appeal, like Peterson was sidelined from Sunday's game . Carter and his colleagues on 'NFL Countdown' also talked about Greg Hardy, the defensive end of the Carolina Panthers, who was found guilty in July of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend. The Panthers placed Hardy on the inactive list for the game today against the Detroit Lions. 'How could you allow Greg Hardy on the field?' asked ESPN analyst and former Denver Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson. 'Due process has played out. He's convicted. He's appealing. We know the facts of the case. They're undisputed.' Jackson added: 'At least in this instance, Mr. Richardson and the Carolina Panthers got this right for this moment.' Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers, earlier in the week broke down in tears as he discussed the league's growing troubles with some of its players involvement in domestic abuse, USA Today reported. 'When it comes to domestic violence, my stance is not one of indifference. I stand firmly against domestic violence, plain and simple. To those that would suggest we have been too slow to act, I ask that you consider not to be too quick to judge,' Richardson said as he accepted the Echo Foundation Award Against Violence in Charlotte. 'Over the course of our 20 years, we have worked extremely hard to build an organization of integrity and earn the trust of our community. I work hard to continue to earn the trust, and I thank you for this award,' he said. Carter, who spent 12 seasons with the Vikings and is pictured here with his wife Melanie, said he was proud that his former team chose not to play Peterson on Sunday's game . | ESPN analyst said his mom did 'thousands of things' that he later learned were wrong, and he promised his kids he wouldn't 'teach that mess to them'
Carter also applauded the Minnesota Vikings, where he played for 12 seasons, for benching Peterson for Sunday's game against the Patriots .
'Take him off the field,' he said, slapping his hand against the desk . |
0dd1c0765a41d1581f92841875f7e6aa6a1e7f23 | London (CNN)A UK public inquiry into the 2006 death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko opened Tuesday at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, after years of wrangling over what evidence can be heard. In a deathbed statement, Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering his poisoning by tea at a London hotel. The Kremlin has always strongly denied the accusation. Sir Robert Owen, who's chairman of the inquiry, said Tuesday that sensitive material relating to possible Russian state involvement in Litvinenko's death would be heard behind closed doors. The British government initially rejected requests to hold a public inquiry, but the decision was reversed last summer after Litvinenko's widow, Marina Litvinenko, challenged it in court. She argued that a public inquiry would enable the fullest possible investigation. An inquest -- a coroner-led investigation that is held as a matter of course in the case of unnatural deaths in England -- had been opened after her husband's death. But unlike a public inquiry, it cannot hear evidence behind closed doors. In Alexander Litvinenko's case, such evidence could involve matters of national security. "The issues to which his death gives rise are of the utmost gravity and have attracted worldwide interest and concern," Owen said. Litvinenko, a former KGB agent and fierce critic of Putin, came to Britain in 2000 after turning whistle-blower on the FSB, the KGB's successor. He died at a London hospital on November 23, 2006, after being poisoned by the radioactive material polonium-210 while drinking tea at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square. UK prosecutors have asked for the extradition of two men, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, from Russia in connection with Litvinenko's murder. But Moscow has refused, saying Russia's constitution does not allow the extradition of Russian citizens. Both men deny involvement in Litvinenko's death. Owen said that Lugovoi and Kovtun had been invited to give evidence to the inquiry by video link from Russia and that he hoped they would do so. The public inquiry will look at possible Russian state involvement in Litvinenko's death. However, it will not address the question as to whether the UK government could, or should, have taken steps to prevent the murder. Litvinenko is said by his widow to have been a British agent, with a handler at MI6, Britain's foreign security service. In 2012, the counsel to the inquest, Hugh Davies, said evidence provided by the UK government showed Russian involvement and "does establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko." The inquest has been put on hold while the public inquiry is held. Owen, the coroner in the inquest, said the open hearings in the inquiry should conclude before Easter; that is, early April. More than 70 witnesses are due to be called over the coming weeks, including family and friends of Litvinenko, those who worked with him before his death, medical staff who treated him after he fell ill and the pathologists who conducted his autopsy, the court heard. The pathologists will testify Wednesday on the postmortem results. The presence of radiation in Litvinenko's body complicated the autopsy, the inquiry heard. A nuclear scientist will also give evidence Wednesday about polonium-210, its qualities, where it can be found and what effect it has on the body once ingested. In the course of the inquiry, evidence may also deal with the contamination risk posed to the wider public by the transfer of such highly radioactive material. Owen said polonium could have been used to "kill large numbers of people or spread general panic and hysteria among the public." | A public inquiry into the former KGB agent's poisoning death opens in London .
Alexander Litvinenko died in 2006 after being poisoned by radioactive material .
He blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin; the Kremlin denies involvement . |
0dd1d5182f4d9b714788bd8ed7c722853d67b186 | Owen Farrell and Sam Warburton are among the stars who feature in a new inspirational advertisement for Dove. Farrell and Warburton, who are joined by Ireland's Cian Healy and Greig Laidlaw of Scotland, recite an adapted version of Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If'. The rugby stars go through their pre-match preparations - including their journey to the stadium - before entering the tunnel while gearing themselves up for an upcoming match. England ace Owen Farrell features in the new Dove new advertisement . Farrell holds the hand of a young England mascot while reciting Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If' 'If you can bear out your enemy when the battle has lost,' recites Farrell. 'Then you will know the taste of real victory.' 'If you can belt out a national anthem and be proud to shed a tear,' says Healy. The advertisement comes to an end when Saracens star Farrell links hand with a mascot before reciting the rest of the 1895 poem. Ireland's Cian Healy acts as if he is preparing for a match by putting tape around his head . Wales' Sam Warburton and George North psych themselves up by locking heads . | The rugby stars go through their pre-match preparations while reciting the 1895 poem .
Owen Farrell and Sam Warburton are joined by Ireland's Cian Healy and Scotland's Greig Laidlaw . |
0dd2181ca8730eeb3b4f216bdff67b03b1c4569d | By . Travelmail Reporter . A British Airways advert has been banned for being 'misleading' after passengers booking direct flights found there was a stopover on the journey they had chosen. Advertising watchdogs said the airline must make sure that, if a direct flight included stops, passengers should be given 'clear and prominent' information. Two travellers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about an advert on the firm's website regarding a return trip from London to Sri Lanka. Travellers complained to the ASA about an advert on the British Airways website which was ruled 'misleading' Headings said: 'Outbound direct flights' and 'Outbound connecting flight options.' After booking under the first heading, they discovered a stop was actually scheduled, however it was allowed to be classed as a 'direct' flight as the passengers wouldn't disembark. The ASA said it was accepted by airlines . that a 'direct' flight might include stops, while a 'non-stop' flight . meant no landings during the journey. In a ruling which is also likely to apply to other airlines, the industry watchdog said the advert breached rules that marketing material should not mislead customers and should state significant limitations. 'We considered that the existence and number of en-route stops during a flight would impact upon travel time, convenience and, in some cases, comfort,' said an ASA statement. 'It was therefore likely to be a significant factor influencing a consumer's response to a marketing claim.' Flights to Sri Lanka were advertised as 'direct' which the ASA ruled misleading . 'We considered that, where a flight was described as 'direct' but included intermediate landings, that claim should be accompanied by clear and prominent information as to the number and location of en-route stops,' the ASA said. 'Further information should be given where it was the case that passengers would be required to disembark the aircraft. 'In the absence of clear and prominent information about the en-route stop, we considered that the use of the claim 'Outbound direct flights' to describe a flight from London to Sri Lanka that included an intermediate landing point was likely to mislead consumers and was in breach of the code.' It said the advert should not appear again in its current form. British Airways had been able to class the route to Sri Lanka as 'direct' as passengers didn't disembark from the plane during the stop . 'We told British Airways plc to ensure that the term "direct" when used in reference to flights that included en-route stops, was accompanied by clear and prominent information about the number and location of those stops,' the ASA said. 'And, where relevant, the fact that travellers would be required to disembark the aircraft.' A British Airways spokesman said that in the aviation business a 'direct' flight might involve a stop, but would not involve passengers having to change aircraft. He claimed flight times and duration were clearly displayed and therefore did not believe the phrase 'Outbound direct flights' was misleading. Information about the single stop did appear in a box when customers clicked on the flight number, he pointed out. | Travellers complained about British Airways advert for flight to Sri Lanka .
ASA upheld complaint and asked BA to withdraw the ad .
'Clear and prominent' information required about flight stopovers, ASA ruled . |
0dd37f1d21393a3221f9a0eb5da5034dd0a07017 | By . Joshua Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 11:40 EST, 12 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:44 EST, 12 April 2013 . After years of iPhone and iPod owners getting turned away for replacements because their devices indicated water damage, and thus a voided warranty, Apple has agreed to pay out $53 million in a class action suit. Settled: Apple has agreed to pay $53 million in class action suit that said it unfairly denied customers replacement devices . The settlement could affect hundreds of thousands of customers who brought their malfunctioning devices to Apple, only to be told they were no longer covered by warranties because a little sticker inside had turned a shade of pink or red. No matter the problem, the company refused to replace any device with a pink or red sticker and must now pay what amounts to about $200 per claimant in the suit. Only owners of original, 3G, and 3GS iPhones as well as first, second, and third generations of the iPod Touch are affected by the settlement. So, who’s to blame? Not us, says Apple. Signed Wednesday, the tech giant admitted to no wrongdoing in the settlement. The company that makes the ‘Liquid Indicator Strips,’ meanwhile, said their product may have been the culprit in so many voided warranties. Though Apple owns the patent to the strips, maker 3M indicated that humidity and not water contact could have turned some of the white stickers pink, misleading customer service representatives who examined the devices. Apple, nonetheless, may have learned of the issue years ago. Denied: For years, Apple routinely voided warranties to customers whose devices indicated water damage . According to a report in The Atlantic, the company ‘quietly tweaked’ its water damage policy in 2011 to be a little more giving. The policy now indicates that devices with an activated LCI may still be replaced ‘if a customer disputes’ that water made contact with the device as long as there are no signs of corrosion. However, the policy stopped short of faulting the indicator strips, which the policy says ‘are designed not to be activated by temperature or humidity that are within the product's operating requirements.’ That means newer devices were not covered in the suit, payouts for which could go up or down depending on number of claims submitted. Blame: Apple claimed no wrongdoing in the suit while makers of the 'Liquid Contact Indicator' strips admitted they may have been misleading . | Hundreds of thousands could get $200 settlement after owners under warranty were denied servicing from the tech giant due to faulty 'liquid contact indicators'
The 3M company, but not Apple, admitted their technology may have been to blame in the case that stretches back to the earliest iPhones and iPods . |
0dd3de86e726c61727a0e574a3f93d835fde97d5 | (CNN) -- A 14-year-old girl stoops and screams above the body of a Kent State University student killed in 1970 by an Ohio National Guardsman. John Filo's 1970 photo at Kent State University became a symbol of the anti-war movement at the time. A police chief aims his gun at a Vietcong prisoner's head in 1968, while executing him on a Saigon, Vietnam, street. And in 1989, an unarmed man in Beijing, China, stands defiantly in front of a column of tanks as they rolled into Tiananmen Square. These are iconic images, the kinds of shots that changed the way people viewed history as it unfolded. They put human faces on conflicts and became rallying cries for movements, inspiring those who demanded change. But while these photographs -- chronicling a single, silent moment -- were taken by seasoned photographers, two of whom won Pulitzer Prizes, this time amateur cell phone video is grabbing worldwide attention. It captures the death of a young woman named Neda Agha-Soltan, galvanizing protesters in Iran and shaping perceptions of a land and people few Westerners know. See how images have inspired change » . "Every revolution needs icons and symbols -- an image that embodies a sense of universality of blight and at the same time innocence," said Roya Hakakian of Connecticut, a writer, poet and journalist who was born and raised in Iran. "The image of Neda does both." The graphic video of Neda's death, caused by a gunshot fired during a protest in Tehran, Iran, records her final moments: Her eyes turn toward the camera, people scream and struggle to revive her while blood streams across her face. Watch how Neda's proven to be a tipping point » . Having gone viral with the help of social networking sites such as Twitter, the video of Neda's death has earned her the highly revered status of martyr. The woman who by all counts was an innocent bystander is now known as the "Angel of Iran" and is inspiring poetry. She is mourned publicly despite Revolutionary Guard threats, and her likeness graces posters. For Hakakian, who left Iran about 25 years ago, the significance of Neda's image runs deep. She said it's part of a larger picture of current protests being propelled by women, and a reflection of the Iran and the Iranians she knows. What outsiders have seen over the past three decades, she said, are fist-pumping men decrying America, images of hostages and "the burning of Uncle Sam effigies." Americans, she continued, have gotten to know little beyond the talk of Hezbollah and Hamas support, discussions of nuclear bombs and the rants of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling for, among other things, the destruction of Israel. "We come from different corners of the world, but we see the same thing," Hakakian said of the video of Neda's death. "You don't need to be Iranian. You don't need to be her neighbor. You don't need to know her name. ... Anyone can watch this and come away with the sense of injustice and what's taking place, and I think that's why it's catching on." Graphic images have long played a role in driving social awareness and change, said Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. The skeletal figures of concentration camp victims drove home the horrors of the Holocaust. And the brutalized body of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy killed in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman, was shown at the insistence of his mother at his funeral, galvanizing the civil rights movement, Shapiro said. In more recent years, amateur video was credited with capturing the 1991 beating by Los Angeles police of Rodney King. And the first images out of Virginia Tech during the 2007 campus shooting were taken by students before professionals could hit the scene, added Nora Paul, founding director of the Institute for New Media Studies at the University of Minnesota. The challenge today, in a time when anyone can post images, is making sure graphic photos or videos are put in context and used by news organizations in a way that moves stories forward, both Paul and Shapiro agreed. While news outlets may blur faces, offer warnings to viewers or not even use some images, the vastness of the Internet means that once they are out there -- no matter how horrifying or inappropriate for viewers -- it's next to impossible to stop them from being circulated. "Even if you try to control access, the dam is already broken," Paul said. As for the impact on viewers, the effect of disturbing and violent images is hard to measure, said Elana Newman, who teaches psychology at the University of Tulsa and is a specialist in psychological trauma. An image often can communicate "the depths of pain" in a way that words alone cannot, Newman said. But she added scholars often debate whether such images turn people away from news, desensitize them or bolster a story's credibility. And there is also the challenge to consider of "balancing the privacy of the victim with the importance of telling the story." Her own opinion? "These images are helpful when these events are far away," she said, because they can bring home a story. They, however, are "not helpful to people when they're in their own backyard." And the impact on the person who captures the image is often untold. John Filo was a senior photography student at Kent State when he snapped the photo that became a symbol of the shootings on campus and helped propel the anti-war movement at the time. He doesn't remember going through six rolls of film that day, but he remembers being shot at and is all too aware that a mere feet -- even inches -- separated him from life or death. In 13 seconds, four students were killed and nine were wounded. It took "a good nine years" for him to sort through the experience, he told CNN. His relationships suffered, as did his confidence as a photographer. He grappled with survivor's guilt, the images he saw but didn't share and the anxiety about how his work affected other people's lives. "Everyone that was there that day was affected," said Filo, now director of photography for CBS media relations. "At least I had something to do that day. There were people who felt totally helpless -- people who tried to hide behind a four-inch street curb." When no one could believe what was happening around them, he had the power to show it. "You sit there as a journalist and say, 'If it was my brother or my mother, would I have taken this picture?' " he reflected out loud. It's "your purpose of being there. So yes, if it was my brother, if it was my mother, I'd still shoot the picture." | Photos from Vietnam, Tiananmen Square and Kent State galvanized movements .
Cell phone video of death of Neda Agha-Soltan, at a protest in Iran, goes viral .
"Every revolution needs icons and symbols," Iranian-born writer says .
Amateur videos and photos powerful but need context, experts say . |
0dd434573a66ec0f178660862d711e881149c8b8 | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Flannery O'Connor did not expect to become the subject of a biography. She thought the narrow borders of her life -- lived "between the house and the chicken yard" -- wouldn't give a writer much to work with. Author Flannery O'Connor (here with two of her peacocks) remains a subject of fascination for many. It would therefore come as a surprise (and probably secretly please her) to learn she is the focus of at least three. The latest is "Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor" (Little, Brown) by Brad Gooch, an exhaustively researched exploration of O'Connor's unlikely journey from shy, sarcastic and "contrary" Georgia girl to acerbic literary treasure. That she suffered from lupus and died before the age of 40 is well-known to fans of O'Connor. But Gooch uncovers much that even ardent followers of the author will find revealing, including details of her college career as a cartoonist, and her time in Iowa City at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The book manages to synthesize what seems difficult to reconcile: how such a chaste, religious person could produce stories that are bitingly funny and filled with shocking violence. Watch O'Connor's fascinating story » . Gooch spoke with CNN about his experience researching the biography. What follows is an edited version of the interview. CNN: When did you first discover Flannery O'Connor? Brad Gooch: I first read her stories in my 20s and loved them, and then a little later, the [collected] letters came up, "The Habit of Being." And I'd had a few hunches about her from reading the stories, which were a little mysterious. ... And then when I read the letters, a lot of those hunches seemed true. ... Trying to put the life of this woman together with the stories became as interesting as the stories to me. CNN: She wasn't always known as Flannery O'Connor. Gooch: Her name was Mary Flannery O'Connor, and her mother and everyone in Milledgeville (Georgia), where she lived most of her life, continued to call her Mary Flannery. But when she went to Iowa City -- the Iowa Writers' Workshop -- early on, she decided she wanted to be a writer, and she decided on the name Flannery. She later said, "Who would want to buy these stories of an Irish washerwoman named Mary O'Connor?" Partly, I think she wanted to lose the Southern-ness of "Mary Flannery." ... Also, Flannery was a gender-neutral name. ... Her initial rejection letters were actually addressed to "Mr. Flannery O'Connor," and I think she kind of liked that neutrality. CNN: What did you find most remarkable about her? Gooch: I think the discipline of her writing becomes ... almost inspiring. She developed lupus when she was 25, she lived until she was 39. And in that period, she kept up this regimen that she had begun at the Iowa Writers' Workshop of writing every morning for three hours, even if it meant sitting in front of a blank page. ... [Near the end of her life] she was editing her final stories and hiding them under the pillow in the hospital from the doctors so that she could go on. She was still working on her last story after she had last rites. ... All of that is a sort of [a] level of commitment that is startling and unmatched. CNN: Her stories are often funny, yet disturbing. Gooch: Her style goes under these names, like grotesque or gothic, but she was really crossing these two wires of humor and almost this kind of dark theological writing that had never been put together before. ... [In "A Good Man is Hard to Find"] a family on vacation ... meets someone named the Misfit, this ex-con in the woods. ... And he winds up shooting the entire family while spouting existentialist, nihilist philosophy. And in that story, there's always a point where you keep laughing past this line, and suddenly someone's being shot and you're laughing and then [readers] get very uncomfortable. They can't tell whether this is supposed to be funny or not, and I think that O'Connor definitely works in that territory, where you can't tell if she's being funny or tragic and serious. CNN: The titles of her stories and novels are so wonderful -- "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "Everything That Rises Must Converge," "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," "The Violent Bear It Away." Gooch: "A Good Man is Hard to Find" was a Bessie Smith song; "Everything That Rises Must Converge" she got from Teilhard de Chardin, a favorite Catholic theologian of hers. You see in a way how sophisticated she was in her approach to her writing. I think sometimes when people read the stories, they confuse O'Connor with the character in her story, and they think she is some Grandma-Moses-crazy-folk-artist, but actually she was an incredibly educated artist who had read everything, including a lot of theology. ... The titles ... are attracting and punchy, but you also see that she's working kind of consciously with these reverberating references. CNN: What do you make of her fascination with birds? Gooch: When she was forced by lupus to move back to the South and live on a dairy farm with her mother in Georgia, one of the first things she did besides getting very serious about working on her stories was to order a peacock. And eventually she had 39 peacocks. ... And I think that she was very conscious that the peacock was this gawky, comic bird. I think she identified with the peacock for that reason. The peacock squawked all night and annoyed people, ate her mother's flowers, and yet, at this certain willful moment, opened its tail and revealed what she called this "map of the universe." So, I think it really stood in a way for this kind of transfiguration that would take place for her spiritually but also in the beauty of her writing. ... She definitely made an effort to make the peacock her own personal logo. CNN: What is her literary reputation 45 years after her death? Gooch: She seems to be ever more popular. When she died she was considered almost a minor writer. Her second volume of stories hadn't even come out; her "Collected Stories" was published in the early 1970s and got a posthumous National Book Award. It seems that every decade, interest in her grows. When the Library of America put out her collected works 10 years ago, she outsold Faulkner. So she has this popularity and interest. And [she] increasingly shows up in funny pop culture ways. I think in the last episode of "Lost" the character was reading "Everything That Rises Must Converge" in the last scene. So, counterintuitively, she's only growing in importance. CNN: It's amazing that she had a literary career at all, given how debilitating her illness was. Gooch: What became inspiring to me, unexpectedly, writing this book [was how she dealt] with her illness, and that she finally was nobody's victim. ... Everything we think of as a Flannery O'Connor story came after she had been diagnosed as having lupus and settled in to life in the South. You get the sense that this was almost a magical thinking, where she thought that writing these stories was keeping her alive. | New biography of Flannery O'Connor offers insights on Southern author .
Biographer Brad Gooch: O'Connor's discipline was "inspiring"
Author suffered from lupus, was dead by 39, but left brilliant body of work . |
0dd476979da0390effda96f7308c25ce952ef96d | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . The alien world of Jupiter is more than 365 million miles (588 million km) away from what we experience on Earth. But despite this huge distance, astronomers have long believed the gas giant’s gravity is so strong it deflects comets and asteroids that would otherwise hit our planet. Now a new study has shed light on how this strong gravitational pull may have influenced Earth's climate and, in turn, created the conditions needed for life to thrive on our planet billions of years ago. Astronomers have long believed Jupiter’s gravity helps deflect comet and asteroids that would otherwise hit our planet. Now a new study has shed light on how Jupiter may have helped create the conditions for life to thrive on Earth billions of years ago . Jupiter’s gravity, which is 2.5 times stronger than that of Earth's, is capable of pulling on other planets in the solar system - including our own. This means that, depending on how Jupiter interacts with Earth, our planet's orbit - and therefore its climate - could vary significantly. For example, if our planet is pulled closer to the sun, our climate would change as a result. Equally, if Jupiter's orbit caused Earth to move further away. The study, by the University of New South Wales and Royal Holloway University of London, ran various computer models of our solar system, according to a report by Elizabeth Howell in Astrobiology Magazine. With each iteration, the planets in the solar system remained in their place while Jupiter moved around in different obits, ranging from circular to elliptical. Jupiter’s gravity, which is 2.4 times stronger than that of Earth, is capable of pulling on other planets in the solar system - including our own. This means that, depending on how Jupiter interacts with Earth, our planet's orbit could vary significantly, changing how close it is to the sun . The gravity of Jupiter is 2.5 times greater than Earth's. In the 1990s, its force tore apart Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 and pulled the broken pieces into the planet. The gravity of Jupiter affects every planet to some degree. It is strong enough to tear asteroids apart and capture 64 moons. Some scientist think Jupiter destroyed many celestial objects in the ancient past as well as prevented other planets from forming. Astronomers have long believed that the gas giant’s gravity helps deflect comets and asteroids that would otherwise hit our planet . The scientists also moved the entire orbit of Jupiter inwards and outwards to test what would have happened if the planet had formed closer to the sun, or further away. Each simulation was taken through a million year time frame, recording where Earth would have been every 100 years as a result of Jupiter’s position. ‘The default assumption is this is something that is important,’ said Jonti Horner, an astronomer and astrobiologist at the University of Southern Queensland. ‘There's a lot of flexibility where Jupiter will be, and you would assume that you'd have a very smooth, very gentle variation in how the Earth's orbit behaves over time.’ While Jupiter's locations resulted in little change in Earth's orbit and tilt, the effect on Earth's climate remained unclear. However, a previous study by the same research group found that Jupiter's position has a striking influence on Earth's climate. The team now hope to go back to the earlier work to resolve the discrepancy. By understanding how gas giants affect the climate on other worlds, researchers hope they can better narrow the search for other habitable planets outside the solar system. | Jupiter’s gravity is capable of pulling on other planets in the solar system .
Computer simulations looked at how Jupiter's orbit would affect Earth's .
Position in relation to the sun, and therefore our planet's early climate .
It found it had no affect on tilt and orbit, but affect on climate was unclear .
Findings from study could help astronomers better narrow the search for habitable planets outside the solar system .
Back to Mail Online home .
Back to the page you came from . |
0dd6719fa5f9d21c57d2ce69472ef4b1e8dbed73 | By . Sophie Borland . PUBLISHED: . 20:09 EST, 20 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:19 EST, 20 February 2014 . Email alert: Sir Bruce Keogh urged officials three months ago to launch a series of investigations . Health bosses have been accused of trying to cover up high death rates and alarming waiting times in the NHS in Wales. The medical director in England Professor Sir Bruce Keogh urged officials three months ago to launch a series of investigations into six hospitals after being alerted to the figures by a Welsh Labour MP. He also pointed out that waiting times in Wales were ‘persistently higher’ than in England, with up to 80 per cent of patients waiting more than six weeks for key diagnostic tests for diseases such as cancer. However bosses didn’t reply to his email – nor did they launch any investigation. The revelation comes amid growing concern over the state of the NHS in Wales. Labour – which has been in power in Wales since devolution in 1999 – runs the country’s NHS separately from the health service in England. It has not ring-fenced the NHS budget as the Coalition has done. Instead spending on the Welsh NHS has been slashed by 11 per cent since 2011. There is now growing evidence that the financial cuts are having a knock-on effect on waiting times, in A&E and on the overall standards of care in hospitals. At one hospital, three nurses have been arrested amid claims of serious patient neglect. The Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend was already under the spotlight over the death of a patient who waited four hours in an ambulance before being admitted to A&E. In his email, sent to his Welsh counterpart Dr Chris Jones on November 28 last year, Sir Bruce pointed to figures showing that around 50 per cent of Welsh patients wait at least six weeks for bowel cancer scans compared to around 1 to 2 per cent in England. Similarly for MRI scans – which are used to detect everything from cancer, dementia and muscular injuries – 48.6 per cent of patients wait six weeks or more compared to less than 1 per cent of English patients. And 80 per cent of patients were waiting 6 weeks or longer for urine tests which can be used to detect bladder cancer. Sir Bruce wrote: ‘There are six hospitals with a persistently high mortality which warrant investigating.‘I do not have adequate data to form a view. ‘Waiting times in A&E are considerably worse than England, but the real concern is around prolonged (longer than 6 weeks) waiting times for diagnostics (scans which include cancer tests) including which, of course, translates to delayed treatment.’ Last night MPs said the situation was ‘deeply disturbing’ and accused the Labour Assembly of covering up the truth about the state of its hospitals. They likened the situation in Wales to other scandals such as Mid Staffordshire, which occurred when Labour was in power. The Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend was already under the spotlight over the death of a patient . Charlotte Leslie, Tory MP for Bristol North West said: ‘This is an abominable indictment of Labour’s attitude to the NHS. ‘Now, in the last corner of the country where Labour is still in charge of health, what do we see, but exactly the same efforts to protect political self-interest over patients’ lives. ‘Just like with Mid-Staffs, we find all the effort focused not on investigating hospitals of concern, but an effort to discredit the data, potentially at the cost of peoples’ lives.’ The six hospitals Sir Bruce said he was concerned about include the Princess of Wales, University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, Royal Gwent in Newport, Royal Glamorgan near Llantrisant, and three community hospitals. He was alerted by MP Ann Clwyd, who in 2012 exposed how her husband died like a ‘battery hen’ in a Glasgow hospital. The Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said: ‘The situation is deeply disturbing. I have been calling for an inquiry into death rates for some time because several of the figures are extremely worrying. ‘People in Wales ought to be able to have as good care as anywhere else, but instead here are people dying on hospital waiting lists, and suffering appalling failings in care.’ A Welsh Assembly spokesman said: ‘Mortality rates in Wales are published on a quarterly basis and latest figures demonstrate clear improvement. If issues are identified, we work quickly to put them right and we do not hesitate to investigate as needed. ‘To suggest that the Welsh NHS is covering up high death rates is therefore utterly ridiculous and completely without foundation.’ Concerns: Former nurse Glenda Rodriguez-Noza . For years campaigners have been trying to get a proper investigation into claims of serious neglect at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend. Cases where patients have suffered ‘prolonged, unnecessary suffering’ haunt the families involved. Three nurses have been arrested over falsifying patient records at the hospital after staff blew the whistle. Bereaved relatives have sought help from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, but many are calling for a full public inquiry. An independent review was ordered by the Welsh government, prompted by the ‘unacceptable’ care of Lillian Williams, an 82-year-old amputee who was admitted to the hospital four times before she died there in August 2012. Her son Gareth Williams said: ‘Lillian was left Nil by Mouth on one occasion for two days without assessment because it was a weekend and the assessment teams didn’t work on the weekends. It was nothing short of torture.’ Doctors told Mrs Williams’s family she had pneumonia and that the hospital would withdraw support of all food, water and medication. She died four days later when the family insisted on a post-mortem examination. Mr Williams said: ‘There was no pneumonia. She died of a heart attack after days without nutrition and after days deprived of life-saving medications for her heart and diabetes. ‘It was the most cruel, prolonged, unnecessarily suffering death. It haunts us.’ Former nurse Glenda Rodriguez-Noza, who worked at the hospital for eight years before leaving in 2009, says she raised several complaints about patient care but was ignored. She said she saw an infected room poorly cleaned before it was used by other patients, a dementia patient being roughly handled by a nurse and a nurse give the patient the wrong medication. An urgent review is under way following the death last month of a 58-year-old man attended by paramedics in an ambulance outside the hospital for more than four hours before being admitted to the emergency department. A statement from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said: ‘We apologise sincerely to the patients and families who we have let down at the Princess of Wales Hospital. ‘In May 2013 we invited an external team – Advancing Quality Alliance – to review quality and safety at the hospital. This was in response to serious complaints about care provided to some patients; critical Ombudsman’s reports; mortality rates, and a police investigation into allegations of falsification of records by some of our nurses.’ | Professor Sir Bruce Keogh urged officials to launch investigations .
He said waiting times in Wales were ‘persistently higher’ than in England .
However bosses didn’t reply to his email or launch any investigation .
Revelation comes amid growing concern over the state of the NHS in Wales . |
0dd6dd6f1b0f533ba5569b4fc66617e3c1406006 | Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has drawn inspiration from one of 2014's most popular food fads, cookie butter, in order to create a new range of flavors which it believes are good enough to entice even the most dedicated baking enthusiast away from their oven. The new additions to the brand's 'core' range, a selection of ice creams which include a softer sweet center, are each based on a different cookie flavor. Spectacular Speculoos is described by Ben & Jerry's as 'dark caramel and vanilla ice creams with speculoos cookies and a speculoos cookie butter core'. The flavor is based on the same Belgian spiced shortbread biscuit which features heavily in most cookie butter varieties. But how did the ice cream compare to the cookies themselves? Scroll down for video . New flavor on the block: Ben & Jerry's new core collection features this speculoos flavor, which is based on a popular Belgian spiced biscuit . That's nuts! The Daily Mail Online editorial team were on the fence about the peanut butter offering, with some saying the rich peanut taste was too overwhelming . 'The Speculoos was the highlight for me – it’s got a slight cinnamon flavor, and I loved the textures of the smooth core, the crunchy cookie and the creamy ice cream together,' said US Femail Editor Tamara Abraham, before adding: 'I’d buy it in a heartbeat.' Femail reporter Erica Tempesta agreed. 'I love cookie butter so I love the fact that there is now an ice cream filled with it,' she said. 'I'm so glad that they've included it in the permanent line-up and I will definitely buy it again.' The Peanut Buttah variety was also commended on its authentic flavor, with many people marveling at the rich taste - and unique texture of the ice cream, which is described on the Ben & Jerry's website as being 'for peanut butter fans and cookie spread-heads who want it all'. According to Daily Mail Online's Senior Associate Photo Editor Kaitlinn Van Ert, that description hits the nail on the head. 'The peanut butter was my favorite. It felt like I was eating it straight from the jar and the cookie bits were little chunks of heaven that added a nice textural element.' But the rich peanut flavor didn't sit well with everyone. Picture Director Jolie Novak found the peanut taste slightly too 'overwhelming' and felt that it would have been better had it been paired with chocolate. Chocolate fix: The most popular of the three new flavors was the Boom Chocolatta, which features a delicious chocolate cookie core . Inspiration: Trader Joe's released these cookie butters last year, much to the delight of its cookie-loving customers . 'It was a bit too much peanut butter for me and I prefer it cut with the chocolate!' she said. 'It had nice sized chunks of peanut butter and was a bit more gooey than the other flavors, but paired with the peanut butter ice cream it was all a bit overwhelming.' Chocolate lovers will no doubt be pleased to hear that the new Ben & Jerry's core line-up also includes a cocoa-rich option too. The Boom Chocolatta, which is described by the brand as 'mocha and caramel ice creams with chocolate cookies, fudge flakes and a chocolate cookie core', proved to be the most popular flavor of the three, with US Editor Katherine Thomson describing it as 'heaven'. 'I would buy this again in a heartbeat,' she added. 'My go to has always been Phish Food but this beats it. I love the texture, and I love the harder chocolate bits. 'It’s delicious and not too chocolatey.' Contributing Femail Editor Olivia Fleming was in total agreement: 'I liked the chocolate the best – and as someone who would never choose chocolate-flavored ice cream, this is saying something. 'The brownie in the core melted in my mouth.' | The popular ice cream company has released three new flavors to its range: Spectacular Speculoos, Boom Chocolatta and Peanut Buttah .
Ben & Jerry's believes that the newly-released products will encourage people to indulge in their favorite frozen treat, despite the cold weather . |
0dd717bfbcb78ebeda26835f864524090bcd406f | Yaya Toure said Manchester City’s victory over city rivals United is crucial for their confidence after a difficult week. Toure, man of the match in City’s 1-0 win against the 10 men of United, said it was crucial for his team to ‘bounce back’, and admitted things were beginning to get frustrating after chances, and penalty appeals, went begging at the Etihad. But Sergio Aguero’s goal decided the game, and City showed strength to hold out. Yaya Toure (right) in action against Daley Blind (left) in Manchester City's 1-0 win against Manchester United . Sergio Aguero's (right) goal in the second half of the game handed City an important win against rivals United . Joe Hart (left) made a good save from Angel Di Maria (right) late on in the game as United upped the pressure . Toure (centre) celebrates with Aguero after his goal in the 63rd minute won the game for City . David De Gea (centre) could not keep out Aguero's fierce strike for his 10th Premier League goal of the season . ‘Today we proved we are a strong,’ said Toure after the game. ‘After the Capital One Cup defeat we needed to bounce back, and we did. ‘I think in the first half mine (appeal) is definitely a penalty, but it's tough for the ref to judge and anyone can make a mistake.’ Toure’s captain, Vincent Kompany, suggested that the constant penalty appeals, and City’s inability to double their lead, led to them going into their shell in the closing stages. Wayne Rooney (left) and Blind appear dejected at the full-time whistle, as City held on for all three points . Hart (centre) congratulates team-mates Vincent Kompany (left) and Martin Demichelis (right) on the win . Chris Smalling (left) was sent-off in the first half for Manchester United after two bookable offences . Marcos Rojo had to be stretchered off for Manchester United as their defensive woes increased . 'There's no real explanation for it (why we faded away),’ he said. ‘They played well towards the end. We had most of the chances. When you miss them you start to lose confidence.’ ‘Ultimately we stood strong, it's a clean sheet and a good derby win. A derby win is massive. Today, The league doesn't matter, and everything else doesn't matter.’ | Manchester City end difficult week with 1-0 win over Manchester United .
Striker Sergio Aguero's second-half strike ends up being the difference .
City lost twice in the run-up to the clash against West Ham and Newcastle . |
0dd7ac5570db2595afb331673675441c10b91cbc | (CNN) -- African football's ruling body, the Confederation of African Football, has called for a thorough investigation into how 15 fans died at a league match in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fatalities occurred after a stampede broke out in the closing stages of Sunday's decisive meeting between the country's biggest clubs, AS Vita Club and TP Mazembe. Reports state that trouble flared after fans of home side Vita started throwing missiles onto the pitch with their team trailing 1-0 in a game where the victor would take the title. The police responded by firing tear gas whereupon a stampede for the exit gates led to chaotic scenes of overcrowding, resulting in the deaths and injuries to over 20 others. On its website, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said the stampede 'caused the collapse of a wall and a gate of the Tata Raphael stadium'. The match was taking place in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, at the stadium that staged the legendary 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974. "I wish to reemphasize that any acts of violence have no place in football," CAF President Issa Hayatou told cafonline.com. "They must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and I urge FECOFA (the Congolese FA) and authorities in DR Congo to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that measures (are) put in place to avoid a repeat of any incidents." The long-serving Cameroonian also demanded that CAF be kept abreast of any proposed security measures. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta has already set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the disaster. "On behalf of FIFA and in my own name, I offer you, and the Congolese FA, my sincerest condolences," wrote FIFA President Sepp Blatter in a letter to the President of FECOFA. "I would be most grateful if you would pass on the deep sympathy and support of the entire international football community to the families, loved ones and clubs of the deceased and victims at this very difficult time." "May this message soften their pain and bring them support and comfort." At FIFA's headquarters in the Swiss city Zurich, the flags of both DR Congo and CAF were flown at half-mast in a sign of mourning. The disaster is the worst at a Congolese football match since a game in Butembo in 2008, when 13 spectators -- many of whom were children -- died after police fired tear gas into the crowd shortly after stones had been thrown by the fans. Six years on, a similar set of circumstances has sparked a further devastating loss of life. The two teams are set to meet again on the weekend of May 24-25 in the group stages of the African Champions League. CAF is considering whether to play the match between AS Vita, crowned African champions in the 1970s, and four-time continental winners Mazembe behind closed doors. Mazembe stunned the footballing world in 2010 when becoming the first African side to reach the final of FIFA's Club World Cup, but their name may now conjure up far sadder emotions. | African football body CAF calls for 'thorough' investigation into DR Congo stadium disaster .
Fifteen fans died as a stampede broke out at the game between AS Vita and TP Mazembe .
FIFA President Sepp Blatter offers support of the entire football community .
Match took place in stadium of 'Rumble in the Jungle' fame . |
0dd7c45e4afce9c0383f8a964bdf7358d2fb99af | (CNN) -- A group calling itself the "Iran cyber army" claimed responsibility Tuesday for hacking into a number of Voice of America internet pages, according to reports from both Voice of America and Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency. The group displayed a message on Voice of America's Farsi page, calling for an end to U.S. "interference" in the Muslim world. "Ms. Clinton, do you want to hear the oppressed voices of nations from the heart of America?" the group asked. "The Muslim world does not believe in U.S. deceit. We tell you, stop intervening in Muslim countries." The action was taken "in response to the propagation of lies and plots of anti-revolutionary sites," Fars reported, claiming that a total of 95 sites affiliated with Voice of America were hacked. Fars said that Voice of America acts as "part of the United States' spying organizations." Voice of America indicated that the cyber attack may have been launched in response to a recent ABC interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During the interview, Clinton referenced the State Department's opening of Twitter accounts in Arabic and Farsi, stating, "We want to be joining young people who, like young Americans, seek their right to express their views." Voice of America noted that websites in other languages -- including Azeri, Dari, Pashtun, and Urdu -- were also targeted by the hackers. The Iranian government is among a number of regimes in the broader Middle East and Muslim world targeted by protesters in recent weeks. Thousands of security officers cracked down on landmark sites in Iran's capital and other major cities Sunday, striking at throngs of protesters with batons and rushing others on motorcycles, according to witnesses. | Voice of America web pages have been hacked by an Iranian group .
The group is calling for an end to U.S. "interference" in the Muslim world .
The move may have come in reaction to the State Department's opening of Arabic and Farsi Twitter accounts . |
0dd8917d62263c9cc6e252895e8b1567c43c761c | (CNN) -- She's the daughter of a Beatle, fashion designer of everyone from Madonna to the British Olympic team, recipient of a medal from Queen Elizabeth, and counts Kate Moss among her friends. From all appearances, Stella McCartney's life has been a charmed one -- not that she necessarily sees it that way. Fame has followed the second child of Paul McCartney and American photographer wife Linda from the moment she was born. And it's been both a blessing and a hindrance. As McCartney was awarded this year's prestigious Women's Leadership Award from the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund, CNN spoke to the mother-of-four about sustainability in a notoriously "unaccountable" fashion industry. Parents' influence . CNN: You had very famous role models -- do you think that helped you, or do you think that was actually a hurdle? McCartney: It certainly opened a lot of doors and certainly closed some minds. So I think there was a balance. CNN: What do you think was the biggest inspiration you got from your mother, Linda McCartney? M: I learned a lot from her ethics. Both my mum and dad [former Beatle, Paul McCartney] are known to be vegetarians, world rights activists and environmentalists, and that definitely came into my place of work. Once you have children it adds another layer of responsibility to what you're doing. You have to be a role model to them so it makes you question your actions -- in a good way. Biggest Challenge . CNN: What is the biggest challenge you've encountered getting where you are now? M: Early on, when I wanted to go back to London and start my own fashion house, a very well thought-of executive in the industry said to me: "Name one female designer that's come from Great Britain that has had any kind of global success." I wanted to prove him wrong. Obviously there have been great women from Britain in design, but actually there are fewer than I thought. So that was a bit of a hurdle for me. From day one I've never worked with leather or fur. I don't work with PVC, and I'm very conscious in the sourcing and manufacturing of fashion. That's a hurdle, that's a challenge, but it's a worthwhile one. CNN: Do you feel a lot of pressure from the industry because you chose to go down the "sustainable fashion" road? M: It's been difficult, it continues to be difficult, but I'm OK with difficult, it's what keeps me on my toes. I've had people say to me: "You'll never sell handbags, you don't work with leather and leather is luxury." To me it's the complete opposite, leather is everywhere, it's so cheap a material, it's so mass produced. Over 50 million animals a year are killed just for fashion. For me it doesn't have a luxury element to it. CNN: So you're comfortable flipping that notion on its head, that leather is luxury? M: Lots of things have been around for a long time, that doesn't mean they have to stick around forever. When you're in design it's your job is to change, to push, to modernize. The fashion industry, is not really as accountable for some reason. We're not expected to have to answer to the fact that it's not sustainable to kill that many animals for shoes and bags. And it's not necessary! Ninety percent of the people who come to my stores have no idea I don't work with leather. Being told no . CNN: You get very steely when you talk about people telling you you can't do something. M: Doesn't everyone, who likes being told they can't do something? Anyone can do anything they want, if they really want it. I'm not going to pretend I didn't come from a privileged starting point. I'll always admit that it was easier for me to question people telling me I couldn't do something because I had a pretty nice place to fall back on. So maybe that afforded me a little more spark and fight. I'm learning as I get older, that you don't have to try to fight everything from a man's place. I guess I got here for a reason, it wasn't because I was a woman. More: Bobbi Brown's billion-dollar idea . | McCartney talks about the influence of her famous parents on her fashion career .
Says she doesn't see leather as luxury, as it's mass produced .
Wins prestigious Women's Leadership Award from Lincoln Center Corporate Fund .
Believes it's not sustainable to kill so many animals for shoes and handbags . |
0dd8c2814940fdb82056733b193fd564a2c1520d | Owen Farrell is 23. It is worth emphasising that point, because he is often wrongly perceived as a seasoned veteran and that is not helping him. Four years ago, he was on loan at Bedford, in the Championship. Now, he has played 28 Tests for England, represented the Lions and – as befitting an accelerated career path – finds his international credentials being cast into doubt. Amid the rush to lambast the Saracens fly-half for his poor form on England duty last month, it is appropriate to consider the context. Firstly, he was a victim of circumstances beyond his control. Secondly, he will feature prominently at next year’s World Cup, providing he is not injured. Owen Farrell (left) poses with his team mates after England's 26-17 win over Australia in November . Farrell (right) has been criticised for his underwhelming form in England's Autumn international fixtures . Without doubt, Farrell was off-colour at Twickenham, during the defeats against New Zealand and South Africa. Without doubt, he deserved to be dropped to the bench – if not further – for the series-ending victory over Australia, following a hit-and-miss shift at inside centre against Samoa. But to write him off would be ludicrous. As a dogged competitor, he will relish vying with his good friend, George Ford, for the England No 10 shirt that he has lost, for now. Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, has defended his man, by claiming that Farrell was ‘rusty’ going into the November campaign. That is a colossal under-statement. After a month out injured, he had played one full and unconvincing match before earning an immediate England recall. Mark McCall, Saracens' director of rugby, has said Farrell was 'rusty' ahead of England's November fixtures . The bottom line is that he should not have been picked to face the All Blacks. He wasn’t ready. As McCall said: ‘He played one 80 minutes and was asked to face New Zealand, which is a pretty tough ask.’ Another under-statement. In fact, it was an impossible task. Stuart Lancaster and his assistants needed an alternative plan, but they didn’t feel they had a viable one to fall back on. Ford had missed the summer tour of New Zealand, so he hadn’t been exposed to the furnace-heat of a Test match in the balance. Freddie Burns and Danny Cipriani had deputised well, but neither had been included in the senior squad in late October. The extenuating circumstances went further back. First, Charlie Hodgson retired from Tests and then Toby Flood decided that a move to Toulouse was more appealing than playing second fiddle to the rookie. So the safety net had been removed. In lieu of genuine experience, Farrell assumed the mantle of the veteran in his position, despite his relative youth. Time and time again, Lancaster was forced to consider the doomsday threat of being forced to find a replacement, and that unwelcome scenario came to pass last month. Ford seized his opportunity with aplomb. He played flat to the line and showed his ability to unlock defences with astute distribution, tactical kicking, pace and footwork. Farrell does not have all those attributes in his repertoire, but neither did Jonny Wilkinson and it didn’t stop him becoming the country’s iconic, World Cup-winning hero. Stuart Lancaster decided to drop Farrell in place of Billy Twelvetrees for the international against Australia . Like Wilkinson, Farrell is a ‘Test match animal’. In a position often populated by more delicate artists, he is made of steel, with a warrior spirit and armed with cold composure as a supreme goal-kicker, despite the competitive fire that rages within. What he needs now is game after game after game at fly-half for Saracens, to rediscover his missing sharpness, while further honing his efforts to feel at home playing flat to the line. It may actually help him that Ford has earned Lancaster’s trust, as it reduces the risk that he will be assessed differently to others. To start a Test, he must be ready; fully fit and playing well. At the age of 23, he is no veteran. He cannot slot back into the old routine without preparation. Farrell will be an international match-winner again, of that there can be no doubt, but England have learned the hard way that he needs to be handled with care, like all their other assets. Irish rugby is on a roll. Amid the after-glow of a triumphant autumn campaign for Joe Schmidt’s national team, the country’s union – with government backing – will today outline plans to host the 2023 World Cup. On the field, Ireland will surely go into the Six Nations as favourites to defend their title after beating South Africa, convincingly, and Australia last month. Their prospects at next year’s World Cup appear increasingly bright. Yet, the audacious 2023 hosting plan may be doomed, despite being a united north-south bid, and even allowing for potential use of Gaelic sports venues, including the towering Croke Park in Dublin. The USA may enter the fray and global rugby authorities will be desperate to open up that huge market, while South Africa, Italy and Argentina are all thought to be interested. Jonathan Sexton (centre) in action for Ireland in their 26-23 win against Australia last month . The 2011 tournament in New Zealand generated modest revenue and England are having to make up the short-fall with the lucrative 2015 extravaganza. Twickenham is drowning in logos and general commercial over-load in the increasing effort to maximise profits. To avoid such a scenario again, the chance of smaller nations being awarded the hosting rights have surely faded to nothing. In the modern era of meticulous professionalism, there is still room for the primal, powerful concept of motivation by irritation. Sale have been irked by Saracens’ attitude ahead of tomorrow’s European Champions Cup clash in Salford. Steve Diamond, their fiery director of rugby, said: ‘We’ve been written off. Saracens have already openly stated on TV after their defeat at Munster that they will pick the bonus points up against Sale. Steve Diamond is upset with the attitude shown by Saracens ahead of their clash with Sale . It was one of the players who showed it to me and it is being used as a little tool.’ One Sale player suggested that Saracens are known for being ‘arrogant’ and that the hosts will be fired-up to make a mockery of their rivals’ perceived superiority complex. It is shaping up to be a feisty, niggly, abrasive encounter. Quote of the week . Leicester’s director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, was on vintage comedy form as he reflected on Tom Croft’s delayed return to action after injury, saying: ‘Crofty was in the 23 last weekend, but his wife decided to have a baby. Leicester's director of rugby Richard Cockerill was in hilarious form talking about Tom Croft becoming a dad . 'He’s a proud dad of Victoria. It took long enough – started Friday and finished Saturday afternoon! 'For some reason they wanted to have the baby at the General hospital rather than the Royal Infirmary (close to Welford Road), so he couldn’t even pop across the road to play, then pop back again. 'That’s the reason they built the hospital there!’ Last Word . England and Wales players will hurl themselves into European club combat this weekend, their bodies still shattered from four Tests in succession last month. It is too much of a strain. The clubs cannot be blamed for picking their leading men for key continental fixtures which could make or break their season – especially as they have been without those players since late October. Twelvetrees (second right) and his England team-mates should have an extra break after their exertions . By and large, the club directors of rugby and coaches demonstrate a commendable desire to manage the work-load of their internationals. The stark fact is that four Tests in November is excessive and is driven by financial considerations. It requires the IRB, or World Rugby – as they now wish to be known – to strictly regulate the congested calendar. Each European nation should play two Tests against leading southern-hemisphere countries and one against a Tier Two side every autumn, before an obligatory rest week for all players involved. Less games = less injuries = a better product. Rocket science, it most certainly isn’t… . | Owen Farrell would benefit from people realising how far he has come .
Four years ago, he was playing Championship rugby with Bedford .
He needs to rediscover his match sharpness with Saracens game time . |
0dd9549c9aa51ee3f1100725de1d88d9b83bff07 | (CNN) -- Last week, I joined the board of a new organization to oppose marijuana legalization: Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The group is headed by former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy and includes Kevin Sabet, a veteran of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama. The new group rejects the "war on drugs" model. It agrees that we don't want to lock people up for casual marijuana use -- or even stigmatize them with an arrest record. But what we do want to do is send a clear message: Marijuana use is a bad choice. There are many excellent reasons to avoid marijuana. Marijuana use damages brain development in young people. Heavy users become socially isolated and perform worse in school and at work. Marijuana smoke harms the lungs. A growing body of evidence suggests that marijuana can trigger psychotic symptoms that otherwise would have remained latent. It's possible to imagine a marijuana rule that tries to respond precisely to such risk factors as happen to be known by the current state of science. Such a rule might say: "You shouldn't use marijuana until you are over 25, or after your brain has ceased to develop, whichever comes first. You shouldn't use marijuana if you are predisposed to certain mental illnesses (most of which we can't yet diagnose in advance). Be aware that about one-sixth of users will become chronically dependent on marijuana, and as a result will suffer a serious degradation of life outcomes. As yet, we have no sure idea at what dosage marijuana will impair your ability to drive safely, or how long the impairment will last. Be as careful as you can, within the limits of our present knowledge!" Yet as a parent of three, two exiting adolescence and one entering, I've found that the argument that makes the biggest impression is: "Marijuana is illegal. Stay away." I think many other parents have found the same thing. When we write social rules, we always need to consider: Who are we writing rules for? Some people can cope with complexity. Others need clarity. Some people will snap back from an early mistake. Others will never recover. "Just say no" is an easy rule to follow. "It depends on individual risk factors, many of them unknowable in advance" -- that rule is not so easy. Richard Branson: War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure . Over the past three decades, and in area after area of social life, Americans have replaced simple rules that anybody can follow with complex rules that baffle large numbers of people. Consider, for example, the home mortgage. Once the mortgage was a very simple product. Put 20% down, then sign up for a fixed schedule of payments over the next 30 years. In the space of a single generation, these 30-year fixed-rate amortizing mortgages turned what had been a nation of renters into a nation of homeowners. For more sophisticated buyers, however, the standard mortgage was a big nuisance. For them, bankers developed more flexible products: no money down, no documentation, interest-only, adjustable rate. These products met genuine needs. But as they diffused down-market, they became traps for people who did not understand the risks they were accepting. Consider how we finance higher education. Once, state governments subsidized their universities to offer a low tuition fee to all comers. Fee increases at private universities were constrained by the lower fees at the public institutions: Duke can raise its price only so high above the University of North Carolina. The universities soon realized, however, that by setting their tuition fees low, they were forgoing revenues that might be collected from the most affluent students. Universities rapidly raised their tuition fees, then offered discounts and aid to students in need. Kevin Sabet: Legalize Pot? No, reform laws . But while anybody could understand a $500 per semester tuition bill, the new system of rebates confuses the very people who most need help. A few days before Christmas, Jason DeParle of The New York Times reported a depressing example of the toll modern financial aid exacts upon students from less sophisticated backgrounds. He told the story of three bright girls from poor families who had recently tried -- and failed -- to gain college degrees. One of them was admitted to Emory, a prestigious school with a full-ticket price of $50,000, but one that grants very generous financial aid -- if the student can figure out how to make the financial aid work for her. The trouble was that students who most need aid are often precisely those who have nobody around them who has ever successfully navigated a complicated bureaucratic institution like a university financial aid office. "Though Emory sent weekly e-mails -- 17 of them, along with an invitation to a program for minority students -- they went to a school account she had not learned to check," DeParle wrote. "Angelica reported that her mother made $35,000 a year and paid about half of that in rent. With her housing costs so high, Emory assumed the family had extra money and assigned ... an income of $51,000. ... (Angelica) discovered what had happened only recently." Unable to cope with the school's e-mail system or to decrypt its rules for imputing family income, Angelica finally dropped out of Emory, burdened by $61,000 in student debt. In 1943, Vice President Henry Wallace published a book celebrating the coming "century of the common man." That century did not last very long. We have transitioned instead into the era of the clever man and clever woman. We have revised our institutions, our programs, our rules in ways that offer profitable new chances to those with cultural know-how -- and that inflict disastrous consequences on those who are overwhelmed by a world of ever-more-abundant and ever-more-risky choices. Opinion: The end of the war on marijuana . We're not going to uninvent the no-money-down loan. Universities that receive applications from all over the planet cannot finance themselves like an old-fashioned state land-grant college. But we need to recognize that modern life is becoming steadily more dangerous for people prone to make bad choices. At a time when they need more help than ever to climb the ladder, marijuana legalization kicks them back down the ladder. The goal of public policy should not be to punish vulnerable kids for making life-wrecking mistakes. The goal of public policy should be to protect (to the extent we can) the vulnerable from making life-wrecking mistakes in the first place. There's a trade-off, yes, and it takes the form of denying less vulnerable people easy access to a pleasure they believe they can safely use. But they are likely deluding themselves about how well they are managing their drug use. And even if they are not deluded -- if they really are so capable and effective -- then surely they can see that society has already been massively re-engineered for their benefit already. Surely, enough is enough? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum. | David Frum: Casual use of marijuana shouldn't be a reason to lock people up .
He says there are serious risks to brain development, mental health in using marijuana .
Frum says it's better to send simple message that marijuana is illegal .
He says too often social rules become so complex many people can't navigate them . |
0dd99305b75298009b17212bbd0fba048c0f9a77 | (CNN) -- A day after Miriam Carey ran a barricade and led police on a high-velocity chase through the middle of the nation's capital, authorities were searching for clues to explain the bizarre chain of events that led to her death. Although Carey was shot while driving with her baby, the child was uninjured. Many questions surrounding those facts remain. Related: Was the shooting justified? Here's what we know about Carey, a 34-year-old who reportedly had worked as a dental hygienist in Connecticut. Boyfriend: She thought the president was monitoring her . A law enforcement source involved in the investigation said Thursday that Carey's boyfriend had told police last winter that she appeared to be delusional. The boyfriend said she claimed President Barack Obama had placed Stamford, Connecticut, where she lived, under lockdown and that her house was under electronic surveillance, the source said. He told police that she was suffering from postpartum depression, was having trouble sleeping and was on medication. Carey underwent a mental health evaluation, the source said. Related: What is postpartum psychosis? Authorities have not officially linked the incident to mental illness or any other factor. Postpartum psychosis . A few months after her daughter was born, Miriam Carey was diagnosed with postpartum depression with psychosis, her sister told CNN's AC360. Postpartum psychosis can cause delusions and paranoia, according to medical experts. "There wasn't a pattern. It was something that occurred suddenly," Amy Carey-Jones said. "She seemed overwhelmed. There was a lot of stress. "There was not moments of her walking around with delusions. That was not what was going on." But her sister was making progress with the help of counseling and medications. Carey-Jones said her sister recently told her that the doctors told her she didn't need the medication anymore. "They tapered her off the medications, and she said she felt fine," Carey-Jones said. She declined to discuss what medication Miriam Carey had taken. Her home . Carey lived in an apartment that authorities searched Friday. Medication . During the search, authorities found discharge papers from a 2012 mental health evaluation that listed prescriptions for medications to treat depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder -- a law enforcement source briefed on the investigation said Friday. Earlier, sources said investigators found medications, but that proved later not to be accurate. Authorities found a laptop computer, a flash drive and three non-working cell phones, the source said. A letter . The source told CNN that Carey left a letter addressed to the boyfriend at her apartment and that it appeared to contain white powder. The letter was being tested for hazardous substances. The baby girl . After surviving a high-speed police chase with Carey at the wheel, authorities placed the girl with a foster family, a spokesperson for Washington's Child and Family Services Agency told CNN. During the chase, no shots were fired from the Infinity, CNN's Deborah Feyerick reported. All shots were from law enforcement directed at the passenger side of the car. New York relatives . In Brooklyn in New York City, where Carey's mother and one of her four sisters live, a neighbor reported seeing the suspect Tuesday picking up her daughter. When federal agents arrived to conduct questioning, no one at the apartment answered the door. Carey's Facebook page includes a map pinpointing Stamford and New York. CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Carol Cratty, Deborah Feyerick, and Joe Johns contributed to this report. | NEW: Miriam Carey was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, her sister says .
NEW: She was treated with medication and counseling, the sister says .
Miriam Carey's baby has been placed with a foster family, an official says .
The boyfriend said she thought the president had placed her city on lockdown, a source said . |
0ddae1506d2bab424ba04b58567588a5fbcf4833 | By . Catherine Townsend . PUBLISHED: . 12:44 EST, 2 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:35 EST, 2 April 2013 . Spreading the word: The popular hook-up app Tinder has gained a huge following among young Mormons in recent months . Tinder, the hook-up app, has gained a huge following among college students since its launch last fall. Now it's finding a more unlikely audience: Mormons. According to The Universe, Brigham Young University's student newspaper, the free iPhone app is spreading through the college like wildfire. Some have labeled Tinder the 'female Grindr' because it works in a similar way as the gay dating app. So why is it so popular among an ultra-religious student body where more than 20per cent of the student body is married by graduation? Perhaps the app appeals to Mormons because it also has a clean-cut, polite image. The app works like virtual speed dating meets 'Hot or Not': It uses Facebook profiles to . pair users up with matches within their geographical area, rating them based on shared friends, interests, and networks. Instead . of ringing a bell at the end of a seven-minute date, a user can . 'like' or reject a picture within seconds. They can only chat with people who have . liked them back. Otherwise, they can 'keep playing' and scroll through . more pictures. Because it's totally anonymous until both users opt in, the rejection factor is low. Tinder has appealed to women in particular more than Blendr (the actual female version of Grindr . that was developed by the same company), because it offers an added . layer of authentication via Facebook. This helps avoid the creep factor . of an inbox filled with random emails from shirtless men posing in front . of their bathroom mirrors, and filter out catfish. Unlikely new audience: Tinder is commonly described as a Grindr for women, and is typically used for casual dating. Now Mormon students at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, are using it too . But many dating apps targeting members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints seem seriously heavy: One requires users to complete an in-depth questionnaire to generate a compatibility score, daters to list their thresholds and dealbreakers and . offers a Myers-Briggs personality profile as an optional feature. Tinder, unlike a lot of other dating websites, is actually fun to use. It may seem strange for a casual hook-up app to become popular at a school known for its strict honor code: In 2011, starting forward . Brandon Davies was controversially suspended for the rest of his season . for having sex with his girlfriend, violating the provision . preventing premarital sex. But dating is a huge pastime at BYU. According to official LDS dating guildelines, young people 16 or older should 'go in groups or on double . dates' and 'avoid going on frequent dates with the same person' so that . they avoid getting too serious with someone until they are old enough . for a serious relationship. In other words, keep it casual - but nix the sexting. | Free iPhone app Tinder is spreading like wildfire through Brigham Young University in .
Provo, Utah, where 55per cent of the student body is married by graduation . |
0ddc048dc6f1857194a99f82e431f12f57f0ee99 | The ex-madam and political candidate who claimed she supplied former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer with escorts pleaded guilty Friday to pushing prescription drugs, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Kristin Davis, 38, who ran against Spitzer for the office of comptroller, admitted in Manhattan federal court to one count of "distributing and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, specifically alprazolam, zolpidem and carisoprodol," Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. Bharara said Davis illegally sold "hundreds of highly-addictive and dangerous prescription pills" and helped fuel "the fastest-growing drug problem in the country" and a "public health epidemic." Davis faces up to 5 years in prison when she is sentenced July 25. Under the plea agreement, she also agreed to forfeit $1,765. Her lawyer, Daniel Hochheiser, told CNN that he plans to ask for leniency. "I'm hoping that she can remain at liberty so that she can pursue her new career and complete her current studies," he said. "She's going to school ... but at this point I just want to protect her privacy. It's more career-oriented ... to put herself in a position to gain new skills so she pursue a new career once this case is wrapped up." Davis was arrested on the drug charges last August when she was running an unsuccessful campaign for comptroller against Spitzer. The former governor has denied using the services of the ex-madam. Based on a tip from an FBI witness, agents set up a sting operation from January through March of 2013 and caught her pushing pills on three separate occasions to the witness, who she believed to be a drug dealer, prosecutors said. Davis became synonymous with the prostitution scandal involving Spitzer, then serving as governor. She never provided proof that she arranged escorts for Spitzer, but she did spend four months behind bars for running an escort firm. Spitzer, a Democrat, resigned in 2008. The former governor has denied using the services of the ex-madam. A former hedge fund senior vice president, Davis ran as a Libertarian with a plan to legalize marijuana in New York City. Has the road to redemption gotten shorter? | Kristin Davis, 38, pleads guilty to peddling prescription drugs .
Davis was a former candidate for New York City comptroller .
She faces up to 5 years in prison when she is sentenced July 25 . |
0ddc35d8f7dcef8f59473ca38d4e8d13f72d4bf2 | (CNN Student News) -- November 20, 2014 . Once you see what's happening in Buffalo, New York, you'll understand why we're defining lake-effect snow at the beginning of today's program. The Keystone XL Pipeline and a possible chocolate shortage are examined in depth. And the third installment in our series on affording college takes you to a private campus where students can work down their tuition. On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL . For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News! | This page includes the show Transcript .
Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary .
At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call. |
0ddc464f5f7a1305c81bd700fde05ecca1951532 | (CNN) -- Since when were a bunch of kids so interested in ancient history? Whole families were pressed up against the railings at Largo Argentina, the square in Rome, craning their heads toward ... a hole in the ground. Rome is full of holes in the ground, many of them historically significant, but this one was extra special. It contained the remains of the theater and temple where Julius Caesar was assassinated. But the kids weren't there for the ancient general-turned-emperor, murdered by treacherous senators in 44 BC. They were there for the cats. Rome's kitty ruins . Rome's noble ruins are a favorite haunt of feral cats. The "gatti di Roma" star on postcards and wall calendars sold all over the city. The ruins at Largo Argentina host an open-air cat sanctuary that's more than just a good show for visiting and local children. The city's strays have been fed and watered at the site almost since it was first excavated in the 1920s. The 1990s brought an injection of funds into the Torre Argentina Roman Cat Sanctuary, money that allowed more cats to be trapped, neutered and returned to their colony. Now, thousands of sterilizations are carried out each year -- around 30,000 and counting since 2000. More: How to Travel with Your Dog . Japan's cat islands . That's right: islands. Plural. Tashirojima in Miyagi Prefecture, is Japan's best-known feline isle. It usually goes by the name Cat Island. Dogs have been barred from Tashirojima for as long as anyone can remember. The island's cats vastly outnumber its human population. Tashirojima's furry inhabitants are well cared for by local fishermen, who hope to ensure a good catch by leaving offerings at a cat shrine. The island's most prominent structure, the Manga building and campsite, is embellished with a pair of pointy ears, in tribute to the island's lucky charms. Japan's other cat island, Ainoshima, is a little more remote, a 20-minute ferry ride from Shingu port in Fukuoka. A scrum of happy cats hangs out by the port, waiting for the next fishing boat or ferry to dock. In fact, the island represents a doubly incentive for the cats -- rugged Ainoshima is also a popular birdwatching site. More: The cat that saved a Japanese train station . Houtong, Taiwan . The riverside town of Houtong, Taiwan, fell into feline celebrity by accident. Houtong once sat on top of Taiwan's largest coal mine. When the mine closed in the 1990s, the town's population dwindled. Then some new, furry residents arrived. The Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park (Houtong Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City; +886 2 2497 4143) was established to showcase the mining heritage of the town and surrounding hills. But visitors mostly come to photograph the 120 or so playful cats, who laze around the Cat Village and soak up the fuss -- and inevitable treats. Houtong's proximity to Taipei -- it's an hour away by train -- ensures a steady stream of visitors each weekend. Cats here are used to amateur paparazzi. Their portraits are all over Facebook and Flickr. More: Intimate interview with Boo, the world's cutest dog . Kalkan Kats (Turkey) A pretty resort on Turkey's Turquoise Coast, Kalkan is another tourist destination with an active cat protection squad. Established in 2008, KAPSA is a voluntary organization run by locals and expats that traps stray cats. KAPSA neuters them and provides basic healthcare, then releases them. Animal loving visitors regularly give up vacation time to help out and share their experiences and photos on the Friends of KAPSA Facebook group. When tourists disappear for the winter, KAPSA feeds and cares for more than a thousand cats, relying on donations to fund its operations. Eager photographers can snap cats all over Kalkan, snoozing on hammam towels, curled up in fruit bowls or enjoying the air conditioning in the resort's stores. Several often gather by the old mosque, close to Kalkan's beach, to pose for the cameras. Hemingway's cats, Florida Keys . Ernest Hemingway earned a reputation as one of the world's great drinkers. There's even a statue of him propping up the bar in El Floridita, Havana. Less known is that Hemingway was also a cat lover. The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum (907 Whitehead St., Key West, Florida; +1 305 294 1136), Key West, is stuffed with antique furniture and fine art. In some rooms, it feels like the great author has just stepped out, even though he died in 1961. And his 1850s house is still a home -- to a colony of polydactyl, or six-toed, cats. Hemingway was given a white six-toed cat named Snowball in the 1930s. Some of Snowball's descendents are among the 50 or so furry residents of the historic home today. | In Rome, kids prefer cats over ruins .
On Japan's Cat Island, dogs are banned ... or have fled .
In Taiwan, felines flock to a former coal mine -- visitors follow .
Hemingway's former Key West home is full of six-toed cats . |
0ddc637ed4660ec333df523ecbc048bea5791d62 | By . Jenny Awford . Top referee David Rose, 50, outside Plymouth Crown Court where he was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £700 in fines after admitting to falsely claiming unemployment benefits . One of Britain's top rugby referees today admitted claiming unemployment benefit while officiating Premiership matches. David Rose, 50, claimed more than £700 in Job Seekers Allowance while working as a top referee – earning up to £696 per game in the Aviva rugby union league. He was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £700 in costs at Plymouth Crown Court after admitting a charge of giving false information for obtaining benefits. The Premiership referee made an application for the benefit in February 2012 after being made redundant from his job as a project manager for the Rugby Football Union. But he failed to disclose his earnings from his work as a freelance referee and claimed £712 in benefits. Plymouth Crown Court heard that Rose had not thought of his refereeing as work and believed he did not need to disclose it as it was under the 16 hours a week threshold. Rose, from Plymouth, pleaded guilty to furnishing false information with the purpose of obtaining benefits between 17 February 2013 and 22 February 2013. Prosecutor Adrian Chaplin said: 'He had been made redundant from his work with the Rugby Football Union where he had been a project manager . 'He didn't say he was earning money from it. What he had been doing since his full time employment was working on an as and when basis for the Rugby Football Union. 'He had been refereeing rugby football matches and had been receiving income up to the time of his application and continued doing this. 'It would seem he reffed on the 15 February and received £696. 'The day after his interview on the 21 February he reffed again on the 22 February for which he received the same amount.' Rose had been charged with two counts of fraud for dishonestly signing a claim form and fraud by false representation but the prosecution agreed to reduce this to one charge. The court was told of his 'glowing CV' which had seen him officiate hundreds of matches since 2001. Defending Sam Jones said: 'He hasn't worked as a referee since facing these charges, He was temporarily suspended and has remained so for the last 17 months. The referee officiated at hundreds of Premiership matches from 2001 and he was paid up to £696 per game. He is seen (left) at the Aviva Premiership match between London Wasps and Leeds Carnegie at Adams Park on April 17, 2011 and (right) at a Guinness Premiership match in 2007 . 'It was a genuine error, one that he accepts looking back now that he should have provided that information at the time.' Judge Graham Cottle sentenced Rose to a conditional discharge of 12 months and a £700 fine. He told him: 'You are an intelligent man. You have had a good and successful career concentrated principally around the game of rugby. Rose sprints to keep up with Jordan Turner-Hall of Harlequins during the Guinness Premiership match between Harlequins and Bristol at the Stoop on October 6, 2007 in Twickenham . 'It's at the very least odd that you should have thought you didn't need to disclose this information. 'I accept the submission that there has been a significant impact of this case professionally and also privately and that there may have well been for some period of time damage to your reputation.' The Rugby Football Union refused to comment on whether Rose would be able to continue working as a referee. Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is paid to help unemployed people and those who are on a low income and looking for a job. If you have paid enough National Insurance contributions you’ll be given a non-means-tested contribution-based JSA and those who haven't will be paid a means-tested income based JSA. It is at least £57.35 a week to help you while you look for work. To claim JSA you need to be: . | David Rose, 50, pleaded guilty to giving false information to obtain benefits .
He was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £700 .
Rose claimed Job Seeker's Allowance despite earning up to £696 per game .
The referee has officiated hundreds of high-profile matches since 2001 . |
0ddc88f4eca1d24a4f991fb6b8db5939b599284e | By . Kimberley Dadds, Louise Saunders and Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 19:04 EST, 31 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:48 EST, 1 February 2013 . Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross have apologised publicly for the 'Sachsgate' affair only to cause more controversy by cracking jokes about the Jimmy Savile paedophile scandal. The pair have been reunited on television for the first time since their 2008 prank on BBC Radio 2, as the comedian appeared on Ross's ITV1 chat show set for broadcast tomorrow night. But unable to avoid controversy for long, Brand said his friend 'didn't give a monkey's' about the furore caused after they made a series of offensive hoax phone calls to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs. Head in hands: Jonathan Ross squirms as his friend Russell Brand joked about the Jimmy Savile police probe and the infamous Sachsgate scandal that cost them their jobs . Reunited: Russell Brand appears on Jonathan Ross' show, where they both apologise about 'Sachsgate' - the first time they have appeared together since it happened . Speaking about the Scotland Yard inquiry into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile and others, the Hollywood star, 37, added: 'Can we just talk a while about how . everyone from the 70s was a nonce? What's f****** going on? I was sat . there watching telly and everyone's a nonce.' Footage from Wednesday's recording, set for broadcast at 9.45pm tomorrow, showed the chat show host squirming in his seat, with his head in his hands, while his controversial guest spoke. 'Not everyone. Sir David Attenborough is a guest and in the f****** building. Revise your opinion,' Ross responded, adding: 'You left the country and left me to deal with it (Sachgate). We're going to get in trouble again. I don't earn as much as I used to thanks to you, you f*****.' Back to joking: The pair discussed how the scandal had brought them closer as friends as a result - the only good to come out of it . The pair caused a national scandal in 2008 when they left smutty messages on veteran actor Andrews Sachs's answerphone during a pre-recorded Radio 2 show. Jonathan Ross said that Brand had sex with his granddaughter Georgina Baillie. It led to the departure of the Radio 2 station controller, and both Brand and Ross left the BBC as a result of the fallout. Speaking during his chat show Ross said: 'Let's deal with this, because we're both keen to put this behind us. People, I think are perhaps curious as to how we felt about it afterwards. 'We did both regret the furore that we caused, and also the hurt it may have caused Mr Sachs and his family.' 2008: In an on-air prank actor Andrew Sachs (left) was left stunned by the 'joke' voicemail messages where Ross said that Brand had slept with his granddaughter Georgina Baillie (right) As they were: The pair were colleagues broadcasting on BBC Radio 2 before they caused the uproar . Brand added: 'Obviously we regretted it because it became difficult to distinguish the media phenomena from the obvious impolite act. 'I consider myself quite a polite person right, but sometimes you get excited when you're doing a joke. 'I'm doing the joke, and I think 'this is brilliant, this is brilliant' and then you sort of realise, 'oh that's reality with real consequences.' I went 'oh it's only a joke' - I didn't realise that we were part of the frequency of reality.' Opening up: The pair discussed the controversial moment in broadcasting for the first time as they pre-recorded Jonathan's latest show (pictured with other guests) Close friends: The pair caused uproar in 2008 when they took the boundaries too far on their BBC Radio 2 show . Now in the past: The pair had prank called actor . Andrew Sachs during the radio show, making 'obscene' comments about his . granddaughter . Making his entrance: Russell and Jonathan both left the BBC following the scandal and have now admitted they had lost sight of 'reality' Ross told how the incident had been a bonding experience for the two of them - and had been a 'genuinely nice thing' which had resulted from the controversy. 'Russell and I went through an unusual experience together and even though we're both embarrassed by what we did, that's fair enough - but at the same time, the only genuinely nice thing that came out of it for me was the fact that we became very close,' he said. But Brand then ribbed him: 'You said you'd do it again, let's call . up other treasures of British comedy. Let's find the surviving Pythons . and bang on their doors and go, "Oh, I touched your daughter's leg"'. Inked: Russell shows off another one of his tattoos during the pre-recorded chat . Like old times: They embraced for a number of hugs as they made their public appearance together . Brand went on to boast about his wild . sex antics, drug-taking past and 'impressive criminal record', before . going on to attempt to kiss Sir David later in the show, who promptly . reeled away in horror. He is launching a Comic Relief concert to be staged at Wembley Arena on March 6, featuring a line-up of friends which he has helped to assemble such as Noel Gallagher, Kasabian and Eddie Izzard. Brand will host the show, called Give It Up For Comic Relief, to raise money and awareness for people with drug and alcohol problems. Former heroin addict Brand told Ross that the death of his friend Amy Winehouse had made him realise he needed to help people. 'I'd occasionally chat to her a little bit but you know what it's like if you know someone that's got a drug and alcohol problem, it's really hard if they're not ready to help them along. 'When she died it made me feel like you've got to do something, it's so unnecessary,' he said. But he joked to Ross: 'You're not invited, you can't be trusted.' Other acts on the bill for the concert - to be screened by BBC3 - include Jimmy Carr, Noel Fielding, Frankie Boyle, Emeli Sande and Jessie J. It's not yet known which parts of the pre-record will be included in the final edit of the show. The Jonathan Ross Show is screened on ITV1 on Saturday at 9.45pm. What did he say this time? Russell Brand made an appearance on BBC Radio 1 early on Friday morning . | Pair lost their jobs in 2008 after making lewd hoax calls to Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter .
Brand has appeared on Ross's ITV chat show due for broadcast tomorrow night .
The friends apologised for their pranks but still laughed about it .
On Savile, Brand said: 'Can we just talk a while about how .
everyone from the 70s was a nonce?' |
0ddd604124fadfc5566795cf7f5d852d7f14569f | A terrified woman has revealed her boyfriend of two years repeatedly raped her while she slept. Naomi Hampson, 27, of Nottingham, only found out she had regularly fallen victim to Robert Fryer when police raided their home - and said her life was 'shattered into thousands of tiny pieces'. The office administrator’s perverted boyfriend would sedate her and often paint her nails and dress her in jewellery before taking photographs of his revolting acts and saving them on his computer. Terrified: Naomi Hampson, 27, only found out she had regularly fallen victim to sick Robert Fryer when police raided the couple's home . Miss Hampson told the Sunday People: . 'I'm disgusted when I think about what he did. It makes me feel dirty . and completely violated. Not remembering anything makes it worse. 'It is so sinister all that time I was . living with someone capable of that. He has no emotion. He is evil. And . if the police hadn't found out I could have still been living with him. It's terrifying.' Fryer, 30, admitted raping her three times between 2008 and 2011 and pleaded guilty to a . separate charge of sexual activity. He was jailed at Nottingham Crown . Court for eight years in September. Policeman's son Fryer has the rare . condition somnophillia - also known as 'sleeping princess syndrome' - . where people get a sexual thrill from others who are asleep, the court . was told. Together: The couple (pictured; Naomi Hampson, left, and Robert Fryer, right) moved in together in Nottingham, having met on a night out in 2008, and Fryer was soon taking advantage of Miss Hampson . The couple moved in together after . meeting on a night out in 2008, and Fryer soon took advantage of Miss . Hampson, who struggled emotionally after her father John, 77, was . diagnosed with cancer. 'I'm disgusted when I think about what he did. It makes me feel dirty . and completely violated. Not remembering anything makes it worse' Naomi Hampson . Miss Hampson was drinking more than . usual but would wake up on the sofa or in bed without any knickers on . and sometimes wearing nail polish or jewellery - but had no memory of . falling sleep. The woman had been single for three . years before meeting Fryer - a spectacle technician with no . previous convictions who even went to her father’s funeral while the . abuse continued. Fryer was arrested after he told a . friend about his despicable attacks, with officers later showing the . pictures to Miss Hampson and explaining that they believed he had . sedated her. Jailed: Fryer admitted raping Naomi three times between 2008 and 2011 at Nottingham Crown Court . Miss Hampson, who waived her right to . anonymity to speak out, said Fryer had made out she was drinking too . much. She called him a psychopath and believes he got a thrill from . confused people. 'My entire life has been shattered into thousands of tiny pieces and my soul feels broken. I hate him for what he did to me' Naomi Hampson . She told the Sunday People: 'My entire . life has been shattered into thousands of tiny pieces and my soul feels . broken. I hate him for what he did to me.' Police believe Fryer used a drug . to sedate Miss Hampson, although a judge said that he either . used alcohol or drugs. She cried in court as he was sentenced but said . he did not look at her. Miss Hampson plans to leave her local area and is not yet thinking about going out with another man. | Robert Fryer took pictures of his revolting acts and saved them on computer .
Naomi Hampson only discovered she was a victim when police raided home .
Boyfriend would sedate her and dress her in jewellery before taking photos . |
0ddeff0ea83f15f777b22b90bc0615da5258256a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . and Associated Press . A postal worker has been shot and killed while delivering mail in Prince George's County, Maryland, on Saturday evening. Police have identified the . victim as 26-year-old Tyson Jerome Barnette of Upper Marlboro. Authorities are still trying to identify suspects and a motive in the case. Officers were called to Reed Street in Cheverly-Landover just after 7.20pm on Saturday and found Barnette suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Scroll down for video . Victim: Postal worker Tyson Barnette was shot while on duty in Maryland on Saturday evening . The US Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information in connection with Barnette's death. NBC reported that other postal workers had visited the scene and were extremely concerned about their own safety. One emotional carrier told the station: 'That could have been me.' One local resident told the Washington Post that he saw the postal carrier just before the shooting occurred. The man said that he returned home just as the worker was placing mail into his letter box, but it wasn't his usual postman and he didn't respond when the resident called out to him. Mystery: Officers were called to Reed Street in Cheverly-Landover just after 7.20pm on Saturday and found Barnette suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene . var nbcLP={};nbcLP.aRandomNumber=Math.floor(Math.random()*10000);nbcLP.currentPageLoc=encodeURIComponent(window.location.href);nbcLP.currentSiteLoc=encodeURIComponent(window.location.host);nbcLP.defaultWidth=652;nbcLP.defaultHeight=367;nbcLP.cmsID="233186811";nbcLP.vidPid="YAeEZw3_9aFw";nbcLP.vidSec="TK";nbcLP.vidSubSec="TK";nbcLP.vidFrame=document.getElementById("nbcLP233186811");nbcLP.vidFrame.style.border="none";nbcLP.vidFrame.width=nbcLP.defaultWidth;nbcLP.vidFrame.height=nbcLP.defaultHeight;nbcLP.vidFrame.scrolling="no";nbcLP.vidFrame.src="http://www.nbcwashington.com/templates/nbc_partner_player?cmsID="+nbcLP.cmsID+"&videoID="+nbcLP.vidPid+"&width="+nbcLP.defaultWidth+"&height="+nbcLP.defaultHeight+"&sec="+nbcLP.vidSec+"&subsec="+nbcLP.vidSubSec+"&turl="+nbcLP.currentSiteLoc+"&ourl="+nbcLP.currentPageLoc+"&rand="+nbcLP.aRandomNumber; . Within minutes of entering his house . the man told the Post he heard two or three gunshots. When he looked out . of his window he said he saw a postal service vehicle, but no sign of . the worker. There have been complaints in recent months that postal carriers are having to deliver mail later in the day, sometimes after it is dark. Local residents have noted Saturday's postal delivery was much later than usual. Barnette had been a letter carrier for six years and had been on this particular Landover route three times in the last month. Authorities are asking any witnesses to call Prince George's County police with information. Reward: The US Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information in connection with Barnette's death . According to the USPS, any person who kills or attempts to kill any federal officer or employee while they are on official duties could face the death penalty. The National Association of Letter Carriers has released a statement saying the incident shows the need for safety considerations in how and when mail is delivered. Shootings of mail carriers in uniform and on their rounds are extremely unusual. | Tyson Jerome Barnette, 26, was killed while making his deliveries in Prince George's County, Maryland on Saturday evening .
Authorities are still trying to identify suspects and a motive .
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information .
Any person who kills or attempts to kill .
any federal officer or employee while they are on official duties could .
face the death penalty . |
0de0ce4131c91ff8ead70205d282356fb4a07133 | By . John Drayton . Andy Murray feels his game is finally returning to the level he wants it be with the French Open just one week away. The 27-year-old Scot is still finding his feet on the court after undergoing back surgery last September, but took world number one Rafael Nadal to three sets on Friday in an epic quarter-final at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Murray blew the Spaniard away in the opening set and was 4-2 up in the third but eventually succumbed to a 1-6 6-3 7-5 defeat after two hours and 40 minutes. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Murray's journey under Ivan Lendl . Cut me a break: Andy Murray claims people haven't respected the severity of his back surgery . Yet despite the disappointment of missing out on the semis, Murray believes is he beginning to regain the kind of form which saw him win four titles last year, including Wimbledon, and equal his highest career ranking of second. 'I would have liked to have won because I had the opportunities and I started the match better than him,' said the current world number eight on the ATP Tour website. 'I felt going into the French I would be playing good tennis. Getting closer: Murray says he returning to his best, despite losing to Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open . 'I don't feel like people have respected the severity of having back surgery, it takes time and I feel I am getting closer to where I want to be. [This] was the best I hit the ball and best I felt physically since the surgery. 'I was expecting to start playing well around this time, so that's pleasing. I was disappointed with the game I played at 4-2 in the third, though. Against him you don't get a load of chances and he finished the game incredibly well. 'Physically he was stronger than me at the end, but it was a good match.' King of clay: Nadal will be favourite for the French Open, despite a few struggles on his favourite surface . | Andy Murray claims people haven't respected how difficult it's to return from back surgery .
Brit lost an epic three-set battle against Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open .
Murray is confident of reaching peak form ahead of the French Open . |
0de12aa887efe097f441b262474e5e1a3842b18d | (CNN) -- Longtime film critic Roger Ebert, who lost much of his jaw to thyroid cancer, will show off his new face -- thanks to a prosthesis -- when his PBS show debuts this weekend. The creators of the prosthesis "did a pretty wonderful damn job," Ebert wrote in his online blog, which provided a few photos. "I like my new prosthesis and know from observation their work was painstaking and done with love and care." The process of crafting the silicone prosthesis and matching it to his face and features took about two years, Ebert said. The effort was led by Dr. David J. Reisberg. Since the cancer, Chicago-based Ebert, 68, has been unable to speak or eat conventionally. He has used various text-to-speech technologies to provide a voice. According to "Entertainment Tonight," the Chicago Sun-Times critic is producing and will appear in brief segments in his new show "Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies," which launches on PBS stations nationwide. "I will wear the prosthesis on the new television show," Ebert wrote in a Wednesday evening post entitled "Leading with my chin." "That's not to fool anyone, because my appearance is widely known," said Ebert, who appeared with the late Gene Siskel on a movie review show for more than 20 years. "It will be used in a medium shot of me working in my office, and will be a pleasant reminder of the person I was for 64 years." Ebert wrote he initially assumed he would wear the prosthesis all the time when he leaves the house. But his thoughts have changed, in part because people know what he looks like beneath the feature. "And something else has happened since that day in the hospital: I accept the way I look. Lord knows I paid the dues." | Longtime film critic lost part of jaw to cancer .
Two-year transformation features facial prosthesis .
A new PBS show debuts this weekend . |
0de14d3f93d3c85ae49db83fcd5d543e5769bcdd | It's the battle which could decide who becomes the third team to reach the World Cup semi-finals. But one Belgian newspaper has decided to take a light-hearted look at Vincent Kompany vs Lionel Messi. Brussels based Het Laatste Nieuws opted to depict the pair dancing the tango on their front page on Saturday, just hours before Belgium clash with Argentina in Brasilia for a place in the last four. Accompanied by the headline 'Tonight we dance the tango', the Manchester City defender and Barcelona forward get up close and personal in the mocked-up image - just like they will at the Estadio Nacional. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Messi looking relaxed in training ahead of the game . Shall we dance? Vincent Kompany and Lionel Messi do the tango on the front of newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws . Battle: Kompany (left) and Messi (right) will go head-to-head when Belgium face Argentina in Brasilia . The same newspaper also reveal the result of their poll which asked who will win Saturday afternoon's huge quarter-final. A massive 74 per cent of readers believe that their country will defeat Alejandro Sabella's side and set up a semi-final clash against the winner of Holland vs Costa Rica. The confidence among the Belgian population can also be seen on the front cover of sports publication DH Les Sports, who go with the headline 'Messi, welcome to hell' and an image of the Argentina star being faced with Kompany, Thibaut Courtois and Daniel van Buyten in front of a fiery background. Van Buyten is confident that his side will deal with the threat of Messi, who has already scored four goals during the tournament. The Bayern Munich defender said of the 27-year-old: 'If he gets past one player, he will have to get past a second player, because another will help out. We will have to show our big heart.' Welcome to hell: Belgian newspaper DH Les Sports gives Messi a warning ahead of Saturday's quarter-final . Confident: Belgium defender Daniel van Buyten believes his side will deal with the threat of Messi . | Het Laatste Nieuws mock-up Kompany and Messi dancing .
The pair will meet during Belgium's quarter-final with Argentina .
A massive 74 per cent of Belgian readers believe their side will win .
Daniel van Buyten insists his side can deal with Messi in Brasilia . |
0de2d2b013216286912c84eac88b555677455616 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Skinnygirl millionaire and reality star Bethenny Frankel has denied she is dating billionaire Warren Lichtenstein after being named as his 'girlfriend' in a bitter legal suit. The 43-year-old mom-of-one, who is currently going through her own difficult divorce from husband Jason Hoppy, was named in court papers filed by Mr Lichtenstein's ex-girlfriend Annabelle Bond. Miss Bond, who has a six-year-old daughter called Isabella with Mr Lichtenstein, named the former Real Housewives of New York star as her former lover's girlfriend while suing him for $570,110.05 in child support. Bethenny and Mr Lichtenstein were pictured together on vacation in St Tropez in the South of France last July. However, today a source told MailOnline that Bethenny is still dating her financier toyboy Michael Cerussi - and is 'very happy'. Dragged in: Bethenny Frankel - seen on Saturday in New York with her daughter Bryn - has found herself at the center of a legal suit between her close friend Warren Lichtenstein and his ex-lover and the mother of his daughter, Annabelle Bond . At war: Billionaire Warren Lichtenstein and his ex lover and mother of his daughter, British adventurer Annabelle Bond, who has filed suit calling him a 'deadbeat dad' and naming Bethenny Frankel as his 'girlfriend' The source added: 'Bethenny and Warren have been friends and ONLY friends for many, many years.' According to the New York Post, the suit says Warren, who runs the $4 billion hedge fund Steel Partners, is 'traveling the world on private jets, expanding his . huge compound in Aspen . . . living in a beachfront mansion in . [California], and dating [former “Real Housewives” star and talk-show . host] Bethany (sic) Frankel.' But that Mr Lichtenstein, 'claims that he is . too broke to support his only daughter.' British adventurer and heiress Miss Bond, who is the daughter of former Vodafone and HSBC chairman . Sir John Bond, has conquered Everest and was the first woman to complete the Seven Summits by climbing the highest peak on every continent in record time. She filed the suit on March 28 in New York's Supreme Court claiming that Mr Lichtenstein is a 'deadbeat father' who owes her $570,110.05 in child support, while . living an 'extravagant playboy lifestyle.' The couple split in April 2007 when Miss Bond was five months pregnant, and following Isabella's birth, she told the Daily Mail: 'I am happy. He is happy. We're both thrilled about the baby, but we are no longer together. No one else is involved.' Miss Bond’s child support ruling was made in . Hong Kong, where she lives and is dating a Tampa Bay Rays owner, Andrew . Cader. Meanwhile, Mr Lichenstein last year accused Miss Bond in his own legal suit against Mr Cader of pursuing the massive child support . settlement against him to, “improve upon her own already extraordinary . life of leisure, luxury, privilege and modest fame.” He alleged Mr . Cader was conspiring to defraud him by giving Miss Bond millions in loans to . inflate her child support needs, but later withdrew the . suit. Bethenny and Mr Lichtenstein were first linked together in January 2013 - and Bethenny was said to have moved into his sprawling Upper East side home with her daughter Bryn. However, a friend said at the time there was NO romance between the pair, adding: 'Bethenny and Warren have been great friends for more than 20 years and he has really been a support system during this sad time. Happy together: Sources tell MailOnline that Bethenny Frankel is still happily dating Michael Cerussi. The pair are pictured together in Miami, where they enjoyed a New Year break . Cosy: Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel has moved out of her $5 million Tribeca apartment - where her ex-husband Jason Hoppy still lives - as her relationship with Michael Cerussi grows . 'Bethenny stayed at Warren's apartment . one night earlier this month with her daughter Bryn as he was out of . town, so that she and Bryn could have some girl time. However, as her romance with Michael 'Mac' Cerussi, who at 34 is nine years her junior, heating up, Bethenny HAS moved into a rented apartment while her ex husband stays in their $5 million Tribeca home during the divorce. Bethenny and Michael, the son of a prominent New York lawyer, were frolicking on the beach on a sun-soaked New Year's Eve trip to Miami. The couple were seen sharing a tender kiss on New Year’s Eve at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach in Miami. A source told E! 'The reason Bethenny did it is that Jason is still living at the original home. 'On the weekends, his parents come and sleep on the sofas. It's incredibly uncomfortable for Bethenny and it gives her and Bryn no space to have one on one time.' In October, Bethenny, who is thought to have sold her Skinnygirl brand for $120 million, revealed on her talk show Bethenney that she and her ex were still living under the same roof. The brunette filed for divorce from Jason in January 2013 after two years of marriage, and in September, Hoppy was photographed still wearing his wedding ring, a whopping nine months after the couple announced their separation. 'Jason is still holding out on signing off on the divorce,' the source claimed. Girls day out: Bethenny Frankel out with her friend and her daughter in New York on Saturday . | Reality star dragged into lawsuit by British adventurer Annabelle Bond .
Bond is the mother of Bethenny's close friend Warren Lichtenstein's six-year-old daughter .
Source says Bethenny is still dating Michael Cerussi and 'very happy' |
0de62bf0d6d620815917579fca44b813286fd55a | (CNN) -- Searing temperatures in Melbourne have disrupted play at the Australian Open, where tennis players have been struggling in the heat in recent days. Organizers of the grand slam event said Thursday that they had introduced an "extreme heat policy" after temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). That means that matches already under way on court will be suspended at the end of the set being played. The organizers said the roofs would be closed at the Rod Laver Arena and the Hisense Arena so that players could continue their matches on those courts. But new matches won't start on outdoor courts "until the temperature falls back down to a temperature deemed fit for play by the tournament director," the statement on the website said. The severe heat at Melbourne Park this week has already caused problems for players. Canadian Frank Dancevic fainted during his defeat in the first round on Tuesday. He said he thought the conditions were "inhumane." On the same day, China's Peng Shuai blamed the heat after she cramped up and vomited during her defeat to Kurumi Nara of Japan. And it's not just players who have succumbed to the elements. One of the ball boys fainted during 11th-seed Milos Raonic's four-set victory over Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver on Tuesday. Some players worried . Several players have voiced concerns about the conditions. "Whether it's safe or not, I don't know. You've just got to be very careful these days," Britain's Andy Murray, who has been a finalist in Melbourne in three of the last four years, said Tuesday. "There's been some issues in other sports with, you know, players having heart attacks." Women's world No. 1 Serena Williams said Wednesday the fear of dehydration was giving her sleepless nights. But 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer appeared unfazed. "Just deal with it, because it's the same for both (players)," he said Tuesday after defeating spirited Australian James Duckworth in the first round. Before Thursday, tournament officials had already introduced heat-related measures for matches in the women's draw, allowing for an extended break between the second and third sets. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecasts maximum temperatures in Melbourne of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) for Thursday and Friday. Temperatures are then expected to drop into the low 20s (high 60s and low 70s in degrees Fahrenheit) starting Saturday. The heat wave currently blasting southern Australia comes after the country experienced its hottest year on record in 2013, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. CNN's Elizabeth Joseph and Steve Almasy contributed to this report. | Tournament officials issue an "extreme heat policy" after temperatures top 40 Celsius .
The move suspends current matches at the end of the set being played .
It also stops new matches on outdoor courts until temperatures decline .
The heat has already affected some players in matches this week . |
0de638244b05c95fcf608d168c1e5d0fa3e4cdbd | By . Louise Cheer . The slip, slop, slap message is proving to be effective with melanoma rates plummeting in the past 18 years. A long-term study of teenagers and young adults has revealed the cases of melanoma in young people fell 5 per cent each year from the mid-1990s to 2010. Research leader Adele Green said it showed the effectiveness of sun safety messages. Skin cancer is declining, according to a major new study . Prof Green has been studying skin cancer at QIMR Beghofer Medical Reasearch Institute in Queensland for more than three decades. She and her team looked at melanoma cases among 15 to 24 year olds in Queensland from 1982 to 2010. 'It's been one of the most successful cancer prevention campaigns,' Prof Green said of the slip, slop, slap campaign. '(We looked at) young people who have been exposed to the sun safe message and early detection programs since birth.' Results could also be similar across the rest of Australia, she added. According to the study published online in the International Journal of Cancer, the rate of melanoma cases has fallen from 25 per 100,000 in 1996 to 14 per 100,000 in 2010 among people aged 20 to 24. It follows data released by the institute in April that showed a decline in the most common skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, among people aged up to 45. 'This shows the improvements are broader than just the adolescents and young adults in the melanoma study,' Prof Green said. 'The effectiveness of the sun safe message is up there with the anti-smoking and the asbestos campaigns. 'I am convinced we can make people much healthier and happier if we prevent chronic diseases rather than treat them. Professor Green said sun safety campaigns like slip, slop, slap were having a significant effect on the decline of melanoma cases . 'The culture is changing. Australians know the sun is dangerous as well as wonderful.' But despite the good news, Queensland still has the highest rate of melanoma cases in the world. Cancer Council CEO Professor Ian Olver said the sun safe message was an excellent example of a public health campaign. But Cancer Council CEO Ian Olver said people needed to be vigilant with their sun safety - Queensland still has the highest rate of melanoma in the world . 'Australia is known for its high rate of melanoma, but it has been able to lead the world in prevention,' he said. 'We are into the second generation with the sun smart message. 'The important thing is to keep the message going. 'This is not a time to relax just because it is working.' | Melanoma cases in young people have fallen 5 per cent a year since 1990s .
Scientists spent 18 years looking at skin cancer in 15-24 year olds in Qld .
Research leader says sun safety messages are having a positive effect .
Data also shows fall in most common skin cancers in people aged up to 45 . |
0de703b1b3a4c3bc5b0c8bed1b1792cc57e90579 | Editor's note: Robert J. Shiller is a professor of economics at Yale University. This op-ed is based on his book with George Akerlof, "Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism." Akerlof is a 2001 Nobel laureate in economics and professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley. Robert Shiller says basic psychogical factors led to excesses which have devastated the economy. (CNN) -- President Obama's National Economic Council head Lawrence Summers noted in his speech March 13 that the economic crisis has led to an "excess of fear" that must be reversed. To understand the role fear plays in the current crisis, we must understand the role of human psychology. John Maynard Keynes thought psychology was the major cause of economic booms as well as busts, though this aspect of his work is now largely forgotten. He said people's economic decisions, in both good times and bad times, are largely, ultimately, if indirectly, driven by animal spirits, primitive psychological tendencies. In a recently published book, George Akerlof and I identified three animal spirits that played critical roles in the current economic meltdown. They are confidence, bad faith and storytelling. Let's first consider confidence and its dictionary meaning. Confidence means complete and secure trust. But trust goes beyond the rational use of information that is usually considered in economic theory. Trust is largely an emotion. Indeed we saw the role of vivid emotions in the stock and housing market booms that brought on our current problems. Trust is a state of mind that is the opposite of vigilance. People were purchasing and selling complex financial instruments without looking carefully at them. This trust is broken. The second animal spirit that came into play was bad faith. With so many trusting people, an uglier side of human nature became prominent. The temptation for smart promoters was overwhelming. Questionable practices boomed, and regulators failed to step in, because of the view, taken from economists, that private markets would be self-policing. Investors would only put their money at increased risk if they were duly compensated by higher expected returns. Thus, there was little worry about laxity of regulation in securities and real estate markets. But, this self-policing view did not consider that these investors might be overconfident. There is a myth that capitalism produces what people really want, as long as firms can make a profit. But, instead, more generally, it produces what people think they want, as long as firms can make a profit. True, unregulated capitalism will produce good medicines that cure our ills. But unregulated capitalism will also produce snake oil that people think they want, but does not cure our ills. (To guard against the production of such things, the federal government established the Food and Drug Administration in 1906.) The problem of snake oil has special relevance for financial assets, which are only pieces of paper. Most investors can surmise their value only from what others, such as accountants and rating agencies, tell them. These accounting and rating agencies also have their own incentives. And those incentives have not been fully aligned with the public's interest. And so when people are overconfident, financial markets produce assets that take advantage of that overconfidence. If unprotected by effective regulation, people will be sold snake oil assets. Just recently an industry arose, in Wall Street and beyond, to produce them. A third animal spirit bolstered the previous two. People act and think and live according to stories, especially human interest stories, not usually abstract calculation. That goes for their personal decisions. But there is also always a story, usually with some grain of truth and human interest, about the economy. These stories are often overly exuberant, on the one side, or overly pessimistic on the other. Ten years ago we had the story of the dot-com millionaires. Most recently we believed alchemists of financial engineering were packaging risky financial assets to make them safe. People were overconfident. And markets took advantage of their beliefs to sell them what later proved to be snake oil assets. These three animal spirits then explain how factors in human psychology play a key role in why the economy fluctuates as much as it does. The confidence comes and goes. The stories come and go. The snake oil comes and goes. This explanation for economic fluctuations has implications for the role of government. The first role of government is, before the fact -- as with the Food and Drug Administration -- to protect the public from negative consequences of their animal spirits (and to let them prevail and even to encourage the positive consequences). If, as now, the snake oil has been swallowed, it is the role of the government to restore our health. The government must aim to achieve full employment of the population by added spending to boost the economy and policies to make credit widely available. It should fulfill the full-employment goals of the Employment Act of 1946. That means that producers who produce good products at a profit should have buyers who want to buy them; workers who have trained for productive jobs should be able to get them. It also means that producers who can produce such products can get the credit to finance their production; and buyers who want to purchase these products can obtain the credit to purchase them. Why are such targets useful and necessary? History tells us. In the Great Depression, both Hoover and Roosevelt had many pragmatic schemes to put people back to work and keep credit markets from falling apart. But for lack of a correct theory of the economy, and targets corresponding to that theory, their measures fell far short. Unemployment in the United States only fell below 10 percent after the start of World War II, in 1941. Such targets are necessary for political reasons as well. Any effective plan to resolve our crisis will involve massive sticker shock. The two targets are necessary to justify and explain the tough and expensive measures that need to be taken. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Robert Shiller. | Robert Shiller: Economic boom gave rise to schemes that relied on trust .
He says basic psychological factors are key to restoring confidence .
Government has a role in preventing fraud from being sold to the public, he says .
Shiller: Government must aim for full employment and widely available credit . |
0de71784e8f74c765f20d12f0b49be52c2d9fb5f | By . Lucy Crossley for MailOnline . The UK's top anti-terror police officer has said today that 'significant progress' has been made in the hunt for the UK jihadist who murdered American journalist James Foley. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley appealed for help in rooting out aspiring home-grown terrorists as he decried the 41-year-old's 'pitiless' death at the hands of Islamic extremists in Iraq. Islamic State terrorists posted a video online last week of the horrifying murder of hostage Mr Foley at the hands of a killer who spoke with a British accent. Making progress: The UK's top anti-terror police officer, Mark Rowley, (left) has said today that 'significant progress' has been made in the hunt for the UK jihadist who murdered American journalist James Foley (right) Today Mr Rowley, the UK's leading counter-terrorism officer, said: 'Every reasonable person in the country has been touched by the pitiless murder of James Foley at the hands of Islamic State terrorists, and the murderer's apparent British nationality has focused attention on extremism in the UK as well as the Middle East. Investigators are making significant progress.' He appealed to family members and friends of would-be UK terrorists to come forward, stressing that nearly half of potential jihadis identified as part of Syria-linked investigations had not previously been classed as dangerous. Mr Rowley said that counter terrorism police had recently arrested a 19-year-old man in Camberwell, who was charged with engaging in conduct of preparation for terrorist acts, and is now awaiting trial. He added: 'Another young man, previously unknown of as a terrorist risk, was arrested last week on suspicion of planning to leave the country to travel to Syria for terrorist acts. He remains in custody. Shocking: Islamic State terrorists posted a video online last week of the horrifying murder of hostage Mr Foley at the hands of a killer who spoke with a British accent . 'The biggest growth in Syrian related investigations has occurred in London and the West Midlands. The growth of dangerous individuals poses challenges for policing, especially when nearly half of Syria travellers of concern were not known as terrorist risks previously.' In the first half of this year 69 suspected extremists who planned to travel to Syria or fund terrorism there were arrested, and five times as many suspects are being arrested now compared to 2013. 'High priority operations, especially against those involved in attack planning or on the cusp have increased greatly,' he said. 'Port stops and cash seizures have grown by over 50per cent as we strive to disrupt terrorists. 'The biggest growth in Syrian-related investigations has occurred in London and the West Midlands. The growth of dangerous individuals poses challenges for policing, especially when nearly half of Syria travellers of concern were not known as terrorist risks previously. Journalist: Mr Foley pictured working in Syria in August 2012. Mr Rowley described the death as 'pitiless' 'Hence, we appeal to the public to help identify for us aspiring terrorists - they may be about to travel abroad, have just returned or be showing signs of becoming radicalised.' Scotland Yard investigators are currently having hundreds of pieces of terrorist content linked to Syria removed from websites including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Mr Rowley said the force is also trying to prevent hate crimes here that may be sparked by events abroad, for example anti-Semitic offences related to Gaza and crimes against Muslims over the actions of Islamic State. He added: "There is a lot at stake. In addition to the public assistance in identifying potential terrorists, we all need community and religious leaders to continue to speak out against warped narratives and we need everyone to ensure that public debate does not give oxygen to the terrorists by giving them the publicity they seek.' Earlier this month Scotland Yard chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe warned it cannot be predicted when potential terrorists might decide to return to the UK from countries such as Iraq and Syria, and police are preparing in case of an influx. It is estimated that around 500 Britons have travelled to Syria to fight alongside extremists there, of whom around half are thought to be from London. However, during a visit to India Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg rejected calls for tougher measures to combat the threat posed by returning British jihadists. Anger: London Mayor Boris Johnson (right) said he wants Mr Foley's murderer, who has become known as 'Jihadi John' (left) to be killed in a bomb attack . London Mayor Boris Johnson said he wants Mr Foley's murderer to be killed in a bomb attack and joined the growing calls for Britons fighting abroad to be stripped of their citizenship. But Mr Clegg said: 'We actually have a number of measures already on the statute book which allow us to keep a very close eye on those people who aren't in prison, aren't sentenced, but nonetheless are perceived to be a threat to the United Kingdom. 'And of course, we will continue to review all the powers on the recommendation of the police and security services that may be deemed to be necessary to deal with this very serious issue. 'I sometimes wish it was as simple as Boris Johnson implies: all we need to do is pass a law and everything will be well.' Writing in his Daily Telegraph column, Mr Johnson said those who 'continue to give allegiance to a terrorist state' should lose their British citizenship, and called for swift changes to the law so there is a "rebuttable presumption" that those visiting war areas without notifying the authorities have done so for a terrorist purpose. He wrote: 'Young men such as this killer are famously told that if they die in 'battle' they will be welcomed in heaven by the sexual ministrations of 72 virgins. 'Many of them believe it - even though scholars have suggested that the reference to "black-eyed virgins" is in fact a promise of 72 raisins. 'I suspect most of us don't give a monkey's what happens to this prat in heaven, whether he meets virgins or raisins - we just want someone to come along with a bunker buster and effect an introduction as fast as possible.' | Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley appeals for help to root out terrorists .
Officer says UK has been 'touched by the pitiless murder of James Foley .
Journalist, 41, died at the hands of Islamic extremists in Iraq .
Terrorists posted a video of death at the hands of a killer with British accent .
69 suspected extremists planning to go to Syria arrested in first half of 2014 .
Five times as many suspects arrested compared to 2013, Mr Rowley said . |
0de71a9a327bfc9725ef5c1b0d27208152d6b65f | A Labour candidate has called for Myleene Klass to leave the country after she criticised Ed Miliband’s proposal for a ‘mansion’ tax. The former Hear’Say singer took the Labour leader to task in a heated TV debate and viewers praised her for ‘doing a Paxman’ and ‘wiping the floor’ with him. But she has faced a string of increasingly hostile comments from Labour members and supporters, with some claiming she should leave Britain. Scroll down for video . Labour candidate Paula Sherriff said Myleene Klass should emigrate to avoid the mansion tax . John Clarke, Labour's candidate in Witham, in Essex, said Labour should squeeze the rich until 'the pips squeak' Paula Sherriff, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury and Mirfield, West Yorkshire, tweeted: 'If multi-millionaire Myleene Klass doesn't like mansion tax perhaps she should emigrate with Sol Campbell and Griff Rhys Jones! Toodle pip!' Labour campaigner Chris Michaels added: 'I wish Myleene Klass would leave the country.' John Clarke, the party's candidate in Witham, in Essex, added: 'The more Myleene Klass whinges about tax, the more Ed goes up in people's admiration: squeeze 'em till the pips squeak!' Miss Klass was born in the UK but her father is Austrian and her mother is from the Philippines. Former England footballer Mr Campbell and comedian Mr Rhys Jones have both spoken out against the mansion tax in recent months. Tory party chairman Grant Shapps said the reaction showed Labour 'really are the nasty party' and criticised its members for making 'knee-jerk personal attacks'. Myleene Klass was pictured at the BBC's Radio One studios in London today as the controversy over her attack on Ed Miliband continued . Ukip leader Nigel Farage compared the Labour attack on Myleene Klass to Mark Reckless's comments that EU migrants could be deported from Britain . Mr Miliband and Miss Klass clashed on ITV's The Agenda on Monday night, when she criticised his controversial proposal for a mansion tax on homes worth more than £2million. But after Miss Klass, 36, won widespread praise for her robust challenge, Mr Miliband, 44, sought his revenge on Twitter by joking about her with his 357,000 followers. In a reference to Hear'Say's 2001 number one single Pure and Simple, he wrote: 'Here's why our NHS needs a mansion tax. It's Pure and Simple', adding a link to a blog post where Labour set out the arguments for its mansion tax. Mr Miliband was left humiliated on Monday night after he was unceremoniously taken to task by Miss Klass over Labour’s proposed mansion tax . In a reference to the Hear'Say song, Mr Miliband said the NHS needs a mansion tax 'Pure and Simple' Nick Clegg this morning leapt to Mr Miliband’s defence and argued that the former pop singer was ‘wrong’. Speaking on his LBC phone-in he made light of her suggestion that she would only be able to buy a garage in London with £2m. ‘She’s wrong on that. That’s some garage, he said. ‘What we need to do is get rid of the emotion of claiming that one person’s home is a mansion: why don’t we treat higher value homes [fairly]?’ ‘What is possibly fair about a family who lives in a family home in Lewisham that they pay the same an oligarch?’ Myleene and Ed enjoyed a quick drink with the other panel members, Allison Pearson (centre) and Sir Christopher Meyer (right), and presenter Tom Bradby . Appearing on ITV’s The Agenda, Miss Klass told him: ‘You may as well just tax me on this glass of water. You can’t just point at things and tax them.' Miss Klass, who is thought to be worth around £11million, has been accused of opposing the mansion tax only because she is wealthy. Yesterday she ignored the trolls, but on the show, she told Mr Miliband: 'For me, it's so disturbing. The name in its own right - "mansion tax". 'Immediately you conjure up an image of these Barbie-esque houses, but in London, which is where 80 per cent of the people who will be paying this tax actually live, have you seen what that amount of money can get you? It's like a garage.' She said those hit hardest would be 'the little grannies who have lived in those houses for years and years'. Mr Miliband responded: 'I totally understand that people don't like paying more in tax. The values of my government are going to be different to the values of this government.' But former British ambassador to the US Sir Christopher Meyer joined in the debate and angrily told Mr Miliband: 'You're going to screw me royally.' Host Tom Bradby tried to calm things down, saying: 'Ed's getting a bit isolated here.' Miss Klass interrupted: 'Ed's getting isolated because no one thinks it is going to work. You may as well just tax me on this glass of water. You can't just point at things and tax them. You need to have a better strategy and say why is the NHS in this mess in the first place?' Ed Miliband admitted he has problems with photo opportunities, and suggested Kim Kardashian could help him improve his image. The Labour leader has insisted that the photo opportunity is ‘not where my talents lie' after being pictured struggling to eat a bacon sandwich. He has also been mocked for posing wearing a feminist t-shirt and awkwardly giving money to a beggar in Manchester. Appearing on ITV's Agenda on Monday night, Mr Miliband held up a spoof newspaper front page, with the headline: 'Em plays the Kim Kard.' It was a reference to Kim Kardashian's expertise at the photo opportunity, and the extraordinary pictures released last week in which she posed naked on the front of Paper magazine, under the headline 'Break the internet'. The images sparked countless spoofs online. Explaining his front page, Mr Miliband said: 'You'll know she ‘broke’ the internet this week with a risque photo opportunity. 'Now all politicians have problems with photo opportunities, me more than most, so I have decided to hire Kim to help me with the photo opportunities.' Mr Miliband was widely mocked after being pictured struggling to eat a bacon sandwich in May this year. He suggested he could learn from Kim Kardashian, who appeared on the front cover of Paper magazine last week under the headline: 'Break the internet' Myleene says you can only buy a garage for £2million – in fact it's a sprawling mansion with an indoor swimming pool and a sweeping drive . Myleene Klass joked that in some parts of London buying a property for more than the proposed £2million Mansion Tax threshold would probably only stretch to a garage. But in fact it can secure a mansion in less fashionable parts of the capital and something even grander outside London - usually with a swimming pool, huge drive and extensive grounds. However, the singer is right about garages being expensive, because last month one in Chelsea sold for an eye-watering £550,000. Overall it is estimated that 108,000 homes – the vast majority in London and the South East – will be caught by the tax. This is what £2million can buy you: . Ed Miliband's own home near Hampstead Heath, was bought in his then girlfriend, now wife Justine Thornton's name in 2009 for £1.6million, but is now thought to be worth around £2million. A four-bedroom semi-detached riverside home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, was being sold with a guide price of £2,000,000, in an area where average prices have risen 19.34per cent in the last five years. There are also fears that, if the tax is introduced, the threshold could later be reduced as an easy way of boosting Government revenue. In Oxford, semi-detached town houses in desirable parts of the city, where homes sold for around £400,000 in the mid-90s, are on sale for more than £2million. Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps has branded the mansion tax plan as an attack on ordinary taxpayers whose family home has soared in value. This six-bedroom detached house in Formby, Merseyside is on sale for £2million, and boasts a heated swimming pool and a snooker room. Average prices on the street currently stand at £910,795 - an increase of 5.27per cent from five years ago. A neighbouring ten-bedroom property sold for £2million in 2005, and is now thought to be worth £2,152,966. A guide price of £2,095,000 would buy this four-bedroom farmhouse near Ilkley, West Yorkshire, which comes complete with its own swimming pool and spa. Homes in the area sell for an average of £962,016, an increase of 12 per cent from 2009. Critics have also expressed fears that introducing such a tax would require every home to be accurately valued, which would lead to potentially lengthy appeals should homeowners disagree with the valuation - all of which would come at a cost. Offers of around £2million are being taken for a four-bedroom farmhouse near Tregony in South Cornwall, an area where prices have gone up 7.56per cent since 2009. It could also put off wealthy foreign buyers from moving to the UK, and older people who purchased their homes before their value sky-rocketed and who now have a low-income could be forced to sell up and move as they would be unable to pay a new tax. A three-bedroom detached house in Heddon-On-The-Wall, outside Newcastle Upon Tyne is on sale for £2.2m. There are also fears a mansion tax could put people off making modifications to their homes that might push up the value, having a negative knock on effect on the construction industry. And for £550,000.... This dilapidated old shed, which doubled for a garage, in Chelsea, has been snapped up for £550,000 before it had a chance to go under the hammer . | Labour candidate calls on Myleene Klass to leave UK over remarks .
Comes after the former pop star attacked Ed Miliband's mansion tax plan .
Labour wants to impose a levy on homes worth more than £2m .
But Klass told him: 'You may as well just tax me on this glass of water'
Viewers said she was ‘doing a Paxman’ and ‘wiping the floor’ with Miliband .
Labour's Rachel Reeves slams singer and says 'what planet is she on?'
Mock JustGiving page created to pay the singer's mansion tax bill .
Labour leader turns to Kim Kardashian to improve his image in photos . |
0de7b614a2bb8a5b3b3710f3979b68f15ccd3329 | MONTECITO, California (CNN) -- One of three major wildfires burning in southern California appears to be "human caused," a spokesman for the state's fire agency said Sunday. Investigators have eliminated "all accidental causes" of the fire that has destroyed 210 homes and injured two people in Santa Barbara County since Thursday, spokesman Doug Lannon said. "We need the public's help in identifying any activity in or around the afternoon of November 13," Lannon said. The fire has burned 1,940 acres, including a monastery and several mansions in the Montecito community, where celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, have homes. It was 80 percent contained Sunday, the state fire agency said. Watch expensive homes go up in flames » . Authorities believe the fire started in the Tea Garden Estate, a privately owned multi-acre property, about one mile north of Santa Barbara's exclusive Westmont College. The two other major fires burning Sunday were in Los Angeles County and in Orange and Riverside counties east of Los Angeles. The three blazes have destroyed hundreds of homes, scorched more than 35,000 acres and forced more than 10,000 people to flee their homes since Thursday, authorities said. Authorities on Sunday were searching the wreckage of nearly 500 mobile homes destroyed in Sylmar, one of the areas burned by the fire in Los Angeles County. As of early Sunday afternoon, a third of the mobile homes had been searched, and "no human remains have been found," according to Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Michael Moore. Police had not received any reports of people missing from the park. Moore said 134 residents had been accounted for, and that the others should check in with city authorities. Los Angeles County Coroner Ed Winter said authorities believe "most of the people from this mobile home park were evacuated," and that the search was precautionary. The Los Angeles County blaze erupted late Friday in the steep terrain of the Angeles National Forest on the outskirts of Sylmar, about 20 miles north of Los Angeles. See images from the Los Angeles County fire » . That fire has burned more than 10,000 acres and is about 40 percent contained, California fire officials said Sunday. Nine other homes and 10 businesses had been destroyed in Los Angeles by Saturday evening, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. Firefighters were struggling to contain the third blaze, in Orange and Riverside counties, said Lynette Round, a spokeswoman for Orange County Fire Authority. iReport.com: 'Insurmountable' wall of flames looms . Firefighters were hoping that strong winds in southern California would die down Sunday, helping them to quell the blazes. "If the winds die down it will give the firefighters an upper hand on fighting this," Round told CNN on Sunday morning. "It is a wind-driven fire and with those gusty winds up to 25 miles an hour, it's giving the firefighters a really difficult time. It's hopscotched throughout the county." Round said 168 homes were destroyed or damaged in the Orange County area. The so-called Triangle Freeway Complex Fire had also damaged a building at a high school, Round said. That blaze, which burned more than 23,700 acres, is 19 percent contained, according to California fire officials. Watch residents as fire approaches their homes » . Winds -- which have joined with low humidity and unseasonably high temperatures to help strengthen the fires -- were gusting up to 80 mph Saturday. The high temperature in Los Angeles reached 92 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared states of emergency for the affected counties after the fire damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and closed major freeways. The move frees up any state resources needed for fire-fighting, and makes the counties eligible for federal assistance grants. In Los Angeles, Villaraigosa declared a city emergency early Saturday morning and called for the public's cooperation in conserving energy as potential blackouts loomed. iReport.com: Share wildfire photos, video . Augustine Reyes and his family left their home in Sylmar about 2 a.m. Saturday when they could no longer stand the oppressive heat and smoke encroaching from the hills behind their home. When Reyes returned to survey the scene Saturday afternoon, all that remained were heaps of charred rubble. Reyes dabbed his eyes with a bandana as he worried over how to describe the loss to his 7-year-old son. "He's autistic and doesn't do well with change, so this is going to be very hard to explain to him," Reyes said. Watch residents reflect after their homes are burned to the ground » . By Saturday afternoon, people were taking refuge in evacuation shelters set up in three high schools in the area, officials said. Horses and other large animals were taken to a makeshift shelter in Hansen Dam Park. A mobile kennel was set up at Sylmar High School, and small pets could be taken to the Mission animal shelter. As for the Santa Barbara County fire, Lannon urged anyone who may have spotted suspicious vehicles or people in the area of the Tea Garden Estate in Montecito to call fire investigators at 951-969-2537, 951-314-0420 or 661-330-0129. CNN's Stan Wilson and Kara Finnstrom contributed to this report. | Accidental causes eliminated in Santa Barbara County blaze, official says .
More than 35,000 acres scorched in southern California since Thursday .
Officials: Los Angeles County fire only 40 percent contained on Sunday .
Firefighters struggle with Triangle Complex Fire in Orange County . |
0de84b2168a0fedc029049d7bb23dba311166c2c | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:00 EST, 20 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:16 EST, 20 November 2013 . Katherine Gregory (pictured) stole £37,000 from a fund for a woman she was supposed to be caring for . A carer stole a £37,000 fund that was meant to fund a life-changing operation for a woman who cannot speak. Cerebral palsy victim Tania Crowie was hoping to speak for the first time in 37 years after saving enough cash for ground-breaking therapy in the U.S. But her carer Katherine Gregory, 31, was secretly draining her bank account to spend on luxuries - including a three-week holiday to the U.S. Gregory has now been jailed for two years after she was convicted of theft at Bristol Crown Court. After the case heartbroken Tania, 44, told of her 'hatred' for the carer and how her dream of speaking is now in tatters. In a hand-written note she said: 'I feel hatred for her. I am angry, very angry, because it could have given me a life. I want to work, I don’t want to sponge off the government all my life. 'I wanted to work with disadvantaged kids, kids for whom society has got no time, because I have got so much love in my heart to give. 'I have empathy and compassion, which in my view is lacking in this horrible world today. I wanted to change lives if I could, because I know what it feels like as I’ve been in that position all my life. 'I want to do things, I want to raise money by doing a parachute jump or a wing walk.' Tania, of Yate, Bristol, was left unable to speak at the age of seven as the debilitating condition took hold. Through inheritance and carefully managing her budget, she had saved £37,000 towards the £100,000 she needed for a course of life-changing speech therapy in America. She met Gregory in 2008 when she was an agency worker sent to care for her. The two women became close and Gregory suggested the advantages of online banking, but their professional relationship ended when Gregory moved to Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. In autumn 2010 Gregory got back in touch with Tania offering her services again as a carer, telling her she had set up her own agency. Tania welcomed her back and Gregory quickly raised the issue of online banking once more. She took her advice and agreed for Gregory and her husband to set up four accounts in her name. Tania Crowie was going to use the money towards a £100,000 fund for surgery that would give her the ability to speak . Within days of setting up the banking Gregory began to transfer large sums into her own account, taking a total of £37,500 over 14 months. The pair’s relationship ended around November 2011, but Gregory 'bombarded' Tania with texts and calls and continued to take her money. Tania eventually realised her money was being stolen and complained to police but Gregory tried to claim the cash was ‘a gift’. After the case, Tania wrote: 'What she did played with my mind, and I don’t think two years was enough. But it is court, so anything is better than nothing, I guess. 'It wasn’t just the 30-odd grand from my account, it was the stealing of my personal goods as well, which all adds up. 'It was the loads of money in old notes, and all that I bought her from Ideal World and QVC off the TV. She really did hurt me, big time.' A hearing to establish and confiscate Gregory’s proceeds of crime was set for March 28. | Tania Crowie lost her voice when she was seven due to her cerebral palsy .
Money was intended to fund trip to U.S. where she would receive surgery . |
0de8afec544cbbf61b6b5fc849e9072243df85de | By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 08:47 EST, 28 October 2011 . Elizabeth 'Beanie' Esteve: She will be allowed to hold divorce proceedings in London after her husband's appeal failed . The multi-million pound divorce of a couple who enjoyed a jetsetting lifestyle must be fought on an English battleground, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Pyrros Vardinoyannis, 41, a scion of a Greek shipping dynasty, and his glamorous Brazilian heiress wife, Elizabeth, 38, met in St Tropez in 2001. Although they initially lived in London, the couple spent time in Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Milan, Crete and Gstaad. Last year, while Mr Vardinoyannis was in Switzerland and his wife was in London, she petitioned for divorce in this country. Lawyers for Mr Vardinoyannis tried to stop his wife – known to her friends as Beanie Esteve – pursuing her divorce in the notoriously generous English courts. London has been called the ‘divorce capital of the world’, attracting wives as ‘divorce tourists’ seeking bumper payouts. He disputed her claim to have lived in London for the 12 months before she filed for divorce, since she had spent months in Crete and Switzerland. Ruling against the husband at the . High Court earlier this year, Mr Justice Peter Jackson said moving . around was a feature of the family’s lifestyle, and now the Court of . Appeal has upheld the decision. The . ruling means the divorce battle, which has already run up legal costs . of well over £1million, will go ahead in front of an English judge. ‘Just as there are multinational companies, so this is a multinational family,’ Mr Justice Jackson said in his judgement. ‘Their lives have not been tied down . by mundane considerations such as financial budgets, local connections, . immigration restrictions or language limitations. ‘Instead, . they have lived a protracted modern version of the 18th-century Grand . Tour, gravitating towards places where the moneyed international social . set gathers. ‘The . husband, in particular, appeared to struggle in evidence to comprehend . the concept of “home” as applying to his family at all. They have . . . shallow roots.’ Happier times: Elizabeth Esteve and Pyrrhos Vardinoyannis in 2005. They now live separately in London . Mr Vardinoyannis, who describes himself as a private investor, grew up in Switzerland, attended university in the U.S. and moved to London in 1994. His wife was born and brought up in Brazil, went to school in Switzerland and the U.S., university in Paris, then attended an art course in London and worked in a gallery in New York. The couple married in 2003. Rejecting the appeal, Lord Justice Thorpe, who sat with Lord Justice Longmore and Lord Justice McFarlane, said: ‘The requirement of European law does not stipulate for her presence, but only for her residence here.’ The family home in Kensington, West London, has been sold but the couple, who have two children, now live separately in the capital. | Pyrros Vardinoyannis wanted to stop Elizabeth Esteve filing for divorce in 'generous' English courts .
The couple had spent time in London, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Milan, Crete and Gstaad .
He disputed her claim to have lived in London for a year before she filed for divorce, but court disagreed . |
0decf88cd15737dfd024e7e594a2627b76fdb681 | A former top Justice Department official in Arizona leaked an internal memo from a federal agent who had criticized the politically charged "Fast and Furious" gun trafficking operation, a government report found. Dennis Burke, who was U.S. Attorney for the state, admitted to senior Justice Department officials in 2011 that he had leaked to the media the memo written by John Dodson, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to the Justice Department inspector general's finding on Monday. The IG report said the leak was an apparent attempt to undermine Dodson's credibility. Burke resigned after making the disclosure. What was 'Fast and Furious,' and what went wrong? The report said the memo was among documents gathered for review by congressional committees investigating the botched ATF operation dubbed "Fast and Furious." The controversial program allowed 2,000 guns to cross Arizona's border with Mexico beginning in 2009 with the intention of tracking them to criminal gangs. Authorities lost track of hundreds of weapons that wound up in the hands of drug cartels and two guns wound up at the scene of a border agent's slaying the next year although it was not clear whether they factored in the death. A report last September by the Justice Department's inspector general found that the operation was marked by "a series of misguided strategies, tactics, errors in judgment and management failures."` According to the report, the "Fast and Furious" memo should not have been released to the media without approval by the Justice Department's public affairs office. Excerpts from the 'Fast and Furious' report . The report said Burke told a senior Justice Department official that he didn't know the memo was only to be given to congressional investigators and thought the member of the media who received it had already seen it. Burke reportedly also said he didn't think he'd done anything inappropriate. Burke later told congressional investigators that he provided the memo to a friend who gave it to a FOX News producer, according to the report. Dodson's attorney complained to the DOJ Office of Inspector General in July 2011 that someone had leaked the memo after the agent received an e-mail from a FOX news producer asking for comment on excerpts. According to the inspector general's report, the memo suggested an operation using tactics similar to the ones Dodson had later criticized in congressional testimony. The IG report said "although Burke denied to congressional investigators that he had any retaliatory motive for his actions, we found substantial evidence to the contrary." Chuck Rosenberg, a lawyer representing Burke, had no comment on the report. The inspector general's office said it would refer the matter to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility to determine whether he had violated rule of professional conduct for any state bars of which he is a member. Report slaps 14 at Justice, ATF . | Memo written by federal agent was critical of the botched gun-running operation .
IG report says the leak was intended to undermine credibility of agent .
Top federal prosecutor in Arizona at the time says he did not think he did anything wrong . |
0ded72aca65114fec95fc7b9a67f04fefd4c045b | (CNN) -- "Obvious Child" has all the story arcs for romantic-comedy gold, including a newly brokenhearted protagonist trying to find her way in life and love, an unlikely meet-cute of opposite personalities and an advisory panel of cheeky best friends. But one of the film's major through lines is a topic not often broached in theaters: abortion. The film, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and will open nationwide on Friday, has been called "the most winning abortion-themed rom-com ever" by The Dissolve, and in a piece called "No more Shmashmortion" on Slate.com, writer Amanda Hess deemed it "the most honest abortion movie I've ever seen." Though the movie successfully mines the traditional rom-com tropes for laughs, groans and "awwwws," abortion is emerging as its unlikely claim to fame. "We don't feel like that description does it justice," producer Elisabeth Holm told CNN. "It's as much about a stand-up comedian and her life in New York. (An abortion) happens, but it doesn't have to define her." When Holm spoke with CNN, she acknowledged the filmmakers were "trying to humanize the experience," even including a scene during the main character's abortion procedure. But they "never set out to make an agenda-driven film," Holm said. Gillian Robespierre wrote and directed "Obvious Child"; actress Jenny Slate stars as Donna Stern, the bathroom-humor-prone comedian who chooses to undergo an in-clinic procedure after a booze-fueled, one-night stand with Vermont-bred prepster Max, played by Jake Lacy. Abortion has long been a hot topic in pop culture, from "Maude" in 1972 to HBO's "Girls" in recent years. The release of "Obvious Child" comes shortly after a woman faced criticism for filming and releasing footage of her own abortion in order to show that it wasn't the traumatic experience for her that many assume it to be. In 2010, the CDC reported 765,651 legal induced abortions, with women in their 20s -- like Slate's character -- contributing to the majority of that number. The debate in movies, TV and viral clips is a reflection of real life: According to a recent CNN/ORC International survey of Americans, 27% of respondents said abortion should be legal in all circumstances, 13% said it should be legal in most circumstances, 38% said it should be legal in a few circumstances, and 20% said it should always be illegal. Holm says as a born-and-raised New Yorker, both she and director Robespierre came from a world where conversations about abortion happened "in a shame-free, regret-free, clear way" with mothers, friends and sisters -- and that was the experience that they wanted to show on-screen. In "Obvious Child," several characters along the way reveal they had abortions (some legal, some not) in their teens and 20s. As with any romantic comedy, the two leads, Max and Donna, maintain a "will they/won't they" vibe throughout most of the film -- and that's intentional, Holm says. But Donna's decision to terminate her pregnancy isn't wishy-washy, or even driving the plot. It's the result of a drunken one-night stand that ends without exchanging phone numbers. She's lost her job, and is trying to get a comedy career on track -- from Donna's perspective, the choice is clear. "It's very decisive," Holm says. In a scene filmed in an actual Planned Parenthood, Donna says, "I'd like an abortion, please," then apologizes about sounding like a fast-food customer before repeating her request. Holm says it was crucial to illustrate the actual abortion process: A camera focuses on Donna's face as the sedative kicks in and vacuuming sounds hum in the background. "I think we've seen a lot of movies where they fade off into the sunset before that action happens," she says. "It was critical to show this moment where it's safe and healthy and also vulnerable." "This is an experience that many women go through without shame and regret, but not without emotion. Hopefully it's something that people can connect to and have a conversation about. Whatever side you're on." Framing the ever-contentious issue in a romantic comedy has captivated audiences. "It shouldn't be a particularly earth-shaking turn, but in a world of rom-coms like 'Knocked Up' and 'Juno,' in which the heroines make the heartwarming decision to go ahead with their pregnancies, this modest little indie movie feels momentous," NPR film critic David Edelstein said of the film. Meanwhile, a piece at the Daily Caller asked, "Has Hollywood hit a new low?" Its gist: "The film seems to be another Hollywood attempt to reinforce their idea of female empowerment. In this case, it includes one night stands and abortions." Robespierre told nonprofit news organization Mother Jones: "Whatever other conversation occurs, we're really excited. ... (Conservatives bashing "Obvious Child") haven't seen the movie; they're basing it on articles and trailers." Still, just as with any summer romantic comedy, the filmmakers hope the takeaway for viewers is sweet, sincere and relatable. "Hopefully, the movie is one that makes people feel confident in who they are and the choices that they make," Holm says. "And sometimes with confidence comes vulnerability -- and that's a very human experience." Do you think abortion is a fitting topic to include in a romantic comedy? Share your thoughts in the comments, on Twitter @CNNLiving or on CNN Living's Facebook page. Read more about comedy movies and more at CNN Comedy. | "Obvious Child" was dubbed an "abortion rom-com" after its Sundance Film Festival premiere .
Jenny Slate plays Donna Stern, a stand-up comedian who gets pregnant after a one-night stand .
Producer says the film is more about Stern figuring out her 20-something life than an agenda . |
0dee804e732032149efd7e35a067c1297490bd9e | Scientists have found the brain's 'misery molecule' believed to be responsible for all of our feelings of stress and anxiety . Scientists have found the brain's 'misery molecule' believed to be responsible for all of our feelings of stress and anxiety. Researchers believe that the protein - named CRF1 - could also be linked to depression. A team from Heptares Therapeutics, a medical company based in Hertfordshire, used one of the world's most powerful x-ray machines to study the brain's pituitary gland. It has long been known that the gland controls stress, depression and anxiety by releasing stress chemicals, the Sunday Times reports. Now, scientists have discovered the response is triggered by CRF1 - which is found in the outer membranes of pituitary cells. Fiona Marshall, chief scientific officer at Heptares, told the paper: 'Stress related diseases such as depression and anxiety affect a quarter of adults each year, but what many people don't realise is that these conditions are controlled by proteins in the brain, one of which is CRF1.' She added that now they have worked out the structure of it and how it works it could open up potential to design drugs to control it. CRF1 sits in pituitary cells and detects the stress molecules detected by the hypothalamus, a portion of the brain which produces hormones that control, body temperature, hunger and moods - among others. A team from Heptares Therapeutics, a medical company based in Hertfordshire, used the Diamond Light Source (pictured) one of the world's most powerful x-ray machines to study the brain's pituitary gland . When it picks one of these molecules up, it triggers the parent cell to release the hormones which lead to stress and anxiety, the paper reports. Using the Diamond Light Source, based in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which produces powerful x-ray beams, researchers were able to study the protein's structure and pin point areas which could be targeted by new drugs. Ms Marshall said they had identified a 'crevice' which would be an ideal area to aim a molecule which could be specially designed to block CRF1 - effectively disabling it. She said the team now hope to use this research method to analyse molecules involved in type 2 diabetes - with the hope of one day developing a drug which can be taken orally as opposed to the injections which sufferers of the condition have to use. | Researchers found the protein - named CRF1- in the pituitary gland .
It triggers cells to release hormones linked with stress and anxiety .
They now hope to create a drug which can target and block this function . |
0defcfe55eea927a3cfd5dd22a8c0aed5c519ba7 | Brendan Rodgers has warned his defenders that they must get better if Liverpool are to mount another challenge for the Premier League title this season. The free-scoring Reds came within two points of winning the championship last season, but conceded 46 goals along the way and the manager has identified his back-line as the main area that needs to be improved. '(Defence) is a place where we want to be better, there’s no doubt about that,' he told Sky Sports News. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Gerrard and Sturridge take selfies with fans in the crown . Case for the defence: Brendan Rodgers knows his back-line need to improve this season . Leaky: Liverpool eventually lost the title race to Manchester City after conceding 49 goals . 'It wasn’t good enough to concede that many goals, considering the amount of possession we had and amount of goals we scored. 'Generally of course the whole team will be looking to improve, and there are areas that we will specifically be looking at between now and August.' Liverpool will be tested more this season now that they have qualified for the Champions League, although Rodgers says their return to Europe's elite competition has made signing new players easier. Europe's elite: Champions League football has attracted top players like Adam Lallana . 'We’re in the Champions League, players want to come here and play and that’s great,' he said. 'It is easier to attract players but you’ve still got to do your work and convince players to come. 'The off-season wasn’t much of a holiday really! The scouting team, myself, the directors were flying all over Europe to get players in.' The Anfield club has confirmed the signings of Emre Can, Lazar Markovic and Southampton pair Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert - with Rodgers revealing there is likely to be more to come. 'At this level you have to be able to spend and the owners have been great,' he added. 'They’ve . backed us in terms of getting players in and hopefully we can get one or . two more in which will give us great depth going into all the . competitions.' 'The best players want to play at the best level.' Liverpool . are expected to complete deals for Southampton defender Dejan Lovren, . QPR forward Loic Remy and Belgium World Cup star Divock Origi before the . transfer window closes. I'll get my Croat: Dejan Lovren is close to completing a £20m move from Southampton to Liverpool . More to follow: Loic Remy (L) and Divock Origi (R) are also expected to arrive at Anfield imminently . Meanwhile, Rodgers has said that he will not rush the recovery of injured forward Lallana after the England international suffered lateral collateral ligament damage during a training session in the United States. 'Of course it was very disappointing - it's probably going to be four to six weeks,' Rodgers said at a media conference from Soldier Field in Chicago. 'He has looked fantastic in training; it was just a very simple exercise with no pressure. The medical team are looking closely at that at the moment. 'We're hopeful that he'll come back fairly quickly but there's no rush. He's a fantastic player, we just need to get him back fit and well because it's a long season.' | Brendan Rodgers admits that Liverpool's defence must to better .
Reds finished second in the Premier League but conceded 49 goals last term .
Champions League return has helped attract players to Anfield .
Liverpool have signed Emre Can, Lazar Markovic, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana with deals expected for Dejan Lovren, Loic Remy and Divock Origi .
Rodgers insists he will not rush Lallana back from injury . |
0df150476556cf04eb9e34e5750b131ca239c3c3 | (CNN) -- Fried chicken. Mashed potatoes. Collard greens. These were the foods Chris Ross grew up on in rural Kentucky. "One of the earliest food memories I have is my grandfather making hamburgers ... my grandmother frying potatoes," he says. "Of course, in those days, everything was fried in lard." Ross still enjoys those foods, despite having lost -- and kept off -- more than 100 pounds. He doesn't make substitutions or skip the bun. His weight loss secret isn't really a secret at all. He simply eats less. Ross, the executive chef at Bristol Catering in Louisville, Kentucky, started gaining weight after high school while working in restaurants, first as a waiter, then as a cook. At the time, he was studying law enforcement in college, but in between classes, he came home to watch the Food Network. "I just got consumed," he says. He didn't really notice that he had gained 20 or 30 pounds over his freshman year. He ignored the signs when his clothes stopped fitting. Later, when an overweight friend at work mentioned their similarities, he was confused. "I never saw it," Ross says. "It's a weird realization when you're gaining weight. You think, you're getting older. Maybe it's normal." Then in late 2004, Ross stepped on a scale for the first time in years. The scale, which only went up to 300 pounds, refused to register his weight. That was bad. When he finally found another scale to tell him the truth, it was worse. The 6-foot-2-inch chef was 327 pounds. "To realize that you're not just obese, but morbidly obese, it was pretty tough on the mental psyche." Ross started looking at his daily habits a little closer. He switched from regular Coke to Coke Zero and lost 10 pounds over a couple months. Then he picked up a book -- "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano -- that he saw Oprah Winfrey discussing on her show. As a chef, he'd always had a love for Paris. If anything could motivate him, this was it. The book talked about eating smaller portions, drinking water and walking everywhere. So Ross started doing the same. He tried to drink eight glasses of water every day, and he made an effort to walk for at least an hour before or after work. Take upwave's challenge: Drink more water! The book's tips helped him drop another 20 pounds. But it wasn't enough. After reading about a New Orleans chef who had lost weight, Ross decided to conduct an experiment. For one day, he wrote everything that he tasted at his restaurant down on disposable spoons and tossed the spoons into a pan. At the end of the day, he tallied the calories. He had consumed more than 4,000 just from tasting his dishes. "Breakfast, lunch, dinner in addition to that -- I was taking in 6,000 calories a day," Ross says. "And not being an Olympic athlete, it was kind of hard to burn it off." Ross couldn't stop tasting his food. So he started discreetly spitting out his tastes into the trash. From that point on, nothing could stop him. When he hit 250 pounds, he started jogging. When he lost 10 more pounds, he ran a 5K race. When he got down to 230 pounds, he proposed. Then he and his fiancee started taking a friend's Zumba class. "Man, the weight really started falling off then," he says. "I'm a 36-year-old white guy with no rhythm. It's a fun exercise when you get over the fact that you feel stupid doing it." By the time the couple married in July 2011, Ross weighed 190 pounds. "I think the only way to really consistently lose weight and keep it off is to develop moderation and portion control," he says. "You need to eat what you want to eat, just try to maintain control." With three kids and a growing catering company, the days of a 40-hour work week are long gone. Still, Ross makes time to run at least four days a week as he trains for the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon on April 19. His weight fluctuates. Some days, dinner is a McDonald's double cheeseburger and kid-sized fries. He refuses to give up margarine, despite the FDA's warnings about the health risks of partially hydrogenated oils. But overall, Ross has adopted the healthy lessons he learned in "French Women Don't Get Fat." More importantly he's adopted the author's attitude: . "The key? Not guilt or deprivation but learning to get the most from the things you most enjoy." | Louisville chef Chris Ross started gaining weight after high school .
He realized he was taking in 4,000 calories a day just from tasting his food .
After reading an inspirational book, Ross lost 130 pounds . |
0df1b6ba7580cf6d90ed172612645230bae649a3 | A devoted husband has written his wife a love letter every single day for almost forty years, because he's 'crazy about her'. Bill Bresnan, 74, from Toms River, New Jersey, has penned more than 10,000 of the notes as a constant expression of his affection for Kirsten, also 74. Even when the couple are apart, Bresnan makes sure to mail the cards ahead of time to wherever she's going to be. Picture of devotion: Bill Bresnan has written his wife Kirsten, above, more than 10,000 love letters across four decades . Leafing through: The couple has kept every single letter and can look back on them to see what they were doing . Love letter: Above is one of the messages, dated June 1990, where Bresnan invites his wife on a boating trip . The pair met in 1974, when Kirsten enrolled in a finance class her husband-to-be was teaching. The letters, sporadic at first, soon followed. 'I'd mail a card from Chicago, a note from Los Angeles, a napkin from a restaurant in Boston. Into her scrapbook they went, and the collection took on a life of its own', he wrote in the Asbury Park Press. Since they married, the ritual became embedded, and Bresnan claims to have never missed a single day. 'I'm crazy about her - that's the only way I can describe it', he told ABC News. The huge cache of sentimental writings, each signed with two kisses and an infinity symbol, is now stored in 25 neatly-filed boxes in the couple's attic. Storage: There are now so many letters that the Bresnans store the huge mass of love notes in their attic . Chronological: Thanks to meticulous record-keeping, the cards are organised in date order, and chronicle four decades . As well as keeping their relationship strong day-by-day, the chronological collection also offers them a window into the past. Bresnan said: 'They're essentially a love diary. For example, I could pick out a day in 1982, and it’ll begin with the restaurant we ate in or a movie we saw and then a reaction to that.' Even major obstacles, such as when both Bresnan, and later his wife, were diagnosed with cancer, have not broken the daily tradition. Kirsten, who often writes letters back to her husband 'not every day, but very often', says that the ever-growing collection 'mean everything to me'. According to Bresnan, his romantic formula is part of his efforts to keep his marriage as strong as possible. He told ABC: 'The key to any relationship is that you both have to work at it every day.' 'And never go to bed mad. Talk about everything. Everything should get resolved before your goodnight kiss.' Homestead: The couple lives together in Toms River, New Jersey . | Bill Bresnan, 74, has written more than 10,000 letters to Kirsten .
The two met in 1974 in a finance class, and the letter ritual began soon after .
Ends each one with kisses and infinity symbol, says he is 'crazy' about her .
The couple, from Toms River, New Jersey, file away every letter in their attic . |
0df2a53dfe6c8330c1f0f48778f94277cc785e95 | The Football League is investigating whether Carson Yeung is still wielding significant influence at Birmingham from his prison cell. Yeung has been barred as a director of the club and is serving a six-year prison sentence in Hong Kong for money-laundering. However, Birmingham's parent company Birmingham International Holdings Limited (BIHL) has made a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange regarding changes Yeung - who owns 27.9 per cent of BIHL - wants to make to its board. Carson Yeung arrives in court in Hong Kong in June 2011 to face money-laundering offences . Yeung, pictured leaving court later that day, was later sentenced to six-years in prison for the charges . BIHL said Yeung is trying to force through changes to replace three directors with his own nominees and told the stock exchange it is 'very concerned about the concerted efforts' of Yeung and his associates. The Football League has now contacted Birmingham for clarification about Yeung's involvement. A Football League spokesman said: 'We have been in ongoing dialogue with the club in recent months with regard to changes in the shareholding of Birmingham International Holdings Limited (BIHL). Further to that, we have now become aware of the announcement made yesterday by BIHL to the Hong Kong stock exchange. 'As a result, the Football League has written to Birmingham City today to ask for clarification as to whether this statement demonstrates that Carson Yeung should be defined as a 'relevant person' under the Owners and Directors' Test while being subject to a disqualifying condition.' Yeung and Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish celebrate Birmingham's Carling Cup victory in 2011 . It is understood Birmingham are keen to be as transparent as possible - it was BIHL itself which raised the issue with the stock exchange. A statement from the club said: 'The club is in receipt of correspondence from the Football League in respect of its holding company Birmingham International Holdings Limited (BIHL) following an announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. 'The club is seeking clarification of the matters contained therein from the BIHL board and will revert to the Football League in due course.' The Football League can take action against the club if it finds Yeung is still significantly involved with the running of the club, with possible sanctions including fines, points deductions or a transfer embargo. The Football League has now contacted Birmingham for clarification about Yeung's involvement with the club . The BIHL statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange questioned the appropriateness of the new directors suggested by Yeung and flagged up a connection with another major shareholder which would take him over the percentage of club ownership he is allowed. Former hairdresser Yeung, 54, was jailed for six years in March for money-laundering - he continues to deny any guilt. The BIHL statement said Yeung was trying to remove the chairman and two other directors and replace them with three others: Wang Man Li, Li Wen Jun and Arjun Kumar Gurung. According to reports Wang Man Li is his common-law wife and Arjun Kumar Gurung is his driver and bodyguard. | Carson Yeung is serving a six-year prison sentence in Hong Kong for money-laundering .
Yeung has been barred as a director of the club .
The Football League has now contacted Birmingham for clarification about Yeung's involvement . |
0df2bbe9f3b63023ff6b2be7df7df981b5498b24 | The West African nation of Senegal is free of Ebola, the World Health Organization declared Friday, congratulating the country on the diligence that enabled it to repel the threat. Senegal had only one case, a man who had entered the country by road from Guinea, where he'd had direct contact with an Ebola patient. The government's response included identifying and monitoring 74 close contacts made by the man for signs of infection. It also introduced prompt testing of all suspected cases, increased surveillance at entry points to Senegal and nationwide public awareness campaigns, the WHO statement said. The patient recovered from Ebola and tested negative for the virus on September 5, the statement said. He's since returned to Guinea. Since then, 42 days have passed -- double the maximum known incubation period for the virus -- without another case, allowing Senegal to be declared free of Ebola. When the case was first detected, WHO treated it as a public health emergency it said, sending a team of epidemiologists to help local health officials and international partners such as Doctors Without Borders manage the situation. "The most important lesson for the world at large is this: An immediate, broad-based, and well-coordinated response can stop the Ebola virus, carried into a country in an infected traveler, dead in its tracks," WHO said. WHO sounded a note of caution, however, given that Senegal shares a border with Guinea, a hotspot for the disease along with Sierra Leone and Liberia. "While the outbreak is now officially over, Senegal's geographical position makes the country vulnerable to additional imported cases of Ebola virus disease," it said. | The World Health Organization declares Senegal free from Ebola .
The country had only one case, an infected man who entered by road from Guinea .
He recovered and 42 days have now passed without another case emerging, WHO says .
"An immediate, broad-based, and well-coordinated response can stop the Ebola virus," it says . |
0df400722c4ac59e1ee3c0d78bcf1da20a73eab9 | By . Matt Chorley, Political Editor for MailOnline . Most politicians have been known to kiss a baby on the campaign trail. But it seems today Alex Salmond has been ready to pucker up for just about anyone. As the First Minister embarked on his final full day of campaigning ahead of tomorrow's referendum, he seemed ready to plant a smacker on almost anyone's cheek, whether they said Yes or No. Scroll down for video . Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond plants a kiss on the cheek of flower seller Katrina Paterson during a walkabout in East Kilbride shopping centre today . During a tour of Hyspec Egineering in Stewarton near Glasgow, Mr Salmond also kissed Anne Lorne Gillies - the Scottish Gaelic singer who has used her public profile to back devolution . Both sides in the campaign have stepped up their efforts to win over undecided voters, with as many as 500,000 people still said to have yet to make up their minds . Polls continue to suggest that the referendum contest is going down to the wire, with three separate surveys last night all putting support for No narrowly ahead on 52 per cent, with 48 per cent for Yes. There was new evidence today that the undecided voters, thought to be as many as 500,000 people, could be more inclined to vote No. But Mr Salmond today insisted he was confident voters would back independence when they go to the polls from 7am tomorrow. In an attempt to win over voters he embarked on a fresh charm offensive, posing for selfies and showering wellwishers with kisses during a walkabout in East Kilbride shopping centre today. And on a visit to Hyspec Engineering in Kilmarnock, he took the chance to kiss Scottish Gaelic singer Anne Lorne Gillies. He also travelled to Largs in Ayshire during his final campaign push, hailing Scotland's 'date with destiny'. Kissing the First Minister seemed to be the only thing people in Largs wanted to do on Wednesday afternoon . In the sunshine of Largs, Ayshire, it seemed supporters were queuing up to meet the First Minister, give him a hug and get a kiss . Mr Salmond has joked about the number of selfies he has taken during the campaign, as voters rush to record the historic referendum . Anyone with a camera wanted their own photo with Mr Salmond as he toured Largs during his final campaign push . Throughout the referendum campaign, Mr Salmond has been repeatdly asked to pose for selfies, as he was today with a voter outside the British Heart Foundation charity shop in the East Kilbride shopping centre . Mr Salmond also smiled for the smartphone cameras at Hyspec Egineering as the latest polls suggested the result is too close to call . On his final campaign push, Mr Salmond also visited the headquarters of Braehead Foods in Kilmarnock . Travelling around Scotland in a helicopter, Mr Salmond gave onlookers a thumbs up as he predicted his campaign for independence would win . Speaking on a visit to an engineering firm in Stewarton, Ayrshire, the SNP leader said: 'My confidence is based on what's happening in the streets and communities around Scotland. 'I think there's a very substantial movement towards yes because people understand this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take the future of this country into our hands. 'When people go into the polling booths tomorrow they are going to vote for something, for a that vision of more prosperous but also a more just society, that's what's going to motivate people in the polling stations tomorrow.' Mr Salmond added: 'I think the movement is to Yes. I'm certain of that actually. I think we're being helped enormously by two things. 'One is the total negativity of the No campaign, it's a dismal, depressing no campaign. 'But also the positive message of Yes. We see in the employment figures today, a 45,000 increase in Scottish jobs, soaring beyond the UK level, Scottish unemployment well down, that's fantastic news for Scotland.' Thousands of Yes supporters tonight gathered in George Square, Glasgow as a show of support for independence . The gathering came as a new poll put Yes on 49 per cent and No on 51 per cent, suggesting the result is simply too close to call . Mr Salmond urged voters to ignore the 'arguments of politicians and the blizzard of statistics' and instead embrace the chance to put 'Scotland's future in Scotland's hands' There have been growing fears about intimidation from the Yes campaign, but today's event appeared to pass off peacefully . But in a barnstorming speech today, Gordon Brown tore into Mr Salmond, insisting Scotland does not belong to him or any other politician, declaring: 'Scotland belongs to all of us.' Speaking without notes, he urged anyone with doubts about the risks of separation to vote No to save the Union, adding: 'What we created together, let no nationalist split asunder.' The speech could become seen as one of the defining moments of the campaign, and reignite questions about whether Mr Brown should have fronted the No campaign from the start. | First Minister tours East Kilbride shopping centre and a firm in Stewarton .
Boasts that the momentum is with Yes campaign, but polls too close to call .
Photographed kissing shop staff and Gaelic singer Anne Lorne Gillies . |
0df4027a20c85017e22f4d60a69c65f2184ed293 | (CNN) -- Real Madrid came closer to scratching their 12-year Champions League itch with a 1-0 home victory over defending champions Bayern Munich. The La Liga side want to reach the European final for the first time since 2002 while the German champions are out to become the first team to defend the Champions League trophy. With so much at stake, attack and counter attack flowed in waves inside an electric Bernabeu Stadium Wednesday as two of Europe's top sides delivered on their promise to provide footballing fever in the semi-final. The opening -- and only -- goal of the match was a fine example of the ebb and flow. Real Madrid defender Pepe had blocked an early effort by Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo soon found the ball at his feet. Real's talisman -- back from hamstring and knee problems -- switched the play from defense to attack, picking out Fabio Coentrao with a perfectly-weighted ball. Coentrao threaded the ball through to Karim Benzema, who tapped in after 19 minutes to edge Real into the lead. Just minutes later, Ronaldo found himself in space in front of goal. But the golden touch of the Ballon d'Or footballer deserted him as he scooped the ball over the bar and raised his arms to the heavens in anguish. Di Maria, fed by Ronaldo, missed another good chance to double Real's advantage when his left footed shot went high and wide. Bayern turned the screw on the Spanish side as the first half wore on, dominating possession, but despite the best efforts of Philipp Lahm and Arjen Robben the home side kept them at bay. Ronaldo quickly got down to business at the restart as he had a shot palmed away by Manuel Neuer. The Bayern goalkeeper had his work cut out on his return to the team and he was again forced to save a fierce shot from Ronaldo. At the opposite end, Robben, who left Madrid to join Munich, had motored towards goal on a solo run but his shot was safely collected by Iker Casillas, who later punched away another Bayern effort. Gareth Bale recovered from flu in time to replace Ronaldo in the later stage of the Champions League tie and the Welshman also forced a save from Neuer. But it was Bayern substitute Mario Gotze who almost had the last say with a powerful shot on goal only for Casillas to instinctively block his strike. The German side had a late appeal for a penalty turned down by English referee Howard Webb. Madrid will now travel to Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena next week with a slender advantage while Munich manager Pep Guardiola must work out how to make his team's possession pay. "Everything is still possible in this tie," Bayern keeper Neuer told Uefa.com. "We expect a similar game in the return leg. "We have to keep focused and take advantage of our opportunities." Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who along with Guardiola has lifted the European trophy as both a player and a manager, said: "The fans helped the team a lot. The atmosphere was spectacular. We want to do everything we can to take them to Lisbon. "We need everything in the second leg; sacrifice, courage, quality. We have a small advantage but nobody knows what will happen." He added he expects both Ronaldo and Bale to be fully fit for next Tuesday's second leg. In the other semi-final, played on Tuesday evening, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid played out a goalless draw. An impenetrable defensive display from the Premier League side restricted the Spanish hopefuls to just a handful of chances. A place in the Champions League final in Lisbon on 24th May is still up for grabs as all four teams prepare to renew rivalries in next week's return legs. | Real Madrid edge out Bayern Munich in Champions League semi-final first leg .
Frenchman Karim Benzema scores only goal after 19 minutes .
Cristiano Ronaldo returns from injury to help inspire Spanish side .
Bayern Munich dominate possession but cannot convert chances . |
0df4dad091d916596fac29c0eacec7eb5794cf6b | The NFL did not receive a video of Ray Rice knocking out his fiancee in a casino elevator before it was published online after they failed to investigate the case properly, according to an independent review. 'The NFL should have done more with the information it had and should have taken additional steps to obtain all available information about the February 15 incident,' former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III said in a statement after releasing his 96-page report on Thursday. The Ravens running back was only suspended for two games after his arrest for punching his now-wife Janay during a night out at an Atlantic City, New Jersey casino in February. After video of the incident emerged on TMZ, he was released by the team and suspended indefinitely from the league, although the latter decision was ultimately reversed. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did not see the video of Ray Rice punching his fiancee in a lift . The running back is a free agent . In his report, Mueller said he can find no evidence the league received the video of the incident. A law enforcement official previously said he had mailed a DVD to NFL headquarters in April. The report said a review of phone records and emails of NFL employees showed no evidence that anyone in the league had seen the video before Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Rice. The private investigation without subpoena power did not include any contact with the law enforcement official who claimed the DVD had been sent to the league. The officer had also played the Associated Press a 12-second voicemail from an NFL office number dated April 9, in which a woman verifies receipt of the DVD and says: 'You're right, it's terrible.' The official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to share the evidence, said he took steps to avoid being found or identified by the NFL. 'We have reviewed the report and stand by our original reporting,' said Kathleen Carroll, the AP's executive editor. 'The Mueller team did ask us for source material and other newsgathering information, but we declined. Everything that we report and confirm goes into our stories. We do not offer up reporters' notes and sources.' Cameras caught the moment that Rice punched his then-fiancee Janay in the face in a casino lift . Rice was initially suspended for two games and then released by the Ravens over the footage . Mueller's report disputed this, saying that investigators 'found no evidence that anyone at the NFL had or saw the in-elevator video before it was publicly shown'. 'We also found no evidence that a woman at the NFL acknowledged receipt of that video in a voicemail message,' Mueller said. Investigators spoke with Goodell and more than 50 NFL employees, all 188 women who had been in the NFL office building on the day of the supposed voicemail, and looked at e-mails from all league officials, many of which contradicted the notion they might have viewed the elevator video. The probe also searched more than 400 NFL employee computers plus mobile phones of top NFL executives. 'We found no evidence the in-elevator video was or had been stored or viewed on a league computer prior to the video's public release,' Mueller said. But Mueller also found the NFL's deference to the law enforcement process involving Rice 'led to deficiencies in the league's collection and analysis of information during its investigation.' The approach 'can foster an environment in which it is less important to understand precisely what a player did than to understand how and when the criminal justice system addresses the event.' Robert Mueller concluded in his report that the NFL had substantial information about the case . Mueller's report details some of the efforts the NFL made in obtaining the video, but said the league should have taken additional steps to find out what happened inside the elevator. 'League investigators did not contact any of the police officers who investigated the incident, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, or the Revel to attempt to obtain or view the in-elevator video or to obtain other information,' the report said. 'No one from the league asked Rice or his lawyer whether they would make available for viewing the in-elevator video they received as part of criminal discovery in early April.' The report also said the league didn't follow up on initial conversations with the Ravens to determine whether the team had more information. The official showed the AP multiple videos from the casino the night Rice was arrested. Those videos included security cameras from inside and outside the elevator and two cellphone videos that included some audio. The league said it considered the video published by TMZ in September to be new evidence meriting an indefinite suspension. Janay Rice appeared at a press conference with her husband in May and apologised for her part . Its emergence drew renewed backlash to the league from women's organizations, members of Congress and players - all calling for more detail on how the NFL handled the case. Giants owner John Mara and Steelers President Art Rooney, the men appointed by Goodell as liaison's to the investigation, said Mueller made six recommendations that the owners will review. Rooney and Mara discussed the report's recommendations with Goodell on Thursday. Rooney and Mara agreed that the league's policy on domestic violence was insufficient. 'We were slow to react, and in the case of Ray Rice, the original punishment was insufficient,' their statement said. 'In addition, the steps taken by the NFL to investigate this matter were inadequate. Since then, a new policy concerning domestic violence and other rules for conduct violations have been put into place.' In the wake of the knockout punch video becoming public, Rice was released by the Ravens. He won a legal appeal in November to overturn the indefinite suspension but did not play in the 2014 NFL season and remains a free agent. | Independent review by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III said the NFL should have obtained all the information about the February attack .
The report did not find any evidence that the NFL had received a copy of the footage in April, as an official had previously claimed .
Rice was suspended for two games but after the video emerged in September he was released by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely .
He successfully appealed the suspension and remains a free agent . |
0df565eb2ed935ff08ebd2c4b84eea00bb38a250 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:42 EST, 27 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:47 EST, 28 November 2012 . Inspiring: Wing Commander Ken Gatward became an international hero after dropping the French flag on the Arc de Triomphe in occupied France . The incredible story of how a RAF pilot flew down the Champs-Elysees to drop a French flag over Nazi-occupied Paris has emerged after his medals were put up for sale. Wing Commander Ken Gatward managed the 'impossible feat' of flying his Bristol Beaufighter down the Champs-Elysees at 30ft before dropping the French Tricolour over the Arc de Triomphe. The daring act was a symbol of hope to the occupied French as the Arc honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars. The British pilot then headed towards the Gestapo headquarters which he littered with 20mm shells - helping to boost morale in Paris when it was most needed. The attack sent the German SS troops running for their lives, to the delight of the Parisians who had seen them as an invincible enemy up until that point. The brave pilot volunteered for the dare-devil mission to boost the morale of the French and put the wind up the Germans. Wg Cdr Gatward’s inspirational antics were celebrated in British newspaper cartoons and raised the hope and morale among the British and French. One of the cartoons depicted his aircraft doing a loop around the Eiffel Tower, with the word ‘Hope’ written in the sky using his trail smoke. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and after the war he was hailed a hero by the French government who presented him with a huge bottle of Champagne and a Tricolour in Paris. Wg Cdr Gatward’s medal set, that includes his DFC with bar and a Distinguished Service Order, have now been put up for auction after the recent death of his widow. Daring: Ken Gatward needed to fly his Bristol Beaufighter at 30ft down the Champs-Elysees for the mission . Legend: The incredible feat in June 1942 gave a much-needed boost to French morale and was celebrated in the press with cartoons similar to the one shown above . Being sold with it are the pilot’s log books and the wooden commemorative Champagne case inscribed with the words ‘In Remembrance of Your Flight Over Paris’. A souvenir booklet featuring a sketch of the moment Wg Cdr Gatward and his observer dropped the Tricolour over the Arc de Triomphe with German army trucks on the ground is also being sold. James Grinter, of auctioneers Reeman Dansie of Colchester, Essex, said: 'Ken Gatward’s act of bravery is a real Boy’s Own story. Honour: Ken Gatward was presented with a Tricolour by the grateful French in 1949 . 'He was asked to volunteer for the ‘unsafe mission’ which was aimed as boosting the morale of the French and British people as well as undermine the Germans. 'This is June 1942 and the real dark days of war for the French and this was to demonstrate that the Germans weren’t invincible.' Wg Cdr Gatward was chosen for the sortie as he had demonstrated a skill for accurate flying during low-level attacks on enemy positions after Dunkirk. The British had been informed the Germans held daily parades down the Champs-Elysees and he was asked to strafe the parade. He and his navigator, Flight Sergeant George Fern, took off from Thorny Island, near Portsmouth, on June 12. After reaching Paris, he flew at just 30ft before Ft Sgt released the flag down the flare shute and over the Arc de Triomphe. Mr Grinter said: 'It is an amazing story - one of those that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 'He flew down the Champs-Elysees at second floor window height. It was an incredible act of bravery and a real audacious attack. 'He . attacked the Gestapo HQ and SS troops were seen to run for their lives. As he turned for home the Germans came out and shook their fists at . him. For sale: Auctioneers Reeman and Dansie are selling Gatward's medals later this week . Helping the war effort: Ken Gatward's audacious flight significantly helped the morale of the French . 'The attack gave Parisians one of the greatest thrills of the war and had a huge effect on the morale of the French and at home.' When Wg Cdr Gatward returned he entered a very bland entry into his log book to record the daring raid. Wg Cdr Gatward was awarded a second DFC in September 1944 for taking part in an aeriel attack on a German convoy in Norwegian waters. He spent 30 years in the RAF before retiring. He lived in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, with wife Pamela and died in 1998 aged 84. His medals and other items are expected to sell for 8,000 pounds at the auction on Friday. Understated: Ken Gatward's bland log book entry for 12th June 1942 reads 'dropped Tricolour on Arc D'Triomphe, shot up German HQ, dead bird in radiator...' In remembrance: Ken Gatward was also presented with a crate of Champagne by the French government . | Wing Commander Ken Gatward flew down the Champs-Elysees at 30ft to leave the French Tricolour over the Arc de Triomphe .
Pilot then attacked the Gestapo headquarters with 20mm shells .
Wg Cdr Gatward awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and hailed a hero by the French government after the war . |
0df5f13d50b7fe4d5bba79675ab0728cddc72a6d | It has long been considered the most upmarket of supermarkets, and now Waitrose has cemented its reputation with a range of ‘essential’ items so unnecessary that shoppers have taken to the internet to mock it. Vermicelli nests, baby avocados, kelp soap and cotton flower ironing water are among the unusual products to find themselves branded as ‘essentials’. Limoncello dessert, parmesan and pâté are on the list, too. So are dinner candles, cappuccino mousse, lardons, artichoke hearts and cardamom and black pepper soap. With many British households still feeling the effects of the recession, one critic posted a photo of the ‘essential Waitrose’ pasta product with the sarcastic observation: ‘How does one get through the day without some vermicelli nests?’ Scroll down for video . Critics have taken to the internet to mock Waitrose over the type of food included on their 'essential' range . One wag commented on ‘How does one get through the day without some vermicelli nests?’ ‘What sort of a ponce thinks blueberries are essential?’ asked another baffled commenter. When the essential Waitrose range was first launched, the supermarket promised customers that though prices might be lower than some of its other offerings – such as the free-range goose eggs that sold for £6.99 each – the range would still offer ‘the reassurance of Waitrose values’. Since then, it has expanded to 2,100 items, including many that might seem more at home in a delicatessen or a niche cosmetics store. The attack on Waitrose is far from the first time the supermarket and its clientele have been mocked. In July, the Overheard In Waitrose Facebook page attracted headlines by revealing shoppers’ exchanges including ‘Sebastian, supper is in the tagine’ and ‘Lucas, put that falafel down, you already chose olives with manchego as your treat’. Last night a defiant Waitrose spokeswoman said that rather than removing products from the essential Waitrose range, the supermarket has plans ‘in the pipeline’ to add 500 items to it. She said: ‘Put simply, if it’s essential to our customers, it’s essential to us. ‘Nearly eight out of ten baskets at our supermarket now contain at least one essential Waitrose item.’ A spokeswoman for Waitrose defended their essential range claiming 80 per cent of shoppers choose it . | The up-market retailer has a new essential range containing 2,100 items .
Shoppers can choose limonchello desert, cardamom and even kelp soap .
Internet critics have asked how does one survive without vermicelli nests .
Waitrose defended their range claiming 80 percent of shoppers choose it .
They said they are planning to introduce an extra 500 items due to demand . |
0df641918b17deba02c266848d6aa26f2f3ae848 | By . Ellie Buchdahl . Pearly queen: The Pearl of Asia - the largest pearl in the world, once part of the crown jewels of the Moghul empire - is on display at the V&A . A parasitic invertebrate that has just been pooed out by a shark is hardly the place you'd go to find that classy necklace. But experts have scuppered the popular belief that pearls form through friction with a grain of sand - saying that they actually build around tapeworm larvae. The revelation, which might have surprised fans of the beads such as Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, comes as part of a new exhibition at the V&A in London. A video demonstrating how the precious stones form when tapeworm larvae excreted by sharks and stingrays become trapped in water-filtering shellfish such as oysters will be on show at the museum's Pearls exhibition, which begins on Saturday. The show's co-creator, Hubert Bari, said: . 'The people marketing (pearls) prefer to say, "It is so fantastic, your . necklace was made from a grain of sand". 'It is better to speak about a grain of sand than to speak about a piece of s*** from a stingray.' The somewhat unsavoury origins of the . pearl have been known since 1852, when Filippi of Turin proved that a . parasitic flatworm called the Distomum duplicatum was the cause of the . stones forming inside freshwater mussels. ...and here's the little guy who made it: The larvae of a tapeworm, which gets into shellfish and causes them to excrete a substance that forms into a pearl . Precious: An Akoya pearl necklace, previously owned by Marilyn Monroe, which is one of the items in the V&A exhibition . The tapeworm had its crucial role in pearl formation acknowledged in a 1903 paper by Professors Herdman and Hornell on pearl fisheries in Ceylon. Pearls can form around any parasite - . including fish and snails - that has drilled into the the flesh of sea . creatures such as mussels, but tapeworms and flatworms that have been . excreted by larger animals are the most common invaders. The . immune system of the shellfish then fights the worm by surrounding them . with layer upon layer of nacre - a calcium-based material that makes up . their shells - causing the parasite to suffocate and become trapped in . this solid casing. Wealth: The Roseberry Pearl and Diamond Tiara that was given to Hannah De Rothschild as a wedding present in 1878 . Ancient and modern: The Pearl Pendant Earrings (top) and Ring (centre) once owned by Hollywood film star Elizabeth Taylor, left, and right, the Hope pearl, which was previously owned by King Louis XIV of France . Oysters, which produce a milky nacre, are the most common source for commercial pearls, but other animals can produce pearls that are black, blue, red or green, depending on the natural colour of their nacre. Pearls are most abundant where ecosystems thrive from larger predators through to the parasites and their hosts. The V&A exhibition explores the history of pearls, chronicling how the jewels went from being a luxury . adored by royalty (Queen Victoria loved pearls so much she had . Garrard’s create black pearl jewellery when she was in mourning) to . objets d’art, by jewellers such as Vietnamese Sam Tho Duong, and a . mass-produced product worn by fashionistas and aristos alike. Aristocracy: The Lady Raine Spencer tiara, owned by the stepmother to the late Diana, Princess of Wales . Fit for a princess: The Hanover tiara, worn by both wives of Prince Johann Georg of Saxony . I . Natural: The exhibition opens on Saturday and includes historical displays and features about the science of pearls . It goes back to the invention of the cultured pearl and how Kokichi Mikimoto produced it on an industrial scale in Japan. Marilyn Monroe wore a 16in string of Mikimoto pearls to court the day she divorced her second husband Joe DiMaggio in 1954. After the war, the Hollywood hits of the 1940s and the 1950s generated a feelgood factor and a style that was desired – if not affordable for ordinary Americans. Doris Day, Lauren Bacall and Ava Gardner were among the actresses who wore pearl chokers made up of cultured pearls – they gradually started to take over from natural pearls. For centuries, pearls had been a sign of extreme wealth. Finding . one usually required a diver to open 2,000 oysters, – but Mikimoto, who . headed the company which made Monroe’s necklace, pioneered the . commercial ‘culturing’ of pearls, where irritants were deliberately . introduced to oysters to farm jewellery. Mikimoto said he wanted to ‘adorn the necks of all women around the world with pearls’. The new exhibition at the V&A in London features jewellery from Elizabeth Taylor's (left). The Duchess of Cambridge (right) with a £48 pair of drop-pearl earrings by Belinda Hadden . History went full circle when Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, wore a £48 pair of drop-pearl earrings by Belinda Hadden, to the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The exhibition also features Liz . Taylor’s stunning Bulgari pendant earrings, a pearl-drop earring worn by . Charles I at his execution in 1649, a brooch given as a sentimental . gift to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert and a sparkling collection of . tiaras, including one with pearls ‘the size of walnuts’ made for the . wedding of Hannah de Rothschild who in the 1870s was the wealthiest . woman in England. Much of the show focuses on rare, natural pearls from the Arabian Gulf. Coco Chanel changed the fashion by happily wearing genuine and fake pearls at the same time, and ambassadors since have included Jackie Kennedy (pictured with son John Jr) and Princess Diana . Elizabeth Taylor's Bulgari pendant earrings: 'To find a pair of drop pearls of such quality and size is astonishing. She wore them in the film Ash Wednesday,' said co-curator Beatriz Chadour-Sampson . ‘Qatar and the other Gulf states have money and they want to buy their heritage back,’ says Chadour-Sampson. ‘They now own Elizabeth Taylor’s pendant earrings and many other pieces including an eye-popping 1930s Cartier five-strand graduated pearl necklace. 'If you think that you need thousands of oysters to find a pearl it’s no surprise they have been seen as objects of desire through the ages.’ The Romans wore pearls as items of sheer luxury, while in medieval times they became a Christian symbol for purity and chastity, and then in the Renaissance symbols of authority and wealth. They were even felt to have medicinal . properties – philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon is said to have . taken crushed pearls mixed with lemon juice as an elixir. ‘Pearls are still given at weddings today and have an association with joy,’ says Chadour-Sampson. ‘But . at the same time they are directly associated with death. The classical . belief that pearls were created from the teardrops of the gods links . them with sadness and tears.’ Marvel: Visitors will be able to look at exhibits such as the Roseberry Pearl and Diamond Tiara . Rich and famous: Marilyn Monroe with Joe DiMaggio wearing her Mikimoto necklace, one of the few pieces of fine jewellery she actually owned, and Lady Rosebery's tiara (right), 1878 . Their cachet has continued into the age of Hollywood and celebrity, helped by the rise of cultivated and imitation pearls. Coco Chanel changed the fashion by happily wearing genuine and fake pearls at the same time, and ambassadors since have included Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana. ‘What fascinated me is the variety of pearls, the international trade and the worldwide obsession,’ says Chadour-Sampson. ‘Rubies and emeralds have been fashionable at certain times, and even diamonds go in and out of favour, but the appeal of pearls appears to have been continuous through all jewellery history.’ Pearls is at the V&A (in partnership with the Qatar Museums Authority), Sept 21-Jan 19 . ‘A five-string graduated natural Gulf pearl necklace made by Cartier in the 1930s. He sourced his pearls directly in the Gulf that were then mounted in Paris. This really embodies the endurance of the divers and the rarity of the pearls.’ ‘Worn by Charles I when he was beheaded in 1649. It’s very difficult to authenticate these things, but in this case the family has a note saying what this pearl is and it’s written in the hand of Queen Mary II, his granddaughter.’ ‘George III, who was normally known for his restraint, dressed to dazzle with jewels at festive events and is recorded as having a special interest in buttons and button-making.’ ‘A wedding present when Hannah de Rothschild, the richest woman in England, married a wealthy young politician, Archibald, 5th earl of Rosebery. She died 12 years later and Rosebery then presented it to his daughter-in-law. The New York Times described the pearls in the tiara as being as big as walnuts.’ ‘Necklace given to Monroe by Joe DiMaggio on their honeymoon. It was bought in Japan directly from Mikimoto, so the quality is very good.’ ‘A heart-shaped openwork gold brooch given to Victoria by Prince Albert in 1843 on their third wedding anniversary. It’s surmounted by a crown with four Scottish freshwater pearls from the River Tay.’ ‘Liz Taylor was crazy about jewellery, and even wrote a book, My Love Affair with Jewellery. To find a pair of drop pearls of such quality and size is astonishing. She wore them in the film Ash Wednesday.’ ‘The Abernethy pearl is the largest Scottish river pearl ever found – it was found in the 1960s. River pearls tend to be smaller than saltwater pearls.’ | V&A exhibition reveals pearls form around larvae excreted by sharks and rays .
Parasites become trapped in shellfish that excrete nacre which hardens to suffocate them .
Oysters produce milky-coloured nacre typical of commercial pearls .
Experts say marketing professionals hide real origin to make pearls more palatable .
Exhibition focuses on more than 200 pieces of pearl jewellery through the ages . |
0df728f3a6f3220ce2a42e47e05b5ea0d6201acc | A small part of Thorndike, Maine has been turned into the Shire, thanks to a company that's manufacturing real-life Hobbit holes. Rocy and Melissa Pillsbury run Wooden Wonders, a company that makes Lord of the Rings-style buildings to be used as playhouses, storage sheds, saunas, adult-sized cottages and chicken coops. For those who haven't read J.R.R. Tolkien's books, Hobbit holes are the underground homes main characters Frodo and Bilbo Baggins live in when they're not on their own adventures. A piece of the Shire: A company in Maine has been manufacturing Hobbit holes based on the underground homes featured in the Lord of the Rings books . The character Bilbo Baggins stands inside his Hobbit hole in the 2012 film The Hobbit . Mr Pillsbury says he first became enchanted with the subterranean homes when he watched the Lord of the Rings cartoon growing up. 'The portrayal of the Hobbit house was just real cool,' he told told WMTW. 'It was a house under the ground, with a round door, beautiful concept, beautiful architecture.' The Pillsbury's homes are not built into the ground, but they look nearly identical to the film Hobbit holes in every other way. Mrs Pillsbury says they make the Hobbit holes with the same materials as a residential home. Family business: Husband and wife Rocy and Melissa Pillsbury started the company and when they're not building the holes, they're delivering the kits around the country . DIY: The homes are shipped across the country in kits, to be assembled by the new owner . 'We like to call these a mulch-generational playhouses because not only will your kids play in them but so will your grand kids,' she said. The Pillsbury's currently run their business with a staff of nine, and they're barely able to keep up with the demand for their cute homes. When they aren't building the holes, they're driving across the country with their young kids to install the homes and just finished up a 45-day trip from Georgia to Wisconsin. The Hobbit holes range in price from a $995 small chicken coop to a large playhouse that's $2,225. Wooden Wonders ships the homes in kit form, allowing the new owner to construct the hole themselves. Multi-purpose: The homes can be used for storage, a sauna, chicken coop or a child's playhouse house . Make believe: The roomy interior of one of the children's playhouses . Long-lasting: The Pillsburys call the Hobbit holes multi-generational playhouses since they'll likely be around for both kids and grandkids . Bird house: One of the mini hobbit holes is used as a chicken coop above . | Rocy and Melissa Pillsbury run Wooden Wonders, a company that creates real-life Hobbit holes .
Hobbit holes are the preferred dwellings of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien's books .
Wooden Wonders Hobbit holes range in price from $995-$2,225 .
They are shipped across the country in kits to be assembled by the new owners . |
0df741775f5a987c7443ef4829f6a60f8008833a | (CNN) -- Seconds after a gunman shot Allie Young in the neck in a crowded Colorado theater, a friend, Stephanie Davies, pulled her into an aisle, put pressure on her wound and dialed 911. Young told her friend to run, but Davies refused. President Barack Obama gave that account Sunday night in Aurora, praising Davies and others for heroism amid chaos and bloodshed in the shooting that killed 12 and wounded 58. Shooting survivors recount horror . The women had settled in alongside others early Friday for a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," the latest installment in the Batman series. Suddenly a gunman threw canisters only a few feet from where the pair sat. Young, 19, instinctively stood to act or warn others. A shot ripped into her neck. She collapsed, blood spurting from the wound, Obama said. Instead of running or hiding, Davies, 21, pulled Young into the aisle and put pressure on the wound with one hand and dialed 911 with the other, Obama said. "I don't know how many people at any age would have the presence of mind that Stephanie did, or the courage that Allie showed," the president said. "They represent what's best in us, and they assure us that out of this darkness, a brighter day is going to come." When the SWAT team arrived, Davies helped carry Young to an ambulance. Because of Davies' actions, Young is going to be fine, the president said. Obama flew to Aurora on Sunday evening and met with families at a local hospital for more than two hours before delivering brief remarks to the media. 'Words are ... inadequate,' Obama tells victims' families . | President Obama tells how a woman helped her wounded friend in the Aurora theater .
Allie Young was shot in the neck but is going to be fine because of her friend, Obama says .
Stephanie Davies pulled Young into an aisle and put pressure on her friend's wound, he says .
Obama: Wounded Young urged friend to run, but she refused . |
0df76326858cd660f9258085bb6d3367911e4f2c | A potent winter storm that buried much of the Great Plains and left at least three people dead moved into Chicago on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations and raising the prospect of a nightmarish evening commute. The National Weather Service's Chicago office issued a winter weather advisory from noon through 9pm (CET). Forecasters predicted the storm, which packs a dangerous mix of wet snow, sleet, rain and high winds, would reach peak intensity around the evening rush hour, reducing visibility and creating treacherous driving conditions. Scroll down for video . A man pushes a snowblower around a giant pile of snow left by road crews in the Country Club Plaza shopping district of Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday . Let it snow! Heather Dennis, left, and crossing guard Sharon McIntyre brave the elements at Eisenhower School in Davenport, Iowa on Tuesday . Be prepared! John Gadwood shovels in his family's driveway on Gene Field Road on Tuesday in St Joseph, Missouri . Up to 10inches of snow fell in parts of . New Mexico and the foothills west of Denver saw up to two feet of snow. The moisture allowed the U.S. Forest Service to burn brush in northern . Colorado to try to prevent future wildfires. The Illinois Tollway agency, which maintains nearly 300 miles of highway around Chicago, said it was mobilizing its fleet of more than 180 snowplows in anticipation of the storm, which was expected to dump as much as 6 inches of wet snow north of the city. A chilly outlook: The weather forecast for late Tuesday across the U.S. At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, sleet and low clouds on the front end of the storm were causing delays of nearly two-and-a-half hours, according to Flightaware.com, and nearly 300 arrivals and departures were canceled at O'Hare and Chicago's Midway Airport. In Oklahoma, Texas and parts of Kansas, where some residents were still digging out from a winter storm last week, the storm dumped up to 17 inches of snow on Amarillo, Texas, and whipped Kansas City, Missouri, with winds of up to 30 miles per hour. Highways in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and parts of Kansas remained closed because of heavy and drifting snow. Forecasters with the National Weather . Service said the storm would dump 3 to 5 inches of wet snow on Detroit . overnight and into Wednesday morning. White out! What looks like an address for the North Pole is actually a street sign in Pratt County, Kansas as a winter storm brought parts of the Great Plains to a standstill . Slippery steps: A dusting of snow in this Davenport, Iowa street is just the start as forecasters predict up to a foot of snow could fall on Tuesday night . Snow joke: the second snowstorm in a week has brought down power lines across the Great Plains. The roofs of several buildings caved in and power has been knocked out in parts of Sedalia, Missouri as a foot of snow fell . The storm has contributed to at least three deaths, two in Kansas and one in Oklahoma. A woman died and three passengers were injured on Monday night on Interstate 70 when their pickup truck rolled off the icy roadway in Ellis County, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said. Earlier Monday, a man was killed when his car veered off the interstate in Sherman County near the Colorado border, he said. 'We urge everyone to avoid travel and be extremely cautious if you must be on the roads,' said Ernest Garcia, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol. In northern Oklahoma, one person died when the roof of a home partially collapsed in the city of Woodward, said Matt Lehenbauer, the city's emergency management director. Desolate: Winds gusting up to 30 mph pack the traffic lights full of snow at Topeka Boulevard and SE Gary Ormsby Street in Kansas on Tuesday . Left out in the cold: Cattle feed in a snow-covered pasture near Lecompton, Kansas on Tuesday . Slow crawl: Traffic is moving in two lanes on South Soncy on Tuesday in Amarillo, Texas . 'We have roofs collapsing all over town,' said Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill Jr. 'We really have a mess on our hands.' Kansas . City was also hard hit by the storm, which dumped as much as 13 inches . of snow on some parts of the metro region on Tuesday, said Chris Bowman, . meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Bowman . said another 1 to 3 inches could fall on Tuesday evening and nearly . two-thirds of the flights at Kansas City International Airport Tuesday . afternoon were canceled. The . storm cut power to some 80,000 households in the Kansas City . metropolitan area and to more than 12,000 rural customers, officials . said. About half the Kansas City customers had power restored by noon . Tuesday, said a spokeswoman for Kansas City Power & Light. Battered: A vehicle travels past a weather warning sign on I-70 east of Topeka, Kansas . Two unidentified men walk through a grocery story parking lot as snow begins to fall in Lawrence, Kansas . Heavy . wet snow weighed down power lines and tree branches, making them . vulnerable to collapse, especially with winds of 10 to 20 mph, said . Sharon Watson, spokesperson for emergency management in Kansas. Watson said this week's storm has in ways had a greater impact than last week's. 'It has covered far less of an area but it has been more deadly and there is the big concern about power outages,' Watson said. Governors . in Texas and Oklahoma had declared states of emergency in the areas . struck by the snowstorm to speed assistance to those in need. Interstate . and other highways were closed across the Texas and Oklahoma . panhandles. Areas around . Amarillo and Lubbock received more than a foot of snow during the storm, . which had cut visibility to near zero on some roads, Texas . transportation officials said. In . addition to the winter storm, National Weather Service forecasters on . Tuesday issued tornado watches across central Florida and up the eastern . coast to South Carolina. Traffic moves slowly along I-70 near Lecompton, Kansas, overnight. The National Weather Service says parts of Colorado, Kansas and northern Missouri could get 10 to 12 in of snow . Deadly storm: Heavy snow reduces visibility along US 24 near Rossville, Kansas . Forecasters have said the winter storm could be the worst in the Midwest since the Groundhog Day blizzard that started February 1, 2011 . Blizzard warnings were in effect for . the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, as well as southern Kansas through . early on Tuesday morning, while Arkansas and Louisiana saw watches and . warnings for severe thunderstorm and tornadoes. The storm is forecast to track north . and east, prompting winter storm warnings for southern and eastern . Kansas and the upper half of Missouri. A . strong low-pressure system is feeding the wintry beast, Greg Carbin, a . meteorologist at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said. 'The . more intense the low, the stronger the storm as far as pulling air in,' he said, noting that intense winter storms are common in the Plains . during late February and March. Up to 10inches of snow fell in parts of . New Mexico and the foothills west of Denver saw up to two feet of snow. The moisture allowed the U.S. Forest Service to burn brush in northern . Colorado to try to prevent future wildfires. Texas rancher Jay O'Brien warned the storm could be deadly for grazing cattle, including some calves born in recent days . Some were able to enjoy the snow. Chance Cain, from left, Simon Mourning and Nathan Talley walk towards a sledding hill near downtown Wichita, Kansas . Motorists were stranded in Texas as blizzards raged across the region . | At least three deaths have already been blamed on the weather .
300 flights cancelled at Chicago airports .
Salt and sand supplies are low in some areas after record snow .
Second major snowstorm in less than a week .
Fallen power lines cut electricity to 100,000 homes and businesses . |
0df814d8bb76641e21693a7935845ea628132449 | It is one of the most famous lines in cinema history, but the legendary introduction, 'Bond... James Bond', might never have existed. An early draft from 1952 of Ian Fleming's first Bond book, Casino Royale, reveals the author had originally intended his hero to call himself James Secretan when on undercover operations. 'Ian's first idea was to give James Bond an assumed name as his cover,' revealed his niece Kate Grimond, whose family owns the draft. What's in a name? Author Ian Fleming (left) had originally intended his famous spy hero to call himself James Secretan in the first 007 book Casino Royale . 'Ian typed it up that way when he [Bond] first met Felix Leiter, the CIA agent, in the casino at the Hotel Splendide.' In the typed manuscript the CIA operative introduces himself to 007 with the words: 'My name's Felix Leiter. Glad to meet you.' Rare: Fleming's first draft of Casino Royale is owned by his niece . He replies with the disappointingly long-winded: 'Mine's Secretan. James Secretan.' But thankfully, Fleming later crossed out Secretan and handwrote the catchier 'Bond' above it, to make it simpler for his readers. Grimond said: 'Ian must have realised it would cause confusion if he had Bond known as Bond to friends and the security services in London, but as Secretan for his cover name to strangers or people he didn't want to know he was a spy.' The 'Bond... James Bond' line appeared a decade later in the first Bond film, Dr No. The hero spy, then played by Sean Connery, uses it to introduce himself to one of the women he later seduces. This draft extract from the novel was made public for the first time this weekend, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the publication of Casino Royale. Grimond believes that the name Secretan comes from the 19th Century Swiss philosopher, Charles Secrétan, who Fleming would have studied while at Eton College and when he went to universities in Germany and Switzerland. 'I've no proof but I do know Ian was interested in philosophy,' she said. 'He also often chose names from people he knew or had heard of — sometimes an amalgam of more than one person.' Cinema history: The 'Bond... James Bond line was first used on the silver screen by Sean Connery in Dr No . Leiter came from an American friend . called Marion Leiter. And James Bond itself is generally acknowledged to . derive from the the American ornithologist of the same name, who was an . expert on Caribbean birds. Fleming who was a keen birdwatcher himself, was known to draw on his own encounters and interests in his work. In the draft of Casino Royale, he initially called M's secretary in London 'Miss Pettavel' or 'Petty' for short. The name and character were based on Kathleen Pettigrew, personal assistant to Stewart Menzies, the then director-general of MI6. 'But Ian again had second thoughts and changed it to Miss Moneypenny,' Grimond said. Inspiration: The name is thought to come from Charles Secrétan, who Fleming studied at Eton College . In another letter released to the public this weekend, Fleming complains to Jonathan Cape, the publisher of Casino Royale, that the suggested cover price is too low. He said in October 1952: 'I am not in favour of reducing the price of the book to 10/6d. 'Hardly a novel is published today under 12/6d, and I think it would be a mistake for your first thriller to seem to be given away.' He added: 'Moreover it [the lower price] would whittle down still further my already meagre financial expectations from the book.' Fleming lost the battle: the price stayed at 10/6d. | 1952 Casino Royale draft has been revealed by Fleming's niece .
The name is thought to come from 19th Century philosopher .
Moneypenny was originally called Miss Pettavel or Petty . |
0df8baa4129c1469a227b6dfcb03bc00a152c2e2 | An urban fox crept into a family home in South London and attacked a two-year-old boy. File photo . A family told of their horror yesterday after a fox crept into their home through a catflap and attacked their young son. The two-year-old boy screamed in pain as the animal bit his heel, drawing blood. His startled parents ran upstairs after being alerted by the cries and found the fox sitting at the end of the child's bed. The animal then darted into another room and hid under a bed before running out of the house in New Addington, south London. The parents, who did not wish to be named, took the toddler to Croydon University Hospital, where he was put on a course of antibiotics. Yesterday the child's grandmother, Sharon Vaizey, 46, said the boy has been left with two bite marks on his heel. She said: 'When I heard, my whole body went like jelly. I could not move. You think if they did not hear the fox, then it could have run off with him.' Mrs Vaizey, a care worker who has four children and nine grandchildren, said she had heard about fox attacks, but never dreamed it would happen to her family. 'When it is this close to home, it is so frightening,' she added; 'But he is fine. He is a tough little boy.' She added: 'He is the sort of boy that falls over all the time and has a laugh about it afterwards. 'But I just think it is so lucky they were still up at the time. ' She said the family had now put a panel over the catflap to prevent the fox coming back after the incident at 2am on October 30. She added: 'My daughter wanted to kill the fox. She said she never had a problem with them before, but now she hates them. 'She said this one looked really healthy and that he looked well-fed, so you do worry.' In June 2010, nine-month-old twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis were mauled by a fox that entered their home in Hackney, east London. Lola received facial and arm injuries, while her sister received arm injuries. The boy's grandmother, Sharon Vaizey, said she had heard about fox attacks but never dreamed it would happen to a member of her family . In February last year, a fox got into the bedroom of a one-month-old baby in Bromley and bit the child's finger off. Urban wildlife expert John Bryant said yesterday: 'Attacks like this are extremely rare and it involved the heel. 'There have been cases where people have been lying on sunbeds in their garden and have woken up to find a fox nibbling their toes. 'The fox is obviously investigating. It is very common for foxes to come in through catflaps. 'It is always wise to keep the cat in and shut the catflap at night. It is another incident, but fortunately minor.' The attack - which left the boy needing hospital treatment - happened in New Addington, south London last month . | Family shocked to hear two-year-old cry out in his sleep late last month .
They rushed upstairs in south London home and found fox next to his bed .
The animal had bitten the toddler and drawn blood from his heel .
Family chased animal out and took the youngster to local hospital .
He is now fine but family say they are stunned by the night-time attack . |
0df922a6c3a68a4c8de1153c2a9c2077de53d8fd | One in 20 pupils is now being taught in a grammar school, as England witnesses the quiet return of state-funded selection. The proportion of secondary school pupils in grammars is at its highest level since 1978 – and almost double the historic low of 1986. Now for the first time in 35 years, some 5 per cent of children are being taught selectively. Michael Gove is under fire for failing to promote new grammars due to Lib Dem opposition . The law states that no new selective schools can open with state funding. But the existing grammars have been expanding and taking on new pupils. Over the past 25 years, their pupil numbers have soared by tens of thousands. There are now more than 161,000 pupils in state-funded selective schools. Education Secretary Michael Gove has come under fire from Tory backbenchers for failing to promote new grammars – largely because of opposition from the Lib Dems. Graham Brady, chairman of the influential Tory backbench 1922 Committee, said: ‘These figures prove that there is huge parental demand for grammar schools and selective education in the secondary system. Graham Brady said the figures prove there is a huge parental demand for grammar schools . ‘This shows parents are voting with their feet whenever they are given the choice.’ He added: ‘It is really time for the Government to free up the provision of grammar school places in areas where they don’t already exist to release this pent-up demand.’ The figures on the return of the grammar school come from a report compiled by the House of Commons Library. It shows that in 1947, there were 1,207 state-funded grammars in England teaching 37.8 per cent of secondary school pupils. By 1974, there were just 675, covering 12 per cent. A record low was reached in 1986, when just 3 per cent of pupils were taught in state-funded grammars. And by 1989, there were only 150 state-funded selective schools. Since then a slow revival has taken place, largely thanks to the grant-maintained schools policy implemented by John Major, which freed schools from the control of local authorities. But Tony Blair’s government banned new state-funded selective schools, and the total number has now levelled out at 164. Just seven local authority areas still have a fully selective system: Trafford, Buckinghamshire, Slough, Torbay, Southend, Kent and Medway. A further 29 have partially selective secondary systems, with grammars and secondary moderns alongside comprehensives. Despite this, the proportion of pupils taught in grammar schools has risen from 4.6 per cent to 5 per cent – thanks to their gradual expansion. The Commons report concludes: ‘There has been a very gradual but steady increase in the number and proportion of pupils at existing grammar schools over the past 25 years as their average size has increased.’ Tony Blair¿s government banned new state-funded selective schools, and the total number has now levelled out at 164 . Robert McCarthy, chairman of the National Grammar Schools Association, said: ‘Grammar schools have been expanding to offer additional places over the past three decades. ‘This expansion has been the equivalent of 30 new schools with 1,000 pupils apiece. It is indicative of the strength of parental demand for selective education. ‘We now have a situation where in many of the existing 164 state grammars there are ten applications for every place. ‘Hundreds of applicants pass the exam but do not get a place at a school appropriate to their ability because there are not enough places. ‘The Government should now look at these statistics and lessen the restrictions.’ A spokesman for the Department for Education said: ‘We believe good schools, including grammars, should be able to expand to meet the demands of parents. ‘Through the expansion of the academies and free school programmes we are transforming the education system so all children are able to access a good local school.’ | Proportion of pupils in grammars is at its highest level since 1978 .
The law states that no new selective schools can open with state funding.
Michael Gove has been criticised as there is a 'huge parental demand' for more grammar schools . |
0df94f0eb95a4b799efd429c2e7bfbb3d0205cff | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 20:36 EST, 7 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:57 EST, 8 February 2013 . Dozens of Amish children could lose one parent to prison - and most of the youngest could lose both - on Friday when 16 men and women are sentenced in beard-cutting attacks on fellow members of their faith in Ohio. Most defendants face up to ten years in prison. They have asked the judge for leniency so they can return to their homes and farms to teach their sons a trade and daughters how to sew, cook and keep house. However their bid faces an uphill . battle. Victims of the 2011 attacks, which the government called a hate . crime and an attempt by a splinter group to shame members who left or . denounced it, say justice is needed, especially for the ringleader. Duties: Edward Mast, the 19-year-old grandson of one of the men and women being sentenced for beard-cutting says he will step in to raise children left without parents at the Amish community in Bergholz, Ohio . Taking on the men's work: A crew of boys, some as young as ten, build a fence at the Amish compound as 16 of their elders face being sentence to ten years in prison for a hate crime on Friday . However their bid faces an uphill battle. Victims of the 2011 attacks, which the government called a hate crime and an attempt by a splinter group to shame members who left or denounced it, say justice is needed, especially for the ringleader. In a rare interview last week in Bergholz at the community's sprawling farm amid rolling hills in eastern Ohio, unmarried 19-year-old Edward Mast, grandson of ring leader Sam Mullet Sr., said he is anticipating a life of mentoring Amish children and sharing in child-rearing if the parents go to prison. While he spoke, a 15-year-old boy used a chain saw to cut fence planks and a 12-year-old crisply drove nails into the planks as a 10-year-old held up the board. The youngest trudged in boots through ankle-deep mud and a creek surging with melting snow. Prison terms will make the whole operation harder to maintain, Mast said. Left behind: Amish girls look out the windows of the home of Sam Mullet Sr., in Bergholz, Ohio - he faces a life sentence for orchestrating beard-cutting attacks . Isolation: The Amish community shuns the outside world and lives off the land in rural Ohio . 'It will be a mess,' he added shaking his head under a wide-brim hat. The accused ringleader Sam Mullet broke away from the mainstream Amish in 1995, seeking stricter cultural rules and Scriptural interpretation than is the norm in the eastern Ohio community, authorities have said. He was the undisputed leader of his group, counseling relatives on religious matters, negotiating drilling rights on his land and denouncing Amish who questioned his authority. Mullet's community, like many Amish groups, grew through marriage and the purchase of farmland to sustain extended families that work and pray together, mostly shut off from outside influences like electricity, autos and electronics. Amish communities have a highly insular, modest lifestyle, are deeply religious and believe in following the Bible, which they believe instructs women to let their hair grow long and men to grow beards and stop shaving once they marry. Contact with the modern world is limited, and glimpses from the news media inside Amish communities even rarer. Fending for themselves: A pair of young Amish boys play in a sandbox in front of the home of Sam Mullet Sr. The community has been torn apart by the scandal and highly-publicized court case . Traditions: An Amish buggy is driven down the road between the farms in Bergholz where a tight-knit community live by strict religious rules . The five beard- and hair-cutting attacks followed years of animosity, traced in part to a nasty custody battle involving Mullet's daughter and his strict demands on religious observance. The custody dispute led to a contentious history with local law enforcement over the county's seizure of two Mullet granddaughters from their mother. One of Mullet's daughters-in-law and a former brother-in-law told investigators that he allowed others to beat members who disobeyed him, according to an affidavit. He punished some by making them sleep in a chicken coop for days and was sexually intimate with married women to 'cleanse them of the devil,'the two relatives said in the affidavit. Mullet's defense argued there was no proof of such sexual conduct. His community had contact with other Amish groups, often because of family ties throughout the region or when gathering at livestock auctions or to buy farming equipment. Some Amish spoke out against his authoritarian style, and the government said that led to the attacks as Mullet tried to discipline dissenters who left his community and Amish bishops who condemned him. Taking charge: Younger members of the Amish community are being forced to put children to work to keep up with the labor at farms since 16 adults have been put on trial . Marching on: The Amish community has fascinated the outside world with its shunning of electricity, cars, electronics and the media . Arlene Miller, 48, of Carrollton, whose husband, an Amish bishop, was among the victims, said she thinks Mullet deserves a tough sentence and the others should get less time if they get cult deprogramming counseling. 'It's a cult,' she said. 'Their minds were programmed in the wrong way by Sam Mullet, so we feel like these people are very deceived and they are actually victims of Sam Mullet.' She said there were no winners in the ordeal. 'There's no happy ending to this,' she said. Some Amish remain fearful of Mullet, whose family denies his community is a cult. 'I don't want Sam Mullet to be around my nieces and nephews for the threats he made and things he done. So please keep Sam in jail,' one person said in a letter to the court. The name and hometown were blocked in the court filing because of fear of retaliation. 'Please understand that we have many fears of him being released,' another writer said. Prosecutors submitted 14 letters, some warning that Mullet and his family would disturb the peace of the Amish community. One called Mullet an evil, dangerous person. On trial: Sam Mullet Senior is accused of allegedly terrorizing the Amish community which he leads including having reported sexual relations with married women to 'cleanse' them . The government asked for a life sentence for Mullet, saying he orchestrated the attacks and controlled members of his Amish settlement and frazzled nerves in quiet Amish communities in Ohio and neighboring states. His attorney asked for a sentence of 1½ to two years. The government said the cuttings were an attempt to shame members Mullet believed were straying from their beliefs. His followers were found guilty of carrying out the attacks. Mast said that women whose husbands are facing prison are anxious for them to return home, and that the children ask about their fathers. 'They're always talking about the day when Dad comes home again; what they are going to do and what they want to do,' Mast said. Scandal: A Cleveland court has heard that the breakaway religious group spent months planning hair-cutting attacks against followers of their Amish faith . Wide-spread: Six women were among those convicted of hate crimes after the 2011 attacks . Nine of ten men who were convicted have been locked up awaiting sentencing. The six women, who all have children, one with 11, have been free on bond. The defendants were charged with a hate crime because prosecutors believe religious differences brought about the attacks. Mast said the Mullet community has been steadfast in its belief that the beard- and hair-cutting attacks didn't rise to the level of a hate crime, but amounted to discipline amid a church feud that shouldn't involve civil authorities. 'The beard, what it stands for me, what I know about it, once you're married you just grow a beard, that's just the way the Amish is,' Mast said. As for the victims, he added: 'They got their beard back again, so what's the big deal about it?' | 16 men and women from highly insular Amish community in Bergholz , Ohio face ten years in prison for hate crimes .
Accused ringleader Sam Mullet broke away from the mainstream Amish in 1995, seeking stricter cultural rules . |
0df95760949cb40c6daa205872b8b9c3f14fc6e4 | By . Chris Parsons . Last updated at 10:58 AM on 5th January 2012 . An elementary school is being investigated by police after a seven-year-old pupil died from an allergic reaction to peanuts. Ammaria Johnson, a first grade student at Hopkins Elementary School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, died after suffering the reaction on the first day back after the Christmas holidays. She complained about shortness of breath and had broken out in hives during a recess break on Monday before being treated by the school's nurse. Scroll down for video . Tragic: Ammaria Johnson, who 'loved school and her teachers' died after suffering an allergic reaction to peanuts on a recess break . Probe: Hopkins Elementary School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, is being investigated after the child's mother raised questions over Ammaria Johnson's treatment . The youngster then went into cardiac arrest, which her family said was caused by her coming into contact with a peanut product. Although it is not clear where or when Ammaria may have eaten a peanut-based product, her devastated mother said she tried to leave an Epipen with school staff in case of a reaction, but was told to keep it at home instead. The first grade student came into contact with a peanut product after a friend shared a snack with her on a recess break, according to the examiner.com. Laura Pendleton has since claimed the school did not follow their own allergy action plan in treating her seven-year-old daughter. Lt. Jason Elmore, a spokesman for the Chesterfield County Fire Department, said: 'From what we understand, she possibly had gotten something outside.' Chesterfield Schools spokesperson Shawn Smith said: 'At the beginning of the school year, we sent home a packet to the family, the understanding that there are certain students that have severe allergies.' Reaction: Ammaria Johnson came into contact with a peanut product and became short of breath at school before suffering a cardiac arrest . According to Chesterfield police spokeswoman Elizabeth Caroon, the initial investigation revealed that Ammaria died after she suffered an allergic reaction. Chesterfield County School policy apparently states that parents are supposed to provide the school medication for children with allergies. Public Health Nurse Supervisor for the Chesterfield County Health Department, Jody Enoch, said: 'Parents need to provide all necessary medication their child needs to the school. Devastated: Ammaria's mother, Laura Pendleton, has raised questions about how school staff responded to her daughter's severe reaction . 'That is the responsibility of the parent.' Her mother still has questions which she wants the school to address. She said: 'She has an allergy action plan at the school. They didn't do that.' Pendleton also wanted to know how her daughter got access to the peanut product. She added that her daughter 'loved school, she loved her teachers, she was compassionate, she cared about everybody.' Public Health Nurse Supervisor Jody Enoch said parents need to provide medication for their children in case of a reaction . Spokesman Shawn Smith added in a statement: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. The school division will continue to provide additional services to support students and staff in this difficult time.' Ammaria Johnson's body will be released to her family today. School officials encouraged all parents to submit a list of their child's allergies that can be retained on file. | Ammaria Johnson suffered cardiac arrest on first day back after Christmas .
Her mother claims she tried to leave Epipen with school staff - but was told to keep it at home .
School claims parents have responsibility for providing medication .
First grader died 'after friend shared snack with her' |
0df9b6e1b926dbf92ea50137a6829f7b573ae99e | TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- With hundreds of protesters gathering and riot police out in force on the streets of Tehran, hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the oath of office Wednesday, beginning a second term in a bitterly divided Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in Wednesday as Iran's president. He begins his second term. Ahmadinejad, 52, was formally sworn in before Iran's parliament, known as the Majlis, as security forces guarded the building and nearby streets in anticipation of protests. Witnesses reported a heavy police presence -- including members of the pro-government Basij militia -- and several choppers hovering overhead. Some reported protesters, many of them women, sitting in front of the parliament building's entrance. As discontent surfaced yet again, Ahmadinejad vowed to take Iran forward and flung sharp words at those who questioned the validity of the June 12 elections, in which he was declared the winner with almost two-thirds of the vote. He took particular aim at the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Germany, which have not sent formal letters of congratulations to Ahmadinejad. "They said they would recognize the election, but will not congratulate," Ahmadinejad said in his inaugural speech. "This means they only want democracy at the service of their interests and don't respect the people's vote and rights. "Nobody in Iran is waiting for anyone's congratulations," he said. What's next for Iran? » . Asked Tuesday whether the White House recognizes Ahmadinejad as the rightful leader of Iran, press secretary Robert Gibbs said, "He's the elected leader." Gibbs expanded on that comment Wednesday, telling reporters "It's not for me or for us to denote his legitimacy, except to acknowledge the fact." "Whether any election was fair, obviously the Iranian people still have questions about that, and we'll let them decide that," Gibbs said. "But I would simply say he's been inaugurated, and we know that is simply a fact." The United States and Iran have had no diplomatic relations since 1980. Britain has maintained ties, but has criticized the Iranian crackdown on protests that followed the disputed election and has not issued a statement of congratulation to Ahmadinejad. However, the British ambassador to Tehran did attend the ceremony, and the Foreign Office in London said the international community still needs to engage Iran on "serious issues," such as its nuclear program. "While we need to engage with Iran's government, today's ceremony does not change our position on Iran's elections," the Foreign Office said. Among others attending Wednesday's ceremony were Iran's top lawmakers, the heads of the three branches of government, the secretary of the Guardian Council and foreign diplomats. But as the camera of the semi-official Press TV panned the hall, an unprecedented number of empty seats were visible. It was unclear whether opposition leaders were boycotting the inauguration. Ahmadinejad struck a note of unity in his attempt to move Iran forward, saying "Who has voted for whom -- this is not the question. Today we need a national resolve. Today we need to join forces." He vowed to promote religion and morality, and support righteousness and spread justice. "I will guard the power that the people have entrusted in me as the sacred trust," Ahmadinejad said. "I will safeguard it like an honest and faithful trustee." Ahmadinejad, however, starts another four years in office with many Iranians questioning his legitimacy. The results of the June 12 election were widely disputed; Ahmadinejad's chief rival, reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi called the elections a "fraud." Since the vote, Iran has seen turmoil not witnessed since the 1979 Islamic revolution as thousands have taken to the streets to protest and security forces have brutally cracked down. Analyst Amir Taheri told CNN Wednesday that Ahmadinejad's second term will be closely watched around the world. Taheri said the freshly inaugurated president faces myriad challenges in his second term, among them a faltering economy and a burgeoning popular movement favoring reform. "He has to worry a lot about the opposition," Taheri said. Iran says about 30 people have been killed in the post-election violence. Among those who were arrested, 110 are facing trial, according to Iranian media reports. Under Iran's constitution, the incoming president must receive the supreme leader's approval before being sworn into office. On Monday, after Ayatollah Ali Khameini gave that endorsement to Ahmadinejad, hundreds of Iranians again demonstrated in the Iranian capital. Witnesses and sources said the crowds marched on the sidewalks around Vannak Square and Vali Asr Avenue, under the watchful eye of hundreds of Iranian security forces. Some chanted "Death to the dictator," while others said "God is great." International media outlets, including CNN, have been restricted in their coverage of Iran in the aftermath of the elections. | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad begins a second term as Iran's president .
The results of the June 12 election were widely disputed, sparking violent protests .
Since the vote, Iran has seen turmoil not witnessed since the 1979 Islamic revolution . |
0dfa98e2c41cc13d8750995bb28b99deb3e737cc | Misogyny is so deeply rooted in India's collective psychology that even the president's son -- in this case, Congress Parliament member Abhijit Mukherjee -- could entangle himself with a remark against women protesting gang rape. He called them "dented and painted women" who go to discos, have little connection with ground realities and are making candlelight vigils fashionable. After an enormous backlash, he apologized and retracted his comments, but many are not satisfied and want his resignation . Misogyny has long permeated our textbooks, our pedagogy and our parenting. In fact, it runs so deep that it reflects itself even in our linguistics. The Hindi phrase most commonly used to describe sexual violence or rape against women is "izzat lootna," which means "to steal the honor of." Another Hindi word used for rape, "balatkar" (or "bad act"), is considered so erudite and technical that it's barely ever used. (Its English equivalent would be "coitus" instead of "sex.") So, for the most part, we're stuck with "izzat lootna" -- and the necessary question: Why should a rapist be given so much credit? Rape is a criminal act of force and perverse subjugation. When a woman is raped, her most fundamental rights as a human being are violated. Yet, she is just as honorable as she ever was. Honor cannot be stolen. It can only be surrendered. Surely in the act of rape, it is the perpetrator, not the victim, who surrenders honor. The brave girl from Delhi died with her honor intact. Her rapists will live in ignominy. Unfortunately, in India rape is inextricably linked by men -- and women -- to shame: the ultimate desecration. Many victims are murdered by their rapists or choose to commit suicide. It is also not uncommon for the parents of rape victims to kill themselves. Thus, most victims don't speak up about what happened to them, lest their families be ostracized, lest they never find a husband or be shunned by their friends. About 10 months ago, I was offered a role of a young, urban woman who gets gang raped. The film explores how she chooses to deal with what happens to her. It is a very powerful script, and most of me wanted to accept the role immediately. But a gnawing part of me worried about how I'd be perceived by the general public were I to perform this role. Female sexuality in Hindi cinema is extremely fraught, especially because audiences seem unable to comprehend the distinction between what a role demands from an actor and that person's conduct offscreen. In the script the woman is attractive, confident and self aware; she'd had several consensual relationships with men and enjoyed her sexuality. Truth be told, her character is not far from me in real life. Still, in patriarchal, judgmental, misogynistic Indian society, these are labels most women are afraid to carry publicly. On top of this, the character gets raped. I was afraid to accept the role. Afraid of whether audiences and the media would think I was promiscuous, desecrated. Embarrassed at the prospect of saying I'm doing a film in which I get raped, lest aspersions be cast on my character. There lay, in my own mind, the seeds of the same misogyny that makes Mr. Mukherjee's remarks in the wake of the student's gang rape so deplorable. Seeds I had to uproot at once. I accepted the role. At the time I was offered the film, rape wasn't getting the sort of national attention it is getting right now. It was still a topic that made most people uncomfortable, a topic that women and men alike were not able to freely express their opinions on. That India's young public is today demanding so vocally the need to address the way we view sexuality and gender equality is empowering. People are sharing their own experiences of sexual violence on blogs and social media. Men and women are collaborating to seek legal reform, to challenge the societal perceptions they have been force-fed. We now understand that to remain silent bystanders of a crime is to collude with the criminal. It is clear to me that as actors, filmmakers, artists, journalists, activists -- people who use a medium that has the potential to reach so many minds -- it is our responsibility to educate and mobilize, while we entertain. For the last 10 months, as we have been rehearsing and shooting, the subject of rape has been my foremost preoccupation. Two points have struck me in particular: First, the director, who is also the scriptwriter, is male. His co-writer, the music composer, is also male. These two artists, Tarun Chopra and Daboo Malik, chose to champion a cause that almost always gets packaged as a women's issue. In India, sexual violence is perpetrated almost entirely by men. Rapists are male. Should men not feel responsible then to prevent the occurrence of this crime? Shouldn't men be disturbed that their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters constantly feel unsafe or feel they have to dress and behave in a particular way to avoid getting raped? Isn't it time men educated other men about consent? Secondly, and this point took me longer to acknowledge, women are as guilty as men for the mindset that breeds the crime. We kill our own infant daughters, we immolate our sons' wives if they bear female children, we disapprove of women who make an effort to be attractive -- and doubt their character. We still look at marriage as if it's the purpose for which we were born. But misogyny is no longer misogyny when expressed by a woman. It's self-loathing. And while it is easy -- and justified -- for women to point fingers at men for the chauvinism in our society, don't we owe it to ourselves to look within? Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion . | President's son faces backlash after "dented and painted women" comment .
Hindi phrase "Izzat lootna," used to describe rape, means "to steal the honor of"
Mangaldas: "Why should a rapist be given so much credit" for criminal, perverse act?
New Delhi woman dies with honor intact; her rapists will live in ignominy, Mangaldas writes . |
0dfb6f41e18d9b845d730594662c2ba0e3c39986 | (CNN) -- Lazio moved up to second place in Serie A on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Sampdoria. A first-half goal from Brazilian midfielder Anderson Hernanes was enough for all three points as a clutch of teams look to keep touch with leaders Juventus. The reigning champions, who left it late to beat Cagliari on Friday, are currently eight points clear with 44 points. Vladimir Petkovic's side replace Inter Milan in second place after Andrea Stramaccioni's side could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Genoa. Ciro Immobile gave the visitors the lead in the 77th minute before Argentina's Esteban Cambiasso headed home an equalizer with five minutes remaining. The result sees Inter slip to fourth, level on 35 points with Fiorentina, but with an inferior goal difference. Vincenzo Montella's men boosted their league goal tally with a 3-0 win away to Palermo. Three second-half goals -- two from Stevan Jovetic and one from Gonzalo Rodriguez ensured a comfortable win over 18th place Palermo. Read: Lone soccer fan wins army of admirers . Napoli remain fifth in the league after a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Siena -- Christian Maggio scored with four minutes remaining before Edinson Cavani converted a spot kick in injury time. Erik Lamela scored a brace as sixth-placed Roma thumped AC Milan 4-2 at the Stadio Olimpico. Nicolas Burdisso put the home side ahead in the 13th minute before Pablo Osvaldo doubed the lead ten minutes later. Lamela made it three on the half-hour mark before finding the net again in the 60th minute to leave Milan reeling following a winning streak of four matches. Read: The lonely death of Diego Mendieta . Milan managed to claw two goals back late in the game -- substitute's Giampoalo Pazzini and Bojak Krkic finding the net in the 87th and 88th minute -- but it was only after Roma's Brazilian defender Marquinhos had been shown a red card for deliberate hand ball ten minutes earlier. The win, which sees Roma consolidate 6th place ahead of Milan, is likely to heap further pressure on Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri. Parma move up to eighth after a 2-1 away to Bologna. Frederik Sorensen gave the hosts the lead in the 54th minute before Roberto Donadoni's team struck back with two quickfire goals. Jaime Valdes equalized in the 56th minute before Nicola Sansone hit the winning goal ten minutes later. Mid-table Atalanta and Udinese shared the points in a 1-1 draw -- Luis Muriel opening the scoring for the visitors in the 33rd minute only for German Denis to cancel out the lead with a spot kick seven minutes later. Torino eased their relegation worries with a 2-0 win over Chievo. The win lifts Giampiero Ventura's side up to 13th with 19 points two points behind 12th placed Chievo. | Inter Milan drop to fourth in Serie A after a 1-1 draw with struggling Genoa .
Lazio's 1-0 win at Sampdoria leaves them on 36 points, eight behind leaders Juventus .
Fiorentina up to third after comfortable 3-0 at Palermo; Roma beat AC Milan 4-2 at Stadio Olimpico . |
0dfbc29dcc6643ed4788a3d4ed7766c4d342a8ec | By . Liz Hull . PUBLISHED: . 18:23 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:26 EST, 13 December 2013 . Payout: Merseyside PCSO Pauline Harrison has been awarded £4,000 after injuring herself while on duty . A police community support officer who injured her knee while investigating a burglary has been awarded £4,000 in compensation, it emerged last night. Pauline Harrison, 53, was responding to a 999 call reporting a break-in at a derelict school when she fell over a 3ft-high wooden fence. Yesterday it was revealed that the case had been settled out of court days before it was due to go before a judge. Sources said the settlement added up to around £4,000 – just £1,000 less than the maximum amount she could have claimed had the case gone to court. The incident happened in 2009 when the PCSO was called to Sunshine House, a former school for the blind, after reports that youths had been spotted on the roof of the four-storey building. Previously trespassers had set fire to part of the grounds, prompting the building’s owner – property development firm Lightflask Ltd – to secure the perimeter with a 6ft fence. The only gap in the perimeter fence was a small gateway at the front of the site which was secured with a 3ft wooden fence. Miss Harrison, who serves with Merseyside police, said she suffered ‘soft tissue damage’ to her right knee as she tried to leave the property in Birkdale, near Southport. In court papers, she claimed Lightflask Ltd was negligent because it had allowed the fence to become a ‘danger and a trap to persons lawfully entering and exiting the premises’. The former dog trainer said the company had failed to make the wooden fencing safe and failed to properly warn her about the fencing by erecting warning signs. Derelict: Ms Harrison was attending reports of a burglary at this former school in Birkdale when she tripped . Miss Harrison also claimed there was no adequate system of inspection or maintenance of the site. Police officers have sought huge sums for controversial claims. Among them are: . WPC Fiona Clark sued for £400,000. She hurt her back lifting boxes of stationery. WPC Kelly Jones demanded £50,000 from the owner of a petrol station where she tripped on the kerb during a call-out. Detective . Inspector Brian Baker won a £7,000 payout after he claimed exposure to . cannabis fumes made him snore and caused problems in his marriage. WPC Louise McGarva sued for £500,000 after claiming she developed a fear of sirens following a riot-training exercise. PC John Franklin won £108,000. He was injured by handcuffs on a safety course. WPC Lesley O’Shea sued for £200,000 after slipping on a banana skin. Last . night a spokesman for Lightflask Ltd said he was unable to discuss . details of the case, which had been settled by the firm’s insurers and . is thought to include Miss Harrison’s £25 travelling expenses, £14 . prescription charges and £102 physiotherapy costs. However, he added that it was ‘crazy’ that members of the public could be sued by police going about their duties. ‘Risks . cannot be removed from every situation,’ he said. ‘It’s crazy that . claims can be made by police officers in their line of work. 'The nature . of their job is risky, but they are there to protect the public.’ Miss Harrison’s decision to sue was also condemned by her own force when it was revealed last month. Chief . Superintendent Nikki Holland, of Merseyside Police, said the decision . to make a claim was ‘not a course of action that the force would . encourage or support’. And . earlier this year Home Secretary Theresa May criticised ‘frivolous’ claims being made by officers which she said were ‘not the sort of . attitude’ they should exhibit. Her . comments came after WPC Kelly Jones, 33, threatened to sue a garage . owner in Thetford, Norfolk, when she tripped over a kerb while . investigating a burglary. She later dropped her claim. | Pauline Harrison, 53, tripped over a fence outside abandoned building .
Merseyside PCSO is suing building's owner claiming they are liable . |
0dfc82eb08e0b4e9fd24b22e3ac1cb23bc5e8794 | A sturdy bra has saved a woman's life after its metal underwiring stopped a stray bullet from hitting her in the chest her during a robbery in Brazil. Ivete Medeiros, from the northern Amazonian city of Belém, was struck by the round as she left a supermarket to investigate commotion unfolding in the street outside. CCTV footage taken moments after the incident sees her being helped back into the store as her husband calls for medical assistance. Scroll down for video . Lucky escape: A sturdy bra has saved a woman's life after its metal underwiring stopped a stray bullet from hitting her in the chest her during a robbery in Brazil . When she realised she was not bleeding, she presumed she had not been hit after all and thanked God for sparing her life. But she then felt 'a little burning sensation' and after finding the source of the pain, discovered the bullet lodged in her underwear. In an interview filmed after the terrifying event, she holds up her dress to show reporters where the bullet had torn it as it sped towards her heart. She then reveals the black lace underwired bra she had been wearing - and points to where the bullet was stopped. Accidental deaths from stray bullets are alarmingly common in Brazil, where more than five million people live below the poverty line, fuelling crime in the country . Miraculous: Ivete Medeiros, from the northern Amazonian city of Belém holds up the bra that saved her life . Caught in crossfire: She was struck by the round as she left a supermarket to investigate commotion unfolding in the street outside. CCTV showed her being supported by her husband after being hit . The incredible incident took place in Brazil's northern Amazonian city of Belém, pictured above . | Ivete Medeiros was shot in the chest after being caught in robbery crossfire .
After seeing no blood she thought bullet had missed her and thanked God .
But then felt a 'burning sensation' and discovered the bullet lodged in bra . |
0dfc905e3decd06067b5b92271d78883698dbda5 | Sitting cross-legged at her office desk, Abhina Aher expounds on what it means to be trapped in the wrong body. She is a 37-year-old Hijra -- a South Asian term for male-to-female transgendered people. She appears at ease when she speaks about her sexual orientation and about the stereotypes associated with her community. Aher is relaxed because she's in the confines of a non-profit workplace espousing the cause of sexual minorities like herself. Here, she's not judged by her deep voice or her masculine face, its lines softened by make-up, or by her feminine dresses, nail-polish and jewelry. Aher has gained a new found place in her country. India's Supreme Court recently granted her and other transgendered people, status as a third gender. So, men can now be identified as females and females can be identified as males. But the outside world, she says, is harsh. In a largely conservative, family-structured region, proclaiming you are not what you are born could entail a harrowing ordeal that Aher suffered -- and survived. She raised a few eyebrows when she first slipped into her mother's sari at the age of six. Her cross-dressing habits, she remembers, were then ignored for some time. But her secret desire to break free from her anatomic sex would only become more intense as she grew older. "The issue about gender and sexuality kept coming back to me. But the unfortunate part of that was I did not have anybody to talk to; I had no one to share my thoughts with," Aher says. From rejection to acceptance . Aher's self-discovery created a sense of loss for her widowed mother, for whom Aher was a boy. "My mother would take me to a temple and make me swear by God that I would change my behavior," Aher said. "But it was beyond my control." And Aher was rejected. Her mother didn't speak with her for almost nine years. Her teachers weren't supportive either. Rather, she became a target of jeers. The hurt became deeper when she stepped into the adult world. Her lovers, she says, also abandoned her. "My journey was lonely. All my lovers rejected me. They either used me for money, or for sexual pleasure or for some momentary emotional support. There was a huge vacuum," she says, her voice thick with emotion. That's when, she says, she set off on a journey for acceptance within the Hijra community. And as is the protocol, the initiation into the fold required her to pursue a Hijra "guru" or a mentor, which she did. She also underwent a long, drawn-out feminization process. The reward, she says, was priceless: liberation. In contrast to Aher, opportunities for employment are extremely limited for most members of the Hijra community. Many end up in prostitution and begging on streets, she says. At a 45-minute drive from her office, a cramped, three-storied building along an unpaved road serves as a multi-purpose center for transgender and gay people. Volunteers walk up and down its dusty, unplastered stairs for an HIV counseling session on the first floor. According to the Indian government, the country's transgender community is seen as disproportionately vulnerable to the deadly infection despite its tiny size. A portion of a dimly lit room segregated by makeshift partitions is then used as a practice hall for the young Hijra members to hone their skills in dancing. In today's wired world, they don't have to outsource professional instrument players. Instead, it's just a case of hooking a set of speakers into a mobile phone before setting off, dancing and lip-syncing to popular Bollywood songs. But beneath the joyous mood, despair lurks. Many Hijras at this center are at least 10 years younger than Aher. They say they, too, faced tough social resistance to their choice to reject gender binarism. Kyra Sharma, 27, says her family thought she was under the influence of black magic when she starting cross-dressing and applying cosmetic powder to her eyes. She suppressed her true nature for a while. "I had to wear male outfits although I didn't feel comfortable," Sharma says. Her brother, she says, was more rigid than others. "There was a deadline for me to be home at 8 pm every day. Life became difficult." But as transgender issues attracted more attention, she used the increased media focus to explain to her family she's not the only one. "Eventually, there was some understanding. Thankfully, I don't have to retreat into my biological sexual appearance now when I am home," says Sharma, who aims to become a make-up artist. Equal rights for transgender and gay people . Within a span of few months, India's Supreme Court has come out with what activists say are conflicting judgments, on transgenders and Hijras on one hand, and the gay community on the other. This month, the justices granted Hijras the right to self-identify their gender in what has been hailed as a historic ruling to end centuries-old discrimination against the country's transgender citizens. In December 2013 though, the same top court re-criminalized consensual homosexual relationships, reinstating a colonial-era law banning people from engaging in "carnal acts against the order of nature." Known as Section 377, that law was initially struck down in 2009 by a high court in New Delhi but its reinstatement has led to fears for gay people in the country. Many of them came out in the open about their relationships when Section 377 was thrown out in 2009. Image consultant Rishi Raj, who is gay, is now apprehensive. "What happens to those teenagers and those young people who came out of the closet thinking that 'my country is on my side, the court is on my side and my parents can't throw me out'?" he asks. The anti-gay law and its revival, he feels, violate personal freedoms in a diverse democracy. "How can you take away something which is integrally my right -- what happens behind closed doors in my bedroom -- and judge me for that? (To) call me a criminal for making love? It's just silly." READ MORE: The transgender community: Legally invisible no more? | India grants Hijras the right to self-identify their gender, a historic ruling to end discrimination .
Activists say Supreme Court has come out with conflicting judgments on transgenders and gay community .
India's transgender community is seen as disproportionately vulnerable to HIV despite its tiny size . |
0dfccf970a5454d2f1f42393882d5691e15f6876 | (CNN) -- A bus carrying students and faculty from Abilene Christian University to a weekend mission project overturned Friday afternoon near Paint Rock, Texas, resulting in one death and multiple injuries, the school said. Grant Rampy, director of public relations for the university in Abilene, said the bus was headed to a children's home in Medina in south-central Texas. The crash occurred about 3:20 p.m. on U.S. 83 in Runnels County, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement. The driver lost control and the bus struck a concrete culvert and rolled once, authorities said. Several students were ejected. Authorities said Anabel Reid, 19, of Petersburg, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene. A number of helicopters were brought in to fly the injured to area hospitals, Rampy said. The victims had varying degrees of injury. The 2009 bus, registered to the university, is equipped for 24 passengers and a driver, officials said. The school's website said that 12 students, three faculty members and the spouse of one faculty member were on board. They were representing the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The Department of Public Safety said 16 people were on the bus. Top leaders in the university administration traveled to four hospitals to be with families. A prayer service was held at the campus amphitheater. | NEW: Young woman pronounced dead at scene .
Bus carrying Abilene Christian University faculty, staff overturns .
Officials: Driver lost control on curve, vehicle struck culvert . |
0dfd019839e385aab5784a78b3ae94a0f89ccd5b | By . Mail On Sunday Reporter . and Leon Watson . Former Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed Bin Hammam is alleged to have paid out £3 million in bribes to football officials to secure support for the 2022 Qatar world cup bid . Leading MPs have called on Fifa to strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup after it emerged illicit payments of £3 million were made to corrupt officials. John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons culture select committee, said: 'There is now an overwhelming case that the decision to where the World Cup should be held in 2022 should be run again.' Conservative MP Damian Collins, who submitted a private member’s bill to Parliament last month that would fight corruption in football, also called for the process to be re-run. A damning email dossier shows how Mohamed Bin Hammam former president of the Asian Football Confederation used the slush fund to garner support for Qatar's bid to host the tournament. The Sunday Times reports that the . bribes helped sway key members of FIFA’s 24-man ruling committee into . giving the green light for the Arab emirate to host the tournament, . despite its lack of football infrastructure. It . is alleged that delegates who decided upon the destination of the 2022 . competition were treated to lavish junkets and large cash payments to . secure their support. The . secret dossier provides evidence of £3 million in cash payments to . football officials across the globe in order to secure support for the . Qatari bid. When the decision was announced, there was shock as the Gulf state has no tradition of football or any suitable stadiums. Also, concerns were raised that with temperatures exceeding 50c, it would be dangerous for both players and supporters. During one . session in 2008, Bin Hammam is believed to have handed over $200,000 . in cash to 25 delegates who had been flown to Kuala Lumpur to discuss . the bid. It is alleged that African football officials received cash payments up to $80,000 from accounts controlled by Bin Hammam. FIFA president Sepp Blatter, right, awarded the competition to Gulf state following a vote in December 2010 . The disclosures come less than two weeks before Brazil is set to host the World Cup and will heap pressure on the tiny desert state. One official sought $232,000 to be paid into his personal bank account which he said would be used to develop football pitches. Bin Hammam was banned from world football 2011 after he was discovered bribing officials during his bid to get elected Fifa president. Fifa is now under pressure to re-examine the Qatari bid as a result of the latest corruption allegations . The Qatari World Cup committee now face an investigation by Fifa's ethics investigator Michael Garcia. The New York lawyer is due to fly out to the middle east next week to investigate the controversial competition bid. Among the shocking allegations, The Sunday Times alleges that former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner was paid $450,000 before the 2010 bid. Qatar, which holds the world’s third-largest natural-gas reserves, plans to spend more than $200 billion on new infrastructure before hosting the sporting event. This is expected to include $34 billion on a rail and metro system, $7 billion on a port and $17 billion on an airport. The stadiums will cost $4 billion, according to the ministry of business and trade. However, the Middle Eastern state of two million people is facing delays and escalating costs related to the event. Work started later than planned on the metro system, and the opening of the new airport is six years behind schedule. It originally announced plans for 12 stadiums, including nine new playing fields and three refurbishments, but that has bee cut to eight. Fifa decided to announce the winners of . the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids on the same day in 2010, when they . awarded the competition to Russia and then Qatar. England had run a campaign to host the competition in 2018, but were humiliated when they received only two votes. Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince William played a central role to the failed English bid. Only last month, FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted it had been a ‘mistake’ to hand the tournament to Qatar after technical assessors had said the searing temperatures could be harmful to players. The revelations emerged as it was reported that police were probing World Cup match-fixing involving Nigeria. A football agent was secretly filmed claiming that Nigerian footballers were willing to rig ties in Brazil for cash, saying: 'I know the games, I know the system.' Members of the Qatar delegation denied that Bin Hammam had any role in their successful bid, while members of his family refused to comment on the issue. FIFA's former president of the World Cup organising committee Jack Warner has been at the centre of corruption allegations . The awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was one of the most controversial decisions in sporting history. Even before . the decision was made, there were persistent allegations of corruption. Six weeks before the vote in Zurich, a World Cup official was caught in . an undercover investigation agreeing to sell his vote to one of . England’s rivals. A . second member of the same committee was recorded asking for . £1.5 million for a sports academy. Both officials were suspended, . meaning that 22 people voted instead of the usual 24. A . whistleblower also claimed that one of the bidders had bought the votes . of three African executive committee members. The former Fifa employee . later withdrew the allegations. Following . England’s defeat, a parliamentary committee held an inquiry into the . failed bid. Lord Triesman, the bid’s former chairman, gave evidence . stating that four Fifa executive committee members had asked for . business deals and favours when negotiating their support. One of those . he named was former vice-president of Fifa Jack Warner. Last month it was alleged Mr Warner and his family were paid almost $2 million (£1.2m) from a Qatari firm linked to the country’s successful bid. The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Warner appeared to have been personally paid $1.2 million (£720,000) from a company controlled by a former Qatari football official shortly after the decision to award the country the tournament. Payments totalling almost $750,000 (£450,000) were made to Mr Warner's sons, documents show. A further $400,000 (£240,000) was paid to one of his employees. It is understood that the FBI is now investigating Trinidad-based Mr Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid, and that the former Fifa official’s eldest son, who lives in Miami, has been helping the inquiry as a co-operating witness. The question of the heat during a summer tournament has also been a one of the controversies raised since Qatar was announced as the winner of the bid in December 2010. Players' union FIFPro has said it will urge its members not to take part if it is played in Qatar's summer, even if air conditioning is installed in the stadiums. Qatar's building projects have also been hit by allegations of migrant construction workers not being given enough food or water, as well as accusations of corruption over the voting procedure to win the bid. Officials have denied the accusations. Overall, the tiny gas-rich state plans to spend about $140 billion on a rail system, a new airport, a seaport, and hundreds of kilometers of new roads for the tournament, in addition to the stadiums that will host the matches. Soul diva Diana Ross entertains the crowd during the opening ceremony for the 1994 World Cup at the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago . The U.S. (2022 bidder) America, which was an initial bidder for 2022, would undoubtedly be popular with travelling fans and it already has the stadia in place. However, the U.S. hosted the cup relatively recently, in 1994, when Diana Ross famously missed an open . goal at the opening ceremony. Australia (2022 bidder) Australasia . has never hosted a World Cup, so . taking the finals there would allow Fifa to say it has taken the game to another continent. Australia, also beaten by Qatar for 2022, put on a spectacular success when it hosted the 2000 Sydney Olympics. However, players and fans would face similar problems with heat as in Qatar if the competition is held there. South Korea (2022 bidder) Twenty years after . jointly hosting Asia's first World Cup, South Korea wanted to do it . again. Along with Japan, Korea was a worthy destination in 2002, but, . like with the USA, the recentness would probably work against them. Japan (2022 bidder) Similarly . to South Korea, Japan's joint host venture in 2002 is unlikely to aid . them, although Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics. England (2018 bidder) England, a 2018 World Cup bidder, have not hosted a . World Cup since 1966, although it did showcase the European Championship in 1996. It boasts top-class stadia and held the London 2012 Olympics to enormous success. Tensions between the FA and Fifa could be a problem though. Spain and Portugal (2018 bidder) Spain . hosted the World Cup in 1982 and Portugal delivered a vibrant Euro . 2004. Both countries, who bid for the 2018 competition, boast excellent stadia and a genuine footballing . history. Holland and Belgium (2018 bidder) The two lowland countries launched a joint bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The pair hosted Euro 2000, but the tournament was marred by hooliganism and that would count against them. The stadia Belgium offered was also criticised. | Damning dossier exposes alleged corruption during 2022 World Cup bid .
It is reported bribes helped sway key members of FIFA's committee .
Delegates treated to lavish junkets and large cash payments, it is alleged .
Mohammed Bin Hammam linked to cash payments to African officials .
Fifa ethics head flying to middle east next week to investigate 2022 bid .
John Wittingdale MP claims Fifa should re-run the competition .
Australia, the U.S, South Korea and Japan missed out after decision . |
0dffb2153f27923f32db6aa6713033a3732c020d | It's the most widespread celebrity photo hacking scandal to date - and now its time to pay. A large group of the women whose personal email accounts have been compromised - with the stolen intimate shots of stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian subsequently disseminated online - are now threatening to sue Google for $100 million, according to a new report. Page Six are reporting that lawyers representing the women claim the search giant should have been able to remove the images from the internet and, in failing to do so, 'made millions from the victimization of women'. Top Hollywood attorney Marty Singer has written a letter to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin accusing them of 'blatantly unethical behavior' on behalf of over a dozen of the stars involved, the gossip column reported. 'Because the victims are celebrities with valuable publicity rights you do nothing - nothing but collect millions of dollars in advertising revenue - as you seek to capitalize on this scandal rather than quash it,' the letter reportedly said. Scroll down for video . Taking action: Some of the female celebrities who have been targeted the photo hacking scandal - with Rihanna (left) and Amber Heard (right) among the most recent victims - are threatening to sue Google, claiming they could have helped stop the pictures from spreading . The exact women involved in the potential lawsuit have not been named. Reacting to the potential lawsuit, Google said they have been trying to eradicate the photos from the web in response to complaints about privacy violation. 'We've removed tens of thousands of pictures -- within hours of the requests being made -- and we have closed hundreds of accounts,' a Google spokesperson said. 'The Internet is used for many good things. 'Stealing people’s private photos is not one of them.' The letter comes after hacked photos from celebrities including Rihianna and Amber Heard were still believed to be easily accessible on social media sites. Two topless images of Rihanna appeared online via 4chan and Reddit on Sunday while Heard has been one hardest-hit celebrities, with more than 50 nude snaps of her surfacing. According to TMZ, one featured a message believed to be for her fiancé Johnny Depp. Despite stringent policies about removing abusive content, the images remained in the public sphere today - and were believed to be easily accessible on Twitter. Another huge wave of leaked images took place around September 20- with nude photos of Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Hudgens, Kate Bosworth and Hope Solo all being released. Gabrielle Union said she would be contacting the FBI after she confirmed images of her online were genuine. Union said in a statement to TMZ alongside her husband Dwyane Wade: 'It has come to our attention it has come to our attention that our private moments, that were shared and deleted solely between my husband and myself, have been leaked by some vultures. 'I can’t help but to be reminded that since the dawn of time women and children, specifically women of color, have been victimized, and the power over their own bodies taken from them. 'These atrocities against women and children continue worldwide.' Victim: Actress Gabrielle Union said in a statement photos of her that were published online are genuine . In the wake of the stolen images, Union is reaching out to the FBI, TMZ reported. 'For anyone out there also being affected by these and other hacking and hate crimes - We send our love, support and prayers,' the statement also said. ' We have done nothing wrong.' The other previously unseen images allegedly feature reality TV star Kim Kardashian, American goalkeeper Hope Solo and actresses Kaley Cuoco and Vanessa Hudgens. They also reportedly include Nashville star Hayden Panettiere, singer Avril Lavigne and actress-turned-fashion designer Mary-Kate Olson. It comes just three weeks after naked photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence and '100 other stars', including supermodel Kate Upton and actress Aubrey Plaza, were published online. Victims: The latest wave of naked images are also alleged to feature actress Vanessa Hudgens (left) and American goalkeeper Hope Solo (right). They were reportedly posted to image-sharing forum 4chan and RedditRead . Targeted: Parks and Recreation actress Aubrey Plaza (left) and The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco have also been named as victims . Although most of the latest victims were named on an original list of targeted celebrities, posted by a hacker to the anonymous image-sharing forum 4chan last month, Kim Kardashian was not. According to TMZ, the images were reportedly uploaded to 4chan and Reddit, but the latter quickly removed them due to its stringent policy on hacked photographs being shared on the site. While a representative for Kardashian declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline, the snaps which allegedly feature her have garnered much attention. They show a woman who resembles the star taking nude selfies in a bathroom setting. It is not the first time Kim, who is married to rapper Kanye West, has had to deal with racy material being leaked to the public. In 2007, her sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray-J was published online. The reality star filed a lawsuit against the tape's distributors, Vivid Enetrtainment, which was finalled dropped when she settled for $5 million. Reality star: Nude pictures allegedly showing TV personality Kim Kardashian (pictured) have been leaked online . The same year, Vanessa was forced to issue an apology after private photos of her were leaked online at the time she was appearing in Disney's High School Musical 2. According to E! Online, nude photos allegedly showing actresses Leelee Sobieski and Lake Bell were also uploaded online this morning. Three weeks ago, compromising images of dozens of celebrities - including model Cara Delevingne and Jessica Brown Findlay - emerged online after a hacker reportedly gained access to their iCloud accounts and stole their pictures. While it appears that she was unaffected by the attacks, actress Cameron Diaz recently expressed her thoughts on the scandal while in London to promote her latest movie Sex Tape. Speaking on ITV's This Morning in the UK, she said: 'Whoever has done it, they will be caught and made examples of. This can happen to anyone. If these guys can do it to this group of people then everyone's vulnerable to it. 'I think that people really need to look at... how would they feel if it happened to them?' Last month, actress Kirsten Dunst became the first celebrity to publicly criticize technology giant Apple when she posted a sarcastic message on Twitter. The Spiderman star tweeted 'Thank you iCloud', the day after naked photos of her were published online. Last month, actress Kirsten Dunst became the first celebrity to publicly criticize technology giant Apple when she posted a sarcastic message on Twitter . Meanwhile, Jennifer Lawrence, a three-time Oscar nominee who won for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, contacted authorities after the images began appearing. 'This is a flagrant violation of privacy,' Lawrence's publicist Liz Mahoney wrote in a statement. 'The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence.' Apple has denied that its iCloud system was compromised during the attacks, which were the result of 'a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions'. 'We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report,' Apple spokeswoman Nat Kerris earlier told MailOnline. The firm, which said it was 'outraged' by the security breach, has now advised worried customers to update their accounts with a 'strong' password and enable two-step verification. Scandal: Photos of Jennifer Lawrence and '100 other stars', including supermodel Kate Upton and actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, were first published online last month, with more after that . | Lawyers for some of the women involved in the widespread email hack claim Google could have helped stop the images circulated .
Claim they instead chose to profit 'from the victimization of women'
Dozens of female celebrities have been compromised including Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Kirsten Dunst and Amber Heard .
Among them, Gabrielle Union has admitted the photos of her are genuine and shared with her husband Dwyane Wade .
Apple said attacks were the result of 'very targeted attack' on users' details .
Anonymous users on 4chan claim photos were stolen from the company's iCloud app . |
0e01e8363b811df68c2f2604708b8019f2bbe763 | By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 11:13 EST, 10 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:51 EST, 10 March 2014 . Family liaison officer: Jeffrey Davies, 42, was jailed for three years at Swansea Crown Court in August 2013 for taking advantage of the women . Two policemen have been sacked for mocking women who made sexual complaints against another officer. The detectives failed to investigate complaints against their colleague Detective Constable Jeffrey Davies, 42, and instead used ‘repulsive language and poked fun’ at his victims. The Independent Police Complaints Commission was called in after South Wales Police family liaison officer Davies was later jailed for three years for taking advantage of the women, who were victims of domestic abuse. Both women complained about Davies, but the IPCC found his senior officers ignored this. Instead they made ‘lewd’ and ‘sexual’ remarks about them in official emails - and even made up an office quiz based on their complaints. One officer ‘poked fun’ at a woman allegedly flashed at by Davies. Detective Inspector Phillip Camm and Detective Sergeant Richard Jones were both found guilty of gross misconduct after five-day disciplinary hearing. The force has sacked both of them. IPCC commissioner Jan Williams said: ‘The women were not treated as victims of a sexual offence and their allegations were not investigated effectively. ‘The investigation also revealed a CID unit pervaded with what could be described as a canteen culture where inappropriate comments and behaviour were viewed as harmless banter. ‘The language demonstrated in emails and documents was, in fact, grossly unprofessional, offensive and demonstrated a lack of respect for the women complaining. ‘I read with a sense of repulsion the sexual content of comments made by Detective Sergeant Jones, both in his emails and in the two documents found on his computer.’ Base: Detective Sergeant Richard Jones was Davies's line manager and Detective Inspector Phillip Camm his supervisor at Merthyr Tydfil police station (pictured) in South Wales . She added: ‘The allegations made against Jeffrey Davies were extremely serious and should have been treated that way. ‘They were vulnerable women who had turned to the police for help and had found themselves subjected to an appalling abuse of trust. ‘Their dreadful experience was then further compounded by the inactions of Jeffrey Davies’s supervisors who failed to deal properly with the criminal allegations against him.’ Jones deleted offensive emails when he discovered the IPCC were investigating. And Camm lied to the IPCC when he was being interviewed about the handling of the allegations made by two complainants, known only as Woman A and Woman B. Det Sgt Jones was Davies’s line manager and Det Insp Camm his supervisor at Merthyr Tydfil police station in South Wales. Unimpressed: Independent Police Complaints Commission commissioner Jan Williams said the women's allegations 'were not investigated effectively' The IPCC investigation discovered a . ‘canteen culture’ in the CID unit where officers joked about victims of . the sexual assaults in 2011. Chief Constable of South Wales Police Peter . Vaughan said: ‘From myself to our front-line officers of South Wales . Police are shocked and feel deeply let down by the behaviour of these . officers. ‘Let us be in no . doubt, we owe the women affected a sincere apology as the conduct of . these officers fell well short of the standards I expect from South . Wales Police. ‘As part of . the investigation into their conduct a number of offensive and . inappropriate emails and documents came to light which were prepared by . Sergeant Jones and seen by Inspector Camm, who failed to challenge them. ‘I . have to make it clear that this is behaviour I simply don’t recognise . within South Wales Police. We have examined thousands of emails to see . if such behaviour was more common. ‘Quite . simply it is not and evidently, the vast majority of our 5,000 officers . and staff know that there is absolutely no place for lewd and offensive . communication and it will not be tolerated. ‘Everyone . throughout South Wales Police knows the values and standards which are . expected from them, we train them in these standards and on promotion. ‘I tell every manager that they have an absolute duty to challenge inappropriate behaviour and conduct. ‘Sergeant . Jones and Inspector Camm failed to act in the professional manner that I . expect of my officers. Their dismissals show that we will always be . robust when it comes to staff misconduct. ‘At the same time, every year our front-line staff and specialist teams support hundreds of victims of sexual offences. ‘Leaders across the force are ensuring that we do our very best to protect vulnerable people and respond to their needs.’ Camm failed to refer the complaint of indecent exposure by ‘Woman B’ to the professional standards department and did not treat her as a victim of a sexual offence. He was also found guilty of failing to carry out an effective investigation and treated the allegation as a malicious complaint. Det Sgt Jones failed to refer ‘Woman A’s’ complaint of indecent assault to the professional standards department. The IPCC investigation found the women’s allegations were not reported to the professional standards department of South Wales Police. Commissioner Williams said they were ‘littered with lewd language’ and showed a total lack of empathy and respect for a victim who had shown ‘real courage’ to report an allegation of indecent exposure against a police officer. She said: ‘He treated her complaint as sport, to be used as part of a quiz with colleagues outside work. This was outrageous and demonstrates the contempt in which the woman and her allegation was held. ‘Detective Sergeant Jones then tried to hide the evidence of his behaviour by deleting documents from his computer when he became aware of our investigation. ‘Inspector Camm failed to challenge his team’s behaviour and lied to the IPCC during an interview. It is only right that these officers have been dismissed. ‘Their failure to challenge inappropriate behaviour strikes at the heart of confidence in policing and tarnishes the good work done by officers every day.’ The IPCC met with Woman A and Woman B last week to share the findings of the report with them and explained the officers had been sacked. Commissioner Williams said: ‘It is vitally important that other officers are confident that they will be supported if they challenge inappropriate behaviour. ‘Victims of crime must also feel that they can have confidence to speak to an officer, and be treated with dignity and respect.’ Davies was jailed for three years at Swansea Crown Court in August 2013 after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault against two women he was meant to be looking after. He was cleared of a further offence of exposure against Woman B. | Officers failed to investigate complaints against colleague Jeffrey Davies .
Instead used 'repulsive language and poked fun' at colleague's victims .
IPCC called in after Davies was later jailed for taking advantage of women .
Phillip Camm and Richard Jones both found guilty of gross misconduct . |
0e0215e0e6f1533230958745d8d59c3a7c602e7c | (CNN) -- They stood and squatted for hours, crammed into two sweltering semi-trailers, clinging to ropes so they would not fall as the trucks traveled through winding mountain roads. Mexican authorities say the more than 500 illegal immigrants they detained Tuesday wanted to reach the United States and each had paid $7,000 to get there. But by Wednesday, a day after X-ray equipment detected them at a highway checkpoint, the majority of them had been deported to their home countries in Central and South America. In a migrant detention center surrounded by high walls near Mexico's southern border, the remaining 23 immigrants, who hailed from countries as nearby as the Dominican Republic and as far away as Nepal, will wait as officials arrange their deportation. Immigrant detentions are nothing new in the southern Mexican border state of Chiapas, where at least 25,000 immigrants were apprehended last year. But the large number authorities found in two vehicles Tuesday was a startling reminder of the desperation that drives immigrants to risk dangerous conditions. The case drew national attention in Mexico, where the country's interior minister announced he would begin following the "migrant's route" through Mexico on Wednesday. The three-day trip was scheduled to include meetings on immigration with local officials and his Guatemalan counterpart. The vast majority of the immigrants detained Tuesday were from Guatemala, and all 410 of them had been handed over to Guatemalan police by Wednesday afternoon, according to Mexico's National Migration Institute. The 80 detained immigrants who hailed from El Salvador, Ecuador and Honduras were scheduled to be deported Wednesday evening. The immigrants who hailed from the Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, China and Japan awaited their fate Wednesday in Tapachula, Chiapas, at the recently renovated 21st Century Migration Station, Mexico's largest immigrant detention center. Experts say the passage of Central American immigrants through Mexico on their way to the United States is hardly a 21st century phenomenon. Immigration of Central Americans into the United States began to grow in the early 1980s, said Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. And for at least 15 years, American authorities have been pushing Mexican officials to crack down on "transit migration." "Going back to the 1990s when we start to engage Mexico, this has been one of the two main goals of our conversation," Papademetriou said. But the Guatemala-Mexico border was easy to cross until recently, said Andrew Selee, director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "There's more of a federal presence today than there's ever been, for two reasons," he said. "One, because Mexico has been trying to make a case that the country is secure, and that they're doing their part on terrorism and on illegal immigration; but also, in part, because Mexico is very concerned about crime on the southern border." That hasn't stopped immigrants from embarking on the journey, despite the dangers. "People are going to keep coming," Selee said. "As bad as the economy has been in the U.S. over the past couple years, there are still people willing to take the risk of not finding a job because they also see no prospects where they are." Journalist Angeles Mariscal of CNNMexico.com contributed to this report. | After X-rays detect them, the immigrants are sent to a detention facility .
The case, a reminder of dangers immigrants face, draws national attention in Mexico .
The country's interior minister tours the "migrant's route" Wednesday .
Expert: Mexican authorities beef up enforcement along the Guatemala border . |
0e029a3f67dc8df34eefc185ec5343cec72fb29d | An elderly Minnesota couple were killed after their car collided head on with a semitrailer truck on Highway 9 near Ada in Norman County. Hazel and Carlton Roed, both 88 and from Mentor, were travelling northbound in a 2009 Chevrolet Impala when the car drifted over the center line of the highway on Monday afternoon. A semitrailer truck being driven southbound by 72-year-old Larry Larson of Twin Valley struck the Impala. Scroll down for video . Carlton and Hazel Roed, both 88, were killed when their car was hit by a truck on Highway 9 near Ada in Norman County, Minnesota (file photo) Carlton, who was behind the wheel at the time of the wreck, was pronounced dead at the scene. Hazel was taken to Essentia Hospital in Fargo and she died Monday night. Larson had no apparent injuries after the crash. The presence of alcohol was not detected on either of the drivers or the passenger. According to the Minnesota State Patrol: 'The Chevrolet Impala was travelling northbound on Highway 9. Larry Larson of Twin Valley was driving a semitrailer truck when it struck a 2009 Chevrolet Impala being driven by Carlton Roed (both vehicles, pictured, similar to those involved in the accident) 'The truck was travelling southbound. 'The Impala crossed over the center line and hit the truck head on.' Larson and the Roeds were all wearing their seat belts, Forum News Service reported. Investigators are working to determine why the couple's car crossed the center line of the highway. The car's airbags did deploy after impact. | Carlton and Hazel Roed of Mentor, Minnesota, were in a 2009 Chevy Impala .
The driver of the truck, 72-year-old Larry Larson, was uninjured .
All three people were wearing their seat belts when the crash occurred . |
0e030d4e7092d6ec7329dd9988e7934e09668410 | The years of upheaval following Egypt's revolution has had a direct impact on tourism revenues. With westerners more cautious about visiting the country due to travel warnings and social unrest, it has meant the likes of the Great Pyramids and Tutankhamun's Tomb have seen a reduced footfall. The Egyptian government estimate that revenues have fallen by 95 per cent since the revolution, from £250 million in 2010 to just £10.5 million for 2014. Scroll down for video . Should be enjoyed: Westerners are being put off travelling to see The Great Pyramids of Egypt due to the country's 'instability' Although tourism has picked up in the Red Sea resorts, Cairo, Luxor and Aswan are still struggling to attract an income from visitors. This is leaving the antiquities ministry in a difficult predicament, with job losses a distinct possibility. Speaking to The Guardian, the editor of the Luxor Times, Mena Melad, said: 'It's dead. It's even worse than in 1997 after the massacre of the tourists' at the Hatshepsut temple in the Valley of the Kings. 'There are lots of people who have given up working in tourism and are trying to find new work.' History: TutanKhamun's Tomb, one of the great sights of Egypt, has seen a reduced football . Placid: Though the Red Sea resorts in Egypt are holding their own, it's the other historical areas that are more worrying . The financial problems the country is going through was reflected in the July budget, when, with the aim to reducing the deficit by 10 per cent, new austerity measures were brought in. The focus of the reforms were aimed at galvanising the Egyptian people to support the government and give them time to turn around the country's crippling debts. However, with so many historical sites, the focus might well turn to how to attract foreigners to the country and give back a much-needed economic boom to the Middle Eastern country. | Reduced footfall recorded at the likes of the Great Pyramids and Tutankhamun's Tomb .
In four years, revenue stream drops from £250 million to just £10.5 million .
Job losses a real possibility in government ministry . |
0e0390ab1e0f144a4a5d63b5c1d1a6d8258b84c6 | A lot of football fans claim to be dedicated to their football clubs, many even describe it as a religion. Some wear replica shirts when they go to games, and others have their team’s club crest tattooed on their bodies. But a Liverpool fan from Norway has taken it just that little bit further, having confessed to Norwegian paper Dagbladet he has a daughter called Karolina YNWA. Liverpool supporting couple were set to name their baby Gerrard after Steven Gerrard if it was a boy . Using an acronym of your club's song as your child's name is certainly a unique way of expressing love for a football team thousands of miles away. But Eirin Isabell Iversen, the five-year-old girl's mum, doesn't seem to mind as she revealed they had plans to name the baby Gerrard if it was a boy. “I'm probably not as interested in football, but it was actually my suggestion to call her ‘YNWA’. He suggested ‘Gerrard’ before we knew it was a boy or a girl," she said. "We could not force her to support Liverpool but she is very proud of her name." Massive Liverpool fan names child YNWA to show dedication for his club . | Five-year-old girl's full name is Karolina YNWA .
Mum reveals they had planned to call the baby Gerrard if it was a boy .
Parents say they won't force their child to support Liverpool .
But reveal the little girl is very proud of her name and has her own shirt . |
0e041ec0094be51b003172badbffeeccf6e38744 | A mother feasted on sponges and sand after developing insatiable cravings for both throughout her pregnancies. Kelly-Marie Pearce’s strange 20-a-day habit saw her munch her way through thousands of washing-up sponges, washed down with piles of sand when she was pregnant with baby Lola and son Lucian. But despite her fondness for the bizarre snack - which she would often stack together to make sponge and sand sandwiches - both her children were born healthy and unharmed. Mrs Pearce, 28, from Wolverhampton, said: 'It tasted really good at the time.' Kelly-Marie Pearce, 28, with her two children Lucian, 4, left, and Lola-Ruby, 7-months-old, right. Mrs Pearce feasted on sponges and sand after developing insatiable cravings for both throughout her pregnancies . 'It was really satisfying. It was exactly what I needed. I was getting through bowls and bowls of sand a day. I wasn’t eating anything else but sand and sponges. 'It’s like when you really fancy a bit of chocolate and you finally get a piece and its so satisfying.' The full-time mum suffered from Pica disorder throughout the pregnancies, which causes victims to crave objects that are not food. Her unusual cravings started five months into her first pregnancy with Lucian, now four, and were sparked when her mother-in-law was changing the sand in her parrot’s cage. She explained: 'I kept getting this weird taste in my mouth. I knew I was craving something but could not put my finger on what until I saw the sand and that’s when I knew I wanted it. 'Then when I saw her change the sand in the parrot’s cage I thought "I could just eat that" and I asked her if I could have some and I started eating it. She thought it was mad but let me carry on.' When sand didn’t hit the spot, she turned to sponges and scoffed her way through packets a day and even combined the two to make sponge sand-wiches. 'I was in the bath one day and I looked at the sponge. It was new and I just started eating it. 'I would have a small bite then chew it for a bit until it went soft. I even dipped them in the sand - it tasted really good,' she added. The bizarre craving saw her chomp on 5,000 washing-up sponges and sacks of sand while she was expecting. But both her children were born healthy and unharmed . 'Then I started eating washing up sponges but ripping the rough side off. 'I went through loads and had to keep buying sand from the pet shop and lots of sponges. 'I could not go anywhere without taking sand or sponges with me. It’s very different to your normal pregnancy cravings.' The habit of eating non-edible objects could arise from some sort of deficiency. Some sufferers eat dirt and many of them are found to lack iron, which is present in soil. Others develop the condition because of extreme stress, though it is not clear why. A desire to eat cleaning agents may be linked with obsessive-compulsive disorder or just a liking for fragrances. Pica can lead to dangerous complications in the body's metabolism. One type of treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy with an experienced psychologist. Then when Mrs Pearce fell pregnant again last year with Lola, now seven months old, the crazy cravings returned and she went through the same routine of only eating sand and sponges all over again. Her husband Damian, 31, was worried her diet was harming his unborn children, but when the midwife told them it was fine, his wife continued. 'I couldn’t stop her then. She was completely addicted,' he said. A spokesperson for Beat, the eating disorders charity, said: 'We do on occasion get people coming to us to say they are suffering from this condition. It doesn’t provide any nutritional intake at all and can have long term health implications. 'Particularly when someone is pregnant, it’s important to provide suitable nutrition for them and the growing baby. 'It’s important that any individual has a well-balanced diet and if they are worried that something like this is affecting them they should seek help at the earliest opportunity. 'It is worth exploring with a good GP to see if there are serious issues that need to be resolved and whether cognitive behavioural therapy might be appropriate. 'We would urge GPs to make themselves more familiar with this condition and other disordered eating patterns so people can get the help they need. 'Obviously the earlier the individual seeks help, the more likely it is that their problem can be overcome.' More information and help can be found at the charity’s website: www.b-eat.co.uk. | Kelly-Marie Pearce claims to have eaten 20 sponges a day while pregnant .
She also said she yearned for sand after seeing it in parrot's cage .
But despite her insatiable appetite, both of her children were born healthy . |
0e0702f03e74efdc4eb45b2a9225e9cfdd92ebb5 | (CNN) -- A 14-year-old was arrested late Tuesday after shining a powerful laser light into the eyes of a pilot who was approaching Los Angeles International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The arrest puts a spotlight on what the FAA calls a dangerous problem in recent years. In Tuesday's case, the pilot was about 2,000 feet in the air and nobody was hurt in the incident, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman. "It's potentially very dangerous to shine a laser at an aircraft because a laser can distract a pilot and there have been cases where pilots have suffered temporary vision problems as a result of being struck by a laser beam," Gregor said. " We've had reports of pilots having to turn over control of the aircraft to a co-pilot or had to abort landing." Gregor said Los Angeles International Airport has had many instances of laser attacks. "Pilots reported 102 laser incidents around LAX in 2010. Most of any airport in the country," Gregor said. | The incident occurred as a pilot approached Los Angeles International Airport .
Nobody was injured in the accident, FAA says . |
0e070991e7b2dccb274153174e74d6a91bf30d9b | Rebekah Brooks has been the victim of an unprecedented ‘witch-hunt’, her husband said yesterday, as the couple broke their silence over her dramatic acquittal in the phone-hacking trial. The former News of the World editor said she had been ‘vindicated’ after suffering ‘a maelstrom of controversy, of politics and of comment’. The 46-year-old insisted she was ‘incredibly proud’ of her campaigns as editor at the Sunday tabloid but appeared to acknowledge the pain caused to those whose phones were hacked by journalists, and that mistakes had been made. Scroll down for video . 'I am innocent': Rebekah Brooks, pictured with husband Charlie, has spoken for the first time after she was cleared of hacking charges at the Old Bailey . Speaking out: The former News International chief executive addressed reporters outside her London home . Ordeal: Surrounded by a media scrum outside the house, Mrs Brooks said the last three years had been 'tough' for her, her husband and those close to them . Support: Mr Brooks today paid tribute to the 'dignity' his wife had shown throughout a three-year 'witch-hunt' ‘I am innocent of the crimes that I was charged with and I feel vindicated by the unanimous verdicts,’ she said. ‘The . last few years have been tough for both of us and those closest to us, . but more importantly they have been tough for everybody, on all sides . that have been affected by the issues raised by this case.’ Asked . if she could have done more to prevent phone hacking at the News of the . World, Mrs Brooks told journalists: ‘It’s been a time of reflection for . me. I’ve learned some valuable lessons and will hopefully become the . wiser for it.’ Response: Mrs Brooks, 46, made no direct reference to Andy Coulson as she faced a barrage of questions from reporters . 'Vindicated': Mrs Brooks said she was innocent of all the crimes she was charged with, and felt 'vindicated' by the jury's unanimous verdicts . Perspective: Mrs Brooks said the trial had made her grateful for her 'happy and healthy' daughter, and the support of her mother . Grateful: Mrs Brooks said she was grateful to the jury following their decision to clear her of all charges . It was . the first time Mrs Brooks and her husband Charlie, 51, had spoken . publicly about the hacking scandal since they were charged in May 2012. Back . then Mrs Brooks condemned her prosecution as ‘nothing more than an . expensive sideshow, a waste of public money as a result of an unjust and . weak decision’, and her husband said she was ‘the subject of a . witch-hunt’. Yesterday Mr . Brooks said he stood by his comments, saying: ‘Everything, absolutely . everything we said, has been proved to be true. ‘Rebekah . has been through an unprecedented investigation of an incredibly . forensic and personal nature, the likes of which we have probably never . seen. ‘And I would just like to say how proud I am of Rebekah and the dignity she has shown.’ Asked if he still believed the prosecution was a witch-hunt, he nodded emphatically and replied: ‘Yes. Unity: The couple both spoke for the first time since the end of the hacking trial, which saw them and three others unanimously cleared of hacking charges. Andy Coulson was found guilty. Mrs Brooks was wearing a £180 'Edie' dress from Boutique by Jaeger, and carrying a £475 'Robinson' by Tory Burch tote-style bag. Tough: Mrs Brooks' voice broke and she appeared to be close to tears as she gave the statement. She would not be drawn on Mr Coulson's fate or whether she should have done more to deal with criminality at the News of the World . Mr . and Mrs Brooks spoke as they left the £5million townhouse in . Clerkenwell, central London, which they had rented for the duration of . the eight-month trial so that they would be close to the Old Bailey. A . tired-looking Mrs Brooks said they were desperate ‘to spend some . much-needed time with Scarlett’, their two-year-old daughter. Scarlett . was born in January 2012, just weeks before the couple were arrested. Their . trial heard how Mrs Brooks had been unable to conceive, despite . fertility treatment, and Scarlett was born after a cousin agreed to a . surrogate pregnancy. She . ignored questions about how she felt about the conviction of her former . deputy editor and lover Andy Coulson, the only person found guilty at . the trial. Coulson, 46, who . later became Prime Minister David Cameron’s director of communications . in Downing Street, faces prison when he is sentenced next week alongside . three former News of the World news editors and private detective Glenn . Mulcaire. Mr Brooks said he was ‘very sad’ for Coulson, his wife and their three young sons. He said they had not heard from Mr Cameron – with whom they were close friends before the trial – since Tuesday’s acquittal. Time of reflection: Mrs Brooks told the waiting reporters that she had 'learned some valuable lessons', and hopefully was 'the wiser for it' Mixed emotions: At times Mrs Brooks smiled and at others she was close to tears, and said she would spend her time supporting her colleagues still on trial but would not be drawn on her own career going forward . Tribute: Mr Brooks, said he was already back working full time as a horse trainer, said his wife went 'through an unprecedented investigation of an incredibly forensic and personal nature, the likes of which we have probably never seen' Back home: The couple said they were heading back to Oxfordshire to spend more time with their daughter . Mrs . Brooks – who wore a £180 butterfly print Jaeger dress and carried a . £475 Tony Burch ‘Robinson’ stripe tote bag – refused to answer any . questions about her plans for the future. She . is known to have received payouts totalling £16million following her . resignation as chief executive at News International, although that was . understood to include the legal fees for her defence. She appeared to have memorised a lengthy statement and stared straight . ahead as she spoke, although her legs were visibly shaking. Asked . about the journalists still facing trial whom she worked with at the . News of the World and The Sun, she said: ‘I am incredibly proud of the . many journalists I have worked with throughout my career and the great . campaigns that we have fought and won. ‘All I can say to you all is that today my thoughts are with my former colleagues and their families who face future trials. I am going to do everything I can to support them as I know how anxious the times ahead are.’ | Ms Brooks made statement with husband Charlie outside London home .
She said she's innocent of all crimes against her and 'feels vindicated'
Charlie Brooks was asked: 'Was this a witch-hunt', he replied: 'Yes'
Mr Brooks said his wife had been through an 'unprecedented' investigation .
He said he was proud of her and the dignity she has shown during the case .
Racehorse trainer said he felt 'sad' for Andy Coulson and his wife Eloise . |
0e07e9a5e2670b05362390115dca09929598be70 | Jose Mourinho will wait until after the final game of the . season to hand his report to Chelsea on the futures of club legends Frank . Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole. The whereabouts of the long-serving trio next season . remains in doubt with all three out of contract in the summer. 'I don't know but I don't . think so,' said Mourinho when asked if Terry, Lampard and Cole would play their final game for the club at Cardiff City on Sunday. 'The club knows my opinion. The players . Centre of attention: Jose Mourinho answers questions during his pre-match press conference . Uncertain future: Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry are all out of contract this summer . Terry is in negotiations with the club and it is likely that after a formidable season he will be retained. But Cole's future, after limited action this term, is looking more likely to be away from Stamford Bridge. It is possible Lampard, who is 36 in June, may have played his final match for Chelsea already. 'Frank . Lampard is ill, he is in bed,' Mourinho said. Asked to reflect on . Lampard's distinguished career at Stamford Bridge, he added: 'Maybe in a . few years he will have a statue where Peter Osgood is. He's one of the . biggest players (in the history) of this club.' Crowd favourite: Mourinho believes Lampard deserves a statue in his honour when he leaves Chelsea . Mourinho . strangely described the defeat to Sunderland as the 'highlight' of his . first season back at Chelsea as he again hinted at where he felt his . team's Barclays Premier League title chances had been extinguished. Mourinho . was fined £10,000 on Thursday for his sarcastic appraisal of officials . following the loss to the Black Cats, and also failed in an appeal . against an £8,000 penalty imposed after the defeat at Aston Villa. Asked . his standout moment of the campaign, he chose the penalty awarded by . Mike Dean and converted by Fabio Borini which earned Sunderland a 2-1 . win on April 19 and ended Mourinho's 77-match unbeaten home league run. Case for the defence: Mourinho oversees Chelsea training as Cole runs through his paces . On the ball: Tomas Kallas tussles for possession with Demba Ba as Chelsea train at their Cobham base . 'This . season I lost a match at Stamford Bridge for the first time,' Mourinho . said. 'I lost with the second goal (against Sunderland) and for me . that's the highlight.' Mourinho . declined to comment fully on Football Association matters - his . disciplinary sanctions or the findings of Greg Dyke's commission - but . insisted he was happy to be back after a near six-year absence, despite . his disciplinary troubles. 'I . like to be back,' Mourinho added. 'I don't enjoy defeats, but I have to . say that to lose at Crystal Palace is English football. 'To . lose like we did against Sunderland or Aston Villa is not English . football and I like English football, I don't like what isn't English . football.' | John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashely Cole are out of contract this summer .
England star Lampard could miss Chelsea's game against Cardiff City through illness .
Jose Mourinho believes midfielder deserves a statue at Stamford Bridge . |
0e0834fdfd397a43586272c7a2c7101088710d6d | By . Margot Peppers . PUBLISHED: . 16:07 EST, 25 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:18 EST, 25 July 2013 . A woman so addicted to plastic surgery that she's had 59 procedures has told how she still struggles with her obsession with beauty, especially after a recent weight gain. Jenny Lee, who shocked Oprah and viewers with her Barbie-like looks in 2004, made an appearance seven years later on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, which will return for a new season on Sunday. In the episode, the mother-of-two from Austin, Texas, opens up about learning to accept her body after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a painful disease that caused her to gain weight. Scroll down for video . Transformation: Jenny Lee, a plastic surgery addict who appeared on Oprah in 2004 (left), still struggled with body issues seven years later (right) after a weight gain caused by fibromyalgia . Dissatisfaction: When she first met Oprah, the talk show host told her that she looked like Barbie. Jenny responded: 'I'm trying very hard to find acceptance. But when I look in my reflection, I still don't like what I see' 'Initially my self-esteem took a huge . blow,' the blonde tells Oprah. 'I was just like, "Are you kidding me?" Because I look at some . pictures. . . where I was really thin. But I was the healthiest and the happiest at that time, and I miss those days.' Indeed, Jenny appears completely different in the episode, displaying a puffier face and noticeable weight gain. 'I had to really come to terms [with] the fact that for once in my life, I'm not in control of my body,' she confesses. When she first met Oprah, the talk . show host told her that she looked like Barbie - to which Jenny . responded that she had always struggled with accepting her looks. She talked about 'a battle' with her . self-esteem that started when she was young, and which she hasn't been . able to kick to this day. Enduring habit: Seven years after her first Oprah appearance, Jenny had undergone 33 more procedures - including a fourth rhinoplasty . 'I feel like my spirit was broken,' she says. 'And I'm trying very hard to find acceptance. But when I look in my reflection, I still don't like what I see. 'If I could be just OK with it, just OK, I would be very happy,' she added. 'I'm trying to find acceptance, but when I look in my reflection, I still don't like what I see' Jenny's dissatisfaction led to her getting 26 plastic surgeries by the time she was 28 years old, including three lip implants, two boob jobs, three breast lifts and liposuction. After her first appearance on Oprah, Jenny . and her husband had a baby, and she briefly kicked the surgery habit in order to . be a more attentive mother. But soon enough, she was back on the bandwagon and had undergone 33 more procedures - including a fourth rhinoplasty. Side effects: 'I am in constant pain, all the time, every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' Jenny (pictured with daughter Priscilla) said of her condition . Jenny Lee . In the follow-up episode, Jenny says her final nose surgery, which took place in February 2008, was finally to her satisfaction. 'Now, I look at my nose and go. . . it's . perfect!' she says. But other events in her life have not gone according to plan - like her diagnosis with fibromyalgia, a disorder that makes sufferers feel chronic widespread pain. 'I am in constant pain, all the time, every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' said Jenny, who cuts a noticeably fuller figure now, due to the disorder. Still, while Jenny continues to struggle with her . own body image issues, she has tried to make . sure that her oldest daughter, Kaleigh, will never have to do the same. 'Where Kaleigh's concerned, I've . always made it very clear that she needs nothing,' Jenny says in the episode. Instilling confidence: While Jenny continues to struggle with her own body image issues, throughout the years she has tried to make sure that her oldest daughter, Kaleigh (pictured), will never have to do the same . Carving her own path: 'I don't think I'll be following in my mom's footsteps with plastic surgery,' says Kaleigh. 'I just. . . at this time in my life, I really don't see anything wrong with me' 'She's beautiful the . way that she is and personally I would prefer that she don't do . anything to change that.' For her part, it seems Kaleigh has got the message. 'My appearance isn't too important,' she says. 'I don't think I'll be following in my mom's footsteps - my appearance isn't too important' 'I . don't think I'll be following in my mom's footsteps with plastic . surgery. I just. . . at this time in my life, I really don't see . anything wrong with me.' One thing that has been a saving grace for Jenny during her body transformation is her husband's enduring acceptance. 'He's crazy madly in love with this Jenny,' she says, pointing to her new figure. 'Having that reassurance from him has made it a lot easier to deal with.' The new season of Oprah: Where Are They Now? will air Sunday, July 18 at 10pm on OWN. WATCH: Mother addicted to plastic surgery - Where Are They Now? | Jenny Lee appeared on Oprah in 2004, and talked about her obsession with plastic surgery after having had 26 procedures .
Since then, she has had 33 more and been diagnosed with fibromyalgia - a chronic pain disorder that has caused her to gain weight . |
0e0842e7b21a39d273def0713127f8465ee6c236 | If you ever need a reminder of just how tiny we are relative to the universe, then take a look at this. The interactive Google map called ‘100,000 Stars’, provides a spectacular fly-through of our galaxy. Taking users on an inspiring journey, it reveals, in incredible graphic detail, the vast distances which lie between our home and alien planets. The above animation of the ‘100,000 Stars’ Google map, reveals, in incredible graphic detail, the vast distances which lie between our home and alien planets . Zooming out provides a dizzying look at the galactic plane and the Milky Way, which is home up to 400 billion stars - the hottest on the map shown in blue. Zooming all the way in to our sun gives a glimpse of some of the 100,000 stars relatively close to Earth, . Meanwhile, using imagery and data from a range of . sources, including Nasa and the European Space Agency (ESA), the map . plots the location of the stars closest to our sun. Clicking each name on over 60 of the most prominent named stars will provide more information about it along with a digital rendition. When using the map, clicking each name on the most prominent named stars will provide more information about it along with a digital rendition . Google has created an interactive map called '100,000 Stars', which provides a spectacular view of our galaxy . The interactive map also lets you click on a ‘take a tour’ button for a look at what's surrounding us. Voyager is shown as the furthest man-made object to enter interstellar space. First launched in 1977, the unmanned spacecraft has been in uncharted territory since last year. Beyond the spectacular views, is a demonstration shows off what advanced web technology can do in Google Chrome. The music is provided by Sam Hulick, who . video game fans may recognise as a composer for the popular space . adventure series, Mass Effect. Zooming out provides a dizzying look at the galactic plane and the Milky Way which is home up to 400 billion stars- the hottest being shown in blue . ‘As you explore this experiment, we hope you share our wonder for how large the galaxy really is,’ said Aaron Koblin of Creative Lab. ‘It’s incredible to think that this mist of 100,000 measurable stars is a tiny fraction of the sextillions of stars in the broader universe.’ Google has has previously launched maps of the surface of Mars and the Moon. | Zooming out provides a stunning look at the galactic plane and Milky Way .
Zooming in gives a glimpse at the 100,000 stars close to our sun .
Clicking each star name provides more information along with a digital image . |
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