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Jose Mourinho cut a confident figure on declaring that leaders Chelsea would definitely win the title in any other country from this commanding position. The Blues comfortably beat a gallant Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to maintain their blistering start to a season which some believe could end with them emulating the Arsenal 'Invincibles' of a decade ago. Looking as relaxed as he has done all year, Mourinho had two words to describe why Chelsea didn’t succumb to defeat as they did at Palace in March, scribbling ‘big balls’ on a pad of paper. He had written ‘balls’ to sum up what they had lacked on losing four months ago. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Chelsea manager Mourinho having journalists in stitches . Jose Mourinho scribbled 'Big Balls' on to a journalist's note pad before signing it after his side's win . Mourinho celebrates Chelsea's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace which saw them remain top of the Premier League . Cesc Fabregas' temper got the better of him during a flare-up with Palace striker Fraizer Campbell . Mourinho - who has already manufactured a five-point gap over champions Manchester City - was mindful of respecting the competition, although it is clear that anything other than clinching a first title since 2010 would be deemed a failure. They may have to do that while constantly managing the fitness of Diego Costa, who is ruled out of the Champions League clash against Maribor on Tuesday. Once again the manager chose to snipe at the way in which Spain have treated his star striker. ‘If you were in another league I would say immediately “yes, we’ll do it”. In the Premier League the only thing I can say is that we can do it,’ Mourinho said. ‘In the Premier League it is stupid to say you’re going to do it because there are so many good teams and a long way to go - some very difficult runs in front of us. Cesc Fabregas celebrates scoring Chelsea's second goal in the win at Selhurst Park . Oscar (left) celebrates his opening goal from a free-kick with team-mate Eden Hazard . Diego Costa takes on Manchester City's Eliaquim Mangala earlier in the campaign, with the Chelsea striker's injury a cause of much frustration for Mourinho . ‘What is obvious - what you all feel - is that we are a better team than last season. There is a clear evolution. It’s not based on the fact that we bought two fantastic players [Costa and Cesc Fabregas].’ Costa was absent for the first time this campaign and remains a doubt for next Sunday’s trip to Manchester United. ‘After Arsenal he went to the national team, played two big matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg and has come back in a condition where he isn’t available for his club,’ Mourinho added. Asked if he had spoken to the Spanish medical staff, the 51-year-old was sardonic in reply. ‘For what? To spend money on calls? No. Mourinho makes a point with the fourth official during the Selhurst Park clash . Palace boss Neil Warnock greets Mourinho before his side's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea . Warnock was furious with the decision to send off of Damien Delaney (not pictured) ‘I think he’ll be in great condition in mid-November to be back for the national team. We’ll take good care of him. He’ll play for me when he has free time from the national team.’ Despite Mourinho's humorous scribblings it was no laughing matter for Neil Warnock, who bemoaned big-club bias after claiming a number of Craig Pawson's decisions were unfair on the Eagles. ‘Half the team surrounded the referee,’ he said. ‘I thought they influenced him at times today. I thought John Terry should have been booked early on [for a late challenge on Fraizer Campbell]. He left a lot to be desired - the ref has had better days.’
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Blues beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park to maintain unbeaten start .
Jose Mourinho scribbled 'big balls' on notepad to describe Chelsea win .
Chelsea boss says there is no guarantee his side will win Premier League .
Mourinho also takes swipe at Spain over injury to Diego Costa .
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(CNN) -- Rebel attacks north of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo prompted thousands more civilians to flee Tuesday, and U.N. officials said a U.N. convoy trying to provide security near Goma also was attacked. Thousands of displaced Congolese on Tuesday line the road near the Kibati camp north of Goma, Congo. "Five rockets were fired on two U.N. armored personnel carriers that were part of the convoy of MONUC Blue Helmets near Kalengera," according to a report on the Web site of the U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known by its French acronym, MONUC. "MONUC reiterates that under its mandate it will continue to intervene with all of its means to ensure the protection of civilians and to protect the urban centers of North Kivu," MONUC said, referring to the province in eastern Congo. The attacks by rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of People, or CNDP, led civilians to seek refuge in Goma, the provincial capital, where national army forces surround the city, said MONUC spokesman Jean-Paul Dietrich. He said U.N. helicopters flew overhead to provide cover until darkness fell, when the aircraft were grounded for the night. Dietrich said a U.N. official in Goma reported that the town of Rutshuru had been captured, although he had not confirmed the information with the military. Rutshuru is a territorial capital about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of Goma. The U.N. convoy that officials said was attacked was providing security on the road from Rutshuru. Dietrich said clashes between the rebels and government forces had taken place during the day in scattered locations. Bertrand Bisimwa, a spokesman for the rebels, told The Associated Press the rebels' front lines are within within 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Goma, a city of 600,000. U.N. refugee agency spokesman Ron Redmond said the Kibati camp for displaced persons tripled in size in a matter of hours Tuesday, The AP reported. Congolese hurled rocks at U.N. armored personnel carriers that were headed away from the fighting, according to an AP report. Watch as Congolese throw rocks at tanks » . "What are they doing? They are supposed to protect us," AP quoted displaced person Jean-Paul Maombi as saying. Between 800,000 and 1 million displaced persons are living in camps run by the United Nations and other organizations in the area, Dietrich said, including about 150,000 people who came to the camps after August 28. "I think right now it's a very delicate situation," he added. The spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in Goma, Sylvie van den Wildenberg, said the situation in Goma is under control for now. "We have reinforced our presence there." Watch as crowds target U.N. offices in Goma » . On Monday, U.N. gunships supported army forces as they fired on the CNDP rebels in an effort to halt their advance on Kibumba, to the north, Wildenberg said. "We have put all our resources on alert to deter any further progression, trying to contain the aggression in those areas. CNDP is not listening to anyone anymore," she said. Renewed fighting erupted Sunday when the CNDP, led by renegade Gen. Laurent Nkunda, seized a major military camp and gorilla park just one week after a U.N.-brokered peace accord, according to U.N. and park officials. The rebels, according to Wildenberg, are surrounding areas where displaced persons are housed as a "strategy used to put more pressure on government and on the international community to get some of their requests satisfied. This is unacceptable and a violation of humanitarian law." Although the civil war in Congo officially ended in 2003, recent fighting in eastern Congo between government forces and rebels has displaced thousands. Fighting and the related humanitarian crisis have killed some 5.4 million people since 1998, and 45,000 people die there every month, according to an International Rescue Committee report in January. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Displaced persons triple size of U.N. camp .
U.N. tanks stoned by frustrated civilians .
Rebels say they're within a dozen miles of Goma .
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By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 06:42 EST, 6 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:17 EST, 6 November 2012 . A charity worker has been exposed as a serial fantasist after he lied about having cancer so that he could take time off work. George Maccoy also claimed to have completed 25 years in the RAF, but documentation suggested he had only completed 16 days before buying himself out without completing his basic training. He was employed as a ‘meeter and greeter’ at Corporation of Trinity House, a 500-year-old charity based in Newcastle which helps to care for mariners and their dependents. Disgraceful: George Maccoy, 60, has been exposed as a serial fantasist after he lied about having cancer so that he could take time off work . While he was employed, he claimed he had testicular cancer and forged letters from an imaginary consultant to justify taking time off work for fictitious hospital appointments. The charity had sacked the 60-year-old for nine counts of gross misconduct which included running-up up a 'considerable bill' by calling a dating agency on the handyman’s phone, the tribunal was told. But Mr Maccoy claimed he had been unfairly dismissed when the breakdown of a relationship triggered an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder which his managers failed to deal with. But his case was withdrawn and the tribunal was shown paperwork stating the 60-year-old served just 16 days in the RAF in 1979 without having completed his basic training. And in a rare move by the tribunal panel, Mr Maccoy was ordered to pay £10,000 in costs after a second claim for disability discrimination was withdrawn in June this year. Mr Maccoy was employed by Master, Pilots and Seamen of the Corporation of Trinity House, where he worked as a 'meeter and greeter' attending to VIPs and guests at the charity’s functions. Fantasist: George Maccoy was employed as a 'meeter and greeter' at a 500-year-old charity . But the organisation, which helps support poor mariners as well as examining and licensing deep sea shipping pilots, dismissed him in May last year after it was discovered that he had lied about suffering from cancer. Mr Maccoy had used a work printer to write letters from medical experts in which he lied about suffering from testicular cancer, the tribunal was told. He lost his £8-an-hour job after colleagues discovered the forged letter from fictitious consultant oncologist Simon Carter, a character created by Mr Maccoy to justify taking time off work to attend appointments, it was said. In February Mr Maccoy - who has spoken publicly about his battle to deal with the demons of war - launched a damages claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. But a legal team from Eversheds, led by senior associate Stephen Cairns, refuted the claims and in April they produced a letter from the RAF which said Mr Maccoy enlisted on March 21, 1972, but bought himself out just 16 days later on April 6. It is unclear if Mr Maccoy subsequently served in other parts of the armed forces or whether he saw action on foreign soil. It is believed that he was a member of the Territorial Army at some point. But Mr Cairns produced evidence at the tribunal which suggested Mr Maccoy had been working in South Tyneside as a caretaker during the 1990s when he claimed to be a serving aircraftsman. A spokeswoman for Trinity House said: 'The Newcastle Trinity House is pleased with the outcome of this employment tribunal which makes clear that all Mr Maccoy’s claims were completely untrue. 'We are, however, both deeply shocked and saddened that Mr Maccoy invented a past history with the RAF and moreover that he chose to fabricate post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of combat experience. 'We feel such deception is not only disturbing but also demeaning to all those genuine victims from our armed forces.' Mr Maccoy refused to comment following the tribunal but in a claim submitted to the tribunal, Mr Maccoy said: 'I was dismissed from my employment for alleged gross misconduct. 'At that time and presently I was/am suffering severe depression, also severe PTSD causing me to suffer loss of intellectual and social functions, whilst striving to hold down full-time employment.'
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George Maccoy was employed as a ‘meeter and greeter’ at a 500-year-old charity which helps to care for mariners and their dependents .
But he claimed he had testicular cancer and forged letters from an imaginary consultant to justify taking time off work .
He also claimed to have served 25 years in the RAF but was found to have spent just 16 days in basic training .
The charity had sacked the 60-year-old for nine counts of gross misconduct but he claimed he had been unfairly dismissed .
But his case was withdrawn and the tribunal ordered him to pay £10,000 in costs .
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A boy racer who killed his 19-year-old girlfriend while driving at 'ludicrous' speeds was jailed for six years today. Reckless Paul Reddan, 21, was racing another car when he lost control of his silver Vauxhall Corsa SRi at 70mph in a 50mph zone, hit a war memorial and crashed into a wall. The car burst into flames and Leanne Davies, a trainee hairdresser who was in the front passenger seat, died at the scene from severe head injuries. Leanne Davies, a trainee hairdresser, had sneaked away from her parents on the night of the fatal tragedy because they disapproved of her on-and-off relationship with her boyfriend Paul Reddan, an engineer . A number of witnesses said Paul Reddan had been driving on the wrong side of the road while he had been allegedly racing with Matthew Creed on a stretch of road for at least two miles before the fatal crash . Reddan, an engineer, was found guilty of death by dangerous driving and jailed for six years and banned from driving for five years at Gloucester Crown Court today. Sentencing, Judge Jamie Tabor said: 'Leanne was by all accounts a lovely young girl. 'She had the world before her – then her life was taken away by this absolutely ludicrous driving.' He told Reddan, who turned 21 today: 'I have no doubt at all that you were racing that night. From the moment you got in the car you were driving too fast. 'You were racing in such a way that one witness thought someone would get killed. 'You had been racing for a very long part of your journey in a very dangerous manner. You lost control of your vehicle and you killed Leanne – that is the long and short of it.' The crumpled Vauxhall Corsa which Reddan had bought just three months before the crash in Gloucester . The court heard how Leanne, of Lydbrook, Glos., secretly met up with Reddan on the night of May 31 last year because her parents did not approve of their on-off relationship. She told them she was going to meet her grandmother, but actually went for food at McDonald's with Reddan before getting into his car at around 9pm. But while travelling along the A4136 near Longhope, Glos., he lost control on a bend, hit a war memorial and crashed into a wall. Matthew Creed, 19, was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving in the six-day trial which ended today . It was alleged he was racing Matthew Creed, 19, who was also charged with causing death by dangerous driving but was cleared after a six-day trial. A number of witnesses described how Reddan's Corsa had been very close to Mr Creed's Renault Clio and at one point it was even being driven on the wrong side of the road. The prosecution alleged that the two men had been racing each other for at least two miles before the fatal crash which left Reddan hospitalised for three weeks. One witness, Andrew Barnes, who saw the two cars flash past less than a car length apart, only a few hundred metres before the collision, said 'someone is going to die', the court heard. Leanne's parents, Paul and Heather, said their whole family had been affected by the loss of the hairdresser . An examination of Reddan's car following the incident showed the speedometer stuck at 60mph, the back tyres under-inflated and a defect in the brake pipe. It was concluded that the car's faults, in combination with the 'manner of driving', could have caused the vehicle to become unstable. In a victim impact statement read in court, Leanne's father Paul Davies said: 'The hardest thing to come to terms with is to think about all the things we can no longer do as a family. 'We recently attended a family wedding and I could not stop thinking about the fact I will never get to walk my only daughter down the aisle. Father Paul Davies said in a victim impact statement read in court today that the 'the hardest thing to come to terms with is to think about all the things we can no longer do as a family' and that he was 'angry' over the loss . 'Whatever the outcome of this case and whatever the sentence, Paul will always have his life and future, but Leanne will never have that.' Mr Davies said the loss of his daughter had affected 'every single aspect of my life' and he was angry he would never be able to walk her down the aisle for her wedding one day. His two sons Luke and Mitch had been badly affected, too and the whole family had received counselling and support, he said. 'The biggest surprise after this incident is that there has been absolutely no remorse shown by Paul Reddan whatsoever. 'We received one letter from him but he didn't even say he was sorry. He did say 'I am sorry you lost Leanne' but there was no hint of sorrow or regret about what had happened. Leanne Davies' parents Paul and Heather (pictured left) with the family liaison officer PC Steve Martin and one of Leanne's brothers Luke Davies, outside Gloucester Crown Court following the sentencing of Paul Reddan . 'It appears to have had no effect on him whatsoever.' Heather Davies, Leanne's mother, said: 'At just 19 she had her whole life ahead of her. Her dreams and ambitions will now be unfulfilled because of the events of that night.' She said Leanne had an argument with her dad that night about a forthcoming family holiday and whether Reddan would be joining them because of the on-off nature of their relationship at that time . Mr Davies had regretted the row ever since because it had been the last time he saw his daughter. The couple were asleep on the sofa in front of the TV at midnight when police arrived to tell them Leanne had been killed, said Mrs Davies. 'I will never be able to forgive Paul Reddan for what happened that night,' she said. The crumpled Corsa after the fatal crash which claimed the life of trainee hairdresser Leanne Davies, 19 . 'My only hope is that one day life will become easier and I can remember Leanne for who she was: my beautiful loving daughter.' Jason Coulter, acting for Reddan, said he had led an honest and industrious life and had no previous convictions - and was never likely to offend again. He accepted, however, that not long before the tragedy Reddan had been driving at 120mph, when a passenger took a picture of his speedometer. Mr Coulter said that although Reddan had not appeared remorseful in public his mother had seen him in tears at home and he 'very much mourns the passing of Leanne.' The solicitor also handed the judge a letter written by Reddan expressing his sorrow. Reddan had worked for his employers for two and a half years, had completed an engineering apprenticeship, and was earning £25,000 as a buyer of equipment for industrial pipework, he added. The court heard that the back tyres of Reddan's Corsa were under-inflated and there was a defect in the brake pipe and, in combination with the 'manner of driving', could have caused the vehicle to become unstable . Reddan, of Broadwell, Glos., had passed his test in January 2012 and had got the 1.8 litre car less than three months before the smash, the court heard. Passing sentence Judge Tabor told Reddan he had not seen any remorse from him and he had 'cut an arrogant figure in the witness box' showing a lack of sensitivity to Leanne's parents. The judge said he was satisfied Reddan had been 'racing for a very prolonged period in a very dangerous manner.' Reddan was told he will have to take an extended test before driving again and he will have to pay a £120 surcharge in addition to the jail term and ban. Leanne's family released a statement after today's sentencing in which they said 'We, the family of Leanne Davies, welcome the verdict handed down by the court today. 'We wish to thank the court, Mr Tully and his team at the CPS, and the police for their meticulous investigation into the truth of what happened that tragic evening. 'Our lives have been on hold since that night, whilst Mr Reddan has been able to carry on with his, showing no remorse whatsoever for his actions. 'We hope that with this trial now over we can start to move on with our lives and focus on our many fond memories of Leanne. 'And finally we would like to thank all of our friends and family for their continued support.' The officer in charge of the case, PC Tim Griffiths, said: 'It is nearly 18 months since the collision and during that time the family of Leanne Davies have been supported by one of the Constabulary's Family Liaison Officers. 'Leanne's family have remained dignified throughout the investigation and court process. 'It has been a long, painstaking investigation which has been reliant on the local community from Longhope and across the Forest of Dean who have supported our investigation. 'During this period my thoughts have remained with the family whilst focused on establishing one thing, what happened to Leanne. 'I remember one thing, a promise that I made to them: on behalf of the investigation team, that we would do our utmost to find out what happened to their daughter. 'This investigation and trial I hope has done just that, and though they will never ever get over the loss of their much loved and well-liked daughter, I hope that in some small way it helps them to move forward in their lives and to put this terrible tragedy behind them. 'My thoughts and condolences are with all of Leanne's family and friends at this very difficult time. 'The investigation team and I take no pleasure in this guilty conviction, as clearly we would prefer never to have had to conduct this investigation into what is clearly a very sad matter. 'It serves as a reminder to us all that cars, particularly when they are driven in such a manner, are killers in the wrong hands. 'Therefore, we must all strive to not only continue to improve the way in which we drive every day, but also accept the responsibility that we all have when we take to the road. He added: 'During the course of this trial this young man has not taken responsibility for his actions or the part he played in Leanne's death.'
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Paul Reddan was driving his Vauxhall Corsa at 70mph along a 50mph zone .
The engineer, 21, had been racing Matthew Creed on a road in Gloucester .
Reddan lost control, hit a wall and the Vauxhall Corsa burst into flames .
Leanne Davies, 19, died at the scene after suffering severe head injuries .
Father told court: 'I will never get to walk my only daughter down the aisle'
Judge said Reddan had acted 'arrogant' in court and showed no remorse .
Creed cleared of causing death by dangerous driving in the six-day trial .
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057b5c7a98d0d6a76c6bfcc3cf20d2784cd50577
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(CNN) -- Demonstrators protested in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on Friday to demand the release of Shiite prisoners they feel are being held unjustly. An outspoken Shiite prayer leader who demonstrators say was arrested last Friday was a focal point of the "day of rage" protest, said Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb, president of the Human Rights First Society. Sheikh Tawfeeq Al-Amer was arrested Friday after a sermon stating that Saudi Arabia should become a constitutional monarchy, al-Mugaiteeb said. Saudi Arabian authorities could not be immediately reached for comment. The protest comes on the heels of two similar demonstrations held in the province Thursday, al-Mugaiteeb said, when about 200 protesters in the city of Qatif and 100 protesters in the city of Awamiyya called for the release of Shiite prisoners. Al-Mugaiteeb said authorities arrested 22 people who participated in Thursday's protest in Qatif. "We deplore this action by the Saudi security forces," he said. Another protest took place in Riyadh after Friday prayer, according to two Saudi activists. The sources asked not to be identified because of concerns for their safety. According to the activists, as many as 40 anti-government demonstrators gathered outside Al-Rajhi Mosque for a short protest. At least one man involved in organizing the protest was arrested by Saudi police, the activists said. The activists said the protesters attracted a crowd of worshipers leaving the mosque. Some of the protesters carried signs showing a map of Saudi Arabia that did not contain the words "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," a clear affront to the Saudi royal family. Saudi Arabia has cracked down on protests in the past. Shiites are a minority in Saudi Arabia. They live primarily in the Eastern Province -- where many major oil companies operate. The protests come as sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis flares in neighboring Bahrain. Analysts believe protests in Bahrain could spill over into Saudi Arabia's oil fields, located mostly in Shiite provinces. After three months abroad for medical treatment, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah returned home late last month to a Middle East shaken by unrest, and announced a series of sweeping measures aimed at relieving economic hardship and meeting with Bahrain's beleaguered monarch. The Saudi government released three Shiite political prisoners ahead of the king's return.
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The focus of Friday's protest is a Shiite prayer leader arrested last week .
Hundreds of protesters Thursday also called for the release of Shiite prisoners .
Shiites are a minority in Saudi Arabia .
Analysts believe protests in Bahrain could spill over into Saudi Arabia .
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057ba2b89e261e8804286c47b74ffaa298c52915
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By . Craig Hope . Follow @CraigHope_DM . After a 110-year wait, Hull City's European adventure very nearly lasted just seven days until Sone Aluko intervened to prolong their stay. But on the evidence of this lethargic and naïve performance, Steve Bruce's side will have to re-emerge with a newfound vigour and maturity when they face a final qualifier later this month. For now, though, relief is the overriding emotion on Humberside. VIDEO Scroll down for Steve Bruce is delighted for the supporters after a late win . Winner: Sone Aluko celebrates scoring the pivotal goal in the 2-1 win for Hull City against AS Trencin . Technique: The substitute adjusted well to fire home the winner at the KC Stadium . Delight: Hull City's European adventure can now continue . Crucial: Ahmed Elmohamady nods home an equaliser for Hull City against AS Trencin . Dream start: Tomas Malec gave the visitors a shock lead early on in the UEFA Europa League qualifier . HULL CITY: McGregor 6; Bruce 6 (Ince 66, 6) Chester 6, Davies 6; Elmohamady 7, Livermore 6, Huddlestone 5 Snodgrass 5, Brady 6 (Rosenior 56, 6); Sagbo 7, Long 5 (Aluko 74, 7) Subs not used: Harper, McShane, Quinn . Booked: Long . Goals: Elmohamady 27, 80 . AS TRENCIN: Volesak, Ramon, Klescik, Cogley, Hajrandinovic (Opatovsky 64), Misak (Mondek 82), Holubek, Lobotka, Simon (Rundic 90), Kubik, Malec . Subs not used: Semrinec, Skovajsa, Baris, . Booked: Holubek, Malek . Goal: Malek 2 . They were 10 minutes away from suffering a humiliating first-round exit at the hands of the Slovakian minnows. Hull's players had already talked of winning the Europa League in Warsaw next May but they were staring at a nightmare until substitute Aluko pounced to volley home from six yards in the 80th minute. The goal keeps alive the dream of facing the likes of Inter Milan at the KC Stadium this season. To give their journey some perspective, exactly 10 years ago last night Hull were playing Bournemouth in League One. They won 1-0. Go back 15 years and they were getting beat 1-0 at Exeter City in England's bottom tier. Bruce handed a full debut to £6million signing Robert Snodgrass as he attempted to inject some energy following a sluggish showing during the goalless draw in Zilna last week. Trencin signalled their intention from the off when Haris Hajradinovic attempted to lob Allan McGregor from kick-off, the Scottish goalkeeper panicked enough to scramble before gathering. Battle: Shane Long fights for possession with Peter Cogley at the KC Stadium . But there was nothing he could do to prevent Trencin's shock opener just 90 seconds later as Frantisek Kubik escaped down the right and drew back for Tomas Malec to apply a measured finish. The visitors threatened to double their advantage when a well-worked free-kick landed at the feet of Jakub Holubek and he stung the palms of McGregor with a vicious strike from 20 yards. Hull should have been level when Shane Long broke free on 15 minutes but his dink was read by Milos Volesak and the stopper spread his frame to block. Long, though, was guilty of a glaring miss soon after when Snodgrass screwed a shot in to his unmarked feet on the edge of the six-yard box. First he stabbed tamely at Volesak before swiping at fresh air when the ball rebounded. It was an embarrassing passage which left the forward on the floor, face hidden in shame. Proving his worth: New signing Jake Livermore storms through midfield with the ball . But the KC crowd – and Long – exhaled a collective relief just moments later when Robbie Brady loaded a cross from the left and Ahmed Elmohamady rose to power a header into the bottom corner. Long was enduring a miserable night and he somehow headed straight at nemesis Volesak when a corner was deflected onto his brow just four yards from goal. Liam Rosenior was introduced after half-time and his first touch – a 25-yard drive – very nearly nestled in the top corner and Tom Huddlestone lashed narrowly over on 73 minutes. The home side continued to press and their prayers were answered when Aluko connected with Snodgrass' knock-down just yards from goal.
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Aluko nets winner with ten minutes remaining at KC Stadium .
Tomas Marek put visitors into shock lead after two minutes .
Ahmed Elmohamady equalised for the hosts .
Steve Bruce's side now await Europa League play-off .
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057be5da3480b5ec0797cf2419c28dd316d55a43
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As one of the world's most in-demand models, looking good is the key to Jourdan Dunn's career. With countless catwalk appearances and major campaigns under her belt, Jourdan is clearly doing something right...so what's her secret? FEMAIL caught up with the Maybelline New York ambassadress to find out - and we discovered that an exhaustive eight-step beauty regime that takes her nearly an hour a day is behind her flawless supermodel skin. Jourdan Dunn is one of the most esteemed supermodels in the world so FEMAIL caught up with her about her skincare regime, diet and favourite fashion week moments . Sharing her 'hardcore' beauty regime, Jourdan told us: 'I visited Tokyo and became obsessed with their skincare, which is very advanced. Their regimes have loads more steps but I incorporated some of their techniques into mine and developed my own eight step regime. 'It takes me a good twenty minutes in the morning and then about half an hour in the evening.' The secret behind her flawless skin? An eight step skincare regime and lip balm as eyeshadow and cheek tint . Jourdan, who has been sitting front row at fashion week and is currently the face of Burberry, has picked up some quirky beauty tips during her time in the industry. Her favourites? 'Hold a credit card behind your lashes when you apply your mascara. If you press against the card you get a wide-eyed, curled effect without getting lots of product on your eyelid,' she advised. She also swears by using lip balm as an eyeshadow to give a 'glossy' finish (her favourite is Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm), and she often uses the pink tinted ones as blusher. Jourdan has been working for Maybelline New York since last April and gave the brand's new products a spin over London Fashion Week . (L to R) Pixie Geldof, Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne, Sir Philip Green and Jourdan Dunn attend the Topshop Unique show during London Fashion Week . When it comes to beauty, 24-year-old Jourdan, an accomplished cook who runs her own cookery YouTube channel, believes it's all about what you put in. 'I like to eat healthy,' she said. 'I love good greens and fish and I'm not really a snacker. 'Luckily the backstage catering at fashion week has improved. There used to be nothing or just really boring food but they've really stepped it up. Diane Von Furstenberg even had an amazing gluten-free buffet backstage at her show.' To keep herself sane amid the backstage madness, Jourdan swears by meditating, which she says helps her 'zone out'. She cites her favourite thing about fashion week as seeing her friends (a roll call of the coolest young models in the industry including Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid). 'I don't get to see my friends very often and travelling around the world for shows can be really lonely and boring so I love it when me and my pals are all together for a catch-up,' she said. Jourdan, seen walking in Naomi Campbell's charity Fashion For Relief show, is currently the face of Burberry alongside her fellow supermodel . The six foot clothes horse, who has been dubbed the modern-day Naomi Campbell, has been working as the face of Maybelline New York since April last year. Jourdan joined an elite group of models who have worked for the brand, including Christy Turlington, Adriana Lima, Erin Wasson, Emily DiDonato and Mollie King. As a Vogue regular, who was scouted in Primark in her teens, Jourdan was on the road to success very early in her career. When she's not on the catwalk, Jourdan is a proud mother to her son Riley, who was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia . (L to R) Sam Smith, Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Kate Moss, Mario Testino and Naomi Campbell attend the Burberry Prorsum AW 2015 show . She's clocked up campaigns for Balmain, DKNY, Victoria's Secret and Topshop and walked in the Olympics closing ceremony alongside Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. When she's not on the catwalk, Jourdan is a proud mother to her son Riley, who was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. This has led to Jourdan’s active involvement as the Parent Ambassador for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and the future is looking bright for the young starlet. She explained: 'I am collaborating on a sunglasses range and designing my own kidswear line. My son is really involved and has been helping me choose the colours and designs.'
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Jourdan, 24, picked up skincare tips after visit to Tokyo .
Also uses lip balm as an eyeshadow and sticks to healthy diet .
Working on a kidswear range with help of son, Riley .
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By . Hayley Peterson and Leslie Larson . PUBLISHED: . 00:00 EST, 21 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:31 EST, 21 November 2012 . Two Massachusetts women have been fired from their jobs after posting a photo to Facebook in which one of them was depicted flashing her middle finger at Arlington National Cemetery. Lindsey Stone, 30, and coworker Jamie Schuh, 38, were sacked from their jobs on Wednesday after the photo, which Schuh snapped of Stone, sparked outrage online. The incident inspired an unidentified Facebook user to start a group called 'Fire Lindsey Stone,' which helped the photo gain even more attention this week, garnering more than 19,000 'likes' since Monday from other users. The girls' employer, Living Independently Forever (LIFE), posted a statement on its Facebook page Wednesday announcing that both Stone and Schuh were fired. Shocking: Lindsey Stone flashed the obscene gesture at Arlington National Cemetery, next to a sign that asked for respect . 'We wish to announce that the two . employees recently involved in the Arlington Cemetery incident are no . longer employees of LIFE,' the statement read. 'Again, we deeply regret . any disrespect to members of the military and their families.' Stone and Schuh had been placed on unpaid leave immediately following the incident, which made national headlines. LIFE, a community for adults with . disabilities, plans to delete all comments regarding the incident from . its Facebook page in an effort to protect its residents, the . organization said. 'We appreciate your concern and understanding as we focus on the care of our community,' a LIFE representative wrote. Stone's father has called his daughter's behavior 'disgraceful' and said the picture was a 'total lapse of judgment.' Peter Stone insisted his daughter 'apologize to everybody' for the obscene gesture, which the 30-year-old made at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in October, next to a sign at the . military cemetery that asked for 'Silence and Respect.' Stone, who lives in Cape Cod, visited the sacred military cemetery in Arlington, Virginia in October on an outing with the non-profit organization where she works, LIFE organization. 'It was just a spur of . the moment, total lapse of judgment,' Peter Stone told WCVB-TV. 'She wasn't reacting to the place; . she was reacting to the sign and she apologizes to everybody.' Deeply saddened: Lindsey Stone has been placed on leave at LIFE, the community for disabled adults in Cape Cod, Mass., where she was employed . Disrespectful: Thousands of Facebook users have called for Lindsey Stone (appearing in December 2011 at the Special Olympics Jolly Jaunt for work) to be fired for her offensive picture . Stone was among eight staff members . that traveled with the group of 40 residents to the nation's capital for . this trip. Photos from the organization's Facebook page show residents . touring the White House and the Washington Monument on October 20. At . the military remembrance site, she posed for the offensive picture, . that was taken by Schuh, and then Stone uploaded the . snap to her own Facebook page. The photo went viral and Facebook users were shocked to see the pose at a place meant to honor fallen heroes. Soon a page was started to alert the wider web of Stone's action. An unknown Facebook user, who is believed to be an Iraq War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, created a page on the social networking site, 'Fire Lindsey Stone.' The page, which was started on Monday, had the stated intent to 'only accept termination.' By Wednesday, a competing Facebook page had been created: 'Hire Lindsey Stone.' 'Some may have heard news that Lindsey Stone, a 30-year-old human being with friends and family and who likes kids and animals and works at a non-profit, has been targeted by a bunch of misdirected morons in a hate campaign to get her fired from her job,' the creator of the page supporting Stone wrote in a posting. Work event: Stone (pictured in August in an unknown located) posed for the offensive picture when she accompanied 40 residents from the non-profit where she works to the military cemetery in October . Punishment: A Facebook page entitled 'Fire Lindsey Stone' has garnered over 6,000 Likes and Stone's employer said that Stone (right, in an undated photo in Times Square) has been placed on unpaid leave . 'This group is designed to get her a . better job, and to show what irrational, ridiculous logic is being used . to potentially ruin the career, and life, of a foolish girl, who made a . mistake. Big deal.' The Facebook page only attracted 39 Likes on Wednesday. Stone's employer said that they were made aware of Stone's shocking post on November 19. 'This photograph in no way reflects the opinions or values of the LIFE organization, which holds our nation’s veterans in the highest regard. We are proud to have veterans serving on our staff and board of trustees, and we value their service' 'The men and women who have selflessly fought and sacrificed their lives to protect the rights and lives of Americans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude.' 'We are acutely aware that this photo has done a disservice to veterans and we are deeply saddened that it was taken and shared in a public medium,' the statement added. Justified? Stone (pictured left: with her co-worker Jamie Schuh in April) said in a statement that she posed for the picture for her own amusement (pictured right: at a work holiday party in December 2011) Jim Godsil, the chief financial officer of LIFE, spoke to the local media about Stone's 'despicable . behavior.' 'We have codes of conduct in terms of . how we expect our employees to act, and this could potentially be in . violation of that,' he said, hinting that she could possibly be terminated after an investigation. Stone has issued a joint statement with Jamie Schuh, her director who took the photo, to apologize. 'We sincerely apologize for all the pain we have caused by posting the picture we took in Washington DC on Facebook,' the pair said in a statement. 'While posted on a public forum, the picture was intended only for our own amusement.' 'We never meant any disrespect to any . of the people nationwide who have served this country and defended our . freedom so valiantly. It was meant merely as a visual pun, intending to . depict the exact opposite of what the sign said, and had absolutely . nothing to do with the location it was taken or the people represented . there.' 'We never meant . to cause any harm or disrespect to anyone, particularly our men and . women in uniform. We realize it was in incredibly poor taste, and are . deeply sorry for the offense we have caused.' Apologies: The woman's father, Peter Stone, insisted that his daughter meant no disrespect . 'We also sincerely apologize to LIFE, Inc. It is an amazing organization that provides invaluable services to adults with learning and developmental disabilities. We are beyond remorseful that our actions have caused them such undue public scrutiny. The disrespect implied by our picture has nothing at all to do with LIFE’s mission statement or values. We regret having caused any suffering to the staff members, residents, families and friends.' 'Again, we very sincerely apologize to everyone who took offense to the photo. We realize that it was an ignorant and distasteful thing for us to do, but we truly meant no harm. We are deeply sorry,' they added.
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Lindsey Stone posed for the picture in October at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery .
Stone and her coworker, who snapped the photo, were fired Wednesday .
Her father, Peter Stone, called the pose a 'total lapse of judgement'
Facebook page 'Fire Lindsey Stone' has amassed over 19k Likes .
Competing page 'Hire Lindsey Stone' was created in support of the 30-year-old, only receiving 39 Likes .
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Billions were wiped off the value of Scottish companies yesterday: Lloyds lost £1.1billion of its market value in the space of a day . The pound slumped and billions were wiped off the value of Scottish companies yesterday as markets reacted to the growing risk posed by independence. Sterling slipped to a ten-month low against the dollar and also fell against the euro. It led to warnings from currency traders that the pound could continue to fall even beyond the referendum, making holidays more expensive for visitors to the US and Europe and inflating the cost of imports. Concern about the potential end of the Union also sparked a sale of shares in FTSE firms based in Scotland or with strong ties there, resulting in a combined £2.5billion fall in their value. Banks, which have warned that independence could have a significant impact on their future, were worst hit. Lloyds lost £1.1billion of its market value in the space of a day, amid fears that Scottish independence could add to its costs. It is considering moving its registered office from Edinburgh to London in the event of a victory for nationalists, it emerged last week. Shares in TSB, which is owned by Lloyds and does a quarter of its mortgage lending north of the border, also fell. And Royal Bank of Scotland, still 79 per cent owned by the British taxpayer, saw £284million wiped off its share value by the end of the day. It also emerged that some businesses and consumers in Scotland have started moving bank deposits to England. WedoScotland, a support organisation for 164 business owners, said: ‘Some of our members have moved their bank accounts to England. Some are looking at registering their businesses in England if independence goes through.’ The slump in the shares of RBS and Lloyds and the complications of moving corporate offices from Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively in the case of a ‘yes’ vote will almost certainly mean UK taxpayers will have to wait even longer to see the return of the billions pumped into the failed banks. Among high-profile victims of the fall in value of Scottish firms yesterday were power supplier SSE and defence company BAE Systems. Other companies likely to be most affected by a Yes vote include Diageo, the dominant Scotch whisky distiller. It is one of Britain’s biggest exporters but has no choice but to remain in Scotland. It would need to renegotiate trade agreements with its customers overseas as well as new arrangements for the collection of excise duties. British companies with relatively few Scottish ties performed better in the markets, triggering warnings that Scotland would be harder hit than the rest of the UK by independence. Professor Roy Batchelor of the Cass Business School in London: ‘The risks to the UK are trivial compared to those triggered in Scotland by the likely flight of capital and business talent if the Yes campaign wins.’ The Scottish share sell-off comes just a fortnight after 130 business leaders signed a letter warning of the consequences of independence. Economists have warned that a Yes vote would trigger a protracted period of political negotiations that would weigh on Britain’s attractiveness to investors. And they say Scotland would be forced to lean far too heavily on the unpredictable income from North Sea oil and gas. Managers of global investment funds at Fidelity Worldwide Investment predicted that there would be a ‘strong bounce in sterling’ if there were to be a ‘no’ vote. In the case of a ‘yes’ vote ‘things would get messier’.
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Lloyds lost £1.1billion of its market value in the space of a day .
Some Scottish businesses have started moving bank deposits to England .
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(CNN) -- Nichelle Nichols has spent her whole life going where no one has gone before, and at 81 she's still as sassy and straight-talking as you'd expect from an interstellar explorer. "I don't have enough sense to keep my mouth shut," says the legendary Star Trek actor with a hearty laugh. "Whatever comes up, comes out." "I can't help myself." As the startlingly beautiful and fiercely intelligent Lt. Uhura on the hit 1960s TV series, Nichols was a revolutionary figure at a time when the only African-American women you saw on U.S. TV were usually playing servants. Indeed, Star Trek was reportedly the only program Martin Luther King Jr would let his children stay up late to watch. When Nichols was considering leaving the show to pursue a career on Broadway, King Jr personally implored her to stay, saying she was a powerful role model for black people across the country -- and the world. "That was the greatest thing," says Nichols. "That was greater than anything else, to be told that by Dr. Martin Lurther King, because he was my leader. "So I stayed and I never regretted it." NASA ambassador . As the original series drew to a close at the end of the decade, a real-life space race was gathering pace -- and this time it was Nichols calling for auditions. The United States landed a man on the moon in 1969 -- but our astronauts needn't be limited to white males, said Nichols. "There were no women, and there were no minorities in the space program -- and that's supposed to represent the whole country?" she says, her voice rising incredulously down the phone from her home in Woodland Hills, California. "Not in this day and age. We just absolutely cannot have that. I can't be a part of that," she said at the time. The glamorous sci-fi celebrity was soon enlisted by NASA to recruit the country's first female and ethnic minority astronauts. She traveled the length and breadth of the United States calling for promising astronauts to come forward -- among them was Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and Charles Bolden, the current NASA administrator. "As a matter of fact, Sally called me to tell me that I was the way she had heard about the space program," says Nichols. "I was somewhat of a celebrity in their eyes. I had gone on television and in several interviews spoke of why they should get involved, and they took it up and said 'she's absolutely right.'" The kiss . Nichols wasn't just a TV celebrity -- she was a TV revolutionary, locking lips with William Shatner in one of the small screen's first interracial kisses, in 1968. Though at the time, she didn't quite see what all the fuss was about. "I come from an interracial family, and so it was kind of boring for me to be talking about something I experienced every day," she says. "It was not new to me, because I lived it. "But I realized it was new on TV, and I had the opportunity to bring it to the world." The scene -- in which Lt. Uhura and Captain Kirk are controlled by humanoids who force them to embrace -- received a huge response from the public, largely positive. Society today has much to learn from the crew living on board the "Enterprise" in the 23rd century, says Nichols. "Star Trek is about the freedom to be who you are, and be respected for who you are," she says, her warm native Illinois accent raspy round the edges. "It demands that you respect everyone else equally. It's as simple as that." Stars in her eyes . Born in the small town of Robbins, outside Chicago, in 1932, Nichols came from a family that defied convention. Her grandfather was a white Southerner who married a black woman, and in doing so was ostracized by his wealthy parents. Nichols' father was a factory worker who also served as town mayor. A talented dancer and singer, Nichols started performing Chicago clubs at 14, meeting one jazz legend who would change her life forever -- Duke Ellington. "He was the greatest name in music, black or white or any other thing," says Nichols. "Everyone at every level had the greatest respect for him." She later toured with the successful composer, despite other people's reservations about what was expected of schoolgirls at the time. "You went to school and it was like 'girls didn't do that.' But I was like 'c'mon.' So I just jumped on this opportunity with both feet," she says. Enduring wonder of space . As a child, Nichols was also told that "girls weren't supposed to like science" -- not that she took much notice. "Science is not a boy's game, it's not a girl's game. It's everyone's game. It's about where we are and where we're going," she says, and you can almost picture the serene figure of Lt. Uhura in red uniform, speaking at the controls. "Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain't stopped yet. There's more exploration to come." It seems Star Trek's legendary communications officer has a real-life message for us all. Watch: Space archeologist reveals lost civilizations . Interactive: 50 years of women in space . Inspire: Live space chat with astronaut Karen Nyberg .
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Exclusive interview with Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on Star Trek .
Glamorous TV star was recruiter for NASA .
One of first interracial kisses on TV, with William Shatner aka Captain Kirk .
Toured with jazz legend Duke Ellington as dancer and singer .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 11:18 EST, 20 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:18 EST, 20 March 2013 . A Colorado dog owner has been left without his furry friend after the animal was grabbed off the street by a mountain lion, who killed and ate the canine. The incident last week in a Colorado Springs, Colorado, gated community, was the third such attack in two months. The unidentified man told authorities that he was walking his Dachshund when the mountain lion sprung out of some bushes and grabbed the dog - leash and all - and ran off. Scroll down for video . Attack: A dog owner has been left without his furry friend after the animal was grabbed off the street by a mountain lion, like the one seen here, who killed and ate the canine . Michael Seraphin, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told KOAA-TV: 'The mountain lion came out from some bushes that are in close proximity to the street that he was walking on, grabbed the Dachshund, and tucked and pulled hard enough to yank the leash out of his hand.' The cougar then killed the small dog and ate it. Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Michael Seraphin said the mountain lion was deemed a threat to public safety and a plan was set to capture it after the incident last Wednesday. Several hours after the attack, the mountain lion was successfully trapped. KOAA-TV reported that the animal was euthanized and sent to Fort Collins for a necropsy, where remnants of the Daschund were discovered in the cougar's stomach. CBS Denver reported that the incident was the third cougar encounter in the last two months, and residents claim it's been going on for years. Cougar town: The attack occurred in this gated community in Colorado Springs, Colorado . Dog's tragic end: The Dachshund, like the one pictured above, was grabbed by the mountain lion. Remains of the dog were found in the cat's stomach after it was euthanized . An . unidentified neighbor told the station: 'We know there are mountain . lions in the area, there have been other attacks several years ago. She added: 'Our backyard neighbor - a mountain lion climbed a tree and jumped onto her deck and took her dog.' While the prey of mountain lions is limited mainly to deer, there have been instances where they have attacked people. Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials urge anyone who may come face-to-face with a mountain lion to remain calm and move away slowly from the animal while talking firmly. It's important not to run. If a mountain lion acts aggressively, a person can throw sticks, rocks or branches to ward it off, as the cat will generally not attack prey that fights back. Problem: Residents of the Colorado gated community say that encounters with cougars have been going on for the last few years . Watch video here .
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Cougar trapped after eating the Dachshund in Colorado gated community, and later euthanized .
Wildlife official says mountain lion pulled so hard that it ripped the leash out of the dog owner's hand .
Incident was third reported encounter with mountain lion in the past two months .
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By . Tara Brady . A partygoer bit a stranger on the face as she danced in a cage in a night club after drinking to celebrate her birthday, a court has heard. Katie Bateman turned on the man in the club because she is suffering from a stress disorder as a result of traumatic events in her childhood, it was said. She admitted attacking a fellow customer at Caesar's Palace club in Bideford, Devon, and grabbing a second by his T-shirt in a confrontation at the bar. Confrontation: Katie Bateman turned on the man at Caesar's Palace club in Bideford, Devon . Bateman, 27, had been celebrating her birthday in August last year when she carried out the attack while suffering from anxiety which made her 'hyper vigilant' about approaches from men. A psychologist's report showed she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder which makes her prone to panic attacks and depression. She was forced to leave a hearing at Exeter Crown Court when she became distressed as the Judge was told of the evidence against her. Bateman, of Bideford, Devon, admitted causing actual bodily harm to Aaron McMahon and assault by beating of Richard Ball. Her sentence was adjourned for reports by Judge Erik Salomonsen. The Judge told her she would not face an immediate jail sentence. He said: 'I have seen the letter from her doctor and the psychological report and it seems to me a case where she needs to be treated in the community to ensure there is no further offending.' The judge made his ruling after being told that CCTV from the club showed the incident in which the first victim suffered a small graze and bruising to his face after she leaned over and bit him on the cheek. The second was grabbed by the shirt in a second incident shortly afterwards. Kate Bateman was forced to leave a hearing at Exeter Crown Court when she became distressed as the Judge was told of the evidence against her . She had been drinking, taking drugs and dancing in a cage shortly before the attacks and later said she had little memory of what happened. Miss Beth Heaton, defending, said Bateman was out celebrating her birthday with family and friends.She said: 'She suffers from PTSD among other conditions and that may be relevant to these offences in that she may have believed she was going to be assaulted. 'She reacted in a hyper vigilant way to what she perceived as threats from males. When she was shown the CCTV she became very anxious and had a panic attack. 'She reacted very differently from someone who was not suffering from her condition. She has been suffering for some time, having been diagnosed in 2007.' Miss Heaton said the attacks in August last year coincided with the start of a new treatment regime which is proving successful.
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Katie Bateman suffering from a disorder as a result of her childhood .
She admitted attacking a man at Caesar's Palace club in Bideford, Devon .
Bateman, 27, had been celebrating her birthday in August last year .
Psychologist's report says she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder .
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PUBLISHED: . 22:58 EST, 21 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:12 EST, 23 December 2013 . An ocean away from Washington worries, President Barack Obama opened his annual Hawaii vacation Saturday on a quiet note - and hoped it would stay that way for the next two weeks. Every year, Obama and his family return to his birth state on the sun-scorched shores of Oahu. And every year - until now - congressional squabbling has forced the Obamas to delay their trip or cut it short. This year, Obama was cleared for an on-time departure by Congress, which defied pessimistic expectations last week by passing a bipartisan budget deal, all but ensuring the government won't shut down over the next two years. It was a far cry from presaging a new era of cooperation, to be sure, but a silver lining for Obama a day earlier as he acknowledged a year of frustrating 'ups and downs' in an end-of-year news conference. Scroll down for video . Take me to the golf course, driver! Obama covered up with a hat and sunglasses as he was taken to a local Marine Corps base for a round of golf with friends . Holiday starts now: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama disembark Air Force One after arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for their family Christmas vacation on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, in Honolulu . US President Barack Obama(2nd-L) First Lady Michelle (L) and their daughters Malia (R) and Sasha (2nd-R) disembark Air Force One at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 20, 2013 . The president, first lady Michelle . Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, and first dogs Sunny and Bo hopped an . overnight flight Friday aboard Air Force One to Honolulu, where they . were whisked by motorcade to a beachside home in Kailua, a sleepy suburb . with a five-mile stretch of beach popular among windsurfers and . tourists. The next . morning Obama, typically an early riser, got a late start, staying at . the home until early afternoon, when he headed to the golf course at a . nearby Marine Corps base. Joining Obama for the round of golf were Sam . Kass, the White House chef; Marvin Nicholson, Obama's trip director; and . the president's friend Bobby Titcomb, the White House said. Obama, . in white golf shirt, hat and sunglasses, was all smiles as he drove . past reporters accompanying him to the coastal golf course. Merry Christmas: US President Barack Obama greets soldiers upon arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii . US President Barack Obama (2nd-R) and First Lady Michelle Obama (back-C) greet soldiers upon arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 20, 2013 . President Barack Obama, second from left, and first lady Michelle Obama, left, meet with various representatives of the military after disembarking from Air Force One at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam . The first family are spending their sixth Christmas in a row in Hawaii which will cost taxpayers $100,000 . The president has no public events scheduled during his vacation, which is expected to last through January 5. In previous years, frequent golf outings have accompanied trips to local restaurants and other island outings. A few weeks of low-key rest and relaxation would be a welcome change of pace for Obama, who reflected on a high-stakes year of brinkmanship and health care woes as he packed his bags for Hawaii. 'The end of the year is always a good time to reflect and see what can you do better next year,' Obama said Friday. 'I'm sure that I will have even better ideas after a couple days of sleep and sun.' Last year, Obama had to temporarily abandon his vacation to fly home amid a congressional standoff over the so-called fiscal cliff. The year before, a showdown over payroll tax cuts forced him to delay the start of his Hawaii hiatus. In 2010, it was congressional wrangling over repeal of the ban on gays in the military and other issues that delayed the trip. And in 2009, Senate deliberations over Obama's signature health care law meant that Honolulu had to wait another few days. Christmas traditions: The Obama will surely stop by Island Snow in Kailua for some shaved ice, as they did in 2010 (pictured) The Obama's will cover the cost of their accommodation, but local and federal taxpayers help pay their travel and security bill . Conditions seem ripe this year for a few weeks of interrupted family time. Obama did spend part of Saturday morning conferring with top national security aides about the situation in South Sudan, where U.S. military aircraft evacuating Americans from the violence-plagued African nation came under gunfire and had to divert to Uganda. The White House said four U.S. troops were injured in that incident. Throughout his vacation Obama will continue to get regular briefings from advisers traveling with him, White House officials said. Obama and his supporters were hoping those routine updates wouldn't interfere with regular rounds of golf and family outings for shave ice, the Hawaii version of a snow cone. 'I don't want any interruptions. He deserves a vacation," Brian Pritchett, an assistant principal visiting from Mount Vernon, New York, said as he sipped a rum-infused drink dubbed the 'Obama Mama' at a Honolulu hotel. 'He puts in too many hours to not have his vacation with his family. I know that's what I would do.' Island time: President Obama is pictured with his daughters and other kids as they head down to the beach during their vacation last year .
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The first family arrived on Oahu in the president's home state of Hawaii early Saturday morning .
President Obama didn't leave his compound until the afternoon when he went to play a round of golf with friends .
The Obamas are expected to spend a little more than two weeks on Oahu .
The trip will cost taxpayers an estimated $100,000, although the Obamas pay for their own accommodation .
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It is one of the most prestigious public schools in Britain, with the distinctive black blazers of its pupils a familiar sight in the West London borough of Hammersmith. But because of a worrying wave of street robberies in the area, the boys from St Paul’s School have been banned from displaying their uniform outside the school gates – and parents at the £22,000-a-year establishment have been urged to buy hooded tops for their sons so they blend in more easily with the local youths. It is understood that criminal gangs have been targeting the pupils in the belief that they are likely to be carrying expensive smartphones. The mother of one young robbery victim said: ‘If anything, they could get into trouble with teachers for keeping their uniform on these days. The mugging problem has become very bad lately. There have been at least 14 that I know of.’ Students at St Paul's School are being targeted by criminals as they believe the pupils will be carrying expensive smartphones . St Paul's School (pictured) is a £22,000-a-year establishment near Hammersmith, London . The concerned parent said teachers now patrolled Hammersmith Bridge because most pupils have to walk across it every day and the muggers wait at either end knowing they have no escape. ‘They know these children have the best iPhones or the best laptops and iPads,’ she added. The boys-only day school on the banks of the Thames has one of the toughest admissions tests in London and most pupils come from its £6,000-a-year preparatory school Colet Court. Former St Paul’s pupils include the poet John Milton, diarist Samuel Pepys and Chancellor George Osborne. The rules state that boys are required to wear charcoal grey trousers with a plain white shirt and a school tie corresponding with their house for most of the time, adding the famous black blazer for formal events. Chancellor George Osborne (pictured) is a former student at the school . Now they have been told to cover up the ties and are also allowed to exchange their black leather shoes for trainers to walk home in. And although many former students wear their St Paul’s School scarves with pride, current pupils are told they could be putting themselves in danger by following suit in public. It seems the recent spate of robberies might not be an entirely new phenomenon. Former pupil Douglas Edwardes-Ker, now 30, told The Mail on Sunday last night: ‘There were some muggings in my day. The bigger kids like me would look out for the smaller ones and try to save the day if something went wrong. ‘The local kids from the estates nearby hated us. They saw us as privileged and spoiled and I suppose they thought we were an easy target because they assumed we wouldn’t fight back. ‘They didn’t account for some of the rugby players.’ A school source said the no-uniform policy had been in place for six months, and in that time, the number of muggings had fallen significantly. The source added: ‘All pupils are now told never to leave the premises wearing their blazers. We encourage them to wear overcoats or hoodies once they leave the grounds in order to keep themselves safe.’
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Boys at St Paul's have been banned from wearing blazer outside gates .
A number of students have been targeted and mugged by criminal gangs .
The thieves believe the students will be carrying expensive smartphones .
School source says the policy has been in place for about six months .
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday blamed Hamas for abducting three teenagers who went missing in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. "This morning I can say what I was unable to say yesterday before the extensive wave of arrests of Hamas members in Judea and Samaria," he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting. "Those who perpetrated the abduction of our youths were members of Hamas -- the same Hamas that Abu Mazen made a unity government with. This has severe repercussions." Abu Mazen is another name for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Netanyahu said he asked Abbas "to do everything to help bring them back in peace." He's also given security forces orders to locate the teenagers and prevent them from being moved to Gaza or any other place. One of three boys is a dual Israeli-American citizen, according to CNN affiliate Channel 10 Israel, which attributed the information to a source at Netanyahu's office. Israeli and U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the report. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Sunday for the immediate release of the boys. "We are still seeking details on the parties responsible for this despicable terrorist act, although many indications point to Hamas' involvement," Kerry said in a written statement that offered support to the Israeli government. "As we gather this information, we reiterate our position that Hamas is a terrorist organization known for its attacks on innocent civilians and which has used kidnapping in the past." Netanyahu: Israeli forces can use 'all measures' to free teens . 'We'll hug them soon' Gilad Shaar, 16; Naftali Frenkel, 16; and Eyal Yifrach, 19, have been missing since late Thursday or Friday, and were last seen around Gush Etzion, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The three "were just on their way home," Naftali's mother, Racheli Frankel, told reporters. "We trust" that they "will be with us here, and we'll hug them soon ... and God willing, we'll all be able to celebrate their return safely," she said. She thanked the security forces for their efforts and the U.S. Embassy for its support. "We feel waves and waves of prayers and support and positive energy in this direction." Israeli soldiers have detained about 80 Palestinian suspects in the search for the three teens, the IDF said Sunday. Netanyahu on Saturday gave security forces the OK to use "all measures" at their disposal to find the teenagers. The Palestinian Ministry of Information said in a written statement that the arrests come under "flimsy pretexts" as a "continuation of the aggression" on Palestinians. "The ministry also asserts that the Israeli military campaign has been on going for decades, during which (Israel) kidnapped the entire Palestinian people," it said. Hamas responds . A Hamas spokesman in Gaza told CNN that Netanyahu's comments attributing blame were "stupid and baseless." "The arrest campaign made by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank is targeted to break the backbone of Hamas and bring it down, but the Israelis will not succeed in achieving their goal," Sami Abu Zuhri said. But Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said the kidnappings are a reminder of Hamas' tactics. "When the Fatah-Hamas government was formed last month, the international community quickly recognized and welcomed it," he wrote in a Facebook post. "Suddenly, Hamas' cruel acts of terrorism were forgotten, their never-ending attempts to harm innocent civilians, along with the Hamas Charter, which calls for the total destruction of the state of Israel." Now, he wrote, "the international community has been given a second chance to correct its moral, diplomatic and strategic mistakes. Wall to wall condemnations of the kidnapping are called for, as well as placing responsibility on the Palestinian government, including the threat of taking physical, economic and diplomatic steps against it." But, he wrote, the international community is "keeping silent, and by doing so, not only are the Palestinians receiving a false, lenient message, but Israel also understands again that she has no one to count on but herself, something that will not encourage further compromises on her part in the near future." IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said, "We are determined in bringing the boys home in a (hasty) manner, in safety and in good health. Palestinian terrorists will not feel safe, will not be able to hide and will feel the heavy arm of the Israeli military capabilities." '#BringBackOurBoys' The abduction of the three teens inspired social media users to use the hashtag #BringBackOurBoys, a reference to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign for more than 200 Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by militants. The thread quickly became contentious, with pro-Palestinian users alleging many Palestinian children have been kidnapped by Israeli soldiers and imprisoned. A "Bring Back Our Boys" Facebook page calling for an end to "the terrorism against Israel" had more than 50,000 likes Sunday.
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U.S. calls abduction a "despicable terrorist act"
Missing teen's mom: They "were just on their way home"
Palestinian ministry and Hamas denounce Israel's arrests of Palestinians .
Israeli deputy minister slams international community for "keeping silent"
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A winding maze of secret dungeons and tunnels have been discovered beneath Tokat Castle in Turkey. And these hidden cells may have been where Vlad the Impaler – credited as being the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula – was held hostage during the 15th century. Alongside 'Dracula's dungeon', builders also discovered a secret tunnel leading to a military shelter beyond the ruined citadel, and an open terrace. Scroll down for video . Two dungeons, tunnels and a military shelter were found at Tokat Castle (pictured) during restoration works on the site in northern Turkey. Wallachian Prince Vlad III was believed to have been held hostage at the castle in 1442. Also known as Vlad the Impaler, he was said to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula . The discoveries were made during restoration works on the site, located in the northern Turkish town of Tokat. 'The castle is completely surrounded by secret tunnels. It is very mysterious,' archaeologist İbrahim Çetin told Hurriyet Daily News. Towards the end of the 12th century, the town was conquered by the Seljuk Turks and became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1392. Vlad the Impaler, officially known as Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431 to Vlad II Dracul. Vlad II was granted the surname Dracul, which means dragon, when he became a member of the Christian military Order of the Dragon. During a diplomatic meeting in 1442 with Sultan Murad II, Vlad II’s sons Vlad and Radu were taken hostage. The discovery was made during restoration works on the site, located in the northern Turkish town of Tokat (pictured). Towards the end of the 12th century, the town was conquered by the Seljuk Turks and became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1392 . Vlad the Impaler, officially known as Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431 to Vlad II Dracul. During a diplomatic meeting in 1442 with Sultan Murad II, Vlad II’s sons Vlad and Radu were taken hostage. It is during this time that the brothers were believed to have been held captive at Tokat Castle (pictured) It is during this time that the brothers were believed to have been held captive at Tokat Castle. They were freed following the death of their father and older brother Mircea in 1447. In 1462, Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia is believed to have impaled the bodies of 20,000 people outside the Romanian city of Targoviste, to ward off Ottoman forces. This led to him receiving the nickname Vlad the Impaler, posthumously. Vlad the Impaler was arrested for the murders, and held in prison for 12 years, although the exact location and length of this captivity is disputed. The discovery of 'Dracula's dungeon' and a secret maze of tunnels were made during restoration works on the site of Tokat Castle - a ruined citadel located in the northern Turkish town of Tokat. Towards the end of the 12th century, the town was conquered by the Seljuk Turks and became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1392. Vlad the Impaler, (illustrated left) officially known as Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431 to Vlad II Dracul. He was said to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 1897 graphic novel Dracula (right) Vlad the Impaler, officially known as Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431 to Vlad II Dracul. Vlad II was granted the surname Dracul, which means dragon, when he became a member of the Christian military Order of the Dragon. During a diplomatic meeting in 1442 with Sultan Murad II, Vlad II’s sons Vlad and Radu were taken hostage. It is during this time that the brothers were believed to have been held captive at the Tokat Castle. They were freed following the death of their father and older brother Mircea in 1447, and Vlad took the throne. The general consensus is that he was imprisoned in Romania, between 1462 and 1474, although other reports claims he was held in Turkey. Vlad the Impaler was killed during a battle against the Ottomans in 1476. It was the accounts of these crimes, as well as other reports of cruelty and bloody acts that were said to have been the inspiration for author Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic novel ‘Dracula’. ‘We try to shed light on history with the structure layers we unearth,’ continued Mr Çetin. 'Dracula stayed here. It is hard to estimate in which room Dracula was kept, but he was around here,’ he said. Previous work at the castle uncovered a 328ft (100 metre) tunnel in the northern façade, which is said to have been used by the king’s daughters to reach the Roman bath near the castle. 'The castle is completely surrounded by secret tunnels. It is very mysterious,' said archaeologist İbrahim Çetin (pictured). 'Dracula stayed here. It is hard to estimate in which room Dracula was kept, but he was around here,’ Mr Çetin added . Bram Stoker's Dracula told the story of a vampire from Transylvania. The novel has inspired films and theatre shows. Actor George Hamilton is pictured dressed as Count Dracula in 1979 .
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Two dungeons, tunnels and a military shelter were found at Tokat Castle .
They were found during restoration works on the site in northern Turkey .
Prince Vlad III was said to have been held hostage at the castle from 1442 .
Also known as Vlad the Impaler, he is cited as the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula .
Archaeologists are now carrying out further tests on the site .
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058568ee39ad194f5161a08a88ebcc8ee5223c41
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By . Sean Gallagher . Bournemouth recorded their third pre-season victory after beating Premier League side Swansea 3-1 at the Goldsands stadium. A first-half brace from Marc Pugh and a Brett Pitmann penalty was enough for the Cherries, with Jefferson Montero's first goal for Swansea a mere consolation as their two-match unbeaten run ended. However, it was the visitors who started the brighter and nearly took the lead on 14 minutes. Lee Lucas' free-kick from the edge of the area was palmed away by Benjamin Buchel as the score remained goalless. On 28 minutes the deadlock was broken though, with Pugh giving the home side the lead. Simon Francis' cross found the winger who made no mistake inside the area as he headed past Gerhard Tremmel. Promising: Eddie Howe would have been encouraged by what he saw from his team against Swansea . Delight: Marc Pugh celebrates scoring his first goal of the night for Bournemouth . Spot-on: Brett Pitmann makes it 3-0 to the hosts after finishing clinically from the penalty spot . Pitmann nearly doubled the home side's advantage just nine minutes later but Tremmel got down well to palm the ball away. Bournemouth: Buchel, Francis, Elphick, Cargill, Harte, Ritchie (Cornick 79), O’Kane, MacDonald, Pugh, Pitman, Rantie (Stockley 75). Swansea: Tremmel, Rangel (c) (Shephard 69), Tancock, Richards, Kingsley, King, Lucas, Sheehan (Jones 69) Montero (Bray 69), Dyer (Hanley 69), Samuel. Goals: Pugh 28 & 45, Pitmann 52. Montero 68 . Attendance: 2,859 . They eventually did make it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time as Pugh scored his second of the game. The 27-year-old gave Tremmel no chance with his low 18-yard strike flying past the Swansea keeper as the hosts went into the interval two goals to the good. Within minutes of the second half beginning Montero could have pulled one back for the visitors, weaving past several players down the left before his shot across goal nearly crept inside the far post. On 52 minutes the Championship side made it 3-0 as Angel Rangel was penalised for handling inside the area as Pitmann made no mistake from the spot to put the game all but out of Swansea's reach. On the hour mark Pitmann should have grabbed his second and his team's fourth after Francis' pinpoint cross found the former Bristol City striker, but he headed straight at Tremmel from point blank range. Eight minutes later the Swans pulled one back with Montero scoring his first for the club. After evading a number of Bournemouth defenders his shot squeezed past Buchel via a deflection. Both sides made changes as the game reached it's conclusion, with Eddie Howe's side picking up a valuable win against Premier League opposition ahead of their season opener away at Huddersfield next weekend.
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Bournemouth edged past their Premier League opposition Swansea .
The Cherries won their third game of pre-season as a result .
Jefferson Montero scored his first goal for the Swans .
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0587309e69611037f4293a898fbb57f2761b6347
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(CNN) -- A 62-year-old Michigan man was severely burned when a homemade rocket strapped on his back exploded while he slid down a snowy hill on a sled, authorities said this week. The rocket stunt was the grand finale on Saturday during the man's annual sledding party at his Oakland County, Michigan, home, the sheriff's department said. "He is known for doing 'crazy things' at his parties," an Oakland County sheriff's department statement said. "On this date, after consuming an unknown quantity of alcohol, he constructed a device out of a motorcycle muffler and pipe." Inside the makeshift rocket, the victim placed gunpowder, heads from matches and gasoline. He donned a helmet and took a sled to the top of a snowy embankment. "He asked another person to light a wick and then began to sled down a hill. At some point during the ride downhill, the device exploded. The results of the explosion were second-degree burns to the victim's face," the sheriff's department statement said. No one else was injured during the incident. The man, whose identity is not yet known, was hospitalized with significant damage to one of his eyes and could face criminal charges, authorities said.
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Makeshift rocket sled stunt goes awry for Michigan man, authorities say .
Authorities: Man was sledding downhill when homemade rocket exploded .
Victim had reputation for doing "crazy things" at his parties, authorities say .
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0588557f5d1c8a277920f30189075f01a5d8afab
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A senior administration official said Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Police Department will be visiting the White House Thursday. President Obama will meet Thursday with a Harvard professor and the officer who arrested him. The meeting among the three men will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday. Last week, Obama said he called Crowley and "there was a discussion about he and I and Professor Gates having a beer here in the White House." Gibbs said: "I think it was Sgt. Crowley's suggestion about the beer, and I think the president thought it was a good idea." Obama said he hoped the incident in Cambridge, which quickly spiraled into a national and racially charged controversy, "ends up being what's called a teachable moment" for the country. The president acknowledged that he had contributed to "ratcheting it up" by declaring the Police Department had "acted stupidly" even though he didn't know all the facts of the case and is a personal friend of Gates. Cambridge police called on Obama to apologize for the remark. Obama did not apologize, but in the phone call with Crowley he said his choice of words was "unfortunate." Gates, a top African-American scholar, was arrested July 16 for disorderly conduct outside his home after police responded to a report of a possible burglary. The charge was later dropped. Gates called himself the victim of a "rogue" officer. But he said Friday he looks forward to meeting with Obama and Crowley, and to making the experience "a teaching moment to improve racial relations in America." Crowley said Gates accused him of racism when he was at the home simply trying to do his job and assuring that Gates was safe and alone in the home. Cambridge police officials have praised Crowley, who in recent years had been selected by a black police officer to teach a police academy course on how to avoid racial profiling. Officials said they take pride in their relationship with the diverse community in the area. Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas said he "deeply regrets" the arrest, but stands by the procedures his department followed. iReport.com: Share stories, concerns on racial profiling . Meanwhile, authorities in Cambridge announced Monday that they have created a panel to advise police on racial issues. "Today is the day to move forward," City Manager Robert Healy said at a news conference. The committee, led by "nationally recognized experts," will not investigate the arrest of Gates, nor will it "make any judgments" on the officers involved, Healy said. The committee "will identify lessons to be taken from the circumstances surrounding the incident" and will advise the police department on how "those lessons can be applied" to its policies and practices. CNN's Dan Lothian contributed to this report.
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Arrest of black professor by white officer turned into racial incident .
President Obama poured fuel on fire by saying police acted "stupidly"
Cambridge officials create panel to advise police on racial issues .
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As Liverpool chase fourth spot in the Premier League and another place at Europe's top table, Brendan Rodgers will be well aware of the improvement his side must make on the continent. Thursday night's penalty shootout defeat by Besiktas in Istanbul ended their Europa League campaign at the first hurdle, just two-and-a-half months on from Champions League disappointment. Rodgers' men were expected to make it through Group B along with Real Madrid but could only finish third behind Basel and Los Blancos after a series of underwhelming displays at home and abroad. Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren puts his penalty high and wide during his side's penalty shootout defeat . Besiktas players celebrate after dumping Liverpool out of the Europa League on Thursday evening in Istanbul . Brendan Rodgers shakes hands with Raheem Sterling after Liverpool's penalty shootout defeat . Liverpool dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group . Games played: 8 . Won: 2 . Lost: 4 . Drew: 2 . Goals scored: 6 . Goals conceded: 10 . A drop into UEFA's secondary competition followed but Raheem Sterling and Co couldn't reproduce their domestic form at the Ataturk Stadium, falling to a 1-0 defeat on the night before exiting via spot-kicks. The result completed what has been a miserable season in Europe for Rodgers, a manager whose lack of experience has told since the Reds' first nervy, narrow win at home to Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets in September. The statistics make for grim reading - played eight, lost four, won two, drawn two and just six goals scored, two of which were penalties. Liverpool are flying domestically but in Europe it's been a different story. Cristiano Ronaldo opens the scoring in Real Madrid's 3-0 group stage win at Anfield in October . Karim Benzema celebrates after scoring the winner against Liverpool at the Bernabeu in November . After the aforementioned 2-1 victory at Anfield, everything went downhill. Home and away defeats by Real Madrid were to be expected to some extent, but failing to beat Ludogorets away and losing to Basel were unacceptable results. The dominance of Carlo Ancelotti's men meant that Rodgers still had a chance to lead his side through to the last 16 on matchday six but again they faltered, only managing a 1-1 draw at home to the Swiss champions when they had to win. They finished the group stage with just one victory, five points and five goals scored. After working so hard to end the club's Champions League absence, the players didn't do themselves justice. Liverpool are the Premier League's form team, unbeaten in 11 matches and well in the hunt for fourth - or even third - place after a slow start to the season. Fabian Frei's goal for Basel at Anfield helped eliminate Liverpool at the Champions League group stage . Reds skipper Steven Gerrard looks dejected after playing his last Champions League game for the club . But with Arsenal, Manchester United and Southampton also battling for a place in the top four, winning the Europa League was an attractive way of qualifying for next season's Champions League. A 1-0 home win against Besiktas kept that dream alive but a limp performance in Istanbul - the setting for that memorable victory over AC Milan in 2005 - meant that progression always looked unlikely, even with the unpredictable nature of penalty shootouts. Liverpool appear well-placed to earn a spot in Europe next season, but it'll be another disheartening experience if Rodgers can't get his players to take their league form to the continent.
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Liverpool were dumped out of the Europa League by Besiktas in Istanbul .
The Reds only won one of their six Champions League group games .
Brendan Rodgers' side scored just six goals in eight European games .
Liverpool are the Premier League's form team and are unbeaten in 11 .
CLICK HERE for all the latest Liverpool news .
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058a0acf2af5d939f2a038f827644264363f1de9
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High end: Restauranter Nino Selimaj with the Bellisima Pizza in New York . A luxurious caviar pizza costing $1,000 has proved a hit after being added to a New York restaurant's menu. The extravagant pie is the creation of New York restauranteur Nino Selimaj, owner of Nino's Bellissima Pizza in Manhattan. Most of the price-tag comes in the hefty serving of caviar which tops the pizza, which in itself costs $820. Hundreds of people have already bought the decadent dish, which is among the most expensive pizzas in the world. Two of the world's top caviars, Beluga, and the intensely-flavoured Black Russian Royal Sevruga, are among the varieties selected for Nino's creation. The fish flavour is further enhanced by thinly sliced lobster and creme fraiche, and topped off with a salmon roll, chives and wasabi paste. Nino, who owns five restaurants in the city, said: 'I've been in the city for 33 years and I serve caviar in all my restaurants. 'I wanted something different for my pizza restaurant. 'I didn't want just a traditional marinara or margherita. I wanted something specific and unique and so I came up with the $1,000 pizza, and it's worth every penny.' Nino has been serving up the pizza fit for Russian tzars for four years, and still prepares around one a week for caviar devotees. He spent three months trialling different ingredients including white truffles and olive oil, before coming up with the perfect caviar, lobster and creme fraiche mix. Nino said: 'There was a bit of a slow down with the economy, but we're still selling around 50 a year. 'The . price of caviar has actually increased too, so people are getting more . for their money, and my profit margin on the pizza has decreased. Precious: Chef Giovani Spatala taking great care to prepare a $1,000 pizza which features caviar toppings worth hundreds of dollars and is also available by the slice . Tucking in: Hundreds of people have already bought the decadent dish which is among the most expensive pizzas on sale in the world with its $1,000 price tag . High earners: Diners including politicians, Wall Street traders and wealthy celebrating couples have visited Nino's Bellissima Pizza (pictured) in Manhattan to indulge in the $1,000 pizza . 'People who know about their caviar love this pizza. We sell them to politicians, Wall Street traders, or couples celebrating a birthday or anniversary. 'It is definitely a pizza for people who like caviar. People who don't like caviar think it is outrageous, and crazy to pay this much. 'But diners always see it on the menu and ask about it, why it is so expensive and how many we sell. People are always curious.' Taste: Two of the world's top caviars, Beluga, and the intensely-flavoured Black Russian Royal Sevruga, are among the $1,000 pizza ingredients - thinly sliced lobster, creme fraiche, chives and wasabi paste also feature . The New York offering has a rival with a pizza chain along the Canadian coast is offering a lobster, cod and caviar pizza. Unfortunately . for Steveston Pizza Co, which has three restaurants, . including a branch in Vancouver, has only had one taker for its $450 effort. Canadian take away Steveston Pizza Co has listed on its menu as C6 a $450 pizza that comes topped with Thermidor of Lobster, black Alaskan cod and Russian Osetra caviar side . Listed . on their menu as their C6, the pie comes topped with Thermidor of . Lobster and black Alaskan cod along with a side of Russian Osetra . caviar. Their sole consumer, described in three words by the pizzeria's owner, was simply put as 'a very rich person.' Restaurant owner Nader Hatami said: 'The idea was the make a culinary statement. I don't know if you've tried our pizza but each one is pretty unique.' With . a seasonally-changing menu, largely organic ingredients and 'very good . cheese,' pizzas on Mr Hatami's menu ranges from $14 to the high . $20s, with the exception of one currently selling for $120 that has already been ordered seven times. But neither Steveston Pizza Co or Nino's Bellissima Pizza are selling the world's most expensive pizza. The current record holder according to the World Records Academy is a restaurant in Malta which sold its special effort for for $2,380 in 2010. The pricey thin crust pizza, topped . with white truffles, a 24-carat gold leaf and buffalo mozzarella, was sold at Margo's Pizzeria on the Mediterranean island. Restaurateur Claude Camilleri said: 'We're trying to draw attention to the quality of the food. Having truffles on a pizza which is not the best pizza possible would be a travesty, a sin. 'And to put truffles on a Margo's pizza, you need to be confident that what you are creating is an exceptional masterpiece.' Competition: The most expensive known pizza was sold in Malta for $2,382 and the ingredidents included white truffles (pictured), a 24-carat gold leaf and buffalo mozzarella .
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Hit dish features caviar worth $820 with sliced lobster, salmon and wasabi paste .
Canadian $450 pizza with lobster and caviar has proved less successful with just one order so far .
World's most expensive pizza featuring edible gold leaf sold in Europe for $2,380 .
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By . Leon Watson . Russia's richest and most powerful female oligarch today won a key stage in her bitter £80 million court battle with an oil tycoon with a pop star wife. Elena Baturina, who lives in Holland Park, west London, is suing oil and gas magnate Alexander Chistyakov claiming he ripped her off for over an investment. Mr Chistyokov, 41, who is married to Russian chart-topper GluKosa, 28, denies any wrongdoing and has accused Ms Baturina of breaching the agreement between them. Today, Ms Baturina won an Appeal Court decision that ruled the case should be heard in the Commercial Court in London, rather than in a Russian court. Elena Baturina (left), Russia's richest woman. The billionairess oligarch is locked in an £80m battle with oil tycoon Alexander Chistyakov. Mr Chistyokov (right), 41, is married to Russian chart-topper GluKosa, 28 . It overruled a decision by Mr Justice Walker to stay her claim against Alexander Chistyakov in favour of the courts of Russia. But Lord Justice Christopher Clarke said: 'Since the monetary claim set out in the Particulars of Claim is unsustainable as it stands there seems to me no point in granting of stay in favour of Russia.' He added: 'For such a claim there is no natural forum, not because several factors point to different jurisdictions but because the claim itself is bad.' It means Mr Chistyakov can now apply to have the claim struck out, according to his lawyers. The dispute is over an investment she made through one of her companies towards a proposed multi-million-pound luxury property development in Morocco in 2008. Ms Baturina, who is married to former mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, is the only Russian woman to have amassed a nine-figure personal fortune. Glukosa - real name Natalia Ionova - is pop star wife of oil tycoon Alexander Chistyakov . The 51-year-old moved to the UK three years ago because of 'political difficulties' says there are good reasons why she does not feel able to return to her homeland. Ms Baturina, whose two daughters, Elena and Olga, attended University College London, made her fortune in cement and construction during the years following the break-up of the Soviet Union. She is well known as an art collector and is the patron of several creative charities. She claims that Mr Chistyakov, 41, chairman of an oil and gas company, 'induced' her into signing away almost £80million, which has now disappeared. Ms Baturina is now trying to force Mr Chistyakov - who caused a sensation in Russia by marrying GluKosa, a pop starlet 13 years his junior - to repay the money and wants her claim against him heard in England. Summarizing her case during a hearing last year, Mr Justice Walker said she claims 'that Mr Chistyakov made fraudulent representations to her which led to her signature of the agreement and to her participation in the joint venture.' GluKosa is a pop starlet 13 years younger than Mr Chistyakov . Mr Chistyakov, 41, caused a sensation in Russia by marrying GluKosa . However, Mr Chistyakov 'alleges that Ms Baturina's representatives caused him substantial personal loss' and that she 'failed fully to invest in the projects, thereby breaching the principal agreement.' The judge dealt Ms Baturina a serious blow when he ruled she would have to pursue her claim against Mr Chistyakov in Russia. Challenging that decision, Barbara Dohmann QC, for Ms Baturina, told the Appeal Court: 'The fundamental issue will be, to put the issue at its most straighforward, what happened to the £80m? 'It is Ms Baturina's case that she trusted Mr Chistyakov and that considerable sums went out... she invested nearly 100 million euros in the projects through funds advanced by a company of which she was then the sole owner. Ms Baturina is married to former mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov (pictured) 'Ms Baturina's claim is that, in breach of the principal agreement, the bulk of the funds which she had provided were not invested in the projects, but were wrongfully dissipated by Mr Chistyakov through a series of international companies.' Insisting the case should be heard by an English judge, the QC added: 'It is apparent that the shape of the case has very little to do with Russia.' She told the court that there had been an agreement between Ms Baturina and Mr Chistyakov that any disputes would be settled under English law, though it was not specified which country would host any hearing. She added: 'Ms Baturina lives in England. Mr Chistyakov has important business interests in England. 'He was served with the proceedings in England in March 2013. There is not a great deal of Russian evidence. We would suggest there is a heavy weight of witnesses on the non-Russian side.' However, Stephen Moverley Smith QC, for Mr Chistyakov, insisted that Russia was the right forum for the case to be fought out. At the time of the deal, the parties were all living in Russia. 'The parties are Russian nationals. Mr Chistyakov resided in and carried on business in Russia. Until 2011 Ms Baturina resided in and carried on business in Russia. Any damage was suffered in Russia,' he told the judges. Ms Baturina says that she and her daughters moved to London after she and her husband were criticised on Russian state television following his dismissal in 2010. She had retained part ownership of a 10-room Moscow apartment but said she 'did not feel able to return to Russia at present'. In his ruling last year, Mr Justice Walker accepted that she had 'a real anxiety' at the prospect of going back to Russia. But he went on to decide that it was 'clearly and distinctly more appropriate' for her dispute with Mr Chistyakov to be dealt with by a Russian court. Ms Baturina's spokesman Gennady Terebkov said today: 'We are pleased that the Court of Appeal in London supports our view that the case should be heard in an English Court. 'This ruling gives us access to an independent and unbiased court, and we intend to pursue the claim against Chistyakov for 100 million euros in damages for deceit and breach of contract.' Mr Chistyakov's representative said: 'It has always been my position that the claim against me brought by Elena Baturina was one that was without foundation and should never have been brought. 'I am therefore pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed, and unequivocally confirmed the claim is unsustainable and entirely without foundation. 'As a result the claim should now be dismissed, and the Court of Appeal has recognised that is the next step as it has sent the case back to the lower Court so that I can seek such an Order. I look forward to this vexatious piece of litigation coming to end.'
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Elena Baturina claims oil magnate Alexander Chistyakov ripped her off .
The dispute is over an investment she made in Morocco in 2008 .
Mr Chistyokov, 41, is married to Russian chart-topper GluKosa, 28 .
Ms Baturina is Russia's richest woman and lives in Holland Park, London .
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(CNN) -- A 68-year-old Idaho man has been charged with misdemeanor battery after police say he struck a teen who would not turn off his iPhone while the plane they were in was taxiing for takeoff. The incident took place Tuesday evening on a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Boise, Idaho, said Lt. Kent Lipple of the Boise police. The man, Russell Miller, was arrested after the plane landed, Lipple said. Miller told police that the 15-year-old boy refused to turn off his phone after directions from the flight crew. The suspect "felt he was protecting the entire plane and its occupants," Lipple said. According to the police report, Miller said he smacked the boy with the back of his hand to get his attention. Officer, however, said the incident left a mark on the boy's shoulder.
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Incident takes place on a flight from Las Vegas to Boise, Idaho .
Suspect says he smacked the boy to get his attention .
Police say the incident left a mark on the teen's shoulder .
Police: Man "felt he was protecting the entire plane"
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058cb6a4553e13a781df1a14bef8b1f6d3b5e06f
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Sir Alex Ferguson did his best to stop David Beckham inheriting the iconic No 7 shirt at Manchester United after Eric Cantona retired, according to Roy Keane. Cantona shocked Manchester United when he quit the club and football altogether in 1997 and had worn the famous No 7 shirt since his arrival back in 1992. Keane inherited the United captaincy from the Frenchman, and the former midfielder reveals in his new autobiography The Second Half, that United boss Ferguson wanted him to take the No 7 shirt as well to stop Beckham getting it. Roy Keane kept the No 16 shirt allowing David Beckham to wear the famous No 7 jersey . Beckham and Keane were midfield partners during their years together at Old Trafford . Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Keane to wear the No 7 shirt instead of Beckham . Keane refused and Beckham, who had worn the No 10 shirt the season before, did take over the No 7 shirt which had previously been worn by George Best, Steve Coppell and Bryan Robson. Keane wrote: 'The captaincy is important, but squad numbers can have an importance. At United, ‘7’ was the iconic number. ‘When Eric Cantona left there was a debate about who was going to be the next captain. I was quite relaxed about it. Cristiano Ronaldo also wore the No 7 shirt during his spell at Old Trafford . Keane celebrates with Eric Cantona, another United legend to wear the No 7 shirt . ‘But there was his number, too - '7'. Bryan Robson had had it before Cantona and, of course, it went back to Georgie Best. ‘The manager pulled me into his office and said that he wanted me to wear the '7'. 'I said, ‘No, I’m not that bothered.' 'And he said, "I know Becks will f****** want it and I don’t want him to have it." Both Bryan Robson and George Best helped make No 7 shirt iconic at Manchester United . Record £60m signing Angel di Maria is the current holder of the No 7 shirt . ‘The little power battles. ‘I’d had ‘16’ since I’d signed for the club. I was comfortable with ‘16’. I think it might have kept me on my toes, being outside the ‘1’ to ‘11’. I didn’t think that I was a number ‘7’. ‘I said, ‘Give it to Becks.’ ‘Becks got it, and it suited him - and Cantona. Ronaldo had it after Becks.’ Like our Manchester United Facebook page. VIDEO Keane releases second controversial autobiography . Roy Keane: The Second Half, published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson £20. www.orionbooks.co.uk .
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Sir Alex Ferguson did his best to stop David Beckham inheriting the iconic No 7 shirt after Eric Cantona retired .
Keane inherited the United captaincy from the Frenchman, and reveals in his new autobiography The Second Half, that United boss Ferguson wanted him to take the No 7 shirt as well to stop Beckham getting it .
Keane didn't want it and told Ferguson to give the No 7 shirt to Beckham .
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(CNN) -- Your phone always knows where you are. And now, if you want, your Facebook friends will always know where you are, too. Facebook is introducing a mobile feature called Nearby Friends that taps into that steady stream of location information so friends can track each other in real time. The idea is to make it easy for people to meet up in real life, so they can have conversations in person instead of comment threads, temporarily replacing Likes and LOLs with eye contact and actual laughter. A live meet-up is also an excellent opportunity to grab a selfie with your pal and upload it to the Facebook owned Instagram. In a refreshing change, the new Nearby Friends feature is not turned on by default. Friends will not be able to see where you are unless you decide live-tracking is something you want in your life and visit Facebook's settings to turn it on. Making a potentially invasive new feature opt-in suggests Facebook has perhaps learned from some of its past mistakes and privacy problems. You can choose to share your general location with all your Facebook friends, close friends or a customized list of people you feel most comfortable with. Further minimizing the potential stalking factor, your location is only shared with other people who are also using the feature and who have chosen to share their location with you. When turned on, Nearby Friends shows a list of approved Facebook friends who also use the feature and shows their approximate location. A push notification can tell you how many of your friends are nearby. Open the app to see a list of pals, the neighborhood or city where they are, how many miles away that is from your current location, and a time stamp of when they where there. There is an option to share your exact location with specific friends, which can be handy for coordinating large groups at concerts or finding someone in a crowded area. Your friends will see a little image of your face on a map for a set period of time. Nearby Friends will be available on Facebook's iOS and Android apps, but will only work for select locations at first. Facebook, Instagram and many other apps already include features that let people "check-in" to locations, but those location features are different because you decide if and when to share each specific location. You might check into a Starbucks downtown, but never into your home or other spot you'd rather keep private. Nearby Friends is continuously gathering details about where you are in the background instead of waiting for a manual check-in. This is not the first time an app has used location information to physically connect friends. Similar apps such as Highlight, which got a flurry of attention in 2012, mapped out the locations of nearby strangers. Facebook also purchased a startup in 2012 called Glancee that also connected strangers. That technology evolved into this new, more private feature. If you turn on the Nearby Friends feature, Facebook starts collecting data on your exact location and keeps details on where you've been in the past, not just places where you've used its app to check in. It also collects location information even when the Facebook app is closed. But you can turn off this location history in the Facebook app's settings. It's possible to delete individual locations from a history, or clear the whole thing and start from scratch.
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Facebook's Nearby Friends feature shares your general location with chosen friends .
The tracking tool is opt-in so people won't accidentally share their location by default .
Nearby Friends also has an option for sharing a user's exact location on a map .
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By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 18:32 EST, 14 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:32 EST, 14 August 2013 . The amount of rubbish each of us recycled went down last year for the first time in three decades. The setback follows three years in which the growth in household rubbish recycling had slowed to a crawl. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revealed that in the past year the amount of recycled material produced by the average individual in England actually fell, from 186kg (410lb) per person to 185kg (407.8lb). After three years in which the growth in household rubbish recycling had slowed to a crawl, the amount of rubbish each of us recycled went down last year for the first time in three decades . No similar fall has been recorded since the early 1980s. The amount recycled by each individual more than doubled between 2004 – when fortnightly bin collections were introduced – and 2011. The department admitted earlier this year that published recycling figures are already ‘overestimates’ as a high proportion of material is too contaminated to be used. Instead the rejected rubbish is sent to landfill or incinerators. Between 2004 and 2010 recycling rates in England more than doubled, from 17.8 per cent of all the household waste collected to 39.7 per cent. The improvement from 2010 to 2012 was much slower, raising the recycling rate to 43 per cent. Much of this improvement has been caused by the reduction in the amount of rubbish left out, a result of council restrictions on collections. Defra admitted earlier this year that published recycling figures were 'overestimates' as a high proportion of material is too contaminated to be used . The amount of household waste collected in England, including recycling material, has fallen from 25.7million tons in 2005 to 22.9million last year. Total weight of recycling material collected from homes went up by just 1.25 per cent in the 12 months to March 2012, from 9.7 million tonnes to 9.8 million tonnes. The recycling figures worked out according to how much recycling is produced by each individual take into account the effect on rubbish collections of the country’s fast-rising population. Numbers of people in the country have been going up by around 400,000 a year since 2005.
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Setback follows three years in which recycling growth had slowed to a crawl .
Amount recycled by individuals had more than doubled from 2004 to 2011 .
Defra admitted earlier this year recycling figures were 'overestimates'
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(CNN) -- Three aid workers kidnapped in Somalia have been released after nearly two years in captivity. International Aid Services said the kidnappers seized their employees in July 2012 in Puntland, Somalia. "Extended discussions with the actual kidnappers resulted in the release of the hostages," the relief agency said in a statement. The three were abducted while traveling in two cars that included three local police officers, who were wounded but not kidnapped during the attack. The three hostages, Janet Kanga, Martin Kioko and Abdinoor Boru, were released Thursday, according to the relief agency. United Nations officials helped transport them to a safe location, where they'll be held until they're reunited with their relatives in Kenya. CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report.
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Kidnappers seized them in July 2012 in Puntland, Somalia .
The three hostages were released Thursday .
They were later transported to a safe location .
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058f4eda4ffd45a354fed0d226b81b0536798862
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Washington is entering a new era of kamikaze governance, this time with Democrats at the helm. Thursday night's spending showdown saw progressive Democrats unexpectedly emerge as the agitators ready to drive the nation off a cliff to win concessions — and progressives say it will happen again. "The fight last night was a shot across the bow that progressives are ready to stand and fight, and there are millions of Americans ready to jump into the fray," Ben Wikler, Washington director for MoveOn.org, a progressive group, said on Sunday. Progressive members of the Democratic Party are gearing up for what they expect to be many battles needed to defend their values as Republicans seek to chip away at a variety of Democratic priorities when they take control of Congress next year. A prime example of such skirmishes came last week. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren objected to a GOP provision -- attached to a broad spending bill -- that rolled back a key portion of the Wall Street reform law. Her opposition prompted dozens of Democrats to defect and triggered a last-minute scramble for support; President Barack Obama himself made calls to win lawmakers back and stave off a potential government shutdown. The spending bill eventually passed the Senate on Saturday night and on Sunday, Democratic leaders downplayed a possible rift within the party. But the nearly 2,000 progressive activists and operatives who descended on Washington over the weekend for the annual Rootscamp gathering felt otherwise. Panels addressed things like #HillaryProblems and the lack of understanding between the grassroots and establishment wings of the Democratic Party. And panelists and attendees alike endorsed the newly antagonistic moves from their elected officials this week. "How do we make change in general, as we're seeing from the streets of DC to Ferguson to New York? I do think that sometimes you have to shut it down," said Alana Krivo-Kaufman, a 27-year-old Rootscamp attendee and an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace. And with Republicans taking control of the Senate next month, the imperative for progressives to hold their ground on key issues could grow ever more urgent. Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and former Senate leadership aide, said Republicans have given every indication they'll attempt to use a series of upcoming deadlines, including the need to raise the debt ceiling next year, to peel back Democratic policies passed under Obama. "What we saw just now is just a taste of what's to come for two years," he said. Obama's standing within the party diminished . And Democrats no longer feel beholden to their de facto leader — the President — as he enters the final, lame-duck years of his presidency. Some now openly admit he's going to have to navigate a difficult terrain within his own party in the new Congress. Jeremy Bird, the former national field director for Obama's re-election campaign, told CNN the left is still adjusting to the new political landscape. "Everybody's sort of figuring it out, post-midterms, how it's all going to shake out," he said of Obama's leadership role among Democrats. "I'm sure there'll be other disagreements. And it's a different world with a Republican Senate and a Republican House." Many progressives are frustrated with what they believe has been too much waffling from the President and other Democratic leaders on the issues that matter most to the base -- behavior they argue contributed to their losses in the midterms. "All the Democrats who lost were ones who ran to the center," Krivo-Kaufman said, echoing a frequent refrain heard from panelists at Rootscamp. That frustration has fueled a progressive backlash against the more moderate dealmakers in the party, and is what's made Warren so attractive to so many, her supporters believe. Erica Sagrans, who heads a grassroots super PAC working to draft Warren to run for President, said the issue with candidates in the midterm was they were "afraid" to stand on their principles. "We can't have candidates who are afraid to take risks and say what they believe in and stand up for something," she said. "You can't just have these Democrats who are everything to everyone and play things very safe and are picked by party insiders to not offend anyone." Sagrans said the watered down soundbites are meaningless to voters, whereas, "Warren's style of being unafraid of who she is, of being honest, of speaking up" resonates. Campaign-trail fallout . The elevation of Warren as a prominent figure in these policy fights, and of Wall Street reform as a key issue for progressives, is certain to put former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a difficult spot as she prepares for a potential presidential bid. More than 300 former Obama campaign staffers signed a letter urging Warren to run for President this week. Clinton, meanwhile, continues to face skepticism from progressives who believe she's too cozy with Wall Street. And while Warren has repeatedly said she's not interested in a run, her supporters believe even having her in the mix, and focusing the conversation on Wall Street reform, could help shape Clinton's potential candidacy. Indeed, the activity surrounding Warren, and the emerging rift within the party, had even Democratic Party officials on Friday predicting a spirited primary battle for the presidential nomination. "Regardless of who decides to run, we're gonna have a really competitive and interesting primary process," said Matt Compton, the Democratic National Committee's digital director.
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A bruising midterm election has prompted a backlash from progressives in Congress .
They see Elizabeth Warren, not President Barack Obama, as their leader .
They're expecting significant battles with Republicans to defend their priorities .
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By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 12:08 EST, 10 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:04 EST, 10 January 2013 . Millions of pounds is being wasted on government reviews and consultations, MPs said yesterday. The . Coalition has opened 984 inquiries – more than one for each day it has . been in power – into issues as diverse as ice-cream van chimes and the . electronic monitoring of pigs. Other . reviews include whether street sweepers should require qualifications . and whether mothers should be able to use vouchers to buy frozen . vegetables. MPs have said millions of pounds is being wasted after an investigation found the Coalition opened 984 inquiries since coming into power . Richard . Bacon, a Tory member of the Commons public accounts committee, . yesterday called on the National Audit Office to investigate, perhaps . not seeing the irony of his request. ‘The . huge scale of these reviews raises questions, and I wouldn’t discourage . the NAO from looking at this area,’ he said. ‘On this scale they must . have serious financial implications, with hundreds of civil servants . being diverted to work on them. ‘These . reviews could lead to delay and sclerosis inside departments, because . civil servants will be hanging around waiting, rather than taking . action. ‘I would be very interested in knowing from the NAO how much this all costs and how effective and economic it is.’ Critics . say the figures show David Cameron has broken a pledge to slash the . number of pointless reviews. Late last year the Prime Minister vowed to . ‘cut through the dither’, adding: ‘If there is no need for a . consultation, don’t have one.’ Yet . a year after saying in 2011: ‘It is hard to believe we need government . regulations on issues such as ice-cream van jingles’, his government set . up a consultation on the very same issue. The Coalition has opened more than one inquiry for each day it has been in power, while George Osborne's Treasury alone has set up 84 reviews . An inquiry was opened into how long ice-cream van chimes should ring for and where they should be able to ring, but there has been no response from the Government in six months . An investigation by The Times found that many of the 984 reviews have not yet been acted upon. The . survey of the 15 largest Whitehall departments showed that almost a . third of the consultations set up since 2010 had still not received an . official response. Bernard . Jenkin, Tory chairman of the public administration committee, called on . parliamentary select committees to ask individual departments for . explanations. ‘It is . staggering that the Government should spend so much time and money and . produce so few outcomes,’ he said. ‘This gives the term “kicked into the . long grass” a new reality. The government has also looked into whether pig farmers should inform councils about the movements of their animals by letter or e-mail . ‘The Prime Minister complains rightly . about dithering and inaction but Whitehall seems to be institutionally . predisposed to dithering and inaction by review and consultation. This . could be costing tens of millions of pounds.’ The . 17,000-word review into ice cream van chimes, sent to 23 organisations, . asked the public how long chimes should ring for, where they should . ring and until what time. One question asked whether chimes should be played after 8pm because children’s bedtimes are getting later. Twelve . months on, ministers have still not come to a decision on the . less-than-pressing issue. A consultation by the Department for Transport . was prompted by a one-man campaign to save a railway committee that . decides which artefacts should be saved for the nation. Labour . peer Lord Faulkner of Worcester made a plea in the House of Lords that . the eight-man Railway Heritage Committee, which costs £100,000 a year, . be saved from the bonfire of the quangos. A consultation was launched and all 32 respondents supported the plan to move the committee’s role to the Science Museum. Another consultation into Cornish wine received no responses at all. Andrew . Haldenby, director of the Reform think-tank, said: ‘David Cameron . promised a post-bureaucratic age but his record in government is very . different.’ George . Osborne’s Treasury has set up 84 reviews, Vince Cable’s Department for . Business 61, the Department for Work and Pensions has set up 73 and the . Department of Health 80.
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The Coalition has opened 984 inquiries since coming into power .
Issues looked into include ice-cream van chimes and monitoring pigs .
Critics say PM has broken pledge to slash number of pointless reviews .
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By . Sarah Dean . and Aap . and Daniel Mills . Police have recovered the body of second missing snowboarder, Martie Buckland, 33, a day after friend Daniel Kerr was found buried under 4.5 metres of snow at Mount Bogong in Victoria. Inspector Dave Ryan from Wangaratta police said Mr Buckland was found 60 metres up the same slope from where Mr Kerr's body was recovered on Monday, and it appears he was buried under the same dump of snow which claimed his friend. 'They unfortunately have both been caught up in the one avalanche,' he said. A Victoria Police spokeswoman said Mr Buckland was discovered at about 10.30am on Tuesday buried underneath snow 'quite close' to where Mr Kerr's body was located on Monday. The men, described as experienced skiers, had been missing three days before the body of Mr Kerr was found some 400 metres down a slope in the Eskdale Spur area of Mount Bogong. Buckland from Yarra Junction, Victoria, and Kerr from Hawthorn, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, hadn't been seen since Thursday after failing to return from their snowboarding trip to Eskdale Spur. Scroll down for video . Martie Buckland (right), 33, from Yarra Junction, Victoria, and Daniel Kerr (left), 32, from Hawthorn, Melbourne, (seen here with two friends) hadn't been seen since Thursday after failing to return from their snowboarding trip to the Eskdale Spur area of Mount Bogong . Inspector Ryan said both families had been notified on Monday of the snowboarders' death, but spoke again to the family of Mr Buckland this morning. He said both the wife and father were distraught, but relieved that the 33-year-old had been found. 'That extra day of waiting would have added a lot of pressure,' he said. He said failing weather conditions will hamper the rescue effort to bring Mr Buckland more than three kilometres down the mountain, admitting that it could take up to five six hours. 'We can't use a helicopter because of the snow which is falling at about 1640 metres.' Both bodies will now be sent to the coroner in Melbourne. Somber scene: A journalist tweeted a photo of the police chopper carrying down the body of one snowboarder from where it was found on Mount Bogong . Inspector Dave Ryan from Wangaratta police said the man's body was dug out of the snow about 400 metres down a slope on Eskdale Spur . 'They have been in the area on a number of occasions and they've been caught out,' a Victoria Police officer said. 'While you may be a good snowboarder or skier, there are so many other things you have to worry about.' The search for the experienced snowboarders resumed at first light on Monday morning. Mrs Buckland said in a joint statement with Mr Kerr's parents, Marg and Phil Kerr, on Sunday that her husband knew the mountain 'like the back of his hand,' The Age reports. 'We are absolutely devastated by the news of Martie and Daniel's disappearance and hope with every passing minute that we are told they have been found safe,' the statement said. The snowboarders had been friends since Year 7 at school. 'Our families want to stress how experienced and prepared Martie and Daniel were for this trip, keenly aware of both the risks and the unpredictable nature the outdoors offer,' the statement continued. 'Their local knowledge of Mt Bogong and the surrounds, combined with their equipment and experience just adds to the frustration of dealing with their disappearance.' A local expert said the men were in 'some of the most exciting and extreme and potentially dangerous terrain' in Victoria. 'Devastated': Martie Buckland, left, is one of the two snowboarders who died. His wife Sally Buckland, right, released a statement saying he knew Mount Bogong like the 'back of his hand' Rescue teams searched the back country for the two snowboarders, who failed to return from a trip to Mount Bogong in Victoria on Saturday . Police said the men signed a trip intention book on Wednesday which indicated their plans to stay at Michell Hut and then camp on Eskdale spur, before returning on Saturday. After making contact with family members on Thursday via mobile phone, the men had not been heard from since. A group of walkers found their abandoned tent containing sleeping bags and other equipment. 'It appears that no-one has been at the campsite since the last snow fall which was approximately 18 hours ago,' Victorian police said in a statement on Sunday morning. After making contact with family members on Thursday via mobile phone, the men were never heard from again. The volunteers participating in the search were made up of members of the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club, Bush Search and Rescue, State Emergency Services as well as a number of off duty ski patrollers from Falls Creek. Their campsite at Mitchell hut was found abandoned by a group of walkers at around 6am on Sunday, causing police to be concerned that the men had not been at the campsite since the last snow fall, 18 hours earlier . It's not the first of such incidents occurring at Mount Bogong, where extreme weather conditions led to a bush-walker requiring rescuing on Wednesday after he became stranded on the mountain's summit. A Search and rescue team found the man in a disoriented state but were not able to descend the mountain due to the 100k/h winds and the -10deg wind-chill. Instead, they were forced to put up two tents and wait for a break in the weather conditions. Search and Rescue Sergeant Vic Velthuis said the area was subject to extreme weather and sudden condition changes. 'There are a number of factors that hikers should consider before setting off into the high country. Planning, knowing your limitations and appropriate clothing being at the forefront,' she said. 'If you do get disorientated, stay calm and stay where you are in a sheltered dry spot and remember that it could take some time for rescuers to get to you.'
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Martie Buckland, 33, from Yarra Junction was found on Tuesday morning .
Police said the body was found close to where friend Daniel Kerr was located buried beneath snow on Monday .
Mr Buckland, and Daniel Kerr, 32, from Hawthorn, Melbourne, failed to return from a snowboarding trip on Saturday .
They last made contact with family members on Thursday .
Their campsite was found abandoned by a group of walkers on Sunday .
The body of one of the men was found under 4.5 metres of snow .
Police say he was killed in an avalanche .
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By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 04:48 EST, 20 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:21 EST, 21 June 2012 . The family of a five-year-old girl left scarred for life after being 'attacked by an Alsatian' have reacted with fury after the owner was told he will not be prosecuted because of 'insufficient evidence'. Abbie Varrow was forced to undergo emergency surgery after being left with severed nerves in her nose. But Darren Bartlett, 42, who was held on suspicion of having a dangerous dog, has now been given his pet back. After: Abbie has made a good recovery from the attack - but will be left permanently scarred . The schoolgirl was jumping up and down on a trampoline in the back . garden of her friend Harry Chapman’s house when she says the dog jumped at the . same time and lunged in Great Notley, Essex. Abbie will have to see a psychiatrist because she has been sleepwalking and wetting the bed after being mauled by the dog in March. The Crown Prosecution Service have told Mr Bartlett he will face no further action and he will not even have to pay for the time his Alsatian Sky spent in kennels. He denies that his dog could have been responsible for the injuries. But if his pet had been behind the mauling, the father-of-five said he would have had her put down immediately. The electrician said he should have been cleared weeks ago. Abbie had to have 60 stitches and underwent two hours of surgery at Chelmsford’s Broomfield Hospital following the attack. Her parents, Tony and Alyson, said their daughter was suffering pain every day as they hit out over the decision not to charge the suspect. Family fury: Abbie with her parents Alyson and Tony, both 50, at the spot where she was attacked by the dog in March. The animal jumped over the fence, left, and attacked her while she was on the trampoline . Mauled: Abbie Varrow, five, who was forced to undergo two hours of emergency surgery and have 60 stitches in her face . Mrs Varrow, 40, said: 'Abbie will be going . through pain every day to sort out the scar tissue on her face. Yet the . owner has got away with it and won’t even have to pay for when it was . in the kennels.' The attack on March 27 left Abbie, whose . parents have ten other children from previous relationships, in hospital for two days. Her father Tony, 40, added: 'Since this has happened, Abbie has been sleepwalking and bed-wetting. 'The . surgeon was happy to discharge her. But then after he heard about . sleep-walking and bed-wetting, he wants her to see a psychiatrist.' The family said that Abbie could have been killed by the dog. 'She could have lost her life, and in that respect you have to look at what you have got,' Tony said. No charge: Father-of-five Darren Bartlett, 42, said his Alsatian Sky, aged three, could not have attacked Abbie Varrow as he was playing with her at the time . Attack dog? Dog owner Mr Bartlett said his dog Sky, pictured, was not responsible for mauling the schoolgirl . 'She knows all the people around her are supporting her and in time we hope she can get back to normal.' Mr Bartlett said his dog could not have been to blame for the attack as she was not playing in the garden at the time of the incident. 'I was playing with her at the time so I know for a fact that she did not do it,' he said. 'If the Old Bill had done their job properly it would never have got to this point and I would have been cleared weeks ago. 'My kids have been asking me every day where Sky is while the police have had her wrongly locked away in kennels for two months – it’s disgusting.' Mr Bartlett lives at home with his 41-year-old wife Kerry Bartlett and the couple’s five children Georgia, 13, Megan, 11, Rosie, 10, Becky, 8, and Daisy, 8. The electrician continued: 'If I thought for one minute she had done it I would have had her put down myself. 'There is no way I would allow a dangerous dog in my house with five children. 'What I would ask is if my dog is so dangerous, why was it left in my house for seven-and-a-half hours with five children while cops arrested me? 'It was terrible what has happened to the little girl and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone but what I have to focus on is clearing my name and clearing my dog’s name.' A . Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said after a careful review, it was . decided there was 'insufficient evidence' for charges to be brought. He . said: 'Our sympathies are with the victim of this horrendous incident, . but we were unable to show to the very high standard of proof required . in respect of criminal proceedings that the owner was negligent in the . control of his dogs.' Garden horror: The trampoline Abbie was playing on and the fence the Alsatian leaped over and attacked her .
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Abbie Varrow forced to see a psychiatrist following the attack because she has been sleepwalking .
Schoolgirl forced to have 60 stitches and underwent two hours of surgery after the mauling .
Dog owner Darren Bartlett, 42, has been given pet back - and won't even have to pay for the time it spent in kennels .
He insists his pet was NOT responsible for the attack as she was playing with him at the time .
Father-of-five Mr Bartlett said if his dog had mauled Abbie, 5, he would have had her put down himself .
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A Swiss music teacher charged with infecting 16 people with HIV by injecting them with needles contaminated by the virus has been arrested after he refused to go to court. The 54-year-old man, who is not being named in accordance with Swiss law, is said to have told his patients, many of them his music students, that he could 'heal' them with acupuncture. Police stormed his flat in the Swiss capital Bern after he stopped attending his trial and instead barricaded himself at home. The Bern man told 'patients' he could heal them with acupuncture before injecting them with HIV-infected blood . The self-proclaimed healer's flat in the . capital Bern was surrounded by police marksmen after he came out . brandishing two samurai swords. He failed to appear at his trial on . Thursday citing 'acute mental and physical exhaustion'. Police who visited his home on Friday managed . to hit him with pepper spray in the garden before he ran and . barricaded himself inside, issuing repeated threats. Swiss police said they subsequently stormed the man's home and arrested him. An unidentified woman with him was also arrested. The man had been free on bail since August. His trial began on March 6, but he stopped turning up in court on Thursday. The case came to the attention of the Swiss authorities after an HIV-positive patient told a Bern hospital in 2004 he had traced his infection back to acupuncture treatments carried out by the accused. The defendant barricaded himself into his flat in Bern, pictured, after failing to turn up for his trial in the Swiss capital (stock image) After two more people were diagnosed with HIV and found to have links to the man, detectives investigated and charged the man with infecting 16 'patients' with HIV-tainted blood between 2001 and 2005. The court in Bern heard that the man conned his pupils into believing he was an acupuncture specialist and said he could 'heal' them with various problems. The court heard that all 16 people injected by the man, who is not HIV-positive, have . contracted the AIDS virus. One of them told the court he visited the . 'healer' in a bid to cure his epilepsy and migraine attacks. 'I know he gave me the virus because . there is no other way I could have contracted it - not sex, drugs or a . blood transfusion,' the victim said. Prosecutors say the blood used by the man came from another of his pupils but he denies the allegation. The man, who faces life imprisonment if found guilty, has denied the charges.
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The 54-year-old man is accused of infecting victims with HIV-tainted blood .
Many of the 16 infected were students of the music teacher from Bern .
He stopped attending his trial and instead barricaded himself in his flat .
The man, who denies the charges, faces life imprisonment if found guilty .
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By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 07:27 EST, 9 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:55 EST, 9 January 2013 . No inauguration: President Chavez has not been seen since the December surgery . The inauguration for Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is to be postponed due to his ill health, the government announced yesterday. President Chavez has not been seen since his cancer surgery on December 11 and is reported to be suffering from a ‘severe lung infection’ in addition to his surgery recovery. The formal inauguration for the 58-year-old's fourth period as president was to be held in Caracas tomorrow and the delay has outraged the opposition which now insists upon a temporary replacement. The socialist leader, who has been in power since 1999, was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in June 2011 and has been through four operations since. Angry opposition leaders now insist that Mr Chavez must be sworn in before the National Assembly tomorrow as laid out in the constitution, or temporarily step aside and leave an ally in power. ‘The commander president wants us to inform that, based on his medical team's recommendations, the post-operative recovery should extend past January 10, said Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Mr Chavez's chosen successor, in a letter read to the legislature. ‘As a result, he will not be able to be present at the National Assembly on that date.’ The letter said authorities would seek another date for the inauguration ceremony but did not say when it would take place or give a time frame for President Chavez's return from Havana, Cuba where he is recovering. Rather than being sworn in by the legislature, he would take his oath at a later date before the Supreme Court, the letter said, as allowed by the constitution. Government leaders insist Mr Chavez is completely fulfilling his duties as head of state, even though official medical bulletins say he has a severe pulmonary infection and has had trouble breathing. In addition, Mr Chavez’s unprecedented has left many Venezuelans convinced he could be in his last days. His . resignation or death would wreak havoc to politics in the oil-rich . South American nation, where Mr Chavez currently enjoys a god-like . status among his supporters. His . critics call him a fledgling dictator who has squandered billions of . dollars from crude sales while dashing the independence of state . institutions. No show: Vice President of Venezuelan National Assembly Dario Vivas, left, and President of the Assembly Diosdado Cabello at the announcement of the postponing of Mr Chavez's inauguration as president . The constitution does not specify what happens if the president does not take office on January 10. The Supreme Court, controlled by Mr Chavez allies, called a news conference for later today where it is is widely expected to announce an interpretation of the constitution that will give Mr Chavez leeway to take office when he is fit to do so. If he dies or steps aside, new elections would be called within 30 days. Before leaving for Havana in December, the president instructed his supporters to back Maduro in that vote if he were unable to continue. Opposition leaders argue that Congress . chief and Mr Chavez ally Diosdado Cabello should take over, as mandated . by the constitution if the president's absence is formally declared. Cabello has ruled that out, saying the president continues to be in charge. ‘Who . could have believed the opposition would be screaming for Diosdado . Cabello to be given the presidency of the republic?’ he said during a . rambunctious session of Congress. ‘That's crazy, the opposition is . losing it.’ President prayers: Chavez supporters at one of the many vigils which have been held across Venezuela, where the president enjoys a deity-like status amongst his supporters, since his December cancer surgery . Meanwhile opposition deputies accused the Socialist Party of failing to follow Mr Chavez's instructions - a scene that would have been unimaginable before his prolonged absence. ‘President Chavez is the only one among you who has spoken clearly,’ said opposition leader Julio Borges. He was drowned out by pro-Chavez deputies clapping and chanting the socialist leader's name and rebuffed by Cabello, who had long been considered a potential successor to Mr Chavez until he was passed over for Maduro. ‘It's not my fault you weren't chosen, don't take your frustration out on me,’ Borges quipped. Another opposition deputy complained that during the debate a copy of the constitution was thrown across the chamber from the direction of the Socialist Party's deputies. Maduro has taken over the day-to-day running of the government and looks set to continue in the role past Thursday.
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President Chavez was to be inaugurated for fourth term in office tomorrow .
Mr Chavez has not been seen since his cancer surgery on December 11 .
Opposition is demanding that he temporarily step aside until he recovers .
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A sex offender who posed as a doctor to prey on women was a guest of the Queen on the Royal Barge. Harbinder Singh Rana, 52, was jailed in the 1980s for a series of attacks on women, who believed he was a doctor, in which he performed internal examinations and administered injections. Rana served four years for his crimes, but has since reinvented himself as a pillar of the community. Raising questions: Harbinder Singh Rana on board the Spirit of Chartwell during the Queens Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thameswith members of the Royal family . Rana spent the pageant in close proximity to the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge . And in an astonishing error of judgment the Sikh charity director, who now lives in Walsall in the West Midlands, was allowed to mingle with VIPs on the Royal Barge during Sunday’s River Pageant. During the afternoon sail, Rana came into close contact with every senior royal including Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The convicted sex attacker was at times during the 1,000 boat extravaganza just feet from the Queen herself. The former management consultant was invited to join the exclusive celebrations by Prince Charles in his capacity as community leader. He is understood to have met the prince through his charity work for the Anglo-Sikh heritage trail, a group that promotes Sikh culture in Britain. But palace sources last night said the prince was completely unaware of the charity director’s shameful past-and would never have invited him had he known. Approached yesterday Rana said that he did not know if he had been vetted and had not been asked about his sex crimes before the event. Harbinder Singh Rana, director of Maharaja Dalip . Singh Trust, just feet from the Queen (left) on board the Spirit of . Chartwell. Mr Rana was also the guide for Prince Charles at his tour of . the Punjab in 2006 (right) Harbinder Singh Rana with the . The Prince of Wales unveiling a statue dedicated to the last Indian Maharajah, Duleep Singh on Butten Island in Thetford, in 1999 . He told the Mirror: ‘I was given the invitation and I attended. 'The fact that the Prince of Wales invited me clearly shows what I have done for the community since then.’ He added: ‘I have a relationship with some of Charles’s staff, not him – although I have met him at events, yes. ‘I have made it clear I wasn’t representing the Sikh community, I was there because I was very happy to be invited.’ He said that, although the Queen was at times just ‘a few feet' from him, he never spoke to her or any senior member of the Royal Family while on the boat. The revealation will raise questions about why apparently no checks were carried out on Mr Rana's background before he was allowed to be photographed within inches of senior royals . The convicted sex attacker was at times during the 1,000 boat extravaganza just feet from the Queen . The massive error brings into sharp focus the vetting procedures in place to protect the Royal Family. Questions . will now be raised about why apparently no checks were carried out on . his background before he was allowed to be photographed within inches of . senior royals. And an investigation into how such an unsuitable guest sailed through the vetting process will likely soon be under way. A . spokesman for Clarence House confirmed that the prince had not known . about Rana’s convictions. She said: ‘Harbinder Singh was asked to take . part in the pageant as he is a leading member of the Sikh community and . someone who has done a lot of charitable work. ‘Guests . of the Pageant including representatives from all major faith . communities, spread across a number of key vessels – as with the Royal . Family, who were present on a number of vessels.’ Last night the Metropolitan Police confirmed that those travelling on the royal barge would have been security vetted. But it is thought security chiefs did not deem him a threat to the Royals. A Met spokesman said: ‘The purpose of a security check is to assess the threat to members of the Royal Family and other protected persons.’ At his trial Rana protested his innocence and yesterday continued to say it was a case of ‘mistaken identity’. Speaking of his conviction he told the Mirror: ‘It was very circumstantial It is an area I have switched off from my life and got on with it.’ Rana’s previous convictions have caused controversy in the past. In 2002, the Sikh Secretariat, a campaigning group, said it was ‘appalled’ at Rana’s role as a Government adviser. Mr Rana represented Sikhs on the Inner Cities Religious Council, a group that advised the Government on local issues. Speaking about his place in the body, the Sikh Secretariat said: ‘We are aware that Government officials and junior ministers have known about the situation, but have taken no action. Out of a choice of 700,000 Sikhs we cannot understand why someone like this was elected to represent our views.’ Mr Rana defended his place on the body, saying: ‘I have never tried to hide my convictions, even though the evidence presented was contentious. Are they saying rehabilitation and forgiveness should not exist? What I should be judged on is the work I’ve done in the Sikh community since that date.’ Mr Singh Rana was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault, 11 counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one count of attempted assault in August 1986.
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Harbinder Singh Rana said he did not even know if he had been vetted .
The sex offender, 52, served four years for a series of attacks on women .
He has since reinvented himself as a pillar of the Sikh community .
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0591e08f18606f9e16ce934a379d821c40227813
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(CNN)Just about every day on Facebook, I see posts by parents asking for advice related to their children. Granted, many of my friends are parents, but I imagine you see similar posts when you log on as well. And pretty much every time I read one, I wonder about the pluses and minuses of a world in which many parents now head to their social networks to make parenting decisions. Sure, getting advice on how to get a toddler to sleep through the night or how to deal with a fussy eater makes sense and seems relatively harmless. But is there something creepy about picking a baby name based on Internet responses or deciding on a punishment based on the opinions of followers? Last year, an expectant father created a website, NameMyDaughter.com, allowing anyone on the Internet to suggest and vote on a baby name for his daughter. 10 signs you might be addicted to your smartphone . Thankfully for his child, who was born in April, he and his wife reportedly did not go with the winning name of "Cthulhu." Instead, they chose the second place name, Amelia. My question: How is Amelia or any other child named by strangers online going to feel when they learn the origin of their name? "I am sure the child will be happy to know that her name was approved of by thousands of strangers she will never meet," said Vicki Hoefle, author of the book "Duct Tape Parenting: A Less is More Approach to Raising Respectful, Responsible, and Resilient Kids." "Can you imagine the outrage an adult would have if, say, a guy crowdsourced whether he should propose or not?" asked Hoefle, a mom of five who has spent the past two decades working with families on parenting. Asking not just your followers but random strangers to choose a name for your child is no doubt one of the more extreme examples of crowdsourced parenting, but what about deciding discipline based on social media responses or asking for help with deeply personal issues such as a child's depression or anxiety, or a case of bullying, or a child's exploration of sex? Replace the 'sex talk' with the 'tech talk'? In conversations over email with parents across the country, I found a real split in opinions about whether using social media to help parent is positive or inappropriate. Put mom of four Janeane Davis in the positive camp. She said that since many of us live far away from our parents and friends, "social media crowdsourcing is a quick way of getting a lot of opinions and ideas at one time." Davis, founder of the blog Janeane's World, said she only crowdsourced for her children once. "I asked people how they got their sons to behave better at home and school. I did get some good ideas. I tried one of them, and it worked," said Davis, who said she'd do it again. Louise Sattler, a mom of two grown children in Los Angeles, also believes crowdsourced parenting is OK in certain cases. "We use to call it getting advice during coffee klatches," said Sattler, a school psychologist, educational consultant and owner of a business providing sign language instruction. 28 web abbreviations parents should know . Pam Moore, host of the blog Whatevs, believes there is an age limit on when it's no longer OK to discuss a child's behavior on social media and ask for help regarding that behavior, even though she admits she's not quite sure what that key age is. "Whether it's tantrums in kindergarten or wetting the bed at age 9 ... I believe children still have the right to some privacy about their lives," said Moore, a mom of two who writes about motherhood, marathons and life in Boulder, Colorado. "I think that if you aren't sure whether to post something about your kid on Facebook, ask yourself how the child (and you) would feel if he or she ever came across it at the age of 12. If you wouldn't want him or her to see it on your timeline, then it's probably not a great idea to post it on Facebook." There are things that happen within the family that do not need to be aired in public, said Tracey Koch, a mom of two and nurse practitioner who works with teens in Lewiston, Idaho. Chances are, your teen has sexted . "I think you are risking your child essentially shutting down if you publicly discuss punishment over social media. The postings are too easily shared, and information spreads too widely." Beth Engelman, a mom of a 9-year-old in Chicago, agrees. She also thinks parenting by crowdsourcing, which can lead to a multitude of suggestions, can be overwhelming and make parents feel less secure about their own instincts. "I think the ease in which parents can go to social media often chips away at their confidence to trust their gut," said Engelman, co-founder of the blog Mommy on a Shoestring. "The more you are reliant on others to help you make decisions, the less confident you feel making decisions on your own." Another issue, said educational psychologist, consultant and parenting coach Lori Day, is when parents rely on social media, when they should instead be talking to professionals such as a teacher, pediatrician or child psychologist. Teen 'like' and FOMO anxiety . Day notes that people may too often view the advice of some followers and friends, especially popular bloggers who have a large digital footprint, as experts, when in fact they don't have any expertise on the issues at hand. "It's not necessarily about what your credentials are because you could be one of those really wise parents that has really good advice, but sometimes the way I see it articulated, it's almost as if the person is a psychologist and they're in positions that they really don't know about and they aren't educated on, they have no work experience on, and that gets me worried," said Day, author of "Her Next Chapter," a book about mother-daughter book clubs. "That's when parents really need to be seeking out professional help." Separated at birth, reunited on Facebook . Hoefle, whose newest book "The Straight Talk on Parenting" will be released in April, encourages parents to see themselves as "the true experts in their children's lives," not their thousands of friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. "By answering just a few questions, they can begin to see clearly the strategy that will work best for their children and one that they can actually implement to get the kind of long-term sustainable change they are looking for." When do you think crowd sourced parenting is a bad way to go? Share your thoughts with Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.
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Asking for parenting advice via social networks can be harmless, but it can also be invasive, Kelly Wallace found .
Sharing disciplinary problems, emotional issues or developmental issues may be cause resentment for children .
"I believe children still have the right to some privacy about their lives," said parenting blogger Pam Moore .
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A house in chaos, a baby covered in clown make-up and her mother swallowing a sword - these are just a few of the outrageous pictures of circus performer Mackenzie Moltov and her daughter Ulee. A sword-swallower and performer with an alternative cabaret circus troupe, Mackenzie, from Philadelphia, posed for the images to deliberately provoke people who criticise her way of life. In the jaw-dropping shots Mackenzie, whose face is painted with clown make-up, breastfeeds her baby as she knocks back a glass of wine, in another shot Ulee grasps a huge knife and in the most shocking - achieved through the magic of Photoshop - Ulee is in flames on a barbecue. Mackenzie Moltov, from Philadelphia, posed for outlandish pictures including a Photoshopped image of daughter Ulee on a barbecue . The circus performer who swallows swords for a living smokes, drinks and lets her baby hold a knife in her hand in one photo . The photo project came about after Mackenzie faced a backlash from the public after continuing to swallow swords in live shows late into her pregnancy. Photographer Lori Foxworth took the pictures with Paul Cofield and Mackenzie is their regular muse. She said: 'We decided to exploit people's misconceptions of single mothers and play to their prejudices. 'Our "Bad Mommy" photo shoot is part of a larger piece of work documenting Mackenzie's journey. 'In the rest of the series we have photographed the sexy, sword swallowing, fire breathing aerialist from her days as a young performer to falling in love, getting pregnant and becoming a single parent. 'Currently, we are photographing her in abandoned and creepy amusement parks in full clown make-up and various stages of undress.' The pair, who run Black, White & Raw Photography posted the pictures on their website. They wrote: 'MacKenzie is all about breaking the rules and challenging what the perception of pregnant women and ultimately motherhood is all about. William Tell is given a grotesque re-imagining as Mackenzie poses with a gun as though to shoot the apple off Ulee's head . The outrageous sideshow performer swallows a sword while her sleepy baby looks on from her makeshift cot - a barbecue . Ulee is placed in a cooking pot with a rubber chicken and some vegetables in this surreal shot, with Mackenzie clad in pearls . 'In our latest shoot with MacKenzie entitled “Bad Mommy”, MacKenzie is joined by daughter Ulee, as she deliciously sinks into the character many of the general public perceive her to be: A self-centered, self indulgent, sex pot, interested only in drinking, partying and being fabulous, much to the dangerous neglect of her infant.' The tongue-in-cheek post continues: 'As we went about the planning of this shoot, complete with Ulee being roasted in a pan, aborted on a bathroom floor, grilled on a barbecue and choked by a strand of pearls, I asked MacKenzie “Is it bad that all I think about is various ways to kill your baby?” They also explain that the image of little Ulee in flames on the barbecue was created by digitally doctoring the shot and the message ends with the footnote: 'No clown babies were harmed in the making of these photos.' Dressed as a glammed-up housewife, Mackenzie goes to place Ulee, who like her mother is covered in clown make-up, in the oven . Mackenzie poses with a sword in her throat in these unnerving, alternative pictures. Her daughter Ulee is fast asleep next to her . The circus artist knocks back the red wine while wearing a feather-trimmed, mirror-decorated dress, with Ulee in her arms . Ulee is dressed up as a clown in full make-up and an adorable striped outfit with a pink ribbon tied around her head .
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Sword swallower Mackenzie Moltov posed for shocking pictures to challenge perceptions about single mothers .
Painted her baby Ulee's face with clown make-up and posed with her in the oven, holding a knife and on a barbecue .
Photographer Lori Foxworth said the 'Bad Mommy' pictures are part of a series on the circus performer .
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Coalinga, California (CNN) -- A California state panel on Wednesday denied parole for Sirhan B. Sirhan, saying the convicted assassin of Robert F. Kennedy hasn't demonstrated an understanding of the "magnitude" of his crimes. Commissioner Mike Prizmich of the California Board of Parole Hearings told Sirhan that he failed to meet the state's criteria for suitability for parole and added that he failed to seek self-help program and his behavoir was immature. In response, Sirhan sought to interrupt Prizmich, who admonished the inmate. Prizmich, however, said Sirhan would be eligible for parole again in five years. "At this hearing, you're interrupting me time and time again, demonstrating a lack of control and impulsitivity," Prizmich told Sirhan. Sirhan made his first appearance before a California parole board since 2000, supported by two psychologists' reports saying he no longer poses a threat to society, his attorney said. "While Sirhan Sirhan's statements at his parole hearing will likely be the source of continuing public interest due to the infamous nature of the crime, there is little he can say that is likely to sway the parole board and convince them that he deserves to be released from prison," said Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor. Weisel, who shared with CNN his prepared statement to the parole board, said he was hit by a stray bullet in the abdomen "on that terrible evening" a quarter past midnight on June 5, 1968, after Kennedy had just won the California primary in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Now 73, Weisel, of Healdsburg, California, was an ABC News associate director at the time of the shooting. "I'm advised that two reputable psychologists, one representing the state of California and the other from Harvard University, have concluded, after examining him -- Sirhan Sirhan -- that if he is granted parole, he would not be a threat to himself and others, and the community at large. If this is a fact and the board is inclined to grant him parole after him being in prison for nearly 43 years, I would not be opposed to the decision," Weisel said in a telephone interview with CNN. Dahle declined to comment on Weisel's statement or on the psychologists' reports to the parole board, but he said Weisel's scheduled appearance would mark the first time during Sirhan's imprisonment that a surviving witness voiced no objection to his possible parole -- at least since 1970. Prior to 1970, "there's no record of the proceedings and I don't know if anyone showed up," Dahle said. "It's fairly unusual. It's not common," Dahle added with respect to victims attending a parole hearing and not objecting to the prisoner being released. "We don't get many, at least in cases in Los Angeles County -- where we get victims or victims' next of kin coming to cases. It's an expensive proposition." Wednesday will mark Sirhan's 14th parole hearing. It's scheduled to be held in the Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California, which is 200 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Members of the Kennedy family and their representatives didn't return messages or e-mails seeking a comment. Sirhan's attorney, William Pepper, an international human rights attorney and a barrister with offices in New York and London, said he and Sirhan were "very grateful" for Weisel's statement. Sirhan was convicted of killing Kennedy and wounding five other people in the shooting in the kitchen pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The hotel was later razed and a public school now occupies the site. He was convicted of first-degree murder and five counts of assault with attempt to commit murder. Four of those five surviving victims are alive, including Weisel. The others are Paul Schrade, a Kennedy family friend and former UAW Union regional leader; Ira Goldstein, a former radio journalist; and Elizabeth Y. Evans, a friend of the late Pierre Salinger. A Palestinian Christian who was born in Jerusalem and whose parents brought him and his siblings to America in the 1950s, Sirhan killed Kennedy because of statements the New York senator made about the United States sending fighter jets to aid Israel, prosecutors argued during Sirhan's 1969 trial. In 1968, Senator Kennedy, who was a younger brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, is whose administration he also served as attorney general, was a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination against Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Sen. Eugene McCarthy. Kennedy was shot only minutes after a hotel ballroom speech televised live to American household, in which he claimed victory over McCarthy in the California primary. The shooting, in the hotel's kitchen pantry, was not captured by any cameras. Sirhan was the only person arrested in the shooting. Sirhan has Jordanian citizenship but never became a U.S. citizen, so if the parole board were to release him, he would be deemed an illegal immigrant and deported to Jordan, where he has extended family, his attorney said. Sirhan's younger brother, Munir, 63, continues to live in the southern California community where the Sirhan family siblings were raised, Munir Sirhan said. Sirhan Sirhan "has maintained a good relationship with his brother and he would love to live with this brother in Pasadena, but that's very unlikely because of his immigration status," Pepper said. Daniel Brown, an associate clinical professor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, has submitted a statement to the parole board after interviewing Sirhan for 60 hours over a three-year period, Pepper said. "The report is part of a sealed file, but I can say that Sirhan does not have any violent tendency that should be regarded as a threat to the community," Pepper said. Brown's report "confirms Sirhan's legitimacy of the loss of his memory," including in the pantry during the shooting and in moments of his life in the year prior to the Kennedy slaying, Pepper said. "Sirhan has at various times taken responsibility (for the Robert Kennedy assassination), but the actual fact is that he doesn't remember what happened in the pantry at all. But because everyone around there told him he did it and he had a pistol and he did fire that pistol, he came to believe that he was actually guilty," Pepper said. Sirhan shows no sign of mental illness and has demonstrated remorse for the shootings, Pepper said. Sirhan has been "free of any disciplinary rulings against him" in prison, Pepper said. "He's said no day of his life goes by where he doesn't have remorse and deep regret that this took place and the role he played in this thing," Pepper said. "He's not schizophrenic or psychotic, and he has not shown any history of violence during incarceration." Pepper said he became Sirhan's pro bono attorney in the fall of 2007 after he learned of the results of an audio analysis conducted on a sound track of the Kennedy shooting. The audio recording, made 40 feet away from the crime scene by free-lance newspaper reporter Stanislaw Pruszynski, is the only known recording of the gunshots in that June 1968 assassination. Pepper said he believes the Pruszynski recording is evidence showing that there was a second gun firing in addition to Sirhan's Iver-Johnson handgun. The tape was uncovered in 2004 by CNN's Brad Johnson, who had the recording independently examined by two audio analysts, Spence Whitehead in Atlanta, Georgia, and Philip Van Praag in Tucson, Arizona. Johnson reported on their separate findings for CNN's Backstory in June 2009. But the parole board won't hear arguments on the second-gun evidence, Pepper said. Rather, the parole panel will focus on Sirhan's suitability for parole, he said. The Pruszynski recording "clearly showed that 13 shots were fired in the pantry, and Sirhan's gun had only eight shots, so it definitely means there was a second shooter," Pepper said. But Weisel, joined by authorities who have dismissed the second-gun assertion, said he was convinced that Sirhan was a lone gunman. "I've seen so many theories after 43 years. Please -- I think you can have a conspiracy in a dictatorship and some countries, but I don't think so in a democracy or our country where there is freedom of speech," Weisel said. However, another shooting victim sees it differently than Weisel: Schrade. He is a Kennedy friend who was shot in the forehead while standing immediately behind Robert Kennedy in the pantry. In 2008, Schrade, now 86, told CNN that he believes evidence clearly shows Sirhan was not the only person who fired shots in that assassination. "We have proof that the second shooter was behind us and off to our right. Sirhan was off to the left and in front of us," Schrade told CNN anchor Adrian Finighan. Schrade declined to comment to CNN this week about Wednesday's scheduled parole hearing for Sirhan. In a 2006 interview on CNN's Larry King Live, Weisel recounted how Kennedy and he were shot. "Well, I was right behind Bobby. We were following him to go downstairs and speak to another group of people. And I was going with our cameraman down to show him where to plug in. And so we followed Bobby, and the shooting started," Weisel said. He said after Kennedy was struck three times, he was shot once in the stomach. Dahle, the deputy district attorney, said Sirhan wasn't present at his last two parole hearings, in 2003 and 2006, which Dahle attended. Pepper said he was chairman of Kennedy's citizens campaign in Westchester County, New York, during his successful 1964 bid for the U.S. Senate, and Pepper's duties included taking Kennedy's sisters and mother to political events. He said he was also a volunteer in the successful 1960 presidential campaign of Kennedy's brother, John Kennedy. In 1999, Pepper represented the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's family in a wrongful death lawsuit concerning King's April 4, 1968, murder and successfully persuaded a Memphis, Tennessee, jury to find Lloyd Jowers responsible as an accomplice in the King assassination. If Sirhan is denied parole, Pepper said he would consider appealing the matter to the courts. Sirhan was initially sentenced to death, but three years later that sentence was commuted by California courts to life imprisonment plus six months to 14 years in prison, to run concurrently.
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Sirhan Sirhan will not be eligible for parole again for five years .
Two psychologists' reports say Sirhan poses no threat to society, his attorney says .
Sirhan, 66, is serving a life sentence for the 1968 slaying of Robert Kennedy .
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By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 08:12 EST, 12 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:41 EST, 12 March 2013 . An unlucky mum was given a Mother's Day surprise she'll never forget this year after her adoring toddler waved her card with such furious excitement it nearly blinded her. Bhavna Ramji's eyelid was sliced open by two-year-old Dhruv at 6.30am on Sunday, forcing her to head to Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment. 'I was in agony. I looked like I had been punched in the face', she said, adding: 'I know it sounds funny but I could have been blinded. Accident: Bhavna Ramji with her son Dhruv, who waved her Mother's Day card enthusiastically and slashed her eye lid . Treatment: After to a pharmacy failed to help the 40-year-old was rushed to casualty at Leicester Royal Infirmary with the painful paper cut . 'As it was Mother's Day my husband, Ashok, looked after him and they both surprised me with a card and present at about 6.30am. 'Dhruv was on our bed and I opened the card and the present, which was a lovely leather wallet. 'My little boy was so excited he started waving the card about and it was then that it cut me.' It appears Bhavna is having a run of bad luck as last year she spent Mother's Day in bed after she got a two-day bout of food poisoning. She said: 'I am hoping next year is a little less eventful and I might get to enjoy being pampered.' Bad luck: Bhavna was stuck in bed last year after a bout of food poisoning spoiled that Mother's Day . After the card accident this year some cream from the local pharmacy failed to help, so the family headed to hospital at around 2pm. Bhavna said she was seen within an hour by a nurse, who gave her antibiotics and eye drops, but she is still in so she went to see an optician. When she rang work to say she was sick, her reason raised a few eyebrows. She said: 'I had to tell them that I had my eye sliced open by my two-year-old son wielding my Mother's Day card. 'They did not believe me. When they did they could not stop laughing. 'I have been signed off all week because I need to rest the eye and stop it opening and aggravating the injury. 'My husband feels bad but I am glad my son is too young to know. I would not want him to feel awful.'
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Bhavna Ramji was hurt by two-year-old Dhruv during a 6.30am surprise .
The toddler waved his card to her so furiously he slashed her eyelid .
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By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 14:53 EST, 16 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:01 EST, 16 April 2013 . It is one of Britain's most celebrated and historical monuments, built thousands of years ago by a dedicated team of workmen. With no enormous diggers and machines, the workmen all lived close to Stonehenge as they developed the site. And now, more than 4,500 years later, the huts used as temporary homes by the workmen have been reconstructed. However, there is one noticeable and rather smelly difference. Historic: The huts used as temporary homes by the workmen who built . Stonehenge are being reconstructed. It is unlikely, however, that the . workmen did not live next to a pig farm all those years ago . Ancient: The huts are replicas of those lived in 4,500 years ago by workmen who built Stonehenge . Attraction: Three of the Neolithic houses will form the focal point of the new £27million visitor centre at Stonehenge . Project: A team of 60 volunteers is currently test-building the huts in a living history project at a nearby site at Old Sarum, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . It is highly likely the workers living in the temporary homes all those years ago did not have to cope with a smelly pig farm as a neighbour. Three of the Neolithic houses which are currently being built will form the focal point of a new £27-million visitor centre at the historic attraction. A team of 60 volunteers is currently test-building the huts in a living history project at a nearby site at Old Sarum, near Salisbury, Wiltshire. As the top picture shows, it is next to an enormous pig farm. They are being modelled on the ruins of the biggest Neolithic settlement ever found in Northern Europe at Durrington Walls around two miles from Stonehenge. Impressive: The huts are being modelled on the ruins of the biggest Neolithic settlement ever found in northern Europe at Durrington Walls - around two miles from Stonehenge . Looking back: English Heritage say the huts will offer an authentic glimpse of the lifestyle and technology of the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge . Fascinating: English Heritage said the settlement found near Stonehenge was probably a large temporary 'construction camp' for the monument . Ancient: The three huts will be built at the Stonehenge visitor centre around 1.5 miles to the west of the monument early next year . The prehistoric monument of Stonehenge is one of the most famous sites in the world. The circular earth bank and ditch which surrounds the site is believed to be the earliest part of the monument, dating back to about 3100BC. Evidence found by archeologists indicated that Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. Cremated human remains have been found on the site. The site has always been a place of religious significance, particularly by Neo-druids. There are many conspiracy theories and mysteries surrounding Stonehenge. This includes that the monument was constructed by the wizard Merlin. Historically, many believed that the rocks at Stonehenge were healing rocks, brought from Africa by Giants. English Heritage said the site was probably a large temporary 'construction camp' for the monument. The . extremely rare remains of ten houses were excavated between 2006-7, . revealing the size and layout of the floors and the stakeholes where the . walls once stood. Radiocarbon . tests dated the buildings from around the same time that the sarsen . stones were being put up at Stonehenge, about 2,500 BC. But the appearance of the houses . above ground is unknown and the project is testing different structures . and materials - stone, straw, wood and dung - on the prototypes. Once the best materials have been . found three similar huts will be built at the Stonehenge visitor centre . around 1.5 miles to the west of the monument early next year. English . Heritage says they will offer an authentic glimpse of the lifestyle and . technology of the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge. Working hard: Gareth Heathcote and Janey Green lay straw onto a neolithic hut roof at Old Sarum . Ambitious: Volunteers started building the prototypes at Old Sarum in early March and expect to finish the experiment in May . Experience: Those behind the project say the huts will bring visitors as close as they can to appreciate what life was like for the individuals who built Stonehenge . Bold: This shows a computer generated image of the outdoor gallery of the new Stonehenge visitor centre . Susan . Greaney, senior properties historian, said: 'The stunning discovery . made at Durrington presents us with a tantalising opportunity to do . something special at the new visitor centre. 'The . reconstructed houses will be an immediate and sensory link to the . distant past, and will bring visitors as close as they can to appreciate . what life was like for the extraordinary individuals who built . Stonehenge. 'We have lots of evidence to inform this reconstruction, but there is also a lot of educated guess work. 'Building the prototypes will enable . us to test things such as the roofing structure, roofing materials and . various construction techniques, and learn more about late Neolithic . people, their tools and technology, ideas of comfort and privacy and . social organisation, among other things.' Monument: The three huts being built are similar to those which were used to house workers who built the famous Stonehenge . Tough job: A volunteer works on a wall at one of the neolithic house recreations . Proud: Luke Winter and Susan Greaney, who are organising the neolithic house recreation at Old Sarum, are pictured . Protection: A volunteer lays straw onto a neolithic hut roof at Old Sarum . Volunteers started building the prototypes at Old Sarum in early March and expect to finish the experiment in May. The visitor centre, due to be opened . at the end of this year, is being financed almost entirely by Heritage . Lottery Fund money, English Heritage commercial income and donations . from generous benefactors. The . existing outdated facilities will be demolished and the car park will . be grassed over and replaced by a small, security 'hub' tucked into the . landscape. Find: This image shows the excavations of neolithic hut floors at Durrington Walls . Discovery: The neolithic house recreations at Old Sarum are based on this excavation . Experiment: Volunteers say building the prototypes will enable them to test things such as the roofing structure and roofing materials .
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Huts are modelled on ruins of .
huge Neolithic settlement near Stonehenge .
Site believed to be a large 'construction camp' for the monument .
Now three Neolithic houses are being built by volunteers .
They will be focal point of new £27-million .
visitor centre at Stonehenge .
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An alleged prostitute has been accused of conning a married businessman out of $4,500 by threatening to show his wife incriminating text messages . Satirhea Goncalves was also alleged to have said she would reveal the man's seedy messages to his boss if he did not meet her demands, according to court documents. The 34-year-old was arrested and charged with extortion after the embarrassed victim contacted police. The victim was said to have met the 34-year-old after he responding to an advert on Backpage.com for a 'sexy naughty model,' according to papers lodged by prosecutors at the King County Courthouse . Satirhea Goncalves, 34, was alleged to have targeted the businessman after he responded to an advert for a sex worker . An hour after their first $600 liaison detectives said the businessman received his first demand for money. Court papers alleged the unnamed victim was then bombarded with calls and text messages threatening to expose his seedy behaviour. 'This disclosure to his employer would be the end of his successful career as well as the reputation of the company that he has built,' the detective told the court reported Seattle PI. The woman had allegedly extorted $4,500 from the victim before she was arrested . 'He 'believed that the disclosure to his wife would result in an incredible pain and probable destruction of his family.' Court papers say that the victim was also contacted by a someone posing as a Seattle Times reporter and asking about his use of escorts to get money out of him, according to Seattle PI. As well as handing over $4,500 in cash the man was also said to have sent Goncalves a laptop computer before he contacted police. Goncalves was arrested after she thought she was meeting the man's attorney to receive $6,000 in exchange for signing papers to end her demands. In court documents the defendant was said to have blamed the extortion on her pimp. The man denied the claims. Goncalves is currently in jail on $20,000 bail, according to Seattle PI.
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Alleged prostitute Satirhea Goncalves arrested and charged with extortion .
Businessman met woman in Seattle hotel after responding to a web advert .
Accused of conning him out of $4,500 by threatening to expose him .
Goncalves is currently in jail after bail set a $20,000 .
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05979f8be27f18883beb6822720ac64fc743d06a
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By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 05:51 EST, 3 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:37 EST, 3 July 2013 . A British couple who moved to India to open a hospital have been devastated by the kidnap and murder of their son, allegedly by one of their employees. Ishan Rawal, eight, disappeared during the opening ceremony of his parent’s new clinic in Indore, Madhya Pradesh state. Doctors Nikita and Arvind Rawal, from Beverly, East Yorkshire, discovered that their son was missing on the day their dream was set to come true. Devastating: Ishan, pictured far right with his parents Drs Arvind and Nikita Rawal and brother Rusheek, was found murdered the day his parents opened their hospital in his new home country . Ishan's body was discovered in woodland a few miles away from the hospital after a man who works for the Rawals admitted to kidnapping and strangling the boy. However . the Rawals, who previously worked at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle . Hill Hospital, believe there is more to their son’s death. The family believe it may be the work of . more than one killer, orchestrated by their enemies in an attempt to . halt their work and force them to move back to Britain. They are desperate to bring their son’s killer(s) to justice and are calling on the British Government for help. Mrs . Rawal, 42, who moved to India with her husband and two sons Ishan and . Rusheek a year ago, said: ‘How can someone do such a thing? ‘He was such a talented boy - he played tennis and was getting on very well at school. ‘We are missing a very big part of our lives that we will never get back.’ Tragedy: Brit Ishan Rawal, eight, was kidnapped form the opening ceremony of his parents hospital in Indore, central India, pictured, and found strangled after his parents employee admitted the crime . It was Ishan’s brother who discovered . that the boy had gone missing during the inauguration ceremony at Royal . Shanti Hospital in Indore, the capital of the central India state. Mr Rawal, 43, said: ‘We spent an hour looking all over the hospital. ‘There were people everywhere so it was very hectic and when we couldn't find him, we reported it to the police. ‘We had our suspicions that he had been kidnapped.’ Shaan . Das, who worked as a servant at the Rawals’ house, had been seen . driving from the ceremony with Ishan on his motorbike, but returned . without him. When Mr Rawal . and police questioned Mr Das, he initially denied knowing where the boy . was but then said he had ‘taken him for a bike ride and left him . somewhere,’ Ishan’s mother Nikita said. Das knew both boys well and had often helped them download games to play on their computer. New project: Royal Shanti hospital's Facebook page where Mr and Mrs Rawal advertised for staff ahead of the opening last month . Mr Das, has admitted to killing Ishan 'because he was annoyed with the behaviour by Mr and Mrs Rawal,' the Daily Bhaskar reports. The paper alleged that Mr Das was 'quite annoyed' when Mrs Rawal refused to give him job in the hospital. However, . The Rawals refuse to believe their son was murdered over a job dispute . and is setting up a campaign to bring the killer to justice. Nikita said: ‘In March, it was decided he wouldn't work for the hospital. ‘But . he already had a job so he wasn't unemployed and it was months ago. We've requested an inquiry into what happened - it was so well planned, . we know there is more to it.’ Mr Rawal says the Indian police are . satisfied with the arrest of Das as the prime suspect and are not . concerned about looking for anyone else in connection with Ishan's . murder. Broken dreams: Drs Rawal moved to Indore, pictured, from East Yorkshire with their two sons a year ago to open the hospital . The family have now invited the British High Commission to meet authorities in Delhi in an attempt to widen the murder investigation. He said: ‘We'd like our friends in East Yorkshire to help us and campaign for a proper enquiry. ‘We need justice for our son.' On his Facebook page Mr Rawal has written a tribute to his son, asking for friends and family to aid them in their quest for justice. 'By now you would have heard the tragic news that our son Ishan has been murdered. This happened on the inauguration day of our new hospital Royal Shanti Healthcare. 'We are thankful to you all for the support you have given to us in this difficult time. 'As Ishan was a British Citizen we have requested help from the British government. 'We request you all to help to get justice for our son so that this ghastly act is never repeated.' The family are urging people to email the British High Commission in New Dehli at web.newdelhi@fco.gov.uk to support their quest for answers.
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Ishan Rawal, eight, was kidnapped and found strangled in Indore, India .
His doctor parents had moved from East Yorkshire to open up a hospital .
Ishan disappeared during the opening ceremony of his parents' clinic .
An employee of the Rawals has admitted to the kidnap and murder of Ishan .
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059871b4559ca0a3938f354adb02b3a247cba072
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Gunfire echoes across the desert plain as a Kurdish army commander, crouched on a dusty ridge, takes his finger off his AK-47 trigger and lifts his binoculars. ‘They’re definitely getting closer,’ announces Shehab Ahmed Hamed a few moments later in a theatrical whisper. By ‘they’ he meant the Islamic State militants fighting Kurdish armed forces, or Peshmerga, only a mile and a half away in the village of Shovepelke. Thankfully we could only hear their guns, not see them, though that was scant comfort. ‘We need your British warplanes more than ever now,’ said Shehab after a long sigh. Scroll down for video . Thin line of defence: Fighters beneath the Kurdish flag near Makhmour . We didn’t know it at the time – it was late yesterday morning – but as he spoke two RAF Tornadoes carrying laser-guided bombs were already flying over Northern Iraq, prepared to strike at IS targets. Here in northern Iraq, on the frontline in the battle against IS, British assistance – any assistance from above, in fact – would indeed be most welcome. Behind us, at the foot of the Karajokh mountains, the fearful Kurdish town of Makhmour shimmered in the distance. Its people feel trapped, surrounded – and very scared. Makhmour fell to the Islamists a month ago, only to be reclaimed by the Peshmerga a few days later. But there are increasing concerns that without the support of coalition jets, it may fall again soon. ‘Please tell David Cameron that IS are all around us,’ says 22-year-old Marwa Fazil, who returned home yesterday after fleeing in terror last month with her children, aged two and three. Her husband stayed to fight with the Peshmerga. There was, she recalls, ‘a sick feeling of dread in my stomach’ when the ominous black flags of IS were raised across the town, when its terrorists swept from house to house, pillaging and killing and burning down shops. Bullet holes scar the walls of buildings, broken glass still carpets the pavements. ‘It keeps returning, that feeling. I don’t know how long it will be safe here,’ says Marwa. ‘We all fear them coming back and I am terrified something will happen to my children.’ Enemy camp: Image from an IS video said to show recruits preparing for jihad . All over the town, David Cameron’s name is invoked with an almost strange frequency by both young and old. They whooped with joy, they said, when the Commons voted in favour of air strikes. ‘We keep a close eye on what goes on in UK,’ explained Shehab later, a patterned scarf hung around his waist in traditional Kurdish fashion. ‘We have to. What is decided in your country can make the difference between life and death here.’ As if suddenly embarrassed by this melodramatic flourish, he quickly laughed. ‘Of course, we know the names of Manchester United’s new signings too.’ Makhmour, with a population of around 6,000, is 30 miles from the city of Erbil, the oil-rich capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, which IS has coveted for months. Buoyed by the capture of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, the jihadists managed to reach Erbil’s margins in the summer, but were repelled. ‘They want to take Makhmour again because it is the last place before Erbil,’ said another Peshmerga fighter, Idres Salem Muamed. ‘It is strategically important to them.’ Directly opposite the cafe in the centre of the town, where Idres sat drinking tea with other Peshmerga soldiers yesterday morning, were the burnt remains of an electrical goods store. ‘They [Islamic State] did this when they were here; they burnt down a lot of our houses and shops,’ said Idres. ‘Near here they killed a child, a boy, who was fleeing with his mother and father. We knew they were coming. We could see the black flags flying from their cars. We evacuated all the women and children – most went to the mountains – but there was not enough Peshmerga to fight back. Strong holds: The green lines show the increasing hold IS has over the region . ‘So we had to retreat and regroup and then we came back after a few days in greater numbers – 600 of us in all from all over the region. The Islamists soon took flight.’ It is only now that the women and children are beginning to drift back and many, like Marwa, already wish they hadn’t. In their absence the men of the town, ranging in age from 17 to 70, took up arms. Few had any military experience. They are a volunteer army ready to fight alongside the Peshmerga. Three miles away the front line is formed of mounds of earth. At the point where Shehab watched and waited yesterday, there was a cluster of tents, some plastic chairs and the Kurdish flag atop a pole that kept threatening to keel over. In all, it isn’t much of a bulwark against marauding terrorists. ‘But it’s the best we’ve got at the moment’, said Shehab. Alternately peering through his binoculars and aiming his gun, Shehab said fighting was raging ‘beyond the clump of trees in the far distance’. He added: ‘This morning the IS took control of Shovepelka and another settlement, Hoshtralok, which is nearby. But the Peshmerga has now moved in and there is fighting from close quarters. It has been going on since nine o’clock this morning.’ 'It is vital that Britain get involved because it gives legitimacy to our war. It means it is not just the US and a few others, but Europe to' As well as help from above, the soldiers beseech the UK to ‘send us weapons’. In Makhmour, at least, they possess only archaic rifles and ‘not enough semi-automatics’. In comparison, the IS terrorists’ arsenal is sophisticated, much of it the latest hardware from the United States. At the Peshmerga’s regional HQ, a few miles down the dusty desert road to Erbil, it is this subject that senior commander Najdt Ali Salin is constantly turning over in his mind. ‘Air strikes alone are not enough,’ he said. ‘We don’t need soldiers from Britain and America but we do need some of the marvellous weapons you have in the UK. ‘The air strikes have helped us a great deal, allowed us to recapture lost land, towns and villages. We need more, though, to strengthen our positions around Makhmour and push them [IS] further back. ‘It is vital that Britain gets involved because it gives legitimacy to our war. It means it is not just the US and a few others, but Europe too. ‘But more sophisticated weapons, are essential if we are to win this war. I do not wish to be ungrateful, I was delighted to hear the news about your Parliament’s vote.’ Elsewhere in the HQ, which was occupied briefly by IS, a less senior soldier boasted about recent successes. ‘We have killed 47 IS militants in villages around here in the past week, ‘ he said as he flourished his mobile phone, full of pictures of dead bodies. Back at the front line, Shahab had tilted his binoculars upwards and was scanning the skies. There was still no news about Britain’s Tornados – which did not, in fact, strike at IS targets yesterday. ‘They may be further north around Mosul,’ he said. ‘Never mind. Perhaps next time for us.’
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In Iraq they 'whooped with joy' that the Commons backed air strikes .
And said British involvement gives 'legitimacy to our war'
But locals also wanted to be supplied with the UK's 'marvellous weapons'
As IS .
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0598bd17bace9b9648da2fc8599ff438322a568d
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Rome (CNN) -- Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said Wednesday that his country will adopt a series of austerity measures promised to the European Union, as officials try to allay investor fears and head off a eurozone debt crisis. Silvio Berlusconi, the embattled Italian premier who has offered his resignation, is expected to step down shortly after the measures are approved. After the Italian Parliament passes reforms meant to address the country's long-term fiscal health and its broader effect on global markets, either an interim government will be formed or elections called, the president said. Italian authorities say that if officials opt for elections, they would take place in January and likely result in a new government by February, at the earliest. The prime minister would typically remain in office until a transition takes place, though mounting market fears have raised questions about whether lawmakers might take swifter action. Investor confidence plummeted Wednesday when the yield on 10-year Italian government bonds rose above 7%, the level at which other European countries -- including Greece, Portugal and Ireland -- have sought international bailouts. The bond yields -- which represent the level of risk of lending Italy money -- surged to their highest levels since the euro was launched in 1999. The move, analysts say, could suggest that Italy may need more than a change in leadership to address investor concerns. But Italian lawmakers, for their part, could approve the new austerity measures as early as Saturday, officials say, compelling Berlusconi to resign shortly thereafter. The heart of the measures, said Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti, would increase the pension age by two years to 67 in 2026, sell state property, invest in infrastructure and liberalize portions of the Italian economy, privatizing some state-owned businesses. The moves are meant to address the country's soaring €1.9 trillion debt load, which is nearly six times that of Greece. As attention focused on Italy, the head of the International Monetary Fund painted a stark picture of the challenges facing the world's economic stability. "The global economy has entered a dangerous and uncertain phase," Christine Lagarde said in remarks prepared for delivery at the International Finance Forum in Beijing. "If we do not act, and act together, we could enter a downward spiral of uncertainty, financial instability and a collapse in global demand. Ultimately, we could face a lost decade of low growth and high unemployment," she said. Although she made no specific mention of Italy in the prepared remarks, Lagarde spoke as even more bad news came from Rome. Italy has been under pressure from investors and its trading partners to get its fiscal house in order. The nation has debts equal to about 120% of its overall output and an economy that has been stagnant for years. U.S. stocks, meanwhile, sold off sharply after Italy's bond yield spiked, with The Dow Jones industrial average tumbling 3%. European markets also sold off and the euro slumped nearly 2% against the U.S. dollar. On Tuesday, Berlusconi won a parliamentary vote approving a new budget that includes austerity measures sought by international lenders, but lost his majority in parliament. Berlusconi later said he would resign, and on Wednesday his spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, said Berlusconi would not run in the country's next parliamentary elections. In recent weeks, international concern has focused increasingly on Italy, the third-largest economy in the eurozone, as analysts have worried that the financial crisis centered in Greece could spread. At a meeting Wednesday of the European Parliament in Belgium, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg described the pace at which the bad news has been accumulating. "I cannot remember a time when events in Europe moved so swiftly. Many hoped that, by now, we would no longer be lurching from one headline to the next. But the focus has shifted from Athens to Rome, and it is clear that much still needs to be done to ensure stability in the eurozone," he said. "Today I do not intend to provide further commentary on these specific events. For one thing, it would probably be out of date by the time I sat down," he added. "Europe is suffering from a crisis of competitiveness," Clegg said, issuing a challenge to EU nations. "The choice is stark: Reform or wither. Reform now or regret it forever." For now, analysts are keeping their focus largely on Italy. Although the country is solvent, it holds a huge debt pile, and investors fear it may not be able to sustain that level of borrowing. Italy is the world's eighth-largest economy. A meltdown would send shock waves through the global economy. Analysts say the problem is a lack of investor confidence, rather than solvency, which is plaguing debt-laden eurozone neighbors like Greece. "This is a crisis of confidence, not of fundamentals," said Mark McCormick, currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman. "Italy's debt level is sustainable, but it needs to implement policies that will support economic growth." Though the timing of Berlusconi's resignation is unclear, news of his imminent departure signaled the end of an era in Italian politics. The 75-year-old business tycoon has been a dominant force since forming his Forza Italia party in 1994. He has weathered many crises, including sex scandals and corruption trials, in his three terms in office. But the loss of his parliamentary majority -- and with it his ability to command the government -- was a blow from which Berlusconi could not recover. A senate budget commission is soon expected to vote on the measure. Berlusconi told Italian newspaper La Stampa that his decision gives him freedom. "I will not put myself up for elections," he told the newspaper. "Actually, I feel liberated. Now it is time for Alfano. He will be our premier candidate. He is extremely good, much better than one can expect, and his leadership has been accepted by all." Berlusconi was referring to former Justice Minister Angelino Alfano, who has been known as his hand-picked successor. But others are expected to seek to replace Berlusconi. Names being floated include political figures such as Gianni Letta, Berlusconi's chief of staff, and Mario Monti, a former commissioner with the European Union. President Napolitano announced Wednesday that he had nominated Monti as "senator for life," a title bestowed on those who have held distinguished roles, raising speculation about his candidacy. A Yale-trained economist and professor at Milan's Bocconi University, Monti has also worked as an international adviser to the investment firm Goldman Sachs. Dubbed "Super Mario" for his work in international finance, the former EU commissioner gained notoriety for his role in blocking a merger between U.S. firms Honeywell International and General Electric, thought to be a move that highlighted Europe's newfound regulatory clout. Other business figures such as Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of Ferrari, and Alessandro Profumo, former CEO of Italy's largest bank, UniCredit, are also considered candidates. CNN's James Partington, Hada Messia, Josh Levs, Pete Wilkinson, Nick Thompson, Laura Smith-Spark and Nina Dos Santos contributed to this report.
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Either an interim government will be formed or elections will be called .
Italian bond yields pass a dangerous threshold .
Italy's Finance Minister details austerity measures .
Italy has a €1.9 trillion debt load .
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Once a thriving hub of industry, the textile mill now stands abandoned but still home to hundreds of colour coordinated yarns. The looms have stood unused for decades and the mill’s machinery is rusting away. These images were taken by photographer Dan Circa, 29, after he was intrigued by the mill, located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, Wales. Scroll down for video. Inside the old mill, located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, where hundreds of coloured yarns remain . Disused since 1980, the mill has been untouched and boxes of yarn lay abandoned on the floor of the buildiing located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, in Wales . The door hangs off the old mill in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, and weeds abound in the grounds. The roof has been blown away allowing woodland creatures to make their homes inside . Elizabeth and John Hughes outside the old mill, located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, Wales which they owned and ran from the 1950s . ‘The amount of machinery and objects left behind is just something you don’t see every day,’ says Mr Circa, of Manchester. ‘It’s the kind of stuff you would expect to see in a museum. ‘I was amazed that all the shelves were all stacked neatly and orderly. ‘It was shocking to see that the history was not being preserved, everything was just sitting there.’ Cotton yarns stored in boxes ready for use and then left to their fate. From old documentation found at the mills it appears that the business closed in November 1980, and has remained unused ever since . An envelope from Shermans Pools of Cardiff. Sherman's was one of the biggest employers in the city - the firm's founder Harry, one of the most generous philanthropists . The abandoned Lerry Mills is situated at the confluence of the Ceulan and Lerry rivers. The water from the Lerry River was diverted to the mill’s two water wheels to power its machinery. It produced tweed for suit making using both water wheels from the river and employees to power the spinning machinery. Inside the old mill, located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, in Wales. The looms have stood unused for decades and the mill's machinery now rusts away . Coffee break: A rusty tin of Lyons coffee and another can aged by the elements. No doubt used by the mill workers during their all too brief breaks . A copy of a fading newspaper lays abandoned on the floor of the mill recounts the tale of a British girl whose lover was swept overboard . Lunds of Bingley who made the reeds and shafts for the loom are still in business although they have moved from the West Yorkshire town and relocated in a West Yorkshire city Bradford . Each yarn was given an identification number so the weavers would know which to use in the abandoned Lerry Mills, which is situated at the confluence of the Ceulan and Lerry rivers . From old documentation found at the mills it appears that the business closed in November 1980, and has remained unused ever since. ‘When people see these photographs they feel pure amazement and shock,’ said Mr Circa. ‘It’s hard to believe that the building would have once been full of employees hard at work.’ Textile mills were one of the first places to use child labour during the Industrial Revolution. Cobwebs cover these abandoned yarns in the abandoned Lerry Mills. These pictures were taken by Dan Circa, 29, after he was intrigued by the mill, located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, Wales . There's an old mill by the stream... The abandoned Lerry Mills is situated at the confluence of the Ceulan and Lerry rivers. The water from the Lerry River was diverted to the mill's two water wheels to power its machinery . Odd one out: A red yarn has somehow ended up among the green ones. Photographer Mr Circa said: 'It's the kind of stuff you would expect to see in a museum' The mill's machinery now rusts away, open to the wind and the rain. The abandoned Lerry Mills is situated at the confluence of the Ceulan and Lerry rivers. The water from the Lerry River was diverted to the mill's two water wheels to power its machinery . George Hodgson of Bradford manufactured these patented looms which were powered by the workers and the water from a local river diverted to the mill . The mill stockroom at located in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, Wales: the materials for weaving were kept to hand and sorted by fabric and colour .
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Mill was abandoned in November 1980 and no one has worked there since .
Lerry Mills is situated at the confluence of the Ceulan and Lerry rivers in Tal-y-bont, near Aberystwyth, Wales .
Produced tweed for making suits and other fine garments with world-renowned machinery .
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Nigel Farage met Rupert Murdoch in his New York offices after filming interviews for some of the mogul's news channels, it has been revealed. The Ukip leader was summoned to Murdoch's NewsCorp Manhattan office after taping a segment for Fox News's Sean Hannity and Neil Cavuto shows. During an advertisement break, Cavuto turned to Farage and said: 'Sir, the boss wants to see you... the big boss,' it was reported. Scroll down for video . Nigel Farage, pictured in Edinburgh today, had a 'private conversation' with Rupert Murdoch after being called up to the media mogul's Manhattan office . Mr Murdoch's publications have been known to heavily endorse political parties, with the front page of The Sun condemning candidates such as Labour's Neil Kinnock in the 1992 General Election with a headline of: 'If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.' Breitbart London reports the leader was whisked upstairs for 'lengthy' talks following the brief exchange. The meeting comes after Douglas Carswell announced his leaving the Tories for UKIP, triggering a by-election in Clacton where he may become the first elected Ukip MP. A Ukip spokesman confirmed the encounter, describing it as a 'private conversation' between the two,'The Independent reports. In 2013 the outspoken party leader praised Mr Murdoch - whose many publications were heavily scrutinised in the wake of the phone hacking scandal - as a 'remarkable bloke' after being invited to his home for dinner. Rupert Murdoch's publications have famously endorsed and condemned political parties in the past . Earlier this week pro-union campaigners begged Farage to stay away from Scotland ahead of the impending referendum. Plans for a rally on September 12 - six days before the historic vote - were met frostily by some who fear his presence in Glasgow will deter Labour enthusiasts from voting against Scottish independence. Last night, Murdo Fraser, a Tory member of the Scottish Parliament, said: ‘I think it would be best if Nigel Farage stayed as far away from Scotland as possible. 'The arguments for staying in the UK are strong. The majority of Scots are on our side and we don’t need a distraction at this point.’ But Ukip’s Scottish chairman, Arthur Thackeray, dismissed calls for Mr Farage to stay away as ‘absolute, complete and utter nonsense’. He said: ‘We are a mainstream party and Nigel as our leader is coming up in support of a No vote.’
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Ukip leader ushered to media mogul's office while taping interviews .
Party spokesman confirmed the meeting as a 'private conversation'
Farage taped segments for two shows on Murdoch-owned channel Fox .
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Jose Mourinho revealed the cost of reaching Wembley was a trio of injuries to Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and match-winner Branislav Ivanovic. Fabregas faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday's Premier League showdown against Manchester City after limping off in Chelsea's Capital Cup semi-final win over Liverpool. The midfielder collided with Blues team-mate John Terry at the beginning of the second half at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night and was unable to continue. Cesc Fabregas heads straight down the tunnel after limping off against Liverpool on Tuesday night . Fabregas collided with Chelsea team-mate John Terry early in the second half at Stamford Bridge . Terry accidentally clattered into the Spaniard in the 50th minute of the Capital Cup clash . Fabregas was replaced by Ramires in the 50th minute and headed straight down the tunnel to receive treatment on a hamstring problem. Luis (calf) was also withdrawn late on, while goalscorer Ivanovic suffered a cut foot. 'Branislav was able to continue but the others weren't,' said Mourinho. 'Filipe Luis came off with a calf problem and Fabregas reported a tight hamstring. Fabregas said he wasn't yet injured but that he would be soon if he continued. 'I don't want to think about fatigue. If we played two hours and lost I would be more worried. They are happy and when you are happy you can cope with fatigue. But obviously we played for two hours and we have to play on Saturday against City, who didn't.' Fabregas hobbled off and was replaced by Ramires .
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Cesc Fabregas was forced out of Chelsea's semi-final against Liverpool .
Spanish midfielder headed straight down the tunnel to receive treatment .
Fabregas faces a race against time to be fit for Manchester City showdown .
Filipe Luis and Branislav Ivanovic also picked up injury problems .
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Rangers shareholder Mike Ashley has made a move to oust directors Graham Wallace and Philip Nash from the Ibrox board. Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United, upped his stake in the Scottish Championship club six days ago, increasing his stake in the Glasgow giants to 8.9 per cent. Now the Sports Direct owner - widely rumoured to be plotting a push for more control - has called for an emergency general meeting. Mike Ashley has increased his stake in Rangers to 8.92 per cent the Glasgow club . The current Rangers board have said they will fight to save Wallace and Nash's positions in a statement to the London Stock Exchange statement, saying: 'The company announces that it has received a notice from Mike Ashley. 'The notice states that MASH holds 4,265,000 Ordinary Shares of 1p each in the Company amounting to five per cent of the voting rights of the Company. 'MASH requires the company to call a general meeting of the shareholders of the company and to put certain resolutions to shareholders for inclusion in the business at such a general meeting of the company. 'The notice puts forward resolutions for the removal of Graham Wallace and Philip Nash as directors of the company. The company is currently verifying that the notice is properly constituted. 'If valid, the board intends to seek to have such notice withdrawn in order to avoid the cost and disruption of an ad hoc general meeting particularly given the company's forthcoming annual generl meeting, further details of which will be announced in due course. 'The board is united in its support of the executive team. If the notice is valid and is not withdrawn, the directors intend to recommend that shareholders vote against the proposed resolutions. A further announcement will be made shortly.' Wallace, the club's chief executive, has recently held a series of meetings with Paul Murray and George Letham, allies of former director Dave King. Rangers shareholder Ashley has made a move to oust directors Graham Wallace (centre) and Philip Nash . King has offered to invest up to £30m in the club in the past and is now investigating ways to grab control without rewarding the current directors he blames for the club's malaise. A new share issue has been a stated aim of the board as it seeks to raise funds before another cash shortfall arrives at the end of the year. That could allow King to make a substantial investment and seize control, but any such move would obviously weaken the existing powerbase at the club. Ashley already has strong commercial interests at Rangers through retail contracts with Sports Direct. He also owns, but is yet to activate, the naming rights to Ibrox – reportedly purchased for £1 from former chief executive Charles Green. Ashley’s latest move raises questions as to whether he wants to prevent the board agreeing a deal with King and instead steer them down a different financing route. Wallace and Nash are viewed as being in favour of the option provided by South African-based businessman. Ashley is currently limited to a Rangers stake of under 10 per cent through an agreement with the SFA, as part of their rules on dual ownership, but it is thought he held unsuccessful talks with the club about a loan prior to last month’s stop-gap share offer that raised £3.13 million. Rangers currently sit second in the Scottish Championship, six points behind Hearts . Ashley did not invest in that process but instead waited to increase his stake by buying shares from fund managers Hargreave Hale - a move which meant his money did not go towards aiding the perilous financial position at Ibrox. The sportswear tycoon will need the backing of more than 50 per cent of shareholders if his bid to remove Wallace and Nash is to be successful. Sandy Easdale, chairman of the football board at Rangers, has yet to make any comment about the EGM request but has previously publically stated his support for further involvement by Ashley at Ibrox. Easdale currently holds voting rights over a shareholding block of around 26 per cent. Should that group all be in favour of axing Wallace and Nash then it would still leave Ashley seeking another 15 per cent. Laxey Partners are the club’s largest single largest shareholder with just over 16 per cent and have their own representative on the board in Norman Crighton. The Stock Exchange statement insisted the board was ‘united’ in backing Wallace and Nash. However, with various other shareholder factions now assessing their options, Ashley has fired the first shot in a battle that could prove pivotal to the future direction of Rangers.
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Mike Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United, upped his stake in the Scottish Championship club to 8.9 per cent last week .
Now the Sports Direct owner has called for an emergency meeting .
Rangers are second in the Championship, six points behind Hearts .
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(CNN) -- Facing a stopover of a few hours in Zurich? Don't waste it in the airport lounge. Check in your suitcase, and zip into the city for a brief encounter with a European cultural capital set amidst idyllic natural surroundings. Getting around . Zurich airport, voted the world's seventh best in the recent World Airport Awards, is a mere 10-minute train ride from the city center, with trains leaving about every 10 minutes. You can safely venture into the city without fear of missing your connection -- this being Switzerland, the trains run like clockwork. The Swiss are among the world's biggest users of trains, second only to the Japanese, and insist on rail services that are reliably punctual. Zurich's hyper-efficient Glattalbahn tram network is also invaluable for the time-pressed traveler. The number 10 service runs every seven to 15 minutes and connects Zurich Airport with the city's centrally located main railway station. Situated at the northern tip of Lake Zurich, with a view of the Alps in the distance, Switzerland's largest city has a rich history as a center of European high culture. With a heritage stretching back to Roman times, it is home to grand historic buildings and more than 50 museums, meaning travelers will find plenty to occupy themselves with. See also: Higher air fares, more mergers? None of it comes cheaply though: Zurich recently overtook Tokyo to become the world's most expensive city, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. To mitigate those expenses, even those on a flying visit will likely find it worthwhile buying a ZurichCARD, which can be bought at the service center at the airport or the railway station. The card, which costs 20 CHF ($21.60) for a 24-hour option, offers free travel on the city's comprehensive public transport network of trains, trams, buses and boats, free admission to museums, and significant discounts on guided tours and other attractions. Given that the return train fare from the airport to the city center is 12.80 CHF ($13.80), and the entry to the Kunsthaus, the city's modern art museum, is 15 CHF ($16.20), even if you only have time for one activity, the card will more than likely pay for itself. City tours . Zurich Tourism advises taking a guided tour of the city, which can be booked through its website. Tours of the postcard scenes of the city's historic Aldstadt, or Old Town, take two hours and run every day, while other tours visit key sites that give an insight into the city's history -- the rise of guilds in the 14th century, or how the city became a stronghold of the Reformation. Another option visits Zurich West, the city's former industrial district between the Limmat River and the railway, which is now a hip, grungy home of designer retailers and eateries. But if you prefer to go at your pace, most of the city's attractions are concentrated in the Old Town, around the river and lakefront, with the rest easily accessed on Zurich's celebrated public transport network, the world's densest. See also: Singapore stopover: Make the most of your travel time . Sights . For a culture fix, head to the Kunsthaus, Switzerland's most significant art collection, representing the important periods of European art from the Middle Ages. Just a few minutes walk away, toward the banks of the Limmat River, is the Grossmunster, a Romanesque-style protestant church that is one of the city's three great churches. Climb the tower for a great view of the city. Five minutes walk across the Limmat is one of the city's other major churches, the Fraumunster, featuring stained glass windows by celebrated Russian artist Marc Chagall. Behind the Fraumunster runs the Bahnhofstrasse, a mile-long shopping street that is one of the world's most exclusive (and expensive). If you have a few hours to spare before your flight, and feel like a bracing trip on the water, the ZurichCARD also allows for free travel on the boats plying Lake Zurich. Boat cruises on 90-minute round trips depart from the Lake Zurich Navigation Company's depot on the waterfront at Burkliplatz, about five minutes walk from the Fraumunster. Fast food . Sightseeing can work up a hunger and some of the city's most distinctive dining experiences are to be had in the Old Town, housed in halls that were formerly home to the guilds that wielded power in the city. But on a tight time frame, it might make more sense to grab something on the go. Follow the crowds to the Sternengrill -- a mobile bratwurst vendor that is a city institution. Other Swiss specialties include soft, baguette-like pretzels loaded with savory fillings -- available city-wide from pretzel chain Brezelkönig -- and fresh-cooked crepes smeared in apple sauce, which you can pick up from countless roadside vendors. Sated on street snacks and sightseeing, head back to the train station and make the short ride back to the airport content in the knowledge you've done something more stimulating during your stopover than check your email.
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Zurich airport's proximity to the city and good rail link make a city visit essential on a stopover .
It's a 10-minute trip from the airport to the town center, and trains are reliably punctual .
Situated on a lake, the city has great scenery and extensive art offerings .
It was recently voted the world's most expensive city, so look at buying a discount card .
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This chilling CCTV footage shows a jilted lover stalking his ex-fiancée and her new boyfriend moments before slashing their throats because she had refused to marry him. Bharat Soma, 26, knifed 17-year-old Darshana Narotam and Prashant Govinde, 22, in broad daylight after Ms Narotam 'dishonoured him' by fleeing from their arranged marriage. Ms Narotam and Mr Govinde had left their homes in Wembley, London nine days earlier so the teenager did not have to go through with the forced marriage. But Soma managed to track the couple down in Leicester, where he carried out the so-called 'honour' attack in front of horrified shoppers on a Sunday afternoon. Scroll down for video . The footage shows Darshana Narotam, 17, her new boyfriend Prashant Govinde, 22 and another 15-year-old victim walking through Leicester, moments before they were attacked in an attempted so-called honour killing . Ms Narotam's jilted lover Bharat Soma is seen walking in the same spot as the victims less than a minute later, before carrying out a 'revenge' attack which involved slitting the victims' throats . Soma tracked down the couple after Ms Narotam fled from her home in Wembley to escape their arranged marriage . In the footage, Soma is seen following the victims along the busy street, just seconds after they have passed the same spot. Soma then slit Ms Narotam's throat while holding her from behind, before stabbing Mr Govinde through the neck with the same knife. He then repeatedly screamed 'my wife, my wife', as the weapon was prised from his hands by one of the victims. The defendant, from North Evington, Leicestershire, has now been jailed at Leicester Crown Court for 23 years after being found guilty of two charges of attempted murder. Soma was also convicted of unlawfully wounding a 15-year-old boy who was with the couple and eventually managed to disarm him. The teenager was left with a badly-cut arm. Sentencing, High Court Judge Mr Justice Saunders said: 'The attack was intended by Mr Soma to be a cold-blooded murder, committed to prevent Darshana from marrying anyone else. 'He grabbed hold of Darshana Narotam round the neck and while holding her from behind he slit her throat from one side to the other with a knife. 'He stabbed Prashant Govinde through the neck with the same knife, pushing the knife right through his neck from front to back.' The jury had heard Ms Narotam's family and Soma were originally from Dui, a small island off the west coast of India. They had moved to England in 2009. Soma, from North Evington, Leicestershire, has now been jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of two charges of attempted murder . In 2012, the two families agreed that Ms Narotam would marry Soma after she turned 18. But Ms Narotam did not want to go through with the marriage. Instead, she planned to marry Mr Govinde and left home with him on January 10. The defence counsel said that, after discovering she had fled, Soma was 'disturbed, troubled and depressed'. But he soon received a tip off about the couple's location from a family friend. He then 'acted on impulse' in carrying out the frenzied attack, the court was told. Prosecutors said Soma had tried to kill the pair because he considered they had 'dishonoured him'. But Soma had said he carried out the attack because his 'mind wasn't working' and he was a victim of black magic. During the eight-week trial the jury watched footage from body cameras worn by the officers which captured the aftermath of the attack. Sentencing, Mr Justice Saunders told the court that, if it were not for the quick actions of police, both victims could have died. He said: 'Fortunately the police were on the scene very quickly and took appropriate steps to stem the two victims' bleeding, which was considerable. 'They cared for the wounded until an ambulance arrived to take them to hospital. It may well be that the prompt police action saved the lives of these two young people.' He added: 'Both the jury and I were impressed with the efficient, calm and highly professional way in which the police carried out their duty. 'Because the police were carrying cameras, which recorded what was happening, we saw some very shocking scenes but it brought home to us the true nature of these events.' Earlier this week, Ms Narotam's father, Narotam Deugi, 40, from Wembley was found guilty of common assault against his daughter and given a 12-month conditional discharge. He was found not guilty of false imprisonment, along with her mother Parvati Natu, 42. Deugi was originally charged with conspiracy to murder his daughter and served 100 days on remand in custody before that allegation was dropped. During the attack, Soma slit Ms Narotam's throat while holding her from behind, before stabbing Mr Govinde through the neck with the same knife (pictured) Three of Ms Narotam's uncles Jignesh Devgi, 31, Harshad Jagdish, 25, and Shanitlal Natu, 37, and a cousin Kaushik Meghji, 18, all from Wembley were also cleared of kidnapping charges. Ms Natotam and Mr Govinde have since married and are living at a secret address, due to threats from other members of the family, the court was told. Mr Justice Saunders said: 'The background was that Bharat Soma was engaged to be married to Darshana Narotam, which was arranged by her parents and I'm satisfied Darshana never willingly agreed to it. 'She never told Soma she wanted to marry him although she agreed to the engagement because she felt she had no option but to go along with her parents' wishes until she was old enough to be able to marry Prashant without their consent. 'On January 10 this year, Darshana ran away with Prashant, intending to marry him and not Soma. 'When Soma discovered Darshana wasn't going to marry him he became very upset. 'I accept it may be that he was in love with her and developed a fixation about her, but I don't believe he ever had grounds for believing Darshana was in love with him. 'Mr Soma said in evidence he had wanted to marry Darshana since she was 11, although they didn't meet until she was 16 after they became engaged.' He continued: 'After Prashant and Darshana were seen out on the street (in Leicester) by a family friend on January 19, he informed Soma he had seen Darshana. 'After being given that information Soma went off to purchase a knife and I'm satisfied the reason for that was to use it to kill Darshana. 'I can't be sure he was intending to kill Prashant, who he may not have realised was with her at the time. 'He went around the streets looking for Darshana so he could kill her. Immediately after the attack Soma was repeating 'my wife, my wife'. The couple had left their homes in Wembley, London to live in Leicester in January this year, so Ms Narotam would not have to marry Soma . The pair left their homes just nine days before the brutal attack. They are now living at a secret address . 'The defendant told the police he lost his mind, because he believed that a curse had been put on him.' Soma was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the attempted murders, as well as three years for wounding with intent, which will run concurrently. The judge said he was not imposing a life sentence, because of Soma's previously good character. Although they have been left permanently scarred from their injuries, the judge also said it was believed that the victims had not suffered 'serious long term harm'. He added: 'That's not to underestimate the ordeal they've gone through and the considerable difficulties they still have. 'It's hoped they'll make a good long term recovery. 'They've had to move away from family, friends and jobs because they're under threat of reprisals from other people - which is not attributable to Mr Soma. 'I very much hope those threats will now cease.' He said that the mitigating factors were the defendant's good character and the fact he was suffering from an 'adjustment disorder with prolonged depressive reaction'. Soma's defence counsel, Jo Sidhu QC said that, although Soma was not suffering from a 'classified mental illness', the trigger for the offending was when Darshana eloped. Mr Sidhu said: 'It made him feel low and he felt very hurt. He had nightmares, he was seeing ghosts. 'He got a tip off about where they were and acted on impulse. He feels bad about the effect of his actions and many times he's cried about it. 'He's not wired the same as other people because in his family there's an unfortunate pattern of suicide; both his father and paternal grandfather killed themselves. 'In the defendant's mind he'd been rejected without a reason. His feelings for Darshana remained strong, right up until the day of this attack.' Police at the scene of the crime shortly after the attack. The judge praised officers for their quick actions in dealing with the attempted murders . The officers were carrying cameras, which recorded what was happening. The judge said the footage brought home 'the true nature of these events' After the case, Detective Inspector John Farndon from Leicestershire police's serious crime team, said: 'These were dreadful crimes, and could easily have caused the deaths of two young people who had harmed no-one. 'Crimes like these are very rare, and are sometimes called honour based violence. However, this has nothing to do with culture or religion, this is simple criminality. 'Leicestershire Police took this case extremely seriously and carried out a thorough investigation to put those responsible before the courts.' He added: 'During our initial enquiries this case was quickly identified as being one of honour based violence and concerns regarding a possible forced marriage. 'This case demonstrates that we take crimes of this nature incredibly seriously and we hope it gives potential victims the confidence to report it to the police or other agencies. 'Anyone who fears they may be subjected to honour based violence or have concerns about someone else should contact us at the earliest opportunity. There are a range of criminal and civil powers we and partner agencies can put in place to keep you safe.'
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Darshana Narotam's parents had arranged for her to marry Bharat Soma .
17-year-old fled her home in Wembley in January to avoid the marriage .
Soma found Ms Narotam and partner Prashant Govinde, 22, nine days later .
CCTV shows him following them along a road in Leicester before the attack .
He attacked them with same weapon before screaming 'my wife, my wife'
Judge said broad daylight attack was intended as 'a cold-blooded murder'
Soma, 26, jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of two counts of attempted murder .
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Qunu, South Africa (CNN) -- Ten days of mourning for South Africa's anti-apartheid icon and former leader Nelson Mandela will come to an end Sunday with his state funeral. After Tuesday's vibrant, if rain-drenched, memorial service, followed by three days of public viewing of the former president's casket in Pretoria, the burial will be a slightly more private affair. About 100,000 people have paid homage to Mandela in those three days, including 50,000 who came to pay their respects Friday, the South African government said. Here is how CNN expects events to unfold, based on information from the government and sources involved in planning for the funeral -- although plans may change because of weather, security and other factors. Return to the Eastern Cape . A military plane carrying Mandela's body flew Saturday from an air force base in Pretoria to South Africa's Eastern Cape province, where Mandela's ancestral village of Qunu lies. The family farm there will be his final resting place. President Jacob Zuma and other members of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, gathered to bid Mandela farewell from the air force base. "We will miss him. He was our leader in a special time," said Zuma. Mandela's casket, draped in the national flag, was carried by soldiers to the plane. Thousands of mourners lined the streets from Mthatha Airport, the closest to Qunu, as Mandela's remains were transported to the remote village where he spent much of his childhood. Traditional ceremony and vigil . Once at Mandela's house in Qunu, the military was expected formally to pass responsibility for his remains to his family. The South African flag draped over the coffin will be replaced with a tribal symbol of the Xhosa people, symbolizing the return of one of their own. At dusk, ANC leaders, local chiefs and the men in Mandela's family are expected to gather for a private night vigil, held according to the traditions of the Thembu community, his native clan, before a public funeral the next day. Villagers may gather outside the house to pay their respects. The coffin will lie in Mandela's bedroom overnight. The room overlooks the hills around Qunu and his grave site. Who's attending . Foreign leaders were encouraged to attend Tuesday's memorial service in Johannesburg. Nonetheless, dozens of international dignitaries are expected to make their way to the Eastern Cape for Mandela's funeral. The airport in East London, south of Qunu, will be used for their arrival and departure, with access closely controlled. Notable figures thought to be on the guest list include Britain's Prince Charles, TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey and U.S. civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson. There's no doubting the global media interest. More than 4,000 journalists had been accredited as of Friday morning, with more expected, a government spokeswoman said. However, only the national broadcaster will be given access to the funeral, with other journalists in Qunu to be based at the Nelson Mandela Museum. The event will be broadcast to an audience of millions around the world. The funeral . A private family prayer service will be held Sunday morning at Mandela's home. The funeral will then be held in a huge white tent set up at the family farm. The Mandela family, President Zuma and Cabinet members will be present as well as local and foreign dignitaries. About 4,500 people are expected. The military will again be charged with draping Mandela's coffin with the flag. Members of the military will perform a salute, and the national anthem will be played. The burial . A group of family and close friends, expected to number about 430, will walk up to the grave site to bid a final farewell to the man many saw as the father of their nation. About 2 p.m. -- when the summer sun is high in the sky -- Mandela will be laid to rest in the rocky soil of his childhood home. The burial area has been especially built for him; some of Mandela's long deceased family members are already buried at the site. It will be, according to custom, a homecoming. His grave site is surrounded by rocky outcrops, hardy grass used for the grazing of cattle and bright orange aloe plants. The aloes are indigenous succulents that are hardy, drought-resistant, medicinal plants that bloom across the bushveld when all else is dry and dull. They can be seen as a symbolic floral gesture to a man whose life was filled with sacrifice and tragedy but who triumphed with a tenacity of spirit and hope in even the darkest of days. Security . With so many high-profile guests in South Africa for Mandela's state funeral, security has been a key concern. Zuma has authorized nearly 12,000 members of the South African National Defence Force to serve alongside the police force "to maintain law and order" during the funeral period, the presidency said. They are employed for 15 days, from December 6 to December 20. A tight military cordon is expected around the funeral site to assuage security fears. CNN's Robyn Curnow reported from inside the Mandela compound in Qunu, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London.
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NEW: Mandela's body reaches the village of Qunu, in South Africa's Eastern Cape province .
ANC leaders, local chiefs and the men in Mandela's family will hold a private vigil .
About 4,500 people will attend the funeral Sunday on the family farm .
The funeral service will be followed by a smaller burial ceremony .
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By . Eleanor Harding . PUBLISHED: . 21:07 EST, 16 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:38 EST, 17 January 2013 . A young woman who was given three months to live and started completing her ‘bucket list’ has stunned doctors by making a miraculous recovery. Kayleigh Allport bravely made a list of things to do before she died when she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer at the age of just 21. Her list of final wishes, which takes its name from the phrase, ‘kick the bucket’, included learning to drive, seeing a West End show and visiting New York - her life-long dream. Brave: Kayleigh Allport was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 21 after being given three months to live . It was only when she returned from the United States that her fortunes changed, when doctors put her on a new treatment which might prolong her life. She was warned that it would not cure her illness -but against the odds she proved the experts wrong and is now in remission. Kayleigh, now 26, has just completed a degree and now plans to marry her boyfriend Richard Glasby, 24. She said: ‘The drug has worked wonders. I was given three months to live but I’m still here now. ‘I’m so grateful and I live life to the full now. ‘Before this happened I was quite shy, but now nothing holds me back or bothers me anymore. ‘Facing up to dying has showed me how to live.’ Six years after being told she had months to live, Kayleigh Allport graduated from Teeside University with a 2:1 in psychology. Left to right mum Michelle, Kayleigh, sister Claire, and dad Eddie . Pictured from left to right dad Eddie, sister Claire, mum Michelle and Kayleigh in New York, listed as a place to visit on Kayleigh's bucket list . The problems began for Kayleigh when she had a scan for an unrelated back problem and doctors found a tumour on her kidney. The cancer was removed in an operation and she was told no further treatment was needed. But two years later, she received the devastating news that the cancer was back - this time in her liver. Doctor said described the organ as ‘a mass of tumours’ and declared it inoperable, giving her three months to live. It was then that Kayleigh, from Middlesborough, started on her bucket list - which saw her taking driving lessons and going to see her first West End show, Dirty Dancing. And after tireless fundraising by family and friends, Kayleigh, her mother Michelle, 45, father Eddie, 51, and sister Claire, 25, jetted off to New York fulfil the then 21-year-old’s final wish. After taking part in a drug trial, Kayleigh Allport has been told she is in remission and plans to marry her boyfriend Richard Glasby . The drug trial had terrible side effects, but it helped Kayleigh pass her three-month deadline . She added: ‘I just thought of the list, it was just things that I’d always wanted to do. ‘When I first found out I had three months left to live, I was in shock. ‘There were a lot of people around me and it was hard to take in. ‘I came to terms with it a couple of days later.’ On her return from America, Kayleigh was offered the chance to take part in a drug trial of Sunitinib, which was brand new to the market. The drug had terrible side effects, but it helped Kayleigh pass her three-month deadline. Determined to get on with her life, no matter how long she had left, Kayleigh passed her driving test and enrolled at Middlesbrough College before moving on to study Psychology at Teesside University, graduating with a 2:1. Kayleigh is just about to start a teaching placement and dreams of becoming a primary school teacher . And in September last year, Kayleigh was told she was in remission as the cancer had almost disappeared. She is just now about to start a teaching placement and dreams of becoming a primary school teacher. Kayleigh requires check ups every three months but has been told she is remission and will not require any further medical treatment. Kayleigh said: ‘It feels great because I didn’t think anything like this was going to happen. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me.’ The phrase ‘bucket list’ is derived from the phrase ‘kick the bucket’, a morbidly humorous way to refer to death thought to be derived from the kicking of a bucket in a hanging. The idea was popularised by John Goddard’s ‘Life List’, which featured in the book Chicken Soup for the Soul. It also featured in the film The Bucket List, in which characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in a cancer ward, then race around the world, packing in experiences.
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Kayleigh Allport, 26, completed her bucket list of dreams which included a trip to New York .
Six years later she has graduated from university and plans to marry her boyfriend .
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Chelsea are close to agreeing the second biggest Premier League shirt sponsorship ever with Turkish Airlines. A £25million-a-year deal is expected to be finalised by Christmas. The negotiations with the big spending airline, famous for its Lionel Messi and Kobe Bryant TV adverts, were first revealed by Sports Agenda last September. The money would be a significant advance on the £18m-a-year Samsung currently pay to have their name on Chelsea shirts and would propel the club above Liverpool and Arsenal in the PL shirt sponsorship table. Scroll down for video . Launch: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho (left) and then Chief Executive Peter Kenyon at launch in 2005 . Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich wants his club — hot favourites to be crowned champions — to be as dominant on football’s commercial side as they are on the pitch. But the west London club, already deep in talks with Turkish Airlines before former Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow was brought in to revamp the commercial operation, still lag well behind Manchester United. The Old Trafford shirt sponsorship with Chevrolet, that began this season, is worth £53m annually. Barcelona have had their shirts sponsored by Turkish Airlines in the past . Spreading their wings: Turkish Airlines linked up with Manchester United . Clare Balding could end up spending just 20 days a year presenting racing on Channel 4 when she finally agrees a new contract to accommodate her other broadcasting options. That would mean Balding (below) hosting only the Derby, Grand National, Cheltenham and Royal Ascot. Meanwhile Lydia Hislop, Racing UK’s combative presenter, who resigned from the Horserace Writers’ Association after being criticised at an awards lunch, is on the broadcaster-of-year shortlist despite only HWA members being eligible. Clare Balding could end up spending far less time presenting racing on Channel 4 when she agrees terms . FIFA plan to end live video streaming of the post-executive committee meeting press conferences because of the pounding that president Sepp Blatter subsequently receives on social media. Strangely, online ridicule has not dissuaded Blatter from standing for a fifth term next May. Meanwhile, it looks like the PR agency who get the job of helping FIFA in the build-up to Russia 2018 — Webber Shandwick are favourites — will face a tough task. The video launching the tournament logo has already stirred up trouble by showing the disputed Crimean peninsula as part of Russia. FIFA were angry but the Kremlin were said to be very relaxed. BBC Radio 5 Live, much to the angst of its rugby production team, will give commentary priority today to Manchester United v Hull City, a run-of-the-mill Premier League match. England’s Test against Australia is relegated to 5 Live Sports Extra. However there have been assurances that Six Nations and Rugby World Cup games will be back on 5 Live. Shaky start for Patel . The England Cricket Board’s choice to succeed commercial director John Perera, who brought in $1billion worth of TV rights and sponsorships, has already ruffled a few feathers. Sanjay Patel allegedly made an insensitive comment about committing suicide while on a panel at the Business of Cricket Awards. Patel was responding to a Somerset representative who admitted he was depressed about falling attendances and participation. There were more than 200 people at the event, but an ECB spokesman claimed they heard nothing untoward. The England team are on tour in Sri Lanka and held a two-minute silence for Phillip Hughes on Saturday . The RFU offer to the International Rugby Board to win the right to host next year’s World Cup included an £80million guarantee and half of the 2.3m tickets being sold by the IRB to competing nations, sponsors and corporate hospitality. So although ER (England Rugby) 2015 have only 140,000 of their allocation still to shift, tens of thousands of seats are likely to be returned by the IRB. That will leave ER 2015 to sell the returns at late notice — some for supposedly sell-out matches. The gloves are off already in the battle for the IAAF presidency between Lord Coe and Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka, even with the election not due until next August. Bubka suspects the only way he can win is to fight dirty with his camp planning to use every opportunity to highlight conflicts Coe might have through his many varied roles.
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The Blues' shirt sponsorship deal with Samsung is set to come to an end .
Chelsea have been sponsored by Samsung since 2005 .
Turkish Airlines are set to be their new shirt sponsor .
A £25million-a-year deal is expected to be completed by Christmas .
This would be a £7m advance on what Samsung currently pay .
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By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 13:21 EST, 7 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:27 EST, 7 November 2013 . It may be 47 days away, but online shopping giants Amazon are already getting ready for Christmas by employing thousands of seasonal workers in their enormous warehouses. The temporary recruits have been brought in to prepare for Cyber Monday, the day where millions of British shoppers are expected to flock online and purchase hundreds of products every minute in time for the festive season. One enormous storage facility in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, will process a huge number of yuletide gifts in the next month while another in Swansea, South Wales, will package and ship hundreds of presents ranging from dog biscuits to the new PlayStation 4 every second. Gearing up for Christmas: The enormous Amazon warehouse in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, is already starting to fill up with thousands of boxes in preparation for the festive season . Organised: Toys and gadgets are placed in the 'sortable' areas which are divided up by cardboard screens scattered across the floor . The hub: Employees frantically type away at their computers as trollies of gifts are dragged around by employees . Items are placed on a conveyor belt around the clock and sent down the enormous warehouses to waiting delivery trucks which leave every 130 seconds. Last year on Cyber Monday, Amazon received orders for more than 3.5 million items - a rate of around 44 items per second. At the online shopping giant's Swansea Fulfilment Centre, where 1,500 extra employees are being taken on over the festive season, the 35-year-old general manager announced: 'We're ready for Cyber Monday...bring it on!' As toys and other gifts whizzed overhead in the centre's cavernous 'sortables' area, she added that the number of part-time associates taken on this Christmas was the biggest ever. She said: 'We'll wait to see if Cyber Monday - always the first Monday in December - proves to be the busiest yet, but here in Swansea we are definitely prepared if it turns out that way.' Time consuming: Staff have to scan every individual item which goes through the massive storage area so their progress through the delivery process can be monitored . System: An letter and number code is used to distinguish the thousands of rows of gifts which employees have to sort through . Prepared: Hundreds of yellow containers are stacked up in front of the seemingly endless collection of goods, ready to move the items so they can be shipped to thousands of addresses across the UK . The 700,000 sq ft centre in South Wales was opened in 2008 and employee numbers have been growing ever since with, 2,000-plus staff now working on the site. In the UK Amazon fulfilment centres, staff including 'pickers' and 'sorters' work four 10-hour shifts a week which means employees now benefit from three days off. Company spokesman Fran Waite added: . 'Fewer visits to work are also likely to save associates both time and . money on a weekly basis and could reduce the impact on the environment . due to less commuting.' At . the Jersey Marine Amazon warehouse yesterday - the size of 10 football . pitches - a team of workers in an area known as 'wrapland' were . attaching shiny gold and red paper to items which customers asked . to be gift wrapped. Packaging: The loading area in the centre of the warehouse sees employees sorting the purchased items. Around 50 per cent more staff have been hired to cover the busy Christmas period . Storage: Stacks of nappies are separated by cardboard dividers which are set to make the routine more efficient . Busy: Some of the thousands of seasonal workers taken on by the online shopping giants this year navigate their trollies around the warehouse while a woman folds up cardboard boxes ready for presents to be packaged and posted . Clockwork: The computer 'brain' tracks every item as it makes it way from the lorry to the shelves before it is put into the boxes . Ready: A worker packs up a Nintendo Wii console next to a stack of flyers . Keeping track: A woman scans a DVD while nestled in between a set of shelves which are organised by an extensive system of yellow dividers . Miss Waite said: 'A lot is done by computer but some things are done better by hand.' The Amazon fulfilment centre workers have a non-stop regime which involves receiving items from suppliers at its lorry dock. These are then scanned so the building's computer 'brain' knows the stock before they are placed on conveyor belts and taken to a storage house where millions of items from surfboards to toys and kettles to motorcycle parts are kept. When an item is ordered staff are guided to it by the shortest route using a satnav and after wrapping it is sent by lorry to its new owner. Searching: An employee looks for an item in the shelves during his hectic daily routine which starts with workers receiving items from suppliers at its lorry dock . Process: A male employee scans a copy of Delia Smith's Christmas. It is then transferred to a conveyor belt which moves the item down the warehouse so it can be prepared for delivery . Ready: Another worker moves yellow boxes in preparation for December 2nd, which Amazon says will be the busiest shopping day of the year .
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The giant storage facility in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, will process millions of items over the festive season .
Workers use GPS devices to get around while a delivery lorry leaves every 130 seconds .
Last year British shoppers purchased 3.5 million gifts from the site - an average of 2,640 items per minute .
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The Cincinnati Bengals intercepted Peyton Manning four times to clinch a playoff berth with a big-play filled 37-28 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday. Playing in pouring rain, the Bengals staged a fourth-quarter recovery after blowing a 13-point lead to earn a fourth straight trip to the post-season. 'This one was big. We knew what we were up against... at home, playing on Monday Night in prime time,' Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said. Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning was unable to help his side claim a win against the Cincinnati Bengals . Manning was intercepted four times during the match between the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals . 'Our defence played great, especially when it counted.' Dre Kirkpatrick caught two interceptions for Cincinnati, who also enjoyed a big day on kick returns. The Bengals (10-4-1) can now seal the AFC North Division with a season-finale win against Pittsburgh next week. Denver (11-4), who had already clinched the AFC West, was hoping to maintain their push to enter the playoffs as the conference top seed but the loss conceded the number one spot to the New England Patriots. Manning threw for 311 yards but was unable to connect with his wide receivers when it mattered most. 'I had four interceptions, you're not going to beat very many good football teams (that way),' Manning said. 'We have to find a way to learn from this and play better next week.' Dre Kirkpatrick was in impressive form during the match between the Bengals and Broncos . In a wild affair, the Broncos woke up in the second half, with Manning tossing two third-quarter touchdowns to give the visitors a 28-27 edge. Brandon Tate lifted the Bengals midway through the fourth with a 49-yard punt return that helped them move back in front on Mike Nugent's 23-yard field goal. The Cincinnati defence struck the decisive blow in the final minutes as Kirkpatrick intercepted Manning and returned it 30 yards to help push the Bengals nine points ahead of a demoralised Denver team. Early on, it was the Cincinnati running game that led the way on a night where the Bengals lost standout wide receiver A.J. Green to an arm injury in the first quarter. Kirkpatrick celebrates his side's win after the 37-28 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday . Jeremy Hill broke free for an 85-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, finishing with 147 yards on the night, and fellow back Giovani Bernard caught a 22-yard TD in the third to give the home side a 27-14 advantage. The win was a big relief for the Bengals, who have a reputation for failing in big games and have not won in the playoffs since 1990. 'We understand that it was the elephant in the room; we heard it all week,' Hill said. 'We knew tonight with the country watching that we had to show people we're serious.'
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The Bengals intercepted Peyton Manning during a 37-28 victory .
Dre Kirkpatrick caught two interceptions to help Bengals sink Broncos .
Cincinnati can seal the AFC North Division with season finale win .
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Portugal may have been without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo but it was not less of a shock as they slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to Albania in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier. After a miserable World Cup campaign, which saw them bow out in the group phase, the hosts failed to bounce back as stunning volley from Bekim Balaj early in the second half decided the match. Even without Ronaldo the likes of Fabio Coentrao and Nani - who was the provider of their most encouraging moments - lined up for Portugal in the Group I clash, but couldn't muster a response. Nani, on loan at Sporting Lisbon from Manchester United, whipped in a number of dangerous crosses and fired wide from inside the area as his side took the ascendancy without converting. Elated: Albania players celebrate their upset win over Portugal in their Euro 2016 qualifier . Shock: Albania forward Bekim Balaj (centre) celebrates giving his nation the lead over Portugal in Aveiro . On the turn: Bekim Balaj scored a cracking volley that came in from behind his body to win the match . Star-studded: Fabio Coentrao (right) was among a host of big names in action for Portugal, including Nani and Pepe, despite the absence of their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo . Devastated: Portugal players react to the upset defeat in Aveiro . Portugal 0-1 Albania . Gibraltar 0-7 Poland . Faroe Islands 1-3 Finland . Greece 0-1 Romania . Germany 2-1 Scotland . Georgia 1-2 Republic of Ireland . Denmark 2 - 1 Armenia . Hungary 1 - 2 Northern Ireland . The home fans were silenced by a moment of magic seven minutes into the second half when Odise Roshi's cross from the right came in behind Balaj, who impressively rifled a right-footed volley on the turn into the bottom corner from 15 yards. Ricardo Horta hit the post, Nani headed over from close range and Coentrao had a shot fumbled by Berisha, who also tipped over a shot from Andre Gomes, as Portugal chased the game and Albania held on. Perhaps an even greater shock was averted when Finland went 1-0 down to the Faroe Islands when Christian Holst found the back of the net just before half-time in their Group F meeting. Rosenborg striker Riku Riski came to the rescue though, first to equalise and then secure the lead before Roman Eremenko put the result beyond doubt late on. Hero: Romania's Ciprian Marica (left) celebrates scoring from the spot to take the lead against Greece . In a rematch of their World Cup qualifier Romania exacted revenge on Greece in their Group F opener. Ciprian Marica scored a 10th-minute penalty before being sent off by English referee Mark Clattenburg. But Romania managed to hold on without him for a 1-0 win that gives them the best possible start to progress from a group including Northern Ireland and Hungary. Villain: English referee Mark Clattenburg orders Romania captain Marica from the pitch . Denmark were spared another home embarrassment at the hands of Armenia as goals from Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Thomas Kahlenberg secured the Scandinavians a come-from-behind 2-1 win in Group I. Playing a nation who had pulled off a famous 4-0 victory over them at Parken during World Cup qualifying in 2013, the Danes looked set to be humbled by the Armenians in Copenhagen once again when Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan's strike put the away side 1-0 up in the 50th minute. However, Hojbjerg levelled 15 minutes later with a long-range effort, and with 10 minutes of the contest to go substitute Kahlenberg headed home the winner.
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Slavia Prague striker Bekim Bala scored for Albania as they beat Portugal .
Cristiano Ronaldo was out of a side including Fabio Coentrao and Nani .
Romania defeated Greece is their Euro 2016 qualifier .
Ciprian Marica's penalty saw Romania beat the team who won a 2014 World Cup place at their expense in a play-off .
Denmark came from behind to beat Armenia 2-1 .
Bayern Munich's Pierre Hojbjerg and Thomas Kahlenberg scored for hosts .
Henrikh Mkhitaryan gave Armenia the lead after beating Kasper Schmeichel .
Finland were 1-0 down before beating Faroe Islands 3-1 .
Roope Riski scored two and Alexei Eremenko one goal for Finland .
Christian Holst had given Faroe Islands the lead on 41 minutes .
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05a560db514bcf30a8b6deedc4b34a8af90c623c
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Washington (CNN) -- During his two weeks aboard a ship to the United States, Ahmed Abu Khatallah was questioned by FBI interrogators over his alleged role in the 2012 Benghazi attacks that left four Americans dead. As it turns out, he was interrogated both before and after authorities told him of his Miranda rights -- which give him the right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination, a U.S. official told CNN. But Abu Khatallah continued providing information to officials after being advised of those rights, the official said. The handling of his case has triggered fallout in Washington. "I have serious concerns that conducting a rushed interrogation onboard a ship and then turning Abu Khatallah over to our civilian courts risks losing critical intelligence that could lead us to other terrorists or prevent future attacks," Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, said in a statement Saturday. A U.S. official told CNN that Abu Khatallah denied participation in the Benghazi attacks during his interviews with interrogators -- but provided information on others he said participated and were behind the attacks. It wasn't clear if he provided the information before or after he was advised of his Miranda warning. Shortly after the White House announced the capture earlier this month, Republicans like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio criticized the Obama administration because they believed the alleged terrorist should go through a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay instead of being tried in a federal court. "If they bring him to the United States, they're going to Mirandize this guy, and it would be a mistake for the ages to read this guy his Miranda rights," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has said. But the White House has defended its decision, saying that they have successfully tried a number of terrorists domestically and that no new captives have gone to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in years. Abu Khatallah arrived on U.S. soil Saturday. After two weeks aboard the USS New York sailing from the Mediterranean Sea to the East Coast, Abu Khatallah was flown by helicopter to Washington and was driven to a federal courthouse. There, he pleaded not guilty to one count of providing material support to terrorists. Prosecutors say he is the ringleader of the 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya, which killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans. More charges possible . The single count is part of a legal strategy by federal prosecutors, who plan to file additional charges later, according to U.S. officials. The aim is to delay releasing to the public and Abu Khatallah's lawyer the FBI affidavit detailing the evidence the government has against him. An earlier criminal complaint in July 2013 said the FBI believed it had evidence to charge him with murder and firing a weapon at the scene of the Benghazi attacks. Those additional charges, if formally added, could bring the death penalty. In his court appearance, Abu Khatallah, a Libyan national, requested consular assistance from the Libyan government. U.S. authorities were working with Libyan embassy officials in Washington to provide him the assistance. After the hearing, armed guards accompanied Abu Khatallah from the federal courthouse in downtown Washington, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol and near the White House. He was then moved to the detention center in Alexandria, Virginia, which is across the Potomac River from the capital. Details of the attacks . Authorities say Abu Khatallah is among the senior leaders of Ansar al Sharia, whose members were among several militias that participated in the attacks on U.S. government facilities in Benghazi on September 11-12, 2012. The attacks spawned political controversy in the United States because some Republican lawmakers claim the Obama administration tried to mislead the public about them and should have done more to prevent them. The GOP critics say they plan to make Benghazi an issue for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, under whose watch the attacks occurred, should she decide to run for president. The criminal investigation led by the FBI has been extraordinarily challenging, authorities say, partly because the lack of Libyan government control in the city prevented investigators from visiting the crime scene for weeks. But U.S. officials say they collected surveillance video, phone recordings and witness statements to bring charges against Abu Khatallah and others involved. Abu Khatallah became the face of the militant attack and a top target for the U.S. after he cultivated a celebrity profile in the wake of the attacks, meeting with journalists and granting interviews. He denied to CNN's Arwa Damon that he participated in the attacks. U.S. military commandos captured Abu Khatallah in a nighttime raid June 15-16. U.S. intelligence assets concocted a ruse to lure him to a villa where the Americans surprised him. The commandos, accompanied by several FBI agents, had come ashore by boat and quickly took him back out to sea with them. Abu Khatallah was appointed a public defender, Michele Peterson. He was ordered to remain in custody until hearings set for Wednesday and Friday. Timeline of the Benghazi attack . What's next for Benghazi terror suspect? Benghazi 'mastermind' captured without a single shot . CNN's Sara Fisher and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
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NEW: Official: Abu Khatallah denied involvement but gave info on others .
Abu Khatallah gave information before and after he was told his Miranda rights .
Sen. Lindsey Graham: Mirandizing Abu Khatallah "would be a mistake for the ages"
He is suspected of being the ringleader of the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya .
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05a64a9b8de4e7628625d222402973202d5fc4ba
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Washington (CNN) -- Gaby Pacheco calls herself an aspiring U.S. citizen who is compiling the paperwork and trying to get the $465 needed to apply for a two-year reprieve from getting deported. James D. Doebler says his superiors at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are threatening to suspend him for putting an arrested illegal immigrant into the hearing process that could lead to deportation. The two are on opposite sides of a lawsuit filed this week by Doebler and nine other ICE agents that challenges a new Obama administration policy intended to remove the threat of deportation faced by young illegal immigrants who arrived in America as children and have good student or military records. Doebler and his fellow complainants argue the new policy on immigration law enforcement exceeds the administration's authority and puts ICE agents in the position of facing disciplinary action for doing their jobs. "They're in a position now that's just untenable," argued Roy Beck of NumbersUSA, an advocacy group for more restrictive immigration that is bankrolling the lawsuit. The goal of the lawsuit is to force a court ruling on whether the new administration policy is legal, Beck told CNN on Friday. If so, then the ICE agents are protected; and if not, the case would halt what the former journalist called a harmful influx of illegal workers at a time when young Americans are struggling to find jobs. "Obviously, we would not be pleased if they say this is a legal order," Beck said, adding: "We do believe strongly that the president doesn't have the right to do this." Pacheco and others reject the premise of the lawsuit, calling it a politically motivated effort to undermine the "deferred action" directive by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that went into full effect last week. "I think they're using this as a political plan to rally the voters in election season," said Pacheco, the political director of United We Dream, an advocacy group for young illegal immigrants like herself. A statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the lawsuit lacked a sound legal basis, noting that "over 100 of the nation's top constitutional and immigration law scholars signed on to a letter" attesting to the constitutionality of the new administration policy. Trumka's statement added that the suing agents "are working with some of the most anti-immigrant forces in the country; forces that have long sowed division and destruction." The agents are represented by Kris Kobach, the Republican Kansas secretary of state who worked on Arizona's controversial immigration law and is an informal adviser to presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, according to NumbersUSA. CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said Friday that the lawsuit lacked legal merit. "I can't imagine any judge would even give them standing to file the case, much less decide it on the merits," Toobin said. "I am unaware of any law that allows federal employees to challenge the legality of the actions of their superiors." Filed Thursday in federal court in Dallas, the lawsuit challenges the two-year deferred action policy of the Obama administration, as well the policy of "prosecutorial discretion," in which ICE agents are supposed to focus their attention on dangerous criminals who are illegal immigrants. In a nutshell, the agents involved do not want to obey the new policies and do not want to face any disciplinary actions or lawsuits if they continue to arrest any type of immigrant who is in the United States illegally. "We are federal law enforcement officers who are being ordered to break the law," said Chris Crane, one of the agents filing suit and the president of the ICE agents and officers union. "This directive puts ICE agents and officers in a horrible position." According to the lawsuit, Doebler "arrested an alien who was unlawfully present in the United States and issued the alien an NTA (notice to appear), contrary to the general directions of his supervisors that he should decline to issue NTAs to certain illegal aliens." "Plaintiff Doebler was issued a Notice of Proposed Suspension," the lawsuit says. "Plaintiff Doebler is facing a three-day suspension for arresting and processing the alien for a hearing rather than exercising the 'prosecutorial discretion' commanded by his supervisors. Plaintiff Doebler requested a written directive ordering him not to issue the NTA. His supervisors have refused to give him a written directive and would not sign any paperwork authorizing the use of 'prosecutorial discretion.' " Now, the lawsuit says, Doebler "reasonably fears, based on his past experience, that if he follows the requirements of federal law, contrary to the 'Directive,' and arrests an alien or issues the alien an NTA, he will be disciplined again. He reasonably fears that a second disciplinary action will result in the loss of his job." Matt Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, responded Thursday that the department "uses prosecutorial discretion to assist in focusing vigorously on the removal of individuals who are convicted criminals, repeat immigration law violators, and recent border-crossers." In fiscal year 2011, ICE removed 216,000 criminal illegal immigrants, Chandler said, adding that it was the largest annual figure in history and an 89% increase over the administration of President George W. Bush. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals decision is a temporary measure until Congress takes action on reforming immigration policies, Chandler continued, adding that it "ensures that responsible young people, who are Americans in every way but on paper, have an opportunity to remain in the country and make their fullest contribution." Pacheco, who came to America with her parents from Ecuador at the age of 8, described herself in similar terms. She graduated from Miami Dade College and now wants to get a master's degree, she said. "We speak the language. We are part of the fabric of this nation," she said. "This is my home. They are telling me that I do not belong, that I am not American." President Barack Obama made a similar point in announcing the policy change in June, calling the decision to halt deportations of people like Pacheco "the right thing to do." Under the new policy, the Obama administration will give a two-year deferral from deportation to illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children if they are younger than 30, arrived in the country before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military. Supporters stress the plan does not grant immunity or provide a shortcut to citizenship, but instead affords undocumented immigrant children a chance to be productive workers while removing the threat of deportation for two years. Opponents say the policy amounts to granting backdoor amnesty to people who came to America illegally and tightening an already poor job market for young Americans. As many as 1.7 million youths may qualify for the program, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. The deferred deportation policy includes some of the provisions of a Democratic proposal called the DREAM Act that failed to win enough Republican support to become law. Obama made clear that the new policy was intended to be a temporary step until Congress passes a more comprehensive immigration law that addresses the situation of young illegal immigrants who have essentially grown up as Americans. Beck called such an approach misguided. "We're going to do something that's not allowed by law in order to get Congress to pass something which they have defeated repeatedly," he said. "It's just such an abuse of power." His group raised $100,000 for the lawsuit Thursday, Beck said, adding that he expected the case to cost "a few hundred thousand dollars." "If it goes to the Supreme Court, who knows?" he added. CNN's Carol Cratty and William Mears contributed to this report.
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Ten immigration agents challenge the administration over halting some deportations .
Legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin: The lawsuit has no legal standing .
At issue is a move to allow children of illegal immigrants to study and work in America .
Opponents of the policy call it backdoor amnesty .
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Chelsea midfielder Willian has spoken of his desire to score more goals, admitting that it is something manager Jose Mourinho has asked him to improve. The 26-year-old joined Chelsea in August 2013, but has only scored five goals in his 56 appearances so far. Speaking to Chelsea FC Magazine, he said: 'One thing I have in my mind is to score more goals - I am desperate. Mr Mourinho has told me this before. He knows, and I know, that I should get more goals. Willian looks for a cross against QPR at Stamford Bridge on November 1 . Willian has played 56 times for Chelsea since his move from Russian side Anzhi . Willian (centre) admits he likes to play games with his team-mates at Chelsea . The front cover of the Chelsea FC magazine depicts a reflective Willian . 'I'm very happy with my all-round game and my form so far this season, but I'll be a lot happier if I am scoring more goals. That would be good for the team as well.' Having arrived in London from stints in the Ukrainian and Russian top divisions at Shakhtar Donetsk and Anzhi respectively, the Brazilian admits that he was expecting the drastic change of pace the Premier League involves. '(The intensity) was something I was prepared for when I signed for Chelsea because I could see in the games I watched on television just how intense the matches are in this country. 'I knew I needed to be ready to put in a lot hard work. If I was going to hold a place in the team, then I would have to run my heart out in every single match I play.' Willian has impressed in his time at Stamford Bridge so far, and has appeared in 10 of Chelsea's 11 Premier League matches this season. As with many Brazilians, Willian says he is 'feeling his vibe' at Chelsea... a happy-go-lucky personality, always smiling, always happy. 'I admit that I've always been a bit shy,' Willian continues. 'That's my character - I'm a shy guy - but when I'm with the guys here, I like to play games and joke around, especially with the other Brazilians. 'I'm feeling my vibe. I try to be happy at all times. I like to smile a lot and I always try to be happy, joking around and stuff.' The latest edition of Chelsea magazine is on sale now. You can download a digital version to view on your tablet here.
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Willian has scored five goals in his 56 appearances for Chelsea .
The Brazilian admits he is desperate to score more goals for the side .
Jose Mourinho has spoken with the midfielder about his goals .
Willian also says he always tries to be happy and share 'good vibes'
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05a971cbe74cdfac452a891c4e52a0837a758583
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:34 EST, 4 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:46 EST, 5 September 2012 . Ouch: Marcie Edmonds, pictured, was stung with a whopping $83,046 medical bill after she was stung by a scorpion last June . An Arizona woman was stung with a whopping $83,046 medical bill after being attacked by a scorpion last June. Marcie Edmonds, 52, of Phoenix, was opening a box of air-conditioner filters in her garage when the insect stung her on the bottom, according to AZcentral.com. After her throat tightened, her vision blurred and she became unable to walk or breathe properly, she hurried to nearby Chandler Regional Medical Center. At the hospital emergency room, a doctor told her a scorpion anti-venom, called Anascorp, would relieve her symptoms. But he never told her the drug cost an astronomical $39,652 per dose neither did he offer up an alternative, she claims. Edmonds was given two doses of the drug administered through an IV drip and was discharged after just three hours once her symptoms subsided. Weeks later a bill for $83,046 dropped through her Ahwatukee Foothills letterbox. According to Arizona Republic, the anti-venom costs just $100 a dose at pharmacies in Mexico, suggesting the state's hospitals are making a fortune. The Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the drug in the United States last year. Tennessee-based Rare Disease Therapeutics sold the drug to a distributor . for $3,500 per dose, and the distributor charged hospitals about $3,780 . per dose. Scorpion: The woman was stung by the scorpion while in her garage last June (stock photo) The newspaper asked a number of local . hospitals in November how much they were charging for the anti-venom . and found the cost per dose ranged from $7,900 to $12,467. But Chandler Regional Medical Center refused to tell The Republic how much it charged for Anascorp. Edmond's insurer Humana paid Chandler Regional $57,509 for the bill but the woman is being asked to cough up the remaining $25,537. Medical bill: The Chandler Regional Medical Center, pictured, gave Edmonds a bill for $83,046 . Mark-up: The hospital charged Edmonds almost $40,000 per dose for Anascorp, pictured . Expensive: Edmonds, 52, right, had to cough up more than $25,000 after her insurer covered the rest . 'Everyone I talk to says, 'You've got to be kidding,'' Edmonds told AZcentral.com of her outrageous bill. In a statement, Chandler Regional said the woman's charges represented out-of-network costs for her treatment, because the hospital isn't part of Humana's network. A spokesman added: 'We believe no one should delay seeking needed medical care because they lack insurance or have high medical costs.'
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Marcie Edmonds, 52, was opening box of air-conditioner filters in her garage when stung .
Phoenix woman couldn't walk and was struggling to breathe when rushed to Chandler Regional Medical Center .
Discharged in just three hours .
Charged $39,652 each for two doses of anti-venom that costs $100 in Mexico .
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(CNN) -- Ted Turner appeared Tuesday on CNN, the network he founded, to talk about last week's election results, his business ventures, and his relationship with ex-wife Jane Fonda. CNN founder Ted Turner tells the network he's "encouraged" by the results of last week's election. Turner is promoting a new autobiography, "Call Me Ted" (Warner Books), which documents his life, loves, successes and failures. Probably best known for his 1980 launch of CNN, the first 24-hour all-news cable network, Turner has also made news as a philanthropist and supporter of the United Nations. He won the America's Cup of yachting in 1977, and owned the Atlanta Braves when they won the World Series in 1995. Turner discussed the book on CNN's "American Morning." The following is an edited transcript. CNN: Let me ask you first of all, before we get involved in the actual book and the story of your life: What do you make of the results of this presidential election? Ted Turner: Well, I'm encouraged. I think we needed change that we can believe in. Watch Turner talk about his relationship with ex-wife Jane Fonda » . CNN: Is [President-elect Barack Obama] the guy to pull this economy? Turner: Well, I don't know. I mean, our country in my lifetime has never been in this shape before. So we'll have to see. I think we are really heading into uncharted territory. But I think the main problem is, I hope he doesn't get blamed if things get tough -- because I think they are going to. CNN: [Obama] seems to be talking about a lot more government involvement in the business community going forward, more government money for an auto industry bailout, another economic stimulus package. As a person who pulled [himself] up in the business community from his bootstraps, is that the way to do it, with more government involvement? Turner: Well, I don't think so. It was a struggle financing CNN, but I did it without ever asking the government for a nickel. In fact, I gave the government $32 million when they were a little short and couldn't pay the dues to the U.N. CNN: A lot of people in this economic community losing an awful lot of money, something you know something about. Turner: I've lost a lot, too. We all have. CNN: You lost $7 billion when the dot-com bubble burst after the Time Warner-AOL merger. How did you not see the dot-com bubble bursting? How did you not see that that was all built on air? Turner: Maybe I did, but I was on a board of directors and a founder, and I was concerned about the AOL merger, but we didn't know that the books were cooked. We didn't do enough due diligence. CNN: Was that the worst business decision of your life? Turner: Oh yeah. Absolutely. CNN: If you could go back and do it again, would you have just completely called the whole thing off? Turner: Well, I couldn't have. At the time, there was so much momentum to do the deal, everybody was for it -- all of Wall Street and the management of both companies. And I wouldn't -- we could have stopped it if we had known of the accounting irregularities. But we didn't know. So there was no way to stop it. CNN: At about the same time, you were hemorrhaging money at the rate of about $10 million a day over the course of more than two years, your marriage to Jane Fonda broke up. And many people close to you were concerned -- because your father, who passed off his billboard business to you, committed suicide -- that you may follow him down that road. Turner: I wouldn't do that to my children and grandchildren. CNN: But they were concerned about it. Turner: Well, they might have been concerned about it, but there was no reason to be. CNN: You went through counseling, though, to try to come back. What was that road like? Turner: What, counseling? I've been in all kinds of counseling. I believe in doctors. Where I really spent the time was in couples and marriage counseling. It helped some. I was married for 10 years one time and 18 another. CNN: ... Jane Fonda has said, and said in the "60 Minutes" interview that aired over the weekend, that she still loves you. Is there-- . Turner: She didn't say that. CNN: Well, she says that she would be at your side in a blue minute. Turner: If I needed her. CNN: I would assume that somebody wouldn't do that unless they love you. Turner: It was nice of her to do. CNN: Any chance for a reconciliation? Turner: I don't think so, but you never know. CNN: What would it take? Turner: I don't know. More than a television interview. CNN: Have you thought about picking up the phone? Turner: No. I talk to her all the time. ... CNN: She said that -- this is a quote from the interview -- she said, "It's impossible to really be with Ted the way he needs someone to be with him and have any kind of life of your own." Are you tough to live with? Turner: I travel a lot. I'm on the move. CNN: You don't like to be alone? Turner: No. CNN: Why are you on the move so much? Turner: I don't know. I just got in the habit of it because that's how you get a lot done. Going from here to Philadelphia, and from Philadelphia to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Chicago, and Chicago to Los Angeles. When you are promoting a book, you really move. CNN: I know you've got to move around a lot. But some people have observed that when you are chased by demons, you have to move around a lot to stay out in front of them. Turner: Well, I'm not chased by demons. I feel pretty good. CNN: Why would people say that? Turner: I don't know. That I'm chased by demons? I don't know. They don't know. The only person who knows about demons is me. CNN: It's been a while since you have been involved with CNN. When you look -- . Turner: No, I'm involved every day, because I watch it just about every day. CNN: Involved in terms of the business aspect. Turner: That's OK, but viewers have got a lot of rights, too. ... [If] you don't have viewers, you don't have a business. CNN: ... When you come here and see how it's grown up, you see the international aspect of it, you see that on Election Night, CNN -- Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Campbell Brown, John King -- . Turner: They did a good job. CNN: They beat the networks. What do you think what you see that? Turner: I think it's great. CNN: This is the little entity that you started out of nothing. Turner: It's not so little. And it wasn't when we merged with Time Warner, either. Was the world's most important network. CNN: So what's next for you, if anything, at 70 years old? Turner: Well, I'm still promoting the book. It just came out two days ago. So that's a lot of work. CNN: ... [The book describes your] getting stuck on a sandbar, getting caught in a storm, almost dying off the coast of Cape Hatteras. ... How did you go from being a sailor that got stuck on the reef and almost died to somebody who managed to win the America's Cup on the Courageous?. Turner: Well, the same way in baseball, [the Atlanta Braves] set a record for consecutive last-place finishes in divisional play in baseball. First four years, we finished last, four years in a row. But I stuck with it and after 18 years, we won the World Series. And that's what I did with sailing. CNN: Just stick to it? Turner: Yeah. [I] stuck to it. And I wasn't losing -- I was just learning how to win.
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Ted Turner says he's "encouraged" by election of Barack Obama as president .
The CNN founder expects tough economic times ahead .
Turner: Reconciliation with ex-wife Jane Fonda unlikely, "but you never know"
Time Warner didn't do enough "due diligence" before merging with AOL, Turner says .
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05aa2fcdce509fcbb0b410bb65972f2a7790e738
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Kell Brook will end 18 months of waiting on Saturday night when he faces Shawn Porter for the IBF welterweight title in Carson, California. Both Brook and Porter made the weight when the two weighed in on Friday night with the IBF champion coming in slightly heavier. Unbeaten Sheffield fighter Brook tipped the scales at 146.5lbs while champion Porter was 146.75lbs. Brook saw three projected title tilts at former champion Devon Alexander fall through then was forced to watch Porter get there first and dethrone Alexander over 12 rounds last April. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Kel Brook talking about his title fight and Amir Khan fued . Ready to rumble: Unbeaten Kell Brook weighed in at 146.5lbs for his world title fight with Shawn Porter . Porter's subsequent four-round win over Paulie Malignaggi in April underlined the size of task facing Brook who heads into the fight with a 32-fight unbeaten record. But the Sheffield man is convinced all the waiting will have been worth it when he gets in the ring for a bout which will leave the winner in a position to take any number of lucrative showdowns ahead. Brook said: 'This has been a long time coming but I've finally arrived at the big stage now. 'It's every fighter's dream to win a world title and it's all I've been thinking about through training and waiting. Somebody's 0 has got to go: Both Porter and Brook are unbeaten in their careers . 'I know Shawn Porter is a very tough customer and a very worthy champion, but this is my time. I'm very well prepared mentally and physically and Saturday night cannot come quick enough for me.' While Brook has designs on a domestic super-fight against Amir Khan, Porter believes another headline win could put him in the frame for a meeting with Floyd Mayweather. Porter's slow-burning career looked to have stalled when he fought a draw with veteran Julio Diaz in 2012, but a subsequent rematch win followed by his last two top-level performances have suddenly made him a man to be reckoned with. Fighting fit: Both Porter and Brook looked in good shape as they weighed in ahead of their fight . Porter said: 'I am one of the quickest and strongest guys in my weight class and I'm probably the most confident too. 'I've done enough homework to know I can beat him. You're going to see it all - aggression, intelligence, power and quickness. The whole nine yards.'
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Challenger Kell Brook tips scales at 146.5lbs .
IBF World Champion Shawn Porter is slightly heavier at 146.75lbs .
Both fighters have unbeaten records ahead of welterweight title fight .
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05aa84e70d4a9815b0d26849ac1a2fde173ff582
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When we last saw South Carolina Congressman Francis Underwood on Netflix's "House of Cards," he was being offered an appointment to the vice presidency of the United States. How much trouble can that cause? Given what Underwood did in the first season of the show, probably more than anybody anticipates. Don't expect him to be the glad-handing, funeral-attending type of VP; Underwood is more likely to be holding a knife or two, the better to stab people in the back -- or, if it's necessary, in the front. "House of Cards," which helped establish Netflix as an original programmer -- rather than those folks who send you DVDs in red envelopes -- returns Friday for its second season. Like the first, it will be available for download all at once, which may mean that a lot of Valentine's Day dinners grow cold while fans binge on watching 13 straight episodes. As the second season begins, Kevin Spacey's Underwood reveals that the vice presidency won't change his cold, pragmatic cardiac muscle. "One heartbeat away from the presidency and not a single vote cast in my name," he says at his swearing-in. "Democracy is so overrated." 'He believes ideology is a form of weakness' It's a long way from the beginning of the first season, when Underwood was denied his desired job as secretary of state. But in a long-running game of "don't get mad, get even," Underwood -- with help from Doug Stamper, his subtly brutal chief of staff (Michael Kelly); Claire, his devoted and equally conniving lobbyist wife (Robin Wright); and Zoe Barnes, a pliable, ambitious reporter (Kate Mara) -- managed to knock down his obstacles and maneuver his way up the Washington food chain. If a few bodies were left in his wake -- figuratively and, in one case, literally -- well, the ends justify the means. As Underwood noted in the very first episode as he put a wounded dog out of its misery, "I have no patience for useless things." But that's not to say that Underwood doesn't also want to make the system work. In an interview last fall with CNN, showrunner Beau Willimon explained that Underwood, at heart, is "an optimist," though he understands the darker view. 'House of Cards' creator Willimon plays a solid hand . "Where I think people mistake his optimism for cynicism is that he's unapologetically self-interested. He believes ideology is a form of weakness -- a form of cowardice," Willimon said. The writer and producer observes that one of the character's models is Lyndon Johnson, known for his shrewd knowledge of the legislative process both as a senator and as president. Willimon added that "House of Cards" isn't necessarily a show about politics, despite its Washington setting. It's a show about power -- in all its manifestations. "That power is displayed in our love lives, or our work environments, the way we comport ourselves when randomness brushes up against us," he says. And, he adds, power can be more useful than money: "Power has no limits if you're willing to go far enough in order to get as much of it as you can." 'Mr. Macbeth Goes to Washington'? Naturally, Willimon and his stars have been tight-lipped about how far Underwood will take things in a show The Kansas City Star nicknamed "Mr. Macbeth Goes to Washington." Trailers and tidbits, however, offer some tantalizing hints. There's a suggestion that Underwood could be implicated in a murder investigation. Perhaps Barnes might be locating her ethics. A New York Times Magazine profile of Willimon mentioned a "super-duper-double-major spoiler." And Underwood appears headed for a showdown with wealthy industrialist -- and fellow power broker -- Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney), a friend of the president. Just as intriguing is the future of Underwood's wife, Claire. In the first season's early episodes, she seemed more troubled by unethical behavior than her husband; after all, she was a lobbyist for environmental issues. But that changed as she found her own livelihood threatened. In this, she is much like her husband, said Wright. "She is a pragmatist in the art of war," the actress told The New York Times. However the second season concludes, "House of Cards" has already been a winner. Netflix spent $100 million to produce the show's first two seasons. In return, the show was nominated for eight Emmy awards last fall, winning three, and Netflix's subscriber base and stock price have both hit new highs. The service has quickly become a major player for original programming, with last summer's "Orange Is the New Black" also earning raves. The company recently renewed "House of Cards" for a third season. In the meantime, one can only wonder whether a better Shakespearean parallel for Underwood is "Othello's" Iago, dropping poisoned hints in the president's ear. All Willimon will promise is the show will hold on to its darkness. "There are people who don't like the level of darkness, who find the characters unsympathetic," he told the Times Magazine. "And we need to own that."
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"House of Cards" returns for second season on Friday .
Show stars Kevin Spacey as conniving congressman -- now one step from White House .
Show is less about Washington politics than about power, says creator .
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05ab167af965de7bda43f65c7a8c5d31e21a4887
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He spent more than 21 straight hours railing against any government funding for Obamacare. Then Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas joined the other 99 senators from both parties in voting Wednesday to move ahead on a spending plan expected to do just that. The rare 100-0 vote on a procedural step means the spending measure that would avoid a partial government shutdown next week now can be amended by Senate Democrats to restore funding for President Barack Obama's signature health care reforms, which had been eliminated last week by House Republicans. Cruz led a group of tea party conservatives in trying to block Senate consideration of the spending legislation because Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid made clear his caucus would remove the provision that defunded Obamacare. However, Cruz came under strong criticism from fellow Republicans for that strategy, which called for GOP senators to filibuster the House measure that -- in its original form -- would defund programs under the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court last year. Fed up over Beltway shutdown battle . The confusion of Cruz's strategy was apparent Wednesday when he voted with Democrats for the Senate to take up the measure less than two hours after his marathon speech against it that began Tuesday afternoon and continued overnight and through the morning. An aide to Cruz told CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash that the senator always intended to allow formal consideration of the House measure, adding that Cruz would vote against it once Senate Democrats restored the Obamacare funding. However, nothing in Cruz's words or actions preceding the vote indicated that was his intention. Instead, he had urged his colleagues to unite against the spending plan, saying voting for it was tantamount to supporting Obamacare. "Any senator who votes (to move forward with debate on the House measure) is voting to give Harry Reid the authority to fund Obamacare," Cruz told Bash on Monday. After Wednesday's vote, Cruz told reporters that his long night sought to unite Republicans to block any funding for Obamacare. "Coming into this debate we clearly were not united," he said. "There were significant divisions in the conference. I hope those divisions dissolve; that we come together in party unity" with all 46 Republicans preventing a final vote on the spending plan once Democrats amend it to fund Obamacare. Cruz and other tea party conservatives wanted to prevent the Senate from taking up the spending measure passed last week by the GOP-controlled House that makes continued government funding contingent on denying any money for Obamacare. How this affects you . While his drawn-out floor speech did not constitute a filibuster, it was intended to rally opposition to the state goal of Senate Democrats to restore the Obamacare funding. However, Cruz lacked support for his tactics from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other influential veterans including Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee. In the end, Cruz voted with them to open the spending plan to revisions by the Democratic-led chamber. Reid called Cruz's all-night speech a "waste of time" as the nation faced a possible partial shutdown of the government if Congress fails to authorize government spending beyond Monday, when the current fiscal year ends. To Reid, the tactic reflected a perspective that a "bad day for government" amounted to a "good day" for tea party conservatives. Earlier Wednesday, Corker told CNN that a better idea would be to get the bill back to the House as soon as possible so the Republican majority there can offer a compromise. "House members are already talking about how they might respond if the defunding component ends up being stripped out," Corker said, adding he hoped that the Senate would "give the House some time to respond in a thoughtful way." With Obamacare markets for the uninsured set to open on October 1, which also begins the new fiscal year, GOP opponents consider this their last best chance to undermine or amend the health care reforms. A possible GOP counter-proposal floated by Corker would delay its full implementation for a year. He noted that Obama already postponed another component affecting business implementation of health care reforms for a year. Under the process planned by Reid, a final Senate vote on the revised spending plan would occur over the weekend to leave the House a day at most to reconsider it. However, Reid said Wednesday he wanted the Senate to complete its work on the measure as soon as possible. Cruz, as he approached the conclusion of his overnight speech, thanked the Senate staff and others "who have endured this Bataan death march." When he began at 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, Cruz said he intended to "speak in support of defunding Obamacare until I am no longer able to stand." He filled the ensuing hours with a blend of political rhetoric and emotional pleas for Republicans like Corker to unite in opposition to Obamacare.\ . Darth Vader, Sean Connery, Chinese gooseberries and other highlights . Conservative colleagues including Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, David Vitter of Louisiana and James Inhofe of Oklahoma joined him at times to assume the main talking duties and allow Cruz to rest his vocal chords. 'Green Eggs and Ham' gets a reading . On Tuesday night, he read the Dr. Seuss children's classic "Green Eggs and Ham" to his daughters. As he reached 18 hours of holding the Senate floor on Wednesday morning, Cruz compared his anti-Obamacare effort to the "Star Wars" films. Referring to having heard someone use the phrase "rebellion against oppression," Cruz said those words "conjured up to me the rebel alliance fighting against the empire. The empire being the Washington, D.C., establishment." "And indeed immediately on hearing that phrase I wondered if at some point we would see a tall gentleman in a mechanical breathing apparatus come forward and say in a deep voice, `Mike Lee, I am your father.' " Cruz said his effort "is a fight to restore freedom to the people. This is a fight to get the Washington establishment, the empire, to listen to the people. And just like in the 'Star Wars' movies the empire will strike back. But at the end of the day I think the rebel alliance, I think the people will prevail." Later, he called for Senate Republicans to show the same courage as their party colleagues in the House in making a stand to defund Obamacare. He alluded to the risks faced by the signers of the Declaration of Independence, noting they were mostly wealthy landowners who faced hanging for treason for their actions. What's Ted Cruz's deal? At 9 a.m. Wednesday, Cruz was alone on the floor, except for the presiding officer, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. Durbin and Cruz engaged in some hostile exchanges, with the Illinois Democrat accusing Cruz of trying to deny health care coverage for tens of millions of currently uninsured Americans while enjoying the benefits of a federal health care program. Cruz responded that Obamacare was flawed and hurting the country, and the focus should be on a better solution instead of continuing on with a failed system. What you need to know about the possible shutdown . Two sides battle it out on social media . Earlier, Cruz sought to define his battle as purely about principle, saying: "This fight is not about any member of this body. This fight is not about personalities." "Look, most Americans could not give a flying flip about a bunch of politicians in Washington," he said. "Who cares? Almost all of us are in cheap suits with bad haircuts! Who cares?" Supporters cheered him on through social media, and #StandWithCruz became one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter. But supporters of the health care law made themselves heard as well. On Wednesday morning, the two sides were battling it out in the top trending topic in the United States: "Obamacare." 5 strange things about debt ceiling politics . Key Republicans critical of Cruz strategy . Cruz also has been the target of criticism by some top Republicans. GOP infighting over how best to prevent a government shutdown while defunding Obamacare escalated Tuesday as McConnell publicly dismissed Cruz's more confrontational strategy. Cruz's GOP critics believe his strategy is politically suicidal, arguing there is no way to stop Obamacare as long as Democrats maintain control of the Senate and Obama is in the White House. They believe that trying to do so by forcing a shutdown -- or preventing an increase in the debt ceiling next month -- will backfire by harming the economy and damaging the Republican brand. What happens in a government shutdown . The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the debt ceiling -- which is the amount the federal government can borrow to pay its bills -- must be raised by October 17 to prevent a possible default. House Republicans say they will propose a package of measures that includes a one-year delay in full implementation of Obamacare to a proposal to extend the debt limit for a year. House Republican leaders met Wednesday evening to discuss the policy priorities they plan to attach. But there are signs leadership is running into resistance from conservatives, some of whom do not want additional borrowing. Others want to add new items while others still question the strategy of taking up the debt bill in the middle of fight over spending and a possible government shutdown. The White House rejects negotiations on the debt issue, saying something as fundamental as ensuring the good credit of the United States must be above politics. The last debt ceiling fight in Congress in 2011 caused the first-ever downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and Obama and top Democrats warn playing politics with the issue now will cause economic harm amid the still fragile recovery. Can it be stopped?
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Cruz: Marathon floor speech was to rally GOP unity against Obamacare .
The Senate votes 100-0 to proceed on a spending plan to avoid a shutdown .
Aide: Despite voting yes, Sen. Cruz still opposes any funding for Obamacare .
Senate Majority Leader Reid calls Cruz's 21-hour speech a "waste of time"
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Liverpool fans protested against ticket prices at Anfield during their 0-0 draw against Hull City. Banners reading '£NOUGH IS £NOUGH' and 'Kop Kids pay Adult Prices' were on show with supporters angry at paying up to £59 to see last year's Premier League runners up. The cheapest match-day ticket at Anfield is the second most priciest in the Premier League and costs £37, according to BBC Sport Price of Football survey. Liverpool fans protested against ticket prices at Anfield during their game against Hull City on Saturday . The banners argued against Liverpool's ticket prices that cost from £37 and can be as pricey as £59 at Anfield . A banner at Anfield reads 'supporters not customers' during Liverpool's match against Hull City on Saturday . '£NOUGH IS £NOUGH' reads one banner in the Kop as Liverpool face Hull at home on Saturday afternoon . £37 - cheapest match-day ticket . £59 - most expensive match-day ticket . £3 - programme . £5.80 - pie and cup of tea . Only Chelsea are more expensive than the cheapest ticket at Liverpool, with those at Stamford Bridge being charged at least £50 to see Jose Mourinho's side. The protest 'against modern football' was aimed at owner John Henry as Twitter account @spiritofshankly wrote: 'We won't stand back and let it carry on. We will fight back.' By comparison, neighbours Everton charge fans £4 less for their cheapest ticket at Goodison Park. The cheapest season ticket at Anfield costs £710, the fourth most expensive in the Premier League behind Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool fans look on as Mario Balotelli (pictured) plays during their game against Hull City at Anfield . Balotelli has been struggling to get his Liverpool career going at Anfield since joining for £16million .
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Cheapest match-day ticket to watch Liverpool play at Anfield costs £37 .
'We won't stand back and let it carry on. We will fight back,' say protesters .
Protest was held during Liverpool's Premier League game against Hull City .
Those at Goodison Park pay £4 less for their cheapest ticket at Everton .
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A seven-year-old boy who asked Santa for a new heart is recovering after receiving a life-saving transplant. Micah Muller, from Waynesburg, Ohio, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition that affects blood flow to the heart. After complications last September, he was admitted to the hospital and put on the heart transplant waiting list a month later. Micah, who wasn't expected to live through the New Year, received a new heart on December 20 - just in time for Christmas. Scroll down for video . Gift of life: Micah Muller asked Santa for a new heart and received a life-saving organ transplant just five days before Christmas . 'It's amazing,' Micah's mother LaVonne Dougherty told Fox 8 News Cleveland. 'It's surreal. Never though that we would be here. Never thought it.' One of the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital said Micah had been dying after 'a lifetime of being sick' prior to the surgery. Ms Dougherty admitted that she struggled with her emotions when her son was put on the heart transplant waiting list. Normal heart: The seven-year-old from Waynesburg, Ohio is finally recovering and looking forward to going home with his mom LaVonne Dougherty (center) and his three sisters . Amazing recovery: Micah, who is pictured with his sisters Cassie (left) Julie (center) and Madeline (right), now has a normal heart after being born with a rare birth defect . 'Just the idea of: “Okay. Am I wishing for another child to die - you know another family's worst tragedy - to save my own?”' she said. 'Psychologically it could do a number for you.' Now Micah's goal is to go home with his mom and play with his three older sisters, Cassie, Madeline and Julie. Micah, who has been fighting for his life since the day he was born, had his first surgery when he was one week old. He faced another soon after, and by the time he was five months old, he had endured a total of three surgeries. Unwavering support: After being admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital last September, Micah was visited by Batman, as well as LeBron James and other members of the Cleveland Cavaliers . Inspiring attitude: Micah makes silly faces with his mom (left) and his sister Julie (center) Although his condition limited his physical abilities, Micah lived at home and attended school at Sandy Valley Elementary before he was admitted into the hospital last September. Throughout his stay at the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Micah has received visits from Spider-Man, Batman and Thor, as well as LeBron James and other Cleveland Cavaliers players. Last December, Micah's school principal Vic Johnson told The Press-News that his student is an inspiration. 'Micah is one of the most amazing young people I have ever met,' he said. 'Courage and energy are two words directly associated to him.He has taken on this challenge since birth, never wavering.' Mr Johnson added: 'He's full of life every minute of the day. You can't help but smile when you're around him.'
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Micah Muller from Waynesburg, Ohio was not expected to live through the New Year .
After several months on the heart transplant waiting list, a donor organ became available on December 20 .
Micah was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition that affects blood flow to the heart .
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By . Beth Stebner . PUBLISHED: . 20:52 EST, 9 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 23:08 EST, 9 April 2013 . Looks like there are too many cooks in the White House kitchen. White House assistant chef Sam Kass, who cooks weekly for President Obama, said Tuesday that he is facing a furlough brought about by crippling federal budget cuts. The chef, who is also the president’s senior nutrition policy adviser, is one of nearly 500 White House employees who are expected to receive furlough notices because of the so-called sequester. On the chopping block: Assistant White House Chef Sam Kass, pictured in 2009, is one of 480 White House staffers facing furloughs . Staying active: Mr Kass, right, was named a Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives in 2010, working with First Lady Michelle Obama on her 'Let's Move!' initiative to reverse childhood obesity . Speaking with food reporters Tuesday, Mr Kass said: ‘We’re being furloughed,’ according to Reuters. A White House spokesman who accompanied Kass to the press briefing declined to comment on the matter. News of the possible White House staff furloughs comes days after several members of the Obama administration announced that they would return a portion of their salaries to the federal government as a sign of solidarity to the austere days ahead in Washington. The chef cooks dinner several times a week for the president and while he likely won’t be preparing all of the president’s meals in the coming weeks, the New York Times’ Caucus blog cheekily notes that it is unlikely the president will miss any meals. Make our garden grow: First lady Michelle Obama waters wheat seedlings during the spring planting of the White House garden last week; Kass helped create the vegetable garden on the South Lawn . It is unclear whether notices have gone out to other Obama aides informing them that they must take days off without pay. Mr Kass, who was trained in Chicago and Vienna, joined the White House Kitchen staff in 2009 and was named a Senior Policy Adviser for Healthy Food Initiatives a year later, working with First Lady Michelle Obama on her ‘Let’s Move!’ initiative to reverse childhood obesity. He also helped create the vegetable garden on the South Lawn that has yielded 3,000 pounds of fresh produce for the first family. Mr Kass told reporters that effort won't be affected, according to the Associated Press. The sequester – which consists of $85 billion in cuts – went into effect last month after Congress failed to stop it. Hundreds of thousands of workers . could be forced to take unpaid leave if those on Capitol Hill don’t . reach an agreement to undo the cuts. Tough times: President Obama, pictured yesterday leaving the Oval Office, will give five percent of his salary back to the federal government as a symbolic gesture that all of government has been hurt by the sequester . Reuters and AP contributed to this report.
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White House assistant chef Sam Kass told reporters Tuesday that he is likely to be asked to take time off without pay .
One of around 480 White House staffers who are likely to get furlough notices .
Comes as Washington feeling sharp effects of sequester .
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By . Craig Hope . PUBLISHED: . 15:24 EST, 4 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:38 EST, 5 January 2014 . Should Walcott be charged by FA for taunting Spurs fans? Theo Walcott teased Tottenham Hotspur supporters with a 2-0 scoreline gesture as he was stretchered from the action during Arsenal’s FA Cup victory at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were leading thanks to goals from Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky when, with seven minutes remaining, Walcott made the cheeky hand signal to the visiting fans. The Football Association may choose to take action against Walcott for his taunt, while Tottenham may also come under fire after their supporters showered him with objects. Cheeky: Theo Walcott leaves the game on a stretcher and reminds the Spurs fans of the 2-0 scoreline . All smiles: Walcott cannot hide his grin as he makes the gesture, to the delight of Arsenal's fans . Two good: Arsenal were comfortable victors as they booked their place in the fourth round . Satisfaction: Walcott continued to tease the visiting fans as he made his way around the pitch . They had responded with a hail of coins, as well as a lighter, a plastic cup and a bread bun. But Walcott, who had been forced off with a leg injury, appeared unconcerned and was smiling ear to ear despite the irritation caused. He then donned a scarf thrown to him by a member of the home support who were thrilled with their player's jibe. Walcott’s team-mate Wojciech Szczesny also got in on the act and posted a picture mimicking the gesture on his Instagram account. Handy: Wojciech Szczesny copies Walcott's cheeky gesture in this instagram post . Money shot: A matchday steward holds a handful of coins that were thrown in the direction of Walcott . Target: A lighter, a bread roll and a plastic cup were all hurled towards Walcott . The Football Association will wait until receiving the match report of referee Mark Clattenburg before deciding whether the Walcott incident warrants investigation. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, however, moved to diffuse the situation. 'The doctors said to me that the coins had been raining over his (Walcott's) head and they had to protect him, maybe that is why he did that. Yes (the coins came before the gesture) that is what I have been told,' said Wenger. 'After that, what he did is not offensive. You look for every single incident, I can understand that, but it is an action that didn't offend anybody. Angry: Some of the visiting fans were incensed by Walcott's cheeky scoreline . 'I have seen the pictures after the game and it does not even look aggressive, he is smiling.' Last month, Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere was suspended for two matches after television pictures showed him making an obscene hand gesture towards Manchester City supporters in the 6-3 defeat at Manchester City. Wenger, though, maintained this situation did not merit any disciplinary action. 'My response will be simple, they (FA) have seen the pictures on television. If they judge it offensive, what can I say?' the Arsenal boss added. Injury: Walcott was taken off on a stretcher towards the end of the FA Cup victory . Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood, meanwhile, revealed in his post-match press conference he had not witnessed the incidents. Sherwood said: 'Someone just mentioned it to me in there. I didn't see it. 'Is that what he did? Well, listen I don't know Theo, I don't know him as a lad. It could have been a bit of banter, possibly. 'If they (Tottenham fans) did then it's a problem, isn't it? If they didn't then it's not a problem.'
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Walcott gestured the score at Tottenham supporters as he was taken off the pitch .
He could be punished by the FA for his actions .
Tottenham may also come under fire for their fans' behaviour .
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05b0537dc35777a3cc1b35801bbc61c8aa51d7e9
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Despite a vast security clampdown, riot police and army units allowed the peaceful crowds to vent their anger in the biggest rallies the country has seen since the fall of the USSR. As many as 50,000 massed at Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square near the Kremlin. Scroll down for video... Flaring up: Protest: As night falls, activists continue to voice their anger at the rally . United: Thousands of Russians are out on the streets protesting against Sunday's election results . Burning down: Russian nationalists burn a flag of the United Russia party during a Bolotnaya Square rally . It followed demonstrations in 70 cities . across the country - many held in freezing snow, where campaigners . screamed 'Putin's a louse' and demanded he quit - including Siberia and . the Far East. Last night, protesters issued an . ultimatum to Prime Minister Putin to cancel ‘fraudulent’ parliamentary . elections and stage a rerun – or face an even larger mass protest in two . weeks. The authorities deployed more than . 50,000 police and soldiers for yesterday’s rallies but there was no . repeat of the arrests at smaller spontaneous protests earlier last week. Armoured vehicles blocked access to . Red Square and government buildings around the Kremlin and tiny spy . helicopters monitored the crowds. Authoritarian former KGB spy Putin – . who plans to return to the Kremlin as president in March – now faces his . most acute political crisis since coming to power. Standing room only: An aerial view of the rally in Bolotnaya Square . Flaring up: Protesters walk amidst smoke from a flare in the city centre to attend a sanctioned rally in Bolotnaya Square . Yesterday, he kept a low profile, . monitoring the extraordinary scenes from his official residence near . Moscow. Last night his spokesman said: ‘The government cannot yet . formulate its attitude to the many thousands meeting at Bolotnaya.’ There were even calls from the crowd . for Putin to be jailed over the ‘rigged’ parliamentary poll, which his . United Russia party narrowly won last week, and the endemic corruption . which is rampant at all levels throughout the country. Independent observers suggest United . Russia’s vote was inflated from about 25 per cent to 50 per cent of the . total share, enough to give an overall majority. Exact estimates on the size of yesterday’s protest varied but there was agreement it is the largest Putin has seen. ‘Maybe 100,000 people were at this . rally,’ declared Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin’s first prime minister but now a . bitter enemy. ‘Today is the beginning of the end for these thieving . authorities.’ Anger: An elderly Russian holds up a poster of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin which reads No! as thousands packed into Moscow to protest against the elections . Voices heard: Protesters are congregating in Moscow's city centre to protest against the rigged election . Packed out: Bolotnaya Square is filled with tens of thousands of protesters all campaigning against the rigged elections . Anti-Putin: Protesters hold a red banner reading 'Rot Front' during the rally against Sunday's election results . Organised dissent: Russians walk into Moscow's city centre for the sanctioned rally in Bolotnaya Square . Calm before the storm? Interior Ministry officers stand guard as crowds flock into Moscow city centre (left) as People's Freedom Party leader Boris Nemtsov (right) also protests . Overthrow: Opposition protesters in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar took to the streets today . Taking a stand: Protesters also congregated on the streets of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk . And ex-deputy premier Boris Nemtsov, . briefly jailed for taking part in an earlier protest, said: ‘The current . regime does not know how to behave with dignity. All they know is . cynicism.’ Leading Russian novelist Boris Akunin . said: ‘I haven’t seen such things for 20 years, since 1991. There’s no . way back from events such as these. Our city has changed.’ As the protests unfolded, the . websites of Russia’s two major state-run channels ignored developments . in an act of Soviet-style censorship. In London, protesters chanted slogans . and displayed banners outside the Houses of Parliament. And Moscow rally . organiser, opposition politician Vladimir Ryzhkov, has announced there . will be another protest on December 24, which he says will be twice as . large. The protests come three months before . Putin, who was president from 2000 to 2008 and effectively remained the . country's leader while prime minister, is to seek a third term in . office. The public outpouring challenges his . image, supported by state-controlled TV channels, as a man who won the . affection of most Russians. That image was undercut by last . Sunday's parliamentary elections, during which his United Party narrowly . retained a majority of seats. Ex-pat protest: Russians gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in London to also rally against what they think was a fraudulent election process . But it lost the unassailable . two-thirds majority it held in the previous parliament. Even that . reduced performance was unearned, inflated by massive vote fraud, the . opposition says, citing reports by local and international monitors of . widespread violations. The reports of vote-rigging and the party's loss of seats acted as a catalyst for long-simmering discontent of many Russians. 'The falsifications that authorities . are doing today have turned the country into a big theater, with clowns . like in a circus,' said Alexander Trofimov, one of the early arrivals . for the protest at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River . adjacent to the Kremlin. Opposition: Protesters took to the streets of Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok today to show their anger against the alleged rigged elections . Anger: One of the first protests of the day took part in Vladivostok . Claims: Crowds gathered in Vladivostok to protest against the ruling United Russia party . 'I don't think any citizen of the . country can say he is very happy with anything. We don't have an . independent judiciary, there is no freedom of expression - all this . combined creates a situation where people are forced to protest,' said . demonstrator Albert Yusupov, who was dressed in civilian clothes but . identified himself as a member of the Russian army. By the time the rally started, the . square and adjacent streets were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with . protesters braving intermittent wind-blown snow. City authorities have given . permission for a rally of up to 30,000 people, unusual largesse for an . opposition that generally is either denied permission to rally or . limited to small numbers. It was not clear if police would . choose to crack down if the crowd clearly exceeded 30,000. But they did . try to move demonstrators off a footbridge leading to the island, . claiming it was so packed with people that it could collapse. Protests took place in at least 15 other cities from the Pacific Coast to the southwest. Day of action: A protester in Vladivostok holds a cut-out from Esquire magazine showing the the face of Russian blogger, political and social activist Alexei Navalny . International criticism: The elections which saw . Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (left) voted back into power have . been condemned by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) In the Pacific city of Vladivostok, . several hundred protesters rallied along a waterside avenue where some . of Russia's Pacific Fleet warships are docked. They shouted 'Putin's a . louse' and some held a banner caricaturing United Russia's emblem, . reading 'The rats must go'. And in the eastern city of St Petersburg, observers said more than 10,000 took to the streets. Police stayed on the fringes of that . demonstration and made no arrests. But the Interfax news agency reported . that about 15 people were arrested at a protest in the Siberian city of . Perm and about 30 in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk when a . flash-mob started an unauthorized protest. Officials in many cities, including . Moscow, gave permission for the protests. But in what appeared to be an . attempt to prevent young people from attending the protest, Moscow's . school system declared Saturday afternoon a mandatory extra school day . for grades 9-11. Students were told of the decision only on Friday, news . reports said. Hundreds of people, were arrested in . smaller protests earlier in the week. Some, including prominent . opposition blogger Alexei Navalny, were sentenced to 15 days in jail. Another prominent opposition figure, . Sergei Udaltsov, was hospitalized after his Monday arrest and was . expected to be released Saturday, but the Interfax news agency said he . was taken from the hospital to a court to face further charges. President Dmitry Medvedev conceded this week that election law may have been violated and Putin suggested 'dialogue with the opposition-minded' - breaking from his usual authoritarian image. The Kremlin has come under strong international pressure, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling the vote unfair and urging an investigation into fraud. The opposition predicts at least 30,000 demonstrators will assemble for the Moscow protest. If today's protests are a success, the activists then face the challenge of long-term strategy. Even though U.S. Sen. John McCain recently tweeted to Putin that 'the Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you', things in Russia are not that simple. The popular uprisings that brought down governments in Georgia in 2003, in Ukraine the next year and in Egypt last spring all were significantly boosted by demonstrators being able to establish round-the-clock presences, notably in Cairo's Tahrir Square and the massive tent camp on Kiev's main avenue. Russian police would hardly tolerate anything similar. In Ukraine and Georgia, police were low-profile, staying on the edges of the protests and keeping their numbers small. It is seen as a far cry from Russian police's usual crowd-controlling method of flooding any protest zone with hundreds of helmeted police who seem to relish violence. Opposition figures indicated today that the next step would be to call another protest in Moscow for next weekend, with the aim of making it even bigger. But staged events at regular intervals may be less effective than daily spontaneous protests. The opposition is also vulnerable to attacks on the websites and social media that have nourished the protests. This week, an official of Vkontakte, a Russian social networking site, reported pressure from the FSB, the KGB's main successor, to block access to opposition groups, but said his company refused. On election day, the websites of a main independent radio station and the country's only independent election-monitoring group fell victim to denial-of-service hacker attacks. Allegations: An election committee empties a ballot box after voting closed at a polling station last Sunday. There are now fears mass ballot-box stuffing took place .
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Police flood capital's streets, but allow peaceful protestors to vent anger .
Largest rallies country has faced since fall of the USSR .
Demonstrations took place in 70 cities across the country .
President Vladimir Putin even faced calls to be jailed over 'rigged' vote .
Crowds of Russians protest outside Houses of Parliament, in London .
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Editor's note: CNN contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose new book is "Late Edition: A Love Story." Seven-year-old Wyatt Wilke wanted to be a Marine and a doctor. (CNN) -- On the morning of last year's annual Sunflower Fair in La Porte, Indiana, a family, appearing a little lost, walked up and down a crowded street, looking in vain for the table to sign up their entry. They carried a large sunflower with them. If no one noticed the exhausted, grieving look in the family's eyes, that was understandable. The Sunflower Fair is a place of happy noise: rides and music and food booths. It is La Porte's fall festival, and people from across northwest Indiana come to spend a Saturday in the midst of the milling, chattering crowds. The family silently bearing the large sunflower had never been to the fair before. But this was important. They finally located the entry table, and asked for a form. They carefully filled it out. Their flower was entered in the seed head category -- the one that judges the largest seed head, which is the circular area in the middle of a sunflower. They wrote down the name of the person who had grown the sunflower: . Wyatt Wilke. He was their 7-year-old son. He had died earlier that same day, at a few minutes after midnight. Now, less than 10 hours later, here they were, with Wyatt's flower. "He loved growing his sunflowers," said his mother, Cathleen Wilke. "Every year we talked about coming into La Porte for the Sunflower Fair, but we never got around to it. Wyatt really wanted to be part of the contest." That's what they had planned -- a day at the fair, to enter his sunflower. He was a healthy, constantly laughing boy -- he loved school, where he was in the second grade, he loved horses, he loved his big brother John, with whom he shared a bedroom. The Wilkes lived in the tiny town of Hamlet, about 15 minutes from La Porte; Wyatt would look out the back window, watching for blue jays and cardinals. "He planted his sunflowers in our garden," Cathleen Wilke said. "He was so careful with them. A few weeks before the fair, there was a heavy windstorm that knocked his biggest sunflower over. He called to me: 'Mom, it's on the ground -- my flower, it's down.' He was afraid it was ruined. But he managed to save it." The week before the fair, Wyatt wasn't feeling well in class -- he had a sore throat. The school called on a Wednesday. He came home. "But the next morning, he was up, and he wanted to go to school," his mother said. "He was always so responsible -- he said, 'I didn't get my homework done last night.' I told him that was all right, that the school would understand. But as I made him his toast, he sat there on the couch, doing his homework." She told him he really shouldn't go to school. He stayed home. That day, he seemed to get sicker and sicker. "We drove over to the hospital in South Bend that night," his mother said. "He was talking in the car. As sick as he was, he said to us: 'Mom and Dad, when are we going to get to go camping?' There was this big, round, moon in the sky, and he looked out the window of the car and told us to look at it. He said the moon was so beautiful." At the hospital, they knew he was in very bad shape. Wyatt, it would turn out, had contracted an overwhelming bacterial infection that had entered his bloodstream and that was attacking his organs. He was in the hospital that Thursday night and all day and all evening Friday. His body went into septic shock; it couldn't fight off the infection. Friday turned to Saturday. His life ended just as the new day began. "He had always told us he wanted to grow up to be a Marine," his mother said. "Then he said he wanted to be a doctor. So we told him he could be a Marine doctor." And now they were at the hospital, and at age 7, he was gone. Someone remembered: This was going to be the day of the Sunflower Fair. How they found the strength to do it is hard to conceive. But that morning, carrying Wyatt's favorite sunflower -- the one he had saved when the wind had knocked it down -- they were at the fair in La Porte. They waited together as all the categories were judged. No one around them had any idea. And then, through the loudspeaker system at the fair, the winner of his category was announced: . "First place. . .Wyatt Wilke." The judging committee looked around, waiting for the winner to come forward and accept his trophy. His family. . . . Well, you can imagine. "I don't even remember which one of us went up to accept it for him," his mother said. "But Wyatt had won. He had won." That was a year ago. A few months later, the fair's organizer, Phyllis Jones, approached Cathleen Wilke and asked her if she would like to serve on the committee. She said yes. And this year at the fair, the contest -- all the categories, the whole competition -- had a new name: . The Wyatt Wilke Sunflower Contest. The seeds from Wyatt's winning flower were given to his classmates at Kingsford Heights Elementary School. The children planted them in the school's new memorial garden, the one that is named for Wyatt. The sunflowers are blooming now. Soon enough winter will arrive, and the snow will cover Indiana. But the seeds will be planted in the school's garden every year, and forever the flowers will return, bright and vibrant and full of life's very best promise, like the smile of a boy who believes he can do anything. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.
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A boy in Indiana saved his prized sunflower after a windstorm .
The family entered the flower in a contest after the boy died .
Seeds of that sunflower will grow in his memorial garden .
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05b3b6007ac58ee9d886d0c5dcc347a3175348dc
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By . David Gardner . A script for the last episode of popular TV show Downton Abbey was stolen after a hacker accessed the writer's email account. The cyber thief, known was 'Guccifer', apparently managed to download the script for the final episode of the fourth season of the ITV show after getting into Julian Fellowes' private email. It means the hacker, who has also targeted George W Bush and Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, was in possession of the script six months before it was aired on television. Hacked: Writer Julian Fellowes' email account was hacked and the Downton series four finale script stolen . Over the last year, it has been reported the hacker is responsible for a number of high-level security breaches and has accessed email and Facebook accounts of senior US officials and senators. In February 2013, it was claimed the hacker was responsible for accessing the emails of Dorothy Bush Koch, sister of George W Bush, and releasing family photos. The Independent reports his British targets also include the former Attorney General, Baroness Scotland and the City financier Sir Francis Brooke. As well as Government officials, Guccifer has also managed to access Candace Bushnell's email and Twitter account and released the first 50 pages of the unpublished novel written by the Sex and the City author and also hacked comedian Steve Martin. Actor Rupert Everett, BBC broadcaster Jeremy Paxman and Sir Francis Brooke have also been hacked by the outlaw. Most of the victims were targeted after Guccifer managed to steal 900 contact names from journalist Tina Brown (left). As well as Lord Fellowes Baroness Scotland (right) other high-profile people were also hacked . It is believed most of the victims were targeted after Guccifer managed to steal 900 contact names from journalist Tina Brown who is the editor of The Daily Beast. By using publically-available information about his targets, the hacker guesses password security questions to gain access to email accounts. Using Wikipedia pages of prospective victims, he obtained the names of a target’s relatives, and even referred to a list containing the most popular names for dogs and cats. Website The Smoking Gun reported it has recently been handed documents that show Guccifer obtained private messages, photos and phone records as well as credit card and bank statements. The website says Guccifer didn’t offer a motive for his activities and handed over his archive of thousands of documents without revealing his identity ‘just in case I am busted.’ He has also got the mobile phone numbers of Hollywood star Robert Redford as well as email addresses for Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio. The MailOnline has approached Lord Fellowes and Baroness Scotland for comment. Downton: The script for the season four finale of the ITV show was stolen six months before it was on TV .
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The cyber thief, known was 'Guccifer', took the series finale script .
Hacker also targeted George W Bush and journalist Carl Bernstein .
Guccifer guesses security questions to gain access to accounts .
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By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 11:37 EST, 30 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:37 EST, 30 January 2013 . A three-year-old girl has been left with permanent bright blue marks in her hair after the dye from a hair bobble leaked and stained it. Scarlett Belfield had been playing outside her home with friends when the tie got wet and the dye ran - leaving unsightly streaks of blue in her long blonde locks. Dismayed mother Charlotte Hollinshead, 22, has tried washing Scarlett’s hair 15 times following the incident last Friday. Turned the 'air blue: Angry mother Charlotte Hollinshead and three-year-old daughter Scarlett Belfield with the hair bobble, left, and the effects of the dye on her hair, right . Offenders: The blue hair ties which ran while Scarlet was playing in the snow . She has tried a variety of ways to clean the dye off - including using washing-up liquid to wash her hair - but they have all failed to work. The mother-of-two asked a hairdresser for advice, who told her the stubborn dye can only be removed by bleaching her daughter’s hair - or chopping it off. Furious Charlotte said she contacted high street discount store B&M Bargains - only for staff to tell her that the hair clips weren’t suitable for blondes. They offered her a refund on the £1.29 bumper pack of hair accessories but refused to apologise or cover the cost of correcting the mistake. Full time mother Charlotte, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, revealed she is now demanding compensation from the store. She said: 'Scarlett had been playing in the snow with her dad when she came back in with blue in her hair. Permanent: A close up of Scarlett Belfield's hair shows the effect of the blue dye . 'The dye had completely run out of the bobble and in to her hair, it’s stained it blue and nothing will make it come out. 'I have tried everything and even contacted a hairdressers’ for advice. 'They said that I’d either have to bleach Scarlett’s hair or cut it. 'There’s no way I’m going to bleach a three-year-old girl’s hair so the only thing is to have it cut. 'It would have to be cut very short to get rid of all the blue, so we might wait a bit which means she’s stuck with it for now. 'I called the store to complain but they were really snotty with me - one woman even said "what do you want me to do about it?" 'I couldn’t believe my ears when they told me the bobbles weren’t made for blonde children - how would I have known that? Streaks: Parents and staff at the youngster's nursery school thought that Scarlett's parents had died her hair deliberately . Bright: Mother Charlotte Hollinshead has washed her daughter's hair 15 times since Friday in a bid to get rid of the dye . 'If there’s that big a risk they should put a warning on the label. 'It is absolutely ridiculous that a child of that age should get their hair coloured because of a hair tie.' Scarlett's mother was left embarrassed when parents and teachers at her nursery group even thought Charlotte had put the blue streaks in her hair on purpose. The youngster’s father Nathan Belfield, 22, a bricklayer, added: 'We had just been out in the street enjoying the snow when it happened. 'The dye was very dark blue at first and we are trying to get her hair back to normal. 'We are angry with what the shop said and we don’t want to have to dye a three-year-old’s hair, it’s just not right. 'I have had teachers at school asking me why her hair is a different colour and I’ve had to explain we haven’t done it. 'It is embarrassing to explain and we would like an apology from the shop and more than a refund.” Staff at the Old Hall Street store in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, where the bobble was bought, have refused to comment on Charlotte’s complaint. The firm’s head office were also unavailable for comment today. No apology: The B&M store in Hanley, Stoke where the bobbles were purchased .
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Scarlett Belfield has been left with permanent blue streaks in her blonde hair .
The three-year-old from Staffordshire had been playing in the snow when dye ran from her wet hair bobble .
Furious mother Charlotte Hollinshead has tried washing her hair 15 times since the incident last Friday .
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Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama has approved the use of armed Predator drones in Libya, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday. Gates suggested that the unmanned Predator missions may have already begun. He said he believed that the first flights were launched Thursday but were called back due to poor weather. "The president has said that where we have some unique capabilities, he is willing to use those," Gates said. "And I think that today may in fact have been their first mission." Gates said the Predator drones offer a "modest contribution" to NATO efforts to support rebels fighting embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces there, though Gadhafi is not a specific target. Unmanned aerial vehicles offer more precise targeting, because their low-flying capability allows for better visibility, "particularly on targets now that have started to dig themselves into defensive positions," Gates said. He said the drones are needed for humanitarian reasons, and they have capabilities that larger aircraft such as A-10s and C-130s cannot provide. Vice Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. James Cartwright said the added precision is necessary because forces loyal to Gadhafi "nestle up in crowded areas" to maximize civilian casualties. "It's very difficult to identify friend from foe," Cartwright said, noting that the drones facilitate identification of individuals on the ground. Remote Predator operators are now permitted to strike Gadhafi's defense missions, including air defense, missile and radar sites. Predator strikes are also authorized for civilian protection and can hit Gadhafi's troops, military installations and equipment in the field. The U.S. employed the use of unmanned drones early in the NATO campaign, but they were intended for surveillance only and not authorized to fire.
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NEW: "I think that today may in fact have been their first mission," Robert Gates says .
NEW: Vice Joint Chiefs chair says drones help distinguish "friend from foe"
NEW: Gadhafi loyalists "nestle up in crowded areas," Gen. James Cartwright says .
NEW: Air defense, missile and radar sites, as well as troops, are authorized targets .
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Robin Van Persie has given Louis Van Gaal cause for concern after going off with a grimace at half-time of Netherlands’ friendly with Wales in Amsterdam. Early suggestions were that the Manchester United striker had picked up a slight groin injury but whatever the extent it is a worry for the Dutch manager so close to the World Cup starting. Van Gaal spoke before this game about Van Persie’s fitness and stated he was ‘not 100 per cent’ after missing six weeks towards the end of last season through a knee injury. Decisive: Arjen Robben scored one and made one for Holland in their win against Wales . Number one: Robben celebrates after giving Holland a first-half lead against Wales in Amsterdam . Positive: Lens showed that Holland do have some strength in reserve with a cool finish against Wales . Team player: Robben then takes the plaudits after setting up a goal for substitute Jeremain Lens . Any further troubles will throw Van Gaal’s plans for Holland’s opening group game against Spain on June 13 into doubt. Holland: Cillessen 6.5; Janmaat 6.5, Vlaar 6.5, de Vrij 7.5, . Martins Indi 6.5; Fer 6 (Wijnaldum 46’ 6), de Jong 7 (Huntelaar 78’ 6), . Sneijder 7.5, Blind 6.5; Van Persie 6.5 (Lens 46’), Robben 8 . Louis Van Gaal 7 . Wales: Hennessey 6.5; Gunter 6, Gabbidon 6.5, Chester 6, Taylor . 6 (Dummett 83’); Allen 7.5, Ledley 6.5 (Huws 62’ 6); J Williams 7 (G Williams . 70’ 6), King 6.5 (Vaughan 78’ 6), Robson-Kanu 6.5 (John 70’ 6); Church 6.5 . (Easter 66’ 6) Chris Coleman 6.5 . Referee: Bulent Yildirim 7 . MOTM: Robben . Van . Persie’s importance to his country was illustrated by the way their . attack became blunted in the second half, although his replacement . Jeremain Lens did score a tap-in with 14 minutes to go to make the final . score 2-0. Arjen Robben had scored the opener in the first half by converting a rebound from a Van Persie shot. Wales . manager Chris Coleman will be warmed by the way his team, without . Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Ashley Williams, tested the hosts at times . and could have given their travelling something to cheer had a couple . of openings been finished more accurately. Much . was made in the build-up to this game of Van Gaal’s decision to switch . to a 5-3-2 system from Holland’s usual 4-3-3. He trialled it in their . previous friendly against Ghana last Saturday prompting Bert van . Marwijk, the man who led his nation to the World Cup final four years . ago, to question the wisdom of changing tactics so close to the . tournament starting. There . might be more sniping to come given Van Gaal sprung a surprise by opting . for a 4-4-2 diamond formation here. More strings to the Oranje bow or . too much tinkering? Wesley . Sneijder operated at the front of a midfield four behind Van Persie and . Robben and with that trio on song, as was the case from kick-off, their . positioning shouldn’t matter. Say cheese: Louis van Gaal is grabbed for a selfie with a Holland fan before the game . Time's up: Holland captain Robin van Persie was taken off at half-time . Assist: Van Persie's first-half shot was parried into the path of Robben who opened the scoring . Impact: Jeremain Lens replaced Van Persie at half-time and scored Holland's second goal . Within . two minutes Daryl Janmaat dispossessed Neil Taylor and fed Robben who . lashed over, then 60 seconds later Van Persie fashioned space and forced . Wayne Hennessey into a good save. In . the ninth minute Robben fooled debutant James Chester with a run in . behind to break the offside trap and when Stefan de Vrij’s lofted ball . found him a goal looked certain. But the Bayern Munich player dragged . his shot wide. It was . whirlwind stuff yet this Welsh side, even shorn of its stars, can play a . bit and gradually the visitors found a foothold in the game. Joe . Allen, captaining his country for the first time, was breaking forward . with the ball and executing sharp passes. Jonny Williams began finding . joy on the right hand side. Then . in the 20th minute Taylor released striker Simon Church down the left . flank and his cross would have led to a tap-in for Andy King had Bruno . Martins Indi not stretched to nick clear. It was a spell that will . encourage Coleman for forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers. Van . Gaal’s team came again though. Robben played a one-two with Sneijder . then jinked past Danny Gabbidon only to continue tip-toeing too long so . when he fired his shot Chester was able to clear off the line. In . the 32nd minute he did not wait to pull the trigger. Van Persie beat . Chris Gunter on the left and cracked a shot that Hennessey could only . divert into the path of Robben who struck instantly. Van . Persie could have made it two soon after but he sliced his effort just . wide after being teed up by Daley Blind. It was to be the last act in . his game, replaced at half-time by Lens with cameras picking up a wince . that will make Dutch fans do just the same. The . Dynamo Kiev forward did add gloss to Holland’s win by slotting in at . the far post after a perfect cross from Robben, released by Sneijder, . but it is clear any absence of Van Persie will cast a huge shadow. Bum note: Wales player Hal Robson-Kanu changes his shorts at pitchside during the game . Support: Kevin Strootman, who will miss the World Cup through injury, was in the crowd to cheer Holland on . Have a word: Van Gaal talks to his assistant Patrick Kluivert ahead of kick-off . Stellar: Holland named a strong side including Robben, Van Persie, Sneijder and De Jong . Man of the people: Star man Robben gives the match ball to a Dutch fan at the end of the game . Orange: Dutch fans turned out in support of Van Gaal's team before they depart for Brazil .
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Arjen Robben scores one and makes one in Holland friendly win .
Robin van Persie taken off at half-time giving Louis van Gaal concern .
Wales weakened by omission of star duo Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey .
Van Persie replaced by Jeremain Lens who scores Holland's second goal .
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'Persecuted': Natalya Page's father Fred is backing his daughter's refusal to dye her hair back to its natural colour . A school sent a teenage girl into isolation because she dyed her hair red. Natalya Page, 14, was and told she could not attend lessons at Kenton Academy, in Kenton, Newcastle, until she had her hair dyed back to a natural colour. Teachers told her she would need to sit on her own with her form teacher, away from the rest of the class. They contacted the pupil's father asking for his permission to recolour his daughter's hair in the school salon. But Fred Page, 44, refused and accused the school of overreacting. Mr Page, a taxi driver, said: 'It’s ridiculous - she’s dyed her hair, not her brain. 'I do understand they have got to look after the image of the school, but how can it affect her education? 'How can they teach them to be different if they are going to put them down for the simplest of things? I just feel as though she is being persecuted.' Miss Page claims that she dyed her hair weeks ago, and that teachers have only just noticed the change. Principal David Pearmain said: . 'Natalya came to school last week with her hair dyed a colour which she . was well aware was against school uniform regulations. 'She was offered the opportunity to dye it back to a more natural colour but refused to do so,' he said. 'She . was also offered the option from our fully qualified and experienced . hair and beauty staff in our own well equipped salon. She and her family . refused this also. 'Therefore . she is being educated in isolation from other students until the issue . is resolved. She is present in school today and has not been excluded at . any time. Facilities: The Academy said it had its own fully equipped beauty salon and trained staff . 'We insist on high standards of dress and behaviour at all times.' Kenton Academy announced plans earlier this week to charge parents if . their children missed lessons. Now, . if a pupil falling into a 'causing concern' category has at least 2.5 . days unauthorised absences, the school will issue a fixed penalty notice . - similar to a parking fine for motorists - to the child’s parents. The parents would then face a £60 fine which would increase to £120 if not paid within 21 days. August 2013: Annalise Wilks, 14, was sent home from Beaumont Leys School in Leicester on the first day of term because her trousers were 'too tight' - along with 25 other children sent home or put in isolation for breaking the 'zero tolerance' uniform policy . June 2013: Chloe Hunter, 12, was put into isolation at Kirkby Sports College in Merseyside because her stud earrings were coloured - and the school only allowed 'plain stud earrings' September 2012: Laura Entwistle, 15, was sent home from Swavesey Village College, Cambridgeshire, because her trousers were too tight around the ankles . May 2011: Pupils at Impington Village College near Cambridge rallied round 11-year-old Chris Whitehead, who wore a skirt in protest at the school's rule against boys wearing shorts in warm weather. He managed to have the no-shorts rule overturned. December 2008: Gemma Dixon refused to send her eight-year-old daughter Alisha to school at St John Vianney Primary School in Hartlepool when it banned her from wearing earrings .
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Natalya Page being taught in isolation until she has hair dyed back .
Father Fred Page refused to allow school salon to treat daughter's hair .
Kenton Academy says Miss Page has was aware of regulations .
Newcastle school this week introduced fines to parents if pupils miss class .
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05b53a1f8fd5a1a05eeff5bc3020df0b574ccfd5
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By . Ryan Gorman . Accused Italian killer Raffaele Sollecito was seen taking his current girlfriend to the Perugia home where British exchange student Meredith Kercher was murdered in 2007. Sollecito and new squeeze Greta Menagaldo were seen on the property Thursday evening despite the badboy being found guilty of murder and being sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to The Local. Sollecito is free while his verdict is being appealed, and was most recently found suspiciously at a hotel on the country’s border with Austria, according to reports. Visitors: Raffaele Sollecito (left) and Greta Menagaldo (right) visited the home this week . The questionable move surely outraged many, including one local who told the paper he ‘couldn’t believe it. When I saw them up close, it was Sollecito,’ the man insisted. The convicted killer’s father saw nothing wrong with the brazen visit. ‘If Raffaele wanted to show his girlfriend the ordeal he went through, I can't see anything wrong with that,’ Sollecito’s father told the paper. He further insisted that his twice-convicted son ‘has absolutely nothing to do with that crime.’ Also found guilty: Amanda Knox shown during a 2011 court hearing . Killed: Meredith Kercher was found stabbed to death in the home . Where it happened: The Perugia home where Kercher was found dead . The Italian and American exchange student Amanda Knox were convicted of murder in a sensational trial of killing Kercher along with bartender Rudy Guede. Knox was set free on appeal and fled to the United States vowing not return no matter the outcome of her appeal. ‘Foxy Knoxy,’ as the press referred to her, faces 28 years and six months behind bars. Both maintain their innocence and vow to exhaust all possible appeals.
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Sollecito and girlfriend Greta Menagaldo were spotted Thursday at the home by locals .
His father says he sees nothing wrong with the visit because his soon is innocent .
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05b6679217c2c4d76213efb5f523c9416f85c736
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(CNN) -- Formula One may be entering a new era in 2014 but the Mercedes and Ferrari teams chose to pay homage to the man who remains the benchmark for the sport on the first day of pre-season testing. Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who finished his career with Mercedes in 2012, remains in hospital in a medically-induced coma after a skiing accident at the end of December. The new Mercedes car -- the first 2014 car out on track Tuesday at the Jerez circuit in Spain -- ran with the message "Keep Fighting Michael," on its silver livery. The Ferrari team, who Schumacher raced for between 1996 and 2006, also showed their support for their five-time world champion in Spain. On the eve of the first day of winter testing, the team's crew posed with a pit board showing the message "Forza Michael" while the new F14-T scarlet racer made its track debut in Jerez with the same words of encouragement. Ferrari plan to post 72 messages of support for Schumacher on their website to represent each of his wins with the Italian team. On Tuesday, the team published a note from Niki Lauda, who won two world championships for Ferrari in the 1970s, which read: "Michael, every day I follow your improvements and every day I am close to you. I hope I can speak to you very, very soon!" Schumacher is stable but remains in a coma at the Grenoble hospital as he fights the effects of a serious head injury, sustained in a skiing accident at the French Alps resort of Meribel on 29 December. His family have said the messages of support have given them strength but they have also asked for privacy from the clamoring media interest in his condition. Many dedicated motorsport journalists have turned their attention to Jerez, where 10 of the 11 F1 teams are due to trial their new look cars on track and put this season's major rule changes to the test. Sebastian Vettel, with the help of new Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo, unveiled the new Red Bull that he hopes will power him to a fifth straight world title. "The car looks very different," Vettel told reporters. "There's a lot going on, the technology behind it is very complex." F1 has ripped up the rulebook for the 2014 season, which opens with the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March. The 2014 F1 rule changes explained . The cars are now powered by 1.6-liter V6 turbo engines which also rely on a greater use of hybrid energy -- recovered through braking and from the car's exhaust gases. The unveiling of thinner, lower nose cones and narrower front wings, to comply with new design rules, has also raised eyebrows. With so many major changes, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, speaking to the media in Spain, warned: "I think it's dangerous sometimes to be over confident that you have all the elements in place for the start of any season. "We've enjoyed great continuity over the last few years - we've got a strong driver lineup, we've got a strong tech lineup, we've got great strength in depth. "But you can't take anything for granted - Formula One, like any sport, can be unpredictable at times." At the end of the opening day of the test, Vettel had ticked off just three laps in his brand new Red Bull and did not set a fastest time. "It was difficult to get an impression of what the new car is like," Vettel told reporters. "We weren't quite ready this morning and things took a little bit longer than expected. It was impossible to get a feeling for it today." Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, didn't get to take his McLaren out of the garage for a spin after the team's progress was hampered by electrical issues. Ferrari set the fastest time of the day with their returning 2007 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, at the helm just outpacing the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who set a lap time of one minute 27.80 seconds. "From a driving point of view, I didn't feel any amazing difference, although it's much too early to give an opinion on this," Raikkonen told the Ferrari website. "Overall, we can say it was a good start." Hamilton was also pleased with his first day at work, despite crashing his Mercedes after just 18 laps. The team later explained that the car had a front wing problem.
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Mercedes and Ferrari show support for Michael Schumacher on first day of testing .
The seven-time world champion remain in a medically-induced coma after a ski accident .
The new Mercedes car is running with the message "Keep Fighting Michael"
Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari is fastest on day one of the first test in Jerez, Spain .
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05b67d7338c0bfd33ed3b977b1f48faca7c0c478
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Incredible ‘magical’ trees that bear 40 different varieties of fruit have been popping up all over US. These trees - which can simultaneously produce different varieties of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and cherries – look ordinary throughout most of the year. But in spring, they bloom into a stunning patchwork of colours, with each tree featuring its own unique selection of stone fruit. Scroll down for video . The Tree of 40 fruit can simultaneously produce peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines almonds and cherries. Here a CGI shows what the trees will look like in spring as they become more mature . They are the work of Syracuse University sculptor and artist Sam Van Aken who created the trees in an attempt to make people reconsider how food can be produced. The project began in 2008 when Mr Van Aken discovered that a New York state orchard, which held varieties of stone fruit 200-years-old, was to be abandoned. In hopes of saving it, the artist bought the orchard, and soon after started experimenting with something known as ‘chip grafting.’ These trees look ordinary throughout most of the year. But in spring, they bloom into a stunning patchwork of colours, with each tree featuring its own unique selection of stone fruit . The trees are the work of Syracuse University sculpture and artist Sam Van Aken who created the trees in an attempt to make people reconsider how food can be produced . The process involves taking a sliver off a tree, including the bud, and inserting that into a cut in the working tree. The foreign tree part is then taped and left to heal over the winter. Mr Van Aken explained that most stone-fruits are easily compatible. The 'Tree of 40 Fruit' project was created using something known as chip grafting. The process involves taking a sliver off a tree, including the bud, and inserting that into a cut in the working tree. The foreign tree part is then taped and left to heal over winter. Mr Van Aken explained that most stone-fruits are easily compatible. Grafting is usually done in winter or early spring with dormant scion wood. What he came up with is ‘The Tree of 40 Fruit’, which is in fact, not one tree, but a series of hybridised fruit plants. So far, Mr Van Aken has created and placed 16 trees in museums, community centres and private art collections around the U.S.. In spring, the trees blossom in shades of pink, crimson and white, and in summer, they bear a range of stone fruit, as shown in Mr Van Aken's CGI image. ‘I've been told by people that have [a tree] at their home that it provides the perfect amount and perfect variety of fruit,’ Mr Van Aken told Lauren Salkeld at Epicurious. ‘So rather than having one variety that produces more than you know what to do with, it provides good amounts of each of the 40 varieties. ‘Since all of these fruit ripen at different times, from July through October, you also aren't inundated,’ he said. Mr Van Aken's trees can be seen in cities across the U.S., including Santa Fe, New Mexico; Short Hills, New Jersey; Louisville, Kentucky and Pound Ridge, New York. So far, Mr Van Aken has created and placed 16 trees in museums, community centres and private art collections around America . While they look ordinary in the above pictures, in spring, the trees blossom in shades of pink, crimson and white, and in summer bear a range of stone fruit . Mr Van Aken's trees can be seen in cities across the U.S, including Santa Fe, New Mexico; Short Hills, New Jersey; Louisville, Kentucky and Pound Ridge, New York .
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Project is the work of New York-based sculptor and artist Sam Van Aken .
He created plants to make people reconsider how food can be produced .
They can be seen in cities across the US, including Santa Fe, New Mexico; Short Hills, New Jersey; Louisville, Kentucky and Pound Ridge, New York .
So far 16 'magical' trees have been produced using chip grafting technique .
Each one produces a small selection of fruits from 40 different varieties .
The process involves taking a sliver off a tree, including the bud, and inserting that into a cut in the working tree .
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05b69f26e5363d6bd570b66a3d9de38aea040cdf
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Los Angeles (CNN) -- A former Los Angeles school district teacher pleaded no contest Friday to 23 felony counts of lewd acts on 23 children and was immediately sentenced to 25 years in prison, the district attorney's office said. Mark Berndt, 62, who taught at Miramonte Elementary School for more than 30 years, was accused of putting pupils in bondage and then photographing them with semen-filled spoons held at their mouths and 3-inch cockroaches crawling across their faces. The incidents occurred between 2005 and 2010. The sexual molestation victims were 22 girls and one boy between the ages of 7 and 10, prosecutors said. Several tearful mothers of the victims attended Friday's emotional hearing. Berndt's attorney, Manny Medrano, said his client could be released after serving 19½ years of the 25-year sentence. Berndt was arrested in 2012. Appearing gaunt, Berndt entered the courtroom in an orange jail jumpsuit, handcuffed and chained at the waist. He responded directly to the judge and never turned around to face the gallery. Parents wept when Berndt walked into the courtroom. His attorney, however, did turn to the gallery when speaking in court and said Berndt was profoundly sorry and remorseful for the pain and discomfort he caused. In statements to the courts, the mothers told the judge that their daughters can never eat cookies again. Mothers earlier alleged that Berndt also gave their daughters cookies with a white substance on them. Last year, in an interview with CNN, the mother of a female student said her daughter went to Berndt's classroom, where "he would give her some cookies. My daughter told me that the teacher would say the cookies had sugar and some white stuff that was on it," the mother said. "He deserves to be punished," one mother said in her statement to the court. "Back in the day, you burned them in wood." Responded Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli: "I don't have the power to do that nor would I." In one written statement that was read aloud by a court employee, one mother of a victim defended Berndt as a "good man" and a "good teacher." In September, the Los Angeles Unifed School District announced it paid almost $27.3 million to settle 58 of 191 students' lawsuits alleging they were victims of sexually lewd acts by Berndt. Meanwhile, two other lawsuits in the Miramonte case have been settled but are pending court approval. The almost $27.3 million in payments works out to about $470,000 per child, according to the district. On Friday, Superintendent John Deasy said the district wasn't a party to the "plea deal." "We are relieved that the students and families will be able to put this part of the proceedings behind them," Deasy said in a statement. "We hope that we can reach a resolution with the students and families who have yet to settle in an expeditious and respectful manner that will allow them to continue to heal and move forward." Los Angeles district pays $27 million to pupils in lewd teacher case . L.A. schools to review past 40 years of teacher discipline cases . CNN's Linda Hall and Jaqueline Hurtado contributed to this report.
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Mark Berndt, 62, taught at Miramonte Elementary School for more than 30 years .
He pleads no contest to felony lewd acts on 22 girls and one boy, ages 7 to 10 .
Girls can no longer eat cookies, their mothers tell the court .
"He deserves to be punished. Back in the day, you burned them in wood," mom tells court .
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(CNN) -- The United States clinched the first gold medal of Sochi's Winter Olympics Saturday, but the Dutch dominated on ice and a joint record was claimed by Norway. An upset opened the day's events in Russia when Team U.S.A's Sage Kotsenburg, 20, scooped the first gold in men's snowboard slopestyle. Kotsenburg tweeted his surprise at the win. Kotsenburg's winning score of 93.5 edged out silver medal winner Staale Sandbech, 20, while Canadian Mark McMorris, also 20, took bronze. American Shaun White, the biggest name in snowboarding, withdrew from the competition before it began to focus on the men's halfpipe next week. The double Olympic champion, who had been nursing a wrist injury, withdrew Wednesday just a day after admitting the course presented an "intimidating" challenge. Saturday's second gold was taken by Norway's Marit Bjoergen in the women's skiathlon. The 15km course is split between a classic style for the first 7.5 km, then a final leg in freestyle. BLOG: Day one as it happened . Bjoergen, a star of the 2010 Vancouver games, is expected to be a dominant force in the Sochi Winter Olympics. Defending Olympic champion Sven Kramer of Netherlands then took gold in 5,000 meter speed skating, smashing the previous record. Compatriots Jan Blokhuijsen and Jorrit Bergsma came second and third. The day's fourth gold went to Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway, in the biathlon men's 10km sprint. His efforts made him the joint most decorated Winter Olympian of all time, with compatriot Bjorn Dahlie. Dominik Landertinger of Austria took silver while Jaroslav Soukup from the Czech Republic got the bronze. In the final event of the first day, Canadian sisters Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe claimed the gold and silver in the women's moguls. Defending champion Hannah Kearney from the U.S. had to settle for the bronze. The Olympics kicked off with much fanfare at the opening ceremony Friday. Billed as the most expensive Olympic Games in history, the opening ceremony kicked off with lights, floats and flying performers as the world turned its attention to Russia. Despite anxiety about terror strikes, controversy over gay rights and ridicule for poor preparations, the nation's officials have maintained that the sites in Sochi are secure. It will be "the safest place on Earth during the Olympics," said Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Games.
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US. snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg wins first gold at Sochi in slopestyle event .
Sven Kramer of Netherlands successfully defends 5,000-meter speed skating title .
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen equals all-time Winter Games medal haul with gold in men's 10km biathlon .
Norwegian equals compatriot Bjorn Dahlie's total of 12 medals .
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Family photographs have emerged showing a Chicago mother and the daughter who is accused of beating her to death and stuffing her body in a suitcase, during far happier times, as the teen refuses to cooperate with police in Bali. Victim Sheila von Wiese-Mack and 19-year-old Heather Mack are seen smiling and embracing lovingly in the pictures, which appear to have been taken a few years back. But on Tuesday, Mrs von Wiese-Mack met a grisly end, and Indonesian police believe the young woman who once welcomed her mother's affections, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, are responsible. The young couple were arrested Wednesday morning, a day after her mother's battered body was discovered in the bloody suitcase that was left in a taxi outside the luxury St Regis resort in Nusa . Dua, where they had been staying. Scroll down for video . Mother and daughter: These are the first pictures of Mrs von Wiese-Mack and her only child together . Victim: Sheila von Wiese-Mack, 62, had a tempestuous relationship with her daughter, reports have claimed . Ida . Bagus Putu Alit, a forensic expert at the hospital that conducted an . autopsy, said the victim had been 'hit by a blunt object and the blows . were concentrated on the face and head'. On Thursday, police said they were had run psychiatric tests on Ms Mack and an Indonesian lawyer said the teen was demanding U.S. legal representation. 'We have . done blood and psychiatric tests to try to find out their motive in the . case, maybe they are mentally unstable,' Djoko Hariutomo, police chief . for Bali's provincial capital Denpasar, told reporters. 'So far we haven't gotten any information on what is behind the murder. Is it financial or something else? We don't know.' Television . broadcast images of Mack, dressed in a pale grey hoodie and denim . shorts, laughing and telling a group of reporters following her, 'You . are crazy,' as she walked between rooms in the police station. 'She . doesn't want to comment on the incident and she declined to give any . information,' Haposan Sihombing, an Indonesian lawyer appointed by . police to represent Mack, told Reuters last night. Trouble: Heather Mack smokes a cigarette and gazes into the distance at a police district headquarters after she was arrested in relation to the death of her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, in Bali, Indonesia . Mack tries to shield her face from photographs: She and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaeffer, were arrested after her mother's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in a taxi outside the resort where they were staying . The 19-year-old peers out from beneath a newspaper: An Indonesian appointed lawyer for Mack told Reuters last night that the American teenager had refused to cooperate with police until she could see a U.S. lawyer . 'She kept asking to be represented by a lawyer from the United States,' said Mr Sihombing. Djoko said Thursday he was looking into whether it was possible under Indonesian law to meet that request. Neither . Mack nor Schaefer have been charged. However, Djoko said Thursday that . the pair have been declared suspects in the case. According to Indonesian law, police can keep suspects in custody for up to 20 days. The two suspects will be questioned separately, he said, and Schaefer will also undergo a psychological assessment. The . family photographs come after it emerged Schaefer told friends he . didn't expect to return from his trip to the paradise island. Schaefer . wrote on Facebook that he was going to Indonesia and 'wasn't sure when . he was coming back', then going to China, a former college friend said. According to CNN affiliate . Trans TV, the couple told police they had been taken captive at the . resort by an armed gang, whose members killed Sheila von Weise Mack, but . they escaped. May be some time: Schaefer is escorted by a policeman for questioning in connection with the murder . 'Not sure when he was coming back': Schaefer smokes a cigarette and tries to shield his face from cameras as he's led by a policeman for questioning today. Right is a picture from his Facebook account . Cryptic message: A friend of Schaeffer's who lived with him at university said he had posted a message on Facebook saying he was going to Indonesia and then to China, and didn't know when he was coming back . However, Djoko said that police hadn't found anything on surveillance camera footage from the hotel that supported the claim of an attack by an armed gang. More details . have emerged about the lives of the young couple in the past few hours, . including Mack's tempestuous relationship with her mother, 62, who was . based in Chicago. A friend of Schaefer's, who lived in the same dorm as him at Northern Illinois University before he dropped out last year, told NBC Chicago of an 'odd' comment he'd made before traveling to join Mack and her mother in Bali. Brittany . Strangmann said: 'A few days ago on Facebook he said he was going to . Indonesia and wasn't sure when he was coming back, and then going to . China. I thought that was odd.' U.S. State . Department spokesman Marie Harf told Reuters it was aware of reports of a . U.S. citizen's death in Bali and the arrests of two people in . connection with the case. 'Obviously . we are monitoring it and will provide any consular access as . appropriate,' Ms Harf said, declining to give details due to privacy . considerations. An official . with the U.S. consulate general in Bali, who met Mack at the police . station on Thursday, declined to comment after the meeting. Police . said the young couple left a bloodied suitcase along with other luggage . in the taxi before checking out of the five-star St Regis hotel, where a . single room can cost as much as $1,340 a night. Smiles: The teen was pictured smoking and smiling Wednesday while in custody . Blood: Investigators place a bloody pillow in an evidence bag . After the couple did not return the driver took the luggage to police, who found Mrs von Wiese-Mack's body. Ida . Bagus Putu Alit, a forensic expert at the hospital that conducted an . autopsy, said the victim had been 'hit by a blunt object and the blows . were concentrated on the face and head'. 'There were signs of a struggle by the victim as there were bruises on her arms and some fingers were broken,' Alit said. A St. Regis hotel official said the apparent murder was believed to have taken place in a room booked by Schaefer. Mack and Schaefer were arrested at a budget hotel about a mile from the St. Regis after a day-long police search. Staff at the Risata Bali resort said they were immediately suspicious of the couple after they checked in without any luggage. Risata . Bali security confirmed their identities after Schaefer asked resort . staff for a voucher to use the Internet and they alerted authorities, . said Nyoman Wija, a hotel manager. Television . footage showed the two being questioned by police with Schaefer in . handcuffs. At one point, Mack is shown shielding her face with her hand . asking a police official why a cameraman was being allowed to film her. Hiding place: The blood-stained suitcase where the body of Mrs von Wiese-Mack was found. It was left in a cab when Mack and Schaeffer checked out of the hotel, but they failed to return and the driver went to police . Tourists walk past the St Regis hotel: A official at the hotel, where a single room can cost as much as $1,340 a night, said the apparent murder was believed to have taken place in a room booked by Schaefer . The Mack family lived for a number of years in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park spokesman David Powers said on Wednesday police responded to 86 calls from the Mack home due to incidents between mother and daughter from 2004 through to June 2013. No arrests were ever made from the calls, which were a combination of reports of domestic violence, theft, missing person and 911 hang-ups, Powers said. Mrs von Wiese-Mack more recently had moved to a condominium in Chicago. Her husband and the father of Heather, classical music composer James Mack, died in 2006. Laura Voigt, a pianist in Oak Park and friend of James Mack, said she remembered seeing mother and daughter fight outside the local high school one morning. 'I was worried about Sheila,' Ms Voigt said. Mrs von Wiese-Mack had worked as an editor for famed oral historian Studs Terkel and later studied with writer Saul Bellow at the University of Chicago. Georgia Parchem, a neighbour and friend in Oak Park, said Mrs von Wiese-Mack was a 'lovely, charming woman' and the Macks often held parties involving 'artists and friends from all over the city'.
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Sheila von Wiese-Mack and Heather Mack are seen smiling and embracing in the pictures, which appear to have been taken some years ago .
But on Tuesday, Mrs von Wiese-Mack met a grisly end when she was beaten to death and stuffed half naked in a small suitcase then left in a taxi .
Indonesian police believe the teen who once welcomed her mother's affections, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, are responsible .
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Detroit Lions' star wide receiver Calvin Johnson is slowly returning to full fitness ahead of Sunday’s game against Atlanta Falcons, but still has a long way to go before being passed fit for the Wembley showpiece. Johnson has been watching from the sidelines since injuring his ankle during Detroit’s week-five defeat by Buffalo Bills, but travelled with the team to England on Tuesday with a view to making a comeback against the Falcons. Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson runs with a ball during a training session on Thursday . ‘He was limited (in practice on Wednesday),’ head coach Jim Caldwell said at the team’s Pennyhill Park base on Thursday. ‘He did what the doctors allowed him to do. Typically, when they ramp up their activity that way, the most important thing is how they feel the next day. ‘Today he came back feeling good and that’s encouraging.’ Johnson did not suffer any adverse reaction after being put through his paces in two practice sessions . Johnson practised again on Thursday at Lions HQ in Bagshot, and looked to be moving more freely. Before practice, Johnson said: ‘We are moving in a positive direction. Right now it is getting better on a daily basis. ‘We are doing everything from straightforward running to moving laterally as well and things are going good.’ Johnson still hopes to step out in front of 84,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday . The 29-year-old is prepared to wait until Sunday before being given the all clear to play in front of 84,000 fans at Wembley in the latest International Series fixture. ‘It might go all the way to Sunday,’ he said. ‘I want to push it, but we’re trying to be smart about it and taking good advice from our training staff.’
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Calvin Johnson injured his ankle during Detroit's defeat by Buffalo Bills .
The star wide receiver has come through two practice sessions .
The Lions take on the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium on Sunday .
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(CNN) -- Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell apologized Wednesday for leaving out any reference to slavery in his recent proclamation designating April as Confederate History Month, calling it a "major omission." "The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell said in a written statement. "The abomination of slavery divided our nation, deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights, and led to the Civil War," the statement said. "Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation." McDonnell also announced Wednesday that he would add language about slavery to the proclamation. "(I)t is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this (Civil) war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights," the new language says, "and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders." McDonnell's statement noted that while Virginia was home to the Capital of the Confederacy, it was also the first state to elect an African-American governor, L. Douglas Wilder, who McDonnell called "my friend." In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Wilder said that McDonnell's apology and his introduction of additional proclamation language was "the right thing for him to have done." "Most people recognize that slavery was the cause of the (Civil) war," Wilder said, noting that McDonnell had called him Wednesday. "The war was not a glorious thing in our past. It was something that we were able to withstand in terms of tearing the country apart. ... Thank God that war ended with the Confederacy losing." Not all Democrats were willing to forgive McDonnell on Wednesday. "He has a right to apologize," Virginia State Sen. Henry Marsh III, a black Democrat, told CNN. "But I don't accept that as a good answer because this is a pattern of this governor." "He says the wrong thing, he sends a signal to his base and then he makes an apology," Marsh said, "It's a question of whether or not he's sincere or not." Other Democrats accepted McDonnell's apology. "My great, great grandparents, their offspring and others were split up in the Commonwealth of Virginia & sold into slavery," Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor Donna Brazile said on Twitter. "Apology accepted . McDonnell is the first Virginia governor in eight years to issue a proclamation declaring April as Confederate History Month in the state, a move that drew criticism from Democrats and a civil rights group. Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, now Democratic National Committee chairman, issued a statement Wednesday blasting McDonnell's exclusion of slavery from the original proclamation. "Governor McDonnell's decision to designate April as Confederate History Month without condemning, or even acknowledging, the pernicious stain of slavery or its role in the war disregards history, is insensitive to the extraordinary efforts of Americans to eliminate slavery and bind the nation's wounds, and offends millions of Americans of all races and in all parts of our nation," Kaine wrote. "A failure to acknowledge the central role of slavery in the Confederacy and deeming insignificant the reprehensible tran sgression of moral standards of liberty and equality that slavery represented is simply not acceptable in the America of the 21st century," he continued. iReporter: McDonnell's "step in the right direction" McDonnell quietly declared April Confederate History Month after two previous Democratic administrations refused to do so. "It is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth's shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War, and to recognize how our history has led to our present," the proclamation reads in part. Virginia Delegate Kenneth Alexander, chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, said the governor's proclamation was offensive. It "offered a disturbing revision of the Civil War and the brutal era that followed," Alexander, a Democrat, said in a written statement. "Virginia has worked hard to move beyond the very things for which Gov. McDonnell seems nostalgic." The Virginia chapter of the NAACP also condemned the proclamation, The Washington Post reported. The group did not immediately return phone calls to CNN. The Sons of Confederate Veterans asked the governor to declare April Confederate History Month in Virginia, which had seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861. Brandon Dorsey, a spokesman for the group, told CNN Radio that Confederate History Month isn't about slavery or race, but about studying the four-year history of the Confederacy. He said it will also help draw visitors to the many Civil War battle sites in Virginia, helping to boost tourism. "The proclamation's main goal is to call attention to the fact that there is Confederate history in the state of Virginia, of course, across the South," Dorsey said. "It's simply a tool to expose individuals to that history. ... It's not meant to discriminate against anybody." Other Southern states have issued similar proclamations for April. In Alabama, Republican Gov. Bob Riley declared April, the month the Civil War began, as Confederate History and Heritage Month. His statement condemned slavery. CNN Radio's Shelby Lin Erdman contributed to this report.
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NEW: Nation's first African-American governor says apology was the right thing to do .
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says not mentioning slavery was "major omission"
McDonnell says he will add language about slavery to proclamation .
His proclamation of April as Confederate History Month in state has drawn criticism .
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By . Stephanie Linning . Rising from her seat, hands punching the air above her head, German Chancellor Angela Merkel roared as her team thrashed Portugal 4-0 in their opening World Cup match earlier this month. Since then Mrs Merkel, a leader already widely approved of in the polls, has enjoyed an upsurge in popularity - with some surveys suggesting spikes in support for her as the team progressed through the tournament. And her reaction to Germany's win in the World Cup final on Sunday - which saw her celebrating in the dressing room with the victorious team - secured her place in the hearts of the nation. Changing faces: Angela Merkel, pictured left to right from top left, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2003, 2004 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 . Her recent . boost in the polls has been further bolstered by her tough stance . against allegations of U.S. agents spying on Germany. Last week, she expelled the CIA's Berlin chief - the move came a day after Berlin police searched the home and office of a German military intelligence official alleged to have been spying for America. The U.S. official was told to leave the country in a public signal of Angela Merkel’s fury over US spying on Germany which in the past has included repeated snooping on her own mobile phone. Her firm action in response to the alleged cases of spying - an issue which once saw Germans questioning her authority - has been met with public support. Mrs Merkel, fondly nicknamed 'Mutti' or 'mother, is enjoying an all-time peak in her approval ratings. But this weekend rumours emerged that the German Chancellor, who celebrates her 60th birthday on Thursday, might step down from her post before the next election - which is due to be held in 2017. Warm welcome: Angela Merkel shakes hands with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic as Slovenian President Borut Pahor looks on before a meeting in Croatia today of south-eastern European leaders . Respected leader: Mrs Merkel with Slovenian President Borut Pahor, left, and Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, right. The German Chancellor's approval rating is at an all-time high . In an article published in Germany's Der . Spiegel, which is usually well-informed on German politics, cabinet members and senior politicians were quoted confirming . the possibility. The German magazine said Merkel was interested in the role of European Council President, or the Secretary-General of the United Nations, both of which will be available in 2017. But Merkel's spokesman and party colleagues have denied speculation about how long she would stay in office, with one saying she would be the 'least likely' of all of Europe's leaders to step down early. Football fan: Mrs Merkel, who was nicknamed the German team's 'lucky charm', stands next to German President Joachim Guack as they celebrate the World Cup win with the players and coach Joachim Loew, right . Time for a selfie: Mrs Merkel was happy to pose with players including Lukas Podolski, pictured, after Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup final. She publicly supported the team throughout the tournament . Thrilled: Mrs Merkel and German President Joachim Gauk roar as Germany score the winning goal in the World Cup final. The Chancellor later joined players in the dressing room after the game . Passionate supporter: Mrs Merkel hugs Wolfgang Niersbach, president of the German Football Association (centre) and IOC President Thomas Bach, after Germany wins the World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday . If Merkel did step down, she would be the first German Chancellor to do so since 1949. Such a move would come as a major shock in Germany, where has been in power for almost nine years, and be felt across Europe, where her position as the continent's most powerful leader is undisputed. Mrs Merkel grew up in a rural area outside Berlin in the communist east, and showed a great talent for maths, science and languages. 1954: Born Hamburg . 1978: Earns physics doctorate . 1990: Joins CDU . 1994: Becomes minister for environment . 2000: Becomes CDU leader . 2005: Becomes chancellor . 2009: Re-elected chancellor . 2013: Re-elected chancellor for second time . She earned a doctorate in physics but later worked as a chemist at a scientific academy in East Berlin. She had never been involved in politics but, at the age of 36, she joined the burgeoning democracy movement in 1989 and, after the Berlin Wall came down, she got a job as government spokeswoman following the first democratic elections. She joined the CDU, the party she now leads, two months before the reunification of Germany and within three months she was in the Kohl cabinet as minister for women and youth. She quickly established herself in the party, rising through the ranks until she was chosen to lead it in 2000 and was elected Germany's first female chancellor in 2005. The Chancellor received a ringing endorsement from voters in last year's . elections, when she promised to serve a full term, winning 311 seats . for the CDU party and a bigger share of the vote than in 200. Now Forbes magazine ranks Mrs Merkel as the second most powerful person in the world - the highest position ever held by a woman. If Mrs Merkel does resign as German chancellor, her successor is widely expected to be Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman to serve as German defence minister. When Mrs Merkel appointed her last year it was seen as the anointing of her eventual successor, but Ms von der Leyen has been a controversial choice, both criticised and ridiculed for introducing army crèches and flexible working hours to make the military more appealing as a career.
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The German Chancellor's approval ratings are at an all-time high .
Due partly to her passionate interest in Germany's World Cup performance .
Enjoyed public support for her tough stance against US spying allegations .
Days before her 60th birthday rumours emerged that she might step down .
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05baf1f048c63317ecca06022f9a4eb556c6ebeb
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By . Emily Sheridan . PUBLISHED: . 02:39 EST, 24 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:31 EST, 24 September 2012 . A 'nervous, happy and desperate to get on with it' Nick Grimshaw made his debut as the new host of the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show today. The Oldham-native, 28, took to the microphone at 6.30am for his first day, kicking off the show with Kanye West and Jay-Z's duet N***** In Paris. Before his first track, Nick introduced himself: 'So this is happening, it's actually happening. Good morning Britain, I'm Nick Grimshaw. Scroll down for video . New boy: Nick Grimshaw looks contemplative on his first day hosting the Radio 1 Breakfast Show . 'It's time to follow in the footsteps . of people I like, like Chris Moyles and Sara Cox. I'm nervous, happy . and desperate to get on with it. 'It's . time to start the difficult job of talking between records. I've been . dreaming about this since I was a little boy. Let's do it.' Nick's appointment in the role comes after previous breakfast show host Chris Moyles left following eight and half years. Nick himself had previously hosted a late night show before his new role was announced in July. Support: Fellow Radio 1 DJs (L-R) Scott Mills, Fearne Cotton, Dev, Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens came to visit . Although Nick played the radio edit . of the foul-mouthed Jay-Z and Kanye track, he joked if he had played the . unedited version it would have been 'the world's shortest stint on the Radio 1 breakfast show - three and a half minutes'. Among . the celebrity guests on the show were his good friend Harry Styles, who . talked about One Direction's new video and album on the phone, and a . pre-recorded interview with Justin Bieber. Nick ended up teasing a mumbling Harry by playing a brief bit of the wrong track instead of One Direction's new song Live While We're Young, joking: 'Sorry, my finger slipped.' After fellow Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton later noted Harry didn't sound too happy by Nick's 'slip-up', the new breakfast show host replied: 'After he said Radio 1 instead of Capital Radio by mistake at the Brit Awards, he needs us - where else is he going to go? "Oh I’m just popping into Heart" – I don’t think so!' Time to get up! Nick was greeted by people in chicken costumes for his first morning on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show . Ahead of his arrival at the Radio 1 studios in central London, Nick was greeted outside the building by two people in chicken costumes, who gave him a year's supply of Kenco coffee to help him get up in the morning. Speaking to Radio 1’s Newsbeat after the show, he said: “It feels weird, I feel a relief now, the first day is done and it was the first show. Obviously a lot of people were waiting to hear it and there was a lot of anticipation of what the show would sound like, so yes it’s good to get the first one done. 'Today I guess was a lot like an introduction and repeating myself, saying my name a lot. Tomorrow I can do a more regular show and tell a few more stories.' On his own: Nick is the main star of the show, in contrast to Chris Moyles's 'zoo' format . 'In between the celeb guests, Nick was funny, cool, collected, and played actual - gasp - music.' Now magazine . 'Grimmy’s first show was fast-paced, full of celebrity banter and, most importantly, fun.' Daily Mirror . 'A promising start – and a clear break from what went before. It was out with dad rock, cynicism and bloatedly self-indulgent banter; in with dance beats, youthful energy and enthusiasm for new music... The show has swapped one who prefers music to the sound of his own voice; one much more in touch with its target audience of teens and twentysomethings.' Daily Telegraph . 'The message in the opening show – which was a likeable mix of music, self-deprecating chat, interaction on social media, interviews, silly features and funny, often quite bitchy quips – was that the power here has shifted and lies squarely in the music... A very promising, refreshing start that politely suggested the over-30s might like to retune.' The Guardian . The T4 presenter's new role on the breakfast show is a bid to lower Radio 1's demographic after a report by the BBC Trust found the station needed to work harder to attract younger listeners. In research published last November, it was claimed the average Radio 1 listener was 32 and went up to 33 for 38-year-old Moyles' breakfast show. In a bid to attract younger listeners, the music policy seems a lot younger, with a heavier dance influence than had been broadcast on Moyles' show. Nick will aim to play between eight to 10 songs an hour - double the amount played on Moyles' show. Instead of Moyles' 'zoo' format of his production team, the Grimes show will mostly feature his voice with more phone-ins from the audience. Nick previously admitted he had problems . getting up in the morning and told his listeners he had bought a . wake-up light that gradually uses light and bird song to wake him up . gently in the morning. Showing . there was no hard feelings, Chris actually sent a good luck gift to . Nick, who read out the card live on air: 'Good luck with the new show, . enjoy it see you soon, from Chris, former owner of the breakfast show.' Nick told his listeners: 'Ahh! I texted him on holiday and said "Thank you for being nice to me in the paper." 'Chris replied, "You'll be great, but not as great as me." 'And . now he's sent me some cakes, thank you Christopher, very nice. No . pressure. And weird to not listen to him in the morning! I used to be . able to tell how late I was based on which feature.' Friendly face: Nick's close friend Pixie Geldof and her dog paid a visit to the Radio 1 studios . One of his biggest cheerleaders was close friend Pixie Geldof, who woke up early to listen to her pal, before heading in to visit him at the studio at the end of his shift. She . wrote on Twitter: 'Up early for @grimmers !!!!! So proud!!! Epic music . at the beginning of the radio one breakfast show with NICK GRIMSHAW! '@grimmers obsessed with when they say "radio 1 breakfast show with nick grimshaw" so emo.' Among those to give him praise were veteran DJ Simon Mayo, who presented the R1 morning show from 1987-1993. Simon tweeted: 'Nick Grimshaw sounding a lot less terrified and a lot more organised than I did. In 1987.' End of an era: Chris Moyles and his team (L-R) Pippa Taylor Hackett, Dominic Byrne, Tina Daheley, Aled Jones, Freya Last and Comedy Dave on their last show on September 14 . VIDEO: Move over Chris! Nick Grimshaw takes over .
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New show has less talk, more music than forerunner Chris Moyles .
Show just features Nick in the studio, as apposed to Moyles 'zoo' full of sidekicks .
Critics heap praise on the 'cool' and 'fun' host for bringing Radio 1 back to the youth .
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05bb49c35f2396caeb3edc4d7eb2c243c4e892ad
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(CNN) -- Part of being a child is developing your identity. School can teach you knowledge. Society can teach you what it expects of you. But, once you develop a sense of yourself, no one and nothing can tell you who you are. You come to know that -- to your core. When a child's sense of self develops in ways that are traditional and unremarkable, nobody takes much notice. But when it happens in ways that challenge traditional norms or expectations, people often try to "correct" it. Such is the heart of a controversy brewing in Colorado involving a first-grader and, of all things, a bathroom. The unlikely center of this uproar is a little 6-year-old girl, Coy Mathis. Coy knows she's a girl. She dresses as a girl. Her legal documents recognize her as a girl. Her parents accept her as a girl. On the playground, you would have difficulty identifying her as different from any of the other girls, because in all ways that matter socially and legally, this child is a girl. The problem is that Coy was born in the body of a boy, so the school district wants her to use the boys' bathroom, or some bathroom other than the one the other girls use. The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund has filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division on behalf of Coy and her family. Discrimination complaint filed for transgender girl . Although generations of people facing a similar mind/body dissonance have been forced to hide, to pretend, to live unhappy and empty lives simply for being different, the world is changing. Kids such as Coy finally have a chance to avoid a similar fate with their dignity and their self-image intact, given the right support and opportunity. Vice President Joe Biden has long been a supporter of gay, lesbian and transgender rights, referring to them as civil rights issues. It seems odd to think of this first-grader who simply wants to use the bathroom as a civil rights pioneer. But crossing seemingly simple barriers for rights is nothing new -- whether to ride a bus, to attend a school or to use a bathroom just like everyone else. It is unfortunate that we keep having to relearn these lessons. I doubt many people stop to consider that the single most significant moment in their lives happens within minutes of their births. That's when, upon simple inspection, a doctor or a nurse pronounces a baby a boy or a girl. That seemingly simple and obvious proclamation has reverberations for the rest of our lives. I can empathize with Coy because I faced those same overwhelming questions myself, almost 50 years ago. I came to know a similar mistake had been made, except that at that time, I didn't have words to explain it. I learned to live a lie. Pretending to be what you're not, hoping things will magically fix themselves, seems easier at times. But lies have consequences. News: Frat pays for brother's sex change . It is unfortunate that Coy's school has not learned the lesson that so many other aspects of our culture have already acknowledged, that a person's gender is more complicated than a body part or a chromosome. Workplaces across this country are recognizing the challenges that their transgender workers face and are removing deeply embedded barriers to health care and wellness benefits. Organizations ranging from the National Collegiate Athletic Association to the Girl Scouts are accepting transyouth, sometimes under fire, treating children based on identify, not body parts. Transwomen have openly competed in mainstream beauty pageants and have been featured in magazines such as Vogue. Transgender athletes, artists and writers, people in all fields, have shown there is a pathway to a happy, well-adjusted and fulfilling life -- not as an "other," but as the men and women we know ourselves to be. Apparently none of this matters to the school that denies Coy the use of the girls' bathroom or to the parents who demonize her and her family. Arguments to treat Coy with dignity often fall on deaf ears. Why? Because discussion of the topic quickly becomes emotional rather than rational. When I came out to my own mother, at 40 years old, I was a parent, I had been married to a woman I loved for 20 years, I had a successful career, we owned two homes, and there wasn't a single person who would have guessed my secret or my struggle. But in the end, a quote from André Gide: "It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not," resonated to the point that I finally became who I should have been. Today, my family and I have never been closer. I have never been more in tune with myself and the world around me. My relationships have never been more fulfilling. Those who would cling to outdated stereotypes of transpeople as sad, lonely, misguided, freakish and broken see more and more examples of people who bloom when they find the strength, and the opportunity, to become authentic. My own advice for Coy and her family: Keep the spirit of the Serenity Prayer close to your heart. Love one another. Know that this journey is far more about happiness and fulfillment than about body parts or bathrooms. To Coy's parents, Kathryn and Jeremy: Doing what's right for your daughter will make a bigger difference for her, and for others, than you know. And last, don't forget to hug one another every day. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Donna Rose.
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Donna Rose: When a child's sense of self is nontraditional, people want to "correct" it .
Rose: Transgender Coy, 6, is in every respect a girl, but she can't use girls' bathroom .
Rose: School should know gender is not body parts, it is who you are to the core .
Rose realized that to live an authentic life she needed to become a woman .
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(CNN) -- New developments in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 over the weekend revealed more details about what happened before the plane went off the grid on Saturday, March 8. But there are still major questions as investigators look for the missing aircraft. Here's a cheat sheet to help you get up to speed on the latest twists in what's become one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history: . What do we know about the plane's altitude during the flight? During the plane's last contact with air traffic controllers as it was approaching Vietnamese air space, it was reportedly flying at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. But military radar tracked it changing altitude after making a sharp turn as it headed toward the Strait of Malacca, a source close to the investigation told CNN. The plane flew as low as 12,000 feet at some point before it disappeared from radar, according to the source. The official, who is not authorized to speak to the media, told CNN that the area the plane flew in after the turn is a heavily traveled air corridor and that flying at 12,000 feet would have kept the jet well out of the way of that traffic. Military radar tracked the flight between 1:19 a.m. and 2:40 a.m. the day it went missing, the source told CNN, but it's not clear how long it took the plane to descend to 12,000 feet. Why would a plane drop so drastically in altitude? A mechanical problem could explain it, some analysts said. The new details about altitude are "highly significant," said Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation. "It explains so many pieces that didn't fit together before," she said. "Now, if we have a scenario where something happened, the plane made a dramatic turn and dropped from 35,000 feet to 12,000 feet, this scenario would fit what a pilot would do in the event of a catastrophic onboard event, such as a rapid decompression, a fire, an explosion. That's what you would have to do, descend, get down and turn around and try to get back to an airport that could accommodate an ailing plane." But other analysts cautioned that it's too soon to know and unclear whether the new information is reliable. "We've had so much information come out and so much contradictory information come out, that I caution against jumping to any types of conclusions at this point," said Mark Weiss, a former American Airlines pilot and CNN aviation analyst. How they're searching for debris . Was the aircraft's sharp turn programmed? Malaysian authorities said Sunday that the last transmission from the missing aircraft's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System showed it heading to Beijing. That information seems to be at odds with the supposition, reported heavily in many media outlets last week, that someone reprogrammed the plane's flight path before the co-pilot signed off with air traffic controllers for the last time. "The last ACARS transmission, sent at 1:07 a.m., showed nothing unusual," Malaysian officials said in a written update on the search. "The 1:07 a.m. transmission showed a normal routing all the way to Beijing." This new information about the last transmission reduces, but doesn't rule out, suspicions about foul play in the cockpit. And it is more in line with the theory that some sort of emergency on board forced pilots to change course, analysts said, but it's still unclear what happened. Who's looking for the plane now? Countries from central Asia to Australia are searching for the missing plane along arcs drawn by authorities based on satellite pings hours after it vanished. One arc tracks the southern Indian Ocean zone that's the focus of current attention. The other arc tracks over parts of Cambodia, Laos, China and into Kazakhstan. Australia is heading up the search in the southern zone, in an area about 2,500 kilometers (1550 miles) southwest of Perth. Australian navy ship HMAS Success and 10 aircraft are participating in the search Monday. The crew of a Chinese search plane spotted "suspicious objects" in the area, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported Monday. The Chinese plane has reported the coordinates of the objects to Australian authorities, as well as to the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, Xinhua said. If search crews do turn up anything confirmed to be from the plane, they'll soon have more technology to help them. The U.S. Navy is sending a supersensitive hydrophone listening device to Australia to be on standby if debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is found and a search for the plane's voice and data recorders can be done, a U.S. military official said Sunday. The device is pulled behind a ship at slow speeds and is used by the Navy to find downed aircraft to a depth of 20,000 feet. The equipment was moved to JFK International Airport in New York on Sunday and will be shipped to Australia via commercial air Monday, the official said, emphasizing that the move doesn't signal any change in the status of the search. What clues are pointing to the southern Indian Ocean? France's Foreign Ministry said Sunday that radar data from a satellite pointed to floating debris in the Indian Ocean 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) from Perth, Australia. The data were immediately passed along to Malaysian authorities, and French satellite resources will home in more on the area, the ministry said. Satellite images previously issued by Australian and Chinese authorities have also captured possible large floating objects in that area, stoking hopes that searchers might find debris from the missing plane. The satellite image from China, captured March 18, shows an object that's 22.5 meters long and 13 meters wide (74 feet by 43 feet), officials said. Australian-led search teams in the southern Indian Ocean found no sign of it Saturday. Have search teams found anything? Not much, but they did find a wooden pallet as well as strapping belts, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's John Young said. The use of wooden pallets is common in the airline industry. "It's a possible lead ... but pallets are used in the shipping industry as well," he said Sunday. The ocean is full of debris, and experts say that makes spotting possible wreckage more difficult. Is that even the right place to be looking? That depends on who you ask. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose country is heading up search efforts in the southern arc, sounded optimistic over the weekend. "We have now had a number of very credible leads, and there is increasing hope -- no more than hope, no more than hope -- that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft," he said. Analysts said Sunday that the new details about altitude could mean that investigators are looking in the wrong spot. If the plane had been flying at 12,000 feet, CNN aviation analyst Mark Weiss said, it would have burned more fuel than it would at a higher altitude, which could mean projections about where it ended up are off base. "I don't know that we're necessarily searching in the right place," CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien said. "Seeing some wooden pallets floating in the southern sea is not what I would call evidence of an aircraft. So, I think it's quite possible that it could be in another place entirely, and maybe the search needs to be reevaluated." Can NASA help? NASA is repositioning satellites to help look for the plane, but that could take a couple of days, the agency said Sunday. The space agency said that it will check the archives of satellite data and use space-based assets such as the Earth-Observing-1 satellite and the ISERV camera on the International Space Station to scour for possible crash sites. The resolution of these images could be used to identify objects of about 98 feet (30 meters) or larger. Listening for fading pings . CNN's Sara Sidner, Tom Cohen, Steve Almasy, Ben Brumfield, Mitra Mobasherat, Jethro Mullen, Mariano Castillo, Faith Karimi, Barbara Starr, Mary Kay Mallonee, Ram Ramgopal and Nancy Leung contributed to this report.
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NEW: A Chinese flight crew spots "suspicious objects" in the Indian Ocean, state media report .
Source: The missing plane flew as low as 12,000 feet before it disappeared from radar .
Some analysts say that supports the theory that there was a mechanical problem .
10 search planes are scouring the Indian Ocean for signs of the plane .
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Foreign criminals and illegal immigrants have pocketed almost £17million in compensation for being locked up for too long while officials fight to deport them, it has been revealed. Sex offenders, robbers and drug dealers who are not supposed to be in Britain have been paid huge sums of taxpayers’ money because they were wrongly detained by the Home Office. In a slap in the face to the British public, at least 229 offenders were among more than 480 individuals handed controversial payouts for being unlawfully held under immigration powers in the past four years. Foreign criminals and illegal immigrants have pocketed almost £17million in compensation for being locked up for too long while officials fight to deport them, it has been revealed . Even though Home Secretary Theresa May wanted them removed from the UK, hundreds sued, claiming their human right to liberty had been breached. Last night MPs and campaigners condemned the cost to the public purse and said judges who awarded the vast payments, averaging around £25,000, were making a mockery of the justice system. Conservative MP Michael Ellis, who sits of the Commons’ home affairs committee, said: ‘No wonder people think the law is an ass. To hear of some cases where dangerous criminals have been given large amounts of money is tantamount to a perversion of the justice system. People will be appalled.’ Even though Home Secretary Theresa May (left) wanted them removed from the UK, hundredsof offenders have claimed their human right to liberty was breached. Immigration Minister James Brokenshire (right) has revealed that £4.8million in 2013-14 was paid out last year . Unlawful: Nemah Shehadeh was held for a year . Nemah Shehadeh was awarded £36,000 after being held following an attempt to deport her to Jordan. The deportation failed in January 2008 when she claimed to be a Palestinian. A judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that the then 58-year-old was unlawfully detained for one year from August 2008. She was originally issued with a six-month visitor visa to come to Britain on the basis that she was a Jordanian citizen. She arrived in August 2002 but overstayed. She was arrested in 2005 at Heathrow with a son when they were attempting to use false French passports to travel to Canada, and subsequently sentenced to four months imprisonment with a recommendation for deportation. After the failed bid to deport her to Jordan, the Home Office placed her in detention while her case was for release considered – with rigorous reporting restrictions. Judges agreed this was unlawful and ordered compensation. Immigration Minister James Brokenshire revealed that £4.5million was paid out in 2011-12, £5million in 2012-13, £4.8million in 2013-14 and £2.1million so far in the year to September. That amounts to £16.4million compensation. Of this, at least £6.2million was awarded to 229 criminals who had been unlawfully detained while waiting to be booted out of the country after finishing prison sentences – roughly £27,000 per offender. The UK does not specify how long people can be kept in immigration detention before deportation, with Home Office guidance saying it should not extend beyond a ‘reasonable period’. But some cases involve illegal immigrants who refuse to reveal where they are from so the authorities have to waste time trying to locate their homelands. Others put in multiple appeals or asylum claims over several years to try to ‘frustrate’ attempts to remove them, said Mandie Campbell, the director general of Immigration Enforcement at the Home Office. Many cases also involve criminals who the Home Office do not want to release amid concerns they are a risk of committing more crimes or absconding. In one instance, Joseph Mjemer – branded a ‘one-man crime wave’ – was jailed for two years just a year after winning £17,360 compensation for being unlawfully detained while awaiting deportation. He used at least five aliases and claimed to be from four countries. Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance pressure group, said payouts could be avoided if Home Office staff were more efficient. ‘Taxpayers will be furious that their cash is being wasted thanks to Home Office bungling,’ he said. ‘Unlawful detention doesn’t just hurt those who are kept under lock and key, but costs an extraordinary amount. The authorities must do a better job.’ Former coalition minister Sarah Teather, who uncovered the figures, accused the Home Office of treating people inhumanely and costing the taxpayer millions. ‘It appears that the Home Office would sometimes rather detain people indefinitely than treat them humanely, even if this ends up costing the taxpayer millions of pounds,’ said the Lib Dem MP. ‘But these figures shouldn’t obscure the considerable emotional and mental cost that not knowing how long you might be detained for, or if you’re going to be deported tomorrow, or moved hundreds of miles away to a different detention centre, has on detainees.’ The UK made the second-highest use of detention for asylum seekers in Europe in 2013, with more than 30,000 asylum seekers spending some time in detention. Some who have been paid compensation have subsequently been deported, while others remain in the UK.
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Offenders sue for being unlawfully held under immigration powers .
At least 229 criminals handed controversial payouts in past four years .
Hundreds have sued, claiming right to human liberty has been breached .
Immigration Minister James Brokenshire reveals £4.8m paid in 2013-14 .
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By . Lizzie Edmonds . PUBLISHED: . 10:53 EST, 15 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:13 EST, 15 October 2013 . This chilling CCTV image shows the desperate flight of a man who had just stabbed two Big Issue sellers to death in a frenzied city centre knife attack. Paranoid schizophrenic John Ward, 23, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after killing Wayne Busst, 32, and Ian Watson-Gladwish, 31, in Birmingham on January 11. He has been jailed for life today. Appearing via video-link from high-security Ashworth Hospital at Birmingham Crown Court, Ward remained impassive as Mrs Justice Thirlwall sentenced him to serve a minimum of 12 years in jail. Getaway: This is the moment Ward runs away from his dying victims, having thrown the murder weapon away . She said Ward was an 'exceptionally dangerous' man, adding: 'I do not know whether you will ever be released.That will be a matter for others.' Peter Grieves-Smith, prosecuting, described how commuters watched in horror as Ward plunged a 8-inch knife into both his defenceless victims earlier this year. Jailed: John Ward, 23, was jailed for 12 years today at Birmingham Crown Court for killing two defenceless Big Issue sellers . Heroin addict Ward had met the pair, both fellow drug-users, for the first time a few hours before after getting off a train from London. Ward, originally from Ireland and at the time an undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic with a dissocial personality disorder, later told psychiatrists he had heard voices 'screaming in his head' telling him to kill himself. He told Dr Panchu Xavier, at Ashworth Hospital, 'he didn't want to do anything but "the voices wanted me to kill everyone",' Mr Grieves-Smith said. Arriving in Birmingham, he bought a kitchen knife at a supermarket which he said was for his own protection, along with whisky and later purchased a bag of heroin - which he smoked. He met with Mr Busst and Mr Watson-Gladwish and despite getting on well with them for several hours, he struck without warning. Afterwards, he told Dr Xavier at this point, 'the voices were going mad, screaming at me "kill yourself".' 'The voices were saying "kill random people",' he said . Just before the attack, a commuter had seen Ward 'acting strangely'. Ward struck Mr Busst first, inflicting a 16 cm chest wound struck with such force it damaged the bone. As . his first victim cried for help, Mr Watson-Gladwish tried to intervene . and was stabbed twice, once in the abdomen and also fatally to the . chest. Neither men had any defensive wounds. Scroll down for video . Victims: Ward brutally killed Ian Watson-Gladwish, 31, left, and Wayne Busst, 32, right . Before: A CCTV image shows John Ward buying a kitchen knife from a supermarket hours before he killed . Meet: John Ward, second from the left, can be seen befriending Wayne Busst, third from left, on the day of the attack while Ian Watson-Gladwish can be seen in the bottom right corner . Passers-by, including an off-duty nurse, tried to help the men and later two doctors and paramedics attempted open heart surgery on Mr Busst, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Ward threw away his knife and fled to a nearby Odeon cinema where he sat and wiped blood from his face and hands with napkins until the police arrived to arrest him. A staff member later told police: 'His eyes were wild, like a rabbit caught in headlights.' The court heard Ward had a history of violence and had recently attacked a nurse at Ashworth. Talk: Ward, left, speaks with Ian Watson-Gladwish, right, as he sells the magazine on the streets . In Ireland, in 2011 he was convicted of robbery and later the same year assault, receiving suspended jail terms for both, said Mr Grieves-Smith. He added the reason Ward left London for Birmingham that day, was after a row with his mother in which he had punched her in the face. In mitigation Michael Duck QC said his client's background had seen him grow up in Ireland in an abusive household, surrounded by alcoholism and drug-taking. He said Ward had started drinking at age . nine, was taking heroin by his early teens and was later taken into care . where he was sexually abused. Stop: The man makes his way into the Odeon cinema in Birmingham to try to evade police . 'From a very young age he reported hearing voices, which was a clear marker of the very significant mental health issues he's suffered and the tragedy is it's been picked up rather later in life, and we find ourselves now in this situation,' said Mr Duck. Afterwards, the family of Mr Watson-Gladwish said no sentence would ever account for their shared loss. Mr Busst's family said: 'It's hard to . put into words how we feel at this time but it's true no parents should . have to bury their child. 'There is little we can say about today's verdict as it will never bring Wayne and Ian back to their families.' Arrest: The man is pictured being detained at the cinema - where he had cleaned the blood of his victims from his hands moments before police arrived . Detective Sergeant Mike Griffiths, of West Midlands Police, said the 'chilling reality' was that Ward's mental illness meant anyone could have been targeted that day. 'He was and still is an extremely dangerous man,' he said. The two men's deaths prompted soul-searching from John Bird - the man who founded Big Issue - who said it had raised 'very big issues' about the safety of sellers. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Bird said he knew first-hand how vulnerable people on the streets were to such random attacks adding the organisation had 'weathered' the trauma of the men's deaths only with the support of its vendors and the public.
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John Ward, 23, stabbed Wayne Busst, 32, and Ian Watson-Gladwish, 31, to death in Birmingham City Centre in January .
CCTV shows Ward buying a knife and alcohol before chatting to the two on the street hours before his frenzied attack .
Ward, a paranoid schizophrenic, told doctors at high-security Ashworth Hospital that voices in his head 'wanted him to kill everyone'
He then struck his two victims with a knife in front of rush hour commuters .
Man, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility via video-link at Birmingham Crown Court, jailed for life .
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05c016a986f4ed9a792b83ee65fdb997630cf44c
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(CNN)The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will soon add Miami Seaquarium's killer whale, Lolita, to the endangered species list, but nothing will change for the longtime Miami entertainer. At 49, the senior whale will be added to the endangered listing for the Southern Resident Killer Whales found in the waters off Seattle, where Lolita was captured in 1970. The Southern Resident population was depleted between 1965 and 1975 because of captures conducted for marine parks, according to NOAA Fisheries. The population's numbers remain low due to such environmental factors as pollution, oil spills and noise from passing vessels, NOAA says. As a result, the Southern Resident killer whales were added to the endangered species 10 years ago. Animal activists, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fun and the Orca Network see this ruling as a victory. "It's Lolita's chance of freedom," said Jared Goodman, PETA's director of animal law. "It's a huge step." Activists petitioned NOAA to include Lolita to the Southern Resident endangered list, saying they never had the right to separate her from designation for the Seattle killer whale population. About 17,000 comments were submitted to the federal agency in support of the endangered designation for Lolita. Animal rights activists want Lolita eventually released back into the wild if she can be rehabilitated to survive on her own after 40 years of captivity where she is hand-fed instead of capturing her own food. Websites such as SaveLolita (savelolita.org) and protests like one in Miami where hundreds marched for the release of Lolita. Activists say they have a plan to move Lolita from Miami to a privately owned cove at San Juan Island in Washington. There, Lolita could be rehabilitated from captivity and taught to forage for her own food, says Goodman. The activists admit Lolita might never survive a release in the open ocean for a number of reasons. Keiko, from the movie "Free Willy," died only three years after being returned to the ocean. Miami Seaquarium says Lolita's is not going anywhere. "Lolita has been part of the Miami Seaquarium family for 44 years," says Robert Rose, Miami Seaquarium Curator. "Lolita is healthy and thriving in her home, where she shares her habitat with Pacific white-sided dolphins," who perform two shows daily says the curator. Rose and NOAA say the endangered designation does not required the killer whale to be released back into the wild. Plus any such movement of a killer whale would need a NOAA Fishery permit and extensive review. "We are going to do everything to protect her (Lolita)," said the PETA attorney. That would include suing anyone who harms the endangered killer whale. What constitutes harm could ultimately be decided by a federal judge. Miami Seaquarium is one of the oldest marine parks in the United States, and activists say Lolita's habitat is not big enough. They are suing the federal government for not enforcing the minimum size requirement. But the USDA tells the Seaquarium that the park exceeds minimum size requirements for the pool. PETA says even if Lolita can't be rehabilitated to return to the wild, the Washington state cove is much larger and her former killer whale pods will swim by her open water habitat. The Miami Seaquarium curator says there's no proof Lolita could survive in such a habitat. "It would be reckless to treat her life as an experiment and jeopardize her health and safety." Opinion: Can a killer whale be a slave?
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Lolita is 49 and has been with the Miami Seaquarium, which says it intends to keep her there .
Animal rights activists still see the decision as a victory and hope to have the killer whale released .
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05c03a11140e75b616427d777c581c4ca161bff1
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By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 06:47 EST, 17 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:02 EST, 17 July 2012 . A 50-year-old father has converted the derelict Victorian baths where he learned to swim into a £1.2million luxury family home. Paul Smith was heartbroken at seeing the swimming pool of his childhood, which lies on the coast at Penarth, near Cardiff, fall into ruin. He decided to turn the beautiful 19th-century building into his dream house, giving it a comfortable modern feel while retaining its unique character. Luxury lifestyle: Paul Smith has converted the beautiful 19th-century building into a dream home for his family . Memories: Mr Smith was devastated when the baths fell into disrepair after being closed to the public . The five-bedroom home boasts elaborate stone window . dressings, archways and vaulted ceilings and still features . the original intricate brick and ironwork. Mr Smith, who runs a scaffolding company, said: 'When I was a child I use to go swimming there every Saturday morning. 'I originally looked into the building with no interest in buying it whatsoever, but when I was inside I had an "Oh my god" moment. 'The feeling when you walk inside it’s really fantastic. You can see so much of history of the place when you are in there.' Vaulted: The elegant conversion has retained period features while adding a modern twist . Cosy: The seaside home features exposed brickwork and ironwork and tasteful new furnishings . The baths closed to the public 30 years . ago. They were briefly used as a pub called Inn At The Deep End before . being boarded up and left to fall into disrepair. But Mr Smith, who is married with two grown-up children, committed himself to a major renovation and converted the building into a chic designer home. The property now has its own indoor spa complete with steam room, sauna and jacuzzi. It spans 5,000 square feet over three storeys and includes ensuite bathrooms, a dressing room and a home cinema. Passage of time: Mr Smith, who owns a scaffolding company, used to swim at the baths every Saturday morning . Last word in comfort: The baths, which were used briefly as a pub before being shut completely, will now be the scene of happy family dinners . Spacious: The converted baths measure 5,000 square feet, spread over three storeys beneath vaulted ceilings . Mr Smith is now preparing to wave . goodbye to the dream home he lovingly created and has put it on the . market at an asking price of £1.2m. A spokesman for estate agents Savills, of Cardiff, called it 'an extraordinary luxury home of considerable style and character'. 'It offers incredibly spacious accommodation in a most interesting and versatile layout', he said. 'It forms part of an iconic former municipal baths, enviably positioned immediately on the seafront enjoying open sea views and just steps away from the charming Victorian pier.' Relaxing: The house has five chic bedrooms with elaborate stone window sills . Wet room: Mr Smith has installed a dressing room, sauna and jacuzzi to recreate the ambiance of the baths . Spotlight: The unique home is now a piece of history, and lies close to the Victorian pier on the seafront .
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Paul Smith converted the disused building into a stylish five-bedroom house .
Kept the original vaulted ceilings, stone window sills and brickwork .
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She may have moved across the Atlantic but Princess Eugenie hasn't forgotten her roots. The daughter of Prince Andrew was pictured in New York today wearing a vibrant scarf in the style of the Union flag emblazoned with the slogan 'God Save The Queen'. The monarch's granddaughter is being both patriotic and stylish with her choice of accessory as the silk scarf is an Alexander McQueen design which costs $425 (£263). Scroll down for video . Flying the flag: Princess Eugenie wore an Alexander McQueen scarf inspired by the Union Jack with the slogan 'God Save The Queen' on it in bold letters . Her long, colourful scarf stood out against the rest of her all-black outfit while she opted for comfortable footwear by donning pumps as she strolled through the Big Apple with a friend. But she looked ever the professional thanks to a smart statement bag on her shoulder. The 24-year-old moved to New York in September to work at online art auction house, Paddle8. The company launched in 2011 describing themselves as an 'auction house for the 21st-century collector' and have been backed by Damien Hirst, Matthew Mellon and Jay Jopling. Making friends: The royal was out in the Big Apple with a female companion . Settling in: Princess Eugenie moved to New York in September to start a new job . Professional princess: Eugenie teamed her $425 (£263) scarf with a black outfit and smart statement bag . Comfortable: She dressed down her look with flat pumps on her feet . While at work, the history of art graduate is simply known as Eugenie York and she's shunned the leafy, affluent Central Park area to live in the thriving Meatpacking District of Manhattan. The princess was reported to be anxious about her move as she knew few people in the city. Her departure has also meant she has to have a long distance relationship with boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank, who works for the London nightclub Mahiki. 'We spend a lot of time on Skype,' he said recently, according to YOU magazine. The royal certainly didn't seem homesick as she was out today as she was pictured laughing and chatting with her female companion. But perhaps her scarf was a comforting reminder of her family back home. Long distance love: Her boyfriend Jack Brooksbank is still in London and said they have been using Skype regularly since she moved .
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Princess Eugenie moved to New York in September .
Started new job at online auction house .
Feared she may become homesick before departure .
Pictured in Union flag scarf with slogan 'God Save The Queen'
Accessory is Alexander McQueen design .
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05c0efccf0d38c9d2143438d50189a65436dd89d
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By . Dan Bloom . PUBLISHED: . 06:46 EST, 29 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:40 EST, 29 November 2013 . One half of a randy couple ended up in court for causing criminal damage after their bed collapsed while having sex. Adam Disney, 28, and his unknown partner also pulled down window drapes in the bedroom during the tryst following a night out in Liverpool. A court heard that instead of going to one of their houses, they were unable to contain their passions and let themselves into a bedsit that Disney used to rent. Unfortunately for Disney, he was spotted hanging out of the property’s window enjoying a post-passion cigarette. Passion: The building (centre) containing the flat where Adam Disney brought down drapes and made the bed collapse. He admitted criminal damage. The betting shop was not thought to be involved . Amorous: Adam Disney's bed collapsed when he sneaked into his old flat in Wavertree High Street, Liverpool (pictured). A court heard it was the best he and his partner could do without offending public decency . Police visited the flat in Wavertree High Street after neighbours heard 'noises', Liverpool magistrates heard. They found Disney in the empty flat - his companion had already left - and first charged him with burglary until he admitted the full story. Dan Lupton, defending, blamed 'sexual antics' and said: 'This is a curious case of the morning after the night before. 'They had been drinking and the couple were passionate in their interest to have sexual relations. 'On this occasion they were seeking to avail themselves rather quickly. Sexual antics: Disney, 28, was fined for criminal damage at Liverpool Magistrates' Court, pictured . 'The closest place for them to seek refuge, in an effort to avoid offending public decency, was his former flat.' Once . indoors the couple were 'carried away with the . intensity of physical relations', Mr Lupton added. The woman responsible for the flat later saw Disney leaning out of the window smoking. Disney, of Widney Lane, Solihull, admitted criminal damage to the double bed and curtain rail, but denied breaking the windowsill when he leaned on it. Chairman of the bench Stan Golding ordered him to pay £355, split into a £100 fine, £85 costs, £150 compensation to the owner and a £20 victim surcharge. The flat's owner had asked for £500 and claimed the lock was damaged, but Mr Lupton described the premises as a 'shabby bedsit'. He said: 'The windowsill was loose and they hadn’t done a good job of securing the curtain rail. 'This was not a posh hotel room.'
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Adam Disney, 28, convicted of criminal damage after sneaking into old flat .
He and friend were drinking in Wavertree and 'seeking to avail themselves'
But they tore down drapes and the bed collapsed costing more than £150 .
He was caught when his former landlady spotted him smoking at window .
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05c160c05492fc7f5f6adcd7bc054818dff368ad
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It doesn't come grander or more romantic than sleeping in a centuries-old castle. And as anticipation for a live remake of Walt Disney's Cinderella hots up, you'd be forgiven for dreaming of romantic medieval haunts, four-poster beds and huge log fires. One place where those dreams can come true is Bovey Castle, in Dartmoor National Park, which was built in 1906 for Viscount Hambledon, son of the business tycoon WH Smith. The luxurious £219 per night manor has been meticulously restored to the glamour of its 1920s heyday: its 64 bedrooms and suites have period touches including carved marble fireplaces and black-and-white bathrooms with deep roll-top tubs. Built in 1906 for Viscount Hambledon, son of the business tycoon WH Smith, Pride of Britain hotel Bovey Castle retains its 1920s glamour . Bedrooms and suites have period touches including carved marble fireplaces and classic black-and-white bathrooms with deep roll-top tubs . Guests are offered a host of unusual country pursuits including crolf (a combination of croquet and golf), falconry and cider and sloe gin making. At the other end of the scale, access to mid-19th century L'Etacquerel Fort in Jersey, is across a dry moat on a high wooden bridge. The beautiful but simple property is found along a steep coastal path and it has stunning views over Bouley Bay. It has space for 60 people, but don't expect a bed or any self-catering facilities. The tower is not connected to any utilities, and local regulations insist that there should be no tents erected on site, so if you want to stay, you'll have to make do with a sleeping bag and composting toilets. Cinderella, which hits cinemas on March 27, stars Downton Abbey's Lily James and Helena Bonham Carter as her Fairy Godmother . And if all those aren't quite bling enough, how about The Castle, a Luxury Collection hotel, on the Lotus mountain, in Dalian, China . Having recently undergone extensive renovation, the striking palatial building is designed to imitate a Bavarian castle . Fit for Royalty: Relais & Chateaux property Inverlochy Castle has its very own loch, and was popular spot for Queen Victoria . Inverlochy Castle has 17 bedrooms, each with their own individual character, along with views of the surrounding mountains . Surrounded by misty mountains, and with its very own loch, Relais & Chalais' Inverlochy Castle offers one of the most stunning Scottish panoramas. Queen Victoria said she 'never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot'. Lumley Castle, between Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne has a history spanning more than 600 years - and is believed to be haunted. Seven miles outside Edinburgh, close to where Mary Queen of Scots surrendered to an army on Carberry Hill, Carberry Tower, and Amazing Venues property is a 1567 listed building, offers 30 luxury bedrooms. Stunning Lumley Castle, near Durham, has a history spanning more than 600 years - and is believed to be haunted . The hotel has been restored by its current owners, No Ordinary Hotels, and offers 73 bedrooms and suites. Black Knight restaurant (pictured) Hen Wrych Hall Tower in Abergele, Conwy, Wales, set into the original boundary wall of Gwrych Castle, has been renovated with oak beams . You can sleep in an opulent king-size four-poster bed in Hen Wrych Hall Tower from £612 for seven nights . And at Walton Castle, a Grade II listed property, guests can sleep over four floors in an octagonal keep which sits in the centre of a cobbled courtyard. English Country Cottages offer a romantic retreat in Hen Wrych Tower, which features a heavily carved king-size four-poster bed, Victorian-style bathroom and an open working fireplace. Norman Roch Castle is a unique heritage property, with six luxurious ensuite bedrooms set within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which offers private dining and an honesty bar with over 20 old world wines. Roch Castle, between Haverfordwest and St Davids, is a unique Norman property in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park . The Welsh castle has modern interiors with six luxurious ensuite bedrooms and offers private dining to groups of eight to 18 guests . To access the mid-19th century L'Etacquerel Fort on Jersey, guests must cross a dry moat on a high wooden bridge . The back-to-basics accommodation has space for 60 people, but don't forget your sleeping bag - because there are no beds . But if you're looking for real bling, there's always The Castle, a faux Bavarian castle in Dalian, China. This Luxury Collection hotel opened its doors in September 2014 on Lotus Mountain in Dalian. Having undergone extensive renovations, the property remains true to its European-inspired theme. Ackergill Tower, in the Scottish Highlands, is set in a stunning 3,000 acre estate complete with its own beach and incredible views . Along with offering afternoon tea and gourmet meals the stunning Ackergill Castle boasts the largest treehouse with a bedroom in Europe . Carberry Tower is seven miles outside Edinburgh, close to where Mary Queen of Scots surrendered to an army on Carberry Hill . The Amazing Venues property is a 1567 listed building, offering 30 luxury bedrooms and an enormous games room .
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Bovey Castle, in Dartmoor, was built in 1906 for Viscount Hambledon, son of the business tycoon WH Smith .
While Scottish property, Inverlochy Castle, has its very own loch, and was popular spot for Queen Victoria .
Stunning Lumley Castle, near Durham, has a history spanning more than 600 years - and is believed to be haunted .
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05c1a0913ef707dc46f78fcd34e5ca53e38765b6
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A convicted criminal stabbed a restaurant worker in the leg and abdomen because he had refused to lend him a pen 'to get a girl's phone number'. Kristopher Davis, 32, had gone into Beto's Mexican restaurant in Salt Lake City in the early hours of Sunday morning. After the employee refused to lend him a pen an argument ensued during which Davis allegedly slapped the employee in the face. Arrest: Kristopher Davis, 32, was arrested after stabbing a restaurant worker who had refused to lend him a pen so he could 'get a girl's number' The employee then attempted to escort Davis from the restaurant at which point Davis produced a knife and stabbed the victim in the leg and then again in the abdomen.' Davis then fled the scenbe but was arrested at a hotel about a half of a block away around 15 minutes later. Salt Lake City police said he confessed to the stabbing. Arrest: Salt Lake City police said Davis confessed to the stabbing. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on an aggravated assault charge - a second-degree felony . Davis was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on an aggravated assault charge - a second-degree felony. His rap sheet shows previous arrests for burglary, domestic violence, assault, criminal mischief, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The restaurant worker was taken to a local hospital suffering from non-life threatening, but serious, injuries.
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Kristopher Davis stabbed restaurant worker in leg and abdomen .
He was arrested at a hotel 15 minutes later and admitted the offence .
Row broke out after restaurant employee refused to lend him a pen .
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05c1ee8da74613178c14535fb199e3e0484bd014
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Washington (CNN) -- Lenient enforcement of a law requiring U.S. citizens to have passports when re-entering the country at land border crossings has heightened the risk that an imposter might get in, according to a government report released Monday. Under the law, which took effect in June 2009, U.S. citizens must show passports or some other authorized travel documents like a military ID when returning to the United States. Those who don't are supposed to undergo further screening to confirm their citizenship. But, during a phase-in period that now has stretched over 18 months, very few travelers have been referred to secondary screening, the report from the Homeland Security department's inspector general's office found. That assertion -- the study concluded -- "increases the risk that someone could enter the U.S. under false pretense of citizenship." The federal Customs and Border Protection agency, though, contends that the program is working, adding that it believes it is better to encourage compliance gradually then to enforce it right away. The inspector general's report is one of the first to look at compliance with the new passport law, which is known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The law impacts all U.S., Canadian and Bermudian citizens, who previously were able to enter the United States at checkpoints along the Canadian and Mexican borders without passports. On a typical day, some 700,000 people arrive at U.S. land borders, trying to get into the country. But every day, authorities say, some 4 percent -- or 28,000 people -- do not have the required documents. In an effort to implement the law without clogging international borders, Customs and Border Protection instituted a phase that it called "informed compliance" to transition the law into effect over time. It sought compliance through a carrot-and-stick approach, by promising the benefit of speedier travel and punishment of secondary screening and travel delays. The results have been mixed. Compliance has been greatest along the northern border, where 98 percent of travelers had the appropriate documents, the inspector general's report says. Along the southern border, compliance has been spottier, with an average of 93 percent of travelers having required documents. Compliance is lowest at Texas border crossings, where 91 percent of travelers had everything they needed. The report suggests that the threat of slower travel has not led to higher compliance, noting that compliance rates have leveled off over time. The inspector general says the non-compliance rate could spell trouble when Customs and Border Protection seeks "full compliance" with the law, saying the latter agency does not have the resources to process large numbers of non-compliant travelers through secondary screening. As an example, it said the workload among secondary inspectors at the El Paso, Texas, border crossing could increase 125 percent with "full compliance" of the law. As the San Ysidro crossing in California -- the busiest land border crossing in the United States -- officials have only eight computer workstations at which to process an estimated 1,834 secondary inspections per day. "Processing this number of travelers with these few computer workstations may cause considerable traveler delays," the report says. In a letter to the inspector general, Customs and Border Protection officials took issue with the statement that the passport law's full benefits will not be felt until the final "full enforcement" phase takes effect. The agency said the program is working, adding that it believes it is better to encourage compliance then to enforce it at this time. "Travelers are never admitted until identity, citizenship and admissibility are established to the satisfaction of the inspecting officer," the agency said. "In the event that a traveler does not possess a (passport or other authorized document), the inspecting officer will use all available documentary and system information, as well as oral questioning and inspection techniques, to establish identity and citizenship."
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A Homeland Security department IG report looks at enforcement of a new passport law .
The study finds that many people get in the U.S., by land, without required documents .
Compliance rates are much higher along the Canadian border than the Mexican one .
The border patrol agency says its phased-in compliance effort is working .
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05c20d2873b79adeeceb3b0602ddd3e02bdff890
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Firemen in Germany were forced to don gas masks to rescue a bedridden obese man who had not washed in five years. Neighbours of the 25-stone man thought their apartment block in the town of Nurtigen near Stuttgart, had been targeted in a chemical attack when firemen turned up wearing bio-hazard suits and respirators. But it was because of conditions inside the 65-year-old's apartment - described as 'absolute hell' by one firefighter - which forced them into such drastic precautions. Firemen were forced to don gas masks to rescue a bedridden obese man who had not washed in five years . Firemen remove the obese man from his home in an apartment block in in the town of Nurtigen near Stuttgart . The man was too fat to exit through the door and had to be lowered with a crane to a waiting ambulance . 'It was knee deep in rubbish, from rotting pizza boxes to old food and tins....and vermin rustling about,' the firefighter added. 'The smell was indescribable.' Firemen had to smash the front door to his apartment down because there was too much rubbish behind it to push open. The morbidly obese man was was found amid a pile of the refuse with serious difficulty breathing. A neighbour called police after hearing rhythmic tapping on her ceiling - his SOS for help. The man was too fat to exit through the door to his home and had to be lowered with a crane to a waiting ambulance. Firefighters were later seen hosing off the equipment used to hoist the foul-smelling man from the apartment . Conditions inside the 65-year-old's apartment which forced firemen to take such drastic precautions . Firemen had to smash the front door to the apartment down because there was too much rubbish behind it to push open - but the man could not fit through the door so had to be lowered out by crane . Firefighters were later seen hosing off the equipment used to hoist the obese and foul-smelling man from the apartment block and disinfecting their protective clothing. He told rescuers that he had been unable to wash and dress himself for the past five years and lived on take-out food that was delivered to his apartment. A neighbour told a German newspaper: 'We had no idea what kind of state his apartment was in, but we got a whiff of it after firemen opened the front door.' Neighbours of the 25-stone man thought their apartment block had been targeted in a chemical attack when firemen turned up wearing bio-hazard suits and respirators . The man told his rescuers that he had been unable to wash and dress himself for the past five years and lived on take-out food that was delivered to his apartment . The morbidly obese man was was found amid a pile of stinking refuse with serious difficulty breathing . A firefighter disinfects and hoses down the protective clothing worn to rescue the morbidly obese man .
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Conditions inside the flat in Nurtigen, Germany, described as 'absolute hell'
Firemen said the smell was 'indescribable' and vermin were 'rustling about'
Neighbour called police after hearing tapping on ceiling - the man's SOS sign .
Man was too fat to exit through door and had to be lowered out with a crane .
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05c2aeaed612ed609ed6d884bb6f1d61ce504371
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The 298 victims on board tragic flight MH17 would have been killed instantly or remained conscious for only a few seconds after the plane was struck down by a missile, an Australian expert has claimed. Forensic scientist David Royds, from the University of Canberra, told the Herald Sun that it's 'very unlikely the passengers would have suffered' when the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 was shot down by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. As investigators continue to piece together what happened, Professor Royds' analysis offers some comfort to the families of the victims, including 37 Australians, who he says would have had 'no time to worry'. 'It’s very unlikely the passengers would have suffered, there would have been no time to worry,' he told the Herald Sun. Scroll down for video . Professor Royds says the victims would not have had time to react to what happened, if not killed instantly, when the missile struck MH17 . The bodies of the around 200 victims have been transported to eastern Ukraine. Professor Royd says dramatic and immediate drops in temperature and cabin pressure would have rendered them unconscious . David Royds (right), who led investigations in the Bali bombing, says passengers would not have suffered . Professor Boyd, who led forensic investigations into the Bali bombings, says that an explosion would have triggered a chain reaction that would have 'rendered the passengers unconscious within seconds' - including dramatic and instant drops in air pressure and temperature and a loss of oxygen. It comes as victims' bodies were transported via train to eastern Ukraine, but families were concerned that the painstaking identification process could take months. An Australian air force plane and refrigerated trucks have arrived in Holland but Ukraine says there were only 200 recovered from the crash site. Experts are also concerned that readings from MH17's black boxes may reveal nothing about the attack, rendering them virtually useless to investigators. And while photos have emerged showing damage to the front panels from the doomed airline point, which may be conclusive evidence of a missile strike, Professor Boyd says the victims' bodies themselves may provide 'trace evidence of shrapnel wounds'. Photographs show pieces of the Boeing 777 have tiny holes indicating small pieces of shrapnel entered the aircraft externally, it has been reported. A piece of wreckage from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, in a field near Rozsypne in the eastern Ukraine, several miles from the largest concentration of debris . According to analysts, the perforation holes visible on the debris are consistent with high-velocity shrapnel from fragmenting warheads like the SA-11 "Buk" missiles American officials have said likely brought down the plane . Experts have warned that the 'black boxes' from MH17 may yield nothing about the attack, rendering them virtually useless to investigators . Reed Foster, a defense analyst, told the New York Times that the two likely causes were an engine explosion or an exploding missile. According to Mr Foster, the SA-11 missiles intercept targeted aircraft before exploding near it creating a cloud of shrapnel. An SA-11 missile carries about 46 pounds of explosives and detonates about 100 to 300 feet away from the target. Meanwhile Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Operation Bring Them Home - to bring the 37 Australian victims back - would be headed up by former defence chief Angus Houston, who also coordinated Australian search efforts for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The refrigerated train carrying the dead has arrived in Kharkiv - in Ukraine's east - where Australian and Dutch representatives will prepare them for transport to the Netherlands for the identification process. A Boeing C-17 of the Australian Air Force stands at the Eindhoven Airbase in The Netherlands. The aircraft will, together with aircrafts of the Dutch Air Force, repatriate from Kharkiv to Eindhoven the bodies of the victims . Mr Abbott also wrote in the condolence book for the plane crash victims on Tuesday at Parliament House . Carriages of death: A train carrying the remains victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 disaster arrives in the Ukrainian government-held city of Kharkiv . Journalists follow the train as it arrives in the city of Kharkiv, where the victims will be flown to the Netherlands . The transportation and identification process in Ukraine and the Netherlands will involve consular officers, Australian Federal Police experts and air safety investigators. Despite Tuesday's progress, Mr Abbott warned there was 'still a long, long way to go'. 'After the crime comes the cover-up,' he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday. 'What we have seen is evidence tampering on an industrial scale, and obviously that has to stop.' Mr Abbott said he understood the families' frustration at the lengthy process, but it was something that needed to be done. 'I need to caution that this is necessarily a painstaking and methodical process that will take some weeks,' he said. The train arrived in Kharkiv on Tuesday night, carrying the bodies of MH17 victims from the crash site . The bodies will be flown to the Netherlands from Kharkiv to be formally identified by forensic and identification experts . Operation Bring Them Home started just hours after Foreign Minister Julie Bishop helped secure a unanimous vote in the United Nations Security Council to allow 'safe, secure, full and unrestricted access' to the Malaysia Airlines crash site for international investigators in a move to find out who is responsible for the tragedy. 'There must be a ceasefire in the immediate area around the site,' Ms Bishop told the Security Council. 'The victims must be treated with dignity, brought back to their homes and laid to rest.'All parties are required to fully cooperate with these efforts. 'Russia must use its influence over the separatists to ensure this. Russia must also use its influence to bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end.' Mo Maslin, Otis Maslin and Evia Maslin - aged 12, eight and 10 - were among the Australian victims . Fatima Dyczynski (left) and Jack O'Brien (right) were another two victims of the MH17 crash . Mr Abbott's formal message of condolence to the victims' families on behalf of the nation . Pro-Russian separatists - who stand accused of bringing down the aircraft, possibly with a missile supplied by Moscow - bowed to a furious clamour for the bodies and black boxes to be handed to investigators five days after the crash. Mr Razak said the boxes were handed over to the Malaysian team in Donetsk at 9pm Ukraine time on Monday. The small handing over ceremony has finally solved the question as to what had happened to the two vital devices. Mr Razak revealed that in recent days the team had been working quietly behind the scenes to establish contact with 'those' - a reference to the rebels - in charge of the MH17 crash site. The contact was finally made - but he made it clear it had not been easy. 'Under difficult and fluid circumstances, we have been discussing the problems that have occupied us all - securing vital evidence from the aircraft, launching an independent investigation and above all recovering the remains of those who lost their lives.' The Prime Minister said that in . another breakthrough an independent international investigation team . would be guaranteed safe access to the crash site. 'I . must stress that although agreement has been reached, there remain a . number of steps required before it is completed,' Mr Razak said. Tragic: A toy is placed at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine . UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond said all the evidence currently available indicates that the surface-to-air missile which destroyed the MH17 was supplied by Russia . 'There . is work still to be done, work which relies on continued communication . in good faith. [Rebel leader] Mr Borodai and his people have so far . given their co-operation. 'I . ask that all parties continue to work together to ensure that this . agreement is honoured; that the remains of our people are returned, that . the black box is handed over, and that the international team is . granted full access to the site. 'Only . then can the investigation into MH17 truly begin; only then can the . victims be afforded the respect they deserve. We need to know what . caused the plane to crash, and who was responsible for it, so that . justice may be done. 'In . recent days, there were times I wanted to give greater voice to the . anger and grief that the Malaysian people feel. And that I feel. But . sometimes, we must work quietly in the service of a better outcome. 'I . understand that for the families, nothing can undo this damage. The . lives taken cannot be given back; the dignity lost cannot be regained. 'My . heart reaches out to those whose loved ones were lost on MH17. We hope . and pray that the agreement reached tonight helps bring them a clear . step towards closure.'
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Expert says MH17 passengers would likely 'not have suffered'
Forensic scientist David Royds says drops in temperature and air pressure would have knocked out the passengers when the missile hit .
The train carrying the victims arrived at Kharkiv on Tuesday night .
Australian and Dutch representatives will then send them onto the Netherlands .
An Australian C-17 Globemaster has arrived in Holland to assist .
International experts will carry out the formal identification proces .
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05c372457d894731ad168117b9c823a69e2379c6
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By . Charlie Skillen . Follow @@charlieskillen . Former Liverpool star Luis Garcia has backed Diego Costa to overcome his injury worries and star in the Champions League final. Atletico Madrid's talisman is a major doubt for Saturday's showpiece against cross-city rivals Real.And Garcia - who starred for Atletico in two spells either side of his time at Anfield - believes his former side will wait until the last minute to confirm his availability. 'He's a fighter. He won't miss this game for anything in the world. He'll try his best,' said Garcia. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Diego Costa and the rest of the Atletico squad arrive in Lisbon . Ready? Diego Costa takes part in Atletico Madrid's final training session before the Champions League final . Limbering up: Costa (left) goes through some stretches as manager Simeone walks beside him . 'If he's fit it's because he can do a good job. Hopefully he can make it, because Atletico need him. He's a key player. 'They will wait until just before kick-off to see if he's fit or not.' Garcia also heaped praise on Atletico boss Diego Simeone, who leads his side in the Lisbon final having already won La Liga. Key man: Diego Simeone will be hoping Atletico striker Diego Costa (right) will be fit for the match . In the mix: Costa (centre) shares a joke with team-mates as spirits were high before training . Key man: Costa has been trying to recover from a grade 1 hamstring strain . All smiles: The Atletico squad seemed to be in a relaxed mood before training on Friday . Garcia said: 'I would like to be inside the dressing room to know how he's handled everything. 'It's been very difficult fighting against Real and Barcelona and Atletico was always there. He's done an amazing job. 'Man to man Real Madrid is stronger, but that's not the most important thing in a final. 'Everyone . knows how important the 10th European cup is to Real Madrid so Atletico . know if they win they can be at the top for a few years.' Ask Luis . Garcia a question during the Champions League Final on Twitter @heineken . using #sharethesofa . Waiting: Costa steps onto the field as he looks to find out if his hamstring injury has improved .
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Diego Costa took part in Atletico Madrid's final training session before Champions League final against Real Madrid .
Striker looked set to miss the final with a hamstring injury .
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05c38bd85ce635650f4f76d79f59010e07723be8
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By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 03:55 EST, 8 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:22 EST, 8 November 2012 . Executive: City boss Matt Pullen has quit CBRE after being arrested on suspicion of rape after a work event . A City high-flyer with the world's biggest property agent has stepped down after being arrested on suspicion of rape - just two months before he was due to take over as managing director. Millionaire Matt Pullen has resigned from his senior executive role at CBRE London after an alleged sex attack at the five-star Grange Hotel in the capital. The 44-year-old is married and lives with his wife in a £1million converted barn in Westerham, Kent, and had been with the company for 20 years until his sudden departure last week. It is understood that Mr Pullen had attended an afternoon work event with a woman, and later that evening the City of London Police were called to the hotel close to St Paul's Cathedral, and he was arrested on suspicion of rape. 'A man, aged 44, was arrested by . City of London Police on Wednesday, October 31, on suspicion of rape. He has subsequently been bailed pending further inquiries,' a City of London Police spokesman said. Mr Pullen has not been formally charged and is bailed until February next year. CBRE, which is based in Los Angeles, employs 34,000 around the world and has a turnover of £4.4billion, confirmed that he has left the company. 'Mr Pullen is no longer an employee of CBRE. We can confirm that . the matter is now the subject of a police investigation with which CBRE . will fully co-operate. It is now a private matter for the individual . involved,' a spokesman said. He was due to start running the UK operation on January 1, but now Ciaran Bird, head of CBRE’s UK retail division, has been promoted in his place. Claim: Pullen had been at The Grange St Paul's Hotel following an afternoon work event, it is understood . Mr Pullen joined the company as a graduate in 1990 before taking over a role vacated by rugby stars Rob Andrew and Gavin Hastings. He also gave an interview to the company's website where he said he had no intention on leaving because it offered such wonderful career progression. He also praised the social part of the job and the business since he joined in his twenties. Detained: Mr Pullen was held at the exclusive Grange Hotel (pictured), and has since left his job after 20 years . 'It was really social. The balance of work and play was fantastic. I think it's still like that now.' He went on: 'The beauty of the company is it leaves you to determine how to handle work and life.' Mr Pullen rose up the ranks at at CBRE, making a name for himself in its global corporate services division, where he acted for giants like Nokia, Barclays and HSBC. There was no response at his Kent home last night. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Matt Pullen was due to become Managing Director of the London arm of U.S. property giant CBRE .
Police arrested him at a five-star hotel near St Paul's Cathedral last week and he was bailed until February .
Married Pullen lives with his wife in a £1m converted barn in Westerham, Kent .
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05c445d3f16c7865e898385605a4f7802752709d
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By . Nick Harris . What price a World Cup? The bottom line for FIFA is that Brazil 2014 will earn the world governing body at least £2.55billion. By the next tournament, in Russia in 2018, that will have jumped above £3bn to cap an extraordinary doubling in income between 2006 and 2018. As the new issue of specialist sports business journal Sportcal Insight details, TV income for this summer’s event alone will be about £1.5bn. Winner: FIFA President Sepp Blatter holds up the name of Russia as the 2018 World Cup host . German and Italian broadcasters are paying £163million each, the French around £122m, the BBC and ITV combined around £120m for UK rights, and US broadcasters £150m. That is set to soar in 2018 and beyond. The World Cup is uniquely popular, with roughly a third of the planet’s seven billion population expected to watch at least one of the 64 games on television. The final in Rio will be the most watched event of any kind in the world in 2014, and it is expected that the average global audience per match this summer will easily top 150m. Last time the average was 188m per match. Such an extraordinary reach means FIFA can attract some of the biggest brands in the world aspartners and sponsors. Adidas have paid £120m to be partners for the current four-year cycle up to Brazil 2014. Visa and Emirates are each paying £66.8m, Coca-Cola £75m, and Hyundai and Sony also spending tens of millions. McDonald’s, Budweiser and a raft of others are also paying to be associated with the beautiful game, meaning FIFA will earn £733m at least from commercial deals this summer. Excited: It seems the entire world has got in the Samba mood for Brazil 2014 with less than a week to go . 2.2 BILLION - number of people in the world (31 per cent of 7bn) who watched at least one World Cup match in 2010 on TV . 188.4 MILLION - the average live global TV audience per World Cup match. The World Cup is like 64 Super Bowls in a month, except every one is bigger . 530.9 MILLION - the live global TV audience for the 2010 World Cup final . 17.3 MILLION - the average viewers per match in Brazil for 2010 World Cup, rising to an average of 44m for Brazil games . 5.3 MILLION - average UK TV audience for 2010 World Cup . 17.9 MILLION - the highest audience for England vs Germany . Ticket sales, hospitality packages and merchandise will add another £315m. Where all this money goes is a different matter entirely. FIFA distribute much of it around the world to associations and development projects. Unquantifiable amounts go on expenses for FIFA executives. And more than a billion dollars is sitting in FIFA’s bank account. For more see this week’s Sportcal Insight magazine. Sao Paulo stadium: The World Cup will be one of the most watched events on television .
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FIFA prepare to earn at least £2.55billion from Brazil, and £3b from Russia in 2018 .
It doubles the income between 2006 and 2018 .
TV income for the summer tournament to be about £1.5b .
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