article
stringlengths 310
11.4k
| highlights
stringlengths 45
2.68k
| id
stringlengths 40
40
|
|---|---|---|
At the age of 20, I was going to have to spend the rest of my whole life . looking like Albert Steptoe. Or at least that's what I told myself on . the day a dentist grabbed my cracked front tooth, tore it out without . warning and gave me a denture. For the past 18 years I've lived with a plastic plate on the roof of my mouth and an utter fear of visiting the dentist. I've . wanted to lose the false tooth and the fear - but time and again my . courage and finances failed me. Ten years ago, I enquired about how to . replace the denture, but the procedure sounded terrifying. Scroll down for video . James Coney prior to receiving treatment (l) and after having a dental implant fitted by Dr Eddie Scher (r) Video courtesy of Studio B Dental . Back then, . getting a more permanent tooth would have involved cutting in half two . good neighbouring teeth and building a bridge with a false tooth over . the gap. No, sireee, that wasn't for me. Finally, though, I've been . nagged into submission by my wife. She never minded the look, but I had . complained about the denture a lot. Also, while in most areas I'd become . less bothered about my appearance the older I got, I found I really . wanted to have a full set of good teeth again. That front tooth had . been knocked out twice - both times playing hockey. When I was 12, a . ball bobbled up, I wasn't wearing a gum shield (idiot) and it cracked my . top front left tooth in half. The dentist removed the nerve and . patched the gaps with filling material. That lasted until a university . hockey match, when I took a stick to the chin. I was wearing a gum . shield this time, but the tooth wobbled loose. I waited months before . visiting the same dentist. He pushed the tooth then, without warning, . ripped it out. There was a searing pain and my mouth filled with blood. That was enough to fill me with a permanent dread of the dentist. In 15 years, I probably had two check-ups. You can't tell it's not a real tooth as it was carefully matched to the colour of James' existing teeth . But . it did at least prompt me to take good care of the teeth I had left - . steering clear of fizzy drinks and sweets, and becoming a meticulous . brusher. Probably more by luck than judgment, I never seemed to suffer . any problems. The denture itself - a plastic plate with a plastic . tooth attached to it - was a neat fit, and unless you really stared, you . couldn't tell the plastic tooth from the real ones. Most . acquaintances never knew I had it - save for the odd mortifying moment . (spitting it into a drink as I chatted to a colleague at a Christmas . party or losing it over the side of a boat on holiday). But there . were times it could cause throbbing pain, particularly where the top of . the plastic tooth rubbed against my gum, and discomfort at the back of . my mouth where the plate met my teeth. Worse, dentists call them 'gum killers', because dentures make gums recede and can cause infection from the constant pressure. There . are an estimated 11 million denture users, and according to the charity . British Dental Health Foundation, most will experience some degree of . difficulty. 'While dentures are a good solution for people who need . them, they are no substitute for natural teeth,' says the charity chief . executive Dr Nigel Carter. Problems include poor fit, ulcers and . difficulty with chewing or speech. 'And the earlier teeth are lost, the . more problems are likely to be experienced in later life as the . supporting bone for a denture shrinks away.' Having an implant fitted . involves drilling a hole in the jawbone and inserting a screw, which . will then hold a replacement porcelain tooth in place. Last December, . I made an appointment with Dr Eddie Scher in Chelsea, London, who is a . leading specialist in oral surgery. As I sat in his waiting area, my . hands went clammy, my legs shook. I'd crossed the rubicon. Dr Scher came into the room and cracked a weak gag. I chuckled and he led me to his surgery.'Do . you know why I made that joke?' he asked. 'I'd already started the . consultation. I wanted to see how you smile - to see if you had a big . Julia Roberts grin. 'I need to see if you show your gums when you smile, and then we can be sure we get the right tooth for you.' The drop in heart attack risk by having teeth cleaned by a dentist at least twice in two years . As many as one in ten adults suffers from dental phobia: it is the third most common phobia after agoraphobia and heights. A . phobia of dentists is triggered by many things - the sound of the . drills, fear of choking, chronic embarrassment, the needles. Mine is all . about fear of pain and the powerlessness. You can get it treated. A . specialist clinic at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London treats . 3,000 to 4,000 patients a year for dental phobia and has long waiting . lists. Or you can find a dentist who is particularly supportive. Dr . Scher is a walking, talking anaesthetic. His soft-spoken charm put me at . total ease even as he ran through the various procedures. There . were risks. The implant might not fix in my mouth, it could get . infected. Then there was talk of making incisions and fixing things in . my mouth. They sounded terrifying - but Dr Scher described them so . practically that by the end of the conversation I was almost ready to go . ahead there and then. 'We're going to do a tooth in a day,' he . said. I was staggered, having imagined weeks of appointments. Implant . surgery has come on hugely since I last checked. These days, using . the latest X-rays, 3D imaging and piezo drill technology - a special . type of precision drill - Dr Scher would drill precisely into my jaw and . insert a screw socket. If needed, bits of bone from my jaw could be . grafted on to the implant site to help the healing process and plasma . from my blood used to help heal the area. This would also speed up the . healing of my gum. He'd then put in a tiny screw and cement an implant on top. I'd . be in at 8am and home by 6pm. The success rate is 95 per cent, though . all I could think is that this meant one in every 20 fails and ends up . falling out. And dental implants are not cheap. Classed as cosmetic . surgery, they are not funded by the NHS. A basic implant costs around . £2,000. On the day of the surgery, I was given a sedative. It didn't . knock me out, but made me forget. One minute I was in the waiting room . nervously reading the paper, the next I was being escorted to a room to . sleep off the drug. I'd been in surgery three hours and the screw was . in. I had to wait a few hours for the swelling in my gum to settle . down. By 5pm, a temporary plastic tooth was glued on top and I went home . with a soft toothbrush to use, antibiotics, painkillers - and very . precise instructions to eat soft foods and take care in trying not to . bump the tooth for a couple of months. Some gums bleed in the days after, but luckily mine didn't. A . few weeks later, after the bone had grown around the screw - to ensure . it was firmly in place and my mouth had healed - I had a permanent . porcelain tooth glued over the screw. It should last ten years or . more. You can't even tell it's not a real tooth as it was carefully . matched to the colour of my existing teeth. Oddly, losing the . denture has proved a bit like losing a limb. Now it's gone, I constantly . think it's there - and when I realise it isn't, I fly into a quiet . panic thinking everyone can see me toothless. And then I remember... The new tooth does need extra care - particularly flossing, to make sure nothing gets stuck around the top of it. But . not having that horrible plastic plate in my mouth has been joyful. I . can barely believe I put off having the surgery for almost two decades. | James Coney's front tooth had been knocked out twice while playing hockey . He'd asked about replacing the denture, but procedure 'sounded terrifying' Last December he saw Dr Eddie Scher, a 'walking, talking anaesthetic' The supportive dentist fitted him with a colour-matched dental implant . | 29dd3126972298c0f54eb245ae58a8869ff205d0 |
If you think golf balls don't strike twice, you'd be wrong... as a Tiger Woods fan found out in rather painful fashion yesterday. The German tourist was enjoying the final round of the World Golf Championships in Doral, Florida, when the golfing legend's opening tee shot landed squarely on his head, spurting blood over his white polo shirt. An apologetic Woods came over to the man, who had travelled thousands of mile to see his hero play, and autographed a glove hoping it would seal the end of his bad luck. Ouch! The German tourist was enjoying the final round of the World Golf Championships at the Trump National in Doral, Florida, when the golfing legend's opening tee shot landed squarely on his head . Bloody: The man, who did not want to give his name, was forced to stem the bleeding with a hanky . Funny side: But he managed to see the funny side after Woods came over to apologise . 'And I get this souvenir,' he said, almost smiling as he held up the ball. 'Sorry about that,' woods replied before handing him the signed glove. But minutes later the exact same thing happened again, forcing Woods to hand over a second signed glove with an accompanying apology. With glove: Woods then autographed a glove hoping it would seal the end of his bad luck . Not his day: Minutes later the exact same thing happened again, forcing Woods to hand over a second signed glove and its accompanying apology . Back in the buggy: Later, Woods and his girlfriend Lindsey Vonn were pictured as they returned to his famous luxury yacht, Privacy, where they were staying . Lap of luxury: They stayed on the boat which was docked in Miami Beach for about a week as he usually has for the past few years when he comes to play in the annual Cadillac Championship tournament in Miami . The next question, then, wasn't could he catch eventual winner Patrick Reed, but did he have enough golf gloves in his bag? He ended the day with a six-over par 78, beating only two of the field's 68 players. | Woods was competing at the World Golf Championships in Doral, Florida . On his opening tee shot he hit German tourist on the head, drawing blood . He apologised and gave a signed glove to the man who smiled through pain . The same thing happened again on 3rd hole when Woods hit fan on shoulder . Woods finished the round with a six-over-par score, beating just two others . | d2b9c9126206c03f12c5796e7c5acd2b8e0c2724 |
Comic Relief has withdrawn a £100,000 grant to an anti-stalking service headed by leading campaigner Laura Richards – who The Mail on Sunday revealed last week had accused a fellow activist of stalking her. The dramatic development came as this newspaper learned that five frontline caseworkers at Ms Richards's not-for-profit company Paladin – National Stalking Advocacy Service, have resigned in recent weeks. Meanwhile, leading women's safety charity the Suzy Lamplugh Trust has stopped sending stalking victims to Paladin for advice following its own 'concerns' about the organisation and its capacity. Laura Richards, 39, (pictured) the civilian former head of Scotland Yard's controversial Homicide Prevention Unit, accused former campaign partner Harry Fletcher of stalking her . Last week, The Mail on Sunday reported how Ms Richards, 39, had alleged to police that Harry Fletcher – a 68-year-old fellow architect of anti-stalking legislation and a co-founder of Paladin – had stalked her. He strongly denies the allegation. Mr Fletcher, former assistant general secretary of Napo, the probation officers' union, successfully campaigned alongside Ms Richards for a change in the law on stalking in 2012, and the following year they launched Paladin. The new service was awarded large grants from charities, including Comic Relief, which last year pledged £148,000 over three years. But on Friday, Comic Relief said the remainder of its funding, totalling £99,334, was being 'suspended' – an unusual step for the Red Nose Day charity, which raises millions through its annual BBC telethon and other activities. Police have already interviewed Mr Fletcher, a former official of probation officers' union Napo, who is married with children. He strongly denies the allegations . It said: 'As a result of some issues raised by changes within the organisation that have been brought to our attention we have suspended the grant while we investigate further.' Comic Relief said the money destined for Paladin was channelled through domestic violence charity Safer Places, of which Paladin is a subsidiary. Ms Richards, whose salary as Paladin's chief executive is believed to be about £30,000 for a two-day week, set up the London-based organisation to deal with 'high-risk victims of stalking' in England and Wales. She charges up to £1,000 a day for private training work and speaking engagements with police forces and other organisations. Paul Infield, chairman of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said yesterday: 'We have stopped referring clients to Paladin because they didn't appear to us to have capacity. We were referring people and they weren't being picked up. 'I know they lost almost all of their staff. We are concerned about what's been happening recently – the loss of their staff, some of whom were very good, does concern us. 'And the situation – to use a neutral word – between Laura and Harry – concerns everyone within the anti-stalking movement.' Mr Fletcher resigned from Paladin in late 2013. In May 2014, Ms Richards went to police and alleged that he had stalked her – an accusation he categorically denies. Ms Richards told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Fletcher, who is married with children, was 'obsessed' with her and stalked her when she spurned his advances. She said she felt violated as a result. Mr Fletcher, who voluntarily made a statement to police last November, said: 'I completely and utterly deny these allegations and have fully co-operated with the police. I look forward to their inquiry reaching its conclusion.' In a statement, Paladin said: 'The safety of our clients and the high quality of our specialist stalking service has always been of paramount importance and we are continuing to build a strong team of experienced staff and management. Our service is being independently evaluated by a leading academic institution. 'We are taking legal advice regarding allegations made against our CEO and in respect of our service. There is also an ongoing police investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further.' Ms Richards successfully campaigned alongside Mr Fletcher for a change in the law on stalking in 2012, and the following year they launched Paladin . | Laura Richards, 39, accused former campaign partner of stalking her . Worked with Harry Fletcher at Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service . Five top caseworkers at not-for-profit company resigned in recent weeks . Now Comic Relief has withdrawn £100,000 grant from anti-stalking service . Leading women's safety charity has stopping sending victims to service . Mr Fletcher has strongly denied the accusations made against him . | 6a52382e19d9bb2797a6a783a2b8df57d4dab278 |
By . Matthew Tomaszewicz . Michael Bradley talked previously about the USA’s ‘willingness to suffer’ in this World Cup. Few took him as literally as things played out on Monday night. The United States secured a dramatic 2-1 win against Ghana - the team that has bested them at every level they’ve played competitively since they knocked them out of the group stage back in 2006. Embrace: Jurgen Klinsmann hugs his players after USA's 2-1 victory over Ghana . Nutter: John Brooks (left) heading the winner for his side in the closing stages . Joy: The former striker celebrating their dramatic late winner against the Black Stars . In many ways, the game last night was a reverse of the 2010 match. In that one, the States dictated the play to the Black Stars but didn’t finish their chances. On Thursday, Ghana were the aggressor, creating 20 shots to the US’s seven, but could only once find the back of the net. US manager Jurgen Klinsmann has talked incessantly about changing the US soccer system and play technically but for all the rhetoric the US did not control the match last night save for the opening salvo. Clint Dempsey attacked Ghana's right back flank and in goal worthy of questioning, 'Why Soldado for Spurs?' pinged a low liner in off the far post after introducing Ghana centerback John Boye to his jet stream. USA, as most teams do, got tentative after taking the lead and were forced to do so further when Jozy Altidore pulled his hamstring sprinting for an over-the-top ball. The injury and substitution exacerbated a major flaw in Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad selection: no back-up target man. Torn apart: Jozy Altidore grimaces after pulling his hamstring during the game . Banged: Clint Dempsey floored after being kicked in the face . The US - as has been often the case under Klinsmann opted for a pragmatic and conservative approach - unable to hold the ball up the field and unwilling to open up their rear guard through swift counterattacking. It was a painful watch for US fans as the US seemed to go into 'hold on' mode in the 23’. A trading of goals in the closing stages kept the scoreline in the US favor but the US’s preparation - the States used two subs before the 46th minute from non-contact muscle strains - and tactics - an inability to re-purpose the ball to their more dangerous right flank, and the absence of a simple adjustment of moving a striker over a fullback in an attempt to win more outlet duels - should be questioned. At the end of the day it was some simple German fundamentals that Klinsmann instilled early in his coaching tenure - specifically playing a simple holder than many questioned and moving the US centre-backs closer together - that won the day as the US conceded just once. Klinsmann did something his predecessor’s couldn’t - he beat Ghana. Can he keep dealing victories through his audacious tactics is up next? | USA beat Ghana in a dramatic 2-1 victory in Group G at the World Cup . The Black Stars had beaten the Americans by the same scoreline in 2010 . Jurgen Klinsmann lost striker Jozy Altidore to a hamstring injury . US soccer fans made to suffer with 'hold on' mode . | 9a6a6f90893d7ff3d709440cf5a695a280ec4aa8 |
(CNN) -- A Cardiff City fan who became so disillusioned with the rebranding of the football club he followed that he put his support up for auction on eBay has a new team to follow -- Tottenham Hotspur. The final straw for Cardiff fan Ben Dudley was the decision by the Welsh team's Malaysian owners to rebrand the club by insisting they play in red rather than their traditional blue to boost their appeal to Asian audiences. The internet sparked global interest with Dudley's support eventually bought by a Spurs fan for over a thousand dollars. "The reception from Spurs fans that have been in contact with me has been great and I've had offers of help with tickets and people to attend games with," Dudley told CNN. "I will also be looking to attend some Europa League fixtures, with my only previous experience of European football coming from watching Cardiff City win the Algarve Cup against Celtic in 2008." Trips to Tottenham's home ground will involve a 320 mile round-trip for Dudley, but he doesn't seem daunted as at one stage it looked like he might have to travel abroad in his new supporter project. "As the auction began to get worldwide coverage, I moved from getting bids from places such as Bristol, Huddersfield and Nottingham to getting bids from New York, Seattle, Istanbul and the west coast of Australia! "I was rather worried at this stage. Traveling to Middlesbrough and Sunderland away with Cardiff was one thing, but Melbourne Victory away was probably pushing it! "Just when it looked like I would be clocking up some serious air miles, a bidder from north London came in and won the auction with a bid of $1,324." Cardiff City have come agonizingly close to promotion to the Premier League in the last few years, so Dudley is looking forward to experiencing life in English football' s top. "I am most excited about visiting new grounds and the new experiences that Tottenham Hotspur will bring." By a curious twist of fate, Dudley already has an association with Tottenham as his father is a Spurs supporter. "Tottenham Hotspur are the team supported by my father, meaning that I will be able to talk to him about footballers he cares about." The eBay bid has only bought Dudley's support for a season, but he is already making plans for next year in case Cardiff City don't return to being the club he used to support. "I'm praying it's a one season only thing. If it isn't, then I will either stick with Spurs, as I believe they are a club who can restore a bit of my faith in modern football, or donate the cost of my Cardiff season ticket to charity and watch non-league football instead." However, having become so disheartened with Cardiff , the internet auction has gone some way to restoring his faith in football. "While in an ideal world I would still feel connected to Cardiff enough to support them, Tottenham have gone a long way to show the good side of the game. "If you don't get goosebumps when Tottenham fans sing "oh when the Spurs" then you either support one of their rivals or you probably don't like football very much." The winning bid proceeds are to be split between British military charity Help for Heroes and Ty Hafan, a charity that help life-limited children in South Wales. | Ben Dudley put his support up for auction after Cardiff City were rebranded . A winning bid of $1,324 sees him support Tottenham Hotspur next season . Bids on eBay came from Melbourne, New York and Seattle . Dudley's father has always supported Tottenham . | da344b929e66c24669934c9e0b3cbc80a8a0d695 |
Jose Mourinho is to contest his FA misconduct charge when he makes a formal submission to the governing body before Tuesday’s 6pm deadline. The Chelsea manager was charged after claiming there is a ‘campaign’ against the Barclays Premier League leaders when they were denied a penalty in the 1-1 draw at Southampton on December 28. Mourinho, who has generally toned down his comments since his return to English football, has the full support of the club in his case. Jose Mourinho was charged by the FA for saying that there was a campaign against Chelsea . Mourinho (right) talks to his support staff after Cesc Fabregas was booked for diving against Southampton . The Chelsea manager can make representations to the FA disciplinary commission by way of mitigation, but it appears he is most likely to highlight his concerns by requesting a personal hearing. It is understood Mourinho will put together video evidence to support his claim that match officials are failing to award his team key decisions in matches. Mourinho lost control at St Mary’s when referee Anthony Taylor booked Cesc Fabregas for simulation when the Spaniard appeared to be fouled by Southampton defender Matt Targett. At the time he said: ‘There is a campaign against Chelsea. I don't know why there is this campaign and I do not care. Everybody knows it was a penalty.’ Cesc Fabregas is shocked after being denied a penalty and is instead booked for simulation . Fabregas appears to be brought down by Southampton's Matt Targett during the match at St Mary's . Since the charge he has taken a vow of silence and refused to speak with the media ahead of Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea chief sent his assistant coach Steve Holland instead, and it was his deputy who again spoke to the media after the win over John Carver’s Magpies side. An FA statement released last week said: ‘It is alleged his remarks constitute improper conduct in that they allege and/or imply bias on the part of a referee or referees and/or bring the game into disrepute.’ Mourinho has already been issued with a formal warning following his demand for a ‘strong referee’ ahead of Chelsea's 2-0 win at Stoke City on December 22. Chelsea beat Newcastle United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday but Mourinho did not face the media . Assistant manager Steve Holland stepped in for Mourinho at Chelsea's press conference on Friday . | Jose Mourinho was given a misconduct charge by the FA last week . He was charged after claiming a 'campaign' exists against his Chelsea side . Cesc Fabregas was shown a yellow card for simulation instead of being awarded a penalty after going down against Southampton . Mourinho has until 6pm on Tuesday to formally respond to charge . He is expected to use video evidence to support his claims . Click here for more Chelsea news . | a787ddefb7b0fd82e393e6c64cf378d0dbae3996 |
A man battling a rare form of cancer has had part of his face removed in a bid to save his life. Raymond Martin, 63, has facial angiosarcoma, a cancer of the inner lining of blood vessels. The great-grandfather of two has endured a series of operations, the first of which took surgeons 12 hours to remove a tumour from his face. Raymond Martin, 63, from Scotswood, Newcastle, has facial angiosarcoma, a cancer of the inner lining of blood vessels. Here he is pictured before surgery . He first noticed a spot on his cheek but never expected it would lead to a serious cancer diagnosis, which would change his appearance so dramatically. ‘It all started with just a spot and it was nothing special so I didn’t worry about it,’ Mr Martin said. ‘But the spot started to spread so I went to see a GP and it was first thought that it could be a rash or infection and I was given a course of antibiotics.’ However, the antibiotics did not work and because his face got worse, he was sent to hospital for tests. ‘Never in a hundred years, could I have imagined that I would be told I had cancer,’ Mr Martin said. Medics at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary took a skin biopsy from Mr Martin and experts identified that he had a rare form of cancer that was affecting a large part of his face. There was no other option than to perform . life-saving surgery to remove the tumour in a 12 hour operation, with . skin taken from Mr Martin’s thigh, grafted onto his face. The great grandfather of two has endured a series of operations, the first of which took surgeons 12 hours to remove a tumour from his face, where skin from his thigh was used as a graft . It took a number of weeks before Mr Martin plucked up the courage to look at himself in a mirror. ‘I knew that the operation had to be done, so I just had to get on with it, said the father-of-four. ‘I was in hospital for a few weeks and I did feel a bit dubious about how I’d look after the operation as I didn’t know what to expect. ‘When I was going home from hospital I thought “I don’t want to look in the mirror”. ‘It was a few weeks before I had a proper look at myself and I did get frightened as it looked like I had a bandage on my face. ‘I was shocked and worried to go out of the house as I didn’t know what reaction I’d get from people. ‘It took a few months before I left my home and I would spend a lot of time in my bedroom watching TV.’ Mr Martin first noticed a spot on his cheek, which spread (pictured) but never expected it would lead to a serious cancer diagnosis, which would change his appearance so dramatically . Angiosarcoma is a relatively rare soft tissue tumour. It usually occurs in the head, neck, and especially in the scalp of elderly people. Its presentation varies from a small plaque to multifocal nodules. The treatment depends on the extent of the disease, but most cases are treated with wide excision - a surgical procedure to remove a small area of diseased or problematic tissue with a margin of normal tissue - and reconstruction. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are advocated in recurrent or extensive abnormalities in tissue. SOURCE: National Centre for Biotechnology Information . Following the operation, doctors were optimistic that they had removed the whole tumour and Mr Martin underwent an intensive course of chemotherapy in the hope of killing any remaining cancer cells. But, just six months later, the facial angiosarcoma returned and once again he required further treatment at the region’s Northern Centre for Cancer Care. Mr Martin has had a total of six operations, including one to reconstruct his nose, which did not work and will require further facial surgery in the future. Experts have told Mr Martin that it is fortunate the cancer was growing outside his body and was therefore detected in time, as angiosarcoma tumours often grow internally. He said: ‘I feel I’m one of the lucky ones as my cancer was picked up quick enough for treatment. Mr Martin has had a total of six operations, including one to reconstruct his nose, which did not work and will require further facial surgery in the future . ‘I just take things each day at a time, what else can I do? I have to live my life and be happy.’ It is unlikely that Mr Martin’s cancer will be cured and he continues to get chemotherapy once a week with the aim of slowing down the progression of the disease. It is feared he will lose his right eye as the cancer has spread to that area. Mr Martin, his wife Alice, 62, and their family, have received help from Macmillan Cancer Support. | Raymond Martin, 63, from Scotswood, Newcastle, has facial angiosarcoma, a cancer of the inner lining of blood vessels . First developed a small spot on his cheek but never dreamt would be cancer . The great grandfather has endured a . series of operations, the first of which took surgeons 12 hours to . remove the tumour from his face . | 10d9f90714516a957e441fb94c5108af3645daa9 |
(CNN) -- A tangle of dresses, skirts, jeans, suits, shirts and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume greeted Pamela Swidler when she opened her closet each morning. It was overwhelming and made her feel like she had nothing to wear. After submitting a photo of her overstuffed closet to Jill Martin, the closet guru helped Swidler to throw out most of her clothes. "I'm amazed at how little is in my closet right now, and it would have scared me two months ago," Swidler said. "But once you start, you'll find yourself getting rid of stuff that in a million years you never thought you'd get rid of." That is exactly what Martin wants people to experience. Her new book, "I Have Nothing to Wear!", co-authored with Dana Ravich, provides a 12-step program for women to clear the clutter from their closets so they can dress better. "I feel like you should always look like you're about to run into your ex-boyfriend," Martin said. "When you can avoid it, you should never be a mess." The book's title is a phrase every woman can relate to, standing in front of their closets when the contents resemble a mass of fabric without any discernible outfit choices. The recovery process outlined in Martin's book, like any other 12-step program, is designed to be taken seriously. "When you look in your closet and the morning and everything is organized in a way that fits your life, it's just nice and easy, almost like you have a uniform," Martin said. Martin demonstrated the process during a segment taped in Swidler's home for NBC's "The Today Show. " Unlike reality shows where the fashion-impaired victim watches as while a stranger rips through their closet, Martin's wardrobe system encourages conducting your own closet cleanse with a trusted friend who will become your sponsor. They need to be the kind of friend who will honestly tell you what looks good or bad and knows what you wear most often. The book stresses you should minimize your closet by keeping only the very best items. Start three piles of items: those you want to keep, those you will donate/throw away and a pile for maybes. Anything with too much wear, holes or stains needs to go straight into the trash. It usually takes three times to sift through the mounds of shoes, stacks of jeans and endless hangers of impulse-bought outfits before a stress-free close appears. Each time, you'll enter your closet with a new mission. In the first round, you remove damaged items and in the second round, toss out the items that don't suit your style. During the third round, you try on everything left in your closet to determine whether it's a good fit. Martin and Ravich believe this process provides a confidence boost and stress relief. "People think that fashion is this very superficial part of your life, but it really has deep psychological roots," Martin said. "If you don't feel your best, it's going to affect your mood all day." Martin's own sponsor is Ravich, her co-author, and the pair went through all three rounds of clearing together. Martin's impossible-to-walk-in designer shoes had to go and the perfect white button-down blouse stayed. A Valentino dress also got the boot while a pair of amazing jeans were given a place of honor. Many impulse buys cluttering your own closet probably first appeared in a daydream scenario. "You'll walk into a store and see a sequin dress," Martin said. "You think, 'When I'm invited by that random guy to a black tie affair, I'll wear that dress.' That's how we all buy things, we envision wearing them to certain events. How many times do you buy something and that story doesn't happen?" Barbara Ellis, a style consultant who comes from a family of well-maintained closets, has helped many women with the closet cleanse. The biggest problem women have with their closets is the subtracting. Stuffing it with clothes is the easy part, but sifting out the old can feel as stressful as living with it. "Clothing is very emotional for women," said Ellis of TheStylishChick blog. "The first step is detaching yourself from emotion and understanding it is just clothing. It's got to have value, in that it does something for you." Ellis recommends going through your closet twice a year to maintain an organized wardrobe. "Even though they have fewer things in their closet, they feel like they have more to wear," she said. "Women need to be better editors. Buy something you love that fits you right and blends into your wardrobe." Swidler feels like a new person after going through her closet cleanse. Besides an organized space for her clothing, it has changed her shopping habits. She now faces potentially deal-breaking questions before she takes anything to the cash register: How often will I wear it, do I really love this and does it fit well? She's also cut back on online shopping because of the uncertainty pertaining to fit, color and appearance. Martin and Ellis both believe that just because you're cleaning out the closet doesn't mean tossing out your sentimental things. Martin will never get rid of the T-shirt her father used to paint his college dorm room or her grandmother's bracelet. Ellis will always keep the ugly sweater passed down from her great-grandmother. However, you won't see Martin or Ellis wearing these items outside of their homes, either. But your dye-to-match prom shoes or the ill-fitting dress you've never worn? Those can go to Goodwill or a consignment shop. "Be ready to say, 'I'm going to make my life simple and I'm going to respect the fact that I should only have the best things that I could possibly have in my wardrobe,' " Martin said. | Cleaning out your closet can also clean up your life . Jill Martin's new book, "I Have Nothing to Wear!" provides a closet cleanse program . Keeping only your favorite things that fit perfectly is better than a messy, full closet . | df8bb50d80625e475c1e03131e7e5a29e858e452 |
There is no reason why Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley couldn't one day play for Barcelona, according to Xavi. The pair are shining examples that the domestic game in England can develop players who are as accustom to the technical rigours of modern football as their European counterparts. Constant severe criticism has been levelled at the Premier League that their academies are incapable of producing youngsters able to compete at the highest level. Raheem Sterling (pictured in England training on Tuesday) could play for Barcelona, according to Xavi . Ross Barkley - who has impressed for Everton over the last year - also has what it takes, says the Spaniard . That has been brought sharply into focus after Roy Hodgson's side were found wanting when up against teams who are more advanced during the last two major international tournaments. But Xavi's endorsement - during an interview with Squawka - serves as a boost for English football. 'I think that they could [make it at Barcelona],' the Spanish midfielder said when speaking of Sterling and Barkley. 'They have incredible physical capabilities and they are good technically. 'In Spain, we prioritise players who are technically gifted but both things are very important in football.' Both players look likely to form part of England's next generation as they move on from the disappointment of the summer's World Cup in Brazil. Xavi (pictured playing against Celta Vigo at the beginning of this month) also praised Louis van Gaal . The Manchester United boss was Xavi's manager at Barcelona when he was a youngster . And Xavi stressed the importance of playing under the right manager as well, reserving special praise for Louis van Gaal. 'He had great impact on me [at Barcelona]. I really enjoyed having him as a coach at such young age,' he added. 'He would expect a lot from a player in training but at the same time he was very human. He had a lot of confidence in me and I owe him for that. 'Sometimes I would even ask myself why. He trusted immensely in me and maybe that is why I always wanted to show him how good I was on the pitch. I believe that he is a great coach for any team.' 'Xavi was speaking exclusively to Squawka.com in Barcelona. To read the full interview, click here' | Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling are two of England's bright prospects . Xavi believes they have what it takes to play for Barcelona . The midfielder also reserved special praise for Louis van Gaal . | e2a9fffecf63f13424d3d561546c10bb7212f4d3 |
By . Mark Prigg . Scientists have questioned Miley Cyrus's ability to arrive 'like a wrecking ball' - pointing out she would have to travel at over 316 mph to cause a similar impact, and risk death in the process. A science student carried out the analysis, warning 'any human behaving like a wrecking ball would likely result in serious injury.' 'Based on these findings, it is clear that a human being cannot possess the characteristics of a wrecking ball without sustaining significant injury, and other objects should be sought as an analogy,' he warned the songstress. Are you sure Miley? Scientists have questioned Miley Cyrus's ability to arrive 'like a wrecking ball' Students analysed the movement of a wrecking ball to find how fast a human would need to move to recreate its effects . The study, called 'The viability of arriving like a wrecking ball' was carried out by third-year natural sciences student David McDonagh from The Centre for Interdisciplinary Science at University of Leicester. 'A pop song that made the charts in late 2013 alludes to the idea of entering a given location analogous to a wrecking ball, raising questions over if such a feat is possible,' he wrote. 'Perhaps more significantly, the singer claims to have impacted both love and ostensibly the walls of someone’s house with similar momentum at some point, providing a somewhat unique case in studying the effects of shock on human beings.' Experts analysed the impact of a real wrecking ball for the study . The researchers admit that music is littered with scientific impossibilities. 'Popular music has a rich history of musicians stating extraordinary feats, from The Beatles claiming an eight-day week to Westlife achieving human flight without wings. 'Such claims must follow the basic known principles of science if they are to be believed, and can often be investigated through simple approximations. | University of Leicester student calculated how a human could act like a wrecking ball . Say Miley would need to travel at over 316mph . | 83a96b512c25ea33672bdc0ef100b114479dc884 |
NFL interest in the United Kingdom continues to grow rapidly but if this infographic - released by the Atlanta Falcons - is anything to go by, the NFL still has a lot to learn about its transatlantic cousins. The Falcons arrived in London earlier this week ahead of Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions at Wembley, but they obviously didn't follow the map on their own graphic as it has London positioned in eastern Spain. If misinforming their fans about where the team were actually going isn't bad enough, the graphic also states that the team and staff will take three planes to London, when in fact it is only two. VIDEO Scroll down for Atlanta Falcons training ahead of Detroit Lions clash at Wembley . Atlanta Falcons attempted to inform fans about their trip to London with this infographic, but failed miserably . The graphic was originally tweeted by the Falcons but was soon removed and replaced with the correct information. But not before the mistake-laden graphic was distributed across Twitter, attracting a barrage of comments from humoured followers. Atlanta trained ahead of the match on Wednesday at Arsenal's London Colney training ground. Sunday's game is the second of three NFL matches to be played at Wembley in 2014,after the Miami Dolphins comfortably beat the Oakland Raiders 38-14 in September. London is set to play host to the Dallas Cowboys when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday November 9. Atlanta Falcons defensive end Cliff Matthews (centre) high fives his teammates during the training session . Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan looks on during a training session at the Arsenal training ground . Atlanta Falcons players practice a play during a training session ahead of Detroit Lions game . | Atlanta Falcons take on Detroit Lions at Wembley on Sunday October 26 . The Falcons accidentally placed London in Spain on an inforgraphic . Graphic was quickly removed and replaced with a correct one . But not before the misinformed graphic went viral . | 79259e55be7f037b180ffe5aed3b03e15dc65b2b |
By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 08:32 EST, 27 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 16:32 EST, 27 February 2014 . A family have told how their son's deteriorating condition in hospital turned into a heart-breaking custody battle that stripped them of their right to visit their child. Bret Bohn, 27, went to hospital in his home state of Alaska after developing a relatively minor case of nasal polyps - overgrowths in the nose - last fall. He was an athletic, healthy man who worked as a field guide for hunters. The Bohn family are fighting to visit their son Bohn, who has been declared a ward of the state in Alaska . Bret Bohn was an athletic, healthy man who worked as a field guide for hunters in Alaska before he went to hospital . But after the polyps were surgically removed, the growths came back and he was prescribed Prednisone, an anti-inflammatory medication. Mr Bohn's family say it had a devastating effect on him. Soon afterwards, he started to have trouble sleeping, they said. In October, his parents, Glenn and Lorraine, took their son . to the Providence Medical Center in Anchorage for severe insomnia. Doctors there . prescribed drugs and sent him home. Mr Bohn's health then deteriorated rapidly and, after a . seizure, his family decided to take him back to the hospital, TheBlaze reported. In the hospital, Mr Bohn was unable to . sleep for some 24 days and his mental faculties were significantly . diminished. His parents said that at this point they assumed power of . attorney over him, using a written agreement allowing them to make . medical decisions for him. Mr Bohn's parents Lorraine and Glenn said they assumed power of attorney over their son, using a written agreement allowing them to make medical decisions for him . More than 35 lab tests were conducted to diagnose Mr Bohn at Providence Medical Center (pictured) in Anchorage . That agreement was initially drawn up in . 2007, when Mr Bohn was a healthy 20-year-old. More . than 35 lab tests were conducted to diagnose Mr Bohn. Meanwhile, his family said, doctors were medicating him with . dozens of drugs, rendering him in a state of 'delirium.' At one point, . they said, Mr Bohn became so frustrated that he attempted to leave the . hospital on his own, but was talked down by his parents. That's . when his family, who contend the hospital's course of treatment made . their son worse, asked for a second opinion or different course of . medical action. They say they were denied and were not permitted to . withdraw their son from the hospital. Eventually, a custody battle broke out. A judge ultimately ruled in favor of the state. Mr Bohn's mother Lorraine said: 'It's a nightmare that this even could be happening. I'm heartbroken, very heartbroken' Now, Mr Bohn is a ward of the . state and has been diagnosed with a mental-disorder, which has resulted . in doctors heavily medicating him with various drugs, his family said. 'I hurt — I cry every day and every night. It's a nightmare,' Mr Bohn's mother Lorraine told KTUU-TV. 'It's a nightmare that this even could be happening. I'm heartbroken, very heartbroken. 'You know, I can't help but to blame myself,' she said. The last time Mr Bohn's saw him was during a short supervised Christmas Day visit and his birthday was last month, according to The Blaze. Barbara Dick, of Alaska's Adult Protective Services department, said: 'We can't just come in and take away somebody's right and say, "That's it," 'We have to take it to court and we have our state attorneys with us and we have to have the evidence to support that.' A spokesman for Providence Medical Center said he was unable to comment to on the case due to privacy laws. But he did say: 'Health care providers are required by state law to make reports of harm to Adult Protective Services whenever they have reasonable cause to believe a vulnerable adult suffers from abuse or neglect. 'Health care providers are permitted under state law, and required by their standard of care, to decline to comply with the direction of a surrogate if they determine that the surrogate is not abiding by the wishes, values, and best interest of the patient.' A Facebook page called 'Free Bret Bohn,' shows individuals picketing, demanding the 27-year-old's release. | Bret Bohn went to hospital after developing a relatively minor ailment . The 27-year-old had been an athletic, healthy field guide in Alaska . But his health then went downhill after he was proscribed drugs . Mr Bohn's parents tried to have him discharged - but were refused . Doctors at the hospital then assumed power of . attorney over him . Mr Bohn's family have been in a custody battle for him ever since . The last time they saw him was a supervised visit on Christmas Day . | 8a4340d493bc5700243588ebacc295a2a90ce9b9 |
(CNN) -- Google has revealed a prototype of its latest driverless car -- and this one doesn't even have a steering wheel. The car will only have a stop and go button. No steering wheel. No pedals. Unlike Google's previous self-driving vehicles, which have been based on conventional cars adapted to navigate around without a driver, this model has been designed from scratch. "They won't have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal... because they don't need them," Google said in a statement. The car can carry two passengers and has a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour. Google says the car's most important feature is its safety. "They have sensors that remove blind spots, and they can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections," the company said. With its front designed to look like a friendly smiley face, the Google autonomous car is not just efficient and futuristic, but also cute to look at. Google said it planned to build around 100 prototypes, which it will start testing in a few months. The company started developing its self-driving cars in 2005, and is testing previous models across the U.S. They are expected to be available to buy by 2020. Read more: Driverless car tech gets serious at CES . Google: Self-driving cars are mastering city streets . | Google has unveiled its own version of a driverless car with no steering wheel and pedals . The vehicle can go at maximum speed of 25 mph and can carry two people, the company says . Google says it would build around 100 prototypes and start testing them this summer . | d87212bdbc363926e3b042f2da9250a14bd5b1b0 |
Facebook has started charging users up to £10 to message celebrities and others outside their circle of friends. Under the trial scheme, it costs 71p to send a standard message on the social networking site. But the fees vary depending on the popularity of the recipient, with a current maximum charge of £10.68 to contact celebrities such as Olympic diver Tom Daley. Top dollar: Facebook users will pay £10.69 to contact celebrities including diver Tom Daley, seen using his mobile phone during practice at the Aquatics Centre before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games . Popular: It will cost users more to send a message to the young Olympic diver via Facebook than to less popular, or non-celebrity users . It puts him a tier above U.S. gangster rapper Snoop Dogg and Booker prize-winning author Salman Rushdie, both of whom cost £10.08 to message. And in what may cause some embarrassment, many well-known figures such as broadcaster Louis Theroux and comedian Miranda Hart can currently be contacted for the standard charge of 71p. The fee structure is decided by a mathematical formula that takes into account a number of factors, including the number of followers a user has on Facebook and how many messages they receive. Charges to contact somebody using the . system can rise and fall under the system. The fees were introduced for . 10 per cent of British users as a trial at the end of last month with . the plan to introduce it to all members of Facebook in the country. Sliding scale: The new charges depend on the popularity of the recipient so it will cost £10.08p to send Snoop Dogg a message, while fans of Miranda Hart will pay just 71p to contact her via Facebook . The company said that the paid for . ‘priority messages’ were intended to stop users from being bombarded . with unwanted contact from strangers . But Facebook faced criticism yesterday after details of the costs became known, especially because it has boasted that ‘the site is ‘free and always will be’. Peter Wood, social media director at digital marketing agency Steak, tweeted: ‘Facebook charging users in the UK to contact celebs online. 1-0 Twitter. Seems a bit mean to charge someone to send fan mail.’ Users who are Facebook friends or who share mutual friends are still able to keep in contact with no charge. There is also a cap on the number of paid messages any user can receive. Messages are sent directly to a recipient’s inbox on their profile page. Those who don’t want to pay are still . able to send a message, but these are not put into the recipients inbox . but another box called in the “other folder” that most people rarely . check and many don’t even know about. The charge can be paid online instantly with a credit or debit. Under-18s are barred from making such payments and are also blocked from receiving unsolicited messages. snoop.jpg . Users in the US are charged $1, $5 or $15 to send a priority message. Facebook scrapped a $100 fee to . contact the most prominent celebrities after it was mocked for applying . the charge to contact the company’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg. In Britain questions were also raised . over the charging formulae after it emerged that one of those who it is . most expensive to contact is Michael Rosen, the former children’s . laureate. Users are also being charged the maximum £10.68 to contact a . fake Facebook account set up in the name of singer Ed Sheeran. Facebook said: ‘The system of paying . to message non-friends in their Facebook inbox is designed to prevent . spam, while acknowledging that sometimes you might want to hear from . people outside your immediate social circle. ‘We are testing a number of price . points in the UK and other countries to establish the optimal fee that . signals importance. Part of that test involves charging higher amounts . for public figures, based on the number of followers they have. ‘This is still a test and these prices are not set in stone.’ Scrapped: Facebook had planned to charge a $100 fee to contact the most prominent celebrities but was mocked for applying the charge to contact the company's founder, Mark Zuckerberg . Adds up: The fee structure is decided by a mathematical formula that takes into account the number of followers a user has on Facebook . | Sliding scale of up to £10.68 to message those outside friendship circle . Fans pay full price to contact diver Tom Daly, but just 71p for Miranda Hart . Facebook says 'priority messages' stop users being bombarded with spam . | 8d533db901dff0700cf102186b241aa7d7540aac |
(CNN) -- Mexico celebrates its bicentennial Wednesday, an event known as "El Grito," the shout for independence first credited to a Catholic priest who demanded freedom from Spain. For many Mexicans today, though, it's a quiet shout of despair. The country is mired in a bloody drug war that has seen more than 28,000 people killed in less than four years. The economy has barely begun to rebound from the global downturn, which hit Mexico harder than most Latin American countries. Tourism, a major lifeblood for the nation, is drastically down because of the violence and a flu pandemic last year that began in Mexico. And oil revenues, long a rich sustenance for the nation's economy, also have suffered a major collapse. Despite government efforts to hold a vast celebration that one leading newspaper called part Disney and part infomercial, many Mexicans are just not feeling it. "The climate in which we're living in this country does not lend itself to a real celebration," said Adrian Jesus Garrido Gomez, who owns a car rental company and chauffeur service in Villahermosa, the capital of southeastern Mexico's Tabasco state. Garrido sounds leery of the nearly $232 million (about 2.97 billion pesos) the government says it has spent on celebrations in Mexico City. The lavish events Wednesday night will feature a parade, fireworks and a show that has merited visits by five Latin American presidents and dignitaries from 50 nations. "They are grabbing it as an effort to make us forget everything that is happening in the country," Garrido said. "It's more of a distraction." That distraction does not seem to be working. "Mexico is downbeat," said Peter Hakim, president emeritus of the Inter-American Dialogue, a non-partisan policy institute in Washington. "People are nervous about the future." Andrew Selee, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute, sees Mexico at a crossroads. "It's a time of soul-searching," he said Wednesday. It's also a time of anxiety for authorities, who want to make sure the festivities go off without any major incidents or violence from the nation's organized crime groups. A bombing at a Grito celebration two years ago in Michoacan state left eight dead and more than 100 wounded. More recently, narcotrafficking cartels have taken to setting off car bombs, an unprecedented event in the nation's drug wars. Authorities have dispatched more than 14,000 police and troops to the streets of Mexico City to guard the peace. More than 2 million people are expected to throng the streets of the central city to watch the parade. Mexico formally recognizes its independence day each September 16 -- Thursday -- but the major celebration traditionally begins the night before. Close to midnight, President Felipe Calderon will make the symbolic shout "Viva Mexico" in the city's Plaza de la Constitucion, better known as the Zocalo. It is one of the largest plazas in the world. The shout pays tribute to a priest who called for sparked Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1810. Other cities have canceled celebrations. Juarez, the most violent city in the country, is one of them. Celebrations also were canceled in Tabasco state. That's probably a good thing, Garrido said. "You can't openly go out and celebrate," he said. Besides the security concerns, there's another reason Garrido does not feel like celebrating -- the economy. Rain and recent storms have washed over much of Villahermosa, damaging the tourist trade upon which the father of two young boys relies for his chauffeur and car rental business. "The little that I make goes to pay bills," he said. Gone this year, he said, is the usual trip over the holiday to visit his wife's parents in nearby Veracruz. "We're going to have to do it in a more simple way," he said. Despite the problems and the worries, Selee says Mexicans will rally around the flag this week. "By tonight, people will celebrate," he said Wednesday morning. "When people around the country shout, 'Viva Mexico,' they will come together with pride about Mexico." But how long will that last? "People will put aside their differences for 24 to 48 hours," Selee said. Some might say it's not much of a reprieve for a country celebrating 200 years since it first tried to gain independence. | The 200-year anniversary comes amid drug-war deaths and a slumping economy . Some residents see lavish celebrations as an attempt to try to distract the population . Analysts see Mexico as "downbeat" and "nervous" | db337cce42a647e8679f173078f443b46a2ce618 |
High-ranking prosecutor Margaret Cunneen SC has been accused of perverting the course of justice and will be the focus of a NSW corruption inquiry. The deputy senior crown prosecutor, along with her son Stephen Wyllie, are being investigated after allegedly advising Wylie's girlfriend, Sophia Tilley, to pretend to have chest pains to avoid having a blood alcohol test following a car crash on May 31 this year. Ms Cunneen has stood aside from her duties until ICAC's investigations have been completed by the corruption watchdog. High-ranking prosecutor Margaret Cunneen SC has been accused of perverting the course of justice . Ms Tilley allegedly took the advice that was offered to her at the time of the incident. Attorney-General Brad Hazzard said in a statement that it was 'important to recognise that any individual appearing before ICAC has the presumption of innocence.' 'The Director of Public Prosecutions has advised me that in discussions with Ms Cunneen SC she has agreed that it is appropriate for her to stand aside and to have no active involvement in any current prosecution or future prosecution until the resolution of the ICAC hearing, whereupon the situation will be reviewed,' the statement said. 'As this matter involves a senior public official involved in the administration of justice in New South Wales, the Commission considered it appropriate for a person from outside New South Wales to preside at the inquiry,' the commission said in a statement, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The three-day inquiry begins on November 10. Due to Ms Cunneen's standing, Queensland barrister Alan MacSporran QC is being brought in from outside NSW to preside over the inquiry. Ms Cunneen was appointed to preside over the special commission of inquiry into claims of interference in police investigations of alleged paedophile priests in the NSW Hunter region. Ms Cunneen has stood aside from her duties until ICAC's investigations have been completed by the corruption watchdog . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Margaret Cunneen SC has been accused of perverting the course of justice . Cunneen and son, Stephen Wyllie, will be focus of NSW corruption inquiry . It has been alleged that they both advised Wylie's girlfriend, Sophia Tilley, to pretend to have chest pains to avoid blood alcohol test car crash in May . Ms Tilley allegedly took the advice offered to her at the time of the incident . Prosecutor has stood aside from her duties until ICAC investigation is over . | ac6cb995edcfd2bc6a8dfeb16ffbb4ae2c1ed678 |
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- At least five people were killed in Yemen when pro-government gunmen shot at anti-government protesters in the capital, medics in Sanaa's Change Square told CNN Thursday. The violence came a day after President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down from power after months of protests against his 33-year rule. He became the fourth leader to leave office as a result of the Arab Spring unrest that has roiled much of the Middle East and North Africa this year. Protests against the Yemeni government Thursday were bigger than some expected given Saleh's agreement to transfer power, with youth saying their demands have not yet been met. At least 41 people were injured, including 27 from gunshot wounds and the others from baton beatings, medics said. Three of the wounded are currently in critical condition. A senior Interior Ministry official denied that the government was responsible for the attacks. "The protesters were attacked but they were not attacked by government forces. We will investigate this," said the official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. The official conceded that many people were "angry that Saleh signed the power transfer proposal." "Such attacks were expected, though we tried to prevent them," said the official. "The opposition is trying to damage (the) reputation of the current government. Anything that happens is always blamed against the ruling family without them even investigating the case." Heavy gunfire continued for more than 30 minutes on Zubairy Street, when youth marched to condemn the immunity given to Saleh. They vowed to continue their revolution until Saleh is tried for his crimes. "He is the reason for the deaths of more than a thousand innocent youth in Yemen this year and now the opposition wants to give him immunity," said Mohammed Mosleh, a youth activist who participated in Thursday's march. "The government planned today's attacks," he charged. "We will not stay quiet..." He said the opposition does not represent all Yemenis and should not have agreed to give Saleh immunity. Protesters in Sanaa said they saw the gunmen escape the scene of the attack using government security vehicles. Protests continued, meanwhile, in 15 provinces throughout the country. Government forces also attacked protesters in Taiz province Thursday, eyewitnesses said, injuring three as they were marching calling for Saleh to face justice in the International Criminal Court. "The killer must not be forgiven," youth protesters said in Taiz. | NEW: An official denies the government is responsible for deaths of protesters . At least five people are killed by pro-government gunmen, medics say . Protests are bigger than expected a day after the president steps down . Demonstrators want Ali Abdullah Saleh to face trial . | 3d1bf1482c113f788b9d3dcd31dc87d68752c467 |
By . Joel Christie . A 28-year-old man wanted over a burglary spree in Orange County has been arrested after returning to the fast food restaurant he allegedly robbed the night before. Daniel Lee Warn is accused of breaking into the El Pollo Loco Mexican chicken restaurant in Costa Mesa in the morning hours of July 16. Police say he accessed the store using the driving thru window and was caught on camera climbing in, according to KTLA. After employees realized the shop had been vandalized they called police and the surveilance footage was reviewed, showing a man wearing a bright green shirt and colorful baseball cap. Sprung: Daniel Lee Warn, 28, was out on Post-Release Community Servivison when he allegedly broke into the Costa Mesa El Pollo Loco early on July 16 (left) only to return a few hours later for some food (right) The restaurant manager (center) said he was shocked to recognize in the same in line as the one from the surveillance footage . Authorities believe the thief gained accessed to the El Pollo Loco in the 1900 block of Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa using the drive thru window . Then, just a few hours later, the restaurant manager was shocked to see the same man, wearing the exact same clothes, lining up for lunch. The manager told the kitchen to delay the man's order to ensure he stays within the store and quickly called police. Authorities then arrived and detained him. Investigators are now trying to link Warn with a two-day crime spree. Earlier the same day, a man broke into a nearby liqor store, however nothing appeared to have been stolen. General manager of the restaurant, who asked not to be named, took the alleged thief's order and delayed the food until police arrived . Scene: A reporter stands outside the Costa Mesa El Pollo Loco restaurant where the incident occurred . On July 15, one day earlier, three burglaries were reported in the area. The thief got away with between $100 and $1,000. Warn was on Post-Release Community Supervision out of San Bernardino County, as part of the State of California, AB109 Realignment, police stated in the release. He was being held on $20,000 bail. | Daniel Lee Warn, 28, allegedly broke into the El Pollo Loco in Costa Mesa on July 16 before the store opened . He then returned to the restaurant for lunch on the same day . Manager recognized him from surveillance footage . Police came and arrested him . Warn is suspected of going on a two-day burglary spree in the area . He was on Post-Release Community Supervision as part of the AB109 Realignment . | 4a53fca7a7b8d4dffaf6620da8c8ff478d23b0b5 |
(CNN) -- Ferguson, Missouri, has been in the national spotlight since Saturday when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a local police officer. Witnesses said the teen was unarmed; police say that he had tried to get an officer's gun. Outrage quickly followed the shooting as many in the town charged that the killing was racially motivated. The teenager was black. The officer has not yet been identified publicly. Turmoil has broken out, dozens have marched in the street and tensions are high. As the story continues to develop, here's a quick look at its backdrop -- Ferguson, a suburb in the shadow of St. Louis: . 1. Are racial tensions getting worse? Antonio French is a St. Louis alderman who lives near Ferguson. He told CNN on Monday that racial tensions in the suburb aren't unique to Ferguson but part of a larger and wider frustration that has been worsening over time in the area -- a notion that a Washington Post article explores. "What's happening in Ferguson isn't different from a lot of municipalities out here in St. Louis County ... small municipalities that have large African-American population and very few black police officers," French said, adding that there is a disconnect between the people and those who police them. "Tensions have been rising for years and years," he said. Ferguson is a predominately black community with a mostly white police force. Only three of the city's 53 officers are African-American. It's a statistic Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson says he's working to improve. He told CNN that racial profiling is "strictly forbidden." "We actually have mandatory racial profiling training that we have to take to be certified," he said. "Racial profiling is against our policies. It actually benefits nothing." 2. Who lives in Ferguson? According to the most recent census, 67% of Ferguson's community is black; 29% is white; there is less than 1% Asian and Native American. A little more than 1% of the population is Hispanic or Latino. Its residents are mostly young; the average age is 31. Median household income is about $37,000. Twenty two percent of people in Ferguson live below the poverty line. 3. Where is it? About 10 miles north of downtown St. Louis, Ferguson is one of many cities that comprise St. Louis County. The first thing you see when you click on the Ferguson city website is a community family fun fair happening this weekend in the St. Louis suburb of 22,400 and a video that promises to describe the town. Bluesy, folksy music plays while a camera pans down well-trimmed streets dotted with large homes. 4. What do its leaders say? "Everyone knows everyone. Everyone feels like they're comfortable no matter who they are," Councilman Dwayne James says in the video. Mayor James Knowles describes the businesses that are flourishing -- new lofts, a farmer's market, a brew-and-coffee house. He hopes they will help bring people to the city and encourage them to stay, including the younger crowd from nearby University of Missouri-St. Louis. "The whole city is kind of like the bar in 'Cheers.' You know, it's the place where everybody knows your name," Knowles says. 5. What's the city's history? William B. Ferguson founded the city in 1894 as a station for a railroad. Ferguson is proud of its history. "Historic preservation is a big part of what we do in Ferguson because it's one of those resources that cannot be replicated. You can always rebuild a house but you cannot rebuild the integrity and the history that is in some of our historic homes and some of our historic buildings. And so maintaining that's always been a big part of Ferguson," the mayor says in the video. What we know about Michael Brown's shooting . Teen was two days away from starting college . Opinion: How many unarmed people have to die? CNN's Tristan Smith contributed to this report. | NEW: Three of the city's 53 officers are African-American . 67% of Ferguson's population is black; 29% is white . It's about 10 miles north of downtown St. Louis . Mayor: "It's the place where everybody knows your name" | c38837bf1096b413b8083303ac6a28b01198cf7a |
Wales begin their RBS 6 Nations campaign with a mouthwatering clash against England on Friday night. The two rivals will go head-to-head at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - a city that has thrown up some memorable matches between both nations. Here, Sportsmail takes a trip down memory lane and selects five of the best games between the northern hemisphere foes over the years in the Welsh capital. Wales 30 England 3 March 16, 2013 - Millennium Stadium . Roared on by raucous home support under the closed roof, Wales deny England their first RBS 6 Nations title (and Grand Slam) under Stuart Lancaster. Defeat by fewer than seven points would still give Chris Robshaw’s men the trophy but England are blown away by two Alex Cuthbert tries. In Wales’s biggest ever victory over their bitter rivals, Leigh Halfpenny hits four penalties and Dan Biggar adds eight points with the boot. Wales wing Alex Cuthbert (left) scored two tries as Wales thrashed England 30-3 two years ago in Cardiff . Wales 11 England 9 February 5, 2005 - Millennium Stadium . A permatanned Gavin Henson nails a 76th-minute penalty to secure Wales’s first win over England in Cardiff for 12 years. Shane Williams crosses for the only try of the game as Wales start their march towards a first Grand Slam since 1978. Henson has the measure of 18-year-old debutant Mathew Tait all evening, first smashing him after 22 seconds and later dumptackling the centre, providing an iconic Six Nations image. Gavin Henson nails a late penalty to secure Wales’s first win over England in Cardiff for 12 years in 2005 . Henson (centre) was the game's star man also performing a dump tackle on England's Matthew Tait (left) Wales 15 England 44 February 3, 2001 - Millennium Stadium . A hat-trick from peroxide blond Will Greenwood sees England register their highest-ever points total in Wales. Matt Dawson also scores a double and Ben Cohen completes the rout, with Rob Howley and Scott Quinnell grabbing consolation scores for the Welsh. Sixteen of England’s match-day squad end up in the 2003 World Cup final 22. Will Greenwood scored a hat-trick as England swept past Wales 15-44 at the Millennium Stadium in 2001 . Wales 6 England 25 Jan 19, 1991 - Cardiff Arms Park . Seven penalties from Simon Hodgkinson secure England’s first Cardiff triumph since 1963. Mike Teague scores the only try of the game as England notch their first win of the Championship on their way to the Grand Slam, a feat they repeat the following season. Wales end the tournament joint bottom with Ireland - both without a victory. England celebrate Mike Teague (centre) scoring the only try of the match vs Wales in 1991 . Wales 0 England 12 Jan 18, 1913 - Cardiff Arms Park . England’s first win in a competitive international in Cardiff, thanks to scores from winger Vincent Coates and forward Cherry Pillman. Back when tries were worth three points and drop goals four, England’s defence prevails - they concede only four points in the whole tournament, all away to Ireland. This record propels England to their first Grand Slam and fifth overall title . | Wales' largest-ever win against England came in a 30-3 victory in 2013 . England's highest-ever points total in Wales came with a 15-44 win in 2001 . England's 25-6 win in 1991 was their first in Cardiff since 1963 . | 7619e1630f618400b2ec4c1c390f98c6f5ca42dd |
Alison Steadman is tapping her fingers on the table and pursing her lips as she thinks about how different her life is now she’s well into her 60s. It takes her a while, but finally she comes up with an answer. ‘Obviously one has to slow down a little bit,’ she says with a grin. ‘I don’t go clubbing until 3am any more.’ It used to be that 40 was old for an actress, and anything over 60 was practically unheard of. But try telling that to 67-year-old Alison, who must be one of the hardest working people in television; fresh from her documentary about the wildlife of the Shetland Islands she’s down here on the Kent coast on the set of her new sitcom Boomers. The show follows the lives and loves of a group of 60-something baby boomers in a seaside town and is being talked about as the next Last Tango In Halifax. It begins with Alison’s character Joyce being forced to retire from her job as a receptionist. Joyce knows she’s going to miss being busy, and Alison can empathise. Alison Steadman, looking great at 67 as she prepares for a new role in sitcom Boomers, set in a seaside resort . Retirement’s a dirty word to her. ‘I try not to think about it,’ she says. ‘Actors are lucky because we don’t have to retire. We can if we want to, of course, and sometimes the business retires us, which is a bit sad. I do get tired occasionally, though, and think, “Why am I doing this?” After Boomers I’ve got another job coming up, and a play after that. There have been times I’ve turned things down and then wished I’d done them, but it’s nice to have a choice.’ She’s part of a terrific cast in Boomers, including Stephanie Beacham, Paula Wilcox and Russ Abbot, who play some of Joyce’s friends, while old stalwart Philip Jackson is her much put-upon husband Alan. Comedy legend June Whitfield, now 88, also appears, as the drink-guzzling Joan, the mother of Stephanie Beacham’s character Maureen. ‘June’s amazing, as sharp as anything,’ says Alison. ‘She’s a real example of what you can do if you’ve still got your health and your mind.’ The characters in Boomers seem very real – they are, after all, based on the family of writer Richard Pinto, whose previous credits include Fresh Meat and Citizen Khan. ‘One minute they’re getting on great, the next they’re having a little snipe,’ says Alison, laughing. ‘My character’s a bit of an organiser. She henpecks her husband. Poor guy, he can’t do anything right, so that made it fun to play. I hope I’m not the bully she is, but we all know couples like that.’ Each episode will follow one of the characters as they negotiate relationships, retirement and problems with their children or parents. ‘People will look at it and think, “I do that!” It’s very real,’ adds Alison. Above all, she’s pleased TV executives are finally realising there’s an older audience out there and making programmes to appeal to them. ‘I think they’ve probably done a few surveys and realised the majority of viewers are over 50. People in their 20s are often out and tend to watch TV through catch-up services. Alison as Mrs Bennet, with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth, in the BBC's 1995 Pride And Prejudice . But the people who regularly sit in during the week are around my age. And that age group wants something it can relate to; we all like to be able to recognise ourselves on TV, don’t we? Life doesn’t stop once you reach a certain age and television bosses are seeing that. Your hopes and desires continue as they always have.’ It’s not just in the acting world that Alison is working hard; she’s also trying to launch a new career as a wildlife reporter. A lifelong birdwatcher who’s been known to get up at the crack of dawn to enjoy her hobby even when she’s filming a show, she’s only now getting the chance to show off this other side to her. Two recent TV projects – her Shetlands documentary on ITV and a series about how to find your way in the countryside without maps for the BBC a few years ago – represent just the thin end of the wedge of her ambitions. ‘I’d really like to do more wildlife things, particularly in conservation,’ she says. ‘I’ve been trying to do a show about the overuse of plastics for years but no one wants to make it. Creatures are choking on it.’ The Daily Mail has campaigned against supermarket plastic bags, and Alison says she’s passionate about getting the message across. ‘A lot of people are unaware of the nightmare that goes on in our seas,’ she says. Alison with Larry Lamb (far left) and Mathew Horne in hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey which ran from 2007 to 2010 . ‘If we could make everyone aware it might be our chance to change things. I read about this turtle that washed up on a beach in Mexico with around 280 carrier bags in its stomach. ‘Of course these bags look like jellyfish to a turtle. Apart from choking, they can starve to death because carrier bags aren’t biodegradable. They build up and the animals can’t get any nourishment so they get weaker and weaker – can you imagine what it’s like to die like that? This is happening to thousands of creatures, and most people aren’t aware of it. I see intelligent, educated people using 12 or 15 carrier bags every time they go to M&S or Waitrose. If you charge 10p a bag it doesn’t matter. Unless you charge £20 a bag people won’t stop.’ With her Boomers co-stars, much loved British actors Russ Abbot, Stephanie Beacham, James Smith, Paula Wilcox and Philip Jackson . She’s a surprise, is Alison Steadman. The Liverpool-born actress is softly spoken, but she’s clearly passionate about the world. The youngest of three girls, whose father was an electrical supervisor, she showed a talent for mimicry at a young age. She trained as a secretary and started work in a probation office, but hated it and applied for the East 15 drama school in Essex. Her audition report said, ‘worth training, will blossom’. Another pupil at the drama school was Mike Leigh who she met in her second year in 1966; he became her husband and father of her sons, director Toby, now 36, and cinematographer Leo, now 32. He was also to be her greatest collaborator. Their most famous joint enterprise was when Alison played the monstrous Beverly in Leigh’s Abigail’s Party on stage and TV. She’s since played a succession of opinionated ladies, including Pam in Gavin & Stacey, Mrs Bennet in Pride And Prejudice and now Joyce in Boomers. ‘Why do I get cast in these roles?’ she says with a laugh. ‘I’m a shrinking violet!’ Her marriage to Leigh lasted 22 years but the two were reportedly having problems when she met and fell in love with actor Michael Elwyn when he played her husband in the TV series No Bananas 18 years ago. They live in Highgate, north London, but she remains good friends with Leigh. She says she still feels young – in her downtime she wears jeans and trendy boots rather than ‘grannified’ dresses. She looks fantastic – although her good skin is entirely natural. She stopped using expensive face creams when she realised they didn’t make a jot of difference; she uses £3.99-a-pot Nivea. She’s always said she’d never have Botox or have a face-lift. Instead she credits her youthfulness with walking a lot and eating healthily. She seems to keep up with everything, including texting and emailing. ‘I like to keep in touch with the world,’ she says. ‘I love going to the theatre and the cinema and I don’t think I’d ever want to be in a situation where I was cut off from younger people. I like London life; I like to keep up with it. Sometimes the pace of change amazes me. In 20 years things have moved so quickly. I suppose in another 20 years we’ll all be laughing at CDs and DVDs.’ She’s close to her sons, who to her dismay are yet to make her a grandmother, and says they help keep her up to date with things; ‘with all their chat and their banter; what they’re doing and where they’re going.’ She adds, with a knowing smile, ‘And of course one hopes now and again that you can offer a bit of advice about what you’ve been through, even though probably nobody takes it.’ The shoot for Boomers in Herne Bay is an intense one – up at 5am and filming by 7am – but for this workaholic near-septuagenerian that’s all part of the fun. ‘It’s been so busy I haven’t even had time to read the newspapers, which is a big deal for me,’ she says. ‘But I’ve been doing a lot of singing. I have a karaoke machine and if I’m feeling stressed I sing – Adele, Susan Boyle, Nina Simone, anything my voice can cope with. B****r the neighbours!’ laughs this ever-surprising actress. | New sitcom Boomers is being called the new Last tango in Halifax . Alison, 67, says she tries not to think about retirement . The actress is glad television executives are catering to an older audience . Boomers starts on 15 August, 9pm, BBC1. | e17098a3ff97a24a9e205b620ac41ce44c7badf4 |
By . Stephen Wright . PUBLISHED: . 20:12 EST, 25 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:12 EST, 25 November 2013 . Lord Stevens said the present system of 43 forces in England and Wales 'creates unnecessary duplication' A number of police forces should be merged because the present national police structure is inefficient and ‘untenable’, a former Scotland Yard chief said yesterday. Lord Stevens said the present system of 43 forces in England and Wales ‘creates unnecessary duplication’ and often gets in the way of joint ‘cross border’ operations by police. He outlined plans for a radical shake-up as he presented the findings of an independent review of the future of policing, commissioned by the Labour Party. Seven years ago Labour tried unsuccessfully - while in Government - to streamline the number of forces in England and Wales. But Lord Stevens, who headed the Independent Police Commission for Labour, said the time was right to reconsider the idea as his inquiry team could find nobody in favour of retaining the current structure of 43 separate police force. He added, however, that there was no consensus about a better alternative. He said: ‘The Commission makes a clear recommendation that change is essential and believes there are three serious options. ‘These are locally-negotiated mergers and collaboration agreements, a co-ordinated amalgamation into approximately ten regional forces, or the creation of a national police service.’ In recognition of policing scandals including Hillsborough and the Plebgate row involving former chief whip Andrew Mitchell, Lord Stevens also recommended a fundamental shake-up of professional standards in forces in England and Wales. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) would be scrapped and replaced by a new Independent Police Standards Commission (IPSC), he said. His report - much of which will feature in Labour’s next General Election manifesto - also recommended a new status of ‘chartered police officer’, in addition to the office of constable. The reform would bring the police into line with other professions such as nursing and accountancy, with officers registered with the College of Policing which could strike them off for failing to meet professional standards. The College of Policing would decide misconduct hearings in public, unlike the current, behind-closed doors, disciplinary process. Lord Stevens outlined plans for a radical shake-up of policing as he presented the findings of an independent review of the future of policing, commissioned by the Labour Party . The Stevens report said: 'The presumption should be for total transparency - with open, public hearings for decisions on serious misconduct - rather than the muddled regime of partially open hearings and judgments which currently prevails. 'Police officers found to have committed serious misconduct by the College of Policing board should be struck off from the register.' Lord Stevens - who was Met chief between 2000 and 2005 - said there were 37 'radical' recommendations in his report, including a commitment to neighbourhood policing as the 'building block of fair and effective policing'. His report, billed as the most comprehensive inquiry into policing for half a century, said: 'A spate of organisational failures and scandals over recent years has badly damaged public confidence in the integrity of the police. ‘It is vital this situation is put right. Recent experience has found wanting the existing system which separates the monitoring of organisational performance from the investigation of police complaints.’ Yvette Cooper said she expects her Party to implement majority of the commission's recommendations . The Stevens report also said the elected police and crime commissioner model is 'systemically flawed as a method of democratic governance’ and should be scrapped in 2016, at the end of the term of office of the 41 serving PCCs. Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who was at the launch of the report with Labour leader Ed Miliband, said she expects her Party to implement majority of the commission’s recommendations for policing reform. She ruled out a national police force, saying: 'Our preference is for a voluntary and collaborative approach involving local communities and we also want more work done on savings that can be made to plough back into policing. 'We will not support a national force as we believe that would be too large, too centralised and the wrong approach.' The last police mergers plan followed a report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in 2005 which highlighted ‘significant weaknesses’ in the 43 force structure. The report said larger amalgamated police forces would be better suited to tackling the modern threats of organised crime and terrorism. But amid huge embarrassment for the Labour Government, the plan proved deeply unpopular amongst police chiefs and fell apart the following year. | Lord Stevens said the present system often gets in the way of joint 'cross border' operations by police . Outlined plans for radical shake-up as he presented findings of an independent review of the future of policing, commissioned by Labour Party . | 231ecbc12ee3b371a8cddb561232c533d7fa2bce |
By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 06:26 EST, 11 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:35 EST, 12 October 2012 . If aliens from outer space visited our planet, they might be surprised to find that we excrete waste through our genitals - which, of course, also have a vital use in reproduction. However, the Chinese soft-shell turtle has evolved to use a very different orifice to rid itself of waste . Most usually encountered at upmarket restaurants in China, where they are considered a delicacy, these unusual amphibians are the only animals known to urinate through their mouths. Wash your mouth out! The Chinese soft-shelled turtle is the only animal known to science that actually urinates through its mouth . Now scientists believe that this apparently unique ability helped the animals adapt to survive in swamps and marshes where the water is often brackish - that is, slightly salty. Scientists in the 19th Century discovered that the linings of the mouths of soft-shelled turtles are covered with tiny, finger-shaped protrusions. Subsequent research revealed that these allow the turtles to breathe underwater by increasing the surface area of the mouth where oxygen and carbon dioxide can be exchanged. But Alex Yuen Kwong Ip of the National . University of Singapore believes that these characteristics evolved for . one reason only: to help the turtles urinate through their mouths more . easily. Here are some other Chinese delicacies that might seem odd to Western diners: . Together with Shit Fun Chew of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, Professor Ip kept four turtles in tanks of water for six days, New Scientist reported. Each animal had a tube attached to its cloaca, the posterior opening where amphibians usually excrete both urine and faeces, so Professor Ip could keep tabs on what emerged. The researchers found that, incredibly, only 6 per cent of the turtle's urea came out of the cloaca, with the rest mysteriously turning up in the tank's water. Professor Ip also restrained the turtles on land. He found that when he placed a bucket of water in front of them the creatures plunged their heads in for between 20 and 100 minutes. Observing more closely, he watched as they held some water in their mouths for a while then spat it out, increasing the concentration of the urea in the water. Delicacy: Chinese soft-shelled turtles are farmed across South East Asia, where they are considered a delicacy and are often served in upmarket restaurants . Professors Ip and Chew found that proteins in the turtle's mouth lining help to transport urea from its bloodstream. They managed to isolate on such protein and found it was only present in the mouth and not the kidney. 'I know of no other animal that can excrete urea through the mouth,' Professor Ip was quoted by New Scientist as saying. Most fish excrete through their gills, and lungfish and some amphibians can do so through their skin, but the Chinese soft-shelled turtle's oral excretion is almost certainly a one-off. Professor Ip believes oral urination helped the turtles adapt to life in brackish waters. To excrete urea via their kidneys and through their cloaca they would need to drink a lot of water to flush it through. That would mean consuming a lot of salt, which would be difficult for them to get rid of. So instead of drinking the backish water, the turtles are able to simply rinse their mouths with it. | Chinese soft-shelled turtle is the only creature to excrete through its mouth . Researchers say it evolved like this to survive in brackish swamp waters . | 03d0dcdd12d29bd6fbea5286088a48497a501e0b |
By . Paul Newman In Melbourne . PUBLISHED: . 22:27 EST, 28 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:32 EST, 29 December 2013 . This was the worst yet. A wretched, gruesome numbing defeat that not only leaves an Australian Ashes whitewash very much on but also signals, more than the other three emphatic thrashings, the end of a great era for this England team. Australia’s easy, no-nonsense eight-wicket victory within four days at the MCG is a new low simply because England threw the game away in the most culpable manner, as shamefully as anything seen in the darkest days of English cricket. This fourth Test, with the Ashes gone, was meant to be the start of something new for England, the first steps with a clean slate towards attempting to regain the urn when these old enemies meet yet again in just 18 months time. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Paul Newman: One of the lowest points in English cricket . Dismal: England lost heavily at the MCG to go 4-0 down in the series as they stare a whitewash in the face . All smiles: Chris Rogers (left) made a hundred and Shane Watson a fifty as Australia sauntered to their win . Oops: Alastair Cook dropped two catches - the second an absolute sitter to give David Warner a reprieve . Lonely? Cook's captaincy, particularly his negativity, has come into question during this doomed series . And it was meant to be the start of Alastair Cook taking real control and starting to mould his own England side in his own way, not just following the tried and tested methods of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower. Instead England betrayed a collective scrambled state of mind and a complete lack of confidence with a woeful display that sees them, incredulously, 4-0 down against an Australian team who had not won in nine Tests before this series. England had their chances here far more than they had in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Twice they were in position with the bat to finally put pressure on what remains a brittle Australian side only to blow it in as hapless way as can be. There is no defence for a first innings score of 255, made timidly, after Michael Clarke had gifted them the chance to move into a commanding position by taking a real gamble in asking England to bat. And there is absolutely no defence for what must surely be the worst day of this tortuous tour, the third of this Test, when England went into Saturday as clear favourites to win only to firstly let Australia’s last pair add 40 and then capitulate recklessly to 179 all out losing the last five wickets for just six runs. Despite it all England still had hope in the morning session, particularly as Australia have proved themselves very nervous chasers in recent times, but it was quickly distinguished with two terrible fielding howlers in the first half hour. How different this Test might still have been had Jonny Bairstow gone for the regulation chance to his left offered by Chris Rogers on 19 and then had Cook, perhaps still fazed by his keeper’s poor judgment, not dropped an absolute dolly to reprieve David Warner when he was on 22. It was a passage of play that highlighted England’s muddled selectorial thinking in bringing Bairstow here as back-up keeper when there are not many who view him as Matt Prior’s successor and then the captain’s scrambled brain. Stay hit! Chris Rogers was in free-scoring form as he passed fifty in the morning session . Got him! Jonny Bairstow caught Warner off Ben Stokes' bowling but it was too little too late from the tourists . Held aloft: Rogers celebrates his fifty, which came up in 73 balls, and the opener rarely looked threatened . Hero: Rogers was exemplary in scoring a ton and seeing Australia through the majority of their second innings . Top knock: Rogers scored a cluster of his runs backward of square on the offside, as shown by our hawk-eye . Carry on: Shane Watson was in at No 3 and continued where Warner had left off, scoring quick runs at the MCG . Warner, who rarely performs when he is actually under pressure, soon gave it away to give Ben Stokes, the one ray of hope from this series, a deserved wicket but the journeyman Rogers, one of cricket’s nice guys, made England pay. And England’s body language betrayed a beaten, embarrassed side long before Rogers, missed again by Bairstow on 81, moved on to a popular century and Shane Watson and Clarke, passing 8,000 Test runs, then completed the highest successful run-chase at the MCG in 50 years with contemptible ease. It is hard to see England raising themselves for one last push after this and if they do indeed lose in Sydney next week this would be a much more humiliating 5-0 reverse than that suffered here in 2006-07. Back then England had lost the spine of the side that won the Ashes so famously in 2005 and were up against some truly great Australian players, led by Ricky Ponting, who were hell-bent on revenge. This, at least judging by the last five years, is a much better England side than Andrew Flintoff’s vintage and they are up against an ageing Australian team who had a similar Test record to Zimbabwe in 2013 before England arrived. Toil: Stokes was England's main threat but even he found it tough going against the unforgiving Aussies . Tried and trusted? Cook opted to go with Joe Root instead of frontline spinner Monty Panesar for long spells . Clearly, though, Cook was right when he said before this match that maybe England’s 3-0 victory last summer had merely papered over the cracks both in the England side and his own captaincy. England made a habit of claiming the big moments last summer against an Australian side who had seemed to have forgotten how to get over the line but this time it has been Clarke who has had the upper hand in everything he has done. Big change now seems far more likely at the end of this series than it did after Perth. A lack of energy, imagination, tactical acumen and, yes, heart and desire appear far more worrying here than in the aftermath of losing the Ashes. Swann has gone, there are question marks over whether Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior will play for England again and there are those like Bairstow, Michael Carberry, Tim Bresnan, Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett who could conceivably disappear after this tour. And who will remain to coach them is a moot point also. Crestfallen: Stuart Broad saw an early catch go down and looked a beaten man in the field for the tourists . Smother: Rogers batted sensibly and showed the England middle order how to carry an innings . It is hard, for instance, to see Graham Gooch carrying on as batting coach after this. One of the greatest of all servants of English cricket will surely be too proud to watch the batsmen continually letting him and their country down. And what Flower would make of a 5-0 reverse is key to what England do next. I remain convinced that there is no-one better equipped to guide England towards a new era than the greatest coach England have had but will Flower feel that he has to be held accountable more than anyone and step down? There is no appetite within the ECB for Flower to go but new managing director Paul Downton may have a fight to persuade him to stay when he arrives in Sydney to begin a term as managing director that he could never have imagined would start in a crisis such as this when he succeeded Hugh Morris. Nobody better? England ought to stick by their coach Andy flower despite the humiliation Down Under . Happy as Larry! The Australian tactics had Darren Lehmann's aggressive stamp all over them during this series . There are questions, too, facing a selection panel which has got so much right over the last five years. James Whitaker takes over as national selector having to explain how England have ended up with the wrong back-up keeper, three giant bowlers who could not be trusted to play and three spinners in the squad in Panesar, Scott Borthwick and James Tredwell but no Swann. It is a sorry old mess and one that has escalated beyond all comprehension over these past few testing weeks. Last time they were at the MCG three years ago they retained the Ashes and did the sprinkler dance in front of a delighted Barmy Army. This same England team have unravelled this time in a most brutal fashion here and the time has clearly come for them to start again. | England facing humiliating series whitewash after another dismal defeat . Australia romped to a fourth-straight win with eight wickets in hand . Chris Rogers scored a terrific century to ease the hosts home . Captain Alastair Cook dropped two early chances to add more misery . | 9bfac0dfbcdf0587575550ad4d04280f357d8984 |
By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 07:13 EST, 6 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:13 EST, 6 October 2013 . Senior Tory Dr Liam Fox claimed three pence from the taxpayer to drive 100 yards in his constituency. The former Cabinet minister – who is being tipped for a return to frontline politics – submitted 16 expense claims for less than £1 each in travel costs in the last financial year. Staff who preside over MPs’ expenses even rounded the lowest claim up, from 2.8p, for the 0.06 mile journey. Driving by: North Somerset MP Liam Fox - who owns two properties worth a combined £1million - claimed 16 times for travel expenses worth less than £1 in the last financial year, according to official data . Walkable in a minute: Dr Fox claimed the money for driving the 0.06 miles between Stowell Concrete factory (bottom left) in Yatton, Somerset, and his nearby North Somerset constituency surgery (centre) It was for driving between Stowell . Concrete factory in Yatton, Somerset, to his constituency surgery in . Horsecastle Chapel, Yatton, in October last year. The journey would have . been walkable in minutes. Dr . Fox – who served as Defence Secretary until being forced out of office . for his close ties to lobbyist Adam Werritty in 2011 – earns £66,000 as a . backbencher. Until he . resigned from the Cabinet, his salary was £134,000 a year. He was also a . property millionaire, owning two homes worth at least £1.2million, . until December last year when he sold his flat in London. MPs are allowed to claim up to 45p a mile for car journeys. Dr Fox said: ‘I don’t do my expenses, my office does them.’ He did not return the Mail’s call about the expenses claims. Officials . at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority were believed to . have been deeply amused by the incident. One source is reported saying . that his original claim was for 2.8p but ‘we rounded it up to 3p’. Mileage: A building in Yatton, Somerset, where MP Liam Fox holds his constituency surgeries. Dr Fox filed a 3p expense claim for driving 0.06 of a mile from a nearby factory to this building . Short trip: Stowell Concrete Factory in Yatton, Somerset - 100 yards away from Dr Fox's constituency surgery . The . former leadership hopeful was the darling of the Tory right and the new . intake of Conservative MPs in 2005. But he failed to win the leadership . race against David Cameron, coming third behind David Davis. In . March 2010, Dr Fox also appealed against a Commons’ watchdog decision . that he had over-claimed £22,476. However, he dropped the appeal and . repaid the cash. He bought . his five-bedroom, detached constituency home for £680,000 in 2006. The . modern house boasts 1.3 acres of lawn with stunning views across the . north Somerset countryside and has walk-in-wardrobes and terraces. Dr . Fox also sold his two-bedroom flat in Central London for £600,000 last . December after receiving rental income on it. Labour MP John Mann said: . ‘This is an example of how MPs don’t get it. It comes across as extreme . greed. Entry: He was entitled to 2.8p for the trip, but the amount was rounded up to 3p by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and paid to Dr Fox last December. This is the entry, taken from IPSA data . ‘Anyone who can claim 3p demonstrates how out of touch they are with what is happening to people in this country.’ Stephen Pound, another Labour MP, said: ‘If he’s that hard-up, I’ll lend him a fiver till pay-day.’ Eleanor . McGrath, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: ‘It beggars belief he . submitted a claim for 3p. That figure was doubtless dwarfed by the cost . of processing the claim.’ However, . a Tory supporter of Dr Fox, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘Liam . was raised in a council house, so he knows about counting the pennies. If anything, his meticulous accounting shows he could be an asset in the . Treasury.’ | Fox, 52, earns a basic annual salary of £66,000 as North Somerset MP . He put in expenses claim for travelling 105 yards by car last October . Claimed 16 times for travel expenses lower than £1 in last financial year . Critics say 3p claim probably dwarfed by cost of processing the claim . He travelled 0.06 miles from concrete factory to constituency surgery . | ea471a41ef0d812ab854b7e203cd6ec2c234010f |
A teenage girl will be charged with a drug-related offense after she handed out marijuana-laced lollipops to her classmates at Enfield High School in Connecticut this week, according to police. Enfieild police said the girl from Connecticut confessed that she had given her classmates the pot-laden candy, making some students ill and leaving one in hospital. Police Chief Carl Sferrazza said the student admitted that she had shared the lethal lollipops, laced with tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, an active ingredient in marijuana earlier this week. Candy: A pot-laced 'treat', similar to this, has landed a teenager in hot water after she handed them out to pals . School: The resource officer at Enfield High School, pictured, became aware of the incident after a female student became ill and went to hospital . The girl told detectives that she had received the candy from California. The incident only came to light when a school resource officer became aware of a 16-year-old female student going to the hospital according to NBC Connecticut. Chris Drezek, deputy superintendent of Enfield Public Schools, said that a student had gone to the nurse's office and the school nurse first thought that she had developed an allergic reaction. However, the schoolgirl was later sent to hospital and stayed overnight on Monday. Meanwhile, during the initial investigation, the suspect told police that said she distributed the marijuana lollipops to certain people in the school but not to the victim. Police: Police Chief Carl Sferrazza said the student admitted that she shared the lethal lollipops laced with tetrahydrocannabinol, an active ingredient in marijuana, at school earlier this week . The identity of the suspect and the victim have not been released. Police have referred the suspect to juvenile court on pending drug-related charges. The police said that the case will remain under investigation. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | The teenager told police that she got the candy from California . She confessed that she handed them out to classmates but one became ill . The ill student ended up staying in hospital overnight on Monday . But the school nurse initially thought she had suffered an allergic reaction . The suspect has been sent to juvenile court pending drug-related charges . The police confirm that the case remains under investigation . | becd2f35e4321dc841716f8458b2c096ab8c6e21 |
(CNN) -- Goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng earned reigning Serie A champions AC Milan a 2-1 victory over local rivals Internazionale in the Italian Super Cup played at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing on Saturday. Wesley Sneijder put Inter ahead after 22 minutes with a curling free-kick past Milan's 'keeper Christian Abbiati, before former Inter striker, Ibrahimovic headed home an equalizer from close range in the 60th minute. Milan's winner came just nine minutes later, as Ghanaian international, Boateng reacted quickest after substitute Alexandre Pato's shot deflected off the post. Van der Sar says farewell . Inter, now coached by Gian Piero Gasperini, pressed in vain for an equalizer but couldn't stop their great rivals lifting the trophy for a sixth time. AC Milan begin the defense of their Serie A title on 27 August, away to Cagliari. Inter, last season's runners-up, kick off their Serie A campaign the following day against Lecce. | Milan beat rivals Inter 2-1 in close fought Italian Super Cup match in Beijing . Kevin Prince Boateng scores winner, after Wesley Sneijder had put Inter ahead . | 27d13cf1b189592d3f9d322074a3917338037574 |
Traffic jams are set to cost the average family more than £2,000 a year in lost time by 2030, a damning report reveals today. The cost will rise to more than £4,000 a year for families in London – the UK’s most congested city. Over the next 16 years congestion will wipe more than £300billion off the UK economy, the INRIX/CEBR report concludes. By 2030, the cost of sitting in traffic jams will be higher per person in the UK than in France, Germany or the US, the INRIX/CEBR report concludes . Traffic congestion: Population growth and a booming economy are the main factors driving the rise in traffic . Population growth – predicted to rise from 64million to 72million in 2030 and offset a fall in average car ownership levels - and a booming national economy are the main factors driving the rise in costly gridlock which will provide ‘a terrible shock’ for households. The annual cost of jams to the nation will soar by 63 per cent from £13billion last year to more than £21billion by 2030 – a figure that exceeds entire UK transport budget for 2014, it says. Over that same period, the predicted cost per household will increase by 44 percent – from £1,426 in 2013 to £2,057– or three times the average UK monthly rent in 2014, says the report. It will see the time spent by the average British motorist stuck each year in gridlock annually rise from 124 hours last year to 136 hours in 2030 - equivalent to 18 working days a year. In London, which suffers the worst congestion and delays, drivers spent more than 250 hours idling in traffic in 2013. This is double the UK average but is set to increase to 299 hours in 2030 - equivalent to 40 working days a year. The UK’s 63 per cent increase will be the highest among the main world economies studies and compares to a 50 per cent rise in the USA and 31 per cent in both Germany and France. More time is wasted in jams in London than any major city included in the report's findings . Growth in the number of miles travelled by car is forecast to be highest in the UK, and in London . London will be left in the Slow lane, with the sharpest fall in average speeds when in traffic congestion . 2013-2030 cumulative UK cost of congestion: £307billion (18 per cent of UK GDP in 2013) · £191billion – direct costs . · £115billion – indirect costs . 2013-2030 annual UK cost of congestion increase: 63 per cent . · £13.1billion in 2013 . · £21.4billion in 2030 (more than the entire UK transport budget in 2014) 2013-2030 per UK household cost of congestion increase: 44 per cent . · £1,426 in 2013 . · £2,057 in 2030 (three times the average UK monthly rent in 2014) Source: INRIX / Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) The study from traffic experts INRIX – who supply data used in car sat-nav systems - and the Centre for Economics and Business Research based its UK findings on the UK’s 18 largest urban areas. These include Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford-Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kingston-upon-Hull, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent. It says that although households will have fewer cars on average, population growth means there will be more cars on the road in absolute terms ‘as the UK economy continues to strengthen.’ The INRIX report concludes: ‘Between 2013 and 2030, the total cumulative cost of congestion to the UK economy is estimated to be a staggering £307billion.’ Of that £307billion - equivalent to nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of the nation’s productive wealth last year - some £191billion is in the form of ‘direct costs ‘ such as the value of fuel and the time wasted by not being productive at work. A further £115billion is in the form of ‘indirect costs’ which relate to higher transport and freight costs and business fees from company vehicles idling in traffic, which are passed on to consumers as additional costs to household bills. The report notes that in the UK last year, almost 70 per cent of the workforce commuted to work by car during peak times, with the average British driver spending 124 hours stuck in gridlock annually. ‘This is set to rise to 136 hours in 2030, equivalent to 18 working days a year. This has both a direct and indirect economic impact on car commuting households,' the report says. And adds: ‘In London, the UK’s most congested city, drivers spent more than 250 hours idling in traffic in 2013, which is double the UK average. This is set to increase to 299 hours in 2030, equivalent to 40 working days a year.' The cost of jams: Rising congestion in London is expected to cost families in the capital £4,000 each in 2030 . 2013-2030 cumulative London cost of congestion: £130billion . · £68billion – direct costs . · £62billion – indirect costs . 2013-2030 annual London cost of congestion Increase: 71 per cent . · £5.4billion in 2013 . · £9.3billion in 2030 . 2013-2030 per London household cost of congestion Increase: 44 per cent . · £2,765 in 2013 . · £4,002 in 2030 . Source: INRIX / Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) It says that although fewer than a third of Londoners commute to work by car, the cost of living and the value of time for the capital’s 1.4million car commuters is at such a premium that it will cost ‘each car commuting household more than £4,000 a year by 2030.’ The cost of congestion to the capital’s economy will rise by 71 per cent – from £5.4billion in 2013 to £9.3billion in 2030. The cost per London household will rise over the same period by 44 per cent – from £2,765 in 2013 to £4,002 in 2030. As a result, the cumulative cost of congestion in London over the next 16 years will top £130billion, of which £68billion will be direct costs and £62billion indirect costs. The INRIX/CEBR report concludes that population growth and the ‘expected strengthening of the British economy’ will lead to ‘a significant increase in the demand for road travel across the country over the next 16 years.’ It notes: ‘Population growth is the largest driver of road travel demand in the UK. UK population is predicted to grow by 12 per cent, from 64million in 2013 to 72million in 2030.' London alone will experience a 20 per cent population increase from 8.4million to 10.1million over the period. This will place a significant strain on the capital’s road network’. GDP is predicted to rise by a quarter (24 per cent) by 2030: ‘As incomes increase, households are expected to choose car travel over other forms of transport, driving up congestion levels as a result.' Car ownership levels, which last year stood at stood at 448 vehicles per 1,000 people are ‘expected to decrease slightly’ because of shifting attitudes and investment in rail. But the report stresses: ‘The absolute number of vehicles on the UK’s roads is still expected to be higher by 2030 as a result of continued population growth’. The World Bank’s prediction of stable fuel prices suggests UK fuel prices will increase by only 2 per cent in real terms, from £1.34 per litre in 2013 to £1.36 in 2030, it says . Added to improvements in fuel economy, this will ‘reduce the effective cost of motoring’ and persuade more people to drive, it says. Matt Simmons, European director of INRIX said: ‘This study is a warning of the worsening impact of gridlock on the British economy and on household budgets. ‘We now know that congestion will continue to have serious consequences for national and city economies, businesses and citizens in the years to come. If we think this problem is bad now, we are in for a terrible shock come 2030.’ | Annual cost of jams in the UK will soar by 63 per cent to £21billion by 2030 . Congestion will cost the UK economy £300billion over the next 16 years . Londoners wasted 250 hours in traffic in 2013, rising to 299 hours by 2030 . | 381274a92617d1d553900eeea58e8472ed867e32 |
Washington (CNN) -- The Boston Herald and its cartoonist apologized Wednesday for a cartoon that quickly drew criticism on social media for being racist. A satire on the recent news that an intruder got farther into the White House last month than previously known, the cartoon depicts the intruder sitting in President Obama's bathtub, asking him if he has tried the "watermelon flavored toothpaste." Critics quickly pounced on the watermelon aspect of the cartoon, arguing the cartoonist was playing off a stereotype that African Americans are particularly fond of the fruit. The cartoonist, Jerry Holbert, said on Boston Herald Radio the watermelon reference was inadvertent. He argued he was "naive" about any racial undertones and "wasn't thinking along those lines at all." Holbert said he used the watermelon flavor because he found "kids Colgate watermelon flavor" toothpaste in his bathroom at home. "I want to apologize to anyone I offended who was hurt by the cartoon," Holbert said. "It was certainly, absolutely, not my intention." The Herald also issued an apology: "His cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize. His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful. We stand by Jerry, who is a veteran cartoonist with the utmost integrity." A syndicated version of the cartoon uses the term "raspberry" instead of watermelon. Holbert said the syndicate called him Tuesday night asking if they could change the flavor. Pressed Wednesday on whether Holbert should have called the Herald after his talk with the syndicate, Holbert said, "I wish I had done that." | The Boston Herald cartoon was published Wednesday. The cartoon depicts the White House intruder and President Obama. Critics say it plays off a stereotype about African Americans. | 75bcadc5dc164c6f57508f99779a12fa320c8cc6 |
When we last saw South Carolina Congressman Francis Underwood on Netflix's "House of Cards," he was being offered an appointment to the vice presidency of the United States. How much trouble can that cause? Given what Underwood did in the first season of the show, probably more than anybody anticipates. Don't expect him to be the glad-handing, funeral-attending type of VP; Underwood is more likely to be holding a knife or two, the better to stab people in the back -- or, if it's necessary, in the front. "House of Cards," which helped establish Netflix as an original programmer -- rather than those folks who send you DVDs in red envelopes -- returns Friday for its second season. Like the first, it will be available for download all at once, which may mean that a lot of Valentine's Day dinners grow cold while fans binge on watching 13 straight episodes. As the second season begins, Kevin Spacey's Underwood reveals that the vice presidency won't change his cold, pragmatic cardiac muscle. "One heartbeat away from the presidency and not a single vote cast in my name," he says at his swearing-in. "Democracy is so overrated." 'He believes ideology is a form of weakness' It's a long way from the beginning of the first season, when Underwood was denied his desired job as secretary of state. But in a long-running game of "don't get mad, get even," Underwood -- with help from Doug Stamper, his subtly brutal chief of staff (Michael Kelly); Claire, his devoted and equally conniving lobbyist wife (Robin Wright); and Zoe Barnes, a pliable, ambitious reporter (Kate Mara) -- managed to knock down his obstacles and maneuver his way up the Washington food chain. If a few bodies were left in his wake -- figuratively and, in one case, literally -- well, the ends justify the means. As Underwood noted in the very first episode as he put a wounded dog out of its misery, "I have no patience for useless things." But that's not to say that Underwood doesn't also want to make the system work. In an interview last fall with CNN, showrunner Beau Willimon explained that Underwood, at heart, is "an optimist," though he understands the darker view. 'House of Cards' creator Willimon plays a solid hand . "Where I think people mistake his optimism for cynicism is that he's unapologetically self-interested. He believes ideology is a form of weakness -- a form of cowardice," Willimon said. The writer and producer observes that one of the character's models is Lyndon Johnson, known for his shrewd knowledge of the legislative process both as a senator and as president. Willimon added that "House of Cards" isn't necessarily a show about politics, despite its Washington setting. It's a show about power -- in all its manifestations. "That power is displayed in our love lives, or our work environments, the way we comport ourselves when randomness brushes up against us," he says. And, he adds, power can be more useful than money: "Power has no limits if you're willing to go far enough in order to get as much of it as you can." 'Mr. Macbeth Goes to Washington'? Naturally, Willimon and his stars have been tight-lipped about how far Underwood will take things in a show The Kansas City Star nicknamed "Mr. Macbeth Goes to Washington." Trailers and tidbits, however, offer some tantalizing hints. There's a suggestion that Underwood could be implicated in a murder investigation. Perhaps Barnes might be locating her ethics. A New York Times Magazine profile of Willimon mentioned a "super-duper-double-major spoiler." And Underwood appears headed for a showdown with wealthy industrialist -- and fellow power broker -- Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney), a friend of the president. Just as intriguing is the future of Underwood's wife, Claire. In the first season's early episodes, she seemed more troubled by unethical behavior than her husband; after all, she was a lobbyist for environmental issues. But that changed as she found her own livelihood threatened. In this, she is much like her husband, said Wright. "She is a pragmatist in the art of war," the actress told The New York Times. However the second season concludes, "House of Cards" has already been a winner. Netflix spent $100 million to produce the show's first two seasons. In return, the show was nominated for eight Emmy awards last fall, winning three, and Netflix's subscriber base and stock price have both hit new highs. The service has quickly become a major player for original programming, with last summer's "Orange Is the New Black" also earning raves. The company recently renewed "House of Cards" for a third season. In the meantime, one can only wonder whether a better Shakespearean parallel for Underwood is "Othello's" Iago, dropping poisoned hints in the president's ear. All Willimon will promise is the show will hold on to its darkness. "There are people who don't like the level of darkness, who find the characters unsympathetic," he told the Times Magazine. "And we need to own that." | "House of Cards" returns for second season on Friday . Show stars Kevin Spacey as conniving congressman -- now one step from White House . Show is less about Washington politics than about power, says creator . | 041d5dde8d0fb4597ba766019e47390c4e351df7 |
By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 11:45 EST, 13 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:47 EST, 13 September 2013 . Karen Welsh, pictured, was strangled in her home by paranoid schizophrenic John Constantine . A damning investigation into the killing of a nurse by a paranoid schizophrenic has revealed a series of blunders by the NHS, police and probation service. Karen Welsh, 52, was strangled at home by John Constantine, 33, who had been discharged from a psychiatric hospital. Constantine beat Mrs Welsh and cut her wrists in March 2010 – while he had already breached the conditions of a suspended prison sentence. Mrs Welsh, a nurse, had let Constantine, stay in her Cardiff home as he was homeless after being let out. At the time he was only receiving treatment for depression. But a report into her death by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales has said that he was misdiagnosed by doctors, and should also have been arrested by police years earlier. It said that his hospital treatment was ‘inadequate’, and that he was only properly diagnosed as a ‘floridly psychotic’ paranoid schizophrenic after killing Mrs Welsh. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, which initially assessed Constantine, was criticised for underestimating the risks he posed. The report said: ‘Had there been a more assertive and less fragmented attempt to gain a better understanding of the risks that he posed, it is possible the killing may have been preventable.’ It also revealed that police and probation officers repeatedly failed to arrest Constantine - who breached the conditions of his suspended sentence for a hammer attack, burglary and car theft in 2008. Karen Welsh, pictured right with her daughter Joanne, left, might not have died if police and doctors had acted properly, a report said . It said: ‘On more than one occasion opportunities were missed to apprehend him and bring him back under the supervision of the probation service or the courts.’ Her daughter Joanne Welsh described her heartbreak on finding out that her mother’s death was preventable. She said: ‘It is extremely upsetting to hear the conclusions. ‘My mother could still be alive had it not been for misdiagnosis, failures in communication between the relevant agencies and a lack of mental health awareness. ‘These failings meant that a very dangerous and unwell man was let down and allowed to commit such a devastating crime.’ When Constantine was tried in court for Mrs Welsh’s murder, it emerged that he was a paranoid schizophrenic who had been fit and well until suffering a mental breakdown in 2008. He denied murder but admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility and was sent indefinitely to a maximum security hospital. The court heard that he had changed his name from Kevin Astley to John Constantine after a Keanu Reeves character. Reeves played the occult detective in Constantine, a 2005 occult thriller in which his character can talk to demons. Ruth Walker, head of nursing at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: ‘It is clear that communication between statutory agencies fell short of expectation. ‘Both patients were let down by that failure, with tragic consequences.’ Dr Ruth Hussey, chief medical officer for Wales, said: ‘In this complex case, there were several key findings of concern. ‘The Welsh Government expects the local health board involved to work with other partners to take the appropriate actions and learn from this tragic case. ‘On behalf of the NHS in Wales, I would like to apologise sincerely to everyone affected by this tragedy.’ | John Constantine, 33, strangled Karen Welsh at home in Cardiff in 2010 . Constantine, a paranoid schizophrenic, had been released from a mental hospital . Report into the death of Mrs Welsh, a nurse, shows it was preventable . Says Constantine was misdiagnosed by doctors . He should also have been arrested for breaking terms of release for earlier crimes . | 54741a18be085730ab086558101b289695cc7316 |
(CNN) -- A British fugitive wanted for fleeing his 2009 trial on armed robbery charges was back in custody Sunday after a dramatic raid on a villa in southern Spain, British authorities announced Sunday. Spanish police video of the raid shows Andrew Moran attempting to jump a poolside wall to escape officers during the Friday afternoon raid in Alicante, on the Mediterranean coast. Moran had been relaxing by the pool before the raid, Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency said. Moran, 31, had been convicted in absentia of conspiracy to commit armed robbery for the 2005 holdup of a Royal Mail vehicle. A security guard was injured, and Moran and an accomplice got away with 25,000 pounds ($38,000), the agency said. Moran was standing trial in Burnley, in northwestern England, in February 2009 when he attacked four security guards, vaulted out of the dock and escaped. He lived in Spain under a series of false identities, "frequently changing his appearance," Matt Burton, the organized crime agency's head of investigations, said in a statement announcing his capture. Moran is scheduled to appear before a judge in Madrid to face an extradition request on Monday, the statement said. He had escaped an earlier arrest attempt, in November, by ramming police cars and driving off the wrong way down a highway. His accomplice, Stephen Devalda, was arrested in Spain in 2011 in a joint operation between Spanish and British authorities and has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison. | Andrew Moran fled his 2009 robbery trial, police say . He was arrested by a pool in southern Spain . His accused accomplice was arrested in Spain in 2011 . | bc70090cf9a0fb3ed81e0966da6531be618ea955 |
Thousands of new mothers are being let down by inadequate GP appointments that are supposed to ensure they recover well from labour, a study has found. Nearly half said their six-week post-natal check was not thorough enough, with one in five saying it lasted less than five minutes. Almost a third (29 per cent) claimed their GP did not ask about their state of mind, even though doctors are meant to check for post-natal depression. Scroll down for video . Nearly half of new mums said their six-week post-natal check was not thorough enough, with one in five saying it lasted less than five minutes . A fifth claimed they 'put on a brave face', too embarrassed to admit that they were struggling with motherhood. The consultations are offered on the NHS six weeks after labour to check that women are recovering physically and emotionally, and coping with caring for their babies. GPs are meant to weigh women, check their blood pressure, test their urine for kidney infections and ask a series of questions about their wellbeing. But a survey of 4,000 new mothers by the National Childbirth Trust found 45 per cent thought the checks were substandard. Another 43 per cent said their GP did not understand their circumstances and 7 per cent wanted to talk about how they were coping emotionally but ran out of time. GPs are meant to weigh women, check their blood pressure, test their urine for kidney infections and ask a series of questions about their wellbeing . One mother, Lyssie, from Leeds, said her GP was abrasive and made her feel a nuisance, adding: 'As a first-time mum I felt rushed and as if I was a nuisance. I felt as if I couldn't possibly ask, 'Is this normal?'. 'I had some questions but I didn't feel comfortable to ask them due to the GP's manner.' Another, Allie, from London, said: 'There was no consideration of the difficult labour I had gone through and impact it may have had on me psychologically.' NCT chief executive Belinda Phipps said: 'The check-up is a key opportunity to spot potential problems. Post-natal depression can develop from this stage, as well as other physical and psychological disorders. 'So it is worrying that almost a third of women were not even asked about how they felt. Identification early on is crucial.' Common problems that should be picked up include difficulty in shedding pregnancy weight, or going too far the other way and developing eating disorders as mums try to regain their figure. The checks are also an invaluable opportunity for mothers to admit they are struggling with breastfeeding, or seek advice on how to settle their baby. Cathy Ranson, editor in chief of the website Netmums, said: 'The check is a vital safety net, but this system isn't working. Investing a little more time and money could pick up serious emotional and psychological issues much earlier, saving the NHS millions in treatment costs later.' Click here to read more from NCT . | Half of new mothers said their six-week post-natal check was not thorough . GPs are meant to check blood pressure, urine and ask about wellbeing . Almost a third claimed their GP did not ask about their state of mind . A fifth 'put on a brave face', too embarrassed to admit they were struggling . National Childbirth Trust found 45 per cent thought checks were inadequate . | c95d90e3a7279126187e649d9941e5b905785bb8 |
An alleged Islamic hate preacher has been arrested over claims he is the terror mastermind who recruited the two Austrian jihad 'poster girls' and more than 160 others who joined ISIS. Samra Kesinovic, 17, and Sabina Selimovic, 16, became radicalised through the cell led by unemployed benefits claimant Ebu Tejma, 33, who lived with his pregnant wife and five children in a council flat in Vienna, Austria. It was stuffed with jewellery, cash and savings books worth a fortune when it was stormed by Austria's elite heavily-armed police special forces team WEGA. Scroll down for video . Poster girls: Samra Kesinovic, 17, (left) and Sabina Selimovic, 16, (right) became radicalised through the cell led by unemployed benefits claimant Ebu Tejma . A picture believed to show Sabina Selimovic, 15, with jihadi fighters in Syria: An interview given by the Austrian teenager saying how she feels 'she can really be free' among the extremists may have been given at gunpoint. It is claimed they now want to return home - but it is too late . The valuables had all been provided by Muslims radicalised by the preacher and his cronies in a network that reportedly extended across the country and into the rest of Europe. His arrest has been seen as a major blow against the terrorist group's activities. According to security forces, Ebu Tejma, whose real name is Mirsad Omerovic, not only recruited the two girls that became the public face of jihad - but was also involved in a further 166 defections of European youngsters to fight in holy war. It's also claimed he raised a 'significant' amount of cash for terrorists. Security service insiders claim that he was not only one of 200 leading jihadists, but was also one of the leaders of the so called 'Bosnian cell' based in the Meidling district of Vienna that was 'one of the most important logistic and financial support centres for jihadist activities in Europe', according to a 'Vecernje novosti', a local newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Austria has been concerned for years over fears that the country was becoming a hub for terrorist activities after inviting thousands of Muslim refugees into the country during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The moved provided a fertile breeding ground for Ebu Tejma and his network. The influential Austrian newspaper the Krone, claimed that 'there was scarcely a single recruit in Europe for Jihad in which he and his group were not involved'. Originally from the small Serbian town of Tutin, Tejma was known in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a preacher of hatred and intolerance, who very soon found himself allied with the extreme form of Islam known as Wahabism. According to Austrian anti-terrorism authorities, Tejma appeared on their radar more than three years ago, when he began uploading videos onto his YouTube channel. Hate preacher: Tejma would approach fathers at Friday prayers and tell them it was their duty to provide wives for fighters in Iraq and Syria, it is claimed . Although officially unemployed, he was observed driving expensive fast cars. For the past two years, intelligence officials have been tapping his communications, monitoring his phone calls and building up a picture of his network - which then prompted the arrests on Friday November 28. One of those connections is allegedly a direct line to the caliph of ISIS terrorism, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Investigators saw a constant stream of Salafist Muslims while monitoring the Altun Alem mosque during their operation on Tejma. Salafism is the fastest-growing Islamic movement in the world. It is rooted in the 19th century where it emerged as a way of combating the spread of European ideas and values. But in recent years, it has come to be associated with the jihad of extremist groups that advocate the killing of innocent civilians. Security services recorded a constant stream of Salafist preachers, often accompanied by Mujahedin fighters travelling up from Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the mosque and the imam has been appearing in online videos revealing that it is every Muslim's duty to join jihad if an Islamic state is under attack from non-believers. It is not even necessary to ask parents for permission, because even that normally essential parental duty takes second place to the duty to fight. This is exactly what happened in the case of Samra and Sabina, who left only a note for their worried parents. It was at underground mosques like these that the teenage girls were recruited and the signs were there that they were in danger even before they fled. Messages painted on the walls at school urging fellow believers to follow the call to jihad were traced back to the girls. Nobody heeded that warning until their parents discovered the notes in their bedrooms. 'Don't look for us, we have gone to fight in the holy war.' Vanished: The girls disappeared one day and just left notes to their parents in their bedrooms. 'Don't look for us, we have gone to fight in the holy war', they read . Jihadi brides: The two girls in their new life in a pic posted online. They attended sermons given by Tejma . Meanwhile, Samra and Sabina attended Tejma's sermons - in which he said it was a woman's duty to support men fighting jihad. Tejma would even approach fathers attending Friday prayers to tell them that he had many contacts looking for wives. Samra and Sabina were radicalised within a few short months and travelled to Syria to marry jihadists.Both girls have now revealed they made a mistake, and desperately want to return home. But they are married already, and also both reportedly pregnant, so the chances of ever returning home or indeed seeing their parents seem remote. Tejma and 12 others were picked up in the raids involving hundreds of officers. They have been remanded in custody for a further two weeks while the investigations continue. According to state prosecutor Hansjoerg Bacher, the charges they are being investigated over are on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organisation, in 'connection with the recruiting of young people for the civil war in Syria'. The lawyer for Tejma denies all the charges while police and prosecutors sift through the evidence, and begin questioning his associates. Publicly they say they have struck a major blow against a likely terrorist network - but the arresting officers are clearly worried that there may be others at large. | Ebu Tejma, 33, who lived in Vienna on benefits arrested over claims he recruited 166 young Europeans to join jihad for ISIS . Includes Samra Kesinovic, 17 and Sabina Selimovic, 16, who became ISIS 'poster girls' after they ran away to become brides for terror fighters . Tejma is also accused of raising 'significant' amount of cash for ISIS . | 3d2129dc58674be4124e9ce96166ef40ddd49386 |
By . MailOnline Reporter . An elderly Florida woman tried to smuggle to the Philippines thousands of dollars by hiding the cash in her undergarments and secret pockets sewn into her purse. Federal officials say that Victoria Faren, 78, hid $21,000 of the money just in her girdle when she was trying to board a Delta flight out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in April, court records filed on Friday show. Along with her daughter, Cherryn Faren, 48, she tried to take nearly $41,000 in currency. Federal law requires travelers to declare cash amounts worth more than $10,000. US Customs and Border Protection officers first became suspicious of the elderly traveler when she told them she was carrying $200 — despite filling out a written declaration form indicating she had $1,200. Caught: Federal investigators say that a 78-year-old woman stashed some $21,000 inside her undergarments, plus another 20 grand in her purse (stock photo) Suspicious, the officer searched the elderly woman's handbag and found $12,977 in a series of wallets and improvised cloth pockets sewed the purse, court records show. Once again, the officer asked if that was all the cash she had. 'No, this is all the money,' Faren said, according to court records. Officers kept searching and found another $3,000 inside her blouse and $2,000 that had been sewn into the strap of her bra. She once again told officers that was all the money. But a pat-down search revealed a bulge near her buttocks, and officers found another $5,000 in the back of the woman's girdle. Faren broke into tears and eventually confessed to carrying as much as $21,000 in her girdle alone. She told Customs officers that the money came from selling her home for $120,000. Although she knew it was illegal to carry unreported cash, Faren said she didn't wire the money to the Philippines because she thought it would be safer to carry it, court records show. Federal prosecutors have filed paperwork in Michigan to keep the $40,977. | Victoria Faren, 78, was searched at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport after giving conflicting accounts of how much cash she was carrying . US Customs and Border Protection officers found the money hidden in the woman's bra, girdle and several secret pockets in her purse . Faren might forfeit the money, which she got from the sale of her house . | 6c33a3f028571de02675d6d8096db187658b8dcc |
Frank Lampard has announced his retirement from international football after 106 caps and 29 goals for England. The midfielder, who is currently on loan at Manchester City from their American partner club New York City, said he had been 'exceptionally proud and honoured' to represent his country for the last 15 years. In a statement issued through his management company, Lampard said: 'I have taken the decision to retire from international football. VIDEO Scroll down to hear Frank Lampard on what it means to play for England . Farewell: Frank Lampard has announced his international retirement after 106 caps for England . Lionheart: Lampard applauds the travelling England fans in what turned out to be his farewell England appearance - the 0-0 draw with Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte at the World Cup . Spot-on: Lampard scored 29 goals in all for England, including a number of penalties such as this one against Wales in a Euro 2012 qualifier in Cardiff . All smiles: Lampard played under Kevin Keegan, Sven Goran Eriksson, Steven McClaren, Fabio Capello and, latterly, Roy Hodgson during his England career which spanned 15 years . 'It has been a very tough decision for me to make which is why I have given it so much thought since the World Cup. 'I have always been exceptionally proud and honoured to represent my country and have to say looking back I have enjoyed every minute of wearing the England shirt. 'Due to my club career now going in a different direction it is of utmost importance for me to consider my family first. 'Also, to concentrate on how I can perform consistently to the best of my abilities over my next few years in club football.' Beginnings: Lampard on his England debut - against Belgium at the Stadium of Light in October 1999 . Call-up: In training with Chris Sutton ahead of his England debut 15 years ago . Good times: Lampard celebrates with Wayne Rooney after scoring against Poland in a World Cup 2006 qualifier . Bad times: Lampard reacts after missing his penalty in the shoot-out with Portugal at the 2006 World Cup . Games played: 106 (91 starts) Minutes played: 7,655 . Goals: 29 . Shots on target: 97 . Shots off target: 80 . Shots-to-goals ratio: 16.4 per cent . Minutes per goal: 264 . Penalty record: 9/11 . Passes: 5,369 . Passing accuracy: 83.7 per cent . Chances created: 127 . Tackles made: 261 . Tackles won: 191 (73.2 per cent) Fouls conceded: 107 . Yellow cards: 5 . Red cards: 0 . Source: Opta . The statement continues: 'It is now the time to move forward and I feel very confident that with Roy Hodgson in charge, the young players that we have coming through, and the changes that are being made throughout the development of the youth system in this country, that we will have success in the future and a team that this country deserves. 'I would like to thank all the managers that I have worked under, all the players that I have been fortunate enough to play alongside, and all the England fans for their support, not only at home but particularly on their travels with the team around the world. 'I now look forward to continuing to support the team as a fan and wish them every success for the upcoming campaign towards France 2016.' Lampard, then a West Ham player, was handed his first England cap by Kevin Keegan during the 2-1 friendly win over Belgium at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on October 10, 1999. He scored his first goal for the Three Lions in the 3-1 friendly win over Croatia at Ipswich's Portman Road ground on August 20, 2003. Having been overlooked for Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, Lampard was called up by Sven Goran Eriksson for the 2004 European Championship finals in Portugal. Senior men: Lampard (left) talks with coach Eriksson (second left), Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard (right) in training ahead of the 2006 World Cup . Familiar feeling: Lampard and Eriksson contemplate another tournament exit back in 2006 . Won: 62 . Drawn: 27 . Lost: 17 . Win %: 58.5 . Lampard was outstanding, scoring against France and Croatia in the group phase and in extra time against Portugal in the quarter-final before England bowed out on penalties. Following the retirement of Paul Scholes from international football, Lampard became a regular under Eriksson and was twice named England Player of the Year by the fans in 2004 and 2005. He was England's top scorer in qualification for the 2006 World Cup with five goals, including crucial goals against group rivals Austria and Poland. Injustice: The shot from Lampard that clearly beats Manuel Neuer and crosses the line during England's defeat to Germany at the 2010 World Cup . Disbelief: Lampard can't quite believe the goal - which would have tied the scores - isn't given . Letting fly: Lampard fires off a shot during England's friendly win over Scotland in August 2013 . Golden boy: Lampard is presented with a golden cap on the occasions of his 100th England appearance . Appreciation: Lampard applauds the England fans at Wembley after a 5-0 win over San Marino . One final tournament: Lampard pictured in Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 World Cup . 125 - Peter Shilton . 115 - David Beckham . 114 - Steven Gerrard . 108 - Bobby Moore . 107 - Ashley Cole . 106 - Bobby Charlton, Frank Lampard . Lampard played every minute of England's run to the eight in the finals, staged in Germany, but, along with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, missed his spot-kick in the shoot-out defeat by Portugal. His relationship with England's fans hit rock bottom during the ill-fated qualification tournament for Euro 2008 but, under Fabio Capello, he remained a mainstay of the side and scored twice in the 5-1 win over Croatia that secured a place at the 2010 World Cup. In South Africa, Lampard infamously saw his long-range shot against Germany bounce down off the crossbar and clearly cross the line. But it wasn't awarded and England went on to lose 4-1. Lampard scored twice in the qualification campaign for Euro 2012 but missed the tournament with a thigh injury. On March 22, 2013, he surpassed David Platt as England's highest scoring midfielder with a goal against San Marino and was England's vice-captain in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup finals. His farewell appearance, as it has transpired, was as captain in the 0-0 draw with Costa Rica on June 24. New club: Lampard has joined Manchester City on loan for the first half of the season from start-up Major League Soccer team New York City FC . Blue leader: Lampard is a legend at Chelsea after his 13-year career at the London club . | Frank Lampard has announced his retirement from the England team . The Manchester City midfielder won 106 caps and scored 29 goals . Chelsea legend Lampard made his England debut back in 1999 . He was selected in three World Cup finals and a European Championship . Lampard said he had been 'exceptionally proud and honoured' to represent the England team . | 18bd0b0618a0232e404753b5224ebad4ea6541e5 |
By . Francesca Chambers for MailOnline . The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency released more than 600 criminal aliens into the U.S. amid a budget shortfall in 2013, an audit of the department released today revealed. The year-long investigation found that ICE released 2,226 illegal immigrants in February 2013 just before the sequestration went into effect in an effort to cut costs. On the weekend of February 23 alone, the inspector general report says ICE released 1,450 illegal immigrants. Conservative news website The Daily Signal, which first obtained the audit, reports that 617 of the aliens released were criminals whose detention was mandatory. The surge of Central Americans illegally entering the country throughout the last two years has overwhelmed Immigration Customs and Enforcement officials. An audit of ICE found that it released 2,226 detainees, including 617 criminals, last year in the face of a budget shortfall . The Houston and Phoenix areas saw the largest number of criminals releases, while the largest total number of immigrant releases occurred in the Phoenix and San Diego areas . The Houston and Phoenix areas saw the largest number of criminals releases, while the largest total number of immigrant releases occurred in the Phoenix and San Diego areas. Immigration officials 'did not release aliens they considered a danger to the community,' however, the audit states. While ICE initially told Congress that the releases were tied to budget cuts caused by the sequestration the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General says the agency was already facing a $90 million budget shortfall. 'ICE did not anticipate the potential consequences of its decision to release 1,450 immigration detainees over one weekend,' the watchdog agency's report states. 'As a result, ICE was unprepared to respond to congressional inquiries about the detainee releases and provided incorrect data.' According to the report, ICE secretly ran into financial trouble after the U.S. border with Mexico began being inundated by Central American immigrants. Between fiscal year 2011 and 2012 the . number of illegal immigrants captured in the Rio Grande Valley area of . Texas rose by 66 percent, the report states. 'ICE executive leadership did not plan adequately for increased Border Patrol apprehensions on the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley,' the audit found. Compounding the issue is that the same area saw a 139 . percent increase in non-Mexican arrivals. Non-Mexican immigrants take longer for ICE to process because they must have certain travel documents and have to be flown home. Mexican immigrants can be immediately deported and bused home. Congress requires ICE to be able to hold 34,000 immigrants at all times, but only provides funding for 31,300 detainees, or beds, as immigration officials say. The rest of ICE's funding comes from other, less reliable means, the report explains. 'This funding structure leaves ICE with inadequate resources when there is an increase in detainees,' it said, noting in its recommendations that ICE needs to request of Congress funding for the total amount of beds it needs. The IG audit state that each bed costs ICE $122 a day, or $4.15 million a day or 34,000 detainees. If ICE maintains the bare minimum detainee population at its facilities, that makes for a grand total of $1.5 billion a year. Deporting non-Mexican illegal immigrants takes longer, causing pile ups at ICE detention centers . The influx of illegal immigrants put ICE over its legally required capacity at 35,610 beds at the beginning of 2013, causing a budget shortfall just as additional budget cuts from sequestration were scheduled to kick in. ICE had intended to meet its budgetary obligations by releasing even more illegal immigrants and reducing it's number of detainees to 25,700, but Congress informed the agency of the 34,000 requirement. The Office of Inspector General says that ICE then asked the Office of Management and Budget for $22 million in additional funding, but before it could make a final decision ICE secretly released the 2,226 illegal immigrants without permission from its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security. Because ICE's 'detention population included few . detainees whose detention was not mandatory and who did not have . criminal convictions,' many criminals were included in the release, the Inspector General audit released today found. Other non-criminals 'were not suitable for release' the report said. 'This . caseload included national security and extradition cases, aliens . awaiting sentencing in criminal cases, and aliens already scheduled for . removal' After the initial release, ICE reportedly redetained 54 aliens but did not say why. The Associated Press first reported the massive discharge of detainees in early March, a charge that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano denied, claiming that hundreds, not thousands, of aliens were released. Later that month, ICE director John Morton publicly admitted that the number did run in the thousands. 'We were trying to live within the budget that Congress had provided us,' he told Congress. 'This was not a White House call. I take full responsibility.' | A year long investigation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement found the agency released 2,226 illegal immigrants in an effort to cut costs . That number includes 617 criminal aliens whose detention was mandatory . On the weekend of February 23 alone, the inspector general report says ICE released 1,450 illegal immigrants . The report found that ICE kept the release secret from it's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security . | 3d7e9b44df6641354084dcf7b98830c8489a41fb |
By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 06:38 EST, 13 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:17 EST, 13 April 2012 . At least five protesters were shot dead in Syria today during a 'ceasefire' as thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets after Friday prayers. Activists . said regime forces fired live bullets and tear gas in some locations, . killing at least five people, but stood back in other areas where . demonstrators beat drums and chanted anti-regime slogans. Nervous world leaders were watching with bated breath to see if the fragile truce which began at 6am yesterday would hold. Scroll down for video . 'Ceasefire': Syrian soldiers patrol after Friday prayers in the Damascus suburb of Kafr Betna. Today three people were killed by forces loyal to President Assad . Forces loyal to President Assad shot dead at least one person Hama as demonstrators tried to converge on a central square, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. In the southern province of Deraa, where the uprising began, a man was shot dead as worshippers left a mosque in the town of Nawa. A third man was killed in the town of Salqeen in the northwestern province of Idlib, activists said. A major outbreak of violence at a . chaotic rally could give government forces a pretext for ending the . peace plan, which aims to calm a year-old uprising that has killed 9,000 . people and pushed the country toward civil war. The truce - which is just about holding - is at the centre of . international envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan to stop the slide toward . civil war and launch talks on a political transition. Although the ceasefire has been 'relatively respected', the regime has ignored at least two major points in the plan - to send forces back to their barracks and to allow peaceful demonstrations. Troops remain in towns and cities, and the regime insisted that demonstrators seek government permits. Syria's state news agency SANA blamed two of the deaths on the opposition, saying an 'armed terrorist group' shot dead the man in Salqeen and they attributed the death of the Hama protester to a shot fired by a fellow demonstrator. There were few reports of violence elsewhere, but activists said security forces were out in strength to prevent any major anti-Assad rallies around the country. Demonstration: Syrians gather in the Damascus suburb of Duma after Friday prayers as an uneasy truce just about holds . Assad's opponents had called for mass demonstrations to test whether the authorities would tolerate a return to peaceful protests, as Annan's six-point peace plan said they should. Pockets of fighting were also reported near . the Turkey-Syria border but the UN said the amnesty was generally being . 'relatively respected'. An advance team of United Nations observers were standing ready to enter Syria to monitor the tense situation, a spokesman said. Anti-regime protest: Forces loyal to the Government have been trying to halt the demonstrations today after a ceasefire came into effect yesterday . Ahmad Fawzi said the team would . prepare the way for a full mission of up to 250 observers on the ground . if the UN Security Council gives approval as hoped when it meets later . today. He said the full . mission would help keep the peace 'if the ceasefire holds and it turns . into a genuine cessation of hostilities'. Syrian . forces tightened security in public squares and outside mosques on . Friday after opposition leaders called for widespread protests. Large anti-government protests were reported in several cities, . including Deir al-Zour, on Thursday evening, and opposition groups have . called for further demonstrations after Friday prayers, as has become . the tradition. Protest:A Syrian protester waves a pre-Baath Syrian flag during an anti-regime demonstration in Dael in the southern Daraa province latelast night as thousands of Syrians flooded the streets on the first day of the ceasefire . Tense: But despite the protests, Syrian forces upped security in to deal with any violence that may break out . French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Assad's ceasefire declaration was insincere and renewed a call for the creation of aid passages, without saying how these could be protected. 'I firmly believe the international community should live up to its responsibilities and create the conditions for humanitarian corridors so that these poor people who are being massacred can escape a dictator,' he told TV channel i>tele. Sarkozy said he had discussed Syria with U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday and they had talked about sending in U.N. observers to verify compliance with the ceasefire. The U.N. Security Council was to vote on the mission later today, with an advance party of 10 to 12 expected to reach Syria next week before the deployment of up to 250 monitors. Tense: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, right, talks to Barack Obama (on screen, about the fragile ceasefire in Syria . Explosion: A damaged bus sits on the road after being hit by a roadside bomb in Syria's second largest city Aleppo on today. One officer was killed and 24 people injured . Mr Annan's spokesman expressed . cautious optimism that the plan had been 'relatively respected' despite . the continued presence of government troops and heavy weapons in . population centres. Earlier . today, Syrian troops fought rebels near the border with Turkey, and . other scattered violence was reported, but the regime appeared to have . halted its daily shelling attacks on opposition strongholds. The . truce, the first brokered by the international community since the . Syria crisis erupted 13 months ago, calls for the Syrian government to . allow peaceful protests, and opposition activists urged supporters to . take to the streets after Friday prayers to test the regime's . compliance. The Syrian . government has broken promises in the past and so far ignored a key . provision of Mr Annan's plan to pull troops back to barracks. Horror: Blood lies on the floor of the coach after the explosion which came just hours into a UN ceasefire in Syria . VIDEO: Footage emerges on social media websites, alleging to be from inside Syria today . | Syrians pour into streets to protest president Assad's regime . Pockets of fighting reported near Turkey-Syria border but UN says truce generally being upheld . UN observation team standing ready to enter Syria to monitor the situation . | 695d22f57ba7a7c5e5f371a36899f45c266ea65f |
By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . Google may have mapped some of the most remote regions on Earth, but outer space remains a vast and dark mystery. Now one Canadian app, named SkyWatch, is hoping to give space the ‘Google Maps’ treatment by plotting cosmic events in real-time for amateur astronomers. Using raw data from Nasa, the app displays events such as supernovas and comets,on a Google Maps interface and highlights them as they happen. Scroll down for video . SkyWatch is hoping to give space the ‘Google Maps’ treatment by plotting cosmic events in real-time for amateur astronomers. The Toronto-based team came up with the app during Nasa’s International Space Apps Challenge and is currently working on a prototype. An early version of the design is pictured here . The Toronto-based team came up with the app during Nasa’s International Space Apps Challenge and is currently working on a prototype. ‘When we were first conceptualising SkyWatch, we aimed to build a tool that simply “opened up the heavens” to the seven billion-plus here on Earth,’ said developer James Slilfierz. ‘As the product developed we began to realise an even greater potential: one that allowed children to witness spectacular events millions of light years away at the exact same time as Nasa scientists, a privilege never before recognised.’ The Skywatch app is powered with data from Nasa’s Gamma-ray Coordinates Network. The data from this network reveals the coordinates of celestial events as they happen in space. After learning the physical location of the cosmic event, a Google Maps interface is combined with Google Sky Map to come up with a real-time visual map of space. An algorithm is used to to pick out interesting features, such as supernovas, which are visually mapped on the app. A Toronto-based team came up with the app during Nasa’s International Space Apps Challenge and is currently working on a prototype. The app is powered with data from Nasa’s Gamma-ray Coordinates Network. Scientists input data they want to share with other scientists and the servers send out the data to other telescopes in various locations. SkyWatch aims to use that data in a ‘Twitter-like platform where people all over the world can follow what is happening in the skies at all times.’ Without an astrophysicist on board, the team spent a large proportion of their time trying to find out what the telemetric data collected from Nasa meant, according to a report in Motherboard. After find out the physical location of the event, the Google Maps portion of the app is paired up with another Google product: Google Sky Map. The team combine Sky Map’s interface with telemetric data from Earth to come up with a real time visual map of space. After learning the physical location of the cosmic event, a Google Maps interface is combined with Google Sky Map to come up with a real-time visual map of space. An algorithm is used to to pick out interesting features, such as supernovas, which are visually mapped on the app . Dexter Jagula, the team project leader told Motherboard users experience the ‘celestial event in space... as close to real time as we can.’ The team have now created an algorithm is able to automatically track events that people are interested in. Mr Jagula believes visually replicating space events in real-time is vital to promoting space research to a younger generation. The team hopes to have a working app available ‘sooner rather than later’ for mobile platforms. | The app combines raw data from Nasa with a Google Maps interface . The data reveals the coordinates of celestial events as they happen . An algorithm is used to pick out interesting features, such as supernovas . These cosmic features are visually mapped on the app in real-time . A Toronto-based team came up with concept during Nasa’s International Space Apps Challenge and is currently working on a prototype . | 9dce7679d258f53f5c2db3804f92125d409d524a |
New York (CNN) -- Officials are investigating reports that two fire department dispatchers trained in emergency medical care refused to help a pregnant worker who collapsed in a cafe they were visiting. The woman later died. Eutisha Rennix collapsed while working at an Au Bon Pain restaurant in Brooklyn on December 9 and died at Long Island College Hospital, according to the district attorney's office for Brooklyn, which is looking into the incident. A spokesman for the office said Rennix was pregnant. The district attorney's office identified the two dispatchers as Jason Green and Melissa Jackson. The New York Fire Department has suspended them without pay pending a department investigation, spokesman Frank Dwyer said. Although the two worked as dispatchers, they had been trained as emergency medical technicians, said Steve Ritea, another department spokesman. Emergency medical technicians receive several weeks of training in medical care, he said . Rennix's co-workers said Green and Jackson were in the cafe at the time Rennix collapsed, but left after telling her co-workers to call 911, local media outlets reported. Rennix's mother, Cynthia, said she was told that her daughter's co-workers tried to get the two to help, but they refused, according to CNN affiliate NY1. "If they were really caring and concerned, they would have taken a minute to see and probably, possibility, something to do or some way the could help her," Rennix said. But Jeff Samerson, a spokesman for the EMT and paramedics union that represents Green and Jackson, told NY1 that Jackson herself called 911. "These are people that are not in the field, that have not had patient contact in years. ... And they did the best they could," Samerson said. The fire department, however, issued a statement saying, "All of our members have taken an oath to assist others in need of emergency medical care." Cynthia Rennix told CNN that she feels the EMTs were "heartless" and "non-caring" and hopes that her daughter's tragedy will prompt the city of New York to implement some sort of training or classes to ensure that a situation like this won't happen again. The victim's brother, Eudane Rennix, was overseas serving in the U.S. Army in Kuwait when he received the call about his sister's death. He came home on emergency leave and that is when, he said, the family broke down together. "If this is your job, why wouldn't you want to help someone in need?" he said. "There's no excuse whatsoever." Eutisha Rennix's fiance and the father of her unborn child, Harry Woodsen, said the losses have been hard on the whole family. "Everybody has two losses," he said. "I lost a fiance, and I lost a child. Her brother lost a sister and niece. Her mother lost a grandchild and her daughter." The outrage at the incident has rippled beyond Brooklyn. Mayor Michael Bloomberg slammed the EMTs at a news conference Monday. "Somebody's dying down the street and they say 'Help them,' and they just sat there," he said. "There's no excuse whatsoever, as far as I can see." | NEW: Fire department says the two are dispatchers but have EMT training . Eutisha Rennix collapsed while working at a Brooklyn cafe, later died at hospital . Her co-workers reportedly say two EMTs in the cafe refused to help, told them to call 911 . The EMTs are suspended without pay while city investigates the reports . | d6ec404c2a37fbc9af8e62e448d34f7dc3681c9d |
Google has apologised after its mapping service renamed a road in Berlin after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The intersection, usually called Theodor-Heuss-Platz, temporarily regained its Nazi-era name - Adolf-Hitler-Platz. The area carried Hitler's name after he came to power in 1933 until the end of the Second World War. Mistake: An intersection in Berlin was accidentally renamed after the Nazi leader this week (pictured) Previously, it was known as Reichskanzlerplatz and in 1963 it was renamed after Theodor Heuss - the country's first president. Local media reported the mistake remained on Google Maps for a couple of hours. Google spokeswoman Lena Wagner said Friday the company quickly took down the name after the error was discovered. Google says it's not clear how the error occurred, but that 'we apologize for this mistake.' Scores of streets and squares were named after Hitler during his 1933-1945 dictatorship. The intersection in question, in western Berlin, sits on what the Nazis envisioned as the capital's main east-west axis for a redesign of the city that was never completed. History: The street was named after the Nazi leader following his rise to power in 1933 . | Theodor-Heuss-Platz renamed Adolf-Hitler-Platz, its Nazi era name . Google apologised for the 'mistake' - which was online for a few hours . | 83c436e9165f4c17b50b18ac47ab5b2814ee5b16 |
A vigilante gang kidnapped two alleged fraudsters and threatened them with a hammer, knife and hot iron to try to get them to return money. The victims were taken to a house in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, where members of the group beat them overnight in a 'terrifying' hold up. Seven men, led by 44-year-old Tariq Dhumial, were jailed after forcing the men into transferring thousands of pounds into their bank accounts. Tariq Dhamial (left) was described as the leader of the group which also included Fateh Ahmed (right) Shakaar Ahmed Butt (left) and Ghulam Ali (right) snared the victims to a property in Manchester where they threatened them . Dhumial, the court heard, believed a previous failed business deal with the two victims had been fraudulent. With his fellow offenders, he duped the victims into meeting him at a property they thought was for sale when they attacked. Beating the men, they took a wallet, watch, bracelet, phone and keys from one man. Both hostages were told to phone their wives and arrange for bank transfers of £5,000 and £9,000. Dhamial, who was described by prosecutors as the 'leader' of the group was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to four years in prison. Fateh Kashief Ahmed, 47, Shakoor Ahmed Butt, 35, Shazwan Ashraf, 31, Ghulam Ali, 33, and Abdul Zubair Qadus, 33, were each sentenced to 32 months, while Mohammed Khateer Ali, 31, was sentenced to 27 months. Mohammed Khateer Ali (left) was jailed for 27 months while Abdul Zubair Qadus was sentenced to 32 months . Shazwan Ashraf, 31, was also jailed for 32 months . Senior investigating officer Duncan Thorpe, from GMP, said: 'The victims were severely beaten and threatened for money that the offenders believed was owed to them from a previous fraud. 'A separate investigation is being conducted in relation to the fraudulent activities of the two victims, but unfortunately the offenders in this case decided to take matters into their own hands and inflict violence upon the victims. 'They kept the two victims prisoner for a couple of days and this was clearly a terrifying experience for both men, but today justice has been done.' Rob Hall, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: 'Tariq Dhamial was the leader in the false imprisonment of two men after a business deal went wrong. 'The two complainants were physically assaulted and threatened with demands for money being made directly to their families on mobile phones. 'The defendants initially denied all offences but eventually admitted falsely imprisoning the two men on the day of their trial. 'The message is clear that this behaviour will not be tolerated. 'Today, as these men begin prison sentences, they must face up to the consequences of their unacceptable actions.' All seven men were sentenced to different jail terms at Manchester Crown Court (pictured) for their crimes . | The gang of seven Asian men held two victims hostage in Manchester house . Threatened violence until victims arranged bank transfers to their accounts . All seven were jailed today following a trial at Manchester Crown Court . | 68d81c6d4fa4f5c83f82e94ec8f9c27ea64c7f23 |
NATO's top military commander expressed concern Sunday about the buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine's border, as Moscow's forces consolidated their control of Crimea over the weekend. Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove said Russia had a large force on Ukraine's eastern border and that he was worried it could pose a threat to Moldova's separatist Trans-Dniester region. "The (Russian) force that is at the Ukrainian border now to the east is very, very sizable and very, very ready," Breedlove, a U.S. Air Force general, said. "There is absolutely sufficient force postured on the eastern border of Ukraine to run to Trans-Dniester if the decision was made to do that, and that is very worrisome." Russia said its forces complied with international agreements. Moscow annexed Crimea following a controversial snap referendum in the autonomous region last week that produced an overwhelming majority of votes in favor of leaving Ukraine to join Russia. "Russia is acting much more like an adversary than a partner," Breedlove said, speaking at an event held in Brussels, Belgium, by the German Marshall Fund think tank. Other officials expressed concern too. "It's deeply concerning to see the Russian troop buildup along the border. It creates the potential for incidents, for instability," Tony Blinken, White House deputy national security adviser, told CNN's "State of the Union." "It's likely that what they are trying to do is intimidate the Ukrainians. It's possible that they are preparing to move in." Pro-Russia demonstrations planned . Pro-Russia demonstrations were planned for Sunday in Ukrainian cities outside Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula. The shows of favor for Moscow were scheduled for cities in Ukraine's south and east, where there are many ethnic Russians. On Saturday, six Russian special forces armored personnel carriers broke through the gates of Belbek air base, firing warning shots into the air, a spokesman for Ukraine's Ministry of Defense in Crimea told CNN. One journalist was injured in the attack, said Vladislav Seleznev. In a separate incident, pro-Russian self-defense forces stormed the Novofederoskoe military base, also in Crimea, taking control of it, a Ukraine Defense Ministry spokesman said. Seleznev also said that Crimean self-defense forces and Russian special forces took a Ukrainian ship, the Slavutych. The ship was captured "after a two-hour assault," he said, though the Ukrainian ship's crew members came ashore and didn't suffer any injuries. Ukrainian forces on the Novofederoskoe base threw smoke bombs during the incident and retreated to the base's headquarters, Seleznev said in a Facebook posting. The base's aviation brigade then sang the Ukrainian national anthem, lowered the Ukrainian flag and left the base, he said. The White House urged Russia to open talks with the Ukrainian government. But in a statement, it also held the Russian military directly responsible for any casualties inflicted on Ukrainian military members -- whether from regular Russian troops or militias not wearing insignias. Crimea remarries -- but that divorce will be messy . International monitors . The incidents occurred as international observers were set to arrive in Ukraine to monitor the security and human rights situation, in a posting expected to last at least six months. But they will not enter the contested region of Crimea, a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said, because this "became part of Russia." The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will eventually deploy a total of 100 observers throughout Ukraine in hopes of "reducing tensions and fostering peace, stability and security." They will also check that the rights of ethnic minorities are being protected. The OSCE may widen the mission to include 400 more monitors, and extend it for a second six-month period if requested by the Kiev government. Russia, which is one of the OSCE's 57 member states, approved the mission, according to state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it hoped the observers' work would stop nationalist extremists, who Moscow says have a strong influence on Kiev's government, and protect linguistic rights. Many Ukrainians speak Russian as their native language. Russia has previously said it reserves the right to enter Ukrainian territory to protect ethnic Russians from what it says is a threat from ultranationalists and fascists. Meanwhile, European leaders have demanded that independent monitors be granted access to the Crimean Peninsula. OSCE monitors made multiple attempts to enter Crimea during the height of the crisis, when pro-Russian militias took control of the region. But armed men at the borders turned them back. Russia sanctions: EU should leave trade alone . Claims on Crimea . Ukraine, the United States and other Western powers maintain Crimea is still a part of Ukraine. "We must not allow a new division of Europe," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Saturday in Kiev, where he met with with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and acting President Oleksandr Turchynov. Russia insists its actions are legitimate. Crimea had belonged to Russia until 1954, when it was given to Ukraine. The region also has a majority ethnic Russian population and other long historic ties to Russia. Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, making it strategically important to Moscow. Moscow has doggedly pursued its own course, even as Western leaders have denounced its actions as violations of Ukraine's sovereignty and a breach of international law. U.S. President Barack Obama plans to meet with leaders of the G7 group of industrialized nations this week to discuss Ukraine. Russia has been excluded from the talks on the sidelines of a nuclear summit in the Netherlands. A planned EU-Russia summit has also been canceled, as the West seeks to increase Moscow's isolation over its actions in Ukraine. EU leaders imposed a new round of sanctions against 12 individuals last week, bringing the total number of people facing EU asset freezes and travel bans to 33. The United States announced its own new round of sanctions against 20 individuals and a bank which U.S. officials say is linked to Putin and senior Russian officials. Washington had already announced sanctions on 11 individuals. "What we've seen the President do in recent weeks, and what we'll see him do this week, is bring the world together in support of Ukraine, to isolate Russia for its actions ... and reassure our partners and allies in NATO and Europe," Blinken said. Sanctions on Russia: Would World Cup boycott hit harder? Opinion: Putin's breathtaking lies about Russia . | NATO commander says Russia has a large force on Ukraine's eastern border . "Russia is acting much more like an adversary than a partner," NATO commander says . "We must not allow a new division of Europe," says German foreign minister . Pro-Russia rallies planned in southern, eastern Ukraine . | 6a497f4cdf961abca172cb8ca222eecee45c72f1 |
Praise: Sharon Kaur was praised for her work when she met Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street on the 16th April 2012 . An award-winning businesswoman feted by David Cameron and George Osborne at Downing Street faces charges of assaulting her own sister in front of astonished shoppers. Sharon Kaur allegedly attacked her younger sister Kulvinder by grabbing her hair from behind, spitting at her and clawing at her face, in what court papers term ‘a beating’. She will appear before magistrates tomorrow accused of assault. The alleged attack, which left divorcee Kulvinder, 37, battered and bruised, took place outside an O2 mobile phone shop in Ilford, East London, just a few miles from her home. As onlookers gathered round, Ms Kaur is said to have run into the crowd, leaving her sister behind. High-profile entrepreneur Ms Kaur, 46, runs the Sahara Homes care home empire with former West Ham FC chairman Terence Brown. She is managing director of the company she built from scratch, which focuses on people with learning disabilities. Ms Kaur visited Mr Cameron in No10 two years ago, along with other members of the Sikh community. A year earlier, she was pictured with Chancellor George Osborne at another Sikh community gathering. She was named Businesswoman of the Year at the 2007 Asian Women of Achievement Awards, attended by Cherie Blair and presented by Liz Hurley. Ms Kaur is highly respected in the Sikh community for extensive charity work, including a five-day trek in the Sahara, which raised more than £12,000 for a children’s hospice in East London. Of Indian-Punjabi descent, Ms Kaur was born in Huddersfield and was raised in a pub owned by her mother. She . left school at 15, but later studied for a media degree while working . as a dress designer. She went on to appear in an Indian version of The X . Factor for TV’s Sikh Channel. Ms Kaur found her vocation when an aunt asked her to help out in a care home. Assault: Ms Kaur's alleged attack on her sister took place outside an O2 mobile phone shop in Ilford, East London . She later bought a four-bedroom house with a bank loan, lived in one bedroom and used the other rooms to house three women who had been abused in childhood. But she has admitted the care industry has had its challenging moments. In an earlier interview, she said: ‘I have had service users [care home residents] break my nose, tear my hair out, damage my jaw and I have been dragged around the streets of East London until being rescued by my brother and the police.’ Ms Kaur confirmed she will appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court in East London, saying: ‘That’s right, but I don’t see what the big deal is.’ Her sister was unavailable for comment. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Sharon Kaur allegedly beat up her younger sister in front of stunned shoppers outside a shop in Ilford, East London . The care home boss has been feted for her work by David Cameron and George Osborne at Downing Street . The alleged attack left divorcee Kulvinder, 37, battered and bruised . Ms Kaur, 46, will appear before magistrates tomorrow accused of assault . | ae793d15dbcf04799103696d21c7940ab86a4d96 |
Moscow (CNN) -- An American rock band, Bloodhound Gang, is in trouble with the Russian authorities over a stunt which saw one of its band members stuff the Russian flag into his pants and pull it out from his backside. The band member told the audience "Don't tell Putin" before whipping the flag between his legs -- beneath his trousers -- during a concert in Odessa, Ukraine, on Wednesday. He then tossed the flag into the crowd. The stunt, which was caught on video, was posted on YouTube and has gone viral in Russia and Ukraine. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency named bass guitar player Jared Hasselhoff as the band member responsible. Now the band faces repercussions in Russia, where it has been barred from performing at the Kubana music festival, in a southern Russian territory, Krasnodar Krai, officials said. "Talked to Krasnodar territory leadership. Bloodhound Gang packing suitcases. These idiots won't perform in Kubana," Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said on Twitter Friday. Snowden case: What's in it for Russia . A member of the band's crew, who asked to not be named for security reasons, told CNN the band was attacked Saturday by Russian nationalists inside Anapa airport in Krasnodar Krai. The band members were "beaten up" by a crowd of men, he said, who punched and kicked them. Some of the attackers had whips. He said there were no serious injuries and that the band and its entourage were now safe. A Russian police guard is accompanying them as they wait for the next flight out, he said. Bloodhound Gang is still listed among the acts on the website for the weeklong Kubana festival on the Black Sea coast, which started Thursday. Bloodhound Gang had a big hit in 1999 with the song "The Bad Touch." The band is known for releasing satirical and provocative songs. Opinion: Make Olympics in Russia the gayest ever . CNN's Matthew Chance reported from Moscow and Karen Smith from Atlanta, while Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN's Arkady Irshenko contributed to this report. | A member of U.S. rock band Bloodhound Gang wipes a Russian flag between his legs . The stunt at a gig in Ukraine goes viral on YouTube, sparks Russian anger . The band is barred from playing at a Russian music festival, minister says . Member of the band's crew says they were beaten up at Russian airport by nationalists . | ce0f403ff30e0c0a0a133c59ee251633aafe3a17 |
By . Zoe Szathmary . and Associated Press . An 86-year-old New York City man who called 911 and said he shot his daughter was fatally shot by responding officers on Saturday. The man turned toward the officers with a shotgun and refused to drop it when they arrived, police said. Jack Calvello was shot once in the torso by a uniformed police officer following the 11:16 a.m. call to his Astoria, Queens home and was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. Calvello reportedly called 911 and said 'I shot my daughter and my dog' before saying he planned to shoot himself, the New York Daily News reports. Calvello's 65-year-old daughter, Carolann Matyka, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the kitchen of the red-brick home and rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m., police said. Scene: The shooting reportedly took place at Calvello's Astoria, Queens home, pictured . Crime: Police are seen in the area outside of Calvello's home. Calvello reportedly called 911 saying he shot his daughter and her dog . A loaded 12-gauge shotgun was recovered from the scene, according to investigators. It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the incident. Two teenage boys playing basketball near the home, Bryan Garcia and Eric Soto, told the Daily News they saw Calvello come out of the house's doorway pointing the shotgun at the two officers and then heard police tell him to drop the weapon before the shot was fired. 'When they shot him, it made us shake,' Soto, 15, said. 'At that point we covered our heads and ran; we were terrified.' 'That was the first time we’ve seen someone die, so it was terrifying,' Garcia said. Weapon: Jack Calvello, 86, reportedly faced responding officers with this 12-gauge shotgun . Matyka's brown Yorkshire terrier named Jack suffered a neck injury, but was expected to survive, according to the paper. Police said it was believed to have been shot as well. Realtor Dean Rocco, 29, told the Daily News that Calvello was a Vietnam veteran and bought his house in 1968. Calvello reportedly lived in the basement and his daughter upstairs, while a couple rented another floor in the home. Rocco said he did not witness trouble between Calvello and his daughter. 'I would see them every day. I never saw any kind of altercation between them,' Rocco said. The two responding policemen, a sergeant and a police officer, were unhurt. | Jack Calvello, 86, reportedly called 911 and said 'I shot my daughter and my dog' before saying he planned to shoot himself . Calvello was shot after he faced responding officers with a shotgun and refused to drop it when they arrived . Calvello's daughter Carolann Matyka was found with a gunshot wound to the head and later pronounced dead . Carolann's Yorkshire terrier suffered a neck injury but is expected to survive . | 3f993661f4b1d38ff02f2558ab5231d263b75ff6 |
A recent father-daughter dance in Miami was held at an unusual location — Miami's Federal Detention Center. The Miami Herald reports that 13 inmates and 20 daughters gathered in a prison meeting room that was transformed into a ballroom for two hours. The girls ranged in age from 4 to 18 years old. Xzavion Steadman checks his tie before seeing his daughter at the Federal Detention Center Miami . Pedro Bello adjusts his tie in the mirror before a daddy daughter dance at the Federal Detention Center Miami . Pedro Bello dances with his daughter at the Federal Detention Center Miami . Prison officials support the dance as a way to help inmates engage with their families and to prepare the inmates for the eventual release from prison. The Miami dance was the first such event held in a federal prison. Officials hope to hold similar dances in other federal prisons around the nation. Among the inmates who joined in the dance was Ernest Williams, 35. Williams is serving a 41-month drug sentence. He danced with his 9-year-old twin girls and his 13-year-old daughter. Omar Outten straightens the cuffs on his pants as he waits to see his daughter at the Federal Detention Center Miami . In this Nov. 4, 2014 photo, Anthony Martin and Xzavion Steadman check each others ties before visiting with their daughters in the receiving and discharging room at the Federal Detention Center Miami. The federal prison system hosted the first Daddy Daughter dance, a social for inmates and their daughters. Prison officials support the dance as a way to help inmates engage with their families and to prepare the inmates for the eventual release from prison. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Al Diaz) Ayoung girl waits to see her father at the Federal Detention Center Miami . "I haven't seen my girls in months, I could not believe how much they have grown," said Williams, 37, convicted of intent to sell crack cocaine. 'I was so happy to see them but so sad that I will not be able to leave with them. I am here instead of being outside with my family because of the choices I made.' Fathers and daughter participate thin the Daddy Daughter Dance at the Federal Detention Center Miami . Pedro Bello, right, checks himself in a small mirror as Santeli Martinez looks on at the Federal Detention Center Miami . The dance was attended by national law enforcement officials including the BOP director and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. 'You hope this will be transformational, that this dance gives these fathers something to look forward to,' said Walter T. Richardson, the Miami-Dade Police Department chaplain who delivered the keynote address. 'We want the focus not so much on what happened, what brought them here, but what kind of future they can have. Their daughters are their future.' | 13 inmates and 20 daughters gathered in a prison meeting room that was transformed into a ballroom for two hours . The dance was attended by national law enforcement officials including the BOP director and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida . Officials hope to hold similar dances in other federal prisons around the nation . | 6e0375a6eed1298da9fbbf0ed6bc67fec2cd25ad |
In recent weeks, Google Glass has been distributed to its first group of beta testers outside Google and in the real world. As the pool of new smart-glass wearers grows, they are feeling out the etiquette of using the new technology. In more jaded settings, people wearing Glass are casually ignored; their recent life choice to wear a piece of computing hardware wrapped around the front of their faces doesn't register as unusual. The reactions increase, though, the farther away they go from the safety zones of the Google campus, Silicon Valley and, last week, the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco, where the Google I/O Developers conference was being held. The first reaction from strangers is usually excitement. When the doors opened on a crowded hotel elevator, Google I/O attendee Juan Pablo Risso heard a cry of "He has Google Glass! Come in! Come in!" Risso declined and took the next lift down, only to find the excited guests waiting for him in the lobby, ready with questions. Google Maps to get big, personal redesign . Because it is still so new and somewhat rare, Google Glass is an excellent conversation starter. When not being accosted by curious strangers, wearers can use the eyewear to break the ice. A friend of Risso's had luck wearing his to a bar and meeting new people. After the regular barrage of questions (How does it work? Are you using it now?) many strangers ask to try on the $1,500 piece of hardware. The answer is typically no, and some owners will cite Google's terms prohibiting the lending of Google Glass as an excuse. Sometimes, the conversations are behind the wearer's back, and they're not always "Oohs" and "Ahhs." Glass owners reported hearing people whisper after they passed by. But snickers and sneering are common with any new, really expensive technology. The cost of the devices makes them an easy target; wearing them is still interpreted as a geeky status symbol. "I think there's definitely a Glass and Glass-not thing, especially in San Francisco. There's a cachet to it," said Greg Roberts, founder of dSky9, a company developing a Google Glass app for remembering people and places. Google says you'll know when Glass is sketchy . After the initial shock of seeing Glass in the wild wears off, there are the new and awkward aspects of conversation with someone wearing the tiny screen. When having a casual chat with someone wearing Glass, it can take effort to not stare directly at the shiny gadget instead of into the person's eyes. The finger gesture that people use to dismiss the notifications can be distracting, as can the flash of light on the Glass itself. "There's definitely an interesting occurrence when the screen lights up with a notification," Roberts said. "I've asked people, 'did you just take a picture?' " It's difficult for the other person to actually see what's on the screen, but the first question has, in fact, become one of paranoia. Google+: One Google tool to bind them all . Risso dismisses privacy worries, pointing out that his battery would die after just three minutes of video recording anyway. Roberts says people should be a more concerned about government surveillance cameras, which he considers less obvious than a person standing in front of you saying, "OK, Glass, take a picture." Just to be polite, some Glass wearers have started pushing the devices up onto their heads like sunglasses when having conversations. After the shock and paranoia subside, there is the annoyance. Can a person really be engaged in a conversation if there are e-mails in the corner of their eye? Advocates for the technology argue that having a screen within eye's reach could actually improve manners in the digital age. People are already habitually checking smartphones that beep and flash regularly with notifications. Instead of reaching for a phone, which can absorb a person's full attention, Glass brings the notifications directly into the line of sight. The camera feature could help fix the problem of people experiencing big moments, such as concerts or a child's birthday party, through their smartphone screens. Instead of taking out a phone, they can keep their eyes on the scene and take a picture at the same time. "You're just living your life; you're not living through a viewfinder," Risso said. | Early Google Glass wearers are figuring out the etiquette of a face-mounted screen . Many owners are constantly fielding excited or paranoid questions from strangers . The flickering screen and constant head-touching can be distracting during conversations . Some people have started pushing their Google Glass onto their head when talking . | 6e7fc208f8b18f5ac2a2e4277c62258daa2c898b |
Guests at a luxury spa hotel have complained after discovering they were sharing their break with asylum seekers. Around 35 migrants were checked into the four star Daresbury Park Hotel in Warrington, Cheshire, at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £2,000 a night for the group. One disgruntled guest wrote on review site Trip Advisor: 'I cannot believe that we had to queue up with asylum seekers for our meals! If you want a soup kitchen atmosphere, with a little bit of intimidation thrown in, then this is the place to stay. Scroll down for video . Guests have complained after around 35 migrants were checked into the four star Daresbury Park Hotel (bedroom pictured) at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £2,000 a night for the group . A review from one of the guests who was not happy about sharing their break with the asylum seekers . 'As long as these poor refugees are getting full bed and board at this hotel at our expense, I think we will find somewhere else to spend our hard earned money.' The Daresbury is part of the Britannia hotel chain, owned by Alex Langsam. In October MailOnline reported that in a deal costing the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds a week Mr Langsam is putting up hundreds of migrants in his chain of 47 hotels. Another guest, part of a group of four women who stayed at the hotel, wrote: 'What we hadn't known about were the number of African male asylum seekers who were residing there. The Daresbury Park Hotel (pictured) in Warrington, Cheshire, is part of the Britannia hotel chain . 'We could not book our evening meal because they had block booked the mid evening slots so we were offered either 5.30pm or 10pm. 'The WORST bit was the appraising looks and behaviour of these groups of men... not reassuring in a hotel. 'It was also clear that the staff were not supposed to discuss it. 'There were other groups of women out celebrating in their party outfits which these men clearly found interesting... very intimidating!!!' The Daresbury hotel's pool (pictured) - the hotel has mixed reviews from guests on website Trip Advisor . The hotel is described on its website as 'vibrant and exciting', offering 24 hour room service, three course meals, gym and spa. The asylum seekers are waiting for the Home Office to decide if they can stay in the UK. The Home Office says asylum seekers can be housed in hotels as a 'short term contingency measure'. In 2011/2012 the Home Office spent £150 million providing accommodation for asylum seekers. Britannia have been contacted by MailOnline for a comment. | Guests were shocked to discover they were sharing with asylum seekers . The four star luxury Daresbury Park Hotel is part of the Britannia chain . Chain is known for putting up migrants at the taxpayers expense . Stay is estimated to have cost £2,000 a night for group of 35 migrants . Disgruntled guests have posted scathing reviews about experience online . | ff80e03d2134de20dfdf3028605d3217977def52 |
Tom Ince has set his sights on signing for a team in the Barclays Premier League after deciding against joining Inter Milan. The Italian giants met with Ince in San Siro last month and made two contract offers but a deal could not be agreed and the 22-year-old now wants to stay in England. That will please Blackpool, who stand to receive substantially more than they would have had the former England Under-21 international gone abroad. Monaco were also interested. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Tom Ince open a mysterious package to reveal new boots . Staying put: Tom Ince (right) hopes for a move to a Premier League side after rejecting a move to Inter Milan . Tough: Ince (left) said it was a hard decision to turn down Inter but wanted to stay in England . Hot property: The 22-year-old is an England U21 international, with 14 caps and three goals . Even though Ince is now out of contract his fee should he move to the Premier League will be set by a tribunal as he is under 23, unless an agreement is reached between Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston and the buying club. Swansea, Stoke, Sunderland, Hull and Newcastle are among the teams to have registered an interest but will want to pay less than the an estimated £8million tribunal figure based on the £1.5m fee Crystal Palace paid Blackpool to take Ince on loan for the second half of last season. Had Ince moved abroad the compensation to Blackpool would have been just £155,000. ‘I am flattered to have received such strong interest from several big European clubs. But I believe at this early stage of my career I need to continue my football education in England,' Ince said today. 'I would like to thank the clubs overseas for their interest and kindness. I still have ambitions to one day play in Europe. ‘I am now looking forward to what lies ahead next season.’ Different path: Ince's father, Paul (left), signed for Inter in 1995 but his son will not follow in his footsteps . Past glory: Paul Ince played for Inter for two seasons between 1995 and 1997 but Tom will stay in England . Recognisable: Tom Ince has turned down the chance to play at the San Siro, a world famous stadium . | Ince has rejected a move to Italy in favour of staying in the Premier League . The 22-year-old was offered two contracts by the San Siro outfit . Blackpool will get a substantially higher fee if he moves to an English side . Newcastle, Swansea, Stoke, Hull and Sunderland are interested in forward . | 2c45ca8847968063b27336f3326a4facb730a7ae |
Wesleyan University says at least 11 students have been hospitalized with symptoms of overdoses on the drug known as 'Molly.' Dean Michael Whaley, vice president of student affairs, said in a letter to the campus that one of the students, a sophomore, was in critical condition at Middlesex Hospital on Sunday. The university says it's aware of 11 students being treated for overdose symptoms consistent with the use of Molly, a stimulant psychoactive drug also known as methylone, MDMA or a handful of other substances akin to ecstasy. Scroll down for video . Overdoses: Wesleyan University says at least 11 students have been hospitalized with symptoms of overdoses on the drug known as 'Molly' According to FoxCT, seven of the students were sent to the hospital via ambulance and four went to hospitals on their own. No other information about their conditions was released. Whaley said Middletown police, university police and residence officials are investigating. The school's administration asked students on Sunday to check on their friends and make sure they aren't in danger. 'I ask that you keep these students in your thoughts and share my hope that they will fully recover,' Whaley said. Middletown and university police declined immediate comment. Molly is the street name for drugs pushed as a pure form of ecstasy. Molly is the street name for drugs pushed as a pure form of ecstasy . In the last five years, Molly has made its way into popular culture, helped by references to it made by entertainers such as Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Kanye West. The drug's dangers became more clear after a rash of overdoses in recent years. The parties of the late 1980s and early '90s saw the heyday of ecstasy, but its popularity began to wane a decade ago after a number of deaths and hospitalizations. That's when Molly made her way onto the scene. Over the last few years, drugs sold under that name have 'flooded' the market, said Rusty Payne, a spokesman with the Drug Enforcement Administration. In some states, there has been a 100-fold increase - the combined number of arrests, seizures, emergency room mentions and overdoses - between 2009 and 2012, according to DEA figures. The drug is accessible and marketed to recreational drug users who believe it to be less dangerous than its predecessor, which was often cut with other substances, from Ritalin to LSD. Like ecstasy, Molly is said to give a lengthy, euphoric high with slight hallucinogenic properties. In reality, however, the promised pure MDMA experience 'doesn't exist,' said Payne. | Dean of students at the Middletown, Connecticut university said one of the students was in critical condition Sunday . The students are believed to have ingested the party drug, which can actually contain a range of substances akin to ecstasy . Administrators have asked students to check on their friends to make sure they, too, are not in danger . | 3c573ad6536db4a3a7da760d8da031fd5207155d |
Cristiano Ronaldo's new zig-zag patterned haircut drew a range of reactions when he unveiled it to the world ahead of Portugal's 2-2 draw with the USA on Wednesday. But according to a story circulating online it seems his new engraving on the right side of his head is less of a fashion statement and more of a kind gesture towards a young boy in Spain. Ronaldo paid Erik Ortiz Cruz's entire £50,000 medical fee as he underwent brain surgery recently and the jagged line incorporated into his new haircut is rumoured to be a nod to the youngster's surgery scars. Viva Ronaldo: The Ballon d'Or winners new haircut might be a hint to his charity work earlier this year . Bizarre: The Portuguese winger showed off his new design for the first time against the USA . Respect: The unconfirmed rumour has been making waves among plenty of CR7 fans on Twitter . Young Erik had his surgery in February this year and Ronaldo's design is believed to mirror the marks made in the operation - although the Real Madrid forward has yet to confirm or deny the claims. However, the Portugal captain very rarely speaks publicly about his charity work and is therefore unlikely to be tweeting to explain his tribute anytime soon. Strange: Ghana's John Boye almost looks as if he has a burnt cake on top of his head here in training . Three lions, three lines: Raheem Sterling may have been impressed for England but his hair was not . Ahead of the rest: Ronaldo's international team-mate Raul Meireles has long been known for his odd style . Elephant's trunk: Ivory Coast star Die Serey is seen here sporting a thin blond line on an otherwise normal cut . Ronaldo's inspiration? Like the Portuguese forward, Sergio Aguero is sporting shaved lines on his head . Swish: France and Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchy shows off his cut against Honduras . Odd: Ghana's Asamoah Gyan is sporting a '3' on the side of his head - his squad number for his country . | Ronaldo was sporting new side-of-head engraving against the USA . Superstar paid £50,000 fee for Spanish child's surgery this year . The new design is thought to mirror the scars left on the child's head . Portugal captain is yet to confirm or deny the rumours . Sportsmail looks at the World Cup's strangest haircuts . | 0737846f5267beed494cec8ca9af70aad81cfbca |
Water drips from the ceiling and splashes on to chairs and the large desk in Barnet manager Martin Allen’s office. It is two hours until their game against bottom-of-the-table Alfreton Town kicks off. Allen has invited Sportsmail behind the scenes of his Conference table-topping side and there is a small gathering of us. He is behind his desk, partner Lisa is in a chair opposite, on a sofa to the right sit a young couple in their mid-20s, Iain Dalziel and his girlfriend Maddie Bines. Dalziel is a life-long Barnet fan who never missed a game until they moved to The Hive in 2013. Out of protest he has not been since, but Allen has invited him as a VIP guest to change his mind. Next to them is Tom Clee, the club’s media man. Behind: Barnet boss Martin Allen with Sportsmail's Sam Cunningham (left) and team analyser Omar Yabroudi . Sharing a laugh: Allen invited Sportsmail to Barnet to get behind the scenes of the Conference-topping side . Marcus Maddison, Peterborough’s 20-year-old midfielder, scored his second goal in three games since moving from Conference side Gateshead in their 3-1 win over Port Vale. Maddison impressed at the start of the season with four goals in five matches, earning a move to Peterborough. The victory kept them top of League One. Cheltenham Town have now gone six games unbeaten to move top of League Two. Their goalless draw away to Morecambe, who are now in second place, edged them ahead of Burton to the summit of the table. Conference side Woking maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 victory against Lincoln. They sit third in the table behind Barnet and Halifax but are the only side in the league not to lose this season. They have won four — including three in succession — and drawn the other three to stay three points off the top. There is a stack of white envelopes to Allen’s left on the desk. He picks the top one up — which is soaked in water — curls it into a ball and throws it in the bin. ‘That’s the third one I’ve thrown away since we got here,’ he says. ‘I’ve been told it’s OK by the health and safety man as it’s not near the plug sockets.’ His eyebrows rise slightly in alarm as he nods at the electrical sockets less than a metre away. Mad Dog Allen points around the room at the orange-and-black paint which covers the grey bricks. ‘When I was out of work I watched a series called Prison Break on Netflix,’ he adds. ‘When I arrived here in March, that’s what this office looked like — a prison cell. So we got it painted in the club’s colours.’ Allen is completely relaxed ahead of kick-off: conversation flows — ranging from his gardening hobby to the 16-year-old striker who is on the bench for the first time. Lisa has to move seats at one point because a drip from the dodgy plumbing has developed over her chair. There is a knock at the door, swiftly followed by a voice anyone who loves football would recognise. It’s John Motson. Allen gets up to shake his hand, Motson wishes the team luck and the pair walk out of the room. While they’re gone, Dalziel explains that Motson is a huge Barnet fan, lives locally and is a regular at The Hive when he is not working. The dream: Allen was completely relaxed before kick off and gave off lively conversation with Sportsmail . The dreaded leak: The room is a constant flow of activity in and out - almost as constant as the drips . Allen returns five minutes later. ‘He just gave the players a team talk,’ he reveals, excitedly. ‘I like to let people into the dressing room for matches. It keeps the players relaxed. ‘For away games we even surprise some fans by picking them up on the team bus near to the stadium.’ The room is a constant flow of activity in and out. Almost as constant as the drips. Player-coach Jon Nurse steps in to update Allen on the players arriving on time. Allen has barely any staff at his disposal to free up extra money for player wages. Nurse, a forward, and goalkeeper Graham Stack, 32, help out with coaching. Allen explains that Nurse, 33, brought up his brother when he was 16 after their mother died of breast cancer. ‘I could barely look after myself at the time,’ Nurse adds. At 2pm, Allen ushers everyone else out of the room and their analyst-cum-scout Omar Yabroudi, 24, enters with the Alfreton team-sheet to go through some final preparations for the game. Analysing: Allen ushers everyone else out of the room at 2pm to discuss tactics with 24-year-old Yabroudi . Making marks: Allen and Co use the Alfreton team-sheet to go through some final preparations for the game . ‘When Omar arrived he told me he wanted to be a scout,’ Allen says. ‘But he couldn’t drive. The next day, he turns up in the back of a silver Mercedes driven by a bloke wearing a black cap. It turns out his dad is a billionaire from building tower blocks in Dubai. He’s got to be the richest scout in the world.’ Barnet pay him nothing. Just before the players go out to warm up, Allen’s final team talk is brief, but stern. Arms flail and fingers point at the players whose attention is trained on him. It is goalless at half-time and Barnet are lucky to still have centre-back David Stephens on the pitch after an altercation with Alfreton striker Massiah McDonald. Referee Paul Rees shows just a yellow card. Goalless at HT: Barnet were lucky to still have centre-back David Stephens on the pitch but got away with it . Back: Allen is furious with his team’s performance and storms back to the dressing room at half time . Allen is furious with his team’s performance and storms back to the dressing room. Alfreton manager Nicky Law is just as angry. He follows the referee down the tunnel, where he explains he does not have to speak to him at half time. ‘Hear me out,’ Law says, wide-eyed. ‘He had both hands around his neck.’ Alfreton take a shock lead just after the break — McDonald heading in — but 15 minutes later Barnet are level when John Akinde is fouled for a penalty and Lathaniel Rowe-Turner is sent off. Charlie MacDonald scores the spot-kick. From the touchline Allen is exerting as much, if not more, energy than his players. It is all worth it when substitute Luisma Villa hits a bullet free kick to win the game in stoppage time. Get in! Barnet captain Charlie MacDonald scores the spot-kick en route to their 72-point mark . Rap music pumps from a speaker in the dressing room as the Barnet players celebrate the victory. Allen gives a speech then ends it with: ‘Jack Saville, you showed a lot of courage today so you get the pen.’ He throws a pen to the defender, who strolls up to a white board, as the players cheer in a crescendo, and writes ‘72’ in the corner. Back in his office, Allen explains: ‘We started the season with 90 in the corner of the board, that’s how many points we need to win the league. After every game, provided we pick up points, I pick a player who deserves to write up how many we have left. We need 72 points to win this league.’ Perhaps if Allen’s team win promotion to the Football League, those leaks in the office will finally be repaired. Celebration: Rap music pumps from a speaker in the dressing room as the Barnet players enjoy the win . The target: Allen reckons Barnet need 72 more points to win the league and counts down after each match . Mend: Perhaps if Allen’s team win promotion to the Football League, those leaks in the office will be repaired . | Barnet sit top of the Conference after six wins in seven matches . Sportsmail go behind the scenes at Barnet with manager Martin Allen . Barnet beat bottom of the table Alfreton Town 2-1 on Saturday . Allen, nicknamed Mad Dog, reveals how he likes the changing room to be a hive of activity before games to help his players relax . Barnet count down the points tally after each game towards promotion . | 3580712102acb6169e5fd8f7a10cd914bd47427f |
The South Sudanese government and rebels signed a cease-fire deal on Thursday after more than a month of fighting, according to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African trade bloc that has been helping to mediate between the parties. The government and the rebels reached the agreement in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. It calls for an immediate end to all military operations and a freeze of forces at the "place they are in." The parties also agreed not to attack civilians and to refrain from rape, sexual abuse and torture. Supply routes for humanitarian aid are to be opened to reach displaced populations. The agreement also sets up an unarmed group of monitors that includes members from surrounding East African nations and representatives from both the rebels and the government. Their job will be to ensure that the cease-fire agreement is effective. According to the official document, the cease-fire begins Friday, 24 hours after its signing. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that a peace deal will "provide good opportunities for South Sudanese, and the people around this country who have been suffering." Support for peace talks also came from U.S. President Barack Obama who called on both parties to adhere to a separate detainee agreement, which was also signed as part of the cease-fire deal. "The full participation of political detainees currently being held by the Government of South Sudan will be critical to those discussions, and we will continue to work to expedite their release," the White House statement said. South Sudan erupted in violence on December 15 when rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek Machar tried to stage a coup. Violence quickly spread, with reports of mass killings emerging nationwide. Some of the heaviest fighting was over control of Bor, the strategically located capital of Jonglei state. It was recaptured by government forces last week. The mayor said between 1,200 and 1,400 civilians were killed when rebels held Bor between December 17 and 24. In a statement, the trade bloc said the cease-fire is an important milestone, but more shuttle diplomacy is needed before the next phase of peace talks can begin. South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war, making it the world's youngest nation. | South Sudan's government and rebels agree on a cease-fire brokered by East African mediation group . Fighting broke out December 15 after rebels tried to stage a coup . Cease-fire calls for an end to all military operations and the protection of civilians . Unarmed group of monitors will be set up to ensure the agreement sticks . | 0be1947cb29c244dbd0d52ba8ce52fdd3d625568 |
By . Anucyia Victor for MailOnline . A breakdancer has proved he has perfect balance, by posing for pictures doing one-handed handstands outside France's most famous attractions. 'Kapstand' - who doesn't use his real name - has been snapped in front of the likes of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The 29-year-old first became an Instagram sensation after snapping pictures of himself posing upside-down outside the most famous attractions in the French capital, but has since expanded his remit. Atheletic feat: Breakdancer 'Kapstand' busting his signature handstand move in front of the European Parliament . One-handed pro: Posing in the antechamber of the private apartments of the Elysée Palace for President Georges Pompidou at The Centre Pompidou (right) and on the steps of the Alexandre Ile Bridge, Paris (left) Upside down: Exploring the grounds of Najac Castle in Aveyron, France. The dancer started off in Paris but has since decided to move around France and the rest of Europe . Dozens of famous landmarks in Paris were the background for the dancer doing handstands from the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. The dancer has been practising b-boying, a dance technique which involves stopping the body while in motion and balancing very still, since he was 14. He decided to expand his horizons by moving around France. In future he hopes to visit to the US where he will produce his one-handed handstand in front of the country's most iconic landmarks. Dramatic: On the steps of Saint Charles railway station in Marseille. Kapstand has been practising his moves since he was 14 . Effortless: At Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille. His poses last just a few seconds which means most people don't notice him standing . By the sea: Praia do Guincho Beach in Portugal. Kapstand hopes to take his balancing act to the states . Natural surroundings: On the way to Belcastel Village in Aveyron, France. The b-boy technique involves stopping the body while in motion and balancing very still . He said: 'When I arrived in Paris I wanted to explore the city and its famous landmarks, so I took advantage of some walks in town with a friend to shoot some photos of my favourite move. 'I like to shoot in front of long perspectives, alignment and geometrical lines - and I also love using iconic landmarks. 'My freeze lasts just a few seconds - it's quite fast so most people around don't even notice. 'Some people are moved by my photos and love the poetry of this 'out of the blue' position, while others appreciate the athletic performance.' A hole in one:A hole in one: At Le Castellet Golf Club in France. His fans appreciate his athleticism and the poetry of his 'out of the blue' images . Perfect symmetry: At the Museu do Combatente in Portugal. He says he likes to shoot in front of long perspectives, alignment and geometrical lines . | Kapstand travels around Europe pulling his athletic moves in front of tourist attractions and iconic landmarks . The Instagram sensation plans to wow the States with his unique b-boy style . Says that people are moved by the poetry of his 'out of the blue' position . | 23e7964668bad9d10cf3d5f1293139eb736645d6 |
Professor Bruce Keogh who has urged the public to go to pharmacies if they are unwell rather than A&E or their GP surgeries . Patients are being urged to stay away from hospital casualty units this winter over concerns that they are already under ‘unprecedented’ strain. The NHS’s medical director, Professor Bruce Keogh, yesterday urged the public to go to pharmacies if unwell rather than A&E or GP surgeries. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also announced that an extra £300million had been freed up to help struggling hospitals pay for extra beds and staff over the coming months. Some 28,000 extra patients a week are arriving in A&E units compared with this time last year, with the result that many hospitals are already overcrowded. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming weeks as patients succumb to chest infections and wards are shut due to the winter vomiting bug. Professor Keogh said a lot of the strain on A&E departments and GP surgeries could be relieved if people used pharmacies more. ‘Many of these have private consultation rooms where you can get quite good advice and you don’t have to wait in a pharmacy,’ he added. ‘You can generally see someone in a matter of minutes. They can either recommend off-the-shelf treatment or, if appropriate, send you to your GP or to attend A&E.’ Mr Hunt issued a warning that the pressures on A&E were unsustainable. ‘Are things going to go on like this? Are we going to have to keep putting more and more sums into the NHS?’ he said. ‘The answer is it is not sustainable in the long run to say all the extra pressure in the NHS has to be borne by the A&E department.’ The ‘bed occupancy rate’ of hospitals is running at 88 per cent, compared with the 85 per cent considered safe. Some, including Birmingham Children’s Hospitals, are above 95 per cent. If hospitals are too overcrowded there is a greater risk of infection. The situation in hospitals and GP surgeries is expected to worsen in the coming weeks as patients succumb to chest infections (file pic) David Flory, chief executive of the NHS Trust Development Authority, which supports hospitals, said many were significantly more crowded than this time last year. He said higher numbers of older patients were coming into hospital with a range of ‘complicated conditions’ and having to stay longer. It is estimated the extra funding announced by Mr Hunt can pay for the equivalent of 1,000 extra doctors, 2,000 nurses and 2,500 beds. Hospitals will also hire agency staff as well as paying overtime to staff. They will also reopen wards and departments which had been closed. But doctors’ leader Mark Porter, of the British Medical Association, said: ‘While extra funding is desperately needed, this announcement is merely a sticking plaster. Many hospitals are already at, and in places over, capacity.’ He warned that the NHS ‘needs a long-term plan rather than a short-term fix’. Some 28,000 extra patients a week are arriving in A&E units compared with this time last year (file picture) The NHS has missed its target that 95 per cent of A&E patients are treated within four hours every week for the past year. Last week 417,000 patients arrived in A&E, compared with 389,000 the same week last year. Some 104,000 had to be admitted, up from 98,700 last year. Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: ‘Throwing money at it when winter’s about to start is not good enough. ‘England’s A&Es are getting worse, not better, and this panic move is too little to stop the NHS facing a difficult winter. It is further evidence David Cameron can’t be trusted with it.’ | Professor Bruce Keogh has urged people to go to pharmacies if unwell . 28,000 extra patients a week are arriving at A&E compared to last year . Situation is set to worsen as patients start to succumb to chest infections . If hospitals are too overcrowded, there is a greater risk of infection . Health Secretary has plegded £300m to pay for more beds and staff . | 29dad43e662bc92b87f7cd04aec90fe4b600ce59 |
By . Jack Doyle . UPDATED: . 04:18 EST, 30 January 2012 . Violent criminals, including murderers, have been using Facebook to taunt victims and their families from behind bars. Other prisoners have been maintaining their criminal empires via the social networking site. Inmates are banned from accessing the internet but manage to get online by using mobile phones smuggled into jails. Convicted killer: Liam Ryan, 19, is pictured in an image posted on Facebook making an obscene gesture in his cell at Brinsford young offender's institute. Figures show 350 prisoners have been caught accessing the social network from their cells despite a strict ban on internet access . Violent: Ryan, who stabbed a shopkeeper to death, makes a gun shape with his fingers and points the 'weapon' down the lens of the secret camera . In the last two years, nearly 350 have been discovered posting on Facebook. It is likely there are dozens of others using the site without the authorities being aware. The official figures have raised major concerns about security failures in prisons. Last night victims’ groups said criminals using Facebook were adding ‘insult to injury’. Attackers who taunted their victims were getting away with torture, they said, and called for tougher measures to control the problem. Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: ‘Offenders using Facebook from prison makes a mockery of the idea that they are being punished. It adds insult to injury when they use it to intimidate victims and witnesses. Victim Support would like to see this more tightly controlled and monitored.’ Jean Taylor from Families Fighting for Justice said: ‘These perpetrators should not be able to have access to mobile phones in prison. ‘They are getting away with torturing their victims. The social networking sites should police this much more closely.’ The problem emerged two years ago when the Justice Secretary at the time, Jack Straw, revealed that 30 Facebook sites had been taken down after prisoners were found to be abusing their victims from behind bars. At the time Mr Straw said the situation was ‘horrible, profoundly disturbing, and deeply offensive to public morality’. But today’s details suggest the problem is getting much worse. Ministry of Justice figures released after a Freedom of Information request show that 143 Facebook profiles were removed between July 2009 and June 2010. Another 199 were removed between July 2010 and June last year. All were closed by Facebook following investigations by prison officials. There is no indication how long the pages were on the internet before they were closed. A source close to Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said: ‘The internet is banned for prisoners. Anyone caught using Facebook in prison will be severely disciplined. 'Ken is absolutely determined to stamp out the use of mobile phones in prisons and other illicit items such as drugs.’ Facebook posts: Colin Gunn, who is serving 35 years for conspiracy to murder, used his Facebook page to threaten people from behind bars. Convicted killer Ryan Herbert sent flirtatious messages to female friends from his Facebook account, and posted pictures of himself and other inmates in the prison gym . Two years ago it emerged that one of Britain’s most dangerous gangsters, Colin Gunn, was using Facebook to threaten his enemies from his high security prison cell. The gang boss, who was locked up for 35 years for conspiracy to murder, was able to correspond with up to 565 ‘friends’ for more than two months until the page was shut down. There were also fears he was able to carry on running his crime empire from behind bars. In one posting, Gunn wrote: ‘I will be home one day and I can’t wait to look into certain people’s eyes and see the fear of me being there. ‘It’s good to have an outlet to let you know how I am, some of you will be in for a good slagging, some have let me down badly, and will be named and shamed, ****ing rats.’ The 44-year-old was jailed in 2006 over the revenge killings of John and Joan Stirland, who had fled threats in Nottingham to hide on the Lincolnshire coast. Last year Ryan Herbert, who murdered 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster in 2007, was found to have sent more than 100 messages using the site. He sent flirtatious posts to female friends and uploaded pictures of himself with other inmates in the prison gym. Recently a teenager who killed a shopkeeper posted a series of pictures on Facebook showing him making ‘gangster salutes’. Easy to conceal: Prisoners use mobile phones equipped with internet access smuggled into jails to access Facebook and other web services . Liam Ryan, 19, was jailed for life for the murder of Suppiah Tharmaseelan in Birmingham. The pictures, apparently taken in his cell, show Ryan making an obscene gesture. They also show piles of junk food in his cell, and his personal television set and games console. Prison chiefs have attempted to use technology to jam mobile phones within the walls. But they have struggled to make it work, especially in urban prisons where blocking a signal may affect nearby residents. Prisons also use body scanners on visitors to try to prevent mobile phones getting into jails. A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘Prisoners have no access to the internet and are barred from updating their Facebook accounts, or asking others to do so from outside prison. If they do, their accounts will be terminated. ‘If a prisoner is found in illicit possession of a mobile phone or other contraband they will be dealt with appropriately by the prison.’ A Facebook spokesman said: ‘If something is happening which violates our use policy we will be very active and robust in removing it.’ 'Insult': Brooke Kinsella, sister of murdered teenager Ben Kinsella, was appalled to learn one of his killers was able to operate a Facebook page from prison . One of the killers of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella used his Facebook page to taunt his victim’s family from behind bars. Jade Braithwaite, 22, boasted that he was ‘down but not out’. For his profile picture, he mocked up a T-shirt emblazoned with his face and the slogan ‘Free Jade Braithwaite’. From his cell at a Buckinghamshire youth prison, he wrote of how he wanted a remote control so that he could ‘mute or delete people when I need to’. The mocking posts were revealed six months after Braithwaite, Juress Kika and Michael Alleyne were convicted at the Old Bailey in June 2009 of murder. Ben’s sister, Brooke, 28, a former EastEnders actress, said at the time: ‘My family and I are appalled that Jade Braithwaite is able to operate a Facebook page from inside prison – and to use the site to protest his innocence is really upsetting. 'We are disgusted by the comments on the site and feel it is a real insult to Ben’s memory.’ Ben was out in Holloway, north London, celebrating the end of his GCSEs in June 2008, when he was stabbed 11 times. In February 2010, the then Justice Secretary Jack Straw intervened after a meeting with Margaret and Barry Mizen, whose son Jimmy was murdered in a bakery in Lee, south-east London. Mr Mizen believed that his son’s killer Jake Fahri, 21, had been using Facebook and Twitter to post bullying and offensive comments about his son, accusing him of being a ‘pathetic loser’. Aaron Aymer, 22, who stabbed his girlfriend’s brother to death in 2007, used a page to protest his innocence. He posted a photograph of himself in a body-building pose. Taunts: Jade Braithwaite, left, one of the three convicted of the murder of Ben, right, used his social network page to boast that he was 'down but not out' | Lags using smuggled mobile phones to update their Facebook accounts . Victims groups say social network access adds 'insult to injury' Figures revealed by Freedom of Information request, but are believed to be the tip of the iceberg of prisoners' online access . | bf7894eda4fd487324ee63138452ab88fd20b4c7 |
Starring Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman, Esio Trot wil be shown on New Year's Day at 6.30pm on BBC1 . Starring Dame Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman, the BBC adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot is set to be one of the festive TV highlights. And now the meeting that inspired the story of pensioners who find love through a tortoise is revealed for the first time. Dahl hit upon the idea when he visited the London flat of his eldest daughter Tessa in the 1970s, and watched as she chatted to neighbour Mrs Shrimpton and her pet tortoise. In a speech given to students at Wright State University in the United States, Dahl said: ‘I stood leaning over the balcony staring at Mrs Shrimpton’s tortoise in his box. And quite automatically my mind began to wiggle around with a story about this tortoise. The only point in telling you this is to try to illustrate how the mind of a writer of fantasy works. It is eager to embrace what is absurd.’ Esio Trot – ‘tortoise’ spelled backwards – is the story of Mr Hoppy (Hoffman), who is in love with his neighbour, Mrs Silver (Dame Judi). He realises he can win her heart if he helps her pet tortoise, Alfie, to grow bigger – only to fail and then replace it with a series of bigger tortoises. Rachel White, of the Roald Dahl Museum, said the speech – made in 1978, 12 years before Esio Trot was published – provided a unique insight into his work processes: ‘He’d have ideas but they’d sit in the back of his mind for years.’ The museum in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, will be displaying the speech from January 13 next year. For more details go to roalddahl.com/museum. The adaptation will be shown on BBC1 on New Year’s Day at 6.30pm. Roald Dahl said he hit upon the idea for the story when he visited the London flat of his eldest daughter Tessa in the 1970s, and watched as she chatted to neighbour Mrs Shrimpton and her pet tortoise . To see more of Roald Dahl’s archive, including those parts relating to Esio Trot, please visit www.roalddahl.com. Judi Dench’s costume along with props including the tortoise-catcher from the new BBC film together with original Esio Trot manuscripts will be on display at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Bucks from Tuesday, 13th January. The museum is also collecting 141 soft toy tortoises – the same number as in the book! – to raise money for its hospital storytelling programme. Call 01494 892 192 to book admission. www.roalddahl.com/museum.’ | Dame Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman to star in the Roald Dahl adaptation . Author inspired by his daughter chatting to a neighbour and her tortoise . Esio Trot airs on New Year's Day and is set to be a festive TV highlight . | 68ce6762f8fd0698b2f6a963efd48f8069331c81 |
Mexico City (CNN) -- More than a week after Mexico's presidential election, the candidate who authorities describe as the runner-up said a partial recount was not enough to erase his doubts about the vote. "We cannot accept these results," Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters Monday, vowing to file a formal complaint before a tribunal on Thursday, the legal deadline for challenging the election results. Lopez Obrador asserted that presumptive president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto and his party bought millions of votes in the election -- an accusation party officials have denied. "I am president by the majority decision of the Mexicans," Peña Nieto told CNN last week, noting that numerous world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, had called to congratulate him on his win. Peña Nieto to CNN: 'New debate' on drug war . An official tally of returns released after a partial recount by Mexico's Federal Election Institute last week confirmed that Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, received 38.21% of votes. Lopez Obrador, of the Democratic Revolution Party, garnered 31.59% of votes, election officials said. The results remain unofficial until the country's electoral tribunal ratifies them. The tribunal will have until September 6 to complete its investigation and ratify -- or reverse -- the official election results. The new president will be sworn in December 1. Lopez Obrador has criticized the election and refused to concede repeatedly over the past week, echoing comments he made in 2006 when election authorities said the leftist candidate narrowly lost the presidential vote to Felipe Calderon. After that election, the former Mexico City mayor claimed election fraud and never conceded, referring to himself as "the legitimate president of Mexico." Lopez Obrador's supporters protested nationwide. In Mexico City, they organized sit-ins and blockades. Officials have called this year's election the most transparent in Mexico's history. It was the first election in which scanned copies of district-by-district election returns were posted on the Internet. But accusations have arisen of electoral manipulation by the PRI. Photos: Tensions follow Mexico election . Opponents of the PRI said they have video and photo evidence of the party buying votes through thousands of cards that could be redeemed for products at a chain of supermarkets. An anti-Peña Nieto youth movement said it received 1,100 complaints of irregularities. And the group Civic Alliance said 30% of voters it surveyed reported witnessing at least one type of irregularity. Mexican election regulators said they are investigating the allegations related to the gift cards. PRI spokesman Eduardo Sanchez has called the claims "a farce," and accused political opponents of staging the videos and photographs purported to show vote-buying. CNNMexico.com's Tania L. Montalvo contributed to this report. | "We cannot accept these results," Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says . He says he plans to file a formal complaint before a tribunal on Thursday . Election authorities have said he was the runner-up in last week's vote . An electoral tribunal has until September 6 to investigate allegations . | f748ea531dc1c29e0a7b5b8f755b7e03b40e847b |
By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 06:43 EST, 2 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:02 EST, 2 October 2013 . The mother of the Belgian transsexual who chose euthanasia after a botched sex change left him a 'monster' says she's 'not bothered' by her child's decision. Nathan Verhelst, 44, died on Monday afternoon after being allowed have his life ended on the grounds of 'unbearable psychological suffering'. Mr Verhelst, who was born a girl named Nancy, before his death told how he had been an unwanted child - a pain which had affected him deeply that was today confirmed by his mother. Scarred: Nathan Verhelst, 44, who died yesterday afternoon after finding life unbearable since his sex change operation. The scars from his surgeries on his chest and forearm are visible in this photograph . 'When I first saw "Nancy", my dream . was shattered. She was so ugly,' she told Belgium's Het Laatste Nieuws. 'I had a ghost birth. Her death does not bother me.' She . said the farewell letter that Mr Verhelst had written to her explaining his . reasons for choosing euthanasia had not yet arrived, adding: 'I will . definitely read it, but it will be full of lies. 'For . me, this chapter closed. Her death does not bother me. I feel no . sorrow, no doubt or remorse. We never had a bond which could therefore . not be broken.' Hours before . his death Mr Verhelst had spoken of how, as a child, he 'was the girl . that nobody wanted', describing how his mother had complained that she'd . wished he'd been born a boy. Rejected . by his parents as a girl, he became a tomboy and later a lesbian. His . transformation into a man in 2009 began with hormone therapy, followed . by a mastectomy and finally an operation to construct a penis last year. But the procedures did not go according to plan. Heartbreaking end: It is understood to be the first time someone in Belgium has chosen euthanasia after a sex-change, and comes soon after it emerged that it is now the cause of nearly one in 50 deaths in the country . In the hours before his death he told Het Laatse Nieuws: 'I was ready to celebrate my new birth. But when I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted with myself. In 2002 Belgium became the second country in the world, after The Netherlands, to legalise euthanasia. Since then, an increasing number of people have chosen to die using this method. In 2012, 1,432 people were allowed to go through assisted suicide indicating a 25 per cent increase in the number of assisted deaths. Guidelines set out by the country's parliament mean patients wishing to end their own lives must be conscious when they ask to die. They also have to be under a 'constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain' resulting from an 'accident or incurable illness'. A survey earlier this year found 32 per cent of assisted deaths are done without request and 47% of the assisted deaths go unreported. In one case, a 44-year-old woman with chronic anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder, was euthanised, along with a 64-year-old woman who was suffering from chronic depression. The Belgian parliament is reportedly on the verge of passing legislation that would allow people under 18 to consent to euthanasia. 'My new breasts did not match my expectations and my new penis had symptoms of rejection. I do not want to be... a monster.' Mr Verhelst's decision comes amid a . fierce debate over euthanasia in Belgium, where the number of deaths due . to the controversial practice soared by 25 per cent last year.' Official figures showed the numbers . opting to end their lives leap from 1,133 in 2011 to 1,432 in 2012, a . figure representing about two per cent of all deaths in the country. Euthanasia . is legal under Belgian law if those making the decision can make their . wishes clear and are suffering unbearable pain, according to a doctor's . judgement. The Belgian law differs from that of Switzerland, famous for its Dignitas clinic, where only 'assisted suicide' is permitted. This means patients must play an active role in the administration of the drug that ends their lives. Wim . Distelmans, a cancer specialist who carried out the euthanasia of Mr . Verhelst, is the same doctor who last year ended the lives of deaf twins . Marc and Eddy Verbessem, who were both going blind. The . 45-year-olds, from the village of Putte, near the city of Mechelen, had . lived together their entire adult lives and could not communicate with . the outside world. The Dignitas building in Pfaeffikon near Zurich: . In contrast to Belgian rules, under Swiss law only 'assisted suicide' is permitted - meaning patients must take an active role in . administering the drug that ends their lives . Suicide rates among transsexuals and those who have undergone gender reassignment surgery are high with some suggesting the rate may be as high as 31 per cent. Chris Hyde, professor at the University of Exeter, who has studied the issues surrounding sex change operations, told MailOnline: ‘Research we conducted a decade ago found there is huge uncertainty over whether changing someone's sex is a good or a bad thing. ‘While no doubt great care is taken to ensure that appropriate patients undergo gender reassignment, there's still a large number of people who have the surgery but remain traumatised - often to the point of committing suicide. ‘While we haven’t looked at the situation since then, given the difficulties in researching this area, it is likely that the same issues remain today.’ Their . brother, Dirk Verbessem, said at the time that they were terrified of . never being able to see each other and feared losing their independence . in an institution. Professor . Distelmans agreed to end their lives - again on grounds of 'unbearable . psychological suffering' - after their local hospital had denied their . request for euthanasia. Dr Distelmans told the Telegraph: 'The choice of Nathan Verhelst has nothing to do with fatigue of life. 'There . are other factors that meant he was in a situation with incurable, . unbearable suffering. Unbearable suffering for euthanasia can be both . physical and psychological. 'This was a case that clearly met the conditions demanded by the law. Nathan underwent counseling for six months.' Last . week it emerged that a staggering one in 30 deaths in the Netherlands . are now from euthanasia, after Dutch government allowed mobile death . squads to kill sick and elderly people in their homes. The . country became the first in the world since Nazi Germany to legalise . euthanasia when in 2002 it approved doctor-administered lethal drugs for . terminally ill people facing unbearable suffering. Deaf twins chose to die after learning they would go blind . The cancer specialist who euthanised Nathan Verhelst is the same doctor who ended the lives of deaf twins who chose their fate after learning they would soon go blind.Marc and Eddy Verbessem, pictured below, 45, had lived together their entire adult lives and could not communicate with the outside world.Their brother, Dirk Verbessem, said they were terrified of never being able to see each other and feared losing their independence in an institution. Marc and Eddy Verbessem, 45, had lived together their entire adult lives and could not communicate with the outside world . 'That was for my brothers unbearable,' said Mr Verbessem, 46. 'They lived together, did their own cooking and cleaning. You could eat off the floor. Blindness would have made them completely dependent.' The twins, from the village of Putte, near Mechelen, were told they would go blind from a genetically caused form of glaucoma. The pair communicated with each other using a special sign language understood only by them and their close family. They died by lethal injection at Brussels University Hospital in Jette just before Christmas last year, dressed in new shoes and suits, with Mr Verbessem and their parents, Mary and Remy, by their sides. Mr Verbessem said: 'Marc and Eddy waved again at us. "Up in the sky," they said. "Up in the sky," we replied. And then it was over.' | Nathan Verhelst, 44, who was born Nancy, said his parents rejected him . His mother reveals how she though her child 'ugly' and feels no sorrow . 'We never had a bond which therefore cannot be broken,' she says . Comes after Belgian euthanasia cases jumped 25 per cent in one year . It is now the cause of nearly one in 50 deaths in the country . | d7518b6d72d8f1b3baf58cf8c9aaa22d7bd14603 |
Whether it's working up the nerve to ask your boss for a pay rise or finally plucking up the courage to ask the handsome guy from the gym for a date, there's no shortage of situations where a little extra courage wouldn't hurt. But, while many overcome their nerves, studies have shown that women are more likely to succumb to a lack of confidence - with disastrous results for their career and love life. Now, a new blog aims to help women face down their fears by encouraging them to submit photos revealing what they would do if they weren't afraid. This woman thinks she's worth more than she's paid but is afraid to ask for a rise . One poster would learn to ignore negativity while another would be brave and pitch that book . Called What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid, the blog is hosted on Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In website and was inspired by a speech she made at Barnard University. 'The inspiration for the project came . from a speech Sheryl gave to the graduating class at Barnard a few years . go that ended with the question 'What would you do if you . weren't afraid?', says LeanIn.Org editor, Jessica Bennett. 'As graduation rolled around this year, we wanted to find a way to play . off that question to encourage women to pursue their ambitions -- but . this is clearly a message that women (and many men) of any age can . relate to.' Among the women who have already submitted photos is Rani, 15, from West Lafayette in Indianapolis who writes: 'I would LEAD without worrying what people think + prefacing my ideas with "maybe" or "I don’t know, but…"' The blog is hosted on the website of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (pictured) Jennifer Evers from Chicago would take more control of her own life and stop going with the flow . Another, Jennifer Evers, 43, from Chicago, writes: 'I’ve taken the first step and created a career and business for myself that I can fit my life in to, instead of trying to fit my life in to someone else’s idea of what a career for me should be. 'Now I need to take the next step and fully take ownership of everything… professional and personal.' Sandberg herself has also submitted a photo and a pledge that reads: 'I would write a book about women.' 'We wanted to make the point that women . often hold themselves back by fear of the unknown: fear of failure, fear . of speaking up, fear of being judged,' added Jessica. 'Part of leaning in is about . overcoming our fears to pursue our ambitions -- whatever those may be. So why not put our fears out there? 'Why not talk about them? Hold them . up on a sign? We hope this blog will inspire women to ask themselves, . 'What would I do if I weren't afraid?' And then to go and do it.' To find out more and to submit a pledge and photo of your own, see ifuwerentafraid.tumblr.com . Erica would finally call herself an author and take the credit she deserves for her work . Lea Grover, 29, from Chicago, would file for non-profit status and help victims of domestic violence . | Hosted on the website of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg . Posters are asked to submit pledges saying what they would like to do . Sandberg has also made a promise - to write a book about women . The idea came from a speech made by Sandberg at Barnard University . | 1ffcdb98c4e95abeb299278eb88f7908b5eb4d12 |
By . Jennifer Newton . Thomas Hindhaugh, who admitted theft after stealing over £10,000 from Karen Ann Bolton, whom he met online . A divorcee was left devastated when a new partner she met online stole £10,000 of her savings and broke her heart. Recently divorced single mum Karen Ann Bolton met Thomas Hindhaugh of Dunston, Gateshead on dating website Plenty of Fish. Ms Bolton, 40 believed they were in a serious relationship after smooth-talking Hindhaugh,who has 86 previous convictions, many for dishonesty, expressed his undying love for here. But one night after she went to bed, Hindhaugh helped himself to £10,800 of Ms Bolton's money that she had recently received from the sale of her marital home. The 27-year-old then used the money to book into Newcastle's Vermont Hotel before blowing the rest of the cash on drink and drugs. Today, Hindhaugh was jailed for 20 months at Newcastle Crown Court after pleading guilty to theft. Ms Bolton, had withdrawn the money to pay to renovate her new home in Blyth, Northumberland and says she has now been left in terror and suffering nightmares as a result of the betrayal. In a statement read to the court she said: 'The relationship I had with him was serious, I loved him. 'I was absolutely devastated when he stole my money after expressing his undying love for me. I thought it was a fantastic relationship but after he stole my money I was left heartbroken because I never thought he would do this to me. 'This was meant to be a new beginning after the breakdown of my marriage, it was meant to be the start of a new life. 'He destroyed all my plans for a new beginning as well as breaking my heart, he preyed on me and used me for the money.' Ms Bolton met Hindhaugh online last July and they began dating, becoming a couple. Hindhaugh met Ms Bolton on the dating website Plenty of Fish, pictured, and she believed they were in a serious relationship . By January this year she received some money from the sale of her former marital home after her divorce went through. And it was after she withdrew it to pay some builders that Hindhaugh decided to steal it and leave his lover. After booking into the Vermont Hotel he went on a drink and drugs binge before being arrested two days later. However, police didn’t find any of the cash and Hindhaugh continued his binge after being bailed. Ms Bolton said the offence has left her feeling afraid in her new home, which she was unable to have renovated due to the loss of the money. Hindhaugh was sentenced to 20 months in prison after admitting theft at Newcastle Crown Court, pictured . She added: “I can’t describe the terror I’m feeling since that night, I’ve been really nervous, I cant sleep and I’ve had nightmares about him finding and hurting me. 'I’ve never felt this frightened before, my world has turned upside down. 'I realised he was obsessive but I thought that meant he loved me. I now realise he lied about everything.' Richard Bloomfield, defending, said: “These sorts of offences are often described with language that begins with mean and ends with despicable. 'He spent the money on drink and drugs, he has been addicted to drugs for many years.' But jailing him, Judge Penny Moreland said: “The effect on her and her family and their plans for the future has been devastating. 'You have an appalling record for offences of dishonesty and this was a great deal of money. Your callousness in going on to spend that money after your arrest aggravates your position.' | Karen Ann Bolton met Thomas Hindhaugh on dating website Plenty of Fish . Hindhaugh of Gateshead expressed his undying love for Ms Bolton . But then stole £10,800 from her which she got from sale of marital home . The 27-year-old booked into a Newcastle hotel and blew cash on drink and drugs . Ms Bolton says her plans for a new beginning were destroyed . Hindhaugh admitted theft and jailed for 20 months at Newcastle Crown Court . | 6a9c2ea305d656a2ac705520f1511c35064d8989 |
By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 05:54 EST, 29 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:07 EST, 29 November 2013 . A 28-year-old television producer who died of cancer this week is posthumously suing a hospital after her diagnosis and treatment were delayed following an alleged error. Houda Rafle from Toronto, Canada, passed away on Wednesday - just as she had begun legal action against Trillium Health Partners after a radiologist failed to spot a tumor near her heart. The young television producer had originally gone to Toronto's Trillium Health Centre on March 5 complaining of shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting. Houda Rafle, 28, died of cancer on Wednesday morning in the intensive care unit of Toronto General Hospital. She had claimed in a lawsuit that a doctor failed to notice a tumour, delaying her diagnosis for five months . She underwent a CT scan which revealed a half-inch mass just above her heart, but radiologist Dr Ivo 'Ivan' Slezic did not notice it, her lawsuit claims. Five months later she returned to the hospital with a persistent cough and, following further CT scans, the tumor was finally spotted. By this time it had grown to nearly an inch in size and spread to her lungs, the Toronto Star reported. Doctors diagnosed stage IV angiosarcoma, which eventually spread to her brain. She subsequently learned that Dr Slezic's role had been restricted months earlier and an external review begun on 3,500 CT scans and mammograms he read between April 2012 and March this year. Miss Rafle's lawsuit claims that Trillium was negligent in not alerting her to the review, and that Dr Slezic should not have been working because 'his abilities were impaired by fatigue, medical conditions or other factors.' Her lawyer, Duncan Embury, told the Star: 'She lost her life a as result of failure of the medical system. It’s about accountability in our system. When it comes to disease processes like this, time matters.' Miss Rafle died in the intensive care unit of Toronto General Hospital in the early hours of Wednesday, her six brothers and sisters by her bedside. They believe should would still be alive today if her condition was diagnosed earlier. Her sister Deeqa, 23, told the Star: 'It’s absolutely unfair . . . misdiagnosis, 28, healthy before that, my role model, my best friend, my big sister. It’s a lot.' Trillium told The Globe And Mail that it had spotted problems with Dr Slezic's work on March 28. A statement on its website said the review into his analyses is now 75 per cent complete. The Trillium Health Centre in Toronto, where Miss Rafle went complaining of shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting. She was discharged after radiologist Dr Ivo 'Ivan' Slezic did not notice a tumour, her lawsuit claims . The case is the latest in a long list of medical testing fiascos in Canada which have fuelled calls for a new nationwide quality assurance system. Deb Matthews, Ontario's health minister, who spoke with Miss Rafle about her case before her untimely death, said the province is looking for ways to improve quality assurance for radiology. 'We expect the highest standard of care from our hospitals and our dedicated physicians – as do Ontarians,' said Ms Matthews in a statement seen by The Globe And Mail. 'Our hospitals take any questions about the quality of care provided very seriously, and I know that there are always more steps we can take to make our health care system even better.' Miss Rafle's family say they will continue her legal fight with Trillium. Deeqa Rafle told CBC News Toronto: 'Houda's fight is never [going to] end. 'Our entire family is [going to] keep it alive with every fibre of our being.' | Houda Rafle died on Wednesday, just after filing lawsuit against a hospital . She claims radiologist failed to spot a tumour just above her heart . The doctor was subsequently suspended and probe into his work begun . But Miss Rafle was never told of concerns about his diagnoses . | daa50d40a67cd99e9574b80983fea192dce98f03 |
Thousands of people took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday night to celebrate Argentina's World Cup semi-final victory over the Netherlands. Fans gathered clad in shirts and hats bearing the sky blue and white colors of their flag to celebrate the victory. Fans . said their team's victories at the World Cup have softened the . financial struggles of the country that finds itself teetering on the . brink of another default on its foreign debts. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Argentina fans celebrate across South America . Packed: Argentina fans celebrate in Buenos Aires after watching their team reach the World Cup final . Showing her colours: An Argentina fan celebrates after watching the match at a public square in Buenos Aires . Loud and proud: An Argentina fan reacts in jubilation as he watches his team go through in Brazil . Familiar: Argentina fans gather around an inflatable Christ the Redeemer on the streets of Buenos Aires . VIDEO Argentina fan celebrate across South America . 'Argentina . deserved to have this joy because we are doing badly otherwise,' said . Norma Ontiveros, 59. 'This way we can show that not everything is wrong. We have a solid team and good people."' The considerable amount of Argentinians who traveled to Brazil for the tournament wept, kissed and raised their hands to the sky when their team won 4-2 on penalty kicks, sending them to the final for the first time in more than two decades. 'God knows we suffered, but now everything is good,' said a weeping fan Rodrigo Aisen, who sealed the win by giving his girlfriend a long kiss. 'Everything is joy!"' The 23-year-old celebrated with 20,000 others in the FIFA Fan Fest watch party in Sao Paulo, following a tense match in which neither team scored until the penalty shootout. Argentina and Germany will meet in the final on Sunday. 'I had faith that they would win today,' said Maribel Oviedo, 21, who two years ago had a lung transplant because of cystic fibrosis. Her twin sister died from the disease last year. They'll be dancing on the streets tonight: Fans sing and dance after watching the big match . No stopping them: Three Argentina fans climb up a traffic light as they celebrate victory . Sea of people: Fans line the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate on Wednesday night . Moment of victory: Argentina players celebrate as they defeat the Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out . Her family traveled from Cordoba, Argentina, to see the World Cup, and Oviedo said making the final means more to her than any other sporting achievement. 'Seeing the team in these moments gives me goose bumps. It is something beautiful,' she said. For . Brazilians, the hard-fought win by Argentina only rubbed salt in the . wound of their own team's worst World Cup defeat in Tuesday's match with . Germany. 'If . Argentina wins this Cup here in Brazil, we might as well just close the . coffin,' said Silvio Martines, 32. 'You can bury Brazil. It would be . our last blow' Contrast: Dutch supporters in Amsterdam show their dejection as the Netherlands are knocked out . VIDEO Argentina scrape into fifth final . | Thousands celebrate on the streets of Buenos Aires after Argentina beat the Netherlands . Argentina won 4-2 on penalties after the match finished goalless . Argentina take on Germany in the World Cup final in Brazil on Sunday . | fe10a4e675a52906b2253fe5c5668a0ea6ae4bf1 |
(EW.com) -- Perhaps the greatest enemy of Chris Brown's poorly received last album was time. Released in December 2009, just six months after the multiplatinum crooner pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna, "Graffiti" -- frankly, not a bad collection at all -- was widely panned. Everything from the title of his new disc, "F.A.M.E." (an acronym for the off-putting title ''Forgiving All My Enemies''), to his recent nude photos and ill-advised tweets suggests that Brown has not yet mastered the art of image rehabilitation. Musically, though, he's in top form. "F.A.M.E." (out March 22) shines brighter than anything he produced before that now-infamous incident. Melodic raps on tracks like ''Say It With Me'' and ''Oh My Love'' lead to intoxicating hooks, as do bedroom knockers ''Wet the Bed'' and ''No Bs,'' which for better (or worse) rival the bump-'n'-grind heights of '90s Casanova crew Jodeci. The uncertainty of love is a recurring theme on the album: On the thumping midtempo cut ''Next to You,'' Brown and guest Justin Bieber trade verses assuring their ladies of their dedication. The more relevant question is whether Brown can count on his old fans to be just as devoted. The fact that several singles have already crept into Billboard's top 20 is a good indication that he's winning them back. "Graffiti" clearly came too soon. And some still think Brown should go -- and stay -- away. But on its own merits, "F.A.M.E." deserves to be heard. B+ . See full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | The title of his new disc, "F.A.M.E.," is an acronym for ''Forgiving All My Enemies'' "F.A.M.E." (out March 22) shines brighter than anything he produced before . The uncertainty of love is a recurring theme on the album . | 93ef391b7e53401a5732038b0bb58b39fa4d1c8b |
(CNN) -- When the time came to grab that killer Fourth of July fireworks photo, Cat Connor was ready. "It's taken me years to get a good shot," the California native explained. "I very much planned for it. I studied up on how to shoot fireworks, read photographer blogs and got to know my equipment." Connor's dedication paid off. In 2011, she captured a frame-worthy shot of several colorful fireworks exploding above California's Eastern Sierra, their glow reflecting off of the lake below. The result is stunning; a fitting memory of a lovely day that perfectly encapsulates all that is great about the holiday celebration. The Fourth of July honors America's Independence Day, when the nation declared independence from Great Britain in 1776. A national holiday, it's often marked with glorious parades, barbecues, parties and, of course, fireworks. As part of CNN's series celebrating the biggest, boldest and most spectacular celebrations across the world, we asked people to send in their best Fourth of July images, and to give tips on how to capture the perfect fireworks photo. Here are some handy hints. Use a tripod . One thing is for sure with fireworks pictures -- you don't want them blurry. So use a tripod to keep everything steady, photographers say. "I love taking [pictures of] fireworks [but] it's quite tricky," said California-based photographer Biju Chandroth, who snapped a great shot at a Fourth of July fireworks display in Mammoth Lakes, California, in 2011. "One absolutely needs a tripod, since you will have to use a slow shutter to get the trails." His sentiment is echoed by professional photographer Edmund Lowe, who has fond memories of spectacular fireworks competitions between families in his neighborhood in Washington state. He also has some great tips for those wanting that iconic Fourth of July shot. "The main requirement is a tripod, I use a sandbag or some other heavy object to make sure there is no tripod shake," he said. "[Also], long exposures -- up to 10 seconds -- are required. I generally use an f-stop of f/11 to f/16 and a shutter speed of two to 10 seconds. The longer exposures will also give you time for multiple reports to be visible." Capture that key moment . Dan Anderson of Minnesota knew what he wanted for his Independence Day shot last year -- and he wasn't going to let anything, not even pesky mosquitoes, get in the way. His great photo captures the moment his nephew launched a bottle rocket across one of Minnesota's many lakes, Lake Koronis. "We did it in one take and then ran away because the mosquitoes were eating us alive," he remembered with a laugh. In a similar vein, Tyler Knott from Helena, Montana, captured a memorable photo on July 4, 2009, of his sister, her now-husband and four of her college friends drawing "July 4" using sparklers, with help from a tripod and remote trigger release. He says despite the challenges -- each sparkler-holder had to draw a character backwards -- they nailed the photo on the first try. The end result was worth the careful planning. "I think a lot of people thought it was Photoshopped," he said. Take a bunch. Then take some more . It doesn't always take a professional camera to get a great shot, but it does require patience. Marie Sager photographed a spectacular fireworks display in 2010 in Studio City, California, on the CBS studio lot. She used a Panasonic Lumix which, to her surprise, had a "fireworks" setting. Her advice for those keen to capture great shots is simple: "With fireworks, you never know what to expect, so keep on clicking!" she said. "Everything I photograph is usually straight from the hip, not planned. And I end up usually surprised myself." Her advice was echoed by Tracy Bond from Huntsville, Alabama, who captured her own stunning images from a celebration in nearby Madison. "I usually shoot until a get one I like," she shared. "Experiment with different settings and see what you get." Enjoy yourself! "A day off from work for many, picnics, maybe some time at the pool or lake, and of course, at the end of the day, sonic booms followed by shimmering, multi-colored fire bringing 'oohs' and 'aahs' from young and old. What's not to like?" Bond asked. The point is -- make it fun. Too much time worrying about your shot means you won't get the chance to enjoy the celebration. So make sure you, well, celebrate. You could do worse than take a leaf from Scott Murphy's book. The San Diego resident took some stunning shots over the city bay in 2011. He said the beautiful display reminded him of how glorious his city -- and country -- were. "It's one of the few times in the year when everybody stops, looks up, and appreciates how beautiful San Diego, is with fireworks going off over the bay," he says. It's something worth remembering as your crane your neck Thursday evening to check out those glorious displays. Got some great Fourth of July fireworks photos, or planning to take some? We want to see them! Send us your best pictures and they could be on CNN! | U.S.'s Independence Day is the perfect celebration for parties, barbecues -- and of course, fireworks. iReporters provided top tips for getting those fantastic fireworks shots . Some "study up", others get to know their kit, or just know what shot they want . But above all, the most important thing is to enjoy the celebration! | e875f6a78b03c3bb3fe263b6b3c1e1185938a063 |
By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 06:46 EST, 3 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:13 EST, 4 February 2013 . Plans to give hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies to European tobacco farmers have been criticised by anti-smoking campaigners. The tobacco growers could get the extra cash as soon as next year after members of the European Parliament voted to make changes which would allow member states to decide which crops receive European Union farming subsidies. The old system was phased out in 2010 at a time when tobacco farmers in 12 EU countries including Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Italy were receiving around £260million in subsidies. Back to the old system: Millions of pounds in subsidies could be given to European tobacco farmers . But after it was scrapped, tobacco farming across the EU declined. It is now feared the proposals could result in huge sums going back to tobacco growers. Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Subsidising Greek and Bulgarian tobacco growers is clearly wrong. Environment secretary Owen Paterson has criticised the plans . 'Not only would it take us back to the dark days of skewing the basic laws of supply and demand, it would also spend British taxpayers' money on a product that is of absolutely no benefit to our society.' Anti-smoking campaigners have said the plans are 'wasteful' especially as the European Commission is currently running a campaign to encourage smokers to give up cigarettes at a cost of £27million. Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, described the move as a step backwards and that the plans made no sense at all. She also urged MEPs and the Commission to reject the proposals when they are ratified further. A spokesman for the European Commission said the committee's proposal was unlikely to happen. Tobacco growers have been looking at other ways of using tobacco other than cigarettes and in Bulgaria a perfume has been manufactured called Tobacco and Roses. The perfume comes in a box with a photograph of three cigars entwined with roses. Tobacco is responsible for more than 650,000 deaths in the EU every year. | Tobacco farmers in 12 EU countries were receiving around £260million in subsidies before the old system was phased out in 2010 . Tobacco farming declined after it stopped receiving huge sums . Campaigners fear a return to the old system is a step backwards . Tobacco is responsible for more than 650,000 deaths in the EU every year . | e84a06a5e0c8a01e37b118f6cde446c5bab3042a |
By . Liz Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 12:00 EST, 29 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:18 EST, 3 September 2012 . Heart-throb: James Morton has won the hearts of the viewers . Sporting horn-rimmed glasses and an itchy-looking jumper, he is an unlikely heart-throb, let alone promising amateur baker. But 21-year-old medical student James Morton is the surprise star – and viewers’ darling – of BBC2’s Great British Bake Off. His appeal – not to mention his choice in knitwear – has helped the show cement its status as the summer’s television sensation. This week’s episode, the third in the series, pulled in 200,000 more viewers than last week, scoring a peak audience of 4.5million. It means the show could beat the ratings of BBC1, the corporation’s flagship channel, in the coming weeks. BBC1’s medical drama Holby City, which also aired at 8pm on Tuesday, won just 350,000 more viewers than BBC2’s Bake Off. ITV, which broadcast a repeat of the detective drama Lewis, managed to pull in a peak audience of 2.6million. Fans of the cookery show tuned in to watch Morton, from Hillswick in the Shetland Islands, crowned ‘star baker’, an accolade given to the contestant who produces the best bakes. This week, contestants had to produce three tarts – a French-style tarte tatin, treacle tart, and ‘show-stopper’ fruit tart. Morton wowed judges Mary Berry and . master baker Paul Hollywood with a perfect treacle tart and . macaroon-topped rose, raspberry and lychee tart, making him a sure . contender to win the series. Showstopper: Great British Bake Off's harsh and honest judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, centre, flanked by presenters Sue Perkins, left and Mel Giedroyc . As . well as praise for his skills in the kitchen, he has also attracted a . lot of female attention thanks to the range of woollen jumpers he has . worn on the series so far. Scores . of fans have taken to Twitter and other social networks to discuss . Morton, who studies at Glasgow University, and his style. Eleanor . Smith said: ‘I’m in love with Great British Bake Off. Possibly more so . [because of] the baking, jumper-wearing James. Happy Times.’ Repeat success: Presenters Mel and Sue with last year's finalists Janet Basu, Holly Bell, Mary-Anne Boermans and winner Jo Wheatley . And . on receiving the news he was the week’s star baker, one of the show’s . presenters, Mel Giedroyc, congratulated him on his knitted tank top. His . signature style has drawn comparisons with Sarah Lund, the fictional . detective in hit Danish series The Killing, whose wardrobe also consists . almost entirely of Fair Isle knits. Some viewers tweeted their fear of Paul Hollywood's tough love judging style . 'Has Paul Hollywood always been this mean?' asks Helena Legget . His . jumpers have also won praise from the fashion industry, with Style . magazine saying: ‘Well done James. We think your tarts look like fashion . on a plate! (and we love your tank top and glasses too!)’ The student . has said he learnt to bake when he was a child. ‘I . used to go round to my gran’s house every day after school and bake . apple pie and Victoria sponges and the occasional lemon meringue pie,’ he added. The series has . been pre-recorded and while Morton cannot talk about the outcome, he has . insisted he is still determined to qualify as a doctor, rather than . pursue a career in baking. | 4.5 million tuned in this week . Viewers and contestants 'scared' by judge Paul Hollywood's tough love . | a77c03ef5b4aabff2b3c8494e72fc235f24cd4be |
Dressed in traditional Baianas women perform the 'Lavagem' or washing ritual that will bring luck to the centrepiece of Rio de Janeiro's Carnival celebrations, the Sambadrome, ahead of the festival's official launch on Friday. The countdown to this annual feast of music and colour is continuing apace in spite of the odds being stacked against it by financial strife in the country, water shortages caused by drought and the flow-on effect of a corruption scandal within the state oil company Petrobras. While official parades in Sao Paulo have survived the axe after intense contemplation by officials, the main event in the capital Brasilia has had to be cancelled. Scroll down for video . A woman dressed in Baianas is among the group performing the traditional 'Lavagem' to bring good luck to the Sambodrome . A dancer performs during a rehearsal at the Sambodrome on Sunday as the countdown to Rio's 2015 Carnival continues apace . Despite financial strife in the country, revellers have already begun festivities with parades such as Sunday's 'Gigantes da Lira' in Rio . Two costumed men pose and an elderly couple dress up for a bloco, one of the many parties held in the lead up to and during official Carnival festivities - the blocos have been hit hard by the looming recession and a lack of sponsorship this year . Perhpas the most famous city for Carnival, Rio, is of course set to go ahead, thanks in part to its popularity with both locals and tourists. An estimated 75,000 local and foreign spectators pack into the Sambadrome to take part in the spectacular ceremony that kicks off the five-day celebrations. Meanwhile other events have been scaled back as sponsors watch their pennies. Most hit have been the blocos, independently organised parties on favela streets, beaches and other venues in cities across the country as they rely heavily on outside funding. Bloco Cru, an event that usually attracts 50,000 revellers, is one of the blocos that won't take place this year after the usual backer Lu Baratz admitted she couldn't fund it this year. 'We didn't achieve sufficient sponsorship to guarantee the party's infrastructure,' she told the O Globo newspaper. 'It is important that the sponsors and council do more than pay for chemical toilets, they need to support the local spirit of carnival.' Still, more than 900,000 visitors are expected in Rio for the official opening parade on Friday and already rehearsals and preliminary parades have shown markers for what the festival is famous for. The Gigantes da Lira pre-carnival parade takes place in downtown Rio de Janeiro on Sunday with music and fun characters aplenty . Women dressed in orange and wearing tiaras hold roses made out of fabric during the 'Gigantes da Lira' carnival parade in Rio . Two women dance during the 'Ceu na Terra', or Heaven on earth, parade in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday . A clown pauses for the camera during 'Gigantes da Lira', a popular bloco for children each year in Rio . More colourful characters could be found at the annual block party known as the 'Suvaco do Cristo' which translates to Armpit of Christ . Practice runs at the Sambodrome on Sunday, less than a week before the festival begins, gave a glimpse of the full-scale extravaganzas that can be expected during the festival's actual dates from Friday until Wednesday, February 18. Also on Sunday the colourful Gigantes da Lira carnival parade, one of the most popular blocos for children took place in Rio with a sea of clowns and other fun costumes packing the streets. More colourful characters could be found at the annual block party known as the 'Suvaco do Cristo', which translates in English to 'Armpit of Christ', while the 'Cordao do Boitata' had a tapestry all of its own. An exotic dragon-like figure takes centre stage at the colourful 'Cordao do Boitata' pre-carnival parade in Rio's old town . A woman dressed as a clown and a cross-dressing 'devil' feature on the back of a float as brass band music plays for 'Gigantes da Lira' A clown with wacky hair - or is that tuba blowing a gale - during 'Gigantes da Lira' on Sunday ahead of Friday's official Carnival launch . Olga Valles shows masks in the likeness of former Petrobras' CEO Maria das Gracas Foster (right) and Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff . A corruption scandal in the lead up to Carnival has seen masks (left) be made to mock the company CEO Foster (right) A happy clown with spare noses on her umbrella enjoys the 'Gigantes da Lira' open-air 'blocos' party . Wacky costumes abound at the 'Cordao do Boitata' pre-carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro . A man in a sailor's hat and wearning a colourful lei releases bubbles to add to the atmosphere of Gigantes da Lira . In a sign of the tough times face by Brazil, the nation's main broadcaster TV Globo has decided it's not financially viable to take on the extensive costs of broadcasting the final Parade of Champions this year in a series of cutbacks to its usual coverage of Carnival. This year's event comes after a World Cup at which Germany left the victors but the value to the host nation is said to have been minimal. It also comes as the country prepares the other biggest sporting event in the world, the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. | The Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro's Carnival centrepiece, was blessed on Sunday ahead of 2015 festival . Looming recession, water shortages due to drought and the Petrobras corruption scandal are hurting event . Some blocos have been cancelled, TV coverage cut and other areas forced to scale back celebrations . | 06b0fdd5bb9780adc5bba4b591be774842be8be2 |
Washington (CNN) -- Retired Justice John Paul Stevens had harsh words for his former conservative colleagues Wednesday, saying they have inconsistently applied the law two years after a sweeping ruling dealing with campaign finance reform. That controversial decision, known as Citizens United, gave corporations -- individuals, unions, businesses and advocacy groups -- greater power to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose federal election candidates. Stevens issued a bitter dissent in that case, months before stepping down from the high court after 35 years on the bench. He said Congress had long imposed reasonable limits on corporate spending as a way to curb the potentially corrupting influence by the wealthy, whose voices would be heard above those of others in the crowded political landscape. Stevens, at an evening speech at the University of Arkansas, said the five conservatives who gave corporations greater power in the name of free speech may now be rethinking, even regretting, their decision, based on related cases since that 2010 decision. In particular, he noted the Citizens United decision, which struck down the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law, said the First Amendment "generally prohibits the suppression of political speech based on the speaker's identity." The 92-year-old former justice said the court will soon have to confront the question of whether the ruling applies to the ability of foreign corporations, potentially even terror groups, to spend freely. He predicted the justices would decide it does not. "The court must then explain its abandonment of, or at least qualify reliance upon, the proposition that the identity of the speaker is an impermissible basis for regulating campaign speech," he told the audience. "It will be necessary to explain why the First Amendment provides greater protection for some nonvoters than that of other nonvoters. He said American corporations, unlike individuals, were in that broad category of nonvoters. Stevens predicted creating an exception for the foreign corporations "will create a crack in the foundation of the Citizens United majority" led by the conservatives under Chief Justice John Roberts. President Obama, just days after the Citizens United opinion, said in his State of the Union address that it would "open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limits in our elections." Justice Samuel Alito, named to the court by President Bush in 2006, was in the audience at the time and famously mouthed the words "not true" to Obama's remarks. But Stevens said that while he has not talked with Alito about it, the mouthed words indicated "there will not be five votes" to sustain a majority if and when the court confronts the foreign spending question. Stevens also noted time and logic has borne out the president's warnings. The high court earlier this year upheld a lower court ruling preventing noncitizens from contributing to federal political candidates. That, said Stevens, showed the justices clearly believe "the identity of some speakers may provide a legally acceptable basis for restricting speech" in election contributions. "I think it likely when the court begins to spell out which categories of nonvoters should receive the same protections" enjoyed by U.S. corporations, "It will not only exclude terrorist organizations and foreign agents, but also all corporations owned or controlled by noncitizens, and possibly even those in which noncitizens have a substantial ownership interest." Stevens' pointed remarks come in the midst of a presidential campaign season that is already breaking records for spending by outside groups, many of them so-called super PACs now unencumbered by previous spending limits. The justice on Tuesday received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Obama in a White House ceremony. The president praised Stevens for his independent, rigorous approach to the law, "favoring a pragmatic solution over an ideological one." Critics of Stevens said he had abandoned his earlier conservative leanings to become a liberal on the high court. In his retirement, Stevens has been outspoken about his former colleagues, criticizing rulings issued before and after he left the court. | Retired Justice John Paul Stevens shares thoughts in University of Arkansas speech . He opposes Citizens United ruling, on which he wrote a dissenting opinion . He says the question of foreign contributors to campaigns may derail ruling . | 79a26404a33896e5da66f471c514e0fe59c5caf2 |
A Northern California woman and her boyfriend were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murder in her three-year-old daughter's death after someone recognized the wanted couple at a restaurant and tipped off authorities. Sara Krueger, 23, and Scott Warner, 26, became subjects of an intense search in the San Francisco Bay Area after officers conducting a welfare check at Krueger's Napa apartment found the child's body in her bed on Saturday, Lt. Debbie Peecook said. A few hours earlier, witnesses had seen Krueger and Warner leaving the apartment with luggage, police said. Sara Krueger, 23, and Scott Warner, 26, became subjects of an intense search in the San Francisco Bay Area after officers conducting a welfare check at Krueger's Napa apartment found the child's body in her bed . Victim: Krueger's 3-year-old daughter (pictured) was found beaten and sexually assaulted in her bed . Someone who spotted the couple at a restaurant near a Bay Area Rapid Transit station on Sunday in the city of El Cerrito alerted police, and BART officers detained them, Peecook said. BART police Lt. Gil Lopez said they were detained without incident at the station in El Cerrito, about 30 miles south of Napa. They were questioned and booked on suspicion of murder with special circumstances and assault on a child resulting in death. Peecook said she didn't know whether they have retained an attorney. The child, whose name was not released, showed signs of having been sexually assaulted and blunt force trauma, investigators said. Her biological father, who is serving time at San Quentin State Prison, was notified of her death. Neighbors said that the home had been the scene of multiple disturbances since Kreuger's boyfriend 26-year-old Scott Warner moved in . The property manager at Krueger's apartment building told the Napa Valley Register . that in recent months, police visited the mother's residence for . several disturbances, including late-night noise, slamming doors and . neighbors reporting possible physical abuse of the child. Warner 'moved in about 10 months ago, and it all went downhill from there,' Elizabeth Chechourka said. 'Management . sent a letter to them about two and half weeks ago saying, ''The . authorities know about you, and you need to shape up or you're gonna . lose your housing,''' she added. Peecook said Napa officers had made . several welfare checks at Krueger's home, most recently last week but . none of the visits resulted in an arrest. She . said she didn't know whether Napa County Child Protective Services had . visited the apartment in response to any neighbors' complaints. A family friend who often baby-sat the girl was baffled by news of the girl's death and her mother's arrest. 'Never . saw her raise a hand to the girl. It was like pulling teeth getting her . to somewhat discipline her,' Kindra Kunkel told reporters. 'This is not Sara; this is not the Sara I know," said Kunkel. "She fought so hard for her little girl.' | Sara Krueger, 23, and Scott Warner, 26, were arrested on Sunday in San Francisco after they were spotted at restaurant . Three-year-old girl's body found at home with blunt force trauma and possible sexual abuse . | 1b4e7bc6522c3d8b403eb7031c4a2ff8743b0c2f |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:28 EST, 10 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:49 EST, 23 July 2013 . A young single mother died after mixing cider, beer and Lambrinis with amphetamines and heroin during an impromptu party with friends, an inquest heard. Former A grade college student Karayn Mcinerney, 20, was found dead in bed at a friend's flat in the village of Heaton, north of Bolton, by a former flatmate after a night out. Miss Mcinerney, whose eight-month-old daughter was being looked after by a relative at the time, was at least three times over the drink-drive limit and had traces of amphetamine and morphine in her system, Bolton Coroner's Court heard. An inquest into her death heard that the once-promising student's life changed dramatically when her grandmother, who had brought her up, died, and Miss Mcinerney began associating with 'the wrong people'. Miss Mcinerney was brought up by her grandparents after her mother abandoned her and enjoyed a happy and successful childhood until the age of 12 when her grandmother died, quickly followed by her grandfather. Her aunt, Emma McInerney, told the hearing: 'Everything started to go wrong when she lost her gran - . it was like losing a mother. 'She started . associating with the wrong people and started to drink. 'We all struggled very hard. Her . friends were the wrong friends. She found it difficult living where her . grandparents lived, so exchanged it for a flat. She stopped going to . college.' In November 2012, Miss Mcinerney gave birth to her baby girl and her family hoped she would get back on track. But on April 19 this year her . brother Aaron, 29, agreed to take his niece for the night so his sister . could go out with friends. The inquest heard from Miss Mcinerney's former flatmate Tiffany . Stevens, who said she had joined her for a drinking . session at a friend's flat after a night out in Bolton town centre. She said the group drank cider, beer . and Lambrini, and said Miss Mcinerney was very drunk. 'She was acting like . crazy,' said Miss Stevens. 'She said her stomach was hurting and she went . to the bedroom on her own. I went to the room later. 'When I did she looked asleep. I thought she had fallen down the side of the bed and was asleep.' The next day Mr Mcinerney tried calling his sister to arrange for her to pick up her daughter, but was told by a female who answered the phone that she was still asleep. His evidence read in court said: 'At . 3.30pm the same girl was crying and said an ambulance had been called . because she wasn't breathing.' He rushed to the flat and was . told by a paramedic that his sister had died. Police found snap bags used to carry drugs, and drug-taking accessories including burnt tin foil and a crack pipe in the flat where she died. Recording a narrative verdict Bolton coroner Alan Walsh said Miss Mcinerney died from a misuse of amphetamines and alcohol. He said: 'She was a young woman who had a rollercoaster life where, as a child, she had been brought up by her grandparents. Her grandparents did a very good job by looking after her and making sure she got an education. 'She became involved with associates who weren't good for her. She was known to drink from a young age because of these associations.' He added: 'Her daughter was the catalyst for her to change and in the early stages she did change. She was very committed to being a mother - but you can't control who she gets in touch with. The combination of drugs and alcohol was a disaster. 'It was a sudden, unexpected and tragic death - tragic for her at the age of 20, tragic for her lovely daughter at eight months. That is the saddest part of her death. 'I don't believe the family could have done any more... It is the loss of a very young life and the life of a young mother.' | Karayn Mcinerney, of Bolton, was found dead in friend's flat after night out . Inquest heard she'd mixed cider, beer, Lambrini, amphetamines and heroin . A-grade student who fell in with 'wrong people' had eight-month-old baby . Bolton coroner records narrative verdict and says 'It was a tragic death' | bc79d63b5651d40b7cad85b252fa6b14af59afb8 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:55 EST, 20 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 23:57 EST, 20 September 2013 . 'It can sum up parenthood pretty succinctly.' That's how 32-year-old Steve Cramer described a family photo that shows his wife, Elizabeth, launch the couple's 6-month-old son into the air as she attempts to swing him around for the photo. The family's Christmas-card-gone-wrong has gone viral on the Internet since it was taken in late August in San Clemente, California, while the young family was on vacation with other family members. 'In my family we have about 18 of us, and a lot of kids,' Cramer,of Castle Rock, Coloroado, told GoodMorningAmerica.com. 'We started out . taking the large photo getting everyone to smile. But as you can . imagine, getting all those kids to sit and smile doesn't go so well. Oops! Elizabeth Cramer accidentally launched her 6-month-old baby during a photo shoot in California last month . Better: This shot - before the boys got cranky - turned out a little bit better . 'When . we finished with that, my 4-year-old was done. He had had enough. But . my wife and I were all on the beach in the coordinating outfits and we . really wanted to get one good picture to show off our happy family, but . it wasn't going so hot.' Cramer explains that to get the children to calm down, they try and distract the boy with some fun, candid shots. And that's when things went horribly wrong. 'We swung them around a couple times, but the final time I heard my wife just go, ''Ahhhh!'' so I turn around and I see my son just gracefully and peacefully doing this full layout back flip, landing flat on his back in the sand,' Cramer explained. 'We were just shocked.' The couple says the baby cried for about two minutes but eventually got over it and was fine . Cramer says the boy, Edison, cried for about two minutes but quickly got over it. 'He sniffled a little bit,' said Cramer. 'But my dad is a pediatrician and looked him over and said, ''Oh, he's fine.'" Once the family realized the baby was fine, they looked at the photos the photographer had taken and realized they had Internet gold - the image has already tallied more than 2 million views since being posted on Reddit. 'We looked and we got this incredible photo. It's hilarious,' Cramer said. 'Everything could have gone wrong, but it ended as best as possible. Every time I look at the picture, though, my palms still get a little sweaty.' | The photo was taken as the family vacationed in California in August . It has since tallied more than two million views on Reddit . The hilarious photo 'can sum up parenthood pretty succinctly,' the boy's father joked . | d9c17dd485aae34244779948bcadda151ffb4dd4 |
By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 12:38 EST, 12 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:59 EST, 13 November 2012 . The gummy party python weighs in at 27lbs . We all like to tuck into a sugary treat every now and then. But an American retailer has launched the ultimate snack for those with a sssweet tooth. Manufacturers Vat19 claim that this 27lb monster - known as the 'gummy party python' will kill you if you attempt to eat it in one sitting. And at a staggering 36,000 calories per snake - or nearly 18-and-a-half times an adult's recommended daily calorie intake - it's hardly surprising that you'll get more than a sugar rush if you choose to part with the $150 price tag. Vat19's website says: 'Actually, you probably couldn't ingest 26lbs of candy, if you did your stomach would probably burst.' Slithering in at almost eight feet long, this slippery snack is described as 'as ridiculous as candy can get'. The giant sweet contains 27lb of sugar - more than a dozen bags of sugar - but makers of the candy say that it can be kept for up to a year as long as it is kept out of direct sunlight and extreme heat. It's recommends that the treat is to be shared, or eaten alone in 306 separate sugary servings. The hand-made treat comes in two flavours, either blue raspberry with green apple or red cherry. Generously described as the Lamborghini of the sweet world, the gummy party python has proved a hit already, with the website currently out of stock. Manufacturers claim that it has lifelike details including including intricate eyes, blended colouring, ridged coils, and thousands of individually carved scales. Vat19 appears to be no stranger to producing oversized candy - the company also produces the world's largest gummy bear, which at 5lb is the equivalent of 1,400 regular bears and the largest gummy worm, which is a whopping 4,000 calories. The company also produces a giant gummy cola bottle which is 90 times the size of a regular sweet. The snake is not the biggest sweet treat ever produced. A 9,702lb chocolate bar was put on display in the Armenian capital Yerevan back in 2010. Scroll down for video . The giant edible python contains a whopping 37,000 calories - enough to kill you if you tried to eat it in one session according to manufacturers . Manufacturers Vat19 recommend eating the sugary snack over 306 sittings, with the sweet having a shelf life of a year . Unsurprisingly, the website selling the python recommend that the candy is shared . The snack, pictured on Vat19's website, contains a staggering 12lbs of sugar . | American retailer Vat19 are selling the huge snack for $150 online . The snake contains a staggering 12lbs of sugar . It seems to be going down a treat with both flavours having sold out on the company's website . | 627d7088a20428911433ad6d43702559026aa38d |
(CNN) -- Golfing prodigies just keep getting younger. The latest name to wow the sport is 11-year-old Lucy Li, who made her own slice of history on Monday. She is officially the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open after securing her place at an event in her native California. Li, from Redwood Shores, shot rounds of 74 and 68 at Half Moon Bay Golf Club to beat the field by seven shots and book her place at Pinehurst next month. She beats the previous mark held by fellow American Lexi Thompson, who qualified for the 2007 installment aged 12. But Li won't be the youngest to compete at the tournament -- that honor is still held by Beverley Klass, who competed in 1967 aged just 10 without having to qualify. Li already has a victory at the world famous Augusta National under her belt, having won the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at the Masters venue in April. Now she'll be heading to Pinehurst as the third major event of the women's season follows on directly after the men's tournament at the same venue on June 17 for the first time in its history. Li was one of those to make it from the United States Golf Association's first international qualifying events, which took place in America, England, China, Japan and Korea. All of the 17 women to qualify will be making their first appearance at the U.S. Open, with another raft of events running right through until the end of May. At The Buckinghamshire course just outside London, England, 20-year-old Amy Boulden from Wales qualified first just weeks after her first professional win. "I'm very happy. I played very well today, so I'm very pleased," said Boulden, who was one of eight players to make the cut. "I knew there were a lot of good players, but I still felt quite confident. "I've grown up playing with a lot of the girls playing, so I just tried to play my own game and I knew that if you were under par you were probably going to qualify here. "It's one of the biggest majors, so I'm looking forward to going to the States and playing against the best players in the world." | Lucy Li becomes youngest ever qualifier for women's U.S. Open aged just 11 . The Californian shoots rounds of 74 and 68 at Half Moon Bay event to qualify . She beats previous mark held by Lexi Thompson who qualified aged 12 . Women's U.S. Open starts at Pinehurst in North Carolina on June 17 . | d0f9f782b24317e6b187073d280039ec379eac88 |
Minneapolis, Minnesota (CNN) -- Ten minutes ago a woman called me and told me she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. As I'm standing in the garage, writing her story onto the huge canvas with the others, the only audible sound was my sharpie scraping against the paper, but her voice never stopped spinning in my mind. Telling a story is like an invitation for others to share their stories with you. That's what I discovered at TED when I shared my story about a limitation that held me back from my dream. After delivering my talk, I found myself constantly being stopped by people eager to share their stories, as hearing mine made them reflect on their own struggles, triumphs, hopes and fears. This sharing experience stuck with me, and now two months later, I'm in the midst of receiving thousands of stories through my current art project. I had the idea to crowdsource stories about facing limitations. These stories are written onto the canvas, and collectively they create my current art piece. What started out as connecting with people through a work of art quickly turned into a documentation of our modern culture. If we either rewind or fast forward 1000 years, many of these stories would still be relatable. No matter how individualized our stories are, and no matter how much times have changed, we share the same core human experiences in faith, self-identity, health, addiction, love, loss, etc. TED.com: How I became 100 artists . Here are two stories that have been shared: . "On paper, I have the perfect life. I'm married to a man who loves me more than I deserve, beautiful, healthy children, and a great career. But I'm in love with someone else that I can't be with and it impairs me every day." "I was 14 and my mom and I were in a really bad place. We had just gone through a messy divorce from an abusive marriage. She had also been diagnosed with breast and skin cancer and we were very worried about how we would pay for the medical costs without her job. Our faith was slipping. We were standing in line at a pharmacy, we both had pneumonia. This really nice elderly women was in line behind us and my mom let her go in front of us and the woman introduced herself, and put her hands over us and started praying, right in the middle of the Pharmacy. My mom got a check from the insurance company a few weeks later. A few months after that she was hired at a new job. She is currently in her 8th year of breast cancer remission and her 3rd year of skin cancer remission. My faith has been renewed and we could not be in a better place. My mother is my hero." TED.com: The painter and the pendulum . There are also many stories that encapsulate our society and culture at this very moment -- from the first openly gay couple being able to adopt in Florida, to the innumerable amount of people struggling with obesity, to the increasing number of parents raising autistic children. What stands out to me the most is that given the opportunity for anonymity in this project, many people are brutally honest about how lonely they truly are in their experiences, thinking no one could possibly know what they're going through. TED.com: Arthur Ganson's moving sculpture . Within this wired culture, we've become edited versions of ourselves. We may tweet, "Just got a Pepsi, new bottle design. Sweet!" but we don't say, "I'm sad and alone. I had no one to talk to so I went to the store to chat with the clerk while buying a Pepsi." I can't help but wonder, what's the cost of becoming our "edited" selves instead of our authentic selves? We shouldn't share just gumdrops and butterflies, because the hearty and rocky parts are what help us find our authentic selves. This slice of life, our lives, that are being captured in this piece are still ongoing and developing. What will continue to come out of it? I don't know, but I wait with fascination and a tired writing hand. What's your story? Share it and be part of art at philinthecircle.com. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Phil Hansen. | Phil Hansen gave a TED Talk describing how a shake led him to different forms of art . In new project, people describe their limitations and he writes them onto a huge canvas . Hansen: A project that began with goal of connecting people is also a portrait of our cultue . | 159823979faa41165677d85e6415cc4e7b45cfa4 |
By . Gerard Couzens . PUBLISHED: . 12:11 EST, 15 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:23 EST, 15 January 2013 . Two British women are under arrest in Brazil after attempting to smuggle £170,000 worth of cocaine to the UK. The 23-year-olds hid 7.7lbs of the class-A drug in their suitcases and tried to board a flight to Britain. Police detained the pair after sniffer dogs detected the drugs at a boarding gate at San Paulo Airport on Monday morning. Smugglers caught: The pair were attempting to board a plane leaving Sao Paulo (pictured) with 7.7lbs of cocaine but were sniffed out at the gate by dogs . Detectives opened their luggage to find the cocaine hidden in in small plastic bags within the lining of their cases. Last night the unnamed women were being held in a nearby jail ahead of an appearance before an investigating judge. They face between 20 and 25 years in jail if convicted of drugs smuggling. Police said the women have told them they bought the cocaine in the city of Rio Branco, the capital of the Amazon state of Acre which serves as a major conduit for cocaine trafficking from nearby Peru. The border city was the launch pad in Brazil for lethal cocaine derivative oxi, dubbed the drug of death, which contains chemicals including kerosene and battery fluid and kills most users within a year. Drugs uncovered: The pair hid 3.5 kilos of cocaine in plastic bags within the lining of their suitcases (file photo) A spokesman for Brazil's Policia Federal said: ‘The PF has arrested two British women trying to board a flight to London with 3.5 kilos of cocaine. ‘They were stopped at the boarding gate after sniffer dogs detected the drugs in their luggage. ‘A number of small plastic bags containing the cocaine were hidden in the lining of the suitcases which according to the women, were acquired in the city of Rio Branco. ‘The suspects are now being dealt with by the judiciary who will be investigating them on suspicion of drugs trafficking. ‘They face a prison sentence of between 20 and 25 years if convicted.’ San Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport, the airport where the women were arrested, is the main exit point for people carrying cocaine from South America to the rest of the world. An average of five people a day are arrested for drugs trafficking. Snowy London: The young women were attempting to smuggle £170,000 worth of cocaine for the UK market . Less than a decade ago, only 40 foreign women were imprisoned in the entire state of San Paulo. But the number of arrests of foreign women has risen so dramatically that all such prisoners have moved to the San Paulo Capital Jail for Women where, at more than 400, they account for more than half the prison's population. Brits Kimberley Anderson and Sasha Brooks were seized at Guarulhos airport in May 2009 with 5kg of cocaine. Kimberley's mum Trudy Anderson, from Nottingham, has spoken of the appalling conditions she is being held in. She told after one visit to see her how was sharing a cramped cell with three other girls and had to use a bucket as a toilet in front of the other prisoners and sleep on the floor because of the limited bed space. Sasha, talking to the BBC in December 2009, said: ‘I was in debt, I needed money. ‘I just came across some guys who happened to do this kind of thing and was persuaded and told everything would be all right. ‘No amount of money in the world can give you back your freedom, your family. ‘Here you don't have love, you don't have freedom, you don't have anything.’ | Two 23-year-old Brits caught with 7.7lbs of cocaine in Sao Paulo . Airport police found drugs in their suitcases as they boarded plane to UK . They risk 20 to 25 years in Brazilian jail if convicted of drugs trafficking . | 6d0b4faaf685faebfbd00ed5281df2d63e741fba |
(CNN) -- Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. has recalled about 8,500 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Saturday. The move came after three people, two in Maine and one in New York, were identified as becoming ill from a strain of E. coli, the government said. None of the three required hospitalization, said Cargill Inc. spokesman Mike Martin. "It was a relief it wasn't more serious," he told CNN. The USDA says it believes certain BJ's Wholesale Club stores in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia received the products. The recalled ground beef was shipped June 11 to distribution centers, where it was repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names. The USDA did not identify the brands. The recalled beef bears the USDA establishment number "EST. 9400," a product code of "W69032" and a "use/freeze by" date of July 1. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Services, which said it became aware of the problem on August 5, "determined that there is an association between the ground beef products subject to recall and the cluster of illnesses in the states of Maine and New York." Saturday's statement identified the strain as E. coli 026, which can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in severe cases, kidney failure. The government "strongly encourages consumers to check their freezers and immediately discard any product subject to this recall." The government lists the recall as Class 1, meaning "there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death." Consumers with questions regarding the recall should contact the Cargill consumer line at (877) 788-4953. Martin said Cargill is working with the USDA to learn what happened. "We decided to take swift action to do the right thing," he said of the recall. | NEW: None of those who became ill required hospitalization . Cargill Meat Solutions has recalled 8,500 pounds of beef . Three people became sick from a strain of E. coli . The USDA is urging consumers to check their freezers . | bf89cef958e36031ab93cf1adf29c477d938a053 |
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- German investigators Thursday acknowledged "credible information" indicating that one of the world's most wanted Nazi war criminals died almost 20 years ago in Egypt. The former the hotel in Cairo where Heim spent his final days. The announcement from the Baden-Wuerttemberg State Criminal Investigations Office came a day after German public broadcaster ZDF reported similar findings about Aribert Heim, wanted since 1962. ZDF said research it conducted with the New York Times showed that Heim died in Cairo in 1992 of intestinal cancer. Witness accounts and documents, including a passport, prove that Heim lived under the false name of Tarek Farid Hussein, ZDF said. CNN spoke to Heim's son, Ruediger Heim, who said his father fled Germany to Egypt via France, Spain and Morocco. Ruediger Heim told CNN he visited his father in Cairo several times, including in the final weeks of his life when the terminal cancer was discovered. The German investigators said they were was checking the new information. "This information has not yet been verified due to time constraints," the office said in a statement. But German authorities said they already had hints that Heim was living and working in Egypt. The office said it received information in 1965 and 1967 indicating Heim was working in the country, but Egyptian authorities at the time, acting on a German request, did not find any conclusive evidence. "Our main goal now is, in cooperation with the Egyptian authorities, (to) identify the remains of Aribert Heim," the office said. The chief Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Efraim Zuroff, said the news about Heim's death, if true, is deeply disappointing. "I personally feel a tremendous sense of disappointment that he escaped justice," Zuroff told CNN. But he emphasized that he had not seen the evidence that Heim was dead. "There is no body and no grave, so we can't do a DNA test," he said, adding that "there are people who have a vested interest in convincing us that he is no longer alive." He said he expects to see the documentary evidence of Heim's death on Thursday. Heim would be 94 years old if he were still alive. Zuroff described Heim as "the most wanted Nazi war criminal," and said the Simon Wiesenthal Center was about to raise the reward for information about him from €315,000 ($405,000) to €1 million ($1.3 million) when it heard the reports of his death. During World War II Heim was a doctor at the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he was known to inmates as "Dr. Death" for performing often-fatal experiments on prisoners. After the war, he was initially cleared of wrongdoing, but in 1962 German authorities issued an arrest warrant for him. CNN Berlin Bureau Chief Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report . | German broadcaster reports Nazi hiding in Egypt died in 1992 . Aribert Heim known to inmates as "Dr. Death" performed experiments on prisoners . ZDF reports he lived lived in Cairo as Tarek Farid Hussein; died of cancer . Nazi hunter groups says it expects to see documentary evidence Thursday . | 2ca9f740485581f77409191fc97b1f1681e3cf66 |
By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 09:16 EST, 24 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:23 EST, 24 October 2012 . A rogue trader was today ordered to spend three years in prison and pay back almost £4billion following one of the biggest frauds in financial history. Jerome Kerviel, a 35-year-old unemployed Frenchman, insisted he was innocent of all the crimes carried out when he worked at Societe Generale Bank in Paris. But, following a four-week trial in June, the French capital's Appeal Court ruled that he was 'solely responsible' for unauthorised deals which sent the bank’s share price into free-fall. Going to jail: Judges have ordered rogue trader Jerome Kerviel to repay almost £4billion after one of the biggest frauds in financial history. They also upheld a three-year prison sentence that he had been given . Judges upheld an October 2010 . sentence of three years in prison with another two suspended, while . ordering Kerviel to reimburse Societe Generale for its losses. There was . no indication as to how Kerviel will pay the money back. Prosecutor . Dominique Gaillardot branded Kerviel a ‘perverse manipulator’ and had . called for a maximum five-year term as ‘an example and a deterrent’ to . others. Kerviel was charged with breach of trust, forgery and entering false data into computers to disguise the stock market deals. He had remained free, pending the result of his appeal, but is now set to begin his sentence. David . Koubbi, Kerviel’s lawyer, branded the confirmed punishment a . ‘lamentable injustice’, saying that his client was a ‘scapegoat’ for a . greedy banking system. Centre of attention: French rogue trader Jerome Kerviel (centre) passes a group of journalists as he leaves his lawyer's chambers in Paris . Defiant: Jerome Kerviel, pictured leaving his lawyer's chambers, insisted he was innocent of all the crimes carried out when he worked at Societe Generale Bank in Paris . Kerviel did not profit personally from his 50billion euros worth of uncovered bets on futures markets. He claimed Societe Generale turned a blind eye to his bets in late 2007 and early 2008, as long as they were making money. Kerviel said the bank also used losses to mask the threat posed by the US subprime mortgage market. Mr Koubbi, who accused the bank of . doctoring secret recordings so as not to incriminate senior staff, said . he was now considering another appeal, but this could take up to a year. Court battle: Jerome Kerviel (left) and his lawyer David Koubbi (right) appealed against the sentence, arguing that he did not profit personally from his 50billion euros worth of uncovered bets on futures markets . 'Lamentable': Kerviel's lawyer, David Koubbi (centre), said that his client was a 'scapegoat' for a greedy banking system . But Societe Generale lawyer Jean Veil said today’s verdict was ‘cause of great satisfaction.’ Despite attempts to reinforce internal safeguards, there have been a number of similar trading scandals since the Kerviel’s. Last year, London-based trader Kweku Adoboli was charged with fraud after losing Swiss bank UBS more than a billion pounds. And in July, US bank JPMorgan blamed losses of more than 4 billion pounds on one of its London trading units. 'Cause of great satisfaction': A lawyer for Societe Generale, whose headquarters are pictured, welcomed the court's ruling . Property: This picture shows the family home of rogue trader Jerome Kerviel in Brittany, France . | Jerome Kerviel, 35, insisted he was innocent of all the crimes carried out when . he worked at Societe Generale Bank in Paris . But the French capital's Appeal Court ruled that he was 'solely . responsible' for unauthorised deals which sent the bank’s share price . into free-fall . Judges upheld a . sentence of three years in prison with another two suspended while . ordering Kerviel to reimburse Societe Generale . | 5d7cab8ed5fccdd8df501f9422b07e2711cb5f3c |
Australian actor proposed with 3.5-carat diamond Neil Lane ring . Couple met on the set of The Last Song in 2009 . Parents Billy Ray and Tish said to be 'thrilled' By . Andrea Magrath and Lucy Buckland . PUBLISHED: . 15:37 EST, 6 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:13 EST, 7 June 2012 . An overjoyed Miley Cryrus was brimming with happiness today, excitedly tweeting about her engagement to Liam Hemsworth. The 19-year-old singer and actress, pictured here yesterday baring her toned stomach in a cutaway top, told her fans: 'I feel like all my dreams are . coming true.' The Hunger Games actor proposed to the former Disney princess on May 31 with a gawdy 3.5-carat diamond ring from jeweller Neil Lane, pictured here for the first time. Spring in her step: Miley Cyrus pictured out in Beverly Hills yesterday. It was revealed today how boyfriend Liam Hemsworth proposed to her on May 31 . 'Life is beautiful': Miley, 19, has expressed her joy at the happy news, thanking fans on Twitter for their love . Firm fit: Miley shows off her new engagement ring during Malibu photoshoot . The band is handcrafted in 18-karat . gold, speckled with intricate diamond floral motifs. The centre stone . was hand cut 'around 1880 or 1890,' according to Lane, who spoke to People.com. She was presented with a 3.5-carat diamond ring by Hemsworth, designed by Neil Lane . He added that Hemsworth was happy with . the final result, revealing the jewel was only completed last week in . time for the proposal last week. Miley, 19, told People magazine: 'I'm so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam.' The 'LOL' actress tweeted a day after the proposal: 'Heaven is a place on earth.' Today . she quoted, 'I love you more today than yesterday but I love you less . today than I will tomorrow,' and also wrote: 'life is beautiful.' And in another message to her fans, she wrote: 'Thank you all for the love today:-) I'm . happy to share this news with you all. I feel like all my dreams are . coming true. have a great day.' Young love: The couple were last pictured together two days before Liam's proposal on May 31 . Rollercoaster: Liam and Miley briefly split in August 2010 but reunited within a month . A source revealed Cyrus' parents Billy Ray and Tish have always seen Liam as 'one of the family.' Taking top Twitter today, father of the bride Billy wrote: 'All I ever hoped for as a Daddy was to see my kids reach their dreams. To find happiness…peace of mind …and someday know… true love.' Miley once named the Australian as her 'first serious boyfriend' after . teenage romances with Nick Jonas and model Justin Gaston. The couple met while working together . on 'The Last Song' in 2009 and Liam, 22, has previously admitted while . he wanted to be professional on the film, they couldn't help but fall in . love after working so closely together. He said: 'What happened happened, and we've been together since. Say cheese: Miley offers her best pout during outdoor photoshoot . Life imitates art: Miley and Liam fell in love in 2009 on the set of their film The Last Song . 'She makes me really happy. When you . start, you want to be professional, but when you're filming those scenes . with someone and pretending to love them, you're not human if you don't . feel something.' It hasn't been the smoothest of relationships; The couple . announced that they had split in August 2010 but were back together . within a month. They broke up again in November last year before . reconciling again. Former Hannah Montana star Miley is . one of the highest-earners in showbusiness, and topped a list of the ten . richest teens in Hollywood last year with a personal fortune of . $120million. Here comes the groom: Liam pictured today on the set of Empire State in Louisiana . Rose-tinted: Miley has been sending some blissfully happy tweets since getting engaged last week . So happy: Miley was overflowing with emotion, tweeting her fans today . Proud daddy: Father of the bride Billy Ray Cyrus expressed his happiness for his daughter and Liam on Twitter today . Liam, meanwhile, is a rising star, who this year broke into the big time with his starring role in The Hunger Games. Previously, he was best known for his relationship with Cyrus and as The Avengers star Chris' younger brother. It has been a happy time in the Hemsworth family of late, with Chris becoming a father for the first time just last month. Holding off for a magazine deal? Miley was pictured out and about over the weekend, a few days after becoming engaged, but there was no sign of a sparkler . Miley has been eager to shed her former squeaky clean Disney image for the past few years, and last month voiced her opinion on 'magical, beautiful' sex. 'Sex is actually really beautiful,' she said during an interview on The Conversation. 'It’s the only way we create, and it’s the only way the world keeps going. 'So it’s ignorant not to talk to your kids about it or not make it seem as magical or cool as it actually is. Kids have a TV, so they know what sex is. So educate them and let them know… it’s a beautiful thing, and it is magic, and it’s when you connect with somebody.' Exes: Miley Cyrus dated Nick Jonas when she was 14 and model Justin Gaston in 2009 shortly before meeting Liam . | Australian actor proposed with 3.5-carat diamond Neil Lane ring . Couple met on the set of The Last Song in 2009 . Parents Billy Ray and Tish said to be 'thrilled' | 56a8c25d2b521f672636703b4cdc9a31f8e7cda5 |
She's one of the most powerful women in British television, and her shows Last Tango In Halifax and Happy Valley are watched by devoted audiences of millions. But the Bafta-winning writer Sally Wainwright says the viewer she tries hardest to please is her mother Dorothy. Interviewed for today’s edition of Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, she says of her mother: ‘I often listen to my mum. She is the person I write for.’ Triumph: Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi in the hit BBC1 series Last Tango in Halifax . Dorothy keeps a particularly close eye on Last Tango In Halifax because it is loosely based on her own life. Starring Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi, the BBC1 comedy-drama follows the fortunes of two childhood sweethearts who fall in love again when they meet by chance when they are in their 70s. Dorothy herself married her childhood sweetheart, Alec Walker, after they met again years later online. Wainwright says her mother has reservations about the series, which led to the writer’s Bafta success last year, adding: ‘She worries that people will take it all a bit too literally. Obviously I made a lot up – you have to because you have to fill six hours. My mum met Alec online and they completely fell in love with each other and it was all beautiful but that doesn’t make great drama. You need things to go wrong before the drama can kick in.’ Wainwright, who worked for 18 months as a bus driver, says her mother came to her rescue when she got her first big break writing for The Archers. She says: ‘I didn’t know anything about it, I am ashamed to say. My mum gave me a crash course on who everybody was and she took me through all the storylines and helped me construct my story for my trial script.’ Starring Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi, the BBC1 comedy-drama follows the fortunes of two childhood sweethearts who fall in love again when they meet by chance when they are in their 70s . Wainwright, whose shows also include the ITV detective series Scott And Bailey and the comedy drama At Home With The Braithwaites, says that researching the darker themes in her shows can leave her feeling depressed. She adds: ‘Murder isn’t entertainment. It’s horrible, real and disgusting. I don’t know how detectives work. I couldn’t do what they do.’ The TV drama Rock Follies Of 77 has perhaps had the biggest influence on her career, Wainwright says, and the song The Band Who Wouldn’t Die from the 1970s show is one of her music choices. | Bafta-winning writer says she tries hardest to please her mother Dorothy . Speaking in Radio 4 interview, claims show is loosely based on mother's life . Dorothy wed childhood sweetheart after they met again years later online . Wainwright's other projects include ITV detective series Scott And Bailey . Desert Island Discs is on BBC Radio 4 today at 11.15am. | 7112ac618165403338b1721b70199672bbc32764 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:57 EST, 1 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:44 EST, 2 March 2013 . A neatly dressed tourist taking pictures in Times Square was caught off guard when a visibly agitated woman blocked her path and then attacked her. The 34-year-old long-haired blonde woman was walking with a friend and photographing their surroundings with a point-and-shoot camera when the aggravated passer-by confronted her and stood in her way. The confrontation at West 46th Street and Broadway, across the street from a Forever 21, led to a verbal exchange which quickly turned into a scuffle. Attacked: The blonde tourist was knocked down and hit her head which was bleeding profusely . Head wound: The woman hit her head on the ground leaving an open gash . Bad day: The woman looked visibly upset as a police officer came over to help . The alleged aggressor, Deanne Ostbye, 30, was wearing ripped sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt with the names of New York neighborhoods printed on the front. Ostbye, from Tacoma, Wash., allegedly knocked the blonde woman knocked down to the ground. The victim's personal belongings were scattered along the sidewalk. The assaulted tourist was seen on the sidewalk with a bleeding gash on her head when a nearby police officer came over to break up the fight. The victim looked frightened and shocked, Alberto Reyes, a photographer who captured the incident told MailOnline. She was taken to Roosevelt hospital where she was treated for her head injury. Local aggressor: The attacker was smiling as a photographer snapped her picture . 'Freedom of speech': The attacker was reportedly yelling out 'freedom of speech' as a police officer told her to stay still . Search: The police officer searched the attacker, who was wearing ripped sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt . Accused: Police were not immediately able to say why Ostbye allegedly assaulted the woman . Ostbye was yelling out ‘freedom of speech’ as the police officer told her to stay still, Reyes said. She was moving around ‘very anxiously,’ he said. The attacker was smiling as Reyes took her photograph. Disoriented: The assaulted woman's personal belongings were scattered along the sidewalk . She was arrested and charged with assault and reckless endangerment, New York Police Detective Brian Sessa told MailOnline. According to Ostbye's Facebook page, she is engaged and a fan of watching The Simpsons and hiking. | Attack occurred at bustling intersection . Victim, 34, was bleeding profusely after hitting her head on the pavement . Suspect, 30, was charged with assault and cops had no idea why she allegedly shoved her . Deanne Ostbye was smiling while being arrested and shouting 'Freedom of Speech' for no apparent reason . | 49658030eafdf635189edc4d4b80fa0d6ce4ae1b |
(CNN) -- This month, IME hosts a special edition from Istanbul that looks at the role of women in the Middle East at a time when they are defying stereotypes as never before. Fever pitch . Turkish football can no longer be claimed as a male preserve. IME visits the world famous Fenerbahce club as they attempt to confront crowd violence by banning men and permitting only female supporters to an early season game. Acient Turkey's Queen Mothers . Also in Turkey, IME is granted rare TV access to the ancient harem at the Ottoman Topkapi Palace, taking a look back at some of the most famous Valide Sultans, or "Queen Mothers," who once wilded power at the Ottoman court and were patrons of architecture, leaving their mark on Istanbul's skyline. Women's rights in Egypt . Rima Maktabi travels to Cairo to meet the renowned Egyptian author and feminist, Dr. Nawal Sadawi. Over the decades Sadawi has been imprisoned, censored, accused of blasphemy and faced numerous death threats. Now in her 80s, she remains a passionate activist and icon for women's rights. Showcasing the art of Saudi women . Rima also visits an art gallery to meet Lulwah Al-Homoud and Princess Reem Al-Faisal, two outspoken Saudi female artists who find themselves as the unlikely leaders of an initiative showcasing Saudi talent to the outside world. Rebuilding Iraq . In Iraq meanwhile, IME meets two Baghdadi women -- one a human rights activist and the other a blogger -- facing the challenges of trying to rebuild their shattered country whilst making sure the key decisions are not left solely to the men. | A special edition of IME focusses on the women of the Middle East . Rima Maktabi travels to Cairo to meet the renowned Egyptian author and feminist, Dr. Nawal Sadawi . In Iraq meanwhile, IME meets two Baghdadi women helping to rebuild their country . | a95927d815d365fa45ae7d7a217caa2c98cbb171 |
By . Sara Smyth . PUBLISHED: . 14:07 EST, 2 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:29 EST, 3 June 2013 . A simple vinegar test slashed cervical cancer death rates by one-third in a remarkable study of 150,000 women in the slums of India, where the disease is the top cancer killer of women. Doctors reported the results Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago. Experts called the outcome 'amazing' and said this quick, cheap test could save tens of thousands of lives each year in developing countries by spotting early signs of cancer, allowing treatment before it's too late. Usha Devi, one of the women in the study, says it saved her life. Early detection: Using vinegar causes abnormal cells to temporarily change colour. Experts say this type of screening will cut the death rate because cervical cancer will be treated before it is too advanced . Simple: The cheap screening will have the biggest impact in developing countries like India . 'Many women refused to get screened. Some of them died of cancer later,' Devi said. 'Now I feel everyone should get tested. I got my life back because of these tests.' Pap smears and tests for HPV, a virus that causes most cervical cancers, have slashed cases and deaths in the United States. But poor countries can't afford those screening tools. This study tried a test that costs very little and can be done by local people with just two weeks of training and no fancy lab equipment. They swab the cervix with diluted vinegar, which can make abnormal cells briefly change color. This low-tech visual exam cut the cervical cancer death rate by 31 percent, the study found. It could prevent 22,000 deaths in India and 72,600 worldwide each year, researchers estimate. 'That's amazing. That's remarkable. It's a very exciting result,' said Dr. Ted Trimble of the National Cancer Institute in the U.S., the main sponsor of the study. The story of research participant Usha Devi is not an unusual one. Despite having given birth to four children, she had never had a gynecological exam. She had been bleeding heavily for several years, hoping patience and prayers would fix things. 'Everyone said it would go away, and every time I thought about going to the doctor there was either no money or something else would come up,' she said, sitting in a tiny room that serves as bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room for her entire family. One day she found a card from health workers trying to convince women to join the study. Devi is in her late 40s and like many poor Indians doesn't know her date of birth. She learned she had advanced cervical cancer. The study paid for surgery to remove her uterus and cervix. The research effort was led by Dr. Surendra Shastri of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. India has nearly one-third of the world's cases of cervical cancer — more than 140,000 each year. 'It's just not possible to provide Pap smear screening in developing countries. 'We don't have that kind of money' or the staff or equipment, so a simpler method had to be found, Shastri said. Cancerous cells: This image shows cancerous cells in the cervix at an advanced stage. Scientists say the vinegar test could prevent about 22,000 deaths in India and 72,600 worldwide each year . Starting in 1998, researchers enrolled 75,360 women to be screened every two years with the vinegar test. Another 76,178 women were chosen for a control, or comparison group that just got cancer education at the start of the study and vouchers for a free Pap test — if they could get to the hospital to have one. Women in either group found to have cancer were offered free treatment at the hospital. Still, this quick and free cancer screening was a hard sell in a deeply conservative country where women are subservient and need permission from husbands, fathers or others for even routine decisions. Social workers were sent into the slums to win people over. 'We went to every single house in the neighborhood assigned to us introducing ourselves and asking them to come to our health talks, said one social worker, Vaishnavi Bhagat. 'They used to come out of curiosity, listen to the talk but when we asked them to get screened they would totally refuse. The women were both scared and shy.' One woman who did agree to testing jumped up from the table when she was examined with a speculum. 'She started screaming that we had stolen her kidney,' Bhagat said. Another health worker was beaten by people in the neighborhood when women realized they would have to disrobe to be screened. 'There was a sense of shame about taking their clothes off. A lot of them had their babies at home and had never been to a doctor,' said one health worker, Urmila Hadkar. 'Sometimes just the idea of getting tested for cancer scared them. They would start crying even before being tested.' But screening worked. The quality of screening by health workers was comparable to that of an expert gynecologist, researchers reported. The study was planned for 16 years, but results at 12 years showed lives were saved with the screening. So independent monitors advised offering it to the women in the comparison group. An ethics controversy developed during the study. The U.S. Office for Human Research Protections faulted researchers for not adequately informing participants in the comparison group about Pap tests for screening. A letter from the agency in March indicated officials seemed to accept many of the remedies study leaders had implemented. Others defended the study. 'We looked at the ethics very carefully' and felt them to be sound, and visited the project in India, said Trimble of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Sandra Swain, a cancer specialist at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, also defended the research. Research: 150,000 women in the slums of India, like this one in the outskirts of Bombay took part in the programme . She is president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the research results were presented at that group's meeting in Chicago on Sunday. 'There really was no wrongdoing there,' she said. 'They have no screening anyway,' so there is no standard of care now. Officials in India already are making plans to expand the vinegar testing to a wider population. Many poor countries can't afford mammograms for breast cancer screening either. The India study also has been testing breast exams by health workers as an alternative. Preliminary results suggest breast cancers are being found at an earlier stage, but it's too soon to know if that will save lives because not enough women have died yet to compare the groups, said Trimble of the National Cancer Institute. More progress against cervical cancer may come from last month's announcement that two companies will drastically lower prices on HPV vaccines for poor countries. Pilot projects will begin in Asia and Africa; the campaign aims to vaccinate more than 30 million girls in more than 40 countries by 2020. | Low-tech test shows up cancerous cells by swabbing cervix with vinegar . Test will improve early detection rates that make treatment more successful . Breakthrough for countries who can't afford screenings for HPV virus that causes most cervical cancers . Scientists say exam could save 22,000 lives in India and 72,600 worldwide . Research presented at Chicago conference . | dcbda1135764feb8b66151f970cff4b203dab327 |
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama's rebuke of Republicans who are "beating the drums of war" in encouraging the United States to take military action against Iran should be targeted not just toward those critics but also, and more important, toward the Israeli government. An attack on Iran would not only fail to achieve its stated goal of denuclearizing the country, it would unleash a devastating confrontation between Iran and Israel that would harm thousands of Israelis and Iranians, and affect those in neighboring states. It would drag the U.S. into another Middle East quagmire, and it would launch an oil crisis that would throw the global economy into turmoil. Then, once the dust settles (or before it does), Iran would only be more motivated to pursue its nuclear ambition. Four scenarios on Iran's nuclear plan . In the current environment of heated rhetoric from all sides, there is too much focus on when and if Israel would launch a preemptive strike against Iran. What's missing in the talks are the chance of success in stopping Iran's nuclear plan through a military option and the regional and global consequences of a new war. Given the territorial distribution of Iran's nuclear facilities and the likelihood that Iran has readied them for possible attacks, Israel probably does not have the military capacity to eliminate, or even seriously damage, Iran's alleged nuclear program. Some experts have compared Israel's airstrikes against nuclear facilities in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007 with a possible strike against Iran. But this is a flawed analogy. In those cases, Israel launched surprise attacks against one facility, which would not be the case with Iran. Moreover, Iran and Israel both possess extensive arsenals of missiles. There is little doubt that a strike would trigger an unprecedented war in the Middle East. Israel would be far more vulnerable in such a war than Iran, due to its small size and the fact that the country's epicenter is in one single region, the greater Tel Aviv area. Although Iran has come under immense international pressure to halt its nuclear plan, it has refused to do so. However, Iran, unlike its reputation in the West and in Israel in particular, is a rational country with rational leadership, which seeks to enhance its regional and global power. Iran is not suicidal. Therefore, comparing Iran with Nazi Germany, as is often done by Israeli leadership, is historically problematic and extremely dangerous politically. Unfortunately, given the track record of engaging with Iran, perhaps in the long term we may have to learn to live with a nuclearized Middle East that would operate based on the Cold War dynamics of mutually assured destruction. A nuclearized Iran might even launch a nuclear arms race involving other regional players such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The only alternative to this pessimistic forecast is to reconsider Middle East inter-state politics, the Arab-Israeli conflict and U.S. policy in the region. Constructive communication should be encouraged between the Iranian leadership and the U.S., and it should involve other key players. The U.S. should acknowledge the importance of having strong regional players in the Middle East, including Iran. If the regional inter-state dynamics can be changed for the better, Iran may be forced to rethink its strategy, including its nuclear ambition. A rebalanced Middle East will also need the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be resolved sooner rather than later, since that has been a source of continuous friction. Regrettably, with Israel, Iran and the U.S. entrenched in their positions, it does not look like we are heading in a direction that would solve the Iran problem anytime soon. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Asher Kaufman. | President Obama said the GOP are "beating the drums of war" about attacking Iran . Asher Kaufman: A military strike against Iran would unleash a devastating war . He says Israel would be far more vulnerable in such a war than Iran . Kaufman: We should consider how to rebalance Middle East inter-state politics . | 8a0b7e1c8f1d365d3060364aa5c487b36234cc4f |
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Death row inmates in Japan spend decades in isolation and face inhuman conditions that can lead to mental illness, Amnesty International said Thursday. Amnesty urged Japan's new government to improve death row conditions. Some who have exhausted their legal options are not told they will be put to death until the last minute, the human rights group said. Japan executes such prisoners despite signing an international law that requires inmates with serious mental illness to be exempt from the death penalty, according to Amnesty. The report urged the government to establish a moratorium on executions and consider abolishing the death penalty. As many as 102 prisoners face execution in Japan -- many of them elderly inmates who have lived in isolation for decades, the human rights group said. However, the number of death row prisoners suffering from mental illness is unknown. "The secrecy around the death penalty and prisoners' health, combined with a lack of scrutiny by independent mental health experts, has led to reliance on secondary testimony and documentation to assess the mental state of those on death row," Amnesty said. Japanese officials declined to comment Thursday. The report by the London-based human rights group comes as a new Japanese administration prepares to take over after ousting the long-ruling government in a landslide victory last month. Amnesty urged the new Democratic Party of Japan government, which will form in mid-September, to improve death row conditions. Inmates are especially vulnerable because of their lack of human contact, Amnesty said. Inmates are allowed only visits to restrooms and must remain seated in their cells at all times, without light and fresh air, Amnesty said. "These inhuman conditions increase a prisoner's anxiety and anguish, and in many cases push prisoners over the edge and into a state of mental illness," said James Welsh, Amnesty International's health coordinator and lead author of the report. The illness affects prisoners' ability to take part in the legal process, sometimes leading them to end their appeals, Amnesty said. | Report urged the government to establish a moratorium on executions . As many as 102 prisoners face execution in Japan, Amnesty International says . Number of death row prisoners suffering from mental illness is unknown . | 49309c007787b5c654e240709e6ec75ecd1d1962 |
By . Damien Gayle . Chorus leader: Martin Clews, 66, from Sevenoaks, Kent, broke the silence aboard the 12.07am from London Victoria to Ashford International . The pensioner who led . fellow night train passengers in a sing-a-long has been identified as a . strawberry farmer whose spirits had been raised by a few glasses of . champagne. Martin Clews, . 66, from Sevenoaks, Kent, broke the silence aboard the 12.07am from . London Victoria to Ashford International by standing up and starting a . call-and-response chant. Despite being met with an awkward hush, he persisted until dozens of his fellow passengers began singing along in chorus. Mr Clews yesterday admitted he had had ‘a couple of glasses’ of champagne before he launched into his singsong. 'It seemed to me that like-minded bon viveurs in my carriage might enjoy a jolly song on their way home,' he told Mason's News. 'So . I chose a lively number called Beastie, which has become somewhat of a . favourite in my rugby club and this went down well with the passengers. 'It emanated many years ago when a mate of mine went out to volunteer helping kids on the west coast of America. 'It’s a spiritual song, I don’t know what the Beastie is, but I suppose it goes back to Africa in a way.' Mr Clews said the song was popular at his rugby club at Old Whitgiftians in South Croydon and Twickenham. Footage . of the impromptu singalong on Friday went viral after it was filmed and . posted online by George Haswell. But the identity of its beige-suited . chorus leader had remained a mystery until yesterday. Scroll down for video . Audience: The grey-haired man in a beige suit attracted awkward stares when he stood up and launched into a rendition of the standard Side by Side . Audience: Around 50 passengers on the service between London Victoria and Ashford International were treated to the impromptu concert . Attire: After the first song, he then found a hat and began a rendition of Side by Side . Dance: His first song was a collection of random words which he got passengers on the Southeastern Train service to repeat . Mr . Clews, a father of two, runs Stonepitts Farm in Sevenoaks, Kent, with . his wife Jacqueline, 66. Their son Dan Clews, 34, is a popular . singer/songwriter who has performed on stage with comedian Tim Minchin. Dan's . music career was the reason Mr Clews had been on the train at all. 'I’d . been celebrating the release of Dan’s new single, That’s Enough For Me, . over a glass or two of champagne with friends in London,' he said. Mr . Clews left London on the 12.10am train and led the chorus until he got . off at Kemsing. Beginning with Beastie, he moved on to the old old . favourite Side By Side until the carriage resembled a scene from a . musical. 'It probably lasted about half an hour. I was persuaded to take it to another part of the train,' he said. 'After a group got off at Bromley South people from Maidstone asked could I do it again.' Even . after he got off, remaining passengers were in such good spirits that . they continued with a spontaneous rendition of Wonderwall. Chorus line: At points, the man grabbed people from their seats and got them to join him in the aisle . Movements: Unidentified singer made gestures with his hands to keep the crowd entertained . Put your hands together: Passenger George Haswell, 24, who was heading home to Maidstone after a work night out, filmed the whole episode . Mr Clews' love of music is something he shares with his son, Dan, who appears at Glastonbury this month . Mr . Haswell, 24, a quantity surveyor said: 'It was so funny and . entertaining. He was so amazing and put the whole carriage in such a . good mood. 'After he got . off there were still around 50 people in great spirits. One person . started singing Wonderwall and everyone joined in. 'We were singing along for the rest of the journey.' A . Southeastern spokeswoman said: 'What a fantastic video! It’s great to . see our passengers having so much fun during their late night journey . and really getting into the spirit of the sing-a-long led by their . fellow passenger. 'We . applaud him for his enthusiasm and think he deserves a big pat on the . back for his efforts. Clearly there’s some top singing talent among our . customers.' Mr Clews' love of music is something he shares with his son, Dan, who appears at Glastonbury this month. Mr . Clews said: 'He’s the real musician and has also been seen performing . on trains returning to Sevenoaks from playing gigs in what appears to be . a family tradition.' | Martin Clews from Sevenoaks was coming home on train after a celebration . He broke the silence on board the 12.07am from London Victor to Ashford . Beginning with Beastie, he then moved on to old favourite Side By Side . The carriage then resembled a scene from a musical with passengers singing . | 27913de6718e9e68c4c340c4355007d269f491ff |
Wonga is to write off £220million in debts of 330,000 customers after the company admitted it has made loans to people who could not afford to repay them, it was revealed today. The move by the pay-day lender comes after an agreement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that requires it to make significant changes to its business immediately. The review means that about 330,000 customers who are currently in excess of 30 days in arrears will have the balance of their loan written off and will owe Wonga nothing. Pay-day lender: Wonga is to write off the debts of 330,000 customers whose loans would not have been made under new affordability criteria being introduced . Approximately 45,000 customers who are up to 29 days in arrears will be asked to repay their debt without interest and charges and will be given an option of paying off their debt over an extended period of four months. Wonga's new chairman Andy Haste said: 'When I joined Wonga I was made aware of concerns the FCA had already expressed around affordable lending, concerns which I shared. 'I committed to ensuring our lending is conducted in a responsible and transparent manner, delivering the best outcomes for our customers. 'I also said this would lead to a tightening of Wonga’s lending criteria and we will now be accepting far fewer applications from new and existing customers. 'We want to ensure we only lend to those who can reasonably afford the loan in question and during my review, it became clear to me that this has unfortunately not always been the case. 'I agreed with the concerns expressed by the FCA and as a consequence of our discussions we have committed to taking these actions.' New strategy: Wonga put an end to its puppet adverts to prevent young people being lured into debt . Customers should continue to make payments unless they are told to stop by the firm. New chairman: Andy Haste said he wants Wonga's lending to be 'conducted in a responsible and transparent manner' From today, the company has introduced new interim lending criteria and is working to put in place a new permanent platform as soon as possible. Wonga said it would be accepting significantly fewer loan applications and that some existing customers would no longer be able to use the service. Mr Haste added: 'It’s clear to me that the need for change at Wonga is real and urgent. Our regulator is determined to improve standards in consumer credit and I share that determination. 'There is much to do in order to make Wonga a sustainable and accepted business, and today’s announcement is a significant step forward in that process.' Wonga will be contacting all customers by October 10 to notify them if they will be included in the redress programme. When it took over regulation of consumer credit in April, the FCA requested information from Wonga which subsequently suggested it was not taking adequate steps to assess customers' ability to meet repayments. FCA director of supervision Clive Adamson said: ‘We are determined to drive up standards in the consumer credit market and it is disappointing that some firms still have a way to go to meet our expectations. ‘This should put the rest of the industry on notice - they need to lend affordably and responsibly. ‘It is absolutely right that Wonga's new management team has acted quickly to put things right for their customers after these issues were raised by the FCA.’ The total cost to Wonga of writing off loans and not imposing interest and other charges will be £255million. This is made up of £220million lost through writing off the debts incurred by 330,000 of its customers and a further £35million lost by not imposing certain fees and charges and not making debt collections. Most of the £220million has been accounted for already by Wonga and it expects the £35million cost to feature in its accounting for 2014. The total number of customers who will have their loans either completely written off or who will see some charges dropped comes to around one fifth of the 1.8million people who have ever taken out a loan with Wonga. Compared: While Wonga's revenues were up by £5million in 2013, their costs increased by almost £50million . Wonga's profits more than halved last year after it racked up £18.8million in costs relating to a scandal over fake legal letters. Archbishop: Justin Welby in Belfast today . Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said the lending and savings industry should be a good servant, not a bad master. He welcomed Wonga's decision to write off debt as an effort to put right some of the things that have gone wrong in the past. But the head of the Anglican Church said the major issue was to create a reformed financial system. ‘The big issue is to create a financial system that gives access to the poor and hope for the poorest in our lands, to be able to flourish and develop and have proper access to finance, not just for loans but for savings. For lives in which finance is a good servant, not a bad master.’ Mr Welby has been a high-profile opponent of pay day lenders. But it was revealed earlier this year that the Church of England had £75,000 indirectly invested in Wonga out of investments totalling £5.2billion. The revelation came after the archbishop received widespread publicity when he told Errol Damelin, Wonga chief executive, that the Church of England wanted to drive the pay-day lenders out of business through the creation of credit unions. During a visit to Belfast today he said: ‘I welcome anything in which the pay day lenders are involved in seeking to put right some of the things that have gone wrong in the past, which has left people burdened by debt that should never have been there, caught up in things which sometimes they did not fully see what they were getting into.’ The Church of England, which claims to have a strong ethical investment policy that explicitly bans companies involved in pay day lending, had invested in Accel Partners, the US venture capital firm that led Wonga's 2009 fundraising. Mr Welby said in July that he was irritated and embarrassed that Church funds were being funnelled into Wonga and said he would seek to remedy the situation. The company has said it expects it will be ‘smaller and less profitable’ in the near term as it carries out the task of cleaning up its reputation. In June, Wonga was ordered to pay compensation of £2.6 million by the FCA after sending threatening legal letters from fake law firms to 45,000 customers. The regulator said Wonga had been guilty of ‘unfair and misleading debt collection practices’ by creating fake companies to pressure struggling customers into paying their bills. The seven-year-old firm, which unlike many payday lenders has its roots in the UK rather than the United States, has around one million customers and a default rate of around 7 per cent on its loans. Wonga is one of several payday lenders which recently signed up to a new real-time information sharing service, helping it to make more accurate decisions about who to lend money to. Going ahead, Wonga plans to overhaul the image it presents to the public, especially through its advertising, in a way that cuts the risk of it inadvertently attracting the very young or vulnerable. Wonga's cuddly, elderly puppets disappeared from TV screens in July, as Mr Haste said he was ‘very aware’ of criticism of its marketing campaign. The firm has no immediate plans to launch a new advertising drive. Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: ‘Wonga's announcement is better late than never for struggling borrowers but it's clearly a result of the regulator taking a tougher approach. The FCA must keep payday lenders on a tight leash. 'We have long called for more responsible affordability checks and better advice. The next step must be a clamp down on excessive fees and charges across the board to show lenders that the FCA will continue to clean up the credit market.’ And Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: ‘A lack of checks by lenders is setting a debt trap for borrowers. People are left struggling to make ends meet as high interest rates and charges quickly ramp up debts. ‘The FCA is right to come down hard on Wonga after it found it had poor affordability processes but it is not only lender guilty of this - it is a widespread problem within the industry.’ And Dr Emmanuel Adegbite from Durham University Business School said: ‘While companies like Wonga may appear to provide a useful service to people caught up in serious financial difficulty, the help they provide must be ethical and responsible. This must be underpinned by a fair and robust internal governance framework, which protects the vulnerable. 'Although Wonga’s latest move was voluntary, the rest of the industry may have to alter their behaviour more proactively to prevent the hammer of regulation from the FCA falling at their doors.’ | Wonga admits it made loans to people who couldn't afford to repay them . Agreement with FCA means it must make significant changes to business . 330,000 customers in excess of 30 days in arrears will owe Wonga nothing . 45,000 up to 29 days will be asked to repay debt without interest & charges . Justin Welby: Lending industry should be a good servant, not a bad master . | 9f92db3aafc8998b499763e90d9cc3ec3f64cdaa |
By . Richard Spillett . Pounds to Pocket sent people emails ahead of their birthdays offering to loan them money to fund their celebrations . An email advert from payday lender Pounds to Pocket has been banned for encouraging customers to use a short-term loan to fund their birthday celebrations. The email arrived with a subject line reading 'Happy Birthday from Pounds to Pocket' and went on to say: 'We’d like to wish you the best on your special day! Now you can apply for the money you need to enjoy your birthday worry-free.' The Citizens Advice charity complained that the ad promoted a casual 'worry-free' attitude to taking out a short-term loan and irresponsibly encouraged consumers to use the money to fund birthday parties. CashEuroNetUK, trading as Pounds to Pocket, acknowledged that taking out a short-term loan was a matter for serious consideration but said it went to 'great lengths' to ensure ads were not targeted at 'inappropriate' individuals, such as children. It said the point of the birthday promotion was to show customers that their business was valued. But after an investigation by watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) the lender said it would remove the email from circulation. The AQA noted that a 20% discount was offered on a first scheduled payment for those who applied on the day the email was received, and the funds would be sent within 10 minutes if approved. Ruling that the ad must not appear again in its current form, the ASA said: 'While possibly desirable, having money to spend on birthday celebrations was unlikely to be seen as essential, and by encouraging recipients to take advantage of the service through a special offer discount for immediate application, Pounds to Pocket had urged a decision, thereby limiting the amount of time those interested in a loan were able to give to proper consideration. Gillian Guy of the Citizens Advice Bureau said it was irresponsible for the firm to market loans as 'worry-free' 'We concluded that the email was irresponsible because it encouraged taking a short-term loan for frivolous spending and promoted the process of borrowing as trivial and without responsibility.' Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: 'Payday loans can add to financial worries, not take them away. It is irresponsible for any lender to promote a casual attitude to borrowing by suggesting using loans are worry-free and can be used to fund celebrations. 'Citizens Advice helps thousands of people each year who have been landed in debt because lenders failed to carry out checks to assess whether people can afford to repay. 'The ASA’s decision to ban this advert sends a strong message to other payday lenders that this type of marketing is irresponsible and not appropriate.' Campaigners hope the Advertising Standards Authority ruling will curb marketing by payday lenders . | Pounds to Pocket sent emails offering people loans for celebrations . It said borrowing the money would give them a 'worry-free' birthday . But debt advice charity branded the marketing 'irresponsible' Lender has now removed email from circulation after watchdog probe . Company claimed email showed customers 'their business was valued' | 128f2e17186d6f5d0558cf7cd98270f51cbff501 |
By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 09:55 EST, 19 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:25 EST, 19 August 2013 . It makes the stomach-churning rollercoasters at Alton Towers or Thorpe Park appear tame in comparison. The thrill-seekers on this makeshift water ride sit in the scoop of a JCB digger and let the driver swing them high into the air, before hurling them down into the muddy water at the bottom of a quarry. In the video footage filmed in Russia, the trio can be seen being left submerged beneath the surface of the muddy water for several seconds before finally being lifted out and launched through the air once again. Terrifying: The video footage filmed in Russia shows three young boys sitting in the scoop of a digger as the machine lifts them into the air then dunks them into water at the bottom of a quarry . Dunked: The machine operator dunks the digger into the murky water, leaving the youngsters submerged for a number of seconds . There appears to be nothing securing the boys inside the bucket of the JCB - they merely cling to the sides of the scoop with little concern for the potential danger of such a stunt. The three boys seem happy to put their lives in the hands of the machine operator, allowing him to dunk them into the water numerous times before lifting them through the air as fast as the excavating machine will allow him to. The footage has been circulating widely on social media, where one person commented: 'That looks like fun but I can see something going bad really fast.' Another said: 'Stupidity at work.' Despite the potential for disaster, all three boys are seen emerging from the scoop unscathed, and smiling for the camera. Risk: The three boys looked delighted by the makeshift water ride, despite the potential danger . Get set: At the start of the video clip the three boys are seen sitting in the scoop of the JCB as it hovers over the water . Wild stunt: The machine operator then swings the scoop out of the water and up into the air at top speed . Swoop: The scoop then plummets back towards the water, and the three boys are dunked beneath the surface . Splash: The digger drops the scoop - and the three boys sitting in it - into the water . Danger: The three friends are submerged beneath the surface of the water for a number of seconds . Thrill-seekers: The trio put their lives into the hands of the machine operator, who hurled them through the air in the scoop of the digger . | Jaw-dropping footage of makeshift ride filmed at quarry in Russia . Shows boys submerged in murky water for several seconds . Machine operator then hurls them through air in digger's scoop . | 255b6d5dbbcfb75cc23ce4c796b883469093341a |
By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 06:08 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:39 EST, 12 March 2014 . U.S. ranchers are being forced to sell their cattle as the worst drought in a century sweeps through California, with forecasters predicting only more sunshine and dry weather. As green grazing pastures turn brown and food costs soar, hundreds of cows and other livestock are being packed into pens and sold to the highest bidder. It is a stark contrast from the slow business typically seen at this time of year - with ranchers usually having time to fatten up their cattle on spring grass before the busy season strikes in June and July. Scroll down for video . For sale: U.S. ranchers are being forced to sell their cattle as the worst drought in a century sweeps through California, with forecasters predicting only more sunshine . Rounded up: As green grazing pastures turn brown and food costs soar, hundreds of cows and other livestock are being packed into pens and sold to the highest bidder . On display: Cowboys are pictured at the 101 Livestock Market's cattle auction in California's Central Coast, where they are able to view and select their potential prizes . Unusually busy: Governor Jerry Brown has formally proclaimed California's worst drought since 1895. Above, rancher Jim Warren, who co-owns the auction house . In the past few weeks, cowboys have been flocking to the 101 Livestock Market's cattle auction on California's Central Coast to view their potential prizes. 'We're in the drought now, so a lot of cattle are going back to Texas,' said rancher and auction house co-owner Monty Avery, gesturing to a pen filled with cows. 'We usually sell about 100-150 animals per week. Now we're seeing 800-1,000 per week, so the volume's jumped up.' Last week, governor . Jerry Brown formally proclaimed California's worst drought since 1895, with soil moisture - a key ingredient for the forage that cattle graze on - dropping even lower throughout the state. Ranchers have been left with no choice but to sell their cattle due to the rising cost of hay and other supplemental feed. 'You . can't keep buying $7,000 to $8,000 (£4,239 to £4,845) a load for hay,' said Jim Warren, who also co-owns the auction . house. Poor conditions: The drought has caused soil moisture - a key ingredient for the forage that cattle graze on - to drop. Above, cowboy Selerino Esparaza examines cattle . Devastating option: Ranchers have been left with no choice but to sell their cattle - including this calf - because of the rising cost of hay and other supplemental feed . Cause: The dry conditions are believed to have been caused by a 2,000-mile ridge of high pressure that is lurking offshore and blocking typical winter weather . 'Pretty soon you're in this hole, so you sell your cattle and try to buy . them back next year.' The U.S. Drought . Monitor has confirmed there are 'extreme drought' conditions in central and . northern California, where much of the state's ranching is located. Romaldo Martin, a cattle rancher who . runs M&M Farms in Hollister, has sold more than 160 cows and calves . at 101 Livestock Market over the past two weeks - and plans to sell at . least 100 more. He claims it is 'too expensive' for him to buy hay to feed cattle - with water on his land also in the process of drying up. 'If . the weather doesn't change, I might need to get rid of all of them, said Mr Martin. 'I've never seen anything like this in my life. It's a . disaster.' Dried out: California is now in its third dry year. Above, a goose is shown at Folsom Lake, which is 17 per cent of its capacity in Folsom in Sacramento County, California . Warning: The US Drought Monitor has confirmed there are 'extreme drought' conditions in central and northern California, where much of the state's ranching is located . Concern: Precipitation in most of the state less than 20 per cent of normal - leaving reservoir levels at record lows and prompting many cities to cut water usage . California is now in its third dry year, . with precipitation in most of the state more than 20 per cent below normal . - leaving reservoirs and groundwater levels at record lows and . prompting many cities to cut water usage. One town on the state's far northern coast has claimed it has fewer than 100 days of drinking water in storage. The dry conditions are believed to have been caused by a 2,000-mile . ridge of high pressure that is lurking offshore and blocking typical . winter weather. California is the nation's leader in dairy cows, and fourth overall in America, for the total number of cattle, trailing Texas, Nebraska and Kansas, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared a drought disaster on January 16, which allows some farmers to apply for low-interest loans to help them cope. Risk: One town on the northern coast has claimed it has fewer than 100 days of drinking water in storage. Above, a warning sign on a dried-out beach at Folsom Lake . Docked: Houseboats are docked at Bridge Bay in Shasta Lake, which is 100 feet below its normal levels in Shasta, California . Leader: California is the nation's leader in dairy cows, and fourth overall in America, for the total number of cattle. Above, visitors take photos at Folsom Lake . However, ranchers are not included in the programme, and therefore, do not qualify for any help with rising food costs. In a bid to help them navigate the . historic dry weather, the University of California's Division of . Agriculture and Natural Resources is holding workshops. 'From . previous droughts, we've learned that feeding the whole herd through . the drought may spell the end of business,' said Glenn Nader, adviser . for the program in Sutter and Yuba counties. Some of California's herd will be . headed to Texas, which is recovering from its own severe drought and has . seen its five million-strong herd shrink by a quarter over the past few . years, according to Jason Cleere, a rancher and beef cattle specialist . with Texas AgriLife Extension at Texas A&M University. Assistance: The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared a drought disaster on January 16, which allows some farmers to apply for low-interest loans to help them cope . Left out: American ranchers are not included in the programme, and therefore, do not qualify for any help with the rising cost of feeding their cattle . However, the drought has now eased in most of Texas and the herd is being rebuilt, . creating a market for California's ranchers looking to sell. 'There is a lot of room for more cows to come into our state, and for ranchers to add some back,' said Mr Cleere. While . selling cattle can help ranchers cope in the short-term, it can result in more of them being forced out of business in the long-term, ranchers said. Rebuilding . a herd is also a far more difficult task than simply buying new cattle - it often takes time to get . new cows acclimated and can take years for the animals to breed and . grow. Meanwhile, the state's herd will be thinned as ranchers attempt to trim costs. | California hit by worst drought since 1895, with forecasters predicting only more sunshine and dry weather . Conditions have caused soil moisture - a key ingredient for forage that cattle graze on - to drop even lower . Ranchers are being forced to sell hundreds of cows due to rising cost of hay and other supplemental feed . Stark contrast from slow business seen in previous years - with busy period usually striking in June and July . | ab308e51d25d8256909743cf79394e00754540f5 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . A fascinating new book has revealed how an anonymous elite FBI hostage rescue team leader led the charge of capturing the Boston bomber. The Virginia-based leader, who the FBI later requested not to be identified by name, was called to the Watertown backyard of David Henneberry shortly after the resident had discovered a body in his boat. With 'firmness and unexpected humility' he took charge of the high-stress situation, leading dozens of FBI agents and SWAT officers to successfully bring Dzhokhar Tsarnaev out alive. New details: A fascinating new book has revealed how an anonymous elite FBI hostage rescue team leader led the charge of capturing the Boston bomber, pictured . Tense task: The unidentified FBI leader instructed SWAT teams, pictured, to go in and get Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a yard in Watertown, Massachusetts on April 19, 2013 . According to an excerpt of Long Mile Home: Boston Under Attack, the City's Courageous Recovery, and the Epic Hunt for Justice, published in the Boston Globe, the FBI leader's unit was comprised of 14 operatives, including three specialists in crisis negotiation. There were also two 'breachers,' who had responsibility for preparing the scene for the operation; a K9 specialist, who coordinated all the responding K9 teams; three 'assaulters,' who helped run the show on the ground; two communications specialists; and two snipers, protecting everyone else. 'The team leader quickly won the trust and respect of local police, taking their guidance into account, keeping them informed on next steps, and leading with firmness and unexpected humility,' authors, and Boston Globe reporters, Scott Helman and Jenna Russell write in the book. Then a helicopter fitted with thermal-imaging moved over the backyard and reported that the suspect appeared to be trying to start a fire in the boat, which was carrying dozens of gallons of fuel and could easily explode. Book: The details are revealed in Long Mile Home: Boston Under Attack, the City's Courageous Recovery, and the Epic Hunt for Justice . Imaging: An aerial infrared image shows the outline of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a boat during the manhunt . The FBI team leader calmly told everyone to back away, the authors write. 'I know this is your party,' the leader told Malden SWAT officer Rich Correale. 'But we're going to want you to back up.' At the leader's request, the FBI breachers launched up to five diversionary devices into the boat in the hope they'd disorient Dzhokhar enough to buy agents and police time to close in on him. State troopers were also trying to get him out of the boat by tipping it over using an armored military-style vehicle called a BearCat but it only managed to puncture the tarp. The leader knew there was only one thing to do. He came over to Correale, the book reveals, and said calmly, with a hand on his shoulder, 'We need to move fast. Get your team. Get a plan together.' Correale got his SWAT officers together, and with himself at the head, the unit lined up in Henneberry's driveway. Expert: With 'firmness and unexpected humility' he took charge of the high-stress situation, his 25-plus team and local police, and successfully brought Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, pictured, out alive . a . Correale explained the plan: that they'd go at the boat, try to get Dzhokhar to surrender and grab at him if he refused. The FBI leader went down the line to each member of the SWAT team. 'Flashing a thumbs up, he asked them all: "You good with that?"' the authors write. 'The leader told them that if they didn't like what they saw, they should pull back.' As they got closer, they saw the suspect, whose face had been on TV all day, in full view, now on the side of the boat. He looked a mess, Correale said, blood dripping from his head. 'Show me your hands! Show me your hands!' Correale yelled at the suspect. This was the tensest moment for the SWAT team, as Dzhokhar's right arm and leg were concealed. They feared the worst but as his hidden limbs came into view, they sighed in relief as they saw he had nothing. In a flash, the team grabbed him off the boat and threw him to the ground. He was frisked and patted down for explosives and weapons and another cop snapped handcuffs on him before medics worked to keep him alive. All the cops wanted him to survive, wanted him to stand trial for what he'd done. The interesting book is available here. | The Virginia-based leader, who the FBI later requested not to be identified by name, took charge of the high-stress situation in the backyard of a Watertown resident's home . He led scores of FBI agents and SWAT officers to successfully bring Dzhokhar Tsarnaev out of the boat alive . The details come from the book Long Mile Home: Boston Under Attack, the City's Courageous Recovery, and the Epic Hunt for Justice . | 7a2e2b04d8df34b4421d6ce31cc6d0c1828a4d08 |
David Cameron came under attack yesterday over his promise to protect funding for schools after it emerged his plans would see spending per pupil fall in real terms. In a major speech on education billed as an ‘all-out war on mediocrity’, the Prime Minister said every child should be able to attend a good school regardless of their postcode. But his pledge that the amount of funding per pupil would be ring-fenced in the next Parliament started to unravel as he admitted spending would not increase in line with inflation. The Prime Minister said the amount of money per child in English schools would be protected in cash terms . Instead, the amount schools receive per pupil would be frozen at the current level and the schools budget would only see a small rise because of increasing numbers of schoolchildren. By the end of the next Parliament, this would mean a cut in real terms of around 7 per cent to the schools budget for children aged between five and 16, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Paul Johnson, director of the IFS, said Mr Cameron’s pledge represented ‘quite a watering down’ of the current arrangements, and ‘real-term falls over the next Parliament’. Speaking at a school in Enfield, North London, yesterday, Mr Cameron made his pledge not to cut the funding per child because good schools ‘need money’, adding: ‘A good education shouldn’t be a luxury – the preserve of those living within a certain postcode or those who can afford it. It should be something everyone in this country can get.’ Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said: 'The cat is out of the bag. The government will ensure real terms spending cuts for our schools' But admitting afterwards that the amount of cash per pupil – around £4,200 a year for primary pupils, and £5,300 for those at secondary school – would be frozen, he said: ‘I think that schools have demonstrated brilliantly over the last five years that they can be more efficient, they can be more effective, they can make their budgets work better.’ The Lib Dems today released the 'Gove Files' detailing what they claim were plans to cut money for schools when the coalition was formed. In a 13-page dossier attacking Michael Gove, Lib Dems set out a point by point assessment of the Conservative's time in government before he was appointed Chief Whip. Tensions between Mr Gove and his Lib Dem colleagues erupted publicly on a number of occasions during his four years at the Department for Education, with Prime Minister David Cameron once forced to intervene in an ugly spat over funding. The document says Lib Dems have spent much of the Parliament engaged in a 'battle' with Mr Gove to damp down his 'ideological' reforms. They claim the Conservatives have 'scorched earth plans' that could mean funding for nurseries, schools and colleges is cut by a quarter within five years. Education Minister David Laws insisted Lib Dems stopped the Tories from reducing the schools budget in 2010. He said: 'The Conservative assumption in 2010 was for a cash freeze in the schools budget - a whopping 10% cut in real terms over the course of the Parliament.' A source close to Mr Gove said: 'This document is as honest as Clegg's policy on tuition fees. There's nothing else to say about such a ludicrous document.' The Conservatives’ decision not to cut funding for schools in the next Parliament, just after they promised an extra £2billion a year for the NHS, will also raise concerns about which departments will face cuts, with fears that defence could be affected. Labour is expected to announce that it would increase schools funding in real terms if it wins office by cutting the deficit more slowly. However, it refused to spell out its plans yesterday. The party’s education spokesman Tristram Hunt said the Conservatives’ claims to protect the schools budget were ‘unravelling’, adding: ‘You can’t protect schools when you have plans to take spending as a share of GDP back to levels not seen since the 1930s.’ The Liberal Democrats say the Tory plan would mean funding for nurseries, sixth form colleges and the pupil premium – which funnels funds for disadvantaged children – may be slashed by £3billion by 2020. Lib Dem schools spokesman David Laws said yesterday: ‘This is an unbelievably weak commitment from David Cameron. ‘The Conservatives have failed even to protect the schools budget in real terms, and it is clear that they will have to make deep cuts to early years and 16 to 19 education. This makes a mockery of the Conservatives’ claims to want to raise standards. You simply can’t improve education while starving schools, nurseries and colleges of the resources they need.’ The funding row comes as the Conservatives announced tough new standards on literacy and numeracy in a drive to raise standards. Mr Cameron said the Government ‘won’t tolerate failure’ and would raise achievement in 3,500 schools rated ‘requires improvement’ by the watchdog Ofsted. He said every secondary school in this category would be expected to become an academy. Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, attacked the proposals as ‘ill informed’ and a decision to ‘declare war on schools’. David Cameron at a London school yesterday when he was asked to calculate nine eights . His party wants all children to know up to their 12 times table by the time they leave primary school. But David Cameron seemed wary of leading by example yesterday, when he was asked to calculate nine eights. The Prime Minister said: ‘I do times tables only in the car with my children on the way to school and I’m going to stick to that in case I get it wrong.’ He told a journalist, who asked him the question after his speech on schools in North London, that he was employing the ‘Nicky Morgan defence’ – a reference to the answer given by his education secretary when she was asked on television what seven times eight is. Mrs Morgan told the Good Morning Britain programme yesterday morning: ‘I’m not going to be answering any maths questions.’ The question is a classic minefield for politicians. Last summer, George Osborne refused to answer the ‘seven times eight’ question when interviewed by children on live television. He told seven-year-old Samuel Raddings from Manchester that he made it ‘a rule in life not to answer a load of maths questions’, but he added: ‘Of course there is a lot of maths in my job.’ In 1998, Labour schools minister Stephen Byers was asked to multiply eight by seven and said ‘54’. The answer is 56. | PM said the amount of money per child will be protected in cash terms . But Mr Cameron admitted funding for schools will not go up with inflation . Labour said the cat was 'out of the bag' - school spending will be cut . Lib Dems release the 'Gove Files' on ex-Education Secretary's cuts plan . | 3dc1140615de3d3dc5864ed2f1ed6f3146ae8e9a |
Jack Wilshere is on the hunt for a new agent right now and in the discussions he has had so far he is said to be making certain demands. He wants to know how much money he will make beyond his playing contract at Arsenal: endorsement deals and such like. And he wants an assurance that any agreement comes with a job for his older brother, Tom, having secured him a position with his previous management company. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sportsmail Freestyle with Jack Wilshere . Jack's shame: Former Arsenal masseur Kieran Hunt pours champagne into Wilshere's mouth in Las Vegas . Controversy: The England midfielder was seen smoking a cigar and cigarettes given to him by his brother . It’s Tom in the photograph that appeared on the back page of the Daily Mail earlier this week; Tom who appears to be holding a cigarette to his sublimely gifted sibling’s mouth as they enjoy themselves at a pool party in Las Vegas. Never mind that it was only a few days before pre-season training resumed at Arsenal. Never mind that competition for places in the Gunners midfield has rarely appeared more intense. It’s only a cigarette, or a cigar (he was photographed smoking one of those, too), or another cocktail. Their dad, Andy, was there in Las Vegas, so perhaps we shouldn’t blame Tom. This might sound like an over-reaction and a bit unfair. For a start, Wilshere is not exactly alone when it comes to elite athletes who enjoy an occasional puff when they spend most of their lives striving for physical perfection. Stagnated: There are worries about the Arsenal player's progress over the past few years . Return: Wilshere is set to join up with Arsenal for pre-season next week, after his Vegas holiday . More worrying in Wilshere’s case is the fact that this is not the first time it has happened and that the 22-year-old midfielder has failed to act after the first incident — when he expressed remorse having been photographed smoking last October — by making sure he does not find himself in the same position again. It might not have mattered quite so much had Wilshere been reflecting on a marvellous season at Arsenal and a brilliant World Cup. But he wasn’t. He was reflecting on a mediocre, injury-troubled season amid accusations that his career has stood still these past couple of years. Paul Scholes said as much on TV and this week his view was echoed by former Arsenal manager George Graham. Glory: Wilshere won his first silverware for Arsenal last season but faces competition for his place . One club man: the midfielder has been with Arsenal since he was a boy but they fear he is not progressing . ‘His career has not gone anywhere in the last 18 months,’ said Graham before suggesting this latest controversy demanded a dressing down from current Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. And when Wilshere’s own family see no harm in smoking and drinking and there is no agent, at least not at the moment, to pull him into line, it is Wenger’s responsibility to tackle a footballer in danger of wasting his considerable talent. The evidence would suggest he is capable of squandering the gifts he was blessed with and what we actually have here is yet another great English footballing talent whose career is undermined by personality flaws. Look at Paul Gascoigne. Look, even, at Wayne Rooney. Potential that, for different reasons, is never quite realised. Mentor: It will be down to Arsene Wenger to take responsibility for Wilshere's personal development . Unimpressive: The youngster had a difficult World Cup, as England crashed out in the Group Stage . Some would consider that to be harsh and not just in the case of the sometimes brilliant Rooney. Only recently, senior FA officials were pleased to report how Wilshere had come of age during England’s brief stay in Brazil this summer. He was said to have been the model professional, applying himself with maturity even when he knew he was excluded from Roy Hodgson’s starting line-up for the opening two group games. His colleagues at Arsenal would also report how dedicated Wilshere was in returning to fitness last summer after finally recovering from a troublesome ankle injury. But in private some of those colleagues have also questioned whether he respects the athletic talent he possesses as much as he should. Lost Vegas: How Wilshere appeared on the back page of the Daily Mail . Plied with champagne: Kieran Hunt (middle row, right (circled)) poured bubbly down Wilshere's neck in Vegas . Whether he is as professional as he needs to be when the modern game places such huge physical demands on the players. Arsenal coaching staff, who regard him as a likeable ‘cheeky chappie’, do not feel his game has progressed in the way it should over the past year and it is acknowledged that this season will be an acid test. There is little doubt he does not respect the position he has as a sporting role model, however inappropriate it might seem to burden a young man with such responsibility. ‘It’s either arrogance or stupidity but he just doesn’t get it,’ remarked one observer. This week officials at the Emirates Stadium were said to be deeply disappointed by his behaviour. It has not escaped the attention of the same agents he has been courting that he might not appreciate the role he needs to play in securing endorsement deals. Potential: Rooney, like Wilshere, broke onto the scene, and into the England team, at a young age . Struggles: Rooney has never quite lived up to the incredible expectations put upon him . Right now he has lucrative contracts with Nike and Pepsi but blue-chip brands are unlikely to come running after seeing the images from Las Vegas this week. The detail of Wilshere’s ‘boys’ trip’ is unlikely to impress them, either. Organised, apparently, around a friend’s stag party at the MGM Grand hotel on the main Las Vegas strip, the trip became more of an England footballer affair when Wilshere discovered Joe Hart and James Milner were also going to be there with friends. They threw a ‘wet and wild’ party, with Wilshere said to have had champagne poured down his throat by former Arsenal masseur Kieran Hunt — a la Gazza and the ‘dentist’s chair’ in Hong Kong in 1996. Wilshere is thought to have hired a whole floor of the hotel, with a pool, and guests were asked to surrender their phones so pictures could not be taken: a strategy that did not exactly pay off. Perhaps Wilshere’s father, a 49-year-old former builder who is fiercely protective of his family, saw no harm in his son letting off a bit of steam. Back on track: The Gunners midfielder posted this more serene picture on Instagram after the controversy . Wasted talent: Paul Gascoigne succumbed to alcohol as he failed to reach his potential . Precedent: Gascoigne mocked his critics by imitating the infamous 'dentists chair' while celebrating a goal . But when Wilshere already has something of a track record for trouble, maybe he would have been better advising against a hedonistic hotspot such as Las Vegas. As far back as August 2010, Wilshere was getting into scrapes. He sparked a nightclub brawl by telling a girl to ditch her boyfriend because he and his friends had ‘more money’. Kimberley Plested broke an elbow when she fell trying to protect boyfriend Dan Farnon as Wilshere’s friends attacked them. The PA, celebrating her 21st birthday at the Amika club in Kensington, said Wilshere kept telling her to join his party before a crude sexual remark sparked a fight. Plested needed metal pins inserted in her arm and Wilshere, who claimed to be the peacemaker in the incident, was given a police caution for common assault while Adam Mardell and Duane Brailsford each pleaded guilty to affray. Caution: Wilshere was in trouble in 2010 for an incident which saw Kimberley Plested break an elbow . Time to shine: With Arsenal's summer spending Wilshere needs to start performing to justify his place . Brailsford, who left Farnon with a gashed eye, also admitted assault. The following March, Wilshere hurled insults at taxi driver Brian Spencer, 64, after realising he was a Tottenham fan. ‘Wilshere’s behaviour is the worst I’ve ever seen in all my time as a cabbie,’ said Spencer. ‘No one deserves to be spat at just because of the team they support. 'He was behaving appallingly, but when he noticed my Spurs hat it got a lot worse. He suddenly started calling me every name under the sun. ‘He walked straight up to me and said, “You’re f*****g taking us”, as he pointed to my cab. When I told him he was too drunk he got even more aggressive and started screaming at me that I should take him and his mates.’ In that instance Wilshere accepted another police caution and apologised for his behaviour. Wilshere, who now has a young family of his own — a girlfriend and two children — is from a tough, working-class background. During his formative years he would attend Arsenal’s academy in Hale End and the coaches who worked with him remember what a wonderful young player he was: head and shoulders above other kids his age. He would often play with youngsters two years above his age group. Fan favourite: The Gunners star is still very popular with the club's fans despite a disappointing season . Pain: Injuries have blighted the young star's early career but he should be fit for the new season . At that stage he did everything right, focusing on football. The only negative was that his coaches did not think he would be captain material because he wanted the ball too much and was too involved in the game to be able to organise other things. But they knew as long ago as when he was 13 that he was destined to become an Arsenal player — and an England international. One of his early coaches believes Wilshere has lost his innocence about only wanting to play football and feels he has been caught up too much in stuff away from the game. However, the coach claims every talented young player goes through that period and that Wilshere needs to realise what is important. On one wall at Hale End a photograph has pride of place. It is a teenage Wilshere staring in awe at Diego Maradona. One only hopes he admires Maradona more for his genius than his own, hell-raising behaviour — and recognises that before Maradona’s fall he enjoyed quite a rise. | Ex-Arsenal masseur plied him with champagne . His family see no harm in him smoking and drinking . Wilshere, who has had his fair share of controversy off the pitch, is in danger of wasting his talent . | 19f8f7d3c66c629033d20bc2206c39d00c53ba78 |
Maracana, Rio De Janeiro (CNN) -- The pressure suffocated those toiling on the grass, the gravity of a World Cup final adding weight to the air like plumbing a great depth in the ocean. That pressure was only intensified by the anxiety rolling down the terraces of the Maracana stadium, perhaps world football's holiest site. After four grueling weeks, across 64 games -- where 32 of the planet's best soccer nations scrapped and shot and passed and passed and passed each other to elimination -- it had come down to this. An estimated one billion people were watching, gripped, as the drama unfolded including a lucky, enthralled, 80,000 spectators in the seats of the arena. Two teams, forged on different sides of the planet, had been locked in combat for 90 minutes without significant advantage. Defenses had stood resolute, goalposts had been rattled, endeavor had created opportunity that even the great Lionel Messi had failed to capitalize on. Normal time had made way for extra time and -- with every energy-sapping minute played -- the Russian roulette of a penalty shootout edged ever closer. The legion of spectators that stood in the bowl were emotionally intoxicated and called on all superstitious and religious powers at their disposal to deliver them from doom. But not all in the arena had lost hope. Individual mental fortitude is difficult to attain, but at least with self growth the ability to change remains in one's own hands. A collective resilience, a communal resistance to set back, a refusal to be deterred from a group destiny requires careful nurture over years for all involved to believe in the same vision. The 2014 version of Die Nationalmannschaft had been patiently planned, engineered and inculcated. They'd waited for this moment for over a decade and now was not the time to buckle. "The lowest point came in Euro 2000 -- that was German football's nadir: very poor performances, a very poor team and very poor management," German football expert Rafael Honigstein told CNN. Germany's performance in the 2002 World Cup, where they lost in the final to Brazil, helped papered over the cracks, but it would take another two years for the real changes to the national game to filter through. "The grass roots reforms were already in place by the time Jurgen Klinnsman took over with Joachim Low in 2004," added Honigstein, referring to Germany's former and current coach. "The 10-year development you've seen culminate in Brazil benefited from two changes being made at more or less the same time. "Youth development was instilled to make sure young players were much better educated and had better facilities and coaching. "And at the same time there was a change of philosophy and footballing ideas at the very top -- after 10 years these two elements fused quite brilliantly to deliver the World Cup. "You have to credit the chairman of the German Football Association (DFB) at the time, Gerhard Mayer, who realized the needs for reform. He was able to get all the Bundesliga clubs, including the big ones, on board. "They all signed up to create academies and there was a spirit of cooperation, which was especially pronounced in those years, because Germany had won the right to host a World Cup in 2006. "There was a real fear the team and the footballing nation might embarrass themselves as hosts if they didn't make changes," said Honigstein. Germany's blueprint for change didn't come cheap and it needed the clubs to work closely with the DFB. "If everyone is pulling in the same direction it makes a big difference," added Honigstein. "You need a lot of money and you need the commitment to do it. Very few countries could replicate what Germany has done. "You have to consider they now have 366 centers of excellence for youth development throughout the country. "Bayern Munich has also been the driving force of the national team because they produce the best youngsters, and they buy the best German players and hone them, to make them even better. "It's no coincidence that when Bayern did well in the 1970s, 90s and now, the national team has benefited. "Bayern, under former president Uli Hoeness, always kept the greater good of the national team at the back of their minds and that's an important factor for the success of German football," explained Honigstein. Midfield dynamo Bastian Schweinsteiger would later dedicate Germany's final performance to Hoeness, as the man responsible for many of the players being where they are. Such long-term planning and dedication to a single goal, by the time the last match was being played in Brazil in 2014, was in the final throes of its application. The squad and the 11 men on the pitch were the fruition of a design drawn up long ago. The path to glory sewn into the psyche of everyone involved. With barely seven minutes left on the clock, Andre Schurrle, a man arguably only on the pitch due to injuries to two players selected before him, picked up the ball on the left wing, just inside of the opposition's half. With three Argentines in front of him he dared to be positive, to run forward with the ball. Navigating a slim gully on the flank he slithered past the retreating men in blue, ever nearer to the touchline. Five, 10, 20 yards he progressed until -- as defenders threatened to force him and the ball from the field of play -- he released a deft cross to the man in white on his right. Mario Gotze, one of seven Bayern players in the side and a man who entered the field of play as 88th-minute substitute, acted instinctively as if he had executed this maneuver a thousand times before. Without breaking stride he controlled the ball with a softening of his chest and then, as the near post of Sergio Romero's goal encroached, placed the ball across his body with a left-foot volley. The German-made Brazuca ball flew into the far side of the net and the three-time world champions of Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus and Fritz Walter, were once again on top of the footballing world, this time under Philipp Lahm's leadership. It was a goal of sublime skill that epitomized all that has been good with Low's side in Brazil -- in one moment Gotze's goal ensured German dream had also come true. So what now lies ahead? Germany's future might bright but Honigstein argues they have some way to go to match the traditional global love felt for Brazil's " A Selecao." "The reality is, as soon as you start winning a lot of things people want to see you fail. "You can play beautiful football but people soon want another team to come to the fore, and accuse you of arrogance if you win too easily. "Germany can still grow as a team with some really exciting youngsters, the likes of Marco Reus and Julian Draxler, coming through," added Honigstein, referring to the Borussia Dortmund and Schalke attacking midfield players. "I think the future is bright, but will Germany be adopted as the world's favorite team? I doubt it very much." Maybe the German writer will be proved right, maybe there will always be a place in the heart of football fans for the poetry the Brazil of Pele, Zico and Rivelino invoked. But Brazil should not rest on its laurels. Cooperation for the greater good, investment and commitment to achieve the impossible was the German solution to their crisis nearly 15 years ago. As hosts of the tournament and so-called keepers of the soul of the beautiful game, it would be worth Brazilian football taking note as they experience their own nadir. Infographic: Why Brazil should have won . | Mission improbable: Germany's World Cup final win was 14 years in making . Nadir: Poor performance in Euro 2000 prompted new German blueprint . Solution: Emphasis and investment placed on youth development . Result: Germany wins 2014 World Cup final with 1-0 victory over Argentina . | 4464722165252ebc5792dcb12d0440b9e3b5d3fe |
It could be the wedding video to end all wedding videos. There are not many newlyweds who can say they received a call from the President of the United States on their wedding day. Granted, the President was calling to apologize after the bride and groom -- Natalie Heimel and Ed Mallue Jr. -- were forced to scramble to find an alternate location for their wedding, once they were informed by the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course at Marine Corps Base Hawaii that Obama wanted to play through the site of their nuptials. "Listen. Congratulations on your wedding. I feel terrible. Nobody told us," Obama told the couple in a video provided to CNN by the bride's family. "If they had just mentioned that they were going to have a wedding on the 16th hole, we would have skipped the 16th hole," the President added. "I hope the wedding went OK anyway," he continued. In the video, Heimel and Mallue can be seen all dressed up for their big day, hanging on Obama's every word, and laughing as they carried on a conversation with the President that lasted several minutes. The wedding was just fine, Mallue and Heimel reassured Obama, who was clearly embarrassed by the mix-up. "Thank you very much. It was a blessing in disguise," Mallue said. "We just went right above the 16th hole. So we were watching you golf," Heimel joked about their new wedding site. Acknowledging he is far from an ace golfer, Obama quipped, "That must have been kind of painful." "What did you shoot, Mr. President?" Mallue asked. "I shot an 84. If I had skipped the 16th hole, I would have shot a 79," Obama replied. The conversation then turned to what sounded like an episode of the presidential dating game. "How long you been going out?" Obama asked. The couple proceeded to tell Obama they have been dating since 2011. The military couple, both captains, attended West Point, before moving to Germany where they met. They now live in Hawaii, which led to the President's next question. "Now, the only question is where do you honeymoon when you live in Hawaii?" Obama joked. "We haven't figured that part out yet," Heimel joked. "Might be Fort Polk, Louisiana," Mallue quipped. The couple then invited Obama to their reception. Fearing he might cause another wedding mishap, the President respectfully declined. "Everybody would have to be magged," Obama joked about his security needs. "Sorry for the change of plans. But sounds like you guys are gonna have a great wedding and at least you will have a good story to tell." "Congratulations and thank you both for your service," Obama added at the end of the call. | President Obama called newlyweds after his golf game interrupted their wedding plans . "I feel terrible," he told the couple . Obama said he would have skipped the 16th hole if he had known . | c402cf2df03a589e14c5b7626f4b07d02dda5d96 |
A central Ohio art museum has apologized after a visitor examining a Lego model of Columbus noticed it included a Lego figure with a gun pointing at the front door of the model police station. It wasn't part of the design for the exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art, and it upset the Columbus firefighter who spotted it a week after two New York policemen were gunned down in their patrol car. 'I thought, "Am I really seeing that? Am I overreacting?"' Bob Dickson told the Columbus Dispatch. Lego gunman: A firefighter at the Columbus Museum of Art spotted this unsettling scene in a Lego display December 27 . Dickson, who noticed the figure along with his daughters on December 27, was so angry he wrote letters to the museum as well as the Central Ohio Lego Train Club, who designed the display. The museum and the club that designed the exhibit said the gunman figure would be immediately removed. It's not clear how the figure got there. Museum spokeswoman Nancy Colvin tells The Columbus Dispatch that it is possible the figure came from an area near the exhibit where visitors can create their own Lego structures. According to Colvin, a docent roams between exhibits but no one is in the Lego room at all times. '[It] was very unfortunate, and we’re very sorry this happened,' Colvin said. Mystery: The Columbus Museum of Art has apologized for the mishap, but say they aren't sure how the figure got where it did . Fury: Dickson, who noticed the figure along with his daughters on December 27, was so angry he wrote letters to the museum as well as the Central Ohio Lego Train Club, who designed the display . Not a part of original design: The apparent prank was inside a huge Lego display designed by the Central Ohio Lego Train Club . Apparent prank: Museum spokeswoman Nancy Colvin tells The Columbus Dispatch that it is possible the figure came from an area near the exhibit where visitors can create their own Lego structures . For more videos, please go to YouTube . | Bob Dickson spotted the unfortunate prank while roaming the Columbus Museum of Art with his daughters late last month . The gunman figure was not originally a part of the exhibit . A museum spokesperson apologized for the figure and said it likely came from a nearby exhibit where visitors can create their own Lego structures . | beb66fe7c53df7484b6d694f9f6a4da5419ffcaf |
On a wet Tuesday, I am hovering furtively in the fresh produce section of Sainsbury’s. But my absorption in the merits of Golden Delicious and Washington Reds is but a cunning charade. I’m really on a mission. I have just received four hours of tuition in the art of flirting from relationship coach Jean Smith and I’m here to put my skills to the test . Spotting a middle-aged victim, I sidle up and deliver the line suggested by Jean to provoke conversation. Scroll down for video . Could the fresh produce section of your local Sainsbury’s be the ideal place to meet your new man? ‘Um,’ I begin magnificently. ‘Have you tried that kind of apple before?’ The man gives no sign of noticing that I have spoken. I clear my throat and repeat myself. He looks up vaguely, and responds: ‘Mmm?’ I say the words for a third time. He stares at me, shakes his head and ambles off. Clearly, I’m in need of more practice. Flirting has been Jean’s specialist subject for more than a decade, after doing a masters degree in social anthropology. Not only has she produced an entire book on the subject (The Flirt Interpreter), but she runs ‘Flirtology’ courses. It has to be said that they’re not cheap. There’s a two-session Quick Fix for £299; a three-session promotion called Bag A Babe For Valentine’s (‘babe’ referring to either sex) at £399; and a three-month Ready For Change programme at £900. Relationship coach Jean Smith advises spending time in places where you can start up a conversation with a stranger without any expectations, such as a supermarket (picture posed by a model) Each one promises to identify where you are going wrong and give you a game plan to find your future partner. As a 51-year-old divorcee who has been largely single for a year, I give it a go. And I’m not the only one — business is booming for Jean, whose clients’ age range spans from the early 30s to the mid 50s. ‘I’m busier all the time, not because it’s harder to flirt these days, but because it’s become more acceptable to ask for help,’ she says. ‘People are just expected to know this stuff, and they think everyone else is born good at it.’ Jean’s three flirting secrets: . 1. If you see someone attractive, show signals of approachability — eye contact, open body language, smiles . 2. Ask an open-ended situational question involving a prop (so in a supermarket: ‘That cheesecake looks great — have you tried it?’) 3. Don’t worry about taking the direct approach. At the worst you’ve had a short conversation with someone you’ll never see again. At best — who knows? Indeed, the boom in online dating and the rise of so-called ‘silver splitters’, who divorce in midlife, means more of us than ever are struggling on the dating scene: one in five women over 45 is now single. ‘Clients appreciate a scientific approach. Flirting is a skill — you can learn it. I’m a catalyst to set people on track — it’s up to them to act on it,’ Jean says. My four hours with her are a condensed version of one of her courses. Judging by her central London flat where we met for the first two hours, she is doing very nicely. Jean asks what I’m looking for, ushering me away from ‘objectifying laundry lists’ such as height, weight and income. This is not to say she advocates hooking up with a short, fat pauper. But she urges me not to rule out someone just because I prefer taller men: ‘It’s holding you back. How much of your life are you standing up next to each other?’ Then she asks what I’m doing to improve my chances of meeting someone, and suggests a big party where everybody brings a single friend, adding: ‘You need to spend more time in places where you can start up conversations without expectations.’ This, it turns out, is largely what Jean’s ‘flirtology’ is about — not being coquettish, but simply going to places where there are other people, and talking to them. The idea is meeting as many potential partners as possible in the hope one will click. It’s a numbers game, but one you can only embark on if you’re confident enough — which is what Jean hopes to teach. Jean says that flirting is 'building rapport with strangers, with a frisson in the undertone to distinguish it from normal conversation' (picture posed by models) She has also devised an unlikely acronym for six flirting signals to look for. ‘It’s HOT APE — Humour, open body-language, touch, attention, proximity and eye contact. That’s what you look for to tell someone is flirting with you. Also self-disclosure — they tell you something about themselves.’ She tells me flirting is building rapport with strangers, with a frisson in the undertone to distinguish it from normal conversation. ‘British people don’t like intrusion, but they love to be talked to,’ says Jean. ‘My clients can be worried about bothering people. I teach you to break these unwritten rules about being polite which make it so hard to meet people. The real key to flirting is having the confidence to talk someone you find attractive (picture posed by models) ‘Would you be offended if you were at the supermarket and someone asked you: “Have you ever tried that kind of apple before?” ’ She seems astonished when I say I might be a tad surprised. ‘It’s only by trying it in a fun way that you’ll realise people respond really well,’ she replies brightly. I fear I’m not very good at this after being turned down in Sainsbury’s. Jean tells me I am ‘resistant’ to my ‘dating journey’, relating an anecdote about a client who asked a guy in a supermarket what rice he would recommend. ‘After a ten-minute chat, he invited her to his favourite curry house,’ she concludes triumphantly. I’m awed that anyone could have a ten-minute conversation about rice. But she is also very good at matters relating to rejection. ‘What does it matter if the person you’re talking to doesn’t engage? You’ve had a nice chat with someone you’ll never meet again.’ Some clients vouch for Jean’s methods. Laura Durham, a 28-year-old from London who works in marketing, describes Jean’s seminar last September as ‘life-changing’. ‘I had a two-year relationship which ended six years ago, and had only been on a few dates since,’ she says. ‘I was feeling hopeless because I find it so hard to initiate contact. ‘It’s made such a difference to my confidence to be able to talk to people without worrying I would do something wrong.’ Laura loved the £35 Fearless Flirting tour, a two-hour group outing starting at the National Portrait Gallery ‘where you will learn how to approach anyone without fear’. So I join one of these outings. Seven women and one man assemble, aged from their mid 20s to mid 50s, all sociable and attractive. James Hardcastle, a 35-year-old software developer, is the lone male. Jean tells us to make eye contact with and smile at three fellow gallery goers. Again I don’t have the knack, resembling a crazed escapee. Others find it easy. Then Jean dispatches us into a local Tesco to strike up conversation about groceries, telling us one client was so successful in a chat over cheesecake that the guy asked her out and they dated for three months. Jean says her goal is not always to find someone a partner, but rather to make people realise the great things they already have in their lives (picture posed by models) Unfortunately there are hardly any shoppers. I attempt a conversation about light bulbs with someone who it turns out cannot speak English. Or so he claims. We move on to a busy market to accost strangers for restaurant recommendations, and eventually adjourn to a bar. Everyone has enjoyed it, and James has even bagged a phone number. It turns out he is on Jean’s £900, three-month course. He has been single for several years, and I genuinely cannot work out why. ‘I have loads of friends but nothing seems to spark beyond that,’ he says. ‘I’ve done online dating and met one crazy person after another. I must be doing something wrong.’ Actually, it turns out Jean’s goal may not coincide with James’s. It’s not completely hooked on the end result of having a partner, more about realising the great things in what you already have,’ she says. And as bonkers as this course can seem, that’s a valuable lesson. The real thing she teaches is not flirting, but having the confidence to flirt. If you see someone attractive. Don’t contemplate talking to them. Do it, without worrying what they will think or whether they are single. ‘If he’s not single and you’re just having a friendly chat, is it inappropriate?’ says Jean. When I say I am going to the theatre that night, she tells me that in the bar at the interval, I must say to the man of my choice: ‘That looks an interesting drink. What is it?’ That night at the theatre bar I find myself next to a reasonable-looking man. He orders water. Sometimes, life just isn’t on my side. | Relationship coach Jean Smith has written an entire book on flirting . Jean says that 'flirting is a skill' that can be learnt . She now runs ‘Flirtology’ courses to give you a game plan to find a partner . The courses include 'Quick Fix' and 'Bag A Babe For Valentine’s' sessions . | 54565e8f567ff4aa4bbfbbc4d0f25fa2419e45f8 |
By . Associated Press . and Ted Thornhill . Police in Bangor, Maine, believe they have quacked the code for finding followers on social media. The 80-officer Bangor Police Department, which serves a city of about 33,000, has attracted more than 20,000 likes on its Facebook page after humorous pictures of a stuffed duck were added. The duck, dubbed 'Duck of Justice' or 'DOJ,' appears in pictures of police cars, department members and K-9 cops, often accompanied with some pithy text about law enforcement. Good idea or just quackers? Bangor police department has increased it social media presence posting photographs that feature a stuffed duck . Out and about: The Duck of Justice likes to explore . Winging it: The Duck of Justice helping out with some online research at the police station . Proud: Bangor police officers have become attached to the Duck of Justice . Examination: Officer Buckley takes a closer look at the DoJ . 'I happen to believe that police officers are a pretty humorous bunch,' said the man behind the duck, Sgt. Tim Cotton, a 17-year veteran Bangor officer with a fondness for the humor of George Carlin and Jim Gaffigan. 'I want to read something that at least has some humorous undertones - I wouldn't connect to a page that I didn't want to read.' Bangor is just one of many police departments nationwide discovering that using comedy on social media can help them interact with the public. One department, in 10,000-resident Brimfield Township, Ohio, has earned more than 155,000 Facebook likes for its chief's in-your-face humor about everything from methamphetamine busts to lost dogs. Nancy Marshall, a Maine-based social media strategist who runs a public relations firm in the Maine capital of Augusta, said Bangor's site helps residents humanize the police. 'It's definitely a new way of engaging with the public,' Marshall said. 'I admire the Bangor police department for being bold enough to expose their humanity.' Write stuff: The Duck of Justice reads up on justice . Top billing: The 'Duck of Justice' pops up in numerous locations . A new start: The wooden duck was stuffed by a taxidermist and rescued from a trash compactor . Cotton took over in April as the department's public information officer, a job that makes him responsible for the department's Facebook page. Since he started, the page's number of 'likes' has shot up by more than 8,000. The wooden duck - stuffed by a taxidermist and rescued by Cotton from a trash compactor at a district attorney's office - is a light way for the department to get residents' attention about sometimes serious matters in a crowded social media landscape, he said. The duck has made the rounds in Bangor, appearing in a photo at Bangor Raceway with a caption that said it was 'whistling 'More Than A Feeling'' because the band Boston was playing nearby. It also propped up a copy of the voluminous 2013-14 Maine criminal statutes book, reminding residents that it 'will be in the office all weekend if you have any questions.' The duck also has a more serious side, appearing in profiles of new officers and a post about a lost dog. Quacky days: It's a thumbs up for the DoJ from this officer . The page has its detractors, including commenters who contend that paying Cotton to use social media isn't a wise use of public money. Other departments' social media efforts have stumbled, such as the New York Police Department's April request for followers to post pictures of themselves with NYPD officers on Twitter with the #myNYPD hashtag. Many users instead used the hashtag to post pictures of aggressive police behavior. The duck originally was sneaked into in social media photos, hidden in plain view in a manner similar to the popular 'Kilroy Was Here' graffiti of the World War II era. The duck became the focus of photos as it became more and more popular, Cotton said. The Facebook page has since received fans from as far away as Brazil and Iran, he said. As for the critics, Cotton says it's just water off a, well, you know. 'Policemen find their job funny no matter what people think of police,' he said. 'There's horrible things in police work and there's wonderful things.' | Bangor Police has had 20,000 Facebook likes thanks to a stuffed duck . The duck, dubbed the 'Duck of Justice', appears in numerous photographs . The police see the duck as an effective way of interacting with the public . | d902225fc02946764f8307a3c90b65b354fd5e9a |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.