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Last December 5, just after 7 p.m. South African time, I got a text message from one member of Nelson Mandela's family. "It's imminent." And so that's how I knew a great man was taking his final breaths. "It's done," said the next message from those who were with him at the end. It was 9 p.m. and Nelson Mandela was gone. By that stage, we were all in the CNN bureau and ready to go live, to tell the world Mandela was gone. However, I had made a promise to my sources that I would not go to air with any information they gave me about his condition until there were an official announcement by President Jacob Zuma. We waited. The televised address to the nation came just before midnight. It was a long wait, but I was so grateful to his family for trusting me with the information -- those three hours of preparation allowed me the time and space to clear my head. I am a South African, a white South African whose country was changed for the better by his visionary leadership. I had my own personal thanks to give for Mandela's life. Then I had the responsibility of delivering this news to CNN's global audience. That task continued for the next 11 days until he was buried in the rural hills around his boyhood home in Qunu, Eastern Cape. The immediate days after Mandela's passing created a wonderful celebratory mood in the country -- strange as it might have seemed to others. For South Africans, it was the most natural reaction. Sadness and mourning had been done already in the months before, when he was critically ill. Now, South Africans gave thanks, paused in gratefulness and came together in ways that reflected the debt they owed to this one man. White, black, old, young gathered outside his house in Johannesburg, laying flowers and saying a personal prayer of thanks. It was astounding to watch. The manicured pavement lawns of suburban Houghton became like an altar of reflection for a time of hope and reconciliation that seemed like an age away. It was called "Mandela Magic"-- and now that he was gone it felt like the 'magic' that had sustained a battered, racist nation would go with him. It was always an ephemeral, false even, suggestion that Mandela saved South Africa. South Africans did it together, he just led them on the right path. Still, older South Africans brought their children, some just babies wrapped in blankets, to his home in the days after he died. Often, they dressed the kids up in their best clothes, like they were going to church, and solemnly walked to the piles of flowers on the sidewalk or loitered by the exterior walls. It was as if a whole generation of South Africans wanted their kids to feel and breathe in that last little bit of "Mandela Magic.' There was an important sense of occasion, a primal need to 'be there.' At times, I watched families appear quietly outside Mandela's home and silently soak up the atmosphere. Other times, I felt like I was watching worshipers presenting gifts to a deity, pushing forward toddlers and young kids to the front of crowds just so their children could be closer to the place where he died. In years to come, a new generation of children will be able to say, "I was there. I said goodbye." Mandela's funeral was a measure of the man. I watched from inside the funeral tent and thought how apt it was that his goodbye was both about pageantry and plain-speaking. I stood by his casket as it made the final journey and softly said goodbye and thank you as that great man was laid to rest on a simple grass mat, as he had wished.
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CNN journalist recalls Nelson Mandela's death, nation's response .
South Africans thronged outside his home, savoring "Mandela Magic"
Mandela's funeral last year was a measure of the man .
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By . Simon Jones . Norwich are interested in signing goalkeeper Davide Bassi from Italian club Empoli as a possible replacement for John Ruddy, who they fear may leave the club this summer. The Canaries also have an interest in Leeds United striker Ross McCormack. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino completed the sale of his former club Cagliari on Wednesday for around £35m. Safe hands: Empoli goalkeeper Davide Bassi is wanted by Norwich as they prepare for life in the Championship . Ruddy, who missed out on a place in England's World Cup squad this summer has already been linked to Arsenal and Crystal Palace. Last summer he rejected the chance to join Chelsea as back-up to Petr Cech, preferring to play regular first-team football. McCormack came close to joining Cardiff in January and finished as the top scorer in the Championship with 28 goals. With uncertainty surrounding the futures of Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper at Carrow Road the club are keen to bolster their attacking options further and add to the signing of Lewis Grabban from Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee. Bradley Johnson, Robert Snodgrass, Luciano Becchio and Jonny Howson have all left Leeds for Norwich in recent seasons. Exit: Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy looks set to leave the club this summer . Monitored: Norwich could be set to raid Leeds again, this time for striker Ross McCormack .
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Norwich plan summer overhaul after relegation from Premier League .
Empoli's Davide Bassi lined up to replace goalkeeper John Ruddy .
Ross McCormack could come in from Leeds to bolster striking options .
Gary Hooper and Ricky van Wolfswinkel face uncertain future at club .
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Rosa Rios has been accused of stealing lunch and money from children on the school bus . A school bus worker has been charged with stealing lunch boxes and money from dozens of children between the ages of five and three. Rosa Rios, 33, was allegedly seen rifling through the backpacks of children and taking lunch and cash as they were travelling to school in Millville in New Jersey on the bus she works on. Rios, who worked as an aide for Sheppard Bus Services and was supposed to be supervising children on board, has now been sacked from the company. Millville Public Schools, which manages 10 schools in the area which use the bus service to transport children, has written to parents of pupils informing them about the arrest of Rios. Authorities said the alleged thefts took place between January and February. Rios is believed to have targeted 29 children, the Courier Post reported. The incident came to light when an investigation was launched when another driver claimed they were missing around $400. Police reviewed surveillance footage from the bus and found Rios allegedly taking items from the children's backpacks while they were on board and on their way to school. 'It looks like she was trying to take advantage of them,' said police Detective Lt. Jody Farabella. 'Sheppard did the best thing by firing her. 'It's also good for the district to let parents know things are OK.' David Gentile of Millville Public Schools said once the incident came to light Rios was removed immediately from the Sheppard bus routes. Police did not confirm how many times the thefts allegedly took place or how many children were targeted. Millville worked as a bus aide for Sheppard Bus Services where she was meant to be helping children on board . Officers are also investigating whether Rios was responsible for the theft from the bus driver. Rios has been charged with theft and robbery and is being held in Cumberland County Jail.
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Rosa Rios has been charged with theft for stealing children's lunch money .
She allegedly rifled through backpacks to take lunchboxes and cash .
Rios, a bus aide is accused of stealing from 29 children on school bus .
Thefts are alleged to have taken place between January and February .
She has been charged with theft and robbery and is being held in jail .
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A Missouri couple have filed a lawsuit against a pair of obstetricians, . accusing them of decapitating their baby during his 2011 delivery and then trying to . hide it by shoving the child’s body and severed head back into the birth canal. In a court complaint that reads like the script of a horror . film, Arteisha Betts and Travis Ammonette, of Florissant, described how doctors . Gilbert Webb and Susan Moore had allegedly coerced them into a vaginal delivery . against their wishes, and then severed their son's head. The 10-complaint lawsuit cites Midwest Maternal & Fetal . Medicine Services, LLC, Signature Medical Group Inc and the two doctors. However, the suit does not list St John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, . where the bungled delivery too place in March 2001, as a defendant. Outraged parents: Arteisha Betts and Travis Ammonette are suing two obstetricians for allegedly decapitating their son during his 2011 delivery and then trying to cover it up . Touching tribute: Ammonette got a tattoo of little Kaden's hand prints on his chest last April honoring his deceased son . According to the court filing, Betts and Ammonette were told . by Dr Moore during a February 2011 appointment that the baby will have to be delivered . via C-section rather than vaginally because the child had an abnormally large abdomen, Patch Florissant reported. But when the expectant mother prematurely went into labor on . March 22 only 28 weeks and five days into her term, the complaint indicates that . Dr Webb 'would not agree' to the Cesarean and 'would only deliver her baby by . way of attempted trial of vaginal delivery.' Sued: Dr Gilbert Webb is a defendant in a complaint accusing him of forcing Arteisha Betts into undergoing a vaginal delivery against her wishes . The couple claim that the obstetrician also refused to let . them go to a different hospital for a Cesarian. ‘Believing that she had no other choice than to agree to a . trial of vaginal delivery, plaintiff Arteisha Betts consented to a trial of . vaginal delivery under duress and protest,’ according to the complaint. The infant's head was delivered in the first stage of the . birthing process, but in the second stage which got under way at around 10.30pm, . the lawsuit claims that his large abdomen became lodged in the birth canal. According to the complaint, Dr Webb applied traction to the . child's head in an attempt to dislodge his body, at which point the infant was . decapitated. Citing the complaint, the Courthouse News Services reported that blood shot out from the baby’s arteries and veins, spilling onto . the floor in full view of the mother and Ammonette, who was sitting only two to . four feet away from the birthing bed. The lawsuit states that Webb then 'pushed decedent's head and . body back into plaintiff Arteisha Betts' birth canal' and called for an . emergency C-section. The doctor started cutting into the woman's abdomen before . the anesthesia fully set in, causing her great pain and suffering in the process, the suit . says. During the procedure, the doctor ‘surgically and completely removed’ the child's head from his neck and torso. Site: The bungled delivery took place March 2011 at St John's Mercy Medical Center in St Louis, but the hospital has not been listed as a defendant in the lawsuit . Before handing the little boy named Kaden Travis to his . parents, Webb had allegedly 'intentionally concealed' his neck wounds, although . the complaint does not specify how it was done. The Daily Mail was unable to reach the couple's attorney, Christopher Wright of the firm Millikan Wright in St Louis, on Thursday. Calls to the two medical centers cited in the lawsuit also went unanswered. The suit seeks unspecified damages to cover pregnancy . costs, funeral expenses as well as personal injury and wrongful death.
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Arteisha Betts went into labor in March 2011 only 28 weeks and five days into her term .
Lawsuit claims doctor told Betts earlier that the baby must be delivered via C-section .
Mother says she was forced into vaginal delivery against her wishes .
Doctor pushed the baby's detached head and body back into birth canal, complaint states .
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By . Chris Pleasance . PUBLISHED: . 06:53 EST, 11 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:27 EST, 11 November 2013 . Two men have been charged after attempting to rob a Catholic priest following Mass in Chicago. Deandrea and Markquis Little, 22 and 20, sat through the ceremony before following the 73-year-old into the sacristy at around 8.30am last Monday and demanding money. Deandrea is alleged to have poked the priest in the head and threatened to hit him before saying he would tell the papers the priest had 'touched us' if anyone found out. Deandrea Little, 22 (left), and Markquis Little, 20 (right), are accused of threatening a catholic priest after Mass last week in an attempt to get money. Deandrea told the man to keep quiet or he'd tell papers 'you touched us' According to police reports the pair had carried out a four-year campaign of intimidation against the church in the Back of the Yards area, taking at least $10,000, damaging windows and jumping on the priest's car. The priest claims to have been giving them $10 or $20 at a time, meaning they visited the building at least 500 times since 2009. The pair were arrested after the Priest had recognised them sitting at the back of his congregation during the Mass. The pair are accused of carrying out a four-year campaign of intimidation, taking around $10,000 from the 73-year-old priest over four years (file picture) Deandrea and Markquis have been charged with intimidation, stalking and attempted robbery and are due to appear in bond court on Monday. Police would not confirm if the two men were related. Two years ago another Catholic priest was robbed at his home in Chicago by two armed men. Reverend Daniel Mallet was beaten up at home by men in 'ninja masks' who forced him to open a safe before stealing $500 meant for the poor. As the men left they asked Mr Mallet to pray for their sins.
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Deandrea and Markquis Little, 22 and 20, charged after attempted robbery .
Pair took $10,000 from 73-year-old over four years, says priest .
Men sat through Mass before following priest into his sacristy .
Deandrea threatened man, apparently saying 'we'll say you touched us'
Pair allegedly threw stones at church windows and jumped on priest's car .
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A hairdresser who was stabbed to death in a carpark with a pair of scissors had reportedly lived in fear at a women’s refuge before she was killed. Leila Alavi had taken out an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order against her estranged husband after years of turmoil but reportedly agreed to meet him on the day she was found dead inside her car. Police painted a picture of a history of domestic violence inflicted on Ms Alavi as her ex, Mokthar Hosseiniamrae, stood accused of murder during a hearing at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday. 'It is alleged that the accused has physically assaulted his wife in the past, with incidents not reported,' police said while arguing he should be denied bail. Scroll down for video . Leila Alavi (right) had reportedly applied for an apprehended violence order against her husband Mokthar Hosseiniamraei (left) Ms Alavi had moved to Australia from Iran and was studying at Granville TAFE for her future . Police allege Hosseiniamraei, 33, stabbed the 26-year-old in an underground carpark at Auburn Shopping Village in Sydney's west on Saturday shortly after she went to talk to him. One of Ms Alavi's friends at her workplace, Benjamin Hair Studio, revealed it was not unusual for Ms Alavi to meet her ex Mokthar Hosseiniamraei. ‘I’ve seen him over 10,000 times,’ Meneske Cinar told the Daily Telegraph. He was arrested shortly before 7pm at a property on James Street in Guildford West after the death of the apprentice hairdresser and is due to appear at Burwood Local Court on April 1. Her body was found by a distressed colleague inside her Holden Astra shortly after 10am with initial examination suggesting Ms Alavi had suffered a knife wound to the throat. Apprentice hairdresser Leila Alavi was working when she reportedly received a phone call and left . Shortly before 10am, Flemington local police were called to the Auburn shopping centre in Sydney where Leila Alavi was found stabbed inside a vehicle . Hosseiniamraei was taken to Auburn Police Station for questioning and was charged with murder and breaching an AVO early on Sunday morning. Court documents opposing Hosseiniamraei’s bail depicted a turbulent relationship between the pair who reportedly married in 2011 in Sydney. ‘The accused has shown a propensity for anger and being unable to control that anger,’ police alleged. A NSW police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia could not comment further on the incident as the homicide investigation is underway. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Alavi's distressed co-worker said she didn't know 'how or why this happened.' The former couple's wedding photographer told the Sydney Morning Herald Ms Alavi had been trying to help Hosseiniamraei despite a volatile relationship. 'She tried to manage the relationship and help him out because she did love him and really wanted him to get clean. She still cared for him at the end too,' Fredo Monty said. Mr Monty's photographs from their wedding show the pair happy and in love as the posed in front of Sydney's famous harbour. Her distressed colleague found Ms Alavi dead inside her Holden Astra shortly after 10am on Saturday . Police are investigating the death of a 26-year-old woman after she was found 'stabbed to death' in her car . Ms Alavi had moved to Australia from Iran and was studying at Granville TAFE for her future. 'She couldn’t live in Iran and she came to Australia to live her life, to be a successful person but she’s dead right now,' sister Jacklin Poliena told Nine News. According to the Telegraph, cafe owner Zeynep Zabinoglu was one of the last to see Ms Alavi alive on Saturday. 'We both got here at 8am and parked our cars… I said good morning to her and she said good morning and then we both went to work,' she said. 'Then about an hour and a half later I heard the other girls who work there screaming. I called the police and told them to get here as fast as they can. 'It was too late,' she said. Mr Zabinoglu, who is a local barista in the area told 9News: 'It's such a shame. You can tell she wouldn't hurt a soul in her life. If you need anything she'll make sure she's there for you. 'It's really, really upsetting to lose somebody like that - a young person, such a young soul.' Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Alavi's distressed co-worker from Benjamin Hair Studio in Auburn said she didn't know 'how or why this happened' It is alleged the woman's death may be domestic-violence related . A crime scene has been established at the shopping centre, which will be examined by detectives and specialist forensic officers . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Leila Alavi was found in dead in a car at a Sydney shopping centre carpark .
She was working when she reportedly received a phone call and left .
A colleague found the 26-year-old stabbed to death on Saturday morning .
Court papers allege she was killed with a pair of scissors .
Her husband, 33, has been charged with murder and refused bail .
Police allege that Mokthar Hosseiniamrae 'has physically assaulted his wife in the past, with incidents not reported'
Their wedding photographer has claimed Hosseiniamrae had used drugs .
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Belgium legend Marc Degryse has publicly criticised Eden Hazard and thinks the midfielder needs a 'kick up the a***'. The Chelsea playmaker came under fire from boss Jose Mourinho towards the end of last season over his defensive work ethic, and it seems Degryse is of the same opinion. The former Belgium striker, 48, says Hazard needs to grow up with the World Cup fast approaching. VIDEO Scroll down to see Jose Mourinho say Eden Hazard is not 'ready to sacrifice himself' Criticised: Eden Hazard needs to up his work ethic or be dropped, believes Marc Degryse . Attacker: Hazard steadies himself for a shot but it is his defensive qualities that have been criticised . Choice: It seems Belgium head coach Marc Wilmots (right) is keen on Hazard ahead of the World Cup . MARC DEGRYSE, BELGIUM . AGE: 48, CAPS/GOALS: 63/23 . EDEN HAZARD, BELGIUM . AGE: 23, CAPS/GOALS: 45/6 . Degryse said: ‘He has to work harder defensively. ‘Against Sweden he switched off several times, just like he did in the Champions League for Chelsea against Atletico Madrid. ‘If that doesn’t change (Marc) Wilmots will have to resolve it by dropping him. ‘Hazard is the type of player that sometimes needs a kick up the a***!’ Belgium have been drawn in Group H alongside Algeria, Russia and South Korea. Their two pre-World Cup friendlies ended in wins, 5-1 against Luxembourg and 2-0 against Sweden with Hazard netting once. Critical: Degryse says 'Wilmots will have to resolve it by dropping him' if Hazard doesn't step up in Brazil . Reputation: Degryse won 63 caps for Belgium during his 12-year international career and scored 23 goals .
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Eden Hazard was criticised by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for his lack of defensive mentality .
Marc Degryse echoes that, saying Hazard needs 'has to work harder defensively'
Degryse thinks Belgium coach Marc Wilmots must drop Hazard if he doesn't up his game in Brazil .
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By . Lizzie Edmonds, Grant Hodgson, Mark Duell and Richard Shears . PUBLISHED: . 05:11 EST, 6 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:44 EST, 7 October 2013 . Prince Harry’s girlfriend has overcome her concerns about marrying into the Royal family, it was claimed today. Cressida Bonas, 24, has ‘got used to the idea’ of marriage and children with the 29-year-old Prince - and a wedding is expected to take place next year, according to friends of the couple. ‘Cressie is going to marry Harry,’ one of the dance student’s friends told The Sunday Telegraph. ‘Harry never stops talking about marriage and children, and she has now got used to the idea.’ Scroll down for video . Couple: Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas seen leaving The Prince of Wales Theatre in Central London on Tuesday after attending a performance of The Book of Mormon . In the air: Prince Harry was pictured walking through Perth Airport in Australia with his security detail today . On the move: Prince Harry is seen walking through the Perth International Airport in Western Australia . Smiles: Prince Harry is seen making his way through the Perth International Airport during his trip to Australia . Pleased to meet you: Prince Harry shakes the hand of a delighted young girl during his visit to Australia . Popular: Prince Harry was greeted by tens of thousands of people during his visit to Australia this weekend . Response: Screams greeted the Prince as he went on a walkabout among excited crowds in Australia . Meet and greet: Prince Harry is heading to Dubai on Monday for a gala dinner for his charity Sentebale . Back again a decade later: Prince Harry last visited Australia in 2003 during his gap year . Speaking: Prince Harry visits Special Air Service Regiment at its home base at Campbell Barracks in Perth . Listening: Prince Harry, who is on his second day of a two-day trip to Australia, toured the base where he met past and present members of the unit and honoured fallen members at the Garden of Reflection . Welcome: An Australian Government handout photo of Prince Harry during his visit to the Special Air Service Regiment at its home base at Campbell Barracks in Perth . Remembrance: The Prince met with the SASR Regimental family including past and present members of the unit and the families of SASR members killed on operations or in training . It comes as Harry was mobbed by tens . of thousands of adoring fans on Sydney’s famous harbour as he began his . first official visit of Australia yesterday - which he attended without . Miss Bonas. Prince Harry accidentally gatecrashed a man proposing marriage to his girlfriend on a hotel rooftop in Sydney, it was reported today. Accompanied by a woman, Harry and about 20 others who had joined him at his luxury Sydney hotel to watch a fireworks spectacular over the harbour, surprised the couple as the man, flowers in hand, was making his proposal. Ian Sjaichudin, the male whose proposal was interrupted, told Channel Seven news he was asking his girlfriend to marry him on the roof of the Shangri-La hotel when Harry and his party turned up as the fireworks were exploding. The incident occurred when Prince Harry and his party headed up to the roof, having been informed that it offered a superb view out over the harbour, where the fireworks were to be set off as part of the celebrations for the Royal Australian Navy's 100th birthday. Screams greeted . the Prince as he went on a walkabout among the excited crowds after . officially attending the International Fleet Review, which involved 40 . warships from 17 nations. Despite . being in Australia to represent the Queen, Harry’s party-loving . reputation preceded him, as one national newspaper warned the country’s . Prime Minister Tony Abbott to ‘lock up his daughters’. Harry . has been dating Miss Bonas since July 2012 and sparked rumours in . August when he whisked her off on an African safari, just like his . brother William did with Kate in 2010 when he proposed. Miss . Bonas, who recently graduated from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in . London, avoids the public eye wherever possible and the couple are very . careful about being photographed together. Adulation: Tens of thousands of screaming fans turned out to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry . Joking about: Prince Harry is greeted by members of the public during the 2013 International Fleet Review . Warm welcome: Harry shakes hands with scores of adoring fans in the Campbell's Cove area of the city . Fans of all ages: Harry jokes with a toddler held by its mother at the front of the crowd . Australian trip: Prince Harry speaks to the media (left) and walks along the tarmac (right) at Sydney Airport before departing for Perth . Talks: Prince Harry (left) speaks with Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott (right) at Sydney Airport today . Visit: Prince Harry speaks to the media (left) and points towards his police escort (right) at Sydney Airport . They . went to see a James Blunt concert last Monday in Notting Hill, west . London, and then went to see West End musical The Book of Mormon the . follow day. And they were . seen arriving at London King’s Cross station together following the . society wedding of Thomas van Straubenzee to the Duke of . Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy in June. Yesterday, despite . a 20-hour flight from the UK, Harry showed no sign of jet lag as he . boarded the Australian Navy’s survey ship HMAS Leeuwin. The Prince was dressed in a white Army tropical uniform with the sky-blue beret of Army Air Corps. Harry . was joined on board the Leeuwin by Mr Abbott, and Governor-General . Quentin Bryce, the Queen’s representative in Australia. Shaking hands: Prince Harry (left) greets PM Tony Abbott at Sydney Airport before departing for Perth . Cheers: Prince Harry thanks the police officers who escorted him to Sydney Airport before departing for Perth . Greetings: Prince Harry meets with West Australian Premier Colin Barnett and his wife Lyn after arriving in Perth . Walking: Prince Harry arrives at Perth Airport with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and is greeted by West Australian Premier Colin Barnett . Driven off: Prince Harry gets into a car at Perth Airport in Australia, as a security officer opens the door for him . As Harry sailed past the Sydney Opera House, tens of thousands of spectators roared at him. Later, he changed into a navy blue suit for a walkabout among the adoring crowds. Among them was student Lauren Burke, 22, who resembled Harry’s girlfriend Cressida Bonas, 24. She said: ‘I tried my best to flirt with him but it was quite formal and he was well behaved. I told him if he ever wanted to look around Sydney, I would be his guide. He smiled and laughed.’ Another onlooker, trainee medic Renee Simmons, 21, described Harry as ‘gorgeous’, adding: ‘I’m in love. He wears a uniform very well.’ 'Perfect gentleman': Lauren Burke, 22, left was weak at the knees when Harry picked up her mother Therese's hat while they stood in the crowd . For the cameras: Harry poses for a photograph with a member of the public holding a small koala cuddly toy . Snap happy: The public, holding cameras and smartphones, crowd around the Prince to take his photograph . Good to meet you! Prince Harry shakes hands with a small boy during his first official tour of the country . Crowded: A wave of people pack the foreshore to view the fleet of ships from 17 countries . Fans: Crowds gather to catch a glimpse of the Prince, who is representing the Queen during his visit . All aboard: The Prince boards a small boat to cross the harbour for a reception at Kirribilli House, on the north side of the bay with the country's Prime Minister Tony Abbott . The Prince then made his way across the harbour by boat to Kirribilli House, the official residence of the Australian prime minister. He posed for photographs with Mr Abbott, his wife Margie and their daughters, Frances, 22, and Bridget, 20 – who the politician had described as ‘not bad looking’ during the recent election campaign. Mr Abbott, a staunch monarchist, apologised to Harry for his nation’s strong republican movement, saying: ‘I regret to say that not every Australian is a monarchist, but today everyone feels like a monarchist.’ THE press had warned him to ‘lock up his daughters’ – but Mr Abbott was more than happy to introduce Prince Harry to Bridget, 20, Frances, 22, and his wife Margie at his official residence. In action: Prince Harry stands and salutes as he arrives at Garden Island in Sydney . All smiles: Harry grins for photographers onboard the HMAS Leeuwin during the celebrations . Visit: Harry and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott view Sydney Harbour during the Fleet Review . Official: Prince Harry and Governor-General Quentin Bryce pose onboard the HMAS Leeuwin . The fleet review climaxed with a stunning fireworks display over Sydney Harbour Bridge seen by an estimated million spectators. He described his Sydney experience as ‘absolutely fantastic’ before boarding Mr Abbott's jet today to fly to the west coast city of Perth. ‘It's just ... really sad that we're leaving,’ the 29-year-old royal told reporters before boarding the jet. ‘Work - just can't get the time off work nowadays.’ ‘The next time I come back you're going to be struggling to get rid of me, I'm sure,’ he added. Meeting the family: Harry is introduced by Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott to his daughter Bridget, second left, as his wife Margie, centre, and daughter Francis, left, look on . Keep to get a glimpse: Crowds wait for the prince at Kirribilli House, where a reception was held for the prince . Meeting fans: The Prince shakes hands with the gathering crowds outside the Prime Minister's residence . Magical: The day came to a close with a light show and massive fireworks display over the harbour . Incredible: The show, which saw more than 7 metric tons (7.7 tons) of fireworks used, was expected to draw 1.4 million spectators . Magnificent: Fireworks explode as the Royal Australian Navy warship HMAS Sydney sits underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge . Spectacular: The Prince watched the amazing display from the reception at Kirribilli House . Lit up: The Sydney Opera House looks magnificent during the display . Western Australia state Premier Colin . Barnett, who greeted Harry in Perth, said the fourth in line to the . throne explained that he had to be home in a few days. ‘He said it was a short visit because he had to be back to work on Thursday,’ Mr Barnett told reporters. He is then heading to Dubai on Monday for a gala dinner for his charity Sentebale. Prince Harry last visited Australia in 2003 during his gap year, when he worked on a ranch in the outback.
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Cressida Bonas, 24, has 'got used to the idea' of marriage and children .
29-year-old Prince greeted by tens of thousands of adoring fans in Sydney .
Then Harry went on walkabout where he was greeted by screaming fans .
One newspaper warns Australian prime minister to 'lock up his daughters'
Staunch monarchist PM Tony Abbott apologises for republican movement .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . The nation’s diet has taken a turn for the healthier according to a new survey which found that we are eating out less, consuming fewer total calories and eating better at home. The U.S. Department of Agriculture study, released on Thursday, found that working-age adults consumed an average of 78 fewer calories a day in 2010 compared with 2005. They also reported eating more home-cooked meals with their families and reading nutritional labels on food at grocery stores more often. Food for thought: The U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that working-age adults reported eating more home-cooked meals with their families . The study found that there was a 12.9 percent decline in spending on food away from home during the recession. But the decline in cash-strapped Americans eating out accounted for just 20 percent of the improvements in diet quality, according to the report. The rest was more influenced by ‘an increase in consumer focus on nutrition in selecting foods, changes in the quality of foods available and greater nutritional information available to consumers,’ said Jessica Todd, a USDA economist who wrote the report. Overall, the study suggests that working-age Americans are more aware now of what they eat and are making an effort to adopt some healthier diets. Tightening the belt: Daily caloric intake declined by 78 calories per day between 2005 and 2010 . Respondents reported eating meals with less saturated fat and more fiber in 2010 compared with four years earlier. USDA economists collected data from a total of 9,839 people, using three cycles of surveys from 2005 through 2010. The study offers new evidence that the U.S. obesity problem, while serious, may have stopped getting worse. More than one-third of adult Americans are obese, according to the CDC, up from an estimated 15 percent in 1980. More adults were reading nutritional labels at grocery stores, rising to 42 percent in 2009-10 from 34 percent in 2007-2008, according to the study. Researchers also found that Americans with at least some college education were slightly more likely to eat healthier diets and had a greater decline in calorie consumption than other adults.
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Adults consumed an average of 78 fewer calories a day in 2010 compared with 2005 .
decline in cash-strapped Americans eating out accounted for just 20 percent of the improvements in diet quality .
The rest down to increase in focus on .
nutrition, changes in the quality of foods available .
and greater nutritional information available .
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Premier League stars from the past, present and future helped Belgium secure a resounding 6-0 victory over lowly Andorra in their Euro 2016 qualifier in Brussels. In their first competitive encounter since their World Cup quarter-final loss to Argentina, Belgium struck the woodwork three times in 20 minutes, opened the scoring with a penalty from former Chelsea midfielder Kevin de Bruyne on the half-hour mark and then ripped apart Andorra's defence. Tottenham forward Nacer Chadli doubled the lead with a half-volley and a fine lay-off from Divock Origi, who will play for Liverpool next season, for De Bruyne's second made it 3-0 at halftime. Former Chelsea midfielder Kevin de Bruyne (R) is congratulated by Liverpool's Divock Origi (L) after his penalty . Tottenham forward Nacer Chadli (R) sent the home side in 3-0 up at half-time . Liverpool signing Divock Origi scores his side's fourth goal after being set up by De Bruyne in the second half . Belgium: Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany (Pocognoli), Lombaerts, Vertonghen, Chadli (Fellaini), Nainggolan, Defour, De Bruyne, Mertens, Origi (Lukaku). Subs: Mignolet, Carrasco, Pocognoli, Van Damme, Dembele, Januzaj, Denayer, Ciman, Gillet. Scorers: De Bruyne 31' 34', Chadli 37', Origi 59', Mertens 65' 68' Andorra: Pol, San Nicolas, Garcia, Lima, Maneiro Ton, Ayala Diaz, Vales, Rubio (Lorenzo), Vieira, Martinez Alejo, Riera. Subs: Josep Gomez, Sonejee, Moreno, Peppe, Rodrigues, Garcia Renom. Booked: Ayala, Vieira, San Nicolas . Referee: Serhiy Boiko (Ukraine) Origi turned one defender and beat another for number four, before Dries Mertens bagged two, a header after a superb long ball from Radja Nainggolan and a shimmy and sharp shot to make it six. Before a sell-out crowd in Brussels, the hosts rested Eden Hazard in the hope that his bruised toe would be fully recovered in time for Monday's tougher qualifier against Bosnia. They did, however, field Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois just five days after he suffered a head injury in a collision with Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez in the Premier League, although he barely had a touch. Belgium were to have opened their qualifying campaign with a trip to Israel, but the match scheduled in September was postponed due to the Gaza conflict. The visitors, ranked 203rd in FIFA's ranking of 208 nations, won one match and drew two in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, but have lost every competitive match since, although were only narrowly beaten by Wales last month. Cyprus and Israel are the other teams in group B. Chelsea forward Eden Hazard (R) and Axel Witsel watch from the stands at the Stade Roi Baudouin . Proximus cheerleaders warm up the crowd before the start of Belgium's Euro 2016 qualifier . Kevin de Bruyne pumps his fist after opening the scoring from the penalty spot . De Bruyne netted his second of the game only minutes after opening the scoring . Manchester City and Belgium captain Vincent Kompany is given instructions from coach Marc Wilmots . Israel also had a successful start, beating Cyprus in Nicosia 2-1. Wales took the group lead by one point over Cyprus, Israel and Belgium after holding Bosnia-Herzegovina to a 0-0 draw in Cardiff in their second game. But with its constant pressure and free-flowing moves, Belgium showed they will be the team to beat in the group. 'That was fun. A beautiful victory,' said De Bruyne after Belgium scored as many goals in one game as during the whole World Cup. 'It was a packed house, so we had better perform,' he added. The easy victory came without playmaker Eden Hazard, who was protectively kept on the bench with a stubbed toe. Another Chelsea star, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, was on the pitch for the whole game despite suffering a head injury in a collision against Arsenal last weekend. He did not have to make a save. Chadli is surrounded by teammates after scoring with an assist from club teammate Jan Vertonghen . Tottenham defender Jans Vertonghen (R) avoids a challenge from Andorra's Jordi Rubio . Future Liverpool forward Origi was lively all evening before scoring Belgium's fourth goal . Belgium coach Wilmots (2L) high fives his assistants as the goals start flooding in . Winger Dries Mertens (C) completed the rout with a quickfire double in the second half .
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Belgium secured a 6-0 victory against Andorra in their Euro 2016 qualifier .
Former Chelsea midfielder Kevin de Bruyne netted a first half brace .
Tottenham forward Nacer Chadli struck with a fine half volley .
Future Liverpool striker Divock Origi added a fourth for the Red Devils .
Winger Dries Mertens completed the rout with a double in the second half .
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Animals in a Ukrainian zoo have been left to die of starvation in the wake of the country’s political turmoil, it has been claimed. The director of Kharkiv Zoo blamed Ukraine’s warring politicians for failing to provide funds, saying the zoo only have enough food to last until Monday. Alexey Grigoriev is said to be ‘in tears’ over the plight of the animals, and has pleaded with the prime minister for help. Starving: Staff at Kharkiv Zoo, Ukraine say a pregnant elephant, claimed to be 'hungry and on the point of expiring from exhaustion' ’Our animals are not fighting for power, they do not share anyone's political views, they just want to live,’ said a statement by the zoo. ‘Without emergency measures, our completely innocent animals will start dying next week.’ A pregnant elephant was hungry and on the point of expiring from exhaustion, it was claimed. Local reports say funds earmarked for the zoo have been sent elsewhere. At risk: The zoo only has food for their animals until Monday as a result for political turmoil in Ukraine . Not enough: The director of Kharkiv Zoo blamed Ukraine¿s warring politicians for failing to provide funds . Dying: A starving lion is hanging its head by an empty feeding station at Kharkiv Zoo, Ukraine . A letter sent by the director Grigoriev to Ukraine's prime minister said: ‘The Kharkiv zoo animals on the verge of starvation.’ Suppliers have been providing food for . free for three months but have now refused to provide more, he said, . pleading with the government for immediate action. The country - partially invaded by Russia last week - is also on the point of bankruptcy. A . local campaigner for the zoo, Olga Sitkovskaya, said: ‘I spoke to the . director and, sorry for this detail, but this clever, strong adult man . burst into tears of helplessness. Suppliers have been providing food for free for three months but have now refused to provide more . ‘The city allocates funds needed for maintaining the zoo, but Kiev redirects the money to some of its needs. 'As a result, the animals in the zoo, are in a catastrophic situation.’ ‘Along with the whole country, our zoo is living through difficult and terrifying times,’ said the zoo statement. 'By Monday, we will have nothing with which to feed the animals.’ The zoo dates from the 1890s and survived two world wars.
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Animals in a Ukraine Zoo are starving after government cuts funds .
Kharkiv Zoo will run out of food by the end of the weekend .
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An engaged father-of-one was shot dead this weekend, after getting into a fight with an acquaintance at a concert where he was performing with his hardcore punk band. Brad Hancock's band Close Grip was playing a warm-up set at Salt Lake City, Utah venue At The Core Saturday night, when he tried to kick 20-year-old Quincy Earl Lawson out of the concert. Friends of the 24-year-old frontman say Hancock was trying to defend his brother who had gotten in an argument with Lawson, and that when the dispute moved to the parking lot, Lawson fired shots at Hancock and another band member. Hancock died shortly after. The other man was treated at the scene for a bullet wound to the foot. Scroll down for video . Altercation: Brad Hancock, 24 (left), was shot dead Saturday night after getting into a fight with 20-year-old Quincy Earl Lawson (right) outside a Salt Lake City concert venue. Hancock was performing with his band Close Grip that night . Chaotic: A view of the scene outside At The Core concert venue in Salt Lake City after the fatal shooting Saturday night. Friends of the frontman say Hancock was just defending his brother, who got in an argument with Lawson . Lawson was later arrested by the Salt Lake City police who pulled him over in nearby Nephi. Police say Hancock and Lawson 'kind of knew each other', but do not appear to have been close friends. Hancock's fianceé Mariah Borg, mother of their 1-year-old son Sonny, told the Deseret News that Lawson was known for getting in trouble, but that she didn't know he was capable of killing anyone. She says her boyfriend left for the concert at 5pm on Saturday, and that she received a phone call just a few hours later from a relative saying he had died. The couple of three years were scheduled to move into a new house next week and planned to get married next year. She says he was looking forward to teaching their son how to play guitar and skateboard. Family: Hancock leaves behind his fiancée Mariah Borg (left) and their 1-year-old son Sonny (center) Heartbroken: Borg, pictured above, says her boyfriend and Lawson knew each other but were not close friends. She said Lawson was known for getting in trouble but she had no idea he was capable of killing . Plans ruined: The couple were scheduled to move into a new home next week and were planning on getting married next year, after three years together . 'I just still don't really know how to process it. I just woke up this morning and looked at the baby and started bawling because he wasn't there. It sucks so bad,' a tearful Borg said. 'He took everything from me. The love of my life. The person I should have grown old with. The father of my son....We had so many plans.' Lawson has a minor criminal record according to public records, including arrests for disorderly conduct, shoplifting, and public intoxication. On his Facebook page, where he goes by the name Quincy Dre, he is seen in several pictures wearing the color red and holding up gang hand signs. However, police do not believe the shooting was gang-related. Following Hancock's death, friends set up a Go Fund Me account to raise money for his fiancée and son. That fund raised over $10,000 in just a 24 hour period. Tough guy: On Lawson's Facebook page, where he goes by the name Quincy Dre, he appears in several photos with the color red and holding up gang signs. But police do not believe the shooting was gang-related .
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Brad Hancock, 24, was performing with his band Close Grip Saturday night when he got into a fight with 20-year-old Quincy Early Lawson .
Hancock was allegedly trying to kick Lawson out of the club when he was fatally shot out in the parking lot .
Police say Hancock and Lawson knew each other, but were not close friends .
Hancock leaves behind fiancée Mariah Borg and their 1-year-old son Sonny .
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By . Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 07:46 EST, 13 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:10 EST, 13 March 2013 . The man who secretly filmed Mitt Romney's damning remarks about 'the 47 per cent' in the run-up to the presidential election is finally coming forward today. The film-maker, whose tape caused Romney's campaign to falter and in part cost him the White House, has been revealed as a bartender working at the dinner for wealthy Republican donors. He admitted that the only reason he had a camera with him at the fundraiser last May in Boca Raton, Florida was because he assumed Romney would meet staff and allow photos as a thank you - which the candidate did not. Scroll down for videos . Game-changer: Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney's remarks about the '47 per cent' sank his hopes for the White House after a secretly-filmed tape was released online . In the video, which surfaced online last September, Romney argues that '47 per cent' of Americans would vote for Obama 'no matter what' because they were 'victims dependent on government'. Romney said: 'All right, there are 47 per cent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. 'That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.' The bartender said he felt it was his 'civic duty' to make the tape public and is now allowing his identity to be revealed on Wednesday night on MSNBC. The much-anticipated interview will . take place on the Ed Show and as host Ed Schultz said: 'No matter what . Mitt Romney does for the rest of his life, he will probably be best . remembered for this.' Leaked: James Carter, an opposition researcher, said he found the video online and put reporters from the left-leaning U.S. website Mother Jones in touch with an unnamed individual who had shot the footage . Woops! The resulting outcry over Romney's remarks is still regarded as one of the main reasons why the Republican lost the race to the White House . The . man who made the tape has so far remained hidden. All that is known is he works with a prestigious Florida catering . company who take cater of high-end events. Connected: James Carter, grandson of former president Jimmy Carter, made sure the Romney tape received widespread attention . The catering worker told New York Magazine that he had worked another political fundraiser at the same hotel where Bill Clinton was a speaker. After the retired president made his remarks, he came into the kitchen and thanked the waiting staff, posing for pictures and signing autographs. Romney, on the other hand, did not speak to staff and despite telling his high-paying guests that the dinner was off the record - he did not address waiters, bartenders and busboys at all. The only name which has been publicly connected with the Romney tape so far is political researcher James Carter - grandson of former Democratic president Jimmy Carter. He said that he found the video online and put reporters from the left-leaning U.S. website Mother Jones in touch with the individual who shot the footage. At the time, the disclosure that he was involved fueled speculation the project to embarrass Romney was part of a liberal stitch-up. Mr Carter has publicly spoken about his involvement but protected his source.
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Film-maker had originally brought his camera hoping that Mitt Romney would pose for photos with event staff .
Romney told wealthy donors that '47 per cent' would vote for Obama because they were 'victims dependent on government'
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Roger Federer led a parade of the world’s leading tennis players down the sweeping staircase of a luxury boat that cruised along the Thames on Friday night. The top eight players, minus the absent Rafael Nadal, were suited and booted, with Andy Murray delighted to be involved, especially compared to what he was doing this time 12 months ago. Back then the only thing he had to look forward to during the week of the Barclays ATP World Finals was the Groundhog Day of painful recovery work from the back operation he had a month previously. Andy Murray prepares for his opening match in the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London . Coach Amelie Mauresmo watches over the British No 1 as he hones his groundstrokes ahead of the event . Murray is pleased to return to the elite tournament after spending last November recovering from surgery . Sunday's order of play at the O2 . Although a big football fan, the constant visits to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground were not something to relish. ‘Most days I did rehab from nine in the morning through until five-something,’ he recalled. ‘In the mornings, I was doing my rehab at Chelsea’s training ground and then, in the afternoons, I would either go back there or I have a space in my house where I have a few bits and pieces of equipment. 'I could do some Pilates, core-type exercises and more rehab. ‘When you’re away from the game, you realise how much you miss playing but I wasn’t bitter about not being here, it’s just part of what we do. 'Some people go through their whole career without any injuries, some are injury prone and I would say I’ve been fairly lucky. 'Last year was obviously tough but I certainly watched bits of the tennis here.’ Murray faces Japanese star Kei Nishikori, who is coached by Michael Chang (R), in his first group rubber . Swiss legend Roger Federer speaks with his coach, another 1980s player, Stefan Edberg at courtside . Novak Djokovic is favourite to win the tournament and finish the year ranked world No 1 . At 2pm on Sunday he will be the subject of TV viewers’ attention as he takes on Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the opening round robin match, while Federer against Milos Raonic is the evening’s main attraction. Considering the finals take place in his adopted hometown, and he is a decent indoor player, Murray has never done as well as he might at the O2, a semi-final being his best finish to date. Having worked so hard to make the top eight this year he is committed to try to improve on that and set himself up for 2015. Beating Nishikori and improving on his 3-0 record against him would be a perfect start. ‘I’m not exactly where I would like to be, I still want to get four or five per cent better. But compare it to where I was four or five months ago and I am much, much closer,’ added Murray. (L-R) Milo Raconic,Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray, Noval Djokovic, Roger Federer, Kei Nishikori, Thomas Berdych and Marin Cilic get suited and booted to promote the finals . Berdych takes a now ubiquitous selfie of the players before the tournament starts on Sunday .
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Andy Murray opens ATP World Tour Finals against Kei Nishikori on Sunday .
British No 1 was still recovering from back surgery this time last year .
Scot wants to get four or five per cent better' after strong finish to the year .
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By . Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail . Follow @@Matt_Barlow_DM . Honesty got the better of Mauricio Pochettino. First, he admitted that he had next to nothing to do with the signing of Eric Dier, Tottenham’s unlikely hero on the opening day of the season. ‘The deal was already on the table,’ said Pochettino, although he clearly did not try to veto the £4million transfer from Sporting Lisbon set up by chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Franco Baldini. So, how about the serendipity which saw Kyle Naughton sent off in the first half and Dier moved from centre half to right back at West Ham on Saturday, enabling him to later burst forward and win the game in stoppage time? Dier delight: A last gasp winner from Eric Dier ensured Tottenham won their opening Premier League match . There was only one game in the top flight in 2013-14 to see both sides reduced to 10 men (Norwich v Newcastle in January). ‘No, no, I was not surprised to see him score,’ said Pochettino, with a shake of his head, before his face cracked into a grin and he indicated with a finger that his nose was growing like Pinocchio’s. With his improving English, and his gift for mime, perhaps we will begin to understand more of Pochettino’s character this season. The Argentine can laugh after a win, but he is driven. When Dier ghosted behind West Ham’s defence to collect a pass from Harry Kane and slide the ball into the net, he pummelled the air with both fists. This win mattered. A winning start as Levy’s ninth Tottenham manager (or head coach, as they prefer) and proof that he might be the one to inject steel into a club too often seen as lacking resolve. On this point, he was happy to take some credit. ‘The team showed we are ambitious and we believe every time that we can win,’ said Pochettino. ‘It is important to build this mentality and spirit. This will give us confidence and trust in our style and more belief.’ Pointing the way: Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino joked he was not surprised to see Dier find the net . At Southampton, his high-pressing tactics produced intense, attractive football, but also clean sheets. Saints conceded just once in their first seven Barclays Premier League games last season. Spurs rode their luck at Upton Park, but keeper Hugo Lloris was magnificent and the new boss was rewarded for bold strategic decisions: not to remove a striker when Naughton was dismissed and to start with 20-year-old Dier ahead of captain Michael Dawson. ‘We made our decisions based on information from training and pre-season. It was a good decision from the manager,’ said Pochettino. Again with a smile. The versatile Dier, eased from central defence to full back after Naughton’s red card, defended solidly and offered greater adventure once West Ham’s James Collins was sent off and the teams were reduced to 10 a side for the last 27 minutes. What a start: Dier is the opening day hero as he celebrates with Danny Rose (left) and Christian Eriksen (right) An England Under 21 international, Dier is the grandson of former FA secretary Ted Croker. Born in Cheltenham, he was raised in Portugal from the age of 10, when his mother’s job took the family overseas. While Pochettino was having problems controlling the length of his nose, Sam Allardyce’s woes were also growing. The heat is already on the Hammers boss after losing a derby which might have turned out differently had Mark Noble scored a first-half penalty. ‘The start is a trigger to the whole season,’ said Allardyce. ‘The perfect example is our first two seasons back in the Premier League. We took 14 points in the first eight games in the first, and only eight in the first eight last season — which was a struggle.’
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Mauricio Pochettino got Tottenham reign off to winning start .
New boy Eric Dier scored winning goal to hand Spurs win over West Ham .
Defender moved to White Hart Lane from Sporting Lisbon in £4m deal .
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Angel di Maria is fit for Manchester United's crunch match against Chelsea on Sunday. The £60million signing was struggling with a thigh injury picked up in their 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion on Monday and it was feared that he would miss their biggest game of the season so far. He had an ice-pack on the injury after being substituted in the 76th minute, but was able to train for the past two days and is ready for Chelsea. Angel di Maria, shadowed by Chris Smalling, has been declared fit to face Premier League leaders Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday . The £60million signing was pictured sporting an ice pack on a thigh injury picked up in the score draw at The Hawthorns . Louis van Gaal, Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher and Robin van Persie are pictured in good spirits at Manchester United's training HQ . Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole (Bertrand 89), Mikel, Lampard, Ramires (Oscar 46), Hazard, Mata (Sturridge 81), Torres. Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Romeu, Moses, Meireles. Booked: Ivanovic. Goals: Cahill 74. Atletico Madrid: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe Luis, Mario Suarez, Gabi, Adrian (Rodriguez 56), Koke (Raul Garcia 81), Turan, Falcao (Emre 87). Subs Not Used: Sergio Asenjo, Silvio, Cata Diaz, Diego Costa. Goals: Falcao 6,19,45,Miranda 60. Att: 14,312 . Ref: Damir Skomina (Slovenia). Manager Louis van Gaal said: 'It was not so heavy, he has trained. Only the first day [Tuesday] he doesn't train.' Van Gaal also revealed that Michael Carrick will play in a development game against West Ham in London on Friday night in a bid to regain match fitness. The midfielder was a surprise inclusion on United's bench against West Brom on Monday night, but did not make it on the field. Van Gaal added: 'I even let Michael Carrick this evening play in London against West Ham in the reserve team. 'I believe he needs that, he needs to play matches especially when you are five months injured. He said that it was his first experience in the second team.' The United boss will be without the suspended Wayne Rooney but Radamel Falcao, who scored a hat-trick the last time he faced Chelsea in Atletico Madrid's Super Cup triumph last year, is available. Chelsea's star striker Diego Costa has a 'chance' of playing at Old Trafford on Sunday, according to Jose Mourinho, despite the Spain striker missing the last two matches with a hamstring problem and being admitted to hospital this week with a virus. Mourinho said: 'There is a chance, he has a little chance. Diego has a little chance, the same as Ramires and (John Obi) Mikel. 'Everything happened (to Costa). He was obviously injured - that was hamstring. He had to go to hospital with a viral situation that we didn't manage to resolve without being in hospital over one night - that was before Maribor. 'Against Maribor he wouldn't have been ready from the injury, no chance. But being ill didn't help the recovery process because we didn't have him at Cobham (training ground). Medical staff had to go to his house because we didn't want to bring him here with a viral situation. 'He trained individually, not yet with us.' Falcao could also line up against Premier League leaders Chelsea - he scored a hat-trick the last time he faced the Stamford Bridge side . Falcao scored a hat-trick in Atleico Madrid's 4-1 victory over Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup final . The Colombian, seen here celebrating against Chelsea, is working his way back to full fitness after sustaining a serious knee injury . Rooney leads Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia at Carrington as United are put through their paces on Friday . Luke Shaw and Robin van Persie are pictured in training on Friday ahead of Chelsea's visit to Old Trafford . Van Gaal will line up against Jose Mourinho on Sunday; the pair used to work together during the United manager's tenure at Barcelona .
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Di Maria was struggling with a thigh injury sustained in the 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion on Monday evening .
But he has trained for the past two days and is ready to face Chelsea when they travel to face Manchester United .
Louis van Gaal has also revealed that Michael Carrick will play against West Ham in a development game on Friday .
The midfielder is battling to regain match fitness after he sustained ankle ligament damage over the summer .
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By . Damien Gayle . 'I wanted to give her something to remember': Gary Davies, who has been jailed for eight years for using a kitchen knife to 'saw' his girlfriend's neck . A jealous student who used a kitchen knife to 'saw' a seven centimetre gash into his ex-girlfriend's neck after she ended their love affair was today jailed. Gary Davies, 26, locked Robyn Clegg-Gibson, 19, in her bedroom at halls in Lancaster University, where he set about giving her 'something to remember'. He only stopped the attack when a police officer broke down the door to witness the bloody scene as Davies sliced through his former lover's neck. Miss Clegg-Gibson survived the ordeal but has been left suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and anxiety. Davies was sentenced to eight years in prison at Preston Crown Court today after denying attempted murder but admitting wounding with intent and false imprisonment. The court heard that he had attacked the teenager in the early hours of September 30 last year after she ended their two-month relationship during an argument on a night out. After returning to Miss Clegg-Gibson’s home at Lancaster University, where the pair both studied, Davies dealt five blows with a serrated kitchen knife because he 'wanted to leave a scar', the court was told. Giving evidence at a three-day trial, Davies, who was described as a 'demanding' boyfriend, said he had originally picked up a pair of scissors to scare her after becoming 'angry and upset'. 'I wanted to scare her but I didn’t think scissors were intimidating enough, then I saw the knife in the drawer,' he said. 'I wanted to give her something to remember not to mess with me. 'I was losing face as I saw it with her and her friends. 'The argument was trivial but it was still on my mind. I was worked up. 'I started thinking she was going to get away with this but I’m going to get in trouble. 'I was angry and upset and I wanted to leave a scar. 'I wanted to give her something to remember every time she looks in the mirror. 'I was just stabbing everywhere.' Ordeal: Robyn Clegg-Gibson, 19, was left with a seven centimetre gash across her neck after the attack last September. She has been left suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and anxiety . 'Curled up in a ball on the floor bleeding': Miss Clegg-Davies was only rescued when a policeman broke in to the room to witness the bloody scene as Davies sliced through his former lover's neck with the kitchen knife . Following the break-up, Davies was let into the house to look for his keys, which he claimed he had lost during the night out. He was asked to leave 'countless times' after Miss Clegg-Gibson became uncomfortable with him in her bedroom - but he refused. As she phoned the police, Davies went . into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, before returning to her bedroom . and locking the door behind him. Davies attacked the teenager in the early hours of last September 30 after she ended their relationship. He denied attempted murder, telling the court, 'I wanted to give her something to remember not to mess with me' Threatening Miss Clegg-Gibson with the knife, he told her to ring the police again and tell them not to come to the address. But a few minutes later, a police officer arrived outside and asked Davies to open the door, causing him to panic. During the trial, Paul Cummings, prosecuting, said: 'He climbed on top of her and started to saw at her neck. She had her hand up and was trying to stop him. 'She was curled up in a ball on the floor bleeding and could feel the knife on her throat.' Davies, who was also in his first year at university but lived in different student accommodation, was stopped when the police officer kicked down the door. Trauma: Miss Clegg-Gibson, who told the jury during the trial that she thought she was going to die, has received counselling since the attack and is having more sessions starting next month to help her cope . Horror: Miss Clegg-Gibson's ex-boyfriend is now subject to a life-long restraining order telling him to stay away . Road to recovery: Miss Clegg-Gibson with a friend. She struggles to sleep and remains 'anxious and uneasy' Miss Clegg-Gibson suffered a 7cm cut across her neck, which had cut deep into fatty tissue but had not severed a blood vessel or caused nerve damage. She told the jury during the trial that she thought she was going to die and has received counselling since the attack. She is having more sessions starting next month to help her cope with her ordeal. Following sessions over the Christmas period, her counsellor concluded that she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, struggles to sleep and remains 'anxious and uneasy.' A jury found Davies not guilty of attempted murder but yesterday he was jailed for the charges he admitted and has been given a life-long restraining order.
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Gary Davies, 26, locked Robyn Clegg-Gibson, 19, in her bedroom in halls .
He told the court he wanted to give her 'something to remember'
Attack only stopped when a policeman broke down the door to the room .
Davies denied attempted murder but admitted wounding with intent .
He also admitted false imprisonment and was jailed for eight years .
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These nude images of Jackie Kennedy Onassis were taken on a Greek beach in 1972 after her own husband tipped off photographers with her exact location, a new book has claimed. The photographs, which show the former First Lady walking casually along a beach in Skorpios, Greece without a scrap of clothing, were part of a widespread smear campaign by her husband, Greek tycoon Aristotle 'Ari' Onassis, the book claims. The images, which were splashed across magazines and newspapers worldwide, were taken as the couple endured a turbulent marriage fraught with infidelity, absences and family scorn. The revelations come from noted Kennedy author Christopher Andersen in his upcoming book 'The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved'. Snapped: Images that appeared in Hustler Magazine show Jackie Onassis Kennedy nude on a Greek beach in 1972. It has emerged that the photographers were tipped off by her own husband, Aristotle Onassis . Plot: Tired of Jackie suing the media for invasion of privacy, her husband gave ten photographers detailed maps and time plans of when she would be on the beach in Skorpios, Greece . The biography about Jackie's son describes how Ari bullied his new wife - constantly deriding her as 'The Widow' during interviews, according to an excerpt published by the New York Daily News. Jackie had married Ari in 1968 after he wooed her with gifts and declarations of love - even though her family and friends were never convinced he was the right match for her. Throughout their relationship, Ari pursued his not-so-secret affair with opera singer Maria Callas - while allegedly using his press contacts to publicly humiliate Jackie for stepping out of line. Anderson describes the fatal moment that crushed their relationship in 1972: tired of Jackie suing the media for invasion of privacy, Ari gave ten photographers detailed maps and time plans of when 'The Widow' would be on the beach in Skorpios. Turbulent: He wooed the former First Lady into marriage in 1968 (pictured) but it was rocky from the start . Published: The shots were splashed across magazines, earning Jackie the moniker 'Billion Dollar Bush' Insult: Jackie did not know her own husband was behind the photos and demanded he sue the magazines . The nude shots earned Jackie the moniker 'Billion Dollar Bush', and afforded her children years of cruel bullying. Shocking: The images appeared in a 1975 edition of Hustler after appearing in an Italian publication . Unaware that her husband was behind the cruel plot, she demanded he sue every publication who had printed the photos. Instead, he went to his lawyer and demanded a divorce - although they never actually divorced before his death in 1975. He continued to see Callas right up until he died, with friends noting that she had been the real love of his life, the book excerpt notes. The photograph scandal was the final hit after years of public disputes between Jackie and Ari. From the moment they married, Ari left her alone and upset for two weeks as he jetted around Europe on 'business'. After getting wind of her unhappiness, Ari flew to be by her side for a luxurious three-week vacation - before running back to Callas' side in a bid to woo her too. But when private letters that Jackie wrote to Roswell Gilpatric were exposed in 1970 - including one written days after their wedding - Ari was not quite so ready to support her. 'Dearest Ros,' she had written, 'I would have told you before I left - but then everything happened so much more quickly than I'd planned. 'I saw somewhere what you had said and I was touched - dear Ros - I hope you know all you were and are and will ever be to me - With my love, Jackie.' The book notes: 'Ari didn’t mind being portrayed as an uncouth cretin, a pirate, a dirty old man, or even a crook. But the idea of being cuckolded in public... was a blow to his manhood.' 'His real wife': He started pursuing Callas within weeks of marrying Jackie and kept up the liaison throughout . After the letters emerged, he dined with Callas in public and tipped off photographers that they would be there. He was fully aware that the pictures of him with Callas - 'his real wife' - would be snapped up by US newspapers. Jackie responded by heading to the same restaurant and sitting at exactly the same table to dine with her husband, as a warning to the mistress that she was still in charge. Ari apparently enjoyed the women battling for his affections. He gleefully boasted about his own dalliances, once telling Johhny Meyer: 'Everybody here knows three things about Aristotle Onassis. 'I'm f***ing Maria Callas, I'm f***ing Jacqueline Kennedy - and I'm f***ing rich.' In public: When photographers were about, Onassis played stepfather to John F Kennedy Jr (pictured)
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Aristotle Onassis wooed Jackie O with attention and gifts - but after they wed in 1968 he kept up an affair with opera singer Maria Callas .
Throughout their marriage he used press contacts to humiliate her and in 1972 he told photographers that she would be nude on a Greek beach .
They took photos of her that were splashed across newspapers worldwide .
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(CNN) -- Football's big game is coming to the small screen. For the first time ever the Super Bowl, along with some postseason NFL games, will be streamed online and through the league's mobile apps, the NFL and partner Verizon Wireless announced Tuesday. The upcoming wild card games, the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl -- TV's most-watched annual event -- will be streamed for free to computers on NFL.com and NBCSports.com. NBC's live stream will run different ads from those on TV, but Super Bowl viewers will be able to pull up the TV commercials on demand through the website shortly after they air, an NBC Sports spokesman said. On phones and tablets, Verizon is the only cellular carrier that offers NFL games through an exclusive deal. Verizon smartphones with a high-speed 4G LTE data plan can stream the games through the NFL Mobile app for free, a spokeswoman for the carrier said. Mobile devices with 3G service, such as the iPhone, iPad or older smartphones, require a $10-per-month Verizon Video subscription, she said. The NFL does not stream most games for free during the regular season. NBC began streaming Sunday Night Football games through its sports website three years ago. NBC announced last week that it had extended its contract with the NFL through 2022. The playoffs start on January 7. The Super Bowl will be played on February 5 in Indianapolis.
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The NFL's wild-card playoff games, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl will be streamed online .
The games will be available on NFL.com or NBCSports.com .
Verizon customers also will be able to get the games on their phones and tablets .
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Rich tastes: Miss Paltrow . She is the Oscar winning actress turned self-proclaimed ‘lifestyle coach’ who believes that women can transform their lives by adopting healthy diets and fitness. Now Gwyneth Paltrow has released a series of specialist recipes to help her followers launch themselves into a new year with a ‘Warming Winter Detox.’ But those not on Hollywood salaries may find Paltrow’s latest creation a little too much to take – ingredients for her peppermint hot chocolate will cost £50. One of her previous culinary creations led a food critic to claim she had a ‘Marie Antoinette detachment from reality’ and true to form, the recipe, published on her much-ridiculed lifestyle blog Goop, contains a number of highly expensive ingredients. Among the baffling list are almond butter, mint flavoured liquid chlorophyl, spirulina powder and the optional addition of chocolate flavoured protein powder, that makes it sound more like the makings for a chemistry experiment than a hot drink. All this to disguise the fact that though the name may sound like an indulgent treat Paltrow’s version of the cold day classic only contains a couple of tablespoons of raw cocoa and no sugar at all. Instead, like all the recipes that feature in her detox it also avoids any dairy, gluten, shellfish, sugar, caffeine, condiments, alcohol and any other additives. Fans who want to save themselves some cash may resort to leaving out the ‘optional’ chocolate protein powder but even without it the other ingredients are unlikely to be found for less than £38. It's detox o'clock! Gwyneth Paltrow, an avid foodie, has unveiled a January detox menu, which she promises doesn't feel like a sacrifice . And that is not to mention the fact . that most the ingredients can’t be found in normal supermarkets and need . a trip to specialised health food shops. Opening . the latest post on the site Paltrow writes: ‘You know we love a good . detox here at goop and this January is no exception.’ Despite . its prescriptive demands she promises readers that her three-day detox . menu ‘won’t leave you feeling cold and hungry during the winter’ and . offers eight recession-busting detox tips including ‘take saunas’ wear . ‘organic cotton.’ Paltrow . has faced persistent criticism over the advice she posts on Goop with . many mothers accusing her of having lost her a grip on the real world. She . has spoken proudly about her daughter Apple’s choice to become a . vegetarian, a decision she came to ‘entirely on her own’ at the age of . just seven. She also . refuses to let Apple, now nine or seven-year-old son Moses eat gluten or . dairy products and once infamously told an interviewer: ‘I’d rather . smoke crack than eat cheese from a tin.’ In . December she used Goop to recommend that for Christmas, one should buy . friends a £100 Fornasetti scented candle and take a £65 set of Hermes . poker cards as a ‘hostess gift.’ Recipe: The £50 detox winter warmer that is free from gluten, sugar, caffeine, and any other additives . Hard at work: Gwyneth and her team joined forces with a nutritionist to create some healthy recipes for her Goop fans to enjoy . Last . Spring her post on ‘spring wardrobe essentials’ provoked ridicule when . it emerged that they totalled £293,878 and included a silk skirt from . Temperley London, costing £992, and Chloe trousers at £1,200, . In . 2011 she released her cookbook ‘Notes From My Kitchen Table’ which had . frustrated readers searching the aisles of their local supermarkets for . vegenaise, agave nectar and oven roasted kale crisps. But . she has defended lifestyle advice saying she is the victim on . mean-spirited critics saying: ‘Pat of the problem is people get hit of . energy when they are negative about something. ‘They don’t understand why they don’t have a happy life, I feel sorry for them.’ Paltrow became a household name in 1998 when her part in Shakespeare in Love won her the Oscar for best actress. Thanks . to her burgeoning lifestyle empire she now limits herself to just one . movie a year, for which she can command up to £15 million. And today she launched a January detox meal plan, which she promises is 'warming, filling and doesn't feel like a sacrifice'. Writing on her site Goop, she says: 'You know we love a good detox here at goop, and this January is no exception. What, no carbs? Plenty of herbal teas, salads, soups and oily fish feature on Gwyneth's menu . 'We . created detox recipes that won't leave you feeling cold and hungry . during the winter months, with guidance from Dr. Alejandro Junger, a . specialist on the subject. 'We . took to the test kitchen to create a three-day menu of detox recipes . that are warming and filling and don't feel like a sacrifice. 'We . then turned to Dr. Alejandro Junger for some info on how to best detox . during the cold winter months. Dr. Junger contributed the warm shakes - . the rest of the recipes are from the goop kitchen.' The menu advises detoxers to start the day with room temperature water and lemon, followed by a herbal tea and special shake. Lunch consists of either a balsamic miso root salad or chickpea or carrot soup (bread rolls not included, obviously). If . you're feeling peckish in the afternoon, Gwyneth suggests snacking on . walnut lentil pate or a handful of nuts before feasting on coconut . poached salmon, quinoa stuffed squash or pan-steamed chicken and . broccoli for dinner. 'Adjust the times to your schedule and the meals to your taste,' advises the actress. Wise words: Gwyneth, who last year released a cookbook with her dietary tips, writes a weekly lifestyle blog . Foodies . will be delighted to hear that this winter detox is much less strict . than ones Gwyneth and her team have created in the past. 'Our winter detox has looser . guidelines and restrictions than ones we’ve done in the past but', she . adds, 'here is what we’re avoiding: dairy, gluten, shellfish, anything . processed (including all soy products), nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, . peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and soda,' she writes. The mother-of-two is well-known for her strict health regime and even released her own cook book, It's All Good, in 2012. According to the book's synopsis, after a . gruelling schedule and overindulgence in 2011, Gwyneth was . left feeling fatigued and faint and a trip to the doctor later revealed . that she was anaemic, vitamin D deficient, and that her stress levels . were sky high. Her doctor prescribed an elimination . diet banning coffee, alcohol, sugar, eggs, wheat, meat and processed . food to clear out her system and help her body heal. Now we can ALL look like Gwyneth: The detox eliminates dairy, gluten, shellfish, anything processed (including all soy products), nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and soda .
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Recipe includes mint-flavoured liquid chlorophyl and spirulina powder .
41-year-old teams up with nutritionist to unveil menu on her Goop site .
Promises it's 'warming, filling and doesn't feel like a sacrifice'
Lots of herbal teas, salads, soups and fresh fish .
Coffee, alcohol, tomatoes, carbs, sugar and dairy all banned .
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(CNN) -- Hugo Chavez's 14 years as president of Venezuela were so personality-driven that the movement behind him became known as "Chavismo." Chavismo encompasses not just the political machine that saw Chavez re-elected four times, but a leftist ideology that prioritized the redistribution of oil wealth to the marginalized and valued sovereignty as something to be protected from "imperialist" powers. Now, with its leader gone, the future of Chavismo could take many paths, experts say. Other powerful leaders in history who left a similar hole have seen their ideologies live on, though not without change. There is a trade-off between the degree to which a government centers on one person and the strength of that country's institutions, said Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College who studies Venezuela. In general, the stronger the central figure, the weaker the institutions. "In authoritarian regimes, you always have a crisis moment when you see a change in leadership," Corrales said. Chavez was democratically elected, but his efforts to consolidate power in the presidency led to accusations of authoritarianism. Change is inevitable after the loss of a revered leader, but the degree of transformation varies. In Yugoslavia in the period after World War II until 1980, Josip Broz Tito succeeded in keeping the various ethnic groups in his country united. Despite being considered an authoritarian, he remained popular because of the unity and economic success. Upon his death, however, the country unraveled and fell into civil war, and Yugoslavia crumbled, eventually splitting into separate nations. After Joseph Stalin died in the Soviet Union, there was a complete break with his regime under the new leader, Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev rejected Stalin's terror tactics. Change in Cuba was more subtle after the passing of the torch from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul Castro, Corrales said. The Castros share their communist views, but after the younger Castro took office, he purged some men and has since pursued policies to somewhat open up Cuba. Venezuelan interim President Nicolas Maduro is expected to vie for the full-time job, and analysts predict he has the best shot at getting elected. If elected, Maduro eventually will have to purge some of the Chavez loyalists and shake up the Cabinet to consolidate his own power, Corrales said. "Whoever comes next is going to have to assert himself in a pretty domineering way," he said. U.S.-Venezuela relations likely to remain tense after Chavez . The lasting power of Chavez's image . Chavez's dedication to putting the nation's poor at the forefront of his policies made him a hero among a large sector of the population. His freewheeling spending of his nation's oil wealth was criticized by some economists as unsustainable, but Venezuela's poor saw results and elevated Chavez to hero status. In Latin America, such status carries a lot of weight. Hero or villain? The many ways to see Chavez . Consider a movement in Nicaragua that has survived over the years: Sandinismo. Augusto Sandino was the leader of a rebellion in the late 1920s and early 1930s against an American occupation. The Sandinistas are in power today in Nicaragua, under President Daniel Ortega, though the movement has little to do with its origins, said Andres Perez, a professor of political science at the University of Western Ontario. Sandino's memory has been manipulated for political purposes over time, just like Chavez's might. Years after Sandino was killed, Nicaraguans used his image as a symbol in their own rebellion to overthrow a dictatorship. A movement, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, was born. The current Sandinista president uses the same symbol and movement, though it has been manipulated from earlier Sandinismo, Perez said. "When people find a symbol or answer to their aspirations, they tend to perpetuate it," Perez said. In the case of Chavismo, it is difficult to predict what will happen the movement as a political movement, Perez said. "But what I can say is that the memory of Chavez will last. It will be very difficult to erase it from the poor sector of Venezuela who found answers in the image and words of Chavez," he said. Millions of Venezuelans found hope in Chavez, and now the question is who will appropriate his image and how will they use it, Perez said. Conceivably, even the opposition could take aspects of Chavez's legacy and make it their own, he said. Already during last year's electoral campaign, the opposition vowed not to undo the social missions that Chavez initiated, but only to modify them. The director of the polling firm Datanalisis, Luis Vicente Leon, predicted something similar in a series of Twitter posts before Chavez died. "To count out Chavismo without Chavez is to ignore that there is Peronism without Peron and Sandinismo without Sandino," he tweeted. "It will suffer a great loss without Chavez, but it has a legacy of power and symbolism that it can exploit." Peronism is a movement named after former Argentine President Juan Peron, a legacy that has been claimed over the years by parties both on the political right and left. Outlook good for Chavismo in short term . Despite suffering from cancer, Chavez resoundingly won re-election in October. His popularity, combined with the outpouring of tributes in the wake of his death, make a Chavista victory likely in the new elections that must be called. Maduro was named by Chavez as his preferred successor and could easily win the election, but he will have to put the movement's unity as his priority, said Steve Ellner, a professor at Venezuela's Universidad de Oriente who has written several books about Chavez's Venezuela. There are divisions within Chavismo that have come to light as Chavez's health faded. Some stand behind Maduro, who is close with the Cuban regime, while others side with Diosdado Cabello, the National Assembly president who is more of a nationalist. Because Chavez was never sworn in for his latest terms, there is even a debate over which of the two, constitutionally, should be the interim president. In the short term, Maduro will have to avoid internal dissent that threatens the movement, Ellner said. That may mean adopting populist positions that the nationalists like. "I don't see a turn to the moderate policies that some favor," Ellner said. One of the characteristics of Chavismo is the fervor of its adherents. Chavez was a master of cultivating that fervor, and the next Chavista leader will have to do the same, Ellner said. "In any process of far-reaching changing, it is essential," he said. Maintaining that level of fervor keeps followers from becoming disillusioned, he said. One of Chavez's strategies was to surprise Venezuelans with new policies that invigorated the rank-and-file, a formula that future leaders may have to follow, he said. In a speech at his swearing in as interim leader, Maduro promised to follow Chavez's path. "We still have him in our hearts," he said. "I have him here, here, as if he was the name in my soul, because I am his son." The future of Chavismo . The grip of Chavismo on Venezuela is not guaranteed. "I have my doubts about the existence of Chavismo without Chavez," leading opposition figure Henrique Capriles told a Spanish newspaper in January. "To me, any movement without its leading figure is deeply vulnerable." Capriles is expected to be the opposition candidate to challenge Maduro for the presidency. "It will depend on opposition voters understanding that Chavismo without Chavez is beatable and deeply vulnerable if they mobilize," he said. If Chavismo is victorious in its first election without Chavez, the new leader will have to face decisions that may cause dissatisfaction among the movement, said Corrales, the Amherst professor. If Maduro wins, he will have to deal with a tough economic crisis and will be forced to consider future devaluations and spending cuts, topics which have provoked tensions within Chavismo in the past. The next president also will have to rethink the way that the country's oil wealth is spent and the subsidies it provides, both foundations of Chavismo. Supporters of Chavez are more optimistic about the lasting legacy of Chavez. "Chavismo, at one point, was focused on the figure of Chavez as the all-emcompassing one, but it grew and expanded to become this mass movement that has crossed the borders out of Venezuela into the world beyond and has affected countries around the world," Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American attorney, author and adviser to Chavez told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. Chavismo and the social revolution that Chavez began will continue, she predicted. "Chavez (was) a very powerful personality, very charismatic person, larger than life, and most media attention went to him," Golinger said. "But in the end, what really has been going on in Venezuela is a whole transformation of the country, that's why it's called a revolution, changing every sector of society."
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Chavismo is the political movement that backed Hugo Chavez .
Challenges arise for such movements when its titular leader is removed .
Analysts predict Chavez's party will remain in power, but challenges will arise .
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The private clinic where Joan Rivers underwent a routine medical procedure has denied that 'a biopsy of the vocal cords' has ever been carried out there . The private clinic where Joan Rivers underwent a fatal routine medical procedure has denied that 'a biopsy of the vocal cords' has ever been carried out at the facility. The announcement follows claims last night that the comedian's personal doctor performed a surprise biopsy on her vocal cords at the Manhattan clinic last month. The 81-year-old comedian stopped breathing during the routine outpatient procedure and was on a life support machine until it was switched off last week. Yorkville Endoscopy clinic also denied that Rivers was under general anesthesia and stated that the only levels of sedation used at the facility is 'light to moderate sedation' according to the New York Daily News. Rivers was not mentioned by name in the statement with the clinic citing patient confidentiality rules. Yesterday the New York Daily News reported that according to a source with knowledge of the legendary comic's death, the biopsy by her personal doctor allegedly caused Rivers' vocal cords to spasm and her airways to constrict. The doctor who performed the biopsy did so with medical instruments from Yorkville Endoscopy after their own medical professional noticed 'something' on Rivers' vocal cords during the routine surgery, said the source who spoke with the New York Daily News. 'He asked and they let him,' the source said. 'A huge no-no.' Yorkville Endoscopy clinic also denied that Rivers was under general anesthesia and stated that the only levels of sedation used at the facility is 'light to moderate sedation' The source claimed that had the procedure been done in a hospital the comedian might not have died after doctors placed her in a medically induced coma after she went into cardiac arrest that morning. The Fashion Police star had only agreed to undergo an endoscopy at the Upper East Side clinic said the source and not the more risky biopsy, which would have tested whatever was removed for cancerous cells. No one from Rivers' team commented on the new statement. The identity of Rivers' doctor, who identified himself as an ear, nose and throat specialist, is not known at this time. Sad day: Melissa Rivers and son Cooper weep outside Joan Rivers funeral in New York City on Sunday as tens of celebrities gathered to pay their respects . Cooper Endicott and Melissa Rivers depart the Joan Rivers memorial service at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan on Saturday . The clinic is federally licensed and according to a spokesperson has performed 18,000 procedures since opening in Feburary 2013. There is no criminal investigation underway following the legendary comic's death on September 4 at Mount Sinai Hospital, after spending a week in a medically induced coma after going into respiratory and cardiac arrest at the clinic. Her daughter, Melissa and grandson Cooper had rushed from Los Angeles to be at her side following the botched surgery. However, last week the Hollywood Reporter stated the NYPD had looked at the case because it may not be deemed to be from 'natural causes'. Although it might end up being ruled natural by the medical examiner the cause of death is still not clear so it is routine procedure for the NYPD to investigate. The New York Department of Health has also launched a review of the clinic. Last week, a 1985 interview on Good Morning America was discovered in which Rivers revealed that she was suffering from arrhythmia - a condition the causes the heart to beat out of sync. Rivers referred to it as a 'ladies' problem' that affects one in four women. While relatively common, the heart trouble unnerved her, she confided. 'All of a sudden you'll be on stage and hear 'tha-thump,' she told Lunden, striking her chest with her hand for emphasis. 'It scares the hell out of me.' Rivers, who had become a poster girl for excessive plastic surgery over the years, explained that going under the knife while suffering from arrhythmia could pose a risk. 'When you go under, say for plastic surgery or something like that, that's when your heart can go out of kilter. So I'm always very careful,' she said in an off-hand remark that has proven eerily prophetic. An autopsy that has been performed on Rivers failed to find a cause of death pending additional tests. It has been reported that before going in for surgery, the Fashion Police co-host got a clean bill of health from her doctors and appeared to be in good physical condition. Last performance: Joan Rivers accepts a bouquet of flowers at the end of her last show in Manhattan on August 27 . Yorkville Endoscopy opened 18 months ago and specializes in digestive disorders. It is owned by 12 highly-respected gastroenterologists, who are affiliated with the nearby Mount Sinai, Lenox Hill and New York Presbyterian hospitals. To date, the clinic has not been the subject of any complaints or violations. According to the clinic's website, there are five state-of-the-art procedure rooms and ambulatory surgical services. Clinic spokeswoman Tisha Kresler told MailOnline that HIPAA laws prevented staff from disclosing any information about patients. But the clinic issued a statement after Rivers died saying: 'In the event of an adverse incident, Yorkville Endoscopy would promptly report to appropriate government and regulatory agencies and would proactively co-operate with any government review.' Any investigation will also include any liability or medical release forms the star signed before the procedure. RIvers, who first came to prominence in the 1960s was pictured in fine form on stage in New York the night before her admission to Yorkville Endoscopy and was due to perform again in New Jersey the day later. Her funeral was held on Sunday and was attended by a raft of New York and Hollywood celebrities including Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg and Hugh Jackman.
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Announcement follows claims Rivers' personal doctor performed a surprise biopsy on her vocal cords at the Manhattan clinic last month .
Yorkville Endoscopy clinic said a biopsy has never been carried out there .
Also insisted only levels of sedation used at facility are 'light to moderate'
The identity of Rivers' doctor is not known at this time .
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By . Tom Kelly . and James Chapman . Credentials: Oxford-educated Patrick Rock, 62, comes from a noble background. He is pictured here in 1984 during the Portsmouth South by-election . Born Patrick Robert John Rock de Besombes to a family of European aristocrats, he has worked for leading Tories for four decades. But despite his impeccable social and political contacts, Oxford-educated Rock has repeatedly failed in his ambition to become a Conservative MP, despite being selected to fight safe seats. Rock, 62 and unmarried, lives in a £500,000 flat in Parsons Green, West London. He was born in Kensington in 1951, a year after the marriage of his mother Gertrud and Egyptian-born father Robert John Rock de Besombes. His paternal grandmother was a D'aigneaux, from a noble French family that originated in Normandy and boasts a coat of arms. As . a teenager, Rock boarded at the elite Jesuit Stonyhurst College in . Lancashire, winning a scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford, where he . studied history. After . graduation he worked as Margaret Thatcher's political correspondence . secretary in the then Prime Minister's Office and also as managing . director of the Retail Consortium. It . is not clear when he shortened his name to plain Patrick Rock, but he . used it while fighting the Woolwich East election in 1979, aged 28, . which he lost despite increasing the Tory vote. After losing Crewe and Nantwich in the 1983 election he was selected in a by-election to defend the seemingly impregnable safe seat of Portsmouth South in 1984, which had a Tory majority of over 12,000. The Portsmouth News described him as 'Mrs Thatcher's protege' who had been hand-picked by Downing Street to contest the seat ahead of more impressive local candidates. During the campaign he was described as 'likeable and energetic but slightly wet behind the ears'. His campaign went catastrophically wrong after he spoke on TV about a hospital that was not in the constituency. Rock was unconcerned, declaring at a public meeting that he was 'absolutely certain' he would win the seat, predicting Labour would finish second and the Liberal SDP Alliance trail in third. But after a 14 per cent swing against him, he was defeated by the Alliance's Mike Hancock in what was labelled the 'biggest election upset for years' and a 'great surprise' to Mrs Thatcher. Rock boarded at the elite Jesuit Stonyhurst College in Lancashire before winning a scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford . Newspaper reports described the defeated Rock leaving the count 'pale with shock'. He blamed the defeat on too many Conservatives staying at home and Mrs Thatcher phoned him the following morning to assure him the defeat was not his fault. The following year, he was appointed to the Conservative Research Department. He later worked as special adviser to Cabinet ministers in the Department of the Environment and then the Home Office, where he met David Cameron. The pair are famously said to have repaired to the Two Chairmen pub on the day of the death in 1994 of Labour leader John Smith, where they agreed Tony Blair would take over, leaving their party 'f*****'. Rock again attempted to become an MP in 1990, applying for the safe Tory seat of Devizes, but failed to be selected. He also worked in Brussels for EU Commissioner Chris Patten, with the responsibility for the western Balkans, before becoming a policy adviser at Downing Street. Colleagues describe him as 'abrasive' and 'a commentator rather an a doer'. Another said his arrest over child abuse images was a 'terrific shock'. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Patrick Rock has impeccable social and political contacts .
The 62-year-old was once described as 'Mrs Thatcher's protege'
But he has repeatedly failed in his ambition to become an MP .
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(CNN) -- Inter Milan cruised into the final of the Club World Cup after beating Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa 3-0 in Abu Dhabi. The European champions, who have struggled to replicate last year's form, when they claimed the Champions League, Italian Serie A title and Italian Cup, will now face African champions TP Mazembe in Saturday's showpiece after this comfortable victory. Despite the setback of playmaker Wesley Sneijder limping off injured early in the match, Inter were always in control and took the lead in just the third minute when Dejan Stankovic coolly slotted the ball home from the edge of the area. And that advantage was doubled in the 32nd minute when same superb interplay between Argentine duo Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito resulted in captain Zanetti sliding the ball past Seongnam goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryong. The victory was sealed 17 minutes from time when Milito, making his return to action after five weeks on the sidelines, stabbed home a rebound after Samuel Eto'o's shot was parried by Jung. Meanwhile, the fifth-place play-off was won by Mexican side Pachuca, who rallied from going two goals behind to defeat local side Al-Wahda on penalties, after the match finished 2-2. A late double from Dario Cvitanich sent the match into extra time, where no further goals were scored. That left the lottery of the shoot-out and it was the Mexican side who prevailed, winning 4-2 on penalties.
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European champions Inter Milan cruise into the final of the Club World Cup .
Inter defeat Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa 3-0 in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday .
They will now play African champions TP Mazembe in Saturday's showpiece .
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The U.S. State Department's deputy spokeswoman told a startled briefing room full of reporters Thursday that she couldn't define what 'completing the mission' to defeat the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) might look like. '"Completing the mission" is a term – I don't even know what that means when you're talking about terrorist organizations,' said Marie Harf. She also called 'completing the mission' against the murderous terror army a 'catch-phrase' and a 'buzzword.' The jaw-dropping statement came exactly one week after President Barack Obama told the White House press corps, referring to his own government, that 'we don't have a strategy yet' for dealing with ISIS jihadis in Syria. Scroll down for video . Face, meet palm: State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf exploded at a journalist Thursday, saying that 'completing the mission' against ISIS is just a meaningless 'buzzword' 'We need to make sure we've got clear plans,' Obama gaffed on Aug. 28, 'and we're developing them.' Fox News Channel correspondent James Rosen asked Harf on Thursday whether the administration believed the battle against ISIS would extend past January 2017, when President Barack Obama will leave office after eight years. It's a question he had asked Harf's boss, Jen Psaki, in Tuesday's briefing. Psaki deflected it. But Wednesday on CNN, Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken said that the 'sustained effort' required to cripple ISIS is 'going to take time, and it will probably go beyond even this administration to get to the point of defeat.' 'Now,' Rosen said Thursday, 'the administration has placed some kind of time-frame on this. So perhaps you could explain why this president, who has about 2-and-a-half years left on his term – a little less than that – feels he cannot complete this mission.' A visibly annoyed Harf snapped back. 'Let's talk about what this mission means, because I think that's a catch-phrase,' she told Rosen. 'Obviously, we cannot kill or capture every terrorist in the world,' she said. 'That's not how – that's not how this ends. We've been clear about that. What we can do is take the fight to them. Take their leaders off the battlefield. Cut off their funding. Build partner networks on the ground. ... So we can take away their capability to attack the United States and significantly degrade that.' Harf seemed to mirror a schizophrenic policy articulated a day earlier in Estonia by Obama himself, when he first said he aimed to 'destroy' ISIS but then vowed only to make it a more 'manageable' threat. Harf clung to Obama's second statement while ignoring the first. Fox News reporter James Rosen asked Harf whether the president thought he could finish off ISIS before leaving office in January 2017 . 'That's how you fight terrorist organizations,' she said. 'Completing the mission is a term – I don't even know what that means when you're talking about terrorist organizations. 'It doesn't always fall into a nice little buzzword, as you used in your question,' she mocked Rosen. '"Complete the mission – why won't he complete the mission by the end of this term?"' She cited the decline of al-Qaeda in Yemen, the Pentagon's recent attack on al-Shabbab in Somalia, and the drone-strike killing of the terror leader Anwar al-Awlaki as examples of intermediate victories that should reassure Americans. 'The record, Rosen shot back, 'could also be seen as including Benghazi, the current chaos in Libya, [and] the rise of ISIS to become the kind of threat that it is – but that would be argumentative. I don't want to go there.'
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Marie Harf exploded at a Fox News correspondent who questioned whether President Obama could knock out ISIS by the end of his term in office .
Also said 'completing the mission' against the terror group is just a 'catch-phrase'
Comes one week after Obama said 'we don't have a strategy yet' for defeating ISIS in Syria .
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Police have vowed to spend another two years tracking down the rioters and looters who ransacked England's streets. Those who thought they had escaped the law by now should not rest easy as police have pledged to trawl through 40,0000 hours of CCTV footage in a bid to bring every single person involved to justice. Officers have promised to pursue each offender they can identify, The Times reported. Police are determined to track down every single suspect, and have resorted to using big screens, like this one outside the Bull Ring in Birmingham, as part of their investigation . But it is anticipated that some of the more difficult cases will take years to complete. Scotland Yard say that so far 2,006 people have been arrested in connection with the rioting and looting. Of those 1,135 have been charged, with 954 of those cases appearing before a court, 82 have been sentenced and 42 have been jailed. But the investigation is far from over, as police are determined to use every scrap of evidence they can find from CCTV, which has been heavily criticised as being unnecessarily intrusive and imposing a 'Big Brother' watch on society. Police are seizing the opportunity to showcase just how effective the surveillance cameras can be in helping to combat crime. Already they have set up dedicated websites filled with CCTV images of suspects' images, using social media websites including Twitter to encourage people to view the pictures and 'shop a looter'. Police are not daunted by the hours of CCTV they will have to trawl through, or suspects' attempts to disguise themselves, as they vow to hunt down every rioter and looter . They have broadcast CCTV images and video on huge billboards and used vans with screens attached to publish footage. Police say their campaign to catch those involved has been overwhelmed by members of the public who have eagerly come forward to inform them of suspects. The Times reported dedicated officers are ploughing through 10,000 hours of CCTV material while cameras in the Bull Ring shopping centre in Birmingham have 743 hours of material. Detective Chief Inspector Steven Reed, of West Midlands Police, told the newspaper they would not rest until they had searched every avenue to identify offenders. And Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Concannon, from the Met's riot investigation, Operation Withern, told the newspaper harnessing the power of CCTV was crucial. 'There is a wider debate about CCTV but in this investigation it is absolutely core, it's critical. 'We're looking at footage where people have made little or no effort to disguise their faces. 'Sometimes they pulled up a scarf or a hood just before they go into a looted shop, then 50 metres down the road they take it off again, or they'll get into a car with the registration number clearly visible.' Crackdown: Armed Pelle, left, and Anderson Fernandes, right, have already been tracked down and jailed. Pelle was punished for inciting violence on Facebook, while Anderson was imprisoned for taking a lick of stolen ice cream . Already the police have shown just how determined they are to track all of the rioters and looters down. A teenager who used Facebook to encourage the 'killing of a million police officers' during the riots has been jailed for 33 months. Amed Pelle incited his 2,000 friends on the site to commit violence and looting in Nottingham. He asked if any of them 'wanted anything' from a fashion store that was later targeted. The jobless 18-year-old posted three messages on his Facebook 'wall' on August 9, hours before serious disorder broke out in his home city. The first two read 'Nottz Riot whose onit?' and 'Kill one black youth, we kill a million Fedz (police), riot til we own cities'. It is believed the second message was a reference to Mark Duggan, whose death in Tottenham sparked the original trouble. In his third message, Pelle wrote: 'Rioting 2nyt anyone want anything from (fashion chain) Flannels?' The store, in Nottingham city centre, had its windows smashed hours later. Pelle had pleaded guilty to a breach of section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007, doing an act which was capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, namely violent disorder. Judge John Milmo told Pelle that his comments 'encouraged attacks on the people of Nottingham as a whole, and the people of other cities.' Upmarket shop: Fernandes walked into this Patisserie Valerie in Manchester and helped himself to a cone and two scoops of ice cream . Sentencing the teenager to two years and nine months in a young offenders' institution, he added: 'Your offence was designed to, and could well have led to, increased numbers on the street intent on violence to persons and property. 'An element of deterrence is called for in cases like this. A clear signal needs to be sent out that criminal conduct of the kind demonstrated in these cases is out of order and will not be brushed under the carpet.' His sentence came as a looter who took just one lick of an ice cream he stole during rioting before he gave it away was jailed for 16 months. Anderson Fernandes, 21, wandered into an upmarket store in central Manchester after the door was left open and helped himself to a cone and two scoops. But despite giving it to a passer-by because he didn't like the coffee flavour he was still given a lengthy prison term. The sentence will fuel fears that courts are meting out disproportionate justice to those caught up in the disorder. Yesterday Manchester Crown Court was told that ice cream thief Fernandes, 21, was arrested after raiding Patisserie Valerie because he left DNA behind at the scene. He admitted burglary and an unconnected charge of handling a stolen vacuum cleaner after his arrest. The court heard that Fernandes had already appeared in court charged with possessing drugs and an offensive weapon on the same day he got mixed up in the disorder. Michael McQuillan, defending, said: 'He is remorseful and fully accepts how serious the matter was and why courts take such a serious view of this type of behaviour.'
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Metropolitan police have 40,000 hours worth of CCTV to trawl through .
Exhaustive search to track down suspects could take years as police vow to 'search every avenue'
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(CNN) -- Ohio prosecutors are asking that a teenager be tried as an adult in the killings of three men and the wounding of a fourth, each of whom answered a Craigslist ad for work on a cattle farm, officials said Tuesday. Brogan Rafferty, 16, and Richard Beasley, 52, face multiple charges in the case. An Ohio grand jury Friday indicted Beasley, alleging that he pulled the trigger. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, said April Wiesner, director of communications for the Summit County prosecutor's office. Rafferty, of Stow, Ohio, had a preliminary hearing Monday at which prosecutors filed a motion asking he be tried as an adult, Wiesner said. A probable cause hearing on whether to bind him over to adult court has not been set, she said. The high school sophomore is charged with three counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted murder, and robbery and kidnapping, according to Wiesner. Rafferty has entered a not guilty plea. His father, Michael, told CNN Cleveland affiliate WJW in late November that his son had been "manipulated" and "corrupted," insisting that the teenager is a "mild-mannered gentleman." The father also said that his son unwittingly dug the graves at Beasley's direction, WJW reported. The boy's mother said her son denied killing anyone and added that Beasley portrayed himself as "a chaplain" who gave food to the homeless. Beasley faces multiple counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery as well as a host of other charges, according to the 28-page indictment released Friday. Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron, Ohio; David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia; and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, Ohio; were found dead in separate shallow graves after they responded to an online ad soliciting workers between August and November of last year, authorities have said. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine acknowledged last week there may be more victims, and thus more charges. "We are dealing with serial killings here," DeWine told reporters, pleading for the public to provide more information. "Are there more bodies? Frankly, we don't know. If there are, we need to find them." The indictment calls Beasley the "principal offender" in the killings, Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said. He could be eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted, because the killings appear to meet one or more requirements for that sentence, including purposely causing the death of two or more people and murdering people while a fugitive, committing a kidnapping and/or committing armed robbery. "This case deserves the death penalty for a multitude of reasons," Walsh said. "This case, we view to be one of the worst of the worst when it comes to horrible murder cases." The investigation into the killings began the night of November 6, when a Noble County deputy sheriff responded to a call and came upon a "white, middle-aged man being treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm," according to Sheriff Stephen S. Hannum of Noble County. The wounded man -- who was identified in the indictment as Scott Davis, 48, from South Carolina -- told the law enforcement officer that he had answered an ad on the Craigslist website offering work caring for cattle on a 688-acre property in eastern Ohio. He met with two males, including Beasley, and drove with them toward Stock Township, Ohio. After being told a road was closed due to a landslide, Davis got out of the car to start walking toward the property, which he was told was nearby. Davis told the sheriff that, while walking through a heavily wooded area, he turned around "to see a gun pointed at his head. He deflected the gun and ran" -- getting shot in the arm while fleeing, the sheriff explained late last year. The victim hid for seven hours in the forest before going to a house and requesting help, Hannum said . The third victim, Kern, was killed one week after Davis' escape, according to authorities. The attorney general said that the victims were all "down on their luck" men trying to take advantage of an opportunity to "have a better life." One of the shooting victims was found in Summit County and the others in Noble County. The attorney general's office and local jurisdictions decided to consolidate the cases in Summit County. CNN's John Fricke and Rich Porter contributed to this report.
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A date has not yet been set for a hearing on charging the 16-year-old as an adult .
Ohio attorney general calls the acts "serial killings" and says there may be more victims .
The alleged trigger man's arraignment is set for Wednesday .
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By . Kerry Mcqueeney . PUBLISHED: . 07:44 EST, 9 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:36 EST, 9 August 2012 . A stunning pre-war Rolls-Royce that . belonged to Lord Louis Mountbatten is to be sold at auction - at a . starting price of £50,000. Lord . Mountbatten, a second cousin of the Queen, was one of Britain’s great . naval officers and the 1929 Rolls-Royce is painted in battleship grey to honour his Navy career. The . Phantom II Sedanca de Ville harks back to the golden age of motoring and . still bears Lord Mountbatten's initial on its British registration . plate LM3698. Motoring from a bygone age: The beautiful pre-war Rolls Royce Phantom owned by Lord Mounbatten is to be sold at auction . The 7.7 litre, six cylinder Roller with its body work built by the great coachbuilders Barker, stands out as a triumph of the British motor industry . The stylish luxury vehicle was delivered new to the long-serving Royal in February 1930 and he would have been driven around in it by his chauffeur, who was exposed to the elements as the front . part of the car had no roof. The . 7.7 litre, six cylinder Roller with its body work built by the great . coachbuilders Barker, stands out as a triumph of the British motor . industry. In more recent years it has been kept in the Aalholm Collection as part of the renowned Aalholm Automobil Museum in Denmark. The classic car is one of nearly 100 automobiles being sold at auction following the closure of the museum in 2007. And with its links to the Royal family, it is sure to be keenly fought over by collectors at the sale. In its catalogue description, . auctioneers RM Auctions state: 'Chassis 133WJ is paired with a Sedanca . de Ville body and a special dashboard with raised grille and bonnet to . match. 'It was delivered new . on February 24, 1930 to the Rt. Honourable Lord Louis Mountbatten, a . British statesman, Naval officer, and an uncle to Prince Philip, Duke of . Edinburgh. Lord Louis Mountbatten, a second cousin to the Queen, who was murdered by the IRA in 1979 . Royal blood: Lord Mounbatten pictured with Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during her silver jubilee celebrations in 1977 . 'As presented, it exhibits only minor flaws: some bubbling around the bonnet hinge and slight settling of the driver’s door. 'The upholstery is all in good condition and the undercarriage is sound, but the engine compartment could use detailing. 'It is also fitted with twin . pillar-mounted spot lamps. Understated in grey and black, it bears . British registration LM3698, clearly a cherished number since its issue . pre-dates the car’s manufacture. 'Body-colour wheel discs complement the formal appearance, although lacking on the side-mount spares. 'Not shy of appearance as is, it would benefit from either minor detailing or a complete restoration.' Original features: The interior of the pre-war Rolls Royce Phantom II Sedanca De Ville . The stately battleship grey limousine from the golden age of motoring was delivered new on 24 February 1930 to Lord Louis Mountbatten who was at the time a Naval officer . Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India as well as the first Governor-General of the independent India. In the First World War he fought as a midshipman and during the Second World War rose to Supreme Allied Commander of the Southeast Asia Theatre. From 1954 until 1959 he was the First Sea Lord and afterwards became chief of the defence staff until 1965, making him the longest-serving professional head of the British Armed Forces. He was murdered by the IRA in 1979 after a bomb was planted on his yacht off the north west coast of Ireland. Nicholas Knatchbuill, his 14-year-old grandson, was also killed along with a 15-year-old local crew member and the 83-year-old Dowager Lady Brabourne. The auction takes place in Denmark this Sunday.
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The Phantom II Sedanca de Ville harks back to the golden age of motoring .
It still bears Lord Mountbatten's initials on its British registration plate .
Classic car is one of nearly 100 being sold at auction in Denmark .
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By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 21:17 EST, 21 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:17 EST, 21 December 2012 . Chuck Hagel, the former U.S. senator believed to be President Barack Obama's leading choice for defense secretary, apologized Friday for remarks he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship. In a brief written statement, the Republican said his comments about James C. Hormel were ‘insensitive’ and did not reflect his views ‘or the totality of my public record.’ In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald in 1998, Hagel said he believed that for a U.S. ambassador, ‘it is an inhibiting factor to be gay.’ Bold words: In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald in 1998, Hagel said he believed that for a U.S. ambassador, 'it is an inhibiting factor to be gay' Critical: Hagel referred to U.S. ambassador James Hormel as 'openly, aggressively gay' He referred to Hormel as ‘openly, aggressively gay.’ ‘I apologize to Ambassador Hormel and any LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Americans who may question my commitment to their civil rights,’ Hagel said in Friday's statement. ‘I am fully supportive of `open service' and committed to LGBT military families.’ Hagel, 66, is considered the leading candidate to replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon, although a number of senators have expressed reservations about a nomination. Apology: Hagel on Friday said his comments about James C. Hormel were 'insensitive' and did not reflect his views 'or the totality of my public record' Sworn in: U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright swore in Hormel as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg on June 29, 1999. Hormel is the first openly gay U.S. ambassador . Their concerns largely center on Hagel's past comments about Israel and Iran. Outside groups have suggested that based on Hagel's remarks, he isn't sufficiently supportive of Israel. At least two other candidates remain under serious consideration - former Pentagon policy chief Michele Flournoy and Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Hagel, a Vietnam veteran, served two terms in the Senate, retiring in 2009.
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In a 1998 interview with the Omaha .
World-Herald, Hagel referred to U.S. ambassador James Hormel as ‘openly, aggressively gay’
The former GOP senator said on Friday his comments about Hormel were ‘insensitive’ and did not reflect 'the totality of my public record’
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Hacker group 'Lizard Squad' has claimed responsibility for attacking Sony's online PlayStation store, after the network went down on Sunday night. After taking credit for temporarily disrupting Xbox Live on Friday night, Monday morning the group posted a link to comments regarding the PlayStation Network's online status. It then tweeted: 'PSN Login #offline #LizardSquad.' The PlayStation Knowledge Center continued to show the network's status as online, but users reported issues logging into the system. Hacker group Lizard Squad claimed responsibility for attacking Sony's online PlayStation store . Visitors to the PlayStation store site were met with a message that reads: 'Page Not Found! It's not you. It's the internet's fault.' The disruption is the most recent in a series of attacks on Sony Entertainment, with a cyber attack last month resulting in unreleased movies being leaked online, along with personal information on some 47,000 individuals, including celebrities. A group calling themselves Guardians of Peace froze Sony Pictures' computer systems worldwide, posting a message that warned it would release 'top secrets' unless its 'request be met'. According to website Re/code, Sony and security consultants were investigating the possibility that someone acting on behalf of North Korea, possibly from China, was responsible for the hacking attack. Visitors to the site were met with a message that reads: 'Page Not Found! It's not you. It's the internet's fault' After taking credit for temporarily disrupting Xbox Live on Friday night, the hacker group claimed responsibility for the most recent attack on Sony Entertainmant . North Korea denied involvement, but praised the attack as a 'righteous deed'. The hack came just under a month before Sony Pictures was due to release The Interview - a comedy about two journalists, played by Seth Rogen and James Franco, who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It is unclear exactly who or what Lizard Squad are or what they are demanding. The group communicates through Twitter - usually posting messages warning of upcoming attacks or flagging up current ones. Various reports suggest that the group is based in Russia - although this has not been proved. A link on the Lizard Squad Twitter page, leading to a chat room login - was originally Russian-based domain. The group has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks on targets including EA games, Destiny, Twitch and World of Warcraft. The Pyongyang government denounced the film as 'undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war' in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June. In a further cyber threat on Friday, Sony Pictures staff received an email claiming to be from the same hackers, reportedly with warnings that they and their families were 'in danger.' The email also warned that 'all hope will leave you and Sony Pictures will collapse', according to the industry journal Variety. Sony Pictures described the hack attack a 'brazen' effort, but said it did not yet know the full extent of the 'malicious' security breach. On the same day, Xbox Live was hit with a DDOS - or a distributed denial of service attack - which overloaded the system with requests until it shut down, preventing users from getting online. Lizard Squad, which is known for using DDOS in its attacks, claims to be behind the outage. The group has taken responsibility for taking offline other high-profile targets in the past including EA games, Destiny, Twitch and online game World of Warcraft. On Twitter, Lizard Squad warned that the attack on Xbox was 'a small dose' of what is to come this this Christmas. The PlayStation Knowledge Center continued to show the network's status as online, but users reported issues logging into the Playstation Network system . Last month's attack on Sony came just before the tech giant was due to release The Interview - a comedy about two journalists, played by Seth Rogen and James Franco, who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un .
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Visitors to the site reported issues logging into the PlayStation Network .
Lizard Squad also claimed responsibility for attack on Xbox Live on Friday .
Sony has been subject to a series of cyber attacks - last month unreleased movies were leaked online, along with actors' confidential information .
North Korea denied involvement, but praised attack as a 'righteous deed'
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Singapore (CNN) -- The victim of a brutal gang rape that sparked massive protests in India's capital, arrived in Singapore for further medical treatment on Thursday. The patient arrived at 9:05 a.m. local time, a spokesperson for the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore told CNN. "She is in extremely critical condition and being examined by doctors," the spokesperson said. The 23-year-old woman was severely injured and has spent days in intensive care, after what police said was a gang rape and beating on a moving bus in New Delhi on December 16. Widespread anger over the incident prompted massive anti-rape protests in the Indian capital over the weekend. Read more: New Delhi police fire water cannon at India rape protest . Police prohibited demonstrations in key government districts, but these lockouts were lifted Wednesday as traffic appeared back to normal at Raisina Hills -- home to the seat of Indian power -- and police removed security barriers from most roads. New Delhi's metro rail reopened its services around central parts of the city. Services were shut down after protests swelled Saturday and Sunday. On Wednesday, demonstrations also thinned at alternative sites where students had gathered to protest the gang rape. New Delhi rape exposes the perils of being a woman in India . The Cabinet plans to set up a commission to look into the rape and suggest measures to improve women's safety. The commission has three months to submit its report to the government. Harmeet Shah Singh reported from New Delhi. Elizabeth Neisloss reported from Singapore.
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Victim arrived in Singapore for treatment, hospital says .
The woman is in 'extremely critical condition' says hospital spokesperson .
Her case prompted protests in New Delhi .
Cabinet to set up a commission to look into the rape .
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(CNN) -- Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed the pitch in Colombo after the second Test against hosts Sri Lanka petered out into a high-scoring draw Friday. India were hoping to hit back after losing the first match of the series, Mutiah Muralitharan's triumphant Test farewell, but were frustrated by batting-friendly conditions. Dhoni's team scored a massive 707 in reply to Sri Lanka's 642 for four wickets. Sri Lanka were 129 for three wickets in their second innings when play was called off an hour early with no chance of a positive result. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara was unbeaten on 42 and Thilan Samaraweera was on 10 as they steadied the ship after the early loss of wickets. "This one was very unsporting, there was nothing in it for the bowlers," Dhoni told AFP after a total 1,478 runs were scored and only 17 wickets claimed over the five days. "If there is nothing for fast bowlers in a wicket it should help spinners. This was just for batsmen," Dhoni added. "The bowlers got spanked all around the park." India's massive knock was highlighted by a double century from Test-leading run scorer Sachin Tendulkar, while debutant Suresh Raina made 120 and Dhoni 76. The 37-year-old Tendulkar shows no signs of easing up in his pursuit of yet more records. "As long as you are mentally strong and prepared to go through the grind, age really does not really matter," he said. Sri Lanka will go into the final Test from next Tuesday with a 1-0 series lead after their thumping 10-wicket win in Galle where Muralitharan topped off his incredible career by reaching 800 Test wickets. In other Test cricket action Friday, James Anderson celebrated his 28th birthday with a superb five-wicket haul as Pakistan slumped to 147 for nine on the second day of the first Test against England at Trent Bridge. Anderson swung the ball in trademark fashion to finish with five wickets for 49 runs in 20 overs as Pakistan were left 207 adrift of England's first innings 354 when bad light forced an early close. Young paceman Steven Finn supported Anderson with three for 20 in 11 overs as Pakistan collapsed to 47 for six before Umar Gul's 30 not out at better than a run a ball took them to within eight runs of avoiding the follow-on. Earlier, England had lost their last six wickets for just 17 runs as Mohammad Asif took five wickets for Pakistan.
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Second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo ends in high-scoring draw .
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slams the featherbed pitch .
Sri Lanka lead the series 1-0 going into third and final Test next week .
NEW: James Anderson takes five wickets as Pakistan collapse against England .
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The grieving family of a pizza delivery man murdered on the job in Alabama at the weekend say he was a hard-working and honorable who came to the US chasing the American Dream. Father-of-four Najeh Masaeid, 63, a Jordanian immigrant, was delivering a Dominos order to the District at the Summit apartment building in Birmingham on Sunday night, but when he got there the apartment was vacant. His body was found in a hallway, having died of blunt force trauma to the head, in what police believe was a premeditated robbery. However the owner of the Domino's shop where Masaeid had worked for over 15 years said Masaeid likely only had about $20 on him. Killed: Najeh Masaeid, 63, was found dead in Brimingham, Alabama, on Sunday while delivering a Dominos pizza, in what police believe was a set-up robbery . Family man: Tributes have been pouring in for Masaeid, a father-of-four who has been described as honorable, hard-working, energetic and funny. A GoFundMe page set up for his family has received over $65,000 . 'He came here for the American Dream and it was shattered by American greed,' Masaeid's daughter, Jordan Hosey, told AL.com. 'Where's the justice in that?' 'Nothing is free. You work. You pay for what you want. You don't get free.' 'He really valued an honorable dollar.' Police evacuated the surrounding apartments before going into the one that was on Masaeid's order, only to find it empty. No one in the building reported anything out of the ordinary. Mrs Hosey said her father and mother moved to the US almost 20 years ago. He took a job at Dominos and worked 80 hours a week to afford a modest apartment for his family in Shelby County. Favorite employee: Masaeid had worked at the same Dominos for 15 years and was loved by his colleagues . Jokester: Masaeid has been described as full of life and someone who could always make a person laugh . Mrs Hosey further explained the story of her father on a GoFundMe page set up to help her mother. The family hoped for $25,000, but have already received over $65,000. Most of the donations are believed to have come from locals who often had pizzas delivered by Masaeid. 'My dad didn't make much, and I often times paid their bills,' she wrote on the page. 'He never ONCE went to the government for money, although his legal status entitled for him for it. HE never believed in this. His words to me were always "Nothing is free, you work, you pay for what you want, you don't get free". 'My Father was simply trying to earn an honorable dollar. Scene: The 63-year-old's body was found in a hallway at The District at The Summit apartment building . Set-up: It appears the person who placed the pizza order did not live at the building and lured Masaeid there . 'He didn't feel entitled for it, he worked for it, and it makes me sick to my core how someone felt they were entitled to his money (and drivers never carry much, he always deposits it everytime he runs back to the store) or his life over what? $20? 'My dads life was ended for $20? 'I can't bear it. I just can't believe it.' Masaeid will be buried on Christmas Day. Police are hoping people will information will come forward. The death is being investigated as a homicide, according to WIAT.com. David Daewoud, the owner of the Domino’s where Masaeid worked, said the address of the order Masaeid was delivering was changed at the last minute, which was not unusual, as people often might go to a friend's house and ask the order be delivered there. However it now appears that the person who placed the order did not live in the building. 'They’re luxury apartments that you would never think something like that would happen,' Daewould told WIAT.com . 'Unfortunately, the caller was a fake order. 'He was waiting on our driver Najeh by the stairs. And we don’t know all the details yet. 'We’re waiting on the police report. And the investigator is trying to find out how he was hit.'
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Najeh Masaeid, 63, killed by a blow to the head Sunday night in Birmingham, Alabama, while delivering a pizza .
Police believe the order was fake and it was a premeditated robbery .
Masaeid had worked 80 hours a week at Domino's for over 15 years .
His family say he believed in hard, honorable work and honesty .
He is believed to have had less than $20 on him when he died .
A GoFundMe page has already raised over $65,000 .
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(CNN) -- It seemed like a good idea at the time: Skip the "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" -- the only major wide release this weekend and more or less review-proof -- and check out the new releases down at the local DVD store instead. Jeremy Strong and Fairuza Balk star in "Humboldt County," though she doesn't hang around long. I was up for this assignment. We all know how close "Slumdog Millionaire" came to bypassing theatres. The film was initially bankrolled by Warner Independent, and when that boutique shingle was rolled into parent Warner Bros., some executive decided that the year's best picture should not pass Go -- skip the $200 -- and head straight to the rental chains. (Warner Bros., like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.) If it could happen to "Slumdog," what other gems might be out there? I scan the shelves. "High School Musical 3." "W." "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People." I'm a movie critic -- been there, done that. A harder look produces a handful of possibilities. I zero in on three unfamiliar titles. "Humboldt County" boasts the participation of former child star Fairuza Balk while the quote from Time Out New York promises "a pleasant buzz." "Ghost Writer" doesn't come with any critical endorsement, just a groaner for a tagline ("Deadline has a new meaning"), cover art that says horror-suspense, and an oddball cast: Alan Cumming, David Boreanaz, Anne Heche, Henry Thomas, Jane Lynch, Karen Black and Carrie Fisher. Intriguing. Finally, there's "Lullaby" ("He took her son ... now she'll take him") starring Oscar best actress nominee Melissa Leo. With its unfashionable sepia artwork and mom-on-the-warpath scenario, this looks like a 1970s grindhouse flick. Not best picture material, I'm thinking, but then again, when did you last see a bad Melissa Leo performance? Never, I'll bet. It's a crapshoot, so to improve the odds I take all three. First up is "Humboldt County." It turns out this did get a theatrical release. It opened on nine screens in September and went down from there, so unless you actually live in Humboldt County, which is in far northern California, you probably missed it. And if the movie is to be believed, even if you do live there you probably still missed it, because you were otherwise engaged in farming illegal substances, gazing at the shoreline, and/or hanging out with your quirky neighbors. It's an alternative lifestyle that sneaks up on the very straight, anxious young med student Peter (Jeremy Strong). He's inducted by "Bogart" (Balk), but scarcely seems to notice when she disappears in the second reel, leaving him in the care of Rosie and Jack (Frances Conroy and Brad Dourif), not to mention her last boyfriend, Max (Chris Messina). In keeping with the hazy vibe of the thing, nothing much happens -- slowly. Peter misses the bus out of town, more than once. Eventually you realize days, even weeks have gone by and Bogart still hasn't returned. You wonder if Peter and Max might hook up in her absence? But that would harsh the mood. Instead things just drift by. What does the world need with another doctor anyhow -- and where's Zach Braff when you need him? So I'm underwhelmed by "Humboldt County," but it's a masterpiece beside "Ghost Writer." Shown in festivals as "Suffering Man's Charity" -- possibly the worst title I've ever heard -- "Ghost Writer" is the story of an effete gay music teacher, John (Alan Cumming), harboring an unrequited crush on Sebastian (Boreanaz), a rampantly heterosexual drifter and aspiring novelist he has invited into his home. John gets madder and madder with Sebastian until the day he knocks him out, dresses him in a bra and panties, ties him up with fairy lights and starts swinging. It sounds horrific but it's pitched as an arch black comedy, and so incongruously staged by Alan Cumming (who also directs) that it's neither funny nor scary, except in how scarily unfunny it is. Mind you, the scene in which horny 69-year-old Karen Black makes out with Boreanaz taps a camp hysteria that puts the rest of this flaccid flick to shame. Two down. Now my hopes are riding on "Lullaby." I check out the Internet Movie Database and wish I hadn't: "Lullaby" has a user rating of 2.8 out of 10. Leo is Stephanie, a waitress who is getting hit up for money by a foreign gangster who says he has her (grown) son, a junkie. So Stephanie does what any self-respecting mom would do. She sells her car, borrows from her friends, and buys a plane ticket to South Africa to deliver the thug his ransom in person. Only the price has gone up. He gives her two hours to stump up another $2,000. Directed by Darrell Roodt and produced in South Africa, "Lullaby" makes no sense in any way except one: Leo's performance does. The "Homicide" and "Frozen River" actress soldiers through this thing with dogged commitment, as if she doesn't know where her next meal is coming from. If that means taking a gig shooting in the sleaziest crime neighborhood in Jo'burg, well, it's still better to play a waitress than be one. I know exactly how she feels. After all, I could be watching the Jonas Brothers right now. "Humboldt County" is rated R and runs 97 minutes. "Ghost Writer" is unrated and runs 93 minutes. "Lullaby" is unrated and runs 97 minutes. For a review of the Jonas Brothers' film, go to EW.com.
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Some films go straight to DVD for a reason .
"Humboldt County" drifts by, with little reason to watch .
"Ghost Writer" is neither scary nor funny, despite being pitched as black comedy .
Melissa Leo does yeoman's work in pointless "Lullaby"
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Firefighters in upstate New York were unsuccessful in their efforts to rescue a dog that got stranded on the ice of the Mohawk River near Schenectady. Fire officials in the town of Glenville said the 7-year-old Husky was about 200 yards from shore when rescue crews arrived on the scene around 3.30pm Wednesday. The owner, who has not been named, said his pet pooch broke free while being walked and ran onto the ice floes 'of his own accord.' Failed attempt: Firefighters in upstate New York were unsuccessful in their efforts to rescue a 7-year-old Husky that got stranded on the ice of the Mohawk River near Schenectady . Firefighters used an ice rescue team and an air boat to try and save the dog standing on an ice floe 200 yards from shore . An ice rescue team tried to reach the dog but the ice broke up and the current proved too risky, reported the Daily Gazette. A fire department airboat crew was launched, but rescue crews lost sight of the dog as it got dark. Officials say the ice jam the dog had been on broke up and was swept downriver. Emergency crews responded to the Mohawk River near Maalwyck Park in Glenville after getting a call about a stranded dog Wednesday afternoon. The Husky was barely visible amid ice floes as darkness fell on the river and temperatures plummeted to low teens. The owner of the runaway dog was on hand calling for his four-legged friend by name to try and make him come ashore, but to no avail. After about two hours, rescuers lost sight of the dog when the ice floe he was on broke up and was swept downstream . The owner of the runaway dog was on hand calling for his four-legged friend by name to try and make him come ashore . Beukendaal Fire Chief Paul Chevalier told Time Warner Cable News since this is the first freeze of the river, the ice was thin; as soon as it started to crack, they had to take the rescue team out and launched an airboat at around 5pm. By that point, however, they lost sight of the dog because the ice jam he was on had broken up and was swept by the current. The rescue operation was officially called off at 5.30pm, about two hours after the dog ran away. Chevalier said they put in as much effort into trying to locate the dog and bring it to safety as if they were dealing with a person.
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7-year-old Husky got stranded on Mohawk River near Schenectady after breaking free from his owner on a walk .
Firefighters used ice rescue team and an air boat to try and save the dog standing on ice floe 200 yards from shore .
Operation was scrapped after the ice jam the dog had been on broke up and was swept downriver .
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By . James Tozer and Vanessa Allen . PUBLISHED: . 17:16 EST, 30 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:43 EST, 31 July 2013 . Lounging on a boat in Marbella, this is the former public schoolboy who sent vile sexist abuse to a leading academic on Twitter. Oliver Rawlings, 20, branded Cambridge classicist Mary Beard a ‘filthy old slut’, and added a revolting sexual comment. Yesterday Professor Beard, who silenced Rawlings by naming and shaming him as a Twitter troll, offered to take the student ‘out for a drink and smack his bottom’. Oliver Rawlings quickly apologised for his puerile and aggressive comments after a Twitter user offered to send Mary Beard his parents' address . Mary Beard silenced Rawlings by naming and shaming him as a Twitter troll . But his wealthy parents are likely to be less forgiving, Rawlings’s aunt said last night. ‘This is totally out of character,’ 62-year-old Joy Rawlings told the Daily Mail. ‘He is normally a very . polite and well-mannered young man. 'His parents won’t be impressed in . the slightest.’ Rawlings attended the £9,759-a-year . Cheadle Hulme School in Greater Manchester, and according to his . Facebook page is a student at Nottingham University. He was keeping a low profile yesterday having deleted his Twitter account, and is understood to be out of the country. At the £1.2million gated home in Hale, . Greater Manchester, where he lives with his mother Joanne and . Bentley-driving accountant father Martin, 53, the only sign of life . yesterday was a housekeeper who refused to come to the door. But one neighbour said: ‘Oliver will . get a right telling off. His dad, especially, will hit the roof.’ Rawlings used his own Twitter account . to send abuse to Professor Beard while she was speaking to Jeremy Vine . on BBC Radio 2 on Monday, about how she had been victimised by trolls. After she forwarded his attack to her 42,000 followers – one of whom . offered to send her his mother’s postal address – Rawlings wrote: ‘I . sincerely apologise for my trolling. Family home: The £1.2m property in Hale, Greater Manchester, where Rawlings lives with his mother and accountant father Martin . 'I was wrong and very rude. 'Thanks 4 . showing me the error of my ways.’ Professor Beard, who said she had . accepted Rawlings’s apology, was asked on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday . whether she would consider meeting him. She replied: ‘Yes, I’d take him . out for a drink and smack his bottom. I just hope he never does it . again.’ Also in hiding yesterday was . 21-year-old Jack Riley, who was held by police after allegedly using . Twitter to threaten a journalist with rape over her campaign to keep . women on bank notes. In hiding: Car mechanic Jack Riley who was held by police after allegedly using Twitter to threaten a journalist with rape over her campaign to keep women on bank notes . The fall-out facing both men illustrates how . ‘trolling’ – sending crude or hurtful abuse to total strangers over the . internet – can snare otherwise respectable young people. Riley, a car mechanic from Prestwich, . Manchester, was arrested on Sunday and taken to London for questioning . over an offensive message he allegedly sent to Caroline Criado-Perez . after she backed plans to put Jane Austen on the new £10 note. His family said he was in hiding after . being released on bail, and his elder brother branded his arrest an . over-reaction on Twitter. Sam Riley, 26, a part-time club DJ, posted: . ‘It was wrong what he did, but it was not a threat to rape or kill as . reported.’ Riley’s boss, car dealership managing . director Alan Grimshaw, told the Mail he had been given a couple of days . off work ‘to get his head together’. Del Harvey, Twitter’s so-called director for trust and safety, said the website had failed the women. She said: ‘Any time that someone . feels we weren’t responsive, or weren’t reactive or we didn’t care then, . yes, we failed in that instance and we need to do better.’ Hundreds of internet trolls were prosecuted last year, it was revealed yesterday. The Crown Prosecution Service said it had brought more than 1,700 cases to court involving abuse sent online or by mobile phone text message in 2012, up 10 per cent on the year before. A further 600 charges have already been brought against internet and text bullies in the first five months of this year. The figures, released under the Freedom of Information act, reveal the extent of trolling – although experts warned that prosecutions against abusers represented a tiny fraction of the problem. They emerged as police arrested a second man over Twitter rape and death threats. The 25-year-old man was held by Northumbria Police on suspicion of harassment in relation to abusive Twitter messages sent to MP Stella Creasy and journalist Caroline Criado-Perez. Both women were inundated with vile threats after their campaign to have more women represented on banknotes. The threats continued yesterday as the trolls taunted police and stepped up their abuse.
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Oliver Rawlings branded Mary Beard a 'filthy old slut' on Twitter .
Professor Beard offered to take him 'out for a drink and smack his bottom'
His aunt last night said it was 'totally out of character'
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Barbara Kirby, of Leesburg, (pictured) is accused of having sex with two minors . A 36-year-old Florida woman charged with having sex with a minor allegedly told the boy 'age is just a number'. Barbara Kirby, of Leesburg, also threatened to kill the minor, who is aged between 12 and 15, if he told anyone of their encounter, according to an affidavit. The boy told police Kirby had given him an intoxicating drink in her home before they had sex. He said that after having the drink on December 11, he felt dizzy and passed out. When he woke up, Kirby undressed and had sex with him, the New York Daily News reports. She allegedly then warned the victim, 'if you tell anyone about what we did, I will kill you.' He went to police two days later. An officer said that the boy admitted in interview he had been scared by Kirby's threats which is why he had not immediately gone to police or told anyone of the incident. An affidavit said a second boy told a similar story in December about having sex with Kirby after being given the intoxicating drink. Kirby was arrested Tuesday after officers noticed her car during an unrelated call. She was charged with lewd battery on a victim older than 12 but younger than 16 and tampering with a victim and is being held at Lake County Jail on $25,000 bail. Kirby admitted to having sex with one of the boys but wouldn't answer any police questions about it. Kirby was charged with lewd battery on a victim older than 12 but younger than 16 and tampering with a victim and is being held at Lake County Jail (pictured) on $25,000 bail .
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Barbara Kirby allegedly gave an 'intoxicating drink' to two underage boys .
The 36-year-old from Leesburg is then accused of having sex with the minors .
Kirby allegedly told a boy 'age is just a number' before taking advantage of him .
She then threatened to kill the boy - aged between 12 to 15 - if he told anyone .
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Tamir Rice, 12, was fatally shot by police in Cleveland after brandishing what turned out to be a BB gun . A Cleveland officer was less than 10 feet away when he fatally shot a 12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun near a playground, police said Monday. A surveillance video of Tamir Rice's last moments before he was shot on Saturday has been shown to representatives of his family, after they declined to watch their son's shooting. Tamir Rice, was confronted Saturday by officers responding to a 911 call about a male who appeared to be pulling a gun in and out of his pants. The 911 caller said the gun was 'probably fake,' then added, 'I don't know if it's real or not.' Deputy Chief Edward Tomba said Monday that he didn't know whether a dispatcher shared that information with responding officers. The president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association has said the officers weren't told the caller thought the gun might be fake. Tamir, who died Sunday, had an 'airsoft' gun that appeared indistinguishable from a real firearm. Airsoft guns fire spherical plastic pellets and have orange tips to show they aren't real firearms, but police said the one the boy had didn't have the bright safety indicator. They say the boy was told to raise his hands and was shot when he pulled the pellet gun from his waistband, though he hadn't pointed it at police or made verbal threats. 'Our officers at times are required to make critical decisions in a split second,' Chief Calvin Williams said. 'Unfortunately this is one of those times.' Scroll down for video . Shooting: On Sunday, Tamir's father, Gregory Henderson,said the youngster had his whole life ahead of him when he was gunned down outside Cudell Recreation Center. Above, the BB gun that Tamir was carrying . Scene: Wiping away tears, he said: 'He had his whole life ahead. To be 12 years old, he doesn't know what he's doing. Police, they know what they're doing.' Above, investigators are pictured at the scene of the shooting . Tomba said surveillance video of the shooting is 'very clear' about what occurred, but he wouldn't discuss details of what it shows. Police didn't release the video publicly because it is evidence in the investigation and because they want to be sensitive to the family, the community and the officer, who is distraught, officials said. The two officers involved in the shooting were put on administrative leave under standard procedure. Police haven't publicly identified them. Cleveland police Deputy Chief Ed Tomba, right, and Chief Calvin Wiliams brief reporters Monday on the investigation . The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the officers are a first-year rookie and a 10-year department veteran. Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said he spoke to the officer who shot the boy last night: '[He is] holding up pretty well but is broken up about this,' Williams said, adding that the officer 'didn't want to do this, but had to protect himself.' The shooting has led to an investigation of the officer's use of force. It also contributed to a state lawmaker's plan to propose legislation requiring all BB guns, air rifles and airsoft guns sold in Ohio to be brightly colored or have prominent fluorescent strips. Too young: Mr Henderson added that he was distraught over the death of his 'superhero', Tamir (pictured), whom he described as a keen basketball player who was tall for his size, polite and 'very artistic' The police department has collected surveillance video and other evidence and will present it to the county prosecutor's office, the newspaper said without citing a source. It said after reviewing the evidence prosecutors will present the case to a grand jury, which will decide whether the officer was justified in using force against the boy. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury to decide whether any criminal charges should be brought, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said. An attorney for the boy's family, Timothy Kucharski, said Tamir went to the park with friends Saturday afternoon, but he did not know the details of what led to his shooting. He said 'an innocent boy was shot and killed' by a rookie officer. According to 9 Action News both of the officers are white. Kucharski said: 'This is not a black and white issue. This is a right and wrong issue. This is not a racial issue. 'This is about people doing their jobs the right way.' 'I don't want to make a rush to judgment,' he said. Kucharski said he wants to talk to witnesses himself and get more facts. 'We're ultimately going to find out what happened,' he said. Distraught: 'I'm trying not to cry about the situation but the situation hurts,' he told WKYC.com. Above, Mr Henderson - who did not wish for his face to be revealed - speaks to reporters following his son's death . Distraught: One of Tamir's relatives is pictured weeping on the ground after hearing of Saturday's shooting . On Sunday Tamir's father Gregory Henderson said the youngster had his whole life ahead of him when he was gunned down. Wiping away tears, he said: 'Who would've thought he would go so soon? He had his whole life ahead. To be 12 years old, he doesn't know what he's doing. Police, they know what they're doing.' He added that he was still shocked at the death of his 'superhero', whom he described as a keen basketball player who was tall for his size, polite and 'very artistic'. 'I'm trying not to cry about the situation but the situation hurts,' he told WKYC.com, adding that he wished police had Tasered his son instead of immediately shooting him. On Sunday, Tamir's family and friends - some of whom had been holding a vigil at the hospital for the youngster - were spotted bringing posters, candles and teddy bears to the area. 'I went to church today and I said a prayer for him and, as soon as I come home, he's dead,' said Kerby Williams, who lives near the scene of the shooting. On Monday, Cleveland's website was hacked and a YouTube video purporting to be from the hacker collective Anonymous was posted referencing website shutdowns and the shooting. City spokesman Daniel Ball said the city couldn't confirm who shut down the site. He said the city was adding extra security measures to prevent a repeat shutdown before restoring the website. State Rep. Alicia Reece of Cincinnati announced Sunday that she will introduce legislation to require all BB guns, air rifles and airsoft guns sold in Ohio to be brightly colored or have prominent fluorescent strips. It is modeled after a bill signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown. Reece said she is introducing the bill in response to the fatal shootings of the boy and 22-year-old John Crawford III. Crawford was fatally shot by police August 5 after a man called 911 to report that Crawford was carrying a gun in a suburban Dayton Wal-Mart store. Police said they believed the air rifle Crawford had picked up was a real rifle and that he didn't respond to commands to drop it. A special grand jury concluded police officers' actions were justified. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.
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Tamir Rice was shot dead by police on Saturday afternoon in Ohio .
Allegedly 'waving around' a BB gun outside Cudell Recreation Center .
Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said one officer fired twice after the boy pulled the weapon from his waistband but had not pointed it at police .
Weapon was lacking the orange safety indicator usually found on the muzzle .
Officers are a first-year rookie and a 10-year department veteran .
Officers involved placed on administrative leave; investigation underway .
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Washington (CNN) -- A bevy of political and diplomatic heavyweights came together Friday to remember Richard Holbrooke, the veteran U.S. diplomat who died last month after surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. A memorial service at the Kennedy Center was attended by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Pakistani President Asif Zardari also attended, along with FBI Director Robert Mueller and Joints Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, among others. Holbrooke led "an extraordinary life," Obama said. He "was the leading light of a generation of American diplomats who came of age in Vietnam." "The list of places he served and the things he did reads as a chronicle of American foreign policy" in recent decades, Obama noted. His "coupling of realism and idealism ... always represented what is best in American foreign policy." He "made a difference," the president concluded. "Let us now carry that work forward." Obama announced the creation of an annual Richard C. Holbrooke Award for Diplomacy to honor "especially meritorious contributions to diplomacy." In an interview with CNN last month, Zardari called Holbrooke an "extremely hard-working man" who can "get things done which would otherwise take weeks to get through." In a statement released last month, Hillary Clinton said the nation had lost one of its top champions. "He was the consummate diplomat, able to stare down dictators and stand up for America's interests and values even under the most difficult circumstances," she said. "Few people have ever left a larger mark on the State Department or our country." Holbrooke, 69, died December 13. He most recently served as the Obama administration's point man in the volatile Afghan-Pakistani war zone. Holbrooke, however, was perhaps best known for his role as the chief architect of the Dayton Peace Accords -- signed December 14, 1995 -- which ended the deadly ethnic conflict that erupted during the breakup of Yugoslavia. One of the world's most recognizable diplomats, Holbrooke's career spanned five decades, from the Vietnam War era to the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, from the presidency of John F. Kennedy to that of Obama. He also worked as a journalist and an investment banker. But as a diplomat, he was plain-speaking, accessible and known for his tough-mindedness. "I had the honor and privilege of working with Richard through many international crises over several decades, most particularly the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo," Albright said after his death last month. "He could always be counted on for his imagination, dedication and forcefulness." After Obama took office in 2008, Holbrooke took one of the toughest diplomatic assignments -- U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the region the president regards as critical to the fight against terrorism. Holbrooke's assertive style worked in the Balkans, but it brought perils for diplomats in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where long stretches of chatting and tea-drinking are the norm. He was frank in his assessments about the region and officials in both countries regarded him as abrasive, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In April 2009, there were reports of a heated argument between Holbrooke and Karzai after charges of fraud surfaced in the Afghan presidential election. Karzai's office issued a statement that described Holbrooke as "a veteran and seasoned diplomat who had served greatly to the government and the people of the United States." In an October interview with CNN, Holbrooke cautioned patience in the struggle against the militants and for democracy in the so-called AfPak region, a mission that he said was of the "most vital importance to our national security interests." "We are determined to see it through," he said, and he made reference to the Vietnam War and the Dayton Accords in his comments. He noted that dealing with so many foes on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border made the process difficult. "A peace deal requires agreements, and you don't make agreements with your friends, you make agreements with your enemies," he said. Holbrooke mentioned a range of militant groups, such as the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, the Haqqani network, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and noted that "an expert could add another 30." "There's no Ho Chi Minh. There's no Slobodan Milosevic. There's no Palestinian Authority. There is a widely dispersed group of people that we roughly call the enemy. There's al Qaeda, with which there's no possibility of any discussion at all." "There is no clear single address that you go to," he said.
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Obama praises Holbrooke's "coupling of realism and idealism"
Albright praises his "imagination, dedication and forcefulness"
The diplomat ruffled feathers in a career that ranged from Vietnam to Afghanistan .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:06 EST, 25 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:59 EST, 25 January 2014 . An armed man who had to be shot with rubber bullets following a stand-off with police was heard saying he wanted to emulate one-eyed cop killer Dale Cregan. Genus Zanzibar yesterday admitted possessing a Bear Grylls Scout knife and a homemade shield, which had numerous screws or nails protruding from it, in public. The 39-year-old was involved in a three-hour stand-off with police at his home in Walney, Cumbria on Wednesday. Genus Zanzibar had to be shot by rubber bullets after a stand-off with police. He brandished a scout knife during the incident and reportedly said 'I'm doing a Dale Cregan' Arrest: The 39-year-old was embroiled in a three-hour stand-off with police at his home in Walney, Cumbria . During his appearance at Furness Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Mr Lee Dacre, prosecuting, said a member of the public heard Zanzibar tell a negotiator 'come near me and I’ll cut your throat'. He was also reportedly heard to say: 'I’m doing a Dale Cregan'. One-eyed Cregan (pictured) is currently in prison for murdering four people . Cregan is currently in prison for murdering four people including two policewomen in Manchester. The incident started around 12.45pm when a psychiatric nurse went to Zanzibar’s home to administer medication he was required to take while on licence with the probation service. He was found kneeling on the grass outside, wearing a motorbike helmet and motorbike suit and said: 'I don’t want to see you today.' The nurse was concerned about the behaviour and called the police. Two officers arrived and found him carrying a six-inch blade and triangular shield with around 20 nails or screws banged into it. Zanzibar took a 'fighting stance' and the police called for back-up, which included firearms officers and dog handlers. One officer described how he feared for himself and colleagues after Zanzibar moved towards him and did not obey instructions to put down the weapons. Mr Dacre said a Taser was used to no avail and baton rounds - described as a type of rubber bullet - were fired to take him down and retrieve the weapons. The court heard Zanzibar has 15 . convictions for 29 offences. In July last year he was given a 12-month . prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Zanzibar was found kneeling on the grass outside his home wearing a motorbike helmet and motorbike suit . Response: Police confirmed they were forced to fire rubber bullets in order to detain the man . Furness Magistrates Court heard Zanzibar has 15 convictions for 29 offences. In July last year he was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months . Zanzibar, representing himself, said: 'The reason I did what I did was to make a bid for freedom. 'I feel oppressed by the institutions and society. I feel they are forcing me to take medication I don’t want to take and feel I don’t need to take.' He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Preston Crown Court on February 14.
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Genus Zanzibar, 39, brandished scout knife and homemade shield .
Pleaded guilty to two charges relating to weapons .
He told a police negotiator 'come near me and i'll cut your throat'
He was reportedly heard to say: 'I’m doing a Dale Cregan'
Cregan is currently in prison for murdering four people in Manchester .
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By . Meghan Keneally, Lydia Warren and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 23:24 EST, 13 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:21 EST, 14 May 2013 . Jodi Arias has been transferred back to a Phoenix jail after spending the weekend on suicide watch at another facility. Maricopa County Sheriff's officials say Arias is back at the Estrella Jail where she will be housed until her trial has concluded. Arias was convicted of first-degree murder on Wednesday in the June 2008 killing of her one-time boyfriend. She claimed she killed Travis Alexander in self-defense after he attacked her, but authorities said it was a planned murder fueled by jealousy. She returns to court Wednesday as jurors determine whether the death penalty should be an option for sentencing. Arias could also face life in prison. Scroll down for video . Psych ward: Jodi Arias is reportedly on suicide watch after talking about how she wants to die . Authorities say she is held alone in a cell and allowed out for one hour each day for phone calls and showers. Court officials did not formally . announce that their concerns over her mental state were the reason for . the delay, but it was revealed that they felt it was necessary because . of her comments in an interview immediately after her guilty verdict was . handed down. Speaking to the local Fox affiliate KSAZ, Arias said that she would 'prefer to die sooner than later.' ‘Longevity runs in my family, and I don't want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place. I'm pretty healthy, I don't smoke and I'll probably live for a long time so that's not something that I am looking forward to. 'I believe death is the ultimate freedom and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it.' The jury was originally scheduled to return to the courtroom on Thursday afternoon to decide whether Arias will receive the death penalty or if she will be sentenced to upwards of 25 years behind bars for the murder of her on-again off-again boyfriend Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office . said it put Arias on suicide watch following her statements to MyFoxPhoenix, which came just minutes after she was found guilty of first-degree murder. Taking precautions: The Maricopa County Sheriff's office are trying to keep the murderer from harming herself as she awaits the next portion of her sentencing process . 'At the conclusion of this interview and . in light of some of her statements during the interview, Arias was . brought to jail and... was placed . on suicide protocol,' a statement from the sheriff's office read. 'Until . she is released from suicide protocol by Sheriff’s officials, no . further media interviews of inmate Arias will be permitted.' Arias’ public decree that she prefers a death sentence will not necessarily influence the final verdict. She can decide whether or not she wants to testify and plead for her life, and from there, they have to also have to consider the severity and aggressive nature of the crime. If the jury finds that it was sufficiently heinous- which in legal terms is called the discovery that aggravation exists- they will move on to the penalty phase and suggest that she either spends life behind bars or death. Speaking out: Jodi Arias gave an interview to a local news station just minutes after the verdict and she said that she hopes she gets the death penalty because she doesn't want to 'spend the rest of my natural life in one place' The jury agreed with prosecutors that . she had plotted to kill Travis Alexander, a Mormon motivational speaker . and salesman, who was found stabbed, shot and nearly decapitated in his . shower in 2008. In the interview, she said that she was shocked by the outcome and hoped to get the death penalty. 'The worst outcome would be natural life because longevity runs in my family,' she said. 'The worst outcome would be natural . life. 'I would much rather die sooner rather than later because longevity . runs in my family, and I don't want to spend the rest of my natural . life in one place. I'm pretty healthy, I don't smoke and I'll probably . live for a long time so that's not something that I am looking forward . to. Guilty! Jody Arias, 32, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her ex, Travis Alexander . Insistence: Arias, 32, had claimed that she killed Alexander in self defense after she attacked him . The interview took place in a holding . room inside the courthouse just 20 minutes after the guilty verdict was . rendered, sparking cheers among the crowd swarming the outside of the . court. Since she admitted that she killed Alexander, there was no chance that she would have been found innocent, but the question of whether or not she planned the murder or whether it was committed as an act of self defense. On Wednesday, five members of the 12-person jury found it was premeditated and the seven others found that it was both premeditated and a felony murder. 'It was unexpected for me yes because . there was no premeditation on my part,' she said. 'The . whole time I was fairly confident that I wouldn't get premeditation . because there was no premeditation.' Killed: Alexander's body was found repeatedly stabbed and shot in his shower in June 2008 . She said that she would have . understood if they simply found her guilty of felony murder 'because of . the way that the law is written' but also attributes some of her own . actions that caused the jury not to believe her. 'I can understand that because of the lies I told in the beginning, to try to cover this and hide that,' Arias said calmly. She took shots at prosecutor Juan Martinez, who she sparred with for weeks during her questioning. 'Prior . to trial, I respected Juan as a capable attorney even though he's done . some very shady things in my case as far as hiding evidence,' she said. 'In the end, what does it matter - it doesn’t help my case.' Spectacle: Court officials told the public that the verdict was going to be read three hours before it actually happened, giving followers time to gather outside of the Maricopa Courthouse . Victory: Crowds cheer when they heard Jodi Arias was convicted of first degree murder Wednesday afternoon . Invested: Three women break down outside the court following the guilty verdict on Wednesday . Arias said that she was 'overwhelmed' and 'went blank' following the verdict, even though she showed little emotion and simply looked back at the spectators. Some of the hundreds of Alexander . supporters who gathered outside of the courtroom awaiting the verdict . held posters praising Martinez, one even suggesting he runs for governor . of Arizona. In the interview, she . did not apologize to the Alexander family, saying only that 'now that a . verdict has been rendered that they can find peace, or some semblance . of peace.' When asked what she would do if she were to go back to the moment when she was standing by her car in the desert with her hands covered in Alexander's blood, she said that she would drive directly to the Mesa, Arizona police department. Blame: Arias accused prosecutor Juan Martinez of lying in the case, while others praised him for his approach . In the courtroom, she repeatedly said that she did not know what she would have done. Though she has been separated from her original pod of cellmates, Arias said that she got a sense of how big the trial was getting when new inmates would enter the prison and seek her out. 'They want to shake my hand, they want to give me a hug. They want my autograph - I'm not going to sign anything,' she said. WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE .
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Arias transferred back to jail after spending weekend at another facility on suicide watch .
Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday in the death of her ex-boyfriend, who was found stabbed and shot in 2008 .
Jury will now decide whether she will receive life sentence or death .
Arias: 'I would much rather die as death is the ultimate freedom'
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Atlanta (CNN) -- Locked in a battle with her brothers over their family treasures, the daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. said Thursday she'd once considered lending them but never selling them. Bernice King says her brothers' plan to sell their father's Bible and the Nobel Peace Prize he was awarded 1964. Dexter and Martin Luther King III have sued to force their sister to turn over those items, and a judge has ordered the items stored in a safe deposit box that only the court can open until the case is resolved. In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Bernice King acknowledged that she had once considered selling other heirlooms, including the Spingarn Medal the NAACP awarded her father in 1957. But she said she had never believed it was acceptable to sell the Nobel Prize medal or King's traveling Bible, which was used by President Barack Obama when he was sworn in for his second term. "At the time I agreed in 2007 to the potential transfer of certain memorabilia to the National Center for Human and Civil Rights, it was totally consistent with furthering the King legacy because of the nature of their mission," she said. "They are a civil rights center. But let it be noted that I have and always will object to the sale of the Nobel Peace Prize and Bible as I believe the sale of those items is sacrilegious and a breach of my obligation as a steward and trustee of my father's legacy." King was assassinated in 1968, and his widow, Coretta Scott King, died in 2006. In court papers, the King brothers submitted an e-mail inventory Bernice King wrote in 2007 that divided items from the estate of the civil rights leader into four categories: those she would be willing to sell, including the Spingarn Medal; items she would not be willing to sell, but might consider lending, such as the Nobel Peace Prize and Bible; items that had questions associated with them; and items she would have to examine before deciding. But in Thursday's statement, Bernice King said that now, "I would not support the sale of most of the memorabilia listed in the 2007 e-mail." The CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Doug Shipman, told CNN on Thursday that he had no comment on the legal proceedings and that his center had not bought any items from the King estate. But he said the center plans to display King papers sold several years ago by the estate and now owned by Morehouse College. Bernice King, who was 5 when her father was assassinated, is acting as the "gatekeeper" to her father's property, said attorney William Hill, who represents the King estate. He said she has no individual claim to the property that belongs to the estate controlled by her brothers. Wednesday, Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney ordered the disputed items placed "in a safe deposit box in an unknown location." But he warned Bernice King it was likely that her brothers would be able to show "the Bible and peace prize are possessions of the estate." According to the King brothers' complaint, King's heirs agreed in 1995 to give up their inheritance to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., but Bernice King has "secreted and sequestered" the items in question. Bernice King has said her brothers told her on January 22 that they wanted the items so they could sell them. Her attorney, Eric Barnum, called the attempt to sell the items a "money grab," saying there's a history of the King sons taking money made from selling possessions to line their own pockets. The judge compared Bernice King's stance against the sale of her father's possessions to Coca-Cola not wanting to sell its secret soft drink recipe. He later noted he was not trivializing the value of King's possessions with the comparison. This is not the first time the family has been at odds over King's legacy. Over the years, the siblings have sued and countersued one another. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III sued Dexter King in 2008, accusing him of converting "substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America" for his own use. They agreed to a settlement, thereby avoiding a trial.
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NEW: Bernice King says she weighed lending MLK's Nobel Prize and Bible, but not selling .
A judge has ordered her to turn over the items .
The items will be stored in a safe deposit box that only the court can access .
The judge made the ruling in a case that pits King's daughter against his two sons .
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Construction will begin in Fresco this week on the first 29-mile segment of the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco bullet train track after two years of delays and court battles. The $68-billion project has been dogged by political and legal opposition, with the California High-Speed Rail Authority having to win a series of court challenges in order to secure funding and begin works. But despite a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled to take place Tuesday, rail officials are yet to secure the funds needed to complete the initial system over the next 14 years. Construction will begin in Fresco this week on the first 29-mile segment of the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco bullet train track after a two year fight . The two-year delay has largely been caused by problems acquiring land. The state still only has 101 of the needed 526 parcels for the first 29 miles. Agreements with two of the nation's most powerful private freight railroads, concerned about how the network will affect them, are also yet to be reached. Rail board Chairman Dan Richard told the LA Times that despite the challenges ahead 'we feel very confident that this program is going to go forward'. The groundbreaking will be led by Gov. Jerry Brown who sees the project as an important part of his leadership legacy. The concept originated during Brown's first term. Making the idea a reality, has proved to be one of the most difficult and contentious in recent state history. Martin Wachs, a UCLA professor emeritus of urban planning, said the high-speed rail authority had 'overcome quite a lot' to get this far, but still had 'enormous hurdles ahead of them'. The largest, he said, was securing funding to start a statewide system. In 2008, voters approved a $9-billion bond measure. The Obama administration then chipped in added grants of $3.2 billion. Then, last year, the Legislature agreed to provide 25 per cent of future greenhouse gas — or cap-and-trade — fees, which could produce $250 million to $1 billion annually for the bullet train. Martin Wachs, a UCLA professor emeritus of urban planning, said the high-speed rail authority had 'overcome quite a lot' to get this far, but still had 'enormous hurdles ahead of them' If the line is completed on schedule for 2028, only $26 billion would have been raised. Not even half the estimated cost, which is expected to rise as further delays and problems arise. Mr Wachs said the costs were 'surrounded by uncertainty'. He told the newspaper: 'The public should understand that the uncertainties are much greater than the certainties. But our political process doesn't allow us to say 'We don't know what it will cost or how long it will take, but let's get started anyway.' Mr Richard, the rail board's chairman, acknowledged that the project needed billions more in funding, but said that could be offset by money it could make through advertising and real estate developments along the route. The high-speed rail link is scheduled to be completed by 2028 and is expected to cost $68 billion . The state is counting on private investors to fund about a third of the system, but they are unlikely to commit until at least part of the system is up and running successfully. Mr Richard said a bridge over the Fresno River would be the first piece of major construction and that might not start until April. A further problems is that under federal funding requirements, billion dollar grants from both Washington and the state will need to be spent by October 2017, meaning construction will need to proceed at high speed. Over the next 1,000 days the state will have to spend at a rate of $3 million to $4 million every calendar day. Any unspent federal funds would have to be returned, although Mr Richard said he 'doesn't expect to leave any money on the table'.
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A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place in Fresco tomorrow .
Rail officials haven't secured the funds needed to complete the initial route .
They only have 101 of the 526 parcels of land needed for the first 29 miles .
Over the next 1,000 days they will have to spend $3-4 million a day .
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By . Brian Viner . One of the BBC’s most familiar voices for four decades, James Alexander Gordon, is bowing out from reading the classified football results on radio after having his larynx removed. The 77-year-old has tantalised, delighted and disappointed listeners on Radio 2 and then Radio 5 Live but his voice is no longer strong enough to broadcast after surgery to treat throat cancer. The presenter - popularly known by his initials as JAG - joined the BBC in 1972 and went on to become one of the most recognisable voices on radio. Hanging up his mic: James Alexander Gordon is one of the most recognisable voices on radio . "It's with great sorrow that I have to give up the most exciting part of my career, the classified football results," said the 77-year-old Scot. "They have been my life." Edinburgh-born Gordon, whose delivery often made it possible for fans to predict the fortune of their team simply from the inflection, has often admitted he knows little about football other than the results. Just last year he said he had no plans whatsoever to step down from his role. 'I keep telling the BBC they will have to carry me out on a stretcher. I’ll die with the microphone in my hand,' he said in an interview. But the BBC said today that although his surgery was successful, 'sadly his voice is now not strong enough to broadcast'. Richard Burgess, head of BBC Radio Sport, said: 'This is desperately sad news for everyone at BBC Sport and we know our sadness will be shared by many millions of listeners. 'It’s not an exaggeration to say that Saturdays at 5pm will never be the same again without the warm, melodious sound of James’s voice just after the Sports Report theme on BBC Radio 5 Live. A voice which is, of course, recognised around the globe through the BBC World Service and a voice which embodies authority, clarity and charm. 'For so many of us, James has been a mainstay in our lives - a reassuring and reliable presence every week. He is a broadcasting legend.' Great voice: Gordon's inflection meant you knew exactly how your team had done . Affectionate: Popular presenter Mark Pougatch said Gordon was recognisble even to those disinterested . Mark Pougatch, presenter of 5 Live Sport, said: 'Even people who don’t really even like football knew who James was, even if they didn’t realise it. 'Such was James’s unique style of reading the classifieds, his wonderful inflections and stresses, that even non-believers of the sport knew the result after the home team’s score. 'Nobody else will be able to say ‘Wolverhampton Wanderers’ with quite such mellifluous tones. 'But enough of this ‘James’. To those of us lucky enough to work at BBC Radio Sport, he is JAG. 'And JAG is an institution, a legend and a gentleman all rolled into one.' Gordon, who contracted polio as a child and had to wear leg supports until his late teens, officially retired from the BBC many years ago but has continued as a freelancer. He joined the BBC as an announcer and newsreader after a career in music publishing. He began reading the results in 1974.
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Football League predict that the 77-year-old relaid between 50-60,000 results during his four decades at the BBC .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:24 EST, 21 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:10 EST, 22 April 2013 . The freezing weather has only just come to an end, but already Britons are worrying about the figure they’ll cut on the beach. Today is the day women are most likely to start their summer bikini diet, according to a study. On average, women want to lose 11lb, with more than one in four inspired to fight winter flab by bikini pictures of celebrities such as Myleene Klass, Kelly Brook and Denise van Outen. Bikini diet: On average, women want to lose 11lb, with more than one in four inspired to fight winter flab by bikini pictures of celebrities such as Myleene Klass (left) and Kelly Brook (right) The poll of 2,000 men and women by supermarket Asda found more than four out of five women (82 per cent) aim to slim down by summer. Scorching look: More than four out of five women aim to slim down by summer, with many inspired by bikini pictures of Denise van Outen . But it’s a different story for men, with fewer than one in five hoping to lose weight. More than half, or 56 per cent, of women have a weight loss goal of 11lb and, with 13 weeks until school summer holidays, starting today gives them a manageable target of losing just under 1lb a week. More than a quarter of women polled said seeing celebrity bodies gave them the incentive to diet. And 15 per cent even admitted to decorating their fridge with celeb ‘thinspiration’ pictures. Sales of pre-packed salads are up 50 per cent as the nation swaps stodgy winter warmers for light alternatives, and Galia melons are the top diet-friendly snack, with sales up 80 per cent. Women in their thirties are most likely to start a diet today and plan to lose weight sensibly with healthy eating and exercise. Meanwhile, those in their twenties confessed to crash dieting and using ‘fad’ weight loss plans in a last minute bid to shape up. Of men who wanted to lose weight, nearly two-thirds said they wouldn’t be changing their habits until a month before their holiday.
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Women want to lose 11lb on average and 82% aim to slim down by summer .
One in four inspired to fight winter flab by bikini pictures, Asda study says .
But fewer than one in five men said they hope to lose weight by summer .
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Garry Monk feels referees are giving Swansea a raw deal because they see his side as a soft target. Swansea have had Wilfried Bony and Angel Rangel sent off in their last two Barclays Premier League matches and manager Monk admits he has been left bemused by what he sees as refereeing inconsistencies in games involving his team this season. Monk says he has studied every single Swansea game on tape and expressed his concerns at an hour-long meeting he had with officials at the Liberty Stadium this week - but insists he won't stop drumming a fair play philosophy into his players even if it hurts them on the pitch. Swansea have had Wilfried Bony and Angel Rangel sent off in their last two Barclays Premier League matches . 'I just feel at this moment in time it is far too easy to book a Swansea City player,' Monk said ahead of Newcastle's visit to south Wales on Saturday. 'I have analysed every single foul we have committed this season and every foul against us, and in terms of the consistency level it does not add up. 'We are getting punished for everything but some teams come here and they commit five or six fouls straight away. 'Their plan is to be physical and that is the whole game plan, and when we stand up for ourselves we get punished for it. 'I don't know why it is, we try to play good football while other teams think the best way to stop that is to be physical and get in our faces. 'Maybe we are too much of an easy target.' Swansea boss Garry Monk feels his side are being harshly punished by referees . Monk revealed current Premier League referee Chris Foy, former official Alan Wiley and John Walton, of the Referees' Association, visited Swansea this week to discuss refereeing issues and hear his concerns. Ironically, Foy was in charge of Swansea's goalless draw at Sunderland last weekend when Rangel was sent off for two bookable offences, Monk being particularly unhappy with the nature of the second yellow card when he was adjudged to have obstructed Black Cats winger Will Buckley. 'If you look at Angel's second booking, what do you want him to do?' Monk asked. 'He cannot disappear, and in the lead up to his first one there was a foul against us that was not given. 'Those decisions go more against us than for us.' Monk also said he was exasperated by Sunderland striker Connor Wickham constantly going to ground at the Stadium of Light and questioned why Foy kept awarding him free-kicks in such circumstances. He promised that Swansea players would be fined if they did the same thing, saying winning that way would give him no satisfaction whatsoever. Chris Foy was among the officials who visited the Liberty Stadium this week . 'I talked to them about Wickham's performance at Sunderland,' Monk said of his meeting with the officials. 'He had the ball played up to him 13 times and on nine of those occasions he was on the floor. He is 6ft 3ins and about 14-15 stone, the same weight as Bony. 'But do Bony and Bafe (Gomis) go on the floor? No, because we promote for them to stay on the feet. 'I clocked what Wickham was doing straight away and I said to the linesman in front of me 'you watch the next time the ball gets played to him, he'll be on the floor. 'He did go to ground, so what does that tell you? That he is going to get the decision if he goes on the floor, and that is hard to take because you run the risk of yellow and red cards. Monk was particularly exasperated by Sunderland striker Connor Wickham constantly going to ground . 'But I have said to the players if we are going to win we will win properly because you will get more satisfaction out of it. 'That will be the way I want to do it, but I understand the players must feel the reward on Saturday. 'I don't believe in players going to ground if they have not been touched, if that were to happen I would deal with it afterwards.' Monk said Foy told him West Ham manager Sam Allardyce spoke to the Referees' Association about the difference between perceived big clubs and small clubs. 'Referees have a tough job and I am sure it is not intentional, but at this moment in time we seem to get punished for everything,' Monk said. 'I am not saying we do not make fouls that are yellow cards, but overall it looks too easy to punish us. 'We showed them examples and they could see clearly what I was talking about. 'It is so unjust and the way we play means we need more protection.'
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Swansea have had Wilfried Bony and Angel Rangel sent off in their last two Premier League matches .
Garry Monk expressed his concerns at an hour-long meeting with officials at the Liberty Stadium this week .
Sam Allardyce has spoken to the Referees' Association about the difference between perceived big clubs and small clubs .
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By . Paul Thompson and Thomas Durante . PUBLISHED: . 00:20 EST, 3 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:10 EST, 3 January 2013 . A worker in the Connecticut medical examiner's office is now under investigation after it was revealed that she took her husband to view the body of Sandy Hook school gunman Adam Lanza days after he murdered 27 people before taking his own life. The woman, a technician at the state medical examiner's office, reportedly allowed her husband to see Lanza's body two days after the horrific school massacre on December 14. The Hartford Courant identified the woman as Jean Henry. Scroll down for video . Killer: Lanza slaughtered 20 children and six adults in one of America's worst ever school shootings just before Christmas . Employee: The technician, identified as Jean Henry, worked at a medical examiner's facility, pictured, where Adam Lanza's body was being kept in the days after the Sandy Hook massacre . After Lanza's body was removed from the school, it was kept in a refrigerated area at the medical examiner's compound in Farmington where an autopsy was performed. But before that, Henry allegedly went inside the room - with her husband in tow - unzipped the body bag and allowed him to get a good look. Sources told the paper that Henry's husband does not work at the state, and her supervisor was aware that he had been there. Neither Henry - who was placed on administrative leave - nor Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver III would comment when reached by the Courant. Coroner: Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II suspended the worker after the allegations were brought to his attention . Lanza . forced his way into the elementary school less than two weeks before Christmas - . killing 20 first-grade children in their classrooms and six adults. He . then shot himself in the head. It . was later found that Lanza's first victim had been his own mother Nancy . Lanza, who was shot multiple times in her home as she laid in bed. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Lanza's body had been claimed for a private burial by his father, Peter Lanza, who had divorced his mother several years ago and was living with his new wife in Stamford, Connecticut. Police have not offered a motive for the killings. Peter Lanza works in financial services with General Electric and has finally claimed the body of his son Adam Lanza who committed the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre on December 14th . Police tape stretches across the front yard of the Lanza residence in Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza reportedly shot his mother Nancy Lanza inside before beginning his killing spree on December 14th . Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza at an unknown location in 2005 - Lanza's DNA is being examined for any evidence that could shed light on his actions that day . Scientists were asked to study Lanza's DNA to see if . has an 'evil' gene that led him to carry out the massacre. The study, . which will look at any abnormalities or mutations in his individual DNA, is . believed to be the first of its kind ever carried out on a mass murderer.The . massacre prompted President Obama to look into new gun controls and banning . assault rifles such as AR-15 Bushmaster used by Lanza in his rampage. The study . of the killer's DNA was been ordered by Carver - who carried out the post-mortems on all the victims. He has . contacted geneticists at University of Connecticut's to conduct the study. Geneticists . said they are likely looking at Lanza's DNA to detect a mutation or abnormality . that could increase the risk of aggressive or violent behavior. They could . analyse Lanza's entire genome in great detail and try to find any unexpected . mutations. Nancy Lanza is pictured on a cruise at Newport Harbor, Rhode Island in this October 11, 2008 photo - Lanza was the mother of suspected gunman Adam Lanza . Arthur . Beaudet, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said the University of . Connecticut geneticists are most likely trying to 'detect clear . abnormalities of what we would call a mutation in a gene'. He added: 'Or gene abnormalities and there are some abnormalities that are related . to aggressive behavior. 'They . might look for mutations that might be associated with mental illnesses and . ones that might also increase the risk for violence. Beaudet, . who is also the chairman of Baylor College of Medicine's department of . molecular and human genetics in Houston, Texas said geneticists should be doing . this type of research because there are 'some mutations that are known to . be associated with at least aggressive behavior if not violent behavior.' 'I . don't think any one of these mutations would explain all of (the mass . shooters), but some of them would have mutations that might be causing both . schizophrenia and related schizophrenia violent behavior,' Beaudet said. 'I think we could learn more about it and we should learn more about . it.' State police personnel lead children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in this handout picture from the Newtown Bee, in Newtown, Connecticut . Beaudet,who . is chairman of the Baylor College department of molecular and human genetics, . said studying the genes of murderers is controversial because there is a risk . that those with similar genetic characteristics could possibly be discriminated . against or stigmatized. But he said . the research into Lanza would be helpful even if only a "fraction" may have the abnormality or mutation. 'Not . all of these people will have identifiable genetic abnormalities,' Beaudet . told ABC News in America. 'By . studying genetic abnormalities we can learn more about conditions better and . who is at risk and what might be dramatic treatments,' Beaudet said, . adding if the gene abnormality is defined the 'treatment to stop' other mass shootings or 'decrease the risk is much approved.' Although . known to be shy and social inept Lanza had not shown any violent streak . although he was known to spend hours in the basement of his home playing . violent video games.
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Jean Henry now under investigation after she allegedly took her husband to the area where Lanza was being kept after the massacre .
Peter Lanza wished to remain anonymous when he arrived to take his son's body several days ago .
Study of Lanza's DNA will be the first one of its kind and will evaluate any genetic evidence for the mass killing .
20 first graders and six members of staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School were killed in December 14 shooting, including his mother .
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By . Sarah Harris . PUBLISHED: . 11:17 EST, 22 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:53 EST, 23 December 2013 . Education Secretary Michael Gove is calling for schools to be given more control on workday and term lengths . Schools could open until 6pm for up to 51 weeks a year under controversial government proposals to create more flexible days, it was revealed today. Education Secretary Michael Gove wants to give schools more powers over the working hours available to teachers as well as holidays and pay. Schools already have the freedom to set their own term dates and vary the length of days, which could signal the end of the long summer holidays for thousands of children. However, in a submission to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), an independent panel that vets teachers’ pay, Mr Gove is pushing for an overhaul of teachers’ working conditions. He said that many schools are unable to take advantage of current government reforms ‘because of the restrictive terms under which they currently employ teachers’. Teachers’ contracts stipulate that they should work 1,265 hours over 195 days a year, of which five days a year are out of the classroom for duties other than direct teaching. Mr Gove wants this ‘central specification of teachers’ working days and hours’ removed from the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) and for teachers to cover for absent colleagues more regularly. He is also targeting a list of 21 tasks including photocopying and collecting money from pupils that teachers are currently prevented from carrying out under existing deals. In his submission to the STRB, Mr Gove said that current provisions are ‘overly prescriptive’. He pointed to evidence from the United States, that ‘extended school hours that provide opportunities for additional high-quality activities can have real benefits for children’s education’. He said: ‘Children in the Far East are also often learning for many more hours than their peers in England, giving them a critical edge when they leave school. ‘We want schools in this country to learn from these examples, and some of them already do. ‘The David Young Community Academy in Leeds operates a seven-term year starting in June, with a maximum of six weeks at school followed by a maximum of four weeks’ holiday. ‘All ARK schools operate a longer school day: at secondary level, ARK schools are open from 8.30am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am-3pm on Fridays, providing 31 hours teaching per week.’ Mr Gove praised the Free School Norwich, pictured, which is open 51 weeks a year . Mr Gove also praised the Free School Norwich which is open 51 weeks a year and is ‘proving very popular with parents struggling with childcare costs’. It provides an extended school service from 8.15am to 5.45pm during term time and throughout holidays, with one week off at Christmas. Mr Gove said there was a ‘strong case for a reform of the current working time provisions’. He insisted this was ‘not about making teachers work longer hours without some form of compensation’, pointing to ARK Schools’ contracts that enable them to operate between 8am and 5pm. ‘Teachers are expected to be available in the school and to cover most of their work within this longer school day, but no teacher would teach continuously throughout the day,’ Mr Gove said. General Secretary of the NUT, Christine Blower, said the move would be a mistake on teachers' conditions of service . ‘The expectation is that in most cases the teaching load would be no greater than at other schools.’ However, the proposed overhaul will be fiercely opposed by teaching unions, which are already threatening further strike action in the New Year. The National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT launched a rolling programme of industrial action across the country earlier this year over pensions, workload and the introduction of performance-related pay. Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, said yesterday: ‘We have a ballot, which means we can take strike action before the middle of February. ‘From the government’s moves on pay, we know that ministers are enthusiastic about deregulation. ‘I think it is a mistake on pay and it would be even more of a mistake on teachers’ conditions of service.’ In a recent interview, Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted’s chief inspector of schools, said the six-week school holiday was ‘too long’. The STRB is due to report back by January 14, after which the government will decide whether to accept its recommendations. A DfE spokesman said: ‘We are giving all schools the freedom to set the length of the school day and term to meet the needs of their parents and pupils. ‘Many free schools and academies are already using these freedoms, for example the David Young Community Academy which runs a seven term year and Ark Schools which have lengthened the day in all their primary and secondary schools. ‘We have also cut red tape to make it easier for schools to open longer and offer on-site childcare and in April we asked the STRB to look at whether heads should have more flexibility over staff conditions, so it is easier to extend the school day, without it being centrally prescribed from Whitehall.’
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Education Secretary Michael Gove wants to give schools the freedom to set workday and term lengths .
This could signal the end of long summer holidays for school children .
The National Union of Teachers claims the move would be a mistake .
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Stuart Lancaster's worst fears looked to be coming true on Saturday night as two more England stars emerged as Six Nations injury doubts. Northampton flanker Tom Wood, a regular on England’s blindside of the scrum under Lancaster, hobbled off the field early in the second half of his side’s defeat by Racing Metro. And Leicester lock Geoff Parling also limped from the field in his side’s clash with Ulster. Both men will be assessed today but with a raft of players already sidelined, Lancaster can ill afford to lose two key men ahead of his side’s clash with Wales on February 6. Northampton flanker Tom Wood hobbled off the field in the second-half of his side’s defeat by Racing Metro . ‘Tom has twisted his ankle,’ said Saints boss Jim Mallinder said. ‘Hopefully it’s no more serious than that. He was certainly sore and it was the sensible thing to bring him off.’ Parling, who missed the autumn internationals with concussion, is in contention to start in England’s second row after Joe Launchbury (neck) and Courtney Lawes (ankle) both underwent surgery in recent weeks which has ruled them out of all, or most, of the Six Nations. But he is now a doubt for the Millennium Stadium clash himself, with his uncapped Leicester team-mate Graham Kitchener increasingly likely to feature in some capacity in Cardiff. England head coach Stuart Lancaster (centre) has a growing injury list ahead of the Six Nations next month . Leicester lock Geoff Parling also limped from the field in his side’s clash with Ulster on Saturday . First-choice No 8 Ben Morgan has been ruled out for at least six months after suffering a broken leg a fortnight ago, while there are serious concerns about Manu Tuilagi’s fitness after it emerged he is suffering a chronic groin condition. Tuilagi is undergoing regular injections into his pubic bone in an attempt to cure the problem — believed to the notorious condition known as Gilmore’s groin — and admits he does not know when he will return. There are also concerns over captain Chris Robshaw’s shoulder, which may yet need an operation before the World Cup. England’s autumn series was blighted by injury and Lancaster has never been able to select from a fully fit team since taking over three years ago. Wood, a regular on England’s blindside of the scrum under Lancaster, limped off injured on Saturday .
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Leicester lock Geoff Parling limped off in his side’s clash with Ulster .
Northampton flanker Tom Wood hobbled off in defeat to Racing Metro .
England open their Six Nations campaign against Wales on February 6 .
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Traders at Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland have been suspended over fixing claims. City watchdogs are probing reports of fixing of currency markets as part of a global investigation. Up to eight traders have reportedly become caught up in the inquiry to the currency market which is worth £3 trillion-a-day globally. As many as six traders at Barclays have reportedly been suspended in connection with claims of currency market fixing . Barclays is said to have suspended as many as six foreign exchange traders and while RBS has put two of its traders on suspension. Both banks have declined to comment on the reports but confirmed they have been drawn into the investigations. RBS said in its third quarter results today it had been contacted by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other authorities. It added: ‘The group is reviewing communications and procedures relating to certain currency exchange benchmark rates as well as foreign exchange trading activity and is cooperating with these investigations. ‘At this stage, the group cannot estimate reliably what effect, if any, the outcome of the investigation may have on the group.’ Ross McEwan, RBS chief executive, refused to comment on the case, but said it will ‘come down very severely on anyone we discover has been breaking the rules’. Meanwhile Barclays said it was also co-operating with inquiries from various authorities. It is reviewing its foreign exchange trading activities, over a period of several years to August this year. RBS boss Ross McEwan said it will 'come down very severely on anyone we discover has been breaking the rules' Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and UBS are also thought to have been contacted as part of the probe involving regulators in Britain, Switzerland, the US and Hong Kong. The FCA revealed last month it had launched its own investigation into the foreign exchange market, which is worth £3 trillion a day globally. It said it first sent out letters to firms in April, before launching a formal investigation later. Regulators are looking into whether currency traders shared information about their positions and knowledge of client orders through instant messages to rig the foreign exchange market in their favour. Currency exchange rates are set on a daily basis by analysing actual trading volumes at leading banks during a short time window. It is thought that traders could potentially influence exchange rates by pushing through large orders during the 60-second window to make a profit. Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and UBS are also thought to have been contacted as part of the probe involving regulators in Britain, Switzerland, the US and Hong Kong . Even a small movement in exchange rates could affect the value of investments worldwide, including pension funds. It threatens to engulf the industry in yet another embarrassing scandal at a time when many financial firms are still battling to restore their reputations following the Libor rigging revelations. Barclays and RBS were both fined for their part in the Libor scandal, paying penalties of £290 million and £391 million respectively. According to the Bank for International Settlements, global foreign exchange activity rose to 5.3 trillion dollars (£3.3 trillion) a day this year, from four trillion dollars (£2.5 trillion) in 2010. London accounts for the bulk of currency trading, with 41 per cent of global turnover in the market, followed by the United States, which has a 19 per cent share, Singapore with 5.7 per cent, Japan with 5.6 per cent and Hong Kong with 4.1 per cent.
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Six Barclays traders and two from RBS have been suspended .
Investigation focuses on use of instant messaging to rig the market .
RBS vows to ‘come down very severely' on anyone caught breaking rules .
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The two teenage girls gunned down by their retired cop rather were mourned on Friday, as tears were shed over their 'caring and zany' personalities. Deanna Hochman, 13, her sister Alissa,17, were shot dead in their sleep by Glen Hochman, 52 - who then turned the gun on himself on Saturday. A service for the two girls was held in their hometown of Harrison, New York. Leading the mourning was their mother, Anamarie DiPietro-Hochman, 50, and their surviving sister, Samantha. Samantha said in a letter to her sisters; 'This tragedy has broken me. I will never be the same. I will stay strong for mom, reminding her every day that we have two of the most beautiful angels watching over us.' Mourners: Black-clad coffin bearers carried the bodies of Deanna Hockman, 13, and Alissa Hockman, 17, through the streets of Harrison, New York on Friday . Salute:Surviving sister Samantha and mother Anamarie read heartbreaking letters . Dead: Glen Hochman, 52, a police officer of 22 years who only retired in January, shot dead Deanna Hochman, 13 (center) and Alissa Hochman, 17, on Saturday afternoon . Tears: In the above frame, mourners comfort a grieving relative of the slain girls at the funeral on Friday . She also said to her younger sister; 'As an older sister I hope that you idolized me, but the truth is, I idolized you. You were the funniest person I've ever known. You had the ability to make me laugh at any given moment.' She closed by saying; 'Keep an eye on each other and give pop pop a kiss. I love you.' Tears were shed for the two girls as it emerged that Hochman had left a 'final insult' before killing half his family - by allegedly writing the survivors out of his retirement plan. Sources told the New York Post that Hochman deliberately filed paperwork that did not name them as his beneficiaries - effectively condemning them to a future of poverty. At the service in Harrison, extended family read prepared from Samantha and her mother, who were too grief-stricken to speak. According to CBS2, all mention of their father was deliberately avoided in the service. Of Alissa, who volunteered regularly, DiPietro-Hochman said: 'I now see the reason you gave so much.' According to the Lower Hudson Journal News, she continued: 'Your smile could light up a room and your caring, empathetic way won people over. 'You were the baloney in our sandwich and without you we're weren't complete'. Samantha, 18, said that she was angry at her sister's death at so young an age. Her statement said: 'I am angry that you won't get a chance to go to prom, spring break, graduation or college. I'm angry that you won't get the chance to get married and have children. I am angry that your beautiful life was cut short'. Hochman is pictured here with the girls' mother, Anamarie. She was reportedly considering a divorce . Killed: Alissa Hochman, 17, a senior at Harrison High School, and Deanna Hochman, 13, were found dead, along with their father, on Saturday afternoon . Of her youngest daughter, Deanna, she said: 'You had a zany personality to match mine. I love that we could look at each other from across the room and just crack each other up,...' 'I promise you one day that I will laugh again in remembering you. Rest in peace, baby girl. Love, Mommy.' Samantha added: 'You were the funniest person I've ever known... It sickens me to know I won't get a chance to see you grow, to see you date, to watch you go through high school'. The Journal News reported that the funeral was held at the Catholic church of St Gregory the Great in Harrison, and was attended by dozens of family members and bus-loads of the girls' classmates, the Harrison Daily Voice reported. Funeral plans for the girls' father are unclear. Of the alleged plan to leave the two survivors penniless, a family friend told the Post: '...He effectively stole the future away from the family he left behind.' Hochman, who served White Plains for 22 years, executed his daughters, Alissa, 17, and Deanna, 13, along with three family dogs at the family home on Saturday. Samantha and her mother weren't home at the time. DiPietro-Hochman had reportedly considering a divorce in the previous weeks. Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini said officers visited the home after receiving reports of no answers at the door. Scene: Police arrived at this home at 1 Adelphi Avenue in the Westchester County village of Harrison on Saturday night to find Glen Hochman, 52, a former local cop, and his two teen daughters dead . Police dispatched to the scene made the grim discovery of the bodies and a six-page note penned by Hochman. Police have not said what was in the note. His body was found in the garage while those of Alissa and Deanna were found on 'the main level' of the house. White Plains Police Commissioner David Chong released a statement and called the deaths 'an unfathomable tragedy'. Chong said the department were 'shocked and horrified by the news,' according to the Journal News. 'We can only pray for the family,' he said. 'Officer Hochman served this department and the city of White Plains with honor and integrity for over 22 years.' Last year, Hochman won the department's life-saving award for keeping an unresponsive man alive until paramedics arrived. He reportedly suffered an Achilles' injury in early May when he fell while helping a disabled motorist, reports. He had time off to recover according to his union lawyer, Warren Roth, who had known Hochman for more than 25 years. He said Hochman sought a disability retirement because of the injury - but had not been depressed over it as he was planning for retirement soon anyway . 'It's just devastating to a lot of people,' Roth said. 'He was always a quiet, reserved guy, nothing ever seemed to unsettle him. ... And he was wonderful with his daughters, a devoted father. That's the scary part. There was absolutely no seeing this coming.' In a statement on the Harrison school district's website, Superintendent of Schools Louis N. Wool said Alissa, a high school senior, and Deanna were 'both lost to incomprehensible tragedy.' He said the response of the district community to past tragedies has been inspiring and that he expects the students and staff will be no less resilient this time. 'In this awful moment, let us remember how proud we are of (the high school community), how much they have helped others and how much they will help others again,' Wool said. Harrison High School, opened its campus on Sunday for grief counseling.
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Funerals of Deanna and Alissa Hochman, 13 and 17, held in Harrison, NY .
Hundreds attended funerals after girls were gunned down by their father .
Glen Hochman, 52, shot the two sisters dead as they slept on Saturday .
Surviving family, mom Anamarie and sister Samantha, spoke at funeral .
'I will stay strong for mom, reminding her every day that we have two of the most beautiful angels watching over us,' said Samantha .
Hochman reportedly wrote the family out of his retirement plan .
In the girls' funeral service there was no mention made of their father .
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A chocolate boutique dedicated to KitKats has opened in Tokyo in Japan, where the wafery chocolate bar is considered a cult item and lucky charm. The KitKat Chocolatory opened in Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, and sill sell only gourmet bars aimed at an adult audience. Flavours of the Nestle bar sold in Japan already include Purple Potato, Cinnamon Cookie, European Cheese, Bean Cake and Wasabi. Three limited edition tastebud-ticklers - Sublime Bitter made with couverture . chocolate, a very high quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa . butter, Special Cherry Blossom Green Tea, made with cherry blossom . extract, and Special Chili, which contains a chilli pepper cream . filling - are being stocked in-store. Japanese KitKat fans flock to the Chocolatory, the world's first store dedicated to the wafery chocolate bar which is considered lucky in the country . The KitKat Chocolatory opened in Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, and sill sell only gourmet bars aimed at an adult audience . The Chocolatory will stock further exclusive varieties of the chocolate bar, created in collaboration with Japanese chocolatier Takagi. Visitors can expect more exciting and unusual flavors to . follow. KitKat's global brand manager Stewart Dryburgh told Marketing Magazine: 'KitKat is close to being a cult product in Japan, and it is a very special market for us. I'm thrilled that this shop will allow us to showcase new KitKat premium products,” he says. Fashionsnap and DesignTaxi report that only 300 Sublime Bitter bars will be sold per day, as the chocolate-work is done by hand. Each bar costs 315 yen (£1.83). The 500 bars available on opening day sold out in one hour forty minutes. Fashionsnap and DesignTaxi report that only 300 Sublime Bitter bars will be sold per day, as the chocolate-work is done by hand . Shoppers filling their baskets with KitKats, which are considered lucky charms in Japan . KitKats are extremely popular in Japan, where they are considered a good luck charm because of their name: in Japanese it sounds like kitto katsu, which translates as 'you will surely win'. The brand has more flavours in Japan than anywhere else, even America, and other flavours include Kobe pudding, rum raisin, wine, passion fruit, lemon cheesecake, and brandy and orange. KitKats were invented by Britain's Rowntree confectionery company in 1935, but until 1937 were called the Chocolate Crisp. KitKats were invented by Britain's Rowntree confectionery company in 1935, but until 1937 were called the Chocolate Crisp . Shoppers queuing outside the boutique in Japan . The brand has more flavours in Japan than anywhere else, even America, and other flavours include Kobe pudding, rum raisin, wine, passion fruit, lemon cheesecake, and brandy and orange .
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KitKat Chocolatory opened in Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo .
Shop will sell only gourmet KitKats and develop new seasonal flavours .
New Nestle bars include Sublime Bitter, Special Chilli and Green Tea .
Only 300 Sublime Bitter bars sold per day, as chocolate is done by hand .
Each bar costs 315 yen (£1.83)
The 500 bars available on opening day sold out in one hour forty minutes.
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By . Sean Poulter . A British engineering firm based on a remote Somerset farm are to help Facebook launch a network of solar-powered drones that will bring the internet to the remotest places on the planet. The US web giant has bought Ascenta, a tiny engineering company run by chief engineer Andrew Cox, for an estimated £12.5million. Mr Cox has helped set records for the longest flights for unmanned aircraft powered by the sun. Unmaned: Experts will be working on new drones intended to fly 60,000ft above the earth for months at a time while beaming signals to the Third World (file picture) Its experts will now be working on drones intended to fly 60,000ft above the earth for months at a time to beam broadband signals to the Third World. Details of the plan were revealed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a post on his personal page on the site and form part of a project called Internet.org set up to extend the reach of the internet. ‘In our effort to connect the whole world with Internet.org, we’ve been working on ways to beam internet to people from the sky,’ he wrote. ‘Today, we’re sharing some details of the work Facebook’s Connectivity Lab is doing to build drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone.’ New venture: The plans were announced by Mark Zuckerberg on his personal Facebook page today . The Connectivity Lab includes experts from Nasa working on what the company called ‘new aerospace and communications technologies’. Significantly, Facebook also announced that it had bought Ascenta, which was founded by five Britons who previously worked at major technology firms such as Boeing and Honeywell. Facebook did not provide any details of the British experts behind Ascenta, while the Somerset-based firm refused requests for interviews and referred questions to its new US owner. Facebook aims to use a mix of solar-powered aircraft and low-orbit satellites to beam signals carrying the internet to hard-to-reach locations. The drones, flying at 60,000ft, will be capable of staying in the air for months at a time. They are relatively cheap will be best for suburban areas that do not have the cables or infrastructure to carry internet or telephone signals. The drones are effectively mobile phone masts in the sky and bounce smartphone communications between satellites and base stations on Earth. Low-orbit and geosynchronous satellites, which have orbits that match the Earth’s rotation and are effectively stationary, will cover more remote areas in Africa and Asia. The internet access would be transmitted in the form of free-space optical communication, or FSO, which transmits data using infrared laser beams. It was previously known as High Altitude Engineering and has only two directors, Mr Cox, 51, and his wife Helen. Mr Cox has had a long career in the aerospace industry. He was a key member of the team at British defence technology company Qinetiq that created the Zephyr drone that holds the record for an unmanned flight, which lasted two weeks. The team also includes experts who worked on the Breitling Orbiter, a balloon that was designed to circumnavigate the world. Yael Maguire, a director of engineering at Facebook, said Ascenta would join its team working on ‘connectivity aircraft’. ‘We’re looking at a new type of plane architecture that flies at roughly 20,000m, because that’s a point where winds are at their lowest, it’s above commercial airliners, it’s even above the weather, and actually it can stay in the air for months at a time,’ he said. ‘These planes are solar-powered and they sit there and circle around, and have the ability to broadcast internet down.’ Facebook helped found Internet.org last year with other major technology companies such as Samsung and Nokia. It offered no details on how far advanced the drone project was, or any timeframe for completion.
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US web giants have bought Somerset-based engineering company Ascenta .
Acquired company for £12.5million to work on new unmanned aircraft .
New models will be built to travel at 60,000ft for months at a time .
Details were revealed by Mark Zuckerberg in a post on his profile today .
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(CNN) -- It began as horseplay, with two teenage stepbrothers chasing each other with blow guns and darts. But it soon escalated when one of the boys grabbed a knife. Michael Barton, Quantel Lotts' stepbrother, was stabbed to death at age 17. The older teen, Michael Barton, 17, was dead by the time he reached the hospital, stabbed twice.The younger boy, Quantel Lotts, 14, would eventually become one of Missouri's youngest lifers. Lotts was sentenced in Missouri's St. Francois County Circuit Court in 2002 to life in prison without parole for first-degree murder in his stepbrother's stabbing death. It made no difference that at the time of the deadly scuffle, Lotts was barely old enough to watch PG-13 movie and too young to drive, vote or buy beer. "They locked me up and threw away the keys," Lotts, now 23, said from prison. "They took away all hope for the future." His stepmother, the victim's mother, has forgiven Lotts and is working with lawyers to gain his release. Lotts is one of at least 73 U.S. inmates -- most of them minorities -- who were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes committed when they were 13 or 14, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization in Alabama that defends indigent defendants and prisoners. The 73 are just a fraction of the more than 2,000 offenders serving life sentences for crimes they committed as minors under the age of 18. Across the country, most juvenile offenders and many adults are given a second chance. Charles Manson, convicted in seven notorious murders committed when he was 27, will be eligible for his 12th parole hearing in 2012. He's been denied parole 11 times. Even "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz, who confessed to killing six people in the 1970s when he was in his 20s, has had four parole hearings, though he has said he doesn't deserve parole and doesn't want it. But Quantel Lotts has no hope for a parole hearing. At least not yet. See which states have sentenced minors to life without parole » . Lotts is part of a trend that has developed over the past two decades. Numerous studies have shown that In the 1970s and 1980s, minors were rarely given life sentences, let alone life without parole, experts said. By the early 1990s, according to the Department of Justice, an alarming spike in juvenile homicides spawned a nationwide crackdown, including a movement to try kids in adult courts. "Criminal court doesn't care they are kids," said Melissa Sickmund, chief of systems research at the National Center for Juvenile Justice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "Once they are there, it's just another case." Today, there are only a handful of states -- including Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Oregon -- that prohibit sentencing minors to life without parole, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Proponents of the strict sentencing laws said public safety should be top priority. They argued that judges give certain criminals, regardless of their age, life sentences because the crimes are so abhorrent. "There are some people who are so fundamentally dangerous that they can't walk among us," said Jennifer Jenkins, who co-founded the National Organization for Victims of Juvenile Lifers. The Illinois-based group has fought legislation in nine states that would remove sentences of life without parole. Jenkins has experienced the devastation of losing family members to a teen killer. In 1990, her sister and her sister's family, who were living in a wealthy suburb in Chicago, Illinois, were murdered by a teenager. "Victims have the right not to be constantly revictimized," she said. "They will come back to my community and your community and repeat," said Harriet Salerno, president of Crime Victims United of California, a group trying to block the passage of laws that would ease sentencing for juveniles. She founded the victim's group after her daughter, a pre-medical student, was murdered at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California in the 1979. "Many of them have dysfunctional homes, and the crimes will escalate because there is no place to put them." Only 19 states punish children under 14 with life sentences without parole, according to a study conducted by the Equal Justice Initiative. Over the past three years, the advocacy group's attorneys have appealed cases involving 13- and 14-year-old offenders in state and federal court. Attorneys argue that the sentences are "cruel and unusual punishment" given the tender years of the offenders. Read the center's report . Last week, the state of Missouri dismissed Quantel Lotts' case in St. Francois County Circuit Court. The Equal Justice Initiative will challenge the decision in the Missouri Court of Appeals. A separate petition, filed in 2007, is pending in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri. Lotts remains in prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, and he is hopeful. He has new dreams of going to college and maybe even becoming a lawyer. "My family motivates me," he explained. "Because I want to be out there with them so I can never give up." He wishes he could start over, but not at the beginning. He grew up in a crack house with a mother who used and sold drugs. In Lotts' case, court documents reveal that he was sexually abused as a child. When child welfare officials took Lotts from his mother at the age of 8, they noted that he "smelled of urine and had badly decayed molars as well as numerous scars on his arms, legs and forehead." "Quantel had a lot of anger because of all he has been through," said stepmother Tammy Lotts, 45, whose son Michael Barton was Lotts' victim. iReport.com: Sentence 'totally unfair' At the time of the crime, Tammy Lotts said she left her children for several days with her husband to get high on crack cocaine. "But I don't believe that Quantel did it," she added. "They took care of each other. They didn't see each other as stepbrothers; they considered them brothers." Most young offenders serving life without parole were exposed to poverty, violence or drugs during childhood, the Equal Justice Initiative reported. Some victims' families say that's exactly why the juveniles should stay locked up. Salerno, of Crime Victims United of California, said that some juveniles can be rehabilitated but that some committed crimes so severe, resources shouldn't be wasted on them. Two cases in which juvenile offenders got life without parole didn't even involve murder. Antonio Nunez was 14 years old when he committed a crime that gave him life without parole. The crime was an armed kidnapping that occurred in 2001. He spent his childhood in a gang-ridden neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles, California. He was shot in the stomach multiple times while riding his bike at age 13. See stories of other inmates who were sentenced to life in prison without parole » . In Florida, Joe Sullivan, who case will be heard soon by the U.S. Supreme Court, was sentenced to life without parole for 1989 rape of an elderly woman. He was 13 at the time of the crime and is mentally disabled. In 2005, groups that opposed life sentences without parole for young people, began to gain traction after the U.S. Supreme Court abolished the death penalty for crimes committed by 16 and 17 year olds in the landmark case Roper v. Simmons. A year later, Colorado abolished life without parole for minors who commit crimes. At the federal level, Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, will introduce legislation this year to give youthful offenders the option of parole. In California, Democratic Sen. Leland Yee has proposed a law that grants young offenders a chance at parole after ten years. "Children aren't just little adults, and it's starting to resonate with people," said Ashley Nellis, an analyst at the Sentencing Project, a research organization tracking sentencing patterns. "There has been a general momentum of changing juvenile law in the last few years." Nearly a decade later, Lotts, now a grown man, still cries himself to sleep over the loss of his stepbrother. To ease the pain, he reads novels or listens to the tunes of R&B group Dru Hill. One sleepless night in prison, Lotts found himself reading the book "Lightning" by Dean Koontz. The novel, about time travel, has become one of his favorites. He often thinks about what it would be like to turn back time. "This would have never happened," he said. "My brother would be here today."
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At least 73 inmates serve life without parole for offenses committed at 13 and 14 .
Proponents of tough sentencing laws say public safety is top priority .
Only 19 states punish minors under 14 with sentences of life without parole .
"They took away all hope for the future," says Quantel Lotts, now 23 .
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Ryan McDonald, a physics student at Oxford University, said his prospective trip to Mars is putting a dampner on his love life . One of the British volunteers who wants to be chosen for a pioneering mission to Mars has admitted that the prospective one-way journey is hampering his love life. Ryan McDonald, 21, is the youngest - and the only man - among five Britons who have been shortlisted for the Mars One Mission, which is aiming to send people to live in space by 2025. The Oxford University physics student, who is also president of Oxford University Space and Astronomy Society, applied for the trip because he wants to leave a legacy. But he said today that the potential life-changing mission leaves him with little hope of finding love. He told The Daily Mirror: 'Being single makes it easier for me at the moment because what kind of conversation start is it to say "I'm going to be leaving the planet in the next 10 years". 'I'm full-on focused on the mission... So I wouldn't be able to have a future with anyone if I started a relationship.' But Mr McDonald, from Derby, said he 'wouldn't rule out' an extra-terrestrial relationship once he has been propelled into space. Mr McDonald has been shortlisted for the mission alongside Hannah Earnshaw, 23, a PhD student in astronomy at Durham University, Dr Alison Rigby, 35, a lab technician from south east London, Maggie Lieu, 24, an astrophysics student at the University of Birmingham, and Clare Weedon, 27, a systems information manager from Addlestone, Surrey. The Mars 100 Round Three candidates were selected from a pool of 660 candidates after participating in personal online interviews. They include 50 men and 50 women who successfully passed the second round. The majority of the 100 applicants come from the U.S., 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from Africa and seven from Australia. The team is scheduled to arrive in 2025 following a gruelling seven-month journey from Earth. Mr McDonald, a sci-fi fan, is currently designing a Thermal-IR camera for a future sample return mission to Mars’s moon Phobos, which could one day select the first landing site on the moons of Mars. Of his enthusiasm for the Mars One mission, he said: ‘To search for evidence of past or present life, to speak to and inspire school children back on Earth, to build the first civilisation on another planet… How could anyone say no to that!’ He added: 'The most important thing to do in life is to leave a legacy. A lot of people do that by having a child, having a family. For me this would be my legacy.' Mr McDonald (left) has been shortlisted alongside Clare Weedon (right), 27, from Addlestone, Surrey . Maggie Lieu (pictured), 24, an astrophysics PhD student at the University of Birmingham was also chosen . While the experience may be amazing, it will certainly be tough. The crew of four will have to contend with temperatures as low as -62C and high radiation levels. They could also be at risk of suffocation, starvation and dehydration. If all goes well, additional teams would join the settlement every two years, with the intention that by 2033 there would be over twenty people living and working on Mars. There, they will collect data, plant oxygen-producing vegetation and set the foundation for human colonisation. In spite of the risks, more than 200,000 people from around the world applied when the Netherlands-based group called for volunteers to join the mission in 2011. In the next stage, which may involve 'rigorous, potentially televised competitions' to test individuals' responses to stressful situations, the current shortlist will be reduced to 40. Hannah Earnshaw (left) a PhD student in astronomy at Durham University and Dr Alison Rigby, a 35-year-old laboratory technician from Kent (right) are also through to the next round of selection . Endemol, the production company behind Big Brother, said last year it will be documenting the progress of the group of hopefuls as they compete for a 2025 ticket to the Red Planet. Candidates do not need to have any scientific qualifications and an audience vote will be used to make the final choice. Any chosen Mars settlers will then be required to dedicate eight years of their lives preparing for the 300 million-mile (482 million km) pioneering mission. Last year, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that any manned mission to Mars would result in the crew dying after 68 days, while critics have pointed out that the estimated cost of Mars One is a fraction of the amount proposed by Nasa. The privately-funded mission is estimated to cost $6 billion (£4 billion). The robotic lander and orbiter are scheduled to lift off in 2018, followed by a scouting rover in 2020 and six cargo missions in 2022. The time frame for this next stage depends on how long it takes the team to sort through the 100 on the list, but candidates are expected to know whether they have made the cut by the end of this year.
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Ryan McDonald, 21, is the youngest Briton to be shortlisted for Mars trip .
Mission, which will arrive in 2025, aims to start a colony on the red planet .
Oxford University student said potential trip is stopping him finding love .
Sceptics believe £4m project, backed by Dutch company, will never work .
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(CNN) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron has given Sri Lanka a March 2014 deadline to hold an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes during the country's 26-year civil war. Cameron held talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa while in the capital of Colombo for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Friday. The summit opened Friday amid concerns about the rights situation after Sri Lanka's war with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended in 2009. The prime ministers of Canada, Mauritius and India opted not to attend. On Saturday, Cameron acknowledged that Sri Lanka had suffered "almost three decades of bloody conflict" and that recovery and reconciliation took time. He said he made it clear to Rajapaksa that he had "a real opportunity, through magnanimity and reform, to build a successful, inclusive and prosperous future for his country." Among the steps needed to achieve this were "credible, transparent and independent investigations into alleged war crimes," Cameron said. "And let me be very clear. If that investigation is not completed by March, then I will use our position on the U.N. Human Rights Council to work with the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner and call for a full, credible and independent international inquiry." Cameron said his meeting with the president was "very frank" and "nothing was off the agenda." Read more: Cameron mobbed by protesters in Sri Lanka . A statement issued by Rajapaksa's office earlier Saturday, noted that Cameron had raised concerns "relating to displaced persons, land issues, military presence in the Province and devolving powers to the newly elected Council." "President Rajapaksa, in response, explained that an enormous amount of work has been done in terms of resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed during the conflict. In order to reach consensus on political matters a Parliamentary Special Committee (PSC) has been established for all parties concerned to air their views and reach a settlement," it said. Read more: Sri Lankan diplomat says rights criticism 'proxy propaganda war' The statement said Rajapaksa had observed that the PSC was the best forum for the purpose, stating: "As it is now only four years since the end of the conflict the country needs some more time to overcome all major challenges." In an interview that aired Thursday on CNN's "Amanpour," Sri Lanka's high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Chris Nonis, also denied that an independent international inquiry was needed. "We respect the independence and sovereignty of your country, and we expect you to respect ours. We don't need an international investigation when we have had a vibrant civilization for 2,500 years. We have perfectly educated people, and I think we're perfectly capable of carrying out our own domestic inquiry," he told CNN's Frederik Pleitgen. Nonis pointed to the 2011 "Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission" report, which Rajapaksa ordered. "It's a very holistic, very comprehensive, very impartial report. It had over 5,000 hearings, and it's set within the principle of international humanitarian law, incorporating the principle of distinction and the principle of proportionality." Independent judiciary? As many as 70,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka's war. In its final stage, which lasted from September 2008 to May 2009, the Sri Lankan army advanced into an area of the north where about 330,000 people were trapped by fighting. A U.N. report in 2011 said the government used "large-scale and widespread shelling" that left a large number of civilians dead. The number of civilian deaths and injuries are unknown to this day, and U.N. figures greatly differ from those in reports from Sri Lanka's government and various nongovernmental organizations. The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute on Friday questioned whether Sri Lanka's legal system was capable of responding to human rights violations, saying that required an independent judiciary. "Since the end of the armed conflict, the Sri Lankan government has been systematically dismantling checks and balances on independent justice institutions," co-chair Helena Kennedy said in a statement. "The IBAHRI considers that the lack of an independent judiciary will prevent the Sri Lankan legal system from providing an effective investigation into war crimes and human rights violations committed by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at the end of the armed conflict in 2009." The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 nations that initially formed out of what had been the British Empire. Its charter focuses on developing "free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of all peoples of the Commonwealth." Heads of member governments meet every two years.
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Sri Lanka has been hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting .
Some attendees have been questioning Sri Lanka's human rights record .
It follows a 26-year civil war with separatist Tamil rebels that ended in 2009 .
David Cameron says an international inquiry should be held by March .
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Tired: Marc Dubois told his co-pilots he had only had one hour's sleep before their plane crashed . The captain of an Air France plane which crashed into the sea with the loss of all 228 people on board had just one hour’s sleep before setting off, it emerged today. In a damning report which will worry long-haul flyers, it appeared that his co-pilots were also dangerously tired. Five Britons and two Americans were among the dead when AF447 fell out of the sky as it travelled from Rio de Janiero in Brazil to Paris in June 2009. As the Airbus A330 rolled from side to side in a tropical thunderstorm, 32-year-old Pierre-Cedric Bonin and David Robert, 37, were unable to bring it under control. Even when Marc Dubois, the 58-year-old captain, returned from a rest break, his deputies were panicking too much to tell him what the problem was. A detailed analysis of two black box flight recorders has established that airspeed sensors had malfunctioned - probably because they had frozen up. But now a recording of Dubois has emerged in which he says: ‘I didn’t sleep enough last night. One hour – it’s not enough.’ Le Point, the French news magazine which has obtained a previously undisclosed judicial report into the tragedy, says that Dubois was already ‘grumbling’ less than an hour and a half into the flight. Wreckage: Brazilian sailors recover the remains of Air France flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean in July 2009 . Tragedy: The plane plunged into the sea during a thunderstorm killing all 228 people on board . The pilots had spent the night before in Rio with their wives and girlfriends, but did not appear alert enough to deal with a high-altitude stall. They ignored normal procedures and raised, rather than lowered, the plane's nose when it lost lift - or 'stalled'. An aerodynamic stall is has nothing to do with the engines, which investigators said had operated and responded throughout. The result was a three-and-a-half minute plunge before hitting the ocean. All those on board - who came from 32 nations, including five from Britain, three from Ireland, and two from America - died after the plane hit the sea at a speed of 180ft a second. Recording: The black box from the plane, which has revealed some of the chilling details of the crash . The French aviation safety authority has already released a report which agrees with a 365-page judicial inquiry that the 'captain had failed in his duties' and 'prevented the co-pilot from reacting appropriately'. French judges have launched a criminal inquiry into Air France and Airbus for alleged manslaughter. Co-pilots Bonin and Robert had racked 2,900 and 6,500 flying hours respectively, compared to Dubois's 11,000. Despite this, Dubois took more than a minute to respond to calls for help. Those on board included Bonin's 38-year-old wife, Isabelle, who was travelling without their two boys, aged eight and four. A judge has already ordered Air France to pay around £120,000 in compensation to the families of each victim, but this provisional figure is likely to rise substantially. Air France has reviewed and improved its training procedures since the crash.
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Marc Dubois recorded saying: 'I didn't sleep enough last night'
Experienced captain left control of plane to co-pilots while on rest break .
AF447 plummeted into the sea in July 2009, killing everyone on board .
Crash killed five Britons and two Americans .
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Developers are exploiting planning reforms to inflict ‘inappropriate and unwanted’ housing on communities, a damning report has found. The first official analysis of the Government’s shake-up two years ago warns that desirable areas have become a ‘battleground’ between councils and landowners. In a report published today, MPs say the new rules are allowing housing to be ‘imposed on some communities’ by developers using legal loopholes to override local opposition. Presumption in favour of development... The first official analysis of the Government’s shake-up two years ago warns that desirable areas have become a ‘battleground’ between councils and landowners. File picture . The National Planning Policy Framework, introduced in March 2012, encouraged councils to earmark suitable land to meet demand for housing over the next five years. Most contentiously, councils were also ordered to have a ‘presumption’ in favour of development, to meet the demand for housing from a growing population. But the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee warns that developers are exploiting this provision to secure prime greenfield land. When council planners try to veto an application, developers are able to use the guidelines as a ‘stick with which to beat them’, the report says. It concluded: ‘Our report has identified a number of issues with the operation of the NPPF: that it is not preventing unsustainable development; that it is leading to communities being subject to inappropriate and unwanted housing development; and that it is giving insufficient protection to England’s town centres.’ Campaigners have raised concerns about the new planning rules since they were brought in, saying they have led to a free-for-all for developers. Former Tory minister Nick Herbert, the MP for Arundel and the South Downs, last year denounced the NFFP as an ‘environmental disaster’. And earlier this year campaigners claimed that planning permission had been given on appeal for a staggering 27,000 houses on greenfield sites turned down by councils, in the last two years. In today’s report ‘Operation of the NPPF’, the committee which reviewed 300 pieces of written evidence and interviewed 40 witnesses, agreed there were serious concerns about the reforms. Parish councils said they felt ‘under siege’ and that permission was being given for homes with no thought to the impact on ‘local infrastructure such as schools, health care, transport and sewerage’. Ministers were urged to close a loophole which allows developers to build on land which the council has not included in its ‘local plan’ – the area the local authority has designated for new homes. Brickie: Earlier this year campaigners claimed that planning permission had been given on appeal for a staggering 27,000 houses on greenfield sites turned down by councils, in the last two years. File picture . The MPs heard that developers would reject the sites they had been offered, and then issue new planning applications to try to secure more desirable plots on the edges of towns and villages. Committee chair Clive Betts, a Labour MP, said: ‘We heard developers were claiming sites were unviable in order to obtain planning permission on other, more lucrative sites against the wishes of the council and communities.’ The reasons they gave for the land being unviable could be ‘unreliable’ or in some cases the developers refused to reveal them due to ‘commercial confidentiality’, MPs were told. The report said: ‘We are concerned that the question of viability of becoming a battleground between developers and local authorities. ‘There is a perception amongst councils that developers are using the NPPF provisions as a stick with which to beat them…and getting more greenfield sites added to the land supply’. MPs said they had decided against ordering ministers to ‘tear up’ the planning guidance and start again but fundamental changes were needed to ‘ensure it does the job it was intended to do’. Mr Betts suggested that when land for new housing is chosen ‘the same weight needs to be given to environmental and social factors as to the economic dimension’. They also called for the government to scrap the rules which make it easier to turn former shops into homes as they are ‘making the town centre an unattractive place to visit or indeed to live’.
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New rules allowing developers to overrule local government decisions .
MPs say developers are exploiting them to secure prime greenfield land .
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(CNN) -- At noon on May 16, 1990, a runaway truck struck a minibus at the foot of Jerusalem and bound together the lives of 22 people: 18 Israeli Chasidim, two American Jews, an Israeli Arab and an Israeli Jew who had just found religion. The last died at the wheel of his bus. The rest of us returned to our homes to heal -- a medical jet flying me, my broken neck and a respirator back to New York. I was 19. In time, half of my paralyzed body returned to life, my spastic left side not quite keeping up with my right. I was a hemiplegic and would be always. And when last year I returned to Jerusalem at age 40, stepping from the plane with my cane and ankle brace, I hoped to write of the crash and its place in my life. It had taken me years to tease out where I ended and my disability began. Yes, I knew that had my neck not broken, I would have gotten a haircut that May day, would have played baseball in college, would have become a doctor. But what of the rest? Was it owing to the crash that I was not married, that I was ever-mindful of time, that people seemed to tell me what they told no one else? I wondered if my crash-mates wondered similar things. I wondered how they had made sense of the crash. And so, 22 years after it, I set off to look for them. *** . I found the Chasidim first. They were a large extended family that, together with me and my American friend, had been riding the bus to Jerusalem where they planned to worship at the Western Wall, the Kotel. I found them in the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak. They welcomed me into their home. Surrounded by seven shelves of holy books, Yaakov, the family patriarch, told me that God had caused the crash and spared our lives. He said we had to follow the example of Job and serve God though we did not understand him. TED.com: There are no scraps of men . Next, I found the widow of the bus driver. She was a secular Jew of Yemeni descent and lived in the industrial town of Petach Tikvah. (She wished to keep her name private.) She told me that her husband had feared nothing but God. And, she said, it was God who had ordained the crash. "It is written," she told me. "If you don't believe that, you will go crazy." Finally, in the Arab town of Kfar Qara, I found the driver whose truck had crashed into the left rear of the bus where I sat. Abed told me that he had become religious after the crash and that the crash was an act of God. He then paused from his coffee and his Hebrew to speak an Arabic word: Maktoob. "It is written." I left Abed, mindful as I drove south toward Jerusalem that, in this land of competing narratives, Arab and Jew were for once in perfect agreement. *** . Maktoob made a certain sense to me, for I had long wished to see the story of what befell me written down, formed into a coherent narrative. But not by God. By me. And so, years ago, I had settled on my own variant of maktoob: It will be written. Now -- 23 years later -- it finally is. I have written my book. And it occurs to me that whenever any of us wish to assimilate why we suffer (or prosper), we must choose between these same two narratives. We can attribute our lots to God and his writings, his unknowable ways. Or we can root them in the natural world and chronicle them ourselves -- on paper or simply in our minds. We can take comfort in ultimate if inscrutable justice. Or we can take comfort in observable reason and responsibility. *** . At first, I threw my lot in with God. Never mind that I had long struggled with the theological implications of life's evident unfairness. I was being prayed for and I was recovering, and at age 19, that sufficed. Religion and maktoob were comforts -- the notion of divine authorship (and its obvious extension, ultimate justice) elastic enough to accommodate even inflexible facts like the Holocaust and that my mom was both good and burdened with a vascular disease. But in the end, whether one believes (or not) is not a choice. It is an empirical question. And in time, I came to see that I did not believe in a deity that choreographs crashes. I soon saw just as clearly the uncomfortable fact that I was agnostic regarding God (though my love of Judaism, its traditions and teachings, did not wane). Maktoob -- reassuring, prescriptive -- was gone for good. TED.com: My story -- from gangland daughter to star teacher . But the need in me to make sense of things was not. Like all of us, I still needed a narrative! And as the years passed, and I failed to translate my thoughts into words on a page, I feared, as had John Keats, . "that I may cease to be . Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain." *** . I write narratives for a living. And so, seated at my Jerusalem window last year, ready to at last look back and write, I was familiar with the task at hand, the need to gather information and to then look for patterns in it. But as a writer, I also knew to be wary of pareidolia, the perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not exist. I knew that each of us is apt to overlook those patterns that do exist if they are inconvenient or painful. And I knew that particularly those narratives we write about ourselves can be as detached from the truth as those we inherit. And so, when written records -- hospital files, diaries, photos -- contradicted my memories, I deferred to them and tried to learn from the difference. That I misremembered that a girl in college had canceled our date after seeing my wheelchair a first time (when in fact she had long known that I used it) reminded me that I had long seen the shadow of disability where it was not present. And it was then I saw how similarly intent my crash-mates were to see God in a wrecked bus. Yaakov, the Chasid, told me that God had saved his family because grandmother Etel had said Psalms before boarding the bus. He did not note that the family had headed to Jerusalem only because Etel had suggested they go to the Western Wall (or that God might have done better by them by not causing the crash at all). The widow of the slain bus driver said that God had taken her husband. She did not note that he had died at a bend in the highway known by some in Israel as "sivuv hamavet," the turn of death, where between 1980 and 2010, according to the State of Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, there were 144 accidents with casualties. Abed, the truck driver, said that God, not he, had caused the crash (adding that he had lived an unholy life before the crash, partying in Tel Aviv and Haifa). He did not note that he had ignored large yellow signs instructing him to shift his truck into a low gear (evidenced by police photographs of his brake pads). And he did not note that he had already been guilty, at age 25, of 26 driving violations. But I noted these things. And what for so many years had seemed to point to the arbitrariness of life was soon evidence of the opposite -- my broken neck the almost inevitable consequence not of a divine plan, but of a reckless driver, a truck loaded with four tons of tiles, a backseat with no headrest, and a dangerous road. And it was out of this recognition that the narrative of a slim book grew, careful always to make sense, to reflect, to contextualize -- the obvious efforts of a once passive victim to exert agency over an ungovernable act. TED.com: The why and how of effective altruism . That agency is important for the writer. It is what enables him or her to wring meaning from facts and observations, and then be free of them. And because agency informs the narrative, it is important for the reader too. Millennia after Job suffered, my Chasidic crash-mates put him forth to me as an example of faith in the face of sorrow. But he had ached to write his own narrative too. "Oh that my words were now written!" Job said. "Oh that they were printed in a book!" The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Joshua Prager.
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23 years ago, a bus crash forever changed the life of Joshua Prager .
Prager's broken neck led to paralysis; only half his body functions normally .
He visited others affected by crash, learned that they accept it as God's will .
Prager: I see the crash as result of a dangerous road and poor truck driver .
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f7994c042720cd8eb64c25c753d2e1850328abf8
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Wladimir Klitschko will make a belated return to the American ring when he takes on Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden on April 25. The long-reigning heavyweight champion, who holds three of the four major belts, has not fought in the United States since his win over Sultan Ibragimov at the same venue in 2008. Since then Klitschko has fought primarily in Germany, making 13 successful defences of his titles. Wladimir Klitschko, pictured following his title bout against Kubrat Pulev in November, will return to the USA . Klitschko will fight Bryant Jennings (pictured, left) in his first return to the American ring since February 2008 . The Ukrainian will be making the 18th straight defence of his second reign as world champion and is the second-longest reigning heavyweight in history, just under three years shy of matching Larry Holmes’ record of 11 years and eight months. He said: 'I do have great respect for Bryant Jennings and his achievements. He has good movement in the ring and good technique. I know this will be a tough challenge. 'I am extremely happy to fight in New York again. I had my first unification fight here and a lot of great heavyweight matches have taken place at Madison Square Garden. Klitschko's (left) last fight on American soil came at Madison Square Garden in 2008, against Sultan Ibragimov . Since his last USA outing Klitschko has fought primarily in Germany, making 13 successful title defences . 'It will definitely be a great fight night and I will do everything for it from my side.' The undefeated Jennings who, at 30, is eight years his opponent’s junior, did not start boxing until 2009 and fought just 17 times as an amateur. He made his professional debut a year later and has won all 19 of his fights with 10 coming by knockout. His most impressive victory was his latest, a split-decision win over Cuban Mike Perez last July. Pictured in Germany last week, Klitschko presents his new training programme, 'Klitschko Body Performance' Of his upcoming fight with Jennings, Klitschko said: 'I am extremely happy to fight in New York again' ‘I have all of the attributes naturally to be a champion that you can’t teach - heart and will,’ Jennings told ESPN. ‘I’m psyched up. This is the level where I’m at. This is exactly what I planned to do. ‘Whatever competition you are in, your goal should be to reach the top. This is the top, but now it’s about taking it to higher heights and winning.’ Should Klitschko prevail, he will surely target America’s newest champion, Deontay Wilder, after his impressive victory over Bermane Stiverne last weekend.
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Wladimir Klitschko has not fought in the USA since February 2008 .
He will now return to Madison Square Garden to fight Bryant Jennings .
Klitschko currently holds three of the four major belts, and will make his 18th straight defence of his second reign as world champion .
Jennings, Klitschko's opponent, did not start boxing until 2009 .
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f79961716548d1cdfd311e7b379d80953ec89b64
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:08 EST, 6 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:19 EST, 6 December 2013 . A man convicted 21 years ago of child abuse involving satanic rituals at a day care he ran with his wife was freed Thursday amid questions about the evidence in the case. Dan Keller was released on bond barely a week after the release of his now ex-wife, Fran. The Kellers were convicted and sentenced to 48 years each in 1992, after therapists testified that they helped three children recover memories of satanic rituals and sexual abuse at an Austin preschool the couple operated out of their home. Free: Dan Keller, 72, was released from jail on Thursday after spending 21 years behind bars for child abuse which he claimed he never committed. His ex-wife was released from her charges last week . The only physical evidence came from an emergency room doctor who testified that internal lacerations on one child were evidence of abuse. But in court documents filed earlier this year, Dr. Michael Mouw says what he thought were lacerations were actually normal physiology. That prompted prosecutors in Travis County, which includes Austin, to agree that the case's evidence was faulty and release the couple on bond. Freed: Frances Keller, 63, pictured, was released on bond on November 26 . The couple, who have always maintained their innocence, hope that appeals courts will now exonerate them. Mr Keller, 72, was met outside the county jail by his ex-wife, 63, who was released November 26. The pair - who divorced while in prison, but who remain close - hugged warmly. Dan Keller told reporters he wasn't bitter and planned to spend his first moments of freedom grabbing a cheeseburger. Dr Mouw said in an affidavit . presented to court this year that he had little training at the time on . how to examine sexual abuse in children and came to the wrong . conclusions in examining a child in the Keller case. 'While . my testimony was based on a good faith belief at that time, I now . realize my conclusion is not scientifically or medically valid, and that . I was mistaken,' he said in the affidavit. The Kellers were convicted of . sexually abusing a 3-year-old girl in their care and faced accusations . of dismembering corpses, putting blood in Kool-Aid and flying children to Mexico where they would be sexually abused by soldiers. Mouw provided the only physical evidence in the case, telling the jury that lacerations on one of the alleged victims was indication of sexual abuse. He later learned that those slight lacerations were actually normal physiology. 'There is a reasonable likelihood that (the medical expert's) false testimony affected the judgment of the jury and violated Frances Keller's right to a fair trial,' said Rosemary Lehmberg, the district attorney for Travis County, which is located in central Texas and includes the city of Austin. Day care center: Here is the home and former day care center owned and run by Fran Keller, who was swept up in a national hysteria over satanic ritual abuse . Fran . Keller's attorney, Keith Hampton, said: 'The case was a true witch hunt . because the investigators actually believed that this was part of a . wide satanic conspiracy.' He said the therapist's techniques — . which were used to convince the children, parents and investigators that . the Kellers committed human sacrifices, sexually abused them with pens and dismembered human bodies in cemeteries — have been debunked. The Kellers were sentence after just a six day trial, according to KUT. The couple were among hundreds of childcare workers who . were accused of being part of a group of Satan worshipers who engaged . in ritual child abuse across America during the 1980s and 1990s. Free: The couple have always maintained their innocence and even the children who initially claimed the couple sexually abused them and served them blood-laced Kool-Aid have retracted their testimony . 'The Keller case is definitely about the panic back then,' said Hampton. Between 1984 to 1989, some 100 people . nationwide were charged with ritual sex abuse and 50 were put on trial, . according to Debbie Nathan of the National Center for Reason and . Justice, which works to free those wrongly imprisoned. Many . have since questioned a number of the cases, which they said were based . on faulty testimony coaxed out of children from purported experts on . recovered memories and backed by dubious medical testimony on signs of . sexual abuse.
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Frances and Dan Keller were sentenced to 48 years in prison each in 1992 for alleged child abuse at a day care they ran out of their home .
Children initially claimed they were sexually abused with pens and flown to Mexico where the Kellers watched as soldiers abused them .
There was only one piece of physical evidence which the doctor later retracted, and the children said that they were pressured to lie .
Fran Keller was freed on November 26 and Dan was released Thursday .
Their case came amid a wave of fear about satanic rituals at day cares in the late 1980s and 1990s across America .
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Police are hunting for an armed robber who raided a New Hampshire Dunkin' Donuts store on Tuesday night wearing a President Obama mask. CCTV footage shows the disguised male suspect walking into the eatery on Lowell Road, Salem, just after 8pm, brandishing a small black hand gun. After being handed a wad of cash by the server, the man turns around and exits. A manager at the store told WMUR News that the robber instructed the clerk to 'hurry up.' Police were called to the store at 8.10pm. They say the man fled the scene of the crime in a dark green Toyota which had no rear licence plate. Mystery: Police are hunting for an armed robber who raided a New Hampshire Dunkin' Donuts store on Tuesday night wearing a President Obama mask . Caught on camera: CCTV footage shows the disguised male suspect walking into the empty store on Lowell Road, Salem, just after 8pm, brandishing a small black hand gun . Ready to go: After being handed over a wad of cash by the server, the man calmly turns around and exits . Investigators are currently contacting stores in the area that sell similar masks to help identify the thief. Deputy chief Shawn Patten of the Salem Police Department said that ski masks are commonly worn in armed robberies and 'it's not often we see a Halloween type-mask.' Along with the mask, the man wore an all-black ensemble consisting of gloves, sneakers, pants and what is believed to be a Adidas brand tracksuit top.
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The disguised male suspect entered the store on Lowell Road, Salem, on Tuesday just after 8pm, brandishing a small black hand gun .
Police are currently hunting for the man, who fled in a dark green Toyota .
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By . James Nye . Busted: Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Patrick Hogan says Jarrett was taken into custody at around 12:30 pm . Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett has been released after his arrest at a Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport bar for refusing to cooperate with airport police who were called to the scene, an airport official said. Jarrett was taken into custody at around 12.30pm Wednesday at the Northern Lights Grill in the airport's main terminal. He remained in Hennepin County Jail until around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Officers were called to the scene after reports of an intoxicated man. They arrived to find Jarrett drunk and said he acted belligerent and refused to follow orders, according to Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Patrick Hogan. Jarrett, . 59, was booked on a preliminary charge of . obstructing the legal process by interfering with a peace officer, which is a misdemeanor. His . bond was set at $300. Records show he's due in court on June 6. A representative of Fox News issued a statement Thursday morning about the arrest at the airport bar. The bar is shown below in a picture supplied by RSP Architects. 'We were made aware late last night that Gregg Jarrett was arrested in Minneapolis yesterday and charged with a misdemeanor,' the network spokesperson said. 'He is dealing with serious personal issues at this time. A date at which Gregg might return to air has yet to be determined.' On May 12, Jarrett, who has two daughters with wife Catherine Kennedy Anderson, requested time off from Fox News for 'personal reasons,' according to TV Newser, and the network granted his request. Jarrett recently covered the murder trial of George Zimmerman and the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco Airport. The Los Angeles-born broadcaster joined the Fox News Channel in November 2002. He attracted attention on April 14 after appearing intoxicated on the air and slurring his speech during a broadcast segment about the IRS tea-party targeting scandal. Forty minutes into a dinnertime broadcast, he left the show and didn't return. Scroll down for video of Jarrett slurring his speech on the air . Reporter: Jarrett, 59, pictured, was booked on a preliminary charge of obstructing the legal process by interfering with a peace officer, which is a misdemeanor . Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett rehearsing, in New York, for the debut of Fox News Radio's five-minute newscast in 2005. Jarrett was jailed Wednesday May 21, 2014 after being arrested in a bar at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport . He . is co-anchor of the weekend newscasts with Heather Childers and serves . as a substitute anchor weekdays for America's Newsroom (in for Bill . Hemmer), Happening Now (in for Jon Scott), and Studio B for (in for . Shepard Smith). Jarrett . is also a correspondent for the network's one-hour documentaries, and . he serves as a legal analyst for both FNC and the Fox Business Network. The 59-year-old earned his law degree in 1980 from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Scene: Jarrett was arrested at the Northern Lights Grill, pictured, in the Minneapolis airport . Married: Jarrett has been married to Catharine Kennedy Anderson, left, since 1993 and they have two daughters . He worked as a defense attorney in San Francisco for the Gordon & Rees LLP law firm before turning to journalism. He has anchored and reported for the stations in San Francisco, Salisbury, Maryland, Raleigh, North Carolina and Wichita, Kansas. He also worked for MSNBC. His latest tweet was in February. 'You could use a little experience and maturity,' the anchor said, concluding an eight tweet rant about CNN's Don Lemon.
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Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett appeared intoxicated according to police after his arrest at 12.30pm on Wednesday .
Booked into Hennepin County Jail on a $300 bond and later released .
Recently requested time off from the news network for 'personal reasons'
Has been married to his wife since 1993 and has two daughters .
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By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 05:02 EST, 12 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:44 EST, 12 December 2012 . Shalema Gaskin, 32, was shot dead outside a hospital in Brooklyn as her eight-year-old daughter lay in a hospital bed inside after suffering an asthma attack . A mother-of-three was shot dead down outside a hospital as her child was being treated inside for an asthma attack. While eight-year-old daughter Saniyah Gaskin-Miley was lying in a ward having following treatment with her father at her side, Shalema, 32, went outside for a cigarette at Brookdale University Hospital, New York. She was gunned down with a single shot to the neck from point blank range. Ms Gaskin - who left her job in immigration services office to pursue a sociology degree - was rushed back into the hospital's emergency room, but could not be saved. Her family told the New York Daily News they have been left shattered by the shocking murder. 'She came outside to smoke a cigarette ... and never made it back upstairs,' said her heartbroken mother, Tanya Gaskin, 50. 'Her baby’s father was up there waiting for her to come back and he didn’t know what happened until the cops called him.' Her aunt Lila Evans said: 'She didn’t deserve to die. That girl was an angel. She had no enemies.' So far police have no clues behind the motive of the random killing in south Brooklyn. Ms Gaskin had brought her daughter Saniyah Gaskin-Miley to the hospital on Monday morning when the child began suffering from asthma. She was joined later by boyfriend and the child's father Mark Miley. Just before 3am, she told him she was going to check on her other daughters - Tamara Gaskin, 18, and Briana, five - at her apartment three blocks away. But minutes later she was shot dead. Detective were scouring the area for clues - looking in drainpipes for spent casings or the murder weapon. Shocking: Brookdale Univeristy Hospital in south Brooklyn where mother-of-three Shalema Gaskin was shot dead on Monday . Police said the incident is not believed to have been caught on any surveillance cameras and Mr Miley was released without charge after being questioned by police. The couple were in a 10-year relationship and Ms Gaskin's mother said Mr Mile was 'hysterical' after receiving news of her death. Ms Gaskin - who had been struggling . to pay her daughter's university fees - was a regular worshipper at New . Jerusalem Baptist Church in Queens. 'She was in a safe place,' said Tanya Gaskin. 'This is a hospital. People are supposed to come here for help.'
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Shalema Gaskin shot outside Brookdale University Hospital, New York .
Daugther Saniyah Gaskin-Miley, 8, was being cared for after asthma attack .
Family pay tribute to 'angel who didn't deserve to die'
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A student suffered horrific burns after he was forced to peel his arm off a searing-hot radiator which he had fallen asleep against when he was drunk. The 21-year-old, who did not want to be named, said he had come home after a night out in Plymouth in Devon and decided to take a nap against the radiator, which he said was cold at the time. But the third year engineering student at Plymouth University soon found himself in hospital and on an IV drip after he suffered severe burns when he woke up with his arm stuck to the hot radiator. A 21-year-old student was left with horrific burns (left) and scars (right) after he drunkenly fell asleep against a radiator after a night out, and woke up at his home in Plymouth to find he had been stuck to the hot radiator . He still has scars from the incident and was also given antibiotics to treat his arm. 'It all started when I was out at the Christmas party for a gay pub I used to work at,' he said. 'The vodka and beers were flying everywhere and I took it a bit far. 'When I came back I was hammered and I fell asleep against the radiator which was cold at the time. 'I woke up a few hours later when the radiator was steaming hot. 'I thought "Jesus, my arm's stuck on a radiator, what am I going to do?" I had to peel myself off. It really hurt.' The third year engineering student burnt himself using a UV lamp he mistook for a heater just days later . The student immediately took himself to hospital where doctors put him on a drip because they were concerned about his circulation in the burned arm. He received specialist burn treatment. He added: 'They gave me a special burn cream, painkillers and even antibiotics. I didn't take those in the end. 'It looked really nasty. My friends have been asking me if I'm okay and if I need any aloe vera.' And it appeared the student had failed to learn his lesson as just days later he managed to burn himself again, this time on a UV lamp that he had mistook for a heater at his student house.
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Student came home after drunken party and took nap against cold radiator .
But when he woke up radiator was searing hot and his arm was stuck to it .
The engineering student peeled his arm off and said he was in a lot of pain .
Went to hospital and was given specialist burn treatment and put on drip .
Days later he burned himself on a UV light at student home in Plymouth .
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By . Tom Mctague, Mail Online Deputy Political Editor . Labour's rising star Chuka Umunna has declared that he has no problem with people making 'a lot of money'. The shadow business secretary, tipped as a future party leader, even said Labour wanted to help people become millionaires. Mr Umunna's remarks echo former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson - who famously said that Labour under Tony Blair was 'intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich'. Chuka Umunna, tipped as a future Prime Minister, is known to speak regularly with Blairite heavyweight Lord Mandelson . Mr Blair himself said he did not go into politics 'to make sure that David Beckham earns less money'. Mr Umunna's remarks appear in stark contrast to those of Labour leader Ed Miliband - who has vowed to create a more equal society. But the Labour frontbencher told The House magazine: 'I don’t have a problem with people making a lot of money, so long as they pay their taxes and it’s good for our economy.' He added: 'I’m very clear: we want to help people make their first million. Peter Mandelson, the former Business Secretary, is now a Labour peer. He was a key member of the New Labour government . 'If you set up a start-up and you increase you turnover to over a million, you will be employing people and delivering tax receipts to the Exchequer and helping Britain pay its way in the world. We should be saying that.' Mr Umunna also praised new Treasury minister Sajid Javid's successful career in banking. He said: 'I don’t have a problem with the fact that Sajid earned millions of pounds working in the City before he was elected. 'I have more of a problem with what he stands for and what he believes in and that’s what the focus should be.' The intervention comes after Mr Miliband earlier this year said 'tackling inequality is the new centre ground of politics'. After winning the Labour leadership in 2010 he said equality was 'at the very heart of why we need to move on from New Labour'. He said: 'During our years in power, we didn't do enough to stop the gap between rich and poor getting wider.' But Mr Umunna launched an impassioned defence of Mr Blair's record. The Labour MP said: 'We achieved a huge amount in office, and we should shout more loudly about it. 'We all know what the Conservative strategy will be, and that will be to argue that Labour crashed the car. 'Well, that is not the experience of my constituents when they look at the six new and improved health centres in Streatham, when they look at our safer neighbourhood teams in every ward, when they look at improved school buildings, reduced class sizes and the increased numbers of young people going to university for the first time in their family’s history. 'Don’t tell me we crashed the car, because we left this country in an immeasurably better state in 2010 than we found it in 1997 and Tony Blair has a huge amount to do with that. And people forget that.' Labour leader Ed Miliband and his shadow business secretary are close allies . Like Mr Blair, the shadow business secretary is religious. Mr Umunna said: 'My faith has definitely shaped my politics. 'I do try to go to Southwark [Cathedral] at least once a month, and get a bit of time away to reflect. I wouldn’t say I’m majorly religious. But I am a believer, absolutely.' Mr Umunna also revealed his inspiration for joining the Labour party - former Tory Chancellor Norman Lamont. The Labour MP, who attended the private St Dunstan’s College school in south London, challenged Mr Lamont when he came to give a speech. He said: 'He got up and made the case for the Tories and said why we should support them. 'And I sat in my chair getting more and more agitated by what he was saying, so got up to ask a question, slightly forgetting that this man used to run the UK economy and here I am this 17 year-old challenging him. 'I said "How on earth can you expect us to vote for you when you said you were going to cut taxes and you’ve actually put them up? And you’re jailing female prisoners who are in labour.’ “And of course the reaction in the hall was electric. People were laughing and clapping. 'And I finished asking the question, and was slightly shaking, going "I can’t quite believe I’ve just done that". 'And I always remember Norman said "Are you quite finished yet?" - and I carried on. 'I sat down thinking "I can’t believe I’ve done this". 'And that was the first time I thought maybe I could do politics at some point in the future.'
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Shadow business secretary says Labour wants to see more millionaires .
Claims making a fortune is 'good for the economy' - if taxes are paid .
Mandelson said he was 'intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich'
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Hannah Graham's parents have released a statement pleading with residents to check their yards for any sign of their missing daughter who vanished one month ago today. The 18-year-old University of Virginia student was last seen on a surveillance video walking with kidnapping suspect Jesse Matthew in downtown mall in Charlottesville, Virginia on September 13. The sophomore has not been seen or heard from since. 'It is now a month since our precious daughter Hannah disappeared,' her parents, John and Sue Graham, said in a statement released on the university's website on Monday. Scroll down for video . Where is she? Hannah Graham, pictured in newly-released photos, vanished from Charlottesville, Virginia on September 13. Her parents have released a statement one month on to plead for more information . Search: Another new image shows Graham, who was last seen on surveillance footage a month ago . 'We truly appreciate the enormous effort that is being made to find Hannah. It is heart-breaking for us that the person or persons who know where Hannah is have not come forward with that information. 'It is within their power both to end this nightmare for all, and to relieve the searchers of their arduous task.' They added: 'We would like to urge anyone who has not already searched their property in the city of Charlottesville, or any of the neighboring counties, to please do so today. 'Please, please, please help us to bring Hannah home.' The couple also thanked authorities, including Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo and Virginia Search and Rescue's Mark Eggeman, as well as others who have helped them search for their missing daughter. Arrest: Jesse Matthew, 32, has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Hannah, right . Teams have searched 95 per cent of an eight-mile radius around the area she was last seen, WVIR reported. Tips are also sparking searches of specific areas, authorities said. Graham had left an off-campus party on her own before she vanished. She was captured on surveillance video and by witnesses with 32-year-old Matthew. After eluding authorities and fleeing to Texas, he was later arrested and charged with abduction with the intent to defile in connection with the case. He is currently behind bars. Since his arrest, Matthew, a nursing assistant, has been linked by DNA evidence to the disappearance of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington. Search: The Grahams thanked Chief Timothy Longo, pictured September 24, for searching for their daughter. Teams have covered 95 per cent of the area in an eight mile radius of the where she was last seen . Together: The Graham family members are pictured together, with Hannah left, before her disappearance . The Virginia Tech student went missing on October 17, 2009, after leaving a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Her body was found on a farm three months later. Police have seized and searched the taxi that Matthew was driving the night Morgan vanished. He was allegedly seen driving the cab from a farm later that evening, CNN reported. The FBI have indicated that, based on forensic evidence, Harrington's killer also raped a woman in Northern Virginia in 2005 . It is now a month since our precious daughter Hannah disappeared. We would again like to express our thanks to Chief Longo, Mark Eggeman, their teams, and all of the wonderful people who have dedicated so much of their time to help search for Hannah. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to them, and to the many others who have provided us with support throughout this ordeal. We truly appreciate the enormous effort that is being made to find Hannah. It is heart-breaking for us that the person or persons who know where Hannah is have not come forward with that information. It is within their power both to end this nightmare for all, and to relieve the searchers of their arduous task. Again, we would like to urge anyone who has not already searched their property in the city of Charlottesville, or any of the neighboring counties, to please do so today. Please, please, please help us to bring Hannah home. Thank you. John and Sue Graham .
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Sue and John Graham released a statement on Monday, which marks one month since their daughter vanished on September 13 .
They pleaded for information that could 'end this nightmare for all'
University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, 18, disappeared after she left an off-campus party and was last seen at a mall in Charlottesville .
She was seen with Jesse Matthew, who has since been arrested .
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In an extraordinary display of civil disobedience, women in Saudi Arabia on Saturday defied their nation's de facto ban on women driving by getting behind the steering wheel. After a campaign for change gathered pace on social media, numerous women filmed themselves behind the wheel Saturday in various cities and uploaded those videos to YouTube. Several Saudi supporters of the October 26th Women's Driving Campaign told CNN that at least 25 women drove Saturday. Authorities stopped five women who were spotted driving in the Saudi capital and "each case was dealt with accordingly," Col. Fawaz Al-Meeman of Riyadh police told CNN. Al-Meeman, an assistant spokesman for that city's police department, explained that the women weren't taken to police stations. Instead, they were kept in their vehicles until their male guardians arrived, at which point the women were released after signing pledges not to drive again. Driving campaign supporter Mai Al-Swayan, an economic researcher, said she was one of the women who drove Saturday. She posted a video on YouTube showing her driving. She said she drove from home to a grocery store in Riyadh, and then back with her groceries. "I drove on the highway and was noticed by a couple of cars but they were fine with it," she said. Opinion: Give Saudi women right to drive . "I'm very proud. I feel like we accomplished the purpose of our campaign." Al-Swayan, who has taken the wheel before in defiance of the ban, said she was worried about what might happen before she drove Saturday but now plans to keep doing it. She said she believed more women would drive in the days to come. Photographer: Taken to police station . While Riyadh police said no one was taken to police stations, that wasn't the case in Jeddah, said photographer Samia El-Moslimany. She said she was detained in the evening for having driven and taken to a police station, where there was another woman who had been stopped for driving. El-Moslimany said she was later released. "I thought I was going to take an uneventful drive around the neighborhood to solidify my reasoning that it's not against the law, simply against the current customs of our country," El-Moslimany told CNN. Men she believes to be police informants spotted and followed her, she said. She pulled over and called her driver to take her back home, but police appeared and she had to go to the station. "We were treated with respect and treated so professionally," El-Moslimany said. "We described how we were not part of any demonstration, that we ... felt it was our right. They spoke to us very kindly and said we'd have to sign a pledge not to drive again." Police told the women they needed their guardians to come to the station before they could be released, she said. Jeddah police could not be immediately reached for comment. Interior Ministry: Laws will be enforced . Asked if any women were observed or stopped from driving, or if there was an increased police presence on the streets of major cities, Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Al-Turki said it was a "normal day, just like every Saturday." He added, "I am not aware of any violation. Usually regional police spokesmen would speak to media about any, if any violation takes place." Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry issued a warning earlier in the week to women caught driving and anyone taking part in demonstrations. Without outlining how laws would be applied and what punishment might be doled out to offenders, Al-Turki said then, "All violations will be dealt with -- whether demonstrations or women driving." He added, "Not just on the 26th. Before and after. At all times." No traffic law specifically prohibits women from driving in Saudi Arabia, but religious edicts there are often interpreted to mean women are not allowed to operate a vehicle. It's not clear what action might be taken against women who defy the de facto ban. Several Saudi women supporting the campaign said they received threatening calls Thursday from men claiming to represent the Interior Ministry, according to women's rights activists who requested anonymity. The callers warned the women not to drive before, on or after Saturday, the activists said. Initially, Al-Turki denied any calls were made. He later contacted CNN to clarify his comments, saying the phone calls were a public relations move by the ministry to help people understand that laws would be "fully enforced" Saturday. 'Shameful' to detain women for driving . Adam Coogle, a Saudi Arabia researcher for Human Rights Watch, told CNN via e-mail that the Saudi Interior Ministry was trying to "deflate the momentum" behind the campaign through "direct, individual intimidation." He called on Saudi Arabia to end discrimination and allow women to go about their business. "It is shameful that a woman could be detained for activity that isn't illegal," he said. "The Interior Ministry claims it is against 'activities that disturb public peace,' but pulling over and arresting activists merely for practicing their rights is a far greater threat to public peace than merely getting behind the wheel." One of those spearheading the driving campaign is activist Manal Al-Sharif, who was jailed for more than a week in 2011 after posting a video of herself driving. Al-Sharif, who now lives in the United Arab Emirates, said it is a positive sign that the government stated its position on women driving. "They kept telling the world that the women's driving issue was one for Saudi society to decide upon," she said. "Society is now showing it is supportive of the idea of women driving. The government's reaction makes it very clear this is not a societal decision. This is a political decision." Saturday's protest was the culmination of an online movement launched in late September urging Saudi women to get behind the wheel. The campaign quickly gained momentum, with its online petition garnering more than 16,000 signatures despite the kingdom's restrictions on protests. The online initiative was boosted by the fact that residents of Saudi Arabia are highly active on social media and YouTube. Rights group Amnesty International on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive and not punish those campaigning for change. The group said at least 35 women drove on Saudi streets Saturday, filming and uploading their videos on to YouTube. Cleric warns driving could damage women's ovaries . Read more: Why Saudi driving ban can't last .
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A female photographer says she was taken to a police station in Jeddah .
At least 25 women drove Saturday, campaign supporters say .
A woman says she drove to a grocery store in Riyadh and is "very proud" of the initiative .
Rights group: Saudi authorities are using intimidation to try to deflate the campaign .
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For years, British complaints that the Eurovision Song Contest is a fix have been dismissed as sour grapes. Now, however, it seems that our concerns may have been justified. The organisers are investigating claims that several countries bought votes from others at this year’s final. Foul play? An executive from an unnamed Eurovision Song Contest country has claimed that Azerbaijan is one of several countries offering bribes for country's votes. Azerbaijan entrant in 2013 Farid Mammadov is pictured . Second-placed Azerbaijan – which has . been awarded the maximum 12 points by Malta for four years running – has . been accused not only of attempting to bribe jury members but also . paying Lithuanian students to vote multiple times. And Macedonia has been accused of trying to set up a vote-swapping scheme with other countries to ensure a high place. The claims were made by an anonymous official involved in this year’s competition, which was held in Malmo, Sweden. The . insider was contacted by several delegations keen to arrange . vote-rigging schemes, they told Swedish newspaper Skanska Dagbladet. The . executive, from an unknown delegation, claimed the Azerbaijani . contingent offered ‘enough money to live for a year’ in return for high . points. The source added: ‘I know of at least three other countries that . are doing this kind of agreement backstage, even if they have not . contacted me personally.’ Controversy: The source made allegations against Azerbaijan, whose 2011 winning act are pictured, left. UK entrant Bonnie Tyler, right, also claims to have overheard Russians asking other countries where were the votes that they paid for . Farid Mammadov, representing Azerbaijan, came second in this year's competition prompting suspicion as the country was awarded 12 points by Malta for the fourth year in a row . In May the Azerbaijani delegation was . accused of handing out mobile phone SIM cards to Lithuanian students and . paying them to vote. Lithuanian news website 15min published a . secretly recorded film which allegedly shows them being offered €20 each . by Russian-speaking men to support Azerbaijan in this year’s final. The . country, which hosted last year’s Eurovision and won in 2011, regularly . receives maximum points from countries including Lithuania, Malta, . Bulgaria and Israel. The Azerbaijani entry this year, which finished second to Denmark, was Hold Me sung by Farid Mammadov. In . June this year’s UK entrant Bonnie Tyler claimed she overheard Russians . asking why they didn’t get votes they had bought. The singer, who came . 19th out of 26, said: ‘The next day the Russians were complaining to . Azerbaijan – “Why didn’t you give us the ten points we paid for?” ’ Another . source said: ‘I am not surprised [by the claims]. On the night, Bonnie . got the biggest reaction in the arena, and all over Malmo she was . mobbed. It was almost impossible for her to get such a bad score.’ Eurovision . Song Contest event supervisor Sietse Bakker said the corruption claims . were being investigated by the European Broadcasting Union. Cheryl . Baker of Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 contest for the UK, said: ‘You’ll . always get people voting for their neighbour, but taking money, I think . that’s shocking. It’s turning a joyous occasion into something sordid . and nasty.’
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Executive claims that Azerbaijan and four other countries have been using underhand tactics to win votes .
Allegations made that Azerbaijani delegate offered 'enough money to live for a year' in exchange for high scores .
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If ordinary Americans voted . for the Academy Awards, American Sniper would win Best Picture by a landslide, the annual Oscars poll has revealed. Clint Eastwood's movie starring Bradley Cooper as the late Navy SEAL Chris . Kyle was cited by 22 per cent of respondents as the movie that . should win the top Oscar among the eight nominees. The Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma was the second . most popular choice with 8 per cent. Scroll down for video . The people's favorite: American Sniper scored an overwhelming majority of votes to win Best Picture . According to the online survey run by Reuters and Ipsos from January 16-23, Boyhood, the coming-of-age story filmed over 12 years with . the same actors, was third in . the survey with 4 per cent. Nearly half, or 48 per cent, said they were unsure which film . should win best picture. Both American Sniper and Selma have been the subject of . controversy in recent weeks. The Eastwood-directed film, currently No 1 at the North . American box office, has become a flashpoint of debate between . liberals and conservatives over the morality of war and the role . of snipers. Selma drew criticism from some historians for what they . said was a misleading portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson's . role in the fight for voting rights for blacks. Controversy: Clint Eastwood's biopic of the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (left) has sparked furious debate . Second place: Selma, the biopic of Martin Luther King Jr, came second in the vote with eight per cent . It was also at the center of the upheaval over the lack . of diversity in the Oscar nominations announced last week, which . excluded the film's African-American female director and lead . actor. The survey revealed, however, that many people have not seen . the year's top films and Oscar contenders. The film seen most by those surveyed was Gone Girl, the . film adaptation of the best-selling thriller that did not . receive a best picture nomination. Twelve per cent have seen that . film. American Sniper and musical Into the Woods, were the . second most seen at 9 per cent each. Worth the wait? It seems the 12-year project Boyhood also paid off, earning third place in the eyes of viewers . The two films that lead all Academy Awards nominees with . nine nods a piece, the whimsical caper The Grand Budapest . Hotel and the dark satire Birdman, have been seen by 8 . per cent and 4 per cent, respectively. A full 65 per cent of respondents had not seen any of the 15 . films cited in the survey. The Oscars, to be presented at a ceremony on February 22, will . be voted on by the 6,100 members of the Academy of Motion . Picture Arts and Sciences. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 2,385 Americans online and . has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.3 percentage . points.
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American Sniper would win the Oscar if ordinary Americans voted .
Poll found 22% backed Clint Eastwood's movie starring Bradley Cooper .
The biopic of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle has sparked debate on morality of war .
Selma would come second with 8%, Boyhood third with 4% .
48% voted 'not sure', the majority of respondents hadn't seen the films .
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By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 17:40 EST, 4 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:08 EST, 4 June 2013 . Challenge: Half of Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet want him to commit the party to an in-out referendum on Europe . Half of Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet want the Labour leader to commit the party to an in-out referendum on Europe, it was claimed last night. In a challenge to Mr Miliband’s authority, 15 Labour MPs and the party’s biggest donor launched a campaign yesterday to force a policy change on the issue. It came as a poll found that Britons would vote narrowly – 51 per cent to 49 – to leave the EU if there were a referendum now. Businessman John Mills – who recently gave Labour shares worth £1.6million in his home shopping company JML – said it would be ‘unwise’ and ‘undemocratic’ for the party to refuse to give the public a say. Mr Mills even endorsed David Cameron’s plans to renegotiate Britain’s relations with Brussels and said that others in Labour are ‘tacitly’ backing a referendum, which Mr Miliband has repeatedly ruled out. One source in the campaign group Labour For A Referendum said: ‘At least ten members of the Shadow Cabinet [nearly half] are supportive.’ Last week, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: ‘I don’t think we should set our face against a referendum and I certainly don’t think we can ever afford to give the impression that we know better than the voting public.’ Backing: James Wharton, the Tory MP who is piloting a backbench Bill through the Commons to enshrine the right to a referendum in law, claimed the Bill could become law with the support of Labour rebels . James Wharton, the Tory MP who is . piloting a backbench Bill through the Commons to enshrine the right to a . referendum in law, last night claimed the Bill – which has David . Cameron’s backing – could become law with the support of Labour rebels. A senior Tory told the Mail: ‘We can get this through if these people put their money where their mouths are. That’s all it takes.’ Wealthy pensioners could lose their free TV licences as well as their winter fuel allowance if Labour wins the next election. Ed Balls said on Monday that a future Labour government would strip cold weather payments from pensioners on the 40p tax rate. He originally ruled out raiding TV . licences – worth up to £145.50 a year – but then said it might be . pragmatic to do so. But he later threw the policy into chaos, admitting . that it could cost more than it would save to scrap free TV licences. Senior Labour figures who have voiced support for a referendum include defence spokesman Jim Murphy, former Europe minister Keith Vaz and Jon Cruddas, who is running Mr Miliband’s policy review. Mr Cruddas said a failure to ‘trust people’ would lead public anger to ‘fester’. But Mr Miliband and foreign affairs spokesman Douglas Alexander have ruled out a referendum. They do not want to risk being forced in government to leave the EU. Pressure for them to change their stance built yesterday when Labour MP Kate Hoey revealed that she was approached by a member of the Shadow Cabinet who told her that the party ‘will have to’ announce it is backing a referendum before next May’s European elections. Last night, Mr Mills warned that failing to back a referendum would cost votes in marginal seats.
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15 Labour MPs and its biggest donor in campaign to force policy change .
Poll found Britons would vote narrowly to leave EU in referendum now .
Businessman John Mills says Labour should allow public to have a say .
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Rev Aubel has revealed witchcraft is thriving across rural parishes in Wales in his autobiography . A church minister has revealed witchcraft is very much alive and well in his Welsh rural parishes as he warns against becoming involved in the occult. Reverend Felix Aubel has spoken of how he has come across witches, the use of effigies and the 'evil eye' during his career in the Welsh countryside. He has detailed a number of spine-tingling tales after the latest figures in the 2011 census revealed 83 witches and 93 satanists are living in Wales. Rev Aubel, who is the minister of five Congregational chapels in rural Carmarthenshire, even detailed how he had to call out an exorcist after a witch placed a curse on one of his parishioners. He said: 'This is not a joke and I would warn people not to get involved in the occult. 'I have been told that a coven of witches still meet locally. 'There is also a witch living in a nearby village who advertises her services in the local paper.' In his autobiography, Rev Aubel describes how a curse on a parishioner had to be lifted by an exorcist after a 'poppet' or 'effigy' was made of a chapel member of his. He said: 'In folk-magic and witchcraft, a poppet is a doll made to represent a person, for casting spells on that person. 'A poppet or effigy would be used with very sharp needles stuck into its 'heart' as a way of doing evil to an enemy. 'It was this evil type of poppet that was used on a chapel member of mine in the Aberaeron area in 1994. 'It took an experienced Anglican exorcist to 'raise' this curse, which had been placed by a witch on the instruction of another former church member. 'The motivation behind this 'evil' was envy that had turned into jealousy.' Rev Aubel wrote the book, called A Rebel's Story, to act as a warning to people not to get entangle in the occult. Rev Aubel has detailed how he come across the use of effigies, the 'evil eye' and witches during his time as a church minister . The Carmarthenshire church minister, who has preached in West Wales for over 20 years, also said he had battled a case of the 'evil eye' which left a mother and her young child needing hospital treatment. He said: 'This is an ancient belief in the existence of a malevolent power in the glance of some people, which is almost invariably provoked by envy or jealousy. 'In this instance, a lady who had given birth to a baby boy was apparently wished bad luck by the "evil glance" in the eye of a childless spinster neighbour. The church minister has told of how he had to call out an exorcist, similar to the 1973 classic film, after a parishioner was cursed by a witch . 'Both mother and child were subsequently taken ill due to acute breathlessness for no apparent medical reason and had to be hospitalised. 'The spinster even visited the mother and child in hospital while I was speaking to them. 'It became obvious to me that the spinster was praising the baby to its mother in a very false and patronising way.' Rev Aubel said he had come across witches during his time as a minister, while the exorcist had to be called after an effigy, or poppet, was made of a chapel member of his . This is one of the most noticeable characteristics of the utilisation of the "evil eye". 'Realising this, I asked the spinster to say "God bless you" to the baby, having just said what a beautiful child the mother had. 'After that the spinster immediately walked away without uttering another word.' Rev Aubel said the mother later placed a horse shoe amulet in the porch of her home as a precautionary measure to protect her son and herself from the effects of the 'evil eye'.
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Reverend Felix Aubel, of Carmarthenshire, has battled with the occult .
Speaks of chilling tales including a mother and son hospitalised by 'evil eye'
Latest census has revealed there are 83 witches and 93 satanists in Wales .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:21 EST, 22 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 23:39 EST, 22 March 2012 . The missing mother of an Iraq war veteran who is believed to have killed . his family in a murder-suicide was found dead on Thursday off a rural . Northern California road, police said. Gilroy police and volunteers had been looking for 52-year-old Martha Gutierrez since last week, after the bodies of her children, 27-year-old Abel and 11-year-old Lucero, were found in their apartment. Investigators believe Abel Gutierrez, a National Guardsman, fatally shot his mother and sister before turning the gun on himself. Victims: Veteran Abel Gutierrez, left, killed his 11-year-old sister Lucero and his mother Martha, right . Gilroy police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said that authorities have positively identified the woman, and the family had been notified. Investigators on Wednesday asked . citizens in a rural part of Santa Clara and San Benito counties to keep . an eye out for the body, after evidence led them to the area. On Thursday the volunteers found the . body under bushes off the highway. Gutierrez had one apparent gunshot . wound, Gallacinao said. 'Our first priority was locating Martha Gutierrez, now we will try to figure out when and how (her death) happened,' he said. Family members told the San Jose . Mercury News that authorities summoned them to the location of the body . near the border of the two counties. Kristell Gutierrez said authorities confirmed the body belonged to her aunt. 'We were hoping she was alive, but we . kind of knew that she wasn't going to be,' she told the newspaper. 'We're just happy she's been found.' Tributes: Neighbours called Lucero a 'sweet little girl' and said she got on well with other local children . Family members have said they . suspected Abel Gutierrez suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, . and that they had been upset by his talk of suicide and brandishing of . guns. Two weeks before the killings, on February 29, a Gilroy police . officer responded to a service call at the apartment. Yet Abel Gutierrez' family told the officer they did not feel threatened, so Gutierrez was not . placed on a psychological hold, police said. The search for Martha began after the . bodies of her children were found at her apartment and evidence . indicating a violent confrontation in Abel’s Ford Mustang was . discovered. Crews searched 30 miles of Santa Clara County on March 17 but to no avail. He had recently returned from a second tour of Iraq and family members told the San Francisco Chronicle . he would regularly wake during the night, screaming and angrily raging . against the Taliban. He would apparently smoke marijuana to deal with his depression. Police were again called to the . apartment on Wednesday night after a roommate came home, suspected . something was wrong, and went back outside. Responding officers found the bodies of Gutierrez and Lucero dead from gunshot wounds. Crime scene: A San Benito County Sheriff enters the area where the body of Martha Gutierrez was found on Thursday March 22 2012 in California . Tragic: Faustino Gutierrez, left, views the area where the body of his sister Martha Gutierrez was found . There . was no sign of their mother. However, police found clues inside the . home that indicated she may be seriously hurt - or worse. Family members told the San Jose Mercury News that Gutierrez often said that he wanted to kill himself 'all the time' and would ask if that would hurt them. A niece, Kristell Gutierrez, said she knew her uncle was 'very mean' to his mother and blamed her for his father leaving the family. Alissa Fernandez, a neighbour, told the newspaper that Gutierrez 'was just weird, the way he would act.' About two weeks ago, Martha Gutierrez apparently went to the apartment manager, saying she was 'scared of her son'. Mario . Reyes, a neighbour who lives beneath the Gutierrez family, told KNTV-TV . that he thought he heard a scuffle - but no gunshots - around the time . police say the shooting occurred. Iraq: Gutierrez is said to have developed post-traumatic stress disorder while serving in the Army (file photo) Gallacinao said officers found at least two firearms used in the killings, but he would not say whether Gutierrez left a suicide note. Because Gutierrez did not seem dangerous and did not meet the criteria to be placed on a psychiatric hold when police initially attended, they began working with the family and Office of Veterans Affairs in Palo Alto to help him. Gutierrez had been receiving care at a VA facility in Puget Sound, Washington, confirmed a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs Care System. Friends of the family paid tribute to Lucero, who was described as a 'sweet little girl'. A woman named Emily who lives nearby told the Gilroy Dispatch the 11-year-old was 'the best little girl in the world. Her son Julian, also 11, used to play with Power Rangers with Lucero, and said he had prayed that she would be safe when he first heard about the violence. A six-year-old neighbour, Evenny, also remembered the victim happily, and said: 'We were all best friends.'
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Police were called to the house two weeks earlier but decided Abel Gutierrez was not dangerous despite suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder .
His sister Lucero was 'the sweetest little girl', according to neighbours .
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un executed his uncle by having him stripped naked and eaten alive by starving dogs while he watched, a report claimed yesterday. Jang Song-Thaek was said to have been thrown into a cage with his five closest aides, after which 120 hounds which had been starved for three days were released, eating the men until there was nothing left. The horrifying details emerged in a report in Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper, which said the gruesome act was known as ‘quan jue’, or ‘execution by dogs’. Brutal: Jang Song-Thaek, in blue suit and handcuffs being escorted in court on December 12, was executed by wild dogs, according to reports coming from China . In previous executions, political . prisoners were killed by firing squads with machine guns, although one . aide was tied to a post and a mortar round was fired at him. The . report said the ‘quan jue’ lasted an hour, and Kim was said to have . watched the stomach-churning ‘show’ along with 300 senior officials. Analysts . said the tyrant had probably invited the officials to the death . ceremony as a warning that they should not step out of line and remain . faithful not only to him but also to the Stalinist regime. Kim had . described his 67-year-old uncle – who was married to his father’s sister . – as a traitor, a womaniser and a ‘despicable human scum – worse than a . dog’. It was previously thought he had been executed by firing squad. Family: Kim Jong-Un (right) applauds at a show as his uncle, Jang Song-Thaek (left), looks on . Vicious: Dictator Kim Jong-Un, pictured, shocked the world when he accused his 'scum' uncle of treachery and had him executed . Frenzied: Jang Song Thaek was fed to a pack of 120 dogs which had been starved for three days, it was claimed. (Stock picture) The . Singapore paper was quoting China’s official newspaper, Wen Wei Po, . which was published in Hong Kong on December 12, although details . emerged only yesterday. The . savage death of Kim’s uncle sent shockwaves through the authoritarian . state, showing no one was safe – even family members. Kim’s 19-year-old . nephew fled his university campus in Paris after the execution and has . gone into hiding. North Korean justice: The tribunal in the capital Pyongyang which apparently ordered Jang Song Thaek's death . Family: Shown with his powerful nephew during a military parade in February last year, Jang Song Thaek (left) was once the second most powerful man in North Korea. Some say he was seen as a threat . The . tyrant’s ruthless streak was documented last year when it was claimed he . had a former lover executed because she appeared in a porn film. South . Korean newspapers said singer Hyon Song-wol and 11 others were arrested . in August for violating North Korea’s laws against pornography and were . executed, possibly by firing squad, three days later. The . condemned, all members of the performing groups Unhasu Orchestra and . Wangjaesan Light Music Band, were accused of making videos of . themselves having sex and selling the videos for distribution in China. Other band members as well as the families of the victims were made to . watch the mass execution. Revelations: Kim Jong-un used his New Year's speech to defend the recent execution for treason of Jang Song-thaek, Kim's uncle and North Korean second most powerful man of the past decades . Authoritarian: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (seventh from the right) visits the mausoleum of his father Kim Jong-il, late North Korean leader, at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on New Year's Day . The . Straits Times said the report of the ‘quan jue’ vividly depicted the . brutality of the young North Korean leader and the fact that it appeared . in a Beijing-controlled newspaper showed that China no longer cared . about its relations with the Kim regime. Two . days after the initial newspaper report, The Global Times, which is . associated with the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party outlet, . published an editorial saying that the abrupt political change in North . Korea epitomised the backwardness of the country’s political system. And . it warned its own government not to cosy up to North Korea any longer, . claiming that the majority of the Chinese people were ‘disgusted’ with . the Kim regime. Writing in . the Straits Times, analyst Ching Cheong said the story, along with the . stern editorial, provided a measure of the extent of Beijing’s loathing. ‘In purging a top official . known for his close ties with Beijing in such a brutal manner, . Pyongyang (the North Korean capital) did not hide its antagonism towards . China,’ he wrote. Kim Jong-Un is no stranger to ordering brutal crackdowns on anyone even suspected of posing a political threat - no matter how close the relationship. The dictator had his former lover singer Hyon Song-wol, pictured right, executed by machine gun amid claims that she had been appearing in pornographic videos. Hyon was among a dozen singers, musicians and dancers from two pop groups who were machine-gunned to death on August 20, last year. The savage death of Kim's uncle sent shock waves through the authoritarian state, showing no one was safe - even family members. Kim's teenage nephew fled to a university campus in Paris after the execution of Jang Song-Thaek. The 19-year-old's name was removed from the postbox at prestigious social science university Sciences-Po, which saw South Korean media report that he was hiding for fear of his safety. Fears also mounted last month that Kim's wife Ri Sol-Ju had fallen out of favour with the tempestuous leader. She had not been seen publicly for weeks and was not present in an official photograph, provoking speculation . But these were largely eased when a video was released showing her with Kim Jong-Un at a memorial service to mark the second anniversary of his father's death.
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A pack of 120 starving dogs were set on Jang Song Thaek and five aides .
Kim Jong-Un and 300 officials watched horrific execution .
Punishment, called 'quan jue', or execution by dogs, lasted an hour .
Uncle was accused of treachery and corruption by the brutal regime .
Kim has carried out a 'massive purge' of threats to consolidate his grip .
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FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- More than 1,000 volunteers rushed to fill sandbags early Wednesday as many in North Dakota tried to protect themselves from a historic floods that are expected to swamp the area. A Fargo resident surveys the sandbags outside his home, located about 15 feet from the Red River, on Tuesday. Even at 3:30 a.m., hundreds of volunteers packed into individual sandbagging centers, an organizer said. "There have been so many volunteers that we had to turn people away," said Ryan McEwan, a supervisor at one volunteer coordinating center. "It is very busy. They are filling sandbags as fast as they can." Fargo city officials estimated that as many as 10,000 volunteers have come forward since Sunday to aid in a sandbagging effort that's taken over North Dakota State University's central arena, the Fargodome, and to help build levees along the now closely watched Red River. See map of affected area » . That river posed the greatest risk of about eight rivers in the state that were at flood levels, emergency officials said. The fear is that the Red River could overtake all previous records. As of Wednesday morning, the Red River ran at about 33 feet -- 15 feet above flood stage. A record level of 41.1 feet was set in 1897. The record level of the river set in the April 1897 flood could be surpassed Friday, Cecily Fong of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services said Tuesday. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from an area near the city of Bismarck on Tuesday night as the Missouri River flooded, Rick Robinson of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services said Wednesday. Recent rain and blizzard conditions have swollen the rivers. Gov. John Hoeven received word late Tuesday that North Dakota had received a presidential disaster declaration. "We've had a severe winter and are experiencing significant flooding across the state, so we are grateful to receive this federal assistance as we continue the flood fight and recovery effort," Hoeven said. Under the declaration, the federal government will cover 75 percent of the costs. "We're concerned about the rise of the river and how fast it's coming up, so our concern is that we're going to hit 41 feet," Fargo Deputy Mayor Tim Mahoney said Tuesday, adding that the way the levees are currently set up, they would protect against overflow only up to 38 feet. Officials are guessing the Red River, which runs through the eastern parts of North and South Dakota, and western Minnesota, could crest in Fargo -- North Dakota's largest city, with about 99,200 residents -- anytime Friday or Saturday and that the water may linger at its crest height. The city has canceled all trials scheduled in Fargo Municipal Court through April 2 because of the expected flooding, to allow all police officers to be available for possible emergencies, according to the city's Web site. As of late Tuesday, Fargo residents and out-of-town volunteers had filled more than 1 million sandbags out of the needed 2 million. Mahoney said he hoped that, with the 24-hour sandbagging effort at the Fargodome, that goal will be met by Thursday. iReport.com: Are you there? Share photos, video . Another factor threatening efforts is the possibility of freezing temperatures, because sandbags freeze together and then aren't individually stackable. Despite the stress, volunteers have been working around the clock. "You got old people, young people -- all helping out," Mahoney said. "It's heartwarming to see how many people are here." CNN's Robyn Sidersky contributed to this story.
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City of Fargo prepares for what could be the worst flooding it's ever had .
Up to 10,000 volunteers have come forward since Sunday to aid in sandbagging .
Swollen Red River running 14 feet above flood stage Tuesday night .
Residents have had much less time to prepare than major 1997 flood .
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Washington (CNN) -- A filing on behalf of basketball superstar LeBron James dismisses as "rank speculation" claims by a Washington lawyer that he is the athlete's biological father, saying the man has "delusions" about alleged family ties. Lawyers for James and his mother filed papers in federal court Monday seeking to dismiss a pending lawsuit. Leicester Stovell alleges the NBA all-star and his family have been involved in a cover-up to deny paternity, by committing fraud and misrepresentation. The 14-page document said Stovell had completely failed to prove any of the facts alleged in his June 23 complaint. And they said he was motivated only by fame and money, calling Stovell's actions a "fanciful hope for celebrity." The lawsuit claims Stovell met James' mother, Gloria, in a Washington bar and restaurant in 1984, when she was visiting from Ohio. She was 15 or 16 at the time, and Stovell says they had sex only once, and was informed by Gloria James months later that she was pregnant. He claims she told him the child would be named LeBron, similar to Leicester Bryce, Stovell's first and middle names. Stovell is asking for unspecified millions of dollars in damages, and says he has been trying for three years to establish paternity, which he hopes would lead to financial and commercial opportunities. He is a solo legal practitioner in the District of Columbia, and filed the lawsuit on his own behalf. He alleges a DNA test that showed he was not James' father was falsified. James' attorneys, Frederick Nance and John Burlingame, dismissed those suggestions in often mocking tones aimed at the plaintiff. "Stovell's claims for millions of dollars from his putative son and Gloria James are based upon rank speculation," said the court filing, "that a man who claims that as a 29-year-old lawyer he got a 15-year-old girl pregnant during a one-night stand and who never contributed a penny in child support would earn millions in commercial endorsements by crawling out of the woodwork after the child he never gave a thought to became an NBA star." James, a native of Akron, Ohio, recently left the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat for what is believed to be one of the richest sports contracts in history. He is the reigning most valuable player of the NBA, and has carefully cultivated a public image as one of the most popular and talented athletes. The complaint filed June 23 by Stovell said, "I recently have concluded that a comprehensive, sophisticated and well-funded effort might well have been under way for quite some time, perhaps beginning in its present form as early as when defendant LeBron James was in high school, to frustrate identification of his real father, and that there is a likelihood that the father in question is me." James' lawyers think otherwise. "Stovell may truly believe that he is the father of LeBron James, even though a DNA test has told him otherwise. But his delusions do not give rise to a cause of action against either Gloria or LeBron James." Public records show Stovell is a former government attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He filed a lawsuit in 2002 against the agency, alleging racial discrimination. Federal court records show the case was settled when the SEC paid him $230,000, while not admitting fault.
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Man claims to be LeBron James' biological father .
Lawyers for James and his mother seek dismissal of a lawsuit the man filed .
Leicester Stovell is seeking unspecified millions in damages .
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(CNN)For about an hour this morning, humans across the world were briefly forced to interact with each other in person. Shortly after 12:10 a.m. ET, Facebook and Instagram went down, leaving millions of users around the world briefly unable to post selfies or humblebrag. Visitors were greeted with a message that said, "Sorry, something went wrong." For others, the page wouldn't load. The outage affected a large portion of the United States, according to downdetector.com. Users across Asia, Australia and New Zealand also reported having trouble logging on. "We're aware that many people are currently having trouble accessing Facebook and Instagram," Facebook spokeswoman Charlene Chian told CNN. "We're working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible." But an hour is an eternity! Without Facebook, how are you supposed to know which friends are having birthdays? Without Instagram, are you supposed to just describe your dinner? People quickly took to Twitter. And the outage quickly spawned a hashtag, #facebookdown. It ran the gamut of emotions. Some were funny: . Some were serious: . Some went old school: . Some made the most of it: . Some offered survival tips: . Some were ready for come-what-may: . And some got really creative, really fast: . About 52 minutes later, both sites were up and running. Facebook said the outage wasn't a third party attack but "instead occurred after we introduced a change that affected our configuration systems." And all was right with the world! CNNMoney's Charles Riley contributed to this report.
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Shortly after 12:10 a.m. ET, Facebook and Instagram went quiet .
The outage affected users from around the world .
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By . Olivia Fleming . PUBLISHED: . 08:55 EST, 18 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:07 EST, 18 October 2012 . Sarah Silverman's father has attacked an Orthodox rabbi who criticised his daughter's life choices. Ronald Silverman, 75, called rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt an 'a**hole,' and warned, 'don't f**k with my family'. His angered response comes after Rabbi Rosenblatt published on open letter on JewishPress.com, which takes issue with the 42-year-old's use of 'biblical language' in her Let My People Vote campaign, and assaults her choice to focus on her career rather than have a family. Dad's duty: Sarah Silverman's father, Donald, has attacked an Orthodox rabbi who criticised his daughter's life choices and the language she uses in her political campaigns . Rabbi Rosenblatt, who has since been labelled a misogynist by commenters, wrote: 'You will soon turn 42 and your destiny, as you stated, will not . include children. You blame it on your depression, saying you don’t want . to pass it on to another generation. 'Surely you appreciate being alive and . surely, if the wonder of your womb were afflicted with your weaknesses . and blessed with your strengths, it would be happy to be alive, too. He continued: 'I think, Sarah, that marriage and childrearing are not in the cards for you because you can’t focus on building life when you spend your days and nights tearing it down. 'Take your false god, and shove god up your judgmental a**' 'That is why you have had trouble forging a permanent relationship – the most basic desire of the feminine soul.' He adds: 'Nothing . you say or stand for, Sarah, from your sickening sexual proposal to a . Republican donor to your equally vulgar tweet to Mitt Romney, has the . slightest thing to do with the most basic of tenets which Judaism has . taught the world – that the monogamous relationship is the most . meaningful one and that a happy marriage is the key to wholesomeness.' The 'sickening sexual proposal' rabbi . Rosenblatt refers to is Ms Silverman's Let My People Vote . campaign, in which she uses 'biblical language' to make a counter . proposal to Mitt Romney's campaign backer Sheldon Adelson. Open letter: Rabbi Rosenblatt took issue with the 42-year-old's choice to focus on her career rather than have a family . Mr . Adelson pledged to give the GOP presidential candidate as much as $100 . million for his fight, and Ms Silverman asked him to give it to . Barack Obama, instead. Mr Silverman took to the comments section of the rabbi's online letter, writing about . the comedienne's older sister Susan, who is a rabbi living in . Jerusalem, and whose husband, Jewish leader Yosef Abramowitz, has . received three co-nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. 'Hey a**hole. Daughter #1 is a rabbi,' Mr Silverman writes. 'Not by your standards. She's reform. How dare she, a lowly woman think god wants her to be a rabbi, created from a mere rib. 'Her . hubby, three times nominated for a nobel peace prize was listed by the . Jerusalem Post as the 49th most influential jew in the world built the . worlds largest solar field in Israel. 'By the way, Sarah was also on the . list. I missed your name. Oldest granddaughter is serving in the Israel . Defense Forces. I'm sure you also served.Oh I forgot the orthodox don't . do that. You don't f*ck with my family.' He also added: 'Is your wife allowed to go to a minion or sit at the front if a bus or choose between abortion or birth. Take your false god and shove god up your judgmental a**'. An appreciative Ms Silverman tweeted in response: 'Oh, Dad! You're my hero. Where do you get such moxie??' Interestingly, a writer for The Jewish Press posted an update on the news website's blog section, fundamentally disagreeing with the rabbi. 'Why single out Sarah? Pick . on Simon and Garfunkel instead' Tzvi Fishman wrote: 'What is a rabbi doing in a place he doesn’t belong? 'Furthermore, is he now going to set out on a campaign to rebuke every . Jewish comedian in Hollywood, and every Jewish actor, director, . playwright, musician, politician, Facebook inventor, and Jewish . Federation president who married a gentile? Why single out Sarah? Pick . on Simon and Garfunkel instead.' Commenters on the site have also retaliated. Hannah Riederer, from Minnesota, wrote: 'I found this article rather insulting as a Jew and a women.Sarah Silverman is standing up for justice. This article is just judgmental.' Jason Feifer, from Florida, added: 'Thank you, Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt, for continuing to prove that . religious intolerance such as yours is completely disgusting, no matter . what religion it comes from.' And one Californian resident commented: 'As a 44 year old Jewess who is married and childless by choice, I would like to offer this thought -- Anything you may have said in your "open letter" that was of value is completely drowned out by your misogynist leanings and tunnel vision.'
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Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt took issue with the 42-year-old's choice to focus on her career rather than have a family .
Ms Silverman has publicly stated she fears passing on her family's genetic predisposition to depression .
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By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 06:53 EST, 18 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:54 EST, 18 July 2013 . A New Zealand woman allegedly bombarded the best-selling author of a book on the Harry Potter series with threats and abuse, according to a federal court complaint. Jessica Elizabeth Parker is said to have sent a barrage of abuse over a five year period to New York-based Harry, A History author Melissa Anelli. Ms Parker is accused of threatening to slit the throat of Ms Anellli and is even said to have got a tattoo of the Potter expert's face, according to the New York Post. Victim: Harry Potter expert and bestselling author Melissa Anelli who has allegedly been stalked by a New Zealand woman for the past five years . It is claimed that the abuse began in 2008 when Ms Parker was banned from Ms Anelli's The Leaky Cauldron fan website after writing abusive and violent posts about Harry Potter actress Emma Watson. According to the New York Daily News, the complaint file states that Ms Parker wrote on a postcode sent to Ms Anelli's parents: 'As long as you refuse to deal with me, I'll remain that little demon on your shoulder. 'I can't be denied forever...Else I will return to your home and flay you alive.' The FBI has secured a warrant for Ms Parker's arrest. Miss Anelli welcomed the news, saying in a statement on The Leaky Cauldron site earlier today: 'It has been a long five years of continuous threats and abuse, not only to me but my family, friends, and colleagues. I only hope it’s carried through to justice being served. Bestseller: Melissa Anelli wrote Harry, A History, left, a book written about J.K Rowling's series of books and subsequent film adaptations starring Daniel Radcliffe, right . 'I want to thank the Leaky community for its constant support over the past decade-plus, for its support now, and for its understanding while I refrain from discussing particulars in order to assure this sees a proper end.' She had told the New York Post yesterday: 'It’s awful what she’s done to me. 'There is no structure in place to help you when someone overseas stalks you.' Ms Anelli has been running The Leaky Cauldron site since 2001. The former News reporter's book has been published in eight different countries and in four languages. She is currently working on her second non-fiction book. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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The FBI has obtained a warrant for the arrest of Jessica Elizabeth Parker .
She allegedly abused Harry, A History author Melissa Anelli over five years .
Ms Parker is said to have threatened Brooklyn-based Ms Anelli's family .
Harry Potter expert Ms Anelli welcomed the development today .
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By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 06:11 EST, 11 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:36 EST, 11 October 2013 . Many people agonise over how to get a better night's sleep, but now scientists believe they have come up with a formula that simplifies the problem. Researchers have come up with the formula by considering a person’s tiredness, bedtime, mattress comfort, their number of waking hours, noise, light, heat, and duvet thickness. The formula scores the person’s sleep quality from ‘great’ to ‘tossing and turning all night’. Researchers have come up with a formula by considering a person's tiredness, bedtime, mattress comfort, their number of waking hours, noise, light, heat, and duvet thickness . The researchers hope it will also help people work out what they need to do get to sleep quicker, and to stay asleep for longer. The formula, developed by the University of Manchester in association with The Fine Bedding Company is - sleep quality = [(T x Bt) + C ] / [ Ha + S + L + (H x D)] . A score of two is a great night’s sleep, one is average and zero is tossing and turning all night. The ‘T’ stands for tiredness and is calculated by working out the number of hours since your last overnight sleep, minus the number of hours spent napping, plus the hours of physical exercise undertaken during the day. ‘Bt’ means bedtime and is calculated by taking a person’s bedtime that night and dividing it by their normal bedtime. ‘C’ stands for comfort and is calculated as pillow, plus bedding, plus mattress, minus nine. Scores for each item of bedding are worked out by rating them from one (very uncomfortable) to five (very comfortable). ‘Ha’ stands for the average hours awake - this is how long you spend awake on an average day. For most people it will be about 16 hours. ‘S’ represents sound and includes any sounds except white noise or soothing sounds you’ve found to lull you to sleep. It is rated from one (very soft sounds) to five (very loud irregular disturbing sounds). The researchers hope the formula will help people work out what they need to do get to sleep quicker, and to stay asleep for longer . ‘L’ is light and includes any light in the room, including illuminated clocks, natural lights and LEDs (where 0.1 is very soft light and 2 is very bright blue spectrum light). ‘H’ represents heat and is calculated by working out the number of degrees different from 16 to 17 Celsius the temperature is, and then dividing it by ten. ‘D’ stands for duvet appropriateness for room temperature - a good duvet can help us to maintain a comfortable body temperature while we sleep even if the room is a bit too warm or too cold. If it is highly breathable it can also prevent moisture from accumulating. Duvet appropriateness is determined by a self-rating from zero (compensates perfectly for room temperature) to three (does not compensate well and leaves you far too hot or too cold). Dr Penny Lewis who runs The University of Manchester’s sleep lab said: ‘It is always fun to try and boil down a very complicated process into something really simple, and that is what we have attempted with this equation. ‘We wanted to keep things easy, but sleep is complex and there are lots of factors that we haven’t included, for instance the psychology of how you feel about the room you sleep in. ‘Also, the extent to which the things we have put in influence sleep varies hugely from person to person, so this equation really should be viewed as a guide that may make people think about some simple ways they might be able to improve their sleep.’ Her suggestions for a good night’s sleep include keeping a regular bedtime schedule - so your bedtime and get up time are about the same every day, avoiding napping, and getting plenty of exercise. Other key variables are heat, sound and light Dr Lewis suggest people make sure their room is cool -about 16 to 17 degrees Celsius - and that their duvet is breathable to keep their body at the right temperature without allowing moisture to accumulate. She also suggests people keep their room as dark and as quiet as possible throughout the night. Finally, she says comfort is very important to sleep quality so recommends people make sure all their bedding is comfy. The formula is . - sleep quality = [(T x Bt) + C ] / [ Ha + S + L + (H x D)] . A score of 2 is a great night’s sleep, 1 is average and 0 is tossing and turning all night. The . ‘T’ stands for tiredness and is calculated by working out the number of . hours since your last overnight sleep, minus the number of hours spent . napping, plus the hours of physical exercise undertaken during the day. ‘Bt’ means bedtime and is calculated by taking a person’s bedtime that night and dividing it by their normal bedtime. ‘C’ stands for comfort and is calculated as pillow, plus bedding, plus . mattress, minus nine. Scores for each item of bedding are worked out by . rating them from one (very uncomfortable) to five (very comfortable). ‘Ha’ stands for the average hours awake - this is how long you spend awake . on an average day. For most people it will be about 16 hours. ‘S’ represents sound and includes any sounds except white noise or soothing . sounds you’ve found to lull you to sleep. It is rated from one (very . soft sounds) to five (very loud irregular disturbing sounds). ‘L’ is light and includes any light . in the room, including illuminated clocks, natural lights and LEDs . (where 0.1 is very soft light and 2 is very bright blue spectrum light). ‘H’ represents heat and is calculated by working out the number of degrees . different from 16 to 17 Celsius the temperature is, and then dividing it . by ten. ‘D’ stands . for duvet appropriateness for room temperature - a good duvet can help . us to maintain a comfortable body temperature while we sleep even if the . room is a bit too warm or too cold. If it is highly breathable it can also prevent moisture from accumulating. Duvet . appropriateness is determined by a self-rating from zero (compensates . perfectly for room temperature) to three (does not compensate well and . leaves you far too hot or too cold).
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The formula is: Sleep quality = [(T x Bt) + C ] / [ Ha + S + L + (H x D)] .
It scores sleep quality from 'great' to 'tossing and turning all night'
The researchers hope it will also help people work out what they need to do get to sleep quicker, and to stay asleep for longer .
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Hong Kong (CNN) -- Six simple words have sent Hello Kitty lovers into a spin. "Hello Kitty is not a cat." The apparently shocking revelation was made in an LA Times article published Wednesday about a retrospective of Kitty paraphernalia opening next month at the Japanese American National Museum. The story started innocently enough before the bombshell was dropped by Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist at the University of Hawaii, who has delved more deeply than most into the Hello Kitty phenomenon. "That's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show," Yano told the LA Times. "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty." Whoa. The news reached far and wide, including backstage after the Linkin Park gig at the Minnesota State Fair. "I just got off stage to find out that Hello Kitty is not a cat. This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet," tweeted clearly shocked rapper Mike Shinoda. For those who don't know, Hello Kitty is an international superstar who was introduced to the world in 1974 by Japanese company Sanrio. In the last 40 years her button nose has appeared on a dazzling array of merchandise, generating billions of dollars for the company. Until now, her pointy ears and whiskers gave her legion of fans the distinct impression she was feline. Wrong. Summing up the disbelief, @jkltoraay tweeted: "You cannot say hello kitty is not a cat after 40 years no human has whiskers and pointed ears and a little yellow nose." For some, the news raised more questions than it answered. "Been tossing and turning for the last few hours trying to figure out how Hello Kitty isn't a cat. How is it possible? What does it mean?" @NotKennyRogers tweeted. "Since Hello Kitty isn't a cat, wtf is My Melody?" tweeted @mrsunlawyer. Users raced to update Kitty's Wikipedia entry, which now reads: "She bears the appearance of a white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow although she is actually a little girl." Singer Katy Perry stepped in to try to calm the masses: "IT'S OKAY HELLO KITTY FANS, KITTY PURRY IS A CAT." At last count it was retweeted more than 13,000 times. As the Sanrio website clearly states, Hello Kitty is a "cheerful and happy little girl ... who lives in London with her mama (Mary White), papa (George White), and her twin sister Mimmy." Yes, she's also British. For the record, Kitty's birthday is November 1, she likes baking and making pancakes, origami and eating apple pie. Her favorite saying is "You can never have too many friends." She may have lost a few today. Meow.
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Hello Kitty is not a cat, anthropologist reveals ahead of retrospective .
Interview in LA Times ricocheted around Internet among shocked fans .
Cat-like character is a British girl who has a twin sister and a pet cat .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:15 EST, 14 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:18 EST, 14 August 2012 . Accused: Kehren Sajid, pictured after a previous court appearance earlier this year, has denied four counts of child cruelty and five of common assault . A nursery nurse dragged a toddler across a mat 'like a ragdoll' while mistreating infants in her care, a court heard today. Kehyren Sajid was allegedly captured on CCTV mistreating youngsters at the Small Talk Nursery in Handsworth, Birmingham, in October last year. The 31-year-old is said to have assaulted one child by dangling them in the air while carrying them from a room, while another 'was thrown on to a bed'. Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were told the children in question were aged between 13 and 17 months. The alleged offences were said to have come to light when the female nursery manager viewed CCTV footage in relation to an unrelated matter. Prosecutor Nigel Wilkins said she became concerned as to how some of the children were being treated by the defendant and contacted the police. He claimed that Sajid could be seen throwing a 17-month-old girl onto a mattress, causing her to almost strike her head on a radiator. Another young girl, aged 14 months, was allegedly carried by one arm on to a mat while a third was held in the air by her left arm as she was carried out of a room. A fourth child, said Mr Wilkins, was taken off a bed by her arm and put on to the floor. He said when interviewed by police and shown the CCTV footage, Sajid denied doing anything untoward. Rachel Barr, the nursery manager at the time, was asked to comment when shown clips of the alleged cruelty in the Winnie the Pooh room. She said: 'It is unacceptable handling a child in that manner. The way the child was thrown on the bed.' Shown the clip involving the 14-month-old she said: 'She is roughly handling the child, the way she is cleaning her face purposely to make her cry. 'There is no care or love or feeling towards the child. She is just treating her like a rag doll, the way she dragged her across the mat.' Claim: The children allegedly assaulted by Sajid at Small Talk Nursery in Handsworth, Birmingham (above) were said to be between 13 and 17 months . And commenting on another clip, she said: 'The children are exploring. They are just being children. Grabbing them by one arm and throwing them on the floor is unacceptable.' Sajid, from Handsworth, Birmingham, denies four charges of child cruelty and five of common assault. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Kehren Sajid allegedly assaulted children as young as 13 months .
Nursery worker 'threw one child on to a bed' and 'dangled another by the arm while carrying them from room'
Sajid denies four charges of child cruelty and five of common assault .
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A screenshot (pictured) posted to Reddit is the first to show how Whatsapp's Calls feature will look . Whatsapp first hinted it would let users make free calls to each other early last year. And it now seems the hugely popular messaging app has started rolling out the feature to a select number of users. A screenshot, posted to Reddit at the weekend, reveals how the Calls tool looks on a Nexus 5 device running Android Lollipop. In the image, a new tab has been added that shows 'Calls', in addition to the existing 'Chats' and 'Contacts' options. Users can then open the Calls tab, select a contact and make a voice call using an internet connection. This is similar to how Skype connects web-based calls, a service known as 'voice over internet protocol' or VoIP. In December, Dutch site AndroidWorld uncovered clues about Whatsapp's voice calling feature while studying the app's test code. Expert Sander Tuit then extracted layout files, images and text from the raw code to create a series of mock-up screenshots. The latest grab was posted to Reddit by user pradnesh07, although it has since been removed because it contained personal details. Other messaging apps, including Viber, already offer free voice and video calls to users, and it's believed Whatsapp's update is designed to rival such services. In December, Dutch site AndroidWorld uncovered clues about the feature while studying the app's test code. It then extracted layout files from the raw code to create mock-up screenshots (pictured). The new tool is only available to select users, but if someone with the feature calls someone without it, it forces the update . Other messaging apps, including Viber (pictured), already offer free voice and video calls to users . On Viber, the Calls tab shows all the voice calls received, made and missed, and Whatsapp's update is expected to feature a similar log. According to Reddit, the update is only available to a select number of users, but if someone with the update tries to call someone without it, the call forces the recipient to download the new tool. It is not known when the feature will roll out more widely and MailOnline has contacted Whatsapp for comment. Skype was one of the first firms to make VoIP a mainstream technology, and last year it launched a translator. The beta version of its live translation tool lets people speak to others in another language - even if they don’t know what they’re saying. The tool then translates speech instantly, providing both text and spoken translations. The public version launched with English and Spanish translations, but the Microsoft-owned firm is looking to add more than 40 languages to the service. Google also recently launched a live translation tool to is Google Translate app, and this could be the next step for messaging apps such as Viber and Whatsapp. Last year, Whatsapp updated its service to make it harder to avoid messages. The Facebook-owned app now displays two blue ticks in the bottom right-hand corner of an individual message to show it has been read. To use the new Whatsapp tool, users open the Calls tab, select a contact and make a voice call using an internet connection. This is similar to how Skype (pictured), for example, connects web-based calls, using a service called 'voice over internet protocol' or VoIP . Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) lets people make free, or low cost, telephone calls over the web. Popular VoIP services include Viber and Skype. VoIP can be used anywhere in the world and can call landline and mobile numbers. And clicking on the message shows the precise time the recipient opened and read it. Before the update, there were only two types of tick - a single grey tick meant the message had been successfully sent, and a double grey tick meant it had been delivered. Now, when a message has been sent, delivered and read, the double grey tick turns blue. In a group chat, the second ticks appear when all participants in the group have received the message. The two blue ticks only appear when all participants in the group have read the post. To see what time the messages were read users can now press and hold down on a particular post. Again, this is similar to a 'read' feature that was already being used by Viber. Last year, Whatsapp updated its service to make it harder to avoid messages. A single grey tick on a message means it has been sent, a double grey tick means it has been delivered, and two blue ticks mean it has been read (pictured). The update is available across all mobile platforms . In a group chat, the blue ticks only appear when all participants have read the message.To see what time the messages were read, users can now press and hold down on a particular post and select the Message Info option. In the case of group messages, this reveals what time each individual member read it (pictured)
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A screenshot posted to Reddit shows how the Calls tool looks on Android .
In the image, a new tab has been added that shows 'Calls'
This is in addition to the existing 'Chats' and 'Contacts' options .
Users click Calls, select a contact and make a call using an web connection .
This is similar to how Skype connects web-based calls, a service known as 'voice over internet protocol' or VoIP .
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f7a13a537c8648b7b511b324795fa72611095aa4
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 04:54 EST, 5 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:22 EST, 5 July 2012 . Running for Mayor? Alex Baldwin, pictured last week, could be serious about his bid for office . Hollywood star Alec Baldwin is seriously considering running for the position of New York Mayor, according to his little brother. Billy Baldwin cast aside suggestions that his older sibling's flirtation in taking over from Michael Bloomberg in the top role was 'just for show' in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan. He said the 30 Rock actor's on-and-off political aspirations were 'on one level [...] very real'. He said: 'I think he's very committed and extremely bright and knowledgeable and I think he could do it and he could run. 'On the other hand, I'm not quite sure if he's cut from the proper cloth because it requires a lot of tolerance and a lot of patience.' Morgan noted that the 54-year-old, who told Vanity Fair this week how he fantasised about murdering his ex-wife Kim Basinger's lawyer during their bitter child custody battle, had a reputation for being 'temperamental' and 'a bit hot-headed'. But Billy said these attributes were not necessarily a bad thing. And he added: 'Let me remind you that John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are quite the same. 'They are very successful and highly effective politicians.' Baldwin married 28-year-old yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas on Sunday, and had a series of run-ins with paparazzi photographers in the run-up to the big day. He is also known for his rants on Twitter and last December was thrown off a plane after he refused to stop playing a scrabble game on his smart phone. Scroll down to see the interview... Angry: Alec Baldwin scolded a fan and ignored her request for an autograph as he sent his daughter off outside his apartment in New York City earlier this week . Interview: Billy Baldwin spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan about his brother's political aspirations . In the Vanity Fair interview, Baldwin admitted he is still considering going into politics, and that he has already once toyed with the idea of running for New York Mayor. He said: 'I think I do want to go into politics. I really, really do. And I don’t know if I will. If I want to run, run for what? You have to stop and ask a lot of whys. Run for the glory? 'Run to complete some missing piece of myself? I can keep doing what I’m doing for a living now and be perfectly happy.' But in the same interview he also said he wanted Harvey Levin, creator of the hugely successful website TMZ.com, to die a violent death. His 'revenge' was for Levin posting a voicemail recording where he called his then 11-year-old daughter Ireland a 'rude thoughtless little pig. Baldwin said: 'I wanted to stick a knife in him and gut him and kill him and I wanted him to die breathing his last breath looking into my eyes.' Beating: Alec Baldwin shoves Daily News photographer Marcus Santos after leaving the Marriage Bureau last month . Reaction: Alec Baldwin tweeted afterwards that all paparazzi should be waterboarded . In the interview, which took place . before his weekend wedding in New York, Baldwin said he has learned to . control his anger issues. 'You have to let that go,' he said. 'Enough time - I mean, it does heal wounds.' Although he didn't think he would marry again after his split with Kim, Alec revealed he couldn't help falling for Hilaria, who he credits with putting him on a diet and keeping him away from alcohol. He said: 'I thought, I'm probably never going to meet somebody like this again, and so I decided I would get married.. which is kind of mind-blowing to me.' But his 'change' from hothead to peaceful man may take longer than he thinks. Last month, Baldwin was involved in an unseemly altercation with a photographer after collecting his marriage licence. Smile for the camera: A rare picture of Alec looking happy in front of the camera, on the day of his wedding . Here comes the bride: Hilaria Thomas, now Baldwin, stepped out before her wedding in a summer dress . Happily married: Alec Baldwin and new wife, Spanish-born Hilaria, said their vows at the weekend . He was seen lurching at tabloid news photographer Marcus Santos outside the city Marriage Licence Bureau as he left the office with his then fianceé. Santos, who works for the New York Daily News, later claimed the 30 Rock star 'punched' him in the face outside the office. He told the newspaper: 'He comes after me, starts shoving and punching me - one time, right in the chin.' But Baldwin maintained on Twitter that he was provoked. Baldwin tweeted soon after the incident: 'A photographer’ almost hit me in the face with his camera this morning. #allpaparazzishouldbewaterboarded'. He added later: 'It's sad w the tabloid press. They attempt 2 provoke an incident + when it doesn't pan out, they say u did it anyway... #no1punchedany1'
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Actor's younger sibling spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan about politics .
Cast aside suggestions 'flirtation' with the role was 'just for show'
But admitted his 'hotheaded' brother may not be 'cut from the proper cloth'
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After the identity of Jihadi John was finally revealed, disturbing links between the former London student and other known extremists across the UK and abroad have emerged. The 26-year-old, who fled his family in west London to join extremists in Syria in 2012, has been named as the executioner of Britons Alan Henning and David Haines. He is also responsible for the deaths of U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, Japanese reporter Kenji Goto and Syrian soldiers, having appeared in sadistic films in which he slit victims throats after preaching on behalf of terrorists with his face by a sinister black mask. Scroll down for video . As Jihadi John is unmasked as former computing student Mohammed Emwazi, his connections to terror suspects across London and abroad have been revealed . Yesterday the Mail revealed Emwazi attended a Church of England school in north London before studying computing at the University of Westminster. Scotland Yard is refusing to answer questions about his identity after claims he was known to police before fleeing the country. But as it's revealed the man was picked up by authorities trying to enter Tanzania in 2009, more chilling links between Emwazi and a London underworld of terrorist activity have emerged. The most concerning are Emwazi's connections to a hub of fanatics reportedly known to the authorities as 'the London Boys'. Alongside a handful of others he was named in 2011 court documents in which the group is described as 'members of a network of United Kingdom and East African based Islamist extremists'. A number of the group, thought to have been trained in Somalia, have travelled to Syria with at least one now dead. Most of the men are thought to have grown up in north and north west London, engaging in gang activity to fund extremist tendencies. They are thought to include Bilal Berjawi, Mohamed Sakr and Choukri Ellekhlifi, all of whom died have been killed in war zones, the Times reports. Berjawi fled St John's Wood, where Emrazi is thought to have attended school, to join jihadis in Somalia. He was killed in an airstrike in 2013 while Sakr died the previous year. Ellekhlifi, from Paddington, died in an attack in Aleppo in 2013. The home Emwazi shared with his family before travelling to Syria is less than two miles from where failed bombers Muktar Said Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed were found in 2005. The pair were convicted of involvement in an attempted attack on London's public transport system. And in chillingly similar circumstances to his own family, Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, a former rapper previously fingered as the man behind Jihadi John's mask, grew up in a council house in Maida Vale. The 26-year-old grew up less than two miles from where Muktar Said Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed were arrested in 2005 after plotting an attack on London's public transport system . The extremist lived in the same area as Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary who was previously named as the man behind Jihadi John's mask. Bary is also in Syria . Emwazi graduated from the University of Westminster (pictured) in 2009 with a degree in computing. The university has been described as a 'hotbed' for radicalism in the past but denies inciting extremism in any form . Haitham al-Haddad, an anti-gay Muslim preacher, was due to speak at the University of Westminster where Emwazi was a student . Bary, who became the focus of rife speculation over the jihadi's identity, also appears on the social media accounts of Emwazi's brother's friends. The youngster's Facebook page revealed he was friends with a handful of people to have supported Islamic preachers. There is no suggestion Emwazi's brother has engaged in any form of extremist or terrorist activity. Among preachers mentioned in the profiles of his friends however are some to have appeared at Westminster University. It has in the past been accused of inciting Islamic extremism among students after a range of controversial religious figures were invited to speak at its events. Yesterday former student Raheem Kassam said: 'I once walked into a meeting of the Islamic Society where they were clapping and cheering the events of 9/11. ‘I did not know him, he would have been two years behind me, but I am utterly unsurprised.' Westminster was named in a 2009 report as having invited three hate preachers to give a talk in 2006, and just days before Emwazi's identity was revealed, thousands signed a petition to block an event where an anti-gay figure was due to speak. Students previously expressed fears over the election of a former student union president and vice president alleged to have been connected to the group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Tarik Mahri and Jamal Achchi were elected in 2011 after sharing their support of the pro-Islamic state group online. Neither former student has responded to MailOnline's request for comment. Since news of Emwazi's connection with ISIS in Syria broke, the university's Islamic Society has distanced itself from having any involvement. This week a petition attracted more than 3,000 signatures calling for a controversial Muslim preacher not to be allowed to give a talk . Haitham al-Haddad, who has spoken against homosexuality in the past, was due to speak at an event titled 'Who is Muhammed'. Members of the university's LGBT community protested against the visit scheduled just days before a Pride event. It was cancelled as Westminster alumnus Emwazi was named as jihadi seen in ISIS propaganda videos. 'The ISOC would like to clarify it has nothing to do with an individual who has come to be known as "Jihadi John" who was recently identified as Mohammed Emwazi,' a statement on the organisation's Facebook page said last night. Students at the university however claimed the society guarded the identity of the society's president. When contacted by MailOnline the society did not respond. In a separate statement the university said it was offering support to students and took the allegations 'very seriously'. Emwazi's parents have been reported by neighbours as being too upset to speak. It is understood they thought their son had travelled to the Middle East to carry out aid work. He was also named alongside other terror suspects thought to have been trained by al-Shabaab militants in Somalia. Above, a member of the Islamic extremist group in Mogadishu .
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Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born 26-year-old who fled London for Syria in 2012, has been named as Jihadi John .
Records show he has links to handful of terrorists and radical clerics from across the world .
Named in court documents alongside supporters of al-Shabaab, organisation responsible for Kenyan mall massacre .
Emwazi studied at University of Westminster, where students protested against 'extremist preachers' giving talks .
Emwazi grew up less than two miles from flats used to house other British jihadists who have gone abroad .
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Sergio Busquets has reassured Barcelona fans that Lionel Messi has no intentions of leaving the club. Busquets spoke out following reports which suggested the Argentinian had fallen out with manager Luis Enrique. The 26-year-old has no doubts Messi will be staying with the Catalan club, telling his club's official website: 'He controls his future and he has said he has no intention of leaving - and that's very important for us. Lionel Messi was coy about his future and where he would be playing his football next year on Monday . Sergio Busquets has reassured Barcelona fans that superstar Messi has no intentions of leaving the club . 'All he was saying yesterday was the typical cliche that you never know what might happen in the future. 'People usually only know what they are told by the press but I think everyone has now had a chance to speak. We just want to be united, to be as one, and for the fans to be behind us.' Busquets spoke very highly of his team-mate, describing him as a very 'down-to-earth' person - and expects the La Liga record goalscorer to see out the remainder of his career at Barcelona. The 27-year-old has already scored 16 goals this season but missed out on the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the second successive year to fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday night. Messi missed out on the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the second successive year to fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo .
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Lionel Messi casts doubt over Barcelona future ahead of Ballon d'Or .
Sergio Busquets insists the Barcelona superstar will not leave .
'He controls his future and he has said he has no intention of leaving - and that's very important for us,' insists Busquets .
READ: Messi casts doubt over Barcelona future .
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(CNN) -- If Lagos were a person, he (or she) would be described as "mad, bad and dangerous to know." Locals get about in traffic-heavy Lagos on motorcycles known as okadas. But we all know that these types of people are usually the most exciting kind. They are a lot of fun and you just never know what's going to happen when they're around. By the same token, any visitor to Lagos should prepare for the unexpected -- it can feel like a literal assault on the senses from the moment you step off the plane and feel the intensity of the dense tropical heat. Lagos is big, brash and bold and creaks under the weight of the 17 million people who live there. The former capital of Nigeria, Lagos remains its economic nerve center and teems constantly with the buzz of buying and selling (usually performed at the top of the vendors' voices.) There's only one volume level in Lagos and that's loud. From the constant tooting of horns in the snail-paced traffic, known locally as go slows, to music blaring from homes round-the-clock, the city buzzes constantly with noise. Getting around is not easy and you will be caught in the frequent go slows, where you will be confronted by vendors selling all manner of things, from English football team merchandise to dinner sets to plantain chips to frozen yogurts. Locals often joke they can kit out their entire home in a short car journey. The city is divided into three islands adjacent to each other and the mainland. Most expatriates and employees of multinationals, that proliferate in Lagos, are based on two of the islands; Ikoyi and Victoria Island. The vast majority of wealth in the city is concentrated on these upmarket islands, with their western-style shopping malls and entertainment complexes. The best restaurants, bars, boutiques and galleries can also be found here and it's best to stick to these areas to make the most of your time in Lagos. A stay in Lagos would be incomplete without visiting one of the lively and colorful markets like the Balogun market off Breadfruit St, Lagos Island. It is not for the meek or faint-hearted but you're guaranteed to get a bargain or two if you're prepared for a good haggle. It's great for African prints and carvings but is a maze of a market, so best to hop on the back of popular motorcycles known locally as okadas to help you navigate it. To relax from all that haggling, you can head down to one of the five beaches in the city -- the best of them is Tarkwa Bay -- a small beach at the entrance to the Lagos port. It is easily accessible by boat from Tarzan Jetty at Maroko (around $6 per person) or under Falomo bridge on Victoria Island. At Tarkwa Bay you can browse through some local African arts, cloth or even locally produced honey brought round by the occasional hawker. For a spot of lunch, make like locals and indulge in some "pepper fish" or suya -- very spicy chunks of meat, similar to kebabs, cooked over a charcoal grill), washed down with ice cold beer. For authentic Nigerian cuisine that won't give your stomach too much "wahalla" (trouble), the Yellow Chili restaurant on Oju Olubun Close, Victoria Island is recommended. Those with an adventurous palate can order the special delicacy of Isi-Ewu - goat's head, while others can tuck into jollof rice and chicken or spicy bean cakes (moi-moi) -- a favorite with most Nigerians. For a spot of culture, a short taxi ride away is one of the city's main attractions, the National Museum on King George V Road, Onikan. It opened in 1957 and houses bronze sculptures and ivory carvings from Benin dating back 300 years. Is Lagos the most exciting city in Africa? Use the Sound Off box below to have your say. If you are in the market for some art, you can pick up some tasteful, but admittedly, not cheap, Nigerian art at the Bogobiri boutique hotel in West Ikoyi. The hotel owner's brother, Azu, will take you to his studio where you can see the artists at work. Lagos is a see-and-be-seen place and later you can party at one of the most fashionable places in town, Caliente on Goriola Street, off Adeola Odeku Street, a fun cocktail bar with a South American vibe and salsa dancing. Lagosians also let their hair down over a bucket of champagne or two at Bar Ten in Saka Tinubu Street, owned by Nigerian football star Jay Jay Okocha. There's no chance of missing it as his name is engraved with golden letters above the entrance! Be prepared to empty your wallet though, as Lagosians are big spenders. However, if your taste is less opulent, visit one of the numerous beer parlors found on every street corner and which are open 24 hours a day. Lagos is a city that never sleeps. For those staying on the mainland, check if musician Femi Kuti is in town on a Sunday and go to "The Shrine", Ikeja - the home of Afrobeat. This is an amazing experience reminiscent of his dad, the legendary musician Fela Kuti. Or you can catch the current king of Afrobeat, Lagbaja at his club Motherlan' on Opebi Road, Ikeja. The clubs don't kick off in earnest until around 10pm and you can party well into the night, just don't forget to make it in time for your flight home! CNN's Christian Purefoy contributed to this report .
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Lagos is a vibrant, exuberant city that never sleeps .
You can shop for African fabrics at the local markets, just be prepared to haggle!
Party at The Shrine nightclub, home of legendary Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti .
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By . Ap Reporter . Landon Donovan, widely considered as the USA's best ever footballer, says he will retire at the end of the MLS season. The 32-year-old LA Galaxy forward is the top goalscorer in MLS history and a five-time league champion. Donovan was named the most valuable player of his 14th MLS All-Star game on Wednesday night in Portland, scoring a goal in the All-Stars' 2-1 win over Bayern Munich. Legendary: USA and LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan has revealed he is retiring at the end of the season . Successful: Donovan celebrates with the MLS Cup in 2011 . Stars of the game: Donovan played with the likes of David Beckham during his time at LA Galaxy . 'After careful deliberation and after many conversations with those closest to me, I have decided that this will be my last season as a professional soccer player,' Donovan said in an open letter on La Galaxy's website. 'I will miss all of the teammates who helped me create so many incredible memories on-the-field, and who I have shared many wonderful experiences with off-the-field. 'I will miss my coaches, at both the club and national team levels, who have helped me develop throughout my career and helped make me the player I am today. 'However, after spending half my life as a professional soccer player, I also am excited to begin a new chapter and pursue other opportunities that will challenge me and allow me to grow as a person.' Premier League move: Donovan featured for Everton on two separate loan spells . Donovan agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the Galaxy just a year ago, pronouncing himself revitalized after an extended sabbatical. He took several months off after winning the Galaxy's second straight MLS Cup title alongside now-retired David Beckham in December 2012. He also enjoyed two fruitful loan spells at Everton in the Premier League. Donovan played in the three World Cups from 2002-2010, but didn't make the squad for Brazil.
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Donovan announces retirement at the age of 32 .
Had spells at LA Galaxy as well as Premier League side Everton .
Scored for the MLS all-stars against Bayern Munich on Wednesday .
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By . John Stevens . PUBLISHED: . 08:59 EST, 14 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:16 EST, 14 November 2012 . Richard Madeley has said he refuses to listen to the Today programme on Radio 4 when it is only presented by men because he finds it too ‘pompous’ and ‘aggressive’. The broadcaster, who co-presented This Morning and Richard & Judy with his wife for 20 years, said he believes TV and radio shows are better when they are presented by both men and women. He said: ‘When I listen to the Today in the morning if it’s two fellows doing it I find it a bit of a turn off. I find it a bit one note, rather pompous and it can be very aggressive. I find it much more listenable to when it’s a mixed pairing. Presenters John Humphrys, left and James Naughtie in the Today programme studio at the BBC. Richard Madeley said he refuses to listen to the show when its only presenters are men because he finds it too aggressive . ‘I don’t listen to the Today programme all the time because frankly I find it a rather pompous programme. 'And . I find if you look at regional television news programmes, don’t you . find them less watchable when it’s two blokes in suits as opposed to . when it’s a man and a woman?’ Mr Madeley, 56, who was speaking . about the role of women in broadcasting at the Radio Conference in . Salford, said that he thinks that many women are not as competitive as . men. He said: ‘My own wife, . who is one of the most successful television presenters in the last 20 . or 30 years, is the most reluctant television presenter you can find. Tony Blair on the set of Richard & Judy in 2005. Mr Madeley said he thinks that many women are not as competitive as men when it comes to broadcasting . 'She lacks almost any pushiness or . competitiveness. Taken as a general rule, women are less competitive . than men and do not like being competitive with men. ‘Quite . often when there has been pairing of a man and a women, early on in . their relationship, it’s the man who sticks his elbows out, it’s the man . who pinches the "Hello, good evening and welcome" line; it’s the man . who steals the limelight.’ He pointed to the example of Anthea . Turner and Eamonn Holmes who co-presented GMTV for two years in the . 1990s before she left the programme. He . said: ‘I mean, Anthea was nobody’s pushover, but Eamonn muscled her . out. He did it through masculinity and assertiveness and if women are . not prepared to get out they do get pushed to one side.’ Richard Madeley, left, believes Margaret Thatcher, pictured right, set back gender equality because of the way she was derided for being a strong woman . Mr . Madeley said the success of his broadcasting partnership with his wife . of 26 years is because of their rules about taking turns. He said: ‘We had a very conscious policy . of being equal and not to be played off against each other. Because we . were married and loved each other we had rules, so if I opened This . Morning on Monday she would open on Tuesday. 'It kept the peace and it kept the . balance. From time to time a producer would say "Richard, I think you . should do this interview with so-and-so" and I’d say "No, we’ll do it . together" or "No, it’s Judy’s turn." 'Judy was always more popular and you could just tell that when we went out. Women viewers loved Judy, they kind of put up with me, but they loved Judy.' He added that he believed that Margaret Thatcher had set back women’s equality because of the way she was derided for being a strong woman. He said: ‘I do think a lot of the sexism that Margaret Thatcher had to put up with, with expressions such as handbagging, was appalling and really damaging to women. 'In many ways I think her premiership was counter-productive in terms of women as strong figures as she was derided for being a strong woman. ‘Whatever you thought of her politics she was a hugely effective female politician.’
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Presenter thinks many female broadcasters lack 'competitive' instinct .
Wife Judy is 'the most reluctant television presenter you can find'
He also believes Margaret Thatcher set back women’s equality .
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By . Simon Cable . With a hefty £1bn price tag, the BBC’s new hi-tech headquarters certainly haven’t compromised on comfort or style. But just 18 months after opening, Corporation bosses have now demanded a costly EastEnders-themed makeover of their central London offices because they claim they are ‘not inspiring enough’. Just weeks after announcing the closure of youth station BBC3, bosses are now spending tens of thousands of pounds re-vamping the sixth and seventh floors of New Broadcasting House with a design based around the popular BBC soap. Re-vamp: Tens of thousands of pounds will be spent on transforming floors 6 and 7 into EastEnders-themed . The new plans, the brainchild of the BBC’s director of television, Danny Cohen, will include an ‘Albert Square’ hot-desking area, with iron railings around it and a Queen Vic-themed meeting room. The 6th floor is being given a ‘Welcome to TV’ theme and is believed to be centred on the most famous characters from BBC shows. Carpets are being torn up while ‘street scape art’ featuring well-known landmarks from the BBC soap is also being installed. A committee put together by Cohen decided that the new themed areas are essential to giving the offices ‘a unique sense of identity’. BBC worker Emma Saunders, who works in arts and entertainment, has written to Ariel, the BBC’s in-house magazine, to complain about the huge cost of the makeover. Corporation bosses have been blasted for the expenditure weeks after announcing the closure of BBC . A hot-desking area will be in the style of Albert Square, the fictional centre of town in EastEnders . She wrote: ‘Can I ask why some of the carpets have been replaced in NBH only 18 months after we moved into the new building? ‘I think many of us would rather have a modest pay rise than be dazzled by a new garish carpet as we step out of the lift.’ However, bosses at the BBC defended the . move, saying the re-vamp was ‘necessary’ after BBC creatives complained . that the 6th and 7th floors was ‘not inspiring’. The news comes the same week W1A premiered, a satire parodying the Corporation's bosses as ditsy . Claire Dresser, the chief adviser for BBC Television, replied: ‘Following Television’s move to NBH last year, there was strong feedback from staff that the sixth and seventh floors did not feel like creative spaces and lacked character. ‘In response, Danny Cohen asked for volunteers from Television staff to join a committee to come up with plans - at a reasonable cost - to make the spaces more creative and vibrant. 'The changes you are now seeing with TV branding, images and props are the ideas this volunteer group from all levels of Television have devised and agreed to. ‘Once the work is completed in the next month, the sixth floor will have a ‘Welcome to Television’ theme and the seventh floor will have the feel of an outside street scape. ‘The committee also made the decision to change the flooring to give these areas a unique sense of identity and the previous carpet is being re-used elsewhere in the building. ‘The railings around the hot-desking area on the seventh floor will be part of ‘Albert Square’ with the outside of the meeting room branded as the ‘Queen Vic’. ‘We want to make our space feel inspiring and creative - a home for BBC Television that reflects our ambitions as the very best broadcaster and producer in the world.’ New Broadcasting House was officially opened by the Queen in June last year, four years behind schedule and £55 million over budget. It was earlier this month that BBC bosses announced it was closing youth channel BBC Three from 2015 in a cost-cutting measure. They said that more than half of the £50million savings will be ploughed back into enhancing BBC1.
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Tens of thousands to be spent on EastEnders-style design on two floors .
Will feature 'Albert Square' hot-desking area, Queen Vic meeting room .
'Street scape art' with the soap's landmarks to cover the walls .
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Nottingham Forest fans travelling to White Hart Lane for the club's Capital One Cup fixture against Tottenham have been pictured boarding coaches to the game in commemorative Brian Clough jumpers. Cup sponsors Capital One have given Forest supporters 1000 iconic green jumpers to remember the life of Clough, their former manager, who died 10 years ago this week. A picture, posted on the Capital One Cup Twitter page, shows hordes of Forest fans waiting to board coaches to take them to London, with television crews filming their departure. Nottingham Forest fans wear green jumpers in memory of legendary former manager Brian Clough . Forest fans were keen to honour the memory of Clough, who died 10 years ago this week . Forest fans show their support for their team and former manager Clough by wearing the iconic green jumpers . Forest fabs celebrate at White Hart Lane as Jorge Grant gives them the lead against Spurs . The Forest players applaud the away fans at White Hart Lane after being beaten 3-1 in the Capital One Cup . Some fans will also be given the item of clothing at the ground on a first-come-first served basis in honour of one of English football's finest-ever managers. The maverick manager enjoyed an 18-year spell in charge at the City ground between 1975-1993 as he lead Forest to their most successful spell as a club - guiding them to two successive European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980, one league title and four League Cup successes. Forest supporters are handed free green jumpers in memory of Clough, who died of stomach cancer . Nottingham Forest fans in green jumpers make their way to White Hart Lane on Wednesday . Last Sunday, Forest fans joined with supporters of fierce rivals Derby County to pay tribute to Clough with a minute's applause for their mutual former manager - who also steered the Rams to the league title for the first time in the club's history. VIDEO: Scroll down to see Brian Clough label England's goalkeeping nemesis a 'clown' Nottingham Forest fans pictured about to board their coaches to Tottenham on Wednesday . Forest fans will travel to Tottenham in replicas of Clough's iconic round neck green jumper . Clough wore the green round neck jumper with distinction during his 18-years in charge of Forest . John McGovern, Nottingham Forest club ambassador, said: 'Brian was simply the best. There will never ever be anyone in football quite like Brian again. 'He is synonymous with Nottingham Forest and to see 1,000 Forest fans in green jumpers at such a high profile game will be a fantastic way to mark the anniversary.' Jason Carr, head of sponsorship at Capital One, said: 'As a Nottingham-based company and sponsor of the Capital One Cup we know what Brian Clough means to the City of Nottingham. 'It is important for us to help Nottingham Forest fans show their support for such an integral individual in their club's history and we hope that the green jumpers will be a great nod of respect to him.' Clough guided Forest to their most successful spell to date, which included a league title success . Forest and Derby fans paid tribute to their former manager Clough during last week's Championship clash . Nottingham Forest fans will mark the 10-year anniversary of Brian Clough's death against Tottenham .
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Brian Clough died of stomach cancer 10 years ago this week .
League cup sponsors Capital One have given out 1000 green jumpers .
Forest fans were pictured boarding coaches to London in their jumpers on Wednesday afternoon .
Clough led Forest to two successive European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980, one league title and four League Cup successes in a 18-year spell .
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More like a play from Ocean's 11 than the standard operating guidebook for FBI undercover operations, agents tricked their way inside three luxury villas at Ceasars Palace, Las Vegas, to gather evidence to bust an illegal sports betting ring. To get away with their incredible ruse, federal agents first turned off Internet access to the villas then impersonated repair technicians to gain entry to get around a warrant, according to defense lawyers challenging the practice. Dramatic new video, filmed through the lapel camera carried by one of the undercover agent's, shows the level of subterfuge that the FBI used to bust the soccer World Cup gambling ring in Sin City. Scroll down for video . Undercover: Federal agents impersonated repair technicians at the Caesars Palace resort in Las Vegas to surreptitiously collect evidence in an investigation of online sports betting during the 2014 World Cup . The video shows investigators devising code words to use while they were inside, a back-and-forth about the cover story for an agent, who adopted the name 'Sam,' which he had used 'for other stuff' in the past, and a brief exchange about how another investigator should dress for the role of a technical repair nerd. 'If you put on that shirt, you have to look the part. Go all the way,' said Mike Wood, an outside technician working for Caesars, advising Nevada Gaming Control Board Agent Ricardo Lopez before Lopez headed to one of the suites the morning of July 4. An FBI agent, Mike Kung, accompanied him also undercover. The AP obtained about 30 minutes of audio and video recordings of the covert reconnaissance. Inside the Las Vegas villa, Lopez appeared to try to fix an Internet outage for several minutes while glancing around the room and asking more than once to view a laptop screen to verify that Internet connectivity was still down. Defense lawyers said in their filing that Kung, the FBI agent, was sent inside because he spoke Chinese. Still undercover, Lopez appeared to call Wood from inside the villa and asked him to 'check the frame,' the code they had previously worked out. In a brief back and forth, Wood responded that he would 'trace the wire and make sure it's tied down good.' The FBI employed the ruse against the recommendation of an assistant U.S. attorney, Kimberly Frayn, according to lawyers for four of eight men charged in the case. Defense lawyer Thomas Goldstein, who is challenging evidence the government collected in what he described as an illegal search, said that was code to turn Internet access back on. Caught out: Wei Seng Phua, second from left, and his son Darren Wai Kit Phua, third from left, were two of the eight men arrested in July for their role in the multimillion-dollar World Cup betting scheme . Trickery: The FBI agents obtained their secret surveillance in a manner that Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney, in the Ocean's 11 trilogy) would have been proud of . After the agents left the villa, Lopez was recorded saying he saw the Internet address of the website that defendant Wei Seng Phua was operating, adding, 'Phua had the odds up on his page the whole time.' Federal authorities described Phua, 50, as a high-ranking member of the 14k Triad, a Chinese organized crime group. Goldstein said Phua denied that allegation, which he said had nothing to do with the criminal case in Nevada. Phua, his son Darren Wai Kit Phua, Seng Chen Yong, Wai Kin Yong and four others were arrested in July after federal agents raided three high-roller villas at the hotel. All eight face charges of transmission of wagering information, operating an illegal gambling business, and aiding and abetting. None of defendants has entered a plea, but Goldstein said they all deny wrongdoing. Phua also faces charges of running an illegal sports gambling business in Macau. He was arrested in the Chinese gambling enclave on June 18 and flew to Las Vegas a few days later. The FBI employed the ruse against the recommendation of an assistant U.S. attorney, Kimberly Frayn, according to defense lawyers. They filed a 54-page motion late Tuesday night in federal court in Las Vegas to dismiss evidence in the case. According to a conversation recorded by an investigator for the hotel, the prosecutor told FBI agents 'it was a consent issue,' the lawyers said. Over two days in early July, FBI agents worked with a hotel computer contractor and the state's gaming control board to shut off the Internet at different times and at one point delivered a laptop computer to try to see what was happening, according to the court filing. Investigators eventually gained access after they turned off the Internet connection to two suites, impersonated repair technicians and recorded video inside. Authorities later used the videos to obtain a warrant to arrest the men. In the criminal complaint, federal agents said the videos showed evidence of an illegal online sports gambling operation being run out of the villas. Prosecutors did not mention in the criminal complaint what caused the Internet outages. Defense lawyer Thomas Goldstein said lawyers learned about the ruse only when they reviewed the video recordings and heard an official make reference to turning off the Internet access. Ongoing case: All eight men face charges of transmission of wagering information, operating an illegal gambling business, and aiding and abetting - they all deny wrongdoing . 'They were trying everything they could to get inside without a warrant,' Goldstein told the AP. A former federal prosecutor, Mark Rasch, said the ploy probably will not stand up in court. 'Police are allowed to use a certain kind of subterfuge, but what they can't do is create a certain kind of circumstance,' Rasch said. In the gambling case, Wei Seng Phua, his son Darren Wai Kit Phua, Seng Chen Yong and Wai Kin Yong and four others were arrested in July after federal agents raided the three high-roller villas at the hotel. All eight face charges of transmission of wagering information, operating an illegal gambling business, and aiding and abetting. None of defendants has entered a plea, but Goldstein said Tuesday they all deny wrongdoing. Wei Seng Phua, 50, also faces charges of running an illegal sports gambling business in Macau. He was arrested in the Chinese gambling enclave on June 18 and flew to Las Vegas a few days later. In a criminal complaint, federal authorities described him as a high-ranking member of the 14k Triad, a Chinese organized crime group. Goldstein said Wei Seng Phua also denied that allegation, which he said had nothing to do with the criminal case in Nevada. Under U.S. law, a person whose property is inspected generally must waive his constitutional protections against unreasonable searches unless authorities obtain a warrant. Evidence collected improperly is not supposed to be used at trial. The FBI in Las Vegas referred questions about the practice to the U.S. Attorney's Office there. Natalie Collins, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden, said prosecutors were aware of the allegations being made by defense lawyers but declined to comment, citing a pending trial. The gambling case was at least the third to surface in recent weeks raising questions about tactics by federal agents pursuing criminal investigations. The Drug Enforcement Administration set up a fake Facebook account using photographs and other personal information it took from the cellphone of a New York woman arrested in a cocaine case in hopes of tricking her friends and associates into revealing incriminating drug secrets. In another case, the FBI sent a fake news story it attributed to The Associated Press to trick a suspect in a bomb-threat case into clicking on the website link and revealing his location. The AP objected that the FBI's practice was 'unacceptable' and 'undermined AP's credibility.'
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The FBI allegedly employed the ruse against the recommendation of an assistant U.S. attorney .
In total eight men were arrested in July after federal agents posed as repair technicians and raided three villas at the Caesars Palace hotel .
Under U.S. law, a person whose property is inspected generally must waive his constitutional protections against unreasonable searches unless authorities obtain a warrant .
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By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 03:58 EST, 30 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:26 EST, 30 October 2012 . Airlines have today cancelled a further 5,753 flights with more cancellations expected as Superstorm Sandy continues to pummel the north-eastern U.S. The massive storm has brought a near . halt to air travel for a third day in a key region for both domestic and . international flights. The total number of flights cancelled over the last three days now sits at just under 15,000. Scroll down for video . Emergency: U.S. Airways baggage terminals are covered in plastic as Superstorm Sandy begins to bear down on Philadelphia International Airport yesterday. Airlines have today cancelled a further 5,753 flights . Stranded: Italian tourists Patrizio D'Emido and Joelle Carota sit in the closed Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC between flights . New York City: Sea water floods the Ground Zero construction site in Lower Manhattan last night . Flight-tracking . service FlightAware reported cancellations by major carriers including . American Airlines, United and Delta into and out of three area airports . in New York, the nation's busiest airspace. Some 50,000 stranded passengers . are now waiting out the storm across the world, in travel hubs . including London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. So . far, there have been 14,723 flight cancellations as a direct result of . the storm. This breaks down as 1,300 cancelled on Sunday; at least 7,670 . yesterday; and 5,753 today. Sandy, . now rated as a 'post-tropical' superstorm, has forced the closure of . JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark in New Jersey 'until . further notice'. Domestic and international flights have also been cancelled at other major airports in the north-east. Both . Philadelphia International Airport and Baltimore Washington . International Airport have warned passengers that most flights will . likely be cancelled today. Amtrak has cancelled all services in the north-east today due to high winds and heavy rain. Changed plans: Nearly 15,000 flights have been cancelled over the last three days . Path: A Nasa satellite image taken at 3.55 EST (7.55 GMT) showing Sandy's progress over the East Coast . Cancellations: All flights out of New York's three airports, including JFK (pictured), have been grounded . The . railroad said passenger service between Boston and Raleigh, North . Carolina, and between the East Coast and Chicago, New Orleans and . Florida will be suspended for a second day in a row. Cancellations include Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone and Shuttle service, among other trains. Passengers . were urged to follow developments on Amtrak.com and Facebook and . Twitter sites. No decision has yet been made on when service will be . resumed. Amtrak . said passengers who have paid but who didn't travel because of the . service disruption can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel. Businessman Alan . Shrem was trying to return home to Boca Raton, Florida, yesterday morning, but . his Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to New York's Kennedy airport . was cancelled. He was told he . could be stuck in Hong Kong for nearly a week because the next available . seat was on November 4. He was put on a waiting list for seats that could . become available earlier. 'They . just say "Yeah, it's a pretty big waiting list,"' said Mr Shrem, throwing . up his hands. Meanwhile, he will have to pay $400 a night to stay . at a nearby hotel. The airline will not pay for accommodation for . stranded passengers if delays are weather related. Stranded: Tens of thousands of passengers, including these tired travellers at JFK, face further delays today . Delays: Delta Airlines passengers study a departure screen at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, after dozens of flights were canceled last night . Deserted: Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London lies empty this morning as all flights to the U.S. east coast were cancelled . Air travel in the north-east began experiencing . problems on Sunday night, when passengers were reporting delays of hours at . airline call centers. Eileen . Merberg, 50, was booked on a United flight from her home in Rochester, . New York, to New Orleans, connecting at Washington D.C.'s Dulles airport. She . received an email saying the Washington flight was cancelled. United . rebooked her first on a flight through Newark and, when that flight was . also canceled, on another flight through Chicago. By that point, she . had told the higher education conference that she was scheduled to . speak at that she would not be coming. She tried to cancel her flight . over the phone but waiting times were so long she could not get through. Airlines are pointing to last year's Hurricane Irene as a precedent of likely . action they will take. During . a four-day period in August 2011, as Irene approached the Eastern . Seaboard, 14,000 flights were halted as the hurricane traveled over . major hubs such as Philadelphia, Newark and JFK airports. Every . major airline in the U.S. has at least one hub or 'center city' and some, . such as United (Newark and Washington Dulles) and US Airways . (Philadelphia and Washington National), have two. Even a slight disruption to one of these airports would affect thousands of flights and tens of thousands of passengers. If . the flight cancellations continue, it could lead to havoc which would . create gridlock in the U.S. aviation system and create a backlog of . stranded passengers. However, Sandy is expected to have remained in . the area for at least 48 hours and disruption to flights is expected to . be far greater than that experienced during Irene. Every airline has issued a flexible travel policy that allows customers . to make changes to their reservations with no penalty and passengers have been told to contact their carrier.
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Total number of flights cancelled over the last three days sits at 15,000 .
Some 50,000 stranded passengers are now waiting out the storm across the world, in travel hubs including London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong .
Storm has forced closure of JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark in New Jersey 'until further notice'
Amtrak has cancelled all services in the north-east today .
Sandy is now rated as a 'post-tropical' superstorm .
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By . Sean Poulter . PUBLISHED: . 15:02 EST, 28 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:45 EST, 28 March 2013 . Millions were shut out of their bank accounts today after another meltdown in the computer system at the NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland. The mobile Apps used by two million customers to access their accounts from iPhones, Android smartphones and tablets failed in the early morning. People who were waking up and checking transactions and balances, or trying to make payments, were locked out of their accounts for several hours. Royal bank of Scotland and Natwest had issues with their smartphone and tablet apps affecting millions of people . The troubled bank, which is 82per cent owned by taxpayers, has suffered a series of technical failures that have left customers frustrated and angry. The bank offered apologies and updates on its official Facebook page in an unsuccessful attempt to quell complaints and prevent people switching away. One angry customer wrote: ‘I’ve moved to Barclays after 10 years of nothing but hassle from NatWest ...... Little Britain must of got the phrase ‘computer says no’ from NatWest’. Business and personal mobile banking customers for Natwest, RBS, and . Ulster Bank are today experiencing problems . A second said: ‘So pleased I opened a new account with someone else on Tuesday. Natwest are useless.’ A third spoke for many, stating: ‘Hey Natwest, instead of giving your useless bosses at the top of Natwest tower massive bonuses, try employing IT people who actually know what they are doing.’ The RBS-Natwest group paid bonuses totalling £607 million for 2012 despite amassing losses of some £5.2billion. The mobile banking App which operates on the Android software system used by Samsung and others was restored around lunchtime yesterday. However, it took more than an hour longer to reinstate the service to customers who log in through Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Last summer, a major computer system failure that locked millions out of current accounts cost the bank some £175 million in compensation. In October, NatWest had to suspend a mobile phone banking App feature called GetCash, after the service was subject to a spate of ‘phishing’ attacks by fraudsters. The GetCash service, which allows customers to withdraw cash without using a debit card, was later re-instated after security was beefed up. Just three weeks ago a hardware fault . prevented customers from using cash machines and also affected online . and telephone banking services. The . bank has been heavily promoting the benefits of its mobile phone . banking App. It recently unveiled a feature called Pay Your Contacts, . which allows customers to send payments of up to £100 to anyone with a . Visa card, by entering their mobile number. Mobile banking users took to Twitter to ask what was happening . A spokeswoman for consumer group Which? said the problems will raise wider questions about ‘how robust and up to date banks’ IT systems are’. She said: ‘Consumers and businesses alike rely on mobile banking services to access their accounts and consumers will rightly want to be assured that their money is accessible and safe at all times.’ Laura Willoughby, of the Move your Money campaign group, said: ‘Coming just weeks after the last IT failure, this really is the last straw for customers fed up with such unhelpful banking. RBS is not only too big to fail, but too big to provide proper customer service as well.’ RBS blamed a technical problem that was restricted to the mobile Apps and apologised to customers for the inconvenience.
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Mobile and tablet apps used by two million people failed today .
Unhappy customers took to social media to complain about the banks .
RBS offered apologies and updates on its official Facebook page .
It took more than an hour longer to reinstate the service to customers who log in through Apple’s iPhone and iPad.
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By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 05:26 EST, 3 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:14 EST, 3 January 2013 . A girl left severely disabled at birth is being forced to fly to the other side of the world every month in a 'soul destroying' journey to qualify for medical compensation. Paige Carpenter was born in New Zealand 14 years ago but suffered horrific brain damage when she was starved of oxygen. The authorities ruled that mistakes made by a midwife were to blame and Paige was handed a massive payout package to provide care for the rest of her life. Paige Carpenter, pictured right with her mother Donna, has to fly to the other side of the world to qualify for her medical compensation . When her English mother Donna decided to return home to live in the UK in June 2010 the compensation money was halted. But Mrs Carpenter found a loophole in the legislation which means so long as Paige is present in New Zealand for just 24 hours once a month she still qualifies for the £1,000-per week compensation. Payments started in Jan 2011 as soon as they landed . Paige has now endured 11 round-the-world trips of 23,000 miles from her home in Great Bentley, Essex - the equivalent of flying further than the Moon which is 238,855 miles away. Amazingly, when the teenager, her mother and her mother's partner land - they are automatically registered as having been in the country - meaning they often return after just one night's stay at an airport hotel. Sadly nearly all of the money, which should be for wheelchair bound Paige's medical care, is instead spent on air fares and travel costs. Donna, 43, and her husband, Stephen Barnett, 47, have to accompany the teenager on the exhausting trips which often involve a journey time of up to 40 hours to get out there. Paige Carpenter, now 14, with her mother Donna Carpenter (left) when she was born and (right) Paige when she was three . Paige Carpenter pictured after having undergone surgery for an E.Coli infection when she was five . But Mrs Carpenter is determined to continue with the journeys in a bid to highlight Paige's plight and force the authorities in New Zealand to back down and just make the compensation payments without the gruelling condition attached. She said: 'Paige did not ask for this life and all this is about is giving her the care she so desperately needs. 'It's not so that we can be wealthy - we are not living a life of luxury from this money - it's about providing round-the-clock care for her.' Paige's conditions mean she is wheelchair-bound and she is only able to speak a handful of words. Mrs Carpenter - a former shop manager - is now Paige's full-time carer. She added: 'I don't know how long we are . going to be able to carry on doing the trips - they are soul destroying. I am in tears every time we get onto the plane. Paige has now endured 11 round-the-world trips of 23,000 miles from her home in Great Bentley, Essex . 'We have to have Paige lying across our laps because she is not able to sit upright. 'I was ready to quit after the first few journeys we made but Paige's brothers and sisters encouraged me to carry on, reminding me that we are doing this for her future, hopefully so she will still be provided for in years to come when we are no longer alive.' Financial support is restricted for people once they leave New Zealand, meaning the only way that Paige can get her full entitlement is by moving back out there. Mrs Carpenter, a mother of six, said: 'It is heart-wrenching for us. Paige needs 24/7 care and it is very difficult. 'We really do want to get the best care we can for her and improve the quality of her life but they are making it extremely difficult. 'Why should we have to be living in New Zealand in order to get the money she is entitled to? All of our support network is now here in England and moving back to New Zealand is simply not an option.' Paige was born at home in New Zealand but suffered perinatal hypoxia - meaning her brain was starved of oxygen at the critical time. The teenager, who can barely speak, also suffers from cerebral palsy and has a twisted spine. Mrs Carpenter hopes one day to be able to take her daughter to America for an operation to straighten it and relieve the pain she constantly suffers. The mother-of-six says she has been constantly having to battle the authorities in order to get the compensation Paige is due. She added: 'She is a fighter, so I am going to keep fighting for her. We were told she would never speak, but she recently started to say a few words. 'When she said 'mummy, I love you' it was one of the happiest moments in my whole life.' Mrs Carpenter has five other children - Lauren, 21, Tyler, 19, Madison, 16, Jake, 11 and Aiden, seven. Lauren takes responsibility for looking after her younger siblings when her mother and husband, a carpenter, head to New Zealand. The compensation money - to provide 'attendant care' stopped in July 2011 and Mrs Carpenter's New Zealand lawyer argued there was 'no logical reason' why Paige should not receive the same payment in the UK but the case was dismissed. A spokesman for New Zealand's Accident Compensation Commission said he was unable to comment on individual cases. He said: 'We provide a range of support for people with accident-related injuries. However, the Accident Compensation Act restricts the support to clients once they leave New Zealand.' There is discretion for the ACC to fund people living overseas, but factors such as cost and whether the care can be monitored are taken into account.
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Paige Carpenter was starved of oxygen at birth in New Zealand .
She was given massive payout package to provide care for rest of her life .
But when her family moved to England with her the payments stopped .
That was until her mother Donna found a loophole in the system .
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f7a44b7be9846e0de6fb124a2d3c1f4ca72df76c
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Philadelphia (CNN) -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal to get a new sentencing hearing for the killing of a Philadelphia police officer 30 years ago. The high court rejected a request from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to overturn the federal appeals court decision declaring the death sentence unconstitutional for Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther who was convicted in 1982 of gunning down a Philadelphia police officer. Abu-Jamal will be automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole unless Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams seeks another death sentence from a new jury. Williams had no comment Tuesday. His attorneys, who have repeatedly argued that confusing jury instructions and the verdict form given to the jury favored a death sentence instead of life in prison, applauded the court's ruling. "At long last, the profoundly troubling prospect of Mr. Abu-Jamal facing an execution that was produced by an unfair and unreliable penalty phase has been eliminated. Like all Americans, Mr. Abu-Jamal was entitled to a proper proceeding that takes into account the many substantial reasons why death was an inappropriate sentence," John Payton, director of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, said in a statement. Abu-Jamal's case will now return to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas for final sentencing. In April, Abu-Jamal was granted a new sentencing hearing by a federal appeals court, sparking a threat by the prosecutor to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. In its 32-page decision, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals accepted defense arguments that the jury instructions at Abu-Jamal's original 1982 murder trial were unclear. The court's decision does not grant Abu-Jamal a new trial and his conviction of murder stands. In January, the Supreme Court tossed out a lower court ruling that nullified the death sentence for Abu-Jamal. The justices ordered a federal appeals court to revisit its earlier ruling granting a new sentencing hearing. The high court last year denied Abu-Jamal's separate petition for a new trial . Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 killing of Officer Daniel Faulkner. Witnesses testified that Abu-Jamal shot Faulkner in the back and head after the officer pulled his brother over during a late-night traffic stop. Abu-Jamal, once known as Wesley Cook, was wounded in the encounter and later confessed to the killing, according to other testimony. He's been on death row at a state prison in southwest Pennsylvania, where he's been an outspoken activist from behind bars -- claiming there were procedural errors during his capital sentencing, and that too few blacks were on the jury. The case has attracted international attention, amid charges of prosecutorial misconduct. Abu-Jamal, a onetime radio reporter and cab driver, has been a divisive figure, with many prominent supporters arguing that racism pervaded his trial. Others counter Abu-Jamal is using his race to try to escape responsibility for his actions. They say he has provoked community unrest for years with his writings and advocacy.
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Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of 1982 slaying, sentenced to death .
Defense says instructions to the jury were confusing, promoted death sentence .
Supreme Court ruling means a new sentencing hearing for Abu-Jamal .
Unless DA seeks a new death sentence from a new jury, he'll serve life without parole .
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f7a451855a7ff1529c433a561b54d7c6cfb6b11d
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By . Elliott Bretland . Follow @@EllBretland . The future of Thibaut Courtois remains uncertain after Atletico Madrid agreed to sign Getafe goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya on a three-year contract. Chelsea stopper Courtois has impressed during his three years on loan in the Spanish capital and played in Atletico's Champions League final defeat to rivals Real last month. However, it is unclear whether Courtois will remain in Spain or return to London next season following Atletico's move for a new stopper. New arrival: Atletico Madrid have signed goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya from Getafe . Uncertain: Moya's arrival has cast doubt over the future of Thibaut Courtois . The La Liga champions announced the deal on the club's official website and said: 'Atletico Madrid and Getafe have reached an agreement for the transfer of Miguel Angel Moya to our entity, pending the goalkeeper undergoing the corresponding medical examination and signing his contract.' Local media reports suggest Atletico have paid close to £2.5million to secure the services of Moya. The 30-year-old will be presented to the media on Thursday having completed his medical on Wednesday. 'It is still to be cleared up whether Courtois is leaving or not but it is a challenge for me and I am convinced I am up to the task,' Moya said in an interview with Spanish television. 'Atleti have become the envy of everyone, achieving what they have,' he added. 'Who wouldn’t want to come here?' Moya is Atletico’s second signing of the summer after the club signed Argentinian frontman Angel Correa from San Lorenzo on a five-year contract. Guarantee: Courtois is owned by Chelsea but it is not clear if they will send him on loan again . Moving on: Diego Costa is close to leaving Atletico Madrid for Chelsea this summer .
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Atletico Madrid sign new goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya from Getafe .
Moya transfer casts doubt on future of Thibaut Courtois at Vicente Calderon .
Atletico have already signed striker Angel Correa from San Lorenzo .
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f7a459a2512ef8a780dad3128f7af6bf1d936ee5
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(CNN) -- Before middle-aged men started singing "Viva Viagra" in TV ads, before former Sen. Bob Dole appeared in its commercials in the '90s, before the blue pill with a funny name entered the public lexicon, impotence was hush-hush. Viagra entered the market 10 years ago, bringing once taboo subjects like erectile dysfunction out in the open. Now there's no getting away from it. In-boxes are clogged daily with spam mail promising cheap and instant manliness delivered fast and in bulk. Couples exchange amorous, come-hither looks followed by a lengthy recitation of side effects on TV ads. The pill helped more than 25 million men get their groove back and blasted the topic of erectile dysfunction into the open. "It's like the nuclear explosion," said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of Sexual Medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, California. "It created sexual medicine. It allowed the taboo to be broken." Since the diamond-shaped blue pill debuted 10 years ago, it has become embedded in the public psyche, late-night television jokes and urologists' offices. "It is one of the revolutionary steps in sexual health," said Dr. Ira Sharlip, spokesman for the American Urological Association. "It ranks with the changes in cultural attitudes about sexuality that were started by [Sigmund] Freud, continued by [William] Masters and [Virginia] Johnson, the two researchers in the '60s, and the work that [Alfred] Kinsey did in the '40s. "These were the huge steps in the development of our understanding of human sexuality and cultural attitudes of sex." Men seldom talked about their bedroom troubles before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Viagra as the first oral medication for erectile dysfunction in 1998. "We lamented the fact that the men had so much shame about erectile dysfunction, how rarely anyone came for medical attention," said Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, an associate clinical professor of urology at Harvard Medical School. Penis injections and vacuum pumps were available, but these treatments weren't appealing. Men with medical conditions such as diabetes, prostate cancer, hyper cholesterol, endocrinological and cardiovascular problems weren't able to enjoy sex, Goldstein said. "People who couldn't enjoy intimacy before have been given a second life...." he said. "We have had a better life because of it." Viagra increases blood flow to the penis, enabling a man to have an erection. The drug does not induce desire and works when the man is sexually aroused, according to Pfizer, the makers of Viagra. Urologists heard from patients who had tried the pill that Viagra made them feel as if they were 20-year-olds again. Anti-impotence drugs Levitra and Cialis have come along since. "Along with the birth control pill in the '60s, this pill really changed people, society and medicine," Goldstein said. "It changed the patient-physician relationship. You can walk in and ask about sexual functions. It was a major taboo at some point." Dr. Gerald Melchiode, a Texas psychiatrist, agreed that the pill has helped men open up about their sexual health, but finds the commercials a bit much. "I've never run across men singing about their impotency," he said. Since Viagra's appearance on the market, the dialogue about sexual dysfunctions has helped doctors identify other health problems in their patients, doctors say. "You always hear someone drops dead,"said Dr. Chris Steidle, a urologist who wrote the book "Sex and the Heart." "It's not sudden death if you couldn't get an erection. It's a symptom of a heart condition. You wouldn't ignore a stroke, but you would ignore erectile dysfunction -- it's a significant symptom." The man's penis is like "the tip of the iceberg" or "the canary in the mines," which serve as an indicator of overall health, Morgentaler said. "There's now good evidence that shows that men with ED who have no other symptoms of anything are at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes," he said. Thousands of studies have been conducted on Viagra. "The pill that thrills" is also being studied to see whether it gives athletes an edge in competition. It's been studied to see whether it helps women with their sexual health. Despite the deluge of attention, Viagra doesn't work for about 25 percent to 35 percent of men with erectile dysfunction. For others, it has revitalized and strained marriages. Experts say Viagra gave a window into the psyche of men and women. Some complain that sex should be spontaneous and that popping a pill ruins the romance. Eating food decreases the potency of Viagra, and some say the pill forces them to go on a schedule. Another complaint: Having to use Viagra makes a spouse or partner feel undesirable. "Sometimes their spouse personalizes it," said Melchiode. "Why does he have to take this pill? Aren't I attractive enough? Aren't I sexy enough for him? That's not unusual for the partner." Even when Viagra is effective, some men realize that it's not the magic bullet that solves their problems with intimacy, doctors said. Only about half refill their prescription. "One has to think beyond just giving a pill to cure sexual problems," Melchiode said. "A typical example is a couple where there's been problems over the years and they can't deal with the problems on a verbal level, so they start withdrawing from one another. They build up a resentment and anger, they have trouble being close to one another and having sex with each other. Just giving them a pill isn't going to touch on all the problems of the resentment and anger." Sex, it turns out, is part of a bigger web of relationship issues. Morgentaler, author of "The Viagra Myth," said: "It's unrealistic that there's a pill that fixes all of these things."
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Viagra helped 25 million men with erectile dysfunction and bring awareness .
Blue pill considered a huge step in understanding human sexuality, cultural attitudes .
ED indicates other health issues and that blood vessels aren't working well .
Viagra isn't a cure-all, some sex problems are indicative of relationship problems .
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f7a4f3b2f59123970cb5edf959b9330e94c1792c
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(CNN) -- When Michele Maro became captivated by "The Lord of the Rings" movies, she never imagined she would one day be walking around in the Shire, touring Hobbiton and peeking into hobbit holes. Fans of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy can tour a New Zealand farm that was used as the setting for Hobbiton. Those are all fictional places, but fans can visit the closest thing possible in New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed and where specially designed tours will take visitors to some of the stunning locations featured in the movies. Maro, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, spent two weeks in New Zealand in 2003 being guided around forests, national parks and farms, exploring sites that she didn't think were real when she first saw them on the big screen. "The scenery was so pretty that I thought it had to be computer-generated," Maro said. But the place that moved her most was a serene sheep farm in Matamata, New Zealand, where filmmakers brought to life author J.R.R. Tolkien's vision of Hobbiton, the hobbit village where Frodo Baggins lives, complete with hobbit holes peeking out of hill sides. "I just stood there and cried. It was like, 'I can't believe I'm actually here,' " Maro said. "I loved the movie so much, and to actually be there where they filmed that, it overwhelmed me." See iReporters' film location photos » . Sing along with 'The Sound of Music' Such passion has prompted tour operators all over the world to take fans to sites that have served as settings for blockbusters on the big and small screens. They can be legendary places recognized on their own or seemingly mundane restaurants, houses and street corners that become instantly recognizable when put in the context of a favorite movie or TV show. In London, England, you can visit locations used in movies such as "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral." When in Rome, Italy, world-famous landmarks like the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum will make you feel as if you've stepped right into "Roman Holiday" and "La Dolce Vita." Tours highlighting sites used during the filming of "The Sound of Music" have many visitors singing with joy in Salzburg, Austria. "The buses were packed. It seemed to be very popular," said Kelly Van Baren, a sales manager who lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois. She and her sister watched the musical over and over while growing up, she recalled, and when they visited Munich, Germany, in the fall of 2007, they made a special one-hour train trip to Salzburg just to take one of the tours. It turned out to be an adventure in itself. A convoy of three huge buses with scenes from the film painted on their sides shuttled mostly American tourists to various sites, including the church where the main characters were married and a gazebo featured during some of the musical numbers, Van Baren recalled. Her favorite site was a majestic palace used as the von Trapp family home in some of the exterior shots. The movie was played on the bus during the tour, and the sightseers were encouraged to sing along, prompting Van Baren to wonder what the locals must think of the visitors. "It was just hilarious, these three giant buses full of Americans driving around the countryside. It wasn't a proud moment, but it was fun," Van Baren said. Big Apple lures fans . Movie and TV fans who want to stay closer to home to explore famous locations have plenty of movie tours to choose from in the United States. New York, which has served as the backdrop for countless films and television shows, offers a wide variety of sites. Seeing them in person for the first time can be shocking, tour operators say. "Guests are definitely surprised by the appearance of the locations," said Pauline Gacanja, public relations and marketing assistant for On Location Tours. "On TV, things generally look larger and more dramatic than they really are." The company takes about 100,000 visitors a year to dozens of well-known sites around the city by bus, by water taxi or on foot. Buildings used as homes in "Friends" and "The Cosby Show" are among the most popular places, Gacanja said. Visitors can also see locations such as the diner used in "Men in Black" and the firehouse used in "Ghostbusters," according to the company's Web site. But the most popular tour focuses on sites used in the television and big screen hit "Sex and the City," Gacanja said. Fans of "the Sopranos" also have their own tour. "Seinfeld" aficionados may opt for Kramer's Reality Tour, offered by Kenny "The Real" Kramer, the man said to have inspired Jerry's colorful friend Cosmo Kramer. Stops include the Soup Shop that inspired the "Soup Nazi" episode and the real Monk's Restaurant, used for the exterior shots of the diner where the characters hung out. This may be the only tour that tempts visitors with highlights such as "Visit the office building where Elaine worked for Pendant Publishing, Kramer had his coffee table book published and George had sex, on his desk, with the cleaning lady." Plenty of movie tours also thrive outside New York, in cities such as San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For Maro, the experience in New Zealand was so unforgettable, she went again a year later for another look at "The Lord of the Rings" sites. "My imagination went wild there. It was so fabulous. It was just a great trip," she said.
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Tours take fans to sites that have served as settings for movies and TV shows .
"Lord of the Rings" fans flock to New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed .
"The Sound of Music" tours have visitors singing with joy in Salzburg, Austria .
Popular tours in New York take fans to "Sex and the City," "Sopranos" locations .
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Rangers have suffered a fresh financial blow after former goalkeeper Neil Alexander won a £80,000 claim against the club for breach of contract. Lawyers for the cash-strapped Ibrox club will appeal the decision reached by an SPFL independent panel. Alexander, now at Championship rivals Hearts, argued he was the victim of broken financial promises made during Charles Green’s tenure as chief executive. Neil Alexander (above) has won a £80,000 claim against the former club Rangers for breach of contract . Assisted by PFA Scotland and their lawyers, Alexander won his case. But a Rangers decision to appeal the matter via an SFA judicial panel will now see the costs of the action spiral as the club wrestle with a growing cash crisis. Poised to announce plans to raise £8million for the club’s day-to-day running at what is sure to be a stormy AGM on Monday, Ibrox directors and lawyers will meet manager Ally McCoist today to discuss his departure. McCoist, whose side are nine points adrift of Hearts in the Championship promotion race, has already tendered his resignation and plans to serve 12-months’ notice. Ally McCoist (left) has already tendered his resignation and plans to serve 12-months’ notice . However, a Rangers statement to the stock market confirmed plans for an ‘amicable settlement’ during talks due to take place today. The options for Rangers are a pay-off, a period of gardening leave or an improbable scenario where McCoist remains in his position for the next year on a £750,000 salary. Alex Smith, chairman of the Scottish Managers and Coaches Association, hopes the parties can find a dignified end to an unparalleled stand-off. Queen of the South's Kevin Holt rifles his free-kick during his side's 2-0 victory over Rangers on Friday . ‘It’s a very unusual situation and one that I think has to be resolved as soon as possible. ‘Hopefully they can try and get a solution to allow Ally to continue working there. ‘I think he has worked under tremendous pressure. He has been asked to do so many things outwith his remit as manager of Rangers. ‘He has had to take on all the flak that has been flying around since the situation happened three years ago, which was really difficult to do. Queen of the South celebrate taking the lead against Rangers as they defeated for former Scottish giants . ‘I would like it to be resolved amicably with everybody sitting round the table and coming away with their dignity intact.’ BLOB Queen of the South defender Andy Dowie has been offered a two-match suspension by the SFA for stamping on Rangers midfielder Ian Black during last Friday’s Championship clash. Charged with a breach of rule 200 which covers ‘committing violent conduct at a match by deliberately standing on an opposing player’s leg’ Dowie – who began his career at Ibrox - has until the end of today to respond. If he challenges the ruling he would face an SFA hearing on Thursday.
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Lawyers for the cash-strapped Ibrox club will appeal the decision .
Neil Alexander now plies his trade with Hearts .
Alexander argued he was the victim of broken financial promises made during Charles Green’s tenure as chief executive .
Ally McCoist's side are nine points adrift of Hearts in the Championship promotion race .
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