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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 05:55 EST, 20 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:49 EST, 20 November 2013 . These stunning photos act as postcards for one photographer, who has traveled all over the globe, braving freezing temperatures to create the ultimate time-lapse video. Photographer Dustin Farrell, 36, spent four years perfecting his technique and travelling all over the world in his quest to capture the stunning nature time-lapses. The dramatic photo shoots would take anywhere from 30 minutes through to a painstaking six hours. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Labour of love: These stunning photos act as postcards for one photographer, who has traveled all over the globe, braving freezing temperatures to create the ultimate time-lapse video. Pictured: The Grand Canyon . Dedication: Photographer Dustin Farrell, 36, spent four years perfecting his technique and travelling all over the world in his quest to capture beautiful time lapses of nature. Pictured: A waterfall in Iceland . Creation: The dramatic photo shoots would take anywhere from 30 minutes through to a painstaking six hours. Pictured: Sand dunes . Dustin, who lives in Arizona, USA, merged almost a million pictures together to create the incredible timelapse video of scenes such as a lightning storm over the Grand Canyon and an explosive display of the Northern Lights in Iceland. Dustin said: 'I was first attracted to time lapse photography because of the ability it gave me to create something that cannot be created with any normal video or film camera. 'The hardest part of time lapse is having the patience to get the footage. Finding a great location and setting up the right shot can also be very challenging. Stunning scenes: Mr Farrell who lives in Arizona, USA, merged almost a million pictures together to create the incredible time-lapse video of scenes . Process: Time-lapse photography is a technique where photos are taken individually and then compiled together in a sequence, when played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and lapsing. Pictured: Horse shoe bend in Utah . Travel: 'I still have a few more places to travel to, I would love to visit New Zealand and I think a shoot in Las Vegas would show my versatility as a photographer,' said Mr Farrell . 'My favourite shot was inside the cave with the Indian ruin in the foreground. Everything came together perfectly for that shot, which took a lot of planning and preparation that was followed by a long hike and difficult setup. 'I thought that we were going to get rained out by an incoming Summer storm. Instead, after an amazing one hour lightening show the storm cleared to reveal the Milky Way'. Dustin has been a professional photographer for 14 years and currently runs his own production company in the USA. Impressive: He manages to capture scenes which would otherwise be lost in normal photography. Pictured: The aurora in Iceland over ice . Creative: The photographer is so dedicated to his craft that he spends hours picking the right spot to set up his camera. Pictured: Cat rock and Oak creek . Remote: Time-lapse is an extreme version of the cinematography technique of undercranking, and sometimes time lapse photography can be confused with stop motion animation. Pictured: A weather station and the milky way . Time-lapse photography is a technique . where photos are taken individually and then compiled together in a . sequence, when played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster . and lapsing. The . technique is an extreme version of the cinematography technique of . undercranking, and sometimes time lapse photography can be confused with . stop motion animation. Dustin . added: 'The reaction from friends and family has been overwhelming, . everyone is very proud and excited at what I have produced. 'I . still have a few more places to travel to, I would love to visit New . Zealand and I think a shoot in Las Vegas would show my versatility as a . photographer.' Reaction: Mr Farrell said: 'The reaction from friends and family has been overwhelming, everyone is very proud and excited at what I have produced.' Pictured: The aurora over a Lagoon. Experience: Mr Farrell has been a professional photographer for 14 years and currently runs his own production company in the USA. Pictured: A NASA space rover . Impressive: 'I thought that we were going to get rained out by an incoming Summer storm. Instead, after an amazing one hour lightening show the storm cleared to reveal the Milky Way,' he said. Pictured: A rock spike in front of the milky way .
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Photographer Dustin Farrell, 36, spent .
four years perfecting his technique and travelling all over the world .
Dedicated in .
his quest to capture the most heart-achingly beautiful time lapses of .
nature .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:21 EST, 11 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:22 EST, 11 October 2013 . A mother-of-two who advertized a $19,000 diamond ring on Craigslist has been lured hundreds of miles from her home by a man claiming he wanted to buy it before he robbed her, she has told police. Emily Graham, 32, said the man paid for her flight from Madison, Wisconsin to St Louis, Missouri for September 21, claiming he wanted to get the ring appraised and buy it for his wife. When she landed at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, a car service picked her up to take her to a jewelry store to meet the buyer - but instead, he took her to an abandoned warehouse, she said. Scam: Emily Graham, left, said a man flew her to St Louis after responding to her Craigslist ad for a $19,000 diamond ring - before he allegedly stole it. Police have released an image of a 'person of interest', right . 'The neighborhood was really shady,' she told the St Louis Post-Dispatch. 'He pulled into the back of an abandoned warehouse and stopped the car, and someone was pounding on my window, saying, "Stop the car".' The man then demanded the ring, she said: 'It felt like an eternity, maybe 30 seconds, and I realized I've been scammed.' The driver pretended to act shocked and put his hands in the air but sat in the car while the suspect robbed her of the ring, her purse, her laptop, an iPhone, other jewelry and her shoes, she said. 'He could have killed me or raped me behind that warehouse,' she said. He hit her across the head with a pistol and forced her behind the building before leaving in the vehicle, an SUV, she said. She then ran to a nearby house for help and called police. Stolen: She said she wanted to sell the ring, pictured, to raise money as she went through a divorce . Berkeley Police Maj. Art Jackson told the Post-Dispatch that they are now checking nearby pawn shops for the items. He said the buyer had used a fake name in the correspondence and that the plane ticket had been bought with a stolen credit card. He said there was no doubt that the incident had occurred. 'We believe her,' Jackson said. 'She was in a very frantic state. Once the investigators started talking with her, they believed it did actually occur.' Victim: Graham, pictured wearing the ring, said she was taken to an abandoned building and robbed before the suspect drove off and left her there. She went to a home for help and called police . Graham, who works in website marketing, did not have the ring insured and after the robbery, she launched an online fundraising campaign to raise $30,000 to fund an after-school care program - which police said had raised some suspicions but that they weren't going to discount her story. She added that she needed the money from the ring, which she and her former husband bought and had appraised for $36,000 in 2007, because she was going through a divorce. Her husband, Jim Graham, 47, said he did not mind she had wanted to sell the ring, but that she was lucky to be alive after choosing to sell it as she had. He added that he supported her online fundraising efforts.
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Emily Graham, 32, flew from Wisconsin to Missouri to meet with potential buyer who said he wanted to buy ring for his wife .
But when she got there, she was driven to an abandoned store and robbed .
Authorities are still searching for the engagement ring and suspects .
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A lethal combination of worn aircraft parts and unprecedented speed caused last year's Reno Air Races crash, which killed a veteran pilot and 10 spectators, and injured more than 60 others, federal accident investigators concluded Monday. The main culprits, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, were several lock nuts on the left trim tab -- an aerodynamic surface on the horizontal part of the plane's tail -- nuts that had not been replaced in at least 26 years. The worn nuts allowed screws to loosen -- possibly years ago, without apparent consequence, the NTSB said. But when pilot Jimmy Leeward pushed the highly modified P-51 Mustang to a speed of 445 knots -- 35 knots faster than it had ever flown before on the Nevada race course -- the flaw caused flutter vibrations in the plane's trim tabs. The plane pitched up at about 17 Gs of acceleration, incapacitating Leeward. Reno air race organizers hope to continue race after deadly crash . The plane rolled, plunged towards the ground and slammed into a box seating area, showering the area with debris. When the incident happened last September, it threatened to bring an end to the National Championship Air Races in Reno, the only race of its kind in the nation. But organizers have compiled a complete schedule of races from September 12 through 16, saying they have made numerous safety improvements recommended by the NTSB. Among the improvements: race planes will be required to demonstrate their airworthiness at racing speeds before participating in races, spectators will be seated further from the aerial race course and the Reno Air Races has "flattened" the tight turn where last year's accident occurred. "Pilots know that they are taking risks, but air race pilots expect that the risks taken are theirs alone," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "The spectators assumed that their safety had been assessed and addressed." Hersman said the NTSB made its recommendations in April to give the Reno Air Racing Association time to implement the changes for this year's race. The NTSB said major modifications to the aircraft, intended to make the plane faster, contributed to the accident. Its 37-foot wingspan had been reduced to 29 feet. Some of the changes were undocumented and had a detrimental effect on the World War II-era aircraft, which was known as "The Galloping Ghost." For instance, investigators said, the plane's right trim tab -- a piece of the tail -- was locked in position aligned with the tail. Pilot overwhelmed by g-forces in Reno crash . "On this airplane, you should have both trim tabs," investigators said. "This pilot put a screw through there to fix it in position, and when you do that, he lost redundancy. You have put all the eggs in the basket of hoping the left elevator will not fail. And it did fail." Leeward's age, 74, was not found to be a factor in the crash. The 17 g forces that resulted from the failure greatly exceeded human tolerances, the NTSB said. It is difficult for trained pilots to remain conscious with even 5 Gs, the NTSB has said. The accident investigation was greatly aided by numerous movies and photographs by spectators, according to the NTSB. Since the accident, several victims and family members have filed suit, one alleging that the crash was not a "freak accident," but was "the predictable result of a reckless drive for speed by a risk taking pilot and crew, coupled with an insatiable drive for profit" by race organizers. The Reno racing association, meanwhile, announced last week it has set up a $77 million fund to compensate victims or heirs. The program is being administered by Kenneth Feinberg who administered funds for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. The Reno crash focused attention on the dangers of air races and air shows. In addition to the 11 people killed at the Reno races, five performers died at air shows elsewhere last year. Federal regulators and air show organizers vouch for the safety of the system, saying rules for U.S. air shows are stricter than those in other countries. NTSB focuses on deadly year in air races, shows .
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A veteran pilot and 10 spectators died in last year's Reno Air Races crash .
The NTSB finds that worn parts and speed caused the crash .
"Air race pilots expect that the risks taken are theirs alone," NTSB head says .
"The spectators assumed that their safety had been assessed and addressed"
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By . Harriet Arkell . PUBLISHED: . 11:30 EST, 23 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:30 EST, 23 April 2013 . A British tourist has drowned at a beach on the holiday island of Lanzarote. Steve Potter, 43, was spotted floating face down in the water after leaving friends on the beach to go for a swim. He was seen to be in trouble in the sea and dragged out of the water unconscious, but died at the shoreline after failing to respond to efforts to revive him. Famara beach in Lanzarote is a popular spot for families and holidaymakers who enjoy surfing and kitesurfing . The results of an autopsy have been sent to an investigating judge put in charge of a routine inquiry into the incident, but have not yet been made public. A source said: 'He appears to have disappeared out of sight and reappeared a few minutes later floating face down in the water. 'There's nothing to suggest this was anything other than a tragic accident although we haven't been told the exact cause of death.' Mr Potter, thought to be from the north of England, is understood to have been at Famara Beach in Lanzarote, with friends. The two-mile long beach, on the northwest coast of the island, is a world-famous surfing and kiteboarding beach used by professionals who often train there. Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar chose the dramatic setting to shoot key scenes of his 2009 film Broken Embraces, starring Penelope Cruz. The tragedy happened late on Saturday afternoon. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm the death of a British national in Lanzarote on April 20. 'We are providing consular assistance to his family at this difficult time.'
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Steve Potter, 43, was pulled unconscious from the sea at Famara Beach .
Mr Potter, who is thought to be from the north of England, died at shoreline .
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Former France international Claude Makelele has been appointed as the new manager of Ligue 1 Bastia. The 41-year-old had been serving as assistant to Laurent Blanc at Paris St Germain but has left that post to replace Frederic Hantz on a two-year deal. Main man: Claude Makelele has signed a two-year deal to become the manager of Ligue 1 side Bastia . 'Sporting Club Bastia is pleased to announce that Claude Makelele will be the trainer for the next two seasons,' read a statement on the club's official website. 'He will arrive in Bastia on Monday when he will sign his contract before being presented to the press the next day at 11am. 'The former Paris St Germain man will be assisted in his task by Didier Tholot. 'The great family of Sporting Club de Bastia welcome them.' Heyday: Makelele (left) won seven trophies in five seasons during his time playing for Chelsea . Makelele began his coaching career when he joined Carlo Ancelotti's staff at PSG following his retirement from playing in 2011. The former midfielder stayed in the capital when the Italian left for Real Madrid but will now take on his first managerial job on Corsica. Makelele won 71 France caps in a glittering playing career which saw him represent Celta Vigo, Real Madrid, Chelsea and PSG.
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Claude Makelele has been appointed as the new manager of Ligue 1 Bastia .
Makelele has replaced Frederic Hantz on a two-year deal .
Makelele had been assistant manager to Laurent Blanc at PSG .
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By . Joel Christie for MailOnline . The 15 contestants featuring on Fox's bold new reality TV endeavor Utopia have only been together one week on the remote California set of the 'social experiment', where they will spend the next 12 months building their 'ideal civilization' from scratch. But already the show is rife with fights and drama, with a contestant already kicked off for smuggling in a cell phone, another evacuated to hospital for severe dehydration and one revealing a secret pregnancy. Add to that the skinny dipping and polyamorous contestant Dedeker - who kisses her two boyfriends and girlfriend goodbye before entering the compound north of LA County - and Fox appears to be making good on the reported $50 million they have invested in the project. The show - which premieres Sunday night - has already developed a large online following, after a live stream of the Utopia grounds made available this week garnered 1 million viewers, according to Entertainment Weekly. Utopia - which premieres on Sunday night - has already developed a large online following, after a live stream of the Utopia grounds made available this week garnered 1 million viewers . Early controversy: New Fox reality series Utopia - a Survivor meets Big Brother set up where contestants have to create their own society from scratch - is already raising eye brows before its Sunday premiere for things such as nudity . Butting heads: Two contestants have a face off as part of a new promo for Fox reality experiment Utopia . Open relationship: Polyamorous contestant Dedeker (center-left) kisses her girlfriend and two boyfriends goodbye before entering the compound . Violence: A physical altercation between two male contestants (picture) sees one of them removed by security - all within the first week . Paradise?: The California set of Utopia has no heat, no electricity and no plumbing, but has a self-filtering lake for water and a barn, which provides the participants with two dairy cows and twelve chickens . EW, who were given the first glimpse of the series, said two of the players have already removed themself from the group to start their own camp. Another, a Midwesterner called Hex who describes herself a 'huntress', had to be taken to hospital for severe dehydration. The Utopian society has no heat, electricity or plumbing, but has a a self-filtering lake for water and a barn with two dairy cows and twelve chickens. One major fight is said to have already broken out between one man, Josh, who was drunk at the time, and Dave, an ex-con and former drug dealer recently released from prison. EW reported that Dave had to be removed by security following the altercation. Before the cameras even started rolling, a female contestant was caught with a cellphone, which she had reportedly smuggled in order to look up the fellow players online. It is not known whether the woman will be edited out of the show. The 'secret' pregnancy appears to be one of many surprising casting manouvres, which also includes are intensely relgiious pastor who has offered to give baptisms in the lake . At least two couples have already formed as well, according to EW. The pregnant contestant has not yet been named but is due in December. Opening night: The show premieres on Sunday September 7, 2014 at 8pm . Fox is gambling large on the series, investing millions of dollars in the show that challenges the 15 participants to create their own mini societies on the secluded piece of land. 'Utopia' is what the network called its 'boldest' and 'most groundbreaking social experiment.' People from all walks of life were selected from 5,000 applicants to be dropped into the secluded plot of land in California, where they will build their ideal civilization for one year . The 'Utopians' start with no more than $10,000 and have to decide how to use it to develop their new economy and develop more of the land. Fifteen participants will remain in isolation for a year while they build a new civilization for Fox's new reality behemoth, 'Utopia' Aside from a barn with a couple of cows and some chickens, participants have to build new structures and find their own food . The show will air on Tuesday and some Fridays, and is expected to be Fox's big programming bet this fall . The roster also includes a bellydancer, a naturalist, a Manhattan lawyer, a Libertarian and a veterinarian technician. 'This is the most pure form of reality that I have ever produced in my career,' boasts executive producer John de Mol, the man behind 'Big Brother. 'Utopia,' which debuts on Sept. 7 with a three-night premiere, comes with 200 crew members, hundreds of cameras and round-the-clock video streaming. Fox has scheduled the show for Tuesdays and some Fridays, counting on it to replace 'X Factor' and 'American Idol.' The network will also stream the show online 24/7. The 15 participants on 'Utopia' come from all walks of life, from a belly dancer to a veterinarian technician, a chili farmer and a pregnant woman . But so far, the series has seen plenty of snags. Insiders say the network stands to spend $50 million on just 20 episodes — and is also struggling internally with a group of new producers involved in the show, TheWrap reported. 'The bill has arrived and it is on the very high end of staggering,' one network executive told the news outlet. Executive producer Conrad Green told Variety the cost for the set was 'not insignificant,' though he wouldn't give any more details. And this is a time of internal changes at Fox. The man behind the project, ex-chairman Kevin Reilly, moved on in June — leaving a group of incoming executives to inherit the schedule he created, Variety reported. It is also the first big project for Simon Andreae, in charge of alternative, who joined the network in October. The dutch version of the show premiered in January and has thus far been a success, industry insiders say.
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The 15 participants entered the remote California compound one week ago but drama has already broke out .
Contestants are meant to spend the next year developing the land into their version of an ideal society .
Two men have come to blows, one woman taken to hospital and another expelled for contraband .
Two couples have also formed and one woman revealed she is pregnant .
Fox hope the show will replace The X Factor and American Idol .
The grounds have no heat, electricity or plumbing .
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0f54338aaa7243117c32efdbaa436348f9fc41ec
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(CNN) -- The trek for those traveling through northern Mexico remains dangerous: police rescued 73 people who were being held hostage in the border city of Reynosa. The victims had been kidnapped from buses or bus terminals, and about half were Central Americans, police said. It is likely, though police did not say, that a majority of the victims were migrants on their way north to the United States. Read more: The new Mexico, beyond stereotypes . Some of the kidnap victims were held for as long as four months, Mexico's National Security Commission said in a statement. Federal police on patrol Monday in Reynosa followed a car after its occupants tried to avoid them, the commission said. When the two men in the car pulled up to a house, so did the police. The police approached the house "from where they could hear cries for help," the commission said. Inside the house, police found 73 hostages: 37 Mexicans, 19 Hondurans, 14 Guatemalans, and three Salvadorans, it said. Six minors were among those rescued, the commission said. The Latino footprint in America: 500 years strong . The victims told police that some had been held between four days and four months. The alleged kidnappers made phone calls to the victims' families, demanding ransom payments in exchange for their release, the commission said. Some of the people rescued said they were assaulted or raped, it said. Police arrested the two men in the car who arrived at the house, and a third man who they allege worked as a lookout. Authorities have discovered at least three mass kidnapping operations in and around Reynosa this year. In July, Mexican authorities rescued 81 migrants they said were held captive in Reynosa. And in June, authorities said that in a small town nearby they rescued 165 migrants who were kidnapped as they tried to cross into the United States. The dangers are not limited to the north of the country. In July, authorities in southern state of Chiapas rescued 94 migrants who were crammed into the back of a hauling truck in "subhuman conditions." They showed symptoms of asphyxiation and serious lesions on their hands and feet when they were rescued.
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Police rescue 73 people from a house in northern Mexico .
About half of the victims are Central American .
They had been snatched from buses or bus stations .
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For football fans, transfer deadline day can be the most-anticipated event of the year. It gives struggling clubs a chance to bolster their squad once last time - and teams at the opposite end of the table the opportunity to get even stronger. But they only have until 11pm on Monday to do so! Here, Sportsmail examines what questions will be answered once the clock strikes that very time. 1 - Will Arsene Wenger land a striker? With Olivier Giroud injured and Yaya Sanogo doing a weekly impression of Bambi on Ice, Arsenal are desperate for additional firepower. They missed out on Loic Remy, who signed for Chelsea on Sunday, and fellow target Alessio Cerci is set for Atletico Madrid. So, will Arsenal stump up Radamel Falcao’s £12million loan fee, does he have another name in mind or will he frustrate fans and stubbornly refuse to spend? VIDEO Scroll down to watch Arsene Wenger discuss the possibility of signing a striker . Missed out: Loic Remy joined Chelsea instead of Arsenal but who will Arsene Wenger turn to next? 2 - Can Manchester City lure Falcao from Monaco? Arsenal might want Falcao but they are not alone. Manchester City would love to bring him to the Etihad and with Alvaro Negredo agreeing to join Valencia on loan they could avoid any financial fair play regulations. If City get Falcao they will surely be favourites to pip Chelsea to the title. Should I stay or should I go? Radamel Falcao is linked with joining both Arsenal and Manchester City . Loan: Alvaro Negredo joining Valencia would open up the door for Falcao according to Financial Fair Play rules . 3 - Which United flops will be shown the door? Javier Hernandez is off to Real Madrid and Shinji Kagawa has rejoined Borussia Dortmund but who else can Louis van Gaal shift? Danny Welbeck (Everton and Spurs), Tom Cleverley (Hull, Aston Villa and Valencia) and Anderson (is anyone desperate enough?) could yet leave. Leaving? Manchester United and England striker Danny Welbeck is on Everton and Tottenham's shortlists . Free to a good home: Tom Cleverley (left) and Anderson (right) could be on their way out of Manchester . 4 - Do Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward have enough charm to save United’s squad? Apart from up front, United are desperate for reinforcements, despite the arrival of Daley Blind from Ajax. They need a right back and a centre back, and a tough-tackling midfielder would not go amiss. Sporting’s William Carvalho fits that bill, though don’t be surprised if there are no more big arrivals. You'll do nicely: William Carvalho fits the bill for what Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal needs . 5 - Will Petr Cech end his Chelsea career? He’s won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and a whole lot more, but is Petr Cech’s glove affair with Chelsea set to end? And if so, will he find a club in time? Paris Saint-Germain are very keen on him and Monaco have shown interest, too. Chelsea have one too many foreign players for their 25-man squad, so need to shift someone. The end? Goalkeeper Petr Cech could leave after becoming second-string to Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea . 6 - How many bodies can Neil Warnock get in at Palace? Tony Pulis left Palace because of disagreements over transfers. Warnock has just a few hours left to shore up his squad with Wigan midfielder James McArthur top of his list. Having played for him at Bury, Sheffield United, Leeds and QPR, it might be worth Paddy Kenny sitting by the phone, too. OK, maybe not. Thinking cap on: New Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock will keep his eyes open on transfer deadline day . 7 - Can Daniel Levy resist a deadline-day deal? It wouldn’t be deadline day without Tottenham trying to make dramatic late signings. Daniel Levy loves a bargain and is a shrewd negotiator. And after watching his side being dismantled by Liverpool, he might be persuaded to get more involved than before. Danny Welbeck is a target to come in while Sandro, Aaron Lennon and Vlad Chiriches could leave. Any bargains? It wouldn't be deadline day without Tottenham's Daniel Levy trying for dramatic late signings . 8 - Will Jermain Defoe play for Harry Redknapp again? He’s only been in Canada a few months and he’s out with a groin injury at the moment, but Jermain Defoe is hoping he can be reunited with Harry Redknapp. The QPR boss always gets the best out of the former England striker and they need a replacement for Loic Remy. Together again? Jermain Defoe may rejoin Harry Redknapp at QPR as a replacement for striker Remy . 9 - Does Micah Richards want first-team football? Nine Premier League appearances in the past two seasons is not something Richards will be proud of. So will he follow Jack Rodwell’s path and leave Manchester City for Sunderland? He is only 26 and needs to prove that he is hungry to play again. Fancy first-team football, Micah? Richards could follow Jack Rodwell from Manchester City to Sunderland . 10 - Who will win the race for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk? With a cool name like Virgil, you can see why so many clubs want Van Dijk. Celtic are insistent that he is going nowhere but Southampton are determined to seal an £8m deal. If they don’t, Newcastle and Sunderland are also interested. After conceding six against Chelsea, maybe Everton should be, too. En route? Virgil van Dijk is wanted by Southampton on an £8m deal but Celtic insist he's going nowhere .
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Will Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger land an all-important striker in time?
Manchester City look to lure Radamel Falcao from Monaco on Monday .
Will Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward sign anyone for Manchester United?
Sportsmail looks at all the questions that will be answered by Monday 11pm .
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0f54e3995c03a28812697680701865f327f4300a
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By . Zoe Szathmary for MailOnline . Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk publicly agreed with a couple's newspaper advertisement that called upon Musk to make changes to the company's vehicles. On Saturday, Musk posted to Twitter a photograph of a Friday advertisement in Palo Alto Weekly from 'Two VERY highly satisfied Tesla owners from Southold, New York,' re/code noted. 'Ad taken out in Palo Alto Daily by two Model S owners is right,' Musk tweeted. 'Many of the suggestions will be implemented soon.' The customer is always right! This ad appeared in Palo Alto Weekly asking Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk to change the design of his company's vehicles . 'The Tesla introduces fun, comfort and advanced reliability into a phenomenal driving experience,' the couple wrote - before offering multiple changes. Some of those included 'Blind spot monitors, cross traffic monitors, and sound sensors (front and rear) to detect low close objects, such as parking space barriers.' They also included features to aid with answering calls and dialing them through voice-activation software, and promoting the vehicles. 'People are fascinated by my Tesla, and my wife's Tesla,' the husband said in the advertisement. 'Promotion of your cars to the general public could only have a positive effect, creating many additional enthusiastic Tesla owners.' When asked by MailOnline about the changes Musk mentioned, a Tesla Motors spokesman said in an email exchange the company had 'nothing to add.' CEO: Elon Musk is seen standing next to a Tesla Motors car in this file photo .
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On Saturday, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk posted to Twitter a photograph of a Friday advertisement in Palo Alto Weekly .
The ad - from 'Two VERY highly satisfied Tesla owners from Southold, New York' - praised Tesla cars before asking for several modifications .
Musk tweeted that the couple's ad 'is right' and that 'Many of the suggestions will be implemented soon'
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0f55968de3670db0263b3cf2ab5369d66366d7d9
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 5:13 PM on 12th October 2011 . Burma began to free prominent dissidents today at the start of a general amnesty for more than six thousand prisoners. It was not clear how many of the . country's estimated 2,000 political detainees were included in the . amnesty - one estimate said 155 of them were freed. But the . released included ailing Shan Army commander Hso Hten and comedian . Zarganar, who was imprisoned after criticising the government's response . to Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Amnesty: Women walk free from Insein Prison near Rangoon after President Thein Sein issued an amnesty for 6,359 prisoners yesterday . Zarganar said after his release: 'I will be happy and I will thank the . government only when all of my friends are freed.' Those still held include student leaders . from the failed 1988 democracy uprising in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Western governments, the UN and Burma's opposition have eagerly awaited a broad political amnesty as a gesture of liberalisation by the elected government after decades of harsh military rule. Free at last: Comedian and political prisoner Zaganar, who was freed from Myitkyina prison in northern Burma, at Rangoon airport after his release today . Jubilant: Released prisoners make their way through the crowd as they leave Insein Prison near Rangoon . A failure to follow through could hamper the country's efforts to improve its human rights record and have Western economic and political sanctions lifted. Relatives and freed prisoners held emotional reunions with loved ones around the country a day after the new civilian president declared an amnesty for 6,359 inmates - many of them ordinary criminals - on humanitarian grounds, but without disclosing any names. Joyful: Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the families of political prisoners in Rangoon as 155 dissidents are released. Right, a freed prisoner embraces his weeping mother outside Insein prison . Pro-democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, herself released from 15 years of house arrest last November, said: 'The freedom of each individual is invaluable, but I wish that all political prisoners would be released.' Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy confirmed the release of 155 political detainees, including members of her party, spokesman Nyan Win said. But other dissidents could have been freed from remote prisons without having contacted anyone yet. President Thein Sein, a retired senior army officer who took office in March, has launched a series of economic reforms and eased limits on freedom of speech by relaxing censorship and unblocking banned websites. He also has started a dialogue with Suu Kyi, made calls for peace with Shan ethnic minority rebel groups and suspended a controversial China-backed hydropower dam project after a public outcry. Amnesty International called the prisoner release a 'minimum first step'. Hso Hten, the released Shan Army commander, was serving a 106-year prison sentence for high treason following his arrest in 2005. The Shan are a repressed minority within Burma who have been enganged in conflict with the Burmese government for decades. It was initially thought that Ashin Gambira, a young charismatic Buddhist monk who was among the leaders of the September 2007 anti-government uprising, had been freed but it transpired that he was still in prison. Walk to freedom: Women clutching their possessions leave the gates of Insein Prison, many were held for years without hope of release . Family joy: Relatives of prisoners wait outside Insein Prison following the announcement that inmates were set to be released . U.S. Secretary of State Hillary . Clinton, speaking to Reuters, said she was encouraged by 'promising . signals' of political reform but it was too early to announce any steps . Washington might take in response. The . United States, Europe and Australia have said freeing an estimated . 2,100 political prisoners in Burma is essential to even considering . lifting sanctions that have crippled the pariah state and, over years, . driven it closer to China. Free at last: Prisoners take their first steps of freedom today from the men's jail at Insein near Rangoon . Relief: Prisoners show their emotion as they are let out from the gated prison . Day they never thought would come: Men are marched out of Insein prison, just 24 hours after the announcement that more than 6,000 prisoners would be given amnesty . Mrs Clinton said: 'We're encouraged by the steps we see the . government taking... we're going to take them at their word. 'But we want to see actions. And if they are going to release political prisoners that would be a very positive sign.' Previous general amnesties have . included only a token number of political prisoners but there was optimism this time as the Burmese government seeks to . distance itself from China and makes overtures to the West. The army nominally handed over power . in March to civilians after elections in November, a process ridiculed . at the time as a sham to cement authoritarian rule behind a democratic . facade. Nevertheless, President Thein Sein, the first civilian head of state in half a century, . has initiated overtures including calls to win over ethnic . minorities. The new national human rights . commission called on the president in an open letter published in state . media on Tuesday to free prisoners who did not pose 'a threat to the . stability of state and public tranquillity'. Zarganar , 49, was imprisoned after speaking out against the official response to cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left more than 140,000 people dead. He is celebrated for his films, plays and poetry and even dubbed the comedy Dalai Lama. But even though he was imprisoned 900 miles away from his family in Myitkyina prison in Rangoon in 2010 a brief poem penned by him was passed to a friend. It read: 'It's lucky my forehead is flat/Since my arm must often rest there/Beneath it shines a light I must invite/From a moon I cannot see/In Myitkyina.' This was the forth time the comedian had been imprisoned . He had always insisted humour would prevail: 'Burmese people love to laugh. If I can’t speak, jokes will still spread. People will make them up themselves.' The . open letter marks a significant shift in the former British colony where authorities have long refused to recognise . the existence of political prisoners, usually dismissing such detainees . as common criminals. The government has faced pressure for . change on multiple fronts, from the need . to find alternatives to China in the face of popular resentment of its . influence, to growing frustration in Southeast Asia over Burma's . isolation as the region approaches an EU-style Asian community in 2015. Diplomats . say other factors play into its desire to open up, include a need . for technical assistance from the World Bank and other multilateral . institutions which cut off ties years ago in response to abuses of human rights. Nestled . strategically between the powerhouses of India and China, Burma has been one . of the world's most difficult destinations for investors, restricted by . sanctions, blighted by half a century of oppressive military rule and . starved of capital despite rich natural resources, from gems to timber . to oil. The country's infrastructure is in . shambles and its economy has few sources of growth beyond investment . from China and Thailand. About 30 per cent of its 50 million people live . in poverty, according to UN data. Some analysts say Burma also wants to show the United States that it is independent of China. Last week, the government suspended a £2.3billion Chinese-led dam project, a victory for . supporters of Suu Kyi and a sign the country was willing to yield to . popular resentment over China's growing influence. These . moves have fuelled hopes the new parliament will slowly open the . country that just over 50 years ago was one of Southeast Asia's . wealthiest as the world's biggest rice exporter and a major energy . producer. In Tokyo, a foreign ministry official . said Japan had resumed some aid to Burma in June after the release of . Suu Kyi and other signs of reform. 'We may continue with this stance if . there are more releases of political prisoners,' the official said. 'Work still needs to be done in terms of democracy but we think they are . moving in the right direction.'
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155 political prisoners freed, says Aung San Suu Kyi .
Comedian Zarganar and Shan general among those released .
6,359 prisoners to be freed in total .
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By . Paul Thompson . PUBLISHED: . 15:09 EST, 11 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:18 EST, 11 November 2013 . Amber Renea Williamson, 32, faces two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor . A 32-year-old Indiana woman was arrested last week for having sex with a 15-year-old boy after they were allegedly caught in bed together. Amber Renea Williamson faces two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor after a six week investigation that led Indiana State Police to her. Despite being told she was under investigation, Williamson remained in contact with her teen lover by sending him messages on Facebook. A cell phone belonging to Williamson . contained text messages she had sent the teenager, including one which . read: 'I want you and only you in my life and heart.' Police . in Columbus, Indiana, said the boyfriend of the teen's mother peered . through a garage window and saw the youngster in bed with Williamson. The teen has told police he had sex with Williamson and her home and in a garage attached to his home. The . investigation began in September after police received a tip off about . the inappropriate relationship, she was arrested last Tuesday but . released on a $10,000 bond. An investigation into the woman's relationship with the teen started in mid-September. Sheriff's officials said the teen's cell phone contained text messages to Williamson, and she sent a love letter to the boy saying, 'I want you and only you in my life and heart.' The boy told sheriff's deputies that he and the woman had had sexual relations several times since July, according to an affidavit. Williamson was not at home when police came to arrest here, but she was later found walking near her apartment. She faces two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, both Class B felonies, and one Class A misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy. A Class B felony carries a sentence of six to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine and a Class A misdemeanor can carry a maximum one-year prison sentence and a maximum $5,000 fine. Williamson was booked into custody at the Brown County Jail and released on $10,000 bond.
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Amber Renea Williamson was allegedly seen in bed with the minor by his mother's boyfriend .
She was arrested after a six week investigation .
She was booked into jail but released on a $10,000 bond .
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Khartoum, Sudan (CNN) -- A major Darfur rebel leader and some of his top commanders have been killed, a Sudanese army spokesman announced on state-run radio Sunday. "Our armed forces were able to destroy the renegade Khalil Ibrahim, who died along with members of (his group's) leadership that was with him," said Alswarmi Khalid, the army's spokesperson. Khalid said Ibrahim and members of his group were surrounded and killed in the Wad Banda area -- along the border between North Darfur state and North Kordofan state -- as they attempted to escape to South Sudan. Fighting between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese army broke out days ago in North Kordofan, as rebels announced an assault on Khartoum. Ibrahim was the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), considered the most powerful Darfur rebel group. The JEM had refused to join the Doha Darfur peace document, signed between the Sudanese government and another rebel group, the Liberation and Justice Movement, this year. A statement posted on JEM's website confirmed Ibrahim's death, but told a different narrative of events. "JEM announces the martyrdom of its chair and head of its armed forces and offers its condolences to all Sudanese people," the statement read. The JEM said Ibrahim was attacked from air by an unknown plane that hit with "with accuracy unusual for the regime's army's fighters which led to his martyrdom ... which points to the involvement of and a conspiracy by some in the regional and international circles with Khartoum's genocidal regime." The rebel group reconfirmed its commitment to remove the government from power.
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NEW: The JEM rebel group alleges a conspiracy led to the death of its leader .
Sudanese army: Khalil Ibrahim and members of his group's leadership were killed .
Ibrahim was the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)
Fighting between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese army broke out days ago in North Kordofan .
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Authorities stormed an arriving cargo ship believed to have Pakistani stowaways on board - some of which are reportedly dead. The ship came in to New Jersey’s Port Newark this morning to waiting Port Authority police, Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and Coast Guard officials. By midday Wednesday, all but one ambulance had quietly left the pier. Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said officials have inspected 150 of the 200 containers authorities believe could be carrying people. Scroll down for video . At the ready: Authorities wait for the arriving cargo ship believed to have Pakistani stowaways on board . Alert: Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said that crew members on the Ville D'Aquarius heard what sounded like people in a shipping container on the ship . Out in force: Police vehicles are parked at the entrance of the Port of Newark to investigate reports of stowaways in a container aboard the cargo ship . The New York Post reported that officials have also been using X-ray gear to examine the containers in question and are yet to find any stowaways. The drama began early this morning when a routine inspection aboard the Ville D'Aquarius showed signs of what may be people in a container on the ship. Row told the Post: 'The . boarding team went aboard for a routine inspection. They heard sounds . that were consistent with people being inside a container.' Coast Guard spokeswoman Michelle Krupa told the Star-Ledger: 'The officers were knocking on . containers during a sound check, and they knocked on this one and they . heard a knocking back.' Customs and Border Patrol agents also met the vessel at the port. Crews are now inspecting the shipping containers one-by-one as they are lifted off of the ship by huge mechanical cranes - a process that could take hours. Search: Officials were seen scouring the ship's cargo containers one-by-one . Security: The ship's crew followed protocol by not opening the container believed to contain the stowaways in an effort to control the situation . The ship's manifest said the container in question was carrying machine parts to be unloaded in Norfolk, Virginia. Rowe said the boarding party didn't open the container at sea in an effort to control the situation, following protocol. A Coast Guard team boarded the . 850-foot-long vessel near the Verrazano Bridge outside New York Harbor at about 1am as the ship . prepared to dock at Port Newark. NBC New York reported that about 2,000 shipping containers are on board. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that officials are conducting a 'thorough investigation of the vessel.' Inspection: Authorities were seen opening and checking the cargo containers as they were lifted off the cargo ship . Waiting: Numerous law enforcement vehicles, including ambulances were seen on the pier as the ship was investigated . Drew Barry, of the Sandy Hook Pilots Association, said he boarded the vessel at 5am, about 20 miles offshore. Barry, who left the ship at around 9am, said he thought it would take several hours, if not much of the . day, to get to the part of the ship, below the hatch cover, where . officials heard banging noises. He said: 'There are at least 30 to 40 containers on top of the hatch cover, and I don't know how many more below it. Stowaway: Asem Haroon was detained after he claimed he had arrived in teh U.S. by stowing away on an Italian vessel . 'If there are people down there, with no food and water for days, they're probably pretty desperate by now.' Customs and Border Protection agents planned to open the container once it was unloaded. Officials told NBC New York that harbours in and around the Empire State get about six stowaways each year. The ship began its voyage May 30 in the United Arab Emirates, then made one stop in Pakistan and two stops in India. Its last port before Newark was in Egypt on June 15. The situation has raised security concerns over a possible new method for terrorists to infiltrate America's borders. Last year, an Egyptian man found living in a New Jersey warehouse claimed he had arrived in the U.S. by stowing away on a ship to Port Newark. The Post reported that the mysterious man, Asem Haroon, was suspected of fighting against U.S. troops in Iraq. It's unclear how he managed to make the journey, or whether or not he came alone. Port Newark is close to several oil refineries, a known al-Qaeda target. Path: This map shows the Ville D'Aquarius' movement since it left the United Arab Emirates on May 30 . Watch video here . View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.
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Ville D'Aquarius arrived this morning in Newark as crewmembers reported hearing what sounds like people in a shipping container .
Security officials now scouring each container one-by-one as they're lifted off the ship .
Coast Guard spokeswoman says officials knocked on container in routine check and 'heard a knocking back'
Ship came into Newark after stops in India, Pakistan and Egypt .
Security concerns raised after suspect arrested last year, who claimed he stowed away on a ship that arrived in same port .
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By . Joe Strange . Follow @@Joe_Strange . Steven Gerrard was unable to complete England's first training session in Brazil after feeling tightness in his groin during the Three Lions' work-out at the Urca military base. The Liverpool skipper took part in some sprints and low intensity drills under the shadow of Sugar Loaf mountain before deciding to end his session prematurely. Gerrard, who played the first half of England's 0-0 draw with Honduras on Saturday, admitted to a groin issue after the game with the Central American side. Problem: Steven Gerrard couldn't complete England's first training session in Brazil because of a tight groin . Warming up: Gerrard (left) controls the ball during a training exercise with Gary Cahill (right) On the run: Gerrard tests out his groin during a sprint with a member of England's coaching staff . He said: 'I had a tight groin in midweek so it was always the plan for me to play just 45 minutes.' Gerrard's injury is not believed to be serious but it will still be a concern for Roy Hodgson with England's opening World Cup game against Italy now only five days away. The 34-year-old, who will captain his country in Brazil, is certain to start in the heart of England's midfield against Cesare Prandelli's side if fit. Southampton star Adam Lallana also left training early but there has been no suggestion that the midfielder is suffering with an injury ahead of this weekend's Group D showdown. James Milner caused some concern when he took a breather on the turf, although he only required a plaster for a blister. Hodgson was buoyed by the return of Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, who took part in a series of running drills with head physio Gary Lewin less than a week after injuring his knee in the 2-2 draw with Ecuador in Miami. Frustrated figure: Gerrard rubs his face during England's first training session in Rio . Centre of attention: Gerrard prepares to take the ball on his chest as a crowd gather to watch England train . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Gerrard felt tightness in his groin before England's 0-0 draw with Honduras .
The midfielder began training on Monday but did not finish Roy Hodgson's session in Rio .
It is not thought that Gerrard's injury will rule him out of the Three Lions' World Cup opener with Italy in Manaus .
The 34-year-old will captain his country in Brazil .
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David Moyes has backed Real Madrid to become the first team ever to retain the Champions League after Carlo Ancelotti's side mauled Real Sociedad 4-1 despite missing Cristiano Ronaldo. It was Moyes' first defeat to Ancelotti in their seventh meeting and asked if he thought they could retain the European Cup they won last May, he said: 'From what I've seen I think that they can. They have so much variety in the way they attack you. 'They've got different types of players and always with an incredibly strong bench. It's not been done before and that shows you how hard it is but with a bit of luck I think they might have what it takes.' Karim Benzema slots home Real Madrid's fourth of the afternoon during their 4-1 win against Real Sociedad . Benzema gestures towards the supporters as he is congratulated by his team-mates at the Bernabeu . Sociedad boss David Moyes believes Real Madrid are good enough to retain the Champions League . Asked about Ronaldo's absence Moyes added: 'Big clubs don't rely on one player, big clubs rely on their team and their squad.' Gareth Bale assisted for Karim Benzema in the win but was also booed by a small section of supporters for missing a string of chances including one he appeared to take off the boot of team-mate James Rodriguez. But Moyes said: 'I didn't hear the booing but if Bale keeps on getting the opportunities he's going to score a lot of goals because he's a top player.' The former Everton and Manchester United manager would love to have the options open to his rival Ancelotti. Real Sociedad bought no one in the transfer window and could now be without top scorer Carlos Vela for a month with a knee injury. Goalscorer Aritz Elustondo (left) celebrates with Ruben Prado after shocking Real Madrid in the first minute . James Rodriguez equalises for Real Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti's side recovered from going a goal down . James is mobbed by his team-mates after Real Madrid come up with an instant reply against David Moyes's side at the Bernabeu . Moyes bemoned the way the Spanish transfer window closed on Friday a full three days before most other big leagues in Europe. He said: 'There are only 31 days in January and Spain actually gives you fewer days, because we closed on Friday night. 'Of nearly all the transfers in January, a big percentage of them will be done on the last day. I don't think it's good for La Liga that you can move people out of Spain but you cannot move people in. 'I could have done with an extra day in the end especially now knowing that Carlos Vela has an injury.' Mangers Moyes and Carlo Ancelotti share a warm embrace before the match at the Bernabeu . Gareth Bale, who missed a great chance to score in the first half, takes control of the ball . Benzema wheels away in celebration after scoring Real Madrid's third goal against Sociedad . Despite the hammering there are signs that Moyes is developing Real Sociedad's younger players. Rookie right-back Aritz Elustondo who is only 21 scored the goal that put them 1-0 after just 48 seconds. Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli who is only 22 was outstanding saving at point blank from Bale and of 22-year-old midfielder Ruben Pardo, Moyes said: 'I thought he was excellent he could have been wearing a Real Madrid shirt and he wouldn't have been out of place.'
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Real Madrid beat David Moyes' Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday .
The former Everton boss was impressed with Carlo Ancelotti's side .
Moyes believes Real's attack can help them retain the Champions League .
No team has ever managed to win the competition in consecutive seasons .
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By . Jack Gaughan . Follow @@Jack_Gaughan . Danny Welbeck doesn't need to worry about missed chances since joining Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger refusing to 'make a problem' out of opportunities wasted. The England striker signed for the Gunners on deadline day for £16million from Manchester United and has struggled in front of goal during his first two outings for the club. Welbeck hit the post during the draw against Manchester City on Saturday and might've found the net against Dortmund in the Champions League. Danny Welbeck lies on the turf as he watches the ball go wide of Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller . Welbeck collapsed to his knees after missing Arsenal's best chance of the first half in Germany . Welbeck stumbles at the back post under pressure and misses a chance to give Arsenal the lead . Welbeck could only hit the post when put in the clear against Manchester City at the Emirates on Saturday . Wenger's side were soundly beaten in Germany, but would have gone ahead had the 23-year-old not fluffed his lines when one-on-one with Roman Weidenfeller. The manager, however, wouldn't criticise his new man. 'Danny will improve - we don't have to make a problem of that,' Wenger said. 'He had a very lively first half. He had two or three good chances, but couldn't finish them. There was one obvious one... We have to be patient with him.' Wenger has a point given experience. Thierry Henry - the club's greatest striker of all-time - didn't find the net in any of his first eight games for the club after moving from Juventus. Similarly to Welbeck, the Frenchman had played the majority of his early career wide. And in truth, Arsenal have bigger problems given the way in which they were over-run in midfield at Dortmund. 'It's very difficult to go into any individual assessment of any player because as a team we were not at the requested level,' Wenger added. 'They were very, very strong in midfield, yes, stronger than us in midfield. It was very difficult...' Arsene Wenger watched his midfield get completely over-run by Jurgen Klopp's side . VIDEO Disappointed Wenger bemoans counter-attacks .
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Arsenal signed Danny Welbeck for £16m from Manchester United .
Welbeck missed three decent chances against Dortmund .
Manchester City were given a reprieve when he hit the post on Saturday .
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Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne joked that he has nearly died '19 times' during his drinking bouts as he spoke about his ongoing battle with the bottle in a TV interview. The 47-year-old admitted today that he 'knew he was in trouble straight away' after his most recent relapse - which saw him placed on a three-day emergency detox last month. He also spoke candidly about how his drinking affects his parents - revealing that his mother still gets upset and that his father swears at him every time he falls off the wagon. Scroll down for video . Healthy: Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne joked that he has nearly died '19 times' during his drinking bouts as he spoke about his ongoing battle with the bottle in an interview on ITV's This Morning . The former football star, who retired from the game in 2004, said that he wasn't in a 'massive state' during his most recent relapse, but admitted that it was enough 'to get himself into trouble'. Speaking in an interview on ITV's This Morning, Gascoigne looked healthy and relaxed as he told presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes about his struggle. He said that he was able to recognise his most recent slip and blamed public speculation on not being able to bounce back sooner. He said: This time I knew I was in trouble straight away so I tried to put a block on it pretty quickly. 'I was just detoxing in my house, and all of a sudden I just felt I was set up by a few people with regards to the latest stint, and then I just decided to carry on drinking, which wasn't the right thing. 'I should have just gone and had a word with a few people which I didn't do. I know all the right things to do, and I just stopped doing it. Recovery: The 47-year-old (left, today) revealed that his mother still gets upset over seeing photos of him in the press when he falls off the wagon. Right: The former footballer at a low point earlier this year . Candid: Speaking in an interview on ITV's This Morning, Gascoigne (left) looked healthy and relaxed as he told presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes (pictured together right) about his struggle . When asked about how his family reacted to seeing photos of him looking frail, Gascoigne said that his parents still struggled - even though they are used to seeing it. He said: 'I think they're quite used to it. It's embarrassing to say, but I think they're used to it. 'My mum gets really upset, my dad - I can't swear on the show but he's like what the **** are you up to now, and that - but then I go up to visit them.' The former midfielder then revealed that he thinks he has only spent 'a year and a bit' of the last 18 years drinking. Sounding surprised at his response, Mr Holmes asked him how many times he had 'nearly died' over that same period, to which Gascoigne quipped, '19!' Gascoigne, who made 57 appearances for England, was first sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2008 following an incident at a Newcastle hotel. Following his latest sectioning in the early hours of October 24, the star was placed on a three-day emergency detox following an apparent alcohol binge. During his time in hospital, he is said to have taken the opportunity to improve his health and fitness by doing up to 800 press-ups, sit-ups and squats every day. First outing: Gascoigne was spotted putting the bins out in his pyjamas earlier this month in his first public appearance since being sectioned under the Mental Health Act on October 24 . Since returning to his seaside home, in Poole, Dorset, he is said to have continued with his exercise regime and his efforts appeared to be paying off when he was spotted shopping for groceries last week. He smiled towards onlookers as he bought groceries including milk and air freshener, alongside a copy of The Sun and Hello! magazine. During his outing to the supermarket, he also visited an off-licence - but only to buy cigarettes. full . The full interview can be seen on ITV's THIS MORNING .
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Paul Gascoigne spoke about his battle with the bottle during TV interview .
The 47-year-old revealed that his mother still gets upset when he relapses .
He said that he had only drunk for 'a year and a bit' of the past 18 .
When asked how many times he had 'nearly died', Gascoigne quipped '19'
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By . Tara Brady . A woman who cheated benefits despite inheriting £115,000 from her wrestling champ dad has been spared jail. Four days after making claims for income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit, Samantha Jordan received a fortune from the estate of her late dad, Mike ‘Flash’ Jordan, the Ancoats wrestler who won a lightweight world championship title back in 1987. Manchester Crown Court heard Ms Jordan got the money on reaching her 21st birthday, seven years after the death of her father, who appeared in bouts televised on ITV’s ‘World of Sport’ in his Eighties heyday. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Caught: Samantha Jordan cheated benefits despite inheriting £115,000 from her wrestling champ father . Instead of revealing it to the Department of Work and Pensions, Jordan set about ‘blowing’ the bequest with pals, the court heard. By the time the DWP learnt of it, she had claimed £15,000 in benefits. Jordan, from Moston, admitted charges of failing to declare a change in circumstances and was sentenced to a 12-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a requirement to attend a probation service programme. Paul Hodgkinson, prosecuting, told the court that Jordan, 25, ‘must have known’ the bequest was imminent when she made the benefit claims. Ms Jordan got the money on reaching her 21st birthday, seven years after the death of her father Mike . He pushed for Proceeds of Crime Act hearings which would look at whether she had any assets - or whether she really had ‘blown the lot’. Kirstin Beswick, defending, said: 'Her father died when she was 14 - he was to a great degree an absent father. 'She did know he left her some money, but she wasn’t entitled to it until her 21st birthday and had no idea how much that was. Mike Flash Jordan in action: The wrestler appeared in bouts televised on ITV's World of Sport in the 1980s . 'Her father was a professional wrestler and he had obviously managed to accumulate rather more money than she had ever seen in her lifetime.' Ms Beswick said Jordan got the money at a time when she was ‘naive’ and ‘heavily pregnant’. He added: 'She’s not spent it on anything worthwhile. All her friends helped her spend it, not a single one said "I think you ought to do something else with it, for you and your son".' Deputy Judge Robert Brown, sentencing, said: 'It was a very, very stupid thing which you did with the money that you got from your father, squandering it in that very short period of time. 'You will no doubt have to live with the consequences for a considerable time indeed - until you have paid off the money that you owe to the department.'
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Samantha Jordan received a fortune from her dad Mike 'Flash' Jordan .
Ms Jordan got the money on reaching her 21st birthday .
Her father appeared in bouts televised on ITV's World of Sport in the 1980s .
However, Ms Jordan set about ‘blowing’ the bequest with friends .
Sentenced to a 12-month community order and 100 hours of unpaid work .
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Napoli forward Marek Hamsik admitted that his side fear Juventus, but insisted the Serie A champions can be beaten in Monday's Supercoppa Italiana clash in Doha, Qatar. The meeting of the Coppa Italia winners and Scudetto holders is a rematch of the 2012 final, which saw Juventus come from behind twice to secure a 3-2 win in extra time. The Old Lady have begun this campaign in ominous form, and currently sit top of Serie A, three points clear of their nearest challengers, Roma. VIDEO Scroll down to watch the Napoli team recreate the famous 'Klinsmann' dive . Marek Hamsik has admitted that Juventus represent tough opposition ahead of Napoli's Super Cup clash . The Slovakian does not have fond memories of the last time Napoli took on Juventus in the competition . After a run of one goal in his last ten appearances, Hamsik will be hoping to notch against Juventus in Qatar . Napoli sit third with 27 points despite only picking up one win from their previous five league matches. And ahead of Monday's encounter, Hamsik has revealed that despite Juventus' form making them a formidable opponent, they can be beaten on the day. 'The Super Cup is extremely important. I love the idea of lifting the trophy,' Hamsik said. 'Juventus are to be feared, as they know how to win and the team is full of champions, but this is a one-off game so anything can happen. 'If we beat Juve, it'll be hugely satisfying for us and our fans, sending a positive image of Napoli and the city. 'We can do it if we replicate the performance against Roma.' The Slovakian also admits the clash in China two years ago is not easy to forget, and still feels regret that Napoli lost the tie. 'I've scored against Juve several times and each one of them was wonderful,' Hamsik added. 'Above all, I remember the double in Turin. We hadn't won there for more than 20 years. There was also the goal in the Coppa Italia Final, our first trophy together. 'This time we're playing on an international stage, like we were in Beijing for the Super Cup in 2012. We shouldn't have lost that game, not like that. It was a hard match and we could've won.'
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Coppa Italia winners Napoli face league champions Juventus in Qatar .
Monday's match is a repeat of the 2012 final in Bejing, which Juve won 3-2 .
Juventus will be aiming to make it three Super Cup wins in a row .
Marek Hamsik's form has stuttered of late, netting just once in his last 10 .
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(CNN)Republicans who want to make a play for the White House by positioning theirs as the party that can govern, in contrast to hapless Democrats, could face a significant obstacle: their governors. From New Jersey to Wisconsin to Louisiana, GOP governors with their eyes on the White House have presided over unbalanced budgets, unfunded pension liabilities, credit downgrades and sluggish job growth. That comes in contrast to an increasingly rosy economic picture nationally, with a strong December jobs report that capped off the best year in terms of economic growth for the nation since 1999. Unemployment, at 5.8 percent, was below predictions, and job growth has continued for month after month. Three of the most prominent potential 2016 contenders — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — could face the most scrutiny, and have the toughest time explaining, their economic records for 2016. It's a troubling prospect for the party as it prepares to offer Republicans as the "party of solutions" in contrast to the Democrats, which it says has offered ineffective policies that contributed to a slow recovery and increasing inequality in the nation. Charlie Black, who chaired Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential run, said that "the biggest problem the Democrats will have in the next election is that the economy is bad." RELATED: Kansas tax cuts on trial amid huge budget deficit . "It's really lack of jobs and lack of economic progress that's the biggest issue," he said. But reality of late hasn't borne that argument out. And he admitted that some governors may have some explaining to do. "If you're John Kasich, you have a good story to tell — but some of the others might have a little bit more difficult story to tell. But you can always come up with the right spin on it if you work on it," he said. Who will have to spin the most? Establishment Republican operatives are already quietly whispering over the elephant in the room for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — his state's economic woes. Christie came into office pledging replenish the state's pension program, but had to reverse that promise to help balance the state's budget. Pension liabilities have subsequently ballooned under his watch, topping $83 billion, according to the last report from debt ratings agency Moody's. Coupled with other budgetary shortfalls, the pension liabilities have resulted in Moody's and other agencies downgrading New Jersey's credit rating eight times — a record for a sitting governor of the state, according to the Star-Ledger. He also faces sluggish job growth. New Jersey's job growth has been slower than the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the state's unemployment rate has been higher than the national average over the past year. For his part, Christie and his supporters are aggressively fighting back against the narrative that New Jersey's economy is sliding. During Tuesday's state of the state speech, the governor outlined his "Five In Five" record, a laundry list of mostly economic accomplishments Christie trumpets as a sign of good Republican management of the state's pocket book. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is taking flak from both his right and his left, with critics saying at turns that he's cut too much government funding and too little. His latest budget has seen some of the steepest cuts to higher education ever proposed for the state — so steep, in fact, the Republican speaker of the Louisiana House has vowed to block block them, telling a local outlet the cuts "would set us back generations." Jindal and his allies, however, say they've needed to enact steep cuts to balance the state's budget. But even conservatives are dissatisfied, noting that to achieve a balanced budget, the governor has had to rely heavily on a non-replenishable pool of "onetime" funds that won't be available next year. "It's frustrated many of us because it does go against what we typically say, and that is, we should not spend more money that's coming in," Louisiana state Rep. Brett Geyman, a fiscally conservative Republican, said of Jindal's budgets in an interview. "We face a very large shortfall as we go into the spring session of 2015 because we've been relying too much on those onetime funds for recurring expenses." Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker may also have to face scrutiny of a record that oversaw slower than national average job and wage growth, according to an analysis from PolitiFact. His office pushed back on the analysis, noting that the current 5.2 unemployment rate for the state is down from 7.8 when Walker came into office. Democrats also point to the fact that job growth was uneven across low, middle and high-wage sectors — with middle-wage jobs, key to the stability of the middle class, declining during the recession, according to an analysis from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Marc Levine — as evidence Walker hasn't done enough for the middle class. And the state faces a $2.2 billion budget deficit heading into the new year. A Walker aide said, however, that's a flawed prediction based on preliminary budget proposals, and that Walker will balance the final budget. "We will fund priorities and provide necessary services at a good value to taxpayers," said spokeswoman Laurel Patrick. And Walker himself sought to paint a rosy picture of his state's fiscal health during his State of the State speech Tuesday night. "We finished each year with a surplus, and we will again this year," Walker said. "Wisconsin's pension system is the only one fully funded in the country. The state's pension and debt ratio is one of the best. Our bond rating is positive. And the rainy day fund is the largest in state history — 165 times bigger than when we first took office." Ted Strickland, president of the progressive Center for American Progress Action Fund and a former governor of Ohio, said he believes once the public begins "looking below the surface" of their records, "you'll find there's a lot of smoke and mirrors going on with the claims they're making." "In my judgment, they are so tied to an extreme ideology that they don't want to be confronted by the facts and the truth about what their approach, their trickle-down approach leads to: Greater deficits, a weaker economy, and greater inequality," he said. But Jindal, Christie and Walker all have accomplishments to tout as well. Christie has had to deal with a Democratic legislature that's often worked to block his legislative priorities; Louisiana has become more business-friendly under Jindal's watch, according to a number of nonpartisan rankings; and Walker's union-breaking efforts were lauded as a model for other states nationwide. But strategists say they won't be able to run from the blemishes on their records. Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Mitt Romney's 2012 bid, said that every bit of the GOP presidential contender's record as governor of Massachusetts became susceptible to scrutiny when he ran. "It's all fair game for your opposition — given that you are the executive of your state," he said. "When you're a governor running for president — you have to own whatever the pluses and minuses are for your state's economic record," he said. Some GOP governors have better records than others. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who's contemplating another presidential run, travelled to other states, touting the Texas economy and trying to woo businesses with low tax rates. He could make his state's economy a key pillar of a 2016 campaign. And some states governed by Democrats, like Illinois, have seen their share of economic struggles. But Democrats are hoping to make even some of those governors that aren't running a problem for Republicans. They've pointed to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, whose promised conservative "experiment" of implementing steep tax and spending cuts has crippled the state's economy, as evidence the conservative vision of governance doesn't work. Strickland decried what he called an "exaggerated pursuit of the trickle-down agenda," in Kansas, "where taxes were cut for the wealthy and the economy is in shambles." "That's an example, I think, of what Republicans are capable of doing if they were to win the presidency," he said. Some Republicans believe Brownback's labors will eventually bear fruit. Grover Norquist, president of the conservative anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform, lauded Brownback's move and said he should jump in the race for 2016. "There isn't a problem in front of Sam Brownback and the Republicans in Kansas that they can't fix," he said. "I think he should run for president — he's radical, different, unexpected." But there's a growing chorus of voices within the GOP calling for a more moderate economic vision going forward. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has expressed an openness to a new gas tax, while Gov. John Kasich has floated a tax on oil and gas companies to pay for an income tax cut. It's that tension — between the moderate economic visions of purple-state governors and those of their red-state brothers — that could cause further complications for the GOP in a presidential primary fight, where they'll have to debate the benefits of both approaches on a national stage. Stan Veuger, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said in an interview that "Democrats have some totally reasonable points" on the economy. "It's not the case that if you cut tax rates, revenue is going to go up immediately," he noted, calling such a suggestion "ludicrous." He suggested the best solution for Republican governors was to take the middle road — and perhaps use Brownback as a cautionary tale. A Republican governor with a struggling state economy could say, "I'm a solid conservative governor with an eye to the deficit and the debt, but I'm not going to take crazy stances in any direction," Veuger proposed. Congress is getting richer .
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Some Republicans mulling White House runs will have to defend struggling economies in their states .
Chris Christie in New Jersey and Bobby Jindal in Louisiana both have deficits to explain .
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(CNN) -- For goodness' sake, it's just like the Ford commercials. You know the ones, where they joke that "and" is better than "or," whether it's sweet and sour chicken or a bed and breakfast inn. Same thing with working mothers. I am not a worker or a mother. I am both: a worker and a mother. This consistent, aggressive infighting about leaning in vs. leaning out -- reignited by the New York Times story this week, "Coveting Not a Corner Office, But Time At Home" -- is just more fodder for woman-on-woman mudslinging. And it doesn't help anyone, least of all our kids, who are as a result groomed to think you can't be all you want to be. Social media and listservs of professional women have been back and forth commenting on this seemingly neverending fight, fueled in part by media coverage and by the persistent attacks and retreats of women sniping at other women -- on both sides. It is belittling to assert that women can handle only one role at a time. And that one role is better than the other. No one is insisting a father has to choose between his work and his children in order to be a good dad. So why can a woman perform just one role at a time? This latest New York Times feature misses a key possibility: that it is entirely possible to be an ambitious good mother. The births of my three sons (now 24, 22 and 19) did not hormonally erase my desire to accomplish as much as possible professionally. The work that I love -- teaching journalism at Northwestern University, writing books and articles, giving keynotes and leading professional workshops -- has not hindered my ability to attend every parent-teacher conference or scream their names from the stands for the past 20 years. But from this latest piece of work, you can gather it is not possible as a working parent to walk and chew gum at the same time. I recoil at the way working parents are characterized in this passage: "I never miss a baseball game," said Ms. Uttech, uttering a statement that is a fantasy for millions of working mothers (and fathers) nationwide. (This attendance record is even more impressive when you realize that her children play in upward of six a week.) Yes, Sara Uttech, you did your fair share. But I want to point out to the writer that like so many women, I went to way more than six games, matches, tournaments or conferences a week for three sons who played baseball, basketball, soccer and football before each finally settled into wrestling. There were weeks with nine to 15 games and practices for three boys. On the extremely rare occasion I missed? It was because one son was in a game or match at the same time as another. There were plenty of Saturdays where I drove from one gym to another across the suburbs of Chicago, logging more than 100 miles. And on Monday, I went to work. A whole lot of us do. According to a recent study from Pew Research, 40% of all households with children younger than 18 include women who are either the sole or primary breadwinners. Most of us -- 63% -- are single mothers. What working women and stay-at-home mothers do not do is stop thinking of this as black/white either/or territory. Millions of us waste time believing the grass is greener on the other side. Even fashion designer Victoria Beckham, 39, feels that she may be missing out, and she comes home to David Beckham. She told US Weekly this week, "It's a huge juggling act, when you are a working mother and looking after your family. Millions and millions of women around the world are doing this every day, but it's not easy and yes, you feel guilty every time you walk out of the door to go to work." As a single parent who is sole support and has been for many years, I have needed to work as hard as I possibly can, saying yes to every invitation to consult, speak, write or work in order to pay the mortgage, food, tuition, room and board and all else for three sons. I decided that it would be optimal to do work I love because there is no choice to opt out. For me, it works. I am not superwoman, and I am not hissing at the neighbors who stay home with their children as I pull out of the garage at 7 a.m. I am not perfect; I do not do everything perfectly. I just really enjoy my life as a mother who is professionally ambitious, too. And I do not believe my children have suffered because of it. Liz O'Donnell, who recently completed the upcoming book "Mogul, Mom & Maid: The Balancing Act of The Modern Woman," says her research shows that women do not want an either/or life. "I've talked to scores of women who are trying to balance career and family. These women want fulfilling careers, and they are willing to do the hard work. But they are not willing to sacrifice their families, nor should they have to," O'Donnell said. But the issue is not entirely decided by mothers but by their employers. In her New York Times story, Catherine Rampell writes in defense of the story's main character's decision to scale back at work: "Ms. Uttech wants a rewarding career, but more than that she wants a flexible one. That ranking of priorities is not necessarily the one underlying best-selling books like Sheryl Sandberg's 'Lean In,' which advises women to seek out leadership positions, throw themselves at their careers, find a partner who helps with child care and supports their ambition, and negotiate for raises and promotions." O'Donnell, a public relations executive, founder of the blog Hello, Ladies and mother of two, disagrees. "Framing the issue as leaning in vs. leaning out isn't accurate," she said. "For a variety of reasons, from overt and subtle gender discrimination at work, inflexible workplace policies, lack of support at home, outdated school schedules that don't mesh with corporate hours, women are rejecting the corner office and businesses should take heed." As women, we do not hesitate to claim that we can be wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and friends at the same time. Why can we not be successful in our professions and parents at the same time without someone insisting it can't be done? Why can't we be good mothers and good employees? I say it is about "and," not "or." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michele Weldon.
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Michele Weldon writes that women sniping about whether to "Lean In" doesn't help .
A recent New York Times story encourages more infighting among women, she says .
Weldon: "It is belittling to assert that women can only handle one role at a time"
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Marc Albrighton has been released by Aston Villa with Premier League newcomers Leicester City his likeliest destination. The winger has been with Villa since he was nine but his contract expired this summer and, as Sportsmail revealed on May 9, the Championship winners are understood to be keen on bringing him to the King Power Stadium on a free transfer. Albrighton, the former England Under-21 international, would receive an improved wage at Leicester with Villa failing to offer fresh terms despite his positive end to the Premier League campaign. Moving on: Marc Albrighton (left) is set to leave Aston Villa for Leicester City after his contract wasn't renewed . Better terms: Albrighton could command a higher salary at Leicester, who have just been promoted to the Premier League . The 24-year-old was sent on loan to Wigan for a month last October, only making four appearances, but returned and was one of the brightest player’s under Paul Lambert during the survival run-in. Leicester need to strengthen in the wide areas with experienced Lloyd Dyer, 31, looking elsewhere when his contract expires next month. Albrighton matches the profile of players manager Nigel Pearson looks for given his youth, fitness, and level-headedness. He would compete for a starting berth with Anthony Knockaert and Riyad Mahrez. Leicester are also poised to bid for Sheffield United's teenage striker Diego de Girolamo. The 18-year-old is an Italy Under 19 international but was born in Chesterfield. Striker Nathan Delfouneso has also been deemed surplus to requirements by Vila boss Paul Lambert. Gone: Nathan Delfouneso (centre) has also left Aston Villa . Lambert said: 'We wish Marc the best in his future career and acknowledge the contribution he has made to the club over the past several years having graduated from our academy.' Delfouneso, another academy graduate who spent last season on loan at Coventry, departs after 50 appearances following his debut, aged 17, in the UEFA Cup tie against Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjorour in August 2008. Lambert added: 'We also wish Nathan the best for his career and thank him for his efforts since he, too, graduated from our academy.'
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Newly-promoted Foxes interested in signing winger on free transfer .
Former England Under 21 international would receive improved wage .
Albrighton was key player during latter part of Villa's season .
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By . David Martosko . PUBLISHED: . 15:45 EST, 26 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:47 EST, 26 June 2013 . Disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner is frontrunner in New York City's mayoral race . Anthony Weiner didn't stay up for very long. The former U.S. Congressman who wants to be New York City's next mayor had a five percentage point lead in a Wall Street Journal-NBC New York-Marist poll released Tuesday. But on Wednesday afternoon, a Quinnipiac University poll showed he was trailing the openly gay City Council Speaker Christine Quinn by 2 points. Quinn has the support of 19 per cent of registered Democrats in New York City, compared to 17 per cent for Weiner and 16 per cent for former City Comptroller William Thompson. The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute is calling those results 'a three-way tie' since the poll's statistical margin of error is 3.4 percentage points. Fully 28 percent of Democrats polled said they haven't yet made up their mind about whom they'll support in the September 10 primary contest. If Weiner should emerge on top, it would cap an improbable political comeback from the depths of disgrace just a few years ago. The then-newlywed congressman resigned in disgrace after confessing that he tweeted indecent photos of himself to women who were not his wife. That acknowledgement followed weeks of false denials prompted by a relentless campaign from the late conservative firebrand Andrew Breitbart. Former U.S. congressman Anthony Weiner with his wife Huma Abedin in Soho in New York . Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a . former U.S. State Department insider who was a close adviser to former . Secretary Hillary Clinton. His campaign has been based on the hope that New Yorkers will give him a second chance. Although Weiner's numbers are soft, he . would still claim Gracie Mansion if he were the Democratic nominee, the . Quinnipiac poll shows. As the Democrats' standard-bearer, Weiner would collect 36 per cent of the overall Election Day votes. Ray Kelley, who will run as an independent, would get 27 per cent for second place. City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn is in the running for New York mayor. On the same question, Quinn would still win, but with just one more percentage point than Weiner -- 37 per cent. Weiner is also under water on New York Democrats' favorable-versus-unfavorable views of him. He has a 37 per cent favorability rating among all New Yorkers, according to the new Quinnipiac poll, but 43 per cent of them find him unfavorable. In March 2009, his favorable/unfavorable numbers were 31 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively. Even among Democrats alone, fewer than half -- 44 per cent -- like Weiner. Christine Quinn's number on that score is 52 per cent. The only subset of Democratic voters in which half have a favorable impression of the former congressman is African-Americans, 50 per cent of whom have positive things to say about him. That could signal Weiner's campaign to spend more time and money in parts of the city where black turnout is high. 'Former Comptroller William Thompson’s spurt – no doubt spurred in part by his endorsement last week by the United Federation of Teachers – is the big news in this new poll,' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute . 'The other news is Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s slide and that’s more puzzling. A few polls ago, she was edging close to the magic 40 percent. Now she’s down with the guys.' Carroll also noted that Weiner, whose online Twitter dalliances and serial fibbing made him the butt of jokes, 'does almost as well among women as Quinn.'
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Wall Street Journal-NBC New York-Marist poll had him up by five per cent over City Council Speaker Christine Quinn just 24 hours ago .
Now Weiner is trailing by 2 percentage points in a Quinnipiac University poll that found only 17 per cent of registered Democrats support him .
Most Big Apple Democrats are still undecided .
The married Weiner was drummed out of the U.S. Congress after he covered up his use of Twitter to send pictures of his privates to women .
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By . Associated Press . A man with a realistic-looking tattoo of a gun on his stomach had the real thing tucked into his waistband when he was arrested, police said. Police told said that 41-year-old Michael Smith, of Norridgewock, showed up at a sheriff's deputy's home Thursday night. He was crying and had been drinking, authorities said. Smith told police he had a fight with his ex-girlfriend and had stolen prescription narcotics from her, authorities said. Is that a gun in your pocket? Michael Smith, left, bearing a realistic-looking tattoo of a handgun on his stomach, stands beside a Somerset County Sheriff deputy outside his home in Norridgewock, Maine . Previously: On March 18, Smith awoke to a SWAT team outside his door after his tattoo of a gun tucked into his waistband was mistaken by a tree removal crew for a real gun . He was charged with stealing drugs, and his gun was confiscated. He was released from jail on $1,000 bail. His phone has been disconnected, and he couldn't be reached for comment. Madison police Officer Eric Bronson said Smith was carrying a .40-caliber Glock but isn't facing any gun charges because Maine is an open-carry state and his weapon was visible. Smith's next court date is August 6th. Smith made headlines in March when members of a tree removal crew he'd told to clear off his property reported that he had a gun. But the gun turned out to be his tattoo. He told the newspaper then that the tattoo had never been a problem before. He wasn't charged in that case. Trouble: Smith was arrested Friday, after he allegedly showed up at a deputy's home with a real gun in his waistband and drugs in his backpack. He was charged with stealing prescription narcotics from his girlfriend and released from the Somerset County Jail on $1,000 bail .
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Michael Smith from Norridgewock, Maine had a gun tattoo and arrested with real thing .
He is charged with stealing drugs from his girlfriend after showing up in distress at a deputy’s home .
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A city in the Philippines has been named the selfie capital of the world today. According to research, Makati City, one of the 16 cities that make up Metro Manilla, produces more self portraits per capita than any other city in the world. Time magazine examined hundreds of thousands of selfies and found the city has 258 self-proclaimed selfie takers per every 100,000 people. The world map of selfies, according to research carried out by Time Magazine . It found Manhattan produces the second highest number of selfies per capita - although a huge percentage will be tourists. Miami is the third selfiest city, followed by Anaheim and Santa Ana, California, and Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Time ranked 459 cities in terms of selfie takers by looking at Instagram photos that included both the hashtag 'selfie' and the geographic coordinates. The more than 400,000 photos used to make the database were taken between January 28 and February 2 or March 3 to 7. The magazine said each day's data consists of the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight to account for all time zones equally. Time said: 'For every city in the world of at least 250,000 residents, we then counted the number of selfies taken within five miles and divided by the population of that city. The selfie map for Europe, that shows Manchester in the UK has 114 taken per 100,000 people . The Oscar selfie picture which broke the record as the most retweeted picture, which was taken by Bradley Cooper . The skyline of suburban Makati in the the Philippines, which is the 'selfiest city' in the world according to Time magazine . 'While the metric of 'people who take selfies per capita' is far from a perfect measure, it was far and away the most comprehensive means of comparing the 459 world cities that turned up at least 25 individual users in the database. 'Of course, this measure bakes in more variables than just a penchant for selfies, such as smart phone adoption rates and median income. As such, this list tends to favor regions just outside major urban areas.' The stars of British TV shows The Only Way Is Essex take a selfie . Race-goers take a selfie'in the Arkle stand on St Patrick's Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival . 1. Makati City and Pasig, Philippines: 258 selfie-takers per 100,000 people2. Manhattan, New York: 202 selfie-takers per 100,000 people3. Miami, Florida: 155 selfie-takers per 100,000 people4. Anaheim and Santa Ana, California: 147 selfie-takers per 100,000 people5. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: 141 selfie-takers per 100,000 people6. Tel Aviv, Israel: 139 selfie-takers per 100,000 people7. Manchester, England: 114 selfie-takers per 100,000 people8. Milan, Italy: 108 selfie-takers per 100,000 people9. Cebu City, Philippines: 99 selfie-takers per 100,000 people10. George Town, Malaysia: 95 selfie-takers per 100,000 people11. San Francisco, US: 91 selfie-takers per 100,000 people12. Oslo, NO: 89 selfie-takers per 100,000 people13. Boston, US: 88 selfie-takers per 100,000 people14. Newark, US: 84 selfie-takers per 100,000 people15. Honolulu, US: 82 selfie-takers per 100,000 people16. Baguio, PH: 82 selfie-takers per 100,000 people17. Paris, FR: 80 selfie-takers per 100,000 people18. Denpasar, ID: 75 selfie-takers per 100,000 people19. Leeds, GB: 72 selfie-takers per 100,000 people20. Las Vegas, US: 72 selfie-takers per 100,000 people21. Kuala Lumpur, MY: 72 selfie-takers per 100,000 people22. Firenze, IT: 69 selfie-takers per 100,000 people23. Copenhagen, DK: 69 selfie-takers per 100,000 people24. Helsinki, FI: 69 selfie-takers per 100,000 people25. Washington, D. C., US: 66 selfie-takers per 100,000 people26. Cardiff, GB: 66 selfie-takers per 100,000 people27. Oakland, US: 64 selfie-takers per 100,000 people28. Amsterdam, NL: 64 selfie-takers per 100,000 people29. Belfast, GB: 61 selfie-takers per 100,000 people30. Bologna, IT: 61 selfie-takers per 100,000 people31. Liverpool, GB: 58 selfie-takers per 100,000 people32. Portland, US: 56 selfie-takers per 100,000 people33. Lisbon, PT: 56 selfie-takers per 100,000 people34. Atlanta, US: 55 selfie-takers per 100,000 people35. Riverside, US: 55 selfie-takers per 100,000 people36. New Orleans, US: 54 selfie-takers per 100,000 people37. Glasgow, GB: 54 selfie-takers per 100,000 people38. Leicester, GB: 53 selfie-takers per 100,000 people39. Auckland, NZ: 53 selfie-takers per 100,000 people40. Monterrey, MX: 52 selfie-takers per 100,000 people41. Seattle, US: 52 selfie-takers per 100,000 people42. Doha, QA: 52 selfie-takers per 100,000 people43. Yogyakarta, ID: 51 selfie-takers per 100,000 people44. Mueang Nonthaburi, TH: 50 selfie-takers per 100,000 people45. Coventry, GB: 50 selfie-takers per 100,000 people46. Edinburgh, GB: 50 selfie-takers per 100,000 people47. Malmoe, SE: 50 selfie-takers per 100,000 people48. Bari, IT: 49 selfie-takers per 100,000 people49. Bristol, GB: 49 selfie-takers per 100,000 people50. Johor Bahru, MY: 48 selfie-takers per 100,000 people51. Sheffield, GB: 47 selfie-takers per 100,000 people52. Napoli, IT: 46 selfie-takers per 100,000 people53. Singapore, SG: 46 selfie-takers per 100,000 people54. Athens, GR: 46 selfie-takers per 100,000 people55. Stoke-on-Trent, GB: 46 selfie-takers per 100,000 people56. Stockholm, SE: 45 selfie-takers per 100,000 people57. Minneapolis, US: 45 selfie-takers per 100,000 people58. Brooklyn, US: 44 selfie-takers per 100,000 people59. Quezon City, PH: 44 selfie-takers per 100,000 people60. Pittsburgh, US: 42 selfie-takers per 100,000 people61. Bradford, GB: 42 selfie-takers per 100,000 people62. San Jose, CR: 41 selfie-takers per 100,000 people63. Dubai, AE: 41 selfie-takers per 100,000 people64. Goeteborg, SE: 39 selfie-takers per 100,000 people65. Adapazari, TR: 39 selfie-takers per 100,000 people66. Wolverhampton, GB: 39 selfie-takers per 100,000 people67. Dublin, IE: 39 selfie-takers per 100,000 people68. Barcelona, ES: 38 selfie-takers per 100,000 people69. Rome, IT: 38 selfie-takers per 100,000 people70. Utrecht, NL: 38 selfie-takers per 100,000 people71. Panama, PA: 37 selfie-takers per 100,000 people72. Iloilo, PH: 36 selfie-takers per 100,000 people73. Thessaloniki, GR: 36 selfie-takers per 100,000 people74. Hull, GB: 36 selfie-takers per 100,000 people75. Tampa, US: 36 selfie-takers per 100,000 people76. Sacramento, US: 35 selfie-takers per 100,000 people77. Denver, US: 35 selfie-takers per 100,000 people78. Belgrade, RS: 35 selfie-takers per 100,000 people79. Zurich, CH: 35 selfie-takers per 100,000 people80. Eskisehir, TR: 35 selfie-takers per 100,000 people81. Victoria, CA: 34 selfie-takers per 100,000 people82. San Diego, US: 34 selfie-takers per 100,000 people83. Catania, IT: 33 selfie-takers per 100,000 people84. Turin, IT: 33 selfie-takers per 100,000 people85. Carapicuiba, BR: 33 selfie-takers per 100,000 people86. Poznan, PL: 33 selfie-takers per 100,000 people87. Abu Dhabi, AE: 33 selfie-takers per 100,000 people88. Bandung, ID: 33 selfie-takers per 100,000 people89. Borough of Bronx, US: 32 selfie-takers per 100,000 people90. Austin, US: 32 selfie-takers per 100,000 people91. San Jose, US: 32 selfie-takers per 100,000 people92. Sharjah, AE: 32 selfie-takers per 100,000 people93. London, GB: 32 selfie-takers per 100,000 people94. Bakersfield, US: 31 selfie-takers per 100,000 people95. Staten Island, US: 30 selfie-takers per 100,000 people96. Vitoria, BR: 30 selfie-takers per 100,000 people97. San Juan, PR: 30 selfie-takers per 100,000 people98. Edmonton, CA: 30 selfie-takers per 100,000 people99. Birmingham, GB: 30 selfie-takers per 100,000 people100. Nice, FR: 30 selfie-takers per 100,000 people .
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Time magazine study examined hundreds of thousands of selfies .
It found Makati City produces more per capita than anywhere else .
City has 258 self-proclaimed selfie takers per every 100,000 people .
Manhattan produces second highest number of selfies per capita .
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the same day that it announced record suicides among its soldiers, the U.S. Army said Thursday that it will soon conduct service-wide training to help identify soldiers at risk of suicide. The program will teach soldiers how to recognize behaviors that may lead to suicide, and how to intervene. The program, which will run February 15 through March 15, will include training to recognize behaviors that may lead to suicide and instruction on how to intervene. The Army will follow the training with another teaching program, from March 15 to June 15, focused on suicide prevention at all unit levels. Earlier Thursday, the Army reported the highest one-year level of suicides among its soldiers since it began tracking the rate 28 years ago. The Army said that 128 soldiers were confirmed to have committed suicide in 2008, and an additional 15 were suspected to have committed suicide that year in cases under investigation among active-duty soldiers and activated National Guard and reserves. The Army's confirmed rate of suicides in 2008 was 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. The nation's suicide rate was 19.5 per 100,000 people in 2005, a figure considered the most recent, Army officials said last month. In 2007, the Army reported 115 confirmed suicides, which was then the highest level since 1980, when it began tracking suicides. Suicides for Marines were also up in 2008. There were 41 in 2008, up from 33 in 2007 and 25 in 2006, according to a Marines report. In addition to the training the Army announced Thursday, the service has a program called Battlemind, intended to prepare soldiers and their families to cope with the stresses of war before, during and after deployment. It also is intended to help detect mental-health issues before and after deployments. The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health signed an agreement in October to conduct research to identify factors affecting the mental and behavioral health of soldiers and to share strategies to lower the suicide rate. The five-year study will examine active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers and their families.
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Service-wide training to help soldiers identify those at risk of suicide .
2008 was record year for U.S. Army suicides, service reports .
Army: 128 soldiers confirmed to have committed suicide in 2008 .
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By . Associated Press . and Helen Pow . Charged: Charles Wilkinson, pictured, 69, a retired police officer, killed his wife, 65-year-old Kathleen Wilkinson, inside their upstate New York home last week, authorities said Monday . A 69-year-old retired police officer killed his wife inside their upstate New York home last week, then spent several days with the body, authorities said Monday. A sheriff's deputy looking into the welfare of 65-year-old Kathleen Wilkinson found her body Sunday on a bedroom floor in her home in Malta, 20 miles north of Albany, Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III said. She was choked during a domestic dispute last week with her husband of 46 years, Charles Wilkinson, a retired officer in Long Island's Nassau County, a felony complaint states. The man spent the weekend in the house with the body before letting the deputy in after police received calls from her acquaintances saying they hadn't heard from her for several days, the prosecutor said. Friends of the woman had gone to the home, but Charles Wilkinson wouldn't let them in, Murphy said. Further details on the time and cause of death won't be determined until after an autopsy is conducted Monday afternoon, he said. However, a felony complaint filed with the town court and seen by the Daily Gazette indicates Wilkinson choked his wife to death at about 10 p.m. Friday. Sheriff's deputies were called to the house for a welfare check by the couple's adult son who lives ion the Boston area. 'The responding deputy was greeted at the door by Charles Wilkinson. After a period of discussion at the door Charles Wilkinson allowed the deputy to enter the residence at which time the deputy located the body of Kathleen Wilkinson deceased on the floor of a first-floor bedroom,' the sheriff's statement continued. They could see no obvious cause of death. Scene: Wilkinson spent the weekend in the house, pictured, with the body before letting the deputy in after police received calls from her acquaintances saying they hadn't heard from her for several days, prosecutors said . Wilkinson was charged with second-degree murder and was being held in the county jail without bail. Murphy said he didn't know whether Wilkinson had a lawyer. Authorities have yet to determine a motive for the slaying, despite lengthy interviews with Wilkinson. Wilkinson retired after 13 years with the Nassau County Police Department in 1984. He then worked as a painter and most recently as a part-time security guard at the nearby GlobalFoundries computer chip plant. The couple had lived in Malta for about 10 years and have two adult children who live in the Boston area, Murphy said. Kathleen Wilkinson worked as a teachers' aide on Long Island, but hadn't worked since the couple moved to Malta. The slaying occurred in a tidy suburban development a few miles south of Saratoga Springs. Neighbors spoke highly of the couple and said they weren't aware of any domestic issues, Murphy said. There was also no history of prior domestic violence calls to police from the home. 'We're very lucky to have very few murders,' he said. 'Certainly it's very disturbing to have it happen in a very quiet neighborhood.' Wilkinson is being held Saratoga County Jail in lieu of bail. Second degree murder carries a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Charles Wilkinson, 69, killed his wife, 65-year-old Kathleen Wilkinson, inside their upstate New York home last week, authorities said .
A sheriff's deputy looking into the welfare of the woman found her body Sunday on a bedroom floor in her home in Malta, 20 miles north of Albany .
She is believed to have died Friday night .
Friends of the woman had gone to the home over the weekend after they didn't hear from her, but Charles Wilkinson allegedly wouldn't let them in .
He was a police officer in Long Island's Nassau County for 13 years .
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Whether or not Kate Middleton is officially overdue is subject to much speculation, but one thing is for sure: reporters covering the royal birth are overdue some sleep. Some royal correspondents, including NBC anchor Natalie Morales, have been camped out in front of the Duchess . of Cambridge's hospital of choice, St Mary's, for days and even weeks with very . little news to dine out on. In the absence of a royal baby . and uncharacteristically scorching temperatures in London, reporters . have had to find ways to cool down and fill in the hours - and the results have been . entertaining. Knit wit: Natalie Morales knits baby booties to pass the time outside the Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital in London . When in Rome: NBC's Natalie Morales eats fish and chips and drinks a pint of ale beside the tents and deck chairs set up outside St Mary's hospital . Desperate measures: Amy Robach and Lama Hassan, for want of a royal baby story, interview Getty Images photographer Chris Jackson . Top trumps: NBC anchor Natalie Morales holds up her 'top trumps' car outside the Lindo wind of the St Mary's Hospital in London . Practice interviews: The GMA crew weren't the only members of the media resorting to interviews with other journalists, as the palace has remained quiet about baby news . As the world waits with bated breath, U.S. reporters in London to cover the big story are, well, more bored than anything else. Kate’s due date was widely reported as being last Saturday, July 13, and the . world's press has been stationed outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's . Hospital in London ever since to ensure they don't miss the . new arrival. But the only confirmation from Kate has . been that she was due in ‘mid-July’. Since babies can are most often born within a week either side of the 40-week mark, It could days yet before the baby comes. All this brings no comfort to the the media in limbo outside the Lindo. 'Have this baby already, Kate, please?' implored Morales on NBC's Today on Friday, though she didn't look too miserable as she partook of fish and chips and a . pint of bitter from her chair outside the hospital. “There are people everywhere. I don’t know what they are doing, but (they’re here) all the time, anytime — morning and night,” Lea Fortunato, a researcher at Imperial College London’s Faculty of Medicine, next door to the hospital told the National Post. She said that reporters are there when she arrives for work and there when she leaves. 'They started camping last week. I didn’t think they would camp!' said Million Moyo, a deputy manager in the emergency ward of St Mary’s. 'Most people [at the hospital] are really intrigued.” Inside the metal barricades enclosing the world's media to keep them off the roads, members of the press are starting to go a little stir-crazy. Last week, a camera operator from NBC set up a betting pool based on the baby's sex, the day the baby will arrive and what time. Not satisfied with that small entertainment, he attached bright neon 'for sale' tags to the ladders left behind by photographers the night before. 'Post Partum Ladder Sale,' read one tag. “Will Swap for a Mars Bar,' read another, reported the National Post. Idle hands: One bored cameraman has been keeping himself busy . Expectant: Natalie Morales does a little reading in the wait for the royal heir's birth . Sweet relief: Ice-creams are handed out to the media waiting in the uncharacteristic sweltering heat in London for Kate Middleton to give birth . In for the long haul: A tent is set up in the media waiting area outside the hospital where Kate Middleton is set to give birth . Still no sign of baby: But broadcasters continue to put out updates outside the Lindo Wing . Time for baby: Clocks posted up in NBC's camp show both New York and London time . Making headlines: It will be front page news once the royal baby is presented . Sitting, waiting: With no news on the status of the royal birth, journalists are idling away the time outside St. Mary's hospital in London . Morales has been knitting a pink bootie live on NBC’s flagship Today program. ‘I . think it may be even bigger news at home than it is here,’ she said, . adding: ‘Once Kate goes into labor, we’ll be sleeping . right here.’ Morales may have a point: . 'Americans are obsessed with the birth of the royal baby,' pop culture expert Katrina Szish told Today. 'Not only is it . not just a phenomena we don't have in the United States but it really is . a fairytale come true,' she said. Mingling with the locals: Amy Robach (right) and Lama Hassan (left) of ABC's Good Morning America pose with some London bobbies outside the Lindo Wing . Nothing doing: In the absence of any Royal baby news, reporters are starting to interview each other - here, Robach and Hassan interview SKY TV's Royal Correspondent Paul Harrison . Killing time: Media had already gathered in force by 13 July . Waiting game: The world's press has been camped outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London for a fortnight, and social media is continually awash with rumours that Middleton has gone into labour . Keeping cool: Reporters recording pieces to camera are a common sight outside St Mary's now, and all appear polished despite the heat and long fruitless hours waiting . Waiting on Katie: A member of the media wiles away the time reading . Any moment now: A cameraman keeps the lens focused on the hospital as the media camp waits for royal baby . Meanwhile, Kate, . 31, stayed at the home of her parents Carole and Michael Middleton in . Berkshire last weekend, while William played in two long-standing . charity polo matches. Adding to the rumors, tip-offs and fevered speculation, the Duchess of Cornwall dropped a . tantalizing hint on Monday that the wait could soon be over, telling . well-wishers she expects the little boy or girl to arrive imminently. Camilla revealed during a visit to a . children's hospice near St Austell, Cornwall: 'We are all just waiting . by the telephone. We are hopeful that by the end of the week he or she . will be here.' However, last Wednesday the Queen appeared to suggest that the baby was already late. She told a 10-year-old schoolgirl on a trip to Cumbria: 'I would very much like it to arrive because I’m going on holiday . soon... I wish it would hurry up.' Outside the hospital are scores of people, not just media, who are anxiously awaiting for the royal arrival. Pat and Norman Bate took two months to . get to St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington because the retired fruit and . veg merchants travelled from their Liverpool home to London via . Britain’s canal network at four mph. Their 55-foot canal boat Ellie May, is moored just behind the royal . hospital, filled with bagfuls of cards and presents for the baby, and its cabin draped with bunting. ‘As soon as we heard Kate was pregnant, I . said that we should aim to get there for the birth, so we left home on . May 1,’ Mrs Bate said. ‘And we hope to be here as long as it takes. After . all, we’re not paying for a hotel.’ Prime position: Terry Hutt, who has been living on a bench outside the hospital for over a week waits patiently . A retired carpenter from Cambridge has been a familiar fixture at major . royal events for years, always dressed head to toe in Union Jack clothes . beneath a Union Jack umbrella hat. The Royal Family, he says, know him . as ‘The Umbrella Man’. Terry, . 78, has been here so long that, a few days ago, he felt compelled to . take himself back to Cambridge for a bath and a change of clothes. He . then returned to London with enough spare Union Jack kit to last him as . long as it takes. ‘What’s another week?’ he says. ‘It’s not boring and it gives my wife a rest from me.’
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World's press has been camped outside the Lindo Wing for a fortnight .
No one knows for sure when Kate's due date is - or was .
Reporters are finding ways to fill in the interminable hours stationed outside the hospital .
Once Kate goes into labor, reporters expect to be keeping vigil 24 hours a day .
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When first revealed, Morten Storm's account of his life as a double agent inside al Qaeda sent shockwaves through Denmark's political and intelligence establishment. The first accounts came in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in October 2012. In those articles, and in his new memoir "Agent Storm: My Life Inside al Qaeda and the CIA," which we co-authored, Storm recounted how after being recruited by Danish intelligence agency PET, he helped the CIA target several al Qaeda terrorists for assassination, most notably the American terrorist cleric Anwar a-Awlaki, who was killed in a CIA drone strike in September 2011. The allegations have proven explosive in Denmark, where it is illegal for the government to take part in targeted killings. Storm says his Danish handlers set up and attended meetings he had with the CIA in Denmark and overseas at which plans to track down terrorists were set in motion. He says Danish intelligence was fully aware the Americans planned to use lethal force. Storm has significant corroborating evidence to back up his claim. He provided us with several hours of secret iPhone recordings of meetings and phone calls with his Danish and American intelligence handlers during which several of the kill missions were discussed. CNN has not been able to independently authenticate the recordings, but the time the electronic files were first created were consistent with his account. One of the recordings was of a meeting he says was set up with his PET and CIA handlers at a Danish resort a week after al-Awlaki was killed. On the tape, Storm makes clear to an American interlocutor that he and Danish intelligence had been key to getting al-Awlaki: . "We took initiative to create this because the Americans failed in their attempt to hit Anwar, they failed in their attempts to trace Anwar al-Awlaki, the Americans have failed in every single attempt to arrest or kill Anwar al-Awlaki, except when we went in, we traced him down again, created contacts with him, now he is dead, because of the work we have done." Agent claims he had been promised $5 million . In the same recording, the American can be heard telling Storm that President Barack Obama knew about his contribution to the al-Awlaki mission, "We had our whole project going forward -- of which you played the highest role,' he said. But the American denied Storm provided the critical breakthrough, frustrating Storm, who told CNN he had been promised $5 million if he led the CIA to the terrorist cleric. It was after this meeting he first made contact with the Danish newspaper. After Jyllands-Posten first broke the story, PET refused to confirm or deny Storm's claims. "Out of consideration for PET's operational work, the PET neither can nor will confirm publicly that specific persons have been used as sources by the PET," it said. "However, the PET does not participate in or support operations where the objective is to kill civilians. The PET did therefore not contribute to the military operation that led to the killing of al-Awlaki in Yemen," then-PET director Jakob Scharf stated. Neither PET nor the CIA responded to CNN's requests for further comment. Storm's revelations led Danish parliamentarians to demand new oversight rules for PET. In January 2013, Storm met with several of them in Copenhagen. Denmark's Ministry of Justice announced it would set up a supervisory board to oversee the Danish intelligence agency, without acknowledging Storm was the reason. Then-Justice Minister Morten Bodskov said the new board would strike "the right balance that will ensure that we have an effective intelligence agency and a good rule of law." But the government resisted calls from opposition MP's for a full parliamentary inquiry. After the publication of another Jyllands-Posten article in March 2013, with fresh evidence retrieved from Storm's cell phones, Storm's account received heavyweight backing from Denmark's former spy chief. Hans Jorgen Bonnichsen, Scharf's predecessor as head of PET, told Danish television that the corroborating evidence presented in the Danish media suggested the PET had used Storm to track down terrorist operatives overseas to help the U.S. target them for assassination. Bonnischen was at the helm of the intelligence agency in the period before Storm says he was recruited as an agent. In late 2013, a political scandal forced the resignations of PET Director Scharf and Interior Minister Bodskov after it emerged Scharf had instructed subordinates to obtain information on the movements of a Danish MP. Reforms may be coming in Denmark . The revelations put Storm's story back in the public spotlight. Bonnichsen sharpened his criticism of PET, asserting the disclosures on Danish involvement in assassination plans overseas were so serious there was a basis for a criminal investigation. At the end of the year the beleaguered agency was put under more pressure when Jyllands-Posten disclosed PET's refusal to offer Storm protection after ISIS linked militants in Syria threatened his life in a video. "Is it really a satisfactory way for the security services to carry out their task in that it takes three weeks before you answer a former employee who -- rightly -- felt threatened by Islamists?' the chairman of the Danish People's Party told the newspaper. Storm now lives in hiding in an undisclosed location in the UK, and says he currently receives no protection from any Western intelligence service. In April 2014, the pressure on Denmark increased further when the Open Society Foundation, a New York based legal advocacy group, called on Denmark to acknowledge its role in al-Awlaki's killing and announced it had filed freedom of information requests with the Danish government regarding Storm. "Danish officials have refused to respond specifically and meaningfully to numerous questions posed on this subject by the legal affairs committee of Denmark's parliament," a press release by the group stated. "The evidence that has been revealed by Jyllands-Posten, is very worrying. They show that PET actively cooperated with the CIA in the operation to track down and kill Anwar al-Awlaki. They show that PET was eager to cover up his role in the program. They show that PET was trying to hide the truth from the Danish public. The evidence suggests that PET may have violated the Danish Criminal Code provisions relating to murder and international legal prohibitions on, among others, the right to life, among other laws. These are very serious offenses," Amrit Singh, the senior legal officer for national security and counterterrorism for the Open Society Justice Initiative, told Jyllands Posten. Bonnischen told CNN new oversight rules for PET are now being discussed which would require the agency to submit an annual report to a parliamentary oversight committee on how many agents it was running and how they were being run. Magnus Ranstorp, one of Scandinavia's leading counterterrorism academics, told CNN Storm's revelations had "opened a Pandora's box of ethical problems which will probably lead in the future to PET's ability or leeway to act being restricted." It is rare indeed for an intelligence informant to go public about his work. In Storm's case the disclosures may change the law -- and radically change the way his former employer works. Excerpt from 'Agent Storm': Finding a wife for Anwar al-Awlaki .
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Morten Storm was a radical Islamist turned double agent .
He claims Danish agency recruited him to work with CIA .
PET said it had nothing to do with Anwar al-Awlaki operation .
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By . Paul Harris . PUBLISHED: . 18:05 EST, 11 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:04 EST, 12 September 2013 . He never uses a safety net, and of course, he’s unable to carry a pole. But today, ladies and gentlemen: step right up for Osbert Humperdinck Pumpernickle, the collie who never wobbles. The four-year-old cross - Ozzy for short - has rightly claimed his place as Britain’s most accomplished canine tightrope walker. Scroll down for video . The collie who never wobbles: Four-year-old Osbert Humperdinck Pumpernickle - known as Ozzy for short - holds the Guinness world record for the fastest crossing of a tightrope ever achieved by a dog . New trick: Ozzy crossed a 3.5m (11.4ft) rope in 18.22 seconds to secure his place in the record books . See how he balances on hind legs on a . highwire stretched between two trees! Marvel at his skill in traversing a . rope with no visible means of support! And . now - applaud as he picks up his coveted Guinness World Record award . for performing the fastest crossing of a tightrope ever to be achieved . by a dog (a category, it should be said, in which there was surprisingly . little competition). For the record, he crossed a 3.5m (11.4ft) rope in 18.22 seconds. The rare feat is just one of Ozzy’s many remarkable acrobatic acts, which also include swinging on a chain, freerunning along a narrow ledge, or balancing on his owner Nick Johnson’s shoulders as he cycles into town. For the avoidance of doubt, by the way, it’s Nick who does the cycling, not Ozzy - although it is surely only a matter of time before this particular dog masters two-wheel travel. Ozzy, a chocolate and white border collie and kelpie cross, was born on a farm in Anglesey, North Wales, before moving to Nick’s home in Norwich. He showed an early aptitude for balance and seemed keen to improve on that tired old repertoire of standard doggy tricks, such as shake-a-paw and fetch-a-stick. Aptitude for balance: The rare feat is just one of Ozzy’s many acrobatic acts, which include swinging on a chain, freerunning along a narrow ledge, or balancing on his owner’s shoulders as they cycle into town . Nick, a 51-year-old carpenter, bought a book called Puppies For Dummies before enrolling Ozzy on a six-week training course and taking some tips from celebrated ‘dog whisperer’ Zak George. His acrobatic antics were captured in a YouTube video that led to international acclaim and TV stardom. Yesterday Nick declared himself ‘so happy and proud’ at Ozzy’s place in world record history, adding: ‘Ozzy’s parents are working sheepdogs on a farm, so it’s in his blood to want to work closely with me. He’s most happy when he’s working on the tricks that we do - he regards it as a game. 'We only practice when Ozzy is in the mood, after he’s done all his important dog stuff like sniffing around and meeting other dogs.’ They might not rank among mankind's greatest achievements, and most of them certainly won't change the world. But there has always been a place in public's quest for knowledge of the biggest, the best, the bonkers and the bizarre. Who could possibly sleep, for example, without knowing what the fastest time is for running the 100 meters in high heels? That will be 14.531 seconds, actually, clocked by leggy blonde Fräulein Julia Plecher in Germany last year. Fastest woman in heels: Julia Plecher from Germany clocked an impressive 14.531 seconds over 100m . Guaranteed to clean up: 'Hooverman', aka Mr James Brown of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, has the world's largest collection of vacuum cleaners. The 33-year-old eccentric boasts a record 322 models . Spare a thought for the little guy: KneeHi, nearly six, from Gainesville, Florida, is the world's smallest donkey . Tiny: Milly, a female Chihuahua from Puerto Rico, who has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the worlds smallest dog, measuring just 9.65 cm . Skateboarding goat: Harpie the goat from the USA who has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the farthest distance achieved by a goat on a skateboard going 36 meters in 25 seconds . Scary: A dragon robot created by company Zollner Elektronik AG in Germany that has made it to the book as the largest walking robot measuring a massive 15.72 m in length, 12.33 m in width, and 8.20 m in height . And here's a question you thought you might never ask: who's got the planet's biggest vacuum cleaner collection? Answer: 'Hooverman', aka Mr James Brown of Hucknall, Notts. The 33-year-old eccentric boasts a record 322 models. Yes, yes. But what about the animal kingdom? Among all the giants of endeavour and leviathan creatures listed by Guinness World Records, spare a thought for the little guy. It's the shortest donkey on Earth - KneeHi , nearly six, from Gainesville, Florida. He's a brown jack who stands just 25.29 inches (64.2 cm) tall, measured to the top of the withers, where the neck joins the back. Record breaker: Fabio Reggiani from Italy who has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for constructing the worlds largest rideable motorcycle measuring 5.10 meters (16ft 8.78 in) from the ground to the top of the handlebars . mini motor: Austin Coulson from the USA made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the world smallest car measuring just 63.5 cm, high, 65.41 cm, wide and 126.47 cm long . How low can you go? Rohan Kokane, 7, from Belgaum in Karnataka, India who has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for for being the lowest limbo skater, achieving a roller-skating height of just 25 cm over a distance of 10 meters . Impressive: Leilani Franco from the Philippines who has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest human backbend walk, traveling in a backbend position a distance of 20 meters (65 ft 7.2 in) in a time of 10.05 seconds . The force is with him: Steve Sansweet from the USA has the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia, having amassed over 300,000 unique items .
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He's just one of the new entries in the latest Guinness Book Of Records .
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It will certainly get a lot tougher for Grigor Dimitrov from here. The Bulgarian did not have to perform at anywhere near his peak level to get past Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 but now comes Britain’s No 1. Andy Murray and Dimitrov will meet in a quarter-final match that shone out when the draw was made before this tournament started: the king of grass versus the emerging prince. We can only hope the sun will be shining because it was clear the rain interruptions and gloomy weather made this third-round match a less-than-pleasing spectacle. Hand it to him: Grigor Dimitrov celebrates victory over Leonardo Mayer to reach the last eight . Making a name for himself: Grigor Dimitrov beat Leonardo Mayer to book a quarter final place . Outclassed: Leonardo Mayer couldn't live with the skills of Grigor Dimitrov, losing in three sets . VIDEO Wimbledon: Day seven roundup . There were more shanks and slips than shots of awe as the Queen’s champion failed to really get into his groove. He . took the first set comfortably enough and the second was poised at 6-5 . when the covers came on. Around one hour and 45 minutes later the . players re-emerged and soon after Dimitrov was claiming the set with a . fortunate half-volley. But . Mayer challenged and found a second chance through Hawk-Eye showing the . ball drifting just wide. He chucked away his reprieve with a double . fault to hand a 2-0 lead to Dimitrov. The . final set was equally error-strewn but the 11th seed was able to come . through on the big points and twice broke the Argentinian. Eyes on the prize: Grigor Dimitrov will now face Andy Murray in the quarter finals . Stretched to the limit: Dimitrov shows off his flexibility as he returns a shot during his win over Mayer . Battling effort: Leonardo Mayer took the second set to a tie break but ultimately lost out . Serving . for the match Dimitrov recovered from 30-0 down to take the next four . points and step into the last eight here for the first time in his . career. ‘Today . is extremely tough to play on court,’ he said. ‘It’s pretty slippery, . the weather hasn’t been very pleasant. I’m happy I finished in three . sets and can get a good day off. ‘It . was pretty tricky, my movement was pretty good but there were a few . spots that were slippery, the ball wasn’t jumping properly. You just . have to take it. ‘(During . the break) I had time to grab a bit of food, rest a little bit and see . what I can do better when I come back to court. You get to chat with . your coach. ‘My . quarter final match is something I’ve been waiting for a very long . time, the work I’ve put in really shows up. I’m excited for another . match.’
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Number 11 seed eases to 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 win in rain-disrupted game .
Faces British No 1 and defending champion Murray in last eight .
Dimitrov in good form after lifting Queen's Club title two weeks ago .
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It has raked in a staggering £800,000 in fines in just six months and flashes an average of 71 motorists every single day - making this speed camera in Cardiff every driver's worst nightmare. The device, located on Newport Road in the Welsh capital, has become the most lucrative speed camera in the UK and has already caught an astonishing 13,624 drivers this year. The shady title was previously held by a camera at Junction 25 on the M60 in Greater Manchester which caught 26 speeding drivers per day. Scroll down for video . 'Cash cow': The hugely unpopular speed camera, on Newport Road in Cardiff, has raked in a staggering £800,000 in fines in just six months . Catching 71 motorists a day - the device in Wales almost trebles the total achieved by its predecessor. The data comes from research conducted by LV insurance, who have also revealed that in 2013 speed cameras cost British motorists £22million in fines. The new speed trap on a busy junction in Cardiff was at the centre of a storm yesterday - with drivers calling it 'nothing but a cash cow'. Motorists have been left angered by the speed camera after road chiefs hailed it a massive success. Mother-of-three Karen Leyshon, who was caught going at 34mph through the speed trap, said: 'It's is ridiculous - I've been driving on that road every days for years without any problem whatsoever until this camera was put up. 'It is nothing but a cash cow. It's outrageous, the camera does nothing to improve safety of this road. It may be a busy stretch but it's perfectly safe. Driving trap: The device, which catches an average of 71 motorists every day, has been met with outrage by drivers who claim that it does nothing to improve the safety of the road . 'I didn't notice the camera going up, I got caught doing 34mph and I had to pay £85 for a speed awareness course. 'It was a complete waste of my time and money - I'm sure that most of the other 13,000 people would tell you exactly the same thing.' The camera has been in place since 2012 but it has only just became 'fully commissioned' catching thousands of motorists in the first six months of this year. According to the latest statistics, the cameras generated 13,624 penalty notices for speeding and 146 for red-light offences. And in February there were more than 100 tickets issued, on average, each day. UK's worst: The camera has taken the title of 'Britain's most lucrative speed camera' after its activity was monitored for six months - the previous holder was located on junction 25 of the M60 in Greater Manchester . In the first half of the year 5,906 people completed speed awareness courses after being caught speeding at the junction. A further 3,064 people paid speeding fines in the same six months. Figures show that with a minimum fine of £100 and a typical cost of £85 per place on speed awareness courses, the camera could have netted an astonishing £808,410. Research by LV insurance has revealed that a speed camera installed on Newport Road in Cardiff has detected 13, 624 speeding drivers this year and raked in a staggering £800,000 in fines in six months. Here are three other prolific UK speed cameras: . The GoSafe partnership, which operates Wales' road safety cameras, say the area has a high flow of traffic and motorists should always comply with the speed limit. But road safety groups have said the camera is not doing it's job properly and should be there to reduce speeds rather than bring in money. Tim Shallcross, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: 'The whole purpose of speed cameras is to slow people down, because it's felt that excessive speed in that area causes casualties. 'If a camera is issuing a small number of fines, or none at all, it's doing its job. If it's ticketing that many people, it's not having that effect. 'The local authority, which is responsible for road safety, should be looking at those figures and saying, 'We seem to have an issue here - the camera is catching a lot of people. 'Let's make sure that it looks like a 30mph highway, and that the cameras are clearly visible and the signs aren't obscured by vegetation'.' A spokesman for Cardiff council said: 'The speed camera in question does not have advance signs in place alerting drivers, as this is not a legal requirement. Although this camera has been in place for some time, due to maintenance issues it has not been operational. The Council is alarmed at the number of tickets generated since the camera has been working and would urge drivers to reduce their speed for the safety of other road users, or face the consequences. The Council is committed to working with the South Wales Police through the GoSafe Partnership and speed cameras have and will continue to play an important role to improve road safety for those using Cardiff’s highways. A recent example is the 20mph zones which are operational in Cathays and Plasnewydd to improve public safety, encourage walking and alternate forms of transport.'
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Device, on city's Newport Road, only became fully operational at start of 2014 .
So far this year it has caught more than 13,000 speeding drivers .
It catches three times as many people as UK's former busiest camera .
Drivers call it 'outrageous cash cow' claiming road was 'perfectly safe'
LV insurance exposed device and claim Brits paid £22million in fines in 2013 .
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Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- A top adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defended the regime's actions Tuesday, arguing that the government is not attacking peaceful protesters, despite widespread witness reports of a fierce crackdown against displays of dissent. "Security forces are there against armed groups," Bouthaina Shaaban told CNN in an interview, referring to the shadowy entities the regime has consistently said are responsible for the violence sweeping the Arab country since mid-March. "We're not targeting demonstrators. I think peaceful demonstrators have made their point, and they are making their point every day. We have no problem with that." Shaaban said the government would like "to talk to peaceful demonstrators" and is not opposed to peaceful protests. What it wants to do, she said, is "isolate armed militants." She and other Syrian government officials have not provided more detail about the armed groups and their financing. Shaaban said that while demonstrators have "legitimate grievances," there are extremists who are using protests "as a cover to incite sectarian violence in Syria" and are badly hurting the economy. Bloodshed has engulfed Syria ever since demonstrators took to the streets in the southern city of Daraa to protest the arrests of young people for scribbling anti-government graffiti. Witnesses reported a tough crackdown against the demonstrators. That sparked more protests and tough security reactions across the country. The videos and witness accounts filtering out of Syria of the security actions have spurred international outrage toward the regime. Rami Abdelrahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told CNN Tuesday that 1,342 civilians and 343 security personnel have died since the protests erupted. Shaaban said Tuesday that more than 500 police officers and government troops and police have been killed in the violence, in which "religious extremists" are "directing purposeful assassinations." "They are the ones who are killing children, who are killing women, who are maiming people, who are cutting people into pieces," she said, referring to the "extremists." CNN cannot independently verify the death tolls. However, sources in Turkey and Lebanon can account for the many Syrians who've fled to their countries to escape violence. The Turkish government said Tuesday that 10,757 Syrian refugees have crossed the border. It also said 441 Syrians had returned to Syria voluntarily in the past two days. Security sources in Lebanon told CNN that about 1,000 Syrians have crossed into Lebanon near the town of Hermel. When asked whether the crisis would have been different had security forces not acted violently during the uprising's start in Daraa, Shaaban said she thinks "there are lots of fabrications about the security forces" and that many security forces were ordered not to carry weapons in Daraa. The al-Assad family has ruled Syria since 1971, with Bashar al-Assad taking power after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad in 2000. The government is dominated by the Alawite minority in a country with a majority Sunni Muslim population. Alawites are an offshoot of Shiite Muslims. Last week, Bashar al-Assad held out a promise of reforms and a "national dialogue" in a speech that was met with widespread skepticism. As international and domestic outrage festered, Syria's embattled government allowed a group of activists and intellectuals, including some it had previously jailed, to hold a conference on democratic reform Monday at a Damascus hotel. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday that the United States was "pleased" to see the Syrian opposition was allowed to protest peacefully and has been given some "breathing space." It was a "step in the right direction, but more needs to be done," Nuland said, adding that "a key element of Syria moving in the right direction will be that this continues to be the case." Louay Hussein, a writer and onetime political prisoner, said "we must change this tyrannical regime to a democratic, civilian one" and explained that "how that transition happens is a question this conference is trying to address." Hussein said the conference would "not necessarily" find an answer to that question, "but that is the big question in this country now." About 200 Syrian dissidents gathered in the hotel ballroom, including several signatories of a 2005 declaration that called for a democratic transition. But some of those who have been risking arrest or bodily harm as al-Assad tries to suppress a wave of anti-government protests said the people in the hotel don't necessarily speak for them. "The big question regarding this conference is, where are the young people?" asked Wissam Tarif, a pro-democracy activist based outside Syria. "Where are the people who are on the streets? Where are the voices of the people who are from Daraa, or from Douma, or from Jisr al-Shugur, or from Idlib? I think those are the voices that have been missed so far." Shaaban acknowledged that those at the conference were not representative of the protesters on the streets. "That's very true. And this is our biggest problem and our biggest challenge," she said. "We are trying our best to reach the leaders of people on the street because we want to solve this problem in our country and move forward." But she said the government wants to be all-inclusive in its reform efforts by inviting all social groups to participate in a dialogue. She argues that the government would not want to undermine that sense of national unity. "No government in the world would kill its own people," she said. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Elise Labott contributed to this report.
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NEW: U.S. is pleased Syria gave the opposition some "breathing space"
More than 1,300 civilians have been killed in the unrest, an activist group says .
Adviser: Protesters have "legitimate grievances," but there are extremists .
The Turkish government says 10,757 Syrians have fled across the border .
"We must change this tyrannical regime," a former political prisoner says .
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(CNN) -- Inter Milan secured their fourth straight victory in Italy's top flight Sunday with a 2-0 win over Catania to maintain their pursuit of unbeaten Serie A leaders Juventus. Boosted by their 1-0 defeat of AC Milan in the city derby last weekend, Inter were always on top in the San Siro after star man Antonio Cassano headed home in the 28th minute. Rodrigo Palacio added the clinching second with five minutes to go as Diego Milito set up his fellow Argentine to score his first goal for Inter. Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni was delighted by their performance, particularly after the break. "We're a team that's growing. The coach should only try to improve the team match by match," he told the official Inter website. "Today was a step forward with a spectacular second half. Perhaps it was the first time we were fluid without giving anything away." They stay in fourth place, four points adrift of Juventus, who maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 win over Napoli in a top of the table clash Saturday evening. Martin Caceres and 19-year-old Paul Pogba scored for Juve, who have opened up a three point lead over their opponents. Lazio's 3-2 win over struggling Milan has left them in third ahead of Inter on goal difference. The top four are well clear of fifth placed Fiorentina, who had to settle for a share of the points in the 1-1 draw at Chievo. French striker Cyril Thereau put the home side ahead in the first half but La Viola leveled only a minute later when Argentine defender Guillermo Rodriguez scored after a corner. In the English Premier League, fourth placed Everton had Steven Pienaar sent off in the second half at Loftus Road as they were held 1-1 by Queens Park Rangers. Midfielder Pienaar went for a second yellow card on the hour mark, but his side held on for a draw which leaves them a point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. David Moyes' men went behind to a deflected Junior Hoilett strike before Sylvain Distin's header deflected in off QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar's back for an own goal to level. Sunday's other game in the EPL saw Sunderland and Newcastle draw 1-1 in the Tyne-Wear derby. Newcastle took the lead at the Stadium of Light through Yohan Cabaye's early strike, but had Cheick Tiote sent off for violent conduct in the 25th minute. The home side pressed hard for an equalizer and were rewarded when Demba Ba diverted a John O'Shea header past his own goalkeeper late on. In the German Bundesliga, Augsburg were held to a goalless draw at Nuremberg, while Hamburg went down to their first defeat since Rafael van der Vaart signed from Tottenham as they lost 1-0 to Stuttgart. Vedad Ibisevic scored the only goal on 30 minutes.
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Inter Milan win fourth straight in Italy's Serie A .
Antonio Cassano with the first in 2-0 win at Catania .
Newcastle and Sunderland draw 1-1 in EPL derby .
Hamburg slip to 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart in Bundesliga .
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A man has been charged with child neglect after he left a ten-month-old baby in the care of his pet pitbull while he went to drink at a bar, authorities said. James R Irvine, 41, was arrested on Saturday after his girlfriend came home from work to find him trying to enter their home and urinating on himself. He told her that he had gone to a bar on the Palm Coast, Florida and had left his pet pitbull in charge of her baby boy. Neglect: James Irvine, 41, left his girlfriend's baby in the care of his pet pitbull while he went to drink beer and watch football at a bar on the Palm Coast, Florida . The baby was found inside the home, crying, but unharmed. The pitbull had been guarding the door of the room, according to Fox. The sheriff's office said that the baby had been left in the care of Irvine while his girlfriend was at work. After ignoring several calls from her, she returned home. A bartender told police that Irvine had been served Irvine five Coronas and one Bud Light. The 41-year-old is being held at the jail in Flagler County on $1,500 bond. Babysitter: The ten-month-old was left in the care of a pitbull, according to James Irvine, who has been charged with child neglect (stock image)
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James R Irvine, 41, found by his girlfriend trying to enter their Florida home and urinating on himself .
Baby was inside, unharmed, with pitbull guarding the door .
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(CNN) -- A 25-foot dead whale washed ashore on New York's Jones Beach Island on Thursday morning, a New York State Parks official said. George Gorman, director of recreational services for New York State Parks, told CNN that officials believe it's a humpback whale. Jones Beach Island is a barrier island bordering the south of Long Island and a popular recreational spot for New Yorkers. The New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Program -- a branch of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation that rescues and rehabilitates marine animals -- was called to examine the whale and remove it from the beach. Riverhead officials estimate that the animal weighs 20 to 25 tons. The group is moving the animal out of the path of the incoming tide with a tractor. An necropsy will be performed Friday and then officials will determine where to bury the remains.
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25-foot dead whale washes ashore on New York's Jones Beach Island .
It's estimated to weigh 20 to 25 tons .
Experts are moving the whale up the beach Thursday; will perform an necropsy Friday .
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(CNN) -- Art has emerged as a major vehicle for expressing the Occupy Wall Street movement. In addition to news this week that street art from Occupy Wall Street and Occupy D.C. was being collected by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the movement's Arts and Culture Committee showcased spoken word performances and poetry readings in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. Elsewhere in the city, a group known as Occupy Museums demonstrated at New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Frick Collection and the New Museum protesting the corporatization of art, and the "No Comment" pop-up exhibition similarly represented itself as art inspired by the movement. Then there's the sudden popularity of anti-establishment Guy Fawkes masks, distant kin to the masked protests of the Guerrilla Girls, a collective of anonymous artists who wear Gorilla masks to protest sexism. But perhaps most provocatively, Shepard Fairey -- the artist who famously created the Obama "Hope" poster -- contributed "You Are Invited to the Occupation Party," featuring a portrait of a woman evocative of the black power movement, and placing Occupy Wall Street within a deeper history of civil rights protest. Occupy art might just be the movement's most politically potent tool in its dramatic reframing of the racial dynamics of a populist uprising frequently characterized as largely white and "hippie." Fairey's "You Are Invited" is an especially compelling example. It offers an image of a young black woman with turtleneck sweater and iconic Afro, a la Angela Davis -- the "uniform" of the Black Panther Party of the 1960s and '70s. The poster's retro look recalls a militant past, almost startling in our new millennial moment, and surely is meant as a challenge to the idea that as a society we are anywhere near "post-race" enlightenment. For evidence of this, we need look no further than the grossly disproportionate use of force by Oakland city police in clearing peaceful Occupy protesters recently. Comedian and social critic Jon Stewart said on his late-night show that the only threat that could possibly warrant such a police response was Godzilla. His comment, though humorous, was seriously spot-on, for the "beast" perceived as a threat in that city has long been its black and brown citizens. It is no accident that the Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, where for decades inequities in health, education, income and incarceration have affected the communities of color there. Indeed, some have called for more black people's involvement in the movement, but Fairey's "You Are Invited" goes beyond an appeal for and to black people. Imagine its even more revolutionary effect as a poster carried by people of all backgrounds and social position, symbolically calling for a pan-ethnic alliance. Of course some may complain that this repurposing of black power imagery associates the Occupy movement with a dated and narrow cultural nationalism with no place in our post-civil rights era. The poster's invitation to an "occupation party" -- suggesting both a political party as well as a hip, happening event -- may not mobilize a younger generation unfamiliar with appeals to rise up or sit in. Others may criticize the poster as implying a purely token inclusiveness that masks the real tensions between the occupiers' often competing and sometimes confused agenda. These are justifiable concerns. But "You Are Invited" is powerful precisely because it invites identification with this long history of marginalized people striving for social and economic equity, however imperfect and unfinished those efforts. More subtly but as importantly, the poster is a mini-tutorial, offering some much needed direction and instruction to a new movement missing some important elements for success. Occupiers are invited to take a page from the past, for instance, and go revolutionary with some style. The Panthers dressed for success and worked their cool look to great political effect. Even more essentially, they also had a plan. The Panthers' Ten-Point Program, which called for "Land, Bread, Housing, Education, Clothing, Justice and Peace" and included a successful Free Breakfast for Children program, sought very practical forms of redress (some realistically possible, some less so) to the social and economic injustices they experienced. "You Are Invited," with what we might call its black art of occupation, is a reminder of the historical relationship between art and politics. Plato was anxious about the power of art to rouse emotions and challenge authority, and to be sure, art can be reduced to mere propaganda and demagoguery. But we should not forget that Aristotle, Plato's own student, disagreed with him, insisting that the arts had a profound social function. In 1926, the renowned black intellectual, W.E.B. Du Bois, argued passionately that art should be used for social justice, that beauty can and must be marshaled for a larger good: "I am one who tells the truth and exposes evil and seeks with beauty and for beauty to set the world right." Similarly, the "No Comment" organizers claim that, "The purpose of the exhibition is to provide a platform for an open dialogue about serious sociological issues." Let the Occupy movement's camps and protests and marches continue generating such art -- art that inspires interracial unity where it may not yet exist, art that reminds us of the voices unheard, art that galvanizes practical social change when nothing seems to give, art that, in Du Bois' words, tries to make the world both beautiful and right. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michele Elam.
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Michele Elam says art is emerging as potent tool of Occupy Wall Street movement .
She says this especially true of Shepard Fairey poster that recalls black power imagery .
She says image links movement to long history of marginalized people striving for equity .
Elam: Art serving social function in Occupy as it urges interracial unity, galvanizes social change .
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0f66a80021f30eccfc87cb06cc246971f613ec93
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By . Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 05:57 EST, 11 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:56 EST, 11 September 2012 . If you have ever wanted to own your own port, your ship could be about to come in. For £4.4 million, you can buy a working piece of maritime history, complete with two beaches, tall ships and an ice cream parlour. Unfortunately, Cornwall's Charlestown Harbour does not come with a house to live in. Charlestown harbour in Cornwall - complete with two beaches and its own ice cream parlour - has gone up for sale for £4.4m . Its owner, Robin Davies, has turned the Grade II listed port into a successful business in its own right, with the quaint quayside becoming a popular setting for film and TV crews . As well as the shipyard business which makes and restores vessels and offers seamanship training, there is huge revenue potential in movie location fees and hiring out the Tall ships . The port was used for the scene in Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland where the heroine (played by Mia Wasikowska, above) sets sail for China . Instead, you can own the waterfront, a car park and roads for offers in the region of £1.5 million. Another £1.4 million buys a marine training and charter business, including two square-rigged tall ships, and a further £1.5 million will secure two acres of land suitable for commercial or residential development, although it does not yet have planning consent. The small port has been in private ownership for nearly 20 years, although members of the public are allowed access on foot or by boat. There is also income in the lease on the restaurant and ice cream parlour, mooring fees and car park charges . The harbour is a popular tourist destination and was visited by Tony and Cherie Blair in 2001 . The port was built in the late 18th century by local landowner Charles Rashleigh. It developed around the fishing village of West Polmear . The quaint Grade II-listed quayside has become a popular setting for film crews. Scenes from The Eagle Has Landed, Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers and Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland have been filmed there, and it featured in an episode of Doctor Who starring Matt Smith – The Curse Of The Black Spot. The port was built in the late 18th century by local landowner Charles Rashleigh. The site was developed around the fishing village of West Polmear. Initially, it capitalised on the China clay trade and fishing - but as these businesses declined, use of the harbour almost ground to a halt. In 1994, Square Sail bought the port and beaches - and it soon housed three square-rigged sailing ships. Owner Robin Davies, 69, is nearing . retirement and has placed the 3.5-acre piece of land and water up for . sale in the hope that a new owner will take over his business, which . employs 18 people, including a harbour master, engineers and deckhands. As well as the shipyard business, . which makes and restores vessels and offers seamanship training, there . is potential revenue in film location fees and hiring out the tall . ships. There is also income from the lease on the restaurant and ice . cream parlour, mooring fees and car park charges. Mr Davies said: 'We bought the harbour . to keep ships in and have the facilities to repair boats, but a lot of . our business is now focused on film sets. 'It is a vibrant little village and a . spectacular place to live, and we think this is a once-in-a-lifetime . opportunity for someone.' A spokesman for commercial agents . First Peninsula, which is handling the sale, said: 'Charlestown Harbour . is one of the few remaining British ports still in private ownership. It . offers a wealth of opportunity to its purchaser.' A scene from 1993 film The Three Musketeers, which was partly shot at Charlestown . Mr Davies said: 'The harbour used to be used to export china clay and when we came here the place was covered in this white dust'
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Charlestown in Cornwall also used as film location for The Three Musketeers, Mel Gibson's Apocalypto and episode of Doctor Who .
Site employs 18 people, including a harbour master .
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0f672833fe67769f7e7699d01d72f3503facbed2
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(CNN) -- The family of a Canadian teenager who committed suicide after she was allegedly gang-raped and bullied says it opposes any kind of "vigilante justice" to avenge the attack. This comes after the activist group Anonymous said it might release the names of teens it says raped the girl in an effort to force authorities to pursue prosecution. An earlier police investigation ended without criminal charges. Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old high school student from Halifax, Nova Scotia, was taken off life support Sunday, three days after she tried to hang herself. "Better act fast," Anonymous warned Canadian law enforcement in a statement. "Take immediate legal action against the individuals in questions." "The names of the rapists will be kept until it is apparent you have no intention of providing justice," the group said. Jason Barnes, partner of Rehtaeh's mother, Leah Parsons, said Thursday that the family does not "support the publishing of the names" in the case -- which has shocked Canada. "We are not looking for some kind of vigilante justice. We just want justice." Her family told CNN they met with Canadian justice officials Wednesday and urged them to reconsider filing charges. The officials assured them they would take a fresh look after a police investigation ended without criminal charges. How to help young rape victims . A girl in torment . Rehtaeh was bullied for more than a year after the alleged sexual assault, which happened in November 2011 when she was 15, her family said. Authorities confirmed that a photograph allegedly showing Rehtaeh having sex with one of the boys was circulated to friends' mobile phones and computers. As a result, her family said, she developed suicidal thoughts. She also struggled emotionally after the police investigation, her mother wrote on her Facebook tribute page. "Rehtaeh is gone today because of the four boys that thought that raping a 15-year-old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun," her mother wrote. "All the bullying and messaging and harassment that never let up are also to blame. Lastly, the justice system failed her. Those are the people that took the life of my beautiful girl." Disseminating such a picture -- even if the sexual encounter was consensual -- is considered child pornography under Canadian law. However, a joint investigation by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local authorities found "insufficient evidence to proceed with charges," RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scott MacRae said. "There are factors in determining other than the picture itself; ages, who sent the material, computers, so it's complex," he said. "We do understand people want the answers, and the big question here is why was it done or why weren't there charges, and we understand that. We're not trying to deflect blame or not be accountable." Healing process after rape never ends . Anonymous slams law enforcement . The Halifax case is similar to the recent case in Steubenville, Ohio, in which two boys were convicted of rape. In that case, lurid text messages, cell phone pictures and videos, and social media posts surrounding the sexual abuse of a girl emerged at the Ohio trial. It attracted the attention of bloggers and Anonymous, a loosely organized hacking activist group. As far as the Canadian incident goes, Anonymous told Nova Scotia Justice Minister Ross Landry that "justice is in your hands and supports the legal machinery to move forward with charges. "We do not approve of vigilante justice as the media claims. That would mean we approve of violent actions against these rapists at the hands of an unruly mob. What we want is justice. And that's your job. So do it," the group said. The group said it took only a few hours to identify the boys who assaulted Rehtaeh. "This wasn't some high-tech operation that involved extracting private messages from someone's Facebook account. Dozens of e-mails were sent to us by kids and adults alike, most of whom had personal relationships with the rapists. Many recalled confessions made by these boys blatantly in public where they detailed the rape of an inebriated 15-year-old girl," the group said. The group said that declarations from police and prosecutors that there wasn't enough evidence for an arrest "should be viewed solely as an admission of incompetence on their part." "These sad little boys had no fear whatsoever about admitting publicly their crimes and even spreading photographic evidence of it. Why were they unafraid? They believed no one was ever going to do anything to stop them and they were right," the group said. Every officer that signed off on the "no evidence" conclusion, Anonymous said, "should be guarding the entrance to a petting zoo for the remainder of their careers," When bullying goes high-tech .
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Activist group Anonymous tells police: "Better act fast" to take action against teens .
Mother says the justice system failed her daughter .
Mounties defend their actions: "It's complex"
The case is reminiscent of an incident in Steubenville, Ohio .
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By . Rosie Taylor . PUBLISHED: . 06:06 EST, 22 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:36 EST, 22 June 2013 . The European Union has spent £850,000 moving and upgrading a visitor centre even though it only received 50,000 people a year. In contrast, the Pencil Museum in the Lake District town of Keswick, receives more than 80,000 visitors a year, who pay up to £4.25 a head for entry. Attendance at the free European Commission Visitor Centre dropped in 2012 by 5 per cent on the previous year. Upgrade: Relocating and renovating the European Commission Visitor Centre cost taxpayers £853,000 (1million Euros) Hub: The new visitor centre is based inside the European Commission's Charlemagne Building in Brussels . But despite the decline in numbers, the EU lavished taxpayer's money on relocating the centre to a different Brussels street this spring. The new centre, which is now opposite the Commission's headquarters, opened in May. It sits just half a mile from the European Parliament's Visitor Centre, which opened in 2012 at a cost of nearly £18million. But actually visiting the Commission's Visitor Centre is no easy task. People wanting to go must to book at least 10 weeks in advance using an online application form and go in a group of 15 or more. No children are allowed as access is limited to people aged 15 and over. Mrs Yannakoudakis said: 'The EU thinks that it can win over citizens . with extravagant visitors’ centres such as those hosted by the European . Commission and the European Parliament. 'The parliament lavished a shameful £18m on its temple of . EU propaganda and now we learn that a further million Euros has been . spent on another centre half a mile away. 'The EU needs to rein in the outlandish budget for publicising itself. If it buckled down and did a better job, including by cutting back . waste, it might find it needed less money to spend on hype.' Success: The Pencil Museum in Cumbria receives more than 80,000 visitors a year - 30,000 more than the European Commission Visitor Centre . Attraction: Visitors pay up to £4.25 a head entry for the Pencil Museum, while the European Commission centre is free . In response to the MEP's written question, Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding said: 'The Visitors’ Centre is an integral part and key instrument of its communication strategy. 'It provides an opportunity for citizens, including high-profile groups and key multipliers, to visit the Commission at its headquarters. 'The Centre aims to give visitors an insight into how the Commission works and also explain its policies and programmes.' The centre had 50,576 visitors last year, down from 53,245 in 2011. Pencil Museum manager Alex Farthing said all profits from entry fees go into maintaining the museum.
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Newly relocated European Commission Visitor Centre cost £853,000 .
But free centre gets 30,000 fewer visitors than £4.25-a-head Pencil Museum .
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Stanislas Wawrinka opened his ATP World Tour Finals campaign in stunning fashion with a straight-sets demolition of Tomas Berdych. The Swiss took just 58 minutes to beat his out-of-sorts Czech opponent 6-1, 6-1 and go top of Group A, with world No 1 Novak Djokovic and US Open champion Marin Cilic due to face off later on Monday night. Wawrinka had arrived here having won just one of his last five matches but there was no sign of that recent poor form as he earned an early break in the second game with a nervy Berdych firing a forehand wide. Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland capitalised on a nervy Tomas Berdych to start his campaign in style . Berdych, of the Czech Republic, has not won any of his opening matches at the O2 Arena in London . Berdych has never won his opening match at the O2 Arena and it quickly looked to be heading that way again as a deep return by Wawrinka secured the double break for 4-0. Wawrinka had a set point for a first-serve bagel but Berdych saved with an ace and finally got on the board, before Wawrinka held to wrap up the first set in just 25 minutes. Things got no better for Berdych in the second set as a lengthy third game ended with Wawrinka claiming the break courtesy of his trademark one-handed backhand which was too powerful for Berdych to get back. Wawrinka's victory earned him 200 ranking points as he fightsto keep his place in the world top four . Wawrinka then reeled off the next four games in quick succession to clinch victory, as well as 200 ranking points which will prove handy as he bids to retain his place in the world's top four. Wawrinka said: 'I didn't expect to win that easy in the score, for sure. But I was ready to play well. 'I had a great week of preparation. I worked really, really hard [in the last] few weeks with Magnus [Norman, his coach]. 'Even if the result wasn't there in Basel and Paris, I was feeling the ball really well on the practice court.' The good news for Czech fans is that Berdych has always gone on to win his second match at the ATP World Tour Finals, but the world No 7 will have to drastically improve in his next match on Wednesday if he is to continue that particular streak. Berdych said: 'Unfortunately it was my worst match of the season and I kept it for the start here in the World Tour Finals.'
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Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Czech Tomas Berdych 6-1, 6-1 to go top of Group A .
The match lasted just 58 minutes as Wawrinka got back to winning ways .
Win earned the Swiss 200 ranking points as he fights to keep top four spot .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:01 EST, 26 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:59 EST, 26 June 2013 . A kindergarten teacher from Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday in Franklin County to trying to have her ex-husband assassinated. Angela Nolen, wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit, wiped away tears during the sentencing hearing in Franklin County Circuit Court. She pleaded guilty to solicit to commit murder. Police say the 47-year-old Sontag Elementary School teacher paid an undercover state police agent $4,000 to kill Paul Strickler, 64, a retired school administrator. She planned to pay another $4,000 after her ex-husband was killed. Court records show Nolen and Strickler were granted a divorce in December 2012. Admission of guilt: Angela Nolen, a teacher at Sontag Elementary School in Rocky Mount, Va., pleaded guilty to hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband Paul Strickler, 64. She accused him of abusing her and their daughter . Nolen had been scheduled to stand trial in July. She faces up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced August 9. Her attorney, David Furrow, said in court that he plans to call in a number of witnesses to testify on his client's behalf, Roanoke Times reported. A . co-defendant, school nurse Cathy Bennett, 37, of Rocky Mount, has been . charged with conspiracy for allegedly helping Nolen in her plot. Bennett remains free after posting $75,000 bond in February. Her trial is set for July 15. Nolen was arrested in February and charged . with solicitation to commit murder on her ex-husband, Paul Strickler. However, her plan unraveled as the kindergarten teacher hired an . undercover state police officer. Punishment: Nolen (center), 47, could face up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced next month . The teacher told the man she believed . to be an assassin that her ex-husband posed danger to her and their . child, and said she wanted 'something that would eliminate him from this . earth without me being in fear constantly.' By all accounts, the couple's decade-long relationship had been a turbulent one, marked by allegations of infidelity and violence. Strickler told the paper that they were trying to work out plans so that Nolen could buy him out of their home. After . Mr Strickler was alerted by state police that Nolen had allegedly put a . price on his head, he speculated that if he was dead, his ex-wife would . not have to pay him a dime for the house. Grave crime: Nolen, left, a kindergarten teacher, was arrested in February and charged with soliciting a hit man; her friend and school nurse Cathy Warren Bennett was charged as being an accomplice . Murder for hire: Cathy Warren Bennett, left, 37, of Rocky Mount, speaks with her attorney at her bond hearing today; Bennett was charged with aiding in a murder-for-hire plot . Nolen was granted full custody of their adopted 7-year-old daughter and . later obtained an order of protection that barred the girl's father from . having any contact with her. The . woman had initially approached a co-worker identified as Sharon . Williams about her plan to have her ex-husband killed, and Williams then . called police and arranged for Nolen to contact Sgt. J.G. Blankenship, . who called himself 'Greg,' The Franklin News-Post reported. The law enforcement agent secretly recorded his February 19 conversation with . Nolen, which the woman's attorney introduced this week as evidence. The . transcript of the officer's chat with the woman reveals that Strickler . had allegedly abused both her and their child, and she was afraid for . her life. ‘I lay awake . at night with a knife in one hand and a phone in the other hand, . listening for any sound,” Nolen says. ‘There’s a two-year protective . order in place that doesn’t do me any good if he comes to my house in . the middle of the night.’ On . the recording, 'Greg' proposes that Nolen pay him $10,000 for killing . her husband but later settles on $8,000, asking Nolen to pay him half of . the sum upfront. Support: Cathy Warren Bennett's family sits in the Franklin County District courtroom before Bennett's bond hearing today in Virginia . Nolen then leaves to go the bank and returns 20 minutes later with the money. 'Greg' could be heard asking Nolen if she wants her former spouse 'really . messed up' and aware that she was the one who had put the hit on him, . but Nolen rejects the offer. Throughout . their conversation, the undercover officer repeatedly reminds Nolen . that once they agree on the terms of the contract, there will be no . going back. 'You’re going to be able to live with this?' he asks her. 'Yes,' Nolen replies. 'I have a child who continues to have nightmares about daddy breaking in and killing mommy.'
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Angela Nolen 47, could face up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced next month .
Kindergarten teacher was arrested in February after trying to hire undercover cop to kill her ex-husband, Paul Strickler .
Nolen accused Strickler, 64, of abusing her and their 7-year-old daughter, and keeping her in constant fear .
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(CNN) -- Syrian warplanes reportedly targeted Iraq this week. Scores of civilians were killed at markets and gas stations in Anbar province Tuesday, local leaders told CNN. A militant group called ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has been pushing into Iraq, shaking the country, its leadership and, in turn, threatening the region. But what does it mean that Syria reportedly is now attacking its neighbor? Here are some answers to get you up to speed: . What does ISIS want, and how is that related to Iraq and Syria? ISIS includes mostly Sunni militants who want to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria. In the towns it controls in Syria, it has imposed Sharia law. Women must be covered, music is prohibited, girls and boys must not mingle at school. The group's tactics are so ruthless even al Qaeda has distanced itself. For example, ISIS kidnapped more than 140 Kurdish schoolboys in Syria last month and forced them to take daily lessons in radical Islamic theory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group. The militant group was born in Iraq, initially called the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella organization headed by al Qaeda. The group's leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, served four years in a U.S. prison camp for insurgents, at Bucca in southern Iraq. He was released in 2009. The Islamic State in Iraq relocated to Syria and eventually became known by its new name, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Is ISIS capable of getting what it wants? Regrouping and strengthening in Syria, ISIS became well-financed and highly organized. Today, the group has grown large enough to divide the entire region along sectarian lines, experts say. ISIS has produced and attracted more jihadists and foreign fighters than the war in Iraq ever did. It has more suicide bombers at its disposal, more heavy weaponry and vehicles and more money than any other terrorist organization in the world. It also has launched an intensive and sophisticated media campaign with flashy videos directed at Westerners, enticing them to join the fight. ISIS has also employed a classic guerilla warfare tactic -- the militants live among civilians. It would be difficult to target these militants in general strikes without injuring or killing innocent people. Why would Syria reportedly bomb Iraq now? Bashar al-Assad's regime knows where ISIS bases are inside Syria, but its response to ISIS has been fairly muted for months. The existence of ISIS has helped to justify the Syrian government's often-used line that it is fighting "terrorists," and opposition activists have long accused the regime of allowing the group to operate and grow, pointing to the government's constant barrel bombing of civilian neighborhoods in places such as Aleppo, while ISIS positions remain largely untargeted. But since the militant group has taken over large parts of northern Iraq recently, Syria has intensified its targeted campaign of ISIS positions, particularly in Raqqa, Syria, where ISIS has operated its headquarters for some time. Damascus denies bombing positions in Iraq, but several sources, including an eyewitness and the head of the Anbar provincial council, said Syrian warplanes launched this week's strikes. CNN is seeking a response from the Syrian government. It's unlikely al-Assad anticipated that ISIS would achieve such impressive and significant victories in Iraq. The only weapon Syrians have in the border area is air power; Syrian ground forces pulled out long ago. Bombing Iraq now serves to clip ISIS' wings a little. Map: Where ISIS has taken control in Iraq . How are the Iraqi and Syrian conflicts linked? Under Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi government has gradually become closer to the Syrian regime. They share allies such as Iran and Hezbollah and enemies such as al Qaeda, ISIS, Sunni extremists and Saudi Arabia, too. The old colonial borders in the region are disappearing, and a conflict is emerging that is more Sunni versus Shiite. Al-Maliki, some experts said, stoked that sectarian tension even more in a speech Wednesday in which the Shiite leader slammed Sunnis. He blamed his political rivals for "coordinating" the crisis in Iraq and accused Sunnis of collaborating with militants. See: Al-Maliki changes tune on unity government . What are the Iraq military's shortcomings? Iraq is using its air force -- what's left of it -- to fight back against ISIS. Iraq has initiated airstrikes, but targeting the group means putting a scope on constantly moving targets. ISIS uses pickups, not tanks. Without precise intelligence from the ground, battling ISIS is tough. And it's critical to remember that Iraq lost virtually all its air power with the 2003 U.S. invasion. The Iraqi army crumbled in the face of ISIS' advances. The governor of Kirkuk told CNN that the Iraq force is a "checkpoint army," meaning that it is able to set up and run checkpoints but isn't sophisticated enough to fight ISIS cells. The Iraqi army also tends to use a counterproductive strategy of rounding up individuals as a method of control, aggravating the local population. Finally, the Iraqi military is up against a terror organization more powerful than anything that the U.S. military was battling and struggled to overcome. Why has U.S. air power not been used against ISIS in Iraq? Many experts believe that U.S. airstrikes in Iraq are far too risky and might not deliver the results the United States wants. Again, consider that ISIS is mixed among the civilian population. Airstrikes may kill innocent people. And there are logistical questions that have to be answered. Where would the air power come from? Bases in Turkey perhaps? Would Turkey give its green light? Also, some in Iraq perceive that the United States put al-Maliki in power and supported his regime for years, and U.S. interference with air power might not be welcomed. The United States has to worry about Iran, too. U.S. strikes in Iraq could undermine progress Iran and the United States have made on the issue of nuclear weapons. Also, ISIS is not the only group fighting to gain control of Iraq. Sunni insurgent groups that were active during the U.S.-led invasion have also joined in the battle. Sunni tribal leaders all oppose al-Maliki and view him and his Shiite-dominated government as a bigger threat to the country than ISIS. Members of insurgent groups not aligned with ISIS could be killed, possibly creating a new set of enemies. Any U.S. airstrikes in Iraq could further deepen the divide if there's a perception the action was done to bolster al-Maliki's government. It could also further alienate Sunni groups whose support eventually will be needed for any sort of political process to succeed in the country. Op-ed: How ISIS threatens the wider world . CNN's Nic Robertson, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.
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ISIS wants to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria .
Syrian response to ISIS inside its borders has been fairly muted until now .
But Syrian regime bombed ISIS positions in Syria recently and reportedly bombed in Iraq .
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Washington (CNN) -- An expanded team of civilian technical experts from a "quick-reaction force" is on the ground in Libya, tracking down and destroying "MANPADs," shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles that the U.S. fears could be used to bring down a civilian airliner. The United States currently has a State Department officer and 14 technical experts who are embedded with munitions and destruction teams from Libya's National Transitional Council, according to Andrew Shapiro, assistant U.S. secretary of state for political-military affairs. Officials hope to ramp up the search effort "significantly," Shapiro said, with the number of specialists on the ground increasing to 50. The joint teams are sweeping, surveying and securing stockpiles of the weapons that were previously under control of the Moammar Gadhafi regime. The joint teams already have surveyed 20 out of 36 known ammunition storage sites, a State Department official said, and have disabled or destroyed hundreds of MANPADs. The official was not authorized to speak on the record. At each site they have found from several dozen to several hundred storage bunkers. The United States estimates there were as many as 20,000 surface-to-air missiles in Libya when NATO began its operations to aid rebels in ousting Gadhafi. Shapiro declined to say how many weapons might be missing, but U.S. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, expressed concern that the missiles could be crossing the border. "There are some worrying indicators ... that some of these portable air defense systems have left Libya," Ham said, adding that he didn't have enough information to know how many have possibly moved, "but there's enough ... churn out there in the information I see to cause me to be very concerned." U.S. officials are working with Libya's neighbors on "how best to address this threat," Shapiro said. The United States is distributing thousands of pamphlets in multiple languages, including Arabic and English, to neighboring countries, including Egypt, Algeria and Morocco, to inform their border guards what the MANPADs look like and to be on watch for any attempts to move them out of Libya. Ham noted that the MANPADs are a threat "to anything that flies," including commercial airliners upon takeoff and landing. The United States also is working through NATO to alert the Libyans to stockpiles NATO was aware of and may have targeted during the conflict. "When it comes to the conventional weapons destruction challenge, the NTC have not only have talked the talk, they've walked the walk," the State Department official said. "They have really taken leadership on this and we are committed to helping them secure the weapons stockpiles." The U.S. experts involved in the operation are mostly retired military personnel who were specialists in munitions handling and ordnance destruction at the Department of Defense, Shapiro said. Many of them work with nongovernmental organizations on de-mining. Shapiro noted the United States paid $3 million to two non-governmental organizations in Libya "to help secure weapons that they discovered." CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
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Gen. Ham is "very concerned" about proliferation across Libyan borders .
A team of U.S. technical experts is assisting in securing weapons stockpiles .
The search effort is focused on shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles .
The missiles pose a threat "to anything that flies," Ham says .
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These inspiring images may look like the promotional photos for the next Olympics, but in fact the subjects are normal office workers - without using Photoshop. When Canadian snapper Benjamin Von Wong was asked to take photos of the staff at the offices of SmugMug, a photography website, he captured them posed as elite athletes. Using great lighting and a homemade rain machine, the staff, which included a 61-year-old grandfather and grandmother, 62, were transformed into muscular, chiseled athletic beings. Scroll down for video . Grandmother Toni snapped from behind looking magnificent lifting dumbbells said: 'I'm a 62-year-old grandma. And still, somehow, he manages to make me look great!' Day look: Toni, pictured with her three dogs, was given a makeover to look like an athlete . 'We took 2000 shots in a single day in order to produce fewer than 20 final photographs,' Von Wong says. 'I think that people were quite blown away by the results — they'd never really thought that they could look so awesome. 'They'd come to the computer, check out the images, and run back to shoot some more.' Front office executive Stephanie, 24, was transformed by Von Wong's lens into a top fitness instructor. 'When people saw the photos it was a lot of shock and awe. I didn't even think I looked like that,' she says . Grandmother Toni, snapped from behind looking magnificent lifting dumbbells said: 'I'm a 62-year-old grandma. And still, somehow, he manages to make me look great!' Chris, a 61-year-old grandfather of 12, looks equally impressive photographed on a bike with his well-defined arms on show. Mother-of-three, Liz, is captured looking like a champion weightlifter with a perfectly toned body holding a bar. Chris, a 61-year-old grandfather of 12, looks impressive on a bike with his well-defined arms on show . Ordinary people: Chris, 61, pictured with two of his 12 grandchildren . Front office executive Stephanie, 24, has been trasformed by Von Wong's lens into a top fitness instructor. 'When people saw the photos it was a lot of shock and awe. I didn't even think I looked like that,' she admits. Von Wong says he set out to create something out of the ordinary. Mother-of-three, Liz, is captured looking like a champion weightlifter with a perfectly toned body holding a bar . Taking it easy: Liz is pictured working out on her laptop - not at the gym . 'The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks black and white portraiture is old school, classical, traditional. But Von Wong says he wanted to create something edgy, impactful and extreme. 'With only a couple days to pull something together, I had SmugMug's facilities manager build a rain machine for me with a $10 budget and a couple hours of hard work.' So what are Von Wong's tips to creating transformative photography? A tire and rope combined with the right expression gave a sense of movement and life, says Von Wong . Not a professional athlete! The model sporting his every day look ... a far cry from the photo above . 'Make the ordinary extraordinary.' he advises. 'Keeping an open mind on how to leverage the environment around you is key to doing great work. 'A simple tire and rope combined with the right expression gave images a sense of movement and life.' 'Both are slightly awkward objects with no classic way to photograph them so being open to experiment until the image makes sense is key to getting great shots. These inspiring images may look like the promotional photos for the next Olympics but in fact they show normal office workers pictured as athletes . Working out... One of Vong Wong's models doing her day job at a computer . So what's the key to creating that incredible definition? 'When you're trying to carve out muscle and definition hard edgy and directional lighting works best. 'In my case I used four lights to achieve the effect I wanted, but you can pull off something pretty similar with just two lights in soft boxes at 90 degrees from your models. He adds: 'Tweak the lighting and camera as much as you want to prep your set, but once everything is all ready to go focus on talking your model through different movements, exercises, expressions especially if they're not professional models. 'With only a couple days to pull something together, I had SmugMug's facilities manager build a rain machine for me with a $10 budget and a couple hours of hard work,' says Von Wong . And without the rain machine and piece of rope ... the unnamed model sporting her every-day look . 'Even if they are, letting them know that they're looking amazing as you're shooting is as helpful as coffee in the morning.' 'Regardless if you go for a black and white or colour, the main focus of the image has to always be the subject in question. 'Make sure that distractions are removed and that your subjects pop into focus first and foremost. And ... scream! An office worker is transformed into a professional-looking athlete by Von Wong . Not a weightlifter... The model pictured before Von Wong's incredible transformation . 'In my case, any distracting or bright raindrops were toned down just a little bit and a soft vignette was masked in so that my subjects in the centre would pop out just a little bit more. Most of all, says Von Wong, it's about being brave. 'There are no rules if the only requirement is to make people look awesome. Don't limit yourself to the same safe shots, try different things. You never know what you'll discover. 'Don't focus on the resources you don't have, focus on being resourceful.' Out of the park! Von Wong's simple techniques result in everyday office workers looking like athletes . And what he usually looks like ... the unnamed model pictured with his pet pooch . When Canadian photographer Benjamin Von Wong was asked to take photos of the staff at the offices of SmugMug, a photography website, he decided to capture them posed as elite athletes . 'There are no rules if the only requirement is to make people look awesome,' says Von Wong .
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Canadian photographer Benjamin Von Wong took photos of office staff .
Subjects included a 61-year-old grandfather and grandmother, 62 .
Von Wong says subjects were 'blown away by the results'
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:04 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 23:34 EST, 14 March 2014 . Two young sisters have been orphaned after losing both their parents in separate tragedies within two days. Crystal Rose Cooper, 38, died from a medical condition on March 5 after collapsing in a livestock arena. Her husband, 71-year-old John Cooper, was killed in a car accident the next day. The double tragedy has robbed Emily, 16, and Hallie, 11, from Prague, Oklahoma, of their loving parents, who instilled in them a passion for the care and showing of livestock. 'I cannot imagine what these girls are going through at all,' the girls' devastated aunt, Misty Griffith, told News Channel 4. Scroll down for video . Devastating: Sisters Emily (back) and Hallie (far left) have been left orphaned after their parents Crystal Cooper (center) and John Cooper (right) died last week . Orphaned: Emily, 16 (right) and Hallie, 11 (left) lost both their parents within 48 hours . Heartbreaking: Crystal Rose Cooper (left) died on March 5 from a medical condition, and her husband John Cooper (right with daughter Emily) died the next day in a car crash . Happier times: Emily (left) and Hallie (center) gained their love of goats from their mom Crystal Cooper (right) Tragedy struck last week as Emily, Hallie and their mom were preparing their goats for a Future Farmers of America display in Prague's show arena. Out of the blue, Crystal Cooper collapsed and was rushed to hospital. 'She was on the ground, she was just clipping goats and fell over,' the girls' aunt, Misty Griffith, said. 'She said hold on and just fell over.' At 6am the next morning, the girls were told their mom had died. Young Emily was scheduled to participate in the goat show that morning. She was given the option of pulling out. But in an incredible show of strength, the grieving teen chose to honor her family's commitment to the show and competed, taking out the top awards. 'I saw a girl with incredible strength. Emily said, 'This has been a big part of mom and I’s life and I want to honor her by doing what we were getting ready to do',' Prague FFA advisor Tanner Thompson said. Heartbreak: Sisters Emily (center) and Hallie (right) hold hands as their aunt Misty Griffith talks to a reported about their family's tragedy . Grieving: Emily (left) and Hallie (right) are struggling to come to terms with their death of their parents . But the emotional rollercoaster ride wasn't over for the Cooper girls. Just 48 hours after losing their mom, the girls received a phone call with news their father, John Cooper, had died in a car accident. Details of the crash have not been released. 'My heart was torn to pieces. I sat in my bed and I cried because I hurt so much for her (Emily),' Racine Cleveland, whose own mother died when she was in the eighth grade, told World Now. 'It's more difficult than anyone could ever imagine.' The girls are being cared for by their family in Prague. Incredible: The day after her mother's passing, Emily stunned family and friends by honoring her parents' commitment to a livestock show. She participated and took home the highest awards . As news of the horrible loss spread on Facebook, Oklahomans have come together to support the Cooper girls. People involved in the livestock show industry have begun organizing the Emily and Hallie Cooper online benefit auction, which kicks off on March 25. 'We'll give them some immediate money, and funds to help them right now, but we, our ultimate goal is to get a trust set up so we know they're cared for, for quite some time down the road,' Online auction organizer, Todd Kennedy, said. Meanwhile, more than $12,000 has been raised through GoFundMe, which 'is going into trusts for Emily & Hallie ensuring that their futures are secure and they will never be limited due to financial reasons'. Fundraising . Generous: Members of the public have donated more than $12,000 to Emily and Hallie Cooper through GoFundMe . Heartwarming: Residents of Prague, Oklahoma have participated in a variety of fundraising efforts to support the orphaned Cooper girls .
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Oklahoma sisters Emily, 16, and Hallie, 11, orphaned after both their parents died in two days .
Crystal Rose Cooper, 38, died from a medical condition on March 5 after collapsing .
The next day their dad, 71-year-old John Cooper, died in a car accident .
The community has raised money for the girls .
The Cooper family was active in livestock arena displays, showing goats .
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0f6f6d49de5110aec962de669ef7034b3257b061
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An Oscar-winning screenwriter strangled a young actress with his belt during sadistic sex, she claims in a $5million lawsuit filed yesterday. Amanda Jencsik, 26, says she feared for her life during an abusive four-month relationship with Moonstruck writer John Patrick Shanley, who is 35 years her senior. Miss Jencsik alleges the 61-year-old would slap her and hold his hands over her mouth and neck during their encounters at his Manhattan apartment. 'Svengali': Amanda Jencsik, left, claims she thought John Patrick Shanley, right, was trying to kill her. Rough sex left her needing medical attention, she alleges . The writer often asked her if she felt like he was raping her, the suit says. She claims their rough sex sessions were so violent that she believed Mr Shanley was trying to kill her, and says she grew light-headed when he wrapped the belt around her neck. Brooklyn-born Miss Jencsik says she suffered severe physical and psychological trauma at the hands of the older man - but did not report him to the police 'due to her mental state', the New York Post reports. Starlet: Miss Jencsik, shown in a scene from the 2006 short I Wonder, claims her mental state meant she did not go to the police during the four-month relationship . Sal Strazzullo, the lawyer . representing Miss Jencsik, said Mr Shanley had a 'Svengali-like effect' on the aspiring actress, which kept her from severing ties. Mr Shanley, who wrote the 1987 Cher . film and also adapted the plane crash survival drama Alive in 1993, said . he knew nothing of the lawsuit when it was filed yesterday. Miss . Jencsik's statement says the pair met via Facebook in October 2009, . with Mr Shanley striking up the correspondence by asking her about her . hair colour. They did not meet in person until a dinner date in January 2010, she claims. The 26-year-old alleges that, after a second date later that month, she followed Mr Shanley to his apartment and they had sex. He invited her back the next day but was not home when she arrived, the suit says. Finest hour: Moonstruck, starring Cher, won the Oscar for best screenplay . When he eventually showed up he was drunk, Miss Jencsik alleges, and once inside he 'forcibly turned [her] over onto her stomach' and sodomised her. Though she told Mr Shanley he was hurting her he laughed, the suit says, and afterwards he complained that his sheets had been left stained with her blood and makeup. The third and final time they had sex, she says, Mr Shanley sodomised her again - this time looping the belt around her throat. After she split up with him in April 2010, Miss Jencsik claims, she was in pain but too scared to seek medical help. The lawsuit adds that it took her a whole year to approach a doctor, who diagnosed her with a bowel obstruction. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Amanda Jencsik claims she needed medical attention after encounters with John Patrick Shanley .
She alleges he laughed at her cries of pain and complained when her blood stained his sheets .
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He has not yet reached his 18th birthday. But Mohammed Islam, from Queens, New York, has already made a fortune estimated at as much as $72million - from trading stocks on his lunch breaks at school, according to New York magazine's Monday issue. The 17-year-old, who started dabbling in penny stocks at the tender age of nine, spends most of his breaks at Stuyvesant High School trading oil and gold futures, and small to mid-cap equities. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Multi-millionaire: Mohammed Islam (pictured in a Facebook photo), 17, from Queens, New York, has already made an estimated $72million - from trading stocks on his lunch breaks at Stuyvesant High School . Professional: The teenager (center, in glasses), who started dabbling in penny stocks at the tender age of nine, spends most of his school breaks trading oil and gold futures, and small to mid-cap equities . Life of luxury: Outside of school, Mohammed (left, in an Instagram shot) often takes his friends out to dine at Morimoto on 10th Avenue, where they feast on $400 caviar, expensive dishes and fresh-squeezed apple juice . Outside of school, he often takes his friends out to dine at Morimoto on 10th Avenue, where they feast on $400 caviar, expensive dishes and freshly-squeezed apple juice. During an interview for the magazine's 10th annual 'Reasons to Love New York issue', Mohammed refused to disclose his exact net worth, but he admitted it was in 'the high eight figures' and provided bank and financial paperwork to back that up. The successful teenager revealed he had used his incredible wealth to purchase a BMW - which he does not yet have a license to drive - and rent a Manhattan apartment. However, his parents, who are immigrants from the Bengal region of South Asia, will not yet allow him to move out of their family home in Queens, according to the New York Post. Mohammed has also taken to social media to show off his well-funded, lavish lifestyle - regularly posting videos of him partying, playing poker and dancing with numerous women on Instagram. His hard-earned cash has certainly been beneficial to his parents. 'My dad doesn't work now and I tend to help out with things, and futures gives me that incentive,' said the student. School: During an interview for New York magazine, Mohammed refused to disclose his exact net worth, but he admitted it was in 'the high eight figures'. Above, Stuyvesant High School, where he traded stocks . Lavish: Mohammed has also taken to social media to show off his well-funded, lavish lifestyle - regularly posting videos of him partying, playing poker (pictured) and dancing with numerous women on Instagram . Birthday fun: The teenager revealed he had used his wealth to purchase a BMW - which he does not yet have a license to drive - and rent a Manhattan apartment. Above, a clip from a video on Mohammed's Instagram . This photo, also posted on the student's Instagram, shows two women holding up bottles of champagne . But despite its advantages, Mr and Mrs Islam are not overly keen on their son's interest in trading. 'My dad doesn't like [finance] that much,' Mohammed, who has written the phrase, 'More money, less problems', on his Instagram profile, said in an ISSUU interview. 'He says he is ok with me trading, but my mom is skeptical about the market. But they see it as, if I am good at it, then why not?' A year after he started experimenting with penny stocks, Mohammed was introduced to further financial markets by his cousin. He has since developed a 'life-long passion' for trading. 'What makes the world go round? Money,' he said. 'If money is not flowing, if businesses don’t keep going, there’s no innovation, no products, no investments, no growth, no jobs.' On his LinkedIn profile, the student said he rose to success while trading stocks during his lunch breaks because he 'followed the market, hunted for opportunities and used everything from fundamental analysis to technical analysis and price action to speculate in the markets'. After having high returns in penny stocks, he moved on to small-mid cap equities, then derivatives, before feeling out the futures market and specializing in oil and gold, he said. He added he has now developed 'a passion for understanding the markets and a passion for making money', and trades 'mainly based on volatility and volume'. Let me take a selfie: Mohammed has the phrase, 'More money, less problems', written on his Instagram profile. Above, a female reveller is pictured taking a selfie in another video on Mohammed's Instagram . Speech: Speaking of his passion for trading stocks, Mohammed (pictured giving a speech), who trades 'mainly based on the volatility and volume' of gold and oil, said: 'What makes the world go round? Money' During his interview with New York magazine's, Mohammed revealed his biggest inspiration in the finance world has been Paul Tudor Jones. Jones, 60, the billionaire founder of Tudor Investment Corporation, a private asset management firm and hedge fund, ranks as the 108th-richest American, according to Forbes. Mohammed said that while he had been 'paralyzed' by his losses when he first started trading, he quickly learned from Connecticut-based Jones's ability to get back into the game again and again. 'I had been paralyzed by my loss,' he said. 'But [Jones] was able to go back to it, even after losing thousands of dollars over and over.' Inspiration: Mohammed revealed his biggest inspiration in the finance world has been Paul Tudor Jones (pictured), the founder of Tudor Investment Corporation, a private asset management firm and hedge fund . Speaking to Business Insider, he added: 'Jones’s personality and technique are what make him so successful and I aspire to become even one per cent of the man he is. 'He went through obstacles, yet still came out on top' And despite his massive fortune, Mohammed has no plans to give up trading just yet. The teenager said he and his trader friends hope to start a hedge fund in June - when he is old enough to get his broker-dealer license - and intend to make a billion dollars by next year. This, of course, will all be done while attending college. 'It’s not just about the money,' said Mohammed, whose ultimate goal is to pave a path in the financial industry that will enable him to become a reputable hedge fund manager. 'We want to create a brotherhood. Like, all of us who are connected, who are in something together, who have influence.'
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Mohammed Islam, 17, started dabbling in penny stocks at the age of nine .
He trades stocks on lunch breaks at New York's Stuyvesant High School .
Has made 8-figures trading - rumored to be as much as $72million .
Has bought BMW and Manhattan apartment .
He cites his inspiration as billionaire hedge-funder Paul Tudor Jones, 60 .
Mohammed's parents are immigrants from Bengal region of South Asia .
Student hopes to start hedge fund next year and make $1bn with friends .
On his Instagram profile, he has written: 'More money, less problems'
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A man who claims Chicago police tortured him until he confessed to a rape he didn't commit walked out of jail smiling Wednesday, a free man for the first time in 30 years. Stanley Wrice, 59, gave a thumbs up as he was released from the Pontiac Correctional Center after Cook County Judge Richard Walsh overturned his conviction this week saying officers lied about how they treated him. The ruling was just the latest development in one of the darkest chapters of Chicago Police Department history, in which officers working under former Lt. Jon Burge were accused of torturing suspects into false confessions and torturing witnesses into falsely implicating people in crimes. Freed: Stanley Wrice, 59, is all smiles and is greeted with applause as he walks out of Pontiac Correctional Center on Wednesday after serving 30 years for a crime he confessed to after being tortured by police . Big smiles: Wrice has been granted a new trial after a judge ruled that officers who performed his 1982 interrogation lied about their conduct. Here, Wrice smiles with his layer Heidi Linn Lambros, left, and his daughter Gail Lewis . Not alone: Wrice was sentenced to 100 yeas in prison in 1982 after he says two former officers beat him with a flashlight and a 20-inch piece of rubber ¿ the same weapons, lawyers say the two implicated cops used on others . Wrice has insisted for years that he confessed to the 1982 sexual assault after officers beat him in the groin and face. And a witness testified at a hearing Tuesday that he falsely implicated Wrice in the rape after two Chicago police officers under Burge's command tortured him. Wrice was sentenced to 100 years in prison. One of Wrice's attorneys, Heidi Linn . Lambros, said that when Walsh's ruling was announced, Wrice 'squeezed my . hand and looked at me with tears in his eyes and said he owed me a . dollar,' a reference to the bet she made with Wrice recently that she . would have him home by Christmas. Past: It is the latest development in one of the darkest chapters of Chicago Police Department history, in which officers working under former Lt. Jon Burge, pictured, were accused of torturing suspects into false confessions . Now . that Walsh has ordered Wrice's release, it will be up to a special . prosecutor to decide whether to retry him. The special prosecutor did . not return a call seeking comment Tuesday evening. With . his release, Wrice will join a number of men who in recent years have . been released from prison because they were tortured into confessing at . the hands of Burge's men. Dozens . of men - almost all of them black - have claimed that, starting in the . 1970s, Burge and his officers beat or shocked them into confessing to . crimes ranging from armed robbery to murder. Ongoing: Stanley Wrice walks free after 30 years, accompanied by his son-in-law Cashell Lewis, left, and his attorney Jennifer Bonjean. The officers implicated in the case refused to testify at Tuesday's hearing, citing their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination . Thumbs up: Wrice drove away into a world that has changed in innumerable ways since he was put away in 1982 . Wrice testified Tuesday that two former officers beat him with a flashlight and a 20-inch piece of rubber - the same weapons, Lambros said, that others have said the two used on them to get them to confess to crimes or implicate others in crimes they did not commit. The officers refused to testify at Tuesday's hearing, citing their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. No Chicago police officers have ever been convicted of torturing suspects, but Burge was convicted in 2010 for lying in a civil suit when he said he'd never witnessed or participated in the torture of suspects. He is serving a 4 1/2-year sentence in federal prison for perjury and obstruction of justice. Chicago also has paid out millions of dollars to settle lawsuits in cases related to Burge. The torture allegations also were a factor in former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's decision to institute a moratorium on the death penalty in 2000. Gov. Pat Quinn abolished the death penalty in 2011. Emotional: Wrice appeared to wipe away tears as he stood on the free side of Pontiac Correctional Center for the first time in 30 years on Wednesday . Top of the world: Wrice had only a box of possessions with him as he walked out of prison on Wednesday. Wrice joins a number of men who in recent years have been released from prison because they were tortured into confessing at the hands of Burge's men .
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Stanley Wrice was released Wednesday from an Illinois prison after 30 years .
A judge overturned Wrice's conviction saying officers lied about his treatment .
Officers working under former Lt. Jon Burge were accused of torturing suspects into false confessions .
Wrice insisted for years he confessed after officers beat him in groin and face .
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Explosive claims: Lawrence Wilkerson (pictured), Colin Powell's former chief of staff, said Diego Garcia was used as a 'transit location' for the US government's 'nefarious activities' after 9/11 . Interrogations of terror suspects took place on the British overseas territory of Diego Garcia, according to a senior official in George W Bush's administration. Lawrence Wilkerson said 'nefarious activities' had occurred on the Indian Ocean island, which the UK leases to the US military. And he said it was 'difficult to think' the UK authorities were unaware that detainees were being questioned. The former White House aide's revelations will increase the pressure on David Cameron to order a public inquiry into the extent of Britain's involvement in the CIA's rendition and torture programme. Ministers say the island was used just twice as a refuelling stop for extraordinary rendition flights – where terror suspects are moved to secret prisons for torture. But they insist no detainees set foot on the atoll – a claim now seriously undermined by Mr Wilkerson, who was US secretary of state Colin Powell's chief of staff between 2002 and 2005. He said he received the information about interrogations on Diego Garcia from four well-placed CIA and intelligence sources, including a veteran of the renditions programme and an official who was 'very much plugged in to what was going on at the CIA' after he retired. It is the first time a senior Bush administration official has stated on the record that the remote British territory was a part of the CIA's global network of secret 'black site' prisons. In an interview with Vice News, a website, he said it was known as a place to get things done 'out of the limelight'. 'No one has indicated there was a detention site there, not in so many words,' said Mr Wilkerson. 'What they indicated is that interrogations took place there.' He said there was no permanent detention facility on the outcrop, but added: 'What I heard was more along the lines of using it as a transit location when perhaps other places were full or other places were deemed too dangerous or insecure, or unavailable. 'So you might have a case where you simply go in and use a facility at Diego Garcia for a month, or two weeks, or whatever, and you do your nefarious activities there. 'It's difficult for me to think that we could do anything there of any duration to speak of without the British knowing – at least the British on the island – knowing what we were doing. That doesn't mean London knew.' Lawrence Wilkerson was Colin Powell's (left) former chief of staff during the George Bush (right) administration . The Army veteran, who served on the island during the 1980s, added: 'A general theme I heard was that the British were very cooperative with everything.' Number 10 is already facing accusations that ministers pressed the US Senate intelligence committee to redact any reference to Diego Garcia from its damning report into torture.Lord Goldsmith, who was Tony Blair's top legal adviser, has said he has 'no recollection' of whether discussions took place over using Diego Garcia as a black site. Manfred Nowak, the United Nations' former special envoy on torture, has said he had been told detainees were held on Diego Garcia in 2002 and 2003. Cori Crider, a director at human rights charity Reprieve said: 'This suggests the UK Government has not told the whole truth. 'Ministers have consistently claimed only two CIA rendition victims ever landed on Diego Garcia – Lawrence Wilkerson's comments suggest that either they haven't been honest with the public, or the US government hasn't been honest with them.' A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The US government has assured us that, apart from the two cases in 2002, there have been no other instances in which US intelligence flights landed in the UK, our overseas territories, or the crown dependencies with a detainee on board since 11 September, 2001.' Diego Garcia is midway between East Africa and the southern tip of Asia and was leased by Britain to the United States, which turned it into a vast military base . Wilkerson, 70, did not learn about what was happening on Diego Garcia (pictured) until after he left office . The island is midway between East Africa and the southern tip of Asia and was leased by Britain to the U.S., which turned it into a vast military base. Wilkerson said he thinks it's unlikely the British military personnel on Diego Garcia had not noticed the arrival and departure of prisoners. The UK government claims only two rendition flights have passed through the island when they stopped to refuel in 2002. Cori Crider, a director at London-based human rights charity Reprieve, said: 'This suggests the UK Government has not told the whole truth about Diego Garcia's part in the CIA's torture programme. 'Ministers have consistently claimed only two CIA rendition victims ever landed on Diego Garcia – Lawrence Wilkerson's comments suggest that either they haven't been honest with the public, or the US government hasn't been honest with them.' A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The US government has assured us that, apart from the two cases in 2002, there have been no other instances in which US intelligence flights landed in the UK, our overseas territories, or the crown dependencies with a detainee on board since 11 September, 2001.'
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Island was 'transit location' for the U.S. government's 'nefarious activities'
Claims made by Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff .
Comments came after report revealed details of CIA's rendition programme .
UK claims only two rendition flights went through island to refuel in 2002 .
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(CNN) -- John Sheardown, a Canadian immigration officer who helped shelter and smuggle six American diplomats out of Iran in 1980, has died, his son said Monday. He was 88. Sheardown had Alzheimer's and suffered from colon and prostate cancer, said Robin Sheardown, who described his father as his best friend. John Sheardown died Sunday night at a hospital in Ottawa, Canada. "He was a very humble man and a real Canadian hero," his son told CNN. John Sheardown played a key role in what has become known as the "Canadian Caper," a covert operation by the Canadian government and the CIA to rescue six American diplomats who eluded capture during the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The episode was made famous again this year by the release of the hit movie "Argo," loosely based on the real-life drama. The film, however, left out Sheardown's contributions. Sheardown was an immigration officer at the Canadian Embassy in Tehran when students and militants stormed the U.S. Embassy there on November 4, 1979, taking more than 50 Americans hostage. Just half a dozen evaded capture. Sheardown and Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador to Iran, hid those six envoys in their homes, protecting them until they could be spirited out of the country with Canadian passports in late January 1980. "John Sheardown remained a very humble man, always willing to stay in the shadow of others, and the people of Windsor remain extremely proud of his diplomatic intervention and career accomplishments," read a proclamation that declared November 10, 2012, "John Sheardown Day" in the city of Windsor, in Ontario, Canada. According to that proclamation, Sheardown, a Windsor native, was shot down while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He worked with his country's customs and immigration department before joining Canada's foreign service, it said. Read more: 'Argo' recognizes forgotten heroes of crisis .
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John Sheardown helped to smuggle six American diplomats out of Iran in 1980 .
The story was made famous again this year by the release of the movie 'Argo'
Sheardown suffered from Alzheimer's and had cancer, his son says .
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0f73aac40352b809bfcf3dbf7a2a2551d1c52a68
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By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 11:56 EST, 22 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:22 EST, 23 October 2013 . A little girl can never have a cuddle from her mother because a rare condition means she breaks out in painful sores at the slightest touch. Alisa Doanvan, five, is at risk of a potentially deadly infection because of the disorder but still attends school despite not being able to join in many playground games. Just one cuddle from her mother, Lee, 33, can leave Alisa with painful sores and walking barefoot can see her skin flare up. Alisa Doanvan (pictured with her parents, Joe and Lee) has a rare skin condition which means her skin blisters and develops painful sores at the slightest touch . Alisa suffers from Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB) which affects less than one child in a million. Her mother, from Dartford, Kent, said: ‘It’s awful seeing Alisa in so much pain, we have to be so careful with her, even a simple cuddle is impossible as she sometimes has blisters on her back. ‘Despite having such a painful condition she never moans and still tries to do everything like a normal little girl. ‘Alisa’s condition means she has scabs and sores all over her body and is unable to do some things as its too dangerous - such as playing with her friends in the playground. ‘Alisa currently has no skin on her left knee so she’s unable to straighten it.’ Alisa is forced to run on the balls of her feet as her toes have started to fuse together where the skin has shed and healed so many times - she will need an operation to separate them. Alisa's body is covered in painful sores and she has to use a wheelchair as the blisters make it too painful for her to walk far . Alisa suffers from Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB) which affects less than one child in a million . Blisters also form easily inside her mouth so she has to stick to a soft food diet. She can’t physically eat enough calories each day to aid her constantly healing body, so she is fed via a gastrostomy button in her tummy during the night. Her mother is her full time carer and faces the gruelling task of changing her bandages every day - it takes an hour and a half and is very painful. She said: ‘Alisa will try and do as much as she can but easy movements are often painful for Alisa. ‘Even walking is painful - her skin shears away and causes blisters - sitting down is equally bad.’ Alisa's mother said: 'It's awful seeing Alisa in so much pain, we have to be so careful with her, even a simple cuddle is impossible as she sometimes has blisters on her back' Alisa is forced to run on the balls of her feet as her toes have started to fuse together where the skin has shed and healed so many times - she will need an operation to separate them . When Alisa was born, the youngest of four sisters, her parents Joe and Lee knew immediately there was something wrong with her angry, pink skin. Alisa was diagnosed only a few days after birth - and she was suffering from the most severe type of EB - it can be fatal in infancy but luckily a better prognosis followed. Her mother said: ‘Her skin was so sore when she was first born - we had no idea what was wrong with Alisa or how serious her condition was - thankfully her skin condition slightly improved and we were able to take her home.’ Her father, Joe, 43, said: ‘We have to be very careful around Alisa as even cuddling her can cause severe blisters and can completely tear the skin off.’ The Doanvan family are supported by the Debra charity - they have specialist EB nurses who have assisted them from the moment Alisa was born. Alisa uses a wheelchair at school to give her independence, allowing her to move safely around. Alisa's father, Joe, 43, said: ‘We have to be very . careful around Alisa as even cuddling her can cause severe blisters and . can completely tear the skin off’ Ben Merrett, Debra Chief Executive said: ‘Imagine a baby in terrible pain. Think about a parent having endless rounds of changing dressings, lancing blisters and cleaning the open wounds that develop all over their child’s body. ‘This is the reality faced by many families affected by EB who often lose their child after years of fighting this devastating condition. ‘Debra is the only national organisation which offers specialist care and support to people and families affected by the condition and provides real hope for the future by funding pioneering research to find effective treatments for EB.’ Junctional epidermolysis bullosa is one of the forms of epidermolysis bullosa - a group of genetic conditions that cause the skin to be fragile and easily damaged. Junctional epidermolysis bullosa is divided into two main types - Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa and non-Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa. The features of each type are similar but Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa is more severe. From birth affected children have blistering over large parts of their bodies. They also experience blistering in their mouth and digestive tract which can make eating difficult. The sores make affected children susceptible to severe infections. The condition can also cause breathing difficulties if it impacts the airways, and fusion of the fingers and toes. It can also cause restricted movement and hair loss. Infants with the condition usually do not survive beyond their first year. Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa affects less than one child per million.
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Alisa Doanvan has Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa which causes her skin to break out in painful sores when it is touched .
She is at risk of a potentially deadly infection because of the sores .
Her body is covered in scabs and sores and she cannot play with her friends at school for fear she will do more damage to her fragile skin .
Her toes are fusing together because they have blistered and then re-healed so many times - she will need surgery to separate them .
Her mouth also blisters so she has to stick to a soft food diet .
Her parents spend an hour and a half a day changing her bandages .
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By . Emily Crane . Australian media company Nine Entertainment has become a major investor in the online movie and TV streaming service Quickflix, which offers HBO hit television shows Game of Thrones and True Detective. Nine, which runs the free-to-air TV network and other media ventures, has bought all of the US entertainment giant HBO's convertible preference shares in Quickflix. The value of Nine's purchase has not been revealed. Scroll down for video . Nine Entertainment has become a major investor in the online movie and TV streaming service Quickflix, which offers HBO hit television shows Game of Thrones . Nine confirmed the investment in Quickflix was not a licensing agreement at this stage, but it was a small and opportunistic financial investment, which it believes offers an attractive risk-reward profile. HBO, the maker of programs including Game of Thrones and True Detective, spent $10 million on its investment in Quickflix in 2012, soon after signing a licensing agreement with the streaming company. Quickflix's market value has plunged since early 2012, with its shares falling from 13.8 cents to one cent prior to Monday's announcement. Nine has bought all of the US entertainment giant HBO's convertible preference shares in Quickflix - HBO spent $10 million on its investment in Quickflix in 2012 . The preference shares now held by Nine are not quoted on the share market, but can be converted to normal shares at a discount rate. Quickflix offers streaming of movies and TV shows, from networks including HBO, the BBC and ABC to laptops, mobile devices and game consoles. Its customer numbers fell during 2012 and 2013, but improved in the first three months of 2014 to almost 120,000. Nine confirmed the investment in Quickflix, which also airs HBO show True Detective, was not a licensing agreement at this stage, but it was a small and opportunistic financial investment . Quickflix made a loss of $6.4 million in 2012/13, and a loss of $4.2 million in the first half of 2013/14. Last week, US entertainment giant Time Warner - owner of the Warner Brothers movie studio and HBO - turned down an US$80 billion takeover offer from Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, Fairfax reports. 21st Century Fox's sister company News Corp Australia controls half of Foxtel, while Telstra owns the other half. The Quickflix investment will be held by Nine Entertainment alongside other minority investments. HBO and Quickflix have been contacted for comment.
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Nine Entertainment has bought all of U.S. company HBO's convertible preference shares in Quickflix .
HBO, maker of Game of Thrones, spent $10 million on investment with Quickflix in 2012 after signing a licensing agreement .
Nine said Quickflix investment was opportunistic and offered attractive risk-reward profile .
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0f75deebaaf9ed12d162108f0afc595e75549533
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(CNN) -- CNN International's four week-long series on modern Islam running throughout Ramadan. The series will look at what it means to be Muslim and how people live as Muslims in the 21st century. Watch Muslim in 2010 every day on TV by tuning in to CNN's prime time show, Prism, with Stan Grant, which comes out of Abu Dhabi. Online you can catch up on anything you've missed by going to cnn.com/ime. We hit the streets and ask Muslims across the globe for their take on Islam and modern life. Plus correspondents from Indonesia to Turkey and Islamabad to Atlanta dig into some of the issues that Muslims are facing in the modern world. Atika Shubert reports from Europe on integration issues, the headscarf debate and more. Plus, Ivan Watson reports on eastern ideas meeting the western ideas in Turkey. Shasta Darlington meets some of Cuba's 1,500-strong Muslim population and discovers some of the challenges they face living in a country without a mosque. Online, CNN asks some of today's most influential Muslim thinkers to give their opinions on some of the crucial debates and issues around faith. And there will be much more as CNN travels the world capturing the debates and the issues -- and profiling Muslims who are embracing their faith in 2010.
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For four weeks during Ramadan CNN looks at what it means to be Muslim today .
Correspondents all over the world will be telling compelling stories about modern Muslims .
Online we ask some of the top thinkers in the Islamic world to comment on tough issues .
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Russia may have access to American top secret intelligence and battle plans, the Head of the Defense Intelligence Agency announced on NPR on Friday. Lt.Gen Micheal Flynn warned U.S. officials that they should prepare for the worst case scenario following the Edward Snowden leak detailing the ins and outs of the U.S. surveillance network. Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden is seeking asylum in Moscow after following his information leak to The Guardian last year and the United States Intelligence committee can only assume that Russia already has some information from Snowden or that they are trying to obtain it. Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Michael Flynn warns of the likely possibility Edward Snowden leaked important information about U.S. security to Russia . 'If I'm concerned about anything, I'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked, and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case, of course, Russia,' Flynn said. Flynn is worried about what else Snowden may know because he may have information about technology and weapons systems, operational capabilities, and intelligence capabilities, reports CNN. Re-vamping the U.S. surveillance network and changing military tactics is essential to national security but will be an arduous process. 'We really don't know' what Snowden's got, Flynn said. 'we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised,' he warned. He said that if Russia had U.S. intelligence, which they very well may, that it's very 'serious.' According to Flynn and and the Director of U.S. intelligence James Clapper, Snowden's leaks have already posed a threat to U.S. National Security. Former contract employee at the National Security Agency, Edward Snowden, is currently seeking asylum in Russia . The leak has caused the U.S. to lose critical information sources. 'What Snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way, way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs,' Clapper said back in January. 'As a result, we've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources, including some shared with us by valued partners.' Terrorists who make it a priority to familiarize themselves with American intelligence agencies will be more prepared than ever to go under the radar. 'Snowden claims that he's won and that his mission is accomplished,' Clapper added. 'If that is so, I call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to U.S. security.' Flynn chimed in and said, 'the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm's way.' Russia has stirred up the battlefield recently and has stationed troop is in the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has currently stationed soldiers in the Crimea Peninsula of Ukraine in attempt to claim the Soviet region's independence .
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Edward Snowden may have given Russian information about U.S. security that could threaten the nation .
Terrorists will be better able to study U.S. intelligence so that they can surpass it .
The U.S. will need to revamp its intelligence agency .
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0f7aaf7f1c67e56e4a95ed93514f0d65f7f35ab7
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A skull that's more than three and a half millennia old has revealed signs of an early form of brain surgery. The perforated skull belongs to a mummified woman found in the Xiaohe tomb in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Experts said that the hole, which measures around 2 inches (50mm) in diameter, was most likely an early form of craniotomy. The perforated skull (pictured) was discovered as part of a mummified body of a woman in the 'Little River' Xiaohe tomb complex. Experts said that the hole, measuring around 2 inches (50mm) in diameter, was most likely an early form of craniotomy - a procedure that involves removing bone to get access to the brain . A craniotomy involves temporarily removing a 'flap' of bone from the skull to give surgeons access to the brain. The amount of skull removed depends on the type of surgery being performed, and the flap is later replaced using screws. It may have also been a form of trepanation, which involves the removal of a piece of bone from the skull. This procedure has been performed since prehistoric times, and cave paintings indicate that ancient people believed the practice would cure epileptic seizures, headaches and mental disorders. The wound suggests that the female (pictured), who died in her 40s, must have lived for at least a month, or even longer, after receiving the surgery . Lead archaeologist Zhu Hong who made the discovery said: '[The wound] suggests the female, who died in her 40s, must have lived for at least a month, or even longer, after receiving the surgery.' He added there were also signs of healing tissues around the wound. The mummy dates back to 1,615 BC and is one of hundreds discovered in the Xiaohe 'Little River' Tomb complex. Lying 108 miles (175 km) west of the ancient city of Loulan, the site was first explored in 1934 by Swedish archaeologist Folke Bergman, but not fully excavated until 2005. Dating of the area has shown it goes back to approximately 2,000 BC, although tests have revealed the bodies contain DNA from the east and west. In particular, males were found to have chromosomes typically found in Northern and Eastern Europe, alongside DNA found in Siberia. The massive burial site has more than 330 graves and contains the largest number of mummies ever found in the world. These tombs include adults and children as well as 15 intact mummies, although approximately half of the tombs were said to have been looted by grave robbers. The majority of the coffins found on the site were made of wood, and were shaped like boats, buried upside down. The mummy dates back to 1,615 BC and is one of hundreds discovered in the Xiaohe 'Little River' Tomb complex in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (pictured left). Lying 108 miles (175 km) west of the ancient city of Loulan, the site was first explored in 1934 by Swedish archaeologist Folke Bergman . The massive burial site has more than 330 graves and contains the largest number of mummies ever found in the world. These tombs include adults and children as well as 15 intact mummies. The majority of the coffins found on the site were made of wood, and were shaped like boats (pictured) buried upside down . Trepanation involves the removal of a piece of bone from the skull, and it has been performed since prehistoric times. Cave paintings indicate that people believed the practice would cure epileptic seizures, headaches and mental disorders. The oldest samples of skulls with bore holes drilled into them were found in a burial site in France dating back to 6500 BC. But it was also used by the Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, Romans, Greeks and the early Mesoamerican civilizations. Even the 'father of medicine' Hippocrates advocated the process in his 400 BC tome 'On Injuries of the Head'. Modern exponents say it increases blood flow in the brain, increasing lucidity and heightening brain function. This practice is similar to how the Egyptians believed boats would take Pharaohs to the land of the ‘Gods’ Clothes and jewellery found in the tomb were also buried alongside the mummies, in small baskets, and the bodies were wrapped in cowhide and wool. This prevented sand from getting inside the corpses. In addition to the wood coffins, four clay-covered rectangular coffins were also found, surrounded by stakes. And six of the coffins were found to contain wooden 'bodies', rather than corpses. Each of these wooden sculptures were the same shape and were designed to look like males. Sexual iconography was everywhere at the site, with posts representing phalluses and vulvas placed in front of each grave. Last week, scientists recreated ancient brain surgery to understand medical techniques that existed almost 2,500 years ago. A team of experts in Russia spent the past year examining skulls found with intricate surgical holes in a bid to fathom out how early nomadic doctors carried out their work. This practice is similar to how the Egyptians believed boats would take Pharaohs to the land of the ‘Gods’. Clothes and jewellery found in the tomb were also buried alongside the mummies, in small baskets, and the bodies (pictured) were wrapped in cowhide and wool. This prevented sand from getting inside the corpses . Last week, scientists recreated ancient brain surgery on a modern skull (shown) to understand medical techniques that existed almost 2,500 years ago. A team of experts in Russia spent the past year examining skulls found with intricate surgical holes in a bid to fathom out how early nomadic doctors worked . Evidence from ancient skulls (pictured) suggest they are among the earliest ever examples of trepanation - an ancient form of neurosurgery . Evidence suggested they were among the earliest ever examples of trepanation - the oldest form of known neurosurgery - with the procedures skilfully carried out. The oldest samples of skulls with bore holes drilled into them were found in a burial site in France dating back to 6500 BC. But it was also used by the Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, Romans, Greeks and the early Mesoamerican civilisations. Even the 'father of medicine' Hippocrates advocated the process in his 400 BC tome 'On Injuries of the Head'. The procedure was carried out by Aleksei Krivoshapkin according to ancient methods used in the Altai Mountains on the skull of a woman who had died of natural causes shortly before. Analysis of the skulls of ancient patients found that the operations were carried out with only one tool, a bronze knife, with the surgeons carefully scraping at the skull, yet leaving behind only minimal traces of their work.
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The 3,600-year-old perforated skull belongs to a mummified woman .
It was found in Xiaohe tomb in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region .
Mummy is one of hundreds discovered in the 'Little River' Tomb complex .
Wound suggests the female, who died in her 40s, lived for at least a month, or even longer, after receiving the surgery .
A craniotomy involves temporarily removing a 'flap' of bone from the skull to give surgeons access to the brain .
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(CNN) -- Gas prices have jumped nearly 7 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, reaching a level more than 75 cents higher than they were a year ago, according to a survey published Sunday. The average price for a gallon of self-serve regular is $3.57, the Lundberg Survey found. That's 6.65 cents higher than the price the same survey found two weeks earlier. The latest spike suggests that the dramatic price increases are slowing down, said publisher Trilby Lundberg. Between February 18 and March 4, the survey had found an increase of about 33 cents. That hike corresponded to an increase in crude oil prices amid unrest in more than a dozen countries in the Middle East and north Africa, six of which are OPEC members, Lundberg said. The new jump in prices at the pump comes despite a drop in crude oil prices over the past two weeks. Lundberg described that as "follow-through" from the previous spike in oil prices. The survey was taken Friday, before several countries began military action against Libya. It is too soon to know what impact events in Libya will have on gasoline prices, Lundberg said Sunday. The Lundberg Survey tabulates prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide. Of the cities included in the latest survey, the lowest average price was in Billings, Montana, at $3.27 a gallon. The highest was in San Francisco, California, at $3.97. Here are the average prices in some other cities: . -- Denver, Colorado - $3.29 . -- Atlanta, Georgia - $3.49 . -- Boston, Massachusetts - $3.54 . -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - $3.56 . -- Portland, Oregon - $3.64 . -- Minneapolis, Minnesota - $3.52 .
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Gas prices have jumped nearly 7 cents a gallon over the past two weeks .
The latest spike comes despite a drop in crude oil prices .
It is too soon to know how events in Libya will effect gas prices, survey publisher says .
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Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- The trial of American hikers charged with espionage in Iran will resume May 11, the state run Islamic Republic News Agency reported Sunday, citing the head of the Justice Ministry. The trial began behind closed-doors last month, and allowed Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal "the opportunity to explain their innocence to the court," according to February 7 statement from the men's families. Iran accuses Bauer, 28, Fattal, 28, and Sarah Shourd, 32, of spying and trespassing. They were detained July 31, 2009, after they allegedly strayed across an unmarked border into Iran while hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan region. Shourd was released on bail in September 2010 because of a medical condition and immediately left the country. She has not responded to a court summons to return to stand trial, Masoud Shafii, the hikers' attorney in Tehran, has said. Iranian authorities say she will be tried in absentia if she doesn't appear in court. All three have pleaded not guilty. Fattal and Bauer continue to be held in Iran's notorious Evin prison.
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Three hikers are being tried for espionage in Iran .
One of the hikers has been released on bail and has left the country .
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The family of a woman who died in a New Orleans jail after being tied to a bed for four hours have settled their lawsuit for $600,000. Cayne Miceli, 43, was booked into Orleans Parish Prison on January 4, 2009, for allegedly biting a security guard during at the Tulane Medical Center earlier that day. With a history of chronic asthma, panic attacks and depression, Miceli was put in five-point restraints on a bed. The prison knew she had been hospital for breathing difficulties, however left Miceli restrained, the lawsuit claimed. Four hours later she was found to be not breathing, according to The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Death in custody: Cayne Miceli, 43, died after being placed in five-point restraints in Orleans Parish Prison in January 2009. She stopped breathing and never regained consciousness . Controversial: The five-point restraint system, pictured here, has been removed from many prisons, but was still in practice at Orleans Parish Prison when Miceli was booked in . Paying up: Sheriff Marlin Gusman agreed to the sum to end the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Cayne Miceli. However Gusman has not admitted any wrongdoing in the case . Scene: Some 44 inmates - not including Miceli - have died at the Orleans Parish Prison in the last nine years . By the time an ambulance arrived Miceli had been without a pulse for 25 minutes. She never regained consciousness and was put on life support. Miceli then died in hospital on January 6, 2009. The wrongful death lawsuit brought by her family in 2010 said Miceli voluntarily admitted herself to hospital after suffering a severe asthma attack. However when doctors tried to discharge her several hours later, Miceli, who insisted she needed more treatment, panicked and fought with hospital personnel, the lawsuit said, according to The Times-Picayune. Miceli was accused of biting the ankles of a hospital security guard. She was then booked on municipal charges of disturbing the peace, resisting arrest and battery on an officer and taken to the jail. The federal lawsuit claimed that jail staff didn't provide adequate medical care to Miceli and caused her death with the restraints. However the DA's office determined there was no criminal wrongdoing by staff at the Orleans Parish Prison. Cayne Miceli, 43, of New Orleans, died in hospital on January 6, 2009. She is seen here as a young woman . The prison's sheriff, Marlin Gusman, has now agreed to settle for $600,000 in three separate payments, the last of which is due on September 15, 2016. The agreement was signed on October 1. However Gusman's office has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Miceli is one of 44 inmates to die in the last nine years at the Orleans Parish Prison. However, her death is not officially counted in the tally because she died in hospital. The Miceli family lawsuit was one of at least six filed against the office by relatives of dead inmates, The Times-Picayune reported.
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Cayne Miceli, 43, died after being placed in five-point restraints in Orleans Parish Prison in January 2009 .
She had been in hospital for a severe asthma attack and attacked a security guard when staff tried to discharge her .
Jail staff tied her down following a suicide attempt .
She was found without a pulse four hours later and later died in hospital .
Her family brought a wrongful death lawsuit .
They have settled for three payments of $600,000 .
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By . Laura Clark . PUBLISHED: . 04:01 EST, 22 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:48 EST, 22 April 2012 . Anger: Jamie Oliver said he was 'totally mystified' by the Education Department allowing academies to opt out of strict nutrition rules for pupils' school dinners . Jamie Oliver yesterday furiously accused Michael Gove of allowing junk food to return to school canteens and vending machines. The television chef spoke out against . the Education Secretary for allowing academy schools to opt out of the . tough national school food rules inspired by his Jamie’s School Dinners . documentaries and Feed Me Better campaign. Condemning Mr Gove’s approach as ‘Big . Society bull****’, Oliver claimed some academies were providing food . that would fail the nutrition test amid a child obesity crisis. Council caterers’ leaders said cases . had come to light of academies serving plates of chips and filling . vending machines with chocolate bars and sweets. The rules state school vending . machines should only sell healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts and bottles . of water. Meanwhile strict nutrition standards govern canteen meals and . curtail levels of fat, salt and sugar. More than half of England’s 3,261 . secondary schools are now independent academies or in the process of . converting. Funded directly from Whitehall, they operate outside council . influence. Mr Gove has resisted forcing them to adopt the food rules, while council-maintained schools are legally obliged to comply. Oliver said he was ‘totally mystified’ by the minister’s approach. ‘We don’t want bull**** about the Big . Society. We want a strategy to stop Britain being the fifth most . unhealthy country in the world. ‘This is the first generation of kids . not expected to live as long as their parents. Tell me, Mr Gove and . [Health Secretary] Andrew Lansley, how you plan to change that? Two out . of five kids are obese. What is in your arsenal? The fact is they are . doing nothing.’ Campaign: Jamie's Return to School Dinners saw the TV chef continue his push to improve children's nutrition . The Local Authority Caterers’ Association said it was aware of bad habits creeping in which had not . been seen since standards for secondary school meals were introduced in . 2009. Confident: Michael Gove has resisted forcing academies to adopt the strict rules on nutrition for pupils . National chairman Lynda Mitchell said: . ‘I’ve come across an academy school where pupils have been allowed to . go through with a plate of chips and a piece of cake. ‘It is about high volumes of pupils . and turning a profit.’ She also said she had seen several examples of . vending machines in academies selling confectionery. Oliver said head teachers ‘need some . expertise and guidance’. ‘It is there. It exists. Why not make it apply . to all schools?’ he said. The Department for Education said: ‘We trust schools to act in the best interests of their pupils. ‘The tough nutrition standards remain in place in maintained schools and set a clear benchmark for the rest.’ Government-commissioned research into academy meals will be published in the next few weeks.
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Oliver say healthy eating guideline opt out is lowering nutrition levels among youngsters .
Accuses academies of profiteering from junk food vending machines .
Education Secretary Michael Gove says he trusts headteachers to make the right choices .
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By . Janine Yaqoob . PUBLISHED: . 08:34 EST, 22 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:18 EST, 22 February 2013 . A 91-year-old pensioner has been hailed a hero after rescuing her elderly neighbour from his smoke-filled flat. Jessamine Skuse spotted smoke billowing from her neighbour's home and without a thought for her own safety, ran inside and pulled Evan Davis, 97, to safety. Despite her frail frame, Jessamine managed to drag Evan, who had only recently been discharged from hospital, out of his house and onto a mobility scooter before fire officers arrived. Firefighters claim her super strength and quick thinking probably saved Evan's life. Jessamine Skuse, 91, helped save the life of her 97-year-old neighbour Evan Davis, after smoke filled his flat . The flats in Knowle, Bristol where Jessamine pulled from Evan his smoke-filled home and on to a mobility scooter before firefighters arrived . Her swift actions meant the fire brigade could get to the flats in Knowle, Bristol - home to many elderly people - and extinguish a smouldering tea towel before it burst into flames. And the modest pensioner counts her blessings that waking up early allowed her to spot, and smell, the danger. She said: 'I wake up at 6am every day because I worked for 40 years and it's programmed into my body clock. 'That was very fortunate because at about 6.30am, I could smell smoke. 'I went out into the corridor and I could smell it out there too, but I didn't know where it was coming from. 'I came back to my flat to see if I'd left anything on, but I hadn't. Firefighters claim Jessamine's super strength and quick-thinking probably saved Evan's life . Jessamine Skuse, aged 20, whilst serving in the 80th Army Searchlight Regiment (Auxiliary Territorial Service) during WWII in 1942 . 'I went back out and could see the smoke coming from under Evan's door. I banged and banged and shouted to him and he said 'just a minute'. 'When he opened the door he was on the floor and the flat was absolutely full of smoke. 'It was such a shock - it was bellowing out.' Evan then went back into his home and sat down in his front room, not realising how dangerous it was. 'I went over and grabbed him by the arm and said 'come on, Evan',' Jessamine explained. 'I put my arm around him and helped him out of the door and he said 'where are we going?' so I said 'it's all right, come with me'. 'I got him out into the corridor and went and got a shop mobility aid for him to sit on, but by the time I did that he was on the floor again. 'I managed to pull him up and sit him down, but he was very heavy, then I got him a glass of water and waited for the fire brigade to arrive. 'It was a good job I was up early because otherwise Evan could have died in all that smoke. 'And if his flat had caught fire it could have spread to all of our flats. A copy of the letter sent to Jessamine when she was awarded the Imperial Service Medal for 40 years civil service . Still active and healthy, every Sunday Jessamine rings one of the bells at St Martin's Church . 'These are private flats with People For Places. We don't have a warden here all the time, so if I'd been up any later there would have been no way of me getting in if he couldn't answer the door. 'I had a bit of coughing from the smoke, but I'm alright now.' Evan was taken to hospital suffering with smoke inhalation and has not yet returned home. Avon Fire and Rescue crews from Brislington and Temple stations used a CO2 extinguisher on what was believed to have been a tea towel Mr Davis had left on a lamp to dry. Miss Skuse, who lives alone, worked for the civil service in The Pithay for 40 years and was proud to receive the Imperial Service Medal (ISM). From 1942 to 1947, she served her country with the 80th Search Light Regiment - a time that taught her to be calm in an emergency. She added: 'Being in the Army definitely taught me a lot. 'I don't think I would still be here today if I hadn't gone into the Army. It teaches you to keep calm in emergencies, keeps you fit and teaches you discipline. 'We used to get up early and do 12-mile route marches.' Miss Skuse doesn't have any children, but dotes over her many nieces and nephews. Still active and healthy, every Sunday she rings one of the bells at St Martin's Church and during the Olympics last summer managed to ring the bell for three-minutes non-stop to mark the event. Relieved she was able to help Mr Davis, her neighbour of 11 years, she added: 'You've got to be alert even though you get older. 'You've still got to care for one another, because a lot of people don't.' Avon Fire and Rescue spokesman James Bladon said: 'There is little doubt the actions of Miss Skuse played a significant part in averting a much more serious incident. 'Just a couple of breaths of smoke in a house fire is enough to kill, so the sooner you can get to a place of fresh air, the better. 'Although we would never advise anyone to enter a property that's on fire, we thank Miss Skuse for the part she played that morning. 'Not everyone is fortunate enough to have such a quick-thinking neighbour, which is why installing smoke alarms on every level of your home and testing them on a regular basis is so important. 'Smoke alarms provide vital early warning of a fire, allowing you and your loved ones time to escape safely.'
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Jessamine Skuse, 91, dragged her neighbour out of his flat to safety .
A smouldering towel in the flat of Evan Davis, 97, filled his home with smoke .
Firefighters say Jessamine's quick thinking saved Evan's life .
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Acupuncture does not improve chronic knee pain in middle-aged people, experts said today. Their new study found real acupuncture using needles and lasers was no more helpful than sham acupuncture. It specifically looked at the effects of acupuncture on chronic knee pain in people aged 50 or over. Rana Hinman, lead author from the University of Melbourne, said the team of researchers were surprised at their results. She said: 'It is surprising that our study showed acupuncture was not effective compared to sham acupuncture, because many people with chronic knee pain report that treatment with acupuncture is beneficial for their symptoms.' Scientists in Australia found acupuncture does not improve chronic knee pain in middle-aged people. File photo . Previous studies has found acupuncture is effective, although the benefits compared to mock acupuncture have been generally small and of questionable benefit, she said. Her team found many people over the age of 50 are plagued with chronic knee pain, and many turn to alternative treatments, including acupuncture. Acupuncturists often use a combination of traditional Chinese and Western techniques with needles and low-intensity lasers. But the effectiveness of laser acupuncture has been questioned, the researchers said. To test whether needle or laser acupuncture is more effective than no acupuncture, the scientists divided 282 patients over the age of 50 with chronic knee pain and morning stiffness into four groups. The knee pain targeted in the study is common with osteoarthritis - the result of normal joint wear and tear over the years. One group received no acupuncture at all. Another received needle acupuncture, another laser acupuncture, while the last group received sham laser acupuncture. Patients received eight to 12 treatments over three months. Each treatment session lasted about 20 minutes. The laser and sham laser treatments looked the same to both patients and acupuncturists, but the laser was not turned on for the sham group. The patients rated their average knee pain and physical function on questionnaires at the beginning of the study, after three months of treatment and again at one year. There were 'modest improvements' in pain at three months in the needle and laser acupuncture groups compared to the no-treatment group, but not compared to the sham group. Researchers looked at the effects of laser acupuncture, pictured, and needle treatment on 282 patients. File picture . And there were no differences between any of the groups on measures of knee pain and function after one year. This suggests that there were no 'real' or 'direct' effects of needle or laser acupuncture, Dr Hinman said. The improvements patients felt were likely due to the placebo effect. 'Acupuncture tends to be more effective for people who believe in the benefits of acupuncture,' she said. 'In our study, people did not know that were signing up for an acupuncture study, so our participants were less likely to be 'believers' in acupuncture, which probably explains why acupuncture was ineffective in our study.' The new results are very similar to those of a review of individual patient data in 2012, said Andrew Vickers. Dr Vickers, who led the previous review, is an attending research methodologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and was not involved in the new study. The new review may have found a benefit from real acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture if the study included more people, he said. 'About three million Americans try acupuncture per year, and chronic pain is the most common indication,' he said. People with chronic pain should see a pain specialist, as there are many options for treatment, including acupuncture, he said. 'As the authors suggest, the findings of this study are applicable to patients with moderate to severe persistent knee pain, and acupuncture may be effective in some people with neuropathic (nerve related) pain,' said Dr. Abhishek Abhishek, an arthritis researcher and associate professor at the University of Nottingham. The UK's National Institute for Clinical Excellence and Health does not recommend acupuncture for treating knee osteoarthritis, but does recommend it for persistent low back pain as it can be effective in that scenario, Dr Abhishek, who was not part of the new study, said. As alternatives to acupuncture, Dr Hinman said physical therapy, knee braces and exercise can all help alleviate chronic knee pain. The new study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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New study found needle and laser acupuncture was no more helpful than sham acupuncture in middle-aged patients with chronic knee pain .
Australian scientists studied effects on 282 patients over the age of 50 .
Divided into four groups - one received no acupuncture, one treated with needles, another with laser and the last received sham laser acupuncture .
Findings suggest 'no real or direct effect' of acupuncture, lead author said .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:08 EST, 17 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 13:07 EST, 17 January 2014 . One Seattle Seahawks fan is so hugely confident in his team that he got a tattoo boasting about their Super Bowl 2014 victory before the season even began. Tim Connors, of Edmonds, Washington, got the Seahawks logo and 'XLVIII Champs' inked on his arm months ago. He may be foolishly optimistic, he could even be a jinx, but you have to admire his faith. Seattle are now just two games from a first Super Bowl win and face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship match on Sunday. And Connors will be watching more closely than most. Counting his chickens? One Seattle Seahawks fan was celebrating his team's Super Bowl win - before the season even started . Faith: 'I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy at all. I'm confident,' Tim Connors said . 'I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy at all. I'm confident, I'm 100 percent confident in every single player on that team,' Connors told ABC. The Seahawks take on the 49ers in an exciting match-up on Sunday night, and if they get through that play-off game either New England or Denver await in the Super Bowl on February 2. If Seattle fail, Connors will have to find a way of adapting his tattoo or endure a permanent reminder of a painful defeat. Unfortunately for this superfan that won't be simple to do. Connors can't just tweak the tattoo if the Seahawks win next year as the 2015 game will be Super Bowl 49 - XLIX in Roman numerals. Two games away: Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, top, scores past New Orleans Saints in the NFC divisional playoff game. Seattle face San Francisco in the NFC Championship on Sunday . And from 2016 and Super Bowl 50, all the Championship games will start with the Roman numeral L. But, for now at least, Connors has no concerns about his tattoo remaining accurate. He told Komo that he has 'no tiny little bit of doubt at all' that the Seahawks will bring the Vince Lombardi trophy home from the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Connors' tattoo artist was worried at first, but has no come round to his client's optimistic way of thinking. Lonnie Moon of Good Karma Body Art in Edmonds, told Komo: 'I said, "Hey man, people are going to attack you … that you're the jinx of the team."' Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Jinx? Connors' tattoo artist, Lonnie Moon, was worried at first, but has no come round to his client's optimistic way of thinking . But he said that Connors ended up convincing him otherwise. Moon explained: 'He's right, you know what, you think like that, you're not a real fan.' Connors said that 95 percent of Seattle fans approve of his ink. He tells the remaining doubters that he is a true fan that believes in his team.
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Tim Connors got the Seahawks logo and 'XLVIII Champs' tattooed on his arm months ago .
Seattle still have to beat the San Francisco 49ers in a play-off on Sunday .
Winner will compete in the Super Bowl on February 2 .
'I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy at all. I'm confident, I'm 100 percent confident in every single player on that team,' Connors said .
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By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 14:59 EST, 29 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:00 EST, 29 January 2013 . Shops in Saudi Arabia have been ordered to put up walls to separate their male and female employees in accordance with the country’s strict vice laws. The barriers need to be at least 5ft 3in high and will keep staff from seeing and communicating with workers of the opposite sex. This follows Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islam which prohibits men and women who are not immediate relatives from socialising. Segregation: Shops in this mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will have to erect barriers to separate their male and female employees as religious law prevents mingling of men and women who are not blood relatives . The news comes only days after the religious police, known as the Mutawa, said there would be no punishment for men who frequent shopping malls and public spaces in their underwear. The new and controversial trend among young men is to go out in public wearing only undershirts and trousers, normally worn underneath the traditional robes. Despite complaints about the new trend, Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice spokesman Najm Al Dhufairi dismissed rumours of a ban of the practice, leaving it up to shopping centre security whether they deem it inappropriate. Equality has been a slow process in . Saudi Arabia, where women are still not allowed to drive a car, must use . separate entrances at banks and offices, and follow strict dress codes. They . also need permission from a male relative or their husband to work, . travel, study or marry and a woman's testimony counts for less than that of a man . in a court of law. Restriction: Male attendants in a shop selling abayas, the female black robe, are only allowed minimum contact with a female customer even when she is chaperoned by a male relative or her husband . Controlled: The life of a Saudi woman is regulated by the country's sharia law and she may not travel, study or marry without a male relative's permission and must always follow the strict dress code seen in this picture . A small step forward was announced by King Abdullah last year as he opened up the government advisory council to both sexes. Earlier this month women were appointed women to 20 per cent of the 150-member Shura Council as King Abdullah reconstituted the council for a new four-year term. Although the women can attend the assembly, they will be separated from their male colleagues by a screen and will join the debate via an internal communication system. To comply with the kingdom's Wahhabi sharia law, the Shura Council building must now be altered to include a separate entrance for women.
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Shops have been ordered to erect dividers to keep men and women apart .
The dividers need to be at least 5ft 3in, religious police said .
Saudi Arabia's strict sharia law ban men and women who are not immediate relatives from socialising .
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Teen star-turned-bad girl Miley Cyrus has shocked the world again, this time appearing in the form of a twerking Michele Bachmann, mocking the federal government shutdown on Saturday Night Live. Miley's skit featured the 20-year-old pop singer dancing in skimpy clothing in parody of her new song, 'We Can't Stop' - portraying the conservative Tea Party politician for a video titled 'We Did Stop The Government.' SNL castmember Taran Killiam played House Speaker John Boehner and pranced around with Cyrus in his tightie-whiteys and a white wife-beater shirt. Scroll down for video . Twerk it: Miley Cyrus, left, plays Michelle Bahmann while SNL castmember Taran Killam showed off his moves as House Speaker John Boehner on Saturday Night Live . Miley sang lyrics like 'If you're not ready for healthcare can we get a hell no, cuz we're gonna keep it shut down, DC is a closed town' Offensive? Miley didn't skimp on the raunchy dance moves, even though she was portraying a vocal social conservative Congresswoman . They are both singing lyrics like ‘this is our House, this is our rules and we did stop (the government)’ and 'if you're not ready for healthcare can we get a hell no, cuz we're gonna keep it shut down. DC is a closed town.' The former presidential candidate Bachmann was involved in a scandal earlier this week when Iowa state Senator Kent Sorenson resigned after a special investigator found it likely he violated ethics rules by taking money from political entities connected her, and then denying he'd done so. Conservative: Miley looked more conservative than usual in the all black outfit as she parodied Michelle Bachmann . She won't stop twerking: Miley wowed with two impressive musical performances on Saturday Night Live but her sketches mostly fell flat . Democrats say Speaker Boehner and his Republican colleagues in the House forced government shutdown in an attempt to defund ObamaCare, the health care law passed almost entirely by Democrats in 2009. The controversial music video parody shows Cyrus and Killam twerking wildly with tongues out, the new Miley Cyrus look, and throwing dollar bills around the room. Elephants are featured throughout in the shape of costumes and statues, representing the Republican party. But the show didn't stop there. Riding the Republican: Hall is seen sitting on top of a 'Republican' in the controversial video. Cyrus can be seen leaning over in the middle . Making fun with politics: Miley appears in the video dressed as Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann - a conservative member of the Tea Party caucus . 'We can do what we want': The two sang about shutting down the government while putting on raunchy dance moves . A big lick: Cyrus gives a doll that looks like Abraham Lincoln a big slobbering lick . Earlier on SNL, during her monologue, Cyrus appears on stage, saying: ‘I don’t apologise for my VMA . performance. If I owe anyone an apology is the people who make the . bottom halfs of shirts.' She says her performance generated 'a lot of letters from angry mothers, turned-on fathers'. Cyrus adds that she also got a complaint from the inventor of the giant foam finger. ‘There will be no twerking tonight. I used to think it was cool but now that white people are doing it, it seems kinda lame.’ Cyrus also offers some information on her former teen image. Monologue: Cyrus appears on stage and says she will not apologise for her VMA performance . ‘I can give you an update on Hannah Montana… she was murdered.’ Cyrus starts her appearance on the SNL show in the green room getting ready, wearing the controversial onesie outfit she wore at the MTV VMAs, held in August in Brooklyn. She is joined by singer an SNL cast member playing Robin Thicke, who performed with her on stage at the VMAs. He walks in and says, ‘What’s up kid, are you ready to start grabbing at my junk while I half sing?’ Tongue action: Cyrus starts her SNL performance in the green room where she is practicing her now signature tongue movements . Strokes: Cyrus tells her 'past me', aka Hannah Montanah, that she sticks out her tongue because she is having 'tiny strokes' Robin Thicke look-alike: SNL cast member, Hall, appears as the pop singer who Cyrus performed with at the VMAs . Excited: Miley appeared happy and relaxed as she took to the stage for her big night . The teen star then says she sticks her tongue out all the time because she is having ‘tiny strokes’. An actor portraying Will Smith appears, saying: ‘My family and I are so excited to see you perform tonight. I just hope it’s G-rated. They are shocked by anything remotely sexual.’ Cyrus ends her green room appearance saying she is only 20 years old and needs the ‘freedom to grow up and make mistakes’. ‘And no matter what happens, I promise to always stay true to old Cyrus.’
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The former teen star, 20, appears on the popular NBC show and delivers a shocking and entertaining performance .
She twerks in music video parody of her song, We Can't Stop, pretending to be Michelle Bachmann .
SNL cast member, Taran Killam, prances around with her pretending to be Speaker John Boehner .
The controversial video parody shows Cyrus and Hall riding Republicans and cutting open 'elephants'
Cyrus says she will not apologise for her performance at the VMAs .
She joked she got 'a lot of letters from angry mothers, turned on fathers' after that show .
She also quipped that Hannah Montana was 'murdered'
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Andy Murray lost the match but did enough to remind why he has won Grand Slams in the past and might yet do so again in the future. At 1.17am, before the unruly remnants of the Flushing Meadows crowd, he finally succumbed to the barrage of Novak Djokovic in their US Open quarter final, going down 7-6 6-7 6-2, 6-4 in three hours and 31 minutes. By the end Murray's spirit was willing but the legs had weakened, as he paid the price for taking three and a half hours longer to get to this match than his opponent. VIDEO Scroll down for Novak Djokovic: Didn't play the way I wanted to against Murray . Time to celebrate: Novak Djokovic raises his arms after beating Andy Murray in their quarter-final game . Too good: Novak Djokovic celebrates holding serve in the third set against Andy Murray on Wednesday . Verbal volley: Andy Murray lets out his frustration as Novak Djokovic starts to assume control of the match . Down and out: Andy Murray appeared to be feeling the pace as the quarter-final wore on . Departing: Andy Murray salutes the crowd as he leaves the Arthur Ashe stadium . This result was not unexpected, but for sustained periods he stood toe-to-toe with the world’s best player, whose standards he must aspire to if he is to re-attain the success of 2012-13. Murray said afterwards: 'He was definitely physically fresher, the pace of my serve slowed down towards the end. My back towards the end stiffened up, it is physically extremely demanding to play him. I tried to hang in at the end but was a little bit disappointed how my body reacted, I have trained hard. 'There was some good stuff in the first two sets, I was down in them but I fought back, I just didn’t play a good first tiebreak.' Djokovic added: 'We both gave our best. At times the tennis was not that nice, we made a lot of unforced errors, but it was due to the very physical battle in the opening two and a half sets. 'I didn't expect any less knowing I was going to face Andy. The last five times we played, it was always over three or four hours. I'm very glad to get through to another semi-final.' Neither player was flawless but there were plenty of magnificent exchanges which frequently pushed the Serb to his limits. Djokovic, who now plays Kei Nishikori, will surely win this event now. There were ample unforced errors and both players went through sporadic lapses and, especially in Murray’s case, the return much outshone the serve. There was also much to admire. The Scot’s forehand was particularly potent, and he will contemplate what might have happened if he had avoided one of those lapses in the opening tiebreak. Murray fought hard into the early hours. Ultimately, however, Djokovic with his seven breaks of serve bossed proceedings and from the second tiebreak never looked like losing. Murray at least knows he has created something to build on. Shock and awe: Andy Murray was appeared to be having trouble with his eyes during the game . Tunnel vision: Andy Murray was seen struggling with his sight during the game . On the move: World No 1 Novak Djokovic seemed the fitter of the two players . Back to his best? Andy Murray proved he is still a major force at Grand Slams . At full stretch: Novak Djokovic's showed his full range of athletic ability during the contest . Fine lines: Andy Murray at times was just inches short of matching Novak Djokovic . Too strong: Novak Djokovic is will now face a semi-final test against Japan's Kei Nishikori . Disappointment: Andy Murray showed glimpses of his best form but could not sustain it for the entire game . Unstoppable: Andy Murray reacts after Novak Djokovic slams down another serve . Gracious: Andy Murray congratulates Novak Djokovic on his win after the match had finished . Two years after their epic final in 2012, the former junior rivals were reunited on the same court at the Arthur Ashes Stadium, this time with one of them ranked as the world’s top player and the other the No 8 seed. Murray's lower than normal seed being the reason why they were now meeting in the last eight. That is not by accident, Murray is taking small steps on his way back from surgery while Djokovic has rediscovered the art of winning Grand Slams after a period of near misses. On a balmy night, the Arthur Ashe Stadium was packed to the gunwales and the 27-year-old Scot made the perfect start when his piercing returns resulted in an opening break. He was always likely to make inroads on the Djokovic serve but protecting his own was going to be the problem. He had dropped it thirteen times coming into this match and the fourteenth was not far behind as Djokovic immediately levelled. The inability to gain free points against someone who returns even better than he does saw him go 1-4 down - but the damage was swiftly repaired. The Serb, ever the rolled up ball of Balkan anger, started ranting at himself in the seventh game and was pressured into several errors to allow Murray back in. The Scot’s big chance came when be forced a break point at 4-4, but a finely angled serve meant he could only just lay a racket on it. Breather: Andy Murray looked to be feeling the pace during parts of the match on Wednesday . Plenty to ponder: Daniel Vallverdu and Amelie Mauresmo watch on as Andy Murray crashes out . Support: Andy Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears was in attendance and roaring her man on . By the time the tiebreak came around they had won 45 points each, but Murray could not recover from a dismal start - he hit a double fault followed by a pedestrian 77 mph second serve that got the full treatment. The tiebreak was over in a blink of an eye, with the Serb taking it 7-1, and Djokovic looked to be in full control when a run of 12 out of 14 points saw him go 3-1 up, with Murray's net play notably more hesitant than in previous rounds. But again Murray’s superb returns meant he was not finished and after breaking back for 4-4 - the top seed rightly being given a time violation - he forced a set point at 6-5. But he could not get enough on the return, was forced back and his attempted lob was put away. The tiebreak was the inverse of the first, Murray far more purposeful and Djokovic ended up slapping errors in frustration by the end as he went down 7-1. Eyes on the prize: but Andy Murray ultimately fell short and crashed out of the tournament . Hand it to him: Novak Djokovic gestures to the umpire as a point goes against him . Full crowd: The Arthur Ashe stadium was nearly full as spectators stayed up for the main game . While there were frequent mistakes on both sides, Djokovic stayed strong to stem any momentum and broke for 3-1 in the third before holding off two break points when his opponent pulled the trigger too early in draining exchanges. There was a devil-may-care attitude about Murray for the rest of the set as he focussed on energy conservation. Murray began this tournament cramping against Robin Haase and ended it in a similar state, his body creaking at the end as he sought to hold in the fourth. He had a break point at the start but the body language sagged and he could not seriously threaten after that. The break of serve to seal it came entirely on cue.
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Murray loses 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 to world No 1 Djokovic .
Murray admits he was disappointed his fitness faded late in the match .
Djokovic took control of the match breaking Murray's serve seven times .
Djokovic will now face Japan's Kei Nishikori in semi-finals .
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- A nude photograph of pop singer Madonna was sold for $37,500 Thursday afternoon at a Christie's Art House auction. Christie's auctioned this nude photo of Madonna (partially shown) taken by Lee Friedlander for $37,500. The photo, originally expected to go for between $10,000 and $15,000, was purchased for more than double its original estimated selling price, a Christie's spokesperson confirmed. The 13-inch by 8 5/8-inch framed photograph was purchased by an anonymous bidder over the phone. The full frontal photograph was one of several taken by American photographer Lee Friedlander in 1979. Madonna, then a cash-strapped student, received $25 for the entire photo shoot. Most of the pictures from the shoot were ultimately featured in Playboy magazine in 1985.
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Nude photograph of Madonna taken when she was student in 1979 .
Lee Friedlander pic sold by Christie's for $37,500 .
Anonymous bidder made purchase over the phone .
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Alan Smith says he signed for Notts County without knowing how much money he would be paid, revealing: 'I don't even care!' The former England forward has joined the League One side on a one-year deal as player-coach rather than accept offers in America. And Smith, who earned £60,000 per week over five years at Newcastle United, told the Nottingham Post that manager Shaun Derry convinced him to sign without any discussion about salary. In action: Alan Smith opted to move to Notts County rather than a swtitch to the MLS . 'I wasn't interested in it because I wanted to come here,' he told the Post. 'As soon as I spoke to Shaun and (assistant) Greg Abbott my decision was made.' Smith, 33, added: 'I'd spoken about going further afield to America, but it never really appealed to me because there's no promotion or relegation and I don't like playing for fun. 'I just got the right feeling when I came here. The one thing Shaun wants to install in the club is the right mentality. Once he said that to me that was enough.' Smith won 19 caps for England and won one Premier League title and the Carling Cup while at Manchester United. Back in the day: Smith in action for Manchester United in the 2007 FA Cup Final against Chelsea .
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Smith says he doesn't care how much he's paid at Meadow Lane .
Former England star turned down offers in America .
Smith, 33, said Shaun Derry persuaded him to sign for Notts .
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It looks like a scene from a magical kingdom with fog snaking between the mountains like a river. The fog, which stretches through the mountains for around 200 miles, was photographed from a helicopter by landscape photographer Victor Liu, who described the scene as being like 'a paradise'. The low clouds have actually settled between the southern continental ranges of the Canadian Rockies, where the tallest mountain - Mount Assiniboine - stands at 11,870ft high. Scroll down for video . Breathtaking: Photographer Victor Liu took a set of amazing photographs of clouds nestling snake-like in the Canadian Rockies . The long game: Mr Liu estimated that the clouds wound their way through the mountains for about 200 miles . On cloud nine: The amazing scene was shot from a helicopter flying about 8,000 feet from the ground . Feeling peaky: The tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies stands at a lofty 11,870ft high - but these clouds were nestled about 6,500ft up . The rare view was taken from 8,000 to 8,500ft high with the fog nestling in between the mountains, which sit on the Alberta and British Columbia border, in Canada, 5,000 to 6,500ft from the ground. Mr Liu, 35, said: 'I felt like I was flying above a magical kingdom or another planet. 'Even the pilot was shocked by the scene, because he had rarely flown under such weather conditions. 'It felt like being in a paradise with no civilization, but only miles and miles of beautiful landscape.' 'I especially love these pictures because they show a unique view of the Canadian Rockies, which I have been shooting from the ground for years, but only occasionally from the air. Impressed: The scene was so fantastical that even the helicopter pilot was amazed by it, according to Mr Liu . Heavenly: After witnessing the clouds Mr Liu said 'it felt like being in a paradise with no civilization, but only miles and miles of beautiful landscape' Blanket coverage: The clouds almost completely covered the valley floor in some areas . Time well spent: The photographs were taken during Mr Liu's two-and-a-half hour helicopter ride . 'With these low clouds, the mountain tops look like it's floating in the sky, it feels like something from a magic kingdom or on another planet. 'The rising sun cast amazing colours on the clouds and mountains. It showcased the beauty of our earth, definitely a lovely place to live. 'As a fine art landscape photographer, this is exactly what I am looking to photograph.' Mr Liu, who emigrated to Calgar, Alberta, in Canada, from China around 12 years ago, took a two-and-a-half hour helicopter ride to snap the incredible photos. He said: 'The helicopter's side window was open, and we were flying about 8,000 to 8,500ft high. 'We were in Kananaskis Country, in Alberta, Canada, specifically in Mount Assiniboine provincial park in British Columbia, and Banff National Park, in Alberta, in Canada. 'The fog or low clouds were between the southern continental ranges of the Canadian Rockies. 'The low clouds went on for about 200 miles.'
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Photographer Victor Liu captured stunning images of clouds in the Canadian Rockies, taken from a helicopter .
The clouds were lying between 5000 and 6,500 feet, with the helicopter flying at around 8,000 feet .
The scene was so fantastical that even the helicopter pilot was amazed by it, according to Mr Liu .
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(CNN) -- When you think about Russian style, don't think Moscow, think St. Petersburg. Like the city -- which is crammed with elegant architecture -- the citizens of Russia's fashion capital know how to look good. Their reputation for being easygoing and adventurous is often expressed in clothing. Gaudy colors and bad leisurewear aren't the thing in St. Petersburg -- here fashionistas are more likely to mix designer threads with Grandma's castoffs. But getting the look can take some effort; it requires legwork. St. Petersburg isn't about grabbing something boring off the peg, its about experimenting. Best street market . Good street markets are hard to find in St. Petersburg, but a 30-minute subway trip to the northern suburbs takes you to a clothing goldmine where you can find just about anything. Udelnaya station, on Line 2, gives its name to Udelka, a nearby market featuring row after row of commercial "secondhand from Europe" outlets. These are best ignored en route to the main attraction: a huge field where on weekends hundreds of locals gather to sell attic plunder. Vintage Soviet clothes, furniture, cameras, antiques, musical instruments, vinyl, old military outfits, pins and medals are all on sale -- as are weirder items such as breast enlargers. Half the sellers are professional rag men, so they're usually able to help in the hunt for something special -- although their definition of special may differ from their customer's. Best garage sale . A hipper version of Udelka featuring fewer mothballs and considerably more fashionable goods is held regularly in the Loft Project Etagi (74, Ligovsky Prospekt), a cultural center in an old bread factory. During summer, the monthly "Garage Sale" occupies the whole building, but the best finds can be made in the yard or on the terrace. Even if there's no market, it's worth a visit Etagi to check out art and photo exhibitions and cupboard-sized shops such as Milnaya Belka (2/F, Loft Project Etagi +7 812 980 11 66), which sells Russian and Asian designers. There's also the Green Room (+7 812 458 80 03), a cheap but cheerful café. Best retro shops . When the markets aren't on, you can still bag a bargain. Worth a look is St. Petersburg's legendary second hand and clothing rental shop, Off (60 Obvodnogo Canal Quay, +7 8 812 929 92 03). Run by a pair of extravagant shopkeepers, Off features an extensive collection of Soviet retro and vintage clothes and was favorite with Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe, a Russian artist and gay rights icon who died last year. Off is located in a popular loft called Tkachi, where locals come to lay their hands on bicycles, furniture, shoes and musical instruments. Best place for boots . They're not particularly stylish, but when it comes to handling the St. Petersburg rainy seasons -- all three of them -- it's hard to beat a pair of Soviet gumboots. These can still be picked up at the vast Red Triangle factory (136 Obvodnogo Canal Quay) that once produced them. If you're not interested in the boots, it's still worth a trip for a glimpse into St. Petersburg's industrial communist past -- one that's slowly being reclaimed by its capitalistic future. Best places for designer clothes . Russia's fashion industry is just emerging, but with St. Petersburg is at the forefront it's slowly making a name for itself. Leonid Alexeev (4, Veselnaya Street, 4, +7 812 322 08 96), the engine of the local fashion scene and one its most productive designers, sells haute couture and pret-a-porter clothes, plus accessories and perfumes. Another leading light is Tatyana Parfionova (Nevski Prospekt, 51, +7 812 713 14 15). Parfionova is one the city's most popular designers and while her striking outfits might not protect against the snowy rigors of a Russian winter, they regularly appear on fashion week runways and represent the country abroad. One of St. Petersburg's youngest and most challenging designers is Asya Malbershtein (Kazanskaya, 5, +7 812 6491699; by appointment only), who specializes in minimalistic leather goods. Best places for accessories . Sticking with Asya Malbershtein, her accessories can also be found in 8-Store (Dvortsovaya Quay 20), one of several designer outlets in Taigaspace -- a beautiful 18th-century merchant house that also houses creative start-ups. Marmeladova buketik (Rubenstein St., 40, +7 812 988 0448) is a somewhat girly outlet named after the heroine of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." This clothing, accessories and flower shop is owned by a St. Petersburg socialite who, in addition to making the clothes himself, also runs a chic Sixties-style barbershop around the corner. Best places to people-watch . For those who have mastered St. Petersburg style, there are plenty of places to show it off. The best people-watching can be found in the large-windowed cafes on Nevsky Prospekt, a central street that's busy and crowded day and night -- particularly in summer when the day is almost indistinguishable from night. In the fashionable Rubenstein Street, party animals, foodies and local celebrities can be found mingling among the dozens of bars, upscale restaurants and coffee bars that include Mitte Café (27 Rubenstein St.; +7 812 416 14 16). A more highbrow scene can be found at the art house foreign language film screenings in the elegant Angleterre hotel (Malaya Morskaya, 24; +7 981 870 7757). And because this is the city Dostoevsky once called home, there's St. Petersburg's best independent book retailer, Word Order (Fontanka Quay, 15). Offering more than just books, and surrounded by popular bars such as Produkty (Fontanka Quay 17; +7 812 312-57-54) this tiny shop has long been the unofficial center of the city's intellectual activities and regularly hosts discussions on contemporary Russian cinema, philosophy and media. Anna Balagurova is editor of the St. Petersburg edition of The Village, a Russian internet newspaper focusing on the city, its style and culture.
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The citizens of Russia's second biggest city are known for having a style of their own .
On weekends, locals gather in Udelka to sell vintage clothing and oddities .
Russia's fashion scene is emerging, with names such as Leonid Alexeev and Tatyana Parfionova at its fore .
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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have appeared in public together for the first time since Prince Phillip was admitted to hospital for an operation in June. The royal couple were pictured being driven from Balmoral Castle to the nearby Crathie Kirk for Sunday morning prayers accompanied by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Although the Queen and her husband were driven straight past waiting photographers, the pair could be seen sharing the back seat of a maroon Bentley. Recovered: The Queen was pictured sitting next to a newly healthy Prince Phillip as they drove to Crathie Kirk . Worship: The royal couple routinely attend services at Crathie Kirk while staying at Balmoral . The Queen, impeccably dressed as always, wore an elegant cream suit shot through with gold thread, teamed with a classic woven natural straw hat. Her husband, meanwhile, was dapper in a neat herringbone tweed suit paired with a patriotic tartan tie. The royal couple are currently enjoying their annual holiday in Scotland and have been joined by a succession of family members. Although the Earl and Countess of Wessex are currently in residence, last week brought a visit from Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who shocked royal watchers by arriving with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson. Royal connection: All British monarchs since Queen Victoria have used Crathie Kirk while at Balmoral . Holiday: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are currently enjoying a holiday on the 50,000 acre estate . Family: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were joined by the Earl and Countess of Wessex at church . The divorced couple flew to Aberdeen airport and were driven to the 50,000 acre estate with their daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are expected to make the trip north before the month and it has been reported that accompanying them will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their newborn son, Prince George. The birth of Prince George means that for the first time in more than a century, there are three direct heirs to the throne. Like his father, grandfather and great grandmother, Prince George is likely to be taken to a service at Crathie Kirk, which has been used by royal worshippers since 1848. Queen Victoria was the first royal to use the tiny church and all subsequent monarchs have followed suit.
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This is the first time the royal couple have been seen together since June .
Prince Phillip has been recovering from an operation on his abdomen .
They were joined by their youngest son Prince Edward and his wife .
Prince Charles and Camilla are expected at Balmoral later this month .
The Prince of Wales will be joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge .
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Australia all-rounder Shane Watson says he is over his latest injury and ready for the Cricket World Cup. Watson missed the tri-series final between Australia and England with hamstring soreness but will play in Australia's warm-up match against India at Adelaide on Sunday. He said: 'I'll be ready to bowl a few overs. It won't be bowling 10 overs, but a few overs and getting back into it.' Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has recovered from a hamstring issue and will play against India . Watson, picture here with his wife Lee at the 2015 Allan Border Medal ceremony, will play in the World Cup . Watson added that he missed the tri-series final, which Australia won by 112 runs in Perth, as a precaution. He told reporters: 'Just from my history of injuries, if we just give it a little bit more time then I have never had any problems coming back.' Australia, the host nation with New Zealand, open their World Cup campaign against England at the MCG next Saturday.
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Watson didn't play tri-series final with England after hamstring complaint .
But all-rounder will return for Australia's warm-up match against India .
Watson said he will be bowling 'a few overs' to get back into his swing .
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0f8611f478d4ab9ec6d1c4d6d67ac8ea9a6df9b6
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By . Jack Doyle . PUBLISHED: . 20:37 EST, 31 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:37 EST, 31 October 2013 . Worry: Tory MP Ben Wallace said intelligence and security agencies were covered by laws in place to protect citizens against unwarranted intrusion . Google, Facebook and other private companies pose a greater risk to data privacy than State snooping, Parliament was told yesterday. Internet giants are ‘harvesting’ personal data and making billions of pounds a year, but are not properly regulated, an MP said. Former military intelligence officer Ben Wallace - now a Tory MP - said security and intelligence agencies were covered by strict laws in place to protect citizens against unwarranted intrusion. By contrast, lax protections against private snooping allowed mass collection of internet activities by private firms. Mr Wallace, a former platoon commander and military intelligence officer in Northern Ireland, said such companies needed tougher regulation because of the greater risk they posed to personal data. His comments came as MPs debated the actions of former US National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden who stole vast numbers of top secret files and leaked them to newspapers. Many of his revelations were published by the Guardian newspaper which has faced accusations it undermined national security. The leaking of the documents was criticised by the head of MI5 for handing a ‘gift’ to terrorists. Revelations: His comments came as MPs debated the actions of former US National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden (pictured) who stole vast numbers of top secret files and leaked them to newspapers . The debate was brought by Liberal Democrat, Tory and Labour MPs who warned about the scale of State surveillance exposed by Snowden’s revelations. Julian Huppert said the country was sleepwalking into a surveillance state and called for new scrutiny of security agencies such as GCHQ. But Mr Wallace told MPs the real threat to privacy was from private companies. He said: ‘Privately, without being a member of the security service or a government, I can find out where every one of you in this room shops, I can find out where you live, I can find out where you bought your car, I can find out your credit rating, I can probably get hold of everybody’s details without very much effort. ‘But what I find interesting is I’ve not yet heard one criticism or fear or demand that we regulate the private sector. ‘The big capitalist companies in America - the Googles, the Facebooks - harvest our data without your leave, sell it on to intermediaries on and on and on. ‘They make millions, billions of pounds, avoid tax - I haven’t yet heard anyone saying how they all keep their servers offshore to avoid tax - and that’s the area that needs regulating and protection.’ ‘I’m proud that our security services are regulated. I’d rather have the state than the private sector all over the world grooming through my internet capabilities...’ Claim: Google, Facebook (file picture) and other private companies pose a greater risk to data privacy than State snooping, Parliament was told . Google has faced repeated questions about its privacy protections and data-gathering activities. It has faced accusations it is creating a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users. Its Street View cars took pictures of . every street in Britain and at the same time collected vast swathes of . personal data from open wi-fi networks in people’s homes and offices. 'Privately, without being a member of the security service or a government, I can find out where every one of you in this room shops, I can find out where you live, I can find out where you bought your car, I can find out your credit rating, I can probably get hold of everybody’s details without very much effort' Ben Wallace, Tory MP . The company has claimed that the collection was a ‘mistake’ but an investigation by US regulators found that a company software engineer explicitly designed the Street View programmes to collect the data and warned his bosses repeatedly about privacy implications. Mr Wallace said The Guardian was yet to produce evidence that British spies are breaking the law. He pointed to legal controls on data collection by the State contained within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 - which is known as Ripa. He said his former intelligence colleagues ‘hated’ Ripa because it forced them to register how they used their powers and provided essential oversight and accountability. Cambridge MP Mr Huppert said the ‘mass hovering up of information using new technology’ was, he said ‘chipping away at our own liberty and our own privacy’.
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Lax protection against private snooping, Tory MP Ben Wallace says .
Claims firms are making billions of pounds but not properly regulated .
MPs debate actions of the former US NSA employee Edward Snowden .
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By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 16:53 EST, 21 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:53 EST, 22 February 2014 . A police search of the southwest Missouri home of a middle-school football coach accused in a 10-year-old girl's kidnapping and death found child pornography and more than a dozen guns, according to search warrants released Friday. Officers retrieved a three-ring binder containing pornographic photos of young children at the home of Craig Michael Wood, the documents released by Springfield police say. Investigators also seized computers, cameras, 30 video recordings, handwritten journals, a spent .22 caliber shell casing and a hat believed to have been worn by fourth-grader Hailey Owens. Mourning: Stacey Barfield, mother of Hailey Owens, kneeling, and family members Sara Wells (left) and Teri Nord arrange flowers left by well wishers near the site where the 10-year-old girl was abducted . Wood is accused of snatching Hailey as . she walked home from her best friend's house this week, just two blocks . from her own home. Neighbors said they watched in horror and . unsuccessfully gave chase as Hailey was pulled into a pickup truck that . sped away. At a brief hearing Friday, Wood's lawyer said he plans to plead not guilty. Wood appeared via video from the Greene County Jail, where he is being held without bond. He spoke only briefly to answer several questions from the judge. Hailey's parents, older brother and five other family members also attended. Court records released earlier as well as the search warrants indicate her body was found in Wood's basement, stuffed into trash bags and plastic containers. Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said Hailey was shot in the back of the head and had ligature marks on her wrists, suggesting she was tied up. Family in shock: Erin Petersen holds a photo of her niece, Hailey Owens . Fourth grader: Hailey Owens was snatched by a man in a gold truck as she walked just blocks from her home . Disbelief: Prosecutors have charged Craig Michael Wood with first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action in Stacey Barfield's (foreground left) daughter Hailey's death . A preliminary autopsy is complete but . won't be released publicly because the criminal case remains open, . according to the county medical examiner's office. Patterson said he is considering whether to seek the death penalty. At . the arraignment, public defender Chris Hatley said Wood plans to . contest the charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed . criminal action. Assistant . prosecutor Todd Myers challenged Wood's use of a public defender after . he said police found evidence of a $1 million trust in Wood's name. The . source of that income is not clear: Both Wood's father and an attorney . representing the suspect's parents did not return telephone calls . seeking comment on Friday. 'I think he can afford his own attorney,' Myers said. Hatley replied that he appreciated the prosecutor's concern for Wood's rights but that "it's frankly none of his business." Circuit . Judge Dan Imhof said he would consider the matter. He scheduled a . follow-up court appearance in March and a preliminary hearing in April. Musician: Band members from Wood's band Uncle Fudd are horrified by his alleged crimes . Body found: Police and FBI agents investigate the scene where Craig Michael Wood was arrested in Springfield, Missouri . Crime scene: The gold car belonging to Woods' parents that he allegedly used to kidnap Hailey Owens can be seen in this image . Cold comfort: Stacey Barfield, mother of Hailey Owens (center) takes a teddy bear from the makeshift memorial to her daughter . Charged: Craig Michael Wood, 45, worked as a middle school coach before he allegedly kidnapped and murdered 10-year-old Hailey Owens . Wood . was a 16-year football coach at a middle school in Springfield, about . 160 miles southeast of Kansas City. He also worked as a substitute . teacher and teacher's aide overseeing suspensions. Police . said they found Wood holding duct tape as he left his father's pickup . truck parked outside his home Tuesday night, just hours after Hailey . went missing. Court records indicate the floor of the basement where the . girl's body was found was still damp with bleach — presumably used to . clean the crime scene. Wood . had little criminal history, according to online court records. He . pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in 1990 in Greene . County and was fined $100. Wood also was convicted in 2001 for illegal . taking of wildlife, a misdemeanor. Friends said Wood is an amateur . bluegrass musician and hunter who never married or had children and . whose parents raised show horses. Those . who knew Hailey recalled a child who loved to laugh, smile and dance. Thousands are expected to attend a candlelight vigil in her honor . Saturday night.
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Police found child pornography, including videos and photographs and more than 12 guns at the home of Craig Michael Wood .
Wood is accused of the kidnap and murder of Hailey Owens, 10 .
Officers also seized a hat believed to have been worn by Hailey Owens .
Her body was found in Wood's basement, stuffed into trash bags with a bullet wound to the head .
The basement was damp with bleach, apparently an effort to clean the crime scene .
Wood's lawyer indicated Friday that he will plead not guilty .
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(CNN) -- Charlie Hunnam, the 33-year-old star of "Sons of Anarchy," will not play the role of Christian Grey in the upcoming "Fifty Shades of Grey" film, Universal Pictures said Saturday. "The filmmakers of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey," Universal said in a statement. Hunnam was due to play the male lead in the film, set to debut August 1, 2014. He said he agreed to do the film because of "tangible chemistry" with co-star Dakota Johnson. The film is based on E.L. James' erotic novel about an inexperienced college student named Anastasia Steele, played by Johnson, who gets an education at the hands of billionaire Grey. The movie is being directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Who do you want to replace Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey? Weigh in below. CNN's Breeanna Hare contributed to this report.
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Universal Pictures says Hunnam's TV schedule is too busy .
Hunnam was due to play the lead role of Christian Grey .
The movie is set to debut August 1, 2014 .
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By . Rachel Quigley . Victim: Rebecca Sedwick jumped to her death on September 10. She would have been 13 this weekend . The parents of a girl whose cyber bullying allegedly drove a 12-year-old schoolmate to suicide said today their daughter's Facebook account must have been hacked because she would never do such a thing. The Florida girls were identified by local authorities yesterday as Katelyn Roman, 12, and Guadalupe Shaw, 14, who were arrested in connection with the death of Rebecca Sedwick, who threw herself from a tower last month. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said yesterday he arrested and named the girls after Shaw allegedly posted this heartless message on Facebook: 'Yes IK [I know] I bullied REBECCA nd [sic] she killed her self but IDGAF [I don't give a f***].' Her parents told ABC she was a loving, caring young girl who is not a bully. 'My . daughter's Facebook was hacked, she would never write anything like . that. She's not that type of girl that would just say something like . that. 'I would check her Facebook every time she would get on it,' the teen's mother said. Her father added: 'My daughter don't deserve to be in the place she's in right now and I just hope that the truth comes to the surface so we can get out of this nightmare. 'If we saw something that was not right, we would've addressed it and it would've ended right then. 'I'll be honest with you, the only time . we saw something, like her language maybe not appropriate, we would . address her and say you can't be like this. 'And there'd be a lot of . times where my wife would be looking through the phone and making sure . everything's good.' They also hit at Sheriff Judd for the vile portrait he has painted of their daughter. Scroll down for video . Denial: Guadalupe Shaw's parents - who did not want to be pictured - said their daughter was loving and caring and would never write those terrible things . Accused: Katelyn Roman, 12, left, and Guadalupe Shaw, 14, right, were arrested and charged with aggravated stalking in connection with the death of Rebecca Sedwick . Rebecca Sedwick's mother said about hearing the news: 'I felt like a big weight had been lifted. It was a mixture of tears, relief and sadness' But he stood by his actions today and even said he would bring charges against the parents if he could. 'This girl is back on Facebook after Rebecca dying? Can you believe parents would let their child do that? - Sheriff Grady Judd . 'We . will not tolerate that. If I can find something to charge her parents . with - who are in total denial about this - I will. The apple does not . fall far from the tree. 'Rebecca . took the bullying to heart and we are not putting up with it. When I . stood there at the base of that tower and saw that baby - that child - . deceased on the ground it broke my heart and I know it would break the . hearts of people all over the country if they were in my position. 'We want to send a message out to kids that anyone who cyber stalks or cyber bullies will be punished.' Roman's father accepted that he should have done something more in the situation. He told ABC: 'I feel horrible for the . whole situation. It's my fault that maybe I don't know about that kind . of stuff but I wish I did.' Rebecca's mother said of the arrests: 'I felt like a big weight had been lifted. It was a mixture of tears, relief and sadness.' Her daughter would have been 13 this weekend. Angry: Sheriff Grady Judd said today that if he can find something to charge the parents with - like delinquency of a child - he will . The sheriff said he rushed the arrest after Guadalupe Shaw allegedly wrote on Facebook: 'Yes IK [I know] I bullied REBECCA nd [sic] she killed her self but IDGAF [I don't give a f***]' Rebecca was 'terrorized' by . as many as 15 girls who ganged up on her and picked on her for months . through online message boards and texts. She jumped to her death from a tower at an abandoned concrete plant on September 10. Judd said they decided to arrest Shaw after she posted the 'reprehensible' message on Saturday. 'We decided that we can't leave her out there. Who else is she going to torment, who else is she going to harass?' he said. Roman was Rebecca's former best friend, but Judd said the . 14-year-old turned her against Rebecca. Other girls also stopped . being friends with her in fear of being bullied, the sheriff said. 'Several students corroborated stories of both girls bullying Sedwick on . different occasions, through name-calling, intimidation, threats to beat . her up, and at least one actual physical fight,' the sheriff said today. He . warned parents in a news conference yesterday: 'Watch what your . children do online. Pay attention to what your kids are doing. Quit . being their best friend and be their best parent.' Roman and Shaw were . arrested on Monday night and detained at the county's juvenile center . before being released to their parents, the Orlando Sentinel reports. They were charged with felony aggravated stalking. Missed: Rebecca Sedwick took her own life after being relentlessly bullied . Several media outlets released the names and mugshots of the young girls after law enforcement officials identified them at a press conference on Tuesday. It is believed the bullying started when Shaw started dating Rebecca's ex-boyfriend. Witnesses told investigators she sent messages to Rebecca, calling her ugly, telling her to 'drink bleach and die', and encouraging her to kill herself. The 12-year-old was jumped in school and repeatedly hounded in online messages or texts telling her to kill herself and that she was ugly. Her computer searches revealed she had searched for ways to commit suicide and asked questions like, 'What is overweight for a 13-year-old girl' . One of the Florida girl's screensavers also showed Rebecca with her head resting on a railroad track. She changed one of her online screen names to 'That Dead Girl.' She messaged a boy: 'I'm jumping.' Devastated: Rebecca Ann Sedwick, 12, pictured with her mother Tricia Norman, is said to have had a disturbing upbringing . Tragic loss: Rebecca with her sister Amy . Aftermath: Rebecca's sister Summer (left) and a friend sign a poster after her death. Two people have now been arrested in connection with the bullying . Polk County Sheriff Judd said Rebecca had been 'absolutely terrorized' by the other girls. 'We can see from what we've been investigating so far that Rebecca wasn't attacking back,' Judd said. 'She . appeared to be beat down. She appeared to have a defeatist attitude. And quite frankly, the entire investigation is exceptionally . disturbing.' Even when her mother took Rebecca out of school, the bullying was carried out online. The bullying started . over a boy last year at Crystal Lake Middle School and at one point she . was suspended for fighting with another student - believed to be Roman. Last December, . Rebecca was hospitalized for three days after cutting her wrists because . of what she said was bullying, according to the sheriff. 'When . she was being bullied at Crystal Lake Middle, she used to come home . every day and tell me how she wasn’t worth anything, that she was ugly, . how she was stupid,' her mother Tricia Norman said after her death. 'And . I said, ''Baby what on earth would make you think that? You’re the most . beautiful person I know and the smartest person I know.''' Bullied: Rebecca was withdrawn from her . elementary school after being bullied and was home schooled by her mother Tricia (right) who says her daughter's death should be a warning to all parents to be vigilant . Tributes: Flowers, candles and messages are left out in memory of 12-year-old Rebecca . Later, after Rebecca . complained that she had been pushed in the hallway and that another girl . wanted to fight her, Rebecca's mother began home-schooling her, Judd . said. This fall, Rebecca . started at a new school, Lawton Chiles Middle Academy, and loved it, . Judd said. But the bullying continued online. 'She put on a perfect, happy face. She never told me,' Tricia Norman told the Lakeland Ledger. 'I never had a clue. I mean, she told me last year when she was being bullied, but not this year, and I have no idea why.' Once . police checked her cell phone they discovered that the bullying had not . stopped, especially on Kik Messenger, Instagram and Ask.fm. 'They would tell her she's ugly, stupid, nobody liked her go kill herself," Ms Norman said. She has started a Facebook page to try to fight back against online bullies, called Rebecca Sedwick Against Bullying. Ms Norman told 10 News she was inspired to start it after reading her daughter's journal. In . it, Rebecca had written: 'Every day more and more kids kill themselves . because of bullying. How many lives have to be lost until people realize . words do matter?' Ms Norman . wants online bullies to face harsher consequences, and begged other . young victims to stay strong and seek help, adding: 'Don't ever give up, . like Becca did.' Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.
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Rebecca Ann Sedwick, 12, was bullied online by a gang of up to 15 school girls .
She threw herself off a tower on September 10 .
Katelyn Roman, 12, and Guadalupe Shaw, 14, were arrested and named yesterday by the local sheriff .
Shaw posted on Facebook: 'I know I bullied Rebecca and she killed herself but I don't give a f*** .
The teens parents said they checked her account every night .
Sheriff Judd said seeing Rebecca's body broke his heart .
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Fire spits high into the air as rivers of lava ooze from a Hawaiian volcano that has been erupting continuously since 1983. Taken under starlit skies, the stunning images of Kilauea, the most active of the five volcanoes that form the main island of Hawaii, could easily be mistaken for scenes from another planet. They are the work of daredevil photographer Sean King who regularly scrambles to within inches of molten lava at temperatures of up to 1,500C, dodging poisonous fumes and burning off the soles of his shoes along the way. Hot in Hawaii: A river of molten lava flows menacingly from the crater of Kilauea , the most active of the five volcanoes that form Hawaii's main island . Lava lover Mr King, 47, who is colour blind, has dedicated his life to documenting hauntingly beautiful images of volcanoes on his island home of Pahoa, Hawaii. Mr King spends hours waiting for the ultimate eruption and has even had to dodge fountains of lava bubbling at over 1,500C. He has not only captured eruptions, but skies filled with glowing red clouds, otherworldly pictures of the milky Way, meteors, moon bows and lava waterfalls. Molten lake: A huge flood of lava streams down the side of the live volcano in one of photographer Sean King's brilliant images . Fire and smoke are belched into the starry sky from a crater on Hawaiian island of Pahoa, home to Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes on earth . Alien land: Molten lava glows from cracks as the surface layer begins to harden into solid rock . Cooling off: Huge plumes of steam are created as lava from the Kilauea Volcano flows into the Pacific ocean . Sean said: 'I usually shoot wide angle . 15 to 25 second exposures of the flow during the night time, so I need . to get extremely close, usually about an inch away. 'Flows . can move at around five miles an hour and can really make you sweat or . melt your gear. You can hear the lava churning, popping, hissing from . the distance and the plume from the Halemaumau volcano is usually pretty . big, it's amazing to witness. 'It's . pure magic to watch new land being formed and watching how it reacts . with the ocean. It's definitely worth every pair of hiking boots that I . have melted the soles off to get there.' In Hawaiian folklore, all the five . volcanoes on the island are sacred with Kīlauea's Halemaumau Crater . serving as the body and home of Pele, the goddess of fire, lightning, . wind, and volcanoes. Dramatic spectacle: Flames shoot out from the crater of the Kilauea volcano underneath the Milky Way to create a unique, other-worldly image . Photographer Sean King, 47, dedicates his life to documenting hauntingly beautiful images of the erupting volcano on his island home of Pahoa, Hawaii . Daring: Photographer Sean King sets up his camera on the edge of the crater. He has been known to spend hours waiting for the ultimate eruption and has even had to dodge fountains of lava bubbling at over 1,500C . Lava from creeps slowly towards the ocean in another of Sean King's incredible shots. The photographer dodges poisonous fumes and the unimaginable heat to capture the stunning images . Sean . is colour blind, but uses this to his advantage as it helps him to . avoid overcompensation of certain colours and tints in his photos. Safety is paramount and coming home to his wife and mother is what spurs him on to be diligent during his adventures. He added: 'If I'm out taking photos I have to be super careful, poisonous . fumes and the unimaginable heat from the lava is extremely dangerous. Where the lava meets the ocean it spills down 45-foot-high cliffs sending boiling water bouncing back. 'The . flow builds lava shelves at the coastline and becomes unstable meaning . it can collapse into the boiling hot ocean at any time. Fire shoots into the twilight sky from the crater of the Kilauea, the most active of Hawaii's five volcanoes . Smoke billows from the Kilauea crater. The volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983 . Another of photographer Sean King's stunning pictures showing Kilauea erupting beneath the Milky Way . "In the past I've seen up to 50 acres of land drop off into the sea at any one time. When I am taking the shots it always feels like the first time every time - it never gets old." Sean fell in love with photography by accident, wanting to share his new surroundings and experiences with his friends back home, he brought a camera on a whim. Originally from New York, Sean is a carpenter by trade but moved to Hawaii with his family nearly eight years ago.
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Kilauea, the most active of the five volcanoes on Hawaii, has been erupting continuously since 1983 .
Daredevil photographer Sean King scrambles to within inches of molten lava to capture the amazing images .
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(CNN) -- Administration officials have said that neither the U.N. Security Council nor the actions of allies would affect their response to Syria. Apparently producing conclusive evidence to link the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the use of chemical weapons against the nation's citizens may not matter either. And yet even a brief review of 25 years of U.S. military action teaches the tragedy of ignoring law and facts. Just two years ago President Barack Obama recognized the need for a U.N. Security Council resolution to allow military action in Libya. Resolution 1973 authorized "necessary measures" to protect civilians. The resolution was needed because the use of military force is banned by the U.N. Charter unless it is in self-defense to an armed attack, has Security Council authorization, or, perhaps, is taken with the consent of a government fighting an insurgency, as in Afghanistan. Even officials from the George W. Bush administration recognized the need for a Security Council resolution when the United States and United Kingdom invaded Iraq in 2003. The two nations tried to recycle resolutions from the 1990-1991 Gulf War when it became clear Security Council members would not vote for a new resolution to attack Iraq. The case for war with Iraq was too weak; Security Council members wanted to give U.N. weapons inspectors more time. Secretary of State Colin Powell also tried to justify the Iraq invasion by referencing NATO's 1999 intervention in Kosovo, which also went forward without the required Security Council authorization. Authorization had been withheld because the Security Council doubted bombing would get the Serbs to grant Kosovo independence and were not sure who was responsible for some of the conflict's mass killings. Indeed, rebels have an interest in showing that they are victims in order to draw in assistance. Just a few years before the Kosovo intervention, President George H.W. Bush had declared a new world order under the rule of law. He could point with well-earned pride at how, in the Gulf War, the United States led a worldwide coalition, authorized by Security Council Resolution 678, to liberate Kuwait -- in 100 hours of combat. The United States received generous assistance to support its military action, with allies sending either troops, material or financial support. That war was fought against Saddam Hussein, the last known leader to have used chemical weapons in war. He used them to suppress Kurdish Iraqis and against Iranian soldiers during the Iran-Iraq War. He likely then used them against his own soldiers to cover up the use against Iranian troops when U.N. weapons inspectors came to investigate Iran's claims of chemical weapons use. Obama is right to speak against chemical weapons use in the most categorical of terms. But the use of chemical weapons is banned by international law. Responding by violating the international law ban on resorting to force will only undermine America's standing to condemn the crimes of others. Washington officials should put their prodigious talents and resources to use finding a lawful and effective way to respond to chemical weapons use in Syria and to aid in ending a tragic war without creating more tragedy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mary Ellen O'Connell.
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Mary Ellen O'Connell: U.S. says U.N. approval won't affect plans for response to Syria .
She says ignoring international law, facts can produce tragic results such as Iraq War .
O'Connell: Obama right to denounce chemical weapons, shouldn't react outside U.N. law .
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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- As the U.S. military pursues charges against the Army sergeant accused of killing Afghan civilians in what commanders say was a freelance rampage, a new question has arisen: Who was victim No. 17? Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been charged with 17 counts of murder "with premeditation" in the March 11 slayings in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. But Afghan authorities have said there were 16 people killed in the Panjwai killings. Sunday, two Afghan provincial council members said the United States has paid the victims' families a total of $860,000 -- $10,000 for each of the six wounded survivors, and $50,000 apiece for the 16 dead. Afghan government officials in Kabul have said they have no record of another death. A U.S. official confirmed that a payment had been made on Saturday -- but the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation, said he could not comment on the figure involved. The discrepancy has persisted since Friday, when the charge sheet on Bales listed four women among 17 victims, while initial U.S. and Afghan reports listed three women among 16 dead. A NATO spokesman, Col. Gary Kolb, said Friday only that investigators assigned to the case felt they had evidence to charge Bales with 17 counts of murder. Authorities say Bales left his remote outpost before dawn on March 11 and went house-to-house, gunning down villagers in two villages near the U.S. base. They have said that he acted alone, leaving the outpost in the dead of night and turning himself in to his comrades when he returned. The American official who handed over the money to the families said the payments were not compensation, but the U.S. government offering to help the victims and their families, Kandahar provincial council member Haji Nyamat Khan said. But Kolb said the money was compensation for the families. It was not immediately clear if the word used to describe the payment had legal significance in Afghanistan, where "blood money" can replace a trial or punishment of a killer. Afghans are insisting that Bales be returned to Afghanistan to face trial, with villagers and lawmakers questioning the U.S. military's account of what happened. But a military official in Afghanistan has said that Bales will be tried in the United States. Khan, the local official, said the money was paid in Afghan currency and handed over in Kandahar city. He did not name the American official involved in the meeting. While the identity of the 17th victim remained unknown Sunday, a U.S. official did disclose a new detail of the case Sunday. The official, who would not speak on the record because the investigation is ongoing, told CNN that investigators now believe Bales committed the shootings during two separate trips out of the American compound. "We believe the shooter went to one village, came back and went to a second village," the official said, based on factors including interviews and the overall investigation. Bales could face the death penalty if convicted of any of the murder counts against him. He is being held at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after being flown out of Afghanistan a few days after the killings. It is not clear whether he will now face a military procedure known as an Article 32 hearing, at which military authorities would determine whether to proceed with charges against him, or whether he will go before a group of experts to determine whether his mental health may be a factor in his defense. If and when the case comes to trial, Bales' lawyer, John Henry Browne, said, it is going to be "extremely difficult" for the prosecution. "They have no murder scene, no forensics," the lawyer said Thursday night outside his Seattle office. "I'm going to make them prove every claim." Military law experts acknowledge that proving the case may be difficult, especially given that there are no autopsies to help prove the cause of death -- in part because those killed were buried quickly, in accordance with Islamic tradition -- and difficulty in getting witnesses to testify. But Gary Solis, a former U.S. Marine Corps lawyer and current Georgetown professor, told CNN that any bullet rounds recovered from the scene could be matched with Bales' weapon -- assuming it was "immediately seized" -- which would serve as "powerful evidence for the government." The dead have been identified as Mohammad Dawood Abdullah, Khudaidad Mohmmad Jama, Nazar Mohammad Taj Mohammad, Payendo, Robina, Sahtarina Sultan Mohammad, Zuhra Abdul Hameed, Nazia Doost Mohammad, Mosooma Mohammad Wazir, Farida Mohammad Wazir, Palwasha Mohammad Wazir, Nabia Mohammad Wazir, Asmatullah Mohammad Wazir, Faizullah Mohammad Wazir, Esa Mohammad Mohammad Husain, and Akhtar Mohammad Murad Ali. CNN's Sara Sidner, Ruhullah Khapalwak, Mitra Mobasherat, Jamie Crawford, Barbara Starr and Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report.
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Afghans say U.S. officials paid $860,000 to the families of the dead and wounded .
Investigators believe the gunman made two trips off his base during the massacre .
A NATO spokesman says the money is compensation for the victims .
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales could face the death penalty if convicted .
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Tomas Berdych will face Andy Murray in the Australian Open semi-finals after a hugely impressive takedown of Rafael Nadal. The 29-year-old Czech is the prospective Australian Open semi-final opponent for the winner of the Murray-Kyrgios clash after dismissing the world No 3 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 in two hours and 13 minutes. That brings into play the fascinating prospect of Murray being pitted against his long-time friend and former coach Dani Vallverdu, who has taken over the lead role guiding perennial nearly man Berdych. Tomas Berdych celebrates his straight-sets win over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open . Nadal was shocked by Berdych as he was beaten in straight sets in the quarter-finals . The 28-year-old Venezuelan had left the employ of Murray in November after nearly five years working together, a decision that he told Sportsmail last week was 'genuinely mutual'. Explaining that the relationship had 'run its course' he added: 'I will always be in Andy's corner, except when I am coaching against him.' Afterwards a delighted Berdych praised his new mentor, saying: 'It has been going really well and I'm really happy with the way we are working together. He has given me a good plan and I'm sticking to it. Berdych started quickly and raced into a two-set lead dropping just two games on the way . Berdych played some excellent tennis - especially in the first two sets . Berdych's box celebrate as their man dominates Spaniard Nadal in their Aussie Open quarter-final while Andy Murray's former coach Dani Vallverdu (bottom right) had his best poker face on . 'Rafa is a great fighter but I stayed focused and kept calm, I was ready for everything.' Just how much impact he has made since they started working together last month – on the recommendation of Ivan Lendl – was evident in the way the Czech tackled his long-time nemesis Nadal, who he continually pushed way out of the court. They had faced each other 21 times before this with Berdych winning only three. Nadal had won the previous seventeen, a remarkable streak going back nine years that included the 2010 Wimbledon final. Nadal did threaten a comeback during the third set - but Berdych held on . Nadal went through a range of emotions through the match . Despite taking the third set to a tie break, Nadal was unable to force his way back into the match . So there was going to be an enormous psychological hurdle to clear if he was going to dismiss the Spaniard and take advantage of his relative ring-rust coming into this event. By finally managing to defeat him again he joined Jo Wilfried Tsonga as the only player to have beaten all of the 'Big Four' (Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Murray) in grand slam play. It helped that Nadal was totally off his game in the most bizarre way during the first two sets, seemingly bereft of energy and losing his first 'bagel' set since 2011. However, he roused himself in the third to give Berdych's notoriously frail nerve a real test. Berdych remained strong in the third-set tiebreak to see it out and progress to the last four . Berdych's fiancee Ester Satorova looks relaxed as she watches her boyfriend beat Nadal . But the Czech, who last week became engaged to model Ester Satarova, kept up with those flatly struck groundstrokes executed with his easy power. After missing two match points at 6-5 in the third he went 5-1 up in the tiebreak, was pulled back to 5-4, but just about closed it out 7-5. Should he face Murray then there will be some fascinating dynamics at work. But no extraneous factors will alter the fact that he has made it into the last four without dropping a set, so he will be very formidable and supremely confident. As for Nadal, he clearly needs more matches under his belt – and will probably start getting them next month when he heads to clay court events in South America. Nadal could be seen taking a tablet early in the third set but he denied, despite his early sluggishness, having any physical issues, saying it was ‘nothing important’.
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Tomas Berdych beat Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 at the Australian Open .
Czech star Berdych will play Andy Murray or Nick Kyrgios in the semis .
The third set went to a tiebreak and Berdych won it 7-5 .
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This is the moment an axe-wielding man begins a terrifying rampage in a Chinese chess hall. In shocking video, the man can be seen calmly standing in the middle of the room in Hotan City, Xinjiang, before pulling out an axe and attacking an innocent man. As people scatter in horror, another pulls what appears to be a knife out of his trousers and begins hitting another woman with it. Scroll down for video . Attack: Shocking footage appears to show an axe-wielding man attacking a group of civilians in a chess hall. Pictured is the attacker, with a green shirt on, calmly standing in the middle of the hall in Hotan City . Violence: The man pulls out an axe and randomly attacks a civilian playing Mahjong nearby . Weapon: Another man, pictured far left, then pulls a knife from his trousers - attacking a woman with it . Those in the hall, who are believed to be playing the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong, then attempt to protect themselves - hitting the attackers with chairs and pushing them out of the room. In later footage, three men can be seen running from the building all wielding weapons suggesting the the duo were joined by a third assailant during the chaos. Chinese State Media suggests civilians in the chess . room sounded an alarm during the attack. It adds armed police arrived minutes later - eventually managing to overpower the men. According to reports today, four people were injured in the struggle. Two of the attackers died from serious injuries - while the third was wounded and arrested, Chinese State Media reports. It is currently unknown as to what provoked to violent attack. State television broadcaster CCTV posted the video on Monday. Chaos: The men the attack more of the civilians - who are playing the traditional Chinese game of mahjong . Brave: Some of the players then attempt to protect themselves - hitting the men with chairs . A description under the footage reads: 'A calm afternoon of quiet time playing chess turned into a nightmare for people in Hotan in Xinjiang on Sunday. 'Video monitor footage from inside a chess room in the town shows how 3 men armed with axes attacked unsuspecting civilians. 'That led to nearby shopkeepers and other residents rushing to the scene. 'They soon encircled the attackers and fought them off. 'The clashes resulted in the death of two of the attackers, while one has been arrested.' This violent attack comes amid a crackdown on violence in the Xinjiang region following a string of attacks on innocent civilians. Injured: State media reported today that four civilians were hurt in the attack - and two of the assailants were killed. The third was arrested by police . Run: Later footage appears to show three men outside the building running from the attackers . Many of these attacks have been blamed on extremists attempting to overthrow the government. Last month, 39 people were killed in an apparent suicide bomb attack at a vegetable market in the capital of Urumqi. Police have arrested and tried scores of suspects spreading extremist propaganda and owning prohibited weapons in recent weeks, reports suggest. Chess halls are popular meeting places in . mainland China - with customers spending hours playing mahjong, chess . and cards at the venues.
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Shocking video shows man attacking people in chess hall with an axe .
Seconds later, two others join in - with one hitting a man with a large knife .
Four civilians, who were playing Chinese game Mahjong, injured in attack .
Two of the attackers killed with the third detained by police in Hotan City .
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(CNN) -- Designer and TV host Nate Berkus is a member of the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet, which helps to highlight the organization's initiatives and response efforts. Founded in 1881, the American Red Cross is part of a worldwide movement that offers humanitarian care to victims of war and natural disasters. Berkus recently spoke with CNN's Allie Torgan about his personal connection to the Red Cross and how he is giving back. Below are excerpts from that interview. Allie Torgan: Why are you involved with the Red Cross? Nate Berkus: I have a very personal connection to the Red Cross because when I survived the tsunami -- the Indian Ocean tsunami, which was seven years ago now -- the Swiss Red Cross was the first sign of help that I saw with my own eyes. The sad part for me was that my partner, who I was traveling with to a tiny surfing village in Sri Lanka, didn't survive ... like many, many other people. And it was really an eye-opening experience for me ... and a soul-opening experience for me because I think we really don't know who we are until we don't have the resources that we need. Torgan: How did that experience affect you? Berkus: For me, having survived a natural disaster of that magnitude, there are things that happen that you don't even think about. Sometimes you just need a pair of flip-flops so that your feet aren't cut as you're walking around in the debris. Sometimes you need the equivalent of $5 in foreign currency to make a phone call to tell the people that love you you're OK or that somebody you love is not OK. And sometimes you need somebody just to give you a pencil and a piece of paper so that you can write down important details ... things that are flying through your mind like your passport number. I went through a very long period of grief and also sort of re-acclimating myself to what the reality of my life was. Torgan: What is your role as a member of the Celebrity Cabinet? Berkus: The main goal for me is to raise awareness of what the Red Cross does. I think especially at this time of the year, we all have so many holiday traditions. ... And if one of those traditions as families could be to volunteer or donate blood to the Red Cross as part of everything that we take for granted in this season, it would be really amazing. That kind of thinking is what being on the Celebrity Cabinet is all about. And obviously with the visibility that I'm lucky enough to have -- having a daily talk show and being able to meet people all across the country -- it's a way for me to give back to an organization that gave me something when I didn't have anything. Torgan: Why are you involved in the CNN Heroes campaign? Berkus: I think the Heroes campaign is really great because it highlights everyday people that we relate to, and it brings them to a place where they're getting recognition. But even as you're watching, you know that the recognition is not what they are after. What they're after was the deed that they chose to do. There's so much on TV ... so much passive, yucky stuff that just fills our brain with things that don't inspire us at all. And to watch somebody doing something for somebody else -- completely selflessly, having no idea that they would be chosen by CNN to be a Hero -- is something that's worthwhile for everyone to watch.
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Designer Nate Berkus survived the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, but his partner did not .
Berkus credits the Red Cross for helping him get through the disaster .
Berkus: It's the little things that matter in emergencies, such as flip-flops and money to call home .
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By . Barbara Jones . Honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani is on the verge of losing his fight against extradition to South Africa for allegedly ordering the killing of his wife. South Africa’s justice department has agreed he will not be kept in custody and can return to Britain after a year if he is too mentally ill for trial – a condition imposed by the UK High Court. Dewani, 33, is being detained under the Mental Health Act and suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Doctors have told a series of hearings that a prognosis is not certain. Shrien Dewani, 33, is on the verge of being extradited to South Africa to face allegations that he ordered the killing of his newlywed wife Anni (left) while the pair were on their honeymoon . He would normally be kept in custody indefinitely if unfit to stand trial. Dewani now has until March 7 to lodge an appeal. He is accused of paying hitmen the equivalent of £1,500 to hijack a taxi in which he was travelling through Cape Town in November 2010 with his wife, Anni, 28. Dewani and the driver were let go, while Anni was shot dead. He maintains his innocence. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Shrien Dewani is on the verge of losing appeal against extradition .
He is accused of ordering the death of his wife, Anni, while on honeymoon .
Dewani suffers from post-traumatic stress and depression .
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By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 21:03 EST, 15 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:04 EST, 15 February 2013 . Labour is looking at proposals to hit taxpayers with a £250 tax rise – the equivalent of adding 2p to the basic rate of income tax – if it wins the next election in 2015. The party’s equalities spokesman Kate Green revealed that it could reject George Osborne’s austerity plan – which is three parts cuts to one part tax increases – in favour of a 50-50 split, which would send taxes soaring. Miss Green said: ‘The choices are about how you allocate the spending cuts and tax increases and I think that is seriously unbalanced under this Government.’ Asked about Labour’s plans, she said ‘plenty of proposals’ were being looked at but indicated a 50-50 split would be fairer. Labour is still officially committed to plans drawn up by former chancellor Alistair Darling which would call for £67billion of savings in 2014-15. A 50-50 split would mean tax rises of £33.5billion. Labour's equalities spokesman Kate Green revealed the party could reject Chancellor George Osborne's, left, austerity plan - three parts cuts to one part tax increases - in favour of a 50-50 split. The insight into Labour's private came as Ed Miliband vowed to force a Commons vote on plans to introduce a mansion tax . By contrast, the Coalition’s plan would see £26billion coming from tax rises. That means Labour could increase the tax bill in 2014-15 by £7.5billion, and increase borrowing by £39billion to cover the difference in spending plans. A Labour source said: ‘We will not make tax and spending commitments for the next Parliament until our manifesto.’ Details of Labour’s private thinking were laid bare as Ed Miliband vowed to force a vote in the Commons on his plans to introduce a mansion tax. The Labour leader announced on Thursday that he would bring in a 1 per cent levy on properties worth more than £2million - a policy pioneered by the Liberal Democrats - to pay for a return of the 10p income tax rate. In a bid to split the coalition, Mr Miliband will hold a vote in the Commons before next month’s Budget calling on the Lib Dems to back the plans in defiance of the Tories. Labour wants a debate in opposition time but if they don’t get it they will seek to amend the government’s Finance Bill. Mr Miliband will unveil his plans as he campaigns in the Eastleigh by-election today. He will say: ‘We will force a vote in the House of Commons on the mansion tax in the coming weeks. 'We know the Conservatives oppose this measure, even though it would only affect a small number of houses worth over £2million. ‘There could be a majority in the House of Commons when it votes on our proposal but only if the Liberal Democrats vote with Labour. 'Now the Lib Dems say they are in favour of a mansion tax. Here is a chance for Nick Clegg to prove he can keep at least one of his promises.’ The 10p tax pledge was Labour’s first major economic policy announcement but Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has refused to say what mix of tax rises and cuts he would use to tackle Britain’s debts, let alone what the overall spending total would be under Labour. Chancellor George Osborne’s austerity measures have meant that for every pound of savings made by the coalition around 25p has come from tax rises and 75p from reductions in government spending. Miss Green cited former Prime Minister John Major in her Radio 5 Live interview as using a 50-50 basis to recover from the 1990s crash . But Labour’s Equality spokeswoman Kate Green denounced that policy as ‘seriously unbalanced’ and indicated that a 50-50 split would be fairer. In an unnoticed interview with Radio 5 Live, Miss Green cited former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major in arguing for a different mix. ‘When John Major was trying to adjust after the 1990s crash he did it on a 50-50 basis. This is about public policy choices’. Asked whether that is secretly Labour’s policy, she did not deny that a radically different policy is being drawn up. ‘There are plenty of proposals,’ she said. Chancellor George Osborne came under pressure from Tory backbenchers to abolish Air Passenger Duty and slash business taxes again in the Budget. Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said: ‘Scrapping this unproductive tax would boost inward tourism as well as helping British people afford a holiday - but most importantly, we could expect an immediate year one economic boost of nearly 0.5 per cent of GDP.’ A Labour source said: ‘We have never said what split we would have between cuts and taxes. We’re not getting into what we would do in 2015 at this stage. The important thing is to get jobs and growth.’
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Labour's equalities spokesman Kate Green reveals plan to Radio 5 Live .
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The Football League has agreed to put Leeds owner Massimo Cellino's ban on hold until after his appeal has been heard. Cellino had been ordered to step down from the club's board of directors on December 29 after the League disqualifed him under its 'owners' and directors' test' earlier this month following a thorough investigation. But the governing body has now reached agreement with the Italian's legal team and he will be allowed to stay on as a club director while his appeal is being considered. Massimo Cellino has faced an ongoing battle to convince the Football League he is fit to run Leeds United . The Italian bought 75% of the club in February, but the move was initially blocked a month later . Leeds fans were opposed to the 58-year-old's involvement, but some have been won over since . A League statement read: 'The Football League and the legal representatives of Leeds United President, Massimo Cellino, have agreed the process and date of Mr. Cellino's appeal against the decision by The Football League Board that he is subject to a disqualifying condition under its Owners' and Directors' Test. 'The matter will be heard by a Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) chaired by Tim Kerr QC on January 15. 'The original decision required Mr. Cellino to resign as a director of Leeds United and cease acting as a 'relevant person' in line with Football League regulations by December 29. February 2014: Leeds United announce that Massimo Cellino has agreed a 75% buy-out of the club, subject to approval from the Football League. March 2014: A court in Sardinia finds Cellino guilty of illegally evading import duty. Ordered to pay a €600,000 fine after being convicted of failing to pay €388,500 in tax on a yacht seized by Italian police and customs officials in June 2013. Back in England, Football League vote unanimously to block Cellino's takeover of Leeds and disqualify him from owning the club after failing their owners and directors test. April 2014: Cellino wins his appeal the decision, with his Eleonora Sports company completing the purchase of a 75 per cent stake in Leeds from Gulf Finance House Capital. June 2014: Cellino agrees to sell Cagliari to Italian company Fluorsid for an undisclosed fee. October 2014: Cellino's court trial in Italy for tax evasion for allegedly failing to pay import duty of around £75,000 on a second yacht is delayed after the judge decided to step down due to a conflict of interest. December 2014: The Football League announce that Cellino has again been disqualified from owning the club after they received detailed evidence from the Italian court that convicted him of tax evasion on his second yacht. 'The League has agreed to defer that deadline until two days after the handing down of the final decision of the PCC. 'As a consequence, the parties have agreed that if Mr Cellino is unsuccessful in his appeal, any disqualification period will be extended by an amount equivalent to the length of time between December 29 and the deferred deadline. 'The parties have agreed to make no further comment prior to the hearing of the PCC on January 15.' Cellino was disqualified from being owner of Leeds on December 1 when the governing body announced he had failed its 'owners' and directors' test.' Cellino had successfully appealed against the League's decision to block his takeover of Leeds in April, but after receiving further evidence from the Italian court that convicted him of tax evasion in March, the governing body ruled he was not fit to continue as the club's president. The League ruled the 58-year-old would be able to resume in his role at Elland Road on March 18 when his conviction is spent under UK law. Cellino, currently in Miami, announced he was prepared to stand down on December 29 to safeguard Leeds from further sanctions. This latest development means Cellino will continue in his role of club president throughout the January transfer window, while the appeal verdict is scheduled for three weeks after his hearing.
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Italian owner Massimo Cellino is being investigated by the Football League .
The League had ruled Cellino should step down from board of directors .
Controversial 58-year-old failed the League's 'owners and directors' test .
Cellino has been allowed to stay on until appeal is heard on January 15 .
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By any measure it's historic: The vast majority of Africa's leaders flying to Washington at the invite of the President, whose father was born on the continent, to mark what the White House hopes is a new era of cooperation. While plans for the first African Leaders Summit this week in the nation's capital are ambitious, the reality is the United States still has strides to make on the kind of political and economic relationships in Africa that can benefit both sides. Other nations, namely China, have turned their focus to the continent as a trade partner. Terrorist networks have expanded their reach in some countries, most notably in Nigeria, where hundreds of schoolgirls remain at large after being kidnapped earlier this year. And while U.S.-backed efforts have helped slow the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, countries there rate among the lowest in life expectancy and infant mortality. "The importance of this for America needs to be understood," President Barack Obama said on Friday about the summit. He added later that Africa "happens to be one of the continents where America is most popular and people feel a real affinity for our way of life." Here are five reasons that the U.S.-Africa Leader's Summit, which kicked off on Monday, is important: . 1. Health scare: The health problems in Africa were underscored this week when an Ebola outbreak prompted leaders of two nations to cancel their trips to Washington. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Ernest Bai Koroma, the leader of Sierra Leone, both said they would remain in their countries. Ebola has killed more than 700 people in three nations: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra. Summit leaders, and even Obama, have stressed there is no risk to Washingtonians from those arriving from Africa this week. Obama said anyone who might have been exposed to the virus would be screened both in their home countries and upon arrival in the United States. But worry over the worsening outbreak only highlighted challenges Africa faces in combating disease and poverty, despite the billions in U.S. aid over the years. "This is an uphill challenge for them," said Gayle Smith, Obama's senior director for development and Democracy, noting both Liberia and Sierra Leone had recently emerged from periods of civil war. Obama hopes to move past the traditional elements of humanitarian aid to Africa, focusing instead on potential trade. But promoting commercial ties with countries engulfed in Ebola outbreaks could prove to be difficult. The State Department warned against non-essential travel to Sierra Leone and Libera last week, and some schools and businesses have closed. "The timing is very unfortunate, and no one would have wished for this," said Howard French, an associate professor of international affairs at Columbia University. "Having high-level discussions between the U.S. and Africa on business and investment are infrequent. So to the extent that this distracts from that I think will be regretted all around." 2. Security challenges: Another potential barrier to U.S. investment in Africa: Growing extremism on the continent, which has overwhelmed certain governments. The most flagrant example came earlier this summer, when the group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 school girls in Nigeria. The incident prompted international outrage and so far, a U.S.-backed team has not located them. Nigeria-based Boko Haram opposes western-style education, and there are fears the group's influence could be crossing borders. Last month, armed gunman suspected to be Boko Haram militants abducted the wife of Cameroon's deputy prime minister. Intra-country sniping has followed. Nigeria has expressed frustration with Cameroon for not doing enough to fight Boko Haram on its side of the border, a charge Cameroon has denied. The unrest has inflicted damage on African economies, including Nigeria's, the largest on the continent. Other African nations combating violent extremism, like Mali, Kenya and Somalia, are also tough sells for U.S. investment. Many of those nations want more U.S. assistance to counter militants, sentiments likely to be expressed at this week's summit. "We are concerned about efforts by terrorist groups to gain a foothold in Africa," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser. He pointed to U.S. counterterror efforts that aim to partner with nations in stemming unrest. "We're looking at how do we get at the broader issue of countering violent extremism in Africa so that these groups, like Boko Haram, like al-Shabaab, like al-Qaeda, are not able to prey on young people with disinformation and intimidation," he said. 3. Countering China: The United States has some catching up to do in Africa when it comes to trade and investment. China's imports of African oil and natural minerals have skyrocketed over the past two decades. Alongside have come massive Chinese investments in African infrastructure and construction projects, manned by waves of Chinese workers who ended up remaining in Africa. More than a million Chinese citizens now live there. "Africa is in a very particular moment, economically speaking," said French during an interview with CNNI from Nairobi. "The continent has been growing very fast. Demographically, there's a bulge in terms of it's youth population. And Africa needs partnerships." Obama wants to make sure the United States is one of those partners, and a more attractive one than China. "My advice to African leaders is to make sure that if, in fact, China is putting in roads and bridges, number one, that they're hiring African workers; number two, that the roads don't just lead from the mine to the port to Shanghai, but that there's an ability for the African governments to shape how this infrastructure is going to benefit them in the long term," Obama told The Economist last week. 4. Cementing legacy: Obama's two predecessors both secured legacy achievements in Africa -- Bill Clinton through his African Growth and Opportunity Act, and George W. Bush through his program combating HIV/AIDS. Obama similarly hopes for a way to leave his mark on the continent after he leaves office, though his status as the first president of African descent has already made history. That fact led some Africans to regard Obama with outsized expectations when he took office in 2009, leading to some disappointment that he hasn't focused more on shoring up U.S.-Africa ties. During his time in office, Obama has focused on terrorism, uprisings in the Arab world, Russian provocations, and the much-awaited pivot to Asia. Obama made his first presidential trip to sub-Saharan Africa in 2009 when he visited Ghana. He didn't return again until 2013 with tour of Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. He's embarked upon an initiative that aims to bring electricity to more Africans, and a program supporting young leaders working toward Democratic governments. Both are elements to a legacy designed to shore up conditions for individuals on the continent. And the summit itself, while not expected to produce any large-scale trade agreements, is meant to signal a shift from purely humanitarian assistance to a two-way partnership. "We believe it can be a game-changer in the U.S.-Africa relationship," Rhodes said of the summit. 5. Not invited: While the bulk of Africa's leaders will be in Washington, the continent's most reviled leaders won't be attending. They include Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Sudan's Omar al-Bashir. They weren't invited because of their alleged human rights abuses. Other controversial leaders -- like Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, accused of crimes at the International Criminal Court -- will attend. Like any major diplomatic gathering, the Africa Leaders Summit has been an exercise in protocol and careful planning. Instead of meeting with leaders separately, Obama has been scheduled for larger group discussions, to the disappointment of some who wanted to talk to him one-on-one. "We just wouldn't be able to do bilats with everybody, and so the simplest thing is for the President to devote his time to engaging broadly with all the leaders. That way we're not singling out individuals at the expense of the other leaders," Rhodes said. He noted Obama would speak with each leader individually during a dinner at the White House on Tuesday. That event has taken on state dinner-type proportions, with a large tent constructed on the South Lawn. Organizers have the added stress of accommodating leaders of 50 nations, all with varied religious and cultural sensitivities that must be respected. For example, servers must know who drinks alcohol and who abstains for religious reasons. It's a reflection of just how diverse Africa is, and how high the stakes are for Obama as he forges new relationships there.
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Majority of African leaders convene in Washington for first-ever African leaders summit .
Ebola outbreak on the continent sure to distract from talks on trade .
U.S. hopes to be a player on the African continent and blunt China's influence .
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(Mental Floss) -- Watching the post parade at this weekend's Kentucky Derby will surely fill some of our heads with dreams of horse ownership. How did the julep-sipping folks acquire their prized horses? How much is buying a racehorse going to set you back? Are they sound investments? These are all tricky questions, but let's take a look at a few stories of horse sales that turned out to be winning lottery tickets...and a few that were more dud than stud. Mr. Prospector becomes a daddy again and again . In 1971, Mr. Prospector was a yearling that fetched $200,000 at auction. When he took to the track, he was good but not great; he won seven of 14 starts but only brought home $112,170 during his career. Still, in 1980 he sold for $20 million. What happened? It turns out "Mr. P." was a stud in every sense of the word. While his racing career might not have been the most distinguished, it's tough to argue with his results as a stud. He sired a winner of each of the Triple Crown races, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren have been similarly speedy. His sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons have combined to win over 30 Triple Crown races and pull in around $100 million in earnings. Mr. P.'s Derby-winning son Fusaichi Pegasus fetched $60 million in 2000, and 18 years earlier, another son -- Belmont winner Conquistador Cielo -- sold for $36.4 million. Mental Floss: Did famous horses get their names? John Henry drives steel, wins cash . When John Henry, a yearling foaled in 1975, came up for bids at the Keeneland January Mixed Sale, he didn't generate much buzz. He had fairly mundane bloodlines, he wasn't particularly big, and he had a nasty temper -- he got his name from a tendency of smashing steel feed buckets. John Calloway bought the unheralded gelding for a modest $1,100 investment and hoped he could make a little cash back on the horse. How did it work out? By the time John Henry retired from racing, he was the top-earning gelding in history with over $6.5 million in career earnings. He won 25 graded stakes races and was racehorse of the decade for the 1980s. Not a shabby return on a $1,100 investment. The Green Monkey makes a monkey out of bidders . Unless you're a huge fan of the band America, you might not envision shelling out eight figures for a horse with no name. That's exactly what happened in a January 2006 auction at Calder Race Course, though. When the auctioneers brought a colt who was only known as "number 153" to the auction block, a fierce bidding war broke out. Buyers weren't afraid to open their wallets for a colt that was described as "perfect," and when the hammer dropped the horse went for a record $16 million. The winning bidders quickly christened the colt The Green Monkey, and excitement to see how the horse would do in races began to build. After all, the colt had run an eighth of a mile in a blazing 9.8 seconds in pre-auction workouts, so anything was possible once he started racing. The buyers thought they were getting a Triple Crown threat. Instead they got the thoroughbred version of Ryan Leaf. The Green Monkey could never translate his workout speed into actual races, and in his career, he only managed one third-place finish in a measly three starts. In 2008, his owners retired him from racing to stand at stud. If his progeny enjoy the success that eluded the Green Monkey, he might make some of his substantial purchase price back. It will be tough, though; right now he only pulls in $5,000 as a stud fee. Mental Floss: 7 things to know about the Kentucky Derby . ...But he's in good company . The Green Monkey shouldn't feel too bad. The horses he took the "most expensive colt" record from didn't fare much better. Seattle Dancer set the yearling price record in 1985 when he went for a cool $13.1 million before going on to win $150,000 in his five career starts. Snaafi Dancer's sale in 1983 was the worst investment this side of Pets.com stock; the first yearling to break the $10 million price mark never raced -- and was infertile. Cigar comes up empty . Even casual sports fans may remember Cigar, the bay stallion who racked up an incredible 16 straight wins from 1994 to 1996. If Cigar had picked up just $187 more during his career, he would have become the first horse ever to break $10 million in race earnings. When the former Breeders' Cup Classic Champ came up for sale in 1998, there were more than a few breeders who wanted to get their hands on him. Cigar sold for $25 million and promptly went out to stud to recoup some of that cash. That's when breeders discovered a problem: the horse that some analysts called "the second-best racehorse ever" was infertile. Cigar's new owners got a record $25 million payout on an insurance policy that covered infertility, and the champion stallion is spending the autumn of his years at the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions. Mental Floss: 7 strange stories of lost cell phones .
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Mr. Prospector only won $112,170, but the race horse fathered a some big winners .
The Green Monkey sold for $16M but his best was a third-place finish .
Cigar won almost $10M, but turned out to be a big loser as a stud .
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Even if you don't know his songs by name, chances are you've partied to Pitbull. With his No. 1 hit "Give Me Everything" and collaborations with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, Kesha and Shakira, the Cuban-American rapper born Armando Christian Perez is riding high with his career. But Pitbull's monster success hasn't gone to his head. As he recently told Nischelle Turner on "CNN Spotlight": He just wants to bring joy to his fans. "When you make this music that makes everybody feel good, that is the goal," he said. "When you come and see me ... I want you to escape. No mortgage. No bills. No baby mama drama. No child support. No economy messed up. No war. No terrorists. Just come here and lose your mind and enjoy." But what makes Pitbull feel good? Snagging high-profile gigs like opening the World Cup or hosting the American Music Awards keeps him busy, but here are five things you may not know about Mr. Worldwide: . 1. He plays hard, and he works hard. Banish the thought that Pitbull is just a musician. Behind the scenes, he is also a savvy businessman who, in addition to a line of fragrances for men and women and a TV development company, also has partnerships with Kodak, Voli Vodka and Bud Light. When asked for his best investment tips, Pitbull said: "Don't be afraid to lose. Listen. And always invest in yourself." With almost 17 million Twitter followers and millions of downloads of his music, he is a pop culture force to be reckoned with. "Pitbull is only going to get bigger," Rolling Stone journalist Simon Vozick-Levinson said. "He's someone who's not going to stop until he takes over the entire world." "There's nothing owed to you in life," Pitbull said. "Those who make it work hard for it." 2. His stage name has meaning. According to the biography "Pitbull: Mr. Worldwide," the rapper had a reason for wanting to be known after a particular breed of dog. "(Pitbulls) bite to lock," the book quotes him as saying. "The dog is too stupid to lose. And they're outlawed in Dade County (Florida). They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight." He told CNN that he admires the tenacity of the breed. "I like the hunt; I like when people say you can't, you won't, you never will," Pitbull said. "Those kind of things turn me on." It was around the release of his song "I Know You Want Me" that Pitbull began to expand his territory. He went from representing Miami as Mr. 305 (for the city's area code) to the man we've now come to know as Mr. Worldwide. "If you don't know where you're from, you don't know where you're going," Pitbull said. "Believe me, I know where I'm from. I love it. I wear it on my chest. Everywhere I go everybody knows Mr. 305, Mr. Dade County, Miami boy representing. When I say Mr. Worldwide, it's because we're all around the world. Now, we've got to think of another name like Mr. Another Planet or something." Video: Pitbull's favorite Cuban food . 3. His clothing does, too. Fans can't seem to get enough of Pitbull the sharp-dressed man (think tailored suits, not jeans and baseball caps), but to Pitbull, it's more than just a fashion statement. "What I've shown is evolution through the music business," he said. "When people ask, 'How come you don't do music for the streets no more?' "Man, I made music to get out the streets, not to stay in the streets. 'How come you be putting on these suits now?' It shows maturity; it shows growth; it shows evolution. This is what I want to teach y'all; this is what this music's about. This is what this journey is about." "He's the truth," Usher said. "He's consistent. He constantly is a gentleman. There's something about a man who at every turn shows up with a suit on -- and will sweat for two hours in it. He's committed, man." 4. He speaks his mind, whether you like it or not. What is celebrity status if it doesn't include a few beefs here and there? Pitbull has had his share of run-ins with other stars including Lindsay Lohan, who lost a defamation lawsuit against him after he rapped in a song, "I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan" in reference to her highly publicized arrests. Rapper Lil Wayne also ran afoul of Pitbull after ranting against his beloved Miami Heat. Pitbull went so far as to record a "diss track" called "Welcome to Dade County." 5. He is inspiring the next generation to be successful like him. As Lil Wayne learned the hard way, Pitbull takes both Miami and sports seriously. But beyond recording music about it, he is using that passion to help shape the future. He helped create the Sports Leadership and Management Academy, aka SLAM, a charter school in Miami with a sports-based curriculum. "The reason it's so special is cause (the kids) are me," Pitbull said. "I can say (to them), 'I can tell you what's going on in your house right now. I know. I feel you. I've been there.' ... If we catch them at that little age, mold their minds, teach them what it is to be motivated, self-inspire, believe in themselves because coming from the neighborhood we came from no one believed in us ... this is changing the world little by little."
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Pitbull is an accomplished businessman .
His stage name has a meaning .
Pitbull has had run-ins with other celebs .
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0f955eb5368bc1d1e6c5ab991cd9b67e9a00cec0
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Kim Sears and Andy Murray are back on home turf after an eventful trip to Australia. The newly-engaged couple landed at Heathrow airport from Melbourne via Dubai on Tuesday - and And, 27, managed to give waiting fans a thumbs-up, despite losing out to Novak Djokovic. The Serbian triumphed over Murray during an intense four-set battle to win his fifth Australian Open - but it wasn't only Andy hogging the headlines. Scroll down for video . Kim Sears looks laidback in a patterned scarf and jeans after landing at Heathrow airport from Melbourne via Dubai following the Australian Open, where her fiance lost out to Novak Djokovic . Kim, 27, caused a storm of controversy after she was caught out on national television, unleashing a torrent of swear words during the semis. Ms Sears, who looked fresh and natural as she made her way through the airport today, earned plaudits as she attended the final in a jumper that humorously declared: 'parental advisory: explicit content.' Today, a make-up free Kim swapped her much talked about T-shirt for a cosy grey jumper, jeans, a colourful print scarf and her favourite French Sole leopard pumps. She wore her famous glossy locks in a relaxed ponytail and greeted a waiting friend with a kiss. The usually reserved Kim became an internet sensation over the past week when she wore a black T-shirt branded with the phrase 'Parental Advisory Explicit Content'. Kim and Andy push their luggage through the airport after Kim caused a storm of controversy after she was caught out on national television, unleashing a torrent of swear words during the semis . Despite the incident, the pair looked happy to be home as they greeted a waiting friend . Former Wimbledon champ Andy gave waiting fans a thumbs-up, despite losing out to Novak Djokovic . Moments after the Channel Seven camera first showed Ms Sears' hilarious response to her critics, social media erupted with messages of approval. Within ten minutes, the young painter was trending worldwide, receiving praise for her self deprecating sense of humour. Novak Djokovic went on to defeat Andy Murray in an intense four-set battle, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0, to claim his fifth Australian Open title. In response to the backlash over Sear's foulmouthed rant, her father jokingly joined in with the international condemnation, calling it 'disgraceful behaviour'. Nigel Sears, a coach and pundit, was asked about his daughter's expletive-filled tirade as she watched fiancée Andy Murray overcome Thomas Berdych in a heated Australian Open semi-final on Thursday. The 57-year-old joked: 'she's always had a potty mouth - gets it from her mother of course' before expressing his surprise that Miss Sears' 'feisty' support had created such a furore. Kim Sears was all smiles as she showed off her hilarious slogan jumper at the Australian Open, making fun of her swearing rant during the Australian Open semi final . With a nonchalant flick of her hair, Kim Sears won teems of fans on Social Media due to the sense of humour she showed with her jumper, which announced: 'Parental Advisory: Explicit Content' Djokovic holds up the winner's trophy next to runner up Murray after a fiery four-set Australian Open final . Ms Sears expresses her emotions court-side as she watches her fiance Andy Murray lose the first set . Kim Sears is pensive (left) and then celebrates with a clenched fist (right) as Andy Murray wins a point during his clash against Novak Djokovic . Speaking to EuroSport, he said: 'Quite amazing how much has been made of this - but it's pretty emotional in that box when you're close to someone... and it was a feisty match. 'They've been together a long time, and it just goes with the territory. Andy's a huge figure in the game, so naturally her association with him means there's always going to be a certain spotlight on Kim. 'I think by and large she deals with it extremely well.I think people are reading a lot into this.' Miss Sears sent Twitter into meltdown after the usually poised blonde appeared to hurl a string of expletives towards Czech player Tomas Berdych in one of several heated moments during the clash. Kim Sears appeared to unleash a foul-mouthed tirade while watching tennis playing fiancée Andy Murray overcome Thomas Berdych in a heated Australian Open semi-final on Thursday . Miss Sears sent Twitter into meltdown after the usually poised 27-year-old appeared to hurl a string of expletives towards Czech player Tomas Berdych . As tensions boiled over, the devoted supporter was caught on camera appearing to mouth 'F*****g have that, you Czech flash f***', or 'Take that, you flash f**k'. The clip, which was recorded after the camera zoomed in on Ms Sears, sparked an online frenzy, with hundreds both amused and shocked by the outburst from Murray's usually-demure other half. The tennis star quickly jumped to the defence of his fiancée and said the seemingly uncharacteristic episode was down to 'a lot of tension' whipped up before the match. However, the shoe was on the other foot during the final with Ms Sears' fiance launching into an expletive-filled rant during the third set. Murray became enraged, screaming swear words and making accusations about his opponent who soon went on to win the set. 'Don't worry about him, he does it all the time,' Murray repeatedly told the chair umpire when Djokovic complained about an injury. 'Jesus, f***! F***,' Murray repeatedly yelled, clearly forgetting the backlash his fiancee faced for using the same word. 'So unhelpful! It's so unhelpful. So unhelpful,' Murray proceeded to rant inexplicably. Andy Murray went on his own expletive-riddled tirade during the match, screaming swear words and ranting . The pair, both 27, had been together for nine years when Murray proposed in November last year .
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Andy, 27, and Kim flew in from Melbourne via Dubai today .
Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray to win his fifth Australian Open .
Kim, 27, mouthed 'F*****g have that' at Murray's opponent in the semis .
She arrived to final wearing 'Parental Advistory: Explicit Content' jumper .
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An Egyptian court today sentenced 21 people to death after they were involved in a riot following a football match in which 74 people were killed. The controversial verdict prompted further bloodshed, as 30 people were killed during reactionary riots outside the Mediterranean city of Port Said's main jail today. The unrest is part of a wave of violence that has swept Egypt, leaving a total of . 38 people dead in two days. Scroll down for videos . Decision: Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly club, one of the clubs involved in the violence last year, celebrate as 21 people were sentenced to death for their part in the violence . Unrest: Eight people have died n riots following the decision, as Egyptian security officials said the military had been deployed to Port Said to deal with unrest . Tragic: A judge has sentenced 21 people to death following the riot between fans of Port Said's Al-Masry and Cairo's Al-Ahly, in February last year . Support: Relatives of those killed in the violence last February cheer the decision in a court room in Cairo on . Today, Britain called for 'maximum restraint' and strongly condemned the violence. On Friday, 11 people were killed in clashes between . police and protesters who were marking the second anniversary of the . uprising that overthrew longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. President Mohammed Morsi canceled a . scheduled trip to Ethiopia Saturday and instead met for the first time . with top generals as part of the newly formed National Defense Council. The violence in Port Said followed . the court decision when angry relatives of those sentenced tried to . storm the prison to free the defendants, shooting dead two police . officers, according to reports. Egyptian . security officials said the military had been deployed to the city, . where most of those sentenced are from, as police became embroiled in . violent clashes with protestors. Officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at those demonstrating, who feel aggrieved that they are shouldering the blame for the riots. The violence during the match last year was the world's worst football related disaster in 15 years. Fans of Al-Ahly, whose stands were . attacked by rival club Al-Masry in the . Mediterranean city of Port Said, had promised more violence if the . accused did not receive death sentences. Families of the those killed during the disorder wailed in the courtroom as the judge gave the sentence, while some shouted 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for God is great . One man fainted, while others wailed and cried in disbelief as they carried pictures of the young men killed in the soccer riot. Relief: A man, wearing a picture of his relative, reacts after the verdict. Family members shouted 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for God is great . Sentencing: The judge will sentence a further 52 people, charged in connection with the riots, in March . The judge said in his statement, read . live on state TV, that he would announce the verdict for the remaining . 52 defendants at a later date. While many of those on trial included alleged football hooligans, nine security officials also face charges. The death sentences will be sent to a top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for approval, as is customary in Egypt. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said the violence which has been seen in the past two days 'can have no place in a truly democratic Egypt'. 'I am deeply concerned by reports of violent clashes resulting in a . number of deaths and injuries, following demonstrations to mark the . second anniversary of the 25 January revolution and the verdict in the . Port Said court case today,' he said. 'This cannot help the process of dialogue which we encourage as vital . for Egypt today, and we must condemn the violence in the strongest . terms. Desperation: Thousands of desperate supporters trying to board a train after fleeing from the stadium . 'We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that . all protests remain peaceful. I offer the condolences of the UK to the . families of all the victims.' The UK remained 'committed as a strong friend of Egypt and the Egyptian . people to support the aim of strengthening true democracy', he went on. 'The right to peaceful freedom of expression and assembly is an . essential part of this, but the violence we have seen today can have no . place in a truly democratic Egypt.' Many violent soccer fans, known as Ultras, have taken a leading role in protests over the past two years. Both . Al-Ahly Ultras and Al-Masry Ultras widely believe that ex-members of . the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak helped instigate the attack. The police are also accused of gross negligence over their handling of the incident. Running for cover: Players involved in a tie between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly had to flee Port Said Stadium during the riots which claimed 74 lives . Revenge: Fans of al-Ahly had promised more violence if the accused did not receive death sentences . Chaos: Egyptian football fans rush to the pitch during the riots. Another 52 people are awaiting sentencing . It is not clear what kind of . evidence, if any, was presented to the court to back up claims that the . attack had been orchestrated by regime officials. All of the defendants - who were not . present in the courtroom today for security reasons - have the right to . appeal against the verdict. The clashes occurred during a match between Port Said's Al-Masry and Cairo's Al-Ahly, the country's most successful club, on February 1 last year. The final whistle prompted more than . 13,000 home fans, armed with knives, iron bars and machetes, to storm . the pitch and attack rival Al-Ahly players and their 1,200 supporters. Authorities shut off the stadium lights after the game, plunging it into darkness. In the exit corridor, the fleeing . crowd pressed against a chained gate until it broke open. Many were . crushed under the crowd of people trying to flee. In the days leading up to the . verdict, Al-Ahly fans warned of bloodshed and 'retribution' if death . sentences were not handed down. Hundreds of Al-Ahly fans gathered . outside the Cairo sports club in anticipation of the verdict, chanting . against the police and the government. While there has long been bad blood . between the two rival teams, many blamed police for failing to perform . usual searches for weapons at the stadium. The Ultras, . are among Egypt's rowdiest and are proud of their hatred for the police, . who were the backbone of Mubarak's authoritarian rule. The Ultras from Egypt's sports clubs . were engaged in deadly clashes with police near the Interior Ministry . headquarters in Cairo that killed 42 people less than three months . before the soccer melee in Port Said. Attack: More than 13,000 home fans, armed with knives, iron bars and machetes, to storm the pitch and attack rival Al-Ahly players and their 1,200 supporters . Arson: Supporters of ousted president Hosni Mubarak were blamed for instigating the riots, in which parts of the Port Said stadium were set on fire . VIDEO: Violent reaction in Cairo to Port Said stadium disaster verdict . VIDEO: Scenes from stadium after fans went on rampage .
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Families of those sentenced tried to storm jail in Port Said to free prisoners .
More than 200 people were also injured, state television reported .
Violence broke out during match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly last February .
The riot in Port Said was the worst football-related violence in 15 years .
Violence also broke out during marches to mark second anniversary of uprising in which former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was ousted .
Britain called for 'maximum restraint' and strongly condemned the violence .
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The gold -- no, scratch that -- platinum envelopes have been opened to reveal Condé Nast Traveler's 18th annual "hot list," highlighting what it says are the best hotels to debut in the past year. Editors from the luxury vacation mag examined hundreds of swanky venues from Beijing to the Big Apple to pinpoint their favorites, a tough job after which they likely deserve a well-earned vacation. This year's list of 33 finalists is described as the most selective ever. It certainly seems that way -- in 2013 no fewer than 154 were chosen. Some 510 hotels from 400 cities and 93 countries were scored for "sense of place," "personality" and "intuition" -- which apparently means meeting your needs before you know what your needs are. The venues were split into seven categories, including the best beach hotels, family hotels, design hotels and "way-out-there" remote hotels. The list also celebrates "over-the-top" establishments, such as Venice's Amal Canal Grande. It also includes "bargain hotels" -- but this being Condé Nast Traveler, slumming it means you still won't get much change out of $300 a night. Best beach hotels . Andaz Maui at Wailea (Hawaii) Mukul Resort (Guacalito de la Isla, Nicaragua) Nizuc Resport and Spa (Cancún, Mexico) Point Yamu by COMO (Phuket, Thailand) Salt House Inn (Provincetown, Massachusetts) Best family hotels . Andaz Peninsula Papagayo (Costa Rica) La Bandita Townhouse (Tuscany, Italy) Palihouse Santa Monica (Los Angeles) The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba (Aruba) Best food hotel . Domaine de la Baume (Tourtour, France) Park Hyatt Siem Reap (Cambodia) Thompson Chicago (Chicago) The Vines Resort & Spa (Tunuyán, Argentina) The Wild Rabbit (Kingham, England) Zero George Street (Charleston, South Carolina) Best bargain hotels . American Trade Hotel (Panama City, Panama) The Dean (Providence, Rhode Island) The Line Hotel (Los Angeles) The Marlton Hotel (New York) The Temple Hotel (Beijing) Best design hotels . Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles) Hotel B (Lima, Peru) Hotel d'Angleterre (Copenhagen, Denmark) Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai (Shanghai) The London Edition (London) Best over-the-top hotels . Aman Canal Grande Venice (Italy) Cheval Blanc Randheli (Maldives) Four Seasons Lion Palace St. Petersburg (Russia) The Chedi Andermatt (Switzerland) Rosewood London (London) Best way-out-there hotels . Amanoi (Nui Chua National Park, Vietnam) Fogo Island Inn (Newfoundland, Canada) Segera Retreat (Laikipia Plateau, Kenya)
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Condé Nast Traveler says this year's list of 33 new hotels is its most selective yet .
Categories include beach, family, food, bargain, design and "way-out-there"
Editors tried out 510 hotels from 400 cities to narrow the list .
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Phil Mickelson could get his wish after Paul Azinger said on Monday he was open to a second spell as US Ryder Cup captain. Mickelson caused controversy on Sunday when, within two hours of the United States suffering a third straight defeat in the biennial contest, he criticised the approach of captain Tom Watson. With Watson sitting just a few feet away, Mickelson - who had been left out of a full day's play on Saturday for the first time in 10 Ryder Cup appearances - stated his support for the methods of Azinger, who captained the side to their last win at Valhalla in 2008. Phil Mickelson (left) alongside Tom Watson, who he criticised swiftly after the conclusion of the Ryder Cup . Tom Watson's (pictured) captaincy produced a 16½ - 11½ loss for the USA . Phil Mickelson plays out of a bunker on the 17th hole at Gleneagles, Scotland on Sunday . 'Unfortunately we have strayed from a winning formula for the last three Ryder Cups and we need to consider maybe getting back to that formula that helped us play our best,' Mickelson said. Asked if he would captain the side again, Azinger told USA Today: 'I'm not going to rule anything out.' The 54-year-old said the United States needed to move away from appointing 'lone wolf' captains, instead copying the European model of selecting players who had experience of the Ryder Cup as vice-captains. 'The PGA of America (which appoints the captain) has officers that move up the ranks, getting sage advice along the way, and then many of them stick around and keep offering advice,' Azinger said. 'I think the PGA of America should recognize their business model is exactly the same as what Europe uses in selecting a captain.' Team Europe celebrate with their partners following their Ryder Cup win on Sunday . Paul Azinger, pictured holding the Ryder Cup, was captain when the USA last overcame Europe . Tom Watson (centre) shakes hands with winning captain Paul McGinley shortly before Europe's win was confirmed on Sunday afternoon . Of the past 10 US captains, only two had previously been vice-captains. 'There is a razor-thin line between winning and losing these matches,' Azinger added. 'Europe has the intangible right now. They give themselves the extra one per cent chance to win through its business model and cohesiveness. 'Even if you play blackjack perfectly in a casino, the casino still has a very slight edge against you. Right now Europe is the casino and the US is the guy walking to the blackjack table with a fistful of 50s.' Mickelson's comments, and the timing of them, drew fierce criticism with former PGA Tour player Brandel Chamblee, who now works as an analyst for the Golf Channel, saying: 'That was as close to a one-man mutiny as I have ever seen. I think that's a moment that Phil would like to have back. Phil Mickelson speaking to the media in the aftermath of the USA's Ryder Cup defeat at Gleneagles . Then USA captain Paul Azinger waves his country's flag after their 2008 Ryder Cup win . 'If you are looking for a reason why the US continues to lose you just saw it, you saw it in one man, Phil Mickelson. 'Phil Mickelson, along with the best players of that era, have so corrupted the experience of the Ryder Cup for their fellow competitors by not having records anywhere near where they should given their rank in the game.' Azinger's success was based on a 'pod' system which involved creating three groups of four players and allowing them to have a major influence on decisions, while Watson appeared to rely almost exclusively on his opinion and that of his vice-captains. Asked whether he was consulted in any of the decision-making at Gleneagles, Mickelson said: 'No. Nobody here was, in any decision.' Watson had said in the build-up that he would use a modified version of Azinger's pod system, but added on Sunday: 'I didn't discount it. I just had a different philosophy right off the bat. 'He (Mickelson) has a difference of opinion. That's okay. My management philosophy is different than his.'
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Phil Mickelson caused controversy on Sunday when he openly criticised Tom Watson's captaincy methods less than two hours after close of play .
Mickelson cited Paul Azinger as being a better Ryder Cup captain, and praised his captaincy at the USA's last win at Valhalla in 2008 .
Paul Azinger admits he would be open to a second spell as captain, and has refused to rule it out .
Azinger also stated that the USA need to move away from appointing 'lone wolf' captains, to instead copy Europe's selection process .
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Makhachkala, Dagestan (CNN) -- At least four people are dead and 44 are injured after two bombs exploded Monday in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, the Ministry of Health's website says. Thirty-one of the injured were hospitalized, it says. The incident -- which occurred in Makhachkala, capital of the semi-autonomous republic of Dagestan -- also caused significant damage. Security officials say they believe law enforcement officers may have been the target because the explosion occurred outside a local marshal's building. One car bomb was discovered by a police patrol, who called in a unit to defuse it. Before that could be done, the bomb went off, but the explosion was minor, security officials said. Then, as a crowd of people gathered, a second, more powerful device detonated, causing the casualties. An Islamic insurgency has taken hold in the North Caucasus and there is a strong presence of Islamic militants fighting Moscow's rule. READ MORE: Dagestan violence kills at least 5 . Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- the suspects in the Boston Marathon terror attack last month -- had ties with the region. The brothers are ethnic Chechens who lived in Kyrgyzstan and Dagestan. Authorities who've been investigating how the brothers became radicalized are interested in a trip Tamerlan Tsarnaev took to Dagestan last year. Russian authorities asked U.S. officials to investigate Tsarnaev before the trip, saying they believed he was becoming increasingly involved with radical Islam. The FBI investigated, but found no evidence of extremist activity, FBI Director Robert Mueller told a Senate committee. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is in custody. His older brother died after a shootout with police just outside Boston days after the bombing. READ MORE: Keys to Boston attack could lie half a world away in restive region of Russia . Russia has been on edge over militant activity and its security forces announced on Monday that they foiled a terror attack planned for Moscow. A spokesman at the National Anti-Terror Committee said security forces killed two militants and detained another. All three are described as Russian citizens trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said. Security forces conducted their operation in the Orekhovo-Zuevo region of the Moscow suburbs. "They were planning a terror attack in Moscow," the spokesman said. No civilians were injured during the operation, but one Federal Security Service officer was wounded, state news agency Ria Novosti reported, citing an unnamed security source. The source said the attack was planned for central Moscow. Former Chechen rebel: 'I have nothing to do with' Boston bombings . CNN's Alla Eschenko contributed to this report .
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Two bombs exploded outside a local marshal's building, the Ministry of Health says .
The first explosion was minor; the second went off as a crowd gathered .
The Boston Marathon bombing suspects hail from the North Caucasus .
In Moscow, security forces say a terror plot is foiled .
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0f9cff259cbce2077eb7b5a6ea4cf472074fc133
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San Diego (CNN) -- As we try to grasp the enormity of the crisis involving at least 57,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border looking for safe haven, Americans should stop casting blame and be realistic. We always look for an endpoint, a limit, a boundary. When we're told about a budget shortfall, we want the exact numbers so we can assess the damage. We'll settle for an approximation. "Give me a ballpark figure," we say. But sometimes, it's not that simple. Recently, my sources in Texas who have been close to the border kids story since the start -- and have batted 1.000 in terms of the accuracy of their reports -- have been giving me a dire warning. It's the equivalent of: "You ain't seen nothing yet." Many Americans are angry and frustrated over the government's handling of the border kids calamity. The Obama administration -- which, according to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, was warned by state officials in the Lone Star State that this was happening as early as 2012 and obviously didn't do enough to prepare -- estimates that by the end of this year, as many as 90,000 young people will have crossed the border into the American Southwest. Opinion: Send U.S. marshals to the border . Then there are the tag-alongs. Looking for jobs, and seizing on the opportunity presented by the fact that so many border patrol agents are preoccupied caring for the children, an unknown number of adults from Mexico are riding the kids' coattails right into the United States. It's a total mess. But what if what we're witnessing now is just the beginning? What if the real wave is yet to come? My sources tell me that it is well-known that in the Rio Grande Valley, there are tens or even hundreds of thousands of people from Central America -- mostly women and children -- in northern Mexico right now, waiting for their chance to cross into the United States. We should stop looking for an endpoint. This story has no end in sight. As a journalist, every week, I start with a dozen new angles to explore. By the beginning of next week, there will be a dozen more. Make no mistake. We will be dealing with this crisis not for weeks or months but probably for years. People will keep coming. And with every wave, new angles will appear. It is hubris for U.S. officials to believe that any one course of action can stop the flood of desperate people fleeing violence, poverty and oppression. The most we can hope for is to be able to manage this crisis for the next few years. Only six weeks ago, this story was limited to how we were going to respond to a mass exodus of brave and desperate children and teenagers being ferried across the U.S.-Mexico border by unscrupulous Mexican smugglers after escaping the clutches of ruthless street gangs in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Then it grew to involve the perils of a porous border and the litany of horrible things that can happen, on both sides of the line, when you advertise to the world that your country's backdoor is unlocked and you don't have the manpower to keep order and prevent violence, crime and lawlessness. Now that -- heaven help the children -- the politicians have become involved, the story has become about how neither the White House nor Congress, neither Democrats nor Republicans, have the foggiest idea about how to deal with the problem, since all we're hearing are bad and simplistic solutions that tell us that most of our leaders don't know the first thing about what they see as the foreign world of the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaking of simplistic solutions, the Obama administration this week deported the first batch of undocumented women and children to Honduras. Don't expect the deportees to even bother unpacking. Unless the horrendous violence and poverty that pushed them out has been magically eradicated in the past several months, they will soon return to the United States. Opinion: What Obama could learn on the border . Here's what this chapter of the story is really about: The scope of the problem. It's about numbers and tally sheets that we're afraid to imagine. It's about how many people will come and how long this surge will go on. Many Americans, particularly those in the Southwest, are in full panic mode. And so they're doing what they always do in the face of adversity: They're digging in their heels, rolling up their sleeves, stiffening their backbones -- and blaming Mexico. They demand to know why Mexico isn't stopping the border kids from going north. To be fair, from media reports and interviews with Central American kids who tried to get out but were captured in Mexico and deported back home, it does seem like our neighbor is stopping some of them. Yet Mexico couldn't stop all of these kids at its southern border any more than we could stop them at ours. There are just too many of them. In both countries, we're learning the same lesson: Walls and guards can't stop the determined and the desperate, the oppressed and the hungry. Americans couldn't stop the first wave of child refugees, and it's not clear if we can stop the second or third. But let's at least be ready for it and make sure we don't repeat our mistakes. Politicians like to talk about how we have to "do right" by these kids, but doing the right thing requires staying ahead of this story and bracing for the least desirable outcome. Let's stop looking for simple solutions and a finish line. This crisis doesn't have either one. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
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Ruben Navarrette: Some might think the border crisis is a short-term concern .
He says the flow of people across the border is likely to continue .
U.S. efforts to turn back, or send back, immigrant children won't stem the tide, he says .
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0f9d4403ddbf40549d6cce1dee47302539c81f92
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(CNN) -- The folks at Amazon and Google must have been wringing their hands on Monday when Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed off a new service called iTunes Match. That all-important "one more thing" from Apple's software presentation is part of the iCloud Web application and storage suite. It was a coup of sorts -- and Apple's win over competitors could be attributed to Jobs' experience at Pixar Animation Studios, which he co-founded. Here's what Apple pulled off: With a free iCloud account, all songs purchased from iTunes can be accessed from any Apple gadget or computer with iTunes installed. (Amazon has done something similar with Cloud Drive.) For $25 a year, iTunes in the Cloud stores a maximum of 25,000 songs on Apple's servers, ready to access from various gizmos. And, importantly, Apple did this with the blessing of the music industry. Amazon and Google, on the other hand, couldn't get the record labels to agree to their terms. Cloud Drive and Google's Music Beta require users to upload every single track to their servers, a process that can take hours or days. Apple, the largest music retailer, somehow managed to convince the labels and publishers to go along with its plan to use a scan-and-match process. iTunes Match looks at the user's music library and grants the keys to high-quality versions of those songs. It uses a don't-ask-don't-tell policy: Napster who? How did Apple pull off something Amazon and Google couldn't, despite them launching cloud-music services first? For one, Apple has a history with the music industry as long as any technology company's. "It's really hard to get the labels to give you the rights that you need," Jobs said in a 2003 interview at the first All Things Digital conference. "And I don't see them sprinkling those rights around everywhere, letting a thousand flowers grow quite yet." In that interview eight years ago, Jobs described the vast divide between technology and entertainment executives, and he talked about how he bridged it. "One of the things I learned at Pixar is the technology industries and the content industries do not understand each other," he said. "In Silicon Valley and at most technology companies, I swear that most people still think the creative process is a bunch of guys in their early 30s, sitting on a couch, drinking beer and thinking of jokes. No, they really do. That's how television is made, they think; that's how movies are made." Likewise, record executives can't relate to technical people, Jobs said. "People in Hollywood and in the content industries, they think technology is something you just write a check for and buy," Jobs said. "They don't understand the creative element of technology. "These are like ships passing in the night," the Apple co-founder added. Music execs also may have seen Google as an enemy because its search engine is a popular place to find websites serving pirated albums, according to an article in the Hollywood Reporter. For the ribbon-cutting of the iTunes Store in 2003, Apple broke through the barriers with a list of predictions, Jobs said. Apple executives provided the record labels with a glimpse into their crystal ball, and nine months later, Jobs' team was getting calls from the music companies, he said. "The record companies, the most important thing they do is not distribute music," Jobs said. "It's picking which of 500 people are going to be the next Sheryl Crow. That's what they do. And some of them do it quite well. And it's an intuitive process. There's not enough data." (Hey, Sheryl Crow, remember her?) "It's not surprising that they didn't understand Napster," Jobs said. "It's not surprising that they didn't understand that distributing their content over the Internet was the next big wave." Because technology companies treat record labels like clearing houses for content, Silicon Valley bigwigs have trouble getting through the door, Jobs suggested. So it was perhaps Jobs' expertise from Pixar, during his exodus period from Apple, that has given him the edge to secure risky deals with entertainment giants first.
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Apple is the first big tech company to secure cloud music storage deals .
The record companies may have taken a bet on Apple because of their history together .
Steve Jobs said technology companies don't see eye to eye with entertainment execs .
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0f9d7d4e871c97d395cf1e114ff31de2b0d49abc
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:47 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:12 EST, 10 October 2013 . Gone are the days when busy users had to choose between following their Twitter feeds and watching their favorite TV shows – now they will be able to do both simultaneously. Twitter and Comcast have signed a partnership that will let viewers access TV shows using a new remote control feature and buy movie tickets directly from a tweet, deepening the short messaging service’s ties to television programming. The two companies announced today that a new feature that is part of the deal will let customers of Comcast’s Xfinify TV service tune in to programs by clicking a ‘See It’ button in a tweet. The button will begin appearing in tweets next month. Clicker of tomorrow: Twitter and Comcast . teamed up to create the 'See It' button that will be appearing in tweets . about shows and allowing users to tune in live or set a DVR recording . The feature enables viewers to tune in to a live or On Demand show like Sunday Night Football or the hit reality show ‘The Voice’ through their set-top box or mobile device. In a statement, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts called it ‘an instant online remote control.’ The button will allow Twitter users who are also Comcast customers to set recordings on their DVRs, tune in to shows like The Voice online, on TV or on mobile devices directly through a tweet. Twitter users who do not subscribe to Comcast will be redirected to NBC's website or app to watch shows there. They can also purchase mobile movie tickets through Fandango. Partners: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts (right) called the innovation 'an instant online remote control,' which according to Twitter CEO Dick Costolo (left), will allow users to tune in directly from a tweet . Join the club: The 'See It' feature will be available to customers of Comcast's Xfinify TV service; other Twitter users will be redirected to NBC's website . In the current TV season, shows on NBC, USA, Bravo, MSNBC and other networks will be accessible through the ‘See It’ button. Comcast and Twitter said they are in talks with other TV networks and companies that will use the feature in the coming months. The hope is the ‘See It’ button will become as ubiquitous as the Facebook ‘like.’ Media companies will also have a better sense of how to target Twitter efforts since they will be armed with aggregate data of people watching programs. ‘We will know how many of those tweets generate consumption back on TV,’ said Sam Schwartz, Comcast chief business development officer. Twitter’s deal with the nation’s . largest cable company comes as the social media giant prepares for an . IPO of stock, which could occur as soon as next month. The . 140-character messaging platform is setting its sights on grabbing a . piece of the TV advertising market - the first stop for brands that . spend billions of dollars a year for TV commercials. The . agreement is more expansive than the advertising partnerships Twitter . has signed recently with TV content providers such as CBS and the NFL. But it does have an advertising component, which adds NBCUniversal’s . properties to Twitter’s Amplify program. Tweet flicks: Twitter users also will be able to buy mobile movie tickets through Fandango . Amplify lets TV content owners beam real-time video clips to Twitter users who may have seen —or could be interested in — their programming. It also allows marketers to communicate with viewers who saw their TV ads, extending commercial pitches to consumers’ smartphones and tablets. ‘Twitter is where television viewers come to talk about what they’re watching on TV when they’re watching it,’ Dick Costolo, Twitter’s CEO, said in a statement. ‘Millions of users are exposed to the live conversation that unfolds on Twitter while a show is on the air and now, with See It, they’ll be able to tune in directly from a Tweet.’
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'See It' button allowing customers of Comcast's Xfinity TV service will begin appearing in tweets in November .
Button enables users to watch live TV and record shows on NBC, USA, Bravo and MSNBC .
Twitter users who don't subscribe to Comcast will be redirected to NBC's website .
Users can also purchase mobile movie tickets through Fandango on Twitter .
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0f9de9c3e4f1d0d039b58041c54d3e8a3d4fe13d
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With awards season in full swing, and best-dressed lists being quietly curated, the pressure is on for A-listers to pull out showstopping look after look on the red carpet. Luckily for Tinseltown's leading ladies, they can rely on expert advice from those whose sole job it is to pick out an outfit that's going to garner headlines for all the right reasons. One stylist shaking things up in Hollywood is Micaela Erlanger, a savvy 29-year-old who has the power to transform actresses from relative obscurity to global style icons. Scroll down for video . Micaela Erlanger (left), a savvy 29-year-old stylist, left, is shaking things up on the red carpet. She began working with Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery (right) who then introduced her to Lupita Nyong'o . Her work on Lupita Nyong'o is a case in point. When the 12 Years A Slave star stepped out at last year's Oscars in a flowing blue Prada gown, with a slashed yet sophisticated neckline, she became a style icon. Of course, Micaela, whose first client was Joely Richardson for the Anonymous and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo press tours, was behind the look. Micaela and Lupita were introduced by another stylish screen star; Michelle Dockery. Lupita was a little-known Kenyan actress working on movie Non-Stop with Michelle, who said to her: ‘When you’re ready, I have the perfect stylist for you.' The rest was history. Michaela helped transform the red carpet, which, in the late 90s, was awash with prom dresses loved by Gwyneth Paltrow and the Princess look, as championed by Penelope Cruz. Michelle Dockery, resplendent in Rosie Assoulin, met Micaela through her make-up artist . When the 12 Years A Slave star Lupita Nyong'o stepped out at last year's Oscars, left, in a flowing blue Prada gown, with a slashed yet sophisticated neckline, she became a muse. Her red Ralph Lauren gown at last year's Golden Globes was also exquisite . Lupita Nyong'o looking chic in a Giambattista Valli couture dress at the Marie Claire Fresh Faces Party in 2014, left, and pushing the style boundaries in Prada at last year's MET Ball . The 31-year-old actress's striking minimalist style curated by Micaela has had the fashion world buzzing. Hits have included her silk Prada jersey maxidress with ethereal gold lattice embroidery at the Toronto Film Festival for the premiere of 12 Years A Slave. Her striking red Ralph Lauren number from the Golden Globes was simple yet stunning, while her punky Chanel gown at the MTV Movie Awards showed her ability to experiment with trends. Manhattan-born, Connecticut-raised Micaela, who studied at Parsons the New School for Design, turns to trusted and classic designers, such as Carolina Herrera, great Hollywood couturier Valentina and Chanel but works to pick a dress that reflects her client's personality and tastes. Lupita, for example, landed on every glossy magazine's best-dressed list thanks to her fresh, modern, and compellingly confident style; Micaela helps her take risks but in a wearable way. According to Vanity Fair, Micaela, who began working for the late Annabel Tollman, who was known for styling Scarlett Johansson, creates private Pinterest boards for each client. Here, as well as via text, she shares her ideas with them and what looks and styles she thinks would suit them. 'It's a conversation, a collaboration, down to a T,' she said of the process. Michelle Dockery, left, in a form-fitting Barbara Casasola dress at the Lovegold lunch last January, and, right, at 2013's Emmy Awards in a two-tone Prada gown in ruby-red satin and burgundy silk . 'We're always looking to tell a story through image. In some ways, I almost feel that the red carpet is the runway now and it’s up to, in some part, the talented actors and actresses that walk that red carpet to show the world what fashion can be.' Speaking about Micaela's influence on the red carpet, Lydia Jones, founder of wantherwardrobe.com, said: 'Micaela is what every A-lister wants in their life: a friend, fashion insider and super stylist all tied into one. 'She has all the best designers - both established and budding - on speed dial and actually takes the time to get to know her clients and figure out what works for them. She turns to fashion-insider favorites, such as Suno, power players like Prada and fledgling designers such as Rosie Assoulin, who Michelle Dockery looks phenomenal in.' Micaela, pictured with Olivia Munn, creates private Pinterest boards for each client and shares her ideas with them . Micaela, who studied at Parsons the New School for Design, turns to trusted and classic designers when dressing her clients . Micaela won't be the only stylist working overtime around awards season - and it seems most stars have a go-to fashion expert on speed dial. Elizabeth Olsen's on-trend red carpet style has often impressed the fashion pack. But the American Godzilla actress revealed it is thanks to no natural flair of her own. The 25-year-old admitted she was forced to seek the services of Cher Coulter, a celebrity stylist, in order to keep up with the fashionable Hollywood starlets that surround her when she first started out. The younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen told The Hollywood Reporter: 'There's no way you can figure it all out, especially when you are working on films. You literally have to use a stylist. 'Whatever you wear is like a huge statement out to the world so you have to have someone help you figure it all out.' Red carpet fashion in the 90s was a whole different story, as proved by Kim Basinger, left, in mint green Escada at the 1998 Oscars and Helena Bonham Carter, right, in an off-pink prom-esque gown at the same event . Gwyneth Paltrow in a candy coloured prom gown as she arrives for the 71st annual Academy Awards in 1999, left, and Uma Thurman at the same event . Fast-forward to 2007 and the red carpet was still all about feathers, drama and show-stopping gowns . The actress added that she 'had no clue' what to wear when she began making public appearances. She said: 'I didn't even like to wear dresses to begin with.' It wasn't until the late 1980s that the 'stylist' was born, with Giorgio Armani being hailed as the gamechanger. He dressed A-listers such as Julia Robers and Jodie Foster in his designs and others began to follow suit. The classic silhouettes of the Nineties were the strapless mermaid look, and the waisted ball gown, loved by Gwyneth Paltrow. Retro glamour was the order of the day but now, stars want to stand out from the crowd and are opting for more spontaenous and somewhat risque designs. Luckily for today's stars, red carpet fashion has come a long way since the 90s. Gone are the days when stars - Cate Blanchett (left, at the Golden Globes in 1999 and, Jennifer Aniston in 2003) - played it safe in black . Cher, left, at the Oscars in 1988, right, Celine Dion in a white tuxedo backwards to the Oscars in 1999 . There are, of course, moments in red carpet history that will go down as game changers. Remember when Cher wore her barely-there Bob Mackie gown to pick up her Best Actress Oscar in 1988? Or when Celine Dion chose to wear a white tuxedo backwards to the Oscars in 1999? These moments of true individuality have, ultimately, paved the way for new stars to be able to express themselves on red carpets the world over. Now, we are all a little disappointed if Jennifer Aniston just wears black, or if Reese Witherspoon chooses another strapless number. We want more from our celebrities. And thanks to the efforts of designers, a lot of whom create up to six collections a year, there are thousands of bold, unique, and sometimes hand-embellished couture dresses to pick from. A prom-style dress, or something that is 'old school' (and not in a good way), won't cut it anymore. Stars such as Tilda Swinton, Kate Hudson, Julianne Moore and Lupita are very much led by creative stylists who push boundaries. And it has made the world a much brighter place, fashion-wise. Stars like Kate Hudson, left, at the Oscars 2014, and Julianne Moore, right, at the Golden Globes, are very much led by creative stylists who push boundaries, shunning standard black dresses for more daring cuts and textures . The more extreme dressers, like Lady Gaga and Rihanna, are pushing the envelope even further, often championing new and emerging designers; something we wouldn't have seen years ago. And we mustn't forget the late, great Joan Rivers - the one fearless, say-what-she-thought red carpet critic who single-handily turned red carpets into a thing to be watched by the whole world. Speaking about the shift, celebrity dresser and HTC selfie stylist, Alexis Knox, who has worked with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Rita Ora, said: 'Red carpet style makes me so happy because it's not necessarily about sticking strictly to trends but more about wearing what you love and letting it be an extension of your personality. 'We've seen everything from tuxedos to top and skirt combos and while I think it's important to dress appropriately, you only get one shot on the red carpet so you may as well maximise your experience through your outfit. Getting ready is half the fun!'.
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Micaela Erlanger is a 29-year-old stylist renowned for her work with Michelle Dockery and Lupita Nyong'o .
She transformed 12 Years A Slave actress Lupita into a global style icon on the red carpet .
Is now being lauded as spearheading the evolution of the awards season dress .
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0f9ebc225e3b5d1c9bda9eaae0a90d637510695e
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Just three years ago, this was a run down house worth £575,000. But with a lot of love and devotion, its new owners transformed it into an ultra luxurious property. And now it has gone on the market for a cool £1.395million. This means that in three years it will have earned its owners £800,000 – about £660 a day. Scroll down for video . Unassuming: This house in south west has more than doubled in value over three years after a major revamp . Understated: The whole house is painted in ivory and many features are hidden, including a full rowing machine . The price of the house in Southfields, South-West London - on sale with Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward estate agents - is the latest example of London’s soaring property market. Yesterday, the Office for National Statistics said that house prices in the capital are rising by nearly 19 per cent a year, the second fastest rate since its records began. The average home in the capital now . costs £485,000, which means it will cross the landmark of £500,000 . within weeks if house prices continue to rocket. Laura and Andrew Blake bought the house in January 2011 from an elderly woman. Mr Blake, 42, who works for the project management company Lifestyle Homes, and his wife, a former primary school teacher, took it on as a renovation project. Hot property: The kitchen includes an instant boiling water tap so the couple never have to switch on a kettle . They installed a designer Jacuzzi, a rowing machine hidden under a trap door in the kitchen and a boiling water tap so they never have to switch on a kettle. They also have a double-sized ‘rain shower’ and a laundry chute leading away from each bedroom directly to the laundry room. In the garden they created a golf putting green and planted lemon trees lit by sensor lights to give them lemons all year round. Mrs Blake said: ‘We loved doing the project . and we’ve really enjoyed the space. I must admit we are pleased with the price.’ They now plan to move to another rundown house in the area and work their renovating magic on it. Green shoots of recovery: There is even a small area for putting practice for the two golf enthusiasts . Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show there is more mortgage debt in south-west London than there is in the whole of Wales. Homeowners in the area now owe a total of £29.4billion, compared to £28.6billion in Wales. Yesterday the Bank of England said it would ‘not hesitate’ to take urgent action, if needed, to cool the housing market. The governor Mark Carney said he was ‘fully aware’ that rock-bottom interest rates might encourage families into ‘excessive risk taking’, such as taking out a super-size mortgage which they can only afford when rates are low.
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Home in Southfields, London, was run-down and worth £575,000 in 2011 .
Laura and Andrew Blake turned it into an ultra-luxury home worth £1.4m .
It comes after ONS said house prices in capital are rising 19% a year .
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0f9f37a543106b59d48c8b97a45df763c414b614
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By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 07:02 EST, 15 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:02 EST, 15 December 2013 . EU migrants could see their access to benefits cut as the Government considers reducing the number of people allowed into the UK each year. A leaked document has shown the Government could propose that the cap on the number of migrants from EU countries allowed into the country is cut from 106,000 to 75,000 a year. The paper is also said to suggest that British people are given 'national preference' for jobs and that labour movement from poorer countries in Europe is limited. A leaked Home Office document, which blames EU freedom of movement policy for a rise in homelessness and begging, has suggested slashing the number of migrants allowed into the UK from 106,000 to 75,000 a year . The report suggests the policy has had a negative impact on young British people and low-skilled workers . The document suggests that the EU's freedom of movement policy has led to a rise in homelessness and begging in the UK and also encouraged people and drugs trafficking, according to The Sunday Times. In a review of the policy, the Home Office also reports that there is 'widespread public concern' about it and that it has had a negative impact on young British people and low-skilled workers. It suggests that migrants should be blocked from accessing benefits and tax credits for their first five years in the UK. The report also recommends that professional and high-skilled migrants from countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Austria only be permitted to move to the UK if they have a job offer. Low-skilled migrant workers, meanwhile, should only be allowed in if they find work on an approved national shortage jobs list. The review, which is a draft, is also said to have claimed that freedom of movement has caused a 'build-up of social tensions' in UK communities, stretched public services and encouraged benefits tourism. The newspaper reports that the proposed 75,000 cap is 'not yet' being strongly pushed by the Government, but adds that it may prove an important part of David Cameron's pledge to renegotiate the UK's relationship with Europe if he wins the 2015 General Election. The draft report recommends that migrants, some Romanians shown here in the Marble Arch area of London, be prevented from claiming benefits and tax credits for their first five years in the country . The paper reports that the proposed 75,000 cap is 'not yet' being strongly pushed by the Government, but adds that it may prove an important part of David Cameron's pledge to renegotiate the UK's relationship with Europe . The document, which remains in draft form, was supposed to be released last week, but has reportedly been held up by Liberal Democrats who feel it is too anti-Europe. In putting the case for reducing the cap on EU migrants allowed into the UK, the review also quotes police figures from 2012 showing that of 292 people arrested for begging in Westminster, 207 were Romanian. It also pointed to the fact that of 922 cases of rough sleeping in the same area, the majority were non-UK EU nationals. The Home Office declined to comment.
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Leaked document shows proposal for number of EU migrants allowed into the UK to be cut from 106,000 to 75,000 .
Review of EU's freedom of movement policy suggests British people be given 'national preference' for jobs and limiting labour movement .
Says there is 'widespread public concern' over policy, which has led to rise in homelessness, begging and people and drugs trafficking .
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0f9f9e84b2441d190eea9838162dccf35c850d0a
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By . Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:27 EST, 8 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:03 EST, 9 October 2012 . A wife who saw her husband killed by Mexican drug cartels as they jet-skied together on the Texas border has spoken of her relief after a crime boss was arrested over the murder. Tiffany Hartley was with her husband David Hartley on Lake Falcon when he was shot in the back of the head in 2010 by a gang who approached them in boats. Police in Mexico on Saturday rounded up the drug cartel boss believed to be responsible for the killing Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo, a Zetas cartel leader is known as 'Commander Squirrel.' He has been linked to numerous crimes, such as the escape of 151 prisoners in 2010 from a jail in the city of Nuevo Laredo and the recent flight of 131 prisoners in the city of Piedras Negras. Scroll down for video . Squirrel: Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo, a Zetas cartel leader, was arrested on Saturday . Tragedy: David Hartley, left, was shot and killed as he was exploring Falcon Lake with his wife Tiffany, right . Escobedo was also wanted for his alleged role in the September 2010 killing of David Hartley on Falcon Lake, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. The Mexican Navy said in a statement: 'Squirrel is credited with being the mastermind of the deaths of 72 undocumented migrants in San Fernando. '[He] is the alleged perpetrator of the narco graves found in Tamaulipas state, with more than 200 bodies and the execution of more than 50 people by his own hand in different parts of the republic, [as well as] the murder of David Hartley, an American citizen killed at Falcon Dam on September 30, 2010.' Grief: Tiffany Hartley, speaking from her La Salle, Colorado home on Monday, said she hoped that Escobedo could lead authorities to her husband's remains . When asked if she had confidence that Mexican authorities arrested the man responsible for her husband's death, Tiffany Hartley said: 'It's really hard to really feel like this is going to be the final, but at the same time we're very hopeful that it will because we want some closure as a family.' She said she was hoping for more details on how Martinez might be linked to her husband's death and also for information on where her husband's remains are so the family can move forward. 'But that's what we're really looking for is: What is his link to David and does he know where David's body is?' said Hartley, who lives in La Salle, Colorado. She told cops that they had been riding jet skis to take photos of an old church on the Mexican side of the lake when her husband was shot in the back of the head. In memoriam: Tiffany Hartley and family members lay a wreath near the site of her husband's murder in this 2010 photo . Couple: David and Tiffany Hartley were high school sweethearts, and had been married for eight years when tragedy struck in 2010 . She said that the couple - who had been high school sweethearts and married for eight years – were fired upon by pirates in three speed boats. Mrs Hartley said she could not pull her husband on to her jet ski and had to leave him lying face down in the water as she fled the gunshots. Mr Hartley's body was never found. Remembering David: Mr Hartley was honored in a large memorial service on October 5, 2010 in McAllen, Texas . Ordeal: Mrs Hartley said she could not pull her husband on to her jet ski and had to leave him lying face down in the water as she fled the gunshots . The investigation into Mr Hartley's . death was a dealt a blow in October of 2010 when Mexico's lead . investigator, Rolando Flores, was decapitated. Mr Flores's severed head was delivered in a suitcase to a military post near the border with Texas.Falcon Lake has been the scene of drug-related violence for years. Escobedo is also accused of murder in that case. Vergara said Martinez was captured in Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas. He was shown to reporters on Monday. In custody: Mexican authorities had posted a $1million reward for the capture of Martinez, a Zetas drug cartel leader . The navy said Martinez is also a suspect in dozens of killings of people who were buried in mass graves at the same site of the 2010 massacre of migrants. Nearly 200 bodies were discovered in April 2011 in the town of San Fernando, close to the U.S. border. Those two crimes have been the most fatalities since Mexico's federal government launched an armed offensive against drug traffickers in December 2006. Mexican authorities had posted a $1million reward for Martinez. Watch video here .
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Zetas cartel leader Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo arrested on Saturday .
Believed to be linked to numerous crimes, including the murder of American David Hartley in September 2010 .
Hartley was jet skiing with his wife Tiffany when he was shot and killed on Falcon Lake .
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