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By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 00:42 EST, 1 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 00:42 EST, 1 September 2012 . The death of a 61-year-old Ohio woman is the first in the nation associated with a new swine flu strain, the state Department of Health said Friday. The woman, whose identity was not released, was from central Ohio's Madison County and died this week following an illness she contracted after having contact with hogs at the Ross County Fair. The death of a 61-year-old Ohio woman is the first in the nation associated with a new swine flu strain, the state Department of Health said Friday . The woman had underlying medical conditions, but the H3N2v influenza virus may have contributed to her death, the department said. The strain was found in U.S. pigs in 2010 and people in July 2011, and it appears to spread more easily from swine to humans than other flu viruses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. The death was among 12 new cases of the virus in the country this week, the CDC reported. Ohio saw two other cases. Wisconsin had seven, and Minnesota and Pennsylvania each had one. 'Like with seasonal flu, we have been - . and continue to be - particularly concerned about people with factors . that put them at high risk of serious complications if they get the flu' Ohio and Indiana lead the nation with infections for the year; Ohio has had 101, while Indiana has had 138, according to the CDC. Twelve people across the nation were infected last year, compared with 289 so far this year, according to the CDC. Ted Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said most of Ohio's cases have been mild illnesses. People from 6 months to 61 years old have been infected, and many of them have been linked to contact with hogs at fairs. Wymyslo urged at-risk groups to avoid swine exhibits and take other precautions. Those groups include young children, older residents, pregnant woman and people with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions. Visitors to the swine and sheep building at the Minnesota State Fair wash their hands after visiting the building in keeping with advice from health officials concerned about a new strain of swine flu . ''These people should absolutely not have contact with pigs or visit pig arenas at fairs this summer.' Lynn Finelli, the lead for the surveillance and outbreak response team in the CDC's influenza division, said in a statement that the agency was saddened to hear of the Ohio death. 'Like with seasonal flu, we have been - and continue to be - particularly concerned about people with factors that put them at high risk of serious complications if they get the flu,' she said. 'These people should absolutely not have contact with pigs or visit pig arenas at fairs this summer.' As with seasonal flu, the CDC recommends that people with high-risk conditions who develop flu-like symptoms contact their doctor immediately. 'Prompt antiviral treatment in a high risk person can mean the difference between having a milder illness versus a very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay or even death,' Finelli said. Symptoms of H3N2v include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, and fatigue. | The woman died this week after having contact with hogs at the Ross County Fair . CDC reports the death was among 12 new cases of the virus in the country this week . Young children, older residents, pregnant woman and people with weakened immune systems should avoid swine . | dfeb24b575e7eaa363fbd182faf247a9c87050d1 |
He flies the world in a blood-red private jet, has an access-all-areas Formula 1 pass worth a cool £1 million and is fresh from the red carpet at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, resplendent in a solid gold chain worthy of a superstar rapper. And like most A-listers, this particular star is not without a few unpleasant habits. Support staff at the BBC awards can attest as much, having been tasked with picking up after him. Welcome to the world of Roscoe Hamilton, a two-year-old bulldog who lives a life of absurd luxury. Scroll down for video . Roscoe (centre) lounges about while on holiday with Lewis Hamilton and his other dog, bulldog bitch Coco . As the adored pet of Lewis Hamilton, reigning Formula 1 world champion, his is an existence of five-star pampering. Home is a £10 million apartment in Monaco, which he shares with Hamilton, his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and a bulldog bitch called Coco. Yet there is no question who rules the roost. Since padding into Lewis’s life in February 2013, Roscoe has taken centre stage. Take the family’s sleeping arrangements. Hamilton may be dating one of the most desired women on the planet in Nicole, but when the day ends, it is Roscoe who snuggles between the Egyptian cotton sheets alongside his master. (Ms Scherzinger is based for much of the year in America.) And as the racing driver jets between the U.S. and Europe in that gleaming £20 million Bombardier CL-600, he does so with Roscoe sitting beside him on his personal cream leather seat. Double act: The pair together at last night's BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards . Indeed, Roscoe has his own passport as well as that pass to the Formula 1 paddock, which was given to him by Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire overlord of the sport. Sponsors pay upwards of £1 million for these passes, yet Roscoe’s, which features a photograph of the bulldog in a pair of expensive Beats headphones, was a gift. While many people were nonplussed to see a celebrity turning up to the televised awards with his pet, to those who know Hamilton well it was no surprise to see the pooch waddling along the red carpet on Sunday night, complete with gold chain. Hamilton was wearing this jewellery at some of his public appearances towards the end of the Formula 1 season, and is happy to share his substantial worldly goods with his dog. This is a fastidious professional who obsesses over the tiniest detail to give him a racing advantage. Yet he allows Roscoe to play with his race helmet as if it was a toy ball. And this is no ordinary piece of kit. It takes three days to make one and they cost £3,300 apiece. That said, they are designed to withstand 800c flames and huge impacts, so an encounter with an enthusiastic bulldog is unlikely to cause too much of a problem. The helmet is adorned with an image of Hamilton with Nicole and — you guessed it — Roscoe. The extent of the driver’s canine infatuation has ruffled feathers, however, with questions raised about whether it is appropriate to allow a dog into the racing paddock. Legendary commentator Murray Walker did not mince his words: ‘I have the utmost respect and admiration for Lewis, but the F1 paddock is no place for a dog. Think of the safety reasons. Think, too, of how a dog’s hearing system is infinitely more sensitive than a human’s — and my hearing has been destroyed by F1 cars. I am utterly amazed he’s allowed to take the dog in. I can’t imagine what the hell they are thinking about. It’s madness.’ All of which presented a dilemma for Hamilton’s racing team, Mercedes. By that point, Roscoe had his own bespoke canine racing suit, while Lewis spent £220,000 on hiring a luxury motor home for the European season — because the hotels frequented by the Formula 1 hierarchy do not allow dogs. Some race tracks, seduced by the glamour of the driver and his designer dog, use them as an advertising tool. For the Silverstone Grand Prix, the organisers provided Roscoe with a bespoke timber kennel, with his name over the door and a personalised cap. Roscoe, however, does not sleep in a kennel. And when his master is otherwise disposed, only the very best treatment will do. The X Factor: A friendly nuzzle for Lewis's girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. The singer spends half the year in America - leaving a space in the couple's bed for Roscoe to slip between the Egyptian cotton sheets . High flyers: UK-bound with Roscoe (left), Coco (centre) and Lewis Hamilton on board a private jet . Marie-Pierre Hansom, senior ‘host’ at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey — the carmaker’s flagship centre — was left in no doubt about this earlier this year. Accustomed to dealing with the biggest star names, she was taken aback by what happened when the driver arrived to film a commercial. With Lewis fed, watered, made up and safely installed on set, she was settling down for a cup of coffee when the phone rang. ‘It was our reception desk advising me that two of his guests had arrived on site,’ she says. ‘Most of the entourage were here by then, so I thought: “Who could it be?” What's up, dawg: In Beats headphones. The two-year-old bulldog even has his own pass to the Formula 1 paddock . ‘I went to introduce myself and I’m faced with two little bulldogs. Panic inside, we don’t allow dogs in the building, what am I going to do? I need to move them pretty quickly. ‘I make it to the suite, get them set up very quickly. They need water, they need food, they need cushions. They had to be taken for various things such as comfort breaks. We even had to call the cleaning team for help at one point, because I don’t deal with things like that. I started the day expecting one celebrity. I finished it with three. ‘I hope I made them happy, and by the snores coming out of Roscoe I think they all had a good time.’ Since arriving in Hamilton’s life, Roscoe has become a social media star. There is footage of him in Lewis’s bed, on aircraft and even on a trip to a bowling alley. Hamilton, who doesn’t have children, is fond of dressing up his beloved dog in designer hats, headphones and jewellery. He also brings along Roscoe to interviews (on one occasion having to apologise when the mutt’s loud snoring drowned out his answers). Yet it’s plain Roscoe has fulfilled an important role in his master’s life. Raised in the rarefied atmosphere of motor racing, anointed as the chosen one since his teens, it is hardly surprising Hamilton is not the most worldly of individuals. Blessed — or cursed — with a prickliness particular to the uber-competitive, he clearly takes great comfort from the unquestioning adoration of his dogs. Roscoe was joined last year by the bulldog bitch Coco, yet she has been comparatively anonymous, due in part to health problems. She has had to undergo two tricky operations to treat a problem with her tongue, so by and large Roscoe has travelled with Lewis while she stayed at home. Lewis grew up with pet labradors, though, so why a bulldog? The answer may lie in his controversial relationship with his nationality. Playtime: Making friends with Lewis's nephew, Kalden, when Hamilton spent a day with his mother and sister . Roscoe has his own passport and for the Silverstone Grand Prix, the organisers provided Roscoe with a bespoke timber kennel, with his name over the door and a personalised cap . In his acceptance speech after winning Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday night, much was made of his pride in his British heritage. Yet this is a man who, the moment the big bucks started rolling in, decamped to Switzerland and then Monaco as a tax exile. Twitter immediately lit up with outraged comments about the BBC’s sporting champion not even paying a licence fee. He may believe that by having a British bulldog by his side, the public will subconsciously associate him with all things patriotic. But perhaps not when the dog is Roscoe Hamilton, surely the most pampered ‘non-dom’ in the canine world. Chilling out: The intrepid trio take to the slopes. Roscoe was joined last year by the bulldog bitch Coco, yet she has been comparatively anonymous, due in part to health problems . | Roscoe Hamilton, a two-year-old bulldog, padded into Lewis's life in 2013 . Since then he has ruled the roost at Hamilton's £10m apartment in Monaco . He has his own passport and even owns a pass to the Forumla 1 paddock . While racing driver jets between country's, Roscoe has his own seat on jet . | ccbbb5cadcbc3b1f21cb797c5a56c7dbb2b52417 |
By . Olivia Williams . In the traditional 'gostra', a game stretching back to the Middle Ages, Maltese young men, women and children have to scrabble their way to the top of a very greasy pole. If they manage the tricky feat, they need to then uproot one of the flags to claim their hard-won prize. The comical sight of contestants slithering to victory happens every year on August 25 for the religious feast of St Julian, patron of the town of St Julian's, outside the capital Valletta. Energetic: A man running up the pole covered in grease during the religious feast in Malta . Skilful: One man manages to grab a flag on the pole in the town of St Julian's . Victory: An agile young man is just inches away from collecting his prize . Celebrations start from days before the actual date, with the town covered in lights and flags. On the day of the feast, there is a procession around town carrying a statue of St. Julian followed by brass band music . Then it is time for the climax of the festivities - the much-loved pole competition. Residents of all agilities can enter, making it an exciting and unpredictable spectacle. From May to September in Malta, there is hardly a weekend when a town or a village is not celebrating the feast of its patron saint or other saints revered in different churches. Unlucky: It can be very easy to sli right off and take a tumble, much to the amusement of the crowd . Wipeout: The foam and grease comes sliding off as this contestant goes falling into the sea . Popular: The crowd watches an unlucky competitor in the afternoon sunshine . | Feast of St. Julian is celebrated annually in St. Julian's, Malta . The highlight is the greasy poll competition at the beach . | 00a1905d3217e22639992765311788f771377012 |
By . Lillian Radulova . Australian soccer fans across the country are cringing in unison as their Socceroos prepare for next month's FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The team's new slogan, which will be displayed on their tour bus and used in promotional material, will read 'Socceroos: Hopping our way into history!' The slogan was selected via an online poll which opened in February and was conducted by FIFA, the team's sponsor Hyundai and their official bus supplier. 'Socceroos: Hopping our way into history' has been selected as the official team slogan for the FIFA World Cup which kicks off next month . The words will be displayed on the team's tour bus which will be their mode of transportation around Brazil . Twitter backlash: Soccer fans instantly slammed the slogan on social media . But despite the open voting, Twitter exploded when the slogan was revealed, with fans openly expressing their disgust. One Twitter user wrote: 'Who was the muppet who came up with our slogan for the World Cup? Hopping our way to world embarrassment for sure'. Another also expressed his hatred for the slogan, writing: ' Why must we keep embarrassing ourselves on a global stage, Hopping our way into history.. Really'. 'Why must we keep embarrassing ourselves?' Fans weren't shy about expressing their disgust . Australia's new anthem for the World Cup, Samantha Jade's single Up, has also received criticism due to the song's lack of relevance to soccer . Meanwhile a competition run under the hashtag Better World Cup Slogans, quickly popped up with the site's users trying to outdo each other with the most witty and insulting new slogans. 'What would beating us *really* achieve?' one user suggested, while another offered: 'Can't defend our goal. Can defend our borders. Brutally.' But is Australia's new slogan really the worst of the lot? A competition under the hashtag name Better World Cup Slogans, soon broke out over Twitter with users sharing their hilarious ideas . Chile and Netherland's slogans were also ridiculed over social media . The other countries being ridiculed for their choice of words include Chile, whose slogan is 'CHI CHI CHI!, LE LE LE! Go Chile' and the Netherlands, who went with, 'Real Men Wear Orange'. But it's not just their new slogan that Australian soccer fans are upset with. Supporters are also voicing their frustrations about the team's anthem, sung by Samantha Jade, which they say has nothing to do with football. Algeria: Desert Warriors In Brazil . Argentina: Not just a team, we are a country . Australia: Socceroos: Hopping Our Way Into History! Belgium: Expect The Impossible! Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dragons In Heart, Dragons On The Field! Brazil: Brace Yourselves! The 6th Is Coming! Cameroon: A lion remains a Lion . Chile: CHI CHI CHI!, LE LE LE! Go Chile. Colombia: Here travels a nation, not just a team! Costa Rica: My passion is football, my strength is my people, my pride is Costa Rica. Côte d’Ivoire: Elephants charging towards Brazil! Croatia: With Fire In Our Hearts, For Croatia All As One! Ecuador: One Commitment, One Passion, Only One Heart, This Is For You Ecuador . England: The Dream Of One Team, The Heartbeat Of Millions . France: Impossible Is Not A French Word . Germany: One Nation, One Team, One Dream! Ghana: Black Stars: Here To Illuminate Brazil . Greece: Heroes Play Like Greeks . Honduras: We are one country, one nation, five stars on the heart . Iran: Honour Of Persia . Italy: Let’s paint the FIFA World Cup dream blue . Japan: Samurai, The Time Has Come To Fight! Korea Republic: Enjoy it, Reds! Mexico: Always united, Always aztecas . Netherlands: Real Men Wear Orange . Nigeria: Only Together We Can Win . Portugal: The past is history. The future is victory. Russia: No one can catch us . Spain: Inside our hearts, the passion of a champion . Switzerland: End Station: 13.07.2014 Maracana! Final Stop: 07-13-14 Maracana! Uruguay: Three million dreams … Let’s go Uruguay . USA: United By Team, Driven By Passion . | Australian soccer fans bombard Twitter with new suggestions following outrage over current slogan . Slogan was selected via online poll which included fan submissions . Chile and the Netherlands also mocked online for their choices . Australia's new anthem for world cup by Samantha Jade also slammed . | bf0072c205de85bc163115e9b373b087a9ab780b |
London's Metropolitan Police have opened investigations into the deaths of three young boys, a probe that is tied to "allegations of serious and organized sexual abuse," it announced Thursday. In a statement, detectives involved in Operation Midland, an investigation launched last month into sexual abuse dating back more than 30 years ago, pleaded for the public's help in tracking down victims, witnesses and assailants. "Today I want to appeal directly to those other young boys, now men, who were also subject to abuse at the hands of these men," Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald said. "I believe that there were other boys who were abused, or who were present whilst the abuse took place." In addition to sex abuse, McDonald said that his team "is also investigating the possible murder of three young boys." "Our work is ongoing, and we are examining reports of missing people from that time," he added. "To date, we have not recovered any bodies." The abuse is believed to have taken place over at least a decade, at various locations across London and the counties surrounding the capital, including military premises, the police statement said. One site for the alleged abuse is the Dolphin Square estate, an apartment complex in Pimlico, central London. "One witness, known as Nick (not his real name) has spoken to us. He has said he was abused from the age of seven until he was 16, from 1975-1984," said McDonald. "Some of the abuse took place at a flat on the Dolphin Square estate. However I can't rule out this was the only flat used." Nick has told police how a car would be sent to collect him and drive him to the apartment in Dolphin Square, McDonald said. "The abuse he has detailed that he was subjected to was carried out by a man on his own, a group of men, or during what have been described as 'parties,'" the officer said. Police want to speak to anyone who lived in the area from the early 1970s onwards and may have seen something that they now realize could be significant to this investigation, McDonald said. Detectives are in touch with the families of two boys, one who disappeared in 1979 and another who vanished and then was found murdered in 1981, but it is not yet possible to say if those two cases are linked to the current investigation, he added. | Police are investigating the possible murder of three boys and claims of sexual abuse . The abuse is believed to have taken place at locations in central London and elsewhere . Detective appeals for other boys, now men, who were abused to come forward . The abuse allegations date back to the 1970s and 1980s, police say . | af9e17c667fb548f47d267c757d2f4d7c759fec9 |
By . Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 09:34 EST, 5 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:12 EST, 5 September 2013 . The parents of a teenage couple who ran away ten days ago are desperately searching for the 13 and 14-year-old and today have begged them to come home or at least make contact. The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department . says Jayden Thomas, 13, and Braxton Wood, 14, were last seen on Monday, August 26, in Clare, Michigan. Braxton took his mother's Ford Explorer. Since then, neither family have heard anything from them. Both sets of parents said the young couple's relationship had grown too serious too soon. They were said to have been very upset at the news they would be going to different Michigan high schools, which they would have started this week. Jayden's mother also revealed that she told her daughter she no longer supported the six-month relationship. She ran away some time later. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Missing: The Isabella County Sheriff's Department says Jayden Thomas, 13, and Braxton Wood, 14, were last seen on Monday, August 26 in Clare . Missing: Jayden, right, is described as 5' 3" tall and weighs about 120lbs. She has blonde hair and hazel/blue eyes. Braxton, left, is 5' 8"s tall, weighs 125lbs and has blonde hair and blue eyes . Vehicle: The teens are believed to be driving a 2005 black ford explorer which belongs to Braxton's mom . Brandon's father, pictured with his mother Sarah Kiley, said: 'It's like a nightmare. You don't know what to do, where to go or who to call' Kelly Drinkwine said: 'It's like they fell off the face of the earth. No one can find them. 'She wrote a message for me in lipstick on the mirror saying, "I love you so much, stay happy and beautiful". 'They are two babies trying to take on the world. There are mean, horrible people out there. Just come home, baby. Just come home.' She said their six-month relationship was too serious and Jayden said she could not live without Braxton. 'That's when I felt I had to bring my daughter back to reality. The day she left I told her I no longer supported their relationship.' Brandon's father Ed Wood told WZZM13: 'It's like a nightmare. You don't know what to do, where to go or who to call.' Braxton's mother, Sarah Kiley. 'They can't live on their own. They are 13 and 14 years old. They didn't want to do anything but be with each other. It was pretty intense for a 14-year-old. Sarah told ABC: 'We looked around the house and realized Braxton was missing and we still didn't comprehend it because Braxton hasn't had driver's training. He is a young 14, so no drivers' experience whatsoever.' She said she became concerned when the two of them started alienating friends so they could spend all their time together. 'They didn't want to hang out with friends. Their focus was each other and that's pretty intense for 14-year-olds,' Kiley said, adding that her son did not take the news they were going to different high schools very well. 'Braxton told us he was heartbroken. We thought that they had cooled and not seeing each other anymore,' she said. Jayden's mother Kelly Drinkwine said: 'It's like they fell off the face of the earth. No one can find them. They are two babies trying to take on the world. There are mean, horrible people out there' Broke: Their parents believe they only had approximately $80, a video game console, a coin collection and other items that could be sold for cash . Appeal: The missing posters circulated around the area for the teens who have been gone for ten days . Jayden is described as five feet, three inches tall and weighs about 120lbs. She has blonde hair and hazel/blue eyes. Braxton is five feet, inches inches tall, weighs 125lbs and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Their parents believe they only had approximately $80, a video game console, a coin collection and other items that could be sold for cash. West Michigan private eye Mike Cook is part of the team trying to find the teenagers. 'Trying to find these two has been a little bit more difficult than any of us would have thought,' he said. 'They are 13 and 14-years-old, boyfriend and girlfriend. It's our impression they have not made contact with anyone. 'We know they have been in western Michigan. We know they have been throughout central Michigan. 'The last area we know for sure is the Mt Pleasant area, but it's been a few days since we've had a good solid lead of where we knew they were.' He added that the teens have likely run out of money and will likely start 'doing things you don't want to see kids do to make money'. Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. | Jayden Thomas, 13, and Braxton Wood, 14, were last seen on Monday, August 26 . Only had $80 between them and some sellable items . Parents do not know why they would run away but said the six-month relationship was 'too serious' Said they could not live without each other . Jayden's mother told her on the day she ran away that she didn't support the relationship . | 848ff3d2419d09154c30f8c0c1b31241d2ab9bfe |
Festival season kicks off this weekend but for music fans put off by the hefty ticket prices, this infographic shows they are better value than you think. Showcasing the Top 5 value festivals, the VoucherCodes.co.uk list shows the savings you make if you go to a festival rather than purchasing tickets to see each act individually. Featuring Justin Timberlake and The Killers, V Festival takes No.1 spot as the best value music festival in the UK with a massive saving of £242.61. Glastonbury, last year’s top value event, has been bumped into second place, with a saving of £154.35 to see acts including Dolly Parton, Lana Del Rey and Metallica. Scottish festival T In The Park, London's Lovebox and Reading/Leeds complete the Top.5 while this weekend's events, Isle of Wight and Download, rank at No.7 and No.9. Anita Naik, lifestyle editor of VoucherCodes.co.uk comments: ‘Despite the fact many festivals are now charging over £200 for a weekend ticket, with many of the world’s biggest artists performing over the summer they still offer fantastic value for money.' | Headlined by The Killers and Justin Timberlake, music fans save £242.61 . Research shows savings if you purchase tickets for each act individually . Glastonbury Festival is runner-up with a saving of £154.35 . | 7b0ee79ff3b8570879ac546c8da0bbe771e35390 |
(CNN) -- Imagine a mother, ostracized and isolated for years because her son is mentally ill, suddenly receiving thousands of messages of support, thanking her for coming forward and calling her heroic. That's what Stephanie Escamilla experienced after CNN Digital published my story and Evelio Contreras' video, "My son is mentally ill," so listen up. The response has been overwhelming. Thousands of messages via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook have poured in -- from across America and from around the world, including Zimbabwe, the Netherlands and South Africa. Many were from mothers fighting their private struggle with their own children, from fathers, from nurses, from psychiatrists. Others opened up their hearts, describing years of agony dealing with their own mental illness before stabilizing. My inbox was flooded with supportive messages that were forwarded on to Stephanie. Many carried this message: Please know that it can get better. "I can't thank you enough on behalf of all the mothers out there that deal with mentally ill children," one mom e-mailed. "I admire that woman so greatly for what she does and for the entire family allowing to share their story." Legislation seeks to improve mental health system . Stephanie risked much in coming forward, especially the fear it could send her son in a downward spiral. One family doctor even objected to her doing so. But she felt that educating the nation about the struggles of raising a child with mental illness was worth it -- and that in so doing, her son could improve, too. Her risk seems to have paid off. Stephanie shared some of the messages sent to the family with her son, Daniel, who suffers from bipolar disorder with episodes of psychosis. His response astonished her: "Mom, I wanted to tell you that I finally can say that I accept myself for who I am," he said. "I am not my mental illness; I am me." For Stephanie, that statement marked tremendous progress and underscored why she decided to speak out. Her resolve has only intensified. The family has set up a website, SavingDaniel.com, for people to communicate with Stephanie and Daniel and seek help. Stephanie hopes to create a foundation in the coming months to help change the stigma around mental illness. She also hopes to realize a longtime dream to speak to middle and high school students in San Antonio. Anything to better educate. Mental illness in children: Where to turn . One woman messaged via Facebook that she had endured a similar struggle as Stephanie in raising her son, now a highly functioning 23-year-old. "My advice to the mom you interviewed: Be a bulldog on britches, never let go," wrote Marie Bond. "It will get better, I promise you that." Readers also thanked us for our understanding and sensitivity in telling Stephanie and Daniel's story. Many parents raising mentally ill children said they wished they had the courage to tell their story like Stephanie. On Twitter, I received hundreds of messages echoing @crosscutlureRVA's sentiment: "Thank you for telling her story. Represents so many stories around the country." "This was a fantastic article, and I am heartened to see it published on CNN," Allison McKenzie said in an e-mail. "So many families and people are suffering under the incredible burden of dealing with mental illness, and it's particularly difficult when it involves children." Many called the issue of mental illness the most important story of our time, yet one that is routinely ignored. They pointed out that children can now stay on their parents' health care plans until the age of 26, yet a mentally ill son or daughter can make all their own health care decisions when they turn 18 -- regardless of parental input. That's resulted in our jails and prisons being filled with people with mental disorders, readers pointed out, and all too often our cemeteries, too. "The problem no one seems to address is when these kids turn 18, we as parents no longer have control," e-mailed Mia St. John, a world champion boxer who cares for her mentally ill son. "The parents will tell the same the story: There was nothing we could do or our hands were tied. I have been fighting the system for years and nothing will change until we are granted rights to help our sick children." Wendy Sefcik knows the pain of losing a child to mental illness. "On December 1, 2010, my intelligent, outgoing, athletic 16-year-old-son T.J. died by suicide," she wrote. "T.J. battled depression, but was a master at hiding his struggle. Since losing my son, I have tried to learn everything I can about depression and other mood disorders. I was shocked to find out how many people battle mood disorders and how difficult it is to get treatment." Sefcik emphasized another key point: Mental illness affects rich and poor alike. The Sefciks had money and resources, yet it wasn't enough. The most poignant outpouring came from those who could relate to Daniel. They shared very private struggles. Most asked not to be identified, but said they wanted Daniel to know there was hope. "I have a history of mental illness too, but am successfully functioning with medicine and years of support," one reader wrote in an e-mail. "I celebrate all the parents and professionals who quietly, bravely fight for the sick ones. They suffer when they help, but we all suffer if we don't help. "Stephanie and Daniel are my heroes. I pray that we will be stronger and more compassionate after reading their story." One of the most touching messages came from a mother who said her 9-year-old son was hospitalized last year for 16 days for delusions, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. "I have learned a lot since then about his illness, and even more the startling lack of available mental health resources and treatment options, even in a large city," the mom wrote. The mother asked not to be identified, but she said Stephanie and Daniel's story inspired her to put into words what she has been through. She wrote this poem, titled Cherry 784, that she said could be shared with others: . Cherry 784 . We hid the knives . But you really only wanted . To fall from your window . Nine years is enough . I've had a good life . You told me during a visit . The one where you still weren't sure . If I was really your mom . We played basketball in the dayroom . And snuggled on worn bean bag chairs . With our shoes off and our hopes high . That the next day you'd come home . I took weary walks between visiting hours . Through corridors, concrete walkways . And parking decks in the August swell . Texting 1A, 4C, 3D to myself . Digital bread crumbs . For the evening return . The contraband I carry . Fits in an empty locker . Lift the phone . Speak the code . Cherry 784 . Hold for the buzz . Open one door . Wait for it to close . So the other will open . You, always on the other side, anxiously waiting . Reminding me I was 2 minutes late . (As if I didn't know) And squeezing the remaining breath from my lungs . With your little boy hugs . I brought you fresh fruit in labeled cups . Cantaloupe, grapes, oranges, and pineapple chunks . The scent embedded in my flesh from cutting . Something sweet for you, my love . My baby . My boy . My son . | San Antonio woman and her son shared their journey with mental illness . Readers responded to story and video with messages of support and compassion . Thousands of emails, tweets and Facebook posts have poured in . Her son's reaction to readers' messages surprised his mom -- and gave her hope . | d9c8a635b2eeb8c426f83d75ece5c67c31eba215 |
By . Mark Prigg . Nasa should focus on a manned mission to Mars, and consider partneting with China on space missions, according to a new review of the human space flight program. The National Research Council report, commissioned by the U.S. space agency Nasa, recommends a stepping stone approach toward Mars that builds technological know-how through a series of well-defined preliminary missions. The space agency backed the report, saying 'There is a consensus that our horizon goal should be a human mission to Mars.' Scroll down for video . Nasa's chief scientist Dr Ellen Stofan has revealed the agency plans to land humans on Mars in the next 20 years. To get there she says there are a number of technological milestones that must be reached, including sending astronauts to an asteroid, to ensure the crew's survival . All options begin with the International Space Station, a $100 billion research complex flying 250 miles (400 km) above Earth, the 286-page report released in Washington D.C., said. One path includes Nasa's current plan to robotically capture an asteroid, redirect it into a high orbit around the moon and send astronauts there to explore. The report suggests that path continue with missions to the moons of Mars, then on to Martian orbit and finally to the surface of the planet. But two other paths would be less technologically daunting, NRC panel co-chairman Jonathan Lunine of Cornell University told reporters during a webcast press conference. Nasa could follow the International Space Station program, which currently costs the United States about $3 billion a year, with a series of lunar sorties, an outpost on the moon and then to Mars, the report said. The last path has the most stops en route to Mars, but poses the least technological risk since milestones have to be met along the way. That option would follow the space station with human missions to an orbit beyond the moon, then to an asteroid in its native orbit, then to the lunar surface, the moons of Mars, Martian orbit and then to Mars itself. Nasa would find an asteroid which is between seven and 10m wide. They would then tow or push it towards Earth so that it ends up in a stable orbit near the moon. In . 2021 astronauts would then use an Orion capsule - a manned spacecraft - . to land on the asteroid and bring back soil and rock samples for . analysis. This asteroid would also, probably in the 2030s, be used as a stop-off point for astronauts on their way to Mars. Exact . details on how Nasa plans to pluck an asteroid out of its trajectory . are not yet known, but the most recent rendering rendering shows it is . captured and held inside what looks like a giant plastic bag. The mission involves astronauts . making the journey to their captive space rock by hitching a ride on the . next-generation Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. After the Orion and the asteroid are attached, the astronauts take a spacewalk to the captured object. Once . the Orion docks with the remote-operated asteroid capture device, the . crew performs a spacewalk that sees them climb almost the length of the . conjoined vehicles to an exposed section of the asteroid they take . photos of and scoop samples from, the video shows. After . the mission is complete, Orion returns to Earth on the same path it . journeyed out on, loops around the moon included, and splashes down in . an ocean – likely the Pacific – 10 days later, as seen in the video. Nasa said it supports the panel’s findings. 'There is a consensus that our horizon goal should be a human mission to Mars,' the agency said in a statement. 'The pathways thrust of the report complements Nasa's ongoing approach.' All options will depend heavily on international, private sector and other partnerships, according to the report titled “Pathways to Exploration - Rationales and Approaches for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration.” 'We’re really talking about international collaboration of a different scale than what has been conducted in the past,' Lunine said. In particular, the United States’ current relationship with China, which is not a member of the 15-nation space station partnership, needs to be reassessed, the report said. 'Given the rapid development of China’s capabilities in space, it is in the best interests of the United States to be open to its inclusion in future international partnerships.' Nasa's Orion capsule will be one of the key components of any future attempt to land on Mars. The capsule will be responsible for launching astronauts into space and ultimately returning them to Earth. It is pictured here at the Operations and Checkout Building at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center. Its first flight will occur in December . The panel gave no specific estimate of what a Mars mission would cost. But based on past space initiatives, the public would support the endeavor. 'There is a temptation to rush to the question of dollars,' panel co-chairman and former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said. 'Dollars is the secondary question.' The pathways approach to Mars is 'a very different way of doing business,' Lunine said. Last week, Nasa Chief scientist Dr Ellen Stofan, in a series of talks across the UK, outlined the plans of the agency to undertake such a mission in the next two decades. Dr Stofan, however, as keen to stress the importance of being cautious when undertaking what would arguably be makind’s greatest accomplishment. Other organisations such as the privately funded Mars One have claimed they will land humans on Mars by 2025, but have yet to reveal much research and development that indicates such a goal is achievable. Nasa, meanwhile, is taking the careful approach. ‘We want to make sure we get living astronauts to the surface of Mars,’ Dr Stofan said according to the Guardian. ‘For us, that is a non-negotiable position. There is a lot of work to do, that’s why we need all of the space agencies around the world working together.’ | These include landing on an asteroid and building necessary components for a 2035 mission . This will ensure the first Mars-walkers survive a return trip to the red planet . China could be involved in joint projects . | e911e36f9a213848efa512f0f3f29c5999672649 |
Sam Tomkins would be happy to switch to his old half-back role for England in the Four Nations Series but he expects Gareth Widdop to claim the number six jersey. Tomkins is a certainty for England's opening match against Samoa in Brisbane on Saturday week but has come under pressure for his full-back spot from Leeds' Zak Hardaker. The former Wigan favourite, who now plays in the NRL for New Zealand Warriors, has noted the form of Hardaker, who took his spot in the Super League Dream Team this year, and welcomes the competition for the number one shirt. Sam Tomkins (left) expects to face competition from Leeds' Zak Hardaker (right) for England's full back jersey . 'I've seen a number of his games this year and he's been brilliant,' said Tomkins, who returned home when the Warriors failed to reach the play-offs but will be on the plane to Brisbane with his England team-mates on Tuesday night. 'Zak's progressing the older he gets and he's put himself in a great position. 'He has obviously been outstanding this year and (head coach) Steve McNamara's going to have some tough choices to make I think. 'But that's good. It means every week we're going to put a good team out.' With only two specialist half-backs in McNamara's 24-man squad, Widdop is expected to partner Wigan scrum-half Matty Smith but Tomkins, who began his career as a stand-off, is ready to step in if required. 'I've not spoken to Steve about that,' he said. 'It will be up to him. 'But the way I play at full-back, I do a bit of ball handling anyway so it's not massively different. I'd just get a bit more ball and try and create more than run. 'I wouldn't be bothered if I did or didn't, either one or six, if I had an England shirt on I'd be happy.' Widdop, who made the switch from full-back to stand-off after being behind Billy Slater at Melbourne Storm, was belatedly handed the England number six jersey for the World Cup semi-final last November and, according to Tomkins, has impressed in the role during his debut season with St George Illawarra. But Tomkins believes that Gareth Widdop will stay at half-back and he will not be switched there . 'Gaz has been brilliant this year,' Tomkins said. 'There were a lot of questions being asked because at Melbourne, Cooper Cronk had always been the dominant half leading the team and Gaz got the ball when Cronk didn't want it. 'People wondered whether he'd be able to do it without those others around him, but he's been the dominant half. His kicking game is pretty immaculate a lot of the time and you'd think Gaz would be that first choice at six.' Widdop and Tomkins are among six NRL-based players in the national squad, with Josh Hodgson set to join them when he links up with Canberra ahead of the 2015 season, and the former Man of Steel reckons that will help England's chances of breaking their Four Nations duck. 'They'll know a bit more about our players but being in the environment of the NRL, with tough games week in, week out, that will prepare people well for the Four Nations,' Tomkins said. 'We've got a good squad together. We're missing a couple of experienced blokes in Kevin Sinfield and James Roby that have been there in previous years but there's a lot of young lads in this team that have really stepped up in Super League and some in the NRL this year so I think we've got a great chance.' Tomkins is especially delighted with the appointment of his former Wigan skipper Sean O'Loughlin as the successor to Sinfield. 'Lockers is the ideal choice for captain,' he said. 'He's captained Wigan for a number of years and has recently been successful at doing that. 'I couldn't think of anyone else better suited to captaining their country.' Tomkins runs clear to score his hat-trick try during the Four Nations at Leigh Valley in 2011 . | Sam Tomkins moved to the NRL to play for the New Zealand Warriors . He expects Leeds' Zak Hardaker to challenge him for full back jersey . Tomkins is 'happy' to move to half-back for England in Four Nations . | 962fb57ca0678d45da3f6ea64f27432c7d76b30d |
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain forgot about England's team huddle moments before kick-off as Roy Hodgson's side beat Scotland 3-1 at Celtic Park. As the rest of the England squad came together to rouse themselves for the fixture against the Auld Enemy, Oxlade-Chamberlain appears oblivious as he makes his way to his position ready for the start of the match. The Arsenal midfielder was caught on camera trotting off as he completed his own final preparations, failing to realise he had left a gaping hole in the huddle. As the England squad come together for a pre-match huddle Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is oblivious . The Arsenal midfielder completes his own final preparations as he leaves a hole in the huddle . Team-mates call him over and Oxlade-Chamberlain jogs towards the rest of squad for the pre-match pep talk . The 21-year-old (far left) finally took his place in the huddle before England beat Scotland 3-1 . The 21-year-old's team-mates are seen calling Oxlade-Chamberlain over to listen to captain Wayne Rooney's pre-match pep talk. He leisurely turns and jogs back towards the huddle and eventually joins his team-mates. The incident obviously didn't effect the former Southampton player's performance as he gave England a first-half lead with a glancing header and set the Three Lions on the road to victory. | The England squad came together for a pre-match huddle before kick-off . But Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doesn't realise and jogs in opposite direction . The Arsenal midfield is soon called back to fill the vacant space . | 2d461e14ecec4213a9184826301087470b02274c |
Panama City, Panama (CNN) -- Panamanian officials are preparing for the return of former dictator Manuel Noriega, who is scheduled to be extradited from France this weekend, Panama's foreign minister told CNN en Español. Noriega, 77, will arrive in Panama Sunday on a flight with the Spanish airline Iberia, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Authorities are preparing to step up security to guarantee Noriega's safety in prison, Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez said Wednesday. "We have to be ready for all the possibilities in all aspects. Noriega inspires very big emotions, and Noriega's life could very well be at risk in Panama," Henriquez said. Calls for protests against the former military dictator have already begun, Henriquez said. "Noriega has some friends who still follow him. But also a large majority of the Panamanian people resent his behavior. They are already mobilizing in Panama," he said. France ordered Noriega's extradition earlier this year, responding to a Panamanian government request for the former dictator's return to face charges that he had a political rival killed. Panamanian officials want him to face justice there in the case of the killing of Hugo Spadafora, a doctor and political opponent of Noriega. Noriega was convicted in absentia of being involved with the kidnapping and killing of Spadafora in 1985. Several steps remain before the extradition, Panama's foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday. Panama's attorney general will arrive in Paris Thursday, and doctors will conduct a medical exam of Noriega Saturday, the statement said. Judicial officials in Panama will determine whether Noriega can stand trial, Henriquez said. Last year, a French court sentenced Noriega to seven years in prison for money laundering. He also was fined almost 2.3 million euros ($2.9 million), the amount of drug money he was accused of laundering through French banks. Noriega denied the charges. U.S. forces removed the ex-dictator from office during the 1989 invasion of Panama. Noriega had fled his offices and tried to seek sanctuary in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City. U.S. troops set up large speakers around the compound, blaring music at all hours, a psychological ploy to rattle the general. He surrendered in January 1990, and was quickly escorted to the United States for civilian trial. The U.S. government has portrayed Noriega as the ultimate crooked cop -- a man who was paid millions by the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia to protect cocaine and money shipments. He was convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes in the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cleared the way for Noriega to be sent to France in April 2010 after he spent 20 years in a U.S. federal prison. Noriega and his attorneys had argued the United States was violating the Geneva Convention by not sending him back to Panama, where he was seized by U.S. troops after the United States invaded that country in 1989 in Operation Nifty Package. U.S. federal courts ruled against him. Noriega's U.S. sentence, originally for 30 years, ended in September 2007 after time off for good behavior. However, he remained in prison while the French extradition issue was decided. While in U.S. custody, Noriega suffered from prostate cancer and had a stroke. | NEW: The foreign ministry says Noriega will arrive in Panama Sunday . "Noriega's life could very well be at risk in Panama," the foreign minister says . Panamanian officials want him to face charges there . The former dictator has been convicted of crimes in the U.S. and France . | 6562cd766d75308e4069d4ae6a3014c564e593e1 |
Making it rain: Serge Vorobyov, pictured, ended up getting arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after throwing $1,000 in dollar bills into the mall . A Minnesota man was only trying to spread the love when he threw $1,000 in dollar bills from the fourth floor of a mall this Black Friday. But Serge Vorobyov ended up getting arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Vorobyov, who goes by the YouTube handle 'Serge the Car Hauler,' chucked the cash from the Mall of America rotunda in Bloomington as a choir performed 'Let it Snow' on the ground floor below. He said he tossed out the cascade of bills because he'd had a rough year, including a messy divorce, and just wanted to help make others' dreams come true on the biggest shopping day of the year. 'People think it's an evil number, I thought it was supposed to be a lucky number,' he said on YouTube video explaining the event. 'I had a really tough year. My story is that I just threw out my last thousands dollars. 'I don't have enough money for a lot of things and I'm going through a horrible divorce she even took the cat and won't tell me where it is. 'I thought I'd just spread some holiday cheer, be positive, and kind of like pay it forward and make it snow money. I thought it'd be fun.' But Bloomington police did not share his vision of yuletide cheer. They arrested him and charged him with disorderly conduct. Fun: The man distributed the cash, pictured, because he thought it would be fun and help some people out but Bloomington police did not share his vision of yuletide cheer . A Mall of America spokesman told CBS News Vorobyov's actions could have caused a major disturbance and ended in someone getting hurt. He was, however, released when it was confirmed there were no injuries. 'I think all the people down there enjoyed it,' Vorobyov said. 'I know I enjoyed it, I thought it was fun.' | Serge Vorobyov chucked the cash from the Mall of America rotunda in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Black Friday . He timed it as a choir performed 'Let it Snow' on the ground floor below . He said he tossed out the cascade of bills because he'd had a rough year, including a messy divorce, and just wanted to help make others' dreams come true . But he was arrested for disorderly conduct . | 9a718067f4f1a7dc18022bae361677b0ade91810 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:07 EST, 4 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:39 EST, 4 January 2013 . The company which leased the Deepwater Horizon rig to oil giant BP has been fined $1.4billion after admitting its role in the Gulf of Mexico disaster that triggered the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Swiss-based Transocean pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act after its rig exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and spewing millions of barrels of oil into the ocean. The deal with the U.S. Department of Justice comes after BP agreed its own $4.5billion settlement with authorities back in November over criminal charges relating to the disaster. Disaster: The fire on board the mobile offshore drilling rig Deepshore Horizon following the explosion in April 2010 . The U.S. Department of Justice said Transocean admitted its crew members were 'negligent in failing fully to investigate clear indication that the Macondo well was not secure and that oil and gas were flowing into the well'. BP, which has long argued that it was not the only company responsible, said: 'In settling, Transocean has acknowledged that it played a significant role and has responsibility for the accident. Transocean is finally starting, more than two-and-a-half years after the accident, to do its part for the Gulf Coast.' Under the terms of the proposed deal, Transocean will pay its fine over five years, and the Department of Justice will not pursue further prosecution of the company. Blame: Swiss-based Transocean, which leased the rig to BP, has been fined $1.4billion after admitting its role in the disaster . Spill: Workboats are seen operating close to the Transocean Development Drilling Rig II at the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico . Assistant attorney general for the US Justice Department's Criminal Division Lanny Breuer said: 'Transocean's rig crew accepted the direction of BP well site leaders to proceed in the face of clear danger signs - at a tragic cost to many of them. 'Transocean's agreement to plead guilty to a federal crime, and to pay a total of 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in criminal and civil penalties, appropriately reflects its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster.' Halliburton, which was responsible for cementing the well, is the only company not to have settled over the disaster. BP said: 'Unfortunately, Halliburton continues to deny its significant role in the accident, including its failure to adequately cement and monitor the well.' The oil giant pleaded guilty to 14 felony . counts relating to the fatal explosion in November last year. The plea agreement . included 11 manslaughter charges, plus one felony count for obstruction . of justice relating to BP's false statements made to Congress about the . amount of oil leaking from the well.BP will pay $4.5 billion in fines and other fees to settle the charges - the largest payment of its kind in U.S. history. Last . month it was reported that BP was sending a team of investigators to . check if any further oil is leaking from the site of the 2010 spill. The . oil giant was set to investigate whether an oil sheen revealed by . satellite pictures was evidence of a possible new leak from the . containment dome put in place to secure the site, according to a CBS . News report. There were . more than 100 crew members on board the rig at the time of the explosion . on 20 April 2010, including seven BP employees and 79 Transocean team . members. Aftermath: Dead fish are seen stuck in oil in Bay Jimmy near Port Sulpher, Louisiana, in the months after the Deepwater Horizon disaster . Meanwhile the full environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is still unknown almost three years later. Oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico from the Macondo well for 87 days after the explosion before it was finally capped. Almost 70,000 square miles of the gulf were at one point covered in oil slick - an area roughly the size of the state of Oklahoma. More than 6,000 seabirds, 600 turtles and 500 dolphins were found dead as a result of the spill. Many . dolphins are still being found sick from apparent oil contamination. The full impact of the oil spill will not be estimated until the . government releases its Natural Resource Damage Assessment, which will . collect data from dozens of ongoing studies of the gulf. | Swiss-based Transocean's rig exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and spilling millions of barrels of oil . Firm pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act after admitting its crew members failed to fully investigate indications the well was not secure . BP agreed its own $4.5billion settlement with U.S. authorities in November over criminal charges relating to the disaster . | f8b0804f6e1dc91cd46a3b6f019ce927549ebd53 |
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said he had no confidence in the figures, insisting no one knows how many migrants will flock to Britain . The number of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants expected when the UK opens its doors next January was put at just 12,700, according to long-hidden figures. The total, compiled under the Labour government, was immediately rejected as ‘ridiculous’ by senior Coalition figures. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the estimates, revealed yesterday after months of cover-up by ministers, were drawn up by Labour after comparing the two countries to Poland, which has sent around one million people to the UK. The document predicts just 4,613 Bulgarians, out of a population of 7.5million, will come to Britain every year, along with 8,156 Romanians – a tiny fraction of its 21.4million inhabitants. Addressing Westminster journalists, Mr Pickles said he had ‘no confidence’ in the figures and that was why ministers chose not to publicise them, though he said they were slipped out on a Whitehall website in 2011. The total of 12,769 is very similar to the 13,000 Labour ministers claimed would come to the UK in 2004, when immigration restrictions were lifted on Poland and nine other Eastern European countries. In the event, more than a million people have flocked to Britain from Poland alone over the last nine years. Mr Pickles revealed that the research existed in a television interview in January, but immigration minister Mark Harper refused to release the study, saying it would not be ‘helpful’. The Home Office had even sought to claim that no such estimates existed. Yesterday Mr Pickles said: ‘These are calculations. I don’t have any confidence in them whatsoever.’ He added that he doesn’t know how many immigrants will come to the UK in January but hopes it will be lower than in 2004, when many other EU countries refused to lift restrictions at the same time as Britain. Ministers are drawing up a package of emergency measures to deter Romanian and Bulgarian migrants from flocking to Britain when limits are lifted next year . He said: ‘Last time, we, Ireland and Sweden opened up our boundaries, when France and Germany and Spain didn’t open up their boundaries, so a disproportionately large number of Poles came to the UK. ‘This time everyone is opening up at the same time. If you combine Romania and Bulgaria they don’t even meet the level of the Polish population.’ He added: ‘Bulgarians and Romanians have a link with Spain and with France.’ The campaign group Migration Watch UK has estimated up to 75,000 Romanians and Bulgarians could enter the UK a year. Commenting on the figures, chairman . Sir Andrew Green said: ‘We regard the estimate as much too low and agree . with Mr Pickles that it is not a sufficient basis for policy. ‘For a start it ignores the two . million Romanians in Spain and Italy, many of whom are now unemployed . and might move to Northern Europe.’ Mr Pickles added: ‘No matter how many fancy calculations you can make, I don’t know. The truth is nobody really knows. ‘All the government can do is be . careful about pull factors that might range from the health service to . housing and benefits to try to ensure there isn’t an extra attraction to . come here.’ Ministers are making plans to require . new immigrants to register to use public services or claim benefits. The Government is also considering sending home those who fail to find . work. Minister for local government Brandon Lewis denied there had been a cover-up. He said: ‘We have been open and transparent in publishing research . . . ‘This analysis was produced by the . last administration, and should be treated with extreme caution given . how unreliable their statistics have been historically.’ | Formula suggests 4,613 Bulgarians and 8,155 Romanians will head to UK . But Communities Secretary says he has 'no confidence' in the figures . | 2ee7eb8887cf0fd01a8d06a5bc32d3b3a107c87d |
Bath, Maine (CNN) -- Under clear, blue skies, a ship dedicated to fallen Medal of Honor recipient and Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy was christened Saturday by his mother, Maureen, at Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine. "I feel not only Michael's presence, but that ship embodies the spirits of Michael and his teammates," Murphy's father, Daniel, told CNN. Following tradition, Murphy's mother cracked a bottle of champagne against the hull of the USS Michael Murphy. "Happy Birthday, son!" Murphy's mom said on what would have been her son's 35th birthday. His life was cut short in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2005. Dr. Josh Appel, an Air Force Reserve flight surgeon, helped retrieve Murphy's body after a firefight that claimed the lives of 18 other troops, including 2 SEALs from Murphy's team. Appel called the christening "a symbolic gesture that brings Michael's spirit into the ship." Murphy's team -- on a mission to go after a Taliban leader -- was ambushed when the troops were outnumbered by Taliban fighters. Murphy was honored for his courage by running into a clearing to call for help despite exposing himself to enemy fire. He was hit with two bullets in his back, but continued to seek help on the call. His final words to his command belied the deadly attack under way: "Thank you," he said. "We can never repay, but must never ever forget," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, in front of more than 2,000 people at the shipyard. The ship's dedication comes during a week of honors for Navy SEALs. Members of the elite special ops force killed Osama bin Laden during a 38-minute operation early Monday in Pakistan. "You're going to have good days. You're going to have bad days," Rear Adm. Garry Bonelli told CNN. "What we're trying to do is defend freedom and follow out the president's orders. That's what we're all about." The destroyer will be moved to a dry dock for several months while workers put the final touches on it. The lettering on the stern of the ship doesn't need any more work. It says, "Michael Murphy," but among its admirers, it's already being called "the Murph." | USS Michael Murphy named for Medal of Honor recipient . Murphy, a Navy SEAL lieutenant, was killed in 2005 in Afghanistan . His namesake destroyer was christened by his mother at a shipyard in Maine . | fba04e916a51c56e94ef8a301ec35891748a89d3 |
Britain and its NATO allies spent billions freeing Libyans from the evil clutches of Colonel Gaddafi, but what exactly has replaced him? Democratic elections are still some way away, there's serious unrest in several cities and today a United Nations report reveal that up to 8,000 pro-Gaddafi supporters were being held by militia groups in Libya. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay claimed they are being held in appalling conditions and are being abused and tortured. While Amnesty International state that detainees have died after being tortured by militias in detention centres. Tension: Libya's former rebel fighters, at a checkpoint near the town of Bani Walid. The new government says it will strike back if Gadaffi . supporters were behind deadly clashes in the town. Their claims were strengthened by . allegations of brutality in Misrata by the aid agency Medicins Sans . Frontieres, who have pulled out their staff. The organisation's medical staff said . they were were being asked to patch up detainees mid-way through . torture sessions so they could go back for more abuse. The agency said it was in Misrata, . about 130 miles east of the Libyan capital and scene of some of the . fiercest battles in the conflict, to treat war-wounded detainees but was . instead having to treat fresh wounds. Meantime, the UN's Mrs Pillay said the problem was down to militias working outside of government control. She added: 'The lack of oversight by the central authorities creates an environment conducive to torture and ill treatment. My staff have received alarming reports that this is happening in places of detention that they have visited.' Abuse claims: Ibrahim Mohammed says he was tortured at the . hands of the Gharyan city forces earlier this month. His claims support assertions by the United . Nations that torture and violence is widespread . General Director of MSF Christopher Stokes reinforced the UN assertions and said: 'Patients were brought to us in the middle of interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for more interrogation. 'This . is unacceptable. Our role is to provide medical care to war casualties . and sick detainees, not to repeatedly treat the same patients between . torture sessions. The agency said it has raised the issue with the authorities in Misrata and with the national army. 'No action was taken,' said Stokes. 'We have therefore come to the decision to suspend our medical . activities in the detention centres.' Rights . groups have repeatedly raised concerns about torture being used against . people, many of them sub-Saharan Africans, suspected of having fought . for Muammar Gaddafi's forces during Libya's nine-month civil war. Regime change: The UN insist abuses are still commonplace following the fall of Libyan dictator Gadaffi, right. While yesterday Libyan Defence Minister Osama Juili, left, said that the government was control of the country. Reports of the mistreatment and . disappearances of suspected Gaddafi loyalists have embarrassed Libya's . ruling National Transitional Council (NTC), which had vowed to make a . break with practices under Gaddafi and respect human rights. The allegations are also awkward for the Western powers which backed the anti-Gaddafi rebellion and helped install Libya's new leaders. The NTC has appealed to its citizens not to carry out reprisals against Gaddafi loyalists and it says it will investigate any abuses. There was no immediate comment from the NTC on the aid agency's allegations. The ability of the government in Tripoli to rein in torture is limited because, in most cases, it is carried out by locally based militias who are outside the NTC's chain of command. Human rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday it had evidence of several detainees dying after being subjected to torture, including some in Misrata. It quoted one man who said he had been tortured earlier this month in the headquarters of Misrata security forces. 'They took me for interrogation upstairs. Five men in plain clothes took turns beating and whipping me,' Amnesty quoted the man as saying. 'They suspended me from the top of the door by my wrists for about an hour and kept beating me. They also kicked me.' | 8,000 loyalists loyalists being ill-treated by militia men - human rights report . Medicins Sans Frontieres pulls out of Misrata . Amnesty International claim there have been deaths at Libyan detention centres . | b06e14fce88cb5c05193d226833ad64439fd3bb5 |
By . Chris Pleasance . A jealous boyfriend who stabbed his partner 83 times with four different knives after wrongly accusing her of having an affair has been jailed for life. Cornelius Brown, 23, tortured and killed 30-year-old Jade Riley-Ward in the kitchen of her house in Somercotes, Derbyshire, in September last year. Brown then called his mother and asked her to come to the house where, still covered in his girlfriend's blood, he begged her to kill him because he 'wasn't man enough to do it.' Cornelius Brown, 23, (left) has been sentenced to life in prison after stabbing his girlfriend Jade Riley-Ward 83 times with four different knives after she told him she 'wanted space' Nottingham Crown Court heard that Jade and Brown had known each other since childhood, as Jade had been his babysitter, and they started a relationship in January 2012. But Brown's 'jealous streak' soon became apparent and nine days before her death, Jade sent Brown a text message saying she 'wanted space'. In a jealous rage, Brown became convinced that Jade was having an affair behind his back. On September 22 last year Brown visited Jade's house with mutual friend Wayne Roberts who left before Brown began his attack. Sentencing Brown to life with 20 years before being considered for parole, Judge Jonathan Teare said: 'Your attack on Jade Riley-Ward was deliberate, vicious and prolonged. 'It would not be wrong to describe it as torture. You used up to four knives to inflict 52 individual cuts on her head, face, torso and back. 'She tried to defend herself to the point that there were another 31 defence wounds to her hands and arms. She tried to stop you and not one of those knife wounds killed her outright. She essentially bled to death at your hands.' Prosecutor Richard Thatcher explained that after the killing Brown had walked around the house, leaving bloody footprints on the carpet while smoking three cigarettes. He added: 'At 3.39pm the defendant made a call to his mother. The defendant had spent a little time walking around the property. 'The defendant's mother arrived at the house by taxi and emerged from it a short time later screaming. It was a tragic 30 minutes that ended with the horrific death of Miss Riley-Ward.' Brown was sentenced to life in jail after pleading guilty to the 'vicious and prolonged' attack . The court heard that during the attack a neighbour had heard a cutlery drawer rattling and the sound of Jade screaming, while a 16-year-old boy walking past had heard Brown shout 'don't make me do it'. Jade also tried to call Mr Roberts but he said the line was cut off and when he phoned her back, four calls went to voicemail. In Brown's defence, Patrick Thompson said: 'Nothing I can say can minimise the suffering and impact on Jade Riley-Ward's family and friends, who have lost a much-loved woman. 'The real mitigation is his guilty plea. He has never denied responsibility for the killing. 'This was an act carried out in the heat of the moment, there is no evidence it was pre-meditated and clearly he was emotionally immature. 'He lost his temper and committed the most dreadful, dreadful act. He bitterly regrets what took place, he did not try to cover his tracks and blame someone else.' Speaking outside court, Jade's mother, Maria, paid tribute to her daughter as a lively, vibrant and life-loving woman with many friends. She added: 'Since her death my life has been full of dark days that only the mother who has lost her only child can have. 'Nothing can bring my daughter back. Her life ended at the hands of someone who is evil and barbaric. | Cornelius Brown, 23, has been sentenced to life in prison for murder . Stabbed girlfriend Jade Riley-Ward 83 times in September last year . Wrongly accused Jade of having an affair before torturing her . Brown then got his mother to come to the house where he asked her to kill him because he 'wasn't man enough to do it' | aebd0b94e1ae0385606bc019f22bf3e5e0fbe84c |
A new reality show announced by Lifetime on Wednesday will follow young parents who forego not only hospitals during the birthing process, but also any shelter at all. Born in the Wild will portray the men and women who decide that giving birth surrounded by only the beauty and serenity of nature and away from any doctors or modern interventions is the way to go. Inspired by the huge popularity of a YouTube video that shows a woman giving birth in a tropical creek, some critics say such a show could kick off a dangerous trend that will endanger mothers and their babies alike. Born in the Wild: Lifetime has announced they'll air a show that follows parents who decide to give birth in nature with no doctors . 'What happens when the craziest experience of a woman’s life becomes truly wild, and soon-to-be parents decide to take on an unassisted birth in the outdoors?' wonders the press release. Producers hope the answer is ratings gold as Americans accustomed to hyper sterile hospital births and who are only starting to learn of the rising trend in home births watch with rapt attention. Lifetime says the show's subjects may not be first-time parents and will be closely watched by crews. 'We’re taking extreme precautions to make sure the mothers and the babies are safe,' Eli Lehrer, Lifetime’s senior VP and head of nonfiction programming, told Entertainment Weekly. 'Our presence at these births is going to make them far safer than if they were doing it on their own.' Inspiring: The show was inspired by this woman's video, which showed her giving birth in a creek bed and has racked up 20 million views since February . However, critics saw the people who may feel compelled to 'try this at home,' as it were, won't have the luxury of a TV crew. That means these impressionable souls could be in even greater danger, the position some would say the inspiration for the show was in when she documented for YouTube her own birth in nature. YouTube user Birthinnature has just one video associated with her account, but that single offering has racked up an incredible 20 million views since it was posted in February. It shows the slow process of a woman giving birth from start to finish, while surrounded by her family, in a creek bed. 'It has had a profound effect on my mothering and for my children especially,' the mother in the video said of the nature birth. The subjects of Born in the Wild who are after that same motherly high have yet to be revealed, but Lehrer says there aren't all that many of them. 'I truly don’t think this is something people would enter into lightly,' he says. 'This is a very specific subset of people doing this.' Dangerous: Critics fear the show will encourage parents to endanger their children but producers say only a small subset of people would ever choose to participate in such a birth . | Born in the Wild will follow young parents who take home birth to the next level by leaving even shelter behind . The show was inspired by a viral YouTube video that's racked up 20M views and shows a woman giving birth in a tropical creek . Producers say no first-time mothers will be allowed and that the TV crew's presence will increase safety for the mothers--but there will be no doctors . Critics fear the show will start a dangerous trend that will endanger mother and child . | 94d7f34f1e924eca5c172ebf5835cc8c1eba0a43 |
By . Ian Garland . PUBLISHED: . 06:00 EST, 16 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:32 EST, 16 July 2012 . A classic ‘Bugatti’ left to rot in a rubbish-filled garage for almost a decade is expected to fetch more than £100,000 at auction, despite the fact it's a fake made in the 1980s. Its eccentric owner, engineer Alan Riley, bought the car in 1987, convinced it was a real grand prix-winning Bugatti Type 51 and worth up to £2million. Its true value was only discovered after Mr Riley died in 2010 and auctioneers handling his estate found it under a mountain of rubbish at his home in Worcestershire. Left to rot: The green Bugatti was left to rot in a rubbish-filled garage in Worcestershire for nine years . Classic: Eccentric engineer Alan Riley bought the Bugatti Type 51 in 1987 believing it was an authentic from the 1930s . Experts at auctioneers Brightwells discovered the 'Bugatti' was a clever fake built in the 1980s by London-based engineer Keith Butti. It has only two authentic Bugatti components, its fuel tank and the rear cross member. But the auction house, based in Leominster, Herefordshire, still expects the car to attract global attention when it is sold in September. And they're estimating the replica will fetch in excess of £100,000 when it goes under the hammer. If it was an original and authentic Type 51 Bugatti, it would be worth a staggering £2million. Classic car experts say Mr Riley went to the grave believing his car was the real thing. It had the same 2.3-litre supercharged, eight-cylinder engine. But . true enthusiasts could tell the difference and remember encountering . the car and its owner back in the 1980s and 90s, when Mr Riley would . take it to shows. Fake: It turned out to be a replica built in the 1980s, with just two Bugatti components . Value: Incredibly, experts still estimate the fake will fetch more than 100,000 when it goes under the hammer in September . David Sewell, an independent Bugatti consultant, said: 'We never had the chance to inspect this car but now we know everything about it. 'Alan never raced the car but he took it to Bugatti meetings all around the UK. He would always say it was an original . 'It is not a genuine Type 51 but it has been built to Type 51 specification. 'A real Type 51 is worth around £2million and a replica is worth about 10 per cent of that. 'If you were to build a replica it would cost £150,000 and I’d be very surprised if it didn’t fetch over £100,000 . 'It needs some TLC but will be great to see it out and on the road again.' The ‘Bugatti’, which is offered without a reserve, will go under the hammer at Brightwells’ Leominster auction on September 26. A genuine Bugatti Type 51, owned raced by 30s driver Jean Pierre Wimille . In action on the track: The same car, being raced in the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup by Wimille . | Owner died thinking it was grand prix-winning Bugatti Type 51 worth £2million . Experts, who found it rotting in his garage in Worcs, discover it's a fake built in the 80s . Still expected to fetch a six-figure sum when it's auctioned in September . | aa84d64ae90ff7bc2c43460f20e60c9472464245 |
By . John Drayton . Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become the first client of rapper Lil Wayne's new sports management company. The Portuguese superstar will not be leaving his current management, but Lil Wayne's company will be responsible for Ronaldo in the United States. According to TMZ, they will handle: 'everything from branding to marketing and endorsement deals. Even modeling.' Capitalising: Cristiano Ronaldo is looking to market himself more in America . Partnership: And he's joined Lil Wayne's sports management company to do so . 'Weezy (Lil Wayne) has been wanting to get into the sports management game for a while and has had his sights set on the Team Portugal stud ... not just because he's a huge sports star, but because they're friends.' Football has seen a huge burst of popularity growth in the United States following the success of their side during the World Cup this summer, with record TV ratings being recorded for games throughout the tournament. And this move by Ronaldo shows that he is clearly keen to strike while the iron's hot and capitalise on the situation. | Ronaldo to become client of Lil Wayne's new sports management company . Move will help the forward brand and market himself in the USA . They will handle 'everything from branding to marketing and endorsement deals. Even modeling' Real Madrid star hoping to capitalise on growth of football in the USA . Rap star Lil Wayne is the CEO of Young Money Entertainment who boast the likes of Drake and Nicki Minaj on their roster . | 2dad292821fbb2249ff7a3e3a02916dd693f49ae |
By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 07:43 EST, 9 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:15 EST, 9 August 2013 . A new business is being launched for . people around the globe who want to travel - albeit virtually - into space. Students Alex Baker and Chris Rose from Sheffield are launching low-cost space missions, taking . light-weight payloads including people's photographs, billboard-style adverts and even cakes soaring into the stratosphere for a fraction of . the cost of NASA and Virgin Galactic flights. The . prototype balloon costs just £350 and is fitted with a camera that can beam back images of the Earth's stratosphere. Scroll down for video . Sheffield graduates Chris Rose, right, and Alex Baker are offering £350 space missions. A 1.5kg capsule is attached to a helium balloon, pictured, and is capable of reaching altitudes of 23 miles. It can carry photos of people or adverts and a built-in camera can takes images high above the Earth . The capsules weigh just over 1.5kg and is about the size of a lunchbox. A helium balloon carries the capsule into the stratosphere reaching an altitude of as much as 37.6km . GPS coordinates are sent to the user's mobile phone and cameras can be remotely taken before the balloon deflates and the craft descends with a . parachute. A memory card on board the balloon-assisted spacecraft for the . University of Sheffield campaign recently carried the names of more than 2,000 . University of Sheffield students, prospective students, alumni and . academics. The students have fine-tuned their design to . allow space enthusiasts to send their own messages into orbit and capture their . own images for the same bargain price. Baker, 28, and Rose, 27, sent up their first homemade device in 2011 with a styrofoam box . containing a cheap camera lifted by a helium balloon. They tracked its progress on a GPS device, which responded to a phone call by texting back its coordinates. So far the balloon has reached altitudes of more than 23 miles (37km) which is twice the . height of the so-called Armstrong limit - an altitude beyond which humans . can't survive in an unpressurized environment. 'It’s a hobby that has really caught the imagination,' said Baker. 'The space shuttle programme cost $200 billion, so getting our . spacecraft to 37km for 350 quid feels amazing and quite a bargain.' Manned missions are not currently on the agenda but the team are . learning quickly and breaking altitude records each time they send a . capsule up. The team meet regularly to fine-tune the equipment at Baker's Sheffield home, dubbed Mission Control. These pictures were taken by Sheffield graduates . Chris Rose and Alex Baker using a camera fitted to their space . balloon. The capsule has already reached altitudes of 23 miles and the . pair are hoping to reach higher . The capsules weigh just over 1.5kg, are about the size of a lunchbox, . and rise into the stratosphere reaching an altitude of as much as 37.6 . kilometres before the balloon deflates and the craft descends with a . parachute. A memory card on board the balloon-assisted spacecraft for the . University of Sheffield campaign recently carried the names of more than 2,000 . University of Sheffield students, prospective students, alumni and . academics. The students have fine-tuned their design to . allow space enthusiasts to send their own messages into orbit and capture their . own images for the same bargain price. Chris said: “We are providing the kit for non-specialists for their own space mission. Baker, left, and Rose sent up their first homemade device in 2011 with a styrofoam box containing a cheap camera lifted by a helium balloon. They tracked its progress on a GPS device, which responded to a phone call by texting back its coordinates . 'The set-up is very intuitive and easy to understand. We . sent a cake into space to celebrate a web design company’s tenth . anniversary, so anything can be attached to the aircraft if it is light . enough. 'The highest we . have reached so far is 23 miles, but with technology advancing we are . hoping to get higher and higher as time goes on.' SentIntoSpace.com . gets off the ground at the start of October with the standard kit . costing £350 and users can install their own video camera. Customers can send anything such as messages to loved ones and advertising campaigns. Chris added: 'The sky is the limit for us when we launch in October and we hope our business takes off.' People will be able to buy starter kits to send their own messages and photos from SentIntoSpace.com in October. The standard kit costs £350 and users can install their own video camera . The students have now turned their attention to a campaign for the . University of Sheffield called 'Go Higher' aimed at attracting students . to upgrade to a place at Sheffield during this year’s Clearing process. 'The University has seen more than its share of high fliers', continued Baker, 'including astronauts, Red Arrows pilots and more, so it’s fitting for . us to be launching a campaign that’s all about reaching for the stars.' Rose said: 'We might not be in a position to . rival NASA or Virgin Galactic yet, but we hope it’s just a matter of . time. 'When you look at the cost of a Virgin Galactic ticket ($250,000) and compare it with cost of sending a picture of your dad who’s always . wanted to go into space up with us, there’s a good case for flying with . us.' | Alex Baker and Chris Rose are launching low-cost 'space missions' Their capsules are carried 23 miles into space attached to a helium balloon . It can carry people's photographs, names and even adverts . Built-in camera takes photos of the mission and sends the images to Earth . | 76928ca6cb69b648b576b1509b82f2c6bbbcfddb |
(CNN) -- People who go to Daytona Beach, Florida, by car this weekend will probably wish they hadn't -- they'll definitely stand out in a crowd. Bobby Mitchell, left, and Sheila Justin enjoy Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida. The city is being taken over by half a million motorcycle enthusiasts enjoying Bike Week, which began Friday and will end Sunday. The economy may be in a recession, but bikers aren't passing up the chance to soak up some sun and rev up their engines for a few days in Florida for the biggest motorcycle event in the country. "Every indication we've had so far is that this year's going to be a good one," said Kevin Kilian, senior vice president of the Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is the managing arm of the city's involvement in Bike Week, a 10-day event that Kilian said takes an entire year to prepare for. Events like Bike Week and its little brother, Biketoberfest, are what keep Daytona Beach running, Kilian said. With 8.5 million visitors each year, special events bring in about $1.3 billion. The two biker events alone generate $650 million of that, he said. The festival didn't always pack in a half-million people, though. In 1988, said Paul Crow, the Daytona Beach police chief at the time, the event had morphed into something very different from what it was when it started. He said he had to battle what he called "the 1 percent problem" -- the small group of gangs whose viciousness and threats against outsiders had allowed them to take over Bike Week. He decided he wouldn't have any more of their troublemaking, Crow said, so he created a task force that evolved into the office of special investigations for the Daytona Beach Police. Its specific purpose was to deal with the problem. Today, Bike Week has been restored as family-friendly event. The event has even drawn in other nearby Central Florida communities -- including Ormond Beach in the north and Port Orange and New Smyrna in the south -- giving bikers more events to attend and places to go. Bike Week caters to a wide demographic of people. "These are people with a lot of disposable income," Kilian said. "They can afford a $30,000 toy." Factors like the economy and this year's long hard winter probably got people more excited about Bike Week because it's a chance to get away, he said. "Everybody needs a break." Ken Logan, 50, a radio producer from Orlando, Florida, has been going to Bike Week for four years. He said he goes to "keep updated on motorcycle stuff as far as styles, what's done to them, meet people who enjoy bikes, to get patches and all the toy stuff, so to speak, and enjoy other people who enjoy the same thing." The ride from Orlando is only 35 minutes, and he said that's half the fun. "Everybody should go -- whether you have a bike or not -- at least once, just to take it in and see what it's about," Logan said. Bobby Mitchell, 52, also a radio producer in Orlando, grew up in Daytona Beach and has been going to Bike Week his entire life. He said it's been more fun in recent years, though. "It's more fun when you actually have a motorcycle," he said. "You get out there and ride alongside people. You're part of the roar, the noise." Not only is Bike Week becoming more family-friendly, but it's more diverse as well, with more women participants, said Kathleen Tolleson, president and CEO of Roar Motorcycles. There's even a "sisterhood bikeride" in which 35 to 50 women ride together. Daytona Beach-based Roar Motorcycles specifically markets accessories and motorcycles for women. This year, Tolleson said, the company is unveiling a new motorcycle designed by women and made specifically for women and their needs. "It's becoming more culturally acceptable, so more and more women are riding." she said. The bike has a lower seat so that a woman can use her legs and hips when picking the bike off the stand, and can put her feet firmly on the ground when stopped. Most bikes are designed for men, who have more upper body strength and longer limbs. "Women," she said, "need a lower center of gravity." The company is taking orders now, and the bikes will be available in six to nine months. | Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, began Friday and ends Sunday . Bike Week caters to a wide demographic of people . Bike Week and Biketoberfest generate $650 million, official says . | 74c5d63b6f2f373561c3da4bf9b5aac87cd2abd7 |
(CNN) -- These days, it's seems like we are all expected to do more with less. Spending hours in the office to make sure all the assigned tasks get done bleeds into our family time, and even at home, it seems there's a never-ending cycle of things that must be done. Yet studies have shown that 60-hour workweeks can result in a 25% decrease in productivity. The productivity numbers get worse as the work hours increase, because exhaustion steadily erodes judgment and performance. So what to do when there's too much to do? The key is to do less, not more (what, you've never heard a time management expert tell you the key to success is to do less?). See also: Don't let e-mail run your work life . Just say no . First, say "no" to more work. Though this might sound obvious, it's one of the hardest things to actually do. But being realistic about the amount of additional work you can take on is as important as getting the job done. A simple, "Sorry -- I'd love to help out, but I don't have the bandwidth to take that on right now," is sufficient. Negotiate . When that fails, negotiate. If your boss presents you with a project you can't outright refuse, but your plate is undeniably full, don't hesitate to point this out. Openly discuss your current deadlines and workload, and communicate both honestly and clearly. For example, you might say, "I'm currently working on X, Y, and Z. I want to return quality work in a timely way, and if I take on this new project, it will jeopardize my promised deadlines. Would you like me to hand it off to someone else, outsource it, or would you prefer to reprioritize my existing commitments?" See also: Is workplace boredom 'the new stress?' Prioritize . Focus on strategic enablers of business. Everyone has too much to do, and nobody really cares how many tasks you crossed off a to-do list if key projects keep falling through the cracks. Split your to-do lists into a Master list and a High Impact Task (HIT) list. While the Master lists tracks everything that needs to get done at some point, the HIT list includes only a reasonable number of items that can be accomplished each day, so you're constantly focused on key priorities and work on them in the proper order: . P1: You will get fired if this isn't done today. P2: A valuable long-term activity that should be done soon. P3: Someone will be unhappy if this isn't done eventually. P4: Human "pain-management" activities such as socializing or Facebook. Focus . Master the skills of concentration. Stop multitasking and focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking just dilutes your attention and fools you into thinking you're productive, when you're really just busy. Don't allow people to hold distracting conversations outside your cubicle or office door either. Limit your social media usage, and anything else that can keep you from accomplishing your most important tasks. When you find ways to do less while increasing your impact, you'll gain more time to spend on things you actually enjoy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Laura Stack. | These days we are all expected to do more work, says Laura Stack . Split your to-do lists into a Master list and a High Impact Task list, she says . Stack says to stop multitasking and focus on one thing at a time . | 895bcdb7193347336ac59e40d9896a34944e75e1 |
By . Mia De Graaf . Perched on the edge of a small ravine shrouded by luscious green forest, this magical Scottish hideaway is where JM Barrie retreated to write part of Peter Pan. Dhivach Lodge, which lies near Loch Ness, was originally built as a stop-over for shepherds on their way to market at nearby Glenmoriston in the early 1800s. With few paths and acres of wild woods, it was a haven for men trekking miles to sell their wares. Hideaway: Dhivach Lodge, a former Highland bothy near Loch Ness, became the home of JM Barrie . More than 100 years later, it became a welcome pit-stop for a very different kind of work. Over one long summer in 1910, Barrie decided to escape the buzz of Edinburgh with the three children that inspired the Lost Boys after their mother, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, died of cancer. Lost in mourning, they turned the bothy into their own version of Neverland - and as the children played, Barrie is said to have finalised the character of Peter. Now the sprawling estate - which sits in over nine acres of ground - is on the market for offers £1million. Inspiration: The writer holidayed here with the children that inspired the Lost Boys after their mother died . Magical: The bothy was originally built as a stop-over for shepherds on their way to the market up the mountain . The building began with just two tiny rooms, which are now part of the sitting room in the west end of today's Lodge. It now has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, an artist's studio, a kitchen and a dining room. There is also a cellar and a coach house. Loch Ness lies on the Great Glen fault line and is one of the three lochs joined by canal to form the coast to coast connection of the Caledonian Canal. Iconic: JM Barrie's summer here would inspire some of the qualities of the iconic character of Peter Pan . Lost boys: The five sons of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (pictured left with one of them, George) inspired the magical characters of Neverland. Barrie's notes about Michael (right) while at Dhivach contributed to Peter's character . Though still surrounded by mountainous hills, the hideaway is now catered for by local shops, restaurants and schools nearby. In the mid-19th century Dhivach Lodge became best known as being a hotspot for both the rich and famous - first being leased by Queen Victoria's favourite portrait painter, John Phillip. After his death in 1867 the lease was snapped up by his friend and fellow artist Arthur Lewis and went on to be owned by Victorian stars such as actor Henry Irvine and actress Dame Ellen Terry. In his 1881 novel Ayala's Angel, author Anthony Trollope - who also stayed in the property at one stage - wrote: 'You might perhaps travel through all Scotland without finding a more beautifully romantic spot in which to reside.' Popular: Now on the market for £1million, it was once a popular holiday spot for poets such as Trollope . Celebrities continued to be associated with the property into the 20th century and when JM Barrie took it over in 1907 one of his first visitors to the house was Captain Scott, following his first trip to the Antarctic. Dhivach Lodge now has four bedrooms, consisting of three double rooms and one single. Kevin Maley of selling agents Strutt & Parker's Inverness office said: 'Dhivach Lodge is a completely charming house which is both quirky and homely. 'It isn't difficult to see why the various owners and tenants over the years have been inundated with visitors.' | Nine-acre estate near Loch Ness was built as a stop-over for shepherds . Barrie went there with kids that inspired Lost Boys after their mother died . Over that summer in 1910 he is said to have finalised the character of Peter . Artist Mallais, poet Trollope and explorer Captain Scott also stayed there . | 3bcf4aef9ea097882643728168ccfa18af07a907 |
By . Matt Lawton . Follow @@Matt_Lawton_DM . Louis van Gaal had been asked to organise a tennis tournament. It was on a pre-season tour of America, and the then captain of Sparta Rotterdam, someone who fancied himself a bit with a racket, was happy to oblige. Only by the time Sparta’s manager Barry Hughes returned from a game of golf for what he hoped would be the latter stages of the competition, war had broken out among his players, with a raging Van Gaal at the centre of the argument. ‘It was all kicking off,’ remembers Hughes, whose Sparta side were preparing for a season in Europe back in 1983. VIDEO Scroll down to see fiery Van Gaal lose his temper in Holland training and live on TV . Brooding: Louis van Gaal does not look to happy at Holland training before their match with Spain . ‘The umpire kept calling Louis’s serves “out”. He was doing it deliberately to wind up Louis but Louis couldn’t see the funny side. 'He was like John McEnroe. But then he’s someone who wants to win that much, at whatever he’s doing. I see it as a quality but he can be a bit of a b*****d as well sometimes.’ Hughes is telling this story over a coffee in Haarlem, near Amsterdam. He’s 76 now, and retains a soft Welsh accent despite living in Holland for the past 53 years. He arrived here after serious injury denied him the chance to build a first-class career with West Bromwich Albion. He played senior first-team football in Holland instead before moving into coaching. But the man who became known as ‘The Entertrainer’ remains a respected figure. Not least for discovering a teenage Ruud Gullit and mentoring him at HFC Haarlem. Laying down the law: Van Gaal gives instructions to Wesley Sneider and (right) Robin van Persie shows strain . His eye for a player and the success he enjoyed as a manager is why Hughes is worth listening to when it comes to the new boss of Manchester United and a man about to embark on a World Cup adventure with Holland, who play Spain in Salvador on Friday. ‘I first met Louis at Sparta,’ says Hughes. ‘He was there already; the captain when I arrived. He was a midfielder. A good player. He wasn’t the quickest but he could see the situations. ‘I’d heard stories about how he used to go into the manager’s office as captain and talk about the team. When I took over he phoned me to say he wanted to talk about the team. I told him I wasn’t interested in his opinion; that I needed to form my own view of the players. And I took the captaincy off him. ‘I don’t think he liked me because of that. Even though I made him captain again in my third season, because by then we had a good team and he was playing well.’ Great Entertrainer: Barry Hughes coached Van Gaal at Sparta Rotterdam in the 1980s . They had some good players. Danny Blind, Van Gaal’s assistant with Holland in Brazil this summer, was one. Dick Advocaat was another. Born into a staunchly Roman Catholic family on August 8, 1951, Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal was the youngest of nine children. The family lived in the middle-class Watergraafsmeer district of Amsterdam, at No 64 Galileiplantsoen, a street divided by a canal with large areas of grass perfect for organising football matches. As John Haen, a neighbour, one-time team-mate and now the historian at RKSV De Meer FC, where they played together in the youth side, recalls, it was Van Gaal who organised the street matches and would ‘mostly make himself captain’. Van Gaal’s father worked at an oil company, so the family were more affluent than most in their neighbourhood. ‘We had the biggest car in the street,’ Van Gaal once said. ‘In the war my dad was the only one who had a car. He used to fetch potatoes 100 miles away in the south of the country for the people on our estate, who were starving.’ Louis was only 11 when his father died. ‘I hardly knew my dad,’ he said. ‘I was six when he got sick. He died of a heart attack. A hard time.’ Early leader: Van Gaal captained Sparta Rotterdam in the mid-1980s under Hughes . Van Gaal lived at home with his mother until he was 21. ‘I never wanted to leave home as a student,’ he recalled. ‘I was happy with my mum. My older brothers and sisters had left the house early.’ You cannot be serious: John McEnroe explodes at Wimbledon in 1981 . He was a decent footballer. But his ability on the ball was not enough to make up for a lack of pace that limited him to one non-competitive first-team appearance for Ajax, who then boasted a certain Johan Cruyff. Even now a degree of resentment exists between the two. Aware that he couldn’t make a living from football, Van Gaal trained as a teacher. For 11 years he worked for the Don Bosco school for children with learning difficulties. ‘One thing you could never accuse Louis of is laziness,’ says Hughes. ‘He was a very successful PE teacher. Great with the kids. And he’d be up at six to go to work in Amsterdam and then drive to Rotterdam for training with us at 2pm every day. ‘If I’m honest, I never thought he would make a manager. Dick Advocaat would come in and ask questions, but Louis would never say anything. I thought he’d go back into teaching and maybe run an amateur team. I obviously didn’t imagine him coaching Barcelona, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Holland and Manchester United!’ The discipline instilled in Van Gaal by his family was something he continues to ask of his players. He can be combustible. He can be outrageous, as when he famously dropped his trousers in the dressing room to demonstrate to his Bayern Munich players that he had the balls to make tough decisions. But he was also the Dutch Jimmy Hill, leading the players’ union in the battle for higher wages. And until he took the United job he was the ambassador for a national children’s charity; a role that often reduced him to tears, even on live television. The Dutch Jimmy Hill: Van Gaal (centre) led the players' union in the battle for higher wages . Van Gaal has never lacked confidence. The way he introduced himself to the Bayern players stands out. King of Europe: Van Gaal celebrates European Cup success as manager of Ajax in 1995 . ‘I am what I am: self-confident, arrogant, dominant, honest, industrious, innovative,’ he declared. Not everyone responds well to that. He clashed with some at Barcelona because of his authoritarian style, Rivaldo chief among them. Franck Ribery was hardly enamoured with him at Bayern, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a similar experience at Ajax. In his first spell at Ajax, during which the Amsterdam club won the European Cup in 1995, Van Gaal lost his wife Fernanda, mother of his two daughters, to cancer. He sees the private lives of his players as his business. Wayne Rooney should certainly expect his new manager to show an interest. ‘Van Gaal has a method of working with all his players; not just on the training pitch,’ the Holland winger Jean-Paul Boetius has said. ‘At club and international level he will invite players in. He wants to know all about your family, the way you grew up and what you do in your private life. But it is nothing to be scared of.’ Then Van Gaal will ask members of the United squad how they see themselves as players. ‘After a meal he will always have a talk or a chat,’ says Ajax centre back Joel Veltman. ‘I now have a different picture of him. He had been portrayed to me as a right bully. And that he was way above the squad. ‘But once I was training and playing under him, I found out he was a brilliant guy to talk to. He makes jokes and respects every player.’ Veltman says he has a great sense of humour. In the same address to the Bayern players, he said: ‘The man speaking to you now is the most irritating and arrogant football manager of Holland.’ That got a laugh. Contrary to what Hughes says, Van Gaal believes he was always destined to manage. Refuelling: Wayne Rooney on holiday in Las Vegas two years ago - Van Gaal will take an interest in his private life . In one biography he recalled growing up in Amsterdam. ‘When we were 13 or 14 my classmates and I used to hop over to the Ajax training grounds near our school,’ he said. ‘All the other boys went for the signatures of players. I went to look at the manager. I wanted to know what he was doing in training sessions with the players. It was the first season of the new manager, Rinus Michels. ‘There must have been a manager inside me, when I think of it now.’ The little boy who used to climb over the Ajax fence wants to show the world how good he is . . . before moving to Manchester United to see if he can help the club move on from the Fergie era. His history says he has the self-belief to succeed. Dutch football television presenter Wilfred Genee sums him up like this: ‘Louis van Gaal is a crazy man but I have to say he is capable of a lot. ‘It is just a pity that he knows so very well that he has such great qualities as a coach.’ | Van Gaal will manage Holland against Spain at World Cup on Friday . Dutchman is compared to John McEnroe when playing tennis . Van Gaal's mentor Barry Hughes says he was 'a bit of a b*****d' Franck Ribery and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have both clashed with Dutch boss . | 52060ee13a00b41e0ce7a9c166a28138e73c1bfc |
(CNN) -- NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been on the defense since November after fellow Miami Dolphins player Jonathan Martin abruptly left the team citing emotional abuse by Incognito on and off the field. Incognito adamantly maintains the two were friends who just had a crass rapport, though an NFL-sanctioned investigation found racial slurs used by Incognito and sexually explicit messages about Martin's mother and sister constituted a "pattern of harassment." The report also concluded that the two developed "an odd but seemingly close friendship." Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito investigation report released . Incognito took to Twitter in a series of messages on February 12 to clear his name, including: "I'm ready to move on with my life and career. I've been dragged through the mud for months by my 'best friend'. #betrayed #railroaded." He would publicly apologize online -- again -- to Martin less than five days later. The public beef has caused some to question Martin's toughness and others to examine the harsh environment of the pro sports locker room. But it's also worth acknowledging that the dynamic between Incognito and Martin isn't so rare -- many of us have been embroiled in what pop psychology would call a "toxic friendship." For Iz Zakaria's 21st birthday, her good friend of more than 10 years sent her a self-help book on dating -- effectively throwing a burning match into the powder keg that was their relationship since seventh grade. "It seems tiny and ridiculous, but it came near graduation, when I was facing the prospect of being unemployed and moving back home," Zakaria, now 22, wrote in an e-mail to CNN from Brunei. "It was a reminder of another part of life that I am failing at -- my love life." Zakaria wrote about her "toxic friendship" and subsequent fallout on the Web journal Thought Catalog. She attributes her self-deprecating sense of humor and fear of confrontation, in part, to the pair's drawn-out, dysfunctional accord. "Most of the time, she exploited that, she built on those jokes and got everyone to laugh at me," she says. "She made me feel like I knew nothing, that I was a child and I was immature." What you don't get about NFL bullying . What made the dynamic even more confusing, and complicated to stop, is that there were, of course, jolly times -- especially when nobody else was around to impress. But the dating book was the final chapter in their storied love-hate relationship. "You can't keep victimizing yourself like that," she says. Communication expert Lillian Glass decided to pen the book "Toxic People: 10 Ways of Dealing With People Who Make Your Life Miserable" after hearing many tales like Zakaria's. "The definition of friendship is admiration and respect, and if you don't have those two, you have nothing," Glass told CNN. When friends become bullies . There are two types of toxic friendships, says Glass: Those that start out toxic, and those that start to require a Hazmat suit over time. When a friendship starts out overly contentious or competitive, it's worth asking why you're pursuing it in the first place. You might be recreating an unhealthy pattern, perhaps modeling your relationship with a parent who belittled you as a stand-in for showing affection. "Sometimes what we don't resolve, we repeat," Glass says. On the other hand, pals can simply evolve in opposite directions -- this is particularly true in friendships that have endured since adolescence. Change, though, isn't inherently a bad thing. It's more when there is a "discrepancy in personality and values" or a friend discourages success, says psychologist Irene S. Levine. Levine also wrote a book on prickly pacts, titled "Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend." "Since friendships are voluntary relationships, it makes no sense that they bring you down," she says. She stresses in the book that people make many friends in life but only a few stick for prolonged periods. Those long-standing bonds, Levine says, are particularly hard to navigate -- or end -- because of the significant losses in cutting ties. "These people are like scrapbooks of our lives, collection of our memories. It's very nice to be able to reminisce and have someone know your roots and know you in a different phase," she says. An uncordial split could put mutual friends in an awkward situation. If the toxic friend's nature is spiteful or vengeful, there's also the potential that he or she could unleash a firestorm of secrets and confidences you shared through the years. But, Glass says, if that's their nature, they're probably already talking behind your back. "Deny it or ignore it and distance yourself," she says. "Then again, as they say, don't tell your best friend what you wouldn't want your worst enemy to know." Short of "dumping" the friend, Levine suggests there are other ways to attempt to ease the tension: Take a break from the person by speaking and seeing them less frequently. If the other party is persistent or guilt-trips you for not being around, a little white lie about scheduling could be in order. Levine says it's nice to want to maintain a longtime connection, but if none of these fixes work, the offended party must find a way to end it. Although it might be hard to address awkwardness, try to be direct but ultimately kind. And never end a friendship impulsively. "You really need to think very carefully before you do it," Levine says. "There's no going back. People will never forget that conversation." Are you or have you been in a toxic relationship? Did you make amends or call it quits? Share your experiences in the comments below. | The "friend or foe" dynamic between Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin isn't so rare . Some model toxic friendships on their belittling relationships from childhood . Longtime friendships are particularly hard to end with the storehouse of memories . | 58a66c3a56487a3d110e62339dbdc02ef73497ba |
Black clouds, spectacular lightning strikes and howling thunder have rolled across Sydney, signalling an end to a glorious weekend stretch of hot, sunny weather. The weather turned quickly on Monday afternoon as apocalyptic-looking clouds descended on the city - and more is expected along Australia's east coast over the next 24 hours. It comes as hilarious footage emerged of a woman reacting to a huge lightning strike during a storm - and went viral after it was uploaded to YouTube. When Mother Nature put on a dramatic display last week over Newcastle, north of Sydney, the woman couldn't contain herself, shrieking as she ran inside for cover. Scroll down for video . Ready for action. A cameraman gets set to record the wild weather across the harbour city . Getting a head start on the commute? The weather turned quickly from bright and sunny to dark and stormy . Spectacular lightning was seen across Sydney on Monday afternoon . Sydney streets are clogged with traffic this afternoon as the storm clouds roll across the city . An eerie build-up beyond the city as a swirl of clouds seems to swallow up the last of the day's sunlight . Sweeping through. The view from an apartment block as the dark clouds move in as a severe storm cell prepares to hit Sydney for the second time in 24 hours . Lightning strikes are being posted on social media as Sydney suffers a second series of thunderstorms in less than 24 hours . In her post, Locke Hart, says that 'lightening (sic) hits the house 4 doors down from me ultimately causing an electrical fire. Thank goodness for our fire fighters tho! 'What wacky weather today! Yeah I sound like a sissy, but I thought it was kind of funny lol.' Up to 10,000 homes were blacked out as a result of the late Sunday storms which swept through northern New South Wales. A number of fires are also burning across the state after being sparked by lightning strikes. Scroll down for more video . Australia's east coast is bracing for more storm activity in the next 24 hours and storm watchers best beware, as a woman in Newcastle proved that sometimes getting too close, can be a health hazard . More than 10,000 homes were blacked out as a result of the late Sunday storms which swept through northern New South Wales . A number of fires are also burning across the state after being sparked by lightning strikes . The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) reports that it is battling 90 blazes so far, 47 of which are deemed out of control. Most were caused by lightning strikes late on Sunday that followed scorching temperatures in Sydney and around the state, NSW RFS spokesman Ben Shepherd said. The Bureau of Meteorology reported that the unsettled conditions were being caused by a slow-moving low-pressure trough, with forecast of storms in southern and western parts of the state. Peter Zmijewski, senior meteorologist at Bureau of Meteorology, told Daily Mail Australia that the high temperatures were not unseasonal but because of the changing seasons. He said: 'This time of the year it’s a transition in the season and there are a lot of adjustments going on, this is why we can experience very hot and cold in the same day.' The November to January temperature outlooks indicate a warmer than normal season for both daytime and night-time temperatures across most of Australia. 'There's a build up of heat due to the clear sunny days which has allowed heat to build,' said Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott. 'The heat is slowly moving ahead of a slow pressure trough.' 'It's not unusual, it's the summer pattern arriving and we have a lot of moisture in the air,' said Ms Westcott. According to the Weather Bureau, this time of the year it’s a transition in the season and there are a lot of adjustments going on, this is why Australians can experience very hot and cold in the same day . Up to 10,000 homes were blacked out by the fierce Newcastle storm on Sunday . The Bureau also states that 'the Pacific Ocean has shown some renewed signs of El Niño development in recent weeks'. 'Above-average temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean have warmed further in the past fortnight.' | Storm watcher freaks out as lightning strikes . Sydney battens down the hatches as a second severe storm hits inside 24 hours . More severe weather conditions expected along the east coast . Fire and rain sparked by Australian spring heatwave . | 1fb694d3ba5d43516d26925106ef8c2689204796 |
(CNN) -- Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release from Taliban captivity was largely celebrated at first. In the ensuing days, however, several serious issues have arisen, bearing upon death, honor and the law. Were U.S. soldiers killed searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? A controversy exists over whether soldiers were killed, directly or indirectly, in the search for Bergdahl after he was taken captive by the Taliban. Former soldiers involved in the operations to find Bergdahl asserted to CNN this week that at least six soldiers were killed because of the search for Bergdahl in 2009. They provided the soldiers' names and their dates of death, with circumstances for some of them. A day later, Nathan Bradley Bethea, a former member of Bergdahl's battalion who searched for him that summer in 2009, wrote in the Daily Beast that eight soldiers' deaths were tied to the Bergdahl search. Bethea provided the eight soldiers' names -- including six names that CNN earlier reported. Asked about this point, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters Wednesday that he did not know of specific circumstances or details of soldiers dying as a result of the efforts to find Bergdahl. Bergdahl's former team leader, Evan Buetow, told CNN that, "I can't say for a fact and I don't know if there is really anyone who can prove that soldiers died on a directed mission to find Bergdahl. However every mission, especially in the following two or more months, those were directed missions. Everything after that, they were still missions that were in search of Bergdahl. ... Bergdahl leaving changed the mission." Bowe Bergdahl: Strong, well-rounded and easy to talk to, friends say . Did Bergdahl desert? An Army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded that Bergdahl left his outpost deliberately and on his own free will, according to a U.S. military official briefed on the report. The official spoke to CNN Tuesday on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. There was no definitive finding Bergdahl deserted because that would require knowing his intent -- something Army officials couldn't do without talking to the soldier. The investigation included interviews with members of Bergdahl's unit, none of whom reported seeing him go, the official said. It is "unfair" to Bergdahl and his family to presume anything about his motivations for leaving the base, Hagel said Wednesday. Secretary of the Army John McHugh said Tuesday that "a comprehensive, coordinated" review of Bergdahl's case will be conducted. The review "will include speaking with Sgt. Bergdahl to better learn from him the circumstances regarding his disappearance and captivity," McHugh said. Earlier in the week, Hagel declined to address directly detailed questions about Bergdahl's case -- particularly accusations that he deserted, as some of his former brothers-in-arm allege. Before he went missing, Bergdahl spoke of wanting to get lost in the mountains and walking to India, his comrades said. "I believe he totally deserted," said former Staff Sgt. Justin Gerleve, Bergdahl's former squad leader. Did Obama break the law? The Taliban freed Bergdahl in exchange for the U.S. release of five Taliban fighters held in Guantanamo Bay, but the Obama administration didn't tell Congress of the releases. Under law, the White House has to give a 30-day notice to Capitol Hill before any terrorists are transferred from Guantanamo. White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice defended President Obama's decision not to notify Congress. "Given the acute urgency of the health condition of Sergeant Bergdahl, and given the President's constitutional responsibilities, it was determined that it was necessary and appropriate not to adhere to the 30-day notification requirement, because it would have potentially meant that the opportunity to get Sergeant Bergdahl would have been lost," Rice said. The president did indeed break the letter of the law, said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. But there are questions about the law itself, he added. "There's two different questions here. One is, did he violate the federal law? The answer to that is most obviously yes," Turley said. "The second question is whether that law is constitutional. And the answer to that is more difficult. "This is just a notice requirement. There are thousands of such notice requirements. And the problem with the president's argument is there's no limiting principle, that he could argue that all national security laws could fall into the same unilateral power," Turley said. Hillary Clinton wanted tougher deal for Bergdahl . Did Bergdahl help the Taliban? There's no evidence that Bergdahl helped the enemy directly, though he's certainly been used in Taliban propaganda. What has partly fueled this accusation is how Bergdahl reportedly had sent e-mails to his parents denouncing U.S. activities in Afghanistan, according to a 2012 story in Rolling Stone magazine. Bergdahl's former comrades also wondered if he gave the Taliban intelligence because the enemy executed "very calculated, very methodical" strikes after Bergdahl's disappearance, said former Army Sgt. Buetow. But a U.S. official who has been briefed on the initial Army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after Bergdahl disappeared told CNN that Bergdahl's commanders referred to him as "a good soldier" in that report. Some of his teammates said he had expressed "boredom" and thought his unit was too passive and should have been "kicking down doors," the official said. Taliban video shows Bowe Bergdahl's release in Afghanistan . Was Bergdahl tortured? It's too early to say how severely Bergdahl was mistreated during his five years of captivity. Officials have yet to state the findings of their medical examination of Bergdahl following his release Saturday. A Taliban propaganda video of the handover of Bergdahl showed him looking gaunt and blinking repeatedly -- as if in disbelief or shock. "He doesn't look that bad to me," remarked Chris Voss, a former FBI lead international hostage negotiator, about Bergdahl's condition. Some experts speculate Bergdahl may have experienced Stockholm syndrome, in which he may have emotionally bonded with his Taliban captors over the five years. Why is his unit coming out against him? There's something new and something old motivating the former members of Bergdahl's unit to condemn him. First there were the immediate reports that Bergdahl was being hailed as a hero. Those accounts incensed the former soldiers. The comrades also remembered 2009 and how they searched for Bergdahl. "He walked off," former Pfc. Jose Baggett, 27, of Chicago said. "He left his guard post. Nobody knows if he defected or he's a traitor or he was kidnapped. What I do know is, he was there to protect us, and instead he decided to defer from America and go and do his own thing. I don't know why he decided to do that, but we spent so much of our resources, and some of those resources were soldiers' lives." In fact, the former soldiers say they are so outraged that they are speaking out publicly at significant peril. The former servicemen said they earlier signed nondisclosure agreements about the disappearance and search for Bergdahl, but they're now violating it. Opinion: Five tough ethics issues in Bergdahl swap . Is that illegal? The former soldiers may well be in open violation of that contract. But they say they will risk punishment. "It's certainly a possibility, but I don't think that I could have continued to go on without being able to share with you and the people the true things that happened in this situation, because if you guys aren't made aware of it, it will just go on, he will be a hero, and nobody is going to be able to know the truth," said former Army Sgt. Josh Korder, whose back is tattooed with the names of three soldiers who purportedly died while searching for Bergdahl. Army officials didn't immediately return a CNN request for comment about what consequences, if any, the former soldiers may face if they're in violation of a nondisclosure agreement. For those former troops, honor is at stake. "For me, he's a deserter. America needs to know," said Gerleve, the former squad leader. "He's back, and he needs to be held accountable." Was Bergdahl swap legal? Depends on who you ask . Official: Army will review freed soldier Bergdahl's case but it's not first priority . Bergdahl hurts Obama's most promising chance to close Gitmo . CNN's Barbara Starr and Jake Tapper contributed to this report. | Controversy roils over whether soldiers were killed because of search . Former comrades accuse Bergdahl of desertion, though Hagel asks for fairness . Obama broke the law in not notifying Congress, professor says . Former troops violate nondisclosure pact to denounce Bergdahl's actions . | 7efe0510e6af6e245a14ff448522735601981791 |
If you thought your Christmas shopping list was long, spare a thought for pensioner Mary Scholey. The 82-year-old can't afford to leave her present buying to the last minute because she has to find and wrap the perfect gift for each of her 80 grandchildren. As well as the presents Mrs Scholey, who has 10 children, remembers the names of all her 33 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren to send them all a Christmas card. Mary Scholey pictured with her growing family during a pre-Christmas get-together . Super-gran: This Christmas Mary Scholey, 82, has had to buy and wrap presents for each of her 80 grandchildren . 'I don't know how she does it, especially as she's getting older - it's amazing,' said son Stephen Gregory. 'She writes the majority or cards for herself and goes to Barnsley and Wombwell markets to find presents. It's a massive task.' Mrs Scholey who lives with her husband Raymond in Sheffield, South Yorkshire had 10 children with her first husband Jim, who died about 20 years ago. The pensioner, known as Nanan Mary by the youngest in the family, said: 'I never really thought I would have a big family but 60 years ago there wasn't that much of a choice in the matter. 'I had two sets of twins and six other children so the family just kept on growing. 'Christmas is a busy time because there are so many of us but it's nice to see everybody. It's always busy here anyway so I'm used to that. Mary Scholey, pictured with her second husband Ray, manages to remember the names of all her 80 grandchildren . 'When I first had grandchildren I told them to call me Nan because I thought Grandma sounded too old. All of the little ones call me Nanan, they just always have. 'I don't find it difficult to keep up with all the names. We are not on Facebook or anything so I get all of the news about my family through word of mouth.' Mrs Scholey's reams of relatives try to get together for special occasions, such as milestone birthdays and weddings, but it is no mean feat. As an early Christmas present for the pensioner 100 family members gathered at a Working Men's Club in Sheffield. 'It was lovely to see them all and when they saw me they were all in a queue to give me a kiss. I enjoyed that,' she said. Mrs Scholey said she never thought she would have a big family . 'When everybody was together it was easy to see how big the family really is. 'My son Stephen thought it would be a good idea to get the family together.' Her offspring included two sets of twins, and the family has just kept on growing since. Mrs Scholey's children include: mum-of-three Lesley, aged 62; 60-year-old dad-of-two Stephen; father-of-three Neil, 58; 55-year-old dad-of-four Peter; mother-of-four Vicky, 54; 50-year-old mum-of-three Debbie, and 45-year-old twins Josie and Jane, both mums-of-three, as well as mum-of- three Jacqueline and Stephen's twin Stuart, a dad-of-five, who have both passed away. Four more great, great grandchildren are due next year to join her youngest relatives, including seven-month-old Harper Blu, daughter of Neil's daughter Keeley. Mr Gregory said: 'With her having 10 children, we didn't need to produce many children for the family to grow quite rapidly. 'She gets a fair few visitors with grandchildren dropping in to see her. 'She's a classic nan in that she doesn't stand for any nonsense, but she's very loving. Family certainly comes first for her. 'Most of the family live in the Sheffield area though there are a few relatives in Austria, Jersey and Australia. 'I'd be intrigued to know if there is a bigger family in Sheffield. Ten children and almost 100 grandchildren is some going - we must be one of the biggest.' | Mother-of-ten Mary Scholey, 82, has a total of eighty grandchildren . She has 33 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren to buy and wrap presents for this Christmas . The pensioner has four more great, great grandchildren due next year . | fb2cfc2a068d3836ca993b61d8598230fd78e9b3 |
Surgery: Angelina Jolie had a preventative mastectomy but a survey found one in four British women are afraid to find out if they are at risk . British women at risk of ovarian cancer have been accused of ‘burying their heads in the sand’ after a quarter of respondents to a new survey admitted they would be ‘too scared’ to undergo DNA tests to find out whether they had a 50 per cent genetic chance of developing the disease. In the same survey, one in three claimed to have a family history of the disease, but 40 per cent said they had taken no action yet to find out their own genetic risk. Ovarian cancer is the most deadly gynaecological cancer, killing one woman every two hours in Britain. There are more than 7,000 new UK diagnoses each year, a third of which are caught at a late stage, due to lack of awareness of the symptoms earlier on. Almost one in five cases of ovarian cancer are due to a mutation in the BRCA1/2 gene, which also increases the chances of developing breast cancer to 87 per cent and is the cause of one in ten cases. Genetic testing is offered on the NHS to any woman with a family history of either disease who requests it, and now campaigners want screening to be offered to all patients at the point of diagnosis. Many who test positive for the BRCA gene mutation choose to have preventative surgery – a mastectomy (surgical removal of the breasts) and removal of the female reproductive organs – which reduces the risk of disease to ‘almost nothing’, according to experts. In 2013, actress Angelina Jolie became the highest-profile star to undergo a preventative mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA gene. Jolie has said she is considering surgery to remove her ovaries. In the months after her revelation, referrals for genetic testing in Britain doubled to 4,847 compared with 1,981 referrals in the same period in 2012, according to figures from Cancer Research UK. Whether the ‘Jolie effect’ has been sustained remains to be seen, as the UK Genetic Testing Network has not released up-to-date figures. Charity Ovarian Cancer Action released their figures ahead of Ovarian Cancer Action Month this month and are calling for women to be ‘BRCA aware’ by completing an online risk calculator on their website, ovarian.org.uk. Katherine Taylor, chief executive of the charity, said: ‘Knowing that you’re at greater risk of developing cancer can be frightening but the benefits of knowing far outweigh a temptation to bury your head in the sand.’ There’s no screening tool or routine testing for ovarian cancer, as there is with breast cancer, and symptoms are often confused, by both women and doctors, for other conditions. Of the women surveyed, more than half were unaware that persistent stomach pains and bloating could be a sign, while 33 per cent said they didn’t know of any symptoms associated with ovarian cancer. ‘We want women to know there is support and information given before and after genetic testing, and surgery is not the only option,’ added Taylor. | Ovarian cancer is most deadly gynaecological cancer, killing one woman every two hours in Britain . More than 7,000 new cases each year, a third of which caught at late stage . Almost one in five ovarian cancer cases due to mutation in BRCA1/2 gene . Survey found one in three claimed to have a family history of the disease . But 40% said they'd taken no action yet to find out their own genetic risk . | bb76a0f341ba02d9cffb9525380686a9e02b245e |
By . Rebecca Evans . It is one of the capital’s most beautiful parks, enjoyed by thousands who visit each day to stroll through 200 acres of landscaped gardens. But Gunnersbury Park in West London has been ‘desecrated and despoiled’ by travellers who left 50 tons of rubbish and filth after illegally camping there for just three days. The once perfectly manicured lawns have been churned up by cars, the turf of a cricket pitch destroyed and a picturesque bluebell wood transformed into a hazardous swamp of refuse – all at a cost to the taxpayer of tens of thousands of pounds. Scroll down for video . Wrecked by travellers: Some of the 50 tons of waste left strewn across Gunnersbury Park . Discord: Among the detritus left littering the inner London beauty spot was this smashed piano . Piles of waste, including a piano, sofas, mattresses, prams, lawn mowers, dirty nappies, toys and vast amounts of building rubble, have been left without any care or consideration. A local school sports day was cancelled, along with a weekend charity run, because of health and safety fears. Police said the travellers had come to London after attending Appleby Horse Fair in the Lake District, Europe’s largest gathering of the travelling community, where piles of rubbish were also left strewn in their wake. They are expecting more to arrive and migrate from park to park around southern England. Intimidating: One of the travellers yesterday . Itinerant: The community has now moved on to nearby Blondin Park, pictured, and set up camp there . Around 70 men, women and children in 17 caravans turned up at Grade II-listed Gunnersbury Park, the former Georgian stately home of 19th century financier Nathan Rothschild, on Sunday evening. Then, with wilful abandon, they proceeded to destroy the much-loved grounds and terrorise park-users. Hounslow Council, which estimates the clean-up bill will exceed £18,000, applied to the courts for an eviction notice. Meanwhile, police received reports of travellers – armed with guns – trying to run over walkers in their cars and threatening to kill their dogs. So worrying did the situation become that, as a last resort, the park was closed on Wednesday evening. But within a few hours the group moved to a nearby park, where they have set up camp again. Gunnersbury has now been tentatively re-opened. Dumped: Police said the travellers had come to London after attending Appleby Horse Fair in the Lake District. They are expecting more to arrive and migrate from park to park around southern England . Desecrated: The once perfectly manicured lawns have been churned up by cars, the turf of a cricket pitch destroyed and a picturesque bluebell wood transformed into a hazardous swamp of refuse . Yesterday the travellers threatened to . attack anyone caught getting too close or taking photos of their new . camp – Blondin Park in Ealing, a popular children’s play area in an . affluent residential area. One . man said to the Daily Mail: ‘If you don’t **** off, I’m going to put my . ******* foot through your camera. I do not mind going to prison for . what I will do to you.’ The . heavily tattooed, muscular man added: ‘You do not have a right to be . here. I will get all my friends here, then you’ll be sorry.’ The police soon arrived and asked the Press and local residents to leave for their own safety. Disrespect: Around 70 men, women and children in 17 caravans turned up at Grade II-listed Gunnersbury Park, the former Georgian stately home of 19th century financier Nathan Rothschild, on Sunday evening . Threatening: With abandon, they proceeded to destroy the much-loved grounds and terrorise park-users . Guns: Police received reports of armed travellers in cars trying to run over walkers and threatening to kill dogs . The legal process to remove travellers from illicit sites is a lengthy and costly one, with cash-strapped councils having to apply to the courts for eviction notices. Ealing Council leader Julian Bell said he was outraged by the actions of the travellers and wished there was a swifter way to move them. He said: ‘Our parks are being desecrated and despoiled. The beautiful green spaces around here are why people live in this glorious part of West London. It greatly angers me and it comes at such an enormous cost to the taxpayer. ‘This is not about there being any prejudice to the traveller way of life – in Ealing we have a designated park where they can stay. It is about the mess left behind, the fly-tipping, the anti-social behaviour and intimidation of park users. ‘Parks are there for everyone to enjoy, they are not campsites to be trashed. I wish we had more powers to deal with this quickly, but our hands are tied by the courts.’ Abandoned: A school sports day was cancelled, along with a charity run, because of health and safety fears . Big job: A clean up crew can be seen in the background behind a sofa which lies dumped on the green space . 'Our parks are being desecrated and despoiled': An eviction notice taped to a tree in Gunnersbury Park. Ealing Council leader Julian Bell, right in Blondin Park, said he was outraged by the actions of the travellers . Police at the scene: Yesterday the travellers threatened to attack anyone caught getting too close or taking photos of their new camp - Blondin Park in Ealing, a popular children's play area in an affluent residential area . Hounslow Police confirmed they had received several complaints of anti-social behaviour, including one of a man in a car with a gun. One regular dog walker said that in addition to the piles of rubbish, there was also human excrement. ‘One of my dogs came back from sniffing around the rubbish covered in it,’ she said. ‘I walked past their “camp” yesterday with a few fellow dog walkers and a car with two young guys in it came speeding across the field at 30-plus miles per hour. ‘I told them to slow down and just got abuse back. They nearly hit one of the little dogs.’ Tranquil: Gunnersbury Park as it usually looks . A man who runs a dog walking business said: ‘They left such a mess – piles of wood with nails in and tins of toxic paint. This is dangerous for dogs and other animals that live in the park, such as rabbits and squirrels. ‘What upsets me is not that they camped here illegally, but that they trashed the park so much. No one has a right to do that. It’s heartbreaking to see.’ A police spokesman said that following the report of a man in a car with a gun, specialist armed officers had been sent to the park. The spokesman added: ‘There continues to be an increased police presence in the park to provide reassurance to local people.’ | Travellers came south to Gunnersbury Park from the Appleby Horse Fair . Around 70 people came in 17 caravans and set up camp at the beauty spot . Hounslow Council estimates the cleaning bill will be in excess of £18,000 . | edc846a040dbfc78d380d3853f56c5476f3812a2 |
Ethnic Kurds clashed overnight with alleged members of a hardline Islamist movement in Hamburg last night, as ISIS clashes spread far from Syria. Police in the northern German city say 14 people were injured overnight in the violence involving hundreds of demonstrators before riot police were able to quell the disturbance. Police spokesman Karina Sadowsky said this morning that fighting began after hundreds of Kurds held a protest against the Islamic State group. Scroll down for video . Violent: Police walk through the mist of a water cannon during clashes in Hamburg, northern Germany, between Kurdish protesters and alleged Islamists after demonstrations outside a mosque turned violent . Crackdown: Police forces march in front of water cannons as they move in to stop the clashes in Hamburg . Police confront protesting Kurds: Police in the northern German city say 14 people were injured overnight in the violence involving hundreds of demonstrators wielding machetes and iron bars . Police surround a trio giving attention to an injured protester: Police spokeswoman Karina Sadowsky said this morning that fighting began after hundreds of Kurds held a protest against the Islamic State group . Similar protests took place throughout Europe on Tuesday by Kurds seeking to draw attention to Islamic State's onslaught against the Kurdish town of Kobani in northern Syria. The violence erupted after a standoff between the protesters, rumoured online to be supporters of the PKK, and members of a nearby mosque associated with the Salafist movement - a strict interpretation of Islam backed and funded by the Saudi regime. Local media reported that some demonstrators came armed with iron bars and machetes. Sadowsky says police used water cannons to break up the protest, and arrested 22 people. The Local reports that 400 Kurds gathered near the Al-Nour mosque after an earlier demonstration against the violence in Iraq and Syria. They were met by about 400 Salafi Muslims, according to police who said members of both groups came armed with metal bars, machetes and other sharp objects. Fighting broke out at about 11pm, prompting police to block all roads and try to drive vehicles between the two groups. After midnight police moved in with water cannon, staying on the streets in riot gear until the early hours of the morning. It's not the first inter-ethnic violence in Germany related to the current Middle East crisis. On Monday evening six people were hurt in Celle, Lower Saxony, after a brawl broke out between about 30 Muslims and 60 Yazidi Kurds. Around 60,000 Yazidis live in Germany. Ready to fight: Kurdish protesters brandish iron bars as they confront Muslims outside the Al-Nour mosque . Defending the mosque: Youths stand in front of the Al-Nour mosque, where the confrontation between Kurds and what police said were Salafist Muslims took place . Some 400 Kurds were said to have gathered at the mosque after an earlier demonstration, where they were met by an equal number of 'Salafi' Muslims. Both sides came armed with iron bars and machetes, police said . Nasty: A policewoman takes away weapons found after the fighting, while blood soaked clothes lie on the floor . Last night's violence in Germany came as at least nine Kurdish demonstrators were killed by police in Turkey as demonstrations against the government's failure to help Syrian Kurds fighting Isis just across the border turned violent. Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party had called for citizens to protest the assault on Kobane, where the situation turned 'extremely critical' overnight. Officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish eastern and south-eastern provinces, as well as the capital Ankara and in Istanbul, where cars were set on fire and demonstrators threw rocks and fireworks at police. There were rumours that in some areas police opened fire on demonstrators. Burning streets: Kurdish protesters are pictured in a street in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir as the anti-ISIS demonstrations across Turkey on Tuesday continued into the night . Explosions: Protesters throw fireworks at riot police on the streets of Istanbul on Tuesday evening . Five people were killed in Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city in the south-east, which saw clashes between protesters and police. A 25-year-old man died in Varto, a town in the eastern province of Mus, and at least half a dozen people were wounded there in clashes between police and protesters, local media reported. Two people died in south-eastern Siirt province, the governor was quoted as saying by CNN Turk Television, and another died in neighbouring Batman. Curfews were imposed in five predominantly Kurdish south-eastern provinces after the protests, in which shops and banks were damaged. Interior Minister Efkan Ala called for an end to the protests. 'Violence is not the solution. Violence triggers reprisals. This irrational attitude should come to an end immediately,' he told reporters. City on fire: A bus burned by Kurdish protesters is pictured at the Gaziosmanpasa district in Istanbul . Fighting back: Demonstrator flee as police use tear gas and water cannons in Istanbul . Violence: Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party had called for democratic action against the assault on Kobane by ISIS . Some European countries are arming the Kurds, and the American-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic extremists, but protesters say it is not enough. Tensions are especially high in Turkey, where Kurds have fought a three-decade-long battle for autonomy and where Syria's violence has taken an especially heavy toll. Protests were reported in cities across Turkey on Tuesday, after ISIS fighters backed by tanks and artillery engaged in heavy street battles in Kobane. Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Istanbul and in the desert town of Kucuk Kenderciler, near Kobane on the Turkish side of the border. One person in Istanbul was hospitalized after being hit in the head by a gas canister, Dogan reported. Some protesters shouted 'Murderer ISIS!' and accused Turkey's government of collaborating with the Islamic militants. Authorities declared a curfew in six towns in the southeastern province of Mardin, the Anadolu Agency reported. Tension in Turkey: Protesters are seen hurling rocks and stones at police in Ankara, the capital of Turkey . Supporting the Kurds: Protests were held across Turkey in support for the Kurdish fighters in Kobane . Several protesters in Ankara (pictured) and Istanbul covered their faces with scarves or gas masks . Although several calm protests were held across Europe on Tuesday, several cities in Turkey saw violence on the streets and clashes between demonstrators and riot police . Hundreds of thousands of Kurds live elsewhere in Europe, and mobilized quickly via social networks to stage protests after the advance on Kobane. Some European Kurds have gone to the Mideast recently to join Kurdish forces. In Brussels on Tuesday, about 50 protesters smashed a glass door and pushed past police to get into the European Parliament. Once inside, some protesters were received by Parliament President Martin Schulz, who promised to discuss the Kurds' plight with NATO and EU leaders. In Germany, home to Western Europe's largest Kurdish population, about 600 people demonstrated in Berlin on Tuesday, according to police. Austria, too, saw protests. Kurds peacefully occupied the Dutch Parliament for several hours Monday night, and met Tuesday with legislators to press for more Dutch action against the insurgents, according to local media. The Netherlands has sent six F-16 fighter jets to conduct airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq, but says it does not see a mandate for striking in Syria. Protesters throw stones at a police vehicle in Ankara as officers attempt to disperse the crowd . Action: Turkish riot police detain protesters after using tear gas to disperse people in Ankara . France, too, is launching airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Iraq but not in Syria, wary of implications on international efforts against President Bashar Assad. ‘We don't understand why France is acting in Kurdistan in Iraq and not Kurdistan in Syria,’ said Fidan Unlubayir of the Federation of Kurdish Associations of France. Kurds protested overnight at the French Parliament and plan another protest Tuesday. Kurds also staged impromptu protests against the Islamic State fighters in Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm. On Monday, protesters at the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus urged the international coalition to provide heavy weaponry to Kurdish fighters and forge a military cooperation pact with the Kurdish group YPG. | Kurdish protesters confronted Salafist Muslims outside a mosque . Both sides came armed with iron bars, machetes and sharp objects . Police say 14 people were injured before they could quell disturbance . Tear gas fired in Ankara and Istanbul after demonstrations erupt there . Activists are demanding more support for Kurdish fighters in Kobane . Protests spread across Europe and saw demos in Germany and France . | f90b9b286ea68e5b54d46f57727170d4ff96f4ed |
By . Simon Tomlinson . PUBLISHED: . 06:55 EST, 2 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:31 EST, 2 May 2012 . From their brunette hair to their dress sense, twin sisters Vicki and Valerie Darger have a number of things in common. But the 42-year-olds share more than just their looks - they are both married to the same man. The sisters are in a polygamous marriage with Joe, 43, who is also wed to a third woman - their cousin Alina. The Dargers, who are fundamentalist Mormons from Salt Lake City, Utah, live together in a large family home and have 24 children between them. Scroll down for video . Mutiple marriages: Joe Darger poses with his three wives, twin sisters Valerie (centre) and Vicki (right), and their cousin Alina (left) Awful lot of offspring: The quartet have 24 children (pictured) between them, from one-year-old Victoria to 18-year-old Tavish . Vicki, currently a stay-at-home mother, has been married to Joe, who runs a construction company, for 22 years. Valerie joined the family as his third wife in 2000. In the eyes of their Fundamentalist . Mormon religion, all three women are equally married to Joe. They each . have their own bedroom, and Joe alternates between the three rooms each . evening. Valerie, who works in the family cleaning business with Alina, 43, said: 'The fact that Joe was married to Vicki didn't bother me at all. I took it as a sign he would be a good husband for me as well. 'As teenagers, Vicki and I liked some of the same guys. I thought it might even be good if we married the same man.' 'I was attracted to both girls': Joe with Alina (centre) and Vicki (right) while courting together a year before they were married at a joint wedding ceremony in 1990 . 'Vicki opened my mind to it': Joe smiles for the camera after his marriage to Valerie (centre) in 2000, which was happily attended by his other wives Alina (left) and Vicki (right) Vicki added: 'I know that some people are uncomfortable at the thought of two sisters sharing a husband. 'But there's a good chance if a husband is compatible with one sister, he'll be well matched with another.' Brave . Joe was just 18 when he began dating Vicki and her cousin Alina at the . same time and married them in a joint Mormon ceremony in 1990. The . following day, Alina became his legal wife when they married again at a . ceremony under state law, while Vicki acted as witness. 'Even in our community joint courtships are rare,' said Vicki. 'We knew we were taking on a huge challenge and responsibility. 'The . accepted pattern in our culture is for a couple to prove themselves . first in a monogamous marriage, before taking on the challenges of a . second wife.' Happy family: Alina and Vicki (left image) in 1989 and twin sisters Vicki and Valerie (right) in 1997. Vicki and Alina encouraged Joe to start pursuing Valerie, who had just gone through a divorce to a man with six wives . In love: Construction company boss Joe and Valerie during their engagement in 2000 . Willing wives: Joe and Valerie (pictured here, centre, in 2004) married in a service at their Utah home in 2000, with Alina (left) and Vicki (right) standing beside them . Keeping them sweet: Joe Darger alternates between each of his wives' bedrooms every evening . Polygamy among Mormons began with the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement Joseph Smith when he declared in upstate New York in 1831 that he had seen visions telling him that 'plural marriage' should be practised. After his death in 1844, followers took polygamy to Utah, where it was practised publicly until 1890 when it was renounced by the LDS church to win statehood for the territory. During that time, Congress issued the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in 1962 which re-asserted that polygamy was illegal in all US territories. The LDS argued that such laws infringed their right to religiously-based practise under the U.S. Constitution. But a ruling by the Supreme Court in 1878 stated that they were not protected based on the long-standing legal principle that while government cannot interfere with religious beliefs, it can with practices. Various splinter groups left the church after the 1890 Manifesto in order to continue polygamy. Nowadays, there are said to be more than 30,000 people practising polygamy in Utah, Idaho, Montana and Arizona. States occasionally take action against polygamists, notably Tom Green, who was sentenced to five years in prison for bigamy in Utah in August 2001. One famous Mormon is U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, whose father George W. Romney was born in 1907 in a settlement in Mexico that had been founded in the 1880s by Mormons fleeing American anti-polygamy laws. The last polygamist in Romney’s direct ancestry was his great-grandfather Miles Park Romney, who had three wives. Romney's paternal grandfather Gaskell was monogamous and the Mormon Church outlawed polygamy in 1890. Describing their joint dates, Joe . said: 'Since Alina and Vicki were close friends and were interested in . pursuing me together, the best thing I could do was to nurture that . combined friendship. 'I was attracted to both girls and knew that individual relationships would develop in time.' Vicki and Alina had been married to . Joe for ten years when they both encouraged him to start pursuing a . relationship with Vicki's twin Valerie. Valerie . had just gone through a divorce after her marriage to an older man . Donald, who had six wives, broke down due to his gambling and abusive . treatment. One evening, while Valerie and her . five children were staying with the Darger family, she felt a sudden . spark of chemistry with Joe. Joe admitted: 'I had a connection with . Valerie, but the fact she was Vicki's twin was weird - they both had . the same mannerisms. But Vicki opened my mind to it.' Alina . added: 'I was excited at the prospect of Val becoming part of our . family. I had a genuine love and concern for her and wanted her to be . the happiest she could possibly be.' Joe . and Valerie married in another Mormon service in their home, with Vicki . and Alina standing beside them, and celebrated with a family meal. The . Dargers were investigated by state authorities several years ago for . their beliefs and attempted to keep their plural marriage secret for . many years. But two years . ago, they decided to talk about their relationship to raise awareness, . and to try to overcome prejudices against their religion and lifestyle. Although . polygamy is generally illegal in all 50 states, practitioners are . almost never prosecuted unless there is evidence of abuse, statutory . rape, welfare fraud, or tax evasion. The . three wives and their husband have co-written a book 'Love Times . Three', and some of their adult children also contributed to the story. 'We . hope that by talking about our way of life, polygamy will step closer . to being an accepted lifestyle and the laws that criminalise it might . change,' said Joe. Wants acceptance: Joe hopes that by talking about polygamy it will change attitudes and even the law . | Darger quartet live together and have 24 children between them . Twins married in Mormon ceremonies, while cousin became legal wife . Joe Darger alternates between each of their bedrooms every evening . He wants to change attitudes and even get polygamy decriminalised . | 7c95aa481082b90136d3846e7c5d34a983f001b5 |
A top European Union official said Saturday that new sanctions will be proposed within a week against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko sounded like he can't wait that long. "I think we are very close to the point of no return," Poroshenko said Saturday following an EU summit in Brussels. "The point of no return is full-scale war, which already happened in the territory controlled by separatists and where -- instead of separatists -- there are regular Russian troops." Poroshenko said the situation had worsened in the last few days and that thousands of foreign troops and hundreds of foreign tanks are now on Ukrainian territory. Russia has repeatedly denied either supporting the rebels or sending its own troops over the border. But those assertions have been roundly rejected by the West. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, speaking at the summit, said new sanctions will be proposed. "The European Council says that it stands ready to take further significant steps in the light of the evolution of the situation on the ground and it requests the commission to urgently undertake preparatory work ... and present proposals for consideration within a week," Rompuy said. Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared defiant in the face of a chorus of Western condemnation over what NATO says is clear evidence of Russian military aggression in Ukraine. Moscow doesn't want or intend to wade into any "large-scale conflicts," Putin said Friday at a youth forum, state-run Itar-Tass reported. A few breaths later, he made the point that Russia is "strengthening our nuclear deterrence forces and our armed forces," making them more efficient and modernized. "I want to remind you that Russia is one of the most powerful nuclear nations," the President said. "This is a reality, not just words." German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed in a phone call Thursday that they would have to consider tougher action against Russia. The European Union and the United States have already slapped economic sanctions on targeted Russian individuals and businesses. The union also has sanctioned certain sectors of the Russian economy, prompting Russia to retaliate with its own measures. Port city fortifies . The Ukrainian military worked to fortify the port city of Mariupol after Russian intelligence groups were observed there, Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian National Defense and Security Council, said Saturday. A CNN team saw Ukrainian forces strengthening defensive positions on the eastern outskirts of the city, reinforcing checkpoints and digging trenches along roads leading toward the Russian border. Beyond these checkpoints, the team found a small advance detachment of Ukrainian troops on the main road about halfway between Mariupol and Novoazovsk. The soldiers said it had been quiet Saturday. The CNN team encountered the first pro-Russian rebel roadblock a short distance outside Novoazovsk, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Russian border, with concrete blocks across the road and a heavy machine gun among the weaponry. A 12.7 mm heavy machine gun was among the weapons at the roadblock. The fighters would not allow the CNN team to pass through but said they should "come back tomorrow." There is a large stretch of territory east of Mariupol, some 15-30 kilometers wide depending on location, that is occupied by neither Ukrainian forces nor pro-Russian fighters. In the villages between the two "front lines" there are no signs of damage. Some stores are open and there is some civilian traffic on the roads. Long queues have formed at one checkpoint out of Mariupol as people from rural areas try to get in and out of the city. Denials 'without credibility' Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in March, following the ouster of pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych the previous month. Violence broke out in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in April, as separatist leaders declared independence from the government in Kiev. Since mid-April, the conflict between the pro-Russia rebels and the Ukrainian military has cost more than 2,500 lives, according to the United Nations. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that -- whatever the Kremlin says -- the reality is Russian troops are inside Ukraine and have fired on Ukrainian military positions. See the NATO satellite images . In response, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said NATO had previously used "images from computer games" to -- in his view -- falsely make the case that Russian troops are in Ukraine, and said the "latest accusations are pretty similar." | European Union leader: More sanctions against Russia to be considered . Ukraine's President says thousands of foreign troops are on Ukrainian soil . President of Ukraine: 'Point of no return' may come if escalation continues . Ukrainian forces bolster defenses around southern port of Mariupol . | 0c49912fba749db319ae7b44b6ca002ecdbe0762 |
Three panhandlers were arrested Wednesday for stabbing a woman to death on Hollywood's star-lined 'Walk of Fame' Tuesday night. Christine Calderon, 23, took pictures of the homeless men before she was stabbed once in the torso, according to KTLA. Police found Calderon bleeding in front of the American Eagle Outfitters around 8.30pm. Witnesses said bystanders tried to stop the bleeding. Attacked by strangers: Christine Darlene Calderon, pictured with her nephew Mahlik, was stabbed to death after taking a photo of panhandlers in Hollywood . Tragic loss: Miss Calderon was walking home from work with a male friend when she was fatally stabbed . Investigation: Police arrested three suspects in the fatal stabbing of Calderon who was murdered on Hollywood's 'Walk of Fame' Police said Christine Calderon died in front of an American Eagle Outfitters near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Los Angeles . 'The girl was just laying on the ground with blood everywhere,' Monta Cobbin, an employee of the American Eagle store, told NBC. 'Everyone was trying to help her stop the blood.' 'She was wearing jeans and I think it was a white tank top and it was covered in blood,' said a street vendor who did not want to be identified. Calderon, of Lynwood, California, was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but died during surgery around 11.40pm. Homicide detectives said Calderon was walking along Hollywood Boulevard with a male co-worker when she stopped to take a picture of a cardboard sign one of the men was holding, according to the Los Angeles Times. She had been amused by the rude words and smiley face on the sign. Distraught: Yolonde Tassin, Miss Calderon's mother, said she feared for the worst when her daughter stopped texting her back . Young life cut short: The 23-year-old was hoping to become an engineer, her devastated mother said today . Search: Police found the suspects, believed to be homeless transients, near where the stabbing occurred . The men wanted Calderon to pay $1 for the picture, but she refused, igniting a dispute that ended in Miss Calderon's life. One of the men jumped on Calderon, pushing her to the ground, as her co-worker was pinned against a wall, according to the Times. Miss Calderon was bleeding as she ran away. The suspects were identified at the scene around midnight using photographs Calderon and her friend took. The men, who are believed to be homeless, were found near the scene by homicide detectives. Police say the men are all white and in their late twenties and early thirties. Miss Calderon's mother Yolonde Tassin told the Times she became worried about her daughter when she stopped texting her back on Tuesday night. She knew Calderon was dead when detectives showed up at her home the next day. 'I said, "My daughter's dead isn't she?"' Ms Tassin said. 'And he gave me a slight nod.' The grief-stricken mother said that in the last few years, her daughter had been working to make her life better, had given up alcohol and drugs and was studying to become an engineer. She told the Times: 'She didn't want to waste years. She wanted to get in there and do it right.' Stars: Roughly 10 million visitors from around the world come to see Hollywood's 'Walk of Fame' every year . Police cautioned others to be careful when approaching anyone on the street. 'Just be aware of your surroundings and be careful. Generally, in my experience as a law enforcement officer, people, transients don’t like their pictures being taken,' LAPD Officer Cleon Joseph said. 'I'm not saying that’s a cause or reason for anything, but you just at the end of the day need to be careful,' Joseph added. The area where Calderon was killed is usually packed with tourists, attracting beggars and costumed street performers hoping to cash-in on their ignorance and demanding money for posed pictures. Calderon's family told the Times she hung out in the area with her friends. Police patrols along the street were beefed up after the fatal incident. Witnesses reported seeing armed officers on rooftops on Wednesday night. | Christine Calderon , 23, was stabbed in the stomach on Tuesday night . Three men believed to be homeless were arrested for stabbing Calderon . Police identified the men through Calderon's pictures . Her mother said that she was studying to become an engineer . | 1994ceb759193e040b8e31ac0a331cb78f9b76f0 |
Ever have one of those days where you just wanna be alone, maybe have the planet to yourself? Well, based on sheer numbers, there may be a planet just for you. Astronomers at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Hawaii, using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, estimate there are tens of billions of Earth-size, possibly habitable planets in our Milky Way galaxy. Given that there just more than 7 billion of us on this planet, that means a planet for each of us with some spares for your picky neighbors. Or a vacation planet or two for you, maybe. And the closest may be circling a star you can see if you look up into the heavens tonight. "When you look up at the thousands of stars in the night sky, the nearest sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone is probably only 12 light years away and can be seen with the naked eye. That is amazing," UC Berkeley graduate student Erik Petigura, the leader of the team that analyzed data from the Kepler, said in a press release. Lonely, young planet drifting in space without a star . To be sure, the astronomers haven't seen any of the planets themselves. They came to their conclusions like this: . The Kepler telescope photographed 150,000 of the 300 billion stars in the Milky Way every 30 minutes for four years. It looked for when orbiting planets passed between the camera and the star, causing a slight change in brightness of that star. Analyzing the data, the astronomers say, they found 3,000 planet candidates. The astronomers narrowed that number by focusing on just 42,000 stars like our sun or a bit cooler. That brought the number of planets down to 603. But only 10 of those were about the size of Earth in the so-called "Goldilocks zone," just the right distance from the star where temperatures are suitable for life as we know it. Diamonds may be produced on other planets . So how did they get a number of planets in the billions? By using a computer model with fake planets to test the validity of the algorithms used in the calculations. "What we're doing is taking a census of extrasolar planets, but we can't knock on every door. Only after injecting these fake planets and measuring how many we actually found could we really pin down the number of real planets that we missed," Petigura said in the press release. Using the data, the astronomers calculated that 22% of stars in the Milky Way similar to our sun have planets like Earth in their "Goldilocks zone." As there are about 20 billion stars similar to the sun in the galaxy, the possibilities add up quickly -- more than one for each of us Earthlings. Stargazing in the desert: The magic of Namibia's night skies . The researchers do caution, though, that despite being in the habitable zone, a planet could still not be right to host life. "Some may have thick atmospheres, making it so hot at the surface that DNA-like molecules would not survive. Others may have rocky surfaces that could harbor liquid water suitable for living organisms. We don't know what range of planet types and their environments are suitable for life," Geoffrey Marcy, UC Berkeley professor of astronomy, said in a press release. But the study gives researchers a number to work with. "The primary goal of the Kepler mission was to answer the question: When you look up in the night sky, what fraction of the stars that you see have Earth-size planets at lukewarm temperatures so that water would not be frozen into ice or vaporized into steam, but remain a liquid, because liquid water is now understood to be the prerequisite for life," Marcy said. "Until now, no one knew exactly how common potentially habitable planets were around Sun-like stars in the galaxy." The new study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was discussed this week at the second Kepler Science Conference, being held at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. Also at the gathering, scientists announced the Kepler telescope has found 833 new candidate planets, including 10 that are of the right size and right distance from their stars to host life, adding to ones previously confirmed. That brings the official list to 3,538 planet candidates found using Kepler, according to a NASA press release. Of those, smaller Earth-sized planets are most common, NASA said. | Astronomers used Kepler telescope data to extrapolate number of planets in Milky Way . 22% of sun-like stars have possibly habitable planets, research shows . Kepler has found 3,538 planet candidates to date . | 6e438616f6c9ddfbba8db3bdfca108f0b253190f |
Throughout his time at Swansea, Brendan Rodgers would frequently reference his years under Jose Mourinho and compare them to a ‘Harvard education’. It probably doesn’t bode well for the apprentice-turned-rival that Mourinho has made a habit of schooling Liverpool in league fixtures as well. Nine Premier League meetings and seven wins. Only one defeat. It is a match Mourinho simply loves; an occasion that has often drawn his sharpest comments and biggest wins. It is also a fixture, when set away from league competition, that has brought some of his biggest lows. Brendan Rodgers (left) and Jose Mourinho face up again at Anfield on Saturday afternoon . Mourinho tries to keep the ball from Steven Gerrard as last season's clash at Anfield hots up . Liverpool threw away the Premier League title against the Blues in this fixture last season . Mourinho beats his chest at Anfield last season and (right) some unheeded advice from a young Liverpool fan . Two Champions League semi-final defeats in his first spell at Chelsea and one monumental, enduring tantrum about the Luis Garcia ghost goal of 2005. Those nights ensured his relationship with Rafa Benitez is perhaps as stormy, if not worse, than the one he shares with Arsene Wenger. They are fixtures that have helped Mourinho’s legacy in England, both through results and deeds. It is a fixture that has already left a stamp on Rodgers which might yet be crucial to the story of his career. That April day last season when Steven Gerrard slipped and Demba Ba sauntered through ranks as one of the most dramatic in recent Premier League history. Liverpool were heading towards the most improbable of titles; Gerrard the most spectacular of twilight glories; Rodgers the garlands that come from transforming a team (albeit with the incredible benefit contribution of Luis Suarez). But the Liverpool captain slipped. Rodgers lost twice against Mourinho in that campaign – his first two games in the opposite dugout to the man who once mentored him in his roles as academy and reserve-team coach at Chelsea. In an interview with Sportsmail while he was at Swansea, Rodgers said: ‘Jose was simply a wonderful influence on my career. He couldn’t do enough to help a hungry young coach. Captain Gerrard slipped to allow Chelsea's Demba Ba to run through and score the opening goal . The result meant skipper Gerrard still hasn't won a Premier League title while at Liverpool . Mourinho 'consoles' Gerrard after the 2005 League Cup final, which Chelsea won . Played 18 Won 9 Drawn 4 Lost 5 . *Record in all competitions . ‘He was always interested to hear my opinions and to share his. As a young coach, you are forever indebted to people like that, who become such an influence on you.’ By then, Rodgers was speaking with the perspective of a man who had suffered bad, chastening times in management. When he finally left Chelsea after four years in 2008, he took his first management job at Watford. He did reasonably well, but upset supporters by leaving after seven months to join Reading, where he had coached prior to working at Stamford Bridge. He lasted six months before getting sacked at Reading and entering the wilderness. ‘I found it very hard to get work,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘I spent days writing my thoughts down in notepads, not a laptop, trying to learn from the experience. I like to think in ink. ‘But it was a hard time.’ He went on to Swansea and the rest is history. But it is also that background that will give him a measure of perspective when handling the pressure of this fixture against Chelsea and Mourinho at Anfield. The questioning of his judgement has never been greater than this week, having drawn enormous criticism for his team selection against Real Madrid. Willian taps home the second goal in front of Chelsea's travelling supporters at Anfield . Liverpool were not hammered, but by stacking his cards in favour of domestic matters against Chelsea, Rodgers cannot afford a bad defeat. If he wins, he will claim a measure of vindication for not setting his best side in a marquee fixture in Spain. If he loses, he will doubtless be pilloried. To think, a ‘ghost goal’ could determine whether he is seen as genius or fool. Mourinho, as one so well versed, knows the fine margins. Those Champions League defeats against Liverpool came via a disputed Luis Garcia goal and a penalty shootout. To his mind, they are a large reason he has two Champions League wins rather than four. Perhaps that goes some distance to his explaining his relationship with the club from Anfield. He caused controversy in February 2005 when a Gerrard own goal pulled Chelsea level in the Carling Cup final. Mourinho held his finger to his lips, an apparent taunt towards the Liverpool fans though later explained as a message to the press. Whatever the motive, Mourinho was sent off as Chelsea won 3-2. Rodgers (right) looks up to Jose Mourinho after coaching under him while at Stamford Bridge . But Mourinho has a tumultuous relationship with a few in football- here keeping the ball from Gerrard . Mourinho’s career is littered with such clashes of personality. With Rodgers, the relationship has remained good and affectionate, even if there have been barbs since the dynamic changed and they became rivals. Last season, after Gerrard’s slip, Rodgers accused Chelsea of 'parking two buses' and said it was 'not difficult' to coach a team to defend. It was unsporting from a decent man and Mourinho wasn’t impressed. The Portuguese took a minor swipe this week at Rodgers’ selection to face Madrid. Reflecting on April's win, Mourinho said: 'It gave the title to Man City, simple as that. Liverpool, with a point in that match, would have been champions. Without it, they lost the title. It meant nothing to us. After our defeat against Sunderland, that match meant professional pride. We were not in the race.’ And on the rivalry goes. On such sub-plots, the Premier League has always thrived. With Chelsea on an unbeaten season and Rodgers facing significant questions, the table is set for another big meeting. Like MailOnline Sport's Facebook page. | Liverpool host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime . Jose Mourinho has only lost once against the Reds . Brendan Rodgers needs a result after resting players at Real Madrid . | 963186e448b135b6c9e49918be40e7d662528fd6 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . It was opulently decorated in the style of an ornate Arabian palace, featuring more than 270 precious rubies, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. And, while this 1959 Mercedes Benz Golden Angel Wing - formerly owned by Muhammad Ali - is somewhat showing its age, the 23 karat gold-covered vehicle is still expected to get $1.5 million when it goes under the hammer in February. The original condition of the four-door sedan was overhauled in the early 1980s, complete with Arabic engravings and an interior lined with mink fur, as a gift to be given a member of a prominent Royal family. Scroll down to video . Fit for a prince: The Mercedes, known as the 'Golden Angel Wing', was originally owned by a Royal family before being gifted to Muhammad Ali, and is now up for auction . The four-door sedan, which was remodeled to resemble an ornate Arabian palace, features Arabic engravings that are meant to 'glorify god' Much of the vehicle covered in 23 karat gold, including the bumper and even the cap of the spare tire (pictured) The manual four-speed car with a column shift is encrusted with over 270 genuine gems. including diamonds . Muhammad Ali was in possession of the car for about two years in the 1980s and was usually driven in it by a chauffeur . The radio is made of gold and the buttons are fitted with rubies. Emeralds can also been seen here on the dash . The hundreds of jewels were fitted and the bumper, headlamp assembly, grill, buttons, knobs and switches are all made of hand-laid gold. Though the particular history has been kept private, the Royal - a huge admirer of Ali - arranged for the over-the-top auto to be given to the three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. Ali owned the embellished car for about two years and was usually driven around it by a chauffeur, according to the sale listing. It is currently sitting in Manteca Ford, a dealership in Manteca, California, where it will be on display for two weeks before going up for auction. 'It is meant to glorify god,' Manteca Ford owner, Phil Waterford, told Fox40 of the car. 'It has all of the earth tones - from the sand to the oceans to the trees and even all the complexions of the human race. Boxing champ Muhammad Ali, pictured here in 1991, hopes his car will go on to 'help mankind' The interior is lined with real mink fur . As seen here, the car has clocked 19,862 miles and was recently driven from Las Vegas to Manteca, California . The features of the car are noticeable Arabic-themed and ornate . Even the interior doors have fur trimmings . A recent appraisal of the car was $1.5 million and the sellers, Manteca Ford, have already received offers of $500,000 . 'Muhammad Ali's wishes are that it will help mankind.' In trying to keep that wish, the current owners, who have not been identified, reportedly plan to donate the money the car accrues at auction towards fight against world hunger. Offers of $500,000 and over have already started rolling in, Mr Waterford said. 'The appraisal on this vehicle is $1.5 million,' he said. From every jewel and minute detail, the owners have kept a thorough log to make sure nothing is missing . Definitely not your average petrol cap . Even one of the pedals has been laid in gold . A showpiece as much as a vehicle, the 6-cylinder car has clocked 19,862 miles and was most recently driven from Las Vegas to Manteca. It is a manual four speed with a column shift. 'I think it will end up in a museum,' Mr Waterford added. | 1959 Mercedes 220S was remodeled in the early 1980s as a gift for a 'prominent Royal family' It was designed to resemble an Arabian palace and is fitted with over 270 jewels, including diamonds . The Royal, an admirer of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, decided the car should go to his hero . Ali owned the car for about two years and was usually chauffeured in it . The current owners plan to donate the money from its sale to charity . | af468fb24e633c8eeef3a750a847b5a7e946faf1 |
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has revealed the club have not given up hope of persuading Winston Reid to sign a new contract, but insisted the player is in control of the situation. Reid was again impressive as the Hammers drew 1-1 with Everton in their FA Cup third round clash at Goodison Park. where goals from James Collins and Romelu Lukaku ensured the tie will be replayed at the Boleyn Ground in a week's time. Allardyce had previously said he would rather let the New Zealand defender leave for free at the end of the season than sell him in January, but it appears the club still harbour ambitions to retain his services beyond the summer. Sam Allardyce revealed the club have not given up hope of persuading Winston Reid to sign a new deal . Hammers manager Allardyce was talking on BT Sport ahead of the game against Everton . James Collins scores the opening goal of the game during the FA Cup clash at Goodison Park . Speaking on BT Sport, Allardyce said: 'It’s still an ongoing scenario with the club. I think that it’s neither one way or the other as far as Winston's concerned, we’ll just have to wait and see. Like every player he's in the driving seat.' Everton boss Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, was delighted with his team's strength and character, but felt they were unlucky to have a goal disallowed. Romelu Lukaku had his header chalked off after a supposed push on Aaron Cresswell, although replays suggested there was little in it. 'It feels very unfortunate not to be able to allow Romelu Lukaku’s goal in a physical game,' Martinez said after the final whistle. 'It was such a physical game. That (the foul) was not at the level that the game was played. It’s a normal contact, it should have been allowed. The former Wigan boss was pleased nonetheless, and felt the Lukaku's late equaliser could be a turning point in their season. ‘In the middle of a period where we are low on confidence it was a phenomenal reaction and it could easily be a turning point in our season,' he added. Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku scored a deserved equaliser in injury time at the end of the second half . The former Chelsea striker said he hoped this result could be the start of a decent run of games . Roberto Martinez (left) and Allardyce watch on during their draw on Tuesday evening . | Everton and West Ham drew 1-1 in their FA Cup third round clash . James Collins opened the scoring and Romelu Lukaku equalised late on . Lukaku had a goal disallowed for a foul on Aaron Cresswell . Sam Allardyce said Winston Reid could still sign a new contract . | 610797950ade50c7094e4ba1e349bd7a77eb0afd |
(CNN) -- Just days after "Titanic" director James Cameron traveled to the bottom of the sea, another wealthy adventurer has announced a spectacular deep ocean discovery. Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has unveiled plans to recover the F-1 engines that powered the Saturn V rocket carrying Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. "I'm excited to report that, using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar, the team has found the Apollo 11 engines lying 14,000 feet below the surface, and we're making plans to attempt to raise one or more of them from the ocean floor," the billionaire investor and entrepreneur wrote. "We don't know yet what condition these engines might be in; they hit the ocean at high velocity and have been in saltwater for more than 40 years," said Bezos. "On the other hand, they're made of tough stuff, so we'll see." Bezos said that watching that original mission as a 5-year-old in 1969 inspired him to dream big, and now he wants to undertake the huge challenge of pulling the engines up. Each of the engines weighs nearly 9 tons, and they came in a cluster of five. They provided 32 million horsepower by burning 6,000 pounds of fuel every second, and the five together put the largest rocket in history 38 miles up in under three minutes. After doing their work, the rockets plummeted into the ocean, where they have been undiscovered for four decades. NASA had some clues as to where they landed, and a piece of the debris landed on a German merchant ship, providing more clues. Robert Pearlman, a space memorabilia expert who runs CollectSpace.com, said there were a total of 65 of these engines launched. He said if the engines are able to be brought to the surface and a serial number can be found, it would be easy to authenticate the find. But bringing them up will be a challenge. "If all five are still clumped together, it will be like trying to bring up the big part of the Titanic," Pearlman said. Still, it's not the first time a lost piece of the space race era has been found. NASA's Mercury 7 space capsule piloted by Gus Grissom was found and recovered in 1999. It's just the latest instance of a well-financed businessman making a big splash discovery or extreme feat. Just this week James Cameron took a solo dive to the deepest part of the ocean, while Sir Richard Branson used millions to fund his attempts to travel around the globe in a balloon. Pearlman said Bezos' announcement came as a complete surprise to the space memorabilia world. "But that fits into the way he does business," Pearlman said, noting Bezos' other venture into space flight, Blue Origins, which aims to make human space flight cheaper and easier. "Bezos and that Blue Origins have always played their cards very close to their chest and often don't share their milestones until after they have succeeded." But profits don't seem to be behind Bezos' quest to find the F-1 engines. The rocket engines remain property of NASA and the U.S. government, and Bezos wrote that he would like to pull the engines to the surface and then have NASA put them on display at a museum in Seattle. The Saturn V engines could be priceless historically, but hard to put a cash value on. Pearlman noted that the highest price paid for a piece of space memorabilia was $2 million, paid by a Russian investor for a Soviet-era Vostok rocket. "It's hard to imagine getting two investors to get in a bidding war at auction over them," said Pearlman. "Components have sold for thousands of dollars, but they were all spare parts. But you have to have pretty deep pockets and a very big space to put something like this on display and maintain it." | Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos wants to recover engines that propelled Apollo 11 . Each Saturn V engine weighs nearly 9 tons, and they came in a cluster of five . Rockets have been underwater since Apollo 11 went to the moon in 1969 . | 74db903b1d099f7ab1b04d767526f035e37c7763 |
By . Sam Webb . The bodybuilding ex-boyfriend of a woman stabbed to death told friends and a mistress he would kill his former partner so 'no one else' could have her, an inquest heard. Tragic Gabrielle Stanley, 28, was brutally knifed at the Doncaster, South Yorkshire, home she had shared with steroid user Simon Hall, 36, on October 26 last year. She sustained 30 stab wounds in the attack and died at Doncaster Royal Infirmary later that night. Hall was also found dead at the scene and a post-mortem revealed the cause of death to be hanging. Gabrielle Stanley (left) who was found dead at her Doncaster home with ex-partner Simon Hall (right). She had been stabbed 30 times . An inquest at Doncaster Crown Court heard today that six weeks before Gabrielle was stabbed she had split up with Hall because of his infidelity and his continued steroid abuse. Despite giving Gabrielle space to begin with, Hall started to obsessively try and win Gabrielle back and even threatened suicide to get her round to his house, the inquest heard. Numerous friends and Katie Wath, with whom Hall had been having an affair with, noticed his behaviour change in the weeks leading up to the pair’s death. A statement from Miss Wath told the inquest: 'Simon was a very jealous man. He told me [after the split] "no one else can have Gabs, I’m going to kill Gabs".' Hall was also found dead at the scene and a post-mortem revealed the cause of death to be hanging . A statement from John Hall, one of the bodybuilder's close friends, recalled a conversation the two men had in the weeks before the deaths: 'He told me he was following Gabrielle on . his push bike. He didn’t really elaborate but said he’s been following . her. 'He was asking why she had left him over and over again. 'Simon said he couldn’t handle the thought of Gabrielle going out with anyone else. He said to me "if I find out she is seeing someone else I will kill her then I will kill them".' The inquest heard Hall had been going out with Gabrielle for 10 years and lived with him Doncaster for three years. Police were called to a 'disturbance' at the property, where they found Ms Stanley with multiple stab injuries . On the night of the deaths Gabrielle had been . to visit Hall to discuss the possibility of buying his share of the . mortgage and keeping the house they had shared together. Despite . the meeting being a strictly business occasion, the inquest heard that . Simon was very happy about Gabrielle coming over and had prepared a . meal, got some alcohol and had a DVD for the pair to watch. But at approximately 10pm, neighbours on the street where the pair had lived recalled hearing a woman screaming for help. Neighbour Daniel Cutts said: 'I had the window open because it was a humid night and heard a female screaming ‘"help me help me help me" as I went to look out the window there was a female lying on the street. At approximately 10pm, neighbours on the street where the pair had lived recalled hearing a woman screaming for help . 'I waited and a male came out of the house and dragged the female back into the house her body was limp and her feet were dragging along the floor. 'I shouted "Gabby, is that you Gabby?" and the man came out and said she had had too much to drink.' As Daniel worked with Gabrielle’s mother, Deborah, he made contact with the family and told them to get round fast as something had happened. A statement from a witness who saw the attack happening in the house between 10pm and 10.45pm - but who cannot be named for legal reasons - was read out in court. It said: 'She heard what is described as a high pitched scream. She heard the words "stop it, please don’t" and saw the woman curled up on the floor, laid on her side with her back against the wall. 'She saw a man walk up and then crouch over her before he started to punch and hit her.' Emergency services were called by neighbours on the street, who attended the address minutes later and discovered Hall dead and Gabrielle with severe stab wounds and covered in blood. Recording a verdict of unlawful killing for Gabrielle Stanley at Doncaster Crown Court, Coroner Nicola Mundy said: 'Gabrielle Stanley had been in a long-term relationship with [Hall] and had resided with him until six weeks before her death when she chose to end the relationship. 'Their relationship had been difficult for a long time due to [Hall's] relationships with other women, the fact that he spent a considerable time in the gym and used steroids, which affected his behaviour and made him aggressive.' Ms Mundy said that she was certain that Gabrielle had no intention of reconciling her relationship with Hall when she went over to the house they formerly shared to discuss finances. However, the inquest heard that Hall was 'obsessive' in his attempts to win Gabrielle back and was sure that she would return to him one day. Ms Mundy added: 'I consider that at some point in the evening her partner had seen the phone and realised Gabrielle was in another relationship and his hopes of reconciliation would come to nothing and that led him to carry out a severe and sustained attack on Gabrielle.'Ms Mundy recorded a verdict of suicide for Simon Hall. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or visit www.samaritans.org. | Simon Hall was 'very jealous' about Gabrielle Stanley, an inquest heard . Ms Stanley was found dead with 30 stab wounds in October . A coroner said he hanged himself at the scene after attacking Miss Stanley . The inquest heard Hall abused steroids and had an obsession with victim . | a98d3ff01168f1df51be0b3868781e8dd844c35c |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Authorities have identified the Twitter user accused of posting violent threats against the Longacre Theater, New York Police Comissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday. Kelly said the user is not located in New York City, but police were preparing to interview the person. Kelly declined to offer details on the person's exact whereabouts, but did say reckless endangerment is one of the possible charges the alleged tweeter could face. Twitter initially had refused to disclose the user's personal information to police investigating the threats, but identified the individual after being served with a subpoena. "We think in an instance like this, sort of common sense would dictate that we get that sort of information," Kelly said. "Certainly this message referred to (the mass shooting in) Aurora. Referred to a specific location. This is the type of thing that a law enforcement agency needs to know." Twitter has not responded to multiple CNN requests for comment. Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told CNN Tuesday, "We take the threat seriously, especially in light of recent attacks in Wisconsin and Colorado." Authorities said the Twitter user posted a threat about an attack at the Longacre Theater in midtown Manhattan, where former boxing champion Mike Tyson, 46, is performing his one-man show, "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth," a Broadway production that centers on his well-publicized life. Additional information about the incident was not disclosed, but authorities have bolstered security at the theater and other public areas across New York after two deadly mass shootings in Colorado and Wisconsin. Authorities' quest this week for personal user information highlights a growing conundrum for companies in the Internet age, when privacy concerns are pitted against those of public safety. | Police say person is not in New York City but will be interviewed . "We take the threat seriously," says Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne . Police have bolstered security at a Broadway theater and other public areas across New York . | b4c8679faaa56a9fefa6906ecd37ae9d87ce903a |
By . Leon Watson . The top Fifa official at the centre of bribery allegations threatening to de-rail Qatar's 2022 World Cup has been accused of organising a major gas deal to secure key votes, it emerged today. Mohamed Bin Hammam has already been accused of buying support for the Arab nation's World Cup bid by making payments to football officials from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Now it has emerged the 65-year-old Qatari brokered meetings between officials from his country and governments to discuss bilateral trade deals worth tens of millions of dollars. Pressure: Disgraced Fifa official Mohamed Bin Hammam has been accused of corruption. Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid committee has denied all links to him . The fresh allegations threaten to . blow a hole in Qatar's claim that it had no links to the former vice-president of Fifa. Qatar's 2022 bid committee said Mr Bin Hammam, the disgraced Fifa vice-president, played 'no official or unofficial role' in efforts to secure the competition and denied all wrongdoing. It said he was an 'entirely separate' individual with 'no official or unofficial role in the bid'. But The Sunday Times reported today that leaked Fifa files show how Mr Bin Hammam fixed meetings with the Qatari royal family for at least seven key members of Fifa's executive committee, including the president, Sepp Blatter. Two . secret meetings were brokered between Qatari royals and an aide to Thailand's serving Fifa member to discuss a gas deal. It happened in the . critical final months before the 2022 ballot. Documents show that the meetings were aimed at 'promoting the bilateral . co-operations in soccer developments and activities between the Qatari . FA and Thai FA'. It is also alleged he arranged for Michel Platini, the president of European football's governing body Uefa, to meet the bid committee. In the 2010 vote, Mr Platini, who has since joined calls for an investigation, voted for Qatar. Demand: UEFA President Michel Platini insists there is a re-vote for the 2022 World Cup if corruption is proven . Controversy: Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup in 2010 but allegations of corruption have surfaced . And it is also claimed Mr . Bin Hammam kept his seat on the executive committee by making payments . totalling $1.7 million to football officials across Asia. Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup four years ago at the same time Russia was handed the 2018 tournament. It was the first time Fifa had awarded two bids at the same time. But just a month before, Russian president Vladimir Putin was invited to . discuss 'bilateral relations' in sport between Qatar and Russia. Qatar's bid in particular has attracted controversy from the outset because of the extreme summer heat during the months when the cup is played and the tiny country's lack of domestic soccer tradition. Just days before the 2014 tournament kicks-off in Brazil, pressure is mounting on Fifa to take action over the allegations by stripping Qatar of the tournament and ordering a re-run of the bidding process. Today it emerged one of its key World Cup sponsors, the Japanese electronics giant Sony, has become the first to call for a probe. In a statement, Sony said: 'As a Fifa partner, we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately. New horizons: The 2022 tournament would be the first World Cup in the Middle East if it goes ahead . 'We continue to expect Fifa to adhere to its principles of integrity ethics and fair play across all aspects of its operations.' Fifa earned almost $1.4 billion last year, including more than $600 million from broadcasting rights and over $400 million from sponsors and other marketing partners. Sony is one of six main Fifa sponsors who collectively paid around $180 million last year. Sony's sponsorship agreement expires this year, giving it particular leverage as it negotiates a new deal. Labour leader Ed Miliband also told The Sunday Times that if the allegations were proven there would be an 'overwhelming case for the bidding process to be reopened immediately'. A number . of British officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and FA . chairman Greg Dyke, called for a rerun of the contest if the allegations . are proven true. Mr . Clegg wrote on Twitter: 'These are shocking allegations about the . bidding process for 2022 World Cup. If proven true, FIFA must rerun the . contest fairly and openly.' Prime Minister David Cameron agreed with Mr Clegg that the claims were . 'very serious', but insisted an investigation needed to be carried out . before any decisions were made to strip the tiny Gulf state of the . competition. The . Qatar bid committee has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said it . would 'take any steps necessary' to defend the process. The . allegations come in the midst of an inquiry by Fifa's chief ethics . investigator - the U.S. lawyer Michael Garcia - into the 2018 and 2022 . World Cup bidding races. He is expected to give his conclusions to . Fifa's ethics committee later this year. Following the allegations, Qatari officials are expected to meet Mr Garcia in Oman. In a . statement, Qatar's bid committee said Mr Bin Hammam had no association with . it and it was co-operating with Mr Garcia's investigation. The . statement read: 'The Qatar 2022 bid committee always upheld the highest . standard of ethics and integrity in its successful bid to host the 2022 . Fifa World Cup. 'In . regard to the latest allegations from the Sunday Times, we say again . that Mohamed bin Hammam played no official or unofficial role in Qatar's . 2022 bid committee. We vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing.' | Mohamed Bin Hammam, 65, already accused of breaching bribery rules . Now it has emerged he brokered government-level talks on an gas deal . Qatar's bid committee had said he played 'no official or unofficial role' But the fresh allegations threaten to . blow a hole in that claim . Pressure continues to mount on Fifa to take action over allegations . Today, Sony became the first World Cup sponsor to call for a probe . It is just days before the 2014 tournament kicks-off in Brazil . | ed4848a4a3c0c198f06ffaffe61968f17e7bd964 |
Former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester received a £1million payout from the bailed-out bank earlier this year . Former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester faces a fresh political row over his pay after it emerged he received a £1million payout from the bailed-out bank earlier this year. The news came just days after the bank was fined £400 million for rigging foreign exchange markets between 2008 and 2013 – the period during which he was at the helm. The pay committee at RBS, which is 79 per cent owned by the Treasury, approved an award of around 250,000 shares in the bank in March as part of a long-term incentive plan. Although part of an existing scheme, it could have withheld the shares. RBS was one of five banks fined by the Financial Conduct Authority and US regulators after it was found a network of traders had colluded to manipulate currency markets. RBS and Hester are no strangers to political rows over pay. Earlier this year Chancellor George Osborne was forced to prevent the bank from paying its top bankers bonuses worth twice their salary, while in 2012 Hester was forced to give up a £963,000 bonus. Hester, whose mansion in Oxfordshire is thought to be worth more than £7 million, was ousted from his role in June 2013. He now runs insurance giant RSA, owners of MoreThan. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: ‘The banks have paid large fines, but people are fed up with the fact that the bankers who have caused so much damage to our economy through their reckless behaviour can break the law and get away scot-free. 'As well as the new management taking back the bonuses of those responsible, prosecutors must look hard at whether criminal action against former senior managers and directors can also be obtained, so wrongdoers can be brought to justice.’ There is no suggestion that Hester was aware of any wrongdoing until official investigations began. Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Chris Leslie, said: ‘It will take a lot to convince me this scale of awards is truly justified. The pay committee at RBS, which is 79 per cent owned by the Treasury, approved an award of around 250,000 shares . ‘If we have moved to long-term bonuses that can be clawed back then that has to bite if we discover misbehaviour.’ Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for Wyre Forest and a member of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, said: ‘We have to make these people get it that they are responsible for these organisations. 'They are in a position to set in place mechanisms and reporting lines that means if they can’t know every single transaction, they can make sure things have been done properly.’ It was unclear last night if the Chancellor was informed by RBS that it had made the award. RBS and Hester both declined to comment. | Former RBS executive Stephen Hester received £1million payout from bank . Royal Bank of Scotland has been fined £400million for rigging markets . Exchange rates targeted between 2008 and 2013, when he was at the helm . He was given 250,000 shares in the bank as part of an incentive plan . | 179d55b12fb41e5c9df3da9276b6e853c2982f8f |
Jose Mourinho insists that he will be able to keep his second choice keeper happy at Chelsea even though Paris St Germain are ready to move for Petr Cech this week in anticipation of the Chelsea keeper being dropped for the opening match of the club’s season at Burnley. Mourinho will only reveal his starting line-up on Sunday in training but Mourinho pressed the club to bring Courtois back from his three-year loan spell at Atletico and the Belgian is expected to start at Turf Moor tomorrow. Paris St Germain want to bring Cech and Chelsea goalkeeping coach, Christophe Lollichon, to the club and if a permanent transfer cannot be agreed they would be prepared to take the player on loan, as it would help them in meeting UEFA’s Financial Fair Play restrictions. Dropped: Petr Cech is expected to be dropped for Chelsea's match against Burnley . PSG were ruled to have breached the rules last season and have been forced to limit transfer expenditure. PSG see Cech as the ideal man to help them as they bid to win the Champions League, deeming him better than current No.1, Italian Salvatore Sirigu. But Mourinho is insistent that he can keep both Courtois and Cech happy and plans to play his second-choice keeper in occasional Premier League and Champions League games to keep him motivated. Mourinho said: ‘We are Chelsea. We can have two of three best goalkeepers in the world at the club. We can. We are economically stable. . We can have Diego Costa, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres, so we can have Courtois and Cech. I can have Ramires, Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Oscar, yet I cannot have two top goalkeepers? I can. Chelsea can as a club, and I can as a manager. Preference: Jose Mourinho said having a strong goalkeeper is the most essential part of the team . Decisions: Chjelsea have arguably the two best keepers in the league in Cech and Thibaut Courtois . ‘There are teams without a good goalkeeper and that’s a big problem and that’s a problem I don’t want to have. In the team, if you ask me: “Tell me the position, the first position where you want to be strong.” I tell you: “Goalkeeper.” Lollichon would be likely to move with Cech, having worked with him since he played with Rennes in 2002-04 but Mourinho’s assistant manager, Silvino Louro, is also a goalkeeping coach and could fill the gap. Cech, like Didier Drogba, is likely to have a long-term role at the club when his contract runs out in 2016 but that would still be available to him if he spent time out on-loan for the next two years. Return: Thibaut Courtois has spent the last three years on loan at Atletico Madrid . | Jose Mourinho insists he can keep Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois happy . Courtois returned to Chelsea after three years at Atletico Madrid . PSG are interested in signing Cech, preferably on loan . | 9831500c290c150b337b9a34177f8962af3604c6 |
By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:58 EST, 24 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:01 EST, 24 August 2012 . Corey Harrington spent the first month of his life in intensive care 150 miles from home, but his parents could see him any time thanks to a webcam in the premature baby's incubator in Little Rock, Arkansas. They couldn't be there because they had another young child to care for and the father had used up his leave during the final weeks of the complicated pregnancy. So instead, Brandi and Charles Ray Harrington of Bentonville, Arkansas, used the device to further a bonding process that doctors say is crucial. The importance of feeling close to babies — for the babies as well as their parents — has transformed newborn intensive care units around the country. Instead of brief visiting hours, for instance, many allow parents 24-hour access. Keeping watch: A webcam feed on an iPad of four-month-old Emily St. Martin in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Ochsner Medical Center, at her family's home in LaPlace, Louisiana . The next step in the process involves webcam technology that has had applications ranging from peering into eagles' nests to linking soldiers in war zones with their loved ones back home. Now parents, grandparents and friends can log in to babycams in hospitals around the U.S. and several countries. At least eight domestic hospitals have installed such systems, and several dozen others are testing trial setups. Brandi Harrington said nurses at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital often put notes on camera. She read from some that were captured in screenshots: ‘I'm now 4 (pounds) 1 oz. Woohoo!’ ‘Be back soon. Pooping on my own. Gonna try to breathe on my own too. Taking the breathing tube out.’ The . UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock was among the first to install . webcams in neonatal intensive care units back in 2006, and it had to . create its own system. Now, the chairman of the hospital's OB-GYN . department has passed on his software to a Pennsylvania hospital, while . at least two companies are selling contracts for similar systems. Bonding time: Laura and David St. Martin, with their daughter Jacqueline, age two, watch their fourth-month-old daughter Emily who was born in April at 24 weeks . At UAMS and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, a speaker inside each incubator lets parents coo, talk and sing to their babies. That's not available through the 53 cameras recently installed at Ochsner Health System near New Orleans by Healthcare Observation Systems LLC of Louisville, Kentucky. Company owner Blake Rutherford says about 200 of the 600-plus NICUs caring for critically ill newborns have asked for information; he has installed six systems and has trial setups at about 40 other hospitals. The systems aren't used by doctors and nurses for clinical care in the U.S. The system made by Rutherford's company doesn't store any video. People watching a baby can take screenshot ‘photographs,’ but the video is gone as soon as it's transmitted, Rutherford said. Parents use the U.S. systems for free, . and they typically get a password — which they can share with family . and friends — to log in to a secure server to watch their baby. Developers . of the systems say they could be adapted for use with different types . of patients. For example, Rutherford said he's been asked about setting . up webcams for nursing home residents but hasn't begun developing such a . system. Babycams: At least eight U.S. hospitals have installed webcam systems in newborn ICUs, and several dozen others are testing trial setups . Laura and David St. Martin can see little Emily Jane in person every day, even though their home in LaPlace, Louisiana, is only about a half-hour drive from Ochsner. She was born April 14 at 24 weeks, weighing 1lb, 3 ounces. Still, they check on her regularly, sometimes at night. It can offer a huge sense of relief, said David St. Martin: ‘If you wake up at 2 in the morning you're able to pull her up on the camera and see she's all right.’ Sometimes nurses alert the St. Martins to events, such as when they took Emily Jane off a ventilator and substituted a nasal tube to an oxygen tank. ‘Right after they did that, Susie, her main nurse, called and said, “You need to look at the camera,”’ Laura St. Martin recalled. ‘I was at work. I looked at the camera and said, “Oh, my god!”’ Doctors at the hospital in Little Rock say webcam monitoring of newborns in intensive care is more than a feel-good gimmick in an age of instant communication. Rather, they hope to reduce a number of problems that can occur when the babies go home by increasing bonding with parents. Remote access: Parents can log in to a secure server to watch their baby in the hospital . Premature babies are more likely to be irritable or have physical or emotional problems, said Dr Curtis Lowery, chairman of the OB-GYN department at UAMS. In turn, the tiny babies are more likely to be shaken or beaten — which doctors think can be avoided through greater bonding. ‘If their parents haven't bonded with them, they'll have problems, Lowery said. A pilot study will compare bonding among parents who use the system frequently and those who use it less often. Another will see whether babies show a physical response, such as changed heart or breathing rates, to hearing their parents. Cameras are built into 21 of the hospital's 64 incubators. The sickest babies usually get the cameras, said nurse Sarah Rhoads, who also runs a telemedicine program for women who live in remote parts of the state and are undergoing high-risk pregnancies. Important service: The sickest babies usually get the cameras over their cribs, allowing parents to keep track of their recovery from home . ‘They tend to put them on babies that are going to be here a longer period of time,’ she said. Lowery said the hospital pays about $9,000 per camera. ‘With a prototype you need to overbuild,’ he said. ‘Now we're talking about a more basic version that could be sold for a couple-thousand or less.’ ‘A lot of it's about bonding and keeping families together, largely. If you live three hours away, four hours away, and your baby's going to be here four months it's hard to do that economically,’ he said. ‘This is not the same as being there but it's more like being there than talking to the nurse that's seeing and watching the baby.’ | At least eight U.S. hospitals have newborn webcam systems in place . Parents can log in to secure server and watch their newborn 24 hours a day . Babies with more severe problems who are likely to stay in the hospital longer get webcams . Doctors hope to prevent problems associated with premature babies by increasing bonding with parents . | c69d64c75845754389880f7c8798836a477afb51 |
By . Kirsten Johnson . Concern: The opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games had faced disaster over a music copyright issue . The opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games faced disaster yesterday – after the organisers realised they did not have permission to use a track by one of the world’s biggest pop stars. For more than six months, 500 dancers have been rehearsing to the Calvin Harris hit Feel So Close. But with just five days to go until the showcase event in Glasgow, which will be watched by one billion people, they were told they would have to learn a brand new routine. Games organisers claimed Harris, 30, had failed to respond to their request for permission to use his tune – so it would have to be ditched. But last night, after being contacted The Mail on Sunday, the multi-millionaire DJ and producer gave the green light for the song to be used. His US-based spokesman said: ‘Calvin has given his permission for the dance troupe to use his track. It has been cleared and approved.’ Dancers had revealed their shock after being told on Friday by events firm Jack Morton Worldwide – which masterminded the Manchester Commonwealth Games ceremonies – that they would have to perform to a new track. One said: ‘Everyone booed – we were absolutely gutted. ‘The producer said Calvin was approached last November. He said he was told Calvin’s publicist had passed the request to him but he hadn’t come back. ‘We were pretty angry and really anxious about getting new music at this short notice. We’re amateurs and what we’re doing is a lot of pressure so we need things to run smoothly.’ Now based in Los Angeles, Harris, who recently broke up with girlfriend Rita Ora, is estimated to have earned £27 million last year. Superstar: Calvin Harris (right) who recently broke up with girlfriend Rita Ora (left), is estimated to have earned £27million last year . | Games organisers claimed musician Calvin Harris failed to grant them permission to use his song during opening ceremony . Said dancers would have to learn new routing just days before event . Now musician says he will be allowing Games to use 'Feel So Close' | 113c15534fc30037ac5ce641e2522152ecbb1cbb |
By . Jonny Singer . It's a feeling every Sunday League footballer knows - you watch a Premier League game and think 'I'm better than some of those players'. Well now amateurs in the third tier of the Sunderland Sunday League have the chance to prove it, as they go up against former Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca. Arca, 33, made his debut last weekend for The Willow Pond FC, scoring in a 2-2 draw against Hylton Road Carpets Elite. Big signing: The former professional made his debut for the Sunday League team last weekend . Experience: Arca played for Middlesbrough for seven years after six seasons with Sunderland . The Argentine ex-pro, who played twice for his country at U-20 level, retired from professional football in 2013 after over a decade playing in the North East, making more than 300 league appearances. But he told the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette that after his retirement he missed the game, so he has started playing for fun. 'My routine changed a great deal when I stopped,' he said. 'Playing professionally is not something you forget in one day. I miss it. 'The lads asked me a couple of years ago if I would play for them when I retired and I always said I would. Quality: The midfielder says it will take time for his new team to adapt to his playing style . The midfielder enjoyed his debut, and the post-match drinks, but says it will take some time for his new teammates to adapt to his game. 'Playing is great for me, it gets me out of the house. And I also enjoy a couple of drinks with the lads after the match.' 'It will take me a little while to get into it. The lads will also need a little time to get used to the way I play.' In the meantime, it's a great chance for the sunday footballers of Sunderland to get one over on their former hero. For the love of the game: Arca says he will enjoy playing with the team, and going for a drink afterwards . | Julio Arca played in the Premier League for Sunderland and Middlesbrough . Midfielder retired from the professional game in 2013 . Now he turns out for The Willow Pond FC in Sunderland Sunday League Second Division . Arca scored on his debut last weekend as his side drew 2-2 . | 711a1fa355d74e300df584c1953b3763e011192c |
A coroner ruled Tuesday that a dingo, a wild dog native to Australia, caused the death of a baby more than 30 years ago. Azaria Chamberlain was just 2 months old when she disappeared from a tent during a family holiday to Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, sparking one of the country's most sensational and enduring murder mysteries. "The cause of her death was as the result of being attacked and taken by a dingo," Elizabeth Morris, coroner for Northern Territory, announced to Darwin Magistrates court early Tuesday. "Dingos can and do cause harm to humans." The girl's mother, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, long maintained that a dingo took her baby, even as she was sentenced to life in jail for her daughter's murder, a conviction that was later quashed. During the trial, a witness recounted the then 32-year-old mother's cries of a "dingo's got my baby," which was immortalized in the 1988 film "A Cry in the Dark" starring Meryl Streep, who earned an Oscar nomination for the role. Outside the court Tuesday, Chamberlain-Creighton said she and her family were "relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga." 2004 on CNN.com: Child staves off stalking dingo . "No longer will Australia be able to say that dingoes are not dangerous and will only attack if provoked," she said. Evidence produced at the fourth inquest into Azaria's death in February included reports of attacks by dingoes and dogs assumed to be part-dingo or crossbreeds. The coroner heard that in 2001 a 9-year-old boy died as a result of a dingo attack on Fraser Island in the Australian state of Queensland. Years later, two girls, each around two-years-old, died in separate attacks by dogs believed to be part-dingo in the states of New South Wales and Victoria. In her findings, Morris said no other disappearance exactly like that of Azaria had been recorded. However, she said, "it is clear that there is evidence that in particular circumstances, a dingo is capable of attacking, taking and causing the death of young children." It is a scenario that was unthinkable in 1980 when mother-of-three Lindy Chamberlain, then married to Michael Chamberlain, sparked a frantic search of a remote campsite in central Australia after claiming that a dingo took her baby. So unbelievable was the idea that dingo would enter a tent to snatch a two-month-old that suspicion soon turned to the couple. The mystery was compounded by the lack of a body. Azaria's was never found, although her heavily blood-stained singlet, jumpsuit and nappy were discovered near the campsite one week after she disappeared. Overheard on CNN.com: 'Shame it took so long' for dingo ruling to be reached . The first inquest into Azaria's death in 1981 found that the baby died as a result of being taken by a dingo. However, the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory quashed the finding later that year and ordered a second inquest into Azaria's death. At the second inquest Lindy Chamberlain was committed to trial for murder. Her husband Michael was charged with being an accessory after the fact. The prosecution alleged that Chamberlain slit her daughter's throat with a pair of scissors before hiding her body, possibly in a camera bag, before she and her husband Michael buried her somewhere in the vicinity of the campsite. The 35-day trial created a media frenzy in Australia as commentators picked apart the intricacies of the case, while a fascinated public speculated wildly as to how and why Azaria had died. The jury returned its verdict in 1982; Lindy Chamberlain was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail. Her husband Michael was given a suspended sentence. Chamberlain served four years of her sentence before the Northern Territory government ordered her release in 1986 after the discovery of new evidence; a baby's jacket, believed to be Azaria's, found half-buried near a dingo lair at Uluru. In 1988, a Royal Commission set up to review the evidence formally quashed convictions for both husband and wife. Despite the finding that the couple was not to blame, a third inquest into their daughter's death returned an open verdict in 1995. It was that verdict that the couple sought to overturn with a fourth inquest this year. | Azaria Chamberlain disappeared from a tent more than 30 years ago . Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton claimed her baby had been taken by a dingo . Prosecutors convinced a jury she was guilty of murder; conviction later quashed . Mom's reaction: "Relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga" | 6d248415d466fe06badada88eafd37ed7a23b83d |
By . Eliza Scarborough . and Anna Edwards . Millions of shoppers will be hitting . the shops and going online tomorrow as the biggest day in America’s festive . shopping calendar arrives in the UK. With . discounts of up to 70 per cent on everything from plasma TVs to party . shoes, it’s expected to get shoppers in the mood for buying and . officially kick-off the pre-Christmas rush. Known . as Black Friday in the the US, it is the first full shopping day after . their Thanksgiving holiday, and so named by retailers as it marks the . first day in the financial year when they move out of the red and into . the black. Despite not . celebrating Thanksgiving in the UK, Black Friday has been creeping over . the Atlantic for the past few years, as international giants like Amazon . and Apple seek to include UK customers in the shopping frenzy. Currys & PC World's distribution warehouse, in Newark, Nottinghamshire is all stocked up for the rush of shoppers . The warehouse is one of the largest electrical distribution centres in Europe with over 1.5M square footage of warehouse space . Bargain-hunters are set to storm the shops tomorrow to take advantage of the American version of the Boxing Day sales . Indeed, Apple are having a Black Friday Extravaganza, where top-secret shopping savings will be unveiled. Amazon . are offering ‘lightning deals’ throughout the day, when shoppers have a . fixed time in which to buy a limited number of goods at very low . prices. Samsung Galaxy Camera, HD 1080p, WAS £329.95, NOW £199, 40% . off, johnlewis.com . Morphy Richards mixer, WAS £199, NOW £99, 50% off, very.co.uk . Beats by Dr Dre headphones, WAS £169.95, NOW £129, 24% off, . currys.co.uk . LG 47LA660V Smart 3D 47” LED TV, WAS £1099, NOW £749, 32% off, . pcworld.co.uk . Samsung GS3 phone, WAS £199, NOW £99, 50% off, asda.com . Apple IPad 2 16GB, WAS £429.97, NOW £329, %, Debenhams.com . Beko GNEV221APB Fridge Freezer, WAS £749, NOW £569, 24% off, . very.co.uk . De’Longhi ECAM26455 PrimaDonna S De Luxe, WAS £1,195, NOW . £597.50, 50% off, johnlewis.com . Other retailers, like John Lewis, Debenhams, and Asda - owned by . US giant Wal-Mart - have swiftly caught on, too and are offering a string of special deals this weekend. Stores across the UK predict they will be overwhelmed by millions of shoppers - making it the biggest trading period of the year. Currys and PC World hope to cash in on the rush for bargains by offering deals on their electronics, estimating that there will be enough tablets sold to match the weight of 250,000 Christmas puddings. The iPad Air and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 are predicted to be the best performing tablets, while wireless and Bluetooth technologies across home audio devices have become Christmas wish list staples. Predictions on headphones show that 16 pairs of headphones will sell every minute in the lead up to Christmas Day. Sales on ‘Cyber Monday’ - the day with the biggest online sales - are also predicted to be up by 16 per cent . on the equivalent day last year, making it the busiest web shopping day ever. Currys and PC World hope to cash in on the rush for bargains by offering deals on their electronics . Currys & PC World estimate there will be enough tablets sold to match the weight of 250,000 Christmas puddings. GHD Wonderland Gift Set, WAS £195, NOW £97.50, 50% OFF, . johnlewis.com . Total Radiance Gift Set, WAS £39.50, NOW £35.55, 10% OFF, . debenhams.com . Ren Gift Set, WAS £36, NOW £28.80, 20% OFF, marksandspencer.com . Smashbox Try It Kit, WAS £19, NOW £9.50, 50% OFF, boots.com . Beauty Box, WAS £20, NOW £10, 50% OFF, superdrug.com . Lee Stafford straighteners, WAS £29.99, NOW £15, 50% OFF, . asda.com . Scented Candle, WAS £45, NOW £36, 20% OFF, liberty.co.uk . Nars Nail Varnish, WAS £14.50, NOW £10, 31% OFF, asos.com . As more customers prefer to shop . online rather than face the crush of other shoppers, Currys & PC . World have seen that 40 per cent of site traffic is now from mobile or . tablet devices as people buy 'on the go'. Some estimates suggest more than 30million people – more . than half the population – will be browsing for gifts over this weekend. And Britain leads the world in online . Christmas shopping, a survey has found, with nearly nine in ten of us . planning to buy some of our gifts on the internet this year. The . study, by PayPal, found 88 per cent of shoppers in Britain will log on . for Christmas purchases. This is compared with 86 per cent in the US and 84 per . cent in Germany. The UK was also ahead of Australia, Canada, France and Italy. The rise of web shopping has been faster and more extensive . in the UK than any other country in the world, however it has dealt a serious . blow to traditional high streets. Many retail outlets will have reductions this weekend . Floral skirt, WAS £109, NOW £76.30, 30% off, baukjen.com . Handbag, WAS £795, NOW £636, 20% off, aspinaloflondon.com . Sequin Clutch, WAS £25, NOW £18.75, 25% OFF, janenorman.co.uk . Nude Sandals, WAS £240, NOW £180, 25% OFF, Kurt Geiger at . houseoffraser.com . Pink Coat, WAS £239, NOW £164, 30% OFF, hobbs.co.uk . Red Shift Dress, WAS £225, NOW £155, 31% OFF, lkbennett.com . Leopard Print Dress, WAS £165, NOW £148.5, 10% OFF, Michael . Kors at harrods.com . Pale Pink Top, WAS £55, NOW £25, 54% OFF, coast-stores.com . Coming to a shop near you: American shoppers snapping up deals on Black Friday is set to become a common sight in the UK . Many stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day this year ahead of the Black Friday shopping crush . Cushion, WAS £30, NOW £15, 50% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . Chair, WAS £1070, NOW £350, 67% off, Debenhams.com . Le Creuset, WAS £95, NOW £76, 20% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . 24 Piece Cutlery set, WAS £45, NOW £17.99, 60% off, bhs.co.uk . 2 Seater sofa, WAS £898, NOW £449, 50% off, littlewoods.com . Table lamp, WAS £100, NOW £70, 30% off, lauraashley.com . Wall Clock, WAS £29.99, NOW £14.99, 50% off, Homebase.co.uk . Missoni throw, WAS £846, NOW £423, 50% off, amara.com . Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, WAS £49, NOW £29, 40% off, asda.com . Razor A 125i Scooter, WAS £34.99, NOW £23.33, 33% off, boots.com . Pink apron, WAS £11.95, NOW £10.76, 10% off, harrods.com . Bear, WAS £25, NOW £12.50, 50% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . Remote Control Helicopter, WAS £49.99, NOW £19.99, 60% off, amazon.co.uk . Union Jack Ukelele, WAS £28.99, NOW £16.99, 41% off, amazon.co.uk . Little Marc Jacobs jumper, WAS £75, NOW £60, 20% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . Chocolate lolly maker, WAS £19, NOW £15.20, 20% off, thetoyshop.com . | US tradition of post-Thanksgiving sale arrives on British shores tomorrow . Shops promise to slash prices in bid to lure shoppers into spending money . Weekend flanked by Black Friday and Cyber Monday in lead up to Christmas . Around 30million expected to buy gifts online and in store this weekend . Will be enough tablets sold to match weight of 250,000 Christmas puddings . | f91bb51cb2930b5d42704a80c8c664d8ee491a1b |
(CNN) -- England may play host to the world's most lucrative football league but the country's national team is facing a fight to compete on the biggest stage of all. With just two months until the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil, England manager Roy Hodgson laid bare the nature of his problems for picking a squad capable of challenging in South America. While the Premier League has gone from strength to strength and attracted some of the world's most famous players, English football has stood still. The Three Lions has only reached the semifinals once since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966. Speaking at a news conference at Wembley Stadium, Hodgson revealed he may be forced to pick players who have not appeared regularly for their club sides this season -- claiming nearly 30% of his squad will consist of "players who when you see their names, won't be regular players in their first team and certainly won't be first names on the team sheet." He added: "If you go back a long time, that would have been unthinkable. "In my youth, it would have been unthinkable for anyone to play for England who wasn't a complete and utter star in his own team." According to a survey recorded last season, just over a third of all players in the Premier League are eligible to represent England. The pool of players available to Hodgson has shrunk further following injuries to Arsenal's Theo Walcott and Southampton's Jay Rodriguez, who are both expected to miss the tournament. And while the talented trio of Everton's Ross Barkley, Liverpool's Raheem Sterling and Southampton's Luke Shaw have all recently emerged, Hodgson accepts that England may have to get used to its younger players being left out in the cold. "It's a bit of a transitional period and it's something us in England will have to get used to because some of the best players that we have as young players are at the top clubs," he added. "Because they're at the top clubs in the country, they're competing with the very best that the foreign market can sell to us. "It's harder for them because they're competing with other world stars." England was heavily criticized for its poor showing in South Africa four years ago after going out in the second round following a humiliating defeat by Germany. Fabio Capello, who coached that particular team, told CNN last month that England will never succeed at the World Cup because its players play too many games. While Hodgson accepts that Capello's assertion has some truth, he refuses to accept that tiredness will derail his team's chances of success in Brazil. "Of course, you can't say he (Capello) is wrong in saying that but it's a fact of life we can do nothing about," Hodgson told CNN. "Tournaments are played in the summer and played very, very quickly after a long season ends. We also cannot deny that the Premier League is a more intensive league than many others --it's probably the most if I'm brutally honest. "We've got that problem to deal with but all we can do is to accept it and try not to use it as an excuse. "We will try to do everything we can during our time together to make sure we don't treat everybody the same. "Perhaps if a player has played more games than another or a bit more tired than another then maybe we can take that into account. "But having said that, I'm pretty certain that's been done in the past as well. There's no guarantee that will be the ultimate solution -- but it's the only thing we can do." | England facing struggle to compete against world's best . Roy Hodgson says his players will cope with 'tiredness' Country has not won World Cup since 1966 . England faces Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica in group stage . | d424866e49ce2b329ed0206dc569dd5a1b0f2a90 |
One of the world's finest collections of Chinese jade is tipped to sell for for £3.1million. The 15 pieces were acquired by the former Conservative MP Somerset de Chair who left them to his widow, Lady Juliet Tadgell, upon his death in 1995. Lady Juliet, a heiress, is one of the richest women in Britain and her son-in-law is the Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. A rare pale green jade carving of a bixie, a type of lion-like mythological Chinese creature, dating back to the Ming Dynasty, which has an estimated £99,000 - £120,000 pricetag . An Imperial pale green jade archaistic vase, (left) with Qianlong four-character fang gu mark, made from a single piece of jade and featuring fish, tortoises, birds and a mythical-beast head, which has an estimate of between £990,000 - 1.2 million, and an Imperial white jade snuff bottle and stopper with Qianlong seal mark, attributed to the Palace Workshops in the 18th century that stands at just 3ins tall- it is worth an estimated£500,000 . Her late husband's magnificent collection of jade is one that is well known within the art world for its sheer quality. It includes a 9ins long carved elephant that was made in the 18th century for the Chinese Imperial Court and is likely to have been one of a pair that flanked the imperial throne. It is said to be worth £640,000. There is a 16ins tall imperial jar that dates back to nearly 300 years and is almost identical to one held in the prestigious Palace Museum in China. It is valued at £1.2 million. Somerset De Chair, former Tory MP, who amassed the impressive collection of Chinese jade, pictured with his fourth wife Lady Juliet De Chair who has been left the 15 pieces . An Imperial bluish-grey jade, 9in long carved elephant, that was made in the 18th century for the Chinese Imperial Court and is likely to have been one of a pair that flanked the imperial throne, it is said to be worth £640,000 . And a white jade snuff bottle that stands at just 3ins tall made in the Imperial Palace workshops in the 18th century that is worth £500,000. Asaph Hyman, of auctioneers Bonhams, said: 'Somerset de Chair bought from some of the finest dealers of the time to amass one of most important collections of Chinese jade in the world, certainly in Europe. 'The quality of the period for when he was collecting was finest available. 'Some of the pieces have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and other pieces have not been on the market since the 1960s. 'The collection has passed on to his wife, Lady Juliet. 'It is a choice the family have made to sell them at this time. 'People are just custodians of this sort of art for a certain period of time before it then moves on to someone else.' The jade pieces are being sold in Hong Kong tomorrow. An Imperial pale green jade 'marriage' bowl with the Qainlong four-character mark with has an estimate of £82,000 - £120,000 makes up part of the impressive collection . This large 17th/18th century green jade carving of a water buffalo above, left the Somerset de Chair collection in 1995 but will be reunited with the other 15 pieces when they go on sale tomorrow in Hong Kong, it has an estimate of around £1.2million . | The 15 pieces were acquired by former Conservative MP Somerset de Chair . They were left to his widow Lady Juliet Tadgell upon his death in 1995 . Collection includes a 9in carved elephant made for Chinese Imperial Court . Also features a white jade snuff bottle made in 18th century Imperial Palace . The jade pieces are being sold in Hong Kong tomorrow . | 35b2cf853ccc33975f9e66466858f43a73d76801 |
By . David Mccormack . PUBLISHED: . 01:23 EST, 28 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:28 EST, 28 October 2013 . An old man dying of lung cancer and Parkinson’s disease was touched in his final months by an online campaign organized by his family, which generated more than 3,500 responses from people in over 100 countries. Brian Curtis, who lived in the remote Nebraska town of Harvard, found out that he had terminal lung cancer in April 2012, when doctors told him that he had six months to live – ‘plus or minus three months.’ The news of his father’s terminal illness had a major impact on son Brandon Curtis, 30, who works as international digital brand manager at Red Bull. Father and son: After Brian Curtis was diagnosed with lung cancer his son Brandon organized a touching online campaign to bring his father some happiness in his final days . He, along with the rest of the family, was still reeling from the unexpected loss of oldest sister Jana who had died from an undetected heart virus just eight months prior. ‘None of us had the chance to say goodbye,’ Brandon told Mashable. ‘When we found out about my dad's terminal cancer, we were going to do anything it took to show him how much we loved him and to say goodbye.’ Brandon and family decide to launch #SkyBluePink, an online campaign they hoped would help bring some happiness to their father in his final days. The campaign was named after Brian's favorite color - one that his mom had used to describe the color of the sky at sunrise and dusk. Brian Curtis waves from his bed in his hospice room covered with more than 3,500 #SkyBluePink cards, paintings, photos and even elementary school art projects from 105 countries . ‘We ask you to help fill his life with love, support and #SkyBluePink’ by sending a card, tweeting a note on Twitter or sharing a photo on Instagram, read a message posted by Brandon to announce their heart-warming project. Friends and family spread the word about the project via their social media channels. Soon strangers from more than 100 . countries had sent in images via social media or snail mail to comfort . this man they had never meet. A week after the launch, Brandon told his father about the project and how they had received 500 submissions in just 168 hours. 'It was enough to cover an entire wall at his hospice care center,' said Brandon. He recalls . his father ‘crying with pride and disbelief' as family members would . read Brian messages he had received from far flung locations such as . Germany and Australia. Brandon Curtis, left, sites on the lap of his father Brian when he was a young boy and, right, Brian Curtis with his wife not long after they got married . A week after the launch, Brandon told his father about the project and how they had received 500 submissions in just 168 hours . As the months passed, Brian underwent . radiation to combat tumors that were spreading through his ribs, . shoulders, lymph nodes, lungs and spine. By Christmas, the family had received 2,700 #SkyBluePink submissions and photographs showed Brian lying in his hospice bed surrounded by shades of blue and pink, emanating from wall-mounted photos, paintings, messages and cards. He requested that Brandon share his message online: 'It's just amazing. I can’t get over how so many people have taken time out of their days to capture and send SkyBluePink to me. From all over. All ages ... People I've never met.' Then on August 12, Brandon received the call he had been dreading from his sister Cindy. His father didn’t have long left and he rushed to Nebraska from his home in Los Angeles in the hope of seeing his father and speaking to him one more time. By now his room was covered with more than 3,500 #SkyBluePink cards, paintings, photos and even elementary school art projects from 105 countries. Brandon got to sit with his father one last time and hold his hand, before Brian passed away hours later on August 13. The news of his father¿s terminal illness had a major impact on son Brandon Curtis, 30, who works as international digital brand manager at Red Bull . Later in the day, Brandon posted a message on Facebook to break the sad news and offer thanks to the #SkyBluePink community. ‘Dad passed away this afternoon. He was comfortable, happy, courageous. Our family wanted to thank you all so very much for taking the time to help us give him a proper #SkyBluePink send off today. 'As we looked around the world, because of you. This means more than you will ever know. We love you dad. You are amazing,' he wrote. A month later at a memorial service for their father on Sept. 14 memorial service, Brandon spoke about #SkyBluePink and what it had meant to his father. 'I really think [#SkyBluePink] did play a role in him beating the doctor's expectations,' said Brandon. 'Sky Blue Pink' will always mean love.' The success of #SkyBluePink is a striking reminder - despite what people say about technology and social media making us less personal - that people still care and social platforms have the potential to bring the world together. On the day his father died, Brandon posted a message on Facebook to break the sad news and offer thanks to the #SkyBluePink community . Video: The #SkyBluePink campaign . | Brian Curtis was diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2012 . His son Brandon decided to organize a touching online campaign to bring his father some happiness in his final days . The #SkyBluePink campaign was named after his father's name for the color of the sky at sunrise and dusk . It generated more than 3,500 responses from over 100 countries and his father was moved to tears by the love from people he had never meet . | a717bacdd873c19cb3957f2221e960cf23fa81a8 |
A lawyer representing the 16-year-old Texas boy who killed four people and critically injured two others while driving drunk lashed out Thursday at the news media for their focus on the use of "affluenza" to describe the boy's privileged upbringing. Of the two experts who testified in defense of Ethan Couch, only one used the word and he used it just once, attorney Reagan Wynn told CNN's "New Day." "That term was not used by either of the lawyers that represented Mr. Couch, and it was not our defense, simply put." He added, "I think it is ridiculous for anyone who knows anything about the criminal justice system or the juvenile justice system to think that we walked into court and said, 'Hey, judge, this is a rich, white kid,' and she went, 'Oh, OK, probation.' " Asked whether he had ever heard of a poor child getting probation -- and no jail time -- after having killed four people, Wynn acknowledged that he had not. But, he said, the goal of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate more than to punish. "I would submit to you that kids who do things by accident or mistake probably should not be locked up with the key thrown away," he said. Eric Boyles, whose wife and daughter were killed in the crash, said he thinks the media criticism over the term caused the defense team to want the term to go away. "I was actually surprised to hear them attempt to walk back the 'affluenza' term. They created it. The outcry follows it," he told "Anderson Cooper 360". "And now they wish that indeed that the negative focus wasn't so much around 'affluenza.' " Doctor coins term . Psychologist Dick Miller testified in December that "affluenza" describes a condition caused when a child of privileged background suffers no consequences for repeated bad behavior. But it is not recognized as a medical condition in any formal sense and Miller acknowledged to Cooper in December, "We used to call these people 'spoiled brats.' " The prosecutor had asked that Couch be sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Instead, State District Judge Jean Boyd ordered in December that he be placed on probation for 10 years. In a proceeding Wednesday closed to the news media, she specified the terms of that probation: She ordered that Couch undergo rehabilitation -- at his family's expense -- at a locked treatment facility in Texas that has not been identified publicly, Wynn said. No minimum time was ordered, though the boy's driver's license was suspended and he was ordered to stay away from drugs and alcohol for the duration of his sentence probation. After the proceeding, Wynn was vehement in his attack on the news media. "If this case has not taught me anything else, it has confirmed what I was pretty sure of all along -- which is that the media circus is poison to the criminal justice system," Wynn told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the news coverage had affected decisions by treatment facilities about whether to accept Couch for treatment. "The story that was reported has so twisted the facts that were actually presented in court that I don't think the truth will ever be able to come out now," he said. Asked what the public was missing from the news reports, he said, "I'm not going to go into detail with you, but I will tell you that if you had been in the courtroom and you had heard all the testimony, you would have heard a significantly different story than what was reported." Wynn's attack on the media's focus on "affluenza" was rich, the prosecutor said. "Really?" asked Richard Alpert, when told of the defense lawyer's remarks. "Well, that's ironic, because it's his expert that brought that before the courtroom, so somebody made a decision before this hearing that that was a good term. "He's a good attorney, his witnesses don't say things by accident. So they thought maybe that would help. That's my interpretation. And it blew up on them. It was a stupid thing to say, it affected the credibility of that expert and it will follow that expert wherever he testifies. It was a dumb idea and his testimony wasn't credible." Looking for an apology . Couch's avoidance of jail time underscores the need for legislative changes, Alpert told reporters Wednesday. "There are some problems with the way juvenile justice is done," he said. "We're going to ask for the right to a jury trial, we're going to hope to get legislation to do that, let a jury of his peers determine what the punishment should be." Boyles said he only wanted to hear Couch say he was sorry. "We certainly have not seen any remorse," he said Thursday, adding that based on Couch's demeanor in the courtroom, he didn't think the teenager understands what he has done. Last June, his wife, Hollie Boyles, and daughter, Shelby, left their home to help Breanna Mitchell, whose SUV had broken down. Brian Jennings, a youth pastor, was driving past and also stopped to help. All four were killed when the Couch's pickup truck plowed into the pedestrians on a road in Burleson, south of Fort Worth. Couch's vehicle also struck a parked car, which then slid into another vehicle headed in the opposite direction. Two people riding in the bed of the pickup were injured. One is no longer able to move or talk because of a brain injury, while the other suffered internal injuries and broken bones. According to prosecutors, three hours after the crash, tests showed Couch had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit. Lawyer: Couch does feel remorse . Despite his client's avoidance of jail time, Wynn said he didn't feel Couch won. "There is no winner in this case," he said. "Ethan is going to live with what he did for the rest of his life, and I can tell you that he certainly feels remorse." He said his client is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the accident, that he is "emotionally and socially arrested to where he is effectively like a 12-year-old," and that he is "basically shell-shocked" by the process. "He has a very flat affect, he is able to express remorse but, quite frankly, I don't think there is anything he was going to say to anyone that was going to make them feel any better, especially coming from him." Marla Mitchell, whose daughter Breanna was among the victims, said Couch may have gotten off easy, but he's not done yet. "Even though he knows how to beat this game, and even if he follows all the little things and jumps through the hoops and does the tricks he's supposed to do, I don't think the world is ever going to take their eyes off of him -- no matter where is is, no matter where he goes, no matter what game he or his family think they've beaten." She said she hopes his rehabilitation efforts succeed, but added, "I think it's shutting the barn door after the horse is already out. But we'll see." Boyles said that while he took some solace in the fact Couch wasn't allowed to go to some expensive treatment facility with horse riding, yoga and other activities, he still will get to return to his nice life after he finishes his treatment. "I had a warm, vibrant home that I went to every night. I now go home to a quiet, stark, sterile environment," he told Cooper. "So it's now not a ... it's just a house. It's not a home." | Man who lost wife, daughter says he doesn't think Ethan Couch is remorseful . "Affluenza" not used by either of the lawyers, says defense attorney Reagan Wynn . The media circus is poison to the criminal justice system," Wynn says . "Well, that's ironic," prosecutor says, noting that a defense witness used the term . | 4e6d305bb47ea17ae7df37da350a622b50c709a5 |
The white supremacist accused of killing his 16-year-old baby sitter by giving her an overdose of heroin has been knifed by his own cellmate - who is a member of the same racist gang. Eric Millerberg, 37, was stabbed multiple times in his cell on Monday at the maximum security Uinta 2 prison and was treated at Utah State Prison and is expected to survive. Investigators strongly suspect Millerberg's fellow Silent Aryan Warriors cellmate is responsible for the attack as no one else had access according to a prison spokesman. Scary and unkempt: Eric Millerberg with his Death tattoo visible on the left side of his neck appears in court in April 2012 for his preliminary hearing . The Unified Police Department recovered a sharpened piece of metal believed to be the weapon from the cell and Millerberg is now back recovering at the prison infirmary where his condition is described as stable. Millerberg is charged with the death of Alexis Rasmussen and at his preliminary hearing last April, his wife, Dea Millerberg testified that her husband administered a fatal does of heroin and methamphetamine to the teen by injection in September 2011. Authorities say that when Rasmuseen died, the couple panicked and dumped her body in a remote part of Morgan County, Utah. The teens body was found five weeks after her disappearance. Dea Millerberg is also charged with desecration of a human body related to the 16-year-olds death. Eric Millerberg is awaiting the beginning of his trial on charges of first-degree felony child abuse homicide, obstruction of justice, desecration of a human body and having unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Last year, in April, it was revealed that Millerberg had altered a tattoo that once honored the wife who is now testifying against him. Instead of 'Dea', his tattoo now reads 'Death' - and it is unclear when he had the marking changed. Corrupted: Alexis Rasmussen, 16, reportedly asked the Millerbergs how to get meth and they started smoking the drug, along with heroin and marijuana, with the girl . Close up: Eric Millerberg appears before the Second District Court in Utah on Monday, April 9, with his changed tatoo 'Death' In April, his wife told a court in Utah that the couple . spent a weekend with the babysitter that involved drugs and sex. Alexis Rasmussen’s body was found near the Weber River in Morgan County in October 2011, about a month after her death. The couple got high and had oral sex with the teenage babysitter who died that night. Gang member Casey Peterson said Mr . Millerberg called himself a 'watcher of the flock' meaning that he felt . it important that he be the one to help teens do drugs 'so they wouldn't . go elsewhere and try it on their own'. Trouble: At the time of Alexis' death, Eric Millerberg was on parole for prior burglary and firearm charges, and he was also known to be part of the Silent Aryan Warriors, a white supremacist prison gang . Help: Police reportedly received a confidential tip about the whereabouts of Alexis' body by members of Eric Millerberg's gang . One of Alexis' friends, whose name was . not released, also testified in April last year that the two of them would go over to the . Millerberg's house to smoke drugs, and that the 36-year-old man was the . one to teach them how to smoke methamphetamine out of a light bulb. Peterson's statement, which was read . in court, confirmed the account of the night given by Mrs Millerberg, . saying that Alexis died in their home because of the drugs and they . could not revive her. The letter also detailed Mr . Millerberg's rehashing of he and his wife's sexual dalliances and drug . use with the teen prior to her death. 'I was paranoid and I did not want to be involved,' wrote Peterson, who is currently serving time for unknown charges. His motivation to help, however, was more personal: 'I have a 16-year-old daughter.' Peterson was not the only gang member . who found the Millerberg's behavior to be an affront, as Eric Smith has . been identified as the police informant who tipped them off to the . location of the body. Serious charges: Eric Millerberg, 36, is charged with far more involvement than his wife, and is said to be the one who actually killed the girl by injecting her with drugs . Dark side: During her testimony, Dea Millerberg said that Alexis asked the couple if she could have sex with them in August 2011- a month before she died- and also requested to be paid with meth instead of cash . 'I wanted the family to have closure,' Mr Smith said. 'Then again, they came at me and said they knew about my involvement in it and that they'd give me immunity if I helped them.' New details also painted a grizzly . picture of the body itself when it was finally found, as detective Mike . Tribe said that Alexis's corpse was found kneeling face down, covered in . brush in a rural part of Morgan County. He said that her neon toe nail polish, ankle bracelets and jawline helped identify her. Months . after the September 10 death of Alexis, the Millerbergs were charged . for their involvement in her death and Mrs Millerberg testified against . her husband in court on Monday after receiving immunity for any direct . involvement with the girl’s death. Mrs Millerberg faces one third-degree . felony charge relating to the disposal of Alexis’ body, but prosecutors . have called her overall involvement ‘minimal’ as compared to Mr . Millerberg’s, as he faces charges of child abuse homicide, unlawful sex . with a minor, the disposal of the body and obstruction of justice. The 39-year-old, who filed for . divorce from her husband after they were charged with the death of . Alexis, told the torrid story of how the couple befriended and corrupted . the young girl in the months leading up to her death. Mrs . Millerberg said that they started using Alexis- or Lexi as she called . her- as a babysitter for their two daughters in the spring of 2011. Accomplice: Dea Millerberg, seen here in an earlier court appearance in 2012, discussed how she helped her husband Eric dispose of Alexis Rasmussen's body . They . became friends and started drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana with . the teen before Alexis began requesting that they try harder drugs like . methamphetamine and heroin. Eventually they even began paying Alexis with meth. One of their most raucous nights as a . group came in August, a month before her death, when Alexis reportedly . asked to become sexually involved with the married couple. 'Eric and I started kissing and having sex. Then Alexis jumped in,' Mrs Millerberg told the court. On . the fateful night of September 10th, the couple wanted Alexis to babysit . because they were going to go shopping for their daughter’s birthday. Neither babysitting nor shopping ended up happening. As . soon as Alexis arrived at the house, Mr Millerberg helped her get high . by injecting her with drugs- once with heroin and twice with meth- into . her arm and neck. Found: A full autopsy could not be performed because Alexis' body was so decomposed, but significant traces of heroin and meth were in her system . Then, . when she was ‘as high as she had ever been’, she and her husband . performed oral sex on one another. Mrs Millerberg says that she was not . involved in the encounter. A short while later, the drugs had a . negative effect on the teen and she started ‘freaking out’. She . reportedly felt disoriented and cold, so she asked if she could take a . warm bath in the couple’s master bathroom. After leaving her alone in the bath at . her request, the Millerbergs checked on her about 45 minutes later to . find that she was still cold, so Mrs Millerberg wrapped her in a blanket . and told her to lie down in another bedroom. The couple left her to go smoke some cigarettes, and returned about a half hour later to find her unresponsive. ‘She wasn't breathing. She had mucousy stuff coming out of the right side of her mouth,’ said Mrs Millerberg, who was a licensed nurse and tried to resuscitate the girl to no avail. They then tried to figure out what to do next. ‘It really was a panic. The idea of it was, we will lose our kids and go to jail, and there was nothing we could do to bring her back,’ she told the court. Mr Millerberg was on parole at the . time for prior burglary and firearm charges, and he was also known to be . part of the Silent Aryan Warriors, a white supremacist prison gang. Mrs . Millerberg, who also had outstanding court dates due to her involvement . with two unrelated prescription drug fraud and child endangerment . cases, says that she dressed the then-naked body of Alexis and put it . into a foot locker which the couple moved into a box in the trunk of . their car. Leaving their . 6-year-old daughter at home but taking their toddler with them, they . 'drove all over the place' disposing of any evidence that may connect . them to the crime. They . dumped her body in a remote area of Morgan County where Mr Millerberg . covered it with brush and shrubs so that it was hidden. Police only . found it six weeks after Alexis’ death with the help of a confidential . tip from Eric Smith, one of Mr Millerberg’s gang members. Moving . on to the remaining evidence, they left Alexis' purse in one dumpster . with the box that had held the body, then drove to a different dumpster . where they left the carpet from the car 'in case there was any evidence . on it'. Facing trial: Eric Millerberg is in prison awaiting trial and Dea Millerberg (right) is free on bail . Spot: The couple- along with their toddler- drove around extensively disposing of Alexis' body and all evidence. She was found here in Morgan County six weeks after her death . After filing for divorce from Mr Millerberg in February 2012, Mrs Millerberg is free on bail but police say that she will ‘not get a walk on all of (her) charges’. | Eric Millerberg, from Utah, a member of the Silent Arayan Warriors, was stabbed by a fellow gang-member and cellmate on Monday . Millerberg is awaiting trial for the murder of Alexis Rasmussen who died from drug overdose after having sex with the couple . His wife Dea Millerberg testified against him on April 9th 2012 . | 41b305f14bd4b67c7a81af3ddd2e82a7ef6b02c8 |
(CNN) -- Onyx was 9 months old, black and white, part dachshund and part chihuahua. She was a family dog, one that Mandy Malone kept in part to play with her grandchildren. Until Onyx ended up in Malone's freezer. How did she get there? According to a criminal complaint filed in a Torrance County, New Mexico, court, the dog was stabbed in the heart and skinned. Parts of the animal were then buried in the backyard, while others were stashed inside a bag in a freezer. "He had her marinating in Italian dressing in the fridge," Malone told CNN affiliate KOAT. "...What could possibly go through someone's mind to do something that sick?" Authorities characterized the man they say killed the dog as Malone's boyfriend. Salvador Martinez was released Wednesday on bond tied to the felony charge of extreme cruelty to animals, Torrance County Sheriff Heath White said. The sheriff predicted he wouldn't be free for long. "He was already on probation for trafficking drugs and ... violated his probation, so he's likely going to be picked back up ... and sent back to a federal facility," White said Wednesday. Martinez's latest legal trouble began Friday, July 18, when sheriff's deputies responded to a call at an Edgewood, New Mexico, residence. They found a gray plastic bag "containing some bones and meat (that) appeared to be a carcass of an animal," the complaint said. Authorities said Martinez admitted he had killed the dog, saying there was no food around and his girlfriend "told him to go ahead" and do it. After killing the animal, skinning it and burying parts of it in the yard, "he said that he ... found (a) recipe for dogs online" and found states where eating dogs is allowed, the complaint says. New Mexico is one such place; in fact, there are no laws against eating cats or dogs in most states. In some cultures, it's more widely accepted. "But it's the manner that it was done, and the emotional stress it put on the rest of the family, that led us to arrest him and charge him with animal cruelty," White said. Martinez could not be reached for comment and it was unclear late Wednesday if he had an attorney. The girlfriend told the deputies that Martinez admitted killing the dog around noon of that day, explaining "it was all right to do this in New Mexico to feed your family." She disputed the assertion that they didn't have food in the house. Malone told KOAT that Martinez had previously told her, "just out of the blue, 'I'm going to barbeque one of your dogs.'" But she didn't believe it -- then or now. "Nobody knows what to think," Malone said. | New Mexico authorities find parts of a dead chihuahua, dachshund mix in a freezer . They say a man admitted killing the animal for use as food . Eating dog is legal in New Mexico and many other states . Sheriff: Charges filed due to how it was done, stress on family . | f21e1bfbe83c62b183343f7fd5341440fb193a3a |
Alleged Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is awake and responding to questions in his hospital bed. The 19-year-old is responding sporadically in writing to questions from investigators regarding other cell members and other unexploded bombs, law enforcement officials said. Agents are quizzing Tsarnaev about whether he had any accomplices who helped him carry out his attacks. The news comes as it is revealed Tsarnaev, who is badly wounded in the throat, meekly pulled up his shirt to show officers that he was not wearing a vest strapped with explosives on Friday night as he emerged from the boat he had been cowering in. 'At the end they were just making demands of him: Show your hands, lift your shirt. And eventually that's what he did,' Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau told ABC News. 'He was very slow and lethargic in every move that he made and they could see that there was no device on his chest. They kept creeping closer to him and then they felt it safe enough to pull him away from the boat.' Authorities initially said they couldn't question the terror suspect because of his severe throat wound. Tsarnaev is believed to have shoved his pistol in his own mouth and . pulled the trigger in a failed suicide attempt as SWAT officers and federal agents closed in on his backyard hiding place. However, instead of killing . him, the bullet simply tore through his neck. CNN reported earlier today that Tsarnaev was 'intubated and sedated' at a Boston hospital. Scroll down for video . Wounded: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, seen here moments after he was pulled from the boat where he was hiding, suffered a throat wound and a leg wound . Wounded: Tsarnaev was immediately loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital, where he remains in serious condition . Site: A blood stain can be seen on the boat where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found hiding after a massive manhunt that left the Boston area paralyzed in fear . Hiding out: This is a surveillance video image of Tsarnaev getting out of the boat where he was pinned down on Friday night . The Boston police commissioner said . Tsarnaev is in 'critical but stable' condition on Sunday - which appears . to be a downgrade from reports earlier this weekend that his condition . was only 'serious.' Boston Mayor Tom Menino had earlier feared that federal agents would never be able to interview Tsarnaev but it seems that investigators may already be making progress. Police sources told MailOnline that investigators are looking into the possibility that Tsarnaev . and his older brother Tamerlan had a suicide pact so that neither of . them could be taken alive and put on trial. Authorities believe Dzhokhar likely killed him brother, who was handcuffed, when he ran over him. A suicide pact could also explain why 19-year-old Dzhokhar ran over his own brother in his stolen Mercedes SUV as he escaped from the scene, the sources added. Tamerlan was killed early Friday after a running gun battle with police. Doctors say he appeared to have multiple gunshot wounds, blast injuries and major trauma from being hit and dragged by his brother's car. The new twist in the story of Tsarnaev's . dramatic capture comes as the Boston police commissioner warns that he . and Tamerlan were plotting more bomb attacks on the city and they were . caught just in time. Authorities insisted that the pair were working . alone. Ed Davis said the bombers were . flushed out of hiding when the FBI released close-up surveillance video . of their faces and asked for the public's help in tracking them down. 'The news conference forced them out of their hideout . and they decided to commit further violent acts. But it’s my belief that . they were already manufacturing explosive devices. Further violent acts . were inevitable,' Davis told The Boston Globe. New video also revealed the final moments of Dzhokha's . standoff with police. The images come from a thermal imaging camera . aboard a Massachusetts State Police helicopter that was hovering above . the dramatic police standoff. Tsarnaev, 19, was captured by police on . Friday night after the boat's owner found him hiding out when he went to check on his beloved watercraft in that was . parked on a trailer at a house in suburban Watertown, Massachusetts. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is awake and responding to questions. Authorities are anxious to talk to him to learn his motives behind the attack . Still: The suspect appears to be laying flat in the boat in the final moments before his capture . In hiding: The dramatic footage released by police shows where the teenager lay hiding in a boat in the quiet suburban neighbourhood of Watertown . Blast: Video appears to show a flash grenade being thrown into the boat where the suspect hid . Show of force: The Massachusetts State Police has released this video showing an explosion resulting from a grenade thrown into the boat where the suspect lay . It is believed that federal . prosecutors are putting the final touches together on charges against . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and could filed them today. The most serious charge . available to federal prosecutors would be the use of a weapon of mass . destruction to kill people, which carries a possible death sentence. Massachusetts does not have the death penalty. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick revealed on Sunday that surveillance . video from the Boston Marathon attack shows one suspect dropping his . backpack and calmly walking away from it before the bomb inside it . exploded. The video clearly puts 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at the scene of the attack, Patrick said on NBC. 'It . does seem to be pretty clear that this suspect took the backpack off, . put it down, did not react when the first explosion went off and then . moved away from the backpack in time for the second explosion,' Patrick . said. 'It's pretty clear about his involvement and pretty chilling, . frankly.' Tsarnaev reportedly lost significant . amounts of blood after suffering two wounds. One was a gunshot to the . leg he sustained during a running gun battle with police early Friday. Another was the wound to his neck. CBS News . correspondent John Miller reports: 'They say it appears from the wound . that he might have stuck a gun in his mouth, and fired and actually just . went out the back of his neck without killing him. 'That's . one of the reasons he's unable to communicate, but he can understand . what they're saying. And they believe there will be a point where he . will be able to talk to him.' Law enforcement sources tell MailOnline that Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were determined not to be taken alive. Dzhokhar was also responsible for driving over his brother as he was being handcuffed by police following a fierce gun battle in Watertown in the predawn hours of Friday. The teen floored a stolen Mercedes SUV and drove it straight at the police and his 26-year-old brother who was on the ground after being seized. The police were able to jump out of the way - but Tamlerlan was dragged for up to 40 feet under the wheels of the speeding car. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old . brother Tamerlan 'were going to attack other individuals' —says Boston police commissioner Davis and . says that opinion is based on the evidence at the scene and the cache of weapons . the brothers had at their disposal. Planning further atrocities?: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan were believed to be about to unleash further terror attacks on Boston according to the city's police commissioner . The crush injuries are thought to have contributed to his death but police have yet to reveal an exact cause of death. 'These guys did not have an exit plan . after the bombing, and from they way they have both ended up it looks . like they planned on never being taken alive,' said a law enforcement . source. 'Why else would this kid drive over . his brother. It does not make any sense until you realize he also tried . to take his own life. They had some sort of suicide pact worked out so . they would not be taken alive.' Exactly . what happened in the boat remains unclear. Neighbors reported hearing . police SWAT officers unleash several bursts of automatic weapons fire as . they closed in on the 25-foot vessel. A police robot tore open the cover of the boat and a state police helicopter used an infrared camera to reveal Tsarnaev's location in the stern. Officers lobbed flash grenades into the boat in attempt to stun the suspect and called from him to surrender. He later climbed out of the boat and surrendered. After he was taken into custody, he was rushed to the hospital. Suspects: Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, left, was reportedly run over by his accomplice and younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19 . Evidence: Investigators gather evidence on Saturday, near the location in Watertown, Mass., where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was captured . Many reports say he climbed out of the boat on his own power. The Los Angeles Times reports that Tsarnaev was swearing profusely in the ambulance. However, Boston Mayor Menino said Tsarnaev was in 'very serious' condition at a Boston . hospital after being captured Friday night. 'And we don't know if we'll ever be able to question the individual,' he said without elaborating. The suspect later awoke and is now communicating with investigators in writing. Senator Dan Coats, an Indiana . Republican who sits on the Intelligence Committee, said earlier that it was . questionable whether Tsarnaev would . be able to talk again. 'The information that we have is that there was a shot to the throat,' Coats said. 'It doesn't mean he can't communicate, but right now I think he's in a . condition where we can't get any information from him at all. 'We . are hoping, for a host of reasons, that the suspect survives, because . we have a million questions, and those questions need to be answered,' Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said. Review: Investigators remained at the home in Watertown, Mass. where the surviving suspect was located . | Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is responding sporadically in writing to questions from investigators regarding other cell members and other unexploded bombs . Teenager may have had no intention of being taken alive . Dzhokhar and his older brother Tamerlan may have had suicide pact to prevent them from being put on trial, police sources tell MailOnline . Condition downgraded to 'critical but stable' from initial reports that he was 'serious' Tsarnaev had lost large amounts of blood by the time he was captured . Suffered a gunshot to the throat and a wound to his leg . Massachusetts Governor reveals video shows Tsarnaev planting second bomb at marathon . Police commissioner says suspects were planning another bomb attack when they were caught . | f76f8db4295acaa7d9866ce675cffc3c26a7f4b5 |
By . Larisa Brown . PUBLISHED: . 17:21 EST, 25 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:55 EST, 26 September 2012 . It is an email that will probably make most senior managers squirm in their seats. An employee at a media agency in London has decided to send a leaving speech detailing his grievances with a company manager to all members of staff. And worse still - that email has now gone viral after it was posted online, with its hashtag trending on Twitter. Damning: The email from disgruntled employee Kieran Allen provides reasons as to why he has decided to leave his job at London-based media agency MEC Global. Parts are censored for legal reasons . The phrase - coined by Twitter users - refers to the worker's boss at the UK media agency MEC Global, whose name we have withheld for legal reasons. Employee Kieran Allen, a senior account manager at the company, has lambasted his manager for ruining the past 8 months of his working life. Mr Allen has decided to quit the company after 2 and a half years of 'loyal service' because he alleges the manager blocked his bonus, gave him a verbal warning for poor performance and put him on a performance review, according to the email that was sent yesterday morning. This, Mr Allen says, was after he was persuaded to stay with the company with the promise of a substantial pay-rise and rapid development. But following the promotion he suffered a break down from stress after being overloaded with work and had to take two weeks off work. It was only after his return in March that he says the manager 'instead of welcoming me back and looking to make things right, instead attacked me and made me feel an outsider. 'I was made to feel that I had actually done wrong'. The hashtag started trending on Twitter after the email was uploaded by someone on the internet . In the email Mr Allen also alleges the manager has jokingly referred to the Paralympics as the 'Spastic Olympics' and openly claimed to be proud 'not to have a drop of Jewish blood in him'. He claims he 'regularly made sexist and other bigoted remarks' and 'took a female colleague out for a drink on the day he interviewed her, then later took her back to the MEC offices that night and had sexual relations with her in the meeting rooms on the 3rd floor'. He said the allegations were 'common knowledge throughout the team' and said 'it is hard to fathom that such a man is responsible for the work well-being of over 30 staff'. Before signing off the message he wrote, 'I am writing this message in order to expose the failings and protect others in future' and 'I am a good human being who treats people with respect.' 'Not one thing on this email has been exaggerated or made up. This is my truth to you all. 'No doubt I fully expect the above to be ripped apart but as long as the truth is out there then that’s all I can do.' A spokesman for MEC told MailOnline: 'We are sad that one of our employees has chosen to share their personal views in such a public way and has left the company with such bad feeling. 'We are taking this issue seriously though given the highly personal nature of the email, we cannot comment further.' The alleged response by management to the email sent to members of staff, posted on a website . According to a post on website Pastebin, management allegedly sent an email to staff after Mr Allen sent his email saying: 'By now, I expect you will have read . the email sent to the company from Kieran Allan, and I am sure that once . the surprise has subsided, you are probably left with the same feeling . of sadness that I have. 'It's sad that following the level of support . Kieran has had for him to send such an unprofessional and personal . message to a public group and I'm even sadder for the colleagues . directly affected by his comments. 'I . was hoping to talk directly to Kieren to see what help I could give . but however he chose to come in, send the mail and leave immediately . afterwards.' The email said 'those affected' would be consulted to see what action, if any, they wanted the company to take. 'Bad feeling': Disgruntled Kieran Allen worked as a senior account managed at London media agency MEC . | Employee at a media agency sent leaving speech detailing his grievances with a company manager in email sent to all staff . He accused manager of 'ruining' his working life and claimed he had 'sex with a female colleague in the office' Email has gone viral after it was posted on social networking site Twitter . | b18184b2da73db034c1e6766015cf110e567eb97 |
(CNN) -- This week, 37-year-old Marissa Mayer became CEO of Yahoo, an internet provider with many problems, although an audience isn't one of them -- the company claims more than half a billion people currently access its products a month, and Mayer told the New York Times she considers it "one of the best brands on the internet." Mayer also announced Tuesday that she is pregnant. She and husband Zack Bogue are expecting a baby boy in October. Read more: If Marissa Mayer can 'have it all,' can you? A Silicon Valley veteran, Mayer became Google's 20th employee in 1999, after completing a Masters in Computer Science at Stanford University. She leaves Google after 13 years, having heading up its search team and, for the last two years, leading location and maps services. This year, she also joined the board of retail giant Wal-Mart. Now, one of the most powerful women in the tech industry, Mayer regularly shares her philosophies on life and work. Here, we've gathered together some of the lessons that have helped Mayer on her way to the top. 11 fun facts about Mayer . Push through your uncertainty . "I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow. When there's that moment of 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' and you push through those moments, that's when you have a breakthrough. Sometimes that's a sign that something really good is about to happen. You're about to grow and learn a lot about yourself," she told CNN in April. Protect what's really important to you . "I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you're giving up that makes you resentful. I tell people: Find your rhythm. Your rhythm is what matters to you so much that when you miss it you're resentful of your work...So find your rhythm, understand what makes you resentful, and protect it. You can't have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you. And thinking that way empowers you to work really hard for a really long period of time," said Mayer in Bloomberg Businessweek earlier this year. Work with smart people . "It's really wonderful to work in an environment with a lot of smart people. One, I think because it challenges you to think and work on a different level," she said during a talk at Stanford University's Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Speaker Series in 2006. Keep some outside perspective . "I've always loved baking. I think it's because I'm very scientific. The best cooks are chemists... I'm a businesswoman first and foremost (but ) my hobbies actually make me better at work. They help me come up with new and innovative ways of looking at things," Mayer said in an interview with San Francisco magazine in February 2008. Work with a target customer in mind . "I always put the user first when I get ideas pitched to me. I like to think of my mom and wonder if she would be able to get an idea right off the bat," she told careers website WetFeet.com in 2008. Set constraints to boost your creativity . "People think of creativity as this sort of unbridled thing, but engineers thrive on constraints. They love to think their way out of that little box: 'We know you said it was impossible, but we're going to do this, this, and that to get us there," Mayer said in an interview with Fast Company in February 2008. How do you balance career and family? Let us know on CNN iReport. | Yahoo's new CEO Marissa Mayer spent 13 years at Google . We've collected some of the career and life philosophies that have helped Mayer to the top . Having hobbies and imposing constraints can encourage creativity, she says . Mayer: "I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow." | 43108c8d28228d783d73266c99ade51c0f139365 |
By . Jack Doyle . PUBLISHED: . 18:07 EST, 26 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:08 EST, 26 April 2013 . British taxpayers are to fund a prison building programme in poor countries such as Nigeria and Jamaica so more foreign inmates languishing in British jails can be sent home, David Cameron announced yesterday. The Prime Minister admitted that too many foreign prisoners remained in this country and said ‘helping to build prisons in their own country’ would ensure more were kicked out. Despite promises to cut the number of foreign inmates behind bars in Britain, the numbers have increased in recent years. David Cameron argued that helping improve prisons abroad could mean that more foreign prisoners in the UK can be sent back home . Ministers have struggled to remove even hardened criminals because jails abroad are overflowing or do not comply with human rights laws. By paying for building new jails or making existing ones more ‘comfortable’ so they approach British standards it is hoped more will be repatriated. But sending money abroad to lock up prisoners there, in addition to the billions spent in foreign aid, while budgets are being cut at home, will prove highly controversial. Mr Cameron made his comments during a ‘Cameron Direct’ event on the local elections campaign trail in Carlisle. He said: ‘When people are sent to prison in the UK we should do everything we can to make sure that if they’re foreign nationals, they are sent back to their country to serve their sentence in a foreign prison. ‘And I’m taking action in Government to say look we have strong relationships with all of the countries where these people come from. ‘Many are coming from Jamaica, many from Nigeria, many from other countries in Asia. (Stock image) Prisons in poorer countries can fail to meet human rights standards and can be overcrowded . ‘We should be using all of the influence we have to sign prisoner transfer agreements with those countries. Even if necessary frankly helping them to build prisons in their own country so we can send the prisoners home. ‘I’m going to be setting out a programme of how we do that, country by country by country. Because it is not good enough, the situation we have in Britain today.’ Since 2010 there has been a sharp fall in the number of serious criminals sent home. That year, 5,342 were deported. The following year - the first full 12 months of coalition Government - the figure was down 13 per cent to 4,649. In the first nine months of 2012 some 3,382 were deported - suggesting the annual total would fall even further. There are now 10,861 foreign inmates in British jails, who now make up around 14 per cent of the prison population. Each costs an average of around £40,000 a year to keep inside. Entire prisons have been handed over to the immigration estate to keep inside prolific offenders after the end of their sentence, and every month around 110 are released out on to the streets. More than two years ago Mr Cameron pledged to ‘intervene personally’ in the issue, but there has been little progress. There are more prisoners from Jamaica (pictured) than any other foreign nationality, followed by Poland and Ireland. This week the Mail revealed hundreds of foreign criminals could be given cautions instead of jail if they agree to leave the country for at least five years. Yesterday Mr Cameron hailed a transfer agreement with EU countries designed to send more home. He said that as a result of the deal ‘those prisoners should be sent back to the country of their origin to serve out their sentence in prison therefore taking the cost away from us.’ But the Mail revealed that as of December last year, not a single inmate from another EU country has been sent back to their homeland. Risibly, the two countries with the most inmates in Britain - Poland and Ireland - were given opt-outs by the previous Labour government. And Britain has been sent two prisoners by other countries - meaning the deal has actually increased our ‘United Nations’ prison population. Jamaicans top the nationality table, with 900 last year, followed by Poland on 750, and Ireland 737. There are 594 Nigerians. Britain should be able to say ‘good bye’ to Abu Qatada as a result of a deal with Jordan, David Cameron said yesterday. And the PM did not rule out leaving the European Court of Human Rights to ensure the radical cleric can be removed. He said: ‘He should be in Jordan. We’ve got an agreement with the Jordanians that he’ll be properly treated. ‘We should now be able to say good bye to Abu Qatada.’ | Taxpayers will fund prisons in poorer countries such as Nigeria . The PM admitted that too many foreign prisoners remain in the UK . The move could result in more inmates being sent home . Number of prisoners has increased despite promises to reduce the figures . | ec1086052261e9a1457edca9164de88efe4056eb |
(CNN) -- Three San Jose State University students in California have been charged with racially bullying their black roommate by clamping a bicycle lock around his neck and decorating their four-bedroom suite with a Confederate flag, Nazi symbols, photos of Adolf Hitler and a white board with a racial epithet, prosecutors said Thursday. The three students -- Logan Beaschler, 18, of Bakersfield; Joseph Bomgardner, 19, of Clovis; and Colin Warren, 18, of Woodacre -- are charged with misdemeanor hate crime and battery, the Santa Clara district attorney's office said. Neither the three students nor their attorneys could be immediately reached for comment. Beaschler was booked in the Santa Clara County Jail on Thursday, with bail set at $15,000. The defendants face a maximum sentence of one year in county jail if convicted, prosecutors said. The 17-year-old roommate who was the alleged victim wasn't named by prosecutors. He suffered a minor injury when he fought off the bike lock around his neck, prosecutors said. "I can't believe in the year 2013 that we're talking about an African-American student being treated this way," District Attorney Jeffrey F. Rosen told CNN. "We're taking this case very seriously." The defendants are accused of nicknaming their black roommate "Three-Fifths," an apparent reference to a U.S. constitutional provision that counted slaves as "three-fifths of all other persons," prosecutors said. When the African-American student objected to that name, the three roommates in the campus housing began calling him "Fraction," the prosecutor's office said. The alleged harassment began in August and lasted through October, prosecutors said. Are we too quick to cry 'bully'? San Jose State's president, Mohammad Qayoumi, said in a letter to the student body Thursday that the three students have been suspended. "Let me be clear: I am outraged and saddened by these allegations. They are utterly inconsistent with our long cherished history of tolerance, respect for diversity and personal civility," Qayoumi's letter said. Members of the alleged victim's family released a statement saying they were "deeply disturbed by the horrific behaviors that have taken place against our son." "Our immediate focus is his protection," the family said. "We have taken a stand on this matter. Our response prompted the community to be alerted of the appalling conduct of the students involved." A total of eight men were living in the four-bedroom suite, but the remaining four students turned their back on the racial harassment, the prosecutor said. "The other four were aware of this (but) ... did not stand up" and allowed the harassment, Rosen said. Parents saw the Confederate flag in the dorm suite and "the N-word scrawled on a white board," Rosen said. When friends become bullies . At least one of the defendants tried to downplay the harassment, and the three defendants then wrote a note to the African-American roommate, asking him to join their group, Rosen said. But the black roommate objected to the harassment and sometimes "barricaded" himself in his room, Rosen said. "The young man in this case was terrorized. It was difficult for him to study," Rosen said. "He told them not to do this to him." Qayoumi said the university police immediately began investigating the allegations "the day our housing staff learned of the situation." The same day the investigation began, two of the roommates were moved to other residence halls and placed in single rooms. "A third suite-mate, originally believed to be a bystander, was identified yesterday as an offender. We regret he was not removed from the victim's suite before today," Qayoumi said. Bullying among boys easily dismissed? CNN's Joseph Netto contributed to this report. | The three students have been suspended . One man booked into county jail on Thursday . 3 San Jose State University students shared a four-bedroom suite with black roommate . The three are accused of using racial epithets and posting Confederate flag, Hitler photos . | 755b695cca37fb8d431291339a20a746e93532a3 |
By . Louise Cheer . Game of Thrones fans are forking out up to $150 for their chance to sit on the Iron Throne. The Sydney exhibition for the fantasy show is free of charge, but fans are paying strangers to hold their place in line for up to eight hours. Since the $1 million exhibition officially opened only four days ago, ads have appeared on skill sourcing website Airtasker offering people cash to pay their debts in exchange for enduring the hours-long wait in the queue. Game of Thrones fans are paying strangers to hold their place in line for the exhibit . According to the Museum of Contemporary Art website, the average wait time for punters is about six hours. '[US television network] HBO are encouraging people to arrive early but be prepared for a long wait,' it said. In fact, the exhibit proved to be so popular that organisers extended opening hours from 10am until 10pm on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to meet demand. But fans do not seem phased by the long delay. Some are willing to fork out $150 so people can wait up to eight hours in line . The series stars Kit Harrington (left) as Jon Snow and Emilia Clarke (right) as Daenerys Targaryen . 'Ten bloody hours of wait was worth it #GoTExhibit,' @anjaysay tweeted. And @carolineenguyen agreed: 'The wait for #GOTExhibit at Sydney was SOOOOOOO worth it!!' But it wasn't the only excitement in the line. 'Heard one guy proposed to his girlfriend after getting into #GOTExhibit yesterday. They probably met in the queue,' @mjonesy_87 tweeted. The hugely popular television show is based on a fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by US author George R. R. Martin. The Sydney exhibtion is on at the Museum of Contemporary Art until Saturday. The fantasy series' exhibit was opened on Tuesday and will continue until Saturday . But the long wait outside the Museum of Contemporary Art has not deterred fans . | Fans of the fantasy series are posting ads up on the Airtasker website . People start queuing up from about 6am in the morning to get in . The Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting the popular exhibit . Its website says the average waiting time is about six hours long . The Game of Thrones exhibition is scheduled to end on Saturday . | f34886d41fc106a710737179a270e8e3427aff86 |
By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 10:43 EST, 13 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:05 EST, 14 June 2013 . A gang of scrap metal thieves have stolen 120ft of track from a volunteer run miniature railway. The thieves lifted the track from a miniature railway circling the 450-acre Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent. They then loaded it into a truck and speeding off in the early hours of Wednesday. Bosses at the Maidstone Model Engineering Society, which operates the railway - which costs 20p-per-ride - were horrified when they turned up to find a huge section of the track ripped up. The thieves lifted the track from the miniature railway which circles the 450-acre Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent, before loading it into a truck and speeding off in the early hours of Wednesday . Police are hunting a gang of scrap metal thieves after they pinched 120ft of track from the miniature railway . The ride has been running for decades and is run by volunteers from the society - which was set up in 1929. A spokesman for the Society said this week that it was ‘horrified’ at the theft and pleaded with witnesses to come forward. He said: 'Members of the Club were upset and horrified to discover over 120 feet of our railway track in Mote Park has been ripped up and stolen. 'If you walk through the park please keep your eyes open for us as possibly someone might have seen something. 'Although of little value, there will be a lot of work required by the members, who are all volunteers, in replacing the stolen rails.' He added: 'All the work is done by club members who are volunteers, and the majority of the locomotives are built by them, a labour of love sometimes taking many years. 'We enjoy sharing our hobby giving rides on Sunday afternoons to all generations and hopefully this will continue for many, many more years. Bosses at the Maidstone Model Engineering Society, which operates the railway, which costs 20p-per-ride, were horrified when they turned up to find a huge section of the track ripped up . 'We will aim to run some sort of train service giving rides this Sunday if we possibly can, as we do not want to disappoint anyone. 'We will do our best to get back to normal as soon as we can. Please bear with us through this difficult period, your support is valued.' Local Jonnie Jensen said: 'Stealing the track from the Mote Park model railway. 120 feet of it! The ride has been running for decades and is run by volunteers from the society - which was set up in 1929 . 'I was here about three weeks ago and the kids loved it and families queued to have a go - whoever did this were total scumbags.' Another Tony Henderson, 34, said: 'This ride has been going for years and now it’s ruined by a bunch of morons trying to make a bit of money from selling off the metal. 'They have ruined it for everyone, especially the kids who love the ride.' A spokesman for Kent Police said if was investigating the theft and appealed for witnesses to come forward. | Stolen track circles the 450-acre Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent . The 20p-a-go ride has been running for decades and is run by volunteers . Bosses ‘horrified’ at the theft and pleaded with witnesses to come forward . | 35c80350e3840c2dae18bbfe30ba696b9620a579 |
A masked child has 're-enacted' James Foley's murder in disturbing images which show the youngster beheading a doll in an orange jumpsuit. The photos were posted online by a supporter of the Islamic State terror group and came with the chilling message: 'Teach your children to cut necks, tomorrow there will be a lot of rotten heads'. Along with the photographs, which also show the doll after it has been beheaded, the Time for the Caliphate account circulated graphic images of the U.S. journalist's murder to its 3,500 followers. It comes amid growing concerns over disaffected or vulnerable children being radicalised through social media as major networks including Twitter and Youtube vow to halt the spread of extremist propaganda. Chilling: Barefoot and wearing a black balaclava, a young child appears to re-enact the brutal murder of the U.S. journalist James Foley by beheading a doll in an orange jumpsuit. The images were circulated on Twitter . Propaganda: A second image shows the doll decapitated and smeared with what appears to be fake blood . The sick child 'execution' images mirrored the murder of James Foley, with the unknown child holding a knife and dressed all in black including a balaclava. In the main image, the child holds the blond doll by its hair while standing in front of the black flag which has become the symbol of the terror group. In the second, the doll is decapitated on the floor. For some, the photographs add to concerns that children are being radicalised with the help of the persuasive power of social media. Earlier this month Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott voiced condemnation after images circulated of a young boy - allegedly the son of an Australian ex-terror convict - apparently holding a severed Syrian man's head. British jihadists have been using teenagers' everyday communication tools, including smartphone apps and the question-and-answer website ask.fm, to persuade impressionable children as young as 15 to join them. Former student Reyaad Khan, 20, from Cardiff, made headlines when he appeared in a recruitment video for the Islamic State. His case particularly concerned observers as he was remembered by most school friends as a talented scholar who until recently held moderate views and mixed with people from all backgrounds. He once said he wanted to be Britain's first Asian Prime Minister. Threats: The message next to one of the images read: 'Teach your children to cut necks, tomorrow there will be a lot of rotten heads'. It comes amid fears over young people being radicalised through social media . Propaganda: Islamic State militants have swept through Iraq and Syria and spread fear through social media . Professor Nicholas O'Shaughnessy from Queen Mary University of London, who has studied Islamist communications and wrote Politics and Propaganda: Weapons of Mass Seduction, told MailOnline he believed the images were not aimed to corrupt children in themselves. But he said: 'The . images involve a child and therefore deliberately invoke the idea of . contaminating the innocence of children. 'They are a way of exploiting . the original death imagery in a new, creative and utterly foul manner.' 'It is so utterly sick and perverted and depraved that it guarantees global visibility: child abuse, pure and simple' - Professor Nicholas O'Shaugnessy . He added: 'It is so utterly sick and perverted and depraved that it guarantees global visibility: child abuse, pure and simple, it pushes other stuff to one side in a world where so much else is competing for our attention. 'The interesting question is why. This practice is so deeply alientating and it is founded in a belief in the supreme effectiveness of the fear appeal, forgetting of course that there are stronger motives than fear. 'Anger, for example, assassinates every other emotion and all ISIS are really doing is arousing universal rage against them such that we no longer see ISIS as human, but monsters to be slain, or cockroaches to be stamped on.' The photographs were posted on Friday after Twitter and Youtube vowed to launch a renewed crackdown on jihadi propaganda accounts. Several accounts circulating gruesome imagery were taken down almost as soon as they were launched, with jihadis switching to other less well-known social networks. Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo wrote on Wednesday: 'We have been and are actively suspending accounts as we discover them related to this graphic imagery. Thank you.' Some accounts, however, continued to gain followers and spread messages of hate. The Time for the Caliphate account was founded almost three years ago and showed no signs of halting its messages. Respected: U.S. journalist Foley was abducted in Syria in 2012 and fell into the hands of the terrorist group . It also received several messages of support in Arabic from other Islamic State supporters, thanking militants for 'defeating these traitors and tyrants' and putting 'terror into the hearts of the infidels'. It also received several messages of support in Arabic from other Islamic State supporters, thanking militants for 'defeating these traitors and tyrants' and putting 'terror into the hearts of the infidels'. Posting a photo of second U.S. journalist Steven Joel Sotloff - who appeared to be threatened in the slick execution video - the account used the hashtag #StevensHeadinObamasHands. On another still from the James Foley murder video, the account insisted that he was 'armed to the teeth and trying to corrupt the media'. That was despite a second image being posted of the aftermath of the murder, with the stark message: 'We will cut off your head, O soldiers of Satan like this.' A Twitter spokesman told MailOnline: 'We do not comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons.' Islamic State militants have swept through large regions of Iraq and Syria pledging to establish a 'Caliphate' which would enact a harsh interpretation of Sharia law. Extremists have hunted down religious minorities, from Christians to Shia Muslims and the little-known Yazidi group, and taken entire towns killing thousands of people. | Images posted by Twitter account Time of the Caliphate to 3,500 followers . It said: 'Teach children to cut necks, tomorrow there will be rotten heads' Masked child holds doll in similar clothes to U.S. journalist before black flag . It comes amid concerns over children being radicalised through social media . Twitter and Youtube have vowed to crack down on spread of propaganda . Propaganda expert called the footage 'child abuse, pure and simple' | bf5d09033441be058479a34f57084db8dede45a3 |
The parents of a college student who was shot to death 10 years ago are finally breaking their silence and revealing that they believe a SWAT team killed their daughter. Jim and Susan Positano's daughter Sarah was just a few months shy of graduating from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio when she was taken captive in her apartment by James Earl Trimble. Trimble eventually agreed to free the 22-year-old after speaking with a hostage negotiator, yet the Positanos claim that just seconds later their daughter was dead after a 'rogue' SWAT team member entered the apartment and startled Trimble, resulting in him dropping his his gun which went off and killed Sarah. Sarah Positano (right, with friend) was killed 10 years ago after being held captive in her apartment . Now her parents are opening up saying she was shot after a 'rogue' SWAT team member tried to take out her captor, startling him so much he dropped his gun which went off and killed their daughter . 'Did Sarah have to die? That’s the question that’s been in my head for all these years,' Jim told the Akron Beacon Journal. Jim and his wife have thought about speaking out for years they revealed, and telling everyone how the 'cowboy-like' actions of this one person ended their daughter's life, but have waited until now, 10 years alter. 'I lost the most precious thing to me,' said Jim, 'and I can’t begin to tell you how anyone would get through something like this.' In 2007 the couple did file a $150million wrongful death suit against the township, former Police Chief David Oliver and the Metro SWAT team, but in 2009 it was thrown out by Common Pleas Judge John Enlow in 2009 in a summary judgment order. Susan believes that Oliver, along with Portage County Prosecutor Victor V. Vigluicci and Enlow, were 'all in bed together.' Jim added that he and his wife 'spent a lot of time trying to develop a case that hasn’t worked, and we don’t expect it’s going to work because I don’t think you’re going to beat the government. The government there is controlling the police.' Trimble was high on crystal meth the night he took Sarah hostage, having been firing hundreds of shots at cops as he made his way through the woods in the are after murdering his girlfriend, Renee Bauer, 42, and her son, Dakota, 7, on Jan. 21, 2005. After speaking with a hostage negotiation a little before midnight he finally agreed to Sarah's release. James Earl Trimble (above), the man who killed Sarah, was high on crystal meth and had just murdered his girlfriend and her son . 'He said: "Give me a couple of hours to get my s--- together, and I’ll let her go,"' said Mike Korach of the New Franklin Police Department in his testimony during Trimble's murder trial. Just moments later, Sarah was dead from a single gunshot wound to her neck. Trimble has maintained that he was holding his gin and dropped in when the 'rogue' sniper appeared from off the patio and took a shot at him - and even Positano's parents agree with this version of events. 'Trimble dropped the gun, it went off and killed Sarah. He was going for a rifle he had,' said Jim. And ballistics seem to back up that a second bullet was indeed fired at Trimble, though it missed. In fact, at one point, claims Jim, they even found a cop willing to go on record and admit what really happened - and confirm their version of events. 'I had my investigator go and speak with him. He knew there was a guy in there. He knew everything. He said straight out: "I can prove it." But he was too afraid for his family to stand up in court,' said Jim.Now, it isn't about the money or even justice as much as just knowing what happened to their daughter in those final minutes of her life. 'There must be people out there who want to say something, but they’re afraid to,' said Jim. 'Maybe now that the pressure’s off someone will come forward.' Cops had previously argued that what Trimble saw was a grill on the deck, a claim they backed up by pointing out he had fired eight rounds into it. More than other drugs, the use of meth does leave some seeing things that are not really there or confusing inanimate objects for people. | Sarah Positano was just a few months shy of graduating from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio in 2005 when she was taken hostage . Her captor, James Earl Trimble, was high on meth and had just killed his girlfriend and her daughter . He agreed to let Sarah go, but just seconds later she was shot dead . Trimble claims a 'rogue' SWAT team member entered the house and fired at him, causing him to drop his gun which went off and hit Sarah . | 8fee1cd74f745cae509ad0dcafc1b5a89633eed2 |
Editor's note: Ted Danson is an Emmy Award-winning actor, a founding board member of Oceana, the world's largest international organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation, and narrator of a new film, "End of the Line." For more information about Oceana, read here . Ted Danson says a "closed" sign on a beach led him on a 20-year quest to save the world's oceans. (CNN) -- Today, Monday, June 8, we recognize the first U.N.-sanctioned World Oceans Day. The event comes after years of pressure from conservation groups and thousands of activists who clamored for everyone to know and understand what's happening in our oceans. I became an ocean activist in 1987. It was the fifth year of "Cheers" and my family moved into a neighborhood that was on the water, in Santa Monica, California. One day I took my daughters to the beach to go swimming, but it was "closed" and I couldn't answer my daughter's question why. That's really how it started. That and "Cheers" was paying me a lot of money and I felt I had better be responsible with it. So, I started to get involved. It turned out in our new neighborhood there was a fight to keep Occidental Petroleum from drilling 60 oil wells on Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles. They wanted to slant drill into the Santa Monica Bay. The fight was led by a man named Robert Sulnick and we became great friends and found a way to beat them. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we wanted to continue this work. So Robert Sulnick and I, full of passion and naiveté, started American Oceans Campaign, which ultimately became a part of Oceana. And, here I am, still at it, 20 years later -- because our oceans are in trouble. Watch Danson talk about his commitment to save the world's oceans » . The U.N. reports that 75 percent of seafood species are maxed out or overexploited and catches of nearly a third of these species are less than 10 percent of what they once were. Ninety percent of the big fish -- sharks, tuna, swordfish -- are already gone, according to a 2003 study in Nature. The chemistry of the oceans is changing as they absorb 11 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, and scientists say the acidifying waters will make it impossible for coral reefs, the nurseries of the sea, to grow. At the current rate of acidification, corals, sea snails and other calcium-carbonate-requiring life forms could begin to dissolve by the middle of the century, with potentially catastrophic results. Shellfish and fish will be in deep trouble as well. This is all happening on our watch. My friend Charles Clover, then a reporter for the U.K.'s Telegraph, wrote an incredible book about all of this called "The End of the Line" that lays out, in devastating detail, how this has happened. The book is now a film, released today, and I'm honored to serve as the narrator. The movie describes how marine scientist Daniel Pauly (a fellow Oceana board member) discovered China had been falsifying its fish catch data, and that instead of increasing, global fish catch had actually peaked in the late 1980s at about 80 million tons a year and had been falling ever since, despite better and faster technology and billions of dollars in government subsidies. The film also describes how we are about to fish one of the most magnificent fish in the ocean, the bluefin tuna, into extinction. It's not the only one we're eating into oblivion. Cod, once a staple in the working man's lunch of fish and chips, is increasingly a delicacy. Unable to catch once-prized species, fishermen are selling creatures that you would never have considered eating, like the once-disdained skates that replace scallops on European tables. Even jellyfish are becoming a commercially viable species. World Oceans Day is an opportunity to bring these underwater challenges to light. And it's a chance to explain how we can restore our oceans to their former glory. Ocean conservation is rewarding because you absolutely can make a difference. You leave a fish population alone for a while, and it rebounds. The oceans are incredibly resilient. We have the opportunity right now to protect the oceans and the life they harbor for future generations. By protecting important habitats like corals from destructive fishing techniques, and setting science-based quotas on seafood species, the battle is halfway won. Fish species will recover, and the marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds that rely on them for sustenance have a fighting chance. In addition, we must commit to renewable energy sources to end the excessive carbon dioxide emissions that are acidifying the oceans and making them inhospitable to life. The ocean does represent a source of energy, and it's not offshore oil and gas drilling -- it's offshore wind. Europe is a leader in developing offshore wind power, and it's time for the United States to catch up. Today, on World Oceans Day, don't just go green. Go blue. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ted Danson. | Ted Danson: June 8 is the first U.N.-recognized World Oceans Day . He says oceans are in trouble with 75 percent of seafood species in danger . Saving oceans is doable if we allow fish species to rebound, Danson says . | 3476514a4f7fdd3df75b97905608df3695cfe8a0 |
Pep Guardiola has been labelled disrespectful by Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic. The Croatia centre forward also claims that Guardiola dropped him from the German Cup final last season because he didn't want him to finish as Bayern Munich's top scorer for the season. Mandzukic still topped the scoring charts with 26 goals for Bayern but was sold to Atletico in the summer. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Mario Mandzukic given a heroes welcome by Atletico Madrid . Atletico Madrid's Mario Mandzukic celebrates his goal against Getafe on Sunday in their La Liga clash . Mandzukic runs away in celebration after escaping Bayern Munich and joining Atletico during the summer . 'Guardiola disappointed me because he didn't treat me with respect and it was twice as good when Jupp Heynckes (Bayern coach's before Guardiola) until was there,' Mandzukic said In an interview with Sportske Novosti. 'Would I sit down with Guardiola for a coffee? That is something that's not going to happen. 'In my professional life I don't have to like everyone but if I feel a negative energy coming from a person then I try to avoid them. 'I didn't deserve to be treated like that after giving everything for Bayern for two seasons. I felt that things would change for me just as he [Guardiola] arrived. Pep Guardiola treated Mandzukic disrespectfully, claims the former Bayern Munich striker . 'I struggled to adapt to him but in the end you need both parties to make a success of something. 'I realised there was no future for me there so I resigned myself to leaving the club and had time to choose a new destination.' Referring to his omission from the 16-man squad for the cup final against Borussia Dortmund, which Bayern won 2-0, Mandzukic added: 'Guardiola decided not to play me because he didn't want me to finish as leading goalscorer, so he did not let me play towards the end of the season. 'It wasn't really important but it did show the lack of respect he had towards me. 'It would have made much more sense if he had told me I didn't fit into his style of play.' Mandzukic has scored six goals for Atletico since moving from Bayern. Mandzukic after joining Atletico: 'Guardiola disappointed me because he didn't treat me with respect' | Bayern Munich sold Mario Mandzukic to Atletico Madrid in summer . 'Guardiola disappointed me, he didn't treat me with respect,' he says . Mandzukic claims Guardiola dropped him so he wouldn't finish top scorer . | 43bb3dbee2d5ba8f36cdb0c3e325424e3e664190 |
By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 10:25 EST, 14 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:00 EST, 15 February 2013 . Google was today facing the prospect of being forced to remove offending posts on the Blogger website after a judge ‘opened the door’ for the firm being required to monitor what users write. The California-based internet giant convinced London’s Court of Appeal in a libel case that Blogger is the equivalent of a blank wall and it cannot be held responsible for what is written there by people. But the court ruled in the case involving law student Payam Tamiz that it was arguable Google was a ‘publisher’ in defamation law, and therefore responsible for offending comments once told of them. Court ruling: Google was today facing the prospect of being forced to remove offending posts on Blogger . However the court's decision will come as little comfort to former Conservative Party hopeful Mr Tamiz, who was vilified on Blogger by entirely false allegations of drug dealing and dishonesty. His epic legal tangle with Google, which was first reported by MailOnline one year ago, has so far only earned him a huge legal costs bill - £30,000 of which he must find within the next two weeks. Lord Justice Richards, sitting with Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson and Lord Justice Sullivan, upheld Google's arguments that Blogger is a ‘purely passive wall’ with no responsibility for internet ‘graffiti’. Mr Tamiz's plea that Google was a primary publisher of the smears was rejected as ‘misplaced’ by the judge, who said it only operates as a ‘facilitator’, enabling other people to express their views. Google could not be compared to an author or editor and the judge said he was also ‘very doubtful’ that it could be viewed as a ‘secondary publisher’, in a similar way to a libellous article ‘distributor’. However, the judge went on to rule that Google and others do have a responsibility to remove offending material from their sites within a reasonable time of a complaint of libel being received. Contest: The court ruled in a case involving law student Payam Tamiz (pictured) that it was arguable Google was a 'publisher' in defamation law, and therefore responsible for offending comments once notified . He said that if Google failed to act swiftly enough, it might be inferred to have associated itself, or made itself responsible for, a libellous post. It would at that point become responsible as a publisher and could be sued. In Mr Tamiz’s case the libellous posts had been taken down and - although he argued Google failed to do that quickly enough - the judge ruled that ‘the game would not be worth the candle’ if his libel case went ahead. 'Google's position is that it had no control over the content of the material posed on the “London Muslim” blog. It was not the publisher of that material but a neutral service provider' Antony White QC, for Google . During the very brief period in which Google could conceivably have been held liable, the judge said it was ‘highly improbable that any significant number of readers’ would have seen the comments prior to their removal. Mr Tamiz was suing Google over anonymous comments made in reaction to a posting on the ‘London Muslim’ blog. Amongst other things, he was accused - without justification - of being a drug dealer and having stolen from his employers. Dismissing his claim last year, top libel judge Mr Justice Eady said: ‘It is no doubt often true that the owner of a wall which has been festooned, overnight, with defamatory graffiti could acquire scaffolding and have it all deleted with whitewash’. But he added: ‘That is not necessarily to . say, however, that the unfortunate owner must, unless and until this . has been accomplished, be classified as a publisher’. Search engine: Lord Justice Richards, sitting with Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson and Lord Justice Sullivan, upheld Google's arguments that Blogger is a 'purely passive wall' with no responsibility for internet 'graffiti' The libel claim brought by Mr Tamiz, who in 2011 stood as a Tory candidate in local elections in Thanet, Kent, was left dead in the water by the ruling, even though nobody had suggested the accusations made against him were even ‘remotely true’. On appeal, Godwin Busutill, for Mr Tamiz, had argued for an extension of libel laws to police the melting pot of the internet. 'Little that happens on the internet is genuinely 'automatic' or 'passive'... the notion that the internet runs 'automatically' or 'passively' is in essence a powerful myth which has been fostered very successfully and profitably by internet superpowers such as Google' Godwin Busutill, for Payam Tamiz . He said: ‘Little that happens on the internet is genuinely "automatic" or "passive"... the notion that the internet runs "automatically" or "passively" is in essence a powerful myth which has been fostered very successfully and profitably by internet superpowers such as Google. ‘It suits their business model to take and to be seen to be taking a “hands off” approach and not really able to do anything about problems that may be generated by their internet-based operations.’ However, Antony White QC, for Google, argued: ‘Blogger.com is a platform that allows any internet user around the world to create his or her own independent blog, free of charge. ‘It is a piece of computer technology... Google does not create, select, solicit, censor or approve the content of a blog, which is published and controlled only the blog owner or blogger. Analogy: Mr Justice Eady said the owner of wall which has been covered in defamatory graffiti could have it taken off with whitewash, but added that the owner should not be classified as a publisher until then . ‘Google's position is...that it had no . control over the content of the material posed on the “London Muslim” blog. It was not the publisher of that material but a neutral service . provider.’ His appeal dismissed, Mr Tamiz was ordered to pay 50 per cent of Google's legal costs. He will have to pay £30,000 on account within 14 days, but that is likely to be only a fraction of the final bill he will face. 'The ruling does open the door for a future case where a court might take up the comments of the Court of Appeal in this case and run with them. But we are not there yet. In the meantime, Google and other similar companies will rightly be worried that they may be liable in similar future cases' Adam Wagner, barrister and UK Human Rights Blog editor . Adam Wagner, barrister and editor of the UK Human Rights Blog, told MailOnline: ‘The court did not rule that Google is legally obliged to take down offending posts once they are notified of them - in this regard, the judgment has little or no legal effect on Google. ‘The court did rule that it was arguable that Google was a "publisher" in defamation law, and therefore responsible for defamatory comments once notified of them. ‘Google in fact won this case, because even if it had been potentially liable under defamation law, the offending comment only had a "trivial" effect. ‘The ruling does, however, open the door for a future case where a court might take up the comments of the Court of Appeal in this case and run with them. ‘But we are not there yet. In the meantime, Google and other similar companies will rightly be worried that they may be liable in similar future cases.’ A Google spokesman told MailOnline: 'Google helps spread knowledge, enabling people to find out about almost anything by typing a few words into a computer. 'And services like Blogger, YouTube and Google+ help users to express themselves and share different points of view. Where content is illegal or violates our terms of service we will continue to remove it.' | Google says Blogger is blank wall and it isn't responsible for writings online . But appeal court hears it's arguable Google is 'publisher' in defamation law . Legal expert: 'Another court could run with these comments in the future' Long-running case involves student Payam Tamiz who was vilified online . | b0f976a1a0fd9aa4ada8a1b23d10fedea79c26fa |
By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:53 EST, 20 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:44 EST, 20 May 2013 . Two hot air balloons collided mid-air during a sightseeing tour of volcanic rock formations in Turkey on Monday, causing one of them to crash to the ground, officials said. One Brazilian tourist was killed while 24 other people on board were injured. The ascending balloon struck another balloon’s wicker basket above it, causing a tear that sent it plunging to the ground, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Scroll down for video. Tragic: The ascending balloon struck another balloon¿s wicker basket above it, causing a tear that sent it plunging to the ground . Injured but alive: Medics tend to a female survivor of the crash in hospital . The passengers on board the balloon that crashed were mostly tourists from Asia, Spain and Brazil, according to Abdurrahman Savas, the governor of Nevsehir province. Many had fractured bones and one of them, an elderly passenger, was in serious condition. The balloons were flying above scenic canyons and volcanic cones of the Cappadocia region, a popular tourist destination some 300 kilometers (190 miles) from the capital, Ankara. Terror: This is the moment the hot air was sucked out of the balloon immediately after the collision causing it to fall from the sky . Fatal collision: A Brazilian tourist was killed and 24 others were wounded when the two balloons collided in the touristic region of Cappadocia . In trouble: The accident happened at about 4am GMT this morning near the city of Nevsehir . Horror: Onlookers watched in horror as the balloon plummeted to earth . Write caption here . Investigation: The cause of the collisions is unclear as investigators probe whether it was down to a technical fault or human error . Double trouble: It was the second fatal accident in Cappadocia since balloon sightseeing tours were launched there more than a decade ago . Cappadocia is famed for its “fairy chimney” volcanic cones and its subterranean cities carved out of soft stone. It was the second fatal accident in Cappadocia since balloon sightseeing tours were launched there more than a decade ago. In 2009, a British tourist died when two balloons also collided mid-air. In February, a balloon caught fire and crashed in Egypt, killing 19 tourists. | Ascending balloon struck another's wicker basket above, causing a tear . The passengers on board were mostly tourists from Asia, Spain and Brazil . Balloons were flying above scenic canyons and volcanoes of Cappadocia . Second fatal accident in region since balloon tours launched a decade ago . | 4e3aeca4aeba616b44ed2d9d2de64312ddd97191 |
By . Deni Kirkova . A besotted dog owner has spent an astounding £5,000 on a birthday party for her beloved pet. Karen Chamberlain, 52, from Dover splashed out on a glamorous bash for her female bulldog, Lady Lola, to mark the fact she had survived to 10 years old despite being given just five years to live after a devastating house fire in 2005. The professional dog breeder, who specialises in bulldogs, hired a lavish beach club where Lola sat upon a specially-made throne and dressed in a £150 dress and £100 tiara. Lola gets ready for the party with the help of besotted owner Karen, 52, who spent £5,000 on it . The pair were joined by dozens of doggy friends who tucked into a 10-tier cake and enjoyed live entertainment. Karen, who has no children, said: 'People think I'm mad - I've been called "barking" more than once - but it's only common sense to me that Lola should have had a tutu and a throne for her "100th birthday", considering her rocky journey in life. 'She's really like one of my children.' Karen narrowly saved Lola and Lola's puppy Tia from a cloud of toxic smoke which filled her house when a coffee pot melted in an unexplained fire. She said: 'I raced through the house looking for them. 'Both the dogs were succumbing to the fumes and I had to practically throw Lola through an open door into the fresh air. Lola pictured sitting on her throne (l) and a wide shot of the throne and 10-tier birthday cake . The pair were joined by dozens of doggy friends who tucked into cake and enjoyed live entertainment . 'By the time I found Tia she was nearly dead. I had to give her mouth to mouth. 'We had to take both dogs to intensive care at the Royal Veterinary College in London where they stayed for two weeks, at a cost of £18,000. We almost lost them several times. 'The vets told us we should prepare ourselves for the fact that they wouldn't live for another five years. I was devastated, but I took them home and nursed them as best I could. It took them a full year to properly recover. 'Lola survived the five years, and then another, and I began to think, 'wow, she's a real survivor'.' Last year, as Lola approached her 10th birthday, Karen decided to throw an extra-special bash to celebrate her eldest dog's life so far. Karen also keeps five other bulldogs, Baby Gracie, 6, triplets Angel Star, Lil' Belle and Scarley Sky, 4, and King, 9 months, who with her fiance Pete Dowling, 5. Lola arrives at the party with Karen and her fiance Pete Dowling, 51 . She said: 'I invited all our dog-mad friends. I wanted it to be a very glamorous evening. 'The dress code was quite strict - I wanted all the ladies and gents to be dressed in their finest gear and their dogs were to wear fancy dress. We had one dog dressed up as Prince Charming, and others were dyed especially for the occasion.' The venue, the Beach Club marquee at the Kings Oak Hotel in Loughton, Essex, cost £1,000 to hire for the night. Lola's dress cost £150, and her tiara cost another £100. The decorations, food and entertainment, including a specially-constructed throne, a 10-tier cupcake tower, individual treat bowls, celebrity lookalikes and dancers, brought the total cost to £5,000. Individual treat bowls for canine guests at the party (l) as Pete gives Lola her cake . Karen said: 'We considered it Lola's 100th birthday because bulldogs generally do not live as long as some breeds. Every year equals 10 dog years. 'Lola really enjoyed her big day. She loves a fuss being made of her, and it obviously did her some good.' Sadly Tia, Lola's daughter, died in April this year, but Lola is still going strong. Karen said: 'She still acts like a puppy. She enjoys playing with her toys a bit too much sometimes and still gets excited meeting other dogs. 'Every day we take her for two short walks and when we're going longer distances we take her out in her stroller. She loves walking on the sand. 'We were once told that Lola only had a few short years to live, but she's amazingly strong.' Karen considered it Lola's 100th birthday because bulldogs generally do not live as long as some breeds . | Karen Chamberlain from Dover splashed out on a glam bash for Lady Lola . Considered it her 100th as bulldogs do not live as long as some breeds . Venue in Essex cost £1,000, Lola's dress cost £150 and her tiara £100 . Party featured special decorations, food and entertainment . Also specially-made throne, a 10-tier cupcake tower, individual treat bowls . Celebrity lookalikes and dancers brought the total cost to £5,000 . | a03efbd13e12ea86a7f0594f847e0430f3d9ce0c |
(CNN) -- Eugenie Bouchard has already established herself as the new face of women's tennis -- and now she's just two wins away from claiming her maiden grand slam title. The 20-year-old, who is set to move up to No.8 in the world following her 6-3 6-4 win over Germany's Angelique Kerber, will equal the best ever ranking held by a Canadian on the women's tour. Bouchard, who reached the semifinals of both the Australian and French Opens earlier this year, saw off Kerber to set up a semifinal clash with Romania's Simona Halep. World No.3 Halep -- the highest ranked player remaining in the tournament, won the only meeting between the pair Indian Wells earlier in 2014. "It was definitely a tough battle," Bouchard told the tournament's official website following her victory. "I've played her a few times and it's always been really tough. I knew it wasn't over and I just kept trying to fight. "I was trying to stay in the moment, I knew I couldn't think ahead, I've been working on that. I hit a good few aggressive shots, so I just tried to play my game." Halep, who was beaten in the final of the French Open by Maria Sharapova, cruised through to the last four with a straight sets win over Germany's Sabine Lisicki. Romania's Halep, 22, started slowly, losing the first three games before hitting back to take the first set 6-4. And she stormed through the second -- taking it 6-0 after winning 11 consecutive games. "It was a good match. I had a slower start today and she had 4-1 and then I came back very well," Halep told the BBC. "I was really enjoying myself, it was incredible on Centre Court. It was my second time here and I really enjoy every moment." Bouchard and Halep will meet on Thursday for the right to play either Lucie Safarova or Petra Kvitova in Saturday's final. | Eugenie Bouchard books place in last four . Bouchard defeated German's Angelique Kerber . Canadian will play Romania's Simona Halep . Halep eased past Sabine Lisicki in straight sets . | cac3eaaca323246acfaedc6f41e96d337df2817e |
Executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise and Bravo late-night talk show host Andy Cohen blasted into New York in 1989 from Boston University as a 21-year-old intern at CBS News. He fell madly in love with the city as well as well as all things pop, including the Andy Warhol diaries filled with gossip galore about the artist’s doings night and day. Now Cohen, 46, has written his own one-year gossip-filled diary about his life in Manhattan and behind the scenes of his popular television shows in The Andy Cohen Diaries, published by Henry Holt and Company tomorrow. Scroll down for video . Puppy love: : Andy Cohen says fell madly in love with a beagle mix dog he rescued from a kill shelter in West Virginia. He named the dog, Wacha . Not butts about it: Andy's selfie with Kim's derriere was very exciting . Secret project: Andy adored Joan Rivers and they were talking about a concept for a show called What’s Your Problem. Joan was going to solve peoples’ social problems, ‘like Judge Judy laying down verdicts on Real Housewives-type fights’ Before Joan Rivers died, Andy, who hosts late night show Watch What Happens Live, was working with her on a concept for a show called What’s Your Problem. She was going to solve peoples’ social problems, ‘like Judge Judy laying down verdicts on Real Housewives-type fights’. When Andy pitched Joan on doing a Fashion Police thing on the RHONY, she responded, ‘I’ll just say they all look like whores’. Joan wasn’t going to move forward with What’s Your Problem without a role for Melissa. ‘(Is Melissa Rivers now an Executive Producer on my show?)’ Andy quips. He adored Joan Rivers. Her death reminded him life changes in the blink of an eye. He hangs a lot with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, along with a lot of other first names like Madonna, Anderson, Lady Gaga and at the Jerry and Jessica Seinfelds, where the food is always to die for and he eats like a pig. He vacationed in Capri with Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. He was Sarah Jessica Parker's date to the Metropolitan Museum gala this year, and says the dinner was 'pop culture theater — Kanye and Beyoncé wandering by, Taylor Swift looking for Lena Dunham. Naomi (Campbell) came over to me three times in the course of the entire evening screaming, “Keep Porsha (Williams from ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’). DO NOT FIRE HER! I CAN’T STAND KENYA (Moore)!” Cohen obsesses about his weight but loves to indulge himself with anything besides gourmet food that includes candy and ice cream, He’s ‘tanorexic’ and needs time in the sun. Keeping it real: Andy parties with Monica Lewinsky and RHOA star NeNe Leakes at his book party . Besties: Andy and Diane von Furstenberg are close and he vacationed in Capri with her and Barry Diller . He’s on the hunt for his next lover. He fantasizes about firemen, baseball players, men he sees in airports, anywhere. He writes that his last serious relationship was with Broadway alum John Hill, a decade ago and he’s been on the hunt ever since for his next love. ‘I’m lonely and I need something to care about, take care of and think about other than myself or my job’. ‘Basically, if I have to think about only myself for another minute, I am going to rip my skin off’. ‘In the meantime I will cruise guys at my gay temple whilst repenting’. Cohen even joined Tinder in the hopes of finding his true love. 'I got caught up in the tech buzz and randomly joined,' he writes about the hookup site that allows users to pick random sex partners simply by looking at their picture. 'I said ‘yes’ to a few. . . Tinder is my ticket to meeting people I wouldn’t normally come across, like an architect who lives in Murray Hill, or a scientist from Williamsburg. Welcome to my rich fantasy land.' In the absence of a boyfriend, he fell madly in love with a beagle mix dog he rescued from a kill shelter in West Virginia. He named the dog, Wacha, after the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha – his hometown baseball team. ‘The interesting thing is my sex drive has been nowhere. It’s like I’m satisfying myself with the dog. I’m not f****** the dog, of course, but I think I’m being fulfilled in other ways’, Cohen writes. “I’m in love with my dog. It turns out that I have a better chance of having a long-term relationship with him than with a person, because everything I say goes’. On the Housewives, he confesses he feels codependent in Housewife-heavy public situations and likes spending quality time with the women. He writes they use a generous amount of dye, Botox and fillers in what feels like an alternate universe at times. Cheeky: Andy asked Khloe Kardashian if her a** had always been like that. She said she was wearing special Spanx that lift her butt . The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion was brutal. Two of the Housewives refused to sit next to Carlton Gebbia because ‘they believed that she had put spells on them, or she would put a spell on them’. Andy had the hunch that this was the first and last reunion for Joyce Girard and Carlton Gebbia and Carlton knew it because she was depicted as a ‘sex starved Wiccan’. (The last five episodes have not aired yet, he writes.) ‘In retrospect we could’ve fleshed out more aspects of her life. They have been secretly talking to Lisa Rinna about joining Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. One of the issues with the Housewives is that ‘in every city, some of the women are simultaneously living their real lives and playing to the audience’s perception of them, and that always winds up biting them in the ass’. It’s worse in the Beverly Hills franchise because it’s an industry town. Cohen comments that The Real Housewives of Miami are not afraid of jumpsuits or camel toe, exposing too much of the female’s private parts in tight clothing. In April, he and his Bravo team tried to figure out which Atlanta Housewives to bring back and what to pay them. “I am so far not thrilled with the new casting, so we rejected the latest bunch are going to dig deeper’, Andy writes. The deal with Bethenny Frankel to come back to Real Housewives of New York was signed. The Housewives all relate to themselves as businesswomen. Suzanne Somers was on WWHL, declared she was a businesswoman and Andy wonders if she should be a Housewife. Despite leading an exciting life coast to coast, he and CNN host Anderson Cooper text each other that ‘we are bored out of our minds’. Party time: (from left) Ellen Barkin, Andy Cohen, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos celebrate Andy Cohen's previous memoir 'Most Talkative' at SiriusXM Studio in New York in May 2012 . Cohen, Anderson Cooper and TV weatherman Sam Champion all ended up in a bar in Rio in December 2013. ‘The men are more beautiful in Rio than anywhere else. It’s like living in a candy store. They are all available too, even the straight ones.' At a cocktail party, he talked with Ronan Farrow. ‘I don’t see how he’s not Sinatra’s son; he’s the spitting image’. But then someone pointed out that Mia Farrow once looked just like Sinatra so maybe Ronan just looks like Mia. ‘In any case, he looks nothing like Woody Allen, so that’s something’. WWHL provides a wealth of gossip in the book: . Rachel Ray brought panini for the entire WWHL staff carried by her acolytes. ‘She seemed pretty drunk on red wine – she’s the real version of Martha’. Nick Carter, the former member of the pop group Backstreet Boys is still drinking while writing a book about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. Actor David Arquette, who got his first big break in the Scream series and was married to Courteney Cox for fourteen year, now owns a bar and told Andy, ‘I’m not sober anymore’. Jenny McCarthy explained to him to picture women masturbating by rubbing a stain out of a garment. Lady Gaga told him not to ask her about Madonna or Perez Hilton. She confessed to him that she couldn’t get out of her dressing room and to the bathroom because of the people in the hall so she peed in the garbage can. Andy viewed her urine as the ultimate pop culture artifact and it was put into a perfume bottle. He later did a video shoot with her and said she is ‘really f******' fun’! Andy went to JLo's birthday party held in Sag Harbor in June which 'turned out to be a lot of fun'. When he saw Khloe Kardashian on the way out, he sensed a 'cold front coming from her'. 'Her ass-- I don't even know how to describe it. It was so bulbous and extended and shelf-like and badonkadonkulous. I asked her if her ass had always been like that or if I was looking at something different or what. 'She said she was wearing special Spanx that lift it. JLo said Spanx usually flatten your ass so these must be a new kind'. 'I got home and realized I have been s***-talking Kanye a lot on the show and maybe Kim a little too so I deserved some KardashiShade'. Taping Kim Kardashian in August, there were no restrictions on the interview. He had already killed questions about Kris Humphries and Ray J out of respect and now regretted it. 'I took a selfie with her a**. So that was exciting'. The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year by Andy Cohen and published by Henry Hold and Co. will be available on Amazon tomorrow . | Andy Cohen has written a gossip-filled diary about his life in Manhattan and behind the scenes of his popular television shows . He says he hasn't had a relationship for ten years, but he fell madly in love with Wacha, a beagle mix he rescued from a kill shelter in West Virginia . His besties include Kelly Ripa, Diane von Furstenberg and Anderson Cooper . He dishes on the Housewives and the generous amount of dye, Botox and fillers they use . They have been secretly talking to Lisa Rinna about joining RHOB . When he asked Khloe Kardashian if her butt was always so big she told him it was butt-lifting Spanx . Kim let him take a selfie with her derriere . | 57fecc2b0eb955b3db2b79e677810a73df02d60d |
She's long been a fan of all things equestrian and today, the Duchess of Cornwall turned out for her first day at the races this year. Resplendent in a tweed coat dress, Camilla, 67, completed her cosy ensemble with a large furry hat and a pair of on-trend over-the-knee boots. The Duchess was at Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey for the Royal Artillery Gold Cup, an event that celebrates the bravery and dedication of the British Armed Forces with a day of horse racing. The Duchess appeared to enjoy the show and cheered as her favourite crossed the line . Nervous Camilla did appear to be feeling the pressure at one point, while caught up in watching the race . It is one of only two military race meetings in the UK and has been on the racing calendar for more than 150 years. In front of a grandstand crammed with soldiers, Camilla was introduced to Royal Artillery officers before joining them in the Parade Ring to watch the runners be led past. Back in the Royal Box, she and the soldiers were treated to a parade of fox hounds from the Royal Artillery Hunt ahead of the opening race, the Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle which was won by Right Step. Later, the Duchess presented the Royal Artillery Gold Cup to jockey Jody Sole in the Winner's Enclosure before being introduced to a group of retired Royal Artillery officers. Not even the pouring rain could dampen Camilla's spirits as she kept the drops at bay with an umbrella . The Duchess was at the races to present the Royal Artillery Cup which was won by jockey Jody Sole . Camilla has long been a racing aficionado and is a regular sight at race meetings during the summer . The first Royal Artillery Gold Cup event was held in 1862 in Eltham, before moving to Sandown Park in 1878. A horse owned by the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, called Norman Conqueror won the race there in 1996. The race is restricted to horses that are owned or have been leased by those who are serving, or have served, in the Royal Artillery. The jockeys must be amateurs and they must also be past or present members of any of the Armed Services. Camilla looked wonderful in her tweed coat dress, accessorised with a cream scarf and dazzling brooch . Stylish Camilla, 67, looked on-trend in a soft beige furry hat, taupe coat dress and trendy over-the-knee boots . Camilla arrives at the event, which is one of only two military race meetings in the UK . The Duchess was due to present the Royal Artillery Gold Cup in the Winner's Enclosure . In recent years the meeting has established an important charitable theme, with sponsors and race-goers generously supporting Help for Heroes and Royal Artillery charities. The trip to the races comes at the end of a busy week for Camilla, who yesterday stopped to pose for a selfie with a 13-year-old boy during a tour of an arthritis centre in London. Danny Roberts, from Maida Vale, is currently being treated for the illness but was delighted when he received a bedside visit from Camilla. Speaking afterwards, the teenager said the Duchess had been 'really concerned' and added that it was 'very nice of her' to come and visit. During the visit, the Duchess was shown immune cells in a microscope, which were there as part of a project working out how puberty and stress can affect the immune system. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, looked chic as she arrived for the Royal Artillery Gold Cup at Sandown Park . Kind-hearted Camilla poses for a photo with 13-year-old arthritis sufferer Danny Roberts from Maida Vale . The Duchess of Cornwall also visited a school and met pupils taking part in a creative writing workshop . The Duchess was on elegant form in a tailored black jacket and a flared grey skirt during her visit . The visit came on the same day as a trip to a school, where Camilla told a class of children that they were being 'very brave' as they read a scene from Shakespeare's As You Like It in front of her. The Duchess, who was on elegant form in a tailored black jacket and a flared grey skirt, was visiting Holland Park School in West London to present a creative writing prize to one of the children. Mukahang Limbu, who received a certificate from the Duchess, had taken part in a competition run by charity First Story, of which Camilla is patron. The charity aims to inspire more children to write by sending authors into schools, among them Scottish writer Kate Clanchy, who was at the school when the Duchess arrived. Touring the school, Camilla was shown into several classes, including Latin, History, English and one of the science labs. | Camilla was at the races for the Royal Artillery Gold Cup at Sandown . One of only two military races, it celebrates the bravery of the military . The Duchess was elegant in a tweed ensemble and a furry hat . | 52e0e64fcb45d9f78c4e459b916e7f62c9ff8b33 |
By . Jill Reilly for MailOnline . Porn and Top Gear and Angry Birds have all been downloaded to computers by internet users in North Korea - a country with notoriously restrictive online policies. Few people in North Korea can access the internet which means citizens are starved of any information besides government propaganda. But according to Scan Eye, which monitors BitTorrent, a protocol for sharing files over the internet, IP addresses in Pyongyang, shows that 178 files have been downloaded. Top Gear is one of 178 files downloaded to computers by internet users in North Korea - a country with notoriously restrictive online policies . The downloads by computers registered in Pyongyang include Modern Family, The Martin Lewis Money Show and The Apprentice. On the list there is also downloads of Japanese and US pornography and of several computer games, including Angry Birds. Ernesto Van Der Sar, who edits the TorrentFreak blog, told The Telegraph that while it is possible to spoof IP addresses, it was unlikely that anyone was routing their traffic through North Korea. 'These IP addresses are registered to North Korea and there is no known Virtual Network Provider operating in that range,' he said. There were also downloads of Japanese and American pornography and of several computer games, including Angry Birds . 'This makes it likely that the traffic is indeed originating from the area.' Computer and cellphone use is gaining ground in North Korea's larger cities. However, most North Koreans only have access to a domestic Intranet system, not the World Wide Web. For North Koreans, internet use is still strictly regulated and allowed only with approval. Computers at Pyongyang's main library at the Grand People's Study House are linked to a domestic service that allows them to read only state-run media online and access a trove of reading materials approved by North Korean officials. The downloads by computers registered in Pyongyang (pictured) But even the local Intranet is limited to the politically sound among the 24 million strong population, according to Kim Heung-kwang, a North Korean computer engineering expert who defected to South Korea in 2004. 'I think around 100,000 people can use Intranet. 'There's a North Korean version of portal service called 'Naenara' (My Country) and people can download content posted there,' he said. 'People could do emails and chats until 2008, then the government shut down these services... (Now) It's all about digital content from propaganda papers such as Rodong Sinmun (the main ruling party daily) or little games.' According to North Korean law, the punishment for using anti-regime or 'bourgeois' cultural content ranges from three months to two years of hard labour. In severe cases, the code allows up to five years of re-education through labor. | Few people in North Korea can access the world wide web . The downloads were by computers registered in the capital Pyongyang . | 58c84bb69af5b6cc889a0612905c0aa82f121ac8 |
(CNN) -- If, like us, you've been wondering about the Red Viper's vaguely Spanish pedigree, you may finally be getting an answer. A medieval castle in southern Spain will serve as the newest backdrop in the next season of "Game of Thrones." The staff of the Alcazar of Seville confirmed that the castle has been chosen as a filming site for the series, with shooting slated to begin in October. Although Alcazar staff didn't confirm the specific fictional landscape the castle will portray, various Internet reports speculate the castle will stand in for the Water Gardens of Dorne, the summer residence of House Martell. Barring flashbacks or resurrection (please?), we likely won't get to see the charismatic Red Viper, aka Prince Oberyn, in his native setting. But his elder brother, Prince Doran, should be holding court, and hopefully plotting devastating revenge for his brother's explosive (in a manner of speaking) death in season four of the hugely popular fantasy series that pivots on blood feuds between rival kingdoms. The biggest champion of the series' latest destination has been U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos, a former vice president at HBO, who announced the news Tuesday. No doubt Spain is excited to receive the flood of "Game of Thrones" tourism that shooting locations in Croatia and Northern Ireland have experienced, although the Seville castle is already a popular destination in its own right. HBO hasn't yet announced a premiere date for the fifth season of the program. Royal palace . Built in 712 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the Alcazar of Seville was originally built as a fortress and became a royal residence in 1248. It still serves as a royal palace today, and is renowned for its Arabic influences and Mudejar art. "We've been working with them to organize everything and are really glad with their final decision," an Alcazar representative tells CNN. "We have broad experience in (filming) -- 'Lawrence of Arabia,' 'The Kingdom of Heaven' -- so we're sure it'll be a success for both parties." In addition to the castle, more "Game of Thrones" filming destinations in Spain -- most likely to do with story lines involving House Martell -- are expected to be announced. | Read no further if you haven't finished the last season of "Game of Thrones" Alcazar castle in Spain will stand in for Water Gardens of Dorne . Filming will commence in October . Spain likely to experience "Game of Thrones" tourism boom . | f6c8d61f1f76a681d4d57ca4b8b1ee578155589b |
Danika France, 18, broke into a bedroom while friend Leah Trevena, 19, was in there with a man following a night out and filmed her . A teenager posted a revenge porn film on Facebook of her best friend having sex, a court was told yesterday. Danika France filmed Leah Trevena without her consent while she was in bed with a man following a night out. When Miss Trevena protested, 18-year-old France promised she would delete the video. But a month later the pair fell out and France posted the 15-second film on her own Facebook page. Miss Trevena, a 19-year-old college student, reported her to police, saying she felt ‘hurt, humiliated and suicidal’. ‘I felt my stomach drop and I felt sick,’ she told officers. ‘Since that day I have felt awful and have not stopped crying.’ The incident happened in October after the pair had been out together in Newcastle. They met two men and later went back to their digs where France took the sex footage with her mobile phone. Debbie Byrne, prosecuting, said: ‘The defendant opened the bedroom door and filmed her friend in bed with a man. ‘The video shows that she was laughing as Leah was protesting. 'Leah didn’t give permission to be filmed and asked the defendant to immediately delete the video.’ France failed to do so and soon their friendship fell apart to the extent that she told Miss Trevena to ‘jump off a bridge and do everyone a favour’. Later she sent the video to a friend, Charles Hall, asking him to put a screen shot online. The 21-year-old did so on November 14, with the comment: ‘I’ve got the video if anyone else wants it.’ Three days later, France posted the video in full on Facebook. Defence lawyer John Gallagher, said: ‘This has all the hallmarks of why I hate social media. For someone of Miss France’s age it is what they are brought up with. 'They don’t think about the consequences of some of their actions.’ The incident occurred last October after the pair had been out together in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. But just one month later the pair fell out and a friend posted a screenshot of the illicit film to Miss Trevena's Facebook page. France herself then posted the video in full onto her own Facebook page . Leah Trevena from Macclesfield, Cheshire, said she was upset at the lenient sentence her former friend has been given . France, of Macclesfield, Cheshire, admitted an offence under the Malicious Communications Act. Magistrates in the town yesterday imposed a 12-month community order with an order to wear an electronic tag. She must pay Miss Trevena £100 in compensation. France, who is on benefits after losing her job as a carer, also admitted a separate offence of assaulting a girl during a night out. For this she was given a 7pm to 7am curfew and told to pay a further £210 in costs. Magistrates said it was a 'very serious matter' but said France (pictured outside court) pleaded guilty at the first opportunity . The court heard Miss Trevena began to distance herself from France over the incident and the pair fell out over a rumour circulating amongst their friendship group . France (right) who is currently on benefits also admitted an unrelated offence of an assault by beating on another girl during a night out in Macclesfield . Magistrates in Macclesfield heard how France told Miss Trevena (both pictured) to 'jump off a bridge and do everyone a favour . Hall, of Bollington, Cheshire, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to posting the screen shot. He was given a three-month curfew with £145 in costs. A spokesman from the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘No one should have to suffer the hurt and humiliation of revenge pornography. ‘Prosecutors are being asked specifically to consider the impact on the victims involved.’ A specific offence relating to the crime is being discussed by Parliament. Following the case Miss Trevena said: ‘I’m pretty disappointed at the sentence. She has already posted messages on social media saying she is celebrating because she isn’t going to jail.’ | Danika France, 18, broke into room while Leah Trevena, 19, was having sex . After Miss Trevena complained, France told her that she had deleted it . But the pair fell out and a friend posted a screenshot of the film online . France herself then posted the video in full onto her own Facebook page . She was ordered to pay compensation to her victim, and a further £210 in costs after admitting conveying an indecent message . | 0075033bf46020cb048da513b1482f84933e80cc |
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson has confirmed he will not appeal his touchline ban and thanked supporters in the wake of his fan row. The Foxes chief will serve a one-match touchline ban for their home clash with Tottenham on Boxing Day after being found guilty of misconduct. Pearson requested a personal hearing, which he had on Friday, after a heated exchange with a fan during Leicester's 3-1 defeat by Liverpool earlier this month. Leicester boss Nigel Pearson (right) has confirmed he won't contest his fine and one-match touchline ban . Pearson was found guilty of misconduct by the FA after an altercation with a Leicester fan this month . But Pearson, who was also fined £10,000, will not fight the charge and it will not change his plans for Spurs. 'No I'm not, I can't see any reason to,' he said, when asked if he was appealing. 'I decided to go along to the personal hearing, which intrigued me to see how it went, so we'll get on with it now. 'I was going upstairs again anyway (on Friday) so it fits in quite well. It is what it is, I can't do anything about it now. Pearson appeared to tell the supporter to 'f*** off and die' during their 3-1 home defeat against Liverpool . The Leicester boss continues his tirade against the supporter from the touchline . 'I have been overwhelmed by the level of support from within the game. 'From managers, players, ex-colleagues and members of the media, it has been overwhelming. 'I would like to thank everyone who has given me that moral support. 'It is time to put the subject to bed, the ruling has been made on me and as always I will take it for what it is and move on.' | Nigel Pearson will serve a one-match touchline ban against Tottenham . Pearson was found guilty of misconduct by the FA . Leicester boss appeared to tell a supporter to 'f*** off and die' during their match 3-1 Premier League defeat at home to Liverpool earlier in December . | 4e3d968996024e984b05dd5f9233f7e02e8480f0 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . He's working hard to maintain a respectable handicap of about 16 or 17, but President Obama is playing straight into the hands of his Republican rivals while doing so. The Leader of the Free World skipped the gym on Wednesday to hit the links at Mid Pacific Country Club golf course in Kailua’s Lanikai neighborhood with scenic views of the water and lush green mountains. The game came just days after the Republican National Committee designed six e-cards of mock presidential resolutions, posting aspirational messages alongside ironic images of Obama. Scroll down for video . President Barack Obama smiles as he walks from the 18th green at Mid-Pacific County Club in Kailua, Hawaii, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014 . President Barack Obama enjoys his first game of golf for 2014 while vacationing in Sunday . President Barack Obama plays golf at the Mid Pacific Country Club, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014 in Lanikai on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii . President Barack Obama picks up his ball on the 18th green at Mid-Pacific County Club in Kailua, Hawaii. The First Family will finish up their holiday on Sunday . Republicans captioned a snap of the President putting on the green while dressed to the nines in a suit and tie as part of a mock series of resolutions for 2014 . The headlining 'resolution' was to 'spend less time on the gold course', with the President playing an estimated 155 rounds since he assumed office in 2009. On Sunday, after playing nearly five hours of golf Sunday at Marine Corps Base, veteran White House reporter Keith Koffler from White House Dossier said his latest game was the 156th game since the inauguration and the 45th outing this year. Through the first 10 days of his end-of-the-year vacation in Hawaii, President Obama has largely fulfilled one goal: Staying out of the public eye. While his administration has sent out formal statements, and campaign organizations have e-mailed fundraising solicitations under his name, Obama has also gotten in daily workouts, hiking and beach trips, dinners with friends and family and six golf outings in his home state. Obama has also signed bills into law and conducted a series of briefings, all behind closed doors. President Barack Obama rides in a golf cart with longtime friend Bobby Titcomb to the 18th green at Mid-Pacific County Club in Kailua, Hawaii, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014 . President Barack Obama, right, golfs with Sam Kass (center) and Marvin Nicholson (left) at Mid-Pacific County Club in Kailua, Hawaii, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014 . The Republican party has accused the President of playing too much gold since his inauguration in 2009, counting over 155 games . After making his putt, President Barack Obama walks off the 18th green at the Mid Pacific Country Club on New Year's Day . The motorcade of President Barack Obama leaves Lanikai after he played golf at the the Mid Pacific Country Club . Obama's vacation lasts until Sunday and the $4 million price tag that some news outlets have put on the stay has prompted some grumbling: The Hawaii Reporter notes that Obama and friends pay for the private vacation rental in Kailua that fetch $25,000 a week -- but that taxpayers pick up the majority of the bill for the rest of the trip. The website says Michael Tasselmyer of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, estimates the 18-hour round trip flight to Hawaii and back aboard Air Force One at $3,235,500. That's $179,750 per hour for flight and operation. The Reporter says the cost for cargo aircraft that transports the presidential limos, helicopters and other support equipment to Hawaii has never been disclosed, but the round trip flight time between Andrews Air Force Base and Hawaii is 21.5 hours, with an estimated operating cost of $12,000 per hour. The Obama's are generally warmly received in Hawaii, although demonstrators protested Saturday against unmanned drones in an area near the first family's vacation home. | President Obama skipped the gym on New Years Day to play a seventh game of golf on his two-week family vacation in Hawaii . The 52-year-old headed to the Mid Pacific Country Club in Lanikai . The game a few days after the Republican National Committee released a series of mock presidential resolutions in an attempt to show what the President needs to better in 2014, the main one being to 'spend less time on the gold course' | dd6043ae3056920c4d7b36f16baa60df5a57f5e2 |
A heroic father has spoken of the moment he saved Claudia Winkleman’s daughter after her Halloween costume caught fire. Jamie Poulton suffered second-degree burns when he plucked eight-year-old Matilda from a group of children and put out the flames with his bare hands. His brave actions not only saved her from worse injury, they prevented her from setting fire to nine other children crowded on to a narrow doorstep. Describing the terrifying accident for the first time, the restaurant owner said he was just feet away when he saw Matilda’s black ‘wizard’s costume’ turn into a ‘crackling ball of flame’. To his horror, the synthetic fabric melted in his hands as he tried to tear it from the screaming child. Scroll down for video . Restaurant owner Jamie Poulton suffered second-degree burns when he put out flames with his hands after Claudia Winkleman's daughter Matilda's costume caught fire . Mr Poulton said his daughter Talulah, five, and son Lewis, three, were left terrified after witnessing the accident. And he warned other parents who dress their children in novelty costumes never to allow them near open flames. The 45-year-old, who owns Randall & Aubin restaurant in Soho, central London, had joined Miss Winkleman, around five other parents and ten children on their annual west London trick or treating expedition. Although he did not see exactly what set Matilda’s costume alight, it is thought her cape touched a pumpkin candle. He told the Daily Mail: ‘Suddenly, Claudia’s daughter went up in a crackling ball of flame. All the children were wearing the same kit. It was like a potential horror film in front of me, because they were all going to go. Once she goes, then the next one catches and they are all going to go off. ‘They were all on the doorstep together, right next to each other. So I just picked her up and lifted her over the children, got her on the pavement and tried to put her out.’ Mr Poulton said time seemed to slow down as he tried to extinguish Matilda’s flaming costume. Shockingly, the fabric continued to burn as he patted her and rolled her on the pavement. He said: ‘This material just keeps reigniting and re-burning. And it is sticky, so it melts on the skin. It doesn’t cinder. It remains hot. It was horrific to be honest. ‘I was trying to put it out with my hand. It was a warm night so I wasn’t wearing a jacket. Claudia Winkleman with husband Kris Thykier . ‘There was nothing immediately to hand to put it out with. Ideally I’d have had something like a towel to douse it all out. But I didn’t have anything. There wasn’t much time to think. ‘I was trying to roll her and pat her clothes. I was trying to rip the costume off her, which didn’t really help because it just ripped and dropped back. It is very bad material. That stuff is terrible. ‘The costumes are very, very cheap to buy. They are nylon and they just go up.’ Mr Poulton’s bravery left him with severe burns, and a week after the accident three fingers on his right hand are still in bandages. It is thought Matilda has had several operations and may have to remain in hospital for several weeks. Miss Winkleman and her husband Kris Thykier, both 42, have said they are ‘hopeful’ their daughter will make a ‘full recovery’. Miss Winkleman, who was replaced on last week’s Strictly Come Dancing by Zoe Ball, will not appear on the BBC1 show tonight and has not said when she will return. Mr Poulton played down his actions, saying: ‘Any parent would have done exactly the same thing so I don’t think there is anything heroic about it.’ However, he admitted his own children have been left traumatised, adding: ‘My little girl is petrified of candles now. She went to a birthday party the next day and didn’t want to go near a candle.’ Last night, experts said children’s fancy dress costumes have to comply with minimum fire resistance standards set out in the European Union Toy Safety Directive. But they warned it is impossible to create completely fireproof clothes. Elizabeth Fox, of the National Childrenswear Association, said: ‘All clothes burn, some more quickly than others. The terrible irony is that fabrics such as polyester are actually more fire-resistant than cotton, but once they do set alight they are liable to melt and burn the skin further. Sadly there is no easy fix except to warn parents when their children are around open flames, especially in loose clothing such as Halloween cloaks.’ | Jamie Poulton suffered second-degree burns when he put out fire on Matilda's costume . He said he was just feet away when he saw her black 'wizard's costume' turn into a 'crackling ball of flame' Mr Poulton's brave actions saved the eight-year-old from worse injury . He warned parents not to let children in costumes near open flames . | f6d8403d788e488ac7a2fa619023aae7ca48093f |
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A hacker's invasion of dozens of celebrity iCloud accounts, leading to the embarrassing leaking of nude photos, has lessons for us all. Here are five things you should know about what happened. Who's been hacked? There's a list of 100 celebrity women -- and one man -- whose photos were supposedly downloaded and stolen by a hacker. It includes A-listers, notably Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, and D-listers whose names you may not recognize. Many of them only found out they were victims because of media reports naming them, but others -- such as Lawrence -- found out when social networks exploded with buzz about nude photos being distributed online. Lawrence and two others, actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead and model-actress Kate Upton, almost immediately confirmed the images were of them. Several others -- including singer Ariana Grande, gymnast McKayla Maroney and singer-actress Victoria Justice -- said photos supposed to be of them were fakes. Justice later tweeted that she did, in fact, suffer "a serious violation of privacy," with real photos leaked. While Rihanna is on the list, it might have been a waste of a hacker's energy, because the singer is known for frequently sharing revealing photos of herself on Twitter and Instagram. Being on the hacked celebrity list doesn't mean the hackers actually found any racy photos. Actress-singer Keke Palmer, 21, was on the list, but has never taken or kept nude photos on her phone or elsewhere, her mother said. The former Nickelodeon star, now playing Cinderella on Broadway, was taught early in her career about the dangers, she said. Others reportedly hacked include: Aubrey Plaza, Avril Lavigne, Cat Deeley, Farrah Abraham, Gabrielle Union, Hayden Panettiere, Hope Solo, Hillary Duff, Jenny McCarthy, Kate Bosworth, Kim Kardashian, Kirsten Dunst, Mary Kate Olsen, Meagan Good, Sarah Schneider, Selena Gomez, Teresa Palmer, Vanessa Hudgens and Winona Ryder. The one male on the list is actor Dave Franco, but to the disappointment of some female fans, no nude photos of Franco have emerged. Why would celebrities have nude photos of themselves on their cell phones? There may not be one answer for this, but distance from love interests could be a major factor. Actors spend months away from spouses and lovers while making movies. Musicians tour the world for months. Sexting can become a substitute for intimacy when a relationship goes long distance. Of course, some bathroom mirror selfies may be snapped and kept as a way to measure progress on a diet or to assess the need for a tummy tuck or update with the plastic surgeon. Other celebs, however, have enjoyed career boosts when supposedly inadvertent leaks of nude photos or videos have gone viral. Ask Kim Kardashian about that. Her career highlight was as Paris Hilton's personal assistant before the world discovered her sex tape. Another way nude photos might find their way onto a celebrity's cell phone is just plain naiveté. Maybe they don't realize images on their iPhones are automatically backed up by iCloud, or perhaps they thought iCloud was a safe place for their data. How did the hacking happen? The hacker apparently took advantage of a security flaw in Apple's online backup service, iCloud. Many online services lock someone out after several unsuccessful attempts to log in, but not Apple's "Find My iPhone" app and iCloud. That has been changed by Apple in the aftermath of the nude celebrity photo scandal. But with unlimited guesses, a computer program can generate and test thousands of potential passwords until an account is entered. It is called a "brute force" attack. The tendency of many people to choose weak passwords and to use the same password for each service helped. Once a celebrity's "Find My iPhone" app password is discovered, the same password often can access iCloud. People might never know their accounts have been compromised. Another thing makes the famous more vulnerable. Wikipedia and many other websites provide biographical information that can help a hacker guess passwords or answers to security questions. Nearly a decade ago, Paris Hilton's Sidekick cell phone was accessed when a hacker guessed her password was Tinkerbell, the name of her famous teacup chihuahua. Apple said on Tuesday that the company's core computer systems, which house all its users' data, were not hacked. "Certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet," Apple said. Also read: How celebrities' nude photos get leaked . How can you safeguard against hackers? Learn from the woes of your role models, the celebrities. Choose strong, hard-to-guess passwords. Long but easy to remember pass phrases that include numbers are suggested. Have variations for different email accounts, bank accounts and apps. If one is hacked, it does not compromise your entire virtual world. Many services, including Apple's, offer the option of two-factor authentication. After you enter your permanent password, you are asked for a second temporary password or number that is automatically generated and sent to you in a text message. A hacker would not have been able to access those celebrity photos unless he or she also had the celebrity's cell phone. Another safeguard is to be aware that even when you delete a photo or video from your iPhone, it is possibly backed up by iCloud. The service allows you to access images on all your devices, but it also keeps those you might think are deleted. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead tweeted that the photos of her that were leaked were "deleted long ago." Also read: Naked celeb hack lesson: 'Delete' doesn't mean delete . What penalty could the hacker pay? A stiff prison sentence is the short answer. Jennifer Lawrence's representatives said investigators have been contacted and "will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence." The FBI's Los Angeles office confirmed Monday that it was investigating the hacking. "The FBI is aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high-profile individuals, and is addressing the matter," the agency's spokeswoman said. The same office caught a Florida man who hacked celebrity email accounts in 2011. Christopher Chaney, whose targets included actresses Scarlett Johansson and Mila Kunis and singer Christina Aguilera, was charged with accessing protected computers without authorization, damaging protected computers, wiretapping and aggravated identity theft. Chaney is serving a 10-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2012. The hackers arrested in the Paris Hilton case, including a teenager, got jail time, too. What is the cloud? | The hacked list includes A-listers plus D-listers whose names you may not recognize . Celebs may take nude pics to send to partners when away at film shoots . The hacker apparently took advantage of a now-fixed security flaw in Apple's iCloud . Strong, hard-to-guess passwords and two-factor verfication can protect you . | 30e0436a5c38d3ebab9e0ef60ee01cc4f2e8fba4 |
Australia defender Chris Herd has been ruled out of the Asian Cup with an achilles injury, Football Australia said on Thursday. The 25-year-old Aston Villa player underwent scans after reporting pain before the hosts thumped Oman 4-0 on Tuesday to advance to the quarter-finals. 'It's disappointing for the team and especially for Chris that he is unable to continue in the tournament,' head coach Ange Postecoglou said in a statement. Aston Villa's Chris Herd has been ruled out of the Asian Cup with an achilles injury, Football Australia said . The Australia and and Aston Villa defender in training before picking up the injury which sent him home . 'It has been determined it is in Chris's best interests that he returns to Aston Villa for rehabilitation to ensure he can get back on the pitch.' Undefeated Australia will top Group A if they draw with or beat South Korea in Brisbane on Saturday and they may have to do so without skipper Mile Jedinak, who is uncertain of when he will return after twisting his ankle in the 4-1 win over Kuwait. 'It's coming along well. It's one of those things that we are monitoring day by day and we're happy with how it's all going,' the 30-year-old midfielder said of the injury picked up in the opening match of the tournament last week. 'Will that mean I play on Saturday? I'd be silly to say I could or I couldn't. 'I think we have just got to wait and see how it all goes,' the Crystal Palace captain added. 'I'm trying my utmost to be ready and that is just me on a personal level. 'And I think a lot of other players in my position would be doing the same thing. No-one wants to miss a game of football.' The Australian team celebrate with Matt McKay after he scored to put Australia 1-0 up against Oman . Tim Cahill posted this selfie on board the Australian team coach after securing their place in the next round . | Australia beat Oman 4-0 in their Asian Cup clash . But Chris Herd felt pain in his achilles after the match . The Aston villa defender has been sent back to England . It is not known how long he will be out injured for . | f8155c0c44ff190fcc1e9823a3eafc3f74408ac0 |
By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 05:22 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:09 EST, 13 December 2013 . A 23-year-old man who was jailed for attempted murder has taunted police by posting pictures of drunken nights out with friends on his Facebook - after going on the run from prison. Michael McInnes, 23, failed to return from home leave from Castle Huntly prison near Dundee almost a fortnight ago. But rather than going into hiding, McInnes has been boasting about his drinking exploits on the social networking site since absconding. Michael McInnes, who has been taunting police on Facebook after going on the run from prison . Despite being on the run from prison, McInnes has been posting pictures with friends on his Facebook page . McInnes, circled, even posted a picture on his Facebook page of a night out at a local nightclub three days after he went on the run . According to the Daily Record, brazen McInnes even risked a visit to one of his favourite nightclubs in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, three days after he absconded and posted a picture of him with his arm around other revelers online. Clearly amused by McInnes's posts, one of his Facebook friends commented: 'Your the hide n seek champion lol x' (sic). Another posted: 'Your daft hahahaha' (sic). McInnes, who posted a link to a newspaper story about his escape online, was jailed for six years in 2010 after leaving Kevin McNee brain damaged after repeatedly kicking and stamping on his head in a vicious attack. He had previous convictions for violent offences. Mr McNee spent three months in hospital following the attack and a further nine months in a rehabilitation centre for brain injury victims. McInnes brazenly shared a link to a newspaper article about him being on the run from prison on his Facebook profile . Another image of McInnes apparently enjoying himself while on the run which appeared on Facebook . Despite being given an extended sentence because he was deemed likely to refoffend, McInnes was allowed to leave jail on home visits within three years. The mother of McInnes's victim, Agnes McNee told the Daily Record: 'He's a very dangerous man and the judge said he was capable of doing it again. 'He should never have been in an open prison, he should have been kept in a secure jail because he's a danger to the public. 'When we saw on Facebook that he had been celebrating with his friends at a club, it just made us sick.' The Scottish Prison service has faced criticism from both Scottish Conservatives and Labour over the decision to allow McInnes on home leave. But a spokesman said that it would be 'inappropriate to comment' while an investigation is ongoing when contacted by MailOnline today. | Michael McInnes was jailed for six years for attempted murder in 2010 . He left Kevin McNee brain damaged after repeatedly stamping on his head . Despite being given extended sentence he was allowed on home leave . McInnes never returned from a visit to an address in Glasgow last week . He has since posted pictures of nights out on his Facebook profile . | e09072abf9015ae0c42873a66acc8dd6993c9ffe |
As the 2014 World Cup continues, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture in Brazil from team news and key battles to betting odds and Opta stats... Here is all the information you need for the first game in Group B between Spain and Holland. Click here to follow the Spain vs Holland World Cup 2014 action live . Venue: Arena Forte Nova, SalvadorKick-off: 8pm (4pm, Brazil time)TV coverage: BBC1, from 7.30pmOdds: Spain 8/11, Draw 23/10, Holland 9/2Referee: Nicola Rizzoli, ItalyVIDEO Scroll down to watch former Arsenal stars Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie preparing for the match . The future's bright: Holland fans look to turn Brazil orange . Managers: . Vicente Del Bosque (Spain)Louis van Gaal (Holland)Team news: Spain and Holland played out one of the most disappointing World Cup finals in history four years ago. They get a chance to make amends right away in Brazil. In one of the quirks of the draw for Brazil, Spain opens the defense of its title against the country it beat in the championship decider in Johannesburg four years ago. But while Vicente Del Bosque's team has stuck to its attacking philosophy, Holland coach Louis van Gaal is packing his defense and hoping one of his three star forwards, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben or Wesley Sneijder, can snatch a goal on the counterattack in their Group B opener at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador. Key clash: Wesley Sneijder vs Sergio Busquets . Four years ago Sneijder’s performances placed him in FIFA’s All-Star team but he was stopped by Busquets. The Dutch still rely on the Galatasaray playmaker to dictate their tempo but in Busquets he faces an opponent that few get joy out of. Key men: Holland's Wesley Sneijder and Spain's Sergio Busquets could play key roles for their sides . One to watch: Daryl Janmaat (Holland) Louis van Gaal’s 5-3-2 experiment should get an outing here and the ‘Dutch Dani Alves’ from Feyenoord will be key to providing width in attack to feed Robin van Persie, as well as defensive cover. Head-to-head record: . Played 9 Spain Wins 4 Draws 1 Losses 4 . Dutch of class: Daryl Janmaat is one of the main men for Louis van Gaal's side . Making the move: Cesc Fabregas has made the switch from Barcelona to Chelsea . | Spain's clash with Holland is a repeat of the World Cup final in 2010 . Vicente Del Bosque are the current holders of the World Cup . Chile and Australia are the two other sides in Group B . This is the first time the two World Cup finalists have met in the tournament directly after contesting the final since 1990, when West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final (after meeting each other in 1986). La Roja lost their opening game of the 2010 World Cup to Switzerland, but went on to become the first team to ever win the tournament having lost their first game. Vicente Del Bosque has only lost one of his 25 World Cup games as Spain head-coach, including qualifiers (W22 D2). That was against Switzerland (0-1) in 2010. David Villa - Spain’s top scorer at World Cup Finals (eight goals) - has been directly involved in seven of Spain’s last nine goals in the tournament (six goals, one assist). Spain have won their last six World Cup games, their best ever run in the tournament. Their last four games have ended in 1-0 wins. Spain have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four World Cup games, the longest current run. Indeed only Italy (five games in 1990) and Switzerland (five in 2006 & 2010) have ever had a longer run in the competition. Holland have made it past the group stages in their last seven previous World Cup participations. Robin van Persie was the top scorer in the 2014 European World Cup qualifiers (11 goals). Spain and Holland have a perfectly even head-to-head record with four wins apiece and one draw, though Spain won the only previous World Cup clash 1-0 in the 2010 final. The defending champions have only won their first game in three of the last 10 World Cups (D4 L3), with Italy drawing 1-1 with Paraguay last time out. Robin van Persie and Holland gear up for Spain clash . DM.later('bundle', function(){ . DM.has('v-3620925055001','BC', . {'renderConfig' : . { . 'css' : "videoplayer-large", . 'autoplay' : false, . 'muted' : false, . 'title' : "Robin van Persie and Holland gear up for Spain clash", . 'videoId' : 1099763, . 'adsEnabled' : false, . 'playerId' : "1989148206001", . 'playerKey' : "AQ~~,AAAAAFSL1bg~,CmS1EFtcMWELN_eSE9A7gpcGWF5XAVmI", . 'objId' : "v-3620925055001", . 'videoPlayer' : "3620925055001", . 'width' : 636, . 'height' : 358, . 'source' : "AP", . 'rsi' : typeof(adverts) != 'undefined' && typeof (adverts.getRsiValues) != 'undefined' ? adverts.getRsiValues() : null, . 'linkBaseURL' : "http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2656802/Spain-vs-Holland-All-stats-facts-team-news-game-Group-B.html#v-3620925055001", . 'trackingType': "", . 'freewheelIdent': "", . 'channel': 'sport' } . }); . }); . | e453c6c85b5f56d77bd9cfc279c24d2976f798e7 |
By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 06:29 EST, 5 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:22 EST, 5 August 2013 . A 'graveyard of comets' has been found by astronomers in the . asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. And, to the surprise of astronomers, a number of comets in this graveyard have come back to life after being dormant for what could have been thousands or even . millions of years. The findings, by a Colombian team, contradict the . long-standing view that the main asteroid belt was once populated by thousands of comets which ultimately burned out as they aged. A number of comets in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter have come back to life after being dormant. The findings contradict the long-standing view that the main asteroid belt was once populated by thousands of comets which ultimately burned out as they aged . Over the past ten years researchers have found 12 active comets in the asteroid belt. The mystery of the reactivated comets led the Colombian team to investigate their origin. Their findings suggests that these comets came back to life after moving closer to the sun. The astronomers believe other inactive comets in the region . may flare up when a stray gravitational force from Jupiter nudges them. ‘Imagine all these asteroids going around the sun for aeons, . with no hint of activity,’ said Professor Ferrin of the University of . Anitoquia, Medellin, Colombia. The top image shows the conventional model for the asteroid belt. The middle image shows the proposed model, with a small number of active comets. The lower diagram shows how the asteroid belt might have looked in the early solar system . ‘We have found that some of these are not dead rocks after . all, but are dormant comets that may yet come back to life.’ Surprisingly, this can happen fairly easily. If nudged by . the gravitational force of Jupiter, the shape of comet orbits can change, . leading to a decrease in the minimum distance between the comet and the sun. The little extra energy they receive from the sun is then . sufficient to revive them from the graveyard. ‘These objects are the 'Lazarus comets', returning to life . after being dormant for thousands or even millions of years,’ said Professor . Ferrin. ‘Potentially any one of the many thousands of their quiet . neighbours could do the same thing.’ The new work looked at a distinct region of the . solar system, the main belt of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and . Jupiter. This volume of space contains more than 1 million objects . ranging in size from 1 m to 800 km. Comets are amongst the smallest objects in the solar system, . typically a few km across and composed of a mixture of rock and ice. If they come close to the sun, then some of the ice turns to . gas, before being swept back by the light of the sun and the solar wind to form . a characteristic tail of gas and dust. Most observed comets have highly elliptical orbits, meaning . that they only rarely approach the sun. Some of these so-called long period comets take thousands of . years to complete each orbit around our nearest star. There is also a population of about 500 short period comets, . created when long period comets pass near Jupiter and are deflected in orbits . that last anything between three and 200 years. Although uncommon events, comets also collide with the Earth . from time to time and may have helped bring water to our planet. The new work looked at a distinct region of the solar system, the main belt of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This volume of space contains more than 1 million objects ranging in size from 1 m to 800 km . In June, astronomers in the Netherlands observed, for the first time, what they described as a 'comet factory' around a young star.They noticed how particles around the young star grow by clumping together, solving a long-standing mystery about how dust particles in discs form comets or planets.The ‘dust trap’ was found by Nienke van der Marel, a PhD student at Leiden Observatory using the new Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA).‘It’s likely that we are looking at a kind of comet factory because the particles can grow in this dust trap up to cometary sizes of a few kilometres,’ said Marel. | Scientists believe that they have discovered a region of formerly dead comets in the asteroid belt lying between Mars and Jupiter . It is thought that Jupiter's gravitational pull brings dormant comets closer to the sun, which in turn reignites them and brings them 'back to life' | effbf305e1b2b2dc538b1cf3a3411a4fa221fb1f |
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is ready to shine a light on his players – with them working hard on the training pitch at night. United have submitted a planning application to have floodlights installed on the practice fields at their Aon-sponsored complex in Carrington. Sportsmail understands the move has been ordered by manager Louis van Gaal as he continues to exert his influence at the club. Manchester United have submitted a planning application to have floodlights installed at their Aon Complex . The plans are part of United boss Louis van Gaal's as he continues to exert his influence at the club . Van Gaal is known to pay intense attention to detail and he wants to increase options at the training ground. Wayne Rooney is a self-confessed fan of Coronation Street and may soon find himself out in the Carrington cold rather than snuggled up on the sofa watching the latest drama unfold on the famous cobbles with wife Coleen. The captain also enjoys watching EastEnders although he may have to get Coleen to record the show for him should the application get the green light. However, cosy nights in front of the TV could be saved by the impact the plans could have on the local BAT community. Van Gaal's plans could be scuppered by bats which are protected by UK law . As part of the application, which includes plans for more fencing, United brought in a bat expert to monitor any potential effect on the nocturnal cave dwellers. Bats are protected by UK law and should the proposals be viewed as damaging to the three species spotted at the rural location, the common pipistrelle, soprano pipistelle and Daunbenton's, it could be knocked back. The application, seen by Sportsmail, reads: 'The benefit of the floodlighting is that it will allow for greater use of the training pitches, particularly during the winter months. 'This is essential in enabling the football club to compete with other clubs, both at domestic and international levels. The floodlighting will enhance the usability and function of the training centre, further helping to maintain its world class status.' Wayne Rooney, pictured training last year, could be forced to miss his favourite soaps due to late practice . | Manchester United have submitted plans to have floodlights installed at their Aon-sponsored complex training complex . Plans could be scuppered if they are viewed as damaging to bats . United travel to Preston in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday night . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester United news . | 59a67e2148d7ce96837807451faf1629143e78b7 |
It could be one of the oldest bugs in the computer world. Microsoft today issued a patch for a major security hole in its Windows software that it admitted has been there for 19 years. Experts at IBM spotted the bug - and found it was even present in the code for Windows 95. Bill Gates in 1995 during rehearsals for the August 24 launch of Windows '95. Researchers have found a serious security flaw in the software remained in Windows systems until this week, when the firm finally patched it. The bug, which is present in every version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward, allows an attacker to remotely take over and control a computer. Typically, attackers use remote code execution to install malware, which may have any number of malicious actions, such as keylogging, screen-grabbing and remote access. IBM's cybersecurity research team discovered the bug in May, describing it as a 'significant vulnerability' in the operating system. 'The buggy code is at least 19 years old and has been remotely exploitable for the past 18 years,' IBM X-Force research team said in its blog on Tuesday. The bug, which is present in every version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward, allows an attacker to remotely take over and control a computer. 'We reported this issue with a working proof-of-concept exploit back in May 2014, and today, Microsoft is patching it,' they said. 'It can be exploited remotely since Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 3.0. 'This complex vulnerability is a rare, 'unicorn-like' bug found in code that IE relies on but doesn't necessarily belong to it. Microsoft finally fixed the flaw this week with a security patch it urged all users to download . 'The bug can be used by an attacker for drive-by attacks to reliably run code remotely and take over the user's machine . 'Looking at the original release code of Windows 95, the problem is present.' Typically, attackers use remote code execution to install malware, which may have any number of malicious actions, such as keylogging, screen-grabbing and remote access, the researchers say. | IBM spotted the bug - and found it was even present in Windows 95 . Microsoft finally issued patch fixing it on Tuesday . Allows an attacker to remotely take over and control a computer . | dba73761e732b7327bab8cc2631ab3c3b8f4558e |
A pedestrian was shocked when police ordered him to take a Random Breath Test even though he was not driving a car - and argues he was not drunk and had not driven a car that day. A video of the incident in Sydney, where the man challenges the police officers, has gone viral, with more than half a million hits in just four days. Raffael Galardi was walking through a Lane Cove car park in the north of the city when he was stopped by police, who told him that they chose to RBT him randomly. In video footage, filmed on Galardi’s phone, the police confirm that he is not doing anything wrong but has been randomly selected to do a random breath test as he walks to Coles in broad daylight. Galardi recorded the incident as he challenged police; arguing that he not even travelled in the parked car and that police had even watched his female companion exit from the driver’s seat. Scroll down for video . Two police officers stopped a man and a woman who were walking in a Lane Cove supermarket and 'randomly chose' the man to give a breath test. The man claims he had walked into the car park and was not drunk . ‘Do you just stop people walking and ask them for a breath test?’ an infuriated Galardi can be heard demanding of the police officers. ‘A breath test? Why? But I wasn’t even driving?’ ‘I’m not drunk and I wasn’t driving.’ Galardi says he hadn't even been in the car, but had walked down to meet his companion in the car park. When he arrived, the police turned on their lights and stopped the pair. In the video, Galardi quizzes why his blood alcohol levels are being tested when he had not been behind the wheel of a vehicle, which police had allegedly seen his female companion park. The female driver of the car was incensed, asking police, 'Don't I have to be driving a car? You're meant to pull someone up!' ‘You just saw her get out of the car. I thought you might just have been perving at her,’ he told police. Police responded: ‘We saw the car was driving and we just wanted to stop and breath test it’, which prompted the bewildered young man’s witty response. ‘They saw the car driving? Oh. Well, they just want to breath test the car.’ The young man, walking to Coles during daylight with his female friend, felt targeted by the interrogation. Police responded, ‘we saw the car was driving and we just wanted to stop and breath test it’, which prompted the bewildered young man’s witty response.‘They saw the car driving? Oh. Well, they just want to breath test the car’ ‘You’ve pulled us up while we’re walking through a shopping centre. ‘You can’t just breath test pedestrians… Why are you picking on us? 'What because I’m dressed like this? Random? Well, why don’t you stop this bloke here?’ Galardi angrily continues to argue with police, who offer little response. ‘Talk to me like a normal man… You have just picked on us walking through a shopping centre. Tell me why,’ Galardi demands. One of the police officers explains that ‘we do about five breath tests a week.’ ‘Don’t you have to be in your car driving? You’re meant to pull someone up,’ his female companion, allegedly the driver of the car, asks police. Galardi maintains that he respects police officers and does not think the issue was serious. He found it humorous and is blown away by the huge response. He was never made to give a breath test, walking away from police with a parting shot. ‘When I break the law you can detain me. 'Otherwise, see you later. Go away!' Raffael Galardi filmed the incident, which he found bewildering but amusing, and it has since gone viral . | Sydney police pull over a man walking on the street for 'random breath test' Raffael Galardi was not driving a car and claims he had WALKED into the car park to meet his female companion . He filmed his confrontation with the officers in Sydney's north shore . The video has gone viral, with more than half a MILLION hits in FOUR days . Police confirmed he was chosen randomly and 'had done nothing wrong' Police recorded saying: 'we saw the car driving and wanted to breath test it' The young man argues, 'you can't just breath test pedestrians' Galardi maintained that he was not drunk to police in the video . He insists that he respects police - but this incident made no sense . | 9cd0a476c80ee5885f0a7b05aabf0544650c599c |
A college hired strippers to dress provocatively and pose as admissions workers in order to lure more students, according to a lawsuit. FastTrain College in Miami, Florida, brought in a team of exotic dancers and encouraged them to wear revealing clothes while they recruited young men, the lawsuit said. The for-profit school has also been accused of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in federal money and coaching students to lie on financial forms. FastTrain College in Miami brought in a team of exotic dancers and encouraged them to wear revealing clothes while they recruited young men, the lawsuit said . Former owner Alejandro Amor, 56, was criminally indicted in October and faces pending charges of conspiracy and theft of government money. The school promised a free education in recruiting some students to its inner-city campuses, authorities said in the civil complaint. But some former students say they are still struggling with student loan debts, and the lawsuit identifies more than 160 former students who are now in default. Former owner Alejandro Amor, 56, was criminally indicted in October and faces pending charges of conspiracy and theft of government money . From 2009 to its closing in June 2012, FastTrain received some $35 million in federal funds, including Pell Grants, providing federal aid to the neediest families. The U.S. government is now claiming damages of more than $6 million. 'To generate as much revenue as possible, FastTrain would fill its classes with ineligible students,' the complaint said. Students who never graduated from high school received fake diplomas, the complaint charged, or were coached to lie about their status on financial aid applications. To access taxpayer money, the school needed first-time students to attend class for at least 30 days. If they didn't, FastTrain falsified attendance records or backdated the enrollment so they could collect the money quicker, the lawsuit says. The growth of for-profit colleges, which are governed by private organisations or corporations, has been explosive in Florida and across the country. As the schools have grown, numerous whistle-blower lawsuits have been filed against them by ex-employees. Some former FastTrain students say they are still struggling with student loan debts. Those who were attending around the time of the FBI raid can get their loans discharged under a 'closed school' provision. The school promised a free education in recruiting some students to its inner-city campuses, authorities said . | FastTrain College 'purposely hired' a team of exotic dancers, lawsuit says . They were encouraged to dress provocatively to lure more students . School has been accused of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars . Former owner Alejandro Amor faces pending charges of conspiracy . | f3beec57e3d217debf220e44e117b324760053c5 |
By . Lizzie Parry for MailOnline . TOWIE star Bobby Cole Norris has today thanked the 3,000 people who have signed the bone marrow donation register after he issued an appeal to help save his mother's life. Co-stars and a host of reality TV stars rallied behind the star of The Only Way Is Essex, after he revealed his mother and 'best friend', Kym Norris was diagnosed with leukaemia. Doctors have told the family her best hope is a bone marrow transplant, prompting the 28-year-old to launch his desperate plea. The charity Anthony Nolan told MailOnline the #SaveBobbysMum appeal has generated 3,000 donor sign-ups in the last week - a 750 per cent increase on the same week last year. TOWIE star Bobby Cole Norris told MailOnline he has been 'overwhelmed' by a surge in people signing Anthony Nolan's bone marrow donation register after he launched an appeal to find a donor for his mother last week . The 28-year-old tweeted his thanks to people who have already signed up, but urged more to follow suit, revealing they have yet to find a match for his mother Kym Norris, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia . 'I'm . completely overwhelmed by people's kindness,' Bobby told MailOnline. 'Both me and . my mum were over the moon to hear about these huge increases in . potential donors - any one of the people who has signed up after hearing . our story could end up saving a life. 'It’s given us something positive . to focus on at a really difficult time. But . we still have a long way to go. 'My mum is one of thousands of people . who are still waiting for the news that a matching donor has been found. 'It’s a really tough time and we’ve got a long road ahead, but I will be . supporting Anthony Nolan every step of the way.' Among those supporting Bobby's campaign, are Geordie Shore's Charlotte Crosby and Vicky Pattison, who tweeted urging fans to sign up. TOWIE's Jessica Wright and Chloe Sims have also tweeted photographs of themselves with a #SaveBobbysMum sign. And Katie Price, Mark Wright, Joey Essex, Lauren Goodger, Sam Faiers, Lauren Pope, Anthony Costa and Michelle Heaton, have also called on their fans to act to help save the lives of those waiting for a bone marrow donor. Ms Norris, 54, pictured with Bobby as a child, went to the doctors a few weeks ago, complaining of feeling lethargic. Tests revealed she had fallen victim to the blood cancer . Bobby, an only child, said he is devastated at his mother's diagnosis. The 54-year-old is currently in hospital and is receiving intensive chemotherapy twice a day to try and treat the disease . TOWIE star Gemma . Collins said: 'You have been so strong I love you lots #SaveBobbysMum.' While Bobby’s ex-boyfriend Harry Derbidge wrote: 'Stay strong babe, we are . all here for you.' Charlotte Crosby spoke out earlier this year, urging people to sign up. She said: 'I just thought – "It’s so easy, why doesn’t everyone do this?" 'I was quite shocked that young lads are so underrepresented on the register though. 'I'm completely overwhelmed by people's kindness... But we still have a long way to go' - Bobby Cole Norris . 'Come on lads, just sign up online and spit into a tube! I’m doing it, and I just hope one day I have the chance to save a life.' Last week Bobby launched his appeal for bone marrow donors to come forward and save the life of his mother, who is fighting blood cancer. The Anthony Nolan website crashed immediately following his emotional plea on This Morning, and the charity has today revealed that 3,141 people have joined the register online in the past seven days - a 750 per cent increase compared to the same week last year (when just 370 people signed up). On the day of his This Morning appeal, 817 people signed up – a 2050 per cent increase compared to the same day last year. Dental receptionist Ms Norris, 54, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia only a few weeks ago, news that turned Bobby’s world ‘upside down’. TOWIE co-stars, including Jessica Wright, pictured, have tweeted their support for the #SaveBobbysMum appeal . And Chloe Sims joined TOWIE stars past and present, including Mark Wright, Joey Essex, Sam Faiers, Lauren Goodger and Gemma Collins, in supporting their co-star Bobby . Geordie Shore star, Charlotte Crosby has shown her support for Anthony Nolan, calling on her fans to sign the bone marrow donation register . Doctors told Bobby and his family last week that his mother's best hope is a bone marrow transplant to try and treat the disease . Bobby appeared on ITV's This Morning to urge people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register in a bid to help find a donor for his mother . The 27-year-old fashion designer said: 'My mum is my best friend, I'm devastated' He told MailOnline, said: 'I feel completely helpless right now, but all I can do apart from being there for mum is to try to raise awareness of the Anthony Nolan register, particularly to young people who are much more likely to go onto donate and save a life. 'For the donor, it’s probably just a case of sitting still for a few hours while the stem cells are taken out of their blood. 'But for me, and for families like mine, it’s the difference between having my mum around or not. It’s everything.' Young donors aged 16 to 30 are urgently needed by the Anthony Nolan charity, which runs the UK bone marrow register. The charity particularly needs young men to come forward, as they’re the most likely to donate but only make up 14 per cent of the register. Bobby said: 'Thank you to every single person who has joined the register this week and pledged to save the life of my mum and others in the same position – you are all amazing. 'We now really need more boys to sign up as they’re so underrepresented on the register – so ladies, please get your boyfriends, brothers and sons on board and together we will save lives.' Fashion designer Bobby tweeted his appeal for a bone marrow donor for his mother, launching the #SaveBobbysMum hashtag . Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, said: 'What a week it’s been. 'It’s been truly humbling to see the outpouring of support Bobby has had from fans, co-stars, friends and celebrities, who have rallied behind him at this difficult time and told a combined audience of millions about the simple but life-changing act of donating stem cells. 'Stars and fans from all three of these popular shows have joined the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, including Bobby himself, meaning they could one day save a life from blood cancer. It’s an incredible and selfless example to be setting young people.' People aged 16 to 30 and in good health can join the Anthony Nolan register here. You can also support Anthony Nolan’s lifesaving work by donating to Bobby’s JustGiving page. | Bobby Cole Norris launched his appeal #SaveBobbysMum two weeks ago . He revealed his mother Kym Norris has been diagnosed with leukaemia . Doctors have said her best hope of survival is a bone marrow transplant . But the 28-year-old reality star and other family members are not a match . Bobby has urged people to sign the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register . Since launching his appeal 3,000 people signed up in one week - a 750% increase on the same week last year . He said: 'I'm completely overwhelmed by people's kindness... But we still have a long way to go' Experts are still trying to find a match for 54-year-old, Ms Norris . | c6d9983f1b23d4dbd44a2aa1ab26fa3b58db4e25 |
By . Michael Zennie and Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 23:16 EST, 30 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:16 EST, 31 October 2012 . It could take the New York City subway system three full weeks to come back online, experts have warned. High water is preventing inspectors from quickly assessing damage, meaning the nation's largest city could face an extended shutdown of the system that 5million people count on each day. Joseph Lhota, chairman of the state agency that runs the subway, said service might have to resume piecemeal, and experts said the cost of repairs could be staggering. Scroll down for video . 100-year storm: Debris and flood waters filled the South Ferry subway station as a study predicted that New York's transport infrastructure would not be online for three weeks after 100-year storm . Historic shut down: As flood waters inundated many stations including 86th Street, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that subway service would be shut down until Saturday or Sunday, only the second time it has ever closed . Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday that the subway would be shut down until Saturday or Sunday – . a total closure of six to seven days. But . a group of Columbia University researchers analysing the effects of a . smaller hurricane or tropical storm suggest that it would shut down the subways for 21 days - and cost the economy tens of billions of dollars. The report by Klaus Jacob, a geophysicist who specializes in disaster . management, examined the effects on the city’s transportation . infrastructure of a 100-year storm. Dr Jacob and his researchers used as a model a storm less powerful than a superstorm such as Sandy – one that has only a one . per cent chance of happening in any given year. Subway submerged: A man takes a photograph of the flooded Whitehall Street station as dozens were damaged by the storm surge that rose water levels by 13 feet . Then report estimated that a hurricane hitting nearby could result . in a billion gallons of water flooding each of the subway’s 14 tunnels . that run under the East River. There has always been flooding in the tunnels, which collect storm water constantly, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Sandy was the worst disaster in the subway’s 108-year history. Trains stopped running at 7pm on Sunday as the MTA preemptively closed down service for only the second time in its history. The closure was an effort to secure the subway system against the impending storm, but massive damage came anyway. Worst disaster: After several stations were damaged, including 86th Street station, the MTA said the Sandy Superstorm was the worst disaster in the subway's 108-year history . Limited bus service began again . yesterday and some bridges reopened at midday, but transit officials . said they could not predict when the subway would run again. One tunnel – the South Ferry station at Manhattan's southern end – was flooded entirely from 'track to the ceiling'. More than 468 stations and 600 miles of track now have to be carefully examined. Each tunnel was expected to take at least five days to pump dry after the tidal surge of almost 14 feet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rock . Island District deployed a team of engineers yesterday to support New . York colleagues in the 'unwatering'. Preemptive effort: Trains stopped running on Sunday night in an effort to secure the subway system, including a emergency dam erected at IRT Subway Lenox terminal . The team were specially trained in New Orleans, where they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and are preparing their large stock of pumps. Water in the two vehicle tunnels receded slightly as the tide fell Tuesday morning, but the massive pumps that will eventually empty the tubes were unable to immediately make headway because the places where they normally send water — the river and sewer system — remained so high, the outflow pipes in the pumping system were still submerged. 'Our pumps are working. It's just that the water has no place to go,' MTA spokeswoman Judy Glave said. 'We pump it out and it just comes back in.' Once the water is removed, engineers must then examine the equipment to see how much corrosion damage was wrought by the salt water that soaked the switches, signals, electrical wires and stations. Each has to be out of the water before it is touched and and any damage will have to be fixed before the system can be restored. Pump flood waters: Each tunnel is expected to take at leave five days to pump dry, keeping stations closed until Saturday or Sunday . 'In the tunnels under the East River, all the signal-and-control systems are underwater, and it is salt water,' Dr Jacob told the Wall Street Journal. 'It's not just that it doesn't work right now. It all has to be cleaned, dried, reassembled and tested. And we are not sure what the long-term corrosion effect might be. 'I think we have come to the end of studies. What we need now is action.' Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed. adding: 'We have to start thinking about how we redesign the system so this doesn't happen again. 'I don't think anyone can sit back anymore and say, "I'm shocked at this weather pattern." There is no weather pattern that can shock me anymore.' School was canceled for a third straight day Wednesday in the city, where many students rely on buses and subways to reach classrooms. Mayor Bloomberg has said that Sunday’s marathon will still take place, but even if runners are able to fly in, it will be difficult to get everyone to the starting line without a subway. Dr Jacob’s 21-day estimate covers the time it is predicted to . take city workers to bring the subway system back to 90 per cent . function. | The report examined the effects on the city's transportation infrastructure after a 100-year storm . The subway will be closed until at least Saturday or Sunday . It is only the second time in the subway's 108-year history that it has closed . The U.S Army Corps has drafted in a team who worked on the clear-up after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans . Workers are pumping water out on tunnels so they can examine damage . Electrics will have to be fixed before service can resume . Ten tunnels are flooded with South Ferry station completely full of water . | 6655edb839e1fd1248c6cba5359f6baaa63ed2a8 |
(CNN) -- After word broke of a hoax about the death of star Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's "girlfriend," it didn't take long for "Te'o" to become the top-trending term on Twitter on Wednesday night. After the website Deadspin published the allegations, most online comments seemed to be doubting Te'o's innocence in the matter, and more than a few were jokes at his expense. The Deadspin article implied Te'o was involved in making up a season-long story about his long-distance relationship with a Stanford University student who died of leukemia just before underdog Notre Dame played Michigan State early in the season. However, both Te'o and the university say he was a victim. Jack Swarbrick, director of athletics at Notre Dame, told reporters that Te'o was the victim of an elaborate hoax. "And he will carry that with him for a while," Swarbrick said. In a separate statement, reported by ESPN, Te'o said: "To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating." ESPN analyst Jemele Hill tweeted, "Sorry, my spidey senses aren't completely buying Manti Te'o's side of the story." Hill questioned the details of the player's and the university's denials. Who's who on the Internet? Who knows . "So Te'o never Skype'd, no Face Time, Gmail chat, nothing? Boy, this feels like an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent." Hill's colleague Mike Greenberg, on the other hand, seemed to be leaning Te'o's way after listening to Swarbrick's statement: . "Just watched Swarbrick. Fully supported Te'o, which is telling. They have a lot to lose if wrong, no doubt they've been careful. #MantiTeo . Ball State University student Josh Cook was in Te'o's corner: "I believe in Te'o & his character. I believe he was played & tricked." Doubters wonder if Heisman Trophy a factor in hoax . Twitter user Adam Knorr posted: "Manti Te'o just pulled the 3rd grade, 'I have a girlfriend. She goes to another school,' prank on the entire United States." Bleacher Report reader Bill Rinaldi was willing to give Te'o the benefit of the doubt: "There is no proof he was in on it. People get tricked ALL the time in online relationships, just watch Catfish on MTV, or even the movie itself." ("Catfish" is a reality show that chronicles the pitfalls of online dating.) Another Bleacher report reader, Pierre Conrad, was not so credulous: "He said he met her at Stanford. Wouldn't he have said the photos on TV and the internet were not of her? Stop attempting to defend the indefensible." 'Catfish' focuses on fake Internet relationships . Parker Wentzel, also on Bleacher Report, was circumspect: "I hope this was just a hoax played on Manti. If he was in on this, then I lose a lot of respect for him (because) the whole story fueled this season for Notre Dame and his Heisman run. Either way it's a shame." Many Internet denizens took the opportunity to bash Te'o's performance on the field. A few examples: . "I think Manti Te'o himself is a hoax. They tell me he played in the BCS Championship and yet I didn't see him at all." -- tc4012, CNN.com reader . "Roll Tide. He looked like a deer in the headlights when the Crimson Tide pushed him all over the field like a puppet. He was shellshocked. Well, maybe they can open up an investigation by the DOJ into it and he can come on Oprah with a tell all...." -- trski, CNN.com reader . "Y'all Te'o wasn't missing tackles against Bama, he was hugging his girlfriend" -- Josh Jones on Twitter . "Now I know why Manti Te'o always bit on the play action fake" -- Gary Cinello on Twitter . Numerous commenters pretended to be Lance Armstrong and thanked Te'o for distracting the media from the cycling champion's doping scandal. A Tumblr showed pictures of men posing with invisible girlfriends, instantly coining the term "Te'oing." One photo showed an empty chair on a beach, with the words, "Look how hot Teo's girlfriend is!" "Saturday Night Live" comedian Seth Myers admonished online comics: "These Te'o jokes are all very funny but let's all try and remember that a person who never existed is dead." Te'o in his own words . | Name of player tied to hoax rockets to top of online trends . Majority seem to think Te'o was either in on it or just plain stupid . A few come to Notre Dame player's defense; a few reserve judgment . | a8d6e2766713edb21da0efc7aed40ceec67df7b1 |
By . Harriet Arkell . PUBLISHED: . 11:50 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:54 EST, 27 January 2014 . An iconic British manufacturing giant that dates back to 1887 has been sold to an American investor. A majority share in bread and flour firm Hovis, which is best known for its nostalgic advert featuring a boy pushing a bicycle up a hill, has been sold by cash-strapped Premier Foods to US investment firm The Gores Group for £30million. The move safeguard's the future of the firm, which has spent the past six years selling off assets, but it is a blow to British manufacturing, which has lost several iconic brands to overseas investors recently. Scroll down for video . Hovis, the iconic British bread manufacturer dating back more than 125 years, has been sold to US investors . In 2010 chocolate producer Cadbury was sold to American giant Kraft Foods for £12billion, and last year Weetabix was sold to China's state-owned Bright Foods for £1.2billion. Hovis' previous parent firm, Premier Foods, which employs around 9,000 staff in the UK, has sold a 51 per cent stake in Hovis to the Americans, and will keep the rest. Despite having spent the past six years selling off assets, Premier still has a pension deficit and debt pile of £1.3billion, but bosses there say the deal is good news for the business. Premier chief executive officer Gavin Darby said today: 'We believe it's a win-win for both halves of our business. They say the cash injection for Hovis will be reinvested in its grocery brands including Mr Kipling cakes. Premier plans to invest about £20million in a new line for Snack Pack cake slices at a factory in Carlton, Barnsley. The two parties are locked into the venture for at least three years. The iconic British bread brand is best known for its Ridley Scott-directed advertisement, Boy on the Bike . Hovis - the name comes from the Latin 'hominis vis', meaning strength of a man, began in the late 1880s when Richard Smith found a way to cook bread with its wheatgerm without losing any of its nutritional value. He teamed up with Macclesfield miller Thomas Fitton, and in 1887 they registered Smith's Patent Process Germ Flour. The name was deemed too much of a mouthful, so in 1890 they staged a national competition to come up with a name. A man named Herbert Grime suggested the winning name, Hovis, and the bakers not only gave him his £25 prize but also gave his wife an annual pension after Mr Grime's death. By 1895 sales of Hovis had exceeded one million loaves per week, and the firm's sales were boosted further when, in 1924, scientists discovered that there was Vitamin B in wheatgerm. In 1973, an advertisement for the bread directed by Oscar-winning film director, Ridley Scott, boosted the bread firm's fortunes further. The 'boy on the bike' advertisment, featuring a small boy pushing a bike up a cobbled hill in Dorset, was later voted Britain's favourite television advert. | A 51 per cent share of the brand is sold to US investors The Gores Group . Previous owner Premier Foods will retain a 49 per cent stake in Hovis . The bread producer dates back to 1887 and is an iconic British brand . It is the latest British food brand to be sold to foreign investors recently . | a03419ee04629a31236e698fef18d38a47235f69 |
PUBLISHED: . 11:09 EST, 20 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:42 EST, 7 November 2013 . Hackers are pooling their funds to offer a bounty of over £10,000, bottles of booze and other prizes, for the first person that can crack the iPhone 5S’s Touch ID fingerprint sensors. IsTouchIDhackedyet.com, the creation of security researcher Nick DePetrillo, said it is hoping to help Apple identify bugs that it may have missed. Arturas Rosenbacher, founding partner of Chicago's IO Capital, has already donated $10,000 (£6,200) to the hacking competition. Scroll down for video... Hackers are pooling their funds to offer a bounty of over £10,000, bottles of booze and other prizes, for the first person that can crack the iPhone 5S's Touch ID fingerprint sensors . ‘This is to fix a problem before it becomes a problem,’ he told Reuters. ‘This will make things safer.’ Robert Hansen, technical evangelist at Whitehat Security, said: 'Hackers pooling their funds together to encourage other hackers to find vulnerabilities is a very interesting turn of events. 'Hackers widely dislike fingerprint technology. The security world has been trying to tell companies for years that biometrics like fingerprints are the passwords that can never change and that you leave them every place you touch and therefore they should not be used in any application where devices and fingerprints are collectively in the presence of an attacker at the same time. 'Most importantly to the consumer, if it turns out that fingerprint scanners are as easy to break on Apple devices... it allows attackers who have physical access to the phone to unlock the device, including all of the secrets held within.' The iPhone 5S scanner works by using a small touch sensor encased around the home button that scans the layers of skin on a finger. It then uses a 'laser cut sapphire crystal' to take a high-res image scan and the Touch ID software in iOS 7 determines whether the print belongs to the owner or not . Touch ID uses a small touch sensor encased around the home button that scans the layers of skin on a finger. user can 'train' their iPhone to . read and learn their unique fingerprint and when they touch the home . button, the phone is unlocked. Touch ID can also be replace an App Store password when buying music, apps or books. It uses a 'laser cut sapphire . crystal' to take a high-resolution image scan before the Touch ID software in iOS 7 . detemines whether the print belongs to the owner or not. All fingerprint information is . encrypted and stored securely inside the device's chip. Among . those getting ready for the hacking contest is David Kennedy, a former . U.S. Marine Corps cyber-intelligence analyst who did two tours in Iraq . and now runs his own consulting firm, TrustedSec LLC. ‘I am just waiting to get my hands on it to figure out how to get around it first,’ the founder of the DerbyCon hacking conference told the Thomson Reuters Global Markets Forum this week. ‘I'll be up all night trying.’ The Touch ID sensor is built into the . premium phone's 'home' button and can be used to unlock the phone, as . well as pay for shopping and apps automatically - effectively replacing . the need for a password or PIN. Speaking . at the launch event in Cupertino, Apple's senior vice president of . worldwide marketing Phil Schiller said: 'Half of smartphone customers do . not set up passwords. [Touch ID] is an easier and more fun alternative. 'It uses key you have with you everywhere you go. Your finger.' It works by using a small touch sensor encased around the home button that scans the layers of skin on a finger. A . user can 'train' their iPhone to read and learn their unique . fingerprint and when they touch the home button, the phone is unlocked. Touch ID can also replace an App Store password when buying music, apps or books. It . uses a 'laser cut sapphire crystal' to take a high-res image scan and . the Touch ID software in iOS 7 determines whether the print belongs to . the owner or not. Apple . said it is designed to provide 'accurate readings from any angle, so . the motion to unlock your device ought to be as automatic as it is now.' Apple said the Touch ID fingerprint sensor is designed to provide 'accurate readings from any angle, so the motion to unlock your device ought to be as automatic as it is now' Apple's Phil Schiller, pictured, explained the scanner was secure because prints are saved to the chip, and not online. Yet security researchers are concerned that prints can be stolen from anywhere . But security engineer Charlie Miller said it could take fewer than two weeks for Kennedy or some other smart hacker to get around the new lock. All major electronics products are subjected to similar scrutiny as new features are rolled out, including devices from Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Samsung Electronics Co. For example, in 2012, Charlie Miller led a team that demonstrated techniques for taking over smartphones running Google's Android software through their use of near-field communications, or NFC, a wireless technology used for sharing data or making purchases at point-of-sales terminals. Bugs are often disclosed by ‘white hats’- hackers who unearth flaws and report them so manufacturers can repair them, preventing criminal exploitation. Kennedy said he needs to examine the new iPhone to figure out how to best attempt an attack. He said his choices include hacking the software that analyses the fingerprint data, or physically opening up the phone and connecting it to a custom-built device that would impersonate Apple's fingerprint reader. He added that it might be possible to lift a user's fingerprint from elsewhere on the device and somehow make a clone of it. | IsTouchIDhackedyet.com set up the contest to identify bugs in the iPhone 5S . Security experts believe the sensor could be hacked in less than two weeks . As well as a software hack, one option could be to open up the phone and connect it to a system that would impersonate the reader . | 9b8b8391a77c456faa6068f179960387a2fdd8a8 |
Controversial plans have emerged to move the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's second-holiest site. The Prophet Muhammad, born in 570 AD, is believed by Muslims to be the last of God's prophets to mankind who delivered the religion's final revelation. His resting place in Medina, Saudi Arabia is visited by millions of Muslims every year and is seen as the second holiest site after the Kaaba, the famous black cubed building in Mecca. But it emerged last night that a Saudi academic has put forward contentious plans to have the Prophet's remains moved from the tomb over fears by some scholars that the site is leading to idolatry. Scroll down for video . The tomb of Prophet Mohammad at Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in the holy city of Medina. Proposals to move the Prophet's remains threaten to spark discord across the Muslim world . The tomb of the Prophet Muhammad could be moved from the al-Masjid al-Nabawi mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, where it is currently housed, under plans reported today . According to the Independent, a 61-page document has been circulated among the supervisors of the holy site proposing that the Prophet's body be moved to the nearby al-Baqi cemetery, where it would be interred anonymously. Dr Irfan al-Alawi, director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, told the newspaper: 'They want to prevent pilgrims from attending and venerating the tomb because they believe this is "shirq", or idolatry. 'But the only way they can stop people visiting the Prophet is to get him out and into the cemetery.' Idolatry, known as 'shirq' in the Islamic faith, is the worship of objects or saints and is forbidden in the faith. There is no suggestion that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who is the site's formal custodian, nor the supervisors of the al-Masjid al-Nabawi mosque which contains the tomb have agreed to the idea. The Saudi government has previously insisted it treats the development of holy sites with 'the utmost seriousness'. Prophet . It is feared any plans to move the prophet's remains could cause anger among some Muslims in the region . But it is feared the emergence of plans, which spring from a reform movement known as Wahhabism, could divide Muslims, with both Sunnis and Shias thought to be opposed. Dr Alawi told the Independent: 'The Prophet Muhammad's grave is venerated by the mainstream Sunni, who would never do it. It is just as important for the Shia too, who venerate the Prophet's daughter, Fatima. 'I'm sure there will be shock across the Muslim world at these revelations. It will cause outrage.' Violence in Iraq and the rise of the radical Isis, or Islamic State, organisation has already strained tensions between Sunnis and Shias in the region. The tomb of the Prophet Muhammad is seen as the second most important site for Muslims after the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Kaaba - which is said to have been built by Abraham - is at the centre of the Grand al-Masjid al-Haram Mosque, which Muslims always face to pray. It is religious duty for those who follow the faith to visit the Kaaba at least once during their lifetime. Millions of pilgrims gather to circle the building during the hajj, a huge five-day pilgrimage to the site each year. The tomb of the Prophet Muhammad is second only to the Kaaba in its importance for the world's Muslims . Many of those visiting the site also take the opportunity to visit Muhammad's tomb, which about 200miles to the north in Medina. The tomb dates back to the seventh century, when Muhammad was buried, and also includes the resting places of early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar. It is covered by a famous Green Dome and includes a community centre, court and religious school. It can hold hundreds of thousands of visitors during the busy hajj. | Plans have reportedly been put forward to move the prophet's remains . They are currently housed in tomb in mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia . But some Muslims fear that the site is leading to idolatry, or object worship . No plans have been agreed but it is reported the idea has been circulated . | bed534f41f2c6b3518e71113392b96ba9c08b79b |
Washington (CNN) -- The scene is intense: A man is ferociously knocking on a door while a woman inside the house calls 911, saying that her ex is trying to break in. A child sits on the couch. The man bursts in and grabs the child, and the woman yells not to take the toddler. The man pulls out a gun. A shot rings out, and the screen goes black. A child cries out. The violent domestic scenario is only a television ad from a gun control group, but it attempts to portray what some women face. It also depicts the next front in the gun control debate. The ad, by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's group Everytown for Gun Safety, is airing in the District of Columbia and three states. It targets three Republican senators: Dean Heller of Nevada, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, lawmakers who have shown a willingness to back some sort of gun control or whose communities have faced a tragic mass shooting. The focus on women and domestic violence comes after gun-control advocates gained little traction on efforts to tighten restrictions on gun ownership. Public opinion on the issue is divided. A CNN poll from December found that 50% of people are opposed to tighter gun-control laws, but 49% support them. After the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 elementary school students and six staff members were killed, public opinion tipped to the side of gun control. But under pressure from the National Rifle Association, Congress did not pass reforms that would have strengthened background checks for gun purchases. The new advertisement was released Tuesday and is part of a campaign to link the potentially deadly combination of guns and domestic abuse. The NRA, which opposes most efforts to restrict gun ownership, did not respond to a request for comment on the new campaign. The Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the issue Wednesday and heard from Elvin Daniel, an NRA member and gun owner whose sister was killed by a domestic abuser. "It has been nearly two years since Zina was murdered and it is heartbreaking to know that our weak gun laws continue to allow dangerous abusers to buy guns without background checks," he said, choking back tears. Gabrielle Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head during a mass shooting, did not speak at the hearing, but she wrote an opinion piece on the issue for CNN. "We urgently need stronger gun laws that protect women," she wrote. "We can't wait any longer. Women's lives are at stake." Giffords also announced the Protect all Women Leadership Network, which brings together leading women working in both policy and advocacy to push for reforms at the state and federal level to protect women from gun-toting abusers. Kids and gun safety . Advocates point to statistics that show that 46 women are shot and killed by a current or former domestic partner each month and that more than half of women murdered are killed by their current or former partners. Giffords wrote that more women were shot to death by an intimate partner between 2001 and 2012 than the number of soldiers killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Advocates also point to a recent incident in Texas in which police accused a man with a history of domestic violence of shooting and killing many of his estranged wife's family members during a violent rampage. "This is an area where we can really make progress and keep guns out of dangerous hands," said Erika Soto Lamb, spokeswoman for Everytown for Gun Safety. They have gotten behind a bill by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota that would expand gun restrictions for abusive dating partners. It currently applies only to married partners. The proposal would restrict guns from people who have been issued restraining orders. George Mason University law professor Joyce Lee Malcolm told the hearing that "taking these guns without due process violates that fundamental right." In a statement, Ayotte pointed to her co-sponsorship of the Violence Against Women Act, which passed in the Senate last year, but did not indicate whether she'd back Klobuchar's bill. CNN's Kevin Bohn and Sean Kennedy contributed to this report. | Advocates are pushing for gun control legislation through the issue of domestic violence . Everytown for Gun Safety's new ad ties together guns and domestic abuse . "Women's lives are at stake," Gabrielle Giffords writes in an opinion piece . Senate committee holds first hearing on the issue . | 3e4979952113ed5a685ed1791760bec7dd4e2efc |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:45 EST, 16 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:19 EST, 17 April 2013 . Slim focus: Jenna Lyons, 44, uses organic juice cleanses, consuming nothing but liquids for more than a week, to maintain her slender figure . J. Crew's six-foot-tall creative director and president, Jenna Lyons, may be one of America's most fashionable managers, but even she isn't immune to hang-ups that plague the industry. The 44-year-old revealed she uses organic juice and Isogenic cleanses, consuming nothing but liquids for more than a week, to maintain her slender figure. She told Fast Company's Danielle Sacks: 'I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten in 10 days,' before adding, 'the inside button [on my pants] would pop before I even zipped it. I was like, "Oh, God!"' The mother-of-one also told Harper's Bazaar recently that she has 'weird eating habits'. 'I don't eat breakfast,' she said. '[For lunch] I have pretty much the same thing every day. I'll go for a year eating the same thing and then I'll switch. Right now I'm eating Cobb salad; last year it was tomato soup. 'Throughout the day I alternate between coffee and this apple, ginger, and lemon juice with cayenne pepper called the Killer.' Ms Lyons said she tries to leave J. Crew's East Village headquarters by 6pm, to eat dinner with her six-year-old son, Beckett . '[He] eats pretty early, so I'll usually eat with him as soon as I get home. His babysitter makes this incredible salmon with ginger, tomato, and cilantro. For some reason she is obsessed with me eating,' she admitted. But she isn't impervious to treats, however. 'I have an insane collection of ice cream in my fridge,' Ms Lyons revealed. 'I love anything related to coffee ice cream. The espresso gelato from Ciao Bella is amazing. I eat a lot of ice cream, chocolate, and cookies, and I drink rosé champagne.' The Southern Californian, who suffers from incontinentia pigmenti, may take pains to look like the models gracing J. Crew's catalogs, but her dual role as top creative executive and president is not to be snuffed at. Todd Snyder, J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler's former head of men's wear at Gap, . told Fast Company: 'She looks like a model, and then she talks like the . best salesperson you ever met. I think she's the most . talented person [Mr Drexler] has ever worked with in design. Head above the rest: J. Crew's creative director and president, Jenna Lyons (far left) and girlfriend Courtney Crangi (left) visit the White House with stylist Mary Alice Stephenson . Ms Lyons' move to the top has not been easy; during her childhood she was subjected to constant bullying after her . genetic disorder, incontinentia pigmenti, led to scarred skin, patchy hair, and lost teeth - . requiring dentures. She explained: 'It's amazing how cruel kids can be and superjudgmental and really just . downright mean.' Finding refuge in art, Ms Lyons, who is dating jewelry designer Courtney Crangi, said: 'I searched for ways to make things more . beautiful and surrounded myself with beautiful things because I didn't . feel that in myself. New love: Ms Crangi (left) and Ms Lyons (right) began dating last year, after the J. Crew boss split from her husband of nine years . 'I felt a huge drive to make clothes that everybody could have because I . felt ostracized by that world of beauty and fashion.' Ms Lyons, who started at J. Crew as a 21-year-old 'assistant to an assistant,' also revealed how she landed her current role, 20 years later in 2010. When Mr Drexler arrived at J.Crew in 2003 from Gap, the company . was in financial distress. On his first day at the company, he requested that every employee re-interview for their jobs - including Ms Lyons, who was asked to run through the women's collection in . front of a roomful of 50 people. Mr Drexler asked her thoughts on the three . pairs of skinny stretch pants she was presenting. 'At that point I was like, "I have to be honest,"' recalled Ms Lyons. 'I can't . lie to him because this is sort of a do-or-die situation.' She was honest, telling him that she didn't like much of the collection, and explained what she would like to change. 'I . didn't know if I was going to be fired,' she said. 'I was so confused, . and I was scared, but I was also a little bit excited, because all the . things that I liked and that I thought were brand-right he was leaving . up on the wall. And I was like, "Is that good, is that bad? I don't . know."' She kept her job, even though many did not. 'Honestly, I think it was because I didn't bullshit . him,' Ms Lyons explained. 'His bullshit-dar is insane.' And with a fan base that includes Michelle Obama and Anna Wintour, it's not surprising she was promoted to president and creative director, where 'no financial decision weighs heavier than a creative decision,' seven years later. A former employee explained: 'If Jenna wasn't there, J.Crew would be really good, but it would not be great. Probably a healthily run company like a Banana Republic. 'Mickey has given her enough runway so she can really make of it what she wants. They should just call it Jenna Crew.' | The 44-year-old creative director and president of J. Crew also opens up about overcoming childhood bullies to land her top job . | 6a8568629ab5b8a71f3ba6d0c0f57cdf58b71bfc |
By . David Mccormack . PUBLISHED: . 22:50 EST, 6 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:08 EST, 7 June 2013 . These images could be mistaken for scenes from a Hollywood movie, but instead the action was part of a counter terrorism drill by Los Angeles law enforcement officials held on Thursday. SWAT team members engaged actors and police officers pretending to be terrorists during a live demonstration on the streets of downtown L.A. for the 2013 National Homeland Security Conference. The purpose of the drill, conducted by law enforcement officials from the L.A. Police Department and L.A. Sheriff department, was to highlight various counter terrorism tactics in response to a mock incident involving armed gunmen and weapons of mass destruction. Spectators gathered to watch as an actor pretended to detonate a suicide vest and SWAT team members and pretend terrorists shot at each other. Other scenarios being played out during the drill included a remote controlled bomb squad forklift lifting a truck and SWAT team members descending from a helicopter. Scroll down for video . High drama: SWAT police appear to shoot dead a criminal in a daylight gunfight. But it was just a drill . SWAT team members engage actors pretending to be terrorists in response to a mock incident involving armed gunmen and weapons of mass destruction . SWAT team members shoot a man acting as a terrorist during a live drill on the streets of downtown Los Angeles to highlights various counter terrorism tactics . An actor pretending to detonate a suicide vest is shot by law enforcement officials from the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff department, while a victim lies on the ground . Spectators gathered to watch as SWAT team members engaged with actors pretending to be terrorists . An actor pretending to detonate a suicide vest is shot as part of a drill to highlight various counter terrorism tactics in response to a mock incident involving armed gunmen and weapons of mass destruction . SWAT team members rappel down a helicopter during a live counter terrorism demonstration for the 2013 National Homeland Security Conference . Police officers pretending to be terrorists receive training weapons during a live counter terrorism demonstration for the 2013 National Homeland Security Conference . Despite the cameras this was really a counter terrorism drill by Los Angeles law enforcement officials and not the shooting of a Hollywood movie . A remote controlled bomb squad forklift lifts a truck during a drill conducted by law enforcement officials from the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff department . A bomb squad robot works with law enforcement officials from L.A.'s police and sheriff departments during a live counter terrorism demonstration for the 2013 National Homeland Security Conference . Carried away: Spectators gathered to watch as an actor pretended to detonate a suicide vest and SWAT team members and pretend terrorists shot at each other . SWAT team members shoot a man acting as a terrorist during a live counter terrorism demonstration on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, California . | Spectators gathered to watch terrorism scenarios get played out including an actor pretending to detonate a suicide vest . The live demonstration on the streets of downtown L.A. was part of the 2013 National Homeland Security Conference . | 4f6216b86e821a221daa8927452ba8220a893b2e |
(CNN) -- The deputy speaker of Britain's House of Commons said Sunday the allegations of rape and sexual assault leveled against him are false. Nigel Evans also said the incident has left him with "a sense of incredulity" because he considered the two accusers his friends. "Yesterday I was interviewed by the police concerning two complaints - one of which dates back four years, made by two people who are well-known to each other, and who until yesterday I regarded as friends," he said in a statement. "The complaints are completely false and I cannot understand why they have been made, especially as I have continued to socialise with one as recently as last week." Evans was arrested Saturday in northwest England. Lancashire police did not confirm the identity of the man, but they said they had released a 55-year-old man on bail after questioning him Saturday over offenses alleged by two men in their 20s. One man alleged he was raped and, in a separate incident, another other man alleged he was sexually assaulted, a police spokesperson told CNN by telephone. The offenses are alleged "to have been committed in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013," according to a statement released by police. The man was ordered to appear at the police station on June 19, according to the police spokesperson. British Prime Minister David Cameron has been made aware of the arrest, said another source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Evans, who is 55, has been a conservative member of parliament since 1992. He served as vice chairman of the Tory Party between 1999 and 2001. He was elected deputy speaker of the House of Commons in 2010. Evans came out as gay during a newspaper interview in late 2010, and has since made a name for himself as a prominent gay rights activist in England. In his statement Sunday, Evans said he appreciated the way "the police have handled this in such a sensitive manner." He then thanked those who have expressed their support and "like me, a sense of incredulity at these events." | Evans says he considered the accusers his friends . "The complaints are completely false," he says . The allegations involve two men in their 20s, the police say . Evans was elected deputy speaker of the House of Commons in 2010 . | 8a345f4345092ae988cc6805e91bba0fc3e4c600 |
By . Stuart Woledge . PUBLISHED: . 04:33 EST, 22 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:08 EST, 22 August 2013 . The unstoppable Duck Dynasty is on course to snatch cable TV's ratings record from The Walking dead after 11.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the start of the new season. The boss of A&E Network's is cautiously optimistic that the hilarious exploits of a Louisiana family and their duck merchandise business still has plenty of room to grow. With some 'fun episodes coming down the pike', the show needs just 600,000 more viewers to equal current record holder, zombie fest The Walking Dead, which recorded the highest ever ratings for a show of any kind when 12.4 million people tuned in earlier this year. Scroll down for video . Dynasty: The show's stars (from left) Phil Robertson, Jase Robertson, Si Robertson and Willie Robertson . Big guns: The stars of Duck Dynasty are competing with scripted shows such as The Walking Dead . The business: The hilarious exploits of the Robertson family are on course to break all records for cable TV . A&E Network's general manager and executive vice-president David McKillop was reported by Today as saying: 'I’m a superstitious man so I don’t make (ratings) predictions. 'But do I think we’ve found the ceiling yet? I don’t know, but I don’t think so. We have some fun episodes coming down the pike. So keep your seat belt fastened.' Last week's ratings put Duck Dynasty at the top of the pile for highest ever audience tuning in to watch an unscripted show. The record was previously held by TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8, which claimed 10.6 million viewers back in 2009. But with 6.3 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 age group, and a total increase of 37 per cent on the third season's premiere, Duck Dynasty's rise looks set to continue. Popular: Characters such as Uncle Si have helped establish the show as a firm favourite in American households . The show first aired in March 2012 and . averaged 1.3 million viewers, according . to data provided by Nielsen. By the time the third series drew to a close an average of 8.4 million had tuned in. According to Mr McKillop, part of the show's appeal lays in the clean living Christian values of the Robertson family, who live in the backwoods of West Monroe. Their feet remain firmly on the ground, despite amassing a fortune from their duck sporting empire, Duck Commander. The firm specialises in top-of-the-range duck calls and decoys, made from swamp wood, and employs many local people. Big bucks: The Robertson family has made a fortune from its duck merchandise business, making items such as this duck call . Spin-off: Figurines such as this one of Jase have proven to be a hit with fans of the show . It was built by Phil Robertson - who turned down the opportunity to play professional football because it interfered with the duck season - with the help of his son Willie. Part of their charismatic charm lies in their wish to stay grounded by keeping their guns and beards no matter how wealthy they become. And while their arguments are often hilarious, they never swear. Mr McKillop said: 'Hijinx is a word that I use to describe the kind of zeitgeist of their compound. But they represent some real values that people still cherish.' Show stopper: Millions tuned in last week to watch Kay and Phil renew their wedding vows . Last Wednesday's fourth season opener . saw Phil and Kay renew their wedding vows causing prompting 325,000 . tweets from love-sick fans. America's Got Talent recorded just 65,000. It was all part of A&E's grand plan. The network has launched two new apps, Beard Booth and Endess Quack, in a bid to promote the show. Mr McKillop added: 'Social has played a major role in getting the word out. 'It all helps generate buzz and what it does is it lifts it from a TV show to a part of American pop culture. Once you’re up there in that bastion of American pop culture, you’re on top.' Hunters: Despite their millions, Willie and Jase have no desire to give up their guns or beards . | Just 600,000 more viewers are needed to snatch the cable TV record . A&E general manager believes number of fans has not reached the ceiling . With 'fun episodes coming down the pike' it could topple The Walking Dead . Duck Dynasty already has the record for reality show ratings . | b1f708c60e072c1dcb9ba3a64957b4e36880f08d |
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