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By . Paul Bentley . PUBLISHED: . 18:46 EST, 15 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:46 EST, 15 September 2013 . Elderly residents at a care home were stuck in their rooms for months, starved and left in filthy sheets while their cries were ignored by staff who removed call buttons so they could sleep through shifts. Inspectors who visited the home in July were begged for water by residents, many of whom were suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. One told the inspectors that conditions were so bad he wanted to kill himself. Killed: May Ward was being moved from her chair to her bed by a sling and hoist when she fell to the floor, but instead of calling for help nurses but the bloodied pensioner back in bed . Three years ago another resident, 100-year-old May Ward, was accidentally dropped on her head by two carers who waited 40 minutes before calling for help. She died the next day. The horrific conditions have come to light after Care Quality Commission inspectors reported abuse they witnessed at the Meppershall Care Home near Shefford in Bedfordshire. The home closed last month after the inspection, but the company which ran it, GA Projects, maintains its residents were ‘happy’. It continues to manage two other homes for vulnerable elderly people. Inspectors found frail residents had been locked indoors for four months after a lift broke and was not repaired, leaving them distressed and isolated in their bedrooms. Inspectors found frail residents of Meppershall Nursing Home had been locked indoors for four months after a lift broke . They were starved and desperate for water but staff ignored their calls. Residents even had their call bells, used to alert staff in emergencies, removed from their rooms. A staff member told inspectors that carers slept on duty at night and removed the alarms so ‘they were not disturbed’. When inspectors entered the bedrooms they found residents in sheets ‘encrusted with faecal matter, dried urine, blood and dead skin’. The vulnerable pensioners were wearing soiled clothes and there was an ‘offensive’ odour throughout the home. One resident told inspectors they were ‘desperate’ for a drink and had called for a nurse, but nobody had come. When CQC officials asked a nurse to bring some water, the staff member twice ignored them. Asked if they were well cared for, the resident replied: ‘You must be joking.’ Care home of shame: Upon a visit, one elderly man told inspectors the conditions at Meppershall had made him suicidal . During one inspection, officials saw a care home worker pick up porridge from down the side of a chair, scrape it back into the bowl from which a resident was eating and wipe their fingers on it. Pies were served covered in mould to other residents suffering with dementia. The inspectors reported that staff lacked ‘compassion and the skills and competency required to deliver basic care safely to people’. They added: ‘People were left without food and fluids for long periods of time and their calls for help were frequently ignored by staff, leaving them in undignified and unsafe situations.’ Meppershall Care Home residents have since been moved to other homes. GA Projects also owns Wren Park Nursing Home in Bedfordshire and Tendring Meadows Residential Home in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. A spokesman for the company said: ‘The situation at Meppershall Care Home has been grossly exaggerated to justify the authorities’ decision to enforce closure. The majority of residents were happy and the problems identified could have been resolved. ‘There was not a single resident who would have chosen to leave and many are still distressed by their relocation and sadly think they will return. Our other homes have received good inspection reports.’ | Residents maltreated at Meppershall Care Home in Bedfordshire . One told inspectors the conditions had made him suicidal . Elderly and frail locked in their rooms for four months due to broken lift . May Ward, 100, died after she was dropped on her head by carers . Carers put her back to bed and waited 40 minutes before calling for help . | 65aa470d52735b1478e202eded4187dca0fc064b |
By . Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 16:59 EST, 14 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:05 EST, 14 October 2013 . A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years jail after impregnating a 13-year-old girl. Cesar Solis was convicted of statutory rape on Thursday at Cobb Superior Court in Atlanta after a three-day trial. The girl gave birth in June and tests showed Solis was the father. Maximum sentence: Cesar Solis has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for impregnating a 13-year-old girl . He was originally charged with rape but convicted of the lesser charge of statutory rape. According to CBS, Solis had been living with the victim's family in Austell in 2012. The victim told police that one morning while she was getting ready for school, Solis raped her. The girl said he made threats against her to prevent her from telling her family, but when the girl discovered she was pregnant, she told her mother. Solis was arrested and has been held without bond since December 25, 2012. At Solis' trial the defense argued that Solis and the girl were having a relationship and that sex was consensual. Jurors convicted Solis of the lesser crime of statutory rape. Cobb Superior Court Chief Judge Adele Grubbs gave Solis the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Courthouse: Cobb County judge Adele Grubbs gave Solis the maximum sentence at the county court . According to ATlaw, Solis' attorney Matthew Hines said the state failed to prove its case for rape, which would have carried a maximum sentence of life in prison. Hines said there was a relationship between his client and the 13-year-old with phone records showing calls he made to her from jail. 'She was consistently talking with him,' Hines said. There is also an immigration hold on Solis. He will be eligible for parole in 12 years. | Cesar Solis, 43, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for impregnating a 13-year-old girl . The girl gave birth in June and tests showed Solis was the father . Solis was originally charged with rape but convicted of the lesser crime of statutory rape . His attorney said he proved a relationship existed between the man and the girl and that the sex was consensual . | f0f3c9de1505ee760a550984ae5f7c7bc11cf8cf |
A police dog has rescued a missing two-year-old girl a day after she wandered from her home in the bitter cold. Brooklyn Lilly walked up to the German shepherd as it approached her in a wooded area close to her home in Tawas City, Michigan around noon on Thursday, WNEM reported. The officer with the dog, assistant fire chief Jeffery Seyfried, wrapped up the cold and wet little girl in a sweater and carried her out of the woods, where she grinned for a photograph. Brooklyn suffered a scrape to her nose, blisters to her feet and was missing a boot but was otherwise happy and well when she was taken to be checked out at a local hospital. Safe: Brooklyn Lilly is grins after she was found in a woods near to her home by a police dog. She wandered away from her home on Wednesday and was found 22 hours later with just a scrape to her nose . 'It was a rough night, but the moment that she was found was something special,' Seyfried told Mlive. 'She was bundled up in her jacket and when the team walked up to her, she started giggling. She actually told one of the guys that she loved it in the woods.' Brooklyn was last seen around 2.20pm on Wednesday when she somehow got out of her family's home while she was being looked after by a relative and wandered away. Authorities launched a massive search on foot and from the air, but police said they feared the worst as she had still not been found by nightfall, when temperatures plunged to 39F (3.8C). Fears: Brooklyn, left, was out in temperatures nearer freezing but survived overnight and was found by assistant fire chief Jeffery Seyfried, pictured right, an the dog from the Michigan State Police's K-9 unit . Heroic: The dog has not been named but was one of the 40 dogs working for the Michigan State Police, like the dog pictured above. As it looked for Brooklyn, the girl - who has grown up with dogs - approached it . 'With this type of weather and with this type of length of time, it was hinging on not good,' Iosco County Sheriff Al MacGregor told WNEM. 'We're very happy of the outcome of this.' Brooklyn had walked through a creek and was wet from the waist down when she was found three-quarters of a mile from her home, WNEM reported. Her mother, Tricia Cook, said that she had 'one strong little girl' and told the channel that the toddler has been enjoying a lot of pudding since she was found. The girl's aunt, Alecia Cook, added: 'It's amazing. We really didn't think it would happen. After searching for however long they've been out here it's just amazing that she's still healthy and OK.' The dog who helped find the toddler has not been identified but was one of 40 dogs in the state's K-9 unit. Scene: Troopers are pictured looking for Brooklyn before she was found miraculously safe and well . Relief: Search teams walk the search route on Thursday afternoon after she was found and taken to hospital . Saginaw police officer Douglas Stacer, who works closely with K-9 officers, said the bond between man and his dog made them a successful searching team. 'We read off each other,' he said. We've trained together, we live together, it's a partnership most people will never know. I know what he's thinking, he know's what I'm thinking,' Tawas City is in Iosco County, about 130 miles north of Detroit. See below for video . | Brooklyn Lilly wandered away from her family's Michigan home on Wednesday afternoon as she was being looked after by an elderly relative . Authorities feared the worst as temperatures plunged to 39F (3C) overnight . But around noon on Thursday, she was found in the woods by a police dog . She had a scrape to her nose and had lost a boot but was otherwise OK - and told officers that she had actually loved spending time in the woods . | 15c8c92b271cfbb50429d507e498ec55b18a089e |
Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN) -- The United States and China have not offered to go far enough to combat climate change, a top European Union official said as a major international summit on the subject opened Monday. Final negotiations at the conference "will be mostly about what will be delivered from the United States and from China," said Andreas Carlgren, the environment minister of Sweden, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The two countries "together cover half of the world's emissions," Carlgren said. "It will be absolutely decisive what they can deliver." He pressed U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver more than he promised in a statement in the run-up to the conference. "It would be somewhat astonishing if Obama would come here and deliver ... just what was promised in last week's press release," Carlgren said. What is at stake in Copenhagen? Obama had been planning to attend the early stages of the Copenhagen summit that could lay the groundwork for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions well into the century. But the White House announced last week that he would come at the end instead. Jonathan Pershing, U.S. deputy special envoy for climate change, defended Obama's late attendance, saying the country's goals extended beyond the summit. "The president has put a remarkable amount on the table," he told a news conference in Copenhagen. "What the president has put on the table is a commitment for the United States to move forward: a commitment on emissions, a commitment on financing, a commitment on engagement -- what we need to now do is see how these negotiations proceed." Pershing rejected EU criticism saying U.S. goals for reducing emission went far beyond those offered by the European bloc. He added: "What the United States has put on the table is a trajectory that is not only consistent with, but meets the criteria of a robust scientific outcome. "We don't just have a 2020 number, or a 2025 number, or a 2030, although we have all of those, we're moving towards a 2050 number and a trajectory with information in every single intervening year, and we're moving towards an 80 percent reduction which is what the science is calling for. "We look to the EU for a similar kind of long term trajectory." Obama's initial plan to attend only the beginning of the conference was criticized by some, including the environmental group Greenpeace, which said it is more important that he be there at week's end. "President Obama needs to be there at the same time as all the other world leaders -- December 18," said Mike Townsley, a Greenpeace spokesman. "This is when he is needed to get the right agreement." The stakes could not be higher, the head of the conference said as it opened. "Within two weeks from Monday, governments must give their adequate response to the urgent challenge of climate change," said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the U.N. Climate Change Conference. "Negotiators now have the clearest signal ever from world leaders to craft solid proposals to implement rapid action." China announced last month that Premier Wen Jiabao would attend to "fully demonstrate the great importance the Chinese government attaches to this issue, as well as the political will of the Chinese government to cooperate with the international community," spokesman Qin Gang said in November. China's State Council has announced plans "to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit" of gross domestic product in 2020 by 40 percent to 45 percent, compared with its 2005 level, state-run media reported last month. Obama is prepared to offer a goal of the United States reducing emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, the White House has said. The White House also reiterated his goal of reducing U.S. emissions by 83 percent by 2050. In a statement Sunday, De Boer laid out the three layers of action on which he would like governments to agree during the summit: immediate action on climate change, ambitious commitments to cut and limit emissions, and "a long-term shared vision on a low-emissions future for all." Obama has discussed the status of climate change negotiations with the leaders of Australia, Britain, France and Germany, the White House said Friday. "There appears to be an emerging consensus that a core element of the Copenhagen accord should be to mobilize $10 billion a year by 2012 to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable and least developed countries that could be destabilized by the impacts of climate change," it said. The climate talks aim to strike a deal on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 pact that has legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The United States never ratified it, though more than 200 nations did. CNN's Hilary Whiteman contributed to this story. | U.S. and China have not offered to go far enough to combat climate change, a top EU official says . 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties begins Monday in Copenhagen . Summit aim to strike deal on successor to 1997 Kyoto Protocol . A look at the scientific debate on global warming on tonight's Campbell Brown, CNN 8 p.m. ET . | 9eac715f39af1c1d5636413d2a63f11314c00e5f |
(CNN) -- New York City's former mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has a new job. The billionaire media mogul has been appointed special envoy for cities and climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Friday. "He's starting right away and he'll be pushing for action in the cities and raising the profile of cities," said U.N. Public Information Officer Dan Shepard. For his efforts, Bloomberg will be paid $1 per year, Shepard said in a telephone interview. Bloomberg will assist Ban in consultations with mayors and others "to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of his long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change," he added in a statement. Those efforts include bringing solutions to the climate summit Ban is hosting in September in New York. Ban "has invited leaders from governments, businesses, finance and civil society organizations to bring bold announcements and actions to the 2014 Climate Summit to raise the level of ambition through new and more robust action on climate change," it said. "Cities play an essential role in developing and implementing actions and driving ambition, translating to significant impacts on climate change." Bloomberg served as New York's mayor from 2002 to 2013. In 1981, he launched Bloomberg LP, a financial news and information company. In 2007, he addressed the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia. He also serves as president of the Board of the C40 Climate Leadership Group, a network of cities "committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally." | "He's starting right away," U.N. spokesman says . The billionaire media mogul's new salary: $1 per year . Bloomberg is to aid Ban Ki-moon in advancing efforts on climate change . | 62f568841de2dc462da65c7129426c124810eebf |
In a galaxy far, far away he was one of the most feared crime bosses in the universe, with a particular distaste for plucky hero Han Solo. But now the infamous Jabba the Hutt has appeared in our own galaxy - at least, in an animation showing weather patterns on Earth. In the map, the face of the criminal overlord can be made out, with vortices representing his eyes and wind creating scaly, green skin. Scroll down to use the interactive animation . Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario has created a weather map (shown) that looks like the infamous Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt. The animation shows wind speeds and weather patterns around the world. In the image Jabba's 'eyes' are represented by two vortices . The familiar pattern arose in an animated map showing global weather conditions called earth.nullschool.net. Created by Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario, the image garnered considerable attention on social media networks when observers noted the similarity to the Star Wars character. He said the wind map was a personal project used to learn how to develop web visualisations. ‘I originally found the image while playing around with the site, which I then posted on the site's facebook page,’ Mr Beccario, 39, told MailOnline. According to meteorologist Tyler Hamilton from The Weather Network, the eyes represent ‘stationary vortices that are common during the winter months.’ The mouth is the ‘intertropical convergence zone’ (ITCZ), which is an area that circles Earth near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds come together. The pink eyebrows are high-speed winds moving more than 155mph (250km/h) in the upper atmosphere, while the other green lines show the motion of wind elsewhere in the world. Light green shows the lowest intensity winds, moving up to red and then pink. ‘The combination of high altitude winds, colours, and equirectangular projection caused this humourous face to appear, and I couldn't stop laughing. He noted that he thought it looked 'more like Oscar the Grouch' than Jabba the Hutt, but the resemblance to both characters is uncanny. ‘Of course, it's 100 per cent an artefact of the site's calculations,' he added. 'The website shows global wind data over a number of different altitudes, updated every three hours, from data made available by the US National Weather Service.' 'This particular image shows wind velocity at a pressure level of 10 hectopascals, which is roughly 26.5km [16/5 miles] up, as forecast by the US NWS on 19 January at 12.00 UTC. 'The colors vary with wind speed, as does the motion of the particles, which get faster as the wind speeds up. Note the projection introduces distortion, too.' Mr Beccario told MailOnline that he thought the animation looked 'more like Oscar the Grouch' (shown right) than Jabba the Hutt (left), but the resemblance to both characters is uncanny . Above is the interactive animation that looks like Jabba the Hutt, which you can scroll and zoom to view wind speeds and weather effects in different parts of the globe . According to meteorologist Tyler Hamilton from The Weather Network, the eyes represent ‘stationary vortices that are common during the winter months.’ The mouth is the ‘intertropical convergence zone’ (ITCZ), which is an area that circles Earth near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds come together. The pink eyebrows are high-speed winds moving more than 155mph (250km/h) in the upper atmosphere, while the other green lines show the motion of wind elsewhere in the world. Light green shows the lowest intensity winds, moving up to red and then pink. Of course, this map isn’t designed to replicate faces of famous movie character in weather patterns on Earth. It’s actually a visualisation of global weather conditions that have been forecast by supercomputers. The weather is updated every three hours, while ocean surface currents are updated every five days. It uses data from the Global Forecast System (GFS), National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ‘I originally found the image while playing around with the site, which I then posted on the site's facebook page,’ Mr Beccario, 39, told MailOnline. Here Jabba is seen in a scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi . | Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario has created a weather map that looks like the infamous Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt . The animation shows wind speeds and weather patterns around the world . In the image Jabba's 'eyes' are represented by two vortices . His mouth is an area that circles Earth near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds come together . Mr Beccario told MailOnline he 'couldn't stop laughing' when he saw the face appear in his visualisation . | a2136fd0aa9dc8867b291ef87b24931488768088 |
(CNN) -- Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba made a successful defense of her Olympic 10,000 meters crown to round off the first night of track and field finals Friday. Dibaba used her famed finishing kick to pull clear of Kenyan pair Sally Kipyego and reigning world champion Vivian Cheruiyot with a 62 second last lap to win in 30 minutes 20.75 seconds. It was the third Olympic gold medal for Dibaba, who is a seven-time world champion and holds the world record for the 5,000m. Dibaba's teammate Werknesh Kidane pushed the pace after halfway in the grueling 25-lap event to whittle down the medal contenders to two Ethiopians and two Kenyans. Kidane paid for her efforts but an ever confident Dibaba hit the front before the bell and victory was a formality with Kipyego claiming the silver. While Dibaba was doubling up, Poland's Tomasz Majewski became only the second man in history to retain the Olympic shot put title. The 30-year-old threw 21.89 meters to edge out Germany's world champion David Storl, who had a best of 21.86m. Reese Hoffa of the United States took bronze with 21.23m. Majewski matched the feat of American Parry O'Brien, who won successive golds in 1952 and 1956. The Pole took the lead in the third round and finished off in style with his best effort. Earlier, the home crowd in an 80,000 seater Olympic Stadium with few empty seats, had reason to cheer as Jessica Ennis took a commanding lead in the women's heptathlon. Ennis, the poster girl of the 2012 London Games, set personal bests in the 100m hurdles and 200m on the way to a first day score of 4,158 points, 184 clear of Lithuanian Austra Skujyte. With the long jump, javelin and 800m to go, Ennis has a healthy lead over defending Olympic champion Natallia Dobrynska of Ukraine and Russian world champion Tatyana Chernova, who were 10th and ninth respectively. Britain's Christine Ohuruogu made a successful start to her defense of the women's 400m title with a 50.80 seconds clocking to come through in the first round. Her old rival Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States also progressed. Amantle Montsho of Botswana was fastest qualifier in 50.40 seconds. Saturday's track and field action will see the first appearance for Jamaica's sprinting superstar Usain Bolt as he begins the defense of the 100m title. | Tirunesh Dibaba wins first track gold of the London Olympics . Dibaba successfully defends her 10,000m crown . Tomasz Majewski retains his men's shot put crown for Poland . Home hope Jessica Ennis leads women's heptathlon after first day . | 44ae437bb8643c57aa18619fd61d8794a87a4484 |
By . Larisa Brown . and Sam Webb . A new exhibition will showcase the iconic poster art that has adorned the walls of the London Underground for more than a century. Poster Art 150 - London Underground's Greatest Designs is being held at the London Transport Museum to commemorate the Tube's 150th anniversary. Sam Mullins, Director of London Transport Museum said: ‘The posters were chosen by our panel of experts from over 3,000 in our collection and is the most comprehensive poster exhibition we have ever done.' Away From It All by MEM Law was seen on the Tube in 1932. It is one of 150 that will be showcased as part of a new exhibition celebrating the poster art of the Underground . Tate Modern, by Paul Catherall, 2003 (left) and Four Times The Number Carried (right), by Theyre Lee-Elliott, 1936 . Molesey Regatta from 1928. The artist is not known but it is an interesting example of the era's emerging art styles . Winter Sales (left), by Edward McKnight Kauffer, 1921. (Right) The Lure of the Underground by Alfred Leete, 1927. The art used is often bold and unusual . The exhibition, which takes place from February 15 to October 27, features art from the first graphic poster commission in 1908 to the modern day. Visitors will be invited to vote for their favourites and the most popular poster will be revealed at the end of the exhibition. Well-known posters, including the surrealist photographer Man Ray’s ‘Keeps London Going’ pair, will feature alongside lesser-known gems. The exhibition will also offer a rare chance to view letter-press posters from the late nineteenth century. The museum added that the London Underground was, and remains, a pioneering patron of poster art. Poster Art 150, will showcase 150 of the best designs which have been chosen by an independent panel to show the range and depth of the museum’s collection. Trooping the Colour (left), by Margaret Calkin James, 1932 and Speed Underground (right), by Alan Rogers, 1930. For The Zoo Book to Regent's Park (left), by Charles Paine, 1921. (Right) Uxbridge, by Charles Paine, 1921 . Kennel Club Show, by Tom Eckersley and Eric Lombers, 1938. 150 posters, one for each year since the London Underground opened, have been chosen for the exhibition by a panel of experts . By Underground to Fresh Air (left), by Maxwell Ashby Armfield, 1915. Underground (right), year and artist not known . London 2026 AD - This Is All In The Air paints an incredible vista of how the artists of yesteryear saw the capital's future. The tall building on the left looks eerily like Canary Wharf . The exhibition will feature posters by many famous artists including Edward McKnight Kauffer and Paul Nash, and designs from each decade over the last 100 years. Poster Art 150 is a fitting exhibition to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the world’s first underground railway, as the last major Underground poster retrospective was held in 1963 to celebrate the centenary of the Underground. It focuses on six themes: . The Zoo By Floodlight, by Tom Eckersley and Eric Lombers, 1935 . The Quickest Way To The Dogs, by Alfred Leete, 1927. The iconic Underground logo is incorporated into the design of the greyhound . Eastcote by District Railway (left), by Charles Pears, was published by Underground Electric Railways . Extension Of The Piccadilly Line To Heathrow (right), by Tom Eckersley, 1971 . Olympia Motor Show, by Andre Edouard Marty, 1933 . | Poster Art 150 will feature wall art seen in Underground stations from each decade since the early 1900s . The exhibition is the first of its type since 1963 and shows the changing art styles of the last 100 years . The 150 were chosen by a panel of experts from more than 3,000 in the London Transport Museum vault . | b6c8db41af84427efbccbd72bb2c0fb70fd6e768 |
(CNN) -- Dr. Marguerite McDonald has a clear vision for helping people see better. Throughout her career, McDonald, an ophthalmologist at Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (New York), has performed several pioneering eye surgeries. In 1987, she performed the world's first excimer laser treatment, a procedure that eliminates or reduces the need for contact lenses. She used this technique in 1993 -- for the first time anywhere -- to treat farsightedness. An excimer laser is a type of laser used in eye surgeries. McDonald was also the third physician in the world to perform a procedure called conductive keratoplasty -- a noninvasive surgery for farsightedness that involves using radio-frequency energy to heat small spots around the cornea. She served as the medical monitor of clinical trials of the procedure in the United States, which led to Food and Drug Administration approval. In addition, McDonald conducted the first wavefront-based laser surgeries in the United States. Wavefront technology allows doctors to customize surgeries for individual patients. You don't know them, but these innovators may have changed your life . In September 2003, she was the first in North America to perform Epi-LASIK -- a relatively new procedure that may avoid some of the risks associated with LASIK -- in September 2003. "Along with being noted for performing the first laser vision correction procedure... (McDonald) takes an active role in advancing women's careers through mentoring," Jan Beiting, president of Ophthalmic Women Leaders, said in a statement. "She is a trailblazer in every way." Ophthalmic Women Leaders announced in 2012 that she had won the organization's Visionary Woman Award. McDonald served as the director of the Southern Vision Institute in New Orleans from 1993 to 2005. Today, she is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU School of Medicine, and an adjunct clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. Several pharmaceutical and medical device companies also use McDonald as a consultant. Mom's death inspires doctor's life's work . CNN's Edythe McNamee contributed to this report. | Marguerite McDonald performed the world's first laser vision correction surgery . She also conducted the first custom laser surgeries in the United States . Several pharmaceutical and medical device companies also use McDonald as a consultant . | 7730b8ede3c7da259f18ca2c2c5ec3222ad26b01 |
She might be a member of one of Europe's leading royal dynasties but Queen Letizia of Spain is happy to forgo most of the trappings. The 42-year-old arrived for a cancer charity event this morning on foot, having been dropped off in a nearby car park alone and without security guards. Despite the lack of frills, she was every inch the style queen in her Tyrian purple coat and fashionable aviator sunglasses. Low key: Queen Letizia arrives for a meeting held by the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Madrid . Carrying a black briefcase, the royal looked businesslike as she made her way into the meeting held by the Spanish Association Against Cancer, a charity of which she is patron. Her low key approach is yet another sign of the increasingly Scandinavian style of the Spanish monarchy, which has so far seen Felipe prioritise being seen as 'normal' over the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by his father King Juan-Carlos. His latest move came last Thursday, when he banned senior royals, including himself, his two daughters and Letizia, from accepting expensive gifts. The new rules, which also apply to Juan-Carlos and his wife Queen Sofia, come into effect on New Year's Day and are intended to avoid 'compromising the dignity of the institution'. Felipe's move comes after his father's reign was blighted by accusations of extravagance - not helped by his habit of accepting gifts that included an €18m (£14m) yacht. Alone: She was dropped off in a nearby car park ahead of the event and arrived without a security detail . Businesslike: She teamed her Tyrian purple coat with a pair of fashionable aviator sunglasses . New look: Husband King Felipe recently banned any member of the Spanish royal family from accepting gifts . Fortuna, which Juan-Carlos was forced to stop using last year in a nod to austerity, became a regular plaything of the Spanish royals, who used it during summer holidays in Mallorca. Felipe's new-look Spanish monarchy is closer in style to the Scandinavian system, which sees members of the royal family live relatively low key lifestyles. As part of his drive to modernise the institution, the 46-year-old royal also banned members of his family from working in the private sector and insisted that all must behave in an 'exemplary manner' likely to 'earn citizens' appreciation, respect and trust.' Despite boasting fewer staff and less money than their British and Spanish counterparts, the Norwegian, Danish and Swedish monarchs and their families do accept gifts, although like the British royals, most have to be declared. Transformation: King Felipe is attempting to remodel the Spanish royal family along Scandinavian lines . Change: His move comes after King Juan-Carlos' reign was blighted by accusations of extravagance . In the case of the UK royal family, gifts either become part of the Royal Collection and are displayed during the summer exhibition season or are donated to the relevant museum or institution. Although the Queen is yet to benefit from a free flight or a yacht like Juan-Carlos, she has received a number of unusual gifts on state visits, including a collection of shells, a set of lacrosse sticks, sunglasses, a pair of sandals, pineapples, eggs, a box of snail shells, a grove of maple trees, a dozen tins of of tuna and 7kg of prawns. The Queen has also been given a number of horses, among them her favourite mount, Burmese, and a series of exotic animals, including a canary, jaguars, sloths and an elephant called Jumbo, all of which were given to London Zoo. | Letizia, 42, was attending an event on behalf of a Spanish cancer charity . Was dropped off in a car park around the corner without security . Low key style characteristic of husband Felipe's new-look monarchy . Last week, banned royal family members from accepting lavish gifts . King Juan-Carlos was given a £14m yacht called Fortuna in 2000 . | 3a4f257a4257c473cdd90cad45e5d86d11cc0b5c |
By . Reuters . and Daily Mail Reporter . A New Jersey amusement park that was as famous for the many lawsuits brought against it as it was for its rides, with no fewer than six people losing their lives there and 110 people reported injuries in a single year. Since it closed in 1996, Action Park became the stuff of urban legend and nostalgia, even inspiring a documentary called 'The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever.' And as of June 14, Action Park is back, complete with a new attraction, the Zero G, which drops riders through a trapdoor and down a 100-foot-high slide, which Action Park's owners says is the tallest of its kind. Scroll down for video . Notorious: The 'most insane amusement park ever,' Action Park is back in, well, action . Nostalgia: Children of the 1980s and '90s remember Action Park with equal parts fondness and fear . 'At Action Park, it felt like you were in some crazy guy’s backyard,' Dave Schlussman, a 30-year-old from Greenpoint, told the New York Post. 'The rides defied any kind of procedure.' The rural resort drew thousands of revelers everyday from 1978 until 1996 in spite of - or maybe because of - its freewheeling reputation for danger. 'We'd race some unsuspecting guy on the Alpine Slide,' said Dana Bornstein, 44, who worked at the park as a teenager in the 1980s. 'We'd be at the bottom and see the cart come down by itself. Next thing you know, they'd be bringing the guy to first aid.' Bornstein was one of roughly 100 former employees who gathered for a reunion at the legendary water park on Saturday to celebrate its rechristening. Action Park closed in 1996 and reopened two years later as Mountain Creek. Owners decided to switch back to the original name in an attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia - some might say notoriety - of its earlier heyday. Safety first: The newly-opened Action Park adheres to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs regulations . Write caption here . One of the first waterparks in the country, Action Park opened in 1978, sometimes introducing new attractions almost as soon they were invented. 'Pretty much any backyard inventor with a crazy idea knew this was the place to try it out,' said Bill Benneyan, president of Mountain Creek Resort, which owns Action Park. One such ride was only in action for a month before it was shut down. The Cannonball Loop was a water slide with a 360-degree loop at the end. A man who claims his father built the slide told Buzzfeed that stories about dismembered crash-test dummies are completely true. 'The story about the dummies is completely true! They used the dummies to test several of the rides at the park and every time a dummy came off the ride dismembered they would try it again until it stayed in one piece, then they would pay someone to test it!' he said. Video Source Fox New York . The Cannonball Loop: The slide with it's 360-degree loop was short-lived, in action only a month before it caused too many injuries and was shut down . Fun for the whole family: Despite its safety track record, Action Park is remembered with fondness by many children of the '80s and '90s . Matt Weismantel, who worked at the park from 1979 to 1984 recounted watching operators turn on the wave pool (also known as the 'grave pool', at the time one of the first in the country, for the first time. He heard a scream and saw a woman clinging to the side of the wall, her feet above the water. 'She didn't realize that when the wave went through, there'd be nothing underneath her,' Weismantel said. The park earned a reputation for danger and six people died there from 1980 to 1987. News accounts from the New Jersey Herald in the 1980s reported hundreds of lawsuits in little more than a few years. The Alpine Slide was the site of 26 head injuries and 14 fractures in a two-year period. Executives at the newly renamed Action Park hope they can resurrect that reputation for risk without the actual danger. The Alpine Slide and a seldom-used waterslide known as the Cannonball Loop have been removed. Reporter Anna Gilligan recently took the plunge on the High Anxiety ride and lived to tell the tale . In a tour of the park on Saturday, Benneyan stressed that the state inspects rides at the beginning and end of the season, plus conducts periodic checks during the season. Some of the former employees expressed a sense of nostalgia for a time when kids and teenagers roamed free and a little bit of danger was associated with growing up. 'When you are the first to do something, you do it without regulation,' said Amy Rude, 39, who worked at the park from 1990 to 1995. 'Action Park is from a moment in time that can never happen again.' Former park employee Mike Donahan, 40, remembers seeing wipeouts on the Alpine Slide that left kids with scrapes severe enough to require a trip to the first-aid office but not immobilizing enough to keep them from soon returning to the same ride. 'They'd be bleeding and jump right into the pools,' he said. 'I don't even know how much chlorine they put in the pool.' | Action Park re-opened on June 15 . It was closed in 1996 amid personal injury lawsuits after six people died and countless were injured there . A documentary was made about it called 'The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever' The park includes some old favorites as well as brand-new rides . | a9ff24d2985d897c27c3661a60dbbbb17ec0593a |
A self-styled Islamist preacher accused of beating and torturing his 5-year-old daughter to death was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison and 600 lashes, and was ordered to pay "blood money" to the girl's mother, according to an official with a government-backed human rights body. A Saudi court in the town of Hawta found Fayhan al-Ghamdi guilty on Monday, Mohammed Almadi of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission told CNN. Read more: Small protests have big impact in Saudi Arabia . "The girl's mother ceded her original request to sentence the father to death," explained Almadi, citing a lawyer for his group who was in the courtroom. "She has since asked for the father to pay her blood money instead, which is her right in the Saudi legal system." CNN was unable to reach Saudi Arabia's Justice Ministry for comment. Al-Ghamdi's daughter, Lama, was admitted to King Saud Hospital in Riyadh in March 2012 after suffering extensive injuries, including broken ribs, a crushed skull, bruising and burns. Family, activists and officials say she died of her wounds in late October last year. The case caused international outrage once it made headlines in February. "My dear child is dead, and all I want now is justice so I can close my eyes and know she didn't die in vain," the mother, Syeda Mohammed Ali, told CNN in February. "She was brutally tortured in the most shocking ways." Ali, who is divorced from al-Ghamdi, said Lama's torture occurred while she was staying with her father. She added that al-Ghamdi is now remarried with two more children. Activists say al-Ghamdi is an Islamist evangelist popular in Saudi Arabia for his televised appearances and for speaking on air about the rewards of repenting to God. But they also say he only fancies himself a cleric and is not recognized by the clerical establishment. In a conservative country where the death penalty is common, Saudi social media users were quick to express disgust at the news. "What kind of verdict is this?" tweeted one. "This is not justice," tweeted another. Some pointed out what they called a travesty -- that killing Lama garnered al-Ghamdi a punishment similar to that received by a Saudi activist, Raif Badawi, who was recently sentenced to seven years in jail and 600 lashes. Badawi was convicted of violating the nation's anti-cybercrime law by running an unauthorized Web forum. "This guy, who tortured and killed his daughter, he gets eight years in jail and 600 lashes? You gotta be kidding me -- it's just a joke," said Manal Al-Sharif, a prominent Saudi women's rights activist. Saudi Twitter users expressed anger by comparing al-Ghamdi's verdict to another recent Saudi case -- one in which it was reported that four Saudi men accused of dancing naked on the roof of a car and posting a video of the incident online were sentenced to as many as 2,000 lashes and up to 10 years in prison, as well as being fined thousands of dollars. "Somebody who kills his daughter gets eight years in prison but somebody who pulls down their underwear gets 10 years in jail!" wrote one. Opinion: America, the Saudi Arabia of tomorrow . Attempts to reach al-Ghamdi and his lawyer via activists and government officials have been unsuccessful. "It was a very hideous crime. If you look at the pictures of the girl in the hospital, unconscious for eight months before she passed away ... Saudi society never seen anything as ugly as that," al-Sharif said. Several activists and numerous local media had reported that Lama was also raped, but her mother denied that happened. Ali said that Lama's father was concerned about the virginity of his 5-year-old daughter. "The father confessed to the abuse, the beating and torturing Lama in the most obnoxious manners," she said last February. One thing she said he did was to burn Lama's rectum. "These are not some unfounded accusations, but everything is based on the medical examination by the hospital and the team of physicians who treated Lama when she was first admitted," she said. | Sentencing is met with disgust among Saudi social media users . Fayhan al-Ghamdi is found guilty of torturing his daughter, a human-rights official says . "The girl's mother ceded her original request to sentence the father to death," the official says . The girl suffered broken ribs, a crushed skull, bruising and burns, a hospital says . | b0b4bdfd5192d64f74953687de12111f43f3eef6 |
By . Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 03:55 EST, 19 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:35 EST, 19 July 2013 . Like any thoughtful citizen, Tracey Hayes always stops to pick up stray crisp packets and sweet wrappers in her local park without expecting any thanks. But when she paused to brush away some excess fur from her two dogs while she was walking there, the jobsworths pounced – and handed her a £50 fine for littering. Two council wardens told Mrs Hayes, 46, she had committed an offence after they spotted her brushing her golden retriever Biskit and German shepherd Rocky. Tracey Hayes brushed the coats of golden retriever Biskit and German shepherd Rocky in a Hornchurch park but was fined £50 by council wardens for littering . It was one of the hottest days of the year, and grooming her pets helped to cool them down. Mrs Hayes says she was then prevented . from clearing up the hair and claims the two officers drove off without . clearing it up themselves. The mother-of-two from Romford in . Essex said: ‘I spend so much time cleaning up litter in parks the fact . that I have now been given a fine is ironic – they never see you do any . good stuff. ‘I always leave the dogs’ hair out in my garden for the birds and I haven’t met a single person to say anything against it.’ Mrs Hayes, pictured with Rocky, said she always leaves dog hair out in her garden in Romford for the birds . The incident unfolded when Mrs Hayes was waiting for her son to finish football practice at Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch. She claims the park wardens pulled in . front of her car as she tried to leave. She says one ‘blocked’ her car . door to stop her getting out to clear up the hair as his colleague took a . photograph of the evidence. Mrs Hayes said: ‘I have owned dogs for over . ten years and have never heard of such a law. Paula Robson was fined by council wardens in County Durham for clearing up another dog's mess instead of her labrador Derik's - even though she cleaned that up too . Tracey Hayes is not the first victim of over-zealous council officials. Earlier this week it emerged a woman was fined £75 after she fed a piece of pastry from a pasty to a pigeon and then binned the packet in Bolton town centre. The council has since backed down over the fine. In 2009, Vanessa Kelly, 26, was fined £75 for feeding bread to ducks with her toddler in Smethwick, West Midlands. The year before, Sarah Davies was issued with a £75 fine for dropping a piece of sausage roll while feeding it to her young daughter. A judge hearing her appeal in Hull later threw the case out. ‘I can’t deny it wasn’t a lot of hair, but it looked far worse when it was all spread out. ‘What has disappointed me most was he . was going to give me that fine no matter what – even though I offered . to clear it up.’ Mrs Hayes said the park officers then sped off without . binning the hair, which she put in her car to throw away at home. She . added: ‘Obviously this was all about the money and not cleaning up the . environment.’ Yesterday councillor Andrew Curtin of . Havering Council said: ‘Responsible dog owners groom their pets at home . or in their garden, not in public spaces, and especially not in our . parks. ‘We put a lot of time and effort into . keeping our parks clean. Littering anywhere in the borough incurs a . fine, whether it’s a single cigarette butt or clumps of dog hairs in a . public space.’ | Tracey Hayes was spotted grooming her pets by Havering council wardens . She claims they blocked her car door to stop her from cleaning the hair up . The wardens took photographs and handed her the on-the-spot penalty . Mrs Hayes said she leaves dogs' hair out in her own garden for the birds . | 1bb67f59aa018c98cf86adc12b2813c0bb516f4f |
(CNN) -- From supermarkets to the office supply store, it's hard to miss those tiny bottles of 5-hour Energy. The makers of 5-Hour Energy call it a "no-nonsense drink." "It would be easier for me to tell you where we didn't sell them in the U.S. than list all the places we do," said Carl Sperber, spokesman for Living Essentials, the Detroit, Michigan-based manufacturer of 5-hour Energy shot. The small, shot-glass size bottles promise to provide energy and alertness without jitters to fatigued Americans. Unlike other popular energy drinks that market to college students, 5-Hour Energy's audience is multitasking, working professionals. The market demand has skyrocketed since the product hit store shelves in 2004. The company expects to move more than 350 million shots this year, Sperber said, up from 174 million in 2008. "This is a no-nonsense drink," Sperber said. "It is not a fashion statement. It doesn't have a cool name; it is just a simple grab-and-go product to help busy adults when they can't afford a letdown." Each 2-ounce bottle contains zero grams of sugar, 4 calories and about the same amount of caffeine as a small coffee. It also contains about a dozen ingredients that are broken down into B vitamins (B3, B6, B9, B12) and what the manufacturer lists as an "energy blend." But don't expect superhuman results, one expert said. "The B vitamins are given at extraordinarily high levels, and people need to know they are not some magic potion that's going to immediately raise your energy level," said Dr. Brent Bauer, Mayo Clinic director of complementary and integrative medicine. "There is no data that show that." The overall health impact of the shots' energy blend is a little fuzzy, according to some experts, because little data has been collected about the effectiveness or safety of the natural compounds. The blend contains: citicoline, tyrosine, phenylalanine, taurine, malic acid, glucuronolactone and caffeine. Phenylalanine, taurine, tyrosine are all amino acids our bodies naturally produce. Malic acid is a natural chemical substance found in food. Glucuronolactone is a byproduct of glucose produced in the liver. Citicoline is a natural compound that produces a chemical in the brain. "These energy shots have over a dozen ingredients all together, and consumers are ingesting them at very high doses but there is no research of how the ingredients react all together," Bauer said. "It's plausible if you put these 12 things together you will get a good result but it's also possible for them to cause major interactions to medications, or have a negative impact on the liver or kidney. We just don't know at this point." Watch Dr. Gupta talk about the the safety of 5-hour Energy » . Consumers of 5-hour Energy probably won't ever drink enough shots to reach toxic levels of the B vitamins, experts said, but side effects can occur. The maker notes on its Web site the potential "niacin flush reaction" from vitamin B3. It would be noticeable but temporary, one expert said. "If you have too much B3 it can cause tingling in your whole body. You will turn red, flush, but it would only last for about 30 minutes," said Jim White, spokesman for the American Dietetic Association. "Research also shows high doses of vitamin B6 can cause nerve spasm, also temporary trouble with muscle coordination." 5-hour Energy's spokesman says that his company doesn't have safety data on the specific blend of ingredients in its product, but believes that side effects are "rare." "None of our ingredients are synthetic drugs," Sperber said. 5-hour Energy also advises consumers to check with their health care provider before taking the booster. Medical experts acknowledged that if taken modestly, the products are unlikely to have a negative impact on health. "In moderation, it can give you energy. But the problem is people drink coffee, then take these energy shots, then down Red Bull, take Hydroxycut, and it is just too much in the body at one time," White said. The makers of 5-hour Energy agree. "There is no law against stupidity and there is always that person out there that is going to push the envelope and consume too many of them or combine our product with others, but we can't really control that," Sperber said. | 5-Hour Energy promises energy, alertness without jitters to fatigued Americans . Each bottle contains caffeine, high doses of B vitamins, and "energy blend" Expert: No research of how the ingredients react together . | 299248d61d1de0a1e9d28c3ea6234f0e721322b4 |
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Colombia's FARC guerrilla group has released an American hostage who spent more than four months in captivity, officials said Sunday. The leftist rebels captured Kevin Scott Sutay on June 20, when he was backpacking through Colombia. He was released to representatives from the Red Cross, Cuba and Norway in a rural area of southeastern Colombia, then handed over to U.S. officials Sunday morning at Bogota's airport, the governments of Cuba and Norway said in a statement. Sutay's case drew attention from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who pushed for his release during a trip last month to Cuba. Sutay served in the U.S. Army from November 2009 to March 2013, including a year-long tour in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Defense Department. He is from Willow Spring, North Carolina, and has won a number of awards, including an Army Commendation Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. The Pentagon lists his rank as private. "The United States is profoundly grateful to the Government of Colombia and commends its tireless efforts to secure his release," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement Sunday. "We offer special thanks to President Juan Manuel Santos for his assistance. We also appreciate the contributions of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Governments of Norway and Cuba in securing Mr. Sutay's freedom." The FARC, Latin America's oldest guerrilla force, is currently engaged in peace talks with the Colombian government. In July, the group said it would release Sutay in a "gesture" to advance the talks. Norway and Cuba are helping to mediate the talks, which are taking place in Havana. The FARC, whose name in Spanish means the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, began fighting Colombia's government in the 1960s. There have been sporadic peace talks between the rebels and the government since the 1980s. The last attempt failed in 2002. Kidnapping government forces and civilians has been a key strategy of the rebel group. Last year, the rebels said they would release government prisoners and stop kidnapping civilians for money. The rebels did not address the fate of its civilian captives then, nor did it renounce kidnapping for political purposes. Dramatic rescues, escapes and hostage handovers have revealed harsh conditions in jungle camps, including stories of prisoners chained to trees, grueling marches between hideouts, torrential rain and blistering sun. After taking Sutay hostage, the FARC described him as a mercenary. But despite Sutay's military background, Jackson said last month that the Army veteran had peaceful motives for visiting Colombia. "The fact is, he is a tourist," Jackson said. On Sunday, an International Committee of the Red Cross doctor said Sutay was in good physical condition to travel. Officials said he would reunite with his family soon. Freed Colombian hostages carry pets tamed in the jungle . CNN's Patrick Oppmann reported from Havana. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta. CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report. | NEW: Red Cross: Kevin Scott Sutay is in good physical condition to travel . Sutay was released and handed over to U.S. representatives in Bogota . FARC guerrillas kidnapped Sutay on June 20 . His case drew attention from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who pushed for his release . | 38543de967a1ea9e5090feff838f316a714a88c4 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 06:55 EST, 11 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:00 EST, 11 September 2012 . No show: Xi Jinping has failed to turn up to scheduled appearances . China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping has set off a storm of rumours after cancelling several meetings and failing to turn up at scheduled public events for over a week. A source close to the Beijing leadership now claim 59-year-old Vice President Xi is ‘unwell’ after hurting his back during his daily swim. Xi Jinping called off several meetings with visiting foreign leaders and dignitaries over the past week, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Denmark. Despite the rumours of ill health the Chinese government has declined to give an official explanation to the absence of Xi, who is due to take over the presidency in March next year. The silence is in keeping with decades of official secrecy over the health of senior leaders, a tradition viewed in the West as incompatible with China's position as a progressively modern state and emerging superpower. When Xi’s absence was first notice a source claimed: ‘Xi injured his back when he went for his daily swim,’ but the source declined to give further details on the injury, including exactly when and where the incident took place. Another source, citing people close to Xi, said: ‘He's unwell, but it's not a big problem.’ On Tuesday, the foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei was asked whether Xi is in good health, but only said he had no information to give, and declined to . answer further questions on the matter. The lack of official explanation has . fuelled Internet speculation surrounding Xi's condition. Absent: Speculation about the future Chinese leader's whereabouts were rife after Xi cancelled his meeting with Hilary Clinton . China's popular Twitter-like microblogging site Sina Weibo blocked searches for Xi's name, as is common with top leaders, but users as usual found ways to skirt the restrictions, referring to Xi as 'the crown prince'. ‘What's up with the crown prince? He's vanished for the last 10 days or so and the whole world is wondering where he is,’ wrote one user. Xi had been scheduled to meet visiting Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt on Monday afternoon for a photo opportunity, but the event did not take place. However, Thorning-Schmidt said that a meeting with Xi had never been on her schedule for her visit. ‘I think there has been a slight misunderstanding,’ she told Reuters. ‘I would, of course, very much like to see him [Xi] and I think I will see him at some stage, perhaps on my next visit to China, but he was never in my programme which we released on Friday, so there shouldn't be anything new in my not seeing him.’ Prime time miss: Danish PM Helle Thoring-Schmidt and Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong were both originally scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping during their visits . The foreign ministry's website shows Xi's most recent public appearance was at a ceremony at the ruling Communist Party's Central Party School in Beijing on September 1. The rumours about Xi come at a tempestuous time for Chinese politics. The 18th Communist Party Congress, at which China's next top leaders including Xi are likely to be unveiled, is set to take place in October. Earlier this year, senior politician Bo Xilai, once seen as a candidate for the top rung of party leadership, was suspended from the Politburo and his wife convicted of murdering a British businessman. The wife, Gu Kailai, was given a suspended death sentence last month. In another scandal this month, a senior ally of President Hu Jintao was demoted after sources said the ally's son was involved in a deadly crash involving a luxury sports car. Last year, the official Xinhua news agency was forced to come out with a one-line statement in English denying former President Jiang Zemin had died, following feverish online speculation and a report from a Hong Kong television station. | Vice President have not been seen since September 1 . Failed to meet Hilary Clinton and the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Denmark . Beijing sources claim he injured his back during his daily swim . | 63d4d36ec77f3e956762572080907ad1562a9ac9 |
By . Daily Mail . PUBLISHED: . 18:34 EST, 15 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:34 EST, 15 January 2013 . The city of Chicago claims to be dealing with a feathery problem by deporting scores of pigeons to Indiana. Social worker Steffeny Smith told CBS Chicago how she witnessed two men netting a group of around 70 birds from her office window last Friday. The catchers told Smith they were taking the pigeons to a farm in Indiana, a claim which has been confirmed by a local politician. But no further details are forthcoming. Chicago social worker Steffeny Smith was disturbed by what she witnessed from her office window. Two men trapped 70 pigeons in a large net and then told her they were taking them to Indiana . Smith was shocked and disturbed by what she saw in the Uptown neighborhood of the city, as the trapped birds were clearly in distress. The woman told CBS: 'I threw the window open because I was really triggered by it, it was just so horrifying. 'You could hear the pigeons crying. They were like smashed into the ground,' Smith added. But when she went down to question the men she was surprised by their answer. 'He said they're carrying them off to Indiana,' Smith explains. 'You've got to be kidding me. You really are telling me that I'm supposed to believe that? Like, really?,' she explained with large degree of skepticism. Pigeons have long been a nuisance to the residents of Chicago . Chicago Alderman James Cappleman verified the claim that the pigeons were being relocated. 'An Indiana farmer contacted us and offered to capture and take pigeons to his farm. He wanted them alive,' said the statement from his office . Despite Smith's disbelief, the pigeon 'relocation' was backed up by a local politician. James Cappleman, Aldermann for Chicago's 46th ward, has already expressed his wish to remove some of the birds from the city's streets. In May 2012, he was assaulted by a local resident known as 'Pigeon Lady' when he tried to sweep away the breadcrumbs she had left for the birds. In December he proposed fines of up to $1,000 for persistent pigeon feeders in the area. And this week Aldermann took responsibility for the physical capture and removal of the birds to the neighboring state. 'An Indiana farmer contacted us and offered to capture and take pigeons to his farm,' Cappleman spokeswoman Tressa Feher said. 'He wanted them alive.' Other than the fact that the farmer in question had visited Chicago four times, this is all Aldermann's office were prepared to say. Smith was shocked by the episode. 'It was so bizarre and so disturbing, it couldn’t even compute to me,' she told CBS. But there's very little in the way of legal pigeon protection. The state of Illinois classifies pigeons as a nuisance. As such, the birds are not protected by any laws, so these 'removals' may continue for some time. A sign in Chicago makes the pigeon problem clear . | City social worker disturbed by seeing two men catch 70 pigeons in a large net outside her office window . They claim the birds are being sent to Indiana and Chicago Alderman says an Indiana farmer requested the unwanted pigeons . | 8680e8ac12f3e64ec59aa26654e06c25dfae6e1c |
Staying healthy has become a national obsession – certainly if our reading habits are anything to go by. Last year, Britons spent a staggering £47.4 million on health-related books in a bid to shed our muffin tops, relieve what ails us, and render us less stressed. While nearly every other area of publishing shrinks, this is one sector still doing roaring business. Read yourself healthy: CAROLINE SANDERSON, associate editor at The Bookseller, (not pictured) reviews her top-five health books 2014 . Sales this year are expected to continue to grow. Perhaps wearying of unrealistic fitness regimes, we are disciplining ourselves instead with The Fast Diet and The 5:2 Diet (two of the biggest sellers for a second year running), increasingly going sour on sugar, as recommended by the World Health Organisation, and juicing every last nutrient out of everything from blueberries to Brussels sprouts. As an associate editor at The Bookseller, I get an early peek at some truly useful, life-enhancing books which don’t necessarily subscribe to the latest craze. These are five of my best from 2014... Later! A Guide to Parenting a Young Adult by Gill Hines and Alison Baverstock . (Piatkus, £14.99) There are dozens of books on bringing up a baby or training your toddler, but almost nothing on young adults. With my firstborn fast approaching 17, I was delighted to see this one. Amid helpful case histories and thought-provoking exercises, there is a great deal of sensible advice on such contentious topics as career paths, first love and the Hotel of Mum and Dad. It gently reassured me too that my lovely son is not the recluse I was worried he might be. Helpful tomes: Later! A Guide to Parenting a Young Adult and We Need to Talk About Grief : How to Be a Friend to the One Who’s Left Behind . We Need to Talk About Grief : How to Be a Friend to the One Who’s Left Behind by Annie Broadbent . (Piatkus, £12.99) After my father died of cancer last December, I’ve been thinking a lot about what has helped. Thousands of people find themselves in the same situation, yet I have found few books that truly articulate the kind of feelings which rise up. Then I fell upon the compassionate approach of someone who lost her mother to cancer. Annie combines candid first-person stories of bereavement with sensible and sensitive advice underno-nonsense headings. She also makes a heartfelt plea for thosewho would rather cross the road than speak to a bereaved friend toget to grips with death, which is something I feel needs to be said. The Mount Athos Diet by Richard Storey, Sue Todd and Lottie Storey . (Vermilion, £10.99) I am suspicious of diets which claim to be both effective and delicious, but the recipes in The Mount Athos Diet, based on a typical Mediterranean peasant diet (vegetables, pulses, fruit, nuts,wholegrains and olive oil) have enticed me to try them from next month. The method involves fasting for three days, eating moderately for three and feasting on the seventh. The monks of Mount Athos are among the healthiest people in the world. Food and beauty: The Mount Athos Diet and French Women Don’t Get Facelifts . Don't forget: Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything . French Women Don’t Get Facelifts by Mireille Guiliano . (Doubleday, £14.99) The trendy idea that nobody does it better than the French is a galling one. But in this book Mireille Guiliano, who takes her mantra from Coco Chanel (‘no one is young over 40, but one can be irresistible at any age’),shares her knowledge on ageing with a style and attitude that is indeed hard to resist. She covers everything from hair and shoes (the two biggest ‘tells’, apparently) to proper breathing, and the benefits of going to bed an hour earlier twice a week when you’re aged over 50. And Botox? Just say non! Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything by Sally Magnusson . (Two Roads, £16.99) Sadly, dementia has been a dominant theme among the bestselling books on illness this year. Sally Magnusson’s is a personal and humane approach to the distress and challenges of the condition,but also a call for us to reconsider how we look after society’s most fragile. I’m also pressing everyone to read Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine And What Matters In The End by Atul Gawande. | CAROLINE SANDERSON reviews her top-five health books 2014 . Book reviews cover diets, mental health, family and . | a27151eb506dfca65e242e7d77e65166c4094494 |
By . Victoria Woollaston . Concept images of Apple's Cupertino headquarters only reveal one part of a story which began in 2011 when co-founder Steve Jobs laid down plans for a futuristic new campus. During an interview with Architectural Record, chief architect Sir Norman Foster gave an additional insight into how Apple's 'spaceship' will be built - as well as the inspiration behind its circular and 'organic' design. This includes cars being 'banished and buried' in underground car parks, tarmac being replaced by greenery and windows that stretch the full height of the four-storey main building that slide open. Scroll down for video . During an interview with Architectural Record, chief architect Norman Foster gave an insight into how Apple's 'spaceship' headquarters in Cupertino, illustration pictured, will be built - as well as the inspiration behind the circular design of the main building on the 175-acre site. Work is expected to be completed in 2016 . He also revealed that there will be room for 1,000 bikes and the tricks he is using to make the giant campus seem compact. 'It's interesting how it evolved,' explained Foster. 'First of all, there was a smaller site. Then, as the project developed, and the Hewlett-Packard site became available, the scale of the project changed. The reference point for Steve [Jobs] was always the large space on the Stanford campus - the Main Quad - which Steve knew intimately. He would reminisce about the time when he was young, and California was still the fruit bowl of the United States. It was still orchards.' With this in mind, Foster said he wanted to add a series of 'organic segments' to the Cupertino building - nicknamed . the Apple spaceship because of its vast circular shape that covers 175-acre and features a man-made forest of more than 7,000 trees. He also wanted the circular building to surround a private space in the centre, designed to replicate the California landscape, and mimic the orchards that Jobs remembered fondly. As a result, Foster told Architectural Record: 'The car would visually be banished, and tarmac would be replaced by greenery, and car parks by jogging and bicycle trails.' The ring-shaped structure was Jobs’ brainchild, yet after his death British designer Jony Ive took the . project on with the help of Sir Foster, and the local council approved their ambitious plans last year. Foster said he wanted to add a series of 'organic segments' to the Cupertino building because co-founder Steve Jobs wanted the circular building to surround a private space in the centre, designed to replicate the California landscape, and mimic the orchards that Jobs remembered fondly as a child. The plans feature underground parking hidden from view, illustration pictured. Sir Foster told Architectural Record: 'The car would visually be banished, and tarmac would be replaced by greenery' During his initial proposals, Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs said he wanted the building to be covered in 40ft floor-to-ceiling panes of curved glass so that all of the building's four storeys would be visible from the outside and offer a large amount of natural light, pictured. Sir Foster said these glass panels 'can literally move sideways and just open up into the landscape' to make the building seem more open . This room-sized mock-up of the planned new Apple headquarters in Cupertino was released in November last year before executives submitted their final plans to the council . Apple's Campus 2 was designed by Sir Norman Foster, pictured, and his firm Foster and Partners. The architectural experts also designed Wembley Stadium, London City Hall and The Gherkin . When Jobs first submitted the plans . back in 2011 the campus was billed as 'the best office building in the . world'. It has taken since then to get approval from the local council . and its likely the campus won't be completed until 2016. Reports . in April 2013 claimed the project had already exceeded its budget by . around $2 billion (£1.32bn), pushing the total cost up to around $5 . billion (£3.14 billion) and putting it a year behind schedule. Earlier . this year Apple was asked to submit new plans with updated landscaping . designed, a slightly revised floor layout, renderings, and a bicycle . plan, however the overall main design wasn't changed. Under these . updated plans, the campus was renamed Apple Campus 2. Appearing as a giant saucer, the Silicon Valley site near the 280 Highway will be home to 13,000 Apple employees. When asked how these employees will make their way around the huge campus, Sir Foster said: 'The proximity, the adjacencies are very, very carefully considered. 'Remember also that the scale is broken down by cafes and lobbies and entrances. You have four-storey-high glass walls, which can literally move . sideways and just open up into the landscape. So the social facilities . break down the scale.' Sir . Foster added there will also be jogging and cycling trails, with . more than a thousand bikes kept on site at all times, which staff can . use to make their way around. The . Spaceship will have 360-degree curved glass fronted walls and central . courtyard as well as a 1,000-seater auditorium, a gym and 300,000 square . feet of 'research' space. Apple Campus 2 will additionally have . underground parking hidden from view, meaning 80 per cent of the site . can be covered in trees. The site was previously owned by Hewlett Packard and the majority of the area is currently covered in asphalt. The . new images also show access roads that lead into tunnels that take cars . into the underground car park. They also show the parts of the car park . that will be on show pictured covered in plants and greenery to help it . blend in with the natural surroundings. This image shows the Apple Campus 2 from above. The site will be surrounded by a man-made forest featuring 7,000 trees. It was previously owned by Hewlett Packard and is currently covered in around 80 per cent asphalt . Among the 7,000 trees that will be planted around the campus, the firm intends to plant species that blossom at different times of the year. This includes apple trees, as well as cherry blossoms, plum trees and other fruit trees and bushes similar to the ones pictured . Inside the third-of-a-mile wide building will be 1,000-seater auditorium where Apple's CEO Tim Cook will present the company's keynotes ahead of product launches, for example. This auditorium will be covered with a circular glass pavilion, pictured, that will also be an access point for employees and guests . Elsewhere . underground, the auditorium will be where Apple's CEO Tim Cook will . present the companies keynotes ahead of product launches, for example. This auditorium will be covered with a circular glass pavilion that will . also be an access point for employees and guests. Natural gas will, primarily, provide . the building's power and the local energy grid will only be accessed in . emergencies. The glass structure will also be fitted with solar panels. ‘You see the energy and the love and . the attention to detail that we've put into this,’ said Apple CFO Peter . Oppenheimer at an unveiling of the top secret spaceship plans. ‘We have treated this project just as . we would any Apple product. And this will be a place for the most . creative and collaborative teams in the industry to innovate for decades . to come.’ The circular, four-storey building will be around a mile in circumference and a third of a mile wide and was recently described by the San Fransisco Weekly as a ‘massive glass doughnut’. The . building stays eco-friendly with natural ventilation that works instead . of air-conditioning for 70 per cent of the year, low energy LED . lighting where natural light doesn’t reach, and on-site recycling. Much of the inside of the futuristic building will also be made of glass with stone-coloured walls to add to the building's natural-looking design, pictured. The 175-acre Silicon Valley site near the 280 Highway will house 13,000 staff . Not all of the parking spaces will be hidden. The parts of the multi-storey car park that will be on show, according to this latest image from Apple, will be covered in plants and greenery to help the concrete structure blend in . ‘This will be one of the most environmentally sustainable developments on this scale anywhere in the world,'’ said Apple’s Whisenhunt. In the centre will be an enclosed . arboretum and orchard complete with thousands of fruit, oak, and olive . trees according to the San Jose Mercury-News. ‘We . love California, and by adding over 2,500 new and indigenous trees that . truly belong here,’ Oppenheimer said, ‘we're bringing back the . beautiful orchards that once made up this valley.’ Campus . 2 was designed by Sir Foster's firm Foster and Partners. The . architectural experts also designed Wembley Stadium, London City Hall . and The Gherkin. 'The . concept of the building,' Oppenheimer said, 'is collaboration and . fluidity. It'll provide a very open-spaced system, so that at one point . in the day you may be in offices on one side of the circle and find . yourself on the other side later that day.' Apple has also factored in a 90,000-square-foot cafeteria, part of which is pictured. It will cover at least two storeys of the predominantly glass building and will feature oak tables and chairs . The cafeteria will also feature an outside dining and picnic area, pictured. Apple's Campus 2 additionally comes with a fitness centre in the northern part of the building . Apple’s . current office building at 1 Infinite Loop will remain and the new . offices down the road will be built in addition to the current . offices, which house around 2,600 workers. When Jobs first presented the plans in 2011, he said his firm was 'growing like a weed.’ 'We . do have a shot at building the best office building in the world,’ he . said. ‘I really do think architecture students will come here to see . this.' Employees will additionally be given a 90,000-square-foot cafeteria that connects to an outside dining and picnic area. This will be a short work from the fitness centre in the north of the building. | Apple founder Steve Jobs originally submitted the application for the Cupertino headquarters back in 2011 . The campus will be a mile in circumference, feature glass . walls and solar panels and cover 175 acres . In an interview with Architectural Record, Sir Norman Foster gave an insight into how the 'spaceship' will be built . He said cars will be 'banished and buried' in an underground car park and tarmac will be replaced with greenery . Glass walls the height of the building will slide open, and cafes and restaurants will help break up the vast scale . More than 1,000 bikes will be kept on site to help staff make their way around the circular campus . Apple plans to build it in Cupertino in California and it will be surrounded by a man-made forest of 7,000 trees . The 'organic' nature of the site was inspired by Steve Jobs and his memories of California as he was growing up . It is expected that the building will be completed by 2016 at the earliest . | 72967e5f139327541112ffc37af15287b1abe048 |
By . Ryan Gorman . PUBLISHED: . 10:37 EST, 29 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:40 EST, 29 October 2013 . A former schools administrator was sent to federal prison Monday for sending thousands of sexts to teen boys. Mark Kandel, 53, of Scranton, PA., was sentenced to 14 ½ years behind bars as part of a plea deal agreed to earlier this year. Once freed, he will have to register as a sex offender. In court, the depraved man’s daughter accused him of even going after her friends – this after he already served a 90-day house arrest in 2008 for providing alcohol to minors. The jig is up: Mark Kandel enters court to plead guilty to sexting minors . The former Scranton school director and board member was initially arrested last November after two teenage boys accused him of sending them lewd text messages, according to WNEP. Investigators eventually charged Mr Kandel with five counts of online enticement of teenage boys, but said they could have proved in court he sexted at least 17 boys, WBRE reported. Facing as much as 50 years in prison, Mr Kandel agreed to plead guilty to one count this past June. He admitted to contacting multiple minors via Facebook and text message, sending over 13,000 messages in total, reports said. The disgraced former mentor called his actions ‘inexcusable’ Monday in court before learning he would be locked up until he is 70-years-old, according to reports. 'I take full responsibility for my inappropriate behavior,' Mr Kandel said. 'I have fallen as low as a person can fall.' Take him away boys!: The admitted pervert is hauled of to prison . ‘It was a difficult day for everybody but I know Mark is glad it's over,’ defense attorney Frank Santomauro said outside the court after the sentencing. ‘This court knows Mark is not a monster,’ the lawyer added. ‘He's got a life, he's got a family. He just went down the wrong path.’ Mr Kandel’s daughter saw things differently, calling him the ‘epitome of selfishness’ prior to his sentencing. She said the sexual predator lived a double life and went after her friends. 'This man, who I'm now ashamed to call my father, went after my own friends,' she said, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. In 2008, Mr Kandel served a 90-day house arrest after admitting to providing minors with alcohol, said reports. His daughter said he because a different man from that point forward, a ‘stranger to them’ that was glued to his phone every night. Despite losing his family, job and reputation, Mr Kandel told the judge he wants to positively contribute to society when he leaves prison, reports said. ‘He's a bright guy and again, we just sometimes go a-stray,’ his lawyer said. ‘He's going to overcome it.’ | Mark Kandel was a director with the Scranton school district . He pleaded guilty to sexting five boys, but may sent explicit messages as many as 17 teens . His daughter accused him of going after her friends . | d0a2581ca0e8c84e2ccf9f813ee05e51d15c02dc |
By . John Stevens and Emily Allen . PUBLISHED: . 13:50 EST, 17 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:18 EST, 18 September 2012 . Tangled: Lydia Bishop was pronounced dead in . hospital after she suffered serious injuries in the play area at . York College Nursery, York . A three-year-old girl died after becoming tangled in ropes on playground equipment on her first day at her nursery, it has been revealed. Lydia Bishop was pronounced dead in hospital after she suffered serious injuries in the play area at the £42-a-day York College Nursery, York, yesterday afternoon. Police have confirmed it was the girl's first day at nursery. She is thought to have used a 5ft metal slide at the college’s nursery and then become stuck on the ropes that were part of another piece of equipment. It is not known whether she fell from the slide onto the ropes. Det Chief Insp Nigel Costello said a . full investigation was now underway at the nursery to establish how the . accident happened and if it could have been prevented. The nursery is to remain shut until at least early next week. Parents of other children who attend the nursery paid tribute as they arrived to lay flowers. Mother-of-two Claire Gibb, 36, a marketing officer whose two children have been attending the nursery since March, said: 'It's an amazing place. I always felt at ease leaving my kids here. 'I've noticed that whenever there were kids playing on the slide there was . always somebody supervising it. 'I can't imagine what the little girl's parents are going through right now. My heart to their whole family.' Another mother, Rebecca Thompson, 40, also laid flowers and a card, reading: 'To a lovely little girl, rest with the angels'. She said her three-year-old son had only been going to the nursery for a week and she believed it was the little girl's first day there when tragedy struck. 'It is so sad, it doesn't even bear thinking about, everyone expects to pick their child up from nursery don't they?' Investigation: Inspectors walk around the playground this morning following the tragedy yesterday at York College's nursery in York. The 5ft tall metal slide can be seen in the foreground . The nursery cares for the children of students at the college and provides work placements for students . Inspectors were at the scene today taking photographs of the slide and a black rope that appeared to be tied around the side of it. The City of York Safeguarding Children Board's (CYSCB) Manager, Joe Cocker, released a statement announcing a major review into the incident was taking place. He said: 'A multi-agency investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of this young child is underway, involving the police, City of York Safeguarding Children Board (CYSCB), Ofsted and the Health & Safety Executive. The slide the little girl is thought to have used, with cord wrapped around the top . 'The CYSCB is working closely with partners to coordinate the enquiries of the various agencies in order to understand what happened and why it happened. 'Most importantly, at this stage, there is a need to ensure that support is provided to the family, the families of children who attend the nursery and the nursery staff. 'The investigation is at a very early stage and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.' In a statement the college said it was . 'devastated' and said it was doing all it could to help the authorities . with their investigation into the tragedy. North Yorkshire Police said they did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances. The . scene was last night cordoned off while officers investigated the . incident and Ofsted and the Health and Safety Executive were informed. Officers were called to the area on Sim Balk Lane at around 2.35pm yesterday by the ambulance service. The college said in a statement: 'York . College is absolutely devastated at the news of the very sad death of a . child, following a tragic incident at the York College Nursery. Police officers stand guard at the scene of the accident in York, where a little girl died after suffering serious injuries in a playground . 'Our thoughts are with the child’s family and the children, families and staff at York College Nursery. 'Currently, York College staff are helping the emergency services with their enquiries and the nursery is closed today. Parents have been informed and will be kept updated with any further developments.' A spokesman for the City of York . Council said: 'All relevant agencies are aware and will be working . together over the next few days. 'Our thoughts are with the family of the child and staff at the nursery.' The . police spokesman said: ‘At this stage, police do not believe there are . any suspicious circumstances and it appears that the girl has become . entangled in a piece of play equipment. ‘The . police are carrying out an investigation into the incident to establish . exactly what happened and would like anyone who was in the area at the . time to contact them.’ The scene has been cordoned off while officers investigate the incident. Ofsted and the Health and Safety Executive have been informed . Lydia was attending York College’s nursery, which offers day-care for 112 children aged six weeks to five years. As well as caring for children of the college’s students, aged between 16 and 19, it also provides work placements – although the nursery’s website states that students on such placements are never left unsupervised with children. Ofsted inspectors said the nursery was 'good' in its September 2009 inspection and praised the play area saying: ‘Children use the superb outdoor facilities with gusto, as they have ample opportunities to be active and improve their skills of co-ordination, control, manipulation and movement. 'They thoroughly enjoy, digging, climbing, balancing, crawling, building and observing the world around them.’ The nursery’s website states that students on work placements are never left unsupervised with children. | Lydia Bishop was pronounced dead in hospital after the accident in a play area at York College . She is thought to have used a slide at the college's nursery and became stuck on ropes forming other equipment . College says it's 'devastated' and said it is helping all the relevant authorities with their investigations . | 285707cc981e8c7982bd73b2be86ea4037da6e3d |
By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 08:57 EST, 12 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:25 EST, 14 October 2012 . Opinion-splitter: Love it or hate it, Marmite's popularity shows no sign of flagging . If you hate it, you won't give two hoots. But if you love it, this new tool could herald the beginning of a new chapter in your breakfast life. Marmite have invented a special knife enabling you to scrape every last morsel of the gooey black stuff from the bottom of its awkwardly shaped jar. The Marmife (see what they did there?) has been specifically designed for use on those hard-to-reach round nooks and troublesome crannies during a Marmergency - typically defined as the moment when the pot has virtually run dry and the . shops are closed. This special tool - the result of an intense 18 month development process - was created due to overwhelming demand from disgruntled fans unable to relish every last savoury smidgen of Marmite from its pot. It's a Marmergency! The Marmife kit includes a Marmife, The Little Book Of Marmite Tips, and a pot of Marmite to get you started . Marmite spokesperson, Joanne O'Riada, . said: 'We've had comments from our Facebook community about the . difficulty people have in getting all their Marmite out of the jar. 'Now, finally, we have a solution that reaches the spots other utensils just can't get to.' The silicone spatula is shaped around . a steel core to give it the balance and weight required to get into the . hard-to-reach corners of a 125g and 250g jar. Victoria Jackson from the design team . Kimm & Miller said: 'We've spent ages staring at the bottom of the . jar to work out the best solution and I've got to say, its been a real . labour of love. After 15 re-designs to get the Marmife just right, I think we've finally done it.' The perfect gift: The Marmife pack, left, comes with a Marmife, a pot of Marmite and a tip book, while the Marmite Gold edition, right, is flecked with edible pieces of gold . Alongside the launch of their Marmife, Marmite are also releasing their limited edition Marmite Gold. The sparkly spread boasts the same unique 'love it or hate it' taste, but packaged in a gold jar and with the addition of real edible gold flecks. To celebrate the precious pot, the brand is also sponsoring London's 2012 Oxford Street Christmas lights - and for the first time ever people will have the chance to appear within the mile long display along the world's favourite high street. Power tool: The Marmite Marmife, which plans to bring an end everyone's end-of-the-jar woes . Christmas time: The Oxford Street lights will be sponsored by Marmite this year . Miss O'Riada said: '2012 has certainly been a great year for Britain – from the Queen's Jubilee to unprecedented sporting achievements – so what better way to top it all off than giving everyone the chance to shine in this years Oxford Street Christmas lights. The display, which features classic animated Christmas characters with a love/hate twist, will run from Marble Arch to Poland Street for a six week period. People will also be given the chance to tell the world what they think of Marmite, on a specially designed banner overlooking Selfridges. People can get their moment of fame by uploading a photo on Marmite's Facebook page, after which they will be sent an email with the designated time frame for when their image will appear. Those who can't make it down to the capital needn’t worry about missing out as they will still be able to see their 'face in lights' via a live webcam and an online gallery. Shoppers on Oxford Street will also be able to get involved through an interactive bus shelter located near Bond Street tube station. From 26 November the shelter will house a camera for shoppers to take a photo which will be uploaded to the lights within three minutes. Marmite Gold is available in retailers nationwide and online for £3.99 (250g jar). The Marmife pack - which includes the Marmife, a 250g jar of Marmite and The Little Book of Marmite Tips - is available exclusively at Debenhams, for £13.99 . Marmite have become legendary for spin-off products and limited edition paraphernalia. Here is a guide to some of our favourites... Jars of love: Valentine's Marmite, flavoured with champagne, left, and super-strength Marmite XO, right . Shellicious: Marmite egg cup, £12.50 for four from rockettstgeorge.co.uk . Yes, cheese: Marmite Cheddar Bites, £1.32 for five, available from all major supermarkets . Mmmmm: Marmit's Very Peculiar Chocolate Bar, launched for Halloween 2010 . Marmite fun: The Marston's Pedigree edition, left, was flavoured with the official drink of the English cricket team, and Ma'amite, right, was released to celebrate this year's Diamond Jubilee . Fancy a brew? Marmite teapot set, £15 . Strong flavours: Limited edition Marmite Guinness, left, and a Marmite cheeseboard, right . Easy squeezy: Marmite launched their Squeeze Me bottle in March 2006 after pleas from fans . Tribute: A wreath at the funeral of Jade Goody, who likened herself to the love/hate spread . Warming: Marmite tea cosy, £9.99, thisisglint.co.uk, perfect for your Marmite teapot . Kitchen fun: The Marmite toaster and squeezy tube, left, and the Marmite enamel mug, right, add some Marmite sparkle to every kitchen . The Marmite Food Company was set up in 1902, later renamed Marmite Ltd, in Burton On Trent. The sticky black spread was made using the concentrated cells of brewer's yeast, and little has changed in the production method since then. What's in a name: Marmite originally came in a small earthenware pot, similar to the kind of French casserole dish called a 'marmite' The yeast is broken down to release soluble amino acids and proteins. This soluble material is then concentrated and filtered a few times before going through a unique process for flavour development. A blend of vitamins - as well as vegetable and spice extracts - is then added to create Marmite's unique taste. In fact, thanks to its high B vitamin content, Marmite was included in soldiers ration packs during the First World War. It also became a staple food in hospitals and schools. During World War II, Marmite became a dietary supplement in prisoner-of-war camps, and in 1999, it was sent to British peacekeeping forces in Kosovo. Marmite originally came in a small earthenware pot, similar to the kind of French casserole dish called a 'Marmite'. This may be where Marmite gets its name from. You can still see the original 'Marmite' dish pictured on the front of the pot, but the firm began using glass jars in the 1920s. The shape of the jar and the distinctive red and yellow label have remained pretty much the same since then, with the occasional novelty jar or tube being released on special occasions, such as Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. Marmite celebrated its 100th birthday in 2002. VIDEO: Marmite vs Tourists: . | The Marmife is the result of an intense, top secret 18-month development . The silicone spatula is shaped around a steel core . Available exclusively at Debenhams, £13.99 . Limited edition Marmite Gold to sponsor Oxford Street Christmas lights . | 93ef08fcdd1c1a52bffbd9ff36faa907e5e2d1ff |
The BBC has been accused of using a tax breaks scheme to increase its public funding. Yesterday it emerged the corporation has set up artificial companies to attract tax credits, prompting claims that it is behaving in a similar manner to huge private firms such as Google, Starbucks and Amazon. The broadcaster has already saved more than £500,000 according to reports, with a share of up to £265million over five years available. The BBC has been accused of behaving like tax dodgers 'Google, Starbucks and Amazon' by using a multimillion-pound tax break scheme to increase its income . It has taken advantage of a decision by George Osborne in 2012 to allow cuts in corporation tax to high-cost British-made dramas, comedies and animation, in an attempt to increase filmmaking in the UK. Independently-produced programmes, or those made by BBC Worldwide, which is the BBC’s commercial arm, would be eligible for the cuts, the Chancellor indicated. But BBC shows produced in-house for public-service channels could not be claimed for, because the BBC is non-profit making and therefore does not pay corporation tax. The BBC then created a commercial subsidiary for drama – Grafton House Productions – and a subsidiary for comedy – BBC Comedy Productions. It is through Grafton House that £520,133 has been reclaimed as nominal corporation tax for two dramas: The Interceptor and One Child. The BBC could receive more, as there is a total budget of £205million for tax relief to drama, and a further £60million for animations. Margaret Hodge, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, criticised the move. She told the Sunday Times: ‘It is wrong for the BBC to deliberately set up an artificial structure to get taxpayers’ money as it is for Google, Starbucks and Amazon and they should stop it. 'I believe in the publicly funded service but they have got to behave properly.' The BBC said the government is aware of this approach and has voiced no objections. But Hodge's attack is likely to embarrass Lord Hall, the director-general, who has attempted to clampdown on the internal BBC gravy train. The BBC does not pay corporation tax, as it is non-profit-making. Osborne announced in his 2012 budget that the cuts in corporation tax would apply to high-cost dramas, comedies and animations made in Britain. The creative industry tax reliefs work by increasing the amount of allowable expenditure, so when the company makes a loss, it is able to 'surrender' the loss. From April to December last year the high-end TV tax relief supported more than £233 million of investment in high-end UK-produced television. Osborne said programmes aired on the BBC's networks could be eligible if they were made by independent producers or the corporation's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. But the BBC could not claim the money for shows produced in-house for public-service channels, because this would breach European rules on state aid. The European Commission's letter to Hague said the scheme giving tax relief to drama had a total budget of £205million for the five-year period to April 2018, while a further £60million was available for animations. The BBC said: 'The BBC is committed to investing as much money as possible into the shows audiences love and by applying for tax credits, we can invest even more money into our programmes. 'This in turn delivers wider economic and cultural benefits by ensuring productions are shot in the UK rather than abroad. It also allows the BBC to compete on an equal footing with independent productions, including those commissioned by the BBC, that use the tax credit. 'The UK tax credits are available to all productions which satisfy the clear, objective criteria set out in the relevant legislation. Having taken the appropriate legal, tax and regulatory advice, the BBC considers that it is best able to deliver the benefits associated with the UK tax credit via commercial subsidiaries. The government is aware of this approach and has voiced no objection.' George Osborne offered tax breaks to attract high end TV productions, dubbed the Downton Abbey Tax, to build on the global success of the ITV period drama. From April to December last year the high-end TV tax relief supported more than £233 million of investment in high-end UK-produced TV between April and December 2013. Osborne said BBC's networks could be eligible if they were made by independent producers or the corporation's commercial arm. So the BBC set up Grafton House Productions and Comedy Productions to secure a rebate of up to 20 per cent on high-profile shows. It works by increasing the amount of allowable expenditure, so when the company makes a loss, it is able to 'surrender' the loss. | Chairman of public accounts committee said BBC was behaving improperly . Margaret Hodge said it was wrong for BBC to set up artificial structure . Grafton House Productions and Comedy Productions set up for tax breaks . At least £530,000 has been reclaimed so far this year from two dramas . The BBC does not pay corporation tax, as it is non-profit-making . | fd6499ae47c954d59401897e350c6cd6c91046f6 |
By . A. Greg . She's already been censored by the Motion Picture Association of America for a poster advertising the upcoming Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and now Eva Green's appearance in a trailer for the same film has been deemed too risque for ABC. The problem is a sheer white nightgown the sultry French actress is wearing in the poster and trailer, which ABC says makes Green 'appear to be naked.' For the MPAA, the 'curve of under breast' proved too much for the American public. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Modified: The poster (left) that was rejected by the MPAA for visible 'curve of under breast' was modified to be less risque (right) Trailer: ABC won't air the trailer until two scenes featuring Green in a white robe have been removed . The organization argued that the almost-visible nipple and the outline of Green's naked breast amounted to nudity. The filmmakers compromised and the poster, featuring Green wearing a sheer white robe with a pistol in her hand, has been modified so that the gown is less transparent. ABC, a source told Page Six, rejected the trailer for the film, which also stars Josh Brolin and Jessica Alba, because Green appears to be naked in the gown. The filmmakers were told to remove the footage of Green in the white robe if they want the network to air the trailer. By contrast, action films' advertising regularly features the movie's star aiming a gun or committing an act of violence. Sex and violence: Green doesn't understand what all the fuss over a breast is when violence is so freely depicted in the media . Green seems bemused by the reaction the sexy poster has provoked. 'You have so many more violent things in the movie business ... this is kind of soft. I’m not naked. It’s suggested. I find [it] really sexy,' she told vanity Fair. In 2011, the Los Angeles Times named the former Bond girl number 18 on their 50 Most Beautiful Women in Film list. In April 2012, Shalom Life ranked her Number 2 on its list of 'the 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish women in the world.' | The trailer for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For has been rejected by ABC . The network says Eva Green's white robe makes her 'appear to be naked' The MPAA took issue with the same robe in the movie's posters . The filmmakers had to modify the posters to make Green's breast less visible before they were approved to display . | 3e54874369f6da4961cbbe70c470e936d2ef5574 |
Jane Fonda has opened up about reading the medical records of her mother and discovering that she had nine abortions before Jane was even born. In a speech at a fundraising event for a rape victims' charity, the 76-year-old Hollywood icon told the audience that her tragic mother Frances was sexually abused from the age of eight, an experience that Jane believes led to her promiscuous and self-destructive behavior. 'The minute that I read that, everything fell into place,' she said. 'I knew [the reason for] the promiscuity, the endless plastic surgery, the guilt, the inability to love or be intimate, and I was able to forgive her and forgive myself.' Scroll down for video . Heartbreaking revelation: Jane Fonda has opened up about reading the medical records of her mother Frances and discovering that she had nine abortions before Jane was even born . Frances, who was 29 when she gave birth to Jane, killed herself on her 42nd birthday, which friends say was the single most formative event in Jane's multi-faceted life. Jane told audience members that she suspects her mother was sexually abused by a piano tuner as a young girl, which left her traumatized for the rest of her life. Shortly after Jane's younger brother Peter was born, Frances was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Discovering that her husband was cheating on her with other women, Frances went to desperate lengths to regain his attention. She would walk around naked in front of him and even crawl on her hands and knees to him, begging him to talk to her. It didn't work. In 1950, on her 42nd birthday Frances committed suicide by slicing her throat with a razor during a stay at Craig House, a sanitarium in Beacon, New York. Jane was 12. Tragic: Frances killed herself on her 42nd birthday, when Jane was 12. Jane believes her suicide was linked the the fact that she was sexually abused from the age of eight . Tempestuous: Jane's father Henry (left) was cold and a bully, not to mention a shameless womanizer, but Jane always blamed the alarming behavior of her mother for the break-up of her parents' marriage - until she learned of Frances' abuse . Jane's father Henry was cold and a bully, not to mention a shameless womanizer, but - too young to understand mental illness - his daughter always blamed the alarming behavior of her manic depressive mother for the break-up of her parents' marriage - until she learned of Frances' abuse. The fitness queen, who is a longtime pro-choice activist, believes she has been drawn to helping sexually abused girls because she somehow knew what had befallen her mother. She said at the event that sexual violence is 'epidemic', vowing: 'I will support the Rape Treatment Center for the rest of my life.' Jane has written on her blog that she forgave her mother for their fractious relationship after discovering she was sexually abused, realizing that her behavior was not her fault. 'Twenty years later she could have found the help she needed in the specific form of therapy that arose out of The Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s,' she wrote last October. 'I sometimes cry when I think of how my mother could have been saved.' | The Hollywood icon, 76, made the heartbreaking revelation while reading her mother's medical records . 'The minute that I read that, everything fell into place... and I was able to forgive her and forgive myself,' she said . | 292a16bdd80a98ba0bbef800c77ae0296dd1b004 |
(CNN) -- Today is Black Friday -- the longstanding cornerstone of the holiday season -- and many retailers are seeing the need to unveil even more incredible offers than ever to battle the growing suggestion of Black Friday fatigue. Accenture's holiday shopping study this year showed a rise in consumer apathy toward the Black Friday shopping tradition, with more than half of consumers (53 percent) saying they were unlikely to or undecided on whether they will shop on Black Friday (compared to 48 percent in 2009). Traditionally, Black Friday, with its notorious "door-buster" deals, was the kick-off to the holiday shopping season, both for the store and the consumer. Now, it could be argued that Halloween marks the new holiday shopping starting point, as retailers try to catch as many sales as they can as early as possible with holiday advertising, promotions and an online push. This year will pose its own challenges in the fight for discretionary dollars as retailers also have to compensate for Christmas falling on a Saturday this year, meaning customers have one fewer weekend of holiday shopping. You can trace the increasingly lackluster consumer response to the Black Friday shopping tradition to the turbulent 2008 holidays. That year, we saw some retailers offer eye-popping discounts as high as 75 percent across their stores in early November to compensate for high inventories, high uncertainty, lower consumer confidence and less money in their pockets. This was a defining moment that dramatically changed the game. It not only took some of the gloss off Black Friday that year, but it also changed expectations for years to come of knowing when you would be able to snag the best holiday promotions and sales throughout the season. The growth in popularity of online shopping and the growing opportunity to find as many good deals online as in the store poses another challenge to Black Friday's popularity. The increase in the number of homes with broadband internet access means that more and more shoppers can afford to, and prefer to, stay home and bag the offers online, rather than brave the crowds. Accenture's survey showed that 69 percent of consumers said that they will be buying holiday gifts online this year, up from 64 percent in 2009. Despite this changing landscape, Black Friday is not finished. It is still a significant day for a huge number of consumers and the sense of tradition that many attach to it means that it still has a role to play. A number of retailers are already exploring creative opportunities to regain some of Black Friday's appeal and are looking at ways to engage with the customer through many different channels. Some are offering deals throughout the week. Some are opening their doors earlier. Some offered door-buster savings on Thanksgiving Day on their websites. So instead of waking up at 4 a.m. -- or earlier -- and braving the elements with the rest of the die-hard shoppers for a couple of hours on Friday, for many consumers, it was a simple question: "Do I grab my laptop and surf the net for presents or sit in front of the TV to watch the game -- or both?" The purpose of the brick-and-mortar store, however, is shifting from just being the place to make a transaction to providing more of an experience for the shopper. Retailers have an opportunity to redefine Black Friday and stimulate excitement around the day, helping them to build customer loyalty throughout the season. With all the challenges, Black Friday will remain at the heart of the holiday shopping season for the foreseeable future and the winning retailers will be the ones that continue to go beyond the door-buster deal to win the hearts and minds -- and wallets -- of the consumer. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Janet Hoffman. | Black Friday losing significance as a key holiday shopping day, says Janet Hoffman . Consumers are more likely to be apathetic and to shop online than in past years, she says . She says deep price cuts in 2008 holiday season changed consumer expectations . Stores focus on shopping experience in an age of rising online sales, she says . | 3dfd4739dd777cd4a6cff4bd496bc4b9aa7d4b67 |
It was always a case of tough love when it came to Alan Pardew and Sammy Ameobi. The former Newcastle manager would openly air his reluctance to sanction a new deal for the Geordie winger, preferring instead to keep him hungry with the threat of being released by his hometown club. It was a bait Ameobi took, winning a regular starting place having been on the periphery for the best part of three seasons. Sammy Ameobi admits he is fighting for his Newcastle future following the departure of Alan Pardew . Pardew handed Ameobi his first-team debut at Newcastle but left St James Park for Crystal Palace this month . But with Pardew now gone, it’s more a case of tough luck for the 22-year-old, whose contract expires in the summer. Ameobi's Newcastle deal runs out in the summer . ‘When the next manager comes in, if there is one, I need to prove myself all over again,’ Ameobi told Sportsmail. ‘I’m obviously playing for my career, essentially, but it is something I’m looking forward to. I’m very confident in my own ability. I have every opportunity to start for Newcastle every week. Hopefully I can do that, whoever comes in.’ Ameobi - who was loaned out to Middlesbrough in 2013 - believes he had won Pardew over with his performances this season. ‘I think I did prove I was worth my place, yes,’ he added, ahead of his anticipated return from a knee injury against Southampton this evening. ‘That’s what I always wanted to do really. It’s my last season here so I need to prove myself if I want to stay and get a new contract. ‘That’s what I did but there is still a long way to go. There is a lot of hard work ahead and I am just looking forward to each game and to try and prove myself to whoever comes in. ‘Of course, the ultimate aim is to get a new deal and stay here. I really want to stay. It’s my hometown, I’m happy and I love it here. ‘It is just a privilege to play for Newcastle United. It is my dream club. I have supported them since I was a kid. Every week, I don’t take anything for granted and it’s a real blessing to be playing here.’ John Carver remains in caretaker charge of the Magpies. He brought Ameobi’s older brother, Shola, through the academy at the club and knows the family well. And Ameobi Jnr added: ‘Obviously he has been here a long time and I know him well. He’s always looked after me, so hopefully he can get me a new contract!’ Sammy's brother Shola, pictured celebrating against Sunderland in 2012, also came through the academy . Ameobi, meanwhile, was part of the Newcastle squad humiliated during the 4-0 defeat at Southampton in September, a result which left them bottom of the Premier League. ‘We want to put that right,’ he said. ‘We can’t let them walk all over us like they did at their place. ‘The defeat there was one of those days. It happens to every team. Everyone has had it at some point in their career. Everything went against us, they played really good football and they took us to the cleaners really. ‘We’ve got to make up for that now.’ | Sammy Ameobi's contract at Newcastle expires in the summer . Midfielder is having to prove himself following Alan Pardew's departure . Ameobi is hopeful caretaker boss John Carver can get him a new contract . | abadd69f40a66196c3ec397e72a516819f3bde69 |
By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 11:02 EST, 12 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:24 EST, 12 March 2014 . Journalist Nils Horner was shot dead while he was talking to a translator on a street in an affluent area of the Afghanistan capital . An extremist Taliban splinter group has claimed responsibility for killing a Swedish-British journalist in Kabul saying he was killed he was a spy for Britain's MI-6 agency. Nils Horner had worked for Swedish Radio SR since 2001 as a foreign correspondent mostly in Asia and the Middle East, including Afghanistan and Baghdad. The 51-year-old was killed by a shot in the head as he was reporting on Afghanistan's election on a street in Kabul on Tuesday. It was a rare assassination of a foreigner in the capital and raised fears of increased violence ahead of the April 5 presidential election. The Feday-e-Mahaz says in a statement posted Wednesday on its website that it targeted Horner because he was a spy and not a journalist. The group was created by loyalists of slain Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah. The group broke with the Taliban following the announcement of talks with the United States. A . guard at a restaurant across the street from where the attack happened . said two young men approached the journalist as he was talking to his . translator at about 11 a.m. on the side of the road . The . guard, Mohammad Zubair, said one of the men pulled out a pistol and . shot Horner in the head, causing him to collapse in a pool of blood. He . said there was a single shot and the bullet then hit a nearby car, which . was left with a bullet hole. The witness said he and other guards called to the police at a nearby checkpoint and they cordoned off the area. Scene: Mr Horner was shot in the affluent Wazir Akbar Khan district (pictured) of Kabul, which is home to several embassies and media organisations . The . attack came two months after the Islamic militant movement staged . a suicide bombing and shooting assault against a Lebanese restaurant . that killed 13 foreigners and eight Afghans in the same area. Suicide . bombings and other attacks are frequent in Kabul and elsewhere in . Afghanistan as insurgents fight to undermine confidence in the . Western-backed government. But assassinations of journalists and other foreigners in the capital are relatively rare. Mr Horner had worked for Swedish Radio SR since 2001 as a foreign correspondent mostly in Asia and the Middle East . Not . including Horner, at least 29 journalists have been killed in . Afghanistan since 1992, most of them after the 2001 U.S.-led ouster of . the Taliban, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect . Journalists. Sayed Gul . Agha Hashimi, the head of the Kabul Criminal Investigation Department, . said police were questioning the journalist's driver and translator as . part of the investigation. Hashimi said the journalist died while being treated at the hospital. Swedish Embassy counselor Christian Nilsson said the body had been transported to the morgue. Anne Lagercrantz, head of news at Swedish Radio, said the newsroom was in deep shock. She said Horner spoke to the desk in Stockholm early on Tuesday and they agreed that he would go out and do interviews ahead of the April 5 presidential election. When people in the newsroom saw reports that a foreign journalist had been shot in Kabul, they tried to contact Horner by email but got no response. They then called his mobile phone, and a doctor answered saying Horner had been shot and killed, Lagercrantz said. Swedish Radio chief executive Cilla Benko said two men approached Horner and shot him in the back of his head. Benko said Horner was very safety conscious but was prepared to take risks. 'This was his life,' Benko said. 'He didn't want to do anything else.' Swedish Radio officials said there were no known threats to Horner. The attack came as security in the capital was tight amid fears of violence in connection with the funeral of Afghanistan's powerful Vice President Mohammed Qasim Fahim. | Nils Horner, 51, was shot in the head at close range in Akbar Khan . He had worked for Swedish Radio since 2001 as a foreign correspondent . Witness said he was approached by two young men in the street . The Feday-e-Mahaz says Horner was a spy and not a journalist . | 8d933b3211f22b64abb9de86371f0957bbcd0eb1 |
A St Louis County police officer working in Ferguson, Missouri in the aftermath of Michael Brown's shooting death has been suspended from duty after disturbing video emerged of him referring to black people as 'little perverts' and President Obama as an illegal immigrant. Officer Dan Page, who was caught live on CNN News earlier this week pushing the network's anchor Don Lemon and threatening to arrest him, made the hate-filled speech in April of this year during an Oath Keepers of St Louis/St Charles meeting. His offensive remarks weren't limited to black people - he also had vitriol to spew about Muslims, women who have abortions, gay people and people who suffer domestic violence. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Hate-filled rant: Officer Dan Page spoke for more than an hour at an Oath Keepers meeting in April airing his ignorant views on black people, domestic violence, homosexuals, President Obama and Muslims, among others . Excessive force: CNN's Don Lemon was repeatedly pushed and threatened with arrest by Page during a live cross for the network on Monday . The raving speech goes on for more than an hour as Page, brandishing a bible, enlightens his audience with his unique views. Page is the second St Louis county police officer to have been relieved of his duties during the Ferguson protests. Lieutenant Ray Albers, 46, was caught on camera screaming, 'I will f***ing kill you!' and pointing his rifle at civilians. An investigation is underway and he has been placed on indefinite unpaid leave. The incidents have highlighted the racial divide in Ferguson, a largely black town where the police force and local politicians are almost all white. Civil rights activists say Brown's death was the culmination of years of police unfairly targeting blacks. Protests in Ferguson, Missouri, were muted for a third straight evening on Friday as the National Guard began withdrawing from the St. Louis suburb racked by racial turmoil after a white police officer shot dead an unarmed black teenager. Hundreds of protesters marched in the hot summer night near the site of the August 9 slaying of 18-year-old Michael Brown, chanting 'Hands up, don't shoot,' while police vehicles observed the demonstration, without intervening. Clergy volunteers wearing bright orange T-shirts discouraged protesters who wanted to defy police orders to keep moving, while live singing and drums boomed out from a flat-bed truck. Muted: People march down St. Louis Street to the NOPD First District station to protest the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a police officer on August 22, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri . Continuing protests: Police reportedly let protesters march unimpeded in Ferguson in further demonstrations which have drawn attention to the police force in the area . The St Louis County Police released a statement saying the Police Chief Jon Belmar was 'disturbed' by the content of Page's speech. 'We hold our officers to a high standard of honor both on and off duty. While we as a department do not have an issue with officers expressing themselves, this was disturbing and unacceptable,' it reads. 'The officer is a 35 year veteran of this department and has been deployed numerous times in military service. He had passed the evaluations upon returning from deployment and there was no indication of this attitude.' Early in the video, Page tells his audience that the bible is the foundation of the Constitution and that you cannot have one without the other, saying, 'I don’t know what them black little perverts don’t understand down there. But they need me to talk to them. I’ll square them away for you. Take me about a minute. To the letter: Page brandishes the bible in his right hand, which he believes is the basis of the Constitution, which he holds in his left . Offensive: Don Lemon described Page's speech as 'wide-ranging inflammatory remarks' He reads from the Constitution, stumbling over several words, the meanings of which clearly elude him. He rages against hate-crime laws, saying there are 'four sodomites on the Supreme Court' and describing himself as being 'into diversity - I kill everybody!' 'And I’m real good with a rifle. My best shot is 1,875 meters, I got me a gold star on that one. You run from me you’re gonna die tired,' he rants. Page claims to be a Vietnam War Vet and a sergeant major in the U.S. Army who took retirement two years early in 2012 because he didn't want to take orders from President Obama. He refers to the president as an 'illegal alien' and claims to have flown a plane to Kenya to see where 'my undocumented president lives at.' Police Chief Jon Belmar says that while Page has never been involved in an 'officer-involved shooting,' his attitude and description of himself as an 'indiscriminate killer' was extremely concerning. Smiling on the other side of his face: Page has been suspended pending an investigation after the speech was shown to St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar . 'I personally believe in Jesus Christ as my lord savior, but I'm also a killer. I’ve killed a lot. And if I need to, I'll kill a whole bunch more,' Page tells the OathKeepers. 'If you don't want to get killed, don't show up in front of me, it's that simple. I have no problem with it. God did not raise me to be a coward,' he said before launching into a rant about the government indoctrinating children to spy on their parents in public schools. The OathKeepers is an association of former and present military personnel, police officers and first reponders who 'defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.' Don Lemon, who was repeatedly pushed by Page during a live report from Ferguson Monday, described the video: 'It’s wide-ranging inflammatory remarks about a lot of people, about women, about gay people,' he said. '[Page] talks about the president of the United States. He speaks out against affirmative action, women in the military and on and on.' Following his interaction with Page in Ferguson, Lemon told audiences, 'We’re on national television, so imagine what they’re doing to people when you don’t see it on national television, people who don’t have a voice like we do.' According to St Louis Today, an internal review of Page will begin Monday. | St Louis County police officer Dan Page has been suspended after a video of him giving a hate-filled speech to far-right group surfaced . Page was seen on CNN on Monday pushing anchor Don Lemon as he reported live from Ferguson . Page spews vitriol about black people, gay people, President Obama, Muslims and more . His extreme views include that the government is trying to indoctrinate children to spy on their parents at public schools . He claims there are 'four sodomites in the Supreme Court' as he rages against hate-laws . He says, 'I personally believe in Jesus Christ as my lord savior, but I'm also a killer. I’ve killed a lot. And if I need to, I'll kill a whole bunch more' Page calls Obama 'my undocumented president' He claims to be a Vietnam veteran and has 35 years with the St Louis County police . An investigation is pending . | 931e63f4f38fe684353e5553d62a45d9ff680b15 |
It's one of Melbourne's most iconic pieces of property. Brighton beaches' latest bathing box is up for auction next month, the first of Bayside council's newly built weatherboard-clad structures for sale. Box 57a, covered in a variety of beach blues, is the ultimate luxury for south east Melbourne residents who want a bit of protection from the elements, the first new one sold for the summer season. A definite money spinner for council, the cost of building them is believed to only come to around the $15,000 to $20,000 mark but if you want to buy them you could be in for more than $200,000. Scroll down to video . Bathing box 57a (pictured) is expected to sell at auction next month for more than $200,000 . Bathing box 57a (pictured far left) is the first of Bayside council's newly built weatherboard structures for sale . 'The prices have ranged,' said Hockingstuart real estate agent John Clarkson,'we have achieved in the excess of $200,000 but lately it's dropped back a little to between $160,000 to $200,000.' But this new release, he expects will hit the $200,000 plus mark when it goes to auction, with the plus being there is no neighbour, with a gap before the next box. 'It's a summer sensation, a great christmas present,' he said. While bathing boxes date back many years, Mr Clarkson was the first to sell one by private auction in 1999. 'Used to just have a number of people on a name and list,' he said, 'at the first auction it sold for $58,000.' The last box he sold was in February for $175,000 and had been in the same family for 40 years. Bathing boxes are an icon at Brighton beach in Melbourne south east . Bayside residents are the only one that can purchase the iconic bathing boxes, which shelters them from all the elements on Brighton beach . 'They're iconic, there's only 86 of them, you have to be a Bayside ratepayer to make a purchase.' He says the colourful wonders have been 'world famous' and some families keep the traditional going for decades. '(residents)Really protective of them, and so few opportunities to buy,' he said. 'They're very well known to people all over the world, there's so many pictures and paintings across the world.' Mr Clarkson expects buyer interest will vary on the day of the auction, depending on the weather. How about that view? Situated right on the beach bathing boxes are very popular but also very expensive to buy . Bathing boxes come with a great view and nearby harbour . 'It's weather pacific as to whether we get a good crowd.' 'Last one I had it was bucketing down and we crammed 40 people in the box, another one was in total sunshine and we had about 200 on the beach.' Proceeds from the sale will go back into the foreshore, used to fund improvements to the Dendy beach precinct. The iconic property goes under the hammer on December 13. | Bathing box 57a up for sale at auction next month . It's one of more than 80 iconic bathing boxes at Brighton beach, south east of Melbourne . It's expected to sell for more than $200,000 . It goes under the hammer on December 13 . | 9ef8a68d573d076332296bed20f05c6dedf51444 |
Even for a Hollywood lothario with hundreds of adoring female fans taking a girl to an X-rated movie on the first date is a brave move. But as Bond girl Britt Ekland reveals, Warren Beatty's wooing tactics did the trick. She admits that even though she was surprised by his choice of date they both headed back to a hotel room together soon after exiting the cinema. Ekland, 27 at the time, tells Piers Morgan she wasn't 'a very forward girl', but was was seduced by Beatty, five years her senior. Britt Ekland at a Bond photocall in 2011 (l) and Warren Beatty at the AFI Life Achievement Award tribute, 2008 . Describing her encounter with the actor and director, she said while she thought he was 'pretty wonderful' for a while after that first date, her impression of him soon changed. 'I think he seduced me. I'm not a very forward girl. I wasn't then,' she said. 'Do you know what movie he took me to? And I have never told anyone - he took me to see a pornographic movie. I just wanted to get out of there. He had to leave too.' Asked where they headed then, she said: 'I guess back to the hotel. Wouldn't you if you were at a porn movie with me?' Ekland reveals much about her heartbreaks, including Rob Stewart's philandering and lack of remorse. The pair met in 1975 and fell 'madly in love' but, while she thought it would last forever, it wasn't to be. She said she found out he had cheated on her after a chance encounter at a party when she bumped into the actor George Hamilton, who broke the news. 'I wanted to throw up. I didn't believe it,' she said. 'I became anorexic and I had a really hard time, a really hard time. I had cocaine in those days when I was offered it.' A 2010 biography of Warren Beatty claims that he has been to bed with 12,775 women. Piers Morgan's Life Stories, featuring Britt Ekland airs tonight on ITV. Britt Ekland wearing a knife pleat yellow dress and matching tights, circa 1967, three years prior to the date . | Actor wooed her with sex film and they both went back to hotel room . Ekland, 'not a very forward girl', describes their relationship as 'a basic shag' Beatty's biography claims that he has slept with 12,775 women . Reveals love life troubles on Piers Morgan's Life Stories tonight on ITV . | 1aab15b50490f7bc5220dc90f79e872c141d7720 |
(CNN) -- As a shivering and nervous new recruit to the British Army in 2007 -- wearing three layers just to keep warm -- Semesa Rokoduguni began to seriously question why he had left the tropical Pacific Island of Fiji. "Everyone just looked at me and burst out laughing," he told CNN's Human to Hero series. With limited grasp of the English language, Rokoduguni had to bite his lip and take his medicine to earn the respect of his colleagues in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, a tank regiment based in Germany. But fast forward six years and Rokoduguni has had the last laugh because when he is not patrolling the front line with the army in dangerous trouble spots such as Afghanistan, he is charging to the try line at the home of rugby union Twickenham. The skills he acquired playing barefoot as a child back home in rugby-mad Fiji -- where kids often use bottles because they have no ball -- earned him a place in the British Army representative side and it was not long before professional clubs took an interest. Still a serving officer, risen to the rank of Lance Corporal, Rokoduguni signed a professional contract with leading English Premiership side Bath at the start of 2012-13 season. Star rookie . Now 25, his swift and aggressive running has seen him impress despite his rookie status and he scored a fine try in a recent win over one of the most successful clubs in European rugby, Leicester. It's a highly unusual double life and he reminds his new teammates that although rugby is a tough and physical sport, the lifestyle is a world apart from active service. "I've been telling the boys at Bath, we do four patrols a day and you have to do that for every single day, there's no Saturday or Sunday, where you get days off. It's a hard life." But Rokoduguni also believes the teamwork ethic that is necessary for very survival in a theater of conflict such as Afghanistan can cross over to sports. "Trusting the guys beside you it is basically the same thing out there and on the rugby field as well," he said. "Team bonding is a massive thing out there, you have to trust every single one in front of you, left right and behind you." Rokoduguni's performance for the Army against the Navy in the traditional annual match at a packed Twickenham last year -- running in a hat-trick of tries -- brought him to national prominence for the first time. Given his outstanding performances in the pro game with Bath, expectations were high for the 2013 edition last weekend. Record crowd . A record crowd of over 72,000 watched the match -- the increased interest echoing the hullabaloo which surrounds the Army-Navy clash in collegiate gridiron football in the United States -- and the Fijian ace did not disappoint. Another hat-trick of tries helped the Army team to another thrilling 43-26 victory over their arch rivals. Just setting foot for the first time on the turf at the "Holy Grail" of the sport was an eye opener for Rokoduguni, given the rudimentary facilities he had grown up with. "I thought, 'Oh my god, this is Twickenham.' I've just heard about this place and watching it on telly, I never realized that I would set foot on a ground like this. "I was thinking back to my primary school life, playing rugby barefoot, chasing people around, smashing each other up! " Rugby is the national sport in Fiji -- a former colony of the British Empire, hence the tradition of young men from the Pacific Island joining its armed forces. Rokoduguni's uncle followed that route and inspired his nephew to sign up in the summer of 2007. His brother is also serving with famous Black Watch regiment in Scotland. Despite the relatively small numbers of Fijians in the British Army, they make a large contingent of the rugby squad and for Rokoduguni it's almost a home from home, and allows him to use his native tongue in private moments. Role model . Rokoduguni is following in the footsteps of Aposoli Satala, who also represented the British Army before playing in England's top flight with Gloucester and Sale Sharks. "Watching him playing Premiership rugby, I thought one day I'll be doing the same thing but, I never realized it's going to be that soon," Rokoduguni said. "When I got the call from Bath coach Gary Gold I was overwhelmed, to be honest. I thought it was a joke and hung up on him!" But Gold was deadly serious and set about transforming Rokoduguni's raw talent into the finished product after an inauspicious start. "On the first day of training, my passing was absolutely ridiculous, I mean I couldn't even pass on my left-hand side," he recalled. "To get up to that level you have to work extra hard, it's the only way you can improve yourself, the extra time you put in, the extra effort you put into the game or into the training." But if there is one thing that the Army has instilled in Rokoduguni it is discipline: "You have to dress up correctly, be punctual at all times, uniforms ironed." It was a culture shock after his self-confessed "easy life" back home -- where he admits a love for the local alcohol kava resulted in him getting a gold tooth after coming off second best in a drunken fight. "Punctuality, shaving and haircuts, I just didn't care about that stuff ... Everything has changed a lot," he laughed. Like Satala, who has been a star of Fiji's world renowned seven-a-side team, Rokoduguni is also an expert of that version of rugby which relies more on speed and agility than the traditional 15-a-side game. Rugby Sevens will take its place in the Summer Olympics for the first time at Rio 2016 and Rokoduguni, who is already being tipped to have an international future, could be left with a dilemma. "I'm not too sure whether it's England or Fiji," he said, while admitting he still thinks of Suva, the capital city of Fiji as "home" -- particularly at Christmas time when he longs for the warm weather rather than the British rain and chill. His wife and son are also back in Fiji with his parents until he can arrange for their travel visa. Soldiers supported . Fame and no little fortune may await Rokoduguni but his thoughts are always with his fellow servicemen and women who are risking their lives in Afghanistan. "I was man of the match against Newport Gwent Dragons (scoring two tries on his debut in November) and as soon as they announced my name I was thinking of them straight away," he said. "I dedicated the win to them to let them know that even though I'm back here, all my support is with them out there." Rokoduguni pays regular visits to the rehabilitation unit at Headley Court, south of London, where severely injured combatants are treated. A Fijian comrade is currently recovering there, and Rokoduguni made him a promise ahead of the latest Army-Navy game. "I asked the doctors and nurses to make sure that they got him a television so that he could watch this game and I said that if I scored a try that I would do a backflip for him, which is what I did." Meanwhile, back home in Fiji, Rokoduguni's proud parents are keeping up to date with his progress by watching YouTube clips of his try-scoring exploits. Judging by his rapid rise to the top they will be glued to the worldwide web for many years to come as Rokoduguni terrorizes rugby defenses with his blistering pace and stockily built 94 kg frame. But he knows that at any time the call might come to join his regiment on a tour of duty in Afghanistan or another area of conflict where British troops will be deployed, and his sporting ambitions would have to be placed on hold. | Semesa Rokoduguni is an up and coming star of rugby union . The 25-year-old Fijian has signed professional forms with top English club Bath . He has starred in the annual Army-Navy match at Twickenham for past two years . Rokodoguni has served on the front line in Afghanistan with his tank regiment . | be41431203f74cb3ad8ee2a157796c59b109f61a |
(CNN) -- One of the heaviest babies ever born in Germany was born last week at the University Hospital Leipzig. The baby girl, Jasleen, weighed a whopping 13.47 pounds and measured nearly 23 inches long. She was born vaginally, not via a C-section, according to a hospital statement. "We anticipated that the child would be big," said Holger Stepan, chief of obstetrics. "We prepared in advance by assembling a special team (of doctors and midwives) to be ready for any possible complications." He said he'd never before helped in the birth of such a heavy baby. The girl's mother suffered from gestational diabetes, which, when untreated or uncontrolled, can cause babies to be born larger than normal. Her condition was not discovered until the mother checked herself into the hospital while in labor. She had not previously been a patient there. The hospital said both mother and child are well. According to the website for Guinness World Records, the heaviest baby -- weighing in at more than 23 pounds -- was born in Seville, Ohio, on January 19, 1879. He died 11 hours later. CNN's Stefan Simons contributed to this report. | The baby, Jasleen, was born last week at the University Hospital Leipzig . She weighed a whopping 13.47 pounds, and was nearly 23 inches long . The baby was born vaginally, not via a C-section, according to the hospital . | a5c0e68845d9192c129b2696193be2d0f64a97d2 |
It's a familiar struggle most new mothers will be able to identify with - trying to get work done with a toddler in tow. Whether it is simple tasks such as doing the washing or loading the dishwasher, everything seems to take longer with a little one running around. Blogger Esther Anderson has highlighted 'Why Moms Get Nothing Done' in her latest video, filmed with her daughter Ellia, who takes delight in stopping her from doing her chores. Blogger Esther Anderson, pictured left, has highlighted 'Why Mums Get Nothing Done' in her latest video, filmed with her daughter Ellia, right, who takes delight in stopping her from doing her chores . The video shows Ellia pulling clothes out of the drawers faster than her mother can put them away . The little girl then climbs into the drawer so she can reach the others to empty them . The amusing video, which has had more than 50 million views on Facebook, takes in a typical day at Esther's home in Florida, which she shares with husband Thad. The footage shows Esther attempting to fold away Ellia's clothes and put them away in drawers in her room – only for the little girl to pull out the clothes faster than her mother can put them away. She then sabotages Esther's attempts to sweep the kitchen floor by spreading the dirt around again before her mother has a change to sweep it up in a dustpan. Sweeping the floor isn't a simple task for Esther as the video filmed in the Texas home shows . Ellia spreads the dirt around the floor again before her mother can sweep it up . The little girl also rolls in the dirt for good measure in the video that has had 50 million views on Facebook . Then when Esther attempts to pack the dishwasher, Ellia throws dirty, plastic plates out of the bottom shelf while her mother tries to load the top shelf - the same thing happens when Esther tries to tidy up her daughter's toys as their bemused dog looks on. And it's a similar story when she tries to load the washing machine as Ellia pulls the dirty clothes out before her mother can put them all in. A shot of Ellia rolling around in the garden in the mud and then covered in food when she eats reveals why Esther spends a lot of her day washing her daughter and changing her clothes. The final scene shows Esther despairing of cleaning the windows as her toddler smears her dirty fingers and mouth over one side of the glass while her mother attempts to clean the other. The little girl empties the washing machine before her mother can fill it up . She also pushes the door closed before it's full to further hinder her mother's attempts to do the housework . Filling the dishwater is no simple task either as Ellia find it fun to through the plastic plates out . Esther said the many shares her video has had shows it's not just her who has trouble getting anything done thanks to having a toddler around as Ellia is here pictured closing the dishwasher before Esther has filled it . Esther uploaded the video onto her personal website storyofthislife.com that charts her experiences and observations of motherhood. One of her other videos reveals why co-sleeping means no sleeping for the mother and another asks viewers ;which type of mom are you?' showing how some mothers are obsessed with disinfecting their child's every move and not allowing them to touch something until it has been thoroughly cleaned first. Esther is pictured wasting her time tidying up toys as Ellia just empties more on to the rug . The toddler doesn't stay clean for long thanks playing in the garden, left, and eating yoghurt, right . No wonder Esther spends so much of the day washing her daughter and changing her clothes . Many parents have agreed that Esther's video is an accurate reflection of motherhood . But Esther's video of her daily trials getting 'nothing done' has been by far her most popular post. She said: 'Fifty million views (on Facebook) in under 24 hours shows me that it's not just me that has this problem.' Mothers rushed to share the video and agreed it was an accurate reflection of their own lives. Commenting on the video's upload on YouTube, 'The Hippy Homemaker16' said: 'I think that every mom on the planet can relate to this,' while Ashley Carter said: 'This is exactly my life. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one!' At the end of the video, Ester, who lives with husband Thad, despairs of cleaning the windows . Ellia finds it more fun to smear her fingers and face on the windows while her mother attempts to clean . | Blogger Esther Anderson filmed her attempts to get chores done with Ellia . Tries to do the washing, fold laundry and keep baby clean... and fails . Hilarious video has had more than 50 million views on Facebook . | b5db18ddc820ed3e80ae6da78de17e4031cc7b3e |
(Mental Floss.com) -- With the season of backyard barbecues upon us, we thought you could use a history lesson on everyone's favorite lawn ornament. From the plastic bird's birth to its modern perch atop the pyramid of campy Americana, here's the quick-and-dirty on the hot pink queen of kitsch. Birth of a national icon . Perhaps not shockingly, the pink flamingo lawn ornament was invented in the same decade that polyester pants, pink washing machines, vinyl wallpaper and Naugahyde lounge chairs were cool. Flamingo fans worldwide owe their thanks to a man named Don Featherstone a one-time employee of a plastics company called Union Products, who designed the first pink flamingo lawn ornament in 1957. When they first hit stores, the blushing birds cost $2.76 a pair and were an immediate hit in working-class subdivisions from the Redwood Forest to the Gulfstream waters. This bird was made for you and me. A (brief) fall from grace . The 1960s were a decade of backlash against conformity, false experience, and all things Parental -- including, evidently, Mom and Dad's lawn décor. Hippies rallied against the plastics industry, cultural critics chastised all things "un-natural," and home and garden magazines pleaded with people to abandon the gnomes, lawn jockeys and flamingos of yesteryear in favor of classier, more natural yard décor. By 1970, even Sears had stopped selling the pink flamingo, replacing the gaping hole in their garden department with natural-looking fountains and rocks, according to the historian Jennifer Price. Her book, "Flight Maps" (Basic Books, 1999), has a chapter on the plastic flamingo. It's a must-read for flamingo aficionados. Mental Floss.com: Itsy-bitsy bikini trivia . And she's back! Happily for flamingo fans, the '70s were a carnival of schlock, and by the early part of the decade, the pink flamingo had become so un-cool, it was cool again -- this time as a self-conscious symbol of rebellion, outrageousness and all things Bad Taste. By the time John Waters' movie, Pink Flamingos, hit theaters in 1972, the bird had fully transitioned to the realm of ironic kitsch. Gay bars used them as mascots, transvestites sported them on earrings and platform pumps, and in 1979, students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison planted 1,008 of the two-legged creatures in the grass in front of the dean's office, earning them -- and the bird -- a place in Wisconsin's State Historical Society. Mental Floss.com: Netflix envelope art . Pink is the new art . By the 1980s, the pink flamingo had made the ultimate giant leap for mankind: it had, like Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup cans, become art. In 1987, the governor of Massachusetts proclaimed the plastic bird "an essential contribution to American folk art," Price wrote, and new clubs like the Flamingo Fanciers of America and the International Society for the Preservation of Pink Lawn Flamingos sprang into existence in time to celebrate the bird's thirtieth birthday. In 1998, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles began to sell plastic pink flamingos in its bookstore for $19 a set. Long live the Queen of Camp . In 2009, in honor of the students' 1979 prank, the Madison, Wisconsin, city council named the plastic pink flamingo the official bird of the city. And the esteemed lawn ornament lives on in Americana infamy, lending its name to bars, restaurants, casinos and hotels from sea to shining sea. Mental Floss.com: Way more than you want to know about Hello Kitty . For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved. | Don Featherstone, a plastics company employee, designed the first lawn flamingo in 1957 . Garden magazines urged homeowners to display more classy ornaments in the 60s . In '70s, flamingos came back as a self-conscious symbol of rebellion . In 1979, University of Wisconsin students planted 1,008 flamingos in front of the dean's office . | c5d1b0ed3a41e05d408619383ba4710d7f1760e2 |
By . Bianca London . Holly Branson, the eldest daughter of Sir Richard Branson, is expecting twins. The 32-year-old doctor shared the exciting news on her father's company website, as well as via her Twitter account. Writing on Virgin.com, she explained that she wouldn't be taking part in the Virgin Strive Challenge, a 1,000km journey from London to the Matterhorn with marathons, rowing, cycling, hiking and climbing, with her family because of her pregnancy. Scroll down for video . Happy news: Holly Branson told fans via Twitter today that she and husband Freddie are delighted to be expecting twins . In a blog post entitled 'Why I’m supporting, not joining, the Virgin Strive Challenge', she wrote: 'There are just days to go before the Virgin STRIVE Challenge begins and the whole team is getting very excited - and a little bit nervous! 'The epic journey from London to the Matterhorn starts with a marathon from the O2 Arena to Gravesend on August 7th. The core team of 10 people will be striving to reach the summit of the Matterhorn entirely under their own steam, with marathons, rowing, cycling, hiking and climbing all to come on a route of more than 1,000km. 'My brother Sam, cousin Noah and the team have been training and fundraising hard, and having a lot of fun along the way. As well as an adventure of a lifetime, the Virgin STRIVE Challenge is aiming to raise £750,000 to support young people in the UK to develop the life skills they need to reach their potential. Parents-to-be: Holly and Freddie met at school in Oxford and tied the knot in a lavish ceremony on Necker Island in 2012 . 'Life skills is this year’s main focus for Big Change, and it is great to see the money raised by the Virgin STRIVE Challenge going towards such important and innovative projects to help young people thrive in life. 'As one of Big Change’s Trustees, some of you have been asking why I’m now not taking part in the Virgin STRIVE Challenge myself. 'Well, Freddie and I are delighted to share the happy news that we are expecting twins!'. She continued: 'After telling our families and all of the Virgin family too, we thought it was time to let everyone know - plus I don’t want anybody thinking I wasn’t up for the challenge of doing Strive!! 'Thanks to everybody for their well-wishes and support so far.' Holly and her husband Freddie Andrewes, who met at school in Oxford, tied the knot in January 2012 in front of their proud and happy friends and . family on her father Sir Richard Branson's . idyllic Necker Island. Holly and Freddie married on the island . that back in August was ravaged by a huge fire that destroyed the Great . House on the Virgin Island. She . wasn't going to let that stop her holding her big day there and said . getting married on the remains added a special aspect to the ceremony. Talking to Hello! magazine, she said: 'Because it is such a dramatic environment, you don't get a sad feeling . on the ruins, it's more of an uplifting, wow, a feeling of celebration . and a time to reflect. 'Before, we were wondering where to fit that many people to have a . proper service, but it was the most obvious big flat open space, it was . perfect. 'It's definitely our special place and it looked absolutely beautiful, . even thought it was still very rustic - there are still piles of rubble - . it was dramatic. And it's stunning because you're at the top of a hill . so there are incredible panoramic views.' Explanation: Writing on Virgin.com, she explained that she wouldn't be taking part in the Virgin Strive Challenge because of her pregnancy. Grandfather Richard: Sir Branson, pictured with newborn son Sam and daughter Holly in 1986, encouraged Holly's pregnancy . Clearly the place is . special; in the tweet announcing her pregnancy news, she and Freddie can . be seen posing on a hill on Necker Island. At the time of her wedding, Holly said: 'He was really keen for . me to be pregnant walking down the aisle. He didn't think we should . worry about being married first. 'My parents weren't married before they . had Sam and I, but both had been married before and it didn't work, so I . think for us, it's nice to do everything in the right order.' Will she be godmother? Holly, 32, is a close friend of Princess Beatrice, who will no doubt play a pivotal role in the baby's life . | Doctor Holly shared the news on Virgin's website . Explained she won't be taking part in Strive Challenge due to pregnancy . Met Freddie Andrews at school in Oxford and tied the knot in 2012 . Richard Branson has long been keen for Holly to have children . | ff520f1ee53f008cdc220db3ad2bc56f939765e2 |
By . Candace Sutton . Mick Jagger landed in Los Angeles today to start making funeral preparations for tragic girlfriend L'Wren Scott as the rest of the Rolling Stones returned to Britain. The 70-year-old rocker cut short the band's tour of Australia after the fashion designer's body was found in her Manhattan apartment on Monday. Jagger's spokesman said that he is in Los Angeles being comforted by his children - daughters Karis, . Elizabeth, Georgia May and Jade as well as his son James. Hours after he touched down in the . California city, the other members of the group, Keith Richards, . Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, arrived at Manston airport, in Kent, . aboard their logo-embossed private jet. Back home: Keith Richards walks down the stairs of the band's private jet after landing in Kent today following the death of frontman Mick Jagger's girlfriend, L'Wren Scott . First off: Richards walked onto the tarmac ahead of his bandmate Charlie Watts (right) before being whisked off in waiting cars . The Rolling Stones cut short their tour of Australia following the tragedy . Sad homecoming: The band's logo-embossed private jet landed at Manston Airport in Kent . It remains unclear as to who has the 49-year-old's body, and the plans for where she will be buried have not been released either. Earlier this week, Scott's sister Jan Shane, who hadn't spoken to the designer in nearly six years, told MailOnline that she hoped she would be buried in the family's plot in Ogden, Utah, next to her adoptive parents. The Rolling Stones left Australia, with the group's private plane departing Perth Airport at 2.55pm, with Mick Jagger and his fellow bandmates on board. Jagger, wearing dark sunglasses and black cap, was dropped at the plane's boarding steps as he prepared for his journey home. Pilots lodged a flight plan at Perth airport listing Abu Dhabi as the first destination. Jagger then flew back to the U.S. On Wednesday night, the same night the Rolling Stones were due to perform in front of more than 15,000 fans for the first show of their sold-out tour, drummer Charlie Watts played to just 130 people at the city's tiny Ellington Jazz Club . Mick Jagger has since arrived in Los Angeles after last being seen when he and his bandmates left Australia . Leaving: Mick Jagger walks onto the private jet to leave Australia on Thursday ahead of his trip to Los Angeles . Cancelled plans: Mick is followed onto the plane by Keith Richards as the Rolling Stones postpone their tour in Australia and New Zealand . Ronnie Wood, pictured in white jacket, has left Australia along with the rest of the band . The Rolling Stones left Perth's Hyatt Regency . at 2pm on Thursday, filing into five separate cars in a military-style motorcade. Police closed roads while detectives and uniformed police - some wearing . bullet-proof vests - escorted the band to Perth airport. Each of the . five cars had heavily tinted glass, along with rear-window curtains. The band left Australia only a few hours after a New York medical examiner ruled that the death of Ms Scott was a suicide. Police confirmed she did not leave a note. Today, Frontier Touring has confirmed it is working on new dates for the . Rolling Stones' Australian tour. Concert promoters said the band's shows . may be held after the football season in either October or November, News.com.au reported. On Wednesday night, the same night . the Rolling Stones were due to perform in front of more than 15,000 . screaming fans for the first show of their sold-out tour, drummer . Charlie Watts played to just 130 people at the city's tiny Ellington Jazz . Club. The club was . closed to the public when Watts performed, but jazz fans already inside . were treated to the surprise 45-minute performance from the Rolling . Stones drummer. Club . director Graham Wood told MailOnline that the 72-year-old drummer was . ‘private and quiet’ during his two hours at the club. But he said Watts . came alive when he walked onto the stage, even treating fans to a . jazz-style version of Rolling Stones' mega-hit Honky Tonk Woman. Full house: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts performs to just 130 people at Perth's Ellington Jazz Club . Watts dined at the nearby Two Fat Indians before making his way to the club at about 11pm . Watts dined at the nearby Two Fat Indians before making his way to the club at about 11pm . ‘There was talk of Charlie coming on . Monday. But obviously with the way things unfolded, it didn’t happen,’ Mr Wood told MailOnline. ‘He . got here around 11pm and stayed a good couple of hours. He was fairly . private. He had his entourage and security there. He was pretty keen to . just quietly enjoy the music. ‘We had a full house of about 130, and they didn’t really know what was happening. ‘He played a kind-of slow, swing version of Honky Tonk Woman. The place just erupted. People couldn’t believe it.’ Watts had been expected to play at the club earlier in the week as part of saxophonist Tim Ries' Rolling Stones Project when the news of L'Wren Scott’s death altered his plans. Kaitlyn Elsegood, who was at the club, told MailOnline that Watts arrived and took up a spot in a quiet corner, going largely unnoticed by most people. But she said the Stones drummer’s demeanor changed as soon as he hit the stage. ‘He was sitting in the bar the whole time, but he was sitting quietly in the corner having a drink. ‘Not many people noticed he was there. But he was very relaxed on stage. He played for about 45 minutes. ‘He didn’t really say anything. He was just happy to play.’ The Rolling Stones released a statement overnight expressing their support for Jagger, saying 'the death of L'Wren Scott is terrible news and they are pulling together' around the band frontman. The impromptu gig followed Watts telling MailOnline that Mick Jagger had been left dazed and unwell following the apparent suicide on Monday. 'He's holding up. He's okay,' Watts said earlier that night, adding: 'He's not really well. He's not really here. It was such a shock.' Mick Jagger and L'wren Scott walk along the river Thames in London . Tragedy: Mick Jagger and L'Wren Scott were a couple for 13 years before she committed suicide on Monday morning . Glossy front: Despite a long line of famous fans, L'Wren Scott's fashion line was a financial failure and she owed creditors nearly $6million, despite Mick's financial support . | Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts arrive at Manston airport in Kent following long journey that began in Perth . Mick Jagger is being comforted by his five children . Frontier Touring has confirmed it is working on new Rolling Stones' Australian concert dates after postponing seven shows after Scott's death . | 29cee3090daf0db4c1686758f4fb91c9a9345b29 |
Police are investigating a suspected poisoning attack that killed hundreds of tropical fish in a newly-opened pet shop. Around 300 fish were killed after a thick 'carpet of food' was poured into six tanks at Paws pet shop in Musselburgh, East Lothian. Staff believe a suspicious couple who were left unattended may have deliberately carried out the sabotage. 'Heartbreaking': Sam Lawson, 24, at Paws pet shop in Musselburgh, East Lothian, where 300 fish were killed . The total cost of the damage is estimated at £2,000 as tank filters will have to be replaced. Shop owner Sam Lawson, 24, faced the 'heartbreaking' task of spending six hours removing all the dead fish. She said: 'You wonder what goes through people's minds. 'Even if someone had a problem with me, there is no reason to hurt the animals. This has been an attack on Paws. Sabotage fears: It is thought a thick 'carpet of food' was poured into six tanks at the shop poisoning the fish . 'Whoever did this, it took thought and planning as they were in and out in a matter of minutes.' Miss Lawson said that the tanks were laced with toxic liquid and elevated levels of ammonia were detected in the water. Staff claimed the water had turned an unusual orange colour and many of the dead fish were tropical cichlids worth up to £20 each. No signs of life: Miss Lawson had to spend six hours removing the dead animals from the once-teeming tanks . Dr Martin Brammah, a tropical fish expert, said 'an ammonia spike in the water' was one of many possible causes. He said: 'If you wanted to poison them you could do it quite easily. 'If you have too many fish and then more food is added, ammonia is produced. It could have been a problem with the water supply, or even a lose wire. 'If someone poured something like a can of Irn-Bru in that could easily do it, particularly if the tanks are on a centralised system.' Jenny Quirk, 30, had been supervising the shop while Miss Lawson spent her birthday with her family. She believes that an older man and a younger woman went into the aquarium while she was busy dealing with customers in the front of the shop. She said: 'I feel so awful because I was minding the shop. Sam's the owner and doesn't take a lot of time off and she was away for her birthday. 'She must have thought "I can't even leave the shop for half a day." I feel like I have let her down.' Miss Lawson is now installing CCTV cameras in the store to prevent another attack. A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed a probe had been launched and called for witnesses to come forward. He said: 'Police Scotland officers responded to a complaint from the owner of a pet shop that someone poisoned most of the tropical fish in the shop by putting excess food into the tanks. Enquiries are ongoing.' | Three hundred fish die in suspected attack at shop in East Lothian . Shop owner Sam Lawson spent six hours removing dead animals from tanks . Staff believe a man and a woman may have been responsible for poisoning . | a4731eff2ac8b559d48eaedd677cdf9d2d7fbb24 |
It was that time of year, and shoppers were probably expecting to see revellers dressed tastelessly for Halloween. But the sight of Paul Dutton among the aisles of groceries and toys was beyond a joke. The 48-year-old, pushing his baby grandson in a trolley, was dressed in full Nazi uniform. Nazi fanatic Paul Dutton claimed on Twitter it was he who was thrown out of an Asda store in Cambridge after horrified shoppers took offence at his Nazi-SS uniform . Outraged customers complained prompting the manager of the Cambridge . branch of Asda to ask the Nazi sympathiser, pictured above entering the . store yesterday, to leave . The Hitler-obsessed father of six was wearing a black SS uniform and cap, with a red armband bearing the swastika, and swastika tattoos on his neck, chest and hand. While a few shoppers in the Asda store treated it as a sick stunt, others immediately complained to staff, who told Mr Dutton to leave. An unrepentant Mr Dutton went on Twitter later to say he had been using the Asda branch in the Beehive Centre in Cambridge since it opened three years ago and often wore his uniform. He said he had intended to hand out cards promoting his website, where he writes about his fascination with Adolf Hitler. Referring to Prince Harry, who had to apologise in 2005 for wearing a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party as a joke, he added: ‘I got ejected from Asda for wearing something that is good enough for a Prince 2 wear.’ Shopper Rosina Rusin, 60, said: ‘My grandmother’s family died in the gas chambers and I thought “Here is this bloke parading about”. People’s mouths were falling open. ‘You are not going to come out like that unless you want to draw attention to yourself. One lady was very upset – she was close to crying.’ Marisa Baker, 38, said: ‘I saw the tattoo on his neck and a swastika on his hand. It’s not what you want to see, especially as there’s children around. Mr Dutton at home in Cambridge, left, and in the outfit he was wearing when he outraged customers in Asda, right. The uniform is similar to those worn by the brutal SS in Nazi Germany . Police were called at 2pm on Thursday, but Mr Dutton had already left. Asda said: ‘We had a number of customer complaints so we asked him to leave the store.’ On his website, Mr Dutton says his partner left him after he became fascinated with Nazism and claims that Hitler and Eva Braun faked their deaths and went on to have children in Argentina. He also uses a quote saying that the Holocaust was a ‘necessary evil’. Last night Mr Dutton insisted that he is not racist. ‘I don’t hate anyone... it’s not about the politics for me,’ he said. ‘I just live and breathe everything Adolf Hitler. Hitler is my whole life, it’s not just a hobby.’ The Waffen-SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, centre, ran concentration camps across eastern Europe where millions of Jews were gassed to death . The SS, Schutzstaffel or protective echelon, was created as an elite corps of the Nazi party. The black-uniformed members, began their existence as a small personal bodyguard for Hitler. But the group grew with the success of the Nazi movement to become a virtual state within a state. Leader . Heinrich Himmler built up the SS following from around 300 men at its . formation in 1929 to more than 50,000 by the time the Nazis came to . power in 1933. Himmler, a . racist fanatic, screened applicants for their supposed physical . perfection and racial purity but recruited from all ranks of German . society. The SS gained . power during the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934 when the Nazi . regime committed a series of political murders. Leading members of the left-wing faction of the Nazi party were slayed along with prominent conservative anti-Nazis. Many of those killed were members of the SA, the paramilitary brownshirts. Hitler . used the purge to eliminate critics of his new regime, especially those . loyal to Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, and settle old scores with . his enemies. The Night of . the Long Knives was a turning point in Hitler's leadership, establishing . him firmly as leader and dictator of the state. As a result the SS became an independent group answerable to Hitler alone. Between . 1934 and 1936, Himmler and his second-in-command Reinhard Heydrich, . consolidated SS strength by gaining control of all of Germany's police . forces. By 1939 its numbers totalled around 250,000 men. It was divided into two groups - the Allgemeine-SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS (Armed SS). The Waffen-SS was responsible for running the concentration camps, and the mass murder of millions of Jews. SS men were taught racial hatred and swore absolute loyalty to their Fuhrer, Hitler.Their motto was: 'Thy honour is thy loyalty.' Following . the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Allies in 1945, the SS was declared a . criminal organisation at the Nuremburg trials in 1946. | Polish-born shopper who lost family members in the Nazi gas chambers said she wanted to make sure the man was evicted . Paul Dutton identified himself as a Nazi sympathiser on Twitter . Angry customers prompted manager to ask the grandfather to leave . Horrified shopper said Halloween is NO excuse for offensive outfit . Police officers visit 48-year-old to look into whether a crime was committed . | 619772571f51465b8bba5c72f7d6691d9b5293fe |
By . Michael Seamark . PUBLISHED: . 19:05 EST, 22 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:15 EST, 23 April 2013 . The two Leveson lawyers who went on holiday to a Greek island during the media standards inquiry may face an investigation by the barristers’ disciplinary body. A senior MP yesterday wrote to the Bar Standards Board asking it to examine Daily Mail revelations about the affair between celebrities’ barrister David Sherborne and Carine Patry Hoskins, a member of Lord Justice Leveson’s legal team. The couple admit going to Santorini – apparently only to ‘discuss the possibility of a future relationship’ – but claim their affair did not begin until after the Leveson report was published in November. Affair: Mr Sherborne, a barrister who represented Hugh Grant, and Mrs Patry Hoskins, a member of Lord Justice Leveson’s legal team, claim their relationship did not start until after the inquiry . But Rob Wilson, a Tory MP and aide to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, wants the board to examine whether there may have been a breach of the Bar’s code of conduct. Mr Wilson, who has already asked Lord Justice Leveson to investigate the barristers’ affair, said: ‘It is only right that an inquiry into breaches of ethical standards be seen to be completely above board itself. ‘If there have been breaches of the legal profession’s ethical code of conduct by members of the Leveson Inquiry team, these must be accounted for to the public. ‘If this affair isn’t investigated promptly and properly, it risks becoming a stain on the reputation of the Leveson Inquiry.’ Twice-married Mr Sherborne, 44, and 40-year-old Mrs Patry Hoskins did not tell Lord Justice Leveson about their affair and he only learnt of their trip to Santorini in recent days. Not informed: Lord Justice Leveson was not told about the affair and only learned about the couple's holidaying together in the past week . A spokesman for the judge said yesterday: ‘Lord Justice Leveson understands that the Bar Standards Board is aware of the recent Press reports. It is a matter for the board to decide what, if any, action to take.’ MP letter: Rob Wilson wants Bar Standards Board to examine whether there may have been a breach of the code of conduct . Bar Council guidelines warn barristers it is very unwise to have relationships with counsel involved in the same case because clients might perceive ‘a danger of breach of confidence or other conspiracy’. That would be likely to breach the lawyers’ code of conduct. It prohibits barristers from acting ‘where by reason of any connection with the client, the court, or otherwise’, a barrister’s professional independence ‘might be compromised or there might be prejudice or the appearance of prejudice to the administration of justice’. In his letter, Mr Wilson asks the board to investigate whether there have been several breaches of the code. These include engaging in conduct likely to diminish public confidence in the legal profession or otherwise bring the legal profession into disrepute, a requirement to act with independence and not to do anything that may lead to any inference that a barrister’s independence may be compromised. The Bar Standards Board will normally carry out an initial assessment before deciding whether to undertake a formal investigation which could lead to a disciplinary tribunal. The board can impose punishments ranging from words of advice, fines or suspension to ultimately having a barrister struck off. Calls for an investigation came after it emerged that Mr Sherborne and mother-of-two Mrs Patry Hoskins went to Santorini last August, days after the public hearings concluded and months before the inquiry ended. Father-of-three Mr Sherborne represented Hugh Grant and other phone-hacking victims at the Leveson Inquiry. Glamorous brunette Mrs Patry Hoskins, nicknamed the ‘thinking man’s Pippa Middleton’, was required to be totally independent when testing evidence given to the £6million inquiry on behalf of the public. | Hugh Grant's barrister and a member of the Leveson team having an affair . David Sherborne and Carine Patry Hoskins claim it began after inquiry . MP Rob Wilson wants Bar Standards Board to investigate possible breach . | 6e8d16725134f2ca740a504554514ff2da66cde5 |
By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 07:17 EST, 1 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:29 EST, 1 November 2013 . The BBC has apologised over a controversial joke which suggested Prince Harry takes cocaine - but only for getting the name of a friend of the Royals wrong in the gag. Comedian Jo Brand said on Have I Got News for You: 'George's godparents include Hugh van Cutsem - I presume that’s a nickname as in Hugh van cuts 'em and Harry then snorts 'em.' In fact, Prince George's godfather is William van Cutsem, whose brother and late father are both called Hugh, and the BBC has now apologised to Clarence House for the error. Controversy: Jo Brand, left, made a joke on Have I Got News for You which implied that Prince Harry took drugs . However, the corporation has stood by the satirical suggestion that Harry takes drugs, saying that it was 'clearly tongue-in-cheek'. The joke was made on last Friday's edition of the comedy news quiz by Ms Brand, a member of the anti-monarchist organisation Republic. Panellists were discussing the christening of Prince George when she made the quip, which was written by producers and appeared on the host's autocue. There is no evidence that Prince Harry, a serving Army officer, has ever taken Class A drugs, although he is said to have smoked cannabis as a teenager. Error: Ms Brand also referred to Prince George's godfather William van Cutsem, pictured with his wife Rosie, as 'Hugh', the name of hsi brother and late father . The error about Mr van Cutsem's name added to the outrage expressed by many viewers. It was considered particularly insensitive as the elder Hugh van Cutsem, a close friend of Prince Charles, died just two months ago. The BBC wrote to Kensington Palace apologising for the mistake after Royal aides apparently contacted the corporation to complain. A BBC spokesman said: 'We apologise for the factual inaccuracy in last Friday's programme and have edited iPlayer and future repeats accordingly.' Shock: Fellow panellist Ian Hislop asked, 'Have we lost the lawyers?' after Ms Brand's joke . Honourable: The fourth in line to the throne has served on two tours of duty to Afghanistan as an Apache pilot . But the corporation has refused to budge from its previous argument that the drug reference was nothing more than a joke which should not be considered offensive. 'Have I Got News For You is a satirical news quiz and the audience is used to the often irreverent humour,' a spokesman said this week. 'This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek comment.' Ms Brand, 56, also said she would not apologise, pointing out that she did not write the joke but adding: 'I thought it was funny. I don’t really understand what the fuss is about.' After she made the crack, fellow panellist Paul Merton looked shocked, while Ian Hislop said: 'Have we lost the lawyers?' Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, later said that the suggestion was 'outrageous' and 'most inappropriate'. Defence minister Anna Soubry added: 'That is disgraceful, shoddy, appalling and out of order. Prince Harry does an outstanding job in the Army and always goes the extra mile to help wounded service personnel and veterans.' | Jo Brand implied that Harry 'snorts' cocaine on Have I Got News for You . Also called Prince George's godfather William van Cutsem 'Hugh', the name of his brother and late father . BBC has apologised for the mistake but says the joke is 'tongue in cheek' | ebd0d4a63e964eff0842f55a9aaf708a52d1a8b2 |
It is the harrowing certificate that shows how 16-month-old John Desmond Dolan was described as being a ‘congenital idiot’ at the time of his death in St Mary’s Mother and Baby home. John is one of the 796 children whose remains were left in a mass grave on the grounds of St Mary’s, which was run by the Sisters of Bon Secours. Documents given to the Irish Mail on Sunday by the boy’s sister reveal how he had a healthy birth and weighed 8lbs 9oz when he was born at the Tuam home on February 22, 1946. Harrowing: The death certificate of 16-month-old John Desmond Dolan, who died in 1947 . His mother Bridget Dolan, a farmer's daughter from Clonfert, Co. Galway, gave birth to him in the presence of a woman known as Bina Rabbitte. There are no details given of his father. Records from the home show how a health inspection was carried out in April 1947 by a man known as Mr Humphreys. Tragic: Bridget Dolan, whose sons died at the mother and baby home . Despite being born a healthy baby, a year later John was described as a 'miserable emaciated child with a voracious appetite and no control over his bodily functions'. Doctors referred to John as 'probably mental defective'. That year there was an outbreak of measles in the home, which John contracted. He died on June 11, 1947. On his death certificate it showed how Ms Rabbitte was again present at the time of John's death. It is understood she had been born in the home and remained on, assisting the nuns with the children. John's cause of death was recorded as 'congential idiot and measles'. His sister said: 'He was born healthy and yet he died less than two years later. What is a congenital idiot? How could anyone call a child that? 'He is on that death list and it’s terrible what happened to him. To think that report says he was a miserable 16-month-old is heartbreaking.' In the home, mothers looked after their own children. John’s mother Bridget was discharged from the home in the February before her son died after the nuns found her a job as a housekeeper. Three years later she fell pregnant again and her second child, William Joseph, who was born at Galway University Hospital on May 21, 1950. He was born a healthy baby and there are no records of his having any illnesses. Heis registered in the Tuam home as having died on February 3, 1951, yet there are no notesregarding cause of death and no records of his death among the national death registrations. His sister has reported William Joseph missing to gardaí: 'I don't know where he is. I heard talk through his family that he was sent to America,' she said. And on Friday, the MoS has learned, the family made a formal requested to gardai that they find, exhume and return the body of John for a proper burial. John is one of the 796 children whose remains were left in a mass grave on the grounds of St Mary's . | 16-month-old John Desmond Dolan died in St Mary's Mother and Baby Home on June 11, 1947 . He was described as being a 'congenital idiot' on his death certificate . | cd3ffcf311e8eff7a4aebe92d337743b72b616cc |
By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 06:16 EST, 2 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:17 EST, 2 July 2013 . Two Canadian transgender performers have been banned from flying by Canada's largest airline after one of them took off her clothes in a mid-air strip show. Lexi Sanfino, who was travelling with friend Nina Arsenault, took off her top and walked up the plane's aisle before being tackled by staff and ordered to cover up. The artist said she went topless in protest at offensive questioning by flight attendants about whether she used to be a man. Canadian transgender performers Lexi Sanfino (pictured) and Nina Arsenault say they have been banned from flying after Sanfino took off her top during a flight . Nina Arsenault claims her friend stripped after staff asked if they used to be men and how do make-up . The pair were arrested last month when their WestJet flight landed in Edmonton, Canada. They say they have now been banned from flying with WestJet of Air Canada. However, Ms Sanfino said she only took her top off because air hostesses began asking inappropriate questions. Ms Arsenault, 39, from Toronto, said her friend walked down . the aisle with her arms out but was immediately covered up by staff who . said 'Think about the children'. She told Canada's Toronto Star: 'She came over and said, "You guys have to teach us how to do our makeup". 'And then they were like, "You know, because you used to be guys, right?"' Ms Sanfino was charged with causing a disturbance, while her friend was released without charge, according to Canadian reports. Ms Sanfino said: 'I guess we're banned from flying, or at least my breasts are - maybe I'll get them removed if they're causing all these problems.' Sanfino said the strip on the WestJet flight was in protest at questioning by staff about her gender . The pair say they have also been banned from flying with Air Canada - the country's biggest airline . Both are prominent campaigners from transsexual rights and Ms Arsenault is a well-known in Canada as a columnist, artist and sex worker. She is best known for her one-woman stage show called The SiliconeDiaries. The pair claim police threatened to put them in a male-only jail and referred to them as men, which is what is stated on their passports. Ms Arsenault told Toronto Star: 'Let’s face it: if you’re legally male, it’s not even illegal to remove . your top. 'I think that was the politics she was . exposing. If you’re going to treat me like a male, then I’ll put this in . your face. Which begs the question: now am I?' WestJet confirmed the pair were banned from travelling with them and Air Canada declined to comment, according to the Nine MSN. | Lexi Sanfino and Nina Arsenault banned from flying Air Canada or WestJet . Ms Sanfino says she took off top in protest at offensive questioning . Claims flight attendants on WestJet flight asked if they used to be men . | bb6927778453b8deae5f49a788f76fb465dc49a5 |
A Jamaican-born lollipop man who was sacked for calling a black colleague 'King Kong' during a row over a parking meter has questioned how he can be a racist at an employment tribunal. Jon Seymour, 46, claims he was unfairly dismissed following a row with a council official in which he allegedly used 'threatening, racist and abusive' behaviour at Camden Town Hall in London. But now Mr Seymour, who has worked as a lollipop man in Kentish Town for 20 years, is seeking thousands of pounds in compensation saying he was not being overly aggressive. Jon Seymour, 46, says he was unfairly dismissed after he got in a row with a fellow black council worker . The Central London Employment Tribunal heard the incident in July 2013 erupted after Mr Seymour was speaking loudly on his phone in the town hall's reception area ahead of a meeting. He claimed he had been trying to arrange a refund because a parking meter had swallowed £4 of his change when council worker Johnson Akinmoyede 'interrupted his conversation'. The court heard that when Mr Akinmoyede asked him to keep his voice down, Mr Seymour replied: 'Who are you, King Kong? I will break you, move away from me,' reports the Evening Standard. Mr Seymour, from Kentish Town in north London, was escorted from the building by two security officers for the alleged 'racially abusive and threatening behaviour'. Mr Seymour was a lollipop man outside Carlton Primary School in Camden, North London, for 20 years . However, he claims the term 'King Kong' was not racist and in a statement by Christopher Nicola, manager of the council's Smarter Travel Team, it was a 'Caribbean thing'. 'He [Mr Seymour] asked how could it be racially abusive if you say something to someone of the same complexion, and that the way they were speaking was a Caribbean thing and they talk like that to each other all the time and that he did not mean any offence,' said Mr Nicola. Mr Seymour claims the term 'King Kong' was not racist and that the way they were speaking was a 'Caribbean thing' Speaking at the time, Mr Seymour said: 'It was not racial. He was getting all angry so it was like he was acting like he was a big strong gorilla, so that's why I called him King Kong. 'My mum is black, I'm black. It is not being racist. It was nothing to do with his colour. No one looks like King Kong.' Amjad Khan, a security guard who witnessed the incident, told the court Mr Akinmoyede had also been 'intimidating' and 'inappropriate', but admitted Mr Seymour's behaviour was also unacceptable. He said both men apologised to each other after the row and shook hands on the steps of the town hall. The council's head of transport strategy, Louise McBride, who chaired last year's disciplinary meeting which dismissed him, said CCTV footage showed his behaviour was 'aggressive physically'. However, Judge David Pearl, who was shown the CCTV disagreed his body language was aggressive saying 'the claimant does nothing [physically] aggressive here.' Speaking outside the court today, Mr Seymour, who was born in London but of Trinidadian heritage, told the Standard: 'It's made my life hell and until now I have never been unemployed in my life. 'It was about being part of the community and helping all the mums and children, that's what I used to love, and that has been taken away. 'The best result would be getting back the job that I love and to feel part of the community again. I just want to serve the people and community I love.' The paper reports that Mr Seymour was also said to be in breach of the council's code of conduct for giving an interview to a local newspaper after his immediate suspension. The hearing continues. | Jon Seymour, 46, claims he was unfairly dismissed from Camden Council . Incident erupted after Mr Seymour was speaking loudly on mobile phone . Council worker Johnson Akinmoyede asked him to keep his voice down . Mr Seymour allegedly called him 'King Kong' and threatened to 'break' him . The lollipop man of 20 years claims it was not racially abusive behaviour . He is seeking thousands of pounds in compensation at tribunal this week . | 40208a812c1f83c6afadf4dc753751d31b53904c |
Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett have been weathering some negative reports lately about their five year marriage that has resulted in two children: Hank Jr, aged four, and Alijah, aged one month. Not only did The National Enquirer claim on Saturday that the 29-year-old Playboy cover girl kicked the former football star out of their Los Angeles home, but on Monday RadarOnline accused the 31-year-old athlete of cheating with transsexual model Ava Sabrina London. Hank reportedly paid the woman $2,500 to keep her mouth shut. This comes on the heels of claims that Jennifer Lopez's boyfriend Casper Smart also cheated with not one, but two transsexuals. Reps for Kendra did not return calls to MailOnline. Scroll down for video... A family rocked by scandal: Hank Baskett, pictured with wife Kendra Wilkinson and son Hank Jr on May 16, has been accused by RadarOnline of cheating with a transsexual in late April - just weeks before this photo was taken . New girl: The woman Hank is accused of having an affair with is transsexual Ava Sabrina London - who also goes by the name Ava S Masaniai - pictured here in a Facebook shot . The first time Hank met Ava, who goes under the YouTube handle Ava Masaniai, was 'around . April 22 in Sherman Oaks, California,' an insider told Radar. 'He called . her twice before they met in person. He said he’d seen her YouTube . videos online, and he couldn’t believe that her photos were real,' the source told Radar. At the time Kendra, who came to fame on E!'s The Girls Next Door, was eight months pregnant with their second child, Alijah, who was born in May. The timing couldn't be any worse: the Kendra On Top stars are set to ring in their five year wedding anniversary on Friday. She likes a good photo: London showing off her assets in revealing bikini top shots she has posted to her social media pages . Suddenly famous?: The knockout has 60 videos on YouTube that will surely get a look at now that she has been linked to the Kendra On Top star . They have so much going for them: The couple, with Hank Jr and new baby girl Alijah, have been together for five years and have yet to comment on new reports their marriage is in trouble . Baskett tried his best to keep the alleged affair a secret. 'He used a fake name when organizing the encounter,' the source told Radar, 'and claimed he had never been with a transsexual before.' He met Ava - who has 60 YouTube videos - at her home. During their first encounter, 'they mutually masturbated' and he touched her 'breasts and penis.' 'The entire encounter lasted probably about 15 to 20 minutes,' Radar's insider claimed. 'Before leaving, he gave her almost $500 and told her he wanted to stay in touch.' United: The family was seen in LA on Saturday afternoon, just hours after the National Enquirer reported the Playboy model kicked him out of their house, forcing him to check into a motel . She used to be in top shape: The blonde no longer looks like the sex symbol she used to be . And in touch they kept. 'They spoke a couple times after their first sexual encounter. Hank always called from different numbers, and at least once from a pay phone,' Radar reported.'After the Casper Smart transsexual controversy, he started to get freaked out and paranoid she would say something, and called her six times in one day to plead with her not to spill.' Lopez broke up with Smart in early June after it was reported he romanced transsexuals Xristina Marie and Sofie Vissa. He denied being with either woman. The 44-year-old singer has since moved on to Dancing With The Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Hank used money to keep LA-based London (who studied at Modesto College) quiet, Radar claimed. 'He promised he would take care of her financially, and even left her $2,000 in a coffee cup at her house. 'He promised her $5,000 to keep her mouth shut, and even threatened to kill himself if the story got out!' Kendra, who was last seen with Hank on Saturday as the two ran errands with Alijah, wants to leave him, according to the site. Selfie obsessed: London has several self portraits from her bedroom, and in most of them she's showing off her toned figure that includes a flat stomach and toned legs . On Saturday The Enquirer reported that Hank was spotted speeding away from . their home on Friday and looked 'downtrodden' as he arrived at the motel with bags in hand. The . source told the publication: 'He went into the office of the motel and . then pulled the jeep around to the other side where the room was . located. Hank appeared disoriented and downtrodden. At one point, he . kicked the ground.' A new trend?: Jennifer Lopez's boyfriend Casper Smart, pictured in May, was also accused of seeing not one, but two transsexuals . The . Enquirer claimed Hank was joined by a woman wearing a 'medical type . uniform' and speculated it could be one of the children's nurses. The . insider said: 'He got out of the Jeep with a woman who appeared to . possibly be one of the couples’ baby nurses because she was wearing a . medical type uniform. 'An hour later, he emerged from the room but then returned back inside.' Hank spent most of Friday with his father Hank Sr at a Major League Gaming Competition in Anaheim. He tweeted: Mornin yall! @MrHankBaskettSr . & I are on our way down to the #MLGAnaheim championships. Small . road trip with pops=good times.' No idea what was coming! Kendra shared this upbeat tweet on Thursday . Family time: Hank spent the morning with his father before returning to the family home and quickly leaving for a local motel . He later wrote on Instagram: '#MLGAnaheim. The calm before the storm. Best of luck to mlg and all those playing this weekend!' However, after returning to the house, Hank abruptly left the property at 4pm for the motel. There was no sign of his father. The . allegations of marital discord come just one day after Kendra took to . Twitter to post an upbeat message, writing: 'Today will be a great day. I . know it. #CarpeDiem #smile #happiness #love #positivevibes.' And earlier on Friday she flashed a happy smile as she stepped out in baggy sweats that covered up her postpartum figure. Kendra and Hank married June 27, 2009 and welcomed Hank Jr in December of the same year. The blonde has spilled her family secrets on Kendra and Kendra On Top. It is not yet known if she could turn her new alleged marital woes into a reality spinoff much like Tori Spelling has done. No smiles here: The athlete and the model looked to be in a tense mood as they went out with daughter Alijah on Saturday afternoon . Parents at odds?: While Hank (left) tended to his new child, Kendra (right) loaded the car . | Kendra Wilkinson's husband Hank Baskett is accused of cheating with a transsexual . The Playboy cover girl was eight months pregnant at the time with his daughter Alijah . The transsexual is claimed to be model Ava Sabrina London from Northern California . The 29-year-old has 'kicked the athlete out of their LA home and he's now in a motel' The couple will see their five year wedding anniversary on Friday . Accusation comes weeks after Jennifer Lopez's boyfriend also 'dated transsexuals' | ec5d718df0399e72a07464ff44b588cd8d2607fc |
The foundations of a huge Anglo-Saxon feasting hall, the first to be discovered in more than 30 years, has been found below a village green in Kent. The hall, where a king and his warriors would have enjoyed epic days-long feasts, has laid just inches underground for 1,300 years. A team from the University of Reading working with villagers and local archaeologists made the exceptional discovery in Lyminge, Kent. At 69 feet by 28 feet, the hall would have been an impressive structure with room for at least 60 people. Excavation site: An aerial view of the foundations of a Anglo-Saxon feasting hall found below a village green in Lyminge, Kent . Animals bones which were found buried in pits near the edge of the hall signal the many extravagant feasts held at the biggest hall for miles around, before it was abandoned and later destroyed. A piece of gilded horse harness was also found among the foundations which has helped archaeologists date the site to the late sixth or early seventh century. Jewellery, bone combs and a well preserved manicure set consisting of three small bronze rods strung onto a piece of wire were also found. Dr Gabor Thomas, director of the Lyminge excavations, told The Guardian: ‘The horse harness decoration is very significant. Horse harness mount: This high-status gilt copper-alloy decorative mount would probably have been attached to a bridle or harness for a horse, dating it to c.525-575 AD. This finding supports the view of pre-Christian culture in this period being based on a warrior society, with horses at forefront of this ideal . Grooming set: Sets consisted of three bronze tools attached to a wire ring. They often have scrapers for nails, 'ear scoops' for the age-old ear wax problem, and tweezers . Triangular bone combs: Two triangular composite bone combs were found. They are made of three pieces of bone riveted together, the central piece being the carefully sawed teeth . Animal skulls: Animals bones which were found buried in pits near the edge of the hall signal the many extravagant feasts held at the hall . ‘It's not just a wonderful find, but . evidence of the status of the people who used this site. The ability to . own and upkeep a horse was the mark of the warrior aristocracy.’ Dr Thomas mentions Beowulf, the most famous of all surviving Anglo-Saxon poems, is set in the late fifth century and describes the eponymous hero coming to a hall such as the one most recently discovered. He said: ‘This would undoubtedly have been the scene of many Beowulfy type activities, great assemblies for feasts that lasted for days, much drinking and story-telling, rich gifts like arm rings being presented, all of that. ‘There could have been no more visible sign of wealth and status than raising a hall like this. ‘This is before centralised tax collecting and coinage, too early for royal palaces as such. ‘To keep control you had to keep on . the move, stopping at significant places, literally feeding off the . land, off the rich food offerings that would be brought everywhere the . king arrived.’ Feasting: Beowulf, the most famous of Anglo-Saxon poems, describes the eponymous hero coming to a hall such as the one discovered . Tanya Gold, Daily Mail journalist, dresses as a 6th-century woman at Anglo Saxon settlement of West Stow, in Suffolk (file picture) Dr Thomas believes that the hall foundations indicate the last of the ancient pagan rituals. The timber from the structure is long gone but archaeologists found the outline of the building by post holes and plank gaps for the wood to be laid horizontally to create the walls. The team came to Lyminge last summer and searched the site which had been open land for almost 1,000 years. Ground penetrating radar suggested there were some structures underground but nothing quite as big as what they found. There is evidence that the hall was damaged, if not destroyed, by fire which was a common fate for wooden buildings centered on an open hearth. Dr Thomas said he believes the hall was abandoned deliberately as the Anglo-Saxons of that tribe, along with many others, turned to Christianity. The settlement at the site was also abandoned and a new village settled on a hill nearby a new church. Previous excavations in the village, just a few miles from the Eurotunnel terminal, including in the church graveyard have revealed thousands of years of habitation in the area. The graveyard was founded in AD633 and is said to be the original burial place of St Ethelburga. At 69 feet by 28 feet, the hall would have been an impressive structure . with room for at least 60 people. Pictured here is the cricket field in . Lyminge, Kent . Dr Andrew Richardson, an Anglo-Saxon specialist from the Canterbury Archeological Trust, described the discovery as a 'fantastic achievement and a major find for understanding the kingdom of Kent.' He told the MailOnline: 'It is a very rare find. In Kent we have found lots of cemeteries and rich burials but have been much less successful at finding where people lived. Although little farms have been found this discovery of one of the major halls is incredible.' Dr Richardson explained how after the collapse of Roman Britain in the fifth century, Kent quickly established itself as a sophisticated independent kingdom which made the most of its location by tapping into trade networks. 'This hall would have been used for high-status feasting full of wealthy and sophisticated people,' said Dr Richardson. The archaeologists plan to return next summer. Mr Thomas said: 'There’s more of this story.’ | The foundations were found under a village green at Lyminge, Kent . The 69 feet by 28 feet structure had room for at least 60 people . A rare piece of horse harness and jewellery were also found . | d7f60d0b5d1fbf89edb853bea2992d11082a93cd |
By . Hayley Coyle . Novelist Adele Parks - whose latest project is from the perspective of a dementia sufferer . Her best-selling novels are normally filled with dilemmas involving love and romance. But a dinner party with friends prompted Adele Parks to deviate from the ‘chick lit’ genre she is known for and become the first author to write from the point of view of a dementia sufferer. Miss Parks found herself moved by the difficulties faced by several aquaintances struggling to help loved ones with the illness but afraid to speak about their battles openly. The 45-year-old has written 13 novels in 13 years, all of which have topped the Times Bestseller List, but it is Whatever It Takes which was released last year, that she regards as one of her ‘most rewarding projects’. The novel tells the tale of a young mother who moves to the countryside to be near her husband’s family and discovers that her mother-in-law has dementia. The narrative switches between telling the story from the perspective of Margaret who has Alzheimer’s and her daughter-in-law. Speakinmg about the novel for the first time and explaining the inspiration behind Whatever It Takes, Miss Parks said she was moved by the heartbreak of a friend who had had to have her father tagged and placed in a care home as he battled the late stages of dementia. She said: ‘The very first nugget of an idea came when I was at a dinner party. Towards the end of the evening one of the guests kept getting phone calls about her father. We asked if she was alright then she started talking about him and how he was in the late stages of dementia. 'She told us a horror story about how he had gone missing from his care home. He’d left then forgotten where he lived. 'Then she said we’ve actually got him tagged now and I feel terrible. People say it’s taken away his liberty but she said, I just want him to be safe. My heart was breaking for her. 'Soon after that a close friend of mine told me his mother wasn’t well but no one knew what it was. Then after dozens of tests it turned she had Alzheimer’s. 'So it was these two incidents that started the idea for the book.’ Around 800,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Miss Parks, a married mother of one, spent months meticulously researching and spending lots of time with dementia sufferers and their families before publishing her book for public consumption last year. The 45-year-old has written 13 novels in 13 years, all of which have topped the Times Bestseller List, but it is Whatever It Takes which was released last year, that she regards as one of her 'most rewarding projects' Miss Parks, whose other bestselling titles include Husbands and Playing Away, said: ‘I’m the first author to do this I believe, write from the point of view of a dementia sufferer in mainstream fiction. ‘I absolutely wanted to write from the Alzheimer sufferer’s perspective. It was essential to me – I didn’t want to write in a way that was just what everyone else thinks it must be like. The author's latest novel Whatever It Takes, which was released last year . ‘And as far as I’m aware and as far as people who have written to me, lots of people – either those suffering from Alzheimer’s or families and friends – all have said we hadn’t come across a book written like this before.’ And her depiction was ‘exactly right’, she said. ‘I described dementia as a ‘black smudge’ on your memory… absolutely horrifying. ‘And the sufferers I spoke to said that’s exactly what it’s like, a bit of your memory that’s just been rubbed out but you know used to be there’, Miss Parks explained. She said: ‘What was interesting, and very important to me, is that without exception everyone wanted to open up [about ementia] because it’s almost a secret they feel they have to keep. ‘There was a definite sense of relief just being able to talk about it.’ According to a poll carried out by the Alzheimer’s Society, to mark Dementia Awareness Week which runs until May 24, 41 per cent of those affected by the disease said they were keeping their concerns about it bottled up. A further 64 per cent of the 1,043 people polled admitted to waiting six months or more after noticing symptoms before seeking professional help. Miss Parks was speaking to raise awareness about Dementia Awareness Week which is organised annually by the Alzheimer’s Society. | Adele Parks, 45, is known for her best-selling 'chick lit' novels . Now released Whatever It Takes from perspective of a dementia sufferer . | 100b575e6f82e7725045c14bc5229fb89339b685 |
By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 05:14 EST, 2 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:43 EST, 2 August 2012 . A music teacher told a school's deputy head teacher that he had killed a girl in a car accident in a bid to try and get out of going to work. Derek McGlone, 42, fabricated the lie, telling his employers he felt his car wheels running over her body, just so that he could skip work at Calderhead High School, North Lanarkshire, where he was head of music. After admitting the lie, the teacher said he was 'embarrassed and sorry' about his actions and insisted he still wanted to teach, saying he had a 'passion' for the profession. 'Embarrassed': Derek McGlone admitted to lying about killing a girl in car crash to get time off work . But a hearing at the General Teaching Council Scotland found his fitness to teach was impaired. The teacher has a record for missing work after he told a deputy head that he was caught up in Iceland's ash cloud, despite being at home in Glasgow. He had also taken to Facebook to rant about his colleagues, calling other staff 'bitches.' The hearing heard how his former colleagues had complained that his comments were abusive and threatening. Mr McGlone, who represented himself at the hearing, described himself as a 'respected' head of music, art and design when he made false statements about his absence between June, 9 2008 and May, 31 2011. Mr McGlone said his behaviour was inexcusable: 'I can give no reasonable explanation for my actions. 'I make no excuse for any of the three incidents - they are unforgivable, stupid and silly. 'Please believe me, I have had enough time to think about this.' The 'respected' music head tried to get time off work from Calderhead High School, North Lanarkshire (pictured) Mr McGlone admitted three charges brought by the GTCS, including making threatening and abusive comments towards former teaching colleagues on Facebook. The former teacher said he had taken to Facebook in April 2011 in a 'drunken rant' after discovering former colleagues had made statements about him to the GTCS. He said he was 'dumbfounded and horrified' when he read other members' of staff's statements and he was embarrassed his comments were seen as threatening. 'I do not consider myself to be a threatening person - people would laugh if they heard me described as threatening . 'I do admit wholeheartedly the case against me and I have been previously of good character, nothing of these matters will happen again.' Mr McGlone said he tried to carve a living by getting involved in touring productions of Evita and Scrooge since he resigned as a teacher in 2011. He said: 'I have always had a passion to teach. I have tried to make a living doing other things but there is nothing that compares to teaching.' GTCS solicitor Niall McLean read out a statement from deputy head teacher at Calderhead High, Joyce Kilmartin. She said there was a 'number of occasions' Mr McGlone had told lies in order to take days off work. Her statement added: 'He started off telling a few silly lies. 'He then lied about knocking a girl over and killing her - he said he felt his car wheels running over her body.' The hearing panel, presided over by John Kilpatrick, concluded: 'The Panel determined that the Respondent's conduct falls short of the standards expected of a registered teacher and that his fitness to teach is therefore impaired.' The Panel considered that making no order or removing the Respondent's name from the Register would be disproportionate to the seriousness of the complaints. 'In the whole circumstances of the case, and in view of the representations made by the Presenting Officer and the Respondent, the Panel considered that the appropriate outcome in this case is that a reprimand be recorded in the Register against the Respondent's name for a period of twelve months from the date of expiry of the appeal period specified in the Rules.' A reprimand has been recorded in the teaching register against Mr McGlone's name for 12 months. | Said he 'felt the wheels running over her body' General Teaching Council Scotland his fitness to teach 'impaired' Missed work saying that he was caught up in Iceland's ash cloud - even though he was at his Glasgow home . | 01ca37ce6f1b59fac13e469d272806a8357d6f2e |
By . John Hall . PUBLISHED: . 07:47 EST, 31 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:21 EST, 31 December 2013 . A kebab shop owner has been ordered to pay £2,000 compensation after selling a pizza with a bolt embedded in the crust. Mehmet Gilgil, 25, pleaded guilty to selling food not of the 'substance or quality required' after an inch-long lump of metal was found baked into a pizza at Flames Kebabs in Romford, East London. The bolt is believed to have come loose inside the oven and fallen into the pizza as it cooked. Shoddy: Mehmet Gilgil pleaded guilty to selling food not of the 'substance or quality required' after an inch-long lump of metal was found baked into a pizza . Mr Gilgil was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £750 in costs and a £100 victim surcharge for serving the pizza to an unsuspecting customer in December 2012. Romford council’s cabinet member for Public Protection, Councillor Lesley Kelly said: 'Selling shoddy products of any kind is not acceptable and is particularly important when preparing food.' Mr Kelly added: 'We will always prosecute and seek the highest possible fine to make sure that everyone maintains standards in their kitchens.' 'This was a cheap bolt that got someone an expensive fine and that should be a lesson to others.' Standards: Councillor Lesley Kelly 'This was a cheap bolt that got someone an expensive fine and that should be a lesson to others' There have been a number of incidents of foreign objects found in food in recent months. In November a plumber claimed he had been left unable to eat anything after discovering a dead mouse inside a bag of Tesco frozen scampi. Mohammed Ali, 37, said he could only stomach fruit juice after finding the dead rodent inside his packet of seafood. He had poured the contents into a deep fat fryer for an afternoon snack, but then a couple of minutes later noticed something black floating in the hot oil. Mr Ali, from West Lothian in Scotland, said: ‘I stuck my hand in the bag and put it in - I was in a hurry.'He says he spotted the dead mouse floating in the oil around two minutes later. Earlier this year Tony Hinds, 27, found a human tooth embedded in a pork and chive sausage from Tesco’s Finest range. Mr Hinds, from Queenborough in Kent, had planned to use them to make sausage rolls for his birthday party, but abandoned the plans when his fiancée removed the packaging and found the tooth stuck in the side of a sausage. Mr Ali found the dead mouse inside a £3 bag of Tesco scampi. The 37-year-old claimed the incident left him unable to consume anything other than fruit juice . Fried: The dead mouse was in hot oil along with the scampi for around two minutes before Mr Ali noticed it . And only last weekend, a Pret A Manger customer in Manhattan, New York was shocked to discover a dead frog in her salad. The Wall Street Journal employee had visited the branch on Sixth Avenue/47 Street to get what she assumed would be a regular Albacore Tuna Nicoise Salad. But in addition to the tomatoes, tuna, egg and olives, there was an extra ingredient: the small amphibian, almost camouflaged among the salad leaves. The manager of the branch has since apologised and given the customer a refund, plus a voucher for a free lunch. The heavy fine kebab shop owner Mr . Gilgil received for serving the bolt in his pizza is in stark contrast . to the compensation Tesco offered Mr Hinds. Tesco initially offered only an apology and a £15 voucher for what it insisted was a piece of bone. Finally, after Mr Hinds protested further, the supermarket acknowledged that the unwelcome discovery was a tooth and added another £10. A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We are sorry for any upset. However, after a thorough investigation, we are confident the tooth was not inside the product when it arrived at the store.’ They added: ‘All products undergo robust testing during the manufacturing process, including metal detection. The object in question is part metal and, during supplier tests, it was easily picked up by the metal detector.’ | Mehmet Gilgil admitted selling food not of the 'substance or quality required' Bolt is believed to have come loose inside oven as pizza cooked . Pizza was served to unsuspecting customer at Flames Kebabs, East London . | 2f1caba7c21a0357650e08acd9440ac835c4efe4 |
By . Mail On Sunday Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:00 EST, 2 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:00 EST, 2 November 2013 . Those worried about the long-term health of A-list actresses such as Renée Zellweger, who famously lost and gained weight twice for her Bridget Jones role, should spare a thought for the boys, too. After shedding almost 2st last year as he slimmed down from being a muscle-bound Thor to star in Rush, the movie about trim British racing driver James Hunt, Chris Hemsworth has been asked to lose the pounds again for his new film called Heart Of The Sea. He may seem in peak condition now, but could these extreme regimes increase the risk of serious illness in later life? 'Chris and I both have to lose as much weight as possible over the next month,' says his co-star Joseph Mawle, who is best known for his role as Benjen Stark in Game Of Thrones. Chris Hemsworth has been asked to lose the pounds again for his new film called Heart Of The Sea . 'We play these guys who are stranded on a boat, so we have to look really worn-down and skinny. It's not a great look, but Chris will still be his handsome self.' Joseph and Chris might heed the warnings of actor Tom Hanks, who ruled out ever again taking film roles that require dramatic body transformations after developing type 2 diabetes. The Captain Phillips star believes the diagnosis may be connected to him changing his size for roles such as Castaway and A League Of Their Own. While crash-dieting can be damaging due to dehydration and malnutrition, the adverse effect on the body of bouts of weight gain is cumulative. Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, explains: 'In overweight people, if you lose 2st then gain it again, then lose it again and gain it again, the damage is equivalent to gaining 4st on top of whatever you already weighed. The body starts to release chemicals that cause inflammation, which increases the risk of heart disease and possibly diabetes too.' Australian star Hemsworth, 30, will be packing on the protein again soon, though, to play Thor in the next Avengers film. First-born children are 'smarter' than younger siblings, according to the US National Bureau of Economic Research. The results of a survey showed that first children typically get better grades in school and have higher IQs. The economists who wrote the findings concluded that parental discipline is strongest in the eldest child. Nike releases its new Nike+ FuelBand SE next week - an updated version of its bestselling activity monitor. The device now connects to a new app that allows users to record and share information. A 'Fuel Rate' feature reports on the intensity of activity, using a traffic light system to show wearers how they are doing. Nike releases its new Nike+ FuelBand SE next week - an updated version of its bestselling activity monito . With the paparazzi constantly capturing his bare torso as he sprawls on a super-yacht surrounded by women, it's little wonder that Simon Cowell is willing to try a new fitness fad. Along with pal Sinitta Cowell is now using Technoshape, a fat-blasting stomach belt that promises to increase blood circulation and shift flab from the tummy. It is worn while doing exercise, such as on a treadmill or stationary bike. But physiologist Professor Michael Rennie believes users may be wasting their time. 'Stimulating the blood supply won't make you lose weight,' he says. 'There are only two ways to get rid of fat - eat less or exercise.' Along with pal Sinitta Cowell is now using Technoshape, a fat-blasting stomach belt . Soundwaves are being used to treat painful carpal tunnel syndrome. The wrist condition causes pain, numbness and tingling in the fingers. It is associated with obesity, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, arthritis and diabetes. Research has shown that when splinting (immobilising the wrist, which is the most common treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome) is combined with ultrasound, it is three times more effective. Now therapeutic ultrasound is being employed in a clinical trial at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. | Chris Hemsworth lost 2st from muscle-bound Thor to star in Rush last year . Now has been asked to lose weight again for his new film Heart Of The Sea . Crash-dieting can be damaging due to dehydration and malnutrition . | aba81e6865713bf748ef78c778bf49b07532a8a6 |
(EW.com) -- Huge news for "American Chopper" fans: Jesse James is returning to the network that made him famous to compete head-to-head against the Teutuls on "American Chopper." Marking his first appearance on Discovery Chanel in five years, the former "Monster Garage" star will guest star on "Chopper" across two nights in December. Not only that, but "American Chopper" is going live for the first time -- pitting James, Paul Teutul, Senior and Paul Teutul Jr. in a bike-building battle at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The face-off airs December 5 and 6 at 9 p.m. both nights. The first night is the regularly scheduled "American Chopper." You'll see Senior, Junior and James building the bikes, and viewers will vote for their favorite. The second night is a live show from Las Vegas where the winning bike will be revealed. For "Chopper" fans, this is the stuff of online message-board wish fulfillment. Jesse James' documentary "Motorcycle Mania" helped launch the whole cable reality motorcycle craze back in 2000, whereas relative later-comer "American Chopper" helped bring the genre to a greater level in popularity. James then left Discovery and went on to other ventures, including his short-lived Spike TV series "Jesse James is a Dead Man" (and drawing international headlines for his divorce from Sandra Bullock). Though James and the Teutuls respective motorcycle garage shows overlapped during James' years at Discovery ("Monster Garage" ran from 2002-06; "Chopper" has aired since 2003), this event marks the first time the combustible personalities have gone head-to-head on one of the programs. See the full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | The former "Monster Garage" star will guest star on "Chopper" "American Chopper" is going live for the first time . James, Paul Teutul, Senior and Paul Teutul Jr. will be in a bike-building battle . | 184bf8f8e46d5338089d4747e1732a14bd76cb1c |
By . Wil Longbottom . Last updated at 3:02 PM on 20th December 2011 . The body of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has been laid in state in a glass coffin as weeping mourners filled public squares across the country. State television showed still images of the 'dear leader's' body in the open coffin, surrounded by wreaths and covered with a red blanket. Kim Jong Un - his third son and successor - paid his respects to his father along with top military and Workers' Party officials during a 'solemn ceremony'. In state: The body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been placed in a glass coffin in Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Pyongyang . Respects: The 69-year-old is surrounded by floral wreaths and his medals and is covered in a red blanket . North Korea is in an 11-day period of official mourning, with flags flown at half-mast at all military units, factories, businesses, farms and public buildings. The streets of the capital Pyongyang were quiet, but crowds of people gathered at landmarks to mourn Kim Jong Il who died suddenly on Saturday from a massive heart attack at the age of 69. Kim Jong Il ruled North Korea for 17 years in a brutal and repressive dictatorship. Under . his regime's economic mismanagement, a terrible famine in the 1990s . caused the death of millions from starvation and hardship. He imprisoned thousands of political 'opponents' and there is no . access to freedom of the press, the internet or health care in the country. Ceremony: Kim Jong Il will have a state funeral on December 28 and will be laid to rest in the palace, where the body of his father is also on display . Tears: Kim Jong Un cries as he pays his respects to his father and former leader . Successor: Kim Jong Un, heir to power in North Korea, pays his respects to his father . Duty: High level officials (L to R) Kim Phyong Hae, Thae Jong Su, Ju Kyu Chang and Kim Rak Hui - all members of the Workers' Party - weep as they pass their former leader's coffin . His body was lying in state in the . Kumsusan Memorial Palace, a mausoleum where the embalmed body of his . father - national founder Kim Il Sung - has been on display in a glass . sarcophagus since his death in 1994. A state funeral will be held there on December 28. Ri Ho Il, a lecturer at the Korean Revolutionary History Museum, said: 'Our General is our people's benevolent father. He defended our people's happiness, carrying on his forced march night and day.' Since Kim Jong Il's death, state media have stepped up their lavish praise of his son Kim Jong Un in an effort to strengthen a cult of personality around him similar to that of his father. Family: Kim Jong Un glances at his father's body as he walks past the coffin in Pyongyang . Hotseat: Kim Jong Un is expected to succeed his father after he was announced as his official heir last year . Unknown: Little is known about Kim Jong Il's third son, but he was 'unveiled' to the world media a year ago after his father suffered health problems in 2008 . Allies: The successor must now forge ties in the North Korean army and Workers' Party . Honours: Medals belonging to the former North Korean despot were on display by his coffin . Tributes: Men prepare a floral arrangement outside the North Korean embassy in Beijing, China . Grief: Workers at a branch of the North Korean consulate in Dandong, China, weep at the death of their 'dear leader' Although there have been no signs of unrest or discord in Pyongyang's sombre streets, the possibility of a power struggle in a country seeking nuclear weapons and known for its secrecy has heightened tensions in the region. Officials said they will not invite foreign delegations and will allow no entertainment during the mourning period. The Korean Central News Agency described Kim Jong Un as a 'great person born of heaven', a propaganda term only his father and grandfather Kim Il Sung had enjoyed. Genuine? Mourners appear to cry as the see the body of leader Kim Jong Il in state . Condolences: North Koreans gathered at landmarks in the capital to mourn the loss of their 'dear leader' Salute: North Korean soldiers gesture during a call of condolence in the capital . Memorial: Mourners stand in front of a floral wreath in the palace . Defiance: North Korean defectors chant slogans in Seoul after the death of Kim Jong Il . Mourning: North Korean flags are at half-mast, with many also having black ribbons tied to them . The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of . the ruling Workers' Party, added he was 'the spiritual pillar and the . lighthouse of hope' for the people. It described him as 'born of Mount Paektu' - one of Korea's most cherished sites and Kim Jong Il's official birthplace. Yesterday, North Korea's military pledged to 'uphold the leadership of comrade Kim Jong Un' and called him a 'great successor'. Despair: Thousands crowded to pay their respects and leave flowers at memorial sites in Pyongyang . Memorial: Floral wreaths stand in front of a painting of Kim Jong Il in the capital . Protest: A man sprays paint over the North Korean flag during a demonstration in Seoul. There are concerns over the transition of power following Kim Jong Il's death . Dictator in training: Kim Jong Il was in power for 17 years as North Korea's 'dear leader'. Right, his third son Kim Jong Un was only unveiled as his successor a year ago . Kim Jong Il died from a heart attack at 8.30am North Korean time on Saturday - but officials in South Korea and the U.S. still did not know 48 hours later. Intelligence services in both countries failed to pick up on the momentous event - a testament to the highly secretive regime in North Korea. But it isn't the first time spooks have missed major developments in the country. A massive uranium enrichment plant was not discovered for 18 months until an American nuclear scientist was taken to visit it in 2010 and North Korea also helped complete a nuclear reactor in Syria without intelligence finding out. Concerns have been raised over the transition of power in the nuclear weapon-armed state, with little known of successor Kim Jong Un. Michael J. Green, a former Asia adviser in the Bush administration, told the Washington Post: 'We have clear plans about what to do if North Korea attacks, but not if the North Korean regime unravels. 'Every time you do these scenarios, one of the first objectives is trying to find out what's going on inside North Korea.' But the secretive nature of the regime means sensitive information is only shared with a small circle of high-up officials who will not reveal any details. But other countries are closely monitoring developments in the notoriously secretive country. South . Korea's military has been put on high alert and experts warned that the . next few days could be a crucial turning point for the north, which has a relatively . well-supported 1.2million-strong army. Kim Jong Il's death could set back efforts by the U.S. and others to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. Concerns . are also high that his son - believed to be in his late twenties - may . feel he needs to prove himself by precipitating a crisis or displaying . his swagger on the international stage. Kim Jong Il was in power for 17 years after his father's death, and was groomed for the role years before that. His son only emerged as the likely heir over the last year. Sarah McDowall, a senior analyst with U.S.-based consultants IHS, said: 'The sudden death of Kim Jong Il has plunged the isolated state of North Korea into a period of major uncertainty. 'There are real concerns that heir-apparent Kim Jong Un has not had sufficient time to form the necessary alliances in the country to consolidate his future as leader.' Others said the country was unlikely to plunge into chaos because it has been preparing for transition since Kim Jong Il indicated his third son would become his successor. South Korea today offered condolences to its neighbour and said it would allow families with ties to the north to visit. Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said no official delegation will travel to Pyongyang, but the government would allow the families of prominent South Koreans - including those of former president Kim Dae-jung and former Hyundai Asan chairman Chung Mong-hun. The Obama administration called for a peaceful and stable transition of power in North Korea. Top national security officials are focusing intelligence on the internal politics of the reclusive communist nation. President Obama conferred by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to underscore the U.S. commitment in the region. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: 'We are deeply concerned with the well-being of the North Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with them during these difficult times. 'It is our hope that the new leadership of the DPRK will choose to guide their nation on to the path of peace by honouring North Korea's commitments, improving relations with its neighbours, and respecting the rights of its people.' | Son and successor leads respects in Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Pyongyang . North Korea in national period of mourning before state funeral on December 28 . Military pledges support for Kim Jong Un, declaring him 'born of heaven' But concerns are raised over transition of power to relatively unknown third son . U.S. calls for peaceful transition of power in reclusive nation . | c4066d8693fe96c785219b3e3de8ad7854c51d7a |
Thierry Henry made an explosive start to life on Sky Sports by admitting Arsenal have 'gone backwards' over the last few years before his former side's 2-0 win against Manchester City. Henry, sitting alongside Graeme Souness and presenter Ed Chamberlin on Super Sunday, believes Arsenal are missing a world class holding midfielder to protect the likes of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. The 37-year-old stressed the importance of former team-mates Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva during Arsenal's unbeaten Premier League campaign in the 2003-04 season. He also claimed: . Thierry Henry didn't hold back on his views of the current situation at Arsenal before their 2-0 win . Henry says Arsenal have 'gone backwards' and are missing a 'big piece' to challenge for the title . Henry believes Arsenal lack a midfield player to protect the back four like former skipper Patrick Vieira . Henry also spoke highly of former team-mate Gilberto Silva on his Sky Sports punditry debut . Henry said of Arsenal's current side: 'Yes, they have gone backwards, it looks like they are a team who looks to finish fourth. 'When you look at Arsenal they should be trying to win the title. 'I’m sure Arsene, the fans and the board want more. You can be upset at Arsenal losing to Stoke City but it is the way they went after Arsene and the words they used. 'They are not far but they are missing a big piece. They are missing a (Patrick) Vieira and a Gilberto Silva. 'Those guys would have done anything to allow us to perform well. They protected the back four. Do Arsenal have that now, I don’t think so.' Henry believes Arsenal made a big mistake selling Alex Song and that he would be perfect for the side now . The former Arsenal striker in action for the Gunners in a 3-1 win against Manchester City in May 2006 . A graphic showing Arsenal's dreadful record in the at the home of the two Manchester clubs . Henry went on to lavish praise on former Arsenal midfielder Song by claiming the West Ham loanee would improve Wenger's side. 'Song would improve Arsenal,' said Henry. 'That is the type of player you want in front of your back four. 'Song is the captain of the boat. He protects the back four. You need someone to dictate, put players into position, make little fouls by kicking someone - like Claude Makelele used to do.' Arsenal have claimed just one point out of a possible 21 during their last seven visits to Manchester, something Henry urged his former side to address before their trip to the Etihad Stadium. Henry was far from impressed at the treatment Arsene Wenger received after Arsenal's defeat by Stoke . Graeme Souness (left) believes Arsenal are 'too nice' to compete for the Premier League title . Sky Sports presenter Ed Chamberlin (far right) was joined by Souness and Henry . He said: 'Today has to be the day. I was playing before and Graeme too. 'Your pride has to kick in. Forget even about the Premier League. If I was at home and I was playing against my brother - one day, you have to go out there and prove you are a good team against a good team. That's not an easy task and hopefully they are going to do it today.' Souness, meanwhile, believes Arsenal are too nice to compete for the Premier League title and Henry did not disagree with his new colleague. 'Arsenal historically are too easy to play against,' stated Souness. 'I am a fan of Arsenal but they frustrate the life out of me. 'Would you like your daughter to date any of the Arsenal players? They are a team of son-in-laws. 'They are all nice guys. You need some rascals.' Henry believes Santi Cazorla, pictured celebrating after scoring at the Etihad Stadium, makes Arsenal 'tick' Olivier Giroud applauds Arsenal's travelling support at the end of the Premier League clash . Henry may just be Arsenal's lucky charm as his former side delivered an impressive performance to claim a 2-0 win at the home of the champions. The Frenchman said their performance was 'amazing' despite only having 32 per cent possession. Henry said after the match: 'Arsenal usually play with the ball but they were brilliant. They didn't have the ball for most of the game but the 32 per cent possession was enough to win the game. 'What a game Cazorla had today. People mention Alexis Sanchez but don't forget Santi Cazorla. He controlled the midfield. 'He is the man who makes the team tick. The only thing he didn't do well was the dance.' Souness added: 'The word that jumps out is disciplined. They denied space all over the pitch in a very un-Arsenal way. 'They were clinical. They defended brilliantly and never allowed any space. If they could just bottle it, then they would be a major threat.' The only thing Cazorla done wrong during the game was his jig, joked Henry . | Thierry Henry made his Sky Sports punditry debut on Sunday . The former Arsenal forward said the club had 'gone backwards' The 37-year-old says they lack a midfield general to protect the back four . Henry says his former team-mate Alex Song would improve the side . Fellow pundit Graeme Souness said Arsenal are 'too easy to play against' Arsenal managed to claim a 2-0 victory at the home of the champions . Henry was particularly complimentary of Gunners ace Santi Cazorla . Cazorla and Olivier Giroud scored to help side claim win at City . Click here for Arsenal transfer news . Former Gunner Alex Song, who now plays for West Ham, would improve the Arsenal side . Arsenal must end their poor run of form in Manchester if they are to compete at the top . That Arsene Wenger's side lack a steely edge, a point also raised by Graeme Souness . | 6210ce5dcc6c70bfb76b1991e523bcf4bbdaa0e7 |
By . Mark Duell . A British Army sniper was fatally shot by a US fighter jet in Afghanistan after a mistake by the pilot meant he attacked the wrong site, an inquest heard today. Forces on the ground had called in air support after being attacked by insurgents in Helmand province. However, as well as having difficulty identifying landmarks when speaking to ground troops, the F18 pilot failed to enter coordinates for the strike. Fatally shot: New Zealand born Private John Howard, 23, was hit as he took cover in a ditch and died instantly . As the pilot swooped to attack, Private John Howard, 23, was hit as he took cover in a ditch and died instantly, the inquest in Salisbury, Wiltshire, was told. New Zealand-born Private Howard, known as Jack, was serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade’s Reconnaissance Force when he was killed. The force had been sent to the Nad-e Ali district of Afghanistan to target ‘compounds of interest’ which could be linked to insurgent activity. But on the day of the soldier’s death the weather deteriorated and three groups were sent from their base to hold a reassurance meeting with local elders, rather than carry out manoeuvres. As this took place at around 12pm on December 5, 2010, one of the platoons came under fire and attempts were made to perform a pincer movement and repel the attackers. Major Frank Reeves told the inquest: ‘Two platoon couldn’t move from their position because they were pinned down and we were trying to do a manoeuvre to relieve some of that.’ As the battle continued, the insurgents . were forced back to an area identified as compound 15, about 100 metres . (328ft) from another building where the British forces had made their . way to. Background: The force had been despatched to the Nad-e Ali district of Afghanistan to target 'compounds of interest' which could be linked to insurgent activity. A file photo of Royal Marines in the area is pictured . They received intelligence from an unmanned aircraft that insurgents were in compound 15 and agreed to call in air support. Major Reeves said: ‘A strafing run was suggested and I was immediately very happy with that.’ An American F18 which had been circling the area was called in to carry out the attack, but a fault meant the pilot could not share his map with the ground commander, making it harder to be sure they were looking at the same point. Commander Paul Tremelling told the inquest this would not necessarily have been a problem had the pilot and ground commander established clear markers on the ground so they both knew what they were talking about, which they did not. However Commander Tremelling said the biggest mistake was the pilot’s failure to enter coordinates for the attack into his onboard computer. ‘You would always, always, always put that grid into the machine,’ he said, adding that he may not have done so because he thought his targeting pod was faulty. ‘In that situation what he should have done, had he thought there was an error in the equipment, it should have been the first thing he mentioned,’ said Commander Tremelling. Commander Tremelling said it was not clear why the pilot did not realise friendly troops were within a danger zone of 60 metres from the intended target, as he should have seen them as he approached. Plane: As well as having difficulty identifying landmarks when speaking to ground troops, the F18 pilot failed to enter coordinates for the strike. A file photo of an F18 aircraft is pictured . He said: ‘I don’t know why he didn’t say "by my reckoning friendlies are 40 metres away".’ Commander Tremelling said the pilot appeared to think the British troops were in a completely different compound because he and the ground commander were not talking about the same site. He said: ‘They have formed a mistaken belief that they’re both looking at the same battle.’ On the ground, the troops took cover, with Private Howard and a few others in a ditch near the compound that the rest of the group were in. Major Reeves said: ‘We were quite buoyed . because we knew we were taking it to the enemy at this stage. We were . almost looking forward to getting amongst it.’ 'They have formed a mistaken belief that they’re both looking at the same battle' Commander Paul Tremelling . At that point the jet fired 205 rounds into the area, hitting the compound the British troops were in and the ditch. Major Reeves said there was a lot of confusion, dust and burning as they took in the situation. Outside, Lance Corporal James Appelt, a trained medic, was in the ditch with Private Howard. He said it was clear that the sniper died instantly. ‘I was desperate to do something but I knew I could not do anything for him,’ Lance Corporal Appelt said in evidence. In the air, the pilot, who was described as ‘very experienced’, realised a horrible mistake had been made. Commander Tremelling said at this point the pilot entered the coordinates and the targeting device instantly focused on the compound where the insurgents were thought to be. There was no further fighting and Private Howard’s body was removed from the scene, with two other injured troops also evacuated. Coroner David Ridley recorded a narrative verdict into the death of Private Howard. Mr Ridley said although the sharpshooter died as a result of being shot by the jet, communications issues contributed to his death. The coroner described how the pilot indicated that he had identified insurgent forces in one of the compounds. 'We thought it was a very thorough investigation and it certainly answered all our questions and we are grateful that the coroner devoted time to getting to the bottom of what happened' Roger Howard, father of Private John Howard . Mr Ridley said: ‘Unbeknown to the pilot and those on the ground, the pilot had identified compound A [where British troops were]. ‘The aircraft attacked at 13.41. However the compound under attack was not compound 15 but was the unmarked compound A. ‘Jack, who had been laying in the ditch just short of the compound along with his comrades, was struck and Jack was instantly killed by one of the rounds.’ Private Howard, who had been deployed in Helmand since September 2010, was officially declared dead at the field hospital at Camp Bastion at 2.57pm. Mr Ridley said: ‘Whilst the cause of Jack's death was the 20mm round fired from the attacking jet plane, communication issues between the forward air controller and pilot directly contributed to the incident.’ The coroner said these included the pilot failing to put attack coordinates into the on-board computer, the lack of video downlink allowing the controller to see what the pilot was looking at and the failure to agree common correlation points so they knew they were talking about the same thing. Mr Ridley offered his condolences to the soldier's family. Speaking after the inquest, Private Howard's father, Roger, said: ‘We thought it was a very thorough investigation and it certainly answered all our questions and we are grateful that the coroner devoted time to getting to the bottom of what happened.’ | Forces on ground called in air support after being attacked by insurgents . F18 pilot had trouble identifying landmarks and did not enter coordinates . Private John Howard, 23, was hit as he took cover in a ditch in Afghanistan . Force had been sent to Nad-e Ali district to target 'compounds of interest' Coroner recorded narrative verdict and said 'communications issues' contributed to his death . | 061bc12b7069f9a1de32f01823fcc6a4b839af03 |
Shortly after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi last September, a phone call was placed from the area. Whoever made the call was excited. "Mabruk, Mabruk!" he repeated, meaning "Congratulations" in Arabic. Two sources with high-level access to Western intelligence services have told CNN the call was made to a senior figure in al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM. There is no proof that the call was specifically about the attack, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed, but the sources say that is the assumption among those with knowledge of the call. Pentagon releases official timeline of Benghazi attack . One of the sources says the phone call was discovered when a Western intelligence service trawled through intercepts of communications made in the wake of the attack. That source told CNN that the call was made specifically to Moktar Belmoktar, leader of an al Qaeda faction based in northern Mali. CIA officials told CNN they had no comment on whether any call had been intercepted. If the call was made and subsequently detected, it could fuel an already partisan debate in Washington over the Obama administration's initial public characterization of the Benghazi attack, and what information U.S. intelligence officials had about who was involved. Read more: Five things we learned from the Benghazi hearings . Critics say initial administration comments did not reflect the true intelligence about the incident, and were an attempt by the administration to avoid tying it to terrorism. On Monday, Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, issued a statement with more questions about the attack, saying: . "We do not know what person or persons, representing what executive branch agency or agencies, changed the unclassified talking points to remove references to Al-Qaeda and a terrorist attack in describing the attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi." Read more: Benghazi tries to escape its ghosts, past and present . The administration says the unclassified talking points were the basis for comments made by the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, on television talk shows in the immediate aftermath of the attack. The senators added: "Al-Qaeda, its affiliated groups, and local militias were able to establish sanctuaries almost uncontested in the ungoverned spaces of eastern Libya. Some of these individuals were involved in the attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi." Belmoktar's links to Libya . A veteran jihadist who had lost an eye while fighting in Afghanistan as a teenager, Belmoktar had established relationships with some of the more radical Libyan militia, and at the time of the Benghazi attack was putting together an elite unit specifically to attack Western interests in the Sahel and North Africa. Read more: What really happened in Benghazi? A few months later, that unit carried out the attack on the In Amenas natural gas facility in southern Algeria in which 33 foreign workers were killed. The group traveled through southern Libya on their way to the plant, according to counterterrorism officials. Chadian officials say that Belmoktar himself is now dead, killed Saturday as French and Chadian special forces penetrated the remote Adrar des Ifoghas mountain range in northeastern Mali. But French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday there was no confirmation that either Belmoktar or another senior figure in AQIM, Abou Zeid, had been killed during the French campaign against Islamist hideouts in northern Mali. "I have no proof of the deaths of those two men," Le Drian said. Nor is there proof that Belmoktar directed or was involved in the Benghazi attack. His group never claimed any responsibility for it. But in the weeks after that attack on September 11, several senior U.S. and Libyan officials suggested that members of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb may have been involved, without offering details. The president of Libya's parliament, Mohammed al-Magarief, asserted that U.S. intelligence had intercepted communications between elements of AQIM and Ansar al-Sharia, a group widely blamed for playing a part in the attack. On September 19 Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told a congressional committee: "We are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to al Qaeda or al Qaeda's affiliates; in particular, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." And in November, Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said it was "very likely that some of the terrorists who participated in the attack in Benghazi have at least some linkages to AQIM." "That is not to say that it was AQIM which planned, or organized or led the activity but clearly some of the individuals had some linkages," he said. Soon after the Benghazi attack, Belmoktar was relieved of his position as emir of the Sahel and a deputy leader of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The group's overall leader, Abdelmalek Droukdel, appears to have lost patience with Belmoktar's "freelance" kidnapping of Westerners, which are reputed to have netted several million dollars. A written decree demoting Belmoktar was taken to Gao, the city in northern Mali where Belmoktar was based, and read out to the jihadist ranks there. Some counterterrorism experts believe that Droukdel suspected Belmoktar of a role in the Benghazi attack and was anxious that such a high-profile operation would promote a severe backlash from the United States, setting back AQIM's efforts to establish a foothold in Mali and Libya. Belmoktar was one of several leading militants based in Mali who spent time in Libya in the aftermath of Moammar Gadhafi's overthrow, developing relationships with militant Islamist brigades and buying weapons with the proceeds of smuggling and kidnapping operations. According to sources in direct contact with Western intelligence agencies, Belmoktar was in Libya for four months from December 2011. They say his visit was facilitated by the leader of a radical Islamist militia with influence in Benghazi and the East. According to the sources, he met a Libyan veteran of jihad in Afghanistan who had set up camps near Sabha in southern Libya providing training for jihadists from Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Mali as well as Libyans and ethnic Tuaregs. Western intelligence officials believe the camps may have been used by those who attacked the In Amenas gas facility in January, according to the sources. Across North Africa and as far east as Syria, counterterrorism agencies are seeing a fluid movement of fighters, weapons and expertise among jihadist groups. The New York Times reported in January that several of the militants involved in the Algerian attack had also been in Benghazi in September, citing a senior Algerian official. The official said one of the militants captured had described the Egyptians' role in both assaults, according to the Times. Asked about the report at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 23, then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "I cannot confirm it. I can give you the background that I was able to obtain. This information is coming from the Algerian government related to their questioning of certain of the terrorists that they took alive." She also alluded to links between the attack in Algeria and sources of weapons in Libya. "The Pandora's box of weapons coming out of these countries in the Middle East and North Africa is the source of one of our biggest threats. There is no doubt that the Algerian terrorists had weapons from Libya. ... So we just have to do a much better job," she said. The combination of different jihadist groups and factions, in shifting coalitions of the willing, has become a growing feature of the militant landscape, and one that makes tracking individuals and groups more difficult. Instability in North Africa -- especially in Libya and Mali -- has afforded these groups new space in which to operate. | Sources: A call was made after the Benghazi attack to a senior figure in AQIM . A source says the call was made to Moktar Belmoktar, leader of an al Qaeda faction . CIA officials told CNN they had no comment on whether any call had been intercepted . Chadian officials say Belmoktar is now dead, but a French official says there is no proof . | 295a71e13c5f06b7acbe6029c670bd4aeaab4979 |
PUBLISHED: . 17:51 EST, 19 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:02 EST, 20 September 2012 . Autumn could be arriving later this year, experts said after receiving fewer reports of ripe berries and turning leaves than by the same time last year. The Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar project, which gathers records of the changing seasons from members of the public, has received far fewer sightings of ripe blackthorn, bramble and elderberries so far this year than in 2011. Sightings of ripe brambles and blackthorn are both down around four-fifths on this time last year. A lack of berry sightings by the public suggests autumn is running late this year . Children will have to wait a little longer before the can go out picking ripe brambles this summer . The presence of elderberries normally indicates the first signs of autumn . There have been just 17 reports of beech trees beginning to change colour, compared to 302 for the same time last year, and only six reports of the first tinting of oak leaves, down from 125 at this point in 2011. Silver birches also appear to be turning later, with 35 reports of leaves beginning to change colour compared to 313 this time last year. And there has been just one report of winter visitor the fieldfare arriving, whereas there were a dozen sightings by the same date in 2011. The Woodland Trust said the arrival of . autumn colour varies from year to year as it is affected by temperature . and rainfall, but suggested autumn as a whole was getting later as . warmer temperatures mean trees grow for longer. It . is too early to say whether autumn will be later than the average this . year, but it already appears to be lagging behind last autumn, which was . exceptionally early, Nature’s Calendar project manager Dr Kate . Lewthwaite said. Yet to come: Autumn colours in full bloom at Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire . She said: 'We would definitely expect fruiting to be late because fruiting is intrinsically tied in with flowering, which was late because we had a washout spring which was much cooler than normal, and how were pollinating insects going to get out there. 'All of these things we would expect to have an effect, and we might expect there to be later and less fruit.' Unlike last year’s dry conditions, the wet summer this year and recent warm temperatures means the trees are not shedding their leaves so early, she said. 'Tinting is a little bit late, as we would expect.' Experts from the Royal Horticultural Society have predicted that, when it does arrive, the weather conditions over recent months mean it will be a perfect autumn for colour. Dr Lewthwaite urged people to get out and enjoy woods this autumn, and said they could help experts understand how plants and animals are adapting to the changing environment by recording their sightings on Nature’s Calendar. | Sightings of ripe blackthorn, bramble and elderberries are down compared to this time last year . Only 17 reports of beach trees beginning to change colour compared to 302 for same time last year . For more information on Nature’s Calendar, people can visit: www.naturescalendar.org.uk . | 09fff79460a14dafd30d45246a585671f33c01ec |
(CNN) -- The head of Australian soccer has vowed "to throw the book" at the men charged with match-fixing in a lower league competition -- which has been described as the worst such scandal in the country's sporting history. Nine people were arrested on Sunday, and six of them were charged in court Monday, including the coach of Victorian Premier League team Southern Stars, a group of his players and a Malaysian national. Five of those involved were British players who had been reportedly been offered to the Melbourne-based club at the start of the season on a non-payment basis. The Australian Football Federation (FFA) website said the arrests were made after it received data on suspicious betting patterns involving the Southern Stars in August, which it passed on to Victorian state police. "Integrity measures put in place by football have been effective in detecting this activity," FFA chief David Gallop told reporters Sunday. "From the FFA's point of view we'll initiate proceedings under our own codes of conduct. You can be sure that we will throw the book at them. "That means life bans on a worldwide basis." Police said more than $2 million had been bet on the team, which is bottom of its division -- a second-tier competition below the national A-League. Gerry Gsubramanian, 45, is accused of being the contact man for overseas betting syndicates who organized with the players the outcomes of matches. "He receives phone calls. He is given advice on how the Southern Stars players are to perform," Detective acting senior sergeant Scott Poynder told the court, according to the Australian Associated Press. "Video showed some of the players were doing some unusually poor play. For that work he received payment. Some of the bets are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars." Gallop said he had been told by police it was considered an "isolated issue." "This highlights the fact that lower league games, which aren't under the scrutiny of things like a global television broadcast, are potentially more susceptible to this kind of activity," Gallop said. "At this stage the police have indicated to us that they are looking at an isolated issue in Victoria and we need to be guided by the police in that regard." The controversy adds to a difficult year for Australian sport, which has been rocked by the drug scandals involving leading Australian Football League team Essendon as well as the country's rugby league competition. "This was flagged earlier this year by the Australian Crime Commission that there were links with organized crime, trafficking of performance-enhancing drugs and match-fixing," journalist Jim Wilson of the Seven Network told CNN's World Sport. "People were saying there's no match-fixing in Australian sport, and then this comes to light. It's a lower grade competition ... but it's the exotic betting and the middle-men involved that really sends shockwaves through Australian sport. "Bets from India, Asia, Singapore, China on these local teams. I think you'll find that there are other sports that will be investigated and are under the spotlight as far as the Australian Federal Police is concerned. "I don't think it's just limited to football in this country. This is disturbing for Australian sport in general." | Six people charged in Australian soccer match-fixing scandal . Coach and players of Victorian league team among those involved . Malaysian national accused of being contact man for overseas syndicates . Journalist says scandal "is disturbing for Australian sport in general" | bdfe415e85cf34791e88169afb054db152fdae7a |
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could tour China next year in a bid to help repair the damage caused by Prince Charles's diary description of Chinese officials as 'appalling old waxworks'. Discussions are currently underway for the historic tour which would take place following the completion of Prince William's training for his new job as a pilot for the East Anglican air ambulance. It is not only seen as a diplomatic coup for the Foreign Office but also an important step to help repair the ill will felt towards the royals after Prince Charles' diary entries, published by the Mail on Sunday in 2006, described Chinese officials as 'appalling old waxworks'. The Duke and Duchess would visit next year following Prince William's training for his new piloting job. The couple are pictured here with their son George during the royal tour of Australia and New Zealand . This year's tour of Australia and New Zealand proved to be massively successful. The couple, along with their son Prince George, were greeted by huge crowds throughout the tour and it contributed to a significant surge in the royal family's popularity. Kensington Palace said: 'Next year's tours for the Duke and Duchess are currently being considered, discussed and assigned. They will be announced in due course.' The Sunday Times also reported a spokesperson as saying China was 'looked at regularly because it is an important country that the Foreign Office want to send them to'. The paper said officials hoped to capitalise on the current goodwill felt towards the couple. Relations between Britain and China have been strained since a diplomatic row broke out in 2012 when Prime Minister David Cameron met the Dalai Lama. Prince Charles (left) former Governor Chris Patten (centre) and former Prime Minister Tony Blair at the 1997 Hong Kong handover ceremony - when sovereignty of Hong Kong was handed from Britain to China . The Foreign Office also hopes to take advantage of the couple's widespread popularity . The 2012 meeting between the Dalai Lama, David Cameron and Nick Clegg which sparked a diplomatic row . At the time, China's foreign ministry said the May 2012 meeting between the exiled Tibetan leader, Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had ‘seriously interfered with China’s internal affairs’. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing his Tibetan homeland in 1959 after a failed uprising against Communist rule. The paper reported the tour would not take place until after Prince William has completed five months of training for his new job as a pilot with the East Anglican air ambulance. Last summer Kensington Palace announced that the prince had decided to quit the military after seven years’ service, two-and-a-half of which were as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey. He takes up the new job in spring next year and plans to donate his £40,000 salary to charity. The Foreign Office declined to comment on the tour plans. | Plans underway for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to tour China next year . The tour would help repair damage caused by Prince Charles's diary jibe . Foreign Office also keen to capitalise on the young royals' current popularity . | c797b2b1be9fb68722d0ea8784112daf248db512 |
By . Jessica Satherley and Chris Parsons . Last updated at 7:45 PM on 23rd November 2011 . Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh has finally agreed to step down after 33 years following an agreement which gave him immunity from prosecution in exchange for losing power. The authoritarian leader stepped down after signing a U.S.-backed power transfer deal mediated by Gulf Arab states to resolve the impoverished nation's crisis. Under the deal, Saleh, who had faced a fierce uprising to oust him as president, will step down and transfer power to the vice president in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Gearing up to sign the deal: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (right) in a meeting in his Presidency Office in Yemen on Tuesday before flying to Saudi Arabia today . He is the fourth Arab leader toppled in the wave of Arab Spring uprisings this year, after longtime dictators fell in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Seated beside Saudi King Abdullah in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Saleh signed the U.S.-backed deal hammered out by his country's powerful Gulf Arab neighbors to transfer his power within 30 days to his vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. That will be followed by early presidential elections within 90 days. Saleh had arrived in the Saudi capital today to sign the agreement, according to Yemen state television. He was dressed smartly in a dark business suit with a matching striped tie and handkerchief and he smiled as he signed the deal, before clapping his hands a few times. He then spoke for a few minutes to members of the Saudi royal families and international diplomats, promising his ruling party 'will be cooperative' in working with a new unity government. Saleh said: 'This disagreement for the last 10 months has had a big impact on Yemen in the realms of culture, development, politics, which led to a threat to national unity and destroyed what has been built in past years.' [caption . Saleh addressed the country's troubles without mentioning the demands of protesters who have filled squares across Yemen calling for his ouster, often facing deadly crackdown from his security forces. He also struck out at those who strove to topple calling the protests the protests a 'coup' and a bombing of his palace mosque that seriously wounded him in June 'a scandal.' Saleh said his ruling party will be 'among the principle participants' in the proposed national unity government that is to be formed between his party and opposition parties, who also signed the deal. The plan Saleh agreed to calls for a two-year transition period in which a national unity government will amend the constitution, work to restore security and hold a national dialogue on the country's future. Saleh has clung to power despite an eight-month-old uprising, mass protests calling for his exit and a June assassination attempt that left him badly wounded and forced him to travel to Saudi Arabia for more than three months of hospital treatment. Security in Yemen has unravelled amid the uprising against Saleh's 30-year reign. Protesters: Anti-government protesters shout slogans during a demonstration today to demand the ouster and trial of Yemen's President in Sanaa, Yemen . The situation is particularly bad in the south, where al-Qaida militants - from what is perhaps the world's most active branch of the terror network - have taken control of entire towns, using the turmoil to strengthen their position. The unarmed protesters have held their ground with remarkable resilience, flocking to the streets of Sanaa and other Yemeni cities and towns to demand reforms from the autocratic government and braving a violent crackdown by government forces that has killed hundreds. But their uprising, inspired by other Arab revolts in the region that saw longtime rulers of Egypt and Tunisa go, has at times been hijacked by Yemen's two traditional powers - the tribes and the military - further deepening the country's turmoil. Breakaway military units and tribal fighters have been battling in Sanaa with troops loyal to Saleh, in fighting that has escalated in recent months. An impoverished nation of some 25 million people, Yemen is of strategic value to the United States and its Gulf Arab allies, particularly Saudi Arabia. It sits close to the major Gulf oilfields and overlooks key shipping lanes in the Red and Arabian seas. | Deal transfers Ali Abdullah Saleh's power to Yemeni vice president in exchange for immunity . Saleh has repeatedly promised to sign the agreement but changed his mind every time . Gulf Arab states are mediating to resolve Yemen's crisis . Saleh is fourth leader toppled by Arab Spring uprisings . | b38ee3e181e508f2d20ccd511a0c1378484329f3 |
It's become another military euphemism, along with "collateral damage" and "friendly fire." The "knock on the roof" is the Israeli military's warning for civilians before it fires on a building and is being used extensively as Israeli airstrikes target Hamas sites in Operation Protective Edge. The Israeli Air Force developed the technique in 2009 as a way to warn civilians in Gaza to leave buildings it has identified as locations where Hamas keeps ammunition, a rocket stash or command post. But it is a controversial policy that has been criticized by human rights groups. The procedure generally begins with a phone call to the occupants to leave a building, according to Relik Shafir, a retired brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a former fighter pilot. Such places, he says, are often under constant surveillance, and the IDF has a sense of how many people live there, and how many leave. If it is still unclear whether a building is occupied, a missile that carries little or no explosive load is aimed at the roof of a building. The impact is felt, but it rarely causes casualties. "It's meant to get people to take us seriously," says Shafir. There is no standard gap between the delivery of the "dummy" missile and fully armed missiles, says Shafir. It can be minutes or even hours. It depends on how important the target is. But there are hundreds or even thousands of such places in Gaza, chosen by Hamas precisely because they complicate targeting. One dramatic example of the "knock on the roof" appeared on social media Sunday. Distributed by the Gaza-based Watania news agency, it showed at first the impact of an unarmed rocket or missile on the roof of a house. Smoke rose from the roof; curtains billowed from an open window. Some time later -- Watania says about 15 minutes -- two missiles slammed into the building, blowing out the facade and sending debris and thick smoke across a wide area. It's not clear whether the occupants of the house had heeded the warning -- it may have been empty -- but no one was hurt. But human rights groups have condemned the technique -- despite the precautions. What you need to know about the country of Israel . A warning or an attack? "In some but not all cases, families receive telephone calls from the Israeli military in advance," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International. "There is no way that firing a missile at a civilian home can constitute an effective 'warning.' Amnesty International has documented cases of civilians killed or injured by such missiles in previous Israeli military operations on the Gaza Strip," he said. Human rights groups in Gaza agree. "The sending of a missile cannot be considered a warning. It is the targeting of civilians with a weapon, regardless of how small, and it is a violation of the Geneva conventions," said Mahmoud Abu Rahma of the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. "Imagine you are in Gaza and there are airstrikes everywhere, and many families are in the bottom floor of their home," Abu Rahma added. "Families miss the sound of the 'warning' missile because it sounds like just another explosion." CNN's Ben Wedeman, reporting from Shabilya Friday, visited one targeted house whose residents said no warning had been received. At another property that was also destroyed, a warning had been received. But the man living next door, Raouf Abu Odeh, told CNN he didn't get any warning -- and now half of his house is also in ruins. "When I heard there was danger, we ran away with my family. We have no bomb shelters, we have nothing. All we can do is escape," Odeh said. It's not clear whether any warning was delivered by any means to the home of Gaza's police chief, Tayseer al-Batsh, on Saturday night. The missiles that hit his house killed 18 members of his extended family, including six children. When Wedeman and his team visited the ruins of the compound Monday, they found what appeared to be the reason it was targeted: evidence of reinforced tunnels. Shafir says the precision of such attacks has improved as crews have gained experience. "The number of strikes has more than doubled compared to Operation Pillar of Defense (the 2012 conflict), but the number of casualties is about the same," he said. Dense area, deadly damage . But even in an era of precision targeting, the impact of missiles can't be restricted to one house in such a densely-populated area. Many of those injured in the strike on the al-Batsh compound were hit by shrapnel as they left an adjacent mosque. In other instances, people have gathered only a short distance from a building designated for attack -- not far enough away from flying concrete, wood and metal. And the United Nations says some 70% of those killed in the current conflict have been civilians . And there has been at least one deadly miscalculation. On July 8, eight civilians -- all members of the Kaware family -- were killed when their home in Khan Yunis was hit. According to the IDF, the family left the house after a phone warning but had returned home prematurely after a "knock on the roof." Perhaps they mistook it for the explosive missile. The property had been targeted because it belonged to Odeh Kaware, a senior official with the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigade. A senior air force officer told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that it was too late to prevent the airstrike that followed the warning. "There was nothing to be done, the munition was in the air and could not be diverted," he said. Some in Gaza have even put themselves in harm's way. Ten people were killed July 9 when they formed a human shield on the roof of another property belonging to the Kaware family, according to Palestinian medical and security sources. The "knock on the roof" technique was first used in the 2009 conflict in Gaza. But it was criticized by the United Nations-appointed Goldstone Commission that investigated the conduct of both sides in that fighting. The commission said it was "not effective as a warning and constitutes a form of attack against the civilians inhabiting the building." "The fact that a warning was issued does not relieve a commander and his subordinates of taking all other feasible measures to distinguish between civilians and combatants," the commission's report said. Oren: A smart way out of the Gaza confrontation . Phone calls and leaflets . The Israeli military also uses telephone messages and leaflets to warn people in Gaza to leave neighborhoods where their forces intend to target alleged Hamas facilities. On Saturday, the air force dropped thousands of leaflets across several neighborhoods in northern Gaza, warning people to leave their homes ahead of military operations against Hamas targets. "Whoever does not adhere to these instructions and does not vacate their house immediately is subjecting their lives and the lives of their children and family to danger," it read. In past campaigns against Hamas, the Israeli military has also commandeered television and radio signals to issue warnings. Leaflets and phone messages were used in the 2008-09 and 2012 conflicts. They were partly political; blaming Hamas for the violence, and partly an attempt to clear areas where Israeli forces intended to focus strikes. During both conflicts, leaflets were dropped warning people not to come within 300 meters of the border. In 2012, leaflets warned residents that terrorist organizations were hiding among them and represented a direct threat to their lives. In 2008-09, according to an IDF report, some 2.5 million leaflets were dropped. One warned that "anyone having ammunition and/or weapons in his home is risking his life and must leave the place for the safety of his own life and that of his family." The same message was delivered in some 165,000 phone messages. The Goldstone Commission acknowledged "significant efforts made by Israel" in 2008-09 to alert Gaza residents to planned attacks, but said "the lack of specificity and thus credibility" of some of these messages had diminished their value. The leaflets can also have the effect of worsening an already difficult humanitarian situation. As people leave their homes in the current fighting, thousands end up in the care of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, in crowded schools. They must leave their livelihoods behind. Others say they have nowhere to go. "These are more threats than warnings," says Abu Rahma of the Mezan Center. "Telling 150,000 people to leave their homes when there are airstrikes all along the route and nowhere to go because every home in every place is a target." Abu Odeh in Shabilya tells CNN, "There's no escape." "God has sealed our fate, whether we stay or leave." Cease-fire effort collapses as rockets, airstrikes continue . Running from death in Israel, waiting for it to come in Gaza . Trapped in war: 'This is tyranny' | Israel's military tries to warn civilians in Gaza ahead of a strike . Sometimes a phone call precedes the "knock on the roof" Still, human rights groups say, civilians are being killed in the fighting . | 42f6efa9765947f98c59b1b798ced47fb0f04232 |
(CNN)Three games without scoring constituted a slump for Cristiano Ronaldo. But the drought is now over for the three-time world player of the year. Ronaldo netted the opener and assisted on Marcelo's thunderbolt as Real Madrid moved closer to a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League by defeating Schalke 2-0 in Germany on Wednesday. The result couldn't match Real's 6-1 thrashing of Schalke in the first leg in the same round last year but the home side still faces an uphill task of eliminating the defending champion. "It was good," Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti told Sky Sports. "I think we started well with a good rhythm in the game and a good attitude and then after the first goal the game was easier. "We didn't need to push to score and we controlled the game well. At the end the victory was good for us." Real Madrid -- bidding to become the first club to retain the title in the Champions League era -- won for a 10th straight time in the competition to equal Bayern Munich's record, although the early stages of the contest favored Schalke. Indeed in the battle of Italian coaches who have lifted the Champions League trophy, Roberto di Matteo and his team bettered Ancelotti's troops for the first 25 minutes. Schalke neutralized the attacking trio of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, with Iker Casillas forced to dive to keep out Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's long range effort. Real Madrid took the lead in the 26th minute when Ronaldo headed Daniel Carvajal's cross past an out of position Timon Wellenreuther -- and was never really troubled thereafter. Buoyed by his goal, Ronaldo attempted a bicycle kick moments later and then saw the inexperienced Wellenreuther soar to his right to repel his free kick. A vital interception from the 19-year-old Wellenreuther foiled Bale's bid to set up Ronaldo. "It is clear that Cristiano Ronaldo lives to score goals," Ancelotti was quoted as saying by UEFA. "It's never a problem for us when he doesn't score for a couple of games. But he, of course, minds." Not one to sit back and protect a lead, Real Madrid continued to race forward in the second half. A poor touch from Ronaldo near the box prevented a chance but Isco should have done better when Bale's clever flick sent the Spanish international in all alone in the 72nd minute. Having barely tested Casillas, Schalke caught the Real Madrid defense napping in the 74th minute and almost equalized. A long ball over the top found its way to Atsuto Uchida, whose layoff fell perfectly to Felix Platte. Platte -- in for the injured Huntelaar -- struck the crossbar. Marcelo settled the affair -- and probably the tie -- when he sent a rocket into the top corner with his right foot, not his favored left, in the 79th minute. He exchanged a hug with a joyous Ancelotti. "We are not used to seeing Marcelo score with the right foot, so for this I was really surprised," Ancelotti told Sky. Ancelotti then laughed when it was suggested to him that Real Madrid was under less pressure in the Champions League this season because it captured a 10th title -- or 'Decima' -- last year. "The pressure is the same," he said. "Last year we spoke of the 'Decima.' This year it's about (an 11th title) so the pressure is the same." In Wednesday's other game, Basel and Porto played to a 1-1 draw in Switzerland. Basel scored with its lone shot on target in the 11th minute thanks to Derlis Gonzalez but Porto -- which had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half -- earned a valuable away goal through Danilo's penalty in the 79th. | Real Madrid defeats Schalke 2-0 in the Champions League . Ronaldo and Marcelo score for Los Blancos . Real wins its 10th straight game in the competition . Basel and Porto drew 1-1 in the other game Wednesday . | a122eee4b06e47ec20fa1d03bb736e6efc14c9c1 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 11:58 EST, 8 March 2012 . The wife of a man who died in the Caribbean last year after being thrown from a speeding power boat taken out by Stew Leonard Sr., is suing the grocery chain tycoon and his son. Barbara Speranza is seeking 'millions of dollars' for the death of her 73-year-old husband Robert, according to the wrongful death lawsuit filed in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It claims Leonard, who founded the Connecticut-based Stew Leonard's stores, and his son Thomas were operating the $4.6 million boat at 'high speed' in rough waters despite weather warnings. Lawsuit: Barbara Speranza, left, has filed a lawsuit over the death of her husband Robert, right, who died after suffering brain, head and spinal damage before being thrown overboard a boat in the Caribbean . Their 'negligent and reckless' driving meant Speranza was 'violently tossed . about inside the boat' injuring his head and spine and throwing him overboard, the suit alleges, the Hartford Courant reported. Stew Leonard Jr., who had been friends with Speranza for 40 years, had previously said that a 12 to 15 foot 'rogue . wave' had hit the 70-foot powerboat, sweeping Speranza . overboard. But Mrs Speranza's lawyer Joel T. Faxon said Leonard had designed the boat, the Stew's Special, to reach 90 mph and it did not move vertically through the water at top speeds as speedboats should. The suit alleges that Stew Leonard decided to take the boat from St. Maarten, where Mr Speranza and his wife owned a resort, to St. Thomas despite a small craft advisory warning of a hurricane. Accused: She claims his death was caused by the reckless driving of Stew . Leonard Sr (third from left) and his son Thomas (second from . right). Leonard Sr founded grocery store chain Stew Leonard's in 1969 . 'Responsible': Thomas, left, and Stew, right, allegedly decided to take the boat on a 300 mile trip between two Caribbean Islands despite a small craft advisory warning about an approaching hurricane . 'First of all, he shouldn't be out there because conditions are so bad. Second, he shouldn't be out there on a 300-mile trip under those conditions,' Faxon told The Daily Weston. He added: 'The Leonard defendants are . responsible for Mr. Speranza's death. This lawsuit, combined with the . inquest in Tortola, will answer the many questions that have been raised . by Bob's death at sea. 'We will seek punitive damages from . the Leonard defendants to punish them for this senseless tragedy.' Mrs Speranza is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the death of her husband, but Faxon would not specify the amount. Fast: The $4.6 million 70-ft long power boat, Stew's Special, is designed to travel up to 90 mph . High life: Stew Leonard Sr, pictured aboard the boat with Sir Richard Branson, is being sued for 'millions' 'It will be several million dollars,' he told the Hartford Courant. 'Obviously he's a very wealthy man, and when . the jury makes a decision on punitive damages they have to decide what . amount constitutes a punishment for that person. The wealth of a . defendant is a factor.' Stew Leonard Sr. opened his first grocery store in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1969. It came complete with an animal farm and initially just focused on dairy. Since, the brand has expanded to four stores in Connecticut and Yonkers, New York, as well as a spin-off store, Tom Leonard's in Virginia. The chain is known for their meandering paths around stores, as well as mechanic, singing animals placed by entrances and aisles. There are also games zones and petting zoos to entertain children while their parents shop. Annual sales are around $300 million and the company employs nearly 2,000 employees. But it was scandal hit in 1993, when Stew Leonard Sr. was convicted of committing tax fraud. He diverted more than $17 million in cash register receipts over a ten-year period, avoiding nearly $7 million in tax. He was sentenced to 52-months in jail. Carpe Diem Three LLC, which owns the boat, is also named in the lawsuit. Stew Leonard Sr. is a member of the company, Faxon said . The three men were on board with the vessel's captain, Martijn Haasdit, when they got into trouble, previous reports claimed. Stew Leonard Sr had recounted to the Westport News: 'The . wave came crashing through the boat and smashed the glass of the . 10-foot-wide windshield, which is normally bulletproof. 'My son was also swept down to the back of the boat, but he was able to grab onto a railing. 'Immediately we turned the boat around to look for Bob where we saw white cushions floating in the water. 'We called in a 'mayday,' got him on . board, and proceeded to do CPR on him for about 30 minutes, which was . the time it took to get the boat to Tortola. 'We all worked on him, trying everything we could to resuscitate him, but to no avail.' Before his death, the couple, who had . been married for 53 years, ran the Ocean Club, a resort on the . Caribbean island of St. Maarten. They moved to the island from New Haven, Connecticut. Mr Seranza had previously worked as an engineer for NASA. But now Mrs Speranza will be forced to close the resort, Faxon claimed. Sued: Tom Leonard, who has been named in the lawsuit along with his father and the boat's owner, opened a spinoff of the store, Tom Leonard's Farmer's Market (pictured), in Virginia in 2004 . Family business: It is not the first timeStew Leonard Sr (third from left, with his family), has a run in with the law. In 1993, he pleaded guilty to a $6.7 million tax fraud and was sentenced to 52 months in jail . 'I cannot run the business, I have to sell it,' he quotes her as saying. 'My life is completely turned upside down, all as consequence of a reckless decision made by Stew Leonard.' It is not the first time Leonard Sr. has been in trouble with the law; in 1993, Leonard Sr. pleaded guilty to the largest tax fraud in state history and received a 52-month prison term. It came after he oversaw the use of a computer software program to skim $17.1 million off the books to avoid paying $6.7 million in taxes. A spokeswoman at Stew Leonard's told the Courant the company had no comment. Success: Stew Leonard's has four grocery stores around Connecticut and New York . | Robert Speranza, 73, died after being thrown from a power boat last August . His wife Barbara is suing Stew Leonard Sr and his son Thomas for their 'negligent and reckless' operation of the boat . Leonard Sr founded Connecticut-based Stew Leonard's grocery stores . Previously claimed a 'rogue wave' had killed his friend of 40 years . | 15faae6250410ecf7c37c79607dcb631c35b4816 |
An 18-year-old man has died after an off-duty police officer shot at him 17 times - just miles from where unarmed teen Michael Brown was gunned down by a cop in August. Police said that Vonderrit Myers Jr. first opened fire on the unidentified 32-year-old officer in Shaw, Missouri, which is less than 10 miles from Ferguson, where Brown was shot dead on August 9. The officer, who is a six-year veteran of the force, was in a car working a secondary job for a private security company and paroling the area when he saw three males in the street and thought they were acting suspiciously, St Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said in a press conference. Scroll down for videos . Killed: Vonderrit Myers Jr., pictured left with his mother and right, was shot dead by an off-duty police officer on Wednesday night. Police said he fled when approached by the officer and a fight ensued . Crime scene: A crowd gathers near the scene at Shaw Boulevard where the teen was fatally shot on Wednesday - just miles from where unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot by a cop in August . Anger: Crowds confront police near the scene in south St. Louis after the 32-year-old officer killed the teen . As he approached them, one of them started to run away, so the officer did a U-turn and then all three ran, Dotson said, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. 'One of them ran in a way that the officer believed that he was armed with a gun – holding his waist band, not running at full stride,' Dotson said, referring to Myers. The officer, who was wearing a Metropolitan Police Department uniform, jumped out of his car and chased them on foot before getting into a scuffle with Myers, who reached for his gun, Dotson said. Myers shot at least three times at the officer, who then returned fire - and when the teenager tried to fire again, his gun jammed, Dotson said. Dispute: Myers, pictured, was just buying a sandwich before he was chased and shot dead, his family said . Authorities said Myers, in white, was known to them and was wearing a monitoring device on his ankle as part of the bail conditions for a previous arrest for gun charges. He was due to go on trial in November . Street fight: Cops say that the teen shot at the off-duty office first and then he shot back, killing him . The officer, a white male, then fired 17 times at the teenager - but it is not yet known how many times he was struck and Dotson said he doesn't know why he fired so many times. He died from his injuries. Police recovered a 9mm Ruger at the scene, he said. The officer was working for Hi-Tech Security, which employs several St. Louis police officers in secondary jobs. He was patrolling the neighborhood on behalf of the company rather than the Metropolitan Police Department but was wearing his police officer's uniform. He has been placed on administrative leave and an investigation is underway. He was not hurt. Dotson said that the 18-year-old was 'no stranger to law enforcement', the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He was wearing an ankle bracelet at the time as a condition of bail in a gun case, according to his lawyer and police, the Post-Dispatch reported. The newspaper reported that Myers was due in court in November for unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest after he allegedly ditched a gun after jumping from a car that had been involved in a high-speed chase. Backup: The 32-year-old officer, who has not been identified, was not on duty when he shot the boy . Protest: People at the scene put up their hands, like the protesters who showed they were not armed in the aftermath of the killing of Michael Brown. Protests still continue in the area following that death in August . Police caught him nearby and recovered the loaded .380-caliber pistol he had allegedly dropped. He was jailed for a few days before being released on $1,000 cash bond and fitted with an electronic monitoring device. He was allowed to leave his home for work, school, court appearances, meetings with attorneys and meetings with the private monitoring firm, the Post-Dispatch reported. His family said he was still in high school and disputed police claims that he was armed. 'He was unarmed,' said his cousin, Teyonna Myers, to the Post-Dispatch. 'He had a sandwich in his hand, and they thought it was a gun. It’s like Michael Brown all over again.' The boy's uncle, Jackie Williams, also says he is not buying the story being told by police. 'My nephew was coming out of a store from purchasing a sandwich. Security was supposedly searching for someone else. They Tased him,' Williams said. 'I don’t know how this happened, but they went off and shot him 16 times. That’s outright murder.' Nearby: The incident unfolded less than 10 miles from where Michael brown (above) was killed in Ferguson . Officers are claiming they recovered a gun at the scene and that the officer did not have a Taser. Another man, Lavell Boyd, who lives in the neighborhood, claimed to hear as many as 15 shots fired. 'When I pulled up I saw the cop standing over him [Myers] then he pointed the gun at everyone else telling everyone to get back while he was searching for another clip,' Boyd said. News of the death quickly spread across social media and sparked more protests in the street - just the latest outcry after the death of Michael Brown. David Carson, a photographer for the Post-Dispatch, reports that protesters filled the streets near where the shooting happened and have been chanting 'Black lives matter.' Some also vandalized a police SUV as they chanted 'F*** the police.' It comes just days after St. Louis Cardinals fans were seen screaming racial insults at protesters in the city. | An off-duty police officer, who has not been identified, shot and killed high school student Vonderrit Myers Jr. last night in Shaw, Missouri . The officer, who was patrolling the area for a private security company, approached the men after he thought they were acting suspiciously . They ran and he could see that Myers had a gun, police said . The officer, who was in uniform, reached the man and a scuffle ensued . Myers shot at the officer three times before the cop pulled out his own gun and shot at the teen 17 times, killing him, police said . The teenager was wearing a monitoring ankle bracelet as a condition of bail in a gun case in June . But his family members insist the teenager was unarmed and was holding a sandwich at the time: 'It's like Michael Brown all over again' | 4bb3525d18e1f8903fe9870d37eb05fe7c86cf76 |
By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 10:54 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:20 EST, 4 September 2013 . Fast food fans, beware: Next time you want a takeaway from your favourite restaurant chain you may get more than you bargained for. Some of the nation's most popular fast food shops have been found with mice living in the kitchens, and droppings on shelves and cooking equipment. Details obtained from official reports by local authority hygiene officers have revealed some of the most shocking - and in some cases dangerous - fast food restaurants across the UK. This chart shows how the major fast food chains scored, based on the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating. The top half shows the average score (out of five) taken from various restaurant ratings across the country. The bottom half shows the lowest score an individual restaurant in a chain received . The food safety officer from a local authority inspects a business to see how hygienically the food is handled, the condition of the building and how it keeps food safe. It is then rated from zero to five. Some of the worst offenders included: . Domino's Pizza London - 0/5: Mouse droppings found on shelves, equipment and surfaces; employee found sleeping on packaging . KFC Islington - 0/5: The council refused the FOI request . Wimpy Welling Kent - 0/5: Same surfaces and utensils used for raw and cooked food; lettuce stored in a bucket . Chicken Cottage Aylesbury - 0/5: Lack of dating on food suggested no way of telling when food went out of date . Papa Johns Maidenhead - 1/5: Unclean kitchen and excessive amounts of rubbish at rear of premises . Burger King Brent Cross - 2/5: Mouse found on the premises and structural repairs needed to control pest issues . McDonalds Leicester - 2/5: Dirty freezers, mould found in sinks and employees not washing their their hands . Chicken Cottage was found to be the UK's 'most disgusting' food chain after receiving the lowest average . score during official hygiene inspections - it was also found to be the . most dangerous with 71 gang-related crimes reported at a Ladbroke Grove . branch in London alone. The information was collected by a Sussex-based health and safety firm Tutorcare using Freedom of Information requests. The findings also discovered mouse droppings on shelves and equipment in a London branch of Domino's Pizza, and the same utensils being used in a Wimpy in Kent to handle raw and cooked food. Despite pest control problems in the Brent Cross branch of Burger King, the chain was branded the 'least disgusting' for receiving the highest average score across all of its branches in hygiene tests. Tutorcare compiled information from various requests for hygiene inspection scores to create the national average. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues guidelines to local authorities with a hygiene rating score out of five. The Chicken Cottage chain achieved a three overall, while Wimpy was second from bottom with an average score of four. Papa Johns scored slightly higher than Chicken Cottage. Across the board KFC, McDonalds, Burger King and Domino's Pizza all received an average score of between four and five with Burger King scoring the highest at 4.85. The lowest hygiene score obtained by a single Chicken Cottage, KFC, Wimpy and Domino's branch was zero out of five. Details obtained from the local authorities found that Chicken Cottage (stock image of sink used) received the lowest average score during official hygiene inspections across the UK. The information was collected by a Sussex-based health and safety firm Tutorcare using Freedom of Information requests . Papa Johns had a lowest score of one, while McDonalds and Burger King branches' lowest rating was two. Commenting on the findings, managing director of Tutorcare, Gareth Jones told MailOnline: 'Every restaurant must ensure that the food they serve and sell is safe to eat, this should be the cornerstone of any food related business. Food safety must always come ahead of profit.' Tutorcare also pulled out specific examples of poor hygiene in the lowest scoring branches. The Food Hygiene Inspection Report indicated that Chicken Cottage in Aylesbury had numerous failings which gave it the Food Hygiene Rating of zero. The first issue identified by the inspecting Environmental Health Officer was the lack of dating on food in the chiller. This meant employees had no way to tell how long meats had been stored in the fridge and consequently had no way to know if the meat they were storing was past its use by date. Secondly the inspecting officer noted that there was no soap at the hand wash area, raising serious concerns that employees may have been handling food that would be sold to customers, without having washed their hands. During hygiene inspections by the Food Standards Agency, mouse droppings were found in a London branch of Domino's Pizza, out of date food was said to be discovered at Chicken Cottage in Aylesbury and Papa Johns in Maidenhead was unclean . The lowest performing branch of Domino's was located in London - although the precise location was not revealed. It had some 'particularly notable failings' when the food safety officer for the area visited at the end of April 2013. The officer located a significant amount of mouse droppings on the premises including on shelves, surfaces and under equipment. The officer also noted that the standard of cleanliness throughout the facility was poor. A staff member was additionally found sleeping on the premises on the food packaging. On 8 July, a visiting food safety inspector recommended some structural repairs and improvements at the Burger King in Brent Cross Shopping Station to reduce the risk of pest issues. Despite pest problems in a Brent Cross branch of Burger King, the chain was branded the 'least disgusting' for getting the highest average score across all of its branches in hygiene tests. Tutorcare also found specific examples of poor hygiene in the lowest scoring branches, pictured . However, when a mouse was caught on the premises during the evening of 17 July the inspector noted that the recommended alteration remained outstanding. The lowest scoring UK branch of Papa Johns was found in Maidenhead. The inspecting food safety officer raised particular concerns that there seemed to be a number of men who did not appear connected with the business present in the preparation area without reason to be there or the necessary clean/protective clothing to prevent food contamination. A number of issues attributed to McDonalds in Leicester receiving a food hygiene rating of two out of five. The inspecting food safety officer specifically mentioned the appearance of mould in the sealant at the back of both the hand washing trough and the equipment sink, and holes in the wall of the boiler room which could lead to pest problems. | The details were obtained by health and safety firm Tutorcare, from various local authorities using the Freedom of Information Act . Mouse droppings found on equipment in London branch of Domino's Pizza . Pest problems discovered on the premises of a Burger King in Brent Cross . A Wimpy in Kent was found using same utensils for raw and cooked food . | d25d592fbcca70a0064057d791073a8ae81a6c52 |
By . Matt Chorley . PUBLISHED: . 10:16 EST, 8 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:13 EST, 8 May 2013 . Britain is to sign off taxpayer-funded ‘propaganda’ to promote the virtues European Union despite growing calls to quit Brussels altogether. Tory MPs had called on David Cameron to bring forward legislation in today’s Queen’s Speech for his promised in-out referendum. But instead, buried in the small print, was a plan for the UK to authorise the Europe for Citizens scheme which aims to ‘develop understanding of the EU’. David Cameron, pictured walking from the Commons to the Lords today, is under pressure to take a tougher line on Europe to see off the threat posed by UKIP . There was no mention of Europe in the speech delivered by the Queen to MPs and peers. The Tories are under pressure after the recent rise of the UK Independence Party culminating in them taking almost one in four votes in last week’s local elections. Mr Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU before staging an in-out referendum by 2017, if he is Prime Minister after the next election. But his strategy was blown apart yesterday when former Chancellor Lord Lawson said he would vote to leave the EU. Slipped into the detail of the government’s legislation plans for the next year was the European Union Approvals Bill. There was no mention of Europe in the Queen's Speech, despite the issue threatening to split the Tory party and destablise the coalition . The Queen's Speech contained several measures designed to address concerns raised by UKIP, including tackling immigration . Described as a ‘minor technical Bill’, . it provides authorisation for the UK ‘to support measures and . programmes in the European Union’. Among . three programmes listed, it includes Europe for Citizens which . according to government briefing notes ‘aims to develop understanding of . the EU, its history and policy-making processes and encourage civic . participation in the EU’. It also aims to ‘promote remembrance of Europe’s history, particularly the wars and totalitarian regimes of the 20th century’. The . scheme, which has a 229 million euro budget for 2014-20, claims that . most Europeans 'generally recognise the benefits of the EU' and 'want to . see the Union becoming a more integral part of their national political . landscapes'. By enshrining the Europe for Citizens scheme into British law, the UK will be able to apply for funds . It aims to increase trust in EU institutions, potentially reaching 5million people across the continent. The . revelation is likely to infuriate Tory MPs demanding Mr Cameron take a . tougher line with Brussels instead of backing a scheme which promotes . it. UKIP leader Nigel Farage . said: ‘Hidden beneath the folds of froth Cameron offers a Bill to . approve UK taxpayer spending on EU propaganda. ‘He . promises that he wants to fight Britain’s corner, but spends our money . propagandising on the EU's behalf to our children. By his acts not his . words he must be known.’ UKIP leader Nigel Farage accused the government of backing EU 'propaganda' A government source said the scheme needed to be passed into UK law so that ministers can apply for funding from a £200million central pot available to all EU states. Britain would apply for money to pay for projects such as the commemoration for centenary of the outbreak of World War One, not promoting the EU, the source added. Some of the key measures announced in the Queen's Speech were seen as a reaction to the rise of UKIP. In particular, the government promised a crackdown on illegal immigration in the Queen's Speech today as concern about the impact of new arrivals to Britain hit a three-year high. Rogue firms who rent homes and give jobs to illegal immigrants face tougher fines in an immigration crackdown unveiled today in the Queen's Speech. The latest YouGov survey showed 57 per cent of people named immigration as being among the top three issues facing the country, its highest level since June 2010 and up 11 per cent on a year ago. Other flagship bills will cut red-tape to boost business, create a new flat-rate pension worth around £140-a-week, cap the costs of social care to stop families having to sell their homes to pay for elderly relatives to be looked after. The Queen told MPs and peers that the government’s first priority is to strengthen Britain’s economic competitiveness.’ This includes building a stronger economy, rewarding people who work hard and tackling the deficit to keep interest rates low. The controversial High Speed Rail line linking London to Birmingham, and then Leeds and Manchester, will move a step closer with two Bills which will ‘provide further opportunities for economic growth in many of Britain’s cities’, the Queen said. The National Insurance costs for every company will be cut by £2,000, under plans first announced by George Osborne in the Budget. The move will mean 450,000 employers will pay no NI contributions at all. The government also promises to cut the burden of red tape, helping companies to grow and take on more staff. A Pensions Bill will create a flat-rate pension of around £140-a-week from 2016. Under the plan, years spent away from work looking after children or caring for elderly relatives will count towards a person’s final pension value. On crime and justice, there will be tougher action against anti-social behaviour, including scrapping the Asbo whole offender rehabilitation and new rules on controlling dangerous dogs. On defence there will be reform of the way the Ministry of Defence agrees multi-billion pound equipment deals. | Cameron under pressure to bring forward in-out referendum . Buried in Queen's Speech is European Union Approvals Speech . It authorises Europe for Citizens scheme developing 'understanding' of EU . | e99d6d9c8046ce9c3572495561e9cc2edf4e9be8 |
Video footage of a mystery blonde roaring support for her home team during a handball competition has gone viral in Russia with locals saying she has the scariest voice in the world. The blonde is seen at a match between Macedonia's Metalurg Skopje and Admiral at the Fetisov Arena in Vladivostok, a city in eastern Russia. Surrounded by men standing and cheering she sits on a sit and roars in a voice more suited to a horror film. Video footage of a mystery blonde (pictured) roaring support for her home team during a handball competition has gone viral in Russia with locals saying she has the scariest voice in the world . Local fan Gennady Averyanov, 36, said: 'I was watching the game with my boy and it was going well when all of a sudden we heard this deep, terrifying sound from behind us. 'We looked round and saw a blonde woman in a white jacket and bobble hat sitting and literally roaring.' 'It sounded like a monster and my son was not sure whether to laugh - or run for it. 'If that's what she sounds like when she's happy I feel sorry for someone she falls out with.' Now viewers have posted online with similar comments. The blonde is seen at a match between Macedonia's Metalurg Skopje and Admiral at the Fetisov Arena in Vladivostok, a city in eastern Russia . One person calling himself VK201 said: 'Wow! They should sign her up for a Lion cereal commercial.' Another commentator said: 'I reckon she didn't really get the point of cheering, she clearly needs a few lessons.' A spokesman for the arena said: 'Fans express their delight in many ways and we certainly don't have a problem with a woman roaring. 'As long as there is no violence, we are happy.' | Blonde is seen at a handball match in eastern Russia roaring her team on . She does it with such animal-like force that footage of her has gone viral . The sound she produces is like something more suited to a horror film . | 01bf21f5b779cdde16874b0cf80f30f0683ed55e |
(InStyle.com) -- From the royal wedding to Beyonce's baby bump reveal, this year has been full of major style. Check out these unforgettable moments of 2011. Beyonce's baby bump reveal . Beyonce made her entrance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in August wearing a one-shoulder Lanvin gown while clutching her newly-sprouted baby bump. The mom-to-be later took the stage in a sequined Dolce & Gabbana tux for her performance of "Love On Top." "I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me," she said before unbuttoning her jacket and patting her belly. The royal wedding . Over 2 billion people watched the nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, and what a wedding it was! The bride emerged in a custom Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress that is forever etched into the memories of millions. InStyle.com: See Kate Middleton's wedding gown from every angle . J. Lo: Back and better than ever! After taking time to start a family and live privately, Jennifer Lopez triumphantly returned to the spotlight this year. With a stint as judge of American Idol, a new CD with hit singles, a line with Kohl's, a campaign with Tous, and the #1 spot on People magazine's Most Beautiful People list, this woman won't let anyone get in her way of making it to the top! Missoni for Target sells out . Missoni's capsule collection for Target caused a shopping frenzy! The 400-piece line made its debut at the opening of a Missoni for Target pop-up shop in New York, but the store had to shut down almost immediately because it completely sold out. After the collection finally made its way to Target.com in September, record-breaking crowds crashed the site, leaving shoppers to raid their local Target stores and scour eBay for what was left of the zig-zag striped pieces. The biggest haircut of the year . Even halfway around the world in Madrid, Jennifer Aniston set American beauty, fashion, and entertainment press on fire when she debuted her new above-the-shoulders haircut during a press call for Just Go With It in late February. Fans debated if they liked it or not, and Aniston's legacy of trendsetting styles continued. InStyle.com: Jennifer Aniston's transformation . Emma Watson ends "Harry Potter" on top! 2011 saw the end of the Harry Potter film franchise, and Emma Watson made sure to go out with a bang! The actress hit the red carpet on her Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 press tour in July in chic cropped hair and a series of dramatic designer looks by Oscar de la Renta, Rafael Lopez and Bottega Veneta (shown). Pippa: The world's it girl . If the Royal Wedding made Catherine Middleton a Duchess, then it made Pippa Middleton a star. The younger sister and maid of honor to Catherine wowed the world in a form-fitting Alexander McQueen gown for the Royal Wedding, and both the paparazzi and fashion fans have followed her every move since. InStyle.com: Pippa Middleton's best outfits of 2011 . Remembering Elizabeth Taylor . The world lost a screen legend on March 23, when Elizabeth Taylor passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 79. Taylor, an AIDS activist and two-time Academy Award winner, was known for her collection of both jewelry and husbands. Alexander McQueen breaks records . The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York houses a fashion exhibition every spring, and this year the late British designer Alexander McQueen was its subject. The exhibition, entitled "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty," included over 100 pieces from McQueen's archives, spanning from his post-graduate collection in 1992 to his last collection named Angels & Demons, which showed on the runway after his February 2010 death. The exhibition drew 661,509 visitors from May through August, making it the eighth biggest show on record at the Met. See all of the most memorable style moments of 2011 at InStyle.com. Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2011 Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Pippa Middleton wowed the world in a form-fitting Alexander McQueen gown . Missoni's capsule collection for Target caused a shopping frenzy . Jennifer Lopez triumphantly returned to the spotlight this year . | 8a4c8cf36413595923e70846d4cadc8eb50b9566 |
(CNN) -- Honduran authorities on Monday clashed with supporters of deposed President Jose Manuel Zelaya, but the extent of the unrest appeared limited. Zelaya supporters burn tires Monday near the presidential palace in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. The Telesur TV network showed soldiers advancing on some streets of the capital, Tegucigalpa, and blue-helmeted police clashing with noisy demonstrators, one day after military troops detained Zelaya and sent him into exile. Other images showed troops, tanks and other military assets deployed around the presidential grounds. The station, a conglomerate formed by several Latin American governments and partially funded by the pro-Zelaya Venezuelan government, also aired images of demonstrators setting fires in the streets. Gauging the size and scope of the demonstrations and clashes was difficult because of limitations that journalists reported. Adriana Sivori, a reporter for Telesur, reported that she and other journalists were briefly detained and mistreated by Honduran soldiers. She was live on television as she described the troops transporting them at gunpoint. Two national television stations were taken off the air following Sunday's military-led coup, and a third station told CNN en Español that its content was being limited by authorities. CNN en Español correspondent Krupskaia Alis, who witnessed Monday's protests, said the demonstrators numbered in the hundreds. At least 15 were injured Monday, the newspaper La Prensa reported. iReport.com: Are you there? Share your photos, videos . The military deposed Zelaya early Sunday and flew him to Costa Rica. Roberto Micheletti, president of the Congress, was sworn in as provisional president. Zelaya had been at odds with the other branches of government over a referendum he wanted to hold Sunday. The nation's Supreme Court ruled the referendum was illegal and Congress voted not to hold it. The Supreme Court also overturned Zelaya's dismissal of Honduras' top general, who said the military would not participate in the referendum. The court ordered he general be reinstated immediately. Zelaya disregarded those actions and vowed to hold the vote Sunday anyway. Watch details on "curious situation" in Honduras » . On Monday, Micheletti began to build his provisional government. He named seven new members to his cabinet, which he said will be in place until the planned presidential elections slated for November of this year. Micheletti, formerly the president of Congress, has said the change in power was not a coup, but a democratic process that saw the ousting of a president who had exceeded his power. The Honduran Supreme Court said after the coup that it had authorized the military action. The United States and most Latin American nations have condemned the coup, the first in Latin America since the end of the Cold War. While military interventions were once routine in Latin America, civilian governments have held sway across the region since the 1980s, and previously all-powerful militaries have receded into the background. "That history is a thing of the past, and it should be buried so that it never happens again," Jorge Arturo Reina, Honduras' ambassador to the U.N. told CNN en Español, following a meeting of the General Assembly to address the issue. The head of the Organization of American States also condemned the coup. President Obama on Monday called the turmoil in Honduras a step backward from the "enormous progress of the last 20 years in establishing democratic traditions in Latin America." Watch what Obama has to say about the coup » . "We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the president of Honduras," Obama said. Though deposed, Zelaya continued to carry out his presidential duties, attending a special meeting of the leftist group ALBA, the Spanish acronym for Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas, in Nicaragua. ALBA, founded by Cuba and Venezuela in 2004 to counter U.S. influence in Latin America, said member nations would withdraw ambassadors and top diplomats from Honduras until Zelaya is restored to power. Zelaya is expected to travel to the United Nations on Tuesday. Despite widespread condemnation for the coup, analysts see plenty of blame to go around -- and no easy solution. iReport.com: Are you there? Share your photos, videos . "There are no heroes in this story," said Larry Birns, director of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs. "These people are caricatures of rectitude rather than examples of it." The Honduran Supreme Court, he said, is "one of the most corrupt institutions in Latin America." And Zelaya overplayed his hand, Birns and others said. "Zelaya was part of the problem," said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue policy institute. "He's partly responsible for what happened. He was pushing too hard on a very fragile political institution. He was just plowing ahead against the wishes of every political institution, including his own political party." Zelaya's removal also raises larger issues for many fragile Latin American democracies. "What happens when the Supreme Court decides against the president and the president ignores it? Who enforces it?" asked Robert Pastor, a Latin America national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. What happens next is clearly unknown. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that an OAS delegation would travel to Honduras as early as Tuesday to begin working on restoring a constitutional government. That might not be an easy task. "According to mainstream Honduran media sources, Zelaya's removal has the widespread support of the political and business elite and the military, and it appears doubtful that he will be able to return to power," said Heather Berkman, an analyst with the Eurasia Group consulting firm. "An exit strategy is needed," Birns said. "But it's going to be extremely difficult to come out with an exit strategy unless they get consent of key players like the national legislature." Pastor holds out some hope. "I don't think it's impossible," he said. Said Hakim: "You can never put the toothpaste back in the tube. But you can provide a peaceful transition process." CNN's Arthur Brice contributed to this report. | NEW: "Zelaya remains the president of Honduras," says President Obama . NEW: Journalists briefly detained, mistreated by Honduran soldiers . New government declares indefinite curfew, shuts down media sources . Politicians call for new government to be isolated diplomatically, politically . | 3cf4e0d434fdd443d78b78e1712f1d288dbc0f49 |
(CNN) -- Two human-rights activists were shot and killed in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, on Thursday evening, leading a U.N. investigator to call for an independent investigation to prove that Kenyan police were not involved. U.N. invesitgator Phillip Alston said an inquiry into the activists deaths was the only way to eliminate suspicions of police involvement. The shootings spurred a protest by students that led police to fatally shoot a student, police said. A U.N. investigator called the killings of the human-rights workers an assassination. "It is extremely troubling when those working to defend human rights in Kenya can be assassinated in broad daylight in the middle of Nairobi," Phillip Alston said. "There is an especially strong onus on the Kenyan government to arrange for an independent investigation into these killings, given the circumstances surrounding them." Alston said many are suspicious that the police were involved and an independent investigation is the only way to eliminate the suspicion. The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights also called for an independent probe and planned to hold a news conference Friday. Oscar Kamau Kingara, a longtime critic of Kenyan police, was fatally shot while driving near the the state house, the home of Kenya's president. Kingara's colleague John Paul Oulu also was killed by the gunmen, who fled. Kingara founded the Oscar Foundation, an organization that provides legal aid to the poor in Kenya. He released a report last year alleging that Kenyan police had killed or kidnapped more than 500 people in an effort to control a gang in the country called the Mungiki. Both men also provided information to the United Nations this year that helped the organization release a scathing report about police brutality and police killings in Kenya. The U.N. report released in late February accused Kenyan police of widespread extrajudicial killings, and called for the removal of the East African nation's police commissioner and its attorney general. Kenyan police said in a statement Friday that investigators were looking for two suspects who were seen fleeing after the shootings of Kingara and Oulu. Police also said they would investigate three officers who shot at college students who protested after the human rights activists were killed. "That use of lethal force during this confrontation was unprofessional and uncalled for. It has also been confirmed one student later died at Kenyatta National Hospital following bullet injuries suffered during this confrontation with the police," the police statement said. CNN's David McKenzie contributed to this report. | U.N. official calls for inquiry into deaths of two Kenyan human rights activists . Deaths sparked protests amid suspicion over police involvement in killings . One student fatally shot by police during demonstrations in Nairobi . Police say they are looking for two suspects seen fleeing scene of the shootings . | c9275d366be81687a8fb2805f327f55f68a41f06 |
A businessman and his wife were killed when a light aircraft crashed into a suburb in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. A blaze was sparked after a light aircraft crashed into the desirable neighbourhood of Nordelta , killing businessman Gustavo Deutsch and his wife. The deceased was the former president of now-defunct airline LAPA, and is believed to have been killed instantly when the plane he was piloting crashed around 3.30pm local time. Fire: Two properties were set ablaze when a light aircraft crashed into the Nordelta neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The crash killed a former airline chief and his wife, it was reported . The craft collided with the roof of a house and smashed into a second property, both of which were uninhabited, preventing further casualties . The Buenos Aires Herald reported that Deutsch was trying to land when the tragedy occurred. According to authorities, the plane crashed in the La Isla zone of the development, located in the Buenos Aires district of Tigre. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined. The craft collided with the roof of a house and smashed into a second property, both of which were uninhabited, preventing further casualties. Firefighters battled to control the blaze, while police forces from the Villa La Ñata municipality were also on the scene. According to authorities, the plane crashed in the La Isla zone of the development, located in the Buenos Aires district of Tigre . | Businessman Gustavo Deutsch and his wife killed in plane crash . The light aircraft smashed into the roof of a house, sparking a blaze . | 9bc1bd8d1bc234e652087f67666d9364a69a19c9 |
They may be known for their glossy hair, picture-perfect make-up and bikini bodies, but judging by the packed itinerary, the Miss Universe contestants will have to prove they are both beauty and brains. Nearly 90 of the world’s most beautiful women descended on Miami on Monday ahead the 2014 Miss Universe pageant and it looks like they've got a tough few weeks ahead. The preliminary competition, which includes evening gown, swimsuit and the interview rounds, will take place on Wednesday 21 January - but that doesn't mean the preparations haven't begun. Scroll down for video . (l-r) Josselyn Garciglia, Miss Mexico , Noyonita Lodh, Miss India, and Silvia Prochadzkova, Miss Slovak Republic, pose in Yamamay for Miss Universe swimwear upon arriving to Trump National Doral Miami for the 63rd Annual Miss Universe Pageant, Miami, Florida, America . Women from dozens of countries - including Albania, El Salvador, Great Britain and Haiti - have been preparing backstage for the biggest week of their lives. The event's official photographer followed the women, who are touring, filming, rehearsing and preparing to compete, and captured the lengthy preparation processes, from getting their haired coiffed to having dresses fitted. The events schedule kicks off on Friday with a drinks reception. Miss Universe contestants will be introduced to the public and to the City of Doral, where the event is being held, for the first time on stage at the Downtown Doral Park. Quite fittingly, there will be a pink carpet for VIP arrivals. To show off their modelling skills, on Saturday the Miss Universe contestants will be showcasing fashion brand Chinese Laundry's spring 2015 collection while wearing the latest footwear styles from the label. Later in the day, the ladies will put their best foot forward with salsa dancing lessons. The women, including Valentina Bonariva, Miss Italy, who poses with her country flag, left, and Josselyn Garciglia, Miss Mexico, have a tough couple of weeks ahead of them before the Miss Universe finals on January 25 . Miss Australia Tegan Martin poses in her evening gown at the 63rd annual Miss Universe Pageant in Miami ahead of the week of events . (l-r) Artnesa Krasniqi, Miss Kosovo, Pimbongkod Chankaew, Miss Thailand, and Ivana Misura, Miss Croatia, all pose in their evening gowns ahead of the event, which will see them attending cocktail receptions and fashion shows . Silvia Prochadzkova, Miss Slovak Republic, gets her hair done while she poses for photographs backstage . Silvia Prochadzkova, Miss Slovak Republic, reclines on a lounger at the hotel, owned by Donald Trump . On Sunday, they will enjoy a Graffiti Art Experience by visiting pop artist Romero Britto’s studio for an interactive painting event. Then, they will take part in the celebration of the nations with a cultural parade and an afternoon of live music, dancing, food carts, and mingling. The parade will feature marching bands and a variety of luxury cars showcasing the Miss Universe contestants. Local restaurants will hold a gastronomic festival and multicultural dances will take place. The following week kicks off with a golf putting tournament, zumba lessons and a cooking contest. Contestants will also show their charitable side when they accompany Miss Universe 2014, Gabriela Isler, on a visit to FFP, the largest international charity in the United States that serves the poor in countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. There will also be a Yamamay swimsuit fashion show and a gifting auction. Every year, the contestants bring a gift from their country that will be donated to a silent auction to support a selected charity. This is a special annual event and this year proceeds will go to Best Buddies, a long-term partner of the Miss Universe Organization’s. The ladies will also get to let their hair down ahead of the preliminary competition at a VIP cocktail reception at Image Skincare, the official skincare sponsor. There will be a DJ, red carpet and the women will carry out interviews with press. Following on from the preliminary round, the top 15 women will be chosen and they will go straight into the National Costume round the same night. The finals will be held at the FIU Arena on Sunday 25 January, when Venezuelan Miss Universe 2013, Gabriela Isler, will hand over her crown. Grace Levy, Miss Great Britain, captures a picture of herself using a selfie stick as she waits poolside . Miss Australia Tegan Martin and one of her fellow competitors pose with their shopping bags and post the snap on Instagram . The Miss Universe contestants are touring, filming, rehearsing and preparing to compete for the Miss Universe 2014 crown to be decided on 25 January in Miami. Here, Miss Universe India, Noyonita Lodh, has her hair done by a stylist backstage . (l-r) Josselyn Garciglia, Miss Mexico, Noyonita Lodh, Miss India, and Silvia Prochadzkova, Miss Slovak Republic pose in swimwear in Miami . Grace Levy, Miss Great Britain, and Yoo Bin, Miss Korea, pose in Yamamay in Miss Universe robes after arriving to Trump National Doral Miami . Nia Sanchez, Miss USA, poses in Yamamay swimwear upon arriving at the event before the week-long events . Miss Australia Tegan Martin sits down with Miss Universe Chief Photo Editor Francis L. Szelwach to review her photos after posing in swimwear at the 63rd annual Miss Universe pageant . Miss Hungary, Henrietta Kelemen, gets her hair done at the 63rd annual Miss Universe Pageant in Miami, Florida, ahead of the grand finale . Aiday Issayeva, Miss Kazakhstan poses in her evening gown as she joins pageant contestants preparing to compete for the crown . Johana Riva Garabetian, Miss Uruguay, poses in her dazzling pink evening gown . Miss Puerto Rico Gabriela Berrios poses in her evening gown, left, and Miss Italy Valentina Bonariva poses with her country flag, right . The contestants, including Niketa Barker, Miss Universe Guyana, left, and Miss Hungary, Henrietta Kelemen, right, get primped and primed by the make-up artists backstage . Henrietta Kelemen tries on her Sherri Hill gown with wardrobe assistant Mark Zappone backstage at the event in Miami . Miss India 2014, Noyonita Lodh, has her hair tousled backstage as she and the other women prepare to go head-to-head in the pageant . Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, recently revealed that Today show host Natalie Morales and MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts will host the 63rd pageant, a three-hour show that airs on NBC. It has also been rumoured that Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquioa, will be a judge, although he is yet to confirm his place on the panel. Among the notable contestants is Miss Great Britain, Grace Levy, an events executive from London. Grace, who studied psychology in Bristol, worked as an event manager of her own annual charity event and starred on popular British dating show, Take Me Out. Miss Australia, 22-year-old Tegan Martin, hails from Newcastle, the same town as Miss Universe 2004, Jennifer Hawkins. Tegan, who worked as a model in Paris, came second in Miss Universe Australia twice before she won on her third and final attempt. Nia Sanchez, Miss USA 2014, left, is interviewed by Director of New Media, Dena Muehlfeld, upon arriving to Trump National Doral Miami . 90 of the world's most beautiful women descended on Miami to compete in the annual Miss Universe competition . How do I look? One Miss Universe contestant checks back her photo taken by one of the competition's photographers . Tegan, who is studying for a Bachelor of Nutritional Medicine, has hopes of raising awareness of mental health in youth. She is also part of a youth mentoring program helping schoolgirls struggling with confidence. Miss USA, 24-year-old Nia Sanchez, is half Hispanic, and has travelled across the world on countless mission trips. After working as a full-time model for the past seven years, she landed a face character role at Hong Kong Disney World. The popular contest was established in 1952 as a local 'bathing beauty' competition spearheaded by Catalina Swimwear in Long Beach, California. Speaking about the pageant, a spokesperson for the event said: 'These women are savvy, goal-oriented and aware. The delegates who become part of the Miss Universe Organization display those characteristics in their everyday lives, both as individuals, who compete with hope of advancing their careers, personal and humanitarian goals, and as women who seek to improve the lives of others.' This year's event hasn't come without controversy; tensions are rife in the event's city of Doral, who pledged $2.5million from its reserves to support Trump’s beauty pageant, according to the Miami Herald. Nia Sanchez, Miss USA; and Zuleica Wilson, Miss Universe Angola; try on their Sherri Hill gowns upon arriving to Trump National Doral Miami . Doron Matalon, Miss Universe Israel, relaxes while waiting to pose in Yamamay for Miss Universe swimwear . Zuleica Wilson, Miss Universe Angola, gets makeup done by an OP Makeup Studio Cosmetics artist . After having their hair and make-up perfected, the competitors pose for a series of official Miss Universe photographs . Miss Myanmar Sharr Eaindra poses in her evening gown. She competed in the Miss Universe Myanmar 2014 pageant, which was only the second time in over 50 years the pageant was held for the country . Mary Jean Lastimosa, Miss Philippines, left, and Jimena Espinosa, Miss Peru, right, pose in their evening gowns . Miss Paraguay poses for a scenic snap ahead of the competition kicking off . The contestants, including Miss Brazil and Miss Kosovo, prepare for the swimsuit round . Grace Levy, Miss Great Britain, revealeds her 'patriotic' costume on Facebook . Grace Levy, Miss Great Britain, recently revealed her national costume on her Facebook page. Alongside the image, she wrote: 'My national costume is the epitome of Great Britain, and mostly London where I live. 'My costume portrays a sense of how I feel about being a modern day woman in my city; passionate, strong and empowered, whilst at the same time giving me the opportunity to represent something which people immediately know as British. 'It also reflects the protection of the monarchy and how patriotic I feel towards them. 'I spent days exploring my city to find inspiration and I discovered that London is a city which is completely dedicated to them; hence why I finally decided to base my national costume on the Royal Guards of Buckingham Palace. 'My costume was designed by myself and handmade using the same textiles and embellishments from the same factory that make all official regalia for the royal family and their guards. 'This has made my costume that little bit more special. The factory also happens to make the costumes for smash hit British TV series Game of Thrones. 'I can't wait to represent the greatness of Britain on stage in Miami! To the people of GB..... This is for YOU.' However, not everyone was taken with Miss GB's patriotic look. Fashion writer Simon Glazin (theverysimong.com) todl FEMAIL: 'This, she says, shows how she feels about the Monarchy. Not a great deal, by the looks of it! 'It looks more like a cheap, tacky tribute to Cheryl Cole.'There is nothing here that will protect the Monarchy. 'In fact, if I was the Queen, I'd make sure she's ousted from the country immediately.' | Nearly 90 contestants from around the world have landed in Miami for contest . In next few weeks will learn golf, salsa, cooking and model swimsuits . Preliminary competition includes evening gown, swimsuit and interviews and happens on January 21 . Final is held on January 25 - Gabriela Isler of Venezuela took home last year's crown . | 5275de469b047ad7b08b1ecb96264e64eb5119c0 |
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists Tottenham’s Harry Kane cannot be considered a great striker until he has proved himself for a second season. Allardyce takes his side to Spurs on Sunday for their fierce London derby where he admits Kane will be the ‘danger man.’ Kane, 21, has shocked everyone by scoring 23 goals in 36 games in all competitions this season which has put him on the verge of an England call-up. But Allardyce does not believe Spurs should get carried away with his performances until he has shown he can continue scoring when opponents are prepared for him. Sam Allardyce believes Harry Kane must continue his form into next season to be considered a 'great' The West Ham manager believes Kane (right) has the benefit of the unknown against defenders this year . ‘He’s been so brilliant,’ Allardyce said, ‘but he’s not that well known in the Premier League. It’s similar to Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho at West Ham this season.Because they’re unknown they can surprise defenders. They’ve not been able to watch them play. ‘The test of time, if they will be great, is when everyone knows how they play if they can sustain it then. That will be the test for Kane.’ Allardyce is, however, under no illusions as to how much of a threat Kane will be in the match at White Hart Lane. Kane was rested by manager Mauricio Pochettino in Tottenham’s Europa League draw with Fiorentina and only played a part from the bench. ‘He’s the danger man,’ Allardyce added. ‘He only came on as a substitute so I can see him starting on Sunday. ‘Kane is the reason Spurs have climbed the table. His goal threat is greater than any other front man Spurs have got on their books.’ Allardyce compared Kane's situation to Diafra Sakho (left) and Enner Valencia (right) Kane (centre) is expected to start against West Ham on Sunday after starting on the bench against Fiorentina . Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino started Roberto Soldado on Thursday to rest Kane ahead of Sunday . | Sam Allardyce believes Harry Kane needs to prove himself again next year . The West Ham boss says he has the benefit of the unknown this year . He believes Kane will be considered a 'great' if he can keep up the qualities next year when defenders know what to expect . Allardyce still singled the Tottenham striker out as the danger man . West Ham are the visitors to White Hart Lane on Sunday . | 4b7d73a76ddd99db3db7a04218f07494cbb900b9 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 11:58 EST, 8 September 2011 . Three National Guardsmen who were killed in a senseless gun rampage have been pictured for the first time. The Guardsmen were killed . and two more people wounded in a shooting spree at a Nevada IHOP restaurant Tuesday morning, which left a total of five people dead and seven . hurt. Dozens of 911 calls made from in and . around the Nevada IHOP illustrate a terrifying scene as witnesses . described the gunman who killed four, before turning his automatic . weapon on himself. Killed: Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney . Killed: Sgt. 1st Class Christian Riege . Killed: Major Heath Kelly . Dispatchers are heard trying to establish whether than one person was involved in the deadly rampage. Fatal shootout: Eduardo Sencion, 32, opened fire at the restaurant, killing four people and wounding seven others before fatally shooting himself . The dead included three Nevada National Guard members, identified Wednesday as: Sgt. 1st Class Christian Riege, 38, of Carson City; Major Heath Kelly, 35, of Reno; and Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney, 31, of Reno. Also killed was Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67, of South Lake Tahoe. After the killings, the gunman, 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion, turned the AK-47 on himself. On tapes released Wednesday, desperate callers describe how victims are being gunned down in front of them inside the restaurant. One caller said: 'In the IHOP! In the IHOP!'. 'Now he’s coming back out with a gun shooting people in the parking lot!'. In another call, a man said, 'Automatic weapons. IHOP. Automatic weapons.' 'He's shooting at us now,' the man screamed, to a background of gunfire. In interviews with investigators after the shooting, Sencion's family raised concerns about his mental health. The attack took place at the pancake chain's restaurant in Carson City at around 9am on Tuesday. The fourth fatality was a female civilian. A group of five military personnel were wearing their Nevada National Guard uniforms for a breakfast meeting when Sencion struck. Authorities were not saying whether . Sencion targeted the Guard members but security at all bases in Northern . Nevada was stepped up in response. Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said Sencion worked at his family's business in South Lake Tahoe. He was not in the military, and he had no known affiliations with anyone at the restaurant. Sencion also had no criminal history. At least one of the Guard . members killed was a woman, authorities said. Sencion was born in Mexico and had a valid U.S. passport. Witnesses said the gunman pulled up . outside the IHOP in a blue minivan at just before 9am, with a yellow 'Support Our Troops' sticker on the back, and shot a woman on a . motorcycle, then walked inside the restaurant. Sencion went all the way to the back of the restaurant where the Guards were sitting and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle. Shooting: Emergency personnel respond to the massacre at the IHOP restaurant in Carson City, Nevada . After several minutes inside the IHOP, he walked outside and . began firing into the Locals Barbecue and an H&R Block in the strip . mall. Two of the four fatalities died at the scene. A third died during surgery and the fourth later. Carson . City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said the suspected gunman was found by . authorities in the IHOP parking lot, having 'already self-inflicted a . wound'. Carson City Sheriff's Office have confirmed the suspected shooter died in hospital in Reno. Chief Deputy Jack Freer said: 'The suspect did die of a self inflicted gunshot wound. No shots were fired by law enforcement.' Sheriff Furlong said there were . concerns at the outset that the gunman was not working alone and the . state Capitol and Supreme Court buildings were locked down for about 40 . minutes in response. But that turned out not to be the case. 'There . does not appear to be any safety concerns outside of this area,' he . said. 'It appears to be isolated to this parking lot.' Aftermath: With bullet holes seen in a window, officers look for evidence at the scene . Semi-automatic weapon: Officers look through a bullet-damaged window of the restaurant . National . Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen said extra security measures have . been put in place on state and military buildings in northern Nevada as a . safety precaution. 'As you know when you have people in uniform who are randomly targeted for whatever reason this may have been, it is a safety precaution we take very seriously,' he said. Some victims have been transported by Careflight to Renown in Reno. Others have been transported to Carson-Tahoe Medical Center. It was not clear where exactly the shooter was taken. Ralph Swagler, owner of Locals Barbecue in the same strip mall as the . IHOP, told the Reno . Gazette-Journal that he saw the entire incident. 'This happens in third-world countries, not here,' Mr Swagler said. 'I wish I had shot at him when he was going in the IHOP. 'But when he came at me, when somebody is pointing an automatic weapon at you - you can't believe the firepower, the kind of rounds coming out of that weapon.' Shocking: Emergency personnel respond to the shooting at the pancake house which left at least three dead . Consultation: Local and state police as well as FBI agents descended on the location of the shooting . Local and state police and FBI agents descended on the scene on South Carson Street, also called U.S. 395. Yellow tape surrounded the parking . lot at the restaurant, which is near a Kohl’s department store and . across the street from a casino and hotel. At least 11 agencies, both federal and state, are working the scene, Sheriff Furlong said. Renown Regional Medicare Center . spokesman Dan Davis said four victims of the shooting were being treated . at the hospital in Reno, but he said he could not discuss their . condition or provide any other information. Kurt Althof, public relations manager . for Care Flight, told the Reno Gazette-Journal three victims had been taken . to the hospital by helicopter and that two were in critical condition. Fran Hunter, who works at Sierra Le Bone, a pet shop, just north of the IHOP, was having breakfast at the Casino Fandango when the gunman attacked, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported. As she came out of the casino, two men on motorcycles said they heard shots. Victim: The body of a shooting victim covered with a sheet lies on the front lawn of the IHOP restaurant . Ms Hunter said Sencion came out of IHOP and shot out the windows of the barbecue place. He fired shot at least two shots toward Casino Fandango. 'I was standing in front of Fandango, and somebody said, "Oh he shot himself,"' Ms Hunter told the Reno Gazette-Journal. 'I don't know what's happening to my city,' she said. 'This happens in LA or Las Vegas but not here.' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, has released a statement reading: 'I'm deeply saddened by this senseless act and extend my sympathies to those afflicted this morning. 'I applaud the first responders for their professionalism, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time.' Sheriffs are interviewing more than 100 witnesses at the scene. Jayne Peters of Carson City was taking a tax class at H&R Block with five other students when the shooting started. 'Just as we were starting, I heard a pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, and I said: "Is that automatic gunfire?"' she told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Ms Peters said her instructor looked out the window and saw a man with a gun and told all the students to get into the back of the office. The instructor said the shooter first shot at Casino Fandango across the street, then went into the IHOP. When Sencion exited the IHOP, he opened fire again. The blasts shattered the glass door of H&R Block. 'I kept thinking he was in our building,' Ms Peters told the Reno Gazette-Journal. 'We were just huddled in the bathroom in the dark. It was really scary.' | Dozens of 911 calls made as gunman began his deadly rampage . Dispatch team feared more than one assailant was at work . Killer Eduardo Sencion died after shooting himself in the head with AK-47 . He had mental issues, say Sencion's family . Three of four murdered were National Guardsmen wearing their uniform . Authorities investigating whether gunman deliberately targeted military . | 499c12c44e2b9f2718b7be140ef89aede129563d |
By . Corey Charlton for MailOnline . A jet black Rolls Royce Silver Shadow which belonged to legendary country singer Johnny Cash is going up for auction this week. The plush British-built vehicle was gifted to Cash in 1970 by television network ABC when he was at the height of his fame. At the time, Cash - nicknamed the Man in Black because of his trademark black stage outfit - was the star of the network thanks to his successful weekly music variety show The Johnny Cash Show. However, it's not clear how much the vehicle will go for with the auctioneers refusing to name an estimate price and no reserve placed on it. The sleek Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was originally ordered as a gift for singer Johnny Cash . It was used to chauffeur Cash around in the 1970s, but was then sold into private hands the following decade . The TV network's order specifications included it being left hand drive with a privacy partition between the front and back seats, and having Cash's initials emblazoned on to the rear doors . Cash pictured on the set of The Johnny Cash Show in 1969. It was an extremely popular music variety show, for which the ABC television network thanked him by giving him the state of the art Rolls Royce . The luxury classic also boasts a twin-carburettor V8 engine and independent front and rear suspension . The programme featured the great and good of rock and roll and country music including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. Cash, then 38, opened each show with a performance and the programme often included songs from his wife June Carter Cash and the Carter Family singers. The show was a hit with viewers, and in recognition ABC forked out $9,500 - around $60,000 or £37,000 in today's money - to have the Roller custom made in Cash's trademark black throughout. They even had his initials JRC embedded into the doors in gold. Cash sold the 1970 long wheelbase Silver Shadow in the mid 1980s and it has since passed through the hands of several private collectors. The luxury classic boasts a twin-carburettor V8 engine, three-speed automatic transmission, independent front and rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. The auction house is refusing to place an estimate value on the car and say it is being sold without a reserve . It is going under the hammer with 32,000 miles on the clock at an auction in Las Vegas held by classic car specialists Barrett Jackson. Experts say the historic motor will be auctioned with no reserve - but they are remaining tight-lipped about how much they expect it to sell for. Craig Jackson, chairman of Barrett Jackson, said: 'In the early 1970s Johnny Cash was pulling in phenomenal ratings with his TV show. It ran for 58 episodes and had some of the biggest stars of the time on it. 'It was one of the biggest shows on TV at the time and as a reward ABC gave Johnny this Rolls Royce Silver Shadow - a black Rolls for the 'Man In Black'. 'They paid $9,500 dollars, a substantial amount of money, to have it custom-made in England and shipped out to the USA. To make it even more special they had his initials painted in gold on the rear doors. 'Johnny used it until the mid 1980s when he sold it to a private collector. 'Johnny Cash was a huge star and with this car you're not just buying a piece of rock and roll memorabilia, you're buying something that he actually used. 'There has been a lot of interest in this car. It is in mint condition and it could well be bought by a museum or a fan. 'It's selling with no reserve so it will sell regardless of price. We don't put estimates on cars - we will find out what its real value is on the auction day.' | Music legend Johnny Cash's car up for auction this week with no reserve . The Rolls Royce was given to him by studio executives in early 1970s . It has golden initials 'JRC' attached to rear doors as well as privacy partition . Car was sold by Cash in the mid 1980s and has since been privately owned . | 5211b49159343ef62fc6584825e9070f1fa65440 |
(CNN) -- Keith Olbermann -- formerly of MSNBC, formerly of Current TV, formerly of Fox, formerly of ESPN -- wants back in the game. More to the point, he wants to return to his sports roots by reuniting with ESPN. Now it would be easy to torpedo that idea by noting that Olbermann has burned bridges everywhere he has worked and could inflame things back at ESPN. But I won't. Instead, I'm going to lead a chant: Let's Go Keith!! It would be great fun to see him holding forth again on sporting matters. Is the guy supposed to stay sidelined for the rest of his life, just because he's got a bit of a temper? Don't the fans of America deserve better? Watch: Did George Stephanopoulos lay a glove on Dennis Rodman? The New York Times reports that Olbermann recently had dinner with ESPN's president, John Skipper, who says they had a fine time. But they weren't just shooting the breeze: "Clearly he was looking to see if there was an entry point to come back," Skipper said. Olbermann, in turn, praised Skipper's "vision and charm." So to put it in betting terms, what are the odds? "There was no real appropriate place for Keith to come back, nor did I feel like I was prepared to bring him back," Skipper told the Times. Wrong answer. ESPN is in the business of covering athletic competition, right? What could be more spellbinding than waiting to see whether Olbermann declares some jock the "worst person in the world" or, even better, grabs a baseball bat in some confrontation with the bosses? Watch: Do Mitt and Ann Romney get why he lost the election? I'm being facetious, of course. But I miss the guy, even though there have been times when he has thrown brushback pitches at me. But I'm going to rise above that, for the greater good of television. The thing about ubertalented people is that they're often difficult to manage. Olbermann is a great broadcaster, but sometimes he lets his anger get the best of him. He makes life very difficult for his bosses. The question, as always, is whether he's worth it. Olbermann worked for ESPN from 1992 to 1997, so he can claim, you know, it's a new century and all that. He and Dan Patrick were a very popular team as co-hosts of "SportsCenter." But then Olbermann left, prompting an ESPN executive to offer this classic quote: "He didn't burn bridges here. He napalmed them." Watch: John Boehner doubles down on street talk about Senate's backside . Abandoning sports for politics, Olbermann hosted "The Big Show" on MSNBC, riding the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky wave to prominence until he quit, saying he was "ashamed" of what he was doing. Next up was Fox Sports, where Olbermann worked for three years. "I fired him. He's crazy," owner Rupert Murdoch later said. Olbermann has always blamed Rupe for his departure. After a brief stint at CNN, where he had also worked early in his career, Olbermann headed back to MSNBC and almost single-handedly revived the channel. Tapping into a surge of sentiment against President George W. Bush during the Iraq war, Olbermann's "Countdown" redefined MSNBC as cable's leading liberal outlet and boosted its ratings for eight years. But clashes with management grew. He was briefly suspended over making political donations, and the two sides severed their relationship. Olbermann resurfaced with a $10-million-a-year deal at Current TV, boasting about his independence from corporate media as Al Gore gave him the title of chief news officer. But the marriage quickly soured, with Olbermann complaining about the cheesiness of the facilities ("a daily logistical nightmare" that "more closely resembles cable access," according to an e-mail from his rep) and management complaining about temper tantrums, a mug-throwing incident and days off. After less than a year, the two sides wound up suing each other last spring. Now you might say this is a cautionary note for a future employer, and you might be right. But after a year of unemployment and tweeting mainly about sports, perhaps Olbermann has mellowed. Watch: Should Andrew Sullivan have suggested Pope Benedict XVI is gay? To be sure, ESPN has certainly tolerated its share of loudmouths, from the analyst who was let go for calling Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III a "cornball brother" to the commentator who uttered the n-word on the air. Olbermann's problems tend to unfold off the field, not in front of the camera, though he's occasionally apologized for going too far. And it couldn't hurt for ESPN to jazz things up. Skipper isn't exactly raising expectations, saying: "There are not that many successful examples of people who have come back, in part because it's like water filling a vacuum. When somebody leaves, somebody else fills their place." Sure, play it safe. Or throw the long pass and see what happens. Remember: Watching Keith Olbermann is a great spectator sport. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Howard Kurtz. | Howard Kurtz: There's talk that Keith Olbermann wants to return to ESPN . He says Olbermann has been controversial at several leading media outlets . Kurtz says Olbermann has great talent and deserves another shot at sports . Kurtz: Working with Olbermann may not always be easy, but he can be worth the trouble . | 7ab9038985f47255fc2c961390c3c85f3084bc48 |
By . Associated Press and Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 09:15 EST, 7 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 23:58 EST, 7 November 2012 . A man long considered the prime suspect in the disappearance of Etan Patz more than three decades ago was released from prison today and then immediately arrested on a Megan's Law violation. Jose Antonio Ramos, 69, was taken into custody following his release from a northeastern Pennsylvania prison - where he spent more than 20 years for molesting children - because he failed to provide accurate information required of sex offenders, according to state police. State police did not immediately specify what information Ramos failed to supply. The 69-year-old has long been suspected in the disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz, who vanished May 25, 1979, after leaving his Manhattan home to go to a bus stop two blocks away. Mystery: Jose A. Ramos, left, was once the prime suspect in the disappearance of Etan Patz, right, but never convicted in connection to the case . Re-arrested: Jose Ramos, right, is escorted by police to his arraignment in Kingston Township, Pennsylvania, today after he was released from prison . It was the first time his parents had let him go off to school alone. Megan's Law - also known as the Sexual Offender Act of 1994 - was established after the murder of Megan Kanka, from New Jersey, at the hands of her neighbor Jesse Timmendequas, a registered sex offender. It requires persons convicted of sex crimes against children to notify local law enforcement of any change of address or employment after release from custody. In 29 July, 1994, Timmendequas lured the seven-year-old into his house by offering to show her a puppy. He raped, beat, suffocated and murdered her, had sex with her dead body before dumping it in a nearby park. It was largely held that if Megan's parents knew they were living next to a convicted sex offender, she would still be alive today. Since 2004, the public has been able to view information on sex offenders required to register with local law enforcement, when previously the information was only available by personally visiting police stations and sheriff offices. Kanka's family set up a charitable foundation, the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation, with the aim of preventing crimes against children. Investigators in Etan's case have long . been focused on Ramos, who had been dating the boy's baby sitter and . later served the time in Pennsylvania for molesting two other boys. Etan's disappearance prompted a . massive search that stretched as far as Israel and spawned the national . movement to publicize the cases of missing children. The blond, blue-eyed boy's photo was . among the first put on milk cartons, and his case turned May 25 into . National Missing Children's Day. His parents never moved or changed their phone number, in case he returned. In 2001, they obtained a court order . officially declaring their son dead. They have become outspoken . advocates for child protection issues. Ramos was declared responsible for . Etan's death in a civil court in 2004, but the Manhattan district . attorney's office has said there wasn't enough evidence to charge him . criminally. Ramos has denied any involvement in Etan's disappearance. Earlier this year, a new suspect . named Pedro Hernandez was charged with Etan's murder after police said . he confessed this spring. His lawyer, Harvey Fishbein, has said . Hernandez is mentally ill, and authorities have not cited any additional . evidence to implicate him beyond his own admission. Prosecutors are expected this month to . announce whether they believe there's evidence enough to continue . pursuing a case against Hernandez, who worked at a convenience store . near Etan's home when the boy disappeared and told police he strangled . the boy and stuffed his body in a trash bag. Tribute: Etan's parents never moved from their New York City apartment, pictured in May, or changed their phone number in case he returned . Empty: Police have searched new suspect Pedro Hernandez's home since he confessed but still haven't found evidence to tie him to the crime . Tipped: Police were lead to Hernandez after a resurgence in press on Etan's disappearance prompted an anonymous tip . Ramos has denied any involvement in Etan's disappearance. He has declined interview requests while incarcerated, telling reporters . he may make a public statement after his November 7 release. In the . early 1980s, Ramos was arrested but not convicted on charges he tried to . lure children to a drainage pipe he was living in. New suspect: Pedro Hernandez's attorney says his client is mentally ill and has only convinced himself he killed Etan Patz . At the time of his arrest, photos of young blond boys, similar to Etan, were found in his backpack. After his release, Ramos traveled the country attending gatherings of the Rainbow . Family of Living Light, a loose collection of peace activists. Then . in the mid-1980s he again faced child molestation charges when he was . accused of luring three boys into his bus and assaulting them at two of . the group's gatherings in Pennsylvania. 'He had . thousands of dollars in 'Star Wars' toys on his bus. He had videotapes, . and he had all kinds of materials he used to lure children inside,' Barry Adams, a longtime Rainbow member, recalled last month from his . Montana home. 'It was a horrendous circumstance from A to Z.' Convinced that Ramos is guilty of the crime, Etan's father Stan Patz sends him a copy of the missing child poster twice a year with the words 'What have you done with my little boy?' written on the back. Earlier this year, a new suspect named Pedro Hernandez was charged with Etan's murder after police said he confessed this spring. His lawyer, Harvey Fishbein, has said that Hernandez is mentally ill, and authorities have not cited any additional evidence to implicate him beyond his own admission. Prosecutors are expected this month to announce whether they believe there's evidence enough to continue pursuing a case against Hernandez, who worked at a convenience store near Etan's home when the boy disappeared and told police he strangled the boy and stuffed his body in a trash bag. Since his . confession, an extensive probe has found no hard evidence that could . link Hernandez to the crime and his attorney has raised even more doubts . about the case saying that his client suffers from schizophrenia, . bipolar disorder, and has heard voices. 'He either did it, or he really believes he did it,' a source in the district attorney's office told the New York Post. Scene of the crime: An extensive probe into Hernandez led police to search the bodega where he worked at the time of Etan's disappearance . | Jose Ramos released this morning after serving a 25-year sentence in an unrelated case . Failed to supply information to state police and taken into custody again . Etan vanished on May 25, 1979, while walking alone to a school bus stop in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood . The NYPD is currently trying to build a case against Pedro Hernandez, a New Jersey man who has confessed to killing the boy . | 82355bc12080ea81d2d654a080c55e0791031d6c |
AC/DC's Angus Young has revealed drummer Phil Rudd had been 'in a strange place' even before he was charged with allegedly hiring a hitman in New Zealand earlier this month. Young opened up about his troubled bandmate in an exclusive interview with Sydney's Triple M Grill Team. The guitarist says the band had been facing some issues with Rudd's 'strange behaviour' over the last few years. Scroll down for video . AC/DC bandmates Angus Young and Brian Johnson have joked about Phil Rudd's recent run-in with the law with US radio host Howard Stern. In a more recent interview, Young also revealed drummer Phil Rudd has been 'in a strange place' 'He's in a strange place, in a strange situation…It's something we have to get resolved, if we're going forward, something has to get resolved,' Young said in the interview which will air on Tuesday. 'We had a few problems ourselves before he got into this situation. There was a lot of strange behaviour going on. I guess you could put it down to him just not showing up for a lot of what we were doing and when you have to get to a stage where you have to convince someone to be there, you know it wears thin after a while - but it's something we have to resolve. 'It is a bit of a question mark…we go back a long way, he is a great drummer, but I think over these last few years, I don't know what he's got into or anything - I guess it doesn't help the situation that he's in.' Prior to the exclusive interview, Young and AC/DC singer Brian Johnson joked about Rudd's recent run-in with law in New Zealand with US radio host Howard Stern. 'My wife woke me up and said "Phil's been up to no good",' Young told Howard Stern. 'Someone said "who was he trying to hit". It was his drug dealer.' Police charged Rudd with allegedly hiring a hitman to kill two men in New Zealand in September. Those charges were later dropped. Rudd, who has been with the band on and off for nearly three decades, was charged with threatening to kill and drug possessing in New Zealand earlier this month . Johnson said he was getting ready to fly home to the States and had a cup of coffee in his hand when he saw the news on TV. 'There was this guy getting led out of a car with no shoes on looking like he was f***ing drugged and his head was on backwards,' Johnson said. Young and Johnson were being interviewed about their latest album Rock And Bust when they spoke of Rudd. Police charged Rudd with allegedly hiring a hitman to kill two men in New Zealand in September. Those charges were later dropped. The 60-year-old drummer still faces charges of threatening to kill and possessing methamphetamine and marijuana. He is expected to appear in court on November 27. Stern asked if Rudd was a still a member of AC/DC as a result of the charges. 'We've got to resolve that,' Young said. Young said he fell out of bed when he heard the AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd (pictured) had been charged with hiring a hitman earlier this month . Johnson said he was getting ready to fly home to the States and had a cup of coffee in his hand when he saw the news on TV . Johnson suggested Rudd would not be back in the band. 'I don't think we need to do any firing,' he said. 'The situation will take care of itself. He has gotten himself into a pickle. There is nothing we can do about it. We are talking about criminal charges here. We are talking about judges, we are talking about juries. We are going to go on tour. Nothing is going to stop us.' But the pair made it clear that AC/DC would not break up because of Rudd. 'In the past we have had good drummers who have worked with us,' Young said. AC/DC singer Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young gave an audience in New York a preview listening of Rock Or Bust on Tuesday, with Rudd noticeably absent from the appearance . The famous rocker, seen here with daughter Milla, has been charged with threatening to kill. He is expected to face court in New Zealand . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | AC/DC's guitarist Angus Young says the band has had 'a few problems' dealing with bandmate Phil Rudd . Rudd was charged with threatening to kill and drug possession in New Zealand earlier this month . Young and singer Brian Johnson also joked about Phil Rudd's recent police charges with US radio host Howard Stern . Young said he fell out of bed when he heard Rudd had been charged with hiring a hitman . Johnson made it clear AC/DC would not break up following Rudd's charges as the band prepares to go on tour . | f4e19fb28885097720ef6121495157c0c6a37e53 |
By . Bianca London . It was a stylish yet sombre affair at St. George's Church in London this afternoon as fashion's most powerful figures celebrated the life of the late Beatrix Miller. Beatrix, who passed away aged 90 in February, was editor of British Vogue between 1964-1986. Today's guests included American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, current British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, supermodel Twiggy, designer Jasper Conran and Bianca Jagger. Memorial: Anna Wintour attends a memorial service for former British Vogue Editor Beatrix Miller at St George's Church, who died aged 90 in February 2014 and was the editor of British Vogue from 1964 to 1986 . Other attendees included legendary photographers Terry O'Neill and Mario Testino. Miss Miller, as she was known to her employees, was born on in 1923 and began her journalistic career at The Queen, a British society magazine, where she started out as a secretary and worked her way up features editor. She relocated to New York in 1956, and joined Vogue as a copywriter. Fashionable friends: Current Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, left, who says she looks back to Miller's work for inspiration, attended the event, as well as supermodel Twiggy, right . Good friend: Grace Coddington, centre, creative director of American Vogue, dressed in a casual black outfit for the event . Later, in 1958, she returned to The Queen as editor - revamping it and transforming it into a glossy magazine aimed at young women, rather than the older socialites who had previously made up the readership. She landed the role of editor of British Vogue in 1964, where she worked tirelessly. The proof was in her final issue of the magazine; the largest ever at 470 pages. Miss Miller never married and her employees said she dedicated her life to Vogue. She retired in 1984 and joined forces with Terence Conran and Jean Muir to establish a think tank, which linked the government and fashion industry. Roll call of fashion's most famous faces: Bianca Jagger, former model and ex-wife of Mick Jagger, left, and Welsh designer Jasper Conran, right, also made an appearance . Her favourite snappers: Renowned fashion photographers Terry O'Neill, left, and Mario Testino, arrived at St. George's . Colourful outfit: Zandra Rhodes, CBE, English fashion designer, ensured all eyes were on her at the event, left, and Nicky Haslam, interior designer and socialite also made an appearance . She died on 21 February 2014. Opera director Patrick Kinmonth wrote for Vogue in her memory: 'Her permanent influence hangs over all of us like the smoke from her cigarettes: a strange and fascinating cocktail of intimidating school matron, hyper-dignified spinster, brilliant and imaginative headmistress, all electrified by a low threshold of boredom, a genuinely acute literary mind, and an almost total lack of interest and confidence in her own appearance. Legend: Miss Miller, as she was known to her employees, was born on in 1923 and began her journalistic career at The Queen, a British society magazine, where she worked as a secretary . 'But when she laughed her rare, shy, intimate, genuine laugh, she could be utterly captivating, even if her hair gave her grief and she had no interest in personally dressing the part of Vogue.' Current Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman, added: 'I often look back at her Vogues for inspiration and of course because, like myself, her career was rooted in journalism not fashion. 'I find the most wonderful articles alongside the fashion images, so many of which are now so famous. She saw Vogue as a chronicler of a particular world and she did a wonderful job.' Finding fame: Her journalistic coup came when she landed the role of editor of British Vogue in 1964, where she worked tirelessly. The proof was in her final issue of the magazine; the largest ever at 470 pages . | Beatrix Miller died in February . Was editor of Vogue between 1964-1986 . Jasper Conran, Bianca Jagger and Mario Testino also attended . | ca016633ca17c155fd038c51ac4d38f125c0e4e9 |
PADUCAH, Kentucky (CNN) -- He arrives in the early morning hours, when the downtown streets here are empty and quiet. Former U.S. soldier Steven Green has been convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old Iraqi girl. An electric gate jerks to life as the black sedan with tinted windows pulls into a parking lot protected by an iron fence. It's five blocks from the local county jail to the U.S. Federal Courthouse of Western Kentucky. Not even a five-minute drive. This is the only freedom Steven Green knows. He's ushered from the car by a contingent of U.S. marshals. It's 30 feet out in the open air. A brief chance to look up at the clouds. A moment to hear sounds not reverberated against cell walls: a bird, a car engine, a breeze in nearby trees. He is a lanky 24-year-old. He looks lean, like he could grow a little more. Not really a man, but too old to be called a boy. Regardless, he is a convicted murderer, rapist, and conspirator. The orange prison coveralls make him look a bit taller. The jury never sees Green in the fluorescent jumpsuit. Inside the federal courthouse there is a change of clothes. Usually it's a button-down shirt and a pair of khakis. He keeps his cuffs buttoned. He looks nerdish, and you half expect him to start working on the courtroom computers. Not like a man who once asked FBI agents if they thought he was "a monster." Evidence comes in a steady display of pictures and videos that seem oddly connected. The snapshot of a smiling woman lying in a field of bluebonnets. The image of a dead Iraqi strapped to the hood of an Army Humvee. A high school yearbook photo of a Texas football team. The diagram of a brain cell. Video of a firefight shot from an insurgent perspective. The most unusual trial exhibit sits against the wall behind the prosecutor's table: a small architectural mock-up of a home. Roughly 18 by 18 inches, it is like no home in Kentucky. A flat-topped square with a raised rectangular structure at the top providing access to the roof. It is beige in color. The tiny windows have tiny bars. It is a 3-D map of a crime scene. Earlier this month, a jury found Green guilty of a raping a 14-year-old girl who lived in the home in Iraq, then killing her and setting her body on fire to destroy evidence. Green also was found guilty of killing the girl's parents and 6-year-old sister. There is a casual manner to Steven Green's daily entrance into the courtroom. It defies the circumstances of the moment and the imagination without proper context. This is the sentencing phase of his death penalty trial and he is the defendant. Testimony resumes Monday, with the expectation of closing arguments as early as Wednesday. Green faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, or death in prison. The testimony transports the court to unusual places: across Texas following Green's dysfunctional childhood, into the sense of structure and order of Army basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and back to the chaos of horrendous combat situations four years ago in Iraq's Triangle of Death. Green is a former member of the 101st Airborne Division, inserted into a very bad section of Iraq during some of the worst fighting of the war. His memories are of a place known as Yusufiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad. Jurors form a mental picture of his life then as former members of his unit, Bravo Company, take the stand. Amid the military lingo, the witnesses pause occasionally, struggling to convey the contempt, confusion, exhaustion, and death they knew. They speak of being shot, of killings, booby traps and sudden bloody dismemberments. This toxic emotional mix is what former Pfc. Green knew in 2005 and 2006 almost every day, along with the very real possibility of his own death. If the jury opts for its most extreme option -- the death penalty -- unlike his daily death watch in Iraq, at least Green will see that coming. When a friend or family member enters the courtroom, Green tries to make anxious eye contact. He whispers a lot to his attorneys. His hands stay around his face and his gaze on the table when the victims' family speak through an interpreter. The Al-Janabis' relatives do not speak of details of the crime. The questions come only from the prosecution, and the defense does not cross-examine. They speak of an orchard worker, Kassem, and his wife, Fakhriya. They speak of a simple family who did not own either their home or the furniture. They speak of a funny 6-year-old girl, Hadeel, being chased through the orchard trees by siblings. They speak of a 14-year-old girl, Abeer, with dreams of living in the city and wearing nice clothes. The jury never hears the words "rape" or "murder" come from the translation. It is a testimony about loss. The defendant sits rigid the entire time. The mention of other names comes frequently in court. Spc. James Barker: The jury knows him as the soldier who concocted a plan over a card game to target the Al-Janabi family -- a mission of gang-rape and murder. Sgt. Paul Cortez: The defense counsel describes him as senior non-commissioned officer, the one who approved the mission as long as he was the first to rape Abeer. Pfc. Jesse Spielman: His name is familiar as the fourth member of the squad to leave their traffic checkpoint on March 12, 2006, after donning disguises, and enter the Al-Janabi home. Pfc. Bryan Howard is the soldier left behind to guard their post. Each is out of the Army, sentenced to prison time by a military court for his part in the crime and the failed coverup. Green, the trigger man, is the odd man out. He sits before the jury, convicted in civil court for this war atrocity. His early release from the Army two months after the crime is a possible death sentence, while three of his accomplices face the possibility of parole from an Army prison in 2016. Green still sports a military haircut. Seated at the table alongside his defense team, he often leans over and speaks with Darren Wolff, a former Marine Corps captain turned Kentucky defense lawyer. There are letters on file in the court docket from Wolff petitioning Defense Secretary Robert Gates to re-enlist Green in the Army, so the former private could face trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It is not unheard of in this war. Wolff points out in conversation that the Pentagon re-activated two former Marines after word surfaced of an alleged murder in Falluja in 2004. He says Green should face a jury of his military peers. The fact that has not happened, and the former Army private sits in the U.S. District Court of Western Kentucky tried under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act for crimes committed in Iraq, may be a point of appeal. At the end of the day, Green exits the courtroom, climbs back into his prison garb and is shackled. There's another short walk to the car, then a five-block return drive to take in the world. He returns to solitary confinement. This is his human interaction for the day. | Steven Green was convicted of murder, rape in deaths of girl and her family in Iraq . Jury in Kentucky to decide his sentence; death penalty a possibility . Closing arguments could start as soon as Wednesday . Green faces harsher penalty because he had left Army and was tried in civilian court . | 3e63ec9394c3bad46605c1c52cccee8cf256f138 |
By . Sally Lee . Their destination was Australia - a place they could call home. These historic moments of resettlement were captured as new arrivals landed on Aussie shores after World War II. The photographs have been released by The National Archives in Canberra as they launched a new exhibition to give insight into life in Australia's migrant hostels. The National Archives in Canberra has launched a new photographic exhibition which gives insight into life in Australia's migrant hostels. Pictured is a migrant family entering their new home in Maribyrnong, Victoria in 1965 . While 20,000 photos were handed over by the Department of Immigration, curator Amy Lay told the ABC that 50 images have been chosen to feature at the exhibition - A Place to Call Home? Migrant Hostel Memories - which will be on display until September 14. 'We found the hostels were the most evocative sets of photographs so lots of people had experiences they could relate to... they brought back lots of memories,' she said. Migrant hostels were established around Australia after World War II to accommodate the vast number of newcomers. The hostels were described as basic with shared washing and eating facilities by National Archives of Australia. They were occupied by thousands of resettlers. For some, their stay was brief while others lived there for months or even years. 'There was a large shortage of accommodation, so the idea would be they would provide a stepping stone for migrants into life in Australia, so they could get help finding a job, they could get English lessons if they needed them,' Ms Lay said. The exhibition, A Place to Call Home? Migrant Hostel Memories, features 50 archived images released by the Department of Immigration. Pictured is an Asian woman using the cooking facilities in Tamarind, Northern Territory in 1984 . British arrivals were driven by bus to a Sydney hostel, accompanied by a member of the Good Neighbour Council in 1962. The Good Neighbour Council was a government initiative which mobilised local community groups to help migrants assimilate into Australian communities . Children line up for milk at the migrant hostel in Scheyville, NSW in 1957. The migrant hostels were built on what had been the Scheyville Training Farm, where boys were trained in farm life . Italian cane-cutters arrive at Cairns and unpack their luggage at a migrant camp. There are records of Italian migrants in Queensland as early as 1859, though they encountered considerable racism from locals, who preferred English and Northern European workers . A woman washes a car at Pennington Migrant Hostel in Adelaide. Pennington was one of the largest migrant reception centres in the country and was able to accommodate 1,600 people . Turkish migrants at prayer at Broadmeadows, Victoria in 1969. In 1920, Turkish migrants were forbidden from entering Australia under the Enemy Aliens Act. However, in 1967 Turkey became the first country beyond Western Europe to sign an Assisted Passage agreement with Australia, prompting an increase in immigration from Turkey . The archive's exhibition shows a mixture of official government photos and personal recounts of migrants who lived in the hostels. The vivid photographs portray how friendships were formed, challenges that were encountered and the start of a new life in Australia. However Ms Lay believes the personal insights bring the exhibition to life. 'The Department of Immigration wanted to show a certain side of these hostels, they wanted to show the positive side,' she said. 'But those personal images actually draw back the real experiences in the hostels... the places might not have been as luxurious as they thought.' While the images may rekindle memories for some, it will also give the rest of the country rare and unique vision into the difficulties faced by early migrants, Ms Lay said. Playtime: A girl borrows some adult clothes - including a fur stole and an extravagant hat - to dress up as a little lady at Bonegilla, Victoria in 1956 . Then Minister for Immigration Phillip Lynch visits Wacol Hostel in Brisbane (left) and a representative from The Good Neighbour Council of Queensland at Colmslie Migrant Hostel in Brisbane with newcomers from Britain (right) Boys at the spartan communal washing facilities at Bonegilla, Victoria in 1949. Bonegilla had been a military camp but was converted to accommodate migrants . Spanish migrants hang out the washing and chat at Villawood, NSW in 1963. Local bush was cleared at the Villawood site to make way for the migrant hostels, which could accommodate 2,750 people . A butcher preparing legs of lamb in Bradfield Park, NSW in 1968. Bradfield Park was an RAAF base during the Second World War, before housing refugees and then being converted to a migrant hostel . A promotion film entitled 'The Helping Hand' which was by commissioned The Department of Immigration. Pictured are cameraman Ross Wood filming Mrs E Rehkopf (left) from Germany and her 14-months-old daughter Diana at Dundas Migrant Hostel near Sydney . Rows of huts at Bonegilla, Victoria in 1949. Between 1947 and 1971, over 300,000 migrants from more than 50 countries lived at Bonegilla . English lessons at East Hills, NSW in 1978. By this time assisted migration had ceased, with the last migrant ship arriving in 1977. Between World War II and 1977, more than two million migrants had been carried to Australia by 169 ships . | A new exhibition at The National Archives in Canberra features 50 images of migrant hostels across Australia . Hostels were established around Australia after World War II to accommodate the vast number of newcomers . Some stayed briefly while others - including many children with their parents - lived there for months or even years . | a2d4783cd442d08c66c36381d500739fdb016fb5 |
By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 11:21 EST, 12 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:35 EST, 13 February 2013 . Wrestling has been dropped from the 2020 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee in a surprise decision that removes one of the oldest Olympic sports. The IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon - the event considered most at risk - and remove wrestling instead from its list of 25 'core sports ' on Tuesday in a move that sent waves of outrage throughout the wrestling community. Should wrestling be dropped from the Olympic Games? Rulon Gardner, the 2000 gold and 2004 bronze U.S. medalist told TMZ he was 'appalled' at the news saying, 'as a two time Olympian, I think it's a shame to drop the sport of wrestling, one of the original Olympic Sports.' The IOC board acted after reviewing the 26 sports on the current Olympic program. Eliminating one sport allows the International Olympic Committee to add a new sport to the program later this year. Scroll down for video . Dropped: In a surprise move wrestling has been dropped from the 2020 Olympic Games after an executive decision by the International Olympic Committee . Original titans: Rulon Gardner of the USA took the bronze medal in the men's Greco-Roman wrestling in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games seen here while today is expressing his fury over the IOC's decision . Appalled: Gardner who retired after his 2004 bronze medal said he was 'appalled' at the IOC's decision to drop wrestling from their sports . Wrestling, which combines freestyle and Greco-Roman events, goes back to the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. 'This is a process of renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics,' IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. 'In the view of the executive board, this was the best program for the Olympic Games in 2020. It's not a case of what's wrong with wrestling, it is what's right with the 25 core sports.' Among those also immediately voicing their upset over the decision included 2012 U.S. gold medalist Jordan Ernest Burroughs from New Jersey. 'It's not over yet. We will keep fighting to save the sport we love. Don't stop dreaming and don't stop believing. #SaveOlympicWrestling,' he Tweeted on Tuesday. Reminding of the sport's history while also voicing his upset was Matt Valenti, a two-time NCAA Division I U.S. champion wrestler who Tweeted: . 'Ancient Olympic wrestlers would sometimes fight to the death. IOC better understand we're ready to do that again.' U.S. medalists: Jordan Burroughs, left, took home a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at last year's London Games along with Jacob Varner, right . Outrage: 2012 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling Jordan Ernest Burroughs voiced his own concern on Twitter on Tuesday while promising they won't give up . 2008: At the Beijing Olympic Games in wrestling (seen left to right) Mirko Englich of Germany earned silver, Aslanbek Khushtov of Russia earned gold, and Adam Wheeler of the US and Asset Mambetov earned bronze . 2012: U.S. gold medalist Jacob Stephen Varner (second from left), silver medallist Valerii Andriitsev (left) of Ukraine and bronze medallsts George Gogshelidze of Georgia and Khetag Gazyumov (right) of Azerbaijan . Fighters: Akzhurek Tanatarov of Kazakhstan holds Ramazan Sahin of Turkey during the Men's Freestyle 66 kg Wrestling bronze medal fight at last year's 2012 Olympic Games . Adams said the decision was made by secret ballot over several rounds, with members voting each time on which sport should not be included in the core group. IOC President Jacques Rogge did not vote. Wrestling is one of the original Olympic sports included in all but one Olympic competition since 1896 . Sumerian cave drawings in Mesopotamia can link the sport to more than 7,000 years ago . In Greek mythology Zeus wrestled Cronus, his father, to win possession of the universe. That triumphant win furthermore was celebrated by making it the last and determining event in the ancient Olympic Games’ pentathlon . After a 1,500-year hiatus the Olympic Games were resurrected in 1896, implementing Greco-Roman wrestling - upper-torso restricted - into their program . In the 1904 St Louis games freestyle wrestling was introduced, allowing players to use their legs to attach and defend above and below the waist . In 2004 women competed in wrestling for the first time with Japan taking home two golds, a silver and a bronze . At the 2012 Games, more than 340 wrestlers competed for medals in 18 events . Only four other sports of track and field, cycling, gymnastics and swimming have been in more Olympic Games . Wrestling was voted out from a final group that also included modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey, officials familiar with the vote told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the voting details were not made public. The board voted after reviewing a report by the IOC program commission report that analyzed 39 criteria, including television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy and global participation and popularity. With no official rankings or recommendations contained in the report, the final decision by the 15-member board was also subject to political, emotional and sentimental factors. The international wrestling federation, . known by the French acronym FILA, is headed by Raphael Martinetti and is . based in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. Calls to the federation for . comment were not immediately returned. Wrestling featured 344 athletes competing in 11 medal events in freestyle and seven in Greco-Roman at last year's London Olympics. Women's wrestling was added to the Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games. The U.S. took home four medals last year in wrestling: two gold and two bronze. Wrestling will now join seven other sports in applying for inclusion in 2020. The others are a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. They will be vying for a single opening in 2020. Though there's still a chance . wrestling could be spared depending on a September vote by the IOC, Gardner says . 'seeing the hardship baseball has been through, I am not too confident.' He adds, 'I don't think we have heard the end of this.' Beginnings: Heracles, whose father Zeus won possession of the universe through a wrestling match, is depicted here wrestling with the Libyan giant Antaeus on this pottery dating back to 515 or 510 BC . Legacy: Images of two men wrestling on a Greek Vase dated to 1813 are seen here, with the sport found dating back to more than 7,000 years ago . Original Games: This stadium in Olympia, Greece is where the ancient Olympic Games and the Heraia, the women's games in honour of Hera, were held . The IOC executive board will meet in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to decide which sport or sports to propose for 2020 inclusion. The final vote will be made at the IOC session, or general assembly, in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is extremely unlikely that wrestling would be voted back in so soon after being removed by the executive board. - Matt Valenti, two-time NCAA Division I U.S. champion wrestler . 'Today's decision is not final,' Adams said. 'The session is sovereign and the session will make the final decision.' The last sports removed from the Olympics were baseball and softball, voted out by the IOC in 2005 and off the program since the 2008 Beijing Games. Golf and rugby will be joining the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Previously considered under the closest scrutiny was modern pentathlon, which has been on the Olympic program since the 1912 Stockholm Games. It was created by French baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, and combines fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting. Ancient Greek Cup dating back to 530 BC is seen here showing two athletes wrestling . Egyptians: In Egypt tombs have been found featuring drawings showing how to wrestle, like this one seen, with some dating back to 2500 BC . Klaus Schormann, president of governing body UIPM, lobbied hard to protect his sport's Olympic status and it paid off in the end. 'We have promised things and we have delivered,' he said after Tuesday's decision. 'That gives me a great feeling. It also gives me new energy to develop our sport further and never give up.' Modern pentathlon also benefited from the work of Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., the son of the former IOC president who is a UIPM vice president and member of the IOC board. 'We were considered weak in some of the scores in the program commission report but strong in others,' Samaranch told the AP. 'We played our cards to the best of our ability and stressed the positives. Tradition is one of our strongest assets, but we are also a multi-sport discipline that produces very complete people.' TriathlonRowingSailingCanoe/kayak: Sprint and SlalomAquatics: diving, swimming, water polo, synchronized swimmingShootingArcheryJudoEquestrian: jumping, eventing, dressageGymnastics: trampoline, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnasticsTaekwondoTable tennisTennisBadmintonRugby*HandballFootballBasketballHockeyVolleyball: volleyball, beach volleyballCycling: BMX, road, track, mountain bikeFencingBoxingWeightliftingGolf* . THE EIGHT SPORTS NOW COMPETING TO MAKE THE LIST: . Wrestling, Baseball and Softball, Karate, Squash, Roller sports, Sport climbing, Wakeboarding, Wushu . *joining the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro . | Wrestling now joins seven other sports in applying for single a opening in 2020 Games . Wrestling is one of the original Olympic sports included in all but one Olympic competition since 1896 . Among the 35 sports kept and added: Synchronized swimming, equestrian, table tennis and golf . IOC executive board will vote in September to determine which sport will stay . | 140f204b5e2141b90f1671b74fcd70c446416e91 |
Thanks to a NASA physicist, the notion of warp speed might just travel out of sci-fi and into the real world. NASA's Harold White has been working since 2010 to develop a warp drive that will allow spacecraft to travel at speeds faster than light -- 186,000 miles per second. White, who heads NASA's Advanced Propulsion Team, spoke about his conceptual starship at a conference last fall. But interest in his project reached a new level this week when he unveiled images of what the craft might look like. Created by artist Mark Rademaker, who based them on White's designs, the images show a technologically detailed spacecraft that wouldn't look out of place in a "Star Trek" movie. Rademaker says creating them took more than 1,600 hours. For now, warp speed is only possible in TV and movies, with both "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" referencing an idea that was completely speculative at the time. White has fittingly named the concept spacecraft IXS Enterprise, for the starship famously piloted by Captain James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" TV series and movies. At the SpaceVision 2013 Space Conference last November in Phoenix, White talked about his design, the concepts behind it and the progress that's been made in warp-drive development over the decades. He discussed the idea of a "space warp," a loophole in the theory of general relativity that would allow for massive distances to be traveled very quickly, reducing travel times from thousands of years to days. In his speech, White described space warps as faraway galaxies that can bend light around them. They work on the principle of bending space both in front of and behind a spacecraft. This would essentially allow for the empty space behind the craft to expand, both pushing and pulling it forward at the same time. The concept is similar to that of an escalator or moving walkway. "There's no speed limit on the expansion and contraction of space," White said at the conference. "You can actually find a way to get around what I like to call the 11th commandment: Thou shall not exceed the speed of light." It's the idea of space warps that inspired physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994 to first theorize a mathematical model of a warp drive that would be able to bend space and time. While studying Alcubierre's equations, White decided to design his own retooled version of the Alcubierre Drive. His recently unveiled design has much less empty space than the first concept model, increasing its efficiency. The warp drive that White's team has been working on would literally transcend space, shortening the distance between two points and allowing the craft to break the speed of light. This would be a spaceship with no speed limit. Because travel into space has been extremely limited due to existing means of propulsion, such a technology could blow open the possibilities of space exploration. It could allow for study of the farthest reaches of space, parts that scientists once considered unimaginable. Although the technology to create the spacecraft or the warp drive doesn't yet exist, the artistic renderings Rademaker created could potentially be a model of what's to come -- the first spacecraft to break the speed-of-light barrier and journey beyond our solar system. In his design, White says he drew from Matthew Jeffries' 1965 sketches of the Enterprise from "Star Trek," saying parts of that ship were mathematically correct. He worked with Rademaker and graphic designer Mike Okuda to update the math and produce what he believes to be a viable spacecraft. According to NASA, there hasn't been any proof that a warp drive can exist, but the agency is experimenting nonetheless. Although the concept doesn't violate the laws of physics, that doesn't guarantee that it will work. "We're starting to talk about what the next chapter for human space exploration going to be," White said at SpaceVision. | NASA physicist Harold White has been working since 2010 to develop a warp drive . This week he unveiled images of what such a starship might look like . Renderings are by artist Mark Rademaker, who based them on White's designs . Warp drive would let spacecraft travel at speeds faster than light . | cce96f8aabc4d122c08a6c9df950a9bf3d51ded6 |
(CNN) -- Forget space. The most exciting new frontiers of exploration are on our very own planet, says Dr. Robin Hanbury-Tenison, one of the greats of British exploring. "I'm excited about this planet and what we don't know about it," he says. "To discover life that has been cut off for 25 million years under the Antarctic ice cap is just mind-blowing and much more exciting than finding life on Mars," he says. Hanbury-Tenison OBE and an honorary Doctor of Science from Plymouth University, sees three new frontiers of exploration: the tropical rainforest canopy, which researchers are beginning to access by hot air balloon and which is teeming with new species; caves (only 10% of the world's caves have been discovered); and coral reefs, which are revealing more of their secrets thanks to smart technology. The key to exploring these new frontiers is science. Explore, don't tour . For Hanbury-Tenison, who has led more than 30 expeditions over the last 60 years, the thrill of reaching a place and taking a few trophy photographs isn't enough. "What is a turn-on is stepping over the threshold from being a tourist to being an explorer-scientist. Then you are actually contributing to saving the world, to enlightening people to what is wrong and campaigning," says the 77-year-old, who has written more than 20 books on his adventures, most recently "The Modern Explorers." He's not suggesting it's easy to make the leap from tourist to explorer, but it's possible if you're smart about it. First, you have to know what you're talking about, which means reading as much as you can about your chosen destination. "Provided you always treat people with respect, integrate and live as near to the way locals are living and not bring in too much from the outside world, you can do good rather than the sort of damage mass tourism does," he says. There are plenty of places still to be explored on Earth, ranging from "explorer light" to "hardcore explorer." If you want to get involved and contribute to scientific exploration, lacking a science degree isn't an obstacle as long as you're prepared to work hard and be humble, he says. How to become an explorer . Hanbury-Tenison says many of the world's research centers will open their doors if you approach them in the right way. "If you want to be an explorer, go to one of these research stations, they have amazing ones in Peru, and say, 'I'll sweep the laboratory floor but can I come back when you look for the giant otters and I'll paddle the boat.' Make yourself useful." Some wannabe explorers yearn for the days when the world was a pristine planet and great Victorian explorers such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace went off on journeys and returned with mountains of exciting new material and stories. But Hanbury-Tenison says there's much more of the Earth left to explore and species to discover and that the mission is more important now than ever. "It doesn't matter if people have been there before, it isn't about being the first -- it's about understanding and learning more about it. "And that's more urgent now than ever. We're cutting down the rainforests and destroying them before we've discovered how exciting and interesting it all is." Kate Whitehead is a Hong Kong-based journalist who was most recently editor of Cathay Pacific's Discovery magazine. | Dr. Robin Hanbury-Tenison sees three new frontiers of exploration: the tropical rainforest canopy, caves and coral reefs . Not having a science degree isn't an obstacle as long as you're prepared to work hard and make yourself useful . Dr. Hanbury-Tenison has led more than 30 expeditions since the 1950s . | 7f9b1ffec14267fbb3ec5514d6dd1e5706bff0f8 |
By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 23:36 EST, 10 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:31 EST, 11 June 2013 . Unique: Alfie Jones, two, suffers from an illness so rare it doesn't even have a name . A two-year-old boy from Wales is the only person in the world to be diagnosed with an illness so rare doctors do not even have a name for it. Alfie Jones, from Bridgend, Wales, baffled doctors when he was born due to his unprecedented number of different health problems, which include a hole in the heart, deafness and partial blindness. Doctors have simply called Alfie’s illness an ‘unbalanced chromosome rearrangement’ which has never before been diagnosed. Alfie is unlikely to ever learn to walk due to his dislocated hips and has not learned to talk, but his mother Marie, 37, says her son is ‘a little ray of sunshine.’ She said: ‘Despite everything that's wrong with Alfie, he is a very happy, content little man who is loved and adored by all who meet him. ‘We have got to the stage where we look beyond his condition and see him as just our son and I love him so much, . ‘We were having some problems as a family before Alfie came along but he made us stop and think about what is important. ‘He is the glue that holds our family together.’ Doctors confirmed no one anywhere in the world has been diagnosed with condition which affects chromosomes number 11 and 15. Marie and husband Ken, 43, say that medical experts have been unable to tell them how long Alfie will live for. Despite the uncertain future, the couple say they are the luckiest parents in the world to have a son like him – especially as he has just learned to smile. Marie, a mother-of-six said: ‘The first question we wanted to ask was how long is he going to live but nobody knows because there have been no previous cases. Multi-problematic: Alfie, with his parents Marie and Ken, is unlikely to ever learn to walk, is deaf and partially blind . ‘The doctors have told us he is unique, they've never seen anything like it before. We don't really know what to expect in the future.’ Marie and her husband are trying to raise £20,000 to pay for a sensory room and everyday equipment vital for Alfie's survival and happiness. Marie said: ‘If we get the funds together to put the right amounts of input in then we hope Alfie will live a long and happy life.’ Community paediatrician Dr Elaine English, based at Bridgend's Princess of Wales Hospital, said: ‘I have never seen the condition Alfie has and would not expect to again. ‘He is a really cheery chappie. He's a delightful little boy and his family are amazing.’ | Alfie Jones, two, has an ‘unbalanced chromosome rearrangement’ Alfie's illness is so rare doctors have no name for it yet . Toddler has a hole in his heart and is both deaf and partially blind . His dislocated hips means he is unlikely to ever learn to walk . | f5709249828f492fad775ec8bb9df0b77f110fd2 |
By . James White . UPDATED: . 05:12 EST, 25 August 2011 . Victim: Judith Richardson's body was found in her hallway last Friday. She had reportedly been attacked with a hammer . A 78-year-old woman and an 84-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the hammer killing of a pensioner. Judith Richardson, of Hexham, died from head injuries following what police said was 'a brutal attack on an innocent elderly lady'. Police found Miss Richardson's body in the hallway of her stone-built terraced home in St Wilfrid's Road after her stolen handbag and some contents were found in a litter bin in Newcastle city centre, 25 miles away. The pair were arrested in connection with the murder and released on police bail pending further inquiries. Police appealed for witnesses and have begun a poster campaign to urge people to come forward. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Young, leading the investigation, said a hammer was found during searches of the murder scene. The lightweight joiner's hammer, found in an Aldi carrier bag and believed to have been the murder weapon, was sent for forensic testing. DCI Young said: 'It was discovered in an Aldi carrier bag on Saint Wilfrid's Road and we are keen to establish how it got there.' Miss Richardson's last known movements were to go shopping in the Tesco and Aldi stores in Hexham, before driving home. Her stolen handbag was found in a litter bin outside the Mind charity shop on Clayton Street, Newcastle, by a passer-by. Quiet community: Police found Miss Richardson's body when they tried to return her stolen handbag, which was found in a bin in Newcastle . A poster campaign has also been launched in an attempt to piece together what happened to Miss Richardson who lived alone with her West Highland terrier, Hamish. Miss Richardson was described as ‘a wonderful woman from a very small family, who are devastated by her loss’. She had never married and had no children. Forensic testing: A hammer and Aldi carrier bag similar to these were found during searches of the area where Miss Richardson was found . Relatives said in a statement: ‘This has been a devastating loss and we are all in a state of shock. Judith was a wonderful person and we all loved her dearly.’ Anyone with information should call Northumbria Police on 03456 043 043. | Police find weapon used in attack on Judith Richardson . | ec7b6d90d1b8b7636d1350abdc33dad768feac19 |
It is the season of glad tidings and forgiveness. But many Christians living in Auckland, New Zealand, are struggling to find goodwill in their hearts for the latest in a series of controversial billboards coming out from the Church of St Matthew in the City. 'It's Christmas. Time for Jesus to come out', the sign proclaims, with an image of baby Jesus as a toddler in a manger, surrounded by a rainbow halo. The billboard was put up by the Reverend Glynn Cardy, who said it was meant to 'lift' the humanity of Jesus. But it is likely to face the same fate as last year's controversial poster - torn down by angry locals. Controversial: St Matthew in the City's billboard questions if Jesus was gay - while a more traditional poster announces the Christmas Day services . Raising eyebrows: The poster is getting attention - and criticism - from those who see it . The Rev's message, while presented in a controversial manner, is to ask if it would change anything for the . faithful if Jesus had been gay. He points out that there is no indication about Jesus's sexuality: 'The fact is we don't know what his sexual orientation was.' This isn't the first time the church . has . erected a controversial billboard. Last year the church erected one . showing the Virgin Mary looking shocked at the results of a pregnancy . test. However it did not last long, after an angry protestor tore it down. But Cardy did not mind, especially as the image had already gone viral, seen by millions of people. He said: 'In the internet age though the image will be out there forever. They can do what they want to it.' On this year's billboard, Rev Cardy said that, as homosexuality was not a word until the . 1800s, any mention of it in the Bible or other documents would have mistranslations. Fellow Reverend Clay . Nelson said the billboard tries to humanise Jesus by getting people to think about the challenges he would have had growing up. He added: 'Some . scholars have tried to make the case that he might have been gay. 'But it is all conjecture. Maybe gay, maybe not. Does it . matter? 'There is almost nothing in . the record of his teachings about sexuality while there is plenty about . the perils of being rich. Certainly he always supported the marginalised . in society.' Flashback: Last year's poster - of Mary with a pregnancy test - was destroyed by an angry neighbour . Criticism: The protestor ended up ripping the poster down in anger . It is not the first time billboards have caused an outrage. In the UK, the gay lobby group Stonewall's bus poster campaign stating 'Some people are gay. Get over it' has raised debates over how far advertising should push a viewpoint. It has led to some controversy, including one Christian bus driver from Rotherham who left a bus-full of angry passengers waiting as he would not drive a bus with the banner on the side. Earlier this year, London Mayor Boris Johnson blocked a Christian group from running a 'Not gay and proud: Get over it' campaign on London buses. The sign, like the one pictured here, was a billboard for gay lobby group Stonewall. Passengers spent 20 minutes stranded on the bus because the driver refused to board . | Reverend claims controversial billboard is mean to 'lift' humanity of Jesus . | 4e6a5c3b676eb6ba93d19da78386dbc5cab49842 |
Boston (CNN) -- You might not consider baseball or basketball players to be your typical business travelers. But the realities of life for professional athletes, whose job requires them to spend months on the road each year, means they become every bit as travel hardened as the most experienced sales executive. Golf legend Gary Player claims to have racked up about 15 million miles during his career, while Major League Baseball teams play 162-games a season, traveling across the United States in the process. Bill Acree, director of team travel for baseball outfit the Atlanta Braves, says his team spends nearly a third of the year on the road, so they look for comfort. The team stays in luxury hotels, with good 24-hour room service, and privacy and security are major concerns. Sporting events are big business for the travel industry, with the U.S. Travel Association estimating they account for more than a quarter of the entire travel market -- worth about $182 billion a year in the United States alone. For the hotels that do play host to traveling sports clubs, although those teams might only comprise a relatively small percentage of a hotel's trade, their reliability makes them an important part of their business. Increasingly, hotels are pulling out all the stops to cater to the particular needs of their high-profile guests. See also: Gary Player, road warrior . That means many hotels boasting state-of-the-art gym equipment, to allow athletes to work out on the road. But it also means putting special procedures in place to give sports stars the most comfortable guest experience. Boston is a sports-mad city. Its teams -- including baseball's Red Sox, football's Patriots, basketball's Celtics and hockey's Bruins -- have won championships in every major American sport. Local hotels The Liberty and The Westin are no strangers to visiting sports stars. Mike Jorgensen, general manager of the Westin Copley Place, said about half of the baseball teams that come to town to play the Red Sox stay at his hotel. "When you get into the summer months, we might be checking one baseball team out and checking another one right back in," he said. Acree said that typically, when the Braves check in, the hotel staff have each player's key packet laid out on a desk ready to go, so the entire team can be checked in a matter of minutes. Jorgensen explained: "The key is to get them in and up as quickly as possible, so that the big stars ... aren't bothered by the autograph seekers and that sort of thing." At The Liberty, general manager Rachel Moniz says her staff whisks athletes in via a secret entrance unknown to the general public. "We have a private back entrance and no other hotel guests know about this," she said. "We always have two elevator attendants, so both elevators are used exclusively for the professional sports teams that's coming in." Moniz said that by bypassing the regular check-in in the lobby, her team can have the arriving athletes in their rooms in "four minutes door to door." Athletes have certain requirements that the average guest doesn't. Some need extra-long beds and, because they spend so much time on the road, some have complicated family arrangements, requiring tact in deciding which rooms to place them in. "I would say that things can get a little complicated when families start to arrive, especially if somebody has multiple ex-wives, kids," said Moniz. "You really get to understand a little bit better somebody's family dynamic, and how to handle that and where the connecting rooms should be and which floors they should be on." Jorgensen said football teams in particular had special demands around food and drink. "Football teams want to make sure we have on every floor Gatorade, Powerade, fruit," he said. "You know football players eat a lot so we need to keep them with enough food all the time to keep them busy." As for the best behaved athletes? Moniz and Jorgensen agree that hockey players are the most hassle-free guests. | Professional athletes are valued regular guests at luxury hotels . They can have special requirements for check-in, privacy, food -- even bed size . Hockey players are the best behaved, according to two Boston hotel managers . | 0fd63e6ca23c2984ebcaf1662eccb8ba79965fb6 |
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli insists there will be no more fireworks off the pitch - and says that anyone who thinks he has sex just before a match is having a laugh. The Italy striker is more famous for his off-field antics than his exploits on the pitch, and the most notorious incident was when fireworks were let off in his bathroom. Balotelli said: 'I have done mistakes in the past, like everybody did when they were young. Mario Balotelli prepares to fly out to Basle with Liverpool - and a fan sporting the same haircut stands behind . Balotelli with former girlfriend Fanny Neguesha in Miami Beach earlier this year . Mario Balotelli admits he needs to improve his goalscoring record of one goal in eight Liverpool appearances . Balotelli was speaking in an exclusive interview with Sport Magazine . 'And the firework thing did happen, but it wasn't me who let it off. I know England is like this, though, so it's OK. It's a shame, sure, but I get used to it – the newspapers are always trying to give an image of Mario that is bad, printing things that aren't true. 'Off the pitch, really I don't have any problems because I am always home. When people speak bad about me, it's only because they listen to the media and read what the newspapers say. They maybe lose a little bit of focus on my football, so everybody thinks I am famous for what happens outside the pitch.' The 24-year-old also said rumours of him having sex just before a match were unfounded - and that he is only interested in scoring on the pitch. He told Sport magazine: 'Someone told me recently that I had apparently said that if I have sex three or four hours before a game, it is working for me on the pitch. Trust me, if I am having sex four hours before a game I am not able to play. I don't think anyone could. It makes me laugh, but this is not me. 'I am only focused on football. I live out in the countryside, I am relaxed and I just hope the time that I'm going to score is coming soon. Then maybe they will concentrate more on football and not all the other bull****.' To that end, Balotelli believes Brendan Rodgers's strength of character can help him make a success of his Liverpool career. The Italy international said he was surprised by the quality in Liverpool's squad when he signed and has admitted that he is desperate to score his first Premier League goal for the club. The striker has had the international break to focus solely on his club form after being dropped by the new Italy head coach, Antonio Conte, and says he is determined to repay the faith shown to him by the Liverpool supporters. Balotelli (second left) scored Liverpool's opener in their 2-1 Champions League win against Ludogorets . Daniel Sturridge (right) is expected to feature alongside Balotelli against QPR after returning from a thigh injury . Asked about playing under Rodgers, Balotelli said: 'He is very good, a strong character, and I think that comes out in the way the team plays. 'I think he can help me improve as a player. He is very open, everybody can talk to him, but first he looks at the person, and second he looks at the footballer. With Brendan, you need to be a good person – you don't have to be, how do you say it, a d***head. 'I need to get in the box more. I don't do it enough, but it is something I am working to try to do more. I have never been a real, out-and-out striker – I have always been someone who goes around the pitch, you know? 'If it was my choice, I would always go with two strikers. It's the way I like to play, but Brendan asked me to play as the first striker. I understand that when the ball comes from wide on the left or right, I need to be in the box otherwise there might be no-one there at all. 'I can see already that the Liverpool fans really like me, although I know that maybe they are a little upset because I don't score. I see they appreciate that I am working hard, though, which is nice for me.' Balotelli added: 'I didn't really know much about the club before coming here, but I've been really surprised. 'I knew they were a very good team, but I didn't know they were as good as they are. Of course we need to improve many things because we have started off not very good, but I think the players here are amazing.' Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard (left) has been compared to Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo by Balotelli . Balotelli said his current objective is to break his Premier League duck. 'I can see already that the Liverpool fans really like me, although I know that maybe they are a little upset because I don't score. 'I see they appreciate that I am working hard, though, which is nice for me. I know I have one goal in the Champions League, but in the Premier League I have to start with one. After that, I might set myself a target, but I swear – right now my first league goal is my first and only objective. 'I need to get in the box more. I don't do it enough, but it is something I am working to try to do more. I have never been a real, out-and-out striker – I have always been someone who goes around the pitch, you know? 'If it was my choice, I would always go with two strikers. It's the way I like to play, but Brendan asked me to play as the first striker. I understand that when the ball comes from wide on the left or right, I need to be in the box otherwise there might be no one there at all.' Balotelli also compared Steven Gerrard to his fellow Italian Andrea Pirlo: 'Gerrard is an amazing player. I had really not seen much of him before this season, apart from for England, but wow. I think of him as being at the same level as Pirlo. Balotelli posted an Instagram picture of himself in a shark hoodie on Wednesday . 'Vision, technique, but he is powerful as well. Stevie can do anything. It's going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him in the future.' Balotelli is settling on Merseyside but misses his pet dogs who are back home in Italy; a labrador-pitbull cross Lucky, who lives in with the star's foster parents and his other dog, a rottweiler called Tyson, he said: 'If I say kiss, then she kisses me. 'Of course I miss my family and friends in Italy. But when I go back, I spend hours talking with my parents. Then I visit my friends and we do normal stuff – you know, playing PlayStation and ping pong. Then I pick up my dogs and we go for a walk. 'They are really clever, my dogs. Lucky is unbelievable – when you look into her face, it is like you are with a real person. When I speak, she listens. I only have to say things one time. If I ask her for her paw, she gives it to me. I ask her to sit, she sits; I say she can run, she runs. Everything I ask her to do, she does.' Balotelli with his dog Lucky, who lives with the star's foster parents in Italy . VIDEO Liverpool must make Balotelli behave - Mancini . | Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli in August for a £16million fee . Brendan Rodgers has insisted Balotelli must score more for Liverpool . Balotelli admits to 'making mistakes in the past' Italy striker insists it wasn't him who let fireworks off (but it did happen) Balotelli denies that he has sex three hours before a match . | 14f536f1fc01628e8f001d15bb650f55618094c5 |
(CNN) -- Libya's justice minister condemned the kidnapping of five Egyptian diplomats, and urged their captors to release them. Minister Salah al-Marghani said the envoys are guests of Libya and have nothing to do with the recent arrest in Egypt of the head of the Libyan state-funded militia group Libyan Revolutionary Operations Room, or LROR. Al-Marghani said the Libyan government is in touch with the Egyptian government about releasing the LROR chief. Al-Marghani's press conference in Tripoli came just hours after the Egyptian embassy in the capital was evacuated. Saturday's evacuation was in response to the Friday kidnapping of the five diplomats from the Egyptian embassy. The envoys, who were abducted by unknown gunmen, included the administrative and cultural attachés. A spokesman for the Libyan foreign ministry, Said Al-Aswad, told the Egyptian MENA news agency that the motive behind the kidnapping is still unknown and that Libyan authorities were investigating. Earlier on Saturday, the Libyan ambassador to Egypt said that the kidnappings could be in retaliation for the arrest of the LROR head, Shaaban Hadiya, also known as Abu Obedia El-Zawy, in Alexandria on Friday. According to news sources, Abu Obedia's group was responsible for the kidnapping of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan last October. The Libyan General National Congress (GNC), which is drafting a new Libyan constitution, has demanded Egyptian authorities release Abu Obedia immediately. Earlier this week, a South Korean trade official as rescued after being taken from his car in the coastal capital last Sunday. His kidnappers were detained, authorities said. Libya's government and fragile state security forces are struggling to impose law and order in a country awash with weapons left over from the 2011 war that ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi. CNN's Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report. | NEW: Libyan minister calls for release of abducted Egyptian diplomats . NEW: Minister Salah al-Marghani said the diplomats are guests of Libya . Egyptian embassy in Tripoli evacuated . Diplomats nabbed Friday . | b592cad3f82b39b387003e66a093c9272e64f83a |
Most newlyweds-to-be save their hard-earned pennies to be able to afford a romantic, once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon in a far-flung destination - and a set of memories they will treasure forever. But for one couple, life is quite literally one big honeymoon - because their job is to test out the traditional post-wedding getaway. David Benton-Jones and his wife Lucy have been on over 40 honeymoons in just 10 years, travelling from the depths of wild Africa to the luxury of the Caribbean experiencing the heights of romance - and all without paying a penny. Scroll down for video . Best job in the world: David Benton-Jones and his wife Lucy have the best job in world testing traditional post-wedding getaway going on over 40 in just 10 years . As a pair they organise honeymoons for . newlyweds and in return the resorts give them commission, free stays and . the time of their lives. They get treated to the best the resort can offer, from champagne boat trips to outdoor sleeping experiences with the lions. David said that on one honeymoon they were woken up by an elephant smashing its way through their kitchen. David said: 'It’s great fun. We get the very best as they want us to bring in the customers. 'We’re treated like VIPs. We get to experience so much romance and some really exhilarating adventures.' Desert trips: David and Lucy Benton-Jones have travelled all over the globe, here they are trekking in Dubai . Snow bunnies: It isn't just hot destinations the couple get to test, they even spent part of their own honeymoon in Zermatt, Switzerland . The couple met at a party in London . where they decided on setting up their own travel business and David, . 35, said it was ‘love at first sight’. He said: 'I met her and told her I . wanted to start a travel company. We had similar interests and a week . later she flew out to Kenya with me. 'When you’re stranded in the middle of Africa with someone you really get to know that person. 'Our company, Ultimate Honeymoons, was formed and we’ve been inseparable ever since.' Far flung destinations: The lovebirds have travelled from the depths of wild Africa to the luxury of the Caribbean experiencing the heights of romance- all for free . Family life: When they're not on their travels they reside in Dorset with their three honeymoon babies, Inca, five, Bea (pictured), four and Tarka, nine months . When they’re not on their travels . they reside in Dorset with their three honeymoon babies, Inca, five, . Bea, four and Tarka, nine months. David and Lucy’s own honeymoon was an extravagant three-week vacation in South Africa, Seychelles and Zermatt. Thanks . to their fruitful business they were able to stay at the incredible . North Island, where Will and Kate also went for their honeymoon. Usually the luxury resort would set you back a whopping £3,500 a night, but for the honeymooners it came at no cost. Family trip: The couple, who have three children under five, enjoyed having a bush breakfast in Waterberg, South Africa with two of their children . VIP: The couple get treated like VIP's, taking in all the best sights. Here they can be seen riding safari in Zimbabwe . As experts on holidaying, David and Lucy modelled their wedding around their honeymoon, by having it in November. David said: 'We had our wedding in November because the rest of the world has the best weather during our winter. 'The weather will always be rubbish in England so it doesn’t matter when you have your wedding here. Fun activities: David enjoys sail-boarding on Lamu island, Kenya while Lucy makes a friend at the Giraffe Manor hotel in Kenya . Only the best: Here Lucy enjoys the breathtaking sea views at the Four Seasons resort Landaa Giravaruu, Maldives, which they recommend as a good destination for couples on a budget . Wedded bliss: David and Lucy's own honeymoon was an extravagant three-week vacation in South Africa, Seychelles and Zermatt . 'So you might as well have it at a time when you can have a warm, sunny honeymoon afterwards. 'For us, every day is a honeymoon anyway.' The lucky duo have honeymooned in . Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Dubai, Oman, South Africa, Botswana, . Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Zanzibar and Mozambique. Wonders of the world: The couple are pictured (L) on their own honeymoon outside Cape Town, South Africa and (R) on a termite hill in Selous Reserve, Tanzania . Beach babes: The lovebirds, who see everyday as a honeymoon, are pictured here in North Island, Seychelles . As . well as Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Antigua, Turks and . Caicos, St Barts, Barbados, Grenada, British Virgin Islands, France, . Italy, Mallorca and the UK. Many of these countries have several resorts where David and Lucy have spent time on their honeymoons. The easy life: Lucy takes in the wondrous surroundings of Sasaab camp in Samburu, Kenya . Globe trotters: The lucky duo have visited Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Antigua and Italy to name but a few . For more information see www.ultimatehoneymoons.co.uk. 1. Tanzania - Perfectly combines beach and safari fun2. Seychelles - North Island, where Kate and Will stayed3. Maldives - stunning beaches you can’t beat4. South Africa - fantastic food and wine and great safaris5. Bali - so much to do on one relatively small island, great culture and food. Good price.AND FOR THOSE ON A BUDGETBest value - Mauritius - great offers at some top five star hotels . | David and Lucy Benton-Jones organise honeymoons for newlyweds . In return resorts give them commission, free stays and the time of their lives . Stayed at Kate and William's £3,500-a-night honeymoon haunt for free . Own honeymoon was trip to South Africa, Seychelles and Zermatt . Have three honeymoon babies under five years of age . | 6b30ab2000e0745dfc9403ecba8571e9a4560a18 |
Neurologists have warned that Michael Schumacher now seems unlikely to make a full recovery after spending nearly two months in a drug-induced coma. The 45-year-old Schumacher fell while skiing in France and hit the right side of his head on a rock, cracking his helmet. Doctors operated to remove blood clots from his brain, but some were left because they were too deeply embedded. Nearly two months after Michael Schumacher suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident some neurologists say the seven-time Formula One champion seems unlikely to make a full recovery. The racer with his wife Corrina . The seven-time Formula One champion's condition stabilised after he was placed in the coma. Late last month, doctors began the process of withdrawing sedatives to try to wake him up. His agent, Sabine Kehm, said in an email today that 'Michael is still in the wake-up phase' and that 'this phase can be long.' Schumacher's family has released few details of his condition to protect his privacy. 'It does not bode well,' said Dr. Tipu Aziz, professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University who is not connected to Schumacher's care. 'The fact that he hasn't woken up implies that the injury has been extremely severe and that a full recovery is improbable.' His agent, Sabine Kehm, said in an email today that 'Michael is still in the wake-up phase' and that 'this phase can be long' Patients who have had major head injuries are sometimes put in a drug-induced coma to give the brain a chance to heal; a coma reduces the need for blood flow and may help the swelling go down. Aziz said doctors typically try every few days to bring someone out of a coma. 'If you don't start getting any positive signs, that becomes very worrisome,' he said, adding that Schumacher's doctors are probably doing regular brain scans to look for signs of activity - though such signs may be difficult to detect if he is still being sedated. Other experts said it was premature to make an accurate prognosis. 'About 90 percent of the recovery is made within nine to 12 months, so this is still early days,' said Dr. Anthony Strong, an emeritus chair in neurosurgery at King's College London. 'The longer someone is in a coma, the worse their recovery tends to be.' Coma: Doctors have told the family of Michael Schumacher 'only a miracle can save him' Now that several weeks have passed since the accident, doctors may also have a better idea of how the rest of Schumacher's brain is doing. 'MRI scans can show any secondary deterioration in the brain structure,' said Dr. Colin Shieff, a neurosurgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London and a trustee for Headway, a British brain injury charity. He said other parts of Schumacher's brain that weren't directly affected by the accident might now be starting to show worrying signs that may not have been visible before. Shieff said that if Schumacher does eventually come out of the coma, he probably would face significant disabilities because of the length of time he has already spent comatose. While there have been rare instances of people emerging from comas months and years later with the ability to communicate, Shieff was doubtful that would be the case with Schumacher. He said the cases where comatose people made a surprising recovery had mostly suffered things like poisoning, strokes or failed resuscitation attempts. Treatment: Schumacher is currently being kept under anaesthetic at the University Hospital (above) in France . | The 45-year-old fell while skiing in France and hit his head . Doctors removed blood clots from his brain but had to leave the deep ones . Last month doctors began process of withdrawing sedatives to wake him up . His agent, Sabine Kehm, said today: 'Michael is still in the wake-up phase' | 46131655947f496c5a03744d83afff25a8ef69be |
By . Sarah Fitzmaurice . Last updated at 3:23 PM on 11th January 2012 . He might be up for a number of gongs . this Awards season but George Clooney is the real winner because he gets . to attend all the events with his gorgeous girlfriend. Stacy Keibler looked stunning as she . arrived with her man at the 2011 National Board of Review Awards Gala . tonight - where he also picked up the gong for best actor for The . Descendants. The couple arrived at Cipriani 42nd . Street in New York City and as ever Clooney and his girl were in high . demand from the crowds of fans. Scroll down for list of winners... Golden couple: Stacy Keibler looked gorgeous as she arrived with George Clooney at the 2011 National Board of Review Awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street . Hand in hand: George and Stacy arrive to the ceremony linking hands . The 32-year-old former wrestler . looked stunning in a figure-hugging black gown by Marchesa which . boasted jewelled detail around the neckline. The aspiring actress paired the dress with Brian Atwood heels and a sparkling hard Jimmy Choo clutch bag. The blonde beauty showed off her hair teased into a loose up ‘do and a flash of scarlet red lipstick finished off her look. Golden couple: The 32-year-old former wrestler looked stunning in a figure-hugging black gown by Marchesa which boasted jewelled detail around the neckline, while George looked dapper in his tuxedo . In demand: George was seen signing autographs while Stacy held back chatting to other attendees on the red carpet . The man of the moment: The actor seemed more than happy to oblige his fans . As ever George was looking . dapper in his tuxedo and bow tie and happily obliged many fans with . autographs as the pair made their way to the event. Chloe Moretz stepped out in a bright red set Miu Miu resort ensemble with a thin black waist belt for the event. The teenager accesorised with a cute glittering headband and aqua blue nails for the occasion. Lady in red: Chloe Moretz stepped out in an all-stain Miu Miu resort ensemble with a thin black waist belt for the event . She's a pro: Despite being just 14-years-old the actress knows exactly how to work a red carpet . Best of British: Keira Knightley and Dame Helen Mirren both wore black with sheer detailing for a risque feel . The 14-year-old proved popular with fans too and she was in high demand for autographs as she made her entrance. While . there were plenty of American stars shining on the red carpet Dame . Helen Mirren and Keira Knightly flew the flag for British talent and . style and it appeared the pair had the same idea when it came to their . outfits. Both British actresses stepped out in black ensembles with sheer paneled detailed down their fronts. Purple haze: Tilda Swinton stepped out in a . mismatched purple outfit while Naomi Watts walked the red carpet without . her husband Liev Schreiber . Whose that girl: Rooney Mara, star of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo looked beautiful in a simple black outfit but appeared shy by the attention from the cameras . While Keira opted for a chiffon dress . with puff ball sleeves while Helen stepped out in an elegant . floor-length velvet gown with floral detail covering her modesty, with . the help of a skin-coloured veil. Tilda . Swinton - who won the best actress gong for her role in We Need To Talk . About Kevin - stepped out in a mismatched purple outfit while Naomi . Watts . walked the red carpet without her husband Liev Schreiber . The Help's Jessica Chastain stepped out for the evening, her third events in as many nights. Beyond the pale: Emma opted for a cream and . white dress which complemented the autumnal tones of her hair but left . her appearing a little pale . A plus in the style stakes: Easy A star Emma Stone looked stunning as she arrived in a long cream coat . Award party animal: The Help star Jessica Chastain turned up to the event, which was her third in as many nights. She also posed with her co-star Octavia Spencer . The actress scooped the Best Supporting . actress award at the Critics Choice Awards last night as well as landing . the Best Supporting actress the 23rd Annual Palm Springs International . Film Festival Awards Gala on Sunday night. And tonight The Help won the National Board of Review gong for best ensemble cast. Jessica was joined at the gala by her Help co-stars Octavia Spencer and Voila Davis. Emma Stone who also starred in the hit film stepped out in a pale ensemble and a chic white coat. Stacy . and George were by no means the only happy couple on stepping out onto . the carpet and Rosie O'Donnell arrived with her fiancee Michelle Rounds . while Seth Rogen stepped out with his wife Laura Mille. Film favourites: Ahna O'Reilly, Viola Davis and Felicity Jones all put their best fashion foot forward . Happy couples: Rosie O'Donnell arrived with her fiancee Michelle Rounds while Seth Rogen stepped out with his wife Laura Miller . Grey day: Alec Baldwin and Sir Ben Kingsley opted for grey suits for the event while Michael Fassbender stepped out in black . Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants . Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin . Supporting actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners . Supporting actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants . Breakthrough performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy . Breakthrough performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . Ensemble: The Help . Film: Hugo . Foreign language film: A Separation . Original screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50 . Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo . Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory . Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants . Animated feature: Rango . Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call . | George picks up best actor gong as Tilda Swinton wins best actress . Rooney Mara wins breakthrough act for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo . The Help wins for ensemble cast while Hugo wins best film . | 964e9bbef8f25bca06ae565e7c300b28e24df8ff |
(CNN) -- Carlos Tevez scored his first Manchester City hat-trick to send Roberto Mancini's side soaring into the top four of the Premier League after a crushing 4-1 win over Blackburn. The Argentine opened the scoring in the seventh minute after goalkeeper Paul Robinson dropped Martin Petrov's corner. Benjani pounced on the loose ball and Tevez was in the right place to turn home the Zimbabwean's shot with his hip. City doubled their lead six minutes before half-time when defender Micah Richards made a superb run into the Blackburn area -- and was in the right place to fire home when Benjani's shot bounced back off a post. Benjani also played a part in the third goal, cutting the ball back for Tevez to fire home his second early in the second half. Tevez should have had a hat-trick when he dived to reach Pablo Zabaleta's chipped cross but, with the goal at his mercy, failed to find the target. Mancini then watched his side concede for the first time since takling over from Mark Hughes four matches ago when Morten Gamst Pedersen capitalized on a errors by Vincent Kompany and Shay Given to curl home a fine shot. The scoring was not completed though. Having blown one chance of a hat-trick, Tevez did not miss a second time when he was set up in stoppage time to score his 11th goal in nine matches. The result means City jump above Tottenham into the final Champions League place, seven points behind leaders Chelsea. | Argentine striker Carlos Tevez scored his first Manchester City hat-trick . Tevez nets his treble as Roberto Mancini's side defeat Blackburn 4-1 on Monday . The result lifts City up to fourth in the Premier League table, seven points behind leaders Chelsea . | 487ce86f018364291ac58f7483e818b43923c08d |
A 30-year-old professional surfer and model has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly following an elderly woman back to her apartment and running her down as part of a road rage incident. Jill Hansen was formerly charged around 8pm on Friday in Hawaii following the attack in Waikiki, Honolulu, around noon on Wednesday, Hawaii News Now reported. A witness, Chris Khory, has told police that he stopped Hansen from hitting the 73-year-old victim, identified as Elizabeth Conklin, a second time by smashing her back window with a crowbar. Khory said after knocking Conklin down Hansen got out of her Volkswagen sedan, looked at her, got back in the car and reversed, according to Khon2. Scroll down for video . Charged: Jill Hansen, 30, has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly running down an elderly woman with her car in Waikiki . Jill Hansen was arrested on suspicion of intentionally striking a 73-year-old woman in a Waikiki parking garage with her car. She has a history of driving problems . In an effort to get Hansen's attention and stop her from hitting the woman again, a bystander used a crowbar to break one of the car's windows . Hansen is alleged to have followed the victim back to her apartment complex in Waikiki, waiting for her to get out of the car and then running her down . Jill Hansen is a self-described professional surfer and model . Khory, who works at the apartment complex on Kalakaua Ave, said he quickly grabbed a crowbar and ran over and smashed Hansen's back window. Stunned, Hansen got and fled, leaving behind her car. Police used it to track her down, arresting Hansen six hours later in the Manoa area. Conklin was taken to hospital with cuts, bruises and a head injury. She was hospitalized in serious condition, emergency officials said. This is not Hansen's first run-in with police. She has a pending assault case and in a separate case was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. Police used Hansen's car, which she left at the scene after running away, to identify her and track her down . Police arrested 30-year-old Jill Anjuli Hansen shortly after 7 pm on May 14 . The incident occurred in the garage of the Diamond Head Apartments on Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki . Surfer Jill Hansen was arrested for attempted murder . There is also an active restraining order filed by her father. According to the court documents, her father says she used Facebook to find someone to murder him and his family. She has multiple rants on the social media site. She claims to be a professional surfer and model and lashes out at critics. Hansen has not yet been charged. According to the court documents, Hansen's father says she used Facebook to find someone to murder him and his family. He has a restraining order against his daughter . Police said Hansen followed the older woman through the parking garage's security gate and then intentionally hit the woman with her car after she had exited her vehicle . Police said Hansen and the older woman do not know each other, and there was no apparent motive . According to Insurance News Net, Hansen is known in Honolulu for being a worry on the roads. A member of the Maunalani Heights Neighborhood Security Watch, who asked not to be identified, said the group alerted its members about Hansen last year after several incidents involving erratic driving and behavior. 'We needed everybody on the lookout for her - that's how scary it was,' the member said. 'All 500 members were eventually brought into the loop of this situation because it was so serious.' 'There were probably over half a dozen people that had been adversely affected by her driving. 'Two people almost run over by her, one person almost had a head-on collision with her.' Hansen was not arrested in connection with those incidents, the member said. Bad reputation: Jill Hansen was allegedly known around her neighborhood for her driving record, and not in a good way, sources say . According to court records, Hansen was cited three times for speeding since February, the most recent time on Sunday. In that incident she was allegedly driving 72 mph in a 35 mph zone in Wahiawa. She is set to appear in court for that case in June. She was also ticketed for using a mobile electronic device while driving in July. She received a $147 fine. In addition, in 2011 she received fines for disregarding a stop sign, driving without a license and driving without insurance. In 2013 she was fined for driving without headlights. She has two convictions, one for speeding and the other for driving without a license in 2010, according to the state Criminal Justice Data Center. Besides her driving offenses, Hansen was arrested April 18 for investigation of third-degree assault. She is scheduled to appear for that case in District Court on Friday. According to court records, Hansen was cited three times for speeding since February, the most recent time on Sunday . | Jill Hansen, 30, is alleged to have run down an elderly woman in the garage of an apartment complex with Honolulu on Wednesday . The two are said to have had a road rage encounter and Hansen followed the woman home . A worker at the complex witnessed the alleged attack . He used a crowbar to smash out the back window of Hansen's car . The witness said she was preparing to run down the victim a second time . Hansen is known around her neighborhood for being 'scary' behind the wheel, sources say . She has now been charged with attempted murder . | f6da37f7a10123f50ca6ecc00e4413f3ace64f8b |
By . Sean Poulter . The Union Flag could be banished from packets of British meat under rules proposed by the EU. The diktat would also apply to logos and flags representing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Any such move would infuriate retailers and farmers. It would also annoy shoppers keen to support British farms, where animal welfare standards are now among the highest in the world. Restrictions: Packaged meat products on sale in high street chains such as Sainsbury's (pictured) will no longer be allowed to have a Union flag on their labels . The European Commission has drawn up proposals for a standardised fresh meat labelling regime for all 28 member states. The . plans are intended to help consumers understand the origins of what . they are eating because of concerns that labels are misleading. But . officials at Britain’s food and farming department, Defra, claim the . current draft scheme could have serious unintended consequences. While . a pack would have to carry a UK reference to identify where the animal . was reared and a second to state the country of slaughter, all other . symbols would be banned. This . would stop the use of the Union Flag, the Scottish Saltire, the dragon . of Wales and the Red Tractor logo, which is designed to identify British . farmed food. The new . restrictions would apply to all fresh meat other than beef. Beef . labelling has its own set of rules, set up in the wake of the BSE . scandal. Defra is writing to suppliers and retailers asking for . responses to take back to Brussels to try to get the proposals changed. Lindsay . Harris, the department’s deputy director of food and material security . and standards, told The Grocer magazine: ‘The draft proposals revealed . this week suggest other voluntary information such as symbols like a . flag would not be allowed at all. 'Crazy': Industry experts say the planned restrictions on packaged products, including pork (file picture), would cause chaos on the high street. ‘There . are many examples where descriptions other than the member state are . used, such as a flag. I imagine this will be a major concern to a number . of states.’ He stressed that the proposals were not set in stone, and . added that other countries were also likely to demand the right to . continue using national flags and other symbols. The British Retail Consortium said national flags were useful for shoppers. Its . deputy director of food policy, Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, said: . ‘Surely it is a good thing for products such as British pork chops to . flag up their country of origin with something like a Union Jack. It’s . not something to be vilified.’ She . also believes that putting the country of slaughter as well as origin . on the label is unnecessary, and could create confusion and extra red . tape. Country of origin . labelling is supported by British farmers. At present, imported meat can . be labelled as British if it undergoes processing in this country. In . the past this has meant that pies, sausages and other products made . here with meat imported from abroad could be labelled as made in . Britain. Eventually, the EU proposals may be extended to stop this scam. But farmers are concerned that the plan to ban national symbols is a . step too far. Deborah . Cawood, of the National Farmers’ Union, said: ‘We know that consumers . want to be certain where their food comes from. It is critical that . labelling spells out where the animals involved are born and reared. ‘British . food is recognised for its quality and production standards. UK farmers . follow some of the most stringent standards in the world. It is . important that their products are easily identified in the market . place.’ The European Commission insisted that the information provided by Britain’s food and farming department, DEFRA, and the British Retail Consortium about the threat to the use of national flags and logos was wrong. A spokesman confirmed that the EC is drawing up new compulsory rules to standardise the labels on pre-packaged meat to provide information on the country of origin. This will be combined with a new regime for voluntary labels that will allow the use of flags and logos. ‘The Commission has no intention of banning flags and other logos on pre-packaged meat,’ he said. | Proposals would also apply to symbols representing Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales . Industry experts blasted the plans as 'crazy' and said it would cause chaos . Would also annoy shoppers who buy British products to support farmers . | 655c7c5a4727d1f54ea69b9cc79bf49f1e938687 |
The mother of a disabled teenage boy said her son was 'embarrassed and mortified' after she was forced to drag him to the bathroom because there was no wheelchair on board. Virgin Australia has apologised after the incident involving Heike Fabig's son Kai, who is now 14, on board VA 183 from Sydney to Nadi, Fiji on September 28. But a furious Ms Fabig said that was not good enough and is demanding a wheelchair on board every flight. Scroll down for video . Kai, 14, pictured with his mother Heike Fabig, suffers from spastic paraplegia and the rare disorder Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy . She said some staff on board the flight even suggested she change Kai's nappy in his seat - in front of other passengers. 'It just beggars belief,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Don't these people have children? 'I don't want a voucher, I don't want points, I want an aisle chair on every flight - specifically if there is a wheelchair user on board.' Airlines often keep aisle wheelchairs on board for people with injuries or disabilities to transport themselves around the aircraft. On a flight from Sydney to Fiji, Ms Fabig was forced to drag her son to the bathroom due to Virgin Australia failing to include an aisle wheelchair on board the plane . Ms Fabig said her family had contacted the airline in the weeks prior to the incident and an official had assured them an aisle chair would be made available for Kai . Ms Fabig said her family had contacted the airline in the weeks prior to the incident and an official had assured them an aisle chair would be made available for Kai. But two hours into the flight, a flight attendant informed her there wasn't one on board. Kai has hereditary spastic paraplegia and the rare disorder Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. He developed symptoms of the disorder in April 2014. It has left him incontinent and unable to walk. After tense discussions, she eventually carried her 50kg son the short distance to the toilet. Despite the airline offering an apology (left) to her and her son (right), a furious Ms Fabig said: 'I don't want a voucher, I don't want points, I want an aisle chair on every flight - specifically if there is a wheelchair user on board' 'I had to sort of carry-drag him along,' she said. 'They're actually really good in getting you onto the plane (via wheelchair). 'Once you're there you can just pee your pants.' She said a concerned flight attendant wrote up an incident report and assured her there would be an aisle wheelchair on the return flight. However, 'on the return flight, the same thing happened'. Virgin sent Ms Fabig's family an apologetic email and have pledged to investigate the incident. She said a concerned flight attendant wrote up an incident report and assured her there would be an aisle wheelchair on the return flight. However, 'on the return flight, the same thing happened' The email said: 'I apologise on behalf of the Virgin Group of airlines for the stress and inconvenience caused to you and your son. 'As per our discussion we do take this matter very seriously. 'However, whilst we remain focused on obtaining an outcome, I'm unable to provide a specific date for resolution.' Pictured with Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2014, Ms Fabig and Kai are considering taking the matter to the Human Rights Commission . A spokeswoman for Virgin Australia told Daily Mail Australia that the incident was currently being investigated and that 'the business is working hard to rectify the situation'. 'Virgin Australia has sincerely apologised to the guest for any inconvenience caused in this situation and we are in contact with the guest regarding this matter. The safety and comfort of our guests is our number one priority.' Ms Fabig is considering taking the matter to the Human Rights Commission. | Heike Fabig's 14-year-old son Kai suffers from spastic paraplegia and the rare disorder Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy . His condition leaves him incontinent and unable to walk . Ms Fabig has demanded Virgin Australia include aisle wheelchairs on every flight after she was forced to drag her son to the bathroom on a flight to Fiji . Despite the incident being reported, their return flight also did not have a wheelchair on board . Virgin apologised and pledged to investigate the incident, however Ms Fabig is considering taking the matter to the Human Rights Commission . | 3d6f906b3da30fc9bc0cc6df67789ea380a24455 |
It is well known that chimpanzees use tools, much like humans. But now experts have found that West African chimps in Guinea have a favourite tool set for catching their staple food of ants. They search far and wide to find a spindly shrub with straight shoots, called Alchornea hirtella, which makes the ideal tool to hunt aggressive army ants, new research reveals. Scroll down for videos . West African chimps have a favourite tool set for catching their staple food of ants. They search far and wide to find a spindly shrub with straight shoots, called Alchornea hirtella, which makes the ideal tool to hunt aggressive army ants (pictured) The plant provides the animals with two different types of tool - a thicker shoot for ‘digging’ and a more slender tool for 'dipping'. When they have found an army ant colony, chimpanzees will dig into the nest with the first tool to aggravate the insects. They then dip the second tool into the nest, causing the angry ants to swarm up it. Once the slender shoot is covered in ants, the chimpanzees pull it out and wipe their fingers along it, scooping up the ants until they have a substantial handful that they eat in one motion. This technique, called ant dipping, was previously believed to be a last resort for the hungry apes, which they only exploited when their preferred food of fruit couldn't be found. But the latest study, based on over ten years of data, shows that army ants are a staple in the chimpanzee diet which are eaten all year round regardless of available sources of fruit. It has been known that chimpanzees use tools like humans for over 50 years. In 1960, Jane Goodall witnessed two chimps using twigs to fish for termites in the ground. This was the first time that an animal was observed to make a tool and use it for a specific purpose, other than humans. It was later found that the Gombe chimps use twigs, leaves and rocks in nine different ways to feed, drink, clean themselves, reach other objects and to fashion weapons. In communities outside Gombe national park, communities make different tools. Chimpanzees make sponges by chewing leaves and dipping them into puddles of water so they can use them as drinking vessels. They have been observed using sticks and rocks to smash fruit and shells. Adult males sometimes hurl rocks and sticks like make-shift spears to intimidate rivals. This study says that chimps use shoots from Alchornea hirtella to hunt aggressive army ants in a specific way. It is thought that the behaviour is passed from one generation to the next and is learned by young chimpanzees. This may be because the ants are a source of protein and fats, according to Kathelijne Koops from the University of Cambridge, who published the findings in the American Journal of Primatology. ‘Ant dipping is a remarkable feat of problem-solving on the part of chimpanzees,’ said Dr Koops. ‘If they tried to gather ants from the ground with their hands, they would end up horribly bitten with very little to show for it. But by using a tool set, preying on these social insects may prove as nutritionally lucrative as hunting a small mammal - a solid chunk of protein.’ If Alchornea hirtella is nowhere to be found, the chimps will fashion tools from other plants, and they spend a long time looking for their preferred shrub. Previous research has shown that chimpanzees will select longer tools for faster, more aggressive types of army ants. The average 'dipping' tool length across the study was 25 inches (64cm), but some were selected that were 30 inches (76cm) long. Dr Koops is investigating how chimpanzees acquire knowledge of such sophisticated techniques. ‘Scientists have been working on ruling out simple environmental and genetic explanations for group differences in behaviours, such as tool use, and the evidence is pointing strongly towards it being cultural,’ she explained. ‘They probably learn tool use behaviours from their mother and others in the group when they are young.’ The research for the ant-dipping study - which took place in Guinea's Nimba Mountains - proved challenging, as the chimpanzees were not used to people. When they have found an army ant colony, chimpanzees will dig into the nest with the first tool to aggravate the insects. They then dip the second tool into the nest, causing the angry ants to swarm up it . The team acted like archaeologists, studying 'exploited' ants nests to measure abandoned tool sets and ‘sifting through faeces for ant heads’. To study these illusive creatures further, Dr Koops set up cameras to film the chimps using the tools extensive video footage of the chimpanzees and their tool use. She even filmed a chimp making a tool to investigate the camera. Dr Koops said: ‘This study is part of a big ongoing research project. The next stages will involve looking at social opportunities to learn: how much time do youngsters spend within arm's length of other individuals, how much time do they spend close to their mother, as well as innate predispositions to explore and engage with objects.’ ‘By studying our closest living relatives we gain a window into the evolutionary past which allows us to shed light on the origins of human technology and material culture,' she added. | West African chimps use Alchornea hirtella shoots to hunt army ants . They use thicker shoot for 'digging' and a more slender tool for 'dipping' Chimps first aggravate the ants then wait for them to climb up the slender stalk, so they can collect them easily and eat them without being attacked . It's thought the behaviour is social and passed down generations of chimps . The fascinating behaviour was filmed in Guinea's Nimba Mountains . Chimps use extra long shoots if they think the ants are especially viscious . | d45388d6848d216f0d8bbec2ce91886f772ba7ea |
Tax shelter: Take That's Gary Barlow with his wife, Dawn . Serial tax avoiders face huge fines and could even be named and shamed. The Chancellor launched a crackdown yesterday that could raise £2.8billion a year from those who take part in schemes designed to cut their tax bills. He outlawed a number of tax ruses commonly used by the well-off and the self-employed to disguise their true earnings. And the small print in Treasury documents revealed that the Government is to review whether the names of serial tax avoiders should be published as a way of shaming them and deterring others. In the past 18 months, a number of celebrities, including comedian Jimmy Carr and Take That star Gary Barlow, have come under fire for using tax avoidance schemes. The threat to name and shame serial avoiders comes at a time when HM Revenue and Customs is being handed more powers to tackle those it believes owe the State. It already publishes a ‘most wanted’ list with the names and photographs of cheats involved in VAT and tax credit fraud. It has always been a principle of the tax system that a person’s affairs are kept private and publicly naming and shaming those who had not been convicted of a crime has been seen as a breach of this. However, experts said revealing the names of high-profile figures could help put off others from taking part in tax avoidance schemes. Ashley Hollinshead, tax partner at the accountancy firm Deloitte, said: ‘People like their tax affairs to remain private, so the threat to have your details made public if you use certain schemes is a major disincentive. ‘Some of the schemes targeted are quite mainstream, but others are more specifically about tax avoidance. ‘What this Government is saying is that if you’re doing something and they think it is deliberately to pay less tax, then they want to stop that.’ Schemes being outlawed by the Chancellor include those where business owners sell their company to another one they own as a ruse to pay less tax. He is also cracking down on hedge fund managers who hide their income from fees on some types of shares issued as a way of cutting tax, and on schemes where avoiders take loans as a way of hiding their true income. Fines are also being increased for people who do not declare avoidance schemes, and there will be a clampdown on those promoting them. Non-domiciled residents, or non-doms, will have to pay £60,000 a year if they have been in the UK for 12 of the past 14 years, and £90,000 if they have been here for 17 of the past 20 years. This new rule is to combat foreign nationals living in the UK who have found a way round existing guidelines. Earlier this year, a court ruled that Barlow, 43, fellow Take That members Howard Donald, 46, and Mark Owen, 42, and their manager Jonathan Wild had attempted to shelter £66million in a tax avoidance scheme. They could now face paying back £20million to HMRC. Barlow has apologised to those ‘offended by the tax stories’. Banks we bailed out will face £4bn bill to help the recovery . Osborne said if the regime was allowed to continue some banks would not be paying tax for 20 years . Britain's scandal-hit banks are facing a shock £4billion tax bill, forcing them to ‘pay their fair share’ for triggering the financial crisis. The Chancellor announced a tough new rules on their ability to use losses from previous years to cut tax bills on current profits. George . Osborne said if the regime was allowed to continue some banks would not be paying tax for 15 to 20 years. Describing this as ‘totally unacceptable’, he added: ‘The banks got public support in the crisis and they should now support the public in the recovery.’ As part of the single biggest revenue-raising measure in the Autumn Statement, banks will only be able to offset half their profits against past losses. Currently, they can use previous losses to wipe out their profit and avoid paying corporation tax. The Treasury forecasts that the reform will raise £3.5billion over five years and said restrictions on tax relief for losses on bad loans will raise a further £350million over the same period. Mr Osborne said the move will ensure ‘our banks pay their fair share’ and pointed out that corporation tax receipts from the banking sector has plunged from £7.3billion in 2006/7 to just £1.6billion in 2013/14. Ashley Hollinshead, tax partner at accountant Deloitte, said: ‘This will hit the banks hard as the wall of losses they stored up in the financial crisis will no longer mean the banks won’t be paying tax to fund the economic recovery.’ It is thought that bailed-out lenders Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, in which taxpayers still have a considerable stake, will be hardest hit. They have racked up billions of pounds in losses, which they have used to cut the amount they pay to the Exchequer. Lloyds has £5billion of so-called deferred tax assets at its disposal. RBS and NatWest have a total of £2.4billion, while Barclays has £500million. The tougher rules will not apply to new banks that incur losses in their first few years, because the Government does not want to restrict challenger banks set up to take on the High Street giants. The Treasury admitted that uncertainty over the amount of tax the change will raise from the banks is ‘very high’, because it is difficult to predict how much profit they will make. | Osborne outlawed a number of tax ruses commonly used by the well-off and the self-employed to disguise their true earnings . Government is to review whether the names of serial tax avoiders should be published as a way of shaming them and deterring others . Anumber of celebrities, including comedian Jimmy Carr and Take That star Gary Barlow, have come under fire for using tax avoidance schemes . | 0445c96df47886416212a51b08a19352e170d9bd |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:38 EST, 19 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:07 EST, 19 July 2013 . Two fluffy Siberian Huskies that allegedly mauled a cat were fatally shot up to four times each by officers who mistook the canines for rabid coyotes in Crown Point, Indiana - and the owners are furious. Police were called to a home on Wednesday after a woman claimed the dogs - who she believed were vicious wolves or coyotes - dragged her cat down a creek bank and cornered her husband. Officers said they tried to deter the mud-covered dogs with pepper spray, but had to shoot when they turned on police. Tragic: Police fatally shot three-year-old Siberian Huskies Atka and Kenai thinking they were vicious coyotes . However Lindsay Schild, owner of three-year-old Atka and Kenai, claimed the shooting was unjustified. She said her dogs, which had escaped from a relative's yard in nearby Liberty Point, were not aggressive. 'I just want justice for my damn dogs,' Schild told Fox 32. Schild's sister Kara Michalec said the family pets had never attacked anyone. 'They [police] . had said in the report they weren't being aggressive,' Michalec told Fox 32. 'Why did they take such vicious actions right away? 'And my question is . if they were gonna put the animals down or they had to shoot them, why . did each dog have to be shot several times?' Examiner.com reported that officers fatally shot each dog at least three to four times. Devastated: Owner Lindsay Schild (left) and her sister Kara Michalec claimed the Siberian Huskies were not aggressive . But police chief Peter Land said officers had no choice but to shoot after using pepper spray and making loud noises to try to scare the dogs away. 'We know now that they were two dogs, however based on their aggressive nature and physical appearance he thought they were maybe larger sized coyotes,' he told Fox 32. 'The husband was trying to fight them off using a shovel. Self-defence: Police chief Peter Land tried pepper spray before shooting the dogs . 'The dogs are now literally circling the officer, showing their teeth, acting in a very aggressive manner. 'Our officers certainly didn't want to shoot two dogs but the situation they were presented with they really had no choice.' According to dogbreedinfo.com, Siberian Huskies are 'loving, gentle, playful, happy-go-lucky dogs' that are 'docile, social, relaxed and rather casual'. However, the site also noted that a 'lonely Husky, or a Husky that does not get enough mental and physical exercise can be very destructive' and 'likes to roam'. Schild told nwitimes.com she doesn't want her dogs' deaths to be in vain. 'I'm going to do everything in my power to try to get something changed so people become more aware of huskies,' she said. 'I want to get something out there so this doesn't happen again.' | Police fatally shot two Siberian Huskies who mauled a cat and confronted officers . Police believed the mud-covered dogs were coyotes . The devastated owners said their pets were not aggressive . | 6eb0ab4526f371b26a9fe7b7873195ce6116a883 |
By . Rebecca Evans . A former policeman who claimed a £5,000 insurance payout for whiplash injuries was filmed cage fighting days after the alleged car crash, a court heard yesterday. Valerijs Trifonovs, 31, said he had neck injuries so severe he was unable to take care of himself or his son. However, after making his claim, an insurance company worker spotted a newspaper article showing Trifonovs taking part in a professional heavyweight cage fight in Liverpool. Scroll down for video . Fight: Valerijs Trifonovs, 31, took part in a professional televised cage fight 13 days after telling insurers he had suffered whiplash in a car accident. He insists the accident was genuine and he was pressured into the fight . Fight: Mr Trifonovs' lawyers argued that the 'annals of sporting history' were full of stories of people who fought on despite serious injuries. At an earlier hearing his claim for £5,000 compensation was thrown out . The fight, which was just 13 days . after the alleged crash, was broadcast on television. The footage shows . the Lithuanian bouncer, who was also a special forces soldier and . policeman in Eastern Europe, lifting his opponent off the ground, . holding him in a head lock and hitting him around the head. Quinn . Insurance Ltd is pursuing contempt of court proceedings over the . ‘contrived’ accident in Kings Road, West London, in May 2010. Court: The former member of Latvian police and special forces outside the High Court . If . convicted, Trifonovs, of Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, could face prison. The insurers’ barrister, Marcus Grant, told the High Court in London . yesterday there was ‘no bona fide accident’. ‘What . made this particular fraud memorable was film of Mr Trifonovs engaging . in a cage fight 13 days after the alleged accident,’ he said. He also said that a Honda insured by Quinn, which Trifonovs said damaged his Toyota, could not have done so. He . added: ‘Mr Trifonovs maintained as part of his claim that he suffered a . neck injury in the alleged accident that restricted his ability to look . after his child, engage in DIY, lift heavy items, or manage his . personal care for a month afterwards.’ He . also insisted his injuries ‘prevented him from being able to go to his . gym, and swim or play football for three months after the alleged . accident’. Trifonovs’ barrister Ian Bridge insisted he had suffered a genuine whiplash injury . but took part in the fight as he needed the money and had contractual . obligations to do so. ‘Looking at this superficially, it might bring a . smile to your face due to the irony that a man should suffer a neck . injury, bring a personal injury claim, and then find himself involved in . a professional fight within a few days,’ he said. Postponed: The Latvian national was allowed to have today's hearing adjourned to secure an interpreter . Televised: A county court judge last May was shown the footage of the cage fight in Liverpool, pictured . ‘There was a purse available, tickets had been sold and a promoter had promoted him.’ After . yesterday’s hearing, Trifonovs, who was beaten in the cage fight within . a minute and a half, said: ‘I swear on my children’s lives that I had . that accident.’ In May last . year, a judge at Bow County Court, in east London, dismissed his . compensation claim – ruling that the road shunt probably ‘never . happened’. This paved the . way for Quinn to seek Trifonovs’ committal on grounds of contempt of . court, and the case reached the High Court yesterday as the insurers’ lawyers tried to get their case underway. But it was adjourned to allow Trifonovs to get full legal representation, organise his case and find an interpreter. Grappling: Lawyers for Quinn Insurance say the 31-year-old lifted his opponent off the ground . Professional: Speaking after the hearing, Mr Trifonovs insisted the crash had been completely genuine . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Valerijs Trifonovs, 31, claimed £5,000 compensation after accident in 2010 . But a judge threw out damages bid after watching fight on TV . Latvian claimed he was under pressure from his manager not to pull out . His lawyers say sporting history is full of people fighting on through pain . Quinn Insurance urged the judge to jail Trifonovs for contempt of court . | 905a5f2a5bc3bd4173dcba95b9145444976b3183 |
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