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By . Daily Mail Reporter . Companion: Michael Jackson, pictured, had an Eastern European lady friend whom he'd hug and kiss in the back of his chauffeur-driven car, his former bodyguards have claimed in a tell-all book . Michael Jackson had an Eastern European lady friend whom he'd hug and kiss in the back of his chauffeur-driven car, his former bodyguards have claimed in a tell-all book. The bodyguards - Javon Beard and Bill Whitfield - write that the eccentric pop star sent them to pick up the mystery woman, referred to only as 'Friend,' as well as another woman, and he even sent them to buy presents for her from Tiffany. In an excerpt from the book, 'Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days,' obtained by New York Daily News, the former staffers describe the King of Pop's slender 5-feet-4 gal pal as 'drop-dead gorgeous.' The men reveal how Jackson would allegedly visit her at night at a nearby Hampton Inn, after his kids went to bed. But 'Friend' was not his only fancy. The singer had another female visitor nicknamed 'Flower,' the bodyguards write. 'Flower' visited a few days after 'Friend' and while she and the pop star were close, Jackson was more fond of 'Friend,' Whitfield claims. He says it was a big deal when 'Friend' came to town and the bodyguards had to ensure everything was ready for her arrival. In the book, the men also claim Jackson was a strict father to his children and recall one instance when he disciplined Prince, now 17, when he failed to clean up after a dog he'd received as a gift. Musclemen: Bodyguard Bill Whitfield, left, is pictured on protection duty with Michael Jackson . Details: The details come in the book, 'Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days,' to be published in June . Jackson moonwalked right into the dog's poop, the men claim, and then he 'chewed Prince out, big time,' ensuring his son followed the animal around with a dustpan and brush from then on. Beard and Whitfield also gained a glimpse of the King of Pop's money woes while acting as his muscle, they claim. The bodyguards write that they would sometimes go months without a paycheck from the world famous performer and witnessed Jackson splurge on a $10,000 shopping spree that ended when his credit card was declined. Despite dishing out such insider info, a source told the Daily News that the duo do not intend to embarrass Jackson in the book, and were in fact 'very fond of him and loved his kids.' 'Remember the Time' will be published in June.
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The bodyguards - Javon Beard and Bill Whitfield - write that the eccentric pop star sent them to pick up the mystery woman, referred to only as 'Friend'
They claim they also collected another gal pal, and were even sent to buy presents from Tiffany .
In the book, 'Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days,' the former staffers describe the King of Pop's slender 5-feet-4 gal pal as 'drop-dead gorgeous'
The men reveal how Jackson would allegedly visit her at night at a nearby Hampton Inn, after his kids went to bed .
The men also claim Jackson was a strict father to his children and had money woes .
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The stage . was set for a command performance by Treve but it was The Fugue, named . after a technical musical term, who called the tune in the Group One . Prince of Wales’s Stakes. The . John Gosden-trained filly, third to Al Kazeem in the race last year, . has the petit feet of a ballerina and relished the quickening . conditions, bouncing off the ground to win by a length and . three-quarters from Magician in a new course record 10-furlong time of 2 . mins 1.9 secs. Her . success was hailed as his greatest moment in racing by owner and . composer Lord Lloyd-Webber, the man who named The Fugue, bred by his . wife Madeleine, and also one the few who knows what it means! Royal appointment: The Prince of Wales presents owner Lord Lloyd-Webber (R) with the trophy . But while the William Buick-ridden 11-2 winner floated over the turf, Treve travelled like a rusty bike with a flat tyre. The . 2013 Arc winner and 8-13 favourite trained by Criquette Head-Maarek and . ridden by Frankie Dettori, was only a length further back in third but . the writing was on the wall before the home straight. It . would be an exaggeration to say Treve is a pale shadow of the 2013 . model but if someone had suggested last autumn she would be beaten on . her first two runs this summer they would have been patted on the head . sympathetically and told to lie down. The . ground or a physical issue might have been the cause of yesterday’s . disappointing effort. But if and when she is brought back for an autumn . campaign and a crack at a second Arc in October, she will have lost her . air of invincibility. A . crestfallen Dettori said: ‘She went down to the start really bad. Maybe . it was the ground? I was following The Fugue but struggling to keep up . with her and never in my comfort zone.’ Sing when you're wining: Andrew Lloyd-Webber claimed the victory was his greatest moment in racing . Buick . never seemed out of his on The Fugue. The jockey has endured some . mighty highs and lows with his admirable partner, whose 16 races have . included 13 at group one level, four of them now ending in victory. The . ones that got away have included a nightmare passage when third to Was . in the 2012 Oaks and two agonising defeats at the Breeders’ Cup, . including having victory snatched away in the final stride by Magician . in November, a reverse so hard to take Buick exited the Santa Anita . track in tears. It helped make yesterday’s win so satisfying and Buick said: ‘You have to believe in your horse and I did. Too strong: William Buick rides The Fugue to a shock win on day two at Royal Ascot . ‘They . can’t win every time but wherever she has gone, she has performed with . credit. I have ridden her from the start and she was probably the first . good horse I ever rode.’ Gosden . had been training The Fugue for next week’s Pretty Polly Stakes at the . Curragh only to change his mind when she blossomed. The . trainer, who could go next to the Coral Eclipse two weeks on Saturday, . said: ‘It is marvellous bringing Treve here. I think she unbeatable over . a mile and a half with cut in the ground in the autumn. We wouldn’t go . near her then. Hand it to him: William Buick celebrates after riding The Fugue to victory in the Prince of Wales's Stakes . ‘But I thought we had half a chance if we met her on mid-summer ground over a mile and a quarter.’ Gosden, . successful on day one with Kingman in the St James’s Palace Stakes, . also had Muwaary, length second to Dermot Weld’s Mustajeeb in the Jersey . Stakes. Having . started the day almost £200,000 behind Richard Hannon, he finished it . nearly £100,000 in front in a see-sawing race for the trainers’ title. Hannon will not look back on the second day with fond memories. Upset: Treve, ridden by Frankie Dettori, was beaten into third by The Fugue and Magician . He . had warned his 2013 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner Sky . Lantern was short of peak fitness for the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes and . she crossed the line in fifth, never looking likely to land a punch on . Sir Michael Stoute-trained and Ryan Moore-ridden winner Integral, who . set another track record. More painful was the neck defeat of Tiggy Wiggy in a Queen Mary Stakes won by well-backed 9-4 favourite Anthem Alexander. She . was a second winner of the meeting for Irish trainer Eddie Lynam, who . will not now run his King’s Stand winner Sole Power in Saturday’s . Diamond Jubilee Stake.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber's horse The Fugue won the Prince of Wales Stakes .
Favourite Treve was beaten into third with Magician second .
Frankie Dettori blamed the ground for Treve's poor showing .
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(CNN) -- HBO and the "Game of Thrones" producers have apologized for comments made on the season one DVD about a prosthetic head that looks suspiciously like our nation's 43rd President. In the commentary, show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss admit that George W. Bush's likeness appears in a scene in which King Joffrey shows Sansa Stark her dead dad's head on a stick. (Check it out on io9.com). The alleged Dubya noggin is the last one on the left — and he's sporting some pretty bad hair. "It's not a choice, not a political statement!" one of the writers say during the commentary. "We just had to use what heads we had around." Once news of the Bush head hit the internet, HBO released this statement: "We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste. We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologized immediately for this inadvertent careless mistake. We are sorry this happened and will have it removed from any future DVD production." The producing duo released their own, too: "We use a lot of prosthetic body parts on the show: heads, arms, etc. We can't afford to have these all made from scratch, especially in scenes where we need a lot of them, so we rent them in bulk. After the scene was already shot, someone pointed out that one of the heads looked like George W. Bush. In the DVD commentary, we mentioned this, though we should not have. We meant no disrespect to the former President and apologize if anything we said or did suggested otherwise." On the DVD, one of the writers claims that the Bush head appears in a "couple of beheading scenes." See full story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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"Game of Thrones" creators admit that George W. Bush's likeness appears in a scene .
HBO statement: "We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable"
Company says it will be removed from future DVDs .
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By . Jill Reilly . This dramatic footage shows a gang of axe-wielding raiders executing a daytime smash and grab raid at a jewellers. Dressed in blue boiler suits and black balaclavas at least two members of the gang can clearly be seen attacking the shop window with axes while the others push in the protective glass, before escaping with number of watches. As an alarm sounds in the background one bemused shopper can be spotted milling near the four-man gang as they struck Lister Horsfall jewellers in Ilkley, West Yorkshire at lunchtime on Thursday. Scroll down for video . This dramatic footage shows a gang of axe-wielding raiders executing a daytime smash and grab raid at a jewellers . According to a witness, at one point one of the thieves used an axe to threaten a police officer who approached the scene. The gang then sped off in a silver Honda Civic, which had been driven on to the pavement in front of the jewellers, narrowly missing a car and pedestrians. The getaway car, which was driven by a fifth gang member, was quickly abandoned and set alight in a nearby street. According to a witness, at one point one of the thieves used an axe to threaten a police officer who approached the scene . The men raiding the Lister Horsfall jewellers in Ilkley, West Yorkshire . Lister Horsfall's managing director Nicholas Horsfall praised the actions of his staff who stopped the robbers escaping with a big haul by activating the security shutters . One witness said: 'It really shook me up. 'They were wearing blue jumpsuits and they had black coverings over their heads.' Lister Horsfall’s managing director Nicholas Horsfall praised the actions of his staff who stopped the robbers escaping with a big haul by activating the security shutters. He said: 'I don’t think they managed to get away with a lot. 'The quick thinking of the staff managed to avert a major loss. The shutters went down, the blinds went down and they were stripping the stock from behind the window to stop it being taken.' He said the staff on duty were uninjured but were shaken by the incident. The gang then sped off in a silver Honda Civic, which had been driven on to the pavement . The getaway car, which was driven by a fifth gang member, was quickly abandoned and set alight in a nearby street . It is the third time in two years the jewellers has been targetted by armed robbers - it was previously raided in June 2012 and September 2011. A West Yorkshire police spokesman said robbers took 'a number of watches' before making off. He has urged anyone who saw something suspicious before or after the robbery to contact police on the non-emergency number 101.
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Four-man gang struck at lunchtime on Thursday in Ilkley, West Yorkshire .
The getaway car was driven by a fifth gang member and was later dumped .
Witness: Thieves used an axe to threaten a police officer who approached .
Police spokesman said robbers took 'a number of watches' before escape .
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By . Mike Dickson . Follow @@Mike_Dickson_DM . Andy Murray's trusted lieutenant Dani Vallverdu is believed to have considered his future with the deposed Wimbledon champion in the wake of Wednesday's Wimbledon quarter final letdown. With Amelie Mauresmo having departed back to France there was still no official word from the Murray camp about how their discussions of Friday had concluded, with issues still apparently to be resolved. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Andy Murray play mixed doubles with coach Amelie Mauresmo . Support team: Andy Murray's coach Amelie Mauresmo (right) and Dani Vallverdu at Wimbledon . Among them, according to well-placed sources, are the frustrations of the 28-year-old Venezuelan who for nearly four years has been a constant at the side of Murray, who he first met when they were fellow teenage students at a Barcelona Tennis Academy. Vallverdu's influence in the recent career of Murray and his major successes tends to have been underrated as he has worked largely in the shadow of high profile figures like Ivan Lendl and, for the past few weeks, Mauresmo. While he has got on well with the French former player, as Murray has done, a point of contention to said to have been the manner of her appointment. While Vallverdu was kept in the loop throughout the process of Lendl being brought in, he and other members of the backroom staff are said to have been taken by surprise that talks with Mauresmo were as far as advanced as they were in Paris. That has added to a growing sense of being under-appreciated, which may have been exacerbated by what happened on Wednesday. While year-round Murray watchers will know that outbursts at his box are nothing new, the focus is much magnified at Wimbledon. Fallout: Murray's quarter-final exit at Wimbledon has led to him having to re-assess his team . Call: Fitness coach Jez Green (second right) wants a clear structure in backroom team . Lendl would go out of his way to praise Vallverdu's role in a team that is clearly under general evaluation by Murray as he plots how to get back towards the top after his ranking slides to number ten on Monday. During the Czech's increasingly long absences towards the end of the partnership Vallverdu, who last night denied he was about to jump ship, was the ever-present. His role remains vital as it is clear that, even if Mauresmo continues, she does not want to travel full-time on the tour. For instance Murray is now keen to restart training soon in Miami and he would be expected to supervise that while she takes a holiday. He is said to want assurances about his role and stature within the team. Other members, such as the influential Florida-based fitness trainer Jez Green, are also believed to be demanding that a clear structure is established going forward if Mauresmo is going to be in for the long haul. Vallverdu, a mild-mannered and genial former top American college player who is very well-liked on the tour, knows Murray better than anyone. As well as having a good tennis brain he understands the 27 year-old Scot's moods and rage for perfection and if he ever left it would be a major blow.
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Murray's trusted lieutenant Dani Vallverdu considered his future .
The British No 1 had showdown talks with coach Amelie Mauresmo .
Fitness trainer Jez Green wants to know where they all stand .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:38 EST, 15 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:39 EST, 16 July 2013 . A woman who shot her lover has beaten an attempted murder rap and avoided years of jail time after her lovelorn partner refused to testify against her. Evelyn Barnave, 43, of Brooklyn was slapped on the wrist with an assault conviction Monday, skirting what had been a potential seven years in jail. But while love may have conquered the penal system, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew D’Emic threw cold water on the fiery relationship when he told boyfriend turned gunshot victim Randolph Costa to stay away from Barnave for a full year. Happier times: Randolph Costa, right, was shot in the head by lover Evelyn Barnave, left, in 2011 . The New York Post reports that Justice D'Emic forbade Costa from contacting the shooter he loves in any way, be it by email, voice calls, or text messages. While Costa implored the judge at Monday's sentencing, via Barnave's attorney Paul Hirsh, to be allowed to address the court in an effort to garner his lover a light sentence, his request was denied. It was Justice D'Emic's belief that, in taking their armed domestic conflict into the outside world, the couple had endangered the greater community and should therefor be kept apart. Times change: Barnave is pictured here with lawyer Paul Hirsh during her trial for shooting her lover in the head at close range in the Brooklyn neighborhood in 2011 . 'The problem that I have is that we have a situation here where these two parties have a tumultuous relationship and if it stayed between these two that would be one thing,' Justice D’Emic said. Barnave was facing an attempted murder charge for shooting Costa in 2011. After a fight over a joint checking account, Barnave shot Costa at close range through the window of her car in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn on January 11 of that year. 59-year-old Costa initially pointed the finger at his girlfriend, but then refused to cooperate with prosecutors in her trial at Brooklyn . Supreme Court despite a fight that left him with a bullet in his spine. Hot headed: Barnave's prosecutors weren't able to make attempted murder charges stick after Costa refused to testify despite having had a bullet lodged in his spine from their spat . Change of heart: Costa pointed the finger at Barnave initially but then refused to testify. Here, he holds a photo of the two of them . Meanwhile, Barnave insisted the whole . thing was an accident and the prosecution in her case was left unable to . make the attempted murder charge stick. Barnave was sentenced for the lesser charge of reckless assault last month. But that didn't mean the judge was going to let the lovebirds go celebrate Barnave's freedom. 'This . spilled out into the streets of Brooklyn where an innocent person could . have gotten hurt,' explained the judge as he handed down his stay-away . order. 'I love this man . and he loves me,' an emotional Barnave told the judge. 'I have a family . and I have never hurt anybody or done anything malicious to anybody in . my life.' Sentenced: Barnave, pictured here before she was acquitted of attempted murder, was convicted on the lesser charge of assault and handed 5 years probation. The judge also ordered her to stay away from Costa for a year . Barnave and Costa met about five years ago on a Subway platform. In June, when Costa suddenly decided he wouldn't testify, he said it was because he hoped they would get married one day. Now, despite the judge's order, Costa told the Post he was satisfied with the ruling. 'I’m . not disappointed that we can’t see each other,' Costa said. 'I’m just . relieved that she didn’t get jail time. It could have been a lot worse.' Barnave thanked the judge for the sentence that allows her to avoid jail. 'I just want to thank you judge,' she said. 'It was an accident.' To the press, Barnave would only say, 'It's fine,' before she left the court without the man she loves. Justice D'Emic said he would be willing to revisit the stay-away order in a year.
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Evelyn Barnave, 43, shot Randolph Costa, 59, at close range in 2011 .
'We love each other': Costa refused to testify against Barnave .
Barnave was convicted of assault but beat attempted murder rap and will serve five years probation .
Judge orders couple to stay away from each other for a year .
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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 05:30 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:07 EST, 16 October 2013 . Legacy: Richard Greener was Harvard University's first African-American . A house clearance worker who discovered the papers of Harvard’s first African-American graduate is threatening to burn them unless the university or a collector buys them from him for the 'right price'. Rufus McDonald, 52, found the papers belonging to Richard T. Greener while clearing out a house in Englewood, Chicago, earlier this year. His discovery was hailed as remarkable, as it was feared the records had been destroyed by racist groups or lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The papers include Mr Greener's 1870 Harvard diploma and his law license as well as photos and papers connected to his diplomatic role in Russia and his friendship with President Ulysses S. Grant. Mr McDonald sold just two of the documents for $52,000 to the University of South Carolina, where Mr Greener also studied and taught. But he was so incensed by Harvard's offer that he is now threatening to destroy the 140-year-old papers. 'I’ll roast and burn them,' said Mr McDonald who claims Harvard offered him an 'insulting' $7,500 for the collection that was appraised at $65,000. 'It might sound crazy, but people who know me know I’d really do it — I’m sick and tired,' he told the Chicago Sun Times. A Harvard spokesman declined to comment on the ultimatum, but a university source familiar with the negotiation told the newspaper it offered Mr McDonald 'significantly more' than $7,500. According to a bio from the University of South Carolina, where he served as the first African-American professor, Mr Greener was born on January 30, 1844, in Philadelphia and was raised from the age of ten in Boston. Historical: A diploma earned by Richard Theodore Greener is seen at the University of South Carolina . Pay out: Mr McDonald sold two of the documents for $52,000 to the University of South Carolina, where Mr Greener also studied and taught . He attended the Broadway Grammar School in Cambridge, Massachusetts until he was fourteen, then dropped out of school to help support his family, working as a porter, clerk and night-watchman in an assortment of jobs. With help from two of his employers Mr Greener attended school and they arranged for his admission to Harvard in 1865 as an experiment in the education of African-Americans. In 1870 Mr Greener graduated from Harvard with honors, the first African-American to do so. But Mr Greener was not the first black person to be admitted - that title belongs Beverly Garnett Williams, who died just before the academic year began in 1847. Prestige: In 1870 Greener graduated from Harvard with honors . After his graduation Mr Greener spent a few years teaching in schools before becoming a professor at the University of South Carolina in October of 1873. In the years that followed he took a post as a professor in the Howard Law School and married in 1874, having six children with his wife Genevieve Ida Fleet. One of his daughters Belle went on to become a famous librarian to J. P. Morgan in New York. Her skin was light - both Mr Greener and his wife had mixed heritages - so she pretended she was from a white background and added 'da Costa' to her name to give the impression of Portuguese ancestry, as well as changing Greener to Greene. Mr Greener separated from his wife and left the country in 1898 to assume a consular post in Vladivostok, Russia, until 1905. He left the foreign service in 1905, settling in Chicago with relatives, and held a job as an agent for an insurance company and practiced law. Mr Greener occasionally lectured until he died of old age in Chicago on May 2, 1922. The Chicago Sun reports that it is still unclear how the papers ended up in the house that was being cleared to be demolished as Mr Greener did not live near there.
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Rufus McDonald, 52, found the papers when clearing an Englewood home .
He sold two of the documents for $52,000 to University of South Carolina .
But he claims Harvard are only offering him an 'insulting' $7,500 .
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f656edc9511e1e53c26609b3fac8d7f7443d6f44
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(CNN) -- Topless photos of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, hit newsstands in yet another country Thursday, as a magazine in Denmark became at least the fifth outlet to run the pictures causing headaches for Britain's likely future queen. The Danish gossip magazine Se och Hoer ran the photos a day after its sister publication in Sweden did. They're the same photos first seen last week in the French magazine Closer, then in an Italian magazine and an Irish newspaper, Se Og Hor Danish editor Kim Henningsen said. "It's a set of unique photos from an A-class celebrity. We are a leading gossip magazine in Denmark, and it is my job to publish them," Henningsen said. "If the British royal family want to sue us, then it will happen then and we'll deal with it." Closer was fined Tuesday for publishing the topless photographs, and ordered not to distribute the magazine in print or online. A French court ordered the magazine to hand over the original photos to the royal family within 24 hours of the ruling and to pay them 2,000 euros (about $2,600). The magazine must pay a further 10,000 euros a day if it is late in handing over the photos. The magazine declined to say whether it has complied with the order. A French prosecutor opened a preliminary criminal investigation into the incident Tuesday, separate from the royal family's civil suit, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said. The royal family filed a criminal complaint seeking invasion of privacy charges against Closer and possibly the photographer, a palace spokeswoman said. Se och Hoer's editor in Sweden, Carina Loefkvist, would not discuss the identity of the photographer, but she did say her magazine bought the images Friday. The criminal and civil legal battle over the photographs would not deter the magazine, she said. "We don't treat royalties different to other celebrities, so we would have published the photos anyway," she said. "We valued the news value." A spokesman for the royal family declined to comment on the Danish and Swedish magazines' decisions "save to say that all proportionate responses will be kept under review." Wolf: The backward view of women's bodies . Catherine and her husband, Prince William, the second in line to the throne, "welcome the injunction that's been granted. They always believed the law was broken and that they were entitled to their privacy," the palace said. French law provides for "draconian sanctions" to protect against invasions of privacy, British lawyer Charlotte Harris said, including orders to take magazines off shelves and the imposition of serious fines. William and Kate: Keeping calm and carrying on . Chi and Closer are owned by the Mondadori publishing company, which is headed by Marina Berlusconi, daughter of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Opinion: Wake up, Kate; photogs are always watching . CNN's Max Foster contributed to this report.
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A gossip magazine in Denmark becomes at least the fifth publication to run the photos .
Closer magazine, the first to publish the photos, won't say if it obeyed a court order .
Catherine and Prince William got an injunction in France on Tuesday .
The royals have also filed a criminal complaint in France .
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JFK Airport is looking for a few brave contractors willing to get close to potential Ebola patients for screenings at the airport, and who are willing to take the job for just $19 an hour. The staff will be hired by Angel Staffing Inc. who are looking for candidates with EMT or paramedic training. The lucky hires will help Customs and Border Protection officers and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers identify potential Ebola cases at Terminal 4. Scroll down for video . JFK Airport is looking for a few brave contractors (not pictured) willing to get close to potential Ebola patients for screenings at the airport, and who are willing to take the job for just $19 an hour . Screeners will need to get so close they even take the possible patient's temperature. Paramedics will be paid $20 per hour, but The New York Post notes that EMTs will only earn $19 per hour. Washington Dulles, Newark Liberty, Chicago O'Hare, and Hartsfied-Jackson Atlanta international airports are all hiring screening staff. Facebook user Jaclyn Namer was cautious about the job in a comment under the posting. 'Wow, that's really scary...Be safe everybody' she wrote. Others were less worried. 'I can help on weekends in Chicago,' wrote one Jeremy Voris on the same thread. Federal health officials say the entry screenings that start on Thursday add another layer of protection to halt the spread of the Ebola virus that has killed thousands. Screeners will use no-touch thermometers to try to find passengers with fevers. Washington Dulles, Newark Liberty, Chicago O'Hare, and Hartsfied-Jackson Atlanta international airports are all hiring screening staff . Using infrared temperature guns, staff are checking for elevated temperatures among passengers whose journeys began or included a stop in one of the three African countries. Customs officials reported about 150 people travel daily from or through Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea to the U.S. Nearly 95 per cent of these travelers land first at one of those five airports. Those countries have seen most of the deaths from the outbreak, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives. However Republican Representative Tim Murphy said today during a congressional hearing on Ebola that the screening processes are flawed because people can mask symptoms with Ibuprofen or simply avoid the airports which have installed screenings. The screenings are being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP), under direction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Customs officials reported about 150 people travel daily from or through Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea to the U.S. CBP staff will identify passengers to screen by looking at trip information and checking passports. On Monday, CDC director Dr Tom Frieden reported that 91 passengers at JFK were pinpointed as having a risk of being infected with Ebola. No passenger was found to have a fever but five were sent for further evaluation. Ebola patient Thomas Duncan landed in Dallas on September 20 after traveling from his home in Monrovia, Liberia. He also traveled through Brussels Airport in Belgium and Washington-Dulles. The 42-year-old Liberian national was not contagious while he traveled. Mr Duncan died last Wednesday after being treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
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The staff will be hired by Angel Staffing Inc. who are looking for candidates with EMT or paramedic training .
Screeners will need to get so close they even take the possible patient's temperature .
Federal health officials say the entry screenings that start on Thursday add another layer of protection to halt the spread of the Ebola virus that has killed thousands.
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(CNN)Diego Lagomarsino is among the few who can offer clues about the puzzling death of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman. The IT security expert was one of the last to see Nisman alive. Nisman was found dead in his apartment days after filing a report accusing the country's top leaders of covering up Iran's involvement in Argentina's worst terrorist attack. It looked like a suicide, but now even the government has doubts that is the truth. So when Lagomarsino decided to address reporters on Wednesday, it should have been an unequivocally illuminating event. But like so much of the information surrounding Nisman's mysterious death, seeds of doubt had already been planted. In addition to being an assistant to Nisman, Lagomarsino is the one who gave the prosecutor the gun that ended his life and is the only person charged in connection with his death. Lagomarsino faces up to six years in prison if convicted of providing Nisman with the gun. With this hanging over his head, Lagomarsino broke his silence, saying that he committed no crime and that he let Nisman borrow the gun at the prosecutor's insistence. Nisman was fearful about his safety after he filed his report in court and was distrustful of even the security guards that were assigned to protect him, Lagomarsino said. The prosecutor had called Lagomarsino, who had become a family friend through the IT work he did for them, before dawn on January 17. Nisman asked him to come over to his apartment immediately, Lagomarsino said. Lagomarsino recalls seeing documents splayed out on a table and an anxious Nisman spilling his fears. The prosecutor was worried about repercussions for the accusations he levied against the government. He alleged that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, among others, conspired to cover up Iran's involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in exchange for a friendly trade deal. In the days after he filed the complaint in court, Nisman didn't even venture out to buy groceries. He had his mother do that for him, Lagomarsino said. "I am more afraid of being right than being wrong," the IT engineer remembers Nisman telling him that morning. He was afraid that his daughters were in danger, Nisman told Lagomarsino. The prosecutor said he didn't trust his security guards, and asked Lagomarsino if he had a gun he could borrow. Lagomarsino went back home and thought about the request. When Nisman called again, insisting that he bring the weapon over. According to Lagomarsino, Nisman claimed he would not use the gun and only wanted to have it in his glove box in case of an emergency. So Lagomarsino returned to Nisman's apartment, handed him the weapon, and then left. He texted Nisman later that afternoon to check in on him. The prosecutor never replied. Nisman, who had been investigating the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) that killed 85 people, died from a gunshot wound to the head. The gun that Lagomarsino had given him was near the body, along with a shell casing. His body was found on January 18, the day after his conversation with Lagomarsino, and the day before he was to testify before lawmakers about his allegations. An autopsy was performed the next day. President Fernandez was quick to call it a suicide but changed her story a few days later. A test found no gunpowder residue on Nisman's hands, as would have been expected if he had pulled the trigger. On Wednesday, Nisman's body was returned to his family after his ex-wife declined to have additional tests conducted on the body, the state-run Telam news agency reported. The prosecutor's funeral is scheduled for Thursday. Even before Nisman died, Fernadez's government vehemently denied that it had covered up anything relating to the 1994 bombing. The government's Cabinet chief has said that Nisman was swayed by information from Antonio "Jaime" Stiusso, a former Argentine intelligence chief. Stiusso was ousted from the intelligence agency in December. Government officials have implied that rogue intelligence agents misled Nisman to attack Fernandez and then killed him when they no longer needed him. Many of the small details in the case fuel the conspiracy fire. In the days after Nisman's body was found, state media published what it described as a social media message from Nisman to friends explaining that he had to cut a vacation to Spain short so he could return to Argentina and file the report against the President. On Wednesday, the prosecutor investigating Nisman's death, Viviana Fein, told reporters that there is no evidence that Nisman suddenly changed his plans. Records show that his return from Spain had been planned weeks before. There have also been reports linking Lagomarsino to the former intelligence agent Stiusso. The IT man's lawyer denied that the two knew each other. Argentina's President pushes intelligence shakeup after Nisman scandal .
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The owner of the gun that killed Alberto Nisman explains his side of the story .
Diego Lagomarsino gives new details about Nisman's puzzling death .
He is also the only person charged in connection with the death .
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By . Misty White Sidell . PUBLISHED: . 15:04 EST, 25 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:04 EST, 25 November 2013 . His name might not be as recognizable as Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels, but according to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paris-based, American jeweler Joel A. Rosenthal is one of the world's most influential gem artists. The New York museum is celebrating Rosenthal's JAR atelier with a retrospective - marking the institution's first-ever show dedicated to a living, contemporary jeweler. Rosenthal is famously reclusive and does not lend his designs for magazine shoots or red carpet appearances, however his jewelry is among some of the world's most sought after auction pieces. Floral advance: Joel A. Rosenthal is famous for his floral-inspired designs like the 2001 Lilac Brooches (L) and the 2011 Raspberry Brooch (R) The MET's Jewels by JAR exhibit . highlights the signatures of Rosenthal’s JAR gem atelier through the . over 400 exemplary pieces of his work that are on display. Raised in the Bronx, New York, the . 70-year-old designer is highly regarded for his pavé work– a technique . that entails setting diminutive gems in even smaller settings to create a . rolling surface of stones. More than just setting assorted gems, Rosenthal uses pavés as a method for creating multidimensional objects. Much like a painter, he uses various tones of colored stones to shade and highlight the figures he’s setting, which typically take the shape of flowers and butterflies. Rosenthal’s creative instincts began in needlepoint – another craft in which he is an expert. He is one of very few jewelers to set his pieces in dark alloy metals, which he says exemplify the hues and shine of his colored gems. The jeweler is famously reclusive and has only exhibited his work once before, in London. He produces somewhere between 100 and 120 one-of-a-kind pieces a year in the interest of artistry, rather than widespread commercial success. Incredible auction success: While Rosenthal does not advertise, his items are so coveted that they can fetch more than two times their original price at auction . After graduating from Harvard, . Rosenthal moved to Paris in 1966 and opened a needlepoint store in the . French capital with his romantic partner Pierre Jeannet. While . his handiwork was sought after by design houses including Hermès and . Valentino, it wasn’t long before Rosenthal’s interest in jewelry rose to . the forefront of his mind. After clients asked him to reset their finer pieces, Rosenthal decided to reinvest his focus in jewelry and moved back to New York in 1976 to work for Bulgari. He quickly returned to Paris and . opened JAR on the Place Vendôme in 1978 as an upstart venture, with just . three rings made from less costly materials like moonstone and coral. Less than ten years later, Rosenthal . moves his operations to a larger space in the famous French plaza where . he continues to operate today, on an appointment-only basis. Needlepoint start: The designer's formative experience with needlepoint inspires his work like a 1994 Butterfly Brooch (L) and a 2008 Tulip Brooch (R) Rosenthal has been called the ‘Fabergé . of our time,’ by designer Diane von Furstenberg and the ‘single . greatest jewelry of our time,’ by former loyal client Ellen Barkin, who . purchased more than a dozen of his pieces while married to billionaire . Ron Perelman. The creator: Joseph Rosenthal (above) is now 70 years old, but he says he has no intention of selling his company . Unlike other jewelry designs which . depreciate in value after their original purchase, Rosenthal’s creations . have been shown to typically double in value when auctioned. His investment-worthy proven objects have been favored by Gwyneth Paltrow and Elle MacPherson. Rosenthal is famously finicky about . who is allowed to buy his designs, and he is known to refuse purchase . when he thinks an item is not befitting of its buyer. The designer is so particular in fact, that for the only other retrospective of his . work to have ever been staged (at London’s Somerset House in 2002), he . required that the exhibition space remain nearly pitch black and for the . museum to provide each visitor with a flashlight so they could discover . their own favorite focal points. He also required that the space be . scented with his signature JAR scents, which are only presently sold in . two locations – a small store in Paris and at Bergdorf Goodman in New . York for $472 per ounce. The MET exhibit will run until March 9, in the museum’s Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Gallery.
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The exhibit marks the MET's first retrospective of a living jewelry designer's work .
JAR's Joel A. Rosenthal is famously reclusive, and only creates around one-hundred of his renowned designs each year .
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Ask Claire Croft how many children she has and she'll say: 'Three.' In fact her youngest, Jake, tragically died just a few months ago. But as Claire explains: 'I'll always have three children. And I am still Jake's mother.' Her darling boy was just four-and-a-half when he passed away last October. The speed with which he became ill left Claire, 29, husband Stuart and their two older children reeling. Jake had loved playing football and rough and tumble with Jack, 12, and Alex, seven. 'One moment he was running around with his brothers,' recalls Claire, a stay-at-home mum from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. 'The next, I was organising his funeral. It happened so fast, I still don't think I have come to terms with it.' Scroll down for video . Jake Croft from Barnsley, South Yorkshire was four-and-a-half when he passed away last October . Jake was just about to start his reception year at school when he started complaining of 'achy legs' in August last year. 'I just thought it must be growing pains - I'd heard lots of mums say their children's legs ached sometimes,' says Claire. 'Some days he had no pain at all, others he would complain that it hurt a lot, sometimes in the lower part. As the term progressed, I thought, maybe he just wasn't keen to go to school.' In fact, the medical consensus is that growing limbs do not normally cause pain. As Dr Kate Wheeler, a consultant in paediatric oncology at Oxford Children's Hospital says categorically: 'Growing pains do not exist.' Some children between the ages of three and 12 may suffer from pains in the legs at night, adds Dr Martin English, a consultant paediatric oncologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital. 'But there is no evidence this is due to growth itself and in some cases may just be the aches and pains after physical activity that anyone would have. It may be that some children are more aware of pains than others.' Sometimes GPs may use the term 'growing pains' if they're unsure of the cause of child's pain, but 'if a problem persists or is getting worse, the cause should be reconsidered,' says Dr English, who is a spokesman for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. For instance, 'growing pains' may be a sign of an underlying condition such as childhood arthritis. Jake (centre) pictured with mother Claire, father Stuart and siblings Jack and Alex . Pain around the upper part of the shin (tibia) in rapidly growing, active children may also be linked to Osgood-Schlatters disease, a painful condition that causes inflammation of the tendon that attaches the knee cap to the shin - this is not serious and usually clears up over time. Dr Wheeler warns that if a child has pains in the legs and other symptoms such as persistent limping, pain or bruising, parents should not assume it is just 'growing pains' - 'they should always get their child seen by a doctor'. As Claire is now all too keenly aware, in rare cases 'growing pains' can be a sign of something serious. A month after Jake started complaining of achy legs he lost his appetite and developed bruises on his shins that varied in size from that of a 5p coin to a 50p piece. 'I thought perhaps he was being kicked at school, so I went to his teacher,' says Claire. 'But she said nothing like that was happening and Jake was happy at school.' By now it was October, six weeks after he had first complained of achy legs and Claire decided to take him to the GP. He complained of 'achy legs' and Claire thought it must be growing pains . He examined Jake and ordered blood and urine tests at the hospital. The next day the hospital called to ask Claire and Stuart to bring Jake in straight away as his white blood cell count was unusually high. 'My stomach lurched,' says Claire. 'I was terrified.' That afternoon Claire and Stuart, 38, hurried back to hospital with Jake. Doctors told them the heartbreaking news that Jake might have leukaemia. He was immediately transferred to Sheffield Children's Hospital for scans. Afterwards, Claire and Stuart were led to a quiet room. 'I saw the consultant's face and I knew then there was something much worse going on,' Claire says. 'Before, when we'd talked of leukaemia, although it was terrifying, everyone seemed so hopeful and mentioned that the success rate if treated early was high, but now the tone changed. 'I remember hearing her speak and then watching as Stuart just collapsed into his seat.' The consultant said Jake had an aggressive children's cancer called neuroblastoma. There was only a 30 per cent chance of survival. Jake was at stage four - an advanced stage - of the disease. Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialised nerve cells called neural crest cells that are particularly concentrated in the adrenal glands above the kidney and on either side of the vertebrae in the spine. Jake's tumour had begun on his right kidney. Claire says: 'We were told the doctors would still fight it with chemotherapy, but the odds were stacked against us. I was reeling. I hadn't even taken it in. How had "growing pains" in my healthy boy been hiding this?' There are about 100 cases of neuroblastoma diagnosed a year in Britain. 'It's very much a children's disease,' says Dr Wheeler. 'Ninety per cent of patients are under five years old, but very occasionally it can develop in an older child, a teenager or an adult.' The symptoms can vary from child to child, but early warning signs of the disease include a protruding abdomen, unexplained weight loss and limping or pain in one or both legs. Even now, Claire constantly casts her mind back - trying to remember signs she may have overlooked. 'But just days earlier Jake had been playing his computer games or running after his brothers.' After his diagnosis Jake remained in hospital. Two weeks after he was admitted, he was sedated for an MIBG scan - a nuclear scan which involves an injection of radioactive liquid - which looks for abnormal cell growth in the body. Jake never regained consciousness. 'A consultant took me aside,' says Claire. 'I only had to look at his face to know. He confirmed Jake's organs were failing.' The scans showed his liver was riddled with tumours and in the hours that followed Jake's heart stopped twice. Oncologists tried Jake with his first round of chemotherapy - desperate to try anything even at this stage. But it didn't work. Jake (right) with his brothers Jack and Alex . 'They brought him back each time his heart stopped, but then a doctor told me this would simply keep on happening. I knew what he was saying. Jake's poor little body had been through so much. We had to make the hardest decision of our lives.' He had been put onto life support, but even this wasn't working. Claire and Stuart decided to let him go. Later that day, Jake passed away in his mother's arms. It was only 14 days after he'd first seen the GP. 'I walked around in a numb haze, unable to accept it,' says Claire. 'I went through every stage of grief - disbelief, anger and back to disbelief again.' The family banned anyone from wearing black to the funeral and, instead of having flowers, they released balloons into the sky. Now, although still in the depths of her grief, Claire wants to raise awareness of the signs of children's cancer among other parents. 'The trouble with the symptoms, is that so many of them can be explained away,' she says. 'The aching legs I thought were growing pains, the bruised shins could have been from rough and tumble. I had no idea these symptoms meant he had the most aggressive form of cancer. I look back every day at pictures and ask myself: did he have it then? I'll never know.' In the months after her son's death, she found some comfort after visiting Jake's oncologist. 'The consultant told me Jake's was the most aggressive form of neuroblastoma she'd seen in her career and that he'd probably only had it for around two months. 'She said even if we had started chemotherapy earlier it may have had the same result.' Since Jake died Claire says it is only thanks to her other children and Stuart she's been able to cope. 'It's because of them I am still here,' she says. 'I don't think I could have carried on otherwise.' All she can do is hope no other parent has to endure the same heartache. 'If my story can help another mother spot the signs in her child, then that's something I can be proud of in Jake's memory,' she says. neuroblastoma.org.uk .
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Jake Croft was four-and-a-half when he passed away last October .
Youngster from Barnsley, South Yorkshire complained of 'achy legs'
Mother Claire thought it must be growing pains, but he didn't improve .
Six weeks later she took him to the GP who ordered blood and urine tests .
Jake was diagnosed with advanced neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer .
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By . Jill Reilly . A £150,000 Lamborghini has been destroyed after it caught fire at the side of the road. The white Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera started to smoke after the owner and his passenger jumped out when it lost power on the A41 dual carriageway near Watford. Witnesses described the horror of watching the supercar, which does 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 202mph, burn to ‘a crisp’. A £150,000 Lamborghini was destroyed after it caught fire as it was being driven along the road . The white Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera caught fire after the owner and his passenger leapt out when it conked out on the A41 dual carriageway near Watford . Firefighters called to the scene even took snaps of the car - which only had 18,000 miles on the clock - as two firemen hosed down the remaining chassis. Accompanying the photo, Hemel Hempstead Fire Brigade wrote: 'White Watch Hemel and Kings Langley dealt with a sports car on fire on the A41. 'Luckily no-one was injured - all occupants were able to get out safely before our arrival.' Deanw wrote: 'OUCH! That’s someone’s weekend ruined.' Local Sam Harris said: 'It was such a sad sight to see. Witnesses described the horror of watching the motor, which does 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 202mph, burn to 'a crisp' Firefighters called to the scene even took snaps of the supercar - which only had 18,000 miles on the clock - as two firemen hosed it down . 'It’s not the money - insurance should cover that - it’s that a beautifully crafted car is burned to a crisp near Watford. I mean, Watford of all places to decide to spontaneously combust.' Andrew Dawson, of Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue, said it received a 999 call just before 9am on Saturday. He added: 'We were called at 8.48am on Saturday to a location half a mile north of the M25 on the A41. 'A sports supercar was alight on the roadway. It was well alight when we arrived, firefighters put out the fire.' Giles Cooper from Herts Constabulary said: 'We assisted in closing the road. 'Lane two reopened at 9.30am after the fire had been put out. 'We handed over to the Highway Agency at 11.40am for them to repair the road in lane one, where the vehicle caught fire.' The rare supercar can accelerate to 62mph in just over four seconds. The Gallardo was the first Lamborghini developed under Audi ownership. In October 2012 an American teenager died after the Lamborghini Gallardo she was driving crashed and caught fire in Abu Dhabi. Despite firefighters arriving on the scene within four minutes and extinguishing the fire, she could not be freed in time. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced in September 2012 that all Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe and Spyder models built in 2004 - 06 would be recalled over a potential fire risk.
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Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera caught fire on Watford dual carriageway .
Witnesses said the car quickly burnt to 'a crisp' at the side of the road .
The supercar only had 18,000 miles on the clock .
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By . Ellie Zolfagharifard for MailOnline . A ghostly portrait of Schrödinger's cat has revealed one of physics' most bizarre theories: quantum entanglement. Incredibly, the image was created using light that never interacted with the stencil, while the photons that hit the stencil were not seen by the camera. The experiment could someday lead to the development of quantum imagers that can create detailed pictures of delicate biological samples, such as tissue. A ghostly portrait of Schrödinger's cat has revealed one of physics' most bizarre theories: quantum entanglement.Incredibly, the image was created using light that never interacted with the stencil, while the photons that hit the stencil were not seen by the camera . Schrödinger's cat experiment asks: If you put a cat inside an opaque box and make his life dependent on a random event, when does the cat die? When the random event occurs, or when you open the box? Common sense may suggest the former, but quantum mechanics claims someone has to observe the result before the cat is dead. That means the cat is in both states until you open the box and look at it, and only at that point does the state of the cat become certain. Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment created by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935 (left). The latest experiment has allowed scientists at the Austrian Academy of Sciences have found a way to observe the cat without ever having to 'look' at it using photons of light (right) The latest experiment has allowed scientists at the Austrian Academy of Sciences to find a way to observe the cat without ever having to look at it. Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment created by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. In the hypothetical experiment a cat is placed in a sealed box next to a radioactive sample, a Geiger counter and a bottle of poison. If the Geiger counter detects that the radioactive material has decayed, it will trigger the smashing of the bottle of poison and the cat will be killed. The experiment was designed to show the flaws in something known as the ‘Copenhagen interpretation’ of quantum mechanics. This states that a particle exists in all states at once until observed. If the Copenhagen interpretation suggests the radioactive material can have simultaneously decayed and not decayed in the sealed environment, then it follows the cat too is both alive and dead until the box is opened. As part of the experiment, scientists created yellow and red pairs of entangled photons. Yellow photons were sent to the cat stencil, while red photons went to the camera. As a result of entanglement, the red photons formed the image of the cat because they created a 'quantum link' with their yellow pairs. This means that one photon has the potential to travel through the subject of a photo and then disappear. However, the other goes to a detector but somehow still 'knows' about its twin's life and can be used to build up an image, according to Nature's Elizabeth Gibney. The work, scientists say, might help physicists solve what they call the measurement problem. This is the question of why quantum states take on certain values only when they are observed. In this experiment, researchers measured the entangled state of a pair of photons using only one photon of the entangled pair. They had previously only been able to see the entangled state when they had to measured both photons. 'What's most intriguing thing about this experiment is how information is contained in twin photons,' researcher Gabriela Lemos told Live Science. 'How, in an entangled state, [this information] can be accessed by one photon.'
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In Schrödinger's cat experiment, a cat in a box, whose fate is decided by subatomic particles, is both alive and dead until someone looks at it .
But latest study let scientists observe the cat without ever seeing it .
Yellow light was sent to cat stencil and red light went to the camera .
As a result of quantum entanglement, the red photons formed the image of the cat because they created a 'quantum link' with their yellow pairs .
This meant image was created using light that never interacted with the stencil, while the photons that hit the stencil were not seen by the camera .
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(CNN) -- Fifty-four years after the Duval County, Florida, school board ignored the wishes of students and named a Jacksonville high school for a controversial Confederate general, the school will be getting a new name. The school board voted 7-0 Monday to change the name of Nathan B. Forrest High School after the current school year ends. Officials will choose between the names Westside and Firestone in January. When it was opened in 1959, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision that required racially integrated public schools, district officials chose to name the school after Forrest -- a former slave trader and Confederate commander whose troops were involved in the massacre of black Union soldiers at a Tennessee fort. He later served as the first "Grand Wizard" of the Ku Klux Klan. "For too long and too many, this name has represented the opposite of unity, respect, and equality -- all that we expect in Duval schools," board member Constance Hall said in a statement from the district. The name-change was spearheaded by parent Ty Richmond, whose Change.org petition amassed 162,150 signatures. "I'm very encouraged. Jacksonville is too much of a beautiful city to have that ugly blemish," Richmond told CNN affiliate WAWS. "I don't want my daughter, or any student, going to a school named under those circumstances," he said in his petition. "This is a bad look for Florida -- with so much racial division in our state, renaming Forrest High would be a step toward healing." A kinder, gentler Ku Klux Klan? 'We don't hate anymore,' imperial wizard says . At the time it was named, the segregated school had an all-white student body. It is now 62% black, 23% white and 9% Hispanic, according to the district. Still, the decision to strip the name was not universally popular. More than half of the faculty opposed the change, as did 36% of students, the district said. A Missouri KKK leader also protested the change, saying those who want the name changed are ignoring "the true historical facts surrounding this valiant man of honor." Bedford fans have noted the commander's widespread reputation as a military genius, and have long said he was misunderstood. They say he disbanded the first version of the Ku Klux Klan after it grew violent and argue that he made efforts to reconcile with blacks in his later years. He is the subject of numerous monuments and other efforts to preserve his memory across the South. A monument honoring Forrest has been the subject of long-running controversy in Selma, Alabama, a focal point of the civil rights movement. The monument was located in a city building for a while but moved to a city-owned cemetery following protests. In 2012, someone stole Forrest's bust from atop the monument. Efforts to refurbish the monument have resulted in disputes. In 2011, a Mississippi proposal to create a license plate honoring Forrest brought opposition by civil rights groups and never saw the light of day. Group demands California high school change 'Arab' team name, mascot .
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Jacksonville, Florida, school board votes to drop name of Confederate general from school .
Critics say Nathan Bedford Forrest was slave trader whose name should not grace a school .
Supporters of keeping the name say Forrest was misunderstood .
The new name will hopefully be chosen in January .
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Two U.S. Army recruiters are facing charges of unlawful sex with a minor after, police say, the two had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old they met while recruiting at a Florida high school. Christopher Glenn Doner, 30, and John Back, 33, reportedly met the girl earlier this year while recruiting at Harmony High School, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The two had both been in sexual relationships with the girl for several months, at the same time, and both asked her to stop seeing the other one but she did not, Twis Lizasuain, sheriff's spokeswoman, told the newspaper. Relationship: Christopher Glenn Doner, 30, (left) and John Back, 33, (right) are accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old they met while recruiting at a Florida high school . Both men are married with children. Doner and Back frequently visited high schools to recruit students to join the military. Neither are permitted to recruit anymore. The victim's mother contacted authorities after she found text messages on the 17-year-old's phone from the two army recruiters, according to FOX Orlando. Doner: Doner (above) was arrested Tuesday and charged with 10 counts of unlawful sex with a minor; he posted bail Wednesday and was released . Harmony: The recruiters met the teen while recruiting at Harmony High School (above) earlier this year . Investigators say the sexual encounters never occurred on the school's campus, but occurred in a home, a hotel, and in the teen's car, FOX reports. The victim reportedly told investigators the relationship was consensual. Doner was questioned by authorities in November and admitted that his relationship with the teen was wrong and said he would end it, according to WKMG. Doner was arrested Tuesday and charged with 10 counts of unlawful sex with a minor; he posted bail and was released Wednesday. Detectives are working with investigators in Michigan to track down Back who relocated earlier this week. Back will face two counts of unlawful sex with a minor and will be extradited to Florida because of the felony warrant, WKMG reports. Back is aware of the charges.
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Christopher Glenn Doner, 30, and John Back, 33, are facing charges for having sex with a girl they met while recruiting at a high school .
The men were in a sexual relationship with the girl, at the same time, for several months and both asked the girl to stop seeing the other one .
Authorities are trying to track down Back who moved to Michigan earlier this week .
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By . Graeme Yorke . Manchester United striker James Wilson believes he can continue to grow at Old Trafford after enjoying a memorable debut against Hull on Tuesday evening. The 18-year-old scored twice as Ryan Giggs' side secured a comfortable win in their last home game of the season. Wilson, who is a product of the club's academy, is confident that he can deal with the pressure of performing in the Premier League. VIDEO Scroll down for James Wilson scores five past Newcastle in U18s match . New blood: Youngster James Wilson (second from left) volleys home his first goal for Manchester United against Hull . History: United have always brought academy players, like Wilson, into their first team . Speaking to the Daily Star, Wilson said: 'I feel like I can deal with the physicality and pace of the game. I just need to get as many games as possible under my belt for the experience. 'If you're getting on in the club, you have to be progressing so obviously scoring for every age group is a good sign. I've got to where I am now but I need to kick on.' Wilson has played at Old Trafford for United's youth teams, but Tuesday night's game against Steve Bruce's side provided him with his biggest audience yet. After netting a brace against the Tigers, Wilson said: 'It was a great feeling and you can't compare it to anything else. The first goal was just sheer euphoria and then the second was a great experience. 'The ground is a lot different without 75,000 people, but just to play here even in front of a small crowd for the Under-21s is still a great experience. With all the fans here against Hull it was even better.' Poacher: Wilson follows up Marouane Fellaini's saved shot to grab his second goal against the Tigers . Room for improvement: Wilson believes he can continue to develop at Old Trafford .
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James Wilson scored twice on his Manchester United debut against Hull .
The 18-year-old is a product of the club's academy system .
Wilson believes he can continue to improve at Old Trafford .
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Albany, New York (CNN) -- An upstate school system apologized Friday after students got a writing assignment in which they were instructed to prove their loyalty to Nazi Germany by arguing Jews are "evil" and the source of that government's problems. Students in three Albany High School English classes received the assignment, which was due Wednesday. The assignment from the unidentified teacher was designed to flex students' "persuasive writing" skills. But Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, superintendent of the City School District of Albany, called the assignment "completely unacceptable." "It displayed a level of insensitivity that we absolutely will not tolerate in our school community," Wyngaard said, "I am deeply apologetic to all of our students, all of our families and the entire community." My Take: Nothing wrong with Nazi assignment . She told the Albany Times Union newspaper that one-third of the students refused to complete the work. The teacher has not been in school since the district learned of the assignment. The school district is considering disciplinary action, according to Ron Lesko, director of communications. Options include termination, but no decision has been made, Lesko said. In the assignment, students were to pretend the educator was a member of the Nazi government. "You must argue that Jews are evil, and use solid rationale from government propaganda to convince me of your loyalty to the Third Reich!" the teacher's assignment sheet said. The assignment reiterated, "You do not have a choice in your position." Wyngaard, according to the Times Union, said she did not believe the teacher acted with malice or "intent to cause any insensitivities to our families of Jewish faith." The assignment should have been worded differently, she said. Wyngaard said the district has been in conversations with the Anti-Defamation League about future training programs for students and staff. Earlier this year in New York City, a math homework assignment asked fourth grade students to tally the number of slaves on a ship, sparking outrage among parents and administrators. From the archives: Thai school's Nazi-themed parade sparks outrage .
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English students get assignment from Albany, New York, teacher .
They were asked to blame Jews for Nazi Germany's problems .
It was part of persuasive writing project .
District superintendent apologizes for "unacceptable" task .
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By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 11:10 EST, 31 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:19 EST, 31 January 2013 . From fad diets to savvy gadgets, there are hundred of products claiming to aid us in the weight loss cause. And now, the latest slimming aid claims to help women shed pounds simply listening to a daily voice recording. The recording, called a Slimpod, comprises goal-oriented . voice recordings created by behavioural change experts based in Harley . Street. Listen and loose: Barbara Greenwood lost a staggering five and a half stone in less than a year using the slimpods . It claims to gently retune the . mind, change people’s relationships with food and make them eat . less, feel full quicker and make better choices – all without even . having to think about it. The new weight loss technique was put to the test by Barbara Greenwood, who lost a staggering five and a half stone in less than a year using the method. The 48-year-old community worker from Mansfield, Notts, dropped from a size 28 to a size 18 after using the system. Her BMI has gone from 46 to 32 - and last week her nurse took her off her main type 2 diabetes medication. Speaking about her weight loss she said: 'I’m so glad I found out about Slimpods because years of dieting didn’t make me lose weight. Now I have a new lease of life.' For almost 40 years, Barbara has had massive problems with her weight. She would binge and diet and decades of dieting achieved nothing because any weight she lost went straight back on again. Biggest loser: : Barbara with Alain Mehada from Debenhams Personal Shoppers holding up her old size 30 trousers after her BareMinerals makeover . She said: 'At 14, I was 13st 7lbs. By my late twenties, I crossed the line into morbid obesity. 'At 34, I was 21st and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My all time heaviest a few years ago was 22st and size 30.' Life was becoming unbearable. Barbara even struggled to cut her own toenails or put her shoes and socks on because of her weight problem. 'At the back end of last year I reached breaking point because the many ways in which my weight was affecting my quality of life became intolerable, . 'I suffered excessive sweating all through that summer and autumn, I had frequent indigestion and acid reflux, pain in my knees and hips, and just generally felt dreadful. 'Not to mention the little humiliations of seat-belt extensions and not being able to lay the tray-table flat on an aeroplane, avoiding chairs with arms in public places, and all the other things that the morbidly obese suffer,' she said. Slimming down: Life was becoming unbearable and Barbara even struggled to cut her own toenails or put her shoes and socks on because of her weight problem but she has a new found confidence . With her husband’s help she made a New Year resolution to make one last attempt at changing her eating habits and by mid-February 2012 she had lost over a stone. But the urge to eat more was overwhelming and soon Barbara stopped her diet and started to wonder if gastric surgery was the only answer. 'Then one day I was Googling weight loss and I came across Slimpods mentioned on a weight loss support forum, . 'Something just clicked, and I decided to give it a go, so I bought a Slimpod. That day I weighed 20st 2lbs. Eleven months later I’ve lost 5st 7lbs and I’m a size 18. 'The effects were dramatic - right away, I could hear the voice saying "one bite at a time" whenever I ate something and "listen to the signal from your body that you've had enough to eat." 'Within a few days I was leaving food on my plate, declining biscuits with no struggle at all, and soon had to give myself smaller portions. 'I no longer binge eat, seldom eat enough that I feel stuffed, and I find that I can enjoy small amounts of treats, which are treats, and not a staple food which I eat lots of every day.' Every year the company behind the Slimpod, Thinking Slimmer, holds The Slimpod Stars awards, of which Barbara was the winner. To celebrate her success she was treated to a makeover by the Personal Shopping team at Debenhams on Oxford Street. For the first time in ten years, Barbara put on a dress and wore make up, and her transformation was stunning. Speaking about the makeover she said: 'After decades of clothes shopping being a necessary evil when I would be grateful to find one or two things that would fit me, it has become a delight. 'When the personal shopper at Debenhams, Alain, said he was going to put me in a dress I have to say I took some convincing! But he was right and I was amazed at how fantastic it looked. 'I felt feminine for the first time in many, many years. Alain even got me in peep toe heels!' She added: 'Suddenly with my new size I’m overwhelmed by colours and styles, not yet knowing who I am because I’ve not been able to develop a personal style before. 'Until now I just bought whatever clothes would hide the bulges. Today I have choice for the first time and exploring what works for me is both scary and wonderful at the same time. 'Today I am confident that my new shape and new confidence in myself is here to stay.' Thinking Slimmer’s founder Sandra Roycroft-Davis said: 'Many people diet because they think there's no other way. Now we’ve changed all that, making it possible to lose weight and love the skin you’re in. 'Constant dieting often has horrendous psychological effects manifesting in low confidence, obsession with calories, deprivation, bingeing and generally feeling out of control. 'I’m very proud that our Slimpods reverse these effects and help people have a normal relationship with food.' A range of Slimpods designed to achieve varying weight loss and habit-breaking goals is available on CD or as MP3 downloads from www.ThinkingSlimmer.com .
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Slimpod has been .
created by a team of Harley Street specialists .
Claims to gently retune the .
mind, change user's relationship with food and make them eat .
less .
Listening for 10 minutes every day has effects similar to a personal life coach .
Barbara Greenwood, 48, lost 5st 7lbs in less than a year using it .
She dropped from size 28 to 18 and says she has 'new lease of life'
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British jihadi brides are being groomed online using a phone app run by extreme left-wing activists, the Mail can reveal. After they are brainwashed on Twitter, Islamic State recruiters tell the young girls to communicate with them using a messaging programme called Surespot. The app – run by privacy and drug legalisation campaigners in Colorado – is designed so messages are totally encrypted and cannot be intercepted by authorities. Scroll down for video . Flight to terror: Clutching their luggage, the three teenage friends prepare to board a flight to Istanbul . When messages are deleted by the IS member, they automatically also erase from the phones used by the British teenagers so no trace of the incriminating conversation is left. Surespot’s owners, who have made an estimated £140,000 in revenue since it launched in 2013, insist it is protecting an ‘essential liberty’ and has no responsibility to stand in the way of IS. The app is available for free on internet stores run by Apple and Google and known jihadists direct teenagers to download the software using public profiles on Twitter. Yet none of the technology giants appear to have acted to crack down on people using the app to speak to jihadists. Surespot is run from a suburban house in Boulder, Colorado, by environmentalist Cherie Berdovich and Adam Patacchiola, a hacker who appears to be her partner. 'Groomed': Shamima Begum (right) is thought to have been contacted directly using Twitter by a female IS fighter. She later flew from Gatwick Airport to Turkey with friends Kadiza Sultana, left, 16, and Amira Abase . Last night, Surespot’s owners did not respond to requests for comment, while Google and Apple declined to speak. It comes as three London schoolgirls are feared to have fled Britain to join ISIS, boarding a flight to Turkey before slipping into neighbouring Syria. Today, it emerged that police spoke to Kadiza Sultana, 16, Amira Abase, 15, and Shamima Begum, 15, just months before they disappeared and found 'no evidence' that they had been radicalised . They are the latest schoolgirls, Bethnal Green Academy in east London, to go missing are feared to have fled to Syria to become Jihadi brides after being ruthlessly groomed online and 'brainwashed in their bedrooms'. They walked out of their homes last Tuesday before strolling through security checks at Gatwick Airport and flying to Turkey. Police fear their goal is to reach the terror stronghold of Raqqa where they face being married off to foreign fighters. On Sunday, a Twitter account appearing to belong to Shamima tweeted to an account associated with female ISIS member Umm Layth, formerly known as Aqsa Mahmood, who left Glasgow in November 2013 . Lured to jihad: Kadiza Sultana, 16, left, Shamima Begum, 15, centre, and Amira Abase, 15, right, at Gatwick .
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Islamic State recruiters tell young girls to communicate using Surespot .
The app is run by privacy and drug legalisation campaigners in Colorado .
Messages are totally encrypted and cannot be intercepted by authorities .
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(CNN) -- On Twitter, even the best intentions can lead to disastrous results. That's what happened to the NFL's New England Patriots this week, when the football team's attempt to reward their followers on Twitter turned into a social media manager's worst nightmare. It all began Thursday morning, when the Patriots tweeted they were celebrating reaching 1 million followers by thanking fans with "custom digital Pats jerseys." The "custom digital jersey" was actually a photo of the back of a Patriots jersey displaying a fan's Twitter handle where the player's name appears. So if your Twitter handle is, say, @ILoveCookies, you got a tweet from the Patriots account that included a photo of the jersey with @ILoveCookies on the back, along with a thank-you note. But what if the Twitter handle contains a racial slur? The Patriots didn't think that through. When a Twitter user with the name @IHateN*****ss asked for a jersey of their own, the Patriots cheerfully responded. "@IHATEN*****SS Thanks for helping with 1 million followers!" the tweet said, along with the promised photo of a Patriots jersey bearing @IHATEN*****SS on the back. The tweet stayed up for about an hour, to the incredulity of those online who spotted it. Soon after, the tweet was removed and the Patriots issued an apology. The Patriots' fiasco is the second major social media fail we've seen this week. Comedian Bill Cosby, who is facing allegations of rape, learned that encouraging Twitter to use his photo for a meme did not go the way he expected. Although Cosby has denied the allegations, people still mocked him by creating their own meme images that included rape jokes. Check out the gallery above to see more major social media blunders.
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The New England Patriots had a social fail on Thursday .
The football team inadvertently posted a tweet that included a racial slur .
It's the second social media gaffe this week .
Earlier, Bill Cosby's #CosbyMeme went awry .
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Guangzhou, China (CNN) -- It was 2 a.m. on a stormy summer morning. As the thunder rumbled in the sky, we were led out of a sprawling terminal building through a narrow side door and down a staircase into the pouring rain. A waiting bus quickly filled up with soaked passengers dragging carry-on luggage. After a short ride across the dark tarmac followed by another storm-battered trek, we finally entered the freezing cabin of an Airbus 330 jetliner. Smiling China Southern Airlines flight attendants welcomed us on board, greeting us as if we were excited vacationers about to take off for our dream destination, instead of frustrated, tired and grumpy passengers. As we settled into our randomly assigned new seats, things turned eerily quiet. Half of the plane -- the original passengers booked onto the airline's 8 p.m. flight -- seemed to have long fallen asleep during their agonizing wait, while the other half -- those of us re-booked from a canceled 7 p.m. flight and moved onto this one -- were too exhausted to make a sound. The arrival of a second busload of drenched passengers was followed by a lengthy, silent wait on board -- with no updates from the cockpit. It was almost 3 a.m. when the pilot announced our impending departure thanks to improving weather. Our plane finally roared into the starless skies at 3:08 a.m. -- more than eight hours after the scheduled departure time printed on my air ticket. Hopeful start . All signs pointed to a smooth journey when I checked in for flight CZ3547 to Shanghai on a recent Tuesday evening at the bustling Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, a southern Chinese metropolis long known as Canton in the West due to its former spelling -- which also explains the airport code CAN. Keenly aware of the country's notorious flight delays, I kept checking a popular flight-tracking app geared toward air travelers in China installed on my phone. Its information echoed that of the check-in agent: inbound aircraft had already arrived and weather conditions looked good at both origin and destination airports. More promisingly, the app's algorithm put the probability of an on-time departure at 90% -- "What a lucky break," I thought, for a flight whose average delay had been 108 minutes in the past month. Looking forward to a late night reunion with old friends over street snacks in Shanghai after an easy two-hour hop, I arrived at Gate B231 shortly before the 6:20 p.m. boarding time. Across the tarmac in the distance, a cluster of tower cranes dominated the horizon. An even bigger new terminal is under construction and slated to open in 2016 at China's second-busiest airport, which saw more than 50 million fliers pass through its existing terminal last year. Massive growth . Decades of breakneck economic development have brought exponential commercial aviation growth, quickly propelling China to the No. 2 position in the global flight market, trailing only the United States. But all the shiny terminals and airplanes aside, China's reputation among frequent fliers continues to sink thanks to the country's abysmal on-time performance, with the busiest hubs in Beijing, Shanghai and -- to a lesser degree -- Guangzhou often competing for the title of the world's most delayed airport. Meanwhile, nothing happened as our scheduled boarding time came and went. As our 7 p.m. departure time approached, some passengers started gathering around the counter to inquire about the flight status -- and only then did we hear the most dreaded of all Chinese airport phrases: "air traffic restrictions." It's an all-purpose, vague term that can mean anything from bad weather to radar malfunctions, which may lead to less efficient aircraft movements ordered by China's already overly cautious controllers. Lately, however, it's apparently meant only one thing: military drills. Military priority . The Chinese air force controls the vast majority of the country's increasingly crowded airspace, leaving only narrow corridors for commercial airliners to take off, land and navigate -- and even those passages can be closed with little advance warning when the military conducts exercises. Hundreds of flights to and from eastern China -- including Shanghai -- were canceled or severely delayed for days in late July during a wave of air drills. Amid a huge public backlash, the military declared an early end to its exercises while blaming summer thunderstorms for most of the flight disruptions. Back at my gate, an hour passed when ground staff mumbled something to a few passengers near the counter -- and just like that, boarding commenced. By 8:15 p.m. everyone had been seated on the aircraft. Stretching my legs from the coveted exit row seat, I secretly congratulated myself for taking a slightly delayed flight that could still overcome its historically dismal performance. My hopes were dashed within minutes. Soon after I promised a flight attendant I'd help her evacuate the plane in the event of an emergency, the purser broke the bad news over the public address system: Everyone has to deplane as the pilot failed to obtain a departure slot due to continuing air traffic restrictions. Amid much grumbling and groaning, we returned to the gate area where the monitor still showed an "on time" departure. By now my flight-tracking app had warned me of delays for my flight as well as the next -- also last -- China Southern flight to Shanghai with no estimated new departure times. As the busy terminal slowly turned empty and shops began to close, our two gate agents -- speaking little English -- remained clueless about the flight status, much to the chagrin of non-Chinese passengers on the flight, who appeared to be at a total loss. Take two . Tensions were somewhat deflated when the agents started handing out food. A bottle of water, a pack of digestive crackers and a can of "eight-treasure porridge" bought the agents some peace and quiet as frustrated passengers ate and drank. Boarding started abruptly at 10:20 p.m. and completed swiftly for the second time. I sensed a collective sigh of relief as the airplane started taxiing -- but it soon stopped and the wait resumed. As we sat on the tarmac, the cabin staff sounded less optimistic about the flight leaving the airport. Then, lightning flashed and rain started falling. An hour after we boarded the plane for the second time, the pilot finally broke his total silence: "Ladies and gentlemen, we are going back to the gate because of weather." The cabin exploded with expletives, while my app alerted me about the cancellation of the flight. Back in the deserted terminal, the only airline representative around explained that the last China Southern flight to Shanghai -- though badly delayed -- still had a chance of taking off and the carrier could accommodate all passengers wishing to continue their travel on that flight. "You're such a liar!" yelled a man in a black T-shirt, pointing his finger at the agent. "Where's your conscience? Look at all the kids and elderly stranded here!" Pounding the counter with his hand, another middle-aged man wearing glasses and a blue shirt demanded financial compensation. When the agent refused, the man barked: "You call your boss now! Call him in front of all of us now!" In between his outbursts, the man also chastised fellow travelers for not answering his battle cry: "How do you expect to be compensated without banding together and making a scene? Each of us is entitled to at least 200 yuan ($32)!" Irate passengers . The mutiny of our flight was relatively subdued by Chinese standards. In recent years state media has recorded numerous dramatic incidents involving irate passengers after flight delays or cancellations, ranging from blocking moving aircraft on an active runway to fistfights with airport employees. Surprisingly, in the name of preserving "social harmony," Chinese police often turn a blind eye to such egregious behavior that would certainly land the offenders in jail in many other countries. As the man with glasses carried on with his fight, he continued to express his disappointment at the onlookers: "You guys are too weak to defend your rights!" Most of us "weaklings" simply wanted to fly to Shanghai as soon as possible. When several agents eventually arrived after rebooking us on CZ3595, the final Shanghai-bound flight of the day and our last hope, we took the new boarding passes -- and walked past the "fighters" and into the rain. At the break of dawn, we landed at Shanghai's Hongqiao airport and, as promised, checked luggage from our canceled flight promptly appeared on the conveyer belt. Moving past the long line at the taxi stand outside the terminal without a single cab in sight, I walked straight to the subway station as the first train pulled in at 5:35 a.m. "Maybe I can grab some delicious soupy dumplings for breakfast with a few friends before they head to work," I thought as the train raced downtown.
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CNN producer on board domestic flight in China that took off eight hours late .
Air travel has grown rapidly in world's most populous country .
But China has an abysmal on-time performance record .
Chinese air force controls the vast majority of the country's increasingly crowded airspace .
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If history is any guide, President Barack Obama will reach for the stars during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. But in the end, reality will bring his plans back down to Earth. Obama's "blueprint" for 2012 may run into similar partisan roadblocks that trimmed his lofty hopes for last year. "There are absolutely things that remain undone that need to be done," White House spokesman Jay Carney admitted to reporters on Monday even as he touted a "fairly comprehensive list of proposals" that he believes the president has achieved. Ambition is taking the fall for unfinished business. "If you got through a year and you achieved everything on your list then you probably didn't aim high enough," Carney said. CNNMoney: 4 things to look for in speech . Among the president's unmet promises from last year's address are pledges to increase investment in clean energy, take action on the status of illegal immigrants, fund new infrastructure projects, overhaul social security and let the Bush tax cuts on the highest income bracket expire. The president submitted proposals to Congress addressing some of his 2011 pledges, including on infrastructure spending and the tax cuts , but Republicans promptly rejected those measures. On other issues, including entitlement reform, a simplification to the tax code, and addressing illegal immigration, no concrete plan from the White House ever reached Congress. But the White House can point to some concrete achievements outlined in last year's address. These include the passage of trade deals with South Korea, Panama and Colombia; an end to the war in Iraq; and a repeal of the "1099 provision" that was said to burden small businesses' bookkeeping efforts relating to health care coverage. Even before the president utters the first words of his carefully crafted 2012 speech, Republicans are sending loud signals that there will be little to applaud. "This year, the president's prospects for hope and change are even smaller," Republican National Committee press secretary Kirsten Kukowski said. Read a pre-release transcript of the speech . Some of the president's policy proposals that White House aides describe as ambitious will require congressional approval, and most of those "may be dead on arrival in Congress," Kukowski predicted. But the president's tone is expected to be matched with a call for action. "He rejects the idea that nothing can get done in an election year," Carney said. Seizing on the economy as his principal theme, Obama gave a preview of the speech to supporters in a video released by his re-election campaign. In what he called a "blueprint for an American economy that's built to last," the president said manufacturing, energy, education and values would be the foundation for building an "economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few." He'll fill in the details during the speech, but a Democratic source briefed on the current draft of the State of the Union gave CNN a preview of what will be proposed: . • A tax code that lets the Bush tax cuts expire and the wealthy pay more . • More refinancing for homeowners in trouble . • Additional tax breaks for companies that create jobs in the United States . • More clean energy incentives . • Enhanced education and job training initiatives . • A renewed call for the so-called Buffett rule, a minimum tax rate for the wealthiest Americans . • The creation of a China task force to monitor trade violations . These proposals come after months of deliberations behind the scenes. The president held a conference call last week with state legislators, mayors and tribal leaders "to hear their ideas about the state of the union," a senior administration official told CNN. Through draft after draft, top aides have described the president as "very engaged" in the process. He worked with chief speechwriter Jon Favreau and others on his policy team to "refine it." Tweaks will continue until delivery. Looking to draw in viewers beyond the traditional television networks, the White House will host an interactive live-streamed version of the speech on its website at www.whitehouse.gov/sotu. Senior administration officials are expected to take part in a post-address discussion that will include a live audience and questions from Twitter, Facebook and Google. Another sales pitch will involve the president hitting the road Wednesday with a three-day, five-state tour. He'll tackle one of the main pillars laid out in his address each day, according to a senior administration official. On Wednesday it will be manufacturing; Thursday, energy and energy security, and Friday, American skills and innovation. Republicans consider the highly touted tour a tax-funded campaign trip, with convenient visits to states that could be key to the president's re-election efforts. "Obama's speech won't be as important for the policy agenda he lays out ... as for the political campaign it sets for the next nine months," the RNC's Kukowski said. "Perhaps that's why he will travel to Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan, all potentially swing states in the election." The White House brushes aside that criticism and redirects attention to the president's primary goal of fixing the economy and creating jobs. Top aides insist that despite predictions of more gridlock, there's no reason proposals that will be detailed in the State of the Union address can't find bipartisan support. And while some of last year's promises went unmet, Tuesday night's address will be no less ambitious. "You shouldn't trim your sails because of that," Carney said. CNN's Alex Mooney contributed to this report.
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White House admits some plans announced last year haven't been carried out .
President rejects idea "nothing can get done in an election year," White House says .
Some plans are likely dead on arrival in Congress, Republican National Committee says .
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New York (CNN) -- Firefighters continue to battle a series of brushfires raging on nearly 2,600 acres in the U.S. Northeast, which officials say were triggered by high winds and dry conditions. Parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been issued warnings by the National Weather Service after a recent dry spell in the region. New York . Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for New York's Suffolk County, where a 1,000-acre blaze broke out Monday. The declaration makes the county eligible for financial assistance. "It could have been a lot worse," he said. The fire began in the area surrounding the Brookhaven National Laboratory, according to County Executive Steven Bellone. The fire continued to rage into Tuesday morning and prompted Suffolk County officials to ask for the emergency declaration, he said during a news conference Tuesday. "We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to get the fire under control before winds pick up again," he said. Two firefighters were released from a hospital Monday with minor injuries, and a third suffered second- and third-degree burns after winds fanned flames in a wooded area where he was working, Bellone said. The injured firefighter, who was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, is "doing well" and "in good spirits," he added. State officials planned water drops Tuesday from a helicopter in an attempt to control the flames, said Jerry Hauer, New York's commissioner of homeland security and emergency services. The National Guard is also on standby in the event that the fire worsens, he said. Homes in Brookhaven and Riverhead, Long Island, were evacuated Monday, and residents were still unable to return as of Tuesday morning, Bellone said. Three homes were destroyed in the fire. The Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island was also hit hard by a five-alarm fire Monday. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze, authorities said. The fire was first called in about 11 a.m. Monday, and 168 firefighters were sent to the scene. The fire was under control by around 4 a.m. Tuesday, but firefighters remained at the scene through the morning, officials said. No homes were evacuated. New Jersey . In New Jersey, a wildfire that sprawled across about 1,000 acres of rural forest at its peak had been about 75% contained as of Tuesday, according to Michael Achey, the state's Forest Fire Service spokesman. The flames were reported just after midnight Monday and spread rapidly in Tabernacle and Woodland townships in Burlington County, New Jersey. "We had a very strong wind yesterday, and that fanned the blaze," Achey said. "The conditions are a little bit better today, but they are still calling for a strong westerly wind." Twenty-five homes are in the fire area, Achey said, but no homes were evacuated. No injuries have been reported, and the fire remains under investigation, he added. Connecticut . A 60-acre fire in Milford, Connecticut, was about 90% contained Tuesday, according to Chris Zak, a Milford Fire Department spokesman. Two buildings were evacuated, but residents were allowed back into their homes Monday night. The flames whipped through northern parts of Milford -- a wooded, marshy area with very few buildings, Zak said. No injuries were reported. He said his department is accustomed to marsh fires, but Monday's blaze was on a different scale. "This was a fast-moving brushfire, so it's something we're not used to," Zak said. "The guys did a fantastic job." By Tuesday morning, firefighters were still at the scene. "We're aggressively attacking it," Zak said. "It's still windy out here today, so we don't want anything to flare up or rekindle." Pennsylvania . In southeast Pennsylvania, a blaze that spread over 450 acres at its worst point was about 95% contained Tuesday, said Joe Frassetta, district forester at the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. Firefighters from 30 different companies fought the fire, which raged in French Creek State Park in Berks County, through Monday night and into Tuesday. Residents of more than 100 homes along the border of the park were evacuated Monday. Flames came within 100 yards of several homes but did not cause any structural damage, Frassetta said. "For this area of Pennsylvania, this is about as bad as it gets," he said. A second, smaller fire in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was about 90% contained as of Tuesday. Despite several smaller overnight fires, rainfall helped keep the brush blaze in check, said Duane Hagelgans, a regional emergency management spokesman. The 30-acre fire began in a private logging area on Peter's Mountain, Hagelgans said. No homes were evacuated, but volunteer firefighters battled both the blaze and rough, mountainous terrain, which hampered efforts to contain the spreading fire. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, Hagelgans said. "The winter hurt us because its been very dry," he said. "There are a lot of leaves on the ground." CNN's Kristina Sgueglia, Marina Landis, Julia Talanova, Julia Greenberg, Khara Lewin and Jackie Castillo contributed to this report.
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NEW: Gov. Andrew Cuomo declares a state of emergency for New York's Suffolk County .
National Weather Service has issued warnings in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania .
Weather Service says the fires occurred after a dry spell in the region .
Firefighters continue to battle brushfires on nearly 2,600 acres in the U.S. Northeast .
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By . Neil Ashton . PUBLISHED: . 12:18 EST, 6 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:51 EST, 8 December 2013 . Will England qualify from tough Group D in Brazil? After upsetting the Mayor of Manaus earlier in the week, Roy Hodgson’s World Cup fears have been realised. England have had a mare. Jungle fever has already set in as Hodgson prepares to head up to this tropical city buried deep in northern Brazil’s rainforests for their opening group game. Hodgson as good as caused a diplomatic incident earlier in the week when he called Manaus ‘the place ideally to avoid’. The city’s Mayor Arthur Virgilio Neto subsequently released a statement accusing Hodgson of lacking ‘education and culture’. Tough draw: FA chairman Greg Dyke gave his immediate reaction to the news that England would face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica with a throat-slitting gesture . Nightmare scenes: The FA chairman made the gesture while sitting next to boss Roy Hodgson in the auditorium . GROUP A . BRAZIL . CROATIA . MEXICO . CAMEROON . GROUP B . SPAIN . HOLLAND . CHILE . AUSTRALIA . GROUP C . COLOMBIA . IVORY COAST . GREECE . JAPAN . GROUP D . URUGUAY . COSTA RICA . ENGLAND . ITALY . GROUP E . SWITZERLAND . ECUADOR . FRANCE . HONDURAS . GROUP F . ARGENTINA . BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA . IRAN . NIGERIA . GROUP G . GERMANY . PORTUGAL . GHANA . USA . GROUP H . BELGIUM . ALGERIA . RUSSIA . SOUTH KOREA . Here she comes: Brazilian actress Fernanda Lima takes to the stage as Sepp Blatter addresses the audience . Full house: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Blatter are flanked by Rodrigo Hilbertand and Fernanda Lima . Manaus has a population of 1.7m and . England will discover that most of them will now be supporting Italy . when the teams emerge from the tunnel on June 15. The . boos that will ring out when they step out of the Arena Amazonia will . confirm it. Hodgson has made a big tactical mistake with the people of . Manaus. He tried in vain to clear up this dog’s dinner after the draw forced England north, but the damage has been done. From there they will head down to Sao Paulo, via their base in Rio de Janeiro for a few days, to play Uruguay on June 19. It . sounds awful to say this but, by the time England arrive in Belo . Horizonte for the final group game against the group outsiders, Costa . Rica, five days later, it is possible they will be destined for an early . flight out of Brazil. They . have been pitched in with a group of bad boys: Italy’s Mario Balotelli . and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez will be up against Phil Jagielka and Gary . Cahill before too long. It doesn’t seem fair. Suarez, with 39 goals in . 76 appearances for his country, scored four in the week for Liverpool . against Norwich. The boy loves a goal. Getting shirty: Mario Balotelli will line up for Italy while Luis Suarez's Uruguay will lie in wait for England . The Group of Death: England have been drawn with Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy . A whole load of travel: The three stadiums in Brazil that England will play their games . But . this is it for Hodgson, time to start earning his corn as England’s . manager and getting past the mother of all World Cup groups. Hodgson . spoke earlier in the week of his fears about the rainforests and the . steaming heat will not suit England’s game. The . humidity of Manaus is not an excuse for England to wilt like wall . flowers against European opposition when we get underway here in . Brazil. Chances to play in a . World Cup in the motherland come around every 50-odd years and they . have ample time to prepare for the steam and sweat up in the north. The . kick-off time has been scheduled for 9pm (2am in UK), when conditions . will be cooler. It will not be easy, but nobody ever won a World Cup by fluking their way towards a final. ‘To . be frank there weren’t many scenarios where I would have been jumping . for joy,’ added Hodgson. ‘There is a lot of travelling to be done in . most of the groups. But our great advantage is being based in Rio means . we have only one long trip.’ The key moment: England were drawn in Group D. They will face Costa Rica in their final match (below) Gareth Bale: 'Tough looking group for England but some exciting games to look forward to... Portugal-Germany and Spain-Holland in particular.' Vincent Kompany: 'Belgium, Algeria, Korea Republic, Russia. Interesting but tricky because there is no hiding for us, next round is a must. #Belgium' Jack Wilshere: 'Tough group...but so what? If we want to win it we will have to play the best teams anyway!!' Kevin-Prince Boateng: Brother it's time again...that's how beautiful life is!! Can't wait...love u bro!!! @JB17Official . Brad Guzan: 'All games are tough at the World Cup, chance is there to progress! Now we know, let the headlines start! #USMNT' Nigel de Jong: 'Exciting group, looking forward to our first game #Brazil2014 #Holland #GroupB' Asmir Begovic: Buzzing about our draw! Opening game at the Maracana! Looking forward to it big time. Let's do it! Olivier Giroud: 'Switzerland Ecuador and Honduras for us!!!' Joey Barton: 'Tough group for England. Cannot see them getting out of that.' Italy, who knocked England out of Euro 2012 on penalties, will find the conditions in Manaus just as tough. Cesare . Prandelli’s team are old hands at tournament football, wily competitors . with the know-how to get through tight spots. Plucking balls from the . pots yesterday was their 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro. How they would love to call on him. Instead England have another meeting with Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Motta and that beast Balotelli. That’s a massive game for England and the clash against Uruguay will be another showstopper. They . will head to a city where the traffic never moves and it is here that . England’s World Cup campaign could come to a standstill. Somehow, . Uruguay threatened to make a mess of qualification until they ran into . Jordan in the play-offs and thumped them 5-0 on aggregate. Hodgson’s side will have to contain two players that he elevated into the category of ‘world class’ following the draw here. He knows all about Suarez, of course, and there is the added threat of Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani. Beyond that it’s Costa Rica, where former Derby and Manchester City striker Paulo Wanchope is the assistant coach. Hodgson . will know precious little about them at this moment in time, other . than they lost 1-0 against Australia in Sydney last month. It’s a tough group for England, but that’s the law of the jungle. Bring on the World Cup! The new Brazuca balls with the names of the teams in Group D . Suit and tie: Joachim Low arrives for the final draw as, right, England boss Roy Hodgson takes his seat . French fancy: France legend Zinedine Zidane, who won the World Cup in 1998, was among the attendees . Legend: Brazil superstar Pele was asked to take part in the draw, but turned the opportunity down . Everton boss Roberto Martinez, speaking to BBC Two, said England have a great chance of winning the World Cup. He . said: They have a really good chance. The development of the English . footballer is better. they are tactically aware and have become . thinkers. 'On their day they can beat anyone. England are ready now to earn that belief in a big tournament.' Are you ready? Hodgson will have been hoping for a favourable draw in his first World Cup as England boss . Arriving in style: FIFA president Sepp Blatter arrived in style for Friday's World Cup draw . Heading to Rio: England booked their place at the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Poland at Wembley . We've done it: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will lead England at next summer's finals in Brazil . Gigi Riva former Italy forward and team manager for 25 years said: ‘It's a difficult group, it is important start good. England are strong team but it's not like the team they were before.’ Cesare Prandelli Italian coach: ‘Our group is the most difficult. It is the group of three world champions and we need to do the maximum to qualify but I don’t worry. The most important thing is arrive ready in Brazil. 'I'm worried when the Italian press says "it’s easy". The weather is the only problem, not the opponent teams. The hardest match? Against Costa Rica because we don't now this team.’ Uruguay, Costa Rica, England and Italy: The four teams that will battle it out in Group D . The big screen: Wayne Rooney vents his anger after England were held to a 0-0 draw by Algeria at the 2010 World Cup . Going home: England were sent crashing out by Germany in the second round after a 4-1 defeat . England v Italy, June 14 (11pm) - Manaus . As the name of the stadium suggests, Manaus is located bang in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Manaus is hardly a hotbed of football, but organisers felt it was important to take the World Cup to all four corners of the country despite fears the stadium will become a white elephant once the tournament ends. Humidity can reach 99 per cent during June and July. Uruguay v England, June 19 (8pm) - Sao Paulo . Serious doubts have emerged about the stadium which is due to host the opening match of the tournament after a crane collapsed on the site last week, killing two workers. Sao Paulo is the spiritual birthplace of football in Brazil, but its unpredictable weather may turn off visitors. The south-eastern city is known as the Terra da Garoa (Land of the Drizzle) because of the almost incessant rain that falls there. A bit like Brazil’s version of Manchester. Costa Rica v England, June 24 (5pm) - Belo Horizonte . Venue for one of the semi-finals, Belo Horizonte’s biggest stadium has undergone a complete overhaul since Brazil won the right to host the World Cup. Ronaldo used to grace the surface of the Mineirao when he started his career with Cruzeiro. Located just an hour’s flight from Rio, Belo Horizonte is a more affordable option for travelling fans. Temperatures will be in the mid-20s, and there will be little humidity.
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England will face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica after being drawn in Group D .
Roy Hodgson's side will open their campaign in Manaus, where temperatures can reach over 30 degrees, on June 15 (that's 2am for the fans back home)
Manaus is a five-and-a-half hour flight from England's base in Rio and is located in the Amazonian rain forest, with 99 per cent humidity .
The Three Lions will then travel to Sao Paulo to face Luis Suarez's Uruguay on June 19 before facing Costa Rica in their final group clash five days later .
Manager Hodgson admits England have been dealt a 'tough group'
FA chairman Greg Dyke makes throat-slitting gesture after draw is made .
Hosts Brazil will face Croatia in the opening game of the World Cup .
Holders Spain have been drawn against Holland in a repeat of the 2010 final .
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By . James Nye . PUBLISHED: . 20:38 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:48 EST, 30 July 2013 . The Saudi Royal princess accused of keeping a Kenyan woman as a domestic slave posted bail of $5 million on Thursday night was expected to be freed later in the evening. Meshael Alayban, who is married to the grandson of the King of Saudi Arabia, appeared in an Orange County court in the morning dressed in a blue jumpsuit and answered the judge from behind grilled bars. Uttering 'yes, your honor' several times during her time in the Santa Ana courtroom, Alayban, 42, was aided by an Arabic-speaking interpreter during the proceedings. Alayban, 42, faces one felony count of human trafficking charges and up to 12 years in prison - she has not entered a plea yet - her arraignment is on July 29th. Behind Bars: Saudi princess Meshael Alayban, (right), listens to an interpreter during her scheduled appearance in court Thursday July 11th, 2013 in Santa Ana, California today . As part of the conditions of her mammoth bail, Alayban will have to wear a GPS tracking device and is not allowed to leave Orange County without the courts express permission. She is also not allowed to try and contact the alleged victim, a 30-year-old Kenyan woman who alleges that she was held captive as a domestic slave by the princess and forced to work 16-hours a day, seven days a week for only $220 a month. The Kenyan woman, who is now being held in a shelter, claims she escaped from the Santa Ana property where she worked for Alayban and boarded a bus where she explained her plight to a passenger who helped her phone police. Steve Baric, the attorney for the victim who has been identified as Jane Doe, said that he was 'gravely concerned' for his clients safety according to the LA Times. Appearance: Saudi Arabian princess Meshael Alayban (C), 42, behind bars, listens to advice from defense attorneys Paul Meyer (2nd L) and Jennifer Keller (R + picture right)) while in court for an arraignment hearing in Santa Ana, California . Saudi Arabian princess Meshael Alayban, 42, behind bars, listens to a court appointed translator while in court for an arraignment hearing in Santa Ana, California July 11, 2013 . Alayban is married to Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who is the grandson of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. In addition to the Kenyan woman, police said that when officers executed a search warrant for Alayban's home, they discovered four women from the Philippines also working in similar circumstances. All five of the women's passports had been confiscated and placed in a bank safe deposit box which they allegedly did not have access to. Farrah Emami, of the Orange County District Attorney's Office confirmed to MailOnline that Abdulaziz al Saud was in the United States on Tuesday when his wife was arrested. They added that Alayban was arrested due to their belief a criminal case could be persued against her. Accused: These images provided by the Irvine Police Department shows Meshael Alayban, who was arrested July 9, 2013 in Irvine, California, for allegedly holding a domestic servant against her will . Meshael Alayban is married to Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz al Saud (pictured), who is the grandson of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia . However, they added that the investigation into the four other women was ongoing 'to see if criminal charges are appropriate to any other individuals.' Emami said that she believes that al Saud is still in the United States. Meshael Alayban, 42, faces human trafficking charges and up to 12 years in prison after she allegedly held a 30-year-old Kenyan at her Orange County, California home after taking her passport from her. Alayban was arrested after the Kenyan woman carrying a suitcase flagged down a bus after escaping and tearfully told a passenger that she was a human trafficking victim. The passenger helped the lady contact police who traveled to Alayban's home where they found another four servants from the Philippines allegedly in similar conditions after serving a search warrant on the condo where the princess, her husband and her family lived. The 30-year-old woman was hired through an agency in Kenya in March 2012 and her passport was allegedly taken from her on arrival in Saudi Arabia by Alayban. Police say Alayban's family traveled to the United States in May with the victim and four women from the Philippines. Seriousness: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas speaks at an informal news conference after a hearing at the Santa Ana Courthouse in Santa Ana, California today after Meshael Alayban was charged . It is thought that the Saudi Arabian consulate in Los Angeles may have posted the $5 million bail and Alayban has been ordered to wear a GPS tracking device as she is considered a flight risk. 'This is not a contract dispute,' Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told the court during a bail hearing on Wednesday afternoon. 'This is holding someone captive against their will.' Alayban's attorney, Paul Meyer, said the case was a contractual dispute and argued his client shouldn't be assigned a ransom-like bail solely because she was rich. He said she had been traveling to the United States since she was a child, owned properties here and had given her word she would address the allegations. 'This is a domestic work hours dispute,' he said. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, (left), watches as Irvine Police Chief David Maggard speaks after a hearing at the Santa Ana Courthouse in Santa Ana, California, today . Rackauckas had originally asked the judge to deny bail for Alayban or set it at $20 million, saying it was unlikely any amount would guarantee a Saudi princess would show up in court. The victim was working 'around the clock' for the family cooking, cleaning and caring for children, said Irvine police chief David Maggard Jr. She had been promised wages of $1,600 a month but was paid only about $220 a month, Rackauckas said. The victims alleges that instead of her contracted work eight hours a day, five days a week, she instead was putting in 16 hour shifts, seven days a week on every conceivable household chore. The Kenyan lady also said that she was working abroad to pay for her seven-year-old daughter's medical bills. Alayban allegedly only gave the passports to the five women at passport control and has had them under lock and key in a bank safe box since they arrived in the United States in May. Arrest: Police in Orange County arrested Meshael Alayban at this condo in Irvine - where she has been staying with her family since May of this year . Investigations into each of the victims' circumstances are ongoing. All five women are said to be in good health. No indications of physical abuse were found and were being assisted with finding housing at a shelter. The other four women left the home voluntarily with police once authorities arrived. They told police they were interested in being free, Maggard said. No charges have been filed yet in connection with their circumstances. Powerful: Senior members of the Saudi royal family walk around Mecca - Meshael Alayban is married to a member of the ruling al-Saud family in the Middle Eastern nation . Distressed: The unidentified 30-year-old Kenyan woman hailed down a bus in Orange County and explained to a passenger her alleged imprisonment . 'The laws of our nation and California do not tolerate people who . deprive or violate the liberty of another and obtain forced labor or . services,' District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in the statement. 'If . any person is being enslaved, he or she should contact law enforcement. Any victim of human trafficking will receive the benefit and protection . of the laws of the United States and California.' The Orange County District Attorney's office has confirmed that she is facing up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
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Saudi princess Meshael Alayban, 42, to be freed on $5 million bail .
Was charged on Wednesday in California with human trafficking for allegedly holding a domestic worker against her will .
She has been charged with one count of human trafficking. If convicted, she faces up to 12 years in prison .
Her alleged victim, a 30-year-old Kenyan woman escaped and then flagged down a bus to seek help .
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By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 23:23 EST, 25 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:48 EST, 26 July 2013 . A pair of conjoined twins have been born in India with two heads but just one body. The boys' heads, nervous systems and . backbones are separate. The backbones are joined below the pelvis and they . share a rib cage and shoulder girdle. Doctors say they believe they can save the lives of the boys who were born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Wednesday. Rare: The unnamed boys have a condition known as Dicephalic Parapagus . Doctors in Jaipur, the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, say they are battling to save the twins . Dr. S.D. Sharma, medical . superintendent of J.K. Lone Hospital, said that such cases are very . rare, especially in boys and are known as Dicephalic Parapagus. He added . that this is the first case in Rajasthan and second in India. Most of the time, children that are Dicephalic Parapagus are born dead and, in the vast majority of cases, are girls, reports CBS. But doctors are hoping they can help the boy. Another famous case of conjoined dicephalic parapagus twins are Americans Abigail and Brittany Hensel, whose story was featured on the TLC reality TV series Abby & Brittany. Earlier in September 2011, two 11-month-old girls from Sudan joined at the top of their heads were successfully separated at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Conjoined twins Rital and Ritag Gaboura before they were successfully separated at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children . The sisters, who were born in Khartoum, Sudan, overcame incredible odds to survive . The girls, from Sudan, were craniopagus twins, which occurs in about one in 2.5 million births. The infants were born with the tops of their heads fused – an extremely rare condition that only one in ten million survive. Conjoined twins occur in about one in 100,000 births. They develop when one fertilised egg fails to separate fully, or the egg separates and then fuses together again inside the womb.
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The twins are only the second case of Dicephalic Parapagus in India .
Doctors in Jaipur are battling to save their lives .
The heads and nervous systems are separate, but backbone is joined .
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f65cc289e38a968013597af9c4b70967ed394172
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:28 EST, 8 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:05 EST, 9 August 2013 . Smiling for the camera, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and one-time presidential candidate Wesley Clark cuddles up to his rumoured new love, fashion entrepreneur Shauna Mei - who is nearly half his age. The 68-year-old former General was more than happy to pose with 30-year-old Shauna Mei at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, last September - the same month that he filed for divorce from Gertrude, his wife of 46-years. The image was posted up on the Facebook page on September 5, 2012, for Miss Mei's fashion site AHAlife.com, with the message 'Meanwhile, down in Charlotte, Shauna is hanging out with General Wesley Clark at the DNC'. General Clark filed for divorce in Arkansas on September 11, 2012. The 38-year age difference has not stopped the pair from being seen publicly and looking 'affectionate' - and their latest venture out to the Hamptons, an exclusive beach getaway in New York, all but confirmed their relationship. Scroll down for videos . Dating? General Wesley Clark and fashion entrepreneur were first pictured together at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September 2012 . Odd couple: Wesley Clark, 68, is now reportedly dating Shauna Mei, 30 . At his side: Gertrude, who goes by Gert, was a fixture during his brief presidential campaign in 2004 . Video source www.JingLiUS.com . They were also pictured together at the 2013 Apex for Youth Inspiration Awards Gala in New York in May, with Miss Mei in a form-fitting red gown and Clark in a smart tux. Clark also accompanied his new love to a New York fashion show in February and a friend told MailOnline: 'Shauna was very secretive about their relationship at that time. 'I'm not surprised by her dating older men but a bit surprised by so much older!' Clark, who is known best for his leading role in ending the Kosovo war, filed for divorce from his wife Gertrude, with whom he has a son Wes Jr, last year and put an end to their 46-year marriage. Now Clark and Miss Mei are being more open about their burgeoning romance. In an interview in September 2010 with the Wall Street Journal, Miss Mei revealed she was living with a boyfriend in New York, but said she did not feel pressure to get married, adding: 'It's like a rule of thumb: You have to live with them before you decide. 'Marriage is not something that has to happen.' However, in an interview last year, she said that she was single. A witness told The New York Post that the new couple were spotted making slight public displays of affection during a recent trip to the Hamptons. The spy said they 'looked very affectionate, it was clear they were a couple. They were holding hands, they were not trying to hide their relationship.' Heyday: Clark held a number of different leadership positions in the military over his storied career, including heading the U.S. forces in the Middle East and taking charge of the Kosovo war . Different line of work: Mei (second from left) started luxury sale site AHAlife.com after working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs . Miss Mei was born in Mongolia and raised in China before moving to the United States. She worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before leaving to venture into fashion merchandising, and she founded her luxury sale site. Their beach getaway was not the only time that odd couple has been spotted together, as they attended an awards gala together one week after his divorce trial was scheduled. Since retiring from the military in 2000, Clark's home base has been in Little Rock, Arkansas where he grew up. Moving on: In September, Clark filed for divorce from his wife Gertrude (seen together in 2004) after 46-years of marriage . Minor win: Clark, seen here with Gertrude, won the New Hampshire primary in 2004 but went on to lose the nomination to John Kerry . The Post alleges that he stays with Mei whenever he visits her in New York, though neither would release a public comment about their relationship. Miss Mei is not the only woman that Clark has shown his support for in recent months. Clark, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2004, made a very early endorsement for his friend Hillary Clinton should she choose to run as the party's nominee. He made his announcement in a June email sent to supporters of the 'Ready for Hillary' political action committee, and cited her international experience as one of her major strengths. The endorsement comes as little surprise, as he backed her during her failed 2008 bid, and he is close with former President Bill Clinton from their work in the Kosovo war.
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General Wesley Clark is believed to be dating fashion entrepreneur Shauna Mei just months after divorcing his wife of 46 years .
He launched a failed bid for the presidency in 2004 after retiring from the military in 2000 after a storied career .
Was married to his wife Gertrude for 46 years before filing for divorce in September 2012 .
Son from his marriage to Gertrude is 13 years OLDER than his girlfriend .
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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 05:35 EST, 4 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:40 EST, 4 August 2012 . Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed 'Blade Runner', made history this morning by becoming the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic Games when he ran in the 400 metre heat. Pistorius, a four-time Paralympic champion who runs on carbon-fiber blades, circled the oval in 45.44 seconds - good enough for second place in his heat and a berth in the semifinals Sunday night. Although it was not his personal best, Pistorius who is representing South Africa he said after the race: 'On the blocks I didn't know whether to cry or be happy.' Scroll down for video . History in the making: Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic Games when he ran in the 400 metre heat. From left: Dominican Republic's Luguelin Santos, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius and Russia's Maksim Dyldin . Starting blocks: Pistorius, a four-time Paralympic champion who runs on carbon-fiber blades, circled the oval in 45.44 seconds - good enough for second place in his heat and a berth in the semifinals Sunday night . The 25-year-old runner was born without fibulas and his legs were amputated below the knee before he was a year old. 'I know Oscar was the protagonist in the race,' said Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic, who actually won the heat by .4 but went virtually unnoticed. 'But I love him. He's a good racer.' When asked his about his success, he paid tribute to his coach and his team saying: 'It just means my coach has done a great job. We have been together for 9 years. 'I have run so many times n the Uk this crowd feels like a second home to me,' he added. The 25-year-old had looked set to miss out on a place in the individual event after failing to run a second 'A' qualifying time to gain automatic selection. Representing South Africa he said after the race: 'On the blocks I didn't know whether to cry or be happy' Oscar wears the Ossur Cheetah Flex-foot Artificial Sprinting Leg . Cost approx £1,300 . Made of carbon fibre, manufactured in Iceland . Each blade weighs 512g (18.1oz) The prosthesis’ ‘J’ curve shape resembles the hind quarter of a cheetah, the fastest animal on land . He only has one pair — he trains and competes in the same blades — and he’s been using the current pair since 2003 . If they were to break, he’d be scuppered... but they won’t . Spikes are taken from an ordinary Nike shoe . Knee sockets are moulded specially around Oscar’s joints, with additional soft cushioning . He fell agonisingly short at his . final attempt in July, but was selected for his country's 4x400m relay . team - in which he won a silver medal at the World Championships last . year - which meant he could be selected for the individual event. Earlier this week Pistorius delivered . a staunch defence of his participation at the Olympics, hitting back at . critics who think his prosthetic legs give him a racing advantage. Some critics, including four-time . Olympic champion and BBC pundit Michael Johnson, have said he should not . be racing. Pistorius calmly put the record straight. ‘I know Michael Johnson quite well . and he and I have chatted many, many times,’ said the 25-year-old, who . is expected to reach the semi-finals of the event. ‘I have a lot of respect for him. He . is concerned about the development of prosthetic legs. But the ones I . have are the same ones athletes have been using since 1996. I’ve had the . same ones since I started running in 2004. Setting the record straight:Earlier this week Pistorius delivered a staunch defence of his participation at the Olympics, hitting back at critics who think his prosthetic legs give him a racing advantage . Strong words: Some critics, including four-time Olympic champion and BBC pundit Michael Johnson, have said Pistorius should not be racing . ‘And if the blades give so much of an . advantage then why aren’t other athletes who have them running as fast . as me?' People say I must have an advantage because my legs are lighter. But I’ve got less blood running through them and don’t have the tendons . in my ankles. People don’t talk about that. ‘I’m sure they could make a . prosthetic leg that would give people an advantage but I believe in . fairness and I’m happy using the ones I have. And they make sure of that . because I can’t change it anyway because of the Court of Arbitration . for Sport ruling.’ Pistorius is aiming to break the . 45-second barrier in London, something which has eluded him so far — his . best is 45.07sec — and the South Africans should excel in the relay too . having won silver at last year’s World Championships. Pistorius will be . allowed to run any leg of the relay, a change from Daegu where it was . considered his blades might injure race rivals. ‘Any improvements since I’ve started . have not been from any aid or any changes made. They’ve been through . hard training and a lot of sacrifice,’ Pistorius added. ‘What I believe in is the fairness of . sport. It isn’t an advantage. In my heart, I know what’s right and I . wouldn’t be running if I had any doubt.’
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The four-time Paralympic champion circled the oval in 45.44 seconds - good enough for second place in his heat and a berth in the semifinals .
Did not beat his personal best of 45.07 .
Pistorius: 'On the blocks I didn't know whether to cry or be happy'
The 25-year-old runner was born without fibulas and his legs were amputated below the knee before he was a year old .
Has been criticised for having an 'unfair advantage'
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By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 09:25 EST, 24 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:28 EST, 24 September 2013 . Christopher Leggatt died of a heart attack after suffering a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. It is believed he would have survived if he had been able to have surgery quickly . A grieving daughter has accused the NHS of running a Monday to Friday service, blaming the death of her sport-loving father on Britain’s ‘healthcare lottery’. Christopher Leggatt, 65, died as he was being transferred between hospitals as there were no surgeons available at the first because it was a weekend. The father-of-four collapsed with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm as he refereed a football match - and had a 70 per cent chance of surviving a routine operation on it. But he suffered a heart attack in the ambulance taking him from Bradford Royal Infirmary to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Paramedics managed to revive him but his heart stopped again before he could be operated on. His death was recorded at 6.15pm - two hours after he first arrived at Bradford Royal Infirmary. An inquest was triggered when his daughter Andrea, 43, lodged a formal complaint. After the case she said: ‘I don’t want my father to be another statistic. ‘I hope what has happened highlights the fact that the NHS as it stands is a Monday to Friday service. ‘If my father had collapsed on a weekday then the outcome would have been very different. ‘If he had been operated on straight . away he would have most likely survived the operation but there were no . surgeons working at the hospital in Bradford that weekend. ‘He was taken to Bradford because it was the nearest hospital but they didn’t have the means to treat him. ‘At the time it was a real shock but I . am not angry with the hospitals or the staff involved with what . happened. It’s the system which needs to change. ‘The . healthcare service should not be part-time. I’m aware that the . Government needs to make cuts to save money but this should not be at . the expense of patients.’ She added: ‘Being angry and placing blame doesn’t bring my father back but I hope something good can come out of his death. ‘I hope that what happened might bring change to the system so another family doesn’t have to suffer like ours has. ‘It has completely destroyed our family and it was something that could have easily been avoided.’ When he collapsed, Mr Leggatt was rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary. He was diagnosed quickly but the hospital did not have a surgeon on site as it was the weekend so he had to be transferred to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. He died en route . Andrea, a company director, said despite sending a letter of complaint to the hospital, she has never received a response. She . said: ‘At the inquest I learnt that if there had been someone there to . operate, there was a 70 per cent chance he would have lived. ‘The operation is really simple and only takes around 40 minutes but it was the delay which killed him. ‘To treat a ruptured abdominal aortic . aneurysm it is like mending a pipe and the vast majority of people . make a full recovery from it.’ The . inquest in Bradford last week heard that Mr Leggatt, a ‘well and active . man’ from Pool-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire, had been diagnosed within . 20 minutes of arriving at Bradford Royal Infirmary. Paul . Needham, a surgical registrar with the Bradford Teaching Hospitals . Trust at the time, said the transfer represented his best chance. He said: ‘Our vascular surgical cover that day was provided by Huddersfield. ‘Our view was that a blue-light ambulance transfer would be more rapid than having a surgeon driving across [to Bradford].” Consultant . vascular surgeon at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust, Anver . Mahomed, told the inquest that the two hospitals took turns to provide . acute care cover as part of a formal network arrangement. Mr Leggatt's daughter, Andrea, said: 'I hope what has happened highlights the fact that the NHS as it stands is a Monday to Friday service. If my father had collapsed on a weekday then the outcome would have been very different' Assistant Coroner Dominic Bell said: ‘I am satisfied the decision to transfer the patient, though clearly associated with some risk, was appropriate. ‘The original assumption that this death was from natural causes must still stand.’ But he also asked the Bradford Trust to examine and consider adopting the arrangements some other regions have where paramedics can, based on their diagnosis, take patients to the most appropriate, rather than nearest, hospital. He concluded: ‘The family will inevitably find it distressing to know that if the vascular surgery team had been at Bradford Mr Leggatt would have expected earlier surgery and, on the balance of probabilities, would have survived. ‘That, however, is not an issue that can appropriately be addressed by the individuals in this room.’ Mr Leggatt left a widow, Sue, and his daughter said his death had had a devastating impact on the whole family. She added: ‘My father was a very charitable man who would do anything for anyone. He was very family orientated and was very involved in community life. ‘He had worked for Leeds City Council for most of his life and he didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. ‘I hope that people in power will take note of this and make the NHS a 24/7 service. ‘I know the economy is in a bad way at the moment but savings should be made from elsewhere.’ Andrea said she now plans to contact Government ministers directly.
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Christopher Leggatt, 65, collapsed with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm .
Was rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary where the problem was diagnosed .
As it was the weekend, the hospital had no surgeon on site .
He was transferred to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary but died en route .
Would probably have survived had he had surgery quickly, an inquest heard .
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Leyton Orient manager Russell Slade has admitted he is 'proud' to be linked with the vacant managerial position at Cardiff City. Slade has emerged as the surprise new favourite to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Welsh club, jumping ahead of the likes of Dave Jones and Neil Lennon. His odds with bookmakers fell from 33/1 to 1/3 last night after a flood of money was placed on his expected appointment. Leyton Orient boss Russell Slade has emerged as the surprise favourite for the Cardiff job . Vincent Tan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer parted company after defeat to Middlesbrough on Tuesday . Kike's goal proved the final straw for Solskjaer . Orient, conceding a goal to Notts County here, have had a poor start to the season themselves . Slade said: 'It is nice to be associated with such a big club (Cardiff) like that. 'I'm very proud of the fact that they've seen the good work that we've done at Leyton Orient. 'I think they may have requested permission to talk to me. 'But I'm uncertain. I'm a little bit in the dark.' Slade was given one game to save his job at the start of the week and subsequently drew at Notts County. He is under pressure after a slow start to the season that has left Orient languishing in 19th place in League One. Tugay is said to be keen on replacing the Norwegian . Dundee boss Paul Hartley was in the frame but has distanced himself from rumours . Neil Lennon is another candidate to take over at the Welsh club . The East London club lost on penalties in the play-off final last season and were expected to challenge for promotion this time around. Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young have been put in charge at Cardiff following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure and have been preparing the squad for an away trip to Derby County this weekend. The Bluebirds' 1-0 loss at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night was the final straw for owner Vincent Tan. Defeat left Cardiff 17th in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League last season.
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Russell Slade admits being proud to be linked with Cardiff City .
Leyton Orient bosshas emerged as new favourite to take over Bluebirds .
Dave Jones, Neil Lennon, Paul Hartley and Tugay are also in the frame .
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer parted company after defeat to Middlesbrough .
Cardiff are 17th in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League last term .
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(CNN)Here in London, you can tell that the U.S. presidential election is only about 600 days away because every restaurant here seems to contain a senator or a governor. Why do they come to Britain? Whatever their motivation, nine times out of 10 they wish they hadn't. Most recently, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker visited Chatham House -- a gorgeous foreign policy study center in Westminster. There he was asked if he believed in evolution or not. Why, I cannot fathom. Either way, Walker refused to answer, which probably seemed like a clever thing to do in the heat of the moment. But while an equivocation that might simply sound awkward in America, it sounded off-the-wall crazy in London. Why? Because for us it is like being casually asked "Does two plus two equal four?" and replying, "I'd rather not answer a hypothetical question." One doesn't dodge an invitation to assert fact in the UK. Scott dodged, and because the audience laughed gently at him in English accents, it made him look all the more like a country bumpkin. American politicians have to stop doing this. Go to Israel instead: there the applause lines are well scripted and all the audience expects to see you do is pray with moist eyes. In contrast, England is somewhere that American political careers go to end. We're too judgmental, too passive aggressive, too weird. Even we don't like ourselves -- so I've no idea why Americans fly here seeking a warm welcome. Consider how horrible we were to Mitt Romney. Of course, from our point of view he wasn't very nice to us either. In July 2012, he showed up in London and began by casting doubt on our ability to host the Olympics (something we very much doubted, too, but weren't going to take criticisms from a foreigner). Then he appeared to forget the name of the leader of the opposition and called him "Mr. Leader" instead (we'd all like to forget his name, but sadly, it is etched on our memories thanks to his ineptitude). Finally, Romney said that it was curious to look out of the "backside of Number 10 Downing Street" ("backside" is English for "ass"). For all of this, London Mayor Boris Johnson taunted Mitt in front of a large British crowd -- and Boris is the closest you get to a politician we actually like. So Mitt's humiliation was a big deal. It's all part of a pattern. Politician comes to Britain, opens his mouth, says something foolish. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's remarks about vaccinations were probably a little too parochial to cause a stir in in the UK media, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's about Muslims certainly did. Speaking to the Henry Jackson Society -- a neoconservative British group who are fans of the late senator -- he revived the claim that there are "no-go" areas in the UK as a result of Islamic immigration. But while there certainly are no-go areas here, it's because they're just horrible and no one (Muslim, Jewish, Christian or anyone else) would want to go there. Every nation has its Detroits, but the idea that my country has become a patchwork of little caliphates is sheer fantasy. Is there a political bias in all of this? Do Republicans make particularly bad travelers? Not necessarily. Partly what's going on here is that there are far more GOP contenders than Democratic ones, so it's the conservative mistakes that get noticed the most. But there might also be some truth in the assertion that the British enjoy tripping Republicans up more. Why, otherwise, would someone ask Scott Walker whether or not he believes in evolution when he's in the UK on a trade mission? Hillary or Bill Clinton would never be asked such a question. Make no mistake, our largely left-wing media sees the GOP as a Hollywood cliché of the old Wild West -- so it's no surprise that its candidates get all the strangest questions. But that, I would argue, is one more reason for Republicans to cross Britain off their places to visit. Another is our decline in importance. You see, we're not nearly as superior as we like to make ourselves out to be. We've cut our defense spending and chosen not to take part in half of the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. We contributed nothing towards the recent Ukrainian ceasefire negotiations because we are, in the opinion of some, irrelevant. Meanwhile, the decline of religion in this country is fast, but while we like to imagine it has brought enlightenment, the reality is probably that it has brought social dislocation and despair. Our poor are so poor that they rely upon free food handouts. And our politics can be as frustrating and fractured as America's -- we have a buoyant far right to prove it. So my advice for any other presidential candidates considering a visit to London is to take a second look at the map. China matters rather more. Australia is a better vision of conservative government. Germany runs Europe these days. And, of course, there's a lot happening in Russia right now, too...
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Timothy Stanley: U.S. politicians becoming regular feature in London .
Candidates considering visit to London should take second look at map, he says .
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By . Steve Robson, Fiona Mcwhirter and Kirsten Johnson . PUBLISHED: . 14:17 EST, 10 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:08 EST, 12 May 2013 . Detectives were tonight still waiting to question a critically-ill woman over the death of her mother in a mysterious hotel-room tragedy. Margaret McDonough, 52, died in hospital after being found with serious wounds in a room at a Premier Inn early on Friday morning. Her daughter Nicola, 23, was found lying in the corridor outside the room also severely injured. Mother and daughter: Nicola McDonough, 23, is fighting for her life, left, while Margaret, right, suffered fatal injuries . She remained in a critical condition in hospital this evening, too ill to help police unravel what had caused her mother’s death. As the women’s devastated family gathered at Miss McDonough’s bedside, police issued an urgent appeal for information about how the mother and daughter spent the final few hours before the incident. Officers are keen to discover why the pair, from Paisley, had booked into a hotel just a few miles from their own home. They also want to know where the pair went in the nine hours between checking into the Greenock hotel at around 4pm on Thursday and returning to their room at around 1am. Police have said that no-one had yet been arrested or charged in connection with the incident, and they also refused to confirm whether or not they were looking for anyone as a possible suspect in the case. Guests raised the alarm after finding Nicola, who graduated from university with a degree in social work last month, slumped unconscious in a corridor. Mystery: Detectives are waiting at the bedside . of Nicola, left, to see if she can shed light on what happened to her . and mother Margaret, right . They managed to stabilise her daughter, but her life was still in the balance last night. Detectives are unable to say whether . or not the two women had been the victims of an attack and are treating . the incident as 'unexplained'. They are not looking for any third party currently, but are focusing on the pair's movements before they were found. Miss McDonough remains in . a critical condition and detectives are waiting at her bedside to interview her. Thursday 9am - Several sightings of Nicola and Margaret in the Paisley area where they live . 10am - Last sighting of pair in red Suzuki Swift registration SL56 CB . 3.50pm - Margaret and Nicola check into a double room at Premier Inn 25 miles away from their home in Greenock. Left a short time later . Friday 12.30am - 1am - The pair returned to the hotel . 7am - Guests found Nicola slumped unconscious in the hallway outside hotel room. Margaret discovered inside . Afternoon - Margaret dies from her injuries. Nicola remains in intensive care in a critical condition . A spokesman indicated that the family are not known to police. Mrs McDonough worked as a council foster carer and twice stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrat party. In a leaflet handed out to voters she . told how she 'sees first hand the needs of very vulnerable children in . her care and their families, and would like to be able to take some of . that knowledge into the decision-making processes of the council.' Nicola graduated from the . University of the West of Scotland with a BA (Hons) in social work in April. She . is a former pupil of Paisley’s St Andrew’s Academy. The first indication of the horror came at 7am yesterday when hotel guests found the younger woman slumped unconscious in the corridor outside her room. Both women were taken by ambulance to hospital where doctors fought in vain to save Margaret, who died yesterday afternoon. Family members have been informed, and a relative told police that they were in a state of shock and ‘utterly baffled’ by the horrific incident. Eileen McCartin, a friend of Margaret McDonough and fellow Lib Dem party member, said she had 'no idea what has happened.' She said: 'My sympathies go out to . all her family, and to Nicola especially, in the hope that she will . recover from this terrible tragedy. 'I have known Margaret for many . years. She was a strong woman, very committed to all she did, both . personally and within politics, and her death is a tragic loss to us . all. Police at the Premier Inn where the two women were discovered . 'She was a longstanding member of our . local Liberal Democrats, and stood twice for us in the local elections. She also gave me great support by helping to regularly distribute local . Focus leaflets to the community. 'She was a kind and generous woman, and a loving mum to all her children and foster children . 'I will miss her greatly.' Police were today guarding the family’s detached home in a quiet residential street in Paisley. A close relative said the family were too upset to talk about the tragedy, particularly the loss of Mrs McDonough, and were praying for her daughter’s recovery. Mrs McDonough’s ex-husband, Thomas, 56, of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, a former building firm boss, was tonight keeping a vigil at his daughter’s bedside in Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock, where she is being treated for her injuries. Although the couple were divorced, they still remained on friendly terms and Mr McDonough was last night said to be ‘devastated’. Investigating: Detectives combed the hotel for eight hours for evidence but at this stage are treating the incident as 'unexplained' Police have been unable to speak to Miss McDonough, who studied social work and works at Cosgrove Care charity, because she is still too ill to talk. On Facebook yesterday, family friends willed Miss McDonough to get well and posted words of encouragement, saying: ‘She’s a wee fighter. Hope they get the scum who did this to them.’ Another said: ‘We’re all praying xx.’ Yesterday, police and crime scene investigators spent eight hours searching the waterfront Premier Inn for clues. The hotel was cordoned off and guests were questioned as they arrived and left. The mother and daughter had apparently booked a single night stay at the Premier Inn. They are believed to have arrived there on Thursday in a red Suzuki Swift, which was left in the hotel car park. It was taken away yesterday for forensic examination. The mother and daughter had apparently booked a single night stay at the Premier Inn . Detective Inspector David Wagstaff, from Police Scotland, appealed for help in tracing the pair's movements in the hours before they were found. 'There have been several sightings of Margaret in the Paisley area on Thursday morning until about 10am,' he said. 'She and Nicola were also seen within a red coloured Suzuki Swift car, registration number SL56 CBF that day. I'd like to speak to anyone who may have seen this vehicle or anyone who may have seen Margaret or Nicola since 9am on Thursday. 'We also know that Margaret and Nicola checked into the Premier Inn at James Watt Way, Greenock at around 3.50pm on the Thursday. After checking in I know that they left the hotel a short time later and possibly returned between 12.30am and 1am. 'I'd like to speak with anyone who saw them or their vehicle between 9am on the Thursday and 7am on the Friday morning.' Police are also appealing for any witnesses to report sightings of the women and their vehicle. A spokeswoman for Whitbread Hotels . and Restaurants, which operates Premier Inn, today confirmed the 40-room . hotel was still open and operating as normal. However . a police officer remained in the building and the room where the two . women were staying was not available to book, the spokeswoman added. She said: 'We are assisting the police with enquiries and cannot comment further on the matter at this stage.' Questions: Nicola and Margaret McDonough booked into the Premier Inn hotel in Greenock, 25 miles from their home in Paisley on Thursday afternoon . Chief Superintendent Alan Speir, who is leading the inquiry, said: ‘This is a tragic set of circumstances. ‘We are appealing for information after the two women were found with serious injuries at the Premier Inn hotel in Greenock. ‘The alarm was raised at 7am after a guest found one of the women in the hallway. Both women had significant injuries. ‘A 52-year-old woman and a 23- year-old woman were taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital. The 52- year-old woman died this afternoon and the 23-year-old is still in a critical condition. ‘We are appealing for witnesses who saw them between 9am the previous day (Thursday) and 7am (Friday). ‘They are both from Paisley and we think they came from the town during the day and were in the Greenock area.’ Mr Speir was last night unable to say if the women had been the victims of an attack. He said: ‘We cannot establish at this stage whether there are suspicious circumstances. We are treating it as unexplained. ‘There was no one else in their company and we are still trying to piece together what has happened.’
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Margaret and Nicola McDonough found by horrified guests at Premier Inn .
Rushed to Inverclyde Royal hospital but Margaret, 52, could not be saved .
Nicola, 23, in critical condition after being found slumped in hotel hallway .
Detectives are keeping a vigil at her bedside waiting for information .
Police treating death as 'unexplained' but not looking for third party .
Focus is on pair's movements before they were found at 7am yesterday .
Nicola's father Thomas is keeping a vigil at his daughter’s bedside .
Anyone who can assist Police Scotland should call 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.
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By . Richard Shears . A holy man uttering a special chant succeeded today in calming a group of snarling tigers that had chased five men up a tree, leaving them trapped there for nearly five days. As the holy man uttered his mantra - a mind-calming chant that originates in ancient India - the tigers turned tail and slipped back into the Indonesian jungle, allowing the desperate men to come down from their precarious perch in the branches. During the long days and nights they had been trapped there, the tigers, which had already killed and eaten a sixth member of their group, prowled around the base of the tree waiting for a chance to grab one or more of the men. A Sumatran tiger attacked and killed a sixth member of the party after they accidentally killed a cub . While tigers can climb trees, it is believed the terrified men, from a village in Aceh province on the island of Sumatra, had lodged themselves onto slender branches that would not have borne the wait of a tiger. But as the hours and the days went by they became weak from hunger and lack of sleep, each of them fearing they would fall and become another victim of the tigers. The animals had chased the men - who had gone into the jungle in the Mount Leuser National Park early last week to look for a special wood that is used to make incense - after they had unwittingly killed a tiger cub in a trap that had been set to catch deer. Finding the cub dying from its injuries, the pack of tigers gave chase after the men and caught one, named only as David. He was quickly torn apart and half his body consumed. They are trapped up a tree in Gunung Leuser National Park, north Sumatra, Indonesia . The men, from Simpang Kiri village in . Aceh, northern Sumatra, had gone into the dense forest in search of . agar wood, which is very rare, expensive and used in the production of . incense and aromatic oils. Just . 1lb of agar wood can fetch up to £175, resulting in villagers risking . their lives to enter the jungles of the Gunung Leuser National Park . where tigers and dangerous elephants roam. Yesterday Police Chief Dicky . Sondani explained why officers had been powerless to intervene. 'We can't go rushing in to rescue the . men in the tree because of the remoteness and because of the tigers . still being there at the base of the tree,' he said. He told the Jakarta Globe that villagers enter the jungle to look for the pricey wood but they were risking their lives doing so. 'The group were attacked by tigers on Thursday after they caught and killed a tiger cub in a snare meant to catch a deer. 'Nearby tigers drawn to the scene of the fatally injured cub pounced on the men and killed 28-year-old David as the five others climbed a tree to safety.' Just 1lb of agar wood can fetch up to £175, resulting in villagers risking their lives to enter the jungles of the Gunung Leuser National Park where tigers and dangerous elephants roam (stock image) Resident of Simpang Kiri village . learned of the men's fate because not only were they carrying mobile . phones, they had also managed to get a signal, enabling them to call for . help. But as rescuers from the village neared the tree they saw David's partially eaten remains and four large tigers - and fled. But police said they had little choice but to plan the rescue carefully and that would take some time. The tigers would have to be shot with anaesthetising darts due to their endangered numbers. Conservationists said they had no doubt that the tigers chased the men seeking revenge for killing the cub. More than 100 Sumatran tigers are believed to roam the forests of the Gunung Leuser National Park. But there are fears their numbers will dramatically drop as the rainforest shrinks and palm oil plantations take their place. Looking for food, tigers are more frequently entering villages and there have been a number of attacks on humans.
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Five men have been trapped up a tree by prowling Sumatran tigers .
Tigers killed a sixth member of the party and ate half of his remains .
Group were hunted down by tigers after they unwittingly killed a tiger cub .
Holy man chanted ancient mantra and the tigers walked away .
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By . Hugo Gye . This luxury flat has been put on the market with a price tag of £9million - thanks to its view of London's hidden 'tropical' garden. The apartment block is situated on South Street in Mayfair, overlooking Mount Street Gardens, which was once a meeting place for Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower. Although the garden is open to the public, its entrance is tucked between two shops in the quiet area, and many locals who stumble across it are shocked to discover its existence. Luxury: A flat in this apartment block is going up for sale for £9million thanks to its position overlooking Mount Street Gardens . Tropical: The garden is believed to have an unusually warm micro-climate which allows trees such as palms to grow . Interior: The flat boasts four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large reception room and a dining room . The trees in the garden include several tropical varieties rarely found in Britain, including silver wattle from Australia, Canary Islands palm trees and Chinese willows. It is believed that the plants are able to flourish thanks to the garden's secluded location, which gives it an unusually warm micro-climate. This flat, which overlooks the garden from a luxurious apartment block, is being sold for £8.75million via Wetherell Estates. It features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a double reception room with very high ceilings and a dining room. However, the main attraction will surely be its location, as well as the view over Mount Street Gardens. Location, location, location: The apartment block is situated in the heart of Mayfair, overlooking the relatively little-known garden . Dining room: The lucky new owner will be able to host in style in the £9million flat, being sold by Wetherell Estates . Classy: The living room with its grand piano is reminiscent of the lifestyle enjoyed by fictional aristocrats such as Bertie Wooster . Corridors: The hallway next to the staircase is pictured left; on the right is another corridor with an ornate window . The land originally formed part of a huge fortification dating from the English Civil War, where Oliver Cromwell defended the capital against royalist troops. It then served as a graveyard and burial ground before being converted into a garden in 1889, at a time when Mayfair was rapidly becoming one of London's most fashionable areas. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower would walk in Mount Street Gardens while discussing how to defeat the Nazis. Eisenhower was based in nearby Grosvenor Square, headquarter of the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied High Command. Fashionable: The block of flats as it appears from South Street, located in one of the most expensive areas in the country . Entrance: The building is entered through this striking antique doorway . View: The flat looks right over Mount Street Gardens, which is unknown even by many locals . Green: The master bedroom looks out onto a relatively rural scene, with trees crowding the landscape as well as other apartment blocks . In the intervening decades, the garden has become particularly popular with Americans, thanks to its location near the U.S. Embassy. Peter Wetherell, managing director of Wetherell, said: 'These wonderful Mount Street Gardens are Mayfair's best hidden secret. 'Hidden behind the boutique shops of Mount Street and yet close to Park Lane and Oxford Street they provide a secret and tranquil oasis of greenery in the heart of London's West End. 'The views from the apartment onto the gardens are superb, and the view is simply priceless.' Ornate: The view of the drawing room, with a number of fine pieces of furniture upholstered in colourful fabrics . Facilities: The kitchen of the house is pictured left, as well as the hallway which opens on to the main drawing room . Homely: One of the children's bedrooms in the four-bedroom flat .
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Four-bedroom flat on South Street in Mayfair has gone on the market with an asking price of £8.75million .
The apartment block overlooks Mount Street Gardens, believed to have a quasi-tropical micro-climate .
The garden - which many locals do not know about - was favoured by Churchill and Eisenhower during the War .
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A technical problem could set back the planned finish date for work in the main search zone for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370. The Joint Agency Coordination Centre said on Sunday that investigators could finish scouring the priority zone of the Indian Ocean by May if there were no delays with vessels, equipment or weather. But on Wednesday, JACC revealed the vessel Fugro Discovery had a 'system issue' with a component of the search equipment. Scroll down for video . A technical problem could set back the planned finish date for work in the main search zone for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 . 'Search activities have been suspended while the issue is remedied,' it said. Also, JACC said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had advised that measures to fix Fugro Discovery's problem were being trialled and the results would be reviewed. 'Until that process is complete, the extent of the issue's effect on the progress of the underwater search is unknown,' JACC said. Meanwhile, other search efforts will continue during the festive period. The Fugro Equator is scheduled to depart for Fremantle on Wednesday after finishing its current survey, and the GO Phoenix continues its underwater search. More than 200,000 sqkm has been surveyed and 11,000 sqkm of the sea floor has been searched. The Joint Agency Coordination Centre said on Sunday that investigators could finish scouring the priority zone of the Indian Ocean by May if there were no delays with vessels, equipment or weather . The latest JACC update said the survey vessel Fugro Equator was continuing to map the ocean floor and would return to Fremantle when it completes its current phase this month. About 200,000 square kilometres of the search area has been surveyed so far. Fugro Discovery arrived back in the search area on December 4, while GO Phoenix returned last Tuesday, and both have recommenced underwater search operations. Danica Weeks, whose husband Paul was on the missing flight, wrote an article for the Sunday Times. She said when she and her two young children said goodbye to him they never thought it would be for the last time. Last week, families of the 239 passengers and crew on board the March 8 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing provided DNA samples to assist in identifying loved ones once the plane was found . 'But now, March 7 is permanently engraved in my mind and often on rewind,' she wrote. 'Not only as the day we kissed Paul goodbye at Perth Airport, but because mentally, for me, it is still March 7.' Ms Weeks said not knowing what really happened to her husband continued to haunt her. The Fugro Equator is scheduled to depart for Fremantle on Wednesday after finishing its current survey . 'Every waking minute, your mind runs scenarios of what might have happened,' she said. 'You are searching the news constantly for any small piece of information that may give you a clue to their whereabouts, and your heart pounds every time the phone rings. Is this it? Have they found something?' Those hunting for debris of the plane have revealed footage of what they've found on the ocean floor. Lead search agency, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, released this sonar acoustic image on Thursday of the ocean floor as teams continue to scour the Indian Ocean . The picture, released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Thursday, shows what search vessels are recording as they continue to scour the Indian Ocean for any signs of the Malaysian Airlines plane. 'The image is a synthetic aperture sonar acoustic image of the sea floor gathered by GO Phoenix. This is indicative of the resolution and quality of the data and that it is revealing important detail of the sea floor,' the ATSB, who is leading the search, said in its latest operational report. The GO Phoenix vessel returned to the area on Tuesday to recommence underwater search operations. Another vessel, Fugro Discovery, is also searching underwater as the Fugro Equator continues to conduct bathymetric survey operations in the search area. More than 9,000 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean floor has been searched to date, but there's been no signs of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight . 'In addition to locating the aircraft, the underwater search aims to map the MH370 debris field in order to identify and prioritise the recovery of specific aircraft components, including flight recorders, which will assist with the Malaysian investigation,' the ATSB said. 'The ATSB has utilised the data from the bathymetric survey work to prepare the initial plan for the underwater search, to be followed and referred to by all parties involved. 'The plan includes search timings, methods, procedures, safety precautions and the initial search areas for the various vessels. About 200,000 square kilometres of the search area have been surveyed via bathymetric surveying . 'The equipment used on the vessels is providing extraordinary data.' More than 9,000 square kilometres of the ocean floor has been searched to date and about 200,000 square kilometres of the search area has been surveyed, according to the ATSB. The primary search area - dubbed the 'priority area' - is an arc 60,000 square kilometres in size - 1,800km off the west Australian coast. The primary search area - dubbed the 'priority area' - is an arc 60,000 square kilometres in size, which is 1,800km off the west Australian coast . Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean on March 8 with 239 people on board, and no sign of the plane has been found since then. The ATSB release operational reports to provide updates on their search progress. 'Our work will continue to be thorough and methodical, so sometimes weekly progress may seem slow,' it said. 'Please be assured that work is continuing and is aimed at finding MH370 as quickly as possible.' The search has passed the nine month mark after the plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people onboard . The ATSB reguarly release operational reports to provide updates on their search progress for MH370 .
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ACC revealed the vessel Fugro Discovery had a 'system issue'
Measures to fix the problem are being trialled and will be reviewed .
The Fugro Equator is scheduled to depart for Fremantle on Wednesday .
Over 200,000 sqkm has been surveyed and 11,000 sqkm has been searched .
Last week, family members of the 239 passengers on-board provided DNA samples to assist in identifying any bodies that may be found .
Lead search agency released an images showing what they have recorded as they scour the Indian Ocean floor .
The image was captured by the GO Phoenix vessel, which returned the search area on Tuesday to continue underwater operations .
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British intelligence agencies have ‘more blind spots’ when monitoring potential terrorist threats than five years ago, the country's top anti-terror police officer has said. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said the revelations by former US data analyst Edward Snowden and advances in technology left counter-terrorism detectives at Scotland Yard operating on a ‘shaky platform’. It comes after three men appeared in court yesterday over an alleged terrorist plot, following a police operation three days before Remembrance Day. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley warned that Britain's intelligence agencies have ‘more blind spots’ than at any time for five years . Mr Rowley, head of counter-terrorism for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), told the Times: ‘We are less capable and have more blind spots than we had five years ago.’ ‘Since the Snowden episode and with technology developments our intelligence picture is less good than it was - both domestic and international - and that makes operations harder to run.’ He also suggested powers to relocate terrorism suspects would make a ‘big difference’ after shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called for them to be reintroduced in the Commons this week. ‘If you have significant information that somebody is a terrorist risk and despite all your best efforts you cannot build a case to put them in prison - really the state has two choices: either to say we'll accept that risk or put in measures where you have some controls around people. ‘It's a political decision, but our experience is that for people in many of the situations we deal with the ability to relocate would make a big difference.’ Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (Tpims) were introduced under the coalition government to replace the previous Labour government's control orders, which did include relocation powers. British jihadists fighting for ISIS pose an increasing threat to the UK, intelligence services believe . Fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden, in hiding in Russia, leaked details of British and American spy techniques . Labour frontbencher Ms Cooper claimed that Theresa May's introduction of Tpims is failing to manage the risk of terror suspects after it was reported that a 26-year-old man fled the UK in the back of a lorry apparently bound for Syria or Iraq. The Home Secretary replied that the Government would be looking at Tpims in the new Counter Terrorism Bill, which she was bringing forward.
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Scotland Yard's anti-terror chief Mark Rowley warns of growing threat .
Said revelations by whistle-blower Edward Snowden damaged terror fight .
Claimed terror detectives at Scotland Yard operating on a 'shaky platform'
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Following the criticisms of a number of Australian brands for producing halal-certified versions of their products, a new target has come under fire. In a post to their Facebook page on Wednesday, one angry chocoholic vowed they would be boycotting Cadbury Dairy Milk products simply because it is halal certified. 'Dear Cadbury Dairy Milk, this is my chocolate purchase for the fortnight, traditionally it would ALL be Cadbury, as it has been for many MANY years,' the consumer wrote alongside a picture of a large number of Lindt Chocolate blocks. One disgruntled customer has taken to social media claiming she will boycott Cadbury chocolate as it is halal . 'But due to Cadbury being Halal Certified, Lindt will have my business from here on in.' When questioned over their decision by other social media users, the angry customer defended their position saying it was not racist, and it was a choice not to 'support any religion'. 'It's not racist, no Religion / Ideology is a race,' they wrote. 'It's about having things forced upon us, against our will. I want to be informed about what I buy. I don't want to support ANY Religion / Ideology, as I don't believe in it. When quizzed by other customers about her strong stance, the woman defended her comments denying she was being intolerant . Some agreed with the comments saying they would also be boycotting the brand . I shouldn't be forced to support it every time I purchase food,' the comment ended. Another used quizzed the decision asking how it was affecting the disgruntled customer personally - and the consumer hit back saying that Cadbury was being deliberately deceptive. 'They're greedy with no morals, and sly enough to hide the label, or not label it at all, so you don't know what you're buying', they wrote. Some fellow chocolate lovers were appalled by the comments, with one woman saying 'chocolate is chocolate! So stupid how people make such a big deal over things like this. Some adults are worse than children!' The same critic claimed that the chocolate brand was being deliberately deceptive . Despite these claims the list of halal certified products is readily available on the Cadbury website . Others supported the decision to boycott the brand, with one user declaring 'Cadbury off my shopping list now too!'. However some people decided to make light of the harsh comments, with one commenter saying he was 'boycotting vegetables as well.' 'Can't stand those pesky vegans forcing me to eat stuff that's got no meat in it just cos (sic) they don't eat meat,' he wrote. 'It's an outrage.' One commenter made light of the situation pointing out how ridiculous the comments were . Another also saw the funny side, claiming he was going to quit eating vegetables . Others found the situation amusing, saying people were making mountains out of molehills . Just last week iconic Australian brands such as Four'N Twenty, Vegemite and even the humble Anzac biscuit were under fierce attack on social media for producing Muslim-friendly halal-certified versions of their products. The Facebook page 'Boycott Halal in Australia' has been set up and aims to 'boycott all companies and organisations that promote or use halal products and services.' The page has 20,000 followers who claim that they will 'not buy halal products & services, because they fund Islamic expansion by any means'. Four'N Twenty and the Byron Bay Cookie Company's Anzac biscuits are the latest to come under attack for introducing a halal certified range of foods. Vegemite and Milo have also come under social media attack for producing halal versions. Scroll down for video . The much-love Australian iconic food brand Four N Twenty has sparked an outrage through social media over its' 'Halal certified' range . Vegemite is among one of the Australian companies being targeted on social media for stocking Halal certified products . The official Four'N Twenty Facebook page was bombarded with complaints for producing halal meat pies and sausage rolls. The number of complaints about their new halal foods has increased in recent months. Four'N Twenty has even been forced to respond individually to some of the Facebook attacks. The Australian pie company has said: 'Halal certified products are a small part of our range and are clearly labelled to ensure everyone can make an informed decision about which Four'N Twenty product is right for them.' Among the consumers declaring they will boycott the company, a few have voiced their support for their decision to introduce halal products. However, the overwhelming majority of Facebook users have been attacking the company's decision to sell halal products. One Perth user posted: 'I believe your company has bowed to Islamic pressure and now pay for your products to be halal certified...is this correct? If so, I will not be buying any of your companies products ever again!' Byron Bay Cookie Company's Anzac biscuits is the latest to come under attack for introducing a halal range . Milo consumers take to the official Facebook page to post against the halal certified products, while Milo has even taken to responding to some comments . Another wrote: 'You say less than 5% of your products are halal certified ..so does that make it ok that you're selling out to Islamic crap rot ..you are still supporting it an the cruelty to animals ..you have lost another customer an i will be letting all know what you have done ...not on ....' One angry buyer even said the family would stop buying Four'N Twenty because it was selling halal certified products. The Four'N Twenty 'Export' Sausage Roll and Meat Pie are certified Halal by the Australian Federation of Islamic Council. The attacks on the Four'N Twenty halal range come despite the fact they are only being sold at specialty stores and produced for export. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Four'N Twenty for comment. Meanwhile, the Northern Star reports the Byron Bay Cookie Company is seeking legal advice after consumers took to their official Facebook page to attack them for their halal Anzac biscuit range. One Facebook user posted 'What a disgrace, the thousands of Anzacs that died on the beaches at Gallipoli will be turning in their graves.' Another posted: 'No Byron Bay anything for me either. I stand firm on boycotting anything Halal. No food should be about religion. No law should be about religion.' Disappointed consumers have expressed their anger over the halal certified range of Four N Twenty foods . Byron Bay Cookie Company is seeking legal advice after consumers took to their official Facebook page to post their disappointment over the company's halal Anzac biscuits . Facebook users have even accused Four N Twenty of supporting terrorism because they have launched a halal range of products . A spokesman from the Australian Food & Grocery Council told Daily Mail Australia that many Australian food manufacturers seek halal certification so their products can be enjoyed by Muslims and non-Muslims. 'In the same way that food labelled as vegan or gluten-free is suitable for consumption by a broad range of consumers, halal certified foods are commonly enjoyed by non-Muslims,' he said. 'Manufacturers pay for certification as a professional service, much like Kosher or organic accreditation, for example. 'Organisations who offer Halal certification services are subject to the same prohibitions on funding illegal entities and activity as any other organisation or individual under Australian law.' Even Vegemite has come under attack for stocking halal certified products . Despite the negative complaints, many customers have expressed their support for the range on Four'N Twenty's Facebook page: . One user posted: 'Going to have a pie party with my next pay check. What a bunch of legends!' Another one wrote: 'Good onya Four N Twenty, for ignoring the ignorant bigots. Will go out of my way to buy your products now. You're awesome' And another wrote: 'It makes sense to have your pies certified Halal, same as you would have them certified "Kosher" or "Heart Foundation" or "Gluten Free". Such a sensible idea. Australians need to know what they're eating. As long as your pies are still delicious, you have my support. And my custom.' Despite the negative complaints, many others are showing their support for the halal certified Aussie meat pies . One user stood up for the range, and said 'boycott and you're the ones who'll miss out on a good ol' Aussie pie' Another user wrote: 'Thank you for being a great Australian company! I love your pies...' One user wrote: 'Good on you for responding so calmly to all the bigots posting negative things...' Another user wrote: 'Just wanted to say, this Aussie family will now look specifically for your halal products'
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Cadbury is the latest brand to face criticism over halal certification .
One customer claimed she had stopped buying the chocolate because of it .
Last week Australian companies were being targeted over halal products .
Four'N Twenty, Vegemite, Milo and Byron Bay Cookie Company have all sparked an outrage through social media .
Disappointed foodies have taken to Facebook to express their anger .
Despite the negative complaints, other customers have expressed their support for the halal certified range .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 13:10 EST, 10 August 2011 . A NATO helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan this morning, just two days after 38 people were killed in another Chinook crash. Officials said there were no apparent casualties on board the ISAF helicopter, which mad a 'hard landing' in the volatile Paktia province. An investigation is underway but it appears there was no enemy activity in the area at the time, confirmed ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Doherty. A NATO helicopter made a 'hard landing' in Paktia province, a volatile area in Afghanistan's east, today. There were no reported casualties. File picture . Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid . claimed in a text message sent to Reuters that the Islamist group had . shot down the helicopter, another Chinook, in the Zurmat district of . Paktia, killing 30 American soldiers. The Taliban often exaggerate claims in . attacks against foreign troops and Afghan security forces and . government targets, although they correctly identified the number killed . in the weekend's Chinook crash in Wardak. The Wardak crash accounted for the largest single loss of foreign forces in 10 years. A worrying surge of military deaths is being matched by record casualties among civilians, who continue to bear the brunt of a war that appears to have become bogged down despite claims of success from both sides. Afghan men shout anti American slogans during a protest over the deaths of two men in Ghazni, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, today. On Monday, three hundred angry Afghans took to the streets in central Ghazni province carrying the bodies of two people they claimed had been killed during a raid by ISAF troops. Civilian casualties caused by foreign troops hunting insurgents have long been a major source of friction between Kabul and its Western backers. U.N. figures show such casualties hit record levels in the first six months of 2011, although it blamed 80 percent of them on insurgents. NATO officials are still investigating the cause of a helicopter crash two days ago that killed 38 people, including 30 U.S. soldiers, seven Afghan commandos and an Afghan interpreter. Of the dead, more than 20 were US Navy Seals from the elite unit that killed Osama Bin Laden. The Taliban claim to have shot down that troop-carrying CH-47 Chinook helicopter in central Maidan Wardak province and a U.S. official in Washington, who asked not to be identified, said that helicopter was believed to have been shot down. Dead: Lt Cmdr Jonas Kelsall was one of the lives lost in the central Maidan Wardak province crash two days ago . 'We're still not aware of the cause of the incident, this is a very vital part of the investigation,' said Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen, senior spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). 'The area in which the helicopter was operating was known to be not free of insurgents,' he told a news conference. ISAF has imposed a security crackdown on the area while the grim task of recovering the aircraft and the bodies of those killed is completed, although some residents have complained about some of the measures that have been taken. Graphic locates Wardak province in Afghanistan, where the Taliban shot down a US helicopter . 'I can only advise (civilians) not to try to approach the site of the crash while the investigation is ongoing,' Jacobsen said . At least another seven ISAF troops were killed in a ghastly 48 hours for the coalition. Four were killed in two separate attacks on Sunday, including two French legionnaires. The spike in casualties -- at least 383 foreign troops have been killed so far this year, almost 50 of them in the first week of August -- comes at a time of growing unease about the increasingly unpopular and costly war. U.S. and NATO officials issued statements vowing to 'stay the course' in Afghanistan after the deadly weekend Chinook crash but the recent devastating death toll will likely raise more questions about how much longer foreign troops should stay in Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama by telephone overnight and shared condolences over the Wardak crash, Karzai's palace said in a statement. 'The U.S. president thanked the Afghan president and emphasised the fight against terrorism, which is a threat for security in the region and the world, and said the people of Afghanistan and the U.S. unitedly stand against the terrorists and their sacrifices will be never forgotten,' it said. The deaths came barely two weeks after foreign troops began the first phase of a gradual process to hand security responsibility over to Afghan soldiers and police. Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke with . U.S. President Barack Obama by telephone overnight and shared . condolences over the Wardak crash . Excluding the latest, and worst, crash, they are:June 28, 2005: U.S. helicopter is shot down in eastern Kunar province during a rescue operation, killing 16 special operations troops.April 6, 2005: U.S. Chinook helicopter crashes in a sandstorm near eastern Ghazni, killing 15 American troops and three civilian contractors.May 5, 2006: U.S. Chinook helicopter crashes while attempting a night landing on a small mountaintop in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. soldiers.September 21, 2010: U.S. Army Blackhawk crashes in southern Zabul province, killing nine troops on board, including four Navy Seals.February 18, 2007: U.S. Chinook carrying 22 U.S. soldiers crashes in southern Zabul province, killing eight and injuring 14. That process is due to end with the last foreign combat troops leaving at the end of 2014, but some U.S. lawmakers are already questioning whether that timetable is fast enough. Karzai has already said 'enemies of Afghanistan' -- the Taliban and other insurgents -- want to disrupt the process. In Ghazni, deputy police chief Mohammad Hussain said almost 300 people had gathered to carry the bodies of what they said were two civilians to the provincial governor's office after an overnight raid by ISAF in the Khogyani district. ISAF earlier said there were no reports of civilian casualties but Jacobsen said a man had fired on an ISAF patrol from inside a house with his family around him. 'We are very much certain that ISAF could not be aware that the man was shooting from a house where his family was inside,' Jacobsen said, adding that an investigation was underway. On Sunday, Karzai ordered an investigation into a NATO air strike that allegedly killed eight civilians in volatile southern Helmand province on Friday. U.N. figures show that 1,462 Afghan civilians were killed in conflict-related incidents in the first six months of 2011, the deadliest period for civilians since the Taliban were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. Foreign military deaths also hit record levels in 2010 with 711 killed, with 2011 following a similarly bloody trend.
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NATO reports no casualties .
Taliban claim responsibility for 'hard landing'
Demonstrations after claims civilians were killed in night raids .
Incidents come barely two weeks after foreign troops began first phases of withdrawal from Afghanistan .
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It has all come together in a few days for Danny Welbeck. At the start of last week, he was unwanted by Louis van Gaal and well down the pecking order as a centre forward for Manchester United. A few days later, by which time he had moved to Arsenal for £16million and completed an excellent 20 minutes as a substitute with England, the outlook suddenly seemed considerably brighter. With Olivier Giroud injured and Alexis Sanchez just as likely to play wide, he has every chance of starting down the middle against Manchester City next Saturday. And Daniel Sturridge’s injury means a similar scenario is unfolding for Monday night in England’s Euro 2016 qualifier, where he is likely to start up front with former United team-mate Wayne Rooney. Frontman: Danny Welbeck leads the way during an England training session . The fact he has diligently performed as a wide-left midfielder probably counted against him in the past, in that he has scored only every three games when he has started in the league. But in his mind Welbeck is a centre-forward. ‘I prefer to play there, yeah,’ he said. ‘It’s up to the manager, I don’t pick the team. I can’t say I want to play here or there.’ The fact that he was answering the question sat next to the England manager is an indication of his self-confidence. For Welbeck, 24, this does seem to be a watershed moment. Certainly for his club, and perhaps for his country, he will get his wish to carry the goal-scoring burden. As such, perhaps he can take encouragement from Sturridge, the man whose place he takes on Monday. At Manchester City and Chelsea, Sturridge looked to be a wide player who could fill in as a centre-forward. Only when Brendan Rodgers started playing him consistently in the central role at Liverpool did he add the prolific goalscoring. Welbeck can only hope the same proves to be the case at Arsenal. All change: Outlook suddenly seems considerably brighter for Welbeck . He said: ‘We’ll see when I get my opportunity to do that. I’ve never had the opportunity to get a run of games as a No 9 but I have faith in my ability. If I get the opportunity to do what I know I can do, then things might change. But until then I’ll work hard wherever I play.’ The stats back him up. When he has started as a centre forward for United, his goal average is 0.43 per game as opposed to 0.30. There has always been a feeling that much of Welbeck’s best football has been in an England shirt, though he does not agree. ‘Maybe when I have been away with England and been a bit further up the pitch, it has been better for me,’ he said. ‘But I wouldn’t say typically I’ve played better for England.’ Now he is part of a generation called on to revitalise interest in the national team, a responsibility he seems keen to embrace, well aware of the negativity surrounding England since the World Cup. Responsibility: Welbeck’s best football has been in an England shirt . ‘When we get together as a group we can clarify what we think went wrong,’ he said. ‘We can speak about where we can improve and analyse how things went. We’ll all have our opinions and talk it over. ‘There are a lot of younger players than me in the squad. It’s good to see that youngsters are being given the opportunity to play in the national side. Coming to this stage of my career, I really want to push on now and be the best I can be.’ He was an integral part of England’s best period in a dismal World Cup. In the opening 35 minutes against Italy, England looked like a team who might take on the world, with Welbeck linking superbly with Sturridge and Raheem Sterling. Threat: Welbeck is likely to link up with Raheem Sterling and Wayne Rooney . ‘I don’t think we got bullied or obliterated at the World Cup. The results didn’t go our way and it was very disappointing for us as a nation. The players really felt it. After the Uruguay game in the dressing-room it’s one of those moments you will remember and keep with you. ‘I have had plenty of those moments in my career and it has only driven me on to do better things. When we lost the league on the last day of the season [at Sunderland in 2012] with Man United and the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] told us never to forget that moment. The next season we won the league and it’s something that is always in you, that you know what that feeling is like and you don’t want to feel it again.’ The first chance to remedy that disappointment comes in Basel. And Welbeck can expect to be central to the manager’s plans.
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Daniel Sturridge's injury means Danny Welbeck could start upfront against Switzerland on Monday .
Welbeck is likely to start up front with former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney .
The 24-year-old is part of a generation called on to revitalise interest in the England team .
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Israel may have committed war crimes when commandos stormed an aid ship in 2010 killing nine people, but officials will not be prosecuted because the offences are 'not serious enough'. Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died after crack troops opened fire on the crew of the Mavi Marmara in the early hours of May 31, 1010. The incident, which happened in international waters, sparked international condemnation and led to years of tense relations between Turkey and Israel. Today prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that 'there is a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed on the Mavi Marmara' but were 'not of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the International Criminal Court (ICC).' Lawyers at the International Criminal Court have ruled that Israel likely committed war crimes against the crew of the Mavi Marmara in 2010, but that the case does not warrant prosecution . Nine Turks died when Israeli troops storming the boat opened fire - the crew claim the soldiers fired without warning, while Israel says they shot after being attacked (pictured, activists hold a Israeli troop) He added: 'Without in any way minimizing the impact of the alleged crimes on the victims and their families... the ICC shall prioritise war crimes committed on a large scale.' Israel's Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision to close the probe, saying the case was 'legally unfounded and politically motivated.' A spokesman for the ministry sought to point out that the court had also chosen not to act over violence against its soldiers by activists on board the Mavi Marmara. The boat, the flagship of a six-craft flotilla aimed at breaking the blockade of Gaza and carrying 10,000 tons of aid to shore, was caught in a stand-off with Israel after being stopped at sea. In the early hours of May 31 the ship was stormed by commandos who dropped on to the deck from a helicopter and used ropes to climb up the sides. Activists on board the ship claim the soldiers opened fire before boarding or issuing any warning, while Israel maintains the soldiers only fired after troops were beaten with sticks and metal poles. The case was taken to the ICC last year after the tiny African state of Comoros - which is a member of the court - filed a complaint, as the ship was flying under a Comoros flag. Neither Turkey nor Israel are not part of the ICC, which only has jurisdiction over member states. A Turkish lawyer representing Comoros has vowed not to give up the case. The Mavi Mara was the flagship of a six-boat flotilla that was trying to bring 10,000 tons of aid to Gaga when it was stopped in international waters. After a standoff with Israeli forces, troops stormed the boat . Turkish lawyers have vowed not to give up the case, saying that the ICC prosecuted rebels who killed a similar number of African peacekeepers in Darfur (pictured, a wounded Israeli commando is taken away by rebels) Ramazan Ariturk said: 'This is a moral struggle that we're pursuing by ourselves. It's a legal struggle, a struggle in the name of humanity. This struggle isn't over. 'We will object to a higher court at the International Criminal Court and we believe without a doubt that we will prevail.' In a 61-page report, prosecutors concluded that 'there is a reasonable basis to believe' Israeli wilfully killed, wilfully caused serious injury and deprived passengers of dignity. The report said that the findings were based on 'information available at this stage', adding that none of the information was collected by the ICC. A U.N. report in July 2011 found that the raid was justified, but that Israel used excessive force. Turkish lawyers seeking an ICC case turned to Comoros because the tiny nation is a member of the court and the Mavi Marmara was registered under the country's flag. They pointed to another ICC case, in Sudan, in which the court prosecuted rebels accused of leading an attack on African Union peacekeepers in Darfur in which 11 people died. Arituk said the ICC was setting a double standard by recognising the gravity of 11 troops being killed, but ignoring the nine protesters. In their report, prosecutors addressed the similarities in the number of victims in the two cases, but added there was also a key difference, as Darfur rebels' attack was deliberate.
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International Criminal Court rules there is basis to say war crimes took place .
But lawyers will not prosecute as the offences are 'not sufficiently grave'
Eight Turks and one American-Turk died in raid on ship by Israeli troops .
Crew say soldiers fired first but Israel says troops fired after being attacked .
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(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will convene a summit Monday at the White House of the heads of every key African nation -- except three: Ebola-plagued Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. And as of now, the African Ebola epidemic, the largest on record, is not officially on the summit agenda. As their epidemics spin out of control in a contagion more than three times larger than any prior Ebola outbreak, Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Alpha Condé of Guinea and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone are staying home. They are taking drastic measures in hopes of slowing the spread of the deadly hemorrhagic disease: Banning public gatherings, closing schools, deploying their armies to stop attacks on health workers and maintain quarantines. It is tragic that Sirleaf, Condé and Koroma will not be able to plead their nations' cases at the White House summit because their countries desperately need help. There is great danger that the fear of the virus spreading globally will stigmatize Liberians, Sierra Leonians and Guineans, and that their West African neighbors -- especially Nigeria -- will try to ward off Ebola by isolating the countries in ways that will hurt their fragile economies, further imperiling the health of their people. It is time to take a cold, clear look at the implications of this out-of-control epidemic and think carefully about what steps the international community should take next. The outbreak began in Guinea in March and has spread slowly, inexorably in the three desperately poor countries for months. It reached dangerous epidemic scale in June, but only as July draws to its end has it registered with urgency with international media and political leaders. Why now? Because two Americans volunteers are fighting for their lives in the region, and a third American succumbed to Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria, having acquired his infection in Liberia. The specter of Ebola spreading via air travel to Nigeria, the most populous African nation, prompted the UK government to issue a national medical alert this week. The fear also threatens the creation of a vast cordon sanitaire -- or barrier -- around the three afflicted countries. Short-term focus on Ebola control cannot be disconnected from a longer term commitment to economic and technical support of these nations' health care systems, roads, schools and general development. These countries face Ebola today, but they also contend with Lassa fever virus, which also causes hemorrhagic disease. There also are mosquitoes carrying yellow fever and malaria, and a long list of microbial dangers are always lurking in their rainforests. To show how ill-equipped these nations are to battle disease, per capita spending on health care, combining personal and governmental, amounts to only $171 a year in Sierra Leone, $88 a year in Liberia and $67 a year in Guinea, according to the Kaiser Foundation. There is also a dire shortage of health care workers. Before the Ebola epidemic claimed the lives of several of the nations' leading physicians and nurses, Liberia had 0.014 physicians per 1,000 people; Sierra Leone's doctor-to-patient ratio was 0.022 and Guinea's was 0.1. To put that in perspective, rich countries have a thousand times more physicians per capita. In the United States, there are 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people. When this Ebola epidemic eventually ends, the health budgets of these nations will have been bankrupted, and many of their most skilled and courageous physicians, nurses, Red Cross volunteers and hospital workers will have perished. Nigeria is the tipping point. Were Ebola to take hold in that country, spreading from person-to-person in a densely populated, chaotic city such as Lagos, the worldwide response would swiftly spin into uncharted political and global health territory. Consider the following: Nigerian physicians are on strike nationwide; hundreds of girls have been kidnapped from their schools and villages over the past six months by Boko Haram Islamist militants -- and none has been successfully freed from their captors by the Abuja government. Nigeria is in the midst of national election campaigning. President Goodluck Jonathan's government is, at best, weak. The nation is torn apart by religious tension, pitting the Muslim north against the Christian south. Islamists in the north have long distrusted Western medicine. They have opposed polio vaccination and have kidnapped and assaulted central government health providers. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has just surpassed South Africa as its richest. It has a large, elite class that is highly mobile. Its international airports buzz with activity as hundreds of thousands of Nigerians travel all over Africa, take college studies in Europe and North America, visit second homes in London, New York, Toronto and other cities, and conduct business on the international stage. Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are three of the poorest, most remote nations on Earth while Nigeria is Africa's muscle, hustle and oil. One way or another, Obama must take advantage of Monday's Africa summit to press the case for calm and appropriate responses. These would include specific post-Ebola financial commitments to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The possibility that the epidemic might take hold in Nigeria must be confronted, and plans of action must be considered. The world cannot afford to make decisions in the heat of panic about such things as international airport closures, withdrawal of foreign oil workers, negotiations for outbreak responses with northern imams, hospital and clinic infection control training across thousands of Nigerian health facilities, deployment of international assistance teams for rapid diagnostics and lab assistance and countless other contingencies. Roughly 70% of diagnosed Ebola patients in this epidemic have perished. The potential for global panic is genuine. If responsible leaders worldwide hope to stave off hysterical reactions to the virus and bring this epidemic to a halt, serious contingencies and agreements must be reached immediately. Please, President Obama, do not squander the opportunity to place such contingency planning on your Monday summit agenda. As NPR talk show host Diane Rehm asked me on her show, "Can't the White House put Presidents Sirleaf and Koroma on Skype, to plead their case to the summit?" That would be a start.
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President Obama's Africa summit does not have Ebola epidemic on agenda .
Record-breaking epidemic hits poverty-stricken Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone .
Laurie Garrett: We need to make long-term commitment to Ebola-struck nations .
Garrett: Summit urgently needs to address this and plan for the worst if it hits populous Nigeria .
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By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 16:40 EST, 22 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:08 EST, 23 August 2013 . Pressure on the Red Arrows to perform as many displays as possible could have been a factor in the death of a pilot, a hearing has heard. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, 35, died in November 2011 after his ejection . seat went off while he was on the ground at RAF . Scampton in Lincolnshire. He was thrown into the air and his parachute failed to work. Central Lincolnshire coroner Stuart . Fisher told the pre-inquest hearing he will require witnesses to . give evidence as to whether the pressure on the team affected their . performance. Tragic: Red Arrow pilot Flt Lt Sean Cunningham died in November 2011 after his ejection seat went off while he was on the ground at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire . 'There have been suggestions that the number of displays . the team are required to perform has got to the point where it has put . pressure on the team,' he said. 'As a consequence there has been a reduction in the amount of time they display.' The hearing was told that in recent years the number of hours the Red Arrows are required to fly has been reduced by over ten per cent. Mr Fisher said that witness evidence . from Air Vice Marshall Mark Green, of the RAF’s 22 Training Group, . showed the annual number of flying hours for the team had been reduced . from 3,000 to 2,600. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham's parents Jim and Monika Cunningham and his sister Nicky (right) watch the fly-past was conducted by two RAF Tornado GR4 jets after his funeral at Coventry Cathedral . Issues with the ejection seat firing handle and the working of the . parachute are also to be examined when the full inquest is held in the . New Year. Flt Lt Cunningham, who was from Coventry, completed his first season with the Arrows in 2011 and held the position of Red 5 in the formation team at the time of his death. He was the second member of the team to die tragically within three months following the loss of Flt Lt Jon Egging whose Hawk jet crashed during a display at an airshow in Dorset. Examination: An inquest into the death of Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham will hear as to whether the pressure on the team affected their performance . Tom Kark QC, representing Flt Lt Cunningham’s family, said today 'The family would like the widest examination possible as to why their son and brother died. 'That includes why the seat firing handle was in the position that it could so easily activate the ejection system as it appears to have done.' 'The hearing needs to examine whether other engineers and pilots had been in a similar dangerous position to the one Mr Cunningham found himself and to ensure that cannot happen again. 'There are various issues including whether there are systematic problems leading to the position of the handle being as it was.' The inquest will also hear from Flt Lt Kirsty Stewart, the first woman pilot to fly with the Arrows. The coroner said 'She had an incident where she was training at RAF Valley. She was sitting in the back seat of a Hawk aircraft and inadvertently one of her straps went through the ejection handle. When she got out she found the handle was in position and at risk of going off.' Mr Fisher will also look at whether the ejection seat manufacturer Martin Baker Ltd communicated fully with the Ministry of Defence in relation to any problems with the equipment. The pre-inquest hearing was told that parachute which should have saved his life in the event of the ejection seat firing apparently did not work because of a shackle nut being over-tightened. A total of 40 witnesses are due to give evidence at the inquest due to start in January. Coroner Fisher said 'This is going to be a very thorough inquiry. I am going to leave no stone unturned.' Sombre: The funeral for Flt Lt Sean Cunningham was held at Coventry Cathedral . Demanding: The hearing was told that in recent years the number of hours the Red Arrows are required to fly has been reduced by over ten per cent. This is a file picture of a Red Arrows show . The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring criminal charges into the death following an investigation by Lincolnshire Police. But there is still the possibility of the Health and Safety Executive taking action if a breach of health and safety regulations is identified. Bernard Thorogood, representing the HSE, said no final decision will be made until the conclusion of the inquest. The inquest is due . to last for three weeks.
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Flt Lt Sean Cunningham, 35, died at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire .
He was thrown into the air and his parachute failed to work .
Questions over whether pressure on the team affected their .
performance .
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For some managers it's an absolute Godsend - a chance to sign much-needed reinforcements and salvage an ailing season before it's too late. And in the last five campaigns it's been Newcastle United who are the most likely to get out the chequebook in the January transfer window. Forty-four per cent of the Tyneside club's transfer activity during that time has come in the first month of the year - the highest percentage in the Premier League. Hatem Ben Arfa is one of the many January signings made by Newcastle United in the last five years . Newcastle also acquired Mathieu Debuchy - one of six signings made in January 2013 . The window in January 2010 saw them bring in Danny Simpson, Wayne Routledge, Mike Williamson and Leon Best. Twelve months later they added Hatem Ben Arfa to their squad. Newcastle splashed out £9million on Papiss Cisse to boost their attack in January 2012 and signed six players - Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Yoan Gouffran, Massadio Haidara, Moussa Sissoko and Kevin Mbabu - in 2013. The general trend in January, understandably, sees clubs struggling at the bottom end of the table reaching deep into their pockets while those challenging at the top keep their squad settled. West Ham signed Demba Ba from Hoffenheim in January 2011 and are second-most likely to buy in winter . QPR bought Loic Remy from Marseille for £8m in the January transfer window in 2013 . In the past five seasons, West Ham have done 37 per cent of their transfer business in January, while Queens Park Rangers have completed 36 per cent. Hull have done 31 per cent during the winter window, while Leicester, Crystal Palace and Southampton all stand at 29 per cent. The research by the Liverpool Echo comes as clubs everywhere begin the search for bargains that will improve their chances of success in the second-half of the season. David Moyes brought in Juan Mata 12 months ago in a bid to save Manchester United's season . The most expensive January transfer was Fernando Torres's £50m switch from Liverpool to Chelsea in 2011 . Their statistics show West Brom are the least likely to do their transfer business in January at just 12 per cent, though that might be about to change if Tony Pulis shakes up his squad. Manchester City (15 per cent), Man United (20), Liverpool (20), Tottenham (21) and Arsenal (21) are keen to make most additions to their squad in the summer window. Memorable January transfer window acquisitions include Fernando Torres swapping Liverpool for Chelsea in a £50m deal in 2011 and Luis Suarez moving from Ajax to Liverpool for £22.5m in the same year.
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Newcastle United complete 44 per cent of transfer business in January .
This is the highest proportion of any Premier League club in last five years .
West Ham have done 37 per cent in January, QPR 36 per cent .
West Brom, by contrast, do just 12 per cent of dealings in winter .
Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool also operate mainly in the summer .
Research by Liverpool Echo looked back at last five seasons .
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By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:02 EST, 30 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:15 EST, 30 May 2013 . There's a new breed of airport dog. They aren't looking for drugs or bombs - they are looking for people who need a buddy, a belly to rub or a paw to shake. 'His job is to be touched,' volunteer Kyra Hubis said about Henry James, her 5-year-old golden retriever that works a few hours a week at the San Jose airport. 'I am just standing there with him. They are talking to him. If I need to answer for him, I do. But I am at the end of his leash, he's not at the end of mine.' Mineta San Jose International Airport is widely credited with introducing the first airport therapy dog in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, when flights were grounded, passengers were stranded and reaching friends and relatives in the East was nearly impossible. Passengers were anxious and afraid. Therapy dogs: Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs) volunteer Brian Valente, left, with his dog, Finn, greet the Bloom family with their 13-month-old son, Jacob, at the Los Angeles International Airport terminal . Furry pals: Travelers bound to India are greeted by therapy dogs. The Los Angeles International Airport has 30 therapy dogs and is hoping to expand its program . Volunteers with Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs) walk past the spider legged Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport . Enter Orion, owned by a volunter airport chaplain who got permission to bring the dog to work. He made such a difference that San Jose formalized the program and now has nine dogs. Miami International Airport got onboard the program with one and Los Angeles International Airport has 30 and is hoping to expand its program. The dogs are intended to take the stress out of travel — the crowds, long lines and terrorism concerns. You never know why people are flying, said Heidi Huebner, director of volunteers at LAX, which launched Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs) in April. Travelers might be in town for a vacation, a funeral, to visit a sick family member or to attend a business meeting. 'You can literally feel the stress levels drop, people start smiling, strangers start talking to each other and everybody walks away feeling really, really good,' Huebner said. Dogs have to be healthy, skilled, stable, well-mannered and able to work on a slack 4-foot leash, said Billie Smith, executive director of Wyoming-based Therapy Dogs, Inc., which certifies the LAX animals. They have to be comfortable with crowds, sounds, smells — and they need to pass through security like all airport workers. The dogs are intended to take the stress out of travel: the crowds, long lines and terrorism concerns . No exceptions: The dogs ahve to go through airport security, just like everyone else . Handlers are taught to watch for people who fear or dislike dogs or those who might have allergies. In most cases, people approach the dogs, identifiable by the vests or bandannas they wear. Los Angeles' dogs, which are featured on trading cards, are as varied as its airport passengers. There's a long-haired Dalmatian, a Lab-pointer mix, a field spaniel, a poodle, three Australian Labradoodles, a Doberman and a 150-pound Irish wolfhound named Finn who has two tricks. 'He looks you in the eye and lays down on the job,' said owner Brian Valente. 'When I'm around Finn, it makes me feel like things are OK. When Finn's around other people, they are OK. It's almost instant, even if just for a moment,' Valente said. Miami's sole dog, Casey, a 4-year-old golden retriever, is a star. She has her own website, fan mail, business cards and a role on 'Airport 24/7: Miami,' a weekly reality show on the Travel Channel. 'Casey is so pure and genuine,' explained Dickie Davis, director of terminal operations and customer service. 'She's not asking for anything or selling anything. She is just a love magnet.' From left: Marwick Kane with Kai, Lou Friedman with Hazel, and Bod Lederfine with Maggie Mae, walk around the Los Angeles International Airport terminal . Los Angeles' dogs, which are featured on trading cards, are as varied as its airport passengers. When Claudia McCaskill's family recently flew home from vacation in Brazil she requested Casey meet the plane to greet her 5-year-old daughter, Carina, who is autistic. She knew Carina would be low on energy and patience and they still had a 2.5-hour drive home to St. Lucie. Casey and handler Liz Miller were there with a gift basket and Carina fell in love with the dog. 'Thank you for visiting us at the airport so I would be happy,' Carina said in a video the family made for Casey. Now Carina wants to go back and see Casey again. 'I can't say how much we appreciate what they did for us. It not only helped our daughter, but us too,' McCaskill said. Despite all the smiles, there are also hard moments. Before departing from San Jose, a soldier kneeled down and told Henry James: 'OK, buddy, you take care of the house while I am gone,' Hubis said. A woman who said her husband of 40 years told her he wanted a divorce that morning wept on Henry's shoulder. 'He just sat there,' Hubis said. 'He knew. He can feel.'
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Airports in San Jose, Miami and Los Angeles are bringing in dogs to greet travelers .
The dogs, handled by volunteers, are meant to take the stress out of travel .
The Miami airport has just one dog while LAX has as many as 30 .
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(CNN) -- President Hugo Chavez on Thursday ordered the nationalization of the Banco de Venezuela "to put it at the service of Venezuela" after denying approval for its sale. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela says the banks owners aren't interested in selling but he's buying anyway. The leftist president said in a televised address to the nation that he heard "a few months ago" that the bank's Spanish owner -- Grupo de Santander -- was planning to sell the bank, which was privatized a few years ago, to a Venezuelan banker. The banker had asked the Venezuelan government for permission needed to complete the deal, Chavez said. "I sent a message to the Spaniards: No. And to the Venezuelan banker: No," Chavez said. "Now the government wants to buy the bank, wants to recover it, because it's called the Bank of Venezuela, to put it at the service of Venezuela." Chavez said he was told Wednesday that the owners now were no longer interested in selling. "So now I am telling them I am interested in buying. We are going to nationalize the Banco de Venezuela." In a written statement issued Friday, Banco de Santander said it had planned to sell the bank to a Venezuelan private investors group, but "found afterward that the Venezuelan government was interested in [acquiring] Banco de Venezuela, and conversations are under way to that effect."
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Banco de Venezuela's Spanish owner asked for permission to sell, Chavez says .
Chavez refused prospective buyer and seller's request for sale .
Bank now will be "at the service of Venezuela," Chavez says .
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(CNN) -- After his infamous "brain freeze" that drew laughter and ridicule from his detractors, Texas Gov. Rick Perry poked fun at himself Thursday night while delivering the "Top Ten" list on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman." Perry sauntered on stage smiling, clapped his hands and saluted the crowd before rattling off the "Top Ten Rick Perry Excuses." Among them: . No. 6: "You try concentrating with Mitt Romney smiling at you. That is one handsome dude!" No. 5: "Uh, El Nino?" No. 4: "I had a 5-hour Energy drink six hours before the debate." No. 2: "I wanted to help take the heat off my buddy Herman Cain." No. 1: "I just learned Justin Bieber is my father." Perry made sure he was in control of the jokes after Wednesday's GOP debate in Rochester, Michigan, when he said he would eliminate three federal agencies if elected president -- but could name only two of them. That produced a painful period of more than 50 seconds during which Perry tried in vain to remember the third federal agency. It ended only after Perry conceded that he could not remember it -- even after appearing to consult his notes. "Oops," he said. Perry has a chance to redeem himself on the debate front Saturday, when he is scheduled face off with other Republican presidential hopefuls at the CBS News-National Journal debate in South Carolina. The morning after the debacle, Perry said his "brain freeze" showed he is not "the slickest politician" among the field of Republican presidential hopefuls. His campaign, meanwhile, sought to raise funds off the gaffe, encouraging supporters to send $5 for every government agency they "would like to forget." Operatives from the left and the right slammed the moment as a potential sign of Perry's campaign imploding. The New York Times quoted Mark McKinnon, an aide to former President George W. Bush, as calling the moment the "human equivalent of shuttle Challenger." Speaking to CNN's Christine Romans on Thursday, Perry said, "we need substance more than we need style" and tried to turn the incident into an attack on President Barack Obama. When Romans said that the president has to be "debater in chief," Perry responded, "We've got a debater in chief right now. And you've got to ask yourself: How's that working out for America?" His campaign sent out a note to supporters saying, "We've all had human moments." The note from "Team Perry" points out that Obama, at a campaign stop during the 2008 election, referred to having visited "57 states." "Ronald Reagan got lost somewhere on the Pacific Highway in an answer to a debate question," the note adds. "Gerald Ford ate a tamale without removing the husk. And tonight Rick Perry forgot the third agency he wants to eliminate. Just goes to show there are too damn many federal agencies." In a 1984 debate against Walter Mondale, then-President Reagan delivered a closing statement that was widely viewed as rambling. He began by describing a day he had driven down the California coast. Reagan had to be cut off by the moderator. Ford, in 1976, was meeting voters in Texas when he bit into a tamale. Unaware of how to eat it, he did not first remove the husk. At Wednesday's debate, Perry was facing Texas Rep. Ron Paul when he started to answer the question. "I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone," Perry said. "Commerce, Education, and the -- what's the third one there? Let's see. OK. Commerce, Education, and the ... " "EPA?" Mitt Romney offered. "EPA, there you go," Perry said. When pressed by moderator John Harwood if the Environmental Protection Agency was indeed the third agency he proposes shuttering, Perry admitted that it wasn't. He then attempted again to remember the details from his plan. "The third agency of government I would -- I would do away with Education, the Commerce, and, let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." Several minutes later, Perry clarified that the agency he was trying to remember was the Department of Energy. Perry was already saddled with a series of lackluster debate performances and is down in the polls. On Twitter, reaction was swift. "Perry collapses. Cannot remember a list of three federal government departments he wants to abolish past the first two. Seriously. And then he says 'oops.' He has all but disappeared inside his suit in this debate and is now basically done," conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan tweeted. Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Roland Martin exclaimed, "Damn, he actually forgot the third federal agency he would get rid of! That is THE MOST EMBARRASSING moment of any debate I've seen!" Appearing in the spin room after the debate, Perry tried to make light of the gaffe. "I'm sure glad I had my boots on," he said, "because I sure stepped in it out there." CNN's Kevin Liptak, Josh Levs and Peter Hamby contributed to this report.
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NEW: Rick Perry is scheduled to participate in another debate Saturday .
Perry delivers the "Top Ten" list on "The Late Show with David Letterman"
At Wednesday's debate, Perry could name only 2 of 3 agencies he would eliminate .
Perry's team points to gaffes by presidents Obama, Reagan and Ford .
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Three Gold Coast Titans players have been stood down from the team effective immediately amid the cocaine crisis currently rocking the NRL. State of Origin players Greg Bird and Dave Taylor are the latest players to be implicated in the scandal, and Gold Coast Titans CEO Graham Annesly announced in a press conference on Sunday evening they had been stood down. The big name rugby league players were both served with notices to appear in court on Sunday evening, according to the Courier Mail. Mr Annesly confirmed these reports, but said he didn't have any further information. Scroll down for video . Greg Bird is one of three Gold Coast Titans players stood down on Sunday night amid the NRL club's cocaine crisis . Winger Kalifa Faifai Loa was also stood down on Sunday, after being charged earlier in the day. So far six players have been charged. Faifai Loa and former squad member Joe Vickery were charged on Sunday, whilst hooker Beau Falloon and fringe first grader Jamie Dowling were charged on Friday. Mr Annesly said it was his understanding that no one else from his club was caught up in the controversy, but acknowledged the massive damage it was doing to the club. 'I don’t think anything would surprise me but my information is this is the last of it for our club,' he said on Sunday. 'To be constantly dragged through these kind of scandals this is incredibly damaging for the club.' The CEO also confirmed that players would be forced to cover their own legal costs for the potentially lengthy processes ahead, and said there would be a contractual review for those involved. Dave Taylor is also one of the latest players to be implicated in the scandal . Mr Annesly also revealed that the NRL as a whole had been supportive of the club through recent times of turmoil. 'We've had nothing but support from the NRL right through this process.' Last week it was revealed the career of code-hopping Queensland Reds Super Rugby star Karmichael Hunt was in serious doubt after he was arrested on charges of cocaine supply and possession along with, reportedly, two Gold Coast Titans rugby league players. The charges are a result of an ongoing operation by Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) and local police, focusing on a period between June (when Hunt was still an AFL player) and December of last year. Detectives questioned Hunt on Thursday night, ahead of his arrest. Two other men, one identified by the Telegraph as being Gold Coast Titans player Beau Falloon, 27, are also understood to be facing counts of the same offence. Falloon was the Titans' NRL player of the year in 2014. A woman was also taken into custody. Winger Kalifa Faifai Loa was also stood down on Sunday, after being charged earlier in the day . Queensland Police believe they have broken up a drug cartel and are continuing investigations into other suspects. Eight people have now been arrested in the ring, with four to appear in court on the drug charges. Queensland's CCC said that four men are expected to front court in the coming days. 'Four men will face drug supply offences after being identified allegedly arranging the supply of cocaine during an ongoing drug trafficking investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC),' a statement released on Sunday said. 'The CCC will allege that during an investigation focused on a cocaine trafficking syndicate operating in South East Queensland, these men were identified contacting the syndicate and arranging for the supply of cocaine. 'The CCC can confirm the four men were identified during the same CCC drug trafficking investigation as four other individuals who were served with a Notice to Appear in Court on Thursday 19 February 2015.' The CCC statement also revealed a 26-year-old man from Burleigh Waters, a 31-year-old man from Mermaid Beach, a 25-year-old man from Burleigh Waters and a 25-year-old man from Miami were all served notices to appear in court. The 26-year-old is facing one count of possesion, the 31-year-old two counts of supplying a dangerous drug, with the 25-year-old from Burleigh Waters is facing one supply charge. The 25-year-old from Miami is facing seven counts of supplying a dangerous drug. Code-hopping Queensland Reds Super Rugby star Karmichael Hunt was arrested on charges relating to cocaine supply and possession on Friday. Two other men and a woman are also in custody . Three-code Australian footballer Karmichael Hunt faces charges of drug supply after a Crime Commission operation in Queensland . It's believed the charges against Karmichael Hunt follow an ongoing operation by Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission and he was arrested on Thursday night . The Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) also released a statement on Friday, which said four people had been charged as part of an investigation into a cocaine trafficking syndicate in south-east Queensland. Among them, it stated, was a 28-year-old man from Hendra who was facing four counts of drug supply and who is due to appear at the Southport Magistrates Court on March 5. 'During an investigation focused on a cocaine trafficking syndicate operating in southeast Queensland, these four individuals were identified contacting the syndicate and arranging for the supply of cocaine,' the CCC said in a statement. If proved, the charges threaten to end a glittering sporting career just when Hunt appeared in the mix to cap it by playing for the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup later this year. It comes just weeks after another former Queensland rugby league representative, Jason Smith, was arrested and charged with trafficking offences. He was taken into custody with a restaurant owner, Jason Wood, and the pair was charged with supplying the illicit substance between June and December of last year. Smith remains on bail and will reappear in Toowoomba Court again on May 6. Police prosecutors will also allege that former New South Wales Origin player Matt Seers had taken part in drug deals. Their bail conditions including having no contact with each other. Hunt left rugby league to try his hand at AFL, playing 44 games for the Gold Coast Suns before signing to play rugby union for the Queensland Reds . Karmichael Hunt, 28, has played three codes of football in Australia. He was a rugby league international during his days as a Brisbane Broncos player before a high profile switch to AFL and the Gold Coast Suns. He is in custody following a police operation which has reportedly busted a drug syndicate . Hunt was on Thursday named at fullback for the Reds in their match against the Western Force at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night but is unlikely to take his place. The crisis led to the Reds postponing a pre-match captain's media conference on Friday morning, as reports of Hunt's arrest spread. Both the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), were scrambling to respond to the shock news. The Reds, in particular, were in crisis mode with costly off-season signing Hunt having been named to play at fullback against the Western Force at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. No comment was made but a joint statement was issued: 'The Australian Rugby Union and Queensland Rugby Union are aware of reports regarding Karmichael Hunt.' 'The ARU’s Integrity team and the Queensland Rugby Union are making enquiries into the reports.' Similarly, the Suns released a statement: 'The Gold Coast Suns have been made aware of charges laid against Karmichael Hunt through the media reports this morning.' 'As this matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate to make any comment.' The Titans issued a short statement acknowledging the reports linking them to the operation. 'The club is aware of current media speculation in relation to police charges on the Gold Coast,' the statement said. 'We are currently trying to confirm the veracity of these reports and a public statement will be made immediately we have been able to do so.' An NRL spokesman added that the game's governing body was 'seeking advice from the Titans on the matter.' Hunt, 28, has played three codes of football in Australia, the only sportsman to have done so at the elite level. He is now facing four counts of supplying a dangerous drug after being arrested in a joint police operation . Hunt, 28, has played three codes of football in Australia, the only sportsman to have done so at the elite level. He was a rugby league international during his days as a Brisbane Broncos player before a high profile switch to AFL and the Gold Coast Suns, where he played just 44 games in four years beset by injuries. The Crime Commission said: 'Three men and one woman will face drug supply offences after being identified allegedly arranging the supply of cocaine during an ongoing drug trafficking investigation'. 'The CCC will allege that during an investigation focused on a cocaine trafficking syndicate operating in South East Queensland, these four individuals were identified contacting the syndicate and arranging for the supply of cocaine. 'The CCC will allege the three men and one woman arranged for the supply of cocaine for personal use or to on-supply cocaine to friends and colleagues between June and December 2014. 'A 28-year-old man from Hendra was served with a notice to appear in court to face four counts of supply (a) dangerous drug.' The Commission also reported the arrest of a 24-year-old man from Burleigh Waters on seven counts of possession and two counts of supply, a 27-year-old Mermaid Waters man and a 22-year-old woman, also of Mermaid Waters. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Three Gold Coast Titans players have been stood down from the club .
Greg Bird, Dave Taylor and Kalifa Faifai Loa are the latest to be implicated in the NRL cocaine scandal .
Queensland Reds Super Rugby star Karmichael Hunt and Gold Coast Titans player Beau Falloon arrested for cocaine supply on Friday .
Former squad member Joe Vickery was charged on Sunday .
Corruption Commission operation has targeted a multi-million dollar cocaine syndicate .
Police believe they have busted a major drug cartel with four people taken into custody and more arrests may follow .
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By . Harriet Arkell . With its elegant ballroom, banqueting hall, rolling acres and lake, Grade I-listed Halswell House looks as if it should be worth several million pounds. But the Palladian mansion, once described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as 'the most important house of its date in the country', is for sale at a knockdown £250,000 after being repossessed when its owner was declared bankrupt. For the price of a one-bedroom flat in one of London's less exclusive areas, you could pick up one of Britain's finest country mansions that comes with beautiful Tudor buildings and 30 acres of lush Somerset land. And, like anything of a certain age, it also has a rather interesting past. Scroll down for video . Dream home: And Halswell House near Bridgwater in Somerset could be yours for as little as £250,000 when it comes up for auction next month priced for a quick sale . Stately grandeur: The banqueting hall at Halswell boasts intricate cornicing, high ceilings and a polished wooden floor - one of many elegant rooms . Halswell House is said to be worth about £3million after it was bought by businessman Grahame Bond in 2004 and underwent a massive refurbishment. The property, which has been used as a luxury wedding venue in recent years, has a somewhat chequered history. In 2009 the police were called after a mass orgy broke out during a black-tie ball organised by a Dutch adult entertainment firm that had hired it out for the night. And in July 2012, Mr Bond's then 78-year-old mother, Stella Bond, staged a three-day sit-in in the library to prevent it being repossessed by bailiffs. Mrs Bond sat in an armchair in the wood-panelled library for 72 hours as bailiffs watched her, hour after hour, ready to take the house if she left. Mrs Bond, who lived in a house on the estate, began her sit-in when bailiffs turned up to take the house while her former estate agent son was out. The grandmother of four who has osteoporosis and had suffered a stroke in 2006, said the bailiffs could not provide her with paperwork proving they could take possession, so she took up position in the library with a young carer by her side. She said of the bailiffs: 'They were quite intimidating but I stayed put. One man was quite irritating - he thought he could move me by talking to me, but of course he couldn't.' Room to spare: The house, which was once the site of an orgy, boasts both Palladian and Tudor architecture, and several suites and bedrooms . History: Halswell's Tudor buildings date back to 1536 when they were built for Robert Halswell, whose son Nicholas went on to become the local Bridgewater MP . Divorcee Mrs Bond, who was evacuated . to Somerset from London during the Blitz, said: 'It took a lot of hard . work to restore this house, it was so dilapidated. 'My son had a dream for a long time to put a stately home back together again. It is beautiful – I was not going to let it go.’ The bailiffs were eventually called . off but despite Mrs Bond's best efforts, Halswell House was subsequently . repossessed by the mortgage lender Citi Private Banking, and is now . being sold on its behalf. Halswell has been described by architectural historian Marcus Binney as 'possibly the most perfect house in the British Isles' in his 2007 book In Search Of The Perfect House - 500 Of The Best Buildings In Britain And Ireland. Former owner: Halswell is for sale because it was repossessed after businessman Grahame Bond, 48, pictured here in front of the house was declared bankrupt . Mr Bond's indomitable mother, Stella Bond, now 79, last year staged a three-day sit-in in an armchair in Halswell's panelled library to prevent bailiffs taking the house . The bargain-basement guide price was drawn up by specialist land and property auctioneers Clive Emson. Five estate houses are also being offered in separate lots at next month's the sale, but the entire collection could be sold in one go if there is sufficient interest from people who want to acquire virtually their own hamlet. The guide price for everything is between £650,000 to £960,000.The vast estate sits in Halswell Park in Goathurst near Bridgwater. Graham Barton, of Clive Emson auctioneers, said: 'This is a unique opportunity to acquire in broad terms your own hamlet. View from the terrace: Halswell House comes with 31 acres of beautiful Somerset countryside and the owner will enjoy splendid isolation . Glamorous party venue: Grade I-listed Haslwell House has in recent years been let out by Mr Bond for parties, weddings and other events . Historic: The Tower House is another lot for sale on the Halswell Estate and has four double bedrooms, a large garden, and a guide price of just £80,000-£100,000 . 'The mansion and Tudor manor are set in 30 acres of Somerset countryside and this comprises one lot. 'There are also five houses on the estate in separate lots but we reserve the right to sell everything at once should there be interest from people wanting to acquire virtually their own hamlet. 'The mansion house is in an elevated position with breath-taking rural views over the Somerset countryside. 'The Tudor manor house does need some investment but the mansion is in fair condition and any new owner could move in. 'Halswell House is ready to become a magnificent private home once again, although it will interest investors with a variety of plans. 'Opportunities to bid on something of this scale and of such historical and architectural importance are astonishingly rare.' Quantock Cottage, which lies on the estate, offers three double bedrooms and one bathroom and has a guide price of £80,000 - £100,000, though the auctioneer admits it 'would benefit from modernisation' For sale in a separate lot is Parkhead, a large, semi-detached country house offering four good sized bedrooms, garaging, and a large garden - the guide price is £115,000-£130,000 . Outside space: Parkhead also comes with some smart outbuildings complete with battlements where the new owner can park several cars, or even horses . The Tudor house on the estate was built in 1536 for Robert Halswell and it passed down the family, one of whose members was Sir Nicholas Halswell, who became MP for Bridgwater in 1603. Later the Halswells married into the wealthy Somerset Tynte family and Sir Halswell Tynte oversaw the development of the 17th century mansion including the huge Palladian block that looks north towards the Bristol Channel. In the 18th century, Sir Charles Tynte made substantial improvements to both houses, renovated the earlier formal garden, and erected follies and other elements. There is a grotto, temple, ruins, as well as a large dovecote. With a guide price of £60,000-£70,000, Gardener's Cottage has two large bedrooms (although the auctioneer notes that one has no natural light), and a 'highly enviable rural location' Groom's Cottage, offered for sale with a guide price of £50,000-£60,000, is said to need 'enhancement', and offers a kitchen/living room, bedroom, bathroom and garden . In 1923 a fire caused extensive damage but the house was rebuilt at great expense, and during the Second World War it served as a girls' school, while some of the land was made a camp for Italian prisoners of war. The National Trust declined the opportunity to take on the house when owner Lord Wharton put it up for sale after the war. The aristocrat went to London with his boyfriend and his sister went to South Africa in what was a scandal at the time. The estate was then sold and broken up, before being bought by a local property developer who turned it into several bedsits. It was later owned by a Muslim group before Mr Bond bought it for £1.94million in 2004. The Halswell estate will be auctioned on 17 December at the St Mellion International Resort in Cornwall. Halswell House was the setting for an orgy after its owner, Grahame Bond, let it to a company thinking they wanted to hold a masked ball there. More than 350 well-heeled partygoers flocked to the historic house for the £65-a-head ball, parking their Porsches, Aston Martins and BMWs outside. But the astonished owner said that the elegant ball turned into a heaving orgy as if 'at the flick of a switch'. Masked partygoers: Grahame Bond hired his house for £9,000 thinking it would host a masked ball, but suddenly it turned into an orgy . Mr Bond said: 'The party started normally and the whole group were dressed in these great costumes. 'But then one of the organisers announced: "The moment has come, the spell has begun", and everyone began kissing and having sex. 'To say I was shocked was an understatement. When the haze from the dry ice cleared we realised it was going on everywhere. 'That's when the penny dropped that it was a swingers' party.' Mr Bond said that more than 350 guests arrived in expensive cars and wearing masks for the ball - this still from a video of the event shows a performer on stage . Stunning venue: This picture from the party organisers' website, shows another performer in the splendid surroundings of Halswell House . Mr Bond, who had hired out his house for £9,000 for the night of the party in July 2009, sent his younger members of staff home and called police, but was told they were powerless to act because it was a private party. The house had been booked by Dutch events company Little Sins, who told Mr Bond that 'there was a dating aspect' to the party, but he had not understood that that meant it would be an orgy.
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Halswell House in Bridgwater, Somerset, is one of Britain's finest houses and boasts Tudor buildings and 31 acres .
The Palladian mansion was described by Pevsner as 'the most important house of its date in the country'
Ballroom, banqueting hall, lake and follies all included with auctioneer's guide price of £250,000-£500,000 for the lot .
The estate was repossessed after owner Grahame Bond declared bankrupt and is priced for a quick sale .
Halswell, the earliest parts of which were built in 1536, has a fascinating - and occasionally chequered - past .
The Tudor manor house was built for Robert Halswell whose son Nicholas became Bridgwater MP .
During the Second World War an area of Halswell's parkland was used as a camp for Italian prisoners of war .
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(CNN) -- The San Francisco Giants won their first World Series title since 1954 on Monday, after the California-based team beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 away at the Arlington Ballpark to secure a 4-1 victory in Major League baseball's best-of-seven-game contest. After narrowly missing out in the "Fall Classic" in 1962, 1989 and 2002, the result marked the Giants' sixth overall World Series win, but only their first since the franchise moved from New York to the west coast city in 1958. The game was the end of an incredible season for the Giants -- who qualified for the final by beating the Atlanta Braves and defending National League Champions the Philadelphia Phillies -- after they clinched a play-off place on the last day of the six-month regular season. But it was a disappointing night for the Rangers, who were appearing in the World Series final for the first time in the team's 50-year history. Is the Giants' triumph bad for baseball? Veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria -- who produced the winning hit in the final game of the 1997 series for the Florida Marlins -- sealed the win for the Giants with a three-run homer in the seventh innings, and the 35-year-old Colombian was subsequently named the series' Most Valuable Player. "I didn't forget that we were playing a great offensive team like Texas," Renteria told the Giants' official website. "That's why I told my teammates, 'Keep playing,' because we know they can tie the game right away." But the Texas-based team were unable to catch the eventual winners, and American starting pitcher Tim Linecum was also invaluable for the Giants, striking out 10 and scattering three hits over eight innings, allowing just one home run to Rangers player Nelson Cruz -- his side's only score. "I felt pretty collected," Linecum said. "From the first inning on, my adrenaline kind of just dissipated and I was able to calm down. I was very poised out there." The Rangers had hoped for more on their World Series debut, but the team who had not won a play-off game until three weeks ago admitted they were beaten by better players. "Not much worked for us this series. We won one game," Ian Kinsler of the Rangers told his side's official website. "They pitched better than us. They did everything better than us."
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San Francisco Giants beat Texas Rangers 3-1 to win best-of-seven World Series 4-1 .
Calfornia-based Giants ended fans' 56-year wait for a championship pennant .
It is the franchise's sixth in total but first since it moved from New York in 1958 .
Rangers were playing in the first World Series final of the team's 50-year history .
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It was the bomb credited with ending World War II. Days after the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. In Hiroshima, 80,000 people died instantly when the bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, and another 112,000 died in the aftermath. More than 70,000 people died instantly when the second bomb was dropped on August 9 in Nagasaki. The Manhattan Project, the federal military program where leading scientists developed the atomic bomb in secret, could become a national historic park with the help of recently passed congressional legislation. The National Defense Authorization Act includes seven new national park sites, the expansion of nine national park sites and the extension of 15 National Heritage Areas. The legislation awaits President Barack Obama's signature. "Our national parks are a reflection of our nation, both past and present, and these seven new national park sites will further tell America's stories," said Clark Bunting, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. "Bipartisan, congressional approval for protecting and preserving Harriet Tubman's heroic life and work, Columbian mammoths and Ice Age fossils at Tule Springs, and the complexity of the Manhattan Project continue to make our National Park System our country's best idea," he said. Here are some potential new and expanded park sites worth exploring. Manhattan Project National Historical Park . Working in secret during World War II, scientists J. Robert Oppenheimer, Maria Goeppert Mayer and others led thousands of workers in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington, to build a nuclear reactor and assemble the atomic bomb. The legislation authorizes the proposed park, which would be located in all three states. Its creation is dependent on land acquisition. While the National Park Service will interpret the sites for the public, the U.S. Department of Energy is responsible for ensuring safety, environmental remediation and historic preservation of its Manhattan Project properties, and access to the properties. Harriet Tubman National Historical Park . Born into slavery in Maryland, Harriet Tubman escaped to Philadelphia and rose to become an iconic conductor on the Underground Railroad, returning again and again to Maryland to help enslaved people escape to freedom. After the Civil War, she fought for women's suffrage along with Susan B. Anthony in Auburn, New York. The proposed national historical park, whose creation is also dependent on land acquisition, would include the existing Harriet Tubman National Monument on Maryland's Eastern Shore and add new sites in New York. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument . Once home to bison herds, prides of lions, Columbian mammoths, saber tooth cats, herds of bison and other Ice Age animals, Nevada's Tule Springs desert used to be lush wetlands. The evidence of its past is ripe for further exploration if the area becomes a new national park site as the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. Valles Caldera National Preserve . The Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico is "one of the world's best examples of a resurgent caldera and its large eruptions," says the National Parks Conservation Association. Calderas are vast sunken areas formed after supervolcano eruptions blow out the ground and the land falls back to rest. (Yellowstone may be the world's most famous supervolcano.) Visitors can also enjoy exploring the mountains, old growth timber and Native American heritage in the area. The site is already owned by the federal government, and it would get even more attention as a new national park site. Gettysburg National Military Park . The Gettysburg Train Station, where President Abraham Lincoln arrived on a train to deliver the historic Gettysburg Address, would be added to the existing Gettysburg National Military Park. The train station also served as a field hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Foundation owns the land, and there are plans to donate it to the National Park Service.
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Manhattan Project may become new national park site .
There are seven new sites included in Congressional legislation .
Some sites require land acquisition to become parks .
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A new five-day break in Scotland is being launched which invites participants on 'an inner journey of discovery and remembering' with the goal of learning how to cope with loss. The retreat is aimed at those who have lost a loved one, or who are grieving for some other reason, such as relationship breakdown, 'empty nest' syndrome or simply a lost opportunity. Led by qualified counsellors, the holiday will be based in Ardoch House, in Scotland’s picturesque Loch Lomond National Park. The retreat is aimed at those who are newly separated or divorced and even empty nesters . Up to 20 people at a time can book on the retreat, and the cost of the five day break is £2,750 per person, not including travel. The plan is to hold the retreat four times a year at Ardoch House, offering a combination of 'cutting edge therapeutic interventions and ancient African ritual practices' for people grieving about a loss in their lives. The 133 acre Ardoch House estate has 17 bedrooms, a large dining room, numerous meeting rooms and a number of 'break-out spaces' for time out. The five day retreat will run in three stages, past, present and future, explains course leader Donna Lancaster, who is a registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council. The bonny shores of Loch Lomond, near Ardoch House which will host the new 'grief retreat' Lancaster has a degree in social work and has been coaching and counselling people for more than ten years. The retreat will implement meditation, visualisation, dance, breath and body work and other practices. Co-facilitator and qualified counsellor Gabi Krueger says losses can include bereavement, separation and divorce, but also a 'loss of innocence, betrayal of trust...lost opportunities.' 'The focus is on supporting people to grieve and let go of their losses and in so doing so allowing them to return to their natural state of well-being,' she says. Kruger has trained in various therapies, including Non Violent Communication (NVC), the Hoffman Process, Trauma Training and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). The retreat helps those who have suffered a loss or a relationship break-up, with counsellors on hand . The pair believe the course will be useful for people who recognise they have unprocessed emotions holding them back, or 'who feel blocked or hijacked by their life experiences and conditioning'. The pilot retreat is booked to run between April 7-12 with a second planned for June. Ardoch House is around 20 miles from Glasgow airport and has views over nearby Loch Lomond. Ardoch sits on the edge of Gartocharn, a village in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The property stands alone on high ground in the middle of the 133 acre private estate. Hill walking, water sports and numerous golf courses are all close by.
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Qualified counsellors will run the five-day grief retreat .
Held at Ardoch House, near Loch Lomond in Scotland .
Designed for anyone suffering from loss, including empty nesters, the bereaved and people who are separated or divorced .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . A transgender woman has told of her joy after internet users paid for her to have a vagina. Samantha Allen said she is used to receiving abuse online, so could not believe it when she raised the $8,000 needed for her surgery in less than 24 hours. Ms Allen, a doctoral fellow in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Emory University, in Atlanta, raised the money through crowdfunding. A transgender woman has had surgery to create a vagina after raising $8,000 on a crowdfunding website. Samantha Allen (right, pictured with her wife, Corey) had the operation in April . On The Daily Dot she wrote: ‘I’ve been called every anti-woman, anti-gay, and anti-transgender slur in the dictionary. ‘I’ve read three thousand word e-mails from anonymous readers who just want to let me know that I’m a disgrace to my community. ‘So if you had told me last year that I would one day be tearfully thanking the internet for supporting my gender transition, I would have laughed in your face.’ Ms Allen, who was born a man, wanted to have surgery to remove her penis and replace it with a vagina. She discovered that the operation would cost about $20,000. Her health insurance would cover part of the cost but she would need to pay the remaining $8,000. Samantha Allen says she could not believe it when she reached the fundraising target in less than 24 hours. Image shows her fundraising page . Unable to afford this herself, she and her wife, Corey Burke, created an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign to pay for the gender reassignment surgery. She explained that she saw having a penis as ‘a source of suffocating shame and self-loathing’ meaning she knew she had to have the surgery. On her IndieGoGo page she added that she has been taking female hormones since November 2012 and that she has 'spent [her] entire life trying to correct the circumstances of [her] birth. She wrote . that she was born into a devout Mormon family and that when she left the . Mormon church she was told by her father that her decision would have . 'eternal consequences'. She took this to mean that he thought she would go to hell. Ms Allen says that since the operation she now loves her body for the first time (file picture) She went on to explain that she did not believe she would raise all of the money through crowdfunding but that she hoped it might make a dent in the total. However, she couldn’t believe her eyes when she found that every time she refreshed the page the amount raised had increased by $500. She says by the end of the first day, she had received almost $5,000 in donations and that she reached the target the next day. She added it took her a little while to realise that her life was about to change forever thanks to the generosity of strangers. Then, on April 23 this year she underwent surgery, explaining surgery isn't as complex as one might think - it simply involves ‘rearranging’ the tissue that's already there. She explained that during the operation, the surgeon used the existing tissue to create the vagina as well as a clitoris. Upon waking from surgery, the first thing she did was Tweet: ‘I have a vagina’, as she felt she should let the people who paid for it know. And that after the operation, she felt a profound sense of calm wash over her and unlike anything else she had experience - for the first time in her life, she felt beautiful and loved her whole body. She will now have to use a sex toy to maintain the shape of her new vagina until it has healed. But, she concludes, the internet has now changed her life for the better.
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Samantha Allen was born a man and wanted surgery to create a vagina .
She was told it would cost $20,000 and her insurance would only pay part .
She took to a crowdfunding website to raise the rest of the money .
Amazingly, she reached the total in less than 24 hours and had the surgery .
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(CNN) -- The number of shark attacks last year dropped to a four-year low, but they were deadlier, a University of Florida report says. Worldwide, 10 people died in 72 shark attacks last year. That's higher than the average of 6.3 deaths over the past 10 years, said George Burgess, who conducts research on sharks at the University of Florida. The last time shark attacks were this low was 2009 when there were 67. Since 2001, fatal shark attacks have only been higher once -- in 2011 when there were 13. Shark attack hot spots include Western Australia with six deaths in the past four years and Reunion Island in the southwest Indian Ocean with five deaths in three years. Over the past century, shark attacks have been on the increase as more humans have ventured into the water, according to Burgess. "When sudden increases in shark attacks occur, usually human factors are involved that promote interactions between sharks and people," he said. With more people in the ocean, their interactions with sharks have increased. In the United States, there were 47 shark attacks last year, down from a peak of 54 attacks the previous year. Nearly half of those attacks occurred in Florida. The lone U.S. death involved a man fishing from a kayak off the coast of Hawaii. He was dangling his legs in the water when a shark took a bite. "Sharks have a lot more to fear from us than we do from them," Burgess said. "Statistically, shark attacks are extremely rare, especially considering the number of humans that enter the water each year." Burgess warned that entering the ocean is a "wilderness experience," just like hiking in the woods where bears or mountain lions might live. "One-on-one in the ocean, the shark has the advantage," he said. "But, by better understanding where and when it is safe to be in the ocean, we can better avoid those encounters."
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There were 72 unprovoked shark attacks last year .
More than half, 47, happened in the United States .
Globally, 10 people died from shark attacks .
"Sharks have a lot more to fear from us than we do from them," researcher says .
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By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 15:14 EST, 26 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:16 EST, 26 December 2012 . A couple who survived a Christmas Day aircraft crash in Burma that killed three people today recalled their dramatic escape as the carrier apologised for its worst accident since it started flying. Air Bagan officials found the plane's two black boxes and are investigating what went wrong, but have so far blamed heavy fog for the crash into a rice paddy field where the plane burst into flames. A British family survived the crash, but one of them was injured when the 21-year-old Fokker 100 jet, carrying 65 Christmas holidaymakers, smashed into the ground two miles short of its destination. Scroll down for video . Ablaze: The Air Bagan passenger plane burst into flames when it crash landed two miles short of Heho airport . Wreckage: Four Britons are believed to have been on board the jet in Burma . Rescue: Burmese authorities work next to the ageing aircraft that was carrying 71 people . Three Burmese were killed in the . tragedy - a tour guide and an 11-year-old child on board the plane, as . well as a man riding a motorcycle on the road where it came down. Eleven . people were injured. The plane crashed as it approached Heho airport in the east of Burma . The jet passed inspections at annual . renewals of its air certificate. It was carrying 71 people from Yangon . via Mandalay to Heho, which is the gateway to the popular tourist . destination Inle Lake. ‘We felt the first bump, then a few . big bumps and then (started) sliding very fast,’ said Australian . advertising executive Anna Bartsch, 31. Her boyfriend Stuart Benson . described it as a ‘rollercoaster’. ‘In my window I saw the flames, and it . was hot and we knew straight away we didn't have much time to get out,’ she said at a Yangon hotel where the airline put passengers after . evacuating them. Passengers rushed up the aisle to the . front door, which was initially stuck shut, she said. ‘We didn't know . then that the wings had come off,’ Ms Bartsch added. The door was quickly forced open and . passengers raced from the plane, some in shock and some suffering smoke . inhalation, she said. Once on safe ground, Ms Bartsch said she saw the pilot and co-pilot with bloodied faces and other people with serious burns. Reactions: Air Bagan managing director U Htoo Htet Htwe (left) speaks about a Christmas Day crash-landing of his airliner and Australian Anna Bartsch (right) who survived talks at a Yangon hotel about her escape . Split: The Air Bagan plane broke in half on impact, according to Burmese officials . Carnage: Burmese authorities said the plane split in half on impact . Smouldering: Rescuers work to put out the flames . ‘It's amazing that the injuries were . not more serious,’ she said. ‘It could have been much worse.’ The crew . realised something was wrong only when the plane hit the ground. 'In my window I saw the flames, and it was hot and we knew straight away we didn't have much time to get out' Anna Bartsch, plane crash survivor . ‘We shouted, “This is an emergency”,’ said flight attendant Khaing Su Naing, adding that despite one of two . doors initially getting stuck the crew evacuated the plane 90 seconds . after it stopped moving. The accident raised concerns about the . safety standards of Myanmar's overburdened airlines as foreign visitors . flock to the Southeast Asian country, emerging from a half-century of . military rule. Air Bagan, which started flying in 2004, is one of a half dozen private airlines that fly domestic routes in Myanmar. After one plane was destroyed in . Tuesday's crash its fleet now consists of five planes, including four . ATR turboprops and another Fokker 100, which is no longer made. The charred wreckage of the plane. Witnesses said it was still smoking hours after the crash . State television said the plane missed the runway because of fog . Tourism: Air Bagan is trying to capitalise on the country's burgeoning tourism industry (file picture) ‘We deeply apologise to all our . passengers and to their family members,’ the airline's managing director . Htoo Thet Htwe told a news conference. All passengers were paid $2,300 . (£1,420), he said. 'We shouted, "This is an emergency"' Khaing Su Naing, flight attendant . ‘This is the most serious accident Air . Bagan has ever had,’ he said. In 2008, one of its planes overshot a . provincial airport's runway, spun out of control and crashed, causing . the wings and tail to snap off. Many passengers were injured but none died. Air Bagan has said ‘the plane hit electrical cables about a mile from Heho airport as it descended and landed in rice fields.’ The Information Ministry said the . pilot mistook a road near the airport for a runway before stopping in a . nearby rice paddy. It was unclear if the plane made its crash landing on . the road or the rice field.
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Air Bagan plane crashed in a paddy field in heavy fog on Christmas Day .
British family survive but three Burmese die in tragedy - including child, 11 .
Australian Anna Bartsch, 31, and her boyfriend recall 'rollercoaster' ride .
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Editor's note: Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. His new book, "Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security -- From World War II to the War on Terrorism," will be published this fall by Basic Books. Zelizer writes widely about current events. Julian E. Zelizer says it's vital that new media provide support for journalism that strives for objectivity. (CNN) -- Last week, Sen. John Kerry convened a discussion of the troubled state of journalism in America by way of a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. In Kerry's home state of Massachusetts, the Boston Globe is barely surviving. Several major metro papers have closed down, and there are indications that many more could soon follow. Experts have been warning in recent months that much of the newspaper industry may not survive. While the end of the metro newspaper would constitute a huge blow to journalism and the political system, realistically there might be nothing that we can do. The popularity of news on the Web and the potential of mobile devices such as the Kindle makes it difficult to see how we can sustain news in print -- unless electronic delivery can produce enough revenue to support the cost of newspaper staffs. Sometimes technological innovations and consumer preferences cause changes that are irreversible. The industry has seen other important shifts in the way that Americans receive their news, such as the advent of television news in the 1950s and 1960s. But the real issue is not whether we can save the newspapers, but how we can create the best Internet news system possible. As Kerry said in his opening statement: "There also is the important question of whether online journalism will sustain the values of professional journalism, the way the newspaper industry has." The first challenge we must address has to do with editorial control. A great danger of blog-based news is that information disseminates instantly with very little editorial supervision. On too many sites, information goes right from writer to reader. In the heyday of daily newspapers and network news, the news cycle was slow, lasting over the course of a day. There was a considerable amount of time for reporters, editors, and producers to check and verify information before it reached the public eye. Those days are gone. The result is too often that incorrect information circulates quickly. It will be crucial that television news networks continue to maintain Web sites which have the financial capital to support an editorial and production staff and that the newspapers which do survive find ways to expand their online operations, turning them into commercially lucrative ventures. Only they can finance the kind of infrastructure that good journalism requires. The second challenge we face has to do with polarization. Most studies of politics show that polarization has increased significantly throughout American politics. The media are both a product and cause of this political phenomenon. In Congress, there are fewer centrists in either party who are willing to compromise. Unfortunately, we have seen a similar phenomenon in the news business. During the 1990s, FOX News promoted a style of journalism framed within a clear conservative perspective. In recent years, liberals have mimicked these efforts. The nightly broadcasts of MSNBC have offered a counterpoint on the left, with television shows offering news from a liberal perspective. Bloggers on the Web follow this model as well. Not believing that the norm of objectivity is attainable, they prefer to present their political views openly and tend to be much more partisan in how they interpret world events. Moreover, readers and viewers tend to go for their information to sites and channels where they can see their own perspectives confirmed. It will be difficult to counteract these kinds of trends since they are so deep-rooted in American politics. But at a minimum, someone needs to fund reporters who keep covering the story and who at least strive to achieve as much objectivity as possible. There are many Web sites that do undertake this mission, but it will be essential that there is continued and expanded support for reporting as the metro newspapers slowly vanish. The final challenge has to do with fragmentation of news outlets. One of the great advantages of the Internet is that it has broken the monopoly the networks and major newspapers maintained on reporting the news. But the cost of fragmentation is that there are so many competing sites, some run by lone individuals and others by organizations, that Americans have fewer sources that can expose them to a diverse range of stories and that can make clear the interconnections between events that are taking place. When you read the newspaper, it is possible to get a rounded picture of the world by flipping through the international news, national news, arts, business, sports, and more. Now, many sites focus on narrow subject matter. How can we bring the pieces together? The multiplicity of sources on the Web forces the reader to be his own editor, and not many people are inclined to do all the work of scanning a variety of the relevant sites to get a full picture. All of these are challenges to journalism, but we should not lose hope in the potential of the Internet to provide high-quality news. The Internet offers many advantages. The speed can be an asset as readers learn of breaking stories more quickly. Editors have less power to stifle stories because of political or economic pressure. With so many more outlets, somehow the news will get out. Hyperlinked stories can offer readers easy connections to related information and even to original documents through which they can draw their own conclusions about what reporters are saying. The Internet offers room for many more perspectives than existed when just three network anchors and the local newspaper told Americans what was happening. The Internet can also combine written news with video and audio sources, as well as disseminate stories through social networking sites. Readers have the opportunities to interact with reporters and comment on stories. The death of the metro newspaper would be a huge loss. But rather than only focusing on lament, our best response would be to make the new medium of Internet news as strong as it can possibly be. We must address the major challenges by developing sites with the resources to edit, insisting on venues where the pursuit of objectivity remains a goal, and cultivating sites that help bring together different subject matter. If we do, the technological transition that we are living through can turn into a positive moment of advance for the media rather than a moment of decline. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.
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Julian Zelizer: Sen. John Kerry held hearing on future of newspapers and news .
Zelizer says newspapers are endangered by rise of new media .
Focus should be on what new media can do to ensure quality reporting .
Zelizer: Pursuit of objectivity is a needed goal for Web-based news .
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By . Fiona Macrae Science Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 11:12 EST, 29 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:03 EST, 29 October 2013 . Lullabies don’t only help babies get off to sleep, they also ease pain. A study found that Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Hush a Bye Baby and other well-loved children’s songs helped patients in Great Ormond Street Hospital feel better. Heart rates dropped and the children, including toddlers waiting for heart transplants and babies as young as a week old, were in visibly less pain. In contrast, reading stories complete with pop-up pictures and animal sounds had no effect. Musical medicine: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Hush a Bye Baby and other well-loved children's songs helped to ease pain in sick children . The researchers say this shows that the effect can’t be explained by the children simply being soothed by the extra attention. Instead, there is something special about being sung to. Researcher Dr Nick Pickett, who has provided music therapy at the world-famous hospital for two decades, said: ‘Parents have been singing to their children for thousands of years and they have always instinctively known that it helps their children relax – but it is exciting to have some scientific evidence that lullabies offer genuine health benefits for the child.’ Dr Pickett sang a selection of lullabies to 37 patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital and monitored their heart rate and signs of pain, including crying, grimacing and squirming. The tests were also done when the youngsters were read to and when they were left to sit quietly. Only the lullabies reduced their heart rate and the amount of pain they were in, the journal Psychology of Music reports. It is thought that the calming tones ease pain by distracting the children from their illness. Ian Bowers, whose three-year-old . daughter Keira has been in hospital since June, said: ‘It perks her . right up. It makes her feel wanted. It does leave a lasting . impression.’ Soothing: It's thought that the calming tones of lullabies ease pain by distracting the children from their illness . Professor Tim Griffiths, a neuroscientist with the Wellcome Trust told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that music seems better than story-telling at tapping into the brain’s emotional centre. Dr Pickett said that live music is likely to be better at easing pain than recordings. He said: ‘Babies and young children respond to the singer’s voice first and instruments second. ‘More than one instrument can actually become quite confusing and less effective. 'Facial expressions and visual stimulation during the performance of a lullaby are just as important and live performance allows the adult to adapt their singing depending on the child’s mood.’ Other studies to find that music benefits children’s health include one from the US, in which newborns played lullabies put on more weight and were discharged more quickly from intensive care. Although some hospitals do offer music therapy on children’s wards, it is generally paid for by charity money, rather than the NHS.
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Songs such as Twinkle, Twinkle .
Little Star, Hush a Bye Baby and other well-loved songs .
helped patients in Great Ormond Street Hospital feel better .
Heart rates dropped and the children were in visibly less pain .
But reading stories with pop-up pictures or sounds had no effect .
Calming tones may ease pain by distracting the children from their illness .
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By . Tara Brady . World Cup organisers and Fifa are under pressure after TV viewers spotted hundreds of empty seats at opening games that were supposed to be sold out. Except for the opening game between Brazil and Croatia, most matches have been played in unfilled stadiums. Switzerland played Ecuador on Sunday in the Arena Brasilia which as a capacity of 72,500 but it appeared to be only two-thirds full. Scroll down for video . World Cup organisers and Fifa are under pressure after TV viewers spotted hundreds of empty seats at opening games. Picture show fans during the Switzerland and Ecuador match at Estadio Nacional in Brasilia . Reports claim many fans were still outside waiting when the match kicked off. However, Fifa said the official figure of those in attendance was 68,351. Meanwhile, those watching at home spotted hundreds of empty seats during the Spain Netherlands match on Friday and England versus Italy on Saturday. With just hours to go before the Argentina and Bosnia Herzegovina kick-off on Sunday night at the Maracana stadium, tickets were still available online priced at £80. Tickets to see Bosnia Herzegovina play Iran in Salvador next week which cost £110 remain largely unsold. Switzerland played Ecuador in Brasilia on Sunday in the Arena Brasilia which as a capacity of 72,500 but it appeared to be only two-thirds full . Those watching at home spotted hundreds of empty seats during the Spain v Netherlands match on Friday . A Fifa spokesman told The Independent that a total of 2.9 million tournament tickets had been allocated with only 9,327 remaining. However, large numbers of tickets distributed to Football Associations around the world often go unsold. England is believed to have sold all 2,500 of its official allocation of tickets for the Saturday game while Italy were only reported to have sold 200 of theirs and so returned the rest. Last week it emerged that more than 1,000 fans were forced to switch seats after stadium building delays and changes to signage compelled a reconfigurement of some seating plans. Emails were sent to 1,376 fans telling them to exchange their tickets for others of the same category but in a different section of several of the 12 tournament stadiums. A FIFA media spokesman said that officials had contacted ticketholders in advance to prevent confusion or delays on match days and that the changes affected only a tiny proportion of the tickets sold. Protesters have been staging demonstrations against Brazil spending £7billion of public money on the tournament.
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Switzerland played Ecuador on Sunday in the Arena Brasilia .
The stadium has a capacity of 72,500 but it appeared only two-thirds full .
Hundreds of empty seats spotted during the Spain Netherlands match .
Large number of tickets for Bosnia Herzegovina against Iran remain unsold .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:03 EST, 25 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:25 EST, 25 November 2012 . A father has been charged with killing his 23-year-old son, after he allegedly engineered what appeared to be a gruesome accident four years ago. Karl Karlsen, 52, of Romulus, New York, told police that he found Levi Karlsen's lifeless body in the family barn in November 2008. It appeared that the pickup truck that Levi was working on had slipped off its jack and crushed him to death. The death was ruled as a 'tragic accident' but investigators reopened the case on new information in March. Well-planned accident: Police believe that Karl Karlsen staged the death of his 23-year-old son in order to collect life insurance money . On Friday, Karl Karlsen was charged with murdering his son for insurance money. Investigators are now re-examining a house fire that killed Karlsen's first wife in 1991. Police reopened the case on Levi Karlsen's death when they discovered that just before his son died, Karl had taken out a new and large life insurance policy in Levi's name. The new policy named Karl as sole beneficiary instead of Levi's two young children. Investigators then took another look at . the circumstances surrounding the alleged accident. They concluded that . Karl Karlsen had made the pickup truck fall on his son, crushing and trapping him under its weight. Karl then went out to a family . gathering, returning four hours later to make a show of discovering his . son's body and telling his wife, Cindy, to call 911. Karl is charged with murdering Levi, disguising it as an accident and then picking up the insurance money. 'To think that a father could cause a vehicle to fall off a jack . crushing his son and then leave for four hours, knowing all the time . that his son was pinned under the truck apparently dead, is . unconscionable,' Seneca County Sheriff Jack Stenberg said. Levi Karlsen, father of two young children, was crushed to death by a pickup truck at his family's farm . 'Then, to put on an act for arriving first responders was part of a well-planned event staged by Karl Karlsen,' Stenberg added. But this might not be the first time Karlsen has claimed insurance money in suspicious, possibly murderous, circumstances. Now police are looking into a fire in Karl Karlsen's former home in California that killed his first wife, Christena Karlsen, on New Year's Day in 1991. The sheriff's office declined to give further details on Saturday. But Art Alexander, Christena's father and Levi Karlsen's grandfather, told the Syracuse Post-Standard that he had always been suspicious. And Alexander's doubts had grown over the years. Karl Karlsen claimed that the fire had started while he was in the garage and that he had been able to save his son and two daughters, but not his wife. But as Alexander explains, not all the evidence adds up. Karl Karlsen has been charged with murdering his son and will be reinvestigated for a fire that killed his first wife. He collected insurance payouts on both occasions . Alexander explains that one investigator told him that the children would have been covered in soot if they had been in the house during the fire. Yet when he arrived on the scene the children were unharmed and clean. He also claims that he was shown multiple 'flash points' where the fire had started. According to Karlsen's story there should have been only one. While Alexander did have concerns he says that he couldn't confront Karlsen as he wanted to stay in touch with his family. 'I couldn’t tell him what I thought,” he told the Post-Standard. 'It would alienate me from my grandkids.' 'Just to keep it bottled up - it was the hardest thing I ever did in my life,' Alexander said. Following Friday's developments, authorities are now looking into this suspicious blaze. Karlsen received $200,000 in insurance money from this fire and moved from California to New York with his children. In New York, Karl Karlsen used this payout to buy the property in Romulus - the place where Levi Karlsen died. The family farm in upstate New York where Levi Karlsen died. Karl Karlsen bought the property with insurance money paid out from a suspicious fire that killed his first wife .
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Karl Karlsen, 52, of Romlus, New York told police he found son's body in barn and death was ruled tragic accident .
New information came to light in March and Karlsen charged with murder .
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(CNN) -- Mitt Romney is in a bind. He must present himself as a staunch conservative in order to appeal to skeptical right-wing voters in the Republican presidential primary, but if he plays it too conservative, he'll alienate moderate voters in the general election. Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom is not overly concerned, though. On Wednesday, he expressed confidence the campaign would hit the "reset button" after the nomination and redraw Romney as a moderate candidate. "Everything changes," he explained on CNN, "It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again." Fehrnstrom's comparison of his boss' campaign to a toy tablet ignited a political firestorm. Internet wags imagined Mitt Romney as an Etch A Sketch drawing, while his primary opponents, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, gleefully brandished Etch A Sketches at campaign events. Romney rushed to contain the damage by promising to be a true conservative forever. It won't work. Fehrnstrom has accidentally stumbled on something profound. He may not have much experience with Etch A Sketch technology. With all due respect to that iconic American toy, its legendary reset abilities have never been quite up to scratch. Dark smudges tend to mar the perimeter of its silvery slate, and no matter how vigorously you shake the thing, you can never quite obliterate the residue. Even so, the real-life Etch A Sketch in all its splotchy glory actually offers a better metaphor for American politics than the fantasy of a clean post-primary slate. It's not that Fehrnstrom's contempt for the cognitive capabilities of the voters is entirely off the mark. The collective memory of the American electorate is notoriously short. Think you're smarter than the average voter? Identify the authors of these political promises: . • "He won't streamline the federal government and change the way it works, cut 100,000 bureaucrats and put 100,000 new police officers on the streets of American cities, but I will." • "And after we fund important priorities in the ongoing operations of our government, I believe we ought to pay down national debt. And so my budget pays down a record $2 trillion in debt over the next 10 years." • "My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors and stay within the public financing system for the general election." (Answers: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama) OK, maybe you're one of the smart ones, but most people would have to guess. That's why it's not very hard for presidential candidates to shift from primary promises that appeal to the base to general election proposals that appeal to moderates and independents. Even issues a few months old go rapidly stale when the pressure comes off. House Republicans have recently violated the historic debt deal they agreed to less than a year ago, gambling that voters won't hold them to it. They seem to be right. The media has barely covered the story; the public isn't interested. But American voters don't forget everything. Some words and ideas seem to permanently embed themselves in our collective psyche. Try identifying the authors of these quotes: . • "Read my lips: no new taxes" • "I am not a crook." • "Tear down this wall." • "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." Easy, right? George H. W. Bush, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton. How about this one? "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Most Americans probably remember very little about Vice President Dan Quayle, let alone Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, but this brief exchange during a vice-presidential debate was unforgettable. Pithy one-liners tend to fix themselves in our mental machinery far more easily than complex ideas. They capture a personality, a moment or an idea in a few compelling or amusing words. Apt labels and nicknames also tend to stick: Reagan the great communicator, Clinton the comeback kid, John McCain the maverick, John Kerry the flip-flopper. Once embedded in the great Etch A Sketch that is American political consciousness, these ideas cannot be shaken free for decades, sometimes even centuries. People still say, "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" some 170 years after the campaign slogan was coined, though few have any idea who it referred to or why. Time will tell which words and ideas endure from the 2012 presidential election, but Eric Fehrnstrom has offered us a prime candidate. The Etch A Sketch perfectly captures voters' perception of Mitt Romney as an opportunistic politician anxious to redraw himself according to the political requirements of the moment, a man who leans left in Massachusetts and right in Mississippi. The notion provokes the mistrust of conservatives, the cynicism of moderates and the amusement of liberals. Whether the label is fair is beside the point. Romney can defend his ideological consistency all year long. Nonetheless, when it comes to pithy words that stimulate the country's political imagination, you can shake and shake and shake, but you can never quite obliterate that residue. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Wolraich.
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Michael Wolraich: Etch A Sketch gaffe-turned-joke highlights bind Romney was already in .
He says in truth Etch A Sketch leaves residue on screen after a shake, a better analogy here .
He says voters forget actual policy promises; they remember gaffes, one-liners, labels .
Wolraich: Romney can defend consistency all he wants, but it's the new pithy gibe that will stick .
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By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 08:07 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:07 EST, 16 October 2013 . Almost destroyed and littered with unexploded bombs, it suffered some of the worst bombing of any airfield during the Battle of Britain and has a rich history of flight. But Manston Airport, near Margate, Kent - where Dambusters ace Sir Barnes Wallace carried out tests on the revolutionary bouncing bomb during the Second World War - has been sold for just £1. The location, which is now called Kent’s International Airport and operated from by Dutch airline KLM, was used in 1943 to test the bomb before it was used in the raid on Germany’s Ruhr valley. Coastal location: Manston Airport, near Margate, Kent - where Dambusters ace Sir Barnes Wallace carried out tests on the revolutionary bouncing bomb during the Second World War - has been sold for just £1 . In flight: The location, which is now called Kent's International Airport and operated from by Dutch airline KLM, was used in 1943 to test the bomb before it was used in the raid on Germany's Ruhr valley . Days gone by: A section of four Supermarine Spitfire Mark IAs of No 92 Squadron RAF, taking off from Manston, Kent, February 1941, just months after much of the airfield had been destroyed during the Battle of Britain . Manston was regularly used by badly-damaged aeroplanes because it was so close to the front-line and had a long runway, becoming an emergency landing ground for bomber crews on the east coast. There have been persistent rumours of a mutiny at Manston during the Battle of Britain, with claims that ground crew were so angered by constant attacks on the airfield that they lost their morale. It has been suggested that the men refused to come out of their air raid shelter, and only emerged when threatened by an officer with a gun. However, claims of any mutiny have never been proven. The airport, historically known as RAF Manston, has been bought from infrastructure investment firm Infratil by entrepreneur Ann Gloag, one of the co-founders of transport company Stagecoach. Preparations: Sir Barnes Wallace (pictured in 1945) used the base to test his bouncing bomb on the coast at nearby Reculver prior to the Dambusters raid in 1943 during the Second World War . Historic: Manston Airport was later renamed Kent's International Airport and is pictured here in May 1989 . The 71-year-old has set up a new firm to buy and operate the airfield - which has a mile-long runway, a terminal capable of handling five million passengers a year, and proposals for a London train link. In May 16 1943, 19 aircraft set out to destroy three dams in the Ruhr valley - the Mohne, the Eder and the Sorpe - to damage a vital source of power to the key industrial area of Germany. The Mohne and Eder Dams in the industrial heart of Germany were attacked and breached by mines dropped from specially modified Lancasters of 617 Squadron. Using bouncing bombs, their night-time raid saw the mission hailed a success. The Sorpe dam was was also attacked by two aircraft and damaged. A fourth dam, the Ennepe, was reported as being attacked by a single aircraft, but with no damage. An estimated 1,294 people were killed by flood waters, but eight of the 19 aircraft that went on the mission failed to return. There was a loss of 53 aircrew - and three were taken as prisoners. Mrs Gloag said: ‘I am delighted to have purchased Manston Airport from Infratil as I believe there is real potential for growth that has not been fully captured. ‘I have said for 25 years now that the airport will never really succeed until we have a one-hour link from London to Manston. That is achievable and on track.’ Infratil said the airport was being sold for a ‘cash . consideration of £1, plus an adjustment for working capital variances and cash . injected by Infratil’ - expected to be around £350,000. The airfield’s buildings were destroyed during the Battle of Britain in 1940, three years before Sir Barnes used the base to test his bomb on the coast at Reculver prior to the Dambusters raid. Thanet North Conservative MP Roger Gale said: ‘We now have a company taking over the airport that recognises its potential. I think the sale is very good news for those employed at Manston.’ Mrs Gloag scooped the Business Woman of the Year Award in 1990 for Stagecoach, a firm she and her 59-year-old brother Sir Brian Souter started with one bus in 1980. Airfield: RAF Manston seen in 1999, the year it closed .
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Sir Barnes Wallace carried out tests on bouncing bomb at Manston Airport .
Close to east coast and often used by badly-damaged aeroplanes in WWII .
Location is now called Kent’s International Airport and used by KLM planes .
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(CNN) -- A coroner has adjourned the fourth inquest into the death of a baby believed to have been killed by a dingo in central Australia more than 30 years ago. Azaria Chamberlain was just two months old when she was snatched from a tent during a family holiday to Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, sparking one of the country's most sensational and enduring murder mysteries. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, long maintained that a dingo, a wild dog native to Australia, took her baby, even as she was sentenced to life in jail for daughter's murder, a conviction that was later quashed. Her cries of a "dingo's got my baby" were immortalized in the 1988 film "A Cry in the Dark," starring Meryl Streep who earned an Oscar nomination for the role. Outside Darwin Magistrates Court on Friday, Chamberlain-Creighton said she hoped the ruling would help educate the public about the dangers posed by dingoes. "It gives me hope that Australia will finally realize dingoes are dangerous and hope that justice will finally be done for my daughter as well," she said. A ruling is expected next week. Chamberlain-Creighton is seeking to change the open verdict on her daughter's death certificate to indicate that she was taken by a dingo. "There is a lot of new evidence. The last inquest was in 1995 and since then there have been a number of significant dingo attacks," said Stuart Tipple, the lawyer representing Chamberlain-Creighton and her former husband Michael. It is the fourth inquest into Azaria's death. The first inquest, in 1981, found that the baby died as a result of being taken by a dingo, but a second the following year committed her mother to trial for murder. The 35-day hearing created a media frenzy in Australia as commentators picked apart the intricacies of the case, while a fascinated public speculated wildly as to why and how Azaria had died. "A lot of people just never believed a dingo was capable of doing it," Tipple said. The jury returned its verdict in 1982: Chamberlain-Creighton was found guilty of slitting her daughter's throat with a pair of scissors before hiding the body and concocting a story about a dingo to cover her crime. She was sentenced to life in jail. Her husband Michael was given a suspended sentence after being found guilty of being an accessory after the fact. The couple had two other children; two boys aged six and four at the time of Azaria's death. Chamberlain-Creighton served four years of her sentence before the Northern Territory government ordered her release in 1986 after the discovery of new evidence; a baby's jacket, believed to be Azaria's, found half-buried near a dingo lair at Uluru. In 1988, a Royal Commission set up to review the evidence formally quashed convictions for both husband and wife. Despite the finding that the couple was not to blame, a third inquest into their daughter's death returned an open verdict in 1995. It's that ruling that the Chamberlains now want changed. "Certainly, like any parent, they want closure and they're not going to be able to get closure until the record's correct," Tipple said. "At the moment an open finding is not a correct finding." "There's certainly a personal part in the journey but they want to warn people and make sure the tragedy doesn't occur again," he said. On Friday, he presented the coroner with evidence of at least 12 "very significant" dingo attacks in Australia since the last inquest in 1995. In one of the worst cases, a nine-year-old boy was killed, and his friend mauled, by two dingoes on Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, in 2001. Twenty-eight dingoes were culled in the public outcry that followed. The world's largest sand island, Fraser Island earned UNESCO World Heritage status for its "exceptional beauty" and its rare combination of tall rainforests and towering sand dunes. It's also home to the largest population of native Australian dingoes -- around 200 animals living in up to 30 packs -- and the site of most, if not all, dingo attacks. "On Fraser Island the dingo has a particularly difficult role because tourists are as interested in the dingo as the dingo is interested in food," said Professor Gisela Kaplan, a dingo expert from the University of New England in New South Wales. "Fear, very often, is the only thing that stands between a dangerous animal and a human. Once that fear is lost any predatory animal can become dangerous," she said. Dingo management strategies have been introduced in areas of the country where the mammals are prevalent. Fraser Island's includes approval to cull specific animals considered to pose a threat to humans. "Once a dingo has lost its fear of people and starts to use aggressive tactics to gain dominance over, or food from, people the habit cannot be changed," according to the Queensland government's campaign "Be dingo-safe!" It adds: "These dingoes display aggressive or dangerous behavior such as nipping and biting, and in some cases this escalates very quickly to attacks and serious mauling." The Chamberlain's lawyer Stuart Tipple says that, if nothing else, the couple hopes a change in the official cause of Azaria's death makes "public authorities more aware of their responsibilties. "This will make them fine tune, hopefully, those plans and make them current and keep updating them," he said. Where once many people -- including the jury that convicted Lindy and Michael Chamberlain -- believed that it was unlikely that a dingo would kill a baby, evidence in recent years shows that is indeed possible. However, Kaplan said public opinion had swung too far the other way, and Australia's largest native predator had been unfairly "demonized." "A dingo is a suitable animal to be demonized, isn't it? In one way you can know it, and in the other way it's mysterious," she said. Kaplan warned that if more wasn't done to protect the animals in their natural habitat, they would eventually die out. "This is a very rare and endangered Australian native animal," she said. "If that goes extinct, there will be outcry in future that we've allowed that to happen, because there are so many misconceptions about the animal."
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Inquest adjourned into death of baby believed to have been killed by dingo .
Azaria Chamberlain disappeared from a tent 31 years ago .
Her mother, Lindy, claimed her baby had been taken by a dingo .
Crown prosecution convinced a jury she was guilty of murder .
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f6681dbc94d89ca0f105607063d1297373f07c69
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San Diego (CNN) -- It can't be. The Republican Party's wise new sage on immigration is ... Mitt Romney? In a recent interview with Univision, the Spanish-language television network, the former presidential candidate -- whom some suspect may be gearing up to run again in 2016 -- criticized President Obama's use of executive action to temporarily re-prioritize deportations. Nothing new here, folks. Most Republicans posed the same criticism, even at the cost of looking like hypocrites for contradicting their George W. Bush-era views in favor of expanding executive power. One minute, Republicans are threatening not to work with Obama on any issue; the next, they're whining that Obama didn't wait around to work with them on immigration. And I thought elephants were supposed to have good memories. But there is more. In the Univision interview, Romney also said that permanent immigration reform was "badly needed" and urged Republicans in Congress to pass legislation that will make "more transparent" the process by which illegal immigrants can obtain residency. "Maybe even then," Romney said, "Republicans will swallow hard and say, 'OK, even despite the fact that we now have a stick in our eye launched by the President, we're going to go ahead and try and see if we can't make some improvements to the immigration system.' I hope we're able to do that." Conservative radio hosts, who constantly demonstrate how poorly they understand the immigration issue, went ballistic. They tore into Romney, accusing him of capitulating to the left's demands for "amnesty." Meanwhile, some of their callers, who often seem to understand the issue even less, insisted that Romney supported "an open border." More than one right-wing commentator declared Romney's possible presidential bid over before it began. Of course, what Romney said is completely reasonable. The immigration system is broken, and Republicans should try to fix it. That's what leaders and lawmakers are supposed to do. Moreover, now that Obama has put Republicans in "check" with his executive action, the only move they have left for "checkmate" is to pass an immigration bill that is more substantial than his executive action. Republicans don't have to give away the store and provide millions of people here illegally with citizenship, complete with voting privileges. They can approve work permits, and couple it with border security and those guest workers for which their friends in the business community have such an insatiable hunger. And, in the ramp up to 2016, it wouldn't hurt the GOP to appear less hostile to Hispanics, both immigrants and the native-born. Republicans should think of passing immigration reform as an investment for the future. Still, there must be a mistake. You're telling me that Romney is sounding like a grown-up when talking about immigration? Who knew that was possible? In 2012, whether it was on the campaign trail or in debates with fellow Republicans, Romney often demagogued the issue to scare up votes from those who tremble at the thought that America is becoming more Latino. The former governor of Massachusetts said one wrong thing after another. Remember when he made that tacky joke with donors, suggesting that he might "have a better shot at winning" the presidency if he were Latino. Romney also promised that, if he were elected president and if Congress passed the DREAM Act — a popular piece of legislation with Latinos, which would have allowed undocumented students to stay in the country if they went to college or joined the military — that he would veto the bill. He attacked Texas Gov. Rick Perry for signing a law that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. And then he blasted former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for proposing work permits for the undocumented and declaring that the GOP shouldn't split up families. Romney came off as cynical when his campaign put up a television ad that tried to discredit Perry by portraying him as chummy with former Mexican President Vicente Fox. And then he came across as hypocritical when it came out that, for all his fire-breathing against illegal immigrants, he had hired — to work on his house in Massachusetts — a landscaping company that employed them. While other candidates were going out and trying to get Hispanics to pick them, Romney seemed to go out of his way to pick on Hispanics. It's no wonder that Romney — who, ironically, had a father who was born in Mexico and a record of supporting immigration reform as Massachusetts governor — became persona non grata with Hispanics. On election day, the Republican pulled down only 27 percent of the Hispanic vote. Obama got 71 percent. Even after the election, Romney's Hispanic "offensive" still wasn't over. He had the gall in a post-election phone call with supporters to insist that the reason he did so poorly was because Obama gave Hispanics a bunch of freebies including Obamacare and "amnesty for the children of illegals." When a candidate gets into a hole this deep with any group of voters, it's almost impossible to get out. But, whether he runs for president again or not, Romney seems determined to try. And the first thing he's doing is taking on immigration with an eye toward solutions as opposed to soundbites. When it comes to this contentious issue, I have no idea what brought Romney to his senses. But whatever it is, let's hope that other Republicans are exposed to it — and that it's highly contagious.
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Ruben Navarrette: In the 2012 election, Mitt Romney was a backward voice on immigration .
He criticized Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich for ideas that helped immigrants, Navarrette says .
Navarrette: This year, Romney is wisely calling on GOP to pass immigration reform .
He says it's the one smart way Republicans can respond to Obama's executive action .
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Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- At least two people were killed and 48 others injured Saturday when a Russian passenger plane skidded off a runway after an emergency landing in Moscow. The plane made an emergency landing after all three of its engines failed, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Veronika Smolskaya said. There were 155 people aboard, including seven children, she said. Of the injured, six people were hospitalized in the nearby town of Vidnoye, according to the ministry, and another 20 were on their way to local hospitals. The flight landed at Moscow's Domodedovo airport about a half hour after it took off from Moscow's Vnukovo airport, headed for Makhachkala in southern Russia, Smolskaya said. The plane was a Tupolev-154 belonging to Dagestan Airlines, she said. CNN's Maxim Tkachenko and Arkady Irshenko contributed to this report.
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All three engines of the plane failed, Russian official says .
The plane took off and landed in Moscow .
155 people were aboard the Dagestan Airlines flight .
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(CNN) -- Educators and policymakers have long dreamed of providing universal, low cost, first-class higher education. Their wish may come true soon thanks to an unlikely source: Silicon Valley. The mecca of the technology universe is in the process of revolutionizing higher education in a way that educators, colleges and universities cannot, or will not. One of the men responsible for what may be an Athens-like renaissance is Sebastian Thrun, Google's vice president and pioneer in artificial intelligence and robotics. Known in science circles for his engineering feats -- like Stanley, the self-driving car -- Thrun is using his technological prowess to make quality higher education available to the world. I recently interviewed him on my radio show, "Morning In America." Last year, while teaching a graduate level artificial intelligence class at Stanford University, Thrun lamented that his course could only reach 200 students in the suburbs of Palo Alto. So, he decided to offer his own free online class, with the same homework, quizzes and tests that he gives to Stanford students. He announced the proposal with a single e-mail. Before he knew it, he had a flood of takers. "Usually I reach about 200 students and now I reach 160,000," said Thrun incredulously. "In my entire life of education I didn't have as much an impact on people as I had in these two months." By utilizing online videos and educational resources, Thrun's class was being accessed by students from all corners of the world. In fact, the students themselves translated the class for free from English into 44 languages. Until now, an overwhelming number of these students -- many in developing countries and lacking standard education credentials -- never would have had a chance at a Stanford-level education. Yet, their appetite for quality education was strong. Do we need a revolution in higher education? In fact, of all the students taking Thrun's class globally and at Stanford, the top 410 students were online. The 411th top performer was a Stanford student. "We just found over 400 people in the world who outperformed the top Stanford student," Thrun said. Realizing the potential at his fingertips, Thrun launched Udacity, an independent online education company that provides high quality education at low cost to virtually everyone. Udacity offers 11 STEM courses like "Introduction to Physics," "Intro to Computer Science," and "Web Application Engineering" -- all free. There are no admissions offices and anyone can sign up. After the class, students can choose to certify their skills online or in one of Udacity's 4,500 testing centers for a fee. Those certificates can then be sent to employers. In one course you can learn to make your own Google-style search engine in just seven weeks. The reaction has been overwhelming. "People really want good education. There is a huge need," Thrun said. "Hundreds of thousands of people just sign up because they really care. They really want to advance themselves and their lives and they don't want to pay $50,000 or $100,000 to get there." The classes are structured much like university classes. But instead of traditional types of lectures, all-star professors give video presentations that directly engage and challenge students. Thrun is using technology not only to transform educational access and curriculums, but also teaching. For the past thousand years, professors have been lecturing at students. "[It's] like trying to lose weight by watching a professor exercise," quips Thrun. Now he is leading a new charge -- interactive, student focused technology education. The results are inspiring. On my radio show alone early one morning, several listeners called in to say they already took classes through Udacity. One man had his sights set on graduate school but was too busy with family and work to ever finish along a traditional path. Now, through Udacity, he can take the STEM classes he wants when he wants. Another man, age 53, decided to change careers and go back to a local college to study computer science. When he heard of Udacity, he dropped out of school and signed up for an online course. He said he learned more in several weeks with Udacity than he did in an entire semester at the local college, and he paid nothing for it. As you can imagine, Thrun's enterprise has rattled the foundations of the education establishment. His critics say that a Udacity certificate is worth nothing and how can one know the true identity of a student on the free-for-all jungle that is the Internet? I raised these questions to Thrun. He said Udacity has already partnered with more than 20 companies who verify and accept the certificates of course completion. Some are already hiring graduates of Udacity courses. Thrun is also working with other companies to design and tailor classes to specific needs in the work force. Soon, Udacity will be launching in-person testing centers to verify a student's knowledge and skills. Udacity is simultaneously meeting the educational needs of the public and the vocational requirements of the labor force directly and efficiently, more so than we can say of many universities and colleges. I asked Thrun whether his enterprise and others like it will be the end of higher education as we know it -- exclusive enclaves for a limited number of students at high tuitions? "I think it's the beginning of higher education," Thrun replied. "It's the beginning of higher education for everybody." Read more about education on Schools of Thought . Much of traditional American higher education prides itself on a false promotion of diversity, opportunity and excellence. But to my knowledge, with one class alone, Thrun has provided a level of diversity, opportunity and academic rigor not seen before. People from any country, any background and any income level can receive an elite education at virtually no cost. We have been talking about equal educational opportunity for years. What is going on here may be its true advent. What's wrong with America's school system? Share your thoughts, photos and videos with us on CNN iReport. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett.
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Bill Bennett: We have dreamed of providing universal, low cost, first-class higher education .
Bennett: Thanks to Silicon Valley, and Sebastian Thrun, we may soon attain that dream .
He says Thrun's Udacity is an inspiring model for the future of education .
Bennett: Traditional higher education has much to learn from Thrun's enterprise .
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(CNN) -- Less than a decade after Radiohead offered up "In Rainbows" with a pay-what-you-want model, the group's frontman, Thom Yorke, is now selling a surprise new album via BitTorrent. The record, "Tomorrow's Modern Boxes," is available now at the pay-gated cost of $6. A video for the album's first track "A Brain in a Bottle," which expands on the haunting vocals and glitchy electronic music of Yorke's 2006 debut album "The Eraser," is available for free. A link to buy the record on vinyl is also included. A step-by-step guide explains how to get the record. Thom Yorke Talks Radiohead, Atoms for Peace With Daniel Craig . The singer said in a joint statement with his Atoms for Peace collaborator, producer Nigel Godrich, that he hoped it would help regain control of file sharing. "It's an experiment to see if the mechanics of the system are something that the general public can get its head around," they said. "If it works well, it could be an effective way of handing some control of Internet commerce back to people who are creating the work, enabling those people who make either music, video or any other kind of digital content to sell it themselves [and] bypassing the self-elected gatekeepers. "If it works, anyone can do this exactly as we have done," Yorke and Godrich continued. "The torrent mechanism does not require any server uploading or hosting costs or 'cloud' malarkey. It's a self-contained embeddable shop front. The network not only carries the traffic, it also hosts the file. The file is in the network." In this model, the music publisher covers transaction fees, while BitTorrent takes 10 percent after that. The artist is then able to keep any data about its fans -- impressions, downloads, stream info, email addresses -- and they're allowed to publish in any format. A BitTorrent press release compares this to models where online distributors take 40 percent of payment and keep all associated info. Earlier this week, Yorke and Godrich both posted a picture of a mysterious, unlabeled white vinyl, with fans speculating if it was for Yorke's album or a new Radiohead project. "Tomorrow's Modern Boxes" track list: . 1. "A Brain in a Bottle" 2. "Guess Again!" 3. "Interference" 4. "The Mother Lode" 5. "Truth Ray" 6. "There Is No Ice (For My Drink)" 7. "Pink Section" 8. "Nose Grows Some" See the original story at RollingStone.com . Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone.
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Thom Yorke unveiled a new solo album via BitTorrent .
He joins Beyonce in unannounced releases .
Yorke encourages other artists to follow .
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By . Inderdeep Bains . PUBLISHED: . 21:04 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:43 EST, 13 November 2013 . 'Liar': Patricia Glancy stole almost £11,000 in deposits from brides and grooms-to-be . A wedding planner at the renowned Wentworth Golf Club stole almost £11,000 in deposits from couples hoping to get married at the luxury venue. Patricia Glancy, ‘lied her head off’, cheating brides and grooms-to-be out of their costly holding fees by transferring them into her own bank account. The 36-year-old from Ascot, Berkshire said that she stole the money to support cancer charities - a claim the judge said he thought was a lie. Glancy claimed she had started stealing money from the happy couples when she was forced to call off her own wedding after discovering her fiancé had been unfaithful and got one of his many lovers pregnant. Glancy, who goes by the name Lee, defrauded five couples of nearly £10,800 between March 1 and June 6 this year - before complaining about being bullied and resigning from her job at the club. She arranged the transfer of one payment to her account and told four other couples she would stamp their cheques with the club details - only to then insert her own. Glancy was employed in the role of sales events manager at Wentworth, in picturesque Virginia Water, Surrey between January 16, 2012 and May 31, 2013. The club is the centre of the golfing world every year when it plays host to the PGA championship on its manicured greens. The couples had been hoping to get married at the renowned Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey . Guildford Crown Court heard how a close friend of Glancy’s was dying of cancer and Glancy herself had lost three family members to the disease so she had wanted to financially support her friend and cancer charities. Trina Little, prosecuting, said the first of five misdirected payments, which ranged between £1,200 and £2.650, had been made by bank transfer but instead of giving the club’s details to the couple, she gave her own. The wedding planner, 36, defrauded five couples between March 1 and June 6 this year . In the other four cases Glancy asked customers for cheques - telling them to leave the payee’s name blank - and she would stamp them with the Wentworth Golf Club stamp. But she filled in her own name instead. The problem only came to light when when bride-to-be Lisa Patel tried to send Glancy an email about her booking and a message bounced back saying she had left the club. Wentworth began an investigation into the activities of Glancy, but they could not find the files as the fraudster had taken them with her when she resigned. In August after consulting her lawyers, Glancy went to a police station and confessed to her crimes. She was charged with five counts of committing fraud by false representation, which she admitted. Miss Little said Glancy had told police she was extremely sorry for her actions and that her friend Thelma Harte had terminal cancer and the money was given to a cancer charity and ‘to make some of her wishes come true’. Robert Spencer-Bernard, mitigating, confirmed Miss Harte had died and referred to the order of service from her funeral, at which Glancy spoke. in which the deceased’s children thanked those who had helped realise her dream of visiting Canada. He added that Glancy had also lost her uncle, grandmother and her sister to breast cancer. Mr Spencer-Bernard said she had also been jilted by her fiance who ‘had been unfaithful with a number of women and one of them was pregnant by him.’ ‘That is the background as to why, at the age of 36, she does something wholly, utterly out of character.’ Judge Peter Moss deferred passing sentence but told Glancy that he thought she was lying. Glancy claimed she had started stealing money from the happy couples when she was forced to call off her own wedding after discovering her fiance had been unfaithful. Above, Glancy's home in Devenish Road, Ascot . He said to the defence: ‘Your client has committed a grave fraud, a sustained fraud. She has the propensity to be dishonest. ‘I’m told she has given it to charity. There’s not a shred of evidence to support it.’ He added: ‘I’m going to be blunt - I just don’t believe her. I think I’m being sold a dummy.’ He told Glancy:‘You are perfectly capable of, and you did, sit in front of people whose wedding you were planning, and lied your head off. ‘You’re a fraudster. Why should I believe you?’ The judge said he would need to see some proof cash had been paid to charities or her dying friend. He said: ‘I suspect very strongly there is no evidence of this because it isn’t true.’ Sentence was deferred until January 30, by which time he demanded proof from Glancy as to what happened to the money and to also show that she is saving money to reimburse the club. The defrauded couples’ weddings will not be affected as Wentworth has accepted that the payments were made by them and is covering the costs.
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Patricia Glancy, 36, from Ascot Berkshire, stole almost £11,000 in deposits .
Cheated couples hoping to get married at renowned Wenworth Golf Club .
Claimed she donated the stolen money to a cancer charity, a court heard .
'I'm going to be blunt - I just don't believe her,' said Judge Peter Moss .
Sentencing has been deferred until January 30 .
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By . Jaya Narain . PUBLISHED: . 15:35 EST, 15 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:35 EST, 15 March 2013 . In the leafy avenues and boulevards of Brighton a very middle-class protest has erupted over the future of just one tree. The old elm tree has stood in the same place for more than 170 years, surviving two world wars and the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease. Ironically the threat to its future existence comes not from some private owner or property developer but from Britain’s first ever Green Party council. Locals have started a protest as they oppose the destruction of a 170-year-ol elm tree in Brighton . The protesters have occupied the tree while posting messages and posters opposing the destruction of it . The council says the roots of the elm are causing major problems on the pavement and the road and is also posing difficulties for wheelchair users and prams. And the local authority says the only way to solve the problem would be to fell the 60ft tree close to the Seven Dials roundabout. The plan has caused uproar among the middle classes and trendy inhabitants of BN1 who have decided to occupy the tree. Protesters clambered up the ancient elm while others have turned to a more artistic forms of expression to voice their opposition. A message and poem that was posted onto the tree explaining why it should be kept . Poems, ribbons, pictures of weeping faces have all been pinned to the tree as part of the protest to stop the bulldozer moving in. Tom Druitt, who owns the Big Lemon Bus Company in Brighton, is one of the protestors who climbed the tree to prevent the felling. He said: ‘Most people in the area don’t want this going ahead. We will stay up here until they tell us they will not cut it down after all.’ The green party council say that the tree's roots are causing disruption for prams and wheelchair users on the pavement . The local Green MP Caroline Lucas has come down on the side of the protestors not the council . Another protester said: ‘This is a fairly organic protest, it hasn’t been strictly organised but local people feel so strongly about it they have just turned up to show their support. Those protesting argue that tress makes up a vital part of the planet's eco system and should not be destroyed for petty reasons . ‘We already have 5,000 signatures from locals and businesses showing their support. The elm is a healthy 60ft tree and I can’t see how it is in the way of their plans.’ The row has also led to a very public difference of opinion between Green MP Caroline Lucas and Brighton’s Green-administration leader Jason Kitcat. The MP has come down on the side of the . protesters saying: ‘I have been written to by many constituents who are . deeply concerned that as part of plans for this area there are plans to . remove this tree. It is very clear to me that this tree is hugely loved . by many people who don’t want to see it come down.’ Brighton and Hove Council say the tree . would be felled as part of the improvement scheme but around 8 - 10 new . trees will be planted. The council said: ‘It is causing increasing structural problems to the surrounding pavement and carriageway. 'The . tree is also causing the adjacent pavement to become very narrow and . uneven which can cause problems for people in wheelchairs or with . buggies, and there are concerns that visibility to the new zebra . crossings will be obscured if it is left in place.’ Brighton and Hove Council say the scheme . will improve the visual aspect of the area, the pedestrian environment . and cycling infrastructure and the road design and layout. The move has caused an uproar amongst Brighton's environmental population . Last night Geoff Raw, the council executive director, said: ‘We are listening to concerns and ensuring that the issues surrounding this project are fully understood. ‘Any matters raised will be carefully looked at by council officers. We are very much committed to working together with interested parties to move the scheme forward.’
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The Green Party council said the tree created a hazard for wheelchair users .
Locals have occupied the old elm tree in opposition to the move .
The tree has survived two world wars and Dutch Elm Disease .
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Stoke chairman Peter Coates says Marko Arnautovic is not for sale despite the Austria international being disgruntled at his lack of first-team starts. Feyenoord are keen to take the 25-year-old on loan but Coates said he is a vital member of Mark Hughes’ squad. ‘He has been an important player for us and remains so,’ said Coates. Marko Arnautovic (left) won't be sold by Stoke this season, says club chairman Peter Coates . ‘I don’t imagine we would even think about releasing him, even if there was an offer in January. ‘Bear in mind we have got the FA Cup to come then and there is also the chance of injuries.' He told The Sentinel: ‘You have to have enough players, particularly at that time of year, and Marko remains a fine player in whom we still have very high hopes. ‘When he has come in he has done well this season and we have all seen what a wonderful player he can be.’ Arnautovic (left), who is currently on international duty, is unhappy with his lack of starts at Stoke this season .
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Dutch club Feyenoord are interested in taking Marko Arnautovic on loan .
Arnautovic, 25, is unhappy with his lack of starts at Stoke this season .
Stoke chairman has hailed the Austria international as an important player .
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By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 05:22 EST, 30 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:43 EST, 30 August 2013 . A newly discovered species of shark that 'walks' along the sea floor to hunt for its next meal, has been discovered and filmed by scientists. In the intriguing video, the spotty fish, which is a type of bamboo shark, uses its front four fins to crawl along the sea floor in a clever technique to sneak up on its prey off the islands of Indonesia. It has been named hemiscyllium halmahera after the group . of sharks it is closely related to and also the place it was found, the . eastern Maluku island of Halmahera. See the footage below... A newly discovered species of shark that 'walks' along the sea floor to hunt for its next meal, has been discovered by scientists . The shark, which is harmless to humans, grows up to 27 inches in length and two specimens, which differed slightly in colour, were spotted hugging the sea floor to search for small fish and invertebrates to feast on at night. A video captured the creature's unusual hunting habits at the Weda Resort on one of the Maluku Islands. Mark Erdmann, a coral reef ecologist and marine conservationist, filmed the shark on the small island of Halmahera and said his team were very excited at the discovery. He said: 'Local indigenous communities have been aware of the shark for many generations - but it only came to the attention of science once diving began to take off in the region. It has been named hemiscyllium halmahera after the group of sharks it is closely related to and also the place it was found, the eastern Maluku island of Halmahera . 'Walking sharks are an excellent ambassador for marine conservation and for the conservation of sharks in general. Dr Gerard Allen, a biologist at Conservation International, led the team that found the fish, whose research is published in the International Journal of Ichthyology. Its unusual wriggling 'walking' action could help scientists understand how some of the first animals evolved from living in the sea to walking on land. Before now similar types of shark had been confined to the island of New Guinea and northern Australia and scientists from Indonesia and Australia are now working to find a connection between the species. It is thought the species could help save the shark population in the area. Indonesia is well known for exporting shark fins as food or medicine but this discovery comes alongside an announcement by the government to increase marine tourism and conservation. Mark Erdmann, a coral reef ecologist and marine conservationist, filmed the shark on the small island of Halmahera and said his team were very excited at the discovery. He said local indigenous communities have been aware of the shark for many generations but it has only just been spotted by scientists . Angus Dermawan, director of the Marine Conservation Directorate of the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, said: 'There is a growing awareness in our country of the important ecological role that sharks play in maintaining healthy fish stocks and especially in the tremendous economic potential of shark-focused marine tourism.' The shark is very distinctive with its leopard spot pattern together with the darker spots that collect under its 'chin'. Mark Erdmann, who grew up in South Carolina, USA, but has lived in Indonesia for 21 years, thinks this species will help in an important step by the government. He said: 'The local government of Halmahera is now very hopeful that this finding will further promote marine tourism to the area as a sustainable economic alternative to destructive fishing.' The discovery of the animal (pictured) coincides with a move by the Indonesian government to protect sharks and increase marine tourism and conservation .
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Scientists found the newly discovered species off the coast of Indonesia although local indigenous people were already aware of its hunting habits .
It's named hemiscyllium halmahera after a group of close shark relatives and the place it was found - the .
eastern Maluku island of Halmahera .
The find coincides with a move by the Indonesian government to protect sharks and increase marine tourism and conservation .
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By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 10:34 EST, 12 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:45 EST, 12 February 2013 . A woman has been evicted from a trailer park after hundreds of pet rats were found inside her mobile home. Darlene Flatoff ‘s trailer in Plover, Wisconsin, was found to be infested with rat faeces and the rodents had chewed their way through walls and floorboards. Authorities were shocked of the state of the trailer and exterminator Matthew Schnider said it was the worst case he had seen in his entire career. Rat race: The exterminator shows where the rats have eaten their way through the floorboards inside the infested trailer . Gift that keeps on giving: Darlene Flatoff was given her first pet rat as a present, ending up with 300 as they reproduced, of which a few dozen remain after her eviction . Meanwhile Ms Flatoff said the rats were her friend sand didn’t cause any harm, WAOW.com reported. Ms Flatoff’s around 300 ‘friends’ began as a single pet rat gifted to her, and it is believed that the rats simply multiplied the natural way, taking over the trailer. 'They've chewed out the floor boards,’ Mr Schneider told adding that he has never seen anything like it in this 20 years as an exterminator . ‘When you get to this amount of infestation, they're going to do a ton of damage’ Kicked out: Ms Flatoff was evicted from this mobile home in Plover, Wisconsin after allowing her pets to take over the trailer . Filthy: The floor of the mobile home is covered in rat droppings and there are several holes in walls and carpets where the rodents have chewed their way through . Swiss cheese walls: One of the pet rats can be seen lurking in a hole underneath a cupboard . 'You could see them in the windows, . that's how many there were,' The manager of the trailer park Miguel . Lopeez said. ‘The smell is just unbearable.' Portage County Sheriff's officers say after warning Ms Flatoff several times to get rid of the rats, she was evicted and the Town of Plover condemned the property. Authorities say roughly 300 rats lived with Ms Flatoff at one time, with few dozen remaining after her eviction, WAOW reported. The property is to be cleared of the rats before authorities decide how to proceed. Caught: Exterminator Matthew Schneider carries an armful of cages to trap the remaining rats .
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Darlene Flatoff kept hundreds of rats as pets in her Wisconsin trailer .
Rodents destroyed mobile home and chewed through floorboards .
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The family and friends of a 21-month-old Michigan girl who has died from enterovirus D68 have paid tribute to their 'sweet baby angel'. Madeline Reid, from Clinton Township, was put on life support on September 14 after contracting the deadly virus, which has flu-like symptoms and continues to sweep the country. But following a long battle during which she was left paralyzed, she died in her parents' arms at around 3pm yesterday, according to a Facebook tribute page. It means she is the second child to have died directly as a result of enterovirus D68 this year following the death of four-year-old Eli Waller, from Hamilton, New Jersey, on September 25. Scroll down for videos . Tragic: Toddler Madeline Reid, of Michigan, has died in her parents' arms after contracting enterovirus D68 . Missed: Madeline (pictured with her father, Anthony), from Clinton Township, was put on life support on September 14. But following a long battle during which she was left paralyzed, she passed away yesterday . Happier times: Madeline (left and right) fell ill after suffering from a runny nose, her mother Amanda Reid said . In a statement, Dr Rudolph Valentini, chief medical officer at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, confirmed Madeline's death, which is the first reported fatality from the virus in Michigan. 'It is never easy to lose a child, and our entire health care team at the Children's Hospital of Michigan is deeply saddened by this family's loss and mourns with them during this very difficult time,' he said. On the Facebook page, titled 'Team Maddie!', a family member wrote yesterday: 'Our sweet baby girl Madeline Reid became our angel at 2:55 p.m. 'She passed peacefully in her mother and father's arms. Thank you all again for your kind words and support. Please respect the parents at this very difficult time.' Facebook user Leean Preston, 'Such a sweet precious life taken entirely too soon', while Fatima Teran, from Chicago, Illinois, added: 'God has gained a beautiful angel, RIP Maddie.' Madeline first fell ill after suffering from a runny nose, her mother Amanda Reid toldFox 2 earlier this month. After her symptoms worsened, she was rushed to hospital and placed on life support. Mother and daughter: After her symptoms worsened, Madeline (pictured with her mother) was rushed to hospital and placed on life support. There, the toddler suffered congestive heart failure and organ damage . Paying tribute: On a Facebook page, titled 'Team Maddie!', a family member wrote yesterday: 'Our sweet baby girl Madeline Reid became our angel at 2:55 p.m. She passed peacefully in her mother and father's arms' Hospital: In a statement, Dr Rudolph Valentini, chief medical officer at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit (pictured), confirmed Madeline's death, which is the first reported fatality in Michigan from the virus . There, the toddler suffered congestive heart failure, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for her medical bills. 'From [the runny nose] it went to congestive heart failure,' said Ms Reid. She added: 'We knew that it all stemmed from the virus because Maddie was a healthy baby. She never was hospitalized before.' Madeline, one of three siblings, also suffered damage to most of her other organs, developed myocarditis, had two massive strokes and was left paralyzed on one side, Detroit News reported. She was scheduled for surgery to receive a mechanical heart to support her body while awaiting a transplant, but was too ill to go ahead with it. Instead, she was placed in a medically-induced coma. Disease: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, five people with enterovirus (pictured) have now died nationwide. Madeline's death was the first reported fatality from the virus in Michigan . A spokesman for Detroit Medical Center, where Madeline was initially treated, said the hospital would like to express its 'sincere condolences' to her family following her death yesterday afternoon. She said: 'Since mid-August the CDC has reported higher numbers of children experiencing respiratory illnesses caused by Enterovirus D68 with confirmed cases in 45 states. 'The DMC will continue to work with both the Michigan Department of Community Health and the CDC to monitor patients and provide the most appropriate care and support.' According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), five people with enterovirus have now died nationwide, but it is not clear in all cases what role the virus played. Other victims: Emily Otrando (left), 10, and four-year-old Eli Waller (right) have both died from the lethal virus. Eli's became the first confirmed child fatality from the virus, while Emily's death is still under investigation . Victims of the virus include 10-year-old Emily Otrando, from Rhode Island, who died on September 22. However, the virus is yet to be confirmed as the direct cause of her death. In total, 691 people from 46 states and the District of Columbia have been affected, the CDC said. The majority of the cases are believed to be children. Only Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska have not seen any cases. The illness, which has flu and cold-like symptoms, causes severe respiratory illness and can lead to difficulty breathing in infants and young children, officials have said. Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, aren't unusual and typically peak in September into fall. They usually resemble a bad cold, but this particular strain has become a great concern for parents across the US after a number of fatalities among children. What is proving so worrisome about this particular strain? ED-D68 was first identified in the 1960s and is uncommon, but has been cropping up in recent years in Georgia, Pennsylvania and abroad in Japan and the Netherlands. However, the bottom line is that experts cannot explain why it is has flared so dramatically this year. They also cannot explain why it is proving so virulent. Signs and symptoms . ED-D68 begins as a cold, with coughing, fever and wheezing. The virus can cause breathing difficulties but most recover well after a week. How serious is it? While experts have said that in theory some cases can become so severe they result in death, many of the EV-D68 infections 'will be mild and self-limited, requiring only symptomatic treatment,' according to the Missouri health agency. How can infection be prevented? This particular enterovirus is spread through bodily contact, making children far more susceptible. Health officials have said there is not much that can be done about it other than washing hands with soap and disinfecting surfaces. There's no vaccine for EV-D68. The disease can spread through droplets in coughs or sneezes or when someone touches a contaminated surface, such as a countertop or doorknob, it is reported. There is no vaccine or specific treatment. As of Tuesday, 31 cases in Michigan had tested positive for enterovirus D68, according to Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Community Health. To donate to Madeline's family, visit: www.gofundme.com/Pray-for-Maddy.
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Madeline Reid put on life support on September 14 after contracting virus .
The 21-month-old suffered congestive heart failure and was left paralyzed .
She died in her parents' arms at Detroit hospital at around 3pm yesterday .
Family and friends have paid tribute to 'sweet baby girl who is now angel'
Enterovirus D68 has so far struck 691 people in 46 states; mostly children .
According to CDC, five people with enterovirus have now died nationwide .
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(CNN) -- We're often told that sharing our feelings could save our relationships from sliding into emotional breakdowns -- perhaps talking it out could also shield us from the traveling blues too. A group of UK transport and technology experts has come together to create a new digital platform that would map the emotions of people using different types of public transport in real time in the hope of improving daily journeys. Whether it'd be gridlock traffic, delayed buses and jam-packed trains -- or even a stress-free and smooth trip -- the goal is for passengers to be able to use a bespoke app to say how they feel about their travel, make suggestions, highlight disruptions and see what other travelers say. The plan is to combine this data with information collected from various social media channels, like geolocated tweets, to build an intelligent tool that would offer live feedback about all kinds of journeys in different locations. Ultimately, developers say, the aim is to use a number of sources, including weather data or information about events, to help bus and rail customers plan their journeys better and save their money and time -- and frayed nerves too. "Being able to distil useful, actionable information from a large amount of data -- it's extremely exciting," says Mike Saunders, co-founder of Commonplace, a UK-based social enterprise startup working on the project. "It really puts passengers right at the center of the operation of existing services and the development of new ones -- not just in the sort of traditional customer service sense, but actually having customer-led services which are being responded to in real time." Know your customers . The developers say the "sentiment mapping" project would also provide transport operators with a better understanding about the needs of their passengers and enable them to respond better in emergencies. But more importantly, they say, it would help providers to devise more effective future strategies and make bigger decision about infrastructure investments. "What would emerge from that analysis is extra information that would allow people to develop a long term plan," says Stephen Boyd Davis, research leader at the Royal College of Art in London, who is also working on the project. "In five or 10 years' time, I think people will look back at transport providers -- rail, bus, maybe road services as well -- and say how could you possibly run a business without knowing what your customers were doing and thinking?" Smart transport . While the project is still in its infancy, the team unveiled Thursday morning a live tool mapping passengers' sentiment based on Twitter. Covering the area between London and Milton Keynes, the visualization uses a mixture of glowing green and red blobs of different sizes to showcase the sentiments of the train, bus and tube passengers traveling through the region. Every few seconds, tweets located in place pop up to unveil messages such as, "Ridiculously hot in the tube this morning," or "My bus is 15 minutes late. Hurry up bus." The "demonstrator" went live at the opening of a UK government-backed innovation center aimed at exploring how to use emerging technologies to improve future transport systems. Based in Milton Keynes, the Transport Systems Catapult's space will bring together innovators, research and entrepreneurs to trial and develop smart mobility solutions ranging from sentiment mapping and driverless vehicles, intelligent traffic lights and improved airport data systems . "This is about how to improve journeys in the future," says David Reid, a spokesperson for the Transport System Catapult. "The way you get from A to B often involves loads of different methods of transport -- you might walk, take the bus, train, bicycle; how do you make all those different modes of transport more connected, how do we use emerging technologies like GPS, satellite technology, mobile phones, open data or sentiment mapping and how do we use these technologies to improve transport systems." Looking ahead, Saunders says the sentiment mapping team is now in talks with interested parties about taking the project forward and potentially developing an early-stage tool within the next months. "What's really interesting and exciting is the opportunity for technology to empower citizens to have a more effective voice in the way cities develop around them to meet their needs," says Saunders. "Smart cities need smart citizens in order to be effective." Read this: Solar-powered roads of the future . Read this: Is your flying car finally here? More from On the Move .
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A UK team is creating a new platform for mapping people's journey sentiments .
The goal is to combine social media data with other sources to improve commuting .
Project developers say it would help transport operators understand passengers' needs .
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By . Francesca Infante . PUBLISHED: . 13:32 EST, 28 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:48 EST, 28 October 2013 . Wreckless: Ben Thomas was more than twice over the alcohol limit and had taken cocaine before he got behind the wheel last October . A driver who killed his three friends in a horrific car crash while he was high on drink and drugs has been jailed for nine years. Ben Thomas, 26, was the only survivor in the smash after he lost control and careered into a tree while travelling at 73mph. He was double the legal alcohol limit when his MG ZR flew off the Bristol Road in Birmingham in the early hours of October 21 last year. His friend James MacDonald and cousin James Wassell, both 24, suffered serious injuries and died instantly at the scene. A third passenger, Thomas’ other cousin David Wassell, 26, was taken to hospital with critical injuries but died in the early hours the following morning. Thomas, of Selly Oak, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to three counts of death by dangerous driving, three counts of death by no insurance and one count of excess alcohol at an earlier hearing. Today he was jailed him for nine years by Judge William Davis QC at Birmingham Crown Court. He was also banned from driving for 10 years. The court heard he had traces of cocaine in his system after the smash - which happened on a wet road in thick fog. Collision investigators concluded that the ‘slowing speed’ of Thomas’ car was 73mph at the time it hit the tree. Thomas was jailed him for nine years by Judge William Davis QC at Birmingham Crown Court today, he had earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of death by dangerous driving . Speaking after the case, PC Damian Gibson, from West Midlands Police, said: 'This case highlights the deadly combination of drink, drugs, excess speed and hazardous driving conditions. 'The crash happened on a damp road in thick fog and as well as being twice the alcohol limit, traces of cocaine were found in Thomas’ system. 'He had complete disregard for his own safety as well as the welfare of his friends, which has resulted in the needless loss of three young lives.'
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Ben Thomas, 26, from Birmingham was the only survivor of the crash which saw him hit a tree at 73 mph .
His friend James MacDonald and cousin James Wassell, both 24, died instantly while another cousin David Wassall, 26, died later in hospital .
PC Damian Gibson, from West Midlands Police: 'He had complete disregard for his own safety as well as the welfare of his friends'
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By . Emily Davies . PUBLISHED: . 17:41 EST, 15 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:46 EST, 15 November 2013 . Freed: Alexis Fleury, pictured with his English girlfriend, Emily Crick. Fleury will walk free from jail next week after having his sentence halved . A driver who killed a father of two by driving on the wrong side of the road has been freed by Appeal Court judges because he is French. Alexis Sebastien Fleury had ‘lower culpability’ for causing the death of 62-year-old David Crane than a British driver would have done, the judges ruled. Mr Crane, of Rolvenden, Kent, was on his way home from work at 11.30pm on August 3, 2012, when his Skoda Fabia was hit head-on by Fleury’s grey Renault Laguna on the A28 near Tenterden. Charity fundraiser Mr Crane, who was a carer for his disabled wife, suffered multiple injuries and died at the scene. Fleury was acquitted by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court of causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted of causing death by careless driving in July and jailed for 18 months. Yesterday Lord Justice Lloyd Jones, Mr Justice Irwin and Mr Justice Green, sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, halved that sentence to nine months – meaning 25-year-old Fleury will walk free next week. The court heard that Fleury from Orleans, central France, was driving to visit his English girlfriend, Emily Crick, in Wadhurst, East Sussex. He had travelled from France through the Eurotunnel. Fleury performed a U-turn and was driving down the wrong side of the road, when he crashed head-on into Mr Crane’s car. The Frenchman had been awake for 16 hours and had been driving for six and a-half hours at the time. But his lawyers argued that there was ‘no evidence’ that he had been tired, because he napped on the shuttle through the tunnel. Fleury said during his trial: ‘I missed my turning and decided to do a U-turn. I was driving for a few seconds and saw headlights just in front of me and boom.’ Mr Justice Irwin said: ‘This young man made a mistake at the end of his journey. As a Frenchman, used to driving on the right-hand side of the road, he remained on the right-hand side of the road after his U-turn. He did a U-turn in the dark in England and, for moments or minutes, forgot that he was not driving in France. Ruling: Judges at the Appeal Court in the Royal Courts of Justice, pictured, ruled the driver was less culpable for the death of David Crane because he was not used to driving on the right-side of the road . ‘The culpability of a British driver in the same circumstances would have been very high indeed. For somebody from France, the culpability must be reduced.’ Fleury’s lawyers said outside court that the reduced sentence means he will be released from prison at the beginning of next week. Mr Justice Irwin expressed his sympathy for Mr Crane’s family, saying: ‘He was a very good and loving father to two daughters, and a husband who looked after his disabled partner. ‘They are all terribly distraught about their loss. It is clear that he was a good man and his death has caused great loss and pain.’
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Alexis Sebastien Fleury had 'lower .
culpability' for causing the death of 62-year-old David Crane than a .
British driver would, say judges .
Mr Crane was driving home at 11.30pm on August 3, 2012, when his Skoda Fabia .
was hit head-on by Fleury’s grey Renault Laguna .
Mr Crane, a carer for his disabled wife, died at the scene .
Fleury, 25, jailed for 18 months for causing death by dangerous driving .
Had his sentence halved to nine months at London's Criminal Appeal Court - and will walk free next week .
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(CNN) -- Track and field star Tyson Gay was handed a one-year ban by the U.S. Anti Doping Agency (USADA) Friday and has had to return the silver medal he won at the 2012 London Olympics. Gay, a former world 100 and 200m champion, tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid at the U.S. Championships on June 23, 2013 and his suspension takes effect from that date -- making him eligible to compete later this summer. The standard ban for a doping violation is two years, but Gay has been treated more leniently because he co-operated with USADA, it said. "We appreciate Tyson doing the right thing by immediately withdrawing from competition once he was notified, accepting responsibility for his decisions, and fully and truthfully cooperating with us in our ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding his case," USADA chief executive Travis T. Tygart told the organization's official website. Gay, who has been one of Usain Bolt's main rivals over the past few years, also accepted the forfeiture of all results and prizes dated back to July 15, 2012, when he first admitted using a product that contained a banned substance. That included his silver medal in the U.S. men's 4x100m relay squad at the London Games, where they finished second to Bolt's all-conquering Jamaican team. The shortened suspension length is subject to appeal by the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was satisfied with the punishment meted out to Gay. "We note the athlete accepted responsibility for his actions and returned the medal from the London Olympic Games," it said in a statement. "The IOC supports clean athletes and defends the integrity of sport against those who cheat. We will take all necessary steps with regard to the Olympic Games in line with our zero tolerance policy, and our full commitment to the protection of the clean athletes." Gay is the joint second fastest man over 100m in history behind Bolt, with a 9.69 seconds clocking. He won the triple of 100, 200 and 4x100m relay gold at the 2007 world championships in Osaka. News of his positive test came on the same day that a similar outcome was revealed for former world 100m record holder Asafa Powell, shocking followers of track and field. Jamaica's Powell received an 18-month ban for his doping offense.
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Tyson Gay receives a one-year ban for doping offense .
Sprinter Gay tested positive for an anabolic steroid in 2013 .
Received shortened suspension for co-operating with authorities .
Gay won gold medal triple at 2007 World Championships .
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Britain's biggest loyalty card scheme has boosted security after it was targeted by fraudsters in an apparent eBay scam. Nectar, which is used by more than 19 million people, is the latest card scheme to fall foul of fraudsters after it linked up with the auction website to allow customers to spend points online. Under the Nectar and eBay scheme, members can collects points on eBay purchases and then change their points into vouchers to spend on the auction site. Nectar, which is used by over 19 million people, is the latest card scheme to fall foul of fraudsters after it linked up with auction website eBay to allow customers to spend points online . But customers have seen thousands of points going missing from their Nectar account - only to find out later they have been spent on eBay. The problem is believed to have arisen because customers can link their Nectar cards to more than one eBay account, and vice versa. That has allowed fraudsters to steal shoppers' points and move it to their own eBay account to spend without the card holder noticing any unusual activity. The Swales family, from York, were first alerted that their Nectar account had been compromised when they tried to pay for shopping with their card in December but were told they were unable to. After checking their account, they found that 9,000 points had disappeared to later be used on eBay - but not by them. The problem is believed to have arisen because customers can link their Nectar cards to more than one eBay account, and vice versa. Customers have seen thousands of points going missing from their Nectar account - only to find out later they have been spent on eBay . They eventually received a full refund and Nectar is now investigating what happened, after telling the family they were not the only ones who had been hit. Nectar has since added extra security measures, and customers are now required to enter a secondary authentication when linking their accounts, Claire Woffenden of Betanews reports. Millions of people are members of the Nectar card scheme. Launched in 2002, over half of Britain's households own a card . Customers currently enjoy a number of perks, including double Nectar points on all Sainsbury’s shopping – online and in store – and two Nectar points per £1 spent on Sainsbury's fuel - plus one point per litre when the customer also swipes their Nectar. Points can also be gained at Homebase, BP and British Gas and redeemed at cinemas, Argos, the Eurostar, Orient Express, Amazon and resorts such as Alton Towers. While millions of loyalty cards are in use in Britain, a recent poll by YouGov Sixth Sense found that 93 per cent of respondents would carry on shopping even if their loyalty cards were stopped. Analysts believe the true value of the cards to supermarkets is for the data they give the chains about our spending habits. Ania Krwawicz, spokeswoman for Nectar's parent company Aimia, said police were also now investigating. She said: 'We became aware of suspicious activity on a small number of Nectar accounts. We informed those customers affected, notified the police and are working with them on this investigation'. MainOnline has contacted eBay for comment. Nectar is the latest in a line of loyalty cards to become a victim of account hacking. In 2013 Tesco customers claimed they'd fallen victim to online fraudsters who had hacked into their Clubcard accounts and taken hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers. At the time, the supermarket giant said it believed fraudsters had stolen people's online IDs and passwords through phishing emails and opportunistically used them on the Clubcard website. The supermarket asked police to investigate claims that dozens of its customers' Clubcard accounts may have fallen victim to the online fraud, with some losing vouchers they accumulated over several years. Nectar card users have also reported that points have been stolen and spent at Argos.
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Nectar is the latest card scheme to fall foul of online fraudsters .
Under the Nectar and eBay scheme, members can collects points on eBay and then change points into vouchers to spend on the auction site .
But customers have seen thousands of points going missing from their Nectar account - only to find out later they have been spent on eBay .
Nectar has since added extra security measures and is investigating scam .
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(CNN) -- Winning a World Cup can help bring a divided country together, but that sense of unity can all too easily be dissipated, according to France's Patrick Vieira, who helped his country secure football's greatest prize on home soil in 1998. Aime Jacquet's squad was seen as representing as a new France. Vieira himself was born in Senegal, Marcel Desailly came from Ghana, Lilian Thuram from Guadeloupe, Zinedine Zidane's family hailed from Algeria, while others were of Polish and Armenian descent. France's win was widely viewed as a rebuke to Jean-Marie Le Pen -- former leader of the right-wing National Front party -- and his anti-immigration stance. "It was fantastic because we won it and we won it at the right time because I think politically, France was going through a difficult period and I think we won the World Cup and we showed to the French nation what France is really," Vieira, who was eligible to play for France through his grandfather, told CNN. "We had the players from all around the world and I think we showed the diversity of the French national team, we showed what the diversity of the French people are. "That's why it was really important to win the World Cup because we sent the message to the political world what we need to accept and what is the real face of France." He added: "We saw Paris was going crazy but not just Paris, France was going crazy and it just looked like a French revolution -- people in the streets celebrating and it was fantastic and this is when I really realized how football can be powerful." Football, though, can only do so much, and Vieira, who won 107 international caps, feels that those running the country missed out on a golden opportunity to enable France to capitalize on that new found unity. "When we won the World Cup, we saw the change but the change was there just for a while and I think that is the problem with politics," said Vieira. "Things change really quick and people were using the success of the national team to promote themselves and that was a big issue," he said. "But I think winning the World Cup changed a lot of things for people because it gave people more belief, more confidence in themselves, how they can adapt and stand up for what they think is right, and I think it helped people to fight against racism and I think that was good." Sixteen years after les bleus' World Cup success racism is still a problem in France and last year the country's most prominent black politician Christiane Taubira was featured on the cover of the far right weekly magazine with the words: "Crafty as a monkey, Taubira gets her banana back." Antisemitic attitudes are also prevalent. Former France international Nicolas Anelka was banned for five matches and fined £80,000 ($135,000) in February for making a "quenelle" gesture -- a sign believed to be an inverted Nazi salute -- although the striker denied that it had any antisemitic connotations. "With what is going on in France, I feel the country is still divided because I think religion and people taking part try to divide people," Vieira said. "I think we have to accept our differences and the way to accept it is education. I think we have to even promote more education. "I think we have to talk more about our differences and not be ashamed of it and just accept who we are as a person and try to accept other people's differences as well, and I believe this is part of a lack of education."
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Patrick Vieira says winning the World Cup in 1998 helped to unify a divided France .
But Vieira feels the nation's politicians did not do enough to build on the success .
Promoting education is key to solving France's current racial problems, says Vieira .
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A woman who struggled with body image throughout her childhood has proven once and for all that size does not matter when it comes to busting a move. Radio producer Whitney Way Thore's series of videos called A Fat Girl Dancing went viral in recent months thanks to her impressive skills on the dance floor. What began as a YouTube video, has exploded into a worldwide movement that aims to fight body shame and promote the idea of self-love and acceptance as a step toward total wellness. Scroll down for video . Video star: Whitney Way Thore's series of video called A Fat Girl Dancing went viral in recent months thanks to her impressive skills on the dance floor and now she's the star of a brand new fitness video . And now, Whitney, who hails from North Carolina, has been snapped up to star in a new video packed with all her signature moves. When offered the opportunity to play the lead role in Muffin Top, a new video by fitness instructor Fitty Smallz, Whitney jumped at the opportunity. Shake it! The video called Muffin Top, a new offering from fitness instructor Fitty Smallz, sees Whitney busting her signature moves . Spreading the word: She believes her partnership with Fitty Smallz will take her entire No Body Shame platform to the next level . She said: 'Once I understood the platform, heard the song and learned that he was a serious professional with over 30 years of experience, I know it was a perfect match. My partnership with Fitty Smallz and our Muffin Top project will take my entire No Body Shame platform to the next level.' The No Body Shame campaign recognises body shame as a complex, multi-faceted issue that is best dealt with by first unapologetically loving yourself as you are, without being shamed out of a gym or off a dance floor, explains Whitney. Fitty Smallz said: 'Most people don’t realise that my platform is all about fitness. The typical fitness professional goes at people with “eat right and exercise,” but people aren’t listening to that. They are also bombarded with messages of weight loss and images of perfect bodies that make them feel bad about their own bodies. Promotion: The No Body Shame campaign recognises body shame as a complex, multi-faceted issue that is best dealt with by unapologetically loving yourself as you are, explains Whitney . 'We try to give them something they can relate to and laugh about. Then it makes them think and hopefully inspires them. No one likes to be lectured.' Whitney has struggled with her body image since childhood. The lifelong dancer was teaching others the skill as early as 16, but weight gain took a serious toll on her confidence. 'Unable to face my reflection, I failed out of dance class my first semester,' she told the Huffington Post. 'By the time I had graduated college, been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, moved to Korea, and gained 200 pounds, I was finally able to dance socially, at a club or party, but never dreamed I would take a class or perform publicly ever again.' But thanks to some soul searching and the redemptive powers of dance and viral internet fame, Thore is back and better than ever. 'I am learning to practice aggressive self-love. I have lived my life as a 130-pound woman and as a 350-pound woman in North America, in Europe, and in Asia. Cultural norms, societal pressures, and the whims of the fashion industry do not define my worth as woman or a human being,' proclaims Thore . At age 29, after years of living with eating disorders, polycystic ovarian syndrome, weight fluctuations, self-doubt and depression, she made a life-changing decision to love and accept herself as she is, to rise above the negativity that society forces upon anyone who is different, to live her life to the fullest, regardless of what the scale says, and, most importantly, to dance. 'I am learning to practice aggressive self-love,' she writes on her website. 'I have lived my life as a 130-pound woman and as a 350-pound woman in North America, in Europe, and in Asia. Cultural norms, societal pressures, and the whims of the fashion industry do not define my worth as woman or a human being.' With the support of tens of thousands of men and women all over the world, the No Body Shame Campaign has grown into a full-fledged movement and she's accrued thousands of fans. She added: 'It's a movement that knows positive change can’t start or be sustained until you are truly kind to yourself from the inside out. A movement that reaches even further - and aims to show that your body doesn’t have to limit you, whether it be deemed “too skinny,” “too fat,” or “too broken.” 'A movement that asserts that you don’t need society’s permission to seek your right to happiness.'
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Whitney Way Thore released series of videos called A Fat Girl Dancing .
She fights body shame and promotes idea of self-love and acceptance .
New video shows her dancing for personal trainer, Fitty Smallz .
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f66d7a85bf0ae6a6e10e9e0fca2003b1410d371b
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Tacloban, Philippines (CNN) -- No building in this coastal city of 200,000 residents appears to have escaped damage from Super Typhoon Haiyan. Most roads were impassable Saturday; all communications except for satellite phones were down; medical supplies, food and water were scarce; and there were reports of looting. And that was far from the worst of it. Death toll likely exceeds 1,000 . People who had walked, sometimes for hours, to the relief station at the Tacloban airport told stories of the human cost. Children torn from arms . Marvin Isanan said three of his daughters -- ages 8, 13 and 15 -- were swept from his arms by the storm surge. He and his wife, Loretta Isanan, had found the bodies of the two younger children. "Only the eldest one is missing," Marvin Isanan said through tears. "I hope she's alive." A woman at the airport said she escaped the water by climbing onto her roof. From there, she watched bodies float by. Authorities have only estimates of the deaths. Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, estimated that 1,000 people died in Tacloban and an additional 200 on the nearby island of Samar. The airport now houses a makeshift morgue. Further inland, a CNN crew found a small chapel being used to house nine covered bodies -- five of them children. Water, wind and fire create catastrophe . The scene from the air . CNN's Ivan Watson traveled by plane from Manila to Tacloban with civil aviation officials Sunday. "On approach, you could see entire forests of palm trees that have been flattened in the hills around Tacloban," he said. Watson saw flooded villages and devastated coastlines, as well as a warehouse district where every roof seemed to be missing. William Hotchkiss, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and a former air force commander, said, "I'm 70 years old, and I've never seen anything like this before." Eastern islands first to feel typhoon's force . Samar province and Tacloban, in Leyte province, are part of the Philippines' eastern islands. U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur made his famous return to the Philippines near Tacloban in World War II, wading ashore from the Leyte Gulf in 1944. The Battle of Samar was part of the ensuing naval battle in the Leyte Gulf, which ended with Japanese naval forces crushed. The geography made the area the first heavily populated area to feel the force of Haiyan on Friday. The million people who lived along the coast, many of them in rough-built shacks, may have been worst affected by what some said was a 5-foot storm surge that spread through the city of Tacloban at the height of the storm and with devastating speed. It receded quickly, leaving a path marked by pieces of people's lives destroyed. Relief effort no match for need . Interactive map of the storm . The Tacloban airport was not ready to accommodate the landing of large planes carrying aid, though military helicopters began ferrying in supplies on Saturday. Trees and debris had blocked the road to the airport, further delaying the relief operation, but authorities cleared that road Sunday. Residents lined up at the airport for food. But the resources available were proving no match for the massive needs of the people, some of whom scoured piles of garbage in the streets for food, water or even missing loved ones. U.S. offers aid, send teams to help . Some residents broke into grocery stores to find food. The government responded to reports of looting by sending in police reinforcement and a 500-member military battalion. People were wading through waist-high water amid a landscape littered with overturned vehicles, downed utility poles and trees, all of which were blocking the aid effort. With basically no medical supplies left, the city's St. Paul's hospital was hopelessly overwhelmed. The Philippine Red Cross succeeded in getting its assessment team into Tacloban but had not managed to get its main team of aid workers and equipment to the city, Chairman Richard Gordon said. "We really are having access problems," he said, adding that he was considering chartering a boat, which would take at least 1½ days to get there. How to help . CNN's Andrew Stevens and Paula Hancocks reported this story from Tacloban; Tom Watkins and David Simpson wrote from Atlanta.
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NEW: Seen from the air, forests of palm trees flattened, flooded villages .
No communications except satellite phones .
A couple loses three of their daughters; two found dead .
Red Cross may charter a boat to reach area .
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(CNN) -- Bria Hunter tried to lie her way out of a meeting of the "Red Dawg Order," a club within the famed Marching 100 Band at Florida A&M University. For her deceit, according to police, the clarinet player was allegedly struck more than 20 times. And for failing to memorize and properly cite information about the clique? That, according to a probable cause affidavit, resulted in a metal ruler across Hunter's leg. The cumulative injuries to her legs, according to police, landed Hunter in the hospital several days later with blood clots, deep bone bruising and a cracked femur. Getting into the "Clones," another group within the Marching 100, apparently didn't come without pain, either. Ivery Luckey estimated he was struck nearly 300 times, mostly "hard licks" at an initiation. Of the 25 to 30 people present, most were females, and several used wooden paddles on Luckey, according to a Tallahassee police report. Luckey ended up in the hospital and had full renal failure, he said. The hazing-related death of band member Robert Champion has brought renewed public scrutiny to a practice that has gone on for years. The Hunter and Luckey cases, 13 years apart, have shed light on the types of hazing some have allegedly faced as they've tried to be a part of perhaps the most famous marching band in the land. Tuesday, three band members accused of hazing Hunter appeared in a Tallahassee courtroom. Attorney B.J. Bernstein said that Hunter, 18, who attended high school in metro Atlanta, is leaving FAMU. "Bria was very brave -- she notified the school, she notified the police," Bernstein said. Just weeks before he died in what authorities say was a hazing-related incident, drum major Champion gave her some advice, Hunter said. She did not follow it. "He would always tell me, like, don't let people do it to you," Hunter, 18, told CNN affiliate WFTV in late November. When asked why she participated in the hazing, Hunter answered, "So we can be accepted. If you don't do anything, then it's like you're lame." Champion, 26, who also attended Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Georgia, died after a November 19 football game that included a halftime performance. The band returned to its Orlando hotel following the game. The drum major "reportedly threw up in the parking lot and started complaining of not being able to breathe," authorities said in a release. Champion was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No cause of death has been released. After Champion's death, some band members told CNN it may have been the result of a rite of passage called "crossing Bus C" -- the bus Champion was on after a game the night he died. One band member, who spoke with CNN on condition of anonymity, explained, "You have to walk from the front of the bus to the back of the bus backwards while the bus is full of other band members and you get beaten until you get to the back." When asked what the point is, the band member answered, "for respect." FAMU's board of trustees voted last week to reprimand its president in the wake of Champion's death, and the band's director has been placed on administrative leave while state police investigate. School spokeswoman Sharon Saunders on Tuesday issued a statement saying the university's "board of trustees and President (James) Ammons hope that through these arrests, all involved in perpetuating this culture will really begin to view hazing as a serious matter." FAMU has an anti-hazing policy. But B.J. Bernstein, Hunter's attorney, said FAMU should be held accountable for hazing behavior, even if off-campus. She called the practice an "open secret." "Young people may call themselves the Red Dawgs, but any adult would know this is nothing more than a gang, with a form of initiation which essentially is a beat-down," Bernstein told reporters. Bernstein indicated her client most likely will file suit against FAMU. The student is giving up a four-year, $82,000 scholarship, said Bernstein. "For any person who's a subject of hazing or a victim, this is a huge issue of why they don't come forward," the attorney told reporters Tuesday afternoon. "We're talking about young people whose entire education hangs on the fact that the school is giving them a full scholarship to be part of one of what was considered to be the greatest band in the United States." The Tallahassee Police probable cause affidavit said the three young men accused of hazing Hunter are members of the Red Dawgs clique. Sean Hobson, 23, Aaron Golson, 19, and James Harris, 22 -- are charged with hazing, a crime under Florida law. Hobson and Golson are charged with felony battery as well. WFTV : Band members arrested; 2 to fight hazing charges . The three appeared in court Tuesday, where they were ordered to have no contact with Hunter or with each other. Golson's attorney told CNN that there are inconsistencies in the probable cause affidavit. "We feel the allegations against him are for the most part unfounded," said attorney Craig J. Brown. "His stance is he was not hazed and would not do it to anyone else," said Brown, indicating his client will waive arraignment and plead not guilty. The affidavit says Hobson "denied all physical abuse allegations towards Hunter or any other pledge." It also quotes a text message authorities say Hobson sent to multiple people, including Hunter, that read, "I apologize for the hurt I put you through. I apologize for the mental and physical strain that you have endured." But, the affidavit says, Hobson denied sending Hunter any such message. The affidavit says Harris "denied ever witnessing Hunter be struck during any kind of initiation meeting." An attorney representing Harris did not return a message left Tuesday by CNN. The clerk's office did not have an attorney of record for Hobson. According to the affidavit, Hunter on October 31 falsely told Hobson that she could not attend an off-campus meeting because she had a meeting of her band section. "For the deceit, Hunter stated that she was lined up with approximately 11 other pledges with her being at the front," the affidavit recounts. She said she was ordered to lift her legs up while standing, as if she was about to march, and was struck by Hobson and Golson, who were using their balled up fists "to punch her on the top of the thighs." After she was hit more than 20 times in the legs, Harris intervened and told Hobson and Golson to stop, the affidavit says. Three witnesses corroborated Hunter's account, and also said they were hit on the back of the head and neck, the affidavit says. On November 1, at another meeting, Hunter and other pledges were beaten again, she told investigators. She said Hobson used a metal ruler across the top of her thighs. "Accountability and responsibility is a critical part for any student who's a part of this," Bernstein said. "But even more so, Florida A&M has to change." Incidents of hazing have followed the FAMU band for years. In 2001, a student was paddled so badly he had to be hospitalized for kidney failure, and just weeks before Champion's death, band director Julian White suspended 26 members for alleged hazing. In 1998, a Tallahassee Police Department report described Ivery Luckey as being "severely beaten." He and two other students were to be initiated. CNN Atlanta affiliate WXIA reported that Luckey filed a lawsuit against the Florida Board of Regents and reached a $50,000 settlement in 2004. "Back then, you could be the best player on the field, but if you did not cross over in your section, there's no way you're marching at a game," Luckey told WXIA a few weeks ago. "The hazing consisted of the group taking turns paddling each of the three continuously," the police report said. Luckey, a member of the clarinet section, estimated he was struck nearly 300 times at the off-campus initiation. Luckey told officers people in the group would hold him down when he tried to get up. "He stated that mostly girls did all of the paddling and there were numerous slaps to his face." At one point he decided the beating was too severe and started to leave, but members convinced him that it was nearly over and he should finish. The next day he was ill, and two days after the beating he was admitted to the hospital for severe bruising to his buttocks. The report said it "was apparent that he was in fear of future violence as a result of pressing charges." Bernstein said students who make complaints face pressure. Her client, she said, was crying and emotional before taking a final exam Tuesday. "She experienced ridicule," the lawyer said of Hunter. "My understanding is some people already tweeting that it's a lie don't believe her. But there is no lie in what happened." CNN's George Howell, Jason Carroll, Melanie Whitley and Vivian Kuo contributed to this report.
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Attorney for one suspect said "inconsistencies"in account favor his client .
Attorney says Hunter is leaving FAMU, likely to file lawsuit .
Three suspects are charged with hazing; two are charged with felony battery .
A 1998 alleged incident left a student with severe bruising .
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By . Gerard Couzens . Hotels in the notorious party resort of Magaluf are set out to kick out a record number of yob British holidaymakers this year. Nearly 100 troublemakers have been asked to leave already this year for smashing up their hotel rooms, fighting with others guests or assaulting staff. And hotel bosses are promising to get even tougher with unruly tourists after the rowdy Majorcan resort made headlines around the world over a video of a British teenager performing multiple sex acts in a bar for free booze. More than 100 tourists have already been kicked out of their Magaluf hotels for trashing their rooms or fighting . A local hotel association says a staggering 92 of the 107 people members have kicked out so far this year were British. The other 15 were Irish. The shocking figures put Magaluf on course to break its record of expulsions, 254 last year and up from 147 in 2012 and 166 in 2011. The vast majority of those asked to leave in previous years, like this year, were British. And around 35 per cent of the area’s hotels do not belong to the association which released the figures yesterday, meaning the real number is likely to be slightly higher. Joan Espina, vice president of the Palmanova-Magaluf Hotel Assocation, which covers the two sister resorts, said: 'The vast majority of the expulsions are down to three reasons. A Magaluf hotel association claims a staggering 92 of the 107 people kicked out so far this year were British . The first is guests damaging hotel furniture, kicking doors down, smashing mirrors and even throwing TVs out of their rooms. 'The others are fights with other guests and verbal and physical attacks on hotel staff. 'The vast majority are always British men, aged between 18 and 25. Tourists pictured on the Punta Ballena strip in Magaluf after a night out on the town . 'We want young people who come to enjoy themselves but within a context of respect towards other guests. 'We won’t tolerate people whose fun comes from antisocial behaviour which causes others to suffer. 'It’s got to be fun within certain limits. 'Virtually all the problems we’re experiencing are connected to the misuse of drugs and alcohols and obviously we’d urge these youngsters to take care.' Troublemakers are put on a temporary black list so hoteliers know not to accept them. Mr Espina explained: 'The association sends round an email with the name of the person that’s been expelled so other members are pre-warned. 'We cover 20,000 hotel beds in Magaluf and Palmanova so it is a very effective measure. 'It’s only information that’s kept for a few days and not on a long-term basis. 'Most of the people that are expelled for bad behaviour promise they won’t do it again but we usually find a lot of them have already caused trouble before. 'Where there’s been vandalism hoteliers try to get compensation from those who’ve caused it but it’s very difficult in practice. 'Usually we try to avoid getting the police involved unless it’s very serious.' Several hotels in the area have hired private security to address the problem. One hotel boss said: 'It’s not that the problem has necessarily got worse but more that hotels are taking a tougher approach. 'In many cases hotels now employ external security staff rather than depending on a night-time caretaker and a sole security guard they mostly employed themselves.'
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Hotels in Magaluf expecting to kick out record number of British this year .
Almost 100 troublemakers already asked to leave for fighting and vandalism .
Local hotel association claims 92 of the 107 ejected this year were British .
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After Wednesday night's resounding 4-1 victory over Stoke, Manchester City had more to be cheerful about as Yaya Toure returned to training. The 31-year-old had been away with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, where the midfield powerhouse helped the Elephants to victory. City suffered in Toure's absence. Manuel Pellegrini's side managed just one win while the midfielder was with his national side, and that came on Wednesday against Stoke. Yaya Toure (right) returns to Manchester City training after successful African Cup of Nations trip . City goalkeeper Joe Hart gets set to throw an American football in the club's gym . Frank Lampard was all smiles after Manuel Pellegrini's side won 4-1 at Stoke on Wednesday night . Toure (left) is joined by Hart and James Milner as they prepare for Thursday's training session . The Manchester City players use towels to stretch the muscles in their legs in the club's gym . Since Toure left the Etihad, City had managed just three points from three draws in the Premier League before the 3-1 victory at the Britannia - and they crashed out of the FA Cup to Championship leaders Middlesbrough. Having scored his spot-kick in the Ivory Coast's 9-8 win over Ghana in the final, Toure looked ahead to City's challenge of retaining the title. ‘With my confidence I know football is not about one game or two games, especially in the Premier League,’ he said. ‘We have 38 games and if we want to achieve it (retaining the title) we have to win all the games. ‘I know it is difficult but now I have to go back and do my duty again.’ The first opportunity to begin that difficult challenge will be on February 21 against Newcastle. Meanwhile, City's January £25million signing Wilfried Bony will not be able to train with his new club until Friday as the former Swansea striker had to renew his visa before returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. The 31-year-old returns after a successful African Cup of Nations campaign with Ivory Coast . Toure scored his spot-kick in the epic penalty shootout against Ghana in the final . Along with his teammates the Manchester City midfielder celebrates as the winning penalty is scored .
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Yaya Toure has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations .
The 31-year-old was back with Manchester City for training .
Manuel Pellegrini's side won just once while Toure was away .
The midfield powerhouse was part of the Ivory Coast's winning side .
City won for first time in Toure's absence on Wednesday against Stoke .
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A Rotherham child abuse victim has told how her attacker warned she would be killed if she refused to have an abortion at the age of 14 (file image, victim not pictured) A Rotherham child abuse victim has told how her attacker warned she would be killed if she refused to have an abortion - at the age of 14. The woman, now in her 30s, revealed how she then fell pregnant to the same abuser for the second time just six months later and on that occasion was allowed to keep the child. Her story comes as it was revealed that as many as 100 teenage girls may have had babies after falling pregnant to their abusers. According to the Sunday Mirror, the victim, known only as Jane, was targeted as a schoolgirl in Rotherham while she was living with her parents. She described how her attacker, who was in his 20s, was driving around in his car looking for potential victims when he saw her in the street. After 'chatting her up' and buying her food and clothes, Jane admitted she felt 'flattered' by the attention. In the weeks that followed he would sneak in through her bedroom window and have sex with her while her parents slept in the next room. She told the newspaper that she found out she was pregnant while she was at school - but on telling her attacker, he ordered her to get rid of the baby. 'He told me they would do a DNA test and he would be jailed. He said his friends would find me and kill me.' Despite her desperate parents informing social services, she claims no action was taken. 'I had the abortion and I was put in care to keep us apart. He would drive up and down outside my home. It was like he was stalking me.' Just six months later, and living with foster parents, the abuser tracked her down and she fell pregnant again at the age of 15. The man allowed her to keep the baby provided she became a Muslim and describes having to 'eat what he did. No bacon, and he talked to me about his religion for hours.' The pair lost contact for two years while her abuser was in jail for attacking another man. It was only years later that Jane was told by a social worker that she had been abused and learnt that she had not been his only victim. She told the Sunday Mirror that during her ordeal she was failed twice by police who did not investigate her abuse. Jane's story comes as it was revealed that as many as 100 teenage girls in Rotherham, pictured, may have had babies after being made pregnant by their abusers. The newspaper says more than 100 teenagers may have conceived during rapes. Jane's story comes after an explosive report which revealed child sexual exploitation in the town had an 'absolutely devastating' effect on the estimated 1,400 victims between 1997 and 2013. Professor Alexis Jay's report also highlighted another tragic element of the scandal for some of the victims who fell pregnant - being separated from the babies born as a result. It said: 'In a number of cases we read, children and young people had pregnancies, miscarriages and terminations. The wholesale sexual exploitation of young girls is going on in 'every town and village' in the country, says the author of the Rotherham sex abuse report. Professor Alexis Jay, the expert who laid bare the gang-rapes of hundreds of children by predators there, has issued a chilling warning that thousands more are at risk. She says young girls were still being groomed, threatened and raped in 'every town and village' across the country. The former inspector of Scotland's social workers was speaking after her damning report which sent shock waves throughout Britain. She revealed at least 1,400 children in Rotherham - some as young as 11 - were raped systematically by gangs of Asian men. Professor Alexis Jay, the expert who laid bare the gang-rapes of hundreds of children by predators there, has issued a chilling warning that thousands more are at risk . But she warned: 'There is no question that this is still happening and will carry on because there is a demand for sex with children. 'It is happening in every town and village in the country.' Prof Jay suggested a national legal requirement for local authorities and the police to report child sexual exploitation. She said: 'It would certainly help to place the scale of the problem across the country because at this time, we simply don't know.' Hundreds were raped by predatory men after being groomed and showered with gifts of booze and drugs. Professor Jay said: 'It was not that they didn't care but they were utterly overwhelmed by what was going on and they didn't get the support they needed. 'I have a huge amount of sympathy with the efforts the parents were making but in many instances, these children were distressed. 'There were threats against their families if they didn't let their girls go out and be exploited by these groups of men.' Last night, Rotherham's Labour MP Sarah Champion said one of the most upsetting aspects of the scandal was that babies born to some victims were taken away and were never seen by their mothers again. She said: 'That speaks volumes about the way these children weren't seen as victims at all.' 'Some had children removed under care orders, and suffered further trauma when contact with their child was terminated and alternative family placements found. 'This affected not just the victims themselves, but other siblings who had developed attachments to the baby. 'However, there were other cases where vulnerable and sometimes very young mothers were able, with appropriate long-term support, to recover and successfully care for their children.' It comes as it was revealed there were up to 24 lost chances to halt child abuse in Rotherham. The Sunday Times reports that there were 'at least' 24 child protection investigations in the South Yorkshire town that failed to prevent the abuse. The newspaper says that the Professor Jay's report reveals the number of inspections of Rotherham child services since 2002. Organisations that conducted the reviews included, among others, the Home Office, a number of charities, Ofsted and the Social Services Inspectorate. Meanwhile, the Sun has reported that police are preparing to take re-examine 'at least' a thousand complaints of sex abuse in the town. The newspaper reports that police officers from other forces could be brought in to take a fresh look at cases from as far back as 1997.
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Child abuse victim reveals how she became pregnant twice by same attacker .
Woman reveals she was ordered by attacker to have abortion at just 14 .
She fell pregnant again six months later but was allowed to keep the baby .
The victim, named only as 'Jane', claimed she was failed twice by police .
There are reports that up to 100 teenagers may have given birth after becoming pregnant by their abusers .
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By . Alexandra Klausner . PUBLISHED: . 18:03 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:17 EST, 10 October 2013 . DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg couldn’t let go . of ‘Breaking Bad’. Variety reports that . he was willing to pay $75 million to fund three more online episodes of the hit . AMC drama. Katzenberg announced to TV executives at the Mipcom Mart in . Cannes six weeks ago that he wanted to create a new way of watching quality . short form entertainment. He offered to pay $25 million per episode for three . episodes of ‘Breaking Bad’ starting from where the show last ended. DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg offered to pay $75 million for three more episodes of 'Breaking Bad' Do you miss Walter(left) and Jesse(right)? DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg offered to pay $25 million dollars an episode for three more . ‘I’m going to create the greatest pay-per-view television . event for scripted programming anybody’s ever done,’ said Katzenberg. Unfortunately for fans, Katzenberg made his big offer a . little too late. Creator Vince Gilligan’s storyline was already set in stone. Each webisode would have aired in 6 minute instalments over . the course of one month. Each instalment would only cost viewers 50 to 99 . cents. ‘The last series cost about $3.5 million an episode,’ said . Katzenberg. ‘So they would make more profit from these three shows than they . made from five years of the entire series.’ Even though Katzenberg can’t get his hands on more ‘Breaking . Bad,’ his novel idea may change the way viewers watch quality television. ‘I share the story with you only to tell you that I have the . courage of my convictions in this. I just think that there is a whole new . platform for (short form) entertainment … and the higher the quality of the . stuff that fills it, the higher people will be paid for the work that they are . doing there,’ he said. Online television is high on Katzenberg's radar. At the end of April, DreamWorks Animation bought YouTube entertainment network AwesomenessTV for $33 million. The captivating AMC hit 'Breaking Bad' is officially over and won't be airing online as Katzenberg planned .
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DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg was denied due to the show's cemented plot line .
The show would have made more profit from three episodes than they made in five years of the entire series .
The show would have been available online for 50 to 99 cents .
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f67034aaaa19ee30cab6e6b1869b636ca7b29368
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Shannon O'Roark Griffin was upset that her retired Army Colonel husband wanted to divorce her and wouldn't leave his mistress . By . Meghan Keneally . Updated: . 14:54 EST, 17 January 2012 . var twitterVia = 'MailOnline'; . DM.has('shareLinkTop', 'shareLinks', { . 'id': '2087895', . 'title': 'Former NASA trainer \'drives 250 miles to shoot dead her husband\'s mistress \'', . 'url': 'http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087895/Former-NASA-trainer-shoots-husbands-mistress-dead-wanted-divorce.html', . 'eTwitterStatus': ' http://bit.ly/wyLsRe via @' + twitterVia, . 'articleChannelFollowButton': 'MailOnline', . 'isChannel': false, . 'placement': 'top', . 'anchor': 'tl' }); . View comments . A retired NASA employee allegedly drove 250 miles to seek out and kill her husband's lover after he said he wouldn't leave her. Shannon O'Roark Griffin, 52, drove nearly four hours from her home in Lyons, Kansas to the house of psychiatrist Irina Puscariu in Gladstone, Missouri. She then knocked on the door before entering and shot Ms Puscariu three times, say police. O'Roark Griffin and her husband Roscoe . Griffin, who was a retired Army Colonel, were undergoing couple's . therapy because of problems in their marriage. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Not-so-happy couple: Shannon O'Roark Griffin and her husband Roscoe Griffin were in couples therapy at the time of the murder and he wanted a divorce . 'It's destroyed two families,' Ms Puscariu's ex-husband Gene Franklin said. Calling it 'the biggest personal loss in my whole life,' Mr Franklin said that he and Ms Puscariu's mother Aneta are both trying to handle the 'unspeakable loss'. Done with the marriage: Roscoe Griffin, 62, wanted a divorce . Mr Griffin wanted a divorce and his wife did not see that as a solution. Court documents state that the pair were at one of such sessions Friday morning when Mr Griffin, 62, said that 'he would not give I. Puscariu up'. Several hours after that session, Shannon called the couple's daughter to tell her that she had shot and killed Ms Puscariu, and the daughter then relayed that message to her father. Police documents say that Mr Griffin . got several calls from Shannon saying she had done what needed to be . done in order to 'protect him and others from this evil woman'. Mr Griffin called his mistress' home to check and found out that the sick tale was true. Killed at home: O'Roark Griffin drove nearly 250 miles to the home of her husband's mistress Irina Puscuriu in Gladstone, Missouri . Armed with a plan: O'Roark Griffin, seen here in an earlier photo, drove nearly four hours to kill her husband's mistress . He then called the police and told them what happened. They caught O'Roark Griffin on the highway in Wichita as she was headed back in the direction of their Lyons home. Once she was pulled over, she told police that she had two unloaded handguns in her car. She is in police custody and is charged with first-degree murder. Logging the miles: O'Roark Griffin drove nearly 250 miles to find the woman . Fallen glory: O'Roark Griffin is a retired training specialist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas and is now charged with first-degree murder . WATCH VIDEO HERE . video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player .
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Shannon O'Roark Griffin was upset that her retired Army Colonel husband wanted to divorce her and wouldn't leave his mistress .
O'Roark Griffin then drove almost four hours to the mistress' home .
Shot the mistress three times when she answered the door .
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Cristiano Ronaldo stunned fans with another hat-trick on Sunday, and celebrated by taking partner Irina Shayk out for dinner. The Real Madrid superstar fired his side to a 5-0 mauling of Athletic Bilbao as Carlo Ancelotti's side moved within four points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. The glamorous duo happily posed for a picture as they dined at Chinese restaurant Tse-Yang, with Ronaldo revealing his pet name for Irina. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Real Madrid 5-0 Atheltic Bilbao: Pictorial highlights . Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his latest Real Madrid hat-trick at dinner with girlfriend Irina Shayk . Ronaldo scored in his 14th consecutive home game as Real Madrid made light work of beating Athletic Bilbao . Shayk was in attendance at the Bernabeu, but didn't look too impressed with her loved one's performance . Mushroom and chicken soup . Steam crabmeat dumplings . Sweet and sour sea bram . 'KON PAO' chicken . Beef strips with leek . Shanghai fried rice . Chocolate roll with banana . The Portuguese star posted the picture to his Instagram account with the message 'Dinner with tigriski.' Tse-Yang describes itself as one of the most luxurious Chinese restaurants in the Spanish capital, boasting 'cuisine that is unique and reflects the true dimension of the finest oriental flavors.' The Bilbao rout saw Ronaldo continue his dovetailing with fellow Madrid attackers Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale - a trio fans have dubbed the 'BBC.' 'We are still getting better, this is still the start of the season' said the record breaking scorer. 'The BBC is working well. We are used to playing together and we keep scoring goals.' Like MailOnline Sport's Facebook page. Real Madrid players celebrate a goal during their 5-0 demolition of Atheltic Bilbao . Ronaldo celebrates scoring yet another hat-trick with a controversial deflection from Marcelo's shot . Ronaldo took to Twitter to share the snap and reveal is pet name for Shayk, which is 'Tigriski'
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Cristiano Ronaldo dines out with girlfriend Irina Shayk after Real Madrid's 5-0 win against Athletic Bilbao .
Ronaldo referred to his loved one as 'tigriski' as they had dinner at Tse-Yang Chinese restaurant .
Portuguese star scored in his 14th consecutive home game for Madrid .
Famous couple could have enjoyed a special Shanghai-themed set menu, setting them back £28 each .
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(CNN)How quickly it's all over. And yet, already, begun again. This Sunday's "Parts Unknown" marks the end of yet another season and we tried for a soft landing in Jamaica. I'd like to thank veteran field producer, Josh Ferrell (hopefully you follow his exploits on Twitter @TheMagicalGiant), for heroically volunteering the use of his mighty buttocks for our carefully crafted Bond-inspired cold open. I sent him and the crew to Margaritaville with every intention of depicting the place as a blight on paradise, but the boys apparently had a wonderful time. I stayed behind that day, lounging about Goldeneye, Ian Fleming's former sanctum sanctorum, where he wrote all the Bond novels, getting familiar with the feeling of owning a grotto and drinking many excellent rum punches. Thanks also to Chris Blackwell, owner of Goldeneye, creator of Island Records, legendary mentor to Bob Marley. Superb host. Raconteur. Man with a plan and a vision. The show concerns itself, among other things, with who "owns" paradise. Increasingly, everywhere -- whether New York City, Venice, the Jersey Shore or Jamaica -- people who grow up adjacent to water, to idyllic views, lovely beaches, traditional architecture, can no longer afford to live there. Their homes, their neighborhoods are, in the modern economy, the harsh reality of present day, "undervalued." Traditional ways of life, like fishing, seem quaint anachronisms when the simple fact is that you can make a lot more money carrying a golf bag for a tourist, or making blender drinks at Margaritaville. Is that a bad thing? So many places I look -- even in America, we see a transition to a service economy. Like the Jamaican fishermen we talked to, moving away from the things we once did. We are increasingly a nation in the business (in someone else's words) of "selling each other cheeseburgers." Are there any bad guys in this equation? I don't know. Jamaica has a harsh past and an uncomfortable present. In spite of its spectacular and captivating beauty, it is a place that's easy to romanticize. But one shouldn't, I think, do that. Like a lot of our shows, we come to no neat conclusions. Only more questions -- which is, I suppose, conclusion enough. We are already well underway shooting another season. Hope you liked this one. Thanks for watching.
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Season four of "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" concludes in Jamaica .
Tony looks at the country's transition to a service economy .
The show concerns itself, among other things, with who "owns" paradise .
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David Moyes has taken a bold step into the relatively unknown by moving to Real Sociedad but there is more than enough talent, history and potential at the club to make it the perfect coaching comeback for the former Everton and Manchester United manager. Sportsmail's Spanish football expert Pete Jenson tells us why... David Moyes is back in management with Real Sociedad after his difficult tenure at Manchester United . The playing squad . In November the league table is still capable of lying and the truth is there is no way Real Sociedad are the 15th best team in Spain. They have already beaten both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid this season and the group of players that David Moyes inherits will be enough to give them a top-half finish in his first season. The club sold Claudio Bravo to Barcelona in the summer but Enaut Zubikarai is an experienced stand in. Geronimo Rulli, the big summer signing from Estudiantes in Argentina, is waiting to return from a broken finger suffered in pre-season and 23-year-old Enrique Royo is a hugely talented keeper waiting for his chance. At the heart of the defence, Inigo Martínez is still only 23 and Moyes should be able to guide him back to the sort of form that made him many people’s tip to become a fixture in Spain’s squad and earn a move to Barcelona. Yuri Berchiche signed in the summer from newly-promoted Eibar, and at 24, has a bright future at the club . Carlos Martinez, pictured here tackling Mario Mandzukic, will help provide the defensive stability for Moyes . Saturday November 22 . Deportivo La Coruna (A) (17th in La Liga) Sunday November 30 . Elche (H) (18th in La Liga) Thursday December 4 . Real Oviedo (A) (3rd in Segunda B) Sunday December 7 . Villarreal (A) (8th in La Liga) Sunday December 14 . Athletic Bilbao (H) (11th in La Liga) Around him there is stability with Alberto de la Bella, Carlos Martinez, Mikel Gonzalez all having been at the club, and very often in the same back four, for the last four seasons. De la Bella is currently out with an achilles problem but Yuri Berchiche is an able replacement who signed in the summer from newly-promoted Eibar and at 24 is another one with a future at the club. The central midfield pairing is usually Markel Bergara and former Real Madrid and Queens Park Rangers midfielder Esteban Granero but Ruben Pardo is the diamond in the rough – an Under 19 European champion with Spain he was on Real Madrid’s wish list two seasons ago but Sociedad resisted and now all it needs is for Moyes to help the 22-year-old fulfill his enormous potential. Markel Bergara (right) lines up alongside ex-Real Madrid and QPR man Esteban Granero in central midfield . In the line of three behind the striker Moyes will have plenty of talent to call upon. Carlos Vela usually plays centrally and top scored last season with 16 league goals. Club stalwarts David Zurutuza and Xabi Prieto are good soldiers who will stand up to be counted. The pair have played almost 400 games between them for the club and Prieto’s set-piece delivery will be another weapon Moyes can use to the team’s advantage. Sergio Canales is another who has lost his way but if the still-only-23-year-old midfielder, for whom Real Madrid paid £4million when he was just 18, can regain form and fitness, then Moyes will have one of the most gifted players in the division at his disposal. Former Arsenal striker Carlos Vela (right) scored 16 times for Real Sociedad last season . Leading the line, Imanol Agirretxe will work hard as a loan striker and Iceland centre forward Alfred Finnbogason, signed in the summer from Heerenveen in Holland where he scored 29 goals in just 31 games, will give Moyes a more physical option. Boardroom backing . There will not be huge amounts to spend. Real Sociedad are a selling club and if Moyes manages to bring the best out in players such as Inigo Martinez and Pardo then the club will be tempted to cash in again. But what he will benefit from is one of the best youth academies in Europe. The Zubieta sports city has so often been the foundation of the club’s success. There was a time around a decade ago when the attention switched to foreign signings but the club paid the price ending a 40-year run in the top division with relegation in 2007. It took them three seasons to come back but with a team built on youth they finally won the second division in 2010 and Moyes will be entrusted as the keeper of that youth team tradition. Anoeta Stadium holds 32,000 - buoyed by Moyes' arrival the fans will rally behind them for the next home game . Manchester United (2013-14) P 51 W 27 D 9 L 15 WP 53% . Everton (2002-13) P 516 W 217 D 139 L 160 WP 42% . Preston North End (1998-2002) P 234 W 113 D58 L 63 WP 48% . History and support . The club’s Anoeta Stadium holds 32,000 and although performances were, in the main, poor last season the average was still in excess of 22,500. Buoyed by Moyes’ arrival they will get behind the team in the next home game against Elche and fill the ground for the Basque derby on December 14. Another British former manager, Chris Coleman, used to complain about how the running track around the pitch affected the atmosphere but that won't stop them creating a cauldron for their visit of their local rivals. It is Spain’s ‘friendly derby’ perhaps the closest La Liga has to the Merseyside meetings Moyes managed during his decade at Goodison Park. The Real Sociedad fans have endured a tough campaign so far, but will still be hoping for a top-half finish . Expectations . Real Sociedad were champions in 1981 and 1982 and they also finished runners-up in 2003 but times have changed and the fans know that. The annual budget is just south of £50m and financially it is not just that they struggle to live with the big two, they are also some way behind Atletico Madrid and Valencia. Playing well, competing for a Europa League place and improving the players he has will be how Moyes is judged. If he develops players and keeps the club in the top half of the first division with attractive football then he will not be questioned. No-one will expect trophies – a repeat of his results record at Everton will keep everyone happy. John Toshack coached the club for 322 games winning 126 of them and lifting the Copa del Rey in 1987 . Wales boss Coleman (pictured in 2007) was the last British manager to have taken charge of Real Sociedad . And topping Toshack? John Benjamin Toshack, as he is always referred to in Spain, coached Sociedad for 322 games winning 126 of them and lifting the Copa del Rey in 1987. The man he really wants to beat however is Alberto Ormaetxea, who won those two leagues. They were called the Humble Champions and even made the European Cup semi-finals. With Spain legend Luis Arconada in goal and fellow internationals Jesus Satrustegui and Roberto Lopez Ufarte in attack they took on Barcelona and Real Madrid and managed back-to-back titles. In their current state back-to-back wins would be nice – Moyes can do that with victory over Deportivo Saturday week when his adventure begins at 10pm, local time.
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David Moyes has been announced as Real Sociedad manager .
Moyes' new job at Real Sociedad could be the perfect coaching comeback after his difficult tenure at Manchester United .
He inherits a squad 15th in La Liga, but they are a better team than that .
Real Sociedad are a selling club but benefit from a brilliant youth academy .
The club won back-to-back championship titles in 1981 and 1982 .
But such is their current state, consecutive victories are hard to come by .
Follow David Moyes' start at Real Sociedad here .
David Moyes will be officially unveiled as boss on Thursday .
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Claim: Denise Lindsay has gone to the court to find out if the word 'golliwog' is 'inherently discriminatory' A black chef claims that her white boss racially harassed her when he mentioned the word ‘golliwog’ during a conversation about the famous Robertson’s jam labels. Lawyers for Denise Lindsay, 45, claim that the word is ‘inherently discriminatory’ and has ‘racial overtones’ and should not have been used in front of their client. But her boss Mark McAleese claims that he was talking about the jam label changing and has apologised to her and said that he had no desire to ‘violate her dignity’. Her lawyers are battling to convince three top judges that the word is inherently offensive to black people and almost always discriminatory - no matter in what context it is used. Her barrister, Daniel Matovu, told the court: ‘White people don’t get called golliwogs. The word is an overtly racial comment. [The word] golliwog cannot be interpreted in any other way. ‘What the authorities make clear is that, when something is inherently discriminatory and clearly has racial overtones, there is no further debate.’ British jam manufacturers Robertson’s started using the Golly character, dressed in a yellow waistcoat and bow tie, on its jars from 1910. In the late-1920s, the company started producing popular badges featuring the character, including a golfing, cricketer and footballer version. The items became collectables. However, the cartoon disappeared from labels in 2002 after decades of controversy and jars of marmalade now feature Paddington Bear. The company has always insisted that the Golly character was withdrawn for commercial reasons rather than a reaction to the controversy surrounding the figure. Chef Denise Lindsay is suing her boss for racial harassment after he used the word 'golliwog' in a conversation about the removal of the controversial character from labels of Robertson's jam . Jars of Robertson's marmalade now feature the far less controversial Paddington Bear . Miss Lindsay was working as an assistant chef manager at the LSE’s Bloomsbury student halls in February 2009 when the comment was made by chef manager Mr McAleese. He used the word while discussing ‘the change to the label of Robertson’s jam’, the court heard. But Miss Lindsay, of Clapham, south west London, was upset and an employment tribunal later found that what Mr McAleese said amounted to ‘an isolated act of harassment’. He apologised and said that he had not uttered the word for the ‘purpose of violating her dignity’. The tribunal ruled: ‘We have concluded that, for a white manager to use the words “golliwog” and “golliwog jam” in the course of a conversation with a black Afro-Caribbean colleague is unwanted conduct.’ However, Miss Lindsay’s harassment claim was dismissed after the tribunal said it had been brought too late. Denise Lindsay's complaint relates to her time working at a London School Of Economics hall of residence in Bloomsbury . Whether that decision was justified is one of the central issues now being considered by the Appeal Court judges. Miss Lindsay’s other complaints of race discrimination were dismissed by the tribunal and, although she still has an active victimisation claim, she is asking the court to reconsider the issue. Her barrister Mr Matovu argued that the tribunal was plainly wrong to dismiss the golliwog complaint purely on grounds of delay. However, the LSE’s barrister, Shaen Catherwood, insisted that Mr McAleese’s use of the controverisal word - spoken quietly and quickly - did not come anywhere close to racial harassment. ‘I say it is unsatisfactory that somebody should be labelled with a finding of harassment on racial grounds when the actual context in which the word was used was innocent and inoffensive,’ he told the court. Lord Justice Moore-Bick, Lord Justice Floyd and Lord Justice Christopher Clarke reserved their decision on the case until a later date.
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Denise Lindsay worked at university hall of residence in London .
Her boss Mark McAleese was discussing removal of character from jars .
Robertson's used the controversial character on labels until 2001 .
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Speaking at a memorial service just hours after the Sunday afternoon shooting at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas, Mindy Corporan, the mother of Dr. William Lewis Corporan, and his grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, repeatedly thanked the people in the audience for being there and talked more about the two victims. 'I'm in shock,' Mrs. Corporan said, looking remarkably composed given what she has gone through. But I want you know I appreciate you all being here.' Scroll down for video . Mindy Corporan, the daughter of Dr. William Lewis Corporan and mother of Reat Griffin Underwood, both killed in Sunday's shooting at a Kansas City Jewish community center, speaks out at a memorial service Sunday night . Shortly after speaking, Mrs. Corporan introduced herself as the mother of Underwood and Dr. Corporan's daughter, prompting gasps from the crowd. She also referred to her father as 'Popeye.' She said she came on the scene shortly after the shooting, before police and ambulances had arrived. But she knew right away Dr. Corporan and Mr. Underwood were already in heaven. 'I know they are in heaven together,' she said. Mrs. Corporan said Dr. Corporan got selected to take Mr. Underwood to the community center for a theater tryout since she was busy with another son at lacrosse and her mother was busy with cousins. 'I want to let you know how much Reat loved school...loved signing and acting,' Mrs. Corporan said. Victim: Corporan, pictured left, and Underwood, right, were Christians attending a singing contest at the center . At . one point, she apologized for not knowing about another person killed . as part of the gunman's rampage at the Village Shalom senior living . facility several blocks away. However, she asked the crowd to pray for . that victim, a female, and her family. Her name is not yet been released. Mrs. Corporan also said that despite the tragedy that has struck her family, she will go on living. 'I want you all to know that we are going to have more life and I want you all to have more life,' she said. Mrs. Corporan (in red sweatshirt) said that she came upon the scene before police and paramedics arrived, but already knew her son and father were in heaven together . The . Sunday shooting is believed to be fueled by anti-Semitism. However. Dr. Corporan and Mr. Underwood were Christian, not Jewish. Close: The doctor practiced family medicine in Marlow and Duncan Oklahoma, retiring in 2003. He and his wife of 49 years moved to the Kansas City area to be closer to their grandchildren . Police . arrested 73-year-old Frazier Glenn Cross. He was booked on a charge of . first degree murder, according to the Johnson County, Kansas, Sheriff's . Office. The suspect appears to have a long history of KKK involvement . and anti-Semitism under the name Frazier Glenn Miller. Authorities . said they don't think he knew the victims. They have declined to say if . they think the attack was motivated by anti-Semitism but they are . investigating the possibility it was a hate crime. Led away: The shooter, later identified as Frazier Glenn Cross, is taken away from the scene after being apprehended in an elementary school in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon . Miller is not from Kansas City and was carrying a handgun when he was . arrested, though he used a shotgun in the rampage. He also reportedly . had possession of an assault weapon. Corporan had taken Reat to the community center to audition for KC Superstars, which was being held at the center's theater. The . doctor practiced family medicine in Marlow and Duncan Oklahoma, . retiring in 2003. He and his wife of 49 years moved to the Kansas City . area to be closer to their grandchildren. The statement described Corporon as a devoted family man who cherished his family more than anything. The . teen was a freshman at Blue Valley High School who enjoyed debating, . theatre, and had a beautiful voice, the family statement reads. He was . also an Eagle Scout. The boy and his grandfather regularly went camping and hunting together. The . identities of the victims were released just hours after Miller was . accosted by police and reportedly screamed out 'Heil Hilter' as he . was led away. He was taken into custody outside Valley Park Elementary . at 2:45 p.m. The Aurora, . Missouri, man in the 1980s was the 'grand dragon' of the Carolina . Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and subsequently a founder of the White . Patriot Party, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which . monitors hate groups. The group said he'd been in the KKK movement . nearly his entire life. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback called the shootings 'senseless.' 'We will pursue justice aggressively for these victims,' Brownback said in a statement.
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Dr. William Lewis Corporan, and grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, 14, were killed in the shootings on Sunday in Kansas City .
Mindy Corporan, Dr. Corporan's daughter and Underwood's son, said she is in shock but appreciated the turnout at a memorial service Sunday night .
Mrs. Corporan came onto the scene of the shooting before police or paramedics arrived .
She encouraged the crowd to 'have more life'
73-year-old Frazier Glenn Cross - or Frazier Glenn Miller - was taken into custody Sunday afternoon and charged with first degree murder .
Miller also killed a woman at a Jewish retirement home a few blocks from the Jewish community center .
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(CNN) -- Barcelona ripped apart Spanish title rivals Real Madrid to take top spot in La Liga with an emphatic 5-0 home victory in the first "Clasico" of the season on Monday night. Real coach Jose Mourinho suffered an embarrassing first defeat since taking over in May as defending champions Barca moved two points clear after 13 games following the Catalan side's fifth successive win over the capital outfit. The visitors were rocked from the outset as Xavi and Pedro put Pep Guardiola's team 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, then David Villa scored twice in four second-half minutes to effectively end the game before Jeffren's late goal just rubbed salt in Real's wounds. That led to Madrid defender Sergio Ramos being sent off after clattering into Lionel Messi and then shoving Barca captain Carles Puyol to the floor as passions boiled despite the cold, pouring rain. Was this the greatest Clasico of all time? "One team played to their potential and one didn't," Mourinho told AFP after a miserable return to one of his former clubs. "It was a defeat that we fully deserved but I don't think you can say it reflected the difference between the two sides. "The championship isn't over today. We are two points behind the leaders but there are lots of games left to play. We have to show character, train hard and get back to winning. I wish we were playing tomorrow." The most highly-anticipated match of the European season, it was a tempestuous affair that saw nine players booked before then, while Cristiano Ronaldo pushed Guardiola away on the touchline and Ricardo Carvalho escaped an apparent elbow in the face of Messi. Messi could not add to his hat-trick in the 8-0 thrashing of Almeria two weekends ago, but was a constant threat to a flimsy Real defense and he set up both of Villa's goals. Ronaldo is La Liga's top scorer with 15 after a treble last time out, but he was totally overshadowed by FIFA's world player of the year and was reduced to speculative long-range free-kick attempts. Barcelona's key midfielders Xavi and Andre Iniesta dominated possession, forcing Mourinho to take off one of his star signings, Germany's World Cup playmaker Mesut Ozil, at the halftime break. Can La Liga steal Premier League's Asian thunder? Messi hit the post as early as the sixth minute with a delightful flick, and Xavi opened the scoring four minutes later as he cleverly controlled a slide pass from Iniesta with his heel and guided a volley over goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Real captain was caught out in the 18th minute as he let Villa's low cross slip through his hands to give Pedro an easy chance to make it 2-0 from close range. The match threatened to boil over after half an hour when Ronaldo pushed Guardiola when the coach refused to give him the ball when it went out, resulting in Barca keeper Victor Valdes charging out of his area as players from both teams clashed. Ronaldo and Valdes were both yellow-carded for their part in the melee, then Villa and Real defender Pepe followed them into the referee's book by the 36th minute. El Clasico the key to the title says Ronaldo . Messi was also cautioned just before halftime after he went to ground following an incident with Carvalho -- television replays showed that the Portugal defender was lucky not to be sent off after raising his arm into the Argentine's face. Mourinho brought defensive midfielder Lassan Diarra on at halftime, but just 10 minutes later Villa made it 3-0 as he beat the offside trap to collect Messi's clever throughball. The Spain striker doubled his tally in the 58th minute with a calm finish with the outside of his right foot after a superb diagonal pass from Messi left the Real defense in tatters. Mourinho responded by replacing leftback Marcelo with fellow defender Alvaro Arbeloa, before Carvalho was booked for handling when Pedro seemed set to run free on Casillas' goal. Ramos was yellow-carded in the 73rd minute, and received his marching orders soon after Jeffren beat him to a teasing low cross by fellow replacement Bojan Krkic to make it 5-0 in time added on.
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Barcelona claim first place in La Liga with 5-0 demolition of previous leaders .
Defending champions move two points clear as striker David Villa scores twice .
Jose Mourinho suffers his first defeat since taking charge of Real Madrid .
Visitors have Sergio Ramos sent off at the end as tempers boil over at Nou Camp .
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Celtic defender Adam Matthews remembers Celtic being written off during his first season at Parkhead before bouncing back to claim the title. Now the Welsh defender insists Ronny Deila's men can do the same. The shock 1-0 defeat to Hamilton 10 days ago means the Scottish champions have dropped 10 Scottish Premiership points this season. Celtic defender Adam Matthews is refusing to press the panic button despite his side's worrying form . Celtic slumped to a shock 1-0 loss to Hamilton; the Scottish champions have dropped 10 points this season . They trail table-topping Accies by six points as they languish in sixth place, albeit having played a game less. That miserable start to the campaign has left their new Norwegian boss in the firing line of frustrated fans. But Matthews says Celtic can learn a lesson from the team which fought back from a 3-0 half-time deficit against Kilmarnock three years ago as they looked set to drop 18 points behind rivals Rangers. The full-back told the Celtic View: 'The main thing is to have a good team spirit. In my first season, we won the league and we won the league and we were 15 points behind at one stage, but just after Christmas we were one point ahead. These are worrying times for Ronny Deila's men at Parkhead as Celtic sit on sixth place in the League table . 'A big turning point was the game at Kilmarnock. Being 3-0 down at half-time, people felt that was it and we were going to be 18 points behind in the league so it may have been too much. 'But getting the three goals in the second half and getting the draw gave us a boost of confidence that we could go on a good run and that's what happened. 'So you need to have a good team spirit and stay together. That team were good at doing that and I'm sure this one can be as well. 'Every time we lose, especially the next day, the atmosphere isn't great and we are all a bit quiet and down. 'Overall, though, the boys are upbeat and are looking good in training. In parts of the game against Hamilton, we looked like a good team, but we just need to do that for the full 90 minutes, and if we can do that then we can go on a long unbeaten run. 'It's a bad start for us but with the players we have, we can put a good run together and I'm sure we can climb back up the league. 'We just need to keep calm, keep doing what we are doing in training and then do that when we play at the weekend.' Matthews is hoping to make his Celtic return soon after missing the last six weeks with a groin injury. The 22-year-old has not played since limping off at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Dundee on August 31. The former Cardiff man - whose current side face Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday - said: 'It's always frustrating being injured. 'You obviously want to be out there helping the boys but I'm sure we will get it together and click soon. 'Some of the football we have been playing has been good but we just haven't managed to get the results we have wanted. 'I felt good in pre-season and the way the team was playing suits me as a full-back, so I was enjoying it. Everyone gets injuries so I can't get too down about it and just need to try to get fit and back in the team.'
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Scottish champions have dropped 10 Premiership points this season .
Ronny Deila's men trail table-topping Hamilton by six points and are currently languishing in sixth place .
Adam Matthews hoping to make his Celtic return soon after missing the last six weeks with a groin injury .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 1:52 AM on 15th January 2012 . A failed Russian Mars probe, which became stuck in Earth's orbit after its rocket boosters failed to ignite, is expected to plunge back to Earth today somewhere in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. The Phobos-Grunt mission, which was billed as the most exciting Russian space mission in decades, aimed to retrieve soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos. But to the embarrassment of Russian scientists the spacecraft, which has been described as a flying fuel tank, became stuck after an initially successful launch on November 8. Doomed: The Phobos-Grunt probe blasts off successfully in November last year. It is expected to come crashing back to earth on Sunday after its booster rockets failed to ignite and send it on its way to Mars . Since then it has slowly been losing altitude due to gravity's pull. Worryingly the 14-ton spacecraft still has an estimated 11 tons of highly toxic rocket fuel on board, namely DiMethylHydrazine and Dinitrogen TetrOxide. Mission controllers remain confident . that most of the craft will disintegrate as it re-enters the earth's . atmosphere and the fuel is housed inside aluminum tanks which have a . relatively low melting temperature. Re-entry: The probe burns red hot as it approaches earth's atmosphere in this image captured by the German Tracking and Imaging Radar facility . Igor Lissov, an . independent Moscow-based space observer, said: 'The fuel indeed poses lethal danger . in case of close contact, but I haven’t heard of a single case of any . civilians poisoned by rocket fuel from all the derelict satellites and . failed rockets throughout the space era. 'The objective reality is that it burns on re-entry. There is no reason to panic.' Some experts believe that the fuel could have frozen and therefore survive the fiery descent, posing a strong threat if it spills over populated areas. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said that the probability is low that a large lump of toxic fuel will prove hazardous. He noted that some of the probe’s . equipment is dense and could survive re-entry, but added the odds are . that any surviving pieces will end up in the ocean. He said: 'All the best rules in the world put . in place to prevent uncontrolled satellites from crashing down do . little if any good in the event of a launch failure. 'This is always going to be the risk that something breaks, and you end . up with a situation like this. You can minimize it, but you can’t . prevent it entirely.' Due to constant changes in Earth's upper atmosphere, which is strongly influenced by solar activity, the exact time and place of the satellite's return has been difficult to predict. Predictions on Friday had the satellite re-entering over the Atlantic Ocean, east of Argentina, around 3:22 p.m. EST. Now, it appears the probe will plummet back to Earth today somewhere in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. 'The technology is such that there is no way we can control or predict where Phobos-Grunt will come down,' said Michael Simpson, executive director of the Colorado-based Secure World Foundation. 'With 73 percent of the planet . covered in water, odds are this thing is going to splash down rather . than hit land,' he said. 'The chance that this is going to be a threat . to anyone is extremely remote, but people are concerned.' Flying fuel tank: The failed probe still has 11 tons of highly-toxic fuel on board . They predict that only between . 20 and 30 fragments of the Phobos probe with a total weight of up to . 200 kilograms will survive the re-entry. In . 2008, the U.S. Navy shot down a stranded U.S. spy satellite reportedly . to cut the contamination risk of 100 pounds (45 kg) of rocket fuel. That . satellite's tank, however, was believed to have been made of metal . alloys more resistant to heating than aluminum, Simpson said. Crashdown: A Handout image released by the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos maps the huge area where controllers say the Phobos-Grunt will fall . One . component of Phobos-Grunt that likely will survive re-entry is a small . return capsule specifically designed to make a crash landing back to . Earth in 2014. Phobus-Grunt's . return to Earth is being monitored by dozens of organizations, . including the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordinating Committee, an . offshoot of the United Nations' Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer . Space. The panel includes representatives from 12 space agencies, . including NASA, Russia and China. Botched: The ambitious mission was meant to re-install pride in the Russian space agency . The . spacecraft is the third large satellite to return to Earth since . September, when NASA's defunct Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite fell . out of orbit, showering debris into the Pacific Ocean. Germany's Rosat . X-ray telescope re-entered a month later over the Bay of Bengal. The $170-million Phobos-Ground mission was Russia’s most expensive and the most ambitious space endeavor since Soviet times. Destination Mars: The Phobos-Grunt probe being prepared for launch in November this year . The spacecraft was intended to land on the crater-dented, potato-shaped Martian moon, collect soil samples and fly them back to Earth, giving scientists precious materials that could shed more light on the genesis of the solar system. The probe was successfully launched on November 9 and entered a preliminary orbit where its engines were supposed to fire to set it on its path to Mars. They never did, and attempts to fix the glitch by Russian and European Space Agency experts failed. Russia’s space chief has acknowledged the Phobos-Ground mission was ill-prepared and risks of its failure were high, but said that Roscosmos had to give it the go-ahead so as not to miss the limited Earth-to-Mars launch window. Phobos-Ground marked Russia’s first planned foray beyond Earth’s orbit since a botched 1996 robotic mission to Mars. That probe, designed by the same Lavochkin company, crashed shortly after launch due to an engine failure. The firm also built two other Phobos-bound probes that failed in 1988. The crash of Mars-96 generated strong international fears because of some 200 grams of plutonium onboard. The craft eventually showered its fragments over the Chile-Bolivia border in the Andes Mountains, and the pieces were never recovered. Phobos is the larger and closer of the two moons of Mars, the other being Deimos. Both moons were discovered in 1877, Phobos named after the Greek god Phobos, a son of Ares (Mars). A small, irregular-shaped object, Phobos orbits Mars closer than any other known moon orbits its planet. It orbits so close to the planet that . it moves around Mars faster than Mars itself rotates. As a result, from . the surface of the planet, Phobos would rise in the west, move rapidly . across the sky (in a little over four hours) and set in the east. Indeed, its orbit is decaying and will eventually smash into the surface of Mars or break up into a Saturn-like planetary ring. Phobos is one of the least-reflective bodies in the solar system, and features a large impact crater, Stickney crater. Phobos has been photographed in close-up by several spacecraft, whose primary mission has been to photograph Mars. The . first was Mariner 9 in 1971, followed by Viking 1 in 1977, Mars Global . Surveyor in 1998 and 2003, Mars Express in 2004, 2008, and 2010, and . Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2007 and 2008.
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Fourteen ton spacecraft still has 11 tons of toxic rocket fuel on board .
Experts admit they have no idea when and where it will hit .
Mission aimed to retrieve soil samples from Mars moon Phobos .
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Uruguay international Edinson Cavani signed a five-year deal with French champions Paris Saint-Germain Tuesday -- for a reported French record fee of euro 64 million ($84 million). Striker Cavani, nicknamed "El Matador" for his flamboyant style on the pitch, joins PSG from Napoli, where he was Serie A top scorer last season with 29 goals. He was unveiled at an official press conference in the French capital and said the prospect of joining the Qatari-backed side proved irresistible. "I had three spectacular years in Naples, but here I am joining a very ambitious project," Cavani told PSG's official Twitter feed. His signing underlines PSG's determination to match the spending of Ligue 1 rivals Monaco, who have been taken over by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. Since being promoted to the French top flight at the end of last season, Monaco have invested heavily in players, most notably Colombian striker Radamel Falcoa. That deal, worth a reported euros 60 million ($78 million) was also a record as he signed from La Liga side Atletico Madrid. But PSG's acquisition of the 26-year-old Cavani will see him pair up with former Napoli teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi, of Argentina, in a formidable striking partnership. "The transfer of Edinson Cavani is further proof of the club's ability to attract the best players in the world," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told their official website. PSG, who were to prove David Beckham's final club, won the French title last season under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti. He has left to coach Real Madrid, but his replacement Laurent Blanc will not lack resources to mount a sustained challenge for the European Champions League next season. They have also expressed their determination to hold on to Brazilian star Thiago Silva, who has been strongly linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona. Silva's agent, Paulo Tonieto, told PSG's official website: "Thiago is a PSG player. He has a contract and he will respect it. "The rumors are the same as the ones last year but Thiago Silva is a PSG player and he'll see out his contract with his club." Cavani, who helped Uruguay to Copa America glory in 2011, has long been a target for a host of Europe's leading clubs and with 38 goals in just 43 matches for Napoli in all competitions last season his price tag rose.
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Edinson Cavani signs for Paris-Saint Germain .
Five year deal for Uruguay international striker .
Signs from Napoli where he was Serie A top scorer last season .
Qatari-backed PSG reigning French champions .
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(CNN) -- Nadir Lalani, arrived in the United Kingdom in the recession-hit 1970s from Tanzania and started a small corner shop. Since then, he has expanded his successful budget retail business '99p Stores', throughout the country. The stores, where everything is sold for 99 pence and are equivalent to dollar stores in the United States, have grown rapidly especially during the global downturn. Lalani now operates more than 100 stores in Britain and serves around 1.5 million customers each week. Times are tough on the British High street but Lalani has managed to open 40 new stores in one year as a growing number of consumers go on the hunt for a bargain. Lalani, who is of Pakistani origin, shares his experience of building a recession-proof business with CNN's Erin Maclaughlin in this edited version of their conversation below. CNN: How successful is this business? Nadir Lalani: I would say we are very very successful today. Our growth is very, very good compared to anybody else. We bring 2,000 people, customers to our store minimum. 2,000 customers a day is a lot. And once people do come, they stick with us. Because we sell very, very cheap quality good stuff. CNN: You have gone from running a corner shop to a massively successful business in the middle of economic downturn. What are some of the secrets to your success? Nadir Lalani: Key to our success is 'buying'. We make very fast decisions. Whatever people want to sell. They say we want to get rid of this stock. And we buy those stocks straight away. So no, we don't mess about it. CNN: What is your strategy? How do you get your prices so low? Nadir Lalani: The prices we sell at, nobody can match us, we sell much cheaper than any of the multipurpose -- the brand we bring in, the price -- so people just come in, you will see in just a few minutes, hundreds of people, hundreds of people literally. See also: Worst of times prove best for luxury brands . CNN: How has Britain's economic downturn been a catalyst for your success? Nadir Lalani: With the downturn, we find it more and more...the middle class people are coming in our store and then they come in and they are surprised what they have been paying Tesco. The prices are so much cheaper, and it is the same brand. Because we sell a lot of branded products. CNN: Do you think the economic downturn has helped your business model in some ways? Nadir Lalani: Yeah...to certain extent, yes, definitely. Like, if you look at November, Britain's retail sales were down. We were seven percent up, like for like, which is very, very good in this climate. There are very few companies who would have achieved that. CNN: And why is that? Nadir Lalani: It's just the product. What we offer to our customer, is unbelievable value. Even a multimillionaire likes a bargain. CNN: How has your experience in Africa aided the growth of your business? Nadir Lalani: You see in Africa, when you do business, it's more trading, and the trading element helps us a lot here. We are just traders. Buy cheap, sell cheap. See also: Agriculture must play 'critical role' in Africa's future . CNN: How do you view the African market? Nadir Lalani: I would like to go back and invest there. CNN: And why do you think it's a good place to invest? Nadir Lalani: Because the market is still young. There are a lot potentials there. I am looking for a moment to invest there you know. Manufacturing, that's what they need. Because they don't want to spend their currency, foreign exchange importing. They need manufacture locally, they need industry in Africa. So they can be more dependable on themselves.
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Nadir Lalani, founder of 99p Stores talks about growing a business in recession .
Lalani says the key to the success of his business is making fast decisions in buying .
Recession helps his business model as it profits from offering better value,says Lalani .
Lalani says he is also looking for opportunities in investing in manufacturing in Africa .
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f67386ced9e27722cab209a3906eaf89be7c5019
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One shopper was just picking up a few essentials from her local Target on Wednesday when she happened upon a heartwarming scene between an employee and a young man. Audrey Mark took a picture of the employee, now identified as Dennis Roberts, helping the unidentified young man tie a tie so he could look professional for a job interview at a nearby Chick-Fil-A fast-food restaurant. Ms Mark posted the sweet photo online, and now both Mr Roberts and the chain are receiving praise for the extraordinary act that went above and beyond customer service. Heartwarming: A shopper at a Raleigh, North Carolina Target took this picture on Wednesday of a store employee helping a young man learn to tie a tie for a job interview at a nearby Chick Fil-A . Customer service! Store employee Dennis Roberts (pictured) also gave the young man a few interview tips before he left the store . Scene: Above, the Raleigh, North Carolina Super Target where the kind act happened on Wednesday . Mr Roberts' coworker Cathy Scott was the first to greet the customer on Wednesday when he came in looking for a clip-on tie for his interview. Since the store was out of the clip-on ties, she directed him to the regular ties but he didn't know how to tie it. Good job: Both Mr Roberts and the Target chain are receiving praise for helping the boy out. Mr Roberts went to the Chick Fil-A the next day to see if the young man got the job, but the manager hadn't made his decision yet . After checking out, Ms Scott brought the boy back to her co-worker Mr Roberts. 'Cathy says, "Can you tie a tie?" I said, "Yes,"' Mr Roberts told WTVD. 'We took the wrapping off it, and I tied it on my neck, and fit it over head adjusted it and tightened it...fixed all his collar buttons and he was set to go.' And that's not all - Mr Roberts went on to help the young man prepare for his job interview by asking him the typical questions a hiring manager would ask. 'We said, "Make sure you look him in the eye." I'm saying make sure you give him a firm handshake, and she showed him... he tucked his shirt in,' said Mr Roberts. It was when he was giving the young man advice that Ms Mark snapped her now-viral photo. "It was a very quiet simple moment, but it was very profound honestly kindness... from strangers... in a Super Target,' Ms Mark, a mother of three, said. 'He leaves and all these Target employees are screaming 'Bye! Good luck! Tell us how it went.'" The young man left the store as the Mr Roberts and the other employees wished him good luck and asked him to come back and tell them how it went. 'We were just here to help a young man get a job and forward his future,' Mr Roberts said. Mr Roberts, Ms Scott and some other employees went to the Chick-Fil-A on Thursday to see if the young man got the job, but the manager said he hadn't yet made his decision. According to a Facebook post by Mr Robert's daughter Sarah, he told the manager that 'if they don't hire him Target will!'
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Young man in a suit came in to Raleigh, North Carolina Target to buy a clip-on tie for job interview at Chick Fil-A .
Since they were all out of clip-on ties, he bought a regular tie and store employee Dennis Roberts offered to help him learn to tie it .
He then offered the young man some tips to ace his interview .
Kind moment was captured by shopper Audrey Mark .
Mr Roberts went to Chick Fil-A on Thursday to see if the young man got the job, but the manager hadn't made a decision yet .
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f673a9eaf053327a1682ef3f26871d1c7c329196
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Last month, President Obama announced a new initiative, My Brother's Keeper, which aims to improve the life chances of young black men. It's an important effort designed to help one of American society's most vulnerable populations. Young black men are disproportionately likely to drop out of school, experience unemployment and come into contact with the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Experts disagree about the root causes of these problems, but few doubt that something needs to be done. One of the interventions Obama highlighted is called Becoming a Man, a Chicago-based program that aims to reduce teenagers' violent behavior by teaching them "social-cognitive skills," such as self-control, conflict resolution and the ability to more accurately read the emotions and intentions of others. Many aggressive adolescents have short fuses, and they are quick to lash out at others unnecessarily. The program's hope is that by strengthening teenagers' self-control, they will become better at tamping down angry impulses and thinking through situations before acting. (Full disclosure: I am a member of a team of scientists, headed by researchers at the University of Chicago, who are evaluating Becoming a Man.) Intervening to help young black males develop better social-cognitive skills is important, but if the President's initiative is to be successful, transformations are needed in our social institutions as well. One of the most significant contributors to the difficulties that many black teenagers have is that those who have been convicted of crimes typically penetrate more deeply into the justice system than offenders from other ethnic groups. Black teenagers are not just more likely to be arrested, they also are more likely to be locked up, even when convicted of the same crimes as others. Racial disparities are especially pronounced when it comes to punishment for relatively minor offenses, such as drug possession. For example, black juveniles are nearly twice as likely as their white peers to be locked up for a drug offense. As a result of mandatory sentencing laws, courts don't have much discretion when it comes to sentencing people convicted of serious violent crimes, which makes sentencing less racially biased in these instances. Incarcerating a young black man seriously impedes his chances of making a successful life. Spending time in jail or prison disrupts schooling, which makes it hard to get a decent job. The unemployment that often follows release from incarceration has rippling effects, contributing to high rates of single parenthood (unemployed men are less likely to marry) and family instability in the black community (divorce rates are higher in families with unemployed fathers), increasing the likelihood that one generation's difficulties will be passed on to the next. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. One way of breaking it is to stop locking people up who have broken the law but who don't present a genuine danger to the community. For several years, I co-directed one of the largest studies ever conducted of juvenile felons. We monitored more than 1,300 teenagers (all but about 200 of them males) who had been arrested for very serious crimes—like armed robbery or aggravated assault—in Philadelphia and Phoenix. We followed the sample for seven years, as they transitioned from adolescence into young adulthood. Our study reflected what many other studies of juvenile offenders have shown: Only about 10% of the youths we tracked continued their criminal ways beyond their early 20s. Crime is a young man's business—it requires the stamina, short-sightedness and recklessness of youth. What led the other 90% to stop offending? Mainly, it's just growing up and developing better self-control, largely due to the maturation of parts of the brain that are still developing in late adolescence. Incarceration had no impact on recidivism. After leaving prison and returning to the community, offenders who had been locked up were just as likely to commit another crime as were individuals who hadn't been incarcerated and who were put on probation and treated in the community. This has important economic implications for cities and states on tight budgets. Incarceration costs about four times as much as probation. Every time we unnecessarily lock someone up, we are wasting dollars that could be more profitably invested in education and crime prevention, or, at the very least, returned to taxpayers. Incarceration is problematic enough. Trying juveniles as adults—also disproportionately more common among black males—makes matters even worse. Juvenile offenders who are released from an adult jail or prison are more likely to commit another serious crime, and to do so sooner, than ones who had been sent to a juvenile facility. It's not hard to understand why: Adult prisons are schools for crime, where juveniles spend time with seasoned criminals. They are also scary places, where younger inmates are frequently assaulted and traumatized, which also makes them more likely to re-offend after being released. The irony, then, is that while programs like Becoming a Man can help black teenage boys succeed in school and stay out of trouble, treating those who break the law as if they already are men has just the opposite effect. If My Brother's Keeper is going to succeed, we can't just focus on "fixing" young black men. We need to fix the justice system, too.
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Laurence Steinberg: Obama initiative to improve life chances of young black men is a start .
To make impact, address disproportionate number of jailed black youth, he says .
He says black youth more likely to get locked up than whites; this impedes chance for life success .
Steinberg: Programs don't just need to "fix" young black men, they need to fix justice system .
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f673bda9865cadf76b6b702896cb0ef96885a181
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A multi-millionaire businessman and his family have been left homeless after a fire wrecked their £3.5m mansion. Darren Browne, chief executive and a director of the Pertemps employment group, told how he arrived home from shopping to find his three-storey home by the River Thames in Caversham, Berkshire was alight. The damage at the property, which has five bathrooms, is expected to cost more than £1m to repair. Scroll down for video . The fire which destroyed a three-storey five-bedroom £3.5m mansion in Caversham, home to multi-millionaire businessman Darren Browne . The fire started in a first floor bedroom of the house at around 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon and the damage at the property is expected to cost more than £1m to repair . The three-storey £3.5m mansion on the banks of the River Thames is home to millionaire businessman Darren Browne . Mr Browne's son Conor, had been in the house with his girlfriend and teenage brother Paddy when they spotted the fire starting in a first floor bedroom of the house at around 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon. The 23-year-old dialled 999 to raise the alarm and fled the detached house with the family dogs, Molly and Digger, before calling his father, who had been out shopping with his wife. The large house, which has wooden rafters and is called Caversham Grange, has been home to the family for the last eight years. Mr Browne said: 'Fortunately everyone is okay. The fire ripped through the expensive property, leaving the roof significantly damaged and some of the rooms charred by the large fire . Several rooms in the mansion were damaged by smoke from the blaze while part of the roof of the mansion caved in, littering roof tiles . Darren Browne was born and raised in the Cotswolds. He went to Burford School in Oxford. Next he decided to go into business, and got his break when he helped launch gadget website www.boysstuff.co.uk. Mr Browne has 25 years experience working in recruitment - also serving as managing director of Hays Information Technology for 10 years and CEO of Servoca Plc, formally Dream Group for nine. He is now chief executive and director of Pertemps, a recruitment agency specialising in permanent and temporary jobs. Mr Browne also holds 20 directorships at companies specialising in recruitment. 'There is substantial damage and significant water damage to the ground floor as well. It is uninhabitable.' A total of six crews of firefighters spent almost 22 hours battling the blaze at the mansion which is on the banks of the River Thames in Reading, Berkshire. Plumes of thick black smoke were seen from across the other side of the River Thames in Tilehurst in Reading. Neighbour Stuart Bartlett, who lives in nearby Grass Hill, spotted the smoke from his own house. 'There was a massive amount of flames going way up into the sky followed by an enormous amount of smoke,' he said. 'It went up very, very quickly. Within half-an-hour the whole thing was in flames,' he said. 'It is unbelievably sad. From the look of it there will be nothing to save. It is dreadful, the family must be heartbroken.' The roof of the property caved in with dislodged tiles scattered across it, whilst the front windows were cracked or smashed in the heat. The first and second floors were heavily smoke damaged and debris from the house can be seen scattered around the garden. Mr Browne, 47, a recruitment specialist, is a self styled entrepreneur and started his business with a gadget website. None of the family were harmed in the fire. Mr Browne's other son Josh, 24, and 22-year-old daughter Maddie were both away when it broke out, but the family's pet rabbit, Dougal was found dead. The father-of-four added: 'We have scattered the children around to grandparents and friends but my wife and I need to find accommodation. 'It is very sad but we feel very lucky that we are all safe. If it had happened at night it could have been a different story. 'We were hoping it was just a small fire, but when we got back we could see the plumes of smoke. 'It is impossible to say how grateful we are to the fire brigade and our neighbours. They have been great.' Mr Browne said he did not know how much the damage would cost and said he was forced to stay in a hotel on Sunday evening. A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said that a joint investigation with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service had been launched although the origin of the fire was not believed to have been suspicious. Caversham Grange, home to Mr Browne and his family, is a large property on the banks of the River Thames and has five bathrooms . Several possessions and items of furniture from the house were seen outside in the family garden, with clothes littering the trees . Firefighters spent more than 22 hours battling the blaze to try and control it, and several rooms were left water logged after the incident . Mr Browne said he was relieved no one was hurt but estimated that the damage done to his mansion could cost more than £1million to repair . The father-of-four said he had hoped to arrive home to see just a small fire but was shocked to see it took hold of the top part of the house . Firefighters were called to the house on Sunday evening, and the only casualty was a rabbit belonging to the family as the dogs also escaped . Get Reading: Read more on the Warren house fire .
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A fire destroyed a three-storey £3.5m mansion in Caversham, home to multi-millionaire businessman Darren Browne .
Mr Browne arrived home to his mansion on the Thames to see firefighters trying to control blaze at his mansion .
Two of the businessman's children had been inside at the time and had raised the alarm when they saw a fire .
No one was hurt but children have been forced to stay with family and friends and Mr Browne at a hotel for the night .
Mr Browne, a father of four, is chief executive of the Pertemps employment group and is a self styled entrepreneur .
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f6741d4544203cffdcbfdd17de60e599dced932c
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Five people got the lavish ride of a lifetime as the only passengers on a transatlantic flight, causing environmental groups to criticize the major carrier for leaving a wasteful carbon footprint. American Airlines has faced criticism for a transatlantic flight carrying only five passengers. Using about 68,000 liters (15,000 imperial gallons) -- or 13,000 liters per passenger -- of jet fuel for the nine-hour trip from Chicago to London, American Airlines is being accused of unnecessary waste. Each passenger left a footprint of 35.77 tons of carbon dioxide, enough to drive an average car 160,000 kilometers (100,000 miles). "Flying virtually empty planes is an obscene waste of fuel. Through no fault of their own, each passenger's carbon footprint for this flight is about 45 times what it would have been if the plane had been full," Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner Richard Dyer said. Because of a mechanical malfunction, AA flight 90 was 14 hours late leaving Chicago's O'Hare airport on February 8. Though most passengers made other arrangements to London, five lucky passengers unable to be rebooked made the 6,400 kilometer (4,000 mile) flight in business class, with two crew members per passenger. American Airlines said it chose to continue with the flight because of the full load of passengers waiting at London's Heathrow airport to return to the United States. "With such a small passenger load we did consider whether we could cancel the flight and re-accommodate the five remaining passengers on other flights," says American Airlines' European spokesperson Anneliese Morris. "However, this would have left a plane load of west-bound passengers stranded in London Heathrow who were due to fly to the U.S. on the same aircraft." Morris was quick to point out that despite the staggeringly low passenger count, the flight did carry a full cargo load. "We sought alternative flights for the west-bound passengers but heavy loads out of London meant that this was not possible. The only option was to operate the flight," Morris said. "This put the aircraft in London Heathrow for the following day, enabling us to operate a full schedule and avoid further inconvenience to our passengers and cargo customers." Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth say that international governments should hold the aviation industry accountable for the amount of CO2 they produce each year, and point to instances like this to show that airlines should pay a fuel tax to rein them in. "Governments must stop granting the aviation industry the unfair privileges that allow this to happen by taxing aviation fuel and including emissions from aviation in international agreements to tackle climate change," Dyer said. But despite these accusations, Kieran Daly, air transport intelligence editor for Flight International magazine, said the amount passengers carried was irrelevant. "Airlines are still a business. The cargo had to be flown and perhaps some of it was time-sensitive," Daly said. "It's just not practical for an airline to tell its customers that it won't fly until it has a full passenger load. Customers won't be happy and the airline will quickly be out of business." E-mail to a friend .
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Environmental groups angry with American Airlines after five-passenger flight .
The passengers were unable to be rebooked after flight delayed by 14 hours .
AA says canceling flight would have left many more stranded in London next day .
The transatlantic flight did carry a full cargo load, according to the airline .
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