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The SNP is on course to take a leading role in the Government of the whole of the UK after a poll showed a record number of Scottish voters plan to back the party. Almost half of all voters north of the border now say they will support the Scottish Nationalists at the general election – prompting speculation that Alex Salmond could become deputy prime minister in a coalition administration. The SNP is on course to win as many as 54 of the 59 Scottish constituencies, a result which would mean it holding the balance of power at Westminster. Scroll down for video . Almost half of voters in Scotland say they will support the SNP at the general election – prompting speculation that Alex Salmond (left) could become deputy prime minister, while the collapse of Labour's traditional support north of the border has not been halted by new leader Jim Murphy (right) A record 48 per cent of Scottish voters are now planning to back the SNP in May - with Labour trailing on just 24 per cent . An extraordinary collapse in Labour’s traditional support in Scotland has not been halted by the election of a new leader, former Cabinet minister Jim Murphy, earlier this month. A Survation poll for the Daily Record newspaper found that 48 per cent of voters now say they will back the SNP next May – its highest ever predicted vote share in Westminster elections from the pollster. Labour is on course to get only 24 per cent, the Conservatives 16 per cent, the Liberal Democrats 5 per cent and Ukip 4 per cent. That would mean the loss of as many as 39 of Labour’s 41 Westminster seats in Scotland – a result which would scupper Ed Miliband’s hopes of entering No 10 with a Commons majority. Instead, the Labour leader would be left having to bargain with Mr Salmond, who is to stand for a Westminster seat, the Gordon constituency in Aberdeenshire, in May. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has overseen a surge in support for the SNP since taking over from Alex Salmond . Mr Salmond stepped down as Scotland’s First Minister after losing the independence referendum in September. The SNP could end up in a position of power over the entire UK – an unthinkable outcome months after its referendum defeat. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and the new First Minister, said the poll was a ‘great early Christmas present’. Labour leader Ed Miliband could be deprived of a Commons majority if new Murphy fails to turn around the party's dire poll ratings . She added: ‘We take absolutely nothing for granted – and the hard work begins in the new year to ensure that we achieve a strong group of SNP MPs to give Scotland the strongest possible voice at Westminster. ‘That way, we can use our influence to bring an end to austerity economics, make Scotland free of Trident nuclear weapons, and get the powers Scotland needs to build a fairer society and more prosperous economy.’ The SNP’s campaign director, Angus Robertson MP, added: ‘The poll shows that Jim Murphy has had a “reverse honeymoon” as leader of Labour in Scotland – with the SNP stretching our lead even further since he took up the post. On these figures, Labour would even lose Mr Murphy’s seat.’ Mr Murphy insisted Scottish Labour was ‘changing’. He added: ‘We are one week into a new leadership team and really determined to change. ‘During the referendum Scotland was divided between Yes or No. But in the general election most Scots will be united in wanting to get David Cameron out of Downing Street.’ Polls currently indicate that British voters are set to return a hung parliament for the second election in succession. There are increasing fears in Whitehall that the election could produce an effective dead heat between the main parties – with only a ‘rainbow coalition’ made up of three or more parties able to govern. The SNP has indicated that in such circumstances, it would not prop up a Conservative-led government – but could offer support to Labour in return for a series of costly concessions. Mr Salmond has already suggested his MPs are prepared to start influencing English laws on a ‘vote by vote’ basis to prop up a Labour government. | Some 48% of Scottish voters are now planning to back the SNP in May . Labour trailing on just 24%, with the Tories only 8 points behind on 16% . The result would leave Labour with just four MPs – down from 40 today . | 11f4854e748182b5bf6397e7a403dbb9ecafa4bd |
Promoter Eddie Hearn hopes to stage James DeGale rematch with George Groves next spring. The British super middleweights have been bitter rivals since their amateur days and Groves won their first fight three years ago. Both are mandatory challengers for separate world titles but Hearn hopes to convince them to put those dreams on hold. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Eddie Hearn on DeGale, Groves and Froch . James DeGale looked impressive as he stopped Marco Antonio Periban inside the first round . DeGale sends Periban flying to record the most impressive victory of his career so far . DeGale is next in line to face Carl Froch for his IBF belt and the champion must decide whether to face his challenger by December 31. Froch is more likely to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr in Las Vegas in March. Groves, meanwhile, hopes to secure a fight against WBC champion Anthony Dirrell in the new year. But Hearn told Sportsmail: 'I'm looking to make James DeGale against George Groves in the spring. 'That's the fight that makes sense for everyone and if we can manouvere that into the IBF or WBA title, whey wouldn't you? George Groves started slowly against Denis Douglin but eventually stopped the game American . Groves poses to the crowd as Douglin lies flat on his back after he was knocked down by Groves in Liverpool . 'It pays them four or five times the money. It's only the egos and the hate between them that will stop it happen. 'Maybe the winner can fight Froch if he comes through against Chavez.' DeGale looked impressive when stopping Marco Antonio Periban in Liverpool last month. On the same card, Groves overcame a sluggish start to beat Denis Douglin. At the weigh-in the day before, DeGale and Groves had to be pulled apart after a heated exchange of words. | James DeGale and George Groves have a long-standing rivalry . Groves won their first fight as professionals at the O2 in 2011 . Eddie Hearn wants to make the rematch for spring next year . Both are mandatory challengers for separate world titles . | 3a1e31589029a4e02237a8a5069926bb8c6f464e |
A motorist has been caught speeding at 149mph – more than twice the legal motorway limit and a record for the past year . Others have been caught doing three times the legal limit in 30mph zones – one near a rural primary school. The motorway offence, on the M25 near Swanley in Kent, was captured by a speed camera and was the highest recorded speed during the period April 2013 to May 2014. Scroll down for video . One motorist was caught traveling at 149mph along the M25 by a newly installed digital speed camera (file picture) The figures revealed that another driver caught by the same speed camera clocked up 146mph at Swanley on the M25, with two more hitting 127mph. New digital cameras have recently been installed on the M25 and older ones re-activated. The offences were revealed in data received from police under a Freedom of Information Act request from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). The highest speed recorded on a 30mph road was 96mph in Leam Lane in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear – more than three times the legal limit. That just pipped the 94mph clocked up in the 30mph zone near New York Primary School on the B1192 Langrick Road in Lincolnshire. In other 30mph zones, drivers were filmed doing 92mph on the B1522 in Gateshead; 86mph in Court farm Road, Longwell Green, Avon and Somerset; 86mph in Luton’s Sundon Park Road, Bedfordshire; and 84mph on the A4103 at Leigh Sinton in West Mercia police’s area. The highest speed captured on a 50mph road was on the A414 Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, where a motorist clocked 119mph. The highest on a 60mph road was 127mph on the A413 Wendover bypass in Buckinghamshire. And one driver hit 113mph in a 40mph A17 Station Road at Swineshead Bridge in Lincolnshire – some 73mph above the limit. The fastest speed recorded last year in a 30mph zone was 96mph, however, one motorist passed New York Primary school in Lincolnshire at 94 mph . The IAM report noted: ‘A motorist in on the M25 at Swanley holds the record for the highest speed clocked by a speed camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014. The 149 mph figure was revealed following freedom of information requests to 39 police authorities.’ But the IAM says the penalties which ‘excessive speeders’ face are ‘out of sync’ with the danger they pose to other road users and to themselves. IAM head of road safety Kevin Delaney said: ’Let’s be clear – we’re not talking here of otherwise law-abiding motorists who are trying their best but may make a careless mistake and slip a few miles per hour above the posted speed limited. ‘These are dangerous drivers who are speeding at two or three times the legal speed limit, sometimes near schools. They are selfish individuals putting people’s lives in danger.’ Guidelines to magistrates on sentencing for speeding include a fine plus six penalty points or disqualified for between 7 and 56 days for motorists who drive at 101mph and 110mph on a 70mph road; at between 76mph and 85 mph on a 50mph road; or at between 51mph and 60mph in a 30mph zone. IAM chief executive Simon Best said: ‘Speed limits are a limit. They are not a target to beat. Unfortunately this message has not got through to many motorists and it’s clear that efforts to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink-driving continue to fail.’ | The Institute of Advanced Motorists sent a Freedom of Information request seeking speeding details . One motorist was caught at 94mph while passing a primary school . Fastest speed was recorded in Swanley in Kent on the M25 when driver clocked at 149mph . | daa824bc2bee0e870ef4e18b4d35be61900a3449 |
(CNN) -- IndyCar racers won't return next year to the Las Vegas track where two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in a fiery, 15-vehicle crash, the racing series said on Thursday. Wheldon's name wasn't mentioned in a news release explaining IndyCar's decision not to have its season-ending race next October 14 in Nevada, as originally planned. And there was no indication that the circuit had ruled out its drivers coming back another year, after 2012. The move followed consultations between IndyCar and Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials, in which the key parties said "considerable testing with the new car is needed prior to returning to the facility," according to the release. The new car for the IZOD IndyCar racing series is set to debut next year. "We feel we need to give our technical team ample time to conduct thorough testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, once we complete our ongoing investigation" into the October 16 crash, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. Weeks before the fatal wreck, Wheldon was behind the wheel of the new prototype car -- one meant to make his sport safer, and ideally no less exciting. The Englishman had been outspoken for months about safety. IndyCar Vice President Will Phillips said in an October story on IndyCar.com, the racing series' official website, that Wheldon had provided "consistent and concise" feedback in this effort. The crash that killed him raised even more questions, about safety in motor sports generally and at the Las Vegas track specifically. The 33-year-old was among those driving at about 220 mph in tight quarters in the 34-vehicle field when several members of the pack spun out of control and burst into flames. Two days later, IndyCar announced there would be an investigation. It is being done by the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the sport's national and international governing bodies. The loop in Las Vegas is 1.5 miles, one mile shorter than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also is wider than many others -- such that more cars can run alongside -- and potentially collide with -- one another. After Wheldon's death, driver Dario Franchitti told ABC News that the oval offered "nowhere to get away from anybody." "This is not a suitable track, and we've seen it today," he said. | Two-time Indy 500 champ Dan Wheldon died at Las Vegas track in October . IndyCar says it needs more time for an investigation and to test its new car . Las Vegas track is comparatively wide, allowing more side-by-side racing . "This is not a suitable track," driver Dario Franchitti told ABC News after the crash . | 4e981275e429838dcbf9a87a822d610b5e105622 |
(CNN) -- It's become an increasingly precious jewel in the ATP's financial crown, attracting big crowds and treating the leading players like rock stars since its move to London four years ago. This week's World Tour Finals not only showcases the top 16 singles and doubles competitors, it also highlights the benefits the men's tennis showpiece can bring to a city. The question now is, can the UK capital continue its love affair with the tournament -- or will it continue its nomadic past? Before London was granted an extension to stage it until 2015, New York and Rio de Janeiro were other cities rumored to be in the running. The Big Apple, like London, is one of the globe's major metropolises and home to one of tennis' four grand slams. It hosted the ATP tournament in the late '70s and '80s in the heyday of Madison Square Garden. Brazil, meanwhile, is an emerging market that in the next three years will host soccer's World Cup, the Summer Olympics and a medium-sized tennis event in Rio. However, moving the event elsewhere would be a "gamble," according to the former head of the ATP's commercial division, while Roger Federer -- whose record six finals wins are spread across London, Houston and Shanghai -- would have no issue with a further continuation. Tournament director Andre Silva says staying in Britain past 2015 is "definitely" a possibility. Unlike soccer's ruling body FIFA, which aims to take the World Cup to pastures new, the ATP's goal isn't to be "evangelistic" about tennis -- and London, with its packed crowds, has been a boon financially for the men's game. "My personality isn't much for a change," Silva, a Brazilian, told CNN. "This is a different animal to the World Cup in that it's year to year, and you do want to expose fans around the world to this type of tennis. "But the tournament is a very important part of the business of the ATP. More important than exposing everyone around the world to it is making sure it's healthy and not an experiment. "I know a lot of people talked about Rio and New York. It's obviously great to be wanted. At the same time you need to be sure it makes sense -- and right now London makes a lot of sense." Federer, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year's final, shared Silva's view. "I must agree with Andre in many ways because I think it's important that this event is played in a place that knows tennis," Federer told CNN. "I think it's good sometimes to play Shanghai, or maybe Lisbon or Sydney for a year, but I think it's not long enough in one place to put its roots down." Lisbon welcomed the world's top players in 2000 and Sydney did the same in 2001 in another one-year stint. "It's like a circus," said Federer, who will this week tie Ivan Lendl's record of 12 successive appearances at the season-ending event. "You come, the tent is there but it's temporary and you move it away again. So here the roots are down, it's successful and that's why if the business makes sense, if the numbers make sense, if the excitement of everybody involved makes sense, I think we should keep it here. "Other options would have to be considered but it would have to be a great other option." Richard Davies, the CEO of ATP Properties before leaving his post at the end of 2010, said London was "twice as successful" in monetary value for the ruling body than other host cities. Unlike when the season finale was showcased in Shanghai as the Masters Cup, the World Tour Finals are operated as a joint venture between the ATP and London's O2 venue owner AEG. All operating costs and revenues feed into the joint venture. The Shanghai promoters paid the ATP for the right to run the tournament, and the purchasing fee -- believed to work out to about $10 million per year -- was all the latter received from the event. "If there's no tennis fatigue at the O2 and it's still selling out, I think you have to ask yourself, 'What's the upside to move it elsewhere?' " said Davies. "At the ATP Tour, it's not their responsibility to be evangelistic about tennis. "London is a great city and that helps corporately. You'd have to take a long, hard look to say, 'We're going to move it.' It's very profitable and to get a tennis-loving nation behind it in any other country at that time of the year will be a gamble." The success of the tournament has had a knock-on effect on sponsorship, according to both Davies and Silva. Some companies get involved with the World Tour Finals and then decide to increase their affiliation with the tour throughout the year. More than one million fans have walked through the turnstiles in the four editions, helped by a capacity of 17,800 that makes the O2 arena the second-largest regularly used tennis venue behind New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium. Operating two sessions -- day and evening -- pads the coffers. Tickets to watch a single round-robin match range from £10-62 ($16-98), while seats for the final are £30-105 ($48-167). "People want to be part of the event," said Silva. "They see how successful it is. They see the tour operates in a very successful way throughout the year and end up becoming global partners." Come the conclusion of 2015, London's term will hit seven consecutive seasons, a run only bettered by New York, which had an unbroken spell from 1977-1989. With tennis a younger sport in China, crowds for opening matches disappointed, the time zone presented problems for broadcasters and viewers in Europe -- tennis' biggest market -- while players faced the long trip to Asia following the European indoor swing. London lacks those issues, though players have complained about Britain's tax laws -- which restrict the number of days they can be in the country before being rated on their overall income. The O2 is "one of the best venues ever" according to veteran doubles specialist Leander Paes, this week teaming up with Radek Stepanek. "Playing in there, the acoustics are phenomenal," Paes, who turned pro in 1991, told CNN. "The crispness of it makes the quality of tennis so high." Pondering the achievement of the event in London, Davies spared a thought for former ATP head Etienne de Villiers. De Villiers was criticized for implementing a round-robin format at smaller tournaments, and the ATP was taken to court during his 2005-08 tenure for attempting to strip a German event of Masters status. But De Villiers spearheaded the shift to London from Shanghai in 2009. "People have short memories," said Davies. "It was a very bold move. The O2 wasn't an established venue and it had a slight miasma about it. "To back ourselves and say we know we can build an event here, find sponsors and fill it with an audience really that has just had Wimbledon, outdoors ... we're going to take that tennis-loving public and tell them to watch tennis indoors -- it was a big decision." | London will host the season-ending championship of men's tennis until 2015 . It first held the ATP World Tour Finals in 2009 and its contract was extended . The tournament has become an important financial boon for the ATP . It was previously held in Shanghai, with Rio and New York also interested . | f254852aae0ef5696cc899007b1e3514adcd45da |
It's been a tricky start to the year for Bayern Munich, but after defeating Stuttgart to win their first game of 2015, the German giants celebrated - Western style! A whole host of first-team players attended Ana Ivanovic's costume party, who is the girlfriend of Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, at the Cafe Reitschule in Munich. Most of the players from the Bundesliga giants arrived looking like extras from 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, but Javi Martinez showed he was thinking outside the box after turning up dressed as Woody from Toy Story. Mario Gotze (left) and girlfriend Ann-Kathrin Brommel arrive at Ana Ivanovic's costume party . Xabi Alonso and wife Nagore Arambur shelter from the rain after arriving at the Cafe Reitschule in Munich . Ana Ivanovic was masked as she stepped out the car for her party . Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze were also among those in attendance, with Lewandowski pictured with his wife, Anna, while Gotze was seen with lingerie model girlfriend Ann-Kathrin Brommel. Lewandowski and Gotze had earlier played the full 90 minutes as Bayern Munich picked up their first victory since the winter break to defeat Stuttgart 2-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Goals either side of half-time from Arjen Robben and David Alaba sealed the win which helped Bayern get back on track in the Bundesliga. Javi Martinez was dressed as Woody from Toy Story for the fancy dress party . Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer steps out a car to attend the party along with his team-mates . Robert Lewandowski (second left) and Mario Gotze partied while dressed up Western style along with the Polish striker's wife Anna and the midfielder's girlfriend Ann-Kathrin Brommel . Gotze and his girlfriend Ann-Kathrin Brommel pose for a selfie during the party . The result comes after Munich began the year with a shock 4-1 loss against title rivals Wolfsburg - their first defeat of the season - before following up with a 1-1 draw against Schalke. Bayern now top the table by eight points as they aim to retain the German title. | Ana Ivanovic hosted costume party with a Western theme in Munich . First-team stars, including Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze, and their wags were among those in attendance for the party at the Cafe Reitschule . Party comes after Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 2-0 to return to form . | ca4010549cce074784c50d0d552f55b9fcde80bd |
Three-dimensional models of a 'priority area' in the Indian Ocean have been revealed as the search for MH370 ramps up. In the images huge mountains, deep trenches and dormant volcanoes are seen strewn across the search area - but there's no sign of the plane yet. The search for the plane is set to resume later this month, and mapping the ocean floor is essential to ensure the survival of underwater equipment that will be used. Three-dimensional models of the area MH370 is thought to have gone missing in the Indian Ocean have been revealed. They will be used to direct deep-sea equipment when the search for the plane resumes later this month. The maps reveal various features include large ridges and deep trenches (shown) Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean on 8 March with 239 people on board, and no sign of the plane has been found since then. It has been widely reported that better maps of Mars exist than this portion of the sea floor where the plane is thought to be located, so the new maps will be key in the hunt for the plane. The models show the designated MH370 search area, which includes the seabed around an area known as Broken Ridge. 8 March 12:21am . Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 departs from Kuala Lumpur, south west Malaysia, due to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. On board are 227 passengers and 12 crew. 1.20am . Eight villagers report seeing lights in the sky and hearing noise in the Marang area of north east Malaysia. 1.30am . Air traffic control makes its last recorded sighting of air traffic control. The plane is last seen on civilian radar above the waters where the South China Sea meets the Gulf of Thailand. 1.45am . Several sightings of the planet are reported, including a businessman in Kora Bharu and a bus driver in Penaruk. 2.15am . Military radar detects what could be the jetliner 200 miles north west of Penang Island in the Northern Malacca Strait. The primary search area - dubbed the ‘priority area' - is an arc 23,000 square miles (60,000 square kilometres) in size, roughly the size of Croatia, 1,120 miles (1,800km) off the Australian coast. This area formed when two geological plates separated 20 to 100 million ago creating mountains, volcanoes and trenches. Seamounts - remnants of submarine volcanoes - are also present in the area. These large geological structures are typical of two such spreading plates. Structures include rugged ridges that reach heights of 985ft (300 metres) and trenches that are up to 4,590ft (1,400 metres) deep. At the end of this month the search will resume to try to find any sign of MH370 in this area. This will include using a deep-sea search vehicle attached to a boat by an armoured cable 6.2-miles (10km) long. Knowing where ridges and volcanoes lie is vital to ensure the equipment does not crash into an unseen object while underwater. The vehicle will use sonar to scan the ocean floor for anything that might resemble MH370, and it will also be able to detect the presence of aviation fuel. Knowing the location of the features is essential to steer deep-sea vehicles around them. Later this month equipment will be lowered on a cable to search the seabed using sonar and other techniques to try and find MH370. The maps reveal raised areas (shown) that will need to be dodged by underwater vehicles . The primary search area - dubbed the ‘priority’ area - is an arc 23,000 square miles (60,000 square kilometres) in size, 1,120 miles (1,800km) off the Australian coast. This area was created when two geological plates separated 20 to 100 million ago, forming large mountains, volcanoes and trenches (shown) ‘The recently acquired high-resolution bathymetry data [the study of ocean floors] has revealed many of these seabed features for the first time,’ the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement. ‘It is also revealing finer-scale seabed features that were not visible in the previous low-resolution, satellite-derived bathymetry data.’ The new 3D models were maid using high resolution survey data, including satellite gravity measurements and some ocean passage soundings. Identification of the features will assist in navigation during the underwater search phase. The estimated location of MH370 in this area was derived from a series of brief pings - electronic ‘hellos’ - from the plane to a satellite before it disappeared. And it's hoped some sign of the plane will finally be found when the search starts again. The deep sea search vehicle will use sonar to scan the ocean floor for anything that might resemble MH370, and it will also be able to detect the presence of aviation fuel. Seamounts (shown) - remnants of submarine volcanoes - are also present in the area . Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared without a trace in the early hours of 8 March while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The Boeing 777 with the registration number 9M-MRO is seen here on a previous flight over Poland on 5 February 2014 before its final flight . | 3D models of the area MH370 is thought to have gone missing in the Indian Ocean have been revealed by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau . They will be used to direct deep-sea equipment when the search for the plane resumes later this month . The maps reveal various features including large ridges and deep trenches . Knowing the location of the features will be essential to steer deep-sea vehicles around them and prevent crashes . Later this month equipment will be lowered on a cable to search the seabed using sonar and other techniques to try and find MH370 . Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared without a trace in the early hours of 8 March while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing . | 7f4c458d40474dfa018a5626634561af592f0ff3 |
Scientists claim that eating lots of sugar (illustrated) and other carbohydrates, harms both the brain's structure and function . A diet high in sugar could be damaging your brain as well as inflating your waistline, scientists have warned. In the past research has linked sugary foods with obesity but a new study has now found the risks associated with a sugar laden diet could have more widespread health implications, eating away at a person's brain power. A team at Charité University Medical Centre in Berlin found eating lots of sugar and other carbohydrates harms both the brain's physical structure as well as its function. They discovered high levels of glucose are associated with worse memory in healthy adults and could poetntially lead to more people suffering dementia. The new research backs up previous studies, which have shown that diabetes - characterised by high levels of blood glucose - has been linked to an increased risk of dementia, Scientific American reported. Experts have also previously found that high blood sugar levels are linked to a smaller hippocampus, which is an area of the brain used for remembering events and facts. AS part of the new study, scientists wanted to find out whether glucose has a negative effect on memory in healthy people without diabetes. They looked at short-term and long-term glucose markers in 141 healthy adults without any signs of diabetes, who took a memory test. The participants also underwent an MRI scan to examine the structure of their hippocampus. The experiment revealed that higher glucose blood levels were linked with bad memory as well as a smaller hippocampus. Agnes . Flöel, a neurologist at Charité and co-author of the study, said . the results ‘provide further evidence that glucose might directly . contribute to hippocampal atrophy'. However, she said the study cannot confirm a causal relation between brain health and eating lots of sugar. Scientists will explore whether dietary and lifestyle changes might reverse changes in the brain. Experts recently urged people to halve their sugar intake to just five teaspoons a day, in order to tackle soaring obesity levels. Guidelines from scientists advising Public Health England - the agency given the job of tackling obesity - said that women should have no more than five to six teaspoons of sugar a day, and men seven to eight. The experiment revealed that higher glucose blood levels were linked with bad memory and a physically smaller hippocampus (shown in red) that is responsible for long-term memory . Currently, Britons consume an average of 15 teaspoons daily, mainly due to the high volumes of sugar hidden in everyday items such as fruit juice, muesli, yoghurts, sandwiches and ready meals. Senior doctors and academics want the Government to force food manufacturers to cut sugar levels, ensure products are clearly labelled and impose a tax on soft drinks, but so far, options are only being considered. In the meantime, experts are advising parents to ban fruit juice, squash and soft drinks from the dinner table and give their children only water and milk. While some parents think that fruit juice is healthy, nutritionists have pointed out that it has played a part in fuelling sharp rises in obesity rates, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A typical teenager consumes 40 per cent more sugar than they should and Adults take in 13 per cent too much. A study published in the British Medical Journal last month, claims that more than one in three adults have 'pre-diabetes,' a term used to indicate that a person has raised sugar levels and is therefore at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which develops in adulthood, can shave six years off a person's life. Previous studies have shown that diabetes, which is characterised by high levels of blood glucose, has been linked to an increased risk of dementia (illustrated with a stock image) Diabetes UK said that more than 280,000 people a year are diagnosed with diabetes ¿ the equivalent of the population of Newcastle upon Tyne . New figures show hundreds of people are diagnosed with diabetes every day in Britain. Diabetes UK said that more than 280,000 people a year are diagnosed with diabetes – the equivalent of the population of Newcastle upon Tyne. Each day 738 people are told that they have type 2 diabetes – which is linked to being overweight – and 30 are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which is not linked to weight. About 3.8million people in the UK now have the condition and about 35 per cent of the population have borderline diabetes. Diabetes UK has called for more focus on preventing type 2 diabetes, saying that if the rate of people developing the condition continues the consequences could be ‘disastrous’. The charity’s chief executive, Barbara Young, said: ‘It is deeply worrying that more than 700 people a day are being diagnosed with diabetes and this clearly shows the frightening scale of what is fast becoming a national health emergency. ‘If we continue to see people being diagnosed at this rate then the consequences will be disastrous. ‘As the number of people with diabetes grows, we are likely to see even more people endure devastating health complications such as amputation and kidney failure and more people die tragically young. 'It would also lead to an increase in NHS costs that would be simply unsustainable. As a country, we are still not giving diabetes healthcare the priority it needs and we also need to get much better at preventing type 2 diabetes before it is too late.’ | Scientists at the Charité University Medical Centre in Berlin claim sugar and carbohydrates harm the brain's structure and function . High levels of glucose are associated with worse memory in healthy adults . It's been found that a sugary diet is linked to an increased risk of dementia . | e157b76da16c8029a8d6219270924affaba3c7f5 |
By . Chris Hanlon . PUBLISHED: . 12:32 EST, 23 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:25 EST, 24 May 2012 . Role model: Goalkeeper Luke McCormick killed two boys aged ten and eight while drink driving but is set to sign for Swindon on his release . A goalkeeper who killed two young brothers in a drunken car crash has been offered a return to professional football. Luke McCormick, 28, is expected to play for Swindon Town FC when he is released from prison next month. Arron Peak, ten, and his eight-year-old brother Ben died when McCormick smashed his Range Rover into their father’s car at 97mph on the M6 in Staffordshire. McCormick, who had played for Plymouth Argyle, was sentenced to seven years and four months in 2008 for causing death by dangerous driving and being twice the drink-drive limit. Under the early release rules, he is due to be freed after serving less than four years. McCormick has been training with Swindon since January while on day release and is set to join the club on a trial basis this summer. The boys' angry father Phil, of Partington, Greater Manchester, who was also seriously injured in the crash, said: ‘We’ve lost two sons as a result of Luke McCormick drinking and driving - yet not even four years on he’s being released from jail and will be back playing the game he loves. ‘Our lads will never play football again. It is so wrong on so many levels. ‘When he’s released he’ll be going on a pre-season tour to Italy - very nice, not a thought for the victims. ‘We are disgusted to find out only now that while he’s been in prison he’s been training with the team. Tragedy: Ben and Arron Peak were killed in a horrific car crash caused by footballer Luke McCormick . ‘We are the injured party here - we’ve lost our sons and I have terrible injuries that I live every day with - yet he’s living it up like nothing has happened. Just how can this be right? ‘If McCormick had just killed one of our sons he may not even have been given a custodial sentence - it’s not real justice at all. ‘Now he’s coming out into a cushy job that he loves. It absolutely stinks. ‘You would have thought managers of high-profile football clubs would have steered clear of him. As far as I am aware he clearly has an alcohol problem.’ His sickened wife Amanda added: 'That is the justice system - the families and the victims are just being forgotten. There is no justice here at all.’ Controversy: Swindon Town manager Paulo Di Canio is giving a trial to Luke McCormick (right) who was been triaining with the club while still in prison . Swindon chairman Jeremy Wray said: 'Our sympathy is with the family of the victims - that will never change. There's been a complete tragedy and lives have been destroyed. 'This guy has done his time in prison. He wants to come back and give something back to society. 'The best way we can do that is to rehabilitate, and that's the role Swindon can play. It's a benefit we've thought about in the long term. Speaking to BBC Wiltshire, Wray added: 'It's going to be a big debate and I'm not frightened of it. 'Luke might have done three and a half years but he undoubtedly wakes up with a life sentence every day and thinking about what he's done. 'Does he try and do something positive with the rest of his life and give something back? If one life is saved in the future because of that, then it's the right action.' | McCormick 'wakes up with a life sentence every day thinking about what he's done' insists Swindon chief . ‘Our lads will never play football again. We’ve lost our sons - yet he’s living it up like nothing has happened' says disgusted father Phil, 39 . McCormick will join League Two champions on pre-season tour of Italy as part of trial and was released from prison to train once a week . | ddeb08502cf631792c3a63f9546e757dbd3f7d03 |
The attack by al Qaeda's Somali affiliate group Al-Shabaab that killed scores at the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, was horrifying. It was followed by two smaller scale attacks by the group that killed and injured both police and civilians. Previously, a multilateral campaign against Al-Shabaab undertaken by United Nation's sanctioned African Union forces, including many from the Kenyan military, was being touted as a great counterinsurgency success story, both for the African Union and the United States. Indeed, the Obama administration directly backed the African Union forces, participated in the counterinsurgency with targeted drone and air strikes and recently formally recognized the new Somali government. Beginning in 2011, the counterinsurgents pushed Al-Shabaab out of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and made it nearly impossible for Al-Shabaab to hold territory even in its former strongholds in southern Somalia. This was a stunning turnaround for parts of Somalia. Despite these major counterinsurgent victories, many analysts interpret the recent attacks as a sign of a resurgent Al-Shabaab. The New York Times, for instance, reports that according to senior American counterterrorism and diplomatic officials the attack shows the Somali militants are as dangerous as ever. If Al-Shabaab, with its increasing ties to global jihadi groups, is capable of such spectacular attacks, the argument goes, it is stronger than we thought. Victory was declared too soon. Nothing could be further from the truth. The goal of Al-Shabaab is to rule Somalia. In order to do so, it must hold territory. By holding territory rebel groups establish political control, build operational capacity and gain recruits. Terrorism is a tactic used to spread fear. It is not a tactic suited to holding territory. So, in analyzing the attack in Kenya, one must ask why Al-Shabaab has resorted to a tactic so ill-suited to its goals. The answer is that terrorist and other unconventional attacks are now all that Al-Shabaab can manage, precisely because of the success of the counterinsurgent campaign against it. Terrorism is a weapon of the weak. Rebel groups turn to terrorism when they lack the human and material resources required to field a fighting force capable of using conventional tactics that might actually take and hold territory. That is, terrorist attacks are a sign that rebels are losing -- not winning. This is a pattern that has been seen repeatedly throughout the history of counterinsurgency. Brutal but effective Russian counterinsurgency efforts in the second Chechen war degraded Chechen rebels' public support and operational capacity. In response, those rebels shifted tactics, resulting in dramatic terrorist attacks in the Moscow Metro in 2010. Those attacks, though deadly, were a sign of a Chechen rebellion no longer able to seriously challenge Russian counterinsurgents. After the Tet offensive during the Vietnam War, when American and South Vietnamese operations rested local control over a village, mobilization for the North Vietnamese declined in those villages and, as a result, conventional attacks by the North Vietnamese decreased and unconventional attacks by the Viet Cong increased. The rise of the Irish Republican Army as a terrorist organization can be largely attributed to similar dynamics. After its defeat in the civil war of the early 1920s, the remaining IRA rebels, unable to field a conventional fighting force capable of conventional operations against British and Free State forces, turned to terrorist tactics and assassinations. Counterinsurgency is a strategically complex business. Rebels shift tactics and strategies in response to changes to their operational environment. Consequently, it is a mistake to expect that every counterinsurgent victory will be followed by a reduction in all forms of violence. We must learn to recognize when an uptick in violence is really a sign of resurgence and when it is a sign of a rebel group on its heels, fighting for survival. Terrorist attacks by groups like Al-Shabaab that used to control large amounts of territory are an instance of the latter phenomenon. No rebel group loses quietly. But governments must show resolve in the face of attacks, which should be understood for what they are—a sign the counterinsurgents are winning. | The Somali group Al-Shabaab attacked a mall and other targets in Kenya, killing many . Ethan Mesquita: These terrorist attacks are a sign the rebels are losing . He says the goal of Al-Shabaab is to rule Somalia, so why would it attack Kenya? Mesquita: Terrorism is a weapon of the weak; Al-Shabaab is fighting for its survival . | d180721c129ceb52013d52c8838d0d240dac5617 |
The economy may be just about on the road to recovery, but it will take a little more than that before most of us can afford just one night in this exclusive holiday retreat in the Caribbean. Billed as 'one of the world's most luxurious holiday resorts for the rich and famous,' it costs a staggering £40,000 a night for the entire 10-suite island. With the average wage in the UK standing at £26,200, and a week on Calivigny island totalling more than £280,000, this resort is something most folk can only dream of. Even Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island is more within most people's financial reach. Relatively. The Virgin boss's Caribbean island is a bargain £26,600 a night if you rent the whole atoll, or just £17,100 a week if you book a villa. Scroll down for video . Exclusivity: Only the rich and famous will ever step foot on this stunning island, close to Grenada, in the Caribbean, which has a price tag of more than £40,000 a night . So what can the rich and famous expect for their dollar at the exclusive Calivigny retreat? Nestled in the heart of the Caribbean, the 81-acre private island, located just off of Grenada, boasts postcard views - and a price to match. Surrounded by serene tropical seas and golden sandy beaches, the island caters for billionaire moguls and 20 friends - who will each have their own extravagant secluded villa. The opulent French Colonial design oozes throughout each building and alongside the vast 140,000 square feet of living space are various formal and casual dining areas, full hair and beauty salon, fully staffed five-star kitchen, gym and boathouse that comes with its own SUBMARINE. Every inch of the grand residence is covered with marble flooring, vaulted Balinese style ceilings, French windows and doors, swirling stair cases with ornate wrought iron banisters, rich vibrant Persian carpets, plush leather couches, art deco furnishings and design by Oscar de la Renta and Richard Frinier. The main hotel, pictured, overlooks stunning, unspoilt views of the Caribbean sea with Grenada in the background . Decadence: Each of the ten bedroom suites is furnished with a king size bed, sitting area, wet bar, grand carved wooden wardrobes, writing desks and dining tables . But if those guests lucky enough to be invited on the holiday of a lifetime do not enjoy the hosts' company they can choose from one of six private beaches to soak up the sun on. The idyllic island has become one of the most sought-after resorts on the planet by wealthy travellers seeking the best that money can buy. A spokesman for high-end travel agents LaCure said: 'Calivigny Island is a spectacular one of a kind private island retreat. 'Boasting six private white sand beaches, two directly in front of the beach house, opportunity flourishes for hidden pleasures, quiet solitude and good old fashioned beach fun on this stunning island. Grand entrance: Guests receive a private boat or aeroplane to transport them to and from the hotel. When they arrive they are greeted by this entrance walkway . Luxury: One of the living rooms within the hotel boasts a decadent large golden ceiling rose, grand piano, 6ft vases and Persian rugs . Plush interior: Each suite is uniquely designed, with expensive furniture and decor, and all command breathtaking views of the coast . 'It truly is something special that has given those lucky enough to experience it memories of a lifetime.' Each of the ten bedroom suites is furnished with a king size bed, sitting area, wet bar, grand carved wooden wardrobes, writing desks and dining tables. Every suite has a unique design, with a sunken Jacuzzi or a loft- style bedroom gallery, every guest suite is richly appointed, spacious, and comfortable with exquisitely appointed en-suite bathrooms, private entrances and views of the island and ocean beyond. Ultimate relaxation: With not a soul to disturb them, guests can wind away the hours (at a cost of £1,666 per hour) on one of the secluded beach sun loungers, listening to the waves and the wind in the trees . Serene: It will be easy to escape the hum drum of every day life while reclining on this private beach, toes in the pristine turquoise water - one of six beaches on the island . Guests can also enjoy a number of . optional activities, services and amenities available upon request, such . as a 173 ft Atmosphere Perini Navisailing Yacht, musicians and . entertainers, fireworks displays, massage therapy services and more. To maintain the gorgeous island, up to 20 members of staff work around the clock catering for guests' every needs. And . when the unfortunate time of packing up and heading back to the mansion . arrives, there is private boat and aeroplane transport available to . courier people back home. The idyllic island has become one of the most sought-after resorts on the planet by wealthy travellers seeking the best that money can buy. To maintain the gorgeous island, up to 20 members of staff work around the clock catering for guests' every needs . | The private island off the Grenada coast offers 10 unique and decadent suites for up to 20 lucky people to enjoy . Each suite boasts marble flooring, vaulted ceilings, Persian carpets, plush leather . couches, and art deco furnishings . The fully-staffed resort offers a hair and beauty salon, chefs and personal trainers, plus use of the island's submarine . | 47c420e7cfecd06b93b30be3922d4864cc190264 |
This is the shocking moment a thug viciously grabbed an elderly lollipop man and shoved him to the floor before running off with his sign. Dramatic CCTV footage of the incident shows the 82-year-old victim being attacked after he walked out to stop traffic on a busy road in Coventry. The dedicated lollipop man, who travels 10 miles every day to help out at the school crossing and who has manned the street for the last 14 years, has now been left too traumatised to return to the position. Scroll down for video . Police have released dramatic CCTV footage of the shocking incident which shows the suspect (circled left) approaching the lollipop man (far right), before grabbing him and throwing him to the ground in Coventry . The suspect approached the lollipop man (pictured) as he stopped traffic on a busy Coventry road last week . The suspect can be seen grabbing hold of the lollipop man before leading him back towards the pavement . The 20-second video clip shows the suspect, who is dressed in dark clothing with a hood up, standing on the pavement as the lollipop man walks out into the road. However, instead of crossing the road, the suspect then strides towards his victim and grabs him before dragging him back onto the pavement. When the lollipop man refuses to give up his beloved sign, the suspect pushes him to the floor and yanks the stick out of his hand before running off. Three young women can then be seen running to the aid of the victim who lies helplessly on the floor. Police said the pensioner was left with injuries to his left side following the incident, and is too scared to return to the streets. The man, who does not wish to be named, had proudly patrolled various school sites across Coventry for the last 14 years and is a familiar face to hundreds of youngsters and parents. Police said he was attacked because he refused to give up his 'treasured crossing sign'. However, officers also revealed that the man had since been reunited with his sign after a kind-hearted passer-by managed to confront the suspect and retrieve it. West Midlands Police said the mystery stranger spotted a man getting out of a blue Vauxhall Vectra car with the lollipop stick and confronted him before getting the sign back. Officers would now like to speak to the suspect who carried out the 'callous robbery' at 4.38pm on January 21. Detective Inspector Gareth Mason, of Coventry Investigation Team, said: 'The pensioner has done this job for over 14 years and he was not prepared to just hand over his treasured crossing sign. 'He refused to let go and ended up in a struggle with his assailant, ultimately leading to the robber pushing his elderly victim to the floor before running off with the lollipop stick. 'This is a particularly senseless offence against an elderly man, who is carrying out a public duty. 'Since the attack, the victim has been too distressed and shaken by what happened to return to work − something that has devastated him after so many years of devoted service. 'He also suffered injuries to his left side as a result of the fall. It is only through fortune that the injuries were not more serious. 'We are determined to identify the offender and request the help of the local community or anybody who witnessed the offence.' The suspect, dressed in dark clothing and with a hood up, drags the helpless victim towards the road side . The offender then grabs the lollipop sign out of his victim's hand and shoves him, prompting the victim to fall . The lollipop man (dressed in high visibility clothing) can be seen falling to the floor as the suspect runs off . Three young girls came to the aid of the helpless lollipop man and police now wish to speak to the suspect . Residents living in Humber Road, where the attack occurred, have expressed their shock at the brutal attack. Teaching assistant John Neal, 32, said: 'It is so awful that a lollipop man can be attacked in such an unprovoked and savage way. 'The city doesn't have many lollipop men or women left so the fact the old guy was out there helping people cross the road is testament to his caring nature. 'The scumbag who did this should be strung up. What on earth will they do with a lollipop stick? It's probably only worth a few pounds and who the hell would buy it?' West Midlands Police has released the CCTV as part of attempts to trace the suspect, and a force spokesman added: 'We would like to speak to this person in connection with a callous robbery of an elderly lollipop man.' The offender is described as a white man, around 6ft 2in tall, of athletic build, in his late 20s to early 30s, with bushy or thick hair. He was wearing dark clothing. Anyone who has any information about the robbery is urged to call West Midlands Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Do you know the man who confronted the suspect and successfully retrieved the lollipop sign? Email [email protected] . | Dramatic CCTV footage shows suspect dragging lollipop man off the road . Attacker then grabs lollipop sign off victim before throwing him to the floor . 82-year-old victim who manned crossing for last 14 years left traumatised . Police said he was attacked because he refused to give up 'treasured sign' Mystery stranger later confronted suspect and retrieved iconic lollipop sign . Resident: 'It is so awful that a man can be attacked in such a savage way' Do you know the mystery passer-by who retrieved the sign? Email [email protected] . | 543b09b07cf84f9a0f0c47fc700ae2854a749cf7 |
By . Nick Enoch . PUBLISHED: . 13:48 EST, 12 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:46 EST, 12 December 2012 . A spitfire stands forlorn as a wing is removed from its fuselage. But far from heading for the scrapheap, this Mk 1 plane, which flew in the Battle of Britain, is in safe hands. The people examining its amputated 'limb' are conservation officers from the Imperial War Museum in London. After years of being suspended from the ceiling of the museum, the aircraft was today being prepared for transfer to the IWM in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. Conservation officers removed a wing from a Mk I Spitfire in the Imperial War Museum in London today . The plane will be conserved and displayed in Duxford, Cambs, while the museum, in Lambeth, south-east London, is closed from January 2 to July 1 next year . The Spitfire entered service in 1938 with No.19 Squadron and flew in the Battle of Britain during the summer and autumn of 1940 . It will be conserved and displayed there while the museum, in Lambeth, south-east London, is closed from January 2 to July . 1 next year for a major refurbishment. The tourist attraction is set for a £35million makeover which will see the whole of the lower ground floor concentrating on the First World War - due to raised public awareness following shows such as Downton Abbey and Birdsong. Workmen also removed a First World War German Mast Periscope from the London site. It was used for looking over obstacles 30-85ft in height and could easily be transported on its carriage. The Spitfire entered service in 1938 with No.19 Squadron and flew in the Battle of Britain during the summer and autumn of 1940. Some 21,000 Spitfires were built during and after the Second World War, although most were sold off for scrap in the early 1950s due to a shortage of metal . The tourist attraction in the capital is set for a £35m makeover which will see the whole of the lower ground floor concentrating on the First World War - due to raised public awareness following shows such as Downton Abbey and Birdsong . The emergence of the jet engine also hastened the demise of the propeller-powered aircraft . One of the proposed names for the fighter was 'The Shrew' More than 20,000 Spitfires were built in 24 different marks. It first flew in the RAF in 1938 and was retired by 1957. One of the proposed names for the fighter was 'The Shrew'. Its designer RJ Mitchell only lived long enough to see the prototype fly in 1937. During the mid-1950s, many Mk 22 planes were sold to the Egyptian and Syrian air forces. Some 21,000 Spitfires were built . during and after the Second World War, although most were sold off for . scrap in the early 1950s due to a shortage of metal. The emergence of the jet engine also hastened the demise of the propeller-powered aircraft. The Battle of Britain was the German air force's attempt to gain air superiority over the RAF from July to September 1940. It was one of the turning points of World War Two and prevented Germany from invading Britain. The battle began in mid-July with Luftwaffe concentrating on attacking shipping in the English Channel and attacking coastal towns and defences. From August 12, Hermann Goering, one of the leaders of the Nazi regime, shifted his focus to the destruction of the RAF, attacking airfields and radar bases. Convinced that Fighter Command was now close to defeat, he also tried to force air battles between fighter planes to break British strength. However, Goering grew frustrated by the large number of British planes that were still fighting off his attacks. Luftwaffe switched tactics again and, on Hitler's orders, set about destroying London and other major cities. Eleven days later, on what became 'Battle of Britain Day', the RAF decimated the huge incoming Luftwaffe formations in the skies above London and the south coast. Whole again: A World War II Spitfire in full flight during a war memorial air show . On 10 July 1940, German and British air forces went to war and the Battle of Britain began . Workmen also removed a First World War German Mast Periscope from the Imperial War Museum in London today. It was used for looking over obstacles 30-85ft in height and could easily be transported on its carriage . | WWII plane set for IWM in Duxford, Cambs while London branch undergoes major revamp . | e1867c58f1f445f4bb72828cbd657a4a7377063f |
New York (CNN) -- John Lennon's autographed lyrics for "A Day in the Life" -- one of the top tunes from an iconic album -- went for more than a song Friday when it was sold at Sotheby's Auction house in New York for $1,202,500. The price paid by a private American collector is close to the sale price in 2005 when Lennon's lyrics for "All you need is Love" sold for over $1.2 million. A total of three bidders weighed in for the manuscript, taking over six minutes until the bidding ended. The double-sided single sheet of paper written in Lennon's hand includes cross-outs and corrections, and chronicles the evolution of one of the most famous musical masterpieces by the Beatles. "A Day in the Life" was the final track of the Beatles' legendary 1967 album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." The album spent 27 weeks at the top of the British charts and 15 weeks at number one on the American Billboard 200. The album is considered a turning point in the career of the Beatles, transforming them from pop icons to among the 20th century's leading artists. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked "A Day in the Life" as number 26 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone Assistant Editor Andy Greene thinks the song and the album deserve higher praise, considering it was the last album the Beatles collectively worked on together. "That album was the beginning of the Album Era," said Greene. "It was the Big Bang of albums. This was the first concept album. All the songs go together to tell a story and it's inspired every musician." The lyrics, once owned by Mal Evans, the Beatles' road manager, exceeded Sotheby's estimates of $500,000 to $700,000. The lyrics were sold by an unidentified collector, an American, who purchased the sheet in 1992 at Sotheby's for £48,000, or $93,000. The auction house said the seller plans to use the proceeds to buy a vineyard. The first side of the lyrics -- which are believed to have been composed on the morning and afternoon of January 17, 1967 -- features a rough draft written in script with a black felt marker and blue ballpoint pen, with a few annotations in red ink. The other side of the page, whose ink is also bright and vibrant, is written in block letters, according to Sotheby's spokesman Dan Abernethy. Both versions begin with the same familiar line: "I read the news today, oh boy." Rolling Stone's Greene didn't seem fazed by the expected sale price for the lyrics. "I can see why it's worth that," he said. "Beatles stuff always sells well. It is the crown jewel of the Beatles collection." | Double-sided sheet of paper sells for $1,202,500 . Final track on 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' Believed composed on the morning and afternoon of January 17, 1967 . | 3c4f9ca3d72dc541a524e42e131ea4d85f91f73e |
By . Larisa Brown . PUBLISHED: . 06:30 EST, 13 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:11 EST, 13 January 2013 . The mother of the young Indian woman who was fatally gang raped on a bus in New Delhi has called for the men who murdered her daughter to be hanged. Speaking of the gang who beat her 23-year-old daughter so badly she died almost two weeks later in hospital, she said: 'My soul will never know any rest if the men who tormented my daughter are not hanged.' The 46-year-old also spoke of how her daughter, a physiotherapy student, whispered to her on her death bed: 'Mama, I want them to be burnt alive.' The Ravidas camp, pictured, is the notoriously lawless slum where four of the six accused by police in the Delhi gang rape case, are said to be from. The victim's mother has said she wants the men who killed her daughter to be hanged . On December 16 last year the woman was attacked by a group of men using a tyre iron as a weapon as she travelled on a bus home with a male companion following a trip to the cinema. She suffered massive internal injuries, brain damage and a heart attack, dying in a hospital in Singapore 13 days after the attack. Her brutal murder has sparked furor throughout India, with mass demonstrations for women's rights and calls for tougher rape laws. The woman's mother, speaking to The Sunday Telegraph at her ancestral home in Medawara Kalan, in the northern state of Utter Pradesh, paid tribute to her daughter, saying: 'She was our life. 'I want only one thing. I want to see those animals hang.' The female victim and her male companion boarded what appeared to be an ordinary private mini-bus after watching the film Life of Pi together. Her male friend said a gang of six men aboard the bus - fitted with curtains and tinted windows - had planned to trap them. Accusations: A Delhi police van, believed to be carrying the accused in . the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman, enters a district court in New . Delhi . Claims: Policemen report for duty at the court. A lawyer for three of the men accused of the brutal rape and killing of a 23-year-old woman claims his clients have been tortured into admitting the crime . Once on the bus, he was attacked and the 23-year-old was gang-raped by a group of allegedly drunk men, including the driver, who also violated her with an iron bar causing immense internal damage that lead to her death, he said. The man, believed to be the only witness in the case, said he did his best to fight off the offenders. The attackers eventually discarded the two of them by a roadside. Ten days after the incident the woman was flown from a hospital in India to an intensive care ward in Singapore, where it was hoped specialists might be able to save her. By the time her parents were informed of the nature of the injuries and flown to be by her bedside in Singapore, she was barely able to speak, with much of her last communication being only in sign language. Her mother added: 'When one of few things she said to me was: "Mama, I want them to be burnt alive". The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, handed over a cheque to the woman's family for £26,000 as compensation for their daughter's death. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav interacts with the media at the village of the Delhi gangrape victim . He also announced plans to build a hospital in the village, currently some 120 miles away from proper medical facilities. But the woman's mother said she was not interested in compensation, only the death of the vile perpetrators. Last week five men appeared in court charged with kidnap, gang-rape and murder of the woman. A sixth defendant, believed to be 17, faces charges in a juvenile court. Several of the accused came from the same notorious district of Delhi, a so-called 'slum cluster' called Ravidas Camp, which has a lawless reputation. A lawyer for three of the accused has claimed his clients have been tortured and coerced into admitting the crime. Manohar Lal Sharma told the BBC that one of the men had been tortured for 10 days. Mr Sharma said he plans to represent bus driver Ram Singh and his brother Mukesh as well as a third man Akshay Thakur and they planned to plead not guilty. Today marks the end of the formal Hindu morning period for the student, after 13 days of various prayers and rituals designed to let the soul pass peacefully to the next level of existence. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | 23-year-old suffered massive internal injuries, brain damage and heart attack . Mother, 46, spoke of some of her daughter's last words on her death bed . | d20a2376e54c7c6802838ca84c9c50583cd70ea7 |
The research arm of the Pentagon announced a technological breakthrough Thursday, releasing footage that shows successful tests of self-guided .50 caliber bullets, claimed to be the first of its kind. According to a news release by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program recently conducted it's first successful live test of the bullets. The video released by the agency shows a live test-fire of the bullet, which was shot at a path pointed away from its intended target. In the more recent firing of the bullet, dated April 21, 2014, it is shown curving back towards its target, hitting the mark. Scroll Down for Video . The successful testing of EXACTO was announced by the Pentagon this week . DARPA's prototype model of EXACTO, which will increased the distance away from a target snipers can successful shoot . According to the video, EXACTO is being developed by Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, with funding from DARPA. Teledyne is a research and development firm based in Thousand Oaks, California. Teledyne was awarded a contract worth $25 million in 2010 to develop EXACTO. According to DARPA's release, 'EXACTO’s specially designed ammunition and real-time optical guidance . system help track and direct projectiles to their targets by . compensating for weather, wind, target movement and other factors that . could impede successful hits.' DARPA says that the bullet created by the project will improve the range of snipers, and improve troop safety as they will be able to shoot and neutralize a target from further away. Currently, US Snipers are expected to be able to hit a target 600 meters away, 90 per cent of the time. With the advent of EXACTO, an increased range to 2,000 meters is promised. Despite DARPA's claim that EXACTO is the first bullet of it's kind, in 2012, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin named Sandia National Laboratories, which does research and development with the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, claimed to be developing their own self-guided bullet. Snipers will now be able to hit their targets without interference from unfavorable weather conditions . EXACTO is not the only kind of self-guiding bullet in development and funded by the US government. Another company in California is also working on a prototype for a bullet guided by lasers . Sandia's bullet uses lasers for guidance, as opposed to EXACTO's onboard computer system (the specific working of EXACTO are classified.) According to Sandia's website, additional development is needed before a full prototype or test can be performed. However, unlike EXACTO, Sandia plans to make their bullets available to law enforcement in addition to the military. According to DARPA, the next phase of the development of EXACTO is to refine the accuracy and performance of the technology. | EXACTO, a self-guided bullet tested in Spring 2014, successful in being shot pointed away from intended target and still hitting it . Technology will increase distance snipers can shoot from, as well as decrease the effect poor weather has on sniper accuracy . Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, the company developing EXACTO, funded $25 million by the US government in 2010 for the project . | e6b0189fcf47138a626d19166c47d4749bda1f16 |
By . Sam Cunningham . Follow @@samcunningham . Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has told Dejan Lovren he is not for sale and has ordered the Croatia defender to return for training on Sunday. Lovren has been given extra time off after participating in the World Cup, but is due back this weekend. The centre back handed a formal transfer request to the club in May and has since spoken out about his discontent at St Mary’s. But Koeman said: ‘I have spoken twice to Lovren and I want to keep him. He has a contract. He has to come back on Sunday. I do not know what will happen after that. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Dejan Lovren flyboarding on holiday amidst transfer row . Not for sale: Dejan Lovren has been told he is staying at Southampton by new manager Ronald Koeman . ‘We want to keep all that information in private. That was not a good thing on his side. I hope he will come back. I spoke to Dejan five days ago. He said it is a difficult situation and he will have another talk to his agent and the club. He knows he has to come back.’ Koeman is trying to stem the flow of star players leaving the club. After discussions with executive director Les Reed ahead of his appointment, Koeman was aware that Luke Shaw, who moved to Manchester United, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, both now at Liverpool, would be leaving. Hard line: Koeman has taken a tough stance on Lovren and ordered him to return to Southampton training . He is determined to keep hold of Lovren, who only signed for the club last summer for £8.5million from Lyon. But the Dutchman has a fight on his hands, with Liverpool and Manchester United both understood to be interested in the 25-year-old. ‘We are not a selling club,’ Koeman added. ‘We would like to keep the rest of our good players and bring better players in.’ Departure: Southampton have already sold Luke Shaw to Manchester United this summer . Exit: Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana left Saints to join Liverpool . Deja vu: Lallana and Lambert will face Saints on the first day of the season . | Southampton's Dejan Lovren claimed his head was already at Liverpool . But new Saints boss Ronald Koeman insists he will not be sold . Koeman also ordered defender Lovren to return to training on Sunday . Southampton have sold Luke Shaw, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana . | 0df36b33b779fae0636411d05bdc9c9389002d6a |
By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 01:04 EST, 22 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:04 EST, 22 November 2013 . The hellish Christmas Eve shopping crush could soon be a thing of the past. Britons are turning to their computers rather than the tills to buy gifts, with shoppers intending to spend 12 per cent more on their Christmas shopping this year than last year, with £1 in every £3 to be spent online, according to a survey. Shoppers intend to do 33 per cent of their Christmas spending on the high street - 20 per cent in individual shops and 13 per cent in department stores. The study revealed that 30% of shoppers would physically go in to a store and look at a product before ordering it online . The figures suggest more will be spent . online than on the high street, with 25 per cent set to go to online . retailers and 9 per cent to eBay or other online auction sites, the . study for Santander 123 cashback credit card found. But supermarkets are set to be the biggest beneficiaries of festive spending, with consumers planning to spend 29 per cent of their Christmas budget there. Each adult intends to spend an average of £175 on presents, a 5 per cent increase on their intended spend last year. They intend to spend an average of £37 each on Christmas dinner and £59 on other festive food and drink - 41 per cent higher than last year. The study also revealed that 30 per cent of shoppers would physically go in to a store and look at a product before ordering it online, while 27 per cent would look online before buying in a store. Two-thirds of those who intend to do some of their Christmas shopping online cited convenience as a key reason . Some 15 per cent will find the lowest price online and use this to negotiate a better price in-store. Two-thirds of those who intend to do some of their Christmas shopping online cited convenience as a key reason, 59 per cent said they could find the same items for lower prices and 35 per cent said they shopped online for the variety. Some 22 per cent said they simply did not like shopping on the high street. Santander Cards chief executive Alan Mathewson said: 'Our findings suggest an increase in consumer confidence over the past 12 months, which is good news for both online retailers and the more traditional high street. 'Shoppers are clearly still looking to get more for their money however, with large numbers of them using a range of techniques such as bartering in-store with prices they have found online, or looking for cashback deals.' | Figures suggest more will be spent online than on the high street . Shoppers intend to spend 12% more on Christmas shopping than last year . | 88db38813cb256b21833f07198f5c139ee3fab64 |
The driver of a car that crashed through a fence and into a tree, killing two passengers and injuring herself and two others, has been arrested on suspicion of DUI. Passengers Blanca Belman Almanza, 23, and Anagraciela Cuadra, 22, died at the scene of the 1:30am accident on the northbound 110 Freeway south of Avenue 52 between Los Angeles and Pasadena early Monday morning. The three surviving young women, including the driver, have been transported to hospital with serious injuries. Horror wreck: Five young women were traveling in this car when the driver, allegedly intoxicated, veered off the road and into a tree . Casualties: Anagraciela Cuadra (left) and Blanca Belman Almanza (right) both perished in the crash . Police say the driver of the vehicle, a 22-year-old San Gabriel woman was intoxicated and veered into a chain-link fence, hitting a tree head on. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the two deceased were 'beyond help' and died at the scene. Three others, including the driver, had to be cut from the wreckage of their Nissan Sentra. The driver, whose identity has not been announced, was transported to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and will be booked when she is discharged from hospital. Crash site: Firemen had to cut the five women from the wreck of their Nissan . Close: Ana Cuadra's mother told reporters that Blanca Belman Almanza and her daughter were best friends . The other two victims were taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. All three suffered serious injuries in the crash. According to the Los Angeles Times, the women were out celebrating the upcoming birthday of Ana Cuadra. Cuadra leaves behind a two-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter. She had recently begun working as a dental hygienist. Her mother, Marlena Cuadra, told CBS LA that Cuadra and Almanza were best friends. 'I understand that God gave me her, he took her away. He will give me strength,' she said. The 110 Freeway from Los Angeles to Pasadena is notoriously unsafe, with curvy, narrow lanes and short entrances and off-ramps. The oldest freeway in California, it was built in 1940. | Two women died in a car accident on the 110 Freeway between LA and Pasadena early Monday morning . Five women were in a Nissan Sentra that crashed through a fence and hit a tree head-on . Anagraciela Cuadra, 22, and Blanca Belman Almanza, 23, died at the scene . The driver has been arrested for DUI . Three others were seriously injured, including the driver, and remain hospitalized . | 85e87bc1e4af4387b6ef2a9d6e9e12d41ec9f85b |
A grandmother who used to eat 4,000 calories a day and weighed twice as much as a baby elephant shed more than 20st after she overheard a nurse say to a colleague: 'If I ever get that fat, shoot me'. Sue Callear tipped the scales at a 35st at her heaviest and was classed as super-morbidly obese - meaning she could have died at any time. The 50-year-old’s body mass index (BMI) was a staggering 79 - almost four-and-a-half times the recommended 18.5 for a healthy adult. Scroll down for video . Sue Callear, pictured in 2010, with her grandson Jack, shortly after his birth, weighed 35st at her heaviest . Sue has dropped an incredible 20st from 35st (left) to 15st (right) after having a gastric sleeve fitted . She even had to make her own clothes using two-and-a-half metres of material. Sue also broke several beds and had to use special heavy-duty handrails to drag herself upstairs at her home in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs. The care worker ballooned in weight after she was bullied about her size at school and she continued to pile on the pounds as a adult, consuming more than 4,000 calories a day. She also gorged on crisps, sweets and pop for hours every night slumped in front of the television. Sue eventually decided to battle the bulge after she went into University Hospital of North Staffordshire for cellutitis and overheard a nurse tell a colleague: 'If I ever get that fat, shoot me'. The mother-of-one borrowed £12,000 from her father and went under the knife to have a gastric sleeve fitted at the same hospital in October 2011. And incredibly, she has lost an incredible 20st in three years and is now 15st and a size 18. Granmother-of-two Sue, who lives with her husband Ken, 46, said: 'I was basically trapped in my own body. 'Like a huge blob I sat there in my armchair, unable to move unaided with all my grandson’s toys at my feet. Sue, pictured with her husband Ken, at their wedding in 1988, was so large she had to make her own clothes using two-and-a-half metres of material . 'I suddenly realised to my horror if I did nothing I would never be able to play with him. 'Then another time on holiday as he played on the beach I wept when I thought I would always have to watch from the back of the car because it was so hard to get out. 'I wouldn’t go outdoors because of the cruel abuse. The worst came from kids but some was from those who should know better. 'I was having hospital treatment for cellulitis and overheard one nurse telling another ‘if I ever get that fat, shoot me’. I broke down in tears and just knew I had to change my life. 'Last week Cory was four and thanks to this wonderful operation I have been able to go crabbing in rock pools and build sand castles with him.' Sue eventually decided to battle the bulge after she went into University Hospital of North Staffordshire for cellutitis and overheard a nurse tell a colleague: 'If I ever get that fat, shoot me' Incredibly, the change was so astonishing that her sister-in-law Jayne Callear didn’t even recognise Sue. The 49-year-old, who works at a local newsagents, said: 'I didn’t even know she was having it so I failed to recognise who I was serving. 'Then I noticed her eyes and we hugged and both wept to know her ordeal was over.' Daughter-in-law Joanne Callear, 28, added: 'Before the op she was very self-conscious. 'She didn’t want to go out because sometimes people would stare and make comments. Now she is a completely different person.' At her heaviest, Sue shut herself away from the world and only spoke to her husband Ken and son Nick, 28, because of her embarrassment about being so large. But now she has been able to get her first job in six years working for a home care company and is able to walk her nine-year-old old Alsatian Kizzy miles around the local park. Breakfast: Nothing . Snacks: Biscuits, crisps and sweets (1,500 calories) Lunch: Fish and chips with cream cake for dessert (838 +230 = 1,068 calories) Dinner: Chicken omelette and chips with four slices of white bread and butter (364 + 951 + 356 = 1,671 calories) TOTAL CALORIES: 4,239 . Breakfast: Two poached eggs (128 calories) Lunch: One ham sandwich on wholemeal bread (224 calories) Dinner: A piece of cod with a serving of peas and carrots (158 + 83 = 241 calories) Snacks: Nothing . TOTAL CALORIES: 593 . The transformation has also seen Sue . conquer diabetes, high cholesterol, raised blood pressure, back pain, . sleep apnoea and clinical depression. Before . the operation she used to take 20 tablets a day for the illnesses but . she is now only on a handful of vitamins and mineral supplements. Sue added: 'The op saved was self-funded and it saved my life. 'Before I didn’t have a life, I didn’t leave my house for nearly three years. I just sat in my chair eating and watching TV. 'Now I can walk for miles and love going to the beach at our caravan in Anglesey. 'It has given me a totally new life.' Sue owes her second chance to pioneering weight-loss surgeon Chandra Cheruvu at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. Sue owes her second chance to pioneering weight-loss surgeon Chandra Cheruvu at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (pictured) Since the operation Sue has been able to get her first job in six years working for a home care company . He fitted her gastric sleeve which works by reducing the size of the stomach by about 75 per cent. Now the surgery which saved Sue from an early grave is set to be offered on the NHS to hundreds more people in Staffordshire every year. The hospital is poised to appoint two more weight-loss surgeons to increase the number of patients undergoing the procedure from 170 to 400 a year . Mr Cheruvu said: 'Mrs Callear is a perfect example of how someone’s life can change completely. 'Britain is the most obese country in Europe and Stoke-on-Trent is among the worst cities in the UK. There really is a crisis. 'In fact, since 2012 obesity has replaced smoking as the biggest cause of death. 'Surgery costs the NHS £8,000 so just by curing a person’s diabetes - let alone the other 40 health conditions caused by obesity - it pays for itself in two years and saves money for a further 30 years. 'Of course there are risks but the benefits are hugely impressive.' | Sue's diet of junk food and snacking saw her eating 4,000 a day . Was so large she had to make her own clothes using metres of material . Decided to tackle her size after hearing a nurse make a hurtful comment . Borrowed money from her father for gastric sleeve operation . Dropped from 35st and a BMI of 79 to 15st and a size 18 . Gone from taking 20 tablets a day for numerous illnesses to just vitamins . Now able to get first job in 6 years and play with her grandchildren . | c3b77a024708476eb455c99b57608ee68a3d4458 |
Group Captain Wendy Williams, 54, claimed that she was wrongly passed over for a top RAF job in favour of a male colleague with less experience than her . The Royal Air Force's most senior nurse who lost out on a top job to a man has won a sexual discrimination case against the Ministry of Defence. Group Captain Wendy Williams, 54, took the RAF to tribunal after she was passed over for promotion in favour of a male doctor who had three-and-a-half years' fewer service than her. Today, in what is being hailed a landmark ruling, Group Capt Williams' claim that the MoD had discriminated against her when recruiting for a senior role because of her gender was upheld. The tribunal, which found that just six of the 470 top jobs in the RAF were held by women last year, agreed with Group Capt Williams' claim and awarded her damages. She brought the case in July 2011 after being passed over for the position as RAF candidate for the tri-service role of commodore of the Defence Medical Group. As a registered nurse and midwife who had served in the RAF since 1984, and who had been a group captain since 2003, Group Capt Williams expected to win the role. But despite her experience, and her being recommended for promotion to a senior non-nursing role based on her experience, the post went to Group Capt John Gaffney. The 1* level role went to Group Capt Gaffney despite him having three-and-a-half years fewer service as a Group Captain. Group Captain Williams claimed the MoD had breached the 2010 Equalities Act by discriminating against her because of her gender when recruiting for a role for which she recommended and well-qualified. The tribunal was told that it was the . RAF’s procedure to fill medical 1* roles that were theoretically open . to doctors and nurses only with doctors. The Royal Air Force only had six women in its 470 top jobs last year, the tribunal heard . In its ruling, the tribunal panel, . led by employment judge Veronica Dean, criticised the RAF for this . practice and also the low number of women in top ranks overall - . amounting to between 1% and 1.3% of the total. Group Capt Williams said she was pleased with the decision, saying: 'Following this decision, I hope that nurses in the Royal Air Force and the wider Armed Forces will have the opportunity to aspire to, and attain, more senior posts. 'I hope that nurses will also gain due recognition for their leadership, commitment and professionalism. 'This judgment represents an opportunity for the Armed Forces to scrutinise internal processes and practices and shatter glass ceilings. The tribunal panel criticised Air Vice Marshal Mike Lloyd, now retired, for his ignorance of legislation . 'It should be used as a platform to ensure that appointments are made with regard to merit and competencies, and not with regard to a person’s gender or their membership of a professional body.' The panel also included scathing criticism of several senior officers, including Air Vice-Marshal Chris Morris who gave the promotion board a 'partisan and not unbiased' assessment of Group Capt Gaffney, who was under his command at the time. Air Vice Marshal Mike Lloyd, who is now retired but was in charge of RAF personnel at the time, was also criticised for his lack of knowledge of discrimination legislation, an ignorance that left the tribunal panel 'incredulous'. 'Viewed with an objective eye against the job specification, we have considered all the evidence and find that for a number of reasons the claimant was not only equal to Group Captain Gaffney but that an objective review of her appraisals and those of Group Captain Gaffney would have led to the claimant being considered as the properly preferred candidate of the RAF,' it wrote in its ruling. 'While the respondents acknowledge that both the claimant and Group Captain Gaffney were competent candidates for the selection... the respondents assert that Group Captain Gaffney was the most likely to succeed in competition with the other candidates put forward by the other services and therefore he was selected on that basis. 'We consider such a rationale to be entirely subjective and unsustainable in the evidence before us and we conclude that the claimant was not selected because of her sex.' Group Capt Williams was supported by the Royal College of Nursing in her claim. Janet Davies, its executive director of nursing and service delivery, said: 'This is a landmark case, and bodes well for the future of nursing careers within the Armed Forces. 'It isn’t right for female staff to be placed at a disadvantage when they get to a senior level. 'The tribunal was clear - not only was Wendy Williams suitable to be put forward for this role, but an objective review would have led to her being considered as the preferred candidate. 'We hope that the Ministry of Defence will take on board the recommendations which come out of this tribunal so that the talents of female officers and nurses in particular are valued and harnessed in the future.' | Group Captain Wendy Williams, 54, lost top RAF job to male colleague . She had three-and-a-half years' more experience at a senior level than him . Tribunal found that of 470 top RAF jobs last year, just six held by women . Panel criticised RAF for women holding fewer than 1.3 per cent of top jobs . | 1a6bf440689c0d0c9b7e3fde84849b50b9ec1c38 |
Britain enjoyed the warmest day of the year so far yesterday with temperatures rising above 26C. But the warm weather gave way to heavy rain overnight with up to 20mm expected to have fallen in the space of an hour in the south-east from midnight. Yesterday afternoon, the Met Office confirmed the temperature had hit 26.4C in Herstmonceux, East Sussex. Hottest day: University students (pictured left to right) Lindsay Varty, Zosia Gamgee, Maryna Farrell, Billie Blue and Jennifer Grant enjoy the warm weather on Barry Beach, Wales . Hottest day of the year: Sarah Balogh, 24, sunbathes near the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol today, as temperatures hit 26C yesterday . Storm: Lightning seen in Kingsdown, Kent, this morning ahead of what was the warmest day of the year so far . Summer sun: Hannah Woolley, 23, and Jess Gray, 24, enjoy an ice cream in Bristol . Meanwhile, it was slightly cooler at 25C on Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana beach in Brazil. At Ascot, racegoers fanned themselves to try and stay cool in the Royal Enclosure and sunbathers were out in force on Brighton beach. It was not just London and the South East that enjoyed balmy conditions with maximum temperatures of 24C in the Midlands; 22C in Northern Ireland; 21C in Manchester and 20.3C in Scotland. Taking a dip: Paddle Boarders make their way up the River Chelmer at Maldon as the sun blazed across the UK . Temperatures reached 25C in Essex the hottest day in the UK since September 2012 - which was also in Essex . Flower garden: Philippa Christie, 22, from South Shields, enjoys the sun in the Rhododendron garden at Belsay Hall in Northumberland . Summer bloom: People enjoy the sun at Belsay Hall in Northumberland as Britain enjoyed the warmest day of the year so far . Warm weather: Philippa Christie, 22, from South Shields (right), and her friend Alex Hughes, 21, from Hartlepool, enjoy the sun in the Rhododendron garden at Belsay Hall in Northumberland . Beautiful day: Gardeners tend to the grass at Belsay Hall. While temperatures hit 26C in the south-east, there were temperatures in the low 20s in the north . Cooling off: University students (left to right) Lindsay Varty, Zosia Gamgee, Maryna Farrell, Billie Blue and Jennifer Grant paddle in the sea on Barry Beach, Wales . Hot weather: As temperatures reached 26C, these university students were on the beach enjoying the weather . Summer day: Harry Tate, aged two, from North Shields, enjoys some fishing near St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay . Warm weather: Daniel Reber, aged four, builds sandcastles on Charlestown beach in Cornwall as Britain enjoyed the hottest day of the year . Beach day: Daniel, aged four, enjoys the sunshine in the south-west as temperatures are set to hit 26C . The pollen count will be high in the next few days as Britain enjoys warmer weather, the Met Office warned today. Britain has had a relatively low pollen count so far this year because of unsettled weather. Yolanda Clewlow, Health Manager at the Met Office said: 'We have seen some very high pollen counts during the recent fine weather. 'Further high counts are also expected during periods of warmer, drier weather across most parts of England and Wales.' The Met Office said the pollen season is split into three phases and we are currently in the 'grass pollen season' which lasts from mid-May through to August. Tuesday had been tipped to be the . warmest day of the year but the sunshine struggled to break through the . cloud, and the highest temperature recorded was 24C in Manchester - . slightly below 25C on June 6 in Lee-On-Solent, Hampshire. Further north today, temperatures are remaining lower, with the driest weather expected in Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England. North-west Scotland will be the coolest region. The warm weather comes as Met Office experts warned that Britain faces a decade of wet summers, as they got together to discuss recent unusual weather patterns. They blame natural warming in the . Atlantic for pushing a current of fast-flowing air in the upper . atmosphere, known as the jet stream, further south. Scientists say the likelihood of . successive heavy downpours is increased if Britain is stranded north of . the jet stream for long stretches of summer. They claim more traditional summers will return after between five and ten years. Game on: David Cameron shares a joke with Commons Speaker John Bercow at the LTA's #TennisIS event in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament . Summer sun: Racegoers at Royal Ascot (pictured from left to right) Denise Enstone, Stephanie Lewars, Denise Rogers, Rachael Richley and Cath Riggs . Warm weather: Racegoers try and stay cool in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot on what was the warmest day of the year so far . Good day for winter sports: Shelley Rudman practices the skeleton bob at Bath University . Winter sports: Shelley Rudman trains on the specialist track at Bath University . Summer sun: A sunbather on Brighton beach enjoys the wonderful warm weather . Warm weather: A woman enjoys the sunshine lying on the beach at Brighton . Best of the sun: People relax in deckchairs in Hyde Park, central London, . Summer bloom: Ebony Costello, aged 22 months, finds some shade in the Sheffield Botanical Gardens, South Yorkshire . Summer flowers: Matthew May, 11, and his sister Hannah, seven, make their way to school in Portchester, Hampshire . Summer bloom: Hannah May, seven, among the flowers in Porchester, Hampshire . Since 2007, when forecasters suspect . the phenomenon began, six of the seven summers have been washouts with . higher than average rainfall. Known as the ‘Atlantic multidecadal . oscillation’, it is a natural warming or cooling of the ocean over a . period of several decades. Britain experienced a series of wet summers when Atlantic conditions were similar in the Fifties, early Sixties, and the 1880s. The country endured the coldest . spring since 1962 this year, with a mean temperature across March, April . and May of 6C (43F), 1.7C below the long-term average. Feeling the heat: A robin sits on a garden fence in the sunshine in Fareham, Hampshire, on the warmest day of the year so far . Cooling off: A European bear in his pond covered in pond weed at Whipsnade Zoo . Meet the horse that looks more like a zebra after being dressed in an animal-print suit to stop him scratching. Charlie has been dressed up in a black and white striped jacket to keep the flies away. His skin becomes itchy when he is bitten, and the scratches become sore because of the irritation. His owner Laura Forsyth said: 'It's a fly suit which keeps the flies from biting him. Zebra horse: Charlie, who looks like a zebra in this stripey coat, is fed by owner Laura Forsyth, 23, in his field . 'The flies get confused when they see stripes so they tend to avoid him. Charlie gets a reaction to flies and becomes extremely uncomfortable as they make him itch and causes him to have sores from where he scratches his bites. 'It protects him from them and covers his back, neck and legs, as well as going round his stomach. 'There's also a mask which I can put over his face if the amount of flies dramatically increases.' Equestrian clothing company Bucas came up with the stripey design, specifically for horses with allergies to insects. The £100 suit, which is made from a specially developed light mesh fabric is part of the Buzz-Off Zebra range by Bucas. Passing motorists stop to look at Charlie in Plompton, North Yorkshire, because of the unusual design of his jacket. | Temperature hits year-high of 26.4C in Herstmonceux, East Sussex . Forecasters warn we could face a decade of wet summers . Six out of the last seven summers have seen above average rainfall . | ac60df9e26b100098cced3e0f41f49939b0a360e |
(CNN) -- Hotels have reached new heights of "hos-pet-ality," offering perks like gourmet treats, designer dog beds, scratching posts, chew toys and pet massage. But that level of pampering isn't essential to a great getaway for you or your pooch. Pick the right place to stay, select a few outdoor-table restaurants, choose some dog-friendly outings and there's no reason Fido has to spend your next trip at the kennel. Whether you're looking for over-the-top pup pampering or just can't envision a family vacation without including your clan's four-legged friend, we've got destination ideas for you. Outer Banks, North Carolina . Let your Fido-friendly trip begin with a run on the sandy beaches of Corolla, home of wild ponies descended from Spanish Mustangs. Then head south to Nags Head to splurge on treats at Salty Paws, makers of all-natural, human-grade biscuits baked daily, where even pups on special diets can indulge on diabetic, low-fat and allergy-friendly varieties. Next it's time to get your own treat fix at Fatboyz Ice Cream and Grill. Eat your burger followed by homemade ice cream at an outdoor table where your dog can join you. Settle in for the night at the "coastal casual" Sandbar Bed & Breakfast, just 200 yards from the beach, where well-behaved, flea-treated dogs more than six months old are welcome in the Mermaid Room, a large guestroom with a private entrance. The Mermaid Room starts at $199/night, and the inn charges a $15 per-night pet fee. After a continental breakfast, explore Jockey's Ridge State Park -- site of the tallest natural sand dunes on the East Coast -- which, in addition to hiking, ecology tours and hang-gliding, features a 400-foot-long boardwalk with a spectacular view of the towering dune ridgeline. Las Vegas, Nevada . Though you can't bring Sparky onto the casino floor, there are plenty of dog-friendly locales in Vegas, from the high-end shops along the strip that will welcome your pocket poodle to restaurants like Sammy's L.A. Pastrami & Burgers, lauded not only for their homemade lemonade, crispy fries, and "mean" Philly cheesesteak, but also for the water and snacks they provide to four-footed patrons. Kick-start your day at It's a Grind Coffee House, which welcomes your pooch inside and is right across from a dog park. Then venture to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, less than 30 minutes from the strip, with its unique Mojave Desert geologic features, plants and animals. The 13-mile scenic drive and more than 30 miles of hiking trails are Fido-friendly, but due to extreme temperatures, make sure to bring plenty of water. If you can't resist the glitz and the promise of the slots, drop off your pooch at PetSmart's Doggie Day Camp. Your pup will enjoy hours of play with other carefully screened and vaccinated dogs while you rake in the gambling loot. Then reunite for a relaxing evening at the Westin Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Spa where a pet bed, food bowl and mat are provided, as well as an official "Dog in Room" sign. Rooms start at $99, and the hotel charges a per-pet, per-stay fee of $35, plus a refundable deposit of $150. Half Moon Bay, California . Dog-friendly activities abound in Half Moon Bay. You're welcome to bring your pup on a Coastal Elegance Tours hike along the bay or to the lighthouse. And Half Moon Bay Kayak Company provides canine life jackets and double and triple kayaks so water-loving dogs can accompany their human companions on nature and wildlife paddles. Dine at Pasta Moon, where pooches chomp on homemade dog treats while two-footers sup on farm-fresh California-Italian cuisine. Then grab a nightcap in a comfy chair beside a fire pit and take in the ocean sunset at the Moss Beach Distillery's Seal Cove Patio, which features a doggie menu of grilled hot dogs, mini burger patties and skirt steak. Ask the hostess to take your pooch's photo for the annual contest and you might just win a prize. Many local hotels are pet friendly, but the Half Moon Bay Inn offers special accommodations for four-legged guests, including a dog bed, feeding dish and treats, as well as waste bags. Rooms start at $130, and the inn charges per-stay fees of $25 for one pet or $35 for two. Lake Placid, New York . Combining luxury with rustic Adirondack comfort, Lake Placid Lodge's dog-friendly cabins feature lake and mountain views and large, wood-burning fireplaces where your pup is sure to enjoy lounging in a lodge-provided pet bed while snacking on homemade treats. The grounds include pet-friendly lakes and trails, and if staff is available you're welcome to leave your pooch at the front desk while you enjoy dinner in the main lodge. Cabins start at $500, and the lodge charges $75 per night for one dog, or $250 per night for two. While you're out on the town, pick up some goodies at Jake Placid Doghouse, which offers premium treats, organic foods and unique toys and apparel. Then stop by the Bluesberry Bakery for some human treats like a spinach and feta croissant or the chocolate torte. Spot is welcome to join you at the outdoor table. To work off those snacks, head to Mirror Lake for a 2.7-mile walk around the lake, and if the weather's right, take a dip at the dog-friendly sandy beach. Boston, Massachusetts . The Freedom Trail offers a perfect way for your dog to participate in your family's sightseeing adventures. Boston's "indoor/outdoor history museum" consists of a 2.5-mile, red-brick walking trail leading you to 16 sites significant to the history of the American Revolution. Take this self-guided tour at your own pace, and plan to take a pit stop in one of the Boston Common's leash-free areas for dogs. Another Freedom Trail site, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, offers dog-friendly patio dining at a number of restaurants, weather permitting. And for accommodations, consider the Boston Harbor Hotel, which provides dog beds, food dishes and pet-walking services, as well as offering a $75 Luxe Pups Package including a wash, cut, blow dry and "pet-i-cure" as well as a doggie gift bag. Rooms start at $285, with no additional pet fees. | Explore North Carolina's Outer Banks with your pooch . In California, Moss Beach Distillery's Seal Cove Patio offers a doggie menu . Some hotels offer special amenities for pets; ask about pet fees . | 6a2407e517d769e733b0eaf70942153e89ab1c94 |
(CNN) -- Globetrotting Chelsea bounced back from their defeat in the FIFA Club World Cup final to Corinthians with a resounding victory in the League Cup at Leeds. Rafael Benitez's side ran out 5-1 winners at the second tier outfit, having trailed 1-0 at halftime, thanks to goals from Juan Mata, Branislav Ivanovic, Victor Moses, Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres. Having arrived back in London from Japan on Monday after their defeat in FIFA's showpiece club tournament, Chelsea progressed to the last eight on a rain-soaked night Yorkshire. Luciano Becchio gave Leeds -- European Champions League semifinalists back in 2001 -- a first half lead but Spain's Mata equalized early in the second half. Two goals in two minutes took the tie away from Leeds as Ivanovic nodded home from a corner before Moses' shot from outside the area found the net. Hazard finished calmly in the game's dying stages when sprung through on goal and the Belgian then teed up Torres for his sixth goal in five games. Benitez, who replaced the sacked Roberto Di Matteo in November, told Sky Sports: "The team was quite good in first half; there were some situations where the keeper played pretty well. "The players were a little tired but the reaction was amazing. We were looking for character and the reaction was so good, there were a lot of positives in this game." Asked whether he felt more settled in the job after a difficult start Benitez replied: "I was comfortable from the first day. I will try and do my best until the end." Chelsea will now face Swansea in the final four, while another Premier League side, Aston Villa, will play fourth tier Bradford, who knocked out Arsenal. Elsewhere, champions Borussia Dortmund set up a repeat of last year's German Cup final against runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich after thumping Hannover 5-1. German international Mario Gotze scored a hat-trick while Pole Jakub Blaszczykowski grabbed two goals. Dortmund will now face Bayern hoping for a repeat of their 5-2 victory in last season's final. VfL Bochum, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg are also through to the last eight. In Italy, Napoli were defeated at home by Bologna for the second time in three days as they crashed out of the Italian Cup. It was their first match since being docked two points and having two players banned in a match-fixing scandal. Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani gave Napoli the lead but goals from Cristian Pasquato and Panagiotis Kone have the away side a 2-1 win to go with their their 3-2 success in Serie A on Sunday. Lazio had to rely on penalties to edge past Siena, while Fiorentina triumphed 1-0 away at Udinese. | Chelsea bounce back from Club World Cup final defeat with a win at Leeds . Rafael Benitez's side beat second tier Leeds 5-1 to reach League Cup last four . Holders Borussia Dortmund thrash Hannover 5-1 in the German Cup . Lazio go through to the last eight of the Coppa Italia but Napoli are knocked out . | ae0926cd3fec1f93f266dfd5c8de8b14b7574ff7 |
By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 14:27 EST, 2 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:46 EST, 3 October 2013 . At first he thought it was a 'harmless insect bite'. But little did Henry Konietzky know that, 28 painful hours after noticing a small abrasion on his foot, he would become the ninth person this year to be killed by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. Pictures have emerged of the tiny legion that appeared on the Florida father's right foot on Sunday, the day after he went crabbing in the Halifax River in Florida with his wife, Patty. Scroll down for video . This was the first sympton that manifested on Henry Konietzky after he was infected with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in a Florida river at the weekend. Mr Konietzky died on Monday after the infection overtook his body . Horrific: Henry Konietzky had no previous medical issues before encountering the bacteria . Mr Konietzky had stepped on some ants before getting into the water, sustaining small bites. Doctors believe this was the gateway that allowed him to become infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, which is considered one of the deadliest strands of bacterium in the world and usually forms every year in the warm saltwater swimming holes of Florida. As the wound started to fester, the Palm Coast man was rushed to hospital, where he was administered with numerous courses of antibiotics. 'Nothing was touching it. Nothing even phased it,' his sister-in-law, Debbie stack, told Click Orlando. 'This bacteria crept through his body like acid - it was the most horrific I've ever seen in my life' his wife, Patty Konietzky, told ABC News. Mrs Konietzky said the legions started to spread once they got her husband to the hospital and, 28 hours after being admitted, he died from organ failure. It is the ninth death in 2013 connected to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in the Volusia and Flager counties, with health officials warning locals to take serious care when visiting saltwater spots, especially with open wounds. Distraught: His family members said they wish they took the symptoms more seriously. Mr Konietzky is pictured . with his wife, Patty (left) and daughter, Sheila (center), who said he had loved fishing all his life . Spread fast: Mr Konietzky (pictured with his daughter) had awoken to what looked like an insect bite on his leg. Before long it started festering and he was rushed to hospital, where he died the following night . However, two men have recovered from the infection after contracting it fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, reported 10 News. Vibrio . vulnificus is a naturally-occurring bacteria in warm sea water that . belongs to the same family of bacterium as cholera and requires salt to . live. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the bacteria can also be contracted from eating contaminated raw seafood. Deadly: Mr Konietzky contracted a bacterial infection while setting crab traps in the Halifax River (pictured) Linked to other cases: Nine deaths in the state of Florida have been linked to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria (pictured), which normally lives in warm seawater . When open wounds on otherwise healthy . people are exposed to warm seawater containing the bacteria, the skin . can become infected, leading to a breakdown and ulceration of the skin. Immunocompromised people face a . deadlier risk: they have a higher possibility of the bacteria invading . the bloodstream, leading to potentially fatal complications. If the bacteria is ingested, healthy people can experience vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. For . people with weaker immune systems, consuming Vibrio vulnificus can . infect the bloodstream, leading to 'a severe and life-threatening . illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure . (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions,' according to the CDC. Bloodstream infections by the bacteria are fatal about 50 per cent of the time. Patients . are treated with antibiotics, and according to the CDC, infected wounds . must be treated aggressively - sometimes meaning amputation of an . infected limb. Deadly bacteria: The bacteria can be contracted by eating contaminated raw seafood which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, or through open wounds such as insect bites that contact the water . | The coin-sized cut that cost a 59-year-old father his life . Vibrio vulnificus bacteria overcame the body of Henry Konietzky 'like acid', wife says . Total of nine dead from infection this year . Florida on high alert, with health officials warning locals to take caution when coming in contact with saltwater, where the bacteria breeds . | e1c276d6c2b5ff731df74348a785a7827a4db08e |
Earl Emmitt Everett, a retired school teacher and Korean War Veteran, died Sunday at a Tulsa hospital, said Fort Gibson Police Department investigator Stephen Farmer . An 81-year-old Democrat in the race for a U.S. House seat in eastern Oklahoma died from injuries he sustained in a car accident, police said Monday. Earl Emmitt Everett, a retired school teacher and Korean War Veteran, died Sunday at a Tulsa hospital, said Fort Gibson Police Department investigator Stephen Farmer. Everett had been in a two-car accident Friday afternoon in Fort Gibson. Everett was a decided underdog in his race against first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin for the 2nd District seat that stretches across 26 eastern Oklahoma counties, from the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in the northeast to the Red River border with Texas in the south. An independent, Jon Douthitt, also is running for the seat. Everett was attempting to cross Highway 62 when he was hit broadside by a westbound vehicle, Farmer said. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital. Everett ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 2012. Everett had said he decided to run again because he believed Mullin hadn’t done enough for voters in his district. He defeated recent college graduate Joshua Harris-Till in the June primary. 'We honor the memory of Mr. Everett, a Korean War veteran, and his desire to represent the people of eastern Oklahoma,' Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Wallace Collins said in a statement. 'Anyone that is willing to put their name on a ballot in order to be voted on by their peers as a public servant deserves our admiration and respect.' Collins had recently said that the party hadn’t had any contact with Everett, even though he was a Democratic nominee. Everett had told The Associated Press that the distance from his home in Fort Gibson to the party’s headquarters in Oklahoma City was a problem. 'I don’t have anything against the party, but they’re a little bit out of pocket for me,' Everett said. | Earl Emmitt Everett, a retired school teacher and Korean War Veteran, died Sunday at a Tulsa hospital . Everett was attempting to cross Highway 62 when he was hit broadside by a westbound vehicle . Everett ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 2012 . | 21b1973449f729629d78b31288929e00e69df8a0 |
By . Rebecca Camber, Arthur Martin and Tom Kelly . Last updated at 3:35 PM on 29th December 2011 . Victim: Catherine Wynter was stabbed to death . A teenage babysitter was stabbed to death while looking after her three-year-old nephew and four-year-old niece on Boxing Day. Catherine Wynter, 19, was knifed multiple times at her sister’s house where she was staying overnight with the two children. She was found dead in a pool of blood . the next morning by her distraught mother when she came to pick up her . grandchildren at 8am. The children were found in the house with the body. Neither of the terrified toddlers had been harmed. Yesterday police were interviewing the children to find out whether they witnessed the brutal murder. Miss Wynter was last heard from at 7.30pm on Boxing Day when she made a last phone call. Neighbours told how they heard . screams coming from the £200,000 terraced home in Borehamwood, . Hertfordshire, late at night. But no one raised the alarm. Police believe the art student was . attacked by someone who knew her. Detectives were today given a further 26 hours to question an 18-year-old man from Borehamwood over the murder. They also arrested a 26-year-old man from Islington, North London, but he was later released. Both suspects were known to Miss Wynter, but they were not direct relatives, police said. Yesterday her distraught family paid . tribute to the ‘loving auntie’, who regularly babysat the children as a . favour to her sister who worked long hours on night shifts. In a statement, they paid tribute to . the talented artist, who was known as Katie, saying: ‘Katie was a quiet . girl who enjoyed life. She was a loving auntie to her niece and nephew.’ Friends of the teenager laid flowers . in the street where she was killed, just a short distance from her . family home in Borehamwood. Tragedy: Catherine Wynter was found stabbed to death at her sister's house in Beech Drive, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, by her mother on Tuesday morning . Family friend Doreen Foster, 76, described her as a ‘ray of sunshine’ who had a ‘wicked sense of humour’. Mrs Foster said: ‘She was always happy. I never saw her sad or upset. ‘She was a lovely girl. She had a bubbly personality and was never in a bad mood.’ Ray of sunshine: Miss Wynter was a promising artist who was expected to graduate next year . Cordoned off: A forensic expert combs the driveway of the house for clues as a police officer stands guard . Crime scene: The house, with a car parked outside . Miss Wynter, who was due to graduate . from an art course at West Hertfordshire College in Watford next summer, . spent most of her time with three friends. They were known as the ‘four musketeers’ because they were inseparable. The four were due to travel to London next month to visit the Dr Who exhibition. Yesterday the mother of her best friend Aimee said her daughter was ‘in bits’. Sarah Foster said: ‘I got home last . night and my daughter was in floods of tears. The emotion is still raw. She has been up all night crying. ‘No one can believe what has . happened. I keep expecting Katie to walk down the road saying: “It’s . me”. It is hard to think that your daughter’s best friend of 16 years is . not going to be walking through the door. ‘It is hard for all three girls. They are never going to be able to phone her again.’ Aimee wrote on Facebook: ‘My life will never be the same without you – the best 16 years friendship ever.’ Friends from Queens’ School in Bushey, Hertfordshire posted dozens of messages on Facebook and Twitter. Tributes: Friends and neighbours started leaving flowers with police officers at the scene of the stabbing . Heartbreak: Flowers marked for 'Darling Katy' are left at the scene in tribute to Miss Wynter . Yesterday specially-trained officers . from Hertfordshire Police began the difficult process of interviewing . the traumatised children who could prove to be key witnesses. Detective Superintendent Mick Hanlon . appealed for witnesses, saying: ‘We have a team of detectives currently . working on the case who are looking at a number of lines of inquiry to . establish exactly what happened. ‘However I would like to appeal to the communities of Borehamwood to help us.’ Gathering evidence: Police closed part of Beech Drive to preserve the scene from potential contamination . Mr Bidve, pictured with an unknown companion, was murdered over the Christmas holiday . | Catherine Wynter's body found in her sister's house by her mother . Family friend: 'Katie had a wicked sense of humour. She was the most bubbly person I've ever met' Police given another 36 hours to question 18-year-old man over murder . | 72d11aff18091cca710d8e3c0a076c9faf07a67d |
These are not scenes from an unannounced Harry Potter film - these are devoted fans acting out their favourite scenes from the series at a very real College of Wizardry in western Poland. The event sees devotees gather at the Hogwarts-like castle of Czocha to immerse themselves in all things Harry Potter. The English-speaking live-action role play event is inspired by JK Rowling's popular franchise and was created by role play specialists Liveform and Rollespilsfabrikken. Scroll down for video . The Czocha Castle in Poland provides the picture-perfect setting for fans to recreate some of their favourite Harry Potter film moments . Participants take part in activities such as potion-making and quidditch (pictured here) at the College of Wizardry . 'Real-life Hogwarts': The first live-action role play event in November attracted 190 participants from 11 countries . Participants take on the roles from the books and films, and dress appropriately as students, teachers, or other fantasy characters. The first-ever four-day event sold out in just two days, as 190 people (all at least 18 years old) from 11 countries gathered to create the mythical world. 'We got swamped by sign-ups and in two days the event was sold out,' Claus Raasted of Rollespilsfabrikken told the Telegraph. 'None of us had seen that coming. Participants immersed themselves in the four-day, English-speaking event - taking on roles of students, teachers and janitors . Costumes are mandatory - with some revellers taking it very seriously, such as these women dressed as Dobby (left) and a student (right) Visitors must be over 18 in order to engage in the role play - and the cost per player is €280 (approximately £220) Here, visitors engage in Hagrid-inspired role play as they cross a bridge at the Harry Potter-themed College of Wizardry . 'And here we are now with quite a bit of global interest for something that is in essence just a small, fan-made event.' The cost per player is €280 (or approximately £220) which includes accommodation and meals. Students choose one of five areas of study: fighting the dark arts as aurors or curse-breakers, training as a healer, working with magical animals as a magizoologist, or studying the unspeakables. All students are provided with a robe and their school books, and they are sorted into one of five houses . Potion mixing is one of the many activities that role players can take part in during this elaborate fan event . Students choose one of five topics of study, including the dark arts, working with 'magical' animals and the unspeakables . Since the majority of participants take on the role of students, all are expected to behave as they would at any school . Role players are given a school robe and a book - and all students are sorted into one of five houses: Durentius, Faust, Libussa, Molin, or Sendivogius. The rules are fairly simple - the majority of participants are students, and they are expected to behave as they would at any school. There are also a number of staff roles up for grabs - including professors, Hagrid the groundskeeper and janitor Argus Filch. There are a variety of staff positions up for grabs for the next two sessions, which are expected to take place in April 2015 . The entire event is put on by role play specialists Liveform and Rollespilsfabrikken, from Poland and Denmark, respectively . Organisers say they were swamped by sign-ups and the November event sold out within two days . Organisers say they were shocked by the global interest for something that is just 'a small, fan-made event' Here, 'students' take notes while attending a lecture inspired by JK Rowling's wildly popular books . Great detail has obviously been put into the sets and props at the Harry Potter-themed College of Wizardy . All actors playing professors are expected to lecture, groundskeepers are responsible for the woods and janitors run the school . Participants take part in quidditch training during the successful inaugural event, which was held in November . Fans who take on the roles of professors are expected to lecture, groundskeepers are responsible for the woods around the castle, and the janitors run the school. The next sessions are expected to run over two weeks in April and will be open to 180 super-fans. | Three years after the final film, Harry Potter super-fans have the chance to attend their very own Hogwarts . The Czocha Castle in Poland has been transformed into a College of Wizardry for live-action role play event . First session ran in November, with 190 participants acting out roles from the popular books and films . | cff7473fca382cdb7e114edcaa4fbea6be5a0f7f |
By . Christopher Leake . PUBLISHED: . 17:15 EST, 19 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:16 EST, 19 May 2012 . Training: Prince Harry standing in front of his Apache Helicopter in the remote California desert in October last year . Prince Harry may return to the front line in Afghanistan before the end of the year. General Sir David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff, said yesterday said the Prince is ‘likely’ to resume operational duties, raising the prospect he will soon be flying Apache helicopters in Helmand. Addressing the Queen at the Diamond Jubilee Parade and Muster military tribute in Windsor, Gen Richards said: ‘Prince Harry’s success in flying training means it is likely he will serve operationally again.’ It is the first time such a senior military figure has given such a clear indication of Harry’s future deployment. Harry’s return to the war zone will again raise fears he would be a ‘trophy’ target for the Taliban. Harry has been on ‘limited combat ready’ status since February, which means he could be sent to Afghanistan with 662 Squadron. He was last in Afghanistan in 2008, but flew home when news of his deployment broke in the media. Prince Harry qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot in February this year after 18 months of training in the UK and US. Future: Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, said the Prince was 'likely' to resume operational duties, raising the prospect he will soon be flying Apache helicopters in Helmand . Prince Harry was a high-flyer during his Apache training, qualifying top of his class - which is a huge achievement given how notoriously difficult these airborne tanks are to master. Captain Wales, as he is known in the Army air corps, was presented with the best co-pilot gunner award during a dinner to mark the end of his course. | Last in Afghanistan in 2008, but flew home when news of his deployment broke in the media . Prince Harry qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot in February after 18 months of training . | 5c39038f9ec8b337b76c87148956c1410241f664 |
A Syrian college student who tried to help another after two bombs exploded at their university experienced an unthinkably gruesome moment. Simon, an Aleppo University dental student, ran to help a young woman he saw walking zombie-like and clearly injured. He shouted to her and reached out. "I came to hold her hand ... to help her ..." Simon said. "It came off of her. I was holding her dismembered hand in mine." Death came to Aleppo University, a place that has somehow avoided much of the carnage of the Syrian war. A video purportedly showing the blasts was posted on YouTube. At least 87 people were killed and dozens were wounded after twin blasts shook the campus on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group that is speaking for rebels fighting to oust the country's president. The death toll is expected to rise, but the observatory says the majority of the dead are students and civilians who've had to flee their homes because of the war and have been living in the university dorms. "I was on campus when I heard a plane over head from a distance," Simon recalled to CNN. "Suddenly a loud explosion erupted just 50 meters away at the gates of the College of Architecture," he said. "Since many roads in Aleppo are blocked, this is one of the few roadways that is open for those traveling though Aleppo." At least 10 cars were blown to nothing, killing the people inside, he said. Minutes later a second blast exploded a few meters away. "But this time, thank God, it was mainly material damage, not casualties," he said. He ran to help the injured and began loading Suzuki trucks with the wounded and the dead. It was chaos. He was following his instincts in that moment. Each vehicle sped off with about 10 bodies. "I counted," he said. "At least 50 bodies." When he got to the hospital, he saw an awful scene. The hospital was full of so many who appeared critically wounded. By the time CNN spoke with him, Simon was trying to process what he'd experienced. Students on campus believe the government specifically targeted the school. "Aleppo University is known as the university of the revolution," Simon said. "We staged a peaceful protest last week, and this is why were targeted. Our pro-government professors would always threaten us and say 'we swear we will shell this university.'" Simon told CNN that 15 minutes after the explosions, Al Duniya TV, a pro-government station, was on the scene. "We were wondering how they got there so fast," he said. He said that when the bombs went off, the university gates were closed, and campus security would not open them. "Students were trying to climb the fences to get out, but security pushed them back," he said. The students then turned on the Duniya TV crew and began beating them. He said the crew was reporting that there had been a ground explosion, but he and others were sure that it was aerial shelling, suggesting that the government targeted the campus. "They were lying in front of our eyes!" Simon said. Then, men known as Shabiha appeared, he said. The Shabiha is a group of typically hulking men who are regarded as the shadowy arm of the government and are infamous for their strong-arm tactics. The men began shouting speeches praising President Bashar al-Assad. "Just 15 guys chanting for Assad," Simon said. While parents were likely learning whether their kids were dead or alive, the international community did what it has done virtually since the outbreak of violence in Syria -- issue condemnations of the bloodshed. "The United States is appalled by the Syrian regime's deadly attack yesterday near the University of Aleppo, which reportedly killed more than 80 people and injured more than 150 people," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland in a written statement issued Wednesday. The United States understood through eyewitness accounts that "regime planes launched aerial strikes in the vicinity of university facilities," it continued. "We condemn any attack on unarmed civilians and continue to emphasize that those responsible for unlawful killings and other violations of international law will be identified and held accountable." The United Nations posted a response on its website on Wednesday. "Deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian targets constitutes a war crime. Such heinous attacks are unacceptable and must stop immediately," a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said. More than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced since the uprising against al-Assad began in March 2011, according to the United Nations. On Thursday, at least 123 people across the country died, according to local committees recording such information. Anti-government activist Abu Rami told CNN that 13 families were killed in Homs. The alleged massacre occurred in the farming village of Husweyeh with a population of about 1,500. Rami said the families killed were Sunnis, suggesting that the killers were motivated by sect differences. Sunnis, Christians and Alawites in the village were spared, he said. Rami feels that the lack of military action by the international community has given al-Assad "the green light...to do whatever to end" the uprising against him. Thousands of "Syrian souls" will pay for that, he said. Back at Aleppo University, Simon tells CNN that the bombings have changed him and other young people who might have demonstrated to bring change. Now, it's different. They have lost so much. So now they are going to fight fearlessly with everything. Classes are out for two days, he said. "I wish we didn't have to wait two more days," he said. "I want to go back to school now." | Aleppo University dental student describes horrific day trying to help the injured after blasts . Students and activists believe Bashar al-Assad's regime targeted campus . Violence had largely escaped the school, which was known for anti-government protests . Two blasts at Aleppo University killed at least 87 Tuesday, opposition says . | 63bc8b6bf1e1db85f938c86efffc6d62125cd58e |
By . Ian Drury, Defence Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 08:00 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:00 EST, 14 January 2014 . He has risked his life fighting in warzones around the world. But soldier Steven Grey has swapped the heat and dust of the frontline for serving the rich and famous at one of the world's most opulent hotels. The 45-year-old, a former warrant officer in the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, has ditched his military uniform for that of a butler and now works at the iconic Savoy in London. Then and now: Former soldier Steven Grey, pictured left in Iraq in 2003, has swapped the frontline for serving the rich and famous at one of the world's most opulent hotels . Instead of carrying an Army-issue assault rifle and 60lb backpack, Steven is now found carrying tea-trays laden with fine china and cutting the finest cigars to cater for the every whim of guests staying at the lavish hotel where rooms cost up to £12,000 a night. He is famously discreet about guests who include royalty, world leaders and stars of stage and screen. 'A good butler never talks what he sees,' he says. But the star status of many who stay at the Savoy is undoubted. Famous former guests include Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. At your service: Steven is now found carrying tea-trays laden with fine china to cater for the every whim of guests staying at the lavish hotel where rooms cost up to £12,000 a night . A normal shift will see Steven him acting as a Jeeves-style personal butler for guests staying in 20 suites. His duties include being a personal shopper, secretarial tasks and a travel consultant. A career amid the elegance of the Savoy is a far cry from his time in the Army when the married former soldier served on the frontline. A veteran of more than 20 years, Steven joined the Royal Engineers straight from school and then transferred to the physical training corps. He ran adventurous training packages and was later in charge of the rest and recuperation centre during the Iraq conflict in July 2003 where he came under shell fire. Day job: A normal shift will see Steven him acting as a Jeeves-style personal butler for guests staying in 20 suites . Training: Steven had always dreamed of running his own hotel so enrolled at the International Butler Academy in Holland to learn the trade . He said: 'It was pretty dangerous . because all the enemy had run away when the mission began in March, but . by the summer they'd regrouped and were coming back. 'On a tour of duty troops can't let their physical fitness drop so we'd go around bases setting them up with gym equipment. 'I had to organise three-day packages . for the soldiers so they could chill out and relax, doing whatever they . wanted - shopping, swimming, sunbathing. Then when they were refreshed . it was back to the frontline where they were getting mortared and shot . at.' Serving soldier: Steven Grey, who joined the Army after leaving school, undertook a tour of duty to Iraq in 2003 . By June 2012, Steven . had suffered a hip injury and decided he wanted to do 'something a . little more sedate where I wasn't running around with a pack on my . back.' He had always dreamed . of running his own hotel so to learn the trade he enrolled at the . International Butler Academy in a 14th Century castle in Holland. He . said: 'I thought I'd just breeze through the course but it was like a . military-style boot camp. They managed to break a lot of guys. Past experience: Steven in his Mess Kit in 1994 . 'There was sleep deprivation, long hours, non-stop work and rigorous inspections. It was just like basic training in the Army. 'It . was hard but once I'd left the course with my diploma you realise they . were being harsh to be kind. It was perfect for training you how to deal . with the most awkward guests.' During . the eight-week course the aspiring butler took lessons in flower . arranging and was taught how to produce table decorations, serve a . seven-course dinner and hold an umbrella correctly to keep dignitaries . dry in a downpour. He mastered 25 different ways of folding a napkin as well as the spectacular art of opening champagne bottles with a sabre. 'The course taught me how to run an entire household from top to bottom,' he said. Once . he had his diploma Steven, from Darlington, County Durham, put his . new-look CV on a recruitment website and it caught the impressed eye of . the head butler at the Savoy. In August he was offered a job at the hotel, which opened in 1889 and boasts 195 guest rooms and 73 suites. He said: 'It was a little bit . overwhelming because of the magnificent reputation of the hotel. If you . mention the Savoy anywhere in the world, people instantly recognise it. 'I started to doubt myself but the military training I've had over the years taught me how to handle the pressure. 'It . is the best place to work - it has incredibly high standards, an . amazing history and so many stars have stayed here over the years It's . unbelievable.' Steven, who is married to Rachel, 40, a . major in the Army's Education Training Services, said it was hard work . trying to meet the demands of guests while maintaining an unruffled . exterior. He said: 'You are expected to have knowledge of the fineries of the world and are virtually a PA for the guests. 'They may ask where the best restaurants are or they might want tickets for a show or just to sit and chat.' Adventure: Steven and his wife Rachel, pictured when they were both stationed in Belize in 2009 . Father figure: Steven with his two sons Jake, 14 (left), and 12-year-old Joe (right) We are here to make sure their stay is as comfortable as possible and they get everything they need. 'Each guest expects you to be their . own personal butler so you need to be there. you are on call 24 hours a . day. If a guest says at 2am, "I fancy some salmon on toast" then you're . expected to get it. 'Nothing illegal, obviously, but the priority is to keep the guest happy. It's a full time job and can be quite exhausting.' Couple: Steven and his wife Rachel, a major in the Army's Education Training Services . In one test recently Steven walked eight miles in a single shift climbing stairs from the cellars to the suites. He spoke to the Mail in the plush surroundings of the Royal Suite, a luxurious apartment occupying the front of the fifth floor that boasts spectacular views of the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament. Despite being a completely different world from the Army, Steven said his career in uniform had given him ideal skills to become a butler. He said: 'Organisation is the key to everything. I’m dealing with 20 rooms, all of which will have different requests, so you have to be fast and learn how to prioritise. 'All these skills applied in the military as they do in civvy street. I'm used to working under pressure and as part of a team as you do in the Army. 'You won't see me lose my cool or my temper. If something needs to be done, I'll put it in order.' Steven . believes it is vital that serving soldiers recognise the skills they . have learned in the military are valuable in 'civvy street', especially . when the Ministry of Defence is axing 30,000 troops to save money. Equally, he thinks employers need to . 'break through the perception that soldiers are just running around a . battlefield shooting people'. The Army recruits people in countless roles, from engineers and drivers to dentists and teachers. Skills: Steven believes it is vital that serving soldiers recognise the skills they have learned in the military are valuable in 'civvy street', especially when the Ministry of Defence is axing 30,000 troops to save money . Steven says he occasionally feels starstruck when bumping into a celebrity in the hotel. He said: 'You sometimes feel a little bit overwhelmed when you see someone who is famous but it's my job not to show it,' he said. 'You stay professional and look after them as you would any guest. When you walk out of the room into the corridor you might say "Woah" but the mask never slips.' | Steven Grey, 45, served with the Royal Army Physical Training Corps . Ditched his uniform for that of a butler and now works at London hotel . Veteran joined the Royal Engineers after leaving school and served in Iraq . He left the Army in 2012 and enrolled at International Butler Academy . Says butler school in Holland was 'just like basic training' | 693187248c8f5021b17b5e18f336e9bd83cebe74 |
New York (CNN) -- A man is in critical condition at a hospital after jumping out of a monorail car into the Bronx Zoo's tiger pit, the zoo's director said. The man -- believed to be about 25 -- was riding on the zoo's Wild Asia monorail around 3 p.m. Friday when he jumped out of his car, "clearing the exhibit's perimeter fence," according to statement from Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny. The facility emergency response staff arrived and used a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher to move a tiger away from the man, Breheny said. But they did not get there before the man had suffered multiple puncture wounds after being bitten by a tiger, CNN affiliates WABC and WCBS reported, citing police. Heeding instructions, the man then rolled "under a hot wire to safety," the zoo director said. The zoo uses hot wires as training tools to keep animals away from such areas as plant beds. If the animal comes into contact with the wire, it feels a small electric shock. Because the man followed instructions to roll under the wire, "that probably saved his life," Breheny told reporters. He was "conscious and talking" as he was taken, by ambulance, to nearby Jacobi Medical Center. The man was in critical condition at the hospital, according to a New York fire department spokesman, who was not named per department policy. "I think it's safe to say that if the tiger really wanted to do harm to this individual he certainly had the time to do it," Breheny said. Breheny said the tiger will not be put down as it "did nothing wrong." "This is just an extraordinary occurrence that happened because ... somebody was deliberately trying to endanger themselves," he said. According to the Bronx Zoo's website, the exhibit called Tiger Mountain houses Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, as well as Malayan tigers. Three cubs of each subspecies are part of the exhibit. Situated north of Manhattan, the Bronx Zoo is the flagship park run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a group whose mission is to "save wildlife and wild places across the globe." CNN's Rob Frehse and Brittany Brady contributed to this report. | A man jumped from a monorail car into the Tiger Mountain exhibit, the zoo's director says . Zoo staff used a fire extinguisher to move a tiger away from the man, he adds . He is in critical condition at a Bronx hospital, a fire spokesman says . | 923eafcdaadc588452c77fb63b7450d4570d0ec6 |
By . Sarah Michael . Police are investigating an incident in which an Adelaide high school student was allegedly tied to a tree and sexually assaulted by a group of boys on school grounds. The female Year Nine student was allegedly filmed on the perpetrators' mobile phones screaming as eight fellow students pulled down their pants and rubbed their genitalia on her. The incident occurred in 2011 but it was not reported to the Education Department or South Australian police until April this year, a department spokeswoman said. Pictures of an alleged incident in which an Adelaide high school student was tied to a tree and sexually assaulted by other students were posted online . The girl's mother told The Advertiser her daughter was taped to a tree and then tied up with a garden hose by another female near the school's staff room before being approached by the other male students. 'My daughter noticed a gang of boys approaching ... she began to ask (the girl) to let her free ... as the boys drew closer they grabbed the hose and sprinkler,' she said. 'By this stage my daughter was screaming and begging (the girl) to untie her; however, the girl chose to laugh at her and do nothing.' Pictures of the alleged incident were also posted online, further adding to the young girl's humiliation. The girl's mother said she noticed her daughter become withdrawn, stressed and depressed in 2011 but sessions with teachers and counsellors failed to help. She added that since the bullies were reported to police this year the girl's Instagram account had been hacked into and the family home and car had been defaced. The incident occurred in 2011 but it was not reported to the Education Department or South Australian police until April this year . The girl has since left the high school. The principal of the school, which cannot be identified, told Daily Mail Australia he could not comment on the incident as it is being investigated by police. Senior Constable Mick Abbott said the matter was an ongoing police inquiry and he could not comment. 'It's been ongoing investigation with the Education Department as well,' he told Daily Mail Australia. An Education Department spokeswoman said the incident was not reported at the time. 'As the matter is now with SA Police, the school has been limited in its involvement,' she said. 'However the school is reviewing its bullying and harassment policies and procedures and has reinforced its practices with staff and students.' The spokeswoman added that the girl's mother has requested that the Education Department's initial focus be on her daughter's education and wellbeing needs. 'While the student had already left the school concerned when the incident was disclosed, counselling was made available to her from the school's counsellor, and this support continues at her new school,' she said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Adelaide high school student allegedly tied to a tree and sexually assaulted . The female student was allegedly filmed screaming during the attack . The girl's mother said the incident happened near the school's staff room . Police and the Education Department are now conducting an investigation . | f18e3ab7ce3873147a20c90b00c20f464ba415b8 |
(CNN) -- After a difficult past year, Rafael Nadal is back where he feels most comfortable -- but his rivals are battling to find form ahead of the French Open. While the Spaniard cruised into the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo tournament he has won for the past eight seasons, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic again had to come from behind to earn his place while Andy Murray suffered a crushing defeat that will demote him to third in the rankings. Fourth seed Tomas Berdych and No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro also crashed out Thursday to thin out the competition for Nadal as he continues his winning return to the ATP Tour following longterm knee problems. His 6-2 6-4 rout of German 16th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber was his 16th successive victory this year following a defeat in the final of his comeback event in Chile in February. "I feel more relaxed, yes. I had some uneasy moments during the past year," Nadal said after his 44th consecutive win at the clay-court event, which set up a clash with 21-year-old Bulgarian Gregor Dimitrov. "Now I'm back on the tour. Just being here is good news. And winning matches -- I say it every day, but winning every match is very important to me today. Every time I have the chance to go on court and play well, feel competitive, is a really good feeling." Dimitrov is also on a roll, having followed up his opening victory over world No. 10 Janko Tipsarevic by beating Germany's Florian Mayer 6-2 6-4. "Really looking forward to that match," said Dimitrov, who reached a career-high 31st in the rankings last month. "Even for now I'm very excited. "I'm feeling quite good coming on court with (the top players). I feel also physically I'm ready to kind of hang with them more as the match goes on. "I know tomorrow is another point of view, since clay court you're playing against the greatest of all time. There's that feeling and anxiety that you want to come out and do the best you can. I think most of all you have to keep a good composure." Murray is seeking to restore his composure after being beaten in less than an hour by Stanislas Wawrinka, a result that will see the Swiss 13th seed's absent compatriot Roger Federer return to No. 2 in the rankings. "When I started making a lot of errors he was able to dictate all of the points from there," said Murray, who made 24 unforced mistakes as he missed out on a possible semifinal against Nadal. "I've played some good tournaments here but it does take me time to feel comfortable on the surface. I need matches against top players to see what's going wrong and going right and the things I need to work on to get better. "No-one wants to lose matches like that. Hopefully I can use it as motivation to improve because I really need to do a lot of work. I need to work really hard over the next two weeks to get ready for Madrid." Last year the Spanish capital's experiment with blue clay proved unpopular with most players, and it was banned for this season. Djokovic was one of the most vocal critics, but this year he is focused on his fitness problems after battling to beat Juan Monaco 4-6 6-2 6-2 on Thursday. "It's another big test obviously, again a two-hour match," said the Serbian, who injured his ankle on Davis Cup duty earlier this month. "Obviously I'm not physically feeling my best. Somehow feels that I always miss that half a step. But I'm trying. I'm fighting. After I lost the first set today, I tried to find that inner strength. I found it again. So that's a positive thing. Every day brings a new challenge and we'll see what happens tomorrow." A two-time runnerup in the principality, Djokovic -- who could again meet Nadal in the final -- will next face Del Potro's conqueror Jarkko Nieminen. The veteran Finn triumphed 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-4) against the 2009 U.S. Open champion as he was taken to a tie-break in the decider after the Argentine saved a match-point, before reaching his first Masters-level quarterfinal since 2006. Berdych lost 6-4 6-2 to 32nd-ranked Italian Fabio Fognini, who earned his first Masters-level quarterfinal appearance -- a clash with French seventh seed Richard Gasquet. Gasquet, a semifinalist in Miami last month, beat Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic 7-5 6-4. Wawrinka, meanwhile, will next face world No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who defeated Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-3 6-0 the day after the Frenchman's 28th birthday. "To beat Andy that easy was a big surprise, for sure," Wawrinka said. "I'm playing really good, really strong, really confident with my game. He's playing slow, he's playing from the baseline, he's not putting so much pressure. For me on clay, it's perfect." | Defending champion Rafael Nadal through to last eight of Monte Carlo Masters . Spaniard will next play 21-year-old Bulgarian Gregor Dimitrov . World No. 1 Novak Djokovic comes from behind for second match in a row . Andy Murray suffers shock loss that will drop Briton to third in world rankings . | 30a10def0591e7a3616dfcf670bf5215beeccbcb |
By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 08:59 EST, 5 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:30 EST, 5 March 2014 . A group of Liverpool football supporters are suing the police for more than £1million after they were 'wrongfully imprisoned' on their coaches on the way back from an away game. Members of Spirit of Shankly (SOS), a 'supporters' union', claim their human rights were violated during the four-hour journey from a match against Sunderland. The fans, including disabled supporters and mothers with young children, say they were not allowed to go to the toilet at motorway service stations because the officers escorting their coaches would not let them off. Fans: Liverpool supporters claim they were trapped on coaches as they returned home from a game against Sunderland in March 2011, pictured . SOS is launching legal claims against Durham, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester police forces over the incident in March 2011, which involved 500 fans travelling on 12 coaches. 'The mood of most people on the coach was very irate,' said SOS committee member Roy Bentham. 'There were kids and women who couldn't use the facilities and the toilets were blocked. 'A lot of people were thirsty and dehydrating. It was quite a warm day. There were kids who were crying. We had a disabled lad on the coach and he needed the toilet and it was horrendous. 'We are [talking about] a seven-figure sum settlement and that's before the legal costs. The claim will go forward on wrongful imprisonment because the police's actions on that day were not proportionate and were unreasonable, and they were heavy-handed.' Mr Bentham said he expected proceedings to start in court later this year. Anger: Roy Bentham, pictured, says the fans had their human rights breached by their treatment . Disabled fan Chris McNulty said he felt 'humiliated' by the ordeal of being confined to the coach, and had since shunned the transport. Other supporters said they were banned from getting off at one of the vehicle's scheduled stops. Mark Milsom, of West Yorkshire Police, said: 'The force received a letter in September 2013 representing supporters who attended the Sunderland vs Liverpool fixture in March 2011. 'Our legal department replied to the letter repudiating any legal claim, and we have had no further correspondence on the matter.' A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: 'We have spoken to our civil litigation department and they have no record of any papers being served on them in relation to this or of any other complaints relating to that day.' Durham Police and North Yorkshire Police declined to comment on the fans' claims. | 500 fans were travelling on coaches from Sunderland in March 2011 . They say police escort banned them from getting out at service stations . Now the supporters are seeking more than £1million in compensation . | dc509e2f30eec341065bd5a40daf5077bd74c482 |
By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 06:35 EST, 25 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:33 EST, 25 September 2013 . It is set to give traditional cocktails a new twist. An exotic species of lime is being grown in the UK for the first time - and it's bright red. The striking fruit, dubbed the Red Lime, is the same size and shape as the usual green variety. However, it combines orange and sour lime flavours - making it the ideal addition to marmalade, Tequila and other drinks. Striking: The Red Lime is the same size and shape as the usual green variety, but it combines orange and sour lime flavours . New: The unusual crop, which is native to India, is being grown in Britain for the first time . The unusual crop, which is native to India, is known by a variety of names across the world, including a rangpur, lemandarin, canton lemon, sylhet lime and limao cravo. It is believed to have been made by crossing a lemon with a mandarin plant. Red Lime trees are now being sold in Britain for the first time. They can be grown in a sheltered pot on a patio area or in a tub inside a conservatory. A spokesman from Suttons Seeds in Devon - which has a collection of Red Lime trees on sale - said: 'This is the first time the Red Lime has been introduced to the UK as a tree that can be grown. 'The peel is reddish-orange, with large oil glands that are thin and easily removed, and the pulp has a limelike aroma. 'It is a deep orange colour with eight to 10 segments having tender walls and separating readily from each other. 'It is very juicy and has a flavour like a lime crossed with marmalade orange.' She added: 'Small, whole fruits can be . candied or pickled, but the Red Lime is not fully appreciated until it . is made into marmalade. Unique: The exotic species is very different in appearance from the traditional green lime (above) 'This product is superb and rivals or excels that made from the sour orange.' The Red Lime tree is believed to have been first recorded by Victorian botanist Sir Joseph . Hooker, who was exploring the foot of the Himalayas, from Gurhwal to the . Khasisa Hills. It is a very fast-growing plant and can reach up to 20ft. The Red Lime is the latest hybrid fruit creation to hit the UK. Last May, supermarkets took stock of the 'papple' - a mixture of a pear and an apple. The fruit, which is native to New Zealand, is said to taste like an apple, but has the skin and texture of a pear. Hybrid: The 'papple' tastes like an apple, but has the skin and texture of a pear . And three months later, Marks and Spencer launched the ‘grango’ - a variety of grape that tastes of mango. The unusual crop, which is known for its super sweet taste, is developed in south-east Spain. It is believed to develop its sweetness from the country's warm climate - with the cooler temperatures at night giving it a firm mango-like texture . In 2011, a Washington-based fruit grower unveiled another variant of grape - the 'grapple' - which looks and crunches like a regular apple, but tastes like a grape. The phenonenom for fruit tampering has even spread further afield, with Israeli horticulturalists creating a 'black galaxy' crossbreed of tomato which has almost-black skin. | The exotic species of fruit, dubbed the Red Lime, is a striking red colour . It is being grown in Britain for the first time . It tastes like 'a lime crossed with marmalade orange' | f03dd79120fb896396a66a5656072dd83d1ba3f6 |
A collection of 150 love letters discovered in an attic after being hidden for almost a century document the heartwarming story of a World War One romance between two sweethearts. Young soldier Henry Coulter, who signed up with the 17th (Leeds) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment in the spring of 1915, wrote dozens of love letters to his girlfriend Lucy Townend, signing them 'Yours for Eternity, Henry'. Tragically, their blossoming love story ended early, as on October 10, 1916, Henry - who by then had been promoted to Corporal - was wounded in a shell blast in France and died from his injuries a few days later. Henry Coulter, who signed up with the 17th (Leeds) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment in the spring of 1915, wrote dozens of love letters to his girlfriend Lucy Townend (pictured), signing them 'Yours for Eternity, Henry' Lucy's final letter to him was returned unopened - becoming one of 150 she kept hidden away for decades until her death in 1982. They were re-discovered hidden in a tin box in the attic of her home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, by a new owner. In one letter, Henry tells Lucy: 'Whenever I think of home or you, it always makes tears come into my eyes and I am not the only one here by a long way. 'You would be surprised to see some of our most toughest of fellows break down when we talk about home. But there, this is to be a cheerful letter not a funeral.' In another letter, young Henry enclosed a brooch, telling Lucy: 'I hope you will like it and wear it for me my darling. 'It will be a constant reminder that someone whom you love very dearly is trying his level best to do his best for King and Country.' John Rumsby (pictured) with the World War I love letters that have been discovered . After the letters were found they were passed to local historian and former museum curator John Rumsby. He said: 'A friend of my daughter was exploring her newly-purchased house in Birkby, Huddersfield, and in the attic she found a rusty tin box. 'Inside was a bundle of about 150 letters and postcards, in their original envelopes. 'A quick look at some of the contents revealed them to be the correspondence between a Huddersfield soldier and his sweetheart, written between 1914 and 1916. One of the letters discovered in an attic after being hidden for almost a century . 'The soldier, Henry Coulter, lived in Marsh, Huddersfield, and his girlfriend, Lucy Townend, lived in the house where the letters were found. 'Most of the letters were written whilst Henry was in training in various camps in England. Only the last few were sent whilst he was on active service in France. 'The letters contain no great military revelations: they were written to entertain and reassure his sweetheart, not to satisfy future military historians. 'He was much more concerned with expressing his love, in often painfully intimate terms, for his 'Beauty,' Lucy, whom he refers to several times as his future wife. The blossoming love story ended early, as on October 10, 1916, Henry - who by then had been promoted to Corporal - was wounded in a shell blast in France and died from his injuries . 'He signs most of his letters "Yours for Eternity, Henry".' The poignant story will be told in a book due to be published later this year by the Huddersfield Local History Society to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War. Mr Rumsby, a former museum curator, said: 'Up until August 1914, Henry would not have had a clue about the possibility of becoming a soldier - he was probably thinking of a life with Lucy. Mr Rumsby said: 'It's sad, knowing what happened, to read about the joy of two young people enjoying life' 'All of a sudden people were joining up and I think he had difficulty joining up because he was rather short. You had to be at least 5ft 3in to join the Army, so he didn't join until the spring of 1915 when he got in a Leeds Bantams battalion after they relaxed the height restrictions.' In one letter, Henry makes a joke about his height in one of several comic monologues he penned himself. 'There are several monologues which are quite witty. There are also some quite funny little jokes. He also teases his girlfriend and she teases him back about her becoming a conductor on the trams.' Her final letter to Henry was returned with a note on the envelope which simply, heartbreakingly, said: 'Died in hospital before letter received.' 'One hopes that she had already heard from Henry's father before she received that,' says Mr Rumsby. It is thought that Henry had hoped to marry his sweetheart on his return from France - as he had sent her a ring gauge so she could tell him her wedding finger measurement. Lucy got married in 1924 and had two children but it is apparent that she never forgot about her first love. 'It's sad, knowing what happened, to read about the joy of two young people enjoying life,' the historian said. 'The letters end in 1916 and they were wrapped in a newspaper reporting his death.' He added that the story was that of the courtship of two typical working class people. 'They seem to have gone to the same church together - Gledholt Methodist - and enjoyed going to the Pictures and had their favourite stars like Gladys Cooper and Charlie Chaplin, which they talked about in the letters.' Henry had worked as a clerk in the tramways department and Lucy worked in a shoe shop in Huddersfield town centre. It is thought that Henry had hoped to marry his sweetheart on his return from France - as he had sent her a ring gauge so she could tell him her wedding finger measurement . The poignant story will be told in a book due to be published later this year by the Huddersfield Local History Society to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War . | Henry Coulter signed up to go to war in the spring of 1915 . He wrote dozens of love letters to his girlfriend Lucy Townend . But their blossoming love story ended on October 10, 1916 . Henry was wounded in a shell blast in France and later died . Lucy's final letter to him was returned unopened . She kept them hidden away for decades until her death in 1982 . The poignant story will be told in a new book to mark WWI . | 672c100a6fe99c3d8d0b30195f4d1fed90c4fbda |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:09 EST, 19 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:09 EST, 19 September 2013 . A huge blaze erupted at a chemical plant in Oklahoma following two explosions at the site on Wednesday night. The Danlin plant in Thomas was surrounded by fireman as they fought to bring the fire under control with flames shooting 80 feet up in the air. No one had been working at the site at the time of the explosions close to 11pm (ET) but a dozen people living nearby were evacuated. Scroll down for video . All ablaze: A huge explosion erupted on Wednesday night at the Oklahoma chemical plant . Ferocious: No one was injured in the blaze in Thomas which took place around 11pm (ET) Officials say they do not yet know the cause of the fire or explosions. No injuries were immediately reported. The fire had been mostly extinguished today as investigators waited for the ruins to cool in order to assess the damage. EMT spokesman Mike Galloway told CBS that the fire began late at night when the plant was locked up. He said the explosions were caused by flames licking containers of production chemicals. Firefighters did not spray water on the blaze but allowed the chemicals to burn off. All chemicals had been contained at the site. Fire crews from the Thomas Fire Department, Custer City Fire Department, Custer City Police . Department, and Custer County Sheriff’s Office attended the scene. Thomas is a small town in Custer County with a population of around 1,180.The chemical plant employs many in the town making chemicals for the oil and gas industries. Fire crews surrounded the scene over night as they waited for the chemical fire to burn off . | The Danlin plant in Thomas, Oklahoma burned through the night . No injuries have been reported and nearby residents were evacuated . | 5f13303b64c2d9ea8edb4070444b5b0733e68e6c |
Beijing (CNN) -- China has arrested a pro-democracy activist, the latest detention in the government's effort to prevent the Arab world's "Jasmine Revolution" from spreading into China, a human rights group said Wednesday. Zhu Yufu, a longtime activist and a founder of the China Democracy Party, is accused of "inciting subversion of state power," the group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said. Zhu is at least the fourth activist reported to be arrested and accused of that crime in recent weeks. Amnesty International said Ding Mao, Ran Yunfei and Chen Wei were formally arrested between March 25 and March 28 "and could face lengthy prison terms." "Since an anonymous online call on 17 February to stage a 'Jasmine Revolution' in China more than a hundred activists, many of them active on Twitter and blogs, have been detained, put under surveillance or illegal house arrest, or have simply gone missing," Amnesty said in a report this week. "Moreover, at least a dozen lawyers say they have been briefly detained and pressured by the authorities not to take up cases defending those detained, and even told by police to stop tweeting about the detained people." CNN's call to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday evening was not immediately returned. "China is a country ruled by law, and Chinese citizens are supposed to conduct their businesses within the framework of China's constitution and laws," much like the United States, Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, wrote in an e-mail.. "No one is allowed to enjoy privileged rights above the law, no matter who you are and what high positions you hold." In recent years, he said, about a dozen high-ranking Chinese government officials per year have been prosecuted and punished "because of their unlawful activities such as corruption and election manipulations, which rarely catches the attention of the American media. We hope that the Western media will take an objective and fair attitude toward China's human rights situation, which has been constantly improving." Last week, China denied reports that a dissident artist was being held due to his calls for reform. The government insisted that Ai Weiwei was being investigated for economic crimes. "It has nothing to do with human rights or freedom of expression," ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters during a regular weekly briefing. Gao Ying, Ai's mother, told CNN that she is very worried. "There is nowhere I can ask about his whereabouts," she said. "I would sell my house (for the money) to go to court if necessary ... I will go to the prison with him. I would die there with him. "If this is an economic crime case, why did it need so many policemen?" she asked. "Why did they raid his studio, why everyone is now under close supervision? Is it worthwhile? This is very stupid." Ai, one of the country's best-known artists, helped design the Bird's Nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics, but he later called for a boycott of the 2008 games because, he said, China was using them as propaganda. He has also accused the Chinese government of trying to silence dissidents. Zhu Yufu is "the first individual outside of Sichuan Province to be formally arrested as part of the 'Jasmine Revolution' crackdown," Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said. He previously spent seven years in prison for "subversion of state power" following a 1998 crackdown on the China Democracy Party, and he was imprisoned again between 2007 and 2009, the China-based group said. CHRD also said Beijing-based housing rights activist Ni Yulan and her husband Dong Jiqin, missing since April 7, had been detained. The U.S. State Department Human Rights Report on China for 2010, published last week, says, "A negative trend in key areas of the country's human rights record continued, as the government took additional steps to rein in civil society, particularly organizations and individuals involved in rights advocacy and public interest issues, and increased attempts to limit freedom of speech and to control the press, the Internet and Internet access. "Efforts to silence political activists and public interest lawyers were stepped up, and increasingly the government resorted to extralegal measures including enforced disappearance, 'soft detention,' and strict house arrest, including house arrest of family members, to prevent the public voicing of independent opinions. Public interest law firms that took on sensitive cases also continued to face harassment, disbarment of legal staff, and closure." During a visit to Washington in January. Chinese President Hu Jintao acknowledged that "a lot still needs to be done" about human rights in his country. He added, "China also respects the universality of human rights, but at the same time we also believe we need to take into account the differences in culture when talking about human rights." | Activist Zhu Yufu is accused of "subversion of state power," human rights groups say . More than 100 activists detained, put under surveillance or missing, Amnesty says . State Department human rights report says China's rights record worsened in 2010 . | a5844991fd5392c85c2b6fb20457e39036242f07 |
Madrid (CNN) -- Conservative leader Mariano Rajoy was sworn in Wednesday as Spain¹s new prime minister, to begin work on what he lists as his top priority -- pulling the nation out of its deep economic crisis. In a brief ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace presided by King Juan Carlos, the head of state, Rajoy stepped forward and read aloud the oath. He then left for the prime minister¹s compound to prepare for the public announcement of his Cabinet ministers, a closely-guarded secret, later in the day. They will be sworn in on Thursday. Rajoy won a landslide election victory in parliamentary elections November 20. On Tuesday, he won the investiture vote in Parliament, and he then got a call from U.S. President Barack Obama. A White House statement said Obama spoke with Rajoy to congratulate him and "to underscore U.S. support for his economic reform." "The two leaders agreed on the vitality of the alliance" between Spain and the United States, the statement added. The Obama administration previously offered its support for the economic reforms of the outgoing Socialist government, but that government's unpopular austerity measures and the economic crisis led to its defeat at the polls. About 5 million people in the country are jobless. Spain has an overall unemployment rate of 21.5%, but it youth unemployment rate is a staggering 45%. In a speech to Parliament on Monday, Rajoy reiterated his campaign theme that fixing the broken economy, including growth and job creation, will be his top priority. He said 16.5 billion euros (about $21.5 billion) will be cut from the budget next year to meet Spain's deficit reduction target. Critics say he has yet to explain where the deep cuts will be made, but Rajoy said he can't make the 2012 budget until his government takes power. In the parliamentary speech, Rajoy promised to update pension payments, which were frozen under the Socialists amid much public outcry. But he said that would be the only spending increase in his new budget. He said there would soon be labor market reforms to make Spain's workforce more flexible and competitive, and that there would be mergers and takeovers in Spain's troubled banking sector -- which holds a lot of bad debt from 750,000 unsold new homes that went up during the real estate boom but before the financial crisis and credit crunch set in. Rajoy said most of Spain's national holidays that fall on weekdays would be observed on the closest Monday to improve productivity. Earlier this month, two national holidays fell on a Tuesday and a Thursday in the same week, and employers complained it was a lost week for worker productivity. In an effort to help cash-strapped professionals and small businesses, Rajoy said they would not need to pay value-added tax on their goods and services until they collect back payments. Many of those debts are owed by government administrations at all levels, which are months in arrears in paying their suppliers due to the crisis. Rajoy¹s first cabinet meeting is scheduled for Friday. | Conservative leader Mariano Rajoy was sworn in as prime minister Wednesday . Socialist Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is the outgoing prime minister . Rajoy had a landslide victory in parliamentary elections November 20 . | 5a4b1f850a004c581e703c3fa4de9cd51057a47c |
House Republicans will sue President Barack Obama over his executive actions on immigration. House Speaker John Boehner announced the plans in a closed-door meeting with lawmakers Tuesday, according to a person in the room. He told them GOP leaders are finalizing a legal plan with the best chance of blocking Obama's moves curbing deportations for millions of people here illegally. 'The president's overreach when he took executive action to deal with the immigration problems in our country, frankly, in my view, is a violation of our Constitution,' Boehner said to Fox News during a 'Special Report with Bret Baier.' Anger: House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, followed by Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, emerges from a closed-door strategy session with House Republicans, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. On Wednesday he signaled he was preparing Republicans to file a lawsuit against President Obama . 'We believe that the filing of a lawsuit to try to stop the president from - from violating our Constitution is an important step for our institution,' he added. 'This isn't about immigration. This is the president violating the Constitution, violating his oath of office, and frankly, not upholding the rule of law.' Options include joining a lawsuit already filed by states over the issue, or filing a separate lawsuit. The person in the room spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The House already has passed legislation to overturn Obama's immigration actions, but the Senate looks unlikely to agree to the measure, which was added to must-pass legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security beyond February. It's not clear how that issue will be resolved. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised a vote on the House-passed bill, and said Tuesday that the Senate would take up the issue after completing consideration of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which could be as soon as next week. Taking the fight to the president: House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, acknowledges that there have been 'a couple of stumbles' in the opening weeks of the new Republican-run Congress, as he and GOP leaders meet with reporters following a strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday . Nearly all Senate Democrats signed a letter to McConnell Tuesday urging him not to include immigration measures on the Homeland Security spending bill. With Republicans six votes short of the 60 needed to advance most legislation in the Senate, McConnell cannot move the bill without some Democratic support, leaving the way forward unclear. He has promised there will be no government shutdown. The uncertainty has frustrated conservative Republicans who believe Congress' top priority on immigration should be to hold firm against Obama. They united against a separate border security bill that was scheduled to come to a vote on the House floor Wednesday, and GOP leaders delayed action, citing changes to the House schedule caused by the inclement weather. It's not clear when that bill will come back up. House Republicans already have sued to try to undo Obama's health care law. Support from below: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La., (right), and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, (left), rush through a basement corridor to a House Republican Conference on Tuesday . | House Speaker John Boehner confirmed that Republicans plan to sue President Obama over his use of executive action on immigration . | 8710afbafea43c5fb9c8af5947151edf18893fef |
(CNN) -- Gordon Willis, the cinematographer whose expert use of light and shadow on such films as "The Godfather" and "Manhattan" earned him the nickname "The Prince of Darkness," has died. He was 82. Richard Crudo, president of the American Society of Cinematographers, confirmed Willis' death to CNN. "Gordon was one of the undisputed giants of the industry. He not only changed the way movies look, he changed the way the world looks at movies," Crudo said in a statement. "His work on 'The Godfather' in 1972 and 'The Godfather Part II' in 1974 made everything we now accept as superlative cinematography possible. His influence over subsequent generations of artists will continue for all time. He will be sorely missed." Indeed, Willis' handiwork helped set the tone for the 1970s "New Hollywood" renaissance -- led by directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin and Martin Scorsese -- and could have an incredible impact on his films. On "The Godfather" (1972), Coppola's epic gangster saga, Willis' dimly photographed, almost sepia-colored rooms and bright outdoors scenes added both historical shading and ominous mood-setting to what was intended to be a quickie take on Mario Puzo's bestselling book. Woody Allen's "Manhattan," on the other hand, is a love letter to New York. There are few openings more thrilling than "Manhattan's," which pairs Willis' photography of the city with George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." "He adored New York City. ... He romanticized it all out of proportion," Allen narrates, and the effect is transcendent. In a film such as "All the President's Men" (1976), Willis' cinematography was a literal illustration of the battle between the forces of light -- note the almost painfully bright Washington Post newsroom -- and darkness, as in the scenes in which Robert Redford meets Deep Throat in the gloomy parking garage. Jeff Cronenweth, the cinematographer for such David Fincher films as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) and "The Social Network" (2010), noted that Willis was among a group (which included Cronenweth's father, Jordan) that changed American cinema. My father's peer group "made the most headway of anybody: Conrad Hall and Gordon Willis and Vilmos Zsigmond and Owen Roizman. They came out of what was still pretty archaic, and they (made the most of) developing technology and color film, all the new tricks," he told CNN in 2012. Amazingly, Willis never won a competitive Oscar and was nominated just twice, for Allen's "Zelig" (1983) and Coppola's "The Godfather Part III" (1990). He was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2009 for "unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color and motion." He was a perfectionist who knew exactly what he wanted. "On every movie I shot, I maintained strict developing and printing control -- everything was printed on one light," Willis told American Cinematographer magazine. "I lit and exposed things at the level I wanted to be perceived on the screen; if you don't do that, anyone can decide what your work is supposed to look like, and I never believed in giving the studios that kind of flexibility." Willis' other films included "The Paper Chase" (1973), "The Godfather Part II" (1974), "The Parallax View" (1974), "Annie Hall" (1977) and "Presumed Innocent" (1988). Photos: People we've lost in 2014 . | Gordon Willis was cinematographer on "Godfather" films, many Woody Allen works . Willis was known as "The Prince of Darkness" for his use of shadow . He won an honorary Oscar for "unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color and motion" | 6391660d7ef2f4a6a0c27f15ee226592480a46e3 |
Militant fighters tightened their grip Sunday on western Iraq as security forces withdrew from a handful of towns in Anbar province, moving closer to Baghdad. The news that Iraqi forces withdrew from at least three towns in the province raised questions about whether Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government is giving up on the region. It also comes the same day that Iran's religious leader condemned any U.S. involvement in Iraq, saying al-Maliki's government can handle its own problems. "The United States is trying to portray this as a sectarian war. But what is happening in Iraq is not a war between Shiite and Sunnis," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. He blamed the attacks in Iraq on the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime and extremists. But U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking from Cairo, said no one should mistake what is happening and why. "This is about (ISIS) designs on the state of Iraq," he said. "... The United States is prepared to help Iraq stand up against that." As part of that effort, Kerry called on al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government to rise above "sectarian motivations" to become more inclusive, more representative of its population. Closer and closer to Baghdad . As international pressure mounts on al-Maliki, ISIS fighters continued their advance from the west and north on Baghdad. Iraqi security officials told CNN that Tal Afar airbase in northern Iraq was taken by militants believed to be ISIS on Sunday afternoon. Militants took over the town of Tal Afar last week but by Sunday, they also controlled the air base completely, officials said. Thousands of Shiite Turkmen families fled the town last week when ISIS attacked the town. The western Anbar town of Rutba, 113 kilometers (about 70 miles) from the borders of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, was in the hands ISIS fighters, two security sources in Baghdad and one in Anbar told CNN on Sunday. With the capture Saturday of Qaim on the border with Syria, where ISIS enjoys a stronghold, and a number of other towns in Anbar province, the fighters now have a direct line to the western outskirts of Baghdad. At least 70% of the province is under the control of ISIS, two security officials in the region told CNN. Iraqi forces withdrew from Haditha, about 270 kilometers (about 168 miles) northwest of Baghdad, during the overnight hours, two security officials in Anbar, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN. Sunni tribes considered friendly to the Iraqi army took over security for the town, but officials believe it will fall to ISIS, said the officials, who are not authorized to speak to the media. Haditha is home to the largest hydroelectric plant in Anbar, which is vital to the water supply of the province. Iraq's military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, told reporters there was a "strategic withdrawal" in some areas but did not detail the specific locations. He said the withdrawals were part of a campaign to "open all these fronts so we can strengthen our positions." What is ISIS -- and what does it want? Even so, there is a question of whether Iraqi forces can retake the regions under the control of well-armed ISIS fighters. The fighters launched an attack during the overnight hours against one of the two remaining military bases in Anbar, two security officials in the province told CNN. The fighters attacked Khalidiya military base, near Ramadi, but were unable to take it and withdrew early Sunday, the officials said. Al-Asad, a large Iraqi air force base, and the nearby town of Hit are still under the control of the central government. The expectation, the officials say, is that both will be attacked next. Despite the government effort to protect the Iraqi capital, minor clashes were reported between Sunni insurgents, possibly ISIS fighters, and Iraqi security forces in the Sunni town of Abu Ghraib very near Baghdad's western border, according to security officials. Violence elsewhere in Iraq . Sporadic violence was reported across Iraq, including in the Shiite-dominated city of Hillah, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, where a recruiting station was shelled. At least four people were killed and 34 were wounded in the attack on the recruiting station, where hundreds of predominantly Shiite men were answer a call to arms to protect Iraq. In the northern city of Mosul, site of one of the first major victories for ISIS militants, witnesses told CNN on Sunday that the group used vehicle-mounted loudspeakers to announce that it had decided to form Islamic Sharia courts in the city. The group also reportedly removed statues of the Christian Virgin Mary, Arab poet Abu Tammam and singer Mulla Othman, witnesses said. The Iraqi government was waiting for the initial group of U.S. military advisers to arrive in Iraq soon, a senior defense official said. This first detail is expected to be very small, the official said. The total number of U.S. military advisers who will eventually deploy will be about 300. In addition, some U.S. military personnel already at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will be reassigned and become advisers, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said. More than 1 million Iraqis flee homes since ISIS . "No solution" if Iraqi political structure not fixed . As ISIS advances toward Baghdad, call for fighting volunteers . | John Kerry urges Iraqi leadership to rise above "sectarian motivations" Army spokesman says troops conducted "strategic withdrawals" in places . Fighters continue advancing towards Baghdad from west and north . Iranian leader condemns any attempts at U.S. involvement . | 28c9b610c8f537d1b66ec6d98e1d328e0c8afa75 |
He travelled the country during the independence referendum, proudly defending the Union while standing on upturned Irn-Bru crates. But Jim Murphy's fondness for Scotland's 'other' national drink means that taxpayers have been forced to fund his habit – handing over the princely sum of £1.30. Parliament bosses have uncovered two claims from the Scottish Labour leader in his Westminster expenses following a Freedom of Information request, it emerged today. Labour leader in Scotland Jim Murphy has claimed Irn Bru on expenses . Under existing rules, MPs – who earn £67,000-a-year - are allowed to claim for non-alcoholic drinks during overnight stays. Mr Murphy, who does not drink alcohol, is a huge fan of Irn-Bru and purposely chose to tour the country with the branded crates as he visited 100 towns and cities in 100 days before the referendum. He endured heckling from Yes voters and was hit with eggs while speaking in Kirkcaldy, Fife, sparking claims that independence campaigners were 'orchestrating a campaign of intimidation'. His expenses claims were both ridiculed and criticised yesterday. A spokesman for pressure group The TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'This is ludicrous and will leave taxpayers fizzing with rage. Expenses are supposed to be to help MPs do their job, not for caffeine-heavy refreshments or PR stunts.' An SNP spokesman said: 'Labour's bottle has crashed and this is a further embarrassment for Jim Murphy. Unlike Scotland's favourite national soft drink – he is neither 'original' nor 'best'.' Nationalist politicians took to Twitter to mock the Labour leader, with Europe Minister Humza Yousaf posting a picture of himself drinking Irn-Bru with the caption: 'Pleased to say I always buy my own Bru.' MSP Mark McDonald joked: 'I cannot believe that story about Jim Murphy claiming for Irn-Bru. I had no idea he even liked the stuff. There were no clues to this.' A Scottish Labour Party spokesman said: 'As most people know, Mr Murphy drinks bucket loads of Irn-Bru. Over the years it's thought that he has single-handedly kept the House of Commons Irn-Bru supplier in business. He has paid for it himself except for these two cans totalling £1.30.' Mr Murphy was involved in heated confrontations with independence supporters on his 100 towns in 100 days tour of the country, where he spoke from an Irn Bru crate . The Freedom of Information request was spotted by the team at anti-establishment blog Guido Fawkes. (PLS KEEP) In response to the unknown individual who requested the information, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority wrote: 'Under the MPs' scheme of business costs and expenses, MPs may claim for the cost of purchasing food and non-alcoholic drinks where they have necessarily stayed overnight neither in the London area nor their constituency. This is limited to £25 for each night. 'MPs may also claim reimbursement of the costs of an evening meal (excluding alcoholic drinks), when they are required to be at the House of Commons because the House is sitting beyond 7.30pm. This is limited to £15 for each night. Irn Bru has been described as Scotland's 'other' national drink . 'In processing your request, we have searched through all claims made by Jim Murphy MP for food and drink for any which identify Irn Bru. We have identified two such claims. Both claims were made before April 30, 2014, and amount to £1.30.' A spokesman for Irn-Bru makers A.G. Barr declined to comment. The revelation comes just weeks after it emerged that SNP MSP Richard Lyle charged taxpayers for his £1.80 bill in an Edinburgh fish and chips shop. Originally, only the price-tag was released by parliament bosses, sparking a hilarious guessing game on social media about what he bought for the paltry sum. Now, a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Daily Mail has finally revealed what Mr Lyle purchased at the Royal Mile chippy. An order for 'small chips' was made at 10.43pm in April 2013, the receipt shows, which the MSP - who earns nearly £59,000-a-year – later took the time to formally submit to Holyrood authorities, where it was processed by taxpayer-funded staff. Expenses documents show that Mr Lyle, a Central Scotland MSP, is fond of his takeaway dinners. As well as claiming for chips, he clawed back a £5.40 bill from the Happiness Chinese restaurant on four occasions in 2013-14. And seven other receipts for an evening meal were submitted from an unknown restaurant or takeaway, each priced just £4.20. An SNP spokesman said: 'Members are permitted to claim some money towards meals on evenings when parliamentary duties mean they must stay in Edinburgh. 'The claim of £1.80 is in line with the Scottish Parliament allowances system, which has already been reformed and has always been more stringent and transparent than its Westminster counterpart. By definition, Mr Lyle's claim for an evening meal was as cheap as chips.' | MPs are allowed to claim for non-alcoholic drinks during overnight stays . Teetotal Jim Murphy is a huge fan of Scotland's 'other' national drink . Campaigned on branded Irn-Bru crates before independence referendum . His expenses claims were both ridiculed by opponents in Scotland today . | fa84d43a7dc178d8a6894514647dd9a287373644 |
By . Wills Robinson . When a firework exploded in Chris Hignell’s face, he was blinded in one eye and doctors feared he would not survive. The 54-year-old from Yate near Bristol thought his life would never be the same, but years of pioneering plastic surgery has seen him get his looks back. In 2008, Mr Hignell was learning how to put on a fireworks display at a wedding, but the man teaching him, Jason Edgecombe, was uninsured and unqualified. Before: Chris Hignell, 54, from Yate near Bristol, was left with a series of horrific burn marks on his face after a professional display firework exploded in his face . When the professional display mortar went off - without the planned time delay - he was rushed to Frenchay Hospital, and surgeons doubted whether he would survive the night. He was not wearing goggles, ear defenders or gloves when he lit the fuse and he immediately hit the floor. But he managed to pull through, and six years after the ordeal has made significant progress. In the early stages of his treatment, Mr Hignell's injuries were so severe that . mirrors in hospital and home were initially covered up to prevent him . seeing the extent of his disfigurement. Despite still being blind in one eye, reconstructive surgery has transformed his life. In the split second of the accident, his skin had been effectively tattooed by hundreds of black burning sparks. Eight sessions of more traditional laser therapy did not remove them. But Julia Sarginson, a clinical fellow at North Bristol NHS Trust, and consultant Timothy Burge, used punch biopsies - which puncture small holes in the skin - to remove the minute marks. They removed up to 80 marks in a session. Normally, punch biopsies are used for one or two marks - for example, to remove tumours. But the idea of using them on such a large scale is now being talked about by plastic surgeons all over the world. Miss Sarginson, who worked on Mr Hignell, has released a research paper about it, and is flying to the United States to present the idea there. It could be used in the future to help other victims of blast injuries, including soldiers. After: A series of specialist procedures performed by surgeons at Frenhay Hospital called punch biopsys have seen most of the marks removed . A punch biopsy is done with a circular blade ranging in size from 1mm to 8mm. The blade is attached to a pencil-shaped instrument and is rotated down, piercing the outer layer of the skin. Samples can be taken from almost anywhere, including lungs, kidney, liver and stomach. Usually, it is used for taking small samples of skin to send to a pathologist for testing and is rarely used to remove skin. Normally only one or two marks are removed in a session, but Mr Hignell had around 80 taken off. Plastic surgeons all over the world are now talking about using the procedure on a large scale. Mr Hignell said: ‘When the accident first happened, I didn’t think my life would ever be the same. I didn’t think I would work, or go on holiday or anything - the first two years were very grim. ‘But now it is truly a transformation. The surgeons have changed my life and my face looks incredible by comparison. ‘Punch biopsies have never been used like this before. ‘I have had about 24 procedures in all, everything from putting a titanium plate into my eye to make it the right shape, to burning my eyelashes off because they were growing the wrong way. It’s all been rebuilt. ‘The most amazing one was the titanium. That kind of procedure used to take hours in theatre while they put the metal together, but they used a scan to make a resin model of my head, and built the eye plate on there. ‘Then all they had to do was make a slit in my skin and slide it in, which frees up surgery time and saves thousands.' The last of the surgery finished last year, and saw Mr Hignell having his eyelids rebuilt from skin grafts at Bristol Eye Hospital, as well as the end of his nose and corner of his lip being put back onto his face. Mr Hignell and his wife, Wendy, run a wholesale tea and coffee business. He is left with a constant headache due to nerve damage, which he manages with painkillers, and his treatment is ongoing. He said: ‘I was honoured to get this treatment. It’s going to go global, and I am so glad someone else won’t have to suffer as much, thanks to what they managed to achieve with me. ‘Bristol is so lucky to have a world-class plastics facility here.’ Edgecombe was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence after the incident. He was ordered to pay Mr Hignell £50,000 in compensation and was banned from organising a fireworks display for two years. Pioneering: Mr Hignell had around 24 procedures performed on him by specialists at the Bristol Eye Hospital . | A professional display mortar exploded in Chris Hignell's face in 2008 . Doctors at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, feared he would not survive the night . Face was effectively tattooed with hundreds of black burn marks . Six years on his face has been reconstructed using punch biopsies . Procedure has never been used on such a large scale before . | 37f44f60b98570e44f1cdd10f86a0d7c6fa72f37 |
Hamas militants have released a video allegedly showing their fighters attacking an Israeli watchtower from a hidden tunnel before killing five guards stationed there. The clip, which was broadcast on Hamas TV, shows militants running along a tunnel carrying machine guns and rocket launchers before emerging near an Israeli watchtower. They catch an Israeli sentry by surprise before opening fire storming the watchtower compound to surround a fallen soldier. Scroll down for video, warning disturbing footage . Armed with rocket launchers and machine guns, the militants apparently take guards at the base by surprise before opening fire and killing five of them . At the start of the video, Hamas soldiers can allegeldy be seen emerging from a tunnel carrying rocket launchers and machine guns before attacking an Israeli outpost . Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of Hamas's armed wing, said in a voiceover that Palestinians would continue confronting Israel until its blockade on Gaza was lifted. 'The occupying entity will not enjoy security unless our people live in freedom and dignity,' Deif said. 'There will be no ceasefire before the (Israeli) aggression is stopped and the blockade is lifted. We will not accept interim solutions.' Today has been the bloodiest day of Israel's three-week invasion of Gaza to date, with at least 100 Palestinians killed during heavy bombardment and shelling. Local hospital officials put the total number of Palestinian dead in the conflict at 1,200, most of them civilians. On the Israeli side, 53 soldiers and three civilians have been killed. In the short clip militants can be seen running through a set of iron gates into what they claim is an Israeli outpost before attacking the guards inside . The Israeli assault came after the deaths of 10 soldiers in Palestinian cross-border attacks on Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of a long conflict ahead. The footage is likely to intensify the Israeli army's efforts in Gaza, as their main objectives is to destroy tunnels which officials say are used by militants to carry out attacks. The army has asked for a week more to complete the mission, and there has been strong Israeli public support for holding course. UNRWA, the main U.N. relief agency in Gaza, said it was at 'breaking point' with more than 200,000 Palestinians having taken shelter in its schools and buildings following calls by Israel for civilians to evacuate whole neighbourhoods before military operations. The video seems to show fighters, whose faces are obscured, surrounding a man on the floor while kicking him as gunfire can be heard . Hamas have released a video which they say shows militants running along a hidden tunnel before emerging and attacking an Israeli outpost, taking the guards by surprise . Today Israeli tanks destroyed Gaza's only power station. Even before the strike Gaza residents had electricity for only about three hours a day and today's hit is bound to reduce supplies even further. The plant supplies up to two-thirds of Gaza's energy needs. Officials said the it could be out of action for a year. Electricity was cut to the city of Gaza and many other parts of the Hamas-dominated territory after what officials said was Israeli shelling of the tanks containing about 3 million litres of diesel fuel. 'The power plant is finished,' said its director, Mohammed al-Sharif. An Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate comment and said she was checking the report. Gaza City municipality said damage to the station could halt many of the area's water pumps, and it urged residents to ration water consumption. South Gaza gets some power from neighbouring Egypt. Power lines from Israel have been damaged during the war. Tuesday marked the deadliest day of the conflict so far as Israel stepped up its shelling operation, leaving at least 100 Palestinians dead . So far the conflict has killed 1,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, while 53 Israeli solders have died and three of its civilians have been killed . Palestinians launched 54 rockets towards southern and central Israel, including the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem area, the military said, adding that five were shot down by Iron Dome interceptors while the rest fell wide, causing no damage. The Israeli military said soldiers killed five gunmen who opened fire after emerging from a tunnel inside the Gaza Strip and that 110 targets were struck in the enclave on Tuesday. They included four weapons caches, which the military said were hidden in mosques, and a rocket launcher near another mosque. Residents said 20 houses were destroyed and two mosques hit. Hospitals said tank shells and air strikes killed 12 people in north Gaza, including an UNRWA doctor and his brother. UNRWA said it found a rocket cache in one of its central Gaza schools on Tuesday, the third such incident. Today shelling by Israeli tanks destroyed the only power station in Gaza. Before the strike Palestinians only received three hours of power a day, which will now reduce further . Israel has balked at freeing up Gaza's borders under any de-escalation deal unless Hamas's disarmament is also guaranteed. Egypt said it was revising an unconditional truce proposal that Israel had originally accepted but Hamas rejected. 'We are hearing that Israel has approved a ceasefire but Hamas has not,' an Egyptian official told Reuters, an account that the Netanyahu government neither confirmed nor denied. The U.S.-backed administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, saying it was also speaking for Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, voiced support on Tuesday for a 24-72 hour ceasefire. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri disputed that statement but confirmed there were 'intensive, ongoing contacts' on a truce. | Footage released by Hamas shows militants attacking Israeli outpost . Soldiers emerge from hidden tunnel before opening fire on watchtower . Around 10 Israeli soldiers were killed in recent days in similar attacks . Israeli army says it needs a week to finish destroying the hidden passages . | 9921f5cfe6dc6e80819133ce31a74359e0348896 |
By . Lawrence Conway . PUBLISHED: . 05:20 EST, 18 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:22 EST, 18 June 2012 . The five U.S. cities with the highest violent crime rates are revealed in new FBI statistics released at a time when strained budgets are forcing police layoffs. No other city in the country, with more than 100,000 people, had a worst rate of serious offences than Flint, Michigan. The second highest violent crime rate was recorded in Detroit, also in Michigan, followed by St Louis, Missouri; Oakland, California; and Memphis, Tennessee. Troubled: An excess of guns on the street mean Flint in Michigan had the highest violent crime rate in the U.S. last year, according to FBI figures for the year after 20 police were axed from the city's force . FBI data for 2011 showed there were 2,392 incidents of violent crime in Flint which has a population of around 102,000. That same year, there were just 1,246 violent crimes in all 10 of the safest cities in America - which in total have 13 times as many residents as Flint. Flint Mayor Dayne Walling told MSNBC: 'There are too many guns on the street and it’s easy for individuals with evil motives to take another human being’s life.' The city where unemployment runs at 18.9 per cent and which experienced 52 murders last year lost 20 of its 140 police officers in 2010. Struggle: Detroit, Michigan where there were 344 murders last year, according to FBI data, faces high unemployment and poverty rates, while the city's police budgets are being cut . The money saving move reduced the presence of police officers in the street and affected how quickly the force could respond to crime. The far larger city of Detroit in the . same state recorded the second highest rate of violent crime in the U.S . last year with 21.4 offences per 1,000 people - just behind Flint's . rate of 23.4. 1. Flint, Michigan: . Violent crimes per 1,000: 23.4Population: 102,3572011 murders: 52Unemployment rate: 18.9 percent2. Detroit, Michigan: . Violent crimes per 1,000: 21.4Population: 713,2392011 murders: 344Unemployment rate: 19.9 percent . 3. St Louis, Missouri: . Violent crimes per 1,000: 18.6Population: 320,4542011 murders: 113Unemployment rate: 11.7 percent4. Oakland, California: . Violent crimes per 1,000: 16.8Population: 395,3172011 murders: 104Unemployment rate: 15.6 percent5. Memphis, Tennessee:Violent crimes per 1,000: 15.8Population: 652,7252011 murders: 117Unemployment rate: 11.1 percent . The city of more than 710,000 people is one of the country's poorest with almost a third of people living in poverty and a 19.9 per cent unemployment rate. There were 344 murders committed in the city last year, up 11 on 2010, but an 18 per cent cut Detroit's police budget will see 380 posts lost. The tightening budget will also see 'Virtual Precincts' introduced with police stations closing from 4pm to 8am and people told to report non-emergency crime to a call centre instead of 911. The third highest violent crime rate city of St Louis, Missouri experienced 18.6 incidents per 1,000 people in 2011. There were also 113 murders recorded last year in the city of 320,000 where the unemployment rate runs at more than 11.5 per cent. The number of murders fell from 144 in the previous year - but the violent crime rate went up by 1.1 per cent over the same period and St Louis robbery rate is the fifth highest in the country. Despite the high crime rate St Louis Police Department has faced big budgets cuts and may need to have 100 less officers patrolling its streets. Oakland, California has historically been one of the state's the most crime-ridden cities and its violent crime rate last year of 16.8 per 1,000 people is the fourth highest in the U.S. The number of murders committed in 2011, 14 more than in 2010, and the city had the ninth-highest murder rate in the country two years in a row. Oakland city council member Desley Brooks wants to add $11million to the city's police budget, acknowledges increasing violent crime was a problem. She said to MSNBC: 'We cannot ignore that we have had an increase in violent crime, and so we cannot continue to do the same thing the same way and expect that it’s going to be a different result.' Ongoing issues: Oakland, California has long been one of the state's the most crime-ridden cities and its violent crime rate last year of 16.8 per 1,000 people is the fourth highest in the U.S . The FBI crime report revealed that overall the U.S. experienced a four per cent drop in reported violent crime, year on year. The findings were is based on information collected from 14,009 law enforcement agencies across the country. Another city that defied that the national trend of declining crime rates in major U.S. cities last year was Memphis, Tennessee. Its violent crimes rate per 1,000 people increased, from 15.4 to 15.8 with murders going from 89 in 2010 to 117 in 2011 and 100 more aggravated assault cases. The unemployment rate went 1.2 percent over the 12 months and the with the city facing a £45million budget deficit its mayor A C Wharton Jr has refused to rule out police officer redundancies. Potential cuts: Main Street trolleys at night in the city of Memphis, Tennessee which had the the fifth highest violent crime rate in the U.S. last year, including 117 murders . | The worst five cities had 730 murders last year, according to the new FBI stats . Flint, Michigan had highest violent crime rate in 2011, while Detroit, Michigan was second . Last year after 20 officers were axed from Flint's police force and Detroit's law enforcement budget was cut by 18 per cent . | a359291c3ea2b413d4b231effd1bcc48e9e634f1 |
By . Oliver Pickup . Last updated at 5:34 PM on 11th August 2011 . Lawrence Taylor was handed a six-year sentence on probation, and registered on the sex offenders' list . Lawrence Taylor, one of the most venerated American footballers in history, should have been slung in jail, according to an underage he paid to have sex with. The 52-year-old former New York Giants linebacker - a double Super Bowl winner - changed his plea and admitted to soliciting sex with teenager Christina Fierro last year, but 'LT' was handed only a six-year sentence on probation. The young women, now 18, spoke out - via her lawyer, Gloria Allred - at a news conference in New York, and expressed outrage at what she views as a derisory punishment. She was found to have been the victim of sex trafficking, and thinks that Taylor's sentence 'sends out the wrong signal'. Though Taylor was also made to have his name inked on the sex offenders' register, she believes that the former NFL player 'should have been sentenced to jail time - not probation - for the crimes he committed'. A statement read out by Mrs Allred outside Federal Court in New York said: 'Christina and I were appalled that he [Taylor] was permitted to enter the plea that he did. 'Even the district attorny himself told the press that Christina was a sex trafficiking victim, not a prostitute. 'Yet Taylor was permitted to enter the plea and as a result Christina has been wrongly characterised by the press. 'Also Christina felt that Taylor should have been sentenced to jail time - not probation - for the crimes that he committed against her. 'Sentencing him to probation sends out the wrong message to the buyers who provide the profit to commecial sex traffickers who sell the bodies of children for sex.' The teen, who said that pimp Rasheed Davis beat her and forced her to have sex with clients, said herself: 'I am a human being and I am hurting for what they did.' Scroll down to see 'LT' in his playing prime . Christina Fierro, outside Federal Court in New York, said: 'I am a human being and I am hurting for what they did.' Taylor at the peak of his powers in the mid-1980s . The 52-year-old was renowned for his tough tackling . Taylor, who has a history of drink and drugs problems, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and soliciting a prostitute. He has a checked past and two years ago was arrested in Miami-Dade County, Florida, after leaving the scene of an accident having hit another vehicle with his Cadillac Escalade. He had already committed a similar offense in 1996 when he wrote off his Lexus in an accident which involved one other car before leaving the scene of the crime. Rasheed Davi was sentenced to seven years in jail . The New York Giants' stadium, Dodger Stadium, where two men beat up a man - and hospitalised him . On that occasion he argued that he did not think the law required the reporting of a single driver incident. He was released on a $500 bond, and the other driver later sued him, seeking $15,000. He was arrested six months later for having sex at Rockland County Holiday Inn with a 16-year-old girl - Miss Fierro. He was charged with felony third-degree statutory rape, for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with someone under 17 and charged with third-degree patronisation for allegedly paying the underage girl $300 to have sex with him. He had faced up to five years in prison and lifetime sex offender registration if convicted of both crimes. On June 23, 2010, Taylor was indicted on these charges, and pleaded not guilty on July 13. On January 13 this year Taylor pleaded guilty to some of the charges thereby resolving the case. In March he was sentenced to six years probation as part of a plea agreement, which saw him plead guilty to the misdemeanours of sexual misconduct and patronising a prostitute. Rasheed Davis, 37, who pleaded guilty to a charge of sex trafficking, was sentenced to seven years in jail after setting up 16-year-old Miss Fierro with Lawrence Taylor. He had allegedly tried to bribe the teen and wrote: 'Let me know what LT gave you; I will give you more to help reduce my time.' Miss Fierro said in court: 'It has been a nightmare that should have never happened to me and it should never happen to any other teenage girl. 'We are not pieces of property to be bought or sold. I am a human being, and I am hurting because of what they did.' In court Davis told the teen: 'I'm sorry I put you all through this again; its going to be another long ride. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you, mentally and physically. I should have never put you in this position.' Two men accused of brutally beating a San Francisco Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium pleaded not guilty yesterday. The pleas were made in spite of the fact that prosecutors said they had made admissions in the well-publicised case. Louie Sanchez, 28, and Marvin Norwood, 30, entered their pleas during a brief arraignment to charges of mayhem and assault and battery in the March 31 attack of Bryan Stow, a Santa Cruz paramedic who suffered severe brain injuries and remains hospitalised. Prosecutor Frank Santoro said in court he did not object to a motion to allow television cameras in the courtroom because the case is built on admissions, not witness identifications. 'The case is based on admissions from both of them,' said Santoro, who provided no further details. | Pimp sentenced to seven years in jail . NFL legend won Super Bowl twice . | 4c12627e2e4b4ae0684d32173800fa83fdde1d7f |
(CNN) -- After a dramatic end to a year-long qualifying campaign, the 16 teams competing in the 2012 African Cup of Nations have learned their group stage opponents after the draw for January's tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea was made. The two-yearly tournament will be without some of African football's most successful teams, with seven-time winners Egypt and 1980 and 1994 champions Nigeria both failing to qualify for the showpiece competition. Cup of woe: Why have African football giants fallen short? In their place will be a trio of tournament debutantes, with Equatorial Guinea, Niger and Botswana all making their first appearance in the competition. The first match will see Henri Michel's Equatorial Guinea host Libya in Bata on January 21, with the final set to take place at the Stade d'Angonde in Libreville on February 12. | The draw has been made for the 2012 African Cup of Nations . The tournament will get underway with Equatorial Guinea v Libya on January 21 in Bata . Stade d'Angonde in Libreville will host the final on February 12 . | a9912896ddfd6107ce3527e2802353123d9cff6b |
(CNN) -- With about 150 million active users, the mobile photo-sharing app Instagram has become a popular way for people to document their lives. It lends itself particularly well to travel, when even the most reluctant photographer can be tempted to take a few pictures. The most Instagrammed places in the world last year included an airport, amusement parks and a Las Vegas casino. CNN journalist and avid Instagram user Jethro Mullen has racked up nearly 800,000 followers on the app. Here are his tips for getting the best out of your phone camera when you travel. 1. Get high . Everything looks better, or at least different, when seen from above. Viewing platforms, sky bars, cable car rides and overhead walkways are great for expansive perspectives. If you're shooting through a window, get your lens as close to the glass as possible to reduce unwanted light reflections. 2. Learn from locals . Nobody knows a place better than the people who live there. You can discover photogenic spots in the places you're going to visit through hashtags, geotags and the feeds of local Instagram users. When I visited Atlanta last year, a photographer I knew through Instagram pointed me in the direction of the colorful staircase you can see in photo no. 2 above. 3. Be on the look out when you're on the move . Don't tune out while in transit. Architecture and human activity at airports and rail stations often provide rich photo opportunities. And the views from planes, trains and automobiles can be compelling. Window seats offer great shots. Flights from southern China to Europe can provide majestic views of mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, for example. 4. Get lost . Avoid hopping from landmark to landmark. Some of the most satisfying and memorable pictures from a trip can be those you stumble upon when exploring a less frequented area. Take some wrong turns, wander, see what you find. 5. Pack some extras . A number of gadgets allow you to get more out of your phone camera. Lens attachments, like the Olloclip, provide fisheye, wide-angle and macro options. Flexible tripods, like the GorillaPod, allow you to set up long-exposure shots using apps like Average Camera Pro and Slow Shutter Cam. Make sure you check any gear you buy is compatible with your make and model of phone. 6. Use the right apps . Native Instagram filters can undoubtedly jazz up a run-of-the-mill image. But their effects can be heavy, bludgeoning subtler elements of a photo. Editing apps like Snapseed, Afterlight (both of which I used in photo no. 6 above) and VSCO Cam allow you to tinker in a gentler manner with brightness, saturation, contrast and other aspects. I edit nearly every Instagram I take using these tools. 7. Embrace bad weather . Rain can put a dampener on a vacation, but it creates a range of appealing subjects for pictures: puddle reflections, colorful umbrellas, raindrops on windows. What's more, the sky can be at its most dynamic before and after stormy weather. To optimize puddle shots, turn your phone upside down so the lens is closer to the water's surface. 8. Plan your sunrises and sunsets . Think about where you want to be for the often rewarding light conditions at the start and end of the day. Consider how the sunlight is likely to interact with the surroundings, like trees, buildings or water. Apps like Sun Seeker can tell you the sun's predicted path through the sky. 9. Look up . In outdoor areas where your surroundings feel cramped or cluttered, try tilting your head back and seeing what lies above. In cities, clusters of skyscrapers or geometrically arranged facades work well. Natural surroundings, like forests of tall trees, can also be eye-catching. Jethro Mullen is the newsdesk editor for CNN Digital in Hong Kong, and a popular Instagrammer. | CNN's Jethro Mullen gained nearly 800,000 Instagram followers . He shares some tips for improving pics when you travel . Get up high, get lost and use editing tools are just some of his suggestions . Instagram has around 150 million active users . | 2ae598559b93042a3ed20735f6f62773888be1ea |
By . Sam Webb . Four members of a family died in a fire after arsonists targeted the wrong house following the fatal stabbing of a fitness coach, a court has heard. Jurors trying two defendants accused of murdering Antoin Akpom were told the victims of the blaze had no connection with him or his alleged killers. Abdul Hakim and Hussain Hussain deny murdering Mr Akpom, who was stabbed in Leicester around seven hours before the alleged arson attack which killed Shehnila Taufiq, her daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamil, 15. Victim: Antoin Akpom, who was found stabbed in a Leicester street in September. A house just yards from the family home of one of his alleged killers burned down in the hours after the attack, killing four . Loss: The alleged arson attack killed Shehnila Taufiq, her daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamil, 15 . A court sketch from Birmingham Crown Court showing Hussain Hussain, 19, (left) and Abdul Hakim ,19, (right). The two men have pleaded not guilty to murdering 20 year old football coach Antoin Akpom . Opening the Crown’s case against the two men, prosecutor Richard Latham QC said the Taufiqs’ home in Wood Hill, Leicester, was two doors away from an address occupied by Mr Hakim’s mother. Mr Akpom, 20, died in hospital after suffering a collapsed lung in Kent Street, Leicester, at about 5.30pm on September 12 last year. Aftermath: The scene of the fatal blaze on Wood Hill, Leicester, which claimed the lives of four people . Explaining the background to the deaths to a jury at Stafford Crown Court, Mr Latham said: 'Mr Akpom was pronounced dead just before 7 o’clock that evening. 'At half past midnight that night - five-and-a-half hours after Akpom had died - there was an arson attack outside the front door of a family who lived in Leicester - but two doors away from Hakim’s mother’s home. 'The fire caused the deaths of the four occupants of the home.' Urging the jury not to speculate about evidence due to be heard at a separate trial connected to the fire, Mr Latham added: 'The tragedy was that the occupants had nothing to do with the incident in Kent Street, nothing to do with Akpom. 'Whoever did this - if it had anything to do with the stabbing - got the wrong house. 'Those alleged to be responsible for that fire will be tried by another jury in another Crown Court in a few weeks’ time. It has no bearing on what happened in Kent Street on the evening of September 12.' Mr Akpom was stabbed around half an hour after leaving a Leicester primary school where he helped to run a dance class. The father-of-one is alleged to have been attacked near a gym after a confrontation with Mr Hakim and Mr Hussain, who are both 19. It was apparent from the evidence in the case, Mr Latham said, that there was 'some sort of bad feeling' between Mr Akpom and Mr Hakim, which seemed to have been going on for about a year. During the Crown’s opening of the case, jurors were asked to view still images from CCTV cameras, including some showing Mr Akpom with his back to the camera after he had been stabbed. Mr Akpom was described by his friend Joe French as 'an all-round great guy and a great role model' Mr Akpom was stabbed around half an hour after leaving a Leicester primary school where he helped to run a dance class . Further images recorded on a passing bus showed Hussain and Hakim, of Wood Hill, Leicester, running from Kent Street towards Humberstone Road after the alleged murder. Mr Latham said it was accepted by the defence that both defendants were involved in the incident, but what they had done at the scene was in dispute. CCTV footage recovered from premises in the Kent Street area showed Mr Akpom getting out of the passenger seat of a Fiat Punto to confront his alleged killers. The Crown alleges Mr Hussain, of no fixed address, inflicted the fatal stab wound after punches were thrown by all three men during an altercation in the street. Outlining the evidence against the defendants, Mr Latham said CCTV images showed the moments immediately before and after the stabbing. Police teams carry out searches on Kent Street in Leicester, where Antoin Akpom was stabbed and later died in hospital . Outlining the evidence against the defendants, prosecutor Richard Latham said CCTV images showed the moments immediately before and after the stabbing . It is alleged that there was 'some sort of bad feeling' between Mr Akpom and Mr Hakim . Mr Latham told jurors that CCTV cameras had also captured the car Mr Akpom was travelling in as it approached the defendants, who were on foot in Kent Street. Describing the extent of the CCTV footage to the jury, Mr Latham added: 'Frustratingly, although there are several cameras, the precise place where the stabbing happened is not covered by a camera. 'Immediately before and seconds after (the stabbing) you will have images, but from the critical period where the stabbing occurred, there is no image.' Witness Joe French told the court he had been close friends with Mr Akpom since they were 12-years-old. He . described his friend, who he ran a coaching business with, as 'an . all-round great guy' who was 'a great friend and a great role model'. Mr French told the court he saw Mr Akpom running towards him moments after being stabbed. Mr French told the court he saw Mr Akpom running towards him moments after being stabbed. He said: 'He put his arm around me and I put my arm on his back and there was a lot of blood. I realised he had been stabbed' Giving . evidence, he said: 'He put his arm around me and I put my arm on his . back and there was a lot of blood. I realised he had been stabbed. 'I took my jacket off, took my top off and I held the blood in with my top and laid him down on the floor. 'I . was informed an ambulance had already been rang so I rang Amber, his . girlfriend, and told her Antoin had been hurt and to get to the gym. 'I threw my car keys to somebody and said ‘go and bring my car’ because I didn’t want to leave Antoin on the floor. 'I was going to take him to the hospital. As soon as the car was near, police had blocked the road off.' The court heard Mr Hakim and Mr Hussain travelled to London after the stabbing and arrived at an address in Enfield just before midnight on September 12. The pair then ordered two taxis using the name ‘Jonathan’ at lunchtime the next day and separated. A smashed window and charred debris from the fire. The house is less than a mile away from where Mr Akpom was stabbed . But Mr Hakim - who told the driver to take him to King’s Cross station - was arrested by a British Transport Police officer outside the drop off point for St Pancras railway station at 5.25pm on September 13. The court heard Mr Hussain asked to be taken to his mother’s address in London. He then went inside the house and returned to the taxi with a large brown envelope - which the driver said contained a large quality of cash believed to be between £3,000 and £4,000. The court heard he told the taxi driver he was wanted by police and said he was going abroad for a couple of months. Mr Hussain was taken to Stanstead Airport in the taxi and made his way to the EasyJet travel desk before asking for a flight to Amsterdam. But the jury were told he didn’t have a passport or travel visa on him so was told the only place he could travel to was Scotland. He dismissed that idea and stayed at a hotel in Ilford before paying £200 in cash to get a taxi to Cardiff in South Wales the next day. The court heard he was arrested by a police officer 16 days later in Cardiff on September 29. Both men gave no comment answers in police interviews but blamed each other for the stabbing in pre-prepared statements. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Antoin Akpom , 20, died from a stab wound after row, a court heard . Abdul Hakim and Hussain Hussain deny murdering the father-of-one . Hours after his death, a house yards from Mr Hakim's house was torched . A mother and her three teenage children died in the fire . | 2a4f53f4c54a7bf02327f31014d6395bcdc6e2c8 |
(CNN) -- London, the birthplace of mod style, Saville Row and punk, has long since earned its reputation as the world's most exciting and experimental fashion capital. Two of our journalists set out to find the most quirky, compelling and quizzical pieces from the Spring/Summer 2015 collections, as documented through the wonderful world of social media. . | We tracked down the most memorable looks from London Fashion Week . Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not reflect the fashion tastes of CNN . | 725e865901ae9551b3d706e45e65678ba9735ae6 |
Riding across a river bareback is tricky enough ... let alone trying to do it on a bear's back. But that didn't stop this plucky young cub from giving it a go, when he leapt aboard his mother as she tried to catch a salmon. The youngster clung on for dear life as she galloped across the shallows after the slippery fish in scenes that better resembled a game of Buckaroo than a predator's hunt for her supper. Bear back: Riding across a river bareback is tricky enough, let alone trying to do it on a bear's back . On the hunt: But that didn't stop this plucky young cub from giving it a go, when he leapt aboard his mother as she tried to catch a salmon . Clingy: The youngster clung on for dear life as she galloped across the shallows after the slippery fish . Buckaroo: The scenes better resembled a game of Buckaroo than a predator's hunt for her supper . Keen photographer Lisa Sidorsky, 49, captured the playful scenes on a visit to the Katmai National Park in Alaska. And as she was concentrating on her meal the young bear became a distraction. So she sprung into life with him on her back before he was tossed into the water much to his delight. The snapper, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, said: 'The mum just wanted to fish so she removed the cub from her back to try and catch food. Mother's love: While the mother was clearly annoyed by her cub's playful antics, she allowed him to play despite giving him a ticking off . Golden opportunity: As the mother bear was concentrating on her meal the youngster became a distraction . Playful: So she sprung into life with him on her back before he was tossed into the water much to his delight . Stubborn: Each time he fell, he made sure she stopped just long enough for him to clamber back on . Keen: Photographer Lisa Sidorsky, 49, captured the playful scenes on a visit to the Katmai National Park in Alaska . 'The young grizzly would keep trying until its mother allowed it to climb on her back - only to be playfully thrown off time after time. 'What fascinates me most about bears is the difference between the reputation they have and their actual behaviour. 'They are strong and powerful, yet very gentle, beautiful and curious creatures.' | The cub was photographed riding mother at Katmai National Park in Alaska . It repeatedly jumps on her back as she tries to hunt, falling off each time . Keen photographer Lisa Sidorsky, 49, captured the playful scenes . | 9b0c8f4b502191967af69834eb08f34ff1a60fe4 |
By . Taylor Lorenz . It is billed as the future of food - a drink that can replace every meal, providing the body with everything it needs to suruve without ever having to cook. Called Soylent, it became a huge online hit when it was launched last year and thousands ordered it. Now MailOnline has been able to try one of the first batches of the drink to be sold. Scroll down for video . MailOnline's Taylor Lorenz mixing up her first batch of Soylent. The drink is designed to replace meals . Soylent is a futuristic meal replacement formula developed by a group of engineers bent on revolutionizing the way we fuel our bodies. The powdery mixture contains no fruits, vegetables or dairy products, yet claims to fulfill all of the human body's dietary needs. It contains 35 nutrients needed for survival. Robert Rhinehart, the 25-year-old co-founder and chief executive of the company selling the food substitute developed the mixture in 2012 while working for a start-up. He found the process of purchasing, preparing, and consuming food too time consuming and expensive, and hypothesized that ‘the body doesn't need food itself, merely the chemicals and elements it contains.’ Rhinehart took a hiatus from experimenting with software, and began experimenting with meal replacement. He studied health and nutrition books, poured over data from the F.D.A. and U.S.D.A , and eventually came up with a list of 35 nutrients needed for survival. He ordered the necessary components off the internet, sloshed them into a blender, and began living off of it. After 30 days straight consuming nothing but the substance he felt better than he had in his entire life. His food costs also plummeted from over $500 a month, to $154.82. His roommates saw the dramatic effect Soylent had on Rhinehart’s life and health and decided to set up a crowdfunding campaign to sell the concoction to the public. ‘Hunger comes from chemicals triggered by a lack of nutrients as well as mechano-sensors in the stomach.' Soylent is a brown, thick liquid once mixed with water . 'If there's something in your stomach and all your nutritional needs are met you won't feel hungry’ Rhinehart explains on his blog. ‘I feel full after drinking a single glass of Soylent and while the smell of Mexican food from the street used to drive me crazy, now I am unaffected.' 'It's like finding a new partner you really care about.' 'When all your needs are met, you don't have a desire to stray.’ Rhinehart claims that while living off Soylent his physique improved, his skin was clearer, his teeth whiter, and his hair thicker. 'I felt like I'd just had the best breakfast of my life’ he wrote after sampling his first Soylent meal, ‘it tasted like a sweet, succulent, hearty meal in a glass.’ Taylor's first taste: She says Soylent is neither sweet nor savory - and a 'nothing food' Mail Online decided to put the product to the test and see if this food substitute really holds water. The first thing you’re confronted with when you slice open a box of Soylent is a manifesto. ‘The powder you now behold is more than meets the eye’ the pamphlet professes, ‘this mix of mass, energy, and information is the staple food of the future. Refined, robust and efficient, Soylent is food that works.’ Below this inspirational card are large pre-packaged 2,000 calorie bags of Soylent mix tucked between tubes of oil- the only ingredients needed (plus water) to produce an entire meal. I removed a single packet and laid it on the counter with the oil and a Soylent-branded measuring cup. I decided to make two servings, lunch and dinner, in one fell swoop. Normally, preparing two separate meals requires multiple ingredients, conflicting preparation methods and a lot of time. The thought of preparing both lunch and dinner in a single easy mix appealed to me already. I scooped the allocated amount of powder into my mixing jar, added the water and oil, and proceeded to stir. Soylent instructions offer three methods of preparation: stirring, blending and shaking. After 8-10 minutes of stirring I wished I had a blender. Soylent instructions offer three methods of preparation: stirring, blending and shaking. It’s difficult to get the Soylent powder to fully blend, and I noticed small pockets of dry mixture clumping together like half-done pancake batter. I shook the container vigorously until the Soylent was as smooth as a chocolate frosty. Soylent is best served cold, and I briefly considered refrigerating the drink before sampling my first sip. Some people blend it with ice, but using chilled water seemed to adequately cool the mixture. I poured my first portion into a thermos. The Soylent smell hit my nostrils before my taste buds. The beverage smells sterile, but not unappealing, and reminded me of the type of Slim Fast shakes my mother used to drink in the 90s. It sort of tasted that way too, but less chocolaty. I assumed, probably because of the color, that the drink would be sweet. In fact, it’s neither sweet nor savory. Soylent doesn’t really have a distinct flavor. It truly is a ‘non food’ in this respect. The allocated amount of powder into my mixing jar,then water and oil is added. It lives up to its utilitarian beginnings, it’s not burdened with food-like artificial flavors or sweeteners. I can see why some suggest blending Soylent with peanut butter, almond milk, or banana. It’s remarkably tasteless. The texture of the drink is equally benign. It’s slightly mealy (though this could be due to how I prepared it). It isn’t so thick that it’s hard to swallow, but it’s also not smooth enough to chug. My liquid lunch companion compared it to mealy Muscle Milk. The after-taste was as strong as the taste, but not overwhelming. I was left with a cardboard nutty flavor in the back of my throat. It tasted like I had swallowed something milky, but there was no film or residue clinging to my tongue. After consuming 80% of the bottle my hunger was gone and I felt content on a baseline level. I wasn’t craving more food, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed a meal. In fact, I ended up snacking on some quinoa a few hours later and the action of chewing alone left me feeling more satisfied. But overall, I’m not sold. After two meals of Soylent, I think I’d rather chew on cake than sip the healthiest cake batter. Rhinehart’s company hasn’t conducted any large-scale nutritional studies (though they claim one is in the works), but there’s no doubt that the formula is safe and more nutritious than most of what you’d find on the shelves of your local vending machine. 'Now that I've discovered Soylent, I'm healthier than I've ever been, have more freedom with my time and money, and never have to worry about the stuff. 'Finally, I can have my cake and eat it too', Rhinehart professes on his website. You can purchase the mixture pre-made on soylent.me http://www.soylent.me or follow the recipe on their website and mix a batch from scratch. http://diy.soylent.me/ . | Drink costs $3 per serving and can be bought in bulk online . Powdery mixture contains no fruits, vegetables or dairy products . Claims to fulfill all of the human body's dietary needs. Created by 25-year-old Californian Robert Rhinehart . | 43f3658587a0841fde5368f84de4c8fb76ec951b |
(CNN) -- For some 100 years, tourists have flocked Arenhold Hooper's ostrich family farm in Oudtshoorn, the South African city renowned as the ostrich capital of the world, to ride its long-legged, long-necked birds. Today, however, Hooper's Highgate Ostrich show farm is devoid of both birds and people after tests showed that a major avian flu outbreak in the region has infected his birds. As a result, all of Hooper's 1,500 ostriches have been culled. "We do not have a business at this stage, our business is closed," says Hooper, whose farm has been empty eight months now. "Tremendously frustrated -- it has been a battle of unanswered questions, it has been sleepless nights, it has been staff concerns, it has been financial concerns. We still do not have the green light so the sleepless nights and the frustration still carries on," he adds. Hooper is just one of the hundreds of Oudtshoorn farmers facing tough times after the H5N2 virus was first detected in the region in April -- the strain, officials say, does not pose a threat to humans but could mutate and affect poultry. More from Marketplace Africa: Agriculture must play 'critical role' in Africa's future . Since then, African authorities have imposed an exports suspension of ostrich products and banned restocking until the entire region is declared virus-free. In total, 41,000 ostriches have been culled. Officials say farmers whose animals were culled have received compensation of 50 million rand ($6.5 million) but warn that the impact on the industry, which accounts for up to 80% of the world's ostrich products, is still severe. "The industry estimates that it is losing more than 100 million rand ($13 million) per month which is very serious," says Wouter Kriel, the spokesman for the Western Cape Provincial Department of Agriculture. "The situation cannot continue indefinitely and we very urgently need to try and get the industry back on its feet again," adds Kriel. South Africa is the global leader in ostrich farming. Its industry exports 90% of its output, generates about 1.2 billion rand ($155 million) a year and provides direct job opportunities for 20,000 people in Oudtshoorn. Its main export product is meat, which is particularly popular in Europe for its low fat and cholesterol levels and accounts for more than 60% of the industry's turnover. Other items include leathers, eggs and feathers, used primarily to adorn fanciful costumes of carnival dancers, such as those cramming Rio de Janeiro's streets this week. Read also: Rhino horn trade triggers extinction threat . Anton Kruger, head of the South African Ostrich Business Chamber, the business body representing the industry, says that Oudtshoorn's meat-exporting farms that were spared the virus are also suffering the strain, hit by the European Union import ban on all ostrich meat from the area. "They still have the ostriches in the farm, they keep on feeding them, they have to keep on paying their workers," he says. That is one of the big issues with the other farmers." Late last month, authorities announced that the seventh round of surveillance for the H5N2 virus were negative. If the next round of tests also yields negative results, then the government can deem the outbreak to be over -- it is only then that South Africa can apply to the European Union, their biggest importer of ostrich meat, to lift their ban and farmers can start restocking. But Kruger says even if the ban is lifted "it will take at least three years for the industry to recover," affecting the livelihood of the area's farmers. "These are very rural areas with high unemployment figures so should the industry collapse in those areas it would have a very big, socio-economic impact," he warns. Read more: Ivory Coast seeks chocolate fairness for farmers . Back in Oudtshoorn, Hooper's staff have started a government-funded retraining program just in case the farm never re-opens again, while those in the industry await the latest test results. Hooper, whose family has been running the farm for five generations, says he is determined that even if there are more delays in restocking, one day he will be able to get people riding his ostriches again. "It is in our blood to do what we do and we will keep fighting for that," he says. "I will not get out of this industry, I will keep fighting until we get birds back on this property and do what we have been doing for more than 100 years," adds Hooper. | South Africa's ostrich industry is facing tough times after a major bird flu outbreak . More than 40,000 ostriches have been culled since last April . Officials warn that the impact of the disease outbreak on the industry is severe . South Africa accounts for up to 80% of the world's ostrich products . | af6a1fbc5442e7fc3faff06d7835a962ce046bb4 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors have unsealed an affidavit that details a rendezvous in a Washington hotel room last month between a prostitute and a client who a source tells CNN was New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Gov. Eliot Spitzer, with his wife, Silda, by his side, apologizes to his family and to the public. The affidavit does not mention Spitzer by name, but a source with knowledge of the case said the subject identified as Client-9 is the governor. Spitzer took office in January 2007 after serving eight years as the state's attorney general, when he rose to national prominence as a hard-charging prosecutor. He has not been charged. Spitzer, who is married with three children, went before reporters Monday to confess to an undisclosed personal indiscretion, saying he had acted "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong." He did not acknowledge the allegations, which were revealed Monday in The New York Times, nor did he take questions. Watch Spitzer's apology » . His alleged involvement with the ring was caught on a federal wiretap, the source said. The prostitute, identified only as "Kristen" worked for the Emperors Club, which charged between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour and operated in New York; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France, according to court papers. According to the affidavit, defendant Temeka Rachelle Lewis -- who is accused of working as a booking agent for the club -- wrote a text message Monday, February 11, asking the operation's day-to-day organizer to "pls let me know if (Client-9's) 'package' arrives 2mrw. Appt wd be on Wed." Prosecutors say the message was a reference to a deposit. On Tuesday, according to the affidavit, Lewis sent a message to Kristen, saying Client-9's deposit had not arrived but she should be able to "do the trip" if it arrived the next day. View a gallery of recent political sex scandals » . In a later conversation, Lewis and Kristen discussed when the prostitute could take a train from New York's Penn Station to Washington's Union Station, the affidavit says. Client-9 would be "paying for everything -- train tickets, cab fare from the hotel and back, mini bar or room service, travel time, and hotel." The affidavit says that, about 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 12, Lewis spoke with Client-9 on the telephone and told him that his "package arrived today." The client asked Lewis whom he would be meeting and, when told it was Kristen, said, "Great, OK, wonderful." The two discussed how the woman would get a key to his room for a Wednesday rendezvous and how they could arrange credit for future services. "Client-9 asked Lewis to remind him what Kristen looked like and Lewis said that she was an American, petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet 5 inches and 105 pounds," the affidavit reads. In a call to Lewis, Client-9 was told the balance would be $2,712.41, but Lewis suggested he give Kristen $1,500 or $2,000 more so that he would have a credit. According to the affidavit, Kristen called Lewis about 9:32 p.m. Wednesday, February 13, and told her she was in Client-9's room -- No. 871 -- at the Washington hotel. Four minutes later, Client-9 was in the hotel, Lewis told Kristen in another call. No more calls were logged until 12:02 a.m. Thursday -- Valentine's Day -- nearly 2½ hours later. At that time, Kristen told Lewis Client-9 had left and she had collected $4,300. Lewis told the prostitute she'd been told that Client-9 "would ask you to do things that, like, you might not think are safe -- you know -- I mean that ... very basic things," the affidavit says. Kristen told Lewis, "I have a way of dealing with that. ... I'd be like, listen dude, you really want the sex?" "I don't think he's difficult," Kristen is quoted as saying. "I mean it's just kind of like ... whatever ... I'm here for a purpose. I know what my purpose is. I am not a ... moron, you know what I mean." Spitzer, who built his career on rooting out public corruption as New York attorney general, became a national figure with a series of high-profile Wall Street investigations. He is also known for prosecuting prostitution rings. See a timeline of his life » . Now his lawyers may be questioned about how he paid for the alleged hotel encounter, whether the trail was concealed and whether any banking laws were circumvented as a result, the source said. The investigation into the Emperor's Club, which began in October 2007, included evidence from a confidential source identified in court papers as a prostitute who worked at the club in 2006 and was given immunity. It also included statements from an undercover officer who posed as a customer, more than 5,000 intercepted phone calls and text messages, more than 6,000 e-mails recovered with search warrants, bank records, travel and hotel records and physical surveillance. Despite the high cost of the club's services, the job was not alluring to one potential employee, who sent an e-mail to the club's management January 28 after speaking to a friend who was working for the agency. "I wasn't very happy to find out that it's only 500 ph + over 50% commission fees ... This is the kind of money I make very easily in photo shoots and the reason I wanted to join your site [was] to make an extra money." She added: "The other think [sic] I was a little bit shock and confuse that she had a sex with him twice in an hour and without her taking her out for dinner before. ... So I am very sorry I don't think this is my kind of thing." People who know Spitzer, 48, were surprised by the allegations. "To say this is a shock is an understatement," said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who went to law school with Spitzer. Toobin called Spitzer "the straightest arrow I know." "I think there's no question if he is involved -- and I'm not saying he is, because we don't know all the facts -- I would say he'd have to resign," said James Tedisco, the Republican minority leader in the state Assembly. Tedisco said that Spitzer's push to reform government "loses all validity if he was involved in something illegal like that." The Republican Governors Association called on Spitzer, a Democrat, to resign to "allow the people of New York to pursue honest leadership." "The American people are tired of corrupt and hypocritical politicians. The governor of New York is just another in the long list of politicians that have failed their constituents," said Nick Ayers, executive director of the Governors Association. Spitzer's office, the U.S. Attorney's office in New York and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg all declined to comment. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Kelli Arena and John King contributed to this report. | Affidavit details alleged encounter with "Kristen" in hotel room . Affidavit: Unnamed client paid Kristen $4,300 . Spitzer known for his efforts to crack down on crime, corruption . | 1edcdb62eff82c56177fa033ba2ee2eab27afc4f |
By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 08:52 EST, 12 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:26 EST, 12 December 2013 . She was the American society beauty who captured the heart of a king and changed the course of British and Commonwealth history in the process. Now a stunning collection of jewels that shed light on the extraordinary love affair between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII is to go on sale at Sotheby's. Among the pieces going under the hammer today is a silver watch that tells of Simpson's heartbreak after being forced to separate from her future husband in the months leading up to his abdication. Love story: Jewels and mementos belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor will go on sale at Sotheby's . Magnificent: Stunning jewels including a sapphire bracelet and diamond medallion will also be part of the sale . Present: This inscribed silver cigarette case was given to the future Edward VIII by his mother, Queen Mary . The keepsake, which was sent to Edward VIII in 1937, even bears an inscription in Simpson's handwriting, which reads, simply: 'Wallis Easter 28 - III - 37 David'. Also included in the sale are examples from Simpson's magnificent jewellery collection, among them a stunning sapphire bracelet by Cartier that is expected to fetch between £130,000 and £180,000. Other jewels belonging to Simpson include a coral, diamond and emerald torsade choker, made by Cartier for the then Duchess of Windsor in 1949. There is also a stunning pair of diamond, enamel and coral clips commissioned by the royal couple from Van Cleef & Arpels and presented to the Duke's private secretary Anne Segrim as a Christmas gift. But not every piece in the sale . belonged to the American duchess. Also included in the sale are pieces linked . to other members of the Royal Family, including Queen Victoria, her son . Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra. Particularly touching is a silver frame presented by the Queen-Empress to the future Edward VIII on his fourth birthday that bears the inscription: 'From Great Grandmama V.R.I 24th May 1899'. Heartbreak: This fob watch was given to the Duke by the Duchess in the months leading up to his abdication . Another gift in the collection, a silver cigarette case, carries an equally affecting message and was given to Edward VIII by his mother, Queen Mary of Teck. The rectangular cigarette case, featuring an elaborate silver basket-work design, has an inscription on the inside that reads: 'Darling David from Mama, God bless you, 1925'. Sotheby's, which achieved a world record sales total when it auctioned the rest of the Duchess of Windsor's jewels in 1987, hopes that the new collection will be similarly well received. 'Sotheby's 1987 landmark sale of the jewels of the Duchess of Windsor remained the most valuable single-owner jewellery sale for almost a quarter of a century and inaugurated a new era in the jewellery auction market,' explained David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's jewellery division in Europe and the Middle East. 'Three years ago, we witnessed the continuing fascination for this collection when 20 pieces from the original sale reappeared at auction in Sotheby's London and established new price levels. 'We are delighted to present this further selection of attractive jewels and precious objects, which shed light on the Duke's life, and what has been called the greatest love story of the 20th century.' The sale of 459 lots will be held in two sessions beginning at 10am and again at 2pm. Enduring: After refusing to give Mrs Simpson up, the former Edward VIII abdicated in favour of his brother . Few could have imagined, as the 20th century dawned, that an American socialite would prove the cause of the biggest constitutional crisis the Royal Family - and the UK - has ever faced. But Wallis Simpson was no ordinary socialite and her future husband Edward VIII, no ordinary king. The pair met in January 1934 and twice-divorced Simpson and the then Prince of Wales swiftly fell in love. At first the relationship raised few concerns, Edward was notorious for his affairs with society ladies, but that all changed when George V died on the 20th January 1936. When, the next day, the new King-Emperor chose to watch the proclamation of his accession in the company of Simpson, it became clear that he intended to marry her. This precipitated a crisis, firstly because the political establishment considered a twice-divorced woman an unsuitable consort, and secondly, because Edward was now head of the Church of England, which at the time, did not allow marriages between divorcees. Edward suggested a morganatic marriage which would have prevented Simpson becoming Queen Consort, but the prime ministers of the UK, Australia and South Africa rejected the plan. By early December, the true nature of Simpson's relationship with the King had become public knowledge and she fled the country. Despite attempts by Simpson to get him to reconsider, on the 13th December 1936, Edward abdicated and was succeeded by his brother, George VII. The couple eventually married, a month after Wallis' second divorce was granted, on the 3rd June 1937 in the south of France. Although Edward had been created the Duke of Windsor by his brother and was entitled to the style 'His Royal Highness', his wife was refused the honour and was styled instead as 'Her Grace.' Treasured: Among the items on sale is a frame given to the Duke by his great grandmother, Queen Victoria . | Included in the sale is a Cartier sapphire bracelet that belonged to Simpson . Other pieces include a coral, emerald and diamond torsade choker . Personal mementos include a silver frame and cigarette cases . Items also inscribed by Queen Victoria and Queen Mary of Teck . | 3b8c1a88a591de1ed5be491926f5d87936b67939 |
A Florida woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death told police she did it because he 'put a curse on her.' Amanda Lopez, 26, of Tampa told police that her 57-year-old ex-boyfriend Larry Lee Fryer had 'done something to her' and that the only way to free herself from under his malicious spell was to 'kill him.' Lopez was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder and was taken to Osceola County jail on Tuesday without bond. Under his spell: Amanda Lopez, 26, told police when she was arrested on Monday that she 'stabbed her ex-boyfriend because he put a curse on her' and she sought to end it . News 13 reports that Lopez told investigators she plotted to kill Fryer for over a year. Fryer was discovered with stab wounds in an apartment on Lake Trivolia Boulevard after he called 911 shortly after the assault. 'Hurry,' Fryer said breathlessly over the phone to 911. 'What's wrong,' said the 911 operator. 'I've been stabbed,' he responded with just minutes of life to spare. 'Sir, who stabbed you? said the operator before sending authorities to the bloody scene. Fryer was taken to the hospital where he later died. An autopsy report showed the Fryer had been stabbed eight times . A neighbor of Fryer's said that anything is possible--even black magic. He speculated that perhaps Lopez was really possessed by someone or maybe that she just wanted to murder someone. 'It could be anything,' said Fryers neighbor Joey Stuart. 'It could be a cover-up that she did want to murder somebody or it could be that she really was possessed by someone.' Stuart added that some people believe in demons and demonic possessions but that they can seek help for it. The scene: Larry Lee Fryer was discovered with stab wounds in an apartment on Lake Trivolia Boulevard after he called 911 shortly after the assault and later died in nearby hospital . | Amanda Lopez, 26, of Tampa told police that her 57-year-old ex-boyfriend Larry Lee Fryer had 'put a curse on her' Lopez said the only way to free herself from the curse was to 'kill him' Lopez was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder and was taken to Osceola County jail on Tuesday without bond . | 54a32e3b781f5533c9d4e5d6b1ba48501a656411 |
By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 06:15 EST, 23 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:27 EST, 23 January 2014 . Anger: Alison Huggan, 49, took Middlesbrough Council to a tribunal after they asked her to pay the spare room subsidy for her twin sons . A mother of two British soldiers has overturned a decision by her council who said she would have to pay 'bedroom tax' while her sons lived in barracks. Alison Huggan, 49, from Coulby Newham in Middlesbrough, was told she . was liable to pay a spare room subsidy, because the local authority said her twin sons' home was on their base. Anas is a member of the Yorkshire Regiment First Battalion while Aaron is in the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The row broke out after the council said . that Ms Huggan would be liable to pay £25 a week for her sons' rooms, . despite the Government announcing last March that families with children in the armed forces would be exempt. But Ms Huggan disagreed and, threatened by the prospect of losing £1,000 a year, took the council to tribunal. She won her case along with a refund of around £700, a decision which could open the floodgates to other military families affected by the reforms. Ms Huggan said: 'It was overwhelming seeing the decision in writing although I was very confident going in.' Miss Huggan, who started fighting against the scheme in November 2012, said: 'We challenged the Government and we were overwhelmed in April when they said the armed forces were exempt. 'But then I hit another brick wall. 'In my head it was morally wrong. I couldn't believe that the Government would announce that the armed forces would be exempt when in effect they were not. 'When I read the amendment myself it was as plain as the nose on my face that we should be exempt.' Despite winning her case, Ms Huggan has now chosen to move into a smaller home as Anas has just got married. Twin soldiers: Her son Aaron is in the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and Anas is a member of the Yorkshire Regiment First Battalion . Victory: The mother of the two soldiers took her case to a tribunal and won. She was also handed a £700 refund . The Teesside University criminology graduate said: 'I'm happy I've won. I am moving to a smaller property but I wanted to carry this through. 'It was not just about me but other families too.' Mrs Huggan is one of the tens of thousands of tenants wrongly hit by the reforms. She confronted the Prime Minister with her plight in February last year and Labour leader Ed Miliband said the first decision was 'unfair'. Tragic case: The parents of Becky Bell (pictured) were told they would have to pay more than £600 a year to keep her room untouched after she died of cancer in January 2012 . In April 2013 the so-called 'bedroom tax' was introduced, reducing the amount of housing benefits people can receive if they have a spare room. It saw social housing tenants with an extra room docked an average of £14 a week in benefits. Around 660,000 lost some of their housing benefit from the change, which the Government said would save £465million a year. Under the guidelines two children under 16 of same gender are expected to share while two children under 10 expected to share regardless of their gender. Foster carers are allowed an additional room so long as they have fostered a child. The rules also state the adult children in the Armed Forces should be treated as continuing to live at home when deployed on operations. The charge was aimed at reducing over-crowding in social housing and directing benefits towards those who are most in need. It impacted separated parents who shared the care of their children and parents whose children visit but are not part of the household. The reforms have tipped nearly one in three affected council tenants into rent arrears and many have faced eviction because they cannot afford to pay. Since the reform was introduced in, 50,000 households in 114 local council areas can no longer afford to pay for their accommodation. Government rules decree a child aged under 16 in a home receiving housing benefit has to share a room with a sibling of the same gender. Last year, the parents of a young cancer victim were told they would have to pay more than £650 a year to keep her untouched bedroom when charges for under-occupied homes came into force. The ashes of seven-year-old Becky Bell were been kept in her bedroom at the family home in Hartlepool, which was left exactly as it was . when she lost her battle with brain cancer in January 2012. | Alison Huggan, 49, told by council she would have to pay £25 a week . Authority claimed twin sons Anas and Aaron lived in barracks not at home . Came despite Government announcing exemption for soldiers' families . Took her case to a tribunal and won, receiving a refund of around £700 . | 0f1873887e310631b3f5614fe10e5d737bad7a1c |
A British fashion graduate has gone from rags to riches - by designing clothes for pop stars and style icons including Jessie J, Rita Ora, Cher Lloyd and Little Mix. Alice Vandy, who still lives at home with her parents in Cornwall, only left fashion school six years ago but her eye-catching designs have already been worn by top female acts. I’m A Celebrity star Nadia Forde and girl group Neon Jungle are also big fans of her brightly coloured prints. Alice Vandy, a fashion graduate, only completed her studies six years ago but her designs have already been worn by the likes of Jessie J, left, and Rita Ora, right, who wears her collaboration with My Little Pony . The 27-year-old, who left Plymouth College of Art in 2008, got her first big break after working on designs for the Clothes Show in Birmingham. She said: 'I always knew what I wanted to do but I didn’t expect to do it so quickly. It kind of happened by accident. 'When I graduated I just fell into doing my own brand - it was all sooner than I had planned. 'I signed up to an online portfolio site and managed to get contact details for stylist Alexis Knox. 'She got back to me and asked if I would be interested in providing some clothes for the opening scene of the Clothes Show in Birmingham.' The 27-year-old, who left Plymouth College of Art in 2008, got her first big break after working on clothes for the Clothes Show in Birmingham - and now Jessie J loves her designs . Alice, pictured modelling one of her own designs, said she fell into doing her own brand . Her big break came when renowned stylist Alexis Knox, who has worked with Little Mix, asked Alice to provide some clothes for the opening scene of the Clothes Show in Birmingham . After being spotted at the show by several celebrities Alice was inundated with commissions - including a £300 playsuit made from a unique Amazonian print. She also designed items to be used on X Factor and Britain’s Next Top Model and got to meet Jessie J in London. 'I went to a fitting for her,' she said. 'I worked solidly on her outfit for about five days - there were so many different pattern pieces. 'I flew up to London from Cornwall in the end. She’s so nice though - so down to earth.' Despite her success Alice doesn’t get starstruck. Discussing working with celebrities, she said: 'When people like Jessie J wear my clothes, all my friends go crazy, but it just becomes part of the job. She also designed items to be used on X Factor and Britain's Next Top Model, which she often spends days creating from scratch . 'I was with my friend once and we saw a magazine with Little Mix on the front cover wearing my stuff. 'They all went crazy but I was just chilled out about it. It’s not that it isn’t exciting - it’s just all part of it.' One of Alice’s most successful ranges is her collaboration with My Little Pony, which celebrated their 30th birthday. It includes skin-tight leotards and dresses emblazoned with bright letters and pony prints. 'I was a huge fan of My Little Pony when I was younger. I have just painted a five-foot pony for Hasbro,' she said. 'They wanted it for a big brand licensing show and asked me to design it - they sent it down by courier and then I spent a week working on it. It was huge - 36 inches wide.' Alice lives with her parents in their £215,000 semi-detached house in Cornwall. Alice collaborated with My Little Pony to celebrate their 30th birthday; Rita Ora is a fan of the collection . The range includes skin-tight leotards and dresses emblazoned with bright letters and pony prints . Her brother, Jud, 29, is a musician and her great-grandfather, Edwin Cundiff, owned a silk mill that supplied Liberty with silks and prints. Alice attended Cornwall College and did a national diploma in Fine Art before moving into fashion. 'I got into fashion via art instead of via textiles. It’s quite unusual but mainly because I don’t like sewing! 'I get inspired by weird things. I take so many photos of nature when I’m out and about. I have also come up with my own colour palette. 'When I was younger I didn’t have any concept of what was appropriate - I just did what I wanted. I think it’s fun to express yourself with clothing. 'I walk out of the house wearing a lime green maxi skirt and bright pink hair but I still think I look boring. I normally just do whatever I want!' Alice, modelling a design from her collection, says she gets inspired by weird things . Alice Vandy models one of her own eye catching designs which have been a hit with celebrities . Alice is currently living in Cornwall but spends more and more time in London. Her big plans are to move to America. 'I sell most of my creations online at the moment. Now I have everything structured and in place I would love to try and hit America next year,' she said. 'Asia is also somewhere I would like to try and get a following.' It’s not only clothes Alice is passionate about, she is also a campaigner for animal rights and loves alternative, power females such as rapper Brooke Candy. 'I use my online platform to spread awareness but I don’t preach too much or people won’t listen,' she said. Alice is also a campaigner for animal rights and loves the alternative, power females such as Brooke Candy . 'If you get aggressive, people just won’t listen to you.' Alice hasn’t had any loans to start her business and has worked solidly since graduating to get her name out there. 'Every day is different at the moment. I have a new range coming out soon,' she reveals. 'I’m bringing out some slightly looser clothing and bomber jackets soon. None of my clothes at the moment go above a size 14 - I am happy to custom make some stuff though if people ask for it. 'I have new partnerships launching next year and a new range with My Little Pony. 'I want to go global next year and to live in LA would be the dream.' | Alice Vandy's eye-catching designs have been worn by top female acts . Big break came when top stylist used her garments at Clothes Show Live . Jessie J wore them on The Voice, which Alice spent five days creating . Hopes to move to LA and grow her brand . | ae5035169f529a103dba9bb86902513ccec28be1 |
By . Aap . The body of Dane McNeill was found charred in Sydney's south-west on Monday . The family of a man whose burned body was found in a park have expressed their horror at his death. The badly burned body of Dane McNeill, 20, was found by a council worker, who was preparing to open the gate at the Lambeth Street Reserve at Picnic Point, on a roadway just after 5am on Monday. The man's burns were so severe efforts to identify him and his age had been difficult. Police said on Wednesday a post-mortem confirmed it was Mr McNeill. Family fear the stonemason had become caught up with drug dealers. 'If you think that you can play in this world you need to think again,' his grandmother, Elsie McNeill, told the Ten Network. 'You can't even imagine how wicked these people are.' The Narellan man was reported missing last Friday. It emerged on Thursday that Mr McNeill had twice been busted for drugs. On one occasion he was caught high on ice and with three knives on a Sydney suburban street. When police on May 20 searched his padlocked bag in a car at St Andrews, they found digital scales, a black wallet with crystal methamphetamine-filled capsules and a drug tick book, with names and dollar amounts. When police searched him two weeks earlier in another car in the same south-west suburb, they found a "nervous" Mr McNeill with three knives and 0.22 grams of ice. Mr McNeill had pleaded guilty in Campbelltown Local Court last month to a string of drug charges, including supply and possession, stemming from the May drug busts. When Mr McNeill was granted bail following the second bust on May 20, police found there was an unacceptable risk he would offend again, court documents state. However, police decided the risk could be mitigated by the strict conditions of living with his family in Narellan and adhering to an overnight curfew. But it seems his parents were fed up. 'My parents told me to leave and I have no choice,' Mr McNeill later informed the court as to why he needed to change his bail address. The stonemason's family fears he may have got caught up in drugs . His body was found at Picnic Point on Monday morning by a council worker . Ryan McNeill, 13, said his brother's killers could hurt others. 'It was sick what they done to him,' he said. 'These people could do it to other people. Ryan also urged people with information about his brother's death to come forward. 'Tell the police what they can so those people can get locked up,' he said. Friends of Mr McNeill took to Facebook as news of his death broke. 'Can't stop thinkin about you Dane McNeill didn't deserve it, won't forget you bro,' Dom Mosca wrote on Tuesday. Other friends shared memories of Mr McNeill, while some others left simple goodbyes. 'Rest easy brother never gonna forget you,' Blake Mills said. Mr McNeill's final Facebook post was on July 16, just days before his death. 'I believe that everything happens for a reason,' Mr McNeill said. 'People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. 'You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.' The body of Mr McNeill, 20, was burned so badly it could not be recognised . A post-mortem done by police on the body confirmed it was of Dane McNeill (pictured left and right) Superintendent Dave Eardley confirmed the body had been burned beyond recognition on Monday. 'But other than saying it's a male person, it's very hard to expand on that at the moment," he told reporters. 'We are hopeful we might be able to narrow down a time-frame when the person was brought here.' Supt Eardley said police want to hear from anyone who noticed cars stopping or suspicious activity around Henry Lawson Drive during Sunday night. 'I think it would be fair to conclude that the body was brought here at some stage during the evening,' he said. Mr McNeill was reported missing on Friday and was found at Picnic Point . He confirmed one scenario would be someone carrying the body, which was found 50 metres inside the reserve boundary, to its leafy resting place. Supt Eardley said he could not fathom why someone would burn a body. 'Any time a person loses their life is a tragedy,' he said. 'This is compounded by the fact that someone has chosen then to do that to a body. 'I can't fathom that, I don't think any rational person in our community can make sense of that.' Nearby resident Sue Parmaxidis said she heard an explosion early on Monday morning. 'It was a loud noise and would have been from about 4.30am or 10 to five,' she told reporters. 'You could say it might have been an explosion, it was like a bang.' Ms Parmaxidis said the reserve was popular with families and children. Investigations are continuing. | Dane McNeill was reported missing last Friday and his body found on Monday . His body was found so badly burned that it could not be recognised . Police confirmed on Wednesday it was the 20-year-old after a post-mortem . Family members fear the stonemason got caught up with drug dealers . | ebf9d321215edfefc4355e9882edb6a8f7f1f31d |
By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 04:40 EST, 8 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:45 EST, 8 November 2012 . Brave: Captain James Fidell, The Royal Logistic Corps, is decorated with The Queen's Gallantry Medal, for Services in Afghanistan by the Princess Royal. The soldier detonated a 110lb bomb without body armour . Without a thought for his own safety, and without bomb suit, helmet or body armour, Captain James Fidell battled for eight hours to defuse a 110lb bomb. In the sweltering heat of a pitch black tunnel, a space so tight he was left with no option but to dispose of his protective gear, the 6ft5in solider had only one thing on his mind 'the job in hand.' The bomb was found under a road to the north east of Gereshk in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan. If detonated it would not only have killed him but destroyed the road above and had severe consequences for local people. Now, the 29-year-old from the Royal Logistics Corps, has received the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his actions while on operation last year. Capt Fidell, of York, said he was 'flattered' to receive the award from the Princess Royal on Wednesday but insisted that 'brave stuff' was being done every day by other service personnel. He said: 'It is very flattering, it means a lot to me and to my family as well but I am massively conscious of the brave stuff that is done day in, day out.' Capt Fidell decided to make the improvised explosive device (IED) safe rather than to blow it up. If the the bomb been detonated, it would have damaged the local economy and made it easier for insurgents to plant more IEDs. Asked what he was thinking when he was inside the tunnel, Capt Fidell told the Telegraph: 'You just deal with the job in hand and you are focused on that. You don't really have time to worry.' The Royal Logistics Corps serviceman, from York, now works as an instructor teaching how to dispose of improvised explosive devices. After the ceremony, he paid tribute to his 'brave' colleagues and admitted he had been 'surprised' by how hot and humid the tunnel had been. Honour: Capt Fidell, of York, said he was . 'flattered' to receive the award from the Princess Royal (both pictured) but insisted that 'brave stuff' was being done every day by other . service personnel . He said he made the decision to take off his protective armour after seeing how confined the space was. 'Flattered': Capt James Fidell holds his Queen's Gallantry Medal Gallantry outside Buckingham Palace . The Upper Gereshk Valley is a Taliban hotbed in Helmand province, and has been dubbed the Valley of Death. It is the most dangerous area after Sangin, where Britain has suffered a third of its fatal casualties. Capt Fidell was just one of the servicemen and women being honoured at Buckingham Palace. Others included Air Commodore Gary . Waterfall, who was given a CBE for his role commanding the UK air . contribution to the 2011 military intervention in Libya. Architect Zaha Hadid, was made a Dame Commander for her work including the Aquatics Centre in the 2012 Olympic Park . Former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott, who was awarded a CBE for services to equality and diversity in football. Alison . Williamson, who has competed at six Olympic Games in archery, and . Margaret Sanni-Alphonsi, the Saracens and England rugby player, were . made MBE for services to their respective sports. The Queen's Gallantry Medal is awarded to civilians for acts of exemplary bravery, and to military personnel for those acts for which military honours would not normally be granted, such as acts of exemplary bravery not in presence of the enemy. Part of the job: Soldiers on patrol in and around the town of Gereshk, Helmand, Afghanistan . After 10 years in Afghanistan war still rages in the Upper Gereshk valley . An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes in a controlled detonation. The impact of the bomb found by Captain Fidell would have devastated the town . | The tunnel was so tight Captain James Fidell decided to take off his protective bomb suit, helmet and body armour . If detonated the bomb would have devastated the community in Gereshk in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan . He spent eight hours working on the bomb in searing temperatures . | c47a8a4d3a32cc4fda5e9b3326ccccfccee56b01 |
A 40-year-old quad amputee was all thank yous at a news conference Tuesday at a Boston-area hospital as he showed off his two new arm transplants. Will Lautzenheiser sat next to the doctors from Brigham and Women's Hospital who spent almost nine hours in surgery with him last month. "To have come here and to have received this gift is really astonishing to me, and it's obviously life-changing," he said. Lautzenheiser, a former professor of film production and screenwriting, lost his limbs in 2011 after a battle with a severe streptococcal infection, according to the hospital. The arms came from an anonymous donor through the New England Organ Bank, the hospital said. "Of course I want to thank, to acknowledge and to honor the memory of the man whose arms I have so gratefully received," Lautzenheiser said. "This person who's anonymous to me will always be as close to me as my own skin now." In an anonymous statement, the family of the donor said, "Our son gave the best hugs, we pray that you make a wonderful recovery and that your loved ones will be able to enjoy your warm embrace." While his doctors said it may be years until he will be able to actually move his hands in complex ways, Lautzenheiser said he was astonished at his progress. "This is about it so far," Lautzenheiser said, laughing and slightly stretching his arm, which was in a splint and cast, "but I had nothing, so even that is incredible." There have been about 70 hand transplants around the world, according to Dr. Simon Talbot, one of the surgeons on the team that performed the operation on Lautzenheiser. In 2013, an Iraq War veteran who lost his limbs overseas underwent a successful double arm transplant surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Cell transplant allows paralyzed man to walk again, researchers say . | Will Lautzenheiser underwent surgery last month at a Boston Hospital . He lost all four of his limbs in 2011 to a streptococcal infection . He thanked his doctors, his family and the anonymous donor of the arms . | b8842ad9f17c4eb36ff827098600272692452419 |
A British jihadi fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq has become notorious on social media for his love of junk food - confessing that he even dreams about KFC and Nandos while waging jihad. Known by the nom de guerre Abu Hamza al-Britani, the 21-year-old Londoner of Pakistani origin is regularly teased about his insatiable appetite by his fellow ISIS militants, who have branded him 'fat' and advised him to stop eating so much ice cream. As well as his apparent gluttony, Abu Hamza's other favoured topic of conversation is the pet kitten he left behind when travelling to fight on the frontline. The terrorist has repeatedly posted messages about and photographs of the ginger cat named Anbar, which he described as 'my princess'. Although Abu Hamza spends much of his time talking about his pets and uploading photographs of junk food, the terrorists shares the same chilling desire to die in the name of radical Islam as other Britons fighting for the terror group, with his Twitter biography claiming he is 'seeking Martyrdom'. Hungry: A photograph on social media shows Abu Hamza (left) wearing the traditional hat of the Pashtuns, and a dark robe. He is eating ice cream with his close friend Abu Hamza as-Somali in the IS held city of Mosul . As well as his apparent gluttony, Abu Hamza's other favoured topic of conversation is the pet kitten he left behind when travelling to fight on the frontline. The terrorist has repeatedly posted messages about and photographs of the ginger cat named Anbar, which he described as 'my princess' Food on the brain: Abu Hamza al-Britani has become notorious on social media for his love of junk food - confessing that he even dreams about KFC and Nandos while waging jihad . Abu Hamza's endless appetite and obsession with junk food has seen his fellow militants repeatedly poke fun at his weight. 'You're pretty fat. You should lay off the ice cream,' one of his Twitter followers posted recently. Abu Hamza appears to take such criticism in his stride, however, responding to the user with: 'Is it my fault you're eating salads like a rabbit?' In another exchange, Abu Hamza was asked: 'If you had to eat only three things for the rest of your life, what would you eat?' The militant responded with: 'Unhealthy. Spicy wings, cake, chips.' Such is his love of calorific cuisine that even Abu Hamza's Twitter page is decorated with food, including what appear to be barbequed chicken legs and rice. In a recent post he told his followers about a dream he'd had where he was ordering food from KFC, Nandos and his favourite Thai restaurant. He added that his favourite types of foods are 'Indian, Thai and Italian.' When one of his followers asked if he was fat, Abu Hamza replied: 'No, praise be to God. But I love food and I'm cooking as I type.' Minutes later he revealed he was boiling vast quantities of pasta. Masked and armed: On his Ask.Fm account, Abu Hamza revealed that he had waited for five months to tell his mother that he had joined ISIS. When he eventually did, the terrorist claims his mother burst out laughing in disbelief before suggesting that she supported his actions by branding him and fellow jihadis 'lions' Jihadi jibes: Abu Hamza's endless appetite and obsession with junk food has seen his fellow militants repeatedly poke fun at his weight . Glutton: Abu Hamza never seems to miss an opportunity to eat something unhealthy, even admitting that he gorges on junk food while working as a guard and fighting for the terror group . Abu Hamza never seems to miss an opportunity to eat something unhealthy, even admitting that he gorges on junk food while working as a guard and fighting for the terror group. 'Cheese and onion crisps, tropical juice on the floor with my klash [AK47],' he recently wrote before adding: 'Reloading my PKC chain [heavy machine gun] with bullets being fired at us through the wall and I'm asking @hamza_somali "what we having for Dinner brother?".' Abu Hamza often uses his private Twitter account to share photographs of his food, which ranges from large pots of Indonesian noodles to hearty Russian stews. He has revealed a great deal of personal information about himself on social media, telling followers that his family originally come from Lahore in Pakistan, he is 5ft 5in tall, and that his mother was incredibly anxious when he first went to Syria, adding that he prayed God would 'calm her heart'. On his Ask.Fm account, Abu Hamza revealed that he had waited for five months to tell his mother that he had joined ISIS. When he eventually did, the terrorist claims his mother burst out laughing in disbelief before suggesting that she supported his actions by branding him and fellow jihadis 'lions.' A photograph on social media shows Abu Hamza wearing a pakul, the traditional hat of the Pashtuns, and a dark robe. He appears to be eating ice cream with his close friend Abu Hamza as-Somali in the IS held city of Mosul. Abu Hamza later wrote on Twitter that the Somali fighter was his 'closest brother since I've been in jihad. Done everything together. May Allah grant us shahada together too.' Cat lover: Named 'Anbar', after Iraq's largest province, the wispy ginger and white stray cat was adored by Abu Hamza, who posted photographs of her sleeping next to a box of bullets . Roots: Recently asked whether he missed anything about London, Abu Hamza replied: 'Miss all the different food and family.' The unmarried fighter also revealed he wanted 'two or three' children . Despite his apparently light-hearted approach to social media, the 21-year-old maintains a solid belief in the extremist values that define the Islamic State terror group . An avid social media user, 'Hungry Hamza' is a keen fan of Instagram - promoting his account as offering 'a real insight into what the mujahideen of the IS get up to.' Whilst Abu Hamza enjoys showing off photos of his food, it is his cat that has attracted most of the attention to his social media accounts. Named 'Anbar', after Iraq's largest province, the wispy ginger and white stray was adored by Abu Hamza, who called her 'my princess' and posted photographs of her sleeping next to a box of bullets while terrorists around her load their guns. He described the cat as 'crazy' and 'a big problem' - explaining that she was 'up all night running around and when she does sleep she only wants to sleep right on top of you.' The fighter's emotional attachment to his cat, proved a roblem when he had to leave her behind to go fight for the terrorists group on the frontline. A devastated Abu Hamza posted a final photo of Anbar, saying: 'I will be leaving my princess today. She's still small but I've had her since she was a baby...I know it's gna [sic] be hard to leave her.' Abu Hamza has revealed that he has lived in both ISIS' Syrian stronghold of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul. When asked to compare the cities, Abu Hamza said: 'Raqqa is very social it has everything you need. A bit too much dunya [multiculturalism] for me. Mosul is beautiful. It's more for the quiet.... kind of family.' Recently asked whether he missed anything about London, Abu Hamza replied: 'Miss all the different food and family.' The unmarried fighter also revealed he wanted 'two or three' children. Despite his apparently light-hearted approach to social media, the 21-year-old maintains a solid belief in the extremist values that define the Islamic State terror group. He insists he and his fellow fighters are 'blessed with better homes than the White House and 10 Downing Street combined' and encourages young women to join him in the Islamic State, telling them that it is safe for them to travel alone. Abu Hamza has revealed that he has lived in both ISIS' Syrian sronghold of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul. When asked to compare the two cities, Abu Hamza said: 'Raqqa is very social it has everything you need. A bit too much dunya [multiculturalism] for me. Mosul is beautiful. It's more for the quiet "dinner at a restaurant" kind of family.' The militant has also told how ISIS fighters play pranks on one another when they're not fighting, recalling an occasion when one terrorist put washing up liquid in a bottle of mouthwash. 'You can imagine what happened next. I'm still coughing bubbles,' he said. If you have any information on Abu Hamza al-Britani or any of the British IS fighters, get in touch: [email protected] . | Abu Hamza al-Britani is regularly teased about his appetite by ISIS fighters . 21-year-old Londoner of Pakistani origin often posts messages about food . Claims to dream about Western junk food while fighting on the frontline . Also posts messages about his pet cat 'Anbar', who he calls 'my princess' | 77ea0368dad3aa00a9a9b5e6296fcd9c136787dd |
By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 08:08 EST, 4 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:08 EST, 4 June 2013 . Paleontologists have discovered a family of triceratops, including one of the most complete skeletons ever found. The bones were uncovered on a ranch near Newcastle, Wyoming, by a team from the South Dakota-based Black Hills Institute of Geological Research and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center from the Netherlands. They believe the rare find of skeletons belonged either a to a parent group of triceratops or two females and a youngster. Paleontologists from the Black Hills Institute and Naturalis Biodiversity Center prepare the excavated bones . The team uncovered bones from three Triceratops at the dig near Newcastle, Wyoming . The three-horned dinosaurs lived more than 65million years ago and were often meals for predators, such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, which left behind only their skulls for dinosaur trophy hunters to find. Paleontologists also discovered the left foot and left leg of a T-Rex, which roamed the same area. It is believed the three Triceratops were attacked by a T-Rex. Black Hills Institute president Pete Larson said he was excited when he first saw the T-Rex foot, but he soon realized the potential presented by the Triceratops bones. 'We have been given a rare, I would say unprecedented, opportunity,' Larson told AP. The dig will continue for about four weeks as Larson while his 25-person team excavate the site. Triceratops skeleton at the Natural History Museum. Paleontologists believe their discovery could be one of the most complete ever found . Tyrannosaurus . Rex used its fiercely strong jaw and neck muscles to literally rip the . head off Triceratops after killing the huge armoured creatures, a new . theory claims.Research . into Triceratops fossils from the U.S. shows that the Jurassic apex . predator first slew its prey, then wrenched off its head in order to get . to nutrient-rich neck meat hidden by body armour.Tyrannosaurus . was well known to feed on the Triceratops but until now few have . questioned how it got around the herbivore's tough neck frill. He said the fossils will provide a more . complete example of the Triceratops, which in mass was about the size of . an elephant and stood more than 7ft tall. Mr Larson said: 'If you could imagine a person, 6ft . tall, inside the stomach of one of these adult Triceratops, they . couldn't reach each side of the rib cage,' Larson said. The Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas currently houses a Triceratops that has about 75 per cent of its skeleton - believed to be the most complete find to date. Mr Larson told Rapid City Journal that this skeleton only needs to be 50 per cent complete to be among the four most complete skeletons to be found. Mr Larson said few Triceratops skeletons have ever been discovered, so the new find could provide a lot of information. He said the family group is an 'unprecedented' find. 'We have the opportunity to really rewrite the book on Triceratops,' he told Rapid City Journal. After the fossils are prepared and mounted into a display, they could be sent to the Naturalis gallery, he said. | The bones of three Triceratops were found by a team of 25 paleontologists . Uncovered in South Dakota could 'really rewrite the book on Triceratops' Discovered by team from Black Hills Institute of Geological Research and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center from the Netherland . | 39ebabef026cfe00eaf0f951ad6d07384a94459f |
If ever anyone had a justified case for having road rage it has to be this truck driver in Victoria who avoided what could have been a fatal accident, not once, but twice, when a reckless driver careered into his path. As if to prove the theory that you can't make something idiot-proof, because someone will eventually come along and invent a new idiot, having escaped death once the dim-witted driver then speeds down the left-hand side of the truck and back into the way again. The truck driver was forced into taking evasive action for a second time seconds after avoiding the initial head on collision. Scroll down for video . A black Mazda 3 hatchback smashes through a fence from out of nowhere and onto the highway . 9News showed the shocking near miss where the black Mazda 3 hatchback drove through a fence from out of nowhere and onto the highway, forcing the truck driver out of his lane to avoid smashing into the other driver. A man known only as Michael was behind the wheel of the tanker, which was doing 100km/h. He just about kept the tanker upright at first, swerving quickly to the right, across the opposite lane and onto the shoulder, before veering back to the left again. But just when Michael thinks the coast is clear, the Mazda cuts down past the left-hand side of the truck, apparently totally oblivious to the carnage he already almost caused. The video was uploaded to Facebook group Dashcam Owners Australia. It was marked 2012, however the driver of the truck told the group that his date stamp was incorrect, and that it actually happened earlier this month. The truck driver can only look on in horror as the car goes into the middle of the road . It was taken about 30km out of Melbourne on the Western Highway, near Rockbank, on Thursday November 6, according to the group. Police were not aware of the incident. There's nothing for it but to take evasive action and swerve around the car to avoid a certain crash . To make matters worse, seconds later the Mazda cuts back down past the left-hand side of the truck . | Tanker going at 100k/h narrowly avoid collisions with reckless driver . Driver in Victoria manages to swerve out of the way on two occasions . The black Mazda 3 hatchback drove through a fence from out of nowhere . Lucky escape happened 30km out of Melbourne on the Western Highway . | 16c9de8ffc5b02b06da95147be1d5c477d4af253 |
The embattled head of the Internal Revenue Service blames faulty technology for what he called serious problems under investigation by Congress, the Justice Department and the Treasury inspector general. John Koskinen told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday that he apologized to anyone who had their application for tax-exempt status held up by IRS targeting of political labels. "The improper criteria used to highlight organizations for investigation just by their name was a mistake," Koskinen said. "I apologize to anybody who ever had their applications held up needlessly. Everybody needs to be confident that the IRS is going to treat them fairly no matter who they are. Republicans, Democrats, whatever organization they belong to. So it's a serious matter." However, he maintained that evidence uncovered so far by six investigations found no involvement by the White House, as alleged by some Republicans. In particular, GOP critics contend a hard drive crash that wiped out e-mails of the woman at the center of the controversy -- former IRS official Lois Lerner -- looked like a cover-up. "It is suspicious. When we uncovered it, we pursued evidence," Koskinen said, adding that the agency also looked at other hard-drive failures in recent years. "I think we need to pull all this together, see what we know and proceed." At the same time, he noted technology problems occurred regularly, with 2,000 hard drives failing so far this year at the agency, which has about 90,000 employees. Fed official: IRS did not follow the line . Congressional Republicans pummeled Koskinen with questions and accusations this week, all but accusing him of perjury. But he hit back at committee hearings and in the CNN interview. "It's not my intention at all to play games with the Congress," he said, adding that "people need to feel comfortable that it's not a politicized agency, that it treats people fairly whoever they are." Asked by Blitzer whether he regretted taking the job, Koskinen joked he should have read the fine print ahead of time. No regrets, he added, citing the need to fulfill an important public service. A government veteran, the 74-year-old Koskinen is taking the brunt of congressional pressure after the agency admitted it lost thousands of e-mails wanted by lawmakers investigating the targeting scandal. Rep. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, flat out questioned whether Koskinen was being truthful with Congress, and Darrell Issa, the Oversight chairman, called him out for being evasive. On Thursday, Koskinen repeated his belief that an independent prosecutor would be unnecessary and a waste of taxpayer dollars with the other investigations underway. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder, a frequent target of GOP attacks, should be impeached for refusing to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the missing Lerner e-mails. "Make no mistakes. These e-mails haven't just been lost," Cruz said on the Senate floor. "These e-mails have been deleted, taped over and the hard drive physically destroyed, according to public news reports." Asked by Blitzer whether a criminal investigation was warranted, Koskinen replied: "I don't think ... at this time there's any evidence of that." Top IRS official beats back Republican barrage . Lerner, who ran the division that carried out the IRS targeting, resigned last year after the Treasury Department's inspector general found those working under her used "inappropriate" criteria to scrutinize certain groups, particularly those with conservative political names. Since then, she has refused to testify at hearings, invoking her constitutional right not to do so. Earlier this month, the IRS told Congress that a 2011 crash of Lerner's computer hard drive meant that e-mails until that point had been lost. The IRS targeting was first noticed by the agency after that time. Koskinen noted Thursday that the agency had recovered 24,000 Lerner e-mails by other means and was cooperating fully with all investigations of the matter. When Blitzer noted that taxpayers believe the IRS would never accept the excuse of a hard drive crash for filing an improper return, Koskinen responded that the agency tries to work with people to resolve the situation. "We historically, if a taxpayer has lost electronic records, have said if you have other indications and evidence of what went on, we'll take that from you," he said. "If you lose a document, it doesn't mean you lose the argument. We actually work with taxpayers to say we'll look at other evidence ... and if we can find any evidence to support your case -- and, in fact, if the circumstances support your case, we'll support you and you won't have any problems." On Wednesday, a Republican congressman revealed Lerner e-mails that asked whether the IRS should look into an invitation for GOP Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa to appear at a seminar. The disclosure of the e-mail exchanges by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp of Michigan further inflamed GOP sentiment against Lerner. However, it was not clear from the e-mails whether Lerner was referring to an audit of Grassley personally or the group that invited him and was possibly offering to pay for his wife to attend. Her lawyer said Lerner acted appropriately, and Koskinen said Thursday the intent was unclear. Democrats accuse House Republicans of politicizing the IRS investigation, noting that some liberal seeking tax exempt status also were also targeted by the agency. E-mails: Ex-IRS official Lois Lerner queried Sen. Chuck Grassley invitation . | IRS chief John Koskinen is interviewed by CNN's Wolf Blitzer . Koskinen apologizes to anyone targeted by IRS . No need for a special prosecutor, he says . GOP Sen. Cruz says Attorney General Holder should be impeached . | d987a79318cab86fda42b267345075d6dfca0cd1 |
The tables are set, but this abandoned hotel has not seen a single guest for more than two decades. The beds are covered in creeping moss and the corridors, which years ago would have thronged with paying guests, are now eerily silent as the long ago abandoned Plaza Hotel, located in Germany, slowly decays. These haunting pictures taken by a so-called urban explorer tell the story of a once-loved building which has been left to succumb to the forces of nature. Reclaimed by nature: A small tree has taken root on the floor and moss covers the mattress in one of the bedrooms . Atmospheric: A set table lies untouched inside the abandoned Plaza Hotel, located in Germany . Untouched: The bar stands in surprisingly good condition inside the abandoned Plaza Hotel, in pictures taken by London-based photographer Andre Govia . Ruin: The dining table inside the abandoned hotel looks ready for service but the broken slabs of plaster littering the floor tell another story . London-based Andre Govia, 37, decided to venture into the forbidding former guest house for a project documenting his love of abandoned buildings. 'I . have always loved exploring abandoned buildings and one day I was given . an old camera and decided to start documenting the decay,' said Mr . Govia. 'The atmosphere . inside the hotel was creepy and damp; I constantly felt like I was being . watched from the dark corners of the restaurant. Decay: Paint and plaster hang from the wall inside on of the rooms inside the abandoned German hotel . Distressed: A thick layer of dust and dirt cover the floor of one of the hotel's bedroom after years of being allowed to fall into disrepair . 'People are always very interested in the state of the buildings and the way it has been left to rot. 'Most feel that it's a waste and I would agree.' Boasting a swimming pool and at least 50 rooms, the four floor hotel was left abandoned in the mid 1990s. Dry: The swimming pool, which would have once been thronging with guests, lies silent today . Collapse: Debris from collapsed ceilings and walls litter the floor . Andre . explains: 'The most interesting items in the hotel were the retro . fittings and bar area that was almost untouched from decay due to the . position. 'The roof . above them has not collapsed like a lot of other rooms in the building, . which enables them to stay unspoiled for a while longer. 'Inside was cold and damp under as often you find in a building that has been left. 'I . hope my photographs show the way decay has a beauty and also the way . our surroundings are able to be reclaimed by nature when left to fade . away.' Inhospitable: London photographer Andre Govia visited the abandoned hotel to capture the decay in a series of haunting pictures . Dated: Time seems to have stood still inside the abandoned Plaza Hotel, located in Germany . Its majestic dome still directed toward the heavens, now covered in graffiti and left to rust - inside the stunning abandoned astronomical observatory atop a Spanish mountain. Standing 2,605m above sea level in the region of Andalucia, the Mohon del Trigo observatory has been empty for nearly 40 years. The observatory at Mohsn del Trigo was built in 1902 after planners judged the clear skies of the isolated Sierra Nevada mountains to be perfect for stargazing. Solitary: The Mohon del Trigo observatory has stood empty and abandoned for nearly 40 years . Clear blue sky: The Mohon del Trigo observatory was built in 1902 in an isolated spot in the Sierra Nevada mountains where the sky is perfect for stargazing . Enchanting: Urban explorer Dominique Svenson, 54, of Granada, Spain, was captivated by the abandoned Mohon del Trigo observatory in the Sierra Nevada range of Andalucia . Due to several technological advances . the station was obsolete by the middle of the twentieth century and a . new observatory was built nearby in 1976. Mohsn . del Trigo was stripped and abandoned but today it still stands high . above the Spanish countryside, cutting a striking image against the . mountain vistas. Urban explorer Dominique Svenson, 54, ventured inside the derelict structure. Vandalised: Graffiti vandals have used the walls inside the abaconded observatory as their canvas . Decrepit : While the Mohon del Trigo observatory was once a centre for observing the galaxy, it is now a vandalised, rusting wreck . Crumbling: Urban explorer Dominique Svenson said the observatory was in a 'pitiful state', crumbing away under due to the harsh elements . She said: 'It stands in perfect solitude on a steep rise, high above the hustle and bustle of the world below. 'Although . the inside is in a pitiful state, with graffiti on the walls and the . structure showing clear signs of deterioration, the atmosphere is . peaceful. 'I reached the . observatory in the early evening after an exhausting hike but couldn't . resist going a bit further to an adjacent elevation to take a panoramic . picture of the robust building against the landscape.' Mrs Svenson said the vast interior evoked the atmosphere of a golden age of astronomical research. Heyday: Astronomers would come from around the world to wonder at the universe from inside the Mohon del Trigo observatory . She . said: 'While I was there I imagined years gone by. I thought of . astronomers looking through their telescope, the stars shining through . the dome and the milky way spanning high above. 'As . I was leaving the observatory I turned back, and felt respect for this . sturdy little building that has withstood the elements for so long, . battling constant wind and snow. Sometimes snow covers it completely.' Mrs Svenson, of Granada, Spain took the photographs in June 2012. Stargazing: The Mohon del Trigo observatory once housed a 32cm reflector telescope under its impressive dome . New residents: A new set of residents have taken up residence inside the Mohon del Trigo observatory . When . it was first built the observatory belonged to the Jesuit religious . order. It was equipped with a 32cm reflector telescope donated by the . Jesuit University of Georgetown, USA. The observatory was assigned to the University of Granada in 1972. The structure is still owned by the university today. In its heyday Mohon del Trigo observatory was used intensively by astronomers from all over the world. In . particular, a long-standing collaboration was established with the . Royal Greenwich Observatory which involved a frequent interchange of . personnel. Decay: The gears which once would have positioned the dome have now become rusted and corroded after years of being exposed to the elements . Corrosion: The dome is now firmly stuck in position and the moving gears rusted . View of the heavens: The observatory's rusting dome is still open to the stars . Crystal clear: The stunning clear blue sky and clean air attracted the first stargazers to the mountains in the Sierra Nevada range of Andalucia where they later built this observatory . During the height of the Cold War, this top secret site would have been an impenetrable fortress. The site was home to one of the former superpower's classified weapons manufacturing plants called Hydropribor which made cutting edge underwater munitions. Now long since abandoned, people are able to roam among the crumbling walls, wander around the former hospital block and flick through old patient records at the complex located in South-East Crimea. Top secret: The military plant called Hydropribor is located in South-East Crimea . Crumbling: This facility used to produce underwater weapons systems such as torpedoes, mines for the former Soviet Union . Disorder: These wards would have been used to treat patients but have now slowly fallen into disrepair after the fall of the Soviet Union . Classified: Only a very few knew about existence of this place, even in the neighboring city of Feodosia . This facility used to produce underwater weapons systems such as torpedoes, mines and other munitions. Only a very few knew about existence of this place, even in the neighboring city of Feodosia. After . break up of Soviet Union in the early 1990s 'Hydropribor' had stopped . getting government procurement and had it closed, its classification had . been removed. Abandoned: The site fell into disrepair after break up of Soviet Union in the early 90s . Chaos: Patient records from the old hospital site are strewn across the floor of the former Soviet Union's munitions facility . Medical supplies: Vials from the medicine cabinet lie intact in the chaotic and messy hospital rooms . Nowadays this facility is abandoned and totally neglected, but there are still a few buildings left. One . of them was a hospital for the plant's employees. This hospital is in . the same condition now as it was more than 20 years ago. Now . this building is boarded up, but inside, abandoned medical records, . dentist tools and dentures are still strewn about doctors' offices. Equipment on the operating theatre stands exactly where a doctor left it many decades ago. Disorder: As the Iron Curtain fell from Europe, the Soviet Union abandoned this site, leaving files stacked on shelves, left, and the Black Sea storms to ravage the building . Mess: This facility used to produce underwater weapons systems such as torpedoes and mines, for the Soviet Union . Flaking paint: Years of storm damage has ripped the windows from their frames . Bite: A set of false teeth sits next next to batches of long out of date medicine in the former hospital block . Gums: A top set of teeth has a thick covering of dust and plaster from the flaking ceilings of the the Hydropribor military facility . Mistreatment: Syringes and bottles of medicine lie broken on a table top at the old top secret military plant called Hydropribor, located in South-East Crimea . Frozen in time: Equipment on the operating theatre stands exactly where a doctor left it many decades ago . Snapshot: The medical records of former staff lay where the doctor left them two decades ago . | Plaza Hotel, in Germany, was closed to guests and abandoned in the mid 1990s . Urban explorer Andre Govia, 37, captured haunting photographs of the eerie building . | 2d8764d1ce9dda8dc6b8c1ff62e771d79fa7c0e2 |
(CNN) -- ISIS is looking to take over a good chunk of the Middle East -- if not the entire Muslim world. At least, that's the message the terrorist movement is sending in its English online magazine, Dabiq. In Dabiq's first issue, which debuted in early July, the magazine declared that a "new era has arrived" for Muslims. Photographs in the webzine of ISIS militants in American armored vehicles rolling through Iraq seemed to buttress that claim. Graphic photos of dead soldiers from Iraqi forces litter the pages of each of the issues of Dabiq, and articles detail skirmishes across Iraq and Syria. Each issue of the magazine -- there have been four so far, appearing at roughly monthly intervals -- starts with a foreword that contains an inspirational message for readers, before diving into longer pieces that extol the virtues of ISIS and provide updates on the group's military campaign. ISIS members fervently believe that they have established a true "caliphate" in the areas that they control, a supposed distant echo of the perfect Islamic rule of the Prophet Mohammed and his immediate successors in the seventh century. Overall, the magazine is quite religious in tone. Excerpts from rulings by Muslim scholars are included in every issue, as are religious rationales for the actions of ISIS. In the most recent issue, an ISIS writer reasoned that capturing women from the Yazidis, an Iraqi minority group, to use as sex slaves was acceptable under ISIS' version of Sharia law, since the Yazidis are polytheists, a great heresy in Islam. Showing some convoluted logic, the ISIS writer also asserted that enslaving Yazidi women is a good way to stop adultery, since a man having sex with a concubine is legal under ISIS' interpretation of Islamic law, but sexual relations outside of marriage with free women are forbidden. The magazines are also, unsurprisingly, highly sectarian, repeatedly showing images of Shia shrines and tombs that have been blown up by ISIS, a organization made up of members of the Sunni sect. ISIS believes these sites to be idolatrous. Iraqi Army soldiers -- who are generally Shia -- are referred to as "apostates" and graphic photos of their executions by ISIS fighters are a staple of the magazine. Other articles aim to reassure readers that ISIS, which in June renamed itself the Islamic State, is an actual state that provides social services and reconstructs critical infrastructure. The magazine asserts that administrators govern towns after the main ISIS fighting force moves on and the most recent issue of Dabiq includes photos with captions showing "services for Muslims," including street cleaning, electricity repairs, care homes for the elderly and cancer treatment centers for children. The first issue of Dabiq even had a sort of classified ad for "all Muslim doctors, engineers, scholars, and specialists" to come and join ISIS. The most recent installment of Dabiq asserts that two new wilayat, or provinces, had been established in the region where the Syrian-Iraqi border had once been. The magazine describes the new provinces as a successful step in "eliminating any remaining traces of the kufri, nationalistic borders." Pictures of a military parade celebrating the announcement accompany the article, along with pictures of a well-staffed checkpoint, a bustling marketplace, and ISIS police patrolling the area. In many ways Dabiq is not a new phenomenon. Osama bin Laden's Service Office during the 1980s Afghan war against the Soviets produced a similar magazine, Jihad, which was widely available around the Muslim world, was translated into many languages and was principally a fund-raising and recruiting tool designed to encourage young Muslim men to travel to Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan to support the Afghan jihad. More recently, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula from its headquarters in Yemen has been publishing Inspire, another well-produced online magazine. Inspire, published for the past four years, clearly served as something of a model for Dabiq. Both are well laid out and feature graphics and photos prominently. The Dabiq feature titled "In the Words of the Enemy," where a helpful quote from an official or analyst from the West is included, is a direct copy of an Inspire feature. Dabiq's most recent issue features a portion of U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in which he discussed how much of a threat ISIS is to the United States. But the two webzines share few similarities beyond that. Inspire was very much focused on recruiting lone-wolf jihadists and inspiring homegrown extremism in the West, but Dabiq includes only a few vague sentences about carrying out attacks in the West. Where Inspire included instructions on bomb-making and building weapons to carry our attacks in the West, Dabiq focuses almost entirely on the actions of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and encourages followers to join the jihad there. In the third issue of Dabiq an ISIS writer asserts, "This life of jihad is not possible until you pack and move to the Khilafah," meaning to leave your home and travel to ISIS' areas of control in Iraq and Syria. The purpose of the Dabiq webzine is quite different from Inspire: It is to encourage and perpetuate ISIS' successful insurgencies in Iraq and Syria, not to foster homegrown extremism or lone-wolf attacks in the West. That's about the only good news that one can glean from Dabiq. | ISIS has published four issues of online magazine detailing its aims . Peter Bergen says the group is stressing its territorial ambitions and sectarian approach . Unlike al Qaeda, which recruits terrorists vs. the West, ISIS wants to be a state, he says . Bergen: ISIS is focused on sustaining and extending its insurgencies in Syria and Iraq . | 2b01e9638a2b9ce9be6fc6fa237b7777dae67cf6 |
(CNN) -- What a difference 24 hours makes. Jack Trammell unanimously won the Democratic nomination for Virginia's 7th Congressional District seat at the party convention last weekend. That's because no one else wanted to run against Rep. Eric Cantor, the second most powerful Republican in the House. But after Cantor's shocking defeat in his primary Tuesday against political novice Dave Brat, Trammell's candidacy has a whole new meaning. Democrats have a bit more hope in this Republican district, now that the upstart Democrat is up against an upstart Republican -- both of whom are professors at the same college. "Now it's going to be a grass-roots race to get out their base," Ashley Bauman, press secretary for the Virginia Democratic Party, said. Trammell is not your average politician. He works a small family farm, where he lives with his wife and seven children. He teaches disability studies and is director of Disability Support Services at Randolph-Macon College, a small liberal arts school outside Richmond that has just over 1,000 students. He is a prolific writer, author of more than 20 books, both fact and fiction, including a children's book. His latest tome is about the Virginia slave trade and he is currently writing a novel about vampires. A Civil War buff, he has also written dozens of columns on the Civil War for the Washington Times. While his bio says he worked for Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns in Kentucky, he is a political amateur. His online political presence is minimal. His Twitter account is brand new and has two tweets. His campaign Facebook page was built Monday, after he won the Democratic nomination. On the page he received advice from supporters, suggesting he build a campaign website and include a "donate now" button. Others suggested he lose his facial hair. By the morning after Cantor's defeat, Trammell heeded the advice of his supporters. He was able to put up a campaign website, which is still sparsely populated and only includes a three-paragraph bio, an e-mail signup to get involved, and that essential button for contributions. The Democratic Party is shielding Trammell from the press for now, intercepting his media requests and offering surrogates instead. The academic has a lot to learn and not a lot of time. But his statement after the Republican primary results indicates he's a fast learner, as it echoed the message of national Democrats. "I am running because I believe Virginians are hungry for a radical change from the dysfunctional and reckless politics being practiced by those in Congress -- and the results of tonight's primary election are the proof," he said in a statement after Brat's insurgent victory. The 7th District is very conservative, with the Cook Political Report maintaining its political rating as solid Republican. But with two political novice college professors running against each other, anything could be possible. With Brat's victory, the impossible has already happened once in this district. Eric Cantor loses primary in big upset; Lindsey Graham avoids runoff . Cantor 'earthquake' rattles Capitol Hill . Opinion: Who said the tea party was dead? | Jack Trammell is the Democratic challenger in Virginia's 7th District . He is a college professor from Randolph-Macon college . He has never run for office but has written 21 books . The district is solidly Republican but Cantor's defeat shook the district . | aca1fcdbf7b8ead80e4e654b75cfe3809651f66b |
(CNN)More drones were spotted flying over Paris overnight, the city prosecutor's office said Wednesday. The unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted above Rue de Vaugirard, the Assembly, the city's east train station, Porte de Saint-Ouen and Porte de la Chapelle between 11 p.m. Tuesday and 2 a.m. Wednesday. Authorities are investigating. The sightings come a day after five drones were reportedly seen flying over other sensitive and well-known areas of Paris. They were seen over the Eiffel Tower, the Bastille, Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides and the U.S. Embassy, said Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor's office. The drones were seen between midnight and 6 a.m. Three journalists working for Al-Jazeera were arrested Wednesday afternoon after being spotted using drones in the Bois de Boulogne, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor said. There was no connection to the mystery drone flights over the past two days, the spokeswoman said. All three were released Thursday, but the one who was identified as operating the drone will likely be prosecuted, the city Prosecutor's spokeswoman Agnès Thibault-Lecuivre told CNN. Al-Jazeera said its crew was working on a story about the mystery. "We will comment further when more information is available," a spokeswoman said. CNN's Sandrine Amiel in Paris contributed to this report . | Drones are seen for a second night in Paris . They hovered over Paris landmarks . | f996acd962a00ae1e00053ff7402a04309669912 |
By . Ted Thornhill . A family were left baffled after discovering a strange ‘sea monster’ washed up on a British beach. Lisa Worthington, 42, chanced upon the creature while out walking the family dog with husband, Peter, 52, and their two children. The two-foot long skeletal remains were found on the high tide mark on the beach in Weston-Super-Mare, north Somerset. Scroll down for video . Mysterious: The two-foot skeletal remains of a sea creature were found on Weston-Super-Mare beach . The family decided to take the mysterious skeleton home so that her 10-year-old son Tyler could show his friends. Lisa, a stay-at-home mother, from Uphill, near Bristol, said: 'It was really quite strange. We were just walking the dogs when we stumbled across it. It was very strange. 'People have come up with some crazy ideas as to what it could be. My friend even thought it could be a llama, as the long tail-y bit looks like a neck. Odd: The remains baffled one marine biologist, who declared that he'd never seen anything like it before . Hot-spot: Weston-Super-Mare, in north Somerset, is popular with tourists in part thanks to its huge beach . 'I guess with it being washed up on the beach you would expect it to be a fish or something, but it doesn't look very fishy. 'My son was fascinated by it. I've definitely not seen anything like it before. He wanted to take it to school for show and tell. 'He carried it home in a big carrier bag. It absolutely stinks now though. I’ve told him he’s going to have to get rid of it.' The family posted an image of the skeleton on Facebook where speculation grew about what the creature could be. Mystery solved? One marine biologist believe the skeleton could be that of a thornback ray (pictured) Some suggested the animal was a lizard or swan whilst others claimed it was some kind of large fish or stingray. Marine biologist, Steve Simpson, said: 'This is certainly nothing I have seen before.' Other deep sea creature experts said that it was likely the skeleton was that of a thornback ray. Shelby Temple, a professor at Bristol University, said: 'I think that is the remains of a thornback ray (Raja clavata). 'They are fairly common on muddy/sandy substrates around the UK and Europe. 'The photos certainly make it look like a weird deep sea creature. You wouldn't want to inadvertently step on that tail!' The discovery followed a rare bluefin tuna worth close to £1million being brought ashore by five university friends in Cornwall. Another remarkable find: Five university friends found a rare bluefin tuna in Cornwall, worth around £1million . Strict EU laws designed to protect the critically endangered species – which are highly prized in Japan for raw fish dishes such as sushi and sashimi – mean it is illegal to catch or sell them. So Sarah Little, 22, Laura Pickervance and Shauna Creamer, both 23, and Charlotte Chambers and Hannah Ford, both 24, will not make a penny from the extraordinary find they made while holidaying in Cornwall. The 7ft 1in specimen, which was perfectly edible, has been sitting in a fisherman’s freezer prior to being taken to the University of Exeter on Sunday where it will be dissected and studied by experts, rather than served up in a restaurant. Check out some of our monster marine life videos below: . | Lisa Worthington found the mysterious remains in Weston-Super-Mare . The 42-year-old was out walking her dog with her family at the time . Marine biologist Steve Simpson said 'this is nothing I have seen before' | a8126b6773747ba5de0271625388ba547fedee3e |
(CNN) -- Mention the words Augusta, the Masters and clubs and you'd be forgiven for heading straight to the golf course. And if you're feeling good and looking for all things sugar and spice then here are a few facts which might help your Masters 2013 experience. Feel Good . The man himself, "Godfather of Soul" James Brown, still looms large in Augusta with his statue standing proud in the middle of Broad Street. Just a block away is the Imperial Theater where Brown would rehearse and fine tune his music before going abroad on world tours. Born in South Carolina, Brown is still revered with fans from all over the world traveling to honor the singer who died at the age of 73 in December 2006. Take a walk down a section of what used to be known as Ninth Street and you'll hit James Brown Boulevard -- a stretch of road where he used to shine shoes and earn a few dollars from passers by with a song and dance. And with the world's attention on Augusta, here's an all singing and all dancing guide to the biggest show in town -- the Masters. Forward thinking . Its critics might accuse Augusta of being stuck in the past, but the course has been one of the most technically progressive in the golfing world. This year, organizers have placed four sensors on each green which monitor the temperature, soil moisture and salinity -- all controlled by iPad. It's the latest in a long line of innovations from the tournament which was the first to introduce 72-hole golf over four days. Being first is nothing new to Augusta though. It was the first tournament to be covered live on radio, the first to introduce the over/under par system and the first to introduce bleachers. Tech savvy . While Augusta might have embraced technology, it's not so keen on spectators, or "patrons" as they are known, using all the latest gadgets. The course specifically bans cell phones, beepers or any kind of electronic communication system with cameras only permitted on practice days. If you do take a cheeky snap you end up losing your ticket and politely being asked to leave. Turkey shoot . Augusta's course is renowned as one of the most beautiful and picturesque on the planet -- but it wasn't always that way. During the Second World War, Augusta was forced to close and was used to house over 200 cattle and 1,400 Turkeys. So from 1943 until late 1944, the course resembled something of a farm and it wasn't until 1946 that August reopened, thanks in part to the help of 42 German prisoners of war from Camp Gordon. Keeping green . With each hole being named after a plant or shrub, its no surprise that Augusta takes the surrounding nature so seriously. Last year's cold snap meant that patrons missed out on seeing the beautiful Azaleas which have adorned the course for so many years. There's better news this year. Along with the Azaleas the dogwood, peach and cherry trees are blooming. The great old oak tree, which was planted in the 1850s, continues to charm, while the 61 large Magnolia trees which line the path from the entrance to the clubhouse were planted at around the same time. Eat like a champ . The Champions Dinner has been going since 1952 when Ben Hogan first came up with the idea -- but while tradition has remained the food revolution has shown no signs of stopping. On the Tuesday evening preceding the tournament, all the past Masters winners dine together with the reigning champion selecting the menu. In 1998, Tiger Woods and friends feasted on cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries and milkshakes. Others such as Mike Weir went for Elk and wild boar in 2004, while Scot Sandy Lyle went for Haggis, mashed potatoes and turnips in 1989. Royalty . It's not just the players that get to eat like kings, the patrons are well fed too and the prices are phenomenally low. The world famous Pimiento Cheese sandwiches will set you back just $1.50 while the Egg salad, which has won rave reviews, is also available at the same price. You can pick up a beer for $3 while an imported lager will set you back $4. Antipodean angst . Don't mention Augusta to an Australian -- it has proved something of a graveyard for the nation's golfers -- and the country is still getting over the pain and torment of Greg Norman's capitulation, which came after squandering a six-shot lead to Nick Faldo in 1996. "The Shark" had already lost out in 1987 after losing to Larry Mize in a playoff. But Norman is not the only Australian to suffer at Augusta. Back in 1950, Jim Ferrier, who hailed from Sydney, had his three-shot lead wiped out in the final round as he slumped to second and ended his career without a Masters victory. Craig Parry, Stuart Appleby and Jack Newton all missed out on the final day, while Adam Scott and Jason Day were forced to settle for second in 2011. Spooked . Australia's golfers aren't the only ones to have been left Augusta spooked in Augusta. The town has a whole host of ghost stories, while the famous "Haunted Pillar" still stands proudly on Broad Street. The pillar, which used to support the market back in the 1830s, has been at the center of folklore since the story of how a traveling preacher cursed the town. The preacher was unhappy with the abuse he received and is supposed to have said: "A great storm will tear this market asunder and only one pillar will be left standing!" On February 8 1878, a tornado hit the city, killing several people, destroying the market and leaving just the pillar intact. It remains a tourist attraction, but only the brave actually touch it. First ladies . "It's a Man's Man's World" Brown once sang, but for how much longer? For the first time ever, you might see two women wearing the iconic Green Jackets at Augusta after the club opened its exclusive membership to women last August. For the first time in its history, women were invited to join with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina businesswoman Darla Moore both now members. Rice played a practice round with three-times Masters champion Phil Mickelson last Sunday before heading to the clubhouse which had been closed to women since it opened in 1932. | The Masters is held in Augusta, Georgia, every year . Soul legend James Brown grew up and performed in the area . Don't miss the "Haunted Pillar" on Broad Street . Australia's golfers hoping to end Augusta curse . | c79437dd1a238ccb8efaf5e3de5c469ead43903b |
By . Laura Cox and Kimberley Dadds . PUBLISHED: . 16:54 EST, 29 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:40 EST, 30 November 2012 . She may have been left distraught on Wednesday when she narrowly missed out on seeing her daughter Kiki in the jungle, but it was a better day for Charlie Brooks on Thursday night's show. The EastEnders actress won a phone call to her daughter as a result of a darts game they played. And she was so overwhelmed she gushed at her campmates afterwards, thanking them for letting her take the one call granted to the four of them. Scroll down for video . Delighted: Just a day after Charlie Brooks was left disappointed at not . getting to see her daughter Kiki in the jungle, she won a phone call . from her in camp . The celebrities took part in a game in which their dart throwing skills could win 21 treats - two of which were phone calls to friends or family. The aim of the game was to fire a dart to the corresponding number picked out of a bag and the celebrity would get whatever treat was beside that number written on a board, all played in a relay style. Charlie said as she learned about the new challenge: 'It was really handy that we had a darts challenge and we had Eric Bristow, although his track record through the show hasn’t been very good.' That smile says it all: The EastEnders actress was selected by her camp mates to use up the one phone call to make up for her disappointment the day before . Eric was first up and pulled number 10, he hit double ten with the first arrow which won them one beer. Next up was David who managed to hit number 14 on his fourth dart winning some Cheddar cheese. Ashley hit number one and won a phone call from home, Charlie missed the board completely but then it was Eric’s turn again and he hit number nine with his first dart and won coffee. Meanwhile, David pulled number eight and hit it with his first dart and won coffee and sugar. Agreeing that the two phone calls should be combined to make a four minute call, Eric said: 'Do you think Charlie should have it as David spoke to his mum and I don’t give a s**t?' The others agreed 100 per cent with him and a thrilled Charlie beamed: 'That will be amazing, thank you guys.' Overcome: The camp mates had won the chance for two different two minute calls but let Charlie speak to her daughter for the full four minutes . Thank you! She gushed to Ashley, David and Eric after squealing down the phone for the duration . The celebrities had their winnings from the darts challenge delivered, it was cheese, a beer, coffee and sugar. They were tucking into the cheese when the phone in camp rang and Charlie spoke to her daughter Kiki. Squealing with delight Charlie was so excited to hear from Kiki as the youngster screamed down the phone: 'I miss you mummy, you are doing really well, you have lost a lot of weight, I’ve been watching and I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.' Charlie told her how much she loved her and that her handwriting in the letter she sent to camp was really good. Can he do it? The camp mates joined in together on a group challenge which saw them try to hit different treats on a board to win them . Showing them how it's done: Darts legend Eric Bristow showed off the talents which made him famous as he won treat after treat . 'I know you so well and you are a strong woman why didn’t you say we are a strong, independent, motivational, inspirational women?' Charlie answered: 'Because we are strong, independent, motivational, inspirational women and I did say it and I think of you every time. I love you, you are the best, I can’t wait for snuggles and I’m going to snuggle you so much.' Kiki replied: 'You are the best mummy, you will win it now, I want to be the princess of the jungle! I love you!' Having a go: Charlie also took part to win the remaining four some treats to take back to camp on one of their final evenings . Charlie said: 'You will be princess of the jungle no matter what. Do you know what the Chelsea score is, don’t worry I know you can’t tell me. I love you, love you, love to everyone.' After the call Charlie thanked everyone for letting her take the call and jumped up and down and clapped with glee. It was just a day after show producers infuriated viewers by getting Kiki's hopes up by telling her she could get to see her mum for a cuddle. Contestants on I’m A Celebrity at least have plenty of warning of the emotional turmoil the challenges of the jungle are likely to present. But the ITV show reached disturbing new lows when a seven-year-old girl was the one left in distress. Producers were accused of cruelty after the child was put up as a prize – and had to be consoled when her mother failed to ‘win’ her. Distraught: Charlie Brooks was devastated to learn that she was inches away from her daughter 24 hours earlier . So close: Charlie's daughter was disappointed that she missed out on seeing her mother . Hundreds of viewers took to social . networking sites and internet discussion forums yesterday to complain . about the treatment of Kiki, the daughter of jungle competitor and . former EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks. Miss Brooks had been paired with a . fellow contestant, darts champion Eric Bristow, and given the . opportunity to win luxuries by choosing one of five doors to open. They did not know that behind the . doors the prizes included food, clean clothes – and various members of . their friends and family. Kiki, who had been away from her mother for 18 . days, was standing behind a yellow door. The youngster could hear her mother’s . voice and was heartbroken when Miss Brooks and Mr Bristow picked the . wrong colour to reveal a sign which said ‘game over’. Millions of . viewers saw Kiki’s distress as she realised she would not see her mother . and had to be consoled by one of Mr Bristow’s sons, who was next to . her. Tough blow: Charlie described learning that her daughter could have been so close was like being 'kicked in the gut' Pulling at the heartstrings: Charlie was left in tears at the thought of her daughter being so close . It was only after learning that two . fellow contestants had got to see their loved ones that Miss Brooks, 31, . realised she had missed the opportunity to see her daughter. She was left distraught and made a . tearful apology to the cameras, saying: ‘It felt like someone had taken a . boot and kicked me in the guts. 'I didn’t even think having a member of . family behind the door would have been an option. This is . heartbreaking.’ Yesterday experts and campaigners . called on TV watchdog Ofcom to investigate the decision to involve Kiki . in the contest, which is filmed in Australia, while others accused Miss . Brooks of bad parenting for not leaving the jungle to comfort her . daughter as soon as she learned what had happened. What's behind each door: Charlie and Eric were first to have a go at the Door to Door game, she didn't know her daughter Kiki was behind the yellow door . End of the line: The pair chose the blue door and were greeted with a 'game over' sign . Margaret Morrissey, of campaign group . Parents Outloud, said: ‘If [Charlie Brooks] was genuine about this, she . would have got up and walked straight to her daughter and not put her . daughter in this position again. ‘I find it staggering that [producers] have used a child in this way. To involve a seven-year-old is sinking to the bottom.’ The stunt comes just days after . producers were accused of failing to look after comedian Brian Conley, . 51, who has battled depression and alcoholism. He left the jungle after . becoming distressed and was admitted to hospital. Over the moon: The pair looked delighted to be greeted by their loved ones . Group hug: Rosemary was seen hugging her daughter while David was delighted his mother was there to meet him . Viewers took to the internet to . express their outrage at Kiki’s treatment. One wrote: ‘For such a small . child to hear her mother’s voice and look so desolate when she didn’t . get to see her isn’t sitting comfortably with me.’ Another agreed, adding: ‘ITV should . hang their heads in shame!’ Roy Shuttleworth, a consultant in clinical . psychology, said the game amounted to a ‘high-risk strategy’, adding: . ‘Some children would be tormented by it.’ A spokesman for the ITV show said . permission for the girl to take part in the game had come from her . grandmother, adding: ‘A senior producer saw Kiki afterwards and she was . fine. Kiki and her grandma come to the jungle every day with the other . friends and family, so the experience wasn’t as out of the ordinary as . it might look.’ An agent for Miss Brooks refused to comment on why Kiki was not at school. | Former EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks failed to 'win' her daughter in task a day earlier . Kiki, who had been away from her mother for 18 days, was standing behind a yellow door and could hear her mother's voice but was not able to see her . The seven-year-old was then told she couldn't see her, causing a backlash . | 76ec1385a5ff96231174403d4092e0104fc585af |
By . Paul Donnelley . The sons of one of Britain’s richest men face jail after they randomly attacked two off-duty policemen after their Christmas party in central London. George Panayiotou, 26 and his brother Costas, 24, whose father Greek-Cypriot property tycoon Andreas is believed to be worth £400 million, left an off-duty policeman needing titanium plates in his cheek and eye socket after the unprovoked attack. The two brothers and two friends today pleaded guilty to affray after they attacked the off-duty policemen returning from a night out in Soho. Court: Christopher Stavrou (left) leaves Southwark Crown Court with property tycoon Andreas Panayiotou (centre) and his son Costas (right). Today Stavrou and Costas Panayiotou admitted affray after attacking two off-duty policemen. They are due to return for sentencing on May 2 . Costas Panayiotou was also charged with grievous bodily harm but the Crown accepted his plea to the lesser charge. Prosecutor Michael Hall told Southwark Crown Court how on the night of November 30, five off-duty officers were leaving their Christmas party at the Strawberry Moon club in Soho. As they walked down Piccadilly, they came across the brothers and Yiannaki Stavrou, 30, and Christopher Stavrou, 28, who were on the other side of the road. Brothers in arms: George Panayiotou (left) and his brother Costas today pleaded guilty to affray after attacking two policemen after their Christmas party in central London in November 2012 . Father: Property tycoon Andreas Panayiotou (left) supported his sons in court as they admitted affray; Christopher Stavrou (right) also entered a guilty plea and will be sentenced on May 2 . Andreas Panayiotou started boxing at seven, . showing immediate talent, and left school at 15 (‘with straight As, for . Absent!’) in order to become a middleweight fighter; Yiannaki Stavrou along with his brother pleaded guilty to affray after attacking two off-duty policemen after their Christmas party . George Panayiotou was play fighting with one of his group before pushing him towards the road.Mr Hall said: ‘One of the officers shouts ‘Oi purple baseball cap’ and the officers then keep on walking.’ Costas Panayiotou then punched a man returning home from a nightclub with his girlfriend before he crossed the road to attack a policeman. Mr Hall added: ‘Then he punches the off duty officer Gavin Collins, knocking him to the ground and either the punch or his impact with the ground causes an impacted fracture of his cheek and eye socket that requires surgery and the fixing of titanium plates and screws.’ ‘Yiannakis Stavros then ran across the road and punched another officer, Matthew Holland, from behind. ‘He is joined by the other two who join in punching Pc Holland as he retreated backwards. Boxer-turned-property magnate, Andreas Panayiotou, CEO of The Ability Group, a company he founded in the mid-Nineties; a warm, convivial, but comparatively low-profile character, he likes to be called Andy . Put up your dukes: Boxer-turned-property magnate, Andreas Panayiotou is one of Britain's richest men with a fortune said to run to £400million. The former champion boxer won 52 of his 53 amateur fights before quitting at the age of 20 . Mr Hall said: ‘Matthew Holland is then set upon by all four defendants, punching and kicking him, at one point finding himself on the ground, where they continued to punch and kick him.’ The attack only stopped when door staff from nearby clubs intervened. The defendants ran down Regent Street towards Glasshouse Street but were arrested in January 2013 after police identified them by their clothing. Recorder Christopher Hehir said that the four defendants had been very ‘wise’ in pleading guilty but added: ‘The seriousness of the offence means all options, including custody, are open.’ The nightclubber attacked as he walked with his girlfriend as never been traced. The brothers, who live in Barnet, Hertfordshire, and their accomplices, also of Barnet, were released on bail and are due to be sentenced on May 2. George Panayiotou appeared on the reality show Desperate Scousewives while he opened a nightclub, PlayGround, near the Albert Docks. 'I love life and grateful for the position I'm in. Health and happiness is all that really matter to me,' he told the producers. 'Liverpool is a place where everyone is regarded the same and no one sticks their nose up at you for what you do or don't have, everyone wants to party.' The marble bathroom at heath Hall. It has been claimed that Andreas is an example of why money cannot buy taste . George and Costas are the sons of self-made millionaire Andreas Panayiotou. Born in 1966, to Greek Cypriot . parents who ran a dry cleaning shop in Mile End, east London, he . suffered from severe dyslexia as a child. A former boxer - whose dream of turning pro was nipped in the bud by his parents after they gave him a dry-cleaning shop in 1986. By the . early 1990s he had built up a chain of six shops across north London. In 1992, he was offered a chance to . buy a flat above one of his shops in Caledonian Road - which he renovated, sold and turned a £20,000 profit. After . that, he purchased a property in Islington’s Chapel Street Market, . built four flats above it, and began renting them to local yuppies. Mr Panayiotou was soon dubbed . London’s buy-to-let king, with almost 6,000 rental properties, including . 600-unit apartment blocks in Canary Wharf and the West End in his . portfolio. Last year, as he attempted to sell his £65m Grade II-listed, red-brick mansion called Heath Hall, Mr Panayiotou defended his, somewhat extravagant, taste to the Daily Mail. At the time, the . Mail’s A.N. Wilson led the charge against what he called the vast . mansion’s ‘swanky opulence’. With its white leather sofas, black-lined . swimming pools, remote-controlled curtains and purple lighting, it was, . Wilson wrote, as ‘impersonally hideous as a brothel’. Heath Hall was a derelict shell when Andreas bought it and saw its potential . The decor has been described as vulgar, but Andreas disputes this . Heath Hall is a 14-bedroom mansion in North London and was orignally put on the market in 2011 for a guide price of £100 million . ‘These places are not homes, they are exercises in self-promotion and self-advertisement,’ he wrote. But Mr Panayiotou said he had devoted the past . five years to renovating Heath Hall, which sits in 2.5 acres of . landscaped grounds, and includes six reception rooms, a billiard room, a . cinema, indoor and outdoor pools, and no fewer than 12 bathrooms. He said allegations of ‘vulgarity’ were simply motivated by envy of the self-made man. He . also accused critics of failing to appreciate the ‘top quality’ nature . of painstaking restoration work on the building, which he paid more than . 120 craftsmen to carry out. ‘These . guys are jealous, and, since they haven’t actually been to Heath Hall, . they’ve got no idea what they’re talking about,’ he argued. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Property tycoon father Andreas Panayiotou is said to be worth £400m . Brothers and friends pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to affray . Policemen leaving Christmas party in Soho when they were attacked . Sentence for affray carries possible three years in jail . | 828c5f823888e47f4687c1bbc9256e4040393701 |
US spy chiefs have been accused of building an £800million cyber base to keep tabs on American citizens. The state-of-the-art data centre in the Utah desert – codenamed Bumblehive – is intended to bolster online security efforts. But former employees say it could be used to monitor people’s private emails. The US National Security Agency, the secretive body that serves the military and intelligence communities, denied the claims. It said: ‘Many unfounded allegations have been made about the planned activities of the Utah Data Centre. Surveillance: The site plan for the NSA's Utah data center, code-named Bumblehive, which has been accused of being built to spy on American citizens . One of the biggest misconceptions about NSA is that we are unlawfully listening in on, or reading emails of, US citizens. This is simply not the case.’ Fox News aired a television report . about the 1million-sq/ft facility on Friday in which former NSA . employees raised concerns that the facility would be used to monitor the . emails of U.S. citizens. 'Many unfounded allegations have been . made about the planned activities of the Utah Data Center,' the NSA said . in a statement. It added that 'one of the biggest misconceptions about . NSA is that we are unlawfully listening in on, or reading emails of, . U.S. citizens. This is simply not the case.' The NSA said it remained 'unwavering' in its respect for U.S. laws and American citizens' civil liberties, and noted that it was subject to broad oversight by all three branches of government. All wiretapping of U.S. citizens by the NSA requires a warrant from a three-judge court set up under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act passed in 1978. Former President George W. Bush issued an executive order shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York that authorised the NSA to monitor certain phone calls without obtaining a warrant. The warrantless wiretapping programme remained a secret until 2005, when a whistleblower went to the press to reveal the extent of the surveillance. Under construction: An aerial view shows the extent of construction at the Bumblehive site, which the NSA insists will not be used for the unlawful survellance of American citizens . Although the NSA has strenuously denied acting beyond its surveillance powers groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have warned that a bill currently passing through Congress could dramatically increase the amount of personal data that government agencies have legal access to. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) has just been inspected by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In a written statement addressed to congressmen, the ACLU said: 'CISPA creates an exception to all privacy laws to permit companies to share our information with each other and with the government in the name of cybersecurity. 'Although a carefully-crafted information sharing program that strictly limits the information to be shared and includes robust privacy safeguards could be an effective approach to cybersecurity, CISPA lacks such protections for individual rights. 'CISPA’s information sharing regime allows the transfer of vast amounts of data, including sensitive information like internet records or the content of emails, to any agency in the government including military and intelligence agencies like the National Security Agency or the Department of Defense Cyber Command.' Preparing for the future? Campaigners in the U.S. have warned over a new law, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which if passed could give the government more legal rights to access citizens' data . The NSA issued a news release about construction of the massive, Utah data centre in January 2011, identifying it as the largest Pentagon facility construction project in the country. It said the project would result in 5,000 to 10,000 new jobs during the construction phase, with 100 to 200 permanent employees to work there once it was completed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is handling the construction of the facility. NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines said the centre was due to be completed in September. The NSA is the executive agent for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and will be the lead agency at the facility, but the centre will also help other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, in protecting national security networks, according to a NSA news release. | National Security Agency insists the site will operate according to laws that limit spying on U.S. citizens . But civil liberties campaigners warn that the government is seeking to expand these powers . The U.S. government operated a secret warrantless wiretapping programme between 2001 and 2005 . | c3a4f23b82ab16d7272a5e7e5da8c76aaa307b40 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 21:29 EST, 24 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:31 EST, 24 March 2012 . A drug dealer who served five years in prison and left his wife and children for another woman has been allowed to stay in Britain because of his right to family life. Jamaican Richard Blackwood, 36, was jailed for five years for dealing cocaine and heroin to undercover police in Sussex in 2007. But he fought off an attempt to deport him because his family’s human rights were ‘not being respected’. An immigration appeal found an earlier tribunal had not properly considered the detrimental effect deporting him would have on his mistress and their child. Jailed: Blackwood was given five years for dealing Class-A drugs including heroin but was allowed to stay in the country . It did not mention the impact on his abandoned first family. Foreign criminals who serve lengthy prison terms are normally automatically deported but this case will increase concerns over the ease with which many use European Convention on Human Rights legislation to stay in the UK. Blackwood arrived in the UK in 2002 on temporary visa but in 2006 was granted leave to remain because he had married Carmel, a British woman, with whom he had two children. Yet shortly after his marriage three years earlier, he had begun an affair with Melissa Miller from Hove, East Sussex. After his arrest in 2007, Lewes Crown Court heard he had made £81,000 from drug dealing, which he spent on cars, jewellery and travel. He pleaded guilty to eight drug trafficking charges and one of money laundering. On release, Blackwood did not return to live with his wife in the Midlands but moved in with Ms Miller, their four-year-old daughter and her other child, aged eight. The Home Office ruled he should be deported to Jamaica. When Blackwood challenged this, a judge rejected his appeal, but he took his case to the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber and won. Alp Mehmet, of the Migration Watch, said: ‘This is another example of the rights of the individual who has committed crimes being prioritised over the rights of the community in which he has offended.’ Blackwood could not be contacted last night. | Jamaican Richard Blackwood was jailed for five years after selling heroin and cocaine to undercover police . He left his wife and children for another woman . | 3168f87f1e55bdc0800a8d020dfbecf825ac870b |
Since she was a baby, Danielle Sheehan has suffered painful bouts of eczema. As a child the debilitating condition subsided. But four years ago red patches returned on her arms and around her eyes. The model and dancer's self-esteem crumbled. She stopped booking photo shoots at work and refused to see her boyfriend during flare ups. The eczema around her eyes was aggravated by moisture, becoming particularly painful when she cried. She visited her doctor time and time again, trying tablets, creams, lotions and other remedies. But to no avail. The painful patches persisted, making Miss Sheehan's life a misery. A year ago the 24-year-old visited a cosmetic surgeon to have Botox, curious to see the cosmetic benefits. Scroll down for video . Danielle Sheehan, 24, from Suffolk has suffered painful bouts of eczema since she was a baby. After trying countless treatments including creams, ointments and light therapy she was shocked when Botox appeared to cure the skin condition . The model and dancer said she first had Botox, for purely cosmetic reasons, around 18 months ago. Her eczema was aggravated when she cried, with painful patches around her eyes. But five days after having the cosmetic procedure she noticed the patches had completely cleared up . Not only did the treatment leave her forehead and face without trace of any lines, the procedure appeared to clear up her eczema. Miss Sheehan, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, told MailOnline: 'I've always suffered from eczema, ever since I can remember. 'During my childhood it seemed to get a bit better but then, about four years ago it came back. 'I developed symmetrical patches in the creases of both arms, and then patches around my eyes as well. 'I obviously went to the doctors and tried literally everything - tablets, creams - everything. 'Nothing was working, even three months of light therapy treatment failed to make any difference. 'My self-esteem and confidence was really bad, it dragged me down. Eczema is a dry skin condition. Also known as dermatitis, it is highly individual, and varies from person to person. In mild cases the skin is dry, scaly, red and itchy. In more severe cases there may be weeping, crusting and bleeding. In the UK, one if five children and one in 12 adults have the condition. Keeping the skin moisturised using emollients (medical moisturisers) is key to managing all types of the conditon. Topical steroids are commonly used to bring flare ups under control. Source: National Eczema Society . 'I'm a model and a dancer and so my work really suffered. 'I stopped booking photo shoots, my eyes were so bad I didn't want to see my boyfriend and I used to have to put socks on my hands at night to stop me scratching. 'It had a huge impact on my life.' A year-and-a-half ago Miss Sheehan first had Botox. 'It wasn't something I was doing to actively help my eczema,' she explained. 'I was going along for purely cosmetic reasons.' Shortly after her treatment, Miss Sheehan discovered her then boyfriend had been cheating on her. 'I cried and cried, longer than ever before,' she said. But a day later, around five days after her Botox, Miss Sheehan said her mother was shocked at how fresh faced her daughter looked despite crying so much. 'By then the Botox had started to work,' she told MailOnline. 'It often takes five to seven days. 'My mum was really shocked, I was fresh faced. There was no sign of the red, angry patches of eczema that would flare up after I had been crying.' Miss Sheehan said told MailOnline her eczema was so bad she would cancel work and stop seeing her boyfriend, suffering low self-esteem . Almost overnight her confidence returned, as her eczema disappeared. 'I can't really describe it,' she said. 'It felt amazing. All of a sudden I felt good again. 'For the first time in years I liked how I looked, I liked what I saw in the mirror. 'It was so good. I told my surgeon and she said there is some research to suggest Botox is good for eczema.' Botox is used to help treat a number of different medical conditions. It has been found to help overactive bladder symptoms - the strong need to urinate with incontinence, prevent headaches in those suffering chronic migrane. She said almost overnight her confidence returned. 'For the first time in years, I liked how I looked,' she told MailOnline . It has also been found to help treat increased muscle stiffness in the elbow, wrist and finger muscles, as well as abnormal head positions and neck pain as a result of cervical dystonia. And research has found Botox can help treat eye muscle conditions, including the abnormal spasm of the eyelid in those aged over 12. In 2012, a study published by scientists at Edinburgh University, found Botox may be able to resolve itchy skin and eczema. A female patient who suffered itchy skin on her arms and torso for more than a decade experienced a dramatic reduction in her symptoms following Botox injections to the areas affected. The positive effects of the procedure were noted for a period of six months. Indeed, Miss Sheehan said she has had repeated bouts of the treatment since realising it has proved effective. She urged scientists to invest more time in researching Botox as a cure for the skin condition, in the hope it could be used as a treatment on the NHS in future. 'At £300 a go, it is pretty expensive,' she told MailOnline. 'But it works. I think it should be available free of charge to those people with really bad eczema. 'Obviously I like the cosmetic effects but my eczema is the reason I have Botox now. 'The results are really amazing. Literally everyone says how fresh faced I look now. 'My eczema used to really drag me down but now it's gone. For the first time in a really long time, I like the way I look.' It is thought Botox helps relieve the itchiness caused by eczema in the same way it treats wrinkles. The drug inhibits acetylcholine, a chemical that helps notify the muscles to contract. | Danielle Sheehan has suffered eczema since she was a baby . It disappeared during her childhood but returned when she was about 20 . When she was 20 the patches returned on around her eyes and on arms . She tried everything doctors suggested including creams, tablets, lotions, other natural remedies and light therapy but nothing worked . 18 months ago she had Botox for the first time for cosmetic reasons . Around five days later she noticed her eczema had suddenly cleared up . | bf064f5c8a0ae8b7d849c867510491658bc57641 |
The Indonesian government has suspended air control officials and an airport operator in a crackdown over the problems which allowed the doomed AirAsia Flight 8501 to take off without proper permits. The aircraft was traveling between Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, and Singapore on a Sunday when it crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 on board. Officials have since said its permit for the popular route was only for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and that AirAsia quietly switched three of those days. A number of people have been suspended from Surabaya airport (pictured) after allowing the doomed AirAsia flight to take off without the proper permits. File image used . Bodies of those killed in the tragedy are transferred to Surabaya from a rescue aircraft . Officials in Singapore, however, have said the plane was authorized to fly on Sundays from its end. Highlighting the depths of the country's air safety problems, the transportation ministry announced the harsh new measures and warned it would examine the permits of all other airlines flying in the country. Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation, said: 'Who knows if other airlines are doing the same thing?' Murjatmodjo said key individuals who allowed to plane to fly without permits would be suspended while the investigation was pending. His ministry also issued a directive ordering all airlines to provide pilots with up-to-date weather reports before they take off. Currently, it's up to the captain and co-pilot to research and evaluate flying conditions before departing. In other countries, carriers' flight operations departments perform that task for them. He also planned to meet Monday with the Corruption Eradication Commission to discuss whether to investigate AirAsia's operations. Relatives of one of the plane crash victims wear masks as they prepare for the handover of a body of a loved one . An elderly woman gasps as she waits for the body of loved one to be transferred to a hospital . Business in the country is commonly conducted using bribery, with payoffs often seen as the most efficient way to get things done. The crackdown comes as searchers continue to fight bad weather while combing the Java Sea for bodies and wreckage of the Airbus A320 that crashed on December 28, killing all 162 passengers and crew on board. Applications for specific routes take into account issues including air traffic rights and airport takeoff and landing slots. While the airline is being investigated, Indonesia has banned all AirAsia flights between Surabaya and Singapore. Rescue workers carry a body, covered by a black sheet, into an Indonesian hospital . Pictured left, coffins for those killed in the disaster are stacked atop one another, while right, rescue team members sit beside the bodies of those being transferred to hospital . AirAsia Indonesia President Director Sunu Widyatmoko said that the airline will co-operate with the government during the evaluation, but would not comment on the permit allegations until the process was complete. Violation of the regulations would boost legal arguments for passengers' family members seeking compensation, said Alvin Lie, a former lawmaker and aviation analyst. But he added AirAsia would not be the only one to blame. 'The Surabaya-Singapore flights have been operating since October ... and the government didn't know,' he said. 'Where was the government's supervision?' | Control tower officials and airport operator suspended after deadly crash . Officials claim AirAsia 8501 took off from Indonesia without proper permits . It is part of a crackdown on the country's poor air safety standards . | 08b7cc3b4155eb5c43374e31ca3586385123d350 |
ITV has been ordered to treat Ukip as a ‘major party’ in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in May. In a landmark ruling, broadcasting regulator Ofcom last night said the anti-EU party’s success in previous Euro elections meant it should be put on a par with the other main parties. ITV and Channel 5, which are regulated by Ofcom, were ordered to grant Ukip ‘major party status’ in the run-up to May’s elections, guaranteeing it increased coverage. Broadcasting regulator Ofcom said the success of Nigel Farage's party in previous Euro elections meant it should be put on a par with the other main parties . The decision means Ukip will be granted the same number of party election broadcasts as Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, and can expect to have its views given ‘due weight’ in news programmes. A BBC source last night said Ukip could expect to receive ‘the same level of coverage as the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems’. Ofcom’s ruling – which fell short of Ukip’s demands to be treated as a major party on a permanent basis – will also fuel the debate about how the broadcasters treat Ukip during next year’s General Election, including the question of whether party leader Nigel Farage should be included in any televised leaders’ debates. Ofcom's ruling will prompt the questionof whether party leader Nigel Farage should be included in any televised leaders' debates, such as this one in 2010 which featured Nick Clegg, David Cameron and then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown . It came as a major new poll revealed that Ukip voters are more likely to be factory workers in the Midlands than tweedy Tories in the Home Counties. The Populus survey of more than 14,000 people suggests that Ukip’s support is drawn disproportionately from working-class and lower-middle class voters, with those in the top three social groups accounting for only 45 per cent of its vote. By contrast, the Tories and Lib Dems both draw 63 per cent of their support from the top three social groups, while Labour is on 53 per cent. The poll suggests Ukip voters are also . less likely to have gone to university, with 76 per cent saying they . gained their highest qualification at secondary school, compared to a . national average of 60 per cent. The . findings suggest that Mr Farage’s appeal has reached far beyond its . original base among disaffected Tory voters in the South. They reinforce . recent byelection results suggesting that Ukip is gaining ground among . working-class voters in the Midlands and the North. But . the results also show that Ukip’s supporters are disproportionately . male and older. Some 63 per cent of the party’s voters are male, and 59 . per cent are aged over 65, with just 9 per cent of Ukip’s support coming . from the under-35s. The Populus survey of more than 14,000 people suggests Ukip's support is drawn disproportionately from working-class and lower-middle class voters . Laurence Stellings, associate director at Populus, said the findings suggested it will not be straightforward for the Conservatives to claw back disaffected voters. ‘If you look beyond the headlines you can quickly dispel the casual stereotypes about Ukip supporters,’ he said. ‘They are not just grumpy shire Tories as some suggest. In fact, your typical Ukip supporter is a working-class male from the Midlands. Perhaps the most striking feature of Ukip’s support is just how male it is. ‘You don’t win back voters like this by simple positioning on immigration and Europe. The challenge for David Cameron and others is a lot more difficult than that. He has to find some way to show that he is genuinely on their side.’ The poll put Labour in the lead on 37 per cent, followed by the Conservatives on 33, Ukip on 14 and the Lib Dems on 10. It also revealed that Ukip voters have the lowest average incomes, while Tory supporters have the highest. Ukip voters are overwhelmingly male compared to the other parties, who are more evenly split between men and women . Ukip voters are much more likely to be over 65, with Labour having the highest proportion of 18-34-year-olds . The Lib Dems take most of their support from the south, while Labour's appeal is more evenly spread . The average Ukip voter has an income . of £25,410 – £1,500 below the UK average of £26,980. By comparison, the . average Tory voter is on £29,720, while Lib Dem voters earn £28,730 and . Labour voters receive £26,460. The . poll suggests the Tories remain the party of home ownership, with 81 . per cent of supporters owning their own property, compared to just 57 . per cent of Labour voters. Labour has three times as many non-white voters as the Conservatives. The survey also revealed that David Cameron’s ‘problem’ with women voters is easing. Downing . Street has become sensitive to charges of sexism in recent years, but . the Populus poll suggests Tory support among women voters is broadly . similar to the other parties. Some 46 per cent of Conservative voters . are women, compared to 47 per cent of Labour voters, 48 per cent of Lib . Dems and 37 per cent of Ukip supporters. | Ofcom rules ITV must treat Ukip as major party for European elections . Decision means party will be granted the same number of party election broadcasts and Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats . Move will fuel debate over how party is treated at General Election . New poll reveals Ukip supporters more likely to be working class . Populus survey examines lifestyle, family, race and wages of 14,000 voters . | 2e7faceac468b8caf0ad45277e63ed9fade98567 |
(CNN) -- Viking raiders once landed on British soil to change the face of the nation -- and 1200 years later a group of muscly Minnesota Vikings gained further ground in the NFL's sporting invasion of the British Isles. The victorious Vikings landed another blow for American football Sunday as the team staged an exciting 34-27 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in London. The team's 28-year-old star running back Adrian Peterson and Greg Jennings scored two touchdowns apiece. It was an important first win of the season for the Vikings but the entertaining game could have even greater significance for the NFL's hopes of establishing a European franchise. A regular season game was first played in London in 2007 but, for the first time this season, two games were scheduled on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Next month the Jackonsonville Jaguars face the San Francisco 49ers. Both NFL games at Wembley Stadium sold out within hours. Organizers of the NFL's London foray stirred the fever further Saturday as they held a block party for an estimated half a million fans on the streets of central London . Tailgate yearning . "It is a sign that the game is growing globally," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told NFLUK.com earlier this year. "I think the message is clear. There are passionate fans who love the NFL in the UK." There were also plenty of domestic fans who were happy to travel to London to support their teams. "I love it," Richard from Pittsburgh, who now lives in Hollywood, told CNN. "It's a really good idea. "It gets the Steelers brand out there internationally as a big team." Dan from New York added: "I love the pub atmosphere in London. Although American culture is the tailgate, which I'm not seeing here!" Perhaps not every facet of the American football experience can so easily translate to British shores where soccer, rugby and cricket hold sway as the most popular spectator sports. But that is not deterring the NFL from pressing on with its mission to gain new ground in Europe. American football is just that, an American sport, but if the sport can successfully "go global" that presents the NFL with new markets and new business opportunities. Profit not a priority . "This is an investment and we are trying to grow something," Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK, told CNN. "We are not concerned about profit yet. "But for the last two years our games have broken merchandise records for Wembley for all events -- and that includes pop concerts." Developing the NFL in London, or any European franchise for that matter, does not come without its problems. "There are multiple challenges," USA Today's NFL writer Tom Pelissero, who was at the game in London, explained to CNN. "Travel would scare off a lot of potential free agents, it could be hard for a team to be competitive just because of that. "The tax [in the UK] is another issue, 45% is the top tax bracket. That is something that, again, could scare off players from coming over. "It also comes down to the fan base being large enough. You can fill Wembley with 80,000 people once, twice this year, but can you do that for 10 games a year? I think that's the one of the many unknowns. "If you put a team in London, I don't think it would be difficult to make a profit. "But what do you do when [they] have to play 10 games in the United States? How do you get them to travel? Do any of the visiting fans travel at all? That's an entirely different sort of issue." Troublesome travels . Steve, who made the journey from London to New York, was also skeptical about the reality that NFL could become a regular fixture in London. "The time zones and travel present a serious issue," he told CNN. "To have a global sport that's weekly is troublesome. If you break it up into something that is less frequent than weekly and that allows for serious travel then it makes sense. "[A London franchise] is a great idea, the NFL would make a ton of money out of it. I just haven't figured out how it could work!" The man in charge of the game, Commissioner Goodell, is also juggling the numbers to work out how to develop the game away from north American shores. "What is the next step? Do we move to three games, are there other ways to grow the game in the UK?" he said. "This is a market where we need to be more active and to grow our game." For now, Peterson -- who had never been outside the U.S. before his trip to London -- and his fellow Viking raiders can feel satisfied with winning the game, as well as perhaps inching the NFL a little closer to a permanent place on sport's European map. | The NFL returned to London for first of two games at Wembley Stadium this season . Minnesota Vikings defeated Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 in thrilling game . NFL organizers want to continue to invest in European games . But fans and experts alike warn there are many logistical problems still to be resolved . | 17d89957110abc71a5956719ec45756ca7085b25 |
Mike was a rock in the England team I was privileged to coach and was always one of the first names on the team sheet. I dropped him just once — that was for the 2003 World Cup semi-final which was totally a tactical call because I particularly wanted two ball players in midfield against the French, so I brought in Mike Catt. Come the final against Australia, Mike was straight back in alongside Will Greenwood because, among other things, I wanted him to sort out Stirling Mortlock, which he did in style. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Tindall last 2003 World Cup winner to retire . Breakaway: Mike Tindall charges past Australia's Wendell Sailor and Stirling Mortlock in 2003 . Crunch: Mike Tindall flies into Australia's George Gregan during England's 2003 World Cup win . Joy: Mike Tindall (second right) celebrates winning the 2003 World Cup final with his team-mates . VIDEO Tindall last 2003 World Cup winner to retire . That semi-final week in Sydney demonstrated the full measure of the man. Mike was totally supportive of the team and unquestioning of my difficult call, despite the disappointment. He remained just as energetic and committed in training and as vocal in the changing room, in fact more so. He was the complete model professional. Mike came into the England team when we started to rebuild after the 1999 World Cup, and his partnership alongside Greenwood served us magnificently well. He was sometimes under-rated but not by me or any of the England guys who played alongside Tinds. He was very strong, ran a nice outside curve, had a big clearing kick, was hugely brave in the tackle and contact area and had a much better passing game than he was given credit for. For a few years, Mike was as good as any centre in the world, right up there with Brian O’Driscoll. Take a look at the recording of England’s 2003 Grand Slam decider against Ireland at Lansdowne Road and watch their battle carefully. Much to learn: Sir Clive says Manu Tuilagi (centre) is not yet in the class of Mike Tindall . Setting the standard: but Mike Tindall in his pomp was as good as Brian O'Driscoll (centre) Tindall, in his pomp, would walk into the current England team in that problem outside centre spot. I rate him above Manu Tuilagi although Manu is still fairly young and has the potential to take his game to another level yet. The ultimate team man, Mike was always at the heart and soul of the group. At meetings he was generally fairly quiet and attentive, but as the game approached he would always start to energise proceedings and he was a strong, confident voice in the dressing room. He was hugely respected by his peers. When Mike was called before the RFU Disciplinary Board after the 2011 World Cup, I had no hesitation in appearing as a character witness for him at the hearing at Twickenham. I was very proud to do so. I believe what happened in New Zealand was blown out of proportion, and I thought it important that somebody reiterated his complete devotion to England over a long career. Watching on: Mike Tindall was assistant coach for the Barbarians against England earlier this year . New hobby: Mike Tindall poses for pictures during his celebrity golf classic in Newport earlier this year . Early days: Mike Tindall goes over for Bath as they beat Wasps 36-12 at Loftus Road in 2000 . Mike will make an exceptional coach and I’m encouraged to hear he might be looking in that direction. He listens, absorbs and learns, and those are great traits when you match them with his love of the game and instinctive understanding of what makes players tick. He’s the last of the 2003 squad to hang up his boots but I don’t lament that passing of time. We all sort of drew a line in the sand at England’s 10-year reunion last November, which was a great occasion but I suspect possibly the last time we will ever all get back together in the same room for a function. Everybody is out there now living their new, busy, ‘different’ lives, heading off in different directions, which is how it should be. Everybody becomes an ex-player eventually. | Tindall retired from rugby after 17 years in the game on Tuesday . Tindall last member of England's 2003 World Cup winning side to retire . Sir Clive Woodward tips Tindall to go into coaching . | 52213ebafb4959b20df69dd4c9aadd0058591085 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . The European Parliament is preparing to vote on a proposal to ban all forms of pornography. A report detailing the ban was prepared by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. Embedded under Article 17 of the report . is a clause that, if eventually made into law, would effectively ban . pornography across all types of media, including the Internet, in . Europe. Ban: The European Parliament is preparing to vote on a proposal to ban all forms of pornography . Freedom of speech campaigners have criticised the move, claiming that the clause has been quietly inserted into the legislation. They also described the inclusion of the article as an 'unacceptable political invasion of people’s bedrooms'. Dutch MEP Kartika Liotard, introduced the report which recommended a 'ban all forms of pornography in the media,' including what it refers to as 'the digital field.' But the report does not distinguish between different types of pornography, or indeed what media the bill refers to. Decisions: The report recommend a 'ban all forms of pornography in the media' However, it is expected that MEPs will amend the bill to clarify that the clause refers to pornography in the context of advertising. The bill also calls for the establishment of regulatory agencies with 'a mandate to impose effective sanctions on companies and individuals promoting the sexualisation of girls.' Next Tuesday the 754 MEPs of . the Parliament will be voting on whether to endorse the conclusions of a . report called 'Eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU.' Yesterday Floella Benjamin, who sits as a Lib Dem peer in the Lords, warned of an ‘epidemic’ of violent online porn, which is leading youngsters on a ‘seemingly unstoppable march into a moral wasteland’. Baroness Benjamin said girls were becoming increasingly sexualised while more and more boys were treating them as little more than ‘sexual objects’. In an impassioned speech to mark today’s International Women’s Day, she said boys were pressurising girls into degrading behaviour. ‘I believe we have opened a Pandora’s box and I have no answer as to how we can reverse the trend of the sexual objectification of women and how to protect our children against its influence,’ she said. The idea of banning pornography is beginning to gather pace. Last month it was reported that Iceland could become the first Western democracy to block all internet porn under radical new proposals. Fears about the damaging effects on . children have led the government to work on legal measures to try and . stop the flood of graphic sexual material reaching the island’s shores. Interior . Minister Ögmundur Jónasson has set up working parties to find the best . ways to stem the tide of online images and videos being accessed by . young people through computers, games consoles and smartphones. Methods . under consideration include blocking porn IP addresses and making it . illegal to use Icelandic credit cards to access x-rated sites. A law forbidding the printing and distribution of porn has long been in place in the Nordic nation – but it has yet to be updated to cover the internet. The move is likely to be monitored by Prime Minister David Cameron who has said he finds it 'utterly appalling' that so many children in the UK have been exposed to the 'darkest corners' of the internet . Two years ago, the Icelandic Parliament – led by female prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir - successfully banned all strip clubs on the grounds that they violated the civil rights of the women who worked there and were harmful to society. This argument - that porn violates the rights of both women who appear in it and children who are exposed to it - is the cornerstone of the new proposals under discussion. The move is likely to be monitored by Prime Minister David Cameron who has said he finds it ‘utterly appalling’ that so many children in the UK have been exposed to the ‘darkest corners’ of the internet. The Daily Mail has also been campaigning for an automatic block on online pornography that means customers must ‘opt in’ for access. Recent comments by Labour frontbenchers, like Diane Abbott, suggests an emerging political consensus on the need for radical thinking to deal with the 'pornification' of childhood. While countries like China have also tried to stamp out internet pornogaphy within its borders, this is the first attempt by a Western democracy. | Report prepared by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality . MEPs will vote next Tuesday possibly resulting in ban of all pornography . Bill calls for regulatory agencies that could impose sanctions for breaches . | 17088218f5099918ddc0367b12deb1ebdc8dc92e |
Muscat, Oman (CNN) -- Bone-chilling cold is virtually unimaginable to the people of Oman, where temperatures routinely hit 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) during the hot season. So when Bader Al Lawati and Ameer Abdulhussain first began experiencing temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius -- for two hours a time, three times a week, over a period of six months -- they found it "a bit of a shock" to say the least, said Al Lawati. "That was the first time we were exposed to something that cold," said the 27-year-old. The pair -- who refer to themselves as "the Freezing Omanis" -- subjected themselves to the grueling sessions in an industrial freezer near the capital, Muscat, to acclimatise ahead of a far greater challenge ahead. Earlier this month, they set off from Ushuaia, Argentina on a two-week expedition to Antarctica as part of the Antarctic Youth Ambassador Program, operated by 2041, an environmental NGO committed to protecting the frozen continent. Their trip, alongside 28 other participants from across the world, is intended to promote environmental protection of Antarctica and ensure the extension of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty -- the treaty prohibiting drilling and mining on the southern continent that runs until 2041. "We obviously know we need to do a lot of physical training, a lot of stamina, endurance training... to get our physical ability up to standard," said Abdulhussain. "But then comes the whole aspect of the cold. It's extremely cold down there, extremely windy." Read more: Beauty and the beast in the UAE. While Antarctica might seem a world removed from Oman, the pair don't see it that way. "Instead of thinking of Oman just as Oman, think of the world as one single ecosystem," said Al Lawati. Oman, with its diverse, and in many places unspoiled landscape, has been something of a regional leader in environmental awareness. It was the first country in the Gulf to launch an environmental agency, although it still has some way to go. Oman is ranked 110 out of 132 nations surveyed in environmental sustainability over the past decade, according to Yale University's 2012 Environmental Performance Index. Al Lawati said the coastline where his grandfather taught him to fish and swim as a child is now routinely covered in litter. "Anywhere around the shoreline you find fishing nets discarded, plastic bags, cans... trash all around. That shouldn't happen with a place this beautiful." But Lamees Daar, the executive director of conservation NGO the Environment Society of Oman, said the country intended to learn from the errors of other nations by preserving its environment. "We are very lucky we're at a time where industry and tourism is coming up in Oman, and we can make that difference now and learn from other peoples' mistakes around the world," he said. The "Freezing Omanis" say that once they're back from Antarctica they will have a renewed purpose to campaign for the environment at home. "I want to come back and learn how to preserve that more," said Al Lawati. | A pair of Omani environmental activists have joined an Antarctic expedition . In preparation, they have been chilling their bodies in an industrial freezer for months . Temperatures can often hit 50 degrees Celsius in Oman . The expedition is to raise awareness of Antarctica's ecological importance . | b21454b63fc8426773b6b3b8ab3b7292cf4c0c7e |
After swapping paint brushes for needles, a British fine art graduate has found herself in demand as a tattoo artist to the stars. Artist Cally-Jo Pothecary gained an instant celebrity following after she started posting tattoo designs on her Instagram and Facebook pages. Her drawings attracted on online following of more than 400,000 people and caught the attention of singing superstar Rihanna who flew her to the Dominican Republic. Revealed: Cally-Jo Pothecary has found herself in demand as a tattoo artist to the stars after posting her drawings on instagram . Rihanna’s new tattoo made headlines around the world - but nobody knew it was the work of a young British art graduate Cally-Jo. The 24-year-old from Eastleigh, . Hampshire, who graduated with a degree in painting from the Winchester . School of Art has also tattooed a number of other stars, including the . actress Sienna Miller and singer Huey Morgan. But the highlight of her career was being flown to the Dominican Republic to tattoo superstar Rihanna at her personal request. Artist Cally- Jo said: ‘That was pretty surreal. Rihanna's hand is probably one of the most famous in the world so it was nerve wracking to know so many people would see my work around the globe. Guess who! Cally-Jo was flown to the Dominican Republic to tattoo Rihanna at the personal request of the singing superstar . The secret's out: Rihanna's new tattoo made headlines around the world - but nobody knew it was the work of young British art graduate Cally-Jo . ‘But it was very exciting and she was a dream to work with.’ The Diamonds singer asked Cally-Jo and a tattoo artist friend to design something incorporating one she already had on her hand and wrist. Rihanna wanted to add to the tribal tattoo she had done in New Zealand. The traditional pattern design was created using a chisel and mallet but Rihanna decided she wanted to expand on it and called Cally-Jo. Cally Jo explains: ‘She wanted a henna look, almost like a piece of decorative hand jewellery.’ ‘Rihanna wanted us to blend in a design that fused with the existing work. Hard at work: The Diamonds singer asked Cally-Jo and a tattoo artist friend to design something incorporating a piece she already had on her hand and wrist . ‘When I was drawing I wanted to create something feminine and sexy that played over the knuckles and wrist. ‘We were drawing on her for about ten hours but the tattoo itself only took one. Thankfully she absolutely loved it.’ Lucrative: Thanks to her celebrity following, Cally-Jo, who helped fund her way through college by working at Subway, is able to enjoy the life of an A-lister herself . The pictures were seen around the world, but nobody knew Cally-Jo was British. She says: ‘I read lots of news reports about us being flown to the Dominican Republic but all assumed I was American. ‘I wanted to highlight the fact I’m British because we have an incredible tattoo scene here in the UK with some of the most talented artists.’ Now thanks to her celebrity following, Cally-Jo, who helped fund her way through college by working at Subway, is able to enjoy the life of an A-lister herself. She said: ‘I grew up in a single-parent family and mum struggled to find the money to put me through art college. But now she is so proud of the name I am making for myself. ‘It’s a privilege to make a living from something I love doing so much. ‘I can’t believe I’ve gone from filling rolls in Subway to hanging out with celebrities and being flown around the world to do something I love.’ Cally-Jo says she developed a love of art and drawing as a child. She says: ‘I was a really creative child and art was always my passion. I knew my future would be about drawing and painting.’ But it wasn’t until she reached her teens that she became interested in tattoo design. She explains:’ My dad had some really old-school tattoos and I used to love looking at them and hearing the stories behind them. ‘It was then I realised I could potentially combine my love of art with body art.’ After leaving school she studied fine art at Eastleigh College and later won a place at the Winchester School of art to study painting. Big names: The young artist has also tattooed actress Sienna Miller, singer Huey Morgan of the Fun Loving Criminals, pictured and goal- keeper Tim Sherwood . She graduated with a BA honors degree in 2011. Soon after Cally-Jo started a tattoo apprenticeship to learn her trade. But unable to perform any real inkings until she qualified, she started posting pencil sketches of her designs online. They were an instant hit and she gained her first 150,000 followers in just a few months. She says: ‘I was shocked at the way it spiralled, but really proud that so many people were interested in my work. ‘It was frustrating not to be able to take any bookings though because I wasn’t actually able to use the machine at that point.’ Skills: She graduated with a BA honors degree in 2011. Soon after Cally-Jo started a tattoo apprenticeship to learn her trade . Cally-Jo was stunned to learn American singer Rihanna was following her last year. She says of the moment she found out: ‘One of my friends texted me to say Rihanna was following me. 'To be honest I thought she had made a mistake but I looked and couldn’t believe it. I knew she was really into tattoos so I was really happy to think she was interested in my work.’ Finally after seven months of training Cally-Jo was able to start tattooing. She was visiting a tattoo artist friend in New York when the call came from Rihanna last October. Since then she’s tattooed Fun Loving Criminals front man Huey Morgan with one of her own heart designs and actress Sienna Miller who requested an M in honour of her baby, Marlowe. Most recently she tattooed goalkeeper Tim Howard with a sacred heart on his shoulder. Cally-Jo says: ‘My designs are pretty easy to identify, I love hearts and skulls. That’s my signature design.’ Talent: Cally-Jo started posting pencil sketches of her designs online. They were an instant hit and she gained her first 150,000 followers in just a few months . | Cally-Jo Pothecary gained celebrity following on Instagram and Facebook . Rihanna flew artist to the Dominican Republic to ink her . Has degree in painting from the Winchester . School of Art . Tattooed Sienna Miller and singer Huey Morgan . Drew on singer for ten hours but the tattoo itself only took one . 'Thankfully she absolutely loved it,' said Cally-Jo . | 8a725e22df26a016af2cd3c7a046e45b8e3eb9ed |
(CNN) -- "Alien oceans could be detected by telescope," headlines a Web report about an article in The Astrophysical Journal Letters by Tyler Robinson and colleagues at NASA. The report projects that the $6.5 billion James Webb Space Telescope will be capable of such an impressive feat when it is launched some time after 2014 as a more powerful successor to the venerable Hubble Space Telescope. I will be the first to admit that I have been awed by the images of our universe that Hubble has provided over the past two decades, and by the mind-bending scientific discoveries that have ensued. But when it comes to observing our own oceans, we spend only a small fraction of what is allotted to the astronomy community. Why? Our Earth is running a slight fever from inhaling excessive amounts of carbon dioxide for the past few centuries, and the oceans are the largest reservoir for absorbing all this excess CO2. But at present, we have very limited ability to monitor the health of our patient, understand the impacts all this carbon dioxide will have on its chemistry and its inhabitants, and predict the future course of the "infection." The ocean needs a global monitoring network to provide real-time information to climatologists, as well as to oceanographers, who worry about the consequences of all this additional carbon for the health of the ocean's chemistry and biology. The Earth needs a Hubble for its oceans. The National Science Foundation has taken an encouraging step in this direction by funding the new Ocean Observatories Initiative through the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. This initiative will comprise an array of deep-sea moorings outfitted with sensors, along with seafloor cables, gliders and autonomous underwater vehicles. These devices will measure and transmit real-time information not only on basic properties such as temperature, salinity and current flow, but on biological, chemical and geophysical properties as well. The project shares many similarities with Hubble. Both must operate in remote, extreme environments -- vacuum and extremes of temperature and radiation in space, compared with crushing pressures and highly corrosive seawater in the cold, dark depths of the sea. Hubble must be able to point accurately and hold position with gyroscopes for lengthy exposures, while the ocean project's moorings must be capable of positioning a wide range of sensors and samplers at precise depths in a water column that is often miles deep, and in the face of currents and surface waves. Both require complex communications networks and control centers to monitor the instruments and direct operations while collecting and analyzing the torrent of data. Both are long-term observatories expected to operate for decades, and both require servicing missions to replace and upgrade damaged or depleted components. But there is one important difference. While the Hubble and its planned successors like the Webb are endowed with billions of dollars, the Ocean Observatories Initiative began its initial construction in September 2009 with $106 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and has an overall construction budget of only about $387 million. Because of this comparatively low level of funding, the project is limited in initial scope and will be blind to critical features of the ocean environment that will be essential to our ability to track the flow of carbon and its confinement in deep waters. It is essential that we more accurately measure the ocean's primary productivity -- the consumption of CO2 by microscopic phytoplankton that use it to create oxygen and energy. This process drives the ocean food chain upon which billions of us ultimately depend for significant portions of the protein in our diets. We further need to understand the composition and dynamics of this community of phytoplankton and the animal forms of plankton that feed upon them, as well as the complex ocean chemistry surrounding them. Given the current realities of oceanographic budgets for projects of this size, however, one can anticipate squabbling over priorities and scarce dollars. But the community instead should be galvanized to champion the need for a century of ocean observation -- deploying the truly global array of sensors that will be necessary for our comprehensive understanding of carbon flow in the oceans. Our Hubble for the sea needs a budget commensurate with the importance of its mission. And I, for one, would gladly wait a bit longer to learn of oceans on distant planets in return for the ability to see our own precious seas with the clarity and detail that will be required to insure the continued existence of life on this planet. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kevin Ulmer. | Kevin Ulmer: Billions are being spent for space telescopes that explore the universe . He says a more urgent need is to understand how increasing carbon dioxide affects oceans . Scientists are developing a system to begin monitoring health of the oceans . Ulmer says more funding for the project is vital to understand the changing planet . | 25278367acb2aa2ac9e3b39c300fb2ce10d1557c |
Editor's note: You can follow the Bilsons' progress on CNN American Morning 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. through February 4. Mary Bilson tries to contain her autistic daughter Marissa's tantrum, as Marissa's brother Brendan looks on. Seal Beach, CALIFORNIA (CNN) -- The Bilson family is like many other families: three kids, a cat, and a small, lovely home with lots of family photos and carved wooden wall signs with sayings like "Live, Laugh, Love." But step inside their house after 4 p.m. most weekdays and you'll want to cover your ears because of the noise -- the screaming, to be exact. These are not the shouts of sibling rivalry or parental annoyance. This is the high-pitched, ear-shattering sound of a 13-year-old girl. More accurately, it is the sound of a frustrated, irritated, very loud teenager with autism. Marissa, the middle Bilson child, was diagnosed with autism when she was a toddler. Her mother, Mary, a nurse, knew something wasn't right early on, when young Marissa's tantrums were off the charts and seemingly unwarranted. But during the first few years, doctors told Mary Bilson that her daughter was fine and this behavior would eventually pass. They were wrong on both counts. Marissa's behavior has not passed; it has, in fact, become worse. According to Bilson, Marissa and her tantrums rule the household. "I don't want to hear her screaming and tantruming, so we pretty much let her do what she wants," Bilson says. "We" means Mary, her husband, John, and their two other children, Brittany, 15, and 6-year-old Brendan. Keeping the peace means that, when it comes to Marissa, the rules are different. She is allowed unlimited time on the one family computer. She is allowed access to her siblings' rooms and possessions. She is allowed to eat dinner at the computer instead of the family table. Watch part one of the Bilsons' journey » . But before you sit in judgment of the Bilsons, and suggest they just need a firm hand to keep their middle child in line, consider one thing: They are trying to cope with a child with severely impaired social sensibilities. "Do you think people who don't have children with autism know how tough it is to deal with them?" CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, asked Marissa's mom in a recent interview. "No," Mary Bilson replied. "And I don't see how they could." She's right -- we can't, because many of us have never seen autism in action, day in and day out. Learn more about autism » . Autism is described on the National Institutes of Health Web site as a "developmental disorder that appears in the first three years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism and related disorders affect about one out of every 150 babies born each year. Autism manifests itself in many different ways. Although there are some common threads, like language issues, repetitive movements and difficulties connecting to others, specific behavioral patterns are largely unique to the individual. "Children with autism are all different; they are like snowflakes," explains Dr. Ronald Leaf, co-director of the group Autism Partnership. The one thing that Leaf believes they all have in common is that "they are not expected to do enough." Leaf insists we have set the bar too low for what we think children and adults with autism can do. "They are highly teachable," he says. "You just have to have a good teacher." A good teacher is exactly what Bilson was looking for to help her with Marissa. The family had already tried various programs, starting when Marissa was a toddler -- but nothing completely worked for her. And as Marissa entered her teen years, her behavior grew worse. Mary knew that her daughter needed to be reined in, and it needed to be done now. "She is getting older. She's 13 and her tantrums are louder and longer than they used to be. It's just so inappropriate. It was OK when she was much younger, but now that she's going to be an adult soon, she can't be behaving this way," Bilson says with tired resignation. But what could the Bilsons do? This family doesn't have a lot of extra money, and most programs either aren't covered by insurance or have long waiting lists. The costs are staggering, according to the Web site FightingAutism.org. Families with autistic children can expect to spend $30,000 annually to provide proper medical, educational and other assistance necessary for dealing with an autistic child. Watch part two of the Bilsons' journey » . Enter Autism Partnership, or AP. This group, founded in 1994, offers extensive therapeutic services to children and adults with the disorder. One of its most unique programs is an intensive one-on-one, at-home intervention service that is similar in scope to what happens on the television show "Nanny 911." It's not cheap -- about $2,500 per day, typically for a five-day period (with additional days on an "as needed" basis). Most of AP's work is grounded in a behavior modification technique known as Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA. Essentially, the method breaks down behavior patterns, rewarding proper behavior while being careful not to encourage improper responses. And that is exactly how AP therapist Rick Schroeder hopes to reshape Marissa Bilson's worst behavior. The group, which met Marissa while working in her school, offered the Bilson family a free week-long intervention with the proviso that CNN be allowed to record the process. The week started off with a day of observation -- a day with lots and lots of screaming and tantrums, that left Schroeder stunned. He had observed Marissa at school where, he says, she was much less demonstrative. But Schroeder is still eager and ready to tackle the challenge. "I think the family is starting to realize something needs to change, and that's very good," he says after his day of observation. "As far as Marissa's behavior goes -- and the level that she is capable of going to -- she's pretty much out of control, for sure." | CDC: Autism and related disorders affect one out of every 150 children . Each autistic child is unique in his or her behavior, but there are common threads . Social skills, communication are common problem areas . Marissa screams, throws tantrums -- behavior her family hopes to change . | 1ee03804b1d90c3241cba6c0a2bf87f059d63f41 |
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Emergency workers have recovered all 28 bodies from a collapsed tunnel at an underground mine training facility in Indonesia, the mining company said Wednesday. Another 10 people were rescued in the aftermath of the accident, which occurred on May 14 about 500 meters from the entrance of the Big Gossan Mine, according to PT Freeport Indonesia, which mines gold, copper and silver in the region. The Indonesian government said a tunnel roof collapsed after a landslide. The facility is in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua. PT Freeport has said mining operations, which ceased during the rescue and recovery operations, will remain suspended indefinitely. It says it will launch an independent investigation into the cause of the incident. "With the recovery work completed we are now focusing on reviewing safety throughout our underground operations and in determining what caused the collapse. We will take all actions required to provide for the safety of our work force," said Richard Adkerson, President and CEO of Freeport. "Our workforce has always been, and will continue to be, our top priority. Our goal in all our worldwide operations has been to reduce incidents and avoid fatalities. Fatalities are unacceptable for our company. "We are in the process of assembling an outside investigation team comprised of Indonesian and international experts in underground mining and geotechnical science. We will be transparent in the investigation and its findings and cooperating with the authorities from the Government of Indonesia." Dozens dead in Sudan mine collapse . CNN's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report . | NEW: 28 bodies recovered after last week's tunnel collapse, mining company says . A total of 10 people have been rescued . The accident happened in the eastern province of Papua . Company plans to hold joint investigation with Indonesian officials . | 20cb243c665178e7be27af2351678bc62a860ea3 |
Jerusalem (CNN)A day after flames scorched a West Bank mosque, a Jerusalem seminary belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church was torched and defaced Thursday -- an act police suspect is the work of radical right-wing Israelis. Both buildings were defaced with anti-Arab and anti-Christian slurs, including graffiti maligning Jesus on the seminary, said police spokeswoman Luba Samri. And in each case, there was writing in Hebrew referring to the "redemption of Zion" and "revenge." The acts drew strong condemnation. "There is no room for such deplorable activity in Jerusalem," Mayor Nir Barkat said Thursday. "We must eradicate this behavior and bring those responsible to justice." Palestine Liberation Organization official Hanan Ashrawi called the acts "hate crimes (that) constitute a flagrant attack on all Palestinians, whether Muslim or Christian." "These are not isolated incidents, but rather they fit a longstanding pattern of deliberate provocation, extremism and violence, and are a vicious assault on all Palestinians and their holy sites," Ashrawi said. "The recent events indicate that a holy war is already being waged against the Palestinian Muslim and Christian population." The incident at the mosque may be a "price tag" attack -- a term used by radical Israeli settlers to denote reprisal attacks against Palestinians in response to moves by the Israeli government to evacuate illegal West Bank outposts -- according to officials. In fact, video from the West Bank shows two letters that translate to PT, for "price tag." And authorities suspect a Jewish nationalist motive for what happened at the Greek Orthodox seminary. Samri, the Israeli police spokeswoman, said that firefighters managed to douse the fire in that building's restroom and showers before anyone was injured. But not much more is known than that. Shortly after the incident, a Jerusalem district court issued a gag order that covered all details of the investigation and anything that identifies suspects. CNN's Michael Schwartz reported from Israel, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote from Atlanta. | "Revenge," references to "redemption (of) Zion" were on the mosque, seminary . Both buildings were defaced with anti-Arab and anti-Christian slurs . Palestinian official: A "holy war" is underway against Muslims, Christians . | 7080e5231a94ee81f292771a03f8db0f46ec27c1 |
Mario Obed Meneses Lopez (pictured) and his 16-year-old girlfriend were arrested after a video showed him throwing their baby across a toom . A Mexican couple have been arrested after horrific images emerged of the father throwing his baby girl across the room - because her crying woke him up. Mario Obed Meneses Lopez, 21, and his 16-year-old girlfriend were arrested after a video was taken of him slinging the two-month-old baby girl around by her neck and throwing her across the room. Police were called by a concerned friend of the mother who surreptitiously filmed the attack and handed it to officers. The video showed Lopez lying in bed next to the screaming baby before swinging her around by her neck and flinging her across the room where she is heard crying out in terror. The mistreatment continues as Lopez is shown kicking the baby several times. The mother, who cannot be named because of her age, is heard telling him to stop, but does nothing to take the child away from him. She can be heard saying in the video: 'That's it Mario, leave her alone.' Prosecutors in Mexico City confirmed they have arrested the pair. The baby was subsequently taken to hospital and once she had been given the all clear by medics, she was taken into care. Medics said the baby girl suffered from numerous bruises - some from the assault caught on video, but others which were from an earlier attack. Mario Obed Meneses Lopez pictured shortly before grabbing the two-month-old baby girl by her neck and throwing her across the room - just because her crying woke him up. She has now been taken into care . Carlos Orta Garcia, director of System for Family Development, said: 'We found evidence of cigarette burns and head trauma caused by separate attacks.' The abuse took place at a house in Valle de Chalco Solidaridadoc, a municipality on the eastern outskirts of the metropolitan area of Mexico City. Police spokesman Fariol Jaramillo Munoz said: 'The man shown in the video had been living with his 16-year-old girlfriend. 'He was the father of the child and the baby is now a ward of court. 'Both of them now face prosecution for child abuse. 'The mother was an accessory because she failed to act despite the fact that she could clearly see the baby was being harmed. 'They were identified as the subjects on the video through their tattoos and distinguishing marks.' The baby girl pictured after being thrown across the room by her father. Medics said she had numerous bruises - some from the assault caught on video, but others believed to have been from an earlier attack . | Mario Obed Meneses Lopez, 21, slung two-month-old baby across room . Lopez was angry because his daughter's crying had woken him up . Concerned friend of the mother took surreptitious video of the abuse . His 16-year-old girlfriend and mother of the child has also been arrested . The baby girl has been given medical treatment and taken into care . Hospital found cigarette burns and head trauma caused by previous attack . WARNING: Graphic content . | c04125e7e53dfabbf8926c6d5a4251700e140034 |
By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 22:50 EST, 20 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:40 EST, 21 May 2013 . The Coalition government ordered state primary schools to introduced the new assessment which focuses on a phonic system . The new reading test for six-year-olds which was taken by 600,000 pupils last year will have little or no impact on literacy, teachers have said. The Coalition government ordered state primary schools to introduce the new assessment which focuses on a phonic system. Children are asked to 'decode' a list of 40 words but the list includes made up words like 'voo' 'blim' and 'spron'. However, a review published by the Department of Education which is based on interviews with 940 teachers and 844 literacy coordinators criticised the test. The report, which has been published online, reads: 'Only a quarter of literacy coordinators expressed the view that the check provided useful information for teachers. 'Most of the teachers interviewed as part of the case-study visits to schools reported that the check would have minimal if any, impact on the standard of reading and writing in their school in the future. 'This view appeared to stem from the fact that many thought the outcomes from the check told them nothing new'. While teachers were positive about teaching phonics, they believed a range of teaching methods should be used. The Coalition government ordered state primary schools to introduce the new assessment which focuses on a phonic system . A Department of Health spokesman told The Daily Telegraph: 'The phonics check ensures children struggling with reading get the help they desperately need. 'Last year's check, when teachers identified more than 235,000 six-year-olds behind on reading - demonstrated that.' At their recent conference, members of the National Union of Teachers, backed plans to boycott phonics check next year. | New tests were taken by 600,000 children last year and focus on the phonic system . Review based on interviews with teachers and published by the Department of Education criticised the assessments . | 675a86780165d7ee870da2b71c7f236417726743 |
A pair of shop workers stole a whole day's taking and lost it all in a casino when they put more than £3,000 on red. Kieron Trott and Christopher Cameron said they just wanted to see what it would feel like to gamble so much money at once - but were forced to quit their jobs at Poundstretcher after the bet went sour. The crime was so foolish that even the men's lawyers appeared to mock them in court - one said it was a 'miracle' that his client had managed to get another job. Workplace: Two Poundstretcher employees stole their day's takings and lost it in a casino . Trott, 19, and Cameron, 48, worked together at a branch of Poundstretcher in a Sunderland retail park. On October 13 last year, their manager left them in the shop at the end of her shift - along with the day's takings of £3,380. On the spur of the moment, the two men decided to go to a nearby casino where they gambled - and lost - the whole amount instantly. Lee Poppett, prosecuting, branded the offence 'somewhat unusual'. He said: 'At 9pm [the manager] received a call from Mr Trott stating that she needed to come back to the store because they had gambled away the takings. 'She believed it was a form of joke, but Mr Trott said, "I'm not joking, call the police." 'She could hear Mr Cameron in the background saying, "He is being honest, you have to come back to the store."' Convicted: The two men pleaded guilty to theft at Sunderland Magistrates' Court, pictured . The pair resigned immediately, and are now trying to repay the money they took. They pleaded guilty to theft by an employee when they appeared at Sunderland Magistrates' Court. Trott and Cameron, who are both from Sunderland, were handed 12-month community orders and were told to pay £110 each in costs and surcharges. Trott was told to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, while Cameron will have to do 66 hours. Ian Cassidy, defending Cameron, said, the situation was 'almost like something out of a comedy' and that his client has never even been to a casino before. 'Mr Cameron was working his regular shift. It was just the two of them and part of the routine is to check the cash that has been taken that day. 'They are joking, saying what would it be like if we took this money and gambled it. Unbelievably, they persuaded themselves to do this. 'He can't quite believe it. He described being in the casino a matter of minutes. 'They were seen transferring the cash into chips then go to the table saying "red?" and "yes". Lo and behold it came up on black.' Jason Smith, defending Trott, said: 'It was an act of gross stupidity. They were saying, "Let's go and do this, we might make some money out of it." How that would work is beyond me. 'He is paying the money back at a rate of £50 a week because, miraculously, he's managed to find work at Nissan.' | Kieron Trott and Christopher Cameron were handling £3,380 in takings . On the spur of the moment they went to a casino and gambled the money . They put it all on red but it came up black - and they instantly resigned . Barristers described the crime as 'gross stupidity' and expressed surprise that one of the men has managed to find a new job . | e80f3c1d1d47a24c544dc03682bcc177154f316b |
(CNN)A Minneapolis police officer was shot Saturday morning, and Police Chief Janee Harteau said "there is little doubt that an officer was the intended target." The wounded officer was one of two who had just finished responding to a reported burglary when he was shot just before 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET), Minneapolis police said in a statement. His partner promptly drove him to North Memorial Medical Center. Assistant Police Chief Matt Clark told reporters Saturday afternoon that the officer, who was standing outside his car, was "doing well and is in fair condition." A man was arrested in connection with the burglary and a reported domestic assault, Clark said. Police took 43-year-old Andrew Neal, who is suspected of violating his probation, into custody. Detectives are investigating whether there is a link between the domestic violence report, the burglary and the shooting, the assistant chief said. A woman who reported the alleged assault was cooperating with authorities. "She gave us a lot of information (about the incident and the burglary)," he said. Police believe the wounded officer wasn't targeted personally, but was shot simply because he is a police officer, police spokesman Scott Seroka added. According to Harteau, he "just happened to be the one who was there." "This is a reminder to all that every one of our officers face such danger simply because they choose to wear a uniform," Harteau said. "They deserve our support and gratitude." The officer who was shot is well-respected by co-workers and does an excellent job, Clark said. CNN's Carma Hassan contributed to this report. | Police official says detectives are investigating to see if there is link between burglary and shooting . Wounded police officer is in fair condition and "doing well," assistant chief says . Minneapolis officer "just happened to be the one who was there," police chief says . | 0a1825fafd53d101b2510293919bad051fbc4d62 |
By . Tamara Cohen . and Matt Chorley . PUBLISHED: . 12:06 EST, 23 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:41 EST, 23 January 2014 . An embarrassed Nigel Farage was today forced to disown the whole of his party’s 2010 manifesto, after being hit with a host of bizarre proposals he knew nothing about. The UK Independence Party promised to improve Britain by painting trains in traditional colours, deploying soldiers on the street and enforcing a dress code for taxi drivers and theatregoers. Despite standing on the manifesto as a candidate in the 2010 election, Mr Farage insisted it was nothing to do with him and 'none of it stands today'. Scroll down for video . Ukip leader Nigel Farage floundered on live TV as he was grilled about the party's 2010 general election manifesto . Pressure: Mr Farage insisted none of the manifesto still stands and the party was still working on new policies . During a car crash live TV interview, Mr Farage was challenged about a raft of policies which formed the Ukip pitch in 2010. He had briefly stood aside as leader at the time to concentrate on trying to get elected to the Commons. The Ukip leader was also given a verbal battering by high-flying . financial analyst Louise Cooper who shouted ‘shame on you’ for saying . women in the City should be paid less. Mr Farage, a usually-confident TV performer, appeared to struggle when asked if Ukip now has any official policies at all. Some of the more eye-catching policies in Ukip's 2010 manifesto include: . It included plans for a flat tax . regardless of income, and their much-criticised economic plans which . include cutting taxes by £90billion but increasing spending by . £30billion. Mr Farage claimed the latter was not ‘nonsense’ although conceded it was ‘ambitious’. His party are also apparently reviewing their plans to restrict the number of foreigners on British football teams, which it believes is behind their ‘lack of success’; banning the burqa, axing the Ministry of Defence, imposing ‘proper dress’ in theatres, hotels and restaurants, and investigating alleged discrimination against white people at the BBC. He told BBC2’s Daily Politics that he did not defend the 2010 manifesto saying he did not put it together. He has been party leader since 2006 but stepped for a while in September 2009 to run - unsuccessfully - for a seat in Buckingham at the 2010 election. However he said all policies were under review pending the party’s new manifesto for 2015, to be published after the European elections in May. He claimed it would be ‘similar in flavour’, but the only policies he would commit to yesterday were bringing back grammar schools and leaving the EU. Mr Farage floundered as he was asked about the party’s proposal to scrap Trident, saying he was not sure the suggestion had come from. When told it was on the Ukip website, he said: ‘When it comes to websites, I’m not the expert.’ He also claimed not to know about a compulsory dress code for taxi drivers and proposal to repaint trains. ‘Look, under the last leadership and in the 2010 election we managed to present a manifesto that was 486 pages long’, he said. ‘So you can quote me all sorts of bits of it that I will not know. That’s why I’ve said none of it stands today and we will launch it all after the European elections.’ The faltering performance came after the . Ukip leader, who worked in a brokerage firm before entering politics, . caused outrage this week by saying women who have children are less . valuable to their employers when they return to work. He claimed the City was no longer sexist . as in the past, but said women who leave their client base to take ‘two . or three years off’ to have a baby, put themselves at a disadvantage. Mr Farage was appearing on BBC 2's Daily Politics determined to talk about topics other than Europe and immigration . Today he was confronted by Miss Cooper, a markets analyst at City brokers BGC partners and former equities broker at Goldman Sachs, who said that Mr Farage’s argument was ‘laughable’ and he was ‘talking out of his bottom’. She said: ‘For all the working mothers . out there who are battling day-to-day in the City, and elsewhere, who . are discriminated against, who are paid less than their male colleagues, . who are looked over for promotion, I say on behalf of them ‘shame on . you’. ‘And I say double . shame on you because you have daughters. What kind of example are you . setting to your daughters by saying what you said? What you are saying . us laughable. You are talking out of your bottom.’Miss Cooper became known as the face of . the financial crisis for her TV analysis of the European economic . downturn in 2011. She accused Mr Farage of factual inaccuracy as women . can only take a maximum of 12 months maternity leave, not three years. She took four months off when she had her child. Financial analyst Louise Cooper took Mr Farage to task for saying women who take time off to have children are 'worth less' to big City firms . The Ukip leader claimed when he worked in finanace he never took more than a week’s holiday because he could not leave his clients. He said employees in that field had to be ‘more hardnosed’ than in other careers and few women were able to cope with ‘a family and a big job’ of that sort. But Miss Cooper hit back saying that many City firms poach employees from their rivals and are prepared to wait up to 18 months for them to start after they finish ‘gardening leave’. This is standard in City jobs so employees do not use inside knowledge they have gained to their advantage. | Ukip leader under pressure over whether the party has any policies . As well as leaving the EU, the party also promised £90billion in tax cuts . 'Theatregoers should dress smartly and axe the Ministry of Defence' | cd6756e607200f4ca3a018866d38cb24a3b756da |
Algiers, Algeria (CNN) -- Baton-wielding Algerian security forces clashed Saturday with protesters who defied a ban and took to the streets of the capital demanding political reform. Eleven individuals and eight policemen were injured, two seriously, the official Algerie Presse Service reported. Police arrested nine protesters, the news service said. Algeria's largest opposition party, Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), last week called the demonstration to demand the release of detainees, the lifting of a state of emergency that has been in place for almost two decades, and the restoration of individual and collective freedoms. "We asked to do a march, in a legal way, but they told us: 'You are the opposition and you don't have any rights in your country,'" said Said Saadi, head of the RCD. Saadi said the government wants Algerians to "kneel in front of them. But we don't kneel." The government called the demonstration "small" with about 250 people and said it was "unauthorized." Security forces prevented journalists from photographing the demonstration or interviewing organizers. Anti-government protests erupted in Algeria in early January after weeks of similar demonstrations in neighboring Tunisia that eventually ended 23 years of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's rule. In Algeria, the protests broke out over spiraling food costs. The opposition blames the government of failing to use the north African nation's energy wealth to better the lives of ordinary people. A law adopted in 2001 indefinitely bans all demonstrations in Algiers, according to the monitoring group Human Rights Watch. A nationwide state of emergency in effect for nearly two decades allows the government to ban any event that is "likely to disturb public order and tranquility." | NEW: 11 individuals, 8 police injured, Algeria's official news agency reports . Security forces clashed with demonstrators in Algiers . Protesters are demanding the government lift restrictions . A state of emergency in place for almost two decades bans such protests . | cc459ca154e69dd967f5537a931cb40e95ec5cf6 |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Four Palestinian militants were killed Tuesday evening in an Israeli airstrike in the Zeitoun neighborhood east of Gaza City, the latest in a series of attacks in recent days that have included two children among the fatalities, Hamas security sources and Palestinian medical officials said. Islamic Jihad said all four militants were field commanders for Islamic Jihad. An Israeli army spokeswoman said that an Israeli military aircraft fired toward the group after identifying a group of militants who were preparing to launch a rocket into Israel. In an earlier incident Tuesday, two adults and two children were killed in the Al-Shajaieh neighborhood east of Gaza City when shells from Israeli tanks hit a house there, the sources said. The children, 11-year-old Mohammed Jihad Al-Hilo and 16-year-old Yasser Ahed Al-Hilo, were playing soccer outside their house when the shells hit, the sources said. Yasser Hamed Al-Hilo, 50, and Mohamad Saber Harara, 20, were also killed, according to the sources. Eight others were wounded, three of them critically, they said. The Israel Defense Forces said the mortar attack was carried out in response to the launch from Gaza of four military-use projectiles into the Shaar Hanegev regional council area. "It appears that uninvolved civilians were injured as a result," the IDF said. The incident was under investigation by the IDF. "The IDF does not want an escalation of violence in the South," an IDF spokesman said. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret over the deaths and injuries of Gaza civilians in Tuesday's Israeli military action and said the strikes were carried out in response to Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens. "It's unfortunate that Hamas continues to intentionally rain down dozens of rockets on Israeli civilians using its own civilians as shields," he said. "Israel has no intention of bringing about a deterioration of the situation, but at the same time the IDF will continue to act decisively to protect Israeli citizens." Hamas condemned the killings east of Gaza City. "The massacre in Al-Shajaieh neighborhood is a war crime and the Israeli occupation bears full responsibility," it said in a statement. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad also condemned what he called "the Israeli aggression against the civilians" and asked for international protection of civilians. He called the military shelling of residential neighborhoods a "dangerous escalation that should be ended." Since Saturday, 10 Palestinians have been killed and at least 37 others wounded in a series of incidents in Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said. Also since Saturday, 61 mortars and rockets have been fired into southern Israel, the IDF said. CNN's Michal Zippori, Kareem Khadder and Talal Abu Rahma contributed to this report. | NEW: "Israel has no intention of bringing about a deterioration of the situation," Netanyahu says . NEW: "The massacre ... is a war crime," says Hamas . Four Palestinian militants were killed Tuesday evening . Israel says mortars and rockets have been fired from Gaza into southern Israel . | 6e916d56c20859cc7a5f2d08c80d67711e8b5fee |
By . Paul Thompson . PUBLISHED: . 12:01 EST, 16 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:49 EST, 16 July 2012 . George Zimmerman has been accused of molesting a young girl for a decade when they were children, according to prosecution records released today. A young woman, identified only as witness 9, told prosecutors that Zimmerman, who is two years older than her, began abusing her when she was six and stopped when she was 16. 'He would put his hands under my pants, under my underwear,' the witness says, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Accused: George Zimmerman, who is accused of murdering teen Trayvon Martin, molested a young girl for a decade, the prosecution has said as part of a new set of newly-released evidence . The claim is part of a new set of evidence released by Special Prosecutor Angela Corey. She released witness 9's statement in addition to 120 recorded jail phone calls made by Zimmerman when he was in the Seminole County Jail after being charged over the murder of Trayvon Martin. The witness contacted authorities in Sanford, Florida after the February 26 killing and subsequent news coverage. She told prosecutors the sexual abuse began when her parents . were moving to another state and she and her sister stayed . with Zimmerman and his family in Virginia. She said the abuse occurred as they watched TV and he reached under the blankets to touch her. 'I would try to push him off, but he was . bigger and stronger and older,' she said. Free: Zimmerman is pictured leaving prison earlier this month after posting $1 million bail . On at least one occasion, when she was 12, he also forced her to touch him, she said. In a recorded statement, a woman identified only as Witness 9 said: . 'It started when I was six. He almost two years older than I am and my parents were moving... and they sent us up to [Zimmerman's home]. 'We would watch movies in front of the TV and we would have pillows and blankets, and he would reach under the blankets and try to do things. I would try to push him off but he was bigger and stronger and older, and it was in front of everybody. 'I don't know how I didn't say anything but I just didn't know anything. 'He would put his hands under my pants, under my underwear. Before he left any place he would say we weren't doing anything, we were just laying down. I didn't know, I was a kid. '[The next incident was] behind the curtains in my living room. I was at least seven or eight. 'Every time that we would go up there I could just look at him and he would give me a certain look and I would just know if it was going to happen. 'It's not just me that he did these things to but I know [the other victim] would never come forward. She said she would deny it either way. 'He always was just very charming and personable with everyone. But he was different behind closed doors with me. 'For the first time in my life, I'm not afraid of him.' Source: Orlando Sentinel . In the last encounter, he . ordered her to lay on a bed beside him and began massaging her. When she felt that he was aroused, she ran from the house. Later, she and her parents . confronted him at a restaurant, and he said he was sorry, she claimed. She added: 'He always was just, you . know, very charming and personable with everyone... and just would laugh . and entertain everybody. But he was different behind closed doors with . me.' Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, had argued that the witness's interview with police should not be released. O'Mara said the statement 'is not relevant' to the shooting of Martin and would 'serve to reignite and potentially enhance the widespread public hostility toward Mr. Zimmerman,' the Sentinel reported. According to the transcript Witness 9 also told Sanford police that Zimmerman does not like blacks. In the audio-recorded interview . released today, she reiterated her claim but did not go into any detail . of why she made the assumption. Zimmerman's family, she said, 'don't . like black people if they don't act like white people. They like black . people if they act white'. When asked if she witnessed Zimmerman disparage blacks or act as if he hated blacks, she replied: 'No'. The allegations against 28-year-old . Zimmerman are the latest twist since his arrest over the death of . 17-year-old Martin following a confrontation in February in Sanford, . Florida. Zimmerman claims he acted in self defense and cited Florida's 'stand your ground' law as an explanation for the killing. Prosecutors say Zimmerman assumed Trayvon was about to commit a crime, followed him then murdered him. Killed: Zimmerman (right) is accused of shooting dead Trayvon Martin (left), an unarmed 17 year old, in a gated community in February in Sanford, Florida. The death sparked rallies across the country . Claims: Zimmerman, pictured reenacting the attack the day after, said he acted in self defense . Lawyers . for Zimmerman unsuccessfully tried to block the jail calls from being . released following applications by the media, including the Orlando . Sentinel. It was from . calls made from the county jail that led to Zimmerman's bail being . revoked after it was found he had lied about his finances. The judge set a new bail of $1 million. But fewer than 24 hours later, he was free after posting the $1 million bail raised by his defense support fun. He is now awaiting trial. Legal experts said it was unlikely witness 9's statement will be used in any trial as it is too prejudicial. | Claims made by witness for the prosecution in newly-released evidence . Zimmerman 'molested her from the age of six and forced her to touch him' She 'eventually confronted him with her family and he apologised' Witness: 'He doesn't like black people if they don't act like white people' Prosecution also released 120 recorded jail phone calls made by Zimmerman . | d1e799f7f85491fb54d282b34386410ad0008378 |
Police have charged a 14-year-old girl for an assault where a young woman was dragged from her car, pulled around by her hair and repeatedly kicked and punched. Disturbing video of the 'feral' incident, thought to have occurred in a car park at Lake Haven on the New South Wales Central Coast last Monday, has been shared more than 5,000 times on Facebook. In mobile phone footage, a male bystander is heard egging one of the two attackers on, saying 'smash her, smash the f*** in the face, bust the c***'s face open'. The wild brawl began after the blonde victim was set upon by a woman as soon as she turned up in a silver sedan. Scroll down for video . Hair-pulling: One of the bare feet attackers pulled the girls hair and then started throwing punches at the back of her head . Throwing a punch: One of the two women strike the victim with a flurry of punches . She was pushed to the ground but quickly managed to regain the upper hand - despite the verbal abuse of several bystanders. Another girl then joined in the fighting, attacking the blonde victim and forcing her to the ground. One of the two attackers then held the victim by the hair and landed more than a dozen blows to the back of her head. As the victim fled to her car, one of the alleged attackers shouted 'don't talk s*** again' and then charged at the car. The victim (pictured in grey) was dragged to the ground as soon as she exited her car . Woman down: The girl was smacked into the ground by one of the attackers . As the fuming assailant stormed off, she was complimented by a male friend dressed in football shorts. 'That's how it's done babe,' he said. A NSW police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the 14-year-old will front the Children's Court on January 13. 'Officers are still looking for the second girl and expect to lay further charges,' he said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Police have charged a 14-year-old girl for a vicious carpark assault . Officers are hunting for a second girl and expect to charge her . Video of the disturbing incident has gone viral on Facebook . It is believed the attack occurred recently on the NSW Central Coast . Male bystander was heard egging on the attackers . 'Smash her, smash the f*** in the face, bust the c****s face open' | 2bec9632dddb99f47f6e8936e46a4129511f9603 |
Gangsters who planted a hand grenade in the bushes outside Kenny Dalglish's home were jailed for life today, ending a merciless campaign of violence across the north of England. The gang of five, led by Kirk Bradley and Anthony 'Fat Tony' Downes, both 26, was responsible for numerous shootings across Liverpool, a kidnapping in which they shot their victim and dumped him in woods and a string of bungled assassination attempts. But their weapon of choice was more often the hand grenade whether they were carrying out their own violent vendettas against rival crooks, or doing the dirty work for unscrupulous kingpins within Liverpool's criminal underworld. Jailed in absentia: Left, Anthony 'Fat Tony' Downes, 26, was recaptured in Amsterdam on Friday after a daring prison van escape, and right, Kirk Bradley, 26, received 22 years despite him not being in police custody . Grenade gang: Gary Wilson, 27, (left) was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years while Joseph Farrell, 23, (right) will serve a minimum of 12 years . Downes and Bradley were convicted in absentia having gone on the run following a daring prison van escape before their trial. Downes, who was described in court as the gang's 'chief executive' and known in criminal circles as 'Fat Tony', was snared by police in the Netherlands on Friday and will be flown to the UK soon to begin serving his time. But Bradley remains at large. At Woolwich Crown Court, they were both jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years after being convicted in their absence of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to cause damage with intent to endanger life. Thug: Craig Riley, 25, will serve a minimum of 14 years . Three others admitted possessing firearms and causing criminal damage with intent to endanger life and were jailed for life. Gary Wilson, 27, of Southport was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years; Joseph Farrell, 23, of Brandearth Hey in Stockbridge Village, Knowsley, will serve a minimum of 12 years and Craig Riley, 25, of Boode Croft, also in Stockbridge Village, will serve a minimum of 14 years. The gang carried out shootings and grenade attacks and operated on behalf of others in the Liverpool underworld. The grenade was left on Mr Dalglish’s front wall in July 2009, when he was not Liverpool’s manager, but it was not intended for him. Between 2009 and 2010 Bradley and Downes, who described themselves as blood brothers, ran their network but did not get their hands dirty with the numerous shootings and bombings they ordered. Downes was serving a seven year jail stretch for multiple attacks on cash machines but was the 'chief executive controlling and organising events from his prison cell,' said the judge Mr Justice Henriques. The gang carried out shootings and grenade attacks and operated on behalf of others in the Liverpool underworld. The grenade was left on Mr Dalglish’s front wall in July 2009, when he was not the five-time European cup winner’s manager, and it was not intended for him. It was believed to be intended for wealthy businessman John Ball who was also the target of two shootings and a neighbour of Mr Dalglish. Mr Ball hired a security guard to keep watch on his home in Selworthy Road, Southport, following attacks in March and June 2009. Close call: The grenade was left on Mr Dalglish’s front wall in July 2009, when he was not the five-time European cup winner’s manager, and it was not intended for him . The grenade was left on the wall by one of two men who ran off when police arrived - but another was arrested. Between 2009 and 2010 Bradley and Downes, who described themselves as blood brothers, ran their network but did not get their hands dirty with the numerous shootings and bombings they ordered. Downes was serving a seven year jail stretch for multiple attacks on cash machines but was the 'chief executive controlling and organising events from his prison cell,' said the judge Mr Justice Henriques. When he was arrested last week in Goes, Zeeland, he was checking into holiday accommodation but was caught with a loaded .44 Magnum revolver and two fake passports. Menace: An Uzi sub machine gun and silencer left by the gang following a shooting . The judge said of Bradley, who was convicted of robbery aged 15: 'Bradley is plainly a very dangerous man. 'There is a serious risk to members of the public of serious harm being occasioned by him of further specified offences.' He added: 'Any right-thinking member of the public would feel abhorrence and outrage at this merciless campaign which Bradley oversaw and co-managed.' Their other crimes involved shooting another man in a pub; spraying a victim's house with bullets, gunning down a man because he ejected gatecrashing troublemakers from a party as well as various grenade attacks. Between June 2008 and March 2010 there were only seven hand grenade explosions in the UK - but five were in Merseyside. One of those was launched into the home of a man targeted by the gang. He was asleep upstairs with his partner and two children when the gang struck - he later told police the bomb 'blew the place to bits'. 'It was remarkable no one was injured,' said Mr Justice Henriques. The judge described Wilson as Downes’s 'right hand man, furnishing him with information and receiving instructions from him'. There were more than 1,000 phone calls between them, investigators found. 'You were a most important cog in the workings of this conspiracy,' the judge told him. Dangerous: A Browning revolver left in a cab by the gang following a raid . Co-accused Riley, who has previously served four years for possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, was a 'highly significant' gang member who played a part in several attacks and was responsible for moving around an Uzi machine pistol the thugs owned. Farrell admitted providing a firearm for the shooting of two men and providing another gun used to spray a house with bullets. Referring to the tragic murder of schoolboy Rhys Jones in 2007 who was caught in the crossfire of a Liverpool gang war, Mr Justice Henriques said: 'Merseyside has learned the hard way when it comes to stray bullets.' | Gang of five sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12-22 years . Two jailed in absentia as they are still 'on the run' after daring prison break . Case brings end to campaign of terror across Merseyside . | 7676b25d2eba3e37916e5e62b1cda619409c5056 |
By . Suzannah Hills . On trial: Emma Wilson, 25, is accused of repeatedly beating her 11-month-old son before killing him . A mother accused of repeatedly beating her 11-month-old son before killing him today claimed his 23-month-old brother is responsible for the injuries that led to his death. Emma Wilson, 25, allegedly took pictures of her baby son Callum before deliberately hurting him and then taking more pictures of his injuries. Wilson is accused of doing this several times in the weeks leading up to her son's death when she allegedly caused him 'catastrophic' and 'unsurvivable brain injuries'. Callum was rushed to John Radcliffe . Hospital in Oxford in March, 2011, with a detached retina which had caused him to lose his sight and he also had multiple fractures and . bruises all over his tiny body. He died two days later. But Wilson today told the Old Bailey that Callum's older brother is to blame for the injuries - claiming he was jealous of his younger brother. Jurors were shown a series of photos Wilson took of Callum in the weeks leading up to his death in which bruises and scratches can clearly be seen on both his face. But Wilson says Callum's older brother, then aged 23 months, inflicted the injuries because he was 'jealous' he no longer had all her attention. The 25-year-old told the Old Bailey she never hurt her son and claimed: 'It's the best thing in the world being a mum.' Wilson told the court how she didn't realise she was pregnant when she had her first child in April 2009. Shortly afterwards she got pregnant with Callum after a one night stand, but she didn't know she had conceived again until two months before he was born as she continued to have periods and hardly put on any weight. However, she chose to put him in foster care for the first seven months of his life because her then boyfriend didn't want anything to do with him. It was only when the trainee nail technician bumped into Callum and his foster mum in a Mothercare in Slough in May 2010 that she went about getting him back. He was returned to Wilson, then 23, in November 2010 who says at that point her 'life was perfect.' But over the next few months when social workers visited them at her Windsor home, they spotted scratches on Callum. The jury heard she even lied to staff and parents at a play group in Maidenhead claiming Callum was her cousin's son, providing a false surname and address for him. On one occasion, she claimed bruising on Callum's face had been caused by an older sister, who in fact did not exist. But she said the reason she made up lies was because at that time no one knew Callum was hers and she couldn't deal with the embarrassment of people asking questions. At court: Ms Wilson told a jury at the Old Bailey, pictured, that her older son, then aged 23 months, was responsible for the injuries that led to her son Callum's death . 'It was so difficult just to say this is my son, he's been in foster care for seven months of his life,' she said. Within months staff at the playgroup began to notice that Callum changed from a 'happy, smiling baby' to an 'emotionless and listless boy'. But Wilson claims his injuries must have been caused by her other son who would 'throw things at Callum and push him over'. 'He was boisterous and would get generally jealous of Callum', she told the court. She claims she tried to seek advice from her parents, GP and a health visitor on how to deal with the sibling rivalry. 'My other son would be rough with him. He liked to grab Callum's face and would leave him with scratches and bruises,' she told the court. Callum was rushed to hospital with head injuries in March 2011 and died two days later. A post mortem revealed the baby had also suffered fractures to nine ribs, to his right arm and left leg and were caused two weeks before he died. Wilson, of Paddock Close, Windsor, denies murder. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Emma Wilson, 25, is accused of repeatedly beating her baby son Callum . A jury heard how she would then take pictures of his injuries . Callum was rushed to hospital with 'catastrophic' injuries in March 2011 . The 11-month-old died two days later from an 'unsurvivable brain injury' His mother claims her older 23-month-old son is to blame for the injuries . The trial continues at the Old Bailey . | 81a7f380b585c937d30c4ddb13aa8f1471c39fff |
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