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Read his views on 'Big Cheese' Matt Prior . I did NOT text South Africans ways to get Strauss out . Flower's regime led to cliques (and Trott telling Prior and Swann to 'f*** off') Flower was a 'f****** horrendous' 'Mood Hoover' Kevin Pietersen has denied that he was a villain for England, alleges that Andy Flower wanted to build a team of 'Boy Scouts' and brands former team-mate Matt Prior the 'Big Cheese'. The former England batsman was sacked by the national team in January after the Ashes debacle Down Under and claims he was made a 'scapegoat'. In KP: The Autobiography, Pietersen says that he was 'often naive and sometimes stupid. I was no villain, though.' Pietersen with Andy Flower in 2012 - the batsman said the former England coach 'ruled by fear' Flower makes a point to Pietersen during the 2013 home Ashes but England's record run scorer says 'individuality reflected badly on Flower's reputation as a leader' KP and Flower have a discussion during a nets session last year . VIDEO Pietersen blasts former England 'regime' Pietersen has also accused former coach Andy Flower and ECB chief Giles Clarke of wanting the England team to be 'like Boy Scouts'. He wrote that the England management wished to oversee a 'sweet bunch of eager Boy Scouts who never did anything wrong on or off the field. Keen young gentlemen. Always perpetrated. They wanted us to win in a certain way.' While admitting he didn't always tread wisely, the 34-year-old insists he was picked on by former coach Flower, whom he labelled 'f***ing horrendous' and a 'Mood Hoover'. Pietersen says he was made a 'scapegoat' as a distraction during England's travails. His reasons for this were that he 'had a little history', was 'big, boisterous and annoying' and left 'colourful footprints on the pristine white carpets'. Pietersen also insists that Flower distrusted individuals such as himself. 'Individuality reflected badly on Flower's reputation as a leader', he added. Despite this, England did pick some 'individuals', so Flower apparently decided he would have to 'come down hard on them' so he could 'retain some sort of power'. A lot of Pietersen's ire is reserved for wicketkeeper Matt Prior, whom he dubs 'the Big Cheese'. Pietersen (centre) and Matt Prior - whom he dubbed 'The Big Cheese' - at Edgbaston in 2012 . Pietersen and Prior in happier times, celebrating Ashes victory in 2010 and (below) winning in India in 2012 . TEST MATCHES . Matches: 104 . Runs: 8,181 . High score: 227 . Average: 47.28 . Centuries: 23 Half-centuries: 35 . ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS . Matches: 136 . Runs: 4,440 . High score: 130 . Average: 40.73 . Centuries: 9 Half-centuries: 25 . TWENTY20 . Matches: 37 . Runs: 1,176 . High score: 79 . Average: 37.93 . Half-centuries: 7 . In a chapter entitled Le Grand Fromage, the former batsman says he gave his erstwhile team-mate that moniker as he was 'a Dairylea triangle thinking he was Brie'. Pietersen says Prior's reign as vice-captain of England was one of terror and double standards. He also says the former keeper would scream at fielders for shelling catches, with Pietersen also accusing him of 'schoolyard bitching'. The pre-Ashes training camp was described as a shambles, while Prior was ridiculed for taking his own bike on a tour of New Zealand and 'grassing on a younger player for having a few drinks in India.' Pietersen also mocked Prior's cycling kit, saying he'd get into his Team Sky uniform 'looking like Clark Kent'. He wasn't the only South African-born batsman to have problems with Prior, apparently. The normally mild-mannered Jonathan Trott snapped at Prior and Graeme Swann after the bowler and keeper had given the batsman a rollicking for misfielding in Bangladesh in 2010. Trott blasted: 'Will you f*** off? Who the f*** do you think you are?' This was a regular occurrence in the 'clique-ridden' England dressing room under Flower, says Pietersen. However, he strenuously denies that he sent South African friends tactical information on how to get Andrew Strauss out in the Textgate storm which engulfed English cricket in 2012. The scandal started KP's downfall as an England player and, he says, was a direct consequence of Strauss 'obnoxiously' ignoring him after scoring a century. Pietersen denies he gave South Africa information on how to dismiss Andrew Strauss (right) in 2012 . Pietersen and Strauss celebrate the latter's century earlier that summer against West Indies at Trent Bridge . Pietersen alleges his former captain didn’t acknowledge him after he hit 149 during the second Test in South Africa two years ago. That led to a friend in the South African side BlackBerry Messaging the batsman asking what his captain’s problem was. However, Pietersen stresses he did not text anyone in the Proteas team but refused to come out in public and say it. ‘It suited the ECB to use the messages as evidence of my open rebellion against Straussy,' he says. Pietersen also moves to set the record straight on the term ‘doos’ – thought to be Afrikaans for ‘c***’. He wrote that the friend called Strauss a ‘doos’, meaning a ‘d***’ or ‘idiot’, sentiments the 34-year-old agreed with. KP: The Autobiography is published by Sphere, priced £20 plus p&p. | KP admits he was 'naive and sometimes stupid' However, Kevin Pietersen maintains he was 'no villain' in England camp . The 34-year-old insists he was picked on by Andy Flower . Pietersen insists he was made a 'scapegoat' to serve as a 'distraction' from England's poor form . 'Individuality reflected badly on Flower's leadership,' writes KP in book . Pietersen's ire reserved for Matt Prior, whom he dubs 'The Big Cheese' The batsman says keeper was 'a Dairylea triangle thinking he was Brie' Pietersen says Jonathan Trott snapped and told Prior and Graeme Swann to 'f*** off' in Bangladesh in 2010 . Pietersen denies sending messages to South African friends about Andrew Strauss during Textgate scandal . | d77f5ebc58bd7aeb62f53e82c853e269b6a16f89 |
Nine men have been sentenced to more than 88 years in prison after cocaine with a street value of more than £5million was seized by police. The gang was arrested between May and October last year after a year-long investigation and sentenced at Luton Crown Court yesterday. The court heard 15kg of cocaine was smuggled into the UK from France and found by police hidden among cans of fruit in a lorry driven by one of the men. Six of the men - Jonathan Mason, Robert Webb, Patrick Dyett, Gareth Harnett, Sean Martin and Andrew Dawson had all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at an earlier hearing. Leading role: Jonathan Mason, left, was sentenced to 15 years and right, Robert Webb was handed 13 years . Three others - Daren Coomber, Paul Nolan and Eamon Ward - had all entered not guilty pleas but were found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs after a trial in September. Mason, 45, of Ramsgate, Kent, was sentenced to 15 years and Webb, 55, of Broadstairs, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years. Both were identified as having a leading role in the operation. Coomber, 41, of Ash, Kent, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Nolan, 36, of Dover, Kent, was sentenced to 11 years. Guilty: Paul Nolan, left, was sentenced to 11 years and right, Daren Coomber, was given 14 years . Jailed: Patrick Dyett, left, was sentenced to eight years and six months and Gareth Harnett, right, was given five years and four months . Dyett, 31, of Poole, Dorset was sentenced to eight years and six months. Harnett, 32, of Broadstairs, Kent, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. Ward, 28, of County Down, Ireland, was sentenced to 10 years and five months in prison. Martin, 32, of Bedford, was sentenced to six years in prison and Dawson, 45, of Clophill, Bedfordshire, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. Eamon Ward, left, was sentenced to 10 years and five months and right, Sean Martin got six years . The court heard that initial arrests and searches in Bedfordshire resulted in the recovery of a large quantity of cocaine along with cutting equipment from a garage in Clophill. A search in July in Broadstairs, Kent resulted in 7kg of cocaine being recovered as well as cutting agents and other equipment. Police had earlier seized 2kg of cocaine in Norfolk linked to the group. Later, a further 15kg of cocaine was found hidden among cans of fruit in a lorry at an industrial estate near Dover, directly after the lorry had entered the UK from France. A further earlier seizure of 2kg of cocaine in Norfolk was directly linked to the Bedfordshire part of the operation. The combined value of cocaine seized during the operation amounted to an estimated wholesale price of £1million . But the overall street price of cocaine seized during the year-long operation amounted to more than £5million . The combined value of the cocaine seized during the operation amounted to an estimated wholesale price of £1million and overall street price of just over £5million. The court heard that Mason, claimed to be a property developer and was seen to construct a two- storey extension at his own home which was then furnished with high-end fittings. Dawson was sentenced to five years and four months in prison . Webb claimed to be retired, but was largely responsible for arranging the transportation of the drugs. Dyett, who was living in an affluent area in Poole and owns the Sandbanks Horse Racing Club, drove a Bentley and purported to be a professional sports gambler. He was also regarded to have played a 'leading role' in a conspiracy to supply cocaine across the region. All of the other men were regarded as having undertaken various significant roles in the conspiracy to supply and distribute the cocaine. Nolan was the owner of a haulage company, in whose lorry the drugs were found and Ward was the driver. The court heard Harnett had been arrested in June for an unrelated matter in Scotland while in possession of 30kg of cannabis. A subsequent search of a premises linked to that arrest led to the recovery of a further 120kg of cannabis derivatives. Martin and Dawson were involved in the 'cutting' and onward distribution from Bedfordshire into East Anglia. Detective Inspector Gary Atkinson, from the Eastern Region Specialist Operations Unit, who led the investigation, said: 'Cocaine destroys lives and those sentences today operated purely for their own greed and monetary gain with no regard for the law, nor for the lives of those who are vulnerable through their addictions. 'The calculated and planned criminal activities which fuelled their enterprise were, in their eyes, merely business transactions, which had we not intercepted them - would have played a significant contributory factor in destroying more lives.' 15kg of cocaine was found hidden among cans of fruit in a lorry at an industrial estate near Dover . The drugs were seized directly after the lorry, which was driven by Ward, had entered the UK from France . | The drugs gang was arrested between May and October last year . Each man was jailed for between five and 15 years at Luton Crown Court . Police seized 15kg of cocaine after it was smuggled in from France . More than 26kg of cocaine was recovered in a year-long police operation . | 5f8df6fcf899e7e2eb10113092e6283def3268a6 |
By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 06:47 EST, 11 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:58 EST, 11 June 2013 . Tragic: Marlene Blakey, 68, was killed in Newcastle when a single decker bus careered across the road and smashed into the bus stop she was stood at. It is alleged the driver fell asleep at the wheel . A church-going pensioner was killed after a bus driver careered onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into her after falling asleep at the wheel, a court has heard. Stagecoach driver Robert Faichen, 54, had been suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnoea and was not 'with it' when he ploughed into Marlene Blakey, 68. The pensioner had just attended a morning service at Prudhoe Street Mission in Newcastle when the single . decker bus hit her from . behind while she waited for a bus. Ms Blakey was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle but later died of injuries to her chest and pelvis. Faichen, of Blakelaw, Newcastle, was arrested and charged and has pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving. Michael Hodson, prosecuting, told his trial at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday: 'The bus veered across the road into first the car lane and then into the opposite lane and collided with Marlene Blakey, a 68-year-old woman who was waiting for her bus. 'The crown say each driver, including the stagecoach bus driver who is the defendant in this case, has a responsibility to come to the road fit to drive with no impairment to his skills that he knows of that may endanger people. 'This defendant had a problem with sleeping at the time of this incident. 'He got two and a half to five hours sleep on average. This makes him prone to being sleepy during the day which he is aware.' Jurors heard yesterday how after he was arrested, Faichen told police of his sleeping problems, saying that on average he would sleep between two and a half and five hours a night, interrupted by four to five visits to the toilet. Accused: Bus driver Robert Faichen, 54, pictured, allegedly killed church going pensioner Marlene Blakey at a bus stop in Newcastle after falling asleep at the wheel , a court has heard . Collision: The pensioner had just attended a morning service at Prudhoe Street Mission in Newcastle when the single decker bus hit her from behind on Westgate Road, pictured . The prosecution claim that Faichen’s sleeping problems were worsened on the night before the accident by his drinking, whereby he consumed three pints and a double brandy, causing him to be abnormally tired on the day of the accident. They also claim that if Faichen had informed his employers of his health problems they would have stopped him driving and the tragedy, which happened on December 4, 2011, would have been avoided. Sleep apnoea is characterised by pauses in breathing or moments of very low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing can last for about ten seconds to minutes and in some cases can occur five to 30 times within an hour. Those who suffer with sleep apnoea are not usually aware of having problems with breathing, even when they wake up. Sufferers can become fatigued during the day, have slow reaction times and vision problems. Treatment can often begin with behavioural therapy. Doctors often tell patients to avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and other sedatives. The onset of sleep apnoea is most common in people aged 35 to 54. However, it can affect people of all ages. It is estimated that around 4 per cent of middle-aged men and 2 per cent of middle-aged women suffer from the condition. Newcastle Crown Court heard that during his police interview, Faichen admitted to on occasion falling asleep during the day 'within minutes'. After the accident, he was diagnosed with sleep apnoea, a condition in which the sufferer can stop breathing for short periods during sleep, causing them to repeatedly wake throughout the night. Mr Hodson continued: 'Being sleepy is a normal condition. It’s self preservation because being sleepy gives us notice that we need to find a place of safety. 'Sleep does not overcome us unexpectedly or suddenly or we would would be falling about in the streets. 'If he had talked to his employers and told them how he was, do you not think they would have stopped him driving? 'The defendant had been suffering from significant periods of sleepiness. 'He drove passengers in a bus at that time knowing that he was in danger of becoming drowsy, having to fight his drowsiness and perhaps falling asleep.' Witness statements from passengers told how Faichen had 'not looked right' and had 'looked blank' as they boarded the bus. Eye witnesses told how the bus had drifted in a 'gradual curve' across the road before hitting Ms Blakey. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Robert Faichen allegedly fell asleep and ploughed into Marlene Blakey, 68 . Pensioner was waiting for a bus after attending a church service . Bus driven by 54-year-old careered onto wrong side of the road and hit her . Faichen has pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving . Prosecution claim his sleeping problems worsened by his drinking . | 87ac8c308efe68f218a8e3ef8e7f76c8051c5663 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:26 EST, 1 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:14 EST, 1 February 2014 . An 81-year-old Florida woman is behind bars for repeatedly feeding black bears at home after being warned to stop by a judge multiple times. Mary Musselman from Sebring is now facing charges ranging from violating probation to battery on a law enforcement officer. Mrs Musselman, a retired gym teacher who worked at the local middle school, is described her as gentle hearted, sweet and someone who is harmless. She is also an animal love, but therein lies her downfall. Scroll down for video... Jailed: 81-year-old Mary Musselman, a retired gym teacher from central Florida is behind bars after feeding bears bowls of dog food despite being told not to on several occasions . Ignored: Florida resident Mary Musselman didn't listen, officials said. The authorities had warned her multiple times not to feed the black bears coming onto her property . No sign of stopping: Mrs Musselman would feed the bears 17 to 18 bowls of dog food at a time. The bears loved it and kept coming back. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission hated it and kept coming back, too . Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials told ABC Action News the trouble with Mrs Musselman began last year when they had to euthanize a black bear she kept feeding. 'Feeding bears results in bears losing their fear of people,' explained Gary Morse from Florida Wildlife Commission spokesperson. Once bears learn a particular behavior, they cannot be relocated because the animal's natural instincts are disrupted. Wildlife Officers even spent time to educate Mrs Musselman about the dangers of feeding wildlife showing her educational videos and leaving her with information pamphlets. 'She told us she wasn't going to stop,' Mr Morse recalled. After several more warnings in November, FWC officers went back to her property after hearing she had been feeding two more bears. Source WFLA . Risky: They went to great lengths to explain to her why she shouldn't give the wild animals food, said FWC spokesman Gary Morse. They brought her informational videos and pamphlets, had conversations with her . Problem: Feeding bears results in bears losing their fear of people. After they get used to living around humans and getting food from them, relocating them does not solve the problem . Officers came back with more educational videos and told her that she would be visited weekly. After being summoned to appear in court in December, a judge ordered her Mrs Musselman to stop feeding all wild animals, however just before Christmas, at least three bears were being given large amount of food with up to 18 bowls of dog food being left out for them. A judge found her guilty of two counts of feeding wildlife and she was placed on probation for one year. Just before New Years Eve, Mrs Musselmen was once again found to be feeding bears and she was arrested. 'Unfortunately, she didn't heed the warnings,' Mr Morse said. When FWC officers arrested Mrs Musselman, she threatened to them. 'Feeding wildlife puts the community at risk from property destruction to possible danger of life and limb,' Mr Morse explained. Mrs Musselman reportedly told officers she had to feed the bears or they would starve to death. 'She didn't want to accept that fact that they'd be fine without her...they hibernate when there is no food,' Mr Morse added. Some of Mrs Musselman's former students over the the past forty years gathered outside her home and prayed for her. They have tried to bail her out but she is being held without bond. Many say her behavior is out of character. They want to get her back home as soon as possible because her husband is dying of cancer. Mrs Musselmen is not slated to appear in court until March 3rd. | Mary Musselman put out 17-18 bowls of dog food at a time for black bears . Officials tried to educate her on why she should not do it . Bears can be dangerous to humans if they lose their fear of people . Officials say she received multiple warnings and still didn't comply . | d6b8b7a95188308952a7542442a3fd1cac831472 |
England are refusing to rule Manu Tuilagi out of next month's autumn internationals despite Leicester insisting his groin injury will prevent him playing any role. Tigers director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, is adamant Tuilagi will not be involved in any of the Tests against New Zealand, South Africa, Samoa and Australia after limping off against Ulster on Saturday. The 23-year-old centre was omitted from the 33-man squad for the QBE Series picked by head coach Stuart Lancaster, but tellingly his name was also missing from the list of injured players not considered for selection. England centre Manu Tuilagi could be fit for the last couple of November Tests, insists coach Stuart Lancaster . Tuilagi limped off after 15 minutes of Saturday's 25-18 Champions Cup victory over Ulster with a groin injury . Tuilagi was outstanding against the All Blacks during England's three-Test tour in New Zealand last summer . While the opener against New Zealand on November 8 and the clash with South Africa seven days later are clearly beyond Tuilagi, Lancaster has raised hopes that he may be involved beyond that. 'The reason we brought Jonathan Joseph into the camp is that Manu won't be fit for the start of the series, but we have not shut the door,' said Lancaster, who retains Chris Robshaw as captain for the autumn. 'It could take six weeks but we'll never say never. It's a joint management programme between us and Leicester and between us we have to get it right. 'The most important person in all of this is Manu and we have to make sure we get his rehabilitation right and get him some game time. 'There's no definitive timeline. It's not that sort of injury.' Head coach (centre) named his 33-man England Elite Player Squad on Wednesday . Bath wing Semesa Rokoduguni is one of three uncapped players included in the 33, with Lancaster revealing his promotion at the expense of Chris Ashton offers England similar game-breaking ability to Tuilagi. Fijian-born Rokoduguni, a lance-corporal in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, has been devastating at the Recreation Ground this season and Lancaster views him as a contender to start against the All Blacks. 'We're keen to get working with him because he's been outstanding for Bath,' Lancaster said. 'When you lose someone like Manu, Roko comes into the equation because of his impact in collisions, his ability to beat defenders and carry the ball over the gainline. He's a finisher as well.' Even allowing for the raw promise offered by Rokoduguni, Tuilagi's power will be missed next month and his absence leaves a gaping hole in England's backline. Bath wing Semesa Rokoduguni has earned an England call-up after scoring six tries in seven matches . Inside centre in particular and the midfield combination in general have long been the source of headaches for England, although Lancaster hints that Kyle Eastmond and Brad Barritt will be paired against New Zealand. 'I wouldn't say the centres are an area of concern,' Lancaster said. 'Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond have both been outstanding and you have Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees there as well. There's plenty of competition. 'Then there is Jonathan Joseph who is perhaps the form centre of all of them. 'It's about balance - you want a balance of pace, power and footballing ability. 'We will see them head to head (in training) and we will make our decisions on the combinations.' England will be aiming to win the Hilary Shield (left) and the Cook Cup vs New Zealand and Australia . High-profile omissions from the 33 are Danny Cipriani and Freddie Burns with Owen Farrell, George Ford and Stephen Myler chosen as the squad's three fly-halves. 'I wouldn't say Danny's gone backwards,' Lancaster said. 'Stephen Myler was very unlucky not to start the first Test against New Zealand in June - he would have done had he not played in the Premiership final. 'Stephen Myler has the best skills execution, has played in big games and deserves his chance. 'Freddie and Danny have done well in games this season, but we've gone for the consistency that Stephen has shown and the attacking prowess of George Ford, while Owen's inclusion is merited on what he's done in the past.' Centre Billy Twelvetrees and wing Jonny May are present despite enduring mixed tours to New Zealand in the summer. Northampton flanker Calum Clark features among the six back rows, while George Kruis is included in a senior England squad for the first time. Lancaster (left) will bring seven more players into his squad on Sunday ahead of their QBE autumn series . | Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi injured his groin against Ulster on Saturday . England coach Stuart Lancaster is hopeful he can be fit next month . Tuilagi will definitely miss matches against New Zealand and South Africa . But Lancaster believes he has a chance of playing in the other matches . Tuilagi has not been named in 33-man squad or on list of injured players . | 5e9ba8a8be1b8fbc8c91e96af5553a2932888361 |
But less than two weeks later, Harry was sitting up at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children and smiling . By . Rachel Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 10:09 EST, 22 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:32 EST, 22 August 2013 . A boy has astonished doctors by going from being in a coma to starting secondary school in just 11 weeks. Cyclist Harry Davies, 11, suffered the worst brain injuries local medics had ever seen when he was involved in a crash with a van near his home in East Lothian. Harry suffered a six-inch skull fracture and was put in a coma in an attempt to save his life following the June 3 accident. Harry Davies, 11, suffered the worst brain injuries medics had ever seen when he was involved in a crash with a van near his home in East Lothian. Harry not only survived but recovered quickly enough to start secondary school on time . But Harry has not only survived but recovered enough to start his high school at Knox Academy, in Haddington. He is also now looking forward to resuming his favourite sporting activity - high diving. His father, Nick, 46, said: 'He's doing remarkably well. We're just happy to get him home.He wants to play football but he can't do that in case he bumps his head. 'He finds that difficult but that will change. He had just got into diving lessons at the Commonwealth Pool [in Edinburgh].' The crash caused Harry to land in the road head-first, suffering a fracture to his skull and cheekbone. On closer inspection doctors discovered he had suffered a six-inch skull fracture and was put in a coma in a bid to save his life . Doctors had to install a bolt into Harry's head to reduce swelling and put him into a coma because his injuries were so severe. But less than two weeks later Harry was sitting up (pictured) at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children and smiling . Harry had been walking home from school with his best friend Douglas Simpson, 12. After the collision, Douglas was thrown into a nearby verge, but escaped with only minor injuries as he landed on bushes. Harry landed in the road head-first, suffering a fracture to his skull and cheekbone, and was rushed to hospital. Doctors placed a bolt inside his head to reduce the swelling and put him into a coma because his injuries were so severe. But less than two weeks later, Harry astonished doctors by sitting up at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children and smiling. Harry's father, Nick (pictured), 46, said: 'He's doing remarkably well. We're just happy to get him home.He wants to play football but he can't do that in case he bumps his head' His mother Lisa, 46, said at the time: 'The neurologist said he had not seen this level of trauma in the brain of a child before. He's been quite lucky and he's a fighter.' Earlier this month his mother Lisa, 46, threw an 'H in the Park' homecoming party for him, with around 100 of his friends turning up to a nearby park. And on Wednesday this week he had his first day at local highschool Knox Academy. Police said a 23-year-old man had been charged with careless driving in relation to the June accident. | Harry Davies suffered the worst brain injuries local medics had ever seen when he was involved in a crash with a van in East Lothian . Suffered six-inch skull fracture and put in a coma in a bid to save his life . But less than two weeks later, Harry was sitting up at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children and smiling . | e22c098c30561e43ade023147f13f8e48e9cdba8 |
If you didn't get a chance to watch the Super Bowl adverts, don't despair - the most popular of Sunday night's commercials have been recreated in Lego. Stop-motion animated film Brick Bowl film follows an American football fan as he wanders into the Super Bowl adverts for brands such as T-Mobile, Snickers and Toyota. The figure is seen searching for a lost dog in a take on Busweiser's emotional ad, photo bombing a Lego Kim Kardashian's tennis selfie for T-mobile and taking on a challenger in a version of Skittles' arm wrestling competition. Brick Bowl, by UK-based A+C Studios, refashioned scenes from this year's crop of Super Bowl ads, including Snickers and Skittles, using thousands of Lego bricks . The three and a half minute video was created using thousands of Lego bricks by the UK-based A+C Studios within just 36 hours. Most Super Bowl adverts are kept under wraps until they air during the game so the animators had to work quickly to recreate the content. Dan Richards, director at A+C Studios, told the Telegraph: 'Stop motion productions can take anywhere between four months to four years to make. Turning this animation around in 36 hours and working with Lego to recreate the most prestigious ad slot in history into a new story has been a huge accomplishment.' The stop-motion animation film includes scenes from Budweiser's emotional lost dog story advert . The Skittles arm wrestling competition advert also features with the figure, and dog spot, arriving to challenge a competitor . A+C was the studio behind last year's animated advert from Harrods which tells the story of a mouse turning on the store's Christmas lights. The studio used a big team of model makers, animators, editors and storyboard artists, along with specialized animation software and equipment to create the film. The film kicks off with the fan settling down on his sofa to watch the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks when the TV coverage cuts to the break and he dives into the commercials . Esurance's Breaking Bad parody, As he falls through each ad, the figure is also seen being chased through a maze by Bud Light's Pac Man, a disastrous attempt t snowboarding with Amy Purdy for Toyota's and a tense chat with a Lego Walter White in Esurance's Breaking Bad parody. Katy Perry's half-time ends with the Lego figure accidentally throwing an axe at the singer and knocking her off her ride . Snickers' Brady Bunch remake, Katy Perry's half-time show and Jurassic Park's new trailer were also featured. This year's Super Bowl game attracted a record 114.4m viewers to the live broadcast with advertisers baying to get a slice of air time. As the most expensive advertising slot in the world, just 30 seconds of air time costs $4.5m (£2.97m). Budweiser's story of the lost dog was rated the best ad of the Super Bowl by USA Today's Ad Meter, which asks a consumer panel of roughly 6,700 people to vote for each advert. Busweiser's was also declared the Super Bowl's most viral ad, racking up more than 2m shares by Monday. | Stop-motion animated film Brick Bowl recreates the best Super Bowl ads . UK-based A+C Studios made it in just 36 hours using thousands of Lego bricks . Includes Budweiser's emotional lost dog story and Skittles' arm wrestling . | c46834bf31e2c14abdcf63fc9f0732ef6ab56524 |
By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 06:16 EST, 9 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:20 EST, 9 August 2013 . A Pakistani father has told how he faces death threats and has been driven into hiding - because of his 30ins moustache. Islamist extremists were so infuriated by Malik Amir Mohammad Khan Afridi's facial hair they kidnapped the businessman and held him in a cave for a month until he shaved. But despite his clash with the militants over his prized whiskers - said to signify virility and prosperity - the father-of-ten, from Peshawar, Pakistan, has now grown it back, vowing never to be bowed by the thugs again. Target: Mr Afridi has vowed not to remove his cherished moustache - despite death threats and kidnapping by Islamic extremists . Mr Afridi said: 'I don’t like smoking. I’m not fond of snuff, or drinking. This is the . only choice in my life. I’d even sacrifice food, but not the moustache. It’s my life. It’s not part of my life. It is my life. 'People give me a lot of respect. It’s my identity.' The moustache has been a passion of Mr Afridi's since he started growing it aged 22. He now spends 30 minutes a day . caressing and trimming the moustache. The costs of coconut oil and soap . used to maintain it comes to an eye-watering £100 a month. But despite the cost, the death threats, the constant fear of attack and having to spend long periods away from his family, it is all worth it, he insists. 'I feel happy. When it’s ordinary, no one gives me any attention. I got used to all the attention and I like it a lot.' Danger: The father-of-ten, 48, could now seek asylum to get away from the dangers posed by extremists opposed to his facial hair . Pride in his appearance: Mr Afridi, pictured visiting a barber shop in Peshawar, Pakistan, spends 30minutes a day tending to his flowing moustache . But Mr Afridi came to the attention of . militant group Lashkar-e-Islam, which controlled swathes of the Kyber . district of Parkistan, near the border with Afghanistan. The group was was trying to enforce a strict decree that moustaches and beards must be shaved or trimmed short. When he refused to pay protection money to the group, he was held prisoner in a cave until he shaved. Having just escaped with his life, Mr . Afridi began regrowing his moustache in what he thought was the . relative safe haven city of Peshawar. But he began receiving threats . again last year. He has now been forced to leave his family for long periods of time and move south to Faisalabad where he feels safer. Close shave: Mr Afridi was held in a cave for a month by militants who demanded he shave . Mr Afridi hopes his moustache could be a ticket for him and his family to flee the persecution. He told The Independent: 'I want to live, that is why I want to get out of Pakistan. 'My first choice would be an Islamic country such as Dubai. 'But I also willing to go to . countries such as the US, Canada or Britain. I would like to appeal to . the British government to help me.' | Malik Amir Mohammad Khan Afridi kidnapped by Islamists over his facial hair . Father of ten, from Peshawar, Pakistan, was held in a cave for a month . Terrorists threatened to kill him if he didn't shave . But the 48-year-old has vowed to stand firm against threats . He is seeking asylum and has now appealed to British government for help . | f81f29c7aa229db99a9aeb39d71ce93000638890 |
Sweden's 'party princess' turned fairytale bride today as she married her U.S. banker beau watched by European royals and the cream of New York society. Princess Madeleine, 30, the youngest of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia's three children, married British-born financier Chris O'Neill, 38, in Stockholm's Royal Palace today wearing a breathtaking Valentino wedding gown. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princess Charlene of Monaco were among those looking on as the groom placed a tender kiss on Princess Madeleine's hand during today's ceremony. Sealed with a kiss: Princess Madeleine of Sweden kisses her new husband, British-born financier Chris O'Neill, following their lavish wedding ceremony in Stockholm today . Fairytale ceremony: American financier Christopher O'Neill kisses the hand of his bride Princess Madeleine of Sweden in Stockholm's Royal Chapel today . Romance: British-born financier Mr O'Neill smiles as he places the wedding ring on Princess Madeleine's finger in the Royal Palace today . Newlyweds: Princess Madeleine and her new husband Chris O'Neill looked the picture of happiness as they appeared on the balcony at the Royal Palace following today's ceremony . Joy: The happy couple waved to the crowds gathered in the Swedish capital to wish Princess Madeleine and her groom well . Blue-blooded Europe mingled with Manhattan's elite and a sprinkling of pop aristocracy as the couple exchanged vows in the lavish ceremony. Mr O'Neill, 38, appeared to be . fighting back tears as the princess walked down the aisle with her . father at the Royal Palace in the capital. Among the high-profile guests in the chapel were . Duran Duran's John Taylor, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, Karl-Johan Persson . - the chief executive of fashion company Hennes & Mauritz . (H&M), and Roxette stars Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson. Radiant: The royal bride turned to legendary couturier Valentino for her wedding gown, which featured silk organdies, ivory Chantilly lace and a four-metre train . Joining the family: From right, Sweden's King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria with her baby daughter Princess Estelle, Prince Daniel and Prince Carl Philip look on as the couple exchange vows . Man and wife: The newly married couple emerge from the chapel to wave to the crowds watched by a row of musicians . The couple met after Princess Madeleine fled to the U.S. in 2010 with a broken heart. She . crossed the Atlantic following the breakdown of her first engagement to . Swedish attorney Jonas Bergstrom amid speculation that he had cheated . on her. But the radiant . princess - and fourth in line to the Swedish throne - got her happy . ending in the Royal Palace today, watched by a glittering congregation. A happy day: The newlyweds share a kiss in front of waiting crowds following their sumptuous nuptials . Start of a life together: They turn their back on the adoring crowds to go off and do some adoring of their own . Glimmering: Line shines through Princess Madeleine's dress, which was made from silk organdies with applications of ivory Chantilly lace by master couturier Valentino . Life of a royal personage: The newly married couple are taken by horse and carriage from the Royal Palace of Stockholm to Riddarholmen after their wedding ceremony . Pomp and ceremony: Soldiers in full ceremonial dress line their route as they travel along Stockholm's streets . Hi there! Princess Madeleine and Mr O'Neill wave to onlookers as they travel to the next stage of their celebrations . Madeleine's . showstopping wedding gown - made from silk organdies with applications . of ivory Chantilly lace - was created by master couturier Valentino. Small vertical pleats at the waist opened into a full skirt with a flowing, four-metre train. The . princess' six-metre long cathedral veil was also made from silk . organdies, edged with tulle and embellished with Chantilly lace flowers. Madeleine wore her hair swept back from her face in a simple yet elegant style. The low bun was held in place by her royal tiara, which was decorated with a delicate garland of fresh orange blossoms. Elite guest list: The British Royal Family were represented by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, left, today, while Princess Charlene of Monaco was also in the pews . Society wedding: Women in floor-length gowns and men dressed in white tie arrived at the Royal Chapel in Stockholm, Sweden, ahead of Princess Madeleine's wedding to New York banker Chris O'Neill . Greek royals: Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos, left, and Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos, all of Greece, were among the royals milling in the sunshine ahead of today's ceremony in the Swedish capital . Anticipation: Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of the H&M chain of stores, and his wife Leonie were representing the fashion world at the society wedding today . Guests enjoyed hymns in Swedish and English during the wedding, along with performances from Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson and Broadway's Phanton of the Opera star Peter Joback. Smiling Princess Madeleine read her wedding vows in Swedish, while Mr O'Neil delivered his in English. The financier is a partner and head of research at Noster Capital, a hedge fund with offices in London and New York. The couple announced their engagement in October 2012. Eclectic mix: Duran Duran's John Taylor and his wife Gela Nash (left) added a sprinkling of pop aristocracy to a guest list made up of Europe's elite, including Sofia Hellqvist (right), the girlfriend of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, who chose a simple yet striking lavender gown . Elegant: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, left, wore a floor length column dress in pale pink, while Charlene of Monaco wore a chocolate brown gown with a sheer shawl . International arrivals: Princess Mary of Denmark, in a vibrant pink lace gown, accompanied by her husband Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at Sweden's royal wedding . Happy day: Queen Silvia of Sweden was escorted into the ceremony by her son Prince Carl Philip, left, while Norwegian royals Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Hakkon smiled for the cameras as they filed into the chapel . Let's party: Sophie Rhys-Jones, Countess of . Wessex, Prince Edward, Earl of . Wessex, and Princess Charlene of Monaco leave for Drottningholm Palace after the wedding . Their wedding celebrations began last night with a private dinner at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm hosted by the king and queen. Following today's ceremony a reception will be held at Stockholm's Drottningholm Palace, the royal family's private residence. The princess, who is also known as the Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, is the fourth in line to the Swedish throne. She lives in New York where she works for the World Childhood Foundation, a non-profit group founded by her mother. Mr O'Neill will not hold a title after the wedding as he has elected to remain a private citizen and not be granted royal rank. Madeleine became known as Sweden's party princess during her early 20s, when she was frequently spotted at Stockholm's high-end nightclubs. Countless column inches were also devoted to Madeleine's stylish wardrobe and glamorous lifestyle. | Bride, 30, was stunning in a flowing Valentino gown with a glittering tiara and cathedral veil . Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princess Charlene of Monaco among royals in the congregation . Princess Madeleine, the fourth in line to Swedish throne, wed British-born Chris O'Neill in Stockholm's Royal Palace . | b9faa61b96bc8909802c285209d9c94ff6dd9ac5 |
By . Olivia Williams . PUBLISHED: . 06:08 EST, 22 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:31 EST, 22 August 2013 . French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir's collection of belongings is described by experts as 'a goldmine' The single largest archive of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's personal property is going on sale, offering a candid look inside the master painter's life through hundreds of his letters, photos and artworks. The Renoir Estate Collection is set to be sold in New York on September 19 as 143 lots with an estimated value of $3 million. The sale includes 19 original sculptural plaster models, or maquettes, created during Renoir's twilight years between 1913 and 1918 with the help of a young assistant, Richard Guino. A dedicated artist who painted every day of his life, Renoir died in 1919. His . personal archive remained with his heirs until 2005 when his grandson . Paul offered it for sale as a single lot at a Maryland auction where it . was purchased by the current owner. 'It . is a gold mine,' said Virginie Journiac, an art historian and former . curator of the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in the south of France. 'These . personal Renoir pieces will be seen for the last time as a unique . collection unless a single buyer is able to purchase all the lots.' Other objects in the sale include Renoir's polka-dotted silk scarf, marriage license and a notebook full of critic's reviews. Renoir's poignant last work, The Woodcocks, was painted the day he died in 1919 and is the only painting in the collection . Renoir's personal items will be up for sale in New York in September at an estimated value of $3million for the 143 lots . The Grande Venus Victorieuse by Renoir created in 1914-1915 is estimated to fetch $900,000 to $1 million . There . are letters from his contemporaries Claude Monet and Edouard Manet; his . Legion of Honor medals; hundreds of glass-plate negatives; and . documents relating to the construction of Les Collettes, his estate at . Cagnes-sur-Mer. Several museums, reached for comment, declined to say if they would bid. The collection 'illuminates the . career, life and eminence of this very, very humble man,' said Brian . Roughton, managing director of fine art at Heritage Auctions. 'It shows the amount of his . insecurity about his life, about being an artist ... an incredibly . loving and sensitive man to his entire family.' Celebrated for his sensual nudes and charming landscapes, Renoir's sculptures are less known. Family photos of Renoir, pictured seated under the umbrella, from his family photo album are one of the most intimate lots up for auction . This vast collection of items, including his spectacles, is likely to be the last time that so many of Renoir's belongings will be displayed together . The maquettes, many of which remained . at Les Collettes until 1960, were based on Renoir's drawings and . paintings and were produced after a crippling arthritis had nearly . paralysed his hands. Guino was paid to work under Renoir's guidance and did not sign the works. A court recognised him as a co-author in 1973. The current seller, who also owns the . maquettes, got embroiled in a legal battle with the Guino family over . the copyright of eight of the maquettes. The case was settled in 2008, . and Heritage said all the material was being offered free and clear. The personal note book full of his critic's reviews in one of hundreds of items from Les Collettes, his estate at Cagnes-sur-Mer . Showing a rarely-seen glimpse into Renoir's family life, a bust of his son Coco dated 1907-08 is expected to sell for $30,000 . The auction house did not name the . consignor but published reports at the time identified her as Tracy . Penwell, an Arizona gallery owner. Renoir . considered 'Large Venus Victorious,' a life-size statue of the Roman . goddess elegantly holding a drape in one hand and an apple in the other, . a masterpiece. Created in 1914-1915, it is estimated to bring $900,000 to $1 million (£578,000 to £642,000). The . auction also features the only two sculptures entirely executed by . Renoir's hands - a medallion at a guide price of $20,000 (£13,000) and a . bust of his youngest son Claude, "Coco" at $30,000 (£19,000). Woodcocks, at an estimated value of $80,000-$120,000 (£51,000 - £77,000) is the only painting in the sale. A collection of copper plates, showing Renoir's works in progress . The items, including the Grande Venus Victorieuse are now ready for shipment in Dallas, heading for New York . The small picture is of great historical significance because it is believed to be Renoir's last work, said Journiac, whose just-published book The Late Renoir, The Riviera Years is largely based on the material in the collection. 'He painted this still life with two dead birds some hours before he died, which is quite symbolic,' she said. While there is abundant literature on Renoir, Journiac said, 'This collection offers a lot of new information, especially of his last less studied period.' | Renoir's personal items will be sold at a New York auction . The Renoir Estate Collection has an estimated value of $3 million . Woodcocks, the only painting on sale, was painted the day he died . Statue 'Large Venus Victorious' is expected to fetch $1 million alone . | e9528312d48faabc0b9b165201c022c941ab5c14 |
By . Tara Brady . Detectives are hoping a good Samaritan who let two convicted paedophiles stay in his home can shed light on where the pair were when Madeleine McCann vanished. Friends Charles O'Neill, 50, and William Lauchlan, 36, from Largs near Glasgow, in Scotland, were questioned two years ago in connection with Madeleine's disappearance. They were jailed for life in 2010 for abducting a 15-year-old and murdering a mother who had threatened to expose their abuse of boys. Scroll down for video . Charles O'Neill (left) and William Lauchlan were jailed for life for murdering a mum and carrying out sex attacks on children . They were interviewed in prison by detectives after inquiries revealed they had been touring Spain, and possibly Portugal, on false passports when Madeleine disappeared in May 2007. Prison visitor Ewan Wilson offered the pair a home in Falkirk, Scotland. They first met when Mr Wilson visited the duo in prison while they were serving time for indecent assaults on boys. Mr Wilson confirmed to The Sun he had spoken to the police. Prime suspect: These e-fits are of the man seen carrying a child 500 yards from the McCanns' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal . Breakthrough? Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann received 150 calls from Holland after a TV broadcast there last night . In 2006, locals learnt the two paedophiles were living at Mr Wilson's home which led to vigilantes throwing bricks and eggs at the house. Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan were jailed for life for murdering Allison McGarrigle (pictured) The pair fled to Spain and started up a cleaning business called Rainbow Cleaning Services. At the same time a seven-year-old boy called Teremi Vargas disappeared in Gran Canaria where the pair were staying. The boy has never been found. Lauchlan and O’Neill are known to have toured extensively and some reports suggested they were in the Algarve at the time Madeleine disappeared. They returned to the UK and began living in Blackpool in November 2007. As convicted sex offenders they were required to report to police but they failed to declare they had bought a van. In 2008 they were charged with the murder of a Allison McGarrigle who lived with the pair. She had threatened to expose their abuse to police. At the High Court in 2010, the duo were convicted of strangling her, putting her body in a wheelie bin and dumping it at sea by the High Court in Glasgow in 2010. The pair were also found guilty of a series of offences which included grooming a six-year-old boy and attacking 15-year-old in Benidorm in 2004. Dutch appeal: Chief Inspector Andy Redwood calls on Dutch viewers to report themselves if they were in the area at the time of the girl's disappearance in 2007, during a broadcast of Opsporing Verzocht on Dutch television . O'Neill was jailed for 30 years while Lauchlan was sentenced for 26 years. Detectives are examining the movements of a number of paedophiles – British and mainland European – who are thought to have been in Portugal when Madeleine vanished. Officers are analysing mobile phone data of people in Praia da Luz on the day Maddie went missing, in bid to build a case against child sex offenders who feature in the inquiry. They are also looking at credit card and bank transactions of these potential suspects to see if it proves where they were around the time she went missing. O'Neill and Lauchlan are believed to be among a group of potential suspects or people of interest and police are following up a many lines of inquiry. Last week, police issued new e-fit images of two men which resemble the pair. Madeleine disappeared from her room at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007. Response: After the couple's appeal on BBC Crimewatch(pictured), a number of callers gave names for the man police believe snatched Madeleine . Search: Madeleine's mother said she was 'genuinely hopeful' of a breakthrough . New timeline: The Crimewatch special revealed that police were now looking at Madeleine's abduction as being at 10pm and not 9.15pm . Mother Kate McCann and her husband Gerry had been dining with friends less than 100 yards away in a tapas restaurant on the Mark Warner complex. Detectives investigating the child's disappearance have received 1,400 new leads since a new appeal on BBC's Crimewatch aired last week. Her parents said they are 'genuinely hopefully' that police can make progress in the investigation after the special broadcast. With 6.7million viewers, the appeal attracted the biggest Crimewatch audience on record – almost double the average of 3.9 million. A Metropolitan Police spokesman declined to comment this morning saying: 'We will not be giving a running commentary.' | Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan questioned two years ago in connection with Madeleine McCann's disappearance . Pair jailed for life in 2010 for murdering a mother who threatened to expose they were abusing boys . They first met Ewan Wilson who visited the duo in prison while they were serving time for indecent assaults on boys . Mr Wilson has confirmed he has spoken to police . Pair believed to be among a group of potential suspects of interest . | be4bdf0a19f73c34d4f7d8daf79dc748ff679324 |
(CNN)A technology executive and five other people are feared dead after a suspicious fire destroyed a mansion in Annapolis, Maryland. The house belonged to technology executive Don Pyle, the chief operating officer for ScienceLogic, company spokesman Antonio Piraino said. Pyle had not been heard from on Monday, and his colleagues at ScienceLogic were "hoping for a miracle," CNN affiliate WJLA reported. Pyle was believed to have been at home with his wife and four grandchildren. When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, they received conflicting reports about whether the family may have been out of town. But after interviews with relatives, "it has been determined that six members of the family are not accounted for," the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said. Fire officials said they were alerted about 3:30 a.m. Monday to the fire in the 16,000-square-foot house. About 80 firefighters responded. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting the local fire department, and an ATF national response team is being assembled because the fire was deemed suspicious, a law enforcement official said. The burned-out home is being treated as a crime scene until investigators figure out the cause, the official said. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department said fire crews had difficulty knocking down the blaze because the house is secluded, apparently with no fire hydrants on the scene. Photos the fire department posted on Twitter showed hoses stretched for long distances. Davies said it took several hours for fire department tanker trucks and a fire boat on an adjacent creek to bring the fire under control, he said. ATF Special Agent Dave Cheplak said no one has searched for possible victims yet because of the size and heat of the fire. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz and Lindy Royce contributed to this report. | Technology executive Don Pyle owned the house . The fire destroyed the 16,000-square-foot mansion, a fire official said . | 440843a0b4ed971aff5e17f6773460d0159fd0af |
By . Associated Press . Up to three feet of snow was dumped onto the Rockies on Monday when a spring storm hit Colorado. The snow began falling on Mother's Day in Colorado and caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. It was a stark contrast to New York City, which saw temperatures soar to 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday and Monday for a sunny start to the week. Spring storm: A man shields himself from the snow and wind with an umbrella on Sunday at Aggie Greens in Fort Collins, Colorado . That's snow fun! A two-year-old chocolate lab mix, gets ready to pounce on a tennis ball at City Park in Fort Collins, Colorado on Monday . Much of Interstate 80 in southern Wyoming was closed today after severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit the Midwest. A flash flood watch was in effect for portions of Oklahoma and Arkansas, where more than 4 inches of rain were possible. Residents in eastern Nebraska were also cleaning up from Sunday's thunderstorms and twisters, which ripped roofs off homes and toppled buildings, but caused no major injuries. People in the western Panhandle woke up to a blanket of heavy, wet snow. In Wyoming, a 180-mile stretch of I-80 was closed between the Nebraska state line and Rawlins. Another 200 miles of eastbound I-80 between the Utah state line and Rawlins also was closed because of snow and blowing snow. Truck stops in southeastern Wyoming were full of stranded truckers. Basking in the heat: With a section of the Manhattan skyline in the background, people row around the lake in Central Park on Monday . New York state of mind: Meanwhile, celebrities like Hugh Jackman and Debeorra-Lee Furness (pictured) were enjoying the heat in Central Park on Sunday . Among those affected by the outages . was Denver International Airport, where some escalators and elevators . temporarily stalled Monday morning. Airport spokeswoman Julie Smith said a backup generator spared the airport any major problems. At . least 27 arriving and departing flights were canceled due to the . weather, but Smith said there were no major delays. Crews were working . overnight to de-ice runways. The lingering snow slowed down Monday morning's commute in the Denver area but driving conditions were worse in the mountains. The weather appears to be to blame for at least one fatal crash Sunday on U.S. Highway 285 southwest of Denver. Fun in the sun: A man uses sticks and a rope to make enormous bubbles in Central Park in the warm weather on Monday . Spring in bloom: Snow covers spring flowers in Denver, Colorado, on Monday, May 12 . Dangerous routes: A Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad passenger train arrives in Silverton, Colorado on Sunday in the snow . The . highway was one of the worst for accidents in the storm. Two law . enforcement cruisers were also hit along the road in less than an hour . responding to other crashes. In Nebraska, officials said the storms . damaged homes and businesses in or near Sutton, Garland, Cordova and . Daykin, knocking out power. Parts of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, were . hit by strong thunderstorms and hail, which also caused some power . outages. 'May snow certainly . isn't unheard of here in Colorado, even down in the Denver metro area,' said David Barjenbruch, a National Weather Service meteorologist in . Boulder. 'If we see the . total accumulations that we are anticipating from this storm, we are . certainly going to see a top 10 May snow event for the Denver metro . area.' Storm clouds can be seen forming just south of McPherson, Kansas on Sunday . Playing in the snow: Colorado resident Brian Pryor takes a shower of snow as he clears the tree limbs in front of his home on University Hill in Boulder . In the West, high . winds at the bottom of the storm sent dust blowing across Arizona and . New Mexico, and the Los Angeles area had been under 'red flag' fire . warnings, with authorities saying blazes could quickly spread out of . control under low humidity, gusty winds and dry conditions. The storm is the result of a low-pressure system moving east colliding with a cold air mass from the north. While . temperatures were expected to drop below freezing Monday night, . spring-like weather was expected to return to the Rockies by Tuesday. Smashed cars and belongings litter the surroundings of a house in Cordova, Nebraska on Monday after several tornadoes moved across the state on Sunday . Debris is cleared from downtown Sutton, Nebraska on Monday after a tornado touched down in town on Sunday . | Snow began falling on Mother's Day in Colorado and caused power outages . Much of Interstate 80 in southern Wyoming was closed today after severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit the Midwest . New York saw temperatures soar to 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday and Monday . | 3a59cd4f5488365ce84c9cdceb1290f2286d0de8 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . Love triangle: Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and received a two-year suspended sentence . A sheriff's deputy pleaded guilty to beating his father yesterday after he allegedly caught him having sex with his wife. Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer, 33, admitted two counts of assault and received a two-year suspended sentence, 24 months probation and $800 in fines. Brewer, of Moab, Utah, assaulted his father Wesley 'Corky' Brewer, a respected local fire chief, after he allegedly found him having sex with his wife Logan in their son's bed. Seventh District Judge Lyle Anderson told Brewer at Moab's 7th District Court: 'I understand why you would have been very angry on the night of your criminal conduct. 'You understand that you can't accomplish anything with violence', reported The Salt Lake Tribune. Brewer apologized to the court, adding: 'I take full responsibility for [my actions]. 'I'm not a violent person. I wasn't before and I'm not now', the local paper reported. The assaults happened on July 11 when Brewer invited his father over for dinner. According to police details published by TPM, Brewer cooked dinner for the trio before his wife went to put one of their children. After she did not return, he went upstairs to check on and allegedly found her 'on top of his dad' on their son's bed. Brewer then fought with his father and his wife raced to her parents' house. Wesley Brewer then returned to his own home 'to find a firearm'. Betrayal: Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer, right, beat his father Wesley 'Corky' Brewer (pictured together) after he caught him in bed with his wife Logan . Happier times: TJ Brewer allegedly found his wife Logan Brewer having sex with his father in their son's bed . However when his . distressed wife, Cindy Brewer, tried to hide the gun in the car, Wesley Brewer allegedly 'grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed himself two . times, puncturing a lung and slicing his liver'. He was rushed to Moab Regional Hospital eventually had to be flown to a Colorado hospital for surgery. The father and son were among several law enforcement officers in the extended Brewer . family, which includes multiple police officers and local sheriff’s . deputies. TPM reported the sheriff's deputy went to the hospital to 'kill' his father, and was initially confronted by his uncle, Curt Brewer, who is also a sheriff’s . deputy, in the parking lot. Family: TJ Brewer, pictured with his wife Logan and their children, managed to keep his certification on Wednesday, but only by a single vote . When police arrived, intoxicated TJ was not wearing a shirt or shoes and 'stated several . times that he wanted to kill his dad, that he wanted his gun to ‘finish . the job'.' Police wrote in their report: 'TJ . made numerous remarks to each officer and deputy that arrived, about . all of us being stupid, dumb asses, and at one point stated we needed to . call someone with a brain to come and talk with him.' He then assaulted a police officer, according to Salt Lake Tribune. Brewer was arrested and charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, two . counts of domestic violence in front a child, assault on a police . officer, intoxication, and disorderly conduct by Grand County officers. Injured: Moab Fire Chief Wesley 'Corky' Brewer stabbed himself twice after the confrontation . Violent: Police say TJ Brewer went to Moab Regional Hospital to 'kill' his father, Wesley 'Corky' Brewer . However, because of the Brewers' law enforcement ties in Grand County, the investigation was passed onto the Utah County Sheriff’s Office who reduced the charges to two class A misdemeanors - assault and assault against a . peace officer. The Utah Attorney General prosecuted the case rather than the local . district attorney. Since his arrest, Brewer has resigned as sheriff's deputy at the Grand County Sheriff’s Department. His father also resigned from the fire department where he had been . chief since 1989. | Former sheriff's deputy Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer pleaded guilty to two counts of assault after allegedly finding his wife and father having sex . Received two-year suspended sentence and 24 months probation . Beat his fire chief father Wesley 'Corky' Brewer after allegedly finding him in bed with his wife Logan in their son's bed . Wesley Brewer stabbed himself twice after the confrontation . | 873863571d04081ba51da5b8dd6519b6507252f8 |
The woman who was raped by two different men within the space of an hour had approached her second attacker pleading for help, prosecutors claim. The 31-year-old victim was walking home from a bar in Brooklyn at 5am when she was allegedly attacked by Nicholas Isaac, 17 who is said to have threatened her with a gun before assaulting her. She then walked 500 feet and approached Daquan Jackson, 21, in a desperate bid for support - but he told her 'I am going to do the same thing to you', before raping her as she begged him to stop, a court has heard, according to the New York Post. Detained: Nicholas Isaac, 17, was arrested on Monday and charged in connection with the first of two sexual assaults on a woman in Brooklyn, New York, within the space of one hour . Police . claim both attackers pushed the victim to the ground and threatened to . shoot her if she did not comply, but neither produced a gun. They also suspect the men were working together. Isaac was arrested on Monday. Jackson was arrested today after CCTV footage allegedly showing an attacker leaving the scene was released. Appearing . before Brooklyn Criminal Court, Jackson's attorney claimed it is a case . of mistaken identity - and branded the victim's account of being raped . twice in an hour a 'delusional fantasy'. He argued footage of the suspect walking away from the attack shows a taller man with lighter skin and a different hair style, New York Daily News reported. The judge set Jackson's bail at $100,000. The . woman says the first suspect sexually assaulted her while threatening . her with a gun, although he never displayed one, New York Post reported. Attacked: The woman was attacked twice in one hour, and police managed to retreive CCTV from the second crime scene, showing the alleged attacker leaving . Investigation: Police believe that the two sexual assaults may have been coordinated by the two men . Violence: The two addresses where the assaults took place were just 528ft from each other . After . the attack, the woman walked just over 500ft, where she was set upon by . a second man, who also pushed her to the ground and sexually assaulted . her. New . York police have managed to retrieve CCTV surveillance video footage of . the second suspect as he fled the scene in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, . minutes after the attack. ‘Both . incidents bear extreme similarities, so we aren’t ruling that out (that . one suspect tipped off the other),’ a police source told New York Post. ‘The similarities (between both sexual assaults) are hard to ignore.’ The assaults took place at 5am and 6am on Sunday August 31st in Brooklyn, New York. The first suspect is described as 5ft7in tall, wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt. The second suspect is a 6ft male, weighing approximately and 170lbs. | Daquan Jackson, 21, charged with committing the second attack . Victim 'went to Jackson for help after first rape streets away,' police say . Nicholas Isaac, 17, accused of committing the first assault on August 31 . Woman sexually assaulted twice in one hour in Brooklyn, New York . Police believe the attacks may have been coordinated by the two men . | 54ded9eca920125a88a7efe6ec4e9310316b3108 |
Scotland's independence referendum was the UK’s most talked about topic on Facebook for the whole of 2014. A staggering 3.3 million comments, posts and likes were made on the day of the controversial vote last September, with 1.9 million from Scotland alone. The five weeks building up to polling day, held on September 18, had seen 10 million interactions take place on the social network as the Yes and No campaigns battled for a win. Scroll down for video . The Scottish independence referendum, pictured, was the UK’s most discussed topic on Facebook in 2014 (stock picture) The ice bucket challenge, where brave fundraisers allowed friends and family to tip a bucket of ice water over their heads in aid of the fight against motor neurone disease, came in as the second most popular topic in the country. This was in line with global interests, as the phenomenon saw 17 million videos shared worldwide, according to Facebook's annual year in review. 1. Scottish referendum . 2. Ice bucket challenge . 3. World Cup 2014 . 4. Premier League title race . 5.Conflict in Gaza . 6. The death of actor Robin Williams . 7. Louis van Gaal takes over at Manchester United . 8. Ebola virus outbreak . 9. Champions League Final . 10. First World War centenary . Football is never far from many Britons’ thoughts, so it is no surprise that the sport dominated the top 10. The World Cup was the third most popular topic - possibly due to exasperation over England’s woeful efforts - while the Premier League title race that saw Manchester City pip Liverpool was fourth. The other two most popular soccer stories discussed on Facebook were Louis van Gaal’s appointment as Manchester United boss (seventh) and the all-Spanish Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (ninth). The conflict in Gaza was the fifth most popular topic for interactions, while the death of actor Robin Williams in August was sixth. The outbreak of the Ebola virus ranked number eight for interactions, while the First World War centenary was tenth. The ice bucket challenge, which raised millions in aid of the fight against motor neurone disease was the UK’s second most popular topic (stock picture) The World Cup 2014 (pictured David Luiz of Brazil, centre, singing the National Anthem with Marcelo and Julio Cesar before the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group) came in as the third most popular topic in the UK, but came out top as the most talked about topic worldwide . Warner Brothers Studio Tour was the most common location for Facebook check-ins, as people shared their experiences from The Making of Harry Potter attraction. Tourist destinations Madame Tussauds, London Eye and Chester Zoo also featured in the top 10. The Tower of London was third as millions of people flocked to see the poppy display. In the US, it was the Ebola virus outbreak that topped their Facebook review as the most talked about topic, followed by the ice bucket challenge and the death of Robin Williams. Worldwide, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil drove more conversation than any other event in Facebook history. The tournament was hugely popular – 350 million people had over 3 billion interactions over the course of the matches. Facebook has made a page at http://uk.yearinreview.fb.com/ to showcase its global year in review. | The referendum had 3.3 million comments, posts and likes on polling day . Football was also popular featuring in four of the top ten topics in the UK . Globally it was World Cup 2014 as the number one topic on Facebook . Ice bucket challenge, death of Robin Williams and Ebola also rated high . | 7b770a10b7cbaeea4122b2dfead47ca288532e49 |
(CNN) -- Canada's House of Commons voted 156-145 on Friday on a no-confidence resolution aimed at the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, triggering the dissolution of Parliament and elections in the next few weeks. Liberal party leader Michael Ignatieff sponsored the resolution, citing a recent House committee report that found the government in contempt for failing to provide lawmakers with requested information on its spending plans. "The principle at stake in this debate goes to the heart of parliamentary democracy: the obligation of a government to provide members of this House with the information they need in order to hold the government accountable to the people of Canada," Ignatieff said in prepared remarks introducing the no-confidence resolution. "We are the people's representatives. When the government spends money, the people have a right to know what it is to be spent on. This Parliament does not write blank cheques." The resolution automatically triggers elections to replace the Conservative-led minority government, which has ruled Canada since 2006. The motion was ill-conceived, said Government House Leader John Baird, a Tory. "The Liberal members over there claimed to have found that the government has done something wrong," Baird said. "What they aren't telling Canadians is that this was an opposition-stacked committee who used the tyranny of the majority to get the predetermined outcome they wanted." The no-confidence vote was the fifth in Canadian history, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. | The House of Commons votes 156-145 in favor of a no-confidence motion . The vote means the nation's Conservative government will be dissolved . Elections will be held to form a new government . | f386d110f4185f181f137e0815baf92fb5559926 |
Parents are outraged that a registered sex offender was allowed to play at a school concert. Melissa Salsbury, who also models as Mia Rose, performed during assembly at Kiona-Benton City High School in Benton City, Washington on Tuesday. She was part of group, A.N.E./Money over Misery, which aims to share positive messages about bullying, peer pressure and self-worth. Salsbury, however, was convicted in 2011 and imprisoned for almost a year for forcing underage girls into prostitution. She was placed on the sex offenders' register. Scroll down for video . Melissa Salsbury, who also goes by the modelling name Mia Rose, turned herself into police after performing at a high school with her band despite being on the sex offenders' registry . Police heard on Tuesday that Salsbury had been at the school. Benton County Sheriff’s Detective Mike Wilson told Tri-City Herald that Salsbury turned herself into police on Wednesday. The school district apologized to angry parents and students for the situation, adding that Salsbury had not been cleared to perform there. Daily Mail Online was awaiting a comment on Friday from A.N.E., but it appeared that her fellow band members were unaware Salsbury was a convicted sex offender. In a YouTube message on Thursday, the group said: 'Yes it was a negative incident that took place a couple of years ago and that is still held over that individual's head but we are here to spread a positive message. We are here to spread positive hip-hop.' They added: 'We don't condone the incidents that took place a few years ago and we want everyone to know we didn't have any knowledge of that.' In 2011, Salsbury was jailed for 300 days for forcing underage girls to have sex with men, the Tri-City Herald reported. Model Mia Rose (left and right) spent almost a year in prison in 2011 after she forced girls who thought they were going to do exotic dancing into having sex with men who answered personal ads . A registered sex offender was among the performers at a motivational assembly Tuesday at Kiona-Benton City High School in Washington. The school district apologized to outraged parents for not completing a background check . Salsbury, then 20 and having just given birth to her son, pleaded guilty to a felony of promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor. She was given a reduced sentence due to her full cooperation with police which led to the convictions of five others, including her husband. It was also noted that Salsbury had been forced into stripping and prostitution when she was a minor and was reportedly told she would be traded into the sex slave industry if she didn't cooperate. According to the local news outlet, Salsbury recruited 17 and 18-year-old high school girls in 2010 telling them they would be paid to dance. Salsbury put ads on a classifieds website and then when contacted by johns would rent rooms at a Kennewick hotel and force girls into sex with the men. She threatened the girls by telling them she would tell their parents or boyfriends, and that they would be traded into sex slavery. She kept profits from the prostitution, according to reports from the time. She was caught and the prostitution ring discovered when one emotionally distressed girl broke down to a school teacher. | Melissa Salsbury, who also goes by Mia Rose, performed during assembly at Kiona-Benton City High School in Washington on Tuesday . Salsbury was jailed in 2011 for forcing underage girls into prostitution. She was placed on the sex offenders' register . Her fellow bandmates released a statement saying they knew nothing about her past . The school district has apologized to students and parents for not properly vetting the performers . | ae01faab512dd44c94518fdb6826a2a163db0c57 |
Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora meet at London's Excel Arena on Saturday night in a hotly-anticipated all-British affair. Before the fight, however, the pair will face each other at the weigh-in on Friday (live from 1.50pm). Here, Sportsmail brings you all the action from Box Nation as the pair measure each other up the day before the fight. | Tyson Fury faces Dereck Chisora at London's Excel Arena on Saturday . Winner of world heavyweight title final eliminator faces Wladimir Klitschko . Pair will measure each other up at Friday's weigh-in . You can follow all of the video coverage live, right here (from 1.50pm) | d7d6d3a1d0a0fc80428c1f4b4867502931793f54 |
By . Associated Press . and Snejana Farberov . PUBLISHED: . 22:49 EST, 5 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:13 EST, 6 December 2013 . Amid ongoing protests held by fast-food industry workers demanding higher minimum wages, McDonald’s has offered its employees advice on how to properly tip au pairs and personal fitness instructors. The out-of-touch tipping guidelines appeared on the site McResource Line, but were deleted this afternoon following backlash. The post containing suggestions on how to reward your help during the holiday season came from the etiquette website Emily Post. Scroll down for video . McDonald's etiquette: MacDonald's offered its employees tips on how to properly reward the help, including dog walkers, barbers and personal trainers . Tone-deaf tips: If McDonald's employees were to follow the online holiday tipping guide, they would have spent up to a thousand dollars . McDonald’s employees, many of whom earn just over $7.25 an hour, were advised to offer an au pair a gift or one week's pay; a housekeeper was to be rewarded with one day’s pay, while a pool cleaner was due the cost of a single cleaning. Dog walkers, personal fitness instructors, barbers and massage therapists were also not to be left out. McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa McComb justified the tone-deaf tipping guide by telling CNBC in an email that the content was provided by a third-party partner and included quotes from the Emily Post forum. If McDonald's employees were to follow the online holiday guide, they would have spent up to a thousand dollars this season - a tall order considering that an average fast-food worker earns about $9 an hour. Hired help: According to the guide, it is appropriate to gift your dog walker and au pair one week's pay during the holiyda season . According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the typical fast food staffer made $18,130 in 2010. The McResource site affiliated with McDonald’s boasts ‘practical solutions to many of life’s problems and challenges. This is not the first time that McDonald's landed in hot water for offering its employees financial advice. Last month, the employee budget guide published online by the 'McResource' team advised staff to return gifts and eat stale bread if they are struggling to get by on their wages. In July, the fast food giant once again came under fire when its financial planning site called Practical Money Skills for Life provided a sample budget that included no money for heat and set aside only $600 for rent and $20 for health insurance. The questionable etiquette post was deleted this afternoon as fast-food workers and labor organizers marched, waved signs and chanted in 100 cities across America in a concerted push for higher minimum wages. Organizers say walkouts are planned, with rallies set for another 100 cities. But it's not clear what the actual turnout will be, how many of the participants are workers and what impact they'll have on restaurant operations. The actions would mark the largest showing yet in a push that began a year ago. Media circus: The 'helpful' tipping advice was offered to McDonald's workers amid protests held in 100 U.S. cities calling for higher wages . Striking McDonald's worker Abran Escarzaga, 31, protests outside McDonald's in Los Angeles, California, today . Song and dance: Fast-foot workers chanted inside a Wendy's restaurant in Detroit, pushing to raise the federal minimum wage of $7.25 . At a time when there's growing national and international attention on economic disparities, labor unions, worker advocacy groups and Democrats are hoping to build public support to raise the federal minimum wage of $7.25, or about $15,000 a year for full-time work. Protesters are calling for pay of $15 an hour, but the figure is seen more as a rallying point than a near-term possibility. In New York City, about 100 protesters blew whistles and beat drums while marching into a McDonald's at around 6:30 a.m.; one startled customer grabbed his food and fled as they flooded the restaurant, while another didn't look up from eating and reading amid their chants of 'We can't survive on $7.25!' Community leaders took turns giving speeches for about 15 minutes until the police arrived and ordered protesters out of the store. Some 200 protesters calling for higher wages for fast-food workers stand outside a McDonald's restaurant in Oakland, California, which was shut down for more than half an hour . Protesters rally for better wages at a Wendy's in Detroit today . The crowd continued to demonstrate outside for about 45 minutes. A McDonald's manager declined to be interviewed and asked that the handful of customers in the store not be bothered. In Detroit, about 50 demonstrators turned out for a pre-dawn rally in front of a McDonald's. A handful of employees walked off the job, but the restaurant stayed open as a manager and other employees worked the front counter and drive-thru window. Julius Waters, a 29-year-old McDonald's maintenance worker who was among the protesters, said it's hard making ends meet on his wage of $7.40 an hour. 'I need a better wage for myself, because, right now, I'm relying on aid, and $7.40 is not able to help me maintain taking care of my son. I'm a single parent,' Waters said. In Atlanta, about 40 demonstrators rallied at a Burger King; another demonstration was planned later in the day. Activists hold posters of President Barack Obama during a protest outside a McDonald's restaurant at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. today . Fast food workers attend a protest against McDonald's outside one of its restaurants in New York . The push for higher pay in the fast-food industry faces an uphill battle. The industry competes aggressively on value offerings and companies have warned that they would need to raise prices if wages were hiked. Most fast-food locations are also owned and operated by franchisees, which lets companies such as McDonald's Corp., Burger King Worldwide Inc. and Yum Brands Inc. say that they don't control worker pay. However, labor advocates have pointed out that companies control many other aspects of restaurant operations through their franchise agreements, including menus, suppliers and equipment. Fast-food workers have historically been seen as difficult to unionize, given the industry's high turnover rates. But the Service Employees International Union, which represents more than 2 million workers in health care, janitorial and other industries, has been providing considerable organizational and financial support to the push for higher pay over the past year. Protestors chant outside a Burger King restaurant during a protest for a raise in the minimum wage in Charlotte, N.C . Organizers were calling for a one-day labor walkout at fast-food restaurants in 100 cities (demonstrations seen today in Chicago) Berlin Rosen, a political consulting and public relations firm based in New York City, also has been coordinating communications efforts and connecting organizers with media outlets. The National Restaurant Association, an industry lobbying group, said most those protesting were union workers and that 'relatively few' workers have participated in past actions. It called the demonstrations a 'campaign engineered by national labor groups.' McDonald's said in a statement that it's 'committed to providing our employees with opportunities to succeed.' The company, based in Oak Brook, Ill., said it offers employees advancement opportunities, competitive pay and benefits. In the meantime, the protests are getting some high-powered support from the White House. In an economic policy speech Wednesday, President Barack Obama specifically mentioned fast-food and retail workers 'who work their tails off and are still living at or barely above poverty' in his call for raising the federal minimum wage. All smiles: Grinning McDonald's workers joined protestors at an eatery in Oakland . Labor Secretary Thomas Perez also offered words of support for the protesters on the agency's blog. 'We see momentum gathering and a consensus emerging around the idea that we need to increase the federal minimum wage, to give these workers and millions like them a fair day's pay for a fair day's work,' Perez said in the statement. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has promised a vote on the wage hike by the end of the year. But the measure is not expected to gain traction in the House, where Republican leaders oppose it. Supporters of wage hikes have been more successful at the state and local level. California, Connecticut and Rhode Island raised their minimum wages this year. Last month, voters in New Jersey approved an increase in the minimum to $8.25 an hour, up from $7.25 an hour. | Tipping advice appeared on employee resource site, but the post was later taken down . Protesters want the minimum wage to be changed from $7.25 an hour to $15 . Workers are protesting in 100 cities across the U.S. today . Demonstrations have been taking place outside McDonald's and other fast food chains . McDonald's said in a statement that it's 'committed to providing our employees with opportunities to succeed' | 237ac8671dba77f3f93dd6a17998588995455a97 |
(CNN) -- First he mocked him, then he praised him and now FIFA President Sepp Blatter has handed Cristiano Ronaldo his best chance of winning his second World Footballer of the Year award. For in an unexpected move, the world governing body extended the deadline for national team coaches and captains, as well as participating journalists, to vote for their top three players of 2013. The initial date had been last Friday, just hours after the first legs of the European play-offs had ended, but the closing date to vote for this year's Ballon d'Or winner is now November 29. The reason given for the delay has been the 'low turnout of votes' so far. With Lionel Messi, who has won the last four crowns, out injured, Ronaldo will never have a better chance to impress a panel for an award where form at voting time often counts as much as previous exploits in the year. Fresh from his stunning hat-trick which fired Portugal to the World Cup when eliminating Sweden 4-2 on aggregate (with Ronaldo scoring all his nation's goals in the tie), the Real Madrid star may begin to feel that his recent row with FIFA is beginning to turn his way. Last month, Blatter was involved in an extraordinary impersonation of the Portuguese star while addressing the famous Oxford Union in England, during which he claimed Ronaldo spent "a lot more at the hairdresser's" than his Barcelona rival Messi. Ronaldo swiftly hit back, writing on his Facebook page how the video showed "the respect and consideration that FIFA has for me, my club and my country. Much is explained now." On Tuesday night, Blatter -- who has been watching his words carefully since -- was effusive in his praise for the former Manchester United player's match-winning display in Sweden. "Fantastic performance by @Cristiano," the Swiss tweeted. Hours later, it was announced that the voting had been extended, meaning Ronaldo's stunning Solna display can now be taken into account. Quite what France international Franck Ribery makes of it all is anyone's guess, with the Bayern Munich star having been tipped to win the award when voting was thought to have ended last week. He is now behind the Portuguese in the running according to widespread opinion, as is Messi -- with the Argentinian seemingly a victim of his own staggeringly high performances of recent years. Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilian Neymar are outsiders to win the award, with FIFA having named a 23-man list of players to be considered for the prize in October. The three-man shortlist for the award will be announced next month, with the winner of the 2013 Ballon d'Or set to be unveiled at an awards ceremony in Zurich in January. In a separate development, FIFA announced on Wednesday that "fair working conditions must be introduced quickly, consistently and on a sustained basis in Qatar," the 2022 World Cup host nation. The statement followed a meeting in Zurich between Blatter and the International Trade Union Confederation, and came shortly after an Amnesty International report suggested that worker abuse is rife in Qatar's construction sector. In response to Amnesty's allegations, the director of the Human Rights Department at Qatar's Foreign Ministry said laws are in place to protect workers from mistreatment. | FIFA surprisingly extend voting for Ballon d'Or by two weeks . New deadline means Ronaldo's World Cup hat-trick can now be taken into account . Franck Ribery had been favorite to win award for various critics prior to unexpected change . | 647d98f9512ddd01b75b7e04a7b5d0e7f9010b29 |
Despite years of research suggesting otherwise, a new study claims humans did not evolve to cooperate with one another as strongly as first thought. Previous theories claim that in nature, humans cooperate because it in everyone's interest to do so. But, given half the chance, people have a tendency to be selfish - especially if they can increase the amount they benefit from betraying or deceiving someone. Two University of Pennsylvania researchers studied human cooperation. Their study focused on a game theory called the Prisoner's Dilemma, in which people are more likely to benefit if they were selfish (stock image shown) instead of cooperating . The latest study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was carried out by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. In a series of experiments twisting the classical game theory match-up known as the Prisoner's Dilemma, selfish strategies became more successful. In the classic game, if both players cooperate, they both receive an equal payoff. This game theory looks at how people might cooperate or betray one another for their own interests. In the classic example, two members of a criminal gang are arrested. Each are held separately to one another. There is not enough evidence to convict them of their main charge, but they are both given a year in prison on a lesser charge. However, the police give each separately the option of betraying the other and turning them in, or staying silent and cooperating. If both stay silent and don't testify agfainst the other, they will each serve their single year in prison. However, if one betrays the other, but the other chose to cooperate, then the one who betrayed will be set free and the other is given three years in prison. If they both betray each other, they both serve two years in prison. The theory goes that two rational people would choose to betray, as they are guaranteed not to get the worst sentence. However, previous studies have shown that humans show a bias towards cooperating. But if one cooperates and the other does not, the cooperating player receives the smallest possible payoff, and the defecting player the largest. If both players do not cooperate, they both receive a payoff, but it is less than what they would gain if both had cooperated. In general it pays to cooperate, but it can pay even more to be selfish. Last year, postdoctoral researcher Alexander Stewart and Proffesor Joshua Plotkin from the University of Pennsylvania published a mathematical explanation for why cooperation and generosity have evolved in nature. But their new research played out in a large, evolving population, found that adding more flexibility to the game can allow selfish strategies to be more successful. In the new investigation, the researchers added a twist. Not only could players alter their strategy - whether or not they cooperate - but they could also vary the payoffs they received for cooperating. Initially, as in their earlier study, cooperative strategies found success. But with higher and higher payoffs at stake, the temptation to defect also rose. And they found that the population of players reached a tipping point, after which defection was the predominant strategy in the population. The work paints a dimmer but more realistic view of how cooperation and selfishness balance one another in nature. 'It's a somewhat depressing evolutionary outcome, but it makes intuitive sense,' said Proffesor Plotkin. 'We had a nice picture of how evolution can promote cooperation even among self-interested agents and indeed it sometimes can, but, when we allow mutations that change the nature of the game, there is a runaway evolutionary process, and suddenly defection becomes the more robust outcome.' Previous studies found people are more likely to cooperate (stock image shown) more than not, but the latest research revealed that by increasing the reward for betrayal, people became more selfish. This suggests humans are not naturally wired to cooperate with each other . | University of Pennsylvania researchers studied human cooperation . Their study focused on a game theory called the Prisoner's Dilemma . In it, people are typically more likely to benefit if they betray not cooperate . And previous studies found people would cooperate more than not . However, the latest research increased the reward for betrayal . And they found this increase made people become more selfish . It suggests humans are not naturally wired to cooperate with each other . | aa5e97bfb973191a3ca3c4aa507da8301f5ea7a9 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . McDonald’s is offering an avocado-topped beef burger in select U.S. cities to test its potential popularity. Locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Denver, Colorado are trialling the guacamole burger alongside a guacamole grilled chicken sandwich and guacamole crispy chicken sandwich. All three sandwiches include guacamole, pico de gallo, white cheddar cheese, and lettuce. Mexican-inspired: The new McDonald's guacamole burger sees the traditional beef patty topped with avocado, pico de gallo, white cheddar cheese, and lettuce . According to The Daily Meal, the guacamole burger is available for $4.79 - which is noticeably more expensive than many of McDonald’s dollar offerings. Locations in Denver are also offering guacamole as an add-on or dip for an additional 89 cents. It is understood that McDonald’s is testing the item as a ‘healthy’ alternative to its less nutritious options like barbeque sauce. It is unclear what ingredients the company may have added to the avocado in its guacamole recipe. It is also unknown if and when the guacamole may become a permanent menu option nationwide. New offerings: Guacamole is being offered on three sandwiches - a beef burger, a crispy chicken sandwich and a grilled chicken sandwich . This is not the first time that McDonald’s has offered avocado on its menu. In 2010, the fast food chain introduced chicken flatbreads with an avocado topping but quickly removed the item from its menus. McDonald’s is not the first fast-food chain to recently add avocado to its menu. In 2013, Subway added pureed avocado to its sandwich board as a topping option. | Guacamole is being tested on menus in the Carolinas and in Denver, Colorado . The topping is being offered on burgers and chicken sandwiches . | 659908075cfa7d837e632dc91d143737e9427e5d |
Pakistan's increasingly troubled World Cup campaign took another turn for the worse when chief selector Moin Khan was ordered home to explain the circumstances of his visit to a Christchurch casino. Former Test wicketkeeper Moin told his employers he had gone to the casino to have lunch with friends. Pakistan chief selector Moin Khan has been sent home from the Cricket World Cup after a casino visit . Sohail Khan trudges off after Pakistan's defeat by West Indies - their second from two matches so far . As another controversy threatened for winless Pakistan in New Zealand, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters: 'Moin admitted he went to a casino in Christchurch but said he had gone there with friends to have dinner. 'We have told him he should return home until we further probe the matter. 'Manager Naved Cheema will now chair the tour selection committee with captain Misbah-ul-Haq and head coach Waqar Younis.' Pakistan have already had to endure much intrigue in the past week about an alleged disagreement between fielding coach Grant Luden and several senior players. Then-Pakistan captain Moin Khan looks on after England's famous Test win in Karachi in 2000 . | Moin Khan sent home as PCB 'probe' casino visit from chief selector . Pakistan have lost their opening two matches at the Cricket World Cup . Fielding coach Grant Luden has reportedly fallen out with several players . CLICK HERE for all the latest Cricket World Cup news . | 12eee89ca34faaf71e2c7aeeb667c85ec23475e6 |
New York (CNN) -- An "all-clear" was given at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport Wednesday night after a DHL cargo facility there was evacuated following the discovery of a suspicious package, authorities said. The package originated from Yemen -- the source of last week's thwarted bomb plot -- said New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne. The package was an envelope containing a cell phone and paperwork, Browne said. Investigators said they were looking at a "solid mass" in the package at JFK that showed up on an X-ray and was inconsistent with what they had been told were documents in the package. The package was addressed to a New York destination, a law enforcement source said. "The bomb squad was called in to check it out," the NYPD's Browne said. "It was cleared." The package was discovered at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, an official said. FBI agents, Port Authority police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection had inspected the package "out of an abundance of caution," New York FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said. "All clear. DHL got their signals crossed," John Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told CNN. "All is well and over." A DHL spokeswoman, Beatrice Garcia, confirmed some information about the suspicious package but rejected the Port Authority's statement about the delivery company getting its signals crossed. Senior law enforcement officials said the package was one of the more than a dozen packages from Yemen that investigators had been looking for since Friday. At least seven other packages from that batch have been cleared by U.S. officials. Earlier Wednesday, the head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration visited Yemen, five days after authorities disrupted a plot to send bombs from the Middle Eastern nation to the United States, the federal agency announced. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, meanwhile, talked about cargo screening with top representatives of global shipping companies including DHL, FedEx, TNT and UPS, her department said. She talked about "enhanced screening" after shipping companies apparently carried the bombs unawares. She pressed home the same message in a call to the head of the International Air Transport Association, Giovanni Bisignani, the department said. TSA Administrator John Pistole met with Yemeni government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Rashad al-Alimi, representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Interior, and U.S. ambassador Gerald Feierstein, the TSA said. Pistole also received briefings from TSA inspectors deployed to Yemen and toured a cargo facility in Sanaa, the nation's capital. Yemen said Monday that it is tightening security at all of its airports. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Britain found two packages Friday with explosives that were destined for synagogues in Chicago, Illinois. The explosive found in the United Arab Emirates may have traveled on passenger planes to get there, airline officials said Sunday. Investigators in Yemen say they strongly suspect that Ibrahim Hasan al-Asiri, al Qaeda's top bomb maker in the region, is behind the explosive devices sent in the parcels. U.S. authorities are said to be also looking at al-Asiri because the parcel bombs used the same explosive, PETN, as last year's foiled underwear bomber, also linked to him. A 23-year-old Nigerian citizen, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, has been charged with trying to blow up a December 25 flight from the Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan, with an explosive that was partly sewn into his underwear. A Yemen-based branch of the al Qaeda terrorist network claimed responsibility for that attempt. After last week's incident, the TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection took immediate steps to enhance measures for screening inbound cargo, including grounding packages originating from Yemen destined for the U.S., the TSA said. The agencies also deployed a team of inspectors to assist the government of Yemen with its cargo screening procedures. The day before visiting Yemen, Pistole spoke to the International Air Transport Association conference in Frankfurt, Germany, met with international aviation security officials and signed an international security agreement with Germany, the TSA said. CNN's Susan Candiotti, Deb Feyerick, Ross Levitt and Fran Townsend contributed to this report. | Package at airport had New York destination, law enforcement source says . Envelope contains cell phone and paperwork, NYPD says . An airport cargo facility is evacuated over suspicious package . The bomb plot discovered Friday is believed to have originated in Yemen . | 10c62ae6c9769de470a37b30bcdbe002c281eb58 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:01 EST, 3 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:39 EST, 4 June 2012 . A grieving mother whose newborn died in her arms was charged almost $900 for her daughter's hospital care, despite the fact that she was only alive for a few seconds after birth. Melissa Sherman had her baby, Kaylee Marie, in November 7 last year but at 23 weeks premature she was too small to survive. Doctors at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre in Phoenix, Arizona, checked the tiny girl’s heart beat and wrapped her in a blanket before giving her to Sherman for a first, and last, cuddle. Tragic: Melissa Sherman gave birth to her baby in November of last year and had time for one quick cuddle before the newborn died . 'She was born, and we just held her,' Sherman told ABC15. 'We just held her. That's all we did,' she said. The new mother savored the few precious moments she had with her fragile daughter, who didn’t even open her eyes. Kaylee died within minutes and Sherman was forced to leave the hospital with no baby. Adding to her pain, Sherman was billed, not only for her own care, but for that of her dead baby, who she said received no medical attention. Tiny: Baby Kaylee was 23 weeks premature and so small she fitted in the palms of her mother's hands . Sherman was sent a Nursery Level 1 Care . bill from the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre totaling $862 for . ‘routine daily accommodation charges’. Spokesperson Rainey Daye Holloway told the news channel that ‘hospitals have expenses whether a patient lives or dies’, confirming that the charges were accurate. Sherman accepted the costs and was expecting to pay a small percentage, with the rest being covered by her health benefits plan, so she was shocked when the insurance company billed her for $896.73. As it turned out, a pre-determined . reimbursement arrangement between the company and medical centre meant . that the hospital was reimbursed $6,270.60 for Kaylee’s care, sending . Sherman’s out-of-pocket costs soaring, too. Heartbreak: A reimbursement arrangement between the insurance company and medical centre meant that the hospital was reimbursed $6,270.60 for Kaylee's care, sending Sherman's out-of-pocket costs soaring . The distraught mother was forced to re-live her daughter’s death over and over as she fought for months to have the charges rebuked. 'It's been hard because every time I call there I have to explain to them what happened,' she said. 'It's been really emotional.' It wasn’t until she told Banner’s billing manager she was working with the media that any action was taken. Sherman’s charges were reversed and she was sent a letter from Larry Volkmar, Banner Good Samaritan's CEO. Shocking: The Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center (pictured) sent Sherman a bill for her daughter's care . ‘I have recommended that we adjust the bill associated with your daughter's stay to zero as a courtesy to you and your family,’ he wrote. ‘We will remit all payments received toward this account to you and/or your insurance company respectively. 'Please accept my condolences for your loss.' | Kaylee Marie Sherman was born - and died - on November 7, 2011 . Mother Melissa Sherman received bill for $862 for 'routine daily accomodation' Hospital later reversed the charges with a letter offering 'condolences for your loss' | 53359b9ac58ad2b5e4039758766c4d9719b38e5f |
(CNN)The Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- hailed by some as the most important legislation in American history -- was signed into law 50 years ago Wednesday. It was known as the "bill of the century." But many Americans today probably couldn't say exactly what the legislation accomplished. "It's really the law that created modern America," said Todd S. Purdum, author of "An Idea Whose Time Has Come." "Its goal was to help finish the work of the Civil War, 100 years after the war had ended, and to make the promise of legal equality for blacks and whites, even though actual equality is elusive to this day." The law revolutionized a country where blacks and whites could not eat together in public restaurants under Jim Crow laws, or stay at the same hotel. It outlawed discrimination in public places and facilities and banned discrimination based on race, gender, religion or national origin by employers and government agencies. It also encouraged the desegregation of public schools. "This did all of those things. It changed everything about ordinary life for black Americans all over the country," Purdum said. "I think when you try to explain to people today -- I have children 10 and 14 years old, and I don't think they can really imagine a world like (this) existed before this law." The act had the longest filibuster in U.S. Senate history, and after a bloody, long civil rights struggle, the Senate passed the act 73-27 in July 1964. It became law less than a year after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Read the full act here . Here are a few surprising facts about how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law: . 1. More Republicans voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act than Democrats . In the 1960s, Congress was divided on civil rights issues -- but not necessarily along party lines. "Most people don't realize that today at all -- in proportional terms, a far higher percentage of Republicans voted for this bill than did Democrats, because of the way the Southerners were divided," said Purdum. The division was geographic. The Guardian's Harry J. Enten broke down the vote, showing that more than 80% of Republicans in both houses voted in favor of the bill, compared with more than 60% of Democrats. When you account for geography, according to Enten's article, 90% of lawmakers from states that were in the Union during the Civil War supported the bill compared with less than 10% of lawmakers from states that were in the Confederacy. Enten points out that Democrats still played a key role in getting the law passed. "It was also Democrats who helped usher the bill through the House, Senate, and ultimately a Democratic president who signed it into law," Enten writes. 2. A fiscal conservative became an unsung hero in helping the Act pass . Ohio's Republican Rep. William McCulloch had a conservative track record -- he opposed foreign and federal education aid and supported gun rights and school prayer. His district (the same one now represented by House Speaker John Boehner) had a small African-American population. So he had little to gain politically by supporting the Civil Rights Act. Yet he became a critical leader in getting the bill passed. His ancestors opposed slavery even before the Civil War, and he'd made a deal with Kennedy to see the bill through to passage. "The Constitution doesn't say that whites alone shall have our most basic rights, but that we all shall have them," McCulloch would say to fellow legislators. Later, he would play a key role in the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act and become part of the Kerner Commission, appointed by the Johnson administration to investigate the 1967 race riots. Kennedy's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, wrote him an "emotional" letter when he retired from Congress in 1972. "You made a personal commitment to President Kennedy in October 1963, against all interests of your district," she wrote. "There were so many opportunities to sabotage the bill, without appearing to do so, but you never took them. On the contrary, you brought everyone else along with you." 3. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. met for the first and only time during Senate debate on the act . The two leaders met briefly on March 26, 1964, while they were both on Capitol Hill to hear debate on the 1964 Civil Rights Act. That brief encounter was captured by photographers. "Well, Malcolm, good to see you," King greeted Malcolm X. "Good to see you," he replied. Known for his direct rhetoric in denouncing America's treatment of African-Americans, Malcolm X was a stark contrast to King, who preached tolerance and peace in achieving equal rights. Some scholars say the two could have formed an alliance, as Malcolm X moved away from the Nation of Islam. But it never happened: Malcolm X was shot and killed less than a year after their first and only encounter. King was assassinated in 1968. 4. The act didn't help just black Americans . Women, religious minorities, Latinos and whites also benefited from the Civil Rights Act, which would later serve as a model for other anti-discrimination measures passed by Congress, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Under the Civil Rights Act, women who had been fired because they became pregnant, or were not hired because they had small children, now had recourse. As a result of Title VII, "male only" job notices became illegal for the first time. Before the Civil Rights Act, women made up less than 3% of attorneys and less than 1% of federal judges; now they make up nearly a third of lawyers, according to the National Jurist, and three of the nine Supreme Court Justices are women. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was also created by the law, giving women a workable "hammer" with which to shatter the glass ceiling. 5. A segregationist congressman's attempt to kill the bill backfired . Virginia's Democratic Rep. Howard W. Smith was a staunch segregationist and strongly opposed the Civil Rights Act. Smith, who was chairman of the House Rules Committee, came up with many tactics to discourage the passage of the bill's Title VII, which would outlaw employment discrimination because of race, color, religion or national origin. When Smith added the word "sex," the House reportedly laughed out loud. The ploy was Smith's attempt to quash support among the chamber's male chauvinists on the grounds that the bill would protect women's rights in the workplace, according to Clay Risen in his book "The Bill of the Century." Despite resistance, and complex motives, the act eventually passed, laying the groundwork for legal battles to ensure equal employment opportunities for women. And whether he intended to or not, Smith ended up helping to set the stage for modern feminism. 6. The 1964 law didn't do much to address discrimination at the ballot box . Black men were granted the right to vote in 1870 under the 15th Amendment (women followed 50 years later). Yet many obstacles -- including literacy tests and poll taxes -- prevented most blacks in the South from casting ballots. Just a few months before the Voting Rights Act, the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified to remove poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections. All the 1964 Civil Rights Act did was to mandate the same voting rules nationwide. It wasn't until the following year that the 1965 Voting Rights Act would suspend the use of literacy tests. | Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act . "It changed everything about ordinary life for black Americans," says Todd Purdum . The act holds the record for sparking the longest filibuster in the history of the U.S. Senate . | 91322a16e076eabb86250610485d05b9dbfdfdcd |
By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 06:02 EST, 11 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:25 EST, 11 September 2012 . Steep: Dale Lidster said his late-night snack ended up being the 'most expensive bag of chips in the country' A man who playfully threw a bag of chips at a friend in the street after a night out has been landed with a £565 fine for littering. Car valeter Dale Lidster, 23, was arrested after being captured on CCTV hurling a balled up chip paper at his pal at the end of a night out last September. He denied the offence but was found guilty of littering at Skegness Magistrates' Court. The 23-year-old was fined £300 and ordered to pay £250 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge. Speaking after the case Lidster, from Horncastle in Lincolnshire, claimed the fine was 'ridiculous' and insisted the chip wrapper had been picked up straight away. 'I can't believe what has happened,' he said. 'Almost £600, it must be the most expensive bag of chips in the country.' The 23-year-old said he was struggling to see the funny side of his cheap late-night snack eventually costing him hundreds of pounds. 'It's not funny, not when you have to find £600 and when you haven't done anything wrong in the first place,' he said. Lidster said he intended to appeal against the decision. 'I'd never condone littering but even if I had dropped the chip wrapper and left it, the fine is ridiculous - and very excessive,' he said. 'The annoying thing is you can go into the town centre any night of the week and there's always litter around. 'If that's shown on CCTV, why have they only taken me to court? 'Okay, I did throw the wrapper but it was picked up straight away.' Litterer: Dale Lidster, who was fined almost £600 for littering, said the penalty was 'ridiculous' and 'excessive' East Lindsey District Council said the court case highlighted the authority's attempts to clean up local streets. 'Littering will not be tolerated in East Lindsey because we know how important clean streets are to people,' a spokesman said. 'We use state of the art CCTV, information from the community and our officers to catch those littering. 'This means anyone could be watching and reporting litterers.' | Dale Lidster was arrested after being caught on CCTV tossing a balled up chip paper at a friend after a night out . Lidster denied the offence of littering but was found guilty at Skegness Magistrates' Court . Professional car cleaner insisted the £565 fine was 'ridiculous' and 'excessive' | e437dbe0b49dde0d25407555f63922208c0005c3 |
(CNN) -- This year, on the 15th season of NBC's weight-loss show "The Biggest Loser," Rachel Frederickson did exactly what the show producers, the celebrity trainers and the audience asked her to: She lost the most weight. She lost so much weight, in fact, that many have decided she is now unhealthily thin. Jaws dropped at her final weigh-in. Social media exploded. At 5-foot-5 and 105 pounds, her body mass index is below what the National Institutes of Health considers healthy. I won't speculate on her health. That's for a doctor to determine, and hopefully she's regularly seeing one. She says she's "never felt this great." I think I know exactly how Rachel is feeling right now. In a word: intoxicated. And as I also know from experience, that intoxication can be deadly dangerous. 'Biggest Loser' winner: Too Thin? Growing up as a student of classical ballet, I floated in and out of all kinds of unhealthy eating disorders. I experimented with bulimia, starvation, laxatives and diet pills. Dancers knew plenty of terrible tricks. We'd eat carrots and use the bright orange to mark when to stop throwing up before all the nutrients and energy we needed to dance were expended. We ate tissue paper to feel full. We were caffeine addicts --some even snorted it. Many smoked cigarettes and a few did drugs. Our unhealthy habits at Boston Ballet even led to a "Dateline" investigation in 1997, when a friend and fellow dancer died suddenly at 22. She weighed 93 pounds. Not only did all of this make for very bad habits, but as an impressionable, insecure and developmentally immature adolescent girl, body issues were ingrained at the worst possible time, and when I was least equipped to deal with them. My teen years were spent, irrationally, consumed with being too fat. There was depression. There were suicidal thoughts. There was therapy. When I finally left ballet, I found relief in the normalcy of college. That relief turned to excitement when I found friends -- and boyfriends -- who thought I was pretty great, even without starving myself. And that excitement turned to empowerment when I found a career in writing that turned me on and didn't care what I looked like. I left body issues behind. I knew who I was. Ironically, all that self-esteem spurred unexpected weight loss. I suddenly dropped 10, 15, 20 pounds without trying. I was eating healthily, working out occasionally, and enjoying my 20s. I'd never been happier. And then it happened. The compliments, the attention, the looks on friends' faces who hadn't seen me in a few months -- it was all euphoric. Watching the numbers on the scale tick backward, clothing sizes drop -- I'd chased that feeling for so long as a teenager, and it was finally happening. And as the compliments turned to concern I grew even more determined to hold on to that euphoria, to keep the weight off and maybe drop a few more pounds. If someone didn't mention my weight loss, I was despondent. What was once occasional exercise became compulsive working out. Eating healthy turned into not eating. Instead of going out with friends I preferred to stay in, so I could not eat in private. I hadn't been trying to lose weight, didn't even think I needed to. But when it happened inadvertently the euphoria was so addicting, I didn't want it to stop. The good news is, older, wiser and having beat body issues before, I knew I didn't want to get sucked back in to a dark and compulsive life controlled completely by my weight. I made a decision to never return to those addictions, no matter how good they felt. I stopped the feverish workouts. I returned to normal eating. I saw my friends again. Years later, I make daily decisions to strike a balance between being healthy and being obsessive. And if the choice is between being 10 pounds overweight and 10 pounds underweight, I choose over. It hasn't been easy. I have a job on television now and the pressure to look good and stay thin is immense. I simply don't pay attention to it. I was recently a bride, and unlike many women preparing to walk down the aisle, I refused to embark on some crazy crash diet to look my thinnest in a corset, though the temptation was there. And I am sure that when I have children, I'll worry about losing baby weight like every other new mother does. But I will do all I can to obsess over my baby and not those stubborn remaining pounds. I'll bet that Rachel Frederickson can relate to much of my story. I bet that when she was at her heaviest she was unhappy, and maybe even depressed. I bet she never thought she could look the way she wanted. I bet she fantasized about what it would be like to be thin. And now I bet she is intoxicated by the attention she's gotten for losing so much weight, intoxicated by the rush of losing another pound, by the boost in energy she has from working out. And I bet she has vowed to herself never to gain the weight back, never to return to the previous her. I just hope that in addition to weight loss and workout techniques, the trainers and doctors on the show have equipped her to deal with the addictive behaviors that can result from successfully getting in shape. I hope they've warned her about a mental anguish that can be just as dark as the one she felt as a heavier woman, and maybe even more dangerous. And I hope they've told her that despite the thrill of losing the most weight, she will not become a "loser" if she gains some back. I'm proud of Rachel for getting healthy. And I hope she loves who she is. But the next year will be an important and potentially dangerous one for her, with addictive behaviors lurking around every corner. I just hope she's strong enough to avoid them. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of S. E. Cupp. | "Biggest Loser" winner set off discussion of what weight level is too thin . S.E. Cupp says she experienced many kinds of eating disorders, including obsession with weight . She says people can become addicted to the positive rewards of losing weight . Cupp: Losing weight doesn't mean losing the pressures caused by body issues . | efe85ea7f9215e3c488044efb85ca0102be9c088 |
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wants Saido Berahino to solve his goalscoring problems in January. The Reds boss has identified the West Brom striker as the man he wants to add goals to his misfiring forward line. And Rodgers is pushing for a deal to happen when the transfer window reopens in six weeks. Saido Berahino (right) has scored seven Premier League goals for West Brom this season . The 21-year-old is wanted by Liverpool and has also attracted interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham . Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (right) wants to add a striker to his squad in January . Rodgers's current crop of strikers have not managed a goal between them in the league this season . West Brom are desperate to keep Berahino, who has scored eight goals already this season, and will demand a high price. Berahino could cost in-excess of £15million, while the Baggies will look to keep the striker by offering him an improved contract. Having spent close to £120million on new talent in the summer, though that was offset by the £75million sale of Luis Suarez, there is doubt over whether Rodgers will be afforded the funds to launch a raid for Berahino. And if a deal is not possible in January, then Rodgers is expected to return for Berahino in the summer. Berahino was called up to the England squad for the recent fixtures against Slovenia and Scotland . Berahino (centre) talks with Danny Welbeck (right) and Fraser Forster during an England training session . Daniel Sturridge is expected to be out for a further six weeks after suffering a fresh injury . West Brom are facing an increasing battle to keep hold of their prized-asset, with Tottenham also keen on the striker. Bolstering his strikeforce is a priority for Rodgers in January. Daniel Sturridge is facing another six weeks on the sidelines with a groin problem, £16million signing Mario Balotelli is yet to score a Premier League goal for the club and Rickie Lambert has started just one league game this season. Rodgers has admitted the chances of recalling £10million summer signing Divock Origi are slim. All that has made Rodgers intensify his interest in Berahino, despite WBA’s insistence that they will not sell in January. | Brendan Rodgers wants to bring in a striker in the January transfer window . Saido Berahino has scored seven Premier League goals for West Brom . The Baggies are desperate to hold on to their leading goalscorer . Berahino is also attracting interest from Tottenham . The 21-year-old striker is likely to cost upwards of £15million . | ac96143f73135c97cce2404cfcc811b66a56631e |
By . Sean O'hare . PUBLISHED: . 08:58 EST, 14 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:00 EST, 15 February 2013 . Convicted burglar Uwe Giesemann, 69, had arsenal of 250 guns and a bazooka . Police searching a flooded home stumbled upon a terrifying cache of weapons including 250 handguns and a bazooka. Officers in Germany visited the empty flat following reports from neighbours that water was leaking through the ceiling into their apartments. But when they got inside the soaked property they were stunned to find the private arsenal of convicted burglar Uwe Giesemann, 69. He is now on the run and police are appealing for help in tracking him down. The terrifying haul prompted the search of another property in Hannover also belonging to the 'unkempt' criminal. In total they found 250 handguns, a number of machine guns, gun parts, hand grenades, silencers, night vision goggles, a bazooka, and a large quantity of ammunition. German police made the alarming find in November, but have only just released details as they look to track down the bearded fugitive who is feared to have been an arms dealer operating out of the city for years. The cache of weapons is worth approximately £500,000 and is the biggest weapons find Hannover police have ever had to deal with. During the search they also came across £250,000 cash and a lot of expensive watches and jewellery with the total haul thought to be worth around £860,000. A police spokesperson said: 'This is one of the biggest weapons finds we've ever had.' Arsenal of guns found by police inside two properties belonging to Uwe Giesemann, a suspected arms dealer . Expensive watches and jewellery found by police inside the property, along with £250,000 cash . | Police also found £250,000 in cash and haul of expensive jewellery . Convicted burglar Uwe Giesemann, 69, has been on the run since November . | b2e95d391c7eee373405f8a746837b4a0ed5e831 |
Kid Rock is making sure his fans know exactly where he stands on the controversy surrounding box office champ 'American Sniper' with a profanity-laden tirade aimed at the film's critics. The Clint Eastwood film profiles Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL who was described as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. While critical reviews have been generally positive and the movie has been nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor, it has also drawn fire for being jingoistic or propaganda for the U.S. military. Scroll down for video . Kid Rock is making sure his fans know exactly where he stands on the controversy surrounding box office champ 'American Sniper' with a profanity-laden tirade aimed at the film's critics . Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore caused an online debate when he tweeted about how he was raised to believe snipers were 'cowards' since his uncle died by a Japanese sniper shot in World War II . Actor Seth Rogen and filmmaker Michael Moore have been made controversial statements about the film on Twitter. CBS Detroit notes that Kid Rock has responded in a post on his site titled 'AMERICAN SNIPER, MICHAEL MOORE AND SETH ROGAN (sic).' Rock writes: 'F— you Michael Moore, you’re a piece of s— and your uncle would be ashamed of you. Seth Rogen, your uncle probably molested you. I hope both of you catch a fist to the face soon. 'God bless you Chris Kyle, Thank you for your service.' Rogen, the star and director of the almost-banned comedy The Interview issued a statement about this weekend's blockbuster hit American Sniper, comparing the Clint Eastwood-directed film to Nazi propaganda. 'American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that's showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds,' Rogen tweeted on Sunday. Quentin Tarantino's Inglorius Basterds culminates with an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler at the premiere of a fictional propaganda film called 'Stolz der Nation' which translates to Nation's Pride. 'American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that's showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds,' (right) Rogen tweeted on Sunday . Rogen has since elaborated that just because he was reminded of the Tarantino scene does not mean that he was drawing any comparison between Kyle and Nazi, and that he even enjoyed the film . One of the characters of the film is a haughty German soldier who plays himself in Nation's Pride, a movie about how he killed 200 Allied soldiers from a clock tower in one battle. American Sniper on the other hand stars Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, the real-life man who became the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, saving hundreds of American lives with at least 160 kills. The film based off Kyle's memoir, ends with his tragic death in Texas, allegedly at the hands of a fellow soldier with PTSD he was trying to help. Rogen isn't the first to criticize the film this weekend, during which American Sniper topped the box office and raked in a record $105.3million. Rogen has since elaborated that just because he was reminded of the Tarantino scene does not mean that he was drawing any comparison between Kyle and Nazi, and that he even enjoyed the film. 'But if you were having a slow news day, you're welcome for me giving you the opportunity to blow something completely out of proportion,' he added, on Twitter. Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore caused an online debate when he tweeted about how he was raised to believe snipers were 'cowards' since his uncle died by a Japanese sniper shot in World War II. Oscar-tipped: Clint Eastwood's movie is hotly-tipped to pick up a few Oscars, including Best Actor for Cooper. Meanwhile, Rogen's film The Interview was not eligible for any Academy Awards . Taking to Twitter in rage, the Fahrenheit 9/11 director seethed: 'My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse.' Moore later backtracked those comments on Facebook, writing that he thought the film was well made but could have done a better job at contextualizing the Iraq War. American Sniper has been nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actor for Cooper and Best Picture. Seth Rogen's film The Neighbors was eligible for this year's Academy Awards, but was not nominated in any category. Rogen's other film The Interview, nearly banned for fear that screenings of the North Korean-set comedy would be targeted by terrorists, was not eligible for the Oscars since it was released online a day before it premiered in theaters. | The Clint Eastwood film profiles Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL who was described as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history . Comments on the film from director Michael Moore and actor Seth Rogen have been scrutinized since the film's release . Kid Rock calls out both entertainers while defending American Sniper subject Chris Kyle as an American hero . | bc08004fa41572e53ae17f45f260c44924e89bba |
An 86-year-old man has died after being run over by his own car while visiting the grave of his wife at a cemetery. Police said that the elderly man fell in front of the vehicle at about 11am on Sunday at the Rookwood Cemetery, west of Sydney. He then suffered fatal injuries after the Honda Accord 'rolled over' him. Police said that the elderly man fell in front of the vehicle at about 11am on Sunday at the Rookwood Cemetery (pictured), west of Sydney . The man's son, who was with him at the time, performed CPR until paramedics arrived . The man's son, who was with him at the time, performed CPR until paramedics arrived. However, the 86-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers visited the site and are attempting to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident. | Police said the elderly man fell in front of the vehicle at 11am on Sunday . He suffered fatal injuries when his Honda Accord 'rolled over' him . The man's son, who was with him at the time, performed CPR until paramedics arrived, however he died at the scene . | 9c6f9f7fe6064ca4bc57e8f4fab19d0cc9b9cac9 |
Terror group Islamic State has released a new video which seems to show Japanese hostage Kenji Goto being beheaded by the militant fighter known as Jihadi John. The 1 minute and 7 second clip shows Mr Goto, 47, kneeling in a rocky gorge while the masked murderer delivers a scripted message to the camera. The killer then lowers his knife and the footage goes black, as is common in ISIS propaganda films. When the footage begins again Mr Goto's body is shown lying on the desert floor. Scroll down for video . The 1 minute 7 second clip appears to show Mr Goto kneeling in a rocky gorge. A man appearing to be Jihadi John delivers a scripted message before the video cuts out. When it comes back, Mr Goto's body is shown . The footage, which was released by the media arm of Islamic State, was entitled 'a message to the government of Japan', and in the footage Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was blamed for the killing . The fighter, who has a British accent, says: 'To the Japanese government: You, like your foolish allies in the Satanic coalition, have yet to understand that we, by Allah's grace, are an Islamic Caliphate with authority and power, an entire army thirsty for your blood. '(Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo) Abe, because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. 'So let the nightmare for Japan begin.' The footage has appeared just a day after Japan's deputy foreign minister, Yasuhide Nakayama, told journalists that negotiations for Mr Goto's release were 'in a state of deadlock'. Tonight the Japanese government has strongly condemned the apparent killing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said: 'I cannot help feeling strong indignation that an inhuman and despicable act of terrorism like this has been committed again.' Japanese authorities have said the video is most likely genuine. A statement from a cabinet meeting of senior politicians said the footage 'has a high degree of credibility.' Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added: 'I feel strong indignation at this inhumane and contemptible act of terrorism. I will never forgive these terrorists.' 'Japan will work with the international community to bring those responsible for this crime to justice,' he said, reiterating that Japan would not give in to terrorism. Mr Goto's mother and brother have both paid tribute to the war correspondent this evening. Mr Goto, a war correspondent with experience of reporting from Middle East conflict zones, went missing in October last year as he went to help fellow Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa . Mr Goto was last heard from a week ago, when an audio clip emerged claiming to be by him, saying Mr Yukawa had been killed and asking for failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi to be released . 'I was hoping Kenji would come back alive to thank everyone who had supported him," Goto's brother Junichi Goto, told broadcaster NHK TV. 'I am filled with sadness he couldn't do it.' Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, told NHK TV her son's death showed he was a kind gentle man, trying to save another hostage. On Saturday, President Barack Obama led global condemnation of the apparent slaying, deeming it a 'heinous murder' and saying the US stands in solidarity with Japan against the 'barbaric act'. In a statement, Obama called Goto courageous and said America applauds Japan's steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East as well as around the world. Also on Saturday, Andreas Kreig, assistant professor for defence studies at King's College London, told MailOnline that he believes the footage is genuine. He said: 'The technology that is used to film, they way the shots are cut, the way the footage transitions from one shot to the next, this is all things we have seen before in ISIS videos.' Anthony Glees, Professor of Security Studies at Buckingham University, added: ‘This kind of video still has the power to shock. It’s particularly shocking because in this case everyone had a sense that Mr Goto may be released, as would the Jordanian pilot.’ Last night ISIS tweeted to say they were going to give King Abdullah, the deceased ruler of Saudi Arabia, a present on what would have been his 91st birthday. Last night terror expert Shiraz Maher, who works for King's College London, tweeted the message, and added: 'I suspect, sadly, we'll see hostage videos released soon.' Japanese Cabinet Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga has condemned the attack, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated that Japan will never bow to terrorists . Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama was pictured leaving Jordan this evening in a car convoy after footage emerged claiming to show the beheading of Japanese ISIS hostage Kenji Goto . Protesters in Jordan demand to know the fate of Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, a pilot held by Islamic State who was threatened with death in the latest videos alongside Mr Goto . Asked whether he had been expecting ISIS to release footage this evening, Dr Kreig added: 'We had not been expecting anything, but something had to happen, because ISIS had issued an ultimatum that was not met.' Mr Goto first appeared in an ISIS propaganda video a week ago alongside fellow Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, 42. ISIS demanded $200million for the release of both of the men, the same amount the Japnese government pledged to help fight the organisation. Last Saturday an audio recording emerged purporting to be of Mr Goto explaining that Mr Yukawa had been killed, and again pleading for his release. The voice claimed that ISIS had changed its demands, instead asking for the release of Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, a failed suicide bomber currently on death row in Jordan. The video has emerged three days after ISIS asked for Sajida al-Rishawi to be brought to the Turkish border. However on that occasion they were threatening to kill Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, the Jordanian fighter pilot currently being held by the terror group after crash-landing on their territory in December. ISIS had been asking to exchange Mr Goto and Jordanian airforce pilot Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, who they are also holding hostage, for failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row in Jordan . There was no mention of the fate of al-Kasasibah in today's footage. Jordan had threatened to kill all of its ISIS hostages if he was harmed. Jordan's government spokesman, Mohammed al-Momani, declined comment late Saturday on the video of Goto's purported beheading. The Japanese government has said it is currently trying to verify the footage, which was distributed by ISIS' propaganda arm al-Furqan Media Foundation. The fate of Jordanian pilot Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, who ISIS had also been threatening to kill, was not mentioned in the latest video . Mr Goto, 47, a war correspondent with experience in Middle East hot spots, went to Syria in late October to try to help release Mr Yukawa, who was captured in July. Mr Yukawa's arrival in the Middle East followed a number of difficult years, which appeared to begin in 2005, when his business failed, leaving him in debt and, at one point, reportedly homeless. The Japnese government has previously condemned ISIS' threats against Mr Yukawa and Mr Goto, while stating that they will not cooperate with terrorists. After news of Mr Yukawa's killing spread, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 'Considering the unbearable pain and sorrow that his family must be feeling, I am speechless. 'Such act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible, it causes me nothing but strong indignation. I condemn it strongly and resolutely.' U.S. officials said they were trying to confirm the authenticity of the video. Bernadette Meehan, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said: 'We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Kenji Goto has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL. 'The United States strongly condemns ISIL's actions and we call for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages. We stand in solidarity with our ally Japan.' Junko Ishido, Mr Goto's mother, has previously issued a tearful appeal for her son to be released. If Mr Goto's death is confirmed, then he will join a list of other victims, including Haruna Yukawa (left). British aid workers David Haines (centre), and Alan Henning (right) have also been murdered . US journalist James Foley (left) was the first to appear alongside Jihadi John in one of the sickening videos, followed by Steven Sotloff (centre. Aid worker Peter Kassig (right) is also dead . Speaking at a press conference last week, she said: 'I say to you people of the Islamic State, Kenji is not your enemy. Please release him. 'Kenji was always saying 'I hope to save lives of children on battlefields'. He was reporting war from a neutral position.' Mr Gotos' death, if confirmed, adds to a long list of foreign hostages that have apparently been killed by Jihadi John, including Harnua Yukawa. The list of victims also includes British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig. | Kenji Goto threatened with beheading in ISIS video released last Saturday . Terror group was trying to exchange Goto for bomber Sajida al-Rishawi . In new video fighter tells camera 'we have an entire army thirsty for blood' Mr Goto's body is then shown lying on desert floor in rocky gorge . President Barack Obama has led global condemnation of apparent slaying . Says US stands in solidarity with Japan against 'barbaric and heinous act' | 8b0fa6d543ed42d6f04174733c9c00b4a85e1737 |
President Barack Obama could take action as early as next week to protect undocumented immigrants with American-born children and those who entered the United States as children themselves from deportation, an administration official familiar with the plan told CNN. The official said Obama could sign an executive order bypassing lawmakers and implementing those changes on his own by next week -- though the White House says it hasn't nailed down the timing or content and that final decisions won't come until Obama returns from his Asia trip. The move has been the subject of months of anticipation. But with lame duck legislative wrangling underway on Capitol Hill, the president's advisers could also wait until next month. While not specifying when Obama might make his move, the White House said Thursday he's nearing a final decision on how to repair a system both Republicans and Democrats admit needs fixing. And while officials say the specifics of what he will announce haven't been finalized, the broad contours of a potential plan that eases deportations for millions of undocumented immigrants have been floated by immigration groups for months. For the multitude of groups who are watching the process unfold, the moment is charged. "Without hesitation I can say the level of anticipation is intense. We were hoping this would happen in September," said Clarissa Martinez, deputy vice president of the National Council of La Raza. "It's long overdue. The sooner the better." Millions affected . An expansion of Obama's "deferred action" program (DACA) that went into place in the summer of 2012 is considered by immigration activists a likely component of Obama's immigration action. DACA delayed deportation proceedings for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents as children. There were caveats on who was eligible: in order to apply, immigrants needed to be younger than 31 at the time the rule was enacted, and younger than 16 when they were brought to the U.S. And applicants are required to either be in school, have earned a high school degree, or be honorably discharged veterans. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, says 1.2 million people were eligible under those rules and nearly 700,000 applied for deferred deportation, with hundreds of thousands more aging into the requirements over the next decade. But many more would become eligible if Obama expands, or eliminates altogether, those requirements, which were meant to encompass the same sector that would have qualified for permanent resident status under the DREAM Act, which has languished in Congress. That could mean extending deportation relief to the parents of U.S. citizens, a move that would bring another 3.4 million people into the eligibility ranks, according to a Migration Policy Institute analysis. If the parents of children who are eligible under the current DACA rules are also included, the number rises to 3.7 million. Changing those rules could also expand the eligible population: eliminating the education requirement, for example, would allow 430,000 more undocumented immigrants to be eligible for deferred deportation, the Migration Policy Institute estimates. And allowing people over 30 who were brought to the U.S. by undocumented parents would allow another 200,000 immigrants to apply, the think-tank's report says. Immigration activists, frustrated with the rate of deportations under Obama and further exasperated with the delay in Obama's immigration action, have been urging the White House to go big and expand the deferred deportation order in a way that allow the maximum number of people to stay. But many who have been watching the process closely believe the eventual announcement will fall short of those appeals. "We have been making the case all along with activists and scholars that the president could provide relief to millions of people. I don't think they will," said Lorella Praeli, the advocacy director at immigrants' rights group United We Dream. "I think they will try to couch that as 'these are our political constraints.'" Political football . Whatever Obama finally decides -- and at this point, the options seem clear -- he'll be met with fierce blowback from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who have spent months preparing for the announcement by warning of executive overreach and political well-poisoning. The White House yielded to politics once already, delaying the immigration announcement from its promised debut this summer to a new date before the end of this year. The move was meant to shield vulnerable Democrats from political attacks on the topic; many of them lost their races anyway. The postponement wasn't met kindly from immigration groups, who said there wasn't time to spare on providing deportation relief for the millions of people who could be affected by new rules. This time the White House seems intent to get the announcement done before the New Year. Obama vowed action during a post-election press conference last week and Josh Earnest, his press secretary, reiterated the end-of-year goal during a press conference in Burma Thursday. There could still be election year ramifications, since Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu remains locked in a runoff contest with a Republican rival. But with the Senate firmly in Republican hands, any further delay would seem to offer little political advantage while only eroding support further among immigration reform activists. "For us, every day that there's a delay, and every day that people have to wait, means more people unjustly deported," said Praeli. Some Democrats want Obama to wait to announce the executive action after essential business clears the House and Senate. Sen. Harry Reid, the outgoing Senate Majority Leader, told CNN the president should hold off any immigration action until a new bill funding the federal government is approved. He said enacting the immigration plan ahead of the spending measure could anger Republicans and risk a government shutdown. "I'd like to get the finances of this country out of the way before he does it. But it's up to him," Reid said. But no matter when the action comes, it seems destined to ignite GOP furor. The near certainty of an executive action by year's end hasn't slowed Republican efforts to stop it: this week a Republican congressman from Texas, Rep. Joe Barton, said if Obama goes forward with the plan, impeachment proceedings could be a possibility. Those threats aren't exactly a new thing. Democrats have raised millions of dollars by warning their party's base about impeachment threats from conservative House members. More real is the threat that taking executive action on immigration forestalls any legislative effort on the matter. GOP leaders on Capitol Hill say a new plan delaying deportations would enrage Republicans, leaving little political will to push through a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system. Obama seems little concerned by Republican threats against making the immigration move, however, pointing out they had an opportunity to pass a bipartisan reform measure in the House but balked. "I feel obliged to do everything I can lawfully with my executive authority to make sure that we don't keep on making the system worse," he said during last week's news conference. | Obama has pledged to act on immigration before the end of the year . Precise timing is unclear . | 462cfcb1b66eeb4f6d98973d6ef0969112c44b01 |
Tony Bellew wants to end Nathan Cleverly's career when the pair square off in their grudge re-match, the details of which are expected to be announced later this week. Bellew dropped a majority points decision to his British rival in their bout for the WBO light-heavyweight title in October 2011 and the Liverpudlian has been itching to set the record straight ever since. With both fighters moving up to the cruiserweight division and promoted by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom team, a return bout is close to being finalised. Tony Bellew is out to end Nathan Cleverly's career when the pair clash again . Tony Bellew lost a majority points decision against Nathan Cleverly last time out . Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew (right) are kept apart at the pre-fight press conference in 2011 . And Bellew, never one to mince words, will relish the chance to step in the ring with his biggest foe once again. 'I don't just want to beat him, I want to finish him,' said the 31-year-old (22-2-1, 14KOs). 'He won't want to get in the ring ever again after our fight. Putting the record straight means more to me than a world title. Welshman Nathan Cleverly dropped his world title to Sergey Kovalev last year . 'I'm going to put myself through hell in camp and picture his face during every moment. I cannot wait.' The duo were being touted as chief support to IBF welterweight titlist Kell Brook's homecoming at Sheffield on December 6 but with the world champion out of action until next year after being stabbed while on holiday earlier this month, Hearn has had to look elsewhere. 'We are almost there,' said Hearn. 'Having been originally set for December 6, we are now finalising a new date and venue and I hope to have the deal tied up this week.' Cleverly, who dropped his world title to the hard-hitting Sergey Kovalev last year but has bounced back with two wins in the cruiserweight division, is looking to use the bout to re-establish his world title credentials at the 200lb limit. 'I've always said I will fight him any time, anywhere, the result will be the same as before, a Nathan Cleverly victory,' he said. 'The only slight change this time is I doubt he will hear the final bell. I'm excited for the fight, it will capture the public's imagination and become a huge event. I'm looking forward to making it 2-0 and moving on to a shot at the title.' | Bellew dropped majority points decision in their title fight in October 2011 . Pair are set to clash again after moving up to the cruiserweight division . Bellew says 'putting the record straight means more than world title' | 9e410aa0bfa216b014fc43ba98407f0d3c020ddc |
By . Louise Cheer . and Aap . The mother of an Australian teenager who caused one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history when he knocked out world No.1 Rafael Nadal from the competition says her son can do it again. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Canberra's Nick Kyrgios won the hearts of Australians everywhere when he became the first teenager to defeat a world No.1 since Nadal did it against Roger Federer at Roland Garros in 2005. On Thursday morning, the world No.144 will try to pull of another win against Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals. Scroll down for video . Norlaila Kyrgios says her son can beat Milos Raonic for a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals . Kyrgios' mother, Norlaila, told A Current Affair she had complete confidence her son would advance to the next round after he defeated the Spanish top seed in just under three hours, saying she thinks he will go 'all out'. Ms Kyrgios - who watched the teenager's triumph from her Canberra home - said despite being believing in him since the 19-year-old first picked up the racket, she had her doubts about whether or not he could pull off the upset. 'I guess I said something about Nadal being too strong for him and he heard me and he got a bit angry about that, so I think that drove him a bit more just to prove me wrong,' she said. Kyrgios defeated Nadal 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 and told reporters after the match he had read what his mother had said. Left: Nick Kyrgios spends the day training ahead of taking on eighth seed Milos Raonic on Thursday morning. Right: The Canberra tennis star in his younger days before he beat Rafael Nadal on Wednesday morning . Nick Kyrgios (left) and Rafael Nadal (right) shakes hands after the teenager defeated the No.1 seed in a four-set match . 'Last night, I was reading a comment that she thought Rafa was too good for me,' Kyrgios said. 'It actually made me a bit angry.' Though his family is tight-knit, his mother and brother, Christos, have remained at home in Canberra while his father, George, and sister Halimah made the trip with Kyrgios to Wimbledon. Ms Kyrgios said she was happy, proud and exhausted. 'It may seem like he just burst onto the scene but it's a long road and a lot of hard work,' she said. | Nick Kyrgios beat world No.1 Rafael Nadal on Wednesday morning . On Thursday morning, he will play world No. 8 Milos Raonic, from Canada . The 19-year-old tennis player beat the Spaniard in just under three hours . He is the first teenager to defeat a No.1 player since Nadal did it in 2005 . | ddd463898a623b9703d8d275a71ed6834e431f22 |
A man who was once severely obese has shed 390lbs and is now running half marathons. Brian Flemming, from Canton, Michigan, has undergone a dramatic transformation since 2012, when he weighed 625lbs. The 32-year-old completed his first half-marathon on July 28, 2013, and is currently gearing up for the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon on Sunday. Runner's high: Brian Flemming, from Canton, Michigan, has shed 390lbs and is now running half marathons . Mr Flemming, a music instructor, has run nine 5K races and four 10Ks. 'Hopefully, next time this year I'll be running the full marathon,' he told Detroit Free Press. Before he began his weight loss journey, Mr Flemming was pre-diabetic and had been struggling with depression and alcoholism, drinking a fifth of vodka mixed with a liter of soda each night. 'My typical fast-food meal was a double cheeseburger with a large pop and large fries,' Flemming wrote on his blog. Before: The 32-year-old weighed 625lbs in 2012 and struggled with alcoholism and depression . 'That usually wasn't enough, so I would have chicken nuggets with it as well. I also ate Arby's frequently. Large roast beef sandwich, large curly fries and drink, and a side of mozzarella sticks. I ate fast food every day,' he added. In spring 2012, Mr Flemming was playing Draw Something, a Pictionary-inspired app, which randomly matched him with Jackie Eastham, a woman 20 years his senior in London. He began chatting with Ms Eastham, who has myotonic muscular dystrophy, a condition that causes progressive wasting of the muscles and other symptoms. To the finish line: Mr Flemming, a music instructor, has run nine 5K races and four 10Ks . To manage her condition, Eastham follows an extremely healthy lifestyle, and never takes her well-being for granted. A friendship grew, and Mr Flemming began to confide in her about his weight problems, and about his drinking, a secret he'd kept even from his parents. He was expecting sympathy, but was thrown by her response. Biggest supporter: Mr Fleming was encouraged to get healthy by Jackie Eastham (right), a woman in London he met online. The pair began a Facebook group, Team 383, to motivate others to achieve their weight loss goals, and hosted an event together in Michigan last month . 'She told me that I was wasting my life and that I should be ashamed that I was throwing it away when there are so many people out there who are fighting to stay alive,' Mr Flemming wrote. 'My future is a lot gloomier. I'm trying to make the brightest future I can, and... you're dragging yourself down,' Ms Eastham told CNN she recalls thinking. On October 13, 2012, he made the decision to quit drinking cold-turkey, and drastically change his diet. Fitness pals: Mr Flemming and Ms Eastman (pictured at Hampton Court Palace) met in person when he traveled to London last December . He eventually began walking in place for five minutes. 'I did it little by little,' Mr Flemming said. 'I started walking outside and could barely make it around the block and I added to that little by little. Eventually I walked my first mile.' With Ms Eastham cheering him on by phone, he got to the point where he was walking five miles every morning. 'I dropped 100 pounds over three months. It came off really fast. I was over 350 pounds still when I started running in little increments at a time,' he said. Looking good: Mr Flemming hopes to be running a full marathon by this time next year . He also began cycling 44 miles to and from work every Friday. He and Ms Eastham began a Facebook group, Team 383, to motivate others to achieve their weight loss goals. Now preparing for his second half-marathon, Mr Flemming has a new outlook on life and even took a trip to London last December to meet his biggest supporter. While there, he and Ms. Eastham traveled to Paris together and climbed the Eiffel Tower. 'In 18 months, I went from being able to barely climb stairs to climbing the Eiffel Tower,' he said. | Brian Flemming, from Canton, Michigan, weighed 625lbs just two years ago . The 32-year-old completed his first half-marathon in July and plans to run the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon on Sunday . He lost the weight by exercising and cutting out alcohol and fast food . | 16c6964483d1c9edab996022fb77c345d7d6aba5 |
By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . Foreign companies will be hit with huge fines if they break promises to protect British jobs. Vince Cable said assurances made during takeover talks must be honoured, or companies would face the consequences. The Business Secretary said he wanted to tighten the law so there is ‘no wiggle-room’ to hold businesses to account. Business Secretary Vince Cable said he wanted to tighten the law so there is ‘no wiggle-room’ to hold businesses to account . The move follows controversy over the ultimately failed takeover bid by US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer for British-based AstraZeneca. While the takeover looked like it might still happen, the government insisted it was working to protect jobs and investment in research in the UK. But critics said that once a company takes control of a British firm, there is little that can be done to ensure they stick to their promises. Now tougher laws are being looked at to bolster the 'national interest test' following concerns about the acquisition of major UK firms. Pledges made during negotiations should be legally binding with penalties for breaking them running into millions of pounds, Mr Cable said. He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show: ‘'We’re probably going to get other big takeovers coming down the track. ‘I think where we now have to strengthen that is to make sure that any commitments made, there’s no wiggle-room. ‘And we’re talking to the Takeover Panel about how to do that and we may well get into the area of having financial penalties in order to make sure that those commitments are binding.’ He said new laws were in the pipeline, and suggested the Lib Dems could go further and demanded a tougher public interest test introduced on foreign takeovers. Mr Cable added: ‘Supposing the company don’t want to negotiate, or they’re not willing to give the assurances you need, what do you do then? ‘And I think you then need some fallback powers, you need the last resort where the Government can intervene, can invoke the public interest under the existing legislation. ‘What I would argue – and the Liberal Democrats’ view within the Coalition – is we need to do this, as it were, with a laser missile rather than a cluster bomb... 'We are going to need a last resort power such that if there is something that is very clearly against the national interest – and the loss of our R&D in pharmaceuticals is a very good example – the Government can in those circumstances intervene. I made it very clear when the original takeover was taking place that we were reserving all our options.' The move follows controversy over the ultimately failed takeover bid by US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer for British-based AstraZeneca (pictured) At the time of AstraZeneca deal, Labour called for the Government to strengthen the public interest test for takeovers so any potential buyout would be subject to an assessment of how it impacted on Britain's strategic research and science base. Today shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said: ‘Labour has led calls for a strengthened public interest test to apply to proposed takeovers and mergers in order to protect Britain’s R&D and science base, which the Business Secretary - three months on - now appears to be coming round to. 'Vince Cable says he wants commitments given by the bidders of target British companies to have more teeth, a move which Labour would welcome. My offer to work with Vince Cable to achieve these aims, on a cross-party basis, remains open.' TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady welcomed the move, which she said was evidence of the Government tackling living standards rather than 'union-bashing'. She told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: 'I think it's definitely a step in the right direction. 'This is the kind of thing that the Government should be concentrating on - how do we make sure that we get real investment for the future and we start tackling living standards instead of having a bit of old-fashioned union bashing.' | Vince Cable says he wants 'no wriggleroom' when promises are made . Law will be tightened to impose financial penalties on foreign companies . Business Secretary reveals Lib Dems back a tougher public interest test . | b1338cbc565c2411e4ef9f212f09aea880a57244 |
Iker Casillas has claimed he is not immortal after losing his place in the Spain team to Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and being linked with a move away from Real Madrid. The 33-year-old, who has 158 international caps and captained Spain to glory at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, has come under increasing pressure for club and country after a series of disappointing displays. 'I'm not immortal,' Casillas told AS after being benched for Spain's 4-0 win against Luxembourg. 'I will not last forever.' Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas watches on as Miroslav Stoch's header bounces past him to seal Slovakia's win . Earlier in the game Casillas failed to stop a speculative free-kick by Juraj Kucka, who flipped in celebration . The defeat cost Casillas his place in Spain's starting XI for their next qualification game against Luxembourg . 'Everybody has to make their own decision about when to leave the national team, but I feel good, strong and with the desire to help my country do the best we can to be in France and to win the tournament, which isn't going to be easy.' De Gea started in Casillas's place for the win against Luxembourg on Sunday, after the latter performed poorly in the 2-1 defeat to Slovakia on October 9. Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has told both goalkeepers that no immediate decision has been made about who will be No 1, and urged the pair to challenge one another for a starting spot. Age: 33 . Caps: 158 . Clubs: Real Madrid . Honours: 5 La Liga titles, 3 Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cup . Age: 23 . Caps: 3 . Clubs: Atletico Madrid, Manchester United . Honours: Premier League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup . 'We had decided to make changes and we have to make sure there is an easy transition. Both can play. They have to get used to the change bit by bit, as much David as Iker,' Del Bosque told reporters. 'I wasn't taken aback by what Del Bosque said because I have a fantastic relationship with him,' Casillas replied. 'He said the same thing to me and I didn't take it personally. I'm not going to be able to play forever. There are players coming through and I don't view it badly at all.' De Gea is expected to make Spain's No 1 jersey his own for years to come after starting against Luxembourg . Casillas was forced to watch the action unfold as Spain romped to a comfortable 4-0 victory in Luxembourg . Diego Costa, who scored his first goal for his country on his sixth appearance, is congratulated by Marc Bartra . On his mistakes against Slovakia, which included failing to keep out a speculative first-half free-kick from Juraj Kucka that gave the hosts the lead, he said: 'After a game that you didn't win things go through your mind, you talk to yourself, the same as when your little brother plays a trick on you and you think: "I'll kill him." It's a fixed expression. 'Obviously I'll keep going with the national team and for that reason I have to fight for my place with my club. But my idea is to keep playing for the national team. 'Nobody has been unfair on me. When you have played for a team like Real Madrid or Spain for so long, people demand you be the best, the player you always have been. 'You have to keep going, soak up the pressure and respond how you know how, by playing football. But over these years I'll remember the good times more than the bad times, which I think are better.' De Gea, centre, and Kiko Casilla, back left, watch Casillas make a smart stop in Spain training . Despite Del Bosque picking De Gea ahead of Casillas for Spain's latest game, the experienced goalkeeper has been given the backing of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. 'Of course it's nice when your manager speaks well of you,' he said, 'but not just about me, also about Alvaro Arbeloa, who he mentioned the other day, and Cristiano Ronaldo. It's good because the link we have with the manager is positive and it needs to be throughout the season.' Reports in Spain have also suggested that Casillas may lose his club spot to De Gea, with Madrid linked with a lucrative move for the United shot-stopper. 'I feel loved in the Bernabeu [despite fans whistling him in recent games],' Casillas insisted. 'Nobody likes to be whistled but the fans are sovereign and they can express themselves however they like. I have to play well and hopefully at the end of the season we'll be able to come together at Cibeles [a famous square in Madrid] after winning a title.' Despite being booed by Real Madrid fans this season, Casillas says he still feels loved at the Bernabeu . | David de Gea started for Spain in their 4-0 win against Luxembourg . Iker Casillas, who has 158 caps for Spain, watched on from the bench . The 33-year-old said he knows he is not immortal after losing his place . De Gea is expected to make Spain's No 1 spot his own for years to come . Reports in Spain suggest Real Madrid are interested in signing De Gea . Casillas has been booed at times this season by Madrid fans in Spain . Despite this, he insists he still feels loved when he plays at the Bernabeu . | 933db14cbae46ecd7e15c87b2501ec6823352470 |
By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 09:31 EST, 2 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:58 EST, 2 October 2013 . Times are tough for police forces across the country as budgets are slashed. But one force are refusing to let the harsh measures stop them fighting crime - and have called on rural horse owners to saddle up and patrol the countryside for them. A bunch of public-minded volunteers have answered the call, and been given high-visibility jackets with police markings and matching leg straps and coats for their steeds.' The new 12-strong Rural Mounted Patrol will police the lanes, bridleways and country roads of Hampshire . The new 12-strong Rural Mounted Patrol will police the lanes, bridleways and country roads of Hampshire on the hunt for suspicious activity. Rural crime ranges from property theft to fly-tipping, metal thefts, deer poaching and sheep rustling. Volunteer Wendy Thairs is looking forward to taking her two horses on patrol in New Forest, Hants. She said: 'The thin blue line has been stretched as far as it can go, so the rural community has to stand up and be counted. 'Having suffered from rural crime - but luckily our equipment was found and returned undamaged - it’s now ‘pay back time’. 'Both my horses, Groombridge and Kentucky, are recently retired from the Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch and are still eager to go out on patrol. The riders, who are subject to security checks, have no more power of arrest than any other citizen . 'Groombridge is so big I can see over most people’s hedges and obviously we don’t need four wheel drive to go off road.' The volunteers will report back to the police control room. Vanessa Dowling, from Emsworth, Hants, said she’s happy to help keep lookout in areas that are difficult for officers to reach. She said: 'When our horses are out patrolling the lanes, bridleways and forests, we are able to get to areas that cannot be easily reached by car. 'We are a highly visual presence in the rural landscape and are trained to see and recognise things that might be unusual and out of the ordinary. 'It’s all about helping the rural police on difficult terrains and putting something back into the community where we live and the countryside that we love.' Rural crime ranges from property theft to fly-tipping, metal thefts, deer poaching and sheep rustling . Hampshire Constabulary have joined forces with Hampshire Horsewatch scheme members in the drive to tackle rural crime across six areas. Hampshire Horsewatch is a community-led project aimed at preventing thieves who target equine equipment. David Collings, Hampshire Horsewatch co-ordinator and the force’s equine liaison officer, has high hopes for the patrols, who will put in around eight hours a month. Mr Collings said: 'With the reduction of funding being experienced within the police service there is a need to be as dynamic and imaginative as we can to cover rural policing in Hampshire.' The riders, who are subject to security checks, have no more power of arrest than any other citizen. They and their horses must prove their on and off road work before being given an area to patrol. They are also expected to keep their tack in good order and make sure their horse is ‘clean and tidy'. Chief Inspector Simon Dodds, the force’s lead on rural policing, said the mounted patrols were an ‘exciting development’. Chief Insp Dodds said: 'Having police volunteers on horseback is an exciting development in how rural areas of the force are patrolled. 'Working in partnership with rural neighbourhood teams, the riders will help combat crime in some of our more isolated communities.' | Volunteers have been given high-visibility jackets with police markings and matching leg straps and coats for their steeds . New 12-strong Rural Mounted Patrol will police the lanes, bridleways and country roads of Hampshire . Rural crime ranges from property theft to fly-tipping, metal thefts, deer poaching and sheep rustling . | 1cb3a38e05ad033f4ef6750e4e704ea0d68388e4 |
By . Fiona Mcwhirter . PUBLISHED: . 17:57 EST, 19 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:00 EST, 19 January 2013 . Four climbers were killed today in an avalanche on one of Britain’s highest mountains. They were part of a group of six which had defied warnings about the conditions to go climbing in the Glencoe area of the Scottish Highlands. They were swept away by hundreds of tons of snow tumbling downhill. Tragedy: The avalanche on Bidean Nam Bian in the Scottish Highlands (pictured) left two men and two women dead . Rescue attempt: Search and rescue workers in Glencoe, where an avalanche on Bidean Nam Bian claimed the lives of four climbers . A man in the party is thought to have . escaped the fall and raised the alarm around 2pm, when search teams were . scrambled to the 3,772ft mountain, called Bidean Nam Bian. Glencoe and Lochaber Mountain Rescue . volunteers reached a woman – understood to have serious head injuries – . who was taken to Belford Hospital in Fort William. All six, three men and three women, had been located by early evening. Police confirmed that four were dead. The group was climbing at the . mountain’s Church Door Buttress when piles of snow slab hurtled down the . narrow channel’s rocky surface. Fatalities: A member of the Glencoe mountain rescue team at the foot of Bidean Nam Bian in the Scottish Highlands . Mountaineer and former Glencoe Mountain Rescue team leader Hamish MacInnes described conditions as ‘hazardous’. He said: ‘I was talking about the . danger with a member of the mountain rescue committee just about an hour . before it happened because there was a heavy fall of snow. ‘It had been blowing a lot and forming a very fine powder. It was a fairly hazardous situation for avalanche. ‘I was speaking to some people who . were up the mountain and the snow was drifting quite badly although a . lot of it had gone, the temperature had risen. It was a hazardous wind, . the conditions were quite bad.’ A statement issued by Northern . Constabulary shortly before 6pm said: ‘Police can confirm that searchers . have now located all the members of a climbing party caught up in the . avalanche at Glencoe. ‘The party of six had been climbing on . Bidean Nam Bian. One male member of the party raised the alarm and . stayed to assist the searchers at the scene. ‘One woman remains in a serious . condition at Belford Hospital. Police are making efforts to trace the . families of those involved.’ Grim-faced: Rescue workers inside a van at the foot of the mountain, where the devastating avalanche struck at around 2pm this afternoon . A member of staff at a hotel in . Glencoe village, which is popular with hillwalkers, said the avalanche . had ‘shocked’ the community. She added: ‘All our guests who were . out in the mountains have come back safely, which is a relief. There is . an awful lot of snow about at the moment. It’s exceptionally wintry and . conditions are not great. ‘Details are still a bit sketchy but . we’ve heard the party came to grief coming down the mountain. It’s an . area where you need to be careful. We’re shocked.’ Bidean Nam Bian, while stunning, is one of the most treacherous mountains in the Highlands. Its terrain attracts climbers from all . over the world and is particularly steep, rocky and complex. There are . sections of steep scree, where climbers have to scramble. Two years ago, two people died in an . avalanche in Glencoe, which an inquiry later said ‘no one could have . foreseen’. Chris Walker, 29, from Keswick in Cumbria, and Robert . Pritchard, 37, from New Malden in Surrey, were swept 1,500ft to their . deaths. The inquest heard how the walkers, ironically, changed their route to try to avoid avalanches. Mark Diggins, co-ordinator of the . Scottish Avalanche Information Service, said the weather conditions on . the mountain yesterday had been fairly dry with little snow over the . past four days. He said yesterday’s avalanche risk had . been deemed ‘considerable’, the second lowest on a European four-point . scale. The most serious is ‘very high’, extremely rare in Britain. Mr Diggins added: ‘An avalanche can be . triggered by a single person. At the moment it doesn’t look like . there’s much snow, it is very localised.’ Elsewhere, a woman was killed when . several vehicles crashed on an icy road near Grantham, Lincolnshire, on . Friday, and seven people were injured when a double-decker bus struck . two cars in Coniston, near Hull. | Four climbers have been killed in an avalanche in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands . Two men and two women were found dead following the avalanche on Bidean Nam Bian at around 2pm this afternoon . A third woman is in hospital in Fort William in a 'very serious' condition . One male climber survived unscathed . The alarm was initially raised when another pair of climbers stumbled across one of the casualties lying in the snow . Fatalities 'could have been buried under more than a metre of snow' | 340fa7eaf8ec10780fbbd04f74746942e4cb39d6 |
By . Kieran Corcoran . An 'audacious' gang dressed in burkas and posed as wealthy Muslim women to steal designer watches worth more than £1.4million from Selfridges, a court heard today. Customers and staff in the world famous department store on London’s Oxford Street were left 'terrified' by the smash and grab raid, the court was told. Some of the all-male gang, armed with axes and other equipment, also allegedly wore burkas to fleece a jewellery store in Windsor two months earlier. Scroll down for video . Smash and grab: An eyewitness films one of the burka-clad robbers fleeing Selfridges . Caught on camera: This cameraphone video shows one of the robbers running for the exit . Escape: The burka-clad raider clutches what appears to be an axe while fleeing the scene . Four men are standing trial over the attempted robbery at Kingston Crown Court, a year after four other men were convicted for their part in the event. Ramela Gordon, 18, Ritchie Graham, 24, Vincent Bellamy, 37 and Leon Wright, . 25, all from North Londoner, deny conspiracy to rob. Gordon and Graham are also accused the £170,000 of watch haul in Windsor. Roger Smart, prosecuting, told Kingston Crown Court that the gang first carried out a 'well-planned robbery' at Robert Gatward jewellers in King Edward Court, Windsor. Mr Smart said: 'The robbers, all of whom were male, wore burkas in order to disguise their identities and the equipment that they had taken with them in order to carry out the robbery. 'They smashed their way into display cabinets whilst staff and customers were inside the premises and bystanders looked on in fear as they carried out their well-executed plan. Response: The court heard how getaway drivers crashed and were apprehended . 'They stole a total of 19 Rolex watches with a value of between £3,000 and £31,650 per item. 'The robbers quickly made off, running through the streets of Windsor, one of them with an axe raised above his head, warding off anyone who may have sought to impede their escape, to a nearby parked getaway car that took them and their property back towards London from where they had first come.' As well as stealing £175,000 of watches, the thieves caused £41,361 worth of damage to the jewellers, meaning it suffered £216,361 worth of loss, the court heard. Mr Smart said that less than two months later the same gang, along with some new faces, 'doubtless buoyed by the success of the robbery in Windsor' targeted Selfridges on Oxford Street in central London on June 6th last year. He said: 'The plot to rob was audacious, well-planned and carried out with the same degree of professional execution as the previous robbery. 'They made their way inside the store and smashed at showcases containing high value watches of a variety of makes. 'Members of the public and staff were terrified by their actions. The robber used the burka to disguise their identities and hide their equipment. Destruction: A man looks at the damage left after an armed robbery at Selfridges on Oxford Street, London . Evidence: A forensic officer photographs the wreckage in Selfridges left after an armed robbery . Broken glass: The scene of a smash and grab robbery in Selfridges on Oxford Street in central London . Guns: Police officers at the scene of a smash and grab robbery in Selfridges on Oxford Street in central London . 'Such was their behaviour and appearance that it crossed the minds of many of those who were forced to witness the robbery that the men dressed in burkas were using them in order to hide their identities while perpetrating a terrorist atrocity.' The gang escaped using two motorbikes, a motor scooter and a BMW car, all of which were stolen.Sam Curtin, who was still wearing his burka, and Connor Groake, a getaway driver, were arrested when their moped crashed at the corner of Goodge Street junction with Charlotte Street and they were seized by passers by, the court heard. Mr Smart said: 'It was the quick thinking and bravery of members of the public that lead to both of them being detained, some of the watches being recovered and aided the police investigation.' The thieves stole 143 watches worth £1,496,280 and damaged others worth £1.1million. Onlookers: A crowd at the scene of a smash and grab robbery in Selfridges on Oxford Street in central London . Mr Smart added: 'The Windsor offence was a carefully planned, sophisticated and targeted robbery. 'The robbers carried out in advance reconnaissance of intended started on April 5 2013, and an aborted attempt on April 11, before the actual robbery on April 12. 'The sophisticated and targeted planning, the use of new tools and the choice of the disguises at the Selfridges robbery show the same preparation as before.' Mr Smart then showed the court the telephone cell site analysis of calls made by Murrain and Gordon during the reconnaissance mission on April 5th, together with data generated by automatic number plate recognition devices. Police on scene: Officers are seen in the iconic London department store . Targeted: The gang of armed robbers targeted Selfridges Department Store on Oxford Street in June 2013 . This showed both men had made a journey to Windsor from north London and back at the same time, while remaining in constant contact. He said: 'It is more than coincidence the telephones moved with the vehicles from the north London area to Windsor and the cells providing best coverage round Richard Gatward were used.' A ninth man, Andre Murrain, is also accused of involvement in both crimes, and will appear in court at a later date. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Store on Oxford Street, central London was robbed last June, court hears . Four men accused of being in gang which tried to steal haul of watches . Kingston Crown Court hears they posed in burkas to steal designer gear . Strategy had allegedly worked for them before robbing a shop in Windsor . Four different men have previous been jailed for their parts in the raids . Defendants in this case have all deny conspiracy to rob . | c5d2c8c720956cda17875832a448722d69298ced |
Balcombe, United Kingdom (CNN) -- The fear of fracking has come to Britain, replete with worries about potential earthquakes and tap water tainted with natural gas that bursts into flames at the strike of a match.. Since a ban on the method of extracting natural gas was lifted in May, a company has begun exploratory drilling in the southern town of Balcombe to see what reserves may lie locked up in rock strata far beneath its rolling hills and green meadows. Read more: 'Fracking' protesters say drilling jobs not worth environmental risks . The energy company Cuadrilla Resources has not applied for permission to frack, but that has not stopped hundreds of furious protesters from trying to block its work. They fear that if gas reserves are found, fracking will come in short order. Help from USA . Activists Jo and Karen strummed out a folksy tune on their guitars, singing: "Frack attack. They'll frack you 'til you die." The two have come over from across the Atlantic to join local protesters. Read more: Make sure fracking is done right . "We are fighting fracking in the United States," Karen said. She has brought her ecological concerns with her, bemoaning that the United Kingdom may be going down the same path. "It ruins the ground water regardless of what they say," Karen said. "We've got people who can light their water in fire with the tap," Jo said. "They fracked Pennsylvania to death." Proponents: It's safe . And as in the United States, proponents of fracking argue that the boost in energy supply is enormous and the methods are safe. Read more: Opinion: Fracking is a threat to health and well-being . Cuadrilla believes there is about 200 trillion cubic feet of gas under the ground just within one of its local license areas. To put that figure into context, the United Kingdom uses about 3 trillion cubic feet of gas a year, chief executive officer Francis Egan said. "We are able absolutely to protect the environment and protect the way in which fracking is done," said Britain's energy minister Michael Fallon. "If there is any risk it will be stopped immediately." Read more: UK ministers consider offering communities fracking sweeteners . But the reassurances are not enough for many. A coalition of opponents to the drilling is growing. People who are otherwise political adversaries are uniting over the issue. Conservatives at risk . Concerned local conservatives have joined the ranks of traditional anti-fracking protesters from the radical left. Much of the gas exploration is taking place in rural regions that usually support the conservative party, which is in favor of drilling. Many of their constituents don't like the prospects of what fracking might do to their water supply in spite of potential the gains. "We can't have an industry rolling into communities like this one and destroying it just for the sake of money," said Balcombe resident Katie Dunn. It's politically risky for conservative politicians. Fracking could blow a hole in their support at the next election. | Residents worry about potential earthquakes and tap water tainted with natural gas . Energy company has not applied for permission to frack, but protesters try to block its work . U.S. protesters have flown to the UK to join local demonstrators . UK energy minister: 'If there is any risk it will be stopped immediately' | 9a3d84d9d7fac80708f6ac8b079adcda45596b95 |
By . Mark Prigg . PUBLISHED: . 19:04 EST, 26 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:05 EST, 27 February 2014 . For those paranoid about protecting their selfies, Boeing has revealed the ultimate handset. Designed for secure communication between governmental agencies and their contractors, the handset can self destruct if it is tampered with, destroying all the data on it. However, the phone is so secure that Boeing will only sell it to 'approved' purchasers. The Black Phone from Boeing, which can 'self destruct' if compromised . The FCC filing reveal very little about the phone - other than its shape and the fact it will take two sim cards . The dual-sim phone supports GSM, WCDMA and LTE for high speed data. It will also have a HDMI port to allow it to be hooked up to a TV. The handset also comes with USB , Wifi and Bluetooth. It will run a secure version of Google's Android software. The secret handset was uncovered by website myce, who spotted an FCC filing for it. According to the filing the Boeing Black is primarily designed for secure communication between governmental agencies and their contractors. Although the majority of its features are listed as 'protected' and will remain secret, the documents do reveal the dual-sim phone supports GSM, WCDMA and LTE using micro SIM cards. It will also have a HDMI port to allow it to be hooked up to a TV, and USB , Wifi and Bluetooth. 'The phone will be sold primarily to government agencies and companies engaged in contractual activities with those agencies that are related to defense and homeland security,' Boeing says. It plans to limit the sale of the device to 'approved' buyers. 'The device will be marketed and sold in a manner such that low level technical and operational information about the product will not be provided to the general public.' Even if approved, buyers will have to sign an agreement agreeing to keep their details of the phone secret. The self destructing gadget could be the ultimate hi-tech accessory for spies . 'Specifically designates and protects as 'proprietary information' the components, hardware, Product Software, applications, functionalities, or internal structure or workings of the Product provided by Seller, including without limitation those that can be obtained by disassembling or opening the Product or its software or components.' It also reveals that the handset will be completely sealed, and any attempt to open it will destroy the phone and delete all the data on it. 'There are no serviceable parts on Boeing’s Black phone and any attempted servicing or replacing of parts would destroy the product. 'The Boeing Black phone is manufactured as a sealed device both with epoxy around the casing and with screws, the heads of which are covered with tamper proof covering to identify attempted disassembly. 'Any attempt to break open the casing of the device would trigger functions that would delete the data and software contained within the device and make the device inoperable.' | Handset will run Google's Android Software . Any attempt to open the case automatically deletes all data and renders phone useless . Will be able to take two sim cards for secure calls . | 43fa8e918586a2a5438fb9e4199ffcd1ea11a582 |
Before Sydney siege Man Haron Monis came to Australia he had a life of wealth and success in Iran. The self-styled sheikh was deliberate about making connections that would benefit him, marrying into a family who were closely tied to high-profile members of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. 'He was a powerful man, a very important man in Iran,' said the former friend of Monis. 'Anything he wanted, he could have.' Scroll down for video . A member of the Muslim community has revealed that Sydney siege Man Haron Monis came to Australia after living a life of wealth and success in Iran . The man said that when he had heard about the Sydney siege, during which Monis and two of his captives, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, lost their lives, he asked himself "What idiot could do this?". 'This person who did this, it wasn't the person I knew.' Monis' former friend said that the gunman's life transformed when he fled Iran in 1996, leaving behind a circle of elite connections and wealthy friends. Born Manteghi Bourjerdi, and raised in a religious family and given the opportunity to study at the most exclusive university in Tehran, Monis quickly made a name for himself as a successful and prominent figure in the city. 'In Iran, Man was one of those people who everybody wants to be around, because he had connections and he was successful,' his friend told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'I would go to Man's house and see photos of him with famous people, with military people, with generals'. Monis' former friend said that the gunman's life transformed when he fled Iran in 1996, leaving behind a gilded circle of elite connections and wealthy friends . Monis was born Manteghi Bourjerdi, and raised in a religious family and given the opportunity to study at the most exclusive university in Tehran . Living in a privileged neighbourhood, Monis established himself as a savvy businessman through the connections he had made at university and through his marriage. While Monis ran a travel agency, among other small companies, his main enterprise capitalised on the black market in Iran, selling television sets he was able to obtain cheaply through his government contacts. The radical Islamist studied the Koran and published a collections of poems called 'Daroon and Boroon' (Inside and Outside), which made him famous among the Iranian literary scene and encouraged his radical notions. His poems references 'the flame of hell', and 'wise drunks', as well as claiming that his literary skill was beyond the comprehension of most readers. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the hostage-taker, who at one point during last week's Sydney unfurled an Islamic flag at the window of the cafe, 'had a long history of violent crime history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability'. Monis' friend said that the gunman was a very private individual, which remained an aspect of his life when he left his wife and two daughters in Iran and sought refugee status in Australia in 1996. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the hostage-taker 'had a long history of violent crime history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability . Monis' friend said that the gunman was a very private individual, which remained an aspect of his life when he left his wife and two daughters in Iran and sought refugee status in Australia in 1996 . Monis allegedly kept his marriage to Noleen Pal a 'secret', and hid his work as a spiritual healer, a role which he allegedly exploited to abuse young girls. He told Australian authorities that he had been employed by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, reported The Sydney Morning Herald, a claim which his friend said he was inclined to believe. Monis said he had witnessed the operating procedures of the Iranian government's terrorist actions and torture inflicted upon captives. After being charged in 2013 with being an accessory before and after the fact of his ex-wife's murder, he withdrew from public life, becoming a 'ghost'. Monis allegedly kept his marriage to Noleen Pal (above) a 'secret', and hid his work as a spiritual healer, a role which he allegedly exploited to abuse young girls . Ms Pal was lured to the Werrington apartment block in western Sydney where Monis was living in April last year and allegedly doused with accelerant, set alight and then stabbed 18 times by Droudis. At the time, Monis and Ms Pal were involved in a bitter custody battle over their two young sons. Monis' website, now taken down by the government, claimed that the children he had with his wife Noreen Pal had been taken away from him by the Australian government, and that he had been 'continuously been under attack & false accusation by the Australian government & media'. Monis was investigated in 2007 and 2008 for sending vile hate letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed by insurgents in Afghanistan, branding their children 'Nazis'. In April this year, he was arrested by Sydney's sex crimes squad detectives and charged with the 2002 indecent and sexual assault of a woman in the west of the city. During a court appearance at Penrith in October he was charged with an additional 40 indecent and sexual assault charges. | Sydney siege gunman Man Monis was well-connected and powerful in his native city of Tehran, says a former friend . He said: 'He was a very powerful man, a very important man in Iran' Monis was born into a religious family, studied at an elite university, and married into a family with close ties to the Iranian Islamic Revolution . He used his connections to build up wealth and a reputation . When he fled Iran in 1996 to claim asylum in Australia, he claimed he had worked for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security . After he was charged with being an accessory to the stabbing death of his wife in 2013, Monis became a 'ghost' He claimed that he had been a target for the Australian government and media, and said that his two sons had been removed from him . | 075d395f413b3590f95a8a5124bcf87ca62a935e |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- China has launched three astronauts into orbit for the country's fifth and longest crewed mission in its burgeoning space exploration program. The Shenzhou 10 spaceship and its launcher, a Long March-2F rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Tuesday. It will dock with the Tiangong-1 space module and the crew will transfer supplies to the space lab, which has been in orbit since September 2011. During the 15-day mission, the crew will master the rendezvous and docking capabilities that are essential for the operation of a manned space platform. "The functionality, performance, and coordination of all systems will be evaluated during this mission," Wu Ping, a spokesperson for China's Manned Space Program, told a news conference on Monday. Humans in space . She added that another main objective of the mission was to test technologies related to the construction of a space station, as China seeks to establish a long-term human presence in space. China has stepped up the pace of its space program since first sending astronaut Yang Liwei into orbit in 2003. In 2012, it conducted 18 space launches, according to the Pentagon. The most recent manned mission last year carried its first female astronaut and was the first to make a manual docking with the space module. The crew for this mission will also include a woman, Wang Yaping, and two male astronauts, Nie Haisheng and Zhang Xiaoguang. "These longer duration missions and space dockings are essential practice for any kind of long-term, more permanent presence in space or a mission to, say, the moon," said Dean Cheng, a research fellow at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation. Timeline: China's race into space . Growing power . China's march into space underscores the country's growing financial and military clout and has unsettled some Western observers. A 92-page report on Chinese military development released by the Pentagon last month highlighted the advances in China's space capabilities. "China is developing a multi-dimensional program to improve its capabilities to limit or prevent the use of space-based assets by adversaries during times of crisis or conflict," the report said. A spokeswoman for China's manned space missions said last year the program would cost a total of almost 40 billion yuan (US$6.27 billion). The U.S. closed its space shuttle program in 2011 and is no longer aggressively pursuing manned space exploration, leaving Russia and China as the only two countries in the world capable of independently sending humans into space. "In some ways, they have overtaken the US, at least temporarily," says the Heritage Foundation's Cheng. "Of course, the US, and even more Russia, have more experience in manned space. China is not, at this time, capable of reaching the Moon." "But like the tortoise and the hare, China is slowly catching up with the US." However, Cheng says that China is not engaged in a space race with the US. Rather: "They have a long-term plan, and they are sticking to it." Private space ambitions . Companies like Boeing, Space X and Virgin Galactic are scrambling to develop private sector spacecraft and operate in what has previously been the exclusive preserve of sovereign nations. China is not part of the project that maintains the International Space Station (ISS), which currently orbits the Earth conducting experiments in a range of fields, from physics to astronomy. The ISS is a joint venture between NASA, Russia's RKA space agency, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency, the European Space Agency and the Canadian CSA. China views its multi-billion dollar space program as a way to raise prestige both domestically and abroad. This is the first high-profile space launch since new leader Xi Jinping assumed the presidency in March. Public reaction to the planned mission was mixed, with some users of the Twitter-like Weibo platform wishing the astronauts well, while others said the resources were best used on the ground. "Our country may be lagging behind in other areas, but China has great achievement in aerospace technology," said one user with the handle @Jiniaobieliulin. "The government should spend more money to help those of lowest social status," said another user identified as @Xiaoxiaojuna. Katie Hunt wrote and reported from Hong Kong. Zhang Dayu reported from Beijing . | NEW: China launches Shenzhou 10 spaceship from base in Gobi Desert . Three astronauts sent into space for China's fifth and longest crewed mission . Mission seeks to test technology related to constructing a space station . China's march into space underscores growing financial and military clout . | 449dab8ba52544946407ccaea480281f9c5294a4 |
Ashley Cole announced his international retirement on Sunday night after manager Roy Hodgson picked Luke Shaw instead for his 23-man England World Cup squad. Shaw, the 18-year-old Southampton left back, will be one of at least eight players under the age of 24 — including Everton playmaker Ross Barkley, 20 — named by Hodgson at 2pm on Monday. Cole revealed the news on Twitter on Sunday night, posting a series of emotional messages after being told by Hodgson he would not be going to Brazil. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Luke Shaw is: Going to Brazil! Changing of the guard: Luke Shaw will go to the World Cup ahead of long-time left back Cole . Finished: Ashley Cole, who has 107 England caps, has retired from international football . Service: Cole made his England debut against Albania in March 2001 . Was Roy Hodgson right to leave out Ashley Cole? Was Roy Hodgson right to leave out Ashley Cole? Now share your opinion . The Chelsea defender said: ‘I got the . call from Roy and agree the England team should be about the young . players. I think it best I retire from the England team now. ‘We have a great manager and team and I wish them only success. I will be supporting them like a true fan. Thanks to everyone for everything. ‘Baines and Shaw are great players, proved this season, and are the future of this country. It was a pleasure to get 107 caps. ‘Like me or not, trust me it’s hurt me to stop playing for my country.’ It is understood that Cole refused to go on Hodgson’s World Cup squad standby list, believing that at the age of 33 and with a long England career behind him, he has nothing more to prove. Liverpool’s Jon Flanagan will be named on the reserve list to provide cover for Leighton Baines and Shaw. Hodgson said: ‘This has been one of the hardest decisions of my career. The most important factor was speaking to Ashley prior to the announcement. He deserved to hear it directly from me and he took the news with huge grace. Give youth a chance: Carroll is said to have missed a call from England manager Roy Hodgson . Named: Everton youngster Ross Barkely is also in the squad . Facing the axe: Manchester United pair Michael Carrick (left) and Ashley Young are expected to miss out . ‘I must respect his decision to retire. He has been one of England’s finest players, but I want to look to the future.’ Along with Shaw and Barkley, Phil . Jones (22), Jordan Henderson (23), Jack Wilshere (22), Raheem Sterling . (19), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (20) and Danny Welbeck (23) will be named . in the travelling party. Shaw . has enjoyed an impressive season at St Mary’s and was on Sunday night . reported to be the subject of a £27million bid from Manchester United. His . chances of being named in the squad were given a massive lift when . Hodgson decided not to attend Cole’s comeback match for Chelsea in the . Champions League semi-final first leg last month. Barkley, . who has come to prominence again after his special strike against . Manchester City on May 3, has made three appearances for his country. He . was rested from Everton’s 2-0 victory at Hull’s KC Stadium on Sunday but his emergence is likely to signal the end of Michael Carrick’s . international career after a difficult season with Manchester United. Risky: Arsenal duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (above) and Jack Wilshere (below) will both be included despite their injury concerns . Although . Carrick was named United’s player of the year in their last . title-winning season under Sir Alex Ferguson, he has never established . himself as a regular international under Hodgson. His . United team-mate Ashley Young, who hasn’t played for England since a . qualifier against Ukraine in September, is also facing the axe. Although . Hodgson insisted this month he is under no pressure from FA chairman . Greg Dyke to pick young players, he will take at least eight with fewer . than 10 caps each. England’s . Under 21 coach Gareth Southgate hinted last week that the full squad, . who report for a World Cup training camp on May 19, will have a younger . feel to it. Southgate, who names his squad for the Under 20 tournament in Toulon on Tuesday, met Hodgson last week to discuss his selections. Hodgson . claims he made his choices several weeks ago and has been unmoved by . the form of a number of players. He will include Arsenal duo . Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wilshere despite their injury problems. Oxlade-Chamberlain . returns to training this week and is in contention for a place in the . FA Cup final against Hull at Wembley on Saturday. Keeping his place: Phil Jones has overcome his shoulder problem to make the 23 . Fire power: Hodgson will stand by Rickie Lambert, who was a vital part of the qualifying campaign . Arsenal . manager Arsene Wenger said: ‘The news is good — he should re-integrate . into our squad for normal training. He is available to Roy and I . wouldn’t be surprised if he is picked.’ Wilshere . played 27 minutes at Norwich yesterday in his first appearance since . hobbling off with a fractured foot during England’s friendly against . Denmark on March 5. Wenger added: ‘The World Cup is one month away, . that’s plenty of time. It just shows you he has no problem to be . available.’ Hodgson’s . striking options were restricted last month when Southampton’s Jay . Rodriguez ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a Premier League . game at Manchester City. His absence means clubmate Rickie Lambert, who scored against United yesterday, is likely to keep his place in the 23. Jermain Defoe, who moved to MLS side Toronto in January, may have to make do with a place on stand-by. Norwich keeper John Ruddy, who hasn’t played for England since the friendly against Italy in August 2012, will miss out. Overlooked: Toronto FC striker Jermain Defoe will be placed on stand-by . Replacement: John Ruddy (left) will lose his place as the third choice goalkeeper to Fraser Forster . | Luke Shaw will go to the World Cup ahead of Ashley Cole . Cole, who has 107 caps, will retire from international football . Shaw, 18, is one of eight players in the squad aged under 24 . The squad will be announced on Monday at 2pm at the Vauxhall car plant . Ross Barkley is in, as are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere, despite concerns over the Arsenal pair's fitness . | 8a4f6f87767611acc18648f6b3874dbf27eaf6cd |
(CNN) -- Today's world increasingly challenges us to think differently about value and money. How important is your reputation? Does it have an impact on your finances? What is the currency of reputation and is it transferable or exchangeable? How is reputation created? Reputation is co-created by individuals having experiences. Looking for a great Italian restaurant for dinner tonight? Search Yelp reviews and see what people who have already dined at a place have to say about it. Want to know what it's like to work with a potential hire? Read their LinkedIn referrals. Wondering whether or not other people are happy with a product you're about to buy? Amazon reviews will tell you. You've probably even shared your own experiences with something you enjoyed or warned others about a less-than-positive experience. Your FICO score in the United States measures your credit risk, which is really credit reputation, based on your behavior. Reputation is crucial for the new economics of the 'Sharing Economy' Reputation is a requirement of the sharing economy. For Airbnb hosts and Uber and Lyft drivers, positive ratings are paramount to their success. It might seem crazy to stay at a stranger's house, but on Airbnb host reviews facilitate trust among strangers. Your AirBnB, Yelp and eBay reviews have immense values outside their immediate platforms. Even though these reputation systems have been created for the specific company -- imagine how powerful it would be to have your reputation in one place. Uber and Lyft are both independent operator ride-sharing platforms. Both companies facilitate the connection between driver and passenger. Drivers must be reviewed and approved before giving rides through their system. In a move to gain more drivers and compete with Lyft, Uber reportedly offered bonuses to tempt already-approved Lyft drivers to the Uber platform. In some cases, it was apparently easier for a new driver to go through the Lyft approval process and then switch companies, than it was to apply directly to Uber. Reputation and the future . Reputation will become an increasingly visible part of our everyday transactions. While we will create reputation on individual platforms, there will be an increasing demand for fluid exchange of reputation and ratings from one system to another. We'll see tools to aggregate your reputation in one place. We may even see reputation system APIs developed to enable the transfer of your reputation to new platforms. Picture this: four friends having dinner in a restaurant in the not-too-distant future. After the meal, they pay using a "Smart Check," using integrated mobile payments, credit cards and private coins. As part of the Smart Check experience, diners can rate their experience immediately -- everything from individual dishes, the service, and even the restaurant itself. Or how about this -- it's the year 2020 and a woman is searching for a motorcycle at an online classified site. As part of her search results, the seller's reputation is shown. This makes it easy to decide which seller to deal with. Beyond these scenarios, expect to see more fluid exchange of reputation between their original systems -- akin to monetary exchanges. We'll see more of personal reputation integrated in person-to-person transactions, which will enable deeper transactions in the resource sharing economy. This is an excerpt of a report on reputation currencies, written by Heather Schlegel and commissioned by the Institute of Customer Experience. You can download the full report here. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Heather Schlegel. | Reputation is crucial to the new "Sharing Economy," argues Heather Schlegel . Airbnb, Uber, Lyft and eBay all depend on trust . Schlegel says reputation will soon be transferable from one platform to another . | 1a9418b5aa52688a0966bc6c572224ee1a9c2a4b |
(CNN) -- Russia approved the use of military force in Ukraine on Saturday, despite warnings of consequences from the West, and Ukraine responded by saying any invasion into its territory would be illegitimate. The acting prime minister has gone so far as to say that a Russian invasion would mean war and an end to his country's relationship with Russia. But there are so many questions as to how Ukraine arrived at this point: Why is Russia so interested in happenings there? Why does the West want to prevent Russian intervention? How did we get here? Why have thousands of protesters staked their lives, seemingly, on their desire for political change? And why has the government resisted their calls so vehemently? Let's take a look: . 1. Why has Russia gotten so involved? Eastern Ukraine and the Crimea have closer ties to Russia, while Western Ukraine is more friendly with Europe. Many Eastern Ukrainians still speak Russian, and the 2010 presidential elections divided the country with Eastern Ukraine voting heavily in favor of pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. On Saturday, the Kremlin issued a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Barack Obama that Russia approved military action in Ukraine because it "reserves the right to defend its interests and the Russian-speaking people who live there." 2. Hasn't Yanukovych stepped down? The Ukraine Parliament voted him out of power and he has fled to Russia. However, in a press conference Friday, the former President said -- in Russian rather than Ukrainian -- that he was not overthrown. He insisted he was still the boss and that he wants nothing more than to lead his country to peace, harmony and prosperity. While it's unclear if he could return to power, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations blamed members of the European Union for the bloody demonstrations that led to Yanukovych's ouster. 3. What will happen in Ukraine if Russia sends troops there? Top Ukrainian officials, including the acting President and prime minister, have said they are prepared to defend the country. They've also said that any invasion would be illegitimate, a response echoed by the United States, which has told Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty. 4. Would there be international backlash to a Russian incursion? The United Nations has warned Russia against military action, while Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Putin "dialogue must be the only tool in ending the crisis." International leaders have also denounced the prospect of Russian involvement, while Obama has warned there would be consequences if Russia acted militarily. 5. What sort of consequences? Obama hasn't been specific other than to say Russia could face "greater political and economic isolation" and that the United States "will suspend upcoming participation in preparatory meetings for the G-8" in Sochi. Several Republican leaders in Congress have called on the President to take a tougher stand. 6. What are Obama's options? Sanctions, of course, top the list of options, but the United States will need to prepare for the backlash. Former presidential adviser David Gergen says Putin would consider any sanctions "small potatoes" compared to keeping control of Crimea, while Putin could pull his support for Obama's initiative to reduce nuclear threats in the world, including in Iran. Christopher Hill, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Macedonia, Iraq and Poland, says imposing sanctions also raises the risk of alienating a superpower. "That means 20 years of trying to work with Russia down the drain," he said. 7. What started the turmoil in Ukraine? Protests initially erupted over a trade pact. For a year, Yanukovych insisted he was intent on signing a historical political and trade agreement with the European Union. But on November 21, he decided to suspend talks with the EU. 8. What would the pact have done? The deal, the EU's "Eastern Partnership," would have created closer political ties and generated economic growth. It would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion, supporters of the pact said. 9. Why did Yanukovych backpedal? He had his reasons. Chief among them was Russia's opposition to it. Russia threatened its much smaller neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if Ukraine forged ahead. If Ukraine didn't, and instead joined a Moscow-led Customs Union, it would get deep discounts on natural gas, Russia said. 10. Were there any other reasons? Yes, a more personal one. Yanukovych also was facing a key EU demand that he was unwilling to meet: Free former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his bitter political opponent. Two years ago, she was found guilty of abuse of office in a Russian gas deal and sentenced to seven years in prison, in a case widely seen as politically motivated. Her supporters say she needs to travel abroad for medical treatment. 11. What happened next? Many Ukrainians were outraged. They took to the streets, demanding that Yanukovych sign the EU deal. Their numbers swelled. The demonstrations drew parallels to Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution, which booted Yanukovych, then a prime minister, from office. 12. Who's heading the opposition? It's not just one figure, but a coalition. The best known figure is Vitali Klitschko. He's a former world champion boxer (just like his brother Wladimir). Klitschko heads the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms party. But the opposition bloc goes well beyond Klitschko and the UDAR. There's also Arseniy Yatsenyuk. 13. How did Yanukovych react? In a way that inflamed passions further. He flew to Moscow, where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would buy $15 billion in Ukrainian debt and slash the price Kiev pays for its gas. And then, when the demonstrations showed no signs of dying down, he adopted a sweeping anti-protest law. 14. What did the anti-protest law say? The law barred people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies and from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission. This sparked concerns it could be used to put down demonstrations and deny people the right to free speech -- and clashes soon escalated. The demonstrators took over City Hall for the better part of three months. 15. But wasn't the law repealed? Yes, ultimately it was. Amid intense pressure, deputies loyal to Yanukovych backtracked and overturned it. But by then, the protests had become about something much bigger: constitutional reform. 16. What change in the constitution did they want to see? The protesters want to see a change in the government's overall power structure. They feel that too much power rests with Yanukovych and not enough with parliament. 17. What did the government do? In late January, the President offered a package of concessions under which Yatsenyuk, the opposition leader, would have become the prime minister and, under the President's offer, been able to dismiss the government. He also offered Klitschko the post of deputy prime minister on humanitarian issues. He also agreed to a working group looking at changes to the constitution. But the opposition refused. 18. Why did the opposition pass on the offer? The concessions weren't enough to satisfy them. They said Yanukovych had hardly loosened his grip on the government, nor had he seemingly reined in authorities' approach to protesters. "We're finishing what we started," Yatsenyuk said. 19. Who was to blame for the clashes? Depends on whom you ask. The government pointed the finger at protesters. The opposition, in turn, blamed the government. 20. What's the takeaway here? Street protests that started in November over a trade pact swelled into something much bigger -- resulting in the former President fleeing to Russia for safety while still claiming to be the official leader of the country. With Russian troops rumored to be preparing for hostilities in the Crimea, the future of the region and the resulting effect on U.S.-Russian relations appears shaky. CNN's Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report . | West threatens consequences as Russia approves military action in Ukraine . Ukraine has been rattled by anti-government protests since November . The trigger then was the President's decision not to sign a trade pact with the EU . Ukraine is split: Some want to align more with the West, others favor Russia . | 07d15032b0d6e867837daf5b9767e805766c4816 |
By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 11:04 EST, 5 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:14 EST, 5 December 2013 . The horrifying moment an American football fan kicked another supporter full in the face has been caught on camera. Footage of the sickening act was posted to YouTube on Wednesday, with the description for the clip explaining that the incident happened during an Arizona State versus Arizona game at the Sun Devil Stadium. The beginning of the clip shows a man dressed in a blue top arguing animatedly with a student beneath him. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Shocking: A student is kicked in the face by another fan at an Arizona State versus Arizona game . He then lashes out and kicks the student in the face, but doesn't appear to hurt him seriously. However, the student wears an understandable look of horror and in the remaining few seconds of the clip there are a flurry of punches. The ensuing chaos is such that the person filming quickly decides to stop and the footage fades to black. Heated debate: The footage begins with a grey-haired man in a blue top arguing with a student (right) Mayhem: After the kick several punches are thrown and one person attempts to restrain the man in the blue top . Question marks: It's not known whether anyone was arrested following the flare-up . The . game at the Tempe stadium finished with Arizona State the clear victors . - but what isn't clear is precisely what caused the violence caught on camera. It has been alleged, though, that the blue-topped man instigated the furore. One source told TMZ Sports: 'The old man was yelling at some undergrads and some girls. He was told to "shut his mouth".' 'The old man took offense. He kicked. He then got what he deserved. He was destroyed.' Comments on one website indicate that the man in the blue top was subsequently arrested and TMZ's source claimed he was ejected from the stadium, but this isn't something that MailOnline has verified. | Footage of the horrific incident has been posted to YouTube . It shows a man arguing animatedly with a student beneath him . He then kicks the student in the face and a flurry of punches are exchanged . | 025e1800b1f10fe7b75d4d9d725315212ca638c6 |
With terrorist threats, homophobic attacks, and diplomatic tensions, many have questioned whether Sochi is ready to hold the Winter Olympic Games. Now, just days away from the landmark event, the first images have emerged of the city's unprepared hotels. And it seems the doubtful were right. 'Utter farce': Journalists have taken to Twitter to lambast the hilarious conditions of their hotels in Sochi . Journalists checking in were left stunned as they arrived for bookings made last summer to be told they would have to wait indefinitely. The few that did get rooms, were met with stray dogs, half-built walls, and toxic yellow water spitting from the sinks. One hotel lobby had no floor - but staff had found time to hang a framed photo of Vladimir Putin. Mark MacKinnon tweeted: 'For those of you wondering, when's there's no lobby in your hotel, you go to the owner's bedroom to check in.' Another guesthouse warned toilet users not to flush loo roll but instead put it in the plastic bin by the door. One reporter was told to wait a day for their room, which had no running water, no internet - and no door to access it. Nearby, hotel managers advised guests not to splash water on their faces as it 'contains something dangerous'. Having book 11 rooms five months ago, CNN's team were told to share one. The shocking images and anecdotes comes after it emerged Russia exceeded its budget by millions to spend $32billion on the games. Russia insists widespread fears for human rights are unfounded despite a video by Human Rights Watch incorporating clips from some of the worst examples of homophobic violence in Russia which has been filmed and uploaded to the internet. However, Vladimir Putin has sanctioned action to be taken on the city's large population of stray dogs. In a bid to make the area presentable to welcome in people from around the world, the animals are being fed poison on the streets and left to die. The strategy has outraged animal rights activists - and baffled journalists arriving in Sochi today who claim the city is brimming with ailing dogs. Meanwhile, a top U.S. counterterrorist official says there are 'a number of specific threats' aimed at the Winter Olympics that start this week in Sochi, Russia - with the greatest danger coming from the Caucasus Emirate, which has threatened to attack the games. Russia has mounted a massive security operation for the Olympics, deploying more than 50,000 police and soldiers amid threats from Muslim insurgents. | Journalists checking in at hotel bookings made last summer left shocked . Guests tweet pictures of yellow water, lobbies with no floors, stray dogs . Follows news Russia has exceeded budget by millions for games this week . Comes as fears rise over homophobic attack and terrorist plots . | 75ad290b317b52418287ea80c698e87cc20d9967 |
Houston (CNN) -- When Joshua Gandara heard his cousin, Houston firefighter Robert Bebee, had died suddenly, he instinctively knew why. "I knew (he was) saving somebody," Gandara said. "That's him. ... He always put people first, before him. Anybody's needs before his needs." Relatives of the 41-year-old Bebee -- including his parents, sister and nieces -- are not alone in their mourning. Four Houston firefighters, total, died when a wall collapsed during a major blaze Friday at a hotel. There was Matthew Renaud, a 35-year-old who worked out of five stations in the 12 years he was with the Houston Fire Department. Robert Garner, 29, had been at Fire Station 68 since joining the department in October 2010. The youngest victim was Anne Sullivan, a 24-year-old who graduated from the city's firefighter academy in April. "She was very passionate, very strong, (very) beautiful, and she was very dedicated to her career," Sullivan's friend and fellow firefighter Ryche Guerrero said. "She inspired me." Firefighter killed in Dallas blaze . The five-alarm blaze began in the Bhojan Vegetarian Indian Cuisine restaurant, where "the majority of the fire was ... in the front," according to fire Capt. Ruy Lozano. It ended up spreading to the adjacent Southwest Inn, which is in the southwest part of Houston along the Southwest Freeway. Recalled Guerrero, "I'm just amazed at how big the fire was and how quickly it spread, how the smoke was just billowing in different directions." City fire Chief Terry Garrison explained Friday that some of the more than 150 firefighters responding to the blaze went inside the structure "because we thought we had some civilians in the structure." As Lozano explained, it was during normal business hours and there was reason to believe people we're inside. "There was every indication to think that there was a life to be saved," he said. But when they got in, the first responders found "the building had much more fire in it than we originally thought," according to Garrison. Parts of the structure collapsed, killing three firefighters at the scene, and leading to the death of the other at a hospital. Fellow firefighters quickly sprang into action, some digging through the rubble to get to their colleagues. Garrison said the death toll could have been much higher if not for their bravery and quick action. "(There were) dozens and dozens of acts of courage that took place in the seconds when that wall came in," the chief said. Thirteen other firefighters were hurt in the incident, five of whom were still hospitalized Saturday afternoon. That figure includes one who Lozano said is in "extremely critical" condition and one who had surgery Saturday and faces "probably more surgeries to come." The fire captain told CNN there are "a multitude of situations going on" related to their ailments, from heat exhaustion to injuries to their legs and more. Given the total number of casualties, Houston Mayor Annise Parker said Friday will "go down ... as the worst day in the history of the Houston Fire Department." Members of the department, which is the third-biggest in the nation, are leaning on each other to get over the loss of their colleagues. "We're one of the biggest families you'll ever meet," Lozano said. "We're very close. ... We take pride in having a little city attitude in a big city." The building that went up in flames had been inspected, with follow-up visits, within the year, said Lozano, who didn't offer any details on what they found. Volunteer firefighters step up despite personal tragedy in West, Texas . Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze. Members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the site on Saturday, as were members of the State Fire Marshal's office, the Houston Fire Department's homicide division and the Texas Rangers. "By bringing in these outside agencies and treating it like a crime scene, and there's no reason to believe that it is, we're able to maintain that sterile environment in efforts not only to determine the cause but also to hopefully learn from it so, hopefully, it never happens again," Lozano said. A funeral service for the four firefighters killed is scheduled for Wednesday at Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans. In addition to trying to help the families of those killed, the fire department is also trying to take care of its own. "The firefighters are having to look to each other, look to their families, look to their faith and look to the firefighter support network to get through it," an emotional Lozano said. "... They also think about when they get home and their kids ask, 'What happened?' And how do you tell them? So it's a difficult time." Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner told CNN that 18 Texas firefighters have died on duty so far this year, including 10 first responders killed in an explosion at a fertilizer distribution facility in West, Texas. To put this number into context, 83 firefighters were killed on the job nationwide all of last year, the U.S. Fire Administration reported. Already, more Texas firefighters have died in 2013 than over the past five years combined, according to Kistner. "When we have one line of duty death, that's too many. And we're at 18 this year," Kistner said. "It's a rough year for Texas." CNN's Sara Ganim reported from Houston, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's Ryan Rios contributed to this report. | NEW: Friend says 24-year-old firefighter who died was "very passionate, very strong" NEW: 5 of 13 injured firefighters are still in the hospital, fire department captain says . NEW: Houston firefighters are struggling to cope with the loss of their colleagues, he adds . Official: More firefighters have died in 2013 in Texas than in last 5 years combined . | d8e3cf2abf45da155648bd6f4b0e1eb00a8bcb99 |
Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer believes the use of technology in football will go far beyond the use of merely goal-line cameras in the future. The Bayern Munich honorary president thinks there will be a time when referees are a thing of the past, and will subsequently be replaced by drones hovering all over the pitch. Speaking to Sky90, Beckenbauer - who won the World Cup as a player and manager with West Germany - said: 'We are living in a century that's all about technology. We all know that it doesn't end with goal-line technology. Franz Beckenbauer believes referees will be a thing of the past in the future as technology in football evolves . England's Frank Lampard's effort crossed the line against Germany at the 2010 World Cup but was not given . 'At some point, we won't even need a referee any more. Drones will be keeping an eye on whatever happens on the pitch at some point. 'I genuinely think this is the future. I won't be alive when it happens, though, so it's up to other people to fight it. 'This isn't something that's been discussed at FIFA. It's just a personal idea of mine.' In other news goal-line technology will arrive in the Bundesliga for the start of next season onwards, after a successful opening period of use in the Premier League. Goal-line technology has been a success in England so far and will soon arrive in the Bundesliga . | The Bundesliga has approved the use of goal-line technology from the beginning of next season . Bayern Munich honorary president Franz Beckenbauer believes as time passes by and technology develops, referees will be replaced by drones . Goal-line technology has been a success in the Premier League so far . | 1321571503d228046ce62e59050ccce533264d1e |
(CNN) -- An April Fool's Day computer worm was launched on Wednesday but so far has not caused problems for the millions of computers that are believed to be infected. This piece of computer code tells the worm to activate on April 1, researchers found. "I think joke's on us a little bit, which you would have expected with having an April 1 date," said Holly Stewart, threat response manager for IBM's X-Force, a computer security service. However, that doesn't mean the much-talked-about worm, called Conficker.c, is a joke, computer security experts told CNN on Wednesday. "By no means do I think we're in the clear," said Paul Henry, a forensics and security analyst for Lumension Security, based in Phoenix, Arizona. On Wednesday, a master computer gained control of an estimated 5 million "zombie" PCs infected with the worm, experts said. Security experts fear the author of the malicious computer program essentially could do anything with those Windows-based machines. No attempts by the author to upload anything had been noted as of 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to Phil Porras, program director at nonprofit research institute SRI International. Conficker's motive is probably financial, security experts said. The worm's author could steal financial information, shut down Web pages, track keystrokes or send spam from infected computers. "They have full administrative-level rights to run anything they want on all of the infected machines," said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer for F-Secure, an Internet security company. Experts who spoke to CNN on Wednesday said it's unlikely the program's author will launch any sort of attack Wednesday or Thursday. But they said some sort of issue is likely to arise in coming weeks or months. iReport.com: What do you think of the April Fools' Day worm? Experts urged computer users not to panic. The easiest way for computer users to see if they're infected is to try to access Windows updates from microsoft.com. If you can reach the site and if your system updates are working, it is unlikely your computer is infected, experts said. Further computer patches and information can be found at the Conficker Working Group's Web site. The worm does not affect Mac computers. A core group of about 40 computer analysts, researchers and policy experts is working to dismantle the worm, said Jose Nazario, manager of security research at Arbor Networks, and a member of the group, which some call the Conficker Cabal. Nazario said the group's unprecedented efforts may be one reason an attack hasn't happened. He said the April 1 launch date for the virus may have been a ploy by the program's author to get attention from the news media. Or it could be a twisted joke. "Either way, it suggests an interesting sense of humor, I guess," he said. The worm allows a master computer to communicate with the infected machines through Web sites the worm generates. That function became active April 1, experts said, and allows Conficker's author or authors to seize control of millions of computers around the world. Infected machines are generating 50,000 URLs per day, which allows the master to talk with them. A previous version of Conficker created only 250 domain names per day. "What happened now, today, is that the machines started pulling 50,000 domain names in 116 countries around the world -- so that's the change," said Hypponen, another member of the Conficker Cabal. "The Conficker gang realized we could shut down 250 domain names a day, so they upped the ante," he said. Computer experts will continue to try to shut down the Web addresses that let Conficker's author communicate with infected machines, he said. Members of the Conficker Working Group have contacted security officials in all 116 affected countries and have shut down many active domain names, Hypponen said. Stewart, of IBM, said the sophistication of the worm is unprecedented. The situation has played out in the news media as an April Fools' Day joke. On a technology blog, The Washington Post mocked the hype about Conficker. "Londoners woke up to find the iconic clock tower Big Ben stopped at precisely one minute till midnight," Brian Krebs wrote. "The British tabloids blared that the giant timepiece had been felled by the Conficker worm." The post ends with this statement: "In case you haven't guessed it yet, APRIL FOOLS!!!" Some have compared the situation to New Year's Day in 2000, when many feared the world's computers would crash but few problems were seen. Henry said that comparison doesn't fit. "Y2K was a one-time event," he said. "The update for Conficker has basically prepped it for its future. It now has the ability to gather marching orders in a way that, to date, we haven't found a way to block." Little is know about Conficker's author. A piece of code in a version of the computer worm prevents the program from harming machines in Ukraine, leading some to believe that's where the program's author lives. Others say that could be a ploy. Many authors of previous computer viruses have come from Eastern Europe outside the jurisdiction of the European Union, experts said. Matt Watchinski, senior director of a research team at Sourcefire, a computer security company, said the author may try to split up pieces of the infected computer network -- called a botnet -- and sell them to bidders. The many unknowns about Conficker are what make it particularly concerning, said Patrick Morganelli, senior vice president of technology for Enigma Software. "[An attack] could happen today, it could happen April 15, it could happen two months from now," he said. Henry says an attack will happen sooner or later. "They'll wait for the hype to subside," he said. "They'll wait for everyone to stop watching, and they'll take it for a test run. They've put together one hell of a botnet here, and they're going to want to exercise it." | Conficker.c worm active in computers, but so far causes no harm . Experts are working with 116 countries to combat the worm . Washington Post blog mocks Conficker situation in April Fool's Day blog . Conficker.c is thought to have infected up to 10 million computers . | 47a24a6c439ca794a338dc6ace74bafbb7c451b0 |
England’s doomed campaign to host the 2018 World Cup is expected to feature far more prominently than the FA would like in Michael Garcia’s report into the corrupt bidding process. The England bid was arguably the most transparent of all those involved in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup elections on which FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert has promised to deliver his verdict next month. But despite the multi-millions allegedly spent by Qatar on winning the 2022 vote, the fear inside Wembley is that England will still be rapped for relatively insignificant breaches of bidding regulations. Garcia wanted extra answers from the FA about four incidents — the £230 Mulberry handbags given as gifts to FIFA executive committee members during a visit to London, the £35,000 sponsorship of a Caribbean Football Union summit, former ExCo member Chuck Blazer’s tour of venues and an FA party at the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg during the 2010 World Cup. Michael Garcia has delivered a report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups . The one certainty about the coincidental departures of FA general secretary Alex Horne and Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay within 24 hours is that they won’t be swapping jobs. Gourlay, an unpopular figure at Stamford Bridge, did well to survive five years in that hot seat, but had become increasingly marginalised by busy chairman Bruce Buck and owner Roman Abramovich’s special advisor Marina Granovskaia. Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay (right) speaks with Jose Mourinho during pre-season in 2013 . Manchester City’s £180-a-head corporate package for the game at West Ham on Saturday includes a talk from Ed Sulley, City’s head of research and innovation, on the performance strategies keeping the club at the ‘forefront of the game’… although not necessarily in the group stages of the Champions League. The FA are in talks with former FA Cup sponsors Budweiser about a reduced second tier endorsement. But with the first round fast approaching and no new sponsorship deal in place, it would be a bonus if the American lager brand did another year as the main Cup sponsor to bail out Wembley from embarrassment. Arsenal celebrate after winning the FA Cup with Budweiser final against Hull City at Wembley in May 2014 . Shame about Boat Race . Ascot and headhunters Spencer Stuart spent a difficult year trying to find a new chief executive from outside racing who has experience of running a major venue. So it’s highly surprising that the eventual choice is Guy Henderson, 56, a former litigation lawyer with international firm Allen & Overy and chairman of Wincanton races for the last two years. Ascot will be hoping Henderson steers them on a better course than he took on the River Thames during the 1978 Boat Race when cox of the Cambridge boat that sank in choppy waters. Not that the famous occasion features anywhere on the official Ascot announcement of Henderson’s appointment. The Cambridge boat and crew sink into the choppy waters of the River Thames during the 1978 Boat Race . Troubled sports agency Kentaro have gone into administration in the UK following a number of bankruptcy orders in Switzerland. Newcastle and West Ham are among numerous clubs and football federations owed money having taken part in a Kentaro-organised tournament at Schalke. Kentaro, who specialised in selling TV contracts across Europe, have never recovered from UEFA’s decision to centralise their Euro and World Cup qualifying rights. The price of renovating the Olympic Stadium for tenants West Ham rose by a whopping £35.9m on Wednesday — an additional payment agreed with constructors Balfour Beatty that an admirably transparent London Legacy Development Corporation will meet from contingency funds. Installing the largest single span cantilever roof in the world has proved far more complex and expensive than envisaged when the £154m building contract was signed. The price of renovating the Olympic Stadium, pictured earlier this year, rose by £35.9m on Wednesday . Minister of Sport Helen Grant’s big plan before the next election is a consumer and social media campaign via Twitter, Facebook and other outlets to encourage more female participation in sport. The cost of the initiative is said to be around £10m to be paid for by lottery funding, with Sport England organising this highly expensive project. No wonder Sport England chairman Nick Bitel’s working lunches with sports governing body chiefs to discuss the plan have had a budget-conscious menu of sandwiches, crisps and a vegetable samosa … if you’re lucky. | Michael Garcia has delivered a report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups . Garcia wanted extra answers from the FA about four incidents . The FA are in talks with Budweiser about a reduced second tier endorsement of the FA Cup . Troubled sports agency Kentaro have gone into administration in the UK . The price of renovating the Olympic Stadium has risen by £35.9m . | 069ef73ca86058174d700f00466dbffb6f212722 |
(CNN) -- As the NBA's Jason Collins made history by coming out as gay, he sought advice from someone who'd walked this road before: Lance Bass. In case you don't recall, the singer soared to fame in the late '90s as part of the popular boy band 'N Sync, but he didn't open up about his sexuality until 2006. At the time, Bass told People magazine that he was acknowledging it mainly because of rumors, and that coming out made him feel like "it's on my terms. I'm at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God, so there's really nothing else that I worry about." Bass, who now hosts SiriusXM's "Dirty Pop With Lance Bass," revealed on his show Monday that Collins reached out to him for guidance through a mutual friend, actress JoAnna Garcia. "He's been trying to plan this for a very long time, contemplating if he wanted to do this. In fact, he said he was going to call me months ago, but he got too scared," Bass said. But with Garcia's encouragement, Collins finally made the call Monday. In NBA, Collins' defense matters more than sexual orientation . "I gave him some very good advice today, because everybody wants to interview him," Bass said. When Bass came out, he recalled wishing he'd had more time to think about whom he wanted to talk to and how he wanted to do it. "When I came out, I had 24 hours to decide what was going to happen. ... What I wish I could have done back then was to have a couple of days to sit down with (the Human Rights Campaign), sit down with GLAAD (and) get downloaded (on how to handle this)" Bass said. "So I gave him some really great connections." By putting Collins in touch with people such as GLAAD's Wilson Cruz, Bass is aiming to help the athlete "get some really good information before he does these sit-downs, just so he doesn't put his foot in his mouth ... because this will live (on) for the rest of his life, and he wants to make sure it's good." Obama 'couldn't be prouder' of Jason Collins . The media crush that comes with such an announcement isn't the only part of Collins' story to which Bass relates. Just as Collins was so busy with basketball that he didn't ruminate on his personal life until the 2011 NBA lockout, Bass said he was too stretched performing with 'N Sync to focus on his personal life. With the lockout, Collins "finally got to sit back and think about himself, and relationships and love and all of that type of stuff because he had the time -- and that's when he started becoming more comfortable with it and finding out about himself. And that's exactly what happened with me when we went on the hiatus after the last 'N Sync show," Bass said. "We were 24/7, had the same set schedule (and) I didn't have time to think about my personal life. And I totally relate to this because it wasn't until that hiatus where I had a vacation, I had a few weeks off that I became comfortable with it, and met a guy finally and had my first relationship. It was that downtime that really makes you see things." Bass told his "Dirty Pop" listeners that he thinks "we are going to be overwhelmed with the support he gets," which has been steady over the past 24 hours. Many in Hollywood and beyond have joined Garcia and Bass in encouraging the NBA veteran, including President Barack Obama, who told reporters Tuesday he was "very proud" of Collins and had spoken with him on the phone. Spike Lee slams Collins hate machine . These are a few celebrities who encouraged the athlete on Twitter: . Russell Simmons: "(P)roud of Washington Wizards' player Jason Collins (@JasonCollins34) for coming out. (W)e will stand with you as you continue on your journey." Ellen DeGeneres: "@NBA center @JasonCollins34 is the 1st out player on a US major league team. I'm overwhelmed by your bravery, Jason, & sending so much love." Neil Patrick Harris: "Bravo, @JasonCollins34! Thanks for stepping up. For standing tall. And at 7 feet, that's saying a lot." Howard Stern: "Big support to @jasoncollins34. That's not an easy thing you did." Marlee Matlin: BRAVO to #jasoncollins for his bravery and class. Equality and changing attitudes are just inevitable. Shonda Rhimes: Totally loving me some @jasoncollins34 right now. Well done! Eva Longoria: "So proud of Jason Collins for being an example of bravery and courage. I applaud you!!!" On Monday evening, Collins responded on Twitter: "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me thru email, texts, calls, tweets, letters, and every other form of communication. #support." Looks like Bass was right. | Lance Bass says he gave NBA player Jason Collins advice on coming out . The singer opened up publicly about his sexuality in 2006 . Bass says he wished he'd had more time to process how to handle the media . | 629fa4e15ef6f29977baa46f8e91e33bd0ee7175 |
By . Suzannah Hills . PUBLISHED: . 11:29 EST, 18 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:45 EST, 18 January 2013 . The brother of former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie was caught on camera dragging a heavy suitcase containing his sister’s body parts, a court heard. The grainy CCTV footage captured balding Tony McCluskie as he struggled to drag the dismembered body in the two foot high and three foot long case along the Regent’s Canal towpath in Hackney late at night. Other cameras then recorded him as he walked across the pedestrianised Haggerston Bridge to the other side of the canal. A short while later he was picked up by the cameras before walking home without the suitcase. Trial: Tony McCluskie, 35, (right) admits killing Gemma McCluskie, 29, (left) but claims he has no memory of it . Cordoned off: A police officer by Regent's Canal in east London where Miss McCluskie's torso was found in a suitcase after being thrown into the water in March last year . Nearly a quarter of an hour earlier . CCTV footage showed McCluskie waiting for a mini cab and then struggling . to get it into the boot before being driven to the canal in East London . where the torso, limbs and head of his sister were dumped. Hours later in the early hours of the morning the camera on Haggerston Bridge once again captured McCluskie near the canal. It is alleged the 35-year-old cannabis . smoker spent over three hours chopping his sister into bits after he . bludgeoned her to death following a row about an overflowing sink. Witness: Taxi driver Jilul Haque drove Tony McCluskie, carrying a suitcase, to Regent's Canal in London where he then threw it into the water . The Old Bailey heard she wanted to . throw him out after becoming frustrated with the amount of superstrong . skunk cannabis Tony was smoking. He had also flooded his . mother’s bathroom after forgetting to turn a tap off on the day Mrs McCluskie was killed. The jury were shown CCTV that captured the last hours of Miss McCluskie's life. Wearing a distinct yellow mustard . coloured top, blue leggings and tan Ugg boots she was seen mingling for . an hour at a reception to celebrate the reopening of the Royal London . Hospital in Whitechapel. Then a CCTV camera at a health centre . recorded Miss McCluskie in her blue VW Polo returning to the Shoreditch home she . shared with Tony and mother Pauline, who at the time was in hospital. The shot recorded just before 1.50pm . on March 1 was the last sighting of the 29-year-old who played the . character Kerry Skinner, the great niece of Ethel Skinner, in the hit . soap. But the following night around 10.30pm McCluskie rang his local mini cab office enquiring if there was a free cab. Minutes later he turned up at the office in Waterson Street. Controller Hamid Ahmed said McCluskie . hesitated before giving his name as Tom and asked to be taken to the 'Kingsland Road just by the canal.' Driver Jilul Haque said: 'He had a . bag - two foot high and three foot wide - a large bag. I asked him what . was in the bag and he replied to me his system - I thought he meant his . music system. 'He lifted it with two hands under that bag because it looked heavy.' He added they drove for five minutes in silence before dropping him off and added: 'He did not look like a good man.' TV: Gemma McCluskie with Dean Gaffney in EastEnders. She appeared in more than 30 episodes of the soap . Family: Gemma McCluskie's father Tony senior (left) and her brother Danny (right) have both attended court to watch the trial of Tony McCluskie junior . But McCluskie’s barrister Jeremy . Dein QC asked: 'Might he have said sister, not system? The two words are . very similar. Is it possible thinking back, you said the two words are . similar, that he said sister?' He replied no and then prosecutor . Crispin Aylett QC asked: 'If you thought there was a body in the bag, . what would yopu have done?' The Bengali national replied: 'I would not have taken it.' Five days after the killing the suitcase was hit by a canal barge causing it to spring open and the torso was discovered. Over the next fortnight her limbs were fished out but her haed wrapped in an sack was only found six months afterwards. McCluskie admits manslaughter but denies murder. The trial continues. Investigation: A police diver searches Regent's Canal next to Broadway Market, East London, after Gemma McCluskie's body was found in March last year . Ongoing search: Gemma McCluskie's body was found in Regent's Canal, pictured, five days after her murder when the suitcase was hit by a canal barge which caused it to spring open . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Tony McCluskie, 35, allegedly cut up Gemma's body with a meat cleaver . He then booked a taxi to take him and a suitcase to London's Regent's Canal . He admits killing 29-year-old actress last March 'but has no memory of it' | ec72650a291748ec589e7cfce98ec4119f5af460 |
By . Emily Kent Smith . PUBLISHED: . 07:00 EST, 17 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:14 EST, 17 March 2014 . This is the hilarious moment a squirrel was spotted wearing a plastic horse head. Looking for a tasty peanut, the squirrel buried its face into a feeder in the shape of a horse's head. But the animal did not know that he was being caught on camera by Florida photographer Jim Zielinski, 43, who had posed up the shot in his back garden. The pictures were taken by Florida photographer Jim Zielinski who planned to take the perfect picture by suspending the feeder from a string and hiding a peanut inside . This is the hilarious moment a squirrel tucked his head into a feeder - shaped like a horse's head to munch on a peanut hidden inside it . Mr Zielinski, from Florida, went to great lengths to capture the perfect shot by making holes in the horse head feeder before suspending it from the branches of a tree in his back garden in the Sunshine State. But what started out as a fun project has now become an internet sensation with Jim's pictures racking up over 1.5 million views online. He said: 'As soon as I saw the feeder online I knew I had get some photos, I started setting it up pretty much immediately after it arrived. 'We currently have about seven squirrels living near our house, I knew it wouldn't be long before one arrived because there are usually a few waiting for us to come out and toss a few peanuts. 'The branch I tied it to was right above where we feed the squirrels by hand so they are used to eating there.' Mr Zielinski quickly thought of how he could suspend the feeder from a branch and capture the hilarious scene. He said: 'I decided to put a hole in the back of the horse head and tie another line to hold it straight, by doing that I managed to suspend it in the air. The feeder looks up towards the horse's head which he knows has a tasty peanut hidden inside. Florida photographer Jim Zielinski said that the squirrels are used to being fed from this spot . Got it: The squirrel tucks into the peanut after rising to the challenge of tucking his head into a horse mask to get hold of his lunch . 'Initially, I thought of it as a gimmick and once it arrived I saw it as a challenge.' But although the photographer had taken up the challenge of getting the animal to eat from the horse head he did not think he would be able to capture the moment on camera. He said: 'I nearly fell in the pool laughing when I saw I got the shots because I honestly wasn't even sure they would ever actually go for it. 'As soon as I checked the camera I lost it, I ran into the house yelling to my fiancé 'I got the shot! He actually ate from the feeder'. 'I was completely surprised and very excited to see the image on so many of the websites I check regularly, last time I checked it had over 1.5 million views.' | A squirrel tucks his head into the feeder to get his claws on a peanut . The moment was set up by Florida photographer Jim Zielinski . Picture has now had more than 1.5 million views . | 1364c717900d281c4bc3e4ee1eaf3cc34c8b4638 |
(CNN) -- A Libyan rebel fighter collapses to the ground during a firefight in the city of Misrata. Shrapnel rips through an artery in his leg, and he is rapidly losing blood. Medics battle to save his life in an abandoned building that doubles as an emergency operating theater. They come under fire. The man dies. Photographer Andre Liohn's images of the grim scene provide insight into the risky conditions under which medical personnel in conflict zones operate. It used to be that a red cross on a vehicle or building meant protection. But not anymore. Assaults on medical personnel and facilities have become all too common, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday in releasing a new report. "Violence against health-care facilities and personnel must end. It's a matter of life and death," said Yves Daccord, the director-general of the organization. "The human cost is staggering: civilians and fighters often die from their injuries simply because they are prevented from receiving timely medical assistance," Daccord said. Read the opinion of ICRC Director-General, Yves Daccord . Louis Lillywhite, former surgeon general of the British armed forces, said in World War II a British hospital on the front lines was able to function even with fighting on the premises. "Both the Germans and the British respected the neutrality of the area that was actually reserved as the hospital," he said. "And it was on the basis that they did not participate in any military activities at all." But these days, convincing warring parties of the neutrality of medical personnel is a challenge. Michiel Hofman of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said in a place like Afghanistan, for instance, medics can only operate if there is no military presence whatsoever. "It is the old concept of the gun-free hospital," Hofman said. "This concept was there for a reason. Once there (are) guns inside a hospital, the hospital is no longer a neutral zone, and it will get attacked by different military forces." The Red Cross report said that millions of lives could be saved if the delivery of health care were more respected. "The most shocking finding is that people die in large numbers not because they are direct victims of a roadside bomb or a shooting," said Robin Coupland, whose research in 16 countries formed the basis of the report. "They die because the ambulance does not get there in time, because health-care personnel are prevented from doing their work, because hospitals are themselves targets of attacks or simply because the environment is too dangerous for effective health care to be delivered." Medical workers are becoming war's first casualties, Daccord said. Hospitals in Sri Lanka and Somalia have been shelled, ambulances in Libya, shot at. Paramedics in Colombia were killed and the wounded in Afghanistan languished for hours in vehicles held at checkpoints. All of it presents "one of the most urgent yet overlooked humanitarian tragedies," Daccord said. "The issue has been staring us in the face for years. It must end." CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this report. | A new Red Cross report chronicles assaults on medical workers in conflict zones . Those attacks are costing many lives . The neutrality of health care workers and facilities is no longer respected . Such attacks must end, the Red Cross says . | f767ae427279d5c824f121595b0e933b43129e00 |
An FBI-style ‘Food Crime Unit’ should be set up to stop international gangs smuggling horse meat into processed food and takeaways, according to a new Government report. Unannounced spot checks on factories and abattoirs should also be introduced alongside a ‘zero tolerance’ approach on anyone caught contaminating food, Professor Chris Elliott said in a review into last year’s horse meat scandal published this morning. The food crime unit will be a new specialist team within the Food Standards Agency. It has been set up amid growing concerns that international gangs are moving away from drug trafficking and armed robbery into food crime. Food experts have warned that the Government cannot be sure that there is no risk to public health from beefburgers contaminated with horse DNA . Prof Elliott said the British food industry was under pressure to 'reduce costs and maximise profits’, leaving families at risk. He said: ‘Consumers are reliant on the leadership, good intentions and good practices of those who supply food and regulate it. Consumers expect government and industry to provide a food system which is safe, resilient and free from criminal interference. ‘Consumers must be able to trust that the food they consume is what it claims to be.’ He said that while all consumers were at risk from food fraud, poorer families spent a higher proportion of their income on processed foods which were more susceptible to fraud. And he said: ‘Some consumers are at risk if they have to rely on others for food preparation, such as those in care homes, or hospitals. ‘Recent surveys by local authorities such as Leicester City Council, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and West Sussex, and the consumer organisation Which? have shown that consumers using fast food outlets in inner city areas are often buying food which is not what it claims to be. ‘In some cases the evidence suggests that problems arose because of unintentional labelling mistakes, but there is a concern that other fast food outlets may have been sourcing cheaper meat which increased the risk of food fraud. ‘ . French supermarkets stock horse meat - including this product from Scotland . Michael Ellis, assistant director of Interpol, said criminal gangs were turning away from drugs and trafficking to food fraud. He said: ‘Criminals have realised that they can make the same amount of money by dealing with counterfeit food. Invariably the sentences are much lighter. ‘In my experience, the patterns used by criminals involved in counterfeiting are very similar to those used in the dealing of drugs. ‘They operate front companies, they employ front bank accounts, they will have false declarations for the movement of their goods, they will mis-declare their shipments.’ Prof Elliot said British consumers needed more protection from food crime gangs exploiting soft sentences to rake in huge profits by lacing food with chemicals and cheap meats. And he said consumers must be put first by ensuring that their needs in relation to food safety and food crime prevention are the ‘top priority’. Coordinated police raids across 33 countries in North America, Asia and Europe last year found widespread abuse. More than 131,000 litres of oil and vinegar, 20 tonnes of spices and condiments, nearly 430,000 litres of counterfeit drink and 45 tonnes of dairy products were seized. In addition, 96 people were arrested. Findus lasagnes were found to have contained horse meat last year, forcing the firm to withdraw the frozen meals from its French supplier, Comigel . Food crime can have deadly consequences. In China in 2008, an industrial chemical called melamine was added to baby milk to increase its protein content. Six babies died of severe kidney damage as a result. In the Czech Republic in 2012, more than 40 people were killed by vodka and rum that had been laced with methanol. Government advisor Prof Elliot has called for a series of measures to tackle the threat of similar tragedies happening in Britain. In his report this morning he called for: . Food crime can have fatal consequences. In China in 2008, an industrial chemical, melamine, was added to increase the protein content of baby milk. Six babies died of severe kidney damage as a result. In the Czech Republic in 2012, more than 40 people were killed by vodka and rum that had been laced with methanol. Mr Ellis told the BBC: ‘Counterfeiting impacts on everyone. The criminals have no care at all for the hygiene or bacterial content in the end product. They just want the brand name in order to get their money.’ In Britain the consumer group Which? tested 60 lamb takeaways and found that 24 of them contained other meats such as beef or chicken. The meat in five samples couldn't be identified at all. Following the report, the Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: 'When a shopper picks something up from a supermarket shelf it should be exactly what it says on the label, and we’ll crack down on food fraudsters trying to con British consumers. 'As well as keeping up confidence here, we need to protect the great reputation of our food abroad. We’ve been opening up even more export markets, which will grow our economy, provide jobs, and support the Government’s long-term economic plan. 'The action we’re taking gives more power to consumers - meaning they’ve got better labelling on food, better education about where their food comes from, and better, locally-sourced food in schools and hospitals.' But Maria Eagle, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, said: 'Consumers were rightly outraged by the horsemeat scandal, yet the Government has dragged its heels and made absolutely no progress in the 18 months since it happened. 'David Cameron approved changes to the structures of government that weakened consumer protection, culminating in the horsemeat scandal. The confusion this caused is highlighted in today’s report yet the Government have totally failed to admit they got this wrong and have still not reversed the misguided decision to fragment the Food Standards Agency. 'The food industry is the largest single manufacturing sector in the UK, millions of jobs depend on consumer confidence. The Government must now show leadership and establish an effective food crime unit as recommended in the report that can protect the integrity of the food we eat as soon as possible.' | Official report calls for 'Food Crime Unit' to be set up to fight contamination . Spot checks on factories and abattoirs are also required, study says . Government report was commissioned following the 2013 horse meat scare . Comes amid concerns international gangs are turning to food crime . | 6210db3292ff0caedc53ac1d6841473c6da1591a |
By . Lucy Crossley . Thug: Rex Gardner has been jailed for eight years after he bit off a policeman's ear in a drunken attack . A thug who bit off a policeman’s ear in a drunken attack leaving the officer with life changing injuries has been jailed for eight years. Police had been called to Rex Gardner's home after a 999 call was made by the 43-year-old's ex-partner following a domestic disturbance. But when constables Steve Fisher and Daniel Gildersleve arrived at the house in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, Gardner turned on them - hurling PC Fisher into a kitchen table before biting through the top part of his right ear. PCs Fisher and Gildersleve had arrived at the property at around 11.30pm on August 15 last year, and as they spoke to Gardner to assess what had happened between the couple he became increasingly aggressive. He had been drinking excessively before police arrived and suddenly become violent, lunging towards PC Fisher, grabbed him around his body armour, knocking over the kitchen table as he did so. When PC Gildersleve tried to intervene Gardner, 43, hurled a glass vase at him. As he officers tried to regain control of Gardner and protect his girlfriend, PC Fisher was pulled to the floor. Gardner then leant in towards PC Fisher and tore off the top part of his right ear with his teeth. A court heard the officer needed surgery after the attack and was left with a life-long scar. Gardner had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of . causing grievous bodily harm, but was convicted of the more serious . offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a three . day trial and was jailed on Monday at St Albans Crown Court. 'This attack was outrageously violent and totally unprovoked,' said Detective inspector Jon Dick following the sentencing. 'PC Fisher and Gilderselve had attended the address to provide support to a vulnerable victim of domestic abuse and the traumatic events of that night I’m sure will live with them for a very long time. 'Gardner is a violent man and the sentence he has been given reflects the severity of his appalling crimes.' Injury: Gardner then leant in towards PC Fisher and tore off the top part of his right ear with his teeth, leaving the officer needing surgery for his life-changing injuries . Chief constable Andy Bliss added: 'Everyday officers put themselves at risk to protect the public and this incident is just one example of the dangers faced by frontline staff. 'PC Fisher and Gildersleve acted with bravery in what was an appalling situation. 'The officers had no indication until the last possible moment that they were dealing with such a dangerous offender. 'Their actions and bravery on the night set an outstanding example to colleagues across the force.' David Lloyd, the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner said he wanted Gardner to pay for his crimes - both with prison time and financially. Jailed: Gardner was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a three day trial and was jailed on Monday at St Albans Crown Court . 'This has been a disturbing case in which an officer from Hertfordshire Constabulary has suffered serious life-changing injuries that needed long-term medical attention, whilst a second has escaped serious injury,' he said. 'I want to Rex Gardner to pay the financial price for his violent crimes. 'In my police and crime plan Everybody’s Business I talk about offenders paying the costs that they create, particularly where costs could have been avoided by complying with the direction of police officers as with this case. 'I will now be working closely with the Constabulary to identify a way of recovering the cost of wasted police and case preparation time caused directly by the actions of Rex Gardner.' | Police officers called to Rex Gardner's home after domestic disturbance . Drunken Gardner, 43, turned on constables and grabbed PC Steve Fisher . Pushed PC into table, and threw a vase at colleague PC Daniel Gildersleve . As officers tried to control him, Gardner bit off part of PC Fisher's ear . Officer, 58, required surgery following life-changing injury . Gardner convicted of causing grevious bodily harm with intent after trial . WARNING - CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES . | 1e1f5988550d8adbece278d4ec5b38dfaeccd69b |
Creating a space elevator on Earth has been considered as a possible way to cheaply and easily get things into space - either for building structures or providing supplies to a space station. But a team of experts are instead suggesting we should build one on the moon, to get useful material from the lunar surface. And in a newly released video the infrastructure that might make this possible has been revealed. Scroll down for video . A Washington-based company is planning to build an elevator on the moon. The LiftPort Group says it could be up and running by the end of 2019. Their design will involve an 'anchor' that is drilled into the lunar surface. Rovers will then scoop up material, to be transport to a space station in orbit . The Washington-based venture known as the LiftPort Group received about £70,000 ($110,000) worth of funding on Kickstarter back in September 2012. In October this year they also ran a Kickstarter to make a short film called 'Shoot the moon' about the project, which was also fully funded to just over £24,000 ($37,000). And the group says they can have their ambitious proposal up and running by the end of 2019. In September of this year dreams of taking an elevator into space were given a boost after researchers created ultra-thin, super-strong nanothreads made from diamonds. The threads are made up of a long, thin strand of carbon atoms arranged in the same way as the inside of a diamond. The discovery could finally be the breakthrough needed to hoist and support cosmic elevators that would transport people into the atmosphere. The research was carried out by John Badding, a professor of chemistry at Penn State University, and the findings were published in the journal Nature Materials. Their plan is to use a ‘ribbon’ cable to transport material, robots and even humans to and from the surface of the moon. It will be attached to a space station in a Lagrange Point around the moon, which is a position where the moon and Earth’s gravity cancel out, so a spacecraft or station can remain stationary. The cable from the station, dubbed the PicoGravity Laboratory (PGL), will drop down to a location on the moon known as Sinus Medii - which is roughly in the middle of the face that looks towards Earth. On the surface will be the Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure (nicknamed Elsie) Anchor Station. One of the main purposes of this structure will be mining the surface of the moon. The company plans to release rovers, which will extract valuable elements from the lunar soil. This will include rare Earth elements and helium-3, which can then either be shipped to Earth or stored in space to be used as fuel. The cable from the station, dubbed the PicoGravity Laboratory (PGL), will drop down to a location on the moon known as Sinus Medii (shown) - which is roughly in the middle of the face that looks towards Earth . To construct the space station, LiftGroup plans to use a counterweight. This involves ‘balancing’ the station in orbit with an object so that it stays in position. For this lunar elevator, the counterweight would be placed at the top of the 155,000 mile-long (250,000km) ribbon, where it would be held in place by Earth’s gravitational field. What material this ribbon will be made of, however, has not yet been revealed. The other end of the station will be anchored to the moon, using drills to keep it attached to the surface. And, like the ISS, the orbiting station around the moon will be modular - so more and more parts can be added over time. 'LiftPort Group is throwing all of its weight behind the Lunar Elevator,' the company writes on their website. 'The Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure will serve as both testing ground and demonstration of the feats mankind can accomplish when people work together. 'It’ll be a great opportunity to build on current research findings, and in the design and construction we know we’ll develop materials and engineering techniques and gain technical knowledge that will apply to the design of Earth’s space elevator.' To construct the space station, LiftGroup plans to use a counterweight. For this lunar elevator, the counterweight would be placed at the top of the 155,000 mile-long (250,000km) ribbon, where it would be held in place by Earth’s gravitational field (shown in illustration) LiftGroup says their design could be a precursor to an Earth-based space elevator system (Nasa illustration shown), which could make the transportation of material from Earth's surface into space much easier . | Washington-based company is planning to build an elevator on the moon . The LiftPort Group says it could be up and running by the end of 2019 . Their design will involve an 'anchor' that is drilled into the lunar surface . Resources will be carried from the moon's surface to an orbiting station . This space station will be anchored in an area of gravitational stability . LiftPort says the resources could be used on our planet or in space . And they say this could be a precursor to an Earth-based space elevator . | 58098c17ae0310a8f9ec0793fc5b26d4ab2e80a7 |
Murderer Clifton Jeter, 37, has been sentenced to an extra 13 years in prison for trying to kill two prison officers at HMP Manchester . A New York gangster who is serving life in a British prison for murder has had an extra 13 years tacked onto his sentence for trying to kill two prison guards with a razor blade. Clifton Jeter, 37, shouted: 'I'm going to christen this unit in blood' before attacking Alistair Cadell and Liam Keates as they were escorting him back to his cell at HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways. Jeter - who is in a specialist unit for violent inmates at the prison - left Mr Keates with a five inch gash to the back of his neck and another deep wound across the knee. He also tried to sever an artery in Mr Cadell's throat with the blade - which he had managed to hide by melting into a plastic knife. The court heard how the gangster carried out the furious attack because he felt 'restricted' and 'disrespected' by the unit's tough regime and wanted a transfer to another jail. British-born Jeter had already been sentenced in 2008 to a 27-year life term for murdering a father-of-seven in a bungled 'honey trap' robbery. Today, Jeter - who was nicknamed 'Yankee' - was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of a further two charges of attempted murder. He was jailed for 34 years which will run alongside his original sentence, of which he has 21 years left to serve. Jeter will only become eligible for parole in 2048 when he will be aged 71. Passing sentence, Mr Justice David Maddison told Jeter he was 'devious and dishonest'. He said: 'Prison officers work on a daily basis in close physical proximity to prisoners and in my view it is important that the sentences send a clear and deterrent message to any other prisoners who might attack officers. 'It is clear to me on any fair view that on your current or past offences at this stage of your life you are a very dangerous man.' Jeter had been taken to the US as a child but was deported back to the UK after becoming involved with some of New York's toughest street gangs. Bizarrely, after being jailed for murder, he set up an online profile on a prisoners' dating website asking to meet new friends. The latest attack came two years after Jeter was accused of punching one guard and grappling with another at Frankland jail in Durham, also while being escorted to his cell. The court heard that, in the run up to the razor blade attack, Jeter had hid the weapon under his shirt and greased his arms with baby oil or shower gel to make restraint difficult. The gangster attacked two prison guards with a razor blade, slashing one across the back of the neck, pictured . On the morning of the attack he told a psychologist that he wanted to 'get off' the unit but he knew an assault on a prison officer may lead to a transfer. After being abusive in a gym saying: 'I want off this unit. It's game on. I'll f*** you all up,' he was served lunch by officers who were dressed in riot gear. He later appeared to have calmed down and was allowed to take a shower. But although staff searched Jeter when he about to go back to his cell, they forgot to check the back of his prison shirt. Jeter waited until one of the guards unlocked his door and then 'struck quickly and repeatedly', trying to slit Mr Cadell's throat. After being jailed for a murder in Hendon, UK, in 2008, Jeter set up a profile to try and make friends with fellow inmates . He then cut deeply into Mr Keates' neck along almost its entire width. He then slashed his leg during a struggle on the floor, the court was told. CCTV footage showed officers running to help before Jeter was carried to a secure cell. The victims' colleague Mark Carr said: 'When the door closed Jeter jumped up almost immediately and shouted, "Did you like that? His tone was high-pitched and mocking".' Another prison officer, David Massey, added: 'He was quite elated. He was looking to incite us, to say, "Look what I have done, I have wounded two of your officers".' A later search of the shower area revealed a 'void in the wall' behind a loose sheet of plastic where the weapon could have been hidden. Both Mr Cadell and Mr Keates were off work for six weeks and have been diagnosed with anxiety and each are in fear of being attacked again. The attack took place at HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, while the two guards were escorting Jeter back to his cell . Both men were later treated in hospital with Mr Keates requiring stitches for his wounds. Jeter later claimed a 'culture of racism' existed at the jail and claimed he had joined a prison gang named 'The Piranhas' which targeted Muslim inmates. He said staff had wanted him to take part in a plot to attack a convicted Islamic terrorist and carried out a 'pre-emptive' strike against the guards when he refused. In 2002, Jeter was jailed for seven years in the UK for aggravated burglary after raiding a hotel room and holding a man at gunpoint. It was in 2007 that he was arrested for murder. The gangster's girlfriend - known as Candy - had unexpectedly turned up at the victim's home in Hendon for a sexual liaison. Sentencing, Justice David Maddison told Jeter: 'It is important that the sentences send a clear and deterrent message to any other prisoners who might attack officers' (file pic) Chauffeur Ghiass Tarabin was then stabbed to death after Jeter burst in, demanding cash and valuables. In the struggle that followed Tarabin, 49, was stabbed once in the chest and collapsed in his garden. He died minutes later from massive blood loss. Jeter was convicted of murder in May 2008 at the Old Bailey and jailed for life but was moved around various jails due to his violent behaviour. After being jailed, he tried to reach out to others through his online profile, explaining: 'Prison can be a lonely place. It's also hard to make friends in here. 'I miss being able to socialize and mingle. I'm a laid back guy. I love to have stimulating conversations.' | Clifton Jeter shouted 'I'm going to christen this unit in blood' before attack . British-born Jeter left Liam Keates with five-inch slash across back of neck . Attack took place at HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways . He was jailed in 2008 for 27 years after killing father-of-seven in Hendon . Jeter, 37, deported to UK after joining some of New York's toughest gangs . Murderer will only become eligible for parole in 2048 when he will be 71 . | 14902c6712409c20e0a9c0a3caaef56ead6a4231 |
By . Wills Robinson . In the last 25 years, they have been to the moon and back, defeated an evil robotic dog and have even masterminded a prison escape. Now Wallace and Gromit are heading to a museum, and it could be one of the last settings for Britain's favourite animated duo. Never-before-seen drawings penned by creator Nick Park will be put on display in the M Shed in Bristol just days after hinting that he may bring the series to an end. They chart the Wensleydale-loving man and his dog from their inception in the late 1980s up until the first feature-length film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in 2005. The sketches were penned by animator Nick Park when he first came up with the idea for Wallace and Gromit . The initial idea began with just a plasticine master and his dog, before it developed into one of the most popular comedy franchises in television history . How they are today: The Wallace and Gromit we know and love haven't changed at all from the initial sketches . They include sketches from . when the British animator was in the first stages of developing the idea - . which started as a plasticine master and his dog. The drawings show the dynamic duo in various forms, from scraggly drawings in pencil to more defined versions done in ballpoint pen. Some show Wallace trapped in a giant mousetrap, paddling on a lifeboat and using a remote controlled iron. The sketches, which will be unveiled for the first time tomorrow, chart the thinking of Park as he thought up different storylines for the duo. The show opens just days after Nick Park said he was 'unsure whether to continue' the cartoon franchise because of the ill health of Peter Sallis, 93, the voice of Wallace. The sketch book includes drawings of Preston, the robotic villain in A Close Shave . The designs, including ideas for inventions, will be displayed at the M Shed in Bristol . Merlin Crossingham, creative director of Wallace and Gromit at Aardman, said he was very excited to be holding an exhibition in the place where the characters were born. He said: 'This exhibition really does show off Bristol’s creative scene. It’s all about stories that were created here by people living in the city. 'But, as well as an exhibition, it will allow people to step into the story board and hopefully inspire creativity, as there will be opportunities for them to do some drawing. 'All of our ideas began as small doodles, and some of them were brought to life and can be seen here, so it would be great to inspire others to do the same. 'We are so excited to be able to hold this just down the road from where it’s all created: we always have such a warm response from people in Bristol.' Wallace reads the newspaper while Gromit drives to work in A Matter of Loaf and Death . The franchise began on Christmas Day 1989 with A Grand Day Out. The short film, which was aired on BBC, saw Wallace and Gromit planning a trip for the Bank Holiday, and decide on the moon. In order to get there, they build a rocket in the basement of their fictional, semi-detached home. Landing on the lunar surface, they encounter a moving fridge that follows them around during their stay. A famous line comes when they leave for Earth, with Wallace telling Gromit: 'No crackers Gromit... we've forgotten the crackers.' The film lasted just 23 minutes, but the characters would grow into mainstays of Christmas television in the UK. The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, The Curse of the Were Rabbit and A Matter of Loaf and Death all followed and were huge successes. They are constantly repeated when it comes to the festive period. Throughout the 25 years on air, they have received a huge number of accolades and broke a number of viewing records: . A Grand Day Out - 1989 (was nominated for Best Animated Film at Academy Awards, but lost out to Creature Comforts, which is also a Nick Park creation) The Wrong Trousers - 1993 (won the Academy Award for Best Short Film) A Close Shave - 1995 (also won the Academy Award for Best Short Film) The Curse of the Were Rabbit - 2005 (the first feature length film, lasting 88 minutes) A Matter of Loaf and Death - 2008 (topped the BBC Christmas Day viewing figures with an average of 14.4million viewers) Other characters that can be seen include . one of the slugs from Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep, and Preston, . the robot dog from A Close Shave. Original sets from The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave will also be on display, as well as props from the hit show. But . it’s not just props from the show that are going up for display. Visitors will also be able to see the Oscar and Bafta awards that the . show have won. Tim Corum, deputy director of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives, said: 'We are so excited to be able to host this event. One set includes a living room scene where Gromit uses the vacuum while Wallace sits back and relaxes . Gromit stands up next to a cooker and a number of consoles which were set up in the basement of their house . Merlin Crossingham, Creative Director of Wallace and Gromit, makes some final adjustments to the model of Lady Campanula Tottingham, who featured in The Curse of the Were Rabbit . The set may be one of the last chances to see the models, as the show's creators, Aardman Animations, are considering bringing the story to an end . 'It’s something different that we hope everyone will be able to enjoy. The story behind Wallace and Gromit is an inspiring one, with groups of friends coming together to create something so successful, we hope it will inspire more creativity in the city. We know it’s there.' The display includes some ideas that are yet to be used, including a hover-car, a stretch limo and a scene depicting Wallace and Gromit in a floating bath tube. Speaking previously Mr Park has said Wallace was inspired by his dad, who loved tinkering in the shed. Visitors will be allowed to peer into the sets. One is of Gromit measuring his prized marrow from The Curse of the Were Rabbit . The creators said they were 'very excited' that people would be able to see 'where the characters were born' Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park grew up drawing cartoons and started making films with his mother when he was 13 . Nick Park was the creative mind behind one of the most successful stop-motion film projects in history. He was born in Lancashire (which is why he originally wanted Wallace to have a Lancastrian accent). He grew up with a keen interest in drawing cartoons and would make films with the help of his mother when he was 13-years-old. He studied Communication Arts at Sheffield City Polytechnic (now Sheffield Hallam University) and then went to the National Film and Television School, where he started making the first Wallace and Gromit short film, A Grand Day Out. In 1985, he joined Aardman Animations in Bristol, where he worked as an animator. One of his first projects was on Peter Gabriel's video for his track, Sledgehammer. As he worked on the first Wallace and Gromit film, he made Creature Comforts, where zoo animals were matched with the voices of people talking about their home lives. His first Wallace and Gromit feature, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, was released on 5 October 2005, and won Best Animated Feature Oscar at the Academy Awards, in 2006 . On 10 October 2005, a fire gutted Aardman Animations' archive warehouse. The fire resulted in the loss of most of Park's creations, including the models and sets used in the movie Chicken Run. Some of the original Wallace & Gromit models and sets, as well as the master prints of the finished films, were elsewhere and survived. | Drawings by animator Nick Park when he first came up with idea for the pair . Started in the 1980s, simply as a plasticine master and his loyal dog . Charts 25 years up until The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, released in 2005 . Mr Park recently hinted the successful series could be ending . | 2ee817edfc02ab0416e2c54c738e68ae01d73ecc |
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNN) -- A day after police arrested five people in what authorities described as an anti-Semitic demonstration that turned violent, Jews expressed concern Monday over the attack. Supporters of those who attacked a celebration of Israel's founding outside an Argentine court . The attack occurred outside the Israeli embassy as members of Argentina's Jewish community, celebrating the 61st anniversary of the state of Israel's founding, were confronted by a gang of youths. "They came equipped for that," said Daniel Gazit, Israel's ambassador to Argentina, who witnessed the incident in which three Jews and a policeman were injured -- none seriously. "They came with their clubs, with their arms, one had a knife, one had a pistol -- they came ready for this," Gazit said. "It was not a political demonstration ... this was violence for the sake of violence." Witnesses said the attackers were between the ages of 15 and 20. The five who were detained were to make their first court appearance on Tuesday. Some people complained about the lack of security measures in place at the time of the pro-Israel demonstration and denounced the secretary general of AMIA, a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, for having allowed a type of "liberated zone" from which the group attacked. "There were a lot of police in that place," said Anibal Fernandez, the minister of justice. "Some uniformed, others not, and that allowed them to rapidly arrest five of them." Fernandez described the act as anti-Semitic, but denied Argentina was experiencing a surge in such sentiment. He blamed a small group for the incident. But for some people in Argentina's Jewish community, this and other recent acts, like the appearance of swastikas painted in a cemetery, have raised concerns. The Israeli government, through the chancellery, demanded that the incident be investigated and that those responsible be severely punished to avoid a recurrence of such acts. | Attack occurs outside the Israeli embassy; four hurt, none seriously . Incident happens, as Jews mark 61st anniversary of Israel's founding . Israel ambassador says attackers had clubs, a knife, a pistol . Attackers are to appear in court on Tuesday . | c3628a9cf24852114f8027fa31485fb87456c3fa |
The Earl of Cardigan has failed in a bid to block the sale of the ancestral home which has been in his family for almost 200 years for £11.25million. Trustees of the estate are looking to sell Tottenham House, a 100-room mansion in the 4,500-acre Savernake Estate in Wiltshire. The Earl, who lives in a different house on the estate and is currently living on his £71-a-week Jobseekers' Allowance, took the case to the Court of Appeal as he tried to stand in the way of the sale of the mansion. The Earl of Cardigan failed in a bid to block the £11.25m sale of Tottenham House, Wiltshire, which has been in his family for nearly 200 years . Trustees hope to sell the 100-room mansion on the Savernake Estate, but the Earl, 60, took the case to the Court of Appeal . But three appeal judges, Lord Justice Moore-Bick, Lady Justice Black and Lord Justice Vos, unanimously agreed to dismiss the Earl's objections. Lord Justice Vos said Tottenham House was decaying fast and had been largely unoccupied since the 1990s. He added that 'everyone now agrees it must be sold - what is in dispute is the process by which the sale should be achieved'. The judge said the trustees of the Savernake Estate were seeking approval 'for their momentous decision' to sell Tottenham House to an unnamed buyer, known only as Mr A, for £11.25m. They said the sale price was 'a good one that represents an opportunity not to be missed'. But the Earl, 60, said the price was 'inadequate.' He had wanted the trustees removed 'broadly on the grounds that they are unfit to act'. After an earlier hearing at the High Court, the Earl said that once the case was over he would 'turn my hand to finding another hotelier who wants to make Tottenham House a very elegant hotel that befits the building'. The Earl, pictured with his second wife Joanne, Countess Cardigan, said the £11.25m sale price was 'inadequate' The trustees, John Moore, a barrister’s clerk, and Wilson Cotton, an accountant, were appointed by the Earl when he moved to America for four years. But when he returned they refused to give up control of the estate, leading him to take legal action. The bitter dispute that followed has seen the trustees make at least 14 criminal allegations against him, ranging from damaging pheasant feeders to spitting at them, although none of the charges resulted in a conviction. Last year, property tycoon Jamie Ritblat was reportedly in discussions with the trustees to buy the Grade I-listed, 19th Century Palladian mansion. | The Earl of Cardigan's loses bid to block the sale of his ancestral home . Trustees plans to sell 100-room Tottenham House, in Wiltshire, for £11.25m . The Earl, who lives on Jobseekers' Allowance, took case to Court of Appeal . But judges dismissed the Earl's objections, with sale now likely to go ahead . | 43c6ef0d17173dd148b5d3679afeb9a5fc3a0b09 |
In these parts, a pay phone is a visitor's best option for reaching the rest of the world. A cell phone signal is an hour away by car. Wi-Fi is forbidden. The radio plays nothing but static. And other than the occasional passing pickup truck whose driver offers a wave, it's dead silent in Green Bank, West Virginia. Seemingly off the beaten path, this community of fewer than two hundred residents is the heart of the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), a 13,000-square-mile area where state and federal laws discourage the use of everyday devices that emit electromagnetic waves. All quiet on the home front: Michael Holstine, business manager at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, walks out of a shed underneath the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia . The telescope towers over farmland as dusk falls in Green Bank. Officials at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory chose the site for its remote location and mountainous surroundings, which help to keep distant radio waves outside of the quiet zone . Sunlight streams through trees as a car winds down a mountain road in Highland County, Virginia, inside the 13,000 square-mile quiet zone . The quiet zone aims to protect sensitive radio telescopes at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, as well as a nearby Naval research facility, from man-made interference. This silence enables the observatory to detect energy in outer space that is equivalent to the energy emitted by a single snowflake hitting the ground. While scientists listen intently for clues from the universe on its structure and origins, residents in some of the timeworn railroad towns in this valley maintain a fundamentally tech-less lifestyle that for most Americans is a memory. More than 90 per cent of American adults have a cell phone today, yet some locals fondly recall ditching their wireless device after moving here. After all, it's useless, and that's fine by them. Betty Mullenax walks behind a checkout stand at Trent's General Store in Arbovale. 'We've never known any other way,' she said of life without cell phones . Michael Holstine, business manager at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, walks on the 2.3 acre surface of the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope's dish . A shuttered sawmill that closed in 1960 stands near the banks of the Greenbrier River in Cass. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory settled on Pocahontas County and its early-20th century railroad towns in part because there was no industry in the area that posed the threat of creating radio frequency interference . The quiet zone, marked out on this map inside the square, aims to protect sensitive radio telescopes at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia . The NRQZ was set up by . the Federal . Communications Commission in 1958. The zone does not ban all radio transmissions - for example police, ambulance and fire department radios are used there. Exceptions to the rule are allowed for remote alarm systems and extreme weather warnings. The only broadcast radio stations in the heart of the Quiet Zone are part of the Allegheny Mountain Radio network with just one station in the AM band, and several low-power FM stations. The area has been popular with people who believe that they are suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity - a term for those who believe they are being exposed to radio waves from electronic devices which leave them with health problems. A phone booth stands on the side of a road in Head Waters, inside the National Radio Quiet Zone. While pay phones have all but disappeared in the United States, they still can be found in this part of the country, where a cell phone signal is hard to come by . Mr Holstine, business manager at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, inspects part of a feed horn, a device that converts radio waves that are received . A truck passes through Head Waters inside the National Radio Quiet Zone. A 2013 poll reported that 91 per cent of Americans have a cell phone - but not in this part of the world . Mr Holstine oversees the rural area which contains some of the largest telescopes in the country. The rapid increase of technology in American households over the last 15 years has made the job of keeping the surroundings interference-free a challenge. Weathered instructions for using a pay phone are seen inside a phone booth in Head Waters inside the National Radio Quiet Zone . | In Green Bank, West Virginia fewer than 200 . residents are discouraged from using everyday devices that emit electromagnetic waves . This silence enables the observatory to . detect energy in outer space that is equivalent to the energy emitted by . a single snowflake hitting the ground . | d6414927c315f6cbc91794280d7c83bd9602cd4c |
(CNN) -- World number two Novak Djokovic extended his winning run in 2011 to 27 matches with a 7-6 6-2 win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez to win the Serbia Open in Belgrade Sunday. It was top seed and home favorite Djokovic's fifth title of the year after his wins at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami. The 23-year-old Djokovic is now two wins away from equaling Ivan Lendl's record of a 29-0 winning season start, set in 1986. Rain interrupted the final twice with Djokovic battling it out on home clay for 73 minutes before wrapping up the first set on a tiebreak. The start of the second set was also delayed by rain before Djokovic secured a pair of breaks to wrap up victory. His last defeat came against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals last November and he closed out 2010 by leading Serbia to the victory in the Davis Cup final on home soil against France. Djokovic is firmly focused on toppling Rafael Nadal as world number one this season. "I need to stay healthy and I need to stay fit in order to play well. The winning streak is something I don't really think about," he told the official ATP Tour website. "I am flattered that people compare me to the greats, like Lendl, (John) McEnroe, (Roger) Federer, Nadal -- guys who have made history on the tennis court. But I have some other goals to achieve this year. "Obviously the number one ranking is still far away, even though I've been winning every match I've played this year and won five titles in a row. "But I know I need to do more and if I ever get to that number one in the world it would be a dream come true for me, because it's been the ambition of my career." Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro is also in fine form heading into the second grand slam of the season at the French Open later this month and secured his second title of the season with a 6-2 6-2 win over Fernando Verdasco in the final of the Estoril Open Sunday. Del Potro, who is returning to his best after missing most of 2010 with a wrist injury, was claiming his ninth ATP title from 12 final appearances. "This is a great victory, it's unbelievable to win on clay. It's something I never expected so soon," he told AFP. Former world number three Nikolay Davydenko of Russia won the Munich ATP title Sunday with a 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory over Germany's Florian Mayer. It was his 21st ATP title and his first since Doha in January 2010. On the WTA Tour, world number one Caroline Wozniacki began her campaign at the Madrid Masters Sunday with a 6-2 6-3 win over Japan's Ayumi Morita. Maria Sharapova and Francesca Schiavone also went through to the second round at the tournament which also features the ATP Masters 1000 event with Nadal as top seed. But title holder Aravane Rezai of France lost to Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson 6-3 3-6 6-4 in a shock defeat. | Novak Djokovic wins Serbia Open title to claim fifth crown of 2011 . Straight sets win over Feliciano Lopez extends his winning run to 27-0 . Juan Martin del Potro wins Estoril Open by beating Fernando Verdasco in final . Nikolay Davydenko of Russia wins ATP title in Munich . | 54ec1fe08f4f3e5221e91d5fee481ab24d265493 |
In just a few decades they have escaped total extinction after being saved by breeders. The Hucul horses are pictured frolicking in the meadows and forests near Odrzechowa in southeastern Poland. The Hucul is a small primitive breed of sturdy pony which were used as pack horses to carry heavy loads over treacherous paths in the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe. In the 19th century, the Huculs were used by the Austro-Hungarian Army and in Czechoslovakia in World War Two. However, the numbers of ponies rapidly declined and by the 1970s there were only around 300 horses left. But breeding programmes were put in place and the horses are now thriving and it is thought there are now thousands living in Eastern Europe. The horses are often used now by tourists and keen equestrians for trekking into the mountains. Scroll down for video . Two Hucul ponies show off their toothy grins while playing in a meadow in Odrzychowa in southeastern Poland where farmers have been working to replenish the breed . The horses run in a field together after scientists and farmers in Poland and across eastern Europe worked together to help the breed avoid extinction . Hucul ponies, or Carpathian ponies, were used widely in the Second World War after becoming renowned for their hardiness and endurance . The breed became threatened after the conflict, with only 300 of the ponies recorded in Czechoslovakia, where they originate from . Thanks to a number of breeding programmes in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic, there are now an estimated 1,000 Hucul ponies in the world . One of the ponies presents its flaring nostrils at a camera while enjoying the meadows and forests in Poland. It is one of a number to have been born with the help of the breeding initiatives . The horses graze in the sun in Odrzychowa in south east Poland as it is revealed the breed is safe from extinction despite a drastic decline in numbers since the Second World War . The ponies originate from the Carpathian Mountains in eastern Europe and are considered one of the oldest breeds of horse in the world . A group of trekkers are taken through shallow water on an organised excursion in Poland where farmers have restored the breed's population . The ponies, now safeguarded by the efforts of scientists devoted to maintaining its population, graze in a field with a number accounting for their herd painted beneath their manes . | Hucul ponies, known for their endurance and hardiness, were used in eastern Europe in the Second World War . Only 300 remained in the area after the conflict and the historic breed became known as threatened . Series of breeding programmes in Carpathian Mountains has replenished population of the species . | bb9b31628a826e8986d702d937cb5b14e81b7649 |
By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 07:32 EST, 16 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:37 EST, 16 September 2013 . It may seem as though women are obsessed with shrinking their thighs to catwalk proportions. But many - including Victoria Pendleton, who expressed sadness when she lost 10lbs during her time on Strictly Come Dancing - are proud of their muscular legs and they want clothes that will show them off. But it can be hard for petite yet athletic women like Victoria to find perfectly fitting jeans. Often having small waists but muscular thighs, they find the regular skinny shape that fits their waist is too tight on their legs, while those that fit the legs snugly leave a gap at the back of the waist. Fit is the new skinny: COCBANG have launched an athletic jean making company for women who find it hard to get jeans to fit their muscular thighs but toned waists . But now one firm believes they have cracked the code to getting jeans that fit athletic girls. COCABANG . - a clothing company which has launched a Kickstarter page to raise investment to manufacture the jeans on a large scale - . aims to make trousers for this genre of woman that they believe has been hitherto ignored . in the fashion world: the muscular. Writing on their site, the Texas-based company, set up by husband and wife team Larry and Gayla Allen, says: 'We have long enjoyed a lifestyle of . staying active and strength training. 'Over time, while observing and . speaking with friends in sports, competition and fitness, we learned . that most athletic women resort to wearing gym clothes and sweats for . daily apparel. 'The . COCABANG line was created to fill that gap in the athletic women’s . clothing market with ready-to-wear sportswear redesigned with . body-conscious silhouettes.' The jeans cost £47 ($75) and are available in waist size 25-33 and inseams from 30-36. They have . been designed for women with larger glutes and thighs but smaller . waists and aim to be stretchy, comfortable, but still stylish. Athletic: The jeans have been designed for women like Victoria Pendleton who have tiny waists and muscular thighs . 'We feel the realm of physical strength, . competitiveness and enduring athletics is not the sole domain of men,' they say. 'Women throughout history have carried civilisations through challenges . by the strength of their muscle and the power of their endurance. 'We . need these formidable women today more than ever, women made with not . only compassion and love, but with thin, invisible steel. 'And, if that . steel happens to show on the outside as well, so be it,' they add. 'That’s why our . logo says Fashion Behind Your Armor.' Stretchy: The jeans have been designed for women with larger glutes and thighs but smaller waists and aim to be stretchy, comfortable, but still stylish . Founders: The Texas-based company set up by husband and wife Larry and Gayla Allen is hoping to raise funds on Kickstarter . | COCABANG's line is for athletic girls with muscular thighs and small waist . Uses super stretchy fabric which aims to be comfortable but stylish . Jeans are priced at £47 . Victoria Pendleton is poster girl for athletic women and has said she loves her muscular thighs - and worried dancing on Strictly would shrink them . | aeebbac5cdbceace1216424bb9eac89a3e3d5fb9 |
Former Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, who revealed this week that he had delivered the two fatal shots to Osama bin Laden, gave a motivational speech on Thursday evening - but did not mention the famous raid. O'Neill, 38, appeared on stage in Eastern Tennessee before a rapt audience where he told stories about combat in Afghanistan but did not mention shooting dead the al Qaeda leader. MailOnline revealed on Thursday that Rob O'Neill, a retired 16-year veteran of the elite squad, is the man who says he shot the al-Qaeda leader in the head to kill him. The retired SEAL, father to a ten-year-old daughter, skipped over the controversy surrounding his revelation last night and instead spoke to the audience about what he called the most 'painful' thing about being in the military. 'It's not getting shot at, or things blowing up next to you,' O'Neill said. 'It's kissing your kid goodbye for what could be the very last time and you're both aware of it.' Scroll down for video . Retired Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill appeared on stage in Blount County, Tennessee before a rapt audience where he told stories about combat in Afghanistan - but did not mention shooting dead Osama bin Laden . MailOnline revealed on Thursday that Rob O'Neill (pictured on stage on Thursday evening) a retired 16-year veteran of the elite squad, is the man who says he shot the al-Qaeda leader in the head . Robert O'Neill a former Navy Seal team member, poses for a photo in Butte, Montana last year. O'Neill publicly identified himself on Thursday as the man who shot bin Laden in the head . Although he did not mention the bin Laden raid from 2011, he alluded to the mission WBIR reported, joking at the start of his speech: 'So I've been busy preparing this speech today. I've had my phone and computer off. Anything interesting on the internet?' The veteran received a standing ovation from the packed audience in Blount County on Thursday night and if they were disappointed to miss out on details of the 9/11 mastermind's death they gave no sign of it as they left the auditorium. 'He was just amazing. I appreciate Mr O'Neill's service to our country,' one man said. Others called O'Neill 'inspirational'. But O'Neill going public as the SEAL Team Six member who killed America's public enemy number one has sparked a whispering campaign from other SEALs claiming that his account of the killing is not truthful. His identity had been a closely-guarded secret but O'Neill is due to reveal his account in an interview with Fox News next week. O'Neill said more and more people were becoming aware of his role and that his name was bound to become public anyway. Today it became clear that other SEALs are about to accuse him of lying - although there is agreement that he was on the raid. SEAL Team Six member Rob O'Neill was revealed by MailOnline to be the serviceman who is to be interviewed by Fox News next week, going public on his role in the raid which killed Osama bin Laden . A SEAL source told MailOnline: 'The real shooter would never discuss it publicly. 'Members of SEAL Team Six haven’t discussed it publicly so there’s a reasonable chance he’s not being truthful. 'There is no way O’Neill could really prove it was he who took the fatal shot on Osama bin Laden unless his comrades all attested to it. 'But again, the code of secrecy with these special operators would preclude that.' A second source told MailOnline that other SEALs were expected to speak out anonymously against O'Neill. Although some special operations service members and veterans are unhappy that one of their own has taken credit publicly for killing bin Laden, others said they have gotten used to the idea that their brethren might break the code of silence and seek to profit from their deeds. That internal debate gained intensity this week after retired Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill acknowledged that he had fired two rounds into the forehead of the al-Qaeda leader during the 2011 raid on his secret compound in Pakistan. O'Neill had recounted his version of the bin Laden raid in February 2013 to Esquire magazine, which identified him only as 'the shooter.' In a story on Thursday, The Washington Post identified him by name as he described shooting the leader of the terrorist group behind the attacks of September 11, 2001. One current and one former SEAL confirmed that O'Neill was long known to have killed bin Laden. Defense Department officials confirmed that O'Neill was a member of SEAL Team Six and was part of the raid but they said they could not confirm who fired the fatal shot, noting that other SEALs on the mission also fired at bin Laden. If O'Neill discloses classified information during the interviews he could be subject to an investigation or action by the Justice Department, the Defense Department officials said. O'Neill told the Post that shots also were fired by two other SEAL team members, including Matt Bissonnette, who described the raid somewhat differently in his book 'No Easy Day.' The fatigue shirt worn by Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill during the mission to capture Osama bin Laden, in a case at the September 11 museum in New York . His lawyer said Bissonnette is under federal criminal investigation over whether he disclosed classified information in the book, which he did not vet with the military. In the Esquire piece, O'Neill makes no mention of Bissonnette shooting bin Laden. Well before the Post interview, O'Neill discussed his role in the raid during a private meeting with relatives of victims of the 9/11 attack on New York's World Trade Center before the recent opening of the National September 11 Memorial Museum. He donated the shirt he was wearing in the operation, which is now on display there. O'Neill is scheduled to be featured in lengthy segments next week on Fox News. He told the Post he decided to go public because he feared his identity was going to be leaked by others. Indeed, his name appeared on Monday on the website SOFREP, which is operated by former special operations troops. The actions of both O'Neill and Bissonnette have drawn scorn from some of their colleagues. In an October 31 open letter, Rear Adm. Brian Losey, who commands the Naval Special Warfare Group, and Force Master Chief Michael Magaraci, the top noncommissioned officer of the group, urged SEALs to lower their public profile. Their comments were widely perceived as being aimed at O'Neill and Bissonnette. 'At Naval Special Warfare's core is the SEAL ethos,' the letter says. 'A critical tenant of our ethos is ''I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.''' The letter added: 'We do not abide willful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety or financial gain.' Debra Burlingame, whose brother Charles Burlingame was the pilot of the hijacked plane that crashed into the Pentagon, attended the 9/11 museum ceremony. She said O'Neill, whose name was not divulged at the event, offered the families clarity on conflicting information they had received about the raid. She said she didn't have an opinion about whether SEALs should disclose information about their deeds. 'Whatever that (SEALs') ethos is, is between the SEALS,' she said. 'The 9/11 families are the beneficiaries of any rules he might have broken or whatever lines he might have crossed.' 'He went through the mission in really in great detail. All that information was very helpful to me because this is a figure in a terror organization that has loomed large in our lives,' she said, adding that she listened to him so intently that the 9/11 commemorative coin she was clasping tightly in her hand left a bruise. Rick Woolard, a former SEAL team commander who previously urged his comrades to avoid discussing recent operations, said active-duty SEALs are 'pretty much very disappointed and I'd have to say angry with guys who have used their deeds and those of their companions for personal gain.' A framed Montana Standard newspaper article on Robert O'Neill, signed by O'Neill, is seen on the wall of the Metals Sports Bar in Butte . 'No Easy Day' was published in 2012 under the pseudonym Mark Owen. Bissonnette recounted on CBS's 60 Minutes that he sent a text to the commander of SEAL Team Six after its publication. He said the commander replied: 'Delete me.' At the same time, Woolard said, there is frustration among some special operations soldiers that senior government officials have left office and written memoirs revealing and profiting from actions involving troops who are sworn to secrecy. However, one active-duty SEAL officer, who declined to be quoted by name because he had no permission to speak publicly, said some SEALs had grown accustomed to some of their members seeking to profit from their connections to the elite group, upon retirement. Senior Pentagon and CIA officials cooperated extensively with the makers of Zero Dark Thirty, a film that depicted both the CIA's years-long hunt for bin Laden and the SEALs raid that killed him in Pakistan. In the Esquire piece, O'Neill said he was one of two SEALs who went up to the third floor of the building where bin Laden was hiding. The first man fired two shots at bin Laden as he peeked out of the bedroom, but O'Neill says those shots missed. The man then tackled two women in the hallway outside of bin Laden's bedroom. O'Neill went into the bedroom, he recounts. 'There was bin Laden standing there. He had his hands on a woman's shoulders, pushing her ahead, not exactly toward me but by me, in the direction of the hallway commotion. It was his youngest wife, Amal.' O'Neill added: 'In that second, I shot him two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he's going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again. Bap! Same place. ... He was dead.' Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Robert O'Neill, a retired Navy SEAL who says he fatally shot bin Laden in the head, publicly identified himself on Thursday, . | MailOnline revealed that O'Neill is 'The Shooter' and the man who will be interviewed next week publicly discussing the death of bin Laden . The retired SEAL appeared on stage before a rapt audience where he talked about combat in Afghanistan - but did not mention bin Laden's killing . He said the most painful thing about fighting overseas was 'kissing your kid goodbye for what could be the last time and you're both aware of it' His account says that he rushed into bin Laden's room at his Pakistan compound in 2011 and shot him in the head, killing him dead . SEAL source: 'The real shooter would never discuss it publicly... there's a reasonable possibility he's not telling the truth' Sources expected to claim he was not the first to the al Qaeda overlord's room . | 4ce116af6c789f88697ff99c3eaef5ca8e0012b8 |
By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 13:00 EST, 5 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:35 EST, 5 November 2013 . A woman was run over by a pair of dognappers as they stole her French bulldog puppy. Rhiannon Jones, 27, said she was targeted by the thieves after offering to sell her pedigree pet - worth up to £5,000 - to them. The men asked to take the dog, Titch, for a walk before throwing him into their van. Rhiannon Jones, 27, says she was run over by a couple of thieves who stole her French bulldog puppy, Titch . Ms Jones said she tried to stop them but was knocked down by their van and tried to cling on as they drove off. ‘The men seemed genuine - I didn’t expect them to try and steal Titch,’ she said. ‘When I went after them, the men, who I had been speaking to only moments earlier, came at me. ‘I was lifted off the road and on to the bonnet of the car - I was clinging on to the van as it sped round the corner. ‘They’ve got no windscreen wipers now - I ripped them off.’ The University of South Wales student said she loved the dog, a present from her boyfriend, but realised she was going to have to give him up because of how much time she would be spending outside of the house for her sports science course. The third-year student put the dog up for sale on PreLoved, a classified listings website. Ms Jones chose to put Titch up for sale when she realised she would not have time to care for him at university . The men phoned and came to visit the dog at her home in Aberdare, South Wales. They asked to see a certificate to prove Titch was five-generation pedigree and, while Rhiannon was looking for it, they tried to make off with the dog. She ran out of her home to confront them in the street but was hit by their red minivan as they drove off. Ms Jones was comforted by neighbours before going to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil. Police are now tracing the dognappers after the owner, who was not seriously injured, reported the incident. The two men came to see Titch at Ms Jones' home in Aberdare, South Wales, after she put him up for sale . Officers fear Titch could be sold on the black market where he could fetch up to £5,000. A police spokesman said: ‘We are taking it very seriously and we are of course concerned for the welfare of the animal. ‘We do believe they’ll be trying to sell it. If anyone has been offered a dog of this description we urge them to come forward.’ The men who allegedly stole Titch are described as mixed-race with strong Cardiff accents. One is described as around 25-years-old, 5ft 9ins, with blue-green eyes and a medium build. The driver of the vehicle is described as tall, with grey eyes and a slim build. Police are concerned Ms Jones' dog, a present from her boyfriend, could be sold on the black market for £5,000 . | Rhiannon Jones, 27, said thieves targeted her after putting Titch up for sale . The men asked to take him for a walk before throwing him in their van . Ms Jones tried to stop them but was knocked down by their red vehicle . | 37ef9218f94930a579562664900d34643c6550b1 |
Washington (CNN) -- Lightning struck the air-traffic control tower at Baltimore's airport Thursday as thunderstorms delayed flights across the Northeast. The lightning strike at Baltimore Washington International Airport around 2:20 p.m. ET forced officials to temporarily halt takeoffs and landings. The airport reopened around 4:45 p.m., according to a Twitter post from its official account. But the tower remained closed. "The tower is not handling any air traffic operations at this time and the FAA's Potomac Consolidated Terminal radar approach control facility has assumed control of the airspace," the FAA said in a statement. Officials evacuated the tower after lightning struck and handed over control of planes to the Potomac facility, an FAA official said. The FAA reported departure delays for flights destined for Baltimore, Boston, Newark, New York, Philadelphia and Washington. CNN's Sean Morris contributed to this report. | NEW: FAA reports departure delays for flights heading to Northeast . Officials say BWI has reopened, but the tower is closed . Lightning strikes tower at Baltimore Washington International Airport . | aae228eedc22f4a23c1bf4829ea672bbbb0cd9b2 |
(CNN) -- Six-time World Series winners and one of Major League Baseball's (MLB) most successful franchises, the Los Angeles Dodgers, filed for bankruptcy in an American court on Monday . The move comes after the MLB -- who took charge of the team in April to ensure they "will be guided appropriately in the future" -- rejected a television rights deal last week which would have provided them with a much-needed financial boost. MLB commissioner Bud Selig turned down the proposed $3 billion agreement with the FOX network, citing it was not in the "best interest of the fans, the teams or the game." The bankrupty application is the latest chapter in a long-running story of financial difficulties for the Dodgers, a saga that has had the divorce battle between team co-owners Frank and Jamie McCourt as a back drop. The MLB appointed representatives to take care of the day-to-day running of the Dodgers in April due to the ongoing fall out between the owners and with the team suffering a drop in attendances at its Dodger Stadium. "The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly," Selig said. Frank McCourt, who purchased a controlling stake in the team in 2004, has agreed in principle a $150m loan with hedge fund J.P. Morgan Chase to meet running costs. A judge will hold a hearing on Tuesday to decide whether or not to approve the loan, with $40m of the money set to be used to fulfil the Dodgers' payroll commitments, and McCourt will also request permission to hold an auction for the broadcasting rights. "The commissioner's office has spent the better part of one year working with Mr. McCourt and his representatives on the financial situation of the Los Angeles Dodgers," read a statement from Selig on the Dodgers' official web site. "[The financial problem] was caused by Mr. McCourt's excessive debt and his diversion of club assets for his own personal needs. Any potential solution to his problems that contemplates mortgaging the future of the Dodgers franchise to the long-term detriment of the club, its fans and the game of baseball would not be acceptable." The west coast outfit are currently fourth in the National League West, and enjoyed a season-best 15-0 victory against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Monday. | Los Angeles Dodgers have filed for bankruptcy at a court in Delaware . MLB commissioner rejected a TV deal which would have provided financial boost . MLB have been controlling the day-to-day running of the franchise since April . Financial problems at the Dodgers have been exposed during their owners' divorce . | 8a9d2ac9b183ab6afea0916cab1d74afee3ece41 |
A teacher has been instructed by her school to lose her northern accent and sound ‘more southern’. The woman, who works at a secondary school in West Berkshire, was told to focus on ‘sounding less Cumbrian’ as one of her official performance targets by her bosses. The order apparently came after an Ofsted inspector made a comment about her accent. 'Bizarre': The woman, who works at an unidentified secondary school in Berkshire, has been told 'sounding less Cumbrian' is now one of her official targets, after a comment made by an Ofsted inspector (file picture) It is unclear whether the comment was simply an off-the-cuff remark or an official observation. In any case, the school appears to have acted on it. But it has been . described as the ‘most extreme and bizarre objective’ ever heard of by . the teachers’ union, which said it was also an ‘extreme form of . discrimination and bullying’. The . teacher herself did not make an official complaint to the National . Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers but raised the . issue when discussing the targets set by her school. Paul Watkins, . NASUWT’s national executive member for the West Berkshire area, said: . ‘Apparently the beginning of this was Ofsted, who made a comment about . her accent. 'Victimisation': The order by school bosses to take the comment seriously has been confirmed by a teaching union, which described it as the 'most extreme and bizarre objective' it had ever heard (file picture) 'As a consequence of that comment being made, it was decided . that it would be a reasonable objective to impose upon the member. ‘She . was told she needed to make her northern Cumbrian accent sound more . southern. We are very disturbed by this issue – it is victimisation.’ Mr . Watkins said union officials would be arranging talks with the local . education authority. He refused to identify the school, except to say it . has a number of issues which the union is challenging, including its . potential transformation into an academy. An . Ofsted spokesman said that it was not aware of the comments made by an . inspector and would investigate if the union provided the name of the . school. He added: . ‘Inspectors comment on the standard of teaching at schools. 'Negative . comments about the suitability of regional accents are clearly . inappropriate, and should form no part of our assessment of a school’s . or teacher’s performance.’ NOTE: Ofsted contacted MailOnline on November 20 to say the school in question had 'confirmed that there was never any mention of regional accents by the inspectors'. This new information was put to NASUWT, where a spokesman said the union would not be commenting further. | Teaching union representative describes order as 'extreme and bizarre' Woman works at an unidentified secondary school in west Berkshire . | 5217498f03790ff1751df1dab43feae2855cd9cf |
(CNN) -- A Portugal player embarrassed himself Monday with his crazy decision to use his head the wrong way and he got panned for the way he lashed out at an opponent. That, and Portugal's play in a humbling 4-0 loss, were two of the lowlights on the fifth day of play in Brazil. As was a 0-0 draw that produced very little excitement. But then there was the stunning goal by a U.S. player whose inclusion in the game was a surprise to many. Here are a few of the day's big developments. That's not nice . Pepe, Pepe, Pepe. Bad boy! It is generally frowned upon to headbutt anyone, anytime -- unless it's Wrestlemania! But if you're gonna do it -- and again, shame on you for thinking about it -- at least do it right. That's not us, that Twitterazzi, who slammed the Portuguese player after he tapped German forward Thomas Muller in Monday's match with the crown of his head. "The only man that can pull of a headbutt with class is Zinedine Zidane," wrote @YusufBambi, referring to the memorable 2006 World Cup incident in which the French great slammed his head into the chest of an Italian player. "I'll rate that headbutt 1 #Zidane out of 5 #NeverGoFullPepe #WorldCup2014," said @MrNewports. "Calling that a head-butt by Pepe is an insult to Zizou..... and (boxer Evander) Holyfield," wrote †. | Portugal's Pepe gets to sit next game because he headbutted an opponent . Two politicians paid visits to winning locker rooms . The ball -- yes, the ball -- tweets! Ghana ruled the stat sheet, except the one place that counts . | 22db8e1043abab18c6f145b9ca8659f93b3722b3 |
A killer who strangled two fellow prisoners in order to ensure his execution used his final moments while strapped in an electric chair to tell witnesses to ‘kiss my a**’ moments before he died at 9.08pm on Wednesday. Robert Gleason Jr. uttered the vulgar phrase in Irish Gaelic, according to Larry Traylor, a . spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections, while adding 'Put me on the highway going to Jackson and call my Irish buddies. ... God bless,' before a leather strap was tightened over his face. The 42-year-old was first strapped to the wooded electric chair at his chest, arms and ankles, while seen occasionally smiling, winking and nodding at his spiritual adviser who sat in the witness area, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports. Executed: Convicted killer Robert Gleason Jr., died in an electric chair in Virginia on Wednesday night after he vowed to keep killing unless he was put to death . Farewell: This is the electric chair at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia where Robert Gleason Jr. was executed on Wednesday . That spiritual adviser, Tim 'Bam Bam' Spradling, determined it was Gleason's way of signaling that he was ready to go. After finishing his biting last words, a wide leather strap was pulled across his eyes and mouth. A center hole allowed room for his nose. Next a brine-soaked sea sponge - soaked to better conduct electricity throughout the body leading to a faster and less painful death - was strapped to his right calf before a second was to the top of his head. Without the sponge the electricity administered would disperse all over the body, causing the body to cook in a far more agonizing way, as depicted in the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel, The Green Mile. Power cables were then connected to Gleason's head and leg before a key was turned into a wall, activating the system. With . the last push from a button from behind a one-way window, the first . cycle of electricity was activated, sending approximately 1,800 volts at . 7.5 amps for 30 seconds before it was decreased to 250 volts at 1.5 . amps for the next 60 seconds. Condemned Virginia inmates can choose between lethal injection and electrocution, and Gleason is the first inmate to choose electrocution since 2010 . Last stop: Gleason was executed at the pictured Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia at 9pm on Wednesday just moments after telling witnesses to 'kiss my a**' Conductor: As seen in a scene from the movie The Green Mile, a soaked . sponge, left, is placed on the inmate's head to better transmit the . electricity, though in the film, right, a guard uses a dry sponge, agonizingly cooking the man instead . After . repeating the cycles for five minutes, allowing momentary gaps in . between, a physician checked his heartbeat, placing a stethoscope to his . chest but heard nothing. He was the first executed in the U.S. this year and the first to choose to die by electrocution since 2010. In Virginia and nine other states, inmates can choose between electrocution and lethal injection. Robert Charles Towery (2012): 'I love my family. Potato, potato, potato.' Towery was executed in Arizona after strangling his robbery victim Mark Jones in his Phoenix home in 1991. Mark Stroman (2011): ‘Let’s do this damn thing’ Stroman was executed in Texas after he went on a shooting spree following the 9/11 attacks, killing three people he thought were Muslims. Thomas J. Grasso (1995): ‘I did not get my Spaghetti-O’s, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this’ Grasso was executed in Oklahoma for a double murder. His last meal included a can of Franco-American Spaghetti-O’s. John Wayne Gacy (1994): ‘Kiss my ass! You’ll never find the rest’ The ‘Killer Clown’ was convicted of the rapes and murders of 33 men between 1972 and 1978. George Appel (1928): ‘Well, gentlemen… you are about to see a baked Appel' Moments before his execution, he also said, ‘Damn, no power outage.’ He was executed via electric chair for robbery and the murder of a New York City police officer. Edward H. Rulloff (1870): ‘I’d like to be in hell in time for dinner’ Known as the ‘Man of Two Lives’ for his paradoxical lives of respected educator and swindler, he was hanged for the murder of his wife and daughter. Gleason was serving life in prison without parole for a 2007 murder when he admitted to using strips from bed sheets to bind and strangle Harvey Watson, a 63-year-old inmate at Virginia's Wallens Ridge State Prison in May 2009. According to court documents, Gleason told authorities he timed the murder to coincide with the second anniversary of the previous homicide he carried out. He admitted to tying Watson's hands without a struggle after telling him he had come up with a way for the two to escape. Court records show he taunted Watson before he strangled him by pressing a urine-soaked sponge onto his face and a sock into his mouth. Gleason attacked another inmate in July 2010 at the maximum-security Red Onion State Prison while he waited to be sentenced for killing Watson, according to court records. Gleason said he asked fellow inmate . Aaron A. Cooper, 26, to try on a 'religious necklace,' which Gleason . threaded through a wire fence separating the two while they were in . solitary recreation pens. Gleason testified that he mercilessly choked . Cooper through the fence 'till he turned purple,' waited for his skin . color to return to normal, then choked him to death. According to a security camera that filmed the horrific incident, Cooper was left unwatched by guards for roughly 75 minutes after placed inside his cell. Cooper's mother has sued the Virginia . prison system, accusing prison authorities of giving Gleason the . opportunity to murder her son after Gleason told guards he planned to . kill again. After reaffirming that vow, Gleason explained the situation as . being that it's not because he wants to die, but rather because he . knows he will kill again if he's not executed. He wanted to be put . to death despite attempts by his former court-appointed attorneys to . halt the execution at the Greensville Correctional Center and have him undergo a mental competency evaluation. The attorneys had argued the time he . spent in solitary confinement on death row left him unable to make . rational decisions, a claim authorities rejected. During court proceedings, Gleason . indicated he intended to keep killing unless he was given the death . penalty, according to the state Attorney General's Office. Gleason told a . federal judge earlier this month he did not want a lawyer and called . for his execution to proceed. His former lawyers said Gleason . suffered from mental illness and had made several suicide attempts. Their final effort to halt the execution to allow for an evaluation of . his mental competency was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on . Wednesday. Third victim: Aaron Cooper, a carjacker with gang ties who's seen left in 2001, was strangled to death in 2010 by Gleason using this white noose, right, that was slipped through a wire fence . Murder: Gleason strangled Cooper at the Red Onion State Prison, pictured, before video surveillance revealed Cooper was left unchecked in a pen next to Gleason for approximately 75 minutes . He told The Associated Press he deserved to die for what he did. 'Why . prolong it? The end result's gonna be the same,' Gleason said from . death row in his thick Boston accent in one of numerous interviews he's . given to The Associated Press over three years. 'The death part don't bother me. This has been a long time coming. It's called karma.' Gleason . claimed he's killed others – perhaps dozens more – but he has refused . to provide details. He claims he's different from the other men on . Virginia's death row for one important reason: he only kills criminals. Watson was serving life for killing one man and injuring two others. Cooper was a carjacker with gang ties. 'I ain't saying I'm a better person . for killing criminals, but I've never killed innocent people,' Gleason . said. 'I killed people that's in the same lifestyle as me, and they . know, hey, these things can happen.' Gleason said he only requested death in order to keep a promise to a loved one that he wouldn't kill again. He . said doing so will allow him to teach his children, including two young . sons, what can happen if they follow in his footsteps. 'I wasn't there as a father and I'm hoping that I can do one last good thing,' he said. 'Hopefully, this is a good thing.' On Wednesday he reportedly had a last meal, but chose not to release the details of the dish publicly. Old Sparky: Auburn Correctional Facility's original electric chair is seen . The electric chair was the brainchild of an 1881 New York state . committee charged with finding a more humane method of execution to . replace hanging. The first inmate to be put to death in one was William . Kemmler in 1890 in New York's Auburn Prison. It took two attempts . running current through Kemmler to finally kill him, and witnesses . described the horrific spectacle as 'far worse than hanging.' After some . refining, the chair became the most popular method of execution from . the early 1900s until the 1980s when it was overtaken by lethal . injection. The last use of the chair was in March 2010, when Virginia . inmate and convicted murderer and rapist Paul Warner Powell chose it . over lethal injection. | Robert Gleason Jr., 42, was serving life in prison without parole for a 2007 murder when he strangled his first inmate using bedsheets in 2009 . One year later he strangled his second inmate through a wire fence while both were in solitary recreational pens . On Wednesday he was strapped to the electric chair from his ankles to his chest before the last wide leather band was tightened across his face . A maximum of 1,800 volts at . 7.5 amps ran through his body until he was pronounced dead at 9.08pm . He vowed to kill again until his execution . | c3367d589eac6f3a3954d79139e6003e0403f6e3 |
Black Pete, the jolly sidekick of the Dutch Saint Nicholas, is finally getting a facelift after years of bitter debate including death threats against those calling for change. An Amsterdam court's ruling in July that Pete - traditionally dressed in a gaudy medieval costume with a blackened face, red lips and an afro wig - is a 'negative stereotype' encouraged many to try to change the deeply rooted custom. 'It's the beginning of change, it will continue for years to come because more and more people agree it should change but it's going to take a long time,' said historian Gabor Kozijn, author of a study on Black Pete for the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage. Black Pete, the jolly sidekick of the Dutch Saint Nicholas, is finally getting a facelift after years of bitter debate including death threats against those calling for change . With less than two months before Dutch kids' favourite day, December 5, when Saint Nicholas and Pete hand out presents, the debate has reached fever pitch, with Black Pete's defenders refusing to admit there is anything racist about the playful character. In Gouda, where Saint Nicholas and dozens of Petes will 'arrive' on November 15 with a gift-filled boat from Spain in a national event broadcast live on television, the mayor on Tuesday decided to introduce some new colours. Besides a number of Black Petes, there will also be 'Cheese Petes' with yellow faces and 'Stroopwafel Petes' with striped, light brown faces resembling the traditional Dutch syrup biscuit of the same name. 'There is no simple way to find a solution that everyone can identify with,' said Gouda Mayor Milo Schoenmaker. Gouda's Black Petes 'changed several years ago to dark brown without stereotypical big red lips and earrings,' the city hall added. An Amsterdam court's ruling in July that Pete - traditionally dressed in a gaudy medieval costume with a blackened face, red lips and an afro wig - is a 'negative stereotype' encouraged many to try to change the deeply rooted custom . Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, center with white beard, and his black helpers, Black Petes, wave to children and grown-ups, as they arrive by boat at Amsterdam's Central Station . Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan has said that a 'substantial' number of this year's Petes will not be black but will have some 'soot marks' on their faces, ostensibly from climbing down the chimney. And a White Pete will for the first time be present during a daily televised 'news bulletin' on Saint Nicholas's activities. Dutch shops will have fewer Black Petes this year, although discount retail chain Hema in August denied rumours that it planned to remove him entirely by next year. Customers at supermarket Albert Heijn will have different coloured Petes to choose from, including black: 'Saint Nicholas is for everyone,' the chain said in a statement. Despite compromising on Black Pete, the two chains are being threatened with boycotts. Many people in The Netherlands do not want to see the national tradition changed because what they consider a minority of people see it as racist. Last year's debate about Pete's skin colour was particularly heated amid a UN rights probe of the matter. The UN working group released its findings in July, concluding that Black Pete is indeed a racist figure and that many Dutch did not recognise him as a throwback to colonial times and slavery. This year, Dutch celebrities who called on Facebook for a 'Pete makeover' have received death threats. After investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries entered the debate on Facebook he received an email saying: 'If I meet you you'll get a bullet through your head.' A 'Pietitie' (Pete-ition) on Facebook calling for action against changing Black Pete's face has more than two million likes, in a country of 17 million. Populist Geert Wilders, who heads the anti-immigration PVV party, tweeted: 'Black Pete must stay black!' 'What children want is presents. Whether the person who hands them out is Black or White Pete, a woman, yellow or bald is of no importance,' actor and presenter Paul de Leeuw said on Facebook. 'It's a popular family event, celebrated by millions of people who want their kids to experience what they experienced as children: it's more of an emotional than a rational debate,' historian Kozijn told AFP. Even if it is the beginning of the end for Black Pete, Kozijn said the character will be around for a while yet. 'If the average life expectancy of children who now know Black Pete is 80, then he will in any case remain a figure that people know,' he said. | Black Pete is a jolly, but controversial, sidekick of the Dutch Saint Nicholas . A racism row erupted with critics claiming Pete is a negative stereotype . An Amsterdam court agreed, bringing about a facelift for the character . Black Pete hands out gifts in Holland on December 5 with Saint Nicholas . | 82d0c432dc7492459b946fef9ab6c172ad5e53aa |
By . Jennifer Smith . Forward-thinking engineers in China are the first in the country to have built a section of an enormous overpass and rotate it into place upon completion so as not to disturb the railways below. A 17,000 ton part of an elevated motorway was today slowly swung into place in Wuhan City after being constructed independently beside a high speed railway track. Engineers took 90minutes to carefully swing the 17,000-ton structure into place today above a high speed railway track in Wuhan City, central China . A China Railway High-speed train passes beneath the rotating sector of the bridge today as engineers expertly swivel it into place . It was the first time the technique had been used in China, with engineers unable to temporarily halt the busy train service in order to build the bridge in place . Experts took 90 minutes to connect the section to the rest of the bridge, tuning it 106 degrees on a 15metre high axis. It was the first time the innovative technique had been used in China. The country has the world's longest high speed rail network with over 6,200 miles of routes in service in December 2012. The track beneath the bridge in Wuhan City was considered too important to be temporarily halted in order for engineers' to complete construction. Once finished, the overpass will be 256m long and span 11 railways, including the 1,428 mile-long Beijing-Guangzhou service. Experts estimate the bridge will be open to traffic later this month. The 17,000 structure is slowly brought into place in by engineers after weeks of construction . The unusual technique has been used in the UK in the past, though never before in China . The 17,000-ton structure was rotated at 106 degrees on a 15metre axis . The sector is connected to the rest of the bridge after 90minutes. Officials estimate it will be open to traffic later this month . A similar technique was used to construct the Grade I listed Kingsgate Bridge across the River Wear in Durham in 1968. Designed in 1963 by Sir Ove Arup, the bridge's two halves were built on the river's bank and swung together at 90 degrees. | Engineers took 90 minutes to swivel the structure into place in Wuhan City today . The section was built separately so as not to disturb the busy high speed railway track beneath it . It was the first time the unusual construction technique was used in the country . China is home to the largest high speed rail network in the world . | f9189e28912eff660a65ff4ca703879fd92f4850 |
Armstrong sidesteps bribery-and-doping scandal at gala . Court documents he offered fellow cyclists $50,000 bribes to fix races . Sean Penn, Robin Williams, and Norah Jones among guests at gala . By . John Clarke . PUBLISHED: . 21:55 EST, 19 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 23:46 EST, 19 October 2012 . Lance Armstrong said . he has been through a 'difficult couple of weeks' and urged supporters . of his cancer-fighting charity to stand behind its mission. 'The . mission is bigger than me. It's bigger than any individual,' Armstrong . said Friday night in his opening remarks at Livestrong's 15th . anniversary celebration. Armstrong has been . turned into an outcast in professional cycling and most of his personal . sponsors dropped him this week after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency . released a massive report detailing performance-enhancing drug use by . the seven-time Tour de France winner. USADA has ordered him banned from . cycling for life and stripped of his Tour de France victories. Watch video below . Dark Days: Lance Armstrong, seen here during a conference last August in Montreal, celebrated Livestrong's 15th anniversary Friday night as new allegations surfaced about offering $50,000 bribes to fellow cyclists. Survivors: Armstrong is joined him are members of Livestrong's staff, many of whom are cancer survivors. Armstrong said he has been through a "difficult couple of weeks." Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that Armstrong offered bribes to a cycling opponent to throw a race back in 1993. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. uncovered court documents indicating that Lance Armstrong offered to bribe other cyclists at a group of races back in 1993, including one in Philly. New Zealand cyclist Steven Swart gave a sworn deposition during a 2006 lawsuit involving Armstrong where he alleged that Armstrong offered an opponent $50,000 to help fix the CoreStates U.S. Pro Cycling race in Philadelphia as well as events in Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Armstrong, . who denies doping, didn't address the USADA report or the doping . charges in his remarks Friday night. Instead, he focused on the mission of the . foundation he started in 1997. Armstrong was diagnosed in 1996 with . testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. 'I . am ... truly humbled by your support,' Armstrong said after receiving a . standing ovation from the crowd of 1,700. 'It's been an interesting . couple of weeks. It's been a difficult couple of weeks for me and my . family, my friends and this foundation.' Armstrong said he's been asked many times how he is doing. 'I . say, `I've been better, but I've also been worse,'' said Armstrong, . making his first public appearance since the USADA report was released . last week. Guests Arrive: Robin Williams and Norah Jones were among the guests who attended the 15th anniversary celebration gala of Livestrong, Lance Armstrong's cancer-fighting charity. On Monday, the International Cycling Union is expected to announce whether it will appeal USADA's sanctions. The . celebration gala came two days after Armstrong stepped down as chairman . of Livestrong to help shield the charity from the fallout of the . controversy swirling around him. He remains on the board of directors. Armstrong urged the crowd to continue fighting to help cancer patients and survivors. Celebrity Cause: Actor Sean Penn arrives on the yellow carpet for the "An Evening with Livestrong" gala fundraising event in Austin, Texas. 'There's 28 million people around the world living with this disease,' Armstrong said. 'Thank you for your support.' Livestrong . officials expected to raise $2.5 million from the event, which included . appearances by actors Sean Penn and Robin Williams and singer Norah . Jones. Armstrong won the Tour de France every . year from 1999-2005 and his success on the bike helped propel the . foundation into one of the most popular and well-known charities in the . country. Livestrong has raised about $500 million in the fight against . cancer. In 2004, the foundation introduced the . yellow 'Livestrong' bracelets, selling more than 80 million and . creating a global symbol for cancer awareness and survival. The . silent auction included two Trek bicycles valued up to $12,000 - Trek . was one of the companies that dropped Armstrong as a sponsor on . Wednesday - and seven autographed yellow jerseys Armstrong wore on the . podium during his Tour de France victories. Gerry . Goldstein, a criminal defense attorney and friend of Armstrong for . several years, criticized USADA's investigation and sanctions of . Armstrong. Drug testers never caught Armstrong when he was competing, Goldstein said. 'I'm . a big fan of what he has done. Overcoming cancer and doing what he did, . who gives a (expletive) about anything else? That's so much more . important as a role model and a human being,' Goldstein said. 'Quit . whining about it.' Kansas City Royals pitcher . Jeremy Guthrie, who donated a pair of cleats to the silent auction, said . he wants to continue supporting Livestrong. Stepping Down: Armstrong resigned as head of the Livestrong Foundation this week. as a new report shows that he and his team used performance drugs. 'Obviously, . some things have a left a little scar, but people think it's still . important to come out and support Livestrong,' Guthrie said. The . charity has worked hard to separate its mission of fighting cancer from . Armstrong's troubles, said Doug Ulman, Livestrong president and chief . executive. Although Armstrong lost many of his . personal sponsorship contracts, Nike, Anheuser-Busch and others who . said they were terminating their contracts or would not renew them . because of the doping evidence, said they would keep supporting . Livestrong. 'We're proud of our history and . we're excited to celebrate. We've heard from so many grass-roots . supporters, program partners, corporate partners and a lot of them are . doubling down, saying they are going to come back even stronger in . 2013,' Ulman said. Watch video here . | Armstrong sidesteps bribery-and-doping scandal at gala . Court documents he offered fellow cyclists $50,000 bribes to fix races . Sean Penn, Robin Williams, and Norah Jones among guests at gala . | ea947ea8cd0208c56970def03b38794bf090bfef |
(CNN)As the snow falls, so do records for extreme weather. In Boston on Monday -- with 62.5 inches of snowfall since January 15 -- the record for most snow in a 30-day period has already been broken. The previous record was set in 1978. With the third storm in as many weeks, how long will it be before the new record will be surpassed? "I know that it's frustrating right now, particularly with the amount of snow, and it's frustrating to all of us," said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. "This is snow like we've never seen before in the past." Boston is in the cross hairs again, and winter storm warnings are in place across large portions of the Northeast, including Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The National Weather Service forecasts 12 to 16 inches of snow by the time the storm ends Tuesday. For upstate New York, the numbers are 8 to 14 inches. After the storm, cold air will funnel in, followed by yet another snow event for Thursday and Friday. Authorities say the problem is not the storm itself, but that it comes right after two previous ones. Three straight Mondays, three straight snowstorms. To put it in perspective: Only nine days into February, the amount of snowfall makes this year the fifth-snowiest recorded February. Schools in parts of the Northeast, including Boston, will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Boston's mayor said students haven't had a full week of school in three weeks. He issued another snow emergency and parking ban Sunday in anticipation of all the new snow. Cars left on city streets were being ticketed and towed to make room for snowplows. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, known as the T, suspended all rail services starting at 7 p.m. ET Monday. No rail service is scheduled for Tuesday. Walsh urged Bostonians to stay indoors until the worst is over. "These storms that we're getting are unprecedented," he said. "We've never seen this type of snow in the city of Boston at any other time in the history of our city." Track the storm . The storm was snarling air traffic again. FlightAware.com showed more than 700 flights within, into and out of the United States canceled for Sunday, on top of the more than 1,900 flights canceled as of Monday at 2:25 p.m. ET. Boston Logan International Airport remained open, but most flights are canceled, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday. The big issue for the state, he said, is not the current snowfall but the accumulation of snow over the past two weeks. "It's only been 14 days, and we've gotten 70 to 80 inches of snow around the commonwealth," Baker said. "This is pretty much unprecedented." Later, he told reporters that he had signed an emergency declaration for the state, which should help with access to equipment. "If I've learned one thing over the course of the past two weeks, it's (that) Mother Nature makes the rules," Baker said. One Boston resident used the hashtag #getmeoutofhere to describe his feelings of being in the city during the storm. The two other storms that hit the Northeast in the past two weeks closed airports, canceled classes and created mountains of snow along cleared roadways. "It's kind of depressing sometimes," Jesus Cora of Nashua, New Hampshire, told CNN affiliate WMUR. "It's really depressing, you know?" Boston University freshman Cameron Barkan shared the same sentiment. "I'm tired of it," said Barkan, who has missed three days of class because of the storms. "I usually like snow, but this is just a little much." Boston has also set a record for the snowiest seven-day period, with over 40 inches, the National Weather Service said last week. The city is way past its average annual snowfall of 47 inches. The string of storms is taking a toll on city coffers, too. "We've gone through our $18 million budget for snow removal," Walsh said. The weather forced big Massachusetts trials to be delayed. The murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez has been pushed back to Wednesday, and jury selection in the trial of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was similarly delayed. CNN meteorologists Monica Garrett and Dave Hennen contributed to this report. CNN's Faith Karimi, Susanna Capelouto, Josh Levs, Kevin Conlon and Kristina Sgueglia also contributed to this report. | "Mother Nature makes the rules," says Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker . Boston Logan airport is open, but most flights have been canceled . Schools will close Monday and Tuesday in some areas, including Boston . | ef26d60446571034a3d129087b3051ac5c3bf19a |
(CNN) -- Worries about the Superdome's wiring led to an order for hundreds of thousands of dollars in "emergency" electrical repairs in the months leading up to Sunday's Super Bowl, documents show. Although there is no proof the problems were behind the partial blackout at the multi-million-dollar extravaganza, they are among the latest details to emerge in the mystery surrounding the embarrassing snafu. Power company Entergy upgraded service at the Superdome, but had "concern about reliability" of service from its connection point to the dome, according to a memo dated October 15, 2012. An attorney for the Superdome's managers provided the documents to CNN. The new information includes memos and meeting minutes prepared for the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, a state agency that oversees a group of facilities including the Superdome. An October LSED memo mentions that a firm was hired to test the secondary electric feeders at the dome. It was "determined that the feeders had some decay and had a chance of failure." Those same tests led an engineering firm to conclude that "the Superdome's main and only electrical feed, based upon test results ... are not sufficiently reliable to support the high profile event schedule." The board categorized these repairs as an "emergency," according to minutes from an LSED meeting in October. By that point, the board had already approved spending up to $700,000 to replace parallel electrical power feeds. In November, the board was updated about "the replacement of the electrical feeders that connect the Superdome to the Entergy power vault." The board approved spending $513,250 on what the minutes referred to as the "Emergency Feeder Repair Project." The company confirmed it completed some upgrades to electrical delivery systems to the facility on December 21, but Entergy has said that may have had nothing to do with Sunday night's problem. The dome hosted a few major events after that work was carried out, including the Sugar Bowl. Entergy says a piece of equipment designed to monitor electrical load sensed was tripped by an "abnormality" and partially cut power to the stadium, as designed. The switch gear is designed to cut some power so as to isolate the problem and prevent a larger outage. LSED, Entergy and the company that manages the Superdome, SMG, said in a joint statement Tuesday that they have hired an independent third party to investigate the cause of the blackout. Entergy will continue to conduct its own investigation. The 35-minute electrical outage during the Super Bowl set off a storm of social media amusement among viewers and inspired advertising tweets with blackout twists. Carmaker Audi took a swipe at its competitor, tweeting that it was sending "LED lights" over to the dome, which is officially named the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. But for the picturesque Super Bowl host city -- perpetually concerned with its reputation, especially since Hurricane Katrina -- the power failure broadcast to the world was a huge embarrassment. Mayor Mitch Landrieu promised that night there would be answers soon. Opinion: Wacky, weird and wonderful Super Bowl . The council member who heads New Orleans' utility committee, Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, hopes some will be forthcoming at the meeting this week. 5 Super Bowl moments to talk about Monday . "I am extremely disappointed in the power failure at the Superdome during last night's Super Bowl game," she said in a statement Monday. The NFL has said the incident will not likely diminish the city's chances of hosting another big game. The general consensus on social media appeared to be that Beyonce's high-wattage half-time performance was mostly likely to blame for the blackout. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell countered the virtual chatter, saying, "There is no indication at all that this was caused by the halftime show, absolutely none." The blackout triggered calls by industry leaders for the building of a nationwide smart power grid, which could reroute electricity seamlessly in such cases. This would avoid such public displays of momentary weaknesses in the system, said Andres Carvallo, former chief technology officer at Austin Energy, where he says he built the nation's first smart grid. On Monday, CBS aired video shot from inside a stadium control room as the outage occurred. "All right, we lost lights," says a man as the room darkens. Funniest tweets of the #Blackout . CNN's Brian Todd, Dugald McConnell, Lindsey Knight, Tom Watkins, Tina Burnside, Ben Brumfield and Chelsea Carter contributed to this report . | NEW: Power company concerned about "reliability" from its connection point to Superdome . NEW: Independent third party hired to investigate blackout . Board minutes show hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on Superdome electrical repairs . Friday meeting could reveal clues to what caused the Super Bowl blackout . | 31083356b19100dbea390d2a1171adae613ac2a3 |
By . Rachel Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 07:12 EST, 31 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:57 EST, 31 May 2013 . Working out the calories in a slice of cake or the fat in a portion of fries is now easier than ever thanks to Google's new nutritional search feature. The launch will allow diet-conscious surfers to discover nutritional information including the fat, carbohydrate and salt content of over 1,000 foods in a click of a button. A blog post by Google explained that it could be difficult to make sensible food choices and that the new tool will help us make better food choices: 'We’re hoping we can make those . choices a little bit easier: starting today you will be able to quickly . and easily find extensive nutrition information for over 1,000 fruits, . vegetables, meats and meals in search.' Thanks to Google's new feature, surfers will be able to find clear and detailed nutritional information about over 1,000 foods by typing in keywords . Food for thought: The feature will provide comprehensive information about a specific food and even tell you if you are close to getting your recommended daily allowance of a particular nutrient . 'From the basics of potatoes and carrots to more complex dishes like burritos and chow mein, you can simply ask, “How much protein is in a banana?” or “How many calories are in an avocado?” and get your answer right away.' 'You'll hear the answer to your specific . question, see relevant nutrition information under an expansion, and be . able to switch to other related foods or serving sizes.' The blog post goes on to explain that the new nutritional information . builds on work on the Knowledge Graph. The graph uses Google's search results along with information from a wide range of websites to give searchers detailed and specific information about a particular topic, all in one place. As part of the nutritional information roll out, the graph helps connect related subjects, even in cases when those foods have a completely . different sounding name from what you asked. By typing or even talking into a microphone on your laptop or mobile phone, a person can look up hundreds of different foods. The feature is being rolled out across the U.S. over the next ten days . For . example, if you ask about nutritional information concerning 'summer squash carbs', Google will include 'zucchini' as a relevant food in the dropdown, because it is a type of summer . squash. The blog post added: 'Over time we’ll be adding more features, foods, and languages. You can even find out the nutritional information of food before and after they are cooked, such here when corn is fresh as well as when it has been popped. It is not clear when the feature will be available in the UK . 'So tap the microphone, give the feature a spin, and soon explore and discover the ins and outs of over 1,000 of your favorite foods.' The feature is being rolled out across the U.S. over the next ten days. It is not clear when Google will launch the feature in the UK. | Surfers can find detailed nutritional information about over 1,000 foods . Can either type or ask a question using microphone on phone or laptop . New feature is being rolled out across the U.S. over the next 10 days but it is unclear when it will launched in the UK . | 77c03d42d2b5e33612ddf5ccc8968099a00d609e |
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Orange is the new Brown wardrobe. Chris Brown's lawyer was unable to persuade a Los Angeles judge to let the singer out of jail on Monday. Brown, 24, wore an orange jail jumpsuit at court, with his mother sitting behind him, while attorney Mark Geragos argued the singer should be allowed to enter another rehab program instead of spending the next month in jail. The singer was locked up on a probation violation warrant Friday after he was booted from a court-ordered drug rehab program. Assistant District Attorney Mary Murray said Brown has already been ejected from two rehab programs in the last five months and another program should not be considered. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin said he was concerned about a "provocative" statement counselors said Brown wrote on a card at the Malibu rehab center. "I am good at using guns and knives," according to a document read in court. The rehab program told Brown to leave because of that statement and two other rules violations, the document said. Brown refused a drug test -- which his lawyer denied -- and he touched elbows with a female patient, according to the document. Brown's next chance to get out of jail comes on April 23 when Brandlin considers if his arrest on a misdemeanor assault charge in Washington justifies keeping him locked up. There is a possibility the judge will speed up that decision so Brown can travel to D.C. for a trial on that charge. Brown's legal troubles began five years ago, when he beat Rihanna as the two sat in a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street. He pleaded guilty to felony assault in June 2009, which resulted in a sentence of five years of probation and 1,400 hours of community labor. The judge has revoked Brown's probation twice in the past year, most recently because of his arrest on a sidewalk near the White House after he allegedly punched a man. Brown voluntarily entered a rehab program a day after being released from a Washington jail in October, but he was kicked out a few days later for "throwing a rock through his mother's car window" after a family session at the center, a probation report said. Brown was upset because his mother said she wanted him to stay in treatment, the report said. "Mr. Brown proceeded to walk outside and pick up a rock and threw it through his mother's car window and it shattered," according to a letter from the rehab center included in the probation report. His probation was revoked in November, but the judge allowed him to stay out of jail by entering a 90-day anger management and drug rehab program. Although he completed that program last month, the judge had ordered him to remain a resident at the Malibu treatment facility until a hearing on April 23. Brown's probation officer reported at a hearing last month that the singer "continues to make great improvement" in dealing with anger, stress and drugs, but the judge decided he could not go free until after his trial for the assault charge in Washington on April 17. If he is convicted in that case, the judge would decide April 23 whether Brown should complete his probation in jail. Brown has been working on a highway cleanup labor crew in Los Angeles three days a week to fulfill the 750 hours of service remaining in his probation requirements, his probation report said. At that rate, Brown could complete the labor in mid-October and possibly be free from probation requirements by the end of the year. However, the clock is stopped while Brown is locked up. CNN's Topher Gauk-Roger and Carolyn Sung contributed to this report. | Chris Brown got booted from rehab partly for a "provocative" statement . Brown wears an orange jail jumpsuit in court on Monday . The singer has been tossed out of rehab twice in the past five months . Brown is on probation for the 2009 attack on Rihanna . | 8dbb74fefad113a96f8efc4aa2210925b9f65ade |
By . Chris Lawrence . It is the dead of night on the edge of the Arctic Circle, and the sun is about to kiss the horizon. Much of Iceland may be sleeping, but 20 minutes past midnight represents the limit of the sun’s descent on this clear June night. In an hour, the sky’s amber glow will be supplanted by beams of white light which last for nearly 24 hours in summertime. The villages are silent and the roads dead – except for a faint, rolling mass of mist, which drifts over from the wetlands, across the tarmac and down the hill towards the cliffs and the north Atlantic. On the road to the end of the earth: Iceland bathes in an ethereal light in high summer . I am in a minibus, having taken a 40-minute flight from Reykjavik to the tiny city of Akureyri on Iceland’s northern shore. My stomach is swimming with coffee – an insurance policy against the lateness of the moment. For I am here to explore Iceland’s wonders while the rest of the world sleeps – to see what the witching hour looks like when the sun never sets. Welcome to the white nights of northern Iceland: the land of the midnight sun. Road to somewhere: The Route 1 'Ring Road' runs around Iceland, linking the remote north to Reykjavik . First, a little science: . Our planet’s 23-degree tilt robs the polar extremities of that which most of the world takes for granted: the continuous, inevitable oscillation of night and day. For those countries at the northernmost and southernmost edges of the globe, summer is a season of unremitting exposure to the sun. At the North Pole, it does not set for six months. Instead, it steadily spirals higher above the earth, before eventually beginning its descent and disappearing for the rest of the year. And even though Akureyri lies 60 miles below the Arctic Circle, it too experiences one near-endless day that stretches from the earliest minutes of June to the dying embers of July. Anton Freyr Birgisson – the son of a generation of farmers from nearby Lake Myvatn, and my guide through this twilight realm – is accustomed to the unbroken light. A place lost in its own little realm: The fishing town of Akureyri sits on Iceland's northern shore . ‘It is no problem for me,’ he says, as he steers the minibus out of Akureyri, and across the dam that bridges the noiseless fjord. ‘I sleep with the curtains open – but I bet you will find it strange. My wife is from Estonia and she can’t sleep.’ It is 10pm, and we are driving east. The road climbs above the fjord’s eastern shore, passing a steaming stream of hot water. Then, through lengthening purple shadows, it crosses lava fields towards the cloud of spray on the horizon. This is Goðafoss. It is among the most spectacular of Iceland’s waterfalls. Today, it is raging. In the depths of winter, its 12-metre-high torrents are frozen solid. But beneath the midnight sun, the snow atop the mountains is finally melting – rolling down the valley in a tumult of sound and spray. In-mid June, the waters are at their most ferocious. Halting above the horizon: During June and July, the sun does not set on Iceland . It was in this maelstrom, in around 1000AD, that modern Iceland was born. Until 700AD the island had been an empty rock at the top of the world, uninhabited for 17million years. Explorers knew it was there, but believed it to be the domain of diabolical dog-headed people. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rest of the planet stayed away. When the first settlers eventually arrived, they brought arguments about power, wealth and religion – and, by the turn of the 11th century, civil war between pagans and Christians looked inevitable. Only when the chief ‘law-speaker’ Þorgeir – a pagan – converted, was conflict averted. On his way home from the parliament of elders which passed for rule in Iceland at the time, he neared the waterfall – and cast his abandoned idols into its depths. Thus the name: Goðafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods. We leave the road at Goðafoss, and turn north to race the sun towards the horizon. Taking a shine to the surroundings: Chris glimpsed the midnight sun from the very northern edge of Iceland . Anton takes us over lava fields where astronauts once trained for the moon landings, through the fishing town of Husavik – now sleeping in the midnight gloom. Then we reach the cliffs at Tjörnes, just in time to see the sun lower its brow to meet the ocean. It is twenty past midnight. Puffins nesting in the rocks sleep without murmur, and the only movement is the bobbing head of a seal, emerging intermittently at the foot of the cliffs. From the edge of the sheer drop to the black sand at the water’s edge, there is a near-unimpeded view to the Arctic Circle. The only distraction is the faint blur of the island of Grímsey on the horizon. This lost outcrop is Iceland’s most northerly point – home to just 100 people and a million sea birds. Roar: Legend has it the Godafoss waterfall was created when an Icelandic leader cast away his pagan idols . Legend insists that it was created by three nocturnal trolls who were trying to split Iceland in two. They were (for reasons that remain unclear) cutting a trench between the mainland and the northwest peninsula, but were so focused on the job that they forgot about the rising sun – and, as dawn turned red, were turned to stone. The female troll, realising too late their mistake, flung her shovel in anger, and it landed in the ocean, becoming this new island at the world’s end. An appealing story. There are many of them up here. Iceland is a country of myths and legends, of giant trolls, ghosts and Huldufólk (secret people) who are believed to live in the lava fields – mischievous souls who dislike crosses, churches and electricity, and who can wreck construction projects if their homes are disturbed. The more scientific narrative of Iceland’s formation is only a little less fantastical. It sits on the junction of two tectonic plates – the Mid-Atlantic ridge – meaning that at certain points you can stand across continents, with one foot in North America and one in Europe. Geysers snort from beneath the surface, steam belches from the earth, and, in the hills above Lake Myvatn, the eggy smell of sulphur hangs in the air. Caught in an unusual light: During high summer, the Icelandic sunshine plays tricks on the camera . Volcanoes, extinct and idle, dominate the landscape, and the scars of their fury are everywhere. We drive east past huge tears in the soil – fractures of earthquakes past – and then, after 30 minutes, approach the horseshoe-shaped, 1km-wide canyon of Ásbyrgi, the product of a catastrophic glacial flood just 3,000 years ago. Or if you prefer the legend, from the hoofprint of Odin’s eight-legged horse. Ásbyrgi is the capital of the Huldufólk – who supposedly live in the cracks in the 100m-high cliffs. Their Queen dwells in the rocks at the canyon’s head, but only emerges when its waterfall flows. This early morning, it is bathed in sunlight. But there is no water. From the peaceful emptiness of Ásbyrgi, we turn to the roar of Dettifoss. The biggest waterfall in Europe, it is often cast as ‘The Beast’ to Goðafoss’s ‘Beauty’. Fire in the sky: In such light, it is easy to believe in the idea of Iceland as home of the mischievous 'Huldufólk' It is easy to see why. This is a monster waterfall. It is approaching 5am when Anton pulls the minibus up the dirt track to the car park. We are cold and tired. But we drag ourselves across black rocks and look down on an almost impossible volume of milky-white water, which plunges 50 metres into a burst of spray. There are no handrails, and you can stand scarily close to the torrents – almost dizzy at the power of the water. We linger, staring, until we feel the sun returning to full-strength. Then it is back to the bus for another shot of caffeine and the long drive home. Across the island, everyone is just waking up. They missed quite a show. Icelandic operator Saga Travel (www.sagatravel.is) runs Midnight Sun tours - from 49500 Icelandic krona (£255) per person. WOW Air (0118 3218384; www.wowair.co.uk) flies between London Gatwick and Reykjavik ten times per week - prices from £49 each way. Flights from Reykjavik to Akureyri with Air Iceland (www.airiceland.is) start from £65 each way. More information via www.northiceland.is and www.visiticeland.com. | Iceland is one of Europe's most alluring places, but it comes alive in summer . During peak season of June and July, the sun does not set on the country . This eerie light creates an ambience that fits Iceland's myths and legends . | 7bbb8e8aa08b4c0d559b5e1379ce520068199425 |
Crash-test dummies are packing on the pounds to better reflect the expanding waistlines and larger rear ends of many Americans. Manufacturer Humanetics has developed the new model after studies found that obese drivers are 78 percent more likely to die in a car crash. Dummies have traditionally been modeled on a person weighing about 167 pounds with a healthy body mass index. Scroll down for video . Super size me! Dummies have traditionally been modeled on a person weighing about 167 pounds, left, but manufacturer Humanetics has developed a 273 pound model, right, to better reflect expanding waistlines . The new super-sized dummies are based on the measurements of a 273-pound person with a BMI of 35. A BMI of over 30 is considered morbidly obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seat belts, air bags and other safety features have all been designed for thinner people and don’t fit larger people in the same way, Chris O' Connor, CEO of Humanetics, told ABC. ‘Typically you want someone in a very tight position with their rear against the back of the seat and the seat belt tight to the pelvis,’ he said. ‘An obese person has more mass around midsection and a larger rear which pushes them out of position. They sit further forward and the belt does not grasp the pelvis as easily.’ A similar conclusion was reached in a 2010 study from the University at Buffalo and Erie County Medical Center. Tight squeeze: Seat belts, air bags and other safety features have all traditionally been designed for thinner people and don’t fit larger people in the same way, according to Humanetics . The study, which analyzed data from more than 150,000 car crashes in the U.S. between 2000 to 2005, found that moderately obese drivers faced a 21 percent increased risk of death, and morbidly obese drivers faced a 56 percent increased risk of death. ‘Crash test dummies have saved lives and provided invaluable data on how human bodies react to crashes, but they are designed to represent normal-weight individuals,’ sais lead author Dr. Dietrich Jehle at the time. With more than 70 percent of Americans now clashed as either overweight or obese, according to the CDC, O’Conner said the death risk for obese people in cars is a serious problem that must be addressed despite fatal accidents being at historic lows. ‘We need to find a way to make cars safer for everyone, regardless of size,’ he said. The data used to create the new dummies also indicated that obese female drivers had double the risk of becoming a fatality compared with obese men. The larger dummies are expected to become available to manufacturers for use in testing sometime next year. Humanetics has also been developing an age-appropriate dummy to better reflect our aging population. | Crash-test dummies are packing on the pounds to better reflect the expanding waistlines and larger rear ends of many Americans . Humanetics has developed the new model after studies found that obese drivers are 78 percent more likely to die in a car crash . Traditionally dummies have been modeled on a person weighing about 167 pounds - the new models are 273 pounds . Data used to create the new dummies found that obese female drivers had double the risk of becoming a fatality compared with obese men . | 71cee316b9ae1f14c7377c0633a0ae2abccd4069 |
Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia scored the goals as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 2-0 victory over bottom club Granada. Mandzukic converted from the penalty spot in the first-half, after Diego Godin was brought down by Granada's Abdoul Sissoko in the box. Garcia, who replaced the Croatian striker as a substitute in the closing stages, sealed the three points when he headed home from Arda Turan's floated cross. Atletico Madrid's Mario Mandzukic scores from the penalty spot to score a goal against Granada . Raul Garcia celebrates after scoring the second goal to wrap up three points for Atletico . Atletico Madrid's Arda Turan (left) and Granada's Abdoul Sissoko (right) tussle for the ball in the first-half . Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Moya; Juanfran, Gimenez, Godín, Siqueira, Koke, Suarez, Gabi, Turan (Raul Jimenez 89) Torres (Griezmann 59), Mandzukic (Raul Garcia 84) Subs not used: Oblak, Saul, Jesus Gamez, Miranda . Booked: Godin, Suarez, Mandzukic . Scorers: Mandzukic (pen 34), Raul Garcia, 88 . Granada: (4-5-1): Oier, Nyom, Mainz, Babin, Sissoko (Foulquier 63), Yuste, Iturra, Piti, Lass (Juan Carlos 74), Ibanez (Success 78), El Arab . Subs not used: Roberto, Javi Márquez, Marcelo, Uche . Booked: Lass, Sissoko, Nyom . The win keeps Diego Simeone's side in touch with both Real Madrid and Barcelona. And the manager believes the title race will go down to the wire. 'You're seeing a very close race in La Liga. There are teams fight for third place like Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal...' Simeone said. 'We expect to work hard and we must continue to maintain the same desire and intensity. The second half of the season is always more difficult because everything is up for grabs and the teams all play a certain way. 'Granada were very organised defensively and we progressively improved as the game wore on. After the 25th minute, we improved. Mandzukic and [Fernando] Torres are two players with different characteristics and I'm happy with their performance today.' And the Argentina reserved special praise for Arda Turan. 'Arda is at a point where he knows he's a game-changer and the team needs him,' he added. 'In the time he's been with us, he's grown defensively. He has natural-born talent.' Atletico Madrid's striker Fernando Torres (right) hassles Chilean midfielder Manuel Iturra (left) of Granada . Granada's defender Diego Mainz (left) vies with Atletico Madrid's Croatian forward Mandzukic . Gabi Fernandez (right) challenges French midfielder Abdoulwahid Sissoko (left) Atletico Madrid's Jorge 'Koke' Resurreccion (left) strikes a volley but sees his effort go wide . Uruguayan defender Jose Maria Gimenez (right) jostles with Moroccan striker Youssef El-Arabi (left) Mandzukic celebrates scoring his team's opening goal . Turan lashes an effort at goal, but his shot goes just wide . Fernando Torres was substituted on the hour mark for Atletico . | Mario Mandzukic scores a first-half penalty to put Atletico ahead . Substitute Raul Garcia doubles his side's lead with a header . Atletico move level on points with second place Barcelona in La Liga . Granada stay rock bottom of the table . | a92b2f37b8c6cfd729233a9b7994b8533d948b18 |
(CNN) -- The Obama administration likely will succumb to growing pressure to "do something" kinetic and dramatic in Iraq, and when it does, it will most likely be air and missile strikes against ISIS targets. This could relieve the political pressure on the President: His critics continue to blame him for abdicating U.S. leadership in Syria and in Iraq --which now faces the advancing extremist militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). But answering the political mail in Washington is not the same thing as dealing with, let alone resolving, the complex issues on the ground that have led to this crisis. To do that would require a comprehensive reengagement strategy, even without boots on the ground. And President Barack Obama should not be drawn into a veritable Iraq war III. Most of Obama's detractors engage in what I call "woulda/coulda/shoulda" criticism. That is to say, if the President had only invested more time and effort in negotiating a status of forces agreement with the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, left a residual presence there, enforced his chemical weapons red line in Syria and backed the moderate opposition there, we wouldn't be seeing the ISIS jihadi rampage playing out in both countries. But given the limited amount of intervention this administration, Congress, and the public would support, even under the best of circumstances, the U.S. could not have stopped the dynamic that is occurring. We cannot hold Iraq's hand forever, nor end Syria's civil war without a major military commitment. And the longer the Syrian conflict continued, the more of a boon the conflict would provide to jihadi elements who fed off its violence and sectarian character. As for Iraq, the al-Maliki government's insistence on maintaining Shia dominance and privilege, and repressing Sunnis, created the perfect ferment for ISIS's spread. No amount of U.S. military power summoned by any administration could have compensated for this kind of bad sectarian governance. That and the weak institutions of the Iraqi state have allowed ISIS to thrive. No matter how much progress the U.S. made in Iraq between 2003 and 2011, the dysfunction that now shapes Iraq's future was driven by factors set into motion by the very act of the invasion, Iraq's nature and its location. And those same factors limit now what the U.S. can do; they should make Washington wary of getting sucked back in. Back to Iraq: What can - and should - the U.S. do now? Maliki's sectarian dominance . How can you expect stability and security in a country where the political contract between the governed and those who govern is completely skewed in the direction of the Shia community? But that's what you have with Nuri al-Maliki; and that's unlikely to change. Shia repression has left Sunnis feeling disenfranchised -- one reason why violence has surged in the last year -- and this is why it's hard to get Sunni elements of the military to fight and resist ISIS moves. It's also why some key Sunni elements are reportedly in league with the ISIS jihadis. It's a reason to be careful about backing a government not committed to serious power sharing and reform, let alone to use direct U.S. military intervention to defend it. The U.S. couldn't build the new Iraq on the backs of American military power before it was clear that al-Maliki was a Shia triumphalist. How are we to do it today when it's clear that he is? The neighbors . Geography is destiny. This isn't America's neighborhood: It does not have the same kind of stake as those who live there. The U.S. may be committed to a nonsectarian, pluralist, democratic Iraq where everybody gets along in one big happy family. But Iran and Saudi Arabia envision very different outcomes, and they will act in ways detrimental to our interests. Iran is worried about ISIS to be sure. But Iran knows that its long-term interests depend on a stable Iraq under Shia dominance. That means that while it will assist al-Maliki, it won't pressure him to reform. The Saudis, on the other hand, can't abide al-Maliki and while they are worried about the Sunni jihadis, they see some merit in weakening the Prime Minister. Both Tehran and Riyadh will continue to see Iraq as a battleground to check the other's influence and to promote their side in a Sunni-Shia war. Iraq's stability and the U.S.'s altruistic vision of Iraq's future will be the casualties. The Syrian civil war . Any U.S. strategy that deals with Iraq in isolation will fail to get at a main sources of the ISIS threat. The Syrian civil war was a godsend for these jihadi groups. And unless the United States is prepared to expand its area of operations and to develop a sustained, aggressive strategy to contain if not destroy the ISIS presence in Syria, any effort in Iraq will at best produce a short-term success. Having willfully avoided militarizing the U.S. role in Syria, the President may well go ahead and do so now, with all the risks of mission creep. Attacking ISIS will also help Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Iran in Iraq. A serious strategy . And that brings us to the most difficult dimension of this entire problem. Without a serious and sustained strategy that has a military, counterterrorism, political and economic component, including mobilizing the international community, it's hard to see how the Obama administration can realistically put these Humpty Dumptys back together again. To do that would mean American involvement -- for starters CIA or special forces in an advisory capacity, most likely functioning clandestinely. Airstrikes, even if they worked to check ISIS, would have to be used repeatedly over time. And more training for the Iraqi military -- most likely with advisers on the ground to instruct in the use of sophisticated military equipment -- would be necessary. And despite all of this, it's likely that ISIS may still be able to secure enclaves in Iraq. Haven't we seen this movie before? It was called Iraq 2003-2011, and it clearly didn't have a happy ending. So, Mr. President, you probably have no other choice but to get sucked back into Iraq with military strikes. It might even have positive short-term results. But it likely won't over time. Triumphalist Shia, unhappy Sunnis, Iranian influence, and Kurdish separatists will guarantee it. Iraq was a trap for America once before. It will be again. 5 predictions revisited: Iraq's troubles are years in the making . | Writer: Obama administration will likely yield to pressure to act on ISIS advances in Iraq . He says it should not. The U.S. could not have prevented crisis. Bad Iraqi governance was key . He says any success repelling ISIS in Iraq will be short-lived unless U.S. also does so in Syria . U.S. would need sustained strategy if it is to address crisis. We've seen this movie before, he says . | 1cc752cbd40569f5bfb87eb9f36c068aa3d88e62 |
By . Hamish Mackay for MailOnline . Follow @@H_Mackay . Cristiano Ronaldo returned to training with Real Madrid after missing Portugal's defeat to Albania through injury. The 29-year-old looked in rude health as he prepared for Real's league match against local rivals and defending champions Atletico Madrid. But Sami Khedira's troubles appear to have deepened after the German midfielder underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Cristiano Ronaldo was back in training ahead of Real's match against local rivals Atletico Madrid . The Ballon d'Or winner was a spectator as his country were beaten 1-0 by Albania in Aveiro . Khedira was already sidelined as he was recovering from a left hamstring injury sustained last month. The European champions did not say how long they expect Khedira to be out for. The 27-year-old tore a right knee ligament last November and didn't play until May, returning just in time to feature in the World Cup. A proposed summer move to Arsenal had looked likely for the former Stuttgart man but his wage demands ultimately killed the deal. Javier Hernandez signed for Madrid after finding his opportunities limited at Manchester United . Toni Kroos challenges former Malaga star Isco as the European Champions prepare to face Atletico Madrid . James Rodriguez couldn't help Colombia as they were beaten 1-0 by Brazil in a friendly in Miami . Sergio Ramos scored the opening goal for Spain as they beat Macedonia 5-1 . Karim Benzema came off the bench for France as they drew 1-1 with Serbia in a friendly but failed to score . Iker Casillas had one of his better performances for Spain, pulling off some impressive saves . | Cristiano Ronaldo trains with Real Madrid . Ballon d'Or winner missed Portugal's defeat to Albania through injury . Sami Khedira has undergone knee surgery . German midfielder was already out with hamstring problems . Carlo Ancelotti's side face Atletico Madrid this weekend . | 59c61bf0c244c466f0a5e95bad2338ff1c8d9dc3 |
By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 03:24 EST, 30 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:05 EST, 30 May 2013 . Two men have been killed after Hurricane Barbara hit Mexico's southern Pacific coast yesterday, flooding roads and toppling trees before weakening to a tropical storm as it spread inland. There were reports of 60mph winds and intense rainfall battering the coast, which prompted authorities to erect shelters and suspend schools as it tried to deal with the storm. Local emergency services said a . 61-year-old U.S male surfer drowned during . the storm. A 26-year-old Mexican man was killed as he tried to cross a . river. Scroll down for video . Tropical storm 'Barbara' became a category 1 hurricane as it hit the coasts in Oaxaca and Chiapas, in southern Mexico . Hurricane Barbara drenched the sparsely populated stretch of Mexico's southern Pacific coast . The director of civil defense for Oaxaca . state, Manuel Maza Sanchez, said the surfer, from Colorado, died . while surfing at Playa Azul, a beach near the resort town of Puerto . Escondido, when Barbara hit as a Category 1 . hurricane about 120 miles (200 kilometers) to the east. He said the man was dragged out by waves kicked up by Barbara and then battered against the shore. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City was not immediately able to confirm the man's name, nationality or hometown. Maza Sanchez also said the Mexican drowned in the nearby city of Pinotepa Nacional while trying . to cross a rain-swollen creek. Very strong winds and intense rainfall had hit the region and power outages were reported . A police officer walks outside a damaged store covered in broken glass caused by high winds after Hurricane Barbara passed through Arriaga . According to media reports, 14 fishermen disappeared in the state of Oaxaca during the storm, but local emergency services said they could not confirm that information. The hurricane was churning north-northeast at about 9mph and is expected to weaken rapidly overnight, the NHC said. Mr Maza said that very strong winds and intense rainfall had hit the region and that power outages were reported. Mexican state oil monopoly Pemex said that operations were normal at its biggest refinery, located in the port of Salina Cruz. The plant has the capacity to process 330,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Ports for small vessels in the area have been closed and emergency services in Oaxaca said they evacuated residents from some areas as a precaution, including the immediate vicinity of the refinery. This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite image shows the southern Pacific coastal area of Mexico, where the hurricane killed two men . Tropical Storm Barbara became a hurricane in the Pacific as it neared Mexico's southern coast and forged a course towards the country's biggest oil refinery . It drenched the sparsely populated stretch of Mexico with rain after making the second-earliest landfall since reliable record-keeping began in 1966. On May 23, the National Hurricane Center had said odds favoured a below-normal hurricane season in the eastern Pacific for 2013. It said 11 to 16 named storms were likely, below the 15-storm annual average for 1981-2010. But Barbara appeared to start the Pacific season unusually early, and such storms often form closer to the resort of Acapulco, to the west. Officials in Oaxaca had rushed to prepare emergency shelters and suspended school for children in coastal communities as rain began lashing the coast when the storm formed close to shore. The area first hit by the storm is a largely undeveloped stretch of coastal lagoons, punctuated by small fishing villages. The major Gulf oil port of Coatzacoalcos is located on the other side of the narrow waist of Mexico known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. But the hurricane center predicted Barbara would dissipate into a rain system well before reaching Coatzacoalcos. Maza Sanchez said classes would be suspended at schools along the coast for the rest of the week. Storm shelters were set up in 20 towns and hamlets, and such shelters are often installed at schools. | Man, 61, from Colorado, died while surfing on at Playa Azul . Mexican man, 26, died while trying to cross a river . 14 fisherman have disappeared during storm . Hurricane Barbara hit Mexico's southern Pacific coast . | 194fa49afd2bdf191762cea2bb8b4abd967841a7 |
By . James Black . PUBLISHED: . 16:14 EST, 24 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:13 EST, 25 December 2012 . Christians from the world over packed Manger Square in Bethlehem Monday to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the ancient West Bank town where he was born. For their Palestinian hosts, this holiday season was an especially joyous one, with the hardships of the Israeli occupation that so often clouded previous celebrations eased by the United Nations' recent recognition of an independent state of Palestine. In his annual pre-Christmas homily, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, said the road to actual freedom was still long, but this year's festivities were doubly joyful, celebrating 'the birth of Christ our Lord and the birth of the state of Palestine.' Thousands of pilgrims flock to Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, the site revered as the birthplace of Jesus . A 55-foot Christmas tree towers above the revelers outside the Church of the Nativity . Musicians perform on stage in Manger Square as the evening celebrations kick in . A pilgrim holds a candle and song text book in the 'Grotto', in the . Church of Nativity . A Palestinian vendor sells balloons and Christmas hats at the gathering in Manger Square . 'The path (to statehood) remains long, and will require a united effort,' added Twal, a Palestinian citizen of Jordan, at the patriarchate's headquarters in Jerusalem's Old City. Then he set off in a procession for the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace. There, he was reminded that life on the ground for Palestinians has not changed since the U.N. recognized their state last month in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Twal had to enter the biblical town through a massive metal gate in the barrier of towering concrete slabs Israel built between Jerusalem and Bethlehem during a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in the last decade. The Israeli military, which controls the crossing, said it significantly eased restrictions for the Christmas season. Israel, backed by the United States, opposed the statehood bid, saying it was a Palestinian ploy to bypass negotiations. Talks stalled four years ago. Hundreds of people greeted Twal in Manger Square, outside the Church of Nativity. The mood was festive under sunny skies, with children dressed in holiday finery or in Santa costumes, and marching bands playing in the streets. After nightfall, a packed Manger Square, resplendent with strings of lights, decorations and a 17-meter (55-foot) Christmas tree, took on a festival atmosphere. A Palestinian security officer stands guard as Christian worshippers and tourists celebrate at Manger Square . The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, center right, attends Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem . Fuad Twal, head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories, waves to worshipers upon his arrival at the Church of the Nativity . A choral group from the Baptist Church in Jerusalem performed carols on one side of the square, handing out sheets of lyrics and encouraging others to sing along with songs such as 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas.' Festivities led up to the Midnight Mass at St. Catherine's Church, next to the fourth-century Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born. Devout Christians said it was a moving experience to be so close to the origins of their faith. 'It's a special feeling to be here, it's an encounter with my soul and God,' said Joanne Kurczewska, a professor at Warsaw University in Poland, who was visiting Bethlehem for a second time at Christmas. Foud Twal holds the Baby Jesus at the end of the Christmas Midnight Mass as he and clergy visit and pray in the 'Grotto', where Christians believe Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ . Catholic nuns from the Sisters of Bethlehem pray during midnight mass to mark Christmas in the Beit Jamal Monastery near Jerusalem . A worshiper lights a candle, at the Church of the Nativity, as she attends the Christmas celebrations . Pastor Al Mucciarone, 61, from Short Hills, New Jersey, agreed. 'We come here to celebrate Jesus. This is a very important town. Great things come from small events. The son of God was born in this small village. We hope all will follow Jesus,' he said. Audra Kasparian, 45, from Salt Lake City, Utah, called her visit to Bethlehem 'a life event to cherish forever. It is one of those events that is great to be a part of.' Christmas is the high point of the year in Bethlehem, which, like the rest of the West Bank, is struggling to recover from the economic hard times that followed the violent Palestinian uprising against Israel that broke out in late 2000. Tourists and pilgrims who were scared away by the fighting have been returning in larger numbers. Last year's Christmas Eve celebration produced the highest turnout in more than a decade, with some 100,000 visitors, including foreign workers and Arab Christians from Israel. A member of the clergy holds a cross as he waits for the arrival of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal outside the Church of the Nativity earlier in the day on Christmas Eve . Members of the clergy wait for the arrival Fouad Twal before the procession . Hundreds of Catholic clergymen gather for the biggest event of the year for Christian pilgrims . Nigerian pilgrims visit the Church of Nativity . A Nigerian pilgrim carries a child on her back on the visit to the Church of Nativity . Christmas Eve brought thousands of tourists and Christian Arabs to the streets of Bethlehem . The Israeli Tourism Ministry predicted a 25 percent drop from that level this year, following last month's clash between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, which put a chill on tourist arrivals. Foreign tourists heading to Bethlehem must pass through Israel or the Israel-controlled border crossing into the West Bank from Jordan. Outside the town's quaint Manger Square, Bethlehem is a drab, sprawling town with a dwindling Christian base. Overall, there are only about 50,000 Christians in the West Bank, less than 3 percent of the population, the result of a lower birthrate and increased emigration. Bethlehem's Christians make up only a third of the town's residents, down from 75 percent a few decades ago. Clergymen take part in the Christmas celebrations outside the Church of the Nativity . Catholic clergy make their way out of the Church of the Nativity during the day of celebration . Elias Joha, a 44-year-old Christian who runs a souvenir store, said even with the U.N. recognition, this year's celebrations were sad for him. He said most of his family has left, and that if he had the opportunity, he would do the same. 'These celebrations are not even for Christians because there are no Christians. It is going from bad to worse from all sides ... we are not enjoying Christmas as before.' Located on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem has the highest unemployment in the West Bank, but the tourist boom of Christmas offered a brief reprieve. Officials say all 34 hotels in the town are fully booked for the Christmas season, including 13 new ones built this year. A boy looks up at a Christmas tree during Christmas celebrations outside the Church of the Nativity . Israel turned Bethlehem over to Palestinian civil control a few days before Christmas in 1995, and since then, residents have been celebrating the holiday regardless of their religion. Many Muslims took part in celebration Monday as well. Christians across the region marked the holiday. In Iraq, Christians gathered for services with tight security, including at Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church, the scene of a brutal October 2010 attack that killed more than 50 worshippers and wounded scores more. Earlier this month, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who is responsible for the Vatican's outreach to the Middle East's Catholic communities, traveled to Iraq and presided over a Mass to rededicate the church following renovations. In his homily, he remembered those who were killed and expressed hope that 'the tears shed in this sacred place become the good seed of communion and witness and bear much fruit,' according to an account by Vatican Radio. The exact number of Christians remaining in Iraq is not known, but it has fallen sharply from as many as 1.4 million before the U.S.-led invasion nearly a decade ago to about 400,000 to 600,000, according community leaders cited by the US State Department. Catholic priests attend Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem . | Christmas joy as hundreds follow colourful procession through ancient city . Top catholic cleric Fouad Twal says celebrations heightened by UN endorsement of Palestine . City packed with pilgrims from across the globe to mark the birth of their faith . Local Christians concerned that future celebrations will be disturbed by continuing violence . | 221ef37b63eb749d18c0f15296329bff14be0353 |
By . Gerri Peev . PUBLISHED: . 19:20 EST, 13 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:49 EST, 14 December 2012 . Free speech campaigners have hailed a vote by the House of Lords to scrap a draconian law that made it a crime simply to insult someone. The controversial legislation led to countless arrests of ordinary people for making jokes and expressing opinions about religion and sexuality. An amendment to strike out the term 'insult' by Lord Dear, a crossbencher and former West Midlands chief constable, was backed by 150 votes to 54 . Section 5 of the Public Order Act criminalised ‘insulting’ words and behaviour – without defining what the term meant. Critics warned that over- zealous police and prosecutors were abusing the law, leading to ludicrous scenarios such as the conviction of a teenager for saying ‘woof’ to two dogs. An amendment to strike out the term ‘insult’ by Lord Dear, a crossbencher and former West Midlands chief constable, was backed by 150 votes to 54 late on Tuesday. The move was backed despite the Government and Labour peers opposing the change. Liberal Democrats banded with rebel lords from across the parties and crossbench peers to vote for the change. Lord Dear said: ‘We must never lose sight of our basic constitutional freedoms within the law which are so important in any civilised country. ‘That’s why the vote was so important in upholding and enhancing one of those basic freedoms.’ Simon Calvert, of The Christian Institute and campaign director for Reform Section 5, said: ‘We are delighted the House of Lords has voted to enhance free speech for everyone by reforming Section 5. ‘The vote will encourage everyone who believes in robust debate, especially those who feel free speech has become less free in recent years. ‘We now wait to hear whether the Government will try to overturn this vote in the Commons.’ The amendment was passed by the House of Lords as part of the Crime and Courts Bill. It will still need to go through the House of Commons for approval, however, and will need government backing to become law. A senior MP told the Mail Theresa May had become hesitant to change the law following the 'plebgate' row involving former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell . Last night, the Home Office said it was ‘considering’ the arguments for change and ‘will reflect on the Lords’ decision’. A spokesman added: ‘The Government supported the retention of Section 5 as it currently stands, because we believe it is wrong to swear at police officers.’ The Home Office launched a consultation on repealing Section 5 in January, but no decision has yet been reached about whether it will back the change. One senior MP told the Mail the Home Office had taken an unusually long time to deliberate and had ‘become hesitant’ to change the law following the ‘plebgate’ row involving former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell. The MP said: ‘Until Mitchell’s plebgate, we thought the Home Office and police could work this out and agree to drop it. But Theresa May did not want to be seen undermining police in the wake of that.’ Mr Mitchell was accused of swearing at police officers outside Downing Street when he was asked to get off his bicycle. But the intervention last week of the Crown Prosecution Service will heap pressure on the Government to back the change. Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the law could be ‘safely’ amended while still protecting vulnerable people from harassment under existing laws. Police used Section 5 to pursue the following cases . | Section 5 of the Public Order Act criminalised ‘insulting’ words and behaviour . But it had not defined what the term meant, leading to an abuse of the law . A move by Lord Dear, a former West Midlands chief . constable, was backed by 150 votes to 54 . | 6f0df7a4ec49ea55d6de14bd5119ad000986a1d2 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:41 EST, 21 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:48 EST, 21 February 2014 . A devoted American social worker has been stabbed to death by her Indian husband of five months - who then returned to their home and blew himself up. Erin Willinger, 35, a yoga teacher and psychologist from New York, was found dumped in a bush with multiple stab wounds to her face and body in the city of Agra on Thursday night, according to Indian news reports. Her husband, 32-year-old Bunty Sharma, returned to their home, where he is believed to have ignited cooking gas, causing a massive explosion that killed him. The tragedy comes just months after the couple met and married - but accused each other of lying about previous marriages, while Willinger also accused her new husband of infidelity. Loss: Erin Willinger, from New York, was killed by her Indian husband in India on Thursday evening . Tragic: Willinger had only moved to Agra, India in July and met Bunty Sharma, left, whom she married in October. After killing her on Thursday, he returned to their home and blew himself up . Willinger had visited Agra - which is about 120 miles south of New Delhi - with a group of Americans in July and chose to stay after telling the Indo-Asian News Service she wanted to help make the city worthy of 'such a beautiful monument as the Taj Mahal'. After arriving in the city, she met Sharma, a cab driver, and the pair married quickly - celebrating on a rooftop restaurant in front of the Taj Mahal. Officials records note they married on October 11. But within weeks, their marriage began to crumble and by December, they started living separately. Both accused the other of hiding previous marriages and Willinger, who went by the alias Kiran Sharma and also uses the name Erin White, accused her new husband of greed, infidelity and cruelty, the Hindustan Times reported. White approached the Agra Police's . Mediation Cell for Family Matters in January, asking for help and the . couple was put in touch with a counselor, who encouraged them to start . living together again. Suicide: Neighbors rushed to save Sharma after hearing an explosion in his apartment but they found his charred body (center, pixelated) after he apparently lit cooking gas to kill himself . Motive: Bundy allegedly killed her amid arguments over infidelity and lies about their previous marriages . But . the arguments continued and on Thursday evening, Bunty reportedly drove Willinger to a quieter section of the city and stabbed her to death in his . taxi cab. He then shoved her body in bushes along the road, the Hindustan Times reported. He then returned home and locked himself in his room on the second floor. Local residents then said they heard a loud explosion and saw flames erupting from the room. When they rushed inside to rescue him, they found his charred body on the floor. Authorities believe Bunty sparked the blast by igniting gas he had released from a cooking gas cylinder in the apartment. OneIndia reported that police had recovered the blood-stained knife and that the bodies had been sent for autopsies. New life: Willinger, pictured with a friend, said she wanted to stay in Agra 'as long as her body permits' The union home ministry and the American embassy in New Delhi have been informed. A State Department official confirmed Willinger's death. 'We offer our condolences to her family and loved ones on their loss,' the official told MailOnline. 'We are in contact with her family and are providing all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the privacy of those affected, we decline further comment.' Before her death, Willinger had revealed that she was deeply in love with Indian culture and wanted to improve civic conditions in Agra. On the day she was killed, she . addressed a press conference to promote her campaign 'Agra Sunder Hai', . and several local NGOs pledged support to her. She had said she hoped to help Agra with improving its water, plastic waste and garbage disposal. Last . September, she spoke with the Indo-Asian News Service under the name Erin White. She revealed her desire . to stay and help the city, although she had only planned to visit to . help feed leprosy sufferers near the Taj Mahal. Scene: An image is believed to show Sharma's tax cab, in which he stabbed his wife before dumping her body . Investigation: Police swarm the scene where Sharma killed himself. They also recovered the murder weapon . She said that she wanted to stay in Agra until '60 or maybe more - as long as the body permits'. 'This city needs a push,' she said. 'The city is dirty and no one wants to stay back here for a night. You have to teach people to be conscious of hygiene, health and sensibilities of others. You have to build trust and reach out.' She spoke of taking money from the rich to give resources to the poor, and said she hoped to get actors and other celebrities on board to help make programs more attractive. And she was confident that her idea was going to be a success. 'I am talking with so many [students, businessmen and professionals] and they all agree that the time for change has indeed come,' she said. 'You need role models. A democratic society needs inspiring heroes to move ahead. You need success stories to diffuse the clouds of negativity all around.' Location: Willinger was killed in a quiet street in Agra, which is 120 miles south of New Delhi . | Erin Willinger, a yoga teacher from New York, met Bunty Sharma when she visited Agra, India in July and they married in October . But by December they were living separately - Willinger accused Sharma of infidelity and they both said the other lied about previous marriages . On Thursday, he stabbed her and dumped her body before returning to their home and blowing himself up, according to Indian reports . Last year, she told a news agency how she wanted to help the city be worthy of 'such a beautiful place as the Taj Mahal' | bd42a53d20d2bdb0361877757d95b14255825397 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:20 EST, 25 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:21 EST, 25 November 2012 . Two menus from the Titanic have sold for a combined £100,000 at auction. One was for a meal for first-class passengers the day the ship made its maiden voyage on April 10,1912. It was taken as a souvenir by two . fishmonger brothers, Richard and Stanley May, who used the Titanic as a . way to reach Queenstown, Ireland, and departed the next day. Rare: Two menus for lavish lunches on the Titanic have sold for a staggering £100,000 . It was passed down through the family . and brought to auction on November 24, where it sold for a record . breaking price of £64,000. The second menu sold was for a grand . lunch held to celebrate the launch of the Titanic, held at noon on May . 31, 1911 which went for £36,000 in the same sale. Dignitaries indulged in Champagne, . foie gras, sole, lamb and roast beef after watching the luxury liner . slip into the water for the very first time. The event was staged by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast. Hardly any menus for the lunch survive today and this one was kept by one of the 69 guests who attended the event. A small enamel steward’s badge that . was recovered from the drowned body of a passenger on the Titanic was . also sold and went for £36,000. The badge was worn by all stewards who . worked on the liner and this one displays the number 74, believed to be . the individual number for victim Fredrick Wormald. Luxurious: First class passengers would have had the choice of 24 dishes including plaice, steak, and lobster . The 44-year-old, of Testwood Road, . Millbrook, had been wearing his uniform on the night of the disaster and . was one of the 1,522 people who died when Titanic sank. The badge was recovered from his body along with a rusty set of keys that sold for £44,000. Andrew Aldridge, of auctioneers Henry . Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wilts, said: ‘The saleroom was packed and . we had interest from all over the world. ‘There was a lot of interest in the . menu from April 10 because it was from the ship itself, it went for a . record price for a menu from that date. ‘People who would have eaten from it . would have been the cream of the cream, first class aristocrats and the . most A list passengers on the Titanic. ‘It would have been their first meal . on board the ship just after it set sail, they would have gone to their . rooms, dropped off their bags, and gone to the first class restaurant. ‘The menu came off with two surviving . brothers who used the Titanic as a way to cross the Irish sea and . departed the next day when it reached Queenstown. Tragic: The Titanic is pictured as it leaves Southampton on its ill-fated voyage . ‘It was placed into an album by the . brothers and passed down through the family before it came to auction, . and was bought by an overseas collector. ‘We are very pleased with the auction, it was superb and we had numerous international phone and internet bidders. ‘The keys were fought over by several . bidders but eventually went to an overseas collector, and the launch . menu was sold to a UK collector.’ For luncheon on board, guests . could choose from consomme jardiniere, hodge podge, beef steak and . kidney pie, and roast surrey capon. They could select grilled mutton chops or mashed, fried, and baked jacket potatoes from the grill. Rice pudding, apples manhattan, and pastry were also on offer. There was a selection of fresh . lobsters, potted shrimps, soused herrings, sardines, roast beef, round . of spiced beef, virginia and cumberland ham, bologna sausage, brawn, . corned ox tongue, lettuce, and tongue from the buffet. Guests then had the opportunity to . choose from a range of cheeses, which were Cheshire, Stilton, . Gorgonzola, Edam, Camembert, Roquefort, and St Ivel. The menu from the lunch which . celebrated the launch of the Titanic in May 31, 1911 includes champagne, . foie gras, sole, lamb, and roast beef. | One menu taken as souvenir by two brothers who disembarked in Ireland . It had been kept in the family and fetched £64,000 at a sale in Wiltshire . Second menu was for a grand lunch held to celebrate the launch of Titanic . This one was kept by one of the 69 guests that attended and made £36,000 . | 4a7837fc0666b47d9b1e5dda50da791e9c565626 |
(CNN) -- Why does French dressmaker Chanel always seem chic? What does British seamstress Vivienne Westwood have that others don't? And even though it's been 25 years since "Top Gun", why does everybody still want a pair of Ray Bans? The short answer is, they're just really cool. It might be a subjective concept -- one man's cool Hawaiian party shirt is another's discarded Christmas gift -- but certain brands do seem to stay in fashion forever. It's a phenomenon highlighted by the UK's annual top 20 "Cool Brands" list released today. Top of the pile is Aston Martin, James Bond's car-maker of choice, followed by Apple and motorbike designer Harley Davidson. But numerous fashion labels make it onto the list, with Rolex highest among them at number four, followed by Nike, British designer Alexander McQueen and perennially cool Ray Ban sunglasses. Why denim never fades from fashion . So, how did these brands manage to acquire this ineffable quality -- at least in the eyes of the Brits? We ask chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis and "CoolBrand" council chairman Stephen Cheliotis for his six rules of cool. 1. Style is everything . From the door handles to the website and the tags on the clothes to marketing events: If people are to be persuaded a brand is the height of cool, the devil is in the detail, says Cheliotis. "It's not just about making your clothes look good," he insists. "Absolutely everything associated with the brand has to exude style -- from the packaging to the company website, to the type-face on the inside label." 2. Never try too hard . No one likes a busybody and, says Cheliotis, even the word "cool" suggests a certain relaxed approach. "The original idea of being cool is being laid back, not running around like a headless chicken trying desperately hard to please everyone." This, he says, is true for people and fashion brands alike. So, if it feels like a brand is trying way too hard to impress -- chasing every trend going, for example -- then it probably won't. Celebrity fashion labels: The good, the bad and the ugly . 3. Stay true to the brand . It's not cool to fake it. In other words, if a company began life selling pretty knitwear, it should think very carefully before venturing into, say, leather jackets. "You must always remain true to your roots," instructs Cheliotis. "Shoppers want something authentic and it's obvious when you're out of your comfort zone." Designer Alexander McQueen may have recently passed away, he adds, but it doesn't mean that his eponymous label should be tempted to change its style. "As long as it (the label) sticks to his original vision it will probably stay on the list." 4) Keep evolving . This might sound at odds with the previous rule but, according to Cheliotis, it's certainly not. "One of the reasons we keep seeing the same brands on the list, like Nike and Rolex, is because they're always innovative, but at the same time they retain their core identity." 5) Don't be promiscuous . Some fashion houses squander their hard fought cool rep by plastering a company logo on everything that moves. In Cheliotis' view, bootmaker Dr. Martens have been guilty in recent years of such profligacy. "They were known for making really sturdy, simple and good quality footwear. Now they've plastered their name on everything, it's cheapened the brand and undermined their core product." 6) Be humble . A stark word of warning for self-satisfied designers everywhere. "Successful brands don't fixate over being cool, instead they just do their own their own thing, stick to their founding principles and follow what they think is right," says Cheliotis. In other words, if you think you're cool, you probably won't be for much longer. | Top "Cool Brands" list has been released, includes seven fashion labels . Rolex and Chanel all make the cut. What do they have that other brands don't? We ask "Cool Brands" council chairman to tell share the secrets of cool brands . | 9e81984522fe827a740dc6993cc1d54625d9c099 |
Luxury goods worth more than £11 million are to be seized from a Saudi princess to pay her shopping bills, a Paris judge ordered today. Maha Al-Sudairi, who was once married to the country’s late Crown Prince, helped herself to millions of pounds worth of goods whenever she visited the French capital. As well as art works and jewellery, they included £5,500 worth of luxury chocolates, and £1.4m on the hire of two Rolls Royce Phantoms and ‘around 30 chauffers’ to take her shopping. Maha Al-Sudairi last year failed to settle a £5.5m bill with the Shangri-la Hotel (pictured) after she took over an entire floor with 60 servants for six months . Last year, Mrs Al-Sudairi took over an entire floor at the four star Shangri-la Hotel with 60 servants for six months, but failed to settle the £5.5m bill. When King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia refused to pay for her stay, she claimed diplomatic immunity and moved to the Royal Monceau Hotel nearby. The 58-year-old has now been sued by six creditors through a court in the suburb of Nanterre. A judge ruled that three storage units registered to the princess should be opened, and their contents sold so as to pay off her debts. The princess, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, is the divorced wife of the late Saudi Crown Prince and interior minister, Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He died last June, just as Mrs Al-Sudairi left the Shangri-la. In 2009 the princess was urged to stay away from France after running up unpaid bills of £14m. The princess is known to have bought three storage units in central Paris, where she is believed to have stashed her wares from her shopping trips around the French capital . She is known to have bought three storage units in central Paris, where she is believed to have stashed her wares from her shopping trips around the French capital – said to include luxury leather goods, artworks, jewellery, and clothing worth up to £10 million. A spokesman for the Shangri-La said the hotel was pleased at the judge's ruling, but did not expect the bill to be settled soon. 'The princess's belongings will need to be valued and then sold at auction, and even then we may need to take international legal action against the princess before we see any cash,' he said. The princess's fabulously wealthy credentials meant her IOU notes handed to shopkeepers reading 'payment to follow' were usually accepted. Over the past years, up to 30 of Paris's most exclusive luxury goods retailers have fallen foul of her credit notes. Jacky Giami, owner of Paris's Key Largo leisure wear store, said the princess and her relatives pillaged his shop of more than £100,000 worth of stock three years ago. He said he spent days loitering in the bar of the Georges V hotel hoping to confront her, only to learn she had fled to London. In 1995, Princess Maha was accused of assaulting a servant in Orange County, Florida, whom she suspected of stealing £150 000 from her. No charges were filed. | Maha Al-Sudairi helped herself to goods worth millions in French capital . IOU notes handed to shopkeepers were usually accepted . Judge has now ruled contents of three storage units to be sold off . | 9f6749f8f6634fcd13a2528a72500072f8e7e9e2 |
Major League Baseball umpire Dale Scott says he is gay, the latest such disclosure in sports. Scott has been a member of the big league staff since 1986 - meaning 29 seasons - and is a crew chief. He worked the World Series in 1998, 2001 and 2004. The 55-year-old told the website Outsports.com he married Michael Rausch in November 2013 and that MLB and the other umpires were aware of his sexuality. Scott said he made a deliberate decision to go public in a low-key manner. He had provided Referee magazine a photo of himself with Rausch going to last year's opening series in Sydney for an October story. The caption in the issue stated: 'He and his longtime companion, Michael Rausch, traveled to Australia for the 2014 season opener between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers.' In the game: Dale Scott, seen on June 5 calling out St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina after a play review, says he is gay and that he married his longtime partner in November 2013 . Scott said in a story posted by Outsports on Tuesday that 'My thought process was, is that there's a story about my career and how I got started in umpiring and they're talking to people I have known since junior high and it didn't seem right to have a whole story and pictures without a picture of Mike and I, someone who's been with me through this entire process. We met the October after my first year in the big leagues. 'Obviously, when I sent that picture to Jeff [Stern, Referee magazine's editor], I knew exactly what it meant. In a small way, this was opening that door in a publication that wasn't going to be circulated nationwide. It could be picked up, but it's not Time magazine. I made that decision to go ahead and do it because I felt it was the right thing to do.' He continued, 'I realized that it could open a Pandora's Box, but this is not a surprise to Major League Baseball, the people I work for. It's not a surprise to the umpire staff. Until Mike and I got married last November, he was my same-sex domestic partner and had his own MLB I.D. and was on my insurance policy. 'This is not going to be some huge flashing news to Park Avenue [MLB headquarters], but I also didn't want to be making some coming out story, some banner headline, because that's not how I operate. It's not a shock to MLB management because they're well aware of my situation and it's not a shock to the umpire staff. If it would have been, I don't think I would have done it.' Tough call: Scott is seen in a dispute with Texas Rangers' Ron Washington and Gerald Laird during an August 2008 game . Scott did not hear from anyone regarding the publication of the image showing him and his husband though he received congratulatory comments for the profile, Outsports reported. According to the website, Scott and Rausch first crossed paths when they were both at the same Portland gay bar in 1986. Scott told Outsports 'It's still a headline, look at Michael Sam. People scream at me because I'm an umpire. The last thing I want is people screaming at me because I'm gay. I'm an umpire who happens to be gay. I'm not trying to be some gay person who happens to be an umpire.' Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig praised Scott. 'To his friends and colleagues throughout the game, Dale is universally regarded as a class act,' he said in a statement. 'All of us at Major League Baseball are very proud of him, just as we have always been.' Scott's decision to go public follows that of others in sports. Basketball center Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in one of the major North American professional leagues in April 2013. He announced his retirement last month at age 35. Defensive end Michael Sam, the Southeastern Conference's 2013 co-defensive player of the year, came out in February. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the 249th pick in May, cut in August, signed by Dallas for its practice squad, then released by the Cowboys in October. Midfielder Robbie Rogers announced he was gay in February 2013 following his release from Leeds in England. He signed with Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy that May and has revived his career this year with a move to defender. University of Massachusetts junior guard Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay player in Division I men's basketball in April. He made his announcement on ESPN and Outsports. Other out professional players include WNBA stars Brittney Griner and Seimone Augustus and National Women's Soccer League players Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe. | Major League Baseball umpire Dale Scott says he is gay, the latest such disclosure in sports . Scott has been a member of the big league staff since 1986 and has worked three World Series . The 55-year-old has said he married Michael Rausch in November 2013 and that MLB and the other umpires were aware of his sexuality . | e85b87ef49f861d922fa8564cf6a21c2285fb667 |
(CNN) -- The 161 passengers aboard United Flight 1603 must have known something was wrong when a crew member announced on the cabin loudspeaker if anyone aboard was a physician. The pilot, Capt. Henry Skillern, 63, was suffering a heart attack. The in-flight emergency Thursday night that began somewhere in the skies between Houston and Seattle prompted the 737 to divert to Boise, Idaho. Air traffic controllers radioed the plane's first officer who updated them with the captain's condition. "We got a man down, chest compressions going on right now," the first officer said. "I'm not sure too much right now on status." Once the aircraft was on the ground, first responders boarded and rushed Skillern to Boise's Saint Alphonsus hospital, where he later died. The tragedy threatens to reignite the debate over FAA age restrictions for commercial airline pilots. In 2007, the mandatory pilot retirement age was raised from 60 to 65. At that time the FAA said five pilots -- their ages ranging from 48 to 57 -- had died in-flight since 1994, when the FAA began following that statistic. Related story: Health vs. experience central to pilot-age debate . When the FAA was considering raising the retirement age, then-administrator Marion Blakey underscored the value of pilot experience, calling it "an added margin of safety." "Foreign airlines have demonstrated that experienced pilots in good health can fly beyond age 60 without compromising safety," she said. Friday, former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo said she doesn't believe the Flight 1603 tragedy alone will fuel a new debate over the issue. But she says it does point out the importance of careful pilot health screening. "People die everyday from unanticipated heart attacks, but in many cases you can find problems when you do a rigorous physical," says Schiavo, who's now at the law firm Motley Rice, where she specializes in aviation. The FAA has already shown signs that it's looking more closely at other pilot related health issues, including the effects of prescription and over-the-counter medications. "I think the FAA will probably revisit whether they're monitoring pilot health stringently enough," Schiavo says. Current FAA regulations call for a medical examination every year for commercial airline pilots under age 40 and every six months for those over age 40. To pass the exam, they must not have an established medical history or diagnosis of coronary heart disease that has required treatment. All airline pilots are required to get EKG heart checks at the age of 35. For those age 40 and older, annual EKGs are required. And airline pilots are required to report any heart disease to the FAA, regardless of when they learn about it. It wasn't immediately known whether Capt. Skillern was piloting the plane at the time he became incapacitated. Typically, there are two pilots in the cockpit so that during an emergency, either pilot can quickly take control of the aircraft. Flight 1603's passengers waited at the Boise airport until United flew in another pilot from San Francisco, before they were able to continue their journey to Seattle. CNN's John Branch and Mike M. Ahlers contributed to this report. | United Capt. Henry Skillern, 63, of Humble, Texas, died after heart attack, according to coroner . Tragedy threatens to renew debate over mandatory pilot retirement age . "We got a man down, chest compressions going on right now," crew member radios . United Flight 1063 diverted to Boise, Idaho, where paramedics took the pilot to a hospital . | f9c8c2ec34dd03c5fb16199c0c1386eeabe6ff47 |
By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 03:30 EST, 15 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:08 EST, 15 October 2012 . A campaign aimed at preventing bullying in schools across the U.S. is being boycotted by a conservative Christian group that claims it promotes homosexuality among students. Mix It Up At Lunch Day, which sees schoolchildren encouraged to sit with fellow pupils they wouldn't normally spend time with, is designed to break up social cliques and stop students feeling isolated, organisers say. But the American Family Association, a conservative evangelical group, has branded the project a 'nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools'. Mix It Up: Organisers of the event say it is designed to help break down social barriers and curb bullying in schools . Around 200 schools have cancelled plans to hold Mix It Up At Lunch Day on October 30 after the association e-mailed parents urging them to keep their children at home on the day of the event. Maureen Costello, from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which launched the programme 11 years ago, said the Christian group had lied to parents about the aims of the event and reverted to a 'cynical, fear-mongering tactic'. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently added the American Family Association - which describes itself as acting to 'restrain evil by exposing the works of darkness' - to its national list of active hate groups, which also includes neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers. But Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the association, said it was not a hate group but rather 'a truth group'. He said that, while Mix It Up Day does not specifically address homosexual students, the Law Center promotes equal treatment for gay and lesbian pupils and that philosophy informs the event. 'It's just another thinly veiled attempt to promote the homosexual agenda,' Mr Fischer told the New York Times. 'No one is in favour of anyone getting bullied for any reason, but these anti-bullying policies become a mechanism for punishing Christian students who believe that homosexual behaviour is not something that should be normalised.' 'Truth group': Bryan Fischer has accused organisers behind Mix It Up Day of trying to promote 'the homosexual agenda' Ms Costello, director of the Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project, told the newspaper Mix It Up Day was not about sexual orientation but rather about breaking up fixed social cliques, which can be especially evident in school cafeterias. She said pupils who are gay or perceived to be gay can often be on the receiving end of bullying at school, but insisted any suggestion the programme was intended as a means of homosexual indoctrination was totally wrong. 'We’ve become used to the idea of lunatic fringe attacks but this one was complete misrepresentation,' she said. Only one of around 200 schools that have cancelled planned Mix It Up Days agreed to comment. The Chattahoochee County Education Center in Cusseta, Georgia, said it decided to cancel because teachers were too busy trying to meet state teaching requirements, and not because it wanted to take a position on gay rights. 'Complete misrepresentation': The Southern Poverty Law Center said the Christian group had lied to parents about what Mix It Up Day stands for . The Avon Grove Charter School in rural Pennsylvania is still planning to hold Mix it Up At Lunch Day for its 1,600 students, despite complaints from parents. Headteacher Kevin Brady said the e-mail from the American Family Association described an event that bore 'absolutely no resemblance to what we do'. He said that once parents understood how the programme actually worked, they saw no reason not to allow their children to attend school. On Mix It Up At Lunch Day students are each assigned a number and then paired up by school officials to sit together at lunch time. | Mix It Up Day was launched as a means of breaking up cliques and preventing bullying at schools in the U.S. Sees pupils encouraged to sit with somebody they wouldn't normally choose to at lunchtime . Conservative group the American Family Association has described it as a 'nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle' in public schools . Around 200 schools have cancelled the event after the evangelical group urged parents to keep their children at home on the day of the event . | 7daf29cb81b08f2f1a381c13f58ee9a0cf05815f |
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