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By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 07:26 EST, 19 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:02 EST, 19 July 2012 . Make it clear: The Labour leader said no more deals should be signed until a review had been carried out to ensure the firm was fit to provide services . Ed Miliband called today for G4S to be blocked from getting new Government contracts in the wake of the Olympics security shambles. The Labour leader said no more deals should be signed until a review had been carried out to ensure the firm was fit to provide services. He also accused the coalition of opening the door to private companies carrying out core police roles. His attack came as Prime Minister David Cameron reiterated his vow to 'go after' G4S to make it repay the millions of pounds in extra costs incurred as a result of the fiasco. G4S has rarely been out of the . headlines since it admitted it had failed to employ enough staff . to fulfill their £284million contract obligations. As a result around . 3,500 troops have been parachuted in to help secure the Games as well as hundreds more police officers from forces around the country. 'People want bobbies on the beat, not G4S,' said Mr Miliband. 'We need to be much clearer about what private companies should and should not do.' The comments came as Mr Miliband launched Labour’s campaign for Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections in central London. He insisted it 'beggared belief' that G4S was trying to cling on to a £57 million management fee for Olympics security. But he refused to call for the immediate resignation of chief executive Nick Buckles, suggesting the Games needed stability. 'Clearly the company will have serious questions to answer about new leadership (after) the Olympic Games,' Mr Miliband said. Not happy: David Cameron vowed to 'go after' G4S to get it to repay millions of pounds over the Olympic security scandal yesterday . In a humiliating appearance before MPs earlier this week, Mr Buckles admitted there would be financial consequences from the company’s failure to recruit enough staff. But he dismissed the idea of giving up the multimillion-pound management charge. Mr Miliband said: 'I don’t think G4S should receive their £57 million management fee for services provided to the Olympic games. 'Frankly it beggars belief that they think they are entitled to it.' Under pressure: No10 sources said the Government 'will be very aggressive' in reclaiming funds from G4S. Its chief executive Nick Buckles, is pictured . There is speculation that a request may be made today for up to 2,000 additional troops to plug any further gaps in security if G4S’s problems become more severe. The Ministry of Defence, which has already upped its contribution by 3,500, said contingency plans were in place to increase the numbers again if necessary. G4S is already involved in £600 million of private work for the Home Office alone, and had been hoping to increase its share of the market. However, Mr Miliband said the security giant’s ambition must be put on hold. 'Before they are awarded any new policing contracts, we need a review of G4S’s ability to deliver,' he said. Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband have stressed that they expect the Games to be a major success despite the problems as the row continues to overshadow the final build-up. The Prime Minister has approved plans . to raise the number of military personnel deployed to protect the . Olympics to 19,000 – double the number of troops now fighting in . Afghanistan. No 10 sources . said the Government ‘will be very aggressive’ in reclaiming funds from . G4S. Sports minister Hugh Robertson said lawyers have been deployed to . trigger 'penalty clauses' in G4S's contract. Speaking during a visit to Afghanistan, Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'If a company doesn't fulfil its contracts, then that company should be gone after for that money and that's exactly what's going to happen in the case of G4S. Bright lights: A view of Hackney Wick as flood lights are tested at the Olympic stadium . 'I think it's very important that we allow them to try and carry out the role that they are contracted to deliver. 'But of course the Government's interest, the interest of the Olympic Games, the interest of everyone in our country is to make sure that whatever it is necessary to do to deliver a safe and secure and successful Games is done. 'We've always had contingency plans in place to deliver just that. We activate those contingency plans as and when necessary to do that. 'But I couldn't be clearer - we will do what is necessary and contracts that aren't fulfilled will have consequences, including pretty tough financial consequences. 'I think G4S, in apologising for their performance, have already made clear that they realise that fact.' Later, Jeremy Hunt sought to reassure Olympic ticket holders from around the world that the Games would be safe and secure. When asked at an Olympic Park press conference if yesterday's bomb attack on a bus full of Israeli holidaymakers in Bulgaria presented extra security challenges to the Games, the Culture Secretary replied: 'Obviously we're monitoring the whole time what's happening with respect to the changing security situation. 'We have extremely competent intelligence services who are giving us advice and we're responding to that on an ongoing basis. 'But the world can be absolutely certain that we will deliver a safe and secure Olympics. It's always been our number one priority.' VIDEO: Miliband 'it beggars belief' they should be paid!... | David Cameron reiterates vow to 'go after' G4S to make it repay millions of pounds lost in fiasco . He also accused the coalition of opening the door to private companies carrying out core police roles . 'We need to be much clearer about what private companies should and should not do' Jeremy Hunt seeks to reassure Olympic ticket holders from around the world that the Games would be safe and secure . | dddfe32560bb868fd2aff94578eaee772d7b1f04 |
(CNN) -- The Indian city of Mumbai exploded into chaos early Thursday morning as gunmen launched a series of attacks across the country's commercial capital, killing scores of people and taking hostages in two luxury hotels frequented by Westerners. Deepak Chopra says extremists could be reacting to Barack Obama's gestures toward Muslims. CNN's Larry King spoke with author Deepak Chopra about the situation. Larry King: Let's go to Dr. Deepak Chopra, the physician, philosopher. His new book is "Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment." Where were you born in India, Deepak? Deepak Chopra: I was born in Delhi, but I have been in these hotels many, many times. I have stayed there, so I know the scene; I know the restaurants. I have been trying to get in touch with my friends and relatives, some of whom I have spoken to, some of whom I can't speak to. The lines are jammed. We're texting each other. A friend of mine from Egypt was in the restaurant at the Taj hotel when the firing started, and somehow she managed to avoid the fray, hid in a basement and is now holed up in a room which is right next to the Taj hotel and is waiting to be told what to do. The situation is complex, Larry, because it could inflame to proportions that we cannot even imagine. It has to be contained. We now recognize that this is a global problem, with only a global effort can solve this. And you know, one of the things that I think is happening is that these militant terrorist groups are actually terrified that [President-elect Barack] Obama's gestures to the rest of the Muslim world may actually overturn the tables on them by alienating them from the rest of the Muslim world, so they're reacting to this. You know, this is Obama's opportunity to actually harness the help of the Muslims. You know, there's 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. That's 25 percent of the population of the world. It's the fastest-growing religion in the world. We cannot, if we do not appease and actually recruit the help of this Muslim world, we're going to have a problem on our hands. And we cannot go after the wrong people, as we did after 9/11, because then the whole collateral damage that occurs actually aggravates the situation. In India, this is particularly inflammatory, because there's a rise of Hindu fundamentalism. We saw what that did in Gujarat, where, you know, Muslims were scorched and they were killed, and there was almost a genocide of the Muslims. India has 150 million Muslims. That's more Muslims in India than in Pakistan. So this is an opportunity right now for India and Pakistan to recognize this is their common problem. It's not a Muslim problem right now; it's a global problem. ... King: Do you think that this is just the beginning, that there's a potential impact, or more? Chopra: There is a potential impact of a lot more carnage. But it can be contained. And right now, one of the questions, you know, after I heard Barbara Starr talking about how coordinated this is, that there are militant groups that cross international boundaries, is who is financing this? Where is the money coming from? We have to ask very serious, honest questions. What role do we have in this? Are our petrodollars funding both sides of this war on terrorism? Why are we not asking the Saudis where that money is going that we give them? Is it going through this supply chain to Pakistan? It's not enough for Pakistan to condemn it. Pakistan should cooperate with India in uprooting this. They should be part of the surgery that is going to happen. It's not enough for Indians to blame Pakistanis. Indians should actually ask the Pakistanis to help them. And it's not enough for us to worry about Westerners being killed and Americans being killed. Every life is precious over there. We have got to get rid of this idea that this is an American problem or a Western problem. It's a global problem, and we need a global solution, and we need the help of all the Muslims, 25 percent of the world's population, to help us uproot this problem. King: What does India immediately do? Chopra: India at this moment has to contain any reactive violence from the fundamentalist Hindus, which is very likely and possible. So India has to condemn that by not blaming local Muslims. They have to identify the exact groups. And the world has to be very careful that they don't go after the wrong people. Because if you go after the wrong people, you convert moderates into extremists. It happens every time, and retribution against innocent people just because they have the same religion actually aggravates and perpetuates the problem. King: Are you pessimistic? Chopra: I think Mr. Obama has a real opportunity here, but a challenging opportunity, a creative opportunity. Get rid of the phrase "war on terrorism." Ask for a creative solution in which we all participate. King: Is it because the war on terrorism really can never be won because the terrorists (inaudible)? Chopra: Because it's an oxymoron. It's an oxymoron, Larry, a war on war, a war on terrorism. You know, terrorists call mechanized death from 35,000 feet above sea level with a press of a button also terror. We don't call it that, because our soldiers are wearing uniforms. They don't see what is happening, and innocent people are being killed. So, you know, terror is a term that you apply to the other. King: Thanks, Deepak Chopra, as always, extraordinarily enlightening. | "This is a global problem," author Deepak Chopra says . Barack Obama must use chance to get Muslims' help, he says . Officials must not go after the wrong people, Chopra says . | 796ab1488fc74a514e4fb568a69b082dc8cd40f0 |
A transgender man who gave birth after transitioning from being female--complete with breast tissue removal surgery--now breastfeeds his children using a special tube and donated milk. Trevor MacDonald of Winnipeg, Canada actually supplements what little milk his breasts can still produce with the donated stuff by feeding it through a tube that leads to the baby nursing at his breast. MacDonald and his partner Ian had their first baby in 2012 while McDonald took a break from testosterone therapy. That's when he learned he could still lactate some, but needed a little help from a device called a supplemental nursing system. Breastfeeding dad: Transgender father Trevor MacDonald has spoken out about how he nurses his children using his own milk and supplemental milk donated from mothers . MacDonald is an outspoken advocate for trans parents and has created a large following for his blog on trans pregnancy and trans nursing Milk Junkies. He showed off his latching skills to HuffPost Live . Technological solution: MacDonald uses an SNS, which feeds milk toward the nipple on which the baby feeds . He explained how and SNS works in Huffington Post blog from the time: . 'An SNS is a bottle with a tube going into it. You put one end of the tube next to your nipple and then latch the baby onto your nipple and the tube at the same time. 'This way, the baby gets both the milk that the parent can produce and supplement from the bottle at once.' It wasn't easy at first. MacDonald said it took three people to properly position their baby Jacob in the first weeks. 'We struggled through the exhaustion of sitting up through nursing sessions day and night,' he wrote. Now, he writes, 'I can nurse him to sleep when he is overtired, or latch him on to calm him when he's had an unfortunate adventure with the corner of a coffee table. Nursing has taken on dimensions that I never imagined would be possible for us.' Things improved so much, in fact, that MacDonald and his partner recently went through the process all over again--they had their second child just weeks ago. 'In the second pregnancy, I had virtually zero experiences socially and medically,' MacDonald told HuffPost. Since his first pregnancy, MacDonald has maintained a very successful blog devoted to educating trans parents and potential trans parents about birth and breastfeeding called Milk Junkies. | Winnipeg female-to-male transgender man Trevor MacDonald was afraid he couldn't breastfeed after breast reduction surgery . When he became pregnant, he stopped the hormone treatments he'd begun years earlier . After the birth of his first child, he began trying to nurse and found himself able to lactate a small amount. He supplements the rest with donated milk . | b8ae52f076433162d7be0275f6b12ca8a0cc223c |
Babies born using a new technique to eradicate serious illness would never get to know one of their parents, it has emerged. The Government is pushing for the law to be changed to allow families blighted by incurable disease to have healthy children. It would make Britain the first country in the world to sanction the creation of babies that effectively have three parents – two mothers and a father. Pioneering: Britain is set to become the first country in the world to offer three-parent IVF to beat disease . However the genetic contribution from the second mother would be tiny – just 0.1 per cent – and so the Government has said her identity should be kept secret. This differs from laws covering children born from sperm and eggs donated for regular IVF treatment, who can find out the donor’s identity when they turn 18. Supporters say the legislation would allow those living in the shadow of incurable disease the chance to have a healthy child. But critics argue that genetically engineering eggs crosses a critical ethical line, and are concerned about the impact of children not knowing who their third parent is. Divisive: The plans were unveiled by Public Health Minister Jane Ellison, pictured . Philippa Taylor, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: ‘A child must have the right to identify and know who his or her three genetic parents are, if they choose. 'This is already granted to children who are adopted because we understand how important it is for children to know about their genetic heritage for their sense of identity and self-understanding. It should not be denied to these children.’ However Robert Meadowcroft, of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said the technique ‘involves a calculated step into new scientific territory, but it is a very focused step, with the sole aim of preventing a potentially fatal condition from being passed down where possible.’ He added that it would open up the ‘possibility of motherhood’ to women afraid of passing on a painful and debilitating condition. The technique, being perfected at Newcastle University, involves trying to prevent disease caused by faults in mitochondria, which cause serious illness in one in 6,500 babies. Scientists have found a way of swapping the mother-to-be’s diseased mitochondria with healthy ones donated by another woman. The technique involves removing the nucleus DNA from a fertilised egg, and inserting it into a donor egg where the nucleus DNA has been removed. The resulting embryo would end up with the nucleus DNA from its parents - making up the vast majority - but the mitochondrial DNA from the donor, amounting to around 0.1 per cent. The proposed change in the law was announced by Public Health Minister Jane Ellison. It will have to be debated and voted on in both Houses but could be passed by the end of January. However, it would not become law until October. The Newcastle team say they are delighted that Parliament is to consider the legislation and say they will soon be ready to treat couples. | Divisive technique means babies have two genetic mothers and a father . Second mother, donating just 0.1 per cent of DNA, to remain anonymous . Technique at Newcastle University is to stop mitochondrial diseases . Campaigners warn it crosses uncomfortable scientific and ethical line . | 49788f90692a61f475fc6b399b52c404fc5add96 |
(CNN) -- One of the oldest existing man-made structures, more than 2,000 years old and a world-travel icon that ranks alongside the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge -- the Great Wall of China should be on every traveler's bucket list. To make the most of your visit, take some advice from these dos and don'ts. DO choose a section of the wall that's right for you. Most travelers visit one of these sections from their hotel base in Beijing: Juyongguan (closest to Beijing but less interesting than most other sections); Badaling (close but crowded); Mutianyu (farther away but less crowded and set among gorgeous mountains); and Jinshanling and Simatai (farther away still, but perfect for adventurers). Note: Simatai is currently closed for site improvements. Travel + Leisure: World's most-visited ancient ruins . DON'T spend less than two or three hours exploring the wall. You'll need at least that much time to get the true flavor of the centuries-old structure. DO go in the spring or fall, when the weather is fine and the crowds are few. Summertime is often too hot, and winter can be treacherous. DON'T forget plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat if you visit during the blazing summer. You'll need it all. Great Wall much longer than previously thought . DO consider signing up for a day tour at your hotel's activities desk. It's the simplest way to go. Tours cost around $30 per person and include mini-bus transportation with an English-speaking guide and driver. DON'T visit the wall on weekends or holidays, when it is most crowded. Remember, it's not just foreigners who tour the Great Wall. Chinese love to visit as well on their days off. Travel + Leisure It List: World's best new hotels . DO visit either Badaling or Mutianyu if you have mobility concerns; they both have aerial cable cars. Mutianyu also has a ski lift, but only Badaling is wheelchair accessible. DON'T expect clear skies. The awful smog that often afflicts Beijing can spread to the wall itself, lending a dull haze to the surroundings. If possible, do try to visit on a breezy day or after a rainstorm. DO take a ride on the wild, mile-long toboggan track that leads down from the wall at Mutianyu to the village at the base of the wall. DON'T believe that you can see the wall from space. Apollo astronaut Alan Bean said he tried to spot it, but that no man-made object is visible once you leave the Earth's orbit. Travel + Leisure: London insider's guide . Have you visited the Great Wall? Share your tips below. | Avoid visits on weekends and holidays, when the Great Wall is most crowded . Consider booking a day tour through your hotel . Allot several hours to experience this man-made marvel . | 18c07e12ab82c113057a5e4e706bc395e8fa9436 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:23 EST, 29 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 01:08 EST, 30 January 2014 . The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship cook who went overboard in the Caribbean Sea. Officials say Inyoman Bagiada, 45, of Indonesia fell overboard early Wednesday near the Yucatan Channel. Bagiada was a cook aboard the Celebrity Constellation. According to the Coast Guard, the cruise did not report Bagiada missing until eight hours after he fell overboard. The cruise line says a pair of shoes were found next to a deck railing, and a review of closed-circuit camera footage showed ‘a person going overboard.’ Man overboard: Celebrity Constellation cook Inyoman Bagiada, 45, of Indonesia, has been missing since early Wednesday morning after falling off a deck near the Yucatan Channel . Officials say the ship’s location at the time the person went overboard was then reported to the Coast Guard. The vessel was returning from Cozumel, Mexico, to Port Everglades after a five-day cruise. It resumed its journey once the Coast Guard launched a rescue cutter and an HC-130 maritime helicopter to look for the missing man, according to NBC News. The incident took place at around 2.30am in the area of the Yucatan Channel about 20 miles off Cuba. But it was not until about 10.30am that Bagiada was reported missing. The cook’s disappearance marks the sixth such incident in the last five weeks, the maritime law blog Cruise Law News reported. Celebrity and its sister company Royal Caribbean have lost four people overboard over the past couple of months. Most recently, a 65-year-old Canadian passenger went missing New Year's Day from Independence of the Seas, which sailed to the Cayman Islands. The Constellation, dubbed ‘Connie’, is a 965-foot ship with the capacity to house more than 2,100 passengers that made its debut in 2002 as the fourth and final vessel in Celebrity’s Millennium line. Search and rescue: The U.S. Coast Guard launched a rescue cutter and an HC-130 maritime helicopter (pictured) to look for the missing man . In a glowing review of Constellation posted on the popular site CruiseCritic, editor Dan Askin described ‘Connie’ as a popular yet quirky ship that has developed quite the following among well-off seafaring enthusiasts in their 40s. The ‘luxury-lite’ boat boasts a grand atrium, marble finishings, numerous restaurants dishing out sumptuous meals with white-glove service and a smattering of eccentric artworks. Askin, who gave the ship four and a half out of five stars, wrote that last April, Constellation underwent a thorough makeover, emerging from the drydock after 19 days with 66 additional cabins, Apple workstations, lounges, shops and an improved basketball court. | Celebrity Constellation cook Inyoman Bagiada, 45, of Indonesia, fell off deck near the Yucatan Channel . It took cruise line eight hours to report the cook missing after reviewing surveillance footage . | 098be27a48021d8be52db537b0d00643375ab3d2 |
(CNN) -- Money might not grow on trees, but what if it fell from the sky? That's the awesome scenario described by Bolivian authorities who say they seized more than $1 million this week after a white bag was tossed from an airplane in Santa Cruz. Anti-drug police first noticed a person signaling a plane, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The money was thrown out as the aircraft flew low. Interior Minister Carlos Romero characterized the operation, which took place Sunday, as a major blow against drug trafficking. It foiled attempts to set up a drug factory, he said in a statement. Bolivia is one of the world's largest producers of coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine. Three people were "captured," and authorities also seized weapons and vehicles, the Interior Ministry said. An investigation is ongoing. | Three people were "captured," and authorities also seized weapons and vehicles . Interior minister characterizes the operation as a major blow against drug trafficking . Bolivia is one of the world's largest producers of coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine . | 2cc47a4dc186a126f34097395f8f79601fc5156a |
Editor's note: Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. He is completing a book on the history of national security politics since World War II, to be published by Basic Books. Zelizer writes widely on current events. Julian Zelizer says it's not enough for Republicans to oppose Obama's plans, they must offer their own ideas. PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) -- One of the best Marx Brothers movies, "Horse Feathers," played in movie theaters at the height of the Great Depression in 1932. In the film, the comedian Groucho Marx played the new president of Huxley College, Quincy Adams Wagstaff. During one of the most memorable scenes, Groucho introduces himself to faculty and students by singing about his philosophy of governance: "Your proposition may be good/But let's have one thing understood/ Whatever it is, I'm against it!/And even when you've changed it or condensed it, I'm against it/ I'm opposed to it/On general principle. I'm opposed to it." If Republicans want to rebuild their party after the calamity of 2008, the party leadership needs to avoid the Quincy Adams Wagstaff approach to politics. When Obama proposed his economic recovery bill last week, the first words to come out of House Minority Leader's John Boehner's mouth sounded a bit like Wagstaff. With the economy imploding and the international economic crisis worsening, Boehner said: "Right now, given the concerns that we have over the size of the package and all of the spending in this package, we don't think it's going to work. And so if it's the plan that I see today, put me down in the 'no' column." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been more restrained in his response, leaving open the door to compromise. If Boehner is simply acting as Dr. No to get a better deal, Republicans can come out of the negotiations over the economic recovery bill as partners, planting the seeds for a new Republican approach toward dealing with economic matters. But if Boehner's plan is for his party to act as an oppositional force -- trying to block, delay and prevent legislative action -- then the GOP could find itself in big trouble. If the Republicans don't agree with Obama's approach, given the severity of the crisis, they need to offer an alternative rather than just sitting still. To be sure, there is the possibility that if the economy continues to deteriorate after a bill has passed and the public loses faith in Obama, the House GOP could reap the benefit from their opposition. They could say "we told you so." But even that would be a high-risk maneuver, particularly given the state of public opinion about the Republican Party. Even if a bill passes and the economy continues to struggle, voters would be looking at a Republican Party that didn't have anything better to offer. The public likes hard-working politicians. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal ideas didn't always work -- some like the National Recovery Act were downright failures -- but voters valued a president who tried to offer arguments about how to end the crisis and who rolled up his sleeves to make the nation better. The election of 2008 revealed that the Republican Party lacks the kind of big ideas that Ronald Reagan used in 1980 to bring the conservative movement into power. The various factions of the conservative movement came together around the themes of anti-communism, deregulation and tax cuts. Reagan didn't just sell tax cuts for the wealthy as good in themselves, but connected them to supply-side economics, which claimed that cuts would stimulate investment, generate economic growth and ultimately bring more revenue into the coffers of Treasury. Even after the Soviet Union collapsed, Republican leaders found ideas to sell their movement to the public. Newt Gingrich and a cohort of young Republicans focused on sharp attacks about the dangers of government intervention and corruption of government. For a short time it seemed that under George W. Bush, the war on terrorism would provide a new thematic focus to Republican efforts. But this was not to be. The controversies over Iraq and the continued dangers in countries such as Afghanistan undermined Republican claims of superiority on national security policy. Controversies over the erosion of civil liberties and due process in the pursuit of terrorism also weakened their claims. When the economy collapsed in fall 2008, Republicans' arguments about the wisdom of tax cuts and deregulation were made suspect. Americans might not always like government, but they dislike being broke even more. Sen. John McCain struggled in his campaign, not just because of the weaknesses of his campaign, but because his party seemed to lack any answers as Wall Street and Main Street spun out of control. Furthermore, the fact that the federal government continued to expand under Bush -- both when Republicans and Democrats controlled Capitol Hill -- made it difficult to sell Republican arguments about the dangers of big government. Back in the 1970s, when Republicans felt as if they were in the political wilderness, they invested a great deal of their resources into the market of ideas. Conservatives built think tanks like the CATO Institute, established talk radio shows, and financed academic scholarship about conservatism so that when opportunities arose in the elections of 1980 and 1994, Republicans had something to say. At some point, Republicans have to tap into the 1970s enthusiasm about generating ideas if they want to rebuild their party and win over the hearts and minds of voters. Simply reviving the philosophy of the 1970s won't work. Rather the GOP needs to offer new arguments and new policies to achieve economic recovery. If they repeat what happened in the 1930s, when Republicans sounded a lot like Groucho Marx and just said no as FDR rebuilt the nation, they are likely to remain on the outskirts of power for decades to come. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer. | Julian Zelizer: House Republicans are signaling they will oppose stimulus plan . He says Republicans are in trouble if they simply act as an opposition force . Democrats gained sway for decades by seeking to improve the economy, he says . Zelizer: If GOP opposes stimulus plan, it should offer alternatives of its own . | 436b4645aa8b511908c9f4958adb19055b20e4bf |
This exhilarating experiences takes adventurous holidaymakers near the summit of the tallest peak in the world without having to endure the treacherous climb – all for £3m a ticket. But anyone who goes on this hot air balloon ride must have a head for heights – in addition to deep pockets – as they float over Mount Everest and the Himalayas at an eye-watering altitude of more than 30,000ft. For those who can afford it, the once-in-a-lifetime ride is well worth it, boasting a stunning 360-degree view of snow-topped mountains like they have never been seen before. Scroll down for video . Passengers float over Mount Everest and the Himalayas at an eye-watering altitude of more than 30,000ft . Holidaymakers will feel like they are on top of the world on the balloon expedition with veteran pilot Chris Dewhirst, the first person to fly a hot air balloon over Everest. The journey takes most of the day to complete and is weather dependent, meaning the balloon’s passengers may spend a significant time on the ground in Nepal before it is safe to depart and soar over the breath-taking landscape. A solo reservation costs a cool $4.8m (approximately £3m), while a couple can get on board for a reduced price of $5.2m (approximately £3.3m). Stunning landscape: The journey takes most of the day to complete and is weather dependent . Veteran pilot: Chris Dewhirst was the first person to fly a hot air balloon over Mount Everest . The balloon ride accommodates just two people at a time, in addition to Mr Dewhirst, and is designed for intrepid thrill-seekers. Passengers must be in ‘moderate’ physical shape and able to complete rigorous fitness and skills training. The journey is being advertised on Ifonly.com, which offers rare experiences or exclusive products to well-to-do buyers. Do look down: Passengers must be in ‘moderate’ physical shape and able to complete rigorous training . An advert on the website says: ‘This is not only a remarkable endeavour, it is also an invitation to join one of the most elite fraternities on Earth; Chris and his team were the first and only people to accomplish this feat - you could be the next. ‘This is your opportunity write your own chapter in the annals of daring human feats and exploration. ‘Join the ranks of pioneers from history like Shackleton, Livingstone, and Hillary as you venture to rarely-explored heights for an expedition that will capture imaginations and headlines around the world. Mount Everest represents the most daunting challenge Earth has to offer.’ | Passengers float over world's tallest mountain with pilot Chris Dewhirst . Ride offers stunning 360-degree view of Everest and Himalayas . Journey takes most of the day to complete and is weather dependent . Solo reservation costs £3m, while a couple can get on board for £3.3m . | 46a797ba6b68054ed7076be8bbe6518f5ce06eb5 |
Sebastian Vettel is testing with Ferrari for the first time since signing with the Formula One team. The Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the German driver was at the wheel of an F2012 from two seasons ago at Ferrari's private Fiorano circuit. It was announced last week that Vettel, who won four consecutive F1 titles at Red Bull, had signed a three-year deal with Ferrari to replace Fernando Alonso. VIDEO Scroll down for Sebastian Vettel testing his new Ferrari at the Fiorano track . Sebastian Vettel steers an F2012 car from two seasons ago at Ferrari's private Fiorano circuit in Italy . German racing driver Vettel wore a white helmet with 'my first day at Ferrari' written on it . Vettel joined Ferrari on a three-year deal after leaving Red Bull at the end of last season . Vettel wore a white helmet that had the words, 'My first day at Ferrari' plus Saturday's date, written on it. The 27-year-old faces a difficult challenge to restore Ferrari to prominence, with the Italian team having just concluded its first season without a win since 1993. Vettel also struggled this year, finishing 217 points behind F1 champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Vettel test drives a Ferrari 458 Special at the race track in Italy during his first day at his new team . The 27-year-old takes a F2012 car for a test drive after swapping Red Bull for Ferrari . | Sebastian Vettel signed a three-year deal at Ferrari after leaving Red Bull . German driver Vettel will replace Fernando Alonso at Ferrari . Vettel won four consecutive Formula One titles during time with Red Bull . | 381e10517f854c408d299002ea87494f7b331906 |
By . Shari Miller . PUBLISHED: . 05:41 EST, 20 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:03 EST, 20 January 2013 . The former partner of a benefits fraudster, who swindled as much as £100,000 from taxpayers to enjoy a lavish lifestyle, claims the ex-Moulin Rouge showgirl was also a love cheat who drained his finances. Company director Marc Lissimore, 46, today spoke of his relationship with mother-of-two Dawn Orton, who used taxpayers' cash to buy a convertible Mercedes and go on 41 holidays in 13 years. Orton was jailed for 12 months for wrongly claiming widowed mothers' allowance, plus an additional month after she initially refused to turn up for her trial at Hull Crown Court earlier this month. Dawn Orton, once a Moulin Rouge dancer who travelled the world, was found guilty of benefit fraud . The 47-year-old had in fact fled Britain to Malaga. An international arrest warrant was issued and Orton handed herself in to police last Friday. In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Mr Lissimore reveals the full extent of her deception, which left him cash poor and fighting for her affection after discovering Orton had an American lover. He said: 'She was a devil in disguise. She was beautiful and I was an overweight businessman who thought he was lucky to have her, and she made sure I knew that.' The heartbroken businessman met Orton, who once performed as a dancer all over Europe and Japan, through his ex-wife Betsy. When Mr Lissimore's marriage ended, he was contacted by Orton, who told him that her husband Robert had committed suicide. He travelled from Hull to Tamworth, Staffordshire, to attend the funeral in October 1996 and offered support to the newly-widowed Orton. A relationship quickly developed: by Christmas she had moved into his home with her sons Reece, 19 and CJ, 23, and by New Year's Day 1997 the pair were engaged. Mr Lissimore, who owned and ran haulage firms in Hull said the couple enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle and he often lavished her with extravagant gifts and foreign trips. They also bought a £280,000 house in the leafy village of Cottingham, as well as a craft shop which Orton ran. But he was unaware that throughout the 13 years they were together, Orton had continued to claim an allowance for widowed mothers. This should have stopped when she moved in with Mr Lissimore. She had also previously received incapacity benefits for an injured shoulder. Prosecutors believe Orton's deception amounts to at least £29,000 - and as much as £100,000. The situation began to unravel following the death of Orton's mother in May 2010 from breast cancer. The otherwise devoted wife told Mr Lissimore that she needed to get away for a few weeks and that she would travel to America and stay with an old friend from school called Roger Bailey. Love cheat: Marc Lissimore claims he was left devastated when he discovered Dawn Orton was having an affair with yacht salesman Roger Bailey (pictured) But the father-of-two was suspicious and decided to check his wife's emails, discovering that the two were in fact lovers. 'I couldn't resist opening a couple of their email exchanges and I felt sick when I read one from Dawn, saying, "How am I going to introduce you to my children?" When I confronted her she denied it all. She said she loved me and when she returned we would get married...something she'd been putting off for 13 years.' Mr Lissimore believed Orton and even took her to Manchester airport for her flight in June 2010. But she then refused to return and asked for her son, Reece, to join her. When she finally returned home, Orton claimed she had made a mistake and begged for the company director to take her back. It was a pattern that would repeat itself many times over, as she continued to pay her long-term partner against her American lover. The deceived businessman also said Orton often used sex as a 'weapon' to get her own way. Mr Lissimore then claims Orton, who had fears about becoming pregnant, promised she would leave her lover if he had a vasectomy. In desperation, he agreed to the procedure, but it was not long before Orton left him for good and returned to yacht salesman Bailey. Deception: Prosecutors believe Orton claimed at least £29,000 - and as much as £100,000 to fund a lavish lifestyle and frequent holidays abroad . He said: 'I was devastated. I'd done everything, everything I could, to keep this woman, but she was cold and callous. What she did to me was terrible, but what she did to her two sons was even worse. They are both disgusted and neither of them talk to Dawn any more.' Within weeks of leaving him, Mr Lissimore discovered she was being investigated for benefit fraud. And worse was to come - when he tried to recoup some of the money from his house and shop, he was told he had no rights because both were in Orton's name. Mr Lissimore had agreed to do this, because of debt issues - and he said he had no reason to distrust his partner at that time. Following Orton's conviction last week, Mr Lissimore said: 'Dawn expects the world to run around her. She will not believe she has done anything wrong. He added: 'Her whole life has been about greed. Taking as much cash as she can from anyone.' Orton now faces an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act to claim back her ill-gotten gains and will appear for a hearing at Hull Crown Court on April 4. | Heartbroken Marc Lissimore claims Dawn Orton was 'cold and callous' Mother-of-two may have swindled as much as £100,000 in taxpayers' cash . Businessman 'devastated' by her affair with American lover Roger Bailey . International arrest warrant issued after Orton fled to Malaga . Dancer jailed for 12 months for fraud and another month for absconding . | 73d1626e7f278a803bf13714851f3aeec236e150 |
By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 22:33 EST, 28 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:20 EST, 29 January 2013 . If you still haven’t quite had enough of YouTube’s most popular video of all time, try this for a tribute. A French artist has created an astonishing flipbook version of Gangnam Style by South Korean rapper Psy, showing scenes from the music video that has racked up more than 1.2billion views. The YouTube user, named ‘etoilec1’, produced the video by drawing the scenes in colour on a large flipbook and flicked through them for the four-minute clip, which has had more than 100,000 views. Scroll down for videos . Oppan Gangnam Style: A French artist has created an astonishing flipbook version of the music video by Psy . Suited: The new clip by 'etoilec1' shows scenes from the music video that has racked up 1.2billion views . Flipbook: Gangnam Style by Psy became the first video to get more than 1billion views on YouTube . The artist also has produced flipbook videos for Dragon Ball Z, a popular Japanese series that ran from 1989 to 2003 and featured Earth's defender Goku protecting the planet from alien enemies. Gangnam Style by South Korean rapper Psy became the first video to get more than 1billion views on YouTube - making it not only the most viewed, but also the most liked in the history of the website. The song has made the artist - real name Park Jae-sang, 35 - famous worldwide and saw tourism in the Asian nation increase by 13 per cent last year with Seoul visitors going on ‘Gangnam tours’. The song mocks the upmarket area of Seoul called Gangnam, where the city’s glitterati gather in cocktail bars and young shoppers spend their money in vintage clothes shops and designer outlets. Scenes: The artist drew in colour on a large flipbook and flicked through the pages for the four-minute clip . Movement: Gangnam Style has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries . Moves: The dancing in the South Korean music video has become popular across the world since its release . Sequence: The French artist's flipbook version of the song by Psy has attracted more than 100,000 views . The official music video had racked up 1,247,603,007 views as of 3am this morning - which equates to around 18 per cent of the world’s population - and 6,859,160 likes. It was first published last July. The YouTube honours are just the latest in a long list showing how popular the song has become. Since being released it has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries. It became a staple in the 2012 U.S. presidential election with the ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda films promoting their leader. Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Barack Obama, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song. Rapper Psy has spoken of its success, saying: 'The YouTube video never targeted foreign countries. It was for local fans. My goal in this music video was to look uncool until the end. I achieved it.' Real thing: The original Gangnam style video on YouTube has been an extraordinary hit around the world . | French artist creates flipbook version of Gangnam Style by rapper Psy . Etoilec1 drew scenes in colour and flicked through them in 4 minute video . Original South Korean video set YouTube record after passing 1bn views . | 35981baa2657f5803a87166b63e97c9a546a2bef |
A woman has told of her horror at being left deformed and battling life-threatening injuries after a plastic surgeon injected fillers into her face that went disastrously wrong. Alex Laird, 53, from Ireland, bought the Bio-Alcamid filler treatment from a London surgeon eight years ago after seeing an advert online. But a few years later, the chemicals started to move around her face, leaving her with unsightly bumps that quickly became severely infected. Scroll down for video . Alex Laird, 53, from Ireland, had Bio-Alcamid fillers injected into her face. Years later, the chemicals moved around, causing disfigurement and infections. She is sharing her story as a warning . Alex, who works as an accounts administrator, had to be hospitalised twice because the infections were so critical. She has since had the fillers removed by another surgeon and is on the road to recovery, but shared her story on Channel 5's Botched Up Bodies this evening to warn others to do proper research before booking cosmetic procedures. Alex initially bought cheek implants in the 1980s, in order to make her face look less miserable. She said: 'I used to get complete strangers coming up to me saying "Oh cheer up", "You look so miserable", "It's never going to happen". 'I used to look at people who had lovely big cheekbones and I wanted that. I didn't want to look sad anymore. 'I went to the UK to a particular surgeon. I knew nothing about him or the procedure, I just said I wanted cheek implants in my face.' Alex started cosmtetic surgery in the 1980s when she saw an article in a magazine for cheek implants . Initially, Alex was delighted with the results, but the effect didn't last long. She said: 'After about two months the implants went down to the size of little teaspoons - you could clearly see the outline.' As time went on, she became increasingly unhappy about her appearance again and turned to the internet for a solution. She said: 'When I read about this permanent filler I thought, "I'm going to get this done. This is finally the answer I've been looking for."' Alex's family and friends told her that was being ridiculous, but her mind was made up and she flew to London to meet with a surgeon that she found on the internet who said he could do Bio-Alcamid fillers. She said: 'He said to me the filler was completely safe, there were no problems with it, he'd even put some in his own wife. 'He put it all down my jaw, in my cheeks, around my eyes and in my temple area. 'My friends and family were quite shocked at the way I looked, (but) I was really pleased with the results.' Alex used to look at people who had 'lovely big cheekbones' and want them. She didn't want to 'look sad' However, Alex's happiness was not to last. The filler that had once given her confidence and self-assurance started to swell and migrate around her face. With her face now completely deformed, she sought out a doctor in Ireland. She said: 'I'll never forget the look on his face. The first thing he said to me was, "Did you sue whoever did this to you?" Now desperate, Alex returned to the surgeon in London who immediately agreed that she needed some of the fillers removed. She said: 'He squeezed some (of it) out, mainly around my temple area, and I remember thinking that it was like a ticking time bomb in my face.' That time bomb was about to explode - with devastating consequences. Soon afterwards, Alex was rushed to hospital with a swollen face from severe infection. She said: 'I felt overwhelmed with fear.' In a bid to get her botched face fixed, Alex paid a visit to cranial facial surgeon Niall Kirkpatrick, in London. He examined her face and felt for potential danger zones . Although she wanted most of the filler gone, Alex was desperate to be able keep her cheek implants because she was scared that she would be 'left with nothing' if they were removed. The surgeon then booked her in for an MRI scan to help determine exactly where the Bio-Alcamid is, so he could work out how to remove it. Alex left Niall's office pleased she was heading in the right direction, however, just three days later she was rushed to hospital with another life-threatening infection caused by the filler. The filler that had once given her confidence and self-assurance had started to swell and migrate . Now that the filler is all removed, Alex says she feels much less anxious . It was even more severe than her previous infection and she was put on an intravenous drip of antibiotics. This time, it took seven days to bring the bacteria-infected filler that was distorting her face under control. The cosmetic industry's biggest money spinners include laser hair removal, Botox, fillers. It is an area which is almost entirely unregulated. There are hundreds of fillers available, including Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, Sculptra, Bio-Alcamid and Macrolane to name just a few. Bio-Alcamid, a permanent skin filler, was made for the medical industry to replace tissue lost by people suffering from wasting conditions or who have had large tumours removed. It has since been taken up by cosmetic surgeries as a way to plump up the skin. As the name suggests, once a permanent filler is injected, they remain in the body forever. If they move, patients can be left with unsightly lumps or bumps which are difficult to remove. Bad reactions to fillers can cause facial necrosis, disfigurement, nerve damage and anaphylactic shock. Alex said: 'The fact it was happening twice - I never expected that. 'I really didn't expect to get another infection so soon and I think it was actually more scary.' With her health at such risk, it became crucial that the filler was removed before another infection struck. She came back to London to see surgeon Niall for the results of her MRI scan. The news wasn't good - Alex had two implants in each cheek - one on top of the other - and unfortunately they were surrounded by Bio-Alcamid filler, meaning they would have to be removed along with the liquid. To compensate, Niall suggested a mid-facelift to help counter any sagging that might occur once everything was removed. Now that the filler is all removed Alex says she feels much less anxious - although she is still concerned about the swelling around her eyes. Surgeon Niall has assured assured her that the healing process can take up to six months though, and that she should be patient. She said: 'I do think I made a mistake all those years ago - definitely - having that stuff put in my face. 'I think permanent filler equals permanent problems. I would never advise anyone to have it done.' Alex appears on Botched Up Bodies, tonight on Channel 5 . | Alex Laird, 53, from Ireland had Bio-Alcamid fillers injected into her face . Years later, the chemicals moved around, causing bacterial infections . Her face was left disfigured and she was hospitalised twice . Alex appeared on Botched Up Bodies on Channel 5 this evening . | 38327303bf2005ba084acb88a66365c84351cc3c |
By . Ian Ladyman . Follow @@Ian_Ladyman_DM . Malcolm Glazer, the man who led the controversial takeover of Manchester United in 2005, has died at the age of 85. The American businessman will long be remembered as the Florida-based millionaire who took United in to private ownership nine years ago via a highly-leveraged buy-out, plunging the club more than £500million in debt. Though Glazer Snr has been ill for some time and has left the running of United to sons Joel and Avram for the majority of the family’s ownership period, he was the man who drove the purchase of the club against the wishes of United fans over a two-year period in the early part of the last decade. Daring businessman: Florida-based billionaire Malcolm Glazer has died at the age of 85 . Eyes on the prize: Glazer hoists the Vince Lombardi trophy aloft after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders in 2003 . A United spokesman said only: 'The thoughts of everyone at United are with the family tonight.' The . Glazer family remain owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American . football franchise that they bought in 1995. It was on the Bucs’ website that news of Glazer senior’s death was announced. There . will be respect but little sympathy from many United fans who will . always blame Glazer for the money his family’s company have drained from . Old Trafford over the years to service their enormous debts. Family matters: Glazer's sons Kevin, Avram and Joel are pictured at Old Trafford last year . Unpopular: Manchester United fans hang anti-Glazer banners in 2010 . Certainly . Glazer’s aggressive pursuit and purchase of United changed the club . forever, leading , for example, one group of fans to breakaway to set up . non-league outfit FC United while another launched the ‘Green and Gold’ campaign that tried so hard to drive the Americans out four years ago. During the Glazer years, United still managed to win five Barclays Premier League titles and one Champions League. Reclusive: Glazer was seldom spotted in the limelight . And while Glazer may not have been universally popular in Manchester, he was a widely respected figure in his homeland with tributes pouring in from his homeland. Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy posted on Twitter: 'Rest in peace to the driving force that helped transform the organization that changed my life forever. Forever grateful!! RIP Mr. Glazer.' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell added: 'Malcolm Glazer was the guiding force behind the building of a Super Bowl-champion organization. 'His dedication to the community was evident in all he did, including his leadership in bringing Super Bowls to Tampa Bay. 'Malcolm's commitment to the Bucs, the NFL and the people of the Tampa Bay region are the hallmarks of his legacy. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Linda, their six children and the entire Glazer family.' Glazer leaves a wife, Linda, and six children - including United's co-chairmen Joel and Avram - and 14 grandchildren. 1928: August 25 - Born in Rochester, New York.1943: Inherits father's watch business.1950-90: Makes fortune via series of ambitious investments.1995: Buys Tampa Bay Buccaneers for £190million.1998: Construction of the Raymond James Stadium is completed.2003: Buccaneers win Super Bowl and are valued at £671million.2003: Fails in bid to buy Los Angeles Dodgers but ups stake in Manchester United.2004: October - Increases his stake in United to 28.11 per cent through a series of major purchases.November - Has an initial approach rebuffed by United chief executive David Gill but uses his sizeable shareholding to vote Maurice Watkins, Philip Yea and Andy Anson off the Old Trafford board.2005: February 6 - Approaches United with 'detailed proposals that could lead to a formal offer'.February 11 - Granted 'limited' due diligence to United's accounts but proposals described as 'aggressive' and 'potentially damaging' to the long-term future of the club by Gill.April 14 - Launches formal bid to take over United. Presents a new set of proposals later the same day, turning up the heat on the United board.April 28 - Given until May 17 by the Takeover Panel to make a formal bid or back off for six months.May 12 - Takeover moves closer as he successfully completes the £790.3million purchase of JP McManus and John Magnier's shares.May 13 - Takes his shareholding to 74.81 per cent, just beneath the 75 per cent he needs to assume control at Old Trafford.June 28 - His shareholding reaches 98 per cent, prompting a squeeze out of the remaining shareholders.2005: June - A small group of Manchester United supporters opposed to Glazer's ownership form a new non-league club, FC United of Manchester.2006: April - United sign lucrative new sponsorship deal with American finance company AIG.June - Appoints sons Kevin and Edward and daughter Darcie to the United board.2010: January - United announce their intention to refinance £716.5million of debt. Fans protest vociferously both at Old Trafford and at the club's Carrington training ground.March - A group of supporters dubbed the Red Knights declares its interest in mounting a takeover of the club from the Glazers.June - The Red Knights group shelves its takeover plans.November - The Glazers are able to pay off £220million of remaining debt.2011: September - The Glazers float a number of shares in United on the Singapore Exchange.2012: August - United shares debut on the New York Stock Exchange.2013: A new loan deal struck by the Glazers saves the club £10million per year in interest payments on debts totalling around £307million.2014: May 28 - The Buccaneers announce Glazer's death at the age of 86. | Florida-based billionaire Malcolm Glazer has died at the age of 85 . Glazer owned Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL . United won five Premier League titles and a Champions League under Glazer . 'The thoughts of everyone at United are with the family tonight,' said a United spokesman . | 2bd8c6a687c54de935e893026b14b9a514200ef7 |
By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 14:32 EST, 12 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:15 EST, 12 December 2013 . Prince Harry was today seen relaxing with team members in a break during his expedition as he revealed they hope to arrive at the South Pole tomorrow. The 29-year-old royal and the other adventurers were nearing the end of their gruelling 200-mile trek across Antarctica with their goal almost in sight. Harry, who is patron of the Walking With The Wounded expedition, said: ‘A half day on Friday and we get to the South Pole on Friday 13th - unlucky for some, lucky for us. Taking a break: Prince Harry (left) and Team UK as they rest during the Walking With The Wounded trek . ‘The wind has dropped down, which is nice. I think everyone is feeling a bit tired but slowly getting into the rhythm. Only just got into the rhythm now and it has almost finished.’ Harry said spirits are high after the decision to suspend the competitive element of the trek. He was part of a British group racing to the South Pole against teams from the Commonwealth and the US. But the competition was stopped over the weekend after some of the adventurers, who include injured servicemen and women, became very tired after encountering difficult terrain. Ed Parker, the expedition's director and co-founder of the WWTW charity that organised the challenge, said: ‘Everyone is beginning to get quite excited, we can see the end in sight now. Teamwork: Prince Harry with Heath Jamieson (left) during the expedition. The royal and the other adventurers are nearing the end of their gruelling 200-mile trek across Antarctica with their goal almost in sight . ‘Everyone is thinking quite a lot about the journey that's behind us and it is not just the last three weeks up here in Antarctica but the year it has taken us to get here. 'The wind has dropped down, which is nice. I think everyone is feeling a bit tired but slowly getting into the rhythm' Prince Harry . ‘A lot of people have overcome many injuries and issues to be here. It feels very special that this group of people is finally on the cusp of achieving our aim.’ In a voice blog recorded in the frozen waste and released yesterday, Harry said: ‘Everyone is in really high spirits. The race obviously got cancelled a couple of days ago - a really good thing that has happened.’ Looking ahead to reaching their goal, Harry highlighted fellow adventurer Duncan Slater who lost both his legs when an improvised explosive device blew up in his vehicle in Afghanistan in 2009. Happy: Prince Harry said spirits are high after the decision to suspend the competitive element of the trek . He said: ‘Everyone just can't wait to get to the end. I think mixed emotions probably, I think some people, for instance Duncan, double amputee, simply doesn't find walking to the South Pole a big enough challenge, which is why he really enjoyed the race. 'I think everyone back home will appreciate the fact that just being able to walk 100km in these conditions with no legs is a pretty amazing feat in itself' Prince Harry . ‘I think everyone back home will appreciate the fact that just being able to walk 100km (62 miles) in these conditions with no legs is a pretty amazing feat in itself.’ In total, 12 injured service personnel who have overcome life-changing injuries are taking part in the expedition organised by the charity Walking With The Wounded. Trekking around nine to 12 miles (15km to 20km) a day, the group members have been pulling their 154lb (70kg) sleds, known as pulks, towards the southernmost point on the globe. | Harry says they hope to reach South Pole on Friday 13th - 'lucky for us' Spirits are high after decision to suspend competitive element of the trek . Some 12 injured service personnel are taking part in WWTW expedition . | d16e21d8abf0c46de848e22dbd192b20c630df99 |
(CNN) -- Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr are no longer a couple. The 36-year-old "Lord of the Rings" actor and his model wife, 30, have announced in a joint statement that they have "been amicably separated for the past few months." Bloom and Kerr have been together for six years and quietly wed in July 2010. According to their statement, it was only recently that they "decided to formalize their separation." The couple also have a son, Flynn, who celebrated his second birthday on January 6. According to E!, which first reported the news, Bloom and Kerr were last photographed together by paparazzi on October 8. Their last public appearance is thought to be their September 19 attendance at the Broadway opening of Bloom's "Romeo and Juliet," which the actor is starring in with Condola Rashad. Although their marriage is over, the two told E! that they "love, support and respect each other as both parents of their son and as family." CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report. | Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have separated . The couple have been together for six years . They have a 2-year-old son . The couple was photographed together on October 8 . | de09ff1ded21568bcee1b62b4856ddc8dedc4697 |
The chip off the old Eubank block made his father proud but did not do quite enough on his own behalf to win a fight which was an epic of its class. Billy Joe Saunders boxed the boy’s ears off in the first half of their grudge match and then survived a torrid last six rounds to hold onto this British, Commonwealth and European middleweight titles. The ExCeL arena was rocking even more loudly than when Anthony Joshua was winning his super-heavyweight gold medal at the London Olympics. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Billy Joe Saunders: I still think Chris Eubank Jr is a 'c***' Billy Joe Saunders celebrates beating Chris Eubank Junior via split decision to retain his British, Commonwealth and European titles . Rivals Eubank Junior (left) and Saunders share a rare moment of respect after finding out the result of their long-awaited fight . Saunders (right) throws a right hand at Eubank Junior (left) during their clash at the ExCeL centre in London . Eubank Junior (right) attempts to land a body shot on Saunders during their 12-round battle on Saturday evening . On my card Saunders battled fairly safely to the finishing line, although the official judges had it close enough to give it to him on a split decision. But some of the closing rounds were a wafer thin call between the skills of Saunders and the charging power of Chris Jnr. Eubank was given something of a boxing lesson in the first six rounds and if he had been given that kind of education before he probably would have caused the upset his famous father expected. As it, he finished this brutal night already the better for the experience and if these two collide again, which they surely will in the future, it could be a different ending. However, Saunders proved his enormous courage in the closing stages to keep the more powerful Eubank just about at bay. It was a magnificent clash of styles between the boxer and the powerful physical specimen. But Eubank will be regretting not going onto the attack earlier. He spent the early rounds partly in posturing mode, trying to lure Saunders onto a one-punch KO but the champion was so accurate with his southpaw jab that he was able to land and nip away on most occasions. And when Eubank came storming after him he still landed sharp punches of his own in contrast to Eubank’s hefty blows. Eubank's arrival was reminiscent of how his father used to come among us – adopting a statuesque pose on the ring apron before vaulting over the ropes. Like Chris Snr was in imposing, muscular condition, while his dad was his familiar immaculate self, in elegantly black to match the boy's trunks. Eubank stood waiting in the corner at the first bell and Saunders obliged by crossing the ring to confront him, landing at once with his southpaw jab and continuing to do so through a lively first opening session in which he caught Eubank with some crisp rights, also . Saunders was resisting the temptation to be drawn into a brawl to Eubank's advantage. He used his more polished skills and again had the better of the more fiery exchanges. They taunted each other after one skirmish and then stood face to face at then of the round, which again went to Saunders. Saunders shouts with delight after being named the winner of Saturday evening's grudge match in east London . Saunders (right) has earned a shot at the WBO world middleweight title next year after his split decision victory . Eubank Junior (left), who came out on top on one judge's scorecard, looks down on Saunders after throwing a left hand . Saunders proudly displays his British, Commonwealth and European title belts inside the ring after retaining them with another victory . Eubank was waiting to land the one big shot he needed to discourage Saunders and reinforce his own confidence – while his father stood erect and watching intently behind his corner. He did connect with a sharp left when they landed simultaneously his punch looked the heavier. But Saunders was unimpressed and went on to extend his early lead. Eubank stood back in attempt to draw Saunders in but the champion bided his time before engaging and his southpaw jab was usually accurate enough to enable him to connect and escape. Eubank's lunges looked raw in comparison with the experienced skills of Saunders and he had still to win a round. The fifth was a messier stanza so not as clear cut. With so few punches landed neither man deserved to win it. At times Eubannk was missing by yards. Saunders tried to embarrass him into advancing by barking 'come on.' Eubank made a gesture in that direction but too often ended up in a wrestling match. Saunders just edges it but the rounds are inching closer. Whenever referee Michael Alexander was able to keep them apart Saunders landed. Eiubank had some success within the spasms of grappling and landed two good lefts to win his first round of what was becoming a very late night. Eubank kept telling his opponent that he was not hurting him and there was no doubting his strength of chin as well as physique. The Eubannk cavalry charges ere beginning to have an effect and he shook Saunders twice at close quarters to close the gap a little further. Eubank Junior (left) attempts to move out of the way of a powerful right hand from Saunders during the early rounds of the fight . Saunders is lifted up onto the shoulders of one of his coaches in triumph after battling his way through 12 gruelling rounds . Saunders (right) uses his quick feet to escape from Eubank Junior's left hook in front of a capacity crowd at the ExCeL centre . Chris Eubank (centre) congratulates Saunders on his victory against his son by shaking his hand after the final bell . It was rough house now but Saunders rediscovered his range with some clever combinations. Even though Eubank shook his man with one pile-driver it was not enough to give him this one. Saunders was boxing his way back into the ascendancy but still knew he was in a fight. Eubank came on strong to land a heavy right but Saunders opened up with lefts and right just before the bell to move within reaching distance of the finishing line. Eubnank was warned for punching low, not for the first time. As they clinched again and again the issue was whether Saunders would weaken in the championship rounds. It was a war of attrition at this stage. Eubank was warned yet again for punching low, then slipped to the canvas as it ended. On my card Eubank needed a knockout. He went for it in massive style and rocked Saunders twice. The effort was taking its toll on Eubank, also. It was an epic climax,with Saunders risking everything by standing his ground instead of keeping out of trouble, But he survived. Both men claimed the victory, with Eubank Snr congratuling his son. He had won the last battle but surely not the war. | Billy Joe Saunders beat Chris Eubank Jnr on points after a pulsating fight in London . Saunders made the faster start and was comfortably in front before Eubank responded . Eubank had the better of the second half and did enough to win it on one judge's card . But Saunders was given the nod and retains his British, Commonwealth and European belts . He also earned a shot at the WBO world title next year with the victory . | 250dd48d75c5a3660297c1067a994f86ba0de64a |
By . Rebecca English Royal Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 10:20 EST, 23 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:21 EST, 23 September 2013 . In just a few days’ time the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be moving into their new home at Kensington Palace following a £1.5 million overhaul. Filled with priceless antiques from the Royal Collection, the elegant 20-room apartment will be the centrepiece of the couple’s new court and a family home for their baby son, Prince George. Decorated in shades of cream and eau du nil, it is said to be the epitome of ‘Style Anglaise’ –encapsulating the classic look of an English country house with a modern twist. And it couldn’t be more of a contrast to the relatively modest four-bedroom farmhouse William and Kate quit on Anglesey earlier this month when the prince left his job as a Search and Rescue pilot. One of Kate's favourite shopping destinations during her three years living on Anglesey was the decidedly unglamorous Homebase DIY store . The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will move into Kensington Palace with baby George in a few days . In fact, the Mail can reveal, one of Kate’s favourite shopping destinations during her three years living on the island was the decidedly unglamorous Homebase DIY store on the Penrhos Industrial Estate in Holyhead. According to staff, the royal would spend up to an hour browsing, particularly in the lighting and bathroom department, and couldn’t resist purchasing a few nick-nacks for her home. Among her purchases was a three-tier chocolate brown ‘faux leather’ letter tray costing £22.99. ‘You’ll never lose a document again’ the store boasts of this ‘polyurethane and MDF’ bargain. Perhaps William and Kate kept treasured pictures on this cork memo board, which she bought for £12.99 . The Duchess snapped up this faux leather magazine file in brown for just £10.99 . This three-tier letter tray, made of faux leather, £22.99, will undoubtedly have been useful for storing Royal correspondence . Kate apparently purchased this 'Love' cushion for £9.99, which the Homebase website says 'features applique stitched detail, and instantly updates any room' The Duchess also bought a matching ‘faux leatherette’ magazine file for just £10.99.She also snapped up a £12.99 cork memo board that is clearly popular amongst Homebase clientele, scoring an impressive four out of five star rating on the firm’s website. It also seems as if the couple ensured they dined royally, using pillar box-red House of Style Colourama Round plate coasters, a snip at £1.49 (a reduction of 50p). The website says helpfully that they will ‘protect your tables as well as adding a splash of colour to the room) The piece de resistance, however, has to be the shop’s red felt cushion with the word ‘Love’ emblazoned on it – which first hit the shelves costing £9.99 but can now be snapped up for just £3.99. Called the Home of Style Love Cushion, it is said to ‘instantly update any room’ – although it is not clear whether that includes one in an historic royal palace. The 20-room Kensington Palace apartment has undergone a £1.5 million overhaul and is said to be decorated in neutral shades and to be filled with priceless antiques from the Royal Collection . Whether any of her Homebase bargains will find their way into the Cambridges’ new home at Kensington Palace remains to be seen (although if they did, the Queen, who has a keen eye for a bargain herself and is a regular user of cheap Tupperware, would be sure to approve). The couple are due to move into Apartment 1A, which once belonged to Princess Margaret, in the next few days. The apartment is actually a spacious four-storey, 20-room property with its own large south-facing walled garden, which takes up half the Clock Tower wing originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary. It boasts generous living space, including five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms, a night and day nursery, staff bedrooms and ‘ancillary’ rooms. The previous resident of the young couple's apartment was Princess Margaret, and her husband, Lord Snowdon . Former residents include Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s daughter, and the late monarch’s grandson, the Marquess of Carisbrooke, followed by, most recently, the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, and her husband, Lord Snowdon. The couple, who moved in following a £1.5 million programme of refurbishment in 1963, famously installed a ‘futuristic’ new kitchen (which has since been ripped out) complete with sleek Formica and teak units. It has been barely touched since the death of the Queen’s sister in 2002, however, and in recent years has been managed by the charity Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which used the apartment as office and exhibition space. As HRP has already spent a substantial amount of its own money on remedial work, the Queen was last year forced to compensate it for handing the building over to William and Kate. This was met by taxpayers and while it has been described by palace sources as ‘fair’, it is believed to be more than £100,000. It has since emerged that a further £1 million-worth of public money has been lavished so far this year on the transforming apartment into a home fit for a future king and queen. While William and Kate are footing the bill for decoration and other ‘soft furnishings’ personally (and it is understood that this will include a state-of-the-art new kitchen) all structural work, rewiring, re-plastering and the installation of new environmentally-friendly heating and hot water systems, is being met by the government. So far the bill is £600,000 and rising, much of which is down to the discovery of potentially lethal asbestos. A further £400,000 of taxpayer funds has also been spent on a new roof. The Duchess, we can also reveal, is being given her pick of priceless antiques from the Royal Collection, one of the largest art collections in the world which is held in trust by the Queen for the nation, with which to furnish her new home. The Collection is comprised of more than a million objects d’art collated by successive kings and queens over the past 500 years. Although it is a charitable institution whose objective is to preserve and display these items in trust for the nation, one of the perks of being a member of the royal family is that they are also permitted to ‘borrow’ items to furnish their private homes. Kate is said to be having great fun in using her history of art degree to pick out some really special pieces – paintings in particular - but also display cases, dining tables and chairs. The Duchess is being given her pick of priceless antiques from the Royal Collection to furnish her new apartment . A palace source argued: ‘It is the same for the Queen and other Members of the Royal Family with regards to both their private residences and their offices. The alternative is [that] everything sits in storage. ‘ . Contrary to reports that she has employed an interior designer, Kate has eschewed offers of professional help and is, it can be revealed, overseeing the work herself with the help of her private office. The Duchess, who has a history of art degree, is said to have ‘a real interest in design’ and has been encouraged by her father-in-law, Prince Charles, to ‘stamp her personality’ on the project, albeit using British-sourced, environmentally-friendly products as much as possible, naturally. She has been seen perusing fabrics in the upmarket Chelsea Design Centre in London but has also been seen shopping in department stores such as Peter Jones and John Lewis. ‘It’s a big task but she’s confident enough to know exactly what she wants and how she wants to do it,’ said a source. Although aides working for the Duke and Duchess admit the works being carried out at Kensington Palace are ‘extensive’, they insist that costs will be kept to a ‘bare minimum’ and maintain much of the outlay will fall to the couple privately. ‘Currently, the apartment is totally uninhabitable without major structural works being carried out and the only public money being used is for remedial work to turn the apartment back into living accommodation,’ said one. ‘The cost of any interior decorating and soft furnishings beyond basic re-plastering and painting and the like will be met by the Royal Family privately. ‘The couple are insistent that any costs to the public must be kept to the bare minimum.’ The spokesman added: ‘It is important to note that the last major works in the apartment took place around the time that Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon moved into the apartment, following their marriage in 1960. ‘ . | Kate loved shopping at Homebase while William was on RAF patrol . The Duchess picked up a faux leather letter rack for £22.99 . She also bought a red 'Love' pillow for just £9.99 . The royal couple has lived on Anglesey for the past three years . They are due to move into Kensington Palace this week with Prince George . Apartment has a night and day nursery, staff rooms and five sitting rooms . | 060d7b4cf23cca26596a73fddf1382d63477ffad |
Travelling Chelsea fans won't find it too hard to pick out their heroes in action next season. Jose Mourinho's side have released their new away kit, an all-yellow tribute to the west London club's history. Until the recent darker efforts, yellow Chelsea away kits were the norm in a tradition dating back to the 1960s. Yellow peril: Brazilian midfielder Oscar should feel right at home in Chelsea's new away kit . Ready to play: The kit harks back to the club's traditional away colour dating back to the 1960s . Close-up: The kit features the Chelsea crest and adidas logo in the west London club's classic royal blue . Throwback: The kit will be seen by the club's fans as return to their more traditional change colour . Stamford Bridge legends like Peter Osgood and Charlie Cooke frequently donned yellow on the fabled FA Cup winning-side of 1970s travels. The colour also cropped up on the 1980s pinstriped kits of Pat Nevin and Kerry Dixon, while younger fans will remember 1990s stars like Gianfranco Zola and Dennis Wise in yellow kits. The move back to yellow will be popular with the club's fanbase, in the last decade only treated to the colour in the kit worn in the 2009 cup final and a controversial flourescent kit in 2007. The kit should also make Chelsea's host of Brazilian stars feel right at home. Midfielders Oscar, Willian and Ramires, as well as David Luiz - all in Luis Felipe Scolari's World Cup squad - give the Stamford Bridge squad a decidedly 'samba' feel. Through the years: Legendary Chelsea strikers Peter Osgood (left) and Kerry Dixon in action in yellow . Icons: Chelsea greats Gianfranco Zola - left in 1997 - and Frank Lampard - in the 2009 FA Cup Final - in yellow . | Yellow Chelsea away kits were the norm until recently . Stamford Bridge side have reverted to tradition with their 2014/2015 jersey . | b4352933617257dbfd9ab21617dc711d484a17a3 |
Tony Fernandes faces legal action by the current 'owners' of Caterham as the Formula One team stand on the brink of going out of business. Caterham were bought from Malaysian entrepreneur Fernandes at the end of June by a consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern businessmen, since when the organisation has been forced to deal with numerous difficulties. Already facing an unlawful dismissal suit by a group of more than 30 staff axed over the summer, on Monday a supply company to the team - Caterham Sports Ltd - was placed in administration. Tony Fernandes, pictured with England manager Roy Hodgson, is facing legal action by Caterham . Crucially, however, the consortium claims AirAsia and QPR owner Fernandes, along with two other former owners of the F1 team, failed to act in good faith with regard to the transfer of shares of ownership. In essence, the consortium has been running Caterham over the course of the last few months without being the legal owners. Given the countless issues, they have now decided to withdraw all management from the team and effectively told Fernandes he is again in charge. Up until Wednesday, Caterham had been preparing as normal for the final three grands prix of the season in the United States, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. But without management, and with Fernandes unlikely to step back in at such short notice, the team face the prospect of their campaign being brought to a premature end, and worse, folding altogether. Caterham are in danger of going out of business after a four-year stay on the Formula One grid . Via a strongly worded statement, the consortium said it is to take all legal recourse against Fernandes and other parties. The statement read: 'On 29 June 2014, Caterham Enterprises Ltd, Caterham (UK) Ltd and Sheikh Mohamed Nasarudin (Seller) and their shareholders Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Bin Meranun entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Engavest SA (Buyer) with regards to 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd/Caterham F1 Team. 'Since the date of the agreement, the seller has refused to comply with its legal obligations to transfer their shares to the buyer. 'The buyer has been left in the invidious position of funding the team without having legal title to the team it had bought. 'This is in total contradiction to the seller's press release of 3 October 2014 which stated that Mr Fernandes and his Caterham Group had no longer any connection with the Caterham F1 team. 'The administrators of Caterham Sports Limited have been appointed on behalf of Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad (Exim), a creditor of Mr Fernandes and the Caterham Group. The buyer has no connection with Exim. 'Caterham Sports Ltd was a supplier company to the Caterham F1 team. Very regrettably, the administrators' appointment has had devastating effects on the F1 team's activities. 'Since their appointment, the administrators have released various press statements which have been severely detrimental to the management of the Caterham F1 team. 'After three months of operating the Caterham F1 Team in good faith, the buyer is now forced to explore all its options including the withdrawal of its management team. 'Lawyers have been instructed by the buyer to bring all necessary claims against all parties, including Mr Fernandes who, as an owner, will run the F1 operation.' Team principal Manfredi Ravetto has confirmed he has been forced to step back from managing the team, as well as insisting Fernandes remains the owner. Fernandes later hinted he had yet to be paid for Caterham by the consortium. After retweeting a question from a follower - 'I wonder what @tonyfernandes has to say.... Could it be he hasn't received payment from the Swiss/Middle Eastern investors? £F1' - he then posted: 'If you buy something you should pay for it. Quite simple.' | Troubled Formula One team stand on the brink of going out of business . Caterham were bought from Fernandes at the end of June by a consortium . But the F1 team claim Fernandes, and two former owners, have failed to act in good faith with regard to the transfer of shares of ownership . They have effectively told Fernandes he is now back in charge of the team . | c0137e1e754611e2b0ce4fa5b97267f1c54685ec |
(CNN) -- The LPGA have confirmed that 25-year-old golfer Erica Blasberg has been found dead. Blasberg has played on the LPGA Tour since 2004, and had recently participated in her first event of 2010 in Mexico where she tied for 44th in the Tres Marias Championship. A native of California, Blasberg turned professional in 2004 and claimed one victory on the Duramed Futures Tour before qualifying for the LPGA Tour in 2005. Blasberg's best performance was in 2008 when she recorded a joint eighth position at the SBS Open in Hawaii -- a career-best -- and claimed over $113,000 prize money. The details of her death are not yet known, according to the LPGA. Blasberg's agent, Chase Callahan of REP 1 Sports Group told the LPGA's official Web site: "We are devastated to learn of the passing of Erica Blasberg. "To most of the world, Erica was known as a professional golfer, but she was more than that. She was a loving daughter to her parents and a compassionate and loyal friend. "Erica had a good heart, was extremely kind and very thankful for what she had in her life. She lived out her dream of playing professional golf on the highest level on the LPGA Tour, allowing her to help inspire others. "We are proud of Erica for everything she accomplished. This is a painful loss, we feel it in our hearts and we will miss her. Erica would want those close to her to celebrate the life she lived. We ask that you keep Erica and her family in your prayers." | LPGA Tour golfer Erica Blasberg has been found dead . 25-year-old Blasberg joined the LPGA Tour in 2005 . Blasberg's agent says he is "devastated" by the news . | a3cdbc7eb9e6b2610d60ad9e56220ef6f3ad60f9 |
By . Pete Jenson . Follow @@petejenson . Manchester United wanted history-making manager Carlo Ancelotti to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson last year, according to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. Speaking on Spanish radio Perez suggested Sir Alex Ferguson only chose David Moyes after Ancelotti told him he was replacing Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. Perez said: 'Ferguson called him (Ancelotti) to be his successor but he told him he had already promised to come here with us.' Wanted man: Manchester United were keen to appoint Carlo Ancelotti as Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement last summer according to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez . Popular: Ancelotti is thrown into the air by his Real players after victory against Atletico Madrid in Lisbon . Claim: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says United wanted Ancelotti ahead of David Moyes last summer . Ancelotti became only the second coach in history to win the Champions League three times on Saturday when he led Real Madrid to victory. Perez also denied he was going to replace Ancelotti if he lost the match. 'At no time was a he on his way out. I would have brought him to the club sooner if I could have.' Decision maker: Perez claims that Sir Alex Ferguson, pictured here with Real's Angel Di Maria, personally called Ancelotti last summer . Flop: United appointed David Moyes last summer but the Scot was sacked in April after a disastrous season . | Ancelotti left Paris Saint-Germain to join Real Madrid last summer . United appointed David Moyes as their new manager but the Scot was sacked in April . Perez claims Sir Alex Ferguson called Ancelotti to offer him the job . The Italian won the Champions League and Copa del Rey in his first season in Spain . | 2506e6ca8bfbf1bade3bccad612b11291874555a |
Poor Hugh Blake. It’s not really his fault; he’s just a young player trying to seize an opportunity, but his name and new status have stirred up a hornet’s nest. National eligibility is back on the agenda again, because it is in disrepute again. A mockery is being made of the spirit and concept of international sport. This column has repeatedly raged at a system which is too easily abused, but nothing has been done so the rage goes on. Hugh Blake in New Zealand colours but Vern Cotter has included him in Scotland's squad . Cotter's decision to include Blake in the Six Nations team has raised some eyebrows . Blake has been picked in Scotland’s Six Nations squad. The Kiwi flanker has Scottish grandparents, so he is a legitimate recruit to the tartan cause – now overseen by another New Zealander, Vern Cotter. But what feels so wrong in the case of this 22-year-old openside is that he has barely stepped off the plane from Auckland and has yet to even play a senior game for Edinburgh. His promotion comes at the expense of two established stalwarts of the pack, Kelly Brown and John Barclay. It invokes grim memories from yester-year of the ‘Kilted Kiwis’ and, in particular, Brendan Laney’s indecently hurried integration into the Scotland squad. He had barely cleared customs, whereas at least Blake has been around for a month or so before earning the country’s call. But the news of his inclusion provoked a social-media storm. Former Scotland captain Andy Nicol tweeted: ‘Can anyone tell me anything about Hugh Blake please? Not played for Edinburgh but picked for Scotland? I thought we had left these days long ago!’ Ex-Scotland Lions prop Peter Wright weighed in with: ‘A real slap in the face for Barclay, Brown and Grant. Who (is) Blake?!!’ Kelly Brown is one of the players to miss out on the Scotland squad while Blake has been included . John Barclay (left) was another who has missed out at the expense of Blake . In a sense, the fact that Blake is an unknown quantity is a red herring. What jars is that he has not served his time in the Scottish system before being earning Test recognition. The same can be said for Gareth Anscombe in Wales, but he has managed to play a handful of matches for the Blues before being picked to represent the land of his mother. Let’s be clear; coaches who work the system and players who chase the international dream far from home are not the ones at fault here. Those who run the game must make it harder to turn the swearing of allegiance to a shirt and a flag into a business decision. The powers-that-be have to defend the concept of nation versus nation, to stop it becoming a soulless contest between scouting networks and recruitment programmes. The way it’s going, why bother having Test rugby at all if it is destined to become a variation on the club game, where overseas players can be lured for the right price and the promise of elite-level exposure. If most teams are eventually multi-national, the whole point of the exercise has been lost. In its true form, international rugby is the pinnacle of the game but it is vital that it retains identity and integrity, even in an era when migration is so prevalent. World Rugby – formerly the IRB – can start with some simple but effective measures. Former Scotland captain Andy Nicol queried the decision by Scotland coach Cotter . The period for residency qualification should be extended from three to five years. In addition, family ties to another country should have residency requirements attached, so having a grandparent from that country reduces the qualification period to three years, and it could go down to one year if the link is provided by a parent. That way, a Blake-type scenario would be averted. A player should spend time – at least a modest amount – in the place that they wish to represent. That would give some credence to their inevitable claims to share the same passion for the country as the people they expect to support them. Wales coach Warren Gatland should be quite relaxed this weekend but his England counterpart, Stuart Lancaster, is likely to spend two tense days hiding behind the sofa, dreading more bad news. The exit from the European Champions Cup by Ospreys and Scarlets will please Warren Gatland . But for England boss Stuart Lancaster, most of his side will be involved in the next games . The demise of the two Welsh sides in the European Champions Cup, the Ospreys and Scarlets – allied to the fact that the Blues and Dragons are in the less-intense Challenge Cup – means that Gatland’s leading men have more chance of emerging unscathed from the pool-stage finale. Some can be rested and certain exiles in France simply won’t be selected, which helps subsequent Test preparations in Cardiff. Lancaster, meanwhile, knows that the vast majority of his squad will be involved in blood-and-thunder, high-stakes encounters. Clermont Auvergne v Saracens stands out, as does Northampton v Racing Metro. Leicester’s trip to Ulster is bound to be explosive, Bath have a win-or-bust revenge mission against Glasgow and Wasps square up to perennial challengers Leinster. Not much scope for taking it easy before the Test business ahead. The threat of further English casualties before their trip to the Welsh capital is worrying high. The vibrant transfer market continues to produce some fascinating moves. Player traffic between the major East Midlands clubs is a rare phenomenon, which makes Jamie Gibson’s decision to join Northampton from arch rivals Leicester so eye-catching. Jamie Gibson (centre) has chosen to leave Leicester and join rivals Northampton . The athletic flanker has been outstanding for the Tigers this season but he has opted to sign for the champions – the bitter enemy – which will be a sore point at Welford Road. It also increases the prospects of the injury-plagued Lion, Tom Croft, earning a new Leicester deal, now that his younger challenger has opted to depart. Gibson can certainly expect a lively reception on and off the field when he returns in Saints colours next season. Meanwhile, London Irish yesterday announced the capture of Lions wing Sean Maitland from Glasgow, while Gavin Henson is destined to join Bristol from neighbours Bath, as first reported by Sportsmail. Gavin Henson is set to depart from Bath and join neighbours Bristol . It won’t be long before Bristol will be able to field an entirely Welsh XV. In fact, they should apply for WRU funding, as an unofficial fifth region… . Yoann Huget has received a warning from EPRC, the governing body for European club rugby, for his shameful dive during Toulouse’s match against Bath last weekend. For those who missed it, a mild shove to the chest prompted the France wing to slump to the ground in theatrical fashion and lie there clutching his face. It was an appalling attempt to trick referee George Clancy into awarding his struggling team a penalty and was rightly ignored. Huget later apologised but, as previously highlighted by this column, the spectre of so-called ‘simulation’ continues to creep into rugby and must be stamped out with gusto. Yoann Huget (second left) goes down holding his face despite being pushed in the chest . Encouragingly, the RPA responded by acknowledging the growing trend for ‘play- acting’, with chairman Christian Day saying: ‘What we don’t want is a player to go down clutching his face, and a player to be sent off only for the replay to show he was play-acting. That’s when rugby’s reputation will go out the window.’ If the players’ own union is so alert to the danger, there is every hope it can be repelled. Last Word – The continuing saga of Manu Tuilagi’s blighted quest for fitness is becoming a concern and is having a major impact on the outlook for his club and his country. Leicester and England need their midfield wrecking ball. Without him, neither side are as effective. Such is the scale of Tuilagi’s attacking influence that he spooked the All Blacks as well as running through them at will when England crushed the world champions in December 2012. Manu Tuilagi's continued struggle for fitness is a problem for England and himself . That was the last time he played an autumn Test; he has missed the last two campaigns and now it has emerged that he may miss a second successive Six Nations due to a persisting groin problem. His last championship start was against Wales in Cardiff in March 2013 and months later another injury limited his contribution to the Lions’ cause. England had hoped to build their back line around the Anglo-Samoan force of nature, but that vision is proving sadly elusive. Tuilagi still has rough edges, but he breaks defences as few can. | Hugh Blake qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents . He has signed for Edinburgh but has not even played for them yet . Jamie Gibson's switch from Leicester to Northampton is intriguing . England's Manu Tuilagi continues to struggle to overcome a groin injury . | 650d357585a764a2b1ca3c08cb518ef29345237a |
A Missouri man and 'spiritual leader' of an alleged cult denies killing his wife on an upcoming episode of CBS's '48 Hours.' In CBS's '48 Hours: Fall From Grace,' television news reporter Troy Roberts investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Bethany Deaton, 27, who was reportedly involved in an alleged religious cult. It has been more than two years since the body of 27-year-old Deaton was found in the backseat of a minivan with a plastic bag over her head and a goodbye note in Longview Lake. Denied: Tyler Deaton (right), the leader of an alleged cult, denies killing his 27-year-old wife, Bethany (left), in an upcoming episode of CBS's '48 Hours' as her death has remained a mystery for more than two years. But the circumstances surrounding the woman's death remain a mystery. In an upcoming episode of '48 Hours' -- airing Saturday -- Roberts aims to determine whether an alleged religious cult was responsible for the young woman's death. Deaton, who wed the alleged cult's leader Tyler Deaton just two months earlier, was found with prescription sleeping pills in reach that night in October 2012, and the medical examiner declared her death a suicide. Body: Thee body of 27-year-old Bethany was found in the backseat of a minivan with a plastic bag over her head and a goodbye note in Longview Lake . 'Murderous:' Tyler admitted that his relationship with his wife was strained and let out a laugh before denying being 'murderous' A little more than a week later, Bethany's friend Micah Moore, also a member of the alleged cult, confessed to her murder, claiming Tyler ordered him to do it. Details about the alleged cult surfaced, and Tyler was reported to have been the ringleader. CBS reports that Tyler told members of the alleged cult, also known as 'Community,' what to wear, when to eat, and even controlled romantic relationships among the group. 'They did as they were told. They didn't make decisions on their own,' Penny Cole, a detective with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, said. Ringleader: Details about the alleged cult surfaced, and Tyler (center) was reported to have been the ringleader, ordering the members into sexual relationships with himself and one another . Assault: A member of the alleged cult Micah Moore reportedly told a detective that he and several men in the house had been sexually assaulting Bethany and were afraid she might tell someone about it . More secrets began to spill out in the case as it was revealed that the Community members were in sexual relationships with one another, including Tyler with other men, Rolling Stone reports. Moore reportedly told a detective that he and several men in the house had been sexually assaulting Bethany and were afraid she might tell someone about it. A murder charge against Moore was recently dismissed, but investigators became suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the newly-wed's death. '[Bethany] was a nurse and pretty successful,' Susan Zirinsky, '48 Hours' executive producer, told CBS. 'The drugs she took were an over-the-counter sleeping medication. She's a nurse, she has access to all kinds of narcotics.' Suspicious: A murder charge against Moore was recently dismissed, but investigators became suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the newly-wed's death . Suicide: Bethany, who wed Tyler just two months earlier, was found with prescription sleeping pills in reach that night in October 2012, and the medical examiner declared her death a suicide . Zirinsky also noted that Bethany's eyes were open when police found her body, which is unlikely in an overdose situation, and authorities say that she had been writing 'thank you' notes to her wedding guests at the time of her death. In the show's preview, Roberts asked Tyler if he believed the group he led was a cult, he said no and claimed that no one with the 'qualifications' to make that statement have done so. 'My gift, and something that is also a curse, I can be electric and magnetic.' Tyler said. 'I can affect people.' Tyler admitted that his relationship with his wife was strained and let out a laugh before denying being 'murderous.' CBS's '48 Hours: Fall From Grace' airs Saturday at 10pm ET/PT on CBS. | Tyler Deaton, an alleged cult leader, said on an episode of CBS's '48 Hours' that he did not kill his wife, 27-year-old Bethany Deaton . Bethany was found in the backseat of a minivan with a plastic bag over her head and prescription pills in reach . Tyler: 'Bethany and I's relationship was definitely strained, but just because it was strained doesn't mean I was murderous' | c0e638fa71e8f1fbb9cf3b20b68ae865d00483d6 |
The body of a hot-air balloonist who saved the lives . of five skydivers before his balloon went down in a thunderstorm was found today in dense woodland. A search team in a helicopter spotted the balloon before crew on the ground discovered the body of 63-year-old Edward Ristaino. Mr Ristaino had been taking five . skydivers into the air during a festival in Fitzgerald, Georgia, when . stormy weather swiftly moved in. Missing: Ho-air balloonist Edward Ristaino saved the lives of five skydivers before his balloon went down in a thunderstorm in south Georgia on Friday . The balloon was found about seven to eight miles east of Fitzgerald, according to Ben Hill County Sheriff Bobby McLemore. It was draped over the basket containing Mr Ristaino's body in a heavily wooded area. A fast-developing thunderstorm sucked in Mr Ristaino's balloon while he was ferrying skydivers on Friday, then sent the craft plummeting toward the ground. The skydivers parachuted to safety and landed without injury. Authorities had used helicopters, airplanes, horses and all-terrain vehicles to search the woods in south Georgia for the 63-year-old. Two of the skydivers said he had kept them safe by spotting a field where they could safely parachute and telling them to jump as the storm approached. Search: Rescue workers coordinate looking for Mr Ristaino in thick Georgia woodland . Skydiver Dan Eaton said: 'If we would have left a minute later, we would have been sucked into the storm.' He added that Mr Ristaino's choice to embark on the trip was not reckless. The team took off into a blue sky from the festival. From the air, they could see only a fog-like haze that later turned into a fierce thunderstorm. Strong winds forced the balloon up to . about 18,000ft before it collapsed in a downdraft and plummeted to the . ground at about 2,000ft per minute, police said. The storm 'came out of nowhere,' said fellow skydiver Jessica Wesnofske. Mr Ristaino, from Cornelius, North Carolina, managed to direct the balloon over a field and then told the skydivers to jump before it crashed. The hot-air balloonist, who had 15 years experience and founded the Lake Norman Balloon Co, had no parachute. Discovery: A helicopter crew spotted Mr Ristaino's balloon in dense woodland today . Experienced: Mr Ristaino's balloon Norman The Sea Serpent, pictured at the 2005 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta . Miss Wesnofske's father Brian, 55, was also one of the skydivers who parachuted to safety. He said that when they launched the balloon at 6pm on Friday the weather was perfect. Mr Ristaino noticed a haze the distance as the balloon reached about 4,500ft but it was impossible to tell it was a storm until it was too late, Mr Wesnofske said. Sheriff McLemore said Mr Ristaino was reading off the altitude readings as he fell, in what authorities believe was an attempt to help pinpoint a search effort. He said: 'Mr Ristaino had just made the statement that "I'm at 2,000ft and I see trees" and that was his last transmission.' Erin Daly, whose brother was one of the skydivers, called Mr Ristaino a hero who saved five lives. | Edward Ristaino, 63, hailed as a hero for helping parachutists escape storm . Winds forced balloon up to 18,000ft before it plummeted to ground at 2,000ft per minute . Mr Ristaino was the only one without a parachute . | 8eba94f6e82b3222f7359cabd32c51b591b279cb |
The first portraits created from 3D scans of a sitting president are going on display at the Smithsonian. Digital imaging specialists at the Smithsonian created a 3D printed bust and life mask of President Barack Obama this year. The portraits were first shown at the White House during a gathering of inventors, entrepreneurs and students. First ever: A 3D printed bust of President Obama went on display at the Smithsonian Castle, along with life masks that were also printed in plastic . Life masks: The president's life mask, here with masks made of President Lincoln (left and center) and his bust are made out of thousands of layers of plastic melted together using lasers . The portraits went on display Tuesday at the Smithsonian Castle. They will be on view through December. The president's face was scanned by experts from the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. The photo shoot included 50 custom-built LED lights, eight sports photography cameras and six wide angle cameras to gather the data needed for the 3D image of President Obama. The Smithsonian team then used handheld 3-D scanners and traditional single-lens reflex cameras to record peripheral 3-D data to create an accurate bust. The bust was 3D printed using a laser to melt plastic together in 5,000 layers. It took 40 hours to print, and because it's plastic, the material will be durable over time, said image specialist Adam Metallo. High tech: The photo shoot (pictured) included 50 custom-built LED lights, eight sports photography cameras and six wide angle cameras to gather the data needed for the 3D image of President Obama . Scanners: The actual scanning took about 5 minutes. The result was a 3D scan of the president at a higher resolution that is currently possible to print in 3D . Lifelike masks are nothing new, of course, though the technology is. Plaster masks were created of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's faces during their lives, and they are kept in the Smithsonian collection. 'We were really inspired by our experience with the Lincoln life masks,' said Gunter Waibel, director of the Smithsonian's digitization program. The group has made 3D scans and prints to replicate the original Lincoln masks from early and late in the Civil War. They have proven especially popular with school groups using the Smithsonian's 3D scans. 'There's a very, very deep connection that gets made when you have accurate data of a person's face and that person was a part of history,' Waibel said. 'People really felt the Lincoln life masks deeply spoke to them and connected them to a place, a time, a life and ultimately a legacy of the 14th president.' The group has made 3D scans and prints to replicate original plaster-cast Lincoln masks from early and late in the Civil War. They have proven especially popular with school groups using the Smithsonian's 3D scans. The portraits went on display Tuesday at the Smithsonian Castle. They will be on view through December . But past presidential masks were created through plaster casting that required a president to sit with plaster on his face, breathing through straws stuck in his nose. So the Smithsonian set out to update that process with 21st century technology to make it fast and easy. The team proposed a scan of Obama in 2013, and the White House agreed. Obama joined them for about 15 minutes in the White House. The actual scanning took about 5 minutes. The result was a 3D scan of the president at a higher resolution that is currently possible to print in 3D. 'You can see down to the wrinkles in the skin and the pores on his face,' said Vince Rossi, a 3D imaging specialist. For centuries, artists have used the latest technology to create imagery of leaders, whether it was busts chiseled out of marble, paintings or photographs. 'We think we've really added a new genre to portraiture,' Waibel said. 'It will be fascinating to see how that will be picked up and how down the line other administrations will also use that particular tool.' Ultra-realistic: The plastic material makes the portraits very durable and also ultra-realistic. The president's face was scanned and replicated down to the tiniest wrinkles . | Digital imaging specialists at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington created a 3D bust and life mask of President Barack Obama this year . The photo shoot included 50 custom-built LED lights, eight sports photography cameras and six wide angle cameras . The bust was printed using a laser to melt together 5,000 layers of plastic -- a process that took 40 hours . | 78099448d057b4289c423d1a16222987e1d6e351 |
By . Joshua Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 16:16 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:40 EST, 16 May 2013 . Chances are good there’s poop in your pool. A study from the Centers for Disease Control was recently released and shows that over half of public pools are swimming with fecal matter. After testing 161 public pools in the Atlanta, Georgia area in the summer of 2012, the study found that 58 percent contained genetic material from the Escherichia coli. Murky issue: The CDC says over 50 percent of public pools are likely contaminated with fecal matter . It’s a bacteria most people know as E. coli. And what does E. coli mean? You guessed it! It means poo. The study, undertaken by the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program, indicated that ‘Escherichia coli, a fecal indicator, was detected in 93 (58 percent) samples; detection signifies that swimmers introduced fecal material into pool water.’ You read right. Not only is your pool just a giant toilet, but it’s all your fault and you might not even know you’re doing it. Divey: The study of 161 public pools in Atlanta, Georgia showed that 58 percent contained e. coli bacteria, a 'fecal indicator' likely introduced by swimmers who don't shower first . The CDC wrote that ‘formed fecal incidents,’ as it calls them, aren’t the problem. Instead, the e. coli is introduced from the nether regions of swimmers who neglect to shower before taking a dip. ‘The average person has about .14 grams of feces on their rear end,’ Michele Hlavsa, who led the study, told NBC. ‘If that rinses off into the water, the amount from one person might not be that much. But as more and more swimmers introduce it that much, it does become an issue.’ Hlavsa all that introduced material can really pile up. ‘Let’s imagine 1,000 kids go to a water park. They have as much as 10 grams of feces on their rear ends,’ she said. ‘We are now talking about 10,000 grams or 10 kg. That translates to 24 pounds of poop in the water.’ And though all public pools must . maintain specified levels of disinfectants in order to stem illnesses . caused by such contamination, Hlavsa said it may not always be enough. Pile up: 'Let's imagine 1,000 kids go to a water park. They have as much as 10 grams of feces on their rear ends. That translates to 24 pounds of poop in the water,' says the CDC's Michele Hlavsa . ‘Chlorine and other disinfectants don’t kill germs instantly,’ said Hlavsa said, adding that proper hygiene is the only to prevent the fecal contamination of pools. Hlavsa says between 20 and 80 outbreaks of disease caused by swimming pools are reported each year. In addition to the ‘fecal indicator’ bacteria, many of the pools in the study also tested positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosabacteria, a bacteria capable of giving swimmers rashes and ear infections. The study said it was unclear if the Pseudomonas aeruginosabacteria came from people or if it was introduced to the pools from the surrounding environment. It was found in 59 percent of the tested pools. Hlavsa doesn’t want to dissuade anyone from swimming. She calls it an excellent form of exercise. One she even says she’ll be doing as soon as the weather permits in Atlanta. Nonetheless, she took a hard line on the issue. ‘It is time to stop treating the swimming pool as a toilet,’ Hlavsa said. ‘Nowhere else except for the pool is it acceptable to poop in public or pee in public. In other places if we did this in public, we’d be arrested.’ Steaming mad: 'It is time to stop treating the swimming pool as a toilet,' says CDC's Michele Hlavsa . | E. coli bacteria found in 58 percent of public swimming pools . The Centers for Disease Control tested 161 pools in the Atlanta, Georgia area in the summer of 2012 . | 41da107e7dc77bf3b083e139087c882499494531 |
(WIRED) -- Blockbuster videogame heroes have tamed the Wild West, repelled alien invasions and driven the Nazis from Normandy. But can they fight off "Angry Birds"? The popular mobile app hit 50 million downloads last year, and the iPad version made waves last week at the DICE Summit here when it was nominated for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' prestigious Game of the Year award. "Angry Birds" didn't win -- that honor went to "Mass Effect 2" -- but it was the first time a smartphone game had broken free of the Best Mobile Game ghetto and moved up into the big leagues. With a reported development cost of about $150,000, the addictive fowl-flinging game is racking up ungodly profits. Ironically, it's quite likely that a great portion of those dollars are coming not from your mom and other casual gamers but from hard-core players more likely to get deep into Halo than to spend a few minutes with an iPhone time-waster. At the annual confab of game executives, eye-opening stats outlined the evolving habits of hard-core gamers, who are spending a surprising amount of time playing games on smartphones and tablets. WIRED: Videogames need auteurs, but good luck finding them . Anita Frazier, an analyst with the NPD Group, said game console owners spend more time playing mobile games than do those in the general population. And 38 percent of people who play social networking games like "FarmVille" are "established console gamers," she said. "Is there anybody in this room who really thought they would have been spending a lot of time playing social network games?" Frazier asked the audience. The surprising popularity of casual games among even the hardest of the hard-core foreshadows a sea change for an industry that over the years has grown to resemble Hollywood, complete with star directors, creaking franchises and budgets that dwarf the annual operating costs of a small city. As indie and casual titles lure gamers away from powerful consoles, some big gamemakers are scrambling to imitate the success of Facebook and iPhone games. EA Sports boss Peter Moore's assertion that the gaming industry is "standing on a burning oil platform" kept coming up at DICE. The metaphor is clear: Stand still and it's certain death; jump into the chilly waters and you just might live. Everyone seems to agree that it's time to jump. But nobody quite knows what direction to swim. "I think it's going to be crazy in the next few years," said BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka in his DICE keynote. "A lot of existing [industry] players are going to have to adapt in order to survive and to thrive." The social blockbuster . Travis Boatman, vice president of Electronic Arts' mobile business, said that contrary to the popular belief that mobile games are played in brief bursts while on the go, about half of all mobile game time is spent at home. By porting hard-core titles like survival-horror game "Dead Space" to iOS, EA is pursuing Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners who would rather sit on their couch and play with their iPads instead. "I don't think it's all about us quitting our jobs and making 'Angry Birds' and 'FarmVille' clones," said Jade Raymond, managing director of Ubisoft Toronto and producer of "Assassin's Creed," in an interview with Wired.com. Raymond, who referenced Moore's dire predictions in her own DICE speech, said she wants any new gaming franchise created by her company to include robust social features that connect gamers with friends. WIRED: When game developers go Indie, everybody wins . Games shouldn't be the water-cooler discussion topic but the water cooler itself, the hub around which socialization occurs, she said. That's already the case with "FarmVille," but not with the type of $60 Blu-ray games that directors like Raymond create. She pointed to rival Activision's "Call of Duty: Black Ops," which allows players to bet in-game currency on the outcomes of online matches, as an interesting example of how to build a better blockbuster. "The whole wager system ... adds a whole new dimension to multiplayer gameplay," she said. Both Ubisoft and Electronic Arts have made efforts at pushing their big game franchises onto Facebook, hoping that snagging social gamers and getting them interested in the series will get them to spend big bucks on the blockbusters. Ubisoft rolled out a Facebook game for "Assassin's Creed," while EA crafted a social game based on its upcoming role-playing game "Dragon Age II." Besides mixing social features into big games, publishers are likely to pursue core gamers who'd rather play on mobile devices. EA's Boatman says the success of complex iPad games like "Dead Space" and Epic's "Infinity Blade" show that many traditional gamers are getting sucked in by robust, console-style content sold at a cheaper price on mobile platforms. End of the cycle . With "Assassin's Creed," Ubisoft's Raymond oversaw the launch of the biggest new game franchise of the era, one that has sold 19 million copies since 2007. But she's conscious of the fact that the game market is getting squeezed at the top. "To be one of those big blockbusters that's really profitable is very hard," she said. "You have to be in the top five." WIRED: Farm wars -- how Facebook games harvest big bucks . Not the best odds. Raymond's plan to integrate social features into her games a la "Call of Duty" seems to be a push to get into that top tier again. But for all but the biggest publishers, the top may not be worth shooting for anymore. Mark Cerny, a game design consultant and creator of classics like "Marble Madness" and "Crash Bandicoot," said in his DICE speech that the future of $50 million blockbuster games is "looking a little shaky." If Raymond's math is right, Cerny is understating the situation. "There aren't many of these high-budget games," he said. Only about 60 games sold more than 1 million units last year, according to Cerny, and a game produced on a relatively thrifty $20 million budget has a much better chance of being profitable in that environment. But he's not sure publishers can staunch the spending spree. "There's no intrinsic value to a $50 million game," Cerny said. He likened the situation to Hollywood, where the cost of making summer tent-pole films has spiraled upward in the last decade. "Waterworld" was widely mocked for its $175 million budget in 1995, but that kind of money is routinely spent on big films today. The trouble, Cerny said, is that the games industry has learned how to spend big gobs of money just like those movie moguls. "In 1994, if someone had given me $20 million, I would have had no idea how to spend it," he said, but game teams have become bloated with superspecialized jobs these days. To pare these groups back to only the essential members would be a daunting task, he said, but there's a silver lining: The rapid advance of game console technology seems to have slowed down. New game machines won't materialize for a while, and anything that comes out probably won't be as radical a leap in power as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were over the previous generation of consoles. "We can take time now to learn our craft," said Cerny. "To learn what is important to spend money on, and what isn't." Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com. | With a reported development cost of $150,000, "Angry Birds" racking up big profits . Hard-core gamers spending surprising amount of time playing mobile games . Games industry has learned how to spend big gobs of money just like movie moguls . | 3f9c584a75e937b3a68f9c7b61987722cd1e9ece |
By . Daily Mail Reporters . A man suspected of murdering his six-year-old step-cousin has claimed that she seduced him before he raped her and stabbed her to death, police have said. Matthew Flugence, 20, allegedly told a detective that little Ahlittia North put a blanket on the ground behind an apartment block in Harvey, Louisiana before telling him she wanted to have sex. 'In his words, the little girl, she wanted to have sex with him,' Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Detective Travis Eserman during a preliminary examination, the Times-Picayune reported. Flugence allegedly admitted to having sex with the girl on July 14 before stabbing her four times - in the abdomen and the neck - and then watching her fall back to the blanket, Eserman said. Scroll down for video . 'Confession': Matthew Flugence, left, said he was seduced by six-year-old Ahlittia North, right, before he stabbed her to death in Harvey, Louisiana in July. The girl's body was found two days later in a dumpster . 'He said he just watched her die,' Eserman testified in the hearing on Wednesday. After the alleged grisly killing, detectives said Flugence, who is the nephew of Ahlittia's step-father, carried on with his day, even attending a family birthday party. The little girl was reported missing when her mother Lisa North, 20, and stepfather Albert Hill, 46, . discovered she had vanished from her bedroom in Harvey. Three days later, her body was found wrapped in a blanket inside a garbage bag and dumped in a trashcan that was left out on the curb near to where she lived. Discovery: The girl's stabbed body was found three days later in a dumpster in the street near her home . Devastation: Lisa North, mother of the missing six-year-old girl, weeps after the body was found in July . The trashcan had previously been checked and nothing was found inside, but it was searched again after DNA tests showed that a pool of blood found nearby was that of the missing girl. Arrest: His brother Russell Flugence, pictured, said Matthew told him he had killed the girl . Flugence was arrested carrying a knife that he said he had used to kill the girl. Tests are still underway to determine if it was the murder weapon. Authorities noted issues with his four recorded statements; police told him there were bullet casings near her body and he claimed he shot the girl, but there were no gunshot wounds to her body. 'In his first statement, he says he shot . her,' Eserman testified. 'Then he goes into, "I don't know how she was . hurt. There was just blood".' Likewise, despite his claim that he had sex with the girl, an autopsy showed no evidence of sexual activity, the Times-Picayune reported. He also called the weapon both a pocket knife and a sword, police said. It is not yet clear whether defense attorneys will seek a mental evaluation for Flugence in a bid to avoid a death sentence. Evidence, including the knife and the blanket, is still being processd at the Sheriff's Office Crime Lab. After hearing the testimony, a judge ruled that Flugence should continue to be held on a charge of first-degree murder without bond. Missed: The girl's step-father is Flugence's uncle. He had looked after her several times before her death . Loved: A young neighbor places a toy at a memorial for Ahlittia outside her home in July . He also faces charges of sexual battery after allegedly sexually touching a 10-year-old relative in April or May of 2012. The girl revealed the incident the day Ahlittia was killed. Flugence's brother, Russell Flugence, 21, was also charged with failing to report a felony after he claimed that his brother told him he killed Ahlittia. He has pleaded not guilty. After her body was discovered in July, Ms . North told the Times-Picayune: 'They could have brought her back home, but they killed her and put her in a trash can.' | Matthew Flugence 'told police he raped Ahlittia North after she put down a blanket and said she wanted to have sex with him' He 'stabbed her and watched her die before going to a party' Her body was found in a dumpster on her street on July 16 . Flugence has given police conflicting statements about the murder weapon and the alleged rape - an autopsy did not reveal any sexual activity . | 82bcfb31330c2de92f7536d0216219e9b64c3b61 |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers broke out Monday, a day after Israel announced it would include two West Bank religious shrines as part of a larger list of 150 Zionist heritage sites. About 100 protesters were throwing stones and burning tires in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Israeli military said. Palestinian eyewitnesses reported that several protesters had been injured by tear gas and rubber bullets. The clashes come in the wake of a special Sunday Cabinet meeting held at one of the "national heritage" sites where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined a plan to invest more than $100 million on national heritage infrastructure. "People must be familiar with their homeland and its cultural and historical vistas," he said. "This is what we will instill in this and coming generations, to the glory -- if I may say -- of the Jewish people." Included in the list of sites are Rachel's Tomb in Palestinian city of Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the city of Hebron. A top United Nations official said the inclusion of sites in the West Bank raised concerns because they were "in occupied Palestinian territory." The Tomb of the Patriarchs -- known to Palestinians as Ibrahimi mosque -- is in Hebron, a West Bank city that houses about 500 Jews heavily guarded by Israeli soldiers, who live among about 170,000 Palestinians. The tomb is revered by Jews and Muslims as holy and has been a point of frequent conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians for years. In 1994, an Israeli settler entered the tomb and opened fire on the Muslim worshippers, killing 29 before he was beaten to death. Rachel's Tomb is known to Palestinians as the mosque of Bilal. The Palestinian reaction after the announcement was fast and furious. A statement by the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, the political faction in charge of the Palestinian Authority, called the Israeli plan a move to "consolidate the occupation" and an effort at "judaizing" Palestinian land. Dr. Hamdan Taha, an official at the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Tourism, said the the two sites were "an integral part of Palestinian culture" and that if the Israeli government persisted in its efforts, "Palestinians will feel free to nominate sites inside the green line in their heritage list." Green line refers to the border before Israel occupied the West Bank. Nationalist and right wing parties in Israel praised the government move and called for the inclusion of more West Bank locations to the list of heritage sites. Robert H. Serry, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, also expressed concern. "These sites are in occupied Palestinian territory and are of historical and religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam, and to Christianity as well," he said in a statement. "I urge Israel not to take any steps on the ground which undermine trust or could prejudice negotiations, the resumption of which should be the highest shared priority of all who seek peace." Nationalist and right-wing parties in Israel praised the government move and called for the inclusion of more West Bank locations to the list of heritage sites. Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said no one could deny that the two West Bank locations were of historical and religious significance to the Jews. He said the danger of their inclusion on a list of sites to the peace process was overstated. | Sites include Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron . Tomb of the Patriarchs is known to Palestinians as Ibrahimi mosque . Tomb revered by Jews and Muslims as holy and has been a point of frequent conflict . Rachel's Tomb is known to Palestinians as the mosque of Bilal . | 716abfea41c0f961374072ca47a16b5a69b0a385 |
He might be a monkey, but Dr Dolittle star Wilson is clearly used to getting his own way. When KHOU-TV host Deborah Duncan teased the hungry primate with a grape on live television - holding it out and pulling it back briefly - he wasn't impressed. After snatching the fruit from her hands, the capuchin monkey slapped Duncan across the face. 'I think you just got told by a monkey,' Wilson's keeper joked, wagging his finger at Duncan. Scroll down for video . Loving eyes: It was initially all fun and games when KHOU'S Deborah Duncan invited capuchin monkey Wilson onto her program Great Day Houston on Friday - before things turned . 'Look what I got, it's a grape': TV host Deborah Duncan thought it was a good idea to tease monkey Wilson with a grape on live television . As her news team laughed in the background, a surprised Duncan apologized to Wilson. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tease you,' Duncan said, laughing as she put her hand to her forehead. Duncan was hosting a live interview with Wilson and a Staples Safari Zoo representative for her 'Great Day Houston' program on Friday when she was slapped. She said Wilson had been on the show before. Cheeky monkey! KHOU TV host Deborah Duncan was shocked when Wilson slapped her face after she teased him with a grape on her Great Day Houston program . Ouch! Host Deborah Duncan was shocked her furry friend attacked her, but admitted she provoked him . Fair game: The monkey's keeper told Deborah Duncan that 'she just got told by a monkey' after Wilson slapped her . | 'Great Day Houston' host Deborah Duncan withheld a grape from Wilson . He took it back, then slapped her face as payback . The capuchin monkey has starred in 'Dr Dolittle' | cc4cb8f84aab34bc169bc4db45b51d3c453caebb |
By . Jason Groves . PUBLISHED: . 06:18 EST, 5 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:31 EST, 5 March 2013 . David Cameron is being urged to undergo anti-sexism training to help boost the number of women in Government. Tory MP Therese Coffey revealed she is encouraging the Prime Minister to undergo so-called ‘unconscious bias’ training in a bid to help make both the Government and the Conservative Party more diverse. Mr Cameron has been accused of displaying schoolboy sexism towards female MPs in the Commons – once telling shadow Treasury chief secretary Angela Eagle to ‘calm down dear’, and, on another occasion, joking that maverick Tory Nadine Dorries was ‘extremely frustrated’. David Cameron was criticised after telling Labour MP Angela Eagle to 'calm down dear' during Prime Minister's Questions in April 2011 . He has also made little progress towards meeting his pledge of ensuring that one-third of his ministers are women by the end of the Parliament. Unconscious bias training is increasingly used by major corporations to help executives overcome the innate prejudices that mean they often overlook promising women and candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds. Miss Coffey, Parliamentary aide to the Business Minister Michael Fallon, said the issue had been discussed by the Conservative Women’s Forum as a way of helping talented women get on in the party. She said she would be presenting Mr Cameron with a report on unconscious bias later this month and urging him to introduce training to tackle it throughout the Conservative Party. Tory MP Therese Coffey said the Tories needed to tackle complaints that middle class white men are more likely to get a safe seat . Miss Coffey said it could help tackle complaints that middle class white men are more likely to get a safe seat, and more likely to get a job in Government. ‘I think it would be useful for the Conservative Party to select our candidates,’ she said. ‘I think the Prime Minister would be open to it. He went out of his way in our candidate selection process to put into place certain things. ‘From my perspective that would be about finding the best process to make sure that people of all talents get to the top. ‘A lot of people dismiss unconscious bias training as mumbo jumbo but more and more companies in the FTSE 100 are starting to use it. ‘It’s designed to tackle the innate prejudices in all of us that mean people often recruit people like themselves and help explain why here are many more white men at the top of our companies.’ Asked whether Mr Cameron should undergo the training himself, Miss Coffey replied: ‘I don’t see why not.’ Recent polls suggest David Cameron has lost his appeal to women voters following a series of measures perceived as anti-women. He has presided over a highly controversial cut to child benefit for better-off families, the impact of which will be felt directly by women. Flagship plans to reform childcare provision and funding have become mired in Whitehall infighting. Unconscious bias training has become commonplace in the corporate world and is spreading to this country. Accountancy giant PwC recently made the training compulsory for all staff as part of a drive to improve diversity at the top. Executives are taught to try to analyse their innate prejudices and set them aside. | Conservative backbencher Therese Coffey says Prime Minister needs 'unconscious bias' training . Cameron has been criticised for 'calm down dear' jibes at female MPs . Tory strategists admit they need to win over women voters . | 8d888217ad17c77c64e39d3d5179e4db4f7095e9 |
(CNN) -- The votes are in, the numbers tallied and icon can now reveal that Santiago Sierra is the artist you find most controversial. The Spanish artist's unapologetic art frequently scandalizes audiences, with some of his more controversial works including the transformation a former synagogue in Germany into a gas chamber. In second place you picked dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, famous for destroying historic Chinese urns and coming in at number three was American artist Jeff Koons. Also making the top five were Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic and Richard Prince, best known for his provocative image of a 10-year-old Brooke Shields. Last month, CNN's arts and culture program, icon, asked you to vote for your top five controversial artists. This month, we want to know your thoughts on the greatest dancers of the past century. Our top 20 list features prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, Hollywood star Fred Astaire and Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta. We'll reveal your top five on January 27 when the next show airs. | Santiago Sierra is your number one choice of controversial artists . Also in the top five were Ai Weiwei and Jeff Koons . This month, vote for your five favorite dancers of the 20th century . | 71919e0dfa25ec870d8aae8d0466ac85d497459c |
By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 1:00 PM on 20th October 2011 . Chicago is today being battered by winds up to 60mph as 25ft waves crash against the shore. The southern section of Lake Michigan has seen the huge waves hit with mighty wind gusts, prompting shore line warnings in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Warnings for storm-forced winds extended to parts of Lake Huron into this morning with forecasts for a lower impact up into Lake Superior. Braving the storm: Sand from Montrose Beach whips past Vincent Lagrone as he walks along the lakefront on Wednesday in Chicago, Illinois . Making a splash: Waves crash along the bike path wall at Chicago's North Avenue beach as wind gusts of up to 60mph and waves up to 25ft hit the city . Having fun: Steve Cavill windsurfs along Montrose Beach on Wednesday in Chicago, Illinois, as a high wind warning was issued for the city . Gale force winds of up to 45mph were already pushing waves of up to 10ft onto the shore in Chicago on Wednesday, forcing the park district to close part of a lake front jogging and cycling path. Conditions like these are seen typically about twice a year and the forecasts for winds, waves and flooding are similar to a storm that struck in late September, meteorologist Mike Bardou said. The large waves are expected to fall to 15ft later on Thursday afternoon, but result in flooding of some areas - and it could well be worse than in September's storm, reported the Weather Channel. Residents close to Lake Michigan have been told to expect damaged power lines and fallen trees, and advised to secure items such as windows that could be broken by high winds. Bracing: A man walks by the Lake Michigan near Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday. A high wind warning was in effect for the Chicago area from 3pm on Wednesday afternoon to 10am Thursday morning . Big storm: A woman walks by the Lake Michigan near Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday . On Wednesday, waves on the southern part of Lake Michigan were expected to reach up to 18ft in the afternoon and build into the evening. Winds could have even reached up to 65 mph. The weather service issued a gale warning for the southern half of Lake Huron on Wednesday, expanding to a warning for storm-level wind gusts possible as far north as Presque Isle, Michigan. Photos showed some locals braving the conditions on Wednesday by walking near lakefront areas. The temperature is expected to reach around 50F on Thursday. Power company Commonwealth Edison told the Chicago Tribune that at the latest count only 3,100 customers across its network were without power, down from 8,300 just five hours before. | Southern section of Lake Michigan saw huge waves hit with strong winds . Storm weather warnings extended into Lake Huron and Lake Superior . Meteorologists says these conditions typically seen twice a year . | babf6da57e7a22eb2038d77a0afc75b2d0ff012c |
Dangerous teeth-whitening products are being sold to unsuspecting customers on the internet. The scale of the problem was laid bare last night when Trading Standards officers revealed they seized illegal whitening kits worth more than £500,000 from a house in London. The medical-grade treatments are being sold with nearly 60 times the legal level of bleaching agent hydrogen peroxide. The illegal gels, which promise to whiten teeth in just seven days, are being marketed as a cheap alternative to professional whitening services. However, dentists say they can lead to mouth blisters and irritated, extremely sensitive gums. Trading Standards officers in Hillingdon, west London have seized 12,000 teeth-whitening kits worth in excess of £500,000 amid fears the products could cause painful blisters to the mouth and gums because of high levels of hydrogen peroxide . Teeth-whitening has become increasingly popular as more Britons seek the Hollywood smile sported by celebrities. But with professional whitening costing up to £700, some are tempted by cheaper kits offered online. As a result, fraudsters have moved in on the business – with some selling pirated kits turned out in overseas factories using substandard and even risky ingredients. The latest batch of seized products, found in a house in Hillingdon, West London, contained 5.9 per cent hydrogen peroxide, meaning they could only be legally supplied to dental practitioners. Without the proper medical training, a higher dosage of hydrogen peroxide than is safe can easily end up being applied and lead to teeth and gum damage. According to European law, teeth-whitening products are only safe to be sold directly to customers if they contain a maximum of 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide. Uxbridge Magistrates' Court has now issued a court order for the 12,000 seized kits to be destroyed. Hillingdon Council said they belonged to a Polish national called Piotr Kaszubski, who has since fled the country. A spokesman said: 'Trading Standards officers uncovered evidence that the goods were being supplied online to consumers with inadequate checks being made. Mr Kaszubski has returned to Poland and stated that he was merely an agent for an American company, so it was decided to seek forfeiture of the products worth in excess of £500,000.' Checks by the Mail indicate that some of the products, which go by the branding Whitetime Dental Expert, were still being sold online last night. According to one website: 'You do not have to spend hundreds for professional teeth whitening. Whitetime is the answer.' Hillingdon councillor Jonathan Bianco said: 'Products like this should only be used under the supervision of a qualified dental practitioner. The kits were seized from a residential property in Sipson, near Heathrow. Experts warn the strong bleaching gels, which are 5.9 per cent hydrogen peroxide, should only be handled by a dental practitioner (file image) 'We always put our residents first and our trading standards team work hard to identify and seize dangerous products, and prosecute when possible.' Last month the General Dental Council secured its first prosecution of someone illegally training others to carry out teeth-whitening. Martyn Collier, a beauty trainer from Monmouthshire, was fined £11,490 for illegally training beauticians in the service. Only dentists are permitted to carry out teeth-whitening in Britain. Nicolas Martin, professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Sheffield, said that hydrogen peroxide is dangerous if not applied by a medical professional. 'If a dentist does not regulate their use, there is a risk of harm,' he said. 'There is a further risk that unregulated products used by individuals without professional supervision may be more caustic and/or toxic and potentially cause severe and dangerous injuries.' | Trading Standards officers seized 12,000 kits from a home in West London . The products were found to be 5.9 per cent hydrogen peroxide and should have only been supplied directly to dental practitioners . Kits sold directly to the public should only be 0.1% hydrogen peroxide . Officers found evidence the products were being sold without checks . | 667498a5909c3c1e9181cb0fecd30385a4758493 |
The death rate due to cancer has declined in the United States in recent years, largely due to better prevention and treatment. In fact, 650,000 lives were spared from cancer between 1990 to 2005, according to new statistics from the American Cancer Society. Experts say prevention and improved treatment has lowered the U.S. cancer death rate. During the 15-year period, the cancer death rate among men dropped by 19.2 percent, mainly due to decreases in lung, prostate, and colon cancer deaths. In women, the cancer death rate fell by 11.4 percent, largely due to a drop in breast and colorectal cancer deaths. "This is good news because cancer death rates have continued to decrease since the early 1990s because of prevention and improved treatment for many cancers," said lead author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, the strategic director of cancer surveillance at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia. "We have to be optimistic based on the trends. We are on the right track." The findings are published in the July/August issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Despite the optimism, however, there is still much work to be done to win the war on cancer, experts stress. There will be close to 1.5 million new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. in 2009, and 562,340 people are expected to die of the disease. This means that more than 1,500 people will die of cancer each day in 2009; the most common lethal cancers in men and women are lung, prostate, breast, and colon cancers. Health.com: How to avoid colorectal cancer . A drop in hormone replacement therapy leads to a decline in breast cancer cases . The decrease in deaths from breast cancer accounted for 37 percent of the reduction in the death rate among women during the 15-year period. "Any life spared from cancer or serious illness is a victory, but success comes in little steps -- one life at a time," said Dr. Marisa Weiss, the president and founder of advocacy group Breastcancer.org and the author of several books, including Taking Care of Your Girls: A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens, and In-Betweens. Weiss is also the director of breast radiation oncology and breast health outreach at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. "It's great news that a large chunk of the decreased death rates in women can be attributed to breast cancer," she said. This is largely due to a decreased use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which has been shown to increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. HRT fell from grace after a large government-funded study known as the Women's Health Initiative was stopped early because the risks of HRT, including an increased risk of breast cancer, greatly outnumbered the benefits of the therapy. Health.com: What breast cancer really feels like . Another reason for the decline in breast cancer deaths, however, is delayed diagnosis due to the fact that many women are not getting their yearly X-ray or mammogram. "Fewer women are getting mammography and that's why fewer women are getting diagnosed with breast cancer, so eventually that will come back and bite us in the rear end," Weiss said. Black women continue to die of breast cancer at a greater rate than their white counterparts, she pointed out. What's more, the current obesity epidemic may fuel a rise in the rates. "Fat makes extra hormones, which lead to extra cell activity and extra abnormal cell activity," she said. "Fat is a storing facility for hormonally active pollutants, so if you are overweight, you're more likely to hold on to some chemicals in the environment that enter your body from food and water." Health.com: How to keep your food cravings at bay while you lose weight . And that's not all: "Fat brings on puberty earlier and early puberty is a risk factor for breast cancer," Weiss said. "These areas of disappointment are areas of opportunity," she added. But greater efforts are needed to encourage healthy eating and exercise to help combat obesity, especially in adolescents, she said. Health.com: Melt pounds with mix-and-match cardio routines . Another encouraging sign is a drop in colorectal cancer deaths due to better and more widespread screening. "Colorectal cancer screening saves lives because it detects cancer at early stages when treatment is more effective, and it also removes precancerous lesions," said Jemal. The current recommendation for people at average risk of colon cancer is to get regular screening tests starting at age 50. Not all good news . Death rates from breast and colon cancers are falling, but the death rates from pancreatic (women), liver (men and women), and esophageal cancer (men) are increasing -- largely because of the obesity epidemic. Among men, death rates for the fatal form of skin cancer melanoma are also on the rise. Although there has been a decrease in lung cancer deaths among men (due to smoking-cessation efforts), the death rates for women with lung cancer are still on the rise. Lung cancer is expected to account for 26 percent of all cancer deaths in women in 2009, according to the new statistics. Health.com: My smoker's cough turned out to be emphysema . "We haven't seen a decrease here yet, but cigarette smoking in women peaked about 20 years later than it did in men," Jemal said. He predicts a decrease in lung cancer deaths in women in the next 5 years. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | American Cancer Society estimates 650,000 lives spared from cancer 1990 to 2005 . Cancer death rate for men dropped by 19.2 percent, in women, 11.4 percent . Drop in breast cancer attributed to decreased use of hormone replacement therapy . | 9e355ffd2e4125fd972dff011f4e7f7e0eea33fd |
A young mother was killed by her three-year-old son, who reportedly shot her dead with a semi-automatic handgun he found under the couch. Christa Engles, 26, was hit in the head by at her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Monday afternoon. Only a single shot was fired. Police believe Engles was changing the diaper of her one-year-old daughter when she was was killed. Single shot: The boy, whose identity has been obscured, reportedly found a high-powered handgun and killed his mother Christa Engles, 26, at their family home Monday afternoon . 'Under the couch': Neighbors told how they thought the boy, three, had found the weapon he used to kill his mother . Her body was found by her mother-in-law, who lives with the family. Police said that the three-year-old tried to leave the home after the killing. Neighbors told the local KRJH TV station that the child had found the handgun under the couch in the home. They also said they thought Engles was in the Army. Her husband, Brian, a truck driver, was out of the state when the shooting took place but returned that evening. In a social media post after her death was confirmed he said: 'I lost my wife to an accident yesterday. 'Don't forget to tell your loved ones they are loved. You really never know when the last "I love you" really is the last.' In a previous post on Facebook, he seemed to indicate support for gun ownership and arming people more widely. Three days after the Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012, he linked to a news story about an Oklahoma congressman proposing that teachers carry weapons in class, saying: 'A glimmer of hope peeks through the shroud.' Home: Engles was shot dead at her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, pictured above . Members of the family, including the grandmother and the children, were seen outside the home last night comforting one another. Dave Walker, a sergeant in Tulsa Police's homicide division, said: 'There's several guns in the house, it's going to be a large-caliber handgun.' A Tulsa police spokesman said: 'The investigation revealed that the three year old accidentally shot his mother. The victim was transported to St. John and was pronounced dead at 5:38pm. 'The husband/father was notified of the tragedy and returned home. The three-year-old was interviewed by child specialists and confirmed what the evidence led investigators to assume. 'The neighbors, family, coworkers, and church family quickly gathered around this family in support of them during this terrible time.' | Christa Engles, 26, was shot in the head Monday in Tulsa, Oklahoma . Her son fired a single shot with a 'high-caliber' handgun he found . Engles was reportedly changing diaper of her daughter, one, at the time . Body was found by her mother-in-law who lives at the home . Her husband, Brian, was out of the state at the time of the killing . | db45615c5bcf556365db322e41bf03aa808b686c |
(CNN) -- In an escalation of its civil war, Syria is firing more Scud missiles in a desperate attempt to quash rebel gains, the NATO chief said Friday. The government has launched more missiles in recent days, according to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary-general of the alliance. Read more: Syrian fight now "overtly sectarian," U.N. says . "I can confirm that we have detected the launch of Scud-type missiles," he said. "I consider it an act of a desperate regime approaching collapse." Though the missiles have not hit Turkey, he said, the development highlights the need for a protection plan for the neighboring nation. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official told CNN on Friday that some Scuds had been fired from Damascus toward Aleppo early Thursday. "As far as I know, (there were) four, (landing) around Aleppo and/or close to our border, but not in Turkey," said the official, who spoke on condition that he not be named because he is not authorized to speak on the record for military matters. A NATO official told CNN that Syria had fired about half a dozen Scud-B missiles in the northern part of the country, one of which landed just 20 miles from the Turkish border. The preliminary assessment is the Scud launches were aimed at rebel munitions storage sites, said the official, who has direct knowledge of the latest intelligence but declined to be identified because of its sensitivity. Read more: U.N. announces $1.5 billion aid effort for refugees . Intelligence analysts believe the Syrian government now uses Scuds when the weather is bad and aircraft cannot launch ground attacks. This is the first acknowledgment of new Scud launches since an initial volley was confirmed by U.S. officials earlier this month. Using U.S. satellite imagery, along with U.S. and NATO radars and electronic signals intelligence, the United States and NATO can establish where the missiles were launched and where they landed. The official declined to offer specifics on the launch and aim points of the latest attacks, because of the sensitive nature of the information. But he said there was no indication the latest round of Scuds were armed with chemical munitions. He did not know if there were any casualties, as all the missiles landed inside Syria. The move is an escalation on the war, which has threatened to draw in neighboring countries and militant groups. Analysts say the government of President Bashar al-Assad maintains up to 400 of the short- and medium-range Russian-developed Scud missiles. Read more: Syrian refugees on run: "I want people to feel our pain" NATO is in the final stages of preparing for a deployment of Patriot missiles from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands to Turkey for defense against Syrian Scuds that might threaten its neighbor. Final site surveys are under way, and the deployment of six Patriot batteries in Turkey is expected to be completed by the end of January. The Syrian civil war started in March 2011 when a government crackdown on civilian demonstrators morphed into a fight between the regime and rebels. More than 40,000 people are estimated to have died in nearly two years of conflict. At least 148 people were killed across Syria Friday, according to the Local Coordination Committee in Syria, a Syria-based opposition activist network. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report. | NEW: One missile landed only 20 miles from the Turkish border, a NATO official says . NATO chief describes Syria's launch of the missiles as "an act of a desperate regime" Development highlights the need for a protection plan for Turkey, NATO says . Scud missiles were fired from Damascus toward Aleppo, a Turkish official says . | d9264d70e17d9d9e8b8494e4cbe0cd7c4f25be6f |
(BudgetTravel.com) -- We know, you and your credit card have been through a lot together. You used it to buy your new laptop and your vacation to France, to pay the electricity bill and support your weekly Whole Foods habit. There have been good times, like the time your card covered your car rental insurance, or the time you got a $50 gift card in the mail from the company's rewards program. But ask yourself, what has your credit card really done for you lately? Hiked its Annual Percentage Rate, added mysterious fees, punished you for 'foreign transactions' on your trip to Mexico? Accept it: this relationship isn't going to work out. It's time to put your spending power into a credit card program that values your thirst for traveling. Budget Travel: 10 gorgeous pools you won't believe are public . Citi Gold/AAdvantage Visa Signature Card . Best for: Domestic travelers who often fly to the same destination . So you visit your grandmother twice a year in Cincinnati and fly home to Santa Barbara on all major holidays? This Visa card features a 'Reduced Mileage Awards' program that allows cardholders to fly to select AA destinations for 7,500 fewer miles] on a round-trip ticket. If you spend just $750 on the card in the first four months, American Airlines will award you 20,000 bonus miles. You'll earn one AAdvantage mile for every dollar spent, and there are no blackout dates for travel. Annual fee after first year - $50 . Chase Sapphire Preferred . Best for: Globetrotters . Let's say it together now: no foreign transaction fees. That means you won't be charged extra for using your card anywhere overseas, a crucial benefit for international travelers. The Chase Sapphire Preferred also lets you turn your points into miles with a 1:1 exchange into Continental/United Airlines and British Airways. The introductory offer is tempting: spend $3,000 in the first three months and you'll earn 50,000 miles. Annual fee after first year - $95 . Budget Travel: 12 restaurants with spectacular views . Starwood Preferred Guest/American Express . Best for: Hotel connoisseurs and travelers to Latin America . Always wanted to stay at the W Barcelona or the St. Regis New York? Starpoints earned on this card can be redeemed at over 1,000 hotels in nearly 100 countries. The first time you use your card, you'll earn 10,000 Starpoints, enough for a free night at a 4-star property You can also transfer your Starpoints on a 1:1 basis into more than 30 frequent flier programs. Travelers to Central and South America win especially big with this card - Starpoints are instantly doubled if you transfer them into LAN's frequent flier program. Annual fee after first year - $65 . American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card . Best for: Big spenders . Do you put more than $2,000 a month on your credit card? This program will triple your points when you buy a plane ticket and double your points when you spend on gas and groceries. Because the annual fee is on the steep side, this card is a much better deal if you rack up a lot of charges on your card each month. Your earned points never expire; use them on any airline, anytime, by reserving a flight through American Express Travel, or transfer them into your preferred frequent flyer program. Annual fee after first year - $175 . Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Chase MasterCard . Best for: Continental/United frequent flyers . The Continental/United frequent flyer program is widely considered one of the easiest to use-it often charges fewer miles to qualify for a free ticket than other programs do and there are fewer blackout dates. The OnePass Plus offers cardholders a free checked bag on any flight in the system (Continental charges $25 for the first checked bag), flexibility to change your reward travel dates for free up to 21 days in advance of travel, and a 25,000-mile bonus when you make your first purchase. Annual fee after first year - $95 . Budget Travel: 4 most common reasons airlines lose luggage . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2011 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. | Put your spending power into a credit card program that values your thirst for traveling . Chase Sapphire Preferred is best for globetrotters . Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Chase MasterCard suits those flying United/Continental . | f76e4b91a03bbe4268c856dcbe5cea323f6dc77c |
Former boxer Jamie Moore has vowed to complete the Great North Run next year – despite currently struggling to walk even 100 metres after being shot in August. The one-time European light-middleweight champion almost died when hit twice in the left leg by a mystery gunman in a case of mistaken identity in Marbella. Moore is now undergoing a long and painful rehabilitation where even walking short distances leaves the 35-year-old in agony. Former European light-middleweight champion Jamie Moore is recovering slowly from being shot in the leg . The retired boxer (right) has vowed to complete next year's Great North Run despite his lack of mobility . But Moore insists nothing will stop him completing the North East's famous half-marathon for kids' Neuroblastoma charity Niamh's Next Step, of which he is a patron, next September – no matter how long it takes or how much it hurts him. The married dad-of-two told Fubar Radio's Weekend Hangover Show: 'I am making good progress, but it is a long old road, a painstaking process. 'I think people see me up and around they think I am back to normal. I am nowhere near that. 'Nerves rehabilitate at roughly one millimetre a day. My nerve damages travels from my knee to the tops of my toes – so you're probably talking 12 to 18 months before I am back anywhere near where I was. Moore will race for Niamh's Next Step, which supports sufferers of neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer . 'Although I can get around and do some stuff, walking is a struggle. I can walk slowly with a foot brace on but it is painful, an effort. 'I have to intentionally force my left leg to move. Every step I take on my left foot is a conscious effort. For me to walk 100 metres is a real effort. 'But I will definitely complete the Great North Run. 'Even if I don't get any better than I am now, I will be doing it. Even if I have to walk 13 miles, I will do it. 'Even if I have to force my left leg to walk every step, I will do it because I am stubborn like that. There is nothing that can stop me. Moore pictured here in his boxing pomp - on the left in 2003 and on the right in 2007 after winning the British light-middleweight title bout . 'My goal will be to do it for the kids at Niamh's Next Step. A lot of young children get Neuroblastoma and it is a horrible, aggressive form of cancer. 'These kids go through hell trying to get rid of it and going though chemotherapy. That will be my driving force. 'So firstly, the aim is to get myself right physically and to the point where I can do it, and when it is hurting and getting difficult my driving force will be to do it for the kids who have Neuroblastoma to give them maybe a better life before their lives are taken away, or to give them a better rehabilitation.' To give an idea of how difficult Moore still finds walking, he was left in agony when he agreed to take his nine-year-old son Mikey sightseeing in London last weekend. The 35-year-old says nothing will stop him competing in the famous Great North Run next year . He recalled: 'I was working in the corner for Ricky Boylan's fight, and my son had never been to London before. 'He said, "Will you take me for a walk around London?" For me to walk 100 metres is a real effort, but I will do anything for him. 'So I took him on the Underground, into Piccadilly Circus, and it absolutely killed me. 'It was so painful but I wanted to do it for him. It didn't matter how much pain I was in. 'People think I am better than I actually am, but I am far from better and it is going to take a long, long while.' *You can sponsor Jamie Moore to do the Great North Run next September at justgiving.com/JamieMoore777 . *Listen to the full interview on the Latch and Halina Weekend Hangover Show on Fubar Radio on Saturday between 10am and 12pm. | Retired boxer Jamie Moore was shot in case of mistaken identity in August . The former European light-middleweight champion was hit twice in the leg . Moore is in the early stages of rehabilitation and walking is difficult . The 35-year-old says nothing will stop him completing Great North Run . He will be running for the charity Niamh's Next Step, which supports sufferers of neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer . | a31be40805df58ac3d20d4f9381afa5b4ca91934 |
By . Stephen Wright . Created: . 22:02 GMT, 17 February 2012 . Bizarre: Scotland Yard officers have been asked to enter a poetry competition on the theme of 'gender equality'. The prize is a chance to have 'elevenses' with the Met's head of diversity Denise Milani, pictured . It's enough to make the hard men of the Sweeney choke on their cigars and double whiskies. Scotland Yard officers have been asked to enter a poetry competition on the theme of ‘gender equality’. The prize is a chance to have ‘elevenses’ with the Met’s head of diversity Denise Milani, who is renowned in Britain’s biggest police force for her touchy-feely initiatives. Officers are told their poems must . focus on ‘recruitment, retention or progression’ at the Yard, creating a . ‘gender-sensitive working environment’ or ‘successfully managing . gender-diverse teams’. They . must also provide Miss Milani, 54, with insight on the progress made . with the ‘Gender Agenda’ from a male or female perspective and suggest a . ‘positive vision’ for the Met. Details of the extraordinary competition . were leaked to the Police Inspector blog, prompting a furious reaction . from serving officers who accused the Met of wasting taxpayers’ money. Inspector Gadget, the anonymous author . of the blog, wrote: ‘I can categorically say that this is the maddest . diversity nonsense we have ever featured. ‘I would like to hear from more female officers to see what they think of this, in between making tea for the lads of course!’ Within minutes of his posting, Inspector Gadget was inundated with examples of possible entries, some of which were obscene. Another . outraged policeman said: ‘Now that this is in the public domain, can a . member of the public write a letter of complaint to BHH (Met . Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe) about this scandalous waste of their . taxes?’. The poetry competition has been launched to coincide with next month’s International Women’s Day. On the force’s internal Intranet, officers and civilian staff are urged to ‘get creative’ in the run-up to the event. Miss Milani, the daughter of West Indian migrants, originally qualified as a teacher and joined the Met in 1999. She is believed to be paid more than £80,000 a year, although Scotland Yard refuses to reveal her exact salary. Despite a cost-cutting campaign at the Yard, her position as Director . of the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate appears safe. Angry response: Details of the extraordinary competition were leaked to the Police Inspector blog, prompting a furious reaction from serving officers who accused the Met of wasting taxpayers' money . The directorate promotes the recognition of the Met’s minority . employees – dealing with gender, disability, sexual orientation, age and . faith as well as race. It has a total of 36 staff. In . 2008, the Mail revealed how Miss Milani had urged Met staff to . ‘celebrate’ the contribution of Roma gipsies to ‘London’s culture and . diversity’. The Yard said: . ‘The Metropolitan Police polices one of the most diverse cities in . Europe and is the biggest single employer in London. ‘It . can only succeed by recognising and responding to the needs of the . varied communities and workforce it serves and the DCFD plays a key role . by providing specialist knowledge and strategic diversity guidance . across the organisation.’ | Scotland Yard officers asked to enter a poetry competition on the theme of 'gender equality' | 601c0abce2de578534fb561aaa272eb3cf7d2c81 |
Calorie counts on nutrition labels and restaurant menus are often incorrect, new evidence suggests. Currently the Atwater system, developed by the U.S. chemist Wilbur Olin Atwater more than 100 years ago, is widely used to determine caloric values. But now experts are calling for a more accurate method to be introduced as Atwater's calculations fail to take into account preparation and processing techniques which can affect the number of calories people consume. Misleading: Experts are calling for a more reliable way of calculating calories in food stuffs as the current method fails to take into account various factors such as as preparation and processing techniques . Rachel Carmody from Harvard University, who is due to give a presentation on the subject at a meeting held by the American . Association for the Advancement of Science this month, told Live Science: 'By getting a better understating of the effective calories in food, we'll get a better sense of human energy requirement.' Ms Carmody previously found that people get more calories from processed foods - pureed vegetables or fruit for example - than unprocessed goods. This is because it takes less energy to digest ingredients in liquid form than in their raw and natural state. Explaining her findings she told MailOnline: 'The calorie values reported on food labels do not capture important costs of digestion that are typically lower for processed foods and higher for unmodified items. 'So although two foods might have the . same number of calories on paper, these calories are not necessarily . equally available to the body. The table below reveals how foods measure up against . the claim on the label. Outback Steakhouse blue cheese wedge side salad . 'In some cases, reported calorie values could differ from actual energy harvest by as much as 50per cent.' She is now hoping to encourage efforts to quantify calories in a more accurate way. 'Given that the Atwater system is . treating essentially all foods the same, we aren’t getting a good . perspective when it comes to making dietary choices. 'We can start to think of simple ways to improve [the system] that will be better for the average consumer,' she added. In the late 19th century Atwater conducted a series of experiments which involved burning samples of food and measuring the amount of energy released from the heat they produced. He concluded that proteins and . carbohydrates have about 4 calories per gram, fats have 9 calories per . gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram. Therefore an energy bar that contains 10g of protein, 20g of carbohydrate and 9g of fat would have 201 calories. This simple formula is how many food manufacturers calculate the calories in foods. In the Seventies, researchers introduced . modified Atwater values that were intended for specific foods, such as . fruits, vegetables and beans, but since then there have been little changes. Last year David Baer, a research physiologist at . the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, found that almonds have 32per cent fewer calories than previously estimated. According to the Atwater system a 28 gram serving of almonds has about 170 calories, . but Mr Baer found the energy content of the nuts was around 129 . calories. He explained: 'If we're going to put the information out there on the food label, it would be nice that it's accurate.' Nutritionist Susan Roberts found that soups, salads and sides at restaurants were the worst offenders when it came to items that contained more calories than stated. 'We aren't getting a good . perspective when it comes to making dietary choices' Shockingly the Outback Steakhouse claimed their classic blue cheese wedge side salad had 376 calories, but lab results showed it had a gut-busting 1,035. And a separate study by the Today show last summer found that so-called low-calorie ice creams and frozen yoghurts can contain as much as 68per cent more calories than the labels claim. Ms Roberts said: 'It's really the low-calorie foods that matter more. If you're buying a thousand calorie item, you're probably not counting calories. If you're buying a low-calorie diet item, you don't want it to be off.' Many calorie counts also don't account for the fact that some calories in food are lost as heat. The amount of heat we expend depends on the . components of the food. For proteins, it's about 20 to 30per cent of the . food's calories - so 100 calories of protein would provide around 80 calories - while for fats it's about . 0 to 3per cent - meaning 100 calories worth of fat would equal 97 calories. While many researchers are pushing for improvements to be made to the Atwater system some say that on the . whole, the inaccuracies do not make a big . difference. Malden . Nesheim, professor of nutrition emeritus at Cornell University and co-author of the book Why Calories Count added: 'For most uses, I think they're good enough.' | Harvard University researcher Rachel Carmody is calling for the Atwater system, which is widely used to determine caloric values, to be updated . | b4a618d693e85515b947b35a9513f2a677754820 |
(CNN) -- Some manufacturers of consumer-grade speaker systems are scrambling to make their products compatible with Apple's wireless features. The first audio equipment with out-of-the-box support for Apple AirPlay protocol debuted in April. The feature allows users to press a button on their iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or iTunes software and instantly transmit audio from the device to the speaker system over a Wi-Fi connection. Some audio equipment companies say they're feeling the pressure to add this Apple-specific feature to more of their product lines. That comes as Apple is mulling whether it will scale back or entirely do away with the iPod-dock speakers and alarm clocks it sells in its retail stores, according to a person familiar with Apple's discussions who was not authorized to discuss the plans. Apple's proposal to cut back on the supply of dock products it carries was first reported by Twice, a consumer-electronics trade publication. An Apple spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment. Apple's push for AirPlay is consistent with a history of flexing its influence to shape partners' businesses, as it did for pricing digital music, enforcing guidelines on accessory makers and changing rules for app developers. Although some Apple product users enjoy having an alarm clock with a dock by their bedsides to charge their phones, AirPlay has notable advantages. Docking a 10-inch tablet like the iPad is impractical, and AirPlay also allows you to transmit music directly from a computer. Apple laid out its grand vision for an untethered computing world on Monday with the announcement of iCloud. That came nine months after Apple announced AirPlay. Apple often nudges its suppliers into supporting new technologies, and one of those ways is by putting its marketing might behind the company's newest offerings, said Ross Rubin, a music-industry analyst for the NPD Group. "The Apple Store is clearly an important retailer for selling iPod docks, and it is a retailer that strives to showcase the latest technology directions from Apple," Rubin said. "A lot of the products carried in the Apple Stores tend to be at the higher end of the price spectrum." iPod-dock systems without the wireless bells and whistles should continue to drop in price, serving a large mass market at stores like Best Buy and Walmart, Rubin said. However, for the equipment companies targeting the Apple faithful -- consumers who learn about and buy many of their products at Apple stores -- it's an important venue to occupy. Pioneer Electronics, for one, is hoping to piggyback on Apple's customers. Nearly half of the people who own a Pioneer device also own at least three Apple gadgets, according to a Pioneer survey. Pioneer debuted its first batch of AirPlay-enabled receivers in March and announced five more this week, with all but the base model using AirPlay. Philips is also marching to Apple's tune. "Philips has several products in the pipeline for the back half of 2011, including a new range that incorporates AirPlay, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Apple," spokeswoman Shannon Jenest said in a statement. Apple had not alerted the company to any changes in distribution plans, she said. Two companies that sell speakers in Apple Stores, Altec Lansing and Harman International, which makes the JBL brand, declined to comment. Another, Bose, didn't respond to requests for comment. Integrating Apple's wireless technology into sound systems doesn't require manufacturers to pay additional licensing fees beyond the one Apple charges for including its iPod dock connector and "Made for iPod" sticker, equipment makers say. However, Apple requires that companies use a certain processor in their electronics and, of course, include a Wi-Fi chip, which can increase costs, they said. Where Apple does have ample space, like in its larger stores, speaker inventory appears to be unchanged. But in other Apple retail locations like the one in Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, little space is left over since Apple redesigned its stores to include "personal training" and "personal setup" stations. There, Jawbone's Jambox, a small rectangular gadget that uses Bluetooth for wireless transmission instead of AirPlay, is hanging on a wall in the back rather than on display like it is in other Apple Stores. Jawbone is confident it's in a better position by embracing wireless technology, CEO Hosain Rahman wrote in an e-mailed statement. "We think docks are dead," Rahman wrote. "We need devices that can keep up with our on-the-go lifestyle. You shouldn't be tethered to a dock." Sonos, a wireless speaker system, isn't carried by Apple and sells most of its units through Best Buy and Amazon.com. Sonos uses a proprietary wireless system but recently added a workaround for AirPlay. The 8-year-old company began specializing in wireless music services long before the equipment makers turned their attention to that market. "In many ways, docks were more like CD players, tape players or record players in that you take this thing, and you stick it in," Sonos co-founder Thomas Cullen said. "Building an iPod dock was not very different from building a CD player." Now, many equipment makers are looking at wireless options, and some are taking a scattershot approach. AirPlay, Bluetooth and DLNA, another standard that works with Windows computers and some Android devices, are making their way into audio receivers, and in some cases, all three. Add a dock to that, and you might have a product too big to fit on Apple's shelves. | Audio equipment makers are scrambling to support AirPlay . Apple is mulling whether it will stop carrying iPod-dock speakers in its stores . Some speaker companies say the dock concept is past its prime . | 692e8f27b2379cd4fb851f2f1062f22843758a24 |
By . Jessica Jerreat . A California teenager was forced to crash into a car on the freeway so she could escape from an Army veteran accused of holding her hostage after she tried to help him. Daniela Alvarez was allegedly approached by Kenneth Middlebrook in the drive of her San Jose home on Sunday, and asked if she could drive him home. But the 23-year-old, who served in Iraq, is accused of suddenly snapping and threatening to choke the teenager, before forcing her to drive. Scroll down for video . Ordeal: Daniela Alvarez, 19, was kidnapped by an army veteran she had offered to help . Daniela said she was terrified for her life and was forced to crash the car into another vehicle on a freeway so she could try to get help. Arrested: Kenneth Middlebrook is facing two kidnapping charges . The 19-year-old said Middlebrook had seemed normal when he stopped her outside his home, and asked for help because he was stranded. She told CBS she believed his story and agreed to get in his car because he seemed so normal but, after arriving at a house that Middlebrook claimed belonged to his father, he suddenly snapped. 'When he came out of the house he was very agitated. Very upset,' Sergeant Saul Jaeger told KTVU. 'it was at this point that she felt like she was not free to leave.' Daniela described how he grabbed hold of her and tried to choke her, before demanding that she get in the trunk of the vehicle. The brave teenager refused and tried to calm Middlebrook, offering to continue driving as she tried to think of way to escape. Her mother, Nellie Figueroa, said: 'He wanted to get her in the trunk but she refused ... and thanks to God she's alive.' Terrified: Daniela says Middlebrook suddenly snapped and tried to choke her . When the pair reached a freeway, Daniela smashed into another car before braking hard and running out of the car. Trauma: Army veteran Middlebrook is said to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder . 'I remember screaming to this guy, "Help me, help me, help me, this guy is trying to kill me",' she said. Middlebrook fled from the scene, as the unidentified motorist who stopped to help, comforted Daniela and called police. The army veteran went on to kidnap a 61-year-old woman. who was forced from her home and made to drive around San Francisco for several hours before she managed to escape. 'She was afraid for her life,' Sergeant Jaeger said, adding that the woman, who has not been identified, managed to drive off and escape after Middlebrook got out of the car and ordered her to wait. The police have said there is a possibility of other victims who may not have come forward yet. Middlebrook was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of robbery and one count of battery. His father, Jeffrey Middlebrook, said he had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since serving in Iraq in the Army. He had been having problems since returning from Iraq, where he was haunted after having to pull the decapitated bodies of three friends from a burning vehicle. 'I don't want anyone to think there is any justification for what he allegedly did,' Mr Middlebrook told the San Jose Mercury News. 'But the other side of the story. My son went to war. He left a good, happy, loving kid and he came back a devastated human being.' Since leaving the army in 2012, Middlebrook had been involved in minor criminal behavior, but each time he was released, his father said. Neither woman was physically hurt during their terrifying ordeals, but Daniela says she has been left traumatized by the events. | Daniela Alvarez feared for her life after 'normal-looking 23-year-old suddenly snapped' Alvarez, 19, managed to flee after causing an accident on the freeway . Kenneth Middlebrook is accused of then taking 61-year-old woman hostage . Veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder is facing two kidnap charges . | f12dc208e997d5de197fb82856ef49ea578ebdc7 |
It's been nearly two months since their 19-year-old son was found dead after an early-morning fraternity activity, and Gary and Cindy Hipps still don't have any answers explaining his mysterious and untimely death. The body of Clemson University freshman Tucker Hipps was found submerged in the Seneca River at the end of September, hours after his brothers at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity reported him missing. It's believed the pledge class president fell off a 20ft bridge into the water. Hipps was last seen on a pre-dawn run with his brothers on September 22 where he started to fall behind, but was allegedly first noticed missing when he didn't show up for breakfast that morning. His parents are now speaking out, believing someone knows what happened to their only son that morning and is holding back. Scroll down for video . Cindy (left) and Gary Hipps (right) lost their only-son Tucker this past September. The 19-year-old Clemson University student's body was found submerged in Seneca Lake hours after participating in a fraternity activity . Tucker (pictured) was last seen on a pre-dawn run with his fraternity brothers the morning of September 22. Brothers say he started to fall behind, but that they didn't notice him missing until he failed to show up for breakfast . 'That's a horrible thing to hold inside, it's going to affect you for life,' Mrs Hipps told Fox Carolina. 'It's going to affect all of your relationships. It's going to affect your school, it will affect how you deal with things. It might not feel so bad right now, but as time goes on it gets worse and worse. Truth, the power of truth sets you free.' The incident is still under investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Oconee County Sheriff's Office. They are not speaking about the case until their final report is published, with will include toxicology results. Tucker's death is even more tragic considering his parents warned him against joining a fraternity, preferring he spend his time in college focusing on his studies. But they relented since he was a social young man and students in Greek Life organization do, on average, maintain higher grade-point averages. Following Tucker's death, Clemson University suspended all Greek Life activities. It's unclear if that's suspension is still in place . Tucker apparently fell from this bridge into the waters of the Senca River. Police are still investigating the incident, and will not be commenting on the case until they release their full report, including toxicology reports . Mr and Mrs Hipps believe someone knows what happened to their son, and is holding the details back. They are now speaking out in hopes of inspiring that person or people to come forward. Pictured above, officers and campus police arriving at the scene where Tucker's body was found . 'I told him I'm not going to say you can't do it but I am not going to pay for it,' Mr Hipps told WSPA. Just four days before he died, Tucker's parents had dinner with him, and they saw that the pledging process noticeably taking a toll. 'I can tell you that last time I saw him he was both tired and worn out he looked like he hadn't had much sleep,' his dad said. 'It was hard and I asked him I said are you feeling okay are you doing alright?' Following Tucker's death, Clemson University suspended all Greek Life activities though they wouldn't say it was directly because of the incident. It's unclear if that suspension is ongoing. Calls to the university were not immediately returned Thursday morning. Mr Hipps (left) says he didn't want his son (right) to join a fraternity, but relented because he didn't want to deny Tucker a place to be social. However, he did make his son get a job to pay for the fraternity fees himself . The Hipps also hope their son's death will help bring change to the fraternity pledging process. Tucker pictured above with an unidentified young woman on the left . 'There seems to be something systemically wrong with the pledging process, and how kids are put through the things they are put through,' Mr Hipps said, adding that he is not 'making any friends' in the Greek community as he searches for answers in his son's death. Mr Hipps also expressed condolences to the family of Nolan Burch, a West Virginia University student who died last week after he was found unconscious at his fraternity house. 'When people begin to be injured and die then it's time to really take a hard look at processes that put our children in danger,' Mr Hipps added. Now the Hipps are faced with the prospect of spending Christmas without their only son for the first time. However, they plan to celebrate as they usually do, decorating the house and putting Tucker's special ornaments on the tree. | Tucker Hipps, 19, was found dead in a South Carolina lake in September after going missing on a pre-dawn run with his Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers . Brothers reported him missing at 1:45pm on September 22, after he fell behind on the run and didn't show up for breakfast . Parents Gary and Cindy Hipps are now speaking out to demand answers on his death, and believe son's friends may be concealing how he died . Following Hipps' mysterious death, Clemson University suspended all Greek Life activities and started conducting their own internal investigation . Police investigation, including toxicology reports, has not yet been released . | b16c52797971b85572b3ad66409aba2f940105fe |
By . Mark Prigg . If you've ever tried in vain to impress a date by taking them to a to restaurant, you may have encountered ever foodie's worst nightmare - the huge waiting line. However, a range of new apps aim to come to the rescue - if you're willing to pay. Resy offers New Yorkers the chance to buy in-demand reservations at exclusive eateries - and is just one of several apps offering 'sold out' tickets, tables and even cronuts for sale. For about $25 per person on a Saturday night or $10 on a Tuesday Resy lets people buy exclusive reservations. Reservation apps for New Yorkers include: . Killer Rezzy- restaurants in New York and The Hamptons . Resy - New York restaurants . Shout - everything for theatre shows and cronuts to restaurants . Zurvu - restaurants . The brainchild of restauranteur Ben Leventhal and financial investor Gary Vaynerchuk, it is working with restaurants directly to offer sold out seats. 'It depends on the restaurant, but each of the restaurants on Resy are turning over some of their reservations to us so we can offer them to customers, to our customers,' Leventhal told Eater. Already available for limited download, Resy shows users up-to-the-minute reservations that are available in their area on a given evening and, like Uber, the price depends on demand. 'Those tables will vary in price, two bar seats on a Tuesday night at Charlie Bird might be ten bucks a piece and Saturday night at Minetta Tavern might be closer to fifty.' However the app has come under fire for being elitist on Twitter. Food writer and editor Gabriella Gershenson tweeted, 'Resy belongs in American Psycho's New York City.' Shout, another 'reservation' app expands the idea to anything in New York - even cronuts . Killer Rezzy, which offers a similar service, says it caters for a premium consumer. 'There are hundreds of thousands of individuals in New York who live in a premium product economy,' Sasha Tcherevkoff, a 40-year-old former restaurateur who founded Killer Rezzy, told Bloomberg. 'They want a product and they don’t mind paying a premium to get that conveniently.' the firm allows people to buy tables at restaurants across New York and the Hamptons. 'We provide our members with instant, confirmed access to NYC's toughest tables at the best times. Premium tables, premium times, for a premium that doesn’t break the bank,' it claims. Killer Rezzy offers restaurants in New York and the Hamptons . Shout, another 'reservation' app expands the idea to anything in New York. 'These spots can take all forms, physical or virtual,' the firm says. 'Physical spots can include a spot in line for a no-reservation restaurant, the new iPhone, or even a blanket-sized piece of prime real estate in Sheep Meadow. 'Virtual spots are those that can only be reserved in advance; for instance, a restaurant reservation or a ticket to a show.' The app includes dozens of listings for cronuts, for instance, alongside ticket to see SNL and other 'impossible to buy' listings. | Apps dubbed 'Uber for reservations' Allow New Yorkers to buy sold out reservations for a free . Apps even allow people to buy places in queues for takeaway food and tickets . | 6b5e3e76ebd64936780fd9d313da4afcb77bee92 |
(CNN) -- At least 27 people were killed Sunday night when a cargo train slammed into two cars south of Cairo, the state-run Egynews media outlet reported, citing Giza Gov. Ali Abdulrahman. More than 25 other people were injured, Egypt's head of emergency services told Egynews. It was not immediately clear what led up to the crash. Deadly train crashes are not uncommon in Egypt. In January, train cars filled with Egyptian security force recruits hopped the tracks and crashed in Giza, killing at least 19 people and injuring about 107 others. In November 2012, 51 died and 17 were injured when a train slammed into a bus in Assiut, a city about 320 kilometers (about 200 miles) south of Cairo. And in October 2009, at least 15 were killed when two trains collided in Al-Ayyat, about 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) south of the capital. Dozens hurt in Buenos Aires train wreck . | More than 25 other people are injured . The cause of the crash is not clear . Deadly train crashes are not uncommon in Egypt . | 75201be28afd4cea9447e7ac98ebc64c51812c44 |
New York (CNN) -- A reference to the name "Sandy" can evoke painful reminders of last year's tragedies, be it the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School or an historic storm that wiped out thousands of homes and businesses, and left millions in the dark. But New Jersey's largest firefighters union is looking to honor those affected by both calamities and join them and their mutual names into something more positive. Firefighters have begun collecting donations for the "The Sandy Ground Project," with 26 playgrounds to be built in communities recovering from the storm -- one for each victim gunned down on December 14 at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. "Our only challenge is to raise the money," said Bill Lavin, president of the Firefighters' Mutual Benevolent Association, whose 5,000 members are supporting the $2.1 million initiative on the website thesandygroundproject.org. New Jersey and New York each are expected to get 10 playgrounds, with Connecticut getting six. The group says it already has gathered enough funds for at least five of them. The first playground will honor slain special education teacher Ann Marie Murphy and is expected to open on March 1 in Sea Bright, New Jersey, where homes and businesses were devastated by a torrent of wind and water brought by Superstorm Sandy. The massive weather system barreled into the Northeast in late October and left more than 8 million residents without power. Two months later, as emergency personnel struggled in storm recovery, a gunman smashed his way into a Connecticut elementary school and gunned down 6 adults and 20 children, the latter between the ages of 6 and 7. "We were all working and then Newtown happened, and it just crushed the nation," said Lavin. "People were just walking around in a daze." He knew he needed to act, and was later inspired by news of a Mississippi girl who wrote a letter thanking New Jersey firefighters for a playground they helped build in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "It was so cute," Lavin said of the child, who was among several Waveland, Mississippi, schoolchildren to donate a truckload of toys to Sandy victims. "When I heard about it, I figured we had to do something for our own kids." "After talking with parents and school officials in Connecticut, we decided to do it in honor of those children (who were killed in Newtown)." The three-week-old project has plans for playgrounds in storm-battered areas such as Toms River, New Jersey; Midland Beach, Staten Island; and Westport, Connecticut. "It's Bill Lavin's project and we are supporting him and thrilled with the efforts that he's made to build them," said Jenny Hubbard, the mother of slain 6-year-old Catherine Hubbard. Lavin said he hopes to raise enough money to surpass his goal of 26 playgrounds, and continue building in places such as Tucson, Arizona; and Columbine and Aurora, Colorado, where mass shootings left scores dead. CNN's Jordana Ossad and Brittany Brady contributed to this report . | New Jersey's largest firefighters union is now looking to honor Sandy hook victims . Firefighters have begun collecting donations for "The Sandy Ground Project" 26 playgrounds are to be built in communities recovering from the storm . Each playground is for a victim gunned down on December 14 at school in Connecticut . | c4a9f01a450a4449a295a332281a68e923dd42c4 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:23 EST, 13 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:05 EST, 13 January 2014 . The niece of a man allegedly suffocated when his stepson gave him an 'atomic wedgie' has spoken out to quash the claims, saying instead he died of blunt force trauma that preceded the underwear yank and that the suspect spread the nasty rumor to embarrass his victim. After news of the curious killing made headlines across the country, Jessica Kay St. Clair Hackney took to Facebook to insists Brad Davis bludgeoned Denver St. Clair in the head and then administered the 'atomic wedgie' when he was unconscious. 'I'm sure if he were conscious enough to undo the so-called wedgie, he would have been able to get it undone, but he was struck in the head with a weapon no one can find,' she wrote. '...My uncle was killed by blunt force trauma. He may have been suffocated after being struck, but I'm almost sure that's not the case.' Arrested: Brad Davis, right, has been accused of suffocating his stepfather by giving him an 'atomic wedgie' on December 21 but the victim's niece Jessica Kay St. Clair Hackney, left, says this isn't true . An autopsy found he was killed by blunt force trauma and/or asphyxiation. Davis told authorities that he had given the 58-year-old man an 'atomic wedgie,' but Hackney wrote the 33-year-old was simply 'being a smart A$$.' She added that it was a calculated plan to hurt the dead man's reputation. 'It's like he hurt the family again by trying to disgrace my uncle,' Hackney wrote. She said she hoped that despite the fact the bizarre story has 'made headline news all over the U.S., hopefully everyone will figure out they aren’t being given the whole story.' The family are also angry because authorities never told them about the wedgie attack until after it was all over the news. The 'sad thing is the family wasn't even warned about that part!' she wrote. 'We only knew he was beat.' Victim: Denver Lee St. Clair, 58, was found dead in his Oklahoma home on December 21 with his underpants pulled over his head . Davis, a former Marine, is currently in custody for the alleged murder. Police found Denver St. Clair dead in his McLoud, Oklahoma home with the waistband of his . underpants pulled over his head on December 21. Davis . allegedly told police he pulled out the schoolyard bullying move after . his stepfather 'jumped him' during a night of drinking. 'I'd . never seen this before, but when we first looked at our victim seeing . the waistband of his underwear was around his neck,' Pottawatomie County . Sheriff Mike Booth told NewsOK. Fight: Davis allegedly told police he pulled out the schoolyard bullying move after his stepfather, pictured, 'jumped him' during a night of drinking . Davis told detectives the altercation began when St. Clair badmouthed his ex-wife Tressia St. Clair - Davis' mother. The men began to fight before St. Clair allegedly tried to punch Davis. Father and son brawled before Davis allegedly pulled the elastic band of his victim's underwear over his head from behind. Davis said he acted in 'self-defense'. However the man's death has been ruled a homicide. Police believe Davis altered the crime scene to make it look like the men had had a fight before he called 911. 'We . continued our investigation and uncovered evidence that led us to . believe that this was more than just a fight,' Sheriff Mike Booth said. Breitbart TV reported Mr St. Clair was under a permanent . protective order filed in 2008 by his wife Tressia St. Clair. The woman claimed she found her husband embracing, in a 'sexual way', a drinking buddy and that he later grabbed her by the neck and threw her through a bathroom door, NewsOK reports. Pottawatomie County court records show his wife filed for a . divorce against him in 2010 but the divorce was dismissed. Denver St. Clair then filed for a divorce against her last year. A Facebook page was set up after St. Clair's death last year to remember the motorcyle-lover. His funeral was held on December 28. 'He was one of a kind a man, he will be missed dearly,' his daughter Carol St. Clair wrote. 'Uncle Denver would be proud of all motorcycles riding in his honor. Thank you to each and everyone who rode in his honor and helped with memorial service,' his niece Tonya Renee Lester Dawson wrote. Classic bullying maneuver: This grab from comedy television program 'Saturday Night Live' shows schoolyard bullies giving their victim an 'atomic wedgie' by pulling the boy's underpants over his head . | After news of the curious killing made headlines across the country, Jessica Kay St. Clair Hackney took to Facebook . She insists Brad Davis bludgeoned Denver St. Clair in the head and then administered the 'atomic wedgie' when he was unconscious . Davis told authorities that he had given the 58-year-old man a fatal 'atomic wedgie,' but Hackney wrote the 33-year-old was simply 'being a smart A$$' She added that it was a calculated plan to hurt the dead man's reputation . An autopsy found he was killed by blunt force trauma and/or asphyxiation . Police found Denver St. Clair dead in his McLoud, Oklahoma home with the waistband of his . underpants pulled over his head on December 21 . Davis, a former Marine, is currently in custody for the alleged murder . | 21b7e91577ed114e750831890501ebe2cda29190 |
Carrying a guitar can increase the chances of you getting a date by a third, according to a study by researchers from the University of South Brittany. The study found that women were 31% more likely to give their number to a man carrying a guitar - double the amount of people who would give their number to the same man when he was empty-handed. But this technique only works if your a man, women are not seen any more or less attractive if they carry a musical instrument. According to a study by French researchers in Brittany, men who carry guitars are seen as more attractive than sporty-looking men. Carrying an instrument can boost your chances of getting a date by 31% . Researchers Mary Cowan from the University of Stirling, and Anthony Little filmed 40 psychology students - half men and half women - explaining which two items they'd take to a desert island and why, choosing from chocolate, hairspray or a plastic bag. Even though they hadn't been told about humour, 19 of the 40 students tried to be funny in their responses. The next 11 students were played audio recordings of these 19 participants and asked to rate them for funniness, and for the attractiveness. The magazine revealed that 'a key result is that attractive actors were judged to be funnier.' It added 'men who were considered funnier also tended to be considered more attractive for both short and long term relationships but especially short term.' The study was led by Professor Nicolas Gueguen, a researcher in behavioural sciences at the University. Gueguen hired a 20-year-old man to approach 300 women aged between 18 and 22 in a shopping centre in Brittany. The man told each girl that they were 'really pretty' and asked for her phone number so they could arrange a date. For the first 100 women he was holding a sports bag. For the next 100 women he approached them holding a guitar case. And for the final 100 women, the man asked them for their number without anything in his hands. When the actor was carrying the guitar case, 31% of the women gave them his number. When he was carrying nothing, 14% of the women gave them his number. The biggest turn off for the women was when he was carrying the sports bag, which had a success rate of only 9%. According to research from the University of . South Brittany, women are 31% likely to give a man their phone number . when he's carrying a guitar. The biggest turn off for women is men . carrying sports bags . English singer and musician David Bowie topped the list of the 20 sexiest male musicians of all time, according to LA Weekly. The 66-year-old has been married twice. His current wife is Somalian fashion model Iman Abdulmajid . According to Guitar World, the top ten songs which all budding musicians must learn if they want to impress a woman are: . 1. More Than Words - Extreme . 2. Crash - Dave Matthews Band . 3. Melissa - Allman Brothers Band . 4. Just Like Heaven - The Cure . 5. Name - Goo Goo Dolls . 6. Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton . 7. You And Me - Lifehouse . 8. Baby I Love Your Way - Peter Frampton . 9. Your Body Is a Wonderland - John Mayer . 10. Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin . Gueguen's findings mirror those from a study carried out by the University of Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion University last year. In the Israeli study, 100 single women were sent Facebook friend requests with a message that said: 'I like your photo'. Half of the respondents were sent a request by a man seen strumming a guitar in his profile picture. The other half were sent a request from the same person, but this time he was empty handed. Only five (10%) of the 50 women accepted the request, or replied to the message sent by the empty-handed man. Yet 28% accepted the request, or replied to the message sent by the man holding a guitar. The French researchers attribute these findings to the fact that playing a musical instrument is a sign that the man is intelligent, can learn, or is willing to learn, new skills and has independent hobbies. They believe there may also be a link between how musicans are portrayed in the media, and that holding a guitar is a sign of wealth and status. The team from the University of South Brittany also wanted to test whether the same theory was true when it came to female musicians. Gueguen's team repeated the Israeli study, but used females to send the friend requests. He found there was no difference in the response rate of the men she sent requests to whether she was holding a guitar or not. This suggests that its only women who consider playing an instrument to be an attractive trait. | Women are 31% more likely to give their number to a man carrying a guitar . Sporty-looking men were the least popular during the French study getting numbers in only 9% of cases . | 6ba1bf1177fe3dac3297b6c858784cc8373c7aef |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 01:27 EST, 27 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:27 EST, 27 January 2013 . U.S. actor Randy Quaid is in a heated dispute with immigration authorities in Canada who have denied his request for permanent residency nearly two years after the one-time Oscar nominee said he and his wife had won a legal fight to remain in the country. Canada’s federal Refugee Protection Division has also refused to let Quaid reinstate a claim in which he said he and his wife, Evi, were the targets of Hollywood ‘star-whackers,’ organized criminals out to get them. The couple have now appealed to Canada’s Federal Court system as they maintain that their lives are still in danger, CBC News reports. Permanent residency dispute: Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are in a dispute with immigration authorities in Canada who have denied the couple's request for permanent residency in the country . On the run: The Quaids relocated north of the U.S. border in Ovtober 2010, jumping bail and skipping court dates in Santa Barbara, California, where they face felony and misdemeanor counts in connection with vandalizing a home they once owned . ‘Organized crime and its victims are serious issues and can not be tossed off until the claim is heard,’ the Quaids wrote in an application for judicial review obtained by the Canadian news outlet this week. ‘The refugee claims should remain intact as should Evi and Randy Quaid's heads remain attached to their necks and it is their firm belief that their lives are at stake and being racketeered on,’ their bizarre statement read. The couple applied for refugee status in Canada in October 2010, saying they were being persecuted by a group of devious lawyers and agents bent on killing famous actors. The pair relocated north of the U.S. border at the time, jumping bail and skipping court dates in Santa Barbara, California, where they face felony and misdemeanor counts in connection with vandalizing a home they once owned. $500,000 bench warrants are still in effect for the couple in Santa Barbara. The Quaids told authorities that their friends including Heath Ledger and David Carradine had died under ‘mysterious circumstances.’ 'Lawyers out to get us': The couple applied for refugee status in Canada in October 2010, saying they were being persecuted by a group of devious lawyers and agents bent on killing famous actors . Bizarre claim: Randy Quaid told authorities that their friends including Heath Ledger and David Carradine had died under 'mysterious circumstances' The father of Evi Quaid, was born in Canada, giving her Canadian citizenship and the facility to sponsor her husband as a resident of the county. But in the application for judicial review Quaid filed in the country’s Federal Court last week, he claimed an immigration officer had denied his application for permanent residence last month for unknown reasons. Quaid’s lawyer, Lorne Waldman, told CBC News that the officer mentioned in the document ignored evidence that Qauid and his wife were in danger. Quaid withdrew his refugee claim last summer and immigration authorities have since denied his resubmittal. The frantic actor initially requested a guarantee that he could stay in Canada before abandoning his original claim, according to documents filed in a separate Federal Court file. Quaid completed a notice of withdrawal in August 2012. He said he didn't know what he was doing at the time. ‘He never intended to withdraw his refugee claim,’ legal documents state. ‘His wife suffers from dyslexia and post-traumatic stress disorder and she reacted out of fear when she completed the withdrawal form.’ The Quaids now say their lives are in danger again. Court appeal: The Quaids have appealed to Canada's Federal Court system as they maintain that their lives are still in danger . | Quaid is in a . dispute with immigration authorities in Canada who have denied his . request for permanent residency . Two years ago Quaid said he and his wife, Evi, had won a legal fight to remain in the country. The couple have now appealed to Canada’s Federal Court system saying their lives are in danger . | 464d8360879fa196e4901df314e9d32d9b0ba9a3 |
By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 10:50 EST, 4 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:45 EST, 4 November 2013 . This is the face of the man suspected of gunning down members of a British Iraqi family in the Alps. French police investigating the . horrific crime have finally released a portrait of the possible killer – . a year and two months after the attack. The unnamed motorcyclist with a . goatee was seen by several witnesses near the scene, allowing an image . to be generated on a computer. French police investigating the horrific murder of Saad al-Hilli (left) have finally released a portrait of the possible killer (right) Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud . finally agreed to release the portrait of the man, who was wearing a . crash helmet and sunglasses. In September 2012, satellite engineer . Saad al-Hilli was mysteriously murdered along with his wife Ikbal, 47, . his mother-in-law Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, and Sylvain Mollier, a . 45-year-old French cyclist close to the village of Chevaline. Mr al-Hilli's two daughters, Zeena, four, and Zainab, seven, were with the family in the car. Zainab was left fighting for her life . after being shot in the shoulder and bludgeoned over the head with a . gun, while Zeena hid underneath her mother's skirt in the back of the . car and survived unscathed. In the days after the murder, at least . three forestry workers were among those who helped police put together . an identikit image of the suspect. Mr Maillaud is now facing questions as . to why he did not release the image to the public in the days after the . murder, when it had grabbed the attention of the world's media. The . prosecutor in turn defended his decision, saying it was kept out of the . public domain for 'strategic reasons'. Denail: Zaid Al-Hilli denies any involvement in his brother's death . 'We did not want this person to go into hiding,' Mr Maillaud added. Former RAF pilot Brett Martin . discovered the gruesome murders while on a bike ride, and described how . he had seen a motorcyclist riding away from the scene shorty beforehand. One of the forestry workers said he saw the motorcyclist pull into the parking spot where the Hilli family were murdered. He described the motorcycle as white and black with panniers and said it was ridden by a man dressed in black. Mystery: The scene of the killing in the Alps last year, which was believed to target the al-Hilli family . One explained that his colleagues . later talked to the man about a minor traffic violation – effectively . driving in a part of the mountain where cars were banned – and described . him as having 'a bit of a beard'. According to Mr Maillaud, the forestry . worker's colleagues were able to 'get a glimpse' of his face when he . lifted his helmet's face shield. The two forestry workers have also . described seeing a grey BMW 4x4 close to the murder scene, saying it was . a right-hand drive British car. It was said to be driven by a man . described as 'slightly bald' with 'dark skin, no glasses' – suggesting . he might be an accomplice to the crime. Road: Mr Mollier and the al-Hillis were killed by an unknown assassin near Lake Annecy . The helmet opens from the side to allow a wearer to have a conversation without removing the whole helmet. But despite checks with manufacturers over the past year, no-one has been able to track down the helmet's owner. Police investigator Benoit Vinnemann confirmed that the wearer of the helmet is 'potentially the perpetrator'. A French Gendarme blocks access to the road to La Combe d'Ire ,the scene of the Al-Hilli killings, in Chevaline . Zaid al-Hilli, Saad's 54-year-old . brother who lives in Chessington, Surrey, was arrested by British police . in June on suspicion of masterminding the killings. He denies all the . claims, and has been bailed to return to his local police station in . January. Zaid claims that French police have . failed to properly investigate the possibility that the real target was . Sylvain Mollier, a Frenchman who was also shot dead near the family's . car as he cycled through the hills above Lake Annecy. 'They are covering up for someone in . France' said Zaid al-Hilli. 'Mollier was involved in family disputes and . was an outsider to his rich family. We are dealing with very powerful . local people, they know each other and are in each other's pockets. They focused attention on us, it has a . racist background.' Mr Al-Hilli, a payroll manager, said he was in . Worthing, Sussex, on the day of the murder, and his alibi has been . confirmed. He has spent a total of 25 hours talking to the British . police, but has refused all requests to travel to France. The French claim that one of the . reasons Mr Al-Hilli was arrested was because of a series of mysterious . phone calls to Romania when he could have been 'hiring' a hitman. But Mr Al-Hilli said this was . absolute fiction, saying: 'I have no idea where Romania came from; I've . never even been asked about Romania.' Mr Al-Hilli said he would be prepared . to take a lie detector, and was on 'a mission to find out the truth.' He . thinks the possibility of Mr Mollier being the target has been played . down because of the influence of the 'rich, powerful local family' of . Mollier's girlfriend, the pharmacy heiress Claire Schutz. Mr Mollier had just started three . years paternity leave from the nuclear components factory where he . worked, and was relying on the now extremely rich Ms Schutz to support . him. It was Ms Schutz's father, Thierry . Schutz, who suggested the cycling route towards the village of Chevaline . along which Mr Mollier died. In the year since Mr Mollier's death, . his surviving family have refused to release a photograph him, have . never paid public tribute to him, and have attempted to keep all details . of his life a secret. The Al-Hillis' daughters, Zeena,and . Zainab, are now being looked after by other family members in the UK, . following a legal battle to remove them from the care of Social . Services. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | It has taken a year and two months for French police to release sketch . Saad Al-Hilli and his family were attacked by a gunman last year . Mr Al-Hilli and his wife, Ikbal, were killed, and one daughter injured . | 8410ca638d22f62dae232eb7a0bafa48e2494f70 |
A pensioner has been convicted of ill-treatment of animals for keeping dozens of emaciated and paralysed pets in a home filled inches thick with their own faeces. Ann Wynd, 75, was convicted of ill-treating dozens of animals after SSPCA officers found dogs in cages crusted with inches-thick filth. Several animals had to be put down as a result of the discovery. Inspectors initially thought one dog was dead, another was 'almost paraplegic' and a horse was found to be clinically emaciated. Animal faeces were also found on the kitchen floor and walls, and appeared to have been there for months. Pictured are some of the dogs inside the filthy cages discovered by inspectors at Wynd's Falkirk home . An ill-treated dog pictured by inspectors at Wynd's home. Several animals had to be put down by authorities . A dog peers out from the cage it was kept in on the property. Many of the cages were stacked on top of one another and did not prevent urine and faeces trickling down onto animals below . The pensioner, who had denied cruelty, was convicted of 29 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals including 19 dogs, two donkeys, a sheep, three Shetland ponies and a Welsh cob horse. Falkirk Sheriff Court heard she kept a menagerie of animals, including dogs, sheep, donkeys, horses and goats, in appalling conditions at her run-down smallholding farm at Standburn, near Falkirk. At an earlier hearing Sheriff Derek O'Carroll banned her from keeping animals for three years - except for four dogs and four sheep. Today, after being told that Wynd had made 'improvements' to the area where she kept sheep, he allowed her to be given another four animals which had been seized by the SSPCA. He placed her under social work supervision for three years, under the terms of a community payback order, and added a further condition requiring her to let qualified vets inspect her animals and her property. Sheriff O'Carroll said that Wynd was still not suitable to be given back eight Shetland ponies, but he told her he would review his banning order on December 22. A four-day trial earlier this year was told that the offences came to light when Wynd's husband died suddenly in November 2012. Police went to her farm to deal with the death, and called in the SSPCA because of the conditions they found. Two donkeys found covered in filth at the farm. There were 26 animals found during the inspection . Ann Wynd, 75, has been placed on social work supervision and must allow qualified vets to inspect her animals and property. She is pictured outside Falkirk Sheriff Court . SSPCA Inspector Nicola Liddell, who went to the premises at once, told Wynd's trial: 'I was immediately shocked as to what I was seeing. We had concerns for Mrs Wynd because it was so unhygienic.' Inspector Liddell said she had realised something was wrong even before she got to the door. She said: 'There was a strong smell of ammonia and faeces and a strong doggy smell. 'It was overpowering and it caught the back of my throat as I entered the room. 'I was immediately shocked as to what I was seeing. The floor was wet, thick, and sticky with what turned out to be a mixture of mud and faeces.' There were eight cages in the room, some piled on top of each other, containing up to two dogs each. Some of them were stacked up too high and there was no proper floor on the top ones to prevent faeces and urine coming through to the ones below. All the cages were covered in filth - a mixture of chewed up bedding and the dogs' own faeces. Some of the dogs had barely enough room to turn round, let alone lie down flat. Mrs Liddell said the foul mixture was 'inches thick' on some of the cages and the dogs seemed 'distressed and frightened'. An emaciated dog, pictured, was found 'almost paraplegic' such was its level of deterioration . Mrs Liddell said conditions were similar in the kitchen where the smell 'just took your breath away'. She said: 'We had concerns for Mrs Wynd because it was so unhygienic. All the surfaces were piled up with food bowls, food utensils, old clothing, newspapers - it was piled high.' More dogs were found in 'filthy' dark condition in sheds outside, and a donkey was found which appeared 'nearly emaciated' and struggling to stand while another horse also appeared to be 'very thin'. Wynd, now of Maddiston, Falkirk, had denied the charges and defended herself at her trial. She claimed that the animal welfare officials had made mistakes. She said: 'They've got my animals mixed up. There are things that are not true.' But Inspector Liddell replied: ' It was very sad and almost distressing for myself to see that humans had chosen to live in a highly unsuitable environment for their own health - but that was their choice. 'These animals couldn't choose the condition they lived in.' | Ann Wynd kept dogs, ponies, a sheep and a horse in 'deplorable conditions' Inspectors found her kitchen and dog cages covered in animal faeces . Other animals were found filthy, emaciated and 'almost paraplegic' Pensioner was convicted at Falkirk court of ill-treating dozens of animals . But she was still given permission to keep four dogs and four sheep . | 3840c86f055a746088f72777e3336531cdead0f5 |
British women are officially the most overweight in Europe. A quarter are obese – so fat it threatens their health – according to alarming figures. This is a far higher proportion than in the other countries of Western Europe. Obesity levels in the UK are far worse than Germany, Italy and France . British men are doing almost as badly, with more than one in five classed as obese, according to the authoritative figures. Experts are especially concerned by the young age at which so many women here are developing serious weight problems. A disturbing 16 per cent of young women aged 18 to 24 are obese – up to 16 times higher than many other European countries where the rate is between 1 per cent and 3 per cent. Young men are doing better, around 6 per cent are obese, but a worrying one third of men aged 45-64 are obese in the UK. The deeply troubling figures are contained in a report from Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, which compares obesity levels in 19 countries from 2008/2009. Only the U.S. and Ireland, which are not included in the league table, have higher obesity rates in the developed world. The latest table shows that only the former Soviet states of Latvia and Estonia – where one in five women is obese – approach the UK’s unenviable league-topping figure of 23.9 per cent. Women in Malta are catching up fast with rates of 22 per cent. Fifteen per cent of women in Germany are obese, while they are slimmer still in France (12.7 per cent) and Italy (9.3 per cent). The report says it is ‘particularly . significant’ that a third of men in the UK are obese between the ages of . 45 and 64. Overall, 22 per cent of British men are obese – and twice as . many are overweight, say experts. Neville Rigby, director of policy and . public affairs at the International Obesity Forum, said the British led . the field in obesity – but in almost all developed countries two-thirds . of adults are overweight or obese. ‘Levels of fatness are increasing all . the time,’ he said. ‘They go from overweight to obesity and affect more . than 60 per cent of adults in most countries. ‘The recession is likely to make . things worse, as people find they cannot afford the expense of buying . healthier foods and fill up on fatty and sugary junk foods.’ The National Audit Office estimates . that obesity causes at least 30,000 deaths a year in the UK, through . conditions such as cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes. It is shown to shorten lifespan, with individuals carrying 4st extra in weight at risk of losing three years in life expectancy. The Body Mass Index measurement is . used to calculate whether an individual is a healthy weight or not. This . is calculated by dividing weight (in kilos) by the square of his or her . height (in metres). Under 18.5 is underweight, 18.5-25 is a . healthy weight, 25-29.5 is overweight, 30-35 is obese and over 35 is . very obese. It means, for instance, a 5ft 6in woman weighing 14st would . have a BMI of 30 and would be seen as obese. A 6ft man weighing 16st . also has a BMI of 30. The formula has been criticised . because it may penalise those who have a lot of muscle, said Mr Rigby, . but he added: ‘Everyone knows when it’s fat.’ The report follows estimates made . earlier this year in The Lancet medical journal which found that if . current trends continue, the size of the obese population in the UK will . increase by 11million over the next two decades – up from 15million at . present. By 2030 the problem will trigger a startling number of illnesses. There will be almost half a million . more cases of heart disease and there will be around 700,000 extra cases . of diabetes, with 130,000 more developing cancer as a consequence of . their weight. Experts blame abundant energy-dense . food, too little exercise and lack of will by policymakers to curb . over-consumption. The Eurostat report links obesity with levels of . education, saying that the better educated tend to be . slimmer. Percentage of population classed as clinically obese: . Figures were not available for Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Finland and Sweden . Experts have been calling for ‘fat’ taxes on unhealthy food and a ban on advertisements aimed at children. Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum campaign group, said education was key to fighting obesity. ‘Until the UK puts domestic science . properly back into the school curriculum, many women will continue to . rely on cheap, ready meals and fast, processed foods for their families . and themselves,’ he added. | Obesity levels far worse than Germany, Italy and France . More than one in five British men classed as obese . | ae480687b65acdc2594f3ba4cffe9bafb1aa9d21 |
A man has been charged with the murder of a 43-year-old male at a bus stop outside London's Waterloo station. Mark Patten, 30, from Thornton Heath, south London, will appear at Camberwell Magistrates' Court tomorrow after the man, believed to be Menelaos Aligizakis, was found dead yesterday. The victim, who is yet to be formally identified, suffered serious head injuries and was found on Waterloo Road, near Britain's busiest rail station at about 2.45am on Saturday. A man has been charged after a 43-year-old male was found dead at a bus stop outside London's Waterloo Station in early hours of yesterday morning. Pictured, a bus stop close to the scene . Emergency crews attended but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Whilst the victim has not yet been formally identified, detectives are satisfied he was 43-year-old Menelaos Aligizakis.' Following the incident, Detective Chief Inspector Diane Tudway, from Scotland Yard's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: 'This is a very busy part of London frequented by both commuters and those on a night out. 'My team is keen to hear from anyone who was in the area or passing by at the time of this incident and may have witnessed what occurred or seen something that could assist the investigation. 'I would urge all witnesses and anyone with information to contact the incident room on 0208 721 4005 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.' The station, which serves as the central London terminus for South West trains, saw 98.4 million entries and exits from passengers in 2013-14, according to figures from the Office of Rail Regulation. Crews received reports a man had been attacked at about 2.45am on Saturday morning but when the London Ambulance Service arrived at the scene he was pronounced dead . Police say the man is yet to be formally identified but they believe it is 43-year-old Menelaos Aligizakis . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Mark Patten, 39, will appear at Camberwell Magistrates' Court tomorrow . Victim not formally identified but is believed to be Menelaos Aligizakis . Police received reports a man was attacked at London Waterloo station . Crews arrived at 2.45am yesterday but man was pronounced dead at scene . | c8007b18943d2c7fb7f2bf41bed0c90ba5a2f5e0 |
By . Stephen Mcgowan . Ronny Deila watched Celtic crash out of the Champions League in dismal fashion on Wednesday night – then vowed to build a completely new team. The Norwegian suffered humiliation in his first major European test after Legia Warsaw followed their 4-1 first leg mauling with a 2-0 win in Edinburgh. The final 6-1 aggregate defeat equalled the margin of the club’s previous worst loss to Juventus two years ago. VIDEO Scroll down for Celtic manager Deila's first training session with the squad . Dejected: Celtic's Nir Bitton and manager Ronny Deila (right) leave the field after crashing out of the Champions League . Shock: Michal Zyro scores the opener for Legia Warsaw to extend the Polish champions' aggregate advantage . Down and out: Celtic keeper Fraser Forster glances at the Murrayfield turf after Celtic fell behind . One for the fans: Legia supporters go wild following Zyro's opening goal at Murrayfield . Deila admitted his team are not good enough but must now negotiate a do or die Europa League play-off in a fortnight to salvage any hope of European football this season. Speaking after supporters vented their anger in the direction of club directors at Murrayfield, Deila appealed for time and support to rebuild his squad saying: 'I will need to built up a new team. 'That’s two years in the Champions League for Celtic - but this year we’re not good enough. Not by far. 'That’s our goals as a club and we have to do everything we can to make it a different situation next year when we try and qualify for the Champions League.' Chasing a miracle after a thumping defeat in Warsaw, the game was up for the Scottish champions after the opening goal from Michal Zyro after 35 minutes. A second for Michal Kucharczyk after an hour prompted anger from some Celtic fans in a 30,000 crowd. Doubling up: Michal Kucharczyk scores Legia's second goal past Celtic keeper Fraser Forster . Heading for the play-offs: Kucharczyk celebrates his strike which effectivley killed the tie . Easy street: Legia Warsaw's Michal Kucharczyk (right) is hailed on his goal by fellow scorer Michal Zyro . Concern: Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell (centre) with chairman Ian Bankier and director Eric Riley (right) 'Today we lost to a better team,' added Deila. 'We have to say that over two matches, Legia were better than us. 'I think the players were fighting all they could but we didn’t have the quality to break them down. 'The second goal was poor defending also so we have a lot to work on. 'But also I have to accept that it is our level right now and we have to work from here. I have a big job to do to improve us as a team. 'We can still win the league and get into the Europa League as well this season which would be a very good achievement. 'Then I hope we can stand here next year and talk about happier things than this.' Celtic’s board of directors face a furious inquest into their failure to spend substantial sums on new players, with free transfer keeper Craig Gordon and loan signing Jo Inge Berget the only new arrivals of the summer. Heading through: Legia boss Henning Berg celebrates with his assistant following their shock victory . Nightmare: Celtic's Mikael Lustig picks the ball out of the net following Legia's opening goal . Foot loose: Celtic's Callum McGregor (left) and Legia Warsaw's Tomasz Jodlowiec battle for the ball . Keeper's ball: Celtic's Anthony Stokes (centre) is beaten to the ball by Legia Warsaw's Dusan Kuciak . Goalkeeper Fraser Forster is likely to be the latest departure after handing his jersey to a supporter after Wednesday night’s game. Southampton are now set to submit a fresh £7million bid for the England World Cup star after Celtic lost £15m in Champions League revenues last night. 'I came here to do a job and work with the club,' added Deila. 'I have only been here for six weeks but right now it’s not good enough. That’s what I can see. 'We need to make the squad better by getting new players, which we are working on. 'But also we need to get more from the players here – and there are a lot of skills and a lot of quality.' Asked if Forster has played his final game, Deila was non committal. 'I don’t think so, we will see. 'But things have happened so quickly this last month you never know what’s happening. 'If that is happening we have to deal with that and that’s a position where we have good cover and opportunities.' Glum: Ronny Deila looks on from the touchline in front of his Celtic substitutes pitchside . Calling the shots: Ex-Blackburn boss Henning Berg shouts out tactical instructions to his Legia Warsaw team . Trip: Celtic's Mikael Lustig goes to ground following a tackle from Legia's Ondrej Duda . Running the line: Emilio Izaguirre (right) fends off pressure from Zyro during the first half . Heads up: Jakub Rzezniczak (left) battles with Celtic's Stefan Johansen in an aerial challenge . Foot loose: Legia's Michal Kucharczyk (right) slides in on Celtic's Adam Matthews to win possession . Heat is on: Deila (left) sitting beside assistants John Collins and John Kennedy has suffered a horrendous start as Celtic boss following the Hoops failure to reach the group stage . Talk a good game: Legia Warsaw boss Henning Berg addresses the media before the match at Murrayfield . Hoping for a comeback: Celtic fans gather before their side's Champions league qualifier at Murrayfield . In full voice: Legia Warsaw supporters were in good spirits as their team went into the clash with a 4-1 lead . Home from home: With Parkhead out of use due to the Commonwealth Games, Murrayfield hosted the qualifier . | Celtic knocked out of the Champions League in third qualifying round . Hoops lost 6-1 on aggregate following 2-0 defeat at Murrayfield . Ronny Deila's side went into home clash having trailed 4-1 from the first leg . Michal Zyro gave Polish champions lead in 36th minute . Michal Kucharczyk doubled advantage on night 16 minutes after half-time . Scottish champions now drop into Europa League play-off round . | 22ac2f6cfcf0a8c4fb6d2259174d92d0a07878be |
By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 19:57 EST, 7 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:59 EST, 7 November 2013 . The long-awaited report into how Britain went to war in Iraq has been delayed indefinitely by a row over new transcripts of conversations between Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and George W. Bush. Inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot has revealed that he has asked for ‘more than 130 records of conversations’ between the three men to be declassified. His demands have been blocked by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, Britain’s most senior civil servant. Long-awaited: Iraq inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot has revealed that his request for 'more than 130 records of conversations' between Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and George Bush to be released has been blocked . In a letter released on the inquiry website, Sir John says the snarl-up has led him to delay the ‘Maxwellisation process’, which requires him to inform senior politicians and civil servants if he plans to criticise them in his final report. MPs last night voiced fears that the inquiry may never conclude and that it is ‘beyond a joke’ to let the costs to taxpayers spiral further than the £7.4million it has already cost. The Chilcot Inquiry was established by Mr Brown when he was prime minister. But senior civil servants are blocking the publication of private communications between the two Labour premiers and the former US president on the ground that it might prejudice future relations between leaders. The descision by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, Britain's most senior civil servant, has spurred fears that the Chilcot Inquiry will never report . The hold-up also involves whether to make public ‘25 notes from Mr Blair to President Bush’ and ‘some 200 Cabinet-level discussions’, Sir John said. In his letter, Sir John said he and his colleagues ‘have agreed that the inquiry should not issue those provisional criticisms without a clear understanding of what supporting evidence will be agreed for publication. ‘The inquiry has therefore contacted the relevant individuals to notify them that the Maxwellisation timetable has been delayed and that we are not yet able to confirm when we will be in a position to provide them with the material they expect.’ In a letter of reply to Sir John, David Cameron said he was ‘aware of the scale of the task declassification has presented to a number of government departments’. He added: ‘I appreciate consideration of the disclosure requests for the remaining sensitive categories of information must be handled sensitively and carefully but I hope that consideration of the final sets of papers can be concluded as soon as possible.’ A senior Tory MP, who has taken a close interest in the Chilcot Inquiry, said: ‘You do wonder whether the Chilcot Inquiry will ever report. ‘It gets to the point where you wonder if there will be any point publishing the conclusions.’ Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru leader in the Commons, said it was ‘absolutely unacceptable’ for the documents not to be published. He said: ‘This is preposterous now – it has got beyond a joke. 'It would be in everyone’s best interests for all the available evidence to see the light of day so the inquiry can come to a measured and proper conclusion on all the available relevant evidence.’ Neither Mr Brown nor Mr Blair was prepared to comment, but allies of Mr Brown said he had no objection to the publication of the documents. Increasing numbers of people – especially the young – believe our political system is a closed circle: secretive, impenetrable and corrupt. If you want to know why so many feel alienated, just take a look at a story that speaks volumes about the unaccountability of our political masters. Sir John Chilcot’s inquiry into Britain’s participation in the invasion of Iraq, it turns out, has ground to a halt. Handshake: George Bush and Tony Blair after a meeting in 2001. The fallout from the Iraq war is leading increasing numbers of people to elieve our political system is a closed circle: secretive, impenetrable and corrupt . The inquiry wants to release the details of some 25 notes that Tony Blair, who was prime minister during the 2003 invasion, sent to the then US president George W. Bush. He also wants to publish 130 conversations that Blair and his successor, Gordon Brown, had with the American president, as well as information relating to 200 Cabinet discussions about the invasion and its aftermath. Quite understandable, you might think. For such an inquiry must shed light on these murky matters. Why bother having one at all if you are going to suppress vital information? But the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, has dug in his heels and is refusing to release the documents. As a result, even though Chilcot and his team have seen them, and have drawn on them when writing their report, you and I are barred from reading them. Thus there is no way for us to weigh up Chilcot’s conclusions, which means that whatever he may decide, the origins of the Iraq War will probably remain as controversial as ever. Alas, none of this is very surprising. Whitehall has long been engulfed in a culture of secrecy, and the lamentable urge to block, obfuscate and cover up is deeply engrained in our political culture. At one level, all this merely confirms the general pointlessness of public inquiries. Gordon Brown set the Chilcot Inquiry in June 2009 it up, he promised it would take about a year. We are still no nearer to discovering the truth . The Chilcot operation is in fact the third inquiry into the Iraq imbroglio, following the Hutton and Butler whitewashes. As usual with inquiries of this kind, it has ballooned into a grotesque and vastly expensive circus, and is unlikely to shed any new light or to change anybody’s opinion. When Gordon Brown set it up, he promised it would take about a year. That was in June 2009. We are now in November 2013, and still we are no nearer to discovering the truth. As for the costs, they have so far come to a whopping £7,474,400 – with plenty more to come. The astonishing thing is that, by the standards of public inquiries, Chilcot has not proved especially expensive. The Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday took 12 years and cost a staggering £200million. It would have been cheaper just to apologise and give the bereaved families £10million each. But no: the Government thought it was better to give the money to the legal profession instead. Yet there is something particularly galling about the Chilcot impasse, because the invasion of Iraq left a permanent stain on our political culture. Although it is now more than ten years since Tony Blair sent in British troops, the scars of the conflict have yet to heal. Iraq itself is still cursed by regular car bombings, while 179 British families are still mourning their fallen sons and daughters. A decade on, it is clear that the decision to invade was a defining moment, not merely for Mr Blair’s premiership, but for a generation’s attitude to politics. Quite apart from its other costs, it fundamentally altered the way many people thought about the political process, and not for the better. While some two million people marched against the war, many more were profoundly disturbed by the suspicion that our government had lied and dissembled in order to please the Americans. For young people in particular, the controversy seemed to confirm that politics was inherently corrupt. In this context, the ludicrous farce of the Chilcot Inquiry is even more damaging. To many people, it will inevitably appear that the Whitehall establishment is protecting its own. My own suspicion is that these messages that the Cabinet Secretary won’t make public will probably turn out to be less exciting than we think. Much as we love to believe in stunning revelations and smoking guns, the reality is usually muddier and more mundane. But as the popularity of conspiracy theories suggests, people always like to believe the worst. What, they will wonder, do Blair and Brown have to hide? What did they tell President Bush? What promises did they make, and what secrets are lurking in the documents? The great irony, of course, is that the Chilcot Inquiry was meant to shed light on the dark corners of British foreign policy, to heal the wounds of the Iraq invasion, and to restore public faith in the political process. Yet all of this is so unnecessary. For decades, successive governments have come to power promising to roll back the culture of secrecy, yet none of them has done it. Why the mandarins and their political patrons are so frightened of openness is simply beyond me. Their American friends, for example, are much quicker and keener to open their archives and to air their dirty linen in public, and it never does them any harm. Truth and openness are the building blocks of any successful democratic society. The more you hide, the more people suspect and fear you – and the more you play into the hands of juvenile nihilists who prattle about revolution without really understanding what it means. It was President Richard Nixon, of all people, who put it best. ‘What really hurts in matters of this sort,’ he told an aide during the Watergate scandal, ‘is not the fact that they occur... What really hurts is if you try to cover it up.’ Alas for Nixon, he did not take his own advice. But our politicians really ought to learn the appropriate lesson. | MPs last night voiced fears that the Chilcot Inquiry may never conclude . | 851570cce5bcaf06d8defacb648f9b237f67f980 |
(CNN)In this brave, forever-new world of social media, the minutiae of daily life can be documented for public consumption with the tap of a finger. For many, that includes pictures of what they're consuming on a daily basis, from their morning latte to their evening glass of wine and every Cronut in between. Immortalizing food imagery is certainly not a new phenomenon, though the mediums in which to do so have come a long way from canvases to smartphones. During the Renaissance era, food often appeared in popular works of art by way of still-life paintings, and painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is often heralded for elevating the seemingly simplistic genre with dramatic lighting, angles and imperfections. Photographer Rebecca Ruetten was inspired by the "eroticism, presentation and charisma" of these paintings by Caravaggio and artists like Luis Melendez, Diego Velazquez and Pieter Claesz, so she decided to approach a distinctly modern phenomenon -- fast food -- in the Renaissance-era style. "Fast food is created to attract, but everybody knows the food they order will -- in the end -- never look like the food in the advertisement's photo," Ruetten said. In her series "Contemporary Pieces," she theatrically lights meals of Taco Bell, KFC, McDonald's, Panda Express and donuts, while models pose with hot dogs, marshmallows, ice cream and pizza. Ruetten sees fast food as a symbol of class divide, much like Caravaggio unconventionally relied on lower classes of Roma people, laborers and even prostitutes to pose for many of his works. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. "To eat healthy is expensive," Ruetten said. "However, one can buy large amounts of food at a fast-food restaurant for a comparatively low price." Ruetten said she was inspired by Caraveggio's atypical models and asked her "punk and hippie" friends with visible tattoos and piercings to take part. "It underlines the concept that they are 'children of the modern age,' having been brought up in the changing America, often defined by the culture of fast food," Ruetten said. And in an interesting twist of fate, Ruetten said, most of her subjects avoid the exact type of food they were photographed with. "To them, the food becomes a non-edible object and loses its value as being considered food," she said. Rebecca Ruetten is a photographer who also works under the pseudonym Becky Fuchs. You can follow her on Instagram or Tumblr. | Rebecca Ruetten photographed fast food as social commentary about class divide . She modeled her photographs after Renaissance paintings . Her style was influenced by painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio . | 8d67f0a1b1ff9bdb965185ee5e1ea084cb863d53 |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- Violent clashes raged between tribes in southeastern Kenya on Tuesday, a day after at least 38 people were killed in the southeast of the country, the Red Cross said. Attackers in the Tana Delta region have set homes on fire, forcing people to flee, according to the Kenya Red Cross. The fighting comes a day after a mob of more than 300 people descended on the village of Kilelengwani in the remote Tana Delta, many of them armed with spears and machetes, the agency said on Monday. Men, women and children were killed, including seven police officers who had been deployed to the area as a buffer between warring tribes. That massacre came just days after nearly a dozen people were killed in the same region in what appears to be continued tit-for-tat violence that erupted last month. The violence is blamed on the Pokomo and Orma tribes prevalent in the region. The Pokomo are largely settled farmers, and the Orma are traditionally pastoralists, tending cattle and goat herds. There has been long-running tension between the two groups over grazing rights and water sources, but it boiled over last month when the Pokomo attacked an Orma village after an apparent land dispute. More than 50 people were killed in that attack, mostly women and children. The revenge attacks are the worst violence in Kenya since more than a thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands were left homeless after a disputed election in late 2007. Kenya's security forces have been heavily criticized for being unable to quell the escalating violence along the Tana River. Samuel Kilele, the police commissioner of the coast, said hundreds of police were in the area, but rugged terrain and poor infrastructure made it hard to get there. He said four local administrators were being fired for their lack of a response. But in a move indicating the seriousness of the situation, he said the Kenyan military could be brought in to bring security to the region. "If the situation proves more volatile, then the deployment of the army will be inevitable," Kilele said. | Attackers set homes on fire, forcing people to flee in the remove Tana Delta region . More than 300 people, many with spears and machetes, struck a village Monday . Killings come just days after tribal violence killed nearly a dozen people in the area . Violence is blamed on tensions between the Pokomo and Orma tribes prevalent in the region . | 5e99c65d730b3d5351ab511934a862b42db90526 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:28 EST, 7 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:45 EST, 8 December 2013 . Fred Waters, a longtime Associated Press photographer who covered everything from the Korean and Vietnam wars to construction of the Gateway Arch, has died, his daughter said Thursday. Waters died Wednesday in Gulf Breeze, Florida, after several years of failing health, daughter Karen Wiley said. He turned 86 last month. Waters was born in Alabama in 1927. His family moved to Miami in the 1930s and he got a job as a clerk in the photo lab of the Miami Herald. Emotion: Waters took this lasting image of a woman grieving for her son, who was killed by Viet Cong rebels in fighting at Tra Bong, Vietnam, in 1968, in a village 330 miles northeast of Saigon . Combat: Waters took this picture of a seriously wounded GI receives life saving blood plasma while another medic open a tin containing bandages as he prepares to dress the GIs wounds on Oct. 17, 1952, Vietnam . French-Indochina War: A Laotian woman and child are lifted by stretcher onto a truck for transport to a hospital in the capital city Vientiane, December 1960 . He was 17 when he joined the Navy in World War II, earning a Purple Heart on Guam. He joined the Army after his hitch in the Navy ended in 1946 and was trained as a photographer, serving a tour in Japan and earning the name 'Mizu-San', Japanese for 'Mr. Waters'. Waters was hired by AP in 1952. He remained in Southeast Asia and covered conflicts that included the Korean War, the French-Indochina War and Vietnam. He was wounded in Korea, hurt in a helicopter crash in Laos and suffered an eye injury from a bamboo trap in South Vietnam. During the French-Indochina War, Waters covered the fall of the French to the Vietminh. He was one of the last three newsmen to leave Hanoi before it was overrun by the Vietminh in 1954. Waters captured this May 10, 1955 photo of a child sitting in a basin awaiting the return of his parents who were nearby searching the ruins of what was once their home in Cholen, the Chinese community of Saigon . Korean War: Waters was there on June 4, 1952, when U.S. soldiers entered compound 96 in Korea, holding Communist prisoners of war, as teargas smoke fills the area . Freedom: Waters captured this image of a South Korean woman lights a cigarette for one of the escaped anti-communist North Korean war prisoners, freed in the mass escape of 27,000, June 26, 1953 . Back in the day: In this Jan. 29, 1952, Waters poses with a Speed Graphic press camera, en route to Tokyo and Korea . Always snapping pictures: Under constant surveillance and forbidden to take pictures, Waters hung his camera around his neck and as he walked around Hanoi during the French-Indochina War . Under constant surveillance and forbidden to take pictures, Waters hung his camera around his neck and as he walked around, aimed his body and snapped his shutter. Once his film was smuggled out of the country, it provided the first photos from Hanoi under Vietminh rule. In his book, Mizu-San, published in 2011, Waters wrote, 'Very few people can say that they accomplished their life's goal before they were 30 years old. That's what happened to me. It's been a good ride.' Waters was transferred to St. Louis in 1962 and worked there until he retired in 1987. Movie set: Ethel Waters and Jeannie Crain, and Jack Watson, sing an Irish duet between scenes on the set of Pinky, in Hollywood, California on May 16, 1949. In the background is Fred O'Neill, technical adviser for the film . Segregation: Waters took this picture of women cheering Sept. 6, 1962, as other white parents pull their children from the Thomas J. Semmes School in New Orleans, one of the first public schools integrated . Equal rights: June 21, 1963, a crowd of black demonstrators sit in the middle of Locust Street during rush hour in St. Louis to protest alleged re-segregation in the city's schools . Passed away: Fred Waters, a photojournalist who covered everything from the Korean and Vietnam wars to construction of the Gateway Arch, died Wednesday, aged 86 . His photos chronicled construction of the Gateway Arch, presidential visits, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals games. He traveled with Martin Luther King Jr. and covered the upheaval after his assassination. Waters was inducted into the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame in 2008. Funeral services are 2pm Sunday at Bayview Memorial Park Funeral Home in Pensacola, Florida. Waters is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mary Waters, daughters Karen Wiley and Jane Taylor, both of Gulf Breeze, and son Oscar Waters of St. Louis; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. | Fred Waters was an Associated Press photographer since 1952 who covered everything from the Korean and Vietnam wars to construction of the Gateway Arch . He also traveled with Martin Luther King Jr. and covered the upheaval after his assassination . Waters died Wednesday at age 86 in Gulf Breeze, Florida, after several years of failing health . | 31f26b3d38cdc509e1cbd9a2225977957cfb25a4 |
(CNN) -- CNN's Freedom Project has broken new ground by exposing the horrors of child labor, the shame of forced marriages, the brutality of child militias and the injustice of the routine everyday discrimination practised against millions of girls, denied even the most basic of education -- most blatantly revealed in the shooting by the Taliban of Malala Yousafzai. This year I foresee the Freedom Project gaining new momentum as young people take to the streets and airwaves, grow more vociferous in championing their rights and prove that they are more assertive in seeking change than the adults tasked with their care. This week a global petition calling for justice for young women in India has attracted more than one million signatures, principally from young people, as a result of the campaigning energies of Avaaz, the global online petitioning movement. Young men and women dominate this month's countrywide anti-rape demonstrations, but all across Asia young people have hit the streets in record numbers at the start of the year. In Bangladesh, young people are leading a movement to demand "child marriage-free zones" to end the practice of girls aged 10, 11 and 12 being forced into loveless marriages against their will. I have met some of these brave girls who are proving more determined in standing up against child marriage than their parents. Desmond Tutu: Time for men to challenge treatment of women . In Nepal, days before India's anti-rape protests, young people were already marching, demanding an end to men's violence against women and last week demonstrators voiced their outrage at a tense meeting with the prime minister. In India, another set of street demonstrations is also gaining ground. Young people who have escaped, often when just eight or nine, from bonded labor, have been leading a march to end this form of child slavery, a march that the Chief Justice of India joined and endorsed. And in Burma (also known as Myanmar), where Aung San Suu Kyi led demonstrations for democratic rights 25 years ago, 200,000 young people demonstrated against child trafficking. Already in response to worldwide revulsion at violence against women, major demonstrations are being organized in Africa and Asia in February. These demonstrations build on the role played by young people in the Arab Spring, the growth of an "indignant" youth movement in Spain and the student demonstrations about tuition fees and rights to study that have characterized countries as diverse as Canada and China, all of which have focused on the dearth of opportunities for young people. By the end of January, three million people will have signed the Malala petitions, calling for girls to be given their rightful opportunities to go to school. But what is most noteworthy is that one million of these signatures are being assembled by young Pakistani children who are denied a place in school. When I visited Pakistan recently, I was struck by the determination of schoolgirls Kainat and Shazia, friends of Malala who were also injured in the Taliban attack. Both girls determined, in spite of the dangers, to stand up to the intimidation, return to school and study to be doctors. Dictating daughters' destinies . The same determination is displayed by Imran, a young Indian from Bihar who wishes to return to school and train to become a teacher. Promised a chance to send home money to his family, he was forced to work unpaid in a sweatshop for 14 hours a day. Thankfully Imran was rescued by the Global March Against Child Labour. Now his cause, and that of thousands of others like him, will lead to the presentation of a petition to the Indian parliament calling for the abolition of child labor. Indeed it is expected that in advance of the Indian parliament's vote on the issues, one million more mainly young people will add their names. The act of creating "child marriage-free zones" reminds us that even in 2013 patriarchs still attempt to dictate their daughters' destinies. The zones also demonstrate patriarchy will not hold back girls' aspirations forever. Protests against male violence against women remind us that too many men still treat women as their chattels, to be exploited and brutalized, but the scale of protests illustrates that the men who are violating rights are being challenged. The demand from girls to go to school is also a reminder that for most of history, adult generations have been able to dictate whether the next generation is free to dream of better futures or not. Now, girls are saying that their elders can no longer trample upon their rights. You don't need to fall for a technological determinism to understand that the Internet is helping to radicalize a new generation of young people thanks to our new-found capacity to communicate instantaneously across continents. Just as opinions during the Arab Spring spread rapidly via new technologies, so young people in Asia are today communicating, exchanging views and learning more about other young people. They are making connections across old borders, breaking down traditional barriers, crossing ancient divides and smashing long-established walls of prejudice. 'Frightened' India child bride annuls marriage . In the 1960s John Kennedy talked of crossing a new frontier. In 2013, because of the advances of technology, young people are finding that there is no frontier. Indeed the sheer scale of the anti-child slavery demonstration of 200,000 young people in Rangoon shows that regimes can repress for a time but they cannot maintain their repression indefinitely. The marches against child trafficking show that the truth will eventually come out and the victims' cries for help will not be silenced forever. It is not technology however that is driving young people's concerns, it is the yawning gap between the promise of globalization and its reality that brings young people out on to the streets. The promise is that every young person has the chance to rise as far as their talents can take them. Young people are, however, coming to understand the reality of globalization -- that their opportunities and rights depend more on where they were born and who they were born to than on their merit, their effort or their talent. It is this growing awareness of the gap between what you have in yourself to become -- and yet what you are -- that is fueling the demand for change. Our task is to offer a pathway out of exploitation and into freedom, out of exclusion and into education. When as much as 80% of global inequality is explained by birth and background, education should be the counterweight, the driver of equal opportunity. The case for global investment in basic education (we need at least two million more teachers and four million classrooms) is not just that individuals will benefit from educational opportunity but that countries will too. Indeed, mobilizing the talent of young people is the only sure way of unlocking the potential of the poorest countries in the world. We spend 250 times more in the West schooling a child up to the age of 16 than we do on the average African child. Our pattern of educational spending compounds rather than corrects or compensates for these glaring inequalities. Annual educational aid is only $14 per African child. An April summit, led by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Kim, will demand concrete action from off-track countries to move children from the violation of their basic rights to the guarantee of their right to education. In the coming year I hope the U.N. will hold a debate in its General Assembly on systematic violations of children's rights, demanding that, instead of the exploitation these young people suffer today, we open the doors to opportunity in education. My aim for 2013 and beyond is to move millions of children from the abyss of exploitation today into the opportunity of education tomorrow. This is the one way we can not only release children from abuse but break the cycle of poverty which is at risk of being transmitted from generation to generation. | Gordon Brown says 2013 already being defined by young people prepared to demonstrate for rights . Arab Spring was a role model for activism around diverse causes, says U.N. special envoy for global education . Following attack on Malala Yousafzai, petitions supporting education for girls signed by about three million people . Many girls saying elders can no longer trample on their rights, says former UK prime minister . | 6323a6eed52a0ceb3abda27c89741e2e11dc2b70 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:20 EST, 28 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:41 EST, 30 November 2012 . Abraham Shakespeare could barely read, wrote his name in block letters and had given away most of his $17 million in lottery winnings when he became friends with Dorice 'Dee Dee' Moore, a calculating woman who later became his financial adviser, prosecutors said Wednesday.During opening statements in Moore's first-degree murder trial in Tampa, assistant state attorney Jay Pruner said Moore swindled what was left of Shakespeare's winnings from his bank account in 2009, then killed him and buried his body under a concrete slab in her backyard.Pruner said when Shakespeare won the lottery, his life 'drastically and dramatically changed' — and that the money caused all sorts of problems, eventually leading to his death. On trial: Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore arrives in court at the Hillsborough County Courthouse for the opening statements in her case Wednesday . Big winner: Mr. Shakespeare collected his millions with his family by his side in 2006 . Moore, 40, wore a yellow button-down blouse and black pants to court, and her long, curly hair framed her face as she highlighted notes with a yellow marker during Wednesday's trial. Booked: Police said Dorice 'Dee Dee' Moore shot Shakespeare twice than his his body in concrete . Her attorney, Byron Hileman, said there is no evidence that ties his client to the gun used to shoot Shakespeare.'There are no eyewitnesses who can testify that Ms. Moore shot and killed Mr. Shakespeare or was present when he was shot and killed or had any part carrying out his murder,' Hileman said, adding that the evidence against Moore is mostly circumstantial.Both attorneys agreed on one thing: that by the time Shakespeare and Moore met, the man had already spent or given away most of his lottery winnings. Friends and acquaintances owed him millions of dollars, the lawyers said, and Pruner called him a 'soft touch.'Moore befriended Shakespeare in late 2008, claiming that she was writing a book 'about how people were taking advantage of him,' said Pruner.Prosecutors said Moore became his financial adviser, eventually controlling every asset he had left, including an expensive home, the debt owed to him and a $1.5 million annuity. Prosecutors said Moore got close to Shakespeare by telling him she was writing a book about his financial woes . Pruner said that during the trial, he will prove that Moore shifted money from Shakespeare's bank accounts to her own, and that she formed a company in his name — yet didn't allow him to withdraw money from the bank account attached to that company.In April 2009, Shakespeare disappeared. Pruner said he was shot, killed and buried under a 30-by-30-foot concrete slab in the back of Moore's home. Moore presented herself as a leggy blond in her social media profiles . Smith is expected to take the witness stand because he became a confidential informant and recorded numerous conversations and meetings with Moore — who told police various stories about her relationship with Shakespeare and his disappearance during several interviews.In January 2010, investigators searched Moore's property and found Shakespeare's decomposing body in Moore's backyard.Moore's attorney acknowledged that 'we certainly would agree that Ms. Moore had some knowledge that something happened,' and told a story about a meeting involving Shakespeare and a couple of guys at Moore's home.'The fact is that something happened,' said Hileman. 'Ms. Moore may have suspected something happened but she was not an eyewitness to details.'The trial is expected to last two weeks. | Prosecutors say Dorice 'Dee Dee' Moore befriended Abraham Shakespeare to get to his money . Moore eventually 'controlled all Shakespeare's finances' The lottery winner's body was found under a slab of concrete in 2009 . Detectives obtained CCTV of her buying plastic sheeting and duct tape . Site of burial was owned by Moore's ex-boyfriend, detectives say . | bb0a5d5b9a13a417d9dcf6265d9107bd2f47dd00 |
QPR's move to sign Michael Laudrup appears doomed to fail, with the Dane telling associates in Denmark that he wants to see out his contract with Qatari club Lekhwiya. His agent, Bayram Tutumlu, told Sportsmail on Wednesday that Lekhwiya were unlikely to release the 50-year-old from his deal, which expires in June. Sportsmail has also been told by a separate source close to the former Swansea manager that he intends to honour that contract, with Lekhwiya currently top of their league. Michael Laudrup is the favourite to succeed Harry Redknapp as QPR's manager this season . Bobby Zamora (right) is mobbed by his team-mates after scoring his side's second goal against Sunderland . Caretaker boss Chris Ramsey (left) could remain in charge until the end of the season . It increases the possibility of caretaker manager Chris Ramsey seeing out the season. Ramsey is a popular coach and respected by the QPR players and on Monday said he would 'jump at the chance' to lead the club in the longer term. Tutumlu later told reporters: 'Laudrup is under contract with Qatari club Lekhwiya. Out of respect anyone interested in him should contact the club. 'I don't think they would let him go because the team are in so many tournaments and competitions.' He added: 'Michael has taken (Lekhwiya) them to first place in the league and he is regarded as the most important person in the club right now. Laudrup guided Swansea to their first major trophy by lifting the Capital One Cup back in 2013 . QPR midfielder Leroy Fer heads home his side's opening goal at the Stadium of Light . Harry Redknapp quit his role as QPR manager as he needs knee replacement surgery . 'I don't think it is the right thing for Michael to leave now and go because he has agreed a contract with these people. I don't think it's possible. 'I don't want to speak about whether QPR have been in contact, that's private. I can only say he loves English football and the Premier League. It's just not possible right now. 'In June his contract will finish and he will be free. I'm not sure if they will want compensation to let him go now, first QPR have to talk to them. 'You can never say never and he could return to the Premier League. If the right club comes, the right project - why not?' | QPR had hoped to appoint former Swansea boss Michael Laudrup . The Dane wants to remain with Qatari side Lekhwiya until at least June . Chris Ramsey could remain in control until the end of the season . Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood will not be given the job . QPR recorded their first away win of the season at Sunderland on Tuesday . | 8268aaaf05410df77f7b24275ed6f2e6cb87a2bb |
GP3 driver Konstantin Tereshchenko survived a terrifying crash at Spa that saw his car fly into the air, roll and then burst into flames. The 20-year-old caught the kerbat turn 18 during a practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix and his car was sent out of control. Tereshchenko flew threw the air, over the track and on to the run-off area, before his car rolled as it landed. The car then erupted into flames as it came to rest near a barrier and Tereshchenko quickly jumped out unharmed. The young Russian driver was making his debut in the GP3 series for the Trident team. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Flying: Konstantin Tereshchenko's car soared threw the air after clipping a kerb at Spa . Landing: The 20-year-old's car flipped as it touched the ground on the run off area . Survival: Tereshchenko was making his debut in the GP3 series for the Trident team . Heated: The Russian escaped from his car as it burst into flames when coming to rest near a barrier . | GP3 driver was flipped into the air after clipping a kerb at turn 18 . Tereshchenko's car landed in a run-off area and then rolled . Car then burst into flames as it came to rest, but Russian driver jumped out . Tereshchenko, 20, making his debut in GP3 with the Trident team . | cd1053cf6144f95211af1aad8259e6ea103a516b |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:54 EST, 14 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:00 EST, 14 April 2013 . It must be hard trying to find a new outfit for every society wedding so it's no wonder Pippa Middleton recycled the furry stole she wore at a ceremony last year. The Duchess of Cambridge's little sister was attending the wedding of Scottish aristocrats Edmund Salvesen and Abi Elphinstone in Aberdeenshire. Opinion is divided as to whether it's real or fake fox, but if it is faux, it's extremely convincing. And it is not the first time the winter warmer has made an appearance. In December 2012 she wore the stole at the wedding of friend Emma Logue in Northern Ireland to ward off the winter chill. This time she channeled a 1920s style for the occasion, with her patterned high necked dress coupled with a purple winter bonnet and clutch bag. Pippa Middleton wrapped up warm in a fake fur stole and form fitting silk dress for a friend's wedding. The slinky silk dress fitted her athletic frame perfectly, clinging in all the right places . Pippa Middleton attended a friends wedding in Aberdeenshire without her boyfriend Nico Jackson . The party planner turned author off set the 1920s inspired outfit with purple accessories, including clutch handbag and winter bonnet by Rosie Olivia millinery . The wind whipped up Miss Middleton's dress, revealing her tanned and toned legs . The slinky form fitting silk dress complimented the Duchess of Cambridge's sister's slender figure perfectly. Pippa attended the wedding without her . boyfriend Nico Jackson. Instead she was instead accompanied by old friend George . Percy. Mr Percy - the son of The Duke of Northumberland - has . been previously linked romantically to Pippa. The elements nearly caught Miss Middleton, dubbed Her Royal Hotness, off guard with the wind whipping up the dress around her toned legs. Pippa attended the wedding without her boyfriend Nico Jackson. Instead she was instead accompanied by old friend George Percy . The slinky form fitting silk dress complimented the Duchess of Cambridge's sister's slender figure perfectly . Miss Middleton has recently has recently been given a new food column in the Waitrose magazine, Pippa's Friday Night Feasts. She released her first book - a . guide to party-planning, which did include several recipes - in October . last year, but she has since parted ways with her agent. Celebrate: A Year of British . Festivities For Families and Friends reportedly netted Pippa a £400,000 . advance from publisher Michael Joseph. The couple enjoyed a traditional ceremony at their local church . Miss Middleton has recently has recently been given a new food column in the Waitrose magazine, Pippa's Friday Night Feasts . She released her first book - a guide to party-planning, which did include several recipes - in October last year, but she has since parted ways with her agent . It is believed to be the second outing for the fake fur stole. Miss Middleton was pictured wearing it with a similar outfit to attend a winter wedding last year . But her agent David Godwin last week . confirmed that he and the middle child of the Middleton family were no . longer working together. Miss Middleton also runs her own online magazine, Party Times, an offshoot of her family's Party Pieces business. She and her partner Nico have been rumoured to have been dating since they met on a ski trip earlier this year. She has previously dated investment banker James Matthews, 37, and financier and former England cricketer Alex Loudon, 32. Father and the bride: Abi Elphinstone arrives at the church to be wed . Scottish aristocrats Edmund Salvesen and Abi Elphinstone married at their local church, wrapping up against the chill in tartan . Happily married: Bride Abi Elphinstone leaving the ceremony with her husband . The church where Scottish aristocrats Edmund Salvesen and Abi Elphinstone married . The couple were played into the ceremony by traditional Scottish bagpipe players . While the weather has taken a turn for the better, Miss Middleton was clearly not taking any chances with the warm but elegant outfit . The columnist was all smiles as she left the church with her friend . Haven't we seen that before: Pippa pictured in purple but wearing the fur stole (left) and right wearing the same piece last year . Another weekend, another society wedding for the Duchess of Cambridge’s little sister. Here Femail’s ELIZA SCARBOROUGH analyses Pippa Middleton’s latest look: . In this sexy, glamorous, yet totally appropriate outfit, Pippa gives us a masterclass on how to dress for a winter wedding. (Yes, we know it’s supposed to be spring, it’s just that Aberdeenshire, where her friends Edmund Salvesen and Abi Elphinstone tied the knot on Saturday, obviously hadn’t got the memo). I don’t think I’ve seen her look this stylish since Kate and William’s big day. The sleek lines and split of her £578 floor-length, silk Beulah frock flatter her toned legs – and that derrière – while the fluffy tippet adds drama and keeps out the chill. Sloanes seem to wed at a rate of knots, so it’s no wonder Pippa recycled the stole, which she wore to another winter wedding, in December 2012. Opinion is divided as to whether it’s real or fake fox, but if it is faux, it’s extremely convincing. Fur has been all over the catwalk recently, so Pippa’s obviously been paying attention. The jaunty Gina Foster cocktail hat is a winner too. I love the elegant feather, which is much more stylish than the overblown silk flowers she’s favoured in the past. The purple dress makes her olive complexion glow, although it could be argued that the matching bangle, clutch bag and suede Prada court shoes are overkill. She looks sexy, radiant and grown-up – yet not old beyond her years, which is a fashion trap she’s fallen into in the past. She and her mother, Carole, have often been snapped in very similar outfits, which look great on Middleton Senior, but can make 29-year-old Pippa look rather too Sloaney and staid. No chance of that in this foxy ensemble. | The Duchess of Cambridge's sister channeled a 1920s style for occasion . Attending wedding of aristocrats Edmund Salvesen and Abi Elphinstone . | 88feec0a9c53a6aac8a01c8659a1e8bb96864105 |
Investigations into the shooting of Michael Brown continue, despite a grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson, the US Attorney General has said. The Justice Department will continue to pursue two investigations, one into potential civil rights violations by Officer Wilson when he shot dead 18-year-old unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and one into the practices of the Ferguson Police force. The Attorney General also addressed the violence which has followed the St. Louis County jury’s decision saying ’it does not honour Michael Brown’s memory to engage in violence or looting’. Scroll down for video . It's not over: Federal investigations into the shooting of Michael Brown will continue despite grand jury decision, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement on Monday . Violent riots broke out in Ferguson late Monday night, and protests have been held across the country, following a grand jury decision not to indict white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the August shooting of black teenager Michael Brown. However, the FBI and the Justice Department are continuing to investigate the shooting for potential civil rights violations by Officer Wilson, and a broader inquiry has been launched into the police practices of the overwhelmingly white Ferguson force, which operates in a predominantly black community. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement following the conclusion of the grand jury proceeding, that the federal inquiry has always been independent of the one in the St. Louis County, and will remain so. ‘While the grand jury proceeding in St. Louis County has concluded, the Justice Department’s investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown remains ongoing,’ Attorney General Eric Holder , 63, said. ‘In addition, the Department continues to investigate allegations of unconstitutional policing patterns or practices by the Ferguson Police Department.' The Justice Department are investigating whether it can be shown that Officer Wilson (right) willfully deprived 18-year-old Michael Brown (left) of his civil rights when he shot him several times while he was unarmed . Violence: Police gather on the streets of Ferguson as protesters react after the announcement of the grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown . The Justice Department will continue to pursue two investigations, one into potential civil rights violations by Officer Darren Wilson when he shot Michael Brown and one into the practices of the Ferguson Police force . Tears: A female protester uses milk to counter police pepper spray after a group of demonstrators attempted to stop traffic on Interstate 5 in Ferguson, Missouri . Attorney General Holder added: 'Michael Brown’s death was a tragedy. This incident has sparked a national conversation about the need to ensure confidence between law enforcement and the communities they protect and serve. 'Though there will be disagreement with the grand jury's decision not to indict, this feeling should not lead to violence. 'Those who decide to participate in demonstrations should remember the wishes of Michael Brown's parents, who have asked that remembrances of their son be conducted peacefully. It does not honor his memory to engage in violence or looting. 'In the coming days, it will likewise be important for local law enforcement authorities to respect the rights of demonstrators, and deescalate tensions by avoiding excessive displays—and uses—of force . Federal investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof in order to mount a prosecution against Officer Wilson. Whereas the county grand jury could consider multiple charges, Justice Department lawyers have a single focus: whether it can be shown that Officer Wilson willfully deprived 18-year-old Michael Brown of his civil rights. That is a difficult burden to meet, especially considering the wide latitude given to police officers in using deadly force. Riots in the streets: Policemen clash with protesters in Ferguson after mass riots broke out overnight . Missouri Burning: A car on fire outside the Ferguson Police Department on Monday night . Two sides: Protesters confront black police officers during a march in Ferguson . A group of protesters vandalize a police vehicle after the announcement of the grand jury decision . The inquiry into the practices of the entire Ferguson Police department is focusing on stops, searches and arrests and generally looking for patterns of discrimination within the overwhelmingly white department. It has the potential to require major changes in the policing methods of the Ferguson force. Such broader reviews typically rely on data and interviews in the community and can take far longer than a criminal investigation. The Justice Department has initiated roughly 20 investigations of troubled police departments in the past five years, or more than twice the number undertaken in the five years before that. And regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation, there's also the potential that Michael Brown's family could file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wilson. The Attorney General said he expects the federal investigation into the shooting to be concluded before he leaves office, a move which is expected to be imminent as Obama picked his choice of replacement earlier this month. Brooklyn federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch, 55, was announced as the President’s choice over two weeks ago, but needs to be confirmed by the Senate. If she is confirmed, Ms Lynch would make history as the first black woman to serve as attorney general. What other investigations are underway? The FBI and the Justice Department are continuing to investigate the shooting for potential civil rights violations. Investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof in order to mount a prosecution. Whereas the county grand jury could consider multiple charges, Justice Department lawyers have a single focus: whether it can be shown that Wilson willfully deprived Brown of his civil rights. That is a difficult burden to meet, especially considering the wide latitude given to police officers in using deadly force. Some other past high-profile police shootings, including the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo in New York City, did not result in federal prosecutions. What about broader allegations of racial insensitivity on the part of the Ferguson police department? Beyond the shooting itself, the Justice Department is conducting a wide-reaching investigation into the practices of the entire department. That investigation is focusing on stops, searches and arrests and generally looking for patterns of discrimination within the overwhelmingly white department. It has the potential to require major changes in the policing methods of the Ferguson force. Such broader reviews typically rely on data and interviews in the community and can take far longer than a criminal investigation. The Justice Department has initiated roughly 20 investigations of troubled police departments in the past five years, or more than twice the number undertaken in the five years before that. And regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation, there's also the potential that Brown's family could file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wilson. How long might these other investigations go on? The Justice Department has not set a timeline for either investigation, though outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder has said he expects the federal investigation into the shooting to be concluded before he leaves office. He said late on Monday that that investigation was independent of the local probe, and that "we have avoided prejudging any of the evidence." How will authorities deal with any protests? President Barack Obama appealed for calm and understanding Monday after the no-indictment announcement, saying the country needed 'to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make.' Holder, too, said the decision should not lead to violence. Even so, within minutes of the announcement, crowds in the streets of Ferguson shattered windows, vandalized cars and taunted police while officers released smoke and pepper spray to disperse the gatherings. In anticipation of the protests, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon pre-emptively declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. Gun sales surged before the grand jury decision and some shop owners boarded up their stores. A federal law enforcement team has been working with top commanders in Ferguson and from neighboring police departments to help reduce tensions and build trust. Are there longer-term efforts to deal with underlying problems? Nixon several days ago named 16 members to a panel aimed at helping the community heal after the shooting. The commission, which will study underlying social and economic conditions, is expected to make recommendations in a report due by September 2015. | Attorney General Eric Holder said federal investigation continues . Spoke after grand jury declined indicting police over Michael Brown death . One investigations is looking into civil rights violation by Officer Wilson . Second inquiry launched into police practices of the Ferguson force . Holder said he expects both to be concluded before he leaves office . | f82113372a3246ec926d91d53887b526660e3cb1 |
By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 08:14 EST, 11 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:41 EST, 11 April 2013 . Lia Green, three, was covered in bruises and part of her bowel had been completely severed . A father who discovered his girlfriend was cheating on him battered their three-year-old daughter to death, a court heard today. Richard Green, 22, subjected Lia Green to 'significant physical abuse' after learning girlfriend Natalie Critchley was having an affair with a parent at a children's nursery where she worked, it was said. Lia was rushed to hospital in August last year after she was found unresponsive and not breathing. She died shortly after being admitted to the Royal Preston Hospital. Doctors . discovered Lia had a significant number of bruises to her neck, chest, . abdomen, both arms, both legs, buttocks and back caused by deliberate . blows. Part of her bowel had been completely severed. Green, who is on trial at Preston Crown Court, denies murder and allowing the death of a child. His girlfriend is also accused of allowing the death of a child, which she denies. A post mortem found Lia died from a blunt force abdominal trauma injury. Lia was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital on August 30 with a swollen abdomen and was slightly stiff with dark, dry vomit around her nose and mouth. Doctors attempted to resuscitate her but she was already dead. Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, told the court: 'Richard Green and Natalie Critchley only contacted emergency services when they realised Lia's condition had deteriorated to such an extent that it could no longer be concealed. 'It's a sad feature of this case that had they acted more swiftly then Lia's life could have been saved but they chose to try to conceal what happened.' At the hospital Critchley's behaviour was described by nurses as 'strange' with her 'pre-occupied' with text messaging while her daughter lay dead in the treatment room. Father Richard Green is accused of killing his daughter after discovering girlfriend Natalie Critchley 'was having an affair' The court was told that in the run up . to Lia's death, Green was 'very upset and angry' and wrote messages on . his Facebook account about Critchley's 'affair'. Mr Wright told the court: 'We might say that Green found caring for the child was a considerable strain. 'It . would seem she was having an affair with a man who had a child at . nursery and in a period leading up to death of Lia we say there was . considerable friction between the parents. The relationship continued . but was far from harmonious. 'There . was simmering resentment. Resentment [that] was hardly helped with the . addition of looking after Lia. When Lia's body was examined her injuries . were not down to some freak or terrible accident but blunt force. 'We . say it was blindingly obvious that something extremely serious and dire . was likely to happen in that household and something extremely dire did . happen to Lia.' The court was told Lia was left in the care of Green after he pulled her out of nursery. In November 2011, Critchley, 20, started a full-time job as a nursery assistant at Small Wonders 2, while Green was unemployed. The court was told that a month before Lia's death, he rang her nursery and said his daughter would not be attending again. Mr Wright said: 'He informed the nursery that he had discovered that Natalie was seeing the parent of a child from the nursery and that Natalie would not be returning to work. 'He was clearly very upset by this discovery, angry with Natalie and made remarks on his Facebook account that were able to be read by others.' When Green was arrested he told police that the bruises on Lia's body was caused by her falling off a swing . Critchley received reassurance from her employer about her job but Lia was not allowed back to nursery due to unpaid fees. The . youngster was then left in the care of Green while her mother was at . work and on occasions was cared for by her grandmother or a nursery . colleague. Two weeks before her death, a social worker visited the family home following a referral but had no concerns for Lia's safety. On August 15, five days after the visit, nursery . manager Vicky Waterhouse received a text from Critchley, which appeared . to have been drafted by Green, implying all was not well between the . couple. Mr Wright said: 'On a visit she saw some damage to the wall of the premises Green admitted causing. 'Asked if okay he said "no I'm not with her".' The day before Lia was found dead, Green went to the nursery and was said to be 'mad and swearing'. He told the staff they had to send Ms Critchley home because Lia was being sick. Mr . Wright said: 'The assistant said he looked like a parent who couldn't . cope, they had never seen him like that shouting, swearing and raising . his voice.' The court heard . when Lia's body was examined doctors discovered trauma to her abdomen . that had been delivered with such force that causes extensive and fatal . internal injuries. Lia was found to be extensively bruised and many were less than 48 hours old and some were older. The court was told that the day before her death records showed the home computer had searched the NHS Direct website with the term: 'Three-year-old hurting head and being sick' and a local surgery called but it was closed. Green was arrested the next day but told officers his daughter had fallen while on swings at the park.Both he and Critchley deny any responsibility for their daughter's death. Doctors found Lia had bruises to her neck, chest, abdomen, arms, legs, buttocks and back . Mr . Wright said: 'This was a young child who had been physically abused. This was physical abuse where she ought to have been protected by her . parents rather than exposed. 'There . was a significant risk of harm being caused to Lia. It was a risk of . serious physical harm from which she ought to have been protected. 'Each of her parents failed to protect her from and led eventually to her death at the hands of we say the male defendant Richard Green. 'We say Green did not intentionally kill but at the time we say he must have delivered a forceful blow to the abdomen of the child. He must have intended to cause her really serious harm.' Lia was described as a 'normal, happy toddler' who just the day before her death was seen 'skipping' along the road with her father looking 'perfectly happy'. On July 30, one month before Lia's death, police made a referral to social services about Green smoking cannabis with children around. The home was visited and while conditions were 'less than perfect' there was food in the house and Lia had clean clothes on and there was nothing that caused concern to the social services department about the safety of the child, the court heard. Green was arrested the day after Lia's but told officers his daughter had fallen while on swings at the park. Both he and Critchley deny any responsibility for their daughter's death. Mr Wright told the jury that, irrespective of whose 'hand or fist or boot' delivered the fatal injury, it was 'blindingly obvious' something 'dire' was likely to happen in that household and should not have been allowed to happen. 'We say it would be obvious to any parent that their child was extremely unwell and in need of medical assistance. 'The fact that no medical assistance was obtained until it was too late speaks volumes in this case as to the responsibility of both parents in the events that led to Lia's death.' Russell Bennet, the first paramedic on the scene at the house, said he and a colleague got Lia into the ambulance to carry out chest compressions but the ECG monitor gave a 'flat-line' response showing the heart had stopped. Mr Bennet told the jury he asked Critchley how long she had been in this 'state'. 'She told us the child had been unwell recently, had been to see a GP and the child had been up and about and playing 10 to 15 minutes prior to the 999 call. 'My impression was the child had been deceased for longer than the 15 minutes we were told.' Green denies murder and allowing the death of a child and Critchley denies allowing the death of a child. The trial, scheduled to last up to six weeks, was adjourned until tomorrow morning. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Part of Lia's bowel had been severed when she was taken to hospital . Doctors found she was covered in bruises all over her body . Her father Richard Green denies murder at Preston Crown Court . Is accused of killing Lia after girlfriend Natalie Critchley 'had an affair' Critchley is accused of allowing the death of a child, which she denies . Prosecutor said there was 'simmering resentment' between the couple . | f2171ca3877279cb749add22bed9f205870b0865 |
Labour is to introduce a 'graduate tax' on the earnings of those who go to university. Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said yesterday the system would be 'fairer' than tuition fees and would be introduced 'in the medium term' if Labour returns to power. The National Union of Students proposed an extra tax of between 0.3 per cent and 2.5 per cent of their income above £15,000, for a period of 20 years, with the highest earners paying higher rates. Labour is struggling to work out how to pay for a pledge it has already made to slash university tuition fees from the current maximum of £9,000 a year to £6,000. Scroll down for video . Big change: Chuka Umunna (pictured) said the system would be 'fairer' than tuition fees and would be introduced 'in the medium term' if Labour returns to power . Cost cutting: Labour is struggling to work out how to pay for a pledge it has already made to slash university tuition fees from the current maximum of £9,000 a year to £6,000 . In 2011, it announced the policy as it sought to win over disaffected former Liberal Democrat voters angered by Nick Clegg reneging on a pledge to scrap fees and signing up to Coalition plans to allow institutions to charge up to £9,000 a year – triple the amount students paid previously. The £6,000 cap is expected to be included in Labour's general election manifesto, but it is not clear how the party intends to meet such an expensive commitment. Previously, Labour has suggested that it might pay for the cut with a corporation tax increase on banks or with higher rates of interest for better-off students. The party may also be forced to restrict the cut in fees to certain types of courses such as technical degrees, leaving other students to keep on paying the current cost. Mr Umunna, who is responsible for higher education policy, said introducing a full-scale graduate tax 'as soon as possible is my priority'. 'In the medium term, a graduate tax is the way to go. It's fairer, it's more progressive and it's the way you clear up the unsustainable financial mess that has been created by the current Government under their system,' the shadow business secretary said. 'They are going to have to make huge write-offs on the student loans that they have been giving to people to pay these trebled tuition fees and a graduate tax ultimately getting to that place as fast as possible is key.' Mr Umunna insisted it was 'unacceptable' that students were being saddled with 'a huge heap of debt'. 'The reason it has taken us some time to finalise our policy is because the ground has moved from us on this issue,' he said. 'The estimate on what students would be able to repay keeps falling in terms of what they expect to get back. That changes the figures. North of the border: Ed Miliband (pictured) has been rocked by a series of polls suggesting Labour could lose almost all of its 40 seats to the SNP in Scotland . 'We will be announcing the policy on this before the election campaign. We are not going to erect a road-block to people's aspirations, as this Government has.' Labour first introduced tuition fees in September 1998, with students expected to pay up to £1,000 a year. The fees were then increased to £3,000 a year during Labour's second term in January 2004. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, students now graduate with an average of £44,035 of debt. Repayments only begin when their earnings rise above £21,000 a year.Business Secretary Vince Cable said the damage suffered by his party after its U-turn on tuition fees was a 'price worth paying', as the latest figures showed a record number of teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds are applying to university. The Lib Dem minister hailed a further narrowing of the gap between the number of rich and poor students wanting to go on to higher education. Mr Cable said the controversial move to treble tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 has not deterred poorer students from applying. He added: 'The opposite has occurred; numbers have grown, in particular those from disadvantaged backgrounds.' Mr Cable described the new system as 'better, affordable and fair'. He said: 'We have paid a price for this policy more than any other party. But the success of these reforms, with more students from disadvantaged backgrounds applying to university than ever before, shows it was a price worth paying. 'Regardless of family circumstances, all students can now obtain university level education as long as they meet academic requirements. This is a good legacy.' The figures, from university admissions service Ucas, show 21 per cent of 18-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds in England applied this year. Overall, the richest 18-year-olds in the UK are 2.4 times more likely to want to go to university than the poorest. But in 2006, when Labour was in power, the wealthiest were 3.7 times more likely to want to apply. Gordon Brown will play a major role in Labour's general election campaign in a bid to prevent wipeout in Scotland, party sources said. Ed Miliband has been rocked by a series of polls suggesting Labour could lose almost all of its 40 seats to the SNP. Mr Brown, who is stepping down as an MP, is widely credited with reinvigorating the Better Together campaign ahead of last year's Scottish independence referendum. A Scottish Labour source said of the former prime minister: 'Gordon is our ace card.' He has often been the butt of a few jokes, so Ed Miliband probably enjoyed being the comedian himself for once. But whether his audience of political journalists did this week wasn't clear. Here are some of the jokes he delivered in his speech on Thursday at the event inspired by the White House Correspondents' Dinner – famous for its light-hearted speech by the President. | Shadow business secretary said system would be 'fairer' than tuition fees . Labour is trying to cut fees from the current maximum of £9,000 to £6,000 . Institute for Fiscal Studies: Students graduating with £44,035 average debt . | 25eb1055e5ef1766a53713c9b1056ff1781b47ee |
The father and stepmother of a 10-year-old girl found stuffed inside a garbage can at a suburban Atlanta apartment complex have been arrested and charged with murder. Eman Moss called 911 early Saturday morning claiming his daughter Emani drank some type of chemical and was dead. Police instead found her charred body stuffed into an outdoor trash can. Both Eman and mother Tiffany Moss were arrested in connection with the horrific murder of the young girl, Gwinnett County Police said. Scroll down for video . Horrific death: Both Eman (left) and Tiffany Moss have been charged with murder, cruelty to children in the first degree and concealing a body . Grisly discovery: The body of a 10-year-old girl has been found inside this metal garbage can outside the Landmark at Coventry Pointe Apartments in an Atlanta suburb . Disturbing call: The girl's father, pictured, told police he was suicidal and that his daughter was dead after drinking a chemical . Eman Moss called 911 at 3:43am Saturday claiming his daughter 'drank some kind of chemical,' he also said he was suicidal, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Though he initially said the girl's body was inside the apartment beside him, officers responding to the scene found the deranged man outside his apartment, he then pointed to a trash can across the parking lot. 'Once the officers took the lid off the trash can [and] saw the body, they put the lid back on,' an official told WSB. The grisly discovery remains somewhat of a mystery, as there is no evidence of a fire in the apartment or the immediate area, WSB reported. Burned to death: Emani Moss was found burned to death, her father (left) and stepmother (right) are each charged with murder - leaving loved ones shocked . The father met responding officers outside and pointed them to a rubbish bin in the picnic area . Relative Crystal Moss vented her sadness on Facebook, writing 'God called home an angel..keep us in your prayers..R.I.P. Emani Moss, 10 years old..my heart is heavy.' 'I can't sleep...God..all I know to do is call on the name of Jesus,' she added in a subsequent post. Both suspects are sitting in Gwinnett County Detention center and are being held without bail. A search of records did not reveal a scheduled court date. | Eman and Tiffany Moss were both arrested and face several charges in the girl's death . Both have been charged with murder, first degree cruelty to children and concealing a body . | a896bad9ebd05aa48a4e2bcfa7607ee4805558e9 |
By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 03:24 EST, 31 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:02 EST, 31 August 2012 . Television network NBC has been attacked for refusing to show the Paralympics opening ceremony live and only showing five-and-a-half hours of the Games in total. Commentators called the move 'disrespectful,' as coverage was confined to occasional highlights and daily YouTube packages. Fans will be unable to watch any events live, despite the U.S. team of 223 athletes being the third largest at the London Games after Britain and China. Burning curiosity: U.S. viewers were unable to watch the glittering Paralympics opening ceremony live . Disappointed fans: NBC's coverage of the Paralympics has been confined to highlights shows and daily YouTube packages . The network will wait until September 16 - seven days after the Games end - before screening a 90-minute special on the Paralympics. Equality campaigners complain that Paralympic athletes are not being treated as the equal of their able-bodied teammates. Damon Herota, an IT consultant in Florida who has launched an online campaign calling for better coverage, said: ‘It’s a sign of disrespect, especially to those military veterans who are competing. Attitudes are supposed to have changed since the days of Vietnam, when veterans were ignored. What message does this send?’ 'The effect on people would be simply amazing and the barriers it would break down between able-bodied Americans and the disabled would be monumental,' added Mr Herota, whose petition has so far attracted about 1,300 signatures. 'Disrespectful:' Some viewers have started an online petitions and say the move is offensive to the athletes . Big showing: NBC insists its coverage is a major increase on previous years, up from the single 90-minute programme it offered from the Beijing Paralympics . Disappointed viewers have now started several online petitions in an effort to persuade the network to change their policy. Amy Quincy, from Florida, wrote on change.org: 'It would be an opportunity for NBC to take a big step toward the recognition of physically challenged athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their physical abilities and are competing at a world class level.' NBC insists its coverage represents a . major increase on previous years, up from the single 90-minute programme . it offered from the Beijing Paralympics. It also points out that the . U.S. Olympic Committee, and not the network itself, controls broadcast . rights to the Paralympics. The news follows criticism of NBC during the Olympic Games over not showing key events live. Instead, it showed them on tape-delay in primetime slots - which still drew in record audiences. Interrupted: Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform during the Closing Ceremony. Their performance was delayed until after NBC showed an hour-long preview of a new show . Cut: Matt Bellamy of Muse plays at Olympics closing ceremony. The band's . performance was cut for U.S. viewers even though it made the official . song for the Olympics . Sports fans were particularly enraged . when the 100m men's sprint - won by Jamaican runner Usain Bolt - was . delayed by nearly six hours for American audiences. NBC also spoiled the results of U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin's gold . medal-winning race when it ran an advert for the Today show revealing the . outcome before it was telecast that night. It caused outrage by cutting a . tribute to the victims of the London 2005 terrorist bombings from its . opening ceremony coverage, explaining that it wasn't tailored for the . U.S. audience. During the closing ceremony, it delayed showing The Who's performance for an hour-long preview of a new show. Frustrating: Sports fans were also annoyed when NBC delayed Usain Bolt's 100m win by nearly six hours . Bad start: NBC edited out a tribute to the victims of the 2005 bomb attacks in London in the Opening Ceremony . Twitter was flooded with gripes about NBC keeping most day's marquee events off the air until they can be shown in prime-time, the broadcast that brings in the most viewers and advertising revenue for the network. But many of the gripers were apparently still watching anyway and, for some, knowing the results only whetted their appetite to see how the competition played out. Many of the Twitter complaints were posted with the hashtag #nbcfails. 'The #Olympics don't revolve around USA time zone or #NBC's prime time. Air it live NBC!' one user posted. Channel 4, official UK broadcaster of the Paralympics, was slammed for repeatedly cutting from the live action of the Paralympics opening ceremony to ad breaks. | Some events will first be shown in 90-minute program nine days after end of the Games . Network is broadcasting events in daily YouTube packages . Fans have called it 'disrespectful' to athletes . | 38fab6cfb8ba9c83bfc596a7552f32dcfdfac956 |
Britain is to get its first 'hands-free' pedestrian crossing so that devout Jews do not have to break a religious law . Britain is to get its first ‘hands-free’ pedestrian . crossing – so that devout Jews do not have to break a religious law that . prohibits them from using electricity or operating machinery on the Sabbath. The crossing is near a busy synagogue, and pressing a . button to operate it is considered a breach of the strict rules that apply to . Orthodox Jews. Traffic will be held every 90 seconds from Friday evening . until nightfall on Saturday, covering the Jewish Sabbath period. The crossing will be situated on one of London’s busiest roads – the North Circular at the . Henlys Corner junction. But planners insist it will not cause traffic chaos. The system will come into operation in December when the . junction fully reopens after a massive ten-month upgrade costing £8 million. The decision to include automatic crossings was taken . after leaders at Finchley United Synagogue explained their predicament to staff . at Transport for London, which is responsible for maintaining main roads in the . capital. TfL says the ‘hands-free’ green man has not added to the cost of . improvements. A spokesman said: ‘We always consult with the community . over major road projects. This idea was suggested by the synagogue, whose . members asked if it could be done. We thought about it and came to the . conclusion that it could.’ The crossing (not pictured) is near a busy synagogue, and pressing a button to operate it is considered a breach of the strict rules that apply to Orthodox Jews . No one at the synagogue was available for comment because . of the Jewish New Year. But one of the congregation said: ‘This is a sensible . idea that will make a real difference.’ The move follows the controversial formation of an eruv – . a boundary recognised by Jewish law within which certain activities are . permitted – in the same part of North London. Although observant Jews are allowed to carry household . objects such as door keys, and to push prams and wheelchairs within the . six-square-mile area, they are still banned from using electricity. | They are not allowed to use electricity or operate machinery on the Sabbath . | ae4160c4388c98ead28dcb51daee98af3adc82f6 |
By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 15:32 EST, 6 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:10 EST, 6 March 2013 . Survivor: Laura McGoldrick broke down in tears when the shotgun used by Michael Atherton was shown during the inquest . A survivor of a triple killing broke down in tears at an inquest as the weapon used to kill her mother and other family members was demonstrated in court by a firearms expert. Just 30 minutes before his shooting spree, Michael Atherton had texted his partner offering to stay out for the night rather than risk confrontation, the hearing was told. But the 42-year-old shot his partner Susan McGoldrick, 47, her sister Alison Turnbull, 44, and Alison's daughter Tanya Turnbull, 24, then killed himself in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham, on New Year's Day 2012. Firearms expert PC Mark Outhwaite opened a cardboard evidence box and produced the camouflaged shotgun - one of six weapons legally owned by Atherton - which was used to such devastating effect. As he showed the coroner Andrew Tweddle how it could be reloaded within moments, and with loud clicks ringing out in the hearing, Laura McGoldrick, who fled to safety by climbing through the bathroom window that night, wept and was comforted by her family. Two others left the hearing in Crook Civic Centre as the brief demonstration went on. Atherton, who had arrests for domestic violence dating back 10 years, had a deep-rooted dislike for Alison Turnbull, after he blamed her for his arrest following a family row at his home in 2008. The sisters and other family members had been out to a local rugby club without Atherton, and he grew angry when his son Mick told him they were out together. He told his son there would be 'trouble' if Mrs Turnbull turned up at his house with the others. Rather than face a confrontation with Ms Turnbull, he offered to stay the night at a local hotel. Minutes after 11pm, Atherton texted his partner: 'Our Mick says you are with your Ali. Going to stop at the Lodge. Aint spending a night in the cells. See you tomorrow.' But Mrs McGoldrick's party arrived home in a taxi at about 11.30pm, before Atherton left, and his partner accused him of assaulting her earlier that night. Inquest: Michael Atherton (left) shot three people including his partner Susan McGoldrick (right), 47, then killed himself in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham . A row broke out and when Atherton went out of the back door, those present believed he was leaving for the night. But he returned with one of his shotguns that he had prepared for an early shoot with friends the next morning, and started blasting. He hit his partner from a distance of one metre in the kitchen, the inquest heard, with spray also hitting Laura. Detective Superintendent Paul Goundry, who led the investigation, said she was 'very lucky' to survive the blast and ran upstairs to her bedroom where her boyfriend was staying. Victims: Susan McGoldrick's sister Alison Turnbull (left) and Alison's daughter Tanya Turnbull (right) were also shot by Atherton . Atherton then shot Tanya Turnbull twice causing fatal injuries. Tears: Laura McGoldrick, pictured at her 18th birthday, broke down during the hearing when a firearms expert demonstrated the gun Atherton used . There was no evidence of any previous animosity between the two, Mr Goundry said. His last victim was Alison Turnbull, who was returning from the toilet, and appeared to have tried to avoid the blast by ducking. The women's friend Susan Ferguson was sat on a settee as the horror unfolded, and was spared, despite him looking at her. At some point Atherton reloaded the weapon, which could take three cartridges, and shot himself in the head, Mr Goundry said. Before that, he had 'exchanged some words' with his son, Mr Goundry said, and he fled through the front door. Alison's partner David Rowe and her niece Lauren Hardman avoided the massacre by not getting a taxi home with the women, and instead walking back from the rugby club. They arrived home at about the same time as armed police. Mr Goundry said: 'It must have been absolutely heart-breaking for David and Lauren. 'They arrived at the house and witnessed the sight that had unfolded in front of them. 'I have been there myself and it is not something I would wish upon anyone.' The inquest will conclude on Friday after hearing evidence from Durham's Chief Constable. | Michael Atherton texted partner offering to stay away to avoid confrontation . Laura McGoldrick fled to safety by climbing through bathroom window . She was comforted by family as gun used was shown during hearing . | a89a18154518567566640f338f43ef6d27725a6e |
A rancher is pictured standing over the remains of a man from El Salvador - his body left to decay beneath the blistering Texas sun. Lavoyger Durham manages 13,000 acre El Tule ranch in Brooks County, about 100 miles from the southernmost tip of Texas. It has become a pathway for undocumented immigrants who are desperate to make a life for themselves in the U.S. The unidentified man, now nothing more than a skeleton and scraps of clothes, was abandoned by the smugglers who helped him to cross the border into the country illegally. Though it is not on the border with Mexico, Brooks County does have a federal checkpoint on a major highway - where officials regularly stop vehicles in search of migrants trying to enter the country illegally. Smugglers bypass the checkpoint by making immigrants walk around it, through private ranches - such as the one Mr Durham manages - where temperatures regularly top 38 degrees Celsius. It has become a popular route for migrants from Central America - all coming into the country in pursuit of the great American Dream. The migrants are often told that the journey is quick and easy - and set off with little more than the clothes on their back and bottles of water. But on those long walks, through the arid Texas terrain, many would-be immigrants die of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and exposure. Their bodies are left to rot by the smugglers, who are for the most part paid before they take migrants across the border. Last year, Border Patrol documented 445 deaths of migrants coming to the United States — the third-highest number since 1998. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT . Rancher Lavoyger Durham (right) stands over the remains of a male from El Salvador on the El Tule Ranch. The man had crossed the US-Mexico border illegally . American dollar bills and passport photographs are among the possessions examined by police as they look at the remains of a man from El Salvador . A skull, belonging to an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who died in Texas after crossing over the U.S.-Mexico border, is examined by American officials . A Guatemalan woman inside a dormitory in the Artesia Family Residential Center, a federal facility for undocumented immigrant mothers and children in New Mexico . Detainees sleep under blankets on the floor in a holding cell at a US Customs and Border Protection processing facility in Brownsville, Texas . An orange ribbon tied on the branch of a mesquite tree marks the location where the remains of an El Salvador man were found on the El Tule Ranch, Texas . Officials wear gloves as they carefully sort through the possessions - including folded American dollar bills - of an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who died in Texas . Rancher Lavoyger Durham, left, and a ranch worker, wearing a mask over part of his face, stand next to the remains of a man from El Salvador on the El Tule Ranch . Immigrant children line up in the cafeteria at the Karnes County Residential Center, a temporary home for immigrant women and children detained at the border in Texas . | Lavoyger Durham manages 13,000 acre ranch in Brooks County, Texas, about 100 miles from border with Mexico . He is pictured standing over the remains of a man from El Salvador, who entered the country illegally . Last year, Border Patrol documented 445 deaths of migrants coming into the U.S. - third highest number since 1998 . | 9938418685d328c91b4bbfc1c9457386f7188ed1 |
By . Jack Doyle and James Slack . PUBLISHED: . 17:29 EST, 26 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:01 EST, 26 July 2013 . Soca chairman Ian Andrews has refused to publish the list of private firms and individuals who hired corrupt private investigators . Global banks and big City institutions paid corrupt private detectives to carry out spying missions in Britain in the run-up to the financial crisis. International banking institutions dominate a list of 102 companies and named individuals who hired private investigators engaged in hacking, blagging and stealing private information. The revelations are a further blow to the reputation of a finance sector mired in a string of embarrassing scandals. The list, compiled by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, is also said to contain the name of a person so famous, ‘you’d have to live down a rabbit hole in the Arctic not to have heard of them’. In addition, the Mail understands at least one of the companies which appears on the list appears on the FTSE100, the stock exchange list of top companies in Britain. The list was compiled by Soca as early as 2008, just as the global banking crisis gained pace – leading to multi-billion-pound State bail-outs of banks in the UK and elsewhere and ultimately the collapse of the world economy. Following the phone hacking revelations, the Press was subjected to a full public inquiry at the hands of Lord Justice Leveson into all its activities. At the same time the Metropolitan Police launched its biggest ever investigation, into the alleged wrongdoing by journalists. But no police investigation has been conducted into the reckless lending at the heart of the financial crisis. Bankers have also emerged largely unscathed from subsequent scandals such as the fixing of the Libor rate. This week, pressure has been heaped on the police for their failure to pursue those who commissioned private eyes to snoop on their behalf. Soca is insisting that the list of 102 names remains secret, on the grounds that it could damage both the commercial reputations and human rights of the companies and individuals involved. They also claim it is ‘entirely possible’ the private investigators acted illegally but their clients were ‘entirely unaware’ of what was going on. Yesterday it was reported that the Met Police will also seek to block the release of the list, which was finally handed to the home affairs select committee on Tuesday and is locked in a Westminster safe. Last night a senior backbench Tory MP rounded on Soca, accusing the agency known as Britain’s FBI of ‘excessive secrecy’ and calling for the list to be made public. Secrets: MP David Davis (left) criticised Soca for withholding the information for three years. Keith Vaz (right) chairman of the Commons Home Affairs . Select Committee said 'This affects all manner of organisations' Former shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: ‘Yet again a police agency is hiding behind excessive secrecy. ‘It is simply not acceptable for Soca to withhold information of serious public interest three years after the event under the excuse of an “ongoing police investigation”.’ Committee chairman Keith Vaz has written to the committee’s other MPs to ask for their views on whether they should defy Soca and expose those allegedly involved with jailed private detectives. But no decision on whether to publish the names is likely until Parliament returns from its summer recess in September. | List of 102 companies and individuals who hired private investigators has been compiled . Contains a person so famous 'you's have to live down a rabbit hole in the Arctic not to have heard of them' List by Serious Organised Crime Agency dates back to 2008 . | 0e98eea81c71becb1857697111898468c2c76a5c |
Popular films might have you believe there are no consequences to trashing cars, booby-trapping houses and being maimed in a variety of imaginative ways. But now one law firm has calculated the cost of random acts of God, as well as accidents in popular films such as Home Alone and Jurassic Park. They revealed the hapless pair from Dumb and Dumber could have claimed almost £17,500 ($29,484) for the tongue iced to the lamppost incident, while burglars Harry and Marv from Home Alone could have racked up a staggering £190,500 ($320,954) in compensation as the result of their injuries at the hands of Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin in the 1990 family film. Scroll down for interactive film claims calculator . Chaotic claims: A legal firm has calculated the cost of random acts of God as well as accidents in popular films such as Home Alone and Jurassic Park (pictured) All of these valuations were calculated by a UK firm of solicitors using industry guidelines on damages for injuries, which are used in the real world. The Chester-based firm, called What’s My Claim Worth, produced the lighthearted piece to highlight all the different types of injuries that people could potentially claim for - although excuses such as ‘a dinosaur stamped on my car’ will not convince anyone. The solicitors worked out that Harry and Marv would be able to claim up to £7,500 ($12,636) for their first degree burns they suffered at the hands of young Kevin's blow torch, and £60,000 ($101,088) when they were electrocuted as a result of the young prankster's handy work with the electrics. Ouch! The solicitors worked out that Harry and Marv (pictured) would be able to claim up to £7,500 for the first degree burns they suffered at the hands of young Kevin's blow torch and £60,000 when they were electrocuted in the film Home Alone . In Superbad, Seth was hit by a car twice and could have been £27,500 ($46,332) richer for it, while in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Verruca Salt . could have claimed £2,600 ($4,380) for being forced down a rubbish chute and . almost incinerated - not to mention trauma from squirrels. We suspect a little bit of creative accounting may have been involved. The lawyers calculated there were at least £18,225 ($30,705) worth of personal claims to be made in the film The Hangover, not taking into account the price of a trashed hotel suite and the ruined 1965 Mercedes. Not feeling so blue: In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Verruca Salt could have claimed £2,600 for being forced down a rubbish chute and almost incinerated - not to mention trauma from squirrels. While Violet Beauregarde could have netted £66,000 for bring turned into a human blueberry (pictured) Smile! The lawyers calculated there were at least £18,225 worth of personal claims to be made in the film The Hangover, including the loss of teeth . They estimated that being attacked by a tiger and having lacerations to the neck could net £9,000 ($15,163) while being punched in the face, by Mike Tyson, could allow someone to claim £2,600 ($4,380). Even more fanciful estimates include £72,000 ($121,305) for Luke Skywalker after losing his hand in a battle with his father, Darth Vader in Star Wars, a shock from the electric fence in Jurassic Park and damage resulting from the destructive stampede of 'Marshmallow man' in Ghostbusters. That money could come in handy! Even more fanciful estimates include £72,000 for Luke Skywalker after losing his hand in a battle with his father, Darth Vader in Star Wars and a shock from the electric fence in Jurassic Park . Sweet! Among the more unusual film claims is damages for the carnage caused by marshmallow man who goes on the rampage in new York City in the 1980s classic film, Ghostbusters . | A law firm in Chester made the valuations using industry guidelines . These guidelines are used to calculate injury damages in the real world . They produced the tongue-in-cheek tool to highlight all the different types of injuries people could potentially claim for . Claims include £190,500 ($320,954) for the injuries inflicted in Home Alone while the crushed car in Jurassic Park would have cost £66,000 ($111,196) | e79912e057eb627c03fef637867ac9762b073d51 |
(CNN) -- The chilling acts the 15-year-old boy is accused of defy imagination: . Pumping his mother, brother and two younger sisters with bullets. Gunning down his dad when he returned home. Texting a picture of his lifeless mother to his 12-year-old girlfriend. Plotting to kill strangers outside a supermarket. But, family members say, Nehemiah Griego is no monster. They can't fathom what could have gone so terribly wrong. "Whether it was a mental breakdown or some deeper undiagnosed psychological issue, we can't be sure yet," his uncle, former New Mexico state Sen. Eric Griego, said. "What we do know is that none of us, even in our wildest nightmare, could have imagined that he could do something like this." The family statement describes the boy as a gifted athlete and musician who was active in youth services at church. It said the teen accompanied his father on mission trips to Mexico and wanted to continue a long family history of military service by becoming a soldier. The family disputed any media characterization that the teen was a loner and said he had many friends and was a wrestler in state tournaments. His father was a champion wrestler and coach. The family also said they did not want anyone to use the case in the nation's unfolding debate about guns. "To be clear, our family has differing views on gun rights and gun control. What we do agree on is that those who wish to score political points should not use a confused, misguided, 15-year-old boy to make their case," the family statement said. "We ask those in the media and those who would use the media to make their political case, to not use Nehemiah as a pawn for ratings or to score political points. He is a troubled young man who made a terrible decision that will haunt him and his family forever." But authorities painted a far different picture of the teen. Sheriff: Teen planned shootings for at least a week . Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston said Griego was "involved heavily" with violent video games and that he "was quite excited as he got the opportunity to discuss that with our investigators." He said that the boy planned the shootings for at least a week. That he told investigators he was frustrated with his mother. That he contemplated killing his girlfriend's parents. That he hoped to continue his killing spree at a Walmart "with mass destruction" and die in a shootout with police. The teen's demeanor, as he shared all this, was "stern, very unemotional," Houston said. Now, Griego will stand trial as an adult in the weekend killings, prosecutors announced. He was arrested Saturday night, after deputies found the bodies of his mother, father, brother and two of his sisters in their home on the outskirts of Albuquerque. Opinion: How a boy becomes a killer . The tragedy unfolds . The tragedy unfolded early Saturday morning, when Griego carried a .22-caliber rifle to where his mother and 9-year-old brother slept side by side, an arrest affidavit said. The teen fatally shot his mother, waking his younger brother Zephania in the process. When Griego told Zephania that their mother was dead, the younger boy did not believe him, the document stated. "So Nehemiah picked up his mother's head to show his brother her bloody face," the affidavit said. "Nehemiah stated his brother became upset, so he shot his brother in the head with the same rifle used to kill his mother." After that, police said, "Nehemiah stated he lost his sense of conscience." The boy went on to kill his sisters, 5-year-old Jael and 2-year-old Angelina, before his father Greg came home from a volunteer graveyard shift at a homeless shelter. Authorities believe the father, a former pastor at an Albuquerque church and a chaplain to the city's fire department, was the last to be gunned down in the home. KRQE: Security officer -- Boy was a 'great kid' 'Beyond any human reasoning' Most of the victims were shot with the .22, but a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle was also used in the killings, sheriff's Lt. Sid Covington said. Authorities said the weapons appear to have been purchased legally. The Griegos also had five grown children, none of whom lived at home, Covington said. After the slayings, Griego "spent the majority of the day with his girlfriend," Houston said. He even sent his girlfriend a picture of his slain mother, Houston said. Authorities arrested the teen after he attended his family's church with his girlfriend, and a staff member called deputies. Pastor Skip Heitzig said father Greg Griego was also a pastor for a number of years who did prison ministry at the Metropolitan Detention Center and helped to rehabilitate convicts. Greg Griego also helped them re-enter society. "The news stunned us all," Heitzig said of the shooting. "We are doing what we can as a church body to minister to the remaining family members. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can heal this type of pain and heartache, and He is faithful to do so," he added in a statement. His church, Calvary Albuquerque, is scheduled to hold a prayer vigil Wednesday at 7 p.m. for the Griego family. Griego was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday to face two counts of murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death, but the hearing was waived, CNN affiliate KOAT reported. The affiliate said Griego's case will go to a grand jury within 10 days. "This is beyond any human reasoning or understanding at this time," the sheriff said. CNN's Leslie Holland and Michael Martinez contributed to this report. | NEW: Family asks public not to use the incident in national debate on guns . NEW: "To be clear, our family has differing views on gun rights and gun control," they say . Griego will face charges as an adult in the deaths of his parents and three siblings . "This is beyond any human reasoning or understanding at this time," the sheriff says . | 0554d66c1f08e118eb0bdaff44bb813d2c93a446 |
By . Jennifer Smith . PUBLISHED: . 09:33 EST, 15 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:01 EST, 15 August 2013 . Police officers at this year's Hempfest festival in Seattle will dish out bags of Doritos with messages outlining the new marijuana laws in Washington . Normally when the police show up it means the party's over. But police officers in Seattle will be adding to the fun this weekend by providing snacks at an marijuana festival. Seattle Police Department's spokesman, Sergeant Sean Whitcomb, said the department intends to use the opportunity to spread the word about new marijuana laws, by attaching a summarized version to bags of Doritos. The law came into effect in 2012, and allows anyone to legally possess up to an ounce of recreational marijuana. But police are worried people still aren't clear enough on the rules. So, with the help of a former journalist, the Seattle Police Department has composed its own guide to the law , 'Marijwhatnow?'. “When the laws changed, there was a little bit of an informational vacuum about how police would react,” Whitcomb told nbc news. 'Marijwhatnow' clearly states that Seattle police will not arrest anyone for possessing under an ounce of marijuana, but also outlines the rules that do still exist in the state, and at federal level. Hempfest is an annual Seattle event where marijuana enthusiasts gather in protest of strict cannabis laws. It is expected to attract over 200,000 people this weekend . Police will hand out 1,000 bags of Doritos at Hempfest 2013, which is expected to attract around 200,000 people. 'We’re there to let people know what the rules are. Not everybody will get a bag, but hopefully people will talk about what’s allowed and what’s not.' Seattle's Hempfest is the largest gathering advocating cannabis decriminalization in the world. It is expected to span two miles of Seattle parks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sergeant Whitcomb is also a due to speak at the three-day event. 'We wanted to do something in a fun way that said, "look this is cool and everything but the rules are the rules"he said. 'I’ll probably throw out a few bags of Doritos.' Can I legally carry around an ounce of marijuana? According to the recently passed initiative, beginning December . 6th, adults over the age of 21 will be able to carry up to an ounce . of marijuana for personal use. Please note that the initiative says it “is . unlawful to open a package containing marijuana…in view of the general public,” so there’s that. Also, you probably shouldn’t bring pot with you to the federal . courthouse (or any other federal property). Where can I legally buy pot, then? The Washington State Liquor Control Board is working to establish guidelines . for the sale and distribution of marijuana. The WSLCB has until December 1, 2013 . to finalize those rules. In the meantime, production and distribution of . non-medical marijuana remains illegal. Can I grow marijuana in my home and sell it to my friends, family, . and co-workers? Not right now. In the future, under state law, you may be able to get a . license to grow or sell marijuana. Can I smoke pot outside my home? Like at a park, magic show, or the . Bite of Seattle? Much like having an open container of alcohol in public, doing so could . result in a civil infraction—like a ticket—but not arrest. You can certainly use . marijuana in the privacy of your own home. Additionally, if smoking a cigarette . isn’t allowed where you are (say, inside an apartment building or flammable . chemical factory), smoking marijuana isn’t allowed there either. Will police officers be able to smoke marijuana? As of right now, no. This is still a very complicated issue. If I apply for a job at the Seattle Police Department, will past (or . current) marijuana use be held against me? The current standard for . applicants is that they have not used marijuana in the previous three years. In . light of I-502, the department will consult with the City Attorney and the State . Attorney General to see if and how that standard may be revised. What happens if I get pulled over and an officer thinks I’ve been . smoking pot? If an officer believes you’re driving under the influence of anything, they . will conduct a field sobriety test and may consult with a drug recognition . expert. If officers establish probable cause, they will bring you to a precinct . and ask your permission to draw your blood for testing. If officers have reason . to believe you’re under the influence of something, they can get a warrant for a . blood draw from a judge. If you’re in a serious accident, then a blood draw will . be mandatory. The Seattle Police Department seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it . back? No. Will Seattle Police Department assist federal law enforcement in investigations of . marijuana users or marijuana-related businesses, that are allowed under . I-502? No. Officers and detectives will not participate in an investigation of . anything that’s not prohibited by state law. December 6th seems like a really long ways away. What . happens if I get caught with marijuana before then? Hold your breath. Your case will be processed under current state law. However, there is already a . city ordinance making marijuana enforcement the lowest law enforcement . priority. I’m under 21. What happens if I get caught smoking pot? It’s a violation of state law. It may referred to prosecutors, just like if . you were a minor in possession of alcohol. For more information, visit http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2012/11/09/marijwhatnow-a-guide-to-legal-marijuana-use-in-seattle/ . | Seattle Police Department to hand out bags of Doritos with marijuana laws stuck to them in bid to clarify rules . Hempfest 2013, the world's largest marijuana festival, is expected to draw in over 200,000 cannabis enthusiasts . | 032bf04d4f38e22b349cf804ec07546440ca4663 |
Lawsuit: John Travolta, pictured with wife Kelly Preston, is facing accusations of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a male massage therapist . John Travolta is being sued over accusations that he tried to have sex with a male a masseur during a therapy session at the luxury Beverly Hills Hotel. The married actor, who has repeatedly denied being gay in the past, is said to have touched the unnamed therapist's genitals during a $200-per-hour massage appointment, the lawsuit claims. The claim filed in court claims that Mr Travolta stripped naked - and appeared aroused - before being massaged while at the same time trying to remove the towel covering his bottom. After the hour's session was over, the 58-year-old star is then alleged to have touched the man's scrotum and penis. But the masseur insists he pulled away and claims he then informed the actor that he was a professional masseur and not a prostitute. Mr Travolta, who has been married to Kelly Preston for 21 years, is then said to have responded that 'we must have got our signals crossed', before adding: 'Come on dude, I'll jerk you off.' The star is then said to have suggested a 'reverse massage', which is believed to mean that he wanted the masseur to lie on the table while the actor gave the man a full body rub. The lawsuit, filed at the U.S. District Court of Central California, claims Mr Travolta then masturbated. During the alleged encounter Mr Travolta - who claims the accusation are 'fiction' - is also said to have told the man that Hollywood 'is controlled by homosexual Jewish men' who expect sexual favours in return for granting parts in films during the encounter in an annex of the five-star Beverly Hills Hotel. The Grease star is alleged to have then claimed he had done things that 'would make most people throw up' during the apparent incident, said to have taken place on January 16. Happily married: Travolta with wife Kelly on . April 25th as they left Barbra Streisand's 70th birthday party and two . days before the alleged incident on January 16th, they appeared at the . G'Day LA event . Damning detail: This is the alleged interaction between the plaintiff and John Doe which forms the crux of the case . He allegedly claimed that he got his . first big movie break due to the sexual favours he performed while . starring in the 1975 TV series Welcome Back Kotter. Whispers about John Travolta’s sexuality have plagued his movie career almost from the outset. Various camp roles in films – most notably as a drag queen the musical Hairspray – have helped fuel rumours he is secretly gay. But there have also been strongly denied accusations he has been living a double life strikingly at odds with his family man image. They include rumour that his 1991 marriage to Kelly Preston was arranged by the shadowy cult-like religion of Scientology, of which he is a leading disciple. Seven years later, the father-of-two Travolta was named as a homosexual in court papers by a former member of the Church. The case never got a hearing, however. And in 2001, Travolta faced unsubstantiated claims that he had tried to pick up a business executive in a health club. However, the rumour mill reaches a crescendo in 2006, when the actor was seen apparently kissing a male friend as he prepared to board his own Boeing 707 jet in Canada. The plaintiff, or accuser - who refuses to be named because his . lawyer claims he is frightened of the Hollywood powerhouse - alleges . that Mr Travolta picked him up in his black Lexus SUV after a anonymous phone . appointment was made instructing the masseur to wait in a specific spot . in a nearby street. During the journey, the man noticed condoms alongside chocolate cake wrappers littering the console of the vehicle, . After pulling up outside the Beverley . Hills Hotel, they are then said to have entered one of the business's . annexes opposite the main building, which are known as bungalows. They were then greeted by an . 'overweight' black man who was grilling hamburgers. This chef is then . said to have disappeared when Mr Travolta allegedly tried to have sex . with the male masseur. The masseur is seeking more than $2 million in damages. A . spokesperson for John issued a vehement denial, he said: 'This lawsuit . is complete fiction and fabrication. None of the events claimed in the . suit ever occurred. 'The plaintiff, who refuses to give . their name, knows that the suit is a baseless lie…On that date when . plaintiff claims John met him, John was not in California and it can be . proved that he was on the East Coast. 'Plaintiff's attorney has filed this . suit to try and get his 15 minutes of fame. John intends to get this . case thrown out and then he will sue the attorney and Plaintiff for . malicious prosecution.' Okorie Okorcha, the lawyer representing the masseur told RadarOnline.com: 'My client is afraid of John Travolta. 'Fiction' A spokesperson for Travolta has hit out at the claims, even claiming that Travolta was not in LA at the time - though he was pictured at a G'Day LA event with his wife two days earlier . Witness:The plaintiff recalls a chef cooking burgers present for the first half of the massage, which passed without incident . Serious allegations: Travolta is absolutely refuting that he was even in LA at the time of the alleged incident . Denial: Travolta, on the set of his latest film Savages in LA last year, will fight the case, according to his lawyer . He added: 'Mr. Travolta made very explicit threats against my client, which are contained in the lawsuit. 'Specifically, John Travolta told my client that Hollywood is controlled by homosexual Jewish men who expect favors in return for sexual activity. 'Let's face it, John Travolta is an extremely powerful man, and my client absolutely felt threatened by Mr. Travolta. My client was sexually assaulted by Mr. Travolta and he needs to be held accountable for his actions.' | Travolta 'lured masseur to Beverly Hills Hotel and touched therapist's penis during $200-an-hour session' Masseur 'refused to engage in sexual activity despite pleas - and $2m lawsuit claims Travolta masturbated' During alleged encounter, Travolta 'claimed Hollywood is run by powerful Jews who expect sexual favours' | b285dadaa2211c90a406e3bbe8f6b984a202b71f |
PUBLISHED: . 13:38 EST, 3 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:00 EST, 3 June 2013 . As a former air force officer, patriotic Larry Taylor wouldn't normally fly the U.S. flag upside down. But the Oregon resident is so furious at the Obama presidency, he has hung the Old Glory above his home with the stripes on top and stars at the bottom - the traditional signal of distress. Now the bold political move has sparked a war of words among Taylor's Airport Rd, Pendleton, neighbors who believe the protest is sacrilegious. 'He's a communist Muslim': Larry Taylor is flying the U.S. flag upside down to protest President Barack Obama, pictured, who he describes as a 'communist' Taylor, 71, told East Oregonian he and his wife Carol, 73, . haven’t liked President Barack Obama since he came into . office in 2008. About a month ago, they began flying the flag upside down in a move generally considered bad flag etiquette. According to the U.S Flag Code, flags should only be displayed upside down when there is extreme danger to life or property. 'We have a fraud in the White House that is a communist Muslim,' Taylor said. 'I think that constitutes a nation in distress.' Protest: Protestors fly flags upside down to signal political dissatisfaction, although it was traditionally done by ships in distress . The Taylors said they've been bombarded with calls and complaints from their neighbors, including Brad Wahl. Wahl, who serves in the Army National Guard, said he first noticed the flag on his way to work at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport, and thought someone accidentally hoisted it incorrectly. The 37-year-old was shocked to discover is was intentional. He said he might agree with Larry Taylor’s politics but not the method of protest. 'To me, there are certain things that . are sacred,' Wahl told East Oregonian. 'To me, the flag is one of the things that . people should hold with a little more regard.' He said the upside-down flag was a way . ships at sea or forts under attack could show they needed help, but that . went out of fashion with new technology. But Taylor, who claims he served in the U.S. Air Force at Homestead Air Reserve Base on the south tip of Florida from 1960-64 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, said he would prefer to fly the flag the right way. He promised that wouldn’t happen while Obama was in power. | Larry Taylor is flying the U.S. flag upside down over his Oregon home to show his 'distress' at the Obama presidency . He described President Barack Obama as a 'fraud' and 'communist Muslim' and refuses to turn the flag around until Obama is out of office . Taylor's neighbors are furious at the stunt, saying the flag is sacred and should be treated with respect . | 7a5843e1841eda1b29847f022efd33d03361da3c |
(The Hollywood Reporter)Now in its third season, "House of Cards" has one of those problems that soap operas bump up against all the time: story fatigue. You can only ask your audience to buy into the political shenanigans of Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and wife Claire (Robin Wright) for so long, given the Gumbyesque contortions that the series uses to entertain. That manipulation often comes at the expense of believability — because "House of Cards" refuses to restrain itself and often goes, in a parlance that Francis would approve of, balls out in an effort to make the Underwoods ridiculously ruthless and the series ridiculously entertaining. Unfortunately, after holding out against the cruel intrusion of reality, at some point in season two of "House of Cards," ridiculous was the key word for pretty much everything in it. "Don't Be Gentle:" 10 Ruthless Quotes From 'House of Cards' Season 3 . That wouldn't be much of a problem if "House of Cards" was, like a true soap opera, keenly aware of its reputation (like, say, "Scandal"). Meaning, if "House of Cards" really believed that its ridiculousness was a wink-wink at the audience, its diversions from believability wouldn't be so troubling. Instead, "House of Cards" has been the poster series for both the popularity of Netflix as a streaming service with strong original content and as a big player for the service at awards shows. It takes itself very seriously. In that role, "House of Cards" is often touted as a prestige drama a la "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men" and "The Americans," among others. But if season two proved anything, with its collapsing parade of paper tigers standing up to Frank's quest for ultimate power, it's that the series is far more entertaining than it is great. Power wielded by a ruthless married couple as they sack Washington D.C. is a pretty fun thing to behold, soapy as it is racing toward the assured victory, the stakes-free gamble. There just wasn't much gravitas in the midst of it as the bubbles got in your eyes. I'm certainly fine with "House of Cards" being that show. If you buy into it as a sweet, sparkling wine to be guzzled without care as you binge your way through it, that seems very apropos of what you're getting. The danger is confusing it with actual Champagne. It's not that. Awards shows are still making this qualitatively dubious connection (as they've done to an even worse degree with another soap opera, "Downton Abbey"). I worry that the creative forces behind "House of Cards" will blindly accept the accolades and not address the more glaring issues critics (and fans) began harping on in season two. Early episodes of the third season of "House of Cards" indicate a change of direction might be afoot, though plenty of worry remains that this will be only temporary and the Underwoods will continue to fool and rule the world with the ease of master puppeteers as the season goes forward. But at least in the early going, creator Beau Willimon and the many executive producers with a hand in this series seem to agree that maybe the Underwoods, now known as the President and First Lady of the United States, need to hit some road blocks that they can't immediately get around. 'House of Cards' Showrunner on Leak: Fans Haven't "Figured Everything Out" A series like "House of Cards" has a lot of twists to be spoiled, but there's no point in doing that here — a good soap keeps the twists coming and that's what the audience wants. But at least in dealing with the basic moving parts of the series, it's safe to say being President and First Lady isn't as easy or as satisfying as Frank and Claire expected. Both want more. Frank wants, naturally, to avoid being a placeholder president and focus on getting reelected. But everything he's tried in office — and most of it has been ambitious — has eroded his approval ratings. Times are tough. He's not being very effective and Democrats are dubious as to whether he's the face of the future, especially as the Republicans are lining up in solidarity behind Hector Mendoza (Benito Martinez). For her part, Claire — in a storyline that harkens back to the Clinton years — isn't satisfied just being First Lady. She wants to lead and do something. She wants to be political because that's what's in her blood. And in a lovely reflection of their odd relationship, Claire has no qualms in telling Frank that if he's going down in the next election, she plans to ascend at the same time. Power and politics — these two understand it, even if it means telling the other that you'll carry on if they fall. After all the cream-puff politicians and supposedly brilliant strategists that the Underwoods have fooled all too easily in the first two seasons, a little payback and a little failure plays well for "House of Cards." However, the worry remains that now that they have the ultimate seats in politics, Frank and Claire won't go down without swinging and, in true "House of Cards" fashion, will hit and destroy everything they swing at. If that unbelievable sense of dramatic stakes returns, "House of Cards" will find itself in a scandal about how good it really is. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved. | Early episodes of the third season indicate a change of direction might be afoot . Being President and First Lady isn't as easy or as satisfying as Frank and Claire expected . After the Underwoods' smooth climb to power, a little payback and failure plays well . | a3c1c4e999dcadb0c43b68fd00ac8651b91e33eb |
Two women and a dog were miraculously rescued Sunday after their 3-story apartment building suddenly collapsed on Chicago's South Side. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford says the collapse of the just 3-year-old building after 7pm in the Washington Park neighborhood 'pancaked all floors toward the basement.' Miraculously, the women--one in her 70s who lived on the top floor and another in her 50s--were both alert when they were pulled from the rubble. A pit bull named Tigger was rescued, as well. Rubble: Morning brought this upsetting view of a pile of rubble that was once one of the Chicago area's newest buildings . Miraculous: Two women and a dog were miraculously pulled alive from this pile of rubble that was once a 3-story apartment building on Chicago's South Side . Unbelievable: The women--one in her 70s who lived on the top floor and one in her 50s--were both in serious to critical condition when they were rescued and both were awake and able to speak . Neighbors told the Chicago Tribune they first heard one or possibly two very loud booms followed by a flash of blue light. Then the entire building was reduced to rubble. 'Boom. It was the loudest explosion I ever heard,' neighbor McKiley Jonkins told the Chicago Sun-Times. Once the building went down, several residents ran outside to a shocking scene. The air remained thick with dust several minutes. When that finally settled, debris could be seen covering cars parked on nearby streets and piled up where there once stood a nearly brand new three-story building. 'That thing that looks like it is the roof' said neighbor Angela Brooks told WFLD, 'is kind of sitting on the front of my car.' Collateral damage: Cars parked on the street near the 3-year-old home were covered in debris as well, some were even totaled . Search and rescue: Rescuers worked into the night Sunday to sift through the debris and ensure no one else was there to be rescued, though neighbors said there was no one else in the buidling . 'Who would really make it out of something like this?' Jonkins remembered thinking. Langford said the older woman was awake and talking when she was taken to the hospital in serious to critical condition. The younger woman was rescued earlier and was also in serious to critical condition. She was also alert at the time. As they begin to heal, investigators will start piecing together what caused their brush with tragedy. Langford said the cause was unknown, but authorities were working with the utility companies to make sure there wasn't a problem with the gas line. | The Washington Park neighborhood was rocked by the mysterious blast after 7pm Sunday that leveled the 3-year-old three-story building . Neighbors report hearing two loud booms and then saw a flash of blue light before the building collapsed . Rescuers somehow managed to pull a woman in her 70s who lived on the top floor from the rubble alive - she was in serious condition but speaking . A younger woman in her 50s was also in alert but in serious condition when she was rushed to a hospital . | a47cf4a607fae22c71ae110fd4fc8703083c5f63 |
By . Paul Revoir . PUBLISHED: . 19:17 EST, 23 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:18 EST, 23 August 2012 . Foul-mouthed: Viewers think rants from stars like Gordon Ramsay (pictured) were too frequent . A third of television viewers believe there is too much swearing and violence on our screens, according to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom. Some 36 per cent thought there was excessive violence on TV, while 37 per cent thought foul-mouthed rants from stars such as Gordon Ramsay were too frequent an occurrence. The regulator’s annual report into consumer attitudes on broadcasting also found that one in four adults think there was too much sex on TV. It comes after family shows such as X Factor caused public outrage over sexualised performances by singers such as Rihanna and swearing before the watershed. Last year Ofcom set out stringent guidelines for programmes, saying that scantily-clad singers and lewd dance routines must be cut from programmes being aired before 9pm. And earlier this year they warned that channels broadcasting repeats of post-watershed programmes before 9pm could face fines. The annual report also revealed that around a quarter of adults disagree with the time of the TV watershed. Ofcom’s figures show 9 per cent thought the watershed was ‘too late’ last year. In 2005 just 6 per cent thought it was too late and should be brought forward. And almost 20 per cent of adults said they had been offended by something they had seen on TV in the past year. But Ofcom said these figures were down considerably from 2005 for each of the categories. The Ofcom report comes after family shows such as X Factor caused public outrage over sexualised performances by singers such as Rihanna (pictured) It also claimed the survey showed that the proportion of adults saying there is too much sex, violence or swearing on TV has fallen by about a third since 2005. The proportion of adults saying the standard of TV programming had ‘got worse’ was 31 per cent. But 46 per cent of those 65 and above thought that standards had worsened. Just over one in ten felt standards had improved. The top two reasons given for the standard of TV programmes getting worse were ‘more repeats’ (71 per cent) and ‘lack of variety’ (43 per cent). The report also found that 96 per cent of adults are aware that broadcasters are allowed to show programming unsuitable for children only after a certain time. | 37% think rants from stars like Gordon Ramsay are too frequent . Ofcom report also found that 1 in 4 adults think there is too much sex on TV . | 58f61e916f4b5b36893bbee620f414e214ca0a2a |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama castigated the North Korean government Monday for conducting a second nuclear bomb test in defiance of multiple international warnings. President Obama calls North Korea's nuclear test "a grave threat to the peace and stability of the world." North Korea's actions "pose a grave threat to the peace and stability of the world," Obama said at the White House. Obama promised that the United States and the international community would strongly respond to the test. He added that North Korea's actions have "flown in the face of United Nations resolutions" and were inviting deeper international isolation for the communist state. Watch how U.S. is reacting to the test » . North Korea's state news agency reported the nuclear detonation a little more than an hour after the U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.7 seismic disturbance at the site of North Korea's first nuclear test, which occurred in October 2006. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Monday's test was conducted "as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense in every way." In a one-two punch, the secretive communist state also apparently test-fired a short-range missile on Monday, the White House said. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. ET Monday to discuss possible responses to North Korea's actions. In an earlier White House statement, Obama called Pyongyang's actions "a matter of grave concern to all nations." "By acting in blatant defiance of the United Nations Security Council, North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community," the statement said. "North Korea's behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia. Such provocations will only serve to deepen North Korea's isolation." The top-ranking U.S. military officer said Monday that North Korea's reported nuclear test is a primarily a diplomatic matter right now, not a military one. "I think it's really important ... right now to emphasize the diplomatic path," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN's "American Morning." "That's really the one they're on." "Obviously we've got forces deployed to that part of the world, we have had for a significant period of time, we've got over 25,000 troops who are stationed in South Korea," he added. "We've got very close alliances there with Japan and South Korea as well. ... The countries who are involved in [the six-party talks], I think, are absolutely critical as we move forward to address this increasingly belligerent challenge from North Korea." Mullen said the test did not come as a surprise to the United States. "We weren't surprised because of recent statements by North Korean leadership that they intended to do this," he said. "As you know, they also recently ... unsuccessfully launched potentially an intercontinental ballistic missile." He said the reported test shows Pyongyang is becoming "increasingly belligerent." Most other countries have denounced the test. Even China -- North Korea's strongest ally -- said it opposed the test. China's government "expresses firm opposition" to the test, in which North Korea "disregarded the opposition of the international community," according to a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | NEW: Obama promises strong reaction to North Korean nuclear test . NEW: Test will deepen Pyongyang regime's isolation, White House says . Joints Chief head says test shows Pyongyang becoming "increasingly belligerent" U.N. Security Council to meet Monday afternoon to discuss the test . | 947cccf99924c5c9f169bb8262abecc3dea9dcae |
By . Paul Bentley . He hit an all-time low last week, dumping his fiancée after their wedding invitations had been sent out. But Rory McIlroy was back on top of the world last night. Rejuvenated by his newly single status, the 25-year-old golfer yesterday spectacularly won his first tournament since announcing the split. The Northern Irishman won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Surrey, in what commentators described as an 'absolute masterclass' and 'incredible stuff'. It is not known what his former fiancée, Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, made of his very sudden return to form – but with her first match in the French Open tomorrow, she is bound to want to prove a point in return. Scroll down for video . From despair, victory: Golfer Rory McIlroy won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth after splitting from his fiancee last week . Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki had already tried on her bridal dress before her ex-fiance, golfer Rory McIlroy called off their wedding . McIlroy revealed on Wednesday that he had broken up with 23-year-old tennis champion Miss Wozniacki because he was not ready for 'all that marriage entails'. After a three year relationship, the multi-millionaire said he got cold feet only after they had sent out invitations to their wedding to family and friends. She had reportedly already tried on her wedding dress. 'The problem is mine,' he said. 'The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn't ready. 'I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we've had. Everyone has been through break-ups and it's obviously very, very difficult.' At Wentworth yesterday, McIlroy responded by scoring an impressive 14-under total of 274 at the European Tour's flagship event, beating 16 golfers in the top 50 of the world rankings. Speaking out: Wozniacki took to Twitter to thank her fans for their support, and perhaps make a subtle dig at her Manchester United supporting ex . It was his first professional win since last December and he hasn't won on the PGA Tour since 2012. He missed the cut in his past three BMW PGA Championship starts. The former world number one had been widely expected to perform badly at the championship, considering the tumultuous week he had. After teeing off, however, he said: 'I have exceeded my expectations so far. I think once you get inside the ropes, you are concentrating on your golf. It's almost like it's a nice four or five hours of a release in some way just to get everything out of your head apart from doing the job at hand. 'You can't let your mind wander at all when you're trying to win a golf tournament. It's the hours in the day when you're away from it that are probably a little more difficult. It has been tough.' McIlroy, who is worth an estimated £28million, proposed in Sydney, on New Year's Day after dating Miss Wozniacki for three years. He gave her a £98,000 eight-carat diamond engagement ring after the couple watched fireworks from a boat in front of Sydney Opera House. Split: Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki will play in the French Open tomorrow after golfer Rory McIlroy's 'totally unexpected' break up just days after the couple sent out their wedding invitations . It is thought they were planning to marry at the Rockefeller Centre in New York in a lavish ceremony in November. Miss Wozniacki is due to play her first match at the French Open on Tuesday. Miss Wozniacki, who grew up in Denmark to Polish parents, last week sent a message to fans saying it was a 'hard time' for her and thanking them for their support. She then, somewhat cryptically, added: 'Happy I support Liverpool right now because I know I'll never walk alone.' The message, which was forwarded thousands of times online, is thought to have been a dig at McIlroy, who is a keen football fan and is known to support Liverpool's arch rivals Manchester United. It prompted an overwhelming rush of support among sports fans and other female tennis players, with Serena Williams replying: 'I'll always walk with you. Friends forever.' Miss Wozniacki had described herself on Twitter as a 'fiancee, daughter, sister, tennis player' and 'mother to our dog Bruno'. But, last week, she removed the word 'fiancee'. Sources close to Miss Wozniacki's family said she is determined to carry on as normal despite her heartbreak. The former women's world number one, who is worth an estimated £15million, is battling a knee injury as well as the very public humiliation of the breakdown of her relationship. 'She still wants to play in Paris despite having struggled,' a friend told the Mail. 'It is looking almost certain that she will try to play.' | Northern Irish golfer overcomes week of woe to win major tournament . This week he split from fiancée Caroline Wozniacki after three years . Despite heartbreak he delivered 'an absolute masterclass' in contest . | ccff52892471c5e1688a6b839e56359ee186363a |
An experimental spaceplane has successfully launched after a minor delay. Esa launched its unmanned Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) on a Vega rocket from Kourou in South America at 1340 GMT today. The initial launch was postponed after an unidentified problem with the launch complex. It is now on a flight that will last slightly more than 100 minutes, during which time it will re-enter Earth's atmosphere to test new technologies. The craft is being fired 256 miles (412km) into the Earth's atmosphere in the first test flight of technology that could lead to new re-usable spacecraft for use on future missions to Mars. Scroll down for video . The launch of an experimental spaceplane has taken place, after a minor delay due to an unidentified problem with the launch complex. Esa launched its unmanned Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) on a Vega rocket from South America at 1340 GMT today (still image from live stream video shown) The 16ft (five metres) long spaceplane separated from the Vega rocket at an altitude of 210 miles (340km) above the Earth before climbing to its maximum altitude. It is due to fly east for around 20,000 miles (32,000km) during the 100-minute long test flight before re-entering the atmosphere at a rapid 16,800mph (27 000 km/h). During this time it will navigate through the atmosphere using 'flaps' at its back, controlling its re-entry in a way not possible for capsules that return from space. If it passes this test, it will then splash down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the flight. IXV will be launched into a suborbital path by a Vega rocket launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in February 11. IXV will separate from Vega at an altitude of 210 miles (340 km). IXV will coast to up to 256 miles (412km) and then begin its re-entry phase, recording a vast amount of data from a large number of conventional and advanced sensors. The entry speed of 4.6 miles per second (7.5 km/s) at an altitude of 75 miles (120 km) will create the same conditions as those for a vehicle returning from low orbit. IXV will glide through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds to test new re-entry technologies before parachutes deploy to slow the descent for a splashdown in the Pacific. Engineers at Esa hope to use the craft, which looks like a shrunken space shuttle without wings, to develop new ways of returning cargo and astronauts safely to Earth. It could also help scientists develop spacecraft that can land safely on the surface of Mars in future missions and then return samples to Earth. Gerogio Tumino, Esa project manager for the IXV, said: 'Reentry is something we need to achieve if one day we want to have the ambition of having astronauts flying back to Earth with European technologies.' IXV will glide through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds to test new European re-entry technologies before parachutes deploy to slow the descent for a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The Nos Aries recovery vessel will be used to retrieve the spacecraft. Over the last month, the crew have been testing the equipment for hoisting IXV out of the water. The 16ft (five metres) long spaceplane separated from the Vega rocket (shown just after launch) at an altitude of 210 miles (340km) above the Earth before climbing to its maximum altitude. It is due to fly east for around 20,000 miles (32,000km) during the 100-minute long test flight before re-entering the atmosphere . The two-piece shell of Vega opened to release the space plane at an altitude of about 200 miles (320 km). Pictured is an artist's impression of various stage of the test flight . Developed over five years at a cost of 150 million euros ($225 million), the IXV is the testbed for a reusable vehicle that may one day be able to land on a conventional runway on Earth after a mission to space. This could be useful for bringing astronauts back from the International Space Station (ISS). The only craft currently able to ferry astronauts to the ISS and back is Russia's Soyuz. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Tumino said: 'Europe is excellent at going to orbit; we have all the launchers, for example. 'We also have great knowhow in operating complex systems in orbit. But where we are a bit behind is in the knowledge of how to come back from orbit. 'So, if we are to close the circle - go to orbit, stay in orbit, come back from orbit - this third leg we need to master as well as other spacefaring nations.' Engineers at Esa hope to use the craft (illustration shown), which looks like a shrunken space shuttle without wings, to develop new ways of returning cargo and astronauts safely to Earth. It could also help scientists develop spacecraft that can land safely on the surface of Mars in future missions and return samples to Earth . Scientists have filled the IXV with sensors to monitor how the materials and flight systems cope during the launch. After separating from the spacerocket, the IXV was travelling at hypersonic speeds of 9,562mph (15,389km/h). It climbed further through the atmosphere before lowering and dipping its nose to begin re-entry. During the descent, the heat shields designed to protect the spaceplne will reach temperatures of up to 1,700 degrees C (3,100 degree F) Flaps and thrusters will help control the vehicle as it descends, ensuring it comes down at a pre-arranged landing site. Just before landing a parachute system will deploy to allow the two tonne vechile to land gently in the Pacific Ocean where airbags will deploy to keep it from sinking. A recovery ship will be waiting nearby - around 1,800 miles west of the coast of the Galapagos Islands. As it makes its way through the atmosphere, IXV will use 'flaps' at its back to control its re-entry in a way not possible for capsules that return from space, such as Nasa's recent Orion spacecraft. If it passes this test, it will then splash down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the flight . Last year Esa used a prototype of the IXV to practice recovering it from the ocean. An attempt to launch the IXV last November was postponed by engineers to allow additional analysis of the rockets trajectory to be conducted. Last year saw two major setbacks for the space industry. On October 28, an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket exploded shortly after launch on what was to be a supply mission to the ISS. This was followed three days later by the crash of Virgin Galactic tourist space plane SpaceShipTwo on a test flight, killing one of two pilots. Last year Esa used a prototype of the IXV to practice recovering it from the ocean, shown in this image . The IXV spaceplane can be seen above on top of Esa's Vega rocket on the launch pad in South America . The IXV space plane as it is encased in its farings that will protect the experimental craft during the launch . The graphic above explains the different stages that will occur during the test flight of the IXV space plane . | The Intermediate Experimental Vehicle successfully took off at 1340 GMT . Lift-off was initially delayed after an unidentified launch complex problem . The space plane launched on a Vega rocket from South America . It was carried 210 miles above Earth before firing its own thrusters . Now it is climbing to a maximum altitude of 256 miles (412km) before it begins its daring re-entry attempt through the atmosphere . It will travel around 20,000 miles before splashing into the Pacific Ocean . A ship is standing by to recover the craft once it touches down in the sea . If successful the IXV could lead to Europe's first reentry space vehicle . Technology will be used to build re-usable spacecraft for missions to Mars . | de5ffde2761babca22be092c27f277d689ed85f9 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . Apartment-sharing site Airbnb won a huge court battle Tuesday when the New York Supreme Court quashed a subpoena from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office seeking user's personal information. 'The subpoena at issue, as drafted, seeks materials that are irrelevant . to the inquiry at hand and accordingly, must be quashed,' wrote acting state . Supreme Court Justice Gerald Connolly in court papers. The court granted the site's 'instant application to quash the subpoena as . overbroad' as well as denying the Attorney General's motion to force them to give out any information or date about their users, according to the The New York Daily News. The New York Supreme Court has quashed a subpoena from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office seeking personal information about Airbnb users . Schneiderman's office sought names, addresses, rates, . tax data of Airbnb's users for the past three years. 'This decision is good news for New Yorkers who simply want to share . their home and the city they love,' Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas told reporters. 'Now, it’s time for us to work together. Airbnb hosts and the Attorney . General share a common goal: we all want to make New York a better place . to live, work and visit. We look forward to continuing to work with the . Attorney General's Office to make New York stronger for everyone.' An Attorney General spokesman said that the decision still agreed there was evidence many Airbnb hosts could be violating tax laws. Finding a silver lining in what many view as a major setback, the Attorney General's office noted that the court sided with Schneiderman on many of his points and that it would reissue a subpoena this week addressing a technical issue. Among the victories Schneiderman's office is claiming is Connolly's decision that 'Airbnb] has failed to demonstrate that . the subpoena is unduly burdensome,' and noting that '[t]he record before the Court . indicates that there are Hosts regularly using their apartments to . provide lodging to guests who may not be complying with the state and . local tax registration and/or collection requirements.' The site called the decision 'good news for New Yorkers who simply want to share their home and the city they love' Alegislative source speaking to the News said: 'It looks like Airbnb won the battle and lost the war.' Schneiderman spokesman Matt Mittenthal said that the decision still found evidence many Airbnb hosts could be violating tax laws. 'This comes as no surprise, given that Airbnb itself removed some 2,000 . New York-based listings from its site,' he said. 'Our office is committed to . enforcing a law that provides vital protections for building residents . and tourists alike. The judge rejected all of AirBnb’s arguments except . for a narrow technical issue, and we will reissue the subpoena to . address it.' | New York Supreme Court finds Attorney General's subpoena 'seeks materials irrelevant to the inquiry at hand' Authorities believe the apartment-sharing site's users may be violating tax laws . Attorney General's office argues decision was validation of many parts of its investigation . | 29b5063d2f7d279d2a4f1bd8285b27d456d2a9c3 |
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Two sentences inscribed above the refurbished entrance hall of Moscow's Kurskaya metro station are causing great agitation for survivors of Russian labor camps.Yuri Fidelgoldsh, who had five ribs removed after imprisonment six decades ago, is one of the offended survivors. This slogan at a Moscow metro station has stirred controversy: "Stalin reared us on loyalty to the people." "Stalin reared us on loyalty to the people," says the inscription above the pristine marble floors of the metro station. "He inspired us to labor and to heroism." Fidelgoldsh, now 82, doesn't use the metro station much, but he has been there to see the restoration. When he invokes the name "Stalin," he gets angry. "For people who were imprisoned, punished and whose parents were killed, this is still in their hearts," Fidelgoldsh says. Kremlin critics are outraged by the restored motto at the station. They say it's the latest attempt by the government to rehabilitate the image of Joseph Stalin, the late Soviet leader largely responsible for the division of Europe, the deaths of nearly 20 million people and the creator of the Eastern Bloc. "I have no positive emotions towards Stalin," Fidelgoldsh adds. "He's a college dropout who went into politics and became a leader of a party which fit his needs. He didn't exactly impress me with his 'great' mind." Watch report on the rehabilitation of Stalin's image » . The phrase at the metro station came from the original Soviet national anthem, written in 1944 by Sergey Mikhalkov. During the de-Stalinization process that began under Nikita Khrushchev after Stalin's death in 1953, statues and other vestiges of his immense cult of personality were removed. In 1977, Mikhalkov rewrote the anthem to delete references to Stalin, and the metro station removed the original inscription of his words. The entrance hall to the station underwent extensive renovation over the past year, complete with new columns and polished marble floors. It's located on the main metro line around the city's center, through which tens of thousands of commuters pass every day. On a recent day, a woman named Nadia said she had no problem with the slogan honoring Stalin. She grew up after the fall of the Soviet Union and during the prosperous Putin years. "I think we shouldn't be ashamed because this is a part of our history. We have to somehow accept the history," said Nadia, who didn't want to give her last name. The Kremlin declined comment for this story. Pavel Suharnikov, the press director for Moscow Metro, said, "We do not wish to discuss this matter anymore, but I will say that I don't see any political motivation behind the restoration of Kurskaya." Travelers at the metro station first saw the words hailing Stalin at the start of 1950, when the station opened as one of the grand post-World War II constructions. It was contracted by Stalin himself. "This metro station was built by prisoners of gulags who were in there for no reason, just because. They were the ones building this station. I think all of this is simply wrong," says Valeri M. Shevchenko, a musician, whose father suffered at the hands of Stalin's regime. "They came in the morning, Stalin's police, took everyone outside and shot my grandfather in front of his family. My grandmother and her eight children, including my father who was 8 at the time, were sent to work camps. Only three children survived." As Shevchenko looks around the metro station today, he shakes his head. Irina Sherbakova, Moscow director of the Russian-based International Memorial Society, says this new "re-Stalinization" is a step back for democracy in Russia. "It's clear that our nation has declined to accept democracy and individual freedoms, as a principle." The Memorial Society is a community of dozens of human rights organizations in different regions of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Georgia that formed in 1990. It is responsible for preservation of the societal memory of the severe political persecution of the Soviet Union. The return of the anthem line at Kurskaya may prove to be culturally dividing. According to the Memorial Society, more than 40 percent of citizens favor Stalin's rehabilitation. "That means people don't care about what was happening to their ancestors. There are no plaques on our buildings and in our schools. It's not at all about restoration and preserving the memory," says Sherbakova. Fidelgoldsh, the gulag survivor, was arrested by Stalin's militia on the streets of Moscow in 1948. A friend of his had admitted under questioning -- with a promise to be released -- that they had privately criticized Stalin's regime. The two, along with another friend, were charged with anti-Soviet agitations and forming an anti-Soviet group. They were sent to a labor camp near Magadan, in eastern Russia. Fidelgoldsh was imprisoned for eight years. The friend who turned him in spent the next 30 years in various camps and prisons, where he eventually died. Fidelgoldsh shows a picture of himself at the time of his illness, which was taken by camp authorities and sent to his mother to show that her son was alive and well. He looks weak and pale. "I nearly starved a few times. They gave me a small loaf of bread daily, but I couldn't survive on that, and quickly became too thin and weak to perform," Fidelgoldsh says. "Eventually, I became sick with tuberculoses and spat blood." Sherbakova, the Kremlin critic, says it's a slippery slope when a nation like Russia appears to be rewriting history. "No matter what our politicians may say and do, unless they are willing to accept the past for what it was and treat it properly, the current generations, who are growing up with World War II as a thing of the past, are under threat of repeating the same tragic mistakes," Sherbakova says. Joseph Stalin became the general secretary of the Communist Party in 1922. When Vladimir Lenin died in 1924, Stalin essentially installed himself as the Soviet heir. Stalin purged the party of "enemies" in what was known as the Great Terror of the 1930s. Tens of thousands of people were executed and millions were forced into the gulag labor system. CNN's Wayne Drash contributed to this report. | Newly restored slogan at Moscow metro station hails Stalin, draws criticism . Gulag survivor: "For people ... whose parents were killed, this is still in their hearts" Group says 40 percent of Russians are in favor of rehabilitation of Stalin's image . "That means people don't care about what was happening to their ancestors" | 08b46544bf8c6aebdccbfbb007393ed74e2d32af |
Uber drivers around the globe unhappy with some of the company's practices are planning protests in cities including San Francisco and London - but in New York drivers plan to go on strike. The multi-city protest which has been organized by a newly formed nonprofit group called the California App-Based Drivers Association will take place outside of the company's offices. Last month, Uber drivers in New York protested over what they claimed are unfair working conditions and poor fares. Uber drivers aren't employed by the company, but instead work on a freelance basis and are summoned by users as needed. Drivers gathered outside Uber's offices in Queens, New York last month to protest what they say are low fairs and poor treatment by the company . 'We're hoping we can coordinate a mass demonstration, potentially around the globe on so that we can get the message across that these policies are not just affecting drivers in Los Angeles, but anywhere Uber operates,' Joseph De Wolf Sandoval, an Uber driver and the president of CADA, told Business Insider. In New York drivers are planning to shut off their phones - effectively disallowing potential Uber customers from hailing them. The drivers are unhappy with a number of issues that they hope to draw attention to by staging the strike, namely Uber's reduced fares, the company's tipping policy, the five-star rating system, and driver safety. 'It's not just a small group of disgruntled or unprofessional drivers, as Uber would like to cast us,' De Wolf Sandoval said. 'It's a nationwide feeling of general unhappiness and unease with policies and programs.' The trouble began in July when Uber reduced its UberX fares making Uber cheaper than getting around town in a taxi. It was supposed to be a promotion but in September Uber decided to keep the cheaper fares running indefinitely. Uber recently dropped the amount that drivers were being payed for each fare by 20percent in an effort to compete New York City yellow taxis . The company argued that drivers would end up making more because of increased demand as a result of the cheaper fares. Drivers say that the reality couldn't be more different and claim that they are now losing money as a result of the change. Some have suggested that a 20% cut in fares mean drivers need to work 20% harder to make the same amount of pay. There is also unrest among drivers at the company's tipping policy. Uber charges an all-inclusive price and drivers are told not to accept tips from customers. The Uber app does not even allow for customers to leave tips even if they wanted to. Last December, a federal judge ruled that Uber drivers could sue the company for deceptive marketing that told customers that Uber fares already included a tip, . Uber's fares are calculated based on distance and time along with any surcharges or tolls. Customers are also confused about the tipping system. Drivers says they would also like some openness when it comes to Uber's rating system which allows both riders and drivers to rate one another. Drivers appreciate that customers can very easily write comments about their experience to give valuable feedback to drivers but the rating system is also dreaded by drivers because of how easy it is to fall below the 'acceptable' rating. If drivers fall below 4.7 (out of 5) on the rating system it can affect the number of trips they pick up. Should they fall below a 4.4, they can be permanently deactivated. Ideas being put forward include a suggestion Uber create an cash incentive for drivers that provide excellent service handing out commission-based rewards if rides are of a certain standard. The grievances held by drivers is something of a grey area as they are not truly independent contractors nor employees of the company, but by holding the strike in New York and protests in other cities drivers are hoping that at the very least Uber will sit up and take notice as the company continues to expand its global reach. | Drivers are unhappy that a '20percent reduced promotional fare' introduced in July is now running indefinitely . Drivers say they want options that allow customers to tip and for the Uber rating system to be fairer . | 63874d867d88d4b8c18780915cf72424786be39b |
Doctors operating on a high school football player who had broken his leg discovered that the young man had a giant tumor growing in his body. Max O'Rourke, a star quarterback for the Rocklin High Thunder in Rocklin, California, was rushed to the hospital Friday night after breaking his leg during a game, initially devastated that the injury meant his season would be cut short. That all changed however when doctors discovered the 17-year-old had a large benign tumor growing in his leg. Scroll down for video . Blessing: Rocklin High quarterback Max O'Rourke (above with a friend) discovered he had a giant tumor growing in his leg after being admitted to the hospital with a broken femur Friday night . Getting better: O'Rourke (before surgery on left and with a friend on right) has had the tumor successfully removed, but now will not be able to walk for seven weeks . The tumor was revealed when doctors took an x-ray of O'Rourke's leg to get a better look at his broken femur. The leg was broken when a defender tackled Max as he went to throw a pass during the game, and hit the ground at an odd angle. Doctors also believe the bone was weakened by the tumor, which was putting an immense amount of pressure on O'Rourke's leg. 'I didn’t expect to be in this situation, but here I am, and you can either live with it or you can just be angry at the world,' O'Rourke told CBS 13. 'And I chose to live with it and be positive.' Doctors say that he should be walking again, without assistance, in seven weeks. Star player: O'Rourke (posing above with the Heisman Trophy) was one of the top ranked quarterbacks in the state of California . Staying strong: 'I chose to live with it and be positive,' says O'Rourke of news of the tumor (seen above with his friend Melissa at Homecoming just days before surgery) 'A tragic moment to a blessing in disguise,' is how Max's father Michael is now describing the event. Adds his mother, Erin, 'His legs going to be that much stronger, he’s going to be that much more driven and I think he has been a huge inspiration to his teammates.' And while the young man and his family are staying positive, that doesn't make it any easier for the player, ranked one of the best in the state, to have to sit out his final season of high school football. 'Up until this point I had only missed one game, ever, my entire football career,”said O'Rourke, who is now focusing on returning in time to play on his high school basketball team this winter. 'It just sucks not being out there anymore.' | Max O'Rourke, the star quarterback for the Rocklin High Thunder of Rocklin, California, was admitted to the hospital after breaking his leg on Friday . While the 17-year-old was getting an x-ray, doctors also learned he had a giant benign tumor growing in his leg, which had weakened the bone . Doctors were able to remove the tumor, but now O'Rourke cannot play football, or walk without assistance, for seven weeks . | 08ca9d707e3627202280887751cbb42963a0444d |
By . James Tozer . PUBLISHED: . 05:13 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:33 EST, 14 January 2014 . Britain's longest-serving soap actor used his fame to sexually assault starstruck girls after inviting them to his Coronation Street dressing room, a court heard yesterday. William Roache, 81, who has played Ken Barlow on ITV for five decades, preyed on fans in the 1960s, confident his celebrity status meant they would not complain, it was claimed. One 14-year-old was attending a talent contest when Roache led her into the men’s toilet and made her perform a sex act on him, Preston Crown Court was told. He later wrote her a letter enclosing a signed photograph to secure her loyalty. Scroll down for video . End of day one: Bill Roache leaves Preston crown Court with his sons James, Linus, and daughter Verity today, where he is accused of raping a child and five other sex offences . But following the exposure of serial . sex offender Jimmy Savile in 2012, a jury heard that five women, who . were aged between 12 and 16 at the time of the alleged offences, finally . felt confident enough to come forward. ‘You . may well conclude by the end of this trial that William Roache’s fame . and popularity provided not only the opportunity for his offending but . that it is one of the predominant reasons for his victims’ decades of . silence,’ prosecutor Anne Whyte, QC, told the jury. The . twice-married father-of-four went on trial yesterday accused of twice . raping a 15-year-old girl who lived close to his then home in . Lancashire. In addition, he is accused of indecently assaulting four young girls he met at Granada Studios in Manchester. In the dock: Coronation Street star Bill Roache is accused of two counts of rape and five indecent assaults dating back almost 50 years . Another . said Roache pushed his hands up her jumper, while two sisters – one as . young as 11 or 12 – who were invited into his dressing room, and given . lifts in his silver Rolls-Royce, claimed they were also sexually . assaulted. Immaculately . dressed in a dark blue three-piece suit and striped tie and with his . grey hair neatly trimmed, the widower arrived at court flanked by . his 49-year-old son, Linus, and his two children by his late . second wife Sara – 32-year-old Verity and her brother James, 28. Famous: Roache, pictured with youngest daughter Verity, is probably Britain's best known soap star, and the jury were asked to ignore what they know about his character Ken Barlow . At . the start of the trial, the judge, Mr Justice Holroyde, told jurors . they were likely to be familiar with Ken Barlow from television but must . distinguish between the character and the actor. Witnesses will include . fellow cast members Anne Kirkbride, who plays his on-screen wife . Deirdre, Chris Gascoyne, who plays his son Peter, and Helen Worth, who . plays Gail Platt, later Gail Tilsley. The . actor first attacked a 14-year-old who was attending a talent contest . at Granada Studios in 1965 and was invited to a dressing room by Roache . and other cast members, said Miss Whyte. She . alleged Roache – then 33 – led her into the men’s toilet and, without . speaking, made her perform a sex act on him before they returned to the . dressing room. He asked for the schoolgirl’s address and later sent her a letter and a signed photograph which she still has, the court heard. Later . that year, she claims Roache gave her a lift in his car where she . ‘believes’ another sex act took place. The same year, a 16-year-old girl . was at Granada Studios when Roache approached her in the ladies’ toilets and started to ‘fondle’ her breast, Miss Whyte said. In . 1967, the court heard, a 15-year-old girl who lived near Roache’s then . home was led by the actor into the bungalow he shared with first wife . Anna Cropper, forced on to a double bed and raped. Later that year, she agreed to go into a cottage he owned and once inside he allegedly raped her again. The . 15-year-old alleged rape victim was a virgin and told police she felt . ‘panic-stricken’ at Roache’s actions, which came with no attempts to . ‘kiss or sweet talk her’. Then . between 1968 and 1971, Roache allegedly groomed the two sisters . initially aged around 12 and 14 who would wait outside the studios. The . elder sister claims that one day Roache – still wearing make-up and . stage clothes from playing Ken Barlow – invited her into his dressing . room and without warning put his hand up her skirt. On . the same occasion, the jury was told actor Neville Buswell, who played . Ray Langton, asked the younger sister to touch him sexually, but she . refused. He has denied these claims. Case: Prosecutor Anne Whyte, centre, told the court Roache, behind her, had used his fame to attack young girls . Later, . Roache allegedly gave the younger sister, now 57, and a friend a lift . in his silver Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and made her perform a sex act on . him. At one point, she told police, she stopped when a double-decker . bus drove past, but he replaced her hand and made her continue, later . giving her half a crown to get a bus home as he dropped them off. Miss . Whyte said all five kept quiet until an interview Roache gave to New . Zealand television in March last year. The husband of the younger sister . interpreted comments Roache made in the interview as suggesting that . ‘in the old days young girls were throwing themselves at him and they . were all sexually active’. Allegations: The actor allegedly attacked two of the young girls in the toilets at Granada Studios in Manchester, the court heard . Attacks: The prosecution say the star enjoyed attacking girls ins in a risky place, 'using his position and fame to try and obtain a continuation of sexual gratification' Entrance: The star's security were forced to clear path through a crowd as he arrived at Preston Crown Court this morning . Arrival: Coronation Street Star Bill Roache walks to Preston Crown Court with children Linus (behind left), James (next left) and Verity (right) for the start of his trial, where he is accused of historical sexual offences . Support: Roache - who has played Ken Barlow for decades - arrived flanked by his security in front and his children behind . Roache’s comments ‘grated’ and he contacted a Sunday newspaper with a view to selling her story, the court heard. Meanwhile . the alleged rape victim contacted police that month after a . conversation in which her grown-up son expressed disbelief about victims . of Savile and former MP Cyril Smith taking so long to come forward, . Miss Whyte said. She told . him Roache had raped her as a schoolgirl and, at his insistence, she . formally reported it to police. Roache was arrested and charged with two . counts of rape, and following publicity over his court appearance the . other four alleged victims contacted police. 'The youngest told police . she had felt ‘intimidated’ because people ‘feel he is some kind of super . actor and they think he’s lovely and always “William Roache what a good . man he is”, you know, you don’t stand a chance if you went forward’. Roache, . who was arrested last May, denies any sexual contact with the girls, . telling police he had slept with many women but always with consent and . none was underage. On screen: The actor's on screen wife, Deidre, played by Anne Kirkbride, will give evidence during the four week trial, the court heard . However . Miss Whyte said the jury may be struck by the fact that while the women . did not know each other – apart from the sisters – they gave strikingly . similar accounts. Roache, of . Wilmslow, Cheshire, who has not appeared on Coronation Street since he . was charged, denies five counts of indecent assault and two of rape . involving five girls then aged between 12 and 16. The trial continues. | 81-year-old, who has played Ken Barlow for 50 years, denies all charges . Actor is accused of two counts of rape and five of indecent assault . The alleged attacks were on girls aged between 11 and 16 . Court hears abuse was in toilets, in Rolls Royce and in Lancashire house . Two of alleged victims are sisters, the other three do not know eachother . Stars who play Deidre Barlow, Pater Barlow and Gail Platt to give evidence . | e1b24e9d9167df434e5f781a6b7104b135b166d7 |
(CNN) -- Canada could have an exploding whale problem. The carcasses of three blue whales, the world's biggest mammals, washed up on the western shores of the island of Newfoundland this month, and now two towns with carcasses in their boundaries find themselves facing a huge predicament: How do they get rid of the decomposing leviathans before something bad happens, like an explosion? That's the fear of some of the 600 residents of Trout River, where an 81-foot-long, 60-ton carcass is bloating on the waterfront as methane gas inside expands, according to a report from CTV. "I'm not sure with the heat and gases that are trapped inside of this mammal if at some point in time it will explode," Emily Butler, Trout River's town clerk, said in an interview published in The Star. Jack Lawson, a scientist with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said a whale explosion is unlikely. He's more worried someone could fall inside the decomposing beast. "The (whale) skin is starting to lose its integrity and if someone were to walk along, say, the chin -- that is full of all that gas -- they could fall in the whale. The insides will be liquefied. Retrieving them would be very difficult," Lawson, told the National Post. Excluding either of those scenarios, the decaying whales poses a stinky problem as tourist season nears. "Normally we advertise whales to get people to come, where the restaurant is right on the beach and we often have whales in the cove frolicking about, but we don't want a dead whale as an attraction," Jenny Parsons, who owns the Seaside Restaurant in Trout River, told CBC News. A second blue whale carcass is in Rocky Harbour, where Mayor Walter Nicolle said the smell is getting worse by the day. He said the Canadian government has said local authorities in the town of 1,000 people must bear the responsibility and cost of removal, just as they must do in Trout River, according to the CBC. But Butler, who told the Western Star she originally considered asking local fishermen to tow the carcass out to sea, said her town doesn't have the money or expertise to do so. "I'm not willing to take on the responsibility," she is quoted as saying. "If that whale does explode, we don't know what danger that would be to our infrastructure, the longliner (fishing boat) itself, or to people." And she said if the whale were towed out to sea, it could be considered a hazard to navigation by federal authorities. Lawson told Global News in most cases whales would be left to decompose where they lie. "Normally, it would have washed ashore on a beach somewhere and would have slowly rotted away and the carnivores and predators would have worked at it until, in a few years time, there would only be bones left," he said. Butler hopes that's not the case in Trout River. "It's only going to be a matter of time before it warms up and the smell becomes unbearable," she told Global News. The whales are believed to be among nine of the endangered species crushed or drowned by ice while feeding, according to a CTV report. While it is not unusual for marine mammals to be trapped by shifting ice, a denser ice pack has made the problem worse this year. | Dead blue whales have washed ashore in two Newfoundland towns . Residents worry whales could explode as gases build up from decomposition . Scientists says people should be wary of falling inside dead whale . Towns say they're being told removal is a local responsibility . | e6ca9c93abeb38cc4af7c753206be076670549df |
President Barack Obama officially begins his second term today, a day ahead of his public swearing in and all the pomp and ceremony of a U.S. presidential inauguration. Because the Constitution calls for the president to be sworn in on January 20, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in for their second terms in relatively quiet ceremonies before they take their public oaths in front of the Capitol on Monday and before an audience spread down the National Mall. Obama's Monday address will lay out the values and vision for his second term and acknowledge the division in Washington but won't address policy, a source with knowledge of the speech told CNN on the condition of anonymity. He'll lay out policy in his February 12 State of the Union address, the source said. Obama to acknowledge divided Washington in inaugural address . Obama was still working on his speech on Saturday, the source said. The nation's first African-American president also will become only the 17th U.S. leader to deliver a second inaugural address before joining the traditional parade up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. For his second inauguration, less than half of the estimated 1.8 million onlookers who crammed the Mall in 2009 are expected -- organizers expect 800,000 people to attend Monday's public ceremony. 13 reasons to follow the inauguration on CNN platforms . The smaller crowd this time around reflects the reality of second-term presidencies, when the novelty and expectations of a new leader have been replaced with the familiarity and experiences of the first four years. Inauguration activities kicked off on Saturday with Obama and first lady Michelle Obama and Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden leading volunteers across the country in National Day of Service Activities. Obamas, Bidens participate in National Day of Service . The Obamas joined in a project at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, aiding volunteers who were staining a bookcase. Cameras at the school caught the president and first lady staining a bookcase. The president told volunteers that his family would do volunteer projects on holidays, "So I was taught from a young age." Volunteering "is really what America is all about," he said. The Bidens helped to put together care packages for service members deployed overseas at the National Guard Armory in Washington. Biden's office said volunteers at the armory would produce 100,000 packages. "We still have 68,000 troops in harm's way in some of the most godforsaken territory in the world," Biden said, adding that the military members can find comfort "knowing that we back home just remember, we know what's going on." Chelsea Clinton, honorary chairwoman of the Day of Service, said at a kickoff event on Mall that Saturday was the 19th anniversary of her father former President Bill Clinton signing the bill that designated a National Day of Service to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday honoring the late civil rights leader. "When he signed the bill, he reminded us of what Dr. King called life's most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?" she said. "And in my family, the only wrong answer to that question is 'nothing.' " Later Saturday, singer Katy Perry headlined a concert for children of service men and women and Washington schoolchildren that was hosted by the first lady and Mrs. Biden. Singer Usher and the cast of the TV show "Glee" were among others who performed. Katy Perry brings 'Fireworks' to inauguration kids' concert . The Saturday event was to recognize the sacrifices and "level of maturity that is required from military kids," the first lady said. "It means always thinking about things that are so much bigger than yourself. It means growing up just a little faster and working just a little harder than other kids," she said. "And it means doing the greatest thing you can ever do with your life at such a young age, and that is to serve our country." On Sunday, the vice president will take his official oath shortly after 8 a.m. at the Naval Observatory, his official residence, and the president will take his at the White House shortly before noon. Obama and Biden will travel to Arlington National Cemetery after Biden's swearing-in for a traditional wreath-laying ceremony. In the evening, the Obamas will watch Latino acts at "In Performance at the Kennedy Center," which is followed by the Let Freedom Ring concert. The Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball and Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball are also scheduled in the capital. The president will speak to donors at a Candlelight Celebration and the National Building Museum on Sunday night. Viewer's guide to the inauguration . Monday's events will be a bit down-sized from Obama's first inauguration. After events in front of the Capitol, the Obamas and Bidens will lead the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, there are only two presidential balls this year, down from the 10 staged in 2009. While the anticipated crowd for Monday's events is expected to be about half of those who gathered four years ago, the temperature will be a bit higher than in 2009 when the high hovered around the freezing mark. While the early morning temperature will be in the 20s, the forecast calls for a high temperature in the upper 30s or low 40s. Still, organizers cautioned attendees to bundle up because of prolonged exposure to the cold as they watch the events and make their way to and from them. | President and vice president sworn in officially on Sunday before public ceremony on Monday . Obamas and Bidens led volunteers in National Day of Service on Saturday to honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday's events include concerts, balls and Obama thank-you to donors . Monday's crowds expected to be about half of those who gathered in D.C. in 2009 . | 04eb426a4042f0b316da3508e8784402fa7f3cd8 |
Former Premier League winger Simon Davies is now playing for a village team in Wales... and will pay £3 to take part in each match. Solva FC, an amateur side in Davies' hometown, unveiled the ex-Everton and Tottenham winger as their new marquee signing on Tuesday - but the midfielder will have to pay to play. The former Wales international only turned 34 in October but has been without a club since leaving Fulham in 2013. Simon Davies, having left Fulham (left) in 2013, has joined Welsh amateur side Solva FC . Former Everton and Tottenham winger Simon Davies poses with his registration form on Tuesday . Club Spell Appearances Goals . Tottenham 2000-05 121 13 . Everton 2005-07 45 1 . Fulham 2007-13 137 13 . Davies was encouraged to join the club by his brother, who is captain of the Welsh side. Speaking to the South Wales Evening Post, Davies said: 'I'm looking forward to playing a few games with my brother and the friends I started playing with all those years ago. Tracey Cole, club secretary at Solva, said: 'It's a big signing for the club. 'I've already told him I'm not paying him - he's going to have to pay subs like everyone else. 'He seems keen and hopefully he'll be available for a few matches.' Simon Davies joined Tottenham from Peterbrough in 2000 but suffered from injuries at White Hart Lane . Simon Davies celebrates scoring for Fulham in the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in 2010 . Starting his career with Peterborough United, Davies moved to Spurs in 2000 but struggled with injuries during his five-year spell at White Hart Lane. The Welshman moved to Everton following the Toffees' top four finish in 2005 but struggled for form on Merseyside before moving to Fulham in 2007. Davies spent six years at Craven Cottage and played a key role in Fulham reaching the Europa League final in 2010. The midfielder scored in the semi-final against Hamburg and against Atletico Madrid in the final - which Roy Hodgson's side lost 2-1. Davies, who earned 58 caps for his country, joined Dean Saunders as a pundit for Sky Sports' coverage of Wales' 2-1 win over Andorra on Tuesday night. Simon Davies joined Everton in the summer of 2005 after the Toffees managed to break into the top four . | Former Everton and Spurs man Simon Davies joins Welsh amateur side . Davies will pay £3 to play each match for hometown club Solva FC . Former Wales international without club since leaving Fulham in 2013 . Welshman made 303 Premier League appearances . | 9d49118d80fba98763a83c8eb7391d19d1cd1753 |
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Demonstrators entered their third day of a building takeover at UC Santa Cruz on Saturday in protest of a tuition increase, an undertaking that a school spokesman called futile. The occupation of Kerr Hall is just one of several demonstrations across University of California campuses this week after the regent's board approved a 32 percent increase in tuition Thursday. University officials said the $505 million to be raised by the tuition increases is needed to prevent even deeper cuts than those already made due to California's persistent financial crisis. Protesting students said the increase will hurt working and middle-class students who benefit from state-funded education. On the Santa Cruz campus, where building occupations began last week with a library sit-in, about 100 students staged a sit-in in the second-floor lobby of Kerr Hall soon after hearing that the tuition increase had been approved, according to UC Santa Cruz Provost David Kliger. The students made a list of 20 "demands" detailing how they want the administration to increase funding, spokesman Barry Shiller said. But the school has no plans to negotiate the demands with the student body, he said. The school just doesn't have the money, he added. School officials hope the students realize that their demonstration is "not accomplishing anything" and is "just a disruption" to administrative duties on campus, he said. The administration will continue to wait out the takeover, but Shiller said he is unsure of how long it will last. The school hopes the students will leave voluntarily, he said. Are you there? Share your story, video . Meanwhile, uprisings on other campuses have quieted since earlier mass demonstrations. At UC Berkeley on Friday night, 41 protesters occupying a building were arrested. Authorities decided to cite them for trespassing and release them rather than take them to jail, per an agreement with student leaders, school spokeswoman Claire Holmes said. Three students were arrested there Friday morning. Fifty-two students were arrested at UC Davis late Thursday after they refused to vacate the school's administration building. And UCLA's Campbell Hall was occupied for several hours Thursday evening. The angry students are condemning a nearly $2,000 tuition increase. The first change, which takes effect in January, will raise undergraduate tuition to $8,373. The second increase kicks in next fall, raising tuition to $10,302, university spokeswoman Leslie Sepuka said. Students who live on campus could pay an estimated $17,200 in additional fees that include the annual cost of books and housing, according to the system's July 2008 finance guide. The January increase of about 15 percent is more than double the average public university tuition increase last year. On average, tuition and fees at four-year public universities nationwide increased 6.5 percent, or to $7,020, since the previous school year, according to data from College Board. Students eligible for financial aid and whose families make less than $70,000 will have their tuition covered, the university said. | Students continue to occupy UC-Santa Cruz hall in protest of fee increases . University officials say they need to raise $505 million to avoid further cuts . Students issue demands to administration; official says there will be no negotiations . | fc25b416b543cd89422f16de940b87c40b9d78eb |
By . Nadia Gilani . UPDATED: . 18:33 EST, 13 January 2012 . Heartbroken men take four weeks to change their Facebook status following a break-up - while women do so almost straight away, a study has revealed. The majority of men - 63 per cent 'prolong the misery' of updating their profile from 'In a Relationship' to 'Single' for a month or more, eight per cent fail to do so at all. If and when they do, only a third admits if they were dumped - and even fewer - 15 per cent - reveal the reasons why. The majority of men delay updating their profile from 'In a Relationship' to 'Single' for a month longer than women . Women, on the other hand, tend to go public within a few days, often with a new description and photograph to reflect their 'happy single' status. The study by new dating site ALovingSpace.com was based on a survey of 1,000 unmarried 18-65 year-old male and female members across the UK. It found that male respondents generally coped with splits far worse than women, and were more likely to bottle-up their emotions and 'present a tougher front' to friends. Painful: Men are believed to suffer from break ups more because they suppress their emotions . Almost 20 per cent of female respondents, on the other hand, admitted they had or would change their social media profiles immediately - often in order to hurt or humiliate their ex-partners. A spokesman for ALovingSpace.com said he was 'not surprised' by the results, which appear to overturn the widespread assumption that women are more vulnerable after a break-up. 'On the face of it, men are the tough talkers and the ones who present a tougher front but that is just societal conditioning. 'Behind the facade they hurt just like women, but because they suppress their emotions it ends up hurting even more,' he said. 'Our . research appears to suggest that men are hit the hardest by . relationship break-ups and, as a result, prolong the misery of telling . the world about it on social media platforms such as Facebook. 'Women, . on the other hand, seem to see things in a more positive light, viewing . a break-up as an opportunity to move on and find someone who they are . more compatible with.' | Around 63 per cent of men 'prolong the misery' of . updating their profile from 'In a Relationship' to 'Single' Almost 20 per cent of women admitted they would change their profiles immediately to hurt their ex-partners . | 45363493354658320d34ba7203377846e59a9eeb |
Offensive: ITV reporter Richard Pallot twice referred to black footballers as 'coloured' ITV were forced to apologise today after a reporter covering a Downing Street football racism summit twice referred to black players as 'coloured'. Richard Pallot was talking about the lack of black managers in the game when he made the mistake. ITV admitted that the report - recorded in advance of the 1.30pm news - should have been more carefully checked before it was broadcast. The journalist was covering the summit held by David Cameron on racism in football with leading black footballers including John Barnes and Jason Roberts. Mr Cameron said in Parliament today that there are 'worrying' signs that racism is creeping back into football. Following the ITV broadcast, dozens of viewers objected to the uses of the term 'coloured' on Twitter. In modern times, it has come to be considered offensive because it classes everyone . who is not white as being the same. The incident happened after Alan Hansen was forced to apologise for using the same word on Match of the Day. The pundit, who reportedly earns £40,000 a show, said 'coloured' twice during the BBC1 programme as he talked about racism in the game in December. After Mr Pallot used the same term, one Twitter user wrote to ITV: 'When was it okay to use the word coloured? And to make it worse is that you were talking about racism!' Discrimination claims: David Cameron and John Barnes, right, hold a roundtable discussion at a Downing Street racism summit . Discussions: The group, including Sir Trevor Brooking, FA chairman David Bernstein and PFA chief Gordon Taylor listen as Mr Cameron spoke during the Downing Street summit . Others who attended the summit included former executive deputy chairman of Millwall FC Heather Rabbatts, left, general secretary of the Premier League Nic Coward, and Reading FC footballer Jason Roberts . Another person said: 'Why do the itv news keep saying "coloured" when they mean black. It's a bit uncomfortable to listen to..' An ITV spokeswoman said they were sorry and the recording should never have gone out. 'ITV . News apologises for the inappropriate use of the word "coloured" in a . report on racism and football in today’s News at 1.30,' she said. 'We take this error very seriously and we regret any offence caused.' Race summit: Charlton Athletic manager Chris Powell, a former England manager, and Reading FC striker Jason Roberts, right, arrive in Downing Street today . The ITV news programme is produced by ITN. Using the term 'coloured' to refer to black people is considered offensive because it dismisses everyone who is not white as the same. The term was in widespread use in Britain in the 1960s but is now considered racist. The problem is it suggests white people are white and everyone else is 'coloured'. There is no recognition that everyone has their own ethnic origin. Alan Hansen sparked a row by using the term last year on the day that John Terry was charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. He denies the offence. She added that they had not uploaded the footage onto their website - and it had not been broadcast on ITV+1 an hour later. The . mistake happened as black footballers Jason Roberts and John Barnes . attended a racism summit with the Prime Minister in Downing Street . today. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was recently banned for racially abusing Manchester defender Patrice Evra. When the two sides met again recently . the Uruguayan became embroiled in a further row when he refused to shake . the Frenchman's hand. Mr Cameron warned that footballers . were role models to young people, who copied what they saw at games when . they learnt to play the game themselves. Speaking during Prime Minister’s . Questions in the Commons, Mr Cameron said: 'It was a huge achievement . where Britain and its football authorities and football clubs actually . led the world in kicking racism out of football, something that hasn’t . happened in all other countries. 'It is worrying some of the recent signs we have seen. English World Cup referee Howard Webb and Birmingham manager Chris Hughton arrive at the racism summit today . 'Why I think this matters, not just to . football, but also to Government and everyone in our country, is . because football and footballers are role models to young people. 'What people see on the football pitch, they copy when they go to learn to play football themselves. 'I think it is important to bring people together and make sure we kick racism out of football for good.' Former Liverpool FC footballer Tommy Smith said there is more racism among footballers today than in the past, and suggested that the culprits should be jailed. The former defender was attending an auction of his medals and shirts in Chester today. Asked to compare racism in football today to when he was a player, he said: 'I think there is more now, because at (that) time England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (were) part of the English league, now it is Continental players coming from Spain and Portugal. 'I think there was far less (racism) in the 60s and 70s than there is now. 'I don’t know how to stop it, unless you get one of the players and tell them you are going to put them in jail because he is messing about, and maybe that will work.' | Richard Pallot TWICE called black players 'coloured' ITV admit pre-recorded report should have been more carefully checked . David Cameron says there are 'worrying' signs racism is creeping back into football . | b40e23358b205f554731fe58314a9134272ba878 |
London (CNN) -- Britain's government has evidence Russia was involved in the mysterious poisoning death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was at that time working for British and Spanish intelligence services, a lawyer has said. The allegation emerged at a hearing Thursday in London ahead of an inquest into Litvinenko's 2006 death that is due to start in May. In Britain, an inquest is an inquiry held where a death is sudden or unexplained to establish the facts around it. Read more: Russian magnate wins libel case over poisoning report . Litvinenko, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, came to Britain in 2000 after turning whistle-blower on the FSB, the KGB's successor. He died at a London hospital November 23, 2006, after being poisoned by the radioactive material polonium-210. In a deathbed statement, he blamed Putin, an accusation the Kremlin has strongly denied. The counsel to the inquest, Hugh Davies, said evidence provided by the UK government "does establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko." Read more: FBI releases Russian spy trove . The confidential government material does not, however, support the idea that the British government itself killed Litvinenko, he said. Nor does it suggest that fellow Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky, the Spanish mafia or other organized crime groups are to blame, Davies added. Prosecutors in London want Russia to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, suspected in the killing, but Russia has repeatedly refused to do so. Lawyer Ben Emmerson, acting for Litvinenko's widow Marina, told the hearing that Litvinenko was working for the British intelligence service MI6 and had been tasked by MI6 with working also for the Spanish intelligence service as it investigated Russian mafia activities in Spain. Litvinenko had an MI6 handler known only as "Martin," whom he would meet in central London, he said. Payments, both from MI6 and from the Spanish intelligence services, were made directly into the joint bank account held by Litvinenko and his wife, Emmerson said. Read more: Washington and Russia agree to swap intelligence gatherers . While ill in hospital Litvinenko called Lugovoi about a planned trip together to Spain, a phone call that was witnessed by his wife, Emmerson said. The men were both to provide intelligence to the Spanish prosecutor investigating Russian mafia links to the Kremlin and to Putin, he said. Emmerson also questioned whether the British government did enough to protect Litvinenko from threats to his safety in light of his relationship with MI6. Russia's Investigative Committee has confirmed that it wants to be involved in the process as an "interested party," the state-run RIA Novosti news agency said Friday. If Russia becomes an interested party, its representatives will be allowed to cross-examine witnesses and study the evidence, it said. A statement on the website of the Russian Embassy in London said the Investigative Committee's involvement would help the inquest "in securing the all-sided, comprehensive and objective consideration of the case." The committee, a federal agency, is carrying out its own investigation into the circumstances of Litvinenko's death in Russia, the statement said. Read more: Putin: UK spy row is 'mini-crisis' Emmerson told the hearing, held before high court judge Sir Robert Owen, that he and Litvinenko's widow were keen for Russia to have interested party status. Russia has not yet commented on the claims of evidence of its involvement in Litvinenko's death. | Lawyer: UK government evidence suggests Russia tied to ex-KGB agent's death . Alexander Litvinenko worked for MI6 and Spanish intelligence services, widow's lawyer says . Litvinenko died after being poisoned by radioactive material polonium-210 in 2006 . Litvinenko on deathbed blamed Russia's Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin denies the accusation . | a13ed02407b4d833b67ec2e643b0803fe10177ff |
(CNN) -- The Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to modify or overturn a lower court's ruling allowing Mary Winkler, convicted of killing her minister husband, visitation rights with the couple's three daughters. Holding baby Brianna, Mary Winkler stands next to Matthew. In the foreground are Mary Alice and Patricia. Charles and Diane Winkler, parents of slain minister Matthew Winkler, had asked the court to intervene and either revoke Mary Winkler's visitation rights or allow them to proceed only under supervision of a counselor. The children -- Patricia, Mary Alice and Brianna -- have been living with their grandparents since their mother was arrested last year. Winkler has not seen the children in 15 months, said Kay Farese Turner, her attorney. She said her client was "absolutely elated about the news and believes this will be her best Christmas ever." Turner said she believes the visit may come before Christmas. A jury convicted Winkler earlier this year of voluntary manslaughter in the shotgun death of Matthew Winkler -- not the first-degree murder conviction prosecutors had wanted. She said the slaying came after years of abuse, including physical violence and being forced to dress "slutty" for undesirable sex acts. Winkler received a three-year sentence, but a judge required her to serve only 210 days, gave her credit for the five months she had already served and allowed her to serve the remaining 60 days in a mental health facility. She was released in August. At the time of their father's death in March 2006, Patricia was 8, Mary Alice was 6 and Brianna was 1. Charles and Diane Winkler have moved to terminate Mary Winkler's rights and have filed a $2 million wrongful death suit against her for their son's slaying. The termination issue has not been decided in court. Turner said the court may want to determine what, if any, bond Winkler has with her children before making a decision. Attempts by CNN to contact attorneys for the Winklers were not immediately successful Wednesday. In September, a lower court granted Winkler visitation with her daughters pending the outcome of the custody battle. The court specified the visits be supervised by a guardian ad litem appointed to represent the children's interests and supervised by members of the couple Winkler is living with or by her sister. A subsequent appeal by the grandparents was denied, leading to their Supreme Court appeal. The Winklers said if their former daughter-in-law got visitation with the children at all, it should be under the supervision of a professional counselor. At a September hearing, according to court documents, they said the children "exhibit fear and confusion" toward their mother "and her role in their father's death." One expert, in testimony, quoted Patricia as saying her mother had killed her father and, "I don't know if she will kill me. I want to ask her if she would do that to me. It scares me, kind of; if she did, well, I guess I would see my father." The Winklers also said that after telephone calls with their mother, the children experienced "urination accidents, sleeping problems, graphic nightmares and sleepwalking." They said the lower court erred by failing to appoint the guardian ad litem until after the September hearing. Turner, however, said she believes terminating Winkler's parental rights would not be in the children's best interest. "She has a faith rarely seen, and she loves those children," Turner said. After Matthew Winkler's death, Winkler fled with the girls to the Alabama coast, where she was arrested. She said during a September appearance on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" that she never expected to get away with killing her husband, but that she fled to be with her daughters and "have some good times." E-mail to a friend . CNN's Rusty Dornin contributed to this report. | Mary Winkler convicted earlier this year of shooting her husband to death . Winkler served time and was released; the couple had three children . The children live with their grandparents, who oppose visitation . Winkler has not seen her children in 15 months . | 3e910c5b8425cd7c871a402a32ca44680b53ce5e |
Two prison inmates have been found guilty of murdering a child killer who tortured his partner's two-year-old daughter to death. Gary Smith, 48, and Lee Newell, 44, blamed each other for the death of Subhan Anwar, who was strangled in his cell at HMP Long Lartin in south Worcestershire. But both were convicted of murder today by a jury at Warwick Crown Court. Double killers: Lee Newell, 44, (left) and Gary Smith, 48, (right) who murdered child killer Subhan Anmwar, 24, in his cell at HMP Long Lartin. Both men were already serving life behind bars for earlier murders they carried out . Anwar, from Huddersfield, was serving a life sentence for killing his partner's two-year-old daughter. Smith and Newall tied him up and throttled him with a pair of tracksuit bottoms on Long Lartin's Delta Wing on February 14. Smith, who carried out a murder in 1998, and Newell, who killed in 1988, were both already serving life sentences. They are likely to be sentenced next week for murdering Anwar, who had received compensation after a previous incident in which he was assaulted by inmates. Cruelty: Subhan Anwar, left, was jailed for 23 years for murdering partner Zahbeen Navsarka's, right, daughter . Horrific: Sanam Navsarka suffered 107 injuries during a month of 'unbelievable' cruelty before she died . Neither Newell nor Smith showed any emotion as they were unanimously convicted after the jury had deliberated for around three-and-a-half hours.Jurors also convicted Newell of . stealing a watch, prayer beads and a metal earring belonging to Anwar, . while Smith admitted the theft of property from the child-killer's cell. Horror: Two 'tramline' bruises showed where Sanam had been hit with this metal pole . Jurors heard how Smith calmly made . Newell a cup of hot chocolate - even sweetening it with icing sugar - . during a stand-off with prison staff after Anwar was strangled. Prison . staff were initially told Anwar had been taken hostage because the two . inmates were 'bored' - with Newell telling a warder: 'He's gone, he's . with Allah.' Both defendants opted not to give evidence at the trial, but CCTV and DNA evidence proved they were involved in the killing. A post mortem examination found Anwar's neck had been broken. The . 24-year-old was serving a sentence of at least 23 years at the Category . A jail, having been convicted of murdering two-year-old Sanam Navsarka . at Bradford Crown Court in 2009. The youngster suffered 107 injuries during a month of ‘unbelievable’ cruelty in which she was battered with metal poles and had all four . limbs broken. The child, who was afraid of the dark, was ‘disciplined’ by being . repeatedly locked in an unlit cupboard, while Anwar also put her in a . tumble drier and dumped her in a bin for his amusement. Sanam suffered further agony when aftershave was splashed on her nappy . rash and open sores. She was not taken to a doctor, so her fractures . remained untreated. In her final days she was suffering so much from her injuries that she . could not walk and died when fat deposits from her broken bones entered . the bloodstream, Bradford Crown Court heard. A post-mortem examination revealed that along with her broken arms and . legs, there were 36 bruises to her head and neck, 26 to her arms and ten . to her abdomen. Her death came only three months after married mobile phone salesman . Anwar met the child’s mother Zahbeena Navsarka at the shop where he . worked in Huddersfield. Anwar had sex with Navsarka in the back of the shop on the day they met . and he swiftly left his pregnant wife to move in with his new lover. To . cover their tracks after the child died in 2008, they told detectives . she was left alone in the bath for ten minutes and was found dead. But Anwar, described as brutal and domineering, was convicted and jailed . for a minimum of 23 years. Navsarka was cleared of her daughter’s . murder but found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to nine years in . prison. Shocking: A model, shown to the jury during the couple's trial, shows the extent of the toddler's injuries . Killers: Gary Smith and Lee Newell murdered Subhan Anwar behind bars at HMP Long Lartin . | Gary Smith, 48, and Lee Newell, 44, strangled killer at HMP Long Lartin . Subham Anwar, 24, has his neck broken in the prison attack . Victim murdered his lover's daughter and was jailed for 23 years in 2009 . Sanam Navsarka suffered 107 separate injuries and had all four limbs broken . | 1683d93270e0310c96a5b3589484ca515f322e88 |
(CNN) -- Lately it's hard to tell the difference between a presidential debate and "The Jerry Springer Show." Yeah, I know. Some of you have been saying this for months. But my comment isn't a criticism of the candidates, but the live audience. I was hoping this audience "whoop" factor would go away over the long debate season, but it has only grown worse. Are they serving alcohol at the debates? It seems like it. In last night's Republican presidential debate, held in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in South Carolina, the chaotic audience once again played an awkward role in the questions and answers. Why does this matter? On these presidential debates, the vocal live audiences have shown themselves to be more disruptive than productive. And I've seen debate judges (people who should know better) in intercollegiate tournaments have their decisions influenced by a noisy audience — even judges trained to be impartial and objective. In this case, the judges are you, the audience. I know everyone believes they can't be swayed like this, but it still happens (even to me, which is one of the reasons I watch the presidential debates alone. I don't want anyone influencing my analysis). There is even a name for it in the literature. Emotional contagion. And it was apparent Monday night -- fanboys (and fangirls) who were every bit as rabid as a football crowd. The only people missing were face-paint girl and shirtless guy. (Of course, it's hard to tell on television how much of the crowd participated in the cheering and booing.) It was especially annoying because the live audience was booing their disapproval at inappropriate times. Two examples. Juan Williams, one of the moderators, was asking Mitt Romney about his immigration policies when he was interrupted in mid-question. Williams had begun the question by stating that Mitt Romney's father was born in Mexico. "Boo!" came the shouts from the audience. What? What in the world were they booing? I still have no idea. It could have been Juan Williams, the question, Romney's father, or Romney's position on immigration. It made no sense. Then the live audience ganged up on Ron Paul. Remember, Paul has some of the more unconventional foreign policy positions for a conservative Republican audience. And Paul was not at his best last night (I've heard him defend his argument much more effectively) when explaining his position on the military operation that killed Osama bin Laden. But the audience mistimed its reaction and used most of its vitriol immediately after Paul said the American people wouldn't like it if the United States were treated the same way it treated other countries. Paul reiterated his stance that we should use the golden rule -- do unto others as you would have them do unto you -- when the boos rang out. I couldn't believe it. I was indeed hearing this correctly. The crazed audience at the presidential debate actually booed the golden-freaking-rule. What's next? Helping old women cross the street? "Boo! ... Villain!" Puppies? "Hiss ... Shame!" And the audience was equally annoying when applauding. Remember: Cheering should prove nothing to you in a debate except that some candidates are better than others at stacking the live audience with supporters. I'm also beginning to wonder if there is an "applause" sign that lights up so some of the slower audience operatives will remember when to react. For their part, the candidates handled the live audience pretty well. After all, politicians are used to verbal feedback in public speeches and town hall meetings. My advice today is for the general viewing public at home. Simply keep in mind that the opinions of the live audience are not necessarily reflective of anything, including logic. And try to resist being influenced by overzealous fools watching the debate from the cheap seats. If this continues, we're in danger of letting the loud few influence the silent many watching at home. I certainly hope we can reverse this trend. Because I'd hate to see the next step: Measuring presidential debates by audience noise-meters with a needle that moves up and down. After all, higher decibel levels must indicate better policies. Join CNN Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on Twitter . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Todd Graham. | Todd Graham: GOP presidential debate audiences have gotten more and more raucous . He says this matters because the boos and cheers can sway viewers' opinions . Boos came for Mitt Romney's father being born in Mexico and for the golden rule . Graham: If this keeps up we risk letting the loud few influence the silent many watching at home . | f10202a63ce239e522e8d447338a196f7c22822d |
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