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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:56 EST, 11 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:26 EST, 11 December 2012 . A lioness in Zimbabwe has broken the world record by giving birth to eight cubs in one litter, despite being on a contraceptive pill. Named Pasha, she gave birth on . November 4 at the Lion and Cheetah Park on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe. She had already given birth to two cubs earlier this . year, and had been immediately put on the pill to control her breeding, so the arrival of eight cubs was a surprise to staff. World record: A lioness in Zimbabwe gave birth to eight cubs - a world record - despite being on the pill . Adorable: Some of the pups being cleaned by staff at the Lion and Cheetah Park on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe . Extraordinary: Pasha, pictured, already gave birth to two cubs earlier this year and was given the contraceptive pill to control her breeding . Lionesses are known to give birth to two cubs at a time and occasionally four and vets are now wondering if the contraceptive administered backfired. Now after giving birth to such a sizeable brood Pasha is now receiving . some extra nutrition to boost her health, reported New Zimbabwe. More... Brother's pride: Baby lion puts a paw around his sibling to play... but the cub is no mood for fun and pushes him away . A cheesy stunt: The spoof British plan to beam a logo onto the MOON that even fooled Nasa bosses . Parks officials only announced the extraordinary birth this week and the young cubs are being looked after by staff at the zoo. One zoo worker said: 'We are suckling them from the bottle each time they wake up from sleep. They still need a lot of milk and warmth and we are keeping an eye on them every minute.' Not wild yet: A park keeper picks up one of the cubs. Lionesses usually give birth to only two cubs at a time, sometimes up to four . Fragile load: Dr Hillary Madzikanda, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority's head of scientific services, described the litter of eight as 'an achievement' Dr Hillary Madzikanda, the Zimbabwe . National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority's head of scientific . services said: 'This has never happened in the history of lions, the . world over. It is actually a world record. 'Normally, you get two cubs per . litter and getting four is even very lucky. This one is a record. It is . an achievement for this lioness. It is not rare for wildlife sanctuaries to administer contraceptive pills or injections as a birth control method. In July, a lioness at a zoo in northeast China gave birth to a litter of six cubs, in what was hailed as a national record. Wild bunch: The lioness pictured beside other lions at the park . Feeding time: The eight pups, pictured being fed, were born on November 4 . | The previous known highest number of cubs in one litter was recorded in China only in July this year when a lioness gave birth to six cubs . Named Pasha, she gave birth on November 4 on the outskirts of Harare . | ce1f338c83505ad854f4dd72904fc2b3faca2377 |
(CNN) -- The Galaxy Nexus, a smartphone that arrived in Verizon Wireless stores on Thursday, is huge -- and not just because of its unusually large size. The new Android phone, which has been available in Britain for weeks, is the first to run Android 4.0, the latest version of the popular mobile operating system that also goes by the adorable name Ice Cream Sandwich. This is a very significant update to Android for smartphones. I've tested the UK version of the Galaxy Nexus for about a week. It looks and functions about the same as the one for Verizon, except that the U.S. model uses different cellular chips to accommodate Verizon's legacy infrastructure and its fourth-generation LTE data network. The U.S. version also does not run Google Wallet, the mobile payment system. The phone costs $300 with a two-year service contract. The Galaxy Nexus' operating system takes many of the concepts that were designed for Android tablets, shrinks them and unlocks their great potential to an audience that will likely be much larger. Android tablets have not fared particularly well in the market, which means that this interface will look fresh to most people. (Amazon's Kindle Fire, which analysts say has sold well at $199, is a tablet based on Android but looks completely different.) Fewer buttons . Perhaps the most significant change to the software is that Google has done away with the hardware buttons below the screen. These have become touchscreen buttons, which aren't all that different, but the direction they face flips depending on which way I'm holding the phone. It's a nice touch. Now, there are only three onscreen buttons, instead of the usual four. These are used for returning to the previous menu, going to the home screen or viewing which apps are currently open. But many older Android apps will stick a button, which looks like ellipses printed in Hebrew, on the end of those touchscreen buttons. It handles miscellaneous actions. Developers are expected to update future versions of their apps to remove this button and instead incorporate those functions somewhere onscreen. In complex programs, like the Web browser or the app market, Google puts the everything-else button on the top bar. When moving quickly between old and new apps, I found myself losing track of where to look for extra functions. The dedicated multitasking button, in place of the search button, is a welcome addition. In previous versions a list of open apps could be activated by holding down the home button, but newcomers to the system had no idea it was there. Rather than showing six icons, the button pulls up a list with snapshots of each program as they were when I left them. These pictures are generally too small to be useful, unlike on Android tablets where this provides a handy visual cue. Android 4.0 . The Galaxy Nexus hardware is born from a collaboration between Google and Samsung. Much of the new operating system has gotten a thick coat of polish. In the apps menu, the buttons tilt slightly to denote when I've encountered the end of the list. As I flip through, one page slides away as another smoothly pops into view. When cleaning up the notifications list, each line slides out separately like Jenga pieces. Turn off the screen, and it fades to black with a flicker of white in the middle, like a 1960s television set. These aesthetic pleasantries are sprinkled throughout Apple's competing iOS, like the icons dancing when they're ready to be rearranged, but this type of elegance has been less common in Android. The subtle changes make Google's software seem friendlier, in contrast to the sharp, weapon-like Droid from before. Despite its historical roughness, Android found a huge audience among people who were not eager to take on the expenses associated with the iPhone. Now that Apple has cut the prices on its phones and found a home at three of the four largest U.S. operators, Android is making itself more accessible, and not a moment too soon. The phone and contact list apps in Android 4.0 automatically create groups of frequently-contacted people to accompany the favorites feature. Those apps look like miniature social networks, with detailed profiles and big pictures of friends. Apps and features . Yet there remain many tools for gearheads. Some of these are perhaps so "in your face" that they may deter less advanced users. A widget for toggling the phone's various sensors, like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, is situated on one of the home screens. The icons may be familiar to pros, but my mom would not be able to identify each of the five or know what to use them for. The widgets can, of course, be ignored, but users should eventually take the time to learn them. These little doodads, which can be dragged to the various home screens, are more robust and customizable in Android 4.0. They are also easier to find, nestled right next to the list of apps installed on the phone. A new Data Usage monitor in the settings menu is a data lover's or cheapskate's new best friend. It presents detailed graphs about how many bytes the phone is sucking down from the cell network, separated by individual apps. It lets users manage their monthly caps in a very geeky, useful way. However, the app crashed several times during my week of testing. Some of the other power-user options are overcomplicated. For example, the main screen contains three separate apps that many would assume do the same thing: Messenger, Messaging and Talk, all of which have chat-bubble icons. The first is for group chats using the Google+ social network; the second is for text messaging through cell networks; and the third is for instant messaging through Google's network. This sort of hyper-option syndrome extends to smiley faces. The new Android has a detailed directory of smileys. I'm not sure if this is designed for power users looking for just the right trio of characters to express their precise emotions or as a reference guide for moms. Either way, I learned some new things: Specifically, that :-| means "poker face," that :-! means "foot in mouth," and that :-$ means "money mouth." Whatever that means. Sturdy, but too big? Despite the new cuddly Android features, the phone looks like a tool of the military. The back looks like a metal grate, although it's actually plastic. It comes off to allow me to easily change the battery, but it doesn't snap on very easily. Still, it's nice that I can switch out the battery, unlike the iPhone. The Galaxy Nexus does have plenty of curves, including the screen itself, which Google says is done to fit the contour of a face when making a call. But at 4.65 inches diagonally, the screen feels a little silly when pressed against my ear. Because the screen is so gigantic, I had some difficulty operating it with one hand, struggling to stretch my thumb from one corner to switch apps and back to the other corner to compose an e-mail. Typing requires more dexterity because my thumbs have to travel farther between keys. But YouTube videos and Netflix movies look fantastic on the big display. Phone calls are crisp, and the speaker phone is fairly loud. Battery life is adequate in normal usage, but I did not test the Verizon version on the faster, LTE network. Likely, battery life will suffer as a tradeoff for that speed. The GPS navigator that has been in past versions of Android is still free and still great, but battery life is abysmal, at about three hours. Bring a car charger. The sheer size of the Galaxy Nexus puts me off, but the hardware and companion software is sturdy and impressive. When other manufacturers adopt Android 4.0, I expect to see some very compelling phones, though I do wonder how well the new version, without hardware buttons, would work on a smaller screen. We will find out soon enough. The Galaxy Nexus provides a clear view of the next generation of powerful Android phones, and I look forward to seeing what comes next. | The Galaxy Nexus was born from a collaboration between Google and Samsung . It's the first phone with the latest version of Android, called Ice Cream Sandwich . The U.S. version for Verizon Wireless does not work with Google Wallet . | 6b063ae87b0434a7774e67a0f77802df89685db0 |
Glamorous in a tailored grey suit and beige silk shirt, Spain's Queen Letizia was every inch the professional as she toured a tourism fair - even when confronted by a man in fancy dress. The Spanish royal, 42, was visiting the FITUR International Tourism Fair in Madrid when a well-wisher in a grey robe approached, brandishing a map. Ever composed, Letizia and husband King Felipe, who celebrates his 47th birthday on Friday, smiled broadly at the man before inspecting the map and moving on. Scroll down for video . Interesting choice! A well-wisher in fancy dress approached the Spanish royals during a visit in Madrid . Today's visit is the latest in a busy week for the Spanish royal couple, with Letizia yesterday attending the board meeting of FEDER, the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases. Despite the serious subject matter, the royal appeared to enjoy the event and smiled happily at waiting photographers as she left. The meeting with FEDER was a bit of a departure for Letizia who, until now, has focused her efforts on championing Spanish culture and the plight of disabled people, although latterly, health has become something of a preoccupation. Last week, she compered a meeting of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, an organisation of which she is president. All smiles: Letizia appeared to be on top form as she toured the tourism event and met well-wishers . Sharp: The Spanish queen was glamorous in a sharply tailored suit and neat beige silk shirt . Come to Spain: Felipe made a speech at the event, which hopes to showcase the many beauties of Spain . A day later and she was back on the cultural beat, joining husband King Felipe for the opening of a museum in Pamplona. During the couple's tour of Museum of the University of Navarra, they were shown a contemporary art exhibition which included pieces by a number of Spanish greats, among them Pablo Picasso. Letizia's latest meeting comes shortly after the Spanish royal family was left reeling by news that a woman claiming to be the love child of former king Juan Carlos has come forward. Ingrid Sartiau, 47, has been given the green light to take her battle for recognition by the royals forward to the Spanish Supreme Court - if she can prove her story is true. Listening in: Letizia stood proudly at the edge of the stage as Felipe made his speech . Busy: The Spanish royals have had a busy week so far with plenty of engagements scheduled in . Low key: Spain's Queen Letizia arrives on foot for the board meeting of FEDER in Madrid yesterday morning . No car: She was without a car or flunkies and was accompanied by a single bodyguard . According to Ms Sartiau, she is the product of a three-night liaison between her mother Liliane, a Belgian governess, and the now 76-year-old royal in 1966. Although by then a married 28-year-old father of two, an affair would hardly have been out of character for Juan-Carlos. Throughout his marriage 'Don Juan' is said to have bedded some 1,500 women, including an alleged affair with Princess Diana while on a cruise with their spouses in August 1986. Ms Sartiau herself had no idea of the identity of her father for more than 40 years, only being told his name in 2011. Although Spanish courts rejected her paternity claims twice on the grounds that a monarch could not be subjected to such tests, Juan-Carlos' abdication last year has paved the way for a new attempt. Concerned: Letizia has been championing an increasing number of health related causes in recent weeks . Looking cool: Letizia donned a pair of stylish aviator sunglasses as she made her exit . | The Spanish royals were visiting the FITUR International Tourism Fair . A well-wisher in fancy dress approached the couple to show them a map . Royals both looked businesslike in suits and sensible shoes . King Felipe, who celebrates his 47th birthday on Friday, made a speech . | e9e46f551280ffcc98b45c3c9b18085ed14f38ba |
Pope Francis has ordered 300 umbrellas left behind by tourists to be distributed to Rome's homeless to get them through a spate of unusually wet weather. The umbrellas had been left behind by tourists visiting the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. On Friday the Vatican also formally opened new facilities in St. Peter's Square where homeless people will be offered free showers, toiletries, shaves and haircuts. Pope Francis has ordered 300 umbrellas left behind by tourists to be distributed to the homeless of Rome to get them through a spate of unusually rainy weather - he is known for his acts of charity towards the poor . A woman stands on a bridge over the Tiber river in Rome after the river's water level rose following heavy rains yesterday. The city has suffered violent winds, heavy snowfall and torrential rains in the last week . The head of the pope's charity office, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, said 300 umbrellas left behind by tourists at Vatican museums have been distributed in recent days. The showers have been installed in a public lavatory block behind marble columns in St Peter's Square. Monsignor Krajewski came up with the idea of building the showers after a homeless man he had invited to dinner told him he couldn't come as he 'stunk' - and told him that while it was relatively easy to find places to eat, it was difficult to find places to wash. Barbers and hairdressers will visit the facilities and donate their services for free on Mondays, the day their shops are traditionally closed in Italy. The showers will be open every day except Wednesday, when the square is crowded with people for the pope's general audience. The bathrooms were made with hi-tech, easy-to-clean materials to ensure proper hygiene, the Vatican said in a statement. The initiative is being funded by donations and sales of papal parchments by Monsignor Krajewski's office. The bathroom for the homeless in the Vatican - people will be offered showers, toiletries, shaves and haircuts . Pope Francis, who was known as the 'slum bishop' in his native Buenos Aires because of his frequent visits to shantytowns, has made caring for the poor a major concern for his papacy. He has stepped up the role of the Vatican 'elmosiniere' as part of his insistence that the church should look out for the poorest in society. In addition to small acts of charity, Monsignor Krajewski's office handed out 400 sleeping bags to the homeless over Christmas and distributed 1,600 phone cards to new migrants on the island of Lampedusa. Each 'homeless pilgrim', as the Vatican calls the clients to the facilities, will receive a kit including a towel, change of underwear, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, razor and shaving cream.. | Pope Francis has ordered lost brollies to be handed out to city's homeless . Move comes following a week of unusually heavy rain in Rome . Umbrellas were left behind by tourists visiting the Vatican'a museums . Vatican has also opened shower facilities for homeless in St Peter's Square . Pope Francis has made caring for the poor a major concern for his papacy . | 281ba7bcaa34c5b696de36e7e7097c6aa707409a |
(CNN) -- "Flowers of War" has a multitude of advantages over its rivals in the Oscar race for best foreign language film. Most obviously, it stars Christian Bale, who plays an American pretending to be a priest in order to survive the brutal 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking, China. Moreover, Bale's character, and several others, speak English, making the film much more accessible to Academy voters. Lastly, it's the official category submission from China, which just so happens to be the most promising unrealized market for blockbuster Hollywood films. But the Oscars can also be very political, in every possible way. Including the literal sense. Last week, when Bale was roughed-up on camera while attempting to visit Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist who had been under house arrest in China for documenting his country's population-control measures, the Dark Knight actor reminded western audiences of China's less-than-stellar human rights record. If that wasn't enough, Chinese authorities responded strongly to the scuffle, saying that Bale "should be embarrassed" by his actions. "He was not invited to create a story or shoot film in a certain village," said a spokesperson for the Chinese government. "I think if you want to make up news in China, you will not be welcome here." Think voters might now be tempted to view "Flowers of War" in a different light? The Zhang Yimou film wasn't the race's favorite to begin with -- "Iran's A Separation" looks to be the frontrunner -- but this public-relations controversy and China's belligerent response could have a severe impact on the war film's Oscar prospects. Hollywood's interest in access to China's restrictive market is now counterbalanced by a temptation to stick up for Batman. Didn't the Chinese see the Hong Kong scene in The Dark Knight? In the real world, who cares? China has broader interests than a golden statue. But make no mistake: China covets an Oscar that would legitimize its booming movie industry -- "Flowers of War," with a budget of nearly $100 million, is its biggest project ever -- and despite two previous nominations in the category, the country has never won the trophy. Now with its spotlight film's most visible star at odds with the government, the chances of a Chinese Oscar could be dead on arrival. See the full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Christian Bale plays a pseudo American priest in his new movie "Flowers of War" The movie is nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign film category . Bale engaged in a scuffle while filming and he is now at odds with the Chinese government . China has never won a trophy and now has less chances of winning an Oscar this year . | a215e95f247268f0dae9dc58010c092aeddd85e7 |
By . Mark Prigg . It was a remarkable step forward in warfare - and the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship. The H.L Hunley, a hand-cranked submarine, was first launched in 1863 - but after sinking twice, was lost a year later for unknown reasons, killing all crew. The Hunley was eventually discovered off the Charleston coast in 1995 and raised in 2000. Scroll down for video . The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley sits in a conservation tank at a lab in North Charleston, about to undergo a chemical bath it is hoped could reveal why it sank, killing all seven crew aboard. A drawing of H. L. Hunley, based on a photograph taken in 1863 by George S. Cook . Scientists near the city where the Civil War began are now preparing to soak the encrusted Confederate submarine in a chemical bath to reveal its hull for the first time in 150 years, seeking to solve the mystery of the demise of the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship. The hand-cranked H.L. Hunley - which rests in a 76,000-gallon conservation tank - will be treated with a solution of sodium hydroxide for about three months to loosen the encrustation coating the hull and interior of the sub. Conservationists will drain the tank each day and later, wearing protective gear, use hand tools to remove the hard sand, sediment and rust coating the sub before refilling the tank each evening. 'This is the end of the beginning' of the preservation work, said Nestor Gonzalez-Pereyra, the associate director of the Lasch Conservation Center at Clemson University's Restoration Institute. 'In a year we may be able to have the clues.' Removing the encrustation will reveal the original surface of the hull and with it any damage that could yield new clues to its sinking off Charleston, S.C., in February 1864. The war had begun with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor three years earlier. The sub and its crew of eight had set off a powder charge that sank the Union blockade ship USS Housatonic as the Confederacy tried to break a Union blockade of Charleston. The H.L. Hunley, nearly 40 feet (12 m) long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, and launched in July 1863. Hunley was designed for a crew of eight: seven to turn the hand-cranked propeller and one to steer and direct the boat. Each end was equipped with ballast tanks that could be flooded by valves or pumped dry by hand pumps. Extra ballast was added through the use of iron weights bolted to the underside of the hull. Inside the Hunley: It was designed for a crew of eight: seven to turn the hand-cranked propeller and one to steer and direct the boat. In the event the submarine needed additional buoyancy to rise in an emergency, the iron weight could be removed by unscrewing the heads of the bolts from inside the vessel. She was then shipped by rail on August 12, 1863 to Charleston, South Carolina. Originally called Fish Boat, the sub sank on August 29, 1863, during a training exercise, killing five members of her crew. However, it was found and refurbished, before she sank again on October 15, 1863, killing all eight of her second crew, including Horace Hunley himself, who was aboard at the time, even though he was not enlisted in the Confederate armed forces. In the event the submarine needed additional buoyancy to rise in an emergency, the iron weight could be removed by unscrewing the heads of the bolts from inside the vessel. After being reused again, on February 17, 1864, Hunley attacked and sank the 1240-short ton (1124 metric tons) screw sloop USS Housatonic on Union blockade duty in Charleston's outer harbor. Soon after, Hunley sank, killing all eight of her third crew - and researchers still have no idea why. But the Hunley never returned and just why remains a mystery. The wreck was discovered off the coast in 1995. Five years later, in August of 2000, cannons boomed, church bells rang and thousands watched from the harborside as the 40-foot-long sub was raised and brought by barge to the conservation lab. The silt-filled interior of the sub was later excavated and the remains of the crewmen removed. In April of 2004, thousands of men in Confederate gray and Union blue walked in a procession with the crew's coffins from Charleston's waterfront Battery to Magnolia Cemetery in what has been called the last Confederate funeral. The chemical bath will help remove salts and the encrustation on the submarine's hull. The Hunley sank a Union blockade ship off the South Carolina coast in 1864. It was discovered in 1995 and raised in 2000 and brought to the North Charleston lab. Last year, scientists announced it appears the charge that sank the Houstonic was attached to the 16-foot spar at the front of the sub. That could mean the crew was knocked unconscious by the explosion and died before awakening. A closer look at the hull may provide clues. 'Chiseling away the concretion will allow us to travel back in time, potentially helping us learn what happened to the Hunley and her crew that night,' Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell, the chairman of the South Carolina Hunley Commission, said in a statement. H. L. Hunley, suspended from a crane during its recovery from Charleston Harbor, August 8, 2000. When the Hunley was raised, historians thought it was farther away from the Housatonic and speculated the crew ran out of air before they could crank the submarine back to the coast. Gonzalez-Pereyra said while the encrustation on the hull should be removed in a year, the sub will have to soak in the chemical bath for at least four more years to remove salts in the metal and prevent further corrosion of the sub. Eventually the Hunley will be put on display in a new museum in North Charleston not far from the conservation lab. | Sub sank a Union blockade ship off Charleston in 1864 . Was discovered off the coast in 1995 and raised in 2000 . Researchers have been unable to find out why it sunk with crew still aboard . | c03ff5ef0c0531c0088bd02487e97d4aca1d673a |
A British soldier who suffered life-changing injuries while serving in Afghanistan after being hit by a roadside bomb has been found dead at his home in Manchester. Private Bradley Paul, 23, was heading up a supply patrol in Helmand Province in 2012 when an explosion severed an artery in his neck and left him with multiple fractures. He was airlifted back to the UK and spent 12 months recovering, but also began fighting an 'internal struggle' to come to terms with his injuries, his commanding officer Captain Chris Middleton said. Private Bradley Paul, 23, had an artery in his neck severed and sustained several fractures after being hit with an IED while serving in Afghanistan, and was medically discharged from the Army a year later . Private Paul, who served with the 1st Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, was medically discharged from the Army last year, and found dead at home in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, last week. Police say he was found with a neck injury and the death is not being treated as suspicious. Private Paul's family say they are now working to raise awareness of mental health issues facing former soldiers, and are appealing for donations to fund a full military funeral. They have so far raised £8,000, and say they have been overwhelmed by messages of support. In a message posted on the Gofundme website, Private Paul’s mother, Sam Paul, said that her son would be ‘smiling down’ if he could see the outpouring of emotion. After being wounded Mr Bradley was flown to the UK where he spent 12 months recovering. Despite his progress, he was found dead at his home in Manchester with a neck injury . Captain Chris Middleton, who was Private Paul's commanding officer during his time in Helmand, said he lost his battle with an 'internal struggle' to come to terms with his injuries (Private Paul pictured right) She said: 'I’m overwhelmed b . y all the donations and messages on this page. Thank you so much every one of you on behalf of Brad’s family. 'I know Brad will be smiling down on you all to see how loved he is. Thank you again and much love to you all.' His aunt, Lauraine Cover, thanked Private Paul’s commanding officer in Afghanistan, Captain Chris Middleton, for launching the appeal. She added: 'Thanks to all the caring, generous people who have donated, you are all amazing.' The family are also promoting the work of charity Combat Stress, which works to provide clinical support and treatment for veterans with psychological wounds. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, then you can contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or Combat Stress on 0800 138 1619 . | Bradley Paul, 23, had artery in neck severed by roadside bomb in Helmand . Flown back to UK where he spent a year coping with life-changing injuries . But was found dead in home in Manchester last week with 'neck injury' If you have been affected by issues in this story, contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or Combat Stress on 0800 138 1619 . | 88375d5b1e9534b7fb6899d99d0d59861c1cf34f |
By . Chris Waugh . Nothing will give Arsenal fans more pleasure than knowing that one of their own helped humiliate Manchester United on Tuesday night as MK Dons hammered Louis van Gaal's side 4-0. Benik Afobe is the second Gunners striker this year to down a United side while on loan at another club after Joel Campbell netted against the Reds for Olympiacos in a 2-0 win for the Greek side. But, with Olivier Giroud struggling with a foot injury and Arsenal struggling for options up front, Gunners fans will be left wondering why Arsene Wenger cannot select Afobe in the first-team right now. VIDEO Scroll down for Jack Wilshere's thoughts on Benik Afobe and other Arsenal youth . Brace: Arsenal loanee Benik Afobe netted twice for MK Dons during their 4-0 victory over Manchester United . Celebration: Afobe showed his pace, power and strength during the Capital One Cup tie on Tuesday evening . Afobe - a 21-year-old striker who is enjoying his sixth loan spell in four years - bagged a brace for the Dons to wrap up a famous win for the League One side. The forward now has three goals in six games this season. He showed his pace, power and strength as he tormented United's young defence and opportunistically capitalised on two mistakes to score twice. For the first goal, Afobe ran in behind the United defence and took a wonderful through-ball in his stride before coolly slotting past David de Gea. His second strike was perhaps even more impressive. After James Reece misjudged a long ball down the right-hand side, Afobe ran in behind him, nicked the ball and held off the challenges of three players as he advanced into the box and fired home. Cool: Afobe slots home his first, and MK Dons' third, after collecting an excellent through-ball . Opportunism: Afobe nicks in behind the United defence before beating three defenders to score his second . Born in Kent, Afobe was picked up by Arsenal's academy at the age of just six. He was signed professionally in 2010 and has since spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, Reading, Bolton and Millwall. His career return of 15 goals in 71 games is not overly impressive, but the potential he showed against United means Wenger must be contemplating why he allowed to let him leave on a season-long loan. Having represented England from U16 through to U21 level - and having scored once already for the oldest of those sides - he has shown he can rise to the big occasion. But even if Arsenal fans do not see Afobe play at the Emirates for the remainder of this season, they will laud him as a hero after downing United in such devastating fashion. Finish: Afobe raced into the box, beating three men on the way, before unleashing an unstoppable shot . VIDEO Robinson in shock as MK Dons stun United . | Manchester United were humbled 4-0 by MK Dons in Capital One Cup . Benik Afobe and Will Grigg both grabbed braces for the Dons on Tuesday . Benik Afobe is currently on a season-long loan from Arsenal to MK Dons . He has scored three goals in six appearances so far this season for Dons . The 21-year-old has scored one for England U21s during two caps . Louis van Gaal is yet to win a match as Manchester United manager . | aa3cfc11ea96752d1f03a8ce75b3cae7aacce7b4 |
The story of two British soldiers gunned down by German snipers on December 25, 1914 during the famous Christmas Day truce has been revealed for the first time since the exchange 100 years ago. While gestures of goodwill spread along the Western Front, the festivities stopped half-a-mile short of where Private Percy Huggins and Sergeant Tom Gregory were on duty in Rue De Bois, France. The historic ceasefire, which saw men from both sides exchange seasonal greetings and play games of football during the First World War, was shattered by the sound of a sniper's rifle. Private Percy Huggins, left, and Sergeant Tom Gregory, right, were both killed on Christmas Day by German snipers - the same day the famous 'Christmas truce' was declared along the Western Front . Pte Huggins, 23, from the Hertfordshire regiment's D Company, was on sentry duty at a forward listening post just 20 yards from the enemy when he was killed with a single bullet to the head. The shooting enraged his platoon Sergeant Gregory, who demanded he take his place and immediately set about scanning the frost-covered ground before taking the sniper out with a shot. Then as the experienced soldier continued scouring enemy lines he spotted another sniper - but the German marksmen had seen Sgt Gregory, 36, first and in a split-section action shot him dead. The two British men were among the 149 Commonwealth servicemen who lost their lives on December 25, 1914, although many of those died of previously-inflicted wounds. Their story has remained untold, overshadowed by tales of the peaceful Christmas morning shared from both sides of the trenches which has now been retold in a Christmas advert by Sainsburys this year. But their plight has now come to light after the family of Pte Huggins released his letters from the trenches to the Herts at War project, an exhibition to mark the centenary of the outbreak of war. This is the last letter Private Percy Huggins sent to his mother Agnes from the trenches in December 1914 . It was after his family released the letters as part of the centenary that the pair's story has been widely told . The letters prompted researcher Dan Hill to look into the military records and regimental diaries, revealing the full tragic tale. He said: 'There is no doubt that a truce of sorts took place in multiple points along the line of trenches forming in France and Belgium. 'These men did shake hands and exchange gifts and wished each other a Merry Christmas. 'Less than a mile to the north of the Rue De Bois, we know the men of the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment took part in a truce and one also seems to have taken place to the south as well. 'Many men used the pause in fighting as a time to collect and bury the dead that lay about in No Man's land. Gravestones for Private Huggins (left) and Sergeant Gregory (right) which stand in Le Touret, France . Le Touret cemetery in France where Huggins an Gregory are buried, after they were shot by German snipers . This is the original grave of Private Percy Huggins in France. He was stationed just miles from where the famous Christmas truce was being held on the Western Front . This map shows the area where the two soldiers were shot by snipers (circled). They were two of the 149 Commonwealth soldiers to die on Christmas Day . 'The truce probably bypassed the Hertfordshire Regiment because they were with the Guards Brigade who were incredibly professional and were highly unlikely to have fraternised. 'The story of Percy and Tom's tragic demise on that day serves to highlight that December 25, 1914, was just another day on the Western Front for some. 'To think that Mrs Huggins, Mrs Gregory and the mother of one German soldier enjoyed their Christmas at home unaware at that time of what had befallen their sons.' Sgt Gregory, from Watford and a father-of-seven, was a veteran of the Boer War and became a postman before he re-joined the army in 1914. Pte Huggins worked in his family's upholstery business before he joined the army (he is pictured outside) Pte Huggins pictured with his mother Agnes as a baby. His mother did not hear about his death until January . His wife had just given birth to their seventh child when he was killed and she named their daughter Lille after the place where he died. Pte Huggins, from Ware in Hertfordshire, worked in his family's upholstery business before he joined the Hertfordshire Regiment, one of the first Territorial Army units to be called up to the regular army in the First World War. In November 1914 the men joined up with the illustrious Guards Brigade and sailed to France and were soon in action at the first Battle of Ypres. They then left frontline duties for a month's rest before returning to the trenches on the evening of Christmas Eve. Soon afterwards Pte Huggins wrote his last, poignant letter home to his mother, Agnes, a widow bringing up seven children by herself back in England. He thanked her for sending him a Christmas pudding which he explained he would have to eat cold but was still very much looking forward to it. A newspaper reported the shocking news that the pair had been killed on Christmas Day, also nodding towards the 'Christmas Truce' of 1914 . Private Percy Huggin's obituary in a local newspaper notes that he had gone to France in November and was killed in action near Festubert on Christmas Day after being shot through the head by a sniper . Clearly missing his family, he wrote: 'I know you all must miss me and no doubt can to some extent realise what my feelings are for I cannot express them. 'I long for the day when this terrible conflict will be ended. You consider war a terrible thing but imagination cannot reach far enough for the horrors of warfare that can be seen on the battlefield are indescribable and I pray this may be the last war that will ever be.' He explained he was proud to serve his King and country, adding: 'I can only hope by the grace of God to acquit myself honourably and be permitted to return to all the dear ones in safety. An image of the Hertfordshire Battalion, which has been colourised for the HertsAtWar exhibition . Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment, taken around August 1914, upon the outbreak of war . Pte Huggins and Sgt Gregory are not pictured but these soldiers were part of their battalion during the war . 'I have already asked, dear mum, that you will spend as happy a Xmas as possible and I will do the same.' Shortly before dawn on Christmas Day, Corporal Clifford Lane, of H Company Hertfordshire regiment, recalled how the Germans hoisted their lanterns above the trenches and called out to the British as a overture for a temporary truce. The British responded by shooting at the lights, putting an end to any prospect of a Christmas Day ceasefire - one that could have spared the lives of Pte Huggins and Sgt Gregory. But as the regiment ate a Christmas breakfast of bread and jam, cheese and a piece of cold bacon, Pte Huggins and Sgt Gregory had already been killed. It is thought the families of both soldiers received news of their deaths some time in early January and the two men were buried side by side at Le Touret Military Cemetery in Bethune, France. The Christmas truce, which became famous during the First World War, was a series of unofficial ceasefires spread along the Western Front. Known as Weihnachtsfrieden in German and Trêve de Noël in French, it lasted more than just Christmas Day itself, with soldiers from both sides crossing trenches to exchange greetings. In some parts, men ventured into No Man's Land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to swap food and souvenirs they had received from home. There were also joint burial ceremonies while some men played games of football and other meetings ended with carol-singing. But the truce wasn't completely widespread with fighting continuing in some sectors and 149 soldiers from the Commonwealth were killed on Christmas Day alone. After festivities were over troops returned to fighting and in subsequent years, truces were not nearly as common - by 1916 they were no longer permitted at all. | Ceasefire stopped short of where soldiers from Hertfordshire were on duty . Private Percy Huggins and Sergeant Tom Gregory were shot on Christmas . Their story has remained untold until family released letters from trenches . They were two of the 149 Commonwealth soldiers to die on Christmas Day . | 558aa411ed2d04e95d2b9563a85bbe718e3b8523 |
Washington (CNN) -- A former commanding officer of the USS Enterprise has had his scheduled retirement delayed pending the Navy investigation into inappropriate videos made on board the ship in 2006 and 2007, a Navy spokesman said Thursday. "This is a prudent and necessary step as the investigation continues," said Rear Adm. Dennis Moynihan, chief of Navy information. Rear Adm. Lawrence Rice had been scheduled to retire on February 1. He was the senior officer on board Enterprise during at least some of the time Capt. Owens Honors was the number two officer. Honors was responsible for the raunchy videos, officials have said. Honors had become the commanding officer of the Enterprise, but was relieved of duty this month when the videos came to light inside the Navy. After serving on the Enterprise, Rice moved to Joint Forces Command, where he was until recently being reassigned to the Navy Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, pending conclusion of the investigation. Moynihan emphasized the delay in Rice's retirement in no way suggests any outcome of the investigation. Results of the Navy investigation into the video will be given to the commander of the Navy fleet by January 24 for consideration of what further action, if any, needs to be taken, officials said. Meanwhile, the Enterprise, the Big E to her crew, embarked from Norfolk Naval Station on Thursday for another mission to a warzone under Capt. Dee Mewbourne, who took command after Honors was removed. "The crew is ready," Mewbourne told reporters just before boarding the ship for a mission that's expected to take its 5,000 sailors and Marines to the Mediterranean and Arabian seas for at least six months. "When I came aboard this ship last week I told them (the crew) that the circumstances that brought me here were very unfortunate," Mewbourne said. "But we have got to look to the future and the crew acknowledged that with only about 10 days before deployment, we had to focus on what we have to do." Mewbourne said Honors had contacted him via e-mail offering to help with the sudden command transition so close to deployment. Hundreds of family members braved the cold to say goodbye to their loved ones. None of the sailors or their family members that CNN spoke to Thursday said the video scandal would affect their mission. "It's a non-factor," Ginny Watson said after saying goodbye to her youngest son, a crew member on the Enterprise. Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Melissa Williams said it is time to move on. "We joined the military to serve our country and that's what we do. We press forward," Williams said. The Enterprise is the oldest active warship in the U.S. Navy. It began service in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis and has played a role in every major military action since then. The ship is nearing the end of its career, but this mission is not expected to be its last. CNN Pentagon Producer Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report . | Rear Adm. Lawrence Rice was to retire February 1 . He was commanding officer of the USS Enterprise when raunchy videos were shown . Capt. Owens Honors was responsible for the videos, officials have said . The Enterprise heads out for its latest tour of duty . | b3a255847f73ca8ed7faf512636f51facb760d85 |
With one of Britain’s biggest music festivals coming up this weekend, one supermarket has clearly worked out that revellers are more likely to want Fosters and vodka instead of fruit and vegetables. These were the scenes at a Tesco store in Reading, Berkshire, ahead of the Reading music festival this weekend which features the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Blink-182 and Queens of the Stone Age. Shelves at the Reading West store - which is a 15-minute walk away from the entrance to the festival site - were packed with Jägermeister and Strongbow, as well as more practical supplies such as tents. Scroll down for video . Stocked up: Shelves at the Reading West store in Berkshire were packed with Jägermeister and Fosters . Alcohol available: During the festival Tesco expects to see 35,000 people a day coming through the store . The store has set up a ‘festival shop’ area and is expected to sell more than 30 pallets of tents this weekend, along with other important items such as sandwiches, water and camping chairs. A Tesco spokesman told The Reading Post: ‘During the festival we expect to see 35,000 people a day coming through the store, and yes, we expect some of them will want to buy alcohol. ‘This is the biggest weekend of the year for our Reading West store - bigger than Christmas. ‘We work really hard to make sure festival goers can get everything they need, including food, wellies and even tents. Believe it or not some people do come to the festival without a tent.’ Essential gear: The Reading West store is a 15-minute walk away from the entrance to the festival site . Prepared: This is the biggest weekend of the year for Tesco's Reading West store - 'bigger than Christmas' Rocking at Reading: More than 70,000 fans camp out at the August Bank holiday weekend festival . Entry for general camping at the festival opens at 8am on Thursday, with the main event running from Friday to Sunday. Also performing are Paramore, Vampire Weekend and You Me At Six. 'During the festival we expect to see 35,000 people a day coming through the store, and yes, we expect some of them will want to buy alcohol' Tesco spokesman . One thing that festival-goers might want to stock up on is toilet roll, after officials decided not to supply toilet paper for the fans set to descend on the site this year. As MailOnline reported last month, organisers of the three-day event - the oldest festival on the calendar - say there will no rolls in the toilets, so people will have to bring their own. More than 70,000 fans camp out at the August Bank holiday weekend festival, which moved to Reading in 1971 from its original site at Richmond. | Reading West store in Berkshire stocks up on alcohol before music festival . Shelves at store near site are full of Jägermeister, Strongbow and Fosters . Managers are expecting to sell more than 30 pallets of tents this weekend . | 8a6f5eff5a2ab58aa6037efaa643e7dffcc71e71 |
By . Liz Hull . Last updated at 2:30 AM on 7th October 2011 . Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney has been rocked by the news his father and uncle are among nine people arrested by police investigating a football betting scam. The officers swooped at dawn on . the £450,000 home of Wayne Snr while his son was in Montenegro with the national team as they bid to secure a place in Euro 2012. Manager Fabio . Capello insisted Rooney had not been upset by his father's arrest. Coleen, Wayne and Wayne Rooney Snr . Looking relaxed: England's Wayne Rooney during a training session at the City Stadium in Podgorica, Montenegro, today . 'I found him relaxed and calm,' Capello said. 'There is no problem for the game, he will play against . Montenegro. He told me there are no problems.' The police are probing a rash of suspicious bets placed on a . sending-off in a SPL match last year. The investigation centres on the red card given to Motherwell's Steve Jennings in a match against Hearts 10 months ago. The former Tranmere Rovers player, who hails from Kirkby, near Liverpool, was arrested at his home in Scotland. The investigation comes at a bad time . for Rooney, who has been working to clean up his image following . damaging revelations about his private life. It emerged that the £180,000-a-week Manchester United star had slept with prostitutes while his wife, Coleen, was pregnant. On duty: Wayne Rooney (centre) trained today with Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck (left) while his father was questioned . Steve Jennings was arrested after allegedly getting himself sent off deliberately during a match . But Rooney's estranged cousin Stephen, 27, a homosexual and cross dresser, said the arrests were 'embarrassing'. 'It's hysterical, but I'm quite . surprised it's just the two,' he said. 'And they have the cheek to tell . me that putting a dress on is embarrassing for the family.' A spokesman for Merseyside Police . confirmed nine men, aged between 22 and 68, had been arrested in . Liverpool and Glasgow on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud as part of a . joint operation with the Gambling Commission into suspicious betting. Wayne Rooney Snr, footballer Wayne's father, is one of the nine people being questioned over an alleged betting scam . There was no sign yesterday of . unemployed Wayne Snr, a 48-year-old former boxer, at the home he shares . with Rooney's mother, Jeanette, in West Derby, Liverpool. Anthony Barnfather, the lawyer . representing him, said: 'Mr Rooney vigorously denies all of these . allegations. We are co-operating fully with the investigation. No . further comment will be made at this time.' Neighbours at 54-year-old Richie . Rooney's home, in Croxteth, Liverpool, confirmed a police car had been . parked outside the modest semi in the early hours. He refused to comment . when he returned home on bail yesterday afternoon. Members of the Press soon arrived outside the house of Wayne Rooney snr this afternoon . He spent 20 minutes inside before . being driven off in a Ford Focus by his daughter, Claire. One visitor, . who described himself as a member of the family, said: 'He doesn't know . anything about all this.' England captain John Terry, who has . experienced media attention on his own family, also backed Rooney. 'Wayne is focused on the game tomorrow,' Terry said. 'We all realise the importance of . that. It's important for him to go out there and play his football, . which he loves doing. He'll always be fully focused on the pitch.' Police were alerted after the . Association of British Bookmarkers raised concerns about a number of . irregular bets, ranging from £200 to £500, on Jennings being red-carded. Some of the activity is understood to have taken place via a new account opened in Liverpool – Rooney's home town. One bet of £500, placed at odds of 10/1, netted £5,000. Jennings had already been booked by referee Stevie O'Reilly when he was shown a straight red card seven minutes from time. The 26-year-old reportedly asked the referee when he was going to 'stop cheating' Motherwell. Speaking in the wake of the incident, . Jennings said: 'I want to make it clear I had no involvement whatsoever . in any betting scam. 'I want to clear my name as quickly as possible.' It is understood Jennings became friends with the Rooney family after striking up a friendship with Richie's son, Thomas, 26. By last night all nine men had been released on bail. | Seizures relate to SPL clash last year between Motherwell and Hearts . 'Well midfielder held after allegedly getting himself sent off . Suspected pattern of 'irregular betting' on red card being given . England star's father 'vigorously denies' involvement . Star in training today ahead of Montenegro match . Open . Close . Remove . Check box to remove . Close . Remove . Check box to remove . | fe530f2ba9cd9aceeca6ad162126707925e0c162 |
A Florida woman is facing life in prison after she was convicted of killing her estranged husband during a 'date rape' sex game. Anita Smithey, 46, sobbed and collapsed in court after she was found guilty of second degree murder following the death of Robert Cline III in May 2010. She shot him in his Oviedo, Florida, home while they were having sex during violent role play which involved using a knife as a prop. Convicted: Anita Smithey, 46, sobbed in court after she was found guilty of second degree murder following the death of her estranged husband Robert Cline III in May 2010 . Injuries: The day after the shooting, she was pictured with knife marks around her throat, covered in cuts and bruises and with a shallow stab mark on her side. Prosecutors said they believe these were self-inflicted . The couple were separated at the time, but would still meet up every Monday night to have sex. Prosecutors said it was scene they would frequently act out, according to theOrlando Sentinel. Smithey's attorneys said she shot him in self-defense because he was raping her and she wanted to go home, but prosecutors said it was just rough, consensual sex. She had got in the shower and was preparing to leave, but she claims Cline then grabbed her again, tossed her back onto the bed and assaulted her. The day after the shooting, she had knife marks on her throat, a chipped tooth, facial bruises and a shallow stab wound on her side, but the court heard some of these may have been self-inflicted. Assistant State Attorney Kelly Jo Hines told Smithey: 'You're not allowed to kill a houseguest who's overstayed their visit. Reaction: She collapsed into her attorney;s arms after the verdict was read out. Smithey claims she shot her husband in self-defense because he was raping her, but prosecutors said it was just rough consensual . The jury took less than three hours to come to a guilty verdict. Over the course of the investigation Smithey's accounts of what happened varied. At first she told officers the gun had gone off by accident, but she then changed the story to say she had actually pulled the trigger. Assistant State Attorney Stacey Salmons told jurors there was no rape and argued that she inflicted the cuts on herself. Some witnesses who were at the scene described Smithey as crying and hysterical, but paramedic who rode with her in an ambulance believed she acting. A nurse who performed a rape exam on her in the aftermath said she thought she had been a victim of sexual assault. Prospect: The 46-year-old is facing life in prison for the murder. Some of those who attended the scene after the death said they believed Smithey was acting while crying and hysterical . | Anita Smithey, 46, sobbed as jury found her guilty of second degree murder . She shot Robert Cline III in 2010 while they were having sex during role play . Court heard it was a violent game they would act out with a knife as a prop . Smithey's attorneys claimed she fired at him in self-defense . However prosecutors said it was just rough, consensual intercourse . Couple were separated at the time, but would meet every Monday for sex . | 3b74fcc3ed47ca553b13a80be0a423c72c60002c |
(CNN) -- An Alabama teen was released on bail Monday, two days after his arrest for allegedly plotting to launch "terrorist attacks" in his high school. Derek Shrout was in a Russell County court Monday, where District Judge David Johnson set his bond at $75,000, prosecutor Buster Landreau said. According to CNN affiliates WRBL and WTVM, the teenager pleaded not guilty to attempted assault. The 17-year-old was arrested after a teacher at Russell County High School found a journal that "contained several plans that looked like potential terrorist attacks, and attacks of violence and danger on the school," Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said on Saturday. "There were six students specifically named, and one teacher." "He had put a lot of thought into this," the sheriff said. "It was obvious to us that there was more than just writing a story in a journal and it being fictitious." Shrout's lawyer, Jeremy Armstrong, told reporters in court Monday that "this was just a lot of talk from my client." "I believe he had no intentions ... to hurt anyone," Armstrong said to several media outlets, including WRBL. This weekend, authorities showed reporters 25 tobacco tins and two larger ones, each with holes drilled in them and pellets inside similar to BBs. Taylor said experts that his investigators consulted determined that, with a few more elements, the tins "would absolutely blow up exactly the way he wrote it." "These ... devices were a step or two away from being ready to explode," the sheriff said. The suspect is a self-described white supremacist, though it isn't known if he was linked to any specific group, Taylor told the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group. "At first through JROTC, he was confident, well-rounded. But as time went by, he was doing the whole white power thing," David Kelly, the senior class president at Russell County High School, told WTVM. Shrout began writing in the journal shortly after last month's massacre at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school that ended with 27 people, including the suspected shooter, dead. Taylor said that school shooting "was potentially the spark that started him writing things down in a plan." Opinion: How a boy becomes a killer . But Shrout's lawyer said he thinks his client's case may "have been blown a little out of proportion, in light of what happened in Newtown." "Of course, everybody in our nation is on edge," Armstrong said. Under the conditions set Monday by the judge, Shrout must remain at home and will have an electric monitoring device, said Landreau. He cannot contact anyone at his school. His next court hearing is scheduled for February 12, according to Landreau. After shooting, cops take no-tolerance approach to copycat threats . | Derek Shrout, 17, is free after posting $75,000 bond set by an Alabama judge . He was arrested Saturday after a teacher found a journal that contained alleged terror plots . 6 students, 1 teacher were named as targets in his violent plot, a sheriff says . Shrout's lawyer says it was "just a lot of talk," claiming his client wouldn't hurt anyone . | 448cf88a9c0347da1f2df8f0850023d0f2e76950 |
Edinburgh, Scotland (CNN) -- Politicians made their final pleas to Scottish voters Wednesday, the last day of campaigning before they head to the ballot box to vote on independence. Opinion polls put the two sides neck-and-neck ahead of Thursday's historic referendum, which could see Scotland split from the United Kingdom. Voters will be asked the yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" The latest poll of polls, released Wednesday by ScotCen, an independent research center, shows "no" at 52% and "yes" at 48%, with "don't know" voters excluded. It is consistent with results over the past week or so, which have indicated the race is too close to call. Polls suggest around 8% of voters remain undecided, making their votes crucial to deciding the outcome of the referendum. As the vote nears, emotions are running high on both sides, dividing families and polarizing communities. The leader of the pro-independence campaign, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told "Yes Scotland" campaigners in Perth on Wednesday evening that they have run the "greatest campaign in Scottish democratic history." "We meet on the eve of the most exciting day in Scottish democracy. And we meet here not to celebrate, not to presume, not to preempt," he said, acknowledging that polls were still placing the "no" vote in the lead. "We are the underdogs in this campaign, as we always have been," Salmond said. "We know that the Westminster establishment will fling the kitchen sink and half the living room and probably most of the bedroom at us before the close of polls at 10 o'clock tomorrow night. And therefore it behooves each and every one of us, recognizing that underdog status, to campaign with our utmost ... to persuade our fellow citizens that independence is the right road forward for Scotland." "This is our opportunity of a lifetime," he told the cheering crowd. Gordon Brown: This is everyone's country . But former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot, called on his fellow countrymen and women to vote "no" to independence with confidence. Speaking in Glasgow, he said, "This is everyone's flag, everyone's country, everyone's culture, everyone's street and let us tell the people of Scotland that we who vote 'no' love our Scotland and love our country." Scotland's many past and present achievements, Brown said, "happen not outside the union but inside the union. They happen not in spite of the union but because of the union." There were chaotic scenes as Labour Party leader Ed Miliband met with members of the public on Tuesday, forcing him to cut short a meet and greet. The issue of spending on social welfare and health care, through the National Health Service, has been central to campaigning. Questions over the economy, North Sea oil reserves and taxation have also been key. Each side has argued that it is the best equipped to create more jobs for Scotland. In a rare show of unity, the leaders of the UK's three main political parties penned a vow on Tuesday -- published on the front page of the Scottish Daily Record newspaper -- to transfer more powers to Scotland if it rejects independence. Cameron: My name's not on ballot . Prime Minister David Cameron will face tough questions over the effectiveness of the pro-union "Better Together" campaign if Scotland opts to leave, with critics accusing the main parties in Westminster of complacency over the vote. They have also questioned the promise of more powers for Scotland if it stays, warning that England and Wales should not lose out. Fallout from the referendum could play into the next UK general election, scheduled for May 2015. Asked by a reporter whether he would quit if Scotland chooses independence, Cameron said, "My name is not on the ballot paper; what's on the ballot paper is, does Scotland want to stay in the United Kingdom or does Scotland want to separate itself from the United Kingdom? "That's the only question that should be decided on Thursday night. The question about my future will be decided at the British general election coming soon." In an interview with the Times of London, Cameron also defended the way the referendum has been handled by his Conservative-led coalition government. He said he had been right to offer only the option of independence or continued union on the ballot paper, rather than including a third option of further devolved powers for Scotland. He suggested that Scottish independence might actually be closer today if he had said no to a vote, rather than offering a "proper, legal, fair and decisive referendum." Scotland to leave UK? 8 things to know . John Major: Scottish people 'fed a load of pap' Former Prime Minister John Major also made an impassioned plea for Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom, telling CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the Scottish people have been hoodwinked. "The Scottish nation have frankly, and I don't say this lightly, have been fed a load of pap by the Scottish nationalists in the belief that everything will be alright on the night," he said. "Well it won't. There are very serious problems that Scotland will face if they go down this route." Many questions remain unanswered about what will happen if Scotland votes to go it alone, including its future membership in the European Union and NATO and over the United Kingdom's future defense capabilities. In an open letter published in UK tabloid The Sun on Wednesday, 14 former UK defense chiefs warned against breaking up the union. "At risk is the most successful alliance in history and one which has seen men and women from all parts of the country play their part in securing the liberties we now enjoy," they wrote. "The division of the UK may or may not be politically or economically sensible, but in military terms we are clear: it will weaken us all." In his own open letter to Scottish voters, Salmond urged them to look past what he called the "increasingly desperate and absurd scare stories" of the pro-union "no" campaign, and think of Scotland's future. "Make this decision with a clear head and a clear conscience," he wrote. "Know that by voting 'Yes', what we take into our hands is a responsibility like no other -- the responsibility to work together to make Scotland the nation it can be." Opinion: Why the UK needs Scotland . Largest ever electorate . The Scottish National Party, headed by Salmond, has said it wants to remove the UK nuclear submarine fleet from Scottish waters as soon as possible. More than 4.2 million people have registered to vote, the largest electorate ever in Scotland. Any registered voter aged 16 or over who is a resident in Scotland is entitled to cast a ballot. Voters do not have to be British citizens; Commonwealth, Irish and EU citizens who live in Scotland and are registered to vote there can do so. If Scotland decides to leave the United Kingdom, it leaves behind England, Wales and Northern Ireland. CNN's Max Foster reported from Scotland and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Richard Allen Greene, Lindsay Isaac and Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report. | NEW: The latest poll of polls suggests the "no" campaign has a slim lead . NEW: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond: "This is our opportunity of a lifetime" Former PM Gordon Brown: "We who vote 'no' love our Scotland and love our country" Former UK defense chiefs warn that Scottish independence "will weaken us all" | 391d44f1d79604af57664cbf9d0aabeee7cfed88 |
(CNN) -- Since the revolution in 1959 Cuba has been many things to many people, but the collapse of the Soviet Union meant few have seen the island state as a vision of the future. But that could be changing -- at least in one aspect. Cuba experienced a reordering of its food production in the early 1990's. A boom for organic foods, but problems persist. As worries grow in developed nations about a future without plentiful supplies of oil, the communist republic is proving to be an increasingly popular example of how to cope when the spigots run dry, for the simple reason: they've already been there. With the loss of supplies from oil-rich Russia in 1991, and a U.S. embargo preventing imports from elsewhere, Cuba was plunged into a severe recession in the early 1990's, referred to as "the Special Period." Suddenly society was faced with dramatically reduced amounts of hydrocarbon energy, and the result was a fundamental reorganization of food production, leading to a boom in urban organic agriculture, which requires fewer inputs than conventional farming. Despite the increase in organic production, problems remain for Cuba's agricultural system and ability to feed itself with local produce. "Some estimates of the amount of food imports in Cuba go as high as 80 percent of domestic consumption," says CNN's Havana Bureau Chief, Morgan Neill. "This isn't to say that small scale organic farmers couldn't learn for isolated growers, but Cuba's overall agriculture is one of the government's biggest problems." Cuba's organic example, however, has been a source for inspiration for many outside of the country, such as the UK-based Cuban Organic Solidarity Group (COSG). "With the collapse of the Soviet Union Cuba was in a position where no-one thought it would survive -- they lost 80 percent of their trade overnight," says Wendy Emmett of COSG. "As a result the priority given to food changed, and it was immediately seen as much more important." All over Havana small-scale organic gardens were started on roof-tops, backyards and in empty parking lots, spreading rapidly to other cities and urban centers. Farmer's markets known as "Kiosks" sprang up providing city-dwellers with access to locally-grown fruit and vegetables, cutting the use of oil in transporting food in from the countryside. In the countryside, oxen and horses replaced tractors. Manual labor replaced machines. A huge program of land re-distribution was instigated. Many of the vast collective farms beloved by communist planners started to look inefficient, and so were broken up into units more manageable without fleets of tractors. The process is still ongoing. In February 2009 the Cuban authorities announced that 1,827 square miles of state land would be given to Cubans with agricultural experience or other citizens. But this change wasn't easy. Prior to the "Special Period" Cuba had been a heavy user of oil-based chemical fertilizers, and much of the land was heavily degraded, requiring years of careful manuring to restore fertility. However, despite the obstacles, they did it. "I was there in 1992, which was one of the most difficult years, and certainly people were moaning a lot, but they worked together, they still kept the milk coming for the schoolchildren," says Emmett. "Throughout it all they didn't close any hospitals, they didn't close any schools; they kept going against the odds. In many ways they show us what is possible, what a community can achieve when they work together; the power of co-operation." A blue-print to cope with problems post-peak oil? Of course a powerful authoritarian state and strong central planning made such huge changes easier to implement; a similar process of development might be very different, and possibly lees successful, in the West. But as an increasing number of people believe we will soon face a major social and economic crisis as oil supplies dwindle over coming decades, many believe we have a lot to learn from the Cuban experience. "The industrialized world can learn that its dependency on oil will eventually push it through similar experiences to that which Cuba had to face in the 1990's, and with similar outcomes," says Julia Wright, author of "Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in an Era of Oil Scarcity: Lessons from Cuba." "We can also learn that if we do not have the necessary capacities in place, our food production system will be caught short, as was Cuba." All over the world from New Zealand to the United Kingdom members of the Transition Town Movement, which aims to help communities prepare for the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change, hold regular screenings of the film, "The Power of Community", an upbeat documentary that explores the Cuban experience, alongside films about our oil addiction such as "The End of Suburbia" and "A Crude Awakening." "Cuba inspires groups overseas wanting to develop alternative, more sustainable farming and food systems, partly based on the myth that has built up around Cuba being organic," says Wright. "Organic farming in Cuba only operates in urban areas, not rural... [but] the Cuban organic movement and the people within it are highly dedicated to their work and will continue to influence and be influenced by the organic movement overseas." The future is less clear. New allies are once again opening Cuba up to the outside world -- and providing fresh oil supplies. "Hugo Chavez is supplying Cuba with increasing quantities of oil and agrochemicals, so Cuban agriculture -- and here I'm talking about rural farms which supply 95 percent of the nation's domestic food needs -- is becoming more industrialized, though it will not revert back to the extreme practices of the Soviet era," says Wright. "Organic urban agriculture will continue and likely continue to expand out to peri-urban areas." But whatever the years ahead bring, Wright believes the experience of the "Special Period" has left its mark on Cuban society. "The crisis that Cuba suffered has made it a better place in certain aspects, as people had to become more resilient and self-sufficient and less wasteful," says Wright. "Although Cubans would certainly say that their food shortages and lack of inputs has been a hardship." | Cuba's economic hardship in early 1990's led to reorganization of agriculture . Urban and organic farming implemented plus break up of inefficient large farms . Some see Cuba's experience as way to cope with problems of future oil crises . | bc86fe5d8739fa023467572782abea9041154a88 |
(CNN) -- Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory since switching to Mercedes and revived his world title hopes with a storming drive at the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday. The 28-year-old Briton made full use of his pole position to finish ahead of Kimi Raikkonen for Lotus and triple world champion Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull's Vettel increases his lead in the title race to 38 points after Fernando Alonso could only claim fifth in his Ferrari. The ever-consistent Raikkonen has moved into second spot, one point ahead of Alonso with Hamilton in fourth, still 48 points adrift of leader Vettel. But he will be heartened by a famous victory, with the Mercedes at last being able to capitalize on their qualifying superiority. Fearing hot conditions and tire wear, Hamilton had expressed the opinion it would be a "miracle" if he was able to take the checkered flag, but in the reality his 22nd career win was almost untroubled, finishing 11 seconds ahead of Raikkonen. "Brilliant job Lewis, fantastic drive," Hamilton's team told him over his race radio after the 2008 world champion ended a ten race winless streak. It was his fourth win at the Hungaroring near Budapest, repeating his 2012 triumph with McLaren. Hamilton acknowledged how crucial the victory was at the halfway stage of a season to date largely dominated by Vettel in his Red Bull. "I think this is probably one of the most important Grand Prix wins of my career," he said. "We have got to work hard but if we can come here and make our tires last we should be able to do it anywhere," he added. Australia's Mark Webber took fourth in the second Red Bull ahead of two-time champion Alonso, with Romain Grosjean sixth for Lotus after another incident packed drive by the Frenchman. Britain's Jenson Button was seventh for the improving McLaren team with Brazilian Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari taking eighth. Mexican Sergio Perez in the second McLaren and Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela rounded out the points scoring. Hamilton's teammate Nico Rosberg went off near the finish while in ninth place so Red Bull increase their advantage in the race for the constructors' title. | Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix to boost title hopes . Kimi Raikkonen finishes in second place in his Lotus . Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel back in third . Vettel increases lead in standings after Fernando Alonso takes fifth . | c793d676a750b1c68b640468931966872c6a03aa |
Even by MIT standards, says Tom Leighton, Danny Lewin was special. "He was really exceptionally smart. MIT has a lot of really smart people, and Danny stood out even among that rarified environment," says Leighton, who was then one of Lewin's professors at the Massachusetts school's computer science laboratory. "He liked working on the hardest problems, as opposed to the easier ones, because they would make more of a difference." That kind of determination drove Lewin throughout his short life. He was an American who joined the Israeli army and served in an elite unit, though he could have avoided the military altogether. He was a mathematician who could have had a stellar academic career but decided to jump into business. Most importantly, in the late '90s he saw a solution to what was then called the "World Wide Wait" and, with his company Akamai Technologies -- co-founded with Leighton -- made the Web faster and more efficient. (Disclosure: CNN was an early Akamai client and remains one to this day.) Lewin died on September 11, 2001, at age 31. He was on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center, and was almost certainly the first person killed in the attacks on that horrible day. His life is now the subject of a new biography, "No Better Time: The Brief, Remarkable Life of Danny Lewin, the Genius Who Transformed the Internet." If you've never heard of Lewin, you're not alone, says the book's author, Molly Knight Raskin. That was partly due to his low-profile life and business -- Akamai is an infrastructure company, and Lewin wasn't flashy with his instant dot-com millions -- and partly because his friends and family shied away from publicity. But she believes it's a life that deserves to be celebrated. Even at 31, she says, he'd already accomplished so much. There were so many different elements, she says -- his military service, his business leadership, his intellect, his savvy -- and she wanted to convey some of that energy to others. "It was about the way he lived," she says. "I felt like if he was motivating me as much, I felt like I could do the same for readers." 'Like lighting a fire' From the beginning, Lewin seemed destined for big things. Even as a child he was an accomplished violinist, performer and athlete. He loved computers, too, learning to program an Apple II his father brought home in 1979. He was 9. In 1984, his family decided to move to Israel, and Lewin grew up near Jerusalem. He often spent as much time weightlifting as on his schoolwork, the book notes; nevertheless he aced his classes while developing an enviable physique. The latter would serve him well when he joined the Israel Defense Forces and tried out for the Sayeret Matkal, the secretive unit known for the famed 1976 rescue raid on Uganda's Entebbe Airport. Israel was key to shaping Lewin's temperament, says Raskin. "Moving to Israel was like lighting a fire under (his) drive," she says. "He wanted to squeeze every last drop out of every minute out of every hour out of every day." The imprint of the country's intensity and its people's blunt manner were obvious to anyone who met him years later. Some Akamai colleagues found him abrasive, and Lewin -- who had a fondness for words -- joked about being "obstreperous." But he was also terrifically loyal, supportive of staff and worked as hard as anybody. "He was motivating, so if he did kick you in the butt and tell you to work harder, generally people responded very well to that," Leighton recalls. "People wanted to 'take the hill' if he was saying that's what we've got to do." It was enough to impress Leighton, the academic who says in the book that he would have been perfectly happy to spend the rest of his life solving proofs. What attracted him to enter the private sector was "a chance for us to make a difference in the real world," he says in a phone interview. "In the area where we worked, in algorithms and the theoretical side of computer science, often that work is good, deep work, but it doesn't change the world. It doesn't impact people directly," adds Leighton, now the CEO of Akamai. "With this work, we thought it would have relevance in the real world, and make the Internet be faster, more reliable, more secure. It was a chance that was pretty rare for us." 'His potential was limitless' You have to remember that the Web we use today -- with practically instantaneous results, broadband-fueled streaming video and at-your-fingertips devices -- was practically unimaginable when Akamai was founded in 1998. Back then, with dial-up access and overworked servers, a page load could be as interminable as the drip of molasses. And so Akamai -- the name comes from the Hawaiian for "smart" or "clever" -- was born. But even with its killer app, which lowered the possibility of crashing servers, there was no guarantee of success, even in the late-'90s dot-com era. Indeed, Akamai's first attempt at impressing the venture capitalists who fund such dreams, the MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition, fell short. That only pushed Lewin to work harder. The company struck pay dirt on an unlikely day, March 11, 1999. That Thursday two events shook the Web: The opening of the NCAA men's basketball tournament and the first streaming of the trailer for "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace." While servers crashed all over the country, Akamai-supported machines handled the surge, and the company started taking off. The next two years were boom and bust -- for the Internet and for Akamai. In the aftermath of the company's October 1999 IPO, Lewin and Leighton were briefly paper billionaires. The stock scaled $300 a share. Then came the crash of 2000. Dozens of dot-com companies folded. By 2001, Akamai stock was selling for less than $5. Leighton says Lewin never lost his concentration. "We were both pretty focused on getting the job done, and that was true whether the stock was at 350 bucks or 50 cents," he says "It was positive reinforcement. If one of us got worried about a problem, the other would step in and say, here's how we're going to get past this one and here's why it's going to work out." 9/11 . Nevertheless, things were particularly grim on September 10, 2001. Leighton remembers a session stretching late into the evening in which the executives had to decide whom to lay off, including some friends and colleagues who had been with them almost since the beginning. The next morning Lewin had to fly from Boston to Los Angeles. "He probably barely got an hour of sleep before getting on board the next morning," Leighton remembers. Lewin was sitting in seat 9B. With his Israeli military training and understanding of Arabic, he may have figured out what was going on, perhaps even tried to stop it. According to flight attendants' calls relayed to authorities on the ground, the first passenger to be killed was seated in 9B. He was stabbed to death. Friends have always pondered the what-ifs. Lewin may have finished his Ph.D., something that always nagged at him. Friends thought he could have entered Israeli politics. Or he could have become a high-tech household name, like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. "Those who knew him feel like the world was robbed," says Raskin. "He was always searching for something greater." Leighton, who helped keep Akamai going in the dark days after Lewin's death, wonders as well. Akamai has since become a multibillion-dollar company active in cybersecurity. Perhaps Lewin would have gone that direction, using both his mathematical mind and his military training to fight terrorism. We'll never know. "I think he could have done whatever he decided he wanted to do," says Leighton. "I think his potential was limitless." | Danny Lewin was a math genius who co-founded Akamai Technologies . Lewin's innovative algorithms allowed the Web to run faster, more efficiently . Lewin may have been first person to die in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks . He was likely stabbed to death on the first plane that struck the World Trade Center . | 624edfb3faea3de225e53fd7b1dd4e789a646992 |
(CNN) -- Solomon Brown of San Jose, California, is one of the millions of voters who helped elect Barack Obama to be the future president. He's also one of the voters in California, Arizona and Florida who cast ballots in support of same-sex marriage bans that got considerable support in each state. Jim Smotherman, left, and Pat Wright of La Mesa, California, rushed to get married in June. His voting choices are a picture-perfect model of the paradoxical results of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. They also illustrate how Obama's inclusive strategy won over many voters who didn't necessarily toe the Democratic Party line. The war in Iraq and the economy were the main issues Brown, 18, a first-time voter, said he considered in choosing a president. But when the time came to vote on the "one man and one woman" issue, he followed his moral beliefs and voted in support of California's Proposition 8. He said he isn't at all surprised that many voters did the same. "They did that because of religion," Brown said of voters. "They wanted change for the country but weren't going to change their religion." He had no qualms about voting for Obama, either, and adds that his choice wasn't related to race. But he worries what moral beliefs will be taught in coming years. iReport.com: Read Brown's thoughts on Proposition 8 . "I don't want a man and a man to be married," Brown said. "When I have kids, I don't want them to see that." Still, he says he doesn't hate gay people and has several gay friends. He emphasizes that he dislikes the fact that people are gay, but not the individuals themselves. "I can't be prejudiced against them, with me being an African-American," Brown said. "That would be hypocritical in my eyes." But Maggie Cassella of Toronto, Ontario, said she watched the U.S. elections and couldn't help but feel thankful for being in Canada. iReport.com: Watch Cassella express her disdain over the election . "I'm tired of talking about it, because I live in a country where I have all my rights now," she said. "I talk about politics, but it's never gay rights because we're done." She said she felt upset by the election and couldn't help but wonder why voters would want to make the decision to elect a black man as president and then outlaw gay marriage at the same time. "I would just like someone to talk to an African-American gay person from California or any person from California and ask them what it feels like to have your rights to be an equal citizen taken away concurrent with this great day in history," she said. "My guess is it actually doesn't feel so great. After all, civil rights are civil rights. I don't care what anybody says." iReport.com: Share your story or opinion of same-sex marriage . The issue hits close to home for Pat Wright of La Mesa, California, who married his partner, Jim Smotherman, in June. He says he doesn't like seeing the animosity from both sides and has personally lost friends over the issue. "A lot of ugliness and nastiness has come out. I don't know how these people have a direct connection to God," Wright said. "How can people be so badly informed, why are they qualified to vote on my marriage, and should 52 percent of the population be able to take away my rights? A very ugly situation." Wright said the couple rushed their marriage because of Proposition 8 and campaigned against it. They were saddened to see "Yes on 8" signs in nearby yards, but never expected the proposition to succeed. iReport.com: "We are still numb and in mourning" Two states away, Fred Thorne of Washington Terrace, Utah, said he was disappointed about the same-sex marriage decisions. Thorne says he comes from a long line of Mormons and that locals' views are highly shaped by their religion and the church. He describes his parents as "freethinkers" who encouraged him to break away from the church's views and support "equal rights." Thorne said he thinks religious organizations in Utah have a huge local and national political influence that oversteps the separation between church and state. iReport.com: Watch Thorne discuss "sexual equality behind the Zion curtain" "Gays have the right to marry and be openly gay, in my opinion," Thorne said. "If it offends somebody, I'm sorry. I'm offended that you're offended by it." Jason Dinant of Las Vegas, Nevada, said the election of Obama made great strides for equality but didn't signify much "progress for equal rights" overall. iReport.com: Watch Dinant's retro black-and-white commentary . "Even though it's 2008, we really are still in the 1950s when it comes to gay rights," he said. Dinant, who is gay, said he feels Obama must make the legalization of gay marriage part of his agenda for change as he assumes the nation's top post. The move to outlaw gay marriage adds "discrimination into a state's constitution," he said. But the legal side of the issue looms large for John Riolo, a Rhode Island voter who prefers not to state the results of his last-minute voting decision. Riolo says both sides like to dig in their heels, and he wishes they would see eye to eye. iReport.com: Watch Riolo talk about his complex views . "My liberal and some, but not all, of my gay friends see same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue," Riolo said. "My conservative friends see gay marriage as fundamentally altering society and/or a violation of religious tradition." Riolo doubts both religious consequences for gay marriage and violation of civil rights if the unions are banned. He said the decisions should be drawn up in courts and that both sides of the issue should maintain a clear head whatever the result. "Marriage is little more than a license," Riolo said. "It is a privilege given by the state and, like a driver's license or any other type of license, the state can set up rules and criteria." But for Wright, who feels fortunate he got to marry his partner, the decision boils down to legislating personal lives and Proposition 8 stings hard. iReport.com: Watch the scene of protests in California . "It has been a kick in the teeth," he said. "I can't imagine voting on someone's marriage." | Solomon Brown voted for Obama and supports Proposition 8 . Maggie Cassella upset that black president elected, gay marriage opposed . Pat Wright rushed marriage to partner in light of the upcoming vote . iReport.com: What do you think? Share your thoughts on the issue . | a5c9ee743fad5b6956f2fed493656fd3561db14e |
Investigators are working to determine what caused a helicopter crash in central Peru that killed seven people, including five Americans. The team was supporting oil exploration operations near Pucallpa, Peru, when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed Monday afternoon, according to Columbia Helicopters, the Portland, Oregon-based company that employed the victims. Minutes after the helicopter took off from the Pucallpa Airport, authorities lost communication with the pilot, and people in the control tower could see a heavy smoke column in the distance. A company official said Tuesday that it was unclear what caused the crash. "We've notified all the authorities and are cooperating with everyone fully, and we'll do everything we can to learn any causes ... of the accident," said Michael Fahey, Columbia Helicopters president and CEO. "It's a very sad day for us. We operate globally, but we're a family and we're very close to our employees. And I personally knew many of the individuals who died as our other employees know many of them," Fahey told reporters in Oregon. "We're grieving for them." Columbia Helicopters has dispatched an investigation team to work with Peruvian authorities, Fahey said. The victims were the aircraft's pilots and crew. No other passengers were on board, Columbia Helicopters said. The two Peruvians killed in the crash were Igor Castillo and Luis Ramos. The Americans were identified as Dann Immel, Edwin Cordova, Jaime Pickett, Darrel Birkes and Leon Bradford. A local police chief said three of the bodies were found away from the site of helicopter's crash and explosion, and those bodies had no burn injuries, leading authorities to believe the three passengers jumped out before the crash. Helicopter crashes kill 3, hurt 4 and prompt more scrutiny . | Company president: "We'll do everything we can to learn any causes of the accident" The victims worked for Columbia Helicopters of Portland, Oregon, which identified the employees . The chopper crashes and explodes near Pucallpa in central Peru . | 069d9e30d6e93942101799e50f49578a29a40b39 |
Atlanta (CNN) -- Federal health officials say 14 people in six states have been sickened by the same strain of E. coli over the past couple of months. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokeswoman Lola Russell, 14 cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli 0145 infection with the same DNA fingerprint have been identified in six states. "Their illness onsets range from April 15 to May 12," she said, adding that the most recent case was reported June 4. "Three ill persons have been hospitalized. One death has been reported in Louisiana." Cases have been reported in Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (4) and Tennessee (1), according to the CDC. Louisiana health officials would confirm only that one child died and three adults were sickened in the New Orleans area. CNN affiliate WWL reported that the child was 21-month-old Maelan Elizabeth Graffagnini, who fought the infection for weeks at a local hospital. Feds speed up E. coli investigation procedures . Georgia is reporting five cases, the most in one state. "Four of five are female, and their ages range from 18 to 52, with a median of 34. Illness onsets range from (April 15-28); one case was hospitalized overnight for this illness, and no cases have died," said Suleima Salgado, deputy director of communications for the Georgia Department of Public Health. The cases in Georgia have been mild, according to Dr. J. Patrick O'Neal, who heads the Division of Health Protection within the Georgia Department of Public Health. He said Thursday, "I don't think there's need for great concern. I think awareness, yes, concern, no. We have outbreaks of various diarrheal diseases quite frequently." Neither of the Alabamans was hospitalized; both have recovered, the state's Department of Public Health said in a news release. According to the CDC, the most common strain is E. coli O157. The strain in this outbreak is 0145. "As whole, the non-O157 serogroup is less likely to cause severe illness than E. coli O157," it said. "However, some non-O157 (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli) serogroups can cause the most severe manifestations of STEC illness." Russell said many clinical laboratories do not regularly test for this particular strain of E. coli. However, the O145 strain is one of six additional strains for which the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services has begun testing for in ground beef. The cause of the outbreak is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing on the federal and local levels. Infectious disease investigators will interview the victims to determine what exposures they have in common. The CDC says it's looking at both food and non-food exposures as a source of the outbreak. However, Louisiana health officials say they suspect that food may be to blame, according to a statement from the state's Department of Health and Hospitals. "People usually get sick from STEC 2-8 days (average of 3-4 days) after swallowing the organism," Russell said in a statement. She added that most people infected with the 0145 strain develop diarrhea (usually watery and often bloody) and abdominal cramps. "Most illnesses resolve on their own within seven days, but sometimes the symptoms can last longer and can be more severe." So investigators are dependent on people accurately remembering what they ate or came into contact with before they got sick. Food such as meat and poultry but also fruit and vegetables is often the source of E. coli infections. However, unpasteurized or raw milk, water that has not been disinfected, contact with cattle or contact with the feces of infected people are other sources of infections. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems (like cancer or HIV patients) are at greater risk for severe illness and death. The best way to avoid getting sick is by washing hands frequently when preparing food as well as avoiding cross-contamination of food preparation areas by washing cutting boards, counters and utensils with hot, soapy water. Properly washing hands after using the bathroom and after coming into contact with animals or being in their environments -- anywhere there may be traces of feces, where the bacteria could be lurking -- also helps. Cooking meats thoroughly to at least 160°F or 70˚C kills the bacteria and prevents infection as well. Using a meat thermometer will most accurately help you determine that the food is thoroughly cooked. CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report. | Local media report Louisiana toddler is only fatality . Georgia has five cases, the most in one state . Cause is unknown, but local and federal officials are investigating . | 9370e9d946cf2774a9a8b48c0eebdb45d84ce6ca |
Now that's something you don't see everyday! More than 700 people dressed in Speedos, swimwear, lingerie and more in Boston on Saturday, December 6 for the 15th annual Santa Speedo Run. The race began in Boston back in 2000 when five guys were looking to spread some simple festive spirit by running through the Back Bay neighbourhood in only Santa hats and Speedos. More than 700 people dressed in speedos and lingerie raced through the streets of Boston on December 6 . This year marked the 15th annual, Santa Speedo Run, to raise money for children's after school programmes . The annual one-mile (1.6-kilometre) charity run now boasts several hundred male and female participants. A total of $118,396 (£75,781) was raised this year, with proceeds going to the Play Ball Foundation, an afterschool sports programme for middle school students in Boston. Following the run, participants headed to the Lir bar, a local Irish pub, to warm up. Though many participate today, back in 2000, it began with just 5 men racing through the Back Bay area . The annual run measures one mile (1.6 kilometres) and all participant proceeds go to the Play Ball Foundation . A total of $118,396 (€96,366) was raised this year by the runners wearing Santa hats (and not much else!) Following the run, racers head to Lir bar, which is an Irish pub in Boston's Back Bay neighbourhood . | Each year, over 700 people run dressed as Santa in swimsuits and lingerie . Began in 2000 with just five men in speedos in Boston's Back Bay area . This year, $118,396 (€96,366) was raised for the Play Ball Foundation . | cc9f7f3ccb770b8074ef9bc053922121faf00dc0 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:53 EST, 31 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:53 EST, 31 May 2013 . These breathtaking photos show groups of hikers who really aren't afraid of living on the edge. They are standing on a well-known spot called Trolltunga - Troll's Tongue in English - which is located in southern Norway and is named so because of its bizarre shape. As they pose for the unique souvenir photos, the pranksters are dwarfed by the immense scale and beauty of the sub-Arctic landscape arrayed before them. Watch your step! Hikers are photographed at the moment they leap in the air as they stand on the well-known Trolltunga outcrop in southern Norway . Much safer to stay glued to the deck: This picture taken from a different angle shows the dramatic landscape arrayed 1,150ft below Trolltunga . Don't slip on the ice: A daredevil tests his luck on the outcrop even as it is covered in snow in the harsh Scandinavian winter . Better safe than sorry: This adventurous visitor has taken the sensible decision to wriggle to the edge on his belly before peering over to the steep drop below . All together now: Local guide Jostein Soldal has been taking photos of tourists he's taken to the scenic spot for the past four years . It's a long way down: Imagine emerging from your tent and having a cup of coffee with this view . Fearless: Another visitor tempts fate by sitting right on the edge of Trolltunga . Each photo features hikers striking a pose with a stunning view of the Norwegian Fjords in the background. But only those with brave hearts have the courage to stand or sit on the edge of this outcrop, which sticks out into space 1,150ft above the cold waters below. The incredible images were taken by hiking guide Jostein Soldal, who has been taking photos of tourists he's taken to the scenic spot for the past four years. 'Since 2009, we have arranged guided hikes to Trolltunga,' he said. On the top we arrange a photo shoot, and take pictures of the participants posing on the Trolltunga. 'It seems like the groups then challenge and inspire each other to come up with better or funnier pictures.' Be nice! A visitor pretends to be about to boot her friend off the outcrop in this picture . No safety net: A montage picture shows a man making a dangerous acrobatic leap on the Trolltunga . No fear: If he jumps too far this martial arts enthusiast will by fly kicking rather longer than he had expected . What are friends for? This visitor looks ready to dive off to the distant fjord below - with her pal in standby in case she has second thoughts . Very spiritual: One false move and this man doing the tree will be taking Yogic flying to a whole new level . Hammer of Thor: What is he trying to do? Break the thing? Time for romance: Mr Soldal says he has even captured pictures of a wedding proposal in the dramatic spot . Top of the world! Two hikers raise their hands in an apparent victory pose as they stand near the edge . Jumping for joy: Three happy hikers click their heels Hollywood style after reaching Trolltunga, which is an eight to ten hour trek from the nearest town . Mr Soldal, 42, has even captured a wedding proposal on the rocky outcrop. 'The tourist track to Trolltunga starts in Skjeggedal and it usually takes 8-10 hours to do this hike, most people do this hike without a guide,' he added. 'I really like the photos where big groups of people are jumping and you capture the perfect moment mid-air. 'It's a shame sometimes that it's so cloudy because when it's blue sky its absolutely beautiful.' | They are standing on Trolltunga - Troll's Tongue in English - an incredible geological formation in southern Norway . The outcrop sticks out more than a thousand feet above the icy cold Norwegian fjords below . Hiking guide Jostein Soldal has been taking photos of tourists he's taken to the scenic spot for the past four years . | 70b50e1b8a51b85e3aeaf36ddfc4d8ed90430e70 |
By . Alexandra Klausner . One artist created an intricate model of a fast food restaurant entirely out of wood . Roxy Paine created the piece 'Carcass', an installation comprised of two large scale dioramas at the Kavi Gupta gallery in Chicago. This is part of 'Apparatus', Paine's first solo show in Chicago. Paine's replica leaves no detail behind and is equipped with a deep fryer and a soft serve ice-cream machine. What's missing however, are big logos and any semblance of food. The other diorama is meant to resemble a control room with an unknown function, reports thisiscolassal.com. The models are made of birch, maple, glass, and are accented by fluorescent lighting. 'Paine transforms the environments on display by using the diorama’s traditional experience as a tool to create a contemplative experience where what we see behind the glass transitions between being real and being a mere shell of something real,' says the gallery's website. The gallery's website explains that in the Greek language diorama quite literally translates to, 'through that which is seen.' 'Roxy Paine introduces a new chapter in his work, a series of large scale dioramas. Inspired by spaces and environments designed to be activated via human interaction, a fast-food restaurant and a control room, the dioramas present spaces and objects which are hand carved from birch and maple wood and formed from steel, encased and frozen in time, void of human presence, making their inherent function obsolete,' explains the website. The spaces the artist creates are reliant on the viewer's 'human interaction' to give them a function and are otherwise devoid of meaning. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Wood you eat in this kitchen? The large scale model is devoid of any food . Grease is the word: The kitchen is equipped with a wooden deep fryer . Everybody freeze: This kitchen is even stocked with a soft-serve machine, but it doesn't dispense anything . Put a lid on it: There are coffee covers but no coffee to be found . Do you want fries with that?: There are even replicas of paper packaging for french fries . Pretty kitschy: The kitchen has a deep fryer, cups, lids, and seemingly everything but food . Watching over you: the art relies on the viewer in order to give it a function . Drawing straws: the model is so realistic it even has a star dispenser and two scattered straws . | Artist Roxy Paine designed two large scale wooden models: one of a fast food kitchen and one of a control room . Diorama quite literally means 'that which is seen' and the art in Paine's installation relies on the viewer in order for the structures to have meaning . The models are made of birch, maple, glass, and are accented by fluorescent lighting . | ebc784cdf869fd93cc9b46d4d86f210dda4e0af5 |
Warnings have been issued about a 'catastrophic' security flaw affecting one of the most important interfaces powering the web. Known as the 'Bash' bug, the flaw could be 'bigger than Heartbleed' which put every computer user at risk earlier this year. Experts claim the bug may pose a serious threat to computers using Unix-based operating systems including Linux and Apple's Mac OS X - and in turn, could spread to all internet-connected devices. Errata security researcher Robert Graham tweeted (pictured) an example of how the bug can be exploited, and how code can be added, to websites on Macs running OSX. He warned that Bash is 'probably a bigger deal than Heartbleed' because it could threaten the security of millions of websites . The bug makes all Apple Mac computers, around half of all websites and most internet connected home appliances vulnerable. The danger is that it can run in the background, without a user ever knowing. And once it does, a hacker will be able to take control of your device. For instance, the bug could be used to read or send emails, copy banking data, turn on a webcam or listen in on a computer's microphone. Essentially, this means if your computer will do something without asking for a password, then someone using the bug can also do the same. Anyone using these devices will need to include a 'patch' update to the software as soon as it is released. As well as computers, the public is being warned they may need to update their internet-connected devices, such as smart locks, separately. Bash is the software used to control the command prompt on many Unix computers, and the bug can exploit it to take complete control of a system. Linux is used in everything from cars to cameras, as well as the Raspberry Pi, and the bug could also affect Android, Windows and IBM machines. ‘The impact is very severe, it’s not overstating it to say it’s a more serious bug than Heartbleed,’ Professor Tim Watson, Director of the Cyber at Warwick University told MailOnline. ‘The primary way this is going to be exploited is through the web… a hacker can use the bug to put malicious things on the website or to steal information, like banking details.’ The bug, which also goes by the name 'Shellshock', could potentially allow hackers to gain access to every internet-enabled device in a person's home using something as innocuous as a smart lightbulb. The danger with this, in particular, is that once it has access to an internet-connected device it can jump onto others. This includes smart locks that open front doors. Errata security researcher Robert Graham tweeted an example of how the bug can be exploited, and how code can be added, to websites on Macs running OSX. By comparison, 'Heartbleed' - dubbed a 'critical security flaw' at the time - only allowed hackers to spy on computers, not take control of them. Bash stands for Bourne Again Shell. It is what's called a command-line shell that lets users control software programs and features. Commands are sent to these programs by typing text into a particular area of code. This code is typically restricted to programmers, but the Bash bug leaves it open to attack from anyone . Bash does not require users to rush change their passwords, but it does provide another way for hackers to take control of computers and devices. 'The method of exploiting this issue is also far simpler. You can just cut and paste a line of code and get good results,' according to Dan Guido, chief executive of a cybersecurity firm Trail of Bits. Its potential to disrupt Apple Mac computers, which uses the Bash software, is of particular concern, experts warned. Bash stands for Bourne Again Shell. It is what's called a command-line shell that lets users control software programs and features. Commands are sent to these programs by typing text into a particular area of code. This area is typically restricted to programmers and website owners, but the Bash bug leaves it open to attack from anyone. For example, Mac OS X users can run it by from their Terminal, as can people running devices on the Linux operating system. Windows is not affected in the same way, but if a hacker exploits malicious code through the flaw, they could gain access to any device, in theory, including PCs. The bug is said to have existed for 25 years, and was discovered by Linux expert Stéphane Chazelas. As an example, the Apache web server runs Bash in the background to carry out tasks, including processing personal data entered into online form. A hacker who exploits Bash could send a request for the information, and then add malicious code to the server to send the user to other sites, or to install a virus on their computer. Once the hacker has access, they could launch an attack on every visitor that users the site - and users could be none the wiser. According to experts, there haven't been any reports of real-word attacks, but that doesn't mean they won't ever be affected, nor does it mean they haven't happened in the past, without being detected. Reports are suggesting Apple has patched the flaw that explicitly affects the terminal on its Mac software, but the firm has not officially confirmed this. The responsibility to fix the flaw lies with the website owners, meaning everyday users can't do anything to protect themselves. Website owners, especially running on Linux-based servers, are being told to check and patch their systems immediately. The Heartbleed flaw in Open SSL encryption affected millions of sites earlier this year. By comparison, Heartbleed only allowed hackers to spy on computers; not take control of them . The only solution is to update every device that is vulnerable with a patch. And this can only be done by website or server owners. Tod Beardsley, an engineering manager at cybersecurity firm Rapid7, warned the bug was rated a '10' for severity, meaning it has maximum impact. He also rated it 'low' for complexity of exploitation, meaning it is relatively easy for hackers to launch attacks. 'Using this vulnerability, attackers can potentially take over the operating system, access confidential information, make changes, et cetera,' Mr Beardsley said. 'Anybody with systems using Bash needs to deploy the patch immediately.' ‘While antivirus software and firewalls are the basic line of defence for most organisations, they’re not going to be able to stop the attackers getting in this way,’ said Ross Brewer, vice president at Log Rhythm. US-CERT advised computer users to obtain operating systems updates from software makers. It said that Linux providers including Red Hat had already prepared them, but it did not mention an update for OS X. Apple representatives could not be reached. Tavis Ormandy, a Google security researcher, said via Twitter that the patches seemed 'incomplete.' However, Mr Ormandy could not be reached to elaborate, but several security experts said a brief technical comment provided on Twitter raised concerns. The bug could allow hackers to gain access to every internet-enabled device in a person's home.The danger with this is that once it has access to a internet-connected device it can jump onto others in the home. This includes smart locks, such as the August lock (pictured), that open front doors remotely . Unlike Heartbleed, which only affected a specific version of OpenSSL, the Bash bug has been around for a long time. 'That means there are lots of old devices on the network vulnerable to this bug,' said Robert Graham, of security firm Errata. 'The number of systems needing to be patched, but which won't be, is much larger than Heartbleed.' The Heartbleed bug allowed hackers to spy on millions of computers all over the world. Bash, however, allows hackers to read information, edit, delete or copy files, and run programmes. All of this can take place without the user knowing. Unlike Heartbleed, which forced users to change their passwords, Bash doesn't have an easy fix. It will largely be up to system administrators and software companies to issue patches. 'That means some systems could be exploited even though they are patched,' said Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer with security software maker Veracode. He said corporate security teams had spent the day combing their networks to find vulnerable machines and patch them, and they would likely be taking other precautions to mitigate the potential for attacks in case the patches proved ineffective. 'Everybody is scrambling to patch all of their Internet-facing Linux machines. That is what we did at Veracode today,' he said. 'It could take a long time to get that done for very large organisations with complex networks.' 'Heartbleed,' discovered in April, is a bug in an open-source encryption software called OpenSSL. The bug put the data of millions of people at risk as OpenSSL is used in about two-thirds of all websites. It also forced dozens of technology companies to issue security patches for hundreds of products that use OpenSSL. Bash is a shell, or command prompt software, produced by the non-profit Free Software Foundation. Officials at that group could not be reached for comment. | Bug poses a threat to devices using Unix-based operating systems . It includes Linux used in many devices such as cars and cameras . It can also affect Android, Windows, IBM and Apple Mac OS X machines . Bug, also called 'Shellshock', may let hackers take control of devices . Solution is to update every vulnerable device with a software patch . Some patches have already been released, but are still 'incomplete' | fdf136531c99b7429ab09023a7145a4ae4436cd9 |
An author has claimed he can help any woman land the man of her dreams in just 60 days thanks to his dating techniques. Blake Lavak, 53, who grew up in Long Island, New York, and now lives in London, says his advice is based on methods that have been proven to work throughout history. He says his book is based on the same principles that helped Wallis Simpson make King Edward VIII fall so in love with her he gave up the throne, and led Brad Pitt to become infatuated with Angelina Jolie while they were filming Mr and Mrs Smith. Scroll down for video . Blake Lavak, pictured on This Morning, claims he can help any woman to 'stand out from the crowd' Blake says: 'It is remarkable how easy it is to land a great guy just by using the right technique. And yet, so many otherwise capable women struggle in this department. So the question has to be asked, what are they doing wrong, and what should they be doing instead.' He believes Angelina's stunning looks have got nothing to do with how she managed to bag Hollywood's hottest man - instead he says it's about 'standing out from the crowd' and 'taking control and keeping it.' He writes: 'She doesn't have to have movie-star looks, or a flat stomach, whitened teeth or bee-stung lips. In fact, none of that matters at all, as long as a few simple guidelines are followed instead. Blake, pictured with This Morning's Denise Robertson, who disagreed with his dating advice . 'Hard to believe? Of course it is... it is precisely because so few women really know how to land a big tuna that they end up with little sardines instead.' Blake writes about his techniques in his book, Own that Guy in 60 Days: A Practical Guide to Love for the 21st Century Woman, published by Durham Press. 'The book is 'a result of seven years of research into the world of the single women, and it identifies what the successful women do right to ensure that they walk off down the aisle with a big tuna.' Blake says his principles are based on those that helped Wallis Simpson make King Edward VIII, left, fall so in love with her he gave up the throne and led Brad Pitt to become infatuated with Angelina Jolie . Blake, who studied Psychology at The London School of Economics, found his formula for 'owning' a man after he found himself on the dating scene again following the end of his 15-year marriage. His quest to find a soul mate led him to discover what he thinks women are doing wrong when it comes to finding Mr Right. Blake's book is based on his own experiences . He explained as he appeared on today's This Morning: 'When I started internet dating, I started working out certain patterns. Some of the women were effective internet daters, others were ineffective.' He added that his sister also influenced his research after she struggled to find The One. He said: 'My sister is attractive, there is nothing wrong with her but she was struggling to have a relationship and she didn't know why. 'She came to me and said, "can you help me out - this is what I do, I was taught in college to be cool and aloof, to stand back and let the guy chase you."' But Blake said women actually need to do the opposite of this. He said they need to chase a man and controversially, sleep with him on the first date. He explained: 'Times have changed, sexual liberation has occurred. 'Women need to play it hot from day one. While everyone else is backing off and waiting to be called, you need to be proactive.' He added of the successful daters he has met: 'They don't wait around. They will talk to a guy at a party and take charge and not wait for a guy to speak to them.' He added if women want a man to fall in love with them within 60 days, they need to 'focus all their attention on him' and make him 'fall in love with the way you make him feel'. Another tip he has is to text or call a guy straight away to thank him if he has taken you out for dinner rather than waiting for him to contact you. Be pro-active: Put yourself out there, don't wait for a man to invite you out or talk to you. Chat them up or ask them out first. Buy them dinner: Show you are in control. Don't wait for him to call: Get in contact with him after a date to say thanks. Don't leave it for days waiting for him to call. Sleep with him on the first date: Give him what he wants and he'll be hooked. Even better, on the date, you should have paid for his drinks and dinner and 'put him on a pedestal'. This Morning's resident relationship expert Denise Robertson disagreed with Blake's advice. She said women shouldn't make it 'all about the man' and put all his needs first and she was shocked that Blake was recommending women jump straight into bed with a man. She said a healthy relationship isn't about a woman 'controlling' a man and treating him like he's stupid. Rather, she said a couple will fall in love if they are compatible and honest with one another. But Blake said women do need to play games in order to be successful - 'that's why it's called the mating game,' he said. | Blake Lavak, 53, has written Own That Guy In 60 Days . Says his advice will help any woman get the man of their dreams . Based on principles he says worked for Wallis Simpson and Angelina Jolie . But he said you don't need movie star looks to succeed . Says women need to be forthright and proactive . Need to chase a man and not play hard to get . | ceb1412362a58e5939b7e9049801bf1bc23f3fb4 |
By . Emily Crane for Daily Mail Australia . The number of properties that went under the hammer in Sydney at the weekend have more than doubled from the same week last year. Nearly 83 percent of properties up for auction in Sydney sold on Saturday, marking a big result for the first weekend of spring. Of the 711 houses, there were more than 20 properties up for sale with a $2 million plus price tag over the last two weekends, which also doubled from the same period in 2013, according to RP Data. This Burwood home in Sydney's inner west was the top seller on Saturday when it went under the hammer for $4.5 million . The 1,300sqm property is situated on two blocks of land . A four-bedroom home at Burwood in Sydney's inner west was the top seller on Saturday when it went under the hammer for $4.5 million. Sydney's property results follow a record selling August where 1,900 of the 2,660 properties listed for sale were sold. A senior economist for Australian Property Monitors, Andrew Wilson, said buyers weren't deterred from the auctions despite the stormy weather. This property was one of more than 20 up for sale with a $2 million plus price tag over the last two weekends . The four-bedroom has high ornate ceilings, an extra-wide hallway and polished marble flooring throughout . The layout of the house has separate formal lounge and dining rooms that could be used as extra bedrooms if required . The gourmet kitchen is overlooked by family living and dining spaces . 'There’s not much that could get in the way of a Sydney property buyer and an auction at the moment,' Mr Wilson told Fairfax Media. Property sales in Melbourne also had a high clearance rate, with 75 percent of homes listed for sale actually selling. Investors are estimated to have made up approximately 60 percent of sales in Sydney and 40 percent in Melbourne over the weekend. The property's master bedroom is complete with spa bath ensuite and walk-in robe . The sale at Burwood marked a big result for the first weekend of spring . 'Results across capital cities this week, especially Sydney, provide a clear indication that this will be a good spring for sellers,' RP Data housing market specialist, Robert Larocca, said. In capital cities across the country 1,692 properties were listed for auction compared to 1,054 for the same period last year. Other capitals to have increased clearance rates from this time last year were Brisbane with about 50 percent, Adelaide at 70 percent, Canberra with 56 percent and Perth at 27 percent. The Ivanhoe property has two driveways, as well as a double garage with drive-through access to the rear yard and additional off street parking . A glass mosaic swimming pool is the centre piece of the backyard, which also has multiple entertainment spaces . The property has maintains its period charm and stylish contemporary design . The 1,300sqm property is located in the heart of Burwood on a quiet street . | Nearly 83 percent of properties up for sale in Sydney sold at auction . More than 20 properties in Sydney had a price tag of more than $2 million . Top seller was a $4.5 million four-bedroom home at Burwood in Sydney's inner west . 80 percent of homes listed for sale in Melbourne went under the hammer . Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth also had increased clearance rates . | d75b5c290a1773af5234512ad5a651170b087420 |
Visitors to this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference could be forgiven for assuming they had accidentally stumbled upon a Star Trek convention ... if the people in costume weren't some of the most powerful in the world. Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin were among 21 world leaders who attended the summit of Pacific Rim nations in Beijing today dressed in traditional Chinese tunics. But when the official photograph of the event was beamed around the world, many thought they better resembled the likes of Spock of Captain Kirk from the hit television and film franchise. Scroll down for video . Beam me up: Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin (pictured alongside Chinese premier and event host Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan) were among 21 world leaders who attended the summit of Pacific Rim nations in Beijing today dressed in traditional Chinese tunics . Beam me up: Barack Obama also donned the burgundy outfit ahead of a meeting with Xi Jinping later in the day . Star Trek: When the official photograph of the event was beamed around the world, many thought they better resembled the likes of Spock of Captain Kirk from the hit television and film franchise . Smart: Mr Xi appeared to complement Mr Putin on his attire as the Chinese leader's wife looked on . Meet and greet: Then came Barack Obama's turn to receive the compliment . 'Obama wearing Star Trek jacket in China? Someone please beam him up,' wrote Steve Miller on Twitter. Jami_USA added: 'Is this a new Star Trek Episode?' However, AFP journalist Katy Lee pointed out that the APEC has a 'rich tradition' in dressing its members traditional clothing of the country holding the summit. 'Important to remember Obama's suit is part of rich tradition of flamboyant APEC fashion. See Kerry, 2013,' she wrote, referring to the Balinese 'endek' woven shirt worn by Secretary of State John Kerry and leaders attending the summit in Indonesia last year. Meanwhile at the shoot, U.S. president Barack Obama appeared in no mood to break the ice with his Russian counterpart, and even looked away when the two crossed paths. Putin took centre stage at the official photocall, placed at the middle of leaders next to Chinese president and event host Xi Jinping. Mr Obama, however, was left wedged between the wife of Indonesia's president and South Korea's leader, Park Geun-Hye, on the periphery of the photograph. From left to right (front) Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan and (back) Canadian Prime Minister's wife Laureen and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah-Mansor . Snub: Obama was all smiles as he chatted to Chinese premier Xi Jinping (left) but was less than welcoming when Putin walked past (right) Tension: With Russia-West ties at their lowest point since the Cold War, amid the dispute over Ukraine, the strain in their personal relations was clearly visible . When the photograph was taken and the heads of state filed off stage, Obama seemed to turn his head as Putin came past, rather than catch his eye. The two leaders last met in June, when they exchanged a few words during a ceremony in France marking the D-Day invasion anniversary. With Russia-West ties at their lowest point since the Cold War, amid the dispute over Ukraine, the strain in their personal relations was clearly visible. Together: After the photo call, Obama and Putin joined Mr Xi, his wife and the other delegates to watch a spectacular firework display . Bird's Nest: The firework display was held at the Bird's Nest National Stadium on the sidelines of the APEC Summit, in Beijing, originally built for the 2008 Olympics . Appearances: But Obama and Putin did not seem to talk to each other despite their close proximity. Instead Obama joked with Mr Xi while Putin spoke with China's First Lady, Peng Liyuan . No stranger to cold: Putin wasted no time in trying to charm his hosts and wrapped his blanket around Ms Peng to keep her warm . Keeping warm: She appeared to appreciate the gesture as Barack Obama looked away . The meal: (Left to right) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping with wife, Peng Liyuan, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo with wife, Iriana, US President Barack Obama, during the ceremonial reception held for members of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting . And, as these pictures show, today was no different. However, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, has said that no meeting has been set but that Putin and Obama have 'a good chance' to meet on the sidelines. Ushakov emphasized that Putin wasn't shunning such a meeting. In Washington, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice said that while there were no plans for a formal meeting between Obama and Putin, 'I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had some informal communication.' | Pair attended Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing . They haven't met since June at D-Day invasion anniversary in France . There they shared a few words but strain in personal relations clearly visible . And today was no different when Obama looked away as Putin passed by . | 746fe06d9e6b7c56acfceb59319bc7bae7a257fb |
Men feel more attractive once their partners have given birth, scientists at University of California-Santa Barbara suggest . Women may get a glow during pregnancy, but now it turns out that men feel they are more attractive as well - only after the baby has arrived. In the first study of its kind, men said that their self image improved after the birth in what is being called a ‘hidden benefit’ of becoming a dad. The scientists said that men could get the boost because they feel they they are more masculine having just seen a mini version of themselves enter the world. They could also get a kick out of women cooing over them as they walk around with their baby. Women by contrast did not experience such a lift about their appearance - possibly because the physical demands of raising a child left them a shadow of what they used to be. The study examined 182 people who were all newlywed adults with an average age of 24 for a women and 26 for a man. They asked them to give their verdict on their own wellbeing and appearance at the start of the study, the one year anniversary and the second anniversary. One question asked them to rate how attractive they found themselves on a scale of one to 10 and how ordinary they thought they were on a scale of one to five. For men who didn’t have children, notions of attractiveness remained stable. But those who became fathers during . the study’s timeframe felt more attractive after their child was born . than they did previously. Lead . researcher Alicia Cast, an associate professor the University of . California-Santa Barbara, said: ‘I was talking about this paper with my . husband and he commented on the attention he got when he was seen in . public holding our son after he was born. One theory suggests men feel more masculine having helped create a child in their own image . ‘Like: "Aren’t you a good dad", "Look at that new dad with his baby".' 'Women get that feedback, too, because everybody loves a new baby. But that (benefit) may be countered by other things she’s experiencing that he’s not, in terms of how her body has changed and being more physically tired. ‘There’s a lot of attention paid to . how women think about themselves – particularly their bodies and their . physical attractiveness – after childbirth. ‘But to our knowledge there’s been nothing that looked at men’. It is a possibility that men feel more attractive because of the attention they get from women when toting a new baby around . Ronald Rohner, professor emeritus of family studies at the University of Connecticut, who was not involved in the research, added that it was an ‘intriguing idea’. He said: ‘Whereas some women experience postpartum depression, some men experience a postpartum glow.’ | Scientists at University of California-Santa Barbara discover men's self-image hugely boosted after birth of their baby . One theory suggests they feel more masculine having created a child in their own image . Another possibility is they like women cooing over them when they're carrying the baby around . | 9f450cb13c80da728fc29981635d2674c8c81823 |
Britain could be hit by a hike in food prices as large swathes of the world suffer from dry weather. Farmers in Russia are being crippled by severe drought, which has caused a potentially devastating drop in the country's grain production. Fears are mounting that the country, which exports the cheapest wheat, will impose an export ban, pushing up the price of food globally. Russia is forecast to produce 75million tons of grain this year – a 30 per cent drop in the country’s usual yield. Global wheat prices have already soared this summer after the worst drought in more than half a century hit Midwest America. More . than 60 per cent of the US is under moderate to exceptional drought, with some analysts saying the corn crop could be the smallest in a decade. Farmers walk in a wheat field, partially ravaged by locusts and drought, near the town of Neftekumsk in Russia . Employees operate combines to harvest wheat at a field near the village of Konstantinovskoye, Russia, last year as the country hoped to repeat its role as a leading grain exporter thanks to a good harvest . Russia last imposed a blanket ban on . grain exports two years ago, in a move designed to keep . domestic food prices under control. The . hard-line action, which resulted in a rise in bread prices, was prompted by the worst drought for the country in at least 50 . years. Jack Watts, senior analyst at HGCA . the Home-Grown Cereals Authority, said: ‘If there is a longer term . period of higher prices then this may well end up with higher food . prices.’ Speaking to Radio 4’s Farming Today programme today, he said: ‘Two years ago Russia had a blanket export ban in place very quickly. ‘In . 2012 the market is very fearful of this happening, there is no . confirmation or real denial an export ban is going to happen, but the . market is nervous based on a repeat of what we saw in 2010.’ The former Soviet Union is one of the world's biggest producers of wheat, barley and rye. Mr . Watts added: ‘With Russian being the cheapest exporter of wheat into . key regions such as North Africa and Middle East, it almost make it a . bit of a price setter. ‘So . when we come into a season like this when exports are higher likely to . be lower than where they were last season-the markets get a little bit . nervous and tend to rise. Workers tend drought-stricken crops at a farm outside Moscow in 1999 when dry, hot weather threatened Russia's harvest . ‘There . is less competition for exports from the likes of the EU and US, so the . world is essentially going to be more reliant on US wheat exports in . the coming season.’ As the worst drought in more than half a century hit Midwest America, the price of corn surged by 20 per cent in July - the biggest two-month rally since the last major drought in 1988. Lack . of rain in America's breadbasket intensified at an unprecedented rate, . driving concern food prices could soar even further if crops in the . world's key producer are decimated. Experts fear the US crisis, coupled with the problems in Russia, could cause further hikes in the price of grain. Last year, Russia exported 28million . tons of grain and the sheer volume of the country’s exports makes it a . key player on the market. But Russia's Volga Valley grain yields have already fallen by 50 per cent after a hot and dry spring. Farmers in the drought-stricken province were used to . shipping grain down the Volga River as far afield as Iran but this year's . yields have halved, sending up local prices and prompting farms to hold . onto grain in hope of further gains. With a harvest of 700,000 tonnes this year, the region will . be able to cover annual local demand of 300,000 tonnes with much less . than usual to spare, Alexandr Chepukhin, agriculture minister of the . Ulyanovsk region said. Corn plants are seen in a drought-stricken farm field near Evansville, Indiana, US . Meanwhile in the US, nearly 220 counties in a dozen states have been added to the list of natural disaster areas as cash-strapped farmers and ranchers trying to grapple with the extreme heat and dryness. The affected counties were designated primary disaster areas in the growing season, the vast majority of them mired in the drought. In August 2010 Russia imposed a ban on grain imports after a severe drought and a spate of wildfires devastated crops. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the move was necessary to protect his country’s population against wheat shortages. The measures were designed to keep domestic food prices under control. It was prompted by the worst drought in at least 50 years with a heat wave that included the highest temperatures recorded in 130 years. This hit the grain harvest, with farmers harvesting 39.5m tons of grain - 22pc less than 2009. Analysts at the time warned a loaf of bread in Britain could rise by as much as 15p as a result. The US agriculture chief unveiled new help last week for farmers and ranchers in counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming. Last week nearly half of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. That is the worst rating since the drought of 1988, which cut production by 20 per cent and cost the economy tens of billions of dollars. About 37 per cent of the US soybeans were lumped into that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage were in drought-affected areas. Yesterday Shenggen Fan, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, an agricultural think tank warned drought in the U.S. farm belt may result in higher prices for poor people around the world. He said the global spike in food prices in 2008 showed how poor crops and tight supplies have a wide impact. The Agriculture Department was scheduled to make its first estimate of the fall harvest on Friday. Some private analysts say the corn crop could be the smallest in a decade. | Russia expected to produce 75m tons this year - 30% less grain than 2011 . 'Market is very fearful,' said cereals analyst Jack Watts . Drop in yields could push up price of food across the world . | 15b5ce93035370576fa1b26d5faab5d6e8204c98 |
By . Victoria Woollaston . and Jonathan O'Callaghan . The power of Twitter has been highlighted once again after its users selected a new entry for the Collins English Dictionary. Collins scoured the microblogging site to find emerging . words and the winning term, which will be added to its official dictionary later this year, was 'adorkable'. The term, which means 'adorable dork' was first used on Twitter in March 2007 before peaking in January 2012, and was the most-voted word from a shortlist drawn up by the publisher. Twitter users were asked to vote on new words to enter the October 2014 edition of the Collins English Dictionary. Entries were tweeted using a hashtag and the winning word was 'adorkable', which means a person who is 'dorky in an adorable way' (stock image pictured) According to Collins, adorkable is an adjective that is slang for a 'socially inept or unfashionable person that conducts themselves in a charming or endearing way'. It is a blend of 'adorable' and 'dork'. The researchers said it has . now settled into a 'steady and rising pattern of use.' The shortlisted words were crowdsourced, drawn from those submitted by members of the public on www.collinsdictionary.com. Analysis of the words, to define levels of usage, was carried out in the Collins Corpus and on Twitter to ensure that all of the words under consideration were in general use, before they were included in the shortlist. Using Twitter data to measure a word’s popularity is a natural extension of the established process by which Collins English Dictionary is compiled, the company said. It analysed word usage across a range of UK and international print and digital media held in the Collins Corpus - an enormous database of over 4.5 billion words that is constantly updated. To vote, users needed to tweet using a hashtag of their favourite word - such as #adorkable - with Collins then seeing which words had the most mentions. The winning word, adorkable, will enter the October 2014 edition of the Collins English Dictionary. 1. Adorkable, which means dorky in an adorable way, won the day with 30 per cent of the vote. 2. Felfie, or a farmer selfie, achieved 22 per cent of the vote. 3. Fatberg, which is a large mass of solid waste or grease clogging up a sewage system, won 13 per cent of the vote. 4. Nomakeupselfie - a selfie of a woman without her make-up, posted online to raise awareness for a charity - was coined during a social media craze started by Cancer Research. 5. Gaybourhood is a gay-friendly . neighbourhood such as Castro in San Francisco. Use of gaybourhood on Twitter has grown steadily . since its first appearance in a tweet in March 2006. Adorkable underwent a huge surge in popularity after the TV show New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel (pictured in May 2014), was launched on 20 September 2011. She is often described using the term, which led to it storming to the front of the 'Twictionary' competition run by Collins . 'We are excited about using Twitter because it offers open, accessible public data for us to monitor and analyse through its APIs (application programming interface),' said Andrew Freeman, Associate Publishing Director for Collins. 'Twitter is a news site with robust patterns of usage and reactions to events and growing movements which lend themselves to language development and invention. 'Twitter's limit of 140 characters per message puts a focus on language, meaning users have to come up with new words and language to make the most of the platform. 'This is the first activity of its kind - using social media to compile dictionary entries - and we would be keen to work with a range of social media channels in the future. The animation above shows how the usage of three of the shortlisted words varied over time around the world . The company said using Twitter to choose a new word is a natural evolution of the process usually used to select new words. Fracktivist, for example, is a word growing in popularity used to describe someone who protests against fracking, but it didn't make the final five words (stock image pictured) Lucy Mangan, who blogs on collinsdictionary.com and is a contributor to Collins English Dictionary, added: 'The people - or at least the tweeple - have spoken! ‘Adorkable is the word they can't be without. 'Into the dictionary it goes, allowing Collins to close the gap between the recording of a living language and its movements in the real world more than ever before.' 'At last the internet starts giving something back to word nerds.' | Twitter users were asked to vote on new words for the 'Twictionary' This was a competition run by Collins English Dictionary to pick a new 'official' word via Twitter . The winning word was 'adorkable', which will be entered into the next edition of the dictionary on 9 October . The word was popularised by Zooey Deschanel in TV show New Girl . Among the other words shortlisted were 'felfie' and 'nomakeupselfie' | e8f6f81f400617ae85994b1f8065296d20164b84 |
By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 05:47 EST, 19 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:50 EST, 19 October 2012 . A zoo where keepers killed animals using baseball bats and crowbars - in a bid to save on veterinary fees - has now been accused of feeding parts of the dead creatures to Polish guest workers. Former employees at the park revealed the horrific living conditions of the animals at Ölands Animal and Amusement Park in Sweden earlier this week, but now it seems the atrocious treatment extend to the staff as well. Employees at the popular tourist attraction were forced to work under ‘slave like’ conditions and were fed goats, hens and even a pig that had been put down at the park. Accusations: Staff at Ölands Zoo allegedly beat an Brazilian aardvark to death, starved lion cubs and fed Polish workers zoo-animals . One worker, identified as Anna, said: ‘Sometimes we would give the animals a . small injection afterwards. If there was an inspection no one would . notice that they had been put down the wrong way. They often kill goats with a simple knife to the throat.' Guest workers from Poland and Bulgaria . work in the zoo over the summer and live in cramped . conditions close to the park, located on the popular tourist island in the Baltic sea. Animal carer Mats told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: ‘People say the animals are treated badly, but if they only knew what the situation is like for the employees. ‘The guest staff work under slave-like . conditions, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, with no entitlement to . sick leave or days off. Those who complain have to take the return bus . back home.’ Horrible conditions: Guest workers were fed goats and hens which had been killed in the park (file photo) Food is included in the contract and . Niclas, another former employee, revealed that the guest workers were fed animals that had been put down in the park, giving . examples of a goat and hens. He reveals he once butchered a pig at the zoo to give the workers meat, adding: ‘They were so hungry and hadn't had any nutritious food for weeks.' Anna added: ‘They often had to eat monkey food. Old bread and old fruit which had been donated to the park by local . grocers on the island, or nearby Kalmar on the mainland.' The stories from behind the cheery facade of the zoo, which welcomes visitors with a sign of two playing chimpanzees, has horrified and sickened the nation and animal lovers worldwide. Torture: When the mother of four lion cubs stopped feeding them, two of them starved to death before staff was allowed to bottle feed the other two . On Wednesday Pia Westen, 19, revealed . that the park had refused to let carers bottle feed a litter of lion . cubs ignored by their mother. Two of them starved to death before carers were allowed to feed the other two. Staff were ordered to hide the suffering lion cubs behind tarpaulin sheets, with Westen saying: '[Supervisors] didn’t want visitors seeing them lying there, dying. The animal caretakers really wanted to save them . but they weren't allowed until two of them had starved to death.’ Caroline Ryding worked at the park for . two months in 2011 and claims she quit her job after witnessing 'permanent maltreatment of the animals'. She said: 'A coati - a Brazilian aardvark - was . beaten to death with a baseball bat or a crowbar. And we were told . afterwards not to tell the zoo vet.' Clubbed to death: A Coati - a Brazilian aardvark - was allegedly beaten to death using a baseball bat or a crowbar . 'They had no room for them and couldn't afford a vet. The owners told us not to say anything because what they did was illegal.' Last year the company made a £1.2m . profit and the park’s director Barbro Hägg has been given an estimated £2.4m in salary and shares in the past five years. Zoo spokesman Hans Uhrus claimed the care was of high standard and that the zoo was regularly checked by vets and the County Administration Board. He said: 'We always take great care in dealing with . our animals. We have regular controls of our business under the animal . protection act through inspections. The board has received no complaints regarding the park.' Happy face: Meerkats are photographed playing in their pen at Oland's zoo, an image the directors are keen to portray to visitors . This claim was backed up by the park’s veterinarian Karl Johan Nordfelt. He said: 'As the park's veterinary surgeon I visit the park at least once a week to see the animals and how they are kept. 'The animals' well-being is checked every day by the staff on site and I control how they are kept during my regular visits. 'I have nothing to comment on regarding the care of the animals in the park.' The animal park, on the Baltic island . of Öland, off Sweden's east coast, is home to around 650 . animals of over 100 different species. | Swedish zoo clubbed animals to death in a bid to save on veterinary costs . Guest workers from Eastern Europe were fed farm animals from the park, killed inside the zoo . Two lion cubs starved to death in 2011, because staff were not allowed to bottle feed them . | 92606ae661a2ad3ca76c66a9c4397632a74bfd11 |
By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 08:43 EST, 7 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:48 EST, 7 November 2013 . Energy firms have been cleared of rigging gas prices after a year-long investigation. Electricity and gas watchdog Ofgem and City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said customers had not been ripped off by big firms. It means there is no respite for families facing price rises of up to 10 per cent this winter. Ruling: Energy and City watchdogs found that the wholesale market price for gas was not fixed by energy firms . A probe was launched into claims wholesale gas prices were fixed by power firms in September last year. It came after a whistleblower claimed the gas market had been ‘regularly’ manipulated by some big power companies - prompting concern that this could affect energy prices for households. The investigation focused on allegations that gas was sold at a lower-than-market price at around 4.30pm on September 28 last year, to manipulate the benchmark price in Britain used by the industry to influence a range of contracts. But Ofgem today said the unnamed sellers of the six lowball trades that day have given ‘credible’ explanations to ‘demonstrate that their trading activity was not improper.’ ‘No evidence was found which disputes the explanations provided,’ it said. Price hikes: Despite gas and electricity wholesale and operating costs remaining almost unchanged since autumn 2012, the Big Six companies have pushed through price hikes of up to 10% . Ofgem added: ‘It has been concluded that no evidence of the alleged market manipulation could be found and therefore that the interests of consumers have not been harmed. ‘Ofgem and the FCA always take seriously any allegation of market abuse in energy or financial markets and will consider carefully any evidence that is brought to our attention.’ The watchdog said its probe was detailed, complex and time-consuming and included information analysis and face-to-face meetings. Energy secretary Ed Davey said Ofgem and the FCA conducted a ‘rigorous review’. He added: ‘Market abuse is a very serious concern and I'm determined that where it exists, the full force of the law is brought to bear. ‘That's why we're introducing annual competition reviews to make sure the energy market is operating properly, and we're proposing to introduce criminal sanctions for manipulation of the energy markets.’ The price hikes will add £50 to every family's bill with some households seeing annual rises of more than £100 . Last month it emerged that profits made by energy firms on household bills have more than doubled in a year while the wholesale price they paid for gas and electricity remained almost unchanged. It fuelled suggestions that companies were ramping up prices to boost profits. Increases in what energy companies pay for gas and electricity added just £10 to household bills, but profit margins added £50 in a year. Four of the Big Six firms have already announced big price rises, with ScottishPower bills going up by 9 per cent, Npower announced a 10.4 per cent price hike, British Gas a 9.2 per cent rise and Scottish & Southern Energy an 8.2 per cent increase. The firms have variously blamed rising wholesale prices, bills for upgrading gas mains and electricity cables and extra green levies imposed by the government. But official figures released by Ofgem showed company profits had doubled in a year. | Ofgem and FCA say price was not manipulated after year-long inquiry . Traders who posted low prices for gas had 'credible' explanations . Leaves little respite for families facing rises over up to 10% this winter . Wholesale costs have risen by 1.7% in a year but profits double . Almost £100 on every bill is now pure profit, according to the regulator . | 737476f50bac0950df56c1f39b4d85a1b9dffb05 |
(CNN) -- Five people were killed Thursday after a man tried to attack the Dutch royal family during a Queen's Day celebration by crashing his car near the royal family's bus, Dutch police said. A car is pictured after crashing into the crowd waiting for the visit of the royal family in Apeldoorn. Authorities are not releasing the name of the man, but said they have charged him with with trying to attack the royal family. Twelve people were injured in the incident in the Dutch town of Apeldoorn, about 45 miles east of Amsterdam, police spokeswoman Esther Naber told CNN. Crowds had lined the streets to see Queen Beatrix and her family ride by in an open-top bus during the Netherlands' annual holiday. As the bus moved along, a black hatchback zoomed past it. The crowds were behind barriers off the road, but security officials and journalists, including many cameramen, were in the road as the car went by. The car crashed into the low metal railing around a column on the side of the road. The vehicle appeared heavily damaged even before the crash, but the reason for that was unclear. There was no one other than the driver in the car at the time, Naber said. Members of the royal family saw the crash and gasped, then quickly sat down as the bus continued driving. The driver is in the hospital, badly injured, Naber said. He is among the five seriously hurt -- three men and two women. Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. The tradition started in 1885 and celebrates the birthday of the queen. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is January 31, she officially celebrates her birthday April 30, according to the Dutch government. Queen's Day is known for its free market all over the country, where anybody is allowed to sell things in the streets. Other activities include children's games and musical performances. Were you there? Send us your video, images . The day is marked with the color orange all over the country as a reference to the colors of the royal family, who come from the House of Orange-Nassau. | NEW: Five people killed and five badly injured in incident in Dutch town of Apeldoorn . Car hit crowd near open-top bus carrying Queen Beatrix of Netherlands . Driver, among the badly hurt, is charged with trying to attack Dutch royal family . | 742faa52466555ecdb353657b196e52243b58ceb |
(CNN) -- As Iran rushes ahead with its nuclear program, some foreign policy thinkers urge Israel to accept that it must live with "incomplete" security. On Monday morning, 200,000 Israeli children spent the morning in bomb shelters rather than classrooms, as rockets from Gaza barraged southern Israeli cities. That would seem to qualify as security "incomplete" enough to satisfy anybody. Israel has met the barrage with a new defense system, named Iron Dome. Iron Dome senses rocket launches. Its computers assess which rockets are headed toward populated areas, then it fires missiles to intercept the incoming rockets. According to the Israel Defense Forces, Iron Dome has achieved a success rate of more than 90% when fired. Since Friday, Palestinian militants have fired more than 170 rockets at Israeli cities, but as yet, no Israeli civilians have been killed. Since 2001, Israel has responded to attacks by deploying ever-more effective technological systems: first the security fence to halt the entry of suicide bombers; now Iron Dome to stop short-range rockets; and in time, the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system against longer-range missiles. These innovations have defeated and deterred violence and saved many lives. But these innovations are also subject to inherent weaknesses. The rockets launched from Gaza are armed only with explosives and shrapnel. When Iron Dome misses -- and it does sometimes miss -- the Gaza rockets kill and maim only within a very limited radius. The fence also fails sometimes. Last year for example, a British citizen was killed and 50 people wounded by a bombing near the Jerusalem convention center. Yet as with the Gaza rockets, the lethality of bombings is inherently limited. Israel does not need to reach 100% success to defeat the terrorism threat. Suppose, however, that the rockets carried nuclear payloads, or that suicide bombers had access to radioactive materials. Then a 90% success rate would not nearly suffice. Iran's nuclear program threatens to upend the strategic calculus of the past decade, to overwhelm all Israeli countermeasures to protect Israel's population. A nuclearized Iran does not imply "incomplete" security for Israel. It would expose Israel to absolute insecurity. As rockets fly toward southern Israel, the rest of Israel carries on. The economy produces and thrives. A relative of mine, visiting Jerusalem, comments that if she were not reading about the rockets in the newspapers, she would not know they were being fired. Yet even the threat of a mass-casualty event would paralyze the Israeli economy. People would avoid downtowns, visitors would stay home, children would be sent abroad, investment flows would cease. Iran would not have to shoot at Israel. It would just have to talk loosely about shooting at Israel to do vast harm. Iron Dome represents a triumph of Israeli science, generously supported by U.S. aid under both Presidents Bush and Obama. But we remain far away from a high-tech shield against the Iranian threat. This week's congratulations to Israel must be tempered by awareness: The biggest danger -- Iran's potential ability to build a weapon that could kill hundreds of thousands in a single strike -- looms as menacing as ever. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum. | Israel reported 90-plus percent success in fending off incoming rockets . David Frum says the "Iron Dome" system is useful for defending against Gaza militants . He says an Iranian nuclear weapon would change the calculation . Frum: Partial security isn't enough when the threat is mass annihilation . | 5f212d16131052386e3ff15c315d5ed808b20635 |
By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 07:41 EST, 25 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:44 EST, 25 October 2012 . The sidekick who helped the Washington D.C. sniper slay 10 people and wound at least six more in a 2002 rampage has claimed he was sexually abused by the killing spree's mastermind. Lee Boyd Malvo, who was 17 when he indiscriminately shot his victims over a period of three weeks, claimed John Allen Muhammad molested him for more than two years. Speaking to Today in what he said would be his last interview about the crimes, Malvo said: 'For the entire period when I was almost 15 until I got arrested, I was sexually abused by John Muhammad.' Malvo, who is now 27, is serving a . life sentence in a south Virginia prison without the possibility of . parole. Muhammad was put to death by lethal injection in 2009, at age . 48. Scroll down for video . Killers: Lee Boyd Malvo (left), who was 17 when he went on a deadly rampage with John Allen Muhammad (right) in 2002, has claimed that the older man sexually abused him . Today host Matt Lauer quizzed the . murderer about why he had made the molestation claims now, when he had . previously denied a sexual relationship between the pair. 'I . felt a sense of shame, and I just said, "That’s just something that I'd . never tell anyone",' Malvo explained in the interview which aired on . Thursday morning. 'And . to a certain extent, up until that point, I really couldn't handle it. The main reason I'm coming forward now is because I am more mature.' He added that solitary confinement has forced him to deal with the past on his own. 'In here, there's no therapy,' he said. 'Rehabilitation is just a word. In solitary confinement, in a cell by . yourself, I am priest, doctor, therapist. So it just worked out that I . just took it off piece by piece.' Malvo was born in Jamaica and moved to Antigua with his family in 1999, where he first met Muhammad. Friends: Malvo, then 17, and Muhammad are pictured together in Louisiana the year of the killings . On the stand: Malvo is brought into court to be a witness for the capital murder trial of Muhammad in 2003 . Speaking to Today, Malvo said that . Muhammad, who he described as a 'good listener', quickly gained his . trust by being the loving figure he had craved. Malvo claimed he was sexually abused by a . babysitter at the age of five and then relatives at the age of eight . before he came Muhammad's victim aged 15. Boy: Malvo, pictured in 1997, met Muhammad in Antigua in 1999 and the man took him under his wing . On October 2, 2002, the pair began their killing spree, gunning down people in the D.C. area. 'I couldn't say no,' Malvo explained. 'I had wanted that level of love and acceptance and consistency for all my life and couldn't find it. I didn't have the willpower to say no.' The terror ended on October 24, 2002, when police caught Muhammad and Malvo as they slept at a Maryland rest stop in a car they had outfitted for a shooter to perch in its boot without being seen. When they were hauled into custody, Malvo said his first thought was not for himself. 'I was intent on protecting Mr Muhammad as best as I could,' he said. 'Death is not what I feared the most. I feared letting him down . more than I feared death.' Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing Linda Franklin, a 47-year-old FBI analyst who was shot as she and her husband loaded supplies at a Home Depot in Virginia. The men were also suspected of fatal shootings in Louisiana, Alabama and Arizona. Malvo, who said he has forgiven himself for his heinous crimes, said his punishment of solitary confinement has been effective, calling it 'complete deprivation'. The motive for the attacks remains murky. Malvo said Muhammad wanted to extort $10 million from the government to set up a camp in Canada where homeless children would be trained as terrorists. Muhammad's ex-wife said she believes they were a smoke screen for his plan to kill her and regain custody of their three children. Mastermind: Muhammad, pictured in 2003, was put to death by lethal injection in November 2009 . Vehicle: The killers cut a hole in the trunk of their car, pictured, to shoot their victims undetected . Malvo claimed in a Washington Post interview last month that Muhammad had 'brainwashed' him. Lauer asked Malvo if they had gunned . down other people who had never been identified and he responded that . there were - and that he had admitted as much to police. He said he has contacted the families of five of these victims, 'but there was a point in time where . psychologically, I couldn't handle it. I cannot afford to break down . psychologically in here, because there will be no help.' When Lauer asked him what advice he would give to his victims' families, he responded: 'Please do not allow my actions and the actions of Muhammad to hold you hostage and continue to victimse you for the rest of your life. Do not give me or him that much power.' See below for video . Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy . | Lee Boyd Malvo gunned down 10 people with John Allen Muhammad in 2002 . Malvo, now 27, only just revealing he was molested 'as I couldn't handle it but now I am more mature' Muhammad put to death by lethal injection in 2009, aged 48 . | 379cdf33ac51b8be2ea963eadb49a636c884109a |
By . Glenn Owen For The Mail On Sunday . 'No': Sir Paul McCartney (pictured with wife Nancy Shevell) has become one of the most high-profile celebrities to back the 'no' campaign . Sir Paul McCartney has become one of the most high-profile celebrities yet to back the campaign against Scottish independence by demanding: 'Let's stay together.' The former Beatle – who wrote Mull Of Kintyre in tribute to the remote part of Scotland where he owns a farm – has signed an open letter calling on voters to choose No in next month's referendum. His intervention, announced at a rally in his home city of Liverpool, came as David Cameron admitted that he was 'emotional and nervous' about the result of the ballot in just 18 days' time. The letter signed by Sir Paul, along with other public figures including Sir Mick Jagger, Professor Stephen Hawking and Sir Bobby Charlton, declares: 'We want to let you know how very much we value our bonds of citizenship with you, and to express our hope that you will vote to renew them.' It adds: 'What unites us is much greater than what divides us. Let's stay together.' TV historian Dan Snow, one of the campaign co-ordinators for Let's Stay Together, said at the event in Liverpool: 'Sir Paul is one of the world's most respected musicians. We are humbled that he has signed the letter. 'Sir Paul's signature, alongside Sir Mick Jagger's and those of tens of thousands of people from all over the country, shows that English, Welsh and Northern Irish people hope passionately that the Scottish vote to renew their bonds of citizenship with us.' The song Mull Of Kintyre, featuring the local Campbeltown pipe band, was the Christmas No 1 in 1977 and became the first single to sell two million copies in the UK. Sir Paul bought High Park Farm in 1966 when he was living with actress Jane Asher, before turning it into a family home with his fist wife Linda. He has said that he was inspired by the 'wandering single-track roads and sense of solace' of the 600-acre estate to write The Long And Winding Road. Anti-independence campaigner: TV presenter Dan Snow (pictured) gathers support in Liverpool at the announcement that Sir Paul McCartney is backing their cause . Yesterday Mr Cameron admitted to being worried about the referendum after a poll last week showed that No campaign's lead has been cut in half to just six points. The poll followed a second televised debate between First Minister Alex Salmond and Better Together campaign leader Alistair Darling in which Mr Salmond emerged on top. The Prime Minister said: 'I'm emotional and nervous because it matters so much.' But he insisted that there was a 'silent majority' of people who were afraid to admit to their support for the union 'because they worry about retribution from the Scottish government'. Poster boy: The Let's Stay Together blog proudly parades Paul McCartney on their site after he signed their open letter . Sir Paul's intervention led to predictable blizzard of song puns. Scottish Labour MP Anne McGuire, a No supporter, said: 'We are glad to have the Help! of Sir Paul McCartney. It is hardly surprising that Sir Paul wants us to Come Together. Maybe rather than trying to take us all on a Magical Mystery Tour, Alex Salmond should just Let it Be.' A spokesman for the pro-independence camp said: 'It's fantastic that Sir Paul loves Scotland, and we're sure he will continue to do so after Scots say, ''Yeah, yeah, yeah''. The case for Yes is a democratic one – as far as Scotland is concerned the Westminster system belongs to Yesterday, and independence will be good for the Mull Of Kintyre and all of Scotland. Yes is definitely the best Ticket To Ride.' Sir Paul's spokesman declined to comment. WITH just over a couple of weeks to go to an event where a small minority of a nation could well destroy my country without any participation from the majority (some exercise in democracy, that), I just want to address two things that still trouble me. Firstly, independence from what exactly? At the last General Election, the Scottish Conservative Party polled 17 per cent of the popular vote and the Scottish Nationalist Party polled 20 per cent – just three points more. Braveheart fiction: Former trade minister Digby Jones claims a small minority could destroy Scotland . So just as those in the Yes Campaign say they want to be free of rule by the hated Tories of Westminster, what about those Scottish Conservatives and many more non-Tories who cannot abide Alex Salmond's snake oil? Why should they be enslaved by an ideology that means not just that they will have a government they have to tolerate for the next five years, but that they will become unwilling citizens for ever in a new country they didn't even want to exist? Is it independence to share the pound but have no influence in the decisions concerning interest rates? Is it independence to be punished severely by the markets (with higher debt-service costs) for defaulting on Scotland's share of the deficit? Digby Jones suggests it's arrogant of Alex Salmond to expect the Queen will carry on acting as a monarch for Scotland as well . Secondly: how will the rest of the UK respond if the tartan turkeys do indeed vote for Christmas on September 18? I do hope we will not roll over and give an independent Scotland the fuzzy partnership of allowing them to cherry-pick all the best bits of the old UK (including Her Majesty the Queen – how arrogant of Mr Salmond just to assume she will still be their Queen. Has anyone asked her?). We must not take the Nationalistic punch on the chin, letting it be 'business as usual'. So yes, let's have proper border controls. Given they won't be in the EU from the start (Spain will see to that, given they won't want a rampant Catalonia on their hands), let's make everyone north of the border apply for a visa. Until Scotland becomes part of the EU, someone resident in Scotland seeking to come and live in England should be treated just the same as someone resident in India. No they can't just decide unilaterally to share our currency... they wanted this divorce, not us. Mr Salmond is like the husband seeking a divorce against the will of his wife but saying he's keeping all the best bits of the matrimonial home. We will not build our warships in a foreign country so the Govan and Rosyth shipyards will close, for starters. Just explain that to the good men and women who have built our warships there for centuries but will now be looking for the enhanced welfare payments promised by the nationalists. How will independence pay for those? Increased taxes? Public-spending cuts? And most of all, when the oil price is cyclically against them, when the financial services community has left town, when the independent Scots are faced with cutting public services and putting up taxes, when the Scottish at last awake from their Braveheart dream and will take no more, I do so hope that the new, Independent Nation of England, Wales & Northern Ireland will not use my and others' taxes to bail out the new Independent Nation of Scotland. No one gave us a say in this matter so it will not be our problem to solve. Independence is for ever; it isn't something you can change at the next Election if you don't like it. It isn't something you can call a day on. Every Braveheart voting with his or her heart will be stuck with it. It's about running a country, Mr Salmond, not taking part in a Mel Gibson fiction. lLord Jones is Business Ambassador at UK Trade & Investment. | Former Beatle puts his signature to 'Let's Stay Together' open letter . 'No' campaigner and TV presenter, Dan Snow, claims 'we are humbled' as he announces the news at a rally in Liverpool . Sir Paul famously wrote hit Mull Of Kintyre about remote part of Scotland . Announcement he's joined 'no' ranks prompts blizzard of song puns online . Meanwhile, PM says he is 'emotional and nervous' about the referendum . | 06bc6a7dde7d316ae5857a49b25b285eb7de4c92 |
(CNN) -- I'm finding it hard to get too worked up over the revelation that the National Security Agency has been authorized by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to collect all our call data from Verizon. Hasn't everyone already assumed this? Everything we do in the digital realm -- from surfing the Web to sending an e-mail to conducting a credit card transaction to, yes, making a phone call -- creates a data trail. And if that trail exists, chances are someone is using it -- or will be soon enough. This particular style of privacy invasion looks a bit different from those old TV movies where FBI agents sit in a van listening in on phone calls and recording them on reel-to-reel tape recorders. The government isn't interested in the content of our phone calls -- our conversations -- so much as who is calling whom and when, or what has become known as metadata. Your life and pursuits are less important than the statistical profile of the way you use your digital devices. This is the world of big data. I remember the days when talking about such possibilities was considered conspiracy theory or paranoia. Many of us imagined a future in which people would be planted with chips that monitor our conversations and whereabouts. Perhaps we'd even accept such tagging voluntarily, if it meant being able to track down our children in the unlikely event of a kidnapping. What does the Verizon order mean for me? But such extraordinary measures proved unnecessary; we're all walking around with tracking devices in our pockets, which are capable not simply of broadcasting our phone calls, but our physical locations, our movements, our interests -- and then tying all this data to our consumer profiles, credit histories ... everything. Yes, it's still creepy, but it's a different kind creepy than it appears. Big data analysis works by identifying patterns and anomalies in our behavior. Nobody cares about the reasons why certain people do certain things. They only need to be able to predict the future. Marketers use big data profiling to predict who is about to get pregnant, who is likely to buy a new car, and who is about to change sexual orientations. That's how they know what ads to send to whom. The NSA, meanwhile, wants to know who is likely to commit an act of terrorism -- and for this, they need us. The only way for them to identify the kinds of statistical anomalies that point to a terror candidate is to have a giant database of all those behavior patterns that don't suggest imminent violence. What is different about the Tsarnaev brothers' patterns of telephone usage from that of every other young male Chechen immigrants? You need both sets of data to figure that out. We are not the targets so much as the control group. Opinion: The great privacy debate . Of course, that's small comfort to a people who have long valued and assumed some measure of privacy from government observation. The American assumption of privacy allows those of us who do break certain laws -- say, smoking pot or engaging in prostitution -- from the fear of selective enforcement if we happen to be personal or political enemies of those in charge. As recent Internal Revenue Service scandals prove, our most trusted agencies are not above targeted investigations of ideological foes. The harder truth to accept is that we are moving into a digital reality where the assumption of privacy must be exchanged for an assumption of observation. Our telephone metadata is just the tip of the iceberg. Sure, President Barack Obama was quick to respond to the surprise discovery of his administration's covert surveillance operation, promising Americans that the leaked document describes the full extent of this technological intrusion on our privacy. But this court order was already "top secret." Had it not been uncovered, its provisions would have been denied as well. My own friends in the digital telephony and networking industries have long told me about "splitters" at all major communications companies, through which every data signal can be observed and diverted. Other technicians have told me about giant server farms in Virginia and Utah, where all of our digital data -- including encrypted e-mails and phone calls -- are being stored. No, they don't have the technological ability or legal authority to search this tremendous repository of data (if it really exists). But they may at some point in the future. Besides, the lack of court orders authorizing a particular style of surveillance don't stop any of this surveillance from happening. It simply makes any information collected inadmissible in a court of law. Since the dawn of the Internet, I have always operated under the assumption that if the government or corporations have technological capability to do something, they are doing it -- whatever the laws we happen to know about might say. Digital media are biased toward replication and storage. Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend to resurface when we least expect it. Yes, everything you do in the digital realm may as well be broadcast on prime-time television and chiseled on the side of the Parthenon. Does this excuse our government's behavior? Of course not. But the silver lining here is that this digital transparency cuts both ways. No sooner does the government win a court order to spy on us than the digital trail of that court order is discovered and leaked to the press. The government's panicky surveillance of Associated Press reporters and disproportionate prosecution of WikiLeaks participants lay bare its own inability to contend with the transparency of digital communications. It is disheartening and disillusioning to realize that our government knows every digital thing we say or do. But now, at least we know they know. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Douglas Rushkoff. | Douglas Rushkoff: NSA collecting call records from Verizon should not be surprising . He says we hand out vast amounts of personal info about ourselves via smartphones . He says NSA wants call info for database to help track terrorists, and we are control group . Rushkoff: This activity cuts both ways: Digital trail led to revelation leaked to press . | f5d21e98afb3eb4d2fd1ef70d61480c040ae3ae1 |
By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 11:38 EST, 11 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:22 EST, 12 October 2012 . A man was beaten with a rounders bat for his bank card and laptop before being 'slowly tortured to death' with knives and broken bottles, dumped in a wheelie bin and set on fire, a court heard. 'Vulnerable' Jamie Dack, 22, was lured to a squat in Southampton and beaten by three men and a woman who stole his debit card and PIN number and used them to withdraw just £20 to fund a night out. The 'cold-blooded' gang - afraid their victim would go to the police - kept him in the flat overnight where they later tortured him to death over several hours using broken glass and kitchen knives, before setting his body alight in a prolonged and 'positively chilling' attack, Winchester Crown Court was told. 'Vicious': Jamie Dack, 22, was 'slowly tortured to death' at a flat in Southampton, a court was told . Mr Dack's body was found in a metal waste bin in on an industrial estate in Southampton on Easter Sunday. A post-mortem examination revealed he had been stabbed several times in the neck, shoulder, chest, stomach and leg, but his body was so badly burned the true extent of his injuries will never be known, the court heard. Donna Chalk, 21, Ryan Woodmansey, 32, Lee Nicholls, 28, and Andrew Dwyer-Skeats, 26, all deny murdering the 22-year-old on April 6. The jury at Winchester Crown Court was told the Southampton flat where the alleged murder took place was being used as a squat by Chalk and her boyfriend Dwyer-Skeats, who Mr Dack had got to know while living in the city. Investigation: Firefighters found Mr Dack's badly burned remains when they were called to put out a fire at the Southampton industrial estate . Prosecutor Christopher Parker QC said the defendants had targeted the 22-year-old's bank card and laptop after meeting up with him on Thursday April 5, to help fund a planned night out at a rave in Bournemouth. 'Mr Dack was beaten up in the bedroom with a rounders bat and his debit card was stolen from him and taken to a cash machine. Woodmansey got £20 from the machine,' Mr Parker said. 'Overnight, Mr Dack was kept in the flat and was never to leave it alive again.' 'On the Friday, he was left in the flat probably bound and gagged. These four defendants went out and sold his laptop. 'What happened next in cold blood is . they tortured him to death in the kitchen of the flat using fists and . feet, stabbing him with broken bottles and kitchen knives - altogether . as a group. 'Not everybody necessarily wielding . the bottle, not everybody necessarily wielding the knife, but those who . did not deliberately encouraged those who carried out the fatal . killing,' the barrister said. The next day the gang 'regrouped' and allegedly wheeled Mr Dack and a . blood-soaked carpet through the streets in wheelie bins before finding . the metal bin on an industrial estate, dousing his body in petrol and . setting it alight. It was done to 'systematically' try to hide what they had done, the prosecutor told the jury. Mr Dack knew the four and had been attacked by one of them the previous month over unfounded claims he had been a 'sex pest' to a girl, the court heard. Mr Parker went on: 'We say that each of these defendants, in each of his or her own way, was involved in that joint enterprise killing of Jamie. 'By their actions, or by their encouragement, they took part in a vicious and degrading attack on a young, vulnerable victim.' Firefighters found the badly burned remains when they were called to put out the fire in the early hours of April 8. Chalk also denies perverting the course of justice by disposing of the body and setting it alight. The jury was told that the three men have pleaded guilty to the charge of perverting the course of justice. The trial is expected to last seven weeks. The 22-year-old's body was dumped in a wheelie bin, doused with petrol and set on fire, Winchester Crown Court heard . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Jamie Dack, 22, was lured to a Southampton squat by the gang where he was beaten with a rounders bat for his bank card and PIN number . The gang later returned and tortured Mr Dack to death with knives and broken glass, court told . Donna Chalk, 21, Ryan Woodmansey, 32, Lee Nicholls, 28, and Andrew Dwyer-Skeats, 26, all deny murdering Mr Dack on April 6 . | 751ae6152a34beffe9dfcacf5ba40be9bd9a0901 |
(CNN) -- Conan O'Brien has called Martin Short the "funniest guy ever," but, at times, Short's sunny outlook has come at the expense of great loss. His big brother, David, died in a car accident in 1962 when Short was 12. By the time he was 21, he'd lost his mother and father. His wife died of ovarian cancer in 2010. Yet, through it all, Short has kept in mind a valuable lesson he took to heart after David's death: "Something terrible can happen to you, and yet, the day after this something terrible, the sun still rises, and life goes on. And therefore, so must you." The actor and comedian, known for his stints on "SCTV," "Saturday Night Live," "Primetime Glick" and a number of movies, spoke to CNN about his memoir, "I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend" (HarperCollins), which comes out Tuesday. In person, he is just as gracious, energetic and seemingly pixie dust-covered as the Martin Short who frequents late-night talk shows. That's no act. The naturally cheerful Canadian rejects the notion that he uses comedy to dull the pain. Instead, he says, he has gained wisdom from the events. He looks at the bright side, even when thinking about loss. Channeling Ed Grimley . Short never expected to hit it big. Though he grew up idolizing Frank Sinatra and hosted a faux variety show from his attic bedroom in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, Short maintains he was too far, psychologically, from the United States to harbor Hollywood dreams. The youngest of five, Short grew up in a boisterous, fun-loving Irish-Catholic family. His father, born in Ireland, worked as a steel company executive. Short's mother served as concertmistress of the symphony orchestra in Hamilton. Short was studying social work until his friend Eugene Levy persuaded him to give acting a chance. His second professional audition was in 1972 for the Toronto production of "Godspell." He and Levy were cast with Victor Garber, Gilda Radner and Andrea Martin, among others. Paul Shaffer was the musical director. It was their collective big break. But Short had a bigger break midway through the show's 1972-73 run. He met a "forbiddingly attractive" understudy named Nancy Dolman. They started dating and eventually married. "The miracle of Nan and me is that once we started," Short wrote in the book, "we never stopped; we remained forever devoted to each other." Even after "Godspell," he thought he'd missed the boat. In the mid-1970s, Radner and Shaffer headed to "Saturday Night Live." Pals like Levy, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy and Harold Ramis were working on a pre-"SCTV" show called "Second City Television." Short felt like his own career was in a rut. Short recalled a 1977 incident in which he froze in his tracks while walking along Los Angeles' Santa Monica Boulevard. Intimidated by his friends' successes, he sat on a bench and silently brooded for 15 minutes as Dolman held his hand. The breakdown was short-lived. The next day, Short joined Toronto's Second City troupe, where he debuted some of his most popular characters, including Ed Grimley. Originally, Ed was a device Short used to defuse arguments between him and Dolman. When Short was becoming too much for her to handle, she'd summon Ed. With his hunched shoulders and upper lip exposing his teeth (the high hair would come later), sweet Ed would smooth things over in a way Short confessed he was too stubborn to do. Over time, Short hiked up Ed's trousers, gelled his hair to a point and costumed his character in an old orange-checked shirt. The character became hugely popular. Nevertheless, long after they moved to L.A., Short noted in the book that Dolman never let him forget about his moment on the bench. "Look, honey, there's Breakdown Corner," she would say. An all-star comedian . He joined "SCTV" in 1982. He still considers it his "most satisfying professional experience." "There are certain times when the stars align and everything is ideal," he said. "In this case the end result was fabulous. The execution was fabulous. I was living in my hometown. I was working with lifelong friends. People loved the product. The product deserved to be loved. And those stars lining up don't always happen." "SCTV" ended in 1984, and Short made the jump to "Saturday Night Live" as part of what became known as the "all-star cast," a group that included Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal and Harry Shearer. "I had a one-year contract [at 'SNL']," Short said, "so I knew I was not going to be there longer than a year, so I treated it like I had 22 specials to do that year." Shortly after his time on "SNL," he made his feature film debut in 1986's "Three Amigos!" That film is also where Short befriended Steve Martin, with whom he would collaborate professionally many times, notably in the "Father of the Bride" films. He plays a depraved dentist in the forthcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film, "Inherent Vice." His work has not gone unnoticed. He won a Tony for his performance in the 1999 production of the musical "Little Me" and has an Emmy for writing "SCTV." His other honors include being named to the Order of Canada. These days, Short is probably most associated with his wild talk-show appearances, whether it's on David Letterman's show -- he's been a frequent guest -- or hosting his own, including "Primetime Glick." Letterman, he said, has been a stalwart, and he'll miss the longtime star, who's retiring next year. "I'm deeply sad to see him retire, because I think he has a completely unique voice on television," Short said. "It's a voice that people trust. "I keep going back to the first show after 9/11. He was the first one back and people were watching his lead. He was so profound in that moment. And then, again, when he was memorializing Robin Williams. And he's so deeply funny, and so original. There's no one like him," he added. "It's horrifying to think no Dave on TV." But for a guy who both loves and mocks showbiz, there's one brush with fame that stands out. Several years ago, Short met Elizabeth Taylor, who was fond of one of Short's lesser projects: the 1994 oddball cult favorite "Clifford," in which the 40-ish Short played a bizarre 10-year-old boy. Taylor, she told Short, was "a total 'Clifford' freak." Short still seems surprised. "It was the most random thing I ever thought I'd hear upon meeting Elizabeth Taylor." | Martin Short's memoir details love, loss, life and celebrity encounters . The comic actor maintains a sunny disposition despite significant heartbreak . Short: Elizabeth Taylor told me she was "a total Clifford freak" Short on David Letterman's retirement: "It's horrifying to think no Dave on TV" | 995bede6cf1f591e973412f474dbf3e5ffe09cf9 |
By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 07:53 EST, 5 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:59 EST, 5 June 2013 . The washboard stomach of Jessica Ennis, the curvaceous figure of Beyonce, the glossy hair of Katherine Jenkins and the sparkling eyes of Nicole Scherzinger. These are the physical attributes that would make up the ideal woman, according to a new survey of men and women. Interestingly, one lesser-discussed female body part - seldom held in such unanimously high regard - also made the list: Samantha Cameron's strong, straight nose. The washboard stomach of Jessica Ennis, the curvaceous figure of Beyonce, the glossy hair of Katherine Jenkins, the sparkling eyes of Nicole Scherzinger and Samantha Cameron's nose are the physical attributes that make up the ideal woman . Gold medal-winning heptathlete Jessica Ennis, left, had the most enviable stomach, while singer and marathon runner Katherine Jenkins, right, received most votes in the best hair category . Meanwhile, the ideal man would have the taut body of either David Beckham or Jenson Button, the crooked grin of Ryan Gosling's smile, Brad Pitt's jawline and the shimmering eyes of Daniel 'James Bond' Craig. The survey, commissioned by Morrisons, asked 1,000 men and 1,000 women which body parts they most admired on celebrities. The survey also revealed many shoppers are focused on improving their own bodies, with 46 per cent claiming they are currently working on improving their own health and fitness . One in five respondents claimed they were not currently happy with their body shape, and 61 per cent said starting a healthy eating regime would give an instant boost. Singer Beyonce, left, was voted as having the best figure, while former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger was heralded as having the sparkliest eyes . The surprise vote went to Samantha Cameron, who was voted as having the most perfect celebrity nose . Almost a third (27 per cent) said avoiding chocolate makes them feel more confident about their figures, and 30 per cent said visiting the gym for a workout. And a deep-pocketed 13 per cent said a shopping trip had the same effect. Nutritionist for Morrisons NuMe healthy eating range Bryonie Holleart said: 'While we all want to look like a celebrity, we know getting that perfect body requires hard work - both in the gym and in the kitchen. 'It's clear too that many people will give up their best intentions, often because it's hard to keep cooking healthy meals, maintain an expensive diet plan, all while putting in hours in on the treadmill.' The ideal man, meanwhile, would comprise Ryan Gosling's slightly wonky smile, right, and former footballer David Beckham's well-trained body . | Body parts of Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig made up best man . Ideal physical attributes voted for by 2,000 shoppers in Morrison's poll . | d87a865a865f9062b08ab6baa34d27ca915eed6f |
This is a story affecting millions of Pakistanis — and it does not involve suicide bombings, honor killings, extremism or President Zardari's mustache. "What would you like to be when you grow up?" I asked Sakafat, a boisterous 12-year-old girl, while visiting a remote Pakistani village in the Sindh province. "A scientist!" she immediately replied. "Why can't we be scientists? Why not us?" The confident Sakafat lives in Abdul Qadir Lashari village, which is home to 500 people in Mirpur Sakro. It is in one of the most impoverished regions of Pakistan. There was a characteristic resilience and optimism in this particular village. This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about Pakistan's often dysfunctional, surreal yet endearing daily existence. The 500 villagers live in 48 small huts, except for the one "wealthy" family who recently built a home made of concrete. The village chief, Abdul Qadir Lashari, proudly showed off his village's brand-new community toilets, paved roads, and water pump that brings fresh water to the village. These simple, critical amenities, taken for granted by most of us in the West, resulted from the direct assistance of the Rural Support Programmes Network, Pakistan's largest nongovernmental organization. RSPN has worked with thousands of similar Pakistani villages to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency. I visited the Sindh village with RSPN to witness the results of using community organizing to alleviate poverty. The staff told me its goal was to teach villagers to "fish for themselves." Every household in the Abdul Qadir Lashari village was able to reach a profit by the end of 2011 as a result of professional skills training, financial management, community leadership workshops and microloans. Specifically, a middle-aged, illiterate woman proudly told me how she learned sewing and financial management and was thus able to increase her household revenue, manage her bills, and use a small profit to purchase an extra cow for the family. She was excited to introduce me to her cow, but sadly due to lack of time I was unable to make the bovine acquaintance. Women play a prominent role in this village's process toward empowerment and self-sustenance. Here, in one of the most traditional and rural regions of Pakistan, almost all of the presentations were led by women. All of their daughters from the ages of 6 to 12 are now 100% literate. In comparison, only 31% of the entire village and 12% of females 15 and older can read. All this is particularly pertinent to Pakistan's wider sociopolitical context. In a country where change is so often top-down and directed by national elites mostly interested in maintaining the status quo for sake of sustaining their vice-like grip on power and wealth, grassroots empowerment can potentially change deeply ingrained feudal and tribal traditions. This power — to progressively change societal patterns and norms from the bottom up — is a rarity in Pakistan and a crucial counterweight to more extreme narratives currently sweeping the nation. The village's local community manager — a woman — reflected some of this positive sentiment when she passed on a hopeful message to America: "We take pride in our traditional work and livelihood, and we hope you too can enjoy them. We hope to trade with you in the future and to have better relations. And we hope and believe we can be a developed nation like you." Asked what single thing she felt was most important most for her village, she replied education. Upon asking another elderly lady what she wishes for Pakistan, she repeated one word three times: "sukoon," which means peace. When it was time to depart, the people of the village presented me with a beautiful handmade Sindhi shawl, an example of the craftwork the villagers are now able to sell for profit. As I left the village with the dark red, traditional Sindhi shawl adorned around my neck, my thoughts returned to the 12-year-old girl, Sakafat, who passionately asked why she couldn't become a scientist. I looked in her eyes and could only respond with the following: "You're right. You can be anything you want to be. And I have every confidence you will, inshallah ("God willing"), reach your manzil ("desired destination"). By focusing on education and local empowerment to lift the next generation out of poverty, Sakafat's dream could indeed one day become a reality for all of Pakistan. | Journalist Wajahat Ali recently visited a Pakistani village that is pulling itself out of poverty . A group has helped teach the people professional skills and financial management . Women are playing a prominent role, too, in a place they once didn't . Ali says the village's story runs counter to more extreme narratives in the country . | 46ade4f86047f34bbec428ece06c51132ab5c7d1 |
(Mashable) -- Whether you've noticed or not, you have a new primary e-mail address listed as your Facebook contact, and most likely it's an address you've never used. The social-networking site has quietly replaced your default e-mail addresses such as Gmail and Yahoo! with your @Facebook.com address, an e-mail service option the company launched a few years ago and synced with Timeline in April. "As we announced back in April, we've been updating addresses on Facebook to make them consistent across our site," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable. "In addition to everyone receiving an address, we're also rolling out a new setting that gives people the choice to decide which addresses they want to show on their Timelines." Mashable.com: Facebook quietly tests shareable ad units . First spotted on Saturday by blogger Gervase Markham, the e-mail address you once listed as your point of contact is now hidden in the site's database and your assigned @Facebook.com address is highlighted for friends to see. If you ever changed your Facebook vanity URL, that serves as the prefix of your Facebook e-mail address (i.e. Facebook.com/John.Smith would be [email protected]). For those that never added a vanity URL, Facebook has assigned numbers to serve as your email account name. Mashable.com: Facebook's facial-recognition acquisition raises privacy concerns . When users send an e-mail to your Facebook.com address, it pops up in your Facebook inbox. However, some users have experienced issues with receiving messages through Facebook, since some of them end up in an "Other Messages" folder that few people know about. Although members have been slow to embrace their Facebook email address, the move may be a part of an effort to remind and encourage users to use it more. If you want to switch your e-mail contact information back to what it was, it's easy to do. Visit your Timeline or profile page and select "About" under your contact information. You can then hide your Facebook email address from the contact page and elect to highlight another e-mail address. Mashable.com: Friendthem plans to sue Facebook for 'find friends nearby' feature . "Ever since the launch of Timeline, people have had the ability to control what posts they want to show or hide on their own Timelines, and today we're extending that to other information they post, starting with the Facebook address," the Facebook spokesperson added. What do you think of your Facebook e-mail address? Will you use it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. © 2013 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved. | Facebook has replaced default e-mail addresses with its own @Facebook.com addresses . Users have been slow to embrace Facebook e-mail; Facebook might be urging them to . Facebook users can easily access settings to reset their original default e-mails . | 8e97ac626fd8bec8588e2f0bacec5266ffdafb91 |
A soldier has committed a deadly mass shooting at Texas' Fort Hood again. And again, a female police officer was involved in bringing the violent rampage to an end. The military policewoman has not been identified, but by all accounts, she risked her life to ensure the bedlam wrought by Spc. Ivan Lopez came to a close in the second building he entered. By then, Lopez, whom the Army chief of staff has described as a "very experienced soldier," had taken three lives and wounded 16 people -- all of them Army personnel. Without the officer's courageous actions, Wednesday's casualty count might have been higher. "It was clearly heroic what she did in that moment in time," said Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, the post's commander. "She did her job, and she did exactly what we'd expect of a United States Army military police." According to Milley, the melee began about 4 p.m. Lopez first walked into a unit building and opened fire. The 34-year-old Iraq veteran then left, got into a vehicle and continued firing the .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic that he had purchased off-base, Milley said. Lopez exited the vehicle and walked into a second building, opening fire again, Milley said. It was there he "was engaged by local law enforcement here at Fort Hood." The MP arrived in the parking lot about four minutes after the first 911 call, and she began to look for the suspect with other law enforcement officers. A short time later, she saw the suspect. "He was approaching her at about 20 feet. He put his hands up, then reached under his jacket, pulled out the (semiautomatic) and she pulled out her weapon," the lieutenant general said. "She engaged, and then he put the weapon to his head and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Milley said. The shooting spree was over in about 15 or 20 minutes. The investigation into what spurred Lopez's violent revolt promises to take much longer. U.S. Rep. John Carter joined Milley in praising the military policewoman in a CNN interview Thursday, saying she "responded exactly as the military would expect." He further said that her quick reaction was a result of training that military police took after the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, in which Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 31 others on the base. "That's the active shooter program they've all been through," Carter said. "We can see that this is the training that was the result of the Hasan shooting. I lived through the Hasan shooting, and it was kind of eerie last night." In 2009, Sgt. Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer, was washing her car and topping off the gas tank when she got the report that shots had been fired at Fort Hood. She and Senior Sgt. Mark Todd responded to the scene and were directed to the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. The 5-foot-2, 125-pound mother of two and her partner exchanged gunfire with Hasan, who shot Munley three times, sending a bullet into each of her thighs and another into her knuckles. Munley and Todd were credited with ending Hasan's rampage and hailed as heroes. Munley can no longer work in law enforcement because of her injuries and has spoken out on behalf of the victims, whom she claims the government has "betrayed" by denying them certain treatment and benefits in the aftermath of the shooting. Though not much is yet known about the policewoman involved in ending Wednesday's shooting spree, Fort Hood is home to the 89th Military Police Brigade, a "combat-ready, deployable force" that can support worldwide operations, according to the brigade's web page. Phillip Carter, a former MP captain on the post, said he believes she was a junior enlisted soldier who was patrolling by herself. He credited her for facing the threat. "Most police officers probably would have stepped back and waited for backup, but she stepped forward," he said. Carter told CNN her training would have been 18 weeks and included a "Shoot/No Shoot," class on a shooting course. "You have to make a decision on the range as to whether to engage or not," he said. "They're designed to create that split-second impulse because that's all you would have in this kind of a situation." Brian Todd answers Twitter users questions about the hero officer . | Unnamed military policewoman was likely patrolling by herself, former MP leader says . General: She engaged Spc. Ivan Lopez before he killed himself . "It was clearly heroic what she did in that moment in time," Lt. Gen. Milley says . In 2009, another policewoman was credited with helping end Maj. Nidal Hasan's rampage . | 57f1f1c6eb191c84452e697d0c608fcf6582560a |
David Cameron, who was warned he was isolated in his bid to overturn a £1.7billion bill demanded by the EU . David Cameron was warned last night he was ‘isolated’ in his bid to overturn the £1.7billion bill from Brussels – and that the EU was becoming ‘exasperated’ with his demands. The Prime Minister was told that the issue was simply ‘a British problem’ and that the EU would push to levy its own taxes on European citizens if he insists on refusing to pay the £1.7billion demanded. The EU is demanding the payment – which it wants by December – because the UK economy has performed better than expected over the past few years. In contrast, France is receiving a £790million rebate from the EU as its economy struggles in a vicious downturn. Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a senior German MEP and a vice-president of the European Parliament, said that if Mr Cameron refused to pay, the Commission could levy additional charges as well as withholding the UK’s historic £3billion-a-year rebate. And in a further blow to Mr Cameron, even Denmark’s prime minister - seen as a supporter of his EU modernisation programmes - poured cold water on Britain’s hopes of reducing its cash demand. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who is married to Lord Kinnock’s son Stephen, said: ‘I respect that the UK wants to discuss this among ministers, but there are rules that must be kept. ‘Countries must follow the rules as they are.’ There were growing questions for George Osborne’s Treasury yesterday after the EU revealed the department knew about the £1.7billion demand almost a week before Mr Cameron was told. Junior Treasury minister David Gauke was told on 14 October that Britain would have to make a significant contribution, although no sum was discussed. Three day later, UK officials were informed by the EU that the figure would be £1.7billion. However, Mr Osborne was not told until last Tuesday - and Mr Cameron did not find out until Thursday, as he was being driven to a Brussels summit. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who has poured cold water on Britain's chances of having its cash demanded reduced . It has also emerged that ministers had known for months that a significant recalculation of the UK’s contribution to the EU was on the way. As far back as March, former Treasury minister Nicky Morgan said in a letter that the government was giving ‘high priority’ to addressing the impact of the changes. Mr Osborne is due to raise the EU demand at a meeting with the German finance minister in Berlin today. Mr Lambsdorff, who sits in the same European Parliament grouping as the Liberal Democrats’ sole MEP, said there was no excuse for British politicians not to have known about the fee. George Osborne, pictured, was not told until last Tuesday about the EU and Mr Cameron did not find out until Thursday . ‘This has been mishandled by the British government,’ he told the BBC’s Daily Politics. ‘We are really a little bit exasperated here in Brussels. ‘This is a British problem. The Treasury could have informed the Prime Minister before he came to Brussels about this thing. ‘It is a British problem that has now transferred to a European one. It’s a British affair that should be resolved in Britain and it should be paid up to the EU’s budget.’ He said paying up was ‘non-negotiatable’ - and told Mr Cameron Britain has no allies. ‘It looks very much as if the UK is alone on this,’ he said. Mr Lambsdorff warned: ‘If you think the system is crazy, the system of financing the European Union, you are opening a Pandora’s box in which the British rebate will come on to the table, in which the creation of an EU tax on all member states will be discussed. Junior Treasury minister David Gauke was told on 14 October that Britain would have to make a significant contribution, although no sum was discussed . ‘I don’t think that British citizens will want to pay an EU tax proper.’ Last night the think tank Open Europe said the British people would never accept a system of EU taxes. ‘While the current system of national contributions is messy and frustrating, any form of direct EU taxation would be a leap in the wrong direction,’ she said. ‘In addition to huge practical questions about how such taxes would function – there is a risk certain countries or economic sectors could be hit disproportionately - they would have no democratic legitimacy. ‘The central problem with the EU budget is that it is overly complex and wasteful; the new Commission and MEPs should work on fundamentally reforming this rather than dreaming up new ways to hit taxpayers.’ Tory backbencher John Redwood said the £1.7billion demand was in itself a ‘massive retrospective bill on the British people’. ‘They’re seriously suggesting that the British parliament passes some kind of super European tax and send a bill to everybody,’ he said. ‘I think they’re absolutely crazy. ‘The UK is paying too much; it cannot afford a retrospective tax, which would be a direct tax on the British people. ‘Because the government would be borrowing, it doesn’t have a pot of money saved for this purpose.’ Denmark is one of the winners from the adjustments to national contributions being imposed by the European Commission, and is in line to receive £253 million. | Prime Minister was told issue with the EU bill was simply a 'British problem' Mr Cameron was warned he would become 'isolated' if there is no payment . A senior German MEP says the commission could even levy additional charges . And Danish PM says that EU countries must follow the rules as they are . | ee326bdd026f7568c45ce19c3644642e617bbb78 |
Fashion designer L'Wren Scott's social media team have been criticised after updates continued to be posted to her Twitter and Facebook pages hours after her death. The 49-year-old's social media profiles continued posting messages, including a picture of dresses in a tree, after she was found in her Manhattan apartment yesterday, it has been reported. Her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages have now been taken down, but the team behind Scott's social media have been labelled 'insensitive' and 'disrespectful' for not blocking any of the updates. These updates on L'Wren Scott's official Twitter feed - which has since been deactivated - came an hour after her body was found by an assistant . L'Wren Scott's Facebook page posted a scheduled message following her tragic death yesterday . According to the Herald Sun, the post containing the picture of the dresses was scheduled to be published automatically on her Facebook page. Meanwhile, tweets were also posted from L’Wren’s account after she was confirmed dead. One of the posts consisted of a link to the Tim Walker photo on L’Wren’s Facebook page and said: ‘L'Wren Loves... Tim Walker what a great #inspiration love his#photography #light #colour!’ The Rolling Stones have cancelled an imminent concert in Australia following the death of designer Scott, the girlfriend of lead singer Sir Mick Jagger. The 49-year-old model and designer, who had been dating the Rolling Stones frontman since 2001, was apparently found hanged at a New York apartment. Police do not suspect foul play but the official cause of death will come after the medical examiner issues their report . Police say that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of L'Wren Scott, who was found hanged in her apartment . Frontier Touring, the promoter of the band's world tour, posted a message on its Facebook site to confirm a concert in Perth tomorrow will not go ahead. It said: 'No further information is available at this time, ticket holders are asked to hold on to their tickets until a further update is available.' Speculation had mounted about the future of the tour following news of Scott's death, with the band due to perform six dates in Australia and New Zealand over the next three weeks. Tributes have poured in for the 49-year-old model, as it emerged her British fashion company had been losing millions of pounds. Her body was discovered yesterday morning at the property in Manhattan and it is understood that police do not suspect foul play. Her body was discovered yesterday morning at the property in Manhattan and it is understood that police do not suspect foul play . A spokesman for Sir Mick said: 'He is completely shocked and devastated by the news.' Accounts filed with Companies House in October show Scott's British company, LS Fashion Ltd, was running at a loss of more than £3.5 million in 2012, up from more than £2.5 million the previous year. The documents also show the firm owed more than a million pounds, despite having assets totalling a similar amount. The Rolling Stones had flown to Australia yesterday ahead of a performance at the Perth Arena, in the west of the country, which had been scheduled to take place tomorrow. Three days ago they had played a show at the grand ballroom of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, rounding off the Asian dates of their 14 On Fire tour. The Rolling Stones had flown to Australia yesterday ahead of a performance at the Perth Arena, in the west of the country, which had been scheduled to take place tomorrow but has now been cancelled . As news broke of her death, tributes from the world of fashion and showbusiness flooded on to Twitter. Bianca Jagger, one of Sir Mick's former loves, tweeted: 'Heartbroken to learn of the loss of the lovely and talented L'Wren Scott. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. May she rest in peace.' Fashion designer Marc Jacobs wrote: 'Rest in peace, L'Wren Scott. You'll forever be missed.' Pop band Duran Duran added: 'Such sad news. Our condolences are with L'Wren's family and friends.' Model Daisy Lowe tweeted: 'What a loss to the world. Such an inspired woman. She dressed the feminine form unlike any other.' Couple: Jagger and the Mormon-raised designer had been dating since 2001 . Entertainer Bette Midler wrote: 'Just got news of the beautiful L'wren Scott's death perhaps by her own hand. I am devastated. A rare, wonderful, talented soul. Goodbye.' And actress Emmy Rossum tweeted: 'So sad to hear of the death of L'Wren Scott. What a beautiful woman and an incredible designer'. A spokeswoman for New York City Police Department said a 49-year-old female was found unconscious yesterday morning. 'She was pronounced dead on arrival by the emergency medical services,' the spokeswoman said. 'The investigation is ongoing. We are awaiting medical examiners to determine the cause of death.' A spokesman for Scott said: 'We confirm the tragic death of L'Wren Scott. At this devastating time for Ms Scott's family and friends, we request that their privacy be respected. 'There will be no further public statement for the time-being.' | Messages were posted to Facebook and Twitter pages after her death . Fashion designer's social media team criticised for not blocking messages . L'Wren Scott's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages now taken down . | b2ac06248d5bca749ab3b979622707014cb8cee7 |
By . John Drayton . While many Southampton fans are concerned about the future of their club, manager Ronald Koeman is seemingly unfazed. Dejan Lovren was the latest player to leave the south coast side on Sunday, following Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana to Liverpool. Koeman has also seen Luke Shaw leave for Manchester United and looks set to lose Calum Chambers to Arsenal. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Lovren gives his first interview after signing for Liverpool . Sparse: Ronaldo Koeman took to Twitter to post this picture of Southampton's training ground . Relaxed:Ronald Koeman is seemingly optimistic about Southampton's future despite losing several key players . On the move: Dejan Loven sealed his £20million switch to Liverpool from Southampton at the weekend . Showing his colours: Lovren with his Liverpool shirt at their Melwood training base . Despite that though, Koeman took to Twitter to post a picture of Southampton's training ground with the message: 'Ready for #Training!'. Although, somewhat worryingly for Saints fans, Koeman seems to not only be lacking in players - but also equipment. While well stocked on cones, Koeman seems to have little else as Southampton gear up for their opening Premier League fixture against Liverpool at Anfield on August 17. Many are predicting the Saints will struggle this season after their mass exodus, but maybe Koeman's undiminished enthusiasm is a sign he has an ace or two up his sleeve. VIDEO Koeman discusses potential Saints transfers . | Koeman takes to Twitter to post picture of sparse training ground . Dejan Lovren was latest player to leave Southampton on Friday . Lovren joins Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana at Liverpool . Luke Shaw has signed for Manchester United and Calum Chambers looks set for Arsenal . | 0e39c7f41de15c6c15d7f0c0809a3e57a057a11c |
(CNN) -- Weeks after Lance Armstrong's startling admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his cycling career, the world of sport has been rocked by explosive new allegations about cheating in sports-mad Australia. On Thursday, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) published the findings of a year-long investigation that claimed the use of banned substances such as growth stimulants was "widespread" among professional athletes across a range of sports there. In many instances, the report said, the substances are not yet approved for human use. In its conclusion, the ACC said there are clear parallels between what has been discovered in Australia and the US Anti-Doping Agency investigation into Armstrong -- who was recently stripped of his seven Tour de France titles -- underlining the transnational threat posed by doping to professional sport. The report stressed that it is not just athletes that are involved, but their support staff, doctors and organized criminal elements. What is doping? It involves an athlete taking drugs or blood products to artificially boost their performance during training and competition. What substances are we talking about here? The ACC report identified an evolving market in a new generation of Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) -- known as peptides and hormones. According to the ACC, some of these substances are perceived by athletes to be undetectable, making them attractive to those seeking to gain an unfair advantage. -- Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides . "Peptides" stimulate the release of an increased level of human growth hormone (hGh), making them popular among athletes and body builders to promote muscle growth. They are also used in combination with anabolic steroids -- which also promote size and strength -- to maintain muscle gain. They are sold as a cream or in a solution for injection. While some peptide supplements are perfectly legal as a recovery aid after exercise, growth-stimulating peptides are classified as a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and therefore are banned for use by professional athletes in and out of competition. -- Growth Hormone Variants . The report also identified the use of AOD-9604, a variant of growth hormone with fat-burning properties often taken by athletes to increase their power. Clinical trials suggest it may even help to repair and enhance muscle formation, according to the ACC report and WADA. AOD-9604 is not prohibited by WADA. -- Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) Like anabolic steroids, SARMs build strength, bone density and muscle mass by stimulating the body's androgen receptor, which itself boosts the uptake of testosterone -- the main male hormone -- into cells. SARMs have a lower risk of side effects normally associated with the prolonged use of anabolic steroids, such as high blood pressure, liver damage, depression, baldness, the development of male characteristics in females and the development of breast tissue in males. According to ACC report, SARMs are often used in combination with other PIEDs, including hGh. SARMs are a prohibited substance for elite athletes both in and out of competition under WADA rules. -- InsulIn-lIke growth factors (IGF-1) IGF-1 is one of the primary hormones necessary for cell growth in the body. Many athletes use IGF-1 for its anabolic effect in muscle and to facilitate the development of cartilage and bone. In many cases, athletes will use hGh and IGF-1 in small doses to reduce the chances of returning a positive anti-doping sample, the ACC report says. IGF-1 is also banned by WADA. -- Mechano growth factor (MGF) A variant of IGF-1, MGF leads to an increase in the muscle cells necessary for adult muscles to continue growth beyond their genetic limit. It is often used by bodybuilders due to its role in muscle repair following exercise. Banned under WADA rules, MGF is also illegal to possess in many countries without a prescription. -- Other substances . The ACC report also identified a number of other performance-enhancing substances -- some being prescription only medicines: . Ipamorelin and Sermorelin -- both peptides with anabolic effects, which are both prohibited by WADA. Follistatin -- Promotes muscle growth. Banned by WADA, with its possession without legal authority is illegal. Thymosin -- Used to speed up recovery from injury, it is an unregulated substance banned by WADA. | Australian Crime Commission finds evidence of "widespread use" of doping in sports . ACC: Clear parallels with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigation into Lance Armstrong . Identifies new generation of Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) Some substances perceived as undetectable, making them attractive in sport . | d5a535bb8066a94436dddfffd4856a3038257423 |
The Obama administration has taken another step in its effort to combat rape on college campuses with the release of a new report. The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault produced the 20-page report. The task force, including Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, spent the last three months talking to "thousands of people" and compiled a number of very specific recommendations: . More data: The task force wants to know more about the scope and scale of the problem. The report cites a statistic from the National Institute of Justice that one in five women experience rape or attempted rape in college but say the group needs to know more. This year, the task force is pushing schools to use its tool kit in 2015 to survey their campuses. By 2016, the task force will be reporting. The report said "we will explore legislative or administrative options to require the schools to conduct a survey." Survivors need more: In 2011, the administration first alerted schools about their responsibilities to survivors of sexual violence. The administration said that under Title IX schools had to address sexual violence in order to provide equal access to education. But schools have struggled with that. In the past three years many have been publicly cited for failing to live up to these standards. Most recently, the Department of Education announced that Tufts University "failed to comply with Title IX" in the way it handles sexual assaults. The school wrote it was "surprised and disappointed" with the finding, adding it was "deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students." So now the administration is getting more specific. The importance of having confidential advocates is now emphasized. This point clarifies what had been confusing for many, namely that not everyone on college campuses has a duty to report. "In recent years, some schools have directed nearly all their employees ... to report all the details of an incident to school officials," the report said, "which can mean a survivor quickly loses control over what happens next." That's a critical issue for many advocates who emphasize the importance of returning control to survivors. The administration calls for further training for those who deal with sexual violence on college campuses. "Insensitive or judgmental comments -- or questions that focus on a victim's behavior (e.g., what she was wearing, her prior sexual history) rather than on the alleged perpetrator's -- can compound a victim's distress," the report notes. On the enforcement side, the report calls for new models for investigating and adjudicating cases on campus and for a pilot program aimed at rehabilitating offenders. Tuesday, the White House unveiled a new public service announcement encouraging men to help women who are in danger of being sexually assaulted. The PSA features several Hollywood stars, including Steve Carell and Seth Meyers and will air in movie theaters beginning in May. Transparency: One of the biggest problems with sexual violence on college campuses is that no college wants to admit it has a problem. Parents don't want to send their children to a school where data shows more sexual crimes occur, that could ding rankings and potentially cause problems with donors. Paradoxically, advocates say, those schools that have high numbers may actually be taking the problem seriously. That's because they have robust systems in place that allow for students to file complaints. Now the government wants to centralize all that data on NotAlone.gov. Accountability: It won't just be numbers on NotAlone.gov. The administration will also put forms online making it easier for students to complain if their school fails to live up to the other obligations. Many of the Department of Justice and Department of Education investigations over the years have resulted from student complaints. So what does this all mean? According to Know Your IX, an organization that seeks to educate college students about Title IX rights, it's a good step, but more is needed. "These changes will mean little until Title IX enforcement is finally given teeth," the organization said. Know Your IX said the administration is reluctant to use the best leverage it currently has, namely pulling a school's federal funding. "The agency has never once sanctioned a school for sexual violence-related violations of Title IX," the organization said. Students accuse Columbia of mishandling sexual assault complaints . Student activists fight to end rape on campus . Teens trained to spot drama before it turns dangerous . | White House task force releases new report related to combating rape on college campuses . Task force wants to gather more data to learn scope, scale of problem . Helping campus rape victims framed as an equal education access issue by administration . Title IX advocacy group: It's a good first step, but more action is needed . | fc6b0bb0c6c76ca006b803f6c68fca38b3d97ce5 |
Nelson Mandela will return home today to the mist-shrouded hills he roamed as a boy. Here in Transkei, the sun seldom pierces the leaden clouds, but by midday tomorrow when it reaches its zenith, he should have been buried. In keeping with the traditions of his Xhosa tribe, his funeral ought to be a great family gathering when the entire Mandela clan, numbering more than 70, come together. Scroll down for video . The giant marquee for the funeral and burial of . former South African President Nelson Mandela in Qunu. But many members . of the Mandela clan have not been invited to attend in favour of . international VIPs . Mr Mandela, who died aged 95, was described as one of the most iconic world leaders in history . It is what he would have wished. But, sadly, it isn’t going to happen. For . though the huge ‘marquee’ constructed in the grounds of Mandela’s . mansion will accommodate 4,500 VIP guests, among them Prince Charles, . there is apparently insufficient room for many relatives. His . great-nephew Mzwandile Mandela – grandson of the former president’s . brother Maurice, who died last year – lives just across the road from . the ‘big house’. Yet even this 13-year-old cannot get a pass. Guests: Prince Charles and Barack Obama are among the thousands of VIPs who will attend the funeral of Nelson Mandela at the expense of members of the former South African leader's clan . Instead, Mzwandile will have to watch the ceremony on a grainy TV. ‘I’m . sad because I would have liked so much to be there,’ he told me . forlornly. ‘But they say there are not enough passes for young ones in . the family.’ Also excluded are Mandela’s niece, Gloria Mkwedini, 38, the daughter of his last-surviving sister and her family of 16. They live a few miles from the mansion, in one of the many round-shaped, mud-built hovels. As it has no electricity, they won’t even see the broadcast but will join the throngs jostling for some sort of view. Sidelined: Nelson Mandela's niece Nokhaya Mkwedini is among the family members who had not been invited to attend the service . Mzwandile Mandela, 13, a grand nephew of the late Mr Mandela who lives right oppisite Mandela's house in Qunu was not allowed to attend the funeral . South African boys watch preparations taking place around Nelson Mandela's home in the ancestral village of Qunu . The family grave yard where the great statesman will be laid to rest . ‘It makes us feel like outcasts,’ Gloria told me tearfully, blaming the eldest of Mandela’s three . daughters, Makaziwe, 59, who, she says, is deciding who should be . invited. ‘When my husband asked for . accreditation, she refused. I think it’s because we are so poor and she . thinks we might embarrass the family.’ The guest-list has also upset the . broader community, incensed so few of them will be allowed in. ‘If . Mandela could wake tomorrow, he would be very upset because he would . have wanted the families of the people he grew up with to be there,’ said local ANC councillor Kwanele Mdikani. ‘After all, this is supposed . to be his homecoming.’ Snub: Xhosa youths are pictures in Qunu ahead of the funeral of Nelson Mandela . Tradition: Locals in Qunu slaughter six sheep in preparation for a memorial service for Nelson Mandela in his birth village . Tens of thousands of South Africans queued for hours to see the body of Mandela lying in state . The body of Nelson Mandela lies in state in Pretoria, South Africa, earlier this week . Love: Many of the mourners held banners and placards showing their love for the former leader . Long journey: The funeral cortege of Mandela makes its way along Madiba St towards Union Buildings . Last chance: Mourners line along the street as the funeral cortege carrying the coffin of former South African President Nelson Mandela drives through, on its way to lie in state for the final day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria . Immediately after Mr Mandela’s body arrives at the mansion this morning, an ox will be slaughtered and other tribal rituals followed. The Transkei people are clearly determined to play their part.As a woman reminded me, less than 20 years ago this was still a sham republic to which black people were consigned under apartheid. Now, of course, she can come and go as she pleases. She owes her freedom to one man, whose values were forged in these hills, and tomorrow, however long she must stand by the roadside, she is determined to be there and show her gratitude. Guess who: A giant statue of Nelson Mandela is prepared before its official unveiling in front of Union Buildings where Mandela is lying in state . A celebration: Others were more cheerful as they celebrated the freedom fighter's life . Dedication: The government said some 50,000 people had gathered by 7.30am, and witnesses said the lines in Pretoria, South Africa's capital, were already several miles long . | Under tribal traditions Mandela's funeral ought to be a family gathering . Huge 'marquee' constructed at Mandela's mansion to accommodate VIPs . But there is apparently insufficient room for many relatives . | bd2ad8622d1b24f54b178c6f27da0a02ff1f5ac2 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 04:07 EST, 12 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:52 EST, 12 April 2012 . You would hope and pray that the car in the first photograph has just stopped. In fact its driver, accompanied by his wife and young son, continues blithely over the level crossing – seemingly oblivious to the train ploughing towards his vehicle. Startling CCTV footage shows the car racing across the train’s path with a split-second to spare. It makes it to the other side just as the train hurtles through the crossing, outside Llangadog station near Llandeilo in Wales. The driver, who has not been named, admitted dangerous driving, claiming he had not seen the flashing lights or noticed other cars waiting at the crossing. He was given a 12-month suspended sentence, disqualified from driving and fined £722. The footage was released by Network Rail to warn of the dangers of taking unnecessary risks at level crossings. Other pictures show teenage boys risking their lives by sprinting over crossings across the paths of oncoming trains. Scroll down for video . Maniac: The driver arrives at the level crossing totally unaware of the approaching train . The court heard that his wife was left so traumatised by the incident in 2006 they had to move to a nearby town. In March this year Network Rail was fined £1m after being found guilty of criminal negligence which led to the deaths . of two teenage girls at a level crossing in 2005. Olivia Bazlington and Charlotte . Thompson were killed at Elsenham station in Essex when they crossed the . tracks and were hit by a train. Head-on: The car looks certain to be hit as it comes directly into the path of the oncoming train . Miraculous escape: The car somehow manages to squeeze through coming within an inch of being hit . A . damming risk assessment taken four years earlier had highlighted the . dangers of leaving the pedestrian gate at the station unlocked. Judge David Turner QC, sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court, ordered Network Rail to pay the large fine and £60,000 costs. He said: 'I have concluded that there . was a clear history of inadequate risk assessment and a failure to heed . and act upon relevant information. 'There was a consistent failure to . take timely remedial action - a consistent underplaying that this . crossing was being regularly misused. Victims: Olivia Bazlinton (right) and Charlotte Thompson (left) were hit by a train in 2005 as they crossed the tracks at Elsenham station in Essex . 'Warnings went unheeded, data insufficiently appraised and critical questions went unasked and unanswered. 'Remedial action was unsatisfactorily delayed.' Last year there were six deaths and over 300 near misses at level crossings. | Maniac driver had wife and son in the car with him at the time . wife was so traumatised by the experience couple had to move home . Footage released by Network Rail as part of safety campaign . | 52259e1106f8292ad129794755239e57aa3930ac |
(CNN) -- A man who lost a recent Social Security claim opened fire with a shotgun in a federal courthouse Monday, killing a court security officer and injuring a deputy U.S. marshal, authorities said. Law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity identified the man as Johnny Wicks, a Las Vegas resident. The FBI said the black-clad man walked into the lobby of the Las Vegas federal courthouse, pulled a shotgun from underneath his jacket and began shooting. The shootout ended after federal marshals chased Wicks out of the courthouse and across the street, where he was shot and killed. He died among the bushes in front of an old school that once housed a temporary police headquarters. "There had to be close to 40 gunshots, if not more," said Troy Saceal, who was parking in a garage near the courthouse when the shooting broke out. "I started seeing officers coming down Las Vegas Boulevard actually shooting, and what looked to me as someone was hit up by the front of the building by gunfire." A one-minute, 13-second video clip posted on the Web site YouTube includes at least 45 gunshots, many in rapid succession. Nicholas Gramenos, who recorded the clip, said he was leaving the courthouse when the shooting erupted. Another witness, Bobby Scottland, told CNN the shots "sounded like popcorn." He said he passed the suspected gunman shortly before the shooting broke out. "He didn't look disturbed, from what I saw -- if that is the gentleman," Scottland said. "You know, nothing would have given me a second thought that what was about to happen happened." Wicks filed a discrimination claim against Social Security in 2008, alleging he was denied full benefits because of his race, according to court papers. A federal judge ruled against him in September. A law enforcement official said Wicks set fire to his residence before the shooting, and surveillance video indicates he was a lone gunman with no accomplices. The deputy marshal and the security officer were taken to a hospital, where the security officer, Stanley W. Cooper, died, said U.S. Marshals spokesman Jeff Carter. Cooper, an employee of Akal Security, had been a contracted court security officer with the U.S. marshals in Las Vegas since 1994, Carter said. He spent 26 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. The deputy marshal, who was not named, was listed in stable condition; Dickey told reporters he was in "good shape." The nine-floor Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse was evacuated after the shooting, which broke out about 8 a.m. (11 a.m. ET). Employees were let back into the building to get their belongings, but the building remained closed Monday afternoon. Cones were scattered across Las Vegas Boulevard on Monday evening, with each representing a slug or shell casing from the gun battle. The building also houses the local offices of Nevada Sens. John Ensign and Harry Reid. Neither senator was in the building at the time, although Ensign told reporters he went there upon hearing reports of the shootings. Ensign said it was his understanding the gunman never made it past security at the courthouse, saying the security there is "outstanding." The officer who died took a "direct hit" from the shotgun, he said, while the deputy marshal was shot in the arm. Reid, the Senate majority leader, issued a statement saying his thoughts were with the victims and their families. "The law enforcement personnel who protect the courthouse put their lives at risk every day to keep the people who are inside safe, and I greatly appreciate their service," the senator said. U.S. Marshals Service director John F. Clark said in a statement, "I can receive no news more grim or sobering than word of a line-of-duty death or injury to our U.S. Marshals personnel ... Rest assured, the brave and immediate actions of these two individuals saved lives by stopping the threat of a reckless and callous gunman who had no regard for who or how many victims were struck down by his senseless actions. They are heroes." CNN's Ed Henry, Dana Bash, Lynn Lamanivong, Chuck Johnston, Sara Pratley and Carol Cratty contributed to this report. | NEW: Suspect in shooting identified as Johnny Wicks, a Las Vegas resident . Suspect was shot and killed; slain guard identified as former Vegas police officer . FBI: Man pulled a shotgun from underneath his jacket and began shooting . Courthouse holds offices of Nevada Sens. John Ensign and Harry Reid . | 444b91a02f239d7738df6c558e18489ea8475954 |
The attorney for two woman who have already pleaded not guilty to the murder of a 23-year-old woman says it was the victim who threw the first punch. Candace Brito, 27, and Vanesa Zavala, 25, are each accused of killing Annie Hung 'Kim' Pham outside a Santa Ana nightclub on January 18. Their attorneys say that a new witness statement reveals that Pham's friends were part of a gang and that Brito and Zavala were acting in self-defense. Held: Vanesa Zavala appears in a Westminster courtroom with her attorney, Ken Reed, for a arraignment hearing Friday, February 21 . Suspects: Vanesa Zavala (left) and Candace Brito attend a preliminary hearing in the West Justice Center earlier this month to determine if they will go on trial for the murder of Kim Pham . 'There have been some developments in the case that directly implicate the Asians standing in line in terms of gang affiliation,' Michael Molfetta, attorney for Brito told the OC Register. 'They were the aggressors, the instigators.' He says the prosecution knew about the witness but kept it from the defense. The witness, Alfonso Magana, told Santa Ana detectives that Pham beat up his girlfriend the night of the fight. When Magana tried to help his girlfriend, men from Pham's group jumped in and chased him, shouting the name of a gang. 'It explains what occurred and why it occurred and it puts to rest this ridiculous assertion that a lack of cooperation from the Asian community in this case was somehow a cultural thing,' Molfetta said, reports the OC Register. 'Now we know why. Gang members do not cooperate with law enforcement.' Killed over a photo? Kim Pham was knocked to the . ground and beaten by a group of men and women after a friend . said she may have accidentally ruined their picture by walking in front . of the camera . Plea: Posters put near the crime scene appealing for information about the tragic January incident . Attorneys for the prosecution say there is no evidence that the fight was gang related and that new revelations make no difference to the case. 'It doesn't matter who was the initial aggressor,' Pino said, reported City News Service. 'The bottom line is she's on the ground defenseless as these two defendants kick her in the head. And that's what killed her.' A witness to the fatal beating of a . girl attacked for an ‘accidental photobomb’ described to a 911 . dispatcher how ‘there were guys and girls hitting her’. Police . released a recording of a frantic phone call made to the emergency . services in the immediate aftermath of an attack that killed Annie Hung . Kim Pham, 23, outside The Crosby Club in Los Angeles. After . being connected, the witness said: ‘There’s a fight right here off . Broadway and 4th Street. There’s a girl that’s unconscious.’ The dispatcher asked how the girl came to be unconscious and if anybody had any weapons. The female witness said: ‘No, there were guys and girls hitting her.’ After . the dispatcher reassured her that paramedics would be dispatched . immediately, the witness said that Ms Pham suddenly started breathing. She said: ‘She’s breathing now. She just took a deep breath.’ The . dispatcher is told that the people that beat Ms Pham up had run off and . appeared to be ‘Asian men and women probably around 23 or 24 years . old’. She added: ‘One of the . security guards picked her up and she p***** herself. I don’t know if . that matters. She’s still breathing.’ The call lasted almost six minutes, with a police officer arriving on the scene within five minutes. Cellphone video where the victim could be seen being kicked in the head. The jumpy recording depicts Ms Pham wrestling with another woman on a sidewalk. As they struggle, a woman in a white blouse, black jacket and boots approaches and appears to kick Pham in the head. Fatal fight: Candace Marie Brito arrives for a preliminary hearing at the West Justice Center in Westminster, California, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2014. Brito and Vanesa Zavala (right) are charged in the beating death of Kim Pham in front of a Santa Ana nightclub . Vanesa Zavala (left) and Candace Marie Brito appear at a preliminary hearing at the West Justice Center, Westminster, California on Monday February 10, 2014. The two women have been charged in the beating death of 23-year-old Kim Pham . Mistake? A friend of the victim revealed that Kim Pham was outside The Crosby club when she may have accidentally wandered in front of a camera as a group of partygoers posed for a snapshot . Watch Video Here: . Disturbing: Police were quick to announce that they did not believe the attack was motivated by race, as the area has a large Vietnamese community that were concerned about a possible hate crime . Brutal: A video that friends claimed showed the . attack was shared on Facebook. It shows people trying to break up a . fight in the street while someone is lying on the ground . Violent Police say a fight broke out between Pham and another woman, whose friends then stepped in . | Vanesa Zavala, 25, and Candice Brito, 27, appeared in court Friday . Both have pleaded not guilty to murder for the beating death of Kim Pham, 23 . A new witness says Pham was an instigator in the brawl in which she was killed . The witness says Pham's friends were affiliated with a gang . Defense lawyers say the new information reveals the defendants acted in self-defense . The prosecution says that information is untrue and changes nothing about the case . Pham was lying on the ground defenseless, the attorney said, when she was kicked in the head by the defendants and killed . | 0c76b0f60c96eabbf213879c59d029cee0469dfd |
By . Brian Viner . Never mind Mr Selfridge, the hit series chronicling the early years of the great department store. Another retail empire, which began further along London's Oxford Street from Selfridges, and much earlier, has an even more beguiling story. John Lewis is 150 years old this year, and its rich history is celebrated in an exhibition at the flagship Oxford Street store. John Lewis celebrates 150 years of business this year . Were anyone to make a TV drama about John Lewis, it might include the aviator Amy Johnson, the murderer Dr Crippen and the wartime code-breaker Hugh Alexander. They all feature in the fascinating tale of how a single draper's shop grew into a high street institution that is part and neatly wrapped parcel of Britain's consumer culture. The middle classes in particular have for generations been reliant on the John Lewis Partnership, as it became, and of course on Waitrose, the string of grocer's shops that were gathered into the John Lewis fold in 1937. Many of us were almost literally weaned on John Lewis. In the exhibition there stands a handsome Silver Cross pram, which might be a replica of the one that transported me 50-odd years ago. My elderly mother still recalls going to John Lewis, in the form of its Liverpool outpost George Henry Lee, to buy a Silver Cross for me. And the great childhood treat for my Yorkshire wife Jane, brought up in Barnsley, was being taken for fancy afternoon teas at Sheffield's branch of John Lewis, Cole Brothers. Maybe it helps to be over 50, but there must be millions of Britons for whom memories of John Lewis . John Lewis aged 70 in 1910 . and its grand provincial outposts offer such stabs of nostalgia. The story begins with John Lewis himself, born to a baker and his wife in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, in 1836. He was apprenticed to a draper in nearby Glastonbury, but made his way to London and found a job in Oxford Circus with another draper, Peter Robinson, whose name would also become familiar to generations of British shoppers. In time Robinson offered Lewis a partnership, but Lewis declined and, in 1864, aged 28, he set up his own draper's shop, also on Oxford Street. He crammed his shop window with silks, laces, ribbons and bows, which he'd bought cheaply so he could sell cheaply. That was his simple retailing philosophy. He reduced his overheads further by opting not to advertise, and the empire he founded would largely eschew mainstream advertising for more than a century. Now, of course, John Lewis campaigns, such as the charming 'The Hare & the Bear' commercials last Christmas, have themselves become iconic in their own right. There were other ways in which old man Lewis kept his costs down. The exhibition is on the third floor of the flagship store, to which I ascended by lift. But not all Victorian shoppers were so fortunate. The company's archivist, Gavin Henderson, told me that when the first lift was installed in 1893, Lewis used to stand nearby, mindful that it cost him a penny-farthing every time the new apparatus carried customers up or down. 'So he would assess their physical state, and if he thought they were fit enough, he'd send them up the stairs.' By the 1890s the shop had become much more than a draper's, but in 1906 Lewis bought an established department store, Peter Jones in Chelsea. Jones, another enterprising provincial draper, had died the year before and Lewis seized his chance, walking the couple of miles from Oxford Street to Sloane Square with 20 £1,000 notes in his pocket to make the purchase in cash. In that same year, 1906, Lewis gave his 21-year-old son John Spedan Lewis a quarter share of the business. Spedan (he was always known by his middle name) had many radical management ideas - such as cutting hours and introducing tea-breaks - that were at odds with his father's unyielding Victorian principles. 16s 4d . John Lewis's takings on his first day in his new store on Oxford Street . 1.1bn . Pounds in sales made on the John Lewis website last year, up 19.2 per cent on the previous year . 43 . John Lewis stores can now be found nationwide, along with 300 Waitrose stores . He was grudgingly allowed to put some of them into practice at Peter Jones, where he was made chairman. But Spedan was not the only enlightened retailer in London. In 1909 the American Harry Gordon Selfridge opened his own department store, and allowed customers to wander round his magnificent premises unguided. This was revolutionary: at other department stores shoppers were escorted by floorwalkers who would introduce them to a sales assistant. Old Mr Lewis would not countenance Selfridge's way of doing things, and he had similarly old-fashioned ideas about employment practices. In 1920, 400 of his staff went on strike for better pay and conditions, but Lewis simply sacked and replaced them. When he died in 1928, aged 92, his son took the reins. It was no coincidence that the John Lewis Partnership was inaugurated the following year, where profits were divided between the entire workforce, now known as 'Partners'. Spedan also introduced one of the first graduate training schemes. He liked to recruit 'learners' himself according to their chess skills, and one of the finest players he recruited, Hugh Alexander, was later seconded to Bletchley Park to help break the Nazi Enigma code. Another of Spedan's young graduates was Amy Johnson, taken on in 1928 as a sales assistant and later to gain fame as a record-breaking aviator. Due to Spedan's clever recruitment the John Lewis Partnership prospered even while the rest of the nation's economy suffered terribly in the 1930s. Spedan planned a chain of John Lewis hotels, and in 1937 bought a string of ten grocery shops in the London area to supply them. This was Waitrose, which had been founded by Messrs Waite, Rose and Taylor in 1908; Taylor bailed out of the partnership early, denying himself a place in the annals of British food retailing. Arthur Rose was the accounts man. The visionary was Wallace Waite, a self-made grocer who by coincidence had been a pupil at Shepton Mallet Grammar, like John Lewis before him. Waitrose quickly added to the Partnership's success, although there was a setback in 1940 when the flagship John Lewis store was all but destroyed by German bombs. Spedan's expansion plans continued unabated however, and that same year the Partnership acquired a controlling interest in the ailing Selfridge Provincial Stores, a group of 15 department stores Selfridge had set up in the 1920s - they included George Henry Lee, Jones Brothers on Holloway Road, north London, and Caleys of Windsor, where 'Madame' Caley herself once made hats for Queen Victoria (and which remained milliner by royal warrant until it closed eight years ago). In 1910 Jones Brothers helped seal the conviction of Dr Crippen, on trial at the Old Bailey for murdering his wife. Human remains had been found at his home in north London, but he claimed they dated from before he lived there. However, they were found buried with pieces of a man's pyjama jacket bearing a Jones Brothers label, and the shop's menswear buyer testified that those pyjamas had not been introduced until 1908, well after Crippen had moved in. Today we're all familiar with the white and green company colours, chosen it's said because Spedan wrote his thousands of memos in green ink. He was also said to be domineering and autocratic, but nevertheless he remains, like his father before him, an authentic hero of the British high street. John Lewis 150, Oxford Street, London W1, until 31 August, www.johnlewis.com . | It's been 150 years since John Lewis opened its doors on Oxford Street . It has since become one of Britain's most popular department stores . Its clientele has included Royalty like Queen Victoria . | 987496fafe9c9a757e6b9aca38002c65f9c228d1 |
It was a money-making opportunity that could have gone either way - and could have only have been pulled off by the most tech-savvy of people. A college student has somehow been able to amass over $24,000 by waving a sign at a television camera. The hopeful venture started on Saturday with the ESPN show College GameDay, a football program that is filmed at a different campus each weekend and was in Auburn, Alabama. The student came armed with a banner that had seemed to plea for money from his mother. It also included the logo for Bitcoin, a US payment network, and a QR code, which is a scan-sensitive icon used to represent information, according to cryptojunky.com. Clever currency: A joke by a college student (pictured in yellow), who held up a sign on TV with the details to an online banking network, really paid off - literally - with the guy garnered over $24,000 in donations . Close up: The sign, which was seemingly appealing to the students mother, contained the icon of 'crypto-currency' network Bitcoin (right) and a QR code (left) linking people to his account with the payment-sharing website . QR codes often appear in magazines, allowing readers to link into websites with their phones for the purpose of online shopping and further reading, among other things. In this case the QR code was for the student's Bitcoin account, which is known as as an online 'wallet'. Somehow a screen grab of the TV show showing the man holding the sign made its way to social news website Reddit. Readers were able to enhance the QR to identify the code, allowing them to donate money. As the story picked up traffic, more people started to give donations. What started out as a small amounts quickly saw the guy recieve 100 transactions in not time at all. As it stands the sign holder has received 22 bitcoins, which are worth over $1,100 each. The value of the received coins comes to a total of $24,361.50. While Bitcoin makes all donations public, the identity of the people receiving funds are concealed behind their usernames. The student - has only been identified by his Reddit username, BitcoinPitcher2 - uses the Bitcoin user name '1HiMoMgBaAikFHgAt3M4YJtetp4HrnsiXu'. The proof is in the coins: A snapshot of the student's Bitcoin account, which is open to the public, shows he was received 22 Bitcoins, worth over $1,100 each. The donation button (bottom right) is what people used to hand over donations. There have recently been calls for the payment network to change their privacy settings to protect users . During the early stages of the incoming transactions, BitcoinPitcher2 said he would be donating the majority of the money to a charitable group called Sean's Outpost, which is a homeless shelter and outreach group located in Pensacola, Florida. It is not known at present how much of the money will be donated. The student said the whole instance started as a 'joke'. He had started a Bitcoin wallet earlier this year by paying $101. When the amount 'grew rapidly' over the coming months, he decided he would use the sign to see if anyone would donate to help the amount grow. Bitcoin was launched five years and has come to known as 'crypto-currency'. Bitcoin supports believe it could one day become the global alternative to cash. Interestingly, the news comes as members of the finance world call for the privacy settings on Bitcoin to be more stringent to protect users, specifically from the data mining of the US NSA spy agency. Hackers are also constantly looking for ways to access people's Bitcoin wallets using the information offered to them online. | Unidentified college student holds a banner to an ESPN camera on Saturday pleading for money from his mother . The sign was embedded with a code that linked to an account at Bitcoin, an online payment network . As pictures on the sign made it to different websites, people started donating money . The total amount received was $24,361.50 . | d66e2535bebc13ee1663ec49d432023717efc77d |
By . Daily Mail Reporters . PUBLISHED: . 21:37 EST, 6 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:40 EST, 7 November 2013 . She was the great unrequited love of legendary U.S. writer F. Scott Fitzgerald - a rich debutante believed to have been the primary muse for The Great Gatsby. And now the exquite seven bedroom mansion owned by Genevra King - who shared a brief but profound fling with the celebrated author as a teen - has been listed for sale at $16.5 million. Sitting on an 8-acre belt of greenspace, the home - in Lake Forest, Illinois, north of Chicago on Lake Michigan - is said to have been Fitzergald's first taste of the good life. Indeed, in many ways it resembles the sprawling Long Island party palace he would later pen as the dome of archetypal character Jay Gatsby, complete with hardwood finishings, sprawling staircases and, most importantly, a long private wharf. So it should come as no surprise that King is considered to be the basis for the woman of Gatsby's infatuation, Daisy Buchanan. Scroll down for video . Home of Gatsby's first great love: This seven bedroom house in Lake Forest, Illinois, was the home of Genevra King, the woman that F.Scott Fitzgerald based Daisy Buchanan on in The Great Gatsby. The home is up for sale for $16.5 million . As fans of The Great Gatsby will attest, F. Scott Fitzgerald made a private wharf one of the main focal points of his story. Could this have been the one that first piked his interest? Pretty as a picture: Genevra King, a rich debutante, was the great unrequited love of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Much like the story he would wrote about iconic characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, their relationship was doomed . Most recent reincarnation: Carey Mulligan played Daisy Buchanan and Leonardo DiCaprio played Jay Gatsby in the latest retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The home of Genevra King, the woman believed to be behind Buchanan, is now up for sale . King was born in Chicago in 1898 and met Fitzergald when she was in boarding school, according to the Huffington Post. He was a 19-year-old college student at Princeton. According to the New York Times, letters between the two - which were only unearthed in the last decade - show they were immediately smitten with each other. First love: Much like the character of Daisy Buchanan, Genevra King (pictured) dropped middle-class Fitzgerald to marry rich . 'I am madly in love with him,' King wrote in her diary one month after meeting Fitzgerald. However by January 1917, the fling was over, with King's father Charles Garfield King - who built the house now up for sale - telling Fitzgerald: 'Poor boys shouldn't think of marrying rich girls.' King would soon be engaged to a wealthy Chicago man named William Mitchell, which enraged Fitzgerald. The relationship came to represent 'not only his condemnation of the rick but his ambivalence, his fascination with wealth and his sense of inferiority around it,' according to James L. West III, author of "The Perfect Hour," a book about Fitzgerald and King's romance. And so its easy to deduce that King would have inspired Buchanan, a naive, self-centered, but stunning woman, played well by Carey Mulligan in the latest retelling of the story by Australian director Baz Luhrmann. 'It's easy to see Zelda [Fitzgerald's wife] in many of his female characters, but Daisy Buchanan, in particular, has King's famous melodic voice, and Daisy's husband, Tom, is very much like King's father,' West has said. King would eventually divorce Mitchell, remarry and settle into the ornate Lake Forest abode her father built - and is now available to buy. Grand: The comely spread was built by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw . Some of the rooms, such as this one, feel as if they are straight from the pages of a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel . Green with Gatsby envy: All this could be yours for $16.5 million . The house was last on the market in 2007-09 for $4.5 million. The exponential rise in value has less to do with the Gatsby link and more to do with the acquisition of a neighboring farm. The property is measured at 45 acres. Ont op of that is the original King estate, which was measured as a 7,424-sqaure-foot home and an 8-acre belt of green space. It is not known whether Fitzgerald - who would later in life refer to King as 'the love of my youth' - ever visited the property. In 1954, Chicago businessman Frank Reilly and his wife, Antoinette, bought the Kingdom Come Farm property from its third owners. It was only around that time that The Great Gatsby was annotated a Great American Novel following the death of Fitzgerald from a heart attack. The Reilly's knew of the connection to Fitzgerald, but 'they didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it'. Now it is likely to be the key selling point for any prospective buyer. Lots of space: The property was extended a few years ago and now includes a 45-acre adjoining farm . It's not hard to imagine a Jay Gatsby super-party being thrown at the home . Real estate agents say renovations would not affect the stylistic integrity of the home . | Genevra King was as beautiful as she was wealthy when she fell head over heels for a young F. Scott Fitzgerald as a 16-year-old school girl . She would later leave the middle-class Minnesotan to marry a rich Chicago man . King would later be immortalized as the flighty and self-centered Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby . Her home in Lake Forest, Illinois, which has plenty of links back to Gatsby, is now for sale, with an asking price of $16.5 million . | 2c7b2f359479ffd8658bb62365af6164b90b9f50 |
By . Alex Greig . Parents have complained after Detroit eighth graders were asked to write an essay about whether they would prefer to be a slave or a factory worker during the Industrial Revolution. Kaya James, an eighth grade student at Novi Middle School, said she was offended at the question posed during her history class. She was also concerned that most of her classmates said they'd rather be slaves than factory workers. Offended: Kaya James, 13, was upset when asked in class to write an essay about whether she'd prefer to be a slave or a factory worker . 'I was disappointed because what slaves went through is really humongous and for them to say they would rather be a slave is really disappointing' Kaya told ABC7. Kaya came home upset, offended and nearly in tears, her mother Tina James told CBS Detroit. James said she doesn't think students are being taught enough about the true history of slavery if they're willing to make such a choice. 'I just don't think they are being taught slavery in its entirety,' Tina James told ABC7. Seeking change: Tina James has met with the school district superintendent and the school principal to discuss the way Novi Middle School teaches history to its students . 'If you fully understood the psychological aspects of being a slave you would never choose it.' Tina James called her daughter's school after speaking with other parents who shared her concerns about the controversial essay question. The Novi Community Schools superintendent Steve Matthews said the question was based on on a Michigan Content Expection, in which eighth grade studets are asked to explain the differences between the lives of free black people, free white people and enslaved people but has now been removed from the curriculum. 'What it suggests to me as a district, we need to do a better job of helping our students understand the devastating impacts of slavery back in the 1800s,' said Matthews. Change: Novi Middle School has removed the question from its curriculum and is seeking to restructure the way slavery is taught . Keen student: Kaya James says history is her favorite subject . He added that the school is looking at changing the way the history of slavery in the U.S. is being taught at the school. Kaya James, who hopes to be an attorney when she's older, said she's glad that she raised the issue and hopes her input will help change the way history is taught at her school. 'I don't want anything to be centered around my teacher because I really like him and I think he's a great teacher,' she told ABC7. 'The school is a great school... it's just that question is really offensive and it's disappointing what the responses were.' Superintendent Matthews says he plans to include Tina James in discussions about how to change the school's history curriculum. 'We have children that have impressionable minds and I want to make sure that the impressions that we leave on them are accurate and truthful and honest,' James said. | Kaya James' history teacher asked her eighth grade class to write an essay about whether they'd rather be a slave or a factory worker . Kaya, 13, was offended by the question and disappointed when many classmates said they'd rather be a slave . Her mother, Tina James, raised the issue of how the history of slavery in the U.S. is taught with the Novi school district . The school district says the question has been removed from the curriculum and that they want to restructure how slavery is taught at the school . | 03eb420424c9325d0cbcbd0972cf833d7febcf19 |
By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 14:39 EST, 28 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:55 EST, 29 July 2013 . Royal girlfriend: Cressida Bonas walked and had a conversation on her mobile phone in west London . Just two days after her boyfriend's sister-in-law gave birth to Prince George, there was clearly plenty to discuss. And Prince Harry’s girlfriend Cressida Bonas was pictured having a long conversation on her mobile phone in west London earlier this week. The 24-year-old carried a John Lewis Oxford Street bag and wore a floral miniskirt with a cropped grey T-shirt, along with blue socks and black suede Dr. Martens boots. Miss Bonas, who has earned the nickname 'Dress Down Cress' for her relaxed approach to fashion, was out shopping on Wednesday. Her appearance came two days after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their baby boy into the world on Monday evening. Kate had announced she was pregnant last year. Sources say Harry seems 'incredibly keen' on dance student Miss Bonas. She is the daughter of 1960s society beauty Lady Mary Gaye Curzon and her third husband, Old Harrovian businessman Jeffrey Bonas, who divorced in 1994. A friend of Stowe-educated Miss Bonas said last month: 'She and Harry are very fond of each other and taking things one step at a time to see whether or not there might be something more permanent one day.' Last month they were pictured arriving by train at London Kings Cross station after attending the society wedding of the year in Northumberland. Outfit: She wore a floral miniskirt with a cropped grey T-shirt, along with blue socks and Dr. Martens boots . Reputation: Miss Bonas has earned the nickname 'Dress Down Cress' for her relaxed approach to fashion . Stowe-educated: Sources say Prince Harry seems 'incredibly keen' on 24-year-old dance student Miss Bonas . They had been at the wedding of royal confidante Thomas van Straubenzee and the Duke of Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy at Alnwick Castle. At that event she wore a smart £430 Heidi Klein boho maxi dress and vintage blue sequin jacket. Prince Harry, 28, and Miss Bonas also spent time together at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset one week later, watching the Rolling Stones. | Cressida Bonas, 24, seen in west London two days after Kate gave birth . Dancer wore floral miniskirt, cropped grey T-shirt, blue socks and boots . Bonas is the daughter of 1960s society beauty Lady Mary Gaye Curzon . | 7a1ceaa40cc8a725f934f9804c18cdb9e5303922 |
By . MailOnline Reporter . A search and rescue team on Saturday found the wreckage of the small private plane that passed its Florida destination and crashed in the sea off Jamaica when its pilot lost consciousness. Officials from the Jamaica Defense For Air Wing say they spotted 'what is believed to be debris' from the aircraft, the Miami Herald reported. 'Our pilots are very confident that the fighting is consistent with that . of a high impact debris field, and this has been corroborated by a U.S. Coastguard C130 Aircraft involved in the operation,' Maj. Basil . Jarrett, a spokesman with the Jamaica Defense Force, told the newspaper. The plane on Friday crossed into Cuban airspace — triggering a U.S. security alert — and crashed in the water off Jamaica after twice asking for permission to fly at a lower altitude before the pilot lost consciousness. Larry Glazer, a real estate developer in Rochester, New York, was seen slumped over the controls by a fighter jet sent to escort the plane. He and his entrepreneur wife Jane, both died in the crash. Their plane, which took off from New York on Friday morning, sparked panic when the pilot stopped responding to radio calls about an hour after take-off and passed its destination of Naples, Florida. It continued flying south for several hours at an altitude of 25,000 feet before entering Cuban airspace and heading towards the Caribbean, eventually crashing 14 miles North East of Port Antonio in Portland on Friday afternoon. In total, it traveled more than 1,700 miles. Scroll down for videos . Debris: Jamaican authorities say this is the spot where a small private plane crashed after its pilot lost consciousness . Killed: Rochester real estate developer Larry Glazer and his wife Jane, both 68, were aboard the aircraft that lost contact with air traffic controllers and flew 1,700 miles before crashing in the water off Jamaica . Experienced pilot: Glazer, 68, a father-of-three and a grandfather, is pictured in front of another small plane . Search party: Jamaican Marine Police return to the Port Antonio Marina after a fruitless search for a plane that crashed into the ocean near Port Antonio, Jamaica, Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 . Two fighter jets had been sent to the plane earlier on Friday after air traffic controllers were unable to make contact with the pilot. The jet pilots noted that Glazer was slumped over his controls, perhaps from oxygen deprivation. One of the fighter jet pilots said he could see the pilot of the small plane, a SOCATA TBM 700, which has a pressurized cabin, was still alive. 'I can see his chest rising and falling,' he said in a recording of his dispatch. 'Right before I left... we could see that he was actually breathing.' The plane also had 'frosted windows', an indication of a sudden loss of cabin pressure and officials said they suspected hypoxia - a deprivation of oxygen - could have caused them to pass out. According to ABC, the pilot requested to fly lower during two calls to air traffic control, however when they asked if he wanted to declare himself in a state of emergency, he said no. The plane was flying at 28,000 feet at 10 am when Glazer asked to descend to 18,000 feet because of an issue with the plane, ABC reported. He was cleared to drop to 25,000 feet but then asked to go lower. Air traffic control denied the second request because of the traffic traveling below Glazer. They said if he made a left turn he could bypass the traffic and descend. He made the turn, but then stopped responding. Route: Their single-engine plane, which was traveling from New York to Florida this morning, failed to land, entered Cuban airspace and headed towards the Caribbean. It crashed just off Jamaica on Friday . Site: The small plane eventually went down in the water 14 miles North East of Port Antonio in Portland . Killed: The turboprop was flown by Larry Glazer and his wife Jane Glazer of Rochester, New York. They were en route from Rochester to Naples, Florida . The unresponsive plane flown by Larry Glazer was a SOCATA TBM 700, a single-engine turbo-prop with a pressurized cabin that is used as a light business and utility aircraft. Seats: Seven including pilot and co-pilot . Max cruising speed: 345mph (300 knots) Max certificated altitude: 30,000ft . Wing span: 41 feet, 6 inches . Length: 34 feet, 9 inches . History: Built by American and French engineers. Been in production since 1988 but periodic upgrades have boosted its horsepower and speed . Production: More than 125 worldwide . The fighter jets that found the plane were eventually forced to break off once they entered Cuban airspace. They were in contact with Cuban authorities, who have said the aircraft did not violate its airspace rules. After passing Cuba, it reached the Caribbean where it crashed, Jamaican authorities said. A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 will search for the plane's wreckage, while Jamaica said a search and rescue team had been dispatched to the area. The plane, a Socata TBM-700 light business and utility aircraft, was registered to a development, Buckingham Properties, which is owned by Glazer. A company bio for Glazer notes: 'Larry spends some of his spare time on the ground - gardening around his house with his wife, Jane; and some in the sky - flying his plane.' An article about Glazer in the Rochester City Newspaper called him 'downtown's patron saint'. His company 'owns, co-owns, or manages nearly 13 million square feet of real estate space', it says. Response: Two F-15 fighter jets (file picture) were dispatched after the pilot of a private plane failed to respond but when he entered Cuban airspace, they were forced to break off . The Glazers were possibly affected by hypoxia, a condition where the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply in high-flying aircraft. If the cabin loses pressure and passengers don't use supplemental oxygen quickly, they can become unconscious or possibly die. When hypoxia develops slowly, symptoms can include light-headedness, tiredness, numbness, tingling and nausea. If it comes on quickly, it can cause confusion, behavioral chance, headaches, breathlessness, disorientation or heart palpitations. Jane Glazer was herself an entrepreneur, setting up and running QCI Direct, which delivers home care items through catalogs and websites. The couple, who met at camp at Seneca Lake when they were both counselors in 1964, had been married for more than 45 years and were considered stalwarts of the community. 'The City of Rochester has lost two heroes,' Mayor Lovely Warren and City Council President Loretta Scott said in a statement. 'It is difficult to put into words how much Larry Glazer has meant to our community. Larry worked hard to return a sense of vitality and excitement to our Center City. 'His efforts helped to lift our spirits and restore our sense of optimism. He has been a treasured friend and partner. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Glazer family, the partners and employees of Buckingham Properties, and all of Larry's many friends.' | Jamaica Defense Force Air Wing says they have spotted and photographed 'what is believed to be debris' from the crashed aircraft . Rochester real estate developer Larry Glazer, whose company owned the plane, and his wife Jane were both killed in the crash . Private plane took off from Rochester, New York on Friday morning and was headed towards Florida but passed its destination . It passed through Cuban airspace before reaching the Caribbean and crashing in the water off Jamaica on Friday afternoon . Two fighter jets were launched after Glazer failed to make contact and the pilots reported seeing him slumped over the controls . Officials suspect an oxygen deprivation in the plane, which had a pressurized cabin, could have caused them to pass out . Glazer twice asked for permission to fly at a lower altitude before losing contact with air traffic control, according to reports . | d37d8f21ac62890e6c9145b2620fedaab5ca6a00 |
(CNN) -- They are here practically every day. Anti-abortion protesters set up their signs outside the Jackson Women's Health Organization and regularly preach their beliefs to anyone who will listen. They pray the clinic will close. Their prayers may soon be answered. Clinic owners are in a fight to save the only abortion clinic operating in the state of Mississippi. New state requirements may close their doors forever, making Mississippi the first abortion-free state. "I want to say over my dead body, but I'm afraid," said clinic owner and president Diane Derzis. "We're going to do whatever it takes to keep servicing the women of Mississippi," she said. A state law that takes effect Sunday requires all of a clinic's abortion providers to be certified OB/GYN's, and all of them must have privileges at a local hospital. July 1 brings new, sometimes quirky laws . "I think the intent is to make sure that women who are receiving these abortions are receiving abortions by a professional physician who is certified," said state Rep. Sam Mims, who sponsored the legislation. "If something goes wrong, which it might -- we hope it doesn't, but it could -- that physician could follow the patient to a local hospital. That's the intent. And what happens afterwards, we'll have to see what happens," he told CNN. Mississippi has been one of the toughest states on the abortion rights movement. The state already has laws requiring a 24-hour waiting period, as well as parental consent if the patient seeking an abortion is a minor. "All of that is wrapped in that cloak of conservative religion," said W. Martin Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. "You'll find very few legislators, regardless of whether they are white, black, Democrat or Republican who will say, 'I'm pro-abortion,'" Wiseman said. Gov. Phil Bryant signed the bill with the new requirements into law in April after the Republican-dominated legislature overwhelmingly passed it. "It's historic. Today you see the first step in a movement, I believe, to do what we campaigned on -- to say that we're going to try to end abortion in Mississippi," Bryant said at the bill-signing event. Bryant signs bill tightening restrictions on abortion providers . The clinic says it is trying to comply. All of its doctors are OB/GYNs who travel in from other states. But only one can practice at a local hospital. The new law states that all doctors in a clinic must have hospital privileges. Officials at the Jackson clinic say they're trying to gain privileges at Jackson-area hospitals but that the cumbersome process and red tape has forced them to file suit. They've gone to federal court to try to get an injunction that would allow them to stay open while they fight the new law. The court has not yet ruled on their motion. The Mississippi Department of Health says it will inspect the clinic on Monday for compliance. If the clinic cannot meet the new state law requirements, then it will have the right to appeal and begin an administrative process that could take several months. But, Derzis says, employees would be subject to arrest and fines of up to $2,000 a day if the clinic stays open. So, it would essentially be forced to close. "It's an absolute tragedy," Derzis said. "No one wants to talk about abortion. No one wants to think about abortion until they're there," she said. "There are three reasons you have an abortion: Rape, incest and 'mine.' I hear that all the time: 'You know, I don't believe in abortion, but, now it's my kid,'" she told CNN's George Howell. Mississippi voters reject anti-abortion initiative . But the law's sponsor says the law is about having the proper license to operate, and if that law closes the only abortion clinic in the state, then so be it. "I'm very pro-life, Mims said. "I believe life begins at conception. And I think a lot of Mississippians do, as well. If this legislation causes less abortions, then that's a good thing." Derzis believes that this was the real intent of the newly elected Republican majority -- to end abortion in the state, not to improve women's health care. "I love that it's white, old men, making those statements," she said. "We've been able to be with women at a time in their lives where they are in crisis, when they need to have something done and need that support. That's why it has to be available. It has to be," she said. "This is not about safety. This is about politics. Politics do not need to be in our uterus." | State law that goes into effect Sunday could close Mississippi's only abortion clinic . Law requires those who perform abortions to have privileges at a local hospital . Owner of state's sole abortion clinic says law is meant to ban abortion . Sponsor of bill says purpose is to protect women's health . | 528c5650b67002c600c827b06c3ba9ca6c58d82c |
(The Frisky) -- Matchmaker and dating coach Rachel Greenwald is responsible for 750 marriages, and she doesn't believe you will find the love of your life by waiting for him/her to spontaneously appear in line at the grocery store or sit next to you on the subway. Darn. There goes my approach. This Harvard M.B.A. and New York Times best-selling author advocates a better way -- being proactive and approaching your dating life like a job search. Sure, there has to be an intersection of luck, timing, and opportunity, to find love," she says, "But you increase your odds when you do something about it. If you have a strategic organized plan, something will come through faster." So, uh, what should this plan be? Her new book, "Have Him at Hello: Confessions from 1,000 Guys About What Makes Them Fall in Love ... Or Never Call Back," just hit bookstores and has some ingenious ideas for us. I had the opportunity to chat with Rachel and get a singles state of the union. Here's eight interesting tips I learned. The Frisky: Online dating is making me depressed . 1. The "no effort mentality" is crazy. We are officially the instant gratification dating generation. If love doesn't happen instantly, we're out of there. But anything worth having takes work. Rachel points out that we are willing to put effort into other things in our lives -- our careers, our friendships, our hobbies, our living space --but we expect our love lives to come effortlessly. "You wouldn't expect to be a CEO in five seconds," Rachel points out. 2. It takes a village to find Mr. or Mrs. Right. An important step in working on your love life is letting people know that you're looking. A lot of us are embarrassed to reach out for help when it comes to finding love. We think it seems desperate to admit that we would like to find someone to spend the rest of our lives with. I'm totally not talking about myself, by the way. "The stigma is all in your head," says Rachel. "That's like someone saying 'I'm unemployed but too embarrassed to find a job.'" Rachel suggests thinking of all the people in our lives as possible networking opportunities. The Frisky: I slept with your husband and here's why . 3. Stop asking "Where?" Ask "How?" Asking a friend, co-worker, family member, or acquaintance where you can meet a great guy is a dead-end question. When you mention in casual conversation to your "village" that you are looking to meet someone this year, ask "how." That way you are enlisting them in your search. "How?" is a far more proactive and empowering question. It implies suggestions and solutions. 4. Get online. There's no stigma about dating online anymore -- one-fourth of the people who got married last year met online. So, if you don't already have a rocking online profile ... make one. But Rachel also recommends Twitter as an alternative source. "Why not throw a Twitter party?" she suggests. "Send out a tweet to your friends and tell them that you're having happy hour drinks on Friday at your favorite bar. Tell them to bring friends." Rachel's also a big fan of Meetup.com. "It's much more sophisticated then it was a few years ago," she says. You can search something like "Singles, New York, film lovers," and find groups that meet in your area. You can even click through the groups and see mini-profiles and pictures of the members. 5. Don't forget about Facebook! One-third of married people met through introductions by friends. Following that logic, Facebook may be our single most underused resource. "Treat Facebook like an online dating profile," says Rachel. "Take it seriously. If a guy sees a bad photo of you on Facebook or weird things on your profile, he may not give you a chance." Rachel suggests crafting the image you want to project on Facebook. "Pick five words that represent you and make sure your Facebook profile reflects those five words," she says. Once you're satisfied with your profile, she suggested playing a game she calls "I Spy a Facebook Guy." Here's how it works: Give yourself 10 days to cruise around your friends' Facebook pages and find 50 guys that you think are interesting. Then scope out their profiles and write them a message. Hey, you already know someone in common. 6. Married people are a great resource. They know a thing or two about relationships, but more importantly, they know other single people who are marriage-minded. Plus, they're much more eager to see you settle down than your single friends. The Frisky: Why women should ask men out on dates . 7. You may have tried it all, but have you tried it well? Trying something once or twice isn't enough. "Doing online dating with a bad profile picture or going to a singles event and leaving after you scanned the room once is like looking for a job with a poorly written resume or applying for a sales job [when] you're an accountant," says Rachel. Instead, take a look at what you've been trying and how, and think of ways to do it better. 8. It's OK to outsource. How do we know what we're doing wrong in our dating lives? Rachel says that there's no shame in hiring a dating coach. Hey, we have personal trainers, therapists, and head hunters. Outsourcing is part of our culture -- yet we feel we can tackle the dating thing on our own. Why? OK, I'm sold. I will definitely be trying out some of this advice. The Frisky: 5 reasons why moving is good for you . TM & © 2010 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | Rachel Greenwald says your true love won't show up on your doorstep . Dating coach says you have to go out and look for them . She says to use Facebook, Twitter and your married friends as sources . Says there is no shame in hiring a dating coach . | 01919f4ca624c45500aca92c66aa6a197a8b80f5 |
By . Nick Mcdermott . They are the backbone of church fetes, village fairs and jumble sales all around the country. But the thousands who regularly sell their home-made jam, marmalade or chutney in re-used jars may have to abandon their traditions after a warning that they are breaching European health and safety regulations. Legal advisers to Britain’s Churches have sent out a circular saying that while people can use jars for jam at home or to give to family and friends, they cannot sell them or even give them away as raffle prizes at a public event. Glass warfare: The Women's Institute is warning its 210,000 members about the European regulations . Take note: The written circular from the Churches' Legislation Advisory Service . The circular from the Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service, which is chaired by the Bishop of Exeter, . is pointedly headed: ‘Please take note: this looks like a spoof but it’s . not.’ The advisers say the . rules that are being breached are the snappily-titled EC Regulations . 1935/2004 and 2023/2006, which prevent containers being re-used unless . they are specifically designed for that purpose. The . Women’s Institute said it was offering similar advice on the re-use of . jam jars to its 210,000 members. A spokesman said the news could send ‘a . tremor through middle-England’ and the organisation was braced for a . flurry of inquiries. The . Food Standards Agency said the rules had been introduced because there . was a risk of chemicals leaching out of old containers and contaminating . food, though it added that it was not aware that re-used jam jars . were a safety hazard. 'Daft': The news will alarm a growing number of jam-makers . The agency said it was up to local authority environmental health officers to enforce the regulations, and penalties can reach a maximum of a £5,000 fine, six months’ imprisonment, or both. The news will alarm the growing number of jam-makers inspired by model Kate Moss, who makes damson jam out of fruit from her Cotswolds estate, and the Duchess of Cambridge, who keeps pots to give away to friends. Mary Berry, the star of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, said: ‘This is absolutely stupid. It is just going too far. ‘We . are encouraging people to save money by using fruits to make chutneys . and jam, and if they have to buy new jars it will become much too . expensive. It’s daft.’ The rules are also causing . consternation in churches that rely on the hundreds of thousands of . pounds raised from fetes and bazaars. The Rev Derek Williams, a spokesman . for the diocese of Peterborough, said enforcing the rule ‘would be a . blow to fundraising events for all sorts of voluntary organisations’. He added: ‘It’s quite ridiculous, as . selling home-made jams and chutneys has always been a traditional and . important part of fundraising for church groups and others. ‘Older people in particular, or those not terribly well-off, have never been shy of making a few pots and giving that away. ‘People will offer their home-made jam when perhaps they can’t give anything else.’ 'This is not a spoof': Church advisers forced to point out 'stupid' rule to members . Mr . Williams said he had never heard of anyone falling ill from eating jam . from a re-used jar, adding: ‘There must be a sensible balance between . health and safety and something that has happened without incident for . centuries.’ Canon Michael . Tristran, of Portsmouth Cathedral, said: ‘On realising this was not a . belated April Fool’s joke, I was very anxious, not only from the . fundraising point of view for all our churches, but also because it goes . against the green agenda of recycling.’ The WI said anyone using old jars should sterilise them by washing them and drying them in an oven on a low heat. | Churches warn parishioners to stop selling preserves in re-used jars . The tradition, enjoyed by the WI, breaches EU health and safety laws . | abdb196ab2b50dcbb1a5e0138e32b4458aae140e |
Costs: The hacking trial, which yesterday cleared Rebekah Brooks, pictured, of all charges, has cost as much as £95million . The seven-month phone hacking trial is believed to have cost £95million, making it the most expensive criminal case in Britain. The police investigation and prosecution cost the British public more than £35million but unusually the brunt of the cost of the defence has not been met by the taxpayer. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp empire funded huge legal teams for six of the seven defendants, including Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson. It has refused to reveal the legal fees for the trial but figures reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in May revealed the investigation into the hacking scandal had cost the firm $535million (£315million). That figure includes pay-outs to 718 hacking victims to settle civil claims, and legal fees for the civil and criminal cases. The firm’s costs were previously reported to have reached £600million once redundancy pay-outs and lost revenues from the closure of the News of the World (NOTW) were included and there has been speculation the scandal could end up costing it £1billion once all the trials are completed. In December 2013 News Group Newspapers, the publishers of the Sun and the Sun on Sunday, reported £87.5million in costs in its annual report for ‘non-operational, one-off charges relating to allegations of voicemail interception and inappropriate payments to public officials and other related matters’. Within that £50million was spent on legal fees, £10.2million on claimants’ legal fees and £26million on ‘legal and professional fees’ related to the Management and Standards Committee set up in the wake of the hacking scandal. Brooks’ defence costs alone are likely to have topped £10million. Her acquittal means her legal team could be entitled to ask the Crown Prosecution Service to repay some of the costs of her defence, which would significantly increase the trial’s cost to the public purse. Her team was originally led by John Kelsey-Fry QC, one of Britain’s best-known criminal lawyers who can command up to £20,000 per day. He was forced to leave the case before . the trial got underway last October and Jonathan Laidlaw QC was brought . in to replace him at the last minute. Scroll down for video . Bearing the brunt: Costs of six hacking defendants, including former News of the World Editor and Number 10 spin doctor Andy Coulson, left, were shouldered by the News Corp empire of Rupert Murdoch, right . Legal insiders have suggested Mr Laidlaw was unlikely to have accepted the case for less than £6,000 per day, with a hefty ‘upfront’ fee. Mr Laidlaw had two junior barristers and the trio were instructed by legal firm Kingsley Napley, which was understood to have had five solicitors, four paralegals and partner Angus McBride working full-time on Brooks’ case since January 2013. Coulson’s barrister Timothy Langdale QC was reputed to have agreed a £750 hourly fee, also paid by News Group. Trial judge Mr Justice Saunders frequently alluded to the ‘astronomic’ costs of the case and remarked in March: ‘We have probably the most expensive case in the country here.’ The Operation Crevice fertiliser bomb plot trial was previously thought to be the most expensive criminal case in British history. The year-long trial, which ended in March 2006, involved 18 defendants and cost £50million. Dealing with the hacking scandal, including the associated Leveson Inquiry, has cost the public purse as much as £41.1million. Police investigations . £1.1million - Operation Appleton, which provided support for the Leveson Inquiry£18.7million - Operation Weeting, which investigated phone hacking£10million - Operation Elveden, which dealt with alleged corrupt payments£2.7million - Operation Tuleta, which investigated computer hacking . Total: £32.5million so far . Court costs . £1million - Estimated prosecution costs. Includes Andrew Edis QC (£570 per . day), his two juniors, a disclosure specialist, a note-taking barrister . and a team of solicitors.£400,000 - Estimated legal aid for Clive Goodman’s defence, including David Spens QC, his junior and his solicitors.£1.12million - Operating costs of £7,000 per day at the Old Bailey. For the trial this totalled £945,000, and £175,000 for pre-trial hearings.£174,000 - The annual salary of the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, who has dedicated the vast majority of his year to the trial and its preparation.£107,000 - Cost of the jury, including their loss of earnings and food and travel expenses.£167,000 - Technical costs including media annexe and screens at £6,000 per week, £3,000 for . two witnesses via videolink and £4,000 to fly a prosecution witness from . Australia . Total: £2.97million . Public Inquiry . Official records show that the Leveson Inquiry into the Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press cost the public purse a total of £5.4million. Grand total: £41.1million . | Seven-month trial at the Old Bailey cost public purse £35million . Figure includes police investigations, court costs and huge legal fees . Whole hacking scandal has cost Rupert Murdoch's News Corp £315million . Defence called on top barristers who cost as much as £20,000 per day . Judge frequently alluded to 'astronomic' costs of the lengthy trial . | 81f4c26f6d8bdc84ddf900f80514c9c92e9db3ff |
The love of her life died fighting in the trenches of the First World War and she had lived through the horrors of the London Blitz. But nothing prepared Britain’s oldest woman for the terror of being targeted in her own home by a violent career criminal. Grace Jones had just celebrated her . 112th birthday when Jesse Coker burst into her flat. He kicked her door . down and shoved her against a wall as he rifled her handbag, snatching . £100 in cash. Jesse Coker (right) pretended to be a delivery man to gain access to her . home, where he pinched her purse. Yesterday, after he was jailed for . four and a half years, it emerged that Coker was on licence at the time . for a series of burglaries in which he preyed on the elderly. The 46-year-old has 16 convictions for . 48 burglaries dating back to the age of ten. Yet he was let out in May . 2009 after serving half of a seven-year sentence despite the risk of him . reoffending. Miss Jones, who was born on December 7, 1899, became the oldest living person in Britain in February this year. Jesse Coker, 46, tricked his way into the home of Grace Jones (right) in south London a month after her 112th birthday. The spinster had only celebrated her 112th birthday a month before she was attacked in her home in Rotherhithe, south London. The former seamstress, who lost her . 19-year-old fiancé Albert Rees during the First World War, now lives . alone in the area which has become a magnet for crime. Woolwich Crown . Court heard that five days before her birthday, an unidentified thief . entered her home and stole her £300 pension. The next day Coker attempted to . break-in by posing as a parcel delivery man but her neighbour Matthew . Maddigan, 31, chased him off after the brave pensioner told Coker to . ‘hop it’. Then on January 24, Miss Jones answered a knock at the door to find Coker posing as a policeman. Vivian Walters, prosecuting, said: . ‘Miss Jones went to the door and called out “Who’s there?” ‘She was . expecting the district nurse to visit her that day in order to change a . dressing on her leg. ‘She heard no reply so she opened the . door a crack. He pushed the door open, barged past Mrs Jones and made . his way into the flat.’ When the trembling victim followed him into the living room, Coker pushed her against the wall. He grabbed her purse, which contained . £100 as well as other treasured items including a four leaf clover she . kept for luck, before leaving her crumpled on the floor. Mr Maddigan confronted Coker outside . having recognised him, but the thug threatened to stab them, snarling: . ‘I’ve got a tool and I will hurt you.’ The neighbour said: ‘I was just so . shocked to see the same guy back again. I heard someone ring Grace’s . doorbell and opened the door to make sure everything was alright. ‘I heard Grace say “What are you doing” and “Get off me” so I rushed downstairs. ‘I confronted him. I just wanted him . to stop and tried to get in his way. He said he had a knife and was . going to stab me. He kept saying he was going to kill me.’ Coker was only caught when he was spotted by chance by Mr Maddigan the next day a mile away. He flagged down a police car and the thief was arrested on the spot. But the criminal continued to deny responsibility until he suddenly changed his plea on the first day of his trial on Tuesday. Yesterday Miss Jones said she has been ‘frightened ever since’ and now refused to leave her home. She said: ‘I told him to hop it. Then some days later, he came back and said he was from the police. ‘After I opened the door, he pushed me and got my bag. I have been frightened ever since.’ The spinster, who has outlived her . seven siblings, added: ‘I am so old that all my friends and family are . now dead. I think I’m very lucky to have such good neighbours. ‘They are my family now, and they know it. They are very good to me.’ Detective Constable Mark Powell, from . Southwark’s Priority Crime Unit, said: ‘Coker picked on a vulnerable . victim who he believed to be an easy target, he didn’t consider the . bravery of the victim or the tenacity of her neighbours who were . commended by the judge at today’s sentencing. ‘It is thanks to them Coker was . apprehended so quickly and allowed police to conduct a thorough . investigation, giving him no choice but plead guilty.’ | Jesse Coker, 46, jailed for four years and five months after tricking his way into her south London home . Third break-in at property of pensioner within weeks . Coker has a string of previous burglary convictions . | 1f0a4589500e4527b857285d82e4f406f7da3b92 |
Thanks to hard-drinking, hardworking Don Draper, we've traveled through the '60s in style. Now let's take a look at the ad man's New York. "Mad Men," the AMC series that Rolling Stone called "the greatest TV drama of all time," is back for a new season on Sunday. And though it's filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the show is set in New York, and notable locations across the city turn up in the script as liberally as a heap of pastrami on rye. In preparation for the season six premiere, we offer you this guide to the NYC haunts of ad exec Draper and his endlessly entertaining cohorts at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. 'Mad Men' and the other 1960s . EAT . On an episode titled "Red in the Face," bosses-on-the-loose Draper and Roger Sterling spend their lunch -- and expense accounts -- taking full advantage of the eats and drinks at the venerable Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, some of which later embarrassingly ended up on the carpet at the feet of a group of potential clients. Hopefully you'll have more restraint when you visit this 100-year-old seafood establishment on the lower level of Grand Central Station, where tourists mingle with commuters over martinis and platters of freshly shucked oysters and other fishy delights. 89 E. 42nd St., www.oysterbarny.com . Another celebration featuring our Mad Men stars, this time Draper and the lusty wife of an insult comic, took place at legendary restaurant Sardi's. Even the framed celebrity caricatures on its walls were re-created for the scene. Located in the heart of the Theater District, Sardi's has been a favorite with the Broadway crowd for more than 85 years (the Tony Awards were thought up here), and you'll feel like a star just for having eaten here. 234 W. 44th St., www.sardis.com . 10 trips that can change your child's life . DRINK . The Roosevelt Hotel has been featured in a couple of "Mad Men" scenes, including one in which Draper retreats here after being kicked out of the house by his wife, Betty. A stay at this landmark hotel will have you feeling like a part of the show, especially since its decor gives it the appearance of an elaborate "Mad Men" set piece, but the place to really connect with the show is just past the lobby in the Madison Club Lounge. On April 7, to coincide with the season premiere, the lounge will host a viewing party with complimentary whiskey tastings and a "Best 'Mad Men' Attire" contest. The festivities will continue with themed cocktails and an invitation for patrons to dress in their '60s best each Sunday the show airs. 45 E. 45th St., www.theroosevelthotel.com . Remember Peggy and her colleagues doing the Twist at a local watering hole after she nailed the Belle Jolie presentation in season one? The site was P.J. Clarke's, one of the oldest bars in New York. Truly a Big Apple institution and a popular hangout among ad execs in the 1960s, P.J. Clarke's was once described by one of its beloved barmen as "the Vatican of saloons." 915 Third Ave., www.pjclarkes.com . Mad men, mad 'dos: What the late '60s really looked like . STAY . When Draper and friends started their own agency at the end of season three, they set up shop, at least temporarily, in a suite at the Pierre hotel. The fabled lodging, which overlooks Central Park, was renovated and modernized a few years back, so your room might not ooze nostalgia. But if you close your eyes tight enough, you might just be able to imagine Joan typing away in the corner or Pete squawking on the phone with a client. 2 E. 61st St., www.tajhotels.com/pierre . Given that the Hotel Elysée in Midtown Manhattan is the scene of a lunchtime tryst between copywriter Peggy and a fellow named Duck from a rival agency, it's only appropriate that the prestigious property is offering a special "Mad Men" package for fans of the show. It includes accommodations in one of its luxurious suites, which will be stocked with a dozen roses, strawberries and a box of chocolates, as well as two free cocktails either at the Monkey Bar or brought to your room. The package starts at $425 for a regular suite and $1,450 for a presidential suite. 60 E. 54th St., www.elyseehotel.com . 7 of the world's artsiest hotels . SHOP . In season one, Pete Campbell was caught returning a wedding gift at Bloomingdale's, one of the city's most legendary department stores, where stylish lads and ladies have been filling the brand's signature Little Brown Bags with luxury goods since 1886. The doorman there to open the cab door for you only adds to the allure. 1000 Third Ave., www.bloomingdales.com . WORK . The pitchmen of Sterling Cooper officed at an address on Madison Avenue that doesn't actually exist in real life, but a number of big-time ad agencies can be found along this historic avenue. Take a stroll down its sidewalks, and you'll rub elbows with the idea men and women who churn out award-winning copy for powerhouse firms like DDB and TBWA and smaller boutique agencies like StrawberryFrog and MacDonald Media. Madison Avenue, primarily between 26th and 52nd Streets . Buzz abounds for the return of 'Mad Men' TOUR . If these classic "Mad Men" sights leave you wanting more, consider signing up for "The World of Mad Men: NYC During the Early 1960s" excursion from NYC Discovery Walking Tours. In addition to stops at spots like the ones noted above that have been mentioned on the show, you'll visit iconic locations representative of the era, including the Pan Am Building and Lever House. Tours are scheduled for April 6 and 7, May 5 and June 22; tickets are $20. For reservations, call 212-465-3331. | Eat, drink and sleep "Mad Men"-style in New York . The AMC show, filmed in L.A., references notable New York spots . Dip into Grand Central Oyster Bar for a cocktail and snack . Then overnight at one of the city's historic hotels . | 5b324ac2dd4647d67b0dde3742f8fed320af317d |
Apple has ‘accidentally’ leaked details of the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 ahead of an official announcement later today. The leak was revealed in an iOS 8.1 iPad user guide for iBooks on iTunes. And it confirms a number of features including Touch ID sensors for both and a ‘Burst Mode’ for taking pictures on the iPad Air 2. Scroll down for video . Details of California-based Apple's two new devices have been revealed. The leak was spotted by Mark Gurman from 9to5mac in an iOS 8.1 iPad user guide for iBooks on iTunes (screenshow shown). The leak came ahead of today's official announcement for the devices . The leak was spotted by Mark Gurman from 9to5mac. Apple has since taken the images down from its website and is yet to comment after MailOnline contacted them. The screenshot from the iOS 8.1 user guide for iBooks confirms the names of the two new devices - the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3. Both devices now have a Touch ID sensor in their home button, which was first employed on Apple's iPhone 5S and now also features on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The images also reveal the iPad Mini will have an iSight camera. And the iPad Air 2 has also been confirmed to have a Burst Mode like the iPhone 6, which lets the user take multiple photos but holding the picture button and then pick their favourite. The names of both devices have also been confirmed as the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3, with their appearances remaining almost unchanged from their predecessors. This marks a shift back to the numbering scheme for iPads after the previous round of releases. Today will also likely see the release of iOS 8.1, which will include Apple’s mobile payment service, Apple Pay. It’s also rumoured that Apple will introduce a new iMac with a Retina display today alongside their new operating system - OS X Yosemite. A more powerful processor and better camera optics can also be expected for both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. The leak confirms a number of features including Touch ID sensors for both and a ‘Burst Mode’ (shown) for taking pictures on the iPad Air 2. Apple has since taken the images down from its website and when was yet to comment when contacted by MailOnline . The leak came just minutes after Google revealed unveiled its new operating system, Lollipop, alongside the new Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet yesterday. Manufacturer: Motorola . Screen: 5.96 inch display, 1440 x 2560 resolution (493ppi) Platform: Android Lollipop . Processor: Snapdragon 805 quad-core 2.7GHz with Adreno 420 GPU for graphics . Memory: 32GB or 64GB . Sound: Dual front-facing speakers . Camera: 13MP camera with image stabilisation and 2MP front-facing camera . Battery: 24 hours with a full charge, plus TurboCharger for 6 hours life in 15 minutes of charging . Price: Not yet confirmed . Launch date: November, with pre-order beginning on October 29 . Both mobile devices will run the new version of the firm's mobile operating system, Android 5.0, which has been confirmed to have the name Lollipop. The Motorola-made Nexus 6 smartphone comes with a 5.96-inch Quad HD screen and a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera. The Nexus 6 also has dual front-facing speakers designed to offer better quality audio, says Google. The handset sports a feature called Turbo Charger, which can give the phone up to six hours of battery life from just a 15 minute charge. The phone also boasts new hands-free voice activated functions. It will come in two colours: midnight blue and cloud white and two storage options, 32 or 64GB. And before Apple unveils its updated iPad family, the search giant has shown off its new Nexus 9 tablet, made by HTC. The tablet, which is smaller than an iPad, but larger than and iPad Mini, is built for multi-tasking and has a brushed aluminium frame with a ‘soft grip’ back. An upgrade in terms of size as well as internals on Google's existing Nexus 7, the new Nexus 9 has a 8.9-inch screen, and weighs in at 420g, making it 50g lighter than an iPad Air. The leak came just minutes after Google revealed unveiled its new operating system, Lollipop, alongside the new Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet yesterday (shown). Both mobile devices will run the new version of the firm's mobile operating system, Android 5.0, which has been confirmed to have the name Lollipop . | Details of California-based Apple's two new devices have been revealed . The leak came ahead of today's announcement for the products . And it also came just minutes after Google revealed Android Lollipop and its new Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet . Apple's leak confirms the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 will have Touch ID sensors . The former will also have 'Burst Mode' on its camera for multiple photos . | d8395ae93b7d348f79599985b05ad4637416393a |
One of Britain’s biggest bakery chains saw £30million wiped off its value yesterday following George Osborne’s decision to put VAT on hot take-out food. Greggs, which has branches across the country, saw its share price plunge by 5 per cent over the plan to add the 20 per cent sales tax to sausage rolls, pasties and pies. The take-away tax will add 18p to the price of a 90p hot sausage roll, 50p to a medium Cornish pasty and £1 to a supermarket rotisserie chicken. Greggs, which has branches across the country, saw its share price plunge by 5 per cent over the plan to add the 20 per cent sales tax to sausage rolls, pasties and pies . The move is a hammer blow to Greggs and has also horrified the people of Cornwall, who fear the impact on a pasty industry worth more than £150million a year to the county. Greggs, which is worth £555million and employs 20,000, and the leading supermarkets have made clear it will fight the proposals. Its shares fell 5.37 per cent yesterday, down 29.50p to 519.75p. Tax accountants say the Chancellor’s new VAT rules, which apply from October 1, are bound to trigger a series of expensive court cases. George Osborne said the rules would simplify the tax system and put everyone selling hot food on the same footing as fast food chains . George Osborne said the rules would simplify the tax system and put everyone selling hot food on the same footing as fast food chains. In reality, layers of complexity have been added which could even require a system of inspections to establish whether sausage rolls are hot when handed over at the till. Guidance notes issued by Whitehall to cover the proposals introduce a series of anomalies that will trigger a fierce row between retailers and the Government. The new regime means that, in theory, every food item that is hotter than the surrounding ambient air temperature will be liable for 20 per cent VAT. In the high street, this means a hot sausage roll or Cornish pasty carries VAT but a cold one does not. Councillors in Cornwall said the tax attack would hit jobs and the pockets of residents and workers. Liberal . Democrat Alex Folkes said: ‘Pasties aren’t just a symbol of Cornwall, . they are a key part of our manufacturing economy and thousands of people . in Cornwall are employed either directly or indirectly by the pasty . industry. ‘Raising the price . of pasties, especially when the extra money goes to the Government, not . the firms, will cut sales and lead to job losses.’ Mebyon Kernow councillor Rob Simmons wrote on his blog: ‘If and when this legislation is introduced, your £2.50 medium steak pasty will now be £3, and your £3 large steak pasty will be £3.60. So that’s money out of ordinary decent Cornish folks’ pockets, a blow to our bakers and hardly great news for tourism.’ One insider at a ‘big four’ supermarket described the proposals as ‘comical’. ‘If you take the proposals at face value, you could have a queue of people wanting a freshly baked sausage roll with someone at the front paying VAT because it is hot and someone at the back paying less because it is cold,’ he said. Horrified: The people of Cornwall fear impact on a pasty industry worth more than £150million a year to the county . The proposals also include a VAT exemption for freshly baked bread, which is still warm when it is purchased. The insider said: ‘This leaves the door open for enormous confusion over what is classified as freshly baked bread. Does a hot croissant carry VAT or not?’ He added: ‘Many people come to our stores for a good value hot pastry to take away for lunch. The very last thing people need in the current climate is a new tax on food.’ Most of the main coffee shop chains already add VAT to their hot food, however even they could have to put up the price of a 99p croissant to £1.20 if it does not qualify as freshly baked bread. Stephen Coleclough, tax partner at PwC, said: ‘The Government is trying to remove anomalies but has only introduced new ones which will no doubt lead to yet more litigation which is the one thing the Government is trying to avoid. ‘Bizarrely, products with freshly baked bread aren’t caught in the net. Batten down the hatches for the first court case on the legal definition of “freshly-baked”.’ Many small corner shops, which have diversified into offering hot savoury pastries to boost takings, will be caught by the new rules. James Lowman, of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: ‘We urge the Chancellor to think about bringing more products out of VAT to make them cheaper for consumers, rather than taxing more goods on retailers’ shelves.’ Richard Dodd, of the British Retail Consortium, which speaks for supermarkets, said: ‘This proposal will push up prices for hard-pressed customers.’ | Bakery chain's share price plunged by 5 per cent yesterday . Take-away tax will add 18p to price of a 90p hot sausage roll . People of Cornwall horrified and fear impact on pasty industry . | e113f45956a03652565b031755f40688fd647bfd |
(CNN) -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will stand trial Monday for an incident in which an American allegedly swam across a lake and stayed for two days in her closely guarded residence, where she is under house arrest. Officials in Myanmar say this self-portrait was found on John Yettaw's digital camera. The southeast Asian country's military junta rarely allows visitors to see Suu Kyi, and foreigners are not allowed overnight stays in local households. The government said the presence of the American, John William Yettaw, in the lakeside home violated the conditions of Suu Kyi's house arrest. Yettaw, was charged Thursday on two criminal counts -- entering the country illegally and staying at a resident's home without government permission, according to a spokesman for Suu Kyi's political party. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Suu Kyi on Thursday was taken to a prison compound near Yangon , where authorities set up a special room for her until the trial, said Nyan Win, spokesman for her National League for Democracy party. The government detained her at the Insean Prison compound under Section 22 of the country's legal code, a law against subversion of government, Nyan Win said. If convicted, Suu Kyi could face three to five years in prison. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the immediate release of Suu Kyi on Thursday. "I am deeply troubled by the Burmese government's decision to charge Aung San Suu Kyi for a baseless crime," Clinton said at the State Department in Washington, referring to Myanmar by its former name of Burma. Watch former U.S. president Jimmy Carter talk about Aung San Suu Kyi » . "We oppose the regime's efforts to use this incident as a pretext to place further unjustified restrictions on her. We call on the Burmese authorities to release her immediately and unconditionally, along with her doctor and the more than 2,100 political prisoners currently being held." The junta changed the nation's name, and changed the capitol's name from Rangoon to Yangon, when it seized control of the country. Political dissidents and nations including the United States have refused to acknowledge those changes and still use the old names. Clinton was speaking at a question-and-answer session with the visiting foreign minister of Malaysia, and Clinton said she was raising the issue of Suu Kyi's arrest with Malaysia and the other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries. She said the United States also will raise the issue with countries like China. The timing of her detention raised suspicion among Suu Kyi's supporters, who said the government's action Thursday is an excuse to extend her house arrest, set to expire this month. "This is the cunning plan of the regime to put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in continuous detention beyond the six years allowed by the law they used to justify the detention of her," said the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a pro-democracy group fighting for her release. "Daw" is an honorific. Rights group Amnesty International said the junta was reacting to a decision last year by the United Nations' Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that ruled her house arrest illegal both domestically and internationally. Suu Kyi's lawyer, U Kyi Win, blamed the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's prison detention on Yettaw. Some initial reports out of Myanmar spelled his name differently: Yeattaw. Local media said the 53-year-old former military serviceman from Falcon, Missouri, swam almost 2 miles across Inya Lake on May 3 and sneaked into Suu Kyi's home. Police maintain a round-the-clock presence outside the house, and swimming in the lake is forbidden. A neighbor of Yettaw's in Falcon, Mike Assell, described him as someone who was friendly but did not actively participate in community activities. Watch Yettaw's neighbor describe him » . "I think he wasn't really afraid to talk to folks, but he really was not outgoing and went out of his way to stop and talk too much," Assell said. "He has his own -- I don't know if agenda's the right word -- he has his priorities and he is working toward those." Public records yielded little about Yettaw, a father of seven. At one point, he owned a construction company. And he lost a 17-year-old son to a motorcycle wreck in Lebanon, Missouri, in 2007. Yettaw appeared in court Thursday along with Suu Kyi and two of her assistants, party spokesman Nyan Win said. A U.S. Embassy official met with Yettaw on Wednesday for three minutes, the first since his arrest. He appeared to be doing well, the embassy said. On Thursday, Myanmar officials were expected to charge Yettaw with immigration violations. But the charges had not been announced. Yettaw entered Suu Kyi's house once before, in 2008, the U.S. Campaign for Burma said. She refused to meet with him, and this time, she spoke to him only long enough to tell him to leave, it said. Reports from news outlets affiliated with the military junta said Yettaw confessed to the 2008 visit and said he had stayed for a longer period then. This time, the reports said, Yettaw met Suu Kyi's two housekeepers, a mother and daughter who are her only permitted companions. Yettaw, a diabetic, apparently told the women he was tired and hungry after his swim. They offered him food, the newspapers said. The housekeepers also were charged under Section 22 on Thursday. Yettaw was arrested while swimming away from the house. Authorities said he told officials he was visiting Yangon on a tourist visa and was staying at a hotel when he swam across the lake with a 5-liter water bottle, presumably to use as a float. Authorities found a U.S. passport, a backpack, a flashlight, a pair of folding pliers, a camera and money on him, local reports said. The Myanmar-language Web site tharkinwe.com published two photos that officials said they found on Yettaw's digital camera. One showed a middle-aged man posing in front of a mirror for a self-portrait. The other was a picture of a pair of feet with flippers on them. Assell, the neighbor, said the man in the picture was Yettaw. Suu Kyi's party said Yettaw's appearance at the house confirms security concerns the leader has voiced to the government. "This is a political issue, not a criminal issue," said Nyan Win, the spokesman. "She has done nothing wrong." Suu Kyi, 63, rose to global prominence during protests in the country in 1988. She was first detained in 1989 and has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years. In 1990, her party won the general elections, which the ruling military junta did not recognize. The following year, she won the Nobel Peace Prize. Myanmar's government has scheduled elections for next year that it says will lead the nation toward democracy. Human-rights organizations have said the vote will merely extend military rule in the nation. CNN's Katherine Wojtechi, Kocha Olarn, Saeed Ahmed and Geraldine McBride contributed to this report. | NEW: U.S. secretary of state calls for Aung San Suu Kyi's release . Suu Kyi's lawyer blames charges on American who allegedly stayed in her house . She is said to have let John Yettaw stay, in violation of her house-arrest terms . Supporters say action is an excuse to extend restrictions on her movement . | 539283c11817d23dcbc975c27b7ad2107bbd4d94 |
On Wednesday I'm heading to Anfield to watch Liverpool versus Sunderland after an invite from Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers. I got the invite out of the blue when I wasn't working. It includes watching training and stay over. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Brendan Rodgers, Jose Mourinho and Chris Hughton . Class act: Brendan Rodgers has shown humility by thinking of others during a busy time for Liverpool . Red hot! Brendan Rodgers' side are flying high in second place following the 6-3 destruction of Cardiff . SAS: Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge (R) are the Premier League's most potent partnership . Nice gesture: Brendan Rodgers and Alex Ferguson (R) share humility and generosity as traits of a champion . At the time I guess it was to keep me busy whilst I was, as they say, 'between jobs.' I think it shows great humility thinking of others like that, especially with his team flying high, with all the media demands and people no doubt requesting interviews and appearances left, right and centre. That sort of gesture reminds me of a few years ago at Brentford when I did a bike ride to raise money to help pay the players' wages. I personally wrote to all the Premier League managers asking them to sponsor the 30-mile journey from my house to the ground in west London. A week after I had sent the letter I got a hand-written card in the post with a cheque inside for £500 from 'Alex and Cathy' wishing me the best of luck. The name on the bottom of the cheque was Alex Ferguson. He went on to win the league with Manchester United that season. The Godfather: Despite his success, Sir Alex Ferguson was always willing to help out other managers . There is no question that Arsenal's players are technically gifted and supremely talented. But when they come up against the big boys who have power, strength and pace, they are so often beaten. Chelsea's performance to win 6-0 was an outstanding effort. Unhappy anniversary! Arsene Wenger's 1000th game as Arsenal boss was one of the worst in his career . Hit for six! Chelsea staked their claim to be Premier League champions with a 6-0 victory at Stamford Bridge . A right kerfuffle: Kieran Gibbs was sent off, despite Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being guilty of handball . Frontrunners: Chelsea moved seven points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table . After a commanding performance in the Champions League in mid-week against Galatasaray the win over Arsenal makes it loud and clear that Chelsea believe the title will be theirs. For Arsene Wenger his magnificent 1,000th game turned into a living nightmare – especially to see his team capitulate in that manner. His Invincible side of a decade ago not only played great football but they had warriors who performed with steel and gritty determination in every position on the pitch. When it comes to technique, Arsenal are better than the rest, but when it comes to the crunch, they cannot beat the best. Invincibles: Arsenal's current side are a pale shadow of the team that went through an entire season unbeaten . What a shock. What a surprise. It has been revealed that back-handers were allegedly paid out to make sure the World Cup would take place in Qatar in 2022. Vast sums of money have seemingly changed hands. Back handers: Vast sums of money were allegedly paid to bring the World Cup to Qatar . It's a breeze: Air-conditioned stadiums have been suggested to combat the 120 degree heat . No wonder. It must be the maddest decision in the history of football to stage a World Cup there. To have football matches played in 120 degree heat, in the middle of June, to discuss playing in air-conditioned stadiums or moving it to the winter in a country when there is hardly anyone there in the first place. A massive stewards enquiry is needed to sort this mess out. There is surely no-way the competition can possibly go ahead there now. FIFA must do something about it before we have what will be the worst World Cup there has ever been. Take action! FIFA must act to change the venue before this becomes the worst World Cup in history . I'm delighted for my old team-mate Chris Hughton, whose job in charge at Norwich is continually called into question – even by his own chief executive David McNally. There is no getting away from the fact his forward signings have not quite worked out this season. But Chris continues to carry himself with dignity and calm. He is controlled and measured whenever he is on TV or in front of reporters. It's no surprise, when a manager acts in that manner, that his players are now finding wins that will see them escape relegation and finish comfortably in mid-table. What a huge result against relegation rivals Sunderland where his side dominated against a team who should have been fighting for their lives. Then they had the composure to see the game out in the second half. Come rain or shine he always gives a confident interview and the man has got class. You could not wish to meet a nicer guy. I'm sure the Canaries will be singing cheerily come the end of the season. True gent: Norwich boss Chris Hughton is one of the nicest managers in the Premier League . Screamer: Alex Tettey sealed a 2-0 victory over Sunderland with a contender for goal of the season . Canaries singing: Norwich players celebrate a win that brings them closer to survival this season . Late on Tuesday night I watched the last episode of Breaking Bad. I've never watched anything like that online before, but being out of work and having plenty of time on my hands gave me a chance to watch the entire five series. When it finally finished late that night I took a deep breath and thought: 'That's a shame I really enjoyed that.' Box set: Having time on his hands has given Martin Allen a chance to watch all five series of Breaking Bad . I started wondering what I was going to do afterwards. Not again! Martin Allen's dog Monty is getting tired of constant walks . I woke up on Wednesday morning wondering how to pass the time that day, which had so often been filled with episodes of Breaking Bad during recent weeks and taking poor Monty, my dog, for a walk. Most dogs will jump up and down with excitement when they hear they're going for a walk, but now he flashes me a look as if to say: 'Please not again.' But then, out of the blue, I got a call at 3pm that afternoon and was offered a contract at Barnet until the end of the season. It all happened in a flash. I went in to the training ground the next morning to chat with the players, took training on Friday and had a game on Saturday. It was that quick. It's like with any walk of life, you want to work. When you get sacked it's a horrible feeling and you get very isolated and lonely. You have to move house and leave a large part of your life behind. The amount I've moved about it feels like I've been living in a caravan for the past five years. Barnet had just lost four games in a . row but the players did very well in windy and difficult conditions and . we beat Hereford two-nil. Back in the fray: Martin Allen (C) has returned as manager of Barnet until the end of the season . All you have to do is give the players some clarification in what they're doing and some self-belief. It was easy. Promotion might be a stretch this season, but we've got a very exciting chance to get into the play-offs and achieve some dreams. | Rodgers has asked me to visit Anfield, despite Liverpool's busy schedule . Fergie once sponsored me £500 to help pay Brentford players' wages . Arsenal's technically gifted players can't handle powerful opposition . League's nicest manager Hughton deserves to stay up with Norwich . FIFA need to act before Qatar World Cup becomes the worst in history . A return to management with Barnet will please my exhausted dog Monty . | 6f6635d8819f0b13a0648334f81006cc03b40089 |
(CNN) -- "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain . Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, whose expeditions have inspired others to seek adventure . Adventure comes to those who seek it. Some are born with an adventurous streak, an insatiable curiosity that can only be quelled through discovery, while others seek out adventures as a means of conquering the demons within: fear, boredom, stagnation, a sort of dry rot of the soul. We see adventurous people as being somehow different from ourselves: stronger, braver, tougher, fitter. They are versions of our best selves: the doers in life, the fearless, those who go over the mountain and come back to tell us what's on the other side. While we may think the true adventurers are a species apart, we are all adventurers at heart -- yet sometimes the urge is stifled by modern life. The lust for adventure is planted in childhood. How many of us sat enthralled under the blankets as our parents read us the adventures of the Famous Five, "Treasure Island," "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Swiss Family Robinson," "Tarzan" and "Peter Pan"? Children weaned on such stories may be forgiven for assuming adulthood is one long adventure that swings wildly between jungles, swamps, deserted islands and alpine heights. Yet modern life is increasingly sedentary and safety-conscious. The desire for comfort and convenience ameliorates our contradictory urge to explore. A few have it thrust upon them: stranded in an inhospitable place, lost in a jungle or called up for combat -- and they find themselves dropped in an adventure that they may not have chosen; but for the main part, adventure comes to those who seek it. Dr. James Thompson, a senior lecturer in psychology at University College London, says seeking adventure is more common "amongst people who are extroverted, who are outgoing, who are sociable, because one of the things they need -- apart from the excitement of people -- is excitement generally." But if you think adventure is something that only happens to other people; that you are too unfit to climb a mountain, too scared to sail across the open sea, too nervous to travel through a country where you can't speak the language; perhaps you should rethink. After all, having an adventure could be good for you. Psychologists have linked adventure-seeking with a range of positive qualities. Adventure can: . Following the stories of this age's greatest adventurers such as polar explorer Douglas Mawson, Everest climber Edmund Hillary and mountaineer Reinhold Messner, we are encouraged not just to follow their paths up mountains or along rock faces -- they also inspire us to take more risks, to seize more from each day. Who could fail to be inspired after watching CNN interview the world's greatest living mountaineer, Reinhold Messner? In 1980, Messner was the first person to ascend Mount Everest alone without supplementary oxygen. Later, he crossed Antarctica on skis. He tells CNN anchor Becky Anderson: "I'm a normal person, a totally normal person, and I was really lucky in my life to have to have the opportunity to follow my dreams. So in the beginning I was a rock climber, and all my enthusiasm, my energy and my willpower went into rock climbing." Many young people are naturally adventurous -- throwing their energy and enthusiasm behind sport, hobbies and travel. Witness the explosion of school leavers taking gap years (a year off in between school and university or the workforce), with the destinations becoming more and more exotic and activities accompanying the travel designed to expand their mind as well as their horizons. But later in life, we can wake up and find our lives leeched of adventure. We may be loaded down with a mortgage, kids or a demanding job. Adventure then becomes something we prefer to read about rather than live. We fall into the trap of the armchair traveler and become transfixed by all the journeys we didn't make. Instead of setting out on our own expeditions, we read Joe Simpson's account of his near-death mountaineering experiences in "Touching the Void." Or we follow Sebastian Junger's account of wild sea adventures in "The Perfect Storm." But while we are great armchair adventurers, a craving for the real thing can stir in us when we feel the need to change and shake things up. Women in their 40s are leading the charge towards adventure. A survey released by the Adventure Travel Trade Association in March 2007 said today's typical adventure traveler was "female and fortyish." "Women make up the majority of adventure travelers (52 percent) worldwide, with the most common destination being South America," said the trade association. The survey of travelers from 35 countries also found that people aged 41 to 60 are the highest participating age group in adventure travel. A survey by YouGov in the UK has identified a new subset of British -- the Nifty Fifties. They've had the responsible jobs and raised their children -- and now they want adventure. Tesco Life Insurance has noticed: "They've decided to take the five star version of the student gap year, encompassing all of the adventure with none of the discomforts. Neither burgeoning waistlines nor graying hair is going to hold them back." Some older people are inspired to seek adventure by their children's gap year experiences. Others just want to spend their kids' inheritances. In a survey of older people carried out by Tesco Life Insurance they compiled the Nifty Fifty wish list. Adventure is a common component to their aspirations, the most popular of which are noted below: . Tony Wheeler, one of the founders of guidebook giant "Lonely Planet," is now an aging baby-boomer, yet he still pops up in Iran, a place that has recently dominated headlines the world over for all the wrong reasons. In a recent piece in UK newspaper The Observer, he also recommends holidays in North Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. Messner now is 63 years old and although he no longer has the strength of his youth, he is still setting himself challenges. "So my challenge today is this one (setting up a museum), I will finish this one and afterwards I will invent a new challenge and it will be not on Everest and not in Antarctica it will be probably in a mental dimension because mentally we can go very far also in later years," he told CNN. But the yearning for adventure can strike at all ages. Dave Wroe, 33, and Penny Bradfield, 28, both gave up exciting jobs in the Australian media to travel. They are spending April and May in Iran and have already braved trekking in the Amazon, train travel across India, diving in Syria and traveling in Columbia. "I see adventure as going beyond something you feel comfortable with. If you are uncomfortable going to the end of your street and you go beyond this, then you are being adventurous," said Wroe. Wroe has a point. You don't have to emulate the deeds of Messner to be an adventurer. The spirit of adventure can infiltrate all areas of your life. You can infuse life's "ordinariness" with an adventure: cooking a meal that you may not have tried before, walking to work on a different route, striking up conversation with someone at the office whom you perceive to be intimidating. Successfully pushing your natural boundaries can lead to increased confidence. "The general things which determine whether you start being adventurous is your personality and your youth. But once you start noticing that you have been able to overcome a challenge, it becomes a reward in its own right," said Dr. Thompson. For Messner, adventure now takes place on the ground, with establishing a climbing museum and being elected a member of the European Parliament. Speaking to CNN with the mighty mountains behind him, there was a restless but playful look in his eyes. He said he wasn't the type to sit around, drink beer and collect his pension in his old age. Adventure is so much a part of his life, it seems, that it is an urge that can only be extinguished by death. And so while the strength in his body diminishes, the adventures will take place in his mind. Messner is an extraordinary man, and while most of us would struggle to climb Everest with or without oxygen, we can still emulate his spirit of adventure in our daily lives. | Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner has inspired others to seek adventure . Psychologist Dr. James Thompson says adventurers tend to be more extroverted . Women in their 40s are leading the charge towards adventure . Insurers say "Nifty Fifties" are seeking adventures once the kids have left home . | 2c3f99bf9c252840f82a9e6a46a75bb76a26e31e |
By . Emily Andrews . PUBLISHED: . 07:23 EST, 21 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:44 EST, 22 October 2012 . The wife of Olympic rower James Cracknell has told of the moment she thought he was going to kill her. Beverley Turner says the gold medallist tried to strangle her during an argument in the months following a cycling accident that nearly killed him. In a book they wrote together, the couple talk in haunting detail about their struggle to cope with the aggressive, disorientated stranger that Mr Cracknell became after suffering a brain injury in the accident two years ago. As they were: James Cracknell and Beverley Turner pictured in 2006 . Gruelling: James Cracknell was on a 2,500-mile cycle rife across the US when he was hit by a petrol tanker . In one chapter, his wife wrote: ‘It . has been another long, upsetting, difficult day that culminates in . Croyde [their nine-year-old son] crying himself to sleep after another . hurtful telling-off from James. ‘I lose it. I say I’ve had enough and . he needs to get better elsewhere because it is too much for us. I’m . angry and exhausted. Sick of being bullied, I try to push past James and . he flips. He grabs me round the neck and, with one powerful hand, holds . me down on the bed. He tightens his grip until I can’t breathe. Fears: Beverley said she genuinely thought her husband was going to kill her when he began grabbing her neck . Wedding bells: James and Beverley were married in the Forest of Dean in 2002 . ‘I’d like to say that I couldn’t . believe it was happening, but I could – there was a terrible . inevitability about it. We are alone, drowning in a sea of fear, stress . and confusion. ‘I try to take a breath. For a . moment, I genuinely think he might kill me. I pray that a flicker of . empathy will ignite, just for a moment, among the broken neurons . struggling to fire in his brain, behind his deadened eyes. ‘He lets go. I grab the phone and . lock myself in the bathroom. I call my sister, Cal, who lives round the . corner, in a panic. “Please come round. James has just tried to strangle . me”.’ Proud: James and Beverley Turner with baby Croyde in Athens 2004 . Happy families: James and Beverley's relationship was pushed to the limit . Father-of-three Mr Cracknell, 40, had . his skull smashed by the wing-mirror of a petrol tanker travelling at . 70mph on July 20, 2010, as he cycled along a lonely highway near . Winslow, Arizona. The double Olympic gold medallist, . one of the greatest endurance athletes in the world, was attempting to . travel from Los Angeles to New York in 16 days by running, cycling, . rowing and swimming. His brain slammed forward in the impact, crushing his frontal lobes – the part that controls personality. Champions: James Cracknell, Ed Coode, Matthew Pinsent and Steve Williams win Olympic gold in 2004 . Lovebirds: James and Beverley with Matthew Pinsent and Dee Koutsoukos in 2002 . Miss Turner, 38, said she asked his . psychologist: ‘Did my husband die on July 20?’ His answer was not . reassuring: ‘It’s hard to say.’ During the month she spent at her . husband’s hospital bedside, Miss Turner found out that she was pregnant . but could not tell him until much later in case the emotion brought on a . seizure. After Mr Cracknell was discharged, . they hoped the worst was over but the man who arrived back home in . Chiswick, West London, was ‘not the man I married’. ‘We’re still toughing it out,’ Miss . Turner says. ‘Every moment of my life, from the time he was in that . hospital bed in Arizona, was about getting James back to the person he . once was. ‘That was not a completely altruistic aim: I wanted that person back. I missed him.’ She said a motivating factor in . writing the book, Touching Distance, the hope that one day, their . children – Croyde, three-year-old Kiki and 18-month-old Trixie – would . read it and understand their father better. | Olympic rower grabbed wife round the neck as their relationship was pushed to the limit by his irrational behaviour . Cracknell is still recovering today from the devastating brain trauma . | 6c949d4ab23c4c07fc32278f5f40ead5bc1b6b81 |
By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 13:27 EST, 26 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:20 EST, 26 November 2012 . The U.S. and Russia have named the two men who will spend a year aboard the International Space Station to gather more data on the impact of outer space on humans to help prepare for future interplanetary missions. NASA's Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko of Russia's space agency Roscosmo will take part in the mission set to start in spring 2015. Kelly is the twin brother of Mark Kelly, a fellow astronaut who is also the husband of former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Brothers: Scott Kelly, left, is the twin brother of fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, right . Power couple: Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords have been in the international spotlight since she was targeted in a 2011 assassination attempt . The couple has been in the spotlight since Giffords was targeted in a 2011 assassination attempt. Mark Kelly went on to become the skipper of Space Shuttle Endeavour on its last mission later that year. He then retired. A key goal of the Space Station mission is to help reduce health risks for planned NASA missions around the moon, an asteroid and ultimately Mars. Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator, said the year spent on the Space Station 'will increase our knowledge regarding the effects of microgravity on humans as we prepare for future missions beyond low-Earth orbit.' Cohabitating: Scott Kelly will spend one year aboard the International Space Station with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko in the mission set to begin in spring 2015 . Plans: A key goal of the yearlong International Space Station mission is to help reduce health risks for planned NASA missions around the moon, an asteroid and ultimately Mars . Mr Gerstenmaier added: 'Their skills and . previous experience aboard the space station align with the mission's . requirements. The one-year increment will expand the bounds of how we . live and work in space and will increase our knowledge regarding the . effects of microgravity on humans as we prepare for future missions . beyond low-Earth orbit.' Scott Kelly, a veteran of several space missions who has logged more than 180 days in space, and Kornienko, who traveled to the station in 2010, will start training for the mission early next year. International crews so far have done only six-month stints on the International Space Station, although many Russian cosmonauts spent longer stints on the Soviet-built Mir space station before it was discarded in 2001. Been here before: Kelly, top left, and Kornienko, bottom right, were pictured together prior to Kornienko's launch onboard a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station in 2010 . Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov holds the world's record for the longest ever single space mission, having spent 437 days in space in 1994-1995. Boris Morukov, the head of the Moscow-based Institute for Medical and Biological Problems, Russia's main space medicine research center, said on Interfax news agency that the forthcoming mission by Kelly and Kornienko may include tighter controls of their food rations and the limiting of communications to simulate an interplanetary travel, among other things. Kelly is a 48-year-old, divorced Navy captain with two daughters. Kornienko, 52, a rocket engineer, is married with a daughter. 'We have chosen the most responsible, skilled and enthusiastic crew members to expand space exploration, and we have full confidence in them,' Russian Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said in the announcement. | Scott Kelly, the twin of Mark Kelly, will take part in the yearlong mission with Russian Mikhail Kornienko in 2015 . Goal of mission is to plan further missions beyond Earth's orbit - including Mars . Kelly, 48, is a divorced Navy captain with two daughters . | adeb11addb1f814143959537096b8889f18b7052 |
(CNN) -- ACE Rent A Car may not be the best-known player in the car rental industry, but it's best in class for many travelers, a new survey finds. The Indiana-based company was tops in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, released Tuesday. ACE received particularly high marks for its prices and shuttle service. Enterprise was in second place, performing especially well among leisure travelers. National ranked third in the study. The survey measures satisfaction with car rental companies in six categories: costs and fees, the pickup process, the return process, the rental car itself, the company's shuttle bus or van, and the reservation process. Travelers' overall happiness with rental car companies increased for a second consecutive year, the study found. "As positive as this increase in satisfaction is, there remains ample opportunity for rental car companies to further delight their customers in the future," said Stuart Greif, a vice president at J.D. Power and Associates. Those improvements could include companies digitally measuring gas tank levels for more accurate charges, retrieving mileage and gas information digitally as customers return cars, and giving real-time estimates of shuttle van arrival times, he said. Meanwhile, a big issue continues to be the amount of time it takes customers to pick up their cars. The average wait time now is 17 minutes, the study found. That's an improvement from 20.5 minutes in 2010 but still way too long for many people. Satisfaction drops considerably among travelers who have to wait more than five minutes to get their car. "The culture of immediacy creates expectations around timeliness of service that can be challenging to meet," said Jessica McGregor of J.D. Power and Associates. The company advised travelers to use kiosks -- if available -- instead of waiting in line at the counter. Very few rental car customers now use kiosks, but those who do tend to be more satisfied with the experience overall, J.D. Power and Associates said. The 2011 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on more than 12,500 evaluations from business and leisure travelers who rented a car at an airport location. The survey was conducted between January and September. | Study: Travelers' satisfaction with rental car companies increases for a second year . ACE Rent A Car received the best grades, followed by Enterprise and National . Study: Average wait time to pick up a car is 17 minutes, down from 20.5 minutes in 2010 . | e8cc1cf199d07777a407bcf7ef90c91e3d58e227 |
Honda and Subaru are making the safest cars on the road, according to a new report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - which has spent the last year smashing and mangling countless 2014 vehicle models to see which provide the best protection for drivers and passengers. Out of the IIHS' 22 vehicles that received the Top Safety Pick+ rating - the highest rating the nonprofit can give - five are Hondas and three are Subarus. The Audi A4, the Toyota Prius V, Kia Forte and Nissan Sentra all fared among the worst for this year's models. Scroll down for video . Success: The 2014 Honda Accord made top marks in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety . New criteria: The IIHS focused its ratings heavily on the 'small frontal overlap crash' in which the vehicle strikes an object with only a small portion of its front end. The Audi A4 did not pass this test . IIHS crashes cars into objects at high speeds from a variety of angles, but this year the nonprofit group is heavily focusing its ratings on the small overlap frontal crash. Russ Raider, a spokesman for the IIHS, said researchers found that particular kind of crash - where the car strikes an object on only half of the front of the car - results in one quarter of all injuries and deaths in vehicles. 'We were looking at how people are still being seriously injured in frontal crashes, despite the fact that vehicles have improved so much in safety performance over the year,' Mr Raider told MailOnline. The group is also focusing on new technology that can either alert drivers to an impending frontal crash or even automatically stop the car. The Audi A4 and the Toyota Prius V both failed the partial frontal crash test. The Infiniti Q50 and Honda Accord top safety choices, according to the IIHS . Small cars . Midsize moderately priced cars . Midsize luxury/near-luxury cars . Large luxury cars . Small SUVs . Midsize SUV . Midsize luxury SUVs . Minivan . The following cars passed the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash tests, but do not include automatic braking or crash detection technology required for the winners of the Top Safety Pick+ category. These vehicles were rated Top Safety Pick for 2014, a slightly lesser category. Toyota Camry is notable because it was redesigned after failing crash tests in the two previous years. Minicar . Small cars . Midsize moderately priced cars . Midsize luxury/near-luxury car . Small SUV . Midsize luxury SUV . Small cars . Midsize moderately priced cars . Midsize luxury/near luxury cars . Small SUVs . The IIHS awarded its Top Safety Pick+ rating only to vehicles that had one or both technologies. The devices can reduce crashes by up to 15percent, according to studies. Another 17 vehicles, which passed crash tests but did not have the crash-warning technology received the lesser 'Top Safety Pick' rating. 'The automakers are competing on safety and they want to show that they are earning the top ratings in our evaluations,' Mr Raider said. 'And we want to tell consumers which crash avoidance systems are worth the money and encourage the automakers to make the effective ones more available on their vehicles.' IIHS was even able to influence the largest automaker in the world to change one of its most popular cars. After the Toyota Camry failed the small overlap frontal crash two years in a row, the Japanese company redesigned the front end to make it crash resistant. The 2014 Camry scored 'acceptable' - the second-highest rating. | Insurance Institute of Highway Safety picked 22 vehicles for its highest rating, Top Safety Pick+ . New ratings focus on partial frontal collision test, electronic crash sensors and automatic braking . Honda has five models that get top ratings and Subaru has three . | 99c9ebecc86b0fe038fba808318ba7b9759e6652 |
(CNN) -- Authorities say a Maryland woman suffocated her two kids, 1 and 3 years old, and then told a relative what she'd done. Prince George's County police accused 24-year-old Sonya Katarina Spoon of suffocating 1-year-old Ayden Spoon and 3-year-old Kayla Thompson over the weekend. The children died at a hospital, authorities say. Police say they found plastic bags near both of the kids. Spoon gave police a detailed statement on how the children died, according to police. She is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail pending a court appearance, according to authorities. Spoon has been dealing with a stressful custody issue and has been "under extreme psychological and mental distress," said her mother, Paivi Spoon. Arizona mother admits to killing daughter, poisoning other kids, police say . S.C. mother pleads guilty to murder of 2 sons . | Maryland mother is accused of suffocating her two children, aged 1 and 3 . Police found plastic bags near the kids' bodies . Their mother, Sonya Katarina Spoon, is in custody, police say . Spoon has been in extreme "mental distress," the suspect's mother says . | 9199a413c11f33ba3aafd03f99aec188d3166c1b |
Staying put? Dr Jim Sears, 48, has denied claims he is leaving popular CBS chat show 'The Doctors' Dr Jim Sears, star of daytime talk show 'The Doctors', has denied reports that he is about to leave the cast while being investigated for threatening his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. TMZ reported that Sears, 48, was at his Huntington Beach, California home last month with his girlfriend when she felt 'uneasy' and asked her ex to pick her up. The ex-boyfriend, Pete Scalisi, arrived at the home and took the woman away. But Sears 'flew into a rage', called Scalisi and accused of him kidnapping the woman - before driving to his house, TMZ reported. 'I'm going to kill you!' he allegedly shouted at Scalisi. Scalisi then filed a police report against the doctor, alleging that he had made criminal threats. Police are investigating but have yet to speak with Sears, the website noted, adding that the doctor is leaving the show 'very soon'. But Sears' lawyers this morning vehemently denied the claims to DailyMail.com, calling the allegations 'a complete fabrication'. 'Dr. Spears did not threaten anyone's life and is not resigning from The Doctors,' Michael P. Wippler said in an email. The Doctors, a CBS daytime talk show that started in 2008, features a panel of doctors, including Sears, discussing a range of various health-related topics with audience members. Giving advice: Dr Sears, pictured second left with (from left) Dr Drew Ordon, Dr Lisa Masterson and Dr Travis Stork, is part of the panel of experts on The Doctors. He is a pediatrician with a practice in California . Sears, a pediatrician, works at a family practice in Capistrano Beach, California with his father and younger brother. He has two children with his former wife, Diane, and a third child. In 2011, he revealed on the show that he had proposed to his girlfriend, Gina, during a vacation to Hawaii. It is not clear if she was the woman cited in the police report. He is a published author, serves as the Children's Health Specialist for the AOL Medical Advisory Board and has featured as an expert for a range of outlets, including Parenting.com and CNN. Following an appearance on CNN last year, Dr Sears was forced to apologize for comments he made about six-year-old Coy Mathis, a transgender child who wished to use the girl's school bathroom, GLAAD reported. Award winning: Sears is pictured with his fellow hosts (left to right, Dr Ordon, Dr Masterson and Dr Stork) with the Outstanding Informative Talk Show following the Emmys in Las Vegas 2010 . Sears said he would not be happy with a child with a penis sharing the bathroom with his daughter, saying it would be 'uncomfortable' for the girls in the bathroom. He later released a statement saying he had made comments based on the assumption that the youngster would have acted 'like a typical boy'. 'I understand Coy as transgender is not likely to display those same tendencies,' he said. 'I do apologize for implying she may display the same behavior as I have seen with young boys her age.' | Dr Jim Sears, who appears on CBS' daytime talk show The Doctors, was reported to be leaving the show - but his lawyers have denied the claims . A report said Sears was under investigation for threatening his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend when the man collected her from the doctor's house . | 04cd6e7310d076ded8faf23b346230e2f111149f |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:08 EST, 18 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:27 EST, 19 July 2013 . Richard III's remains were discovered underneath a car park in Leicester last year . King Richard III will be laid to rest in a £1million raised tomb. Leicester Cathedral, which will raise the money itself, said the design will be ready in September. Once the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England approves it, the last Yorkist king will be re-interred next May. However, the Plantagenet Alliance, a . group of Richard’s relatives, has applied to the High Court for a . judicial review into the plans for the site. University of Leicester archaeologists found the remains after a dig in a city car park. If all goes to plan the cathedral is hoping Richard’s remains can be re-interred in a ceremony full of pomp. However, those plans also rely on the . outcome of a legal challenge from the Plantagenet Alliance. The group, made up of Richard’s relatives, have applied to the High Court for . a judicial review into the decision to grant the city cathedral licence . as the final resting place for the king’s bones. Scroll down for video . Unceremonious: The king's remains were found in a small grave among . the ruins of the medieval Grey Friars Church . The cathedral must also raise £1 . million to pay for alterations to the building, a new floor, lighting, . stained glass windows and the ceremony itself. Richard’s remains were discovered by . archaeologists from the University of Leicester after a dig in a city . car park, following a campaign by the Richard III Society and with the . permission of Leicester City Council, which owned the plot of ground. Architects Van Heyningen and Haward have now released an artist impression of the newly raised tomb and surrounding area. Richard III was discovered squashed into a very small and badly prepared 'lozenge'-shaped pit as gravediggers rushed to bury him . Richard III was identified by analysing his his curved spine - he was reputed to have a hunched back - and the injuries he was reported to have sustained. During the latest dig, archaeologists will make a large trench measuring 25m by 17m around the area where his skeleton was found . It was one woman's hunch led to the discovery of the skeleton which has now been proven to be that of Richard III.Screenwriter Philippa Langley said she felt a chill on a hot summer's day in 2009 as she walked through the area where it was thought he was buried. Miss Langley initially funded the excavation of what is now a Leicester City Council car park because she was '99 per cent certain' that the remains were those of Richard. Dr Phil Stone, chairman of the . Richard III Society, was delighted with the architects’ work and said: . 'I think that the design is absolutely fantastic.' The Dean of Leicester, The Very Rev . David Monteith, said: 'We have listened carefully to the different views . that were expressed. 'We want to create a really wonderful . space in the cathedral for him and the many thousands of people we know . will want to come to visit and pay their respects.' Professor Sir Bob Burgess, University . of Leicester vice chancellor, said he was 'confident' the re-interment . plans would properly honour Richard - the last English king to die in . battle. King Richard III was killed at the . Battle of Bosworth in 1485 bringing to a close the tumultuous period of . English history known as the Wars of the Roses. | Remains of Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, were discovered under a car park among the ruins of a church in Leicester last September . Leicester Cathedral, which will raise the money itself, said the design for the new tomb will be ready in September . | a849d1497187908c452cf10d2b2b292b5610e862 |
(CNN) -- M13 was the only bear known to have been living wild in Switzerland, according to the Swiss national broadcaster. Despite that status, the young male was shot Tuesday morning in Poschiavo Valley, in the Alps near the Italian border, by authorities who feared he was a threat to people. The brown bear had become dangerous because he regularly sought out food in inhabited areas -- including a school -- and had started following people during the day, the Swiss Federal Environment Office said. The creature also showed little fear of humans despite several attempts to get it away from villages, it said. There was so much concern about the bear's behavior, he was fitted with a radio collar so he could be closely monitored. And in November of last year, he was classified as a "problem bear." When M13 emerged from his winter hibernation recently, that pattern of behavior was repeated, pushing authorities to act, the environment office said in a prepared statement Wednesday. "The bear M13 had certainly never showed any aggression toward man, but the risk that an accident might happen and that people might be badly injured or killed had become intolerable," it said. Nonetheless, news of his death prompted grief and outrage on a Facebook page set up by supporters of M13. Some questioned why he wasn't relocated or placed in a zoo rather than being shot by wildlife officers. The Swiss branch of the World Wildlife Fund environmental campaign group said it was "extremely disappointed" that the bear was killed. Joanna Schoenenberger, an expert on bears at the WWF, said it was far too soon to shoot M13. M13 "was in no way a problem bear," she said, adding that wildlife officers should have continued efforts to make him more frightened of humans. "His death is the result of a lack of acceptance of bears in Poschiavo, which is a direct consequence of a lack of information among the population," she said. The risk remains that other bears might follow in M13's paw prints and stray into Switzerland's Grisons area. According to the Swiss Federal Environment Office, M13 was one of about 40 individuals originating in the Trentino Alto Adige area of Italy, where a reintroduction program is under way. The bear's name comes from the system of identifying bears from that Italian population, with M standing for males and F for females, said WWF spokesman Philip Gehri. M13 was the 13th male from that group to be born in the wild. Faced with the migration of these bears, Swiss authorities have the dilemma of whether to try to protect the population as a whole or a few individuals, the environment office said. "In order to give the bear population a chance to reestablish itself in Switzerland, circumstances sometimes arise when unfortunately an individual must be killed," it said. Eight bears have entered Switzerland since 2006, the WWF said. If others follow, they should not be killed "simply because we haven't done our homework," said Schoenenberger. The WWF advises that people in areas where bears may be present safeguard livestock, put garbage in bear-proof trashcans and protect beehives. And for the brown bear to survive in the Alps, its human neighbors must accept it, Schoenenberger said. Switzerland is not the only country to struggle with the question of how to help humans and natural predators coexist without friction. In the United States, lawmakers in Minnesota voted last year to allow limited hunting of wolves, after they were removed from federal protection. Conservation groups, including the Humane Society, opposed the decision, but the Minnesota-based International Wolf Center argued that wolves are a threat to domestic animals wherever the two coexist. | NEW: Bear called M13 "was in no way a problem bear," says conservation group expert . It showed little fear of humans, Swiss wildlife service says . The young male was killed in an Alpine valley near the border with Italy . Supporters of M13 express their grief and outrage on Facebook . | 23549ee28a738a5353290ded0b4272f2e36bc029 |
As conflict rages around Syria, rebel groups have been using a range outlandish devices as fighting continues in besieged cities. The Free Syrian Army have little access to big weapons apart from small arms such as machine guns and often have to make their own ammunition. Today fighters on the Syrian coast were pictured firing Grad long distance shells towards forces loyal to president Bashar Al-Assad. Scroll down for video . A rebel fighter flips the switch on the detonator to fire a Grad long distance shell towards the Syrian city of Jableh . Before firing, the members of the Free Syrian Army prepare the shell in the coastal area of Jabal al-Akrad in north west Syria . The shell is loaded into the rocket launcher before being fired towards forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad . Rebel fighters have little access to big weapons and sophisticated ammunition and often make their own . The shells were being fired towards the government forces in the city of Jableh from the Jabal al-Akrad area in north western Latakia province. Grad shells were first developed in Russia and can travel over large distances. Members of the Free Syrian Army were seen preparing the shells before loading them into a rocket launcher. They then retreat to safety while one man has the task of using a remote detonator to fire off the explosive. Yesterday, rebels were pictured firing a homemade weapon known as a 'hell cannon' in the city of Aleppo . A group of rebel fighters move the cannon into place as the prepare to launch it amid the ruins of Aleppo . The rebel groups are said to take great pride in the cannon, which they developed themselves, which has a range of about a mile . A rebel prepares the homemade shells, which are made from highly modified propane gas cylinders . The Grad shells that were being fired today are more powerful and sophisticated compared to the improvised explosives other rebels are relying on. In the besieged city of Aleppo yesterday, a homemade weapon dubbed the 'hell cannon' was being used to fire out highly modified propane gas cylinders. The rebel groups are said to take great pride in the cannon, which they developed themselves, which has a range of about a mile. Fighters using the cannon are also made to watch online videos detailing how it is assembled and given a fact sheet on how to fire it. Meanwhile ISIS terrorists who are battling with Kurdish fighters for control of the Syrian town of Kobane on the Turkish border have also been pictured using unconventional guns. One jihadist has been pictured aiming a 10-foot long sniper rifle out of a flat window, which was so big it had to be supported on two tripods. An ISIS terrorist who was pictured in the Syrian border town of Kobane, aiming a ten foot long sniper rifle out of the window of a flat . The 23mm calibre anti-aircraft bullets, which rebels prepared to fire on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo . The gun fires 23mm calibre bullets, that are three times the size of standard rifle ammo, with huge casings from the bullets, lying on the floor next to the gunman. What sort of effect this gun would have remains open to debate, however, according to firearms expert David Dyson. He told MailOnline: 'The problem with identifying the effect of this gun is firstly that we don't know for sure what the calibre is, although there wouldn't be a lot of point in building something like this if it wasn't of a significant calibre. 'Secondly, and probably of more importance, we don't know how well it is made: is the barrel accurately machined and rifled? 'The effect will also depend on the type of ammunition used. These rounds exist [23mm] fitted with high explosive incendiary or armour piercing incendiary projectiles.They will be effective against personnel and vehicles including lightly armoured ones.' | Fighters in Syria have been using a range of unusual guns in Syria conflict . Rebels often have little access to big weapons and have to improvise . Today fighters were pictured firing Grad long range shells on the coast . Comes a day after fighters in Aleppo showed off their 'hell cannon' ISIS in Kobane have also been pictures using 10-foot long sniper rifles . | e06460337839186041056b762434dedd7ca608bd |
By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 05:42 EST, 19 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:23 EST, 19 June 2012 . Tragic: Adam Atkinson, 20, was killed in the accident at the HM Martinique hotel in Magaluf, Majorca, in April . The father of a British tourist who died after falling down three flights of stairs while drunk has hit out at cheap alcohol deals. Adam Atkinson, 20, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, was killed in the accident at the HM Martinique hotel in Magaluf, Majorca, in April. His father Alan Atkinson has called for tougher laws governing the selling of cheap alcohol in tourist resorts popular with young people. Since Adam's death, four more Britons have fallen from a hotel ledge or balcony in Magaluf. Two of the falls were fatal. Mr Atkinson told New! magazine: 'There have been four accidents like Adam's in Magaluf since. These kids aren't looking for trouble. They are naive youngsters living . life to the full and taking advantage of cheap alcohol deals. 'There should be tighter laws on . cheap deals and binge drinking. Young people going on holiday to these . places need protecting, before it's too late.' Adam . and his friends had spent hours drinking at their hotel on their first . day in Magaluf on April 16 when they headed out on the town, Mr Atkinson . said. He added: 'They went . to one bar where they paid just ten euros to drink as much as they . liked in two hours - and they got through a lot. Death fall: Adam died after falling down three flights of stairs while drunk at HM Martinique (pictured) in the popular resort of Magaluf, Majorca . Escape: Mr Atkinson was enjoying a holiday at the resort of Magaluf on the Spanish island of Majorca when the tragedy happened. His father has called for tougher laws governing the selling of cheap alcohol . 'Then they hit karaoke bars, knocking back more. 'We . believe Adam may have been planning to jump out on his friends when . they arrived back at the hotel - he had taken the stairs, they had got . in the lift. 'But he lost his footing and plunged three floors to the hard concrete below. Chantelle Serginson, 24, from Middlesbrough, was left in intensive care and fractured her skull and legs after falling from the sixth floor of the Hotel Marina Barricuda . 'He was enjoying himself and hadn't meant to risk his life. The poor, poor boy didn't deserve to die. 'We . are waiting for the toxicology report on Adam, and I dread to think . what it might tell us. His friends think he knocked back at least 20 . vodkas.' Just three days after Adam fell to his death, Benjamin Harper, 28, from Twickenham, plunged from a a fifth-floor balcony of the Sol Antillas Barbados hotel at the resort. Two . weeks after that, Charlotte Faris, 23, from Codicote, Hertfordshire, . fell to her death from the balcony of her room at the Teix hotel just . moments after checking in. On . May 25, Chantelle Serginson, 24, from Middlesbrough was left in . intensive care and fractured her skull and legs after falling from the . sixth floor of the Hotel Marina Barricuda. And, . two days later, Daniel Geary, 23, was hospitalised after landing on his . back after falling from his second floor room at the HM Martinique . hotel, the same hotel where Adam died in a fall. Last year more than a dozen Britons fell from hotels in Spain and three died. Several . of them were involved in what Spaniards have dubbed ‘balconing’ – in . which young people attempt to jump from one balcony to another. | Adam Atkinson, 20, was killed in the accident at the HM Martinique hotel in Magaluf, Majorca in April . His father Alan Atkinson has called for tougher laws to police the sale of cheap alcohol in tourist resorts . | 8055060530caf992fe9ea521018fb391bc97adcc |
Action: Foreign Secretary William Hague said . today that Britain could provide experts to help seize the Syrian . government's chemical weapons stockpiles . Britain is willing to send experts to Syria to help seize its government's chemical weapons stockpiles but will not send soldiers to protect them, said William Hague today. The Foreign Secretary said that sending British troops might 'create strong feelings' within Syria and suggested that alternative security arrangements would be looked at. Under an agreement between the U.S. and Russia, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's regime is required to submit a full inventory of its chemical stockpile by the end of the week. That's the first deadline in a timetable to allow international inspectors into the country by November and complete the surrender of its arsenal by mid-2014. It comes after UN inspectors confirmed that said there was ‘clear and convincing evidence’ that deadly sarin gas was used in the attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of people, many of them children. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the evidence suggested the incident was the world’s worst chemical weapons attack for 25 years, when Saddam Hussein used them in Hallabja in 1988, killing 5,000. ‘This is a war crime and a grave violation of international law,’ Mr Ban said. ‘The results are overwhelming and indisputable. The facts speak for themselves.’ Although the UN report did not say who was to blame, Mr Hague has said the its findings backed the West's claims that Syrian government forces were behind the attack. The Foreign Secretary told the BBC today that he now hopes a UN security resolution enshrining the Syrian regime's responsibility to hand over its chemical weapons stocks will be drawn up over the weekend. Asked if British troops could be deployed to Syria, Mr Hague told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'No. We will not be sending British troops into Syria. 'Not for these or any other circumstances. We won't be sending boots on the ground, deploying boots on the ground in Syria.' 'I don't think that would be a good way to provide security inside Syria, given that might create strong feelings within Syria, so that would have to be provided in a different way.' 'Clear and convincing evidence': Professor Ake . Sellstrom, head of the chemical weapons team working in Syria, hands . over the report on the Al-Ghouta massacre to United Nations Secretary-General Ban . Ki-moon . On the issue of sending British experts, Mr Hague said: 'Well, we're open to that. We would want to be confident about their security. 'I think all countries that have expertise in this area should be ready to use it, to deploy it as part of an international team.' When asked again on the matter of sending UK experts if there was a requirement, the Foreign Secretary confirmed: 'We'd be willing to do so.' Mr Hague said there has to be confidence that the people dealing with the weapons are secure. Chemical weapons: People walk in a narrow alley past a poster featuring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The UN report into the atrocity does not appear to have apportioned blame . He continued: 'Of course, all the areas concerned are in regime hands. Interestingly, given all the debate in the past about whether this was the regime or the opposition, there is no consideration being given to securing chemical weapons held by the opposition because nobody actually believes they've got any. 'Even the Russians are not discussing the declaration and destruction of opposition-held chemical weapons because even they don't think they really exist. 'So this is all about places in regime-held territory. It should be possible to make security arrangements but again this is a perfectly legitimate question, but that all remains to be sorted out in the coming days. 'I hope the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) will come to its decision by the end of the week. We'll then be working on agreeing a security council resolution over the weekend. 'Of course, those timetables might slip but we're looking at days, not weeks.' Massacre: Syrian activists inspect the bodies of people they say were killed by nerve gas in the Ghouta region, in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria . Earlier the Foreign Secretary said UK involvement will depend on the arrangements made by the OPCW and what is agreed at the security council. He said: 'We do have experts in these matters in the UK. When the inspectors went in in the last few weeks, the Syrian regime wouldn't agree to have anybody from the UK or the US.' Questioned on whether the Syrian regime still has the right to make such refusals, Mr Hague said: 'That depends on the terms of the resolution, the work of the OPCW.' Mr Hague said he did not think it would be the case that Assad could choose who comes to look at his chemical weapons. He said: 'But that, of course, is all being sorted out and what he is not able to choose now is whether to declare there's chemical weapons and to get rid of them. 'So this is undoubtedly an advance compared to where we were a few weeks ago.' | Foreign Secretary says sending British troops might 'create strong feelings' He calls for UN resolution to ratify Russia-U.S. plan for Syrian disarmament . UN report confirms there is 'convincing evidence' that sarin gas was used . | 6f1dfa3b97cc5423d0fbbb13864efa4121d6dba3 |
(Fast Company) -- On Tuesday, Amazon launched Instant Video, a streaming movie and TV service that features more than 5,000 titles. The long-rumored service is offered for no additional cost to members of Amazon Prime, the company's loyalty program, which gives customers all-you-can-eat free two-day shipping for a $79 annual fee, and already boasts millions of members. At $79 a year -- or $6.58 per month -- Amazon's new service is less expensive than subscriptions for Netflix and Hulu, which cost $7.99. Will Amazon's service have a big impact on the latter companies? To some degree, Amazon is now a competitor to Hulu and Netflix, but the competition is indirect. Hulu and Netflix more recently have focused on delivering fresher content to customers. Amazon Instant Video is more or less centered on longer-tail content. Fast Company: More about Amazon . "It's a mix--movies from Sony and Warner Bros. tend to be a little older, five to seven years, but we've got some more recent movies," says Cameron Janes, director of Amazon Instant Video. "You are not going to find day-and-date movies. You're not going to find brand-new movies in here because the movies are generally older." The same goes for television. "We don't have day-after-broadcast TV in our Prime offering," Janes says. What's more, in addition to offering newer content, Netflix also offers a much larger library, with an estimated 20,000 titles available for streaming, quadruple Amazon's offerings. In a letter to customers featured prominently on Amazon.com today, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos touted the new offerings, from March of the Penguins to The Dick Van Dyke Show. Of the 18 titles Bezos listed, 16 of them are also available for instant streaming on Netflix. Instant Video appears to be aimed less at Netflix and Hulu, and more at attracting new customers to Amazon Prime. When users search for a movie title online now, they'll will be peppered with benefits of the program. Searching for "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," for example, non-members will see that they can buy the DVD for $15, not including shipping fees, or rent or buy the film via streaming for $3.99 or $11.99, respectively. However, if they become members of Prime -- for only $6.58 a month--they won't have to spend a penny on the film, since it's available on Instant Video. (And if they still want the DVD, there's always free shipping.) Those ramped up benefits might be enough to pull Amazon users over to Amazon Prime. But will it be enough to sway users into canceling their Netflx and Hulu subscriptions? It's too early to say. As Janes says, "We're just getting started." Copyright © 2010 FastCompany.com, a unit of Mansueto Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved. | On Tuesday, Amazon launched Instant Video, a streaming movie and TV service . Amazon is now a competitor to Hulu and Netflix, but the competition is indirect . Netflix offers a much larger library that quadruples Amazon's offering . | fefb64067aeb696a4712385c4791661317e5cd95 |
By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 04:25 EST, 11 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:26 EST, 11 April 2013 . Feeding the horses is a wholesome activity but might need an adults-only warning in future after a pensioner came across two X-rated carrots in one bag. Pam Wilson, 65, discovered the rude vegetables that look like a naked man and woman in a bag of vegetables. Ms Wilson said she was left in fits of giggles after digging out 'Mr Carrot' from the bag last week. Saucy: The suggestive carrots were discovered by Pam Wilson as she fed her friend's horses . Mr and Mrs Carrot: One looks like a man's lower half while the other resembles a woman with her legs crossed . The carrot appendage resembles a man's lower half complete with his 'meat and two veg'. Ms Wilson then reached into the bag and found 'Mrs Carrot'. The retired home tutor said she laughed even more when she picked up the vegetable that looks like woman with her legs crossed. Ms Wilson, from Louth, Lincolnshire, said: 'I thought it was quite humorous when I pulled out the male-looking carrot. 'But I couldn't believe my eyes when I picked a Mrs Carrot to go with him.' Ms Wilson amused herself by taking pictures of the carrot couple. Some even included Mr Carrot giving a rose to his beloved. Humorous: Pam Wilson arrange the carrot couple in a range of positions before feeding them to the horses . But, sadly for the vegetables, their shape did not spare them their fate for very long. She said: 'I took some pictures of them arranging them into different positions and then I fed them to the horses. 'I didn't see the point in keeping them they weren't my carrots - they were for the horses. 'And they seemed to quite enjoy them. Everybody I have shown since thinks they are hilarious. 'It's a little bit naughty - but you've got to have a giggle haven't you.' | Pam Wilson, 65, from Louth, found the X-rated carrots in the same bag . Retired home tutor laughed when she found Mr and Mrs Carrot . She took pictures of the carrot couple before feeding them to the horses . | c2c9053978ee7e059c18ee80c6e7b7f7c926a912 |
By . Zoe Szathmary . A video allegedly shows three teenagers attacking a ice cream man standing next to his cart. The incident reportedly took place in Northeast Charlotte, North Carolina, WSOCTV reported. Scroll down for video . Standoff: What appear to be two teenage girls stand in front of the ice cream man . Attack: The first girl then tries to attack the ice cream man . A girl is seen trying to touch the man's ice cream cart as another girl stands behind her. The first girl then appears to try to hit the man repeatedly as he attempts to defend himself. The second girl then lunges toward the ice cream man - not long before an unidentified male also tries to take a swing at him. As the teens back away from the man, yelling is heard. The first girl then moves back toward the ice cream man and seems to repeatedly hit him as he tries to dodge her blows. At different parts of the alleged assault the teens are heard laughing. The teens eventually run away from the man and his cart at the end of the video. A fourth unidentified individual filmed the alleged assault. On the affiliate station's Facebook page, the video has already been shared 170 times and received 202 comments as of this writing. 'This is sad,' one commenter wrote. 'Taking advantage of a poor man who makes a living by selling ice cream that can cost no more than $2 a piece... This isn't about race, it's about education. I hope these young ladies change their ways now, because if they continue to live this way their lives will be nothing but disaster.' 'Such disrespect.....give them time in jail for that...I bet they won't pick on or rob anyone else,' another wrote. Police told WSOCTV Daishaun Tyrone Burney was arrested and they are looking for two others. Trouble: The two girls are seen facing the ice cream man . Third attacker: An unidentified male appears to try and take a swing at the ice cream man . Assault: The first girl apparently hits the ice cream man repeatedly . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | A video allegedly shows three teenagers attacking a ice cream man standing next to his cart . The incident reportedly took place in Northeast Charlotte . | f24fa66fd61e985d9eb8834f258aff465d75e826 |
Phnom Penh, Cambodia (CNN) -- I visited the Cambodian Stock Exchange (CSX) last September in the heart of Phnom Penh. It had officially "opened" a few months prior but no companies were listed yet. The trading room was filled with new desks and computer monitors, waiting for someone to power them on. Fast forward seven months and the stock exchange is now starting to breathe signs of life -- there is now one company trading on the exchange. On April 18, the Cambodian Stock Exchange started trading with the IPO of the state utility company, "Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority." As a frontier market, Cambodia is still a work in progress. The government is trying to woo international investors by throwing open its doors and virtually saying, "We will make it easy for you." There are no capital controls. No requirements for joint ventures. International companies can own 100% of their local business in Cambodia. The only major restriction is on foreign ownership of land. With a young labor force that commands cheaper wages than China, Cambodia has been looking attractive to foreign companies. Despite these incentives, there are many challenges for the new stock exchange: . Challenge #1: Short-term Investors . Even with just one company trading, the exchange generated a lot of interest among local and foreign investors. In the first three days of trading, the share price for the water utility rose 60% above its IPO price, but by the following week, short term-investors started selling to take in profits. The stock price came down substantially. "It's kind of a typical phenomenon for a new exchange. It happened in the Laos market and Vietnam's market. It is no surprise to me," says KT Han, managing director of Tongyang Securities which was the sole underwriter of the IPO. "Some people made a 50% profit within a few days. They tend to be short sighted by this fluctuation in price and it will take some time for them to understand the market and make long-term investments." Challenge #2: More Companies Need to List . You need more than one company to make a stock exchange thrive. Laos' stock market opened in January 2011 and it still has only two companies trading. The volume of trade is fairly stagnant. That's exactly what investors don't want to see with the Cambodian Stock Exchange. Another company, Telecom Cambodia, is preparing its IPO later this year. "I don't see any reason why eventually you can't have a dozen companies trading on the stock exchange. A lot of the big banks are listable," says Scott Lewis, chief investment officer of Leopard Capital which invests in pre-emerging markets. "I know some brokers have mandates from garment manufacturers (to prepare to list)." He also believes the success of the Cambodian Stock Exchange can have a nice domino effect. If it starts to hum, brokers will publish research on both Cambodian and Laos stock exchange-listed companies, generating interest in the region. The key is to get more companies to list and greater volume trading. Challenge #3: Proper Accounting . In order for a company to list on the CSX, it must have at least three years of proper audits prepared by an accredited international accounting firm approved by the Cambodian government. This is a tough challenge for many local, Cambodian companies. When I was in Cambodia last September, one analyst told me that he couldn't think of one large Cambodian company that had audited financial statements. So it will take time for some local companies to get up to speed. Challenge #4: Volatility of a Frontier Market . The government is doing its best to showcase the stock exchange. In one of the busiest traffic intersections of Phnom Penh, there is a large stock market television screen that shows the stock market moves. It generates interest among individual retail investors who can watch the stock price as they sit in traffic. Institutional investors from Japan, Korea and China have also taken a bite of the recent IPO but whether that interest can be sustained is still a big question. Cambodia is new to the game. Risk and volatility are inherent in a frontier market. Corruption is a concern even though the government passed an anti-corruption law in 2010. Han is very frank about the risks. "In general, the lack of a capital market infrastructure can be a challenge for investors," he says. "The cost of capacity building can be a challenge for investors who are not familiar with a market like Cambodia. In terms of corporate governance (e.g. accounting, business ethics), there's a long way to go for local family-owned businesses. But once you understand the market here, there can be more opportunity than risk." | The Cambodian Stock Exchange started trading with one company on April 18 . There are neither capital controls nor requirements for joint ventures . But despite incentives, the stock exchange faces many challenges . | c0caa0d05936aa494890addc15da4f342ea60a5f |
LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- A 3-year-old Bolivian girl whose parents thought was dead and were preparing to bury remained in a coma but was improving Friday, while her mother and stepfather were being held on abuse charges, a hospital official said. The girl is suffering from a head injury, contusions throughout her body and burns on her face, said Jose Carlos Camacho, director of Hospital Universitario Japones in Santa Cruz. "She is improving," Camacho told CNN on Friday. "Yesterday she was able to take liquids orally. She is waking up but remains critical." The girl's parents thought she was dead and held a six-hour wake Monday when a neighbor noticed she showed signs of life and took her to a medical center, the Santa Cruz, Bolivia, newspaper El Deber said on its Web site. The girl's stepfather, Gumercindo Ali Mamani, 20, and mother, Lucia Chana, 22, appeared in court Tuesday and were ordered held on abuse charges, the newspaper said. Their 3-month-old son was placed in protective custody. The severity of the girl's coma is rated about 14 or 15 on a 15-point scale, in which 15 is the best, Camacho said. A patient is usually placed on life-support machinery at 8 on the scale, said Camacho, who is also a surgeon. The girl suffered a subdural hematoma, a traumatic injury in which blood pools between two protective layers of the brain, but did not require surgery, Camacho said. A subdural hematoma can result from a blow to the head or from shaking. Doctors expect the girl to remain in intensive care for about another week before she can be moved to intermediate care. According to El Deber, the stepfather asked for forgiveness but the mother only said that the girl was often restless. CNN's Arthur Brice contributed to this report. | Bolivian parents were preparing to bury their 3-year- old girl . Neighbor noticed signs of life, takes girl to medical center . Mother and stepfather arrested, are being held on abuse charges . Girl in coma, with head injury, contusions over her body and facial burns . | a982c313ee4fccad4a2fdc150e8d9d1f2091a4f8 |
(CNN) -- Activision is reloading the golden gun to take another shot at reviving a James Bond video game relic. The game publisher plans to unveil a new 007 shooter based on the 16-year-old Pierce Brosnan flick, "GoldenEye," at a news conference later this month, said a spokeswoman helping organize the Activision event. The formal announcement is to take place on July 20 in San Diego at the annual Comic-Con expo. There, Activision will also show upcoming games in the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" series. Activision Publishing registered Web domains last month suggesting the title of the new Bond game may be "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded." The next Bond film, which is codenamed Bond 23, is scheduled to open in theaters on November 9, 2012. "GoldenEye" was neither the highest grossing nor the most memorable Bond movie. But the "GoldenEye 007" game resonates with many people, even today. In the late '90s, the four-player shooting game was part of a nightly ritual at many college dormitories and after-school meet-ups. Rare, which created "Donkey Kong Country" and was later acquired by Microsoft, developed the cult classic, and Nintendo published it exclusively for the Nintendo 64 console. Rare's and Nintendo's divorce, along with Activision becoming the exclusive rights holder to develop Bond games, has spun an elaborate web that has left the original "GoldenEye 007" landlocked. Nintendo and Microsoft have been unable to come to terms on how to redistribute the game. Rare's "Perfect Dark," a futuristic spy franchise, was billed as the spiritual successor to "GoldenEye." Several "GoldenEye" designers left Rare to form a studio called Free Radical Design, which develops the "TimeSplitters" games. But the "GoldenEye" name, story and characters hold a special place in many gamers' hearts. Seeing that opportunity, Activision remade the game and released "007: GoldenEye" for Nintendo's Wii in November. Developer Eurocom replaced Brosnan's likeness with that of Daniel Craig, the current Bond actor. The Wii is not typically associated with first-person shooter games, and the "GoldenEye" reboot didn't necessarily break that mold. But Eurocom has said it was satisfied with the sales. Treyarch developed a recent Bond game, based on the "Quantum of Solace" film. Most recently, it made "Call of Duty: Black Ops." Treyarch was not tapped to make the upcoming "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," and it has not said what its next project will be. Game industry watchers suggest the new "GoldenEye" will be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, two systems where shooting games have thrived. | Activision is planning to announce a new James Bond game later this month . It will be a new entry in the "GoldenEye" franchise, an Activision representative said . Activision released "007: GoldenEye" for the Wii in November . | 87e317d414167e21e8605abf378ec715dd88531a |
By . Gerri Peev, Political Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 16:56 EST, 26 March 2012 . UPDATED: . 09:07 EST, 27 March 2012 . Motorists are being held to ransom by 1,000 militant tanker drivers who yesterday voted for a national strike. The walkout, which threatens to wreck the Easter break, could close nearly 8,000 petrol stations. Army personnel are being trained to drive the tankers and are on standby to maintain essential supplies. Scroll down for video . Remember this? Long queues at the pumps during the strike in 2000. Such scenes look likely to be repeated after 1,000 militant tanker drivers voted yesterday for a national strike . Soldiers at the ready: Army personnel are being trained to drive the tankers and are on standby to maintain essential supplies . But only a minority of union members . voted for the strike. Unite, the union led by militant Len McCluskey, . balloted members at seven major haulage and oil companies in a dispute . over pay and conditions for drivers. Vote: Unite, led by the militant Len McCluskey, balloted members at seven major haulage and oil companies . Across these organisations, the union has 2,062 members. But only 1,001 voted in favour of . striking – 48.5 per cent. The union achieved its slender 55 per cent . majority for strike action because 12 per cent of members failed to . vote. London Mayor Boris Johnson yesterday . renewed his demand for a change in the law to make strikes illegal . unless at least half the union members vote in favour. The strike could begin as soon as next . Tuesday – April 3. Unite is the Labour party’s biggest financial . backer, and Ed Miliband has been urged to condemn the strike. But so far . he has remained silent. Tory MP Charlie Elphicke said: . ‘Today’s vote is very disappointing news for hard-working families and . businesses who will be inconvenienced by this unnecessary and . irresponsible strike. ‘Ed Miliband must condemn this strike and get Labour’s biggest trade union paymaster round the negotiating table.’ Unite has warned the strike will lead . to 7,900 petrol stations closing, as the firms it balloted supply 90 per . cent of the total. Five of the seven drivers’ depots voted for a . strike. But drivers at DHL, which has the largest number of Unite members, voted against. Flashback: A line of tankers standing idle at a Shell depot in 2008 . Pickets: Members of the 'Unite' line up outside the Kingsbury Oil depot near Tamworth in 2008 . The results for the seven companies involved in the ballot are: . And members at JW Suckling . overwhelmingly voted against strike action. Its managing director Peter . Larner told the Daily Mail: ‘Our [pay and conditions] agreement for 2012 . was supervised by Unite but they still chose to ballot our drivers. The . union then claimed we had refused to sit down with them, which just . isn’t true. We have met with them and other companies several times. 'I . really don’t know what this strike is about as we have agreed our . standards with the union.’ One industry source told the Mail: ‘This is all about the ego of one union leader who is picking a political fight. ‘If this was really about pay and conditions and safety, they would be balloting the smaller firms who do things on the cheap.’ Mr McCluskey is known as the most Left-wing union leader and is a controversial figure even within Unite. Memories of 2000 (when fuel cost less than 80p a litre): Cars rushed to the forecourts as tankers struggled to make it to garages . The looming protests serve as a . reminder of September 2000, when the petrol blockade brought the nation . to its knees. Convoys of truckers and farmers blockaded refineries, . preventing the vital flow of fuel and forcing prices higher. Business leaders yesterday warned a strike would be bad news for firms. Simon Walker, director general of the . Institute of Directors, said: ‘A tanker drivers’ strike threatens to . clog the arteries of the economy. 'The vast majority of travel in Britain . takes place on the roads.’ John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, . said: ‘This vote should disappoint us all. Disruption is in nobody’s . interest at this critical moment in the recovery.’ Unite will decide in the next 24 to 48 hours whether to set a date for strikes. Diana Holland, the union’s assistant . general secretary, said: ‘These votes send a clear message through- out . the industry and should prompt all the major companies to get around . the table to establish mini- mum standards.’ The union claims safety has been . compromised since fuel companies outsourced petrol deliveries to . ‘squeeze profits and win contracts’. Energy Secretary Ed Davey said the . strike was ‘wrong and unnecessary’ but added that the Government had . ‘robust resilience and contingency plans’ to deal with one. VIDEO: Petrol companies insist negotiations are ongoing . | Reminder of protests in 2000 as Unite drivers vote for national strike . Walkout threatens to wreck Easter break closing nearly 8,000 stations . Army personnel on standby to drive tankers and maintain supplies . Ed Miliband stays silent over Unite - one of Labour's biggest donors . | b33c1b009735ace76c8bb505392d7d80729b2cbd |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:19 EST, 19 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:20 EST, 19 November 2013 . The parents of a 21-year-old woman killed by a wrong-way driver have revealed they arrived at the scene of the accident after tracking her on a locator app when he missed her curfew. Marisa Caran Catronio died early on Sunday morning after her friend's 2012 Toyota Camry was hit head-on by a 20-year-old driver on the Sawgrass Expressway near Coral Springs, Florida. Her best friend Kaitlyn Nicole Ferrante, who was driving the Camry, remains in critical condition in Broward Health North after the crash. Marisa's devastated father Gary revealed that they had become concerned after the women failed to return home before their 2am curfew so they used an app that tracked her cellphone. Scroll down for video . Victims: Marisa Caran Catronio, right, has died and her best friend Kaitlyn Nicole Ferrante, left, is in critical condition after a wrong-way driver smashed into them on a Florida expressway on Sunday . Driver: Kayla Mendoza was allegedly driving the wrong way and hit the girls. She remains in serious condition . At 2.11am he said he could tell that their car had stopped on the expressway, so he and other family members headed there - and came across the tragic scene, the Sun Sentinel reported. 'I'll never hug my little girl again,' Gary wept as he spoke to NBC Miami outside his home. The women had been heading . home to Coral Springs after a night out on Saturday when they were hit . by a Hyundai Sonata driven by Kayla Maria Mendoza, 20, of . Hallandale Beach, officials said. Marisa was pronounced . dead at the scene shortly after the 1.45am crash, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. Distraught: Marisa's father, Gary, sobbed as he said he would never be able to hug his daughter again . Loved: Mr Catronio is now calling on highways to install spikes or flashing lights to warn wrong-way drivers they are headed for danger. He is pictured with his daughter Marisa, whom he called 'full of life' Both Ferrante and Mendoza were taken to . Broward Health North, where Mendoza is listed in serious condition, said . FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky. Investigations are underway to determine how the crash occurred and why Mendoza was driving on the wrong side of the road. Gary Catronio now hopes to launch a . campaign to have highway access ramps fitted with spikes or flashing . warning lights to signal drivers going the wrong way. 'My little girl is not here anymore . because of the negligence of a driver driving on the wrong side of the . highway,' he told NBC. 'This has to be stopped. We've got to do . something to prevent this.' 'Full of life': The girls had been heading back from a night out when they were hit by the other car . Loved: Her brother shared these images on Facebook. She leaves behind two young brothers . Catronio is now making funeral arrangements for his beloved daughter, whom he remembered as 'full of life'. He said that Marisa, who worked at a pediatrics office, loved fashion and baking. Marisa also leaves behind her mother, Natalie, and brothers Jesse, 19, and Dustin, 17. The family members paid tribute to Marisa on Facebook, sharing photos of the young woman. Jesse wrote: 'Best big sister in the world! No one can ever replace you. You were always there for me and helped me through so much. I love you and you'll never be forgotten.' Marisa's funeral will be held on Friday. See below for video . var nbcLP={};nbcLP.aRandomNumber=Math.floor(Math.random()*10000);nbcLP.currentPageLoc=encodeURIComponent(window.location.href);nbcLP.currentSiteLoc=encodeURIComponent(window.location.host);nbcLP.defaultWidth=636;nbcLP.defaultHeight=367;nbcLP.cmsID="232327461";nbcLP.vidPid="VMmrC7qVj0OC";nbcLP.vidSec="TK";nbcLP.vidSubSec="TK";nbcLP.vidFrame=document.getElementById("nbcLP232327461");nbcLP.vidFrame.style.border="none";nbcLP.vidFrame.width=nbcLP.defaultWidth;nbcLP.vidFrame.height=nbcLP.defaultHeight;nbcLP.vidFrame.scrolling="no";nbcLP.vidFrame.src="http://www.nbcmiami.com/templates/nbc_partner_player?cmsID="+nbcLP.cmsID+"&videoID="+nbcLP.vidPid+"&width="+nbcLP.defaultWidth+"&height="+nbcLP.defaultHeight+"&sec="+nbcLP.vidSec+"&subsec="+nbcLP.vidSubSec+"&turl="+nbcLP.currentSiteLoc+"&ourl="+nbcLP.currentPageLoc+"&rand="+nbcLP.aRandomNumber; . | Marisa Caran Catronio died after a wrong-way driver smashed into her friend's car early on Sunday morning near Coral Springs, Florida . Her friend is in critical condition and the other driver is in serious condition . Marisa's family came across the tragic scene after she missed her 2am curfew and an app showed their car had stopped on the highway . | 615e6a3151bad1b0d138b5a6cc38e5096f260489 |
(CNN) -- Call it the Super Bowl MVP -- the most valuable power outage. For 35 bewildering minutes Sunday night, the Super Bowl showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers ground to a halt when half of the lights in the New Orleans Superdome went out. Players stretched on the field. The more than 71,000 fans in attendance did the wave. And with no immediate explanation for the outage, social media lit up. From Twitter to Facebook, from Tumblr to Flickr, it seemed just about everywhere in the social media-sphere somebody had something to say -- sometimes funny, sometimes not so much -- about what became known online as "the blackout bowl." There were even those who felt forced to say something about being, well, forced to say something. "The worst part about this power outage is that people at parties were forced to talk to each other," Fortune Feimster, a writer for the E! show "Chelsea Lately," tweeted. The brand bowl . Within four minutes of the outage, advertisers had sent out their first tweets. The funniest tweets of the Super Bowl . Nabisco's Oreo cookie was among the first to jump on the Twitter brandwagon, with an ad featuring the cookie on a partially blacked out page. "You can still dunk in the dark," it read. The people behind Tide laundry detergent went up with a Twitter ad that read: "We can't get your #blackout, but we can get your stains out. #SuperBowl #TidePower." Even Audi took a swipe at its competitor, tweeting that it was sending "LED lights" over to the dome, whose official name is the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. In fact, the outage was the No. 1 Twitter-related moment of the Super Bowl, generating 231,000 tweets per minute. The second big moment? The 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Baltimore Ravens Jacoby Jones. But even that only generated merely 185,000 tweets per minute, according to the site. Momentum shift . New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu promised answers. "In the coming days, I expect a full after action report from all parties involved." The power company said it wasn't to blame, and stadium officials apologized but said little else until well after the game. And then, in a statement hours later, Superdome officials said a piece of equipment designed to monitor the electrical load "sensed an abnormality in the system." "Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue," the statement said. It still isn't clear what the "abnormality" was -- but more than a few people had their own suspicions. A majority on social media blamed it on the fans of the 49ers, who were trailing 28-to-6 in the third quarter before the blackout. Photos began quickly showing up on Flickr, Twitter and Facebook of the so-called hands of a 49ers' fan reaching into electrical power box to turn off the power, with the words: "They not winning that easy." Conspiracy, cried a Ravens fan on Facebook. "If the 49ers win after this, you all know who's to blame." Even Justin Timberlake had something to say about it, tweeting #momentumshift. There may be something to it. After the power was restored, the 49ers scored three times in just four minutes. Then again, maybe not. "Whatever. Who hasn't blacked out in New Orleans," one person said on Twitter. Or in San Francisco, for that matter. In December 2011, the lights went out twice during the same game at Candlestick Park. The 49ers won that game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-3. Blame it on Bane . Some said it was the curse of the Superdome -- despite hosting seven Super Bowl games and its more than $300 million renovation following Hurricane Katrina. The stadium was built near a cemetery and New Orleans Saints fans have long said it was the reason the team had fared so poorly. Some on Twitter and Facebook joked Saints quarterback Drew Brees was responsible, pulling the power plug to get even for the team failing to make football's big show. Then there were those who pointed to Bane, the villain in the Batman movie "The Dark Night Rises." In the movie, Bane mines a football field in Pittsburgh that explodes after a great scoring run by Steeler Hines Ward. "Investigation confirms not even Bane's power outage attempt can save the 49ers," said one Twitter user with the handle The Batman. Beyonce's wattage . The general consensus on social media appeared to be that Beyonce's high-wattage half-time performance was mostly likely to blame for the blackout. "Beyonce blew the fuse! Genius!" tweeted singer Adam Lambert. Matchbox Twenty guitarist Paul Doucette, who was at the game, tweeted a picture of the blackout. "Beyonce left and apparently took electricity with her," he said. "Damn she's good." In the end, the Ravens may have won Superbowl XLVII in New Orleans. But the power outage won its social media time slot. CNN's Jethro Mullen contributed to this report. | The power outage at the Super Bowl turned into the #blackoutbowl . The makers of Nabisco's Oreo cookie capitalized on the blackout with promoted tweet . "You can still dunk in the dark," the Oreo ad read . Tide also jumped in with "We can't get your #blackout, but we can get your stains out" | 9d0a7b2c47b0b2cbf448b33227f512c591e5fe07 |
By . Matt Lawton . Follow @@Matt_Lawton_DM . and Dominic King . Follow @@DominicKing_DM . Should Van Gaal keep the Class of '92 at United? Louis van Gaal is set to be confirmed as Manchester United’s manager on Wednesday and will bring his extensive Dutch backroom staff with him to Old Trafford. The 62-year-old will be joined at United by former Holland striker Patrick Kluivert, goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek, fitness coach Jos van Dijk and analyst Max Reekers. However, their arrival means the club’s famous Class of 92 face uncertain futures. The roles for interim manager Ryan Giggs and coaches Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville are up in the air, and they may be forced to take on junior roles or - in the worst-case scenario - move on altogether. New boss: Louis Van Gaal will be appointed as Manchester United manager next week . Undecided: Ryan Giggs and the Class of '92's role next season is not yet known . It is expected that Van Gaal’s appointment will be announced after United have played their final home game of the season against Hull on Tuesday night. Giggs has helped provide stability in the 10 days since David Moyes’s sacking; he has impressed with how he has handled the role of caretaker manager and thrived with the responsibility but it is unclear how he will fit into the Van Gaal set-up. Butt would be expected to move back to his role in charge of United’s Under 18s yet less certain is what lies in store for Scholes, who is not on a contract, and Neville, who was brought back to Old Trafford by Moyes last summer. Of the quartet, Neville is arguably the most vulnerable. Goalkeeping coach Chris Woods could also go given Van Gaal’s preference to work with Hoek. Though Van Gaal is very much his own man when making decisions, he is also someone who pays attention to club history, which suggests he would be willing to work closely with Giggs or Butt. Danny Blind, another Van Gaal ally, will not be making the move to Manchester as he is set to continue with Holland after signing a new contract with the Dutch football federation. Own team: Current Holland assistant Patrick Kluivert could come to Old Trafford with Van Gaal . Investment: Van Gaal will be given money to spend after United failed to qualify for the Champions League . Incoming: Physio Jos Van Dijk . Keeping tabs: Video analyst Max Reckers . Controversy? Van Gaal wants goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek to join but Chris Woods has performed well . Meanwhile, United fear Wayne Rooney has suffered another injury setback after the striker limped out of training on Thursday and was sent for a scan. It is unclear if the problem is connected with the injury he suffered in the Champions League match against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford a month ago when he chipped a bone in his foot and required a painkilling injection to play. United will assess the 28-year-old’s condition today before deciding if he can face Sunderland at home on Saturday. However, with United having little left to play for in their remaining three games, they are unlikely to risk Rooney if there is any doubt about his fitness. The England striker will also be reluctant to take any chances with the World Cup looming after going into the last two tournaments under an injury cloud. PATRICK KLUIVERT - First team coach - Age 37Legendary Dutch striker who shot to fame as a member of Van Gaal’s European Cup-winning side with Ajax in 1995, when he scored the winning goal against AC Milan in the final at the age of 18. He teamed up again with his mentor at Barcelona in 1998. Following his retirement in 2008, Kluivert was recruited by Van Gaal to coach his strikers at AZ Alkmaar, and then appointed as an assistant when he took charge of the Dutch national team in 2012. FRANS HOEK - Goalkeeping coach - Age 57One of Van Gaal’s longest-serving and most trusted lieutenants, the former FC Volendam goalkeeper has worked at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the Dutch national team, and has overseen the development of the likes of Edwin van der Sar, Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes. Hoek has written various books on the training methods of goalkeepers. JOS VAN DIJK - Physiotherapist - Age 57Another senior member of Van Gaal’s backroom team who has worked with him in Spain, Germany and Holland, and is trusted with full responsibility for the medical department. MAX RECKERS - Chief analyst - Age 34The Dutchman first worked with Van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar and then followed his boss to Bayern Munich, where he spent the next two years as his chief anaylst, a role he has subsequently carried out for the Dutch national team under Van Gaal since 2012. Target: Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus is being eyed by Van Gaal as part of his new look United . On the move? Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos has been on United's wishlist for some time . | Louis van Gaal will be named as Manchester United's new boss next week . The Dutchman is expected to be announced as manager after United's final home game against Hull City . The 62-year-old will take over once Holland's World Cup campaign is finished . The future of the Class of '92 is not yet known . | 858279538d64a1ace0bd55e0bebfc2af9fce7d1c |
Balenciaga has filed a lawsuit at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan accusing Steve Madden of making a ‘studied copy’ of its famous Motorcyle handbag. According to the suit, Balenciaga is seeking an injunction that would forbid Steve Madden from selling the offending item, as well as monetary damages. Court papers read: ‘The Defendant’s wholesale copying of Balenciaga’s designs is likely to deceive consumers into believing that the infringing [handbag] is associated with or authorized by Balenciaga when it is, in fact, not.’ Cracking down: Balenciaga has accused Steve Madden of copying its Motorcycle bag (pictured) and is seeking legal injunction as well as monetary damages . Bag in question? While its not clear which bag Balenciaga is referring to in its suit, a likely guess would be Steve Madden's $88 'Btalia' bag which is currently for sale at retailers including Macy's and Nordstrom . While it is unknown which exact . handbag Balenciaga has taken issue with, reports suggest that the $88 . Steve Madden ‘Btalia’, currently sold at Macy’s and Nordstrom, is the . most likely candidate. The . French label, which is owned by parent company Kering, claims that Steve . Madden has violated a trade dress regulation that the French fashion . house filed in 2007. A trade . dress is a visual kind of trademark, which allows a brand to outline . the aesthetic hallmarks of an item they wish to protect. Trade dress . infringement suits are filed when a design’s original creator feels that . a copy could lead to consumer confusion. Balenciaga’s . Motorcycle bag has been a celebrity favorite since its release in 2000. It was created by Nicolas Ghesquiere, who helmed the label from 1997. He was succeeded in 2012 by Alexander Wang. The . bag - which in its early days was carried by stars as diverse as . Mary-Kate Olsen and Paris Hilton - became so popular that in 2007, . Balenciaga filed a U.S. trade dress to protect the design from . additional counterfeits (by this time, there had been many). It . outlines the Motorcycle bag’s design hallmarks that, if copied, could . potentially cause consumer confusion. According to The Fashion Law these key design features include: ‘The flat pouch . with a zippered rectangular closure, a zipper pull consisting of a strip . centrally-knotted and hanging in two equal lengths, and a . semi-elliptical patch outfitted with two raised studs in each corner; . and two identical patches in an elongated pentagonal shape, featuring an . elongated hexagonal patch outfitted with a buckle and two raised . studs.’ Famous fans: In its 14-year history the Motorcycle bag has enjoyed a diverse array of celebrity fans including Ashley Olsen (left, in 2007) and Kim Kardashian (right, in 2013) These protections . also apply to the Motorcycle bag’s collection counterparts like the . Papier, Twiggy and Velo styles, which include the same zip and pocket . closures in tote and clutch formats, rather than a satchel. Information . regarding litigation and settlement discussions has not yet surfaced, . and representatives for neither Balenciaga nor Steve Madden were . immediately available to return MailOnline’s requests for comment. This . is not the first time that Balenciaga has sought legal action against . the brand. In 2009, it filed a similar trade dress suit, alleging that . Steve Madden had copied the ‘LEGO’ high-heel from its fall 2007 . collection. After a two-year battle, the two brands reportedly settled the matter out of court. Details of the settlement were not released. | The Balenciaga Motorcycle handbag, which launched in 2000 and costs from $800, was carried by celebrities including Mary-Kate Olsen and Kate Moss . It appears that the French fashion house has taken issue with the Steve Madden 'Btalia' bag which is currently being sold at Macy’s and Nordstrom for just $88 . | 8fee21c59dcb1925cc5d2f1ad39bad92c148d71f |
North Korea held talks with a UN human rights investigator for first the first time in ten years, in a charm offensive designed to nullify attempts to prosecute its leaders for crimes against civilians. UN human rights chief Marzuki Darusman said he was surprised and gratified North Korean officials had raised the possibility of allowing him to visit their country during their meeting. But he said the prospect of such a trip remains deeply uncertain because leader Kim Jong Un was insisting he drop moves in a UN resolution to prosecute the country in the International Criminal Court over its human rights record. Scroll down for video . Hail our dear leader: North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un attends a women's football match between the national team and the Wolmido team at the remodelled May Day Stadium in Pyongyang . Happy clapper: North Korea held talks with a UN human rights investigator for the first time in ten years in a charm offensive designed to nullify attempts to prosecute its leaders for crimes against its civilians . A U.N. Commission of Inquiry report, published in February, detailed wide-ranging abuses, including the use of prison camps, torture, starvation and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities. Darusman said he conveyed North Korea's message to the European Union and Japan, which drafted the resolution. He said he would not be involved in any further discussions between the parties on the issue. Darusman met with four North Korean officials on Monday, the first such encounter since the office of special rapporteur for human rights in North Korea was created 10 years ago. He said he was surprised when the officials mentioned the possibility of a visit, which would be a breakthrough in international efforts to have a first-hand look at the way the deeply impoverished but nuclear-armed country treats its citizens. He said the North Koreans also floated the possibility of a visit by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. 'It's quite a big jump for North Korea,' Darusman said at a news conference. 'It's a very pragmatic step they are taking.' But Darusman said the North Koreans made clear they want mention of the ICC dropped from the resolution 'so that they would be in a position to issue an invitation.' A U.N. commission of inquiry warned leader Kim Jong Un in a letter earlier this year that he may be held accountable for orchestrating widespread crimes against civilians . The nonbinding resolution, which could be introduced to the UN General Assembly next month, would urge the Security Council to consider referring North Korea's situation to the ICC, as well as press for targeted sanctions. It doesn't name names but a UN commission of inquiry warned leader Kim Jong Un in a letter earlier this year that he may be held accountable for orchestrating widespread crimes against civilians. Darusman said the North Koreans were upset about the mention of Kim because 'it touches on the sanctity' of the leader. An EU spokesperson did not discount the possibility of addressing the North's concerns. 'The objective of this text is to bring change to the human rights situation in the country, by which we mean real improvements on the ground,' the spokesperson said. 'It is with this objective in mind that the EU and its co-sponsors will look at any proposals made by the DPRK.' A Japanese official said the government in Tokyo has been made aware of the message conveyed by Daruman 'but I cannot predict whether the resolution will be modified or not.' A still from video reportedly showing a prisoner being abused by North Korean officials. A UN Commission of Inquiry report published in February detailed wide-ranging abuses, including the use of prison camps, torture, starvation and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities . The official said 'our policy is for now unchanged' and Japan would continue seeking support from U.N. members for the resolution. The officials both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on private discussions by name. Darusman, who has been special rapporteur since 2010, said it is 'out of question' for the resolution to drop calls for officials to be held accountable for human rights atrocities but he spoke of the possibility of 'reformulating' the language. When asked whether that could mean dropping direct mention of the ICC he said, 'it depends on how you formulate that.' The North has been on the defensive since the U.N. commission of inquiry released a harshly critical report accusing the regime of running political prison camps with up to 120,000 people and sponsoring abductions of South Koreans, Japanese and others. That report recommended that the North's situation be referred to the ICC, something Daruman backed in the annual report he presented Monday to the General Assembly's commission on human rights. Even if the Security Council were to take up the matter, China would likely veto any resolution that included a referral of its North Korean ally to the ICC. But the North Koreans have engaged in an unusually public diplomatic blitz to stop the idea from even reaching a vote. Choe Myong Nam, a North Korean foreign ministry official in charge of human rights issues, told The Associated Press on Monday that no date has been fixed for a visit from Darusman, but his country is looking for a 'new and objective report' on North Korea's human rights situation. 'Previous reports he has prepared have been based on rumors and fabrications, as well as distortions,' he said. Phones rang unanswered Tuesday at North Korea's UN Mission. | Kim Jong Un wants UN attempt to prosecute NK over rights abuses dropped . Meeting between hermit state officials, UN rights inspector first in a decade . Recent UN report compares North Korean atrocities to the Nazis . | 8d162f3d3755e531b11bc07cb6ae51fefe814e33 |
By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 05:29 EST, 23 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:53 EST, 23 August 2013 . Whilst most beauty pageant contestants spend hundreds of pounds on the perfect dress, a British schoolgirl took home the crown from a glitzy worldwide pageant in America - wearing a £20 dress bought from a rag market. Alexia Bates, 12, beat more than 30 finalists to add the Perfect Pageants title to her sixteen victories in the UK. Alexia has won every competition she entered since her first pageant 18 months ago when she was 10-and-a-half. Winner: Alexia Bates, 12, was crowned the World Pre-Teen Champion at the World Championships in Florida wearing this £20 dress from a rag market . She travelled to Orlando in Florida on August 3 with her mum April Bates, 39, after winning the European leg of the contest earlier this year. And while most girls wore outfits their parents had splashed out hundreds of pounds on Alexia proudly sported a pink princess dress purchased from an indoor market in Birmingham and decorated with jewels bought off eBay. And after impressing the judges, the rags-to-riches youngster was crowned the world's perfect pre-teen winning a trophy and $2,000 (£1282). Alexia's mother April, who lives with Alexia as well as her other daughter Raven, 17, and twin sons Jonah and Noah, five, in Dudley, West Mids., said: 'I'm very proud of her - she has only been competing for the last 18 months. Pageant princess: Alexia was automatically entered in to the World Championships after winning the European Championships in March of this year, at an event in Porthcawl, Wales . Talent: Alexia has won every single competition she entered since her first pageant 18 months ago when she was 10-and-a-half . Jet setting: She travelled to Orlando in Florida with her mother after winning Europe's perfect pre-teen earlier this year . 'Every one she has entered, she has won. She has got a good reputation in the UK and we travel all over the country for pageants. 'Everyone thinks it is all glamorous and expensive but it is what you make it. 'I'm not one who splashes out or wastes money. When it comes to Lexi's outfits, a lot of them are either bought off eBay or we create an outfit of our own. 'For the evening gowns, I will go to the rag market to get the dresses or material and Lexi will draw up what she wants. 'I've got a friend who used to be dress maker who makes them for me and I buy her some flowers to say thanks. 'For her evening gown for America I paid £20 for the dress and bought some diamantes for £25 from eBay.' Alexia impressed judges in rounds including summer wear and formal wear - as well as shining during the interview stage . Alexia at the Glitz Sparkle 2012 competition - one of the first American style beauty pageants to be held in the UK, which was hailed by children's charities as 'disturbing' While pageants have traditionally been a . purely American phenomenon, with competitions across the States . regularly filmed for downmarket reality shows such as Toddlers And . Tiaras, they are becoming increasingly common in Britain. The trend has attracted criticism from parenting groups and children's charities about the sexualisation of children. The director of children's charity . Kidscape, Claude Knights, warned recently: 'These children are so . young, it's impossible for them to be giving their consent to wearing . swimwear and pseudo-evening dresses, as well as fake eyelashes and spray . tans.' And Alexia took part in the controversial Miss Glitz Sparkle pageant, which saw children as young as 20 months participating. While organisers hailed the pageant as a great success, child welfare groups criticised it for encouraging the ‘over-sexualisation’ of young girls. Claude Knights, director of child protection charity Kidscape, described the pageants as a 'disturbing trend', adding: 'It’s impossible for some of these kids to be giving their consent to wearing swimwear and pseudo-evening dresses as well as fake eyelashes and spray tans.' But Alexia's mother insists that far from damaging her . daughter, entering the pageant has been a positive experience. There has been a lot of criticism regarding the pageant phenomenon with children's charities arguing that it sexualises children . And the teaching assistant said she disagrees with the negative publicity normally associated with the controversial competitions. She added: 'I think a lot of criticism comes from people who are only basing it from shows they see with the little girls. 'I agree with the little ones because I don't think it's right to put a two-year-old in fake tan or fake eyelashes. 'Lexi does wear make-up but it is age appropriate. She doesn't wear it normally or every day. Inspired: The contests have inspired Alexia to become a fashion designer . Confidence boost: Her mother says that Alexia has had a real confidence boost and made some great friends by entering the pageants . 'She will put a bit of lip gloss on if she is going out for a family meal or to the cinema but she doesn't cake it on. 'For the pageants obviously the make-up has to be a bit more because it's on a stage so it's the same as if it was in the theatre. 'But everything has to go by me and if I'm not happy then I won't allow her to wear it. I wouldn't let her go out wearing what my 17-year-old wears.' Alexia has also won a modelling contract and a photoshoot as part of her prize but April says they only enter pageants if they have time. The pageants have even inspired Alexia . to want to become a fashion designer when she grows up and April maintains that they have improved her confidence. Lexi said: 'My favourite part of them is meeting up with friends and making new ones and dressing up and spending time with my mom' The single mother added: 'She has never been big-headed or let it get to her head for all the things she has won. 'If there is a pageant coming up I will ask Lexi if she wants to go and if we have nothing on then we will go. 'I never forced her. She has made friends with other pageant girls and it has improved her confidence.' Lexi said: 'My favourite part of them is meeting up with friends and making new ones and dressing up and spending time with my mom. 'I practice with my mom in the front room or if I am doing talent or have a routine we make it up together then I practice in my room as well as in the front with my mom whenever I have spare time. 'It gives me lots of confidence and I feel good and its good because we do things for different charities or help people.' | Alexia Bates, 12, beat 30 finalists to be crowned World's Perfect Preteen . Has had 16 victories in the UK . Bought dress from local market and decorated with jewels from eBay . Children's charities warn that pageants sexualise children . Mother defends competitions saying they have made Alexia more confident . | 641504feecef249e89ec7a0ce16da4ba48eaf2c1 |
By . Will Stewart In Moscow . Miserable: Sofia Petrova, 17, has begged her mother to let her return to the U.S. from Siberia . A disruptive teen whose mother sent her - literally - to Siberia is begging to come home to America after claiming she was beaten by her father and was so miserable she tried to commit suicide. Two years ago Natalia Roberts, 36, from Virginia dispatched her daughter Sofia Petrova, then 15, on a one-way trip to cold eastern Russia after a succession of arguments over her behavior. Sofia, then a typical American teenager attending Chantilly High School, was born in Siberia and has a Siberian father - but she hadn't lived there since she was two and did not speak any Russian. Despite this, she was packed off almost 6,000 miles to meet her birth father Igor - who spoke no English - as an apparent punishment for her teenage transgressions. Originally she was told she would stay three weeks, but once in Siberia, her mother - who is a US citizen - told her that it would be much longer, and she is now well into her third year in Russia. Since arriving there in March 2011, she revealed how she was forced to quit her father's home because he beat her and was often drunk. In a children's center, with the possibility of being consigned to a grim orphanage, she tried to take her own life before going back to her father - because she thought if she did so her mother would allow her back to America. Her appeals to the US embassy and Vladimir Putin's ombudsman for children, Pavel Astakhov, have all met with no response, she says. Plea: She has written yet another letter (pictured) to her mother, who lives in Virginia, but she said that she is not helping to speed up her return. She claims she has been beaten by her Siberian father . Today she was tracked down by The Siberian Times to a Novosibirsk hostel where she lives and works a 60 hour week, including nights, to earn her keep and pay for her studies. Now 17, she penned a new heartfelt letter to her mother in her latest desperate bid to be allowed back from Siberia where she says she has few friends and feels an outsider. 'Mom - With all that is going on I really hope that our relationship could improve rather than be completely destroyed to shreds,' she wrote. 'I love you so much and I miss you and Maria (her half-sister). I want to come home. To come back to you. 'I ask you one more time, please take me back. Please find it in your heart to forgive my mistakes that I made as a pre-teen. You are the only family that I have. I need you. With love, Sofia.' Fallout: Her mother Natalia Roberts said she will happily allow her daughter to return if she shows she's changed . Her step-father James Roberts is an immigration attorney who has said her behavior as a teen was 'uncontrollable', including inviting boys home without permission. 'The behavior was becoming worse and we saw no solution. Worse, it was affecting the other children in the house, especially the outbursts that would last until 2am,' he told WUSA9 in an email. Sofia is convinced he was behind her Siberian punishment, and that without him, he mother would not have sent her into exile. Natalia added: 'Sending Sofia to her father, grandparents, uncle, aunt, and cousin was not an easy choice that we had to make, but it was the right choice.' In fact, she no longer lives with her father and has hardly seen these other relatives, she said. Sofia confessed that her behavior was . poor before she was sent away - she once stole more than $1000 in cash, . but she denies she ever took drugs and believes she has more than paid . the price for any adolescent excesses. 'I was 14 years old. I made many mistakes,' she admitted. Desperate: She said that she was forced to live in a children's home and tried to commit suicide . 'The one big mistake I made, I did take money. It was not preplanned. I entered into the room and just saw it. I don't know why, I just took the money. 'And then my mother asked me, where I got this money from and I panicked and I told her that I sold drugs. It was biggest mistake of my life. 'I never did drugs, I never sold drugs. I told her later, that it was not true, that I stole the money. She told me - do you understand, you said that you sold drugs and it is too late now. 'I was already here, when I told her. Because after that day, I was on the plane two days later. It was one week after my 15th birthday.' She was put into a Russian school in the Siberian outpost of Berdsk and only a friendly English language teacher helped her survive, she said. Later she was helped to find a job in Novosibirsk, Siberia's largest city where she works 60 hours a week. New home: Sofia, who spoke no Russian when she moved to Siberia, now lives in a hostel in Novosibirsk . 'I pay for my school. I study via the Internet. I study in American high school. I want to graduate in an American school. And I just hope it is not a scam,' she said. More than anything, her dream is to be home - in America - for Christmas. Her mother has not closed the door on her but nor is she doing anything to fast-track Sofia's return. 'I begged her millions of times. Take me home. I said, "I want my Mom. I need my Mom. I need my home. I don't have anything here'," she said. Her case has been publicized in the US thanks to the heroic action of her school friends like Michaela Bennett and Robert Buttaro who cannot bear the cruelty she is suffering. Yet it is far from certain she will return to the US. And if she turns 18 before being allowed back, and her birthday is next March, immigration rules will make it harder for her to return. | Sofia Petrova was 15 when her mother sent her to Siberia for 3 weeks to meet her father - but she was not allowed to come home . She and her parents say she was misbehaved at home, where she stole money and disobeyed her mother's rules . Her mom says she can only return when she has shown she has changed . Sofia, who insists she has changed, says her father beat her and she tried to commit suicide while in a children's center in Siberia . She now lives in a hotel where she works 60 hours a week . | 1a13cd807b27973788abedb57ec4123b7e2dcd69 |
By . Michael Zennie . Last updated at 6:37 AM on 18th January 2012 . The pilot of the plane that severely injured Lauren Scruggs said he tried to warn her before she walked into the propeller, costing the model her left hand and her left eye. Curt Richmond revealed to air safety officials that he put his arm up and yelled at the 23-year-old as she tried to walk in front of the plane December 3 at Aero County Airport in McKinney, Texas. Mr Richmond, who has not spoken publicly about the accident, said the plane's engine was still running and he told the young woman to walk behind the plane and out of harm's way. Warning: Curt Richmond, the pilot right,, said he tried to warn Lauren, left . Debut: Lauren Scruggs made her first debut outside her Texas hospital this week after mistakenly walking into a spinning propeller early last December . Mr Richmond put down his arm and turned away from Lauren when he thought she had turned to walk away from the spinning propeller, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board. But it's unclear whether Lauren heard his warning over the roar of the engine. Moments later, someone on the ground screamed 'Stop! Stop!' and Mr Richmond saw Lauren laying on the tarmac. He immediately cut the engine. Investigators say she walked into the whirling propeller blades on the front of the plane after a 30-minute plane ride to look at Christmas lights from the sky. Statement: Mr Richmond has not spoken publicly about the accident but revealed the story to investigators . Lauren had been riding in an Aviat A1-B Husky (like the one pictured) when the accident occurred . Mr Richmond had left the engine running while new passengers filed into the small plane as he prepared another trip to the skies. The NTSB did not find fault with the pilot for the accident but at least one aviation expert said Mr Richmond is ultimately responsible. 'The bottom line is, he should have shut the engine down,' air safety investigator Denny Kelly told MSNBC.com. 'The bottom line is, he made a mistake.' Website: Lauren is thought to have written a heart-felt message of gratitude on her Lolo website . Lauren, who has been recovering in . hospital since the accident, wrote on the LoLo magazine website for the . first time earlier this month. She said: 'I don’t know how to thank each one of . you, properly, for so much love during this difficult incident in my . life. My heart is so grateful beyond what I could ever . imagine. 'So thank you dearly for the sweet encouragements, the precious . words in letters and messages, the beautiful grace in pretty presents, . but mostly I am so so thankful for you and your loving hearts and sweet . spirits.' Lauren, a communications graduate who . is known to her friends as Lo, had just gotten off of the plane after . viewing Christmas lights from above Dallas when the tragedy struck. She has been in intense rehabilitation ever since. Her Twitter account is also active . again but it is not clear whether or not it is Lauren herself writing . the posts, though family spokeswoman Janne Harrell told ABC that the 23-year-old . has had her iPhone out frequently during hospital visits. The post was . signed, 'love, lo'. The model made her . first trip outside the hospital last week, taking a break from her four-and-a-half weeks of intense rehab. Her mother, who has updated her daughter's progress on the CaringBridge account wrote of their visit to Whole Foods: 'We . had many complete strangers stop us, with tears in their eyes, saying . they have been praying for Lo and for our family.' Appreciation: Lauren's mother (far right) has been routinely blogging on her daughter's recovery which includes continuous thanks by their entire family for her recovery . She recently posted that her daughter . is adjusting to her new life and that simple tasks such as 'typing an . email' are heightened. 'Many have told us how the accident . has them seriously thinking about how important God needs to be in their . lives, or how it has helped them refocus where they have gotten off . track in their spiritual walk,' Mrs Scruggs wrote. In . addition to losing her hand and eye to the two-seater plane at a Dallas . airport on December 3, Ms Scruggs suffered from brain injuries and . scaring to half of her face. Doctors removed her left eye on December 15 and since then she has been in intensive therapy to relearn how to walk, talk, use a stationary bike and even dress herself. Friends, family and members of the community have so far raised $10,000 to help with her medical bills. A list: Lauren Scruggs (right) attends a fashion party in New York with actress Chloe Sevigny (centre) and a friend . Most recently Ms Scruggs' twin sister Brittany Morgan reported feeling her sister's pain, literally in her own left eye. 'Being . twins, and having a bond that most never understand, Britt's left eye . has been twitching for the last 4-5 days every 30 seconds or so,' their . mother wrote late last month. 'She knows it's because of the deep . connection she and Lo have, and God allowing her to go through this with . her at the ‘twin’ level.' In the build up to the holiday, her mother reported her daughter/stylist and fashion blogger's further strides in her recovery. She managed to cook scrambled eggs, dress herself, brush her teeth and her hair and take a shower without help, her mother wrote on the webpage. 'Lo is making remarkable strides!' her mother, Mrs Scruggs, wrote. 'Her spirit is incredible. She's positive, hungry and cheery! Her appetite is very healthy, even though she is still taking lots of pain medication.’ | Pilot Curt Richmond said he tried to stop the 23-year-old from walking in front of the plane . | 608f8c2ebbe4660cefa3187b702839bc8d3d6358 |
Tourists to Churchill, Manitoba, in northern Canada are getting nose-to-nose with fearsome polar bears thanks to a massive hand-built machine that is dubbed a 'cruise liner on wheels'. Tundra Buggies, which tower 13ft over the Arctic tundra, bring holidaymakers within touching distance of the world's largest land predators. Churchill, Manitoba, a town on the western shore of Hudson Bay that has been nicknamed the Polar Bear Capital of the World. The area is currently deciding whether to lift restrictions on eco-tourism as it prepares to designate a new polar bear provincial park on Hudson Bay. Scroll down for video . Tourists get up close and personal with a polar bear on a Tundra Buggy in Churchill, Manitoba . There are currently 18 permits for the vehicles and some are concerned that more permits might attract tour operators who would not safely navigate around the animals. Canada is home to two-thirds of the world's polar bears, but environmental experts say climate change could make the Hudson Bay population extinct within a few decades. The Tundra Buggy towers 13ft over the Arctic tundra and brings holidaymakers within touching distance of the bears . Cute: A polar bear and cub are photographed from a Tundra Buggy in northern Manitoba . The Tundra Buggies, owned and operated by Frontiers North Adventures, who are working with the charity Polar Bears International researching how to save polar bears from extinction, are capable of hauling a mobile lodge with a length of more than 200ft. The modular lodges contain a cafe, lounge and sleeping quarters in addition to a large observation deck that allows tourists to get close-up photos of polar bears that are eight feet tall on their hind legs and can weigh 1,500 pounds. Frontiers North Adventures spokeswoman Brandi Hayberg said: 'Bears are often interested in the Tundra Buggy and will approach it. Sometimes they will stand on their hind legs and put their paws on the side of the vehicle. Guides are dwarfed by the Tundra Buggy, which is 13ft tall and 11ft wide, and has tyres with a diameter of five feet . Thousands of tourists flock to Churchill every year to see the bears and spend nights under the Northern Lights . Sightseeing: Tourists observe and photograph wildlife from the observation deck on a Tundra Buggy . 'Depending on the height of the bear, our guests can easily get their faces within a few feet of a polar bear.' Tour operators bill it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience as the excursions range from a one-off day trip at £250 per person to a fully-catered eight-night stay in the Tundra Buggy lodge, which costs over £6,000. But visitors are almost guaranteed to have a closer encounter with the polar bears and learn about their lives and conservation efforts. Polar bears are listed as a threatened species, but the population along the Tundra Buggy's route was last recorded as a stable 1,013. The Tundra Buggy Lodge regularly crosses the harsh Canadian tundra in search of polar bears . Frontiers North Adventures' Tundra Buggies are capable of hauling a mobile lodge with a length of more than 200ft . Entertainment: Guests look out at a polar bear while having dinner in the Tundra Buggy Lodge . The buggy was designed and built by Churchill resident Leonard Smith, who sold his business to Frontiers North Adventures, which has Tundra Buggies that can accommodate up to 40 passengers. Guests are assured that the buggies are perfectly sense as long as they use common sense. Ms Hayberg said: 'Our Tundra Buggies are too tall for the bears to reach the railing of the observation decks or the bottoms of the windows. 'We are always diligent to tell our guests that feeding the bears or littering on the tundra are strictly forbidden. If a guest broke the rules, the tour would end immediately.' Lineup: A study involving Frontiers North Adventures found that only five per cent of the bears showed any dislike for the buggies . Cosy: Frontiers North Adventures has two types of Tundra Buggies that can accommodate up to 40 guests . Northern Lights: The tours allow guests to see polar bears in their natural habitat and learn more about conservation efforts . Bunk beds: The modular lodges contain a cafe, lounge and sleeping quarters for guests . A study involving Frontiers North Adventures found that only five per cent of the white-furred bears showed any dislike for the buggies. And despite the hefty price tag Mr Hayberg insists it is a trip worth saving for. She said: 'We do realise that travel in the north is costly. Not everyone in the world will be able to make the journey. 'But getting the chance to see these incredible creatures in real life and then to learn about their lives and habitat from our guides really does seem to drive home the importance of living sustainably. 'Our hope is at the end of the tour our guests will have been inspired by their experience and will in turn return home with the intention of doing their part to help conserve our environment.' | Tours are in Churchill, Manitoba, billed the Polar Bear Capital of the World . Frontiers North America offers one-week excursions in Tundra Buggy lodges . Not unusual for bears to balance on their hind legs and gaze up at tourists . Excursions range from £250 per person to over £6,000 . | b14e2dd2f48be9da4646c1f8667a462b122c1cc8 |
A not so secret admirer has been spoken to by police after leaving anonymous 'love notes' for a number of women on their car windscreens. Various females in Doreen, north west of Melbourne, have received the handwritten notes over the past month from a man who signs off with 'Your Secret Admirer'. The notes compliment the women on their beauty and ask them to make contact via an email address left at the bottom. Various females in Doreen, north west of Melbourne, have received the handwritten notes over the past month from a man who signs off with 'Your Secret Admirer' Victoria Police's Epping Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team launched an investigation into the love notes after officers were alerted to local Facebook pages where the notes were being talked about. They have since spoken to a 29-year-old Estonian man in relation to the matter. One of the love note recipients told Fairfax Media she saw the letter 'sticky-taped to my car door while I was having coffee with a girlfriend'. It's understood at least 10 notes were left on cars mostly during the day at the Woolworths car park in Laurimar near Doreen . 'I honestly just laughed about it - I don't think it's a big deal. I definitely didn't go to the police!' One of the notes read: 'Excuse me, I don't want you to think I'm ridiculous or anything, but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Just felt like I had to tell you. Sincerely Yours, Your secret admirer.' It's understood at least 10 notes were left on cars mostly during the day at the Woolworths car park in Laurimar near Doreen. Police said the man regularly sat outside the shop in his car, but no one bothered to notify police of his constant presence. 'He has set up Facebook profiles that were linked to a phone number that he left on one note, and he had an email address that was linked to another one, and both of those were in someones else's name - he's done a fair bit to hide his tracks,' Detective Senior Constable Graeme Wassell told the Age. The Epping Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team launched an investigation after officers were alerted to local Facebook pages where the notes were being talked about. | Women in Doreen, north west of Melbourne, have found handwritten notes taped to their windscreens . Notes compliment the women and ask them to make contact via email . Victoria Police started investigating after finding a Facebook page where the notes were being talked about . As a result, officers have spoken to a 29-year-old Estonian man . | e8172d255605af24982d907d8d3990e0699f3b4a |
Italy launched a massive rescue last night of more than 2,000 stricken migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya, where fears are growing over the rise of Islamic extremists. Coastguard officials reportedly recovered 2,164 people who had been crammed onto a dozen boats in the latest in a string of increasingly desperate attempts to enter Europe. It came on the same day Italy said it was evacuating 100 embassy staff in Libya, where extremists from the self-styled Islamic State group have beheaded 21 Coptic Christians in a gruesome video. Scroll down for video . Rescue: Another 2,000 stricken migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean by Italian officials last night . Desperate: An image of the rescue mission, which involved a dozen craft, released by the Italian coastguard . Emergency: Migrants were handed foil blankets and tended to by Red Cross officials on the choppy waters . By last night around 520 migrants were on board an Italian navy ship, the TGcom24 television station's website said. More than 900 other migrants were picked up by coastguard and customs police boats, while the rest were rescued by various ships in the area, according to reports. The Italian transport ministry said some of its coastguards had been threatened by four armed men earlier in the day who approached them by speedboat from the Libyan coast. The Kalashnikov-wielding men forced the rescuers to return a boat that had been emptied of migrants, the ministry said in a statement. Last year more than 3,200 people died while attempting to reach Italy by boat from North Africa, a sea crossing described by the UN as the most dangerous in the world. Rescue: By last night around 520 migrants were on board an Italian navy ship. Some left at Sicily (above) Exhausted: Women were among those disembarking at Porto Empedocle, Agrigento province, Sicily . Survivors: Not all migrants who try to reach Italy are so lucky. Last year more than 3,000 died on the journey . On Friday, some 600 migrants on board six dinghies were rescued by the Italian coastguard and merchant vessels around 50 miles off the Libyan coast. Many have now reached Sicily, where their fate will be decided by the Italian authorities. But in a major tragedy last week, more than 300 migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea when their overcrowded rubber dinghies collapsed and sank in stormy weather. The victims were among migrants mainly from sub-Saharan Africa who had embarked on the perilous journey from a beach near Tripoli. Today Italy's interior minister warned of an 'exodus without precedent' if the spread of Islamic State, also known as Isis, was allowed to continue unchecked. Militants have already rampaged through Iraq and Syria and seized large parts of the country, vowing to establish a Caliphate throughout the Middle East following an extremist interpretation of Sunni Islam. Saved: These migrants arrived yesterday in Sicily after being rescued on Friday - but others were not so lucky . Uncertain future: The group of men arrived as Italy's interior minister warned of an 'exodus without precedent' Islamic State's victims have included Christians and Yazidis alongside thousands of Muslims - who are told to follow the militants' version of religion or die like everyone else. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told Italian newspaper La Repubblica: 'We must not lose a minute. 'You have to intervene in Libya with a UN mission. The international community must understand that it is crucial for the future of the West. 'The threats against our country, unfortunately, are not new and our warning was already very high.' He insisted journalists 'could not create a link' between growing uncertainty in Libya and the wave of migrants willing to risk death to enter the country. But he added: 'The militias of the Caliph [are] advancing faster than the decisions of the international community. Fleeing: This group pictured in Sicily survived, but last week 300 migrants were feared to have drowned . Worrying: The United Nations has described the sea crossing as the most dangerous in the world . 'We risk an exodus without precedent and difficult to control.' Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti told the newspaper Il Messaggero that the risk of jihadists arriving in Italy on boats carrying immigrants from Libya 'could not be ruled out'. She said Italy was ready to lead a coalition from Europe and north African states to battle against the advance of jihadists in Libya. 'The risk is imminent, we cannot wait any longer,' she said. 'Italy has national defence needs and cannot have a caliphate ruling across the shores from us.' Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told public television on Saturday that Rome was committed to intervening in Libya, and called for a stronger United Nations mission. 'We have told Europe and the international community that we have to stop sleeping,' he said. Rescue: This video still released by the Italian coastguard showed a rescue taking place on Saturday . Perilous: Migrants are often crammed into unstable dinghies which are unable to survive the trip . Last week's deaths of hundreds of migrants underscored the limited means and scope of Triton, an EU-run mission which took over in November from the Italian navy in scanning the sea for migrants. Italy scaled back the mission after its EU partners refused to share running costs of around 9million euros a month. Since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011, Libya - a former Italian colony - has been plagued by conflict among rival forces battling for control of key cities and the country's oil riches. Islamist militants, who released their brutal beheading video of a group of Coptic Christians yesterday, have left the situation even more fractured. | Massive rescue of a dozen stricken vessels last night near Lampedusa . Italian island near Libya has seen vast influx of migrants over ISIS fears . Extremists have beheaded 21 Coptic Christians they captured in Libya . Interior minister Angelino Alfano warns of 'exodus without precedent' 'Caliphate's militias advancing faster than global community', he said . | 6d7532889169a461e6cae388e34ea3600ea65d29 |
(CNN) -- Lady Gaga announced that she's going to sing in space. Everyone is raving about "Gravity," the new movie starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts in orbit. And India just launched its first Mars mission on Thursday. Clearly, we Earthlings are still madly in love with space. But what about the moon? It's sad how far America has fallen in our space aspirations. So far that we can't even get into Earth orbit without help from the Russians, let alone get back to the moon. But NASA is trying to get back in the game. Two months after launch, its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer -- LADEE, pronounced "laddie" -- has finished its looping journey and it is gathering important information about the moon's dust and thin atmosphere. Already, this modular spacecraft has tested a new system for interplanetary communication using pulsed lasers, delivering a blistering 622 megabits per second. Try getting that from your Internet service provider. LADEE is a worthy mission, but it's a far cry from the romance and ambition of space exploration 50 years ago. When Frank Sinatra released a swing version of "Fly Me to the Moon" in 1964, the song captured the optimism of the U.S. space program. President John Kennedy had challenged the country to a manned moon landing three years earlier and NASA's budget rose by a factor of five to accomplish the goal. The moon landings were a phenomenal achievement. Even knowing that they were motivated by a rivalry with the Soviets and fueled by an unsustainable budget didn't tarnish their luster. The Saturn V was the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, and the Apollo program was the most technically complex human undertaking in history. Two dozen brave and daring astronauts reached their target with computer processors less powerful than those inside our modern-day smartphones. The 12 who loped across the lunar soil are the only people to set foot on another world. Today, the Apollo moon shots fade and flicker in the public consciousness, like the grainy black-and-white TV images that many of us recall from just over 44 years ago. About 6% of the American public thought the moon landings were a hoax, despite high resolution images that show the landers and tracks left by the rovers, and ongoing scientific experiments using the hardware we left behind. I used to get annoyed at the Apollo deniers. (Buzz Aldrin at least managed to get even; YouTube videos where he decks conspiracy theorist and filmmaker Bart Sibrel have been watched more than half a million times). Then I realized that a list of things that one in 10 Americans believes would include some pretty outrageous things. But willful cultural ignorance is sad. New players are stepping into the vacuum. Google announced the Lunar X Prize in 2007, riffing off the successful Ansari XPRIZE, where private teams were challenged to build a reusable spacecraft to reach the boundary of outer space. A $20 million prize will go to the first team to land a robot on the moon that can travel 500 meters and transmit images and video. Twenty teams are still in the running. The competition expires when all the prizes have been claimed or at the end of 2015, whichever comes first. China is likely to beat all these teams to the punch. A few weeks ago the Chinese announced that the Chang'e 3 lunar rover will be launched by the end of the year. If successful, it would be the first soft landing on the moon since the Russian Luna 24 in 1976. Less than a decade old, China's space program is well-funded and aggressive. China has put 15 astronauts in orbit and plans to complete a 60-ton space station by 2020. Following Chang'e 3, they plan sample return by 2020 and a manned landing by 2025. So, more than half a century after Eugene Cernan left the last human footprint on the moon, the next may be made by someone who speaks Mandarin. Meanwhile, other countries are getting into the act. The European Space Agency has long-term plans to send robots and astronauts to the moon. Japan and India also have advanced plans for lunar rovers. The United States led the world in space but NASA is cooling its heels, with a vision that has shrunk along with its budget. America's space program would be best served by continuing the mission started 50 years ago. The moon still has much to teach us about how the solar system and the Earth formed. It's not the sterile place we once thought; there's enough water and oxygen in the soil to easily sustain a base. It's the perfect place for learning how to live and work beyond the Earth. When Sinatra performed "Fly Me to the Moon" on his TV show in 1969 he dedicated it to the Apollo astronauts "who made the impossible possible." LADEE was designed to characterize the lunar environment in preparation for future human missions. But the Constellation Program that would have gotten us back to the Moon was canceled in 2010. LADEE will set the table but no one's coming to dinner. By partnering with other countries or private sector companies, NASA can rekindle the dream and fulfill our destiny to explore beyond our planet. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Chris Impey. | Chris Impey: It's sad how far America has fallen in our moon aspirations . Impey: NASA is trying to get back in the game with the launch of LADEE . He says other countries and private companies are more ambitious in exploring . Impey: The moon has much to teach us, let's continue the mission started 50 years ago . | a88b1e7ec5ad4f514b95e3504bcd0cbf6580ae7c |
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