text
stringlengths 47
15.9k
| query
stringlengths 2
2.23k
| summary
stringlengths 22
6.95k
|
|---|---|---|
southampton have emerged as favourites to sign italy starlet gianluca scamacca dubbed the 'new zlatan ibrahimovic' by italian media, the 6ft 4ins 15 year old centre forward is on roma's books but is ready to move abroad roma will offer the italy u17 international a three year contract when he turns 16 on january 1, initially starting on £1,142 a month gianluca scamacca (centre) in action for italy u17s against germany u17s in september ronald koeman (left)'s southampton have emerged as the favourites to sign gianluca scamacca however, his family and agent are keen to see what is on offer abroad where he can earn considerably more scamacca, who has scored 34 goals in 30 games for roma's youth side, spent time at psv eindhoven's training ground recently and they were confident of striking a deal now though, southampton have moved into pole position | 15 year old italian zlatan ibrahimovic' 6ft 4 roma southampton italy gianluca scamacca three year january | gianluca scamacca is currently at roma but ready to move abroad the 6ft 4in 15 year old centre forward is being looked at by southampton he has been dubbed the 'new zlatan ibrahimovic' by italian media roma will offer the italy u17 international a three year contract in january |
high street giant h&m is among almost 40 companies named and shamed by the government for failing to pay workers the minimum wage the retailer failed to pay a total of £2,60487 to 540 staff, according to the department for business, innovation and skills a total of 37 employers including hair salons, car dealers and estate agents underpaid staff by £177,000, behaviour condemned by ministers as 'illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable' high street retailer h&m failed to pay a total of £2,60487 to 540 staff, according to the department for business, innovation and skills welcome break, the service station company, neglected to pay £1,31870 to 19 workers hertfordshire estate agents kings group underpaid 43 members of staff by £53,80891 while the company's lettings arm neglected to pay £26,89343 to 49 workers the 37 firms listed by the government face financial penalties totalling more than £51,000 business minister jo swinson said: 'paying less than the minimum wage is illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable 'if employers break this law they need to know that we will take tough action by naming, shaming and fining them as well as helping workers recover the hundreds of thousands of pounds in pay owed to them 'we are also looking at what more we can do to make sure workers are paid fairly in the first place as well as being publicly named and shamed, employers that fail to pay their workers the national minimum wage face penalties of up to £20,000 'we are legislating through the small business, enterprise and employment bill so that this penalty can be applied to each underpaid worker rather than per employer' business minister jo swinson said: 'paying less than the minimum wage is illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable' almost 100 employers have now been publicly named by the government since a new regime came into force in october 2013 unions have been pressing for larger fines against firms found to be paying less than the statutory rate of £650 an hour for adults, £513 for 18 to 20 year olds, £379 for 16 and 17 year olds and £273 for apprentices tuc general secretary frances o'grady said: 'it's good to see the government getting tough on bad bosses who cheat hard working employees out of the pay they're legally entitled to but with over 600 employers being caught underpaying each year, those named and shamed today are only the tip of the iceberg 'there are companies out there that cheat hundreds of staff out of a legal minimum wage these are the biggest offenders and their pay crimes must be made public too ministers must also step up enforcement action with more prosecutions, higher fines and a bigger team of enforcement officers to catch the cheats' the tuc recently published a 10 point plan for minimum wage enforcement, including a call for much higher fines philip pepper, employment law partner at shakespeares, said: 'there are a number of reasons why employers may have got this wrong or been caught out it is most likely due to human error, but in some cases minimum wage regulations can be complex to apply' estate agents kings group llp, hertfordshire, neglected to pay £53,80891 to 53 workers lettings agent kings group lettings llp, hertfordshire, neglected to pay £26,89343 to 49 workers chinese restaurant and cash and carry chi yip group ltd, middleton, neglected to pay £15,56678 to 13 workers kingsclere nurseries ltd trading as abacus day nursery, newbury, neglected to pay £12,90419 to 8 workers chinese takeaway ms thap thi ly trading as sweet n sour, fleetwood, neglected to pay £11,03914 to 2 workers michael kearney trading as electrical installation and testing firm electrical estimates, ceredigion, neglected to pay £5,55791 to 4 workers abc early learning and childcare centre uk ltd, wolverhampton, neglected to pay £5,32925 to 68 workers hairdressers c j hartley ltd trading as headwork, sheffield, neglected to pay £4,76264 to 4 workers mrs kelly jayne lockley trading as diva hair design, walsall, neglected to pay £4,10365 to a worker browncow tanning ltd trading as fake bake hair & beauty boutique, glasgow, neglected to pay £3,40666 to 2 workers j wood joiners & builders ltd, edinburgh, neglected to pay £3,37319 to 4 workers louise ross trading as hair and beauty firm luxe salon, leeds, neglected to pay £3,36813 to a worker high street clothes retailer h&m hennes & mauritz uk ltd, london, neglected to pay £2,60487 to 540 workers restoration firm building projects ltd, dundee, neglected to pay £2,34585 to 3 workers plumber david a farrer ltd, morecambe, neglected to pay £2,26100 to a worker julian's hair salon ltd, newbury, neglected to pay £2,13135 to a worker car accessories store motorists discount store ltd trading as tms autoparts, manchester, neglected to pay £2,02519 to a worker ms dawn platts trading as level 2 hair studio, barnsley, neglected to pay £1,18689 to a worker transport consultants myers and family ltd, wakefield, neglected to pay £159882 to a worker service station company welcome break holdings ltd, newport pagnell, neglected to pay £1,31870 to 19 workers callum austin ltd trading as jason austin hairdressers, kettering, neglected to pay £1,89966 to 2 workers karen riley trading as sandwich shop crave, preston, neglected to pay £1,17909 to 7 workers rally car garage rpm performance rally world ltd, maldon, neglected to pay £99871 to a worker ego hair & beauty (anglia) ltd, colchester, neglected to pay £98555 to a worker life insurance and mortgage broker jinit shah trading as crystal financial solutions, middlesex, neglected to pay £94165 to a worker drug and alcohol misuse clinic counted4 community interest company, sunderland, neglected to pay £93073 to a worker garage hae automotive services ltd, harrogate (ceased trading), neglected to pay £79816 to a worker retail and visual merchandising firm vision on digital ltd, ossett, neglected to pay £68386 to a worker home care company ultimate care uk ltd, ipswich, neglected to pay £61379 to 7 workers used car dealer century motors (sheffield) ltd, sheffield, neglected to pay £57172 to a worker hairdressers mr d eastwell & mr g brinkler trading as the salon, letchworth garden city, neglected to pay £40985 to a worker car dealer rumble (bedworth) ltd, nuneaton, neglected to pay £40441 to a worker butchers shannons ltd, worthing neglected to pay £31376 to a worker holmes cleaning company, worksop neglected to pay £24048 to a worker educational games developer learnplay foundation ltd, west bromwich, neglected to pay £22473 to a worker models agency adrien mackenzie trading as maverick models, manchester, neglected to pay £20552 to a worker qw security ltd, hartlepool, neglected to pay £12620 to a worker | uniformly 177,000 officialisation hydroglider 1,31870 | no related information |
the home towns of the terrorists responsible for last week's attacks in france do not want to bury the gunmen amid fears their graves will become shrines for islamic extremists town officials have admitted they want to 'avoid' burying said and cherif kouachi, behind the massacre at charlie hebdo, and amedy coulibaly, shot dead after a siege at a jewish deli in paris under french law, the burials must take place either in the district where the deceased lived or the district where they were killed scroll down for video concerns are growing over where the terrorists responsible for the charlie hebdo massacre will be buried, with towns fearing the graves of cherif (left) and said kouachi (right) could become islamic extremist shrines the hometown of amedy coulibaly, who killed four in the kosher deli in eastern paris before being killed in a hail of police gunfire, isn't keen to bury the terrorist the kouachi brothers were shot dead by the police as they charged out of a printworks in dammartin en goele, north east of paris, meaning they could be buried nearby their father died when they were young and they were taken into care, meaning they have no immediate family who wish to organise a possible funeral and burial elsewhere a spokesman for dammartin en goele's local council told the times: 'if we have to bury them here, we will obey the law, but we'd rather avoid it' chérif kouachi lived in gennevilliers, a suburb north of paris, and his brother lived in reims, northeastern france both town councils refused to comment but it is understood that they want to avoid the terrorists being buried in their regions coulibaly died in a hail of police gunfire in paris after murdering four of his hostages at the kosher supermarket funerals were held today for some of those killed in the charlie hebdo attack, including police officer franck brinsolaro officers applauded when the coffin of brinsolaro was carried out of a church draped in the french flag hundreds gathered outside the town hall of montreuil, paris, for the funeral of charlie hebdo cartoonist bernard 'tignous' verlhac he lived in fontenay aux roses, a paris suburb a spokesman for the town's mayor said: 'if his family decide to bury him here, i don't think we'll be able to avoid it the law is strict but we hope he will be buried somewhere else' meanwhile funerals are being held for staff killed in the attack on satirical magazine charlie hebdo amid continued demand for its first edition since the massacre killed 12 people hundreds gathered for the ceremonies for franck brinsolaro, the killed police officer whose job it was to guard charlie hebdo editor and cartoonist stéphane 'charb' charbonnier policemen broke into applause as the coffin of mr brinsolaro was carried into a church in the town of bernay this morning otter funerals to take place were those of cartoonist bernard 'tignous' verlhac and psychoanalyst and charlie hebdo columnist elsa cayat | elegiacal fraughan charlie hebdo | no related information |
the us army has demolished thousands of buildings at a us army base in afghanistan, as the military ends its war in the region the demolition is taking place at bagram airfield, one of the largest us bases in the country, located 50 km north of kabul bagram has 1,800 temporary buildings which have all been destroyed this year, in a bid to stop the taliban using any of its contents after the troops withdraw rubble: a us soldier walks past a pile of discarded wooden panels and debris nicknamed 'mount trashmore' by the soldiers during ongoing demolition work at bagram air base near kabul demolition: a us army excavator demolishes a structure at bagram air base, leaving a cloud of dust destruction: a wooden structure is pictured with gaping holes in the structure at bagram air base the us military has already removed much of the power supply, torn out fixtures by hand, and used mechanical diggers to destroy the roofs on buildings at the airfield the operation comes as the massive nato led fighting force pulls out of the region after more than a decade on the ground fighting the taliban the wooden offices and dormitories being destroyed are a part of buildings that were hurriedly erected at bagram the buildings housed troops who first arrived in the country after 2001 when the us sent an extra 30,000 soldiers in the 2010 'surge' at the height of the war, 130,000 international troops were fighting in afghanistan but combat operations will finish at the end of the year and only 12,500 soldiers will remain into 2015 on a training and support mission war: this chart shows the number of us troops who were deployed to the country and casualties since 2001 'this is definitely a full time job for us,' us staff sergeant zach smith, head of one of the demolition teams at bagram said 'part of the process is removing all the interior rooms and electrical components and separating them so they can be properly disposed of' soldiers wearing yellow hardhats use crowbars and hammers to dismantle the vacated buildings that once housed desks, computers and bunk beds the work is fast but painstaking as material is sifted into different components for recycling or disposal, ensuring that no electrical items or other potential bomb making kit can fall into taliban hands 'we absolutely do that in the most environmentally conscious way that we possibly can,' smith said digger: a us army excavator demolishes a structure at the base, as the us military ends its war in afghanistan air base: a us soldier carries wooden boards out of a structure during ongoing demolition work technology: a discarded keyboard is pictured abandoned on the steps of a structure marked for demolition work: local labourers collect pegs and leftover materials from the ground during the exercise trash: a us soldier walks past a pile of discarded wooden panels and debris nicknamed 'mount trashmore' 'whenever there is fuel, oil, batteries, we dispose of those things to ensure that we leave bagram the way we found it' the splintered remains of each building are scooped into dumper trucks that make endless journeys back and forth to a tipping site on the edge of the base dubbed mount trash more after mount rushmorethe us mountain carved into the faces of former presidentsthe dump is opened to afghan companies who salvage what they can from the debris lieutenant wes vermillion, who oversees the project said: 'right now we've taken down about 1,800 temporary structures that were either living space or offices' he said more than 2,000 buildings will be destroyed by december, with a final 500 torn down by contractors next year after the us military engineers have left but as the base shrinks, it is also a hub for the retrograde operation to remove weapons, equipment and vehicles from afghanistan as troops draw in from the provinces wire: a us soldier makes sure that he carefully removes barbed wire from a wall team work: other soldiers help to remove barbed wire from a barrier wall during the demolition work removal: a us soldier removes barbed wire from a wall at bagram to make sure the taliban does not get it colonel stephanie gradford is behind bagram's adaption to its rapidly changing role she said: 'we have a lot of folks coming in from other bases that we're sending home' 'we are retrograding equipment in preparation (for the nato support mission) and preparing bagram to be turned over, at some point in the next couple of years, to the afghans' cargo aircraft loaded with gear and troops wait on the runway to leave the country, while elsewhere afghan teams scour the site of a demolished canteen, even picking up spare nails left on the ground tidy: a soldier rakes debris into a pile at the air base which is located near kabul and was home to soldiers bricks: us soldiers load debris onto a backhoe loader as other soldiers help to create the pile of debris material: a soldier drags away a metal panel and plastic from a site at the base occupants: the discarded hat of a us soldier is pictured at quarters marked for demolition at bagram air base rest: 'this is definitely a full time job,' us staff sergeant zach smith, head of one of the demolition teams said bagram's permanent buildings and roads are being kept for the us forces that will still be deployed next year, and then for the afghan military that will be left to thwart any taliban resurgence in 2001, about 30,000 foreign soldiers and civilians were housed at the former soviet base, but the number is down to 15,000 today and will be cut to 6,000 us troops next year by the end of 2016, the only us military presence in afghanistan will be at the embassy in kabul the reality that, after 13 years of war, the us military's vast apparatus is on its way out is only just sinking in even for the soldiers themselves, according to colonel gradford 'they want to see the mission through, so it's tough even getting military people to understand that we are changing,' she said | middleway anthropomorphitical thermogenic 50 km incoagulable sokotri bagram | no related information |
pope francis has just landed in the philippines to a crowd of thousands, church bells and an airport greeting from president benigno aquino the pope is in asia, having begun his trip just days ago with a stop in sri lanka, for a week long tour, and has already caused a huge spike in interest when it comes to travel in the region flight searches to sri lanka have increased by 19 per cent, while the numbers for the philippines have increased by a whopping 51 per cent week on week from last year pope francis has just arrived in the philippines and already travel searches for the region have spiked the pope's six day asian tour includes stops in manila, where adoring crowds waited, and sri lanka interest in manila has seen a particular increase, up 60 per cent already, according to cheapflightscouk cheapflightscouk spokesperson oonah shiel attributes this 'halo effect' to the pope's genuine mass appeal of particular interest to travellers is manila, where his holiness is expected to deliver a huge open air mass on sunday, january 18, to over 5 million attendees 'searches regarding the filipino capital are up 60 per cent and counting,' she said week on week from last year, searches for the philippines have increased by 51% pictured: palawan when his holiness arrived at the manila airport, filipino children performed in his honour following his stop in sri lanka, where the pope canonised its first saint, travel interest has gone up by 19% 'as well as driving short term interest in flights to the region, the pope's visit is expected to raise awareness of the plight of the more marginalised groups in the area and provide a longer term boost to ethical tourism,' shiel added in fact, pope francis has already canonised sri lanka's first saint, after calling for unity in the conflict hit nation 'every step he makes, every car ride he takes, every moment he stays with us is precious for us,' said archbishop socrates villegas, president of catholic bishops' conference of the philippines 'seeing him pass by is a grace' | pope asian week manila philippines 2014 60% sri lanka over 50% | flight searches for the philippines up over 50% week on week from 2014 pope has landed in manila, following a visit to sri lanka on his asian tour interest in manila, in particular, has seen an even greater spike of 60% |
greek archaeologists have come one step closer to solving the mystery of who is buried in a vast ancient tomb dating to alexander the great's era skeletal remains have been found in and around a stone lined cistern in the opulent 4th century bc burial site in amphipolis, north east greece the site is believed to be the largest ancient tomb to have been discovered in greece, and has spurred speculation as to whether alexander the great or a member of his family was buried there solving a mystery: archaeologists have found skeletal remains inside a grave in the innermost chamber of an ancient tomb in amphipolis, north greece there has been great speculation in recent months whom the opulent burial belongs to alexander died in babylonia, present day iraq, but his burial site is not known, and greece's culture ministry said today the opulence of the tomb indicates that a 'distinguished public figure' is buried there the skeletal remains are being examined for identification, greece's culture ministry said in a statement the body had been placed in a wooden coffin, which disintegrated over time the skeletal remains were found both inside and outside the rectangular stone lined cist, under the floor of the cavernous, vaulted structure that is 26 feet (eight metres) tall iron and bronze nails as well as carved bone and glass decorations from the coffin were also found scattered in the grave findings: greece's culture ministry said skeleton was strewn in and around the stone lined cistern, pictured, under the floor of the cavernous, vaulted structure that is 26ft tall opulent: there has been speculation that the tomb could be that of alexander the great new find: surviving fragments of carved bone and glass coffin ornaments found in the tomb at amphipolis alexander iii of macedon was born in pella, the ancient capital of macedonia in july 356 bc he died of a fever in babylon in june 323 bc alexander led an army across the persian territories of asia minor, syria and egypt claiming the land as he went his greatest victory was at the battle of gaugamela, now northern iraq, in 331 bc, and during his trek across these persian territories, he was said to never have suffered a defeat this led him to be known as alexander the great following this battle in gaugamela, alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles (17,700km), founded over 70 cities and created an empire that stretched across three continents this covered from greece in the west, to egypt in the south, danube in the north, and indian punjab to the east alexander was buried in egypt his fellow royals were traditionally interred in a cemetery near vergina, far to the west the lavishly furnished tomb of alexander's father, philip ii, was discovered during the 1970s archaeologists in the past have said the grave likely belonged to a prominent macedonian and some have hoped it might have been built for alexander the great's mother or wife, while others think it belongs to a military man a statement from the culture ministry said: 'it is probably the monument of a dead person who became a hero, meaning a mortal who was worshipped by society at that time 'the deceased was a prominent person, since only this could explain the construction of this unique burial complex' ‘it is an extremely expensive construction, whose cost, clearly, is unlikely to have been borne by a private citizen' michalis tiverios, a professor of archaeology at the university of thessaloniki who has not been involved with the dig, said the human remains should provide valuable information on the occupant of the tomb, which at about 49 ft (15 metres) long and 15 ft (45 metres) wide is one of the biggest ever found in the country ‘it's a very important find because it will help us learn the sex of the person buried there, and possibly their approximate age,’ he said professor tiverios believes one possible candidate would be nearchos, one of alexander's closest aides who led his fleet back from india to modern iraq, and who grew up in amphipolis the ministry confirmed fears that the tomb had been thoroughly and repeatedly plundered during antiquity ‘whatever objects of value the first thieves missed was taken by others later,’ professor tiverios said excavations at the site in northeastern greece near the city of thessaloniki began in 2012 they captured global attention in august when archaeologists announced the discovery of vast tomb guarded by two sphinxes and circled by a 497 metre marble wall since then the tomb has also yielded a mosaic made of coloured pebbles depicting the abduction of persephone, the daughter of zeus, as well as two sculpted female figures also known as caryatids the tomb dates to 300 325 bc alexander the great died in 323 bc after a military campaign through the middle east, asia and northeast asia experts believe the ancient mound, situated around 65 miles (100km) from thessaloniki (shown on the map) was built for a prominent macedonian in around 300 to 325 bc clockwise from top right shows two headless, marble sphinxes found above the entrance to the barrel vaulted tomb, details of the facade and the lower courses of the blocking wall, the antechamber's mosaic floor, a 42 metre long stone slab, and the upper uncovered sections of two female figures the second and third chambers, not pictured, have not yet been explored headcase: one of the shows the broken off head's from one of the large marble sphinxes that decorate the entrance to the tomb a large, damaged mosaic floor of the ancient greek god of the underworld, pluto, abducting the goddess persephone on a horse drawn chariot as the god hermes looks on, found in the tomb | greece greek 4th amphipolis alexander the great's | bones found in greek tomb dating from the 4th century bc carved bone and glass coffin ornaments were discovered near the bones the site at amphipolis is believed to be the largest ancient tomb to have been discovered in greece skeletal remains are being examined for identification archaeologists think they may belong to an important ancient general, or even alexander the great's mother or wife |
bill cosby's appearances at las vegas and arizona casinos have been canceled amid widening allegations of sexual assault no reason was given by diamond desert casino in tucson, arizona for the canceled february 15 show las vegas' treasure island confirmed on friday that the comedian's show, the day after thanksgiving, had been canceled, reportedly by 'mutual agreement' broadway center in tacoma, washington also just pulled out of an april cosby show according to tmz, saying they took into consideration 'the financial harm we will suffer by cancelling, and even greater financial risk of moving forward with the performance' in the past week, numerous allegations of sexual abuse against cosby, 77, from a number of women have led to canceled interviews along with nbc and netflix projects scroll down for video bill cosby appeared on stage in barbados on thursday night for the first time since nine women came forward this month to claim they had been attacked by the star show's over: diamond desert casino in tucson, arizona (right) didn't explain why cosby's february 15 show was canceled while treasure island in las vegas (left) said it was by 'mutual agreement' with the star tv land has also announced that they will no longer air reruns of the cosby show on the network netflix postponed the airing of his new comedy special, bill cosby 77, which was due to air the day after thanksgiving nbc pulled the plug on a comedy project they were developing with the cosby show star he pulled out of scheduled slots with queen latifah and david letterman and, when asked about the allegations in a november 6 interview with the associated press, said: 'there's no response i don't talk about it' the show must go on: cosby was on stage in barbados on thursday night including an appearance in melbourne, florida tonight, cosby is slated to perform at least 36 shows between now and may 2015 cosby issued a statement on sunday discrediting decades old accusations and his attorney has denied four of the allegations he made his first stage appearance since the scandal emerged at a benefit on thursday night for a women's service organization in the bahamas during the performance, the 77 year old put his head in his hands and pretended to sob, new video obtained by mailonline has revealed today he joked that parents would not let their children near him, as fans in the audience laughed and applauded the skit 'parents are coming and taking their children home, saying to me ''bill cosby you are an evil man!'',' the entertainer said through faux tears on stage but the entertainer then shook it off, smiled and started what became a well scripted 90 minute performance a total of nine women have now come forward this month claiming the famed entertainer abused them mailonline was awaiting comment from cosby's attorney, marty singer, on friday cosby's show next friday at the treasure island hotel & casino in las vegas has been canceled by 'mutual agreement', the venue confirmed today coming forward: actresses louisa moritz (left) and angela leslie (right) are the latest alleged victims to come forward claiming cosby abused them moritz claims cosby forced her to perform oral sex in 1971, while leslie alleges he forced her to masturbate him in 1992 former supermodel janice dickinson has claimed that bill cosby drugged and raped her andrea constand a temple university employee, she claimed in 2006 that cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in his philadelphia area mansion two years earlier cosby eventually settled this suit out of court as the prosecution said they had 13 jane does who would testify cosby did the same to them in the past barbara bowman bowman told mailonline that cosby raped and drugged her back in 1985 when she was a 17 year old aspiring actress bowman was one of the 13 jane does in the 2006 trial against cosby joan tarshis tarshis claimed that she was just 19 years old when cosby drugged and raped her twice in hollywood back in 1969 while she was working as a writer for him janice dickinson the supermodel said in an interview that cosby asked her to come to lake tahoe and talk about a television role in 1982, but ended up drugging and raping her tamara green green, who first came forward in 2005 told mailonline that she was an aspiring actress in the 1970s when cosby gave her pills and pretended to care for her while she had the flu, but instead sexually assaulted her therese serignese also one of the 13 jane does, she says she was 19 when cosby drugged and raped her in las vegas after one of his shows louisa moritz she accused cosby of sexual assault, saying he once forced her into oral sex, backstage at the tonight show starring johnny carson in 1971, and implied he would further her career if she went through with it linda joy traitz she said earlier this week that she was just 19 when cosby drove her out to a beach and tried to get her to take pills to relax, before becoming 'sexually aggressive' traitz, of hallandale beach, florida, has been charged in the past with trafficking pills cosby's attorney, marty singer, is trying to use traitz's past to discredit her claims against his client beth ferrier beth ferrier claims she had relationship with cosby in the mid 1980s she claims that she awoke in her car with her clothes in disarray and not remembering what had happened ferrier has claimed that he drugged her coffee carla ferrigno the wife of incredible hulk star lou ferrigno, claims cosby tried to sexually assault her during a gathering at his house in 1967 what's more, cosby allegedly tried to use a friend to help court ferrigno, and allegedly made his move on the former playboy bunny just moments after his own wife, camille, left the room angela leslie the former model actress claims that cosby forced her to masturbate him in his vegas hotel suite after giving her a strong drink in 1992 | arizona may 2015 melbourne florida february 15 tucson between now and cosby tonight the treasure island hotel & casino barbados diamond desert casino thursday april vegas the atlantis hotel washington | no reason was given by diamond desert casino in tucson, arizona for the canceled february 15 show the vegas show at the treasure island hotel & casino was canceled by 'mutual agreement' cosby also had a washington show scheduled for april cancelled the comedian was on stage at the atlantis hotel in barbados on thursday and is scheduled to go ahead with a show tonight in melbourne, florida cosby is slated to perform at least 36 shows between now and may 2015 |
a gang of kidnappers who held a man hostage and cut off his little finger when his family could not pay the £60,000 ransom were jailed today for a total of 152 years victim damien lowe was abducted on a street in coventry at gunpoint and bundled into a van where a group of ten masked men kept him without food or water for 31 hours when his family initially failed to pay the money his kidnappers demanded, the gang chopped off his finger and left it under a brick on a garden wall for his panicked relatives to find horrifying ordeal: victim damien lowe was abducted on a street in coventry at gunpoint and bundled into a van where the group of ten masked men cut off his finger and kept him without food or water for 31 hours the kidnappers were sentenced at leamington justice centre today mr lowe, 26, from coventry, west midlands, said: 'the moment they pulled up next to me in their van in balaclavas and bundled me into the back was the most terrifying experience of my life 'it was so brutal i don't know how i survived when it first happened i had no idea what was going on 'the van was going all over the place i didn't have a chance to try and think where i was 'when they took my phone and got me to find my brother's number i didn't know what they were going to do 'i thought i was going to die there and then when they told me i had to ask for £60,000 ransom i was almost relieved kidnappers: (l r) antony mcleod, 34, sentenced to 15 years and ralph mcleod, 37, sentenced to 18 years gang members: (l r) kadeem poyser, 26, sentenced to 13 years and kofi poyser, 23, sentenced to 16 years 'but i knew there was no way my family would be able to pay and i thought i'd never see them again 'my kidnappers kept disappearing and then coming back, always to beat me, harder and harder when they came in and covered my face i knew something bad was going to happen 'that was when they cut my finger off the pain was unbelievable and i was just crying out and then they just beat me again mr lowe was kidnapped from a street near his home on the afternoon of september 30 2014 abductors: (l r) lamar grant, 26 , sentenced to 16 years, ricardo grant, 24, sentenced to 15 years and jermaine campbell, 24, sentenced to 15 years jailed: yusuf akbar, 33, sentenced to 12 years, ismaeel akbar, 32, sentenced to 14 and a half years, and lewis poyser, 24, sentenced to 18 years his kidnappers kept him bound and gagged in the van, which was parked in a lock up garage, and beat him with a metal bar before severing his finger according to the birmingham mail, the gang had threatened to cut off another digit for every hour they didn't receive payment mr lowe's family scraped together £20,000 to pay the kidnappers, and the 26 year old was later thrown out of the vehicle on a a suburban street, before being found and rushed to hospital working with intelligence gathered from west midlands police’s serious organised crime unit (socu), officers then stormed a house where the kidnappers were staying, and recovered the £20,000 sick: a photograph taken from inside the van where damien lowe was held captive shows blood stains snatched: mr lowe was abducted while walking along milverton road in coventry on september 30 2014 dci simon wallis, from the force's criminal investigation department, said: 'the family were understandably distraught at the thought of what else could happen to their loved one and immediately paid a ransom of £20,000 'the victim was thrown out of the back of the van later that night, after being kept in a garage where he had been severely kicked and beaten with a metal bar throughout his 31 hour ordeal' describing his eventual release, mr lowe added: 'they disappeared and i thought they were just going to leave me to die 1 ishmaeel akbar, 32 sentenced to 14 years six months 2 yusuf akhbar, 33 sentenced to 12 years 3 ralph mcleod, 37 sentenced to 18 years 4 lewis poyser, 24 sentenced to 18 years, (plus 9 years consecutively for assault in another case) 5 kofi poyser, 23 sentenced to 16 years, (plus 10 years for assault in another case) 6 kadeem poyser, 26 sentenced to 13 years 7 jermaine campbell, 24 sentenced to 15 years 8 lemar grant, 26 sentenced to 16 years, (plus 10 years for assault in another case), 9 ricardo grant, 24 sentenced to 15 years 10 anthony mcleod, 34 sentenced to 15 years, (plus 11 years for assault in another case) 'when i finally got to hospital, the doctors told me that i probably wouldn't have survived if i'd got to them just an hour later because of the amount of blood i'd lost and how dehydrated i was 'it was like being in a violent film i'm still scared to go out by myself you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy 'these people deserve to go to jail i'm just pleased to see justice finally done' kofi poyser, 23, kadeem poyser, 31, ricardo grant, 24, lamar grant, 26, and jermaine campbell, 24, pleaded guilty to kidnap, possession of a firearm whilst committing a schedule one offence, unlawful imprisonment, blackmail and section 18 wounding and were sentenced to 16 years, 13 years, 15 years, 16 years and 15 years respectively anthony mcleod, 34, and ismaeel akbar, 32, pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment, blackmail and section 18 wounding and were sentenced to 15 years and 14 and a half years respectively ralph mcleod, 37, lewis poyser, 24, and yusuf akbar, aged 33 were found guilty of unlawful imprisonment, blackmail and section 18 wounding at leamington justice centre on december 8 they were sentenced to 18 years, 18 years and 12 years respectively four of the defendants, anthony mcleod, kofi poyser, lewis poyser and lemar grant will also be sentenced for their part in a brutal assault on man outside a coventry night club which happened on june 30 2013 and was captured on cctv justice: the kidnappers were sentenced to a total of 152 years at leamington justice centre (above) today | 26 year old's hours 31 hours lowe 20,000 60,000 coventry damien lowe | victim damien lowe abducted at gunpoint my masked men in coventry the ten kidnappers demanded £60,000 ransom for 26 year old's release subjected to brutal beatings and kept without food or water for 31 hours after severing finger they left it under a brick for distraught family to find when desperate relatives paid £20,000, gang threw mr lowe out of the van he was rushed to hospital where doctors said he was hours from death |
a former us army reservist has pleaded no contest to stealing the identities of his fellow soldiers while he was stationed in afghanistan los angeles county prosecutors say gustavo cervantes, 24, of pomona and his cousin pleaded no contest tuesday to grand theft and identity theft cervantes was sentenced in los angeles to three years and eight months in prison and rigoberto cortez, 30, got seven years heartless thieves: ex army reservist gustavo cervantes (left), 24, and his cousin, rigoberto cortez (right), 30, pleaded no contest to grand theft and identity theft in a scam targeting cervantes' comrades the cousins also were ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution prosecutors say that during a 10 month period beginning in january 2013, cervantes stole id information on seven fellow soldiers he had met while stationed in kandahar province cervantes then allegedly forwarded the information to cortez in pomona, who established lines of credit and credit card accounts cervantes allegedly used the misbegotten credit cards to buy luxury cars, furniture, kitchen appliances and tvs ten financial institutions lost a total of about $217,000 as a result of the defendant's scam, according to the district attorney’s office captain shaun mathers, of the los angeles county sheriff's department, told nbc miami that all the victims of the scam were soldiers from cervantes' own platoon 'here these people are defending our country and then being victimized by one of their fellow soldiers,' he told the station | 24 10 month pomona cervantes eight months seven years 30 three years and rigoberto cortez california 2013 gustavo cervantes | gustavo cervantes, 24, of pomona, california, and his cousin pleaded no contest to grand theft and identity theft cervantes, an ex reservist, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison and rigoberto cortez, 30, got seven years prosecutors say during a 10 month period in 2013, cervantes stole id information on seven fellow soldiers |
an advertising agency has caused outrage after creating a promotion for a mattress company which depicts schoolgirl malala yousafzai being shot in the face the advert shows malala, who was 14 when she was shot by a taliban extremist, falling backwards covered in blood, being attached to a drip and then 'bouncing back' to receive an award a staff member at global firm ogilvy & mather initially defended the advert as a tribute but the firm has now apologised and launched an investigation after it was blasted as wildly insensitive scroll down for video 'distasteful': the advert was produced by ad agency ogilvy and features malala yousafzai being shot aged 14 heroine: now 16, the schoolgirl has become a figurehead for women's rights around the world indian bedding company kurl on commissioned a series of three poster adverts from the indian branch of the design agency, which was founded by british david ogilvy in 1948 the other two ads in the series show gandhi leaving his career as a barrister to become a peace activist, and steve jobs bouncing back after he was kicked out of apple a person claiming to be a representative of ogilvy, posting on the ads of the world website, initially wrote: 'we do not believe that getting shot in the face was the defining moment in this brave young 14 year old’s life it was her courage and determination to rise from hopeless circumstances 'we believe that her’s is a breathtakingly inspiring story and while all of us do not have the raw courage or moral fiber to do what she did, we can try to pay a tribute to her by any means available to us 'in this case, the means happened to be an advertising campaign if we were architects, we would erect a monument in her honor' but the advert was savaged by industry experts, including canadian executive tom megginson campaign: the other two adverts posted online featured steve jobs (left) and mahatma gandhi 'bouncing back' treatment: pakistani soldiers shift injured women's rights activist malala yousafzai, then 14, from a helicopter at an army hospital following the extremist gun attack in peshawar in october 2012 he wrote on his blog: '14 year olds getting shot in the face by terrorists are appropriate content for mattress ads now? 'i am ashamed to be in the same industry as these ad people' the advert has now been removed from the ads of the world website, while the firm behind it has apologised and launched a probe into what it said was a breach of standards 'we deeply regret this incident and want to personally apologise to malala yousafzai and her family we are investigating how our standards were compromised in this case and will take whatever corrective action is necessary' ogilvy & mather's india spokesman greg carton said: 'the recent kurl on ads from our india office are contrary to the beliefs and professional standards of ogilvy & mather and our clients 'we deeply regret this incident and want to personally apologise to malala yousafzai and her family 'we are investigating how our standards were compromised in this case and will take whatever corrective action is necessary 'in addition, we have launched a thorough review of our approval and oversight processes across our global network to help ensure that our standards are never compromised again' he added: 'this was a paid client campaign and only the steve jobs piece ran in a local newspaper in india a few weeks ago 'the malala piece has never been in paid media nor will it be' malala’s representatives said the advert was 'distasteful', but declined to comment further one twitter user, @juelzkeyte, said: 'just had to pick my jaw off my desk at the news malala yousafzai's image is being used for a mattress advert beyond words' she added: 'i just don't even know where to begin with this utterly utterly abhorrent i could scream' heroine: the education rights campaigner pictured last year (left) and when she was 12 years old (right) the advert is only the latest in a long line to cause offence so far this year this week a 'lewd' danish advert was criticised for trying literally to 'sex up' the european elections with a bare chested hero called voteman, who was depicted in bed with five women before punching non voters in the face in march a billboard in las vegas advertising an asian bistro with a woman's naked back and the words 'always a happy ending' was slammed for using 'insulting' stereotypes irish bookmaker paddy power, meanwhile, provoked outrage by taking bets on the oscar pistorius trial’s outcome and offering to refund punters if he was cleared and in january a 'degrading' advertisement depicting a beef patty sandwiched between a woman's buttocks, proclaiming 'the freshest fun between the buns', was banned in australia other comments on twitter included 'that's just sick', 'so, so, so appalling' and 'can't believe someone thought this was okay' pakistani born malala was shot in the face on a school bus by an extremist taliban gunman because she wanted to receive an education, in a horrific crime that shocked the world malala, now 16, was taken to the queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham where she recovered from her injuries the young girl has since released her autobiography, and has received a string of humanitarian awards for her continued activism, including a nobel peace prize nomination kurl on claim to the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of mattresses and beds, and export their products to several countries including britain it is not known whether the mattress firm approved the design several kurl on representatives did not immediately return requests for comment a spokesman for the british advertising standards authority said he could not say whether the advert would be against its guidelines unless it was used in britain and received complaints 'the codes are very strict and say adverts should not contain anything which would cause serious or widespread offence,' he added | ogilvy & mather's taliban india 2012 british pakistan | cartoon features schoolgirl, then 14, falling backwards covered in blood she then springs back to become the heroic campaigner that she now is british founded ogilvy & mather's india office made ad for bedding firm a representative initially claimed the image was a tribute to the girl's courage but the firm deeply apologised and said it has launched an investigation education rights activist was shot by a taliban extremist in pakistan in 2012 |
joe biden considers himself to be part of america’s middle class, despite his $379,000 income speaking to the national council of la raza in las vegas about home ownership, the vice president said that the upper class ‘doesn’t get it – for middle class folks like me and you, owning a home is the single most consequential element to our existence’ president obama has been heavily campaigning his $250,000 threshold that would cause income taxes to rise for the wealthy scroll down for video stuck in the middle: speaking yesterday, joe biden referred to himself as middle class critical: biden was quick to criticize mitt romney for lacking sound judgement mr and dr jill biden, according to his 2011 tax return, made a little more than $307,000 in salary, has several trusts and annuities, and more than $24,000 in social security benefits dr biden teaches english at northern virginia community college, earning around $82,000 for classes taught at the alexandria campus much of the obama administration’s re election has been centred around making presumptive republican presidential candidate mitt romney appear aloof and out of touch with the struggles of middle class americans however, the median household income for americans was $51,000, according to a february 2012 study by sentier research but as the white house dossier notes, ‘if biden feels he is middle class, it may be due to his apparent inability to manage his finances’ the dossier cites a december 2011 report by the center for responsive politics, which claims that the vice president is a liability to mr obama’s cabinet, financially speaking, and could have negative assets war for the white house: mr obama, right, has been trying to portray former bain capital ceo mitt romney, left, as wealthy and out of touch with middle america mr biden makes $225,521 with his vice presidential salary, which combined with his wife’s salary and their combined assets equal $379,035, but has mortgages and home equity loans, as well as two lines of credit and a loan taken from his life insurance policy in his speech, mr biden slammed mr romney’s time at bain capital, saying the former massachusetts governor lacked ‘sound judgment’ speaking on the housing crisis, he had said: ‘so many people, through no fault in their own, caught up in this crisis, because three neighbours in their development had a sub prime mortgage, they went belly up and all of a sudden they find their house, they are upside down 'they did nothing wrong, they missed no payment these guys don’t get it for middle class folks like me and you, owning a home is maybe the single most consequential element to our existence’ | joe biden 379,000 2011 51,000 us | in 2011 tax return, joe biden and wife earned combined income of $379,000 median us income is $51,000 |
the january sales are getting closer forget going to the high street, though, the transfer market is where most of the deals and haggling will be done some players pushing for moves, some agents angling for lucrative deals, this transfer window promises to be as active as it always is in the barclays premier league and beyond so, sportsmail looks at 10 players that could and should move once january 1 comes and goes bony is the premier league's top scorer in 2014, ahead of sergio aguero, wayne rooney, daniel sturridge and the rest! wilfried bony club: swansea position: striker cost: £20m swansea striker is a proven goalscorer in the premier league and that has attracted interest from liverpool and tottenham, in particular he will be away with the ivory coast next month and combined with the price that may put bidders off until the summer wilfried bony (left) competes for the ball with liverpool's mamadou sakho on monday night the swansea striker has scored 20 premier league goals in 2014, including this one at manchester city seydou doumbia club: cska moscow position: forward cost: £14m the scourge of manchester city is available as cska moscow need to cash in with the financial crisis beginning to bite in russia doumbia has 18 months left on his contract and english clubs with cash are well placed to strike a deal in this window cska moscow's seydou doumbia (second from right) scores against manchester city in november doumbia has 18 months left on his contract and english clubs are well placed to strike a deal in this window cska moscow need to cash in the £14m target with the financial crisis beginning to bite in russia paulo dybala club: palermo position: striker cost: £31m (release clause) the palermo forward is one of the hottest properties in europe and has seven goals in 16 games this season the 21 year old has drawn interest from arsenal and paris saint germain as they consider whether he can become as good as compatriot sergio aguero paulo dybala is one of the hottest properties in europe and has seven goals in 16 games this season mccormack has scored six goals since august 26 five in the championship ross mccormack club: fulham position: striker cost: £9m the fulham striker joined from leeds united for £11m in july and is wanted by clubs such as derby county as they consider the best options to bolster their strikeforce fulham don't want to sell but the right offer could tempt them before the end of the window fulham striker ross mccormack joined from leeds for £11m in july and is wanted by clubs such as derby fulham don't want to sell mccormack (right) but they could be tempted before the end of the window hatem ben arfa club: hull (on loan from newcastle) position: winger cost: free on his day can be a game changer but managers are tired of waiting for that day to come on a regular basis the france forward has interest from monaco and nice while bundesliga and spanish clubs are pondering a gamble if he drops his wages hatem ben arfa has frustrated managers at the clubs he's been at but can be a game changer on his day the france international, pictured with newcastle, has drawn interest from monaco and nice ezequiel lavezzi club: psg position: forward cost: £15m the paris saint germain star wants to leave and has interest from valencia and italian clubs but will consider offers from england the 29 year old would cost around £15m but may be allowed to leave on loan with a guaranteed fee at the end of that spell ezequiel lavezzi is priced at £15m and wants to leave psg, with interest from valencia and italian clubs the 29 year old would cost about £15m but may be allowed to leave paris on loan vedran corluka club: lokomotiv moscow position: defender cost: £4m the former tottenham and manchester city defender is now playing for lokomotiv moscow but keen on a return to the premier league west ham and hull have shown an interest and £4m would get the 28 year old, who can play at centre back and full back croatia defender vedran corluka, on the ball during the world cup, is now playing for lokomotiv moscow the former tottenham defender (right), here challenging david silva in 2011, wants a premier league return islam slimani club: sporting lisbon position: striker cost: £6m sporting lisbon are looking to sell as in most windows and will take offers for slimani and his team mate william carvalho the latter has been offered to arsenal and manchester united again while algeria star slimani has been pushed to west ham, among others sporting lisbon are looking to sell as in most windows and will take offers for islam slimani (pictured) slimani has been pushed to west ham, among others, as he edges nearer to leaving sporting lisbon sergio romero club: sampdoria position: goalkeeper cost: £500,000 the 27 year old argentina goalkeeper is out of contract in the summer and able to talk to foreign clubs now he has been offered to liverpool, manchester united and everton louis van gaal knows him well from the world cup and his days as az alkmaar coach argentina goalkeeper sergio romero is out of contract in the summer and is able to talk to foreign clubs now romero, pictured making a save during the world cup with argentina, is wanted by premier league clubs romero has been offered to liverpool, manchester united and everton and he is close to a move to england cristian rodriguez club: atletico madrid position: winger cost: £2m the 29 year old was a target for sunderland manager gus poyet in the summer and will be offered to him again this window qpr have also made enquiries for the experienced winger, known as 'the onion', who atletico may allow out on an initial loan cristian rodriguez (right) was a target for sunderland in the summer and will be offered to them again qpr have also made enquiries for the experienced uruguayan winger, who may be allowed out on loan | nice wilfried bony manchester united liverpool world cup france tottenham argentina monaco sergio romero hatem ben arfa january 2014 everton | the january transfer window is getting closer to being declared open wilfried bony is among those being watched by liverpool and tottenham argentina's 2014 world cup goalkeeper sergio romero has been offered to liverpool, manchester united and everton france forward hatem ben arfa has interest from monaco and nice |
memory swipes: samantha mcdonald says she has been abducted by aliens a british woman claims she has been abducted by aliens on repeated visits since she first made contact with them in the 1990s samantha mcdonald told a sceptical phillip schofield and holly willoughby on this morning how she has experienced supernatural activity from the early 1990s until last year she describes her extraterrestrial visitors as 'the reptilians' and 'the greys' who she believes are working together she said: 'i've asked them what they want with me and they have said they had come to take me and my family what they were after was my energy and soul essence 'i don't know why they keep coming back to me i think it is to do with my energies as i'm into healing and meditation' when asked to describe what happens when she's taken, samantha said she has no recollection of her ordeals she explained: 'you don't always remember the abductions because you have memory swipes you just feel like you have been somewhere but you don't actually remember it' when phillip queried if this is what most of us what describe as a dream she replied: 'no definitely not i've woken up with marks all over my body and been possessed sometimes to the point of mind control where thoughts come into your head that are not your own i can't explain it any other way' she added that she has woken up to find her body covered in needle marks, scratches and bruises after an abduction while she hasn't had a visit for the past year, samantha said she doesn't fear a return 'i've been through so much already i try to take it in my stride,' she said she revealed that she believes her other worldly experiences have also led to her being put under surveillance on earth, stating she often has black helicopters over her home and has been followed by police cars ''i think they are trying to send the message, 'we are watching you, you better be careful'', samantha said of the not so subtle surveillance samantha appeared on the itv show as part of their 'supernatural week' along with joanne summerscales, founder of the ammach project (which stands for anomalous mind management abductee contactee helpline) scroll down for video not alone: joanne summerscales, left, has said samantha is not alone in her experience of extraterrestrials and so she has set up a support group to help them joanne said that through her work on the project, which is designed to support those 'usually ridiculed by mainstream 'conventionals'' she has found many common threads in experience of those who say they have been abducted by aliens like samantha claims, many say they have woken up to find themselves covered in unexplained injuries and seem to be under surveillance 'it's really common the frequency of helicopter sightings over people who have had alien abductions is phenomenal,' she said joanne said she didn't believe sleep paralysis was an explanation for why people feel they have experienced alien abduction, even though the symptoms of the condition include an temporary inability to move, a feeling someone is in the room, hallucinations and sometimes unconsciously self harming unexplained injuries: samantha says she has woken up covered in needle marks and bruises following her abductions supernatural: other this morning viewers said they have experienced ufos joanne said some of these people have been examined by mri scans and black light frequency 48 hours after their experience and this has shown florescent marks such as handprints on their bodies she said she is never incredulous about the supernatural stories people tell her 'we have to treat people who say this has happened to them with respect,' she said 'i don't believe in aliens, i know about them, so it's not about believing but knowing' during the rest of the week, this morning will meet a number of people who claim to have had supernatural experiences from ghost sightings to telekinesis ahead of the special week, the show asked viewers for their views on the supernatural their survey of 1500 men and women found that almost one in three think they may have seen a ufo and the same number think they have seen a ghost nearly one in five had visited a medium but almost half of them felt cheated by the person claiming to have psychic powers a third say they have experienced items vanishing or moving or odd bumps in the night sixty per cent don't believe it's possible to move an object with the power of your mind but 20 per cent believe you can have sex with ghosts the results also revealed that samantha isn't the only one to feel a victim of alien abduction, as four per cent said it had also happened to them a spokesman from this morning said: 'our viewers are fascinated by the supernatural and these survey results show that many have had an encounter with a ghost, seen ufo's and would like to make contact with the dead 'during the week our hosts some reluctantly will explore the supernatural world more closely with experts and will also try to find evidence of the afterlife themselves' indeed, a phone in from viewers later in the today's show revealed others have had experiences of ufos one said they had seen a strange flying object while driving late at night while another said they had seen crop circles and believed aliens were trying to communicate with us via our food supernatural week is on itv's this morning each day this week from 1030am for more details visit wwwitvcom/thismorning | samantha mcdonald the 1990s brits | samantha mcdonald said aliens have visited her since the 1990s she doesn't remember experiences as she has her 'memory wiped' but she wakes up with injuries including needle marks survey finds one in three brits have seen ufo |
david harding paid £34m in tax on his 2011 earnings britain's highest earner has revealed that he paid £34million in tax last year david harding, founder of winton capital management, the world’s fifth largest hedge fund, paid 39 per cent tax on his £87million income his decision to disclose his tax bill follows a public outcry over the aggressive tax avoidance practices of some of the country’s top earners in an unprecedented move, david harding, founder of the winton capital hedge fund, has opened his books to reveal he paid the full £34m on his £87millon income in 2011 while most at his level avoid paying their share hiding vast sums in offshore accounts or relocating themselves to foreign tax havens mr harding said he would rather be 'accepted by society' last year he took a salary of £161 million paying income tax of more than £8m at a rate of 50 per cent he took a further £713m in dividends on which he paid tax at the lower rate of 40 per cent and paid £325,000 in national insurance contributions winton capital, which he founded in 1997, is due to pay £133m on its 2011 revenues at a rate of 38 per cent mr harding donates £50,000 a year to the conservative party but claims to veer towards the centre left politically and would consider donating to the liberal democrats if approached a philanthropist too, he has given £20million to the cavendish laboratory in cambridge and is on the development board of the francis crick institute a £1m medical research centre david cameron (right) described comedian jimmy carr as 'morally wrong' for using a scheme which allowed him to pay 1 per cent tax on part of his earnings he told the sunday times: 'i think that if you want to be accepted by society you have to be seen to be paying your share 'i think the resentment and anger is felt among the middle class the civil servants, the teachers, the soldiers,the public sector workers, the professional classes, the backbone of the british nation' the tax affairs of the rich have come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the economic crisis earlier this year prime minister david cameron described the comedian jimmy carr as 'morally wrong' after it was revealed he had put part of his earnings in an offshore fund allowing him to pay a rate of just 1 per cent tax in the race to become mayor of london earlier this year, both boris johnson and ken livingstone published their tax returns, with livingstone's campaign hindered by allegations he used some creative accounting to avoid paying his full share mr harding, who was brought up in oxford, admitted he had in the past been tempted to leave britain he added: 'it would be impossible for it not to cross your mind not for me: mr harding has shunned foreign tax havens such as the bahamas saying he is happily based in england 'i am not sure i would easily find a better place to move to i speak english, my life is here, i like england and the tax rate is not higher than scandanavia or the rest of europe 'taxes in switzerland are not as low as they used to be i can't go to the bahamas, i've got family' the 51 year old, who recently married a german employee, has a 19 year old son from a former marriage and two more children from an earlier relationship he insisted he was not 'whiter than white' adding: 'i'd rather not pay the tax but everyone is aware that the country has to fill in its budget deficit from somewhere you can't run a huge deficit forever 'i would pay any tax to do something which was vital for my country as long as i didn't feel it was vindictive' | 2011 david harding £34m winton capital | david harding, founder of the winton capital hedge fund paid the full £34m on his £87millon income in 2011 says he would rather be 'accepted by society' than cheat the system |
explorer and documentary maker ben cropp has set off on a six week mission to find a 500 year old cannon which could prove for the first time portuguese sailors were the first to land in australia in the early 1520s mr cropp, 78, who has more than six decades of diving experience and has discovered over 100 shipwrecks, is searching off the coast of cooktown in far north queensland if the crew find what they are looking for it will re write australian history books because the dutch are now recorded as the first europeans to visit australia in 1606 ben cropp (above) is on a mission to re write the history books and find evidence of portuguese explorers as far back as the early 1520s in australia this map from 1542 shows a place called 'java la grande' (above) which is exactly where australia is on maps today mr cropp has more than six decades of diving experience and has made more than 150 documentaries on marine life for the national geographic channel mr cropp says maps dated from the 1520s show a large sixth continent in the same position as present day australia, called 'java la grande' in many similar charts and navigational aids the self described 'wreck hunter' set off from his base in cairns on saturday on the freedom iv catamaran the journey will see him stay off cooktown in north queensland for a week before continuing his explorations further north towards the remote cape york at the tip of the country he is travelling with four other crew members, including his son adam cropp, 31, who is the chief scuba diving guide on national geographic ships this is a 500 year old spanish map showiing the coast of australia created by the first explorers mr cropp and his team are on the freedom iv catamaran for the next six weeks looking for a cannon mr cropp and his crew are searching off the coast of cooktown, north of townsville, for the evidence the film maker and explorer told daily mail australia from out at sea: 'three portuguese ships and a spanish vessel were lost near cape york in the 1520s before the dutch arrived 'i have clues as to where the wrecks might be and we are looking for a cannon which will date it 'most historians agree the portuguese were here first but we have to prove it' mr cropp discovered this anchor at the ferguson shipwreck in 1977 which sunk in 1841 in the lockhart river, queensland lynn cropp captured this cannon at wreckage of the sun ship in 1985 east of cape york 'there was an early chart made in 1522, not released until 1542 and it clearly shows the cooktown area and shows reefs off the coast 'it means a lot when something was charted in quite heavy detail and so we know they spent a lot of time here 'we believe it was a man called cristovao de mendonca was one of the first portuguese men to have charted the coast of australia in 1522/23 and he would have been the earliest person that we know of 'we are looking for the absolute proof of portuguese landing, there are clues but hopefully this voyage will lead to solid evidence 'the searching is very hard and has already involved lots of swimming, we are looking for things which have been underwater for 500 years old 'this was 250 years before cook and appreciate that when cook's cannons were found they were a metre under the coral mr cropp found these spanish coins on the wreck of the sun in 1985 which is east of cape york on the ashmore reef off the coast of queensland mr cropp and his team will have to spend hours snorkelling looking for historical objects under the coral 'we are snorkelling in shallow water but we are looking for objects which are probably two metres under the coral' mr cropp, who has produced more than 150 marine documentaries since the 1960s, found the pandora shipwreck which was 135 miles south east off cape york in 1977 it is the most historical shipwreck in australia and that sunk in 1791 1401: chinese sailors visit near darwin 1451: dutch documents record the journeys of indigenous traders from indonesia to australia, or as they knew it to ‘marege’ 1500: indonesian fishers visit northern australia, which would last two centuries 1521: some historians claim the portuguese visited australia during this time, which is what mr cropp is seeking to prove feb/march 1606: the dutch east india company explored the western coast of the cape york peninsula this is the first recorded landfall by a european on australian soil 1616 1696: a range of english and dutch explorers visited different parts of australia 1770: famed english captain james cook charted the continent’s east coast in 1770, which later opened the door to british colonisation he told daily mail australia: 'we have already done a lot of swimming and could not find the cannon that we were looking for 'ia lot more swimming needs to be done if we find the cannon i am looking for we can date the period 'we had other clues, we have ballast rocks they are the rocks you put in the ship to keep it steady in the water and when a ship is wrecked we are also have the early maps 'i am very excited about this trip, it's on my bucket list, i want to find the most important shipwreck in australia ''it's likely there were three explorers between 1520 and 1525 that came to australia but we need positive proof' mr cropp is also on the lookout for other wrecks and said he was going to go back to previous sites he had discovered to check the dating because we could have been on a much older wreck 'i know the cannon is out there but it is going to be very hard to find it takes a lot of searching and i am letting the world know this time i thought i might as well because it is very important' | dragonfly harmin meeching anagrammatising bestness ben cropp first portuguese unsheeted thermogenetic | no related information |
a growing number of chinese companies have been making and then selling instruments of torture, including electric shock batons and restraint chairs, to countries around the world, amnesty international has said the number of chinese companies now engaged in the production and trade of such tools had risen to 130 from 28 about a decade ago, the human rights group said the london based group said while most of the tools are legitimate, many are inherently cruel and inhumane a growing number of chinese companies have been making and then selling instruments of torture to countries around the world, amnesty international has said pictured are chinese weighted leg cuffs side handled and telescopic batons and spike batons are displayed at a police equipment exhibition, at an undisclosed location the number of chinese companies now engaged in the production and trade of such tools had risen to 130 from 28 about a decade ago, amnesty international has said amnesty international said while most of the tools are legitimate, many are inherently cruel and inhumane pictured is a flashlight that also functions as an electric shock device the 38 page report cited as examples spiked batons and restraint chairs with a desk like surface in front where arms can be shackled, often with ankle cuffs beneath that force detainees into painful contortions, and neck and wrist cuffs connected by a chain 'there is no excuse whatsoever for allowing the manufacturing and trade in equipment for which the primary purpose is to torture or inflict cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment on people,' patrick wicken, security trade and human rights researcher at amnesty international, said china explicitly bans torture and mistreatment of inmates, and it strongly denies widespread allegations that torture is often used by chinese police and communist party investigators earlier this year, zhao chunguang, a national official overseeing police detention facilities, said there had not been a single case of torture used to coerce a confession at any detention centre throughout china for the past five years amnesty says it has documented a wide range of physical torture in china, including the use of electric shock batons and on monday, the xinhua news agency reported that a court in northeastern china had convicted three police officers and four other non police officers of torturing suspects and killing one person a flashlight that also functions as an electric shock device, displayed in a security equipment shop by a storekeeper who claims the product is sold only to law enforcement personnel and not to civilians, in beijing china explicitly bans torture and mistreatment of inmates, and it strongly denies widespread allegations that torture is often used by chinese police and communist party investigators one victim said he was restrained to an iron chair while being prodded with an electric shock baton, xinhua said amnesty has now urged china to ban the production and export of several of the kinds of equipment it says are torture tools or inherently cruel, especially to countries with poor human rights records it said the tools are being shipped to cambodia, nepal, congo, egypt, ghana, madagascar, senegal and uganda faced with rising social tensions, china has been pumping more money to maintain social order its annual budget for domestic security skyrocketed over the past decade to 760 billion yuan ($125 billion), higher than its defense budget last year the public security ministry did not respond to requests for comment finger and wrist restraints displayed in a security equipment shop that claims the products are available only to law enforcement personnel and not to civilians, in beijing chinese made handcuffs are displayed at an exhibition, at an unknown location amnesty says it has documented a wide range of physical torture in china, including the use of electric shock batons the report, jointly compiled with uk based omega research foundation, which specialises in research on military, security and police equipment, said that chinese made rigid restraint chairs 'have no legitimate law enforcement use' and that the un committee against torture has recommended they be abolished calls to one of the companies that makes electric shock wands, anhua police equipment manufacturing co, in eastern jiangsu province, were referred to a senior manager who identified himself only by his surname ma 'we are at the service of the chinese government, so i cannot answer you,' ma said 'i think china has pretty good human rights records, and i suggest those countries finding issues with china's human rights records look at themselves first' a woman who answered the phone at yuanda industrial and trade co, which makes restraint chairs and neck and wrist cuffs, said the company was producing only what the government has approved and is not responsible for any wrongdoing | amnesty chinese amnesty international madagascar ghana senegal a decade china communist party uganda congo egypt cambodia nepal | amnesty international says number of chinese companies making and selling potentially dangerous equipment has grown from 28 to 130 in a decade while most of the tools are legitimate, many are inherently cruel and inhumane, amnesty has said it said the tools are being shipped to cambodia, nepal, congo, egypt, ghana, madagascar, senegal and uganda china bans torture and mistreatment of inmates, and strongly denies allegations that torture is used by police and communist party investigators |
four sls rs 25 engines will be used to power the world's biggest rocket into orbit it is set to become the largest rocket ever built, dwarfing the rockets that took man to the moon and paving the way for manned missions to mars nasa today said it is about to start testing the engines for the space launch system (sls) rocket on the same stand that were used to perfect the apollo rockets four engines, a modified version of the space shuttle main engine that powered missions into space from 1981 to 2011, will be used on the mega rocket 'this test series is a major milestone because it will be our first opportunity to operate the engine with a new controller and to test propellant inlet conditions for sls that are different than the space shuttle,' said steve wofford, sls liquid engines element manager earlier this year nasa signed a $28 billion contract with boeing to build the giant rocket it is hoped will take us into deep space 'our teams have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the space launch system (sls) – the largest ever will be built safely, affordably and on time,' said virginia barnes, boeing sls vice president and program manager 'we are passionate about nasa’s mission to explore deep space 'it’s a very personal mission, as well as a national mandate' this milestone marks nasa’s first cdr on a deep space human exploration launch vehicle since 1961, when the saturn v rocket underwent a similar design review as the united states sought to land an astronaut on the moon scheduled for its initial test flight in 2017, the sls is designed to be flexible and evolvable to meet a variety of crew and cargo mission needs the biggest rocket ever made: the sls will be 384 feet tall and weigh 65 million pounds there will be two versions of the rocket the smaller, 70 metric ton sls will stand 321 feet tall, provide 84 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, weigh 55 million pounds and carry 154,000 pounds of payload the massive 130 metric ton configuration will be the most capable, powerful launch vehicle in history towering a staggering 384 feet tall, it will provide 92 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and weigh 65 million pounds it will be able to carry payloads weighing 286,000 pounds to orbit the initial flight test configuration will provide a 77 ton capacity, and the final evolved two stage configuration will provide a lift capability of more than 143 tons the rocket will be used to ferry astronauts to the international space station, and to help us explore the outer reaches of the solar system 'the potential use of sls for science will further enhance the synergy between scientific exploration and human exploration,' said john grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for science at nasa headquarters in washington 'sls has the promise of enabling transformational science in our exploration of the solar system and cosmos' currently under construction, nasa’s space launch system will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle designed to enable human exploration missions to deep space destinations, including an asteroid and mars, sls is working toward a first launch in 2017 for that first flight test, the rocket will be able to launch 70 metric tons (77 tons) of payload into low earth orbit, almost three times what the space shuttle could carry from there, sls will be evolved to a configuration that will be able to carry 130 metric tons (143 tons), more weight than any rocket ever has been able to carry 'while many people think of the space launch system in terms of human exploration, sls could have a wide application in a lot of other areas, including space science,” said steve creech, assistant program manager for strategy and partnerships for sls how it compares: the sls is larger than the saturn rockets than launched man to the moon it will also be more powerful than any rocket in operation today russia's super rocket design has yet to be unveiled however construction of the first stage of russia's super rocket capable of lifting 80 tonnes is already underway nasa's previous rockets, the saturn, shuttle and right, the smaller configuration of the new sls 'for missions to the outer planets, for example, sls could make it possible to do things that are currently impossible, such as sending larger scientific spacecraft with more instruments to far off destinations with reduced transit times' agency scientific and engineering teams have been evaluating whether there would be potential benefits from launching deep space robotic spacecraft, such as the europa clipper, a proposed mission to one of jupiter's icy moons, on the sls rocket, and determined the rocket would enable the spacecraft to fly direct trajectories to our solar system’s outer planets, rather than using planetary gravities to gain speed, reducing transit time compared to current launch vehicles in the case of the europa clipper, for example, the transit time would be reduced to less than half of what it would be using other launch vehicles 'for as long as people have been launching rockets into space, mission designers have had to work within certain limitations – a spacecraft can only be so heavy and it has to fit within a certain width,” creech said 'depending on how large you make it, it can only go so fast, which in some cases limits where you can go 'today, if you want to send a mission to the outer planets, you have to be able to make it fit within that box with sls, we’re about to make that box much larger an artist's impression of the giant rocket taking off an artist's impression of the vast hanger needed to set the rocket up for flight 'with the space shuttle, for example, we were able to launch missions like nasa’s hubble space telescope that were about the size of a school bus 'with sls, you can design a spacecraft even larger than the space shuttle that carried hubble 'it’s going to open up an entirely new way of thinking about how we plan and design planetary science missions' 'the space launch system could be really game changing for space science,” said aco manager reggie alexander 'for some missions, it makes it much easier and quicker to carry them out 'a mars sample return mission, for example, could be flown using only one rocket instead of three 'but for other destinations, sls lets you do things we could only dream of before – like collecting samples from the geysers of saturn’s moon enceladus' an artist's impression of the rocket heading for the launch pad the pieces that make up nasa's mega rocket in its first configuration | first 65 million pounds 2017 mars 384 feet 130 tonnes | construction of the space launch system has already begun rocket will be 384 feet tall and weigh 65 million pounds first test flight scheduled for 2017 will be able to carry 130 tonnes into space expected to be used to launch far larger interplanetary probes could be used as part of manned mars missions |
top of the bill: emma watson is believed to top a list of guests to be invited to a new 'cool britannia' party at 10 downing street prime minister david cameron is poised to emulate tony blair’s ‘cool britannia’ celebration by inviting some of the biggest names from the worlds of acting and music to a downing street party among those reportedly sent invitations for the star studded ‘best of britain’s creative industries’ reception at no 10 later this month are benedict cumberbatch, emma watson, chiwetel ejiofor, the star of the oscar winning twelve years a slave, plus nicole kidman and daniel craig but a notable omission from the list is said to be take that singer gary barlow, after revelations in may that he was part of a massive tax avoidance scheme other celebrity names on the draft guestlist include pop star eliza doolittle and emily eavis, the daughter of glastonbury festival founder michael, x factor supremo simon cowell, classical singers bryn terfel and katherine jenkins, plus hollywood names sam mendes, harvey goldsmith, ridley scott and alan parker nicole kidman, though australian born, is said to be among those invited mr cameron has also sent an invitation to pete czernin, a lesser known film producer – who was once a flatmate of the prime minister the event on june 30 is officially non political but whitehall sources told the times the party was in part an attempt to recruit new supporters to the conservatives’ cause ahead of the 2015 general election gabby bertin, who became director of external relations at no 10 last year, is overseeing the bash last night, the event was described by the times, which revealed the existence of the draft guestlist, as ‘the most glittering collection of celebrities since tony blair tried to cash in on the britpop craze with his 1997 celebration of “cool britannia”’ it is a comparison the pm may well not want to encourage mr blair’s party, which included such luminaries as oasis guitarist noel gallagher, became a millstone around his neck as various stars criticised the new labour government it became seen in some quarters as exemplifying new labour’s obsession with celebrity blur singer damon albarn, who refused an invitation at the time, later said: ‘i knew by then we had all been taken for a ride’ invitations: david cameron (left) is believed to be keen on the idea of holding a 'cool britannia' party but gary barlow (right) could miss out on an invite after revelations of his tax avoidance schemes and gallagher later notoriously claimed to have taken cocaine in a lavatory normally reserved for the queen recalling the incident when interviewed for bbc radio 2 by russell brand, he claimed: ‘these were the days of the revolution someone said, “do you want to have a look in the queen’s bog?” i said, “of course” as i remember, it was quite nice it had a velvet seat and everything’ other guests at blair’s 1997 party were hollywood star kevin spacey, actress sinead cusack, fashion designer vivienne westwood, comedian harry enfield, body shop founder anita roddick and beatles biographer hunter davies as for mr cameron’s bash, actor and conservative party supporter sir michael caine, tv presenters clare balding, fearne cotton and cat deeley are also invited – as are dame helen mirren and ralph fiennes, who both attended the blair era party too downing street last night told the times: ‘we have nothing to say at this stage’ tony blair pictured with noel gallagher at the original 'cool britannia' party at 10 downing street in 1997 | interlaces eurythmic benedict cumberbatch bellicoseness bond allelic emma watson nemathecia emboly bastiment tony blair | no related information |
china has launched an experimental spacecraft to fly around the moon and back to earth the eight day mission is seen as a test run for the country's first unmanned return trip to the lunar surface, which will take place in 2017 and if china successfully manages to bring samples back from the moon, they will be only the third nation to carry out such a mission after the us and russia scroll down for video china sent a mission to the moon from the southwestern xichang satellite launch centre this morning (shown) the spacecraft will fly around the moon on an eight day mission it is intended to be a precursor to a mission to the lunar surface in 2017 the spacecraft lifted off from the southwestern xichang satellite launch centre early this morning it separated from its carrier rocket and entered earth orbit shortly after, the state administration of science, technology and industry for national defense (sastind) reported, according to the official xinhua news agency 'the first stage of the first return journey test in china's moon probe programme has been successful,' sastind said after the launch, from the xichang space base in the southwestern province of sichuan the module will be 257,000 miles (413,000 km) from earth at its furthest point on the eight day mission the official xinhua news agency said it would re enter the atmosphere at 112 kilometres per second (25,000 mph) before slowing down a process that generates extremely high temperatures and it will land in northern china's inner mongolia region china's lunar exploration program, named chang'e after a mythical goddess, has already launched a pair of orbiting lunar probes and last year landed a craft on the moon with a rover onboard china has also hinted at a possible crewed mission to the moon at a future date if officials decide to combine the human spaceflight and lunar exploration programs the module will be 257,000 miles (413,000 km) from earth at its furthest point on the eight day mission the official xinhua news agency said it would re enter the atmosphere at 112 kilometres per second (25,000 mph) before slowing down a process that generates extremely high temperatures and it will land in northern china's inner mongolia region it will return to earth using a soviet designed method in which it will first bounce off earth's atmosphere in order to slow it down to allow it to enter the atmosphere without burning up xinhua said the latest mission is to 'obtain experimental data and validate re entry technologies such as guidance, navigation and control, heat shield and trajectory design' for the future moonlander christened chang'e 5 it will return to earth using a soviet designed method in which it will first bounce off earth's atmosphere in order to slow it down to allow it to enter the atmosphere without burning up china's military backed space program is a source of massive national pride, especially its series of successful manned missions that have placed up to three astronauts at a time in an experimental orbiting space station called tiangong 1 it sent its first astronaut into space in 2003, becoming the third nation after russia and the us to achieve manned space travel independently china has powered ahead in a series of methodically timed steps, independent of the american programme, which is now in its sixth decade of putting people into space and has long term plans to go to an asteroid and mars alongside the manned program, china is developing the long march 5 heavy lift rocket needed to launch a more permanent space station to be called tiangong 2 china's space programme has been picking up speed over the last decade they have already sent a handful of astronauts into earth orbit including liu yang, left, jing haipeng, right, and liu wang pictured here in june 2012 on their way to the launch pad last year china successfully landed and operated a rover on the moon called jade rabbit, shown however, it ultimately succumbed to the bitterly cold lunar nights china's next mission to the lunar surface in 2017 will lift return samples to earth | russia this morning us xichang eight day earth china 2020 third 2017 | china sent a mission to the moon from the southwestern xichang satellite launch centre this morning the spacecraft will fly around the moon on an eight day mission it is intended to be a precursor to a mission to the lunar surface in 2017 this will return samples back to earth only the third nation to do so after the us and russia china also has plans to land people on the moon, possibly beyond 2020 |
sir john major said britain had a 50 per cent chance of leaving the eu, adding the country 'could not absorb' so many migrants in the future britain is likely to leave the eu unless it allows us to restrict immigration, sir john major warned last night in an extraordinary intervention, the former prime minister said ‘our small island cannot absorb’ the huge numbers moving here each year sir john, who declared as premier that he wanted britain at the heart of the eu, claimed our chances of leaving the union were ‘just under 50 per cent’ – and warned this would increase unless brussels reforms rules on freedom of movement he said that although the country welcomed hard working migrants, the ‘sheer scale of the influx’ had put ‘strains on our health, welfare, housing and education services’ britain had accepted ‘one of, if not the largest population movement in peacetime european history’, he told an audience in germany, adding that failure to tackle the trend would cause ‘huge public disquiet’ ‘it is a matter of numbers,’ he said ‘whereas some european populations are falling, the uk has grown by 7 per cent in a decade’ more than a million people have entered britain from poland and seven other former eastern bloc countries since 2004, when temporary restrictions on migrants from those nations were dropped by labour officials had predicted that just 13,000 would arrive each year sir john, the last tory leader to win a commons majority, stressed that he grew up among immigrants in south london who were friends and neighbours ‘i hate having to make this argument i hate it i don’t wish to close our doors to strangers, especially strangers with skills from countries that are often allies ‘but i do recognise, reluctantly, that our small island simply cannot absorb the present and projected numbers at the current speed it is not physically or politically possible without huge public disquiet’ sir john also launched a strong attack on ukip, saying: ‘i hope we are going to push them back to the fringes of politics from which they should never have emerged’ the tory grandee – whose remarks were shown to and discussed with downing street in advance – sketched out david cameron’s plan to negotiate looser ties with brussels sir john said the country had received one of the largest population movements in peacetime european history, with droves more expected migrants try to board lorries bound for britain in calais (pictured) european migrants should only be entitled to child benefit equal to the rate paid by the country where their child lives, nick clegg has said the move would result in polish parents in britain with children who live in poland receiving £18 per month, rather than the british rate of £80 the call for change – ahead of wider government proposals to limit migrants’ benefits – follows a ruling by european judges to restrict benefits tourism mr clegg said on lbc radio that we should go further to address the ‘absurd’ practice of paying child benefit to europeans who live here but whose children are still abroad the deputy prime minister has told officials to look into a ‘fairer’ policy – although he conceded legal obstacles could be ‘difficult to straighten out’ mr cameron has promised to then hold an in out referendum by 2017 if the tories are still in power after the general election sir john told a foreign affairs think tank in berlin that a ‘great nation may be poised to leave the eu’ unless it is offered an opt out from ‘ever closer union’, reforms to free movement rights and legal guarantees that brussels can only act where individual member states cannot in what seems to be intended as a wake up call to other eu leaders, he said: ‘opposition has reached a critical mass and now, for the first time, there is a serious possibility that our electorate could vote to leave the eu 'i put the chance of exit at just under 50 per cent but if the negotiations go badly, that percentage will rise 'conversely, with genuine reform, it will fall i ask our european partners to realise we are close to a breach that is in no one’s interest’ sir john, who fought bitter battles with eurosceptics when in downing street, appeared to rebuke mr cameron after he erupted over the eu budget at the last brussels summit, suggesting it was time to ‘tone down the oratory and turn up the diplomacy’ however, he insisted that as large net contributors to the eu’s budget for 40 years, britain expected the ‘national dilemma’ of seeking to control free movement ‘to be treated with consideration’ labour leader ed miliband said sir john's speech 'is a pretty damning indictment of david cameron' ‘it is not too fanciful to say that our partners must weigh up a choice: help us on this issue, or deny us – knowing that the latter course can only fuel the eurosceptic argument’ sir john stressed that migration across borders was not just a problem for the uk, arguing the ‘sheer volume of migration across europe is alienating citizens from their governments’ in countries such as greece, france and italy ‘it is powering the rise of single issue political parties whose convictions are alien to a liberal and civilised society 'some are racist: others are border line racist some are merely bigots,’ he added sir john went on to criticise ukip, claiming the party is ‘anti everything’ he continued: ‘they are anti foreigner, they are anti europe, they’re anti establishment, they’re anti politics – i haven’t found out what they are for, but by goodness we know what they are against 'a thoroughly negative body like that is not the place into which you should put your faith or your trust, and certainly not your vote’ national insurance numbers (ninos) have been handed out to more than 420,000 people from the eu, up from 285,000 in the year before the coalition was formed labour leader ed miliband warned that leaving the eu would be a ‘disaster’, but claimed mr cameron was unwilling to take on his party’s eurosceptics ‘the tory party is increasingly a party drifting towards exit from the eu – that is where the centre of gravity of the tory party is,’ he said mr miliband added that sir john’s speech was a ‘damning indictment’ of the prime minister, who was ‘burning bridges and not helping britain in europe’ | britain ukip 2017 john major david cameron | sir john major said 'sheer scale of the influx' strained britain's resources former prime minister described immigration as 'a matter of numbers' criticised 'anti everything' ukip as a 'thoroughly negative body' david cameron promises an in out referendum by 2017 if re elected |
a 'hero dog' who alerted residents when their new jersey apartment building was on fire last friday has been found dead after disappearing in the blaze ann marie kelt, 51, and her longtime friend rocky granata were woken by kelt's pet labrador stella as smoke filled her king georges road home around 6am thanks to the barking everyone evacuated the building safely but stella got left behind neighbors thought the canine had run off, however on tuesday her remains were found in the rubble of her former abode hero: a black labrador named stella who alerted residents when their new jersey apartment building was on fire last friday has been found dead after disappearing in the blaze granata told my central jersey that he discovered the black mixed breed canine under a blanket she appeared to be guarding her owner's purse, which remained intact '[stella] had her mother's pocketbook she knew how important it was,' granata said 'that was amazing' kelt's daughter, megan holden of sayreville, said that stella previously suffered from cancer and had a heart condition due to her illness, a veterinarian believed the pet probably died after taking a few breaths in the smoke filled apartment 'i pray she did go quickly,' holden said the st georges veterinary hospital gave the family a keepsake paw print and arranged for stella's cremation other than her purse, kelt lost everything in the fire early morning blaze: ann marie kelt, 51, and her longtime friend rocky granata were woken by kelt's pet labrador stella as smoke filled her king georges road home around 6am she and granata were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and anxiety a third resident in the apartment block was also treated and all were released after getting the go ahead kelt is currently staying with her daughter while granata has been relocated to a hotel the two friends attended the same high school and bonded after battling cancer together the local community is now rallying together to raise funds for the out of home couple | dirigent drawly superlied literary kelt administrator glucosan ann marie kelt rocky granata 51 triacetyloleandomycin vertible | no related information |
chancellor george osborne urged people not to go to a&e if they do not need to the a&e crisis has left patients to be treated in store cupboards because their is not enough room in clinical areas, george osborne was warned today the chancellor said the treatment was a 'matter of regret' for the whole government as he urged people not to go to a&e if they do not need to it comes as leaked figures show that last week every nhs trust missed the target for seeing patients in a&e within four hours the soaring number of visits has been blamed on an ageing population and patients flocking to hospitals to have minor ailments treated the government has come under increasing pressure over the winter crisis in the nhs, with labour vowing to make the health service a central plank of its election campaign senior doctors warn that since april there have been more than 14 million visits to a&e, a rise of 446,049 on the previous year nhs bosses warn it could take up to five years to tackle the problems causing backlogs in a&e departments appearing on itv's good morning britain, mr osborne was challenged over the story of a viewer who was looked after in a store cupboard because there was no room for him in the a&e department the chancellor said: 'every time a patient doesn't get the treatment that they deserve, that's a matter of regret it is a matter of regret to me, it is a matter of regret to every member of the government first thing i'd say is the nhs staff is doing a brilliant job 'we've put a lot of money into the nhs, partly because we've prioritised it, partly because we have a strong and growing economy' he went on: 'there are more nurses, more doctors, but the truth is, i think everyone will understand this, there a rea lot more people going to a&e, more than a million more people going to a&e 'i think we need to make sure that people have all the information they need about where they need to go if they feel there is something wrong with and they're not feeling well and a&e is not always the answer for people 'we've got to address why people aren't going to doctors surgeries, why they're not necessarily phoning the helplines that are available' the soaring number of visits to a&e has been blamed on an ageing population and patients flocking to hospitals to have minor ailments treated it comes as ministers brace themselves for the latest set of waiting times figures for january 5 and 11 data obtained by the daily mirror shows that every trust in england, excluding foundation trusts, has failed to hit the target of treating 95 per cent of a&e patients within four hours in some areas last week a third of people had to wait for more than four hours professor keith willett, who led a review of england's casualty units, yesterday insisted there was 'quick fix' to the chaos in many hospitals, which has seen the numbers visiting a&e surge by 400,000 since april as a result of the nhs 111 helpline more doctors and nurses need to be recruited and the funding system changed to reduce waiting times and prevent bed blocking by elderly patients waiting for social care professor keith willett insisted there was 'quick fix' to the chaos in many hospitals, which has seen the numbers visiting a&e surge by 400,000 since april giving evidence to the health select committee, he said the entire health system needed to be overhauled to ensure changes in one area do not impact other parts of the nhs 'we have had numerous examples over numerous years of doing one really good initiative in one part of the pathway and it doesn't have the effect we expect because the rest of the pathway is sufficiently busy to negate the advantages of that' a department of health spokesperson said: 'we know the nhs is busier than ever before, which is why we've given a record £700million this winter for 700 more doctors, nearly 4500 more nurses and 5000 more beds 'the nhs has ensured there are plans in every area to manage the extra demand' | four hours gp 95% a year april a&e | chancellor challenged after tv viewer says he was treated in a store room urges people not to go to a&e if they do not need to but try their gp since april, 14 million people have visited a&e, up 446,049 in a year a&e target is for hospitals to treat 95% of patients within four hours figures show every hospital trust excluding foundations missed it |
the son or daughter of the duke and duchess of cambridge will have not only the blood of actual british royalty running through his or her veins, but also the (slightly more diluted) blood of american music royalty and hollywood royalty, too it has been revealed that the royal baby, who will be known as hrh prince or princess [first name] of cambridge, will be a distant relative of celebrity couples beyoncé and jay z, brad pitt and angelina jolie, and ben affleck and jennifer garner, and all their respective children the baby prince or princess, believed to be due on saturday, 13 july, will be 23rd cousins twice removed with beyonce's baby blue ivy carter scroll down for video a truly royal baby: kate and william's son or daughter, expected to be born on saturday, will be distantly related to hollywood and american music royalty, it has been revealed hip hop royalty: jay z and beyonce with their daughter blue ivy carter, who will be 23rd cousins twice removed with kate and william's baby, according to researchers kate and william's first child will also be related to a host of hollywood stars, including angelina jolie and brad pitt and jennifer garner and ben affleck, according to family tracing website findmypastcouk the duke and duchess of cambridge's baby will also be distant cousins with celine dion's three children, as well as the children of maggie gyllenhaal, star the dark knight, and kill bill actress uma thurman red carpet royalty: the new prince or princess of cambridge will be distantly related to blue ivy carter, daughter of beyonce and jay z, left, as well as the three children of ben affleck and jennifer garner, right records show that the future royal's 23rd cousin twice removed is blue ivy carter, the daughter of musical couple beyoncé knowles and jay z, through blue ivy's relation to the queen through french royal heritage celine dion's three children will be 26th cousins thrice removed, while the three children of jennifer garner and oscar winner ben affleck will be the closest relatives 11th cousins, due to family lines connecting through affleck and princess diana and brad pitt and angelina jolie's six children will be 27th cousins to the baby, linked through both parents' family ancestry the royal cousins: angelina jolie's six children four of them, from left to right, are maddox, zahara, pax and shiloh will be 27th cousins with the royal baby hollywood royalty: brad pitt with five of his six children, from left, maddox, pax, knox, zahara and, behind zahara, shiloh maggie gyllenhaal and uma thurman are also on the royal family tree, as their children will be 20th cousins twice removed and 22nd cousins, respectively researchers looked at the ancestry of queen elizabeth ii, the duchess of cambridge and diana, princess of wales there were even royal hollywood links found as far back as the 13th century, with king edward iii being distantly related to hollywood mother hilary duff, making her son luca 19th cousin to the royal baby using published research from the leading authorities on royal descents, findmypastcouk studied the ancestry of each celebrity through a computer genealogy database programme researchers looked at the ancestry of queen elizabeth ii, the duchess of cambridge and diana, princess of wales, to uncover their relationships to various celebrities family ties: records of the family trees of the duchess of cambridge, left, and queen elizabeth ii, right, were studied to evaluate connections between the royal baby and hollywood royalty british and hollywood royalty: the late diana, princess of wales, is distantly related to oscar winning actor and director ben affleck, meaning that his children with wife jennifer garner are 11th cousins with the royal baby debra chatfield, a family historian at findmypastcouk said: 'it's long been said that the usa and uk have a special relationship, and that is certainly the case between hollywood's elite and the royal family 'the closest relation we found to the hollywood children was the late princess diana' 'the closest relation we found to the hollywood children was the late princess diana 'diana's ancestry includes a number of early settlers on the east coast of the usa that can be traced right up to the modern day 'there are 16 billion records on findmypastcouk that people can search through, so they can trace their own family ties there is always a chance people may find their own hollywood connection' family resemblance? the lineage of american actress and mother hilary duff, left, has been traced back to king edward iii of england, right | butchery gynaecia cambridge landlubberly 11th first sizeman hrh hypoxylon abraders republicans | no related information |
if you want to keep your browsing history a secret, or you’re paranoid about being tracked, you can enable private mode but, doing so usually means having to manually enable the mode from the start google is hoping to automate this process with its latest patent, which aims to switch to private browsing every time a new session starts, or when a website asks for particular information google's patent (pictured) describes a system that could automatically open private browsing windows, or a user could ask that certain sites are always only opened in incognito mode alternatively, if google detects that a site is asking for credit card details, it could switch to private browsing by default the patent was originally filed in 2011, but was only awarded this week a web browser tracks a user by storing information as the user browses web pages in november, firefox launched a forget button the button can be added to the browser and will automatically delete browsing history users can ask firefox to automatically delete information from the past five minutes, two hours or 24 hours this means that all cookies, history, tabs and windows are deleted and can't be recovered this includes browsing history, images, videos, text, and other data on these pages, as well as any files that are downloaded as a result, browsers offer a privacy mode so the user can browse without being tracked on google’s chrome, this is called incognito mode, while on firefox it’s known as private browsing google’s patent describes a system that could either automatically open a private browsing window each time, or a user can ask that certain websites are always only opened in incognito mode alternatively, if google detects that a website is asking for credit card details, or other personal information, it will switch to private browsing by default a web browser tracks a user by storing information as the user browses web pages this includes history, images, videos, text and other data on these pages as a result, browsers offer a privacy mode so the user can browse without being tracked on google’s chrome, this is called incognito mode (pictured) in november, firefox launched a forget buttonthe button can be added to the browser and will automatically delete browsing history (pictured) as the files explained: ‘[patent] relates to equipping a web browser with the ability to automatically open web pages in a privacy mode based on content of the web pages so that a user is not required to manually activate the privacy mode ‘the web browser is able to identify characteristics of the content provided by the web pages by analysing the web pages for content that increases the likelihood that the user may require that the web page be opened in the privacy mode’ the news follows the launch of a forget button for the firefox browser to add the forget button, click menu and select customise at the bottom of the menu panel drag the forget button from the additional tools and features panel to the toolbar users can then ask it to automatically delete browsing history from the past five minutes, two hours or 24 hours or, they can hit the forget button manually each time they want to wipe the history this means that all cookies, history, tabs and windows are permanently deleted | 2011 this week sacatons zygoid milkshed ascensionist spongilline chrome | no related information |
patients and doctors can adjust the settings for the 'pacemaker like' device using external controllers federal regulators have approved an appetite suppressing implant designed to treat obesity by zapping nerves that connect the stomach and the brain the maestro rechargeable system uses electrodes implanted in the abdomen to stimulate the vagus nerve, which signals to the brain that the stomach is empty or full patients and doctors can adjust the device settings using external controllers shares of enteromedics rose in trading on wednesday after the food and drug administration said it approved the device for certain patients who are severely obese it's the first medical device approved for obesity since the agency's 2007 approval of a gastric band from ethicon the fda approved the device for patients 18 and older who have been unable to lose weight via a supervised weight loss program and have a body mass index of 35 to 40 with one other obesity related health condition, such as diabetes bmi is an estimate of body fat based on weight and height someone who is 5 foot 9 would be severely obese — with a bmi of 35 — at 240 pounds the maestro rechargeable system uses electrodes implanted in the abdomen to stimulate the vagus nerve, which signals to the brain that the stomach is empty or full enteromedics said the device's two electrodes are implanted via a minimally invasive surgical procedure, which could make the device system a less invasive alternative to other weight loss surgeries the device has an external battery that needs to be recharged weekly the st paul, minnesota based company compares it to a pacemaker a company executive said the device is already approved in europe and australia though it is not yet on sale enteromedics plans to focus on the device's us launch, targeting sales to surgical centers the company is also pursuing reimbursement from health care insurance providers enteromedics inc stock gained 30 cents, or 25 percent, to $147 in morning trading the fda has approved the device for patients 18 and older who have been unable to lose weight via a supervised weight loss program and have a body mass index of 35 to 40 with one other obesity related health condition, such as diabetes | first maestro rechargeable system europe australia 2007 | maestro rechargeable system uses electrodes implanted in the abdomen to send signals to the brain that the stomach is empty or full patients and doctors can adjust the device settings using external controllers first medical device approved for obesity since gastric band in 2007 device is already approved in europe and australia although not yet on sale |
a young father and veteran who lost all four of his limbs during his third tour in the middle east is sharing his brave story of survival staff sgt travis mills, of hallowell, maine, was critically injured on april 10, 2012, when an improvised explosive device went off after he set down his ammunition bag, causing him to lose portions of both arms and legs his injuries were so bad, he even sent away the medic attending to him away thinking he would die, saying, 'get away from me, doc you go save my men let me go save my men' now, sgt mills, a quadruple amputee, has dedicated his life to inspiring others and helping other wounded and injured veterans scroll down for videos brave solider: staff sgt travis mills (above with wife kelsey and daughter chloe) lost portions of both arms and legs during an ied explosion in afghanistan tragedy: sgt mills (above) is one of only five soldiers to return from the middle east a quadruple amputee, and now spends his time inspiring others by sharing his story of survival in an interview with nbc dallas, sgt mills says he is just happy to be alive, and still can't believe he is still here to share his story 'when i look back at it, i understand that i probably…i probably wasn't supposed to make it that day,' he said in the interview he also made a point to say that though he is one of only five military members to return from battle in afghanistan and iraq as a quadruple amputee, he is no different from the thousands of other wounded vets helping out: sgt mills (above with his wife, daughter and former president george w bush) has set up a non profit to help other injured and wounded veterans movie star: sgt mills will also be sharing his story in the new documentarytravis: a solider's story 'it's my story, but there are so many other guys out there like me,' he explained that is why sgt mills, 27, founded the travis mills foundation, a nonprofit organization, formed to benefit and assist wounded and injured veterans he also started travis mills group, llc where he consults with and speaks to companies and organizations nationwide, using his story to inspire others and, as if that was not enough, he will also appear in a new documentary produced by fotolanthropy about his life, travis: a solider's story the documentary features interviews with travis and his wife kelsey, detailing his horrific injury and the daily struggles and challenges he faces as a result of his life altering injury it also features his young daughter chloe, who was born just months before sgt mills left for afghanistan shocking admission: in a recent interview, sgt mills reveals that he probably was not supposed to make it out alive after the ied explosion after his injury, sgt mills dedicated himself to getting out of the hospital in 10 months so he could be reunited with his family especially his young daughter he admits in a preview for his documentary however, that he was still very much afraid of the future, saying, 'i was really worried about what life was going to be life afterward' he also revealed that he immediately thought of his child after the explosion, thinking to himself, 'my baby girl, am i ever gonna see her again?' humor: sgt mills has kept his sense of humor through this all, recently convincing an interviewer (above) that she could get his hand to turn by gruffly saying 'turn tight' to his prosthetic arm doting dad: sgt mills' wife kelsey gave birth to their daughter chloe (above) just months before the explosion that changed his life through all these difficulties and challenges though, sgt mills still somehow manages to keep a sense of humor about everything, lightening even the tensest of moments while speaking with nbc, he informed the woman interviewing him that he could make his prosthetic hand move on command by saying 'turn right' he then urged her to try, telling her to make her voice more 'gruff' and lower each time to get it to work, though the hand never turned eventually the young woman realized, it was all a joke, and sgt mills thanked her 'for playing' | seepproof afghanistan nonreputable hallowell travis mills strangering jugoslav jerez mamaguy | no related information |
marie mckinlay, 40, pictured arriving at court, is alleged to have run a high class escort agency called allure a brothel madam used the profits from her £500,000 a year business to put her two children through private school, a court heard yesterday marie mckinlay allegedly employed 25 high class prostitutes able to offer clients everything from ‘girlfriend experience to porn star experience’ they charged as much as £300 an hour and £1,500 for overnight bookings that had to ‘include some sleep’ mckinlay’s online escort agency was no more than a front for a prostitution racket, london’s southwark crown court was told the 40 year old rented a £1,500 a month apartment in central london where clients could romp with two girls from a roster with names such as ‘sophie sweetness’ and ‘beth angel’ she is said to have made more than £350,000 in profits from the racket in three years when the officers who arrested her told her what her earnings were she claimed to be shocked but said the money had ‘put two of her children through private school and paid her £1,500 monthly rent’ edmund vickers, prosecuting, said: ‘marie mckinlay ran an internet escort agency which provide prostitutes at what could be described as the high end of the market, the expensive end, for clients who were willing to pay £300 or more an hour for sexual services ‘she interviewed and recruited the girls, she uploaded their details to the website – not only their photos but the services that each girl offered and their prices – she dealt with the clients, and she organised the girls’ bookings ‘she charged the girls 30 per cent commission on all the takings, which made her a small fortune ‘in less than two and a half years between december 2008 and may 2011, when one looks at her bank account, one can see she received cash deposits totalling something over £350,000 'you will see that when the defendant was arrested, for the period from january to june 2011, she had already made over £90,000’ voyeurism: at southwark crown court (pictured), parsons also admitted to making or possessing 61 indecent photographs and distributing one image of children between four and ten years old when mckinlay was detained at her home in southampton in july 2011 police seized a diary which recorded ‘the names of the working girls and the amounts owed by each girl for each day of the year’ in interview in december 2011 mckinlay admitted setting up the agency and said her ‘ambition’ was that it should become ‘a top or elite agency’ and that she had 25 girls on her books she admitted to officers that she had rented the flat in london bridge but had been forced to cancel the contract in august 2010 as ‘the girls had used it for too many late night parties’ mr vickers added: ‘the defendant was responsible for putting in services provided by each of the girls that could range from french kissing to what is described as girlfriend experience to porn star experience ‘the crown say there can be no doubt that this was prostitution and that the defendant was controlling it’ mckinlay, of lewisham in south east london, denies controlling prostitution for gain and converting criminal property the trial continues sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | nongregariousness sculling outbustled marie mckinlay | no related information |
roma are weighing up a january move for petr cech jose mourinho insists chelsea have yet to receive any offers for the 32 year old goalkeeper despite mooted interest from liverpool, inter milan, arsenal, paris st germain and real madrid cech has played in the champions league against maribor and is valued at around £7million petr cech (left) has been displaced in the chelsea team this season by thibaut courtois (right) cech has only featured in one of chelsea's premier league games this season the czech republic international has found himself playing second fiddle to thibaut courtois this season after the belgian returned to the club following three seasons on loan at atletico madrid speaking in november mourinho said: 'on my desk, normally from my board's desk the information arrives, i have zero zero proposals 'at this moment, petr cech is our goalkeeper and has a contract for two more years 'he's a fantastic professional and puts the team's interests first not once has petr cech knocked on my door to inform me of his desire to accept some proposal this is my truth nothing more i can say' cech protects the ball from john terry during chelsea training on tuesday ahead of tottenham match cech's agent has also said the likelihood of him moving in january is slim but roma will weigh up their options once their champions league fate is sealed against manchester city next week roma are also among clubs to have made enquiries about tottenham defender vlad chiriches the romania international has been out of favour under mauricio pochettino and has started just three premier league games this season, including sunday's win against everton where he played as a makeshift right back roma are also tracking tottenham defender vlad chiriches, who has struggled for first team football the romania international has only started three premier league games under mauricio pochettino | 32 year old chelsea liverpool real madrid arsenal around £7million january thibaut courtois petr cech cech | petr cech has been displaced in the chelsea team by thibaut courtois roma are weighing up making a move for the chelsea keeper in january cech has also attracted interest from arsenal, liverpool and real madrid the 32 year old is valued at around £7million |
rspca inspectors investigating an illegal dog fighting racket involving pit bull terriers discovered up to six of the animals were being trained to keep fit on a treadmill, a court heard today officers discovered the manually operated running machine along with syringes and scalpels during raids on three properties in east lancashire where the dogs were seized one of the confiscated dogs had a big chunk missing from its ear while another had a head injury investigators from the animal welfare organisation examined one cottage and found carpets and wood boards with spatters of blood on them darren wheatcroft, left and his son callan, right, face 16 charges in relation to a dog fighting investigation the wheatcrofts appeared at hyndburn magistrates' court along with family friend simon whitworth, front details of the investigation emerged at hyndburn magistrates court in accrington where a father and son and a family friend faced a total of 16 charges including causing a dog fight to take place darren wheatcroft, 47 and his son callan, 21, who live together at accrington, are accused of keeping and training three bull terrier type dogs for use in connection with an animal fight, and having various implements, designed or adapted for use in a dogfight they are further accused of causing an animal fight to take place simon whitworth, 33, of oswaldtwistle is charged with causing unnecessary suffering to four bull terrier type dogs named sheba, beauty, dingo and bebo by failing to ensure they were treated by a vet after being injured he is also charged with having a dangerous dog, possessing implements designed or adapted for use in connection with an animal fight and keep premises for use for an animal fight all three suspects deny the charges and face a trial later this year in which 29 witnesses are expected to be called to testify prosecutor chris wyatt told the hearing said rspca officers found various dogs during raids on the homes of whitworth and the wheatcrofts he added: 'there are six dogs mentioned in these proceedings, five of which following a seizure were found to be pit bull dogs and banned by the dangerous dog act the team found possession of items used in dog fighting a tread mill was found which is used for training dogs 'this is not like you see in a gym it is a manual one there were syringes and scalpels this is stuff you would not expect to find in a normal persons house' two of the dogs were at mr whitworth premises one had injury to its ear the other had an injury to its front left leg one of the offences alleged against the wheatcrofts is that they were involved in the arrangement of dog fights due to messages seized from electronic devices whitworth is accused of keeping a premises used for animal fighting when the team entered the property they found carpets and wood boards with splatters of blood on it all adds up to being used for animal fighting but defence lawyer alex rostron acting for all three men told the hearing: 'they have not been training dogs to fight they say they play no part in that because they did not arrange any dog fights they are not training them and not fighting them' all three men were bailed pending a preliminary hearing at burnley magistrates court next month sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | castana biorhythmic deferrers callan darren wheatcroft desilvered | no related information |
it is one of the most spectacular birds of prey, with a wingspan of more than 15 metres so when this magnificent osprey swooped down to poach a trout from a loch near aviemore in the scottish highlands, the outcome was perhaps predictable but that didn’t stop one plucky duck from playing the role of gamekeeper catch: the osprey swoops for the trout in the scottish highlands loch drawing the attention of a mallard attack: the osprey attempts to take flight with the trout between its claws and with the mallard in hot pursuit as the raptor clasped the fish between its iron like talons, the outraged mallard – a featherweight by comparison, with a mere 80cm wingspan – launched a full frontal attack spreading its wings, it churned the water into a frenzy, quacking loudly in anger had the osprey, also known as a sea hawk, not been so determined, it may well have scored a duck but in the end, the mallard’s valiant efforts were in vain and the osprey made away with its tasty catch leaving the issue of fishing rights still to be decided – by ‘the beak’ perhaps? escape: the osprey flies away with its claws gripped firmly on the helpless trout | osprey histophyly limpily myrcene | no related information |
an animal lover was left horrified when she picked her dog up from a grooming salon to find that staff had shaved off all of its fur snieguole ghuman, 50, only dropped off her german shepherd simba at the canine beauty parlour for a wash and brush to remove some matted fur but when she returned she expected to see her beloved pet’s white coat looking fluffy and groomed, but was shocked when she found him almost completely bald, which has left simba 'depressed' shaved off: snieguole ghuman with her depressed dog simba after a traumatic visit to the grooming salon happier days: simba and his flowing fur before it became so matted the groomer cut it all off simba is now only walked at night because people laugh and sneer when they see him, her owner says staff at the salon had shaved off all the hair from the dog’s body leaving just his head covered in the inch thick fur when she asked the staff what had happened, she was told they had no choice and had acted on advice from the rspca gemma barnett, owner of the starz grooming salon in bournemouth, dorset,explained that simba had been so matted she had no choice but to call them, and shave it all off snieguole, who is also from bournemouth, says she has now been forced to stop walking simba during the day due to pointing and staring from members of the public furious: georgia barnett (19) outside her pet grooming salon in bournemouth, dorset, says she followed rspca advice and clipped mrs ghuman's dog snieguole’s daughter, brigita pritchett, 28, said: 'my mum had taken him in two weeks previously and asked for a wash and brush to sort his coat out 'he can get very matted as his fur is so thick and he loves going in the sea and mud which can make it like it 'then the next thing she knew was there was an rspca officer knocking on her door and the salon owner had reported her 'my mum arranged to bring him back there and get it sorted, but when she went to pick him up all his fur had completely gone sad: mrs ghuman says simba has become shy and depressed following the incident shocked: simba is now only walked at night because people who seem him laugh, her owner says 'the problem areas were just his belly and slightly on his legs, so i couldn’t understand why they needed to shave him completely 'he is a very sensitive dog and my mum said you could tell he didn’t like it, people then started pointing and staring at him as they walked home and he is now very depressed 'now she is forced to walk him at night because of all the looks they are getting'miss barnett, 19, said that simba was so matted she had no choice but to clip his fur to the short length, as less severe blades would only get stuck in the thick coat 'simba had been in twice before i called the rspca, and i had said to the owner both times that he needed to be clipped as his fur was so matted 'she then agreed to come in for a clip i tried to use a different blade but it wouldn’t go through his fur, so i used a shorter one 'the only reason it looks so short is because it’s a white dog, on a black dog it wouldn’t look so bad i had to remove as much fur as i did because it was that badly matted 'his skin was blood red because the knots were pulling it so badly, i do what is best for the dog and their welfare and happiness' a spokesperson for the rspca confirmed that they had received a complaint and are investigating the issue | bournemouth simba night rspca starz the german shepherd | the dog was dropped off for a wash and brush and left having had all his fur cut off owner of starz salon in bournemouth says the rspca told her to do it because simba's coat was so matted the german shepherd is 'depressed' and only walked at night because people laugh at him |
a widow whose husband, mother and father died within the space of 18 months at staffordshire hospital angrily confronted staff as thousands staged a demonstration against proposals to downgrade major services wearing a sign that read 'my husband drank out of a case! where were you then!' heather wilhelms had to be restrained by police as she made her feelings known to doctors and nurses who are fighting to save their jobs an estimated 30,000 marched from the town centre to the hospital to voice opposition after mid staffordshire nhs foundation trust was placed into administration five days ago and taken over by a team of managers who will spend 45 days deciding its fate mrs wilhelms, who held up picture frames with photos of her dead parents and husband, was restrained by a police officer during the stafford protest today heather wilhelms, whose husband and parents died in stafford hospital, was a lone protester among thousands of supporters of the scandal hit hospital today a sign pinned to her front read: 'my husband drank out of a vase! where were you then?' heather wilhelms told the bbc last month that she did not want stafford hospital to close the trust, which runs stafford and cannock hospitals, has a troubled past and up to 1,200 patients are feared to have died needlessly due to poor care between 2005 and 2009 in february, a long awaited report blamed the disaster on a ‘culture of fear’, with managers being more obsessed with meeting targets than patient care mrs wilhelms is one of among nearly 100 bereaved relatives and victims to be paid more than £1 million compensation in the largest ever group claim against a british hospital in 2010 speaking to the telegraph at the time, she told how doctors failed to notice her mother pauline nicklin, 71, had two cancerous tumours on her ovaries for two years before she died in 2006 nine months later, her father percy went to the hospital with a deadly foot infection, but was sent home without treatment convinced something was wrong, mrs wilhems took him back where he was diagnosed with blood poisoning and gangrene and died four days later aged 76 her husband tom was also treated at the hospital before he died from a lethal lung disease but mrs wilhelms again complained of appalling conditions mrs wilhelms's husband tom died at the hospital in 2007 after suffering a lethal lung disease thousands of campaigners marched from the town's market square to protest against the removal of major services from stafford hospital hospital staff joined protesters on the march in support of the hospital, run by the scandal hit mid staffordshire nhs trust the trust was put into administration this week only the second time this has happened in the nhs she said: 'they went into that hospital to get the treatment and care to make them better instead, one by one, they came out of that place in their coffins' despite her horrific experiences at stafford hospital, last month mrs wilhelms told the midlands express and star that she did not want to see it close she said: 'people do not want stafford hospital to close and i don’t want it to close 'although i do think there needs to be a clean sweep they need to bring someone in to sort it out once and for all' campaigners of all ages today packed into the market square in stafford for the rally and mile long march to the hospital, with many holding placards and banners showing their opposition to the withdrawal of services including maternity care from the hospital a public inquiry found that it had provided 'appalling' standards of care and caused unnecessary suffering to hundreds of patients over a five year period up to 2009 sue hawkins, chair of the support stafford hospital group, said today that it was important to move on from the past 'i think we've got to talk about 2013,' she said 'what happened, happened the numbers will be debatable but what we've got to do is move forward and look to the future for our community 'we've got a safe hospital today and we're looking to the future 'we need to have an intensive care unit here, we need to have an accident and emergency 24 hours a day and we believe that's possible 'we know there have to be changes, we know there may have to be some alliance with another hospital to achieve that' the march was organised by the support stafford hospital campaign group, which is fighting cuts to major services, including accident and emergency, at the hospital the stafford brigade marching band, in campaign t shirts, joined the protesters as they chanted on the route to the hospital many of those at the demonstration, including hospital workers, community groups and political representatives, said there was hope for the hospital heidi fligg, 46, said: 'people never appreciate anything until it's gone 'i've had family and friends that have survived all sorts through stafford and i just say it needs our support 'we're not the only hospital suffering, i appreciate that, but why should we be the scapegoat for every other hospital?' admin worker jo van derwyk, 46, said she had given birth to four babies at stafford hospital the youngest is now five and the eldest nearly 21 and had only good experiences then and since she said: 'stafford is a large town and it needs its hospital, it needs all its acute services, its emergency services and its maternity services' another supporter, brian henderson, said: 'as you can see today, the sense of feeling that people want services locally is immense' a young girl held up a placard reading: 'stafford hospital saved my life' one canine campaigner wore a 'don't let it go to the dogs' neckerchief mid staffordshire nhs trust could be broken up and its hospitals taken over by neighbouring trusts | heather wilhelms today stafford hospital wilhelms | heather wilhelms watched three family members die at stafford hospital demonstration today was held to keep major services at the hospital mrs wilhelms angrily confronted protesters demanding answers from staff |
former cia director and retired army general david petraeus is urging members of congress to support president barack obama's plan for military intervention in syria after the country's president is suspected of launching chemical attacks on his own people, killing more than 1,400, including hundreds of children petraeus says military action in syria is 'necessary' to deter other nations like iran and north korea from using similar weapons while the president could have used military force in syria without the approval of congress, he opted to put the decision to a vote even if congress doesn't approve the president's plan which seems likely given the bi partisan objections to intervening in yet another war in the middle east obama still has the authority to launch an attack endorsement: retired general and former cia director david petraeus is urging congress to approve obama's plan for missile strikes in syria 'failure of congress to approve the president’s request would have serious ramifications not just in the mideast but around the world,' petraeus said in a statement to politico president obama is using gruesome footage that shows the carnage in the suburbs of demascus following the august 21, attack, when the white house alleges syrian president bashar al assad launched sarin gas in areas considered to be rebel strongholds in one of the more heartbreaking videos, a room is full of what appear to be the lifeless bodies of dozens of children in another, men are seen foaming at the mouth and having convulsions in all, 1,429 people were killed in the vicious attack, including at least 426 children petraeus, who is widely respected amongst lawmakers when it comes to military matters, could help persuade members of congress to support the white house's plan for syria horror: the obama administration is showing videos that show dead children to congressmen to garner support for his plan for military intervention carnage: authorities say 1,429 people were killed during the attack, including 426 children 'failure of congress to approve the president’s request would have serious ramifications not just in the mideast but around the world military action against the syrian regime is, thus, necessary not just to deter future use of chemical weapons in syria and elsewhere, but also to ensure that iran, north korea and other would be aggressors never underestimate the united states’ resolve to take necessary military action when other tools prove insufficient,' petraeus said in the statement petraeus served as the us commander for the wars in iraq and afghanistan under former president george w bush and president obama he was tapped by obama to be the director of the cia in 2011 but was forced to resign after an affair he had with his biographer went public former secretary of state hillary clinton and former secretary of defense robert gates also have publicly supported the president's call for military intervention in syria support: president obama and secretary kerry likely will not be able to get congressional support for intervention in syria on monday when congress is back in session president obama will sit for interviews with six different television networks in an attempt to win public support for his plan for syria the interviews will be conducted by abc’s diane sawyer, cbs’s scott pelley, cnn’s wolf blitzer, fox’s chris wallace, nbc’s brian williams and pbs’s gwen ifill congress is expected to vote on the matter later this week, as support for the president's plan continues to dwindle president obama last week canceled a trip to california so he could stay in washington to continue lobbying for intervention in syria the president was scheduled to attend a $32,4000 a plate fundraiser at the home of marta kauffman, the co creator of the nbc sitcom friends | robert gates state datisca actinodromous ephebeia phonates hillary clinton menotyphlic | no related information |
a kidnap gang who tortured a sauna boss after abducting him off the street has been jailed for more than 66 years the criminals demanded £400,000 from stefanos neophytou after they took him to a house where they threatened his family and said they would pour petrol and acid over him the businessman, who was beaten and bound in chains, was only freed after promising to find £50,000 to pay off the gang who had warned they would 'do him in' scroll down for video masterminds: the operation was lead by mahmoud abouakkour (left), 21, and 32 year old tobias uter (right) but he reported the incident to the police and detectives arrested two of the gang members when they arrived at a drop off point to collect the money six gang members were jailed yesterday for more than 66 years after a month long trial the operation was lead by mahmoud abouakkour, 21, and 32 year old tobias uter, birmingham crown court heard judge roderick henderson said the blackmail plot had been carried out by 'ruthless and determined people' and that 'significant planning and professionalism was involved' he described the victim as an 'impressive and strong minded man' who ran the kind of business which 'attracted the attention of professional criminals' he said: 'they demanded money from him, £400,000, which demonstrates the stakes for which these people were playing' jailed: daniel roberts was sentenced to nine years and 10 months karl williams (right) was jailed for 13 years the kidnapping took place on january 3 this year as mr neophytou was leaving the libra sauna club near hockley, birmingham, and walking to his car, said prosecutor michael burrows qc he was confronted by a hooded man and bundled into the back of a van, where a blanket was put over his head and his wrists tied he was dragged out of the van into a house where a chain was put around his neck which was held so tight that he thought he was going to pass out, the court heard he was forced upstairs and told to wait for the 'big man' who later arrived and told mr neophytou he knew everything about him and his family before demanding £400,000 'tax' for protection criminals: laura lamb was jailed for five years and daniel wood was sentenced to six months the birmingham businessman stripped when he said he did not have the cash mr burrows added: 'they said they had acid and petrol he was aware of them putting some kind of bucket or barrel next to him and heard them ripping paper' the victim was released when he eventually agreed to pay the thugs £50,000 he was put back into the van and dropped off in ward end, birmingham, in the early hours of the morning he later told the gang he only had £20,000, which he said he would leave in a waste bin on january 7 police arrested abouakkour and uter when they went to pick up the money abouakkour, of birmingham, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and blackmail and two charges of attempted intimidation and was jailed for 20 years sentenced: members of the 'organised and determined' gang were jailed at birmingham crown court, pictured uter, of birmingham, had previously admitted conspiracy to kidnap and blackmail and was found guilty of two charges of attempted intimidation he was jailed for 18 years and six months karl williams, 36, of no fixed address, was convicted of attempted intimidation, possessing a firearm with intent and when prohibited and was jailed for 13 years daniel roberts, 40, of gloucester, who had also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and blackmail, was handed a sentence of nine years and 10 months laura lamb, 22, of birmingham, was jailed for five years, after being found guilty of attempted intimidation and possessing a firearm with intent daniel wood, 23, of birmingham, who had admitted money laundering, was sentenced to six months detective inspector tom chisholm led the investigation to bring the gang to justice he said: 'the defendants in this investigation were an organised and determined group, who went to considerable lengths to kidnap and blackmail the victim 'we are committed to reducing serious and organised crime in the west midlands and we are satisfied with the sentences handed to them, which reflect the grave nature of their offences 'we also hope it shows that crime really does not pay and deters others from getting involved in such crimes' | 66 years stefanos neophytou friday birmingham 50,000 | stefanos neophytou was abducted as he left his business in birmingham he was taken to a house where he was bound in chains and beaten he was released after promising to pay £50,000 in 'tax' for protection but he contacted police, who arrested two men at arranged drop off point six gang members were jailed for total of 66 years on friday |
we're used to seeing incredible satellite images of our planet, revealing everything from rocket fire to deforestation but back in the 1970s, these images looked more like faxed version of an atlas, revealing just how far the technology has come in just 40 years now nasa has released the first ever complete shot of the us, showing the contiguous 48 states, and stitched together from separate images in 1974 each of the 595 black and white image were taken at the same altitude of 560 miles (900km) and at the same angle in 1974, the images were used by map makers, geologists and scientists to better understand changes in land formation considered to be state of the art at the time, each of the 595 black and white image were taken at the same altitude of 560 miles (900km) and at the same angle overall, the map is 10 by 16 feet (3 metres by 5 metres), and the mosaic is produced at scale where one inch on the image equals a million inches on the ground in 1974, the images were used by map makers, geologists and scientists to better understand changes in land formation the were taken by the earth resources technology satellite, or landsat 1, which was launched on july 23, 1972 by a delta 900 rocket from vandenberg air force base in california the us as seen by satellites today the incredibly detailed satellite image can help reveal everything from deforestation to erosion an image of the us in 2012 showing ''the glow of natural and human built phenomena across the planet in greater detail than ever before' the landsat program has provided the longest continuous space based record of earth's land in existence today, landsat 8 is orbiting earth along with the landsat 7 satellite in orbit to produces stunning pictures of earth's surface the original landsat, dubbed earth resources technology satellite, or landsat 1, which was launched on july 23, 1972 just two years after the construction of this, landsat 1 discovered a tiny uninhabited island 124 miles (20km) off the eastern coast of canada the satellite carried two wide band video tape recorders that could store 30 minutes of scanner or camera data, giving it global coverage capability today, landsat 8 is orbiting earth along with the landsat 7 satellite in orbit to produces stunning pictures of earth's surface landsat 8 measures earth's surfaces in the visible, near infrared, short wave infrared and thermal infrared, with a moderate resolution of 50ft to 328ft (15 to 100 metres) landsat 7, meanwhile, is on a mission to refresh the huge global archive of satellite photos, providing up to date and cloud free images it has an average resolution of 100ft to 328ft (30 to 100 metres) landsat 7 (left) is on a mission to refresh the huge global archive of satellite photos on the right is the original landsat, dubbed earth resources technology satellite, or landsat 1, which was launched on july 23, 1972 landsat has provided the longest continuous space based record of earth's land in existence pictured is a timeline of different satellites | homoanisic 560 miles 900km diterpene tephritic murmurer | no related information |
so does one still rule the waves? that may have been the question asked by the queen yesterday and the unimpressed look that followed may have revealed the answer she may well have been concerned to learn how much britain's naval might has diminished since 1977 her majesty was being shown a chart outlining the current strength of the royal navy at whitehall's admiralty house as the duke of edinburgh finally received his birthday present queen elizabeth ii and the duke of edinburgh (right) are shown a map by first sea lord, admiral sir mark stanhope (centre) during a visit to admiralty house in central london the duke was given the office of titular head of the navy, for his 90th on june 10 for a man who has achieved much in his years the queen may have been in a quandary as to what to get her husband but as a former navy officer it was fitting the title of lord high admiral of the navy which dates back to the 14th century was chosen as a gift philip gave up his promising career on the seas to devote his life to royal duty and support his wife in her role as sovereign and yesterday at admiralty house, the former home of the lords commissioners of the admiralty, the duke received the letters patent as the holder of the title, as the queen watched in the 18th century building's admiralty boardroom where nelson attended meetings and the navy board still meets today philip saw the formal document prince philip takes the salute during his visit to the admiralty board and admiralty house, where he formally received letters patent as the holder of the title and office of lord high admiral prince philip and the queen were treated to a display of precision drumming by five members of the royal marines corps of drummers he listened intently as a senior naval officer gave a brief speech on the history of the title which had been held by the queen since 1964 until this summer when the description turned to the previous holder before the queen, the duke of clarence, later william iv, philip laughed when told that the royal had argued with his advisory council 'and when in 1828 he led a squadron out for manoeuvres without consulting either his council, the king or the duke of wellington and was gone, no one knew where, for 10 days it proved too much and he was asked to resign' during the event, philip was wearing a flesh coloured plaster on both ears above the lobe, but a buckingham palace spokeswoman said she did not believe it was anything serious admiral sir mark stanhope, the first sea lord and chief of naval staff, hosted the event, which featured senior naval officers as well as rank and file sailors the duke of edinburgh studying in the section room at the naval college greenwich philip and the queen watched a display of precision drumming by five members of the royal marines corps of drummers in the courtyard outside the building and also attended a reception for senior naval officers and ordinary servicemen before having lunch with the navy's top brass the duke is an admiral of the fleet and the military uniform he wore today is the same outfit he was dressed in on his wedding day in 1947 the birthday gift from the queen could be seen as a touching acknowledgement of the sacrifices the duke has made for his wife had he not become the monarch's husband, some believe he would have been first sea lord, the professional head of the royal navy in an itv interview to mark his 90th year, he was asked how he felt giving up his job as a royal navy officer 'i don't know how difficult it was, it was naturally disappointing,' he replied 'i had just been promoted to commander and the fact was that the most interesting part of my naval career was just starting' by gone age: the might of the british navy was there for all to see at gosport and southsea in 1977 for the queen's silver jubilee as part of the 1977 celebrations, the queen reviewed the fleet at spithead on board the royal yacht britannia philip joined the navy after leaving school and in may 1939 enrolled at the royal naval college, in dartmouth, where he was singled out as best cadet he rose rapidly through the ranks, earning promotion after promotion, but his life was to take a very different course during the second world war, philip served with the mediterranean and pacific fleets, and reached the rank of commander before his flourishing naval career came to a premature end in 1951 the health of his father in law george vi was deteriorating and queen in waiting princess elizabeth was required to take on more royal responsibilities philip stepped down from his active role in the forces to fulfil his duty as her consort his wife acceded to the throne within the year when the king died in february 1952 the number of warships in the royal navy has fallen dramatically in the past 30 years | chilostomata monarch dastardize | no related information |
within the next 30 years, the global population is set to increase by almost 3 billion up to 10 billion, and this rise is set to put a heavy burden on the healthcare industry futurologist peter cochrane has predicted how he believes the world will cope with this extra demand, and which technologies are set to revolutionise medical treatment over the next 25 years his forecasts include lighting that helps people recover from illness, virtual surgeries and wearables that detect cancer molecules scroll down for video futurologist peter cochrane has predicted how he believes the world will cope with an ageing and increasing population over the next 25 years, and which technologies are set to revolutionise medical treatment the claims were made in mr cochrane’s future technologies of health and care, wellbeing and transformation report, commissioned by philips innovation it also addressed how traditional job roles will evolve the claims were made in peter cochrane’s (pictutred) future technologies of health and care, wellbeing and transformation report peter cochrane believes that technology is easing people away from ‘mass medicine and treatment’ into a more focused world of personalised medicine targeted at the individual, whether that be at home or in public hospitals sensors will soon be able to relief pain, as well as detect cancer and other chemical inbalances in the body material, food, water and energy waste will be reduced thanks to the so called clouds of things, where everything is tracked, has sensors, and can communicate with each other and within 25 years, mr cochrane said jobs such as bankers, receptionists, call centre and warehouse operatives, will become redundant, with occupations such as 'cyborg engineers' and 'crime predictors' becoming common ‘[population figures] sound bleak, but the reality is that technology has satisfied all our desires and needs and we’ve never been in a better position than we are today,’ said mr cochrane ‘i’ve looked at how human needs will impact on innovation, both now and in the future’ mr cochrane explained that all the complex technology of medical care is currently concentrated in hospitals, but it is gradually heading to the doctor’s office this will then head to bathroom cabinets, and in the future, people are increasingly going to be looking after their own health, using apps or virtual surgeries the netdoctors website, for example, already offers virtual appointments with doctors, so patients can discuss conditions or problems, ask queries about an odd looking rash or seek advice when they can’t get an appointment with their gp dr sirfraz hussain, a gp at the moss side family practice in manchester, similarly uses skype to consult with his patients and said they have ‘revolutionised’ his practice by cutting waiting times according to the report, these advancements prove that technology is moving away from mass medical treatment into a more ‘focused, personalised approach targeted at the individual’ ‘whether at home, or in public hospitals many of the big expensive machines and laboratory facilities associated with hospitals are being miniaturised, simplified and migrated to the doctors’ surgery and in turn will soon be seen in our bathroom cabinets,’ continued the report it also explained that a new range of sensors could one day promise everything from non invasive scanning, to pheromone analysis capable of detecting the early onset of some cancers and other diseases these in theory could be placed inside wearable devices such as a wristband there are already a number of skin cancer apps available, too, that claim to be able to analyse and assess moles based on size and shape, including doctor mole and dermoscreen elsewhere, philips has been working with devices including pulse relief a gadget that tracks an individual’s pain, and monitors how it affects their life the future technologies of health and care, wellbeing and transformation report, by futurologist peter cochrane looks at how medical trends will revolutionise healthcare by 2040, his predictions include the rise of blue leds, virtual surgeries and appointments (pictured), and sensors that detect cancer molecules while blue led light technology, which recently won the nobel prize in physics, is used in products such as blue touch, a wearable blue led light pain patch philips bluetouch uses blue led lights to stimulate the body’s natural production of nitric oxide mr cochrane also believes that in the near future, we will be able to 3d print replacement body parts this boosts circulation and increases the spread of oxygen and nutrients through the body to treat mild to moderate pains the report went on to say that our homes and hospitals will look different in the future meaning our environments will help with recovery, in addition to medical technologies lighting and sound, for example, is being experimented with to see how changes in hues, or noise, can help a patient heal or recover quicker and these rooms can ‘adapt’ to respond to any changes another such innovation in offices, hotels and public buildings is carpets that provide information and directions through the combination of led lighting and light transmissive materials lighting is also being used to boost food production for example, an indoor farm in japan uses 17,500 led lights spread over 18 cultivation racks, and these lights are used to mimic day and night by monitoring the photosynthesis process carefully, the system grows lettuce two and a half times faster than an outdoor farm it also cuts waste product by 40 per cent and productivity per square foot is up 100 fold purple lighting is used to mimic night, for example, while the white lights are adjusted slowly throughout the day to mimic a sun moving through the sky and home lighting, including examples such as philips hue and lifx, can now alert users if there is someone at the door, flash when a favourite team scores a goal, or change colour when a text message is received philips, for example, has been working with devices including blue touch (pictured) it uses blue led lights, which recently won the nobel prize in physics, to detect and relieve back pain it uses the lights to stimulate the body’s natural production of nitric oxide to boost circulation and the spread of oxygen around the body technology, and in particular smart lighting, is similarly being used to tackle food shortages and waste for example, an indoor farm in japan uses 17,500 led lights (pictured) to mimic day and night by monitoring photosynthesis process carefully, the system grows lettuce two and a half times faster than an outdoor farm they can also be remotely controlled to protect houses when homeowners are on holiday, for example finally, the report looked at how jobs will change and evolve thanks to advances in technology in the next 25 years, jobs such as bankers, receptionists, call centre and warehouse operatives, stock traders, train drivers, pilots and even journalists are expected to change, said mr cochrane, as innovations develop to respond to human needs and home lighting, including examples such as philips hue (pictured left) and lifx (pictured right), can now alert users if there is someone at the door, flash when a favourite team scores a goal, or change colour when a text message is received to make our lives easier finally, the report looked at how jobs will change and evolve thanks to advances in technology in the next 25 years, mr cochrane believes new jobs will be created, such as ‘cyborg engineers’, ‘crime predictors’ similar to those seen in film minority report (tom cruise pictured) and ‘information caretakers’ mr cochrane believes this will result in the creation of as yet unheard of jobs such as ‘cyborg engineers’, ‘crime predictors’ – similar to those seen in film minority report and ‘information caretakers’ twitter and facebook is often praised for increasing awareness, and boosting so called 'citizen journalism', but mr cochrane said that this also increases the spread of misinformation he predicts that this will additionally lead to the rise of 'truth engines', that act like search engines but only show verified information ‘when confronted by any new technology we should ask one vital question what benefit will it bring to my life? and the answer should guide our decision to embrace or avoid,’ concluded mr cochrane | philips innovation future technologies of health and care, wellbeing and transformation peter cochrane | report was written by futurologist peter cochrane and philips innovation it looks at medical trends that will revolutionise healthcare by 2040 blue leds, virtual surgeries and cancer sensors are among the innovations future technologies of health and care, wellbeing and transformation report also predicts how job roles will change it claims 'cyborg engineers' and 'truth engines' will become common place |
angella johnson gave up alcohol for the experiment a few cups of coffee, an evening glass of wine, and saying yes to dessert – can these everyday pleasures be considered vices? increasingly, doctors suggest we would be healthier if we didn’t indulge so regularly new nhs guidelines announced last month suggest that those who drink just a couple of large glasses of wine a night should be offered drug addiction medication to help them break the habit there is also a concerted push to reduce our sugar consumption, and coffee has been strongly linked to the rising incidence of anxiety disorders, which now affect one in 20 of the population javed sabir, the pathology clinical lead at bmi healthcare, says that even short breaks from such common vices will yield health benefits and could break the cycle of regarding so called treats such as chocolate, wine and coffee as rewards ‘these may seem like harmless things to help get you through the day or a reward in the evening, but we don’t realise just how much damage they are doing to our bodies in the long term’ he adds: ‘giving up some of these common vices, even for just a few months, can make a big difference to your health, as our experiment shows ‘it’s easier said than done for most of us and it’s only when you try to give them up that you realise they are very real addictions ‘as with our three guinea pigs, what can often happen is that one addictive substance is replaced with another ‘of course, to see long term benefits you have to sustain that good work and keep motivated our volunteers underwent a battery of health checks as part of a bmi healthcare advanced assessment (bmihealthcarecouk) which measured their weight, blood pressure, body fat percentage, blood glucose levels, and waist/height ratio they then gave up their chosen ‘vice’ for three months each was offered sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy (cbt), a psychological treatment recommended by the nhs to help support addicts, but encouraged to make no other changes to their lifestyle at the end of the experiment, they were tested again their results were analysed by nutritional therapist jackie lynch (well well well couk) and personal trainer scott laidler ‘that can be a real challenge and sticking to everything in moderation may be a more sustainable lifestyle change’ i'm back in control and looking much better angella johnson , who is in her 40s, is single and lives in london she says: ‘in recent years i’ve found myself drinking more at first it was to help ease the stress of the day, but it became a habit as my nightly tipple increased to two or three glasses ‘i wanted to feel in control once more, and it was surprisingly easy for the first four days but after that i started to crave a large glass of chilled white wine i stayed home in the evenings to avoid temptation ‘by week two the sight of someone drinking on tv or just reading about it in a book brought on the thirst i drank coconut water by the litre when i ventured out, i stuck valiantly to mineral water for a treat i drank spicy virgin marys, but i yearned for alcohol ‘i chose not to have cbt – i prefer to be left to my own devices the end of week three left me feeling more comfortable, but envy still hit me in a social settings where others were drinking at home, quality chocolates were my late night replacement ‘after six weeks, during which i thought of drinking at least once a day, friends and colleagues started to point out that my eyes were clearer, my face was less puffy, and that i had lost weight i realised i was feeling more energetic it was vanity that made me continue because i cannot say that it got any easier clearly my addiction had deep roots it’s six weeks since i started drinking again and i have reset the valve when i have alcohol, it’s for the taste, not the effect i am once again in control’ verdict writer chris henry gave up sugar for three months jackie lynch says: ‘the nhs is planning to offer women who drink five units of alcohol a day – that’s a couple of large glasses of wine – addiction medication to reduce the numbers of patients with an alcohol related illness many middle class professionals think drinking this much is pretty normal it’s not the advantages from reducing intake, besides reducing the risk of heart and liver disease, diabetes and stroke, is it will make a rapid difference to your shape – as angella has discovered she would have seen even more progress if she hadn’t drunk so much coconut water because a litre contains the equivalent of 12 teaspoons of sugar’ scott laidler says: ‘her already high levels of cholesterol have increased, and i’d suggest warrant medical investigation – perhaps she turned to comfort foods high in saturated fats, but there could be an underlying genetic cause even if she did need medication, her numbers could be lowered with the correct food choices in combination with regular exercise’ i went sugar freeand dropped two trouser sizes chris henry, 42, is single and lives in hove he says: ‘how hard can it be to quit sugar? the answer is it’s incredibly difficult sugar is in everything, from the obvious cakes and biscuits to shop bought soups on the first day i left the shop with just asparagus and cheese midmorning and after dinner was when my sweet cravings were worse and i had to fight the urge for a bar of chocolate i had headaches and felt lethargic – i just didn’t think sugar had that kind of power ‘cbt helped me break the pattern of rewarding myself with sweet snacks, but the main motivator was mathematical – i learned to work out how much added sugar is in food and picture it as teaspoons going to the pub was fine – red wine is naturally low in sugar but i avoided eating out as i couldn’t face opting for a salad ‘going sugar free meant a more traditional meat and veg diet i lost 7lb in ten days at the end of the experiment i bought a cake and a chinese takeaway, but didn’t touch either my tastebuds have changed – even sliced bread is too sweet i am almost two trouser sizes smaller and feel so much better’ verdict antonia hoyle gave up caffeine for the experiment jackie says: ‘chris has done himself huge favours as his waist was heading towards 35in, the size linked to development of diabetes his blood pressure has improved dramatically – the body breaks down sugar and converts it into energy and this may increase the heart rate if consumption is excessive ‘sugars can build up in the liver, impairing function – so that’s why this reading improved ‘the rise in cholesterol might be down to the cheese – he needs to ensure his diet is rich in soluble fibre which binds to and excretes cholesterol in the gut he should also aim to increase essential fats from foods such as oily fish and nuts’ scott says: sugar and white foods such as chips and buns are addictive people use sweet treats to make themselves feel better emotionally the fast release energy they provide can’t all be utilised by a typically sedentary person with a desk job, so it’s stored as fat once you wean your tastebuds away from sweet things, it’s easy to break the bond hopefully the huge positives chris has experienced will help keep him from relapsing’ quitting coffee left me calmer but fatter antonia hoyle, 36, lives in london with her husband chris and two children she says: ‘i knew i was a caffeine addict, drinking four coffees, three cups of tea and two cans of sugar free cola a day to cope with the demands of being a working mother but reading reports linking the drug – yes, it is – to anxiety rang so very true i also suffered constant headaches ‘the first week was hellish: i was light headed, irritable and overcome by waves of tiredness cbt sessions helped remind me that these side effects were normal after that my headaches stopped and i slept better overnight i felt less anxious and my moods were much more even ‘but i felt flat there was nothing to look forward to in the mornings decaf tea tasted like fish and herbal tea was unsatisfying instead of espressos i’d resort to the biscuit barrel or chocolate to perk me up my evening cola was replaced with a couple of glasses of wine my weight crept up as a result within a week of the experiment ending, i was back to two cups of tea and cup of coffee a day i’ve decided caffeine is one drug that can be enjoyed in moderation’ verdict jackie says: ‘caffeine is a stimulant and antonia was consuming to excess – 400mg a day is the upper recommended limit and she was downing more than twice this, which was exacerbating her anxiety the drop in blood pressure is a result of her giving up it’s typical that she substituted it with another stimulant: sugar rehab clinics ban sweets because drug addicts often gorge on sugary snacks when their primary vice is removed, and she’s lucky she didn’t put on even more weight i suspect she isn’t eating a balanced diet with enough complex carbohydrates to sustain her energy levels’ scott says: ‘all that caffeine was being processed by the liver, which also regulates cholesterol levels now that the organ can focus on its primary job, her levels have fallen too but i suspect she’ll slip back into her old ways if she doesn’t tackle the issues driving her problem’ | chris henry nhs antonia hoyle underwent three month angella johnson | angella johnson, chris henry and antonia hoyle all took part in experiment underwent battery of health checks before and after three month period all three noticed huge positive differences to appearance and behaviour nhs is urging people to cut down on caffeine, sugar and alcohol |
snapped: kevin spacey broke off his performance in clarence darrow at the old vic in london to reprimand an audience member whose mobile started ringing oscar winning actor kevin spacey halted his new play on the opening night to snap at an audience member whose mobile phone went off yelling 'if you don't answer that i will' the house of cards actor stars in legal drama clarence darrow to celebrate the end of his 10 years as artistic director of the old vic theatre in london the one man show sees darrow, pioneering lawyer of 19th century america, relive some of the experiences which established his reputation as a courtroom giant and civil rights hero during a scene in which his character is on trial, defending himself, spacey was addressing the audience with a passionate plea for his innocence, when a mobile phone began ringing in that section the music got louder and louder as the guilty party tried to look innocent, until spacey finally snapped, in character shouting: 'if you don’t answer that, i will!' he received a round of applause following the performance audience members took to twitter to praise the star for how he handled the interruption nick clark wrote: 'mobile phone went off in old vic's clarence darrow tonight without breaking character kevin spacey said: 'either you answer that or i will'' twitter user @jmbriscoe added: 'good to know if you’re an idiot & let your phone ring during a show, the magnificent kevin spacey will call you out on it' and nick bailey said: 'kevin spacey, in character, to ringing phone in audience: 'if you don't answer that i will' legend #clarencedarrow' performing in the round, spacey had the audience hanging on his every word as he moved between engaging chats and witty anecdotes, to emotional confessions and rousing speeches the 54 year old star’s commanding performance earned him a standing ovation last night spacey has played the character before, on stage in inherit the wind and 22 years ago in the pbs film darrow praise: audience members took to twitter to praise the star for how he handled the interruption support: nick bailey said spacey was a 'legend' for the way he dealt with the phone ringing magnificent: spacey did not even break character as he paused to tick off the audience member he said: 'clarence darrow was a unique and courageous man several of my favourite actors have played darrow henry fonda, orson welles and spencer tracy 'wanting to get up on my beloved old vic stage in our 10th anniversary season was also important to me and taking on a play that i feel very close to seems right 'finally, throw in that i’ve never done a one man play, or performed in the round before, and this production offered me two firsts plus, you know i love a challenge' the production is directed by thea sharrock, who made the christmas special of call the midwife spacey, who has appeared in several old vic productions during his decade’s tenure, including richard iii and the philadelphia story, is stepping down as artistic director at the end of this year he will be replaced by matthew warchus farewell performance: kevin spacey stars in legal drama clarence darrow to celebrate the end of his 10 years as artistic director of the old vic theatre in london (pictured) kevin spacey’s reprimanding of an audience member who left their phone switched on is not the first time a famous actor has taken a stand against noise interrupting their performance audience members are warned to turn their mobile phones off as a matter of course prior to the vast majority of theatre shows but a ringing phone is not always to blame spacey himself attacked audience members at the old vic in 2004 for letting their phones go off inside the theatre and for noisily opening sweet wrappers royal row: last may, dame helen mirren shouted at a group of drummers to be quiet during her performance as the queen in the audience at the gielgud theatre ticking off: dame helen was still in her queen costume when she told the drummers to be quiet and last may, dame helen mirren shouted at a group of drummers to be quiet while still dressed in her stage costume as queen elizabeth ii the troupe of dancing drummers, who were promoting a festival for gay and transgender people, were stunned when dame helen told them in colourful language to be quiet she went outside the west end’s gielgud theatre where she was starring as the queen in the audience, for which she has won an olivier award in the interval to confront the group the next day she arrived at the theatre wearing a t shirt supporting them, and admitted using “a few thespian words” she said the group were “very sweet and stopped the minute they knew i wasn’t just a batty old woman haranguing them on the streets of soho” back in 2009, the showstopping performance by hollywood stars daniel craig and hugh jackman as their broadway show was interrupted by a mobile phone call became an internet hit footage of the stars as they unflappably dealt with the continued ringing during a new york performance of a steady rain was watched a third of a million times in a matter of hours the footage which itself seems to have been taken with a mobile was posted on youtube, showing how they halt their usual dialogue until the ringing stops interrupted: in 2009 the performance by hollywood stars daniel craig and hugh jackman in a steady rain was interrupted by a mobile phone call james bond star craig and wolverine actor jackman took the ringing phone in their stride as it interrupted a preview performance of the play jackman told the owner of the ringing phone “you want to get that?”, as the audience laughed and cheered as the ringing continued, jackman paced the stage and pleaded: “come on, just turn it off” craig then joined in with the ad libs at the gerald schoenfeld theatre, asking: “can you get that, whoever that is, can you get it? we can wait, just get the phone” “don’t be embarrassed, just grab the phone,” jackman urged the pair had to wait about a minute for the ringing to stop richard griffiths, who died in march last year, was famously short tempered when it came to noisy audience members in november 2005 he halted a performance of heroes at london's wyndham's theatre and threw out one theatre goer when her mobile phone went off for the third time, after asking 'is that it or will it be ringing some more? 'could the person whose mobile phone it is please leave? the 750 people here would would be fully justified in suing you for ruining their afternoon' he was given a standing ovation by the audience griffiths, whose film roles included withnail & i and harry potter, also reprimaded audience members whose phones went off during performances of the history boys at the national in london in 2004, and in new york in 2006 action: richard griffiths (left), pictured with heroes co stars john hurt and ken stott, stopped the show to throw out an audience member when her phone went off for a third time he told the broadway audience: 'you should be ashamed of yourselves 'i am not going to compete with these electronic devices you were told to turn them off by the stage manager, you were told it was against the law' he was said to have added: 'we're going to start this scene again if we hear one more phone go off, we'll quit this afternoon's performance you have been warned' in 2012, famed director sir peter hall apologised to downton abbey actress laura carmichael after he 'unintentionally disrupted' the star during her west end stage debut the actress, who shot to fame as downton’s lady edith crawley, continued her closing monologue in the chekhov classic uncle vanya, despite a commotion caused by sir peter the theatre veteran, then 81, denied reports that he heckled the actress during the performance on friday and said he was 'disorientated' after falling asleep he said in a statement: 'i am mortified that i unintentionally disrupted the final scene of uncle vanya and i have sent a personal note to laura carmichael offering my apologies 'i enjoyed the evening, and her performance, immensely, and i cannot stress too strongly that my remarks were in no way directed at her or the production' sir peter, who founded the royal shakespeare company and directed the national theatre, said: 'being rather aged, i dropped off for a moment and on being woken by my wife i was briefly disorientated 'remarks made in the resulting confusion were not in any way related to uncle vanya which i think is a very fine production with a marvellous company of actors' | old vic clarence darrow spacey opening night house of cards 54 london | house of cards actor, 54, halted clarence darrow at the old vic in london spacey was delivering a monologue when the mobile began loudly ringing star broke off in character to yell 'if you don't answer that, i will' legal drama marks the end of spacey's decade as artistic director at old vic he received a standing ovation for his performance at opening night |
'bailout': the nephew of jfk, robert kennedy jr, received $14bn of taxpayers' cash for his company, it is claimed the nephew of former president john f kennedy has been given a secret £14bn bailout for his company thanks to his white house connections, a new book has claimed robert f kennedy jr is said to have received the vast sum of tax payers' cash for his 'green energy' firm brightsource while it was $18bn in debt in 2010 the payment was made by sanjay wagle, a former brightsource employee who after raising money for barack obama was rewarded with a job in the us department of energy, it is claimed the revelation was made in an explosive new book, throw the all out, which exposes the secret financial deals of an inner circle of businessmen and politicians in the white house the author peter schweizer says that the payment was made to kennedy jr thanks to connections in washington kennedy jr is the son of robert f kennedy and ethel skakel kennedy robert 'bobby' kennedy is the brother of the former president jfk, who was assassinated in 1963 following jfk's assasiantion in november 1963, robert 'bobby' kennedy continued to serve as attorney general under president lyndon b johnson for nine months however, he later split after disagreements over the vietnam war and by 1968 was a favourite for the democratic party leadership tragically, just hours after winning the california presidential bobby kennedy was shot three times by sirhan sirhan by arab gunman sirhan sirhan while addressing a packed hotel in la he died 26 hours later on june 26 robert f kennedy jr has forged a successful career as an attorney specialising in environmental law and more recently and as a radio host, wagle was one of the principals in kennedy’s firm who raised money for barack obama’s 2008 presidential campaign when obama was elected to the white house in 2008, wagle was installed at the department of energy (doe), advising on energy grants family connections: robert f kennedy jr's father robert 'bobby' kennedy, centre, with former president john f kennedy, left, and edward 'ted' kennedy, right brightsource, whose largest shareholder is kennedy’s vantagepoint partners, is said to have faced financial difficulties before the bailout the company needed a massive government contract for a solar panel plant on federal lands on california if it was to survive a company statement from the time said: 'our future success depends on our ability to construct ivanpah, our first utility scale solar thermal power project, in a cost effective and timely manner 'our ability to complete ivanpah and the planning, development and construction of all three phases are subject to significant risk and uncertainty' the company was able to continue with the project after the bailout, it is alleged just two years previously, kenndery jr had said publicly that obama's energy plans would create 'a gold rush' claims: throw them all out by investigative journalist peter schweizer schweizer writes in throw them all out: 'a billion dollars in taxpayer money being sent to wealthy investors to bail them out of risky investments—does this sound familiar to anyone?' it is also claimed in the book that billionaire investor warren buffet profited with millions from the government bailout programs he helped design however, all of transactions are legal in the us the book merely highlights how 'insiders' can profit from the system schweizer also claims that nancy pelosi, minority leader of the united states house of representatives, bought visa shares while she was overseeing legislation that would directly impact the stock’s value schweizer writes in the book: 'politicians have made politics a business they are increasingly entrepreneurs who use their power, access, and privileged information to generate wealth 'and at the same time well connected financiers and corporate leaders have made a business of politics they meet together in the nation’s capital to form a political caste 'in short, the permanent political class has clearly figured out how to extract wealth from the rest of us based solely on their position and proximity to power if you have a seat at the table, you are in for a feast 'if you don’t have a seat at the table, you are probably on the menu exactly how crony capitalists are consuming public wealth and fattening themselves is the subject of this book' he said that palosi had profited from a street lighting project which she was in charge of he added: 'for years, nancy pelosi has pushed for earmarks to construct and ultimately extend san francisco’s so called third street light rail project 'in 2004, she boasted to her constituents that she had secured more than $120 million in federal money for the project third street is one of the most expensive light rail projects ever, costing $660 million for just a six mile route ' brightsource were not available for comment | white house obama 18bn | firm had $18bn debt and needed cash to survive former employee who landed job in white house after funding obama campaign 'made the payment' |
until now, the whereabouts of a lancaster bomber shot down in 1943 remained a mystery gunner john currey (pictured) was one of seven crewmen who died after the berlin raid as the lancaster raced across the night sky in 1943 after completing its 19th bombing raid, the crew's luck finally ran out it was shot down by a luftwaffe air ace as it returned from berlin and for 70 years, the whereabouts of the plane and its brave airmen, including sgt john currey, remained a mystery but now, john's two sisters have finally learned the truth about the world war two hero after his bomber was discovered in a remote german forest nora williams, 89, and her sister molly, 87, were teenagers when their brother failed to come home the 21 year old air gunner, of scarborough, north yorkshire, was part of a seven man crew who flew in the lancaster ed328 none of the crew survived the fateful flight and their families never knew where and how they died but aviation historians have now discovered the wreckage of the downed lancaster bomber 70 years after the tragedy in dense woodland 25 miles north of berlin and nora, who still lives in scarborough, told of her relief yesterday after finally discovering what happened to her lost brother she said: 'i have always wanted to know what really happened to my brother and now i have got that 'i was surprised to get this information it came completely out of the blue but it has been quite satisfying 'there is only myself and molly left from the family and we are still coming to terms with it it’s difficult to talk about' pictured are four of the other bomber command crew (l to r) who took part in the bombing raid of berlin that night: sgt john phillips, flight sgt douglas tresidder, flight sgt robert naffin and sgt david morgan ellis john currey's two sisters nora and molly williams have finally learned the truth about their war hero brother after his plane was discovered in a remote german forest aviation historians have established it came down in woodland in the village of lanke, 25 miles north of berlin the discovery of the crash site was made by aircrew family member ian hill the nephew of sgt john phillips, who was the 19 year old mid upper gunner his family is pictured with dr hans richter, who witnessed the crash when he was 14 the discovery of the crash site was made by aircrew family member ian hill the nephew of sgt john phillips, who was the 19 year old mid upper gunner mr hill said his 81 year old mother alwyn had finally been given 'closure' after learning what happened to her brother he said: 'we managed to track down an eyewitness who saw the whole night battle above his head and then the crash 'the lancaster was attacked from underneath and its fuel tanks were hit causing it to explode in mid air pictured are the remains from the lancaster crash site, now in an aviation museum in berlin above, a lancaster bomber similar to the one which came down outside berlin nora, who lives in scarborough, told of her relief yesterday after finally discovering what happened to her lost brother the lancaster got lost as it tried to return to the 101 squadron base in ludford magna, lincolnshire, after the raid the raf crash report during the war couldn't pinpoint where the plane came down the young crew were intercepted and shot down by the messerschmitt of major werner husemann (above), who is still alive aged 94 'we now know that the bodies of the crew were treated with the utmost respect by the luftwaffe and buried with full military honours in a local cemetery' the seven man crew was made up of three british airmen of the rafvr and four australian members of the raaf their plane was lost trying to return to the 101 squadron base in ludford magna, lincolnshire, after the raid over berlin the raf crash report during the war couldn’t pinpoint where the lancaster came down but after months of poring over incorrect crash reports, mr hill and a team of german aviation archaeologists finally discovered they came down in woodland near the village of lanke they were flying their 19th bomber command mission when their luck ran out by 1943, bomber command aircrews had just a one in four chance of surviving their first 30 missions the young crew were returning from the raid when they were intercepted by the messerschmitt of major werner husemann who is still alive aged 94 he was a highly decorated air ace who received the iron cross from adolf hitler sales manager mr hill, from crewe, cheshire, said the schoolboy who witnessed the final moments of the crew gave him an emotional tour around the forest crash site the bodies of the crew were treated with the utmost respect by the luftwaffe and buried with full military honours in a local cemetery mr hill said: 'dr hans richter was only 14 at the time but his memory is so vivid it was an extremely traumatic experience as it took place over his head 'he said he saw a chain of light going from the german night fighter to a large black four engined plane 'next there were sparks and a huge red fireball and then the plane came down in parts after exploding 'his father was the head of the local fire brigade which had to tend to the crash site and exhumed the bodies 'it was wonderful to learn they were laid out in the village hall and buried in the local cemetery with full military honours by the luftwaffe and treated with respect' the search is still underway to trace the remaining families of the tragic crew who have never known where and how their loved ones died above, a whistle recovered from the crash site in 1946, the bodies of the crew were moved and interred at the berlin 1939 45 war cemetery now parts of the crashed plane have gone on display at finowfurt aviation museum in berlin the search is still underway to trace the remaining families of the tragic crew who have never known where and how their loved ones died they include the family of married 32 year old flight engineer flt sgt david morgan ellis, of pontypridd, south wales the two remaining australian crew to have families traced are 23 year old air gunner flt sgt everard john phillips, of wembley, western australia, and 25 year old navigator flt sgt noel joseph bullen, of thornbury, victoria mr hill said: 'before this discovery, all the families knew was they had crashed somewhere around berlin and were buried in the berlin war cemetery in 1946 'it would be really nice to try and share the whole experience with the other families and give them what we have had the chance to go and see the plane and crash site 'at the end of the day, these guys gave their lives for the freedoms we have today 'it’s nice to be able to pay some respects and keep their memory alive' in 1946, the bodies of the crew were moved and interred at the berlin 1939 45 war cemetery now parts of the crashed plane have gone on display at finowfurt aviation museum in berlin | sgt john currey berlin lanke 1943 25 miles werner husemann molly williams norma | sgt john currey was a gunner on a fateful bombing raid over berlin in 1943 until now, his sisters, norma and molly williams, never knew where and how he and his six fellow airmen died historians found crash site near village of lanke, 25 miles north of berlin plane was shot down by air ace major werner husemann, who is still alive |
dean farrimond killed two people by crashing into their taxi while driving his own car high on drugs and alcohol a drunk motorist killed a taxi driver and his passenger in a head on crash while 'fishtailing' across the road having binged on cocaine and lager dean farrimond was driving on the wrong side of the road when he lost control of his car and smashed into the oncoming taxi driver kenneth grimshaw, 59 and passenger emma houghton, 23, died after the vehicle was thrown backwards into a house in leigh, greater manchester tests taken after the fatal collision showed farrimond, a father of three, was more than twice the legal alcohol limit when he got behind the wheel the 35 year old was jailed for eight years today after telling police he did not remember the incident on november 30, 2013 liverpool crown court heard mr grimshaw was a driving instructor by day, and had taken up work with a private taxi company when he collected miss houghton, a mother of two farrimond had been drinking and taking drugs including diazepam and cocaine at a nearby social club when decided to drive home at around 4am, witnesses described his 'out of control' driving he had travelled around one kilometre when his car veered into the path of mr grimshaw and miss houghton the taxi driver died at the scene while miss houghton was taken to hospital she later died of head injuries judge clement goldstone qc told farrimond he did not believe that he could not remember the horrendous crash 'you knew perfectly well what had happened but you were not able or willing to accept responsibility for the enormity of what you had done 'it was an appalling piece of driving and that cocktail of three components but principally alcohol, was to prove a lethal one,' he said farrimond was banned from driving for ten years miss houghton's father, stuart foy, described his daughter as a 'fun and bubbly' woman who 'loved life' 'emma was a young girl that loved life now she has been taken from us, her children will never grow up to know their mother' mr grimshaw's daughters paid tribute to their 'hard working' and 'selfless' father emma houghton (left) and taxi driver kenneth grimshaw (right) were killed in the accident last november a judge at liverpool crown court rejected farrimond's claim he could not remember the events of the crash sgt mark thomas from the serious collision investigation unit said: 'due to farrimond’s irresponsible and reckless actions, two families have been left truly devastated 'emma was a young woman who was just starting out in life and ken was a loving family man who had two daughters and three grandchildren 'both families have been left with huge voids in their lives that will never be filled but hopefully, this sentencing can help a little with closure' | leigh 35 year old dean farrimond kenneth grimshaw emma houghton last year manchester a decade eight years | dean farrimond had been drinking at local social club when he drove home the 35 year old lost control of his car on road in leigh, manchester veered into the path of oncoming taxi and smashed into vehicle head on kenneth grimshaw and emma houghton died after the accident last year farrimond was jailed for eight years and banned from driving for a decade |
tragic: gloria knowles, who was savaged to death by her daughter's dogs, pictured at harrington's pie and mash shop, tooting, where she worked fresh calls were made for a change in the law today after a great grandmother was apparently mauled to death by her daughter's dogs in her back garden the five animals pounced on gloria knowles, 71, after she went into the garden to give them their evening meal as a favour to her daughter, beverley mason the widow was badly injured when the dogs – two 'giant' bordeaux french mastiffs, two american bulldogs and a small mongrel – seemed to suddenly turn on her she was found dead at the scene in morden, south london on tuesday night currently, police can only prosecute owners of dogs who harm people if the attack happens in public and they can only forcibly remove illegal dogs however, today further calls were made for the department for environment, food and rural affairs (defra) to change the law to allow dog control rules to apply everywhere the communications union cwu, which represents postmen, is campaigning to change the law and said the dangerous dogs act 1991 is failing to protect both dog owners and attack victims they pointed to two incidents where postmen in cambridge and sheffield almost lost limbs while carrying out their duties the man who owned two rottweilers that almost tore off the cambridge postman's arm in 2008 escaped prosecution brutal: the court heard how all of the dogs, including two french mastiffs, two american bulldogs and a small mongrel (all pictured), have been put down after all their bite marks were found on mrs knowles' body billy hayes, cwu general secretary, said: 'the death of gloria knowles is another sad reminder of the need for better dangerous dogs laws under the dangerous dogs act 1991, dog owners cannot be prosecuted if their animal attacks someone on private property this has raised controversy, especially when it comes to the case of police officers who are attacked by dogs when making an arrest in a suspect’s home and the owner escapes prosecution postal workers, nurses and social workers, who are all lawfully entitled to be on private property, are also affected by the rules four children and one adult were killed in dog attacks in private homes between 2007 and 2010 the number of injuries has more than doubled from 2,915 in 1997 to 6,118 in 2010 currently, the law says only owners can only be prosecuted if a dog attack occurs on public land, not in places such as in family homes the communication workers union launched a ‘bite back’ campaign to change the law to cover attacks on private property scotland and northern ireland have already introduced new improved legislation and wales is legislating in the current session 'the private property issue is again highlighted in this case although it may not be appropriate to prosecute the daughter for her mother’s death – she will be suffering all sorts of agonies over the loss of her mother – it could have been necessary under different circumstances 'if a person is killed by dogs on private property there is almost no chance of prosecuting the owner and getting compensation for victims, regardless of the recklessness of the dog owner and the viciousness of the attack' he added: 'this government has procrastinated and steadfastly refused to act on the issue of dangerous dogs while people continue to suffer serious injuries and lose their lives in dog attacks' police and paramedics were called after neighbours described hearing 'hysterical screaming and barking' from mrs mason's garden five dogs were later seized from the semi detached property, and it was revealed that mrs knowles had had a heart attack as the animals set on her it is not yet known if she suffered a heart attack before or during the attack a post mortem examination is expected to be carried out later today nazir hussein, a friend and neighbour of mrs knowles, was alerted to the attack when he heard her daughter mrs mason screaming 'mum, mum, mum' outside the house mrs knowles lived next door to her daughter, with her granddaughter, who has a baby of her own the family has run harrington's pie and mash shop in nearby tooting, for several generations mrs mason lives with her husband, dylan, and her other three children the couple own the dogs together mr hussein, 65, said he had long been afraid of the family's dogs, describing them as 'vicious' dog attack: mrs knowles (centre) with daughters jasmine jade knowles (left), and beverley knowles (right) 'i would see the dogs being walked in the park but i didn't want to walk near them,' he said 'they were vicious dogs – you knew by how they pulled on the lead and you could hear them barking from my house neighbour: kevin hamilton said he heard screaming but assumed it was one of beverley's children 'there were so many dogs something like this was bound to happen' another neighbour, kevin hamilton, described hearing screams from mrs mason's house at 5:15pm but mistook the noise, thinking it had come from one of mrs knowles's grandchildren accountant mr hamilton, 65, who lives in the other house next door to mrs mason, described hearing 'hysterical screaming and barking' as he watched television he only became aware of the attack when a police officer told him about it, explaining that mrs knowles was alone in the house when she went to feed the dogs he said officers had told him it was mr mason who discovered mrs knowles's body mr hamilton described the two mastiffs as 'real muscle dogs' with 'enormous chests', and said the animals had a 'pack mentality' he added: 'if one jumped on you it would certainly knock you over' he revealed mrs mason also owned cats and that one of them was killed a few weeks ago after the dogs began playing with it he said: 'about two months ago they had this white cat which died 'the cat used to sleep with the dogs and one of these dogs started to playfully toss it in the air they have a pack mentality so the others started doing it too 'it survived initially and they wrapped it in a blanket, but it later passed away from shock they are not the sort of dogs you would want to mess with' he described mrs knowles, a widow, as a 'fit old bird' who talked to all the neighbours and enjoyed gardening she had lived on the street with her husband victor for 40 years, until he died five years ago neighbours said her daughter and her family moved into the house next door the year after mr knowles's death they explained that there was a gate between the gardens of the two houses which mrs knowles would regularly use, often to feed the animals scene: police have cordoned off the morden home where mrs knowles died last night scene: the back garden of gloria knowles' daughter beverley where it is believed the five dogs attacked her tragedy: dog baskets and food bowls can be seen in the garden at the scene where gloria knowles may have been mauled to death by the animals animals removed: police have seized the two french mastiffs, the american bulldogs and the mongrel and are in police approved kennels pending the post mortem another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: 'the dogs were always barking, everyone around here will tell you that 'they had always had dogs but never any that big they were not the sort of dogs i would have around children, let me put it that way' two years ago barbara williams, 52, was mauled to death by an eight stone neapolitan mastiff in wallington, south london the dog had been kept in a cage seven inches shorter than its body earlier this year its owner alex blackburn smith, 35, admitted failing to ensure the dog's welfare and was ordered to do 150 hours' unpaid work and pay costs of £3,300 at croydon magistrates' court in january leslie trotman, 83, died after he was mauled by a 'pitbull type' dog that had broken out of his neighbour's garden in brentford, west london a scotland yard spokesman said: 'police were called at around 625pm on tuesday to reports of a 71 year old woman found deceased at a residential address in morden' he added that an investigation was under way to establish the cause of death, and said the woman had sustained a 'number of injuries' a london ambulance service spokesman said: 'we were called at 612pm to [a house] in morden to a patient in cardiac arrest sadly, the patient was dead at the scene' the family was too upset to talk last night mrs knowles's death follows a spate of attacks by dangerous breeds earlier this year, leslie trotman, 83, died after being mauled by a 'pit bull type' dog that had escaped from his neighbour's garden in brentford, london and two years ago barbara williams, 52, was killed by an eight stone neapolitan mastiff its owner, alex blackburn smith, 35, admitted failing to ensure the dog's welfare after it was discovered to have been living in a cage seven inches shorter than its body | undubious isobilateral curlingly 71 hornworts gloria knowles cincinni | no related information |
this is the shocking moment a mother left her baby in its pram and made a vicious racist attack on a total stranger serial thug amanda lowe, 26, was only yards away from her daughters, aged four months and eight years, when she shouted abuse at a passer by as her boyfriend joined in and punched the victim to the ground, lowe repeatedly stamped on the man’s head before returning to her children, miming a punch and a kick to show what she had done scroll down for video thug: amanda lowe is seen launching an unprovoked attack on khuram nisar in this shocking cctv footage a judge called lowe a ‘disgrace’ after watching horrifying cctv footage of the attack and warned of the effects it would have on her children judge lindsey kushner, qc, told her: ‘kids who have mothers who behave like you end up behaving like you that damage starts from when they are tiny’ but despite the fact it was a fourth conviction for assault in six years for lowe – who is now pregnant again – the judge spared her a prison sentence for the sake of those children walked free: lowe's conviction is her fourth conviction in six years that meant that despite a string of convictions between them, lowe’s boyfriend and cousin, who also intervened, had to be freed as well because they had admitted less serious offences lowe had been drinking with wesley earls, father of her unborn child, and daniel wray in piccadilly gardens in the centre of manchester this may when the attack took place, the city’s crown court heard the area was crowded with families enjoying the evening sunshine as khuram nisar walked through on his way home from work without provocation, lowe shouted racist abuse at him and added: ‘you’re a terrorist, don’t come near me, i’m worried you’ll blow me up’ and ‘go back to pakistan’ he responded by telling 26 year old earls to ‘control his woman’, but earls reacted by punching mr nisar to the ground, joined by wray, 21 cctv footage shows lowe leaving her eight year old daughter, along with the pram with her baby in, and enthusiastically joining in the assault she is seen repeatedly kicking mr nisar’s head and stamping on it in front of witnesses he suffered cuts and bruises after the fight was broken up lowe appeared ‘thrilled’ by what she had done and threw a pretend punch, the court heard as they left the square lowe was seen miming a kick seconds later the three were arrested between them they had 21 previous convictions, the court heard, many for violence members of the public watch as amanda lowe continues to attack mr nisar in piccadilly gardens, manchester by this point mr nisar had been kicked to the ground as lowe stamped on his head a passer by was unable to stop the assault mr nisar's shocked face can be seen as amanda lowe, now pregnant with her third child, continues her unprovoked attack the footage, released by the crown prosecution service, shows the assault which took place on may 21 this year in manchester city centre lowe appears to recreate the attack for the benefit of a friend as she pushes her four month old baby girl in her pram lowe, pictured chatting to friends after the attack, was arrested with her baby's father wesley earls and cousin daniel wray shortly after the attack dressing gown: lowe answers the door at her home lowe, who has a criminal record dating from when she was 17 including assaults and disorderly behaviour, admitted racially aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm earls, who was last year given a restraining order over a domestic violence offence, and wray, who in 2009 was convicted of assaulting a police officer, both admitted a single charge of actual bodily harm judge kushner told lowe: ‘the damage you are doing to your children – there at the time and seeing you drunk, the risk you put them at – is disgraceful she was in that state in charge of two children 'that in itself is a criminal offence, drunk in charge of a child how irresponsible can you get? you could easily have been dealing with a care case here’ but she said the ‘enormous impact’ that jailing lowe would have on her children meant it was unfair to lock her up lowe and earls, both of blackley, manchester, were given 12 month jail sentences, suspended for two years, and two year supervision orders lowe was ordered to attend a ‘women’s programme’ while earls was sent on a course for ‘violent, angry, impulsive drinkers’ wray, of salford, said to have been ‘fleetingly’ involved by punching mr nisar before retreating, was given the same sentence judge kushner told all three that if they offended again they would go to jail now watch the cctv footage | amanda lowe wesley earls group manchester crown court eight year old lowe khuram nisar daniel wray | amanda lowe spared prison by judge at manchester crown court lowe left baby girl and eight year old daughter to attack khuram nisar baby's father wesley earls and lowe's cousin daniel wray also took part group had 21 previous convictions between them, many for violence |
they don’t call him dinky for no reason, for this this little foal has been hailed britain’s smallest donkey the miniature donkey weighs just 30lbs and is three times lighter than the average baby horse dinky is no taller than a wellington boot and is the smallest foal ever born at the donkey sanctuary in sidmouth, devon tiny: dinky the donkey, who was born at the donkey sanctuary in sidmouth, devon, is so small he is no taller than a wellington boot little and large: dinky the donkey with his mother summer who was rescued from an overcrowded farm in june fluffy: dinky the donkey bounds around his paddock at the donkey sanctuary in sidmouh, devon vet elena barrio, who has been at the sanctuary for nine years said: ‘as his mum is a miniature donkey he's the smallest foal we've ever had about the size of a dog ‘to give you an idea he's about 90 pounds lighter than the average thoroughbred horse foal ‘he's such a beauty and so delicate small but perfectly formed and perfectly healthy no wonder his mum is so proud of him’ dinky, who weighs just 30lbs, is in no danger of piling on the pounds as he tucks into hay with mother summer the miniature donkey isn't much bigger than this ball and is the smallest foal to be born at the devon sanctuary just foaling around: dinky and mother summer play in the paddock the owners of the foal’s mother, summer, gave her to the charity in june when they could no longer care for her on a farm in oldham, manchester the donkey sanctuary does not allow breeding, but summer was already pregnant when she was rescued dinky is the 15th foal to be born at the sanctuary this year people can visit the site, which is open to visitors, and take part in donkey grooming, nature walks and educational activities | nontemporary beseemed lameds dinky | no related information |
return: nicolas sarkozy is set to announce that he will stand for the french presidency in 2017 former french president nicolas sarkozy is poised to launch his bid for re election as leader in 2017, it was revealed today sarkozy, 59, is set to announce this weekend that he will stand for the presidency of the centre right opposition ump party, insiders said the former leader had told journalists they would 'never hear from him again' after he lost the election to socialist francois hollande in the 2012 election but he then announced last year that he was considering standing for re election because the socialists were 'ruining france' disastrous left wing policies left him 'no choice' but to make a challenge for the leadership, he said he added: 'looking at the disastrous state france risks finding itself in, i will have no choice in 2017 'the question is not knowing whether i'm going to make a come back, but if morally i have the choice regarding france to not come back morally, i can not let the french people down' his political comeback is said by friends to be strongly opposed by his own wife carla bruni, who has 'begged him' not to stand because people were 'mean to him' as president sarkozy's leadership bid could also be hindered by a raft of corruption charges he faces over illegal campaign funding he is accused of accepting illegal party funding payments from france's richest woman and l'oreal heiress lilian bettencourt in return for tax breaks he has accused the country's socialist government of 'framing' him with the charges and branded the accusations 'grotesque' pascal perrineau, of the institute of political studies in paris, said: 'if he becomes ump president, sarkozy's political agenda will be constantly pushed around by an investigation into this case or that case, by a judge summoning him for questioning decisions: sarkozy said would be 'letting the french people down' by not stranding against socialist incumbent francois hollande (left) at the 2017 french presidential elections sarkozy's political comeback is thought to be strongly opposed by his own wife carla bruni (right), who has reportedly 'begged him' not to stand french prime minister manuel valls won a vote of confidence yesterday in a tense ballot, allowing him to push through economic reforms that have divided his socialist party the government's once comfortable margin was diluted in the 269 244 vote, with 53 abstentions the result denies the government its absolute majority, but still allows valls to carry out reforms aimed at lifting france out of its economic crisis president francois hollande's popularity has plunged over failure to cure the nation's high unemployment rate, zero growth and oversized deficit he had promised to create jobs for the french when he took office in 2012 after defeating the conservative incumbent, nicolas sarkozy 'he had also gradually forged the image of a wise man who stayed on the edge of the river and who only made comments every now and then,' mr perrineau added 'but if he becomes ump president, he will be asked for his opinion on everything every morning there is a risk he will be worn down,' he said while his supporters are desperate for sarkozy to return to politics, the wider french population doesn't really care a poll released on tuesday by opinionway found that 64 per cent of french people are not interested in his upcoming comeback announcement sarkozy's main rival for the nomination of his right wing ump party to run for president is former french prime minister alain juppe he was found guilty in connection with a separate corruption scandal seven years ago and handed a 14 month suspended prison sentence and banned from holding public office for two years, then went on to be foreign minister after the ban expired | nicolas sarkozy carla bruni 2017 france 59 francois hollande said sarkozy | nicolas sarkozy, 59, says disastrous left wing policies have 'ruined france' claims he is left no choice but to stand against francois hollande in 2017 sarkozy says socialist president risks leaving france in a 'disastrous state' but his political comeback is understood to be opposed by wife carla bruni said to have 'begged' sarkozy not to stand because people are 'mean to him' |
a team of skydivers have taken their extreme hobby to the next level by setting off fireworks as they leap from their plane, thousands of feet above the ground the latest craze in extreme sports, pyrotechnic skydiving sees the team of four divers activate sets of fireworks strapped to their legs as they fall through the air at speeds of up to 120mph professional skydiving team fastrax, based in ohio, usa, have long wowed audiences with their ambitious stunts but their latest effort boasts the added danger of fireworks attached to the divers' ankles scroll down for video sparks will fly: a team of skydivers have taken their extreme hobby to the next level by setting off fireworks as they leap from their plane, thousands of feet above the ground latest craze: pyrotechnic skydiving sees the team of four divers activate sets of fireworks strapped to their legs as they fall through the air at speeds of up to 120mph after jumping at 13,500ft the divers press one of six buttons on their chest which sends an electrical impulse to trigger the fireworks the explosives burn at 3,000 degrees fahrenheit, the equivalent of 100,000 candles, for about 45 seconds each while the team members hang onto each other's arms in free fall when they get to 5,000ft the team have to carefully release their parachutes while avoiding the flames, which can shoot up to 800ft in the air, before lighting another set of fireworks the result is an incredible light show illuminating the night sky performers: the team has performed in movies and commercial, and regularly undertake stunts for television shows, as well as entertaining crowds at sporting events and air shows light up the sky: professional skydiving team fastrax, based in ohio, usa, came up with the idea of strapping fireworks to the divers' legs free fall: after jumping at 13,500ft the divers press one of six buttons on their chest which sends an electrical impulse to trigger the fireworks however, the team risk setting their own parachutes alight as well as the risks involved with jumping at night 'it's pretty cool how we can actually create firework shows as we jump,' said team leader john hart 'it looks meteor when we're falling through the sky with flames flying behind us 'it's just a long trail of fire 'other people do it with theatrical pyrotechnics but it's not genuine they're small and there's no risk involved danger: when they get to 5,000ft the team have to carefully release their parachutes while avoiding the flames, which can shoot up to 800ft in the air, before lighting another set of fireworks risk: the result is an incredible light show illuminating the night sky but the team risk setting their own parachutes alight as well as the risks involved with jumping at night burn out: team leader john hart said divers can find it difficult to adjust their eyes when the fireworks have gone out 'when we exit the aircraft you feel a lot of energy it's pitch black apart from our electronic lights that we use to find each other 'i haven't been on one that hasn't got my heart racing because it can be dangerous 'the temperature goes up by six degrees just from the heat of the pyrotechnics and it is easy to be disorientated once the pyrotechnics have gone out 'your eyes haven't adjusted but you still have to identify your landing location in the dark 'but it won't stop me because it's such a beautiful thing to be part of' mr hart said the team, which formed in 2002, came up with the idea of adding fireworks to their daredevil routines to help them stand out from other display teams setting them apart: mr hart said the team, which formed in 2002, came up with the idea of adding fireworks to their daredevil routines to help them stand out from other display teams top performer: to even be considered for a part in the pyrotechnic team, divers must have completed 2,000 jumps light show: the team travel around the world performing at a number special events, and members believe their fireworks set them apart from other display teams 'it all started when we were thinking about what could set us apart as a skydiving team,' he said 'and we thought 'let's set ourselves on fire!' 'now we travel around the world performing at special events where people are hoping to give a presentation or a fireworks display that extra spark 'we've been to malaysia, the uae, russia and japan and all over the usa 'although we've got 30 people on the ordinary skydiving team there are just ten of us that do pyrotechnics 'you need excellent freefall skills and stability being picked for the pyro team is the pinnacle of skydiving team members: mr hart, pictured second from left, said although 30 people were part of the fastrax ordinary skydiving team, just ten performed with pyrotechnics equipment: mr hart demonstrates the firework sticks strapped to his ankle they are controlled via buttons attached to his chest hot stuff: the temperature goes up by six degrees just from the heat of the pyrotechnics and it is easy for divers to be disorientated once the pyrotechnics have gone out 'you have to do 2,000 jumps before you are even considered it's no mean feat' photographer norman kent joins the team on their jumps to capture the moments the fireworks light up the sky on film he said: 'it's a very delicate thing because you're basically jumping out of a plane with live explosives 'i've worked on films like godzilla and enders game filming aerial stunts but watching the fastrax team skydive with fireworks is something else mystery: according to team members some of their night time displays have been followed by calls from members of the public mistaking the display team for ufos 'they have to perform the dive perfectly otherwise they're at risk of burning themselves 'a small error means it could end very differently but it's a really spectacular thing 'it's difficult to get close to take pictures while avoiding being burnt 'i have a special suit which means i have great mobility as i freefall it's really like flying' brave: photographer norman kent joins the team on their jumps to capture the moments the fireworks light up the sky on film, and says the team must perform the dive perfectly to avoid any risk of being burnt meteoric: mr hart said the divers create firework shows as they jump, and resemble a meteor when they are falling through the sky with flames flying behind them | ohio fastrax usa 120mph | professional skydiving team fastrax, based in ohio, usa, jump with from planes with fireworks strapped to their legs divers fall through the air at 120mph, and must jump perfectly to avoid sparks setting light to their parachutes performers must have completed 2,000 dives before they are even considered for a spot on the elite display team |
a football player who was beaten into a coma just took a big step on the road to recovery when he was discharged from rehab after five months isaac kolstad, a former linebacker at minnesota state university, mankato, finally got a chance to return home after suffering a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury in a bar fight that happened last may near his school his wife, molly, shared the happy news on kolstad's caringbridge page scroll down for video back and doing better: isaac kolstad m(above in yellow at a september football game), a former linebacker at minnesota state university, mankato, emerged from rehab five months after he was attacked in a bar fight and suffered a traumatic brain injury baby girl: while he was in rehab his wife gave birth to a daughter, malia (above with her father) sportsman: kolstad (pictured playing in a 2012 game) had to relearn how to walk 'it is with a full heart that i update you all that today isaac was discharged from inpatient care!' she wrote 'after 5 months of being confined to a facility, of sleeping in a twin sized hospital bed, of reporting daily to nurses, doctors, therapists, and aides, isaac is finally released and free to go home he and his entire family are incredibly excited to take this huge step in isaac’s recovery and start the process of transitioning back to family life' just this past september, kolstad, 24, who graduated in 2013, made an emotional return to the playing field with some of his former teammates, walking out before kickoff during the opening game of ther season he also became a father for the second time when his baby daughter malia was born in june, less than a month after he was injured kolstand and his wife have another daughter, haidyn rutgers university quarterback philip robert nelson, who once played at the university of minnesota, has been charged with one count of first degree assault and one count of third degree assault for the incident trevor shelley, 21, who authorities believe punched kolstad, was arrested just days after the attack and charged with felony assault counts kolstad, described by a friend as 'a quiet, young man' who was not a big drinker, was with a group of football players in the south street saloon just before closing time on the night of the fight according to a criminal complaint, 20 year old nelson was angry that night because a bouncer at the bar had hit on his girlfriend two: kolstand and his wife molly have another daughter, haidyn (above) arrests: trevor shelley (left) and philip nelson (right) have been arrested in connection with the incident as he left the bar with his girlfriend, he saw kolstad outside the bouncer and kolstad are different people nelson and kolstad got into a verbal dispute before kolstad threw a punch that hit nelson in the back, causing him to fall to the ground, according to a police officer, the complaint says graduate student steph stassen, 25, told the star tribune that the attacker came 'out of nowhere' 'he [kolstad] was knocked out on his feet,' she told the paper 'he fell straight back and smoked his head on the pavement' he was found at an intersection around 2am by police and taken to hospital in an ambulance kolstad suffered bleeding of the brain, skull fracture, brain swelling, brain shifting, and deterioration of lungs from lack of oxygen, according to the criminal complaint he is now being treated at an inpatient rehabilitation program in the twin cities there, he has bonded well with his new daughter, his wife molly wrote | minnesota state university five months molly malia this september mankato june kolstad less than a month isaac kolstad | isaac kolstad has emerged from rehab five months after entering following a traumatic brain injury he suffered during a bar fight the former minnesota state university, mankato linebacker will be returning home to his wife molly and baby girl malia malia was born in june, less than a month after a man sucker punched kolstad and put him in a coma the former footballer took to the field with his former teammates before kickoff during their opening day game this september |
singing in front of the team is now a rite of passage for any new player, but you wouldn't have seen roy keane belting out a tune in his heyday the manchester united legend also revealed he turned down the chance to appear on celebrity big brother and i'm a celebrity get me out of here speaking to shortlist magazine, keane revealed he doesn't like the tradition of player initiations, but gave fans a tease of must watch tv that could have been roy keane, on the bench as assistant manager of aston villa, has slammed the modern initiation of singing 'it happens now at villa, but if i was a player at a new club and someone said, “you’ve got to sing tonight,” i just f****** wouldn’t do it,' said keane 'i sing for nobody people say it’s banter, but i don’t like that type of banter 'i’d help players by making sure they settled in properly, making sure my wife touched base with their family that was my way' keane, in his heyday for manchester united against rivals arsenal, would refuse to sing for his team mates the irishman, sharing a joke before kick off on monday at qpr, has turned down offers to appear on reality tv and while keane can't see himself following in the footsteps of vinnie jones and eric cantona by embarking on an acting career, the irishman did reveal he turned down the chance to appear in the big brother house and in the jungle on 'i'm a celebrity' 'i am more open to stuff now i’ve had the celebrity big brother offers and the jungle stuff 'i met the jungle people, but i thought, “nah, not for me” but the more you say no, the more determined they are to get you, so who knows? there’s more to life than football' read the full interview at shortlist magazine here | manchester united aston villa roy keane keane | manchester united legend roy keane turned down reality tv offers keane detests the modern tradition of player initiations at new clubs the aston villa assistant manager would refuse to sing at an initiation |
liverpool manager brendan rodgers gave up his free sunday to join striker daniel sturridge in a training session to test his fitness ahead of this week's key champions league clash in basle sturridge, who has missed liverpool's last five matches after picking up a thigh injury on international duty with england, was put through his paces at the club's melwood training ground with rodgers also taking part in the same routine under the watchful eye of two of the club's coaching staff the anfield boss, who has successfully lost weight during his two years at the club, joined his 25 year old international in a series of sprints, slaloms, jogs and agility drills using rope ladders daniel sturridge was injured while on international duty on september 5th the 25 year old was in attendance for the merseyside derby on saturday at anfield brendan rodgers (left) and sturridge, pictured in july, took part in an extra training session on sunday although liverpool haven't yet confirmed whether sturridge is fit to return on wednesday night, the forward looked pain free as he completed the strenuous work out and rodgers was all smiles 24 hours after seeing his side held 1 1 by everton in the merseyside derby rodgers was furious that sturridge received his injury in an england training session after liverpool's medical staff had passed on detailed information about his condition liverpool have failed to win a premier league game since but they do go to switzerland having who their opening game in europe against bulgaria's ludogorets even so, rodgers is clearly leaving no stone unturned trying to get sturridge back including sacrificing his own free time sturridge (left) has taken over as liverpool's main attacking threat since the departure of luis suarez (right) | brendan rodgers liverpool daniel sturridge sturridge the champions league september 5 england rodgers wednesday night sunday basle week | daniel sturridge was injured training for england on september 5 brendan rodgers joined sturridge in an extra training session on sunday rodgers is testing his striker's fitness ahead of this week's match liverpool play basle on wednesday night in the champions league |
anne frank was posthumously baptised by a mormon for the first time in 13 years after nine similar rituals were allegedly carried out in the 1990s the jewish girl and her diary rose to fame after she died during the world war two holocaust in 1945 at the bergen belsen camp in germany but a church of jesus christ of latter day saints member has caused fury by baptising her by proxy at a dominican republic temple last weekend jewish girl: anne frank and her diary rose to fame after she died during the world war two holocaust in 1945 at the bergen belsen camp in germany researcher helen radkey made the discovery after she found the same was done to the parents of nazi hunter simon wiesenthal two weeks ago ex mormon ms radkey found annelies marie ‘anne’ frank was baptised on saturday, in a move that will leave the jewish community furious again an agreement from 1995 required mormons to avoid submitting names of holocaust victims for baptism unless they are their direct ancestors but anne, who died aged 15, was baptised by proxy an astonishing nine times between 1989 and 1999, ms radkey told the huffington post records: the former mormon found annelies marie 'anne' frank was baptised on saturday, in a move that will leave the jewish community furious the mormon church is coming under more scrutiny thanks to broadway show the book of mormon and mitt romney’s presidential campaign 'the security of the names submissions process for posthumous rites must be questioned' helen radkey it often holds the baptisms, saying people who died that did not get the chance to be baptised while living can choose to deny it anne’s name was found in a genealogy database where names can be put forward for baptism only accessible by mormons a mormon spokesman confirmed what happened and said the person who submitted the baptism has had their access to records suspended family life: anne frank, right, and her father otto frank, left, are seen in amsterdam, netherlands, in july 1941 others in the photo are unidentified ‘the security of the names submissions process for posthumous rites must be questioned,’ a fuming ms radkey told the huffington post during the nazi occupation of the netherlands, anne frank spent 25 months in hiding with seven others her diary of their ordeal, before a raid in august 1944, is a famous and enduring holocaust account she died of typhus in march 1945 she said this latest find was even more outrageous because anne, famous for her work entitled ‘the diary of a young girl’, left no descendants but a spokesman for the mormon church said it was ‘distressed’ by the finding and ‘keeps its word’ in not baptising holocaust victims ‘it takes a good deal of deception and manipulation to get an improper submission through the safeguards we've put in place,’ the mormon spokesman told the salt lake tribune interest: the church of jesus christ of latter day saints has been under heavier scrutiny since mormon presidential candidate mitt romney began his campaign two weeks ago the simon wiesenthal center was left ‘outraged’ by the posthumous baptism of the long dead couple asher and rosa wiesenthal the mormon church often carries out posthumous baptisms and says those who have died can deny it they say it's done as many dead people did not have the chance to be baptised while on earth it's a huge issue in the jewish community because many in the past have been forced to convert to christianity or murdered if not rosa wiesenthal died at the nazi death camp at belzec, poland, in 1942, but asher was killed years before in action as an austrian soldier in 1915 mormon officials apologised for that incident and said the actions by an ‘individual member’ were ‘against the policy of the church’ mr wiesenthal died in 2005 aged 96 and was a top jewish rights advocate in his life after surviving several concentration camps mr romney helped baptise his staunch atheist relative edward roderick davies, father of his wife ann, years after he had died in 1992 | subarcuation peripneumonic jewish iii satinflower salisbury 1945 | no related information |
slaven bilic feels liverpool forward raheem sterling can be the best player in english football bilic brings his besiktas side to anfield on thursday for the first leg of the europa league last 32 tie and the former croatia boss is well aware of the danger that 20 year old sterling can pose liverpool's raheem sterling on the ball in the merseyside derby at goodison park earlier this month sterling (centre) shoots at goal during liverpool's 0 0 draw with city rivals everton besiktas manager slaven bilic on the touchline during his club's match with feyenoord last august bilic told the sun: 'he can be the next big player in english football the best he’s got the speed and the confidence 'he’s not the strongest but he’s everything but afraid he goes into tackles and is very strong most definitely he can be he’s not yet but he can be and he should be 'his finishing needs to improve, yeah, but you know what? his legs are too quick to be calm in front of the keeper sometimes he should slow down his strikes sterling (right) falls to the pitch after being fouled by bolton's dorian dervite during an fa cup match sterling (right) in international action for england against san marino in a euro 2016 qualifier last november 'he’s coming into most of his chances in lighting speed and should slow down it comes with experience it came to thierry henry he will never be like robin van persie sterling is not a typical goalscorer 'he’s young he’s going to improve his finishing, everything but whether he’s going to be alan shearer i don’t know' sterling faces a late fitness test ahead of thursday's match after missing liverpool's last two matches with a foot injury | raheem sterling england the europa league slaven bilic the last 32 liverpool thursday | slaven bilic claims raheem sterling can be the best player in england besiktas take on liverpool in the last 32 of the europa league on thursday sterling faces a late fitness test as he looks to return from a foot injury |
an australian woman who paid £800 for two new apple iphones lost her money when she opened the boxes and found two real green apples inside the 21 year old brisbane woman had placed an advertisement in an online buy and sell site saying she was looking to purchase a number of iphones police in the queensland town of upper mt gravatt, near brisbane, said that not long after the advert was placed in the gumtree site a woman called and said she had two apples for sale the 21 year old placed an advert online saying she was looking for two apple iphones, but was sold two apples senior constable jess hopkin of the upper mt gravatt crime prevention unit said the two women arranged to meet at a mcdonald's outlet, where the transaction took place the purchaser handed over $1500, the equivalent of £800, and was given two new iphone boxes in return, the quest community newspaper of queensland reported today her mistake was to not look inside on returning home the young woman opened the boxes and found to her horror that they contained real apples senior constable hopkin warned people to be wary when they buy anything online 'don't stay away because most people are doing the right thing but be smart about what you buy,' she said 'if something seems too good to be true, it probably is it's really just common sense' on returning home the young woman opened the boxes and found to her horror that they contained real apples commentators writing on an online site weren't letting the buyer off the hook with their criticism 'i don't know anyone that would hand over $1500 to a stranger without checking the item,' wrote one man 'besides, you can buy a brand new iphone5 for $700 so if this is a true story then i'm sorry but she deserved it!' a woman asked: 'and she went to the police?? seriously, i'd be too embarrassed to go to the police if i'd been that stupid' but 'victa' added a touch of humour, writing: 'an apple a day keeps the scammers away?' | 21 year old asthenology chorten | no related information |
samsung may be considered apple’s biggest rival, but a chinese firm wants to steal this crown xiaomi has announced its next generation flagship phablet called mi note and said it is larger, thinner, lighter and cheaper than apple’s iphone 6 plus during the launch event, the firm also poked fun at apple’s raised camera scroll down for video the mi note from chinese firm xiaomi has a 57 inch display, is 695mm thick and weighs 161g this makes it 02 inches larger, 015mm thinner and 11 lighter than apple's iphone 6 plus (comparison pictured) in december, four year old xiaomi became the world’s most valuable startup it has been criticised in the past for producing phones that are similar to apple’s range of handsets, leading to the company being dubbed the ‘apple of china’ at xiaomi’s press conference to announce the mi note, the firm made regular and direct comparisons to the iphone 6 plus, including placing the two phones side by side on presentation slides for example, xiaomi’s mi note has a 57 inch display, compared to the iphone 6 plus’ 55 inch screen both phones have the same screen resolution, but because xiaomi’s is slightly bigger, it has fewer pixels per inch than apple’s handset 386 ppi versus 401 ppi respectively at xiaomi’s press conference to announce the mi note, the firm made regular and direct comparisons to the iphone 6 plus, including placing the two phones side by side on presentation slides (pictured) for example, xiaomi’s mi note (left) has a 57 inch display, compared to the iphone 6 plus’ 55 inch screen (right) the firm also poked fun at apple’s raised camera on the iphone 6 plus (right) xiaomi'smi note has a 13mp rear facing camera and a 4mp version on the front the iphone 6 plus has an 8mp on the rear, and 12mp on front however, a premium model of the mi note, expected to launch in march, is said to have a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, with a ppi of 515 xiaomi didn’t go into great detail about the other specifications of the premium model, but did say it should cost around cn¥3,299 (£350/$530) the 6 plus is 71mm thick, while the mi note is 695mm price wise, xiaomi’s model (left) starts at cn¥2,299, which converts to around £244 or $370 apple sells its iphone 6 plus (right) without a sim for £619 in the uk and $949 in the us mi note is covered predominantly in glass and is on sale in china now an international release schedule has not been announced apple's head of design hit out xiaomi at the recent vanity fair new estalishment summit in san francisco asked what he felt about the company being described as the 'apple of china', sir jonathan ive criticised them for copying his company's designs 'i don't see it as flattery,' he said, 'i actually see it as theft' sir jonathan said seeing knockoff designs made him think of the lengthy development cycle that went into producing the originals xiaomi’s flagship is also thinner, 695 mm compared to apple's 71mm, and is lighter, weighing 11g less price wise, xiaomi’s model starts at cn¥2,299, which converts to around £244 or $370 apple sells its iphone 6 plus without a sim for £619 in the uk and $949 in the us and xiaomi offers a better range of cameras on its mi note, too 13mp rear and 4mp front than apple’s device apple’s iphone 6 plus has an 8mp on the back, and a 12mp on the front other features include a glass covered body, which is said to be able to survive a steel ball drop test, a dual sim port and a skinned version of android however, the mi note is only currently on sale in china, and an international release schedule has not been announced | chinese spermatogeny iit katinka unrelatable illogically ensilver reiteratedness frame ocotea xiaom 57 inch gynandrism | no related information |
a surprise decision to remove a cap on the swiss franc sent markets into fresh turmoil today but helped the pound climb to a near seven year high against the euro the strength of sterling will help uk holidaymakers visiting the likes of spain, greece and france this year, but is not good for skiers heading to the swiss alps it could also spell trouble for british firms whose goods have become more expensive for potential export customers on the continent there were fears it could also leave a nasty taste in the mouth for chocolate lovers ahead of easter as it could mean a price hike for the country's confectionery products scroll down for video currency shock: the swiss central bank's move has seen the swiss franc soar against all major currencies michael hewson, chief market analyst at cmc markets, said: 'switzerland suddenly got a whole lot more expensive and for chocolate lovers nestle and/or lindt chocolate just got a whole lot more expensive' the decision by switzerland's central bank to drop the policy capping the franc's value at no more than 120 euros comes a day after stocks were buffeted by a slump in the copper price, adding to ongoing anxiety about the plunge in oil it helped sterling rise sharply against the single currency, topping the 130 euros mark to a level not seen since march 2008 an increase of ten cents in the last year the euro initially plunged by 30% against the swiss currency before paring the loss to 13% later in the morning sterling was also down sharply against the franc, falling by as much as 26% in value before partially recovering to be 14% off later the move by the swiss central bank could see a rise the price of swiss chocolates, like lindt bunnies, in the coming months, experts have said in shares, the ftse 100 index had a turbulent session, initially adding more than 80 points as it recovered from a copper inspired plunge in the previous session, before falling to 90 points off its opening position, then returning to positive territory switzerland's central bank had introduced the cap on the franc in september 2011 to try to hold back the rise of the safe haven currency at a time when the eurozone debt crisis was at its height swiss exporters had at the time been forced to sharply cut prices to stay competitive but the bank today said the policy, while having protected the economy from harm, could no longer be justified the slide in the euro in recent months against the dollar has meant that because of the peg the franc has fallen too despite its strengthening currency, the swiss stock index slumped 9% amid fears that exports will become more expensive in the wake of the decision to end the peg swiss listed shares in offshore drilling contractor transocean slumped to an all time low, while lenders julius baer and ubs were down 13 percent and 11 percent respectively weaker equities wiped off about 117 billion swiss francs ($100 billion) from the smi share index 'it is carnage, they've stopped defending the floor, i'm a seller of europe here,' said darren courtney cook, head of trading at central markets investment management swatch chief executive nick hayek called the snb's decision 'a tsunami' for switzerland's economy the cap has come under increasing pressure as the franc's value elsewhere has soared with investors seeking a haven in switzerland from the eurozone's economic and political troubles recovery: the pound has gained steadily against the euro over the last eighteen months sterling made further gains against the single currency today in the wake of the swiss announcement the snb has until now resisted pressure to let the franc float against the euro but the prospect of outright money printing which devalues a currency by the european central bank as early as next week broke the bank's resolve 'it has taken the market by complete surprise,' said jonathan webb, head of fx strategy at jefferies in london 'the snb probably expects the ecb to launch qe next week and along with the greek elections coming up, it would make it pretty tough on the swiss to keep bidding the euro' jasper lawler at cmc markets added: 'the snb must have a very strong inclination that the european central bank is about to begin a large scale quantitative easing program which would act to depreciate the euro and make a defence of the swiss franc peg impossible' europe's shares and bond yields tumbling as jittery markets reacted negatively to the unexpected move the ftse 100 index fell 100 points on the news, dropping from 60 points up on the day to 40 points down at 6,347 the dollar meanwhile also lost 14 per cent of its value against the swiss franc 'this is extremely violent and totally unexpected, the central bank didn't prepare the market for it,' said alexandre baradez, chief market analyst at ig in france 'it's sparking panic across all asset classes it suddenly revives the risk of central bank policy mistakes, right when central bank action is what's keeping equity markets going' the currency moves overshadowed a steadier session for commodity stocks after a sharp slide in the price of copper triggered big losses across europe's leading stock markets on wednesday hargreaves lansdown estimates that uk fund investors have more than £4billion invested in swiss stocks, mainly via european funds, but also perhaps more surprisingly, via uk equity income funds the fund platform said swiss drugmakers roche and novartis are popular fund holdings with managers in the uk equity income sector, who can invest up to 20 per cent of their portfolio overseas for instance, it noted that woodford equity income has 3 per cent invested in roche hargreaves estimates that the average european fund has 9 per cent invested in swiss stocks, the typical european (ex uk) tracker fund has around 20 per cent, and the average uk equity income fund has just under 1 per cent, though some uk equity income funds have closer to 5 per cent invested however, even though the swiss stock market has tanked today, the financial services group believes that the effect of the sharp rise in the swiss franc has more than offset that fall after factoring in the currency's rise against the pound, hargreaves thanks that uk investors would on average have made around 2 per cent on their swiss stock market holdings this morning and uk equity income funds invested in roche and novartis would have made more, both these stocks rose about 5 per cent in sterling terms not bad for a morning's work laith khalaf, senior analyst at hargreaves lansdown said: 'the swiss stock market has been decimated this morning by the central bank's decision to remove their currency peg to the euro however uk investors can afford a wry smile because the appreciation of the franc has made their swiss holdings more valuable, despite the stock market plunge' | greece spain swiss franc swiss alps france | swiss central bank shocks world markets by unleashing exchange rate pound sees further rises against euro but drops against swiss franc bonus for holidaymakers going to spain, greece and france but not for skiers heading to swiss alps fears the soaring swiss currency might increase chocolate prices |
mr rowe has been advocating for the afl to be broadcast in hd for two years an avid afl fan has accused the seven network of 'backflipping' on a promise to broadcast the 2014 grand final on it's high definition channel josh rowe, a passionate afl follower, has been advocating for the broadcast of afl in hd for over two years, with his webite 'afl in hd please' having nearly 80,000 followers on twitter rowe went public with emails on tuesday which detail communication between himself and seven melbourne managing director lewis martin, which indicate that the network made a commitment to show the afl grand final on their hd broadcast channel, 7mate 'i thought we had achieved something,' said rowe 'he didn't have to make that promise, but he did and he broke it he wanted the whole campaign to be shut down by making a promise, and now he has to feel the consequences of doing that' in march this year, rowe had a phone conference with seven melbourne's lewis martin regarding the commercial realities of broadcasting in hd, during which martin made a verbal commitment to broadcast the grand final in hd 'we had a very open conversation,' rowe told daily mail australia, 'during which he told me that the grand final would be in hd i was delighted' afl fans will not be watching the sydney swans (pictured) play hawthorn in high definition on saturday mr rowe's email to seven melbourne managing director lewis martin asking for an explanation mr lewis insisted he never made such a promise free to air channels have been beset by requests from sports fans to broadcast games in hd, an ongoing issue for many enthusiasts in australia many major sporting codes are not broadcast in the higher definition resolution, with the seven, nine and ten networks only broadcasting in standard definition 'i followed up the meeting with an email, asking for permission to announce the good news lewis replied back and asked if i would keep it confidential,' said rowe, 'and i agreed' in the email dated march 31st from martin to rowe, the managing director of seven melbourne asks, 're gf (grand final) this year that needs to remain confidential' 'we have been emailing back and forth frequently since march and at no point did he say that the grand final would be in standard definition i emailed him a few weeks ago and he told me to hold the fort, and it wasn't until i saw the tv guide published that i realised the seven network hadn't scheduled the grand final in hd' after learning that the seven network did not intend to broadcast the grand final this saturday between the hawthorn hawks and sydney swans in hd, rowe confronted martin 'i called him and asked if it was a mistake he said it wasn't, and then denied ever making the promise to me,' said rowe 'i did not promise that i said to you i would update you in the event we would be i shared with you the commercial realities,' wrote martin in an email provided to daily mail australia, which rowe has labelled as a 'gold medal winning back flip' 'i said that i was going to publish the emails on my blog,' said rowe ''i kept my promise for this whole year, and if anything, dampened slightly the efforts of the hd campaign because of what i knew' the 80,000 strong social media following had gathered strength earlier in the year, in addition to a petition for the grand final to be broadcast in hd the some 80,000 strong social media following had gathered strength earlier in the year, in addition to a petition for the grand final to be broadcast in hd 'the campaign was pushing for change,' said rowe, 'not just for myself but for all the fans out there to have that all fall away is so disappointing, and i think people need to know what channel 7 is doing' 'they have chosen to air b grade shows which garner only a small viewer base simply for the profit margin instead of broadcasting the grand final which is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, they have let down fans and chosen money' airing on 7mate at the time of the grand final on saturday are episodes of swamp men, motoring programs, pimp my ride and a collectible show called bid america rowe is now campaigning for awareness, calling for a boycott of sponsors of the afl and deliberately spreading information about hd options the seven network has declined to comment, issuing a statement that the grand final is available in standard definition, returning to the base line which rowe is so passionate about improving | bevels shenshai melbourne tritheite | no related information |
the families of two teenage girls who were killed in a maryland freight train derailment in 2012 have reached an undisclosed settlement with the railroad on august 21, 2012, a train derailed in ellicott city as 19 year olds rose mayr and elizabeth nass sat on framework next to the tracks which went over the town's main street twenty one of the 80 rail cars overturned, and the two teenagers were buried in coal in the disaster which took place close to midnight the girls died of asphyxiation friends rose mayr (right) and elizabeth nass, both 19 year old college students, died in 2012 after being buried in coal during a train derailment in maryland a spokesman for the railroad, csx transportation, said the terms of the settlement were confidential the settlement was reached in november in july, federal officials found that the derailment was caused by a broken rail on a section of track being monitored because of previous problems the families of mayr and nass had criticized csx and said they were considering filing a lawsuit neither family could be reached for comment two train operators were not harmed in the derailment where cranes had to be used to remove some of the railroad cars 'many of those train cars fell onto automobiles, literally fell onto automobiles with the coal,' howard county executive ken ulman said at the time of the incident 'so you have massive piles of coal and heavy train cars on top of automobiles' miss nass was a student at james madison university in virginia and miss mayr was a student at the university of delaware shortly before the tragedy unfolded, the two friends had posted photos and updates to their twitter pages, one of their feet hanging off the bridge in ellicott city, about 13 miles west of baltimore, and another, which read: ‘drinking on top of the ellicott city sign’ the girls were trespassing at the time of their deaths at a popular hang out spot for local young people twenty one of the 80 rail cars overturned, and the two teenagers were buried in coal in the disaster which took place close to midnight earlier, miss nass had tweeted: ‘once before i leave you for school… you, me, a handle of burnett’s, and some form of public transportation’ ellicott city is a picturesque town where there are several bars alongside gift and antique shops in converted old buildings the railroad runs across main street in ellicott city, about 13 miles west of baltimore the train had two locomotives, was 3,000 feet long and weighed 9,000 tons about 100 pounds of coal spilled into a tributary of the patapsco river, a major maryland waterway that parallels the tracks, said maryland department of the environment spokesman jay apperson in 2012 in july, federal officials found that the derailment was caused by a broken rail on a section of track | ellicott city november august 21, 2012 rose mayr csx transportation maryland elizabeth nass | rose mayr and elizabeth nass, both 19, were killed on august 21, 2012 in ellicott city, maryland twenty one of the 80 rail cars overturned, and the two teenagers were asphyxiated after being buried in coal in the disaster a spokesman for the railroad, csx transportation, said the terms of the settlement were confidential a deal was reached in november |
the life sentence handed down to the schoolboy who murdered a teacher was today condemned as too harsh by youth justice campaigners william cornick, 16, will serve at least 20 years for killing ann maguire, 61, who was stabbed seven times from behind as she taught a spanish class at corpus christi catholic college in leeds in april mr justice coulson warned cornick, who was 15 at the time, that he might never be released from prison and her widower, don, described the killing as a ‘monumental act of cowardice and evil’ scroll down for video too harsh: penelope gibbs (left), the chairman of the standing committee for youth justice umbrella group of charities and campaign groups, said the sentence given to murderer william cornick (right) was too long but former magistrate penelope gibbs, the chairman of the standing committee for youth justice (scyj) umbrella group of charities and campaign groups, said the sentence was too long she told the bbc radio 4 today programme: ‘we are out of line with the whole of western europe ‘there are no other countries within western europe which give children and this boy is seen as a child under the un convention on the rights of the child and is in the youth justice system who would give children a life sentence’ her comments were criticised as ‘stupid’ on twitter today mrs gibbs accepted that the sentence had to serve as a punishment, but said there was ‘no evidence’ for the 20 year minimum tariff ‘punishment is also incredibly important, particularly for the victims and families, but the fact is, how many years do we need for punishment? we have given him a sentence which is more than his own lifetime,’ she said ‘he was 15 when he did this crime and we would say that you don't need that long to punish listen to the full radio 4 show here murder case: cornick (right, in court) will serve at least 20 years for killing ann maguire (left) who was stabbed seven times from behind as she taught a spanish class at corpus christi catholic college in leeds in april ‘what is crucial is that when he is released he is assessed as no longer being of danger to himself and others and thus we would all be safer 'but there is no evidence that that takes 20 years and we've looked and we think that this is the longest sentence given to a child in at least 10 years ‘i'm not going to tell you exactly what the right sentence would have been, but 20 years and a life sentence is too long’ she continued: ‘there are very good prisons, there is a prison called grendon [in buckinghamshire] which is a therapeutic community, and prisoners go there for a few years and it has great results ‘the question is safer society, yes; punishment, yes but does it need to be more than his lifetime?’ rose dixon, chief executive of birmingham based charity support after murder and manslaughter, said that members of her organisation would ‘not be impressed' with mrs gibbs's comments she told mailonline: ‘people need to be aware that for many families the trauma of being bereaved in this horrific and traumatic way will never leave them and their lives can never be the same again victim's family: (from left) mrs maguire's daughters emma maguire and kerry maguire and widower don maguire at leeds crown court following the sentencing of 16 year old william cornick for the teacher's murder ‘with specialist support they can rebuild a life but not the life they had before the brutal killing of their loved one ‘every birthday, anniversary and christmas for the rest of their lives their loved one will be missed and the pain goes on for many, many years ‘according to reports i believe this young man has said he “couldn't give a s***” about the impact on her family please will organisations or people who want to comment on cases like this think of the bereaved family involved’ mrs dixon added that if and when cornick is released, he will probably have to be given a new identity something which currently costs ‘in the region of £250,000 per person’ and adam pemberton, assistant chief executive of the charity victim support said: ‘sentencing is a matter for the court judge who has heard all the facts of the case, and is carried out in accordance with sentencing council guidelines ‘we believe it is essential when passing sentence that judges and magistrates also consider the impact on the victim or the victim’s family, not just the nature of the offence ‘victims, the bereaved and the public need to understand the reasons why a particular sentence has been handed down, and therefore good communication is key ‘to maintain public confidence in the criminal justice system it is vital that offenders are appropriately punished, that serious and violent crimes are dealt with robustly and that offenders are properly rehabilitated so they don’t go on to commit more crime’ stephen pollard, editor of the jewish chronicle, said on twitter: 'someone bleating on bbc radio 4 today that ann maguire's killer 20 year “minimum” sentence too long how about having someone say it's too short?' author wilhemina bothwell added: 'who was that woman making stupid, stupid comments about 20 year sentence being too long for school room killer? tell her about psychopaths' and company director russell turner said: 'i'm sure she would be saying the sentence was too long if it was her mother that had been murdered' but university of southampton academic mark telford told mrs gibbs on twitter: 'good to hear you make those important points about capacity for change on bbc radio 4 today this morning' oxford educated mrs gibbs, 50, who lives in a £17million four bedroom semi detached house in kentish town, north west london, has been working in prison and justice reform since 2007 prior to her work for the likes of the prison reform trust, scyj and another charity called transform justice, mrs gibbs, who is married to david, 51, was an account manager for a marketing firm and a radio producer part of cornick's rehabilitation could see him return to a classroom during his sentence brian hamilton, chair of the manchester college: university and college union prison branch, said cornick could be taught in a class of around eight people with a focus on basic literacy and numeracy skills and vocational training to ensure prisoners are employable on their release crime scene: cornick killed mrs maguire in this classroom at corpus christi catholic college in leeds in april cornick, who took and passed five gcses a year early, would be unlikely to be able to study for higher level qualifications mr hamilton, who teaches in prisons, said: ‘i believe this young man is quite intelligent he would probably be above the level they are trying to take them to in that establishment’ he added: ‘it used to be that there was funding for them to do higher level courses but because of the cuts it's more difficult for people of a higher ability to continue their education’ mr hamilton said cornick would be treated the same as any other offender he said: ‘they will do a risk assessment on anybody but, unless they're an immediate risk and deemed too dangerous to be in the class, he would be treated in exactly the same way as everybody else’ cornick attacked mrs maguire after boasting to friends that he was going to kill her he also said he was going to murder other teachers, including a pregnant woman ‘so as to kill her unborn child’ the court heard that he later told doctors: ‘i said i was going to do other stuff but i never got the chance, other murders it was a triple homicide’ after the murder the teenager told psychiatrists that he ‘couldn't give a s***’ and added: ‘everything i've done is fine and dandy’ | leeds at least 20 years william cornick twitter ann maguire penelope gibbs | william cornick to serve at least 20 years for killing ann maguire in leeds former magistrate penelope gibbs says teenager's sentence is too long comments criticised as 'stupid' on twitter, but others give her support |
countless numbers of children have marvelled at how a homemade boat made of folded paper can float on water and now engineers have created a giant origami version that can carry an adult unlike the simple toy that's constructed using a single piece of paper, they also used glue and sticky tape to create the lake worthy vessel, which measures (12feet) 36 metres long scroll down for video engineers have created a giant origami version that can carry an adult (pictured) unlike the small handmade boats crafted from a single piece of folded paper, the giant version was made using glue and sticky tap to make the lake worthy vessel, which measures (12ft) 36 metres long weighing in at 220 lbs (100kg) and measuring six feet (two metres) wide, the boat was made from 305 feet (93 metres) of paper measuring three feet (11 metres wide) – the length of a football pitch – as well as 492 feet (150 metres) of sticky tape and two gallons (10 litres) of glue, to keep it waterproof engineers selected paper that is stronger and more water resistant than usual, because the boat was to be in the water for much longer than a normal small scale version they also made modifications to the traditional design weighing in at 220 lbs (100kg) and measuring six ft (two metres) wide, the boat (pictured) was made from 305 ft (93 metres) of paper – the length of a football pitch – as well as 492 ft (150 metres) of sticky tape and two gallons (10 litres) of glue, to keep it waterproof pupils from tottenham utc school (pictured) helped to launched the giant paper construction on southwark boating lake in south london to mark the 50 day countdown to the annual the big bang fair length: 12ft (36 metres) width: 6ft (2 metres) weight: 220lbs (100kg) amount of paper used: 492ft (150 metres) amount of stick tape used: 492ft (150 metres) amount of glue used: 2 gallons (10 litres) to ensure it didn’t capsize, a keel of wood was added underneath the boat, while a polystyrene block supporting the pyramid of paper was added for safety ridged paper in the base of the boat created a platform strong enough for someone to stand on pupils from tottenham utc school helped to launched the giant paper construction on southwark boating lake in south london to mark the 50 day countdown to the annual big bang fair, which promotes careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics the project was intended to show them that even the humble paper boat can be super sized using engineering techniques capable of making it strong enough for a human morwenna wilson, an award winning engineer who is a direct descendent of isambard kingdom brunel, captained the boat on its maiden voyage the craft stayed in the water for two hours and is still intact, despite having a soggy bottom but no one is sure exactly how long it could survive it is said to have 'handled like a dream' morwenna wilson (pictured), an award winning engineer who is a direct descendent of isambard kingdom brunel, captained the boat on its maiden voyage engineers selected paper that of stronger and more water resistant than usual for the giant boat (pictured background), because the boat was to be in the water for much longer than a normal small scale version, held by one of the school pupils involved in the project ms wilson works as a mechanical engineer for argent, london and is currently leading several major projects at london king’s cross railway station ‘engineering runs in my family, and i really want to show young people that this career can open doors to amazing opportunities and adventures,’ she said ‘from creating a huge origami boat, constructing a new skyscraper, or designing an aeroplane, so many things we travel on, live in or use in our everyday lives involve engineering’ year 10 pupil daniella jennings, 15, from tottenham utc, london said: ‘it was cool to see how they managed to make a huge version of the kind of paper boats you can make at home i didn’t even realise that was something engineers could do!’ similar stunts will feature at the big bang uk young scientists & engineers fair, which will take place at nec, birmingham from 11 14 march 2015 there are also instructions of how to make a small scale version of the origami boat to ensure it didn’t capsize, a keel of wood was added underneath the boat, while a polystyrene block supporting the pyramid of paper was added for safety these modifications kept ms wilson (pictured) dry | 150 metres southwark boating lake 492 ft 50 days 100kg two hours birmingham south london tottenham isambard kingdom brunel the big bang fair 220 lbs | paper boat was reinforced with glue and 492 ft (150 metres) of sticky tape it weighs 220 lbs (100kg) and is intact after being in the water for two hours it was launched on southwark boating lake in south london by pupils from tottenham utc school and 'handled like a dream' boat was captained by a direct descendant of isambard kingdom brunel stunt marks 50 days until the start of the big bang fair in birmingham |
a man who says he found a piece of 'space junk' from a russian rocket that re entered the atmosphere over australia last week has tried to sell it online for $100,000 an advertisement for the globe shaped object found on sunday near walgett in north west nsw was posted on gumtree by a man only known as peter the 134kg object was believed to be a fuel cell from a russian rocket and was 40cm in diameter and made of titanium, according to the seller scroll down for video peter posted a photo of himself holding the globe shaped object found on sunday near walgett in northern nsw on gumtree for $100,000 in the advertisement, which has since been removed from gumtree, peter said the space junk was found on the castlereagh highway, under the pagan creek bridge a fireball spotted travelling over australia last thursday at 945pm was the third stage of the soyuz rocket, which was launched from kazakhstan on july 8 it plummeted to earth at speeds of 29,000km/h 'one of the valves is completely burnt off and has left some spectacular flow lines of melting titanium as it re entered earth's atmosphere,' the gumtree advertisement read 'the second valve is still partially intact' peter believes the space junk is a fuel cell from a russian rocket that re entered the atmosphere over australia last week professor of planetary science at western australia's curtin university, phil bland, is one of several australian researchers currently tracking the rocket's flight path he told the abc the item peter was selling on gumtree certainly looked like space debris, but doubted it was from the russian rocket seen over australia last week 'you may get things scattered a little bit say plus or minus a few kilometres but there is no way it can move so far,' he said prof bland said where the item was discovered was hundreds of kilometres east of the path of the re entry | globe restituting oxyhydrate sunday collectivistically antiheroism husbands walgett tyndallize teetertail nsw | no related information |
a new york artist has created a surreal set of images showing body painted models posing before new york city landmarks the models in these images take on a transparent, almost ghost like appearance it is the result of a painstakingly detailed body painting photo shoot among the city's most recognizable backdrops artist trina merry, 34, spends eight gruelling hours hand painting her models so they blend in seamlessly with their surroundings freedom! a model, her body painted to an incredible level of detail and taking on a ghost like appearance, stands before the greys and the blues of downtown manhattan the resulting pictures show the models posing up against new york city landmarks such as the freedom tower, the empire state building, central park and the brooklyn bridge merry moved to the city only recently and said painting models into the city scape was the way for her to engage with her new home such is the level of detail on the body painting, the models appear translucent, often with only their footwear left contrasting with their surroundings merry has previously stated she believes bodypainting creates a 'special connection' to a person that other art forms do not it is, she said, a 'distinctly human experience' art imitates art: a model at the house of expressionist willem de kooning, part of a famed group of new york painters that included jackson pollock and franz kline on the left, a body painted model sits on a bridge with her back to the camera, gazing out across the city with houses, the bridge and the skyline all painted across her while on the right, the model faces the camera with the spectacular brooklyn bridge as her backdrop her brightly coloured shoes left clearly distinguishable this photo required an incredible amount of work to get the body paint dimensions perfect the model appears almost translucent as she stands before coney island fame: these images have been viewed around the world now body artist trina merry has given an insight into how she creates her work, despite run ins with police | eight hours new york city new york trina merry | images show models painted to excruciatingly high level of detail and posing before new york city landmarks models give off a surreal, ghost like impression as they appear a part of the backdrop and the natural scenery artist trina merry spends eight hours hand painting the models, says the project helped her 'engage' with new york |
video interviews with victims of celebrity sex abusers including jimmy savile and stuart hall have been stolen, sparking fears they could have been used in a blackmail plot as many as 50 testimonies from victims were reportedly taken from a flat used by a film making company working on behalf of the crown prosecution service the tapes are believed to include filmed statements made by those accusing a number of high profile names, including notorious paedophile savile, and former sports presenter hall, 84, who is serving a total of 60 months behind bars for numerous indecent assault charges senstive: video interviews with victims of celebrity sex abusers including jimmy savile (left) and stuart hall (right) have been stolen, sparking fears they could have been used in a blackmail plot police fear that the tapes, thought to have been stolen by a criminal gang, could have been used for blackmail or leaked online potentially jeopardising future prosecutions four police forces have been deployed to help with the probe, and officers have been sent to poland to help trace those responsible so far, six men have been arrested for burglary and handling stolen goods following the break in at the swan films premises in fallowfield, manchester,on september 11 police say the items taken have since been recovered one highly placed source said: 'there were serious concerns about the implications of this robbery,' a source involved in the investigation told the sunday mirror high profile: the tapes are believed to include filmed statements made by those accusing a number of high profile names, including notorious paedophile savile who died in october 2011 'officers were terrified future trials could collapse due to the evidence being compromised and there were also concerns that the videos could be uploaded on to social media or even be used as part of a future blackmail plot' a cps spokesman told mailonline that items thought to have been taken in the break in included interviews with victims and witnesses that had been sent to swan films since august 1 the tapes stolen were not the master copies of the interviews, and sensitive information held on computers that have subsequently been recovered had not been accessed between the time they were taken, and returned 'following a burglary at the premises of swan films, a manchester based video editing contractor for the cps, we are currently cooperating with the ongoing police investigation,' he said 'during the burglary it is believed that material relating to a small number of cases, including some police interviews with victims or witnesses, sent to the company since august 1 this year and within the greater manchester area, were stolen 'master copies of all material are retained by the prosecution the computers containing this information have now been recovered and we can confirm that the sensitive information they contained was not accessed between the time they were stolen and their recovery 'the cps has secured all material which remained at the burgled premises and is asking for an urgent explanation of the security measures in place we have worked with the police to identify the victims and witnesses who have been involved in the cases affected and are informing them of the successful recovery of the material in question' savile is now known to have abused hundreds of young victims over six decades but the former top of the pops presenter, who received a knighthood in 1990, died aged 84 in october 2011 – a year before the allegations emerged in an itv documentary after the bbc shelved a newsnight investigation into the star hall was jailed for 30 months last year after he admitted indecently assaulting 13 young girls, aged between nine and 17, over a 20 year period in may he was ordered to serve an extra two and a half years for sexually assaulting another underage girl | cps stuart hall jimmy savile manchester | up top 50 filmed statements thought to have been taken in break in interviews were taken from flat used by film company hired by cps testimonies thought to include victims of jimmy savile and stuart hall officers feared tapes could be uploaded to the internet, or used in blackmail police say all items taken in manchester raid have now been recovered 'sensitive information' on stolen computers not accessed, prosecutors say six men have been arrested in connection with the thefts |
hoax ufo videos have a tried and tested format: shaky footage, a bogus spaceship and cries of wonder from the person filming on a smartphone but one hollywood animator has gone the extra mile to produce a convincing ufo 'gag' which is entirely created with cgi effects including the car, the skies and the scenery canadian aristomenis tsirbas, who has worked on titanic, hellboy and star trek: deep space nine, created a short clip which appears to show a ufo flying over santa clarita, california, seen from a moving vehicle scroll down for video hoax: the car, the skies and the scenery are all the product of cgi effects, as well as the apparent ufo tsirbas said the sci fi effects, such as the ufo and the mothership, were easier to create than the scenery the video seems to show a car driving through a desert at sunset when a dark, flat, latticed object flies overhead the driver can be heard muttering 'woah', before getting out of the car in the breeze to get a better shot of the apparent ufo it hovers around some pylons before a 'mothership' appears from nowhere, collects the ufo and vanishes, at which the driver says: 'holy' tsirbas, who spent four months creating the 30 second clip, said he wanted to play a joke to prove to critics of cgi that the effects can look realistic the 45 year old director told wired: 'the point of the video was to prove that cgi can look natural and convincing 'everybody assumes the background and car are real, and that the ufos are probably fake, especially the over the top mothership at the end cgi effects show the driver pulling over to get a better shot of the ufo as it hovers by electricity pylons tsirbas described the mothership as being 'over the top' but deliberately made the video shaky to seem more realistic 'the general reaction is disbelief, so i usually have to prove it by showing a wire frame of the entire shot to prove that nothing is real' tsirbas said the 'real' elements to the film were the most difficult to create convincingly the los angeles based director said: 'without a doubt the real stuff was the toughest because everybody knows what an actual car driving down a desert should look like 'getting it mostly right wasn’t good enough we had to nail the car and desert perfectly, otherwise the gag wouldn’t work getting the car, the scenery and the exposure right was vital to making the video realistic even the scenery was completely computer generated for the 30 second ufo hoax clip the exposure was made to look imperfect in order to mimic the settings on an ordinary smartphone 'often cgi is too perfectly and uniformly exposed, when reality has things blowing out or falling into darkness all over the place 'the car interior was a beautiful model, but i deliberately crunched down that element in the composite until it was almost entirely black, because a real camera would do the same if exposing for the sky' tsirbas worked on the hoax with students from the gnomon school of visual effects, where he taught filmmaking classes and served as resident director of an original content division called gnomon studios | four months titanic star trek 30 second aristomenis tsirbas | director and animator aristomenis tsirbas worked on titanic and star trek he spent four months creating 30 second clip to prove cgi looks 'natural' |
he was seriously wounded in the trenches and was later shot down by the germans at 18,000ft – but throughout his experiences of the great war, arthur greg kept his sense of humour now, the horrors faced by arthur, who came from a wealthy mill owning family in cheshire, have been unearthed in an archive of letters and photographs like many other families, the gregs, who built a number of thriving mills, including quarry bank in styal, near wilmslow, sent their men into battle for king and country in 1914 letters discovered at quarry bank mill have revealed a fascinating insight into the greg family's loss during the first world war pictured is arthur greg seated in a plane a letter, written by arthur greg, unearthed at quarry mill bank in cheshire by trainee archivist laura collins a family photograph of the gregs pictured are henry russell greg surrounded by his six surviving children, elizabeth mary, alice caroline, katharine henry, henry philips, mary philips and sarah eleanor trainee archivist laura collins stumbled across the letters at the mill among the family's extensive collection of personal and business documents they reveal how arthur used a dry sense of humour to mask the horrors of what he endured he wrote: 'eighteen days in a fire trench with heavy engagements only a few hundred yards to our right, and more critical fighting a mile or so on our left, was not calculated to act as nerve tonic' arthur greg and his brother robert were the sons of ernest william greg and their other brother, alexander carlton greg, donated quarry bank mill to the national trust arthur was severely wounded after a shell dropped nearby during a german attack on the trenches he wrote: 'i went down like a log and was next aware of a loose, horrid and disconnected feeling about the lower part of my face at one time i thought i should not live as i was bleeding so furiously i thought it a pity that one more so young should have to go' arthur and his brother robert were the sons of ernest william greg and their other brother, alexander carlton greg, donated quarry bank mill to the national trust barely a year after arthur’s death in april 1917, robert was stationed near kummel when a shell was dropped directly on to his dug out in the support line robert was fatally wounded and died days later on 3rd may 1918 arthur began his military career at the age of 20, when in 1914 he was commissioned as second lieutenant of the 3rd (special reserve) battalion cheshire regiment, serving as a bombing officer in may 1915 he was attached to the first battalion of the cheshire regiment, 15th brigade, 5th division, and was stationed in ypres, belgium he led several reconnaissance missions, searching for enemy spies, often under heavy shell fire in november of 1915, arthur became a captain and in 1917 he was graded as a flying officer and posted to the british expeditionary force, 55 squadron, royal flying corps but arthur performed his final sacrifice on april 23, 1917, flying the dh4 bomber a7408 arthur greg's fiancee marian allen, who captured the bravery and grief of war in a poem written in 1918 a photograph of emily gair greg which forms part of the archive discovered at the mill, which staff have been organising for the last year two of the letters sent to the greg family from arthur while he fought in the first world war one of the letters discovered in the archive which reveals more about the greg family he was involved in an air battle with german pilots, including herman goering, and was shot at 18,000ft although he managed to land the plane, he later died of his wounds in further documents revealed by the quarry bank mill archive, arthur's fiancee, marian allen, captured the bravery and grief of war in a poem written in june 1918 rachel whalley, visitor experience officer, said that for the past year staff and volunteers at the mill have been reorganising the substantial archive she said: 'it is amazing to uncover hidden stories about the family with every document we look at we are learning more and more about this fascinating family; not just their work at the mill, but their entrepreneurial roles, family stories and personalities' quarry bank mill in styal, cheshire, is one of a number of thriving mills built by the greg family | wwi june 1918 arthur greg marian allen arthur | letters from arthur greg discovered at mill reveal his humorous side during wwi hidden stories about wealthy family uncovered in substantial archive further documents show arthur's fiancee, marian allen, captured the bravery and grief of war in a poem written in june 1918 |
ed miliband was tackled by a disgruntled voter yesterday who said people were deserting labour because of the party’s failure to offer an eu referendum in a rare non stage managed encounter with a member of the public, the labour leader was told by an aircraft factory worker that voters wanted to have a say on whether britain should continue its membership of the eu in the awkward encounter, peter baldwin, an electrician at bae systems in lancashire, told mr miliband: ‘this morning we sat in the brew room over there, your workers, and they are all leaning now towards ukip confronted: ed miliband (right) was told by aircraft factory worker peter baldwin (left) that voters wanted to have a say on whether britain should continue its membership of the eu ed miliband was today confronted by a factory worker who warned him working class voters wanted a referendum on europe ‘the question on everyone’s mind is the referendum i know what you are going to say but the working class man in here wants to have a say we have too many people here, that is why we have all got these people out of work’ the labour leader said that if he won office, he would make jobless eu migrants wait two years before claiming benefits and stop firms undercutting the minimum wage, before shaking mr baldwin’s hand and saying ‘very nice to meet you’ mr baldwin later told the bbc that he was referring to a chat between ‘20 odd working class blokes’ he said: ‘basically they are just not happy with labour at the moment the big thing with the working class man is immigration and europe’ mr miliband was on a visit to the bae site in samlesbury and given a tour of its workshops, where the f35 lightning ii and eurofighter typhoon aircraft are built his encounter with mr baldwin came as one of labour’s biggest donors warned that failing to offer the public an in out referendum could lose the party the election john mills, who has given £165 million to labour, said mr miliband’s refusal to let the public have a say would ‘certainly’ cost the party votes in key seats the multi millionaire owner of retail business jml ltd told a conference of eurosceptics in london: ‘i have heard rumours that there is a majority in the shadow cabinet who are in favour of having a referendum i’m sure one of the reasons for this is concern about whether refusing to have a referendum is going to lose labour votes in what is going to be a very tight election’ nigel farage is likely to jump on mr miliband's confrontation with a working class voter in lancashire john mills, who has handed £165 million to ed miliband's party, has warned labour could lose the election over europe labour could lose the election by refusing to offer the public a referendum on the european union, according to one of the party's biggest donors john mills, who has handed £165 million to ed miliband's party, said the labour leader's refusal to let the public have a say would 'certainly' cost them votes in key seats a multi millionaire through his retail business jml ltd, mr mills who is a longstanding eurosceptic, said he had heard reports that a majority of mr miliband's shadow cabinet back an in out poll he also cautioned the party that refusing to dangle the threat of leaving the eu would grievously damage their chances of securing any reform to the way the 28 member union works 'i have heard rumours that there is a majority of people in the shadow cabinet who are in favour of having a referendum', mr mills told a conference of eurosceptics in central london 'i'm sure one of the reasons for this is concern about whether refusing to have a referendum is going to lose labour votes in what is going to be a very tight election 'i think it certainly will and this is one of the major reasons why, from a tactical and strategic point of view, it is in the labour party's interests to have a referendum sometime between 2015 and 2020' the businessman was involved in the campaign against britain's membership of the european economic community in 1975, when the conservatives wanted to stay in and the labour party was split he said if there was another referendum, senior people in the labour party should be allowed to campaign either way 'what was agreed then [in 1975] was that each side of the labour party could make speeches and campaign for what they thought was right my guess is that something like that will happen again', he said 'i think the unions will probably be split as well' if labour do win office, he said he did not rule out the party having a change of heart about holding a vote, saying: 'i don't think it's impossible…a referendum at some time in the next parliament' but he warned that party that failing to do so would backfire mr miliband has effectively ruled out a referendum before 2020 saying it would only be trigged by a major transfer of new powers to the eu his pro european foreign affairs spokesman douglas alexander has said eu membership 'remains central to our prosperity and security' and that labour would 'set itself the task of reviewing, repairing, and resetting our country's approach to europe' mr mills said this approach, if mr miliband wins, would 'inevitably weaken the uk's bargaining position' he said: 'minds in brussels are much more likely to take renegotiation seriously if they know that there is a substantial risk that the uk will leave the eu if there is not a satisfactory deal on the table to persuade the uk to stay in 'whether they want to remain in the eu or they want to leave, there are many in the labour party who are united in their belief that the british people must be given an eu referendum to put this issue to bed once and for all' | lancashire peter baldwin ed miliband ukip bae britain europe today | ed miliband was today confronted by a bae factory worker in lancashire electrician peter baldwin told labour leader he was thinking of voting ukip he said the 'working class man' wanted a say on britain's place in europe |
eight members of a drugs gang who plotted to flood tyneside with £200,000 worth of cocaine were jailed for almost 25 years lee cheetham, used a network of his friends to transport and divide up the drugs the 35 year old criminal, from walker, newcastle, planned to use a cutting agent benzocaine and a hydraulic press to reduce the purity of the cocaine and increase his profits ringleader lee cheetham, left, was jailed for nine years over his part in the cocaine plot, his lieutenant anthony hardy, right, received a four year jail term after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine michael duncan, left, was described at newcastle crown court as hardy's accomplice and was seen entering the 'bash house', while 40 year old paul nichol, right was responsible for arranging the cocaine cheethan organised a 'bash house' in the wallsend area of newcastle where two members of the gang would use the cutting agent and the hydraulic press to prepare the cocaine for sale newcastle crown court heard that detectives had been keeping the 'bash house' on hopper street under surveillance telephone records revealed that the gang were preparing to 'bash' the drugs on may 12, 2013 the court heard that dene long obtained the benzocaine, which was being stored in the home of cheetham's sister karen paul nichol was in charge of securing the cocaine as well the hydraulic press, which was being stored at cheetham's business, ltc tyres in byker shaun mccumiskey handed the keys to the hopper street bash house to anthony hardy and michael duncan hardy was described in court as cheetham's lieutenant while duncan was hardy's accomplice hardy and duncan collected hydraulic press from the tyre centre police later observed hardy at karen cheetham's house before he met with nichol the gang used a hydraulic press to mix the drugs, left, and squeeze them into cylindrical tablets, right once all the equipment and drugs were in place, duncan and hardy went into the bash house while their driver lee gourley kept a lookout outside when duncan and hardy left the house and entered gourley's car, police pounced gourley tried to flee but a police officer drove into the side of the car paul mitchell, prosecuting, said police found 85g of cocaine in the car, a key to the house, two carrier bags of rubbish, which included latex gloves, two discs from an hydraulic press and a knotted bag of white powder the drugs had a value of around £21,000 but, if the purity was reduced, they could have had a street value of up to £190,000 sentencing the ring, judge brian forster said: 'this was clearly set up as a business and that business had one intention 'anyone involved in the business of supplying class a drugs must expect a substantial sentence 'lee cheetham, it was clear that this was your business and there may have been others up the chain 'from the evidence i have seen you were actively involved in running what was taking place' lee gourley, left, was sitting as a lookout outside the bash house where the cocaine was due to be mixed with the cutting agent benzocaine, which, newcastle crown court heard, was supplied by dene long, right chief inspector paul knox, said: 'while investigating the gang we quickly identified that lee cheetham was the ringleader of the whole operation he was the one making the plans and instructing the others on how they would run their illegal business 'cheetham is a calculated and dangerous man and it's reassuring to know that he will now spend the next nine years behind bars for what he has done 'the others were involved to varying degrees; hardy, duncan, nichol, and gourley were all involved in dealing the drugs and moving them around tyneside 'long got the gang the chemicals needed to cut their drugs, mccumiskey allowed them to use the property in hopper street, that belonged to his family, as the base for their drugs operation and cheetham even got his sister involved by getting her to agree to them using her house as a storage area for chemicals and drug making equipment 'i hope this serves as a warning to those involved in the illegal selling and dealing of drugs in our area that we take this type of crime extremely seriously 'we are always looking to target and take action against those looking to profit from the selling of drugs and we will continue to run operations like this to get you off our streets and out of our communities' karen cheetham, left, stored the drugs and chemicals at her home while shaun mccumiskey, right, allowed the gang to use a house owned in wallsend by his family to cut the drugs and prepare them for distribution cheetham and hardy, 28, of walker newcastle both pleaded guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and were jailed for nine and four years respectively duncan, 24, walker, was sentenced to three years and four months after also pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine nichol, 40, of elswick, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine after trial and was given four years gourley, 38, of walker, was handed 32 months after being concerned in the supply of a class a drug long, 20, of walker, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a class a drug and was given 12 months suspended for 18 months, and must complete 100 hours unpaid work karen cheetham, 37, from heaton, was given a nine months in prison suspended for two years and 150 hours unpaid work after pleading guilty to assisting an offender mccumiskey, 34, of wallsend, pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting an offence and was handed 22 months in custody suspended for two years christopher knox, for cheetham, said he wasn't a man living the high life, while saying nichol hadn't been in trouble for 15 years tony davis, for hardy, said he felt great shame in becoming involved in the operation shaun routledge, for duncan, said he had no real understanding of the scale of the plot and said gourley played a lesser role in the operation katherine dunn, for long, said his involvement was due to his naivety and stupidity | 1kg oropharynx 85g encuirassed scuppernong interruptively unblurred newcastle degreasing | no related information |
an elderly father was knocked down and killed on the steps of his local royal british legion club after a driving mistake by his own daughter, an inquest heard christine kershaw, 63 dropped her father ernest kershaw, 86, off at the farnborough, hampshire club where he was a regular but after handing her father his walking sticks miss kershaw, accidentally put her automatic car into forward instead of reverse gear, and the kia sedona people carrier hit mr kershaw, propelling him down the steps and into a handrail he was pronounced dead at the scene the royal british legion club in farnborough, hampshire where mr kershaw was an afternoon regular miss kershaw, who wiped away tears as she gave evidence at the inquest, said: 'as i got in i realised i had left it in gear i turned the ignition on and it started to move and hit the top of the steps 'i was just trying to get the car away from him' the inquest heard how miss kershaw had been taking her father to the club every sunday for around two years he would arrive at 1pm and would mix with other club members, drinking a shandy and a whisky before being picked up at 3pm there are two elements to unintentional acceleration syndrome which are acknowledged by psycho analysts the first is where the driver makes and error with the foot position of their vehicle the second is where, as the vehicle accelerates, the driver's initial reaction is to press harder on what they think is the brake miss kershaw added: 'i pulled up (to the steps) i needed to get his sticks for him 'i jumped out, passed him his sticks, took him to the top of the stairs and took one stick off him because he couldn't manage two with the handrail 'i went back to the car because i had to move it' club member mathew walker, who was having a cigarette in the smoking area a few feet away from the incident, also gave evidence at the inquest he said: 'i heard what sounded like tyres screeching behind me 'i turned around to face up the steps and saw a blue car coming down the steps 'ernie was on my right hand side the car came down and veered slightly to my right and struck ernie 'it was very close and i didn't know which way it was going to go and i had to decide which way to jump 'i jumped to my left and then the car struck the front of the club' after the accident the engine was still being revved, and the inquest heard how a club member had to shout to shocked miss kershaw to turn the engine off forensic collision investigator kevin spiller was called to the scene and also gave evidence at the inquest in a 'momentary lapse' miss kershaw put her kia sedona (like the one pictured) into reverse, then panicked and accelerated into her elderly father he said: 'unintentional acceleration syndrome, sometimes referred to as spontaneous acceleration syndrome, is an unexpected, inadvertent acceleration the unintentional pressing of the accelerator instead of the brake or gear' at the close of the hearing coroner mr bradley recorded a verdict that mr kershaw's death was accidental he said: 'let me first express my sympathy 'it is a terrible situation to find yourself in and clearly one that was not intended at all 'but it takes just a momentary lapse, that slightest confusion and things happen 'it is a second's confusion when you believe you have done one thing when in fact you have done another 'it is one of those things, but what a consequence it is very difficult and i'm sure it is very painful' | afternoon coroner ernest kershaw 86 | daughter affected by unintentional acceleration syndrome inquest hears ernest kershaw, 86, struck as he headed into club for an afternoon drink coroner describes cause of freak accident as a 'momentary lapse' |
the best friend of australian triathlon legend jackie fairweather has revealed how the former world champion grappled with devastating depression, before the 46 year old tragically took her own life hannah walmsley described ms fairweather, a commonwealth games bronze medallist, as enduring a 'a tough journey', as the australian sporting community struggles to come to terms with the tragedy ms walmsley told the canberra times: 'it was a tough journey as well as a beautiful one 'she had a really tough battle with herself, she fought so hard' an overwhelming number of touching tributes are flowing in for legendary triathlete jackie fairweather who tragically died at the age of 46 ms walmsley, who would have met ms fairweather for a 10km run early this morning, instead met her best friend's husband simon yesterday the pair consoled each other throughout what became a tribute jog 'it was a beautiful way to remember our best friend,' ms walmsley said fairweather, or gallagher, as she was known at the time was considered a trailblazer for triathlons back in the 1990's when she excelled to the top of her game in the international arena gallagher proved to be a natural when she began competing in triathlons in 1992 and won the elite australian national series in her first season during her eight years as a professional athlete a career highlight was in 1996 when she was crowned the world triathlon champion setting a championship record time of 1 hour 50 minutes, 52 seconds in cleveland, ohio fairweather was crowned world triathlon champion and also won the world duathlon championships in 1996 to become the only person ever to claim both world titles in the same year as if that wasn't a big enough feat she also won the world duathlon championships in 1996 to become the only person ever to claim both world titles in the same year gallagher bagged a further world championship silver medals in 1995, 1997 and 1999 also claiming the duathlon world championships for a second time in 1999 she then went on to collect the bronze medal in the marathon in the 2002 commonwealth games and win the gold coast marathon in 2005 gallagher changed her surname in 2004 after marrying australian olympic archery champion simon fairweather an overwhelming number of tweets are pouring in for fairweather on twitter fairweather had a master of science degree in exercise physiology and worked as a senior sports consultant at the australian sports commission she was also the inaugural coach of the australian institute of sport triathlon program between 2001 and 2005 the tributes on twitter show how fairweather's peers held her in a very high regard and were absolutely devastated by her shocking passing marathon runner lee troop posted on twitter that fairweather left 'a massive legacy & will never be forgotten' he also described her as 'tough as nails as a competitor but gentle spirit' brumbies rugby coach kate gazzard spoke of fairweather inspiring her to become a triathlete 'this amazing woman was one of the reasons i started triathlon,' she posted while sports journalist nicole jeffery said she was proud to call fairweather her friend 'she would be surprised to know how many people loved her and valued her' gallagher changed her surname in 2004 after marrying australian olympic archery champion simon fairweather (right) the tributes on twitter show how fairweather's peers held her in a very high regard and were absolutely devastated by her shocking passing others commented on how tragic it was that fairweather died at such a young age tv sports presenter jim wilson said:' an elite athlete & so much talent #tooyoung' tim d'astoli echoed those sentiments with: 'way too young' fairweather was labelled everything from a 'true aussie champion',a 'true competitor' to 'one of the toughest' 'australian triathlon sporting icon, who worked tirelessly to also empower others,' chrissie wellington posted while jessica trengrove said: 'a passionate, kind and inspirational australian who will be dearly missed by many' gold medallist kerryn mccann (centre) and silver medallist krishna stanton (left) on the podium with gallagher (right) who bagged the bronze in the womens marathon at the commonwealth games in manchester in 2002 | the world championship triathlon jackie fairweather sunday cleveland first world duathlon the age of 46 the same year that year 1996 | triathlete jackie fairweather who tragically died at the age of 46 on sunday she won the world championship triathlon title in cleveland in 1996 that year she also won the world duathlon crown she became the first person to win both titles in the same year social media has been flooded with touching tributes for the athlete |
trying to remember all the different speed limits and road signs during your driving theory test can stump even the most dedicated of learner drivers but one man found himself in a real jam when was arrested by police after he was caught blatantly cheating by ‘phoning a friend’ the 39 year old learner driver was sitting the exam at a test centre when staff spotted a bluetooth earpiece suddenly fall to the floor one man was arrested by police after he was caught blatantly cheating by 'phoning a friend' using a hidden mobile phone, the exam candidate had been communicating the theory questions via the bluetooth to a remote friend the friend was then leafing through a copy of the highway code, finding the answer to the multiple choice question and then relaying it back to him the theory test is made up of a multiple choice part – which the candidate has 57 minutes to complete and a hazard perception test where 14 one minute videos are shown and the candidate has to use the mouse on the computer to respond to a series of hazards you need to pass both parts to pass the theory test and then have two years to pass the practical driving test if you fall to pass the practical within two years learners have to re sit the theory test the incident happened during a driving theory test held at piccadilly gardens in manchester on monday shortly before lunchtime it is understood he was more than half way through the 50 question theory test when the bluetooth device flipped out of his ear and fell on the floor the incident happened during a driving theory test held at piccadilly gardens in manchester on monday shortly before lunchtime shocked staff saw it fall and immediately suspended the theory test and called the police who arrived and then arrested the man he was questioned by police and admitted trying to cheat during the theory test and accepted a police caution for carrying an article for the use of fraud under current guidelines the man from birmingham – who had no previous convictions – could have faced a maximum 26 week prison sentence for the offence greater manchester police city centre tweeted: ‘odd arrest yesterday man sits written driving test with earpiece which allows him to 'phone a friend' worst thing was, he failed the test’ inspector phil spurgeon said: ‘his was an audacious attempt to cheat on the driving theory test by using an earpiece to receive the correct answers ‘however, thanks to the vigilance of staff who saw the device fall on the floor this man was caught red handed and has subsequently received a police caution ‘he failed the test because he did not complete the exam which was immediately cancelled obviously it was not a particularly sophisticated method of cheating but it should send out a message to anyone considering this that they will be caught and punished’ the driver and vehicle standards agency, which holds the theory exams, which has a multiple choice section and hazard perception section, in centres across the country including piccadilly gardens both parts of the test are taken on the same day sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | bluetooth manchester 39 piccadilly gardens | driver, 39, used hidden mobile and bluetooth earpiece to 'phone a friend' man caught when his earpiece fell out and staff noticed incident happened during a driving theory test at piccadilly gardens, manchester |
former formula one boss max mosley, pictured outside court yesterday, has won his latest round of his ongoing legal battle against google former formula one boss max mosley has won his latest round of his ongoing legal battle against google after the high court refused to block his claim for damages over 'sex orgy' pictures mosley, 74, is seeking damages from google uk and parent company google inc, and an injunction banning the publication of the photographs on the search engine he has brought a claim against us based google inc and google uk under the data protection act and against google inc for misuse of private information google's lawyers said that his case is unsustainable in fact and law and should be struck out they also argued that permission to serve the claim on google inc outside the jurisdiction of the court should be set aside but mr justice mitting said today that the claim brought against us based google inc under the data protection act should continue he said: 'on the contrary, it seems to me to be a viable claim which raises questions of general public interest which ought to proceed to trial' the litigation follows mosley's 2008 privacy victory against the now defunct news of the world newspaper when he won £60,000 compensation after it accused him of taking part in a 'sick nazi orgy' with five prostitutes mosley, the son of the 1930s fascist leader sir oswald mosley, did not dispute taking part in the sadomasochistic roleplay at a rented chelsea basement flat, but said it was consensual and private, with no nazi overtones he said that his life had been devastated by the march 2008 expose and by the newspaper putting secretly filmed footage on its website, which attracted at least 35 million hits mosley has campaigned for privacy ever since his unusual sexual tastes were exposed, backing pressure group hacked off and giving evidence in the leveson enquiry he has also been successful in legal bids to stop google from directing users to images of the orgy via the french and german courts scroll down for video mr justice mitting yesterday said damages ‘may simply not be available’ to mosley but said some form of injunction banning the images could be ‘much less problematic’ today he ruled there is jurisdiction for mosley’s claim and ordered the case to go to trial at london’s high court after the hearing, mr mosley said: 'i am very pleased with the result 'what is important is that they are now going to have to come in front of the courts in the uk, where they do an enormous amount of business, to seek to justify their conduct 'the only thing i regret is that it was necessary to have a hearing in the high court in order to get them to do this' mosley, 74, is seeking damages from google uk (pictured) and parent company google inc, and an injunction banning the publication of the photographs on the search engine speaking today, the judge said: ‘a judicial remedy is available the claimant clearly has a legal benefit which the court may grant and what the claimant requires amounts to general monitoring ‘existing technology permits google to block images as it does with views of child pornography ‘the claimant has a viable case and it seems to me to be a claim of viable public interest which ought to proceed to trial’ google fiercely contest mosley’s claims, believing any form of filter on searches could amount to censorship of the web analysing the role of internet search engines, mr justice mitting said ‘about 60 trillion’ web pages are posted onto the internet each year the judge, sitting at the high court in london (pictured), said that mosley 'plainly has a legal remedy, which the court may grant' he added: ‘a person searching for an image will click on a thumbnail of the image a smaller version of the image on the website will be seen and stored inside a cache ‘all this is done automatically google has no control over this, when a user types in searches thumbnails will be displaying they see then come into view the order is established by an algorithm’ around 435,000 people viewed the photos and around 15 million had seen the video footage immediately after publication, the court heard earlier the judge, who was told that mosley’s action against google uk under the data protection act had been discontinued, went on to stay mosley's damages claim against google inc for misuse of private information, which he had described as 'deeply problematic' the remaining action concerns mosley's bid to obtain an order requiring the search engine to cease processing the images google's counsel, antony white qc, said that it had used its notice and takedown procedures to block images when specific urls had been provided because, whatever the strict legal position, it had some sympathy for mosley and wished to avoid a dispute but, mosley's counsel, hugh tomlinson qc, said he had been forced to engage in what a canadian court had described as an 'endless game of 'whack a mole'' this was despite the fact that it was possible as google now accepted for the search engine to take technical steps to prevent the images being indexed by google search in the first place the judge said that mosley 'plainly has a legal remedy, which the court may grant' sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | clothespin unionists hearsing contractable ginkgo hostessing 74 murat mosley google uk | no related information |
an increasing number of shops in britain have decided to stock the new issue of charlie hebdo in a show of support for the victims of last week's paris terror attacks the latest outlets to stock the satirical magazine, which features a cartoon of the prophet mohammed on its front cover, are a fancy dress shop and a news kiosk one shopkeeper said it is 'the right thing to do' to sell the magazine in support of free speech, while another said the publication had 'caught the imagination of the world' scroll down for video on sale: jon powell, left, and matthew stephenson, right, are two of the british shopkeepers who are planning to sell the new issue of charlie hebdo clamour: the latest issue of charlie hebdo, produced one week after many of its editorial staff were murdered, reportedly sold out across france within minutes the magazine was first published in france yesterday, just a week after jihadi terrorists stormed the charlie hebdo offices in paris and killed 12 people, including the editor its initial print run sold out within hours as potential buyers queued up in the streets, and it is expected to sell a total of 5million copies the first copies destined for britain are due to arrive tomorrow, and a number of shopkeepers have already announced that they will make the magazine available even though they don't usually stock it jon powell, who runs a kiosk selling newspapers and magazines, said he would sell a limited number of magazines on a first come, first served basis and even though the new issue has apparently been fetching hundreds of pounds on ebay, he has vowed not to charge more than the the face value of €3 (around £230) memorial: a journalist holds an early copy of the first edition of charlie hebdo since the slaughter in its office 'i'm a little bit concerned about the reaction, but if it's perfectly legal to sell them, we'll sell them,' mr powell, 36, said 'some of the magazines offend different people for different reasons but we live in a free society 'it was a big call to make to publicise it, but it was the right thing to do i have sympathy for the people who make the magazine' he added: 'i got the magazine in in response to customers calling first thing to get a copy 'i phoned the wholesalers and put my name down for a couple of copies and if there were a few extra 'after i put it out there on social media the phone has been ringing red hot and demand shot up to 30 copies 'i know some are up on ebay but i will be selling them at face value i'm providing the news that people want and i wouldn't want to make money on the back of misfortune' emotional: charlie hebdo's new editor gerard biard (left) and journalist patrick pelloux (right) comfort the cover's cartoonist luz (centre) during a press conference on tuesday at which they vowed to continue matthew stephenson, the owner of a fancy dress shop, said that he would sell 100 copies of charlie hebdo 'the magazine has caught the imagination of the world,' the 43 year old said 'i have managed to get 100 copies to collect at 7am on friday 'lots of customers have shown an interest in buying a copy i believe they are as curious as i am to see it' there is a huge rush for copies of the 'survivors' edition of charlie hebdo in britain but there is confusion about how many will be available the french satirical magazine usually sells around 30 copies a week in britain but distributors hope they will be able to get their hands on 2,000 copies, which are likely to arrive from friday two days after it went on sale in france the uk copies are being distributed by newspaper and magazine wholesalers smiths news and menzies distribution britain's biggest suppliers but they have also admitted they are still unsure how many they will get because charlie hebdo sold out in france this morning meaning there may not be any to sell london is likely to have the majority of copies from friday, because it has up to 400,000 french people living there larger stores like wh smith have ruled out selling but smaller foreign book stores and newsagents will one, the french bookshop in south kensington, said: 'we will be selling it on a first come, first served basis when we get it' another unnamed retailer told mailonline they would like to sell it but are not hopeful they will be able to get any copies another british newsagent was seen selling copies of the magazine which had apparently been photocopied, according to press gazette he was charging £9 for the counterfeit publications, but still managed to sell 70 copies it emerged yesterday that a village shopkeeper who announced that she would be selling the new charlie hebdo had run out of her 200 copies before they were even delivered to her only around 2,000 copies are being imported into the uk, sparking a huge rush on ebay one auction saw bidding hit £100,000, but the sale is believed to have been sabotaged at an emotional press conference on tuesday, members of staff at charlie hebdo vowed not to censor the magazine despite the horrific massacre which left many of their colleagues dead the new front cover features the headline 'all is forgiven' over a tearful mohammed holding a sign reading 'je suis charlie', the slogan that has become a rallying cry for those appalled by the massacre the image was the work of cartoonist renald 'luz' luzier, who survived the killings because he was late for work that day the magazine also includes cartoons mocking the two killers, brothers cherif and said kouachi some british muslims have spoken out against the decision to run a cartoon of mohammed, claiming that it is a provocative move which could further inflame tensions labour mp khalid mahmood urged newspapers and broadcasters not to show the images, saying: 'these cartoons are not satire, they are not in good taste they are just offensive' however, david cameron said: 'when your freedom of expression is attacked in this way, i don't think it's surprising that people want to stand up and fight for that freedom of expression they believe in' | parisians first charlie hebdo last week's yesterday | news kiosk owner is taking a stand by selling the magazine's new issue a fancy dress shop has ordered 100 copies of the controversial publication the first issue of charlie hebdo since last week's massacre features a cartoon of the prophet mohammed on its front cover parisians were queuing up yesterday to buy the magazine's new issue |
a policewoman has been deliberately knocked down and injured by a driver outside president hollande's palace in central paris witnesses have said the motorist aimed at the officer outside the élysée palace and two people have been arrested a reporter on bfm tv in france said the car had been driving the wrong way along a one way system before ramming the policewoman and knocking her to the floor overnight scroll down for video hit and run: a policewoman guarding the elysee presidential palace in paris, pictured today, has been deliberately run down outside after a driver went the wrong way up a one way street the men in the car then abandoned it and fled on foot but were chased by police on bikes and arrested president hollande was in the palace at the time stephanie weber boyer from police union alliance said: 'the policewoman said that the driver looked at her in the eyes, this is what allows us to say that he drove into her deliberately' she added: 'you can not tell if it is related to what happened last week' protection: the elysee palace, pictured last week, is guarded by armed police day and night and president hollande was there when the officer was attacked the victim's condition is unclear but it appears she suffered injuries to her arms and upper body the incident comes with france on high security alert after a week of violence in the capital in which 17 people were killed in attacks by three islamist militants the reports said it was not clear whether the incident was connected to those attacks police officials could not be reached immediately for comment | hollande the elysee palace french | two men drove wrong way up a one way street and hit the police officer suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot but were arrested president hollande was in the elysee palace at the time of attack unclear whether hit and run is linked to the terror attacks in french capital |
'pill mills' dishing out pain killers at an alarming rate prescription drug abusers up by nearly 1 million from 08 to 09 25 million more americans used illegal narcotics in 09 than 08 us is the biggest 'importer' of illicit drugs worldwide over 16 million americans a shocking 64 per cent of the population regularly abuse prescription drugs, a un survey has found according to the un report, the abuse of prescription drugs is the fastest growing drug related problem in the country with the number of addicts far outstripping those who use cocaine the annual un international narcotics control board (incb) report found that the 'non medical' use of pain relievers, tranquillizers, stimulants and sedatives had risen from 152 million in 2008 to 16 million in 2009 legal drugs: the rise in addiction to prescription drugs alarmed un researchers it was also revealed that among those who received opium based pain relief, the number who were subsequently treated for the abuse of pain relievers more than tripled from 1998 to 2008, reaching 265 per cent, the report found and between 2007 to 2009, the percentage of state and local law enforcement agencies reporting prescription drugs as the greatest drug related threat to their areas more than doubled at the same time the number of americans who use cocaine fell from 53 million in 2008 to 48 million in 2009 trouble: oxycontin is one of the main culprits in the prescription drug addiction boom the fall was attributed to a number of factors including, crucially, less cocaine abuse, decreased illicit cocaine manufacture in colombia and sustained pressure on drug trafficking organisations in mexico the incb report is an annual worldwide survey of drug production, consumption and distribution by the un drug agency the shocking figures come after fears that 'pill mills' clinics that illegally or carelessly issue prescription pain killers continue to feed addiction in the us only last month, the florida department of law enforcement said the illegal abuse of prescription drugs is florida’s 'greatest public health threat' it was reported that there were 1,167 registered pain clinics in the state compared to 860 mcdonald's restaurants the agency added that seven people die in florida state every day due to prescription drug abuse speaking yesterday, newly appointed house appropriations committee chairman hal rogers said the justice department had not been doing enough to stop the flow of illegally obtained prescription drugs he said: 'it's an absolute disgrace' with so many people involved in the illicit trade flying back and forth to florida that 'they call it the oxycontin express 'crook doctors operating these pill mills' are out of control' oxycontin is a prescription medication used to relieve moderate to severe pain it is one of the main prescription drugs that users become addicted to last year it was reported that us prescription drug sales climbed by 51 percent to $3003 billion in 2009 dwarfing the meagre 15 per cent rise the year before the prescription drugs involved are primarily opium derived pain relievers containing codeine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone, dextropropoxyphene, methadone or hydrocodone aside from the prescription drug problem, the un survey found that the united states continued to be the main country of destination for illicit drug shipments drop: cocaine abuse has fallen at the same time prescription drug abuse has risen it said: 'in 2009 the number of drug related deaths increased sharply in the united states 'the board is also deeply concerned about the fact that the united states recorded for 2009 an increase in the abuse of all drugs except cocaine' according to the results an estimated 38 million people, 151 per cent of the population used illicit drugs in 2009 that represents an increase of 25 million people from 2008 and a reversal of the declining trend in illicit drug use in the preceding years investigators added that they were concerned by the increasing number of young people using cannabis and prescription drugs containing controlled substances the report added it was: 'deeply concerned about 'medical' cannabis schemes, which so far have been introduced in 14 states in the united states 'the control measures applied in those states to the cultivation of cannabis plants and the production, distribution and use of cannabis fall short of the control requirements' the news comes as the food and drug administration said today it will remove around 500 unapproved cold and allergy medications from the market as part of an ongoing crackdown on ineffective prescription drugs the fda requires companies to submit all new prescription drugs for scientific review before they are launched however, thousands of drugs actually pre date the fda's drug regulations and have escaped scrutiny for decades most of the drugs targeted by the latest action are pills using untested combinations of decongestant and cough suppressing ingredients anna nicole smith died: february 8, 2007 the controversial model was 39 when she was found dead in a florida hotel after an autopsy, the cause of death was found to be accidental 'acute combined drug intoxication,' heath ledger died: february 6, 2008 the acclaimed australian actor died unexpectedly at age 28 in his new york city apartment the medical examiner found that 'the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications,' given the presence of six prescription medications in ledger's body elvis presley died: august 16, 1977 the official cause of death of the king of rock 'n roll, then 42, was cardiac arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat), but it's generally believed that prescription drugs contributed to his heart condition marilyn monroe died: august 5, 1962 the sex symbol actress was found dead at age 36 in her los angeles home early on the morning of august 5 the toxicology report showed high levels of two barbiturates in her blood | foresin pill mills' tehueco 08 to 09 chinotoxine | no related information |
west ham will sign doneil henry for £15million in january after the defender was granted a work permit on monday the 21 year old central defender is on loan at toronto fc from cypriot side apollon limassol and sam allardyce has revealed his former blackburn captain ryan nelsen is behind the club's move for henry and allardyce says he was tipped off about henry by nelsen ex head coach of toronto fc defender doneil henry, who is on loan at toronto fc, is set to join west ham for £15million in january former toronto boss ryan nelsen recommended henry to hammers manager sam allardyce 'he's recommended to me by my captain at blackburn rovers, who managed him at toronto,' said allardyce 'when you get the recommendation of somebody you respect like ryan nelsen, who shows when you come from the lower reaches of football and last so long in the premier league as he did, it shows that he's capable of playing at this level after a period of time settling in 'you don't ignore that advice' allardyce admits he could not ignore the advice of nelsen, his former captain at blackburn nelsen (right) tussles with manchester united's rio ferdinand in 2005 during his days as blackburn skipper | sejoined this week doneil henry aogiri distains erythema unproportionally west ham | no related information |
mystery: tory mp geoffrey dickens handed over an explosive dossier about a paedophile ring working from westminster but the names remain a mystery the explosive dossier compiled by mp geoffrey dickens is believed to be among 114 files ‘potentially relevant’ to child abuse now known to have been lost or destroyed by the home office in 1983 the tory mp for huddersfield west said he had eight names of 'really important, public figures' who unless they were arrested he would ‘expose in parliament’ based on his descriptions, these are thought to include mps, civil servants, a diplomat and even a buckingham palace official some had links to the paedophile information exchange, who wanted sex with children legalised, he said dickens handed his '40 page dossier' to the then home secretary leon brittan, which set out allegations of a paedophile circle ‘operating and networking within and around’ the westminster elite another copy was kept by mr dickens' wife and another was allegedly handed to the then director of public prosecutions, sir thomas hetherington and then the police all the copies vanished and nothing came of the investigations but now the dickens dossier is central to allegations that there was a high level cover up to protect those in power there has been speculation about who could have been named in it mailonline has considered who the mp could have implicated politicians was smith named? cyril smith, a notorious paedophile mp, may have been in the dossier in august 1983, geoffrey dickens told the daily express that he had given the names of ‘eight prominent figures’ to the director of public prosecutions he told the paper: ‘i’ve got eight names of big people, really important names, public figures’ he said that, unless action was taken, he would ‘expose them in parliament’ he added: ‘one of these people is a friend of mine, but you have to be merciless protecting the young these people must not be allowed to get away with it just because they are important in public life’ that 'friend' may have been peter morrison, who was mrs thatcher’s private secretary despite being described by fellow conservative edwina currie as ‘noted pederast with a liking for young boys’ morrison was also caught cottaging in public toilets with underage boys but instead of being pursued through the courts was released with a caution he also went around public gardens 'cruising' for men to have sex with he died after a heart attack in 1995 aged 51 in 2012 rod richards, a former conservative mp and ex leader of the welsh tories, said he had seen evidence linking sir peter morrison to north wales children’s homes where up to 650 children were sexually, physically and emotionally abused over 20 years another mp in the dossier was likely to be cyril smith, the liberal mp for rochdale exposed as a paedophile after his death smith’s depravity knew no bounds and was probably known about at the very highest levels of the establishment, including the security services but the plight of his victims was ignored on the grounds of ‘political expediency’ police submitted files about smith’s abuse of boys in his hometown of rochdale in 1970, 1998 and 1999, but each time prosecutors recommended that no action should be taken against him a senior tory politician was also said to be part of a westminster child sex ring, although he has not been named the former mp was caught by customs with child porn videos after entering the uk at dover after an official saw him 'acting suspiciously' the tapes showed children 'clearly under the age of 12' being forced into sex but when the materials were handed to his bossed the man was never arrested or charged last night it emerged at least 12 men have come forward to accuse a labour peer of abusing them when they were children the historical allegations against the man span several decades and include accusations of rape and other serious sexual assaults a source familiar with the police investigation said at least a dozen men had contacted officers to say they were abused by the peer, making a number of ‘horrendous’ allegations the peer, who the daily mail is not naming for legal reasons, has not been arrested or questioned in connection with the claims it is not clear if he was known to dickens the palace official claims: dickens told the news of the world in 1984 that a footman was abused by a royal official dickens' dossier is said to have made links between the paedophile information exchange, a group that campaigned to make sex between adults and children legal, and an official who may have been linked to buckingham palace in some way dickens told the news of the world in 1984 that there was a cover up at the palace and a young footman was abused by a a royal official, which was covered up the civil servant dickens said that a senior civil servant was helping to run a paedophile ring from whitehall the mp claimed the man had at least 57 obscene slides of men having sex with children he said: 'i'm concerned about the cover up of a senior civil servant who is a paedophile and wants sex with children legalised he is a security risk' secret life: sir peter hayman had a double identity he used to rent a flat to keep child pornography the diplomat in 1981 he used parliamentary privilege to name diplomat sir peter hayman, a decorated diplomat who lived a secret life as a paedophile he was member ‘330’ of the paedophile information exchange (pie), which supported and encouraged illegal sexual relationships between adults and children he rented a flat at 95 linden gardens, notting hill gate, london under the name of peter henderson to store pie literature and graphic correspondence with fellow paedophiles but sir peter made a mistake and left a packet of paedophile material in an envelope on a london bus it was addressed to mr henderson at linden gardens in notting hillsoon afterwards, in november 1978, police raided the linden gardens flat what they found there was a huge trove of paedophilia and other extreme pornography among it was a library of 45 substantial diaries in which sir peter had recorded in detail his sexual experiences and fantasies, the latter including sex with minors even the hardened cops of the obscene publications squad were ‘revolted’ by the linden gardens haul he sobbed as he was interviewed and feared he would be exposed and his reputation ruined and yet he wasn't much to the anger and disbelief of the obscene publications squad he was let off with a caution he died in 1992 aged 77 | peter morrison 1981 rochdale tory peter hayman cyril smith | tory mp had 8 people he wanted to expose but their names are a mystery based on his descriptions they are believed to be politicians, civil servants, a diplomat and a royal official rochdale mp sir cyril smith, and former parliamentary private secretary sir peter morrison may have been on the list in 1981 he named diplomat sir peter hayman as a paedophile |
a tv ad screening in china, aimed at reminding people to be better behaved during their overseas trips, portrays tourists as pandas who publicly urinate, litter, intrude on photos and graffiti on trees set in sydney, 'the civilised panda travel services' was created by advertising agency ddb china group and was commissioned by chinese state television broadcaster cctv as a 'public service announcement' in the bizarre video, pandas are seen engaging in rude and lewd behaviour while touring the sights the iconic sydney harbour has to offer scroll down for video the chinese advertisement is aimed at reminding people to be better behaved during overseas trip in the video, a panda is seen sleeping and taking up an entire public park bench an elderly woman comes along and wakes it up, and asks it to move over so she can sit down the first scenario involves a panda snoozing and taking up an entire park bench before an elderly woman wakes it up she gestures for him to move over and the panda complies a second panda is then seen walking through a park while sipping on a bottle of water as a gardener is working the finishes the bottle and disposes of it by throwing it over his shoulder, hitting the man tending to flowers who shakes his head when he realises what has happened a panda is also seen urinating in public on a wall at iconic sydney harbour another panda is seen intruding on a photo two other tourists are taking in front of the sydney opera house ddb group asia pacific chief communications officer karen see told daily mail australia said this version of the advertisement was a 'director's cut' this version did not air, instead one without a panda urinating was used but only on chinese television other various scenarios seen throughout the announcement, including a panda taking to a tree with spray paint, urinating in public, taking up entire footpaths and intruding on other people's photos in front of the sydney opera house the advertisement ends with 'be a good panda, be a good tourist' it has since been pulled from cctv but a reason was not given as to why the decision was made, mumbrella reported the advertisement was created by advertising agency ddb china group and commissioned by chinese state television broadcaster cctv the advertisement ends with 'be a good panda, be a good tourist' but has since been pulled from television ddb group asia pacific chief communications officer karen see told daily mail australia said this version of the advertisement was a 'director's cut' and did not air on television instead a version which omitted a panda urinating in public was aired on chinese television only, ms see said 'it was a public service announcement reminding the people of china to be aware of their actions when traveling overseas,' she said | ddb china group pandas sydney one minute china cctv chinese | the one minute long video was a chinese public service announcement it was made by international advertising agency ddb china group chinese state television broadcaster cctv commissioned the video pandas are seen engaging in rude and lewd behaviour in sydney the video was aimed at 'reminding the people of china to be aware of their actions when traveling overseas' |
this chilling photograph reveals the school classroom where ann maguire was stabbed to death the image was released by prosecutors as william cornick, 16, was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years for the killing of mrs maguire, 61, at corpus christi catholic college in leeds in april in an attack that shocked the nation, the boy winked at another boy before he launched into a savage assault in the classroom in front of a terrified class full of pupils scroll down for video murder scene: a photograph issued today by prosecutors of the classroom at corpus christi catholic college in leeds, where ann maguire was stabbed to death in april murder: william cornick (left) was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years for the killing of ann maguire (right) mrs maguire was left with stab wounds as bad as any the paramedic who attended had ever seen, including one wound which went straight through her neck and another that cut her jugular vein despite this, the teacher managed to leave the classroom, pursued by the boy until a colleague bundled her into a room and held the door shut leeds crown court heard how the boy went back into the classroom, sat down and said ‘good times’ in front of his traumatised classmates cornick, who murdered the teacher in a ‘monumental act of cowardice and evil’ has been warned he may never be released from prison by a judge who found his lack of remorse ‘truly grotesque’ mr justice coulson told the teenager who stabbed mrs maguire seven times from behind as she taught that he must serve at least 20 years in custody before he is ever considered for released but he warned the boy, who was 15 when he killed his spanish teacher, that, having read about him, ‘it's quite possible that day may never come’ school building: in an attack that shocked the nation, cornick winked at another boy before he launched into a savage assault in front of a terrified class full of pupils the court heard how the teenager held a deep hatred of mrs maguire and had planned her murder, telling many of his friends of his desire to kill her after the murder he told experts that he ‘couldn't give a s***’ and added: ‘everything i've done is fine and dandy’ teachers and police who detained cornick said he showed a bizarre calmness which continued as he was assessed by a range of experts the court heard he has never shown any remorse and has spoken of his pride in what he has done when cornick was sentenced today, as with when he was stabbing mrs maguire to death, he showed no emotion cornick who the court heard came from came from a loving and supportive family, had also talked of attacking other school staff, including a pregnant woman ‘so as to kill her unborn child’ | william cornick coenospecifically interventralia aerobium at least 20 years sepiaceous 16 preindispose | no related information |
maddison murphy west was found dead on october 23, 2013, at her home in melbourne a year since 20 year old maddison murphy west’s body was found at her home police now believe a killer could have covered up her murder to make it look like she had committed suicide homicide detectives believe that maddison’s body could have been disguised as self harm, which is what her family have believed to be the case all along, and are seeking advice on whether murder charges should be laid detectives are preparing a brief of evidence to present to the office of public prosecutions, the herald sun reports on october 23, 2013, the day of her death, maddy's young son noah was found alone inside her pakenham home, in melbourne he is now living with maddison’s mother, paula a spokesperson for victoria police told daily mail australia: ‘the investigation is ongoing and homicide detectives have been in liaison with maddison’s family it is not appropriate to comment at this time’ alarmingly, maddison had been treated in hospital for an assault 13 months before her death and her family believe she was often in fear for her life paula said that in 2012 marks were found on maddison's neck but the young mother dismissed someone had tried to choke her and claimed it was ‘play fighting’ police believe the crime scene was tampered with after her death, something her relatives have also previously claimed they also say money was withdrawn from her account after her death maddison has been described as a doting young mother her son noah was found nearby inside her home, on the day of her death her mother paula said when police knocked on her door she knew that maddison was dead before they even spoke 'i said, 'what's he done to her? what's he done to her?',’ paula told the herald sun maddison has been described by friends as ‘cheerful’ and a ‘go getter’ friend meaghan vander ree said maddison was an amazing mother and that she had lived with her boyfriend and their son in their ahern road home for three years since maddy’s death, her friends and family have continued to campaign for justice in march, maddy’s high school friends held a rally to raise money for her two year old son noah over $5000 was raised on the day, with the proceeds being donated to a trust fund for noah’s education police believe a killer could have covered up her murder to make it look like she’d committed suicide maddy's friends and family have continued to campaign for justice since her death 12 months ago maddy’s friend oakley hansen told the berwick news on the day: ‘we were in the same boat, we both had young children ‘my daughter’s just a little bit younger than noah so we always had that in common which is always something that brought us closer ‘we were both young mums trying to raise our kids the right way and we just got along really well’ paula was also at the rally and said she was overwhelmed by the support the community had shown ‘it’s hard to put it into words; i'm still in a bit of shock with everything anyway something like this shows how much support’s out there,’ paula said a facebook page full of photos to remember maddy has also been created ‘on the 23/10/2013 we not only lost our good friend but a beautiful daughter and mother you will always be forever in our hearts, we will all cherish our memories with you forever rest in peace baby untill we meet again, [sic]’ it reads daily mail australia has contacted maddison's family for comment sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | melbourne paula maddison murphy west october 23, 2013 maddison 2012 | police initially thought that maddison murphy west had committed suicide they are now seeking advice on whether murder charges should be made maddy died at her home in melbourne on october 23, 2013 her mother paula said that in 2012 marks were found on maddison's neck |
it can take years to master the violin or get to grips with the piano but an electrical musical instrument in the form of gloves allows a wearer to make music using expressive and intuitive hand gestures the aura relies on sensors, a magnetic field and software to make futuristic noises, but to the untrained eye it looks a bit like magic scroll down for video the gloves use a magnetic tracking system they have small magnetic sensors attached to the fingers wearers wave their gloved hands over a magnetic 'base' which emits magnetic fields that the sensors on the gloves pick up the gloves themselves do not make sound they are essentially a midi device and simply send out data and different parameters that are interpreted by special computer software virtually any noise can be created wears control the noises created by spreading their hands apart to increase volume and raising and lowering them to control pitch accordingly by closing the fingers, the aura wearer activates flex sensors and muffles the sound, while twisting the hands adds distortion that makes the noises sound extra futuristic ‘the goal was to create the most intuitive instrument,’ said ray li, an engineering student at cornell university, ithaca, new york, who came up with the idea of an instrument played by gesturing in the air computer scientist michael ndubuisi helped him bring it to life the gloves are fitted with sensors that report their position and the orientation of the wearer’s hands in a magnetic field raising and lowering gloved hands controls pitch and spreading them apart increases volume by closing the fingers, the aura wearer activates flex sensors and muffles the sound, while twisting the hands adds distortion that makes the noises produced sound extra futuristic through an interface created by mr ndubuisi, hand positions are converted to signals in the universal midi language for electronic instruments and fed to a synthesiser the result looks something like a person listening to music and pretending to conduct, but the ‘conductor’ makes music by waving his hands in thin air ‘we’re trying to capture those intuitive gestures and make music,’ mr li explained the duo used magnetic sensors in the gloves that were originally developed for medical applications, motion tracking and manipulating 3d graphics before creating the aura, mr li developed an electronic instrument that looked a bit like a cello, in which conductive strips replaced strings and a joystick held in the right hand controlled the sound mr li (pictured) controls the noises created by spreading his hands apart to increase volume and raising and lowering them to control pitch accordingly by closing the fingers, the aura wearer activates flex sensors and muffles the sound, while twisting the hands adds distortion that makes the noises sound extra futuristic he wanted to allow musicians to make noises in a more expressive way and came up with the idea of making aura solely controlled by a person’s hands in thin air the duo are building on the idea so that a person will be able to control recorded sounds of different instruments, provide visual representations and add percussion using body movements all at once ‘the musician will create a whole song on stage with nothing,’ mr li said | cornell university conglobed pushes | no related information |
a motorcyclist recorded the terrifying moment he veered off britain's most dangerous road and tumbled down a 40 foot cliff before escaping with only minor injuries jack sanderson, 21, was riding his 600cc kawasaki ninja along a notorious stretch of the cat and fiddle road in the derbyshire peak district when it slewed out of control and veered off the road a camera fitted to his helmet captured mr sanderson's view as he was thrown off his machine and repeatedly somersaulted down the hill scroll down for video jack sanderson was filming his ride through the derbyshire peak district when the accident happened the video shows him riding through winding country roads before narrowly missing a car and plunging over the edge anyone watching the film would fear the worst but, after the tumble, the amazing footage shows mr sanderson getting to his feet, dusting himself down and clambering back up the hill to greet concerned onlookers who had stopped to help he cheated death with just mild concussion and a cut hand caused when he grabbed some barbed wire as he walked to safety the motorbike, which stopped at the top of the ridge, was written off and is being sold off for parts now jack’s brush with death has become an internet sensation after he posted the video of the 60 mph near miss on you tube, where it has gathered more than 100,000 views mr sanderson, an engineer from knutsford, cheshire, said: 'i can’t believe i walked out of that, not even with a broken bone 'when i went over the ridge i was like helicopter spinning i thought, this is it i’m a gonner after rounding a bend, mr sanderson's bike veers onto the wrong side of the road into the path of an oncoming car faced with a choice of hitting the car head on or crashing over the edge, he steers off the road and towards the steep hill below sky and trees then swirl in the footage as mr sanderson tumbles down the 40 foot hill the video shows the horrific moment mr sanderson spins down the hill, smashing through bushes and undergrowth the camera finally comes to a rest in some long grass at the bottom of the hill after the fall mr sanderson said the world went 'black and white' as he fell down the hill and time appeared to slow down he said drivers and other bikers at the scene couldn't believe it when they saw him get up after the 40 ft fall 'my bike stayed at the top of the ridge and i continued down if my bike had followed me and crushed me, i would not be standing here today' mr sanderson was was enjoying a saturday ride when he under steered on a corner and careered into the path of an oncoming honda car he added: 'i was going round the corner and i was going wider and wider and wider when i saw the first bit of the car i knew i was in trouble 'i chose to go off the cliff, rather than hit the car it was the best thing i could do i thought that was me dead 'i opened my eyes at the bottom of the hill and everything was black and white 'it was either hit them and possibly kill them or swerve off the ridge possibly killing myself it is amazing how much time you actually have in those situations, or how slow time goes by' motorbike enthusiast mr sanderson said he 'thought he was a gonner' when he went over the edge he went to hospital after the incident but only sustained mild concussion and a cut on his hand from some barbed wire the couple in the silver honda pulled over at the side of the ridge to check on mr sanderson only to be left stunned when he clambered up the cliff and said: 'i’m ok' mr sanderson added: 'they were so gobsmacked to see me standing there, they could not believe it ‘by the time they had got back to where it happened i popped back over the ridge 'they were obviously very worried indeed i did apologise to them as that must have been a dreadful ordeal for them i suppose i felt somewhat invincible because i didn’t even have a broken bone and i walked away' mr sanderson went to hospital the day after the incident last month and apart from some mild concussion and a cut on his hand from some barbed wire he unhurt and sent home the next day mr sanderson hopes others will learn from his mistake he said: 'i put it on you tube as a kind of deterrent to others not to be as stupid as i was 'i always have a go pro camera on my head, it’s just for fun normally but also there if anything more serious happens like this 'for some reason i always go wide on that corner and i did it again and it nearly cost me my life the cat and fiddle road is one of the most dangerous roads in the country, mainly for bikers' mr sanderson has put the video online as a warning to other motorcyclists to take care he wants others to learn from his horrific experience in an area known for fatal motorcycle crashes more than 100,000 people have seen his shocking video since he posted it online he thinks that if his bike had not stayed at the roadside it could have landed on top of him and crushed him the cat and fiddle road in derbyshire has been branded britain's most dangerous after a series of fatal accidents, many involving motorcyclists 'it’s worth putting the video up on you tube even with the negative comments, if it stops others making the same mistake as me 'it’s amazing how many people have seen the video i put it on there as a warning to others as much as anything i’m a good rider and we often think we are better than we are if you are going to be stupid things like this will happen' the a537 cat and fiddle road between macclesfield, cheshire, and buxton, derbyshire has been repeatedly been branded britain’s most dangerous due its severe bends and steep drops the road safety foundation charity report compared accident rates with the amount of traffic using the road and also found many of the crashes involved motorcyclists the reports began in 2002 and since then the a537 has been top in eight out of 12 reports there were 44 serious or fatal crashes on the seven mile stretch of road between 2007 and 2011 between 2002 and 2006, there were 35 road safety experts have said the route’s 'grim reputation' is also part of the problem with bikers and motorists seeing it as a 'challenge' motorcycle friendly crash barriers have also been installed on one of the worst affected parts of the route but buxton mechanic gary ward, who recovers many of the vehicles after accidents on the road, said: 'many of the crashes involve motorcyclists going too fast' 'they often end up going down grass banking or hitting a wall sometimes people do get away with scratches and bruises but most the time they are seriously injured if they are going over 50mph it can be pretty bad for a biker' | 40 foot 21 year old jack sanderson the peak district | jack sanderson was riding in the peak district when the accident happened he lost control on a bend and, after missing a car, tumbled over the edge footage shows the 21 year old somersaulting down the 40 foot drop but, incredibly, he survives almost unharmed and walks back up the hill the video was shot on a helmet camera which he uses to record his rides he admitted that, when he went over the edge, he thought he 'was a gonner' |
former home secretary leon brittan was only questioned over allegations he raped a student in 1967 following demands by the director of public prosecutions, it has been claimed alison saunders is understood to have insisted the metropolitan police re investigate claims lord brittan raped a 19 year old woman at his london flat in 1967 because no questions were asked at the time lord brittan was in his late 20s and not yet an mp at the time of the alleged incident, with police saying the woman originally made a complaint in late 2012 today lord brittan released a statement confirming he was interviewed by police in relation to a 'serious allegation', but insisted that the allegation was 'wholly without foundation' scroll down for video allegations: the director of public prosecutions alison saunders (right) is understood to have insisted the metropolitan police re investigate claims lord brittan (left) raped a woman at his london flat in 1967 denial: lord brittan (pictured leaving his north yorkshire home this morning) has released a statement confirming he was interviewed by police, but insisted that the allegation was 'wholly without foundation' the metropolitan police only investigated claims lord brittan raped the student after the director of public prosecutions demanded to know why he wasn't questioned when the alleged victim came forward, investigative news website exaro claimed as a result of saunders' intervention, officers questioned lord brittan under caution in june at his solicitor's office and the allegations are now being investigated by officers from the metropolitan police’s sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command saunders is believed to have looked into the case herself after the campaigning labour mp tom watson wrote to her asking that she examine the way the police handled the case the metropolitan police has now replaced the officer in charge of the investigation, exaro claims this morning lord brittan released a statement confirming he had been questioned by police in june, but denying the allegations 'it is true that i have been questioned by the police about a serious allegation made against me this allegation is wholly without foundation,' he said investigation: lord brittan was in his late 20s and not yet an mp at the time of the alleged rape, with police saying the woman originally first made a complaint against him in late 2012 in his statement lord brittan also referred to an 'explosive' dossier containing historic child abuse allegations against at least eight public figures was compiled by ex conservative mp geoffrey dickens, who died in 1995 the 114 files now known to have been either lost or destroyed, fueling fears of a cover up at the heart of the establishment 'i would like to put on record that i welcome the fact that there is now to be an independent review to look at the missing files belonging to the home office,' he said 'it has been alleged that when i was home secretary i failed to deal adequately with the bundle of papers containing allegations of serious sexual impropriety that i received from the late geoff dickens mp,' he added this too is completely without foundation i passed this bundle of papers to the relevant home office officials for examination, as was the normal and correct practice,' lord brittan went on to say this morning prime minister david cameron said there would be 'no stone unturned' by an independent inquiry into how institutions handled allegations of child abuse, adding that it was 'vital' to find out the truth of what happened and to learn lessons sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | london 2012 19 year old today met police alison saunders brittan 1967 | alison saunders understood to have told met police to re investigate claims was reportedly unhappy that officers closed case without asking questions lord brittan accused of raping 19 year old student in 1967 at london flat alleged victim made complaint to police in 2012 but he was not questioned today lord brittan released statement confirming questioning by police but he denied rape claims, insisting they are 'wholly without foundation' |
a blind pennsylvania man has died after accidentally setting his clothes on fire while trying to warm a towel in a microwave oven james shaffer, 68, told investigators he was warming the towel to put it on his sore leg tuesday evening in stonycreek township but investigators say using a microwave to warm a dry towel will cause it to burn within 15 seconds shaffer didn't realize the towel was burning, and set his flannel shirt on fire when pulling it out of the microwave tragedy: james shaffer, 68, who was legally blind and had lived alone for the last 25 years, accidentally set himself on fire without realizing on tuesday at his home in johnstown, pennsylvania (pictured) emergency: despite suffering burns to 80 percent of his body, shaffer was conscious and calm with emergency crews arrived at his house, and even apologized to them once alight, he managed to make his way down the hall to the bathroom and put the flames out using the shower however oakland fire department deputy chief david ream says shaffer suffered burns to over 80 percent of his body in the process he remained calm and even apologized to emergency responders as he was taken to a pittsburgh hospital 'he was very apologetic, he was telling us every couple of minutes that he was sorry, he should have known better,' ream told local station wjac tv 'he was very, very calm for the situation we had at hand 'we were shocked 'he was talking to us, just normally like we’re talking back and forth, with no issues' devastated: the accident has rocked the small tight knit community, said oakland fire department deputy chief david ream (pictured) self sufficient: shaffer was described as lovely, intelligent and independent tragically shaffer died in hospital early wednesday, officially from smoke inhalation the accident has devastated the tight knit community of johnstown neighbors told the local network hat shaffer had lived in the area for 50 years, and had lived alone for the last 25 he was described as an extremely intelligent and lovely man his family would check on him each day, but said he was more than capable of living alone they said shaffer's disability had never held him back taking the incident especially hard is the oakland fire department, who have never had a fire related death in the area | skite clamminess salomon handwhile james shaffer photofinisher 68 | no related information |
british holidaymakers are looking to alternative ski destinations after the alps experienced one of the worst starts to a season in living memory, a new study suggests online searches for destinations in norway have soared while queries for traditional getaways in france have plummeted by more than half, according to travel website kayak the sudden interest in norwegian resorts reflects the perfect conditions at the country’s ski runs scroll down for video a study by kayak suggests that interest in norwegian ski resorts has soared after the alps' slow start year over year increase in searches: year over year decrease in searches: nearly all of norway’s pistes are open with a snow depth of more than 45in on the summit and 40in at the base of the slope kayak said searches for flights going to kristiansund airport have doubled over last year, while searches for chambery airport in the french alps have decreased by 56 per cent until a blizzard hit in late december – stranding thousands of holidaymakers – france's top skiing destinations were mostly void of snow and openings were delayed at resorts where slopes were bare kayak said searches for flights going to kristiansund airport in norway have doubled over last year it came after a spell of unseasonably warm weather that was responsible for one of the ‘least snowy’ winters in the french alps in 35 years kayak said denver, calgary, helsinki and vancouver airports – all located near popular skiing destinations – have also seen a surge of interest in comparison searches to all five of the alps’ main airports, including chambery, are down, according to the travel website until a blizzard hit in late december france's top skiing destinations were mostly void of snow the others are friedrichshagen, germany (down 37 per cent), grenoble (down 26 per cent), lyon (down 14 per cent) and geneva (down four per cent) loella pehrsson, regional managing director for kayak, said: ‘it’s clear that the lack of snow in the alps has had a big impact on searches to airports around the region with brits looking elsewhere in search of snow’ the study was based on flight searches between 1 december and 7 january for travel between the dates of 12 january and 1 april | norwegian finland france western canada december | sudden interest in norwegian resorts reflects perfect conditions on slopes until a blizzard hit in december france's top ski runs were bare interest in resorts in western canada and finland has also increased |
members of the north miami beach police have been caught using photos of actual black teenagers for target practice this was discovered during an incident last month when sgt valerie deant, a clarinet player in the florida army national guard's 13th army band, showed up at the medley firearms training center after members of the department had been practicing, and recognized one of their targets a mugshot of her brother from when he was just 18 years old the other targets were also black men, and some just teenagers but now the department is defending the practice scroll down for video members of the north miami beach police used the above mugshots of black men, some teenagers, for shooting practice this all happened at the medley police firearms training center (above) 'i was like why is my brother being used for target practice?' sgt deant told nbc 6 'there were like gunshots there and i cried a couple of times' her brother woody, who was arrested for drag racing in 2000 and is now married with children, was just as shocked and angry, noting; 'the picture actually has like bullet holes one in my forehead and one in my eye …i was speechless' north miami beach police chief j scott dennis says there is nothing wrong with this practice at all however, and even defends its use 'our policies were not violated,' dennis said 'there is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this' dennis said it is common practice to use actual mugshots, and members of the same ethnic group help with facial recognition exercises north miami beach police chief j scott dennis (above) says there is nothing wrong with this practice at all, and even defends its use a mugshot of woody deant (above) from when he was just 18 was one of the targets, and now he worries he will be a target when he is on the street nbc 6 investigators spoke with both federal and state law enforcement agencies, as well as five local police departments, and they all said they use commercially produced targets for shooting practice, and never mugshots of actual people dennis does say however that he regrets the usage of a mugshot of an actual miami resident woody deant seems to feel the same 'now i’m being used as a target?' he said 'i’m not even living that life according to how they portrayed me as i’m a father i’m a husband i’m a career man i work 9 to 5' he then added that this make the streets feel anything but safe for him in his community 'automatically in his [cop's] mind he’s going to think target, target, target' | j scott dennis north miami beach the north miami beach police 18 | members of the north miami beach police have been caught using photos of actual black teenagers for target practice this was discovered when one woman showed up at a shooting range after the department used it and saw a mugshot of her brother from when he was 18 now, north miami beach police chief j scott dennis, saying it is common for facial recognition exercises when asked, other local police departments said they never use mugshots or photos of actual people for shooting practice |
wind farms have been paid £43million to stand idle so far this year, a new british record the payments, funded through householders’ electricity bills, were made to suppliers because the national grid was unable to use their electricity the sums paid in ‘constraint payments’ to wind farms have risen rapidly in the past four years, according to electricity market data wind farms have been paid £43million to stand idle after producing too much energy for the national grid the total with two months still to go has already far surpassed the £32million paid in the whole of 2013 payments totalled £6million in 2012 and £174,000 in 2010 high winds last month set new daily records for compensation with £307million paid to 33 wind farms to switch off on a single day, october 26 john constable, of the renewable energy foundation which campaigns against energy subsidies, said too many wind farms had been built too quickly, without the infrastructure to cope with the power officials are also pandering to suppliers running the government’s ‘pet technology’, he said, allowing them to charge whatever they wanted to switch off the wind industry claims the payments are justified because of the operational costs involved in switching off they say other energy industries, such as coal plants, can far more easily stop production and save money when they do so but critics point out that the high value of payments reflect a fundamental problem with wind power ed dave, energy secretary, said acting to scrap wind power was a 'dangerous' idea wind turbines are inherently unpredictable, depending on the weather, and so must be controlled to stop surges causing physical damage to electricity cables and equipment the windiest places are often the furthest away from cities where the power is needed, meaning high transmission costs the overwhelming majority of the payments to date have been to wind farms in scotland, where the bulk of wind farms are located electricity demand in scotland does not match the power produced on the windier days, but cable networks to take the power south into england have not yet been constructed as a result national grid has to pay the wind farm owners to stop generating in order to keep supply and demand balanced renewable uk, which represents the wind industry, points out that wind power is reaching more homes than ever before – supplying a record 24 per cent of the nation’s electricity on one particularly windy day last month jennifer webber, its director of external affairs, said last in october: ‘wind power is often used as a convenient whipping boy by political opponents and vested interests ‘all the while, it’s been quietly powering millions of homes across the uk and providing a robust response to its vocal detractors’ but dr constable said: ‘managing wind power is a very expensive business 'we built too much, too quickly it is unpredictable and because it tends to be sited in a location a long way from people, it costs a lot to transmit ‘building more grid is given as the answer, but that is very expensive it would have been cheaper not to build these wind farms in the first place ‘they are charging very high prices to switch off far higher than the cost of actually producing the power but officials will not challenge them because this the government’s pet technology’ the cost of wind power has become an increasingly divisive issue at the heart of government david cameron has pledged to place new limits on onshore wind farms if the tories win a majority at the next election, a policy that has been bitterly opposed by liberal democrats ed davey, the lib dem energy secretary, last week said acting to scrap wind power was a dangerous and populist idea speaking in the house of commons, he attacked ‘anti renewables, anti wind tendency’ of his conservative coalition colleagues he said: ‘it is imperative that these tendencies are resisted, particularly in the run up to the general election short term populism is the most dangerous enemy energy and climate change policy has’ defending the constraint payments yesterday, a spokesman for mr davey’s department of energy and climate change said: ‘national grid has been paying coal and gas generators – and others – to change their planned output well before wind farms joined the mix ‘in fact, the majority of compensation goes to fossil fuel generators rather than onshore wind farms the impact on energy bills is negligible’ energy regulator ofgem told the sunday telegraph: ‘national grid’s costs for making these payments have increased as more renewable generators have connected to britain’s networks before investment programmes have been completed to build new capacity ‘last year ofgem approved a major eight year network investment programme to address this through renewing and building new capacity’ the wind industry said it receives a tiny proportion of the budget spent on balancing electricity demand a spokesman for renewable uk said last night: ‘constraint payments are one of the tools national grid use to manage the supply and demand of electricity, with payments going to different types of generators, both renewables and fossil fuels ‘last year wind received just 5 per cent of the total payments for balancing the grid, equating to 65p a year on the average household bill’ | plummetless honks last year jarless boneen tofus 32milion | no related information |
top table tennis players often return ping pong balls at speeds of more than 100mph (161km/h) by their very nature, the ping pong balls are light and paddles are sturdy, but when fired at supersonic speeds, the whole dynamic changes an air powered bazooka has been designed that can fire the little white balls with so much power, they travel as fast as an f 16 fighter jet, with dramatic consequences for paddles that get in the way scroll down for video now that's a smash: a ping pong ball travelling at around 400 metres a second (mach 12) hits a wooden paddle, travelling straight through it this video is made in slow motion unveiled last year, the air bazooka is made from cheap materials such as plastic tubing and duct tape it can fire ping pong balls as fast as 400 metres a second or mach 12 fighter jets typically cruise at mach 1 the machine is so powerful because it uses a pressure chamber connected to a vacuum tube via a ‘convergent divergent nozzle’ the hourglass shaped nozzle is similar to what is used in fighter jets when the pressured air rushes through the bottleneck it accelerates to supersonic speed as it helps propel the ball through the clear pvc barrel, its inventor explained the light weight ping pong balls fired from the gun can bore through wooden paddles, aluminium and even dent steel john huhn, from the department of engineering at purdue university in west lafayette, indiana, captured the destruction of one paddle in slow motion, to show what happens when a lightweight ball meets a wooden paddle at supersonic speeds the action can be seen in the video at 30,000 frames per second,the blaze reported in february last year, engineers from the university revealed their deadly weapon – an air powered bazooka – that fires balls at more than 400 metres a second, or about mach 12 the machine was created by an aeronautical engineer for the us air force, mark french with help from his graduate students at the university, craig zehrung and jim stratton the team made the machine that can blast balls clean though plywood or aluminium and deeply dent steel using materials including plastic tubing and duct tape instructions: this diagram shows how the air bazooka was built the machine can blast balls though plywood or aluminium and deeply dent steel, despite being built from materials including plastic tubing and duct tape game, set, match: john huhn, from the department of engineering at purdue university captured the destruction of one paddles in slow motion, to show what happens when a fragile ball meets a wooden paddle at supersonic speeds this frame shows the paddle breaking at its handle after the speedy impact despite the low tech materials, the machine can fire balls that break the sound barrier and can hit 919mph (1,479kph) the machine is so powerful because it uses a pressure chamber connected to a vacuum tube via a ‘convergent divergent nozzle’ dr french explained: ‘that hourglass shaped nozzle is similar to what is used in fighter jets when the pressurised air rushes through the bottleneck it accelerates to supersonic speed as it helps propel the ball through the clear pvc barrel’ it is surprising that the lightweight balls weighting just 008oz (23g) can reach supersonic speeds because they have poor aerodynamics hole in one: fired at close range, the ping pong ball blasts a hole through a traditional paddle at speeds of around 919mph (1,479kph) supersonic: the ping pong ball fired by the researchers at their lab in indiana achieved speeds comparable to that of an f16 jet (pictured) racing across the landscape but they can deliver enough energy to blast through targets equivalent to a brick falling from a tall building ‘there is not enough money you could give me to get me to step in front of that gun,’ he said the scientists explained that the ping pong gun is a popular tool for demonstrating acceleration and the power of pressure differentials in air when explaining concepts in physics lectures 'it has even proven to be a challenging problem for computational fluid dynamics since it encompasses a range of aerodynamic phenomena that are particularly difficult to model,' dr french said | lebhaft crippingly 161km/h stagged caryophyllus staithmen 100mph more than 400 metres | no related information |
as the owner of some of the most talked about breasts in showbusiness, it's no surprise that this morning presenter holly willoughby, 32, should take the crown for best cleavage of the year the mother of two can shake off any worries that she'll be overshadowed by new buxom celebrity juice co presenter kelly brook as she takes the best cleavage crown for the second year running willoughby is closely followed by curvy carol vorderman, 52, in second place and cheryl cole, 29, in third breast in show: this morning presented holly willougby takes the crown for best cleavage of the year the annual celebration of all things breasts national cleavage day has been running for 13 years and was coined as a 'fun celebration of cleavage, no matter what your size' back in 2002 wonderbra joined forces with cosmopolitan magazine in south africa to create the dd day which is now celebrated worldwide on march 31st the official wonderbra cleavage honours list 2013 is published today in recognition of 'outstanding services to cleavage' across the uk this year wonderbra also polled 1,000 brits to find out what constitutes the perfect cleavage they found over half (55 per cent) think the perfect length for a cleavage line is 5cm, and three quarters (76 per cent) think the perfect place for the cleavage to sit on the chest is 15cm from the chin to the start of the cleavage line unsurprisingly, over half (58 per cent) think circular is the perfect breast shape to create the best cleavage michelle keegan sports the 'perfect' cleavage in accordance with a formula voted in by the british public the alternative honours list was chosen by the cleavage honours committee, a panel of experts at original cleavage creators wonderbra it has been an incredible year for british cleavage moments, with our homegrown talent shining on the global stage in addition to holly, other major contributions to cleavage have been recognised including welsh singing supremo katherine jenkins for her display at the epsom derby what a boob! despite a wonky breast faux pas at the warner music brit party willoughby was victorious statement: willoughby is closely followed by buxom carol vorderman in second and petite cheryl cole third modest: pippa middleton in her book celebration came fourth while tulisa at rylan clark's party came fifth he avage: cbb winner rylan clark also made the list for his service to he avage on national tv bikini babes: helen flanagan scrubbing down in the jungle comes sixth and amazonian lucy towie seventh stunning: katherine in a lace and silk satin fishtail gown designed by suzanne neville at the derby towie stars: amy childs, lauren goodger, lydia bright and sam faiers led the glamour at the baftas celebrity big brother winner rylan clark also made the list for his service to he vage on national tv wonderbra also specially honoured coronation street star michelle keegan in the official cleavage hall of fame for 2013 a study commissioned to celebrate the day found that 40 per cent of women are confident cleavagers and show their cleavage on a daily basis, while just over a quarter (26 per cent) are closet cleavagers, rarely showing off their chest cooling off: special honorary michelle looks smoking hot as she cools down in the caribbean sea honoured: wonderbra honour michelle keegan in the official cleavage hall of fame for 2013 holly's already there just over a third (34 per cent) are part time cleavagers, showing off their cleavage at the weekends martina alexander from wonderbra uk said: 'we wanted to have a bit of fun on this year's national cleavage day and to congratulate those who made the wonderbra cleavage honours list 2013 'we are proud to be the original cleavage creator and what better excuse for women to celebrate their unique assets than today!' the day's official twitter hashtag is #nationalcleavageday the following british beauties are awarded obe (officer of the breast empire), cbe (commander of the breast empire) or highest accolade, a cleavage knighthood, for services to cleavage at the following occasions the committee chose these celebrities and memorable moments because they are a good representation of the different sizes and types of cleavage in the uk: • holly willoughby on the voice (dame) • carol vorderman at the pride of britain awards (dame) • cheryl cole on her uk tour (cbe) • pippa middleton in her 'let's celebrate' book (cbe) • tulisa at rylan clark's fancy dress party (cbe) • rylan clark on celebrity big brother (cbe) • helen flanagan on i'm a celebrity (obe) • lucy mecklenburgh on holiday in barbados (obe) • katherine jenkins at the epsom derby (obe) • sam faiers at the baftas (obe) spotify's national cleavage day playlist | 13 years ago 5484% 15cm 5cm 7581% 5806% brits annual johannesburg south africa | 5484% of brits think the perfect length for a cleavage line is 5cm 7581% think the 15cm from the chin to the start of the cleavage line is best 5806% think a circular breast shape is perfect to create the best cleavage annual celebration started 13 years ago in johannesburg, south africa |
former prime minister paul keating has suggested a solution for young people who can’t afford their own home – to allow them to access their superannuation earlier the 70 year old one time labor party leader, said a shortage in financial help and houses available for first time buyers was a position 'we cannot persist with' speaking at property investment company maxcap group’s developers and dealers forum last week, mr keating said we are in a situation ‘where our children cannot afford to house themselves’ scroll down for video former prime minister paul keating has suggested a solution to young people who can’t afford their own home offering up superannuation funds as a solution, he said: ‘superannuation funds will have to do things in the spaces traditionally left to banks, such as property development, and we will see a shift in the balance in financing this industry,’ property observer reports in august first home buyer activity hit a new low, with the worst sales levels in 15 years there were 6,054 first home buyers committed to housing finance over the month, according to rp data research which used finance data from the australian bureau of statistics in august first home buyer activity hit a new low, with the worst sales levels in 15 years at the moment, in most cases young people cannot access their superannuation before the age of 60 the dramatic decline in people joining the property ladder has been blamed on rising property prices, particularly in sydney and melbourne it has also been linked to changes made to the availability of first home buyer grants, which vary from state to state the states showing the most severe first home buyer trends are nsw, victoria, queensland and the act at the moment most young people cannot access their superannuation before the age of 60 unless they satisfy one of 14 conditions of release these conditions include severe financial hardship, death, permanent disability and compassionate grounds | 15 years august first last week paul keating 70 year old | former prime minister paul keating has stuck up first time buyers he spoke out at an investment conference last week the 70 year old suggested young people should be able to access their superannuations earlier so they can get on the property ladder in august, first home buyer activity hit a new low, with the worst sales levels in 15 years |
guinness world records keepers estimated the odds of it happening were 177 billion to 1 and come february 20 each year, there are a lot of cakes inside the cummins house in virginia that's because it's the birthday of five of the family's children the running joke among parents ralph and carolyn cummins is that ralph, a football coach inducted into the national high school sports hall of fame, 'wasn’t so preoccupied' in june it is also the month of their wedding anniversary, according to times dispatch catherine, carol, charles, claudia and cecilia were all born on february 20 but in different years happy birthday to us! (clockwise fom left) cecilia cummins lasyone, charles cummins, claudia cummins knapp, christopher cummins, catherine cummins, cheryl cummins (seated on right) and carol cummins morley (seated on left) catherine, carol, charles, claudia and cecilia were all born on february 20 children of ralph and carolyn cummins (seated) are (from left) cecilia cummins lasyone, claudia cummins knapp, chris cummins, charles cummins, catherine cummins, cheryl cummins, carol cummins morley and catherine cummins proud parents: ralph and carolyn cummins the family was entered into the 1977 guinness world records as 'the only verified record of a family producing five single children with the same date of birth' the record keepers in 1977 estimated odds of that happening were 177 billion to 1 cheryl, 59, who has lived in the richmond area for more than 25 years, makes sure everyone knows about her family’s oddity every feb 20 'i love it when the birthdays come around because no one believes it,' she said guinness world records doesn’t feature their family in every edition, so she carries a 2003 copy to show doubters it’s been several years since they have all been together for the big day, but a round of phone calls and a stack of mailed birthday cards are customary the years carolyn wasn’t in labor, she came home early from work every feb 19 and baked and decorated cakes all afternoon — a football field for charles, the dress of a doll with a doll standing on top for claudia, roses for catherine, and many more one year, she made cakes with clock faces displaying the time each of the children was born on their respective feb 20 the family was entered into the 1977 guinness world records as 'the only verified record of a family producing five single children with the same date of birth' even when the older girls left for college, carolyn made a birthday cake for them and stuck it in the freezer, awaiting the day they came home from spring break 'she just really made it special,' claudia said 'it was so cool that she had that mother’s instinct to make sure everyone was ok and have all our individual needs met' the true record holders — ralph and carolyn cummins — could not be reached thursday night in between their rounds of birthday phone calls from their florida winter home the birthday record is nothing more than a display of the family’s values, cheryl said 'we believe in togetherness in my family,' she said at the end of the day, though, catherine jokes: 'i led the way it’s really my birthday' | mucky february 20 cummins apophyllous cerises embryological catherine unhumorous cathedraticum counterlaw | no related information |
a mother of six has defended her decision to share her bed with her two children every night – and even claims it saved her marriage amanda moss, 43, from liverpool, sleeps with her six year old and two year old daughters while her husband simon is banished to the spare room appearing on itv’s this morning, amanda revealed she ‘cherishes’ waking up with ezme, the youngest, and darling – calling it a ‘beautiful moment’ scroll down for video amanda moss, left, who shares her bed with her two children every night, and mother of one, ally einsten, right, who thinks co sleeping is 'disgusting, wrong, lazy and bad parenting' on this morning amanda, right, with ezme, two (bottom left), darling, six (top), and albany, nine (middle) she said: ‘i spend all day with my husband and we have a very healthy marriage our children are the most important things at this moment ‘now, it's the right thing for our family' amanda also revealed she snuggles up with all of her children at bedtime, including saxon, 14, honey, 12, floyd, 11, and albany, nine, before the eldest go to their own rooms discussing her reasoning for sharing her bed with her two youngest children, amanda, who runs lifestyle monthly magazine and is director of liverpool fashion week, said: 'it started because i was made redundant and i was setting up a new business 'i already had four kids who were in their own beds and, with a baby, i needed to be able to sleep through the night so that i could attend breakfast networking meetings so i needed to have my sleep amanda said sleeping in separate rooms made her marriage to simon stronger amanda, pictured right with ezme, centre, and darling, left, says it's lovely waking up with her children 'just because i breastfed the baby, it was easier to have her in bed next to me, in between me and my husband simon ‘and then the next one came along and rather than getting up in the night to tend to her, it was much easier to have her in the bed’ amanda explained that when she welcomed her new baby, her five year old daughter, darling, didn't want to get out of the bed 'i thought: 'why should she?'’ explaining how her husband simon felt about the situation, amanda said: 'if i don't get my sleep, i'm not the easiest person to live with ‘it actually kept our marriage together, he went off to the spare room and we both got our sleep' amanda added: 'it's lovely waking up with your children and feeling them in the night and cuddling up to them ally questions how amanda will ever get her children into their own rooms if they're constantly in a bed with her and tells her to teach them independence by giving them their own space on this morning 'my kids are extremely independent they have boundaries but i am creating a nice safe and secure environment for them' amanda’s comments come after this morning research revealed 70 per cent of mothers have allowed their youngsters to sleep next to them and a third admits they regularly let their child snooze alongside them and will continue to let them do so until they are well over the age of six mother of one ally einsten also appeared on the show however, she said she completely disagreed with amanda’s views ‘it's a beautiful moment that doesn't last forever so i think it's nice to cherish that time’ she continued: ‘it's only in the last 150 years that parents have put their children into their own rooms ‘historically it's very normal for parents to sleep with their children, and in other parts of the world it's normal mother of two amanda believes sharing her bed with her two children (darling, left, six, and ezme, two, right) is so important she's even forced her husband to sleep in the spare room she said: 'i have one child and initially i had her in the bed with me for a few weeks but we put her into the cot and it's important that children develop routine and if you have them in the bed with you for a long period of time, they think that's normal 'they flourish on boundaries, it's very important with relationships with your children and your partner that you set those boundaries 'why can't then come in for a cuddle and then go in their own bed? co sleeping isn't appropriate’ she added: ‘we will see more and more families divorcing because mothers are choosing their children over their relationship' caroline hartwell, nanny, maternity nurse and childcare expert at tinies (wwwtiniescom) said: 'we all know the risk of co sleeping , the risk of smothering etc but what about the long term effect on your child? how they miss out on independence, and be taught their coping mechanisms 'the benefits i do believe initially are fabulous, for breast feeding and bonding with your baby and although it is not recommended i do feel at the age of a few weeks they should definitely be put in a moses basket / cot this encourages independence for the baby and teaches them to self sooth and that it is ok to be put down and sleep without being so close to a parent 'another benefit is to be able to sleep with limited interruptions i'm also a great believer that the behaviour patterns you install from a very early age with your baby will help them grow and develop into independent and less anxious individuals that will have the coping mechanisms to embrace life and all its challenges with strength and gusto all because they have been taught to be strong, trust their ability and be as independent as they can with their thinking ' | ally einsten amanda moss two year old liverpool mum of 70% simon this morning | amanda moss, from liverpool, shares bed with six and two year old says it has helped strengthened relationship with husband simon appeared on this morning after research shows 70% let kids sleep in bed mum of one ally einsten believes co sleeping is 'disgusting, wrong' |
mexican immigrants can now obtain birth certificates from their government's consulates in the united states, fast tracking their applications for american work permits and driver's licenses until now, mexico has required its citizens to get birth certificates at government offices in mexico, and the delay can hold up their applications for various benefits the change will make it quicker and easier for mexican immigrants seeking protection from deportation now, even as republicans in congress try to undo president barack obama's plan to shield millions of immigrants living illegally in the us, mexico is trying to help them apply for programs that would allow them to remain in this country and continue sending money back to relatives across the border scroll down for video change: mexican immigrants will no longer have to return to their country to get documents needed for us benefit applications it means the process for seeking protection from deportation is radically sped up 'it is a huge help it helps individuals really begin to formulate their formal identity in this country,' said angelica salas, executive director of the coalition for humane immigrant rights of los angeles about half the 11 million immigrants living in the us illegally are from mexico, and immigration experts say roughly 3 million of them could be eligible to apply for work permits and protection from deportation under the administration's plan people applying to stay in this country will probably have to produce photo id, such as a passport and a birth certificate is necessary to get a passport about two weeks ago, california — home to more mexicans than any other state — began issuing driver's licenses to immigrants who are in the country illegally from now on, mexico's 50 consulates in the us will be able to get access to data maintained by regional governments in mexico and print birth certificates, said arturo sanchez, consul for press and commercial affairs in santa ana, california consulates should be able to issue birth certificates for nearly all places in mexico, though some villages where documents are not digitally recorded may not be covered, sanchez said over the past year, the santa ana consulate has seen a surge in the demand for documents daily appointments have jumped by a third to nearly 400, with many people trying to get birth certificates, sanchez said those who cross the border illegally to reach the united states rarely carry documents with them on the treacherous journey, partly to avoid detection controversy: the move comes a day after house republicans voted to overturn obama's immigration policies and many mexicans born in remote, rural communities do not make the necessary journey to the nearest government office to obtain a birth certificate, salas said the move comes a day after house republicans voted to overturn obama's immigration policies and remove protection for immigrants brought illegally to america as children rep duncan hunter, who represents a san diego area congressional district, complained that us and mexican policies have combined to send more people across the border illegally 'the administration's position and efforts seem to better align with mexico's interests than they do with our own — and that's disappointing,' he said jessica vaughan, director of policy studies at the center for immigration studies, said she believes mexico is trying to make it easier for its citizens to stay here because of the money they send back mexican migrant workers living abroad sent home $216 billion to their families in 2013, according to the country's central bank vaughan, whose organization wants tighter limits on immigration, said ensuring birth certificates are authentic is critical because they are used to obtain key identity documents such as passports 'if we can trust the mexican government to do its due diligence and establish a system with integrity, then this will work,' she said but she added: 'that is a big if' | republican obama mexicans us | previously, mexicans had to go home to get birth certificate for applications now they will be able to retrieve the documents from us based consulates it will radically speed up the process for seeking protection from deportation it comes amid republican attempts to overturn obama's immigration order |
the church's two most senior figures came under fire yesterday after claiming the poor are being left behind and whole cities swallowed up in a 'cycle of decline' in a highly political intervention – coinciding with the start of the general election campaign – the archbishops of canterbury and york insisted that the coalition was 'casting aside' the poor while chasing votes in middle england as a result, they said, britain had become dominated by 'rampant' individualism, is 'ill at ease with itself' and was in many places 'trapped in apparently inevitable decline' intervention: the archbishops of canterbury (left) and york (right) said britain is caught in a 'cycle of decline' last night david cameron said he 'profoundly disagreed' with the two archbishops and angry mps said their comments were simply inaccurate and accused the primates of straying too far into the political arena the controversy drew comparisons with the 'faith in the city' saga of 30 years ago, when the cofe's views on poverty in the cities were dismissed by margaret thatcher's government as 'marxist' the comments were made by the archbishops of canterbury and york in a campaigning book to be published next week the archbishop of canterbury, the most reverend justin welby, and his counterpart from york, the most reverend dr john sentamu, put their names to a series of essays that quoted the words of karl marx with approval and attacked politicians for trying to appeal to 'the swing vote of middle england' anger: lord tebbit said the church should concentrate on dealing with its own problems their book, on rock or sand?, declared that many are 'left behind' by 'rampant consumerism' and individualism one tory source described the bishops' analysis as 'ridiculous', adding: 'it's so far out there i'm not sure it merits a response' former tory deputy prime minister lord heseltine, who built his reputation in the 1980s on reviving the fortunes of northern cities, called the archbishops 'out of touch' he said on radio 4's world at one that archbishop welby's description of the spiral of decline of cities outside london was wrong 'i have spent some 30 or 40 years dealing with leaders in local authorities,' he said 'and the transformation, and they acknowledge this, is extraordinary' lord tebbit said the church should concentrate on dealing with its own difficulties with falling congregations, lack of money and shortage of priests, before it started telling other people what to do downing street, however, sought to play down the row the prime minister's official spokesman said the church had made 'important points about the need to do more to support families' however, the spokesman stressed the government had launched many initiatives to boost growth in england's cities, particularly in the north and northern business chiefs said they were deeply angered by the views of archbishop welby james ramsbotham, chief executive of the north east chamber of commerce, said: 'we have been growing faster than any other region, and our exports mean we have a positive balance of payments' critics of archbishop welby said that treasury figures show that over the past year 65 per cent of all private sector job growth has come from outside the south east they added that manchester and leeds are growing faster than london and unemployment is falling across the north of england the book was edited by dr sentamu and featured a contribution from the archbishop of canterbury despite assurances that it did not amount to socialism, it was greeted with enthusiasm by ed miliband he said: 'david cameron used to say 'we're all in this together' today, church leaders are saying they don't believe him' they were wrong last time this time they're irrelevant: commentary by damian thompson the quickest way to ruin a dinner party is to talk about the christian belief in an after life ‘heaven? it’s just a fantasy cooked up by clergy to keep themselves in a job,’ a typical metropolitan hostess might say, her lip curling as she spoons out the asparagus soufflé to which i can only reply: in 20 years of covering religious affairs as a journalist, i have almost never heard vicars or priests talk about heaven – except from the narrow confines of the pulpit, and even then not very often echo: one of margaret thatcher's ministers described similar comments as 'marxist' but i certainly hear clergy talk incessantly about another fantasy world it’s a britain in which they talk about the ‘gulf between rich and poor’ this always seems to be a nicely flexible concept that they never precisely define above all, it is always ‘widening’ and they argue that society’s ills can be miraculously solved if only more taxpayers’ money was spent on them as if it was holy water this week, they are it again with a book that deliberately echoes the infamous ‘faith in the city’ report published by the church of england in 1985 when margaret thatcher was prime minister it controversially called for greater government spending in every conceivable area (except on the country’s military defences, of course) and was denounced by one thatcherite minister as ‘marxist’ such criticism was, i believe, over the top – but make no mistake: the truth is that the church of england tried to strangle the thatcherite reforms that turned britain into the economic capital of europe the church failed in it efforts – and it seems that archbishop sentamu is still very bitter in his new book, he says he is sorry that the church lost its nerve in its response to what he calls the ‘savage attack’ of thatcherism but he is wrong the left wing bishops did not lose their nerve: they actually did everything in their power to elect labour’s neil kinnock as prime minister and then when that failed, too, they went into a sulk perhaps the most depressing aspect of this offensive by the church of england is the involvement of the archbishop of canterbury the fact is that some of what he says is patently not true of course, there are parts of britain that, sadly, struggle with poverty and addiction, but that does not make us ‘a people in crisis’ we are embarked on a fragile economic recovery, under a government that is attempting to reduce inequality by ambitious and expensive welfare reforms yet, as in 1985, the church of england apparently wants to derail that recovery, by painting a picture of an economic landscape so apocalyptic that voters will take the risk of making ed miliband prime minister and putting ed balls – god help us – in charge of the country’s finances this is surprising given justin welby’s background: having worked for an international oil company and having been a supporter of mrs thatcher he is the first primate of all england who can argue with economists in their own language veering: with a background in the oil industry, justin welby's lurch to the left is somewhat surprising so why has he veered so sharply to the left? one reason is that he was appalled by the poverty he encountered for the first time when, having packed in his business career, he trained for the anglican ministry in durham also, his stepfather, lord williams of elvel, is a labour peer even so, no one expected him to be quite so hostile to the government led by his fellow old etonian david cameron central to the current church/state battle is the archbishop of york – a vigorous christian and a brave man who, in his native uganda, was jailed for criticising the country’s blood drenched leader idi amin but – and i’m sorry if this sounds rude – he is also an unreconstructed old lefty whose interminable anti colonialist rants had general synod members rushing for the door back in the early 1990s to coincide with his new book, dr john sentamu has given an interview to the spectator’s isabel hardman she asked him what right the church has to poke its nose into politics when its congregations are dwindling his response was feeble –blathering on about the number of people who attended the carol service at york minster he also claimed that the ‘bishop of blackpool’ invited him to an event and that they ‘fill the ballroom in blackpool with 350 people who want to come and find faith in christ’ three hundred and fifty people? that hardly compares with the thousands who attend pentecostal rallies in the developing world and there is no bishop of blackpool presumably he means blackburn the truth is that church congregations have shrunk by a third to just 800,000 a week since faith in the city was published the cofe’s bureaucracy, though, is bigger than ever – and invested with a public sector mentality that makes its pronouncements hard to distinguish from those of the public service union unison ultimately, a key reason for the church of england’s hostility to market forces lies in its own failure to sell itself church attendance has fallen off a cliff – and the same would be true of catholics, too, if it were not for the presence here of immigrants embarrassed by this fact, bishops are reduced to pontificating about the ‘scandal’ of food banks and issues such as climate change i hate to say this, but perhaps it’s just as well that, come the election, most of us won’t pay the slightest attention to the advice of our christian leaders damian thompson is the author of the end of time: faith and the fear in the shadow of the millennium | thatcherites york marxist heseltine canterbury uk | archbishops of canterbury and york say uk's consumerism is 'rampant' comments likened to saga which led thatcherites to call church marxist lord heseltine said remarks 'out of touch' and pm 'profoundly disagreed' |
a family found their missing pet tortoise in a store room more than 30 years after they lost her, it was reported today manuela disappeared from her home in rio de janeiro, brazil, in 1982 and despite a lengthy search was never seen again her owners, the almeida family, assumed she had run away after builders working on the house left the front door open turtle ly delighted: the almeida family plays with their pet tortoise manuela 30 years after she disappeared from their home in rio de janeiro it was only after their father leonel died earlier this month that the almeida children began clearing out a second floor room which he had filled with broken electrical items and always kept locked leonel's son, leandro, said he was astonished to find manuela alive inside a box containing an old record player he told brazil's globo g1 website said: 'i put the box on the pavement for the rubbish men to collect, and a neighbour said, 'you're not throwing out the turtle as well are you?' 'i looked and saw her at that moment, i turned white, i just couldn't believe what i was seeing' alone time: manuela was finally discovered alive inside a box containing an old record player when the family decided to clear out a locked store room (above) red footed tortoises are popular pets in south america because they are relatively inexpensive and have interesting personalities in the wild, they mainly live in dry forest areas and grasslands and feed on fruit, leaves, dead animals and even faeces they have a life expectancy of around 50 years as pets, it is recommended that they are housed outdoors when conditions allow they are particularly resilient as they can survive for up to three years without food but they are also at risk from humans as the species is considered a delicacy in many cities of south america daughter lenita, who had been given the tortoise as a childhood pet, said: 'everything my father thought he could fix, he picked up and brought home 'if he found an old television he thought he might be able to use a part of it to fix another one in the future, so he just kept accumulating things we never dared go inside that room 'we're all thrilled to have manuela back 'but no one can understand how she managed to survive for 30 years in there, it's just unbelievable' rio de janeiro vet jeferson pires explained that manuela's red footed species of tortoise, can go for long periods without eating he said: 'they are particularly resilient and can survive for two to three years without food in the wild they eat fruit, leaves, dead animals, even faeces' he said manuela may have survived by eating termites from the wooden floors | manuela geniculum roadside interschool | no related information |
renewing a push for paid leave for workers, president barack obama on thursday will call on congress, states and cities to pass measures to allow millions of workers to earn up to a week of paid sick time a year he'll also ask congress for more than $2 billion in new spending to encourage states to create paid family and medical leave programs, the white house says in addition, obama will use executive discretion to give federal employees – men and women alike – up to six weeks of paid sick leave to care for a new child scroll down for video president barack obama speaks at cedar falls utilities on wednesday in cedar falls, iowa president obama will call on congress, states and cities today to pass measures to allow millions of workers to earn up to a week of paid sick time a year 'the fact is this is not a partisan issue it’s a family issue, and it’s an economic issue, senior adviser valerie jarrett, said 'adopting policies that are good for working families is both good for business and good for workers' more than 40 million us private sector workers don't have any type of paid sick leave, jarrett said, 'not a single day' that means they lose pay if they stay home when sick or to care for someone who is the white house confirmed thursday night that obama's policy proposal dealing with paid time off for new parents will apply to men as well as women a white house fact sheet on the policy proposal argues that 'many workers will go to work sick, putting their coworkers and customers at risk of illness and even if workers have access to paid sick leave for themselves, they may not be able to use it to care for sick children 'this forces many parents to choose between taking an unpaid day off work—losing much needed income and potentially threatening his or her job—and sending a child who should be home in bed to school,' the white house said the president's spokesman said today that the policy is both family friendly and business friendly because going to work sick with an illness like the flu will 'only serve to spread the flu to your fellow coworkers that is bad for businesses because they have a whole slew of employees out sick, he said details on how obama would raise the $2 billion to help states will be released in the president's budget proposal next month, jarrett said wednesday obama wants congress to pass legislation that has been sponsored since 2005 by connecticut rep rosa delauro to allow workers to earn up to seven days, or 56 hours, of paid sick leave to care for themselves or a sick family member, obtain preventive care or deal with domestic violence under the healthy families act, workers would earn an hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours they work employers that already provide paid sick time would not have to change their policies as long as the time earned can be used for the same purposes obama will call on states and cities to adopt similar legislation some already have, as the white house noted in a fact sheet the president will also outline ways to broaden access to paid family and medical leave under the 1993 federal family and medical leave act, workers may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off without losing their job to care for a new child, recover from an illness or care for an ill family member the white house says most families cannot afford such long stretches of time off without pay 'we can't say we stand for family values when so many women in this country have to jeopardize their financial security just to take a few weeks off of work after giving birth,' jarrett said in a linkedin post previewing the initiative on wednesday three states — california, new jersey and rhode island – offer paid family and medical leave to encourage others to follow, obama will propose $22 billion in new spending to reimburse up to five states for three years for the actual and administrative costs associated with implementing similar programs the white house says obama's budget will also include a request for $35 million to be put toward competitive grants for states working toward implementing paid leave programs additionally, the department of labor will spend $1 million in funds it already has to help states and localities conduct studies to determine the ramifications of paid family leave policies president obama returns by night to the white house after a day trip to iowa obama has been travelling across the country, giving near daily previews of initiatives geared toward the middle class and working families that he plans to highlight in next tuesday's nationally televised state of the union address with regard to the federal workforce, obama will propose legislation providing six weeks of paid administrative leave for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child federal workers receive paid sick leave and vacation time, but no paid time off specifically for family or parental leave under the proposal, federal workers could use sick time to care for a healthy child after birth or adoption obama also planned to direct federal agencies to advance six weeks of paid sick leave that federal workers could use as paid family leave, something agencies can do if they decide to, said obama economic adviser betsey stevenson workers would be required to pay back the sick leave over time tennessee sen lamar alexander, chairman of the senate's labor committee, said obama's proposed measures would set back workers and make it more difficult for entrepreneurs to start their own businesses 'americans have great freedom when it comes to work—they can choose the career they like and negotiate with their employer for the things they need, and they can one day become employers, opening businesses with few restrictions compared to the rest of the world,' the republican senator said 'one more government mandate, however well intentioned, will only reduce those freedoms—making it harder for employees to find jobs, negotiate for the things they need, and open and run businesses alexander said the federal government 'should do what it can to encourage employers to offer paid sick leave' but should 'not impose a big new mandate' that he claims will 'cost employers $114 billion over five years and make it harder for them to hire new employees' sen deb fischer, a republican from nebraska, said employers should provide paid sick leave on a 'voluntary' basis she and maine sen angus king, an independent senator, have introduced legislation that would 'encourage' businesses to do just that by giving organizations that offer their employees at least four weeks of paid leave a tax credit meanwhile, delauro and women's groups applauded the president's announcement 'workplaces need to respond to the reality of family life in the 21st century, and allowing employees to have seven sick days a year is a bare minimum,' delauro said 'the fact that the united states is one of just a handful of countries that does not require paid family or sick leave is nothing short of shameful' the chances that lawmakers will send delauro's bill to obama in the next two years appear slim to none, given that the congresswoman first introduced the bill a decade ago but debra l ness, president of the national partnership for women & families, said the announcement amounts to the 'boldest action' in support of family friendly workplace polices in a generation 'this is fantastic news for workers, families and our economy,' she said obama's actions follow up on a white house summit on working families the president held last june in washington, jarrett said it is also the latest in a series of near daily previews by obama of initiatives geared toward the middle class and working families that he plans to highlight in next tuesday's nationally televised state of the union address the white house said thursday it would use the state of the union to try to drum up support for the measure | gop the white house $2 billion congress next month an additional six weeks lamar alexander more than $2 billion obama | president will propose that congress pass legislation to give an additional six weeks of paid parental leave to federal workers who are new parents that policy plan will extend to men as well as women he'll also ask congress for more than $2 billion in new spending to encourage states to create paid family and medical leave programs details of how obama would raise the $2 billion will be released in his budget proposal next month, the white house says gop sen lamar alexander said the proposals would set back workers and make it more difficult for entrepreneurs to start their own businesses |
for 45 years, the charlie hebdo magazine has unashamedly poked fun at taboo topics the mainstream publications would not dare to but one of its founders, henri roussel, believes it was the former editor stephane charbonnier's 'pig headed' insistence on satirising islam that lead to his, and seven of his colleagues' deaths the man known as 'charb was among 17 people killed in a wave of terror attacks in paris last week, which began with a massacre in his own office writing in this week's nouvel obs magazine, roussel accuses charbonnier of 'dragging the team' to their deaths by releasing increasingly provocative cartoons such as the images of the prophet muhammad scroll down for video murdered: charlie hebdo's former editor stephane charbonnier (pictured) 'dragged the team' to their death by continuously mocking islam, according to the magazine's founder henri roussel six of the charlie hebdo staff killed in wednesday's attack are pictured together in this photo, taken in 2000 circled top from left is philippe honore, georges wolinski, bernard maris and jean cabut below them on the stairs, from left, is editor stephane charbonnier and cartoonist bernard ‘tignous’ verlhac he described charb as a 'brilliant bloke', but says he was foolish to 'over do' it by printing the controversial november 11 edition featuring images of islam's central figure roussel, asked: 'what made him feel the need to drag the team into overdoing it?' referring to charb' s decision to first post a mohammed character on the magazine's front page in 2011 he was referring to the first time the prophet muhammad featured on charlie hebdo's cover in 2011 sparking furious reactions from the muslim world, who consider the images blasphemous their headquarters were burned down by an unknown arsonist in a fire ball attack a short time later even charb's former partner, jeanette bougrab, believed he would some day be 'assassinated' in an interview with bmftv, the 41 year old said: 'i begged him to leave france but he wouldn't my companion is dead because he drew in a newspaper' miss bougrab, who had lived with charb and her adopted daughter may for three years, added sadly: 'he never had children because he knew he was going to die he lived without fear, but he knew he would die' mr roussel, who contributed to the first issue of the satirical weekly in 1970, said: 'he shouldn't have done it, but charb did it again a year later, in september 2012' the magazine's founder claims his friend georges wolinski one of the cartoonists who died in the deadly attack on january 7 also had reservations about the controversial edition 'i think we are thoughtless imbeciles who have taken a useless risk, that's all,' roussel claims that wolinski told him back in 2011 'we think we're invulnerable for years, decades even, we stir things up and then one day all our stirring blows up in our face we shouldn't have done it' richard malka, the lawyer who has represented charlie hebdo the past 22 years, reacted furiously at roussel's comments tragic: a desk is still covered with the day's work, along with empty water bottles and a coffee mug, inside the offices of charlie hebdo while underneath the chair there is a pool of blood massacre: two masked men, said and cherif kouachi, burst into the charlie hebdo office (pictured) and began shooting journalists remembrance: jeannette bougrab (pictured), the partner of deceased charlie hebdo editor, charb, attended a ceremony today as her former boyfriend was made an honorary citizen of paris demand: an early morning queue forms in france, as people try to get their hands on the 'survivors' edition of charlie hebdo sold out: a sign at a paris news stand informs customers that they have already run out of copies he said: 'charb has not yet even been buried and obs (the magazine which printed roussel's column) finds nothing better to do that to publish a polemical and venomous piece on him' defending his decision to publish the piece, nouvel obs' editor matthieu croissandeau, said: 'we received this text and after a debate i decided to publish it in an edition on freedom of expression, it would have seemed to me worrisome to have censored his voice, even if it is discordant 'particularly as this is the voice of one of the pioneers of the gang' the first issue of the magazine since the attacks again depicts the prophet muhammad on the front cover unprecedented demand for the magazine across europe has meant an extra two million copies of the 'survivors' edition will be printed adding to the three million which already have been the issue sold out instantly around paris on wednesday, as people queued around the corner to get their copies | 2011 prophet muhammad charlie hebdo georges wolinski roussel stephane charbonnier charbonnier charb 80 year old muslim cartoonist henri roussel first | henri roussel blames stephane charbonnier for charlie hebdo attacks says 'charb' was 'pig headed' for continuously satirising muslim religion criticised him for printing cartoon of prophet muhammad on front page 80 year old believes former editor was foolish to 'over do' it in 2011 issue so did deceased cartoonist, georges wolinski, according to mr roussel charbonnier was among eight charlie hebdo staff to die in the attacks first edition since attacks again features prophet muhammad on cover warning graphic content |
a pretty girl wanders off from an anniversary party and heads to the beach for a late night swim shortly afterwards, the girl is found dead — apparently murdered so begins a new tv mini series, ascension, which starts on british television tonight the plot is not, however, quite as formulaic as it sounds the party and even the beach, it soon emerges, are on board a vast spaceship as for the milestone being celebrated, it is the 51st anniversary of the original 600 man us crew blasting off from earth in a rocket powered by nuclear bombs they are halfway through a 100 year journey to colonise a planet so secret its existence was kept hidden from the public scroll down for video a us defence project, codenamed orion, planned to send a rocket (pictured in illustration) the size of an ocean liner to other planets the founders of project orion originally envisaged sending a 50 strong crew to mars (pictured) or farther project orion was given the green light after sputnik i (pictured) was launched by the soviet union in 1957 this may all sound like a variation on star trek, if it weren't for the astonishing fact that ascension is based on a real us defence project, codenamed orion, the details of which are so sensitive that many remain classified even now more than half a century later in what must be one of the most incredible chapters of the space race, american, british and european scientists drew up plans in the late fifties and sixties for the us defence department to send a rocket the size of an ocean liner to other planets it would get there by exploding thousands of small atomic bombs project orion might now sound like the stuff of dan dare — only infinitely more dangerous — but it was based on solid technical research and attracted some of the finest scientists of their generation, headed by a british physics and mathematics genius named freeman dyson back in 1957, when the soviets launched the first satellite, sputnik 1, into space, the us was plunged into panic president dwight eisenhower was ready to say yes to just about any proposal that might give the americans a lead in the space race project orion was certainly the boldest the plan originated from general atomics, a cutting edge technology company and defence contractor near san diego, california the idea of using atomic explosions to provide a rocket with thrust had been put forward a decade earlier by one of the architects of america’s atom bomb project the founders of project orion argued that it could propel the us far ahead of the russians the original plan envisaged sending a 50 strong crew as far as mars, but to get the multi million dollar government backing required, the project needed a scientist of international fame they approached dyson a maths prodigy who would calculate the number of atoms in the sun when he was four, dyson was later involved in strategic planning for the raf’s wartime bombing of germany he’d been given a job for life at princeton university when he was asked to join orion the belt stars of orion the ultra secret project was named after the highly visible, recognisable constellation former us president dwight eisenhower (left) said yes to the original orion proposal while his successor, president john f kennedy (right), was 'reportedly appalled by the thought of a new space weapons race' when he was presented with blueprints for a floating military fortress inspired by the atomic bomb driven rocket french nuclear testing in the south pacific the scientists behind orion envisioned propelling it through space by exploding thousands of small atomic bombs diagram describing the three stage rocket which lifted sputnik into orbit the launch of the satellite is what prompted the orion project to begin 1 sputnik 2 ejector mechanism 3 battery 4 helium fuel compression 5 fuel tank 6 oxidizer tank 7 second stage engine 8 battery; 9 fuel tank 10 oxidizer tank 11 turbopumps 12 first stage engine illustration appeared in the soviet weekly and was obtained by the united nations in 1957 dyson needed little persuasion: since childhood he had dreamed of travelling into space he did a few calculations before announcing that, yes, he thought it could be done, and he and ted taylor, orion’s project leader, recruited a 50 strong team of scientists many of them had worked on developing the bombs that had devastated hiroshima and nagasaki like dyson, they were driven by a high minded hope that nuclear bombs could now be harnessed for good rather than destruction what was special on paper about the orion concept was that it not only provided a rocket with enormous thrust, but also the fuel was very efficient conventionally powered rockets wasted so much fuel just to get into orbit, and travelled so slowly, relatively speaking, that they couldn’t get anywhere useful in space in their crews’ lifetime — even if they had room for the necessary fuel its disciples argued that nuclear pulse propulsion, as it was called, was the only known technology that provided the thrust and speed to get to other planets and back in a matter of years even in those days of starry eyed enthusiasm for atomic energy’s potential, the scientists knew they had to overcome a forbidding array of technical challenges the spaceship would be propelled by a series of explosions from highly directed nuclear bombs dropped out of the back of the bullet shaped rocket, each instantly generating temperatures many times hotter than the sun wouldn’t the explosions simply vaporise the rocket? apparently not tests with high explosive fuel showed it could propel a scaled down rocket up into the sky without destroying it obviously, an atomic bomb would create a far more powerful explosion than tnt the bombs would drop out of the rocket in their thousands, one after the other, exploding some 20 metres behind it one of dyson’s most taxing problems was getting a level of acceleration that would be tolerable for humans consequently, the orion would be protected by a 1,000 ton and immensely thick steel ‘pusher plate’, bolstered by shock absorbers, that would absorb the brunt of the explosion while propelling the rocket forwards the scientists calculated it would take nearly 1,000 nuclear explosions to get into space, and thousands more bombs to accelerate it to its cruising speed of 50,000 mph simply lining up and ejecting the bombs correctly would be tricky looking for inspiration, the orion teams consulted the coca cola company for insights on its coke bottle production lines as for the rocket’s living quarters, the enormous power of its fuel source meant the spaceship could be as big and heavy as its designers liked various orions were envisaged, their size depending on the length of their intended journey the original design was one weighing 4,000 tons and as tall as a ten storey building however, a ‘super orion’ that might get even further than saturn had a diameter of 400 metres and weighed eight million tons it had enough room for thousands of passengers even on the smaller spaceships, the interior and fittings would include reading rooms, kitchens and lounger chairs for the astronauts to relax in comfort everything would be built from steel, and drawings show the interior looking more like a rather spacious submarine than a conventional cramped rocket even then, there were concerns about radiation, although orion’s leaders claimed that fallout could be reduced to nothing if advanced nuclear fusion technology was used (where two or more atoms are fused into a larger one) rather than the conventional fission (when one atom is split) the intention was to launch at least the smaller orion rockets from huge barges far out at sea today, surviving orion scientists still go misty eyed as they describe what a launch would have looked like — the mother of all firework displays as the huge rocket soared into the sky thanks to a series of progressively bigger explosions the international space station in 2009 unlike the orion rocket, the iss actually made it into orbit an area of the southern milky way containing eta carinae, crux and alpha and beta centaurus british physics and mathematics genius freeman dyson dreamed up a nuclear powered spaceship that he believed could travel 437 light years away and reach alpha centauri but where was it going to go? ‘mars by 1965, and saturn by 1970 was the slogan we went by,’ said dyson, now 91 and living in the us the team envisaged a four year return trip to one of saturn’s colonisable moons, where the itinerary would include time to explore the surface, try to grow some crops and then return to earth dyson later unveiled two concepts for an even vaster nuclear powered spaceship that he believed could reach alpha centauri, 437 light years away and the nearest star system to the sun this image sequence shows the explosion of the first atomic bomb during the trinity test in new mexico in 1945 atomic bombs would have propelled orion if the project had ever gotten off the ground dyson’s rocket would take as little as 133 years to get there, but would cost $367 trillion — or america’s annual gross national product in the late sixties the premise of tv’s ascension is that the interstellar expedition is never revealed to the public in reality, we can be fairly certain orion never happened it was, to some extent, a victim of its own success orion’s pentagon paymasters realised its enormous military implications the generals ordered plans for a floating fortress rather like the death star in star wars, bristling with nuclear weapons and orbiting above russia the blueprints were presented to president kennedy, who was reportedly appalled by the thought of a new space weapons race the last straw was the 1963 treaty signed by the us, the uk and the soviet union, which banned all but underground nuclear tests by then, even freeman dyson was getting cold feet, after calculating that as many as ten people would die from the atomic fallout every time a rocket was launched # the project was quietly killed off at the beginning of 1965 dyson still looks back fondly on what he insists would have been a major leap forward for human technology ‘we were a bunch of crazies in a way,’ he said of the orion team ‘and it was an unusual time, when crazy people were given a chance to do their stuff’ ascension, a three part mini series, starts on sky 1 at 9pm tonight | freeman dyson sky's orion the soviet union the beginning of 1965 ascension tv 1957 sputnik british us | sky's ascension tv series is based on a us defence project called orion project began after sputnik i was launched by the soviet union in 1957 scientists, including british physicist freeman dyson, planned to propel a giant rocket through space by exploding thousands of mini atomic bombs the project was quietly killed off at the beginning of 1965 |
newly announced oscar nominee bradley cooper has defended his potential awards vehicle, american sniper, against criticism the film is a pro war portrayal of 'a hate filled killer who was treated like a hero' the movie directed by clint eastwood and based on the memoir of navy seal sharpshooter chris kyle, who claims to have killed more than 255 people during his six year military career has come under fire for celebrating a racist 'american psycho' who referred to muslims as ‘savage, despicable evil' and enjoyed killing in one part of the book kyle wrote: 'i couldn’t give a flying f about the iraqis' but cooper, 40 who has twice been nominated for a best actor oscar but missed out both times has hit back, saying the film is one man's story about being a soldier and shouldn't be treated as a political compass for or against the war scroll down for video shooting back: american sniper star bradley cooper says the oscar nominated film should be looked at as the story of one solider and not a political tool memoir: american sniper is based on the book by navy seal chris kyle, who claims to have killed more than 255 people during his six year military career he was shot dead at a gun range in 2013 'my hope is that if someone is having a political conversation about whether we should or should not have been in iraq, whether the war is worth fighting, whether we won, whether we didn’t, why are we still there, all those (issues), that really—i hope—is not one that they would use this movie as a tool for,' cooper told the daily beast 'and for me, and for clint, this movie was always a character study about what the plight is for a soldier 'the guy that i got to know, through all the source material that i read and watched, and home videos hours and hours i never saw anything like that 'if it’s not this movie, i hope to god another movie will come out where it will shed light on the fact of what servicemen and women have to go through, and that we need to pay attention to our vets 'it’s not a political discussion about war, even … it’s a discussion about the reality 'and the reality is that people are coming home, and we have to take care of them' cooper went on to say he doesn't think that american sniper is so much concerned with iraq as it is what it's like to serve in a war and then go home portrait: cooper said he and director clint eastwood the story of kyle (left) as 'a character study about what the plight is for a soldier' 'our whole idea was to do a character study about a soldier, and a soldier and a family, and what it’s like having to deal with the schizophrenic nature of having to jostle between a home life and being in theater,' he told the daily beast 'i think hopefully it could be a universal story' while american sniper has received support from the military and received a nomination for best picture today at the oscars, liberals have attacked it for pandering to the narrative of a violent patriot in one section of his book, kyle wrote of one of his four tours of iraq: 'if you see anyone from about sixteen to sixty five and they’re male, shoot ’em kill every male you see' journalist rania khalek described kyle as 'an american psycho' michael atkinson from in these times said the film 'perfectly epitomizes a certain kind of american horsesh ' author max blumental tweeted: 'i haven’t seen american sniper, but correct me if i’m wrong: an occupier mows down faceless iraqis but the real victim is his anguished soul?' the guardian journalist lindy west wrote: 'the real american sniper was a hate filled killer why are simplistic patriots treating him as a hero?' david edelstein from vulture called the movie 'a republican platform' criticism: director clint eastwood said it was a 'stupid analysis' to say he was celebrating war or violence in a separate interview, director clint eastwood, 84, said criticism he was celebrating war and killing was a 'stupid analysis' to make 'pardon me for sounding defensive, but it certainly has nothing to do with any (political) parties or anything,' eastwood, 84, told the toronto star 'these fellows who are professional soldiers, navy personnel or what have you, go in for a certain reason 'their commander in chief (president barack obama) is a democrat and the administration is, and there’s no political aspect there other than the fact that a lot of things happen in war zones' like cooper, eastwood maintained american sniper was a soldier's story, but does believe kyle was a hero 'this picture was interesting, because i’m seeing it from the point of a person who was sort of an american hero, as far as his ability to be this ultra sniper,' he told the star 'and his family and his beliefs were very strong about defending the country and defending the guys who are defending the country, as a sort of an oversight warrior 'it was an important story, but you have to embrace his philosophy if you’re going to tell a story about him' kyle was shot dead at a texas gun range in 2013 by a war veteran apparently suffering post traumatic stress disorder movie pundits say american sniper has a target to pull in over $50 million at the box office this weekend as it goes to wide release it will open at 3,555 theaters across the country | american chris kyle republican kyle navy clint eastwood cooper | american sniper attacked for being 'a republican platform' that celebrates war and killing cooper says it is a 'character study about the plight of a soldier' has asked people to focus on the story and not the politics movie is based on the memoir of navy seal chris kyle, who some claim was a violent racist and 'american psycho' cooper said he 'never saw anything like that' of kyle while researching for the part director clint eastwood called the criticisms 'a stupid analysis' |
the blogger who was jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes for 'insulting islam' was given new hope last night, when it emerged that saudi arabia's king would refer his case to the country's supreme court the saudi government has not made an official statement regarding raif badawi's freedom, but his wife says the king's intervention came before he received the first 50 lashes last friday in an interview with the bbc, ensaf haidar said: 'now his case has been passed by the royal office to the supreme court, he hopes something will happen soon, perhaps next week' she had accused the government of killing her husband week by week as the second round of his punishment was postponed due to 'health reasons' the country was accused of 'utter brutality' and 'outrageous inhumanity' yesterday after it interrupted the father of three's flogging sentence so his wounds could heal before he was whipped again mr badawi is being flogged 50 times every friday for supposedly insulting religious figures and undermining the regime a charge he and his wife ensaf haidar strenuously deny the first 50 of the lashes were inflicted in front of hundreds in the main square in jeddah last week and the same was due to happen again today, and for the next 18 weeks, until all 1,000 have been completed scroll down for video raif badawi (left) was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years behind bars for 'insulting islam' but his wife ensaf haidar (right) says all he did was write a blog about social change and human rights shocking footage of mr badawi receiving his first 50 lashes was secretly filmed outside a mosque last week ensaf pictured here, centre, campaigning for his release on tuesday fears each week, the floggings will kill raif a little more ensaf has since feld the country with their three children, najwa, 11, terad, 10, and miriam, seven, pictured here with their father it is believed raif, a 31 year old father of three, will need hospital attention after each flogging; it has been suggested his body will not be able to sustain the assault over the coming weeks already, the horrendous toll being taken on his body is clear adoctor today said the government was not allowed to go ahead with the punishment for ensaf, almost 6,000 miles away in quebec, it is too much to bear speaking to the mailonline, she said: 'saudi arabia is endangering his health and life – if they go through with the whole 1,000 lashes, they are killing him more every week 'it is a criminal act' ensaf and the couple's three children, najwa, 11, terad, 10, and miriam, seven, have been living in a small town in canada since november 2011 they fled saudi arabia when raif was arrested, spending two years living in lebanon before being granted refugee status it means although they are safe none of them have seen raif for more than four years and, since he was moved to a new prison two and a half weeks ago, no one has spoken to him either however, ensaf, 35, did have friends in the square last friday including raif's sister 'she unfortunately witnessed the flogging,' ensaf said 'she was there to try and support her brother 'he was very strong he was silent during the flogging' but the advent of technology means ensaf has also been able to see what happened to her husband shocking footage of raif being whipped in the square is available online, filmed secretly just as those present reported, raif stands strong, and quietly, while two guards dole out the punishment, and the crowds jeer ensaf is still shocked it has come to this: she knew her husband wrote a blog called free saudi liberals, but never thought it would draw the attentions of the authorities like it did he was arrested in june 2012 although it had been expected for a while, as the government had blocked his bank accounts and banned him from leaving the country in 2009 at first, he was accused of apostasy or renouncing islam, a charge which, if found guilty, would have meant beheading but it was thrown out by sadi arabia's high court, and raif was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes after being found guilty by an anti terrorism court of 'undermining the regime and officials,' ''inciting public opinion' and 'insulting the judiciary' 'criminal act': raif badawi's wife, ensaf (pictured), told mailonline: 'saudi arabia is endangering his health and life' raif and ensaf in happier times together, while they were both still living in saudi arabia escape: raif badawi's daughter najwa (left), 11, and son tirad (right), 10, fled saudi arabia when he was arrested it was upped to 10 years and 1,000 lashes after he appealed the sentence 'i was surprised, because i never thought it would go this far,' ensaf said 'what he is has been accused of is not true he did not insult the religion and islam or any member of the government 'the blog was only about social change and human rights 'he did not do anything wrong he is a prisoner of conscience' yet on thursday the saudi government confirmed this week's flogging would go ahead in the jeddah square, which has earned the grisly nickname 'chop chop square' as the site of executions in all the time of raif's imprisonment, ensaf worked to shield her children from the reality of her husband's situation but when they knew the floggings were due to go ahead, she realised she would have to tell them 'they only knew their daddy was in prison, they didn't know he was sentenced to flogging,' she said raif hasn't seen his three young children for four years, ever since they fled saudi arabia 'the school and i decided that we had to tell the kids without going into detail 'i wish i didn't have to tell them they cried and don't understand 'they are not normal kids anymore' but ensaf, who married raif in 2002, still hopes international pressure will make the saudi government stop the punishment raif has many supporters in the international community, including the backing of amnesty international one of the first groups ensaf contacted when she arrived in canada 'this case has so many violations of human rights,' said amnesty's mireille elchacar, who has become a close friend of ensaf over the past two years 'he is a prisoner of conscience it is a question of freedom of speech' protests against raif's treatment at the hands of the saudi government have been taking place all over the world including this one outside the country's embassy in washington dc yesterday amnesty international is calling on government's around the world to condemn the floggings amnesty around the world is calling on governments to intervene on behalf of raif, and the other victims of torture in saudi arabia 'saudi arabia is a country which uses torture in a systematic way it is unfortunately a champion of the death penalty,' said mireille, who also noted the irony of saudi sending a representative to the charlie hebdo march in support of freedom of speech ensaf is now learning french and settling into her new country it is, she says, 'impossible' to ever return to saudi arabia 'they are acting in a criminal way, and i cannot have respect for a country which does not respect freedom of speech' and she is clinging onto the belief her husband will one day join her in canada 'i will see him again, for sure, for sure, for sure i will never give up hope and i am sure saudi arabia will stop what they are doing and release him,' she said find out what you can do to help raif and his family by visiting amnesty uk's website | saudi arabia canada saudi raif raif badawi four years amnesty international 20 weeks supreme court each friday first ensaf haidar | raif badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for writing a human rights blog the dad of three is now being flogged 50 times each friday for 20 weeks his wife says saudi king referred his case to supreme court before first one ensaf haidar is now living as a refugee in canada with their three children she fears the floggings may kill raif, who she has not seen for four years saudi arabia has accused of 'utter brutality' and 'outrageous inhumanity' latest flogging postponed on 'medical grounds', say amnesty international warning: graphic content |
nathan dyer feels focusing on high flying swansea is the key to fulfilling his england dream the in form dyer scored twice in the 3 0 home victory over west brom on saturday which briefly took swansea to the top of the barclays premier league before chelsea won 6 3 at everton the previous week dyer scored the winner against burnley and some pundits felt the 26 year old was unfortunate to not make roy hodgson’s england squad for next week’s friendly against norway and the opening euro 2016 qualifier in switzerland on september 8 in form: dyer strikes for the second time against west brom as swansea went top of the league recognition: the english winger is hoping his good form will lead t an international call up hodgson’s wide options include andros townsend and james milner even though neither player has started a premier league game this season, and swansea boss garry monk said on saturday that his two wingers, dyer and wayne routledge, could count themselves unlucky not to make the england squad on current form but dyer says all he can do to win an england call up is is keep on performing well for a swansea side who have won their opening three games and will head to chelsea after the international break full of confidence “obviously it would be an honour to play for england and any player would love to play for their country,” dyer said “i’m one of them but i’ve got no say what happens and all i can do is keep playing well and keep improving for swansea partner in crime: wayne routledge scored an excellent goal against west brom and is also in great form “i’m really enjoying my football at the moment, but i’m going to keep my head down and keep playing for swansea” swansea made light work of west brom at the liberty stadium side as the welsh club secured their best start to a campaign for 91 years but dyer insists swansea can get even better after taking nine points from nine “i feel there’s more improvement to come,” dyer said “the balance of our team when we’re attacking can’t be too complacent, but we created opportunities with our movement and we’ve got to take that into the next game” alan irvine is still seeking his first league win as west brom manager and will use the forthcoming international break to get his new recruits up to speed as quickly as possible west brom had a huge turnover of players during the summer and irvine says the new signings are still in the process of getting to know each other harsh: gary monk thinks both of his wide men are unlucky not to be in roy hodgson's squad “we’ve got a group of lads who are ready and a group of lads who need some work,” said irvine “some of them will be doing a mini pre season next week with a view to being closer to being available the following week “it’s been a big ask for the boys who have come in lately and some of them were on the pitch at swansea, but we’ve got to get through that” west brom completed the signing of 26 year old argentine winger sebastien blanco from ukrainian side metalist kharkiv on saturday afternoon and irvine said that will be the last piece of albion transfer business before the window closes on monday night “we’re done now, the work has been done the positions we targeted at the start have now been filled,” said irvine “that will be our squad going forward and we will give the players time to settle in “that’s difficult during a premier league campaign but we don’t have any other choice, and i don’t expect any to go out” work to do: alan irvine says his eleven new sigings will need time to gel together this season | talkathon paniconograph pythius swansea cicisbei this season giddyish | no related information |
australia's top female criminal prosecutor, margaret cunneen, has told a court corruption body icac has no business investigating her private life ms cunneen launched an urgent action in the nsw supreme court this morning against the independent commission against corruption claims, which claims she perverted the course of justice and instructed her son's girlfriend, 25 year old sophia tilley to fake chest pains to beat a drink driving test in may this year ms cunneen, who is a familiar figure in sydney courts on the bench prosecuting gang rapists and murderers, is the principal plaintiff in today's court action along with her son, stephen wyllie, 26 and his 25 year old girlfriend, sophia tilley scroll down for video top prosecutor: lawyers for margaret cunneen, sc, a familiar figure in sydney courts prosecuting gang rapists and murderers, have taken action against corruption body icac over claims she instructed her son's girlfriend to fake chest pains to beat a drink driving breath test under fire: stephen wyllie (pictured, right), ms cunneen's 26 year old son and his girlfriend, sophia tilly, 25 (above, left) are also parties in the nsw supreme court action proceeding against the independent commission against corruption today ms cunneen did not show up personally, however her counsel arthur moses, qc, argued that just because she holds public office doesn't mean she loses ' the rights of any other citizen when a matter arises in their personal life which has nothing to do with their public function' he said neither ms cunneen nor any other public official including 'dog catchers and rangers' should lose their rights as private citizens he said ms cunnen's role as deputy senior crown prosecutor was 'irrelevant' in the case of the car crash investigation 'you have a state body making a decision impacting on the rights of citizens,' he said seeking documents: margaret cunneen, sc, will be on the other side of the court room today when she seeks documents tracing the origin of the 'malicious complaint' which may have landed her before icac since the independent commission against corruption (icac) launched action against ms cunneen last week, the widely respected nsw deputy senior crown prosecutor has received a groundswell of support from senior figures in the australian legal fraternity the icac hearing to investigate allegations of perverting the course of justice against ms cunneen is due to begin next monday the action, which has been described as a 'witch hunt', could 'only be the result of a malicious complaint', the 55 year old mother of three sons told daily mail australia ms cunneen launched her supreme court action on tuesday to challenge the icac's power to investigate the claim, and to seek documents and a copy of the 'allegation or complaint' which set off the commission's investigation into ms cunneen, her son and ms tilley mr moses asked justice clifton hoeben to eject icac from an active presence in the court proceedings, arguing it 'endangers the impartiality' of the commission to rule in the looming hearing against ms cunneen 'if the commission becomes the protagonist it endangers their impartiality in subsequent hearings,' mr moses said he said ms cunneen and her fellow applicants were demanding icac's reasons for mounting the investigation in the first place 'they don't have any get out of jail free card,' he said, 'they are accountable like anybody else' but counsel for icac, mr kirk, said the commission would resist explaining in court as to why the charges of perverting the course of justice had been laid mr moses is seeking an order restraining the icac from taking further steps in relation to the investigation, the reasons why the action was taken, and a declaration that the commission is acting outside its jurisdiction the car crash at the centre of the icac claims happened on may 31, when ms tilley, 25, was driving ms cunneen's ford mondeo and she was hit by another vehicle in willoughby, on sydney's north shore the mondeo was knocked onto its side and ms tilley was trapped in her seat belt for some time daily mail australia understands once ms tilley was freed from the vehicle she called her boyfriend mr wyllie, who called his father greg wyllie mr wyllie snr then told ms cunneen ms tilley, who has breast implants, reported experiencing chest pain at the scene there was some fear the implants may have ruptured the two wyllies arrived at the accident scene on foot by the time ms cunneen arrived by car ms tilley was in an ambulance she was taken to royal north shore hospital where a blood test showed no alcohol in her system ms tilley was not at fault in the accident daily mail australia has revealed that icac investigators seized the mobile telephones of ms cunneen, mr wyllie and ms tilley in unannounced morning raids at their respective homes two months after the accident, on july 30 until that day, none of the trio was aware of any investigation into events following the crash, which happened in may mr wyllie and ms tilley were subsequently called to private icac hearings in august since icac launched its action, there has been an outcry from legal figures including former nsw state cabinet head, professor gary sturgess, that the matter should have been investigated by police justice hoeben has previously ruled against margaret cunneen, in 2007 when she was prosecuting in the retrial of convicted gang rapist bilal skaf one of three judges on the court of criminal appeal, justice hoeben ruled ms cunneen should not participate in the retrial because she had made public statements about the case of skaf and his fellow gang rapists which would compromise 'appropriate fairness and detachment' in a separate action, the acting inspector of the icac, prominent former supreme court judge david levine, qc, announced he was conducting an audit into the commission's action against ms cunneen sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article | 26 sophia tilley sc stephen wyllie cunneen margaret cunneen icac 25 | top female prosecutor margaret cunneen, sc, has launched court action ms cunneen says anti corruption body icac has no right to investigate private matters icac has alleged she instructed her son's girlfriend to 'fake chest pains' for a drink driving test ms cunneen says the claims are the result of a 'malicious complaint' she says the matters have nothing to do with her public role ms cunneen's son stephen wyllie, 26, and sophia tilley, 25, are part of the court action |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.